Latest News
ELAS: Christmas shopping to hit productivity
Festive gift buying will cost businesses £5 billion as email discounts tempt workers to shop from their desks, according to a business support specialist.
Employees feel unvalued
Nearly three quarters of workers feel their employer either takes their efforts for granted or expects them to feel grateful for having a job, research finds.
Retail sales still shaky
Retailers expect sales growth next month, but sales are still down on last year.
SMEs sitting on cash
Almost half of small and medium-sized enterprises are sitting on cash and not investing it because of the uncertain economic climate, research finds.
FPB: Business Finance Taskforce not there yet
The Business Finance Taskforce has not yet achieved its aim of repairing the relationship between banks and small businesses, says the Forum of Private Business.
SMEs suffer skills shortage
Almost half of businesses struggle to recruit the right staff, research finds.
Payment getting later for small businesses
Late payment among UK firms worsened by almost a day during the third quarter of the year, research finds.
FSB: NIC holiday needed
A targeted VAT cut and a National Insurance Contributions (NICs) holiday must be introduced for small firms, says the Federation of Small Businesses.
Business rate appeal delay costly for SMEs
Delays in processing business rate appeals are costing English businesses £300 million per year, according a business rates specialist.
Google AdWords fall short for SMEs
Less than a fifth of small businesses using Google AdWords say they recoup the cost of their investment, research finds.
Female entrepreneurship on the rise
The number of women running businesses should accelerate by 100,000 over the next ten years, business community network Everywoman says.
New EU law could break down trade barriers
Small businesses in the UK could find it easier to sell goods or services to other European countries thanks to a new EU-wide sales law, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
SMEs short on growth ambition
Small companies have less ambition to grow their business than last year, research finds.
SMEs gamble with unfair dismissals
Nearly three quarters of small businesses are in danger of facing employment tribunals, research finds.
