If you were asked to guess which town is the fastest growing in England right now, it’s almost certain that very few people would select the Northamptonshire town of Corby. Nevertheless, Corby is now considered to be the fastest-growing town outside of London, with the Office for National Statistics suggesting the town’s population will hit over 76,000 by 2024. As...

The county town of Bedfordshire, Bedford sits either side of the River Great Ouse. Its history as a market town dates way back to the Middle Ages, when its agricultural industry came to the fore. In later centuries, Bedford was renowned for its lace and brewing industries and more latterly its engineering hub. Today, Bedford remains an important strategic location...

The workplace as we know it is changing before our very eyes. When it comes to teamwork, innovative businesses are driven to design office and studio environments that foster not just collaboration, but hyper-collaboration. This concept has rapidly evolved due to the changing face of creative working and how best to develop and deliver innovative solutions to consumer problems. Hyper-collaboration...

When it comes to running a fully functioning trade counter, the number-one priority is to get your customers exactly what they are looking for as quickly as possible. A good wholesaler or distributor is someone that can make their shop front look like an organised, tranquil environment, while the behind-the-scenes work of replenishing and organising stock goes on behind closed...

For businesses based in the Warwick area, it’s quite possible that you will regularly entertain clients and prospects in the town. Warwick’s central, easily accessible location makes it easy for clients to fly in via the nearby Birmingham International Airport, drive via the nearby M40 or catch the train along the Chiltern Main Line. The Wedgnock Industrial Estate is less...

52 of the UK’s biggest retail chains have joined forces to demand that the UK government reviews its planned overhaul of business rates. The joint letter, which was sent to the government via the British Retail Consortium (BRC), claims that the upcoming reforms to business rates don’t go far enough to assist ailing retailers on the UK’s high streets. The...

The UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) registered zero growth in the final quarter of 2019, with leading business groups leading calls for the upcoming Budget 2020 to provide a new wave of optimism for the nation’s small business community. New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed that UK GDP flatlined between October and December last year...

During 2018/19 in England and Wales alone there were 606,282 crimes committed against businesses. That’s just over one criminal offence every minute. That’s according to figures from the National Business Crime Centre, which works at close quarters with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and regional police forces to undertake preventative measures against crime. With criminals becoming increasingly devious in their...

There’s no doubt about it, the right retail space can make or break a business. That’s why it’s vitally important to take your time, do your research and not dive in at the deep end. The right retail unit can become integral to your overall brand. Fortunately, with some strategic planning, it’s possible to choose the right space to set...

Are you in the process of planning your first commercial premises as a fledgling start-up business? As a new entrepreneur, it can sometimes feel as if you’re putting your finger in the air and hoping that you are making the right decisions based on gut feel and instinct rather than cool calculations.   When it comes to selecting a suitable...