IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has warned that the government’s review into the new off-payroll working rules does not go far enough, and will not allay freelancers’ fears about the changes to IR35. The Association notes that the government has not paused the roll-out of the changes, has not said the […]
Hickory’s Smokehouse has received a £13m funding package from leading alternative lender ThinCats to help accelerate its active roll out of restaurants. The first Hickory’s Smokehouse opened in Chester in 2010 following founder Neil McDonnell’s extensive research into the American BBQ and smokehouse sector. The team behind Hickory’s has been operating in Chester for 20 […]
Research from Nucleus Commercial Finance, an alternative finance provider, found that the majority of businesses have performed better than expected in 2019. Despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty, 55% of UK SMEs said that their business performed better in 2019 than 2018. This success was most prominent among young business owners (aged 18-34), with nearly […]
Despite reported ‘downturns’ and a reputed seizing-up of the new car scene in light of political and economic problems, states Iain Robertson, scanning the SMMT figures for 2019 reveals more of a levelling-off situation, rather than one of despair. The key issue related to reported facts and marketing-orientated ‘fake’ news is that no matter how […]
B-North, the Manchester-based firm building an SME lending bank for the UK, has secured in excess of £2m of fund raising from new and existing investors through equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube and Growthfunders, adding to the £4.2m it has raised in previous rounds. The news follows the announcement in December that B-North has selected Newcastle […]
Overall business confidence rose for the fourth consecutive month in December, according to the latest findings from the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Business Barometer. The survey, taken before the general election results was known, shows the one point increase took business confidence to 10%, driven by an improvement in businesses optimism about their own trading […]
Retailers take out merchant cash advances in November and December ahead of Christmas rush and New Year sales Surge in demand expected in January as independent retailers look to manage cashflow With Christmas just around the corner, 365 Business Finance has revealed a 174% year-on-year increase in merchant cash advances for retailers during the months […]
Despite an intense political climate and uncertain economic ground over the third quarter of this year, business confidence is stable. This is reflected in the latest SME Health Check Index, which shows a bounce back from the lowest ever recorded score in Q2. The report from Virgin Money UK, owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire […]
The latest Late Payment’s research from BACS makes sobering, if shocking reading, according to Eazipay Ltd, one of the UK’s leading automated payment processing companies. Far from continuing the downward trend of recent years, the late payment burden shouldered by UK SMEs has rocketed – up from £13bn in 2018, to £23.4bn today. An increase […]
Three-fifths of UK organisations are still not ready to report their executive pay gap almost twelve months after the legislation came into force, reveals a new Twitter poll by leading HR and Payroll software and services provider MHR. New legislation introduced in January 2019 means UK listed companies with more than 250 employees are obliged […]
