CONTENTS
THE TEAM
Editor & Founder Anita Jaynes Anita @ tbesw. co. uk
Editorial Support Ben Carey, Nick Batten & Fiona Scott Ben @ tbesw. co. uk Nick @ tbesw. co. uk
Design Juicy Designs www. juicy-designs. co. uk
Artwork Studio Creative Services www. studio-cs. co. uk
Printed by ESP Colour www. espcolour. co. uk
On the cover Bath Dragons winner, Ben Franks of Canned Wine Group. Photo by Jessie Myers, Soul Media.
Advertising Sales Anna O’ Shea Anna @ tbesw. co. uk 01225 300043
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© The Business Exchange South West Limited 2025.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that adverts and articles appear correctly, The Business Exchange South West Limited cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of this publication. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor. All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted and no part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of The Business Exchange South West Limited.
KEY STATISTICS
Readership: 15,000 Our audience: 56 % business owner / director level 44 % partner, manager or senior executive
04
Mayor announces new business Board
REGULARS
04 Business News 07 Finance 14 People 25 Business Support 26 Technology 28 Property 34 Positive Business 38 Connect
EDITOR’ S NOTE
Welcome to the Autumn edition of TBE Bath & Somerset.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, this issue is all about building momentum, celebrating achievements, sharing insights, and helping you finish 2025 on a high.
We begin with the announcement of a new Business Board for the West of England( page 4), a move that promises to shape the region’ s growth strategy for the next decade. It’ s a timely development as we continue to navigate a challenging economic landscape.
On page 5, we spotlight the University of Bath’ s remarkable £ 0.5 billion contribution to the local economy. From job creation to innovation, the University’ s impact is far-reaching and a vital part of our region’ s success story.
University of Bath boosts local economy by £ 0.5 billion
TOP
40
TBE Top 40- Bath’ s top businesses ranked by turnover
Turn to page 20 for our annual Bath Top 40 feature, ranking the area’ s highestperforming businesses by turnover. It’ s a fascinating snapshot of the local economy, showing both resilience and the pressures many firms are facing.
We also celebrate the winner of the inaugural Bath Dragons competition cover story and page 22) Canned Wine Group, who impressed the judges with their bold vision and rapid growth.
On page 34, we preview the return of Strength in Style, a powerful charity fashion show at Bath Abbey that brings together community, creativity and compassion in support of three local charities.
And of course, we’ re gearing up for the TBE Awards this autumn. If you haven’ t entered yet, there’ s still time. Entries close
More news at: www. tbebathandsomerset. co. uk and www. tbeswindonandwilts. co. uk
05
FEATURES
20
06 TBE’ s Fiona Scott discusses the Government’ s Small Business Plan
09 Business under pressure: What’ s driving insolvency in the South West
19
WINNER AI™ – TBE Edition: Award entry support
PEOPLE
22
11 Milsted Langdon’ s Ian Lloyd, talks going for growth
18 Thrings Meets... Charlie Moss of Interaction
Cover story: 10 Minutes With... Bath Dragons winner, Ben Franks of Canned Wine Group
on 30th September. Turn to page 19 for full details, including how to use our new WINNER AI™ tool to craft your entry.
As always, our Connect pages( page 38) are packed with opportunities to meet new people and grow your network. I hope to see you at an event very soon.
Here’ s to a productive and positive autumn.
Anita Jaynes, Founder E: anita @ tbesw. co. uk T: 01225 300043
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2025 3