If the growth in imports is any indicator of quality, then grapes (both in their liquid and natural form) from the Western Cape are among the best in the world. Over the 2020/21 reporting period, the UK imported 16% more wine products and 15% more grapes than they did the year before. This is according […]
Major brands, Microsoft and Airbnb, have unveiled significant commitments focused on boosting the long-term economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The announcements were made at Legacy Day, the final event of UK House, held on Monday 8 August. Building on its role as Official Hosting Provider at Birmingham 2022, Airbnb announced a £500,000 […]
The UK government needs to properly acknowledge and address digital poverty if it wants to resolve the growing skills gap and support economic growth, according to charity group the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA). Elizabeth Anderson, COO of the DPA, said that the charity’s data shows that 82% of jobs in the UK require digital skills. The […]
Small businesses are bringing forward their finance applications in order to beat expected further interest rate rises, according to new research. Four-in-ten (44%) SME leaders expect to bring forward their finance plans in response to the prospect of further rate hikes. It follows the Bank of England’s decision to raise the base rate to 1.75%, […]
New research has found that cost of living increases are set to impact B2B subscriptions as nearly half are considering reducing the number of services they subscribe to, as they tackle rising costs. As subscription services have grown in popularity amongst consumers, so too have they among businesses. Half of UK SMEs say they currently […]
Forterro, a European provider of software solutions to more than 10,000 small and midsized industrial companies, has announced its acquisition of Wise Software, a provider of ERP software solutions for industrial companies with retail, wholesale, ecommerce, and distribution requirements. OrderWise’s specialised, highly-integrated financials, order management, Point of Sale (POS), warehouse management (WMS), transportation management (TMS) […]
A four-day work week and hybrid options are among the top demands for the modern office worker, according to new research. A survey conducted by business messaging software provider Slack found that 86% of UK office workers would rather work more hours in a day over a four-day work week. A growing number of companies […]
Spending on travel and entertainment by UK SMEs using American Express corporate cards exceeded pre-Covid figures during the second quarter. In a further sign that SMEs have been leading the recovery in corporate travel, their overall spending reached 108 per cent of the figure recorded in the second quarter of 2019. There are also positive […]
As the government prepares to launch a new £3bn a year loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses this week, a new survey of MPs commissioned by AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) shows that almost two-thirds of those surveyed want more support for SMEs to cope with the ongoing cost of living crisis. When asked […]
Balancing entrepreneurial spirit with scalable infrastructure will helps SMEs build resilience and opportunity against a backdrop of economic unpredictability and rising costs Despite the prospect of ‘stagflation’ – a combination of weak growth and high inflation – rising energy costs, an unbaked Brexit, the Russian invasion of Ukraine causing global supply problems and a widespread […]