|
 |
|
Top story
|
Emma Bridgewater sets designs on royal wedding
Next month’s royal wedding will be “a great commercial opportunity” for Stoke-based pottery entrepreneur Emma Bridgewater. Speaking exclusively to Insider, Bridgewater, whose company bears her name, said that it was an exciting task to create a line of items for the event on 29 April. She also spoke about the collapse of big name brand Spode, describing it as “a wake up call that we might be in the danger zone”.
|
|
Deals
|
£150m fund emptied at Yorkshire Bank
Yorkshire Bank’s £150m fund to support the UK’s small and medium sized businesses has been snapped up. The invoice finance fund provided ‘a vital lifeline’ to many Birmingham businesses, said Martin Rothera, head of the bank’s national invoice finance team.
|
|
Property
|
£50m Coventry plans submitted
Barberry Developments has submitted a planning application for a 130,000 sq ft superstore as part of plans to transform part of Coventry city centre. The announcement was made at the MIPIM conference in Cannes, France.
|
Palletways drives £4.3m expansion
The Palletways Group, based in Lichfield, is set to invest €5m (£4.3m) in developing and rolling out a network in Germany. The company, which provides palletised freight services, said the move was part of its strategy to open up new business opportunities in Eastern Europe.
|
|
Business
|
Region's businesses in growth drive, suggests report
Businesses in the West Midlands are reporting higher turnover and rising employment going into 2011. That’s according to the latest ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence Monitor, which predicts growth for the region in the year ahead.
|
Aga Rangemaster cooks up profit growth
Leamington Spa-based Aga Rangemaster has revealed revenue growth of 6 per cent to £259m in its year-end results for 2010. The company, whose brands include Aga, Fired Earth and Falcon, also made an operating profit of £5.1m compared with a loss of £1.5m in 2009.
|
Middle East dilemma raised interest rate stakes, says KPMG
The Bank of England has held interest rates at an historic low of 0.5 per cent, despite recent voting evidence showing an increase in the number of policymakers backing a hike. Steve Hollis, senior partner of KPMG in Leicester, said the ‘Middle East wild card’ had intensified the committee’s interest rate dilemma.
|
Groupola company hit by OFT investigation
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says it has taken action against Dudley-based Marcko Media after the company “heavily promoted” the sale of an Apple iPhone model, despite only having eight handsets available. Markco Media is the company behind group buying website Groupola.
|
VAT victory for law firms
Law firms may be entitled to claim back overpaid VAT, according to a tax expert from Grant Thornton. It comes after a judge ruled that recharges for specialist medical reports should not be subject to VAT.
|
Insider Membership – Communicate with Midlands Top Companies
Looking to develop your business? Want to expand your commercial reach? Try a sample of our Midlands Top 500 Companies marketing data list. Insider membership provides its members with up to date local business data, editorial, advice, networking events. Request a free data sample and membership information today.
|
|
|
|
Community
|
Dealmakers Wrap: The need to be niche
In the latest in our series of blogs written by the winners of our Dealmakers Awards 2010, Catalyst Corporate Finance’s Andy Currie suggests businesses with focused management teams will be the ones that attract attention.
|
In Focus: Electrical fault
Midlands Business Insider editor Andy Coyne ponders the Modec news and echoes calls for a government automotive policy.
|
Boost your client base – Request a free Insider Membership Pack
 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, much more. We give you what you cannot afford not to know. Request your free Membership pack now.
|
|
|
