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[] | 2021-01-03T19:34:48 | null | 2021-01-03T13:06:00 |
Police are searching for a suspect after a woman was knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted in Scarborough’s Cliffside neigbourhood early Sunday morning.
|
https%3A%2F%2Ftoronto.ctvnews.ca%2Fsuspect-sought-in-sexual-assault-of-female-in-scarborough-s-cliffside-neighbourhood-1.5251892.json
|
en
| null |
Suspect sought in sexual assault of female in Scarborough's Cliffside neighbourhood
| null | null |
toronto.ctvnews.ca
|
TORONTO -- Police are searching for a suspect after a woman was knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted in Scarborough’s Cliffside neigbourhood early Sunday morning.
The incident happened shortly after 1 a.m. in the area of Kingston Road and Midland Avenue.
Police say a female was walking in the area when she was approached from behind by a man.
The victim, investigators say, was grabbed, pushed to the ground, and sexually assaulted.
The male then fled the scene eastbound on foot.
Investigators say the suspect has been described as a white male who is between the ages of 19 and 30 years old and is five-foot-eleven to six-feet tall with brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a black winter jacket with the hood up, a dark mask or face-covering, black pants, and white sneakers.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
|
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/suspect-sought-in-sexual-assault-of-female-in-scarborough-s-cliffside-neighbourhood-1.5251892
|
en
| 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
toronto.ctvnews.ca/cedd471904c502e3dad803ba712b957c2a8c2395950d1b69294f17d8102c675c.json
|
[
"TORONTO -- Police are searching for a suspect after a woman was knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted in Scarborough’s Cliffside neigbourhood early Sunday morning.\nThe incident happened shortly after 1 a.m. in the area of Kingston Road and Midland Avenue.\nPolice say a female was walking in the area when she was approached from behind by a man.\nThe victim, investigators say, was grabbed, pushed to the ground, and sexually assaulted.\nThe male then fled the scene eastbound on foot.\nInvestigators say the suspect has been described as a white male who is between the ages of 19 and 30 years old and is five-foot-eleven to six-feet tall with brown eyes.\nHe was last seen wearing a black winter jacket with the hood up, a dark mask or face-covering, black pants, and white sneakers.\nAnyone with information about the attack is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.",
"Suspect sought in sexual assault of female in Scarborough's Cliffside neighbourhood",
"Police are searching for a suspect after a woman was knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted in Scarborough’s Cliffside neigbourhood early Sunday morning."
] |
|
[
"Sean Davidson"
] | 2021-01-17T23:32:49 | null | 2021-01-17T17:13:00 |
One of the men charged in connection with allegations of corruption related to Ontario's tow truck industry has appeared on a popular television show.
|
https%3A%2F%2Ftoronto.ctvnews.ca%2Fman-charged-in-connection-with-alleged-corruption-in-tow-truck-industry-appeared-on-popular-tv-show-1.5270544.json
|
en
| null |
Man charged in connection with alleged corruption in tow truck industry appeared on popular TV show
| null | null |
toronto.ctvnews.ca
|
TORONTO -- One of the men charged in connection with allegations of corruption related to Ontario's tow truck industry has appeared on a popular television show.
On Saturday, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced they charged three of their own veteran officers and suspended four others over allegations of corruption related to the province's tow truck industry.
The force alleges the accused officers provided preferential treatment to towing companies within the Greater Toronto Area.
They also announced they charged another man, 52-year-old Sutheshkumar Sithambarpillay, with aiding and abetting breach of trust and secret commissions contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Sithambarpillay, who goes by the name Steve Pillai, is the owner of Steve's Towing, which is located near Highway 400 north of Sheppard Avenue in North York.
The OPP confirmed he is the same man who has appeared several times on the television show "Heavy Rescue 401," which airs on Discovery Canada.
In the reality show, television crews follow around multiple tow truck operators and rescue teams as they work to clear collisions on Highway 401.
CTV News Toronto and Discovery Canada are divisions of Bell Media.
The charges and suspensions stemmed from an investigation first launched in October 2019.
The officers facing charges all have at least 20 years of service with the OPP and served with either its Highway Safety Division or the Toronto detachment.
Const. Simon Bridle and Const. Mohammed Ali Hussain were both arrested this past week, while a warrant is out for the arrest of Const. Bindo Showan who is believed to be out of the province.
All three are charged with secret commissions and breach of trust, while Bridle faces an additional charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration.
OPP says the four other officers remain under investigation, but are not currently facing any criminal charges.
CTV News Toronto contacted Steve's Towing for comment but the owner said he was not available for an interview.
Sithambarpillay is expected to appear in court on April 16. None of the allegations has been tested in court.
|
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/man-charged-in-connection-with-alleged-corruption-in-tow-truck-industry-appeared-on-popular-tv-show-1.5270544
|
en
| 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
toronto.ctvnews.ca/78e6523b1ac5d63e704b36033d705853ba40b4d5c2705392ca7c0d21f9c0d63f.json
|
[
"TORONTO -- One of the men charged in connection with allegations of corruption related to Ontario's tow truck industry has appeared on a popular television show.\nOn Saturday, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced they charged three of their own veteran officers and suspended four others over allegations of corruption related to the province's tow truck industry.\nThe force alleges the accused officers provided preferential treatment to towing companies within the Greater Toronto Area.\nThey also announced they charged another man, 52-year-old Sutheshkumar Sithambarpillay, with aiding and abetting breach of trust and secret commissions contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.\nSithambarpillay, who goes by the name Steve Pillai, is the owner of Steve's Towing, which is located near Highway 400 north of Sheppard Avenue in North York.\nThe OPP confirmed he is the same man who has appeared several times on the television show \"Heavy Rescue 401,\" which airs on Discovery Canada.\nIn the reality show, television crews follow around multiple tow truck operators and rescue teams as they work to clear collisions on Highway 401.\nCTV News Toronto and Discovery Canada are divisions of Bell Media.\nThe charges and suspensions stemmed from an investigation first launched in October 2019.\nThe officers facing charges all have at least 20 years of service with the OPP and served with either its Highway Safety Division or the Toronto detachment.\nConst. Simon Bridle and Const. Mohammed Ali Hussain were both arrested this past week, while a warrant is out for the arrest of Const. Bindo Showan who is believed to be out of the province.\nAll three are charged with secret commissions and breach of trust, while Bridle faces an additional charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration.\nOPP says the four other officers remain under investigation, but are not currently facing any criminal charges.\nCTV News Toronto contacted Steve's Towing for comment but the owner said he was not available for an interview.\nSithambarpillay is expected to appear in court on April 16. None of the allegations has been tested in court.",
"Man charged in connection with alleged corruption in tow truck industry appeared on popular TV show",
"One of the men charged in connection with allegations of corruption related to Ontario's tow truck industry has appeared on a popular television show."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:48 | null | 2021-01-06T20:38:00 |
Ian Shelley, of Blackline consulting, presented the broad strokes of a report he prepared for Frontenac County, to a meeting of Frontenac County Counc...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14515-consultants-report-on-economic-development-in-frontenac-county.json
|
en
| null |
Consultants report on Economic Development in Frontenac County
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021
Ian Shelley, of Blackline consulting, presented the broad strokes of a report he prepared for Frontenac County, to a meeting of Frontenac County Council on December 16.
His review of the delivery of economic development across Frontenac was paid for by the provincial government’s Municipal Modernization Program fund.
He said at the start of his presentation that his study was “not about the specific economic development campaigns that the county should conduct” but more about the capacity of the department to deliver economic development. The study was tasked with answering two questions: “What are the economic development activities that the County of Frontenac is best positioned to deliver?” and “What is the model to ensure the most effective delivery” of those activities.
He told Council that his report includes a list of 20 economic development activities and with a department of 2, Frontenac County needs to determine which of those activities they should focus on.
In his analysis of how county economic development staff have been spending their time, he identified “just three [activities] that occupy 75% of the team’s time”. Those activities are assisting small business (25%), providing/receiving grants (25%) and planning building infrastructure [K&P Trail construction] 25%.
He said that the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) a federally funded not for profit corporation, also provides support for small business, and the county could reallocate that time. Also, K&P Trail construction and maintenance could be accomplished by the local townships or an outside contractor under contract from Frontenac County.
If those measures are implemented, it would free up half of the time that each of the two members of the department have available each week. Richard Allen, the manager of the department, spends half his time on trail development, and Alison Vandervelde, the Community Development Officer, spends half of her time providing business support.
By freeing up that time, Shelley said that the department would be more able to focus on activities that support investment attraction. The department could also focus on a more regional approach and on coordination with member municipalities who are developing their own economic development functions and provide more effort to elevate the marketing effort for the K&P Trail, which is a potential driver of economic development.
He said that the first thing that Frontenac County and its member municipalities should look at, is to “confirm a clear statement of economic development objectives”. That way, he said, it will be possible to measure outcomes of activities in a more useful way.
In preparing his report, Ian Shelley consulted county and township politicians and staff as well as 8 stakeholder organisations in Frontenac County and the City of Kingston, and looked at what some other similar sized county level economic development departments do.
In receiving the report at their December 16 meeting, members of Frontenac County said they would be looking at the recommendations in the new year with a view towards implementing its findings.
Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said that her township council will need to consider the report because the report talks about transferring responsibility for trail management to the local level, and about an economic development effort at the local level as well.
“The report says, locally we should have some economic development capacity, and then there is the trail infrastructure piece. I understand why these things are being looked at, but I don’t know that we would have the ability to do them in Central Frontenac,” she said.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14515-consultants-report-on-economic-development-in-frontenac-county
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/3dddd50ce6d3ab2936086de49bb38624f814e21fa7516d947bf0dbffe5eb8d0d.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021\nIan Shelley, of Blackline consulting, presented the broad strokes of a report he prepared for Frontenac County, to a meeting of Frontenac County Council on December 16.\nHis review of the delivery of economic development across Frontenac was paid for by the provincial government’s Municipal Modernization Program fund.\nHe said at the start of his presentation that his study was “not about the specific economic development campaigns that the county should conduct” but more about the capacity of the department to deliver economic development. The study was tasked with answering two questions: “What are the economic development activities that the County of Frontenac is best positioned to deliver?” and “What is the model to ensure the most effective delivery” of those activities.\nHe told Council that his report includes a list of 20 economic development activities and with a department of 2, Frontenac County needs to determine which of those activities they should focus on.\nIn his analysis of how county economic development staff have been spending their time, he identified “just three [activities] that occupy 75% of the team’s time”. Those activities are assisting small business (25%), providing/receiving grants (25%) and planning building infrastructure [K&P Trail construction] 25%.\nHe said that the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) a federally funded not for profit corporation, also provides support for small business, and the county could reallocate that time. Also, K&P Trail construction and maintenance could be accomplished by the local townships or an outside contractor under contract from Frontenac County.\nIf those measures are implemented, it would free up half of the time that each of the two members of the department have available each week. Richard Allen, the manager of the department, spends half his time on trail development, and Alison Vandervelde, the Community Development Officer, spends half of her time providing business support.\nBy freeing up that time, Shelley said that the department would be more able to focus on activities that support investment attraction. The department could also focus on a more regional approach and on coordination with member municipalities who are developing their own economic development functions and provide more effort to elevate the marketing effort for the K&P Trail, which is a potential driver of economic development.\nHe said that the first thing that Frontenac County and its member municipalities should look at, is to “confirm a clear statement of economic development objectives”. That way, he said, it will be possible to measure outcomes of activities in a more useful way.\nIn preparing his report, Ian Shelley consulted county and township politicians and staff as well as 8 stakeholder organisations in Frontenac County and the City of Kingston, and looked at what some other similar sized county level economic development departments do.\nIn receiving the report at their December 16 meeting, members of Frontenac County said they would be looking at the recommendations in the new year with a view towards implementing its findings.\nCentral Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said that her township council will need to consider the report because the report talks about transferring responsibility for trail management to the local level, and about an economic development effort at the local level as well.\n“The report says, locally we should have some economic development capacity, and then there is the trail infrastructure piece. I understand why these things are being looked at, but I don’t know that we would have the ability to do them in Central Frontenac,” she said.",
"Consultants report on Economic Development in Frontenac County",
"Ian Shelley, of Blackline consulting, presented the broad strokes of a report he prepared for Frontenac County, to a meeting of Frontenac County Counc..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-11T08:57:18 | null | 2021-01-08T23:10:10 |
On Thursday night at about 10pm a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex with 28 one bedroom units in Verona. A smoke alarm alerted a resid...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14523-fire-destroys-mcmullen-manor-in-verona-all-residents-survive-1-in-hospital.json
|
en
| null |
Fire destroys McMullen Manor in Verona
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 08, 2021
On Thursday night at about 10pm a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex with 28 one bedroom units in Verona.
A smoke alarm alerted a resident to the fire who called it in. The first crews from South Frontenac Fire Services arrived at about 10:20pm.
“When the crews arrived several of the units in the building were fully engaged and they could see that the fire had spread to the attic,” said a tired Darcy Knott, South Frontenac Fire Chief, when contacted from the site late Friday morning (January 8)
Working with the OPP, South Frontenac crews determined that all of the residents of the Manor were safe.
“The fire was very aggressive,” said Knott, and after surveying the perimeter crews began attacking it from the exterior, the goal being to put it out as quickly as possible, making sure it did not spread to any neighbouring buildings.
Members of the Verona Free Methodist Church, which is located nearby, quickly opened the church and put coffee on. Residents from McMullen Manor took refuge in the church, and when 2 officials from the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation, including Executive Director Mary-Lyn Cousins Brame, arrived on the scene, they met the residents there.
McMullen Manor was owned and operated by the housing corporation, which manages subsidized housing properties for residents of the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.
Pastor Kathy Casement, of the Free Methodist Church (FMC), arrived on the scene at about 11:30. “Everything became very organised very quickly,” she said. “There was support from the housing corporation, victims services, and the OPP. Some of our church members were even able to bring out some clothes out from the Style Revival [the used closing store run out of the church] for people who had nothing to wear. Most of the residents from McMullen Manor were in shock. They were sitting quietly, staring off into space.”
A number of the residents were picked up by family and friends from the Verona vicinity, and some ended up being driven to Kingston, where they are staying in a hotel with Kingston Frontenac Housing covering their immediate expenses.
“By about 2:30am, everyone had left, and we closed up and went home. It all happened really quickly, when you think about it,” she said. Three of the residents at the Manor are members of the Verona Free Methodist, and church members are committed to supporting them, as well as all of those who lost all of their belongings, and their housing, in a matter of minutes.
Fire crews worked all night on the fire, which was still smouldering on Thursday morning.
Five South Frontenac Fire Services Stations responded to the incident, consisting of upwards of 50 volunteer fire fighters and 17 apparatus. An Aerial Truck from Kingston Fire & Rescue and an extra tanker from Stone Mills Fire Department were also dispatched to assist.
“A lot of water was required, especially for the aerial truck, and it required quite an effort in terms of water shuttle for our department, but we kept the water coming,” said Knott.
Some of the water was brought in water flowing under the from the bridge on Desert Lake Road.
Road 38 (Verona Main Street) was closed through Verona all night, with a detour using Hinchinbrooke and Desert Lake Roads, but re-opened at 7am.
“We did not want the detour to be in place in the morning, with all the commuter traffic coming through” said Knott.
There was no loss of life in the fire but one resident has been admitted to KGH as a result of injuries sustained in the fire, and a number of pets perished.
“On behalf of Council and our community, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the residents of McMullen manor who lost their homes in this terrible tragedy. I also want to convey our appreciation to all South Frontenac Fire & Rescue (SFFR) personnel, as well as our neighbouring fire departments in Kingston and Stone Mills that came to assist last night,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “While it is devastating to know many lost their homes last night, I am thankful that there was no loss of life and grateful to the Red Cross, Victim Services, the Verona Free Methodist Church, Frontenac Paramedics and the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP for providing support to our residents during this difficult time.”
There has been an out-pouring of support from community members for the residents. Over 100 people have contacted the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation asking how they can be of help.
“It is more helpful to provide a cash donations than clothes or other items,” said Pastor Casement of the VFM Church.
Support for residents is being co-ordinated by the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation.
“It is best to call 546-5591 and ask for Lori,” she added.
Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office arrived on the scene late on Friday morning to begin the job of determining the cause of the fire.
Fire Chief Knott said that, while the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, it is not considered a suspicious fire but added that it is the job of the Fire Marshall's office to make that determination.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14523-fire-destroys-mcmullen-manor-in-verona-all-residents-survive-1-in-hospital
|
en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/e5b42178bf165f21ec88c59f8285f7febb8023eba35589f2a62082760dae2bb6.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 08, 2021\nOn Thursday night at about 10pm a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex with 28 one bedroom units in Verona.\nA smoke alarm alerted a resident to the fire who called it in. The first crews from South Frontenac Fire Services arrived at about 10:20pm.\n“When the crews arrived several of the units in the building were fully engaged and they could see that the fire had spread to the attic,” said a tired Darcy Knott, South Frontenac Fire Chief, when contacted from the site late Friday morning (January 8)\nWorking with the OPP, South Frontenac crews determined that all of the residents of the Manor were safe.\n“The fire was very aggressive,” said Knott, and after surveying the perimeter crews began attacking it from the exterior, the goal being to put it out as quickly as possible, making sure it did not spread to any neighbouring buildings.\nMembers of the Verona Free Methodist Church, which is located nearby, quickly opened the church and put coffee on. Residents from McMullen Manor took refuge in the church, and when 2 officials from the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation, including Executive Director Mary-Lyn Cousins Brame, arrived on the scene, they met the residents there.\nMcMullen Manor was owned and operated by the housing corporation, which manages subsidized housing properties for residents of the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.\nPastor Kathy Casement, of the Free Methodist Church (FMC), arrived on the scene at about 11:30. “Everything became very organised very quickly,” she said. “There was support from the housing corporation, victims services, and the OPP. Some of our church members were even able to bring out some clothes out from the Style Revival [the used closing store run out of the church] for people who had nothing to wear. Most of the residents from McMullen Manor were in shock. They were sitting quietly, staring off into space.”\nA number of the residents were picked up by family and friends from the Verona vicinity, and some ended up being driven to Kingston, where they are staying in a hotel with Kingston Frontenac Housing covering their immediate expenses.\n“By about 2:30am, everyone had left, and we closed up and went home. It all happened really quickly, when you think about it,” she said. Three of the residents at the Manor are members of the Verona Free Methodist, and church members are committed to supporting them, as well as all of those who lost all of their belongings, and their housing, in a matter of minutes.\nFire crews worked all night on the fire, which was still smouldering on Thursday morning.\nFive South Frontenac Fire Services Stations responded to the incident, consisting of upwards of 50 volunteer fire fighters and 17 apparatus. An Aerial Truck from Kingston Fire & Rescue and an extra tanker from Stone Mills Fire Department were also dispatched to assist.\n“A lot of water was required, especially for the aerial truck, and it required quite an effort in terms of water shuttle for our department, but we kept the water coming,” said Knott.\nSome of the water was brought in water flowing under the from the bridge on Desert Lake Road.\nRoad 38 (Verona Main Street) was closed through Verona all night, with a detour using Hinchinbrooke and Desert Lake Roads, but re-opened at 7am.\n“We did not want the detour to be in place in the morning, with all the commuter traffic coming through” said Knott.\nThere was no loss of life in the fire but one resident has been admitted to KGH as a result of injuries sustained in the fire, and a number of pets perished.\n“On behalf of Council and our community, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the residents of McMullen manor who lost their homes in this terrible tragedy. I also want to convey our appreciation to all South Frontenac Fire & Rescue (SFFR) personnel, as well as our neighbouring fire departments in Kingston and Stone Mills that came to assist last night,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “While it is devastating to know many lost their homes last night, I am thankful that there was no loss of life and grateful to the Red Cross, Victim Services, the Verona Free Methodist Church, Frontenac Paramedics and the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP for providing support to our residents during this difficult time.”\nThere has been an out-pouring of support from community members for the residents. Over 100 people have contacted the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation asking how they can be of help.\n“It is more helpful to provide a cash donations than clothes or other items,” said Pastor Casement of the VFM Church.\nSupport for residents is being co-ordinated by the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation.\n“It is best to call 546-5591 and ask for Lori,” she added.\nInvestigators from the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office arrived on the scene late on Friday morning to begin the job of determining the cause of the fire.\nFire Chief Knott said that, while the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, it is not considered a suspicious fire but added that it is the job of the Fire Marshall's office to make that determination.",
"Fire destroys McMullen Manor in Verona",
"On Thursday night at about 10pm a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex with 28 one bedroom units in Verona. A smoke alarm alerted a resid..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:58 | null | 2021-01-06T20:37:37 |
Saying he was “ticked off” when his submissions to a municipal modernisation review process in the summer of 2020 were not reflected in the final repo...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14517-single-tier-discussion-for-frontenac-county-ends-before-it-starts.json
|
en
| null |
Single tier discussion for Frontenac County ends before it starts
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021
Saying he was “ticked off” when his submissions to a municipal modernisation review process in the summer of 2020 were not reflected in the final report, North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins presented some of his ideas in the form of a councilor report to the final Frontenac County meeting of 2020 on December 16th.
He said there are many challenges when independent bodies such as the four Frontenac Townships and Frontenac County try to work toward shared services.
“I also believe that we are providing services at higher than required costs. By taking the action to reduce Council members, moving to a single tier system and restructuring operations we will reduce current costs by an estimated $750K per year over time,” he said in his report
But before going any further, Higgins acknowledged that he was already aware of the “reluctance of this Council to consider a Single Tier municipality” and said that in considering how to modernise service delivery, council should consider creating a municipal services corporation in order to implement changes.
Later in the report, he provided a very high level outline of a new look Frontenac County that would effect not only Frontenac County, but the City of Kingston, the County of Lennox and Addington and Renfrew County.
The six point outline includes the annexation of Frontenac Islands township by the City of Kingston, and the annexation of those parts of Kingston located north of Highway 401 by Frontenac County. It called for the elimination of the County level of government and the establishment of a single township made up of South, Central and North Frontenac. It also sees a portion of North Frontenac being annexed into Renfrew County (The Norcan Lake area) because it cannot be serviced by North Frontenac staff, and the annexation of the west half of Cloyne by Frontenac County.
When the report came to council for discussion, it was indeed the single-tier proposal that members of Council talked about.
Councillor Revill from South Frontenac said “there are a lot of ideas here, For me at first look the material needs more clarity about some of the assumptions, and the boundary suggestions would present concerns in those areas. Nor sure if today is the best day to look into it, but I am willing ot look at it.
Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said “I am not willing to look at a single tier. There are very few single-tier municipalities across the Province and I think there is a reason for that.”
“I would not entertain restructuring at this point,” said Councillor Bill MacDonald, also from Central Frontenac. I was involved last time and it wasn't a very pleasant experience.”
Newly minted County Warden Ron Vandewal said “Could we put this off. We don't have a lot of time today. Maybe we can defer it until sometime in the first quarter of next year.”
Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle moved for a deferral, but before that could be voted on, Ron Higgins said that the “reason I brought this forward was that my input was not included in the modernization review ... I was going to call for an investigation at the time, but that would not have served any purpose. I realise that everybody is against single tier and I respect that, but if the current government is re-elected they are going to act on municipal reform, and I want to make sure that everything we do comes from a single tier municipal perspective because it might be coming ... We do not have to create a municipal services corporation as long as we agree to look at everything we do from that perspective.”
Higgins then said that he did not think it necessary to defer the discussion, and offered to rescind his original motion.
Warden Vandewal said to Higgins, “I think you made an assumption when you said that everybody is opposed to at least discussing single-tier”
“I'm ok with that because as I said I am beating my head against the wall,” said Higgins.
The motion that “county council open discussions on the correspondence received from Councillor Higgins regarding working towards a Single Tier municipality for Frontenac,” was then withdrawn by the mover, Higgins himself.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14517-single-tier-discussion-for-frontenac-county-ends-before-it-starts
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/83e8a0397135307b0fba8ed64c36a1caff702bf4ade08f7dfb9724880a0167e2.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021\nSaying he was “ticked off” when his submissions to a municipal modernisation review process in the summer of 2020 were not reflected in the final report, North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins presented some of his ideas in the form of a councilor report to the final Frontenac County meeting of 2020 on December 16th.\nHe said there are many challenges when independent bodies such as the four Frontenac Townships and Frontenac County try to work toward shared services.\n“I also believe that we are providing services at higher than required costs. By taking the action to reduce Council members, moving to a single tier system and restructuring operations we will reduce current costs by an estimated $750K per year over time,” he said in his report\nBut before going any further, Higgins acknowledged that he was already aware of the “reluctance of this Council to consider a Single Tier municipality” and said that in considering how to modernise service delivery, council should consider creating a municipal services corporation in order to implement changes.\nLater in the report, he provided a very high level outline of a new look Frontenac County that would effect not only Frontenac County, but the City of Kingston, the County of Lennox and Addington and Renfrew County.\nThe six point outline includes the annexation of Frontenac Islands township by the City of Kingston, and the annexation of those parts of Kingston located north of Highway 401 by Frontenac County. It called for the elimination of the County level of government and the establishment of a single township made up of South, Central and North Frontenac. It also sees a portion of North Frontenac being annexed into Renfrew County (The Norcan Lake area) because it cannot be serviced by North Frontenac staff, and the annexation of the west half of Cloyne by Frontenac County.\nWhen the report came to council for discussion, it was indeed the single-tier proposal that members of Council talked about.\nCouncillor Revill from South Frontenac said “there are a lot of ideas here, For me at first look the material needs more clarity about some of the assumptions, and the boundary suggestions would present concerns in those areas. Nor sure if today is the best day to look into it, but I am willing ot look at it.\nCentral Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said “I am not willing to look at a single tier. There are very few single-tier municipalities across the Province and I think there is a reason for that.”\n“I would not entertain restructuring at this point,” said Councillor Bill MacDonald, also from Central Frontenac. I was involved last time and it wasn't a very pleasant experience.”\nNewly minted County Warden Ron Vandewal said “Could we put this off. We don't have a lot of time today. Maybe we can defer it until sometime in the first quarter of next year.”\nFrontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle moved for a deferral, but before that could be voted on, Ron Higgins said that the “reason I brought this forward was that my input was not included in the modernization review ... I was going to call for an investigation at the time, but that would not have served any purpose. I realise that everybody is against single tier and I respect that, but if the current government is re-elected they are going to act on municipal reform, and I want to make sure that everything we do comes from a single tier municipal perspective because it might be coming ... We do not have to create a municipal services corporation as long as we agree to look at everything we do from that perspective.”\nHiggins then said that he did not think it necessary to defer the discussion, and offered to rescind his original motion.\nWarden Vandewal said to Higgins, “I think you made an assumption when you said that everybody is opposed to at least discussing single-tier”\n“I'm ok with that because as I said I am beating my head against the wall,” said Higgins.\nThe motion that “county council open discussions on the correspondence received from Councillor Higgins regarding working towards a Single Tier municipality for Frontenac,” was then withdrawn by the mover, Higgins himself.",
"Single tier discussion for Frontenac County ends before it starts",
"Saying he was “ticked off” when his submissions to a municipal modernisation review process in the summer of 2020 were not reflected in the final repo..."
