Reward Finance Group, which provides SMEs with tailored business finance loans and asset-based solutions of up to £5m, has secured an additional £50m to its credit line from the alternative investment manager, Foresight Group. The opportunity will enhance its lending capabilities, fostering further business growth. This increase reflects Reward’s swift expansion – the lender currently supports over 500 SMEs from six regional offices and has recently surpassed a £200m loan book milestone for the first time. Furthermore, several senior-level appointments have been made to enhance its regional UK presence. Nick Smith, group managing director for Reward Finance Group, said; “This…
Author: sme-admin
A commercial mortgage from Allica Bank has enabled Ashley Care Group to purchase the Church Farm care home in Hemsby, expanding its portfolio of care homes across Norfolk to five. Ashley Care Group is a family-owned business that specialises in 24-hour, round-the-clock residential and dementia care, with a portfolio of sites across the county, including the Old Vicarage in Ludham and Ailwyn Hall in Honingham. The purchase of the 37-room Church Farm care home in the seaside village of Hemsby, secured with Allica’s support, is part of the group’s expansion drive, with plans for future growth in the region. Owner…
TOP 14 allergen free brand Creative Nature has launched a festive fund-raiser for the The Natasha Foundation, which aims to prevent and eradicate allergic disease, creating a world that is safe for everyone. The company, which has its HQ in Surrey, will donate 15p from each Brownie and Banana Bread baking mix sold in a Sainsbury’s store in the run up to Christmas (until December 11). The Natasha Foundation was set up by Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse as a legacy to their teenage daughter Natasha, who died in 2016 as the result of a severe anaphylactic reaction to a sandwich she…
Employee retention is the greatest priority for HR leaders over the next 12 months, with employee wellbeing and recruitment ranking in second and third place respectively. These are some of the key findings from WorkBuzz’s State of Employee Engagement Report 2023/24 which is based on insights from over 400 U.K. HR professionals. 36 per cent of HR professionals state that retention is their biggest priority for the foreseeable future, moving-up the list from third place in last year’s report. According to Steven Frost, CEO of employee engagement specialist, WorkBuzz, “Organisations are prioritising retaining their best talent, with a greater emphasis on supporting…
Former Dragons Den star and co-founder of Implement AI, Piers Linney, has warned founders not to “stick their head in the sand” in relation to three key metrics that are central to success. Speaking on the first episode of the Founder Metrics podcast launched by equity management platform Vestd, Linney outlined the important measures that founders can’t afford to ignore. He said: “The key in most businesses is having KPIs and metrics so you know when you need to pull a lever. That could be the market slowing down, it could be interest rates, the cost of energy, or the ability to access…
Our feature writer Fiona Scott is attended the SuiteWorld 2023 conference in Las Vegas and is learning all about NetSuite, Oracle and meeting entrepreneurs from across the world. This is the third of a series of articles from that conference. “While in Las Vegas I was lucky enough to get a one-to-one interview with Kate Daniels, who is Director, Associations & Buying Groups at NetSuite and an expert in ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance). “I wanted Kate to talk to me about how the business landscape is changing when it comes to ESG and how important it really is for…
In a new study, Bionic wanted to find out what small businesses can do to build lasting customer connections, after finding out which british brands have the greatest level of brand loyalty. 61% of retail companies see customer retention as their biggest challenge, according to Invesp. But as online searches for “how to improve customer loyalty” are up 27% YoY, business owners recognise the growing importance of fostering strong customer relationships in today’s competitive marketplace. British brand loyalty, ranked Ranking Brand Index Score 1 John Lewis 69% 2 Waitrose 64% 3 Brewdog 59% 4 Tesco 56% 5 Argos 56% John…
Employers can attract younger recruits by installing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging at their workplaces, says the EV charging equipment company CTEK. A YouGov survey for CTEK discovered that workplace charging is the most often used charging option for EV owners/drivers aged from 18 to 24 in the UK (40%). They are also the second most likely age group of non-EV owning workers to be positively influenced to switch to an EV by charging options at the workplace – 61%, second only to 25-34 year olds (63%) Cecilia Routledge, CTEK’s Global Director Energy and Facilities, said: “Workers aged 18 to 34…
The UK is known for its vibrant entrepreneurial culture and robust economy, and women have played a massive role in this. There has been a remarkable rise in women entrepreneurs over the past few decades, and women-led businesses are an essential part of the UK economy. Women-led businesses account for a substantial proportion of businesses and contribute significantly to job creation and economic development, however it found that only 16.2% of women-led companies receive no external investment, higher than any other category. The money.co.uk business loans team has taken a deep dive into the state of women’s entrepreneurship in the…
What prevents senior leaders from posting on LinkedIn? Lorraine Emmett, Managing Director of B2B PR agency EC-PR provides some insight. I’d wager it’s one of three things; a lack of time, feeling self-conscious and worrying people will think they’re looking for a new job. And yet, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for senior leaders to foster trust and engagement with peers, prospects, and customers. It has moved far beyond its first iteration in the early noughties when it was simply a tool for recruitment. But building an executive profile, or personal brand, is not something to be taken lightly. It…