Business News

Saint Lucia joins the rest of the Caribbean in celebrating phenomenal increases in visitor arrivals in 2015.  The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) announced that visitor arrivals to the region was up 6% at the end of the first quarter, whilst Saint Lucia alone, recorded a 6.4% growth over the same period last year. 

If you are not sure, don’t open the door - that’s the advice from the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) which is urging elderly residents and people living alone to register a security password with their water and energy company to help thwart distraction burglars.

Latest employment figures released today serve to illustrate the strength of businesses in the West Midlands, according to Greg Lowson, president of Birmingham Chamber. During the period between December of last year and March 2015, 40,000 new jobs were created in the West Midlands – the largest increase of any region in the UK.

Emirates have announced its plans to launch services to Multan, Pakistan, beginning 1st August, 2015. Service to Multan, Pakistan’s 5th largest city by population, will commence with four weekly flights operated by a Boeing 777-300 in a two-class configuration - 54 seats in Business Class and 310 in Economy Class.

More than three-quarters of Midlanders will never buy from a company again if their first phone call is not handled satisfactorily, research has revealed. This result puts them among the least tolerant in Britain, behind only people from Wales and the South East, while closely followed by East Anglians.

New research from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) and VoucherCodes.co.uk has revealed the ever increasing role of mobile in the customer shopping journey, and the implication of this for brands and marketers.

According to PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2015-2019, the UK Entertainment and Media market is expected to grow by 3.2% compound annually from 2014-2019 to a value of £66.6bn in 2019.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce have announced that they are to move from their current location in Walsall to their new business premises, which is situated at the Wolverhampton Science Park.

Communities across the West Midlands are set to benefit from more than £30 million supporting people most in need to develop the skills and tools to overcome barriers to work, education and training.

Entering its 12th year, the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) 2015 will be held at the Beijing’s China National Convention Centre from June 26-28, 2015. The three-day exhibition will feature a total of 330 international exhibitors, and will span across an area of 2,100 square meters, a 10% increase from BITE 2014.

The UK is becoming an increasingly “cash-last” society asone in fourBrits expects to use their mobile phone to make payments on a daily basis by 2020, growing from the one in 12 who do so already today.

Stratford-on-Avon is the most difficult place in the West Midlands to get a first step on the property ladder, new research from the National Housing Federation reveals today.

One in eight workers in the West Midlands regularly work from home, according to new analysis published by the TUC to mark the tenth anniversary of National Work from Home Day, which is organised by Work Wise UK.

The average cost to large organisations of the most severe online security breaches is at least £1.46 million – more than twice the £600,000 average of just 12 months ago, according to research carried out by the Government and PwC.  

“Private businesses are at the heart of their local communities and the UK economy, and we are pleased to have such a wealth of successful private businesses in the Midlands. The shortlist epitomises the very best of British business."