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After a year that saw it narrowly avoid going into administration, put up for sale and subsequently acquired by Smiths News, Norwich-based book wholesaler Bertrams is now looking to acquisitions of its own.

The positive progress is down to a £500,000 profit posted by the book and library supply business for the five months to the end of August, a boost that can probably be attributed to a handful of million-pound deals with the Daily Mail and some libraries in Scotland.

Managing director Michael Neil acknowledges that "the business performed very well" in the wake of previous parent company Woolworths' collapse last November. He puts the success down to a rapid rebuilding of stock levels following the March takeover by Smiths.

"When Smiths News bought us, we were running at around half capacity," he explains to The Bookseller. "I thought it would take around four months to get it right, but our stock situation was sorted within six weeks."

The fact that customers didn't desert the business while things were looking shaky helped too, he grants, though he also highlights that the recession does not appear to have dented the book trade in the same way it's hit other retailers.

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Expect to see more restaurants for sale springing up in the coming months and years – perfect if you're looking to bring a touch of authentic Italian (well, Italian American) flavour to the business table.

US-owned pizza delivery franchiser Papa John's is set to open ten new stores before the year is out, bringing its 2009 total to 40. Over the next five years, the company aims to have "at least 300" outlets running.

And there's more: Papa John's is investing an impressive £5 million in a new fresh dough facility to support its UK growth plans. Covering nearly 50,000 square feet, the Quality Control Centre is scheduled to open in Milton Keynes during the first three months of 2010.

Ian Saunders, UK managing director for the chain, reckons the plant is a vital development moving forward, since "Papa John's is famous for using 100 per cent fresh dough 100 per cent of the time".

He also says the firm believes the plant will let them "reach for the sky in the UK pizza delivery market", stating that the purchase of the site "is further proof that Papa John's UK is going places".

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If you're keeping an eye on hotels for sale in the London area, you'll be glad to hear the results of PricewaterhouseCoopers' latest UK hotel forecast – it shows the industry's over the worst, though a drop in corporate travel has undoubtedly left the sector weakened.

Liz Hall, the accountancy firm's head of hotels research, says budget hotels have found it particularly tricky to swim upstream as three and four-star operators hold on to customers through value-for-money deals.

"Midscale customers have been able to negotiate discounts at their usual locations rather than switching to a cheaper option," she explains. "We are also seeing a selected reduction in brand standards among some chains as hotels seek to contain costs."

Some four and five-star hotels have even looked to cut their star ratings to trim "unnecessary expenditure in areas not valued by guests", Hall adds.

PricewaterhouseCoopers' info shows average London room rates have been going up for the past five years in a row, but by the end of this year the average room is set to cost £10 less than in 2008 – and could cost £20 less by the end of next year.

Out of 60 hotel owners questioned, three-quarters said they feel more optimistic now than they did six months ago.

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Small Business Week 2009 is upon us, if you hadn't noticed, and BT Business have released the results of this year's Business Pulse report, which they say is the UK’s biggest survey of small and medium-sized businesses.

Out of over 7,000 respondents, three-quarters reckon the economy is set to pick up next year, with an optimistic 35 per cent pencilling in an upturn for January. On the subject of how well equipped small firms have been during the recession, just under half admit advice has been "essential" to advancing their enterprises.

Peers, other business owners and managers, government advisory services and chambers of commerce are cited as the most common sources of such assistance, while 40 per cent of those questioned say better websites and ecommerce have benefitted them.

In terms of finance, 79 per cent of firms reveal they have not secured any external funding, while just 55 per cent of those who have obtained it from banks.

Pub and hotel owners, transport companies and retail and construction operators are generally less hopeful about starting off on the right foot once the upturn begins than their counterparts in the technology, IT, telecoms and media sectors.

Bill Murphy, the managing director of BT Business, points out that many small firms are using business social networking to "get new customers through the door".

"There are clear signs that businesses have innovated and adapted for the better to emerge stronger for the future," he says. "Small businesses are in no doubt that the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK will get us through."

Small Business Week 2009 is supported by BT Business, in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, Business Link, the ACCA, NatWest, Growing Business and everywoman.

