UK & Europe

Gas burner, euro sign, graph. Energy prices illustration

Rising energy prices worry SME owners — price-hikes coming

A SURVEY of 1,000 British SMEs indicates that rising fuel and energy costs are the greatest threats to survival in 2022. Half — 49 percent...
Couple at supermarket checkout. Loyalty fraud illustration

Loyalty fraud: it’s a thing

BUSINESSES are realising that a top-notch customer experience is the key to staying one step ahead — and fraud rings have begun to target...
Bankruptcy, insolvency graphic

Latest insolvency figures show a worsening situation for UK

By PATRICE CROSBOURNE DATA for July 2022, published on August 16, show 1,827 corporate insolvencies — 67 percent higher than in the same month the...
Polzyme mulch

Dirty rotten plastic? Biodegradable film cuts pollution and costs

A new Spanish firm hopes to end agricultural plastic waste with an environmentally friendly product. HAL WILLIAMS speaks to the founders… PLASTIC is pretty much...
Preply Employees, Barcelona

Ukrainian support from ed-tech series C

UKRAINIAN-founded Preply has raised $50m in its series C, amassing more than $100m in investments since its inception. From an education start-up, Preply has become...
Insolvency - letter cubes

Corporate insolvencies as pandemic restrictions fade

By PATRICE CROSBOURNE THE UK Government Insolvency Service has released statistics for corporate insolvencies in England and Wales for May 2022. An increase in corporate insolvencies...
Dan IT, Ukraine ed-tech

Ukrainian ed-tech firm defies war to expand in UK and EU

UKRAINIAN ed-tech firm DAN.IT is beginning a major expansion drive in the United Kingdom, backed by global tech companies and private investors. The metaverse-based education...
The Neutrocheck device

Cancer treatment gets boost from med-tech development

52 NORTH Health, a UK- and US-based med-tech start-up, has raised £1m in its first round of funding from British and European specialist investors. 52...
Big Issue vendor

Contactless payments boost for Big Issue sellers

THE BIG Issue Group (TBIG) has equipped 1,000 of its vendors with contactless technology. It is fast-tracking to its goal of enabling all 1,500 vendors...
Addison Lee cars

All going well, and green, for London’s Addison Lee

LONDON private hire, courier, and black taxi provider Addison Lee financial results show an adjusted EBITDA of £7.9m for 2021 — two years after...