SWINDONBUSINESSNEWS

Re-organisation and development of its Wiltshire business is bringing an office rationalisation for property consultancy Carter Jonas in Swindon. The firm is to close its residential sales and lettings office in Wood Street, Old Town, but retain Little London Court, where its professional services team has been based for several years. The residential business will transfer to its other offices in Wiltshire under the leadership of residential partner Rory O’Neill in Marlborough. Carol Conway will continue to manage the lettings business across the county. ... Read More

Rubber Dragon have been developing websites and web publishing systems in Swindon for almost 10 years and following the launch of a new Content Management System (CMS) they are seeking to partner with a local company with expertise in selling IT systems to media and publishing firms such as newspapers and magazines. The new CMS has been custom built for Swindon Link Magazine - www.swindonlink.com - and allows multiple administrators to easily add content such as news stories, features, events and advertising. The ... Read More

The latest RICS Commercial Market Survey, for Q4 2009, reports improved letting activity for commercial property in Q4, 2009 for the second consecutive quarter. The improved activity is led by better tenant demand for office and industrial properties, but with retail still lagging behind, with tenant demand still in decline across most regions. The survey also reports that the rate of increase in vacant space is starting to reduce with the turnaround led by office space in London, where supply declined for the first ... Read More

Whitmarsh Lockhart has completed a new five year lease on Unit 9 Isis Trading Estate to Matchbox Services on behalf of Industrious. Matchbox Services offer in-house and outwork solutions for mailing campaigns, fulfilment and pick and pack.  Gary Dee of Matchbox Services commented: “We were already operating from a smaller unit on the estate but due to lack of space with various new contracts won, the landlord was able to offer a simple surrender of the old lease and a new lease on ... Read More

In the current climate, more people are looking for affordable alternatives to upgrade or extend their homes, or move up the property ladder. With land, construction labour and material prices currently favouring the buyer, its no surprise that more frustrated homeowners are turning to self build and renovation to get their dream home at an affordable price. Self build and renovation has really taken off through the recession and for those who have not yet realised the benefits of building – or rebuilding – ... Read More

Local supply chain management company, Howard Tenens has sourced a new sustainable building in Dagenham, known as Voltaic. The building is 233,000 sq ft in size with 10,000 sq ft of office space and is strategically positioned near to the main road, rail and air networks and is part of London Gateway.  It will be used exclusively for Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest marketer, producer and distributor of The Coca-Cola company’s products. Voltaic incorporates many environmentally–friendly and sustainable initiatives as part of both Howard Tenens ... Read More

A local foundation that helps people who have difficulties with securing business loans or investment via traditional means to start and grow their own businesses, has launched the Swindon and Wiltshire Lending Hub. The charity provides a range of business support and microloan funding to new and small companies. By making a significant three year investment, GWE Business West is supporting Fredericks Foundation to establish a Lending Hub for Swindon and Wiltshire. The launch of the Swindon and Wiltshire Lending Hub will be marked by events held across the ... Read More

Basepoint Business Centres Ltd, which operates Basepoint’s Swindon business centre in Westlea, is delighted to have won a Best Business Award for its customer services. The Best Business awards (www.bestbusinessawards.co.uk) aim to highlight and reward business excellence across both the public and private sectors, and Basepoint won the award for “Best Customer Focus” after going above and beyond simply offering managed workspace. Chairman of the judges, Andrew Areoff, commented: “Rather than simply locating businesses, it is Basepoint’s aim to add value that sets them ... Read More

EEF, which represents manufacturers across the south west, is to run a week long campaign to promote the success of the sector in the region and to underline the need for a more balanced economy. The week - from March 1-5 - will involve a series of regional and national events around the UK aimed at manufacturers, politicians of all parties including prospective parliamentary candidates, and other key stakeholders. The events will include regional debates and company visits, with the week culminating in the launch of EEF's manufacturing manifesto. ... Read More

The South West economy did not suffer as badly as several other regions in the recession but it may also not rebound as quickly with implications for jobs, one of the region’s leading economists has warned. The region tends to follow rather than to lead and its upturn is likely to be constrained, especially if there are severe government cutbacks in areas particularly important to the South West, writes Nigel Jump, Chief Economist at the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) in the ... Read More