Paragon Bank’s SME Lending division continued its support of UK small-to-medium sized businesses during the first half of its financial year with over £200m of new lending, the company announced today. The division lent £200.7m in the six months to the end of March 2020, growing its net loan book to £606.6m. Paragon’s pre-tax profits […]
Construction sites have returned to work after the initial impact of coronavirus. But new research from the Centre for Policy Studies shows that they are simply finishing off existing projects. Cautious estimates suggest housebuilding could fall by around 38% over the next year, leading to 76,000 fewer homes being built. The impact could be far […]
United Trust Bank (UTB) has completed a £10.9m Investment Term Loan for an existing customer affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. Successful property investment business and landlord, Rosewall Properties Limited, typically acquires properties, in this instance a redundant office block, adds value via planning enhancements, before converting/developing and then retains the completed scheme in its substantial […]
Specialist social impact lender GC Business Finance has provided AWT International with a five-figure Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) loan using backing from the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). Radcliffe-based AWT International manufactures racking trolleys specifically for glass handling equipment. Its products include a range of glass and profile handling equipment ranging from racks, […]
Last Autumn parts of the UK saw twice the average seasonal rainfall. This was followed by some of the worst winter floods in memory. A poll by Farmer’s Weekly asked farmers if 2019 was, weather-wise, the worst ever: 81% said it was. Anecdotal evidence suggests drilling was delayed on many farms, especially in the North […]
Businesses are faced with a critical decision on whether to furlough more workers tomorrow (Wednesday) , but without knowing how the government plans to fully re-open the UK’s economy, say leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. Nimesh Shah, a partner at the firm said: “The government have not provided a road map for businesses, […]
A family-run luxury wedding and events venue is getting ready to spring back into action after lockdown thanks to a support package from Lloyds Bank. Dewsall Court, located five miles south of Hereford, is set in 12 acres of grounds and offers accommodation for up to 27 guests, with a 17th century house, its own […]
Pathfinder, a London-based SME which provides a cloud-based Enterprise Platform for advanced analytics and rich data visualisation, has seen off some ‘Big 4’ consultancy competition to win two projects from the Office of Tax Commission and Ministry of Finance in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. Having beaten off one of the ‘Big 4’ competitors […]
With restrictions on non-essential stores easing from 15 June, new research by industry voice SaveTheHighStreet.org reveals that only a quarter (25%) of small businesses have completed the necessary Covid-19 risk assessments critical to reopening. The Covid-19 High Street Recovery & Resilience survey, which has had 1000 responses also reveals one in five (20%) have not […]
Covering the four weeks 3 – 30 May 2020 On a total basis, sales decreased by 5.9% in May, against a decrease of 1.9% in May 2019*. This is the second worst decline recorded since our monitor began in January 1995, an improvement over April. It is above the 3-month average decline of 9.4% and […]
