Latest news with #Dorset-based
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Legendary UK retailer set to return 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 240 stores
OnBuy's CEO weighed in on the store's return BACK IN ACTION Legendary UK retailer set to return 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 240 stores Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LEGENDARY UK retailer is set to make a stunning comeback more than a decade after shuttering its stores. Electricals retailer Comet ceased operations in 2012 but has been snapped up by online marketplace OnBuy. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Online marketplace OnBuy has pumped £10million of investment into reviving electricals store Comet Credit: Getty The latter confirmed to The Sun that the chain would relaunch in either September or October, and definitely before Christmas following a mammoth £10million investment. It will stock thousands of products from a selection of flagship brands including Apple, Samsung, Sony and LG. It is estimated that between 50 and 60 jobs will be created following what Cas Paton, founder and CEO of OnBuy, has described as a "significant launch". He added that he wants to "bring Comet back to its former glory in a modern world" and that the store has "nostalgic value" for British punters. Paton added: "Comet is a brand long associated with offering the very best deals in home appliances and consumer electronics. "Its heritage is one that we want to protect and enhance using our innovative technology and business model." What is OnBuy? OnBuy is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce marketplaces in the world. The company boasts a range of over 35million products while offering big savings for customers. It prides itself on being a fair and transparent business that puts buyers and sellers first. When was OnBuy created? The UK Dorset-based online shopping platform, OnBuy was launched by Cas Paton in November 2016. Shock Closure: Fisher Tours Ends Operations After 22 Years Speaking about the founding OnBuy, Paton told the Retail Bulletin in July 2023: "I've been involved in web development since I was a teenager and started my first company while studying at university. "Entrepreneurship has always been in my blood, and I set up my first business at the age of 21. "I've had other ventures along the way, but in 2016 I founded OnBuy and decided to dedicate all my time, effort, and money into making it a success. "It's been quite a journey and recently OnBuy was recognised as 'Europe's fastest-growing ecommerce business' by the Financial Times." The company launched globally in the summer of 2020 after securing a £5million investment. OnBuy's founder and CEO Paton projected the thriving business to be turning over £2billion in sales by 2024. Following a 1,100 per cent sales increase in 2019, OnBuy embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan into 140 new territories — including the US, Germany, France, Spain and the UAE. To accommodate the company's rapid growth, OnBuy tripled its workforce in 2020 to more than 50 full-time staff. Paton said: "The injection of this additional funding not only allows us to substantially grow the operational side of the business, but it gives the OnBuy team backing from phenomenal investors who can bring an array of eCommerce experience and expertise to the table, bolstering an already strong globalisation strategy. "2020 is a coming-of-age era for OnBuy, where we've seen some of the world's largest brands and retailers come on board. "By having products from the leading household names available, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark, we are driving better competition which feeds into better pricing for consumers across a huge variety of products. "We are well on track to claim 3-5 per cent of the £84billion UK eCommerce market in the next three years, and we're aiming for one per cent of the $3.46 trillion global e-commerce market, equating to $35bn, in the next five years. "We're gearing up for an enormous expansion into over 140 new countries, which will allow OnBuy to become the first global marketplace and further set ourselves apart from the competition."
