Bristol Airport has said it will become carbon neutral later this year by hitting targets it originally expected to reach in 2025 – setting it up to gain the title of the UK’s first net zero airport by 2030. Bosses said three key commitments to be a net zero airfield, with net zero buildings...
West of England business’s confidence in the economy has bounced back for the first time in four years, according to a new survey, but there are growing fears that the recovery will be choked off by a lack of skilled workers. The latest quarterly economic survey conducted by Business West, the region’s largest business...
Swedish flat-pack furniture retailer Ikea has extended its contract with Chippenham-based logistics group Wincanton to operate two of its UK customer distribution centres. Wincanton, Britain’s largest third-party logistics business, will now run the centres in Medway, Kent and Harlow, Essex, for a further five and two years respectively. The centres serve Ikea customers across Greater...
Swindon firms that have imported goods from countries in the EU this year are being urged to complete their full declarations or face a possible fine or prosecution as the final deadline approaches. Regional business group Business West, which is authorised by HMRC to process supplementary customs declarations, said companies needed to submit their...
National chartered surveying and property consultancy firm Sanderson Weatherall has broadened its offering in the South West with the appointment of development consultancy expert Alastair McLeod. Alastair has brought with him more than 13 years’ experience having worked as a senior associate director in BNP Paribas’ development teams in Southampton and Bristol before working...
Investment by foreign businesses into the South West rose last year despite the pandemic in contrast to a fall for the UK as a whole. According to a new report by accountancy group EY, the South West achieved a 6.7% increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2020 – up by two to...
The region’s largest business group has urged the Prime Minister to help create a more sustainable future for business at this weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall. The British Chambers of Commerce South West (BCCSW) – which includes Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative parent group Business West – has written to Boris Johnson ahead of the global gathering...
Corsham-based accountancy firm Purple Lime has worked with the shareholders of market-disrupting specialist software firm Terrafirma on its acquisition by an international sector leader. Terrafirma, whose proprietary workflow software and data insights have been critical at transforming how decisions are made in property transactions in the UK, was acquired by Dye & Durham Corporation,...
Swindon businesses are being urged to join hundreds of employers from across the UK by taking part in the country’s largest survey of race in the workplace. Swindon-headquartered building society Nationwide and insurance group Zurich have already signed up to complete the survey, which is being staged by Business in the Community (BiTC), the organisation dedicated to...
The Covid-19 pandemic has been affecting us all for more than a year now. My fellow regional agents and I know that those businesses that rely heavily on being able to have customers visit them in person – for instance, the hospitality and tourism sectors right across the South West – have been particularly...
