|
Top story
|
Vodka tycoon blasts Dragons' Den stars
Television programmes such as Dragons’ Den may have made entrepreneurship fashionable, but they carelessly “paint an idyllic picture” which makes owning a business look “too easy”. That’s the view of Herefordshire vodka magnate William Chase, who spoke to Insider. Chase, owner of the Chase Distillery and founder of Tyrells Crisps, said that the entrepreneurs “prostituting themselves on TV” do not think about the consequences of their five minutes of fame.
|
|
Deals
|
Grant Thornton advises eight national deals
Grant Thornton’s transaction advisory services team in the Midlands advised on eight deals in the second half of 2010. The acquisitions involved both regional and national companies, including Warwick-based Rhead Group’s acquisition of Always Silver Group.
|
£2.5bn Business Growth Fund to open
A £2.5bn business support fund is to start investing in businesses with an annual turnover of between £10m and £100m from April, it has been revealed. The Business Growth Fund, backed by the UK's six biggest banks, will aim to help small service and manufacturing businesses in its first year.
|
Glass Express expands with finance deal
Oldbury-based Glass Express Midlands has announced plans to expand the business after it purchased rented premises in the town. The company also bought two adjoining buildings after securing a financial package from NatWest Commercial Banking and Lombard.
|
|
Property
|
Bigwood hoping to score with football auction
The former home of Wyrley Rangers is up for sale at a forthcoming Bigwood auction. The 8.9 acre Long Lane ground in Essington, Staffordshire will go under the hammer on 10 March.
|
Wildgoose digs into Staffordshire eco project
Derbyshire-based Wildgoose Construction has started work on a £3.5m college building in South Staffordshire. The building, on the college’s Rodbaston campus, will incorporate environmental technologies including a wood chip boiler system.
|
|
Business
|
‘42s’ contenders sought
Midlands Business Insider is still seeking nominations for its 2011 42 under 42 feature. This long-standing and much anticipated feature aims to highlight the region’s blooming business talent by selecting 42 young entrepreneurs under the age of 42.
|
£22m JCB Academy gets royal opening
Engineering students in Derbyshire and Staffordshire are set to benefit from a new £22m academy constructed on behalf of Rocester-based digger giant JCB. The building was officially opened by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who described the site as “remarkable”.
|
Graduate applications up 68 per cent at JLR
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it received more than 6,500 applications for just 280 graduate recruitment places this year. The Warwickshire-based manufacturing giant said the staffing drive was in place to support a multibillion-pound investment plan for new product creation.
|
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 more. Request your free Membership pack now.
|
