Business News

Applications are now open for the BBC Good Food Shows Producers Bursary Award. Now in its seventh year, the awards aim to pick out the very best new producers the nation has to offer. The BBC Good Food Shows, in conjunction with BBC Good Food Magazine will be scouring the country over the next month looking for the most exceptional artisan food and drink producers in Britain.

The Foreign Airlines Association (FAA), the UK's leading networking association for foreign airline executives, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Chairman, Colin Stewart, hosted a special anniversary event on 7th July at Lords Cricket Ground for members, old and new, including past FAA chairmen and women, Jan Smit (1983-84), John Varley (1996-7), Barry Prior (1998-99), Chris Gilber (2001-2), Cathy Matos (2006-7) and Sandra Bloodworth (2008-9).

Birmingham based law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has received the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark, Lexcel. It marks the sixteenth year running that the business has successfully secured the accolade having undergone a rigorous application and assessment process. Lexcel is a nationally recognised accreditation which assesses law firms and in-house legal department and gives assurance that a practice meets high client care and business management standards.

Residents and visitors can this week get a feel of what it will be like inside Wolverhampton Interchange’s new railway station in a virtual fly though video. The opportunity comes during the ‘Enjoy Wolverhampton’ ten-day programme, which is highlighting the city’s gems and providing a host of free or purse-friendly activities and offers. The video is also available to view on YouTube channel ‘Wolverhampton Today’.

Birmingham lawyers Clarke Willmott LLP, who set up a specialist team to look at the implications of driverless car technologies earlier this month, said a fatal accident involving a Tesla vehicle in Florida has sounded warnings for the fast developing industry. An inquiry into the accident, the first known fatality involving self-drive cars, has begun and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said preliminary reports indicated the crash happened when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla, and the car failed to apply the brakes.

Dr James Nussey has been appointed as Clarke Wilmott LLP's new Director of Finance, succeeding Bob Bruce who has been at the national law firm's financial helm after 6 years, seeing significant growth during his time, including new offices in Cardiff, London and Manchester. Nussey moves to the law firm’s Bristol headquarters from listed education support services provider Tribal Group, where he has spent the last 6 years in a number of different finance roles.

Tesco has announced it will issue contracts worth £12 million over three years to help support British Agriculture, and become the first retailer in the UK to introduce new long term contracts for potato growers and packers. This will help to safeguard the future of UK farmers who supply the supermarket and provide customers with the best quality produce.  Through the Tesco Sustainable Farming Group - Potatoes (TSFG-Potatoes), growers will benefit from greater financial certainty, allowing them to invest in their businesses for the future.

Now that the EU Referendum is over and the UK has voted to end it’s position as a Member State of the European Union, The Business Growth Foundation is calling for a SME Task Force to be quickly established. Ninder Johal Chair of The Business Growth Foundation says: “SMEs have recently been the forgotten voice of our economy. UK SMEs are 99% of all our businesses. They employ 15.6 million people. They are exceptionally important to the UK economy. But during the Referendum campaign the views of SMEs have rarely been covered in the media or discussed by politicians.

JC Payne (UK) Ltd based in Aldridge in Walsall is the latest company to join The Platinum Group, part of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. JC Payne (UK) Ltd is a privately owned family run commercial vehicle bodybuilder and the company operates from a 90,000 sq. ft. factory using a semi-flow line production method, designed and constantly updated to achieve the most efficient building process for its customers.

A community money advice service, designed to help those who struggle to get credit – and are therefore more likely to go to loan sharks – was launched by members of Birmingham City Council’s Financial Inclusion Partnership yesterday. Birmingham Money is a joint venture between Advance Credit Union, City Save Credit Union and Money Line, based in the Community Hub, at Bull Ring Indoor Market, Edgbaston Street. Once launched, the savings and borrowing advisory service will be open Monday to Thursday between 1pm and 4pm, and initially operate for six months.

Greater Birmingham Chambers Chief Executive Paul Faulkner made an urgent plea for ‘clarity and leadership’ as the UK prepared to leave the EU following the historic vote for Brexit. The vote saw a turn-out at 72 per cent, the highest since the 1992 election. As the nation begins to reflect on an uncertain new future outside the EU, Mr Faulkner said negotiations to guide Britain through Brexit would take ‘a substantial amount of time, finesse and expertise.’

Three quarters of male electricians recently surveyed, would be happy for their daughters to take up a career in the trade. However, a similar percentage feel old school attitudes towards women would actively discourage females from taking up a trade.The survey of electrical contractors was carried out by leading electrical industry body NICEIC who’s Jobs for the Girls campaign was set up to encourage more women into the trade and to plug the evident skills and gender gaps.

The first Walsall Business Week culminated in a very successful Expo event staged in the sports hall at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus. The University of Wolverhampton students provided vital support on the day helping the businesses make the most of their morning.  The whole programme for the week was planned by the Walsall Economic Board and was designed to help strengthen Walsall’s business community by providing advice, information, financial support and business opportunities to firms across the borough.

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce Awards 2016 deadline is fast approaching, celebrating the best in business from across the region. The Black Country Chamber is striving to double the size of the Black Country economy by 2023, with the success and continued growth of the local business community being an integral facet in helping us to achieve this aim. Furthermore, our Awards are an ideal platform upon which to showcase your company and celebrate your success, as we recognise those who truly contribute towards the local economy.

First time buyers are finding themselves increasingly reliant on the Bank of Mum and Dad as they struggle to find deposits or negotiate bridging loans to secure their dream home. But family law specialists at Clarke Willmott LLP have warned that reliance on parents could backfire badly in the event of a relationship breakdown – whether yours or theirs! Rayner Grice, family law specialist and partner at Clarke Willmott, says doing business with the bank of Mum and Dad requires the same degree of attention to the small print as any professional financial transaction.

The Commonwealth has announced that Dr Willy Mutunga, Chief Justice of Kenya, will take up the role of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Maldives. The appointment was made at the request of the Government of Maldives. Over the last few years, the Commonwealth has become increasingly concerned about the political situation in the country. This has included the arrest and detention of senior political figures, constriction of space for civil society and the media, and weakening of the separation of powers.