The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an independent market investigation into the £7.5 billion cloud services market in the UK, following referral from Ofcom, to examine and consider whether competition concerns are holding back businesses. The investigation aims to consider what can be done to improve the supply of these important services for […]
Statistics show that over 700 construction workers die by suicide per year in the UK — equivalent to two construction workers every working day. There is still a stigma surrounding mental health, especially within male-dominated industries, such as the construction industry. This stigma brings a range of issues, which can have devastating effects on those […]
A major programme of online mentoring and training is being offered by Small Business Saturday to help firms tackle ongoing economic challenges, as the campaign marks its second decade in the UK. Small business owners across the country are being encouraged to sign up for a programme of free virtual workshops and one-to-one mentoring taking […]
Digital infrastructure’s goal is to build a full-fibre broadband network for 1 million premises by 2027. This equates to roughly 3% of the available market in the UK. Aiming to solve the need for increasing public demand for faster broadband, Charlie Ruddy – CEO of full-fibre network builder Digital Infrastructure and its sister company, BeFibre […]
Rosehill Polymers Group has finalised a multi-million-pound deal with Virgin Money and UK Export Finance to complete a refinancing and management buyout of the business and accelerate their worldwide growth ambitions. Since 1988, Rosehill Polymers have established themselves as a market leader in sustainable polymer systems design, development and manufacturing at their state-of-the-art facilities in […]
Over 10,000 SME owners, self-employed and budding entrepreneurs have applied for a single £25,000 Business Boost grant from insurer Simply Business, as the current economic climate takes a toll on small businesses. This milestone comes as the UK is facing the biggest rise in small business vacancies in at least eight years, with a loss […]
On current predictions, business rates bills look likely to rise by a total of £1.56 billion next April, giving unsustainable rises to all sectors of the economy. Rates bills rise in line with inflation and are based on the CPI figure for the previous September. With CPI announced at 6.7% for August, Colliers are expecting […]
The UK economy is far bigger than before the Covid-19 crisis than first thought, with the country’s growth outpacing Germany and France, new revisions to official data this morning revealed. Gross domestic product is now estimated to be 1.8 per cent larger compared with the final months of 2019, just before the pandemic swept through […]
Government must give pubs which serve as the beating hearts of their communities greater support with tax rebates to safeguard the nation’s locals as vital social lifelines, a report from the think-tank Localis has urged today. In a report issued today entitled ‘Inn-Valuable: unlocking the socio-economic potential of our nation’s pubs’, Localis also argued that a […]
One-in-five SME owners plan to sell part or all their business within the next two years according to a new study. An additional one in ten respondents expect to downsize their businesses over the same period. Of these, a third blame rising costs, 18% cite performance-related issues and a further one in six need to […]