Warehouse robot startup BotsAndUs raises £11m
Autonomous warehouse robot maker BotsAndUs has secured $13m (£10.6m) in a seed round led by Swiss venture capital firm Lakestar. London-based BotsAndUs will use the capital to develop its robots that are used to measure, track and locate stock in a
Is working overtime the norm as UK workers agree it is
A staggering 87 per cent of workers are working longer hours than they are contracted to, with most agreeing they have found themselves doing more when working from home according to recent research. The study found that workers in Oxford, Sheffield
Rolls Royce to give staff £2,000 living cost bonus
More than 14,000 staff at Rolls Royce will be given a £2,000 one-off payment to help with the rising cost of living in the UK. The payment will be for junior management and shop floor staff, mainly based at its Derby
Relationships among SME owners last 5 times longer than national average
A new study has revealed that couples who make pay together, stay together, with research revealing that relationships among those who either currently run, or have run, a small company with their partner last 5 times longer than the national average. This
Civil service cuts will leave Whitehall unable to cope with Brexit workload
Boris Johnson’s plans to slash the number of civil servants by 91,000 – around 20% – within three years, will leave Whitehall unable to handle the huge extra workload caused by Brexit, independent experts and unions have warned the government. They
Sunak races to finalise cost of living response after energy bills warning
Rishi Sunak is scrambling to finalise a package of measures that could be announced as soon as Thursday aimed at alleviating the cost of living crisis, after the energy regulator said annual bills were likely to shoot up by more
Employees who claimed home office tax relief during the pandemic could end up paying more tax this year
Employees who have been claiming “Home Office Relief” during the Covid 19 Lockdown should be urgently reviewing their tax codes to clarify whether HMRC have included the relief within their notice of coding. Robert Salter, a client tax director with leading
Be prepared for the Metaverse
In the beginning there was Web 1.0 (web browsers with pictures, colours, audio and eventually video), and then Web 2.0 or the social element of the web (social networks, for instance), and now Web 3.0 is emerging as a new
Britain’s outstanding SME’s celebrated at inaugural Business Champion Awards
Britain’s outstanding nationwide SME’s recognised in glittering award’s ceremony. The inaugural British Champion Awards, developed as a life-long dream from Group Managing Director of Capital Business Media, Richard Alvin, speaking after the event, he was thrilled with the results: ‘At Business Matters
UK grants 760 visas to fleeing Ukrainians with 22,000 applications ‘on their way through’
Some 760 visas have been granted for Ukrainians to come to the UK, Cabinet minister Grant Shapps said this morning. The Transport Secretary defended the UK’s record on providing an escape route for Ukrainians and insisted that the country’s president Volodymyr
ITV to take on Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ with new streaming service
ITV is to launch a new streaming service combining ad-funded and subscription TV shows and films as it aims to become a “national champion” in the battle for British viewers with US streaming giants including Netflix, Amazon and Disney+. ITV, which
Secrets of Success: Zaffrin O’Sullivan, Five Dot Botanics
As the world becomes more conscious and aware, Zaffrin O’Sullivan fills a niche … Five Dot Botanics formulate and manufacture natural plant-based vegan-certified skincare with an emphasis on minimal ingredients, five to be precise. Business Matters goes behind the scenes to
Openreach creates 4,000 jobs for broadband rollout
Openreach is to create 4,000 jobs this year as part of its plans to expand its full-fibre broadband across the UK. The company said the new roles, which include 3,000 apprenticeships, would help its bid to reach 25 million homes and
Watchdog opens investigation into Sir Captain Tom’s charity accounts
The UK charity watchdog is set to launch an investigation into the accounts of the charity set up to honour lockdown legend Sir Captain Tom Moore. Sir Tom became a household name in 2020 after he walked 100 laps in his
Calls for further delay to planned defunding of BTECs
Responding to Education Select Committee’s consultation on the future of post-16 qualifications, the Institute of Directors has called for a further delay to the planned defunding of BTECs to allow for more time to generate employer capacity to provide T