North East Post: BUSINESS

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Private Sector Activity Falls In November – CBI Growth Indicator

Private sector activity continued to fall in the three months to November (weighted balance of -11%, from -7% in October), with no sign of any let-up over the coming quarter, according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator. The latest decline shows that activity has now contracted (-11%) for the last sixteen rolling quarters.

Photo by Israel Andrade on Unsplash

New Guide Launched To Help Businesses Navigate The Complex World Of The Supply Chain In M&a

Image: SCALA

Global supply chain and logistics consultancy, SCALA, has launched a complimentary good practice guide, which provides industry insights to help businesses navigate the complex supply chain implications of undertaking mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Despite the M&A market experiencing instability in 2023, driving growth and transformation remains a top priority for business.

1:00 AM 30th November 2023

Cost Pressures Ease Significantly But Business Sentiment Deteriorates – CBI

Image by Ronald Carreño from Pixabay

Sentiment within the service sector deteriorated over the quarter to November, against a background of falling business volumes and profitability, highlighting a continuation of difficult conditions across the sector – according to the CBI’s quarterly service sector survey.

1:01 AM 29th November 2023

People Of Major Industrialised Nations Support Compensating Developing Countries Affected By Climate Change

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has launched the sixth edition of its Climate Survey. These are some of the most striking results of this annual survey conducted in August and September 2023.

1:00 AM 29th November 2023

Applebridge Family Partners With Middlesbrough College To Narrow Construction Sector Skills Gap

Applebridge Academy Class of 23

The Applebridge Family has announced a key partnership with Middlesbrough College which aims to close the construction sector skills gap.

3:57 PM 28th November 2023

Opinion

Late Purchases, More Returns: Preparing Customer Service Teams For An Unpredictable Golden Quarter

With the news that a record number of consumers are returning their Black Friday purchases and families are likely to wait until December pay day before buying Christmas presents, Martin Brown, CCO at FM Outsource, encourages retailers to introduce a scalable customer service strategy.

9:15 AM 28th November 2023

North East Planning Specialist Sees Strong Growth In Renewable Energy

North East planning specialist Hedley Planning continues to achieve strong growth for its renewable energy services after securing approval for a new wind turbine scheme. Plans by the Hexham-based firm will see the erection of a 17.75-metre-high micro wind turbine erected on a plot of land in a Suffolk village following an appeal.

1:15 AM 28th November 2023

Pockets Of Deal Activity Drive Logistics And Supply Chain Transactions To Two-Year High

M&A activity in the UK logistics and supply chain management sector has rebounded to 2021 levels, with renewed interest from international buyers and venture capital investors targeting early stage tech-enabled companies. Mirroring levels seen in Q4 2021, 21 deals were completed between July and September.

1:00 AM 28th November 2023

CBI CEO Calls On Parties To End Political Short-Termism To Deliver A Decade Of Sustainable Growth

Boost UK competitiveness by delivering an ambitious business tax system showing the UK is open for business. Prepare for the future of work by prioritising productivity and showing boldness on skills and immigration to solve shortages. Honour our climate commitments by delivering a new Net Zero Investment Plan to drive green growth beyond 2030. Demonstrate global leadership in tech and innovation by committing to ambitious targets and accompanying budgets on R&D and supporting businesses to adopt productivity-boosting technology. Transform public service delivery by renewing the UK’s partnership between Government and business

1:00 AM 28th November 2023

Retailers Anticipate A Disappointing Festive Period – CBI Distributive Trades Survey

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Retail sales volumes fell year-on-year in November for the seventh consecutive month, according to the latest quarterly CBI Distributive Trades Survey. Despite a slight uptick in sentiment, firms expect sales to decline again in December. Retailers also reported a reduction in headcount in the year to November, while investment is set to decline in the year ahead.

3:08 PM 27th November 2023

Local Entrepreneur Encourages People To Access Business Support That Helped Her

Laurelle Kamara

Laurelle Kamara accessed support from charity Hatch Enterprise to grow her business, and is encouraging local people to do the same. Laurelle is the founder of Photo by Laurelle, an award-winning photography and videography business based in Yorkshire capturing authentic and aesthetic visuals with a specialism in fashion, portrait and event photography.

