Year: 2025
Surrey’s Zone3 honoured with King’s Award for Enterprise
Surrey-based triathlon and open-water swimming brand Zone3 has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
Read More
Flude lets prime retail spot in Worthing
Flude Property Consultants has announced the successful letting of a prime retail unit at 49 Montague Street, Worthing to Evapo Limited, a leading national vaping retailer.
Read More
Booming Guildford faces top-quality office space shortage, says Vail Williams
Guildford is booming thanks to town centre regeneration schemes, but a shortage of top-quality office space could become critical, says a sector specialist at property consultancy Vail Williams.
Read More
Folkestone Harbour marks a decade of transformation
Folkestone Harbour is marking 10 years since the beginning of its regeneration, which has seen the former industrial site develop into a coastal leisure destination attracting visitors from across the UK.
Read More
Kewell Converters celebrates community and national recognition
Kent-based Kewell Converters, one of the UK’s longest-established independent foam converters, marked National Manufacturing Day 2025 with a dual celebration of national recognition and local impact.
Read More
Shepherd Neame launches coffee recycling scheme
Independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame has launched a new coffee grounds recycling scheme to reduce waste and offer customers a boost for their gardens.
Read More
South East business confidence rises in September
Business confidence in the South East rose six points during September to 49%, bucking the national trend and rising above the UK average, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds.
Read More
Kent Housing Group Excellence Awards 2025 winners announced
Teams and individuals working in the housing sector across the county have enjoyed success in the Kent Housing Group (KHG) Excellence Awards, which took place on 25 September.
Read More
Two in five small businesses fear closure amid rising energy costs
New research from Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, and Thinks Insight & Strategy has revealed that small businesses are being pushed to breaking point by rising energy costs.
Read More
Carpenter Box announces record 27 new trainee appointments
Sussex and Hampshire accountancy firm Carpenter Box has welcomed a record 27 new trainee accountants, tax and business advisers over the past 12 months, with 12 joining in September.
Read More
Diamonds Factory opens its doors in Brighton
SHW, on behalf of a private client, has secured a new five-year lease with Neve Jewels Limited trading as Diamonds Factory at 26b North Street in Brighton.
Read More
Ramsgate East Cliff shelter renovation draws strong public response
Ramsgate not-for-profit Heritage Lab Ramsgate is looking for Expressions of Interest from individuals, community organisations and private operators to take on three of the shelters it is renovating at Ramsgate’s East Cliff.
Read More
Six SME manufacturers unlock digital growth with Made Smarter
Six manufacturers across Surrey, Kent and Sussex are amongst the first to join Made Smarter, the government-backed initiative helping SMEs adopt new digital technologies to drive growth.
Read More
South East lags behind in AI adoption, reveals new survey
Kent-based performance marketing agency Reflect Digital has revealed that the South East has the lowest adoption of AI search tools, with two-thirds (66%) of residents rarely or never using them.
Read More
Midnight teams up with inclusion consultancy Edge of Difference
Brighton B Corp PR agency Midnight has joined forces with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy Edge of Difference to launch a new partnership built on “shared values and a passion for helping businesses do better”.
Read More
Chess Dynamics welcomes new managing director
Horsham-based fire control, surveillance and positioning systems specialist Chess Dynamics, part of the Cohort plc Group, has appointed Andy Smith as its new managing director.
Read More
Lord-Lieutenant tours Newhaven to see town’s growth and ambition
The Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex Andrew Blackman visited Newhaven for a special tour in September to learn more about the town’s role as a centre for growth in the county.
Read More
Locate in Kent begins process of voluntary liquidation
Locate in Kent, the agency that has spearheaded inward investment and job creation across the county for more than 25 years, has announced it will enter voluntary liquidation amid rising costs and dwindling national funding.
Read More
Waste-to-hydrogen facility gathers momentum in Kent
Hydrogen TE UK Ltd (HTE) has revealed ambitious new plans for a dedicated education and training hub alongside its proposed waste-to-hydrogen facility in Manston, Kent.
Read More
Get Ahead welcomes new regional director for East Surrey
Outsourcing agency Get Ahead has appointed a new regional director to its growing team, with Natasha Doran now leading the East Surrey region.
Read More
Latest developments in Renters’ Rights Bill: What landlords need to know
Andrew Gunner, regional lettings director at Brand Vaughan, recaps what Brighton and Hove-based landlords need to know after the government rejected most House of Lords amendments to the landmark housing legislation overhaul.
