Business

Exeter-based accountancy firm Simpkins Edwards has received the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award for its support of the defence community, in particular the firm’s Partner Jean-Paul Quertier, currently second in command with 6th Battalion the Rifles.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme was launched last year by the Prime Minister at a reception at No.10 and operated by the MoD through its Regional SaBRE Campaign Directors in the autonomous Reserve Forces’ & Cadets’ Associations. SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers) is a Ministry of Defence...

International materials handling company STILL UK has signed a deal for a new £5m facility at Hill Barton Business Park in Exeter.

Planning consent was granted in May for the new 5,100 sq m building that will become the UK HQ for the company. Contracts were exchanged last week.

Nick Smith, managing director of STILL UK, said: “STILL is delighted to have now legally committed to this exciting project.

“Working with Stuart Properties and JLL, we have designed our new facility, which will be our UK headquarters. This is great news for the business and particularly our...

Overall business confidence has risen in the South West in the last six months, underpinned by companies’ expectations of an improvement in exports as well as an anticipated increase in investment levels, according to the latest Business in Britain report from Lloyds Bank. The twice-yearly report, now in its 23rd year, gathers the views of 1,500 UK companies, predominantly small to medium sized businesses, and tracks overall business confidence, which is based on the balance of firms expecting an increase in sales, orders and profits over the next six months. Since the last report in...

swcomms is warning businesses to be wary of Broadband Connection Voucher suppliers who are using them in a fraudulent or non-compliant basis.

The Broadband Connection Voucher scheme offers up to £3,000 to help SMEs, sole traders, registered charities and social enterprises take advantage of improved Internet connectivity options of 20Mbps download speeds or more.

As an approved Broadband Connection Voucher supplier, swcomms receives regular bulletins from BDUK, the body behind the Government-funded scheme.

The latest editions have revealed growing concerns about...