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John Duckers

John Duckers

Tata means a better future, says Lord Bhattacharyya

Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya, head of Warwick Manufacturing Group, says the Jaguar, Land Rover, work forces have no need to be afraid of the Tata takeover. Read

Tata takeover continues foreign buyout trend

Tata's takeover of Jaguar and Land Rover marks another twist in the roller-coaster fortunes of the British car industry. Read

Dessert storm hits Uniq in the Midlands

Chilled food group Uniq's huge Midlands desserts operation is in big trouble, it has revealed. Read

Works bookshop has £80m in liabilities

West Midlands discount book retailer The Works, which collapsed into administration in January, has liabilities of nearly £80 million, with few creditors to get much back, The Birmingham Post can reveal. Read

CBI report conflicts with Budget

The UK faces prolonged economic misery from the impact of the credit crunch, a leading business organisation warned today. Read

A lesson in selling books in these hard times

It is always sad when a once go-ahead company hits the rocks. Read

Tata to sign for Jaguar and Land Rover deal

Jaguar and Land Rover will be sold to Indian conglomerate Tata on Tuesday this week - but it could be another four months before the deal is completed. Read

All eyes on Sainsbury's as gloom spreads up the High Street

The coming week should confirm just how bad is the mayhem on the High Street, with updates due from retailers including supermarket giant Sainsbury's and B&Q owner Kingfisher. Read

Newspapers urged to click on with web profits

Newspapers could boost their revenues by millions of pounds just by using a different charging system for advertisements on their web sites, according to new research from accountants Ernst & Young. Read

Old-fashioned JCB still at the cutting edge

For years I have watched at a distance the growth of JCB and have always found it a quite extraordinary entity. Read

Tata will get the job done at Jaguar and Land Rover

I believe Indian group Tata will be good for Jaguar Land Rover. There are many similarities with the approach of the Japanese - such as being there for the long haul. Read

Tributes as Birmingham banker Mervyn Phillips dies

Tributes have been paid to a top Midland banker and global advocate for Birmingham who has died. Read

Pitch doctor offers success on a plate

John Duckers examines the art of being a pitch doctor. Read

Tata ties up £1bn deal for Land Rover and Jaguar

The deal to transfer ownership of Jaguar Land Rover to Indian company Tata Motors will be signed on March 26, industry insiders have indicated. Read

Certex bought by Swedish firm Forankra

Lifting gear specialist Certex UK, which has a base on the Gravelly Park Industrial Estate in Birmingham, has changed hands. Read

Lawyers falling short of happy work-life balance

Many lawyers are totally cynical about attaining any sort of acceptable work/life balance. Read

Victims reluctant to pursue personal injury claims

New research has highlighted perceived barriers which are almost certainly preventing personal injury victims making claims for compensation. Read

JCB can dig itself out of global credit crunch hole

Midlands digger manufacturer JCB enjoyed its best-ever year in 2007 as sales and global market share rose to all-time highs, it revealed yesterday. Read

Savills expecting low turnover this year

High-end property group Savills said 2008 prospects hinged on how soon financial markets shaken by the credit crunch recovered their stride. Read

Climate change brings in profits for Hill & Smith

Birmingham-based engineering group Hill & Smith has posted record revenues and profits - benefiting from government red tape and climate change opportunities. Read

Author Profile

John Duckers has worked for The Birmingham Post for 18 years, most of those as business editor. Formerly with The Press and Journal in Aberdeen, he won a number of awards while working in Scotland including for reporting on the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster. Born on the Wirral, he was educated at Uppingham School and Dundee University. Aged 56, he also acts as 'vicar on earth' producing the John Bright column.

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