Business Desk West Midlands Headlines

Jaguar Land Rover sees strong start to 2012 with sales up

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:59:10 +0000

JAGUAR Land Rover has made a strong start to 2012 with new sales of both marques showing an increase on this time last year.Land Rover had enjoyed a renaissance during the final quarter of last year, ...

Yorkshire Bank needs to make "tough decisions"

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:58:03 +0000

YORKSHIRE Bank is set to make some "tough decisions" about its future as its owner today announced the launch of a strategic review into its UK operations. National Australia Bank, owner of the Clydes...

Maths equipment manufacturer Helix enters administration

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:39:30 +0000

BLACK COUNTRY-based mathematical equipment and stationery group Helix has entered administration. The company, best known for making plastic rulers and protractors, is being administered by David Ben...

National Apprenticeship Week: SMEs need to create more places says BCTG

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:52:02 +0000

THE head of a West Midlands-based consortium of training providers has urged employers in the region to do all they can to create more apprenticeship places.The call came as the Government announced a...

Asia the main attraction at RBS seminar

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:22:17 +0000

A SELL out conference held at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)’s St Phillips Place offices in Birmingham saw 74 local businesses look towards Asia for their future trading.The conference hosted by t...

Birmingham law firm advises on building groups merger

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:20:09 +0000

BUILDING products firms The Epwin Group and Latium have merged in an undisclosed deal part advised out of Birmingham.Epwin, which owns Midlands-based brands Swish curtain tracks and Wrekin Windows, is...

Construction and retail firms at most risk of insolvency

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:55:47 +0000

THE number of companies going insolvent rose almost 7% in the final quarter of last year, latest data shows.Within the West Midlands, firms operating in the construction and retail sectors are thought...

Law firms need to adopt modern practices to meet LSA

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:23:07 +0000

MIDLANDS lawyers need to adopt modern business practices, deliver added value for their clients and act quickly before new competitors get a foothold in the legal services marketplace, the chief execu...

Media Buzz: WAA, Connect PR, Cyberzia

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:35:57 +0000

WAA named one of the best agencies outside London WAA has been named one of the best creative agencies outside of London. The Sutton Coldfield-based agency has been ranked 8th in the annual Recommende...

£50m profit for St Modwen despite market conditions

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:29:27 +0000

BIRMINGHAM developer St Modwen has seen a marked improvement in its fortunes over the last 12 months, reporting an increase in profits of 34 per cent.The developer of the Longbridge regeneration schem...

Pension fund borrowing on the increase

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:46:05 +0000

BORROWING from pension funds to finance business growth is becoming more and more common, a Midlands adviser claims. Jonathan Hovers, a director at Lichfield-based Pool House Professional Advisers, sa...

IT firm pledges support for business growth

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:32:35 +0000

AN IT company with bases in Birmingham and the Black Country is implementing new strategies to support its clients’ growth plans.JamesCash.co.uk, based in Plant Street, Cradley Heath, is using i...

Pinsents and McGrigors merger is a goer

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:04:34 +0000

PARTNERS at law firm Pinsent Masons have voted in favour of merging with rival McGrigors.McGrigors’ partners have also given their approval to the deal which will see its name disappear from the...

Chamber urges Bank of England to increase QE

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:54:05 +0000

BIRMINGHAM Chamber of Commerce Group is calling on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to increase its Quantitative Easing (QE) programme this week.The MPC is expected to exten...

Three new directors join Colmore BID board

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:28:39 +0000

COLMORE Business District (CBD) has appointed three new members to join its board of directors.The business quarter lobbying organisation now has 19 board members.Ben Gulliford, regional centre head f...

Steatite parent trading ahead of expectations

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:54:04 +0000

ELECTRONICS group Solid State, which owns Redditch-based rugged systems supplier Steatite, said it expects full year trading to be ahead of expectations. The company said trading had “continu...

Victoria board carpets consortium over takeover

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:46:45 +0000

THE board of Worcestershire carpet manufacturer Victoria has again rounded on the rogue consortium bidding to take over the group.In an interim management statement the current board said the consorti...

