SME Business News

Research shows that over a quarter of small businesses have been dissatisfied with the support offered by their high street bank in the last 12 months.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) latest monthly survey shows that a quarter of all respondents are dissatisfied with the support offered by their high street bank over the last [...]

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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has today welcomed the Coalition Government’s launch of the ‘Your Freedom’ website.
The website, which aims to give the public the chance to nominate the laws they would like to see abolished will also ask which regulations should be removed to make running a business easier.
A third (33%) of small [...]

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Amid reports that the Government is getting tough with banks for failing to provide affordable lending to small firms, new research from the Forum of Private Business shows that access to finance is worsening.
Business Secretary Vince Cable has hit out as ‘misleading’ banks’ claims that, despite demand for lending being low, approval rates are high. [...]

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Research has shown that Angels Investors (high net worth individuals who invest money and knowledge into companies who require funding) mainly follow their intuition ahead of financial calculations when deciding whether to invest in a company.
In a survey Angels Den conducted with 50 experienced Angels, a staggering 73% said they used their ‘gut feel’ to [...]

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New research conducted by commercial credit reference agency Graydon UK reveals that four out of five credit managers believe that public sector spending cuts will spark a sharp increase in business insolvencies within the next 12 months.
According to the survey, nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of credit professionals anticipate that business failure rates will [...]

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The UK economy expanded at twice the forecast rate during the second quarter of the year.
The Office for National Statistics reported that GDP rose by 1.1 per cent in the period from April to June. Predicted growth had been for around the 0.6 per cent mark.
The rate of growth was four times higher than for [...]

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A small business group has expressed concern over the unacceptable services provided by the Royal Mail.
The Federation of Small Business (FSB) says that the Royal Mail needs to improve its services if it wants to hold onto its customers.
A report by the FSB, uncovered that the Royal Mail is letting down small firms in the [...]

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Many small businesses welcome Government plans to introduce legislation that requires them to offer flexible working to all its employees, according to new research.
Hays recruitment carried out a survey among 420 employers, which found that 55% small businesses approve of the plans and 70% expect an increase in requests for flexible working and nearly 40% [...]

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On the eve before the World Cup kicks off, new figures show that over half of small firms will be letting their staff watch key matches. However, 32 per cent are unaware they need a TV Licence to watch the games online, says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
In an FSB-ICM survey of more than [...]

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In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of the emergency Budget, the CBI has urged the Government to increase confidence in the public finances by bringing the deficit rapidly under control in a way that does not undermine the economy’s ability to grow.
The UK’s leading business group argues this should be done [...]

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