Employers have been warned to take urgent action to a avoid stress and potential conflict in the workplace following the easing of government Covid restrictions yesterday. Kate Benefer, a partner in the employment law team at law firm Royds Withy King, which has an office in Swindon, said the removal businesses had to take decisions...
Controversial ‘fire and rehire’ practices being used by some firms should only be deployed as a last resort, a top employment lawyer has warned. Tim Gofton, pictured, a senior associate in the retail and hospitality team at regional law firm Royds Withy King, which has an office in Swindon, said getting it wrong could also have public relations...
Philip Morris International, the US tobacco group behind the Marlboro cigarette brand, is to buy Chippenham-based specialist pharmaceutical firm Vectura for just over £1bn after outbidding global private equity giant Carlyle. Vectura, which has its roots in a spin-out from the University of Bath, had agreed to Carlyle’s £958m approach but withdrew support after receiving...
R3, the restructuring and insolvency trade body, has launched a free guide for company directors on how to spot signs of financial distress, options open to them to resolve it and where to get expert advice. Called Get Back to Business: A guide to dealing with corporate financial distress, it is available to download from www.backtobusinessuk.com The guide: ...
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...
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...
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...
Specialist pharmaceutical firm Vectura, which has its roots in a spin-out from the University of Bath, has agreed to be taken over by global private equity giant Carlyle for £958m. The approach by Carlyle has been approved by Vectura’s board. Chairman Bruno Angelici said while the firm’s directors remained confident in its long-term fundamentals,...
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...
