Barclays Announces £14bn Fund to Help Businesses Succeed After Brexit

https://home.barclays/news/2019/04/sme-lending-fund/

Barclays Bank has announced it is establishing a new £14 billion lending fund which forms part of an overarching initiative designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) ‘flourish’ after Brexit.

Focused on building SME resilience during uncertain times, the package of support includes:

• A £14 billion dedicated lending fund for those businesses that are deemed important to the UK economy (turnover of £0-£25 million).

• More than 100 SME Brexit clinics and seminars being run in local communities across the country.

• An established network of on-the-ground relationship management experts and industry specialists, based across the UK.

The bank says these initiatives are designed to help SMEs think about managing cash-flow and working capital, as well as exporting goods abroad, labour, supply chain management, and broader issues of preparedness.

This fund is intended for SMEs at several stages of growth and development. It includes a range of business lending services, including:

• Business loans, commercial mortgages and overdrafts up to £250,000 working capital.

• Cash flow funding for investment in growth, management buyouts and business acquisition.

• Loans for innovative businesses looking for growth funding, capital and environmental investment.

• Maximising government schemes like The Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme.

Launching the fund, Barclays Group CEO Jes Staley, said:

"Barclays stands ready to help local businesses in towns, cities and rural communities, up and down the country, during this period of uncertainty.

"Today’s £14bn fund, along with our broader package of support, shows our commitment to the local businesses that are the backbone of the UK economy – we are here to help them plan for the future and invest for growth."

Gatwick announce competition to help SME exports

Gatwick Airport has launched a competition with the Department for International Trade to give local businesses the chance to attend international trade exhibitions – helping them grow internationally and support local job creation.

SMEs headquartered in Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Croydon can take part by explaining in 150 words how their business will develop by attending trade exhibitions through the Gatwick Trade Fairs webpage (www.gatwickairport.com/trademissions).

Thanks to a new Gatwick partnership, the Department of International Trade will also be offering support to the winners to help them maximise the opportunities at the show they choose to attend.

International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade Dr Liam Fox MP said: “Businesses of all sizes should remember that there is a world beyond Europe and there will be a time beyond Brexit. This competition, which we have launched with Gatwick Airport, will help SMEs who may not have the time or resources to realise the opportunities of international expansion and exporting.

“The DIT stands ready to help companies export. I encourage local businesses to get in touch with us to learn more about what we can do to help you make the transition from local to global.”

Oxford Economics found that Gatwick was an important enabler of trade with £7.5 billion of international goods passing through Gatwick in 2017 in business that supported 113,800 UK jobs. Such trade is enabled directly by the transport of cargo within the belly holds of flights – particularly through the airports 66-strong long haul route network.

Guy Stephenson, Chief Commercial Officer, Gatwick Airport said; “SMEs are an important cog in the economic ecosystem of the South East and we recognise the many challenges they face. By supporting local enterprises to attend international trade shows we hope to provide them with an important step up that will help them to develop and grow their business for the future.

“We hope to keep working closely with the Department for International Trade to see how else we might support local business going forward.”

To enter, click here.

How To Grow Your Business - Free Event

The Breakfast Club - Brighton Business Networking Presents: "How To Grow Your Business" at the Courtlands Hotel in Hove, 19-27 The Drive, BN3 3JE

11 – 1pm on Saturday 15th September

FREE ADMISSION
Come along for Business Advice, Support and Networking. 
WIN 3 months membership to the Breakfast Club!
Refreshments provided.

The event covers:  
* Marketing
* Educational Networking
* Preconceptions in Business
* Using Pensions as Business Assets
* Free Government Funding.

Check out the flyer below for more information.

01273 458451
thebreakfastclubinbrighton@gmail.com

WorldLabs Elevating Ideas Competition for Start-ups - Deadline Approaching

The WorldLabs Elevating Ideas Competition provides funding to start-ups and innovative ideas across all fields, with the aim of elevating the next generation of entrepreneurs. The competition is aimed at a global audience and is appealing to anyone who can showcase their initiative and prove it is promising and sustainable.

The award of £50,000 is designed to give early-stage entrepreneurial ventures help with starting up their operations. There are additional benefits in the competition for all participants, including:

• Publicity: The project will get a publicity boost on WorldLabs and across all other media channels.
• Collaboration: Finding the necessary connections and establishing meaningful collaborations. Entrants will get their idea noticed and be part of a network of team-members, co-founders and investors.
• Advancement: Establishing an idea on Worldlabs will help the venture grow beyond the duration of this competition. The same project will keep exposing the applicant to a network of collaborators, partners, advisors and investors.

To celebrate the end of the competition, WorldLabs is hosting an event in London. It will welcome 600+ entrepreneurs and investors, and over 50+ start-ups exhibiting. The top 10 teams shortlisted from the competition will be invited to pitch in front of a live audience and judges. The winner will be announced on the same day. The event will give entrepreneurs exposure to investment opportunities, mentors collaborators and industry influencers to help elevate their project to the next level.

Applications are accepted from entrepreneurs and start-ups worldwide, regardless of the type of idea and the professional/educational background of the applicant.

The deadline for applications to be received is 22 October 2018.

Click to view further information about this news alert

Applications open for the Utilise Plus Programme

The Utilise Plus programme, is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Utilise Plus helps eligible small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) save energy, reducing their costs and Greenhouse Gas emissions in the process. Since starting the programme in late 2017, they have already helped SMEs make an estimated combined annual saving of 125 tonnes of CO2e by reducing their individual annual energy usage, on average, by 27%. We have achieved this by offering a variety of complimentary services, including:

• Grant funding of between £1,000 to £5,000 to cover one-third of the cost of an energy saving project.
• Energy Audits, fully-funded by the ERDF, to identify energy and cost saving opportunities that SMEs can then act upon.
• Energy Saving Workshops, outlining the business case for saving energy and helping participants create their own, unique ‘Action Plans’ to tackle energy use in their organisations.
• Business Networking Breakfasts, featuring Expert Speakers on a particular aspect of sustainability and connecting like-minded SMEs.
• Sustainability Tours of interesting organisations that have implemented significant energy saving measures, to inspire attendees to do the same in their own organisations.

If you are interested, SMEs should register their interest on our website.