The West’s food and drink sector is set for a period of sustained mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity, according to accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton. Research by the firm shows 80% of private equity (PE) houses plan M&A activity in the sector and the same percentage of corporate respondents believe growth will be...
Honda’s 500 new workers recuited to produce the next generation Civic car were today beginning their first shifts at the Swindon plant. The new recruits take the total number of employees at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) – the Japanese group’s Swindon-based car and engine production business – to 3,500. Car production is...
Monday 30 April Interims: Aberdeen Asset Management, Infrastrata, Redefine Finals: Asterand, Harvey Nash, Waterlogic Trading statements: Creston, FBD AGMs: Brady, DP World, FBD, London Capital, Minoan, Nextgen, Personal, Rangold Resources Tuesday 1 May Interim: Imperial Tobacco Finals: Brown (N), Development Securities Trading statements: BP, CSR, Lloyds Banking, Man, National Express, Randgold Resources, Reckitt Benckiser,...
The number of people employed in the South West’s renewable energy sector soared by 40% to 7,000 last year, a new report shows. And with the right support that number could climb to 30,000 jobs by 2020, says Renewable Energy: Made in Britain, by the Renewable Energy Association. The report shows that nationally the...
Britain has slumped back into recession, official figures just released show. The economy shrank by 0.2% in the first three months of this year. Coming after the contraction of 0.3% in the last three months of 2011, this technically puts the country back into recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there was...
Swindon-based newspapers, magazines and books wholesaler Smiths News today acquired Trowbridge education material distributor The Consortium in a £38m deal. The acquisition is expected to boost Smiths’ earnings immediately with an additional £64m in sales and £7m in earnings added to the group’s 2012 results Smiths announced the takeover alongside its interim results which...
Wiltshire-based care and education supplies business The Consortium has acquired West Mercia Supplies (WMS) for an undisclosed sum. WMS was acquired from its four local authority owners Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Telford & Wrekin councils. It will now be run by Trowbridge-based The Consortium as an independent entity under the leadership of Elaine Keogh,...
Budget airline EasyJet said today that it will introduce a year-round service to Copenhagen from Bristol this autumn. It follows Ryanair's announcement on Wednesday that it will launch Bristol's 8th route to Poland, flying three times a week to Warsaw Modlin from October 30. Easyjet will fly to Copenhagen Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday...
A regional house builder has raised more than £3,000 for a Wiltshire charity that helps terminally and seriously ill children. Malmesbury-based Charles Church Wessex and its employees raised the money for Dreams Come True through a number of different fund-raising initiatives. In total, £49,640 was raised by Charles Church at its 24 regional businesses....
Wiltshire’s Etherlive appoints new team members as London 2012 projects gather pace Chris Mooge and Michael Jones (pictured) have joined Etherlive to support the company's activities in the capital for the London Media Centre during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Chris and Michael will be based at Etherlive's Chippenham head office before transferring to...