Read More
Team Tactics gears up for growth with client services appointment
Corporate events specialist Team Tactics has appointed Louise Bourne as client development executive to support its growing roster of high-profile clients.
Read More
Kent housebuilder constructs outdoor classrooms for The Hive Thanet
Kent housebuilder Barratt David Wilson Homes recently dedicated two weeks of volunteering to its ‘Charity of the Year’ The Hive Thanet, which included constructing two outdoor log cabin classrooms.
Read More
Fears new EU entry and exit rules could harm UK haulage industry
Tougher restrictions on entering and exiting Europe will be damaging to the UK haulage industry and stifle UK growth, fears Kent-based freight forwarder Zelir Logistics.
Read More
kff appoints new managing director
Aylesford-based foodservice wholesaler kff has announced that Neil Williams will become its new managing director.
Read More
Crossroads Care Kent wins at Kent Charity Awards
Crossroads Care Kent was announced the winner of the ‘Mental Health Charity of the Year’ category at the Kent Charity Awards, which took place on 11 September at the Corn Exchange in Rochester.
Read More
Countdown to the Kent Construction EXPO 2025 begins
South East Business is excited to return to the Kent Construction Expo, taking place on Thursday 2 October at the Kent Event Centre in Detling, as an official media partner.
Read More
Hospitality and leisure sector at risk of increased tribunal claims
The South East’s hospitality and leisure sector is facing a growing number of employment tribunal claims, according to the employment law team at Birketts’ Sevenoaks office. New research from Birketts has revealed that employers are anticipating increased claims due to the Employment Rights Bill, which introduces ‘day one’ rights to claim unfair dismissal. AI tools […]
Read More
Crowe advises Westbrooke on its strategic investment in RED Driving School
National audit, tax, advisory and consulting firm Crowe is proud to have advised Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management, a UK-focused private equity firm committed to long-term value creation, on its investment in RED Driving School, the country’s leading and fast-growing driver training provider.
Read More
International accreditation gives seal of approval to Kent manufacturer
Rochester-based AliDeck is celebrating being the first business in Britain to achieve accreditation for the in-house powder-coating of aluminium balcony components.
Read More
Pilbeam wins Sussex Heritage Trust award for Newhaven Fort restoration
Sussex contractor Pilbeam Construction has been honoured with a Sussex Heritage Trust Award for its work on the £7.5 million restoration of Newhaven Fort, funded by the UK government.
Read More
Historic Kent charity makes top appointments
A local chartered surveyor and a chartered engineer have been elected to key roles at the Rochester Bridge Trust in a tradition that stretches back more than six centuries.
Read More
Human First Collective acquires Freestyle Agency
Kent-based Human First Collective, the independent group of specialist agencies, has acquired UK digital transformation agency Freestyle.
Read More
Eight cardio startups kick off business growth programme at Discovery Park
Discovery Park has welcomed eight promising cardiovascular and cardiometabolic health startups to its Sandwich, Kent campus.
Read More
Brachers welcomes Nicky Webster as senior associate
Kent law firm Brachers has appointed Nicky Webster as a senior associate solicitor in its Commercial Litigation team, based in the Maidstone office.
Read More
Rochester grower stars in new M&S advert
Kent fruit grower John Myatt and his daughters Alex and Hannah of J Myatt and Co are set to star in Marks & Spencer’s latest ‘Farm to Foodhall’ campaign advert, on screens now.
Read More
Chartway to deliver 67 affordable homes in Sunbury-on-Thames
Chartway Partnerships Group has announced the purchase of a 4.23-acre site at Hazelwood Drive, Sunbury-on-Thames, in partnership with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH).
Read More
Furley Page celebrates 300th anniversary at ‘Furley Fest’
Hundreds of people made their way to Macknade in Faversham to help Kent-based law firm Furley Page celebrate its 300th anniversary at ‘Furley Fest’.
Read More
Historic Kent manor house and holiday park hits the market
Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to market Muswell Manor Holiday Park and Manor House on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
Read More
Salary sacrifice schemes are boosting electric vehicle uptake
Brighton-based vehicle leasing and management firm Rivervale is reporting an uptake in battery electric vehicle (BEV) leasing, driven in part by salary sacrifice schemes that offer tax benefits to businesses and employees.
