Cars are Recalled for Safety Checks

Last year 21,000 Toyota vehicles from the UK were recalled back to their factories for safety checks. Now some 97,000 Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 models from across Europe are being recalled for similar issues. The checks will be to see if the floor mats are causing the accelerator to stick.

At the same time Honda are calling back 171,000 of their Jazz models in the UK to fix problems with the windows' electronics.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (01-02-2010)

Cars are Recalled for Safety Checks

Coal Mining Company Losing Money

The UK's biggest coal mining company, UK Coal, is losing considerable amounts of money.

They have been losing for a number of years but this last year has seen 7 times more loss than those at £115M. The company expects to lose even more this coming year still.

This has all led to a fall in coal production and therefore coal prices have become lower.

Coal Mining Company Losing Money

Papa John's UK

Papa John's is an American pizza take-away with a market in Britain. They currently have 142 stores throughout the UK and have plans to open 40 more in 2010. They have seen a rise in sales for more than four years and saw a particular increase in the last winter.

The rise may owe partly to the recession as many preferred eating at home rather than going out to restaurants. Papa John's have also benefited from their new online order system where people may order even up to 14 days in advance. Thirty percent of their orders come online.

The company is one that looks for people franchising and in the last year has had around 1'200 applications. Their Managing Director Ian Saunders promises the franchisees great support before, during and after and recommends this course for those who would not want to risk running their own entrepreneurial venture in these economic times but would still like to run a business.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (27-01-2010)

Papa John's UK

UK Space Industry

When imagining space crafts most people would think of the USA. However there is also a growing space industry in the UK. The space industry is said to be one of the highest value adding sectors in the UK economy.

Surrey Satellite Technology is a manufacturing company in this industry based in Guildford, Surrey, although their products are usually launched in sites across the former USSR.

The company launched 34 satellites in the last 25 years. Most of the satellites they make are for taking images of the Earth using cameras, but they also make other telecommunication and navigational ones as well. The biggest contract they have right now is making 'Galileo' which will be a navigation system for Europe and up against Americas GPS system.

The company claims to already be popular within the industry. The popularity has grown out of the country and last year a European Satellite manufacturer bought a controlling stake of the business.

So how does this small British company compete with the massive manufacturers in the United States? Their answer is lowering the costs. Rather than using the traditional and very expensive space qualified components, Surrey Satellite Technology uses commercial of-the-shelf parts.

With their alternative methods, this UK company has managed to give a substitute to the American products for the UK and European space industry, and so far their exports are on the rise.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (26-01-2010)

UK Space Industry

UK Officially Out of Recession

Britain has officially just come out of its longest recession. After 6 consecutive quarters, or 18 months, of a shrinking economy the tables have finally turned.

The growth, however, is not as great as experts had predicted, having only risen by 0.1 percent. Some also fear a double dip claiming that people spent more only to avoid the rise in VAT that was to occur, and after the VAT has increased people may cut their spendings once again.

Still, many companies are feeling more confident because of this significant change. Managers at the Vauxhall plant in Luton for instance have already announced reversing their scheme of less work and lower pay which was put in place during the recession.

The founder of Jordans Cereals, Bill Jordan, is also feeling optimistic about these figures and says that over the last few months premium brands like his have already regained popularity.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (26-01-2010)

UK Officially Out of Recession

Vauxhall / Opel Cutting Production

The UK car manufacturer Vauxhall with its European counterpart Opel are aiming to cut their car production by around one fifth following a long term fall in sales.

Vauxhall currently has 2 production plants including one in Luton. They have hinted to cutting 350 jobs in that particular plant. Meanwhile Opel are to close their plant at Antwerp in Belgium.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (21-01-2010)

Vauxhall / Opel Cutting Production