SME

Costa Drives Custom at Plymouth Golf Centre

Ignition, a leading provider of asset finance for SMEs, has helped Plymouth Golf Centre finance the opening of a brand-new, on-site Costa Coffee. The new 40-seater franchise café offers handcrafted Costa coffee, teas, shakes and cakes, along with M&S sandwiches, soups, pastas and paninis, and is proving a welcome addition to the centre for golfers and visitors alike.

Ignition...

The gigantosauruss is coming... Ignore bonehead. Protect yourselves

You may be forgiven for unfamiliarity with the story of the gigantosaurus, especially if you don't have young children. The gigantosaurus is a book by Jonny Duddle, essentially it's a modern version of the 'boy that cried wolf' and worth adding to any parents collection. The story for anyone still in the dark, is one of a small dinosaur called Bonehead, who volunteers to be...

Southern SMEs ‘not worried about the impact of Article 50’

Just 8% think it will have an immediate effect on them

It’s ‘business as usual’ for SMEs in the south of England, following the triggering of Article 50 at the end of March, with just 8% of them expressing concern about the impact it will have on their operation.

Despite the events of the 29th March causing upset amongst large City firms, few small business owners in the region...

How businesses, small and large, can learn from each other

Over 80% of British consumers reported feelings of happiness and contentment when they purchase goods or services from small and independent businesses, compared to just 53% who buy from large chains, according to new research.

This comes from a new survey of 2,000 UK adults by Avery WePrint that reveals a consumer trust issue when it comes to dealing with large corporations, with only...

The biggest challenges facing SMEs

Research by BSI (British Standards Institution) has revealed that almost half of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) don’t feel that their business is operating efficiently.

The survey which targeted 250 SMEs throughout the UK with between 1-250 employees, also highlighted that the highest number of businesses that showed concern about operating efficiently were based in East Anglia,...

Lloyds pledges to help start-ups

Lloyds Banking Group has announced it will help 1,000 start-ups to push through the £1m turnover barrier by their third birthday as part of its 2015 SME Charter, contributing £1bn to the UK economy.

The new Charter focuses on growth, digital technology and sustainability as its key commitments for supporting for enterprise.

Nurturing 1,000 growth businesses of tomorrow

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SMEs prepare for annual Small Business Saturday

Lloyds Bank will be demonstrating its support for small enterprise as the Small Business Saturday bus tour visits Plymouth as part of its campaign to support, inspire and promote small businesses.

Small Business Saturday, which is now in its second year, is designed to promote small business success and encourage people to shop locally – whether it’s a family business, local shop,...

Zero-hours contracts make SMEs in South West ‘feel guilty’

A third of small business owners in the South West say zero-hours contracts are deeply unfair on employees – however 38 per cent use them on their own staff.

Research into the attitudes of SME owners across the country focusing on how they hire, pay and view their staff revealed that zero-hours contracts are seen as a necessary part of running a business in what are still uncertain...