British waste firms turn to humanoid AI robots to tackle 40% staff turnover and dangerous conditions on recycling lines. Inside Sharp Group’s Rainham plant where Alpha is being trained to sort 280,000 tonnes a year.
Category: In Business
Advice on growing your small and medium sized business, SME, in the UK. Hiring and managing staff and finance plus marketing all on one website
Microsoft plants AI flag in Soho with Film House lease as London tech land grab accelerates
Microsoft has leased the entire eight-storey Film House on Wardour Street to anchor its growing UK AI operations, as London cements its status as a global tech hub.
Stephen Fry’s £100,000 lawsuit against tech conference puts events industry liability under the spotlight
Sir Stephen Fry is suing CogX Festival Ltd and Blonstein Events for £100,000 after a six-foot fall at the O2. What the case means for UK event organisers and SME liability.
Beware the tax-break brigade: founders warned over EIS and SEIS investors who ‘don’t care about the outcome’
A leading global venture capital firm has cautioned that Britain’s flagship tax-incentivised investment schemes are leaving early-stage businesses stranded, with fewer than one in 25 companies funded solely through them ever raising another penny.
Santander doubles University of Sunderland support to £100,000 a year in renewed partnership
Santander has signed a new agreement with the University of Sunderland, doubling its annual support for students, graduates and budding entrepreneurs to £100,000 until 2026-2027.
SafetyMode warns MPs of ‘false choice’ on child smartphone safety as global pressure mounts
British AI child safety firm SafetyMode has written to every UK MP, urging ministers to look beyond outright bans and embrace on-device technology to protect children from online harm.
Grosvenor takes flex workspace model out of London with £40m bet on Manchester’s Northern Quarter
Grosvenor begins £40m refurbishment of The Hive in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, launching its first directly managed flexible workspace outside London with operator x+why. Opens autumn 2026.
Harpin-backed Flooring Superstore weighs restructure as sales slip
Sir Richard Harpin’s £5m-backed flooring chain has called in Begbies Traynor and Santander’s restructuring division as falling demand and rising costs put 300 jobs and 50 stores on the line.
Britain’s tech sector haemorrhages female talent as nine in ten women quit within a decade
Nearly 90% of women leave UK tech roles within ten years, costing the economy up to £3.5bn annually, new Akamai research reveals. Industry leaders demand urgent action on inclusion, flexible working and clearer career pathways.
Employers hit with £28bn National Insurance Shock as rate rise bites harder than treasury forecast
Employers’ National Insurance Contributions have soared by £28bn in a single year, £4bn above the Government’s own forecast, triggering redundancies in hospitality and retail and slowing hiring across the UK private sector.
Simply Business becomes first UK broker to put small business cover inside ChatGPT
Simply Business has become the first UK broker to launch a small business insurance app inside ChatGPT, giving sole traders and SMEs instant indicative quotes in seconds.
Disabled consumers must shape AI from the start, business leaders warned
New Business Disability Forum poll finds 40% of disabled UK adults say involving them in AI design is vital. Businesses urged to embed inclusive practice from day one.
McDonald’s bets on Britain’s youth with UK’s biggest paid work experience scheme
McDonald’s UK unveils the country’s largest in-person paid work experience programme, offering 2,500 placements to combat record youth unemployment and the rising NEET crisis.
Cook hands Apple’s reins to Ternus as engineering chief prepares for top job
Tim Cook will become Apple’s executive chairman on 1 September 2026, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus taking over as CEO after a unanimous board vote.
Tube strike chaos piles fresh pressure on London’s beleaguered night-time economy
Two 24-hour Tube strikes this week threaten London’s SMEs and night-time economy, as RMT drivers walk out over TfL’s proposed four-day working week.