Read More
Former quarry site in Maidstone offers residential development opportunity
A former quarry site on the edge of Maidstone, Kent, with opportunity for residential development, has come to the market through Savills.
Read More
Surrey aviation business secures UKEF backing
Surrey-based aircraft trading and refurbishment specialist 3TOP Aviation has secured multimillion-pound investment to meet growing international demand with support from UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency.
Read More
Assetz Capital completes planning assistance loan in Worthing
SME property finance lender Assetz Capital has successfully completed a planning assistance loan to support a long-standing borrower in the purchase of a former seafront guest house in Worthing, West Sussex.
Read More
Lemon and Lime launches Kent franchising opportunity
National home staging firm Lemon and Lime Interiors has announced the launch of its franchise network, allowing franchisees to operate their own home staging business under the Lemon and Lime umbrella in Kent.
Read More
Thomson Snell & Passmore welcomes banking and finance partner
Thomson Snell & Passmore’s Corporate & Commercial team has appointed banking and finance specialist lawyer Anthony Morton as a partner.
Read More
South East mid-market outperforms expectations but challenges persist
South East mid-sized businesses are reporting stronger-than-expected performance in 2025, fuelled by expansion into new markets and resilient customer demand, according to the latest Economic Engine research from accounting and business advisory firm BDO.
Read More
Select Technology partners with Produced in Kent
Managed service provider Select Technology has introduced a new industry partnership with Produced in Kent, champions of the county’s vibrant food and drink sector, to help businesses get ready for an AI future.
Read More
South East business confidence holds steady as hiring plans strengthen
Business confidence in the South East fell one point during August to 43%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly.
Read More
Kent packaging supplier cuts 170k metres of plastic tape from operations
Aylesford, Kent-based sustainable packaging firm Priory Direct has removed more than 170,000 metres of plastic tape and strapping from its own operations by switching to sustainable alternatives.
Read More
Planning granted for 104 new affordable homes in Lower Herne
Independent housebuilder Dandara has secured planning for 104 new affordable homes in Lower Herne, Kent, in partnership with Places for People.
Read More
Birketts plans for further South East growth
UK Top 50 law firm Birketts has further strengthened its South East team with the appointment of Nicola Gooch, a nationally recognised planning and environmental legal expert, as partner.
Read More
Kent networking group launches free resource for businesses
Kent-based networking group Synergy Networking Events has expanded its offering to create a training hub specifically designed for business owners and startup founders.
Read More
Two biotech startups join Discovery Park
Discovery Park, a hub for science and technology in Sandwich, Kent, has announced the arrival of two pioneering biotech companies to its innovation campus: iLoF (Intelligent Lab on Fiber and MilaK.
Read More
Electricity towers removed to make way for new Burgess Hill development
UK Power Networks has dismantled three electricity towers in Sussex to enable the continued delivery of a new community at Brookleigh, a flagship development being delivered to the north of Burgess Hill.
Read More
Hartford Care acquires five Kent homes from The Graham Care Group
Foundation Partners and Deer Capital have acquired five fully operational homes across Kent from The Graham Care Group in a move that takes their total investment to over £300m in the last 12 months under the Hartford Care brand.
Read More
Faversham Hop Festival returns with Shepherd Neame as principal sponsor
Shepherd Neame is proud to once again be the principal sponsor of the Faversham Hop Festival, which returns on Saturday 30 August and Sunday 31 August.
Read More
South East ranks second for overseas trade as Trump’s tariffs see US exports drop 13.5%
As British exports to the US fall by almost a sixth (13.5%), new research from money.co.uk has revealed the top exporting regions where businesses could be hit the hardest by Trump’s tariffs.
Read More
£18m water supply improvements almost complete in East Sussex
Two key projects being carried out in East Sussex by South East Water, which provide a much-needed upgrade to the county’s water supply network and allow more flexibility to move water around the area, are nearing completion.
Read More
Golden Age of property investment in South and East England ‘is over’
The longstanding obsession with property as a means of building wealth in the South and East of England is increasingly outdated as today’s house buyers are unlikely to match the gains enjoyed by past generations, UK wealth and asset manager Rathbones concludes in new research.
Read More
Redrow South East and RSPB extend partnership
Kent housebuilder Redrow South East and the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, have renewed their award-winning partnership for another five years, backed by a £1m investment from parent company Barratt Redrow.
