Finance
Emotional intelligence the key to business success
Opening their 2024 Business Breakfast series with a full house on the theme of ‘Practical Strategies for Success’, leading regional accountancy firm Larking Gowen welcomed high-performance coach, bestselling author and CEO, Ben Coomber.
Guests at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, near Ipswich,...
COMMERCIAL Success is never accidental …
Lay strong foundations and growth will follow, say Robert Levett and Heather Tulloch, Associate Directors at Evelyn Partners.
As advisors to entrepreneurs and their businesses, we hold a unique position in the Cambridge market and East of England region. The...
East Anglia Agricultural Business Manager appointed
Virgin Money has appointed Suffolk-born Mark Schuurman as its new Agricultural Business Manager for the east of England, an area encompassing Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
In this newly created position, Mark joins Virgin Money’s growing team of specialist advisors supporting...
Cambridge & Counties Bank strengthens its sustainability credentials
Specialist lender Cambridge & Counties Bank has expanded its sustainability and ESG programme further through a new partnership with Sustainable X, a St Albans-based consultancy specialising in sustainable business practices.
The partnership will focus on evolving and refining the bank’s...
Start-up grant for medical device innovation
Springboard Pro has launched its 2024 Start-up Grant to help new medical device companies with the design and development of early-phase concepts.
The journey from concept to commercialisation can be daunting for start-up ventures, often impeded by financial constraints and...
How can digital accounting supercharge your business?
By Martin Bugg, Digital Partner, Larking Gowen
Have you migrated your accounts over to online accounting software yet? If not, what’s stopping you?
At Larking Gowen, we’re passionate about supporting our clients to make the transition to digital accounting, and make it...
Turnover of Suffolk’s top 100 privately owned firms up 15.8% to £6.7bn
The 22nd annual Suffolk Limited report, by Grant Thornton UK LLP, reveals how the county’s 100 leading privately-owned companies have thrived during a period of rising interest rates and broader inflationary pressures.
The Suffolk Limited report – produced in conjunction...
Funding deal helps shoemaker put best foot forward
A seven-figure funding deal from Reward Finance Group is helping Norwich-based Start-Rite Shoes polish up its range.
The funds facilitate the launch of a new ‘back to school’ product line, to catalyse business transformation and drive revenue growth.
The company, which...
FCA warns finance firms over AI fraud
Financial services firms in the region must be extra-vigilant against the threat of AI causing disruption in “ways and at a scale not seen before”, says the UK’s top financial regulator.
The Financial Conduct Authority warns they will take action...
Landlords and inflation: what you need to know if you’re selling up
With rising interest rates and inflation driving the costs of owning a rental property ever higher, many landlords have been downsizing their property portfolio or exiting the market altogether. What do landlords need to think about before selling a...
£7.3 billion in commercial property value at risk across region
A staggering £7.3 billion worth of commercial properties in East England are at risk of becoming unlettable, because of new energy legislation effective since 1st April 2023.
The legislation requires an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least E...
Credit union reopens successful Bond Offer to help combat economic crisis
Great Western Credit Union (GWCU) has announced the reopening of their recent successful Bond Offer, with a maximum target of £2m, to provide ethical, fair and affordable finance to thousands of people in the region over the next decade.
The...
Take on the Team Challenge at the Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon
The Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon is back for 2023, taking place on Sunday 17 September. Bookings are open for runners to sign up, but why not get a team of your colleagues, friends, or family together and enter...
Latest snapshot of our local economy
East of England is emerging as one of the country’s most successful export hubs and many firms in the region have high hopes for further international growth.
These are among the findings of the Norwich Economic Barometer by Norwich City...
Spring Budget 2023 summary
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced his Spring Budget as a “Budget for Growth” on Wednesday 15 March, setting out the Government's tax and spending plans, accompanied by a forecast from the OBR.
This Spring Budget 2023 was an opportunity for...
Research and Development Tax Credits
R&D Tax Credits have been part of the tax legislation for more than 20 years. They have gone through various changes over that period of time and that has never been more true than right now.
Research and Development Tax...
Twenty years of M&A success
Cambridge mergers and acquisitions advisor Prism is celebrating 20 years in business.
Shortly after it was set up in 2003, Peter Watson joined after selling his instrumentation business. He acquired the firm in 2006 via an MBO.
Peter was a qualified...
The impact of rising energy costs on the tourism and leisure industry
So far in 2022, energy prices have risen at unprecedented levels. Domestic households have had some respite from the rising energy costs due to the Ofgem price cap, which limits the timing and number of increases. However, the price...
Cambridge & Counties Bank expands sustainability drive with new collaboration
Specialist lender Cambridge & Counties Bank has expanded its environmental and sustainability programme through a new collaboration with Treedom, the world’s first digital platform that allows individuals and businesses to plant trees remotely and follow the story of the...
Is now the time to consider an Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) Scheme?
As inflation in the UK hits a 40-year high, business costs are soaring. Many employers are dealing with staff attraction and retention issues as employees are looking for employment tax solutions to offset the cost-of-living crisis where possible.
With businesses...
Partnership offers cashflow certainty to local manufacturers
Manufacturers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can take greater control of their cashflow through a new corporate partnership between the Smart Manufacturing Alliance (SMA) and payments specialist, Saltare.
The partnership will also open up connections with the Office for the Small...
East Anglia companies face exposure to unpaid tax and penalties over Plastic Packaging Tax registration
Nearly a third of affected East Anglia mid-sized businesses have yet to register for the newly-introduced Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT).
One in ten regional businesses have placed sustainability as an immediate priority for the next six months.
Nearly a...
Can your business claim Research and Development tax relief?
With the pandemic impacting on cash flows, this is a timely reminder to all businesses that a tax relief exists that could really help you in these challenging times. It rewards innovation and has the potential to provide a...
£500m Fund launched for businesses in Cambridge and Suffolk
HSBC UK has launched a £15bn lending fund for small and medium sized businesses, with £500m ring-fenced to support local economies across Cambridge and Suffolk.
Whilst concerns about the broader market remain, customer feedback to HSBC has focused on growth...
Create an effective credit control process for your business
Karen Buttrey, finance director at chartered accountants Price Bailey, outlines the steps businesses can take to create effective credit control procedures and mitigate the risk of negative cash flow as a result of outstanding invoice payments.
UK businesses are at...
New social investment fund to tackle inequality
A new fund could offer flexible and patient capital for early-stage social businesses to expand, ringfencing a minimum of 50% of funding for leaders from underrepresented backgrounds.
Big Issue Invest, UnLtd and Shift have come together to launch the Growth...
£20m investment pledge for deep-tech and life sciences
British Patient Capital has invested £20m in local deep-tech and life sciences businesses, through the Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) Fund.
CIC is a venture investor backing and building category-leading deep tech and life sciences companies. It manages over £1/2 billion...
On the ball: when is valuing a football team like valuing a business?
Aaron Hunter, Corporate Transactions Executive. Larking Gowen
As a Norwich City fan, I was recently appalled to see that despite our stunning run of form in mid-January (surely the most representative part of our season so far), the value of the squad...
BDO advises on MBO of specialist management contractor
BDO East Anglia corporate finance and tax teams advise on MBO of Aspen Build (East Anglia) Limited
Ipswich-based Aspen Build is a privately-owned management contractor, specialising in pre-construction services across the public and private sector to facilitate planning,...
Business rate win for clean energy tech
Solar PV, energy storage and other clean energy technologies will be exempt from business rates rises from April 2023, in plans unveiled in the last Budget.
The move is in response to pressure from the likes of the Federation of...