2:54 PM 27th November 2023

Aviva To Acquire Optiom

Aviva plc has today announced the acquisition of Optiom O2 Holdings Inc from Novacap and other minority shareholders for consideration of c.£100m (c.CAD$170m). Optiom, which operates as a managing general agent, is a leading provider of vehicle replacement insurance in Canada and offers flexible payment options to customers.

7:40 AM 27th November 2023

New Master’s Program At The University Of Manchester Is Taking A Fresh Approach To Tackle Climate Change

University of Manchester

A new postgraduate course addressing the global environmental crisis and the challenges of building sustainable societies has been launched by The University of Manchester. According to a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), profound social change is urgently needed to help mitigate the climate crisis and meet other sustainability goals.

1:03 AM 27th November 2023

Industry Leaders Welcome Landmark Plan For UK Advanced Manufacturing

Industry leaders from across UK advanced manufacturing have welcomed the Government’s landmark Advanced Manufacturing Plan (AMP) backed by billions to boost Britain’s manufacturing sector, announced by Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch yesterday.

1:02 AM 27th November 2023

The Pantomime Of Trans-Pennine Rail Travel Is On Track To Continue Through 2024!

A high-level meeting with Transport for the North, TransPennine Express, Humber MPs, stakeholders, councillors and business leaders focusing on rail services to the Hull and Humber region ended with no commitments to improved services, but a warning that things would get worse in 2024 before they got better.

1:01 AM 27th November 2023

Cost Of Living Crisis: UK Professionals Forced To Abandon Christmas Break Amidst Financial Strain

As the cost-of-living crisis intensifies across the United Kingdom, more than half of workers find themselves having to forgo their traditional Christmas breaks, as financial constraints make taking time off unfeasible for the majority.

1:00 AM 27th November 2023

Opinion

Autumn Statement 2023: When Is A Tax Cut Not A Tax Cut?

Chris Etherington, tax partner at RSM UK comments: "If this was meant to be an Autumn Statement of intent by the chancellor, then it may not have gone far enough. "Jeremy Hunt has bet the house on cuts to National Insurance contributions (NICs) being welcomed by workers and shifting his party’s political fortunes in the polls.

1:00 AM 25th November 2023

Opinion

Market Analysis: Cranswick

Cranswick: Shortage of butchers is driving up costs; Growth opportunities in pet food market and China

1:00 AM 25th November 2023

Is There Any Point To Generational Cohorts?

Ian Garner
Business Writer

Photo by little plant on Unsplash

We’ve all seen lots of comments about the differences between generations. You know the labels: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, and the latest, Generation Alpha, which refers to the group of individuals born between 2010 and 2025. These are familiar labels, loved by the media, and the basic building blocks for campaigns by some marketing and sales professionals.

1:00 AM 25th November 2023

New Ground Engineering Work For North East’s RWO

Chris Rudd sees growth for RWO’s geotechnical department as the company expands its operations on the back of the Wardley Colliery work

North East engineering firm RWO has secured a new undisclosed geoenvironmental contract as it continues to develop its operations and secure work from house builders and developers.

1:01 AM 24th November 2023

Defence Outsourcing Could Save Taxpayer Money, Says New IEA Paper

Image by Defence-Imagery from Pixabay

The greater use of outsourcing in national defence could encourage efficiency, innovation and better services and equipment for military personnel. The UK government spends over £55 billion annually on defence, yet has little incentive to keep down costs or try new methods. Competition could even be encouraged between the army, navy and air force

1:00 AM 24th November 2023

Sunderland Business Support Programme Announced

A raft of support to spur on business growth across Sunderland has been announced. Sunderland City Council has unveiled a range of significant support programmes, that are designed to stimulate economic development, working with business-focused delivery partners to advance its local priorities, as well as supporting regional schemes that will be offered to businesses across the North East.

1:01 AM 23rd November 2023

Stress Of Juggling Work And Unpaid Care Causes Thousands Of Carers To Leave The Workplace

Research shows 40% of unpaid carers providing high levels of care are giving up work to care, while 22% are reducing their working hours. Carers UK encourages employers to get ready for implementation of new law which will give 2 million employees the right to five days of unpaid carer’s leave

1:00 AM 23rd November 2023

Sheffield Forgemasters Welcomes Westminster Nuclear Report

Sheffield Forgemasters, the UK’s sole supplier of ultra-large, nuclear-grade forgings, has welcomed an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report on the future of nuclear energy in the UK.

1:00 AM 23rd November 2023

Unpredictable Black Friday Demand: What Does An Uncertain Golden Quarter Mean For Retailers’ Supply Chains?

Unpredictable Black Friday demand: what does an uncertain golden quarter mean for retailers’ supply chains?

1:00 AM 23rd November 2023

Manufacturing Output Falls And Order Books Deteriorate – CBI Industrial Trends Survey

Image by Jean Martinelle from Pixabay

Manufacturers reported that output volumes fell in the three months to November, disappointing expectations for expansion, according to the CBI’s latest Industrial Trends Survey (ITS). Manufacturers expect output volumes to decline further into the new year. A more subdued outlook for production comes as order books fell to their weakest level since the second COVID-19 lockdown in early 2021.

1:00 AM 23rd November 2023

Willerby Crowned UK’s Most Sustainable Manufacturer In Prestigious Awards

Willerby Manufacturing Photo: ©Shaun Flannery Photography.

Holiday homes firm Willerby has been recognised as the UK’s most sustainable manufacturer at a highly prestigious awards ceremony. Hull-based Willerby won the Sustainable Manufacturing Award in The Manufacturer MX Awards 2023 – widely recognised as the “Oscars” of manufacturing.

8:18 PM 22nd November 2023

CBI North East's Response To Autumn Statement

Sarah Glendinning

With tough decisions to be made, the Chancellor was right to prioritise ‘game-changing’ interventions that will fire the economy.

3:51 PM 22nd November 2023

Focus On Innovation Growth Welcome, But Government Must Go Further, Says NCUB

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Rosalind Gill, Head of Policy and Engagement at the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) said: “Becoming an innovation nation requires the UK to attract, start and scale more innovative businesses.

2:36 PM 22nd November 2023

Business Response To Autumn Statement

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive, said: “With tough decisions to be made, the Chancellor was right to prioritise ‘game-changing’ interventions that will fire the economy.

2:33 PM 22nd November 2023

IoD: Autumn Statement Provides A Significant Boost To Business Investment

Responding to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement, the Institute of Directors welcomed efforts by the UK government to boost business investment.

2:14 PM 22nd November 2023

Whitby Seafoods Appoints Finance Director To Help Drive Growth Plans

Whitby Seafoods, the UK’s largest scampi manufacturer, has made an important appointment to bolster its finance and senior leadership teams. Carol Gee has joined its Board as finance director following a recruitment process led by finance recruitment specialist, Headstar.

1:03 AM 22nd November 2023

West Cumbria Well-Placed For Growth As iSH Starts New Managing Director Search

Business, industry, academia and communities in West Cumbria are well-placed to work together to maximise a wealth of opportunities. That’s the message from Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH) Managing Director John Maddison as he prepares to hand over the baton to a new leader of the organisation. John has been the Managing Director of iSH since it was formed in March last year.

1:00 AM 22nd November 2023

First UK Developer To Secure Nutrient Neutrality Credits, Signalling Break In Housing Bottleneck

Adderstone Living has secure planning approval for affordable homes in a County Durham town

Plans for affordable homes in a County Durham town have been approved, paving the way for what is claimed to be the first scheme development utilising the Natural England nutrient neutrality credit system.

12:00 AM 22nd November 2023

2024 Predictions: Cost Of Raw Materials Set To Finally Come Down Next Year

Image: metals4U

Supply chain improvements and reduction in demand is leading to lower costs. Largest online metal supplier, metals4U, provides industry predictions for 2024

12:00 AM 22nd November 2023

Property & construction

ADG Celebrates Multiple Deals Across The North Of England

ADG Sunderland

Yorkshire-based Almscliffe-Dhesi Group (ADG) is celebrating a range of retail deals across its developments in the north of England. ADG has signed up a number of high-profile national occupiers at its retail/roadside developments in Sunderland, Scunthorpe, Peterlee and Stanley.

7:09 PM 21st November 2023

World’s First As King’s Award Presented In Prison

James Tweed

History was made on Monday by tech business Coracle with the first ever King’s Award presented in a prison

11:51 AM 21st November 2023

South Korean Trade Negotiations Can Boost UK

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will tomorrow (22 November) launch talks on a modernised trade deal with South Korea to boost trade and strengthen our relationship with a key ally.

