Midlands Business News

There are only two coachouses left available at Barratt Homes’ Icon development on Lythalls Lane in Coventry and the housebuilder is calling first time buyers and downsizers to act fast.

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The environment and competition from the East were the key challenges identified for the future of aviation on both sides of the pond, by speakers at an American/UK business conference. Paul Kehoe, chief executive of Birmingham Airport spoke at the British American Business Council transatlantic conference about the major transformation currently affecting the industry. He [...]

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A Black Country steel stockholder has undergone a management buyout (MBO) advised in the Midlands.

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An expanding recruitment agency has set up a specialist Finance and Accountancy division due to demand.

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Truscanian Foundries, the Black Country based metal castings business, is looking forward to a bright future following its sale to W Lucy & Co.

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Leading independent PR consultancy Citypress, has expanded its consumer team with the appointment of Louise Evans to its Midlands operation as an Account Manager.

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Enable has opened up its potential in the public sector technology market after the company was accepted onto the government’s G-Cloud iii Framework as a Specialist Cloud Services supplier. G-Cloud provides central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies with an innovative, cheaper and faster way to access and purchase government-approved IT products and [...]

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Appetite from lenders to finance commercial property deals in Birmingham is increasing with the main high street banks as well as some more specialised lenders aiming to lend more this year

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With just a few weeks remaining until the 2013 RAF Cosford Air Show, organisers confirm the complete line-up of flying displays ready to thrill the crowds on Sunday 9th June.

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Visit Birmingham, the city’s leisure tourism programme, has devised the Birmingham Look Book – a go-to resource for journalists designed to raise the profile of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull with national and international media. The 48-page media briefing pack – which is part of Visit Birmingham’s national ‘See More, Feel More’ marketing campaign [...]

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More than 200,000 new manufacturing jobs could be created in the next decade as mid-sized manufacturing businesses end the process of outsourcing to Asia according to new research from the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce and supported by Lloyds Banking Group. The ‘Making at home, owning abroad’ study found that [...]

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A new off-road option has been opened for visitors to West Midland Safari Park and incorporated into the “Ream of the Lions” exhibit that has been launched to mark the Park’s 40th Anniversary being celebrated this year.

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A Warwickshire MP has urged the region’s manufacturers and engineers to come together to help drive forward the economy. Chris White, the MP for Leamington and Warwick, has agreed to speak at a major event organised by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on Friday, May 24. The breakfast event – ‘Masterclass – Supporting [...]

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As the construction industry in the Midlands continues to fight against a reluctant economy, it has never been more important for owners and developers to monitor the financial stability of their supply chain, says Ian Yule,

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West Midlands law firm FBC Manby Bowdler LLP has established a specialist Charities Team to focus the work of its specialist lawyers already advising a growing number of charities across the region.

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Leading law firm Higgs & Sons has advised a US-based corporation on its multi-million-dollar acquisition of a global high precision machine tools business.

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Business leaders in Greater Birmingham have urged the government to press ahead urgently with the development of the High Speed Rail (HS2) despite a report released today which expresses reservations about the Department for Transport’s (DfT) business case. But Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group (BCCG) welcomed the news that the development will include a tunnel [...]

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Kidderminster businessman and renewable energy pioneer Paul Hutchens has been awarded the prestigious Environmental Award at the ninth annual Institute of Directors (IoD) West Midlands Director of the Year Awards.

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David Wilson’s Brockstone development on Muchall Road, Penn, is creating a great deal of interest amongst local homebuyers.

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Islamic Bank of Britain plc (IBB), the UK’s only wholly Sharia compliant retail bank, is hosting an event in Birmingham dedicated to improving the local community’s understanding of Zakat (alms-giving). The event is being held with support from the National Zakat Foundation, (NZF), a charity which promotes knowledge and understanding of Zakat, and collects and distributes funds to Muslims in the UK.

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Eager volunteers from Willmott Dixon Partnerships Birmingham South branch have lent their skills and expertise, to benefit a local housing complex.

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Volunteer gardeners, cooks and kitchen staff at a Highgate community centre have proved their skills are of a professional standard by completing a qualification through Birmingham Metropolitan College

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Two new directors have been appointed to the board of BHSF Occupational Health Limited based in Birmingham.

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International efforts to reduce the number of road deaths among pedestrians have been welcomed by Birmingham-based DriveSafe.

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Greenhous have been gearing up for the ultimate van event taking place from the 17th to 27th May.

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Midlands based creative agency Rees Bradley Hepburn (RBH) has joined the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) as the agency seeks to expand its PR services. Meriden-based RBH is a well-established full service creative agency specialising in retail, fashion, automotive and tourism, with clients including Hyundai Dealer Marketing , Freya Lingerie, Land Rover and Barbour. RBH [...]

