Month: December 2024

South East businesses reveal 2025 ambitions
South East businesses will be targeting increased productivity and upskilling their staff in 2025, according to new research from Lloyds’ Business Barometer.
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Thackray Williams expands commercial team
London and Kent law firm Thackray Williams is looking to expand its commercial team further after four new hires across its commercial practices and unprecedented growth.
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Supporting charities ‘boosts customer loyalty by 250%’
Customers that engage with charity partnerships are more than three times as likely (250%) to stay loyal to the brand, the MD of sustainable packaging supplier Priory Direct told representatives from more than 40 businesses and charities at a Kent CSR event in November.
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Brighton hospitality scene ranks top for startup potential
As the hospitality industry braces for post-budget challenges in the new year, new research has revealed that Brighton-based businesses may have the best chance of weathering the storm.
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Eco-friendly restoration underway on historic grain barn at Surrey farm
Work is well underway to restore a historic grain barn at the Countryside Regeneration Trust’s (CTR) Pierrepont Farm in Surrey, thanks to a legacy donation to the charity.
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South East bucks national trend with rise in business confidence
Business confidence in the South East rose seven points during December to 34%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds.
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Celebrating progress
As we reflect on the progress of the Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), we’re excited to share the positive strides that have been made in shaping a more skilled, resilient workforce for our region.
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More challenges ahead for our businesses
Businesses were disappointed in the recent Budget announcements. Whilst there were no direct hits on personal taxation, some of the actions will certainly have a knock-on effect.
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The jury is still out on the new government
We’re a little more than four months into the new term, and already, business is being asked to shoulder the majority of the financial burden for failing public services.
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Moore Barlow corporate team celebrates successful 2024
After rounding up the final deals of 2024, regional top-100 law firm Moore Barlow has announced its supported deals with a total value of £350m.
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Kent community centres awarded share of £30,000 from Southern Water
Christmas has come early for 10 Kent community centres after they received a share of Southern Water’s £30,000 regional Community Fund.
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Shepherd Neame sponsors Rochester’s new Christmas lights
Kent independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame is among the sponsors of the new Christmas Lights in Rochester.
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One third of South East businesses have experienced fraud in the last five years
Almost one third (31%) of South East businesses have experienced fraud in the last five years, a new survey from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has found.
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‘Help to Grow’ hits 10,000 milestone with support from the South East
More than 10,000 business leaders across the UK, including over 1,500 in the South East, have enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management Course to provide them with the knowledge and confidence to boost their business performance.
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Ashford Borough Council steps up support for rough sleepers
Ashford Borough Council is opening an Outreach Centre in January as part of renewed steps to support rough sleepers this winter.
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EDP begins construction of stand-alone storage project in Sandwich, Kent
EDP, through EDP Renewables, has started the construction of its first stand-alone battery energy storage (BESS) project in Europe, located within Richborough Energy Park near Sandwich, Kent.
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Privately held London and South East firms optimistic about 2025 despite challenges
Almost nine in every 10 (88%) private business owners in London and the South East are confident of delivering growth in 2025, according to KPMG UK’s first-ever Private Enterprise Barometer.
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Eastbourne welcomes Lightning Fibre’s fully accessible ice rink
British Olympic figure-skating champion Robin Cousins MBE, along with special guests from Forward Facing, a charity supporting Sussex families whose children have long-term or life-limiting conditions, took to the ice at internet service provider Lightning Fibre’s accessible Ice Rink in Eastbourne to celebrate its accessibility for all.
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Milence to develop its second ever UK eHGV charging hub in Kent
Plans to build a charging hub designed for electric Heavy Goods Vehicles (eHGV) at Panattoni Park Aylesford in Kent have been announced by Milence, the joint venture between Daimler Truck, the TRATON GROUP and Volvo Group.