Associated Press
26-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Gold Boilercare Wins National Award, Strengthening Reputation as Dorset's Most Trusted Heating Company
Dorset, England--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2025) - Gold Boilercare, a rising leader in domestic gas and heating services, has announced that it has been awarded Best Heating Engineer at the UK Business Awards 2025. The win marks a major milestone for the Dorset-based company and underscores its growing influence in the South of England's heating and gas services sector. [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] Image 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The award recognises outstanding performance, customer service, and innovation across British industries. Gold Boilercare stood out among national competitors thanks to its strong focus on employee development, technical excellence, and customer-first approach - all of which have propelled the company to the forefront of the domestic heating industry. 'This recognition is a proud moment for our entire team,' said Aaron Drayton, Director of Gold Boilercare. 'It reflects the dedication and professionalism that our engineers bring to every job, as well as the supportive culture we've worked so hard to build internally.' Founded on the principles of honesty, quality, and reliability, Gold Boilercare has built a loyal customer base throughout Dorset. Known for its transparent pricing and dependable service, the company offers boiler installations, repairs, and ongoing maintenance - consistently earning praise for its punctuality, clear communication, and long-term service value. The UK Business Awards panel highlighted Gold Boilercare's unique commitment to its workforce as a key factor in its win. The company's internal development programs go beyond technical training, incorporating soft skills such as time management, customer communication, and personal growth. This comprehensive approach has resulted in consistently high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat business. 'Our engineers aren't just trained - they're empowered,' Drayton added. 'We believe that creating a workplace where our people can thrive leads directly to better service for our customers. This award confirms that our people-first philosophy really works.' [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] Image 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: Gold Boilercare has quickly become known not just for its technical competence, but also for its warm and trustworthy service experience. With this award win, Gold Boilercare further solidifies its position as a leader in the local industry. While the company continues to grow steadily, its core mission remains unchanged: to raise the standard for domestic gas services by prioritising quality workmanship, clear communication, and respect for every home it enters. 'This isn't just about a trophy,' said Drayton. 'It's about recognising the people behind the scenes - the engineers, the support team, everyone who helps deliver an exceptional service day in and day out. We're grateful for this recognition, and we're more motivated than ever to keep raising the bar.' About Gold Boilercare Gold Boilercare is a Dorset-based domestic gas services company specialising in boiler installations, maintenance, and repairs. Known for its transparent pricing, technical excellence, and employee-focused culture, the company is rapidly becoming one of the South of England's most trusted heating service providers. For more information, visit: Contact Information: Organization: Gold Boilercare Contact Person: Aaron Drayton, Director Email: [email protected] City & Country: DORSET, ENGLAND To view the source version of this press release, please visit
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Glow-in-the-dark caterpillars spotted using new technique
Two wildlife charities are recruiting volunteers to help spot glow-in-the-dark caterpillars at night using ultraviolet is hoped the technique will make surveying butterflies and moths quicker and reveal secrets about their behaviour and surveys are part of a conservation project covering Bernwood Forest, the River Ray and Otmoor Basin near Oxford.A conservation manager for the Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation, Steven Lofting, said the new method "has the potential to change our understanding of their biology, distribution, abundance and ecology. It's really exciting." Training in this new technique is part of a project led by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), which has been given £512,182 from The National Lottery Heritage first group of volunteers were trained at the Trust's Finemere Wood nature reserve between Bicester and were looking for caterpillars of the UK's five species of hairstreak black hairstreak is endangered, the brown hairstreak and white-letter hairstreak are both vulnerable, and green hairstreak and purple hairstreak have also declined in abundance and distribution since the 1970s. BBOWT has now applied for a total of £3.6m for the Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray project, of which Butterfly Conservation is a key scheme involves working with communities, farmers and landowners to restore habitats for threatened species on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire Coulam, from the trust, said the data gathered by the volunteers would help them "develop projects which hope to increase abundance and range of the hairstreak butterflies through habitat creation and restoration". Butterfly Conservation and BBOWT have surveyed hairstreaks for decades, but the techniques have been slow and the brown hairstreak, both charities rely on volunteers going out in the middle of winter to look for tiny, pinhead-sized eggs on twigs using magnifying Lofting said: "If we can just shine a light in the bushes and these caterpillars suddenly glow at us like an electric lightbulb, it could make it so much easier and quicker to do surveys of these species." Surveys of butterflies are important for conservation because they are known as indicator species, meaning rises and falls in their populations can predict the health of the wider figures from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme revealed 2024 was the fifth worst year for UK butterflies since the scheme began in than half of the UK's butterfly species have populations in long-term decline, a survey has found. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Toblerone dark chocolate bar discontinued in the UK
