Business News Articles

BT to raise charges by 10%
Small and medium-sized business owners have been advised that BT will increase call charges by 10% and its monthly line rental by 50p from the beginning of October. The majority of customers will be informed of the move by letter this week. The cost of connecting a call will go up from 9.9 pence to 10.9p and the daytime rate rises from 5.9p to 6.4p a minute. Customers who sign up to a year-l... more

SMEs expect full recovery in 2 years
The majority of small businesses in the UK believe that it will be two years before the country makes a full economic recovery, according to data released by business insurer QBE. The survey showed that 58% of small and medium-sized businesses predict a two year wait before Britain sees an economic revival, an increase from 47% of firms that predicted this six months ago. Of the businesses s... more

Small firms 'value marketing'
Small and medium-sized businesses are continuing to use marketing despite the economic downturn, according to research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The data shows that while only 3% of bosses in the UK’s largest companies said they would hire additional advertising professionals during a slump, 15% of small company bosses claimed they would pursue this course of acti... more

Peter Jones 'most admired Dragon'
Peter Jones has been named as the most admired Dragon in a poll of small business owners by XLN Telecom. Jones received just over 30% of the vote and was followed by James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne, who each won 20%, while Deborah Meaden was backed by only 7% of respondents. 64% of the entrepreneurs questioned claimed they would feel confident pitching their business to the Dragons on the po... more

50% of office staff want to be own boss
Half of the UK' office workers want to start their own business, according to data released by PayPoint.net. The survey also showed that 64% believe running their own business would be more fulfilling than their current job, considering how much time they can waste on mundane activities. Just under half of survey recipients spend up to an hour scheduling meetings, let alone attending them. O... more

Unemployment falls 34,000 to 2.47m
The number of people unemployed in the UK declined by 34,000 to 2.47m in the three months to May, according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of people also claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell in June by 20,800 to 1.46m and the jobless rate in the UK is now 7.8% - the lowest rate since January. The number of people in work rose by 160,000 in the three months to May, the bigge... more

iPhone 4 ‘not recommended’
Small business owners have been advised that Consumer Reports - the influential independent watchdog - has said that it cannot recommend Apple's iPhone 4 to buyers. The news follows its own tests confirming the phone's well-publicised reception and operational glitches. The watchdog - which also publishes guides on everything from cars to TVs - said that it had tested other phones and found ... more

Retail sales rise in June
Retail sales increased at their fastest pace last month since March, according to data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Sales also 1.2% on a like-for-like basis compared with June last year. It is thought that the sunny weather at the end of last month helped to stimulate sales, alongside the World Cup which increased sales of televisions. DIY and leisure sales also did well ... more

Inflation falls to 3.2%
UK inflation declined to 3.2% in June from 3.4% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is the second monthly fall but means that the Consumer Prices Index is still significantly over the Bank of England’s target of 2%. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation - the measure widely used in pay negotiations - also fell to 5% from 5.1% year-on-year in May. “Headline ... more

Trade deficit widens to £3.8bn
The UK's trade deficit increased to £3.8bn in May, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is the largest gap in just under two years and is a bigger rise than predicted. Exports rose by less than 0.2% to £21.5bm, while imports rose by 2.4% to £29.5bn. "While these figures confirm that exports are growing, the pace of expansion is inadequate. The competitive sterling exchang... more