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News
Number of UK businesses continues to grow
gov.uk: Official figures show that the number of private sector businesses has hit a new record of 5.4 million.
- There are over 900,000 more businesses now than in 2010;
- 35,000 more businesses are employing people than last year;
- small firms contribute 48% of private sector employment and add £1.2 trillion in turnover to the economy.
Tech City UK unveils updates to Tier 1 visa scheme
TechCityNews: The government is making it easier for the UK’s tech industry to hire talent from outside the European Union by adding four new qualifying criteria to the Tier 1 ‘exceptional talent’ visa. Read more.
Brighton is the best place in Britain to start a small business
elitebusiness: Cross referencing data from seven key criteria such as density of SMEs, digital connectivity and the number of business closures, the Association of Accounting Technicians ranked 64 cities on how well suited they are to start a business. Read more. View the top 20.
Children from entrepreneurial families would rather start their own business
Startups.co.uk: Children from families that own a business would rather start their own than take over from their parents, according to research by HSG’s Center for Family Business and EY. Read more.
CBI urges firms to be upfront with public on their tax affairs as survey shows consumers avoid businesses which don’t
Mail Online: The head of the CBI has called on UK firms to show the public that not only are their tax affairs legal, but also that they are ‘responsible taxpayers’. Read more.
Deloitte invests £5m in social enterprise
Economia: Big four accountancy firm Deloitte has revealed that, since 2012, it has invested £5m in social enterprise businesses to help boost job opportunities in the sector. Read more.
Opinion
Domino’s Pizza is far more valuable a digital company than any so-called tech ‘unicorn’
The pizza delivery firm has embraced technology – to the benefit of shareholders, writes James Quinn (group business editor, Telegraph). Read more.
Finding a co-founder is not like dating
Many will tell you that finding a business partner is like finding a romantic partner. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, writes Alice Bentinck (co-founder, Entrepreneur First). Read more.
Supermarkets must brace themselves for new tech competitors
There are plenty of advantages established UK supermarkets have over AmazonFresh, writes Olivia Townsend (contributor, CapX). Read more.
The culture of apprenticeships needs to be addressed
Charlie Mullins (founder, Pimlico Plumbers): I hate to say it, but I told you so. No, I take great pride in saying it – working towards an apprenticeship is better than studying for a mediocre degree. Read more.
We need a political party to champion microbusiness
Jason Kitcat (microbusiness ambassador, Crunch Accounting) writes in Business Zone to launch Crunch’s campaign to improve government recognition of the UK’s microbusiness community. Read more.
Seaside Entrepreneurs
On Monday, the Centre is hosting an evening event on the topic of its latest report, ‘From ebb to flow: How entrepreneurs can turn the tide for Britain’s seaside towns’.
Join us to meet the entrepreneurs profiled in the report and discuss the recommendations. Register now.
Related: Seaside towns: the outsiders at the end of the line (Robert Kelsey, deputy chairman, Centre for Entrepreneurs)