John West writes more on the failure of Birmingham’s burghers to capitalise on the potential of a Midlands film industry.

There's a lot more than just music at Symphony Hall and Birmingham Town Hall.

B:Festive this Christmas and New Year at Town Hall and Symphony Hall.

BGSO inviting orchestral musicians of all backgrounds from across the Midlands and beyond to come and join in for a weekend of making new friends and music in great setting of mac birmingham.

Kingsbridge Project board member Amanda Smith tells us about their activities.

Birmingham music charity launches a new strand of community vocal activity.

Richard Lutz survives another week that was...

Final call for STEM organisations to apply for grant funding.

Applications now open for life-changing opportunity.

A Dudley-based manufacturer has tapped into the spirit of the Olympics to record its best ever year and is now setting its sights on a £2m turnover and the creation of new jobs.

Black Country Industrial Cluster provides energy efficiency support for local businesses.

Legendary studios to join with Birmingham music charity to launch photography awards.

Future music business talent initiative launches at major city festival.

The sound of Brooklyn, New York coming to Kings Heath

Halesowen community invited to join in a big Poppy Picnic this Saturday to support The Royal British Legion’s vital work for the Armed Forces community

Sir Howard Elton, confidante of the football world and its poverty-stricken players, sits down with disgraced FIFA boss Septic Bladder. < /strong>

Shopping ethically in the city.

Jessica Harris is enchanted by a family attraction at the Midland Arts Centre.

Helen Annetts enjoys a day out in the past.

Access Sport and Sport Birmingham to host free event.

West Midlands Cycle Hire launched in Wolverhampton and Sutton Coldfield.

Football isn't just about the glamour of the Premier League and it's good when supporters realise it.

Andy Street joins expert panel for COVID-19 vaccine webinar.

Birmingham doctor makes call to stamp out vaccine hesitancy during Ramadan.

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

“Udaan’s financial performance for FY23-24 reflects its commitment to building a robust, profitable and resilient business. With revenue reaching INR 5,700 crores for FY23-24, we have made significant strides toward profitability, reducing EBITDA burn by 40% year-on-year to ~INR 900 crores,” said Kiran Thadimarri, SVP Finance, Udaan in a LinkedIn post.

Across the board, gifting companies recognize the impact of quick commerce on consumers’ habits, particularly for last-minute, spontaneous needs. However, they note that quick commerce platforms struggle to meet the demand for customized or personalized gifting.

China's Xiaomi had complained to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) that the report - which found Flipkart, some of its sellers, and smartphone players in violation of competition laws - contained commercial secrets that should have been redacted, Reuters reported in September.

The action is related to the financial transactions being done by some of the "preferred" vendors and sellers who do business through Amazon and Flipkart like e-commerce platforms.

Walmart is offering new incentives to its Spark Driver network for the holiday season to compete with Amazon in the e-commerce market. The company aims to attract more upper-income households to its Walmart Plus membership by offering faster deliveries and potentially increase advertising revenue.

Returnless refunds are a tool that more retailers are using to keep online shoppers happy and to reduce shipping fees, processing time and other ballooning costs from returned products. Companies such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have decided some items are not worth the cost or hassle of getting back. Think a $20 T-shirt that might cost $30 in shipping and handling to recover.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is convening a Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on November 7-8. The meeting will address concerns regarding food safety on e-commerce platforms and strategize ways to enhance food product surveillance and testing across states.

The Food Processing sector continues to attract significant investment, with several projects from companies such as Bhuvaneshwari Foods and Beverages, Aban Beverages, and Geofast Consumer Products. These projects, located in Khurda, Baragarh, and Cuttack, will have a combined investment of Rs 1,542.04 crore and are expected to create over 1,358 jobs.

Inter IKEA reported a 5.3% drop in annual sales, partly due to price cuts with lower raw material costs. As inflation impacts spending, more people are expected to host at home this holiday season. More price reductions are planned for 2025 by Inter IKEA starting from September 1st.