] |
|
[
"Wilma Kenny"
] | 2021-01-19T11:52:00 | null | 2021-01-13T16:59:03 |
Two Mills, a Dam and a Biosphere… Council received three virtual delegations requesting financial help from the 2021 budget. First up were Bob Brown,...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14530-south-frontenac-council-january-12-2021.json
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en
| null |
South Frontenac Council
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Wilma Kenny | Jan 13, 2021
Two Mills, a Dam and a Biosphere…
Council received three virtual delegations requesting financial help from the 2021 budget. First up were Bob Brown, member of Save the Bellrock Mill Committee and John McDougall, president of the South Frontenac Museum Society. They asked Council to consider setting aside the sum of $60,000 with the Recreation Committee as part of its Master Plan, to be reserved for “preservation, landscaping and signage of publicly owned buildings of historical significance in the Township.” Both the Petworth Mill, which belongs to the Township, and the Bellrock Mill are in rapidly deteriorating states. Petworth needs stonework stabilization, brush and tree removal and safety fencing before it can become a small public picnic area. Bellrock, a once historic site operated as a living exhibit, had been sold to a private citizen and may soon re-enter the market. The Museum Society is proposing that with Township support, they would work in conjunction with the Bellrock Mill Committee to raise funds and direct the mill reclamation projects. Their proposal included a two-phase business plan with cost estimates.
Mary Rae representing the Fourteen Island & Mink Lakes watershed Association (FIMLA) asked for a $5,000 capital contribution to the reconstruction of the dam on the south side of 14 Island lake, and $10,000 in-kind services to clear an access road to the site. The dam, which controls water flow into Spring and Verona Lakes, was built in the 1800’s, rehabilitated in the 1950s, and last repaired in 1974, at which time the Township contributed 30% of costs. Last year, after Quinte Conservation’s inspection showed the dam to be “in fair to poor condition” FIMLA hired a consulting firm at a cost of $8,500 to recommend repair strategy and estimate costs ($140,000). FIMLA plans to resume its fund-raising (now hampered by Covid) as soon as possible.
Julie Servant, Executive Director of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network, requested the Township’s ongoing support in the amount of $5,200 through 2021 to continue FAB’s community relationship building, program development and new project initiation. She noted that municipal support helps them secure funding from other sources such as grants.
Public Meeting
A pubic meeting was opened to hear public comments on four planning related issues.
First was an application to close and transfer ownership of a portion of unopened road allowance between Concession 9 & 10, Lot 20, known as part of Christel Lane, District of Storrington, Dog Lake. The developer’s original request had been deferred until adjoining property owners could be contacted to achieve a ‘more rational division’ of the remaining segments of the road allowance.
A second unopened road allowance is a segment crossing a large peninsula on Buck Bay, Bob’s Lake. Planning staff and Public Services staff visited the site on September 9, 2020. Public Services staff advised that they have no issues with selling the road allowance as there is no public access by vehicle or boat, and there is very little chance that a public road or boat launch will ever be feasible at this location. Notice of the proposed road closure and the public meeting has been circulated publicly and to all adjacent landowners.
The third meeting concerns an application to rezone a property on Hidden Valley Lane, Buck Lake, to recognize the existence of two residences, a rented house and a winterized cottage, on property owned by Councillor Randy Ruttan. Both dwellings were constructed in 1962. A neighbour, Scott Meskis, has said he has no objection to the existing houses, but would be opposed to any further development on the property.
The fourth proposal is to rezone 24.64 acres on Davison Road, Loughborough Lake, which has private lane access, from Open Space Zone to Limited Service Residential- Waterfront-Special Provision, to permit construction of a dwelling. The Planning department has recommended “that South Frontenac Council defer making a decision on application Z-20-15 to receive and consider peer review, agency and public comments on the application.”
Johnston Point Issues
The Development Department recommends that Council pass a resolution that they have no objection to the extension of draft plan approval for Johnston Point of Condominium by the County of Frontenac.
There are two owners of Johnson Point, and to date, Magenta Corporation has not had the authority to sign the condominium agreement on behalf of the other owner (who has refused to cooperate). As such, the Mayor and Clerk have been unable to execute the condominium agreement, and until the condominium agreement is executed, Township staff cannot complete the clearance letter and submit it to the County. Although the Judge has agreed that Magenta can sign on behalf of the other owner, the township solicitor still has not received formal documentation.
The findings of a Closed Meeting Investigation resulting from an allegation that Council had improperly held closed sessions in Oct 2016 and again July 2020, both times in relation to the Johnston Point subdivision, has been released by Council. Although there is no requirement that it be made public, the full 8-page report and recommendations can be read on the Township’s website. John Mascarin of Aird and Berlis determined that neither Council nor the Committee breached the closed meeting provisions of section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 or the Procedure By-law.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14530-south-frontenac-council-january-12-2021
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/ddb7b7fa81604d564f10df34b69f509e1c142465d56e4db2b966e7725b124f95.json
|
[
"Wilma Kenny | Jan 13, 2021\nTwo Mills, a Dam and a Biosphere…\nCouncil received three virtual delegations requesting financial help from the 2021 budget. First up were Bob Brown, member of Save the Bellrock Mill Committee and John McDougall, president of the South Frontenac Museum Society. They asked Council to consider setting aside the sum of $60,000 with the Recreation Committee as part of its Master Plan, to be reserved for “preservation, landscaping and signage of publicly owned buildings of historical significance in the Township.” Both the Petworth Mill, which belongs to the Township, and the Bellrock Mill are in rapidly deteriorating states. Petworth needs stonework stabilization, brush and tree removal and safety fencing before it can become a small public picnic area. Bellrock, a once historic site operated as a living exhibit, had been sold to a private citizen and may soon re-enter the market. The Museum Society is proposing that with Township support, they would work in conjunction with the Bellrock Mill Committee to raise funds and direct the mill reclamation projects. Their proposal included a two-phase business plan with cost estimates.\nMary Rae representing the Fourteen Island & Mink Lakes watershed Association (FIMLA) asked for a $5,000 capital contribution to the reconstruction of the dam on the south side of 14 Island lake, and $10,000 in-kind services to clear an access road to the site. The dam, which controls water flow into Spring and Verona Lakes, was built in the 1800’s, rehabilitated in the 1950s, and last repaired in 1974, at which time the Township contributed 30% of costs. Last year, after Quinte Conservation’s inspection showed the dam to be “in fair to poor condition” FIMLA hired a consulting firm at a cost of $8,500 to recommend repair strategy and estimate costs ($140,000). FIMLA plans to resume its fund-raising (now hampered by Covid) as soon as possible.\nJulie Servant, Executive Director of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network, requested the Township’s ongoing support in the amount of $5,200 through 2021 to continue FAB’s community relationship building, program development and new project initiation. She noted that municipal support helps them secure funding from other sources such as grants.\nPublic Meeting\nA pubic meeting was opened to hear public comments on four planning related issues.\nFirst was an application to close and transfer ownership of a portion of unopened road allowance between Concession 9 & 10, Lot 20, known as part of Christel Lane, District of Storrington, Dog Lake. The developer’s original request had been deferred until adjoining property owners could be contacted to achieve a ‘more rational division’ of the remaining segments of the road allowance.\nA second unopened road allowance is a segment crossing a large peninsula on Buck Bay, Bob’s Lake. Planning staff and Public Services staff visited the site on September 9, 2020. Public Services staff advised that they have no issues with selling the road allowance as there is no public access by vehicle or boat, and there is very little chance that a public road or boat launch will ever be feasible at this location. Notice of the proposed road closure and the public meeting has been circulated publicly and to all adjacent landowners.\nThe third meeting concerns an application to rezone a property on Hidden Valley Lane, Buck Lake, to recognize the existence of two residences, a rented house and a winterized cottage, on property owned by Councillor Randy Ruttan. Both dwellings were constructed in 1962. A neighbour, Scott Meskis, has said he has no objection to the existing houses, but would be opposed to any further development on the property.\nThe fourth proposal is to rezone 24.64 acres on Davison Road, Loughborough Lake, which has private lane access, from Open Space Zone to Limited Service Residential- Waterfront-Special Provision, to permit construction of a dwelling. The Planning department has recommended “that South Frontenac Council defer making a decision on application Z-20-15 to receive and consider peer review, agency and public comments on the application.”\nJohnston Point Issues\nThe Development Department recommends that Council pass a resolution that they have no objection to the extension of draft plan approval for Johnston Point of Condominium by the County of Frontenac.\nThere are two owners of Johnson Point, and to date, Magenta Corporation has not had the authority to sign the condominium agreement on behalf of the other owner (who has refused to cooperate). As such, the Mayor and Clerk have been unable to execute the condominium agreement, and until the condominium agreement is executed, Township staff cannot complete the clearance letter and submit it to the County. Although the Judge has agreed that Magenta can sign on behalf of the other owner, the township solicitor still has not received formal documentation.\nThe findings of a Closed Meeting Investigation resulting from an allegation that Council had improperly held closed sessions in Oct 2016 and again July 2020, both times in relation to the Johnston Point subdivision, has been released by Council. Although there is no requirement that it be made public, the full 8-page report and recommendations can be read on the Township’s website. John Mascarin of Aird and Berlis determined that neither Council nor the Committee breached the closed meeting provisions of section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 or the Procedure By-law.",
"South Frontenac Council",
"Two Mills, a Dam and a Biosphere… Council received three virtual delegations requesting financial help from the 2021 budget. First up were Bob Brown,..."
] |
|
[
"News Staff"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:43 | null | 2021-01-06T20:37:15 |
The Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board unanimously approved the Chief Librarian’s recommendation to permanently eliminate late-return fines on al...
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14511-kfpl-goes-fine-free.json
|
en
| null |
KFPL Goes Fine-Free
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jan 06, 2021
The Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board unanimously approved the Chief Librarian’s recommendation to permanently eliminate late-return fines on all library materials in 2021.
“Hundreds of libraries across North America have already taken this step,” says Laura Carter, Chief Librarian and CEO. “It’s a fundamental change to how we operate – essential to making our library truly equitable and accessible for all.”
16,326 patrons of KFPL currently owe fines for overdue items, and 913 are unable to borrow library materials at all because they owe more than $20.
“Removing this financial barrier will make a positive difference to so many,” says Monica Stewart, Chair of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board. “It sends out a clear message that we are here for everyone - and our staff will be able to focus on the positive with our patrons, connecting them with everything the library has to offer.”
To help make the fine-free announcement, KFPL put out a call for homemade snowflakes. Each snowflake displayed on the windows of the Central Branch represents one of those 913 blocked accounts. All 16 branches of the Library will join in the celebrations with their own snowflake display. “We would have a difficult time making enough snowflakes to truly express the impact of this change,” says Carter. “913 accounts are blocked, but that’s only part of the story. 6,078 patrons with fines haven’t used the Library at all this year. There are countless others in our communities that don’t have a library card because they are afraid of incurring fines or have had negative experiences at the Library because of fines.”
Staff have already begun the process of removing all existing overdue charges from patron accounts. Charges for lost or damaged materials will still apply -- but if you have recently discovered long lost library materials, simply put them in the return chute at any branch. Staff will clear any lost charges from your account, with no questions asked and no late fees applied.
While you may suspect that removing fines will result in fewer items returning on time, other libraries have seen continued respect for due dates along with an increase in borrowing. “Our community values this shared resource,” said Carter. “We’re confident most items will still come back come on time. But sometimes life gets busy, and getting items back a few days late shouldn’t be a cause for worry.”
Some people viewed their overdue fines as a donation to the Library. KFPL would be delighted to receive donations in celebration of this milestone, or at any point during the year. “Many people already donate regularly to help support library programs and services, or in appreciation for the work we do in the community, and we are very grateful for that,” says Carter. She hopes that anyone able to do so will consider donating the amount they would have paid in fines. Donations can be accepted at any branch or made online. The Library is a registered charity and tax receipts can be issued for donations of $10 or more.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14511-kfpl-goes-fine-free
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/be6ebe6ec5470bbf5dc1ee0e68c5b18c727bca78e12ccecf5bd4ff90eb0de40a.json
|
[
"Jan 06, 2021\nThe Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board unanimously approved the Chief Librarian’s recommendation to permanently eliminate late-return fines on all library materials in 2021.\n“Hundreds of libraries across North America have already taken this step,” says Laura Carter, Chief Librarian and CEO. “It’s a fundamental change to how we operate – essential to making our library truly equitable and accessible for all.”\n16,326 patrons of KFPL currently owe fines for overdue items, and 913 are unable to borrow library materials at all because they owe more than $20.\n“Removing this financial barrier will make a positive difference to so many,” says Monica Stewart, Chair of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board. “It sends out a clear message that we are here for everyone - and our staff will be able to focus on the positive with our patrons, connecting them with everything the library has to offer.”\nTo help make the fine-free announcement, KFPL put out a call for homemade snowflakes. Each snowflake displayed on the windows of the Central Branch represents one of those 913 blocked accounts. All 16 branches of the Library will join in the celebrations with their own snowflake display. “We would have a difficult time making enough snowflakes to truly express the impact of this change,” says Carter. “913 accounts are blocked, but that’s only part of the story. 6,078 patrons with fines haven’t used the Library at all this year. There are countless others in our communities that don’t have a library card because they are afraid of incurring fines or have had negative experiences at the Library because of fines.”\nStaff have already begun the process of removing all existing overdue charges from patron accounts. Charges for lost or damaged materials will still apply -- but if you have recently discovered long lost library materials, simply put them in the return chute at any branch. Staff will clear any lost charges from your account, with no questions asked and no late fees applied.\nWhile you may suspect that removing fines will result in fewer items returning on time, other libraries have seen continued respect for due dates along with an increase in borrowing. “Our community values this shared resource,” said Carter. “We’re confident most items will still come back come on time. But sometimes life gets busy, and getting items back a few days late shouldn’t be a cause for worry.”\nSome people viewed their overdue fines as a donation to the Library. KFPL would be delighted to receive donations in celebration of this milestone, or at any point during the year. “Many people already donate regularly to help support library programs and services, or in appreciation for the work we do in the community, and we are very grateful for that,” says Carter. She hopes that anyone able to do so will consider donating the amount they would have paid in fines. Donations can be accepted at any branch or made online. The Library is a registered charity and tax receipts can be issued for donations of $10 or more.",
"KFPL Goes Fine-Free",
"The Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board unanimously approved the Chief Librarian’s recommendation to permanently eliminate late-return fines on al..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-19T11:52:10 | null | 2021-01-13T17:00:13 |
On Thursday night, at about 10pm, a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex in Verona that had 28 one-bedroom units. A smoke alarm alerted a...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14535-community-effort-continues-in-verona-to-support-former-mcmullen-manor-residents.json
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en
| null |
Community effort continues in Verona to support former McMullen Manor residents
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
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A devastating fire at McMullen Manor in Verona, has left approximately 30 people homeless. The community has rallied in support of the victims.
Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021
On Thursday night, at about 10pm, a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex in Verona that had 28 one-bedroom units.
A smoke alarm alerted a resident to the fire who called it in. The first crews from South Frontenac Fire Services arrived at about 10:20pm.
“When the crews arrived several of the units in the building were fully engaged and they could see that the fire had spread to the attic,” said a tired Darcy Knott, South Frontenac Fire Chief, when contacted from the site late Friday morning. (January 8)
Working with the OPP, South Frontenac crews determined that all of the residents of the Manor were safe.
“The fire was very aggressive,” said Knott, and after surveying the perimeter, crews began attacking it from the exterior, the goal being to put it out as quickly as possible, making sure it did not spread to any neighbouring buildings.
Members of the Verona Free Methodist Church, which is located nearby, quickly opened the church and put coffee on. Residents from McMullen Manor took refuge in the church, and when 2 officials from the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation, including Executive Director Mary-Lyn Cousins Brame, arrived on the scene, they met the residents there.
McMullen Manor was owned and operated by the housing corporation, which manages subsidised housing properties for residents of the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.
Pastor Kathy Casement, of the Free Methodist Church (FMC), arrived on the scene at about 11:30. “Everything became very organised very quickly,” she said. “There was support from the housing corporation, victims services, and the OPP. Some of our church members were even able to bring some clothes out from the Style Revival [the used closing store run out of the church] for people who had nothing to wear. Most of the residents from McMullen Manor were in shock. They were sitting quietly, staring off into space.”
A number of the residents were picked up by family and friends from the Verona vicinity, and some ended up being driven to Kingston, where they are staying in a hotel with Kingston Frontenac Housing covering their immediate expenses.
“By about 2:30 am, everyone had left, and we closed up and went home. It all happened really quickly, when you think about it,” she said. Three of the residents at the Manor are members of the Verona Free Methodist, and church members are committed to supporting them, as well as all of those who lost all of their belongings, and their housing, in a matter of minutes.
Fire crews worked all night on the fire, which was still smouldering on Thursday morning.
Five South Frontenac Fire Services Stations responded to the incident, consisting of upwards of 50 volunteer firefighters and 17 apparatus. An Aerial Truck from Kingston Fire & Rescue and an extra tanker from Stone Mills Fire Department were also dispatched to assist.
“A lot of water was required, especially for the aerial truck, and it required quite an effort in terms of water shuttle for our department, but we kept the water coming,” said Knott.
Road 38 (Verona Main Street) was closed through Verona all night, with a detour using Hinchinbrooke and Desert Lake Roads, but re-opened at 7am.
“We did not want the detour to be in place in the morning, with all the commuter traffic coming through,” said Knott.
Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office arrived on the scene late on Friday morning, to begin the job of determining the cause of the fire.
Fire Chief Knott said that, while the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, it is not considered a suspicious fire, but he added that it is the job of the Fire Marshal's Office to make that determination.
There was no loss of human life in the fire, but as of Tuesday, one person was still in KGH as a result of injuries sustained in the fire, and a number of pets perished.
Since the weekend, a community effort aimed at supporting over 30 people who have lost their homes and their possessions has taken hold in Verona and other South Frontenac Communities.
The Verona Community Association (VCA), Southern Frontenac Community Services, the VFMC, and the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation have been working together to deal with an outpouring of support from far and wide.
Linda Bates, from the VCA, spent much of the weekend with another member of the association, cooking food for the first responders and Fire Marshall’s office members who remained at the scene until lake Sunday, making sure the fire scene was safe.
Trying to deal with offers of clothing, food, and furniture has been a major concern for all concerned. While they recommended from the start that people provide only cash donations, clothing and other items were being accepted at first, but not anymore.
“Please notify all contacts that we no longer require clothing or household items at this time. We are thankful for everything that has been donated but all locations are full at this time,” Linda Bates wrote to supporters on Monday morning.”
Pastor Casement posted on Sunday that financial donations are being accepted at all Verona Churches, yourverona.ca (the VCA website) and Southern Frontenac Community Services, which is the central location where all the funds will be gathered for distribution.
“Also, Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation is looking for places to rent for their tenants. If you have, or know of, a place to rent in Kingston, Verona, or South Frontenac Township, please go to their website khfc.ca/contact-us and leave a message. They will be in contact with you” said Pastor Casement.
Melissa Elliott, the Volunteer Co-ordinator with Southern Frontenac Community Services, is the liaison person for anyone offering furniture, and she is working on that with the Sydenham Legion. She can be contacted at 613-376-6477 ext. 209
Formal and informal fundraising events have sprung up around the township. One of them is called “Kitchen Aid for McMullen Manor, hosted by former Verona resident Leann Benoit. For information, call 766-6601 and Kerri Pringle.
Other efforts are underway and some of them can be accessed through the What’s Happening South Frontenac Facebook Group.
“On behalf of Council and our community, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the residents of McMullen Manor who lost their homes in this terrible tragedy. I also want to convey our appreciation to all South Frontenac Fire & Rescue (SFFR) personnel, as well as our neighbouring fire departments in Kingston and Stone Mills that came to assist last night,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “While it is devastating to know many lost their homes last night, I am thankful that there was no loss of life and grateful to the Red Cross, Victim Services, the Verona Free Methodist Church, Frontenac Paramedics and the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP for providing support to our residents during this difficult time,” said South Frontenac Mayor Vandewal in a statement that was released by South Frontenac Township over the weekend.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14535-community-effort-continues-in-verona-to-support-former-mcmullen-manor-residents
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/7b51ac4d6e4127adbd48f5b2fe0d652d51e54df3653f1bbd70e5163e64f7e4c3.json
|
[
"A devastating fire at McMullen Manor in Verona, has left approximately 30 people homeless. The community has rallied in support of the victims.\nJeff Green | Jan 13, 2021\nOn Thursday night, at about 10pm, a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex in Verona that had 28 one-bedroom units.\nA smoke alarm alerted a resident to the fire who called it in. The first crews from South Frontenac Fire Services arrived at about 10:20pm.\n“When the crews arrived several of the units in the building were fully engaged and they could see that the fire had spread to the attic,” said a tired Darcy Knott, South Frontenac Fire Chief, when contacted from the site late Friday morning. (January 8)\nWorking with the OPP, South Frontenac crews determined that all of the residents of the Manor were safe.\n“The fire was very aggressive,” said Knott, and after surveying the perimeter, crews began attacking it from the exterior, the goal being to put it out as quickly as possible, making sure it did not spread to any neighbouring buildings.\nMembers of the Verona Free Methodist Church, which is located nearby, quickly opened the church and put coffee on. Residents from McMullen Manor took refuge in the church, and when 2 officials from the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation, including Executive Director Mary-Lyn Cousins Brame, arrived on the scene, they met the residents there.\nMcMullen Manor was owned and operated by the housing corporation, which manages subsidised housing properties for residents of the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.\nPastor Kathy Casement, of the Free Methodist Church (FMC), arrived on the scene at about 11:30. “Everything became very organised very quickly,” she said. “There was support from the housing corporation, victims services, and the OPP. Some of our church members were even able to bring some clothes out from the Style Revival [the used closing store run out of the church] for people who had nothing to wear. Most of the residents from McMullen Manor were in shock. They were sitting quietly, staring off into space.”\nA number of the residents were picked up by family and friends from the Verona vicinity, and some ended up being driven to Kingston, where they are staying in a hotel with Kingston Frontenac Housing covering their immediate expenses.\n“By about 2:30 am, everyone had left, and we closed up and went home. It all happened really quickly, when you think about it,” she said. Three of the residents at the Manor are members of the Verona Free Methodist, and church members are committed to supporting them, as well as all of those who lost all of their belongings, and their housing, in a matter of minutes.\nFire crews worked all night on the fire, which was still smouldering on Thursday morning.\nFive South Frontenac Fire Services Stations responded to the incident, consisting of upwards of 50 volunteer firefighters and 17 apparatus. An Aerial Truck from Kingston Fire & Rescue and an extra tanker from Stone Mills Fire Department were also dispatched to assist.\n“A lot of water was required, especially for the aerial truck, and it required quite an effort in terms of water shuttle for our department, but we kept the water coming,” said Knott.\nRoad 38 (Verona Main Street) was closed through Verona all night, with a detour using Hinchinbrooke and Desert Lake Roads, but re-opened at 7am.\n“We did not want the detour to be in place in the morning, with all the commuter traffic coming through,” said Knott.\nInvestigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office arrived on the scene late on Friday morning, to begin the job of determining the cause of the fire.\nFire Chief Knott said that, while the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, it is not considered a suspicious fire, but he added that it is the job of the Fire Marshal's Office to make that determination.\nThere was no loss of human life in the fire, but as of Tuesday, one person was still in KGH as a result of injuries sustained in the fire, and a number of pets perished.\nSince the weekend, a community effort aimed at supporting over 30 people who have lost their homes and their possessions has taken hold in Verona and other South Frontenac Communities.\nThe Verona Community Association (VCA), Southern Frontenac Community Services, the VFMC, and the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation have been working together to deal with an outpouring of support from far and wide.\nLinda Bates, from the VCA, spent much of the weekend with another member of the association, cooking food for the first responders and Fire Marshall’s office members who remained at the scene until lake Sunday, making sure the fire scene was safe.\nTrying to deal with offers of clothing, food, and furniture has been a major concern for all concerned. While they recommended from the start that people provide only cash donations, clothing and other items were being accepted at first, but not anymore.\n“Please notify all contacts that we no longer require clothing or household items at this time. We are thankful for everything that has been donated but all locations are full at this time,” Linda Bates wrote to supporters on Monday morning.”\nPastor Casement posted on Sunday that financial donations are being accepted at all Verona Churches, yourverona.ca (the VCA website) and Southern Frontenac Community Services, which is the central location where all the funds will be gathered for distribution.\n“Also, Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation is looking for places to rent for their tenants. If you have, or know of, a place to rent in Kingston, Verona, or South Frontenac Township, please go to their website khfc.ca/contact-us and leave a message. They will be in contact with you” said Pastor Casement.\nMelissa Elliott, the Volunteer Co-ordinator with Southern Frontenac Community Services, is the liaison person for anyone offering furniture, and she is working on that with the Sydenham Legion. She can be contacted at 613-376-6477 ext. 209\nFormal and informal fundraising events have sprung up around the township. One of them is called “Kitchen Aid for McMullen Manor, hosted by former Verona resident Leann Benoit. For information, call 766-6601 and Kerri Pringle.\nOther efforts are underway and some of them can be accessed through the What’s Happening South Frontenac Facebook Group.\n“On behalf of Council and our community, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the residents of McMullen Manor who lost their homes in this terrible tragedy. I also want to convey our appreciation to all South Frontenac Fire & Rescue (SFFR) personnel, as well as our neighbouring fire departments in Kingston and Stone Mills that came to assist last night,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “While it is devastating to know many lost their homes last night, I am thankful that there was no loss of life and grateful to the Red Cross, Victim Services, the Verona Free Methodist Church, Frontenac Paramedics and the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP for providing support to our residents during this difficult time,” said South Frontenac Mayor Vandewal in a statement that was released by South Frontenac Township over the weekend.",
"Community effort continues in Verona to support former McMullen Manor residents",
"On Thursday night, at about 10pm, a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex in Verona that had 28 one-bedroom units. A smoke alarm alerted a..."
