A round-up of business headlines from around the county...
Royal cabinet maker in £750,000 investment
A Warwickshire cabinet maker for Queen Elizabeth II has invested £750,000 in its business to help it expand.
NEJ Stevenson, based in Church Lawford, designs and makes custom furniture as well as creating bespoke interiors for residential properties.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/royal-cabinet-maker-in-750000-investment
Warwickshire brewery launches first-ever collaboration brew
A West Midlands brewer which secured a multimillion-pound investment from the BGF earlier this year has launched its first-ever collaboration beer.
Warwickshire-based Purity Brewing Company has unveiled its Pure Helles Lager which has been made in partnership with Germany’s Bayreuther Brauhaus, part of the Maisel’s family.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/brewer-launches-first-ever-collaboration-beer
Shanghai design studio for Aston Martin
Luxury sports car brand Aston Martin has opened a new design studio in Shanghai.
The manufacturer's first design studio to be located outside of the UK, the Aston Martin Lagonda Creative Lab, NICE 2035, is a partnership with Tongji University in Shanghai.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/shanghai-design-studio-for-aston-martin
Business win for award-winning video firm
A Midlands company that has been part of Oscar and BAFTA winning teams for its drone camera work has produced footage of key business locations in Coventry and Warwickshire.
https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2018/10/16/business-win-for-award-winning-video-firm
Revenue Passes £700m at Holland & Barrett
The Nuneaton-headquartered retailer has posted a revenue of £702.4m for the year to 30 September 2018 in accounts for Holland & Barrett International, up from £655.9m from the prior 12 months.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/revenue-passes-700m-at-holland-barrett
Investment to drive new era for bakery specialist
A specialist bakery which started as a corner shop in Warwick in the 1960s and now sells more than six million products a year has been acquired.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/specialist-bakery-giant-acquired-by-larger-group
£6m allocated to economy-boosting projects
Four projects in Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon have been awarded more than £6m of funding to further encourage culture, tourism and economic growth.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/6m-allocated-to-economy-boosting-projects
South Warwickshire tourism boost brings in £45m
Shakespeare’s England attracted more than 10 million tourists trips last year, bringing £45m a month to the local economy.
Shakespeare’s England, the destination management organisation for South Warwickshire, has published a 4% rise in the overall value of these increased trips which are worth more than £500m annually.
http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/2023057-south-warwickshire-tourism-boost-brings-in-45m
Car parts giant’s UK arm returns to profit
The Warwick-headquartered UK arm of an international car parts giant that supplies the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley and Toyota has returned to profit despite its revenue falling, newly filed documents have revealed.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/car-parts-giants-uk-arm-returns-to-profit
JLR opens £1bn manufacturing base
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has opened a £1bn manufacturing base in Slovakia which will employ 1,500 workers.
Based in Nitra, the move marks the first time a UK automotive company has opened a plant in the country.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/jlr-opens-1bn-manufacturing-base
China partnership announced by Silicon Spa games studio
Listed video game developer Codemasters has announced a new partnership with a counterpart which operates some of the most popular international online titles in China.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/china-partnership-revealed-by-newly-listed-games-developer
Nuneaton hotel part of £62m portfolio purchase
Property investor LXi REIT has bought six properties, including a Nuneaton hotel, as part of its acquisition strategy.
http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/2023444-nuneaton-hotel-part-of-62m-portfolio-purchase
Sitel-Waitrose Team Wins the National UKCCF ‘Outsourcing Partnership of the Year’ Award
https://www.sitel.com/en-uk/news_item/sitel-waitrose-team-wins-outsourcing-partnership-of-the-year-award/
Revenue accelerates at Aston Martin
Revenue at luxury car maker Aston Martin has accelerated more than 80 per cent to £282.4m during the third quarter of its current financial year. The new results are the first since the historic manufacturer floated on the London Stock Exchange.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/revenue-accelerates-at-aston-martin
JLR unveils tech to help drivers beat red lights
The manufacturing giant has revealed its Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2X) technology which will help drivers avoid red lights while its Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) will tell people the speed they are travelling to avoid getting stuck in queues.
https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/jlr-unveils-tech-to-help-drivers-beat-red-lights
Nuneaton housing development up for two property awards
An all-affordable housing scheme in Nuneaton being delivered by Midland Heart and developer Partner has been shortlisted for two Insider Property Awards, West Midlands.
http://www.midlandheart.org.uk/our-news/press-releases/2018/nuneaton-housing-development-deal-up-for-two-property-awards/