UK SMEs are investing nearly half of their annual turnover on technology to counteract rising costs and retain competitiveness. That is the findings of the latest Barclays Business Barometer and according to the bank’s research, the most innovative SMEs in the UK are spending 48% of annual revenue on technology, with 45% doing so to […]
A growing number of social ventures are emerging from universities, aiming to make a real difference to communities across London and further afield. These companies need capital if they’re to grow, and a new project launching this autumn will lay the foundations for a self-sustaining social venture fund. The London Social Venture Fund will seek […]
Australian giant Fortescue has unveiled a £19 million innovation centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world says the facility will be home to 300 highly skilled workers, with up to 50 more jobs to be created across the next year. It adds to a pledge to create more than 1,000 […]
Rent out your home on Airbnb? Drive for Uber? Freelance on Fiverr? From January, these platforms will record your income and soon report it to HMRC… The growing number of gig workers, people with side hustles and those earning money from the likes of Airbnb, Upwork, Uber, Deliveroo and Etsy have been urged to ensure […]
September spelled further pain for restaurants and takeaway businesses, as spending on eating out slowed due to Brits cutting back on eating out before the Christmas period. According to Barclay’s latest spending report, some 44 per cent of respondents are trimming their discretionary spending in the run up to the festivities, with dining out the […]
Small business owners are being offered support to go green as research shows 61% of consumers say the sustainability credentials of businesses are an important factor behind their spending decisions. Oxford Brookes Business School, in partnership with Small Business Britain will unveil a free six-week ‘Green Skills for Small Business’ programme starting in November, offering entrepreneurs across […]
“Responsible” investments appear to be losing favour with private investors. A survey has found that only 53 per cent of respondents consider environmental, social and governance factors before investing, compared with 60 per cent last year and 65 per cent in 2021. The results of the ESG attitudes tracker survey by the Association of Investment […]
Against a challenging economic backdrop and well publicised cyber-attacks, concerns about cyber threats amongst UK SMEs have risen significantly in the last year as they consider the impact on brand, reputation, and revenue. According to new research, nearly four in ten are more worried about cyber security threats than a year ago, with over a […]
The post-pandemic hiring boom is in decline as three-quarters of UK businesses admit to struggles with staff recruitment, according to new research from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Hiring intentions were also shown to be continuing to fall last month. The BCC surveyed almost 5,000 companies, and found that 73 per cent had faced […]
Thousands more nudge letters being sent out by HMRC are causing needless worry to UK taxpayers, and are unnecessary. Robert Salter, an international tax expert at tax and advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg, said: “HMRC have sharply increased the number of ‘nudge letters’ sent to UK taxpayers in the 2022/23 UK tax year, because of international […]