A charity concert has raised £700 for the Edgbaston-based charity Ammalife.

Opportunities for West Midlands theatre makers.

Birmingham Heritage Week celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024.

Scheme aims to protect thousands of jobs at risk from Covid-19.

Simon Hale listens to the CBSO and their guest conductor.

Guest stars, a brand new organ, Shakespearean classics and music of every kind.

Unforgettable night of drum & bass nostalgia at top Birmingham venue.

Simon Hale sees the CBSO on form.

But look smart to catch Britain's poshest train.

Athletes from across Commonwealth shine light on startling threat of climate change.

Kings Heath’s Hare and Hounds was the venue last night for the first appearance in Birmingham of Police Dog Hogan

Richard Lutz reports on a step forward in opening the Moseley/Kings Heath train line.

Charity support from top golfers.

Pallet-Track golf day tees up £8,000 for Marie Curie.

Treetop Adventure Golf ready to roll in the Bullring this May.

Operation Black Vote unveiled Birmingham’s new generation of civic leaders at a media launch of their Civic Leadership Programme last week.

Young people feel ignored by power, but would still turn out to vote.

Birmingham Museums Trust launches UK's first Citizens' Jury in a museum.

Shopping ethically in the city.

Free activities in the Bullring to accompany festive favourite.

Take the opportunity to see how the city used to be.

Eleven days of unique events discovering the city's history.

Hire bikes now available throughout the city centre.

Latest stage of planned rollout across the West Midlands.

UK’s second longest-running comedy festival returns to the second city.

Tom Towelling is the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2024 winner.

Group aims to provide help for Muslims throughout Europe.

Sacred Funk Quartet announce debut album with live premiere in Birmingham.

In August, Flipkart senior vice president of category and marketplace Amitesh Jha joined Swiggy as the chief executive of Instamart, while Dhruvish Thakkar, a senior director at Flipkart Epharma, moved to Swiggy the following month as assistant vice-president of Dineout – its dining out vertical.

While revenue fell sharply, it managed to reduce loss to a third at Rs 167 crore compared with Rs 503 crore the year before, according to the company’s financials. Dealshare’s revenue from the sale of traded goods decreased by 74.7% to Rs 495.8 crore in FY24, while its marketing services income contracted 44.3% to Rs 3.3 crore.

Blackstone is close to acquiring Retail Opportunity Investments Corp, which owns U.S. shopping centers worth $3.4 billion including debt. Other private equity firms, including Bain Capital, are also interested. The deal could be finalized in the coming weeks if negotiations succeed. ROIC has raised rents significantly amidst high inflation, making it an attractive target.

Key sectors, including oil & gas (18 per cent), pharma/biotech (12 per cent), FMCG (8 per cent), and IT (6 per cent) emerged as primary drivers of this positive trend, with AI/ML roles showing exceptional growth at 39 per cent year-on-year, the report stated.

Noel Tata, newly appointed chairman of Tata Trusts, has joined the board of Tata Sons as a nominee director. This marks the first time since 2011 that a Tata family member holds positions on both boards concurrently. Tata Trusts, with its 66% stake, is the largest shareholder in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.

Indore's Siyaganj market is experiencing a surge in demand for groceries ahead of the wedding season, despite significant price increases in edible oils, pulses, and grains. Traders anticipate an 8-10% rise in business compared to the previous year, driven by bulk orders from caterers and increased individual purchases.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to meet with state counterparts on December 21-22 for pre-budget discussions and a GST Council meeting. Key agenda items include potential GST exemptions for certain insurance policies and rate reductions on various goods. The Council may also consider raising GST on luxury items like high-value shoes and watches.

An investigation by India's antitrust body found food delivery giants Zomato and SoftBank-backed Swiggy breached competition laws, with their business practices favouring select restaurants listed on their platforms, documents showed.

Bhutani Group acquired Logix City Center for nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The deal includes 1.2 million sq ft of retail, office and hospitality space. Bhutani Group also secured land with potential for a 600,000 sq ft residential project. The company recently won a bid to develop Film City near Noida's upcoming airport.

India's retail inflation rose to 6.21 percent in October. This is a significant increase from September's 5.49 percent. Food prices are the main reason for this surge. This is the first time since August that inflation has gone beyond the Reserve Bank of India's 6 percent limit. The rise in onion prices is a major concern.

Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd (PRI) has reported an overall 6.9 per cent increase in its revenue from operations for FY24, and its profit rose 20.9 per cent to Rs 1,620.58 crore, according to the Registrar of Companies data accessed by business intelligence platform Tofler.

Despite severe air pollution in Indian cities, particularly in Delhi-NCR, the market for air purifiers and anti-pollution personal care products remains small. Consumers perceive limited tangible benefits and sales spike only during peak pollution periods. While some growth occurs after Diwali, the overall market remains stagnant, with some companies exiting or scaling back operations.

Apple established a new subsidiary in India, Apple Operations India, marking its first direct presence in the country. This subsidiary will focus on research, design, testing, and providing support to third-party manufacturers. This move signifies Apple's commitment to expanding its operational footprint in India beyond assembly and sales.

Sault, a new consumer electronics company, is set to significantly increase its sales volume by FY25. Focusing on tier-2 towns, the brand plans to expand its reach within western India and eventually target southern markets. Sault will incorporate in-house manufacturing for certain products while continuing partnerships for others, aiming for nationwide expansion and exploring digital sales channels.

DAEWOO India has brought on C.M. Singh as its new Joint Managing Director. Singh brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having previously held leadership positions at LG, Videocon, TCL India, and Sukam. DAEWOO aims to leverage Singh's expertise to expand its presence in the consumer durables sector and reach new markets across India.

Stationery retailer DOMS Industries has acquired 51 per cent of stake in Skido Industries with an initial investment of Rs 51 lakh, marking its entrance into school bag manufacturing, it said in a press release on Thursday. The remaining stake of Skido remains with Sehgals.

Trent Limited, a Tata Group company, witnessed a 40% rise in net sales for the quarter ending in September. The retailer's revenue reached Rs 4036 crore, while net profit saw a 46% increase to Rs 423 crore. Despite the growth, consumer sentiment remained subdued. Trent opened 43 new stores during the quarter, expanding its presence to 184 cities.

Beauté Secrets, a D2C beauty tools firm, has secured Rs 1.6 crore in debt from Velocity to expand its presence on quick commerce platforms and introduce new products. Founded in 2010, the company plans to enter major retail outlets and launch new beauty tools, leveraging its sustainable profits for growth and expecting a festive season boost.

L'Oreal's third quarter sales rose by 3.4% but missed expectations due to low consumer confidence in China. North Asia sales declined 6.5%. Reduced demand for suncare and dermatological products also slowed growth. Chief Executive Nicolas Hieronimus highlighted the need to excite consumers with new innovations, especially targeting young GenZs.

9Skin, co-founded by actress Nayanthara, partners with Reliance Retail's Tira to expand into offline retail in India. This collaboration launches the exclusive Skinderella Hydrogel Mask. The partnership aims to offer innovative, natural skincare solutions, now available both online and offline through Tira's network.

Indian fragrance and flavour company Sacheerome aims to achieve 30-40 per cent annual growth in the Middle East market. The company plans to make Dubai its second home and establish an R&D center in the city. With significant growth potential in the MEA sector, Sacheerome also targets expansion in Asia-Pacific, focusing on Malaysia.

FirstCry’s IPO size will be the same, as per the IPO papers. It intends to raise $218 million (about Rs 1,815 crore) in primary funding through issuance of new shares and divestment of 54 million shares from existing investors.