The dark chocolate version of Toblerone's most popular bar has been discontinued after nearly six decades on confectionery shelves. Sweet treats manufacturer Mondelēz International confirmed in a statement that its 360g dark chocolate bar would no longer be sold in the UK. The company said it understood the "difficult decision" may be "disappointing for some consumers". It attributed the discontinuation to "changing tastes" and growing its business, adding it "continuously adapt[s]" its range and "continue[s] to invest in Toblerone". The original Toblerone bar was first invented in 1908, with a dark chocolate version - containing 50% cocoa - released in 1969. Mondelēz did not indicate if its dark chocolate Toblerone was being discontinued elsewhere besides the UK, or if other sizes will also be discontinued. The BBC has approached the company for further comment. The brand name Toblerone was created using the founder's surname, "Tobler" and the Italian word for a type of nougat made with honey and almonds - "torrone" - which the chocolate contains. The Swiss chocolate bar's distinctive triangular shape is thought to have been inspired by the Matterhorn in the Alps - a silhouette of which appears on the packaging - though its true origins remain unclear. A number of different versions have been released since it was first created, including a white chocolate version and a fruit and nut version. The decision comes as the UK heads into the Easter bank holiday weekend, when chocolate sales are expected to be elevated. But the industry has suffered from rising cocoa prices in recent years, reaching a record high in December, driven by a sharp fall in cocoa production. The price of chocolate rose by 13.6% in the year to March, according to Office for National Statistics figures. Last month, an investigation by Which? found that Easter egg prices in particular had risen by as much as 50% compared with the previous year, while chocolate sold in supermarkets in general had risen by 16.5% in the same period. Claire Burnet, co-founder of Dorset-based premium chocolate company Chococo, said that the rising prices were "driven primarily by poor harvests from the two biggest cocoa producing countries in the world that account for 60% of global cocoa production - Ghana and the Ivory Coast." She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday that there had been a "perfect storm" of "ageing farmers, ageing trees, declining yields, increasing disease and then you overlay climate change issues on top of that". Crops in West Africa have been particularly affected by unusually dry weather in recent years. Chocolatier unveils 'UK's largest' 300kg Easter egg Easter egg costs soar by up to 50%, Which? says From Dubai to Lidl: How one woman's pregnancy craving launched a craze
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Toblerone dark chocolate bar discontinued in the UK
The dark chocolate version of Toblerone's most popular bar has been discontinued after nearly six decades on confectionary treats manufacturer Mondelēz International confirmed in a statement to the BBC that its 360g dark chocolate bar would no longer be sold in the company said it understood the "difficult decision" may be "disappointing for some consumers".It attributed the discontinuation to "changing tastes" and growing its business, adding it "continuously adapt[s]" its range and "continue[s] to invest in Toblerone".The original Toblerone bar was first invented in 1908, with a dark chocolate version - containing 50% cocoa - released in 1969. Mondelēz did not indicate if its dark chocolate Toblerone was being discontinued elsewhere besides the UK, or if other sizes will also be discontinued. The BBC has approached the company for further brand name Toblerone was created using the founder's surname, "Tobler" and the Italian word for a type of nougat made with honey and almonds - "torrone" - which the chocolate contains. The Swiss chocolate bar's distinctive triangular shape is thought to have been inspired by the Matterhorn in the Alps - a silhouette of which appears on the packaging - though its true origins remain unclear.A number of different versions have been released since it was first created, including a white chocolate version and a fruit and nut version. The chocolate industry has suffered from rising cocoa prices in recent years, reaching a record high in December, driven by a sharp fall in cocoa March, an investigation by Which? found that Easter egg prices had risen by as much as 50% compared with last year. Claire Burnet, co-founder of Dorset-based premium chocolate company Chococo, said that the rising prices were "driven primarily by poor harvests from the two biggest cocoa producing countries in the world that account for 60% of global cocoa production - Ghana and the Ivory Coast." She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday that there had been a "perfect storm" of "ageing farmers, ageing trees, declining yields, increasing disease and then you overlay climate change issues on top of that". Crops in West Africa have been particularly affected by unusually dry weather in recent years.
