SME Business News

After cutting operating costs to the bare minimum, many smaller firms are hiring sales staff, improving their websites and boosting marketing activities in an effort to tackle tough trading conditions.
Research carried out by the FPB also found that business owners expect their efforts will pay off. More than half (56%) of those surveyed expect to [...]

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UK  Small businesses are wary about the economic climate, it has been revealed, with less than a third  expecting  things to improve this year.
The annual Voice of Small Business survey, conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses and ICM Research, found just under half (48 per cent) of respondents experienced a drop in sales last [...]

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John Wright, FSB National Chairman  comments:
“As the country goes to the polls next year, unemployment and public debt will still be high. An incoming government – of whatever hue – will be placed in an awkward position; it will be forced to make some tough decisions to steer a steady course through very choppy waters [...]

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Figures from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) released today show that the services sector in Britain grew again in November, as it did in October.
The continuing growth is good news for the economy as a whole as the services sector accounts for nearly three-quarters of the total economy. For this reason the [...]

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The recession has raised concerns about commercial models, supply chains and finance that will reshape business behaviour well into the next decade, the CBI said today.
Launching its report “The Shape of Business - The Next 10 Years”, the CBI said that the recession and credit crunch had become the catalysts for a new era.
The report [...]

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As the leaders of the main political parties prepare to deliver their keynote speeches during this year’s crucial party conference season, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has issued a warning that all three parties must present a clear vision that gives business the freedom to create opportunities, jobs and growth to drive the UK’s [...]

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The Chancellor, Alistair Darling is looking at ways of enabling small and medium-size firms to borrow money from sources other than the major high street banks.
There have been consistent complaints that SMEs are struggling to raise capital from the banks.
Under the mooted plans, SMEs would be able to apply to borrow money from City pension [...]

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The U.K.’s economy is showing signs that it is recovering after the sharp gross domestic product slump reported for the first quarter of 2009.
The purchasing managers’ index for the manufacturing sector rose to a 13-month high of 47.0 in June, from 45.4 in May, Markit Economics and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply said. [...]

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Online business networking looks set to move on to a new level with the launch of a unique site that is focused on helping small and medium sized companies succeed in tough times and through economic recovery.
The Business Network Online (BNO) - developed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Accredited Chamber Network - [...]

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Business confidence has improved for the first time in two years in a further sign that the worst of the UK recession is over, according to a new survey.
Findings from the latest quarterly survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales suggested a reversal of the plummeting confidence levels seen over the [...]

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