Business News Articles

New car sales decline 17.5%
New car sales in the UK declined sharply in August, the second consecutive month that figures have fallen, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). There were just over 55,000 new cars registered in August, a drop of 17.5% compared to the same month last year. Although the figure is low August traditionally sees the lowest volume of monthly sales ahea... more

Manufacturing recovery continues
Britain's manufacturers are continuing to report buoyant trading conditions on the back of rising demand in overseas markets, according to a major survey published today by EEF. The third quarter EEF/BDO 'Manufacturing Outlook' report reveals that recovery, which began at the end of last year, has been sustained with output and orders balances reaching record levels for the second quarter in su... more

Problems with PAYE persist
Almost six million people in the UK have paid the wrong amount of tax, according to the government. Just under £2bn was underpaid via the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) system in the past two years, with about 1.4 million people owing an average of £1,500 each. However, £1.8bn has also been overpaid and 4.3 million people will get a rebate because they have paid too much. Treasury minister David ... more

Firms 'should embrace equal pay'
Small and medium-sized firms are being advised to examine their pay systems to make sure they comply with equal pay laws. As part of a drive to increase transparency around pay in the workplace, the Human Rights Commission and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) have jointly published a guide to help employers examine their systems effectively. "Businesses want to pay people fairly for th... more

SMEs urged to attend conference
Small and medium-sized company owners have the opportunity to access leading business professionals to receive advice and guidance at the inaugural Sage World on September 8th-9th. Taking place at the International Centre, Telford, the event is offering the opportunity for anyone looking to start or grow a business to gain ideas, advice and inspiration The free to attend two-day event brings... more

Businesses investing in growth
Demand from businesses wanting to get new innovation-led projects off the ground has almost doubled since last year, according to data collected by the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) programme. The KTP programme received nearly twice the number of applications from businesses in the first part of this financial year compared with 2009/10. Funded by the Technology Strategy Board, KTP s... more

Tube strike talks fail
Small and medium-sized business owners have been warned that talks aimed at averting a series of strikes on the London Underground have broken down. Industrial action will now definitely take place, with the first 24-hour strike planned for Monday and then three further three dates. The action is taking place as unions are fighting plans to cut 800 jobs. London Underground has said there wil... more

House prices decline 0.9%
House prices declined for the second month in succession in August, according to the Nationwide building society. Prices dropped 0.9% last month following a 0.5% decline in July - the first time that prices had fallen for two consecutive months since February 2009. The building society estimates that the average price for a house in the UK is now just over £165,000. As more sellers have ... more

Staff reveal why they would quit
Employees have revealed that the main reason why they would leave their job is due to poor communication with management, according to a survey by serviced office provider Regus. The second most popular reason was stress caused by overworking followed by poor promotion prospects. The survey also asked workers what companies could do to avoid losing their best talents. With the UK detaining t... more

Poor IT equipment costing SMEs money
Over a third of businesses are losing time and money from out-dated office practices and a struggle to handle and store electronic documents, according to research released today by 1&1 Internet Ltd. The study revealed that 37% of respondents lose money is lost from employees failing to share updated versions of documents and 53% of companies are held back by poor archiving of emails and docume... more