SME Business News

The government enterprise department will allow SMEs greater access to public contracts by registering their business with www.supply2.gov.uk
Under the latest scheme small businesses will have access to public contracts around the UK with a value of £100,000 or less.
The move is part of the Department for Business’ enterprise strategy outlined earlier this year, to help […]

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Small business groups FSB and ACS are among many expressing disappointment at the outcome of the Competition Commissions inquiry into the grocery sector.
The two year inquiry resulted in the Commission concluding that consumers are enjoying the benefits of competition, while totally ignoring the impact on independent retailing.
Several business groups have lobbied on behalf of small […]

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Excessive parking fees and fines from town centre car parking facilities will kill High Street businesses, the Federation of Small Businesses FSB has warned local authorities.
Income from town centre parking in 2005 raised a staggering £1.6billion for local authorities, rising from just £628million in 1997.
The FSB has urged local government to re think the parking […]

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Government agency the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has blamed ‘business conditions’ in the UK  and the unwillingness to invest in ‘key management training’ as the stumbling blocks for small businesses attempting to turn their enterprise into world leaders such as Microsoft and Google.
While the report acknowledges that the UK is […]

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Dragons’ Den Panelist Deborah Meaden, has this week launched a campaign in conjunction with the Federation Of Small Businesses (FSB), to urge more people to start their own business in the UK.
The campaign is aimed particularly at getting women to follow their dream and set up in business. FSB research has shown that just 11% […]

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Credit risk specialists Graydon have called on the Government to reassess regulations introduced ten years ago aimed at assisting small businesses in tackling the issues of late payment.
The 1998 regulations allow companies to impose interest on bad paying debtors, but  research has shown that the vast majority of SMEs do not  exercise that right. It […]

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A Survey carried out by Barclays in Wales found that 48% of Welsh SMEs experience problems with late payment.
This isn’t really news to small business owners across the UK and I think it is fair to say that Barclays would find a similar result in any part of the country.
More disturbing for me, was to […]

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Post Office owners in some parts of the country have received a shot in the arm from local County Councils. Portsmouth councillors have become the latest local authority to throw a potential lifeline to local Post Offices, faced with the threat of closure.
Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth council has backed ideas put forward by Essex […]

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The first Budget speech presented by new Chancellor Alistair Darling, was generally received pretty well by the small business community.
There were no real shocks to be had, after a bevy of blunders earlier in the year by the Chancellor over various tax reforms.
Some of the things that were particularly welcoming news for small businesses are […]

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Peter Jones, businessman and tv Dragons Den judge, has teamed up with the government to launch a network of ‘enterprise academies’ across the UK.
The purpose of the academies will be to identify the next generation of entrepreneurs. The first of the institutions will be launched in September 2009, and will be in the South East […]

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