Business News

Andy Street claimed the Tories need only a four per cent swing in their favour to win the West Midlands Combined Authority mayoral elections next year when he launched his campaign at the opening day of the Conservative Party conference at the ICC in Birmingham yesterday. The former chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership set out his campaign priorities around transport, skills, housing and jobs and challenged his opponents to debate with him. 

History was made as Wolverhampton set about establishing an official city partnership with Anqing in China. As part of Wolverhampton Business Week, senior figures from the city council hosted their Chinese counterparts at a Civic Centre reception.City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, Councillor Roger Lawrence, and Anqing Municipal People’s Government Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Ye, put pen to paper on a ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing a City Partnership through friendly discussions’.

Qatar Airways and British Airways’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has announced a joint business agreement that will come into effect on 30 October 2016. The joint business will benefit customers by offering a wider choice of flights, an enhanced network, greater choice of fares and superior benefits for members of their frequent flyer programmes.

Wolverhampton residents are once again being asked to make a positive change in their street, community and city. Make:Shift – the ideas forum – is this year celebrating its fifth anniversary. The free event will take place on Saturday, October 15, at The Old School, 73 Dudley Road, Wolverhampton, WV2 3BY, between 10am and 4pm. Last year more than 60 people from across the city shared their thoughts on how to ‘Change Wolverhampton with an idea’.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce has selected Patron-member Paycare as the next Member of the Week, after a period of very significant success for the organisation. Member of the Week is a Black Country Chamber initiative to celebrate the great work that our members are doing and to highlight the success stories in the local area.

Brightline marked completion of its station structure in West Palm Beach station during a “topping out” ceremony today. City and County Commissioners, along with community leaders and representatives from Brightline and Moss & Associates, the construction company that is building the station, were in attendance. The ceremony signaled the completion of the station structure and a shift toward interior outfitting and finishing efforts.

Birmingham Airport has jumped on board with a new children’s literature project that aims to empower children across the world, working with local author and businesswoman Alison Delaney, founder of Little Bird. Through this exciting initiative, Birmingham Airport is helping children expand their imagination and reach their full potential through Dreams Workshops.  Every child at Yorkswood Primary School in Kingshurst, North Solihull, a school close to the airport and part of the UNITY Trust Collaborative, receives a copy of the book as a key resource within the workshop.

Next week will see the staff of Wolverhampton based Charter Court Financial Services (CCFS) put on their running shoes as they take part in the 2016 Great Birmingham Run. The team of 38 runners from the business will be vying to record the quickest team time and the chance of topping the table and collecting the Business Challenge Trophy at the event sponsored by the Birmingham Post.

A report carried out by Albion Econimics has revealed that almost 27,000 people will be working on HS2 by 2020 - while the new project could deliver up to 9,000 apprenticeships. The independent report, published by High Speed Rail Industry Leaders, has analysed contracts already issued by HS2 Ltd, the programme for the coming years and roles throughout the supply chain.

Deutsche Bank’s Beth Farminer is toasting a double success – after being crowned the Future Face of Greater Birmingham and the Future Face of Professional Services. She received her awards at the second annual dinner for Future Faces - the young professionals’ arm of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce – at Edgbaston Stadium on Friday night.

Wolverhampton has officially welcomed more than 100 newly qualified teachers who have joined the city’s primary, secondary and special schools this term. They were invited to a special event in Wednesfield last week organised by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s School Standards Team where they had the chance to meet other members of the “class of 2016”.

Preferred Westside developer, Urban & Civic, will be one of the prominent buyers at Wolverhampton Business Week’s ‘Meet the Buyer Breakfast’ - and there is still time to sign up if you wish to attend. More than 200 businesses will come together in Molineux Football Stadium’s WV1 Suite on Wednesday, September 28, between 8am and 10am. It is open to anyone interested in hearing about supplying goods or services in the city and where to find opportunities.

Landlords across the UK have been given an annual reminder of their responsibilities when it comes to ensuring the gas safety of tenanted properties. Gas Safety Week, which is running from 19th to 25th September, aims to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of having gas appliances checked and maintained by a qualified engineer.

A growing number of people are choosing to reserve a new house months ahead of its expected build completion date in order to reap the benefits of off-plan homes, according to Bellway West Midlands. The national housebuilder’s West Midlands division believes benefits such as selecting a plot, having design input, and access to record-low mortgage rates are the main factors driving the increase in off-plan reservations.

Sydney has become Qatar Airways’ first destination in Australia to be served by the super-jumbo A380 aircraft, just six months after it joined the carrier’s global network. Following the route’s inauguration with the Boeing 777-300 on 1 March 2016, Qatar Airways has seen a steady growth in demand for its service on the route. The 517-seater A380 aircraft increases Qatar Airways’ current daily capacity by 44 per cent on this route to meet the growing travel and trade demand.

The first bricks have been laid for new homes on the first two plots of the multi-million pound Bilston Urban Village site. Kier is developing 78 units comprising one, two, three and four-bedroom properties located on the west side of Dudley Street, either side of the entrance to Carder Crescent. It is part of City of Wolverhampton Council’s push to deliver up to 450 homes on Bilston Urban Village, which sits south of the town centre and Black Country Route.