Business News

Future Faces - the young professionals’ arm of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce – has announced the shortlist for its second annual awards. The winners will be revealed at Future Faces’ annual dinner at Edgbaston Stadium on Friday 16 September. As well as the five main categories, the Future Faces Ambassador and Venue of the Year awards will also be announced on the night.

McDonald’s have signed a voluntary agreement with Birmingham City Council, promising to pick up litter in the streets immediately around its 18 restaurants in the city. The fast food firm is the latest business to sign up to this pledge, and as part of this McDonald’s restaurants across Birmingham carry out regular litter picks in their local area to help keep it free from related rubbish.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) has defended local employers over claims they are encouraging obesity among their workforce. According to a report by Willis PMI Group, almost a third (30 per cent) of Midlands workers claim their employers have directly contributed to higher levels of obesity.

Wolverhampton's Archives and Local Studies service has received a prestigious award from the National Archives. It has been awarded Archive Service Accreditation status, meaning it provides an excellent standard of customer service, preserves collections in line with national standards and is a robust, sustainable service which plans and delivers ongoing improvement.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce are delighted to announce that FSC Investment Services Ltd have become the latest member to join The Chamber Patron Group, the highest level of Chamber membership. FSC Investment Services Limited was established in 1997 and specialise in independent financial planning offering a nationwide coverage to their clients. They provide advice in all areas of financial services, including investments, inheritance tax planning, life assurance, wills, trusts & retirement planning to both the corporate and private sectors.

There have not yet been any signs that Brexit will, as some experts predicted, have a negative impact on the UK’s rental market, according to property specialist Leaders. Indeed, new statistics suggest the sector has actually grown since the British public voted to leave the European Union (EU) on 23rd June. Rightmove has revealed rental enquiries were up by two per cent in Q2 in comparison with the same period last year, while they rose by one per cent in the two weeks after the referendum versus the same fortnight in 2015.

Lawyers from Clarke Willmott LLP in Birmingham have warned players of the new smartphone game Pokemon Go to be careful when hunting the digital monsters, in case they find themselves facing court proceedings for trespass. Since the game was released in the UK on Thursday morning, swarms of smartphone-equipped hunters, young and old, have hit the streets attempting to catch virtual ‘Pokemon’ creatures at specified locations around the city.

City Council leader Cllr John Clancy is seeking urgent talks with new Prime Minister Theresa May to make the case of Birmingham's role in the post-Brexit UK economy. Cllr Clancy has written to the new PM explaining why he feels Birmingham has a big contribution to make. And he has urged the new PM to ensure that cities have a voice in negotiations to exit the European Union.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told of his favourite places to eat, drink and relax in his South London neighbourhood as he backs a new drive to encourage more tourists to explore some of the city's undiscovered areas and live like a local. The Mayor, who lives in Tooting – made famous in popular culture by the 1970's classic BBC comedy Citizen Smith, starring Robert Lindsay - has spoken about how the area is home to the best South Asian restaurants in the capital, has a vibrant nightlife comparable to Soho, a tranquil common and an outdoor swimming pool which can boast Hollywood actor Brad Pitt as a visitor.

The nation’s water supplies are among the healthiest in the world – with 99.96 per cent passing stringent standards. However, of those which do fail, nearly a third are due to problems in people’s own homes, a report has shown. Poor plumbing practices and sub-standard fittings are among the main causes of a deterioration in the quality of drinking water, after it has been transferred from public water mains into private pipes and properties.

Latest figures released by VisitBritain show strong growth from markets including the US, Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first quarter of 2016, underpinning the best ever first quarter for total inbound visits. The Office for National Statistics results show that from January to March this year visits from the US, the UK’s most valuable visitor market, grew by 9% to 542,000 compared to the same period last year.

The Black Country Chamber Annual Exhibition will be taking place on 29th September at Wolverhampton Racecourse from 9am to 1pm. This is set to be a great event, with all of the stands having nearly sold out and the number of delegates increasing each day. Proving itself to the one of the highlights of our annual events calendar, the exhibition will feature 54 stands and usually attracts approximately 500 delegates, thereby serving as an ideal opportunity to network with a wide variety of local businesses.

Tesco has announced all the cocoa required for its own label chocolate products sold in the UK will be from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ sources by the end of 2018. The retailer will also ensure the cocoa used in other Tesco UK products, such as biscuits, cakes, desserts and cereals, will be responsibly sourced by the same date. The news follows a series of measures by Tesco designed to help build trusted and transparent partnerships with its suppliers and ensure more of its products are sourced sustainably. 

Nigel Hinshelwood, HSBC’s head of UK, has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to Birmingham in the wake of the Brexit vote. Speaking at a briefing for Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s quarterly business report, Mr Hinshelwood gave a reassuring message that the EU referendum result would not affect HSBC’s strategy - or its move to a new national headquarters at Arena Central in 2017.

City of Wolverhampton Council has named its preferred Westside developer to deliver a £55 million leisure-led mixed use scheme in the heart of the city. Urban & Civic fought off competition from ten other leading UK developers and investors to land a six-month exclusivity period on the 6.4 acre site, which comprises three adjacent parcels of land in the freehold ownership of the council.

Long stay visitors to Barbados spent 20 percent more money during the first quarter of 2016 than during the same period in 2015. - These are the findings of the quarterly survey conducted by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) on behalf of the destination.  According to the report, total visitor expenditure on island grew from US $280 million to US $337 million in the first quarter.