Business News Articles

One in six small firms have no capability to sell on their website
The majority of small businesses are not using their websites effectively enough to attract customers, according to a study of 70,000 SME websites by BT Business. One in six of the business web sites reviewed had no e-commerce facility to sell to customers and just 11% maintain their website every one to two days. "This is a huge missed opportunity in the current climate as people increasing... more

Only 1% of small firms receive government payment in 10 days
The government's pledge to cut the cashflow problems of small firms by reducing the amount of time it takes to pay trade invoices to 10 rather than 30 days is only being experienced by 1% of SMEs, according to research by credit agency Graydon. The survey found that just 1% of the companies questioned which supply government agencies are being paid within ten days and 53% were paid within 30 to... more

Julie Meyer joins new Dragons' Den panel
The BBC have revealed that entrepreneur Julie Meyer is one of the new panellists for the recently unveiled online version of Dragons' Den. The web version of the hit television show will begin its weekly broadcast on the 30th of March, where aspiring entrepreneurs will have the chance to secure up to £50,000 worth of investment. Meyer is the head of investment firm Ariadne Capital and has w... more

Property entrepreneur of the year announced
Nick Sladen, founder of Sladen Estates has been awarded the Property Entrepreneur of the Year at a recent awards ceremony. The judges were looking for someone who had the skills needed to succeed in the industry, alongside real entrepreneurial flair. "We're not flash or flighty; we identify what people want and work as hard as we can to make sure it's as good as we can possibly get it," said... more

Number of new cars produced declines for fifth successive month
The number of new cars produced in the UK declined 59% in February - the fifth consecutive month of decline. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said car production totalled just 59,777 last month. "The large fall in February's vehicle production is a direct result of weak demand," said SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt. Carmakers have been lobbying the government for suppo... more

Money lost to online banking fraud more than doubles in 2008
Small business are being warned to check their online banking accounts, as recent figure released from UK payments association Apacs revealed that the amount lost to online fraud more than doubled in 2008. Online banking fraud increased to £52m last year, up from £22m in 2007 and total fraud losses on UK credit and debit cards rose by 15% to over £600m. Fraudsters have been using a device... more

BAA ordered by regulator to sell three airports
BAA has been ordered to sell Gatwick and Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports by the Competition Commission after a two-year investigation. The Commission looked into BBA's dominance over the UK market - the company currently owns seven airports - and has given BAA two years to sell off the airports. The airports must also be sold in sequence, starting with Gatwick, then Stanste... more

Internet ‘most important tool to help small firms survive recession’
One in five small and medium-sized companies believe that the internet will be the most important tool in helping them beat the recession, according to research conducted by Easynet Connect. The survey of 225 SME IT managers also revealed that 74% of small businesses use the web to grow their company profile and over 50% believe that the web would put them on a level playing field with bigger c... more

UK unemployment reaches over 2m for first time in over a decade
UK unemployment has risen over 2m for the first time since 1997, according to figures released from the Office for National Statistics. During the three months to January the total number of people unemployed stood at 2.03m, an increase of 165,000 from the previous quarter. In February the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance increased by over 138,000 to reach just under 1.4m. A r... more

Npower to cut electricity bills by 8%
Energy supplier Npower has announced that it is cutting electricity bills by 8%, meaning that all the major energy companies have now cut their prices. Npower became the last of the six major energy suppliers to reduce its charges, which it claims will shave £43 of its customers average electricity bills. Scottish & Southern will cut the price of electricity by 9% and gas by 4% from 30 Marc... more