Business News

It has been reported that the government has finally cancel plans for the HS2 rail link to Leeds.

This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously committed to building the connection from the West Midlands to the northern powerhouse of Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. Government ministers were said to be poised, instead, to fund disparate projects that favour Tory constituencies.

New market research released today reveals that nearly one in five (19%) working adults surveyed in Birmingham don’t feel they can be their true self in their current job or career. 

Nationally, this rises to nearly a third (30%) of Gen Z working adults – those aged between 18 and 23 – surveyed who feel they can’t be their true self in their current role. More than four fifths (85%) of this age group say they feel more at ease expressing their individuality outside of work.

The council announced in March it had struck a deal with AEG Presents and contracts have now been exchanged to secure a major coup for the city.  

AEG Presents, the live-entertainment division of AEG - the world’s leading sports and live-entertainment company, supported by ASM Global - the world’s leading venue operator, is scheduled to take up occupation of the halls in late April 2022 and then commence the internal fit out to the front of house bars, kitchen and sound and lights systems.  

Pressure Pump Solutions has just entered into a strategic partnership with Hyundai Power Products. The collaboration originated from meetings held over the past two months between Hyundai UK, and Sheffield-based David Wood, owner of Pressure Pump Solutions.

This alliance comes at a vital time in the UK, as tradespeople and home DIYers look for the most economic solutions to business and domestic problems, using suppliers they know they can rely on.

GXO Logistics, Inc., the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, announced today that Letitia James has joined the company in the newly created position of Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. James will serve as a champion for advancing and evolving the company’s Diversity and Inclusion vision, strategy and initiatives, supporting GXO’s business objectives and reinforcing its inclusive culture.

Property seekers in Solihull are being encouraged to attend Bromford’s upcoming open day event at Blythe Valley, where they can learn more about Shared Ownership and the housing association’s brand-new apartments.

The open day will be taking place on Friday, November 12 from 3pm to 7pm, and be held at the Blythe Valley housing development, off Central Boulevard in Blythe Valley Park.

An expert team of lawyers who specialise in supporting clients in the Later Living sector have announced the results of a survey looking at the perceptions and attitudes of consumers to retirement living.

The team from national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, carried out the inaugural ‘Retirement Living – consumer attitudes survey 2021’ after seeing an uptick in demand for residential developments designed for retirees and older clientele.

A recent survey, commissioned by accounting software provider FreshBooks, has revealed the top struggles small business owners in the Midlands have faced during the pandemic.

With a survey sample of 1,000 small business owners, FreshBooks revealed 60% of small business owners in the Midlands felt some sort of impact from COVID-19 on their business.

The West Midlands is driving towards a clean and green transport future as the region seeks better ways of managing our road networks and harness new ideas and new technology.

That was the message from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) interim chief executive Laura Shoaf in a keynote speech to transport industry leaders at the Highways UK conference at the NEC in Birmingham.

Every 24 hours, more than 8,000 tonnes of food, products and other essentials pass over the England-Scotland border at Gretna in freight trains - the greenest way of transporting food, drink and other essentials in bulk.

As Scotland does not have any deep-sea container ports, it relies on the West Coast main line to keep supplies moving north.

Appointments have been made to two key positions as part of Birmingham city council’s aim to drive forward its priorities.

Paul Kitson will become Strategic Director of Place, Prosperity and Sustainability; Richard Brooks will be the Director of Strategy, Equality & Partnerships. The design of the core leadership team and council priorities were set out and approved in the cabinet report Investing in our Future.

A leading Midlands-based engineering firm has been recognised for its work in building young futures with a new award from a government-backed accreditation.

And the badge highlights the firm as one of Britain’s brightest businesses investing in the STEM skills agenda. Birmingham-headquartered adi Group has received the new Gold Award from The 5% Club, introduced this year as an employer benchmarking programme from the business organisation.

Winch & Co have announced that it has completed the acquisition of Eclipse Distribution, a haulage and logistics business based in Loughborough, founded in 1989. 

The boutique private equity firm based in Leeds city centre said the acquisition outlines its latest investment mandate to find logistics and distribution businesses by which it will grow its group.

House-hunters in the West Midlands looking for a new home in time for Christmas are being encouraged to consider Bromford’s Blythe Valley development in Solihull, where they could be gifted a £500 Argos voucher.

Blythe Valley consists of a wonderful collection of two-bedroom Shared Ownership apartments, surrounded by green open spaces and great transport links, making them more than ideal for first-time buyers and young professionals alike.

Eight locally-led projects designed to offer people new skills and new opportunities have been awarded more than £5m funding as part of the Government’s plans to level up communities.

These include skills training for those impacted by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and projects to close gaps in support for key groups such as the over 50s and those with a history of offending.

Two-thirds of the British public recognise the railway as a greener mode of transport - and yet 73% of this group still primarily use cars to get around.

That was the key finding of a national survey carried out by Network Rail as part of the industry-wide ‘We Mean Green’ campaign to encourage travellers to make greener travel choices.