Britannia Industries' revenue from operations increased by 5.29 per cent to Rs 4,667.57 crore in Q2 FY25, up from Rs 4,432.88 crore during the second quarter of the financial year 2023-24. On the company's quarterly performance, Varun Berry, vice chairman and managing director, said, “A ~8% volume growth with a sequential increase in revenue and operating profits are satisfactory results in the face of severe commodity inflation leading to a tepid consumer demand scenario in most FMCG categories."

Bengaluru-based startup Swish, recently raised USD 2 million to scale its 10-minute food delivery operations. "We have raised $2M from Accel plus some angel investors," Aniket Shah, founder, Swish confirmed to ETRetail. Shah founded Swish in August 2024, alongside Ujjwal Sukheja, and Saran S.

Godrej Industries is set to acquire the food additives and emulsifier business of Savannah Surfactants Limited for Rs 76 crore. The deal will see Godrej Industries expand its product offerings to the Food & Beverages segment. Savannah Surfactants Ltd has a manufacturing capacity of 5,200 tonnes per annum of finished products.

Britannia Industries reported a 10% drop in profit for the quarter ended September as surging housing costs and low income growth in urban areas led to a slowdown in demand for fast-moving consumer goods. While rural demand has been stable, urban demand has seen a significant downturn, mirroring global trends of consumer confidence returning but wages lagging behind inflation.

On its listing day, brokerage firms - Macquarie and JM Financial - became the first ones to initiate coverage on the debutant but came out with polar opposite views. Macquarie's initiating coverage report gave it an underperform rating with a target price of Rs 325, which indicates downside potential of 17% from IPO issue price of Rs 390.

Manos Nikolakis, GM, BIC Cello, said, "While e-commerce is growing significantly across the country, the landscape of the Indian market is still heavily reliant on traditional trade. Accordingly, this remains our main sales driver. The lack of digital penetration in semi-urban and rural areas can sometimes create a challenge in the e-commerce space, which means that e-commerce is mostly relevant in bigger cities with a more mature infrastructure."

Bharat Puri, MD of Pidilite Industries, discusses the company's revenue growth driven by volume growth and reduction in prices due to normalized raw material prices. Puri expects double-digit volume growth going forward and highlights the company's focus on investing in rural markets, which have shown no decline or softness. Pidilite Industries has added 30,000 new retail points to its rural network and sees rural markets as a driver of growth. Puri also mentions the improvement in international business and sustainable EBITDA margins at the higher range of 20-24%.

India's Pidilite Industries , which makes Fevicol adhesives and Dr. Fixit waterproofing products, posted a 6.2% jump in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, driven by lower input costs.

​​Santosh Raveshia, Managing Director, DOMS Industries Limited said, "As we conclude FY24, we are pleased to report on a period marked by significant achievements and strategic initiatives that have reinforced our strong position in the stationery and art materials market. We continued seeing positive business traction resulting in robust sales growth coupled with further elevation of margins, reflecting upon the strength of the ‘DOMS’ Brand to connect with its consumers."

DOMS Industries Limited reported strong Q1 FY25 results, with a notable 17.3% increase in revenue and 49.5% growth in profit after tax compared to Q1 FY24. The firm saw improved EBITDA and margin performance. The company also announced plans to acquire a majority stake in Unilcan Healthcare to expand its market.

Linc, a writing instruments brand, has appointed Sachin Bhatnagar as its new president of global business. Bhatnagar brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having previously served as CEO at Lykis. He will be responsible for driving Linc's strategic direction and growth.

DOMS Industries Limited witnessed a 42.8% surge in consolidated profit after tax, reaching Rs 53.7 crore in Q2 FY25. This growth was fueled by a 19.7% rise in revenue, driven by strong sales in writing instruments, adhesives, and kits. The acquisition of a 51.8% stake in Uniclan Healthcare further bolstered the company's performance.

India's home textile industry is set to witness 6-8 per cent growth this fiscal, riding on resilient demand from the US and expansion in the domestic market, according to a report on Tuesday.

Indians purchased 220 tonnes of silver during this year's Dhanteras-Diwali. This is the highest amount in two decades. The surge in silver sales is attributed to its rising prices and its appeal as a safe-haven asset. Gold sales, however, declined by 15% this year. Experts predict silver prices will continue to rise.