] |
|
[
"Norah Newton"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:38 | null | 2021-01-06T20:37:49 |
From relationships to employment, food shortages to mental health, Covid-19 has affected almost all aspects of our daily life. A unique challenge howe...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fcentral-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14514-the-life-of-a-student-in-2020.json
|
en
| null |
The Life Of A Student In 2020
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Norah Newton | Jan 06, 2021
From relationships to employment, food shortages to mental health, Covid-19 has affected almost all aspects of our daily life. A unique challenge however, is presented to youth. School-aged children have been forced to adapt to a new, and often rushed, form of learning. “Normal” classes are non-existent, with multiple class and semester styles being used-even within the same board.
As most of us know, Ontario is back on lockdown due to Covid-19. For highschool students, this means school will shift to being completely online, at least until January 28th.
Before the lockdown was announced, Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC), the K-12 school located in Sharbot Lake, was operating fairly normally, albeit with understandable restrictions.
GREC has definitely been affected less than the vast majority of other schools in Ontario. The classes/semesters are structured the same as any other year which takes the pressure off GREC students to adjust to a whole new system of learning.
Students still miss many aspects of a regular school year however, with the most common complaint being the loss of extracurriculars.
Isaak Normile, a grade 11 student at GREC, stated that that was his biggest dislike about this year.
“There’s no extracurricular activities,” said Normile, “Although I do understand it. There’s no way around it, but for someone who would usually like school for all the extracurriculars, that enjoyment isn't there anymore.”
Keeley Cox, a senior at GREC, also offered her perspective.
“I’m very sports-heavy, and, especially because it’s my last year, I miss the sports, but I honestly think that having to focus on the academic aspect of school is one of the best things to come out of this school year.”
Another aspect of school that students missed was the freedom they had during other years.
“There’s a lot of boundaries.” Said grade 9 student Braidey Merrigan. “We can’t use lockers, and most of the stuff that was really exciting about highschool kind of dropped, again like the sports and after school activities.”
Even seemingly small things made an impact on students.
“I don’t like having to eat in the cafeteria,” Keeley Cox laughed, “it’s so weird, because the cafeteria is really loud and not a place I was really in during previous years.”
Despite the complaints however, students agreed that they were all lucky to be at GREC as opposed to a school that was almost exclusively online or, like the rest of the Limestone Board, doing “octmesters”, 8 semesters within the one year.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/central-frontenac-news/item/14514-the-life-of-a-student-in-2020
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/2243f3379571d3cbd5349ebe41a927d2a696ac8229a7fbfb264232b175434e64.json
|
[
"Norah Newton | Jan 06, 2021\nFrom relationships to employment, food shortages to mental health, Covid-19 has affected almost all aspects of our daily life. A unique challenge however, is presented to youth. School-aged children have been forced to adapt to a new, and often rushed, form of learning. “Normal” classes are non-existent, with multiple class and semester styles being used-even within the same board.\nAs most of us know, Ontario is back on lockdown due to Covid-19. For highschool students, this means school will shift to being completely online, at least until January 28th.\nBefore the lockdown was announced, Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC), the K-12 school located in Sharbot Lake, was operating fairly normally, albeit with understandable restrictions.\nGREC has definitely been affected less than the vast majority of other schools in Ontario. The classes/semesters are structured the same as any other year which takes the pressure off GREC students to adjust to a whole new system of learning.\nStudents still miss many aspects of a regular school year however, with the most common complaint being the loss of extracurriculars.\nIsaak Normile, a grade 11 student at GREC, stated that that was his biggest dislike about this year.\n“There’s no extracurricular activities,” said Normile, “Although I do understand it. There’s no way around it, but for someone who would usually like school for all the extracurriculars, that enjoyment isn't there anymore.”\nKeeley Cox, a senior at GREC, also offered her perspective.\n“I’m very sports-heavy, and, especially because it’s my last year, I miss the sports, but I honestly think that having to focus on the academic aspect of school is one of the best things to come out of this school year.”\nAnother aspect of school that students missed was the freedom they had during other years.\n“There’s a lot of boundaries.” Said grade 9 student Braidey Merrigan. “We can’t use lockers, and most of the stuff that was really exciting about highschool kind of dropped, again like the sports and after school activities.”\nEven seemingly small things made an impact on students.\n“I don’t like having to eat in the cafeteria,” Keeley Cox laughed, “it’s so weird, because the cafeteria is really loud and not a place I was really in during previous years.”\nDespite the complaints however, students agreed that they were all lucky to be at GREC as opposed to a school that was almost exclusively online or, like the rest of the Limestone Board, doing “octmesters”, 8 semesters within the one year.",
"The Life Of A Student In 2020",
"From relationships to employment, food shortages to mental health, Covid-19 has affected almost all aspects of our daily life. A unique challenge howe..."
] |
|
[
"News Staff"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:55 | null | 2021-01-13T16:58:25 |
The Dog and Cranberry Lake Association is participating in an environmental project that will identify the causes of the overgrowth of weeds and blue-...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14527-online-auction-to-support-environmental-project.json
|
en
| null |
Online auction to support environmental project
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jan 13, 2021
The Dog and Cranberry Lake Association is participating in an environmental project that will identify the causes of the overgrowth of weeds and blue-green algae blooms in local lakes, and help develop a strategy to manage and work towards reducing them.
This project is being coordinated by the Land Between, and is supported by Parks Canada, Watersheds Canada, Cataraqui Regional Conservation Authority, Queen’s University, and the Beatty Water Research staff. These organisations are all making significant financial/in-kind contributions of staff time, specialized equipment and grant money.
The beautiful nature of our lakes is a delicate balance of biodiversity that is disrupted when excessive amounts of nutrients, primarily nitrogen, are introduced to the water. They encourage plant growth of all kinds, including alien species such as the eurasian water-milfoil. They turn our lakes green and promote toxic blue-green algae blooms,” said Teresa Reeve of the Dog and Cranberry Lake Association.
Three interconnected lakes are being included in the study. Dog Lake, Cranberry Lake, and Colonel By Lake. The lakes are located near Battersea in the southeastern corner of South Frontenac, and are part of the Rideau Canal waterway.
They also form the very south eastern edge of the Frontenac Spur of the Canadian Shield. Like Bobs Lake, further to the northwest, Cranberry Lake was given its current form in the 19th century through the construction of a dam.
The cost of the research and action plan is $46,000, of which the Dog Lake Association needs to contribute $6,000.
“We are raising the funds using many different avenues one of which is a mini auction of donated items on our website January 17th and 18th” said Reeve.
The auction, which can be found at doglakeassociation.ca/p/Auction-Items includes items by Elinor Rush, Manuel Stevens, and others.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14527-online-auction-to-support-environmental-project
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/e363c6e24932e1a3da044d99799f6e9eaa63b6acb7beb2dd3c8c0e6dbb6dea13.json
|
[
"Jan 13, 2021\nThe Dog and Cranberry Lake Association is participating in an environmental project that will identify the causes of the overgrowth of weeds and blue-green algae blooms in local lakes, and help develop a strategy to manage and work towards reducing them.\nThis project is being coordinated by the Land Between, and is supported by Parks Canada, Watersheds Canada, Cataraqui Regional Conservation Authority, Queen’s University, and the Beatty Water Research staff. These organisations are all making significant financial/in-kind contributions of staff time, specialized equipment and grant money.\nThe beautiful nature of our lakes is a delicate balance of biodiversity that is disrupted when excessive amounts of nutrients, primarily nitrogen, are introduced to the water. They encourage plant growth of all kinds, including alien species such as the eurasian water-milfoil. They turn our lakes green and promote toxic blue-green algae blooms,” said Teresa Reeve of the Dog and Cranberry Lake Association.\nThree interconnected lakes are being included in the study. Dog Lake, Cranberry Lake, and Colonel By Lake. The lakes are located near Battersea in the southeastern corner of South Frontenac, and are part of the Rideau Canal waterway.\nThey also form the very south eastern edge of the Frontenac Spur of the Canadian Shield. Like Bobs Lake, further to the northwest, Cranberry Lake was given its current form in the 19th century through the construction of a dam.\nThe cost of the research and action plan is $46,000, of which the Dog Lake Association needs to contribute $6,000.\n“We are raising the funds using many different avenues one of which is a mini auction of donated items on our website January 17th and 18th” said Reeve.\nThe auction, which can be found at doglakeassociation.ca/p/Auction-Items includes items by Elinor Rush, Manuel Stevens, and others.",
"Online auction to support environmental project",
"The Dog and Cranberry Lake Association is participating in an environmental project that will identify the causes of the overgrowth of weeds and blue-..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:25 | null | 2021-01-13T16:59:18 |
Last year, in our first issue of the year, long before we had any idea that 2020 would be dominated by a pandemic that would have an impact on our dai...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Feditorials%2Fitem%2F14531-the-news-needs-your-help-this-year-but-our-restaurants-need-your-business-now.json
|
en
| null |
The News needs your help this year, but our restaurants need your business now
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021
Last year, in our first issue of the year, long before we had any idea that 2020 would be dominated by a pandemic that would have an impact on our daily lives for 9 months (and counting), we published a call for reader support.
It costs about $30 a year to deliver a newspaper 50 times a year to each of the 12,000 mailboxes in Frontenac County and Addington Highlands. We cover those costs with advertising dollars, and starting a few years ago, we began asking readers who are well disposed towards us, and can afford it, to pay towards printing, mailing, production and editorial costs to deliver the paper, and the online version, each week.
We have always had a good response. Many readers have sent us $30, and many others have sent more to cover for others who cannot afford a voluntary subscription. In addition to this annual editorial appeal, we run a house ad every once in a while. Every time a cheque for $25 or $30, or $50 or $100 arrives, or we get a call with a credit card or an e transfer, it helps financially, of course, but it helps our morale as well.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 impact on our communities became clear, rather than becoming irrelevant as we initially feared because the events that we promote each week were cancelled, our services seemed to become even more valuable to our readers. There is plenty of information (and misinformation) floating around about what has been going on in the world at large, but our focus on the local impacts of the pandemic, and ways we have been coping, has shown us that we are, if anything, more of a part of people's lives.
One way we know this is the case, has been the fact that the sponsorship line in our accounting software, which has risen every year, doubled in 2020 as compared to 2019.
While this did not cover all of our revenue losses from other sectors, it certainly helped, and we head into 2021, the 50th anniversary year for the “North Frontenac” and the 20th year since it became privately owned and operated, confident and committed in the importance and viability of our role in the communities that we serve.
For any of you who choose to support us this year, thank you in advance. And for those who read the paper weekly or on occasion, thank you as well. Reading the paper is itself a measure of support, and we urge all of our readers to patronise our advertisers, who make our communities what they are.
That brings me to the other part of this appeal. The hard reality we are all facing right now is that lockdown measures will be increased in the coming weeks, not relaxed.
While many of our local businesses, such as hardware stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies, have been able to remain busy and profitable in these circumstances, the impact on local restaurants has been severe.
They have had to adapt, each in their own way, to their dining rooms being closed.
The best way to support your local restaurant is to order take-out. It is also a great way to get a break from cooking.
In order to support local restaurants across the region, we are putting together an advertising feature that will begin running next week.
We hope the ads will create some interest in the fine food that is available for take-out and delivery throughout the region.
Because the restaurants are hurting in many cases, this is a free advertising feature.
Look for it, starting on January 21. But don’t wait until next week to order take-out. Give your favourite restaurant a call today.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/editorials/item/14531-the-news-needs-your-help-this-year-but-our-restaurants-need-your-business-now
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/d93190bc43b6c06d177f971db0dc54e46d5e191a2e3b64e57e17195710f0a57a.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021\nLast year, in our first issue of the year, long before we had any idea that 2020 would be dominated by a pandemic that would have an impact on our daily lives for 9 months (and counting), we published a call for reader support.\nIt costs about $30 a year to deliver a newspaper 50 times a year to each of the 12,000 mailboxes in Frontenac County and Addington Highlands. We cover those costs with advertising dollars, and starting a few years ago, we began asking readers who are well disposed towards us, and can afford it, to pay towards printing, mailing, production and editorial costs to deliver the paper, and the online version, each week.\nWe have always had a good response. Many readers have sent us $30, and many others have sent more to cover for others who cannot afford a voluntary subscription. In addition to this annual editorial appeal, we run a house ad every once in a while. Every time a cheque for $25 or $30, or $50 or $100 arrives, or we get a call with a credit card or an e transfer, it helps financially, of course, but it helps our morale as well.\nIn 2020, as the COVID-19 impact on our communities became clear, rather than becoming irrelevant as we initially feared because the events that we promote each week were cancelled, our services seemed to become even more valuable to our readers. There is plenty of information (and misinformation) floating around about what has been going on in the world at large, but our focus on the local impacts of the pandemic, and ways we have been coping, has shown us that we are, if anything, more of a part of people's lives.\nOne way we know this is the case, has been the fact that the sponsorship line in our accounting software, which has risen every year, doubled in 2020 as compared to 2019.\nWhile this did not cover all of our revenue losses from other sectors, it certainly helped, and we head into 2021, the 50th anniversary year for the “North Frontenac” and the 20th year since it became privately owned and operated, confident and committed in the importance and viability of our role in the communities that we serve.\nFor any of you who choose to support us this year, thank you in advance. And for those who read the paper weekly or on occasion, thank you as well. Reading the paper is itself a measure of support, and we urge all of our readers to patronise our advertisers, who make our communities what they are.\nThat brings me to the other part of this appeal. The hard reality we are all facing right now is that lockdown measures will be increased in the coming weeks, not relaxed.\nWhile many of our local businesses, such as hardware stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies, have been able to remain busy and profitable in these circumstances, the impact on local restaurants has been severe.\nThey have had to adapt, each in their own way, to their dining rooms being closed.\nThe best way to support your local restaurant is to order take-out. It is also a great way to get a break from cooking.\nIn order to support local restaurants across the region, we are putting together an advertising feature that will begin running next week.\nWe hope the ads will create some interest in the fine food that is available for take-out and delivery throughout the region.\nBecause the restaurants are hurting in many cases, this is a free advertising feature.\nLook for it, starting on January 21. But don’t wait until next week to order take-out. Give your favourite restaurant a call today.",
"The News needs your help this year, but our restaurants need your business now",
"Last year, in our first issue of the year, long before we had any idea that 2020 would be dominated by a pandemic that would have an impact on our dai..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:33 | null | 2021-01-06T20:38:34 |
Just like the rest of Ontario, Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) are in the dreaded COVID-19 Grey Zone, with only essential business...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Faddington-news%2Fitem%2F14518-local-covid-19-numbers-improve-in-late-december.json
|
en
| null |
Local COVID-19 numbers improve in late December
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021
Just like the rest of Ontario, Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) are in the dreaded COVID-19 Grey Zone, with only essential businesses remaining open to public traffic and suggested restrictions on social gatherings.
However, ever since the provincial lockdown was imposed on December 26, the case rate in KFL&A has been steady or decreasing. As of Monday, January 4th, the 7-day case rate stood at 19.2 per 100,000, and the positive test rate was 0.62%.
Under the provincial colour coded system, this would place the KFL&A catchment area in the Yellow Protect Zone. The Yellow Zone is for regions with a case rate of 10 -15 cases per 100,000 people, a positive testing rate of 0.5 – 1.2%, a stable community transmission rate, and adequate health care and contact tracing capacity.
The most concerning aspect of the report that was posted on the COFID-19 dashboard on the KFLA Public Health website on Monday was one new hospitalization for the virus. There were 3 people in hospital and 2 in Intensive Care in early December, and those cases have fortunately been resolved. The number of active cases, which topped 100 in the run-up to Christmas, has settled considerably and now sits at 45.
These new numbers reflect much of the impact of Christmas gatherings, as 10 days had elapsed since December 25th, but they do not reflect the impact of New Years gatherings within the region.
In Frontenac County, there have been 3 new cases in South Frontenac over the last 7 days, 43 since the outbreak began, and there was a new case confirmed in North Frontenac on December 30th, the second since the pandemic began. There have been no new cases in Central Frontenac since mid-December. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents of Addington Highlands at all.
During a Skype Press briefing on December 21, Dr. Kieran Moore, Medical Officer of Health for KFL&A said that he, along the other 32 Medical Officers of Health in the province, had been consulted a week or so before the province-wide lockdown was announced, but his advice was not heeded.
“It was my suggestion that a regional approach be considered,” he said. “My preference would have been for limitations on travel instead of a province-wide lockdown. The vast majority of the caseload that we have seen in KFL&A has been travel related, coming from the hot spots for COVID-19, like Toronto the Peel region. In Southwestern Ontario they are seeing significant caseload increases, all related to travel from the GTA.”
While he said that enforcing a travel ban would be a “difficult issue”, he added that “I think they could use the OPP. They are able to stop you through the RIDE program to ask if you have been drinking. They could also ask if you are travelling more than 100 kilometres from your home”.
During the December 21 Skype call, Dr. Moore also said that he supports the 28-day lock-down in regions such as the GTA, but thinks the province could consider shortening it to 14 days in Eastern Ontario, if the caseload and hospitalization rates and ICU use remains low.
“Within 14 days of Boxing Day we will see if there is an impact from Christmas gatherings in our region on our case load, and we will have the first indications about the impact of New Year's Eve as well.
“I think the Mayors and other politicians from the region are making the case for the province to reconsider the lock-down after 14 days in regions like ours.”
Provincial officials did no signal any open-ness to amending the lockdown schedule at the time.
And now KFLAPH is not holding our any hope of an early end to the lockdown either.
When asked over email on January 4th about the potential for the lockdown to be shortened in regions other than Northern Ontario, where it was always slated to last 14 days, Jenn Fagan of the KFLAH Communications Department, wrote: “As COVID-19 cases in Ontario continue to rise, a provincewide shutdown will remain in effect. Public health unit regions, including KFL&A Public Health, in Southern Ontario will remain in shutdown until Saturday, January 23, 2021. This means that at 12:01 am January 9 and at 12:01 am January 23 the lockdown is lifted (assuming we have no extension).”
On the provincial COVID-19 vaccination website, there were 11 hospital sites listed which have begun vaccination programs, none of which are in KFL&A.
When asked about the roll-out for vaccination locally, Fagan said: “Unfortunately local information about vaccine rollout is currently confidential. We are working closely with our partners to have processes in place for a smooth roll out; however, this is dependent on the product we receive and when it is delivered to the KFL&A area. We are prepared for several scenarios and are awaiting more information from the province to see which one will work to rollout the vaccination strategy in our area. We will keep the public informed as more information arises.”
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/addington-news/item/14518-local-covid-19-numbers-improve-in-late-december
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/96982e6739e7566219bf093177515085bae221e560c8ef954411eb93b455a818.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021\nJust like the rest of Ontario, Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) are in the dreaded COVID-19 Grey Zone, with only essential businesses remaining open to public traffic and suggested restrictions on social gatherings.\nHowever, ever since the provincial lockdown was imposed on December 26, the case rate in KFL&A has been steady or decreasing. As of Monday, January 4th, the 7-day case rate stood at 19.2 per 100,000, and the positive test rate was 0.62%.\nUnder the provincial colour coded system, this would place the KFL&A catchment area in the Yellow Protect Zone. The Yellow Zone is for regions with a case rate of 10 -15 cases per 100,000 people, a positive testing rate of 0.5 – 1.2%, a stable community transmission rate, and adequate health care and contact tracing capacity.\nThe most concerning aspect of the report that was posted on the COFID-19 dashboard on the KFLA Public Health website on Monday was one new hospitalization for the virus. There were 3 people in hospital and 2 in Intensive Care in early December, and those cases have fortunately been resolved. The number of active cases, which topped 100 in the run-up to Christmas, has settled considerably and now sits at 45.\nThese new numbers reflect much of the impact of Christmas gatherings, as 10 days had elapsed since December 25th, but they do not reflect the impact of New Years gatherings within the region.\nIn Frontenac County, there have been 3 new cases in South Frontenac over the last 7 days, 43 since the outbreak began, and there was a new case confirmed in North Frontenac on December 30th, the second since the pandemic began. There have been no new cases in Central Frontenac since mid-December. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents of Addington Highlands at all.\nDuring a Skype Press briefing on December 21, Dr. Kieran Moore, Medical Officer of Health for KFL&A said that he, along the other 32 Medical Officers of Health in the province, had been consulted a week or so before the province-wide lockdown was announced, but his advice was not heeded.\n“It was my suggestion that a regional approach be considered,” he said. “My preference would have been for limitations on travel instead of a province-wide lockdown. The vast majority of the caseload that we have seen in KFL&A has been travel related, coming from the hot spots for COVID-19, like Toronto the Peel region. In Southwestern Ontario they are seeing significant caseload increases, all related to travel from the GTA.”\nWhile he said that enforcing a travel ban would be a “difficult issue”, he added that “I think they could use the OPP. They are able to stop you through the RIDE program to ask if you have been drinking. They could also ask if you are travelling more than 100 kilometres from your home”.\nDuring the December 21 Skype call, Dr. Moore also said that he supports the 28-day lock-down in regions such as the GTA, but thinks the province could consider shortening it to 14 days in Eastern Ontario, if the caseload and hospitalization rates and ICU use remains low.\n“Within 14 days of Boxing Day we will see if there is an impact from Christmas gatherings in our region on our case load, and we will have the first indications about the impact of New Year's Eve as well.\n“I think the Mayors and other politicians from the region are making the case for the province to reconsider the lock-down after 14 days in regions like ours.”\nProvincial officials did no signal any open-ness to amending the lockdown schedule at the time.\nAnd now KFLAPH is not holding our any hope of an early end to the lockdown either.\nWhen asked over email on January 4th about the potential for the lockdown to be shortened in regions other than Northern Ontario, where it was always slated to last 14 days, Jenn Fagan of the KFLAH Communications Department, wrote: “As COVID-19 cases in Ontario continue to rise, a provincewide shutdown will remain in effect. Public health unit regions, including KFL&A Public Health, in Southern Ontario will remain in shutdown until Saturday, January 23, 2021. This means that at 12:01 am January 9 and at 12:01 am January 23 the lockdown is lifted (assuming we have no extension).”\nOn the provincial COVID-19 vaccination website, there were 11 hospital sites listed which have begun vaccination programs, none of which are in KFL&A.\nWhen asked about the roll-out for vaccination locally, Fagan said: “Unfortunately local information about vaccine rollout is currently confidential. We are working closely with our partners to have processes in place for a smooth roll out; however, this is dependent on the product we receive and when it is delivered to the KFL&A area. We are prepared for several scenarios and are awaiting more information from the province to see which one will work to rollout the vaccination strategy in our area. We will keep the public informed as more information arises.”",
"Local COVID-19 numbers improve in late December",
"Just like the rest of Ontario, Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) are in the dreaded COVID-19 Grey Zone, with only essential business..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-19T11:52:05 | null | 2021-01-13T16:59:31 |
In early December, the Frontenac News ran an article “Saving Rainbow Farm”. It was about Cheryl Sutherland's struggle to keep Rainbow Farm after t...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14532-update-on-rainbow-farm.json
|
en
| null |
Update on Rainbow Farm
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021
In early December, the Frontenac News ran an article “Saving Rainbow Farm”.
It was about Cheryl Sutherland's struggle to keep Rainbow Farm after the death of her wife, Heather Carver. Carver had been the owner and lead veterinarian at the Verona Animal hospital for 20 years until she had to close the business because she was too ill.
The article sparked interest in the Saving Rainbow Farm GoFundMe campaign, and was followed by articles in other publications.
The campaign, which had raised about $3,000 by December 10, is now approaching $21,000. Cheryl Sutherland reached out to the News last week to say she is feeling much more enthused about the future than she was in the fall, thanks partly to the donations. she has been equally touched by the outpouring of support in the testimonials that accompanied the donations, and in the words and actions from people who have contacted her through email and phone calls.
“It was amazing. Once people knew what had happened, just how generous they were. I was really touched by the comments on the GoFundMe page. They talked about some of the ways Heather had gone above and beyond to provide care for their pets. It was just a testament to her, and by extension, to me, and our vision for this farm,” she said, in a phone interview this week.
She has had to lay low quite a bit this month because, like so many other parents with young children, providing support for virtual schooling is pretty demanding. But she is now looking forward to the spring.
“The money that’s been raised has allowed me to catch my breath, it gives me some time to put some other things in place, so that I can have a sustainable means of staying on the farm. This is where I want to be,” she said.
Perhaps by the time the late spring rolls around, it will be possible to start holding outdoor, distanced events, and Cheryl is hoping to hold the first retreat at that time
“We have room to hold outdoors, distanced events, and perhaps by June it will be possible, depending on the state of restrictions at that time.”
One of the initial plans at Rainbow Farm was for Heather Carver to set it up as an animal hospice/palliative care centre for pets. She joined the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care a few years ago. Through that connection, and the publicity that has been generated over the last month, Cheryl has been in contact with a veterinarian from the Ottawa Valley who is interested in providing support to bring Heather’s plan to fruition.
“We are just in the process of fleshing out how it will work, but it looks like it is completely feasible.”
For now, as she cares for the various animals that have been gathered at Rainbow Farm, and her flock of sheep, Cheryl continues to be buoyed by the feeling of support that came from the GoFundMe campaign and the publicity that has been generated around it.
“Such a feeling of community has been enhanced for me. I know people are coming forward because they knew Heather but the fact that they so easily extend that support to her wife and daughter, is remarkable. Heather always said Godfrey is the best place, and now I really know why.
Cheryl has a lawyer working on her dispute with the insurance company that has declined to pay out her claim, but that will take two years or longer to be resolved one way or another, so she is putting it out of her thinking, focussing instead on a plan for 2021, and a way to harness all of the community support that has come her way.
“Apart from the money people have donated, there have been offers of volunteer labour that I have not been able to make use of because of the pandemic, but that will change later this year. I feel pretty positive about Rainbow Farm right now.”
