Allica Bank-backed start-up sets out to ‘protect’ UK family firms A new start-up set out to protect the legacies and values of Britain’s family businesses has secured its first ever acquisition and funding round backed by the UK’s fastest growing firm Allica Bank. Astra Holding, founded by entrepreneurs Amit Rai and Sergey Sushentsev earlier this year, has announced the acquisition of Hull-based industrial doors supplier [...]
Will Jet2’s share price continue to fly? Business Jet2's stock, up 23.7 per cent this year to date, has outperformed rivals such as Ryanair and Tui this year.
East London praised for start-up growth — but can it continue? Business East London has been crowned the most entrepreneurial region in England as it tops of the charts with the fastest growth of new start-ups. Fresh research by the East London Growth Group has revealed half of East London’s boroughs are in the top 10 per cent for the growth rate of new small and medium [...]
Winners of Alternative Credit Awards announced November 13, 2024 The Alternative Credit Awards 2024, hosted by Alternative Credit Investor magazine, took place on Wednesday 6 November at the Royal Lancaster London. These prestigious awards commemorate the most influential fund managers, specialist lenders and service providers in the alternative credit industry. The evening started with a sparkling drinks reception, followed by a gala dinner, before [...]
Entrepreneurs are the ‘real heroes’ and AI is already here, says Xero’s UK managing director November 12, 2024 Alexander Von Schirmeister is not just the UK managing director of Xero, a New Zealand-based online accounting software for small businesses, he is also one of the most well-travelled people one could meet. Alex – he said he prefers to be called – grew up culturally rich. The managing director was raised in Mexico by [...]
Collapse in SME employment growth serves as ‘wake up’ call to government November 12, 2024 Employment growth within Britain’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) fell drastically last month in the run-up to the Autumn Budget’s tax hike on employers. The rolling six-month average for annual employment growth in full-time jobs dropped to 2.6 per cent at the end October, down from 12.8 per cent in October of last year, [...]
Iwoca: Fintech lender secures £200m debt to support larger SMEs November 11, 2024 Small business lender Iwoca has secured £200m of debt funding as the fintech looks to grow its market share through bigger loans.
Shawbrook’s loan and deposit books top £15bn for the first time November 8, 2024 Shawbrook Bank said its loan and deposit books had topped £15bn for the first time after demand for lending jumped through the opening nine months of the year. In a trading update on the first three-quarters today, the retail lender said its loan book grew by 18 per cent on an annualised basis to £15.1bn, [...]
Workers’ rights package is ‘overdue and welcome’, says Ella’s Kitchen founder November 5, 2024 The government’s workers’ rights overhaul contains positive measures that will allow financially sustainable businesses to flourish, one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs has said, calling for proper consultation with businesses on changes to the probation period. Paul Lindley OBE, the founder of the UK’s largest baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen and a pioneer of the [...]
Autumn Budget 2024: Reeves commits £5bn for Government housebuilding programme October 30, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed in the Budget to more than £5bn of investment over 2025-2026 to deliver the Government’s ambitious plans on housing next year. In the Budget, Reeves announced a range of measures to support Labour’s target, including skills training, reforms to the planning system and additional assistance for affordable housing. She also [...]