Emda abolition was wrong, says Cowcher

Despite holding a seat on the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP board, George Cowcher has told Insider he thought it was "the wrong decision" to abolish predecessor, East Midlands Development Agency (Emda). The chief executive of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce said the axing of the regional development agency "will leave a large hole".   READ MORE...

Heated deal struck by Sterling Thermal Technologies

Sterling Thermal Technologies (STT), based in Castle Donington, has bought out Birmingham-headquartered rival Applied Cooling Technology (ACT).   Read More...

Fund misses 'equity gap' - Caan

Entrepreneur James Caan has told Insider the government-backed Business Growth Fund should operate a lower threshold to counter an "equity gap" that has developed. The former Dragons' Den star added that he thought the TV show "has had a very positive impact on entrepreneurship and people who are thinking of starting businesses".   Read More...

Holiday Inn comes to Nottingham in £11m buy

Nottingham's former Dakota Hotel has been bought by Seymour Capital for £11m. The site has now been converted into a Holiday Inn hotel, with the development part-funded by Yorkshire Bank.   Read More...

Wildgoose digs into £14m care home duo

Derbyshire-based Wildgoose Construction has won building contracts for two Midlands-based care homes worth £14m.   Read More...

Clegg gets energised with university scheme

Clegg Construction has begun work on a £7m project for the University of Nottingham. The energy technologies building will house research into renewable resources and carbon emissions.   Read More...

Bombardier loses Thameslink deal

Derby-based Bombardier has lost out on a multimillion-pound contract to build 1,200 carriages on the government's Thameslink route. A group led by Germany-based Siemens was named preferred bidder for the contract, which is set to create 2,000 jobs.   Read More...

East Mids in Osborne airport tax call

The owner of East Midlands Airport has signed a joint letter to Chancellor George Osborne urging him to change government plans on aviation taxes.   Read More...

Something for the weekend

This week's round up of the quirkiest stories to land on Insider's desk include: Skids put on Northampton roads; smelling of roses and opportunistic press release of the week.   Read More...

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Our Insider Membership Club offers fantastic benefits for anyone doing business in the UK regions. Valuable sales leads, vital information, networking opportunities, competitor analysis and much more. Request your free Membership pack now.   Read More...

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