Kettering-based Grosvenor Leasing has won four prestigious awards in the space of seven months in recognition of its innovative car and van funding products, and support for businesses in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Last week (17 April 2024) Grosvenor Leasing picked up the ‘Leasing Innovation of the Year’ award at the Fleet World Great British Fleet Awards 2024 for its new EValuate service, which offers used EVs on flexible hire periods of one month to three years. Prior to that, the Midlands company was named ‘Leasing Company of the Year – up to 20,000 vehicles’ at the Fleet Ne ..read more

Yusen Logistics (UK) is partnering with the Kaleidoscope Group UK, which supports people with disabilities to gain employment via an incubator programme.  Yusen Logistics UK partnered with Kaleidoscope to make recruitment across its UK sites more accessible to people with all types of disabilities. Kaleidoscope is also supporting Yusen Logistics with accessibility assessments and improving disability awareness training.   Candidates on the first Kaleidoscope incubator programme for Yusen Logistics are provided with training that helps to maximise their chances of employment and ..read more

As part of the national 2024 Year of Warehousing campaign, announced by Minister Richard Holden MP at the House of Lords in October last year, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) Clare Bottle, has visited XPO Logistics in Milton Keynes, as part of a nationwide tour of 80 UK warehouses to showcase this important sector. 2024 The Year of Warehousing campaign marks the 80th anniversary of the UK Warehousing Association, and this visit recognised XPO Logistics‘ investment in upgrading facilities to support its customers and the importance of warehousing to the region’s economy. On the vis ..read more

Motorsport and F1 fans making a pit stop at Silverstone Museum will see some of the world’s most iconic IndyCars for the first time ever, as the venue’s new exhibition gets off the starting grid this May. Announcing its prestigious partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, Silverstone Museum is launching its unique exhibition, The Indy 500: A British Success Story, which opens from May 1st. In a world exclusive, racing fans will be able to see Nigel Mansell’s 1992 F1 World Championship winning Williams FW14B car on display alongside his 1993 IndyCar World Series Lola T93/00. The ..read more

As over 70 Milton Keynes businesses and community groups took on MK Food Bank’s latest challenge, once again it has been proven that MK really Can… Following the success in October 2023 of MK Can – our official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS TM title of The Longest Line of Food Cans – we were able to feed thousands of families and individuals throughout the winter. Due to high demand however, by March, most of the 102,447 cans from the line had already been distributed and we needed to restock our shelves. So, once again, we enlisted the help of the whole of Milton Keynes – businesses, schools, local ..read more

The first job of any business is to be economically sustainable, and making money is a key part of achieving this goal. Business financial metrics are an important way of measuring the success of a business and can be important key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring the success of a business over time. Here are some key business financial metrics for small businesses that you can use to help define your business objectives. Key business financial metrics to keep track of: Revenue – The amount of money generated by a business selling its products or services, without any deductions ..read more

A leading financial planning firm has been named as a finalist in two categories of the prestigious SME Northamptonshire Business Awards. O’Sullivan Financial Planning has been shortlisted for the Best Enterprising Business Award and the High Growth Business of the Year Award, in recognition of the company’s innovative approach to business, and the way they have contributed to employment growth in the last 12 months. O’Sullivan Financial Planning have had a momentous year. In June 2023, the company moved from remote working to a 610 square feet converted barn office in Lamport, Northamptonshir ..read more

A brand-new innovative coworking event being held at Northampton’s Vulcan Works aims to bring together solo entrepreneurs and freelancers and tackle isolation and loneliness at work. Cowork Club is about connecting self-employed micro-business owners once a month in a one-day event that combines networking and coworking. Organisers Penni and Jo Pickering want to create a community of freelancers who can use the event to meet new people, solve challenges and share ideas. Penni, who is a web developer, said: “Cowork Club is about the magic that happens when you bring freelancers and micro-busin ..read more

A one-hundred-year-old village hall built by Scotts of Thrapston is preparing to mark its centenary following the discovery of a historic archive. Drayton, just over the Northamptonshire border in Leicestershire, was one of Scotts’ earliest commissions after the business was founded by James Scott in 1920. Villagers from Drayton met in 1924 with the aim of raising funds to build a parish hall for use as a reading room, games room and as a space for dances, whist drives and concerts. Former village hall trustee Neil Killip discovered all the details in an archive in his loft as he was preparing ..read more

An arts academy for people with learning disabilities in Northamptonshire is holding its first showcase at Royal & Derngate. Performed by Cube Disability Arts Academy, the show on Saturday 20th April has a ‘Night at the Movies’ theme. It will feature special guests from the West End and be hosted by Liam McHugh, who also tutors the Academy on Fridays. The Cube Disability Arts Academy was established in 2017 by Northamptonshire’s largest independent care provider for adults with autism and learning disabilities, Cube Disability, to embrace everyone’s talents and abilitie ..read more