Business News Articles

2009 National Franchise Exhibition to be held in Manchester
The British Franchise Exhibition is being held at Manchester Central on Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st of January. The premier franchise event of the north of England will have more than 100 companies exhibiting at the show, offering opportunities in a wide range of business sectors that will appeal to every interest and skill. Free seminars by the British Franchise Association will t... more

Free advice on reducing waste and saving money
Businesses in the North East of England are being invited to attend a series of free seminars that could save them money by helping them to reduce the amount of waste produced and use less energy. The Trim Your Waste seminars are being run by Business link and will show how even small, simple measures can make a big difference to a firm's expenditure. For details of the events and to registe... more

British workers to see advertised jobs first under new plan
Business employers in certain sections in the UK will be forced by law to advertise positions at job centres under a new government initiative designed to help British employment figures. Firms that employ in the fields of construction, nursing, the hotel trade and teaching will be affected by the new initiative, which is aimed at giving British workers the first opportunity to apply for vacant... more

‘Totally unnecessary’ red tape is harming small firms
Gordon Brown is undermining the economy's recovery by sanctioning business regulations that are ‘totally unnecessary' according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). The IoD are highlighting employment law that is due to take effect this year - such as flexible working and the new right for staff to take time off for public duties - as being detrimental to small businesses chances of surviving... more

Small businesses warned over Microsoft virus
Small businesses have been warned about a computer virus that spreads through low security networks, memory sticks and PC's without the latest security updates. The virus was first discovered in October 2008 and despite Microsoft releasing a patch to protect the virus it has spread to infect 3.5m computers. All small companies are being advised to make sure that their computers have the la... more

Vodafone to enter small business market
Vodafone has completed the purchase of Central Telecom, a move that is part of the global company's plan to move into the SME market. Vodafone will offer PBX systems, hosted technology as well as other professional telecommunication services to the small business market. Comms business magazine reported that a source told the publication, "Vodafone bought Central Telecom because they have th... more

New £300bn bank rescue package announced
The government have announced a £300bn rescue package for UK banks that it hopes will provide the stimulus required for levels of lending to increase. The plan, announced today by Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, has a raft of measures including a scheme that offers insurance against banks losing more money from previous toxic debts. The banks will have to pay for the insurance, but the ... more

Bill will propose that business rate relief granted automatically
A Private Members Bill is to be brought forward in the Houses of Commons that would see business rate relief granted automatically for small businesses. Conservative MP Peter Luff has worked with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on the legislation, which would ensure that small firms don't miss out on rate relief. Over 50% of small companies miss out on the relief because they are no... more

Online spending rises 25% in 2008
Online shopping in the UK rose 25% in 2008 to reach over £43bn, according to research by the IMRG and Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. The research also found that that around 65% of shoppers spent more online this Christmas than on the high street. The internet is one of the fastest growing sectors in UK business and has not been affected by the recent credit crunch to the same extent as ot... more

Workplace parking scheme consultation deadline approaches
Businesses that provide workspace parking to their staff have less than two month to respond to a consultation on the government's plans to allow local authorities to introduce workplace parking levy schemes (WPL). The consultation is a chance for all small businesses to give their views on the scheme, which could result in significant charges being levied to a business if staff wish to drive t... more