Business News Round Up (11/12/2020)
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Amazon becomes world’s largest corporate buyer of green energy with Scottish wind farm investment
Amazon has become the world’s largest corporate buyer of green energy, after investing in several renewable projects, including a major Scottish wind farm. The e-commerce giant announced 26 new wind and solar energy projects totalling 3.4 gigawatts (GW) of electricity production capacity, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity. Amazon has now invested in 6.5 GW of wind and solar projects that will enable the company to supply its operations with more than 18 million megawatt hours of renewable energy annually. These projects will supply renewable energy for Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfilment centres and Amazon Web Services data centres. They will also help advance Amazon’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions across its business by 2040. In Scotland, the onshore wind project at Kennoxhead in South Lanarkshire marks the largest single site corporate power purchase agreement in the UK. It will be completed over two phases, in 2022 and 2024, and produce 129 megawatts of energy once operational.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/amazon-becomes-worlds-largest-corporate-23150376
Deloitte plans to create 200 jobs in the North
Professional services giant Deloitte is planning to create 200 jobs in the North of England as it expands its consultancy practice in the region. The business services group plans to create the jobs within the next four years as it looks to grow in the North West, Yorkshire, and the North East. Deloitte plans to offer more services in the region including “digital transformation, cloud deployment, analytics and helping clients to adopt new ways of working”. It said staff would “continue to support a number of the most significant retail businesses and public sector bodies to address some of today’s biggest challenges and drive responsible growth in the region”. The northern consulting team currently includes more than 100 staff across the Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle offices. The recruitment drive will start in the new year and will be led by partner Richard Bray, who has recently relocated from London.
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/deloitte-plans-create-200-jobs-19437129
SME owners urged to use peer group expertise to overcome challenges
A new Government-backed drive to help SME growth is aimed at helping small business owners to adapt to the ‘new normal’. Peer Networks is funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and co-ordinated by The Growth Company and has been developed as part of the Government’s commitment made in the 2019 Business Productivity Review which aims to close the national productivity gap. It is being delivered in England locally by the network of Growth Hubs and supported by their respective Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). Each Peer Network consists of between eight and 11 owners or managers from the local SME business community. It is led by a facilitator and will typically meet fortnightly as a group to discuss a series of common business challenges and opportunities. Individual one-to-one support will also be provided to help to implement and manage change within each individual business.
Major Manchester office projects to move forward
Two major office schemes, rising to 17 storeys and 14 storeys respectively, look set to take a step forward after being recommended for the green light by Manchester City Council planners, paving the way for the creation of thousands of jobs in the city. The first application, for Speakers House at 39 Deansgate, at the junction of Deansgate and St Marys Gate, was tabled by Kames Property Income Fund. It proposes the construction of a 17-storey office tower following the demolition of existing buildings at the site, which date back to the 1960s. The plans also include a roof terrace/garden, a new electricity substation and 96 cycle parking spaces in the basement. If work goes ahead, the new building will provide a gross office floorspace of about 197,000 sq ft and 5,000 sq ft of flexible floorspace. The project could also create 227 gross construction jobs and 1,000 full-time equivalent operational jobs.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/major-manchester-office-projects-to-move-forward