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14532-update-on-rainbow-farm
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/6fb0193400a7b8c0769ed83e6f467a8a17c07203c0e1a3ce653cd5ff10ff101d.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021\nIn early December, the Frontenac News ran an article “Saving Rainbow Farm”.\nIt was about Cheryl Sutherland's struggle to keep Rainbow Farm after the death of her wife, Heather Carver. Carver had been the owner and lead veterinarian at the Verona Animal hospital for 20 years until she had to close the business because she was too ill.\nThe article sparked interest in the Saving Rainbow Farm GoFundMe campaign, and was followed by articles in other publications.\nThe campaign, which had raised about $3,000 by December 10, is now approaching $21,000. Cheryl Sutherland reached out to the News last week to say she is feeling much more enthused about the future than she was in the fall, thanks partly to the donations. she has been equally touched by the outpouring of support in the testimonials that accompanied the donations, and in the words and actions from people who have contacted her through email and phone calls.\n“It was amazing. Once people knew what had happened, just how generous they were. I was really touched by the comments on the GoFundMe page. They talked about some of the ways Heather had gone above and beyond to provide care for their pets. It was just a testament to her, and by extension, to me, and our vision for this farm,” she said, in a phone interview this week.\nShe has had to lay low quite a bit this month because, like so many other parents with young children, providing support for virtual schooling is pretty demanding. But she is now looking forward to the spring.\n“The money that’s been raised has allowed me to catch my breath, it gives me some time to put some other things in place, so that I can have a sustainable means of staying on the farm. This is where I want to be,” she said.\nPerhaps by the time the late spring rolls around, it will be possible to start holding outdoor, distanced events, and Cheryl is hoping to hold the first retreat at that time\n“We have room to hold outdoors, distanced events, and perhaps by June it will be possible, depending on the state of restrictions at that time.”\nOne of the initial plans at Rainbow Farm was for Heather Carver to set it up as an animal hospice/palliative care centre for pets. She joined the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care a few years ago. Through that connection, and the publicity that has been generated over the last month, Cheryl has been in contact with a veterinarian from the Ottawa Valley who is interested in providing support to bring Heather’s plan to fruition.\n“We are just in the process of fleshing out how it will work, but it looks like it is completely feasible.”\nFor now, as she cares for the various animals that have been gathered at Rainbow Farm, and her flock of sheep, Cheryl continues to be buoyed by the feeling of support that came from the GoFundMe campaign and the publicity that has been generated around it.\n“Such a feeling of community has been enhanced for me. I know people are coming forward because they knew Heather but the fact that they so easily extend that support to her wife and daughter, is remarkable. Heather always said Godfrey is the best place, and now I really know why.\nCheryl has a lawyer working on her dispute with the insurance company that has declined to pay out her claim, but that will take two years or longer to be resolved one way or another, so she is putting it out of her thinking, focussing instead on a plan for 2021, and a way to harness all of the community support that has come her way.\n“Apart from the money people have donated, there have been offers of volunteer labour that I have not been able to make use of because of the pandemic, but that will change later this year. I feel pretty positive about Rainbow Farm right now.”",
"Update on Rainbow Farm",
"In early December, the Frontenac News ran an article “Saving Rainbow Farm”. It was about Cheryl Sutherland's struggle to keep Rainbow Farm after t..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Dubois"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:45 | null | 2021-01-13T16:58:16 |
I found Dr. Dietrich;s open letter to Randy Hillier (Frontenac News December 20) extremely troubling. While I agree, wholeheartedly, with the do...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fletters%2Fitem%2F14526-dr-deitrich.json
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en
| null |
Frontenac News
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Dubois | Jan 13, 2021
I found Dr. Dietrich;s open letter to Randy Hillier (Frontenac News December 20) extremely troubling. While I agree, wholeheartedly, with the doctor's insistence that good science be embraced in medical decision-making, and that we eschew the subjective nonsense espoused by Hillier and his wingnut supporters, there is an unfortunate consequence in Dietrich's objectivity.
In the hypothetical medical scenario where only one ventilator were available, and the triaging ICU practitioner were forced to choose between a 60 year old politician who contracted COVID at an anti-mask rally and an 87-year old senior who contracted the virus by virtue of living in a long-term care facility, objective science would dictate that the younger man be saved.
Dr. Dietrich's open letter has forced me to reevaluate my own objectivity.
Jeff Dubois
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/letters/item/14526-dr-deitrich
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/133884f18422ebbc0dc8a135430c31a374596d007a561d1fd88aea1cf9ca5a4b.json
|
[
"Jeff Dubois | Jan 13, 2021\nI found Dr. Dietrich;s open letter to Randy Hillier (Frontenac News December 20) extremely troubling. While I agree, wholeheartedly, with the doctor's insistence that good science be embraced in medical decision-making, and that we eschew the subjective nonsense espoused by Hillier and his wingnut supporters, there is an unfortunate consequence in Dietrich's objectivity.\nIn the hypothetical medical scenario where only one ventilator were available, and the triaging ICU practitioner were forced to choose between a 60 year old politician who contracted COVID at an anti-mask rally and an 87-year old senior who contracted the virus by virtue of living in a long-term care facility, objective science would dictate that the younger man be saved.\nDr. Dietrich's open letter has forced me to reevaluate my own objectivity.\nJeff Dubois",
"Frontenac News",
"I found Dr. Dietrich;s open letter to Randy Hillier (Frontenac News December 20) extremely troubling. While I agree, wholeheartedly, with the do..."
] |
|
[
"John Curran"
] | 2021-01-11T08:56:53 | null | 2021-01-06T20:38:12 |
Many Canadians who live, work or regularly spend time in cottage country still don’t have sufficient access to fast, reliable internet service, accord...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14516-triple-win-available-through-broadband-investment-researcher.json
|
en
| null |
Triple-win available through broadband investment: Researcher
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
John Curran | Jan 06, 2021
Many Canadians who live, work or regularly spend time in cottage country still don’t have sufficient access to fast, reliable internet service, according to University of Guelph researcher Dr. Helen Hambly.
With more Canadians fleeing the cities for rural properties this year due to the flexibility and outright requirement for many to work remotely, the complete inadequacy of Canada’s rural and remote broadband network has been laid bare for all to see.
That was the opening sentiment during the Federation of Ontario Cottager Associations’ (FOCA) fall webinar during the talk delivered by Dr. Helen Hambly, a University of Guelph researcher and leader of Canada’s oldest and ongoing broadband research effort, the Regional and Rural Broadband Project, or simply R2B2 as it is known in academic circles.
“The COVID-19 experience has made that need for access come home,” she told participants in the Nov. 21, online event. “Life and livelihoods are changing.”
In particular, she highlighted two critical demographics whose need for reliable broadband skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic.
“The needs of youth and seniors,” have changed significantly almost overnight, she explained. “Their need to access education and healthcare professionals online,” resulting from sweeping public shutdowns makes the demand for change imperative.
She explained there is really a triple-win available for regions, like Eastern Ontario, that look to invest in enhanced rural and remote broadband. She highlighted R2B2 research that showed the positive impact high-speed internet availability typically has on property values.
“It varies by location, but in Halton County property values went up an average of $16,000,” she said. “In Durham County it was more like $18,000.”
In an economic study specific to Eastern Ontario, Dr. Reza Rajabiun has modelled a three per cent jump in median property values, or roughly $7,500 per home, if the region had widely available broadband.
Faster internet would also facilitate greater ongoing adoption of telecommuting practises among employers, which can help green the economy, Hambly added.
This is a point well illustrated in the Policy Brief prepared in October of this year for the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) titled “Economic Benefits of Investing in Basic vs. Gigabit Broadband Infrastructure in Rural Eastern Ontario.” In it, the authors estimate for every worker making the shift to telecommuting, it translates to a CO2 emission reduction of 2,450 kg per year. Based on a mid-range estimate projecting Eastern Ontario could expect to be home to some 50,000 telecommuters if and when broadband enhancements are made, the result would be a combined CO2 reduction of 380,000,000 kg annually.
EORN is proposing to deliver ultra-fast internet speeds through its “Gig Project” to homes and businesses in the region. Its website claims, “This would be a game-changer for Eastern Ontario to attract and retain businesses and residents, and to compete globally over the long term.”
“Gig” refers to an internet speed of 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps (gigabit per second). It provides seamless, reliable connectivity needed for business, healthcare, education, and other services. Gig speed is also needed for smart technologies that depend on reliable, continuous high-speed connectivity for real-time data sharing.
“Moving forward we’ll have to have faster speeds just with all of the digital integration in our lives,” said Hambly. “Tomorrow’s speeds are already available in Toronto, like one Gig upload and download, but they can be expensive.”
Delivering Gig service generally involves a fibre optic or cable connection to the home or business, explains EORN, adding that addressing the issue now with a comprehensive Gig solution will ensure that rural communities have the connectivity needed to recover from the pandemic and compete globally for decades to come.
“Not only is there a money in your pocket benefit from someone working from home, there is also an environmental benefit,” said Hambly.
Hambly additionally pointed to economic development as far and away the biggest driver making the case for enhanced rural broadband service. She is again backed up by the EORN Policy Brief, which makes the case that over the initial five- to 10-year start-up period there would be massive gains in both economic activity and resulting taxation.
“Based on mid-range generic infrastructure spending estimates in Ontario, we can estimate that the EORN Gig project will lead to an increase in GDP of $2.4 billion over the medium to longer term as it generates additional private investment and positive externalities/efficiency gains start to translate into measurable GDP growth,” it states. “Expected government revenue from this can add up to around $800 million under mid-range assumption and just under $2 billion in the optimistic case (i.e. high diffusion, high take up and use case).”
Also addressing the FOCA webinar was Maryam Monsef, federal minister for Rural Economic Development, who spoke to the federal government’s perspective on broadband and its investment plan going forward.
“European studies show a 32 to 33 per cent rise in GDP when broadband becomes available,” the minister told the largely rural crowd of online participants. “If I had to hypothesize, I would say that our dollars are going to have an even bigger impact.”
The dollars she was referring to are related to Ottawa’s $1.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund, which has been designated by the feds to enable infrastructure projects that will bring high-speed internet of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload (50/10) rates to most rural and remote Canadians. The larger pot includes up to $750 million for those defined as having a large impact, up to $50 million to support mobile projects primarily benefiting Indigenous communities, and up to $150 million for a rapid response stream aimed at shovel-ready initiatives.
On Nov. 4, Ontario’s provincial government also raised the ante on its own level of IT investment, more than doubling down on its previously announced $315-million commitment to support “Up to Speed: Ontario's Broadband and Cellular Action Plan,” with what it termed an “historic investment” of an additional $680 million. Ontario’s total plan now includes nearly $1 billion over six years to improve and expand broadband and cellular access across the province. Joining FOCA to speak to the initiative was provincial Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott.
“Our goal is to connect more people and more communities as quickly as possible,” she said. “It’s a time for innovation.”
To put the total federal and Ontario government monetary commitments into perspective in terms of potential reach, the EOWC/EORN Policy Brief estimates that the basic option of achieving 50/10 service to 95 per cent of households, businesses and residents in Eastern Ontario alone would cost about $700 million, while achieving the higher standards of the Gig model with the same penetration rate would require an investment of up to $1.6 billion.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14516-triple-win-available-through-broadband-investment-researcher
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/11b1da69a18b7aa3a5639aa274c9d5a957517e3b822a7f26574b9130f0e8977d.json
|
[
"John Curran | Jan 06, 2021\nMany Canadians who live, work or regularly spend time in cottage country still don’t have sufficient access to fast, reliable internet service, according to University of Guelph researcher Dr. Helen Hambly.\nWith more Canadians fleeing the cities for rural properties this year due to the flexibility and outright requirement for many to work remotely, the complete inadequacy of Canada’s rural and remote broadband network has been laid bare for all to see.\nThat was the opening sentiment during the Federation of Ontario Cottager Associations’ (FOCA) fall webinar during the talk delivered by Dr. Helen Hambly, a University of Guelph researcher and leader of Canada’s oldest and ongoing broadband research effort, the Regional and Rural Broadband Project, or simply R2B2 as it is known in academic circles.\n“The COVID-19 experience has made that need for access come home,” she told participants in the Nov. 21, online event. “Life and livelihoods are changing.”\nIn particular, she highlighted two critical demographics whose need for reliable broadband skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic.\n“The needs of youth and seniors,” have changed significantly almost overnight, she explained. “Their need to access education and healthcare professionals online,” resulting from sweeping public shutdowns makes the demand for change imperative.\nShe explained there is really a triple-win available for regions, like Eastern Ontario, that look to invest in enhanced rural and remote broadband. She highlighted R2B2 research that showed the positive impact high-speed internet availability typically has on property values.\n“It varies by location, but in Halton County property values went up an average of $16,000,” she said. “In Durham County it was more like $18,000.”\nIn an economic study specific to Eastern Ontario, Dr. Reza Rajabiun has modelled a three per cent jump in median property values, or roughly $7,500 per home, if the region had widely available broadband.\nFaster internet would also facilitate greater ongoing adoption of telecommuting practises among employers, which can help green the economy, Hambly added.\nThis is a point well illustrated in the Policy Brief prepared in October of this year for the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) titled “Economic Benefits of Investing in Basic vs. Gigabit Broadband Infrastructure in Rural Eastern Ontario.” In it, the authors estimate for every worker making the shift to telecommuting, it translates to a CO2 emission reduction of 2,450 kg per year. Based on a mid-range estimate projecting Eastern Ontario could expect to be home to some 50,000 telecommuters if and when broadband enhancements are made, the result would be a combined CO2 reduction of 380,000,000 kg annually.\nEORN is proposing to deliver ultra-fast internet speeds through its “Gig Project” to homes and businesses in the region. Its website claims, “This would be a game-changer for Eastern Ontario to attract and retain businesses and residents, and to compete globally over the long term.”\n“Gig” refers to an internet speed of 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps (gigabit per second). It provides seamless, reliable connectivity needed for business, healthcare, education, and other services. Gig speed is also needed for smart technologies that depend on reliable, continuous high-speed connectivity for real-time data sharing.\n“Moving forward we’ll have to have faster speeds just with all of the digital integration in our lives,” said Hambly. “Tomorrow’s speeds are already available in Toronto, like one Gig upload and download, but they can be expensive.”\nDelivering Gig service generally involves a fibre optic or cable connection to the home or business, explains EORN, adding that addressing the issue now with a comprehensive Gig solution will ensure that rural communities have the connectivity needed to recover from the pandemic and compete globally for decades to come.\n“Not only is there a money in your pocket benefit from someone working from home, there is also an environmental benefit,” said Hambly.\nHambly additionally pointed to economic development as far and away the biggest driver making the case for enhanced rural broadband service. She is again backed up by the EORN Policy Brief, which makes the case that over the initial five- to 10-year start-up period there would be massive gains in both economic activity and resulting taxation.\n“Based on mid-range generic infrastructure spending estimates in Ontario, we can estimate that the EORN Gig project will lead to an increase in GDP of $2.4 billion over the medium to longer term as it generates additional private investment and positive externalities/efficiency gains start to translate into measurable GDP growth,” it states. “Expected government revenue from this can add up to around $800 million under mid-range assumption and just under $2 billion in the optimistic case (i.e. high diffusion, high take up and use case).”\nAlso addressing the FOCA webinar was Maryam Monsef, federal minister for Rural Economic Development, who spoke to the federal government’s perspective on broadband and its investment plan going forward.\n“European studies show a 32 to 33 per cent rise in GDP when broadband becomes available,” the minister told the largely rural crowd of online participants. “If I had to hypothesize, I would say that our dollars are going to have an even bigger impact.”\nThe dollars she was referring to are related to Ottawa’s $1.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund, which has been designated by the feds to enable infrastructure projects that will bring high-speed internet of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload (50/10) rates to most rural and remote Canadians. The larger pot includes up to $750 million for those defined as having a large impact, up to $50 million to support mobile projects primarily benefiting Indigenous communities, and up to $150 million for a rapid response stream aimed at shovel-ready initiatives.\nOn Nov. 4, Ontario’s provincial government also raised the ante on its own level of IT investment, more than doubling down on its previously announced $315-million commitment to support “Up to Speed: Ontario's Broadband and Cellular Action Plan,” with what it termed an “historic investment” of an additional $680 million. Ontario’s total plan now includes nearly $1 billion over six years to improve and expand broadband and cellular access across the province. Joining FOCA to speak to the initiative was provincial Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott.\n“Our goal is to connect more people and more communities as quickly as possible,” she said. “It’s a time for innovation.”\nTo put the total federal and Ontario government monetary commitments into perspective in terms of potential reach, the EOWC/EORN Policy Brief estimates that the basic option of achieving 50/10 service to 95 per cent of households, businesses and residents in Eastern Ontario alone would cost about $700 million, while achieving the higher standards of the Gig model with the same penetration rate would require an investment of up to $1.6 billion.",
"Triple-win available through broadband investment: Researcher",
"Many Canadians who live, work or regularly spend time in cottage country still don’t have sufficient access to fast, reliable internet service, accord..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-11T08:57:03 | null | 2021-01-06T20:38:46 |
Francis Smith just completed her third one-year term as Warden of Frontenac County. “The first time I was Warden was the amalgamation year back in the...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14519-smith-ends-her-stint-as-warden.json
|
en
| null |
Smith ends her stint as Warden
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021
Francis Smith just completed her third one-year term as Warden of Frontenac County.
“The first time I was Warden was the amalgamation year back in the 1990’s, and that was a difficult year. The second time was more of a normal year, but this one was the strangest, by far,” she said, in an interview on January 5th, 2021 from her winter home in BC (Back of Clarendon)
“There were some benefits to this year. I did not have to buy new clothes. I just had to keep the same blouse and jacket at the ready by my computer. I saved a lot of time travelling and a fair bit of expense as well. But spending hour after hour on Zoom calls is not that much fun, when you have to do it day after day, I can tell you that.”
Not that she does not see a future for electronic meetings and conferences.
As Warden, I attend the AMO [Association of Municipalities of Ontario] conference, and every other time I have attended the room has been very cold because the meeting takes place in the summer, the chairs were uncomfortable and I ended up doing a whole lot of waling between meetings. I think I was able ot pay more attention to the information at the sessions from home than when I went in person. There will be changes out of all this, some of them for the better.”
Even though she has saved travel time, keeping with her role as Mayor and as Warden has meant more work than there are hours in the day some of the time.
“We did not have a roadmap for this. As politicians we are also generalists. Who would have thought we would end up being deep into medical issues, safety protocols, infection control? But that was all part of 2020.”
She said that one of the things that she was not able to do this year because of the isolation was provide support for the staff, both in Frontenac County and Central Frontenac.
“So many people have really stepped up this year. Susan Brant took over as Administrator of Fairmount Home just as the pandemic hit. She has done a remarkable job, keeping everyone safe. And I think that with all that has been required from the Frontenac Paramedics this year, having the kind of team leader that Chief Gale Chevalier, someone who always sees the big picture, has been invaluable to everyone working for the service. And in Central Frontenac, Cathy MacMunn has been able to pull everyone together for a common cause. I think that the staff in Central Frontenac are more together now than they were before all this happened.”
When her term ran out in Mid-December, Smith passed the chain of office over to South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewall.
“I was happy to do it. It has been a long year and he will do well in 2021. The County is in good hands.” she said.
One of the biggest difficulties she had as warden this year was her Internet connection. She lives in a granny flat with her family and there are a lot of demands on the old copper wired based single line DSL Internet service they have from North Frontenac Telephone Company.
“It has been difficult. I was bumped out of meetings more often that I can recall,” she said.
Ironically, one of the major initiatives she has been working on for a number of years is as Board Member with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, an organisation made up of municipal officials dedicated to bringing better cell phone and Internet service to Eastern Ontario. For 2021, she is currently the Vice Chair of EORN, her second year in that role.
“Working with EORN, I see that the only way to address the constantly increasing demand, and need, for service in our communities and even in remote locations, is through very large investments from provincial and federal governments. It will not be solved in a day, but we keep working on it. I know it is frustrating for many people, myself included.”
AS she ends her third term, Smith is not ruling out seeking office again in 2022, which would put her in line for a fourth year as Frontenac County Warden.
“How old is Joe Biden. 78. I may still have some time left. Never say never. The big this is to remain open minded and ready to move forward. If I lose that, then someone should tell me it is time to get out of here.”
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14519-smith-ends-her-stint-as-warden
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/610a188717f3e29f1f1b2dc5b138a931143615fd7fd3ffc4fd567035635fd33c.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 06, 2021\nFrancis Smith just completed her third one-year term as Warden of Frontenac County.\n“The first time I was Warden was the amalgamation year back in the 1990’s, and that was a difficult year. The second time was more of a normal year, but this one was the strangest, by far,” she said, in an interview on January 5th, 2021 from her winter home in BC (Back of Clarendon)\n“There were some benefits to this year. I did not have to buy new clothes. I just had to keep the same blouse and jacket at the ready by my computer. I saved a lot of time travelling and a fair bit of expense as well. But spending hour after hour on Zoom calls is not that much fun, when you have to do it day after day, I can tell you that.”\nNot that she does not see a future for electronic meetings and conferences.\nAs Warden, I attend the AMO [Association of Municipalities of Ontario] conference, and every other time I have attended the room has been very cold because the meeting takes place in the summer, the chairs were uncomfortable and I ended up doing a whole lot of waling between meetings. I think I was able ot pay more attention to the information at the sessions from home than when I went in person. There will be changes out of all this, some of them for the better.”\nEven though she has saved travel time, keeping with her role as Mayor and as Warden has meant more work than there are hours in the day some of the time.\n“We did not have a roadmap for this. As politicians we are also generalists. Who would have thought we would end up being deep into medical issues, safety protocols, infection control? But that was all part of 2020.”\nShe said that one of the things that she was not able to do this year because of the isolation was provide support for the staff, both in Frontenac County and Central Frontenac.\n“So many people have really stepped up this year. Susan Brant took over as Administrator of Fairmount Home just as the pandemic hit. She has done a remarkable job, keeping everyone safe. And I think that with all that has been required from the Frontenac Paramedics this year, having the kind of team leader that Chief Gale Chevalier, someone who always sees the big picture, has been invaluable to everyone working for the service. And in Central Frontenac, Cathy MacMunn has been able to pull everyone together for a common cause. I think that the staff in Central Frontenac are more together now than they were before all this happened.”\nWhen her term ran out in Mid-December, Smith passed the chain of office over to South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewall.\n“I was happy to do it. It has been a long year and he will do well in 2021. The County is in good hands.” she said.\nOne of the biggest difficulties she had as warden this year was her Internet connection. She lives in a granny flat with her family and there are a lot of demands on the old copper wired based single line DSL Internet service they have from North Frontenac Telephone Company.\n“It has been difficult. I was bumped out of meetings more often that I can recall,” she said.\nIronically, one of the major initiatives she has been working on for a number of years is as Board Member with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, an organisation made up of municipal officials dedicated to bringing better cell phone and Internet service to Eastern Ontario. For 2021, she is currently the Vice Chair of EORN, her second year in that role.\n“Working with EORN, I see that the only way to address the constantly increasing demand, and need, for service in our communities and even in remote locations, is through very large investments from provincial and federal governments. It will not be solved in a day, but we keep working on it. I know it is frustrating for many people, myself included.”\nAS she ends her third term, Smith is not ruling out seeking office again in 2022, which would put her in line for a fourth year as Frontenac County Warden.\n“How old is Joe Biden. 78. I may still have some time left. Never say never. The big this is to remain open minded and ready to move forward. If I lose that, then someone should tell me it is time to get out of here.”",
"Smith ends her stint as Warden",
"Francis Smith just completed her third one-year term as Warden of Frontenac County. “The first time I was Warden was the amalgamation year back in the..."
] |
|
[
"Wilma Kenny"
] | 2021-01-11T08:57:13 | null | 2021-01-06T20:38:25 |
Background: In August Council expressed interest in the idea of incorporating a burn permitting system into an updated open air burning bylaw. On Octo...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fsouth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14513-burning-by-law-smoulders-on-south-frontenac-council.json
|
en
| null |
Burning By-law Smoulders On… South Frontenac Council
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Wilma Kenny | Jan 06, 2021
Background: In August Council expressed interest in the idea of incorporating a burn permitting system into an updated open air burning bylaw. On October 6, staff presented a new, detailed draft bylaw. There was some discussion about public consultation, but in the end, the proposed new by-law (By-law 2020-54) was passed 7-2 without changes, to come into effect January 1st.
Public reaction was strong and negative. On Nov 24, a resolution to amend parts of the new by-law was countered by a unanimously approved motion to reconsider the whole by-law.
Tonight, the Fire Department brought a report recommending that Council repeal the unamended new by-law due to the fact that it is to come into effect January 1st. . The 2012 by-law would then remain in place until there has been time for public consultation about the proposed changes. This would also give Council time to plan how a burn permit system might operate in a manner that would increase public safety and reduce the frequency, damage and expense of open air-related fires in the Township, but also be acceptable to residents. The new by-law was repealed with minimal discussion.
Pricing of Road Closure Lands
Development Services brought a request that Council approve the closure and sale of a portion of unopened road allowance close to Little Cranberry Lake. This land would then be attached to a waterfront lot and provide space for a small addition to an existing waterfront house.
Although Council had no issue with the actual closure and sale of the road allowance, the question of the sale price led to the longest discussion of the evening.
Councillor Sleeth, who was familiar with the property, said he felt that the sale price of $2.41 per square foot was much too high for ‘a mostly unusable rock pile’. He said the Township was paying much less for a similar piece of rocky land to permit straightening the Hinchinbrook Road. Clair Dodds, Director of Development Services, said the staff had no flexibility to change the Township’s pricing schedule; this would have to be a Council decision.
Councillor Sutherland, who is a member of the Committee of Adjustment, disagreed with Sleeth, saying these sorts of requests were slowing down the administration process. He argued that this was a fair price, because the extra land would provide space for a cottage extension, which in turn would significantly improve the value of the property. Morey agreed: “If we start into this, everyone will argue for exceptions…whether or not the land is worth the price is up to the purchaser to decide.”
Revill said that although he could see Sutherland’s point, he agreed with Sleeth the price did not reflect the value of the land, which included a significant rocky rise; the useable portion was very small.
Sleeth said the Township had three price ranges, depending on the location of the unopened road allowance in question; Dodds said this particular piece was within 300 metres of the high water line, therefore the $2.41 per square foot. She added that there would probably be other residents in that area applying for road closures; it helped to have consistency in pricing.
Council agreed to the unopened road allowance closure and transfer: the issue of pricing was left unresolved.
Community Newspaper Boxes
Post Media’s ad/newspaper bags’ roadside thrown deliveries have led to numerous complaints about littering. At Council’s direction, staff have been encouraging the company to address this problem. As a result, community newspaper boxes are currently being placed in nine of the local villages. It remains to be seen whether this addresses the problem in more rural areas.
