We’re all told, ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.’ But one of the UK’s top leadership experts has said that in order to succeed, we need to step away and take time to think.

Make UK survey finds a quarter of firms are moving activity overseas

Danny Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Nomada Digital, a B2B search and cross-platform visibility agency, shares his insights on the quiet shift in how customers now find businesses online – and the five-minute test every owner should run to see whether AI is recommending them, or their competitors instead.

ONS data showed GDP shrinking by 0.1% in April 2026, here is the response from business.

Employee-owned law firm Ison Harrison has launched a new office in Penistone, marking its 25th regional branch and its first foothold in South Yorkshire. The expansion into the historic Market Street site follows a period of growth for the firm, which transitioned to a 100% employee-owned model in 2022 and reported revenues surpassing £35 million for 2025.

Young people in the North West are increasingly turning to AI tools and social media to guide their careers, and in some cases replacing advice traditionally provided by parents and teachers, according to a new report published today by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday business, with tools such as Anthropic’s Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot now supporting tasks from research and writing to coding, data analysis and customer service. Claude is one of the strongest AI tools currently available and many organisations are understandably considering it as part of their digital strategy.

Sitehop, the post-quantum cybersecurity specialist, has been selected by the World Economic Forum to join a global network of leading start-ups driving responsible innovation. The Technology Pioneers community brings together 100 of the world’s most promising early-stage companies with the potential to reshape industries and address global challenges.

STRI Group, the West Yorkshire-based sports surface consultancy, is managing the implementation of natural grass playing surfaces across North America ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Operating from its global headquarters in Bingley, near Bradford, the company is executing the project through the Elite Pitch Alliance (EPA).

Independent footwear retailer Briggs Shoes is marking the 90th birthday of family matriarch Mary Powney, celebrating a legacy tied to the Lancashire coast for more than four decades. Founded in 1863 as a Victorian bootmaker's shop, the company is in its sixth generation of direct family ownership.

The latest Economic Forecast from the Confederation of British Industry has revised down its expectations for UK growth, warning that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and higher energy costs are set to weigh on households and businesses through 2027. The CBI now forecasts UK GDP growth of 1.1% in 2026 and 0.9% in 2027, down from its previous projections of 1.3% and 1.5%.

A long-standing tax levied on businesses donating to charities has now been removed, an accountancy and advisory firm in the North East confirmed. Azets wants to remind firms in Cumbria and the North East that they can now give goods to registered charities without paying VAT.

Inditex: Iran-US Conflict Expected to Have Limited Impact; Lefties Offers Significant Growth Potential.

A new 46-suite aparthotel has opened in Micklegate, York, following nearly a year of delays caused by the discovery of Roman and medieval artifacts on the site. The sustainable development, designed by York-based architects brown + company, is operated by SuperCity. The hospitality operator already runs similar properties in London, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, and Edinburgh.

Modern workplaces are often defined by a multitude of rules, ranging from health and safety guidelines to codes of conduct, compliance frameworks and detailed procedures. These regulations are designed to ensure fairness, legal compliance and consistent standards.

A new survey from Acas has found that a third of employers (33%) are likely to make staff redundancies by January 2027. Acas commissioned YouGov to ask British businesses about their redundancy plans between February 2026 and January 2027.

Visitors have gained a behind-the-scenes insight into the present and future of heating at the Hull headquarters of Ideal Heating. The firm hosted guests from the worlds of business, education and training at its Hull site, as part of Humber Business Week, the annual celebration of business across the region.

The Data City, the Leeds-based economic intelligence company, is expanding into the US after a year of rapid growth driven by demand for AI-ready economic data. The company, which is replacing traditional industrial classification systems with its ‘Industry Engine’ product, said revenue rose 46 per cent to £1.9m in its latest financial year, while headcount increased from 17 to 31 employees.

Who remembers birthday parties in the Seventies with pass the parcel, sleeping lions, musical chairs and, to send your guests home, a lucky dip as they tumbled out the door? No one? Just me then. Fast forward to Monday morning, and I felt a nostalgic buzz of excitement as I rifled through wooden crates full of nondescript packages in Bradford’s Broadway shopping centre.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Hydrogen technology will be vital to cutting emissions and strengthening energy resilience, but progress will stall without co-ordination of infrastructure, clearer cross-border rules and stronger investor confidence, according to a new report OEUK commissioned from DNV.

Firms across the private sector expect activity to fall in the three months to August (weighted balance of -24%), according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator. Companies’ expectations are broadly unchanged from April, when the report was last published, and extend a period of negative predictions for growth that began in late 2024.

A new evidence-based health app designed to help people understand and manage physical ageing has officially launched in the UK. Developed by Sheffield-based ADL Smartcare, The LifeCurve app translates more than 30 years of research into a digital tool that helps people identify early signs of decline and take action to maintain independence.

The Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) has stated that BP’s handling of its chair's removal suggests internal governance processes may have functioned exactly as intended under significant pressure. Speculation continues around the sudden departure, with reports in the Financial Times indicating that serious concerns were raised and crystallised at board level before the decision was made.