Major retail scheme could transform Shrewsbury

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:38:51 +0000

A PLANNING application has been submitted for a £150m retail scheme in Shrewsbury - one of the largest regeneration schemes to be announced in the region this side of the recession.The New Riverside ...

John Lewis warehouse changes hands in £15m deal

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:30:14 +0000

PROPERTY group Cordea Savills, represented by Savills and DTZ, has purchased a large warehouse unit in Worcestershire in a deal worth more than £15m.The company has bought Redd 42, Redditch on behalf ...

West Coast Main Line set for boost if HS2 goes ahead

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:40:16 +0000

PASSENGERS on Britain’s busiest rail route will benefit from faster, more frequent trains, less crowding and better connections if the first phase of the proposed HS2 high-speed rail line betwee...

Manufacturing Advisory Service pledges support to Black Country SMEs

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:14:03 +0000

THE newly-reconstituted Manufacturing Advisory Service has outlined how it will continue to support SMEs in its Black Country heartland.At a meeting arranged by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce a...

Fast growing businesses urged to pitch for management

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:30:48 +0000

AN INNOVATIVE recruitment concept which enables fast-growing businesses to pitch for the talent they need to sustain their development is returning to Birmingham.The latest event will see six of the r...

M&A activity falls but cross border deals still offer hope

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:19:44 +0000

THE number and value of mergers and acquisitions involving British targets has dropped by 25% to its lowest level in 17 years, latest figures show.And Grant Thornton\'s corporate finance team has said...

Finance Cuts: Baker Tilly; Lloyds TSB Commercial; Mazars

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:05:37 +0000

Baker Tilly renews arts sponsorshipsBAKER TILLY in Birmingham has reinforced its commitment to the Arts with the renewal of its sponsorship of Birmingham Hippodrome, the City of Birmingham Symphony Or...

United inward investment push from Stoke and Staffs

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:14:44 +0000

STOKE-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council have joined forces to fund an inward investment service with the ambitious aim of attracting more than10,000 jobs to the area over the next...

Action needed to stop High Street ‘bleeding to death’

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:13:47 +0000

DRASTIC action must be taken urgently to stop the traditional High Street “haemorrhaging further and bleeding to death”, according to Birmingham-based chartered surveyors Johnson Fellows.N...

Russian work boosts Cobbetts’ litigation team

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:39:30 +0000

BIRMINGHAM law firm Cobbetts has boosted its fee income from international litigation by developing its Russian practice.The firm’s income from overseas work in 2011 was £3m, including £400,000 ...

National Apprenticeship Week: Staffs businesses urged to support LEP on apprentices

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:13:07 +0000

BUSINESSES in Staffordshire have been urged to support the Local Enterprise Partnership in a new initiative to cut youth unemployment.North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle Borough Council...

Junior Chamber is back in business

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:32:56 +0000

MORE than 50 young professionals are expected to attend the re-launch of Birmingham’s Junior Chamber International (JCI) networking group at an event on Thursday night.Sponsored by law firm Irwi...

Pertemps and Network Group to merge after MBO

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:25:14 +0000

RECRUITMENT groups Pertemps Ltd and AIM-listed Network Group Holdings are to be reintegrated following the announcement of a planned management buy-out of both businesses by a joint management team. ...

Duckers & Diving: Muck-raking with a difference

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:35:51 +0000

This week our intrepid diarist forgoes his usual city haunts for a dose of country life - and muck-raking of a different kind.Birmingham Press Club legend Hazel Horton Peppercorn, is promising me load...

Paphitis questions advice of “window dresser” Mary Portas

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:53:13 +0000

RETAIL entrepreneur and TV Dragon\'s Den star Theo Paphitis has questioned the credentials of Mary Portas, the so called \'Queen of Shops\' to save the High Street.Paphitis told TheBusinessDesk.com, h...

Enterprise Inns pub sell-off continues

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:34:10 +0000

SOLIHULL pubco Enterprise Inns has sold 15 pubs to rival Fuller Smith & Turner for £22.9m. The portfolio comprises 15 freehold, tied and tenanted pubs in the west and south west of England and Fuller&...

