New research by Geek Retreat, the geek culture retailer, gaming café, community hub and events venue, shows that of the 15% of Brits who have set up their own business in past ten years, 27% considered a franchise model. Some 19% now run a business which is part of a franchise group. A franchise is […]
More young people look set to live with their parents as buying a home becomes increasingly expensive, the government’s housing accelerator Homes England has warned. Office of National Statistics has revealed the cost of a home is rising quicker than earnings with affordability ratios increasing from 4.92 in 2002 to 8.28 in 2022. “Many young […]
Barclays Eagle Labs have launched an online skills platform for budding entrepreneurs looking to become the leaders of the next tech giants. The new Eagle Labs Academy, funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, will provide curated learning experiences, where users can access self-paced, on-demand and interactive content; covering key challenges faced when […]
Small business optimism returns in 2024, as half of SMEs anticipate growth this year, according to new research from iwoca – one of Europe’s largest small business lenders. Nearly half (47%) of small business owners surveyed expect that their turnover will grow this year, up from a quarter (26%) at the start of 2023. One in four […]
The average quoted price of car insurance rose by 67.2% in the year to November – the highest annual increase on record, the latest Consumer Intelligence Car Insurance Price Index ¹ shows. This beats the 61% rise in the year to August 2023 and the 34% increase in the year to May 2023 which were […]
New data analysed by Allica Bank shows disappointingly low levels of bank switching by small and medium sized businesses over the last 10 years, with less than 1% of SMEs changing their bank provider each year in this time. The research comes as Allica ramps up efforts to gain market share amongst established SME businesses […]
The British Business Bank has agreed a £21.25m increase of its existing ENABLE Funding facility with Bracknell-based Tower Leasing. The original £25.5m facility was agreed in December 2017, which allowed Tower Leasing to provide additional asset finance to smaller businesses looking to acquire business critical assets to boost their growth. This new facility size of […]
The South London Partnership has secured transformational funding awarded by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub on behalf of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to develop a retrofit skills action plan for South London. The sub-regional collaboration of six London Boroughs – Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, and Wandsworth […]
Think SME, a leading accountancy and corporate service provider headquartered in Singapore, today announced its strategic expansion into Hong Kong and China. The move signifies the company’s unwavering commitment to assisting small and medium enterprise owners and entrepreneurs in achieving their full growth potential in an effective and hassle-free way. Founded in 2013, Think SME […]
The UK’s small retailers plan to invest in new technology in the year ahead as part of strategies to drive business growth and improve customer experience, according to the latest research from American Express. Asked about how they planned to safeguard their business this year, the survey of independent retail and hospitality business owners found […]
