Business groups have cautiously backed the reduction of many coronavirus lockdown restrictions announced earlier this week by the Prime Minister. But they also warned that other measures to boost the economy were still needed to avoid widespread business failures and job losses. In a major boost to the West...
A surprise fall in the number of corporate insolvencies could herald the ‘calm before the storm’, the South West branch of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 has warned. Figures published by the Insolvency Service show a 30% drop in companies going bust at the height of the coronavirus...
Bristol-based technology-focused investment bank ICON Corporate Finance has opened an office in San Francisco to capitalise on merger & acquisition and investment opportunities between the UK and US. ICON acts exclusively for innovative tech companies across the globe, securing funding and realising maximum value when they come to sell. ...
Pioneering touchless technology developed in Bristol is helping US cinemas re-open as the country emerges from its Covid-19 lockdown Bristol-headquartered tech pioneer Ultraleap has signed a deal with US electronic media giant CEN to use its haptic technology in interactive cinema lobby advertising – so allowing brands to continue...
Unemployment has soared by 145% in the West of England since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures published today, with just nearly 40,000 people claiming jobless benefits. At the same time, around 22% of the region’s workforce – 132,600 people – have been furloughed while job...
Managed IT services firm Bristol IT Company has merged with a Wiltshire-based tech business as both benefit from increased demand linked to home working during the lockdown. Bristol IT Company provides IT services such as IT support, cybersecurity and connectivity to the private small and medium-sized business market with...
Broadband provider Glide, which specialises in getting student accommodation and house sharers online, has been acquired by a US infrastructure investor. Clevedon-based Glide designs, installs and manages fibre networks required for broadband connectivity together with other critical products and services. Its sale to Alinda Capital follows a six-year period...
Small and medium-sized businesses investing in digital innovation to address challenges arising from Covid-19 can access grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 under a new scheme started by UWE Bristol. The university’s £1m Digital Innovation Fund is aimed at helping firms ranging from start-ups and micro businesses to more...
Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has joined bodies representing business, education and employment in urging the government to rethink its controversial quarantine rules for travellers arriving in the UK. In an open letter to the home, foreign and transport secretaries, Business West, UK Hospitality, Universities UK and...
Fast-growing Bristol-based software developer and digital transformation specialist Amdaris is poised for further expansion, including potential acquisitions, after securing a £6m from investor BGF. The firm, already one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech companies, employs more than 200 developers in Bristol and across its centres in Romania, Moldova and...
A Bristol-based company that has developed an eco-friendly water treatment system that can reduce pollution levels has raised £550,000 to help roll it out its innovative technology to the industry. The second-round investment means Industrial Phycology – also known as I-Phyc – has now raised a more than £1.2m...
A new programme to help Bristol’s small businesses improve their digital presence has been launched by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) as it expands its Growth Hub to help firms bounce back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Trading Better Online programme has been developed...
Firms based in shared offices or flexible workspaces, as well as B&Bs and guest houses, have only a few days left to apply for a grant up to £5,000 from a special business support grant. The Small Business Grants Discretionary Fund was established to support small businesses impacted by...