Deloitte referred to industry regulator over MG Rover

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:56:54 +0000

DELOITTE is set to be investigated by industry watchdog the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board over its involvement in the MG Rover Group and the car firm’s ultimate collapse.Reports sai...

Jaguar Land Rover to recruit record number of apprentices

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:41:22 +0000

JAGUAR Land Rover has announced it is to recruit its largest ever intake of apprentices.The automotive firm is set to take on a record 133 apprentices for its 2012 training programme, beating last yea...

New fund drives low carbon vehicle development

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:18:12 +0000

A NEW initiative backed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is set to provide a welcome boost for West Midlands-based companies looking to develop low carbon technologies for the niche au...

Black Country LEP claims successful first year

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:45:51 +0000

THE Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership has marked its first year of operation by claiming it has secured around £100m of investment for the area.The LEP said it had also helped to deliver one ...

Defence Briefs: QinetiQ; Ultra

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:39:45 +0000

QinetiQ on target to meet FY expectations despite tough marketQINETIQ Group has warned conditions in the UK and US defence markets are set to remain challenging as deficit-reduction measures add to on...

The Works top dog in Midlands in private equity-backed firms table

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:10:21 +0000

NINE West Midlands companies are featured in the Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 league table, which ranks Britain’s 100 private equity-backed companies with the fastest-growing profits (...

Bruntwood about to buy Centre City in Birmingham

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:39:21 +0000

THE chief executive of office accommodation specialist Bruntwood says the firm is about to buy the Centre City office block in central Birmingham.It is expected to announce imminenty that it has purch...

Multi-adviser transaction is Deal of the Month

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:57:38 +0000

A TRANSACTION which saw three Midlands professional firms working together to instigate and drive an international takeover has won TheBusinessDesk.com’s Deal of the Month for January 2012.Cobbe...

Willmott Dixon chooses Birmingham for flagship training centre

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:08:15 +0000

CONSTRUCTION firm Willmott Dixon is to open a new national training and development facility in Birmingham as part of the company’s commitment to investing in skills within the region. The Willm...

Centro opts for Spanish firm in £40m Metro replacement deal

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:09:01 +0000

TRANSPORT authority Centro has opted for a Spanish manufacturer in a £40m deal to build its replacement fleet of trams for the Midland Metro.The body said its preferred bidder for the new multi-millio...

Food for thought from Higgs & Sons

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:58:44 +0000

BRIERLEY Hill law firm Higgs & Sons has shown its support for a local food bank by donating eight large boxes of essential supplies. The team, led by head of employment Tim Jones, put together the box...

Simon calls for council crackdown on contractors

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:23:36 +0000

CITY mayoral candidate Siôn Simon is calling for Birmingham City Council’s major outsourced contracts to be independently audited.The former government minister and MP for Erdington argues such ...

Inman to serve on City TV board

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:02:15 +0000

WELL-known businessman Derek Inman has joined the board of City TV, which is in the bidding to run a local TV channel for Birmingham.Inman took early retirement as BT’s head of UK regions for th...

Smith & Nephew sees strong 2011 despite conditions

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:44:59 +0000

MEDICAL technology group Smith & Nephew, whose UK orthopaedics operation is based at Warwick Technology Park, has seen good revenue performance during 2011 set against a challenging market backdrop. ...

Singleton gets the point

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:36:18 +0000

ONE of Birmingham’s best-known urban planners has joined Millennium Point as chief executive.Philip Singleton, who was Birmingham City Council’s director for city centre development and de...

Council tees up multi-million pound deal for golf courses

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:24:50 +0000

BIRMINGHAM City Council has signed a landmark deal to secure the future of public golf courses in the local authority area.The council has signed a multi-million pound deal with London-based social en...

Joy as manufacturing sector returns to growth

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:13:48 +0000

THE UK manufacturing sector returned to growth in January with output levels at their highest for eight months.The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) will make welcome reading after last week&rsqu...