Business

Plymouth firm gets top honours on 100 best companies list

Plymouth business Sponge UK has achieved top honours on an acclaimed list which recognises the UK’s best companies to work for.

The business has been awarded , the highest possible accreditation – three stars - in The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2016.

The award is based on staff feedback and follows a rigorous survey where employees answered questions about pay, conditions, teamwork, leadership and wellbeing.

Sponge UK was benchmarked against hundreds of other small companies and only those assessed as ‘extraordinary’ achieved three star status...

£30k for start-up businesses in South West

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Tue, 01/05/2016 - 11:56am

GAIN, the South West Growth, Acceleration and Investment Network is looking for all start-ups, innovators, disruptors to invest £30,000 as matchfunding to help business growth.

GAIN has partnered with the UK's #1 rewards crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunder, to find brilliant businesses based in Devon, Cornwall, Isles of Scilly or Somerset who have a product, service or approach that is unique or different in some way.

They will offer 10 businesses that meet their criteria, up to £3,000 of match funding each, if they crowdfund on Crowdfunder, from January 10, 2016. Each...

Expert help for business professionals in Exeter

Professionals can understand trends and issues affecting businesses in the South West and globally through masterclasses run at the University of Exeter.

Those attending the Business Insights 2020 masterclasses can network with industry experts and leading academics. The masterclasses are run by academics from the One Planet MBA at the University of Exeter’s Business School and senior business practitioners with relevant industry experience in partnership with the Devon and Cornwall Business Council (DCBC).

They are designed to help those who attend reconsider their...

Business confidence in South West falls

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 01/04/2016 - 10:30am

The Business in Britain report, now in its 24th year, gathers the views of 1,500 UK companies, predominantly small to medium sized businesses, and tracks the overall “balance” of opinion on a range of important performance and confidence measures, weighing up the percentage of firms that are positive in outlook against those that are negative.

Since the last report in July 2015, business confidence in the South West - an average of respondents’ expected sales, orders and profits over the next six months - has declined to 40 per cent, down from 49 per cent. However the index remains...

Warning over change in data protection rules

Leading South West law firm Stephens Scown LLP has warned businesses that they will need to ensure their data protection processes are robust enough to meet tough new rules which have just been agreed by the EU to unify data protection rules across the region.

Stephens Scown advises that almost all businesses will need to change how they deal with customer data in light of these new rules and that it is highly unlikely that any business will be compliant due to the scope of the changes.

The new General Data Protection Regulation is expected to be formally agreed early next...

Exeter Science Park welcomes disruptive technology firm

A venture technology firm which supports disruptive, fast-growth technology start-ups has experienced accelerated growth itself since relocating to Exeter Science Park Centre.

The 25 year old co-founder of Koncept, Jonathan Melhuish-Sprague, says that since moving into the Exeter Science Park Centre this summer, the support and collaboration opportunities available, have helped to increase his portfolio by more than 50%.

In return for an equity share in a start-up business, Koncept invests significant time and resources, helping to create a minimum viable product (MVP) that...

East Devon law firm shares Christmas cheer

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Tue, 12/22/2015 - 10:22am

Around fifty people from a range of East Devon businesses joined solicitors Beviss & Beckingsale and their chosen charity See The Future for a cracker of a festive lunch at Honiton’s Deer Park Hotel in December.

The guest list for the event last Thursday (December 10th) included local surveyors, estate agents, accountants, lawyers and other businesses from hairdressers to auctioneers.

Guests were welcomed with a festive glass of mulled wine before a sitdown lunch, which included a talk by See The Future founder Leanne Greengrass. A game of “heads or tails” raised money...

Growth of online channels fuels expansion of intellectual property team

The ever-growing importance of online channels to businesses and the recognition of the value of intangible assets has led to the continued expansion of the intellectual property (IP) team of a leading South West law firm.

Stephens Scown’s intellectual property practice, established just three years ago, has grown rapidly to now include eight specialists - the largest IP team of any law firm in the region. Most recently, the firm recruited Neil Eagleton as a senior associate from London-based firm Sheridans.

According to Ben Travers, partner and head of intellectual...

Students help Exeter Cleaning to record year

Authored by Socialhaus
Posted: Tue, 12/15/2015 - 3:30pm

Exeter Cleaning Company has announced that, this year, it carried out the the largest number of cleans of private student lets in its history. Almost 10% of all returning Exeter University students this year ​came back to accommodation cleaned by the Exeter business.​​

Every year the standards expected by university students increase and students from overseas have shown a particular desire for the highest quality accommodation and service standards. This has led to more and more private landlords and organisations turning to the professional cleaners at the Exeter Cleaning Company...

Travel Grobag wins gold at Mother & Baby Awards

Wednesday 2nd December saw the experts in safe sleep scoop up a gold award at the annual Mother & Baby awards in London.

Genius in its design the travel Grobag has a clever opening allowing a five point travel harness from a car seat or pushchair to pass through enabling you to swap your baby from pushchair or car seat to cot without waking them and disturbing their sleep.

CEO Christian Jones comments; “We were thrilled to have achieved this coveted consumer award last night for Best Travel Product. The products are tested by consumers who put the travel Grobag through...

Pages