Next Council Meeting
The next meeting of SF Council will be Tuesday, January 12.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/south-frontenac-news/item/14513-burning-by-law-smoulders-on-south-frontenac-council
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/1bdca16900eb266c70ad615e4c97823fef297551b9ec16af9b7058290ae1b40a.json
|
[
"Wilma Kenny | Jan 06, 2021\nBackground: In August Council expressed interest in the idea of incorporating a burn permitting system into an updated open air burning bylaw. On October 6, staff presented a new, detailed draft bylaw. There was some discussion about public consultation, but in the end, the proposed new by-law (By-law 2020-54) was passed 7-2 without changes, to come into effect January 1st.\nPublic reaction was strong and negative. On Nov 24, a resolution to amend parts of the new by-law was countered by a unanimously approved motion to reconsider the whole by-law.\nTonight, the Fire Department brought a report recommending that Council repeal the unamended new by-law due to the fact that it is to come into effect January 1st. . The 2012 by-law would then remain in place until there has been time for public consultation about the proposed changes. This would also give Council time to plan how a burn permit system might operate in a manner that would increase public safety and reduce the frequency, damage and expense of open air-related fires in the Township, but also be acceptable to residents. The new by-law was repealed with minimal discussion.\nPricing of Road Closure Lands\nDevelopment Services brought a request that Council approve the closure and sale of a portion of unopened road allowance close to Little Cranberry Lake. This land would then be attached to a waterfront lot and provide space for a small addition to an existing waterfront house.\nAlthough Council had no issue with the actual closure and sale of the road allowance, the question of the sale price led to the longest discussion of the evening.\nCouncillor Sleeth, who was familiar with the property, said he felt that the sale price of $2.41 per square foot was much too high for ‘a mostly unusable rock pile’. He said the Township was paying much less for a similar piece of rocky land to permit straightening the Hinchinbrook Road. Clair Dodds, Director of Development Services, said the staff had no flexibility to change the Township’s pricing schedule; this would have to be a Council decision.\nCouncillor Sutherland, who is a member of the Committee of Adjustment, disagreed with Sleeth, saying these sorts of requests were slowing down the administration process. He argued that this was a fair price, because the extra land would provide space for a cottage extension, which in turn would significantly improve the value of the property. Morey agreed: “If we start into this, everyone will argue for exceptions…whether or not the land is worth the price is up to the purchaser to decide.”\nRevill said that although he could see Sutherland’s point, he agreed with Sleeth the price did not reflect the value of the land, which included a significant rocky rise; the useable portion was very small.\nSleeth said the Township had three price ranges, depending on the location of the unopened road allowance in question; Dodds said this particular piece was within 300 metres of the high water line, therefore the $2.41 per square foot. She added that there would probably be other residents in that area applying for road closures; it helped to have consistency in pricing.\nCouncil agreed to the unopened road allowance closure and transfer: the issue of pricing was left unresolved.\nCommunity Newspaper Boxes\nPost Media’s ad/newspaper bags’ roadside thrown deliveries have led to numerous complaints about littering. At Council’s direction, staff have been encouraging the company to address this problem. As a result, community newspaper boxes are currently being placed in nine of the local villages. It remains to be seen whether this addresses the problem in more rural areas.\nNext Council Meeting\nThe next meeting of SF Council will be Tuesday, January 12.",
"Burning By-law Smoulders On… South Frontenac Council",
"Background: In August Council expressed interest in the idea of incorporating a burn permitting system into an updated open air burning bylaw. On Octo..."
] |
|
[
"Tammy Watson"
] | 2021-01-11T08:57:08 | null | 2021-01-06T20:37:26 |
I am excited to report that I have survived my first year of running a full-time Handywoman business, and I love it! I wasn’t sure what to expect, as...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fnorth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14512-handywoman-s-first-year-under-her-belt.json
|
en
| null |
Handywoman’s First Year Under Her Belt
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Tammy Watson | Jan 06, 2021
I am excited to report that I have survived my first year of running a full-time Handywoman business, and I love it! I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I’ve never operated my own business before, at least not to this degree. As a certified crochet instructor, I had regular clients I taught. I also sold my crochet creations at several shows around southern Ontario, but that was a sideline - it was something I did to distract myself from my career path as a civil servant, a career path that was slowly killing me. Despite having a pretty cool job with lots of freedom, responsibility, and benefits, I felt trapped and desperate. I referred to my job as the Golden Handcuff. I got to the point though where my health was more important to me than the benefits of the job, and I resigned.
That’s when my wife Mary and I decided to make North Frontenac our permanent home, and I opened Trillium and Maple Woods Handywoman Services. I have always been mechanically inclined, and my mom taught me a healthy work ethic. That combination has guided me to a pretty successful inaugural year. Although I don’t go on roofs or work higher than 12 feet, I have had the opportunity to provide an eclectic array of services including interior and exterior painting, dry wall repair, window washing, toilet replacement, door handle and railing repair and installation, and window blind repair. In addition, I have help build a retaining wall, done lots of yard work - both weekly and single time, blown loads of leaves, and cleared debris. I’ve assembled several pieces of IKEA type furniture, provided outhouse maintenance, and built wood storage stands, planter boxes, picnic tables and benches. Property checks and short-term rental turnover services rounds off the array of services I provided in 2020. I am most excited though about my repeat customers. This has been my ultimate business goal.
All this despite a world-wide pandemic! The pandemic has definitely affected my business and my family. I think I miss hugging people the most, and my twin sons have had to move back home. Although they have helped me with a few jobs here and there, they both choose to work full-time at 3M in Perth. I may have to stop serving cheese soon. My wife Mary requires a hip-replacement and that has been delayed several times thanks to COVID. We hope to have the surgery during the first quarter of 2021 and we look forward to exploring more of North Frontenac once she has unobstructed mobility. Mary is also looking forward to making and bottling some wine at Creative Grapes in Plevna this winter as well as taking on more clients herself in her Personal Support Worker business. Late this summer I was a successful recipient for a Small Business Start-Up Grant awarded by the Kingston Economic Development team. I used that grant money to purchase an iPad Pro for my business, which helps me provide better service. I am able to keep track of my clients, appointments, invoices and communication pretty much anywhere now. Data and cell service is still an issue up this way; however, all levels of government appear committed to bettering this situation. My iPad helps me keep my promise of always returning a message in a timely fashion.
As I start to plan for 2021, I can’t help but be excited! I’m optimistic the current lockdown will get Ontario back in business. I’m not sure if I’ll be making or selling as many picnic tables this year. I take pride in my outdoor furniture; I pay attention to detail when building them - I just don’t slap them together. I keep quality in mind making sure my furniture is comfortable, functional, looks good, and will last. However, if the availability and cost of lumber continues as it has been, then the affordability to make the furniture will be nonexistent. I have already had several inquiries about short-term cottage turnover services for next season. This service was not on my original business plan, but I quickly learned it is a needed service in this growing area, and I have the means to accomplish this task quite proficiently. And I continue to be booked at least 2–4 weeks in advance for my Handywoman jobs. My goal is to continue to be the go to person for the small job - the job that contractors are just too busy to get to, the job that home and cottage owners don’t have the time or means to do themselves. I plan to allocate specific days of the week for this kind of service in 2021, and I am seriously thinking about expanding my business and hiring an employee or two to help me keep up to client demands. So thank you North Frontenac for being a part of a pretty exciting inaugural year.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/north-frontenac-news/item/14512-handywoman-s-first-year-under-her-belt
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/9dd93b515aa1f11fc3b53b739ba4bec2d16ca3c34fa3221f80398bdec1ae5bee.json
|
[
"Tammy Watson | Jan 06, 2021\nI am excited to report that I have survived my first year of running a full-time Handywoman business, and I love it! I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I’ve never operated my own business before, at least not to this degree. As a certified crochet instructor, I had regular clients I taught. I also sold my crochet creations at several shows around southern Ontario, but that was a sideline - it was something I did to distract myself from my career path as a civil servant, a career path that was slowly killing me. Despite having a pretty cool job with lots of freedom, responsibility, and benefits, I felt trapped and desperate. I referred to my job as the Golden Handcuff. I got to the point though where my health was more important to me than the benefits of the job, and I resigned.\nThat’s when my wife Mary and I decided to make North Frontenac our permanent home, and I opened Trillium and Maple Woods Handywoman Services. I have always been mechanically inclined, and my mom taught me a healthy work ethic. That combination has guided me to a pretty successful inaugural year. Although I don’t go on roofs or work higher than 12 feet, I have had the opportunity to provide an eclectic array of services including interior and exterior painting, dry wall repair, window washing, toilet replacement, door handle and railing repair and installation, and window blind repair. In addition, I have help build a retaining wall, done lots of yard work - both weekly and single time, blown loads of leaves, and cleared debris. I’ve assembled several pieces of IKEA type furniture, provided outhouse maintenance, and built wood storage stands, planter boxes, picnic tables and benches. Property checks and short-term rental turnover services rounds off the array of services I provided in 2020. I am most excited though about my repeat customers. This has been my ultimate business goal.\nAll this despite a world-wide pandemic! The pandemic has definitely affected my business and my family. I think I miss hugging people the most, and my twin sons have had to move back home. Although they have helped me with a few jobs here and there, they both choose to work full-time at 3M in Perth. I may have to stop serving cheese soon. My wife Mary requires a hip-replacement and that has been delayed several times thanks to COVID. We hope to have the surgery during the first quarter of 2021 and we look forward to exploring more of North Frontenac once she has unobstructed mobility. Mary is also looking forward to making and bottling some wine at Creative Grapes in Plevna this winter as well as taking on more clients herself in her Personal Support Worker business. Late this summer I was a successful recipient for a Small Business Start-Up Grant awarded by the Kingston Economic Development team. I used that grant money to purchase an iPad Pro for my business, which helps me provide better service. I am able to keep track of my clients, appointments, invoices and communication pretty much anywhere now. Data and cell service is still an issue up this way; however, all levels of government appear committed to bettering this situation. My iPad helps me keep my promise of always returning a message in a timely fashion.\nAs I start to plan for 2021, I can’t help but be excited! I’m optimistic the current lockdown will get Ontario back in business. I’m not sure if I’ll be making or selling as many picnic tables this year. I take pride in my outdoor furniture; I pay attention to detail when building them - I just don’t slap them together. I keep quality in mind making sure my furniture is comfortable, functional, looks good, and will last. However, if the availability and cost of lumber continues as it has been, then the affordability to make the furniture will be nonexistent. I have already had several inquiries about short-term cottage turnover services for next season. This service was not on my original business plan, but I quickly learned it is a needed service in this growing area, and I have the means to accomplish this task quite proficiently. And I continue to be booked at least 2–4 weeks in advance for my Handywoman jobs. My goal is to continue to be the go to person for the small job - the job that contractors are just too busy to get to, the job that home and cottage owners don’t have the time or means to do themselves. I plan to allocate specific days of the week for this kind of service in 2021, and I am seriously thinking about expanding my business and hiring an employee or two to help me keep up to client demands. So thank you North Frontenac for being a part of a pretty exciting inaugural year.",
"Handywoman’s First Year Under Her Belt",
"I am excited to report that I have survived my first year of running a full-time Handywoman business, and I love it! I wasn’t sure what to expect, as..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:30 | null | 2021-01-13T16:59:44 |
Frontenac County and the City of Kingston were at loggerheads for over a year over increases in the bill that Frontenac County sends to Kingston for d...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14533-tax-levy-increase-up-2-1-frontenac-county-ratepayers-benefit-from-lower-levies-social-service-costs.json
|
en
| null |
Frontenac County ratepayers benefit from lower levies social service costs
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021
Frontenac County and the City of Kingston were at loggerheads for over a year over increases in the bill that Frontenac County sends to Kingston for delivering paramedic services and operating Fairmount Home, the County owned long term care facility.
Kingston City Council did not appreciate that they have no control over costs that were rising at rates much higher than their budget target increases each year, leaving them less wiggle room when it came to funding their own priority programs.
Frontenac County politicians said that the cost increases were based, primarily, on the increasing demand for paramedic services in fast growing parts of the City, and provincially mandated long term care enhancements.
Lost in the back-and-forth debate was the fact that the City of Kingston also bills Frontenac County, for services it delivers to Frontenac County residents: Social Housing, Ontario Works, and childcare services.
The payment to the City of Kingston for those services comes to over $2 million each year for Frontenac County ratepayers, 18% of the entire Frontenac County levy to its ratepayers. The billing fluctuates each year, based on actual payouts and administration cost in preceding years.
As Frontenac County Council finalised their budget back in December, they learned that the billing for Ontario Works/Daycare Service is decreasing by about $175,000 this year, and the social housing billing is down by $75,000.
The $250,000 in savings, will benefit Frontenac County ratepayers,
When Frontenac County Council approved their draft budget in November of 2020, the increase in the levy to be paid by ratepayers was 5.51%.
But when Council met on December 16, 2020, to approve the final budget, the levy increase had shrunk to 2.1%.
And in terms of impact on residents, those costs will be mitigated by 1.37% in growth due to new construction in Frontenac County, for a net impact of under 1% for most homeowners.
The Frontenac County levy will be folded into the local township budgets, which are in various stages of development across the County.
South Frontenac is completing its budget later this week, and North and Central Frontenac will follow in February and March, respectively.
The draft township budget that will be presented to South Frontenac Council this week carries a 2.18% increase in township spending
Each township combines their own levy to ratepayers with the county levy, and a levy from the Ontario Ministry of Education,
All together South Frontenac ratepayers can expect an increase of between 1.5% and 2% in their final tax bill for 2021, because the education levy did not go up,
North and Central Frontenac ratepayers will have to wait and see how much their taxes will rise in 2021.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14533-tax-levy-increase-up-2-1-frontenac-county-ratepayers-benefit-from-lower-levies-social-service-costs
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/a72c39af6c570b54662981290da0e642197c0273f637592df1fb25ba8c792ed2.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021\nFrontenac County and the City of Kingston were at loggerheads for over a year over increases in the bill that Frontenac County sends to Kingston for delivering paramedic services and operating Fairmount Home, the County owned long term care facility.\nKingston City Council did not appreciate that they have no control over costs that were rising at rates much higher than their budget target increases each year, leaving them less wiggle room when it came to funding their own priority programs.\nFrontenac County politicians said that the cost increases were based, primarily, on the increasing demand for paramedic services in fast growing parts of the City, and provincially mandated long term care enhancements.\nLost in the back-and-forth debate was the fact that the City of Kingston also bills Frontenac County, for services it delivers to Frontenac County residents: Social Housing, Ontario Works, and childcare services.\nThe payment to the City of Kingston for those services comes to over $2 million each year for Frontenac County ratepayers, 18% of the entire Frontenac County levy to its ratepayers. The billing fluctuates each year, based on actual payouts and administration cost in preceding years.\nAs Frontenac County Council finalised their budget back in December, they learned that the billing for Ontario Works/Daycare Service is decreasing by about $175,000 this year, and the social housing billing is down by $75,000.\nThe $250,000 in savings, will benefit Frontenac County ratepayers,\nWhen Frontenac County Council approved their draft budget in November of 2020, the increase in the levy to be paid by ratepayers was 5.51%.\nBut when Council met on December 16, 2020, to approve the final budget, the levy increase had shrunk to 2.1%.\nAnd in terms of impact on residents, those costs will be mitigated by 1.37% in growth due to new construction in Frontenac County, for a net impact of under 1% for most homeowners.\nThe Frontenac County levy will be folded into the local township budgets, which are in various stages of development across the County.\nSouth Frontenac is completing its budget later this week, and North and Central Frontenac will follow in February and March, respectively.\nThe draft township budget that will be presented to South Frontenac Council this week carries a 2.18% increase in township spending\nEach township combines their own levy to ratepayers with the county levy, and a levy from the Ontario Ministry of Education,\nAll together South Frontenac ratepayers can expect an increase of between 1.5% and 2% in their final tax bill for 2021, because the education levy did not go up,\nNorth and Central Frontenac ratepayers will have to wait and see how much their taxes will rise in 2021.",
"Frontenac County ratepayers benefit from lower levies social service costs",
"Frontenac County and the City of Kingston were at loggerheads for over a year over increases in the bill that Frontenac County sends to Kingston for d..."
] |
|
[
"Kingston Frontenac Public Library"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:40 | null | 2021-01-13T16:58:50 |
An Interview and Q&A with Bob Joseph Join KFPL and Bob Joseph for a live discussion about his book 21 Things You May Not Know About...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fitem%2F14529-21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act.json
|
en
| null |
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Kingston Frontenac Public Library | Jan 13, 2021
An Interview and Q&A with Bob Joseph
Join KFPL and Bob Joseph for a live discussion about his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, following a group viewing of his pre-recorded TVO interview. Explore the troubled history of the Act, and how Indigenous populations can work towards self-determination despite the negative consequences of this legal document.
“21 Things has been such a popular title for over two years! Having Bob headline this event is a great opportunity for the public to interact with somebody who has made immeasurable contributions to raising awareness for a complex issue, “ said Jake Miller, Programming & Outreach librarian.
Joseph is an initiated member of the Hamatsa Society and has inherited a chief’s seat in the Gayaxala (Thunderbird) clan, the first clan of the Gwawa’enuxw one of the 18 tribes that make up the Kwakwaka'wakw.
He has decades of experience with Indigenous relations training throughout the Americas and the South Pacific, and recently authored Indigenous Relations: Insights, Tips & Suggestions to Make Reconciliation a Reality (2019).
To delve deeper into the historical roots of Indigenous issues, KFPL had also organized an event with Queen’s Post-doctoral fellow Max Hamon on Feb.11th to discuss his book The Audacity of His Enterprise: Louis Riel and the Métis Nation That Canada Never Was, 1840–1875, followed by a Q&A. Register at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/4771805
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/item/14529-21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/a49680d6d5d5a347c76428c372274a83f21adea83d91b0f6684cc5c903f9cc3f.json
|
[
"Kingston Frontenac Public Library | Jan 13, 2021\nAn Interview and Q&A with Bob Joseph\nJoin KFPL and Bob Joseph for a live discussion about his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, following a group viewing of his pre-recorded TVO interview. Explore the troubled history of the Act, and how Indigenous populations can work towards self-determination despite the negative consequences of this legal document.\n“21 Things has been such a popular title for over two years! Having Bob headline this event is a great opportunity for the public to interact with somebody who has made immeasurable contributions to raising awareness for a complex issue, “ said Jake Miller, Programming & Outreach librarian.\nJoseph is an initiated member of the Hamatsa Society and has inherited a chief’s seat in the Gayaxala (Thunderbird) clan, the first clan of the Gwawa’enuxw one of the 18 tribes that make up the Kwakwaka'wakw.\nHe has decades of experience with Indigenous relations training throughout the Americas and the South Pacific, and recently authored Indigenous Relations: Insights, Tips & Suggestions to Make Reconciliation a Reality (2019).\nTo delve deeper into the historical roots of Indigenous issues, KFPL had also organized an event with Queen’s Post-doctoral fellow Max Hamon on Feb.11th to discuss his book The Audacity of His Enterprise: Louis Riel and the Métis Nation That Canada Never Was, 1840–1875, followed by a Q&A. Register at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/4771805",
"21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act",
"An Interview and Q&A with Bob Joseph Join KFPL and Bob Joseph for a live discussion about his book 21 Things You May Not Know About..."
] |
|
[
"News Staff"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:50 | null | 2021-01-13T16:58:37 |
The cemetery work North Frontenac Historical Society & Archives began in 2019 continues. In April of 2020 the launch of the Cemeteries & Genea...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Fnorth-frontenac-news%2Fitem%2F14528-north-frontenac-cemeteries-phase-iii.json
|
en
| null |
North Frontenac Cemeteries (Phase III)
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jan 13, 2021
The cemetery work North Frontenac Historical Society & Archives began in 2019 continues. In April of 2020 the launch of the Cemeteries & Genealogy section of the website www.nfhistorical.com did not go well. The volume of data overwhelmed the site. Two sections Archives and Historical Tours survived; and we invite you to examine these; however, most of the large cemeteries did not remain on the site. Throughout the summer of 2020 NFHSA volunteers and even hired personnel tried to recover the missing data but that was unsuccessful. An alternative format for the cemetery section had to be developed. Phase III of the plan is underway where we will add additional information about individuals buried in each of the cemeteries and where possible insert a photo. Additional information may include: parents’ name, siblings’ names, children’s names, aspects of their life to be shared. Committee members began the changeover in October and will continue throughout the winter to reformat the information for each of the cemeteries. This will be uploaded in stages starting with smaller ones such as Wilbur, St. Mark’s Anglican (Harlowe), Cloyne Pioneer and Donaldson. Contact with community members will be vital as we expand the information section. Committee members would like to hear from you to verify information, provide a photo of a family member and contribute aspects of the person’s life you may want recorded. On the record page, Veterans will have a poppy, children will be identified with a lamb symbol and others with forget-me-nots.
If you have family members buried in any of North Frontenac Cemeteries and are able to provide some help with information or photos, please let Brenda know at (613) 479-2837 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/north-frontenac-news/item/14528-north-frontenac-cemeteries-phase-iii
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/529915dc153fc1fad42edf1ab2c5474b1a5241977de1270a4bd9b577e6f42c1f.json
|
[
"Jan 13, 2021\nThe cemetery work North Frontenac Historical Society & Archives began in 2019 continues. In April of 2020 the launch of the Cemeteries & Genealogy section of the website www.nfhistorical.com did not go well. The volume of data overwhelmed the site. Two sections Archives and Historical Tours survived; and we invite you to examine these; however, most of the large cemeteries did not remain on the site. Throughout the summer of 2020 NFHSA volunteers and even hired personnel tried to recover the missing data but that was unsuccessful. An alternative format for the cemetery section had to be developed. Phase III of the plan is underway where we will add additional information about individuals buried in each of the cemeteries and where possible insert a photo. Additional information may include: parents’ name, siblings’ names, children’s names, aspects of their life to be shared. Committee members began the changeover in October and will continue throughout the winter to reformat the information for each of the cemeteries. This will be uploaded in stages starting with smaller ones such as Wilbur, St. Mark’s Anglican (Harlowe), Cloyne Pioneer and Donaldson. Contact with community members will be vital as we expand the information section. Committee members would like to hear from you to verify information, provide a photo of a family member and contribute aspects of the person’s life you may want recorded. On the record page, Veterans will have a poppy, children will be identified with a lamb symbol and others with forget-me-nots.\nIf you have family members buried in any of North Frontenac Cemeteries and are able to provide some help with information or photos, please let Brenda know at (613) 479-2837 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .",
"North Frontenac Cemeteries (Phase III)",
"The cemetery work North Frontenac Historical Society & Archives began in 2019 continues. In April of 2020 the launch of the Cemeteries & Genea..."
] |
|
[
"Jeff Green"
] | 2021-01-19T11:51:35 | null | 2021-01-13T16:59:56 |
It is common for South Frontenac Mayor, and 2021 Frontenac County Warden, Ron Vandewal to beg off Frontenac County meetings that extend into the after...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontenacnews.ca%2Ffrontenac-county-news%2Fitem%2F14534-the-school-bus-driver-county-warden.json
|
en
| null |
The school bus driver/county warden
| null | null |
www.frontenacnews.ca
|
Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021
It is common for South Frontenac Mayor, and 2021 Frontenac County Warden, Ron Vandewal to beg off Frontenac County meetings that extend into the afternoon because he has to pick up students from Sydenham High School and drive them home.
And even though in-school learning is off right now because of the province-wide lock-down, he is still driving twice a day because one special needs student on his run is still attending in-school classes.
But he does not think that the added responsibility as County Warden will be particularly onerous this year.
“When I gave my speech, if you can call it that, as I took the oath of office in December, all I said was that I can't promise anything this year with all that is going on,” he said this week in a phone interview from his home. “Just like anything Frances Smith hoped to accomplish last year was swept away by COVID, the same will be true this year.”
The oath of office was administered by South Frontenac Director of Financial Services Louise Fragnito in the empty South Frontenac Council chamber and witnessed virtually by members of Frontenac County Council on Zoom and broadcast on Youtube.
The first time Vandewal took the oath of office as Warden in the crowded Rotary Auditorium at Fairmount Home in 2017, he became emotional reflecting on his father, who served as County Warden in 1983.
Similarly he thinks that serving as Warden this year will be pretty low-key as well.
“There are monthly Eastern Ontario Warden'e meetings to attend and I've registered for the ROMA (Rural Ontario Municipal Association) conference, but I expect I will attend everything from my living room, which is less time consuming, and cheaper, than travelling. You don;t learn as much when you don;t meet people in person. I have learned a fair bit from some of the people I've met, over the years, at different events, and I've brought that information back to South Frontenac. Being the Mayor of South Frontenac is still my main job, the warden role is less demanding” he said.
He has already set a new precedent for himself as Warden, when he voted in favour of the 2021 County budget.
“I've made it clear throughout my career that I will not support a budget with an increase over 2%, and because of some funding changes the county budget came in lower than expected an I voted for it,” he said.
He added that he does recognise that Frontenac County Chief Administrator Kelly Pender has influenced his thinking on county budgets.
“Kelly is correct when he points out that almost all of the county budget comes from salaries and you can't do much about that. In the township we can decide to put off some road work if we want to being in a lower budget but the county can't do that.”
One thing that does not interest Vandewal is the idea of jumping to another political level, which is relatively common among municipal politicians.
North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins is seeking the Progressive Conservative nominatoin for the next provincial election, which will take place in 2022 or earlier, and former Central Frontenac Mayor and current council member in both Central Frontenac and Frontenac County, Bill MacDonald, ran provincially for the Liberal Party twice.