Read More
Advo acquires Surrey-based Pay-Nex Limited
HR and payroll consultancy Advo One Limited has completed a deal to buy Surrey-based payroll bureau Pay-Nex Limited for an undisclosed sum.
Read More
Clearbell secures 10-year lease with ATAC Solutions at Maidstone’s LOC8
Clearbell Property Partners III LLP (Clearbell), a fund managed by private equity real estate fund management and advisory business Clearbell Capital LLP, has agreed a 10-year lease with ATAC Solutions for an additional 25,811 sq ft unit at the LOC8 logistics scheme in Maidstone.
Read More
Tech investment fuels resilience as South East businesses target growth
Almost nine in 10 (89%) private business owners in the South East are confident of delivering growth in 2025, according to KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer check-in.
Read More
Profit warnings issued by listed South East companies down
Listed companies in the South East of England issued 27 profit warnings in the first half of 2025, the region’s lowest total for this period since 2021, according to the latest EY-Parthenon Profit Warnings Report.
Read More
Wages fall in London and South of England
Wages have fallen in London and the South of England, according to the latest data from Employment Hero.
Read More
Brighton’s Victoria House hits 85% occupancy
Flude Property Consultants has announced that Victoria House, just a five-minute walk from Brighton Station, is proving popular, now 85% let with only a single floor out of a total of 7 floors remaining.
Read More
Kent sustainable clothing brand kicks off national growth company
Sustainable clothing brand DBT’s is poised for national growth thanks to a £40,000 funding package from HSBC UK.
Read More
Thomson Snell & Passmore strengthens Trust & Tax Management team
Kent law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore has grown its Trust & Tax Management division with the appointment of Lisa Bryson as a trust and tax manager.
Read More
Powered by people
Brighton-based fibre supplier Altnets is scaling fast, without ever losing sight of what matters most
Read More
Brachers advises on sale of BTL-UK Limited to Swedish industrial group
The Corporate team at Kent law firm Brachers has advised long-standing clients Ray and Amanda Mifsud on the successful sale of BTL-UK Limited to Dacke Industri Holding AB, a Swedish-based industrial group.
Read More
SHW releases Q3 2025 South East Development Focus report
Ongoing planning delays, plus a raft of additional information needed to obtain a planning consent, together with debt finance costs, have impacted prices being paid for sites across the South East, but there is still a development market, according to SHW’s Q3 2025 Development Focus.
Read More
SMEs paralysed by fear, warns Azets UK CEO
International accounting and advisory group Azets’ latest barometer reveals economic uncertainty, geopolitical uncertainty and lack of clarity around tax policy as the biggest barriers to investment for SMEs.
Read More
Permanent staff appointments continue to decline rapidly in July
Recruitment activity across the South of England continued to fall in July amid reports of weak business confidence and concerns over costs, according to the latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: South of England survey, compiled by S&P Global.
Read More
National Lottery grant helps Sussex Emmaus boost sustainability
Homelessness charity Sussex Emmaus has been awarded a grant from the National Lottery to install a new Ridan composter system in its community garden, helping advance its sustainability goals by turning everyday kitchen and garden waste into rich, homemade compost.
Read More
Mid-market private equity interest in the South East drops
Mid-market private equity investment in the South East fell in the first half of this year, according to KPMG UK’s mid-year private equity pulse.
Read More
Shepherd Neame sponsors Broadstairs Folk Week once again
Broadstairs Folk Week, the annual celebration of folk music on the Kent coast, returns from 8-15 August, with Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame proud to be among the sponsors for another year.
Read More
Bank of England cuts interest rates to 4%
The Bank of England has cut interest rates from 4.25% to 4%, marking its fifth reduction since last August and bringing borrowing costs to their lowest level in over two years.
Read More
Payroll fines hit millions of small businesses as errors persist
New research from employment platform Employment Hero has highlighted that payroll compliance is a considerable risk for small businesses, with 84% admitting to payroll errors and more than a third having faced fines costing them thousands of pounds.
Read More
The AI Guide explores how the UK is using AI at home and work
Adobe Express has launched The AI Guide to better understand how people across the UK are using AI in their everyday lives, both at home and at work.
Read More
Kreston Reeves names Richard Spofforth as new managing partner
South East-based accountants, business and wealth advisers firm Kreston Reeves has announced Richard Spofforth as the firm’s new managing partner.
