New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) suggests half (52%) of small firms have been stung by unfair contract terms with suppliers, costing nearly £4 billion in the last three years. Suppliers are failing to make auto-rollover clauses clear up front (24%), tying businesses into lengthy notice periods (22%), charging high early termination…
At least one fifth of UK corporate insolvencies in the past year were caused by late payment or the insolvency of another company, according to new research by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3. A survey of the insolvency profession reveals that late payment for goods or services was a primary or major cause of…
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has reported a significant drop in demand for rural land in H1 2016, and with supply continuing to increase, expectations have been pushed further into negative territory. According to RICS research, 49% of contributors now expect prices to fall across all farm types over the coming year. Anecdotal…
Paying tax should become less burdensome for British businesses under plans for a new tax system set out by HMRC. Six consultation documents which seek views on its Making Tax Digital programme have been unveiled setting out the benefits as follows: •cash-basis accounting so that thousands more will be able to pay tax based simply…
Growth and investment are at risk because manufacturers remain disengaged from the banking sector with the legacy of the financial crisis still playing a significant role in their attitudes towards external finance. According to new research from EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, over eight in ten manufacturers are confident of securing finance for a new business…
The amount of finance advanced to the UK’s smallest businesses through invoice finance jumped by over 60% in the last year to £711 million, according to the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA), the body representing the invoice finance and asset based lending industry in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The amount of finance…
CMM managing director, Graham Allen, recently featured in the “member spotlight” section of The Ingenuity Network’s newsletter. Nottingham University’s Ingenuity programme launched 10 years ago and has since grown into a thriving community of over 1,800 individuals, all of whom benefit from networking opportunities and wide ranging input aimed at supporting SMEs. Summing up his…
The UK service sector registered a fall in business activity in July, according to the latest PMI survey data from IHS Markit and CIPS. Output and new business both declined for the first time in over three-and-a-half years and at the fastest rates since early-2009. Consequently, employment in the sector was unchanged since June, ending…