“I have no interest in that level of politics. My interest is in South Frontenac and that is it,” he said.
|
https://www.frontenacnews.ca/frontenac-county-news/item/14534-the-school-bus-driver-county-warden
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.frontenacnews.ca/f143cf1d04d4b7d70ddac32ab10f8b93d11c40c65e1ce572a4af94682fe04798.json
|
[
"Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021\nIt is common for South Frontenac Mayor, and 2021 Frontenac County Warden, Ron Vandewal to beg off Frontenac County meetings that extend into the afternoon because he has to pick up students from Sydenham High School and drive them home.\nAnd even though in-school learning is off right now because of the province-wide lock-down, he is still driving twice a day because one special needs student on his run is still attending in-school classes.\nBut he does not think that the added responsibility as County Warden will be particularly onerous this year.\n“When I gave my speech, if you can call it that, as I took the oath of office in December, all I said was that I can't promise anything this year with all that is going on,” he said this week in a phone interview from his home. “Just like anything Frances Smith hoped to accomplish last year was swept away by COVID, the same will be true this year.”\nThe oath of office was administered by South Frontenac Director of Financial Services Louise Fragnito in the empty South Frontenac Council chamber and witnessed virtually by members of Frontenac County Council on Zoom and broadcast on Youtube.\nThe first time Vandewal took the oath of office as Warden in the crowded Rotary Auditorium at Fairmount Home in 2017, he became emotional reflecting on his father, who served as County Warden in 1983.\nSimilarly he thinks that serving as Warden this year will be pretty low-key as well.\n“There are monthly Eastern Ontario Warden'e meetings to attend and I've registered for the ROMA (Rural Ontario Municipal Association) conference, but I expect I will attend everything from my living room, which is less time consuming, and cheaper, than travelling. You don;t learn as much when you don;t meet people in person. I have learned a fair bit from some of the people I've met, over the years, at different events, and I've brought that information back to South Frontenac. Being the Mayor of South Frontenac is still my main job, the warden role is less demanding” he said.\nHe has already set a new precedent for himself as Warden, when he voted in favour of the 2021 County budget.\n“I've made it clear throughout my career that I will not support a budget with an increase over 2%, and because of some funding changes the county budget came in lower than expected an I voted for it,” he said.\nHe added that he does recognise that Frontenac County Chief Administrator Kelly Pender has influenced his thinking on county budgets.\n“Kelly is correct when he points out that almost all of the county budget comes from salaries and you can't do much about that. In the township we can decide to put off some road work if we want to being in a lower budget but the county can't do that.”\nOne thing that does not interest Vandewal is the idea of jumping to another political level, which is relatively common among municipal politicians.\nNorth Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins is seeking the Progressive Conservative nominatoin for the next provincial election, which will take place in 2022 or earlier, and former Central Frontenac Mayor and current council member in both Central Frontenac and Frontenac County, Bill MacDonald, ran provincially for the Liberal Party twice.\n“I have no interest in that level of politics. My interest is in South Frontenac and that is it,” he said.",
"The school bus driver/county warden",
"It is common for South Frontenac Mayor, and 2021 Frontenac County Warden, Ron Vandewal to beg off Frontenac County meetings that extend into the after..."
] |
|
[
"Laura Watson"
] | 2021-01-19T11:16:43 | null | 2021-01-19T10:51:27 |
The company expects organic growth the return to 'double digit' levels over the next six months
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Flisted-law-firm-knights-reports-19653939.json
|
en
| null |
Listed law firm Knights reports 'robust' first half performance across enlarged group
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Listed law firm Knights plc says recent acquisitions have successfully contributed to a half-year revenue increase of 45 per cent.
In a recent trading update for the six months to October 2020, the firm revealed that revenue rose to £46.2m for the period, with £19.1m coming from acquisitions – this compares to £31.9m for the same period the previous year.
The firm – which has 15 offices across the UK in areas including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, York and Staffordshire – also saw pre-tax profit rise by 13 per cent to £6m, up from £5.3m the previous year.
Knights’ acquisitions include Exeter-based OTB Eveling LLP in November and Shulmans in Leeds, ASB in Maidstone and Fraser Brown in Nottingham.
The company said that trading recovered through the first half, reaching near pre-covid levels in October, with full staff salaries being resumed from November 1.
It also continued its recruitment drive to ‘support future organic growth,’ taking on 18 senior fee earners in the six-month period.
At the same time, Knights agreed leases for new offices in Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham.
Bosses at the firm now expect organic growth to return to ‘double-digit’ levels for the second half of the year.
Its recruitment momentum will also continue over the next six months with a ‘strong pipeline’ of new recruits.
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
David Beech, CEO of Knights, said: “We have delivered a robust first half performance of profitable, cash generative growth across an enlarged group, despite the macro economic environment. The health and wellbeing of our people continues to be the group’s priority and this performance is credit to our teams’ continued provision of excellent service to our clients, remotely.
“Activity levels have improved further since period end, providing confidence that we will return to double-digit organic growth for the second half.
“We continue to execute on our strategy of driving organic growth, supplemented by targeted acquisitions that build scale and provide entry into attractive regional markets.
“Our well-invested business and strong culture is attracting senior fee earners, many of whom are joining from Top 50 law firms. Our prior investments have enabled us to successfully onboard new colleagues, win exciting new clients and rapidly integrate four acquisitions during a period of working remotely.
“Having broadened Knights’ geographic reach, our competitive position as a market leader in the regions has continued to strengthen through the period, and we anticipate that covid-19 will accentuate the recruitment and acquisition opportunities for our resilient business in the highly fragmented market for legal services outside London.
“We remain confident in our strategy and the prospects for the group.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/listed-law-firm-knights-reports-19653939
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/eb4b499eee76a7bac654a1aefe2f7e2e0cd92b65872276ebb1b94c6d5e901cb7.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nListed law firm Knights plc says recent acquisitions have successfully contributed to a half-year revenue increase of 45 per cent.\nIn a recent trading update for the six months to October 2020, the firm revealed that revenue rose to £46.2m for the period, with £19.1m coming from acquisitions – this compares to £31.9m for the same period the previous year.\nThe firm – which has 15 offices across the UK in areas including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, York and Staffordshire – also saw pre-tax profit rise by 13 per cent to £6m, up from £5.3m the previous year.\nKnights’ acquisitions include Exeter-based OTB Eveling LLP in November and Shulmans in Leeds, ASB in Maidstone and Fraser Brown in Nottingham.\nThe company said that trading recovered through the first half, reaching near pre-covid levels in October, with full staff salaries being resumed from November 1.\nIt also continued its recruitment drive to ‘support future organic growth,’ taking on 18 senior fee earners in the six-month period.\nAt the same time, Knights agreed leases for new offices in Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham.\nBosses at the firm now expect organic growth to return to ‘double-digit’ levels for the second half of the year.\nIts recruitment momentum will also continue over the next six months with a ‘strong pipeline’ of new recruits.\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nDavid Beech, CEO of Knights, said: “We have delivered a robust first half performance of profitable, cash generative growth across an enlarged group, despite the macro economic environment. The health and wellbeing of our people continues to be the group’s priority and this performance is credit to our teams’ continued provision of excellent service to our clients, remotely.\n“Activity levels have improved further since period end, providing confidence that we will return to double-digit organic growth for the second half.\n“We continue to execute on our strategy of driving organic growth, supplemented by targeted acquisitions that build scale and provide entry into attractive regional markets.\n“Our well-invested business and strong culture is attracting senior fee earners, many of whom are joining from Top 50 law firms. Our prior investments have enabled us to successfully onboard new colleagues, win exciting new clients and rapidly integrate four acquisitions during a period of working remotely.\n“Having broadened Knights’ geographic reach, our competitive position as a market leader in the regions has continued to strengthen through the period, and we anticipate that covid-19 will accentuate the recruitment and acquisition opportunities for our resilient business in the highly fragmented market for legal services outside London.\n“We remain confident in our strategy and the prospects for the group.”",
"Listed law firm Knights reports 'robust' first half performance across enlarged group",
"The company expects organic growth the return to 'double digit' levels over the next six months"
] |
|
[
"Coreena Ford",
"Image",
"Www.Chrishenderson.Photography",
"Pa"
] | 2021-01-28T15:41:37 | null | 2021-01-28T14:18:55 |
EDF Renewables is embarking on phase two of the innovative Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fblyths-offshore-wind-farm-set-19719728.json
|
en
| null |
Blyth's offshore wind farm set to double in size in new phase of innovation
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Northumberland wind farm which was created using a number of world-leading innovations is set for expansion.
Five turbines have formed the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm since 2017, when the first phase of the renewables project was completed.
Now its owners, French firm EDF Renewables, plans to build phase two of the wind farm off the coast of the Northumberland town, using floating offshore wind technology in one of the first projects of its kind in English waters.
The existing wind farm has a generating capacity of 41.5MW and was the first UK offshore wind farm to use float and submerge gravity base foundations.
EDF Renewables is now planning for phase two which will see the installation of five more turbines, set 14km from the shore in water depths of around 55 metres.
The capacity for phase two has yet to be finalised but the current consent for Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm is for a maximum of 99.9 MW, leaving a remaining capacity of 58.4MW.
The turbines to be installed in phase two will be constructed on floating sub structures.
Key contractors have yet to be picked, including the turbine supplier, but a range of floating technology options are being considered, with the final design still to be determined by further detailed engineering studies.
A key requirement of the project is to demonstrate new and innovative technologies that have potential to reduce the cost of offshore wind, both floating and fixed, developments in the future.
(Image: PA)
EDF Renewables is working closely with suppliers and research organisations, including the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, which has a base in Blyth, to ensure technologies and approaches are fully explored.
Director of Offshore wind at EDF Renewables, Michele Schiavone, said: “We are very excited about this next phase of the BOD project and want to further the demonstration of construction and operation of floating turbines to show that floating wind is technically feasible and cost competitive in water depths of 50-60 metres.
“With the Contract for Difference (CfD) mechanism providing a potential route to market, we are confident that floating turbine technology can accelerate the UK’s journey to a net zero future where clean energy powers all our lives. We will use the project to support the further development of this emerging technology.
“We are ambitious when it comes to offshore wind and already have two operational offshore wind sites at Blyth and Teesside. We are currently working on our 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in the Firth of Forth in Scotland (a joint venture with ESB) and our Irish Codling project (a joint venture with Fred.Olsen Renewables) which will have a capacity of up to 1.5GW.”
The development timescale for Blyth Offshore Demonstrator phase two has not yet been finalised but the target is for it to be fully commissioned by Spring 2025.
The project has been welcomed by Port of Blyth.
Chief executive Martin Lawlor said: “We’re delighted that EDF Renewables have announced they are to make this exciting proposal a reality.
"Blyth is synonymous with offshore wind innovation as a home to the first turbines installed and decommissioned in UK waters and of course as the location for the world leading test facilities of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. As the host for the wind farm’s O&M base we look forward to supporting EDF Renewables and its partners throughout the construction phase and into operations.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/blyths-offshore-wind-farm-set-19719728
|
en
| 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/c4a5cf3154725aeb80b99f9f45382f486d238e0f3edf4199e6dc0ca62a462d0d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Northumberland wind farm which was created using a number of world-leading innovations is set for expansion.\nFive turbines have formed the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm since 2017, when the first phase of the renewables project was completed.\nNow its owners, French firm EDF Renewables, plans to build phase two of the wind farm off the coast of the Northumberland town, using floating offshore wind technology in one of the first projects of its kind in English waters.\nThe existing wind farm has a generating capacity of 41.5MW and was the first UK offshore wind farm to use float and submerge gravity base foundations.\nEDF Renewables is now planning for phase two which will see the installation of five more turbines, set 14km from the shore in water depths of around 55 metres.\nThe capacity for phase two has yet to be finalised but the current consent for Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm is for a maximum of 99.9 MW, leaving a remaining capacity of 58.4MW.\nThe turbines to be installed in phase two will be constructed on floating sub structures.\nKey contractors have yet to be picked, including the turbine supplier, but a range of floating technology options are being considered, with the final design still to be determined by further detailed engineering studies.\nA key requirement of the project is to demonstrate new and innovative technologies that have potential to reduce the cost of offshore wind, both floating and fixed, developments in the future.\n(Image: PA)\nEDF Renewables is working closely with suppliers and research organisations, including the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, which has a base in Blyth, to ensure technologies and approaches are fully explored.\nDirector of Offshore wind at EDF Renewables, Michele Schiavone, said: “We are very excited about this next phase of the BOD project and want to further the demonstration of construction and operation of floating turbines to show that floating wind is technically feasible and cost competitive in water depths of 50-60 metres.\n“With the Contract for Difference (CfD) mechanism providing a potential route to market, we are confident that floating turbine technology can accelerate the UK’s journey to a net zero future where clean energy powers all our lives. We will use the project to support the further development of this emerging technology.\n“We are ambitious when it comes to offshore wind and already have two operational offshore wind sites at Blyth and Teesside. We are currently working on our 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in the Firth of Forth in Scotland (a joint venture with ESB) and our Irish Codling project (a joint venture with Fred.Olsen Renewables) which will have a capacity of up to 1.5GW.”\nThe development timescale for Blyth Offshore Demonstrator phase two has not yet been finalised but the target is for it to be fully commissioned by Spring 2025.\nThe project has been welcomed by Port of Blyth.\nChief executive Martin Lawlor said: “We’re delighted that EDF Renewables have announced they are to make this exciting proposal a reality.\n\"Blyth is synonymous with offshore wind innovation as a home to the first turbines installed and decommissioned in UK waters and of course as the location for the world leading test facilities of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. As the host for the wind farm’s O&M base we look forward to supporting EDF Renewables and its partners throughout the construction phase and into operations.”",
"Blyth's offshore wind farm set to double in size in new phase of innovation",
"EDF Renewables is embarking on phase two of the innovative Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm"
] |
|
[
"Alistair Houghton",
"Image",
"Publicity Picture"
] | 2021-01-14T16:12:19 | null | 2021-01-14T16:00:00 |
Group aims to produce a billion medical masks a year after securing new finance package
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fhundreds-jobs-created-ppe-maker-19625181.json
|
en
| null |
Hundreds of jobs created at PPE maker Globus Group in Warrington and Scotland with £70m finance package
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
PPE maker Globus Group is creating more than 600 new jobs at two manufacturing sites after securing a £70 million finance package from HSBC.
The Manchester-based group will make 1.3 billion specialist masks for frontline NHS staff at new manufacturing facilities in Warrington and Dumfriesshire.
Globus, which makes PPE for hand, eye, head, hearing and respiratory protection and bought Alpha Solway in 2015, will also use the funding to support its international manufacturing and growth.
The group says that once the Dumfriesshire and Warrington plants are fully operational, they will be capable of producing one billion medical masks, 200 million respirator masks, 100 million face masks and 22 million visors a year. Each site will recruit 300 new workers.
Andrew Morris, chief financial officer at Globus Group, said: "For more than 25 years, we have been committed to protecting UK workers exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace.
"Our increased PPE manufacturing capabilities, made possible by the two new manufacturing plants and uplift in manpower, will help dedicated frontline healthcare workers do their jobs safely in the fight against covid-19, especially as we move into this critical winter period."
Mark Boyle, corporate relationship director at HSBC UK, added: “We are pleased to have supported Globus Group in ensuring that frontline workers in the UK receive the best quality protective equipment throughout the covid-19 crisis.
"The company is also playing its part in creating jobs in the UK throughout these difficult times."
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/hundreds-jobs-created-ppe-maker-19625181
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/1ad0f2ff90e54d3b0a7f804764acc3245465e14e9d98a5d77234d80f38e9534b.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nPPE maker Globus Group is creating more than 600 new jobs at two manufacturing sites after securing a £70 million finance package from HSBC.\nThe Manchester-based group will make 1.3 billion specialist masks for frontline NHS staff at new manufacturing facilities in Warrington and Dumfriesshire.\nGlobus, which makes PPE for hand, eye, head, hearing and respiratory protection and bought Alpha Solway in 2015, will also use the funding to support its international manufacturing and growth.\nThe group says that once the Dumfriesshire and Warrington plants are fully operational, they will be capable of producing one billion medical masks, 200 million respirator masks, 100 million face masks and 22 million visors a year. Each site will recruit 300 new workers.\nAndrew Morris, chief financial officer at Globus Group, said: \"For more than 25 years, we have been committed to protecting UK workers exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace.\n\"Our increased PPE manufacturing capabilities, made possible by the two new manufacturing plants and uplift in manpower, will help dedicated frontline healthcare workers do their jobs safely in the fight against covid-19, especially as we move into this critical winter period.\"\nMark Boyle, corporate relationship director at HSBC UK, added: “We are pleased to have supported Globus Group in ensuring that frontline workers in the UK receive the best quality protective equipment throughout the covid-19 crisis.\n\"The company is also playing its part in creating jobs in the UK throughout these difficult times.\"",
"Hundreds of jobs created at PPE maker Globus Group in Warrington and Scotland with £70m finance package",
"Group aims to produce a billion medical masks a year after securing new finance package"
] |
|
[
"Coreena Ford",
"Ian Mcneal",
"Image",
"Tom Banks - Banks-Photo.Co.Uk"
] | 2021-01-01T12:01:46 | null | 2021-01-01T11:03:53 |
The undisclosed deal comes four years after the retail entrepreneur first made moves to buy the business
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fmike-ashleys-retail-group-swoops-19548181.json
|
en
| null |
Mike Ashley's retail group swoops for flagship North fashion retailer
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Mike Ashley’s retail empire Frasers Group has swooped for a prime fashion retailer on Teesside.
The Newcastle United owner and serial entrepreneur has snapped up Middlesbrough designer clothes firm Psyche in an undisclosed deal, several years after its owner initially turned down a buyout offer.
Psyche owner Steve Cochrane, who has owned the company for 38 years, will remain with the company following the deal, saying it secures the future of the bricks and mortar store, the online operation and the 58 employees.
He said: “After 38 years as an independent fashion retailer we have never seen such uncertainty surrounding the pandemic with local lockdowns, it is great to have the security and backing of one of the strongest UK retailers to continue employing our talented staff and serve our loyal customers.
“Merging with Frasers Group will allow us to grow and expand.
“It will give us economies of scale and efficiencies by being part of a large plc.”
The deal includes Psyche’s 40,000 sq ft luxury fashion boutique in Middlesbrough, which sells more than 200 high-end brands for men, women and children, and is currently closed due the Tier 4 restrictions.
It moved to the building from its previous premises, also on Linthorpe Road, as part of expansion plans in 2003.
In 1995 Psyche won UK Designer Retailer of the Year ahead of Selfridges on Oxford Street and Mr Cochrane, said he had first been approached with a potential sale offer in 2017.
He turned that offer down - but was contacted again recently by Frasers Group founder Mr Ashley.
The entrepreneur had visited four years ago during a trip to see his Flannels store in Middlesbrough.
Mr Cochrane added: “When Mike came three years ago he said it was the best store he had seen outside of London.
“They have been really great to deal with. Lots of the high street is on the verge of failing but this deal makes sure that Psyche is now part of something larger and more secure.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/mike-ashleys-retail-group-swoops-19548181
|
en
| 2021-01-01T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/8e8fd507e70257880ca3579bd0d5f653cc7de598eb5a32719f9abe7c1a3cf7ad.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nMike Ashley’s retail empire Frasers Group has swooped for a prime fashion retailer on Teesside.\nThe Newcastle United owner and serial entrepreneur has snapped up Middlesbrough designer clothes firm Psyche in an undisclosed deal, several years after its owner initially turned down a buyout offer.\nPsyche owner Steve Cochrane, who has owned the company for 38 years, will remain with the company following the deal, saying it secures the future of the bricks and mortar store, the online operation and the 58 employees.\nHe said: “After 38 years as an independent fashion retailer we have never seen such uncertainty surrounding the pandemic with local lockdowns, it is great to have the security and backing of one of the strongest UK retailers to continue employing our talented staff and serve our loyal customers.\n“Merging with Frasers Group will allow us to grow and expand.\n“It will give us economies of scale and efficiencies by being part of a large plc.”\nThe deal includes Psyche’s 40,000 sq ft luxury fashion boutique in Middlesbrough, which sells more than 200 high-end brands for men, women and children, and is currently closed due the Tier 4 restrictions.\nIt moved to the building from its previous premises, also on Linthorpe Road, as part of expansion plans in 2003.\nIn 1995 Psyche won UK Designer Retailer of the Year ahead of Selfridges on Oxford Street and Mr Cochrane, said he had first been approached with a potential sale offer in 2017.\nHe turned that offer down - but was contacted again recently by Frasers Group founder Mr Ashley.\nThe entrepreneur had visited four years ago during a trip to see his Flannels store in Middlesbrough.\nMr Cochrane added: “When Mike came three years ago he said it was the best store he had seen outside of London.\n“They have been really great to deal with. Lots of the high street is on the verge of failing but this deal makes sure that Psyche is now part of something larger and more secure.",
"Mike Ashley's retail group swoops for flagship North fashion retailer",
"The undisclosed deal comes four years after the retail entrepreneur first made moves to buy the business"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield",
"Image",
"Pa"
] | 2021-01-11T15:28:35 | null | 2021-01-11T14:58:12 |
Mr Sunak is due to speak in the House of Commons this afternoon, a week after his latest package of economic support got a lukewarm reception
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Flive-updates-chancellor-rishi-sunak-19603837.json
|
en
| null |
Live updates as Chancellor Rishi Sunak makes statement on state of the economy
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to speak in the House of Commons this afternoon as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy.
Mr Sunak's statement - which the Treasury has said would cover “the economic situation and support being provided to the economy, businesses and families” - comes a week after a package of economic support announced after the latest national lockdown was criticised for being little more than a 'sticking plaster'.
A number of business groups are warning of mounting problems in the economy, with the Federation of Small Businesses warning today that up to 250,000 small firms will go bust without improved Government support.
Lockdown in England is set to last until at least the middle of February with rumours that it could go much longer, and made more stringent as the number of people with the virus continues to mount.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/live-updates-chancellor-rishi-sunak-19603837
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/b5a0eb5074443ea73dd0432890a0313bc9962526ec46c98f14e339e6d36e8315.json
|
[
"Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to speak in the House of Commons this afternoon as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy.\nMr Sunak's statement - which the Treasury has said would cover “the economic situation and support being provided to the economy, businesses and families” - comes a week after a package of economic support announced after the latest national lockdown was criticised for being little more than a 'sticking plaster'.\nA number of business groups are warning of mounting problems in the economy, with the Federation of Small Businesses warning today that up to 250,000 small firms will go bust without improved Government support.\nLockdown in England is set to last until at least the middle of February with rumours that it could go much longer, and made more stringent as the number of people with the virus continues to mount.",
"Live updates as Chancellor Rishi Sunak makes statement on state of the economy",
"Mr Sunak is due to speak in the House of Commons this afternoon, a week after his latest package of economic support got a lukewarm reception"
] |
|
[
"William Telford"
] | 2021-01-04T09:59:21 | null | 2021-01-04T09:34:48 |
Rajastan and Royal triumphs at the Asian Curry Awards after doing its bit to help during the coronavirus pandemic
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fbristol-curry-house-named-best-19557970.json
|
en
| null |
Bristol curry house named best Asian takeaway in the South West
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A take-away in Bristol which delivered free meals to key workers and homeless people during lockdown has won a national industry award.
Rajastan and Royal, in Downend, has been named Takeaway of the Year in the South West region in the 10th annual Asian Curry Awards.
The awards, which also recognised those who worked hard to help their community during the Covid-19 crisis, celebrates innovative vision and exceptional food.
Naseem Talukdar, who heads the takeaway in Westbourne Road, said: “This is a proud moment for our team and our customers, who voted for us. We have worked hard over the Covid-19 period and it’s great to get such recognition.”
Organised by the Asian Catering Federation, the awards cover a range of national cuisines, including Chinese, Bangladeshi, Indian, Thai and Middle Eastern.
Hundreds of businesses across the country took part and the winners were announced during a live online ceremony, hosted by BBC TV presenter Samantha Simmonds.
Fishponds resident Naseem - a project manager for charity Plastic Pollution Awareness and Action Projects, which looks at alternatives to single-use plastic in the food industry - said the award was good for morale.
Naseem, who has also received a High Sheriff’s Award from the Lord-Lieutenant Bristol in recognition of his contribution to the city, said: “It’s a great boost to confidence to receive such an award and we couldn’t have done it without the support of people in our community.
“We’ve received lots of positive messages, both in person and online. This event is an opportunity to see what others are doing in the industry and keep on improving our work.”
Naseem, whose parents ran Indian restaurant Rupali, in Kingswood, led the Food 4 NHS Project, set up alongside campaign group UK Curry Connect to raise awareness of skills shortages in the Asian catering.
It involved teams from takeaways and restaurants across Bristol and together they delivered thousands of hot meals to frontline staff, who were working long shifts.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here
Naseem also campaigns for greater support for homeless people, as deaths rise for a fifth year in a row according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
He has organised the provision of hot meals and essentials for people on the street, and said: “Homelessness could happen to anyone and we are doing are bit to provide essentials, but more needs to be done - particularly during these difficult times.”
Chairman of the Asian Curry Awards Yawar Khan is keen to recognise great food and how recent measures are affecting the hospitality industry.
He said: “The team at Rajastan were deserving winners as they have given back to their community over the years and have upped this support since the coronavirus outbreak. In turn, their community showed their appreciation and voted for them to win this award.”
Rajastan means “Land of the Kings” in Sanskrit and the arid state gave rise to creative dishes, with an array of vibrant spices. The team at Rajastan and Royal brings a taste of the East inspired from various regions across the Indian subcontinent.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/bristol-curry-house-named-best-19557970
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/cce6d2755ed26878cd37bfe4cb6417df78d33fa50019f722dd502aff2c8be537.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA take-away in Bristol which delivered free meals to key workers and homeless people during lockdown has won a national industry award.\nRajastan and Royal, in Downend, has been named Takeaway of the Year in the South West region in the 10th annual Asian Curry Awards.\nThe awards, which also recognised those who worked hard to help their community during the Covid-19 crisis, celebrates innovative vision and exceptional food.\nNaseem Talukdar, who heads the takeaway in Westbourne Road, said: “This is a proud moment for our team and our customers, who voted for us. We have worked hard over the Covid-19 period and it’s great to get such recognition.”\nOrganised by the Asian Catering Federation, the awards cover a range of national cuisines, including Chinese, Bangladeshi, Indian, Thai and Middle Eastern.\nHundreds of businesses across the country took part and the winners were announced during a live online ceremony, hosted by BBC TV presenter Samantha Simmonds.\nFishponds resident Naseem - a project manager for charity Plastic Pollution Awareness and Action Projects, which looks at alternatives to single-use plastic in the food industry - said the award was good for morale.\nNaseem, who has also received a High Sheriff’s Award from the Lord-Lieutenant Bristol in recognition of his contribution to the city, said: “It’s a great boost to confidence to receive such an award and we couldn’t have done it without the support of people in our community.\n“We’ve received lots of positive messages, both in person and online. This event is an opportunity to see what others are doing in the industry and keep on improving our work.”\nNaseem, whose parents ran Indian restaurant Rupali, in Kingswood, led the Food 4 NHS Project, set up alongside campaign group UK Curry Connect to raise awareness of skills shortages in the Asian catering.\nIt involved teams from takeaways and restaurants across Bristol and together they delivered thousands of hot meals to frontline staff, who were working long shifts.\nHow to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here\nNaseem also campaigns for greater support for homeless people, as deaths rise for a fifth year in a row according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).\nHe has organised the provision of hot meals and essentials for people on the street, and said: “Homelessness could happen to anyone and we are doing are bit to provide essentials, but more needs to be done - particularly during these difficult times.”\nChairman of the Asian Curry Awards Yawar Khan is keen to recognise great food and how recent measures are affecting the hospitality industry.\nHe said: “The team at Rajastan were deserving winners as they have given back to their community over the years and have upped this support since the coronavirus outbreak. In turn, their community showed their appreciation and voted for them to win this award.”\nRajastan means “Land of the Kings” in Sanskrit and the arid state gave rise to creative dishes, with an array of vibrant spices. The team at Rajastan and Royal brings a taste of the East inspired from various regions across the Indian subcontinent.",
"Bristol curry house named best Asian takeaway in the South West",
"Rajastan and Royal triumphs at the Asian Curry Awards after doing its bit to help during the coronavirus pandemic"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-15T10:35:15 | null | 2021-01-15T09:14:11 |
The office is 'ideally located' for the firm, whose other sites are in Liverpool, Widnes and Chester
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fcommercial-property%2Faccountancy-firm-mitchell-charlesworth-moves-19630023.json
|
en
| null |
Accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth moves Manchester HQ to 'inspiring' new workplace
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Leading accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth has announced it is moving to a new Manchester HQ in the heart of the city centre.