Read More
Vail Williams markets Panattoni Park Burgess Hill
Property consultancy Vail Williams has been instructed to market Panattoni Park Burgess Hill, a major new-build business park offering industrial and logistics opportunities in West Sussex.
Read More
Flude announces double letting in Brighton’s North Laine
Flude Property Consultants has successfully let 76–78 and 79–80 North Road, Brighton, two of the city’s most prominent Class E retail premises, located in the heart of the vibrant North Laine.
Read More
Prime Light Group acquires Emergency Lighting Products (ELP)
Prime Light Group, a specialist lighting component solutions provider, has confirmed the acquisition of West Sussex-based Emergency Lighting Products (ELP), which specialises in emergency lighting solutions.
Read More
South East business confidence rises
Business confidence in the South East rose seven points during July to 44%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds.
Read More
Affinia continues expansion across the South East
Affinia has welcomed Opass Billings Wilson & Honey as the newest addition to its rapidly expanding, fully integrated accounting, tax and business advisory network, becoming the company’s third office in Kent and 11th nationwide.
Read More
EKC Group celebrates 10 years of growth
East Kent Colleges Group (EKC Group) is celebrating a decade of growth, highlighted in its latest impact report.
Read More
Southeastern launches summer recruitment drive in Tonbridge
Southeastern is hosting a recruitment open day on 12 August, highlighting a variety of roles available in Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge – from platform staff to ticket offices.
Read More
Brachers maintains ranking in Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2025
Brachers has once again been recognised in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2025, maintaining its Band 2 ranking for Private Wealth Law (Kent).
Read More
Gen Z and female founders are ‘driving entrepreneurial success’
New analysis of over 5,000 Forbes 30 Under 30 and Fortune 40 Under 40 recipients since 2012 has identified a significant shift amongst entrepreneurs, with an increase in younger, female and international founders.
Read More
The Burlington Hotel in Eastbourne sold to BH Group
On behalf of Coast & Country Hotels, specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has announced the sale of the Burlington Hotel in Eastbourne.
Read More
Kent’s biggest seaside sauna to launch at Folkestone Harbour
Folkestone Harbour has announced its latest plans to collaborate with Sea Scrub Sauna in the opening of Kent’s largest beachside sauna.
Read More
EV chargepoints in the South East grow by 32% in a year
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood has confirmed there are now 10,212 public chargepoints in the South East – a 32% boost compared to July 2024.
Read More
UK businesses react positively to Industrial Strategy
The UK government’s Industrial Strategy (IS), announced on 23 June, has been met with positivity from businesses, according to new Barclays Business Prosperity research.
Read More
Apogee sponsors Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Charity Mud Run
Apogee Corporation, a multi-brand provider of managed workplace services headquartered in Maidstone, will be the lead sponsor of the 2025 Mud Run, supporting the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
Read More
Local filmmaker unveils history behind prominent Stonewater site
UK housing provider Stonewater has partnered with local filmmaker Press Play Films to showcase the story behind one of its prominent developments in East Sussex, which sits on the site of the former Parken Pen factory.
Read More
Atelier completes £7m loan for 10 new homes in Royal Tunbridge Wells
Development finance lender Atelier has completed a £7m development loan, structured at 70% LTGDV, to fund the conversion of curtilage listed buildings into six dwellings, coupled with the construction of four new dwellings.
Read More
Over half of firms in the South East ‘committed to employee volunteering’
A new wave of workplace volunteering is quietly reshaping how businesses operating in the South East are approaching productivity and employee wellbeing, new research suggests.
Read More
Horsham’s former fire station sold to developer
Property consultancy Vail Williams has announced that a major town centre site with development potential in Horsham, West Sussex has been sold.
Read More
Expansion ahead for Kent specialist veterinary referrals service
Six months after opening, South East Veterinary Referrals in Kent is now planning for growth and recruiting a specialist team to complement its neurology expertise. From a custom-built veterinary hospital in Sevenoaks, South East Veterinary Referrals has already treated more than 140 neurology cases that have required MRI scans, and it has now invested in […]
Read More
FareShare Sussex & Surrey launches Summer Appeal to fight holiday hunger
With demand for food support surging during the school summer holidays, FareShare Sussex & Surrey has launched an urgent appeal calling on the public to help tackle holiday hunger across the region.
Read More