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Coventry University is joining forces with a national charity for the elderly to set up a new social network for older people in the city. The University’s Age Research Centre (ARC) in conjunction with the GrumbleSmiles Trust is hosting an information day about the new project in Coventry on Friday 24 May. The free event, [...]

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Birmingham-based Anthony Collins Solicitors has helped to boost the education provision for children in Thurrock, Essex, by the academy conversion of five primary schools and one special school (dealing with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties) across the Local Authority. The specialist team at Anthony Collins Solicitors, in partnership with leading education consultancy D&T Associates, has [...]

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Construction company Seddon, which is building a new classroom block and library at Etone College, Nuneaton, has teamed up with the school to help flush away poverty.

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Altodigital, one of the UK’s leading independent suppliers of digital print and document solutions, is celebrating after one of its young apprentices has been selected for a national award recognising his academic and vocational excellence, beating 5,000 others along the way. 20 year-old Jake Williams, who joined Altodigital’s Kingswinford office as an apprentice at the [...]

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A West Midlands company is pioneering a system designed to help the scrap metal industry to comply with new legislation that outlaws cash deals.

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Househunters struggling to raise a large deposit are being encouraged to enquire about the five per cent deposit schemes now available on new build developments across the Midlands.

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Leading regional law firm, Harrison Clark Rickerbys, is a specialist in residential conveyancing and is offering discounts on fees for a limited period.

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A new manufacturing institute to be created by Coventry University in partnership with Unipart Group will receive part of a £50m fund from the government to help drive growth and to cement the West Midlands’ image as a world-leading area for engineering.

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The St Johns Hotel in Solihull welcomed some of the brightest chefs in the country when it hosted the British Culinary Federation Awards.

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Crowe Clark Whitehill has triumphed at the 2013 FDs’ Excellence Awards, hosted by Real Business and the ICAEW.

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Nationwide Building Society will be relocating within Cannock to a location becoming increasingly popular with financial services firms. CPBigwood, acting for the landlord, secured Nationwide as a tenant who beat off competition from a rival to move into No.1 Market Place. Nearby occupiers include Yorkshire Bank and Lloyds Bank. Market Place is adjacent to the [...]

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The region’s landlords and tenants have been urged to protect themselves against pricey legal disputes by drawing up binding written contracts.

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A host of properties sold for way above their guide price at another hugely successful CPBigwood auction. Some 100 lots were offered, 82 sold and a total of £7.9 million was raised. Jonathan Hackett, partner and head of auctions for CPBigwood, said: “Even though prices were strong it didn’t take away from there being some [...]

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Last month saw the inaugural winners of a UK-wide award scheme to celebrate the best new farm buildings in the country revealed. TV personality Kate Humble was on hand at the Hilton Hotel, Bath, to give out the prizes at the first RIDBA (Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association) FAB Awards, which recognised and [...]

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The Midlands has an opportunity to prosper on the back of a resurgent manufacturing sector, Dennis Turner, former UK chief economist at HSBC, has predicted.

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A dearth of debt to support transactions hit the values being paid for private equity deals hard in the first three months of 2013, according to BDO’s latest Private Company Price Index/Private Equity Price Index (PCPI/PEPI). The index, which compares the EV/EBITDA ratios being paid on the sale of private companies to trade (PCPI) and [...]

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A Midlands family business is celebrating 100 years of trading at the forefront of the transit packaging industry.

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Mansell, a Balfour Beatty brand, welcomed a group of BTEC construction students to one of its busiest sites in the West Midlands recently.

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Deleg8 it is a virtual assistant service for busy business owners who don’t have the capital, premises or enough work to justify employing someone.

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West Midland Safari Park has been named the most “Coach Friendly Visitor Attraction of the Year” at the Coach Tourism Awards ceremony held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 9th May 2013.

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Business Secretary, Vince Cable put the official Government seal of approval on a new Access to Finance Scheme for Black Country businesses during a visit to UK Steel Enterprise this week.

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Midlands manufacturers are calling on the Prime Minister to hold good his promise of leading a proper, informed debate about Britain’s relationship with the EU. Making the call ahead of the vote on an amendment in Parliament on an EU referendum, EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation believes the current debate is ‘letting British business down’ with [...]

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More than £0.3 million in grant funding has been awarded to 21 businesses in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership area – stimulating total investment of some £0.6 million and helping to create or safeguard 135 jobs. The Business Development Programme has, in its first 6 months of operation, funded more than £0.6 [...]

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Househunters looking for the perfect family home in Sutton Coldfield are being urged to view the two remaining homes at local housebuilder Walton Homes’ Bellecote Manor in Four Oaks before it’s too late.

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