Small businesses in the South West are most hampered by poor broadband, Mastercard says as it ramps up digital help for fledgling firms South West scored worst for broadband performance levels, report says Use of technology and fast broadband vital for small companies Tech use among small businesses for HR is generally poor By Jane … Read more
The founder of the fastest-ever ‘unicorn’ in Europe dreams of fleets of cycle couriers rapidly delivering groceries in every British city. A year ago, Turkish-born tech entrepreneur Kağan Sümer barely had a few euros to his name and was trying to get his fledgling firm, Gorillas, off the ground in Berlin. Since then, the expansion … Read more
UK businesses which make regular overseas payments are losing out on hundreds of pounds per transaction thanks to inferior foreign exchange rates charged by Britain’s biggest banks. The likes of Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC, which calls itself ‘the world’s local bank’, levy currency conversion mark-ups which effectively act as stealth charges on overseas payments and … Read more
While investing in cryptocurrency has undoubtedly become more mainstream, it hasn’t been possible to use it to pay for everyday goods and services in the same way you would a debit card. Silicon Valley-based crypto platform Uphold is trying to change that. The firm says it is revolutionising the way in which consumers shop, through the introduction … Read more
The British technology industry had a solid 2020, despite the pandemic and fears over Brexit, an annual study shows. Tech start-ups and scale-ups in the UK have more than doubled their collective value since 2017, according to Tech Nation. Collectively, they are valued at $585billion (£422.55billion) which is more than double the next most valuable … Read more
When the nation was free to see their friends and family again, albeit briefly, last summer, one of the key rules for keeping the coronavirus at bay was to practise social distancing. This meant seeing smaller groups or ‘bubbles’ only while indoors, so many took to reuniting with loved ones in the great outdoors – … Read more
Long days at home in lockdown might prompt you to think about clearing out your home and getting rid of things you no longer need. While we might once have headed to the dump with our bags of unwanted belongings or order in a skip, more people are now choosing to give their old things … Read more
Buying food from a supermarket, either in-store or online, often results in households dealing with a huge mountain of waste – including packaging that cannot be recycled. Now, an online sustainable grocer – Good Club – is hoping to help our fight with plastic and cardboard packaging through the launch of its zero-waste delivery service. … Read more
A record number of buy-to-let landlords set up holding companies for their properties last year, in a bid to swerve higher taxes. There were 41,700 new companies were formed in 2020 – an increase of 23 per cent on 2019, according to estate agent Hampton International. Buy-to-let incorporations were the second most common type of … Read more
At least 250,000 small businesses could shut up shop for good this year, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. Confidence is at an all-time low and a record number of businesses revealed plans to close their firms in the coming 12 months, its latest Small Business Index shows. Meanwhile, one in five SMEs reduced … Read more
The hospitality sector has shared its outrage over being unfairly scapegoated when Covid-19 infections rose last year and has called for its own designated minister. Next Monday will see parliament discuss the Seat at the Table’s campaign’s petition, after it received almost double the required signatures it needed to get it there. The campaign has … Read more
Personal trainer Gavin Townsend took a gamble as Britain headed into lockdown that making and designing his own range of gym equipment would pay his bills – and get him out of the £40,000 debt that he had accumulated. The gamble paid off for the 34-year-old and his business, Gymbeing, is now set to deliver … Read more
Start-ups should look to the North East, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Yorkshire as the next tech hotspots Regions are ‘levelling up’ their contribution to the tech industry, reports say They have hubs of activity in areas such as fintech, cyber security and AI Companies based in these locations include Sage, Atom Bank and KCOM By … Read more