Short-term loan provider Wonga is set to launch a business loan service, which wlll reportedly make funds available within 15 minutes of an application. The firm, which has been heavily criticised for lending to individuals at an APR of 4,214 per cent, claims business loans will be on offer at rates starting at 17 per [...]
Archive for Small Business News
Little change in high street sales
High street sales were slightly down in the year to April, but in line with expectations for the time of year, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey, covering the first two weeks in April, shows that 33 per cent of retailers see an increase in sales [...]
Job vacancies rise
The number of new job opportunities in April has increased year-on-year, according to a new survey. The Reed Job Index of new vacancies shows a 7 per cent rise compared to April 2011, although the Easter holidays prompted a 6 percent fall against the previous month. The Reed Job Index now stands at 134. Martin [...]
Promising export news for SMEs
UK businesses have seen increases in exporting activity over the first quarter of the year, with many businesses expecting the trend to continue in Q2 2012. The DHL/British Chambers of Commerce Trade Confidence index, which draws upon more than 1,000 exporters, shows an 8 percent increase on the same quarter last year. The survey series [...]
Consumers plump for e-commerce
Almost a quarter of shoppers say they do more than half of all their shopping online. According to a survey by e-commerce comparison site BagThat.com, UK shoppers do 32 per cent of all their shopping online. However, when asked how much they believe they will do in future, the amount increases to 45 per cent [...]
SMEs struggle with public sector tenders
Small businesses are still struggling to win public sector contracts despite the government’s efforts to make it easier, research finds. The latest figures from a survey of 2,700 companies by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveal that 40 per cent of small operators believe the tendering process for public sector contracts is too complex, [...]
SMEs struggle with public sector tenders
Small businesses are still struggling to win public sector contracts despite the government’s efforts to make it easier, research finds. The latest figures from a survey of 2,700 companies by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveal that 40 per cent of small operators believe the tendering process for public sector contracts is too complex, [...]
TUC: Redundancy policies need shake-up
The UK needs an alternative to redundancy, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Some 632,000 employees were made redundant in the past 12 months, an increase of 7.5 per cent on the previous year, according to TUC figures. The trade union body fears that many of those being made redundant are not finding their [...]
SMEs fear postal rate change
Four in five UK small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) believe that today’s postal rate change will have a negative impact on their company. Of the 1,000 companies surveyed by Pitney Bowes, 7 per cent say that they fear their business may not survive the threat. With first class stamps rocketing by 30 per cent, almost [...]
SME credit management falls short
Few companies use formal procedures to tackle the problem of late payment, a survey finds. According to a study of 500 businesses by credit referencing agency Graydon UK, 51 per cent of companies cite that the late payment of trade invoices is a problem, with 16 per cent saying they have almost been put out [...]