Category: News

High street banks have admitted they are incentivising staff to sell more expensive “alternative” credit products to small business customers as industry lending to these businesses fell 3pc in February.

Over 150 businesses are celebrating winning Queen’s Awards today, with 102 companies having won awards for international trade, 44 for innovation and 10 for sustainable development.

Small businesses are allegedly regaining confidence. However, it is claimed that this is not resulting in an increase in staff numbers.

The CBI is today calling on the Government to bolster the UK’s attractiveness to investors, warning that without action, investment and jobs will be lost to other countries.

The Skills Minister John Hayes has called on senior leaders in SMEs to take advantage of funding that will support leadership and management training to help them grow their businesses.

The British Chambers of Commerce’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), released today suggests that while the UK economy has returned to positive growth, the disappointing results highlight the fragility of the recovery.

Santander was named ‘Business Bank of the Year’ at the annual Business Moneyfacts Awards last week. This prestigious award strengthens Santander’s strategy to become the ‘SME bank of choice’ and was among four awards the Spanish bank took home on the night. It was the third consecutive year Santander has won the award for ‘Business Bank of the Year’.

The Government has today set out a series of measures to help inspire, support and grow business as David Cameron stated his aim that “this decade one of the most entrepreneurial decades ever”

People looking to start their own, or grow their fledgling business has been given a major boost with 60 leading brands have pledging millions of pounds worth of support under a major new campaign launched by the Prime Minister and some of the UK’s leading business leaders today.

Addison Lee, the UK’s largest minicab company reported strong financial results for 2010-11 with bookings up 24 per cent and turnover up by 19 per cent.

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled plans in the Budget for 21 enterprise zones in a bid to boost all parts of the country.

Chancellor George Osborne’s speech was billed as a Budget for Growth and presented as the Budget for Business and he pummelled the point home with the word “business” featuring 37 times in his hour-long speech.

The Chancellor George Osborne is currently reviewing a range of options to tackle the UK’s “dysfunctional” system of small business taxation in next week’s Budget.

The Chancellor plans to use the Budget to respond to anger over soaring fuel prices and help fleet and company drivers battle against the rapidly rising costs.

George Osborne is plotting a UK SME and manufacturing revival with recreation of ‘enterprise zones’ and £100m business tax cuts.