The firm, which has sites across the North West including Liverpool, Chester and Widnes, said its new workplace will be located at 44 Peter Street, where it will occupy Grade A office space on the third floor.
It is currently being fitted out and will have all the required Covid-19 safety measures in place to help protect staff and clients.
The firm is relocating from its current nearby base on Deansgate to the new office, which is due to open on January 18.
Alison Buckley, managing partner at the Manchester office of Mitchell Charlesworth, said: “Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed our relocation plans somewhat, we can now confirm that we will be maintaining a prime city centre base in Manchester, which is ideally located between St Peter's Square and Spinningfields.
“For over 130 years we have been successfully delivering accountancy services and business advice to our clients by continually evolving and enhancing our services and how clients access them.
"Our full range of accounting and business services will be available from the new office, which will provide an inspiring working environment for our staff and comfortable surroundings for our visitors as well as support our future growth in the region.”
Richard Wharton at JLL and Darren Hamer at Hill Dickinson advised Mitchell Charlesworth on the deal.
Cushman & Wakefield acted on behalf of the landlord Credit Suisse.
The property is managed by Muller International.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/accountancy-firm-mitchell-charlesworth-moves-19630023
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4f33a4767f988df88db313ab175d58627612def6aef9d7d2a35f5d91802643c9.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nLeading accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth has announced it is moving to a new Manchester HQ in the heart of the city centre.\nThe firm, which has sites across the North West including Liverpool, Chester and Widnes, said its new workplace will be located at 44 Peter Street, where it will occupy Grade A office space on the third floor.\nIt is currently being fitted out and will have all the required Covid-19 safety measures in place to help protect staff and clients.\nThe firm is relocating from its current nearby base on Deansgate to the new office, which is due to open on January 18.\nAlison Buckley, managing partner at the Manchester office of Mitchell Charlesworth, said: “Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed our relocation plans somewhat, we can now confirm that we will be maintaining a prime city centre base in Manchester, which is ideally located between St Peter's Square and Spinningfields.\n“For over 130 years we have been successfully delivering accountancy services and business advice to our clients by continually evolving and enhancing our services and how clients access them.\n\"Our full range of accounting and business services will be available from the new office, which will provide an inspiring working environment for our staff and comfortable surroundings for our visitors as well as support our future growth in the region.”\nRichard Wharton at JLL and Darren Hamer at Hill Dickinson advised Mitchell Charlesworth on the deal.\nCushman & Wakefield acted on behalf of the landlord Credit Suisse.\nThe property is managed by Muller International.",
"Accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth moves Manchester HQ to 'inspiring' new workplace",
"The office is 'ideally located' for the firm, whose other sites are in Liverpool, Widnes and Chester"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Finch",
"Hannah Baker",
"William Telford",
"Image",
"Andre Pattenden",
"Rik Green",
"Tim Western",
"Ultraleap",
"Barclays",
"Kay Elliott"
] | 2021-01-01T08:59:47 | null | 2021-01-01T08:00:00 |
If 2020 has been a waiting game then here's hoping for great things in 2021
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2F21-south-west-companies-watch-19434922.json
|
en
| null |
21 South West companies to watch in 2021
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
With 2020 now (thankfully) behind us, we take a look at some of the companies to keep an eye on in 2021.
In no particular order, here are 21 businesses to watch out for this year.
1. Dyson
(Image: Rik Green)
Sir James Dyson’s company looks set for a big year in 2021 as it turns 30 years old.
The business - known for its vacuum cleaners and air purifiers - announced a number of major developments for growth in 2020.
In November, the company said it was planning to double its product range with a £2.75billion investment, vowing to grow research into robotics and artificial intelligence at its Hullavington Airfield Campus in Wiltshire.
The site has become home to Dyson's large and growing robotics and machine learning hub. With its existing campus in nearby Malmesbury, Dyson employs some 4,000 people in Wiltshire working on new technologies and new products.
The company’s education institute - The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology - is also being given the power to award its own degrees from September next year.
It will mean the technology company is able to deliver and award every aspect of its degree programme (it currently partners with Warwick University) using its own teaching departments, professional services teams and governance structures.
Dyson is also progressing plans to open its new global head office complex in the historic St James Power Station in Singapore. This will be accompanied by an expansion of its advanced R&D facilities and research labs.
The business is planning to create a new dedicated software hub in Alabang, in the Philippines, to boot.
2. Babcock International Plc
(Image: William Telford)
There were big changes at the defence and engineering giant, which operates Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, in 2020 and the new year will be no less important.
The company went through a gruelling time during Covid hit 2020, and in November announced it had seen profits fall by more than £100million blaming the coronavirus pandemic and the decline of civil aviation.
The engineering titan, which also operates the huge dockyards at Rosyth in Scotland, experienced a 9% dip in underlying revenue and a 43% drop in underlying profit for the six months to the end of September 2020.
The company, which had scrapped its dividend in April and is not reinstating it due to “continued uncertainty around the impact of Covid-19”, revealed underlying revenue fell from £2.458billion, between April and September 2019, to £2.244billion in the same months this year. Underlying operating profit plummeted from £250.6million to £143.1million over the same half-year period.
But in Plymouth its £600million project to refit and extend the life of Britain’s fleet of Type 23 frigates continues with five ships being worked on at one time at Devonport as 2021 began.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Aside from surface ship work, Babcock also has submarine contracts at Devonport, and in 2021 is due to begin an extensive refurbishment project which will begin with a two-year programme to redevelop a dry dock for nuclear submarines.
More than 600 construction jobs will be created during the rebuilding of the 10 Dock Facility, and there are further improvements planned to other areas of the naval base and dockyard.
Four new Dreadnought-class missile submarines, which will form part of the UK's nuclear deterrent programme, will enter service in the early 2030s. They will replace the Vanguard-class submarines, becoming the largest submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy.
Babcock also has new faces at the helm, with David Lockwood appointed chief executive in 2021, quickly followed by David Mellors as chief financial officer and, in Plymouth, Will Erith heading the Marine sector, which manages the two dockyards.
3. Appledore Shipyard
(Image: Tim Western)
The revival of Appledore Shipyard came in August when it was announced that the historic site, which has supported generations of shipbuilders in North Devon, had been bought by Infrastrata, the parent company of the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged support for the shipbuilding industry on his visit to the site soon afterwards.
And there are further hopes for a healthy order book after he further pledged to back British shipbuilding in a £16.5billion funding deal for defence in November.
John Wood, Chief Executive of Harland and Wolff Appledore said at the time it was ready to deliver 'on time and on budget' ambitions for the UK's defence capability with plans to build at least 13 additional ships to bolster the fleet.
And the shipyard is well in the running for the Fleet Solid Support Warship programme worth around £1.5billion.
Mr Wood said that there will be substantial packages of work available, with an additional eight Type 26 and five Type 31 vessels being confirmed in addition to Type 32 and other research vessels in the Government's defence spending plans.
Harland and Wolff went on a recruitment drive for 350 staff in the autumn and has joined with Spanish shipyard and NATO partner Navantia and subcontractor BMT to form ‘Team Resolute’, a UK shipbuilding collaboration which will bid for a range of contracts, including the UK Ministry of Defence Fleet Solid Support Programme.
In October, the Ministry of Defence said plans to build three fleet support warships, set to launch in the spring of next year, will see a “significant proportion of the build and assembly work to be carried out in the UK”.
4. Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company
How the Cornish Geothermal Distillery could look
Ambitious plans have been drawn for a £10million rum distillery inside a biome heated by geothermal energy, eventually supporting 100 jobs.
Matthew Clifford, founder of the Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company (CGDC), submitted outline plans in November for an ultra high-tech facility which would incorporate his patent-pending carbon-neutral rum “cask maturation pods”.
The project would initially see ethically produced, Bonsucro accredited rum distilled around the world brought to the site, laid down in oak casks made and repaired by CGDC coopers and stored in the maturation biome to enhance the product’s quality and flavour.
The biome, approximately 14 metres tall at its highest point, would incorporate four maturation pods, each holding 800 2000-litre casks, amounting to 640,000 litres of rum in total, which would be tropically matured over a period of five to 10 years.
The CGDC team hopes the rum cask maturation facility would be up and running by the late summer of 2022, and that a demonstrable success of this “Catalyst Phase” could draw further interest and investment into the creation of a full £30million Cornish geothermal rum distillery with potential to create up to 100 jobs.
5. Ultraleap
(Image: Ultraleap)
Fast-growing touchless tech company Ultraleap is predicted to join Ovo Energy and Graphcore as one of Bristol’s next unicorns.
The business was formed when Bristol University spinout Ultrahaptics and San Francisco-based computer hardware device manufacturer Leap Motion merged in 2019 - and it secured some major deals in 2020 for its hand-tracking and mid-air haptic technology, including with a US cinema advertising business .
It also signed a five-year agreement with the Aquarium of the Pacific in California for its technology and was named one of the top 50 most innovative technology companies in the West of England.
In 2020, Ultraleap developed a way to make public touchscreens touchless in a bid to stop the spread of germs.
Its application – known as TouchFree - lets companies retrofit existing kiosks and touchscreens so people are able interact with the screen without touching it.
The company uses camera technology and hand-tracking software that means the screens can work with touchless gesture control.
In a world gripped by a global pandemic, a company using touchless tech will certainly be one to watch out for.
6. Princess Yachts
The UK’s largest yacht maker is expecting another exciting year in 2021, with new products such as the X80, which will be due to launch in the Autumn.
The vessel is the sister boat of the new X95, which has been undergoing sea trials off Plymouth, and is the second model in the new Superfly family.
The X80 has been developed to offer a “unique boating lifestyle” that is tailored to how each owner wants to use the yacht. It has a “super flybridge” providing in excess of 30% more useful interior space on-board than a traditional flybridge yacht of its length. It is also available with optional main deck master stateroom which includes private owner's sundeck.
Princess Yachts, which employs more than 3,000 workers in the Ocean City, has stressed its “aggressive investment strategy”, and the company’s record financial position and full order book, are the reasons it has been able to create such high-spec new yacht designs.
The company began returning to production in early May 2020, after weeks in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is now working on fulfilling its order book for 2020 and 2021.
7. Eden Project
Cornwall’s famous Eden Project is pressing ahead with expansion plans despite a tumultuous year.
In November, the attraction presented a 140-page business case to Government in a £70million funding bid towards building a new attraction in the North West as part of a plan to expand around the world.
The Eden Project North seeks to “reimagine” the Lancashire seaside resort of Morecambe by building a “ticketed visitor attraction that is sustainable and transformative, with large indoor environments, housed within iconic pavilions”.
It says that the scheme is shovel-ready” and primed to deliver significant economic, environmental and social benefits for the North West.
The idea is to create an all-year destination, inside five shell-shaped domes built on the waterfront on the site of Bubbles, a former swimming pool, and appeal to people keen on art, science, adventure, play and performance as well as nature.
The overall cost of the project has been put at £125million, up from an initial estimate of £85million, and the Eden Project would look to supplement any central Government funding with public and private sector investment.
It is projected to attract about a million visitors a year once completed, with work expected to end in 2023.
Eden Project North is expected to create 400 jobs directly, while driving a visitor spend of more than £200million in the wider economy annually, supporting an additional 1,500 jobs, and make Morecambe a 21 st Century destination around the message: “Beauty Surrounds, Health Abounds and Nature Astounds”.
Eden in Cornwall has had a turbulent 2020 alongside all hospitality and leisure venues. In September, it announced that 170 staff were under threat amid three-month COVID-19 lockdown costs of £7million.
8. Graphcore
(Image: Barclays)
Bristol-based artificial intelligence chip maker Graphcore is now valued at £2.8billion after raising a whopping $222million (£162.5million) in its latest funding round in December 2020.
The Series E funding round was led by Ontario Teachers’ Pensions Plan Board as well as new investors Fidelity International and Schroders. Existing Graphcore investors, including Baillie Gifford and Draper Esprit, also joined the round.
Graphcore’s latest investment brought the total funds raised by the company to more than $710million since it was co-founded by Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles in 2016.
The business has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world. The technology is now used in machine learning globally to help power driverless cars and robots.
Graphcore achieved ‘unicorn’ status in 2018 - and has continued to grow rapidly in the last two years. In 2019, Mr Toon, Graphcore’s co-founder and chief executive, was named the UK’s entrepreneur of the year .
The company says it expects 2021 to be another “big year” with advances in artificial intelligence moving apace.
Graphcore’s next fundraising step could be an initial public offering, Mr Toon told the Guardian in December. However, he said this would be “unlikely" in 2021.
9. The Range
Retail magnate Chris Dawson saw his The Range empire grow sales to nearly £1billion as turnover leaped 6% for the year to February 2020.
Sales increased from £942.679million to £999.972milion, due to an increased number of stores and fixed costs remaining static, and the firm remained unfazed by the prospects of Covid-19 and Brexit.
The retail juggernaut opened 20 stores in 2019/20, also seeing gross profits increase by 9% to £386million from £355million.
Mr Dawson, who began his empire from a market stall, stressed the firm would continue to grow The Range chain and “provide customers with value-for-money shopping” and he said: “The group is optimistic about the future.”
He predicted that 2020/21 will see “further significant growth in sales”. And the Covid-19 crisis will not stand in its way, He wrote, in November 2020, that: “The Covid-19 pandemic will naturally present internal challenges in addition to the wider economic impact that is being felt.”
But he stressed: “As a value retailer the group as a whole is in a strong position to withstand these challenges.” Mr Dawson said that although the pandemic created a “volatile economic environment” all stores, barring "a few exceptions", remained open “resulting in the group being protected from the wider impacts of the worldwide pandemic”.
The company has not needed additional funding and doesn’t expect to need it in the coming year, and Mr Dawson said trading has been strong throughout the pandemic, even opening three new stores and amassing healthy cash reserves.
The company has also taken steps to mitigate any impact from the UK’s final Brexit from the European Union, in January 2021.
10. Exeter Rugby
Rob Baxter, Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby poses for a photo with the Gallagher Premiership Trophy and Heineken Champions Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Exeter Rugby Club is riding high and has ambitious plans for 2021 and beyond.
Fresh from securing a historic Premiership and European double, the Devon club based at Sandy Park is expanding its state-of-the-art facilities - including the expansion of the East Terrace - whilst the multi-million pound Sandy Park Hotel continues to be built and will be set for opening in late 2021.
The club has also launched the new Exeter Chiefs 2027 Bond, allowing supporters to invest at least £1,000 to secure the future of the club.
Following on from the success of the 2020 Bond, which helped oversee improved growth in both the Chiefs and Sandy Park, the new bond will look to further develop the business and the club itself over the next seven years.
Open to investments of over £1,000 and upwards, Chief Executive Tony Rowe says the 2027 Bond will help to not only keep the Chiefs at the top end of the modern-day game, but at the same time bring about upgrading facilities at Sandy Park that will be the envy of all its rivals.
11. Flybe
There are hopes that regional airline Flybe will take off once again in 2021. The Exeter-based airline collapsed in March, just before lockdown with the loss of around 2,000 jobs - 1,000 of which were based at the Exeter HQ.
Hopes of its resurrection came in October when it emerged that former shareholder, Thyme Opco Limited, headed by hedge fund boss Lucien Farrell had bought Flybe’s business and assets, including the brand, intellectual property, stock and equipment.
The deal is subject to regulatory hurdles, including discussions on its landing slots and operating licence before being final. In December, it was reported that Flybe had taken a step forward by applying for a UK operating licence with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Thyme Opco Limited is a company affiliated with investment adviser Cyrus Capital, which was a shareholder of Flybe, along with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic in the Connect Airways deal, before its collapse in March.
Annual Business Guide 2020: The Top 150 This article has been produced for the Annual Business Guide Top 150, sponsored by PKF Francis Clark.
The guide profiles the biggest firms in Devon and Cornwall and takes a comprehensive look at the sectors that dominate the regional economy.
We examine how they have been affected this year and chart the Covid-19 bounceback.
See the full list of Top 150 businesses here and in print in the Western Morning News.
A spokesman for Thyme Opco said in October that its operations would be smaller than before but would 'create valuable airline industry jobs, restore essential regional connectivity in the UK, and contribute to the recovery of a vital part of the country’s economy.'
But there is no guarantee the airline will return to Exeter, despite lobbying by MPs and business leaders that the city has the workforce and support network to ensure it can take to the skies once again.
12. Real Ideas Organisation
The UK’s first video dome building received nearly £400,000 from the Government in 2020 and is set to open in the new year.
The Immersive Dome is being created in Plymouth as part of the redevelopment of Devonport Market Hall into a £7.4million tech business centre.
It is due to open in 2021 as a “world-class space for creative, digital and immersive experiences” and will position a 15m diameter, 210-degree dome in an extension next to a redeveloped 19th Century building that will house new creative enterprises.
The grants come from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England as part of a national programme.
The Real Ideas Organisation (RIO), which has already successfully refurbished Devonport Guildhall, will receive £394,135 towards the near-completed redevelopment of the 166-year-old Devonport Market Hall so it will connect communities with new creative enterprises, help to develop future-facing skills and jobs, and will feature the first immersive dome of its kind in Europe.
Meanwhile, a new vegan bakery is to open in the former bakehouse space inside the Grade I-listed Devonport Guildhall. Former Western Morning News journalist Kate Langston and her partner, experienced baker Sam Dennis, have taken over the bakery space, in what was once a mortuary inside the historic guildhall, vacated when the artisan Column Bakehouse business closed in August 2020.
13. The Fragrance Group
(Image: Kay Elliott)
The Singapore based property investors are changing the face of Torbay - English Riviera - with four hotel projects underway. The firm is building £150million worth of hyper modern hotels in Torquay and Paignton. The developers have demolished the Palace Hotel plot at Babbacombe , the prime seafront Corbyn Head Hotel spot in Torquay and the twin Park Hotel and Lighthouse locations on Esplanade Road, overlooking Paignton Green.
The Palace is expected to be completed by 2023, Park Hotel in August 2021, the Lighthouse in September 2021 and Corbyn Head will take between 18-22 months to build when it gets started. In total, the four ultra-modern hotels will provide more than 600 rooms.
The schemes are revamping derelict sites to revitalise the tourism offer in Torbay as it stands to gain from the post-Covid staycation trend.
14. Inspecs
(Image: Inspecs)
The Bath-based designer eyewear manufacturer and distributor floated on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in February 2020.
The company raised £23.5million in its initial public offering (IPO) and had a market capitalisation at the time of £138million.
In April, the business won a Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for international trade.
Although the company saw revenues hit by Covid-19 in 2020 - in the the six months to June 30, revenue decreased to $16.7million from $30.4million - the business has made progress back towards profitability.
In July, it bought up the manufacturing arm of collapsed Gloucester-based glasses company Norville Group for £2.4million. The deal included £1.2million of freehold property for Norville’s Gloucester site and the remainder for stock, plant, IP and contracts.
Then, in November, the company, which also owns the factory where John Lennon's famous round glasses were made , agreed to buy a German rival for €95million (£84.7million).
Inspecs acquired all the equity interests in Nuremberg-based eyewear supplier Eschenbach Holding. The Bath firm said the acquisition was a “key strategic step” in the company’s growth internationally.
15. Sutton Harbour Group
(Image: AWW)
The Plymouth development company bought two plots of land in late 2020 to enable it to start work on a £50million project to build multiple apartment blocks close to the city’s waterfront.
Sutton Harbour Group Plc completed the purchase of about 1.5 acres of land, for an undisclosed sum described as “at market value”, immediately to the east of Sutton Harbour.
The deal will enable the company to push ahead with its plan to construct six blocks of flats on industrial land next to where it also aims to build what would be one of Plymouth’s tallest skyscrapers.
The AIM-listed company envisages a “residential quarter”, with a combined construction value of more than £50million, created on land between Sutton Road and St John’s Bridge, connected by a walkway leading directly to the waterfront and the company’s previously approved £60million Sugar Quay tower of waterside apartments, shops and restaurants,
That 20-storey skyscraper, granted full planning permission in December 2018, is the subject of a new application, revised to relocate a planned basement car park to facilities at St John’s Bridge.
Meanwhile, SHG is aiming to start work on a nine-storey apartment block, Harbour Arch Quay tower, in 2021 and even start marketing the flats by the spring.
Pre-construction preparations for the scheme, also at Sutton Harbour, have continued in recent months and selection of the construction management team and finalisation of the detailed drawings are in process.
The firm said it is expected that, subject to completion of finance arrangements, work on the 14-apartment, nine-floor building “will start during 2021, with marketing of the units to be launched in the springtime of the new year”.
Plans have also been approved for a walkway and two floating platforms to be installed on Plymouth’s waterfront to screen movies and sports matches and host events such as gigs and even yoga classes.
SHG has been given planning and listed building consent to install the structures at the historic Sutton Harbour, near the Barbican – provided it makes sure they can’t float off if he area floods.
The company wants to build a pedestrian walkway linking the Barbican’s Custom House with Vauxhall Quay and Guys Quay, and two movable floating event pontoons on the water off Vauxhall Quay and in the corner of the harbour near The Parade, in areas too shallow for mooring boats.
16. Virti
(Image: Virti)
Bristol-based Virti uses extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to help organisations around the world to train workers remotely.
The business was included on TIME ’s Best Inventions list for 2020 after being used to help hospitals, universities, schools and businesses during the pandemic.
Dr Alex Young, a former orthopaedic surgeon who founded Virti two years ago, said with face-to-face training “near impossible” his company’s technology could be used instead .
Virti developed a special Covid-19 module that teaches frontline workers skills such as how to ventilate a patient, safely use personal protective equipment (PPE), and navigate an intensive care ward.
It is also helping carry out training including preparing medics in the US to perform complex surgeries and tackling doctor shortages in Northern Ethiopia.
In December, the business announced it had developed a 'virtual patient' that was being used by the NHS to train medical staff.
The pioneering AI technology allows healthcare clinicians and medical students to hone their skills remotely, minimising the need for in-person training.
The tech allows medics and trainees to interact with AI-powered ‘patients’ through a tablet, desktop or VR or AR headset, and role-play life-like, interactive scenarios.
West Suffolk Hospital has been using Virti's technology in its intensive care unit to help train staff who have been drafted in to deal with the Covid-19 demand. It is now considering applying Virti tech to other areas of hospital practice.
17. Jurassic Fibre
The Exeter-based firm is set to continue ambitious plans to deploy ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises broadband across the South West in the next four years.
Jurassic Fibre is already servicing 20,000 premises in East Devon with roll out in Barnstaple, Wellington, West Hill and Marsh Green among the latest developments.
Chief Executive Michael Maltby said that 2020 had emphasised the importance of digital connectivity, for homes and businesses, with fast and reliable broadband now needed more than ever for remote working, home-schooling and connecting with others.
Jurassic Fibre has grown rapidly in the past year. With a £250million investment, it has recruited more than 175 staff from Devon and Somerset to ensure it can roll out its network, ahead of the Government’s 2026 target for full-fibre broadband to be universally available across the UK.
18. Pennon Group
(Image: Pennon website)
There was much speculation at the end of 2020 about the possible acquisition of Southern Water, as Exeter-based Pennon Group said it was pursuing 'growth opportunities'.The parent company of South West Water raised £4.2billion from selling its waste management arm, Viridor in March.
Pennon ended up with £3.7billion in cash after the sale to private equity firm KKR and used some of the money to paying down debt and bolster its pension scheme.
In November, there was speculation that Pennon, the South West’s largest business, is looking to use some of that cash to snap up Southern Water, which covers Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight.
Pressed on the potential acquisition, a Pennon spokesman would only say a firm “no comment”. But it is understood shareholders were told the company wants to use cash from the Viridor sale to fund a takeover.
And in September, new chief executive Susan Davy hinted at the possibility of acquiring more companies, following the successful lassoing of Bournemouth Water in 2015.
19. M Subs
(Image: William Telford)
The “game changing” £1million robotic Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) was christened in Plymouth exactly 400 years to the day that the Mayflower sailed for America and will sail the Atlantic Ocean in 2021.
The 15m long, aluminium-hulled trimaran, bristling with the latest sensors and AI (artificial intelligence) will set off on a trailblazing voyage from Plymouth to Cape Cod in the USA in the spring of 2021. The vessel will have no-one on board, being piloted remotely from the UK and USA and collecting vital data about climate change, plastic waste pollution and marine mammals.
The MAS project was started in 2016 and has involved input from engineers and scientists in Plymouth, the USA, and Norway.
The modular vessel was built in a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, when no British shipyard was able to take on the project.
It was shipped in pieces to Plymouth in the early weeks of the coronavirus lockdown and assembled, safely, at the M Subs factory at Estover.
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That firm’s daughter company Marine AI created the computer technology that has been installed on board and on land in partnership with global tech giant IBM.
M Subs Ltd secured a £1million Government contract to build a prototype robot sub for the Royal Navy in 2020 and if initial tests of the sub are successful, up to £1.5million more could be made available by the MoD to further test the unmanned vehicle.