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Clarkson Wright & Jakes announces two new hires
Kent law firm Clarkson Wright & Jakes (CWJ) is delighted to welcome back Carly Johnson (nee Sargeant) as partner and head of its Residential Property team. Carly started her conveyancing career at Clarkson Wright & Jakes in 2002 and worked for the firm until 2014. She continued to gain further valuable experience at another Kent […]
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South East remains UK’s “most distressed region”, says The IFT
The Institute for Turnaround (The IFT) has released its fifth Societal Impact report, surveying its members and highlighting that UK corporate distress shows no signs of easing, despite some increased economic stability.
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Amino Plus awarded ‘Discovery Spark’ prize package worth over £50,000
Following the immersive Discovery Spark (from Kent science park Discovery Park) programme and a competitive pitch process with nine fellow entrepreneurial life science and technology businesses, Amino Plus has secured the coveted first-place prize.
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Triodos Bank announces first BNG private sector loan to Nature Impact
Triodos Bank UK has announced its first private sector loan based on a biodiversity net gain (BNG) unit model, a landmark deal that could create a blueprint for financing nature-based solutions at scale.
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Kent foundry shares ‘Component of the Year’ at Best of British Casting awards
Maybrey Precision Casting, a Kent foundry that specialises in aluminium gravity die castings has jointly won the ‘Component of the Year’ prize at the recent UK Cast Metals Industry Awards.
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WIBN Kent raises over £2,000 for charity at 2024 Christmas event
On Thursday 5 December, the Women in Business Network (WIBN) Kent held its much-anticipated annual Christmas Lunch at the picturesque Chilston Park Hotel, raising an impressive £2,040, which will be equally distributed among six exceptional charities.
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FRP strengthens Brighton team with new restructuring partner
Specialist business advisory firm FRP has appointed Neville Side as a partner in its Brighton-based restructuring advisory team, strengthening its presence in the South East. With more than 20 years’ experience in business restructuring and formal insolvency, Neville joins from BDO, where he spent over two decades working across high-profile cases, including the administrations of […]
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Rising costs impacting the South East food and drink sector, survey finds
Businesses in the South East food and drink sector see rising costs and changing consumer spending patterns as the two biggest areas impacting them, according to the results of new research carried out by law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore.
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The Thompson family breathe new life into The White Horse in Boughton-under-Blean
Shepherd Neame’s 600-year-old country inn The White Horse, located in the village of Boughton-under-Blean, Kent, has officially reopened its doors under the new management of experienced licensees the Thompson family.
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Start Up Loans celebrates £50 million of loans to female entrepreneurs in the South East
Start Up Loans has provided female founders in the South East with £50 million in loans since the programme’s inception in 2012.
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Restoration begins at Victorian wine warehouse in Ramsgate
The Old Wine Warehouse in Charlotte Court, Ramsgate is being revitalised by not-for-profit Heritage Lab to create a landmark of enterprise, arts and entertainment in East Kent supporting local talent.
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South East second only to London on number of green jobs adverts in 2024
The South East continues to lead the way in terms of the number of green jobs advertised among the UK’s nations and regions outside of London, ranking fifth in the latest iteration of PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer.
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Pilbeam Construction completes essential upgrades at Rottingdean school
Youngsters at St Margaret’s CE Primary School in Rottingdean are enjoying two refurbished classrooms after South East building contractors Pilbeam Construction completed the essential project.
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South East employees are ditching the office Christmas party
New research from team building and corporate events company Team Tactics reveals that over a quarter (27%) of office workers in the South East are planning on ditching the office Christmas party this year.
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Lloyds Business Barometer: South East business confidence falls in November
Business confidence in the South East fell seven points during November to 27%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds.
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Phase two of LOC8 in Maidstone completed
Clearbell Property Partners III LP, a fund managed by Clearbell Capital, has announced the practical completion of phase two at LOC8, a multi-let industrial estate situated at Junction 8 of the M20 in Maidstone, Kent.
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End-of-year reflections
As 2024 draws to a close, I’ve taken a moment to reflect on a year that began with significant challenges but has ended on a note of progress, resilience and growth.
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