Helphire, the Bath-based accident-claim handler which reported losses of £34.1m in the year to June 30, has recruited industry heavy-hitter John L. Davies as a non-executive director with immediate effect. The company, which works with the insurance and motor industries to provide replacement vehicles to motorists involved in accidents, went...
Wessex Exploration, the Bristol-based hydrocarbon prospecting company, has raised £12m in a placing to fund its participation in a vast oil find off the coast of Guyane (French Guiana) in South America. The company – which also has interests in projects in the Mozambique Channel, Southern England and Western...
Airbus has completed the first flight of the Filton-designed-and-made Sharklet wing-tip devices on its A320 development aircraft (MSN 001). Sharklets are around 2.5 metres tall and will replace the aircraft’s current wingtip fence. Offered as an option on new-build aircraft, Sharklets have been specially designed for the Airbus A320...
Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was in Bristol this week to take part in a forum on whether Bristol would benefit from an elected mayor. Businesses in the city are being urged to take part in the debate on the issue, which could have profound effects on Bristol’s...
Bristol-based marketing software specialist Alterian has slumped to a £18.6m half-year pre-tax loss. That compares with a profit of £600,000 last time for the company which delayed its interim results announcement by a fortnight because of ongoing talks with SDL. Maidenhead-based SDL has made an improved indicative takeover offer of £68.4m, the equivalent...
Two arms of West-based Top 50 chartered accountants firm Target have gone into pre-pack administration following £6m of claims relating to the collapse of UK life settlements firm Keydata Investment Services in June 2009. Bath-based Target, which has its corporate finance arm in Bristol, is among firms being...
Bristol East Labour MP Kerry McCarthy has slammed the Coalition Government for “wrecking Britain’s economic recovery” and dubbed the Government’s economic plan as “a reckless gamble that has failed”. Reacting to the Autumn Statement, she said: “George Osborne has disclosed to Parliament that his reckless economic plan has backfired,...
Bristol has been chosen as the first venue and home of a new restaurant brand which is expected to be the next big thing for the UK’s restaurant sector. The £3m Za Za Bazaar restaurant, which opened this at Bristol Harbourside, has 1,000 covers in more than 30,000 sq...
Innovative small firms across the region are being encouraged to show they’ve got what it takes to “export for growth” by entering a new competition run by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) South West. The new Exporting for Growth competition aims to encourage more small businesses to take their...
Chancellor George Osborne yesterday announced the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads rapid bus link will go ahead. Aim: The link will aim to provide a high-quality alternative to private cars with a fast, frequent and reliable public transport service. Services will run on a largely segregated route, separate from...
Business organisations across Bristol and the West were generally supportive of the Chancellor's help for small and medium-sized businesses, particularly measures to boost research and development and encourage investment. Business West, the support, advice and lobbying group, said it fully supported the approach of sticking with the Chancellor’s Plan...
Two major transport schemes for Bristol have been announced by Chancellor George Osborne as part of his Autumn Statement. The £50m Ashton Vale to Temple Meads link and the £45m South Bristol link – both badly needed to ease traffic congestion in the city and open up areas for...
The CBI has given an immediate positive reaction to the Autumn Statement with its director-general John Cridland saying it “works with the realities of today and provides an imaginative framework for UK businesses as it strives to secure growth and jobs”. The CBI had called for a Plan A...
