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The South West economy continued to expand at a marked pace in March, with growth of output, new orders and employment all rising.
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Smoke-free regulations affect workplace |
| SJC Recruitment and Training has advised businesses to prepare for the smoke-free legislation which will affect virtually all workplaces in England from 1st July 2007. Sara Child, managing director of SJC, said: "There will be fines for.. |
| SJC help fight unfair bank charges |
| A South West recruitment consultancy is helping to fight back against unfair bank charges by recruiting staff for a company that challenges financial institutions who are acting inappropriately. |
| Energy measure likely to be delayed |
| As things currently stand from June 1, marketed homes will need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) prepared by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).
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| David Lloyd Leisure, which will open its latest sports, health and leisure club in Swindon later this year, has had over 500 enquiries from would-be members before it has even launched its advertising campaign. |
| ACT launch "meal tickets" in US |
Wiltshire business Applied Card Technolgies (ACT) has had a breakthrough in the United States with VISITicket launching the “MealTicket” card, which makes use of ACT’s multi-function Discovery city card. |
Budget helps SW businesses to be eco-friendly |
Increased incentives for businesses to be more environmentally friendly, as announced in the 2007 Budget, will reportedly help the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) play a greater role in tackling climate change. |
Regent Circus acquisition by The New Swindon Company |
The New Swindon Company (TNSC), in partnership with the South West of England Regional Development Agency (South West RDA), has purchased 10-15 Regent Circus through Swindon Borough Council in a deal costing more than £1.8m. |
Seven out of 10 people in Swindon shop for bargains |
Concerns about personal debt and interest rate rises are changing the way we shop according to a new study of over 2,000 consumers’ shopping habits in the region. More than 70 per cent of consumers in the South West would now describe themselves as “bargain shoppers”, according to research by Swindon Designer Outlet, who expect everything they buy to have some form of discount, whether through a loyalty scheme or seasonal sale. |
New service centre for MINI Swindon |
| MINI Swindon has recently opened a dedicated aftersales department, located at the company’s showroom on Ashworth Road. The service centre offers collection and deliveries, loan cars, appointments while you wait and lifts to town.The new centre will also offer spare parts, kits as well other MINI merchandise |
| Mothercare takeover bid |
| Mothercare has been in talks with Swindon-based Early Learning Centre about a possible takeover bid, the company has confirmed, and the bid is reportedly worth around £85m. Mothercare is the UK’s leading retailer in the baby/parenting sector. Since opening in the early 1970s, Early Learning Centrex has grown to become the UK’s largest toy retailer with over 215 stores domestically |
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| Swindon’s former Inland Revenue building in Prospect Place is to be modernised and re-let as smaller office units following its purchase by Blandfield Properties, a Cirencester-based property development company owned by Adam Fletcher. |
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| The University of Bath has decided to withdraw from the proposed Gateway development project in Swindon.The University’s governing body, Council, met to consider a recommendation from the University’s Senate to withdraw from the project. |
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The recent news that 1,600 Airbus jobs will be lost from Filton and Broughton as part of the 10,000 the company is shedding across Europe is disappointing.However, the UK will remain a centre of excellence for wing and this is good news for the longer term future of South West England's aerospace sector. |
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| Alder King has been recognised for the sixth consecutive year as the most active agent in the South West in the annual EGi deals competition.EGi, part of the Estates Gazette group, the leading magazine for the property industry, based the award on the number of commercial property deals completed by agents across the region during the past 12 months. |
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| Five promising new companies are joining the University of Bath in Swindon’s Innovation Centre to take advantage of the facilities and support it offers to science and technology-based companies. |
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| Members of the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) in Swindon are currently busy making preparations for a change in the law on 6 April 2007 which will radically alter the way that deposits for rented accommodation are managed. |
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| Leading car supermarket group, The Car Shop Megastore, is expanding to open the UK’s largest indoor car showroom as part of the group's plan to double its existing network of sites in Cardiff, Manchester and Northampton by the end of 2008. |
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| Five promising new companies are joining the University of Bath in Swindon’s Innovation Centre to take advantage of the facilities and support it offers to science and technology-based companies. |
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| A Devizes-based grounds maintenance company which was established during the Second World War to look after runways at local airfields on behalf of the Royal Air Force, has been sold to a large global player. |
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| The IT Skills Report, commissioned by BT Business, shows that only one per cent of SMEs in the South West host pure online operations and derive all their sales through the internet and this is despite 92 per cent of businesses in the area using their IT technology and communications systems every day. |
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