More than 100 businesses from across the South West heard how to grow their export potential at the recent CBI Global Growth Conference. The event, held in partnership with UK Trade and Investment, was aimed at businesses that want to explore overseas markets. The conference at the UWE Conference Centre in Bristol was opened...
Bath’s highly successful tech firms can play a lead role in building the South West into a global centre of excellence to rival similar hubs such as London’s Tech City, according to a new report. Published today, the Tech South West report calls for a group of ‘ambassador companies’ to work together to showcase...
Bristol & Bath Science Park has appointed Tom Beasley to lead day-to-day operations of its Forum and Innovation Centre. Tom, pictured, is the former director of projects and strategic development at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, where he led the team responsible for securing £26.5m funding to support development of the Gloucestershire Science &...
Facilities management firm Almeda has officially opened its first client restaurant as it seeks to reinvigorate the traditional staff canteen at businesses across the region. The launch of the restaurant at Hanson UK’s shared service and IT centre in Chipping Sodbury, was the culmination of months of hard work and planning at Keynsham-based Almeda....
Volunteers are being sought from Bath businesses to support schools careers and enterprise strategies across the West of England. The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is taking part in the first wave of a new government-led national programme to unlock the potential of young people aged between 12 and 18. The LEP,...
Bath’s go-ahead firms are being encouraged to follow in the tracks of skateboard distributor Shiner and show the benefits of creating a great workplace culture. Bristol-based Shiner collected the top prize in last year’s inaugural South West Happiest Workplace competition, attributing its success to being “laid back with no egos”. The third-generation family firm,...
A Bath charity making eco-friendly knickers, a specialist building maintenance firm and the city’s two universities were among the winners at this year’s South West Fairtrade Business Awards. Kerala Crafts, established in 2001, supports projects in Kerala, Southern India, including a women’s stitching co-operative and cotton co-operative. Its products, which range from oven gloves and...
A 44% increase in customers at Chippenham-based renewable energy company Good Energy helped push up its annual revenues by 12% to £64.3m. But pre-tax profits in the year to December 31 fell by 92% to just £128,000 due to the cost of servicing £54m worth of debt and a rise in administrative expenses. The...
More than twice as many West businesses want the UK to stay in the EU as leave, according to the hotly anticipated results of a major regional survey. Some 57% of business people said they will vote to remain part of the EU, compared to 26% who say they will back the leave campaign....
The long-awaited devolution deal giving the West of England a £1bn boost for investment in infrastructure and skills has been announced by Chancellor George Osborne. The move would represent a major change, transferring decisions on transport, investment, funding, skills training, business support, housing and strategic planning from Westminster. But the package of measures, which...
