Business News

June 19-23 sees the launch of National Women's Enterprise Week (NWEW), the first ever UK wide celebration of female led businesses.

The brainchild of entrepreneur Alison Cork MBE (also founder of not for profit Make It Your Business www.makeityourbusiness.co.uk), NWEW aims to support and encourage female enterprise with a whole week of activities for both the general public and female entrepreneurial community.

The regeneration of Perry Barr in Birmingham took another step forwards today as it was confirmed that construction is now complete on the first phase of the Perry Barr Residential Scheme. Almost 1,000 much-needed new homes are now available for rent or sale on a former university campus in the north of the city.

Completion of the new homes was announced at the same time that Lendlease, the principal contractor for the scheme on behalf of Birmingham City Council, revealed the project has beaten a number of targets it was set in order to help support the local economy and bring wider community benefits.

Circles, the leading global digital telco and consumer company, won two prestigious awards from the Asian Telecom Awards 2023. The award recognises the remarkable achievements and initiatives of Asia's leading telco companies.

The Travel Product of the Year was awarded to Circles' digital telco, Circles Life Singapore's travel lifestyle app, Jetpac. Launched in 2022 to provide greater convenience and experience to post-COVID travellers, Jetpac promises travel freedom for all with its fuss-free e-sim activation, unbeatable global roaming rates and travel perks. Within 4 months of launch, Jetpac achieved more than 10x growth in sign-ups, of which, more than 50% were new customers.

Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of 13 Airbus A321XLR aircraft with purchase rights for additional 12 aircraft. The aircraft deliveries will start in 2029.

Icelandair, however, plans to start operating Airbus aircraft in 2025 and is currently in advanced stage of negotiations in relation to four leased Airbus A321LR for that purpose.

The UK government is considering a proposal that would require landlords to make their properties more energy efficient over the next few years. They say the changes will be "fair and proportionate".

By law, all homes that are sold or rented must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which measures, among other things, how well a property is insulated and heated. Homes are given a grade between A and G.

A derelict piece of land in Blakenall is being transformed into affordable housing thanks to a new partnership between GreenSquareAccord and a local developer. Keon Homes, which was formed four years ago by Richard Williams, Warren Bolton and Noel Sweeney in 2019, will build the £5.3m Canalside Close scheme that will give people access to a 33-strong mix of one, two-bed apartments and two and three-bed houses.

As UK employers look to plug a chronic nationwide skills gap which is holding back growth, thousands of over-50s are being encouraged to ‘un-retire’ and go back to work.

According to government figures, an estimated 630,000 people have left Britain’s jobs market since 2019, with many aged 50+ choosing not to return to the workplace after the Covid pandemic.

A2MAC1 have announced the opening of its first subsidiary in Istanbul (Turkey), a strategic location for the future growth of A2MAC1.

For more than 20 years, A2MAC1 has been supporting the continued success of the Turkish economy as a valued partner to the Turkish automotive ecosystem. Social responsibility is deeply embedded in the mission of A2MAC1: it is also committed to helping the Turkish earthquake victims and hence will donate up to 20% of the growth it generates in Turkey in 2023 to a charity fund.

Almost three quarters of professionals (71%) have stated that they are open to returning to their pre-Covid employer – with half admitting that the reasons as to why they left are no longer applicable in today’s market. 

According to a recent poll from recruiter Robert Walters (of 3,000 professionals), 45% of workers who had left their job after lockdown did so for better pay - with a further 35% leaving for a better workplace culture or more purpose/fulfilment in their role.

Company secretarial (CoSec) business Bruce Wallace Associates is joining West Midlands full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau as part of a shared growth strategy. The union will see Bruce Wallace Associates’ team of five, including its two directors Susan Wallace and Martha Bruce, take on the Shakespeare Martineau brand – bringing the team to more than 13.

The CoSec team at Shakespeare Martineau provides specialist corporate governance advice and company secretarial services to public companies listed on AIM, AQSE and the main market as well as several large private groups.

It must have taken a real lesson in soul- searching for mainstream commercial institutions such as Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank and other corporate entities, to publicly apologise for building their empire on the abominable slave trade (system) that destroyed millions of lives and left generations of African people scarred; culturally, psychologically and socially.

One of the West Midlands’ best kept manufacturing secrets has capped a record-breaking year by securing two major industrial awards last night.

Brandauer, which produces millions of high tolerance metal pressings/stampings every week for customers in 10 sectors and across 26 different countries, was named the Confederation of British Metalforming’s Company of the Year in front of 200 people at Birmingham’s Grand Hotel.

A trailblazing construction business well-known for creating better places for people to live and delivering positive social impact across the North-West is expanding into Cumbria.

Evolution, which takes pride in delivering quality private housing, social housing, and sheltered housing, is creating jobs for tradespeople to work on a scheme in Barrow.

Businesses across the UK can take advantage of the Chancellor’s capital allowances package from today as the new business tax year begins.

The package, announced at Spring Budget, comprises 100% full expensing and a 50% first-year allowance. It will mean the UK has the most generous capital allowance regime in the OECD worth £27 billion over the next three years, amounting to an effective £9 billion a year tax cut for companies.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd and Shell North America LNG LLC have announced the successful bunkering of the ZIM SAMMY OFER container vessel with LNG. This vessel was bunkered at Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) on 26 March 2023.

This was a milestone operation for a number of reasons: