Business News

The West Midlands is outperforming the rest of the UK when it comes to employment, according to the latest job figures. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show employment in the region rose by 1.0 per cent, compared to a national increase of 0.1 per cent.  In a further boost, the inactivity rate (those unable to seek employment) is down by 1.1 per cent, while unemployment remains unchanged.

City of Wolverhampton Council Strategic Director of Place, Tim Johnson, have officially announced at MIPIM UK an exciting design competition for the city’s prestigious i9 site within the Interchange development. The council and development partner, Neptune Developments, have called for an eye-catching modern office building befitting of a national headquarters or regional office which will be developed in this important site opposite the i10 building on Railway Drive.

Energy demand in new homes could be halved if more focus is put on the shape and form of housing being built, the latest report from the NHBC Foundation has found. The current Building Regulations methodology used to demonstrate energy/carbon compliance does not give credit for the energy efficiency inherent in simple forms of homes, and there has been little incentive for designers to use this as part of their low-energy strategies.

New data from financial information service Defaqto shows that the launch of consumer VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Playstation VR could lead to a wave of accidental damage claims which may not be covered. Of the 441 home insurance policies on the market, 234 (53%) have a ‘restricted items’ clause in their technology accidental damage (AD) cover, which may exclude VR headsets.

As the newest member of The Platinum Group Service Sector at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, Emirates Airlines were keen to share their brand’s reputation for exceptional service and hospitality with the other Group members by providing them with a truly unique chance to view their A380 on a ‘behind the scenes’ tour. 

Both the president and the prime minister of Sri Lanka took part in the launch of the Colombo Declaration to ensure better health across the Commonwealth. The new commitment has eight priorities to reduce inequalities and improve health and well-being for all Commonwealth citizens.

A shocking 45% of people in the West Midlands live in homes which fail to meet the ‘Living Home Standard’ – a new measure of what makes an acceptable home, developed as part of ground-breaking new research. Designed to be the housing equivalent of the Living Wage, the new Living Home Standard has been developed by the public, for the public through a series of discussion groups, workshops and surveys. For the first time it reveals a measure of what the public think they should have from a home in order to live, rather than just get by.

City of Wolverhampton Council planners have been praised for their support in the refurbishment of a landmark Grade II-listed Wolverhampton building for luxury serviced offices. The former HMRC VAT office at Deansgate on Tettenhall Road has been converted into 28 offices, ranging in size from 1,540 sq ft to 226 sq ft, following a £2.8 million investment by developer and local businessman Surj Dhami.

A third of young adults can't hang a picture or change a light bulb and a quarter admit they can't even boil an egg, according to a shocking new study by Poundland. It seems that although millennials may be social media and smart phone savvy the majority do not have the skills that the older generations took for granted.  The study revealed that 77 per cent of 25-34 year olds could not fix a bike puncture, 37 per cent cannot bake a cake and 39 per cent couldn’t paint/decorate a room.

Birmingham must seize the opportunity to excel on a global scale, Chamber delegates have been told. Speaking at a briefing for Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s quarterly business report, Birmingham Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe called on local businesses to work together to show that the region is a great place to invest. Mr Kehoe, who last week took over as president of GBCC, reinforced his message about geography, scale and Birmingham’s place in the world.

Mary Parker is the genius entrepreneur that founded All-N-One Security - a thriving, multi-million dollar security enterprise with a workforce of more than 200 employees. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, her company is the first ever Black woman-owned full-service security firm, and one of the nation’s largest and most experienced, fully-certified security firms.

The two Wolverhampton companies that braved the Wolves’ Den and came out with £10,000 of KPMG business support have been announced. City of Wolverhampton Council joined forces with the leading professional services firm during Business Week to offer local SMEs the chance to pitch to a panel of experienced business professionals and partners from KPMG.

Branston, one of the UK's biggest potato suppliers, has officially opened its £5 million prepared potato factory extension in partnership with Tesco. Producing around 3,500 tonnes of potatoes each week for sale in Tesco stores across the UK, the new factory expansion includes the introduction of two new batch peeling lines, making it one of the largest peeling and processing facilities in the UK.

The British Safety Council has announced the winners of this year’s Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards for the exemplary management of health, safety and environmental risks by businesses around the world. The 64 Sword of Honour and 18 Globe of Honour winning companies have demonstrated to an independent adjudication panel a proven track record of excellence in managing risks to workers’ health and safety and/or to the environment from the organisations’ activities.

The harvest is now underway in the UK, with growers across the country reporting that 2016 is shaping up to be a high quality vintage. Pickers were out in the vineyards as early as mid-September in some parts of the UK, but the main bulk of grapes is being harvested now and over the next fortnight.

MPs and other opinion formers taking a break from the Conservative Party Conference last week were told that devolution could be one way to achieve an education system that was attuned to local business needs. Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, told a fringe event at the Conference that business needed a more locally-focused education system to meet the challenges of future growth.