The South West private sector economy ended 2015 on a positive note, according to December PMI® survey data. Output growth accelerated from November’s subdued pace to the strongest since July, while new business rose at the fastest rate since June.
Moreover, backlogs grew for the first time in seven months, and at the sharpest pace since January 2015. Firms continued to expand their workforces and reported higher input prices for the first time in five months, leading them to raise their own charges.
The seasonally adjusted Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking South West Business...
After a successful first year helping South West social ventures to grow and flourish, applications have now opened for an exciting new programme of Seedbed investment and support for 2016.
Now in its second year, the £1.2 million Seedbed accelerator programme is looking to recruit 25 ambitious social ventures from across the region by the end of January.
Successful applicants will each have access to thousands of pounds worth of investment in the form of affordable loans, business coaching and action learning to help them expand and fulfil their potential.
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...
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...
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...
Exeter Chamber of Commerce raised just under £1000 for 6 local charities at this year’s Christmas charity auction lunch, which was held at the Mercure Southgate Hotel. The auctioneer for the charitable event was Marc Ryan, presenter at Heart FM.
Items for auction included a Kindle Paperwhite, a Boeing 737-800 flight experience voucher, a vest worn by four-time Olympian, Jo Pavey, and the opportunity for two people to meet the Black Rhinos at Paignton Zoo.
Sara Bond, chairman of Exeter Chamber Commerce said: “The annual Christmas networking lunch was a great success. It’s...
Businesses in Devon are being urged to do more to reduce the hundreds of millions of pounds lost to fraud in the county each year. With procurement fraud now recognised as the second most frequently reported form of economic crime, analysis of figures from the National Fraud Authority carried out by Devon-based blur Group, reveals that £126m a year is lost to fraud by businesses in the county, including £52.6m to procurement fraud. The scale of the wasteful spend means firms are less profitable, have less money to invest in their business and are at risk of losing out to competitors who...
Business are set to benefit from Council plans to increase the availability of flexible working spaces across the county.
With an estimated 20 per cent of Devon's workers working from home, the Council says more flexible working hubs are needed.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, the Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for economic growth, says the county relies a great deal on its small, sometimes home-based businesses, and support to the industry makes Devon a more vibrant, prosperous and attractive place to other business looking to relocate.
The Lord's Taverners Christmas lunch this year reached peak numbers, being attended by 630 business people, resulting in the largest event ever to be hosted by Sandy Park in Exeter.
The fundraising lunch began with a drinks reception then a delicious festive meal and bidding in the charity auction to win a private jet flight and lunch to Jersey, box at the Exeter Chiefs and rides in yachts and sports cars to name but a few.
A true or false quiz eliminated the room down to a winner for the top prize of an Xbox One and crackers were pulled to reveal lucky tickets and a host...
United Airlines is to be the presenting sponsor for the ‘UK Challenge’, the leading corporate team building event in the UK organised by IMG, a global leader in sports, events, fashion and media.
‘UK Challenge Presented by United Airlines’ will take place at Dartmoor from 30th June to 3rd July 2016. The event, which has been creating powerful business benefits for a variety of companies for more than 25 years, challenges teams intellectually, strategically and physically with a number of missions to complete across three days and nights.