Measuring about 30ft in length, the autonomous submarine is significantly larger than other robot subs used for beach reconnaissance, allowing it to operate at a range of 3,000 nautical miles.
Estover-based M Subs had a record £10million turnover in 2019 and has grown from 10 employees in 2010 to more than 60.
The company is recognised as the UK’s leading manufacturer of military submersibles and has already completed a manned platform, the Dry Combat Submersible (DCS), for the United States of America’s Special Forces Command. It completed successful trials in the waters around Plymouth in 2019.
20. Hetty's Kitchen
(Image: Hetty's Kitchen (Instagram))
The Gloucester-based brownie maker had a stellar 2020, despite the restrictions caused by coronavirus.
Founder Henrietta Kitt (Hetty), who set up the business in 2018, was forced to adapt her award-winning bakery business to survive after the closure of local markets.
During the first national lockdown Hetty’s Kitchen launched a mail-order brownie service - and business boomed.
According to Hetty’s Instagram, the decision to pivot the business model led to significant growth, with orders from across the UK.
“It's been manic for us, working longer hours with a smaller team,” she wrote. “I've gone from attempting to gently return from maternity leave, to working flat out.”
The business, which also has a ‘cake hatch’ at Morelands Trading Estate, outgrew its bakery and is now looking for new premises as it expands.
Hetty added: “We are in the process of moving and expanding! But it’s going to be a monumental task to do so.”
21. British Land
All eyes will be on property giant The British Land Company Plc after it made a half-year after-tax loss of £730million as the coronavirus pandemic cut retail sales and footfall in its shopping centres.
The company, which announced a £1.1billion annual loss in May 2020, has now seen underlying profit fall by 29.6% to £107million and dividend per share fall from 15.97p to 8.4p.
It has been hit by the impact Covid-19 and national lockdowns have had on retail across a huge portfolio which includes the Drake Circus Shopping Centre and neighbouring The Barcode leisure complex in Plymouth. The company also owns a huge area of the city centre including the block which contains the House of Fraser and Debenhams department stores.
In September, British Land was only able to collect in 62% of the rents due to it nationally for the three-month quarter. The value of its portfolio has dropped 7.3%, with the value of its retail assets down 14.9%.
However, bosses are remaining upbeat and say the company is “more financially resilient” with an “unrivalled pipeline of opportunities”.
It has sold £2.1billion of assets, including £1.2billion of retail property, and said it will be investing proceeds into development opportunities, particularly mixed-use schemes, which include offices.
British Land is still confident in the office sector, despite many firms moving towards having staff working from home, and is also relying on its out-of-town retail parks, which make up 48% of its retail portfolio and have been “significantly outperforming benchmarks”.
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"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nWith 2020 now (thankfully) behind us, we take a look at some of the companies to keep an eye on in 2021.\nIn no particular order, here are 21 businesses to watch out for this year.\n1. Dyson\n(Image: Rik Green)\nSir James Dyson’s company looks set for a big year in 2021 as it turns 30 years old.\nThe business - known for its vacuum cleaners and air purifiers - announced a number of major developments for growth in 2020.\nIn November, the company said it was planning to double its product range with a £2.75billion investment, vowing to grow research into robotics and artificial intelligence at its Hullavington Airfield Campus in Wiltshire.\nThe site has become home to Dyson's large and growing robotics and machine learning hub. With its existing campus in nearby Malmesbury, Dyson employs some 4,000 people in Wiltshire working on new technologies and new products.\nThe company’s education institute - The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology - is also being given the power to award its own degrees from September next year.\nIt will mean the technology company is able to deliver and award every aspect of its degree programme (it currently partners with Warwick University) using its own teaching departments, professional services teams and governance structures.\nDyson is also progressing plans to open its new global head office complex in the historic St James Power Station in Singapore. This will be accompanied by an expansion of its advanced R&D facilities and research labs.\nThe business is planning to create a new dedicated software hub in Alabang, in the Philippines, to boot.\n2. Babcock International Plc\n(Image: William Telford)\nThere were big changes at the defence and engineering giant, which operates Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, in 2020 and the new year will be no less important.\nThe company went through a gruelling time during Covid hit 2020, and in November announced it had seen profits fall by more than £100million blaming the coronavirus pandemic and the decline of civil aviation.\nThe engineering titan, which also operates the huge dockyards at Rosyth in Scotland, experienced a 9% dip in underlying revenue and a 43% drop in underlying profit for the six months to the end of September 2020.\nThe company, which had scrapped its dividend in April and is not reinstating it due to “continued uncertainty around the impact of Covid-19”, revealed underlying revenue fell from £2.458billion, between April and September 2019, to £2.244billion in the same months this year. Underlying operating profit plummeted from £250.6million to £143.1million over the same half-year period.\nBut in Plymouth its £600million project to refit and extend the life of Britain’s fleet of Type 23 frigates continues with five ships being worked on at one time at Devonport as 2021 began.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\nAside from surface ship work, Babcock also has submarine contracts at Devonport, and in 2021 is due to begin an extensive refurbishment project which will begin with a two-year programme to redevelop a dry dock for nuclear submarines.\nMore than 600 construction jobs will be created during the rebuilding of the 10 Dock Facility, and there are further improvements planned to other areas of the naval base and dockyard.\nFour new Dreadnought-class missile submarines, which will form part of the UK's nuclear deterrent programme, will enter service in the early 2030s. They will replace the Vanguard-class submarines, becoming the largest submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy.\nBabcock also has new faces at the helm, with David Lockwood appointed chief executive in 2021, quickly followed by David Mellors as chief financial officer and, in Plymouth, Will Erith heading the Marine sector, which manages the two dockyards.\n3. Appledore Shipyard\n(Image: Tim Western)\nThe revival of Appledore Shipyard came in August when it was announced that the historic site, which has supported generations of shipbuilders in North Devon, had been bought by Infrastrata, the parent company of the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson pledged support for the shipbuilding industry on his visit to the site soon afterwards.\nAnd there are further hopes for a healthy order book after he further pledged to back British shipbuilding in a £16.5billion funding deal for defence in November.\nJohn Wood, Chief Executive of Harland and Wolff Appledore said at the time it was ready to deliver 'on time and on budget' ambitions for the UK's defence capability with plans to build at least 13 additional ships to bolster the fleet.\nAnd the shipyard is well in the running for the Fleet Solid Support Warship programme worth around £1.5billion.\nMr Wood said that there will be substantial packages of work available, with an additional eight Type 26 and five Type 31 vessels being confirmed in addition to Type 32 and other research vessels in the Government's defence spending plans.\nHarland and Wolff went on a recruitment drive for 350 staff in the autumn and has joined with Spanish shipyard and NATO partner Navantia and subcontractor BMT to form ‘Team Resolute’, a UK shipbuilding collaboration which will bid for a range of contracts, including the UK Ministry of Defence Fleet Solid Support Programme.\nIn October, the Ministry of Defence said plans to build three fleet support warships, set to launch in the spring of next year, will see a “significant proportion of the build and assembly work to be carried out in the UK”.\n4. Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company\nHow the Cornish Geothermal Distillery could look\nAmbitious plans have been drawn for a £10million rum distillery inside a biome heated by geothermal energy, eventually supporting 100 jobs.\nMatthew Clifford, founder of the Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company (CGDC), submitted outline plans in November for an ultra high-tech facility which would incorporate his patent-pending carbon-neutral rum “cask maturation pods”.\nThe project would initially see ethically produced, Bonsucro accredited rum distilled around the world brought to the site, laid down in oak casks made and repaired by CGDC coopers and stored in the maturation biome to enhance the product’s quality and flavour.\nThe biome, approximately 14 metres tall at its highest point, would incorporate four maturation pods, each holding 800 2000-litre casks, amounting to 640,000 litres of rum in total, which would be tropically matured over a period of five to 10 years.\nThe CGDC team hopes the rum cask maturation facility would be up and running by the late summer of 2022, and that a demonstrable success of this “Catalyst Phase” could draw further interest and investment into the creation of a full £30million Cornish geothermal rum distillery with potential to create up to 100 jobs.\n5. Ultraleap\n(Image: Ultraleap)\nFast-growing touchless tech company Ultraleap is predicted to join Ovo Energy and Graphcore as one of Bristol’s next unicorns.\nThe business was formed when Bristol University spinout Ultrahaptics and San Francisco-based computer hardware device manufacturer Leap Motion merged in 2019 - and it secured some major deals in 2020 for its hand-tracking and mid-air haptic technology, including with a US cinema advertising business .\nIt also signed a five-year agreement with the Aquarium of the Pacific in California for its technology and was named one of the top 50 most innovative technology companies in the West of England.\nIn 2020, Ultraleap developed a way to make public touchscreens touchless in a bid to stop the spread of germs.\nIts application – known as TouchFree - lets companies retrofit existing kiosks and touchscreens so people are able interact with the screen without touching it.\nThe company uses camera technology and hand-tracking software that means the screens can work with touchless gesture control.\nIn a world gripped by a global pandemic, a company using touchless tech will certainly be one to watch out for.\n6. Princess Yachts\nThe UK’s largest yacht maker is expecting another exciting year in 2021, with new products such as the X80, which will be due to launch in the Autumn.\nThe vessel is the sister boat of the new X95, which has been undergoing sea trials off Plymouth, and is the second model in the new Superfly family.\nThe X80 has been developed to offer a “unique boating lifestyle” that is tailored to how each owner wants to use the yacht. It has a “super flybridge” providing in excess of 30% more useful interior space on-board than a traditional flybridge yacht of its length. It is also available with optional main deck master stateroom which includes private owner's sundeck.\nPrincess Yachts, which employs more than 3,000 workers in the Ocean City, has stressed its “aggressive investment strategy”, and the company’s record financial position and full order book, are the reasons it has been able to create such high-spec new yacht designs.\nThe company began returning to production in early May 2020, after weeks in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is now working on fulfilling its order book for 2020 and 2021.\n7. Eden Project\nCornwall’s famous Eden Project is pressing ahead with expansion plans despite a tumultuous year.\nIn November, the attraction presented a 140-page business case to Government in a £70million funding bid towards building a new attraction in the North West as part of a plan to expand around the world.\nThe Eden Project North seeks to “reimagine” the Lancashire seaside resort of Morecambe by building a “ticketed visitor attraction that is sustainable and transformative, with large indoor environments, housed within iconic pavilions”.\nIt says that the scheme is shovel-ready” and primed to deliver significant economic, environmental and social benefits for the North West.\nThe idea is to create an all-year destination, inside five shell-shaped domes built on the waterfront on the site of Bubbles, a former swimming pool, and appeal to people keen on art, science, adventure, play and performance as well as nature.\nThe overall cost of the project has been put at £125million, up from an initial estimate of £85million, and the Eden Project would look to supplement any central Government funding with public and private sector investment.\nIt is projected to attract about a million visitors a year once completed, with work expected to end in 2023.\nEden Project North is expected to create 400 jobs directly, while driving a visitor spend of more than £200million in the wider economy annually, supporting an additional 1,500 jobs, and make Morecambe a 21 st Century destination around the message: “Beauty Surrounds, Health Abounds and Nature Astounds”.\nEden in Cornwall has had a turbulent 2020 alongside all hospitality and leisure venues. In September, it announced that 170 staff were under threat amid three-month COVID-19 lockdown costs of £7million.\n8. Graphcore\n(Image: Barclays)\nBristol-based artificial intelligence chip maker Graphcore is now valued at £2.8billion after raising a whopping $222million (£162.5million) in its latest funding round in December 2020.\nThe Series E funding round was led by Ontario Teachers’ Pensions Plan Board as well as new investors Fidelity International and Schroders. Existing Graphcore investors, including Baillie Gifford and Draper Esprit, also joined the round.\nGraphcore’s latest investment brought the total funds raised by the company to more than $710million since it was co-founded by Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles in 2016.\nThe business has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world. The technology is now used in machine learning globally to help power driverless cars and robots.\nGraphcore achieved ‘unicorn’ status in 2018 - and has continued to grow rapidly in the last two years. In 2019, Mr Toon, Graphcore’s co-founder and chief executive, was named the UK’s entrepreneur of the year .\nThe company says it expects 2021 to be another “big year” with advances in artificial intelligence moving apace.\nGraphcore’s next fundraising step could be an initial public offering, Mr Toon told the Guardian in December. However, he said this would be “unlikely\" in 2021.\n9. The Range\nRetail magnate Chris Dawson saw his The Range empire grow sales to nearly £1billion as turnover leaped 6% for the year to February 2020.\nSales increased from £942.679million to £999.972milion, due to an increased number of stores and fixed costs remaining static, and the firm remained unfazed by the prospects of Covid-19 and Brexit.\nThe retail juggernaut opened 20 stores in 2019/20, also seeing gross profits increase by 9% to £386million from £355million.\nMr Dawson, who began his empire from a market stall, stressed the firm would continue to grow The Range chain and “provide customers with value-for-money shopping” and he said: “The group is optimistic about the future.”\nHe predicted that 2020/21 will see “further significant growth in sales”. And the Covid-19 crisis will not stand in its way, He wrote, in November 2020, that: “The Covid-19 pandemic will naturally present internal challenges in addition to the wider economic impact that is being felt.”\nBut he stressed: “As a value retailer the group as a whole is in a strong position to withstand these challenges.” Mr Dawson said that although the pandemic created a “volatile economic environment” all stores, barring \"a few exceptions\", remained open “resulting in the group being protected from the wider impacts of the worldwide pandemic”.\nThe company has not needed additional funding and doesn’t expect to need it in the coming year, and Mr Dawson said trading has been strong throughout the pandemic, even opening three new stores and amassing healthy cash reserves.\nThe company has also taken steps to mitigate any impact from the UK’s final Brexit from the European Union, in January 2021.\n10. Exeter Rugby\nRob Baxter, Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby poses for a photo with the Gallagher Premiership Trophy and Heineken Champions Cup (Image: Getty Images)\nExeter Rugby Club is riding high and has ambitious plans for 2021 and beyond.\nFresh from securing a historic Premiership and European double, the Devon club based at Sandy Park is expanding its state-of-the-art facilities - including the expansion of the East Terrace - whilst the multi-million pound Sandy Park Hotel continues to be built and will be set for opening in late 2021.\nThe club has also launched the new Exeter Chiefs 2027 Bond, allowing supporters to invest at least £1,000 to secure the future of the club.\nFollowing on from the success of the 2020 Bond, which helped oversee improved growth in both the Chiefs and Sandy Park, the new bond will look to further develop the business and the club itself over the next seven years.\nOpen to investments of over £1,000 and upwards, Chief Executive Tony Rowe says the 2027 Bond will help to not only keep the Chiefs at the top end of the modern-day game, but at the same time bring about upgrading facilities at Sandy Park that will be the envy of all its rivals.\n11. Flybe\nThere are hopes that regional airline Flybe will take off once again in 2021. The Exeter-based airline collapsed in March, just before lockdown with the loss of around 2,000 jobs - 1,000 of which were based at the Exeter HQ.\nHopes of its resurrection came in October when it emerged that former shareholder, Thyme Opco Limited, headed by hedge fund boss Lucien Farrell had bought Flybe’s business and assets, including the brand, intellectual property, stock and equipment.\nThe deal is subject to regulatory hurdles, including discussions on its landing slots and operating licence before being final. In December, it was reported that Flybe had taken a step forward by applying for a UK operating licence with the Civil Aviation Authority.\nThyme Opco Limited is a company affiliated with investment adviser Cyrus Capital, which was a shareholder of Flybe, along with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic in the Connect Airways deal, before its collapse in March.\nAnnual Business Guide 2020: The Top 150 This article has been produced for the Annual Business Guide Top 150, sponsored by PKF Francis Clark.\nThe guide profiles the biggest firms in Devon and Cornwall and takes a comprehensive look at the sectors that dominate the regional economy.\nWe examine how they have been affected this year and chart the Covid-19 bounceback.\nSee the full list of Top 150 businesses here and in print in the Western Morning News.\nA spokesman for Thyme Opco said in October that its operations would be smaller than before but would 'create valuable airline industry jobs, restore essential regional connectivity in the UK, and contribute to the recovery of a vital part of the country’s economy.'\nBut there is no guarantee the airline will return to Exeter, despite lobbying by MPs and business leaders that the city has the workforce and support network to ensure it can take to the skies once again.\n12. Real Ideas Organisation\nThe UK’s first video dome building received nearly £400,000 from the Government in 2020 and is set to open in the new year.\nThe Immersive Dome is being created in Plymouth as part of the redevelopment of Devonport Market Hall into a £7.4million tech business centre.\nIt is due to open in 2021 as a “world-class space for creative, digital and immersive experiences” and will position a 15m diameter, 210-degree dome in an extension next to a redeveloped 19th Century building that will house new creative enterprises.\nThe grants come from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England as part of a national programme.\nThe Real Ideas Organisation (RIO), which has already successfully refurbished Devonport Guildhall, will receive £394,135 towards the near-completed redevelopment of the 166-year-old Devonport Market Hall so it will connect communities with new creative enterprises, help to develop future-facing skills and jobs, and will feature the first immersive dome of its kind in Europe.\nMeanwhile, a new vegan bakery is to open in the former bakehouse space inside the Grade I-listed Devonport Guildhall. Former Western Morning News journalist Kate Langston and her partner, experienced baker Sam Dennis, have taken over the bakery space, in what was once a mortuary inside the historic guildhall, vacated when the artisan Column Bakehouse business closed in August 2020.\n13. The Fragrance Group\n(Image: Kay Elliott)\nThe Singapore based property investors are changing the face of Torbay - English Riviera - with four hotel projects underway. The firm is building £150million worth of hyper modern hotels in Torquay and Paignton. The developers have demolished the Palace Hotel plot at Babbacombe , the prime seafront Corbyn Head Hotel spot in Torquay and the twin Park Hotel and Lighthouse locations on Esplanade Road, overlooking Paignton Green.\nThe Palace is expected to be completed by 2023, Park Hotel in August 2021, the Lighthouse in September 2021 and Corbyn Head will take between 18-22 months to build when it gets started. In total, the four ultra-modern hotels will provide more than 600 rooms.\nThe schemes are revamping derelict sites to revitalise the tourism offer in Torbay as it stands to gain from the post-Covid staycation trend.\n14. Inspecs\n(Image: Inspecs)\nThe Bath-based designer eyewear manufacturer and distributor floated on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in February 2020.\nThe company raised £23.5million in its initial public offering (IPO) and had a market capitalisation at the time of £138million.\nIn April, the business won a Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for international trade.\nAlthough the company saw revenues hit by Covid-19 in 2020 - in the the six months to June 30, revenue decreased to $16.7million from $30.4million - the business has made progress back towards profitability.\nIn July, it bought up the manufacturing arm of collapsed Gloucester-based glasses company Norville Group for £2.4million. The deal included £1.2million of freehold property for Norville’s Gloucester site and the remainder for stock, plant, IP and contracts.\nThen, in November, the company, which also owns the factory where John Lennon's famous round glasses were made , agreed to buy a German rival for €95million (£84.7million).\nInspecs acquired all the equity interests in Nuremberg-based eyewear supplier Eschenbach Holding. The Bath firm said the acquisition was a “key strategic step” in the company’s growth internationally.\n15. Sutton Harbour Group\n(Image: AWW)\nThe Plymouth development company bought two plots of land in late 2020 to enable it to start work on a £50million project to build multiple apartment blocks close to the city’s waterfront.\nSutton Harbour Group Plc completed the purchase of about 1.5 acres of land, for an undisclosed sum described as “at market value”, immediately to the east of Sutton Harbour.\nThe deal will enable the company to push ahead with its plan to construct six blocks of flats on industrial land next to where it also aims to build what would be one of Plymouth’s tallest skyscrapers.\nThe AIM-listed company envisages a “residential quarter”, with a combined construction value of more than £50million, created on land between Sutton Road and St John’s Bridge, connected by a walkway leading directly to the waterfront and the company’s previously approved £60million Sugar Quay tower of waterside apartments, shops and restaurants,\nThat 20-storey skyscraper, granted full planning permission in December 2018, is the subject of a new application, revised to relocate a planned basement car park to facilities at St John’s Bridge.\nMeanwhile, SHG is aiming to start work on a nine-storey apartment block, Harbour Arch Quay tower, in 2021 and even start marketing the flats by the spring.\nPre-construction preparations for the scheme, also at Sutton Harbour, have continued in recent months and selection of the construction management team and finalisation of the detailed drawings are in process.\nThe firm said it is expected that, subject to completion of finance arrangements, work on the 14-apartment, nine-floor building “will start during 2021, with marketing of the units to be launched in the springtime of the new year”.\nPlans have also been approved for a walkway and two floating platforms to be installed on Plymouth’s waterfront to screen movies and sports matches and host events such as gigs and even yoga classes.\nSHG has been given planning and listed building consent to install the structures at the historic Sutton Harbour, near the Barbican – provided it makes sure they can’t float off if he area floods.\nThe company wants to build a pedestrian walkway linking the Barbican’s Custom House with Vauxhall Quay and Guys Quay, and two movable floating event pontoons on the water off Vauxhall Quay and in the corner of the harbour near The Parade, in areas too shallow for mooring boats.\n16. Virti\n(Image: Virti)\nBristol-based Virti uses extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to help organisations around the world to train workers remotely.\nThe business was included on TIME ’s Best Inventions list for 2020 after being used to help hospitals, universities, schools and businesses during the pandemic.\nDr Alex Young, a former orthopaedic surgeon who founded Virti two years ago, said with face-to-face training “near impossible” his company’s technology could be used instead .\nVirti developed a special Covid-19 module that teaches frontline workers skills such as how to ventilate a patient, safely use personal protective equipment (PPE), and navigate an intensive care ward.\nIt is also helping carry out training including preparing medics in the US to perform complex surgeries and tackling doctor shortages in Northern Ethiopia.\nIn December, the business announced it had developed a 'virtual patient' that was being used by the NHS to train medical staff.\nThe pioneering AI technology allows healthcare clinicians and medical students to hone their skills remotely, minimising the need for in-person training.\nThe tech allows medics and trainees to interact with AI-powered ‘patients’ through a tablet, desktop or VR or AR headset, and role-play life-like, interactive scenarios.\nWest Suffolk Hospital has been using Virti's technology in its intensive care unit to help train staff who have been drafted in to deal with the Covid-19 demand. It is now considering applying Virti tech to other areas of hospital practice.\n17. Jurassic Fibre\nThe Exeter-based firm is set to continue ambitious plans to deploy ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises broadband across the South West in the next four years.\nJurassic Fibre is already servicing 20,000 premises in East Devon with roll out in Barnstaple, Wellington, West Hill and Marsh Green among the latest developments.\nChief Executive Michael Maltby said that 2020 had emphasised the importance of digital connectivity, for homes and businesses, with fast and reliable broadband now needed more than ever for remote working, home-schooling and connecting with others.\nJurassic Fibre has grown rapidly in the past year. With a £250million investment, it has recruited more than 175 staff from Devon and Somerset to ensure it can roll out its network, ahead of the Government’s 2026 target for full-fibre broadband to be universally available across the UK.\n18. Pennon Group\n(Image: Pennon website)\nThere was much speculation at the end of 2020 about the possible acquisition of Southern Water, as Exeter-based Pennon Group said it was pursuing 'growth opportunities'.The parent company of South West Water raised £4.2billion from selling its waste management arm, Viridor in March.\nPennon ended up with £3.7billion in cash after the sale to private equity firm KKR and used some of the money to paying down debt and bolster its pension scheme.\nIn November, there was speculation that Pennon, the South West’s largest business, is looking to use some of that cash to snap up Southern Water, which covers Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight.\nPressed on the potential acquisition, a Pennon spokesman would only say a firm “no comment”. But it is understood shareholders were told the company wants to use cash from the Viridor sale to fund a takeover.\nAnd in September, new chief executive Susan Davy hinted at the possibility of acquiring more companies, following the successful lassoing of Bournemouth Water in 2015.\n19. M Subs\n(Image: William Telford)\nThe “game changing” £1million robotic Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) was christened in Plymouth exactly 400 years to the day that the Mayflower sailed for America and will sail the Atlantic Ocean in 2021.\nThe 15m long, aluminium-hulled trimaran, bristling with the latest sensors and AI (artificial intelligence) will set off on a trailblazing voyage from Plymouth to Cape Cod in the USA in the spring of 2021. The vessel will have no-one on board, being piloted remotely from the UK and USA and collecting vital data about climate change, plastic waste pollution and marine mammals.\nThe MAS project was started in 2016 and has involved input from engineers and scientists in Plymouth, the USA, and Norway.\nThe modular vessel was built in a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, when no British shipyard was able to take on the project.\nIt was shipped in pieces to Plymouth in the early weeks of the coronavirus lockdown and assembled, safely, at the M Subs factory at Estover.\nWant more South West news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive South West is your home for business news in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from the region and we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nThat firm’s daughter company Marine AI created the computer technology that has been installed on board and on land in partnership with global tech giant IBM.\nM Subs Ltd secured a £1million Government contract to build a prototype robot sub for the Royal Navy in 2020 and if initial tests of the sub are successful, up to £1.5million more could be made available by the MoD to further test the unmanned vehicle.\nMeasuring about 30ft in length, the autonomous submarine is significantly larger than other robot subs used for beach reconnaissance, allowing it to operate at a range of 3,000 nautical miles.\nEstover-based M Subs had a record £10million turnover in 2019 and has grown from 10 employees in 2010 to more than 60.\nThe company is recognised as the UK’s leading manufacturer of military submersibles and has already completed a manned platform, the Dry Combat Submersible (DCS), for the United States of America’s Special Forces Command. It completed successful trials in the waters around Plymouth in 2019.\n20. Hetty's Kitchen\n(Image: Hetty's Kitchen (Instagram))\nThe Gloucester-based brownie maker had a stellar 2020, despite the restrictions caused by coronavirus.\nFounder Henrietta Kitt (Hetty), who set up the business in 2018, was forced to adapt her award-winning bakery business to survive after the closure of local markets.\nDuring the first national lockdown Hetty’s Kitchen launched a mail-order brownie service - and business boomed.\nAccording to Hetty’s Instagram, the decision to pivot the business model led to significant growth, with orders from across the UK.\n“It's been manic for us, working longer hours with a smaller team,” she wrote. “I've gone from attempting to gently return from maternity leave, to working flat out.”\nThe business, which also has a ‘cake hatch’ at Morelands Trading Estate, outgrew its bakery and is now looking for