9:15 AM 21st November 2023

Bowcliffe Hall Turns Coffee Beans Into Dreams For Disadvantaged Children In Uganda

Bowcliffe Hall, a luxury events venue situated near Wetherby in North Yorkshire, is supporting the education of disadvantaged children in Uganda through its wholesale partnership with Kickstart Coffee, an ethically-sourced coffee company.

8:58 AM 21st November 2023

TUC – Public Purse Is Losing At Least £29 Million A Week As Result Of “Huge Tax Break” For Banks

The government’s decision to cut the banking surcharge is costing the public purse £29 million a week, according to a new report published by the TUC. The report estimates that the Treasury will lose “at least” £1.5bn annually over the next four years as result of the change introduced by Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor. Earlier this year, the surcharge was cut from 8% to 3%.

1:22 AM 21st November 2023

Collaborative Project To Advance Direct Air Carbon Capture In The Teesside Cluster

A vital step towards removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is to be trialled in the Tees Valley as a result of a partnership between Teesside University and Airhive, an innovative climate technology company.

1:02 AM 21st November 2023

Yorkshire businesses warned to prepare for the worst

Gareth Humphreys

There are fresh warnings for businesses that use cloud technology to put in place disaster recovery plans. The warnings, from Leeds-based, Solution Performance Group (SPG) advise companies to have a disaster recovery plan in place for their cloud services, just as they would for on-premises IT systems.

1:01 AM 21st November 2023

Aon Sees No Sign Of Slowdown In The Buyout Market For UK Pension Schemes

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Aon plc the global professional services firm, has said that the market for buying-out UK defined benefit pension schemes continues to grow, even though it has seen several changing dynamics in the past 18 months.

1:01 AM 21st November 2023

Four In 10 Customers Shun ‘Online’ When Shopping At Small Businesses

Image by Preis_King from Pixabay

Over four in 10 (42%) of consumers shop exclusively in-store when buying from small businesses. Overall, more than 8 in 10 consumers (84%) buy from small businesses. The primary reason customers buy from small businesses is to support the local economy and community (57%). When opting for larger retailers, lower prices (53%) are cited as the main reason.

1:00 AM 21st November 2023

Market Insight 20 November 2023

Euro continues to record some gains against the US dollar this morning, by more than 0.17%, reaching the level of 1.09405 at the peak of the rises this morning, which represents a new highest level that we have not seen since last August. While some minor declines followed.

1:06 PM 20th November 2023

10 in 10 Gareth Scargill, Director at Nexus

Gareth Scargill, Director at Nexus, the vibrant community for innovators and entrepreneurs, is the latest regional professional in the hot seat as the p.ublished group of newspapers gives him just 10 minutes to answer our 10 burning questions. What does a typical working day for you involve? My role is interesting because every day is different and busy!

1:00 AM 20th November 2023

Don’t Sleepwalk Into A Year Of Low Growth And Lost Opportunities – CBI Chief Warns

Ahead of the Autumn Statement, and with a general election potentially just months away, CBI Chief Executive Rain Newton-Smith has issued a warning to UK politicians of all stripes that the country can’t afford for 2024 to be shaped by “low growth and lost opportunities.”   Against a tough economic backdrop, and with businesses around the world bracing for another challenging year in 2024, Newt…

1:00 AM 20th November 2023

Cyber Security Challenges For Ecommerce Businesses

Recent reports state that the UK has the third largest eCommerce market in the world, and with the Christmas period being particularly demanding for online businesses, cyber criminals are more likely to attempt attacks on eCommerce businesses.

1:00 AM 20th November 2023

Opinion

Market Analysis: Vodafone & Burberry

Vodafone: Modest improvements in service revenue in core markets but Net additions remain subdued; Decrease in group revenue show that further OPEX reduction is necessary. Burberry: Sales growth in China has slowed considerably due to weak customer confidence; Bags and accessories is crucial to future growth butcontinue to underperform

1:00 AM 18th November 2023

New Data Reveals Falling Road Freight Prices Amid Anticipation For Autumn Statement

Image by Alfred Derks from Pixabay

With road freight prices declining prior to peak season, industry leaders are shifting their focus to government initiatives to cement long-term cost stability

1:00 AM 18th November 2023