Business News Articles

New addition to the bfa board of directors
Molly Maid CEO Pam Bader OBE has been voted back onto the bfa board of directors. The businesswoman was first voted onto the board in the early 1990s and went on to become the first female to be elected chair of the bfa in 1995. "It is fantastic to be back on board, I am truly passionate about franchising," she commented. ... more

Small firms 'losing money' by not selling on the internet
60% of small firms are losing out on money by not using their company website to sell their products and services, according to a new study published by BT. The BT Voice of Small Business report surveyed more than 400 firms that employ a maximum of 50 staff and found that despite 80% of SMEs having a company website only half of these firms use the site to generate business. The latest figur... more

Small companies turning to alternative means of finance
Small firms having difficulty accessing finance through banks are turning to different sources of credit, with pawnbrokers reporting a significant increase in small business customers as banks progressively decrease lending. The National Pawnbrokers Association have reported that the number of small company owners using their services are greatly increasing due to the current scarcity of credit... more

Distressed property company sees 118% rise in inquiries from small firms
One of the largest purchasers of distressed properties experienced a rise in the number of enquires from small businesses and individuals last year by 118%. UK based property recovery specialist Property Portfolio Rescue (PPR) saw the amount of enquiries recieved last year more than double 2007 levels as small firms and individuals looked to raise cash to stave off insolvency. The PPR have p... more

Inflation rate declines to 3%
Consumer price inflation (CPI), the measure of the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households, declined in January to an annual rate of 3%. According to official figures CPI in December last year was 3.1% so the fall is less than many experts predicted although this is the forth month in succession that inflation has fallen from Septembers 5.1%. Retail Prices Index ... more

Email details to be kept for a year by ISPs
Details of every email sent or received in the UK will have to be retained by internet service providers (ISPs) from March of this year.... more

New broadband service launched for small companies
broadband service has been launched that is aimed specifically at small businesses in the fields of media and design companies. Enhanced Upstream has speeds of 16Mb downstream and 2.5Mb upstream and is aimed at SMEs that are dependent on adequate bandwith to send large amounts of data. The package also includes unlimited transfer, upload and download, 100Mb webspace and guaranteed download s... more

Pensions ‘increasingly important to keep and retain staff’
Over 90% of employers believe pensions are a key recruitment and retention tool, according research by HSBC actuaries and Consultants (HACL). The survey found 92% of employers believe pensions are an important way of attracting and keeping staff, but that 88% think that staff are not equipped to deal with the levels of risks associated with different pensions. "Employers recognise now, more ... more

Small firm owners warned over IT security
Small business owners have been warned that the IT security in many UK businesses is not sufficient and is placing companies at risk. "Security breaches are entirely preventable - effective and inexpensive technology exists to prevent them," said Nick Garlick, managing director of IT protection firm Nebulas Security. "It should be so ingrained in their culture that patching and anti-virus up... more

Almost half of staff believe they work better away from the office
Almost half of employees believe that they work more effectively remotely but only 8% of managers trust their staff to work out of the office, according to research conducted by YouGov. The research, commissioned by BT Business and Nortel, revealed that 42% of staff feel that they could work better remotely but, despite a raft of new technology, business owners are reluctant to allow their staf... more