Tragedy at Nechells overshadows week’s success stories

THE tragic events at Hawkeswood Metals, where five men were killed by a falling wall, has cast a shadow over the week’s business news.

Investigations will continue for some time into the cause of the structural failing but for now Nechells, and the Gambian community which the dead men came from, must deal with the shock and sadness while it waits for answers.

Elsewhere there was good news from Birmingham Airport which announced the creation of at least 300 jobs with 15 routes starting from next March.

Jaguar Land Rover’s ongoing success story added another chapter with the launch of its £20m special vehicle operations site in Coventry and the announcement it will create 250 jobs by the end of the year. It is also investing £7.5m in new headquarters for Jaguar Land Rover Classic.

Its upbeat news was in contrast to Aston Martin’s accounts, which detailed record losses of more than £100m. However the car manufacturer says it has begun to see improvements from its Second Century Plan, which is the group’s strategy to build a sustainable luxury business.

There was mixed news from the property sector with several major investors suspending trading in their property funds, but locally IM Properties’s showed profits in excess of £100m and Carillion was appointed as the contractor for the first phase of the Paradise scheme.

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