National commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has strengthened its regional office by appointing an associate director to head its lease advisory team. James Banks will work closely with LSH’s agency and building surveying teams to identify long-term opportunities in the South West as it continues to position itself as a ‘powerhouse’ region....
Firms will want assurances that the business rates reform announced by the Chancellor this week will not more higher taxes. That’s the view of Business West, the region’s largest business organisation representing 16,000 firms and which runs the Bath Chamber of Commerce. George Osborne made the surprise announcement at the Conservative Party conference that...
Manufacturer Avon Rubber has appointed Rob Rennie as its chief executive officer with effect from December 1. Rob, pictured, joins from UK engineering group Invensys, where he has held a number of senior positions and was part of the team that sold Invensys to French giant Schneider Electric for £3.4bn in 2013. He replaces...
Confidence levels for firms across the West of England have fallen on the back of lower sales, fewer new jobs and worsening cashflow, according to the results of Business West’s latest survey. The figures, released this week, show how susceptible the region is to shifts in the world economy, said James Durie of Business...
Plans for first 275 new homes on Bath’s former Foxhill MoD site – now known as Mulberry Park – have been been given the green light. Curo, the Bath-based housing organisation, wants to build 700 energy-efficient homes on the 48-acre development – 30% of which will be for social rent or shared ownership. The site...
Bath and Bristol’s future as a vibrant business centre will be debated by three of the region’s leading business women at the UK’s biggest gathering of female business owners next month. They will take as their starting point the creation of a so-called Western Powerhouse to unite the region and claw back vital powers...
Expanding Bath communications firm Grapevine Telecom has recruited Liam Toms as its new marketing manager. Liam, pictured, joins Grapevine, which acts as a mobile phone and data account manager for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), having previously worked with the firm in his role as business engagement consultant at Bournemouth University during which he facilitated a...
Business West, the organisation that runs Bath Chamber of Commerce, has launched a project to help the local firms benefit from the development of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. Nuclear South West will bring together firms already operating in the sector with academics and other businesses to maximise opportunities linked to Hinkley Point...
Bath businesses are being urged to back a multi-million pound bid to the Government to boost the use of green transport across the West of England. The region’s four local authorities, including Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), are preparing a bid for up to £11m from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles which...
Facilities management business Almeda has recruited Ben Arbery, who joins the Keynsham-based family business as associate director. He will work alongside Brady George, who recently took over from his father Gary as managing director. Ben spent 15 years working in the financial services industry, initially as a financial adviser and mortgage broker and latterly...
