Press releases

• Almost half (47%) of local business people say they are optimistic about the regional Glasgow economy - only 5% are pessimistic. A third (34%) think business sentiment will improve over the next 12 months - only 7% are negative on prospects

• Three-fifths (60%) believe exporting and international trade are important for local business success

• To showcase its support for businesses in Glasgow and the surrounding region, Santander Corporate & Commercial is bringing its Breakthrough Red Box week-long business event to Glasgow from Monday 25 April to Friday 29 April

• Well-known local personalities such as Geoff Ellis (T in the Park), Tony Stanger (Scotland Rugby’s joint leading try scorer) and James Rusk (one of Glasgow’s leading restaurateurs) will also be participating

Zenith Hygiene Group, the UK’s largest independent manufacturer of cleaning and hygiene chemicals, announces today that it has secured a £13.9m banking facility from Santander Corporate & Commercial.

Brighouse-based machinery distributer NMA (Agencies) Ltd, a major supplier to leading brands such as Screwfix, D&M Tools, Machine Mart and Homebase, has received around £1 million in new funding from Santander Corporate & Commercial as part of a full banking switch to help the firm achieve its forecast growth plans. The increase in facilities has also supported a move into much larger premises, which will be the long-term base for the business.

• New service proposal to be powered by leading online lender, Kabbage, to speed underwriting decisions through its data and technology platform
   
• 5.4 million UK SMEs now able to access billions of working capital online around the clock

Employees from Santander’s Solent Business Centre recently spent the day at Marwell Zoo helping to restore and maintain the grounds.

Employees from Santander’s Edgware branch recently spent the day at the Calthorpe Project Community Garden helping to prepare the grounds for the opening of its new café.

I Spy has received £4,652 to fund educational materials to help protect and prevent children from bullying in Prestatyn and the surrounding areas.

Employees from Santander's Cornwall Street branch in Birmingham recently spent the day at Birmingham City Mission helping to refurbish its homeless centre for local residents.

PHASE ONE WILL ENABLE CUSTOMERS TO TALK TO THEIR SANTANDER SMARTBANK APP AND ASK ABOUT THEIR CARD SPENDING

• Secure, simple to use, helps people easily keep track of their cash
• Eliminates the need to manually search through statements to identify retailers and calculate spend 
• The technology differs from voice biometrics, which only enables access to a customer’s accounts by using their voice as a password 
• Phase two will see customers able to service their accounts using only their voice

• Santander introduces pioneering scheme to provide shared parental leave with Grandparents
• Enhances existing family friendly policies
• Basildon-based family to become first beneficiaries

Leeds-based Arc Inspirations, a leading independent bar and restaurant operator across the North, is set to open more venues after receiving £1.5 million in funding from Santander Corporate & Commercial.

The number of businesses in Scotland that export goods and/ or services grew by 17% across the three-year period between 2012 and 2014 to 11,100 firms – one of the largest increases of any region in Great Britain

Scotland showed the most significant increase across Great Britain in terms of firms that export just goods, up 14% to 5,700 businesses, according to analysis by Santander Corporate & Commercial of the most recent ONS data¹

Santander Corporate & Commercial is dedicated to helping businesses export and trade internationally, and offers a unique and extensive range of services and products such as the Trade Portal and Trade Missions

The number of businesses in Wales that export goods and/or services grew by 32% across the three-year period between 2012 and 2014 to 4,900 firms – the largest growth of any region in Great Britain

Overall, the number of businesses in Great Britain that export goods and/or services rose by 5% to 221,300 firms, according to analysis by Santander Corporate & Commercial of the most recent ONS data¹

Santander Corporate & Commercial is dedicated to helping UK businesses export and trade internationally, and offers a unique and extensive range of services and products such as the Trade Portal and Trade Missions

• Full-time workers spend 16 per cent of annual income on work costs
• Commuting costs £1,087 average per year
• Childcare costs as much as £3,910 per year
• Cost of working up 6 per cent since 2014 and 20 per cent since 2013

• Help to Buy ISA rate increased to 4.00%
• Available to UK first time buyers in branches and by calling 0800 234 6065

Cornerstones Centre for the Community has received £3,900 to fund IT courses for older people in Chester le Street.

Variety, the Children’s Charity, has received £2,328 to fund specialist equipment for a new interactive sensory room at Friends of Victoria School in Birmingham.

• Santander Group will award 36,381 scholarships this year to students in all countries in which it operates, 6,807 of them in the UK.
• The scholarship programme, through the Bank’s Santander Universities division, is the largest international programme of its kind developed by a commercial enterprise.
• In the past five years, Santander Group has allocated 695 million euros to Higher Education programmes and projects and has awarded about 140,000 scholarships.

Cromer & District Foodbank has received £3,907 towards a part-time project coordinator to manage the day-to-day activities of the foodbank.