Derby Market Hall has expanded its line-up of independent retailers and service providers, continuing its transformation into a central hub for local enterprise following a £35.1 million restoration earlier this year.

The newly arrived businesses include Vintage & Vinyl, The Paint Kettle, Lamama Style, Soheila Tailoring, and Derby’s Comfort Kitchen. Each adds a different dimension to the market’s mix of retail, services, and dining, aimed at increasing footfall and supporting small business growth in the city centre.

Vintage & Vinyl offers retro music, collectibles, and vintage fashion, while The Paint Kettle extends its residency with locally themed artworks and gifts. Lamama Style offers boutique children’s clothing sourced from trusted suppliers, and Soheila Tailoring offers custom dressmaking and alterations by an experienced local tailor. Derby’s Comfort Kitchen completes the line-up, serving traditional British dishes and daily specials designed to attract visitors throughout the week.

Since reopening in May, the Grade II–listed Market Hall has positioned itself as a platform for regional traders to reach new customers within a revitalised trading space. The latest additions strengthen its role as a business incubator for Derby’s independent retail and hospitality sectors.

The East Midlands Combined County Authority has outlined new priorities to position the region as a leader in green and advanced manufacturing industries.

A new Innovation Roadmap, commissioned from the University of Nottingham, identifies four high-growth clusters: zero-emission propulsion, sustainable advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and green construction, and nuclear. The roadmap forms part of the £160 million East Midlands Investment Zone programme, which aims to boost productivity, accelerate product development, and attract private investment.

The initiative supports the forthcoming East Midlands Investment Zone Strategy and the region’s Growth Plan, focusing on creating jobs, expanding business activity, and strengthening export performance.

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said the programme represents a transformational step for the region: “The East Midlands Investment Zone provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the people in our region. We are investing in the skills, innovation, and infrastructure that will create thousands of well-paid jobs and make the East Midlands a magnet for clean energy industries and advanced manufacturing. This first year of delivery has built strong foundations for the future, and we are determined to go further – attracting more private investment, supporting local businesses to grow, and ensuring every community can share in the benefits of this new era for our region. This is inclusive growth in action.”

The roadmap highlights four key requirements for businesses and investors: accessible innovation facilities, dedicated demonstration programmes to commercialise new technologies, support for technology adoption, and workforce development aligned with emerging industry needs.

More than 170 stakeholders from business, academia, and regional networks contributed to the roadmap through consultations and workshops. The University of Nottingham led the project with input from the universities of Derby and Nottingham Trent, alongside industry partners including the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, Nuclear Collaboration Ltd, Qinesis, East Midlands Manufacturing Network, and Ecologic Homes Consultancy.

The EMIZ programme will now move to implementation, targeting the creation of over 4,000 jobs and an estimated £380 million in private investment within the next decade.

Momentum continues to build behind recommendations made in East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster’s recent skills White Paper. Cyber Workforce of the Future: Why the UK Needs a Skills Taxonomy Now was officially launched during a special event in Westminster this week. Led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou and attended by Dan Aldridge MP, Chair, APPG for Cyber Innovation, the event brought together government, industry, and academia for a round table discussion at Portcullis House. Groups including EMCSC, De Montfort University Leicester, DSIT, techUK, the UK Cyber Security Council, NCSC, and UKC3 discussed next steps on how to address barriers and challenges within the industry identified in the White Paper. Issues discussed by the group included workforce fragmentation, scarcity of entry-level roles, lack of engagement with larger employers and companies, capacity issues within SMEs and smaller firms and government-led implementation. Delegates acknowledged that while the UK Cyber Security Council currently leads the work on establishing a Professional Register for Cyber Practitioners, progress has been hampered by limited sector engagement and a lack of sustained government backing since the end of the Council’s initial funding. All around the table agreed that a credible, widely supported register remains essential to professionalising the workforce, recognising skills, and strengthening accountability across the sector. Dr Vasileiou is EMCSC founder, Co-Chair at the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), and Associate Professor and author of the White Paper. She said: “It was encouraging to have an open and honest conversation not just around the issues within the industry but also around barriers to addressing them. “Collaboration is key and so to lead the conversation around that and hear industry leaders from a range of sectors agree on a route forward feels like real progress. “Capitalising on the current relevance of cyber security and seizing opportunity were other things we all agreed on and with the backing of Dan Aldridge MP and the APPG I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.” Dan Aldridge MP, Chair, APPG for Cyber Innovation, added: “We need to embark on a national mission when it comes to cyber security. “Threat proliferation is a real issue and the general public do not always understand the threat proliferation that we have. “This paper, and discussions we have had today, feed into what needs to happen next to bolster cyber security for everyone. “There’s an opportunity over the next 12 months to raise the game, get other MPs involved and make cyber security part of the national conversation.” The White Paper, published earlier this year, recommends that Government should:

1. Establish a DSIT-led taskforce to co-create a UK Cyber Skills Taxonomy
2. Establish a national delivery body to govern the taxonomy
3. Incentivise employer adoption of standardised, skills-based recruitment
4. Align education and career pathways to real-world cyber roles
5. Scale regional skills alignment through a National Implementation Framework.

Journeo, an Ashby-de-la-Zouch-based provider of intelligent systems for transport networks and critical national infrastructure, has received a $5m order from Outfront Media Group (OFM) to supply platform display systems for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City.

Journeo subsidiary, Infotec will use the latest Journeo Design Centre TFT displays technology to supply four new display variants, consisting of 49-inch and 65-inch units certified for indoor and outdoor applications in the US. These will be the first displays the Group has supplied for Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) advertising on subway platforms. The solutions include powerful embedded technology to manage display performance, provide vital diagnostic feedback for predictive maintenance and maximise system uptime.

Delivery is expected to commence in the second half of 2026 to support an OFM programme to replace legacy technology already present on the MTA network.

These purchase orders position Journeo well for further DOOH opportunities across transit networks throughout the US.

Russ Singleton, CEO, said: “We are delighted to extend the OFM relationship with the deployment of our displays onto New York City subway platforms. These purchase orders underscore the confidence that this leading advertising provider places in Journeo technology and is another important milestone in our US growth trajectory.”

Proici Commercial Interiors have transformed the 4th floor of a Grade II listed building, in the heart of Nottingham, into a striking 21st-century workplace. Originally designed by renowned local architect Watson Fothergill and constructed in 1895, Proici repurposed the previous haberdashery department of the building into a flexible, agile working environment for its IT Consultancy client, celebrating the building’s heritage while delivering modern functionality across desks, collaboration zones, and social spaces. The brief demanded far more than just a standard office fit-out. Proici were tasked to create a workplace that could support non-assigned agile working, encourage collaboration, and adapt to evolving needs – all within a historic structure with unusual layouts, period features, and structural quirks. Furniture, lighting, partitions, and finishes all had to align perfectly with the building’s character, making the fit-out far more complex than a conventional office fit-out. Proici delivered a design solution that successfully combined innovation alongside preservation. Agile, non-assigned desks and flexible collaboration zones were introduced alongside moveable furniture, allowing the space to adapt effortlessly to changing needs. The historic building was referenced throughout the design: ceilings were left open to reveal structural and mechanical features, while carefully chosen materials and finishes complemented the period building. At the heart of the office is a dynamic social and meeting hub featuring multi-tiered, relocatable, auditorium-style seating – perfect for workshops, presentations, or informal gatherings. High-quality AV ensures the space functions as seamlessly as it looks, while a mezzanine area adds visual interest, daylight, and flexible event space. Industrial touches like exposed beams and raw finishes reference the building’s origins, while the interior layout maximises light and openness. Proici also integrated important practical elements including secure access, technology infrastructure, and functional breakout zones, ensuring the space works as well as it looks. The completed office is a confident statement of heritage meets modern, with a flexible, agile, and visually striking environment that fosters collaboration, supports creativity, and adapts to evolving ways of working. The project demonstrates Proici’s experience and expertise in transforming complex, historic buildings into flagship workplaces that combine character, innovation, and functionality – a benchmark for modern office design. Click here for the full case study.

Engineering group Goodwin plc expects to double its pre-tax profit in the financial year ending 30 April 2026, projecting earnings of more than £71 million compared to £35.5 million in 2025.

The company attributed the growth to its strong order book, valued at around £365 million, and increased visibility across several defence and nuclear programmes that have not yet been included in its confirmed pipeline. All divisions contributed to the group’s performance, though profitability and growth varied across its business units.

Goodwin noted that its newly developed Polyimide Division is expected to start contributing to earnings in the next financial year.

The board expressed confidence in the group’s ongoing expansion, citing consistent product quality and a solid pipeline of long-term contracts as key drivers.

In its leadership update, the firm announced the appointment of Adam Deeth as finance director and Anthony Thomas as director, effective 28 October 2025. Deeth, who joined Goodwin in 2022, previously served as group chief accountant, while Thomas, who joined in 2019, has been group general counsel since 2021.

Founded in the 19th century, Goodwin remains one of the UK’s longest-standing engineering firms with operations spanning foundry, mechanical, and materials engineering.

Unimetals Recycling (UK) Ltd, a major player in the nation’s metal recycling and processing sector, has filed a second notice of intention to appoint administrators. The move provides the company with additional time to secure funding as it continues its search for new investment.

Headquartered in Stratford-upon-Avon, the business had previously lodged its first notice earlier this month after failing to raise the capital needed to finalise a £195 million deal to acquire Sims Metals UK. Its primary investor has since withdrawn from the funding process, delaying progress toward completion.

Unimetals is continuing formal discussions with potential financiers after reporting strong interest from multiple parties. The company said the extra period granted by the second filing will allow it to pursue a binding agreement aimed at stabilising operations and ensuring the continuity of its business relationships across employees, suppliers, and customers.