Audit finds Future Fund-backed start-ups more likely to collapse than peers. Was Rishi Sunak’s £1.1bn pandemic scheme value for money?
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
Gen Z drives surge in refurbished smartphone sales across Europe
A new Vodafone Institute study shows Generation Z is leading Europe’s shift towards refurbished and repaired smartphones, with France outpacing Germany in adoption.
Firms that downsized after Covid now struggle to find office space
Companies that shrank their offices during the pandemic are scrambling for larger, higher-quality space as staff return — but prime stock is running out.
Lord Mayor honours UK trailblazers driving growth, innovation and social impact
Aspect Capital, Tide, Neighbourly and Guavapay have received the Lord Mayor’s Award for their role in championing innovation, growth and social purpose as part of the City of London’s Growth Unleashed programme.
Sadiq Khan urged to give hospitality rent and rates holiday during tube strikes
Hospitality businesses hit by rising costs should be given a rent and rates holiday to weather London’s tube strikes, says Blick Rothenberg, warning many may be forced to close temporarily.
EDF partners with Federation of Small Businesses to help SMEs cut costs and carbon
EDF has teamed up with the Federation of Small Businesses to support 150,000 SMEs with a new digital hub offering energy efficiency advice, webinars, guides and exclusive incentives including Amazon vouchers and free energy.
HMRC leaves up to 4m taxpayer calls unanswered each year, MPs told
Up to four million taxpayer calls go unanswered by HMRC annually, a Commons committee has heard. Experts warn poor service risks non-compliance and undermines efforts to recover £46.8bn in unpaid tax.
The rise of the side hustle: How thousands are turning hobbies into paid careers
The term ‘side hustle’ has gone from niche to mainstream. All signs are that we’re a nation that are now actively seeking ways to earn a few extra quid. And for some, the taste of success in this area means they’re quitting the nine to five to pursue their dreams of turning hobbies and passions into full time careers.
Leicester tops UK rankings for fastest new business growth
Leicester has been named the UK’s best location for start-ups, with average new business growth of 95.3% since 2018. At the other end of the scale, Caerphilly recorded an 18% decline, highlighting stark regional disparities.
Nodor acquires Autodarts to bring automatic scoring tech to global darts community
Welsh darts giant Nodor, owner of Winmau and Red Dragon, has acquired Autodarts, whose camera-based scoring system is used by 85,000 players worldwide, in a bid to revolutionise the sport.
Asset management ‘grindingly slow’ to improve gender balance as women remain just 13% of fund managers
Citywire’s Alpha Female report shows women make up just 13% of UK fund managers — barely up from 10% a decade ago — as asset management struggles to improve gender diversity despite years of initiatives.
Unions warn Labour not to dilute landmark workers’ rights bill after cabinet reshuffle
Trade unions including Unison, USDAW and the TUC have urged Labour to deliver its Employment Rights Bill “in full,” warning that watering it down after Angela Rayner’s resignation would be a “huge mistake.”
Farmers warn 5G rollout at risk as mast rents slashed by up to 90%
Rural landowners threaten to quit mobile mast deals after rents fall by as much as 90%, raising fears Britain’s 5G rollout could stall. Farmers accuse Labour of doubling down on a “broken” rental model.
Meta plans first London AI store to showcase VR headsets and smart glasses
Meta is preparing to open its first UK physical store on Oxford Street to promote its Meta Quest VR headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses, as Mark Zuckerberg doubles down on AI-driven hardware.
Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack to take ‘weeks not days’ to fix as West Midlands suppliers hit
Jaguar Land Rover has warned its factories will remain shut for weeks after a major cyberattack paralysed production, leaving thousands of staff and suppliers across the West Midlands temporarily out of work.