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After a five-week due diligence process, Spain's Cosmen family and CVC Capital Partners have walked away from a National Express takeover, sending the bus and coach operator's shares plunging.

Talks have also been ended by Stagecoach, which had been liaising with the consortium about purchasing National Express's UK bus and rail operations.

Sources have suggested due diligence presented "lots of little things" that caused the parties to call it all off. The consortium had made an indicative 500p-a-share bid, worth around £765 million – or £1.7 billion including debts.

The Cosmens already own an 18.5% stake in the firm, and have said they will support – "within certain parameters" – a £350 million fundraising effort to be launched by National Express next week. The firm is consulting with major shareholders about the fundraising, expected to take the form of a rights issue.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange, National Express maintained the group "has a strong portfolio of businesses" and continues to perform resiliently "despite challenging trading conditions".

"The board believes that National Express has a strong future as an independent listed company, offering a compelling investment case building on the strength of its individual businesses," it concluded.

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It could be good news from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) for cash-strapped small businesses this week.

The owner of Natwest, now 70 per cent controlled by the nation's taxpayers, is feeling pressure from the Treasury to hit lending targets and is thus pulling out the stops to attract more small business banking customers, we hear.

And the first step? A new hotline – staffed by senior bankers with experience of previous recessions – to cater for small firms having problems getting their hands on credit at the moment.

You don't have to be an RBS customer to avail of the free service, which is described as being part of the bank's aim to be "transparent and innovative" in its support for UK firms.

Graham Galloway, managing director of the bank's Scottish business and commercial arms, said RBS is making "ambitious commitments" to respond to and handle all calls and emails "in clearly defined timescales with dedicated managers".

"Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes looking at a case can produce an alternative solution. We are currently approving 85 per cent of loan applications and we're always looking to improve," he added.

RBS chief Stephen Hester has apparently written to all MPs urging them to direct firms to the service, which runs from 8am-8pm on weekdays, on 0800 092 3087.

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Small business veterans keeping an eye on hotels for sale in the UK may like to take note of what pub owner Thwaites had to say about last month's sale of the Stafford Hotel in Mayfair.

Philip Johnston, head of hotels at Savills (who advised Thwaites on the multimillion-pound sale), said the deal with leisure firm Britannia Hospitality highlighted renewed investor appetite in the hotel sector – "for the right asset, marketed carefully".

Granted, he also pointed out that the £77.5 million purchase represents one of the biggest such deals seen in London in the last two or three years – though it wasn't quite the £100 million the hotel's shareholders had hoped for.

Thwaites – probably best known for its Lancaster Bomber and Nutty Black ales – has around 400 pubs and nine Shire Hotels on its books, and it owned the 105-bedroom Stafford for 14 years before putting it up for sale at the end of 2008.

Representatives for the East Lancashire brewery have said the funds from the hotel sale will help them pay off various business loans, as well as leaving them well positioned to finance "appropriate development opportunities" in the future.

"The sale of such a trophy asset and prime piece of real estate is good news for us and the market overall," concluded Philip Johnston.

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Small businesses in the UK are taking deliberate steps to diversify during the recession, with the owners of restaurants, pubs and firms in the leisure sector in particular admitting cash flow is their main concern at the moment.

That's one of the main findings to come from new research by business insurance advisers at Aviva. While three-quarters of pub, restaurant and leisure bosses surveyed by the group singled out money as their primary challenge, 70 per cent of beauticians, shops and salon owners said the same.

Offering new products or services, opening at weekends, trading for longer hours and targeting new customer groups are the most common actions being taken by small businesses to weather the economic storm, as well as increasing the promotions and discounts they have up for grabs.

Just two per cent of those questioned by Aviva revealed they had applied for one of the government's business assistance programmes, such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee.

"Britain's small business community remains entrepreneurial, creative and opportunist at heart, with an innate ability to be both flexible and versatile," commented David Bruce, the company's commercial product manager.

"The ability to anticipate and adapt to the changing environment is key for any successful business, and business owners are clearly leading the way in this regard."

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