Firms will ‘despair’ over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s comments today that they should prepare for a no-deal Brexit, the region’s biggest business organisation said. Describing the move as “another period of political theatre”, Business West managing director Phil Smith, pictured, said firms across the West of England were already...
More than £100m is to be spent on ambitious plans that use the West of England’s creativity and diversity to protect and secure jobs while building back greener and creating opportunities for all residents. The plan has been drawn up by the region’s Recovery Taskforce, which brings together businesses,...
The co-founders of Bristol tech firm Open Bionics, which makes innovative hi-tech prosthetic limbs for amputees, have been honoured in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List. CEO Samantha Payne and COO Joel Gibbard, pictured, who founded the company four years ago, were recognised for services to international trade and...
Buy-and-build opportunities for tech firms in the post-Covid world are to be explored at a webinar jointly staged by Bristol-based tech-focused investment bank ICON Corporate Finance and city-headquartered national law firm TLT. A panel of leading international acquirers will look at tactics and best practices, as well-capitalised private equity...
New support for firms forced to close by law because of coronavirus restrictions announced this afternoon by Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been welcomed by Business West, the organisation behind Bristol Chamber of Commerce. The scheme, under which the government will pay two-thirds of the wages of staff working for...
Bristol-based Ultraleap has launched a new tool that harnesses its pioneering touchless technology to eliminate the need for people to touch interactive screens to buy tickets and other products in places such as railway stations, hotels and airports. With the majority of people anxious about touching screens due to...
Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has launched a directory service to help signpost firms to vital advice, opportunities and support services. Back to Business is an evolution of Business West’s highly successful Trading Through Coronavirus platform, which has been visited by more than 100,000 businesses across the...
Opportunities for Bristol firms in the world’s largest economic zone – China’s Greater Bay Area – have been highlighted at an online gathering led by West of England experts. Invest Bristol & Bath (IBB), the inward investment arm of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) teamed up with...
Regional accountancy firm Milsted Langdon, which has an office in Bristol, is encouraging businesses to take advantage of up to £1m in tax relief before it runs out. The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) for capital allowances was increased to £1m a year for expenditure from January 1, 2019. However, from...
An £8m skills programme to help Bristol businesses plan and respond to their workforce needs – particularly those triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic – is being launched by the West of England Combined Authority. Called Workforce for the Future, the free service will help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)...
Businesses looking to innovate and address new challenges that have arisen from Covid-19 can apply for funding from a £1m recovery fund set up by UWE Bristol. Following on from a successful first round, the university has launched the second round of funding for its Digital Innovation Fund, which...
Bristol science and tech hub Future Space has appointed Aimeé Skinner as its new innovation manager in a move that further enhances its offering to member companies in a rapidly-changing business environment. Aimeé, pictured, joined Oxford Innovation, which operates Future Space on behalf of UWE, from Bristol Water, where she...
Measures in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Winter Economic Plan have been welcomed as “bold steps” and “a shot in the arm” for industry by the UK’s leading business groups. The CBI said it would save hundreds of thousands of viable jobs while the British Chambers of Commerce said it would...
