Business News Articles

BA to launch in-flight texting service
British Airways is to launch an in-flight mobile phone service when its new all-business-class route from London City airport to New York beings flying this autumn. Business travellers will be able to use emails and texts on the flight from their own mobiles and laptops, and there are plans to introduce calls in the future. "This is great for our customers who want to do business in the air,... more

Regus to provide new firms with £10m worth of assistance
Mark Dixon, the chief executive and founder of Regus has launched a £10m fund to support those who want to set up a new business. The Entrepreneur has announced that free office space and advice will be provided by Regus to assist new start-ups in the current recession. "We've got a lot of talent in this country and you'll have a lot of people losing their jobs who will find there are just ... more

New report ranks how hard UK cities will be hit by recession
Cities throughout the UK have been ranked by how hard the recession is likely to hit them, according to a report issued by think-tank Centre for Cities. The think-tank has published Cities Outlook, which assesses the health of 64 of the country's largest UK cities and evaluates how hard they will be hit by the recession by giving them a rating of red, amber or green. The cities on red saw th... more

Nokia operating profits decline by almost 50%
Nokia, the world's largest maker of mobile phones has reported a sharp drop in profits in 2008 and predicted that the coming year would be equally difficult. The company reported that operating profit for the year dropped from €7.9bn in 2007 to €4.96bn for 2008. The Finish firm controls around 40% of the global market for mobile phones, and the company's health is regarded as a good indi... more

Car production drops 47% in December
Car production in December fell 47.5% compared to the same period in 2007, according to recently released figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A major reason why the decline was so steep is that a number of car manufacturers closed for several weeks over the Christmas period in a bid to save on costs. This is the third consecutive drop in monthly car production i... more

New £10m fund will invest in small companies
A group of leading consumer goods executives are forming a Dragons' Den style £10m fund that will invest in small companies and provide them with strategic advice. The Spayne Lindsay Consumer Brand Fund will identify successful small companies that need extra finance in order to take their business to the next level. "A lot of small companies are having their credit facilities questioned or... more

UK unemployment reaches 1.92m
Unemployment in the UK increased by over 130,000 between September and November to bring the total to 1.92m - the highest figure since September 1997. The actual number of those unemployed will be much higher, as the official figure does not take into account the tens of thousands of job losses that have occurred since November. The figures also showed there were 530,000 job vacancies in the... more

GDP fall of 1.5% in final quarter means UK is officially in recession
The UK officially in recession for the first time since the 1990s, as government figures reveal a second successive quarter of negative growth. Gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 1.5% in the final quarter of 2008, following on from the previous quarters fall of 0.6%. The news is not a surprise, as the UK has recently experienced large job losses, a depressed housing market, and unemplo... more

Federation of Small Business annual conference to be held at Celtic Manor
The Federation of Small Business (FSB) has announced that its annual conference will be held at Celtic Manor in south Wales. The theme of the event will be ‘Firing up the British Economy', and advice will be given to small firms as to how they can help pull the country out of recession. Speakers at the event include; small business minister, Baroness Vadera, the newly appointed shadow busi... more

EU rules that long-term sick employees can claim holiday
The European court of justice (ECJ) have ruled that staff on long-term sick leave are entitled to accrue holiday while off work. The ECJ judges ruled that those who are unable to work through sickness are still eligible to four weeks of holiday a year, and should receive the money if they leave employment before claiming this. The ruling is a blow to many small businesses that are struggling... more