Business News

Young traders are being invited to show off their stalls to hundreds of shoppers thanks to a free business opportunity organised by City of Wolverhampton Council.

As part of the national Young Traders Market programme, entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 30 can take advantage of special events being run throughout July and August.

Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) is heralding its latest independently verified success story of generating and delivering nearly £7 million of social value* back to the borough.

This figure for the 21/22 financial year has increased significantly from £1.8million in financial year 20/21 - highlighting the impact of COVID-19 closures on Social Value – plus the Black Country-based charity (which still runs nine leisure facilities for Sandwell Council across the borough) is well above standard for the industry.

At a time of global climate crisis, when nations are looking to governments for comprehensive plans to secure a green future, new research from Novuna Business Finance reveals that half of the UK small business community are sleepwalking into landfill by not yet recycling plastic bottles and tins cans (50%). Further, four in 10 enterprises (39%) are not recycling paper and, worryingly, only a third use confidential waste to process sensitive documents.

Businesses across Solihull can now apply for the chance to be recognised in the Solihull Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner and Awards ceremony, returning this October at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel.

This year’s awards will take place on Friday 7 October from 6pm at the flagship hotel who became patrons of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce earlier this year.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has headed off on a transatlantic trade mission to beat the drum for the region with North American investors, business leaders and tourist chiefs.

With the Commonwealth Games less than 70 days away, the week-long trip to the USA and Canada will see the Mayor visit Chicago before travelling to Toronto where he will lead a West Midlands showcase event featuring the arrival in the city of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Water Saving Week, run by Waterwise, aims to raise awareness of the issues around water use and help people understand the value of water, so they can use it wisely.

Bromford, which is providing a range of properties for local people in the West Midlands, is committed to making sure its homes are water and energy efficient, in a way that is beneficial to both the environment and homeowners’ wallets.

City of Wolverhampton’s new i9 development has won a regional Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK award.

The city centre office complex came out on top to claim the best Commercial Development honour in the West Midlands.

A third of white-collar professionals have stated that they are ‘very likely’ to leave their job in the coming months, unless more understanding and assistance is directed toward personal matters which impact their work. According to research carried out by global recruiter Robert Walters, there are three major ‘living crisis’ that will further drive The Great Reshuffle which companies need to be tuned into in order to attract & retain talent:

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Mayor, Andy Street, and Legal & General (L&G) CEO, Sir Nigel Wilson, have today signed a partnership agreement with L&G committing to invest £4bn in regeneration, housing and levelling up across the West Midlands.

The landmark agreement, L&G’s first with a combined authority, sets out a commitment to a seven-year programme of L&G investment, building on the region’s 2022 Investment Prospectus.  

The success story of a community shop offering cut-price food to Wolverhampton families in need was recently shared with a senior Government advisor.

Sir Hector Sants, chair of the Money and Pension Service, heard how people are able to make huge savings on their groceries and other household essentials at the Big Venture Community Shop when he visits the city.

A group of students have been given hands-on experience of housebuilding at a special event hosted by David Wilson Homes in Stanford in the Vale.

17 students from King Alfred’s Academy visited the developer’s River Meadow development on Ware Road to try their hand at a variety of practical skills, whilst learning the ins and outs of the construction industry from the experienced site team.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes Government’s commitment to reforming planning at the heart of the ‘Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill’, but warns that the levelling up agenda will remain compromised as long as the planning system is under resourced.

Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI said, “The fact that planning is so central to this bill makes it feel like the profession has been promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.

Birmingham Airport is now using electricity generated solely from renewable sources.  

This is the latest step in the company’s journey to net zero carbon by 2033, set out last month in its roadmap. 

Work to regenerate and restore the faded glory of another Victorian building in Birmingham’s historic Corporation Street is to receive a £9.5m investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The ornate Citadel building is being transformed into an eco-friendly hybrid mix of office, retail and social space, helping to bring new life and vitality to what had traditionally been the city’s premier shopping street. 

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes the inclusion of the planning system within the ‘Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill’. Planners can be an asset to the Bill, increasing living standards and home ownership, cultivating pride in place, improving transport infrastructure and population health and strengthening local leadership.

The CISI plays an incredibly important role, often below the radar, in helping to boost the development of financial services education and skills, both in the UK and emerging markets, says Nikhil Rathi, CEO of the FCA.

Mr Rathi was speaking at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) 30th anniversary dinner at Guildhall, London 5 May 2022.