A lasting guide to quotes, dual-sourcing basics, payment terms, and delivery risk so local businesses stay supplied without drama Buying well is as important as selling well. Materials that arrive…
Author: Cassie Lowry
I am a content writer for Sect News.
From Hythe Quay mouldings to national infrastructure: SGI Composites turns 30
Essex GRP manufacturer SGI Composites is marking 30 years in business, having grown from a small composite moulding company into a specialist supplier of access systems, linings, containment and other…
Credit control habits that help local firms get paid without souring the relationship
A reusable guide to terms, invoicing, chasing, and when to pause work so Essex SMEs protect cash without inventing drama Getting paid is not a personality contest. It is a…
Sterling steadier in July, but import prices still elevated for Colchester stockists
The Bank of England’s sterling effective exchange rate strengthened on the month in July, and ONS import-price inflation cooled from June’s peak. Local retailers and manufacturers should still plan on…
BCC Q3 forecast: 1% GDP growth and falling business investment, and what that means for Colchester capital plans
The British Chambers of Commerce’s September 2026 forecast keeps UK growth near 1% and expects business investment to contract this year. For Colchester and Essex firms, the national message is…
MPC preview, 17 September: hold versus hike with Bank Rate at 3.75%
The Bank of England decides on Thursday after a 6-3 July hold. August CPI lands the day before. For Colchester borrowers and landlords, the base case is another hold, but…
Cashflow and energy-cost resilience for Colchester and Essex firms after July’s CPI rise and the October Ofgem cap
Practical steps local businesses can take as inflation edged higher in July and wholesale energy costs feed through to non-domestic contracts from autumn Colchester and wider Essex firms face a…
Where Colchester crowds are likely to gather on 12–13 September
A short guide for traders and hospitality on overlapping markets and festivals, entry costs, and which parts of town (and beyond) each event pulls towards. Colchester’s mid-September weekend stacks several…
North Essex Business Expo: how local firms can make Thursday count
With free entry, free parking and a dense exhibitor list, Thursday’s Charter Hall gathering is a practical networking stop for Colchester and North Essex businesses. The North Essex Business Expo…
UK hiring softens as vacancies hit a decade-low outside the pandemic, pay still rising, but unevenly
ONS labour-market data for August show fewer openings, falling payroll employment and private-sector pay growth lagging the public sector. The picture for Colchester and Essex employers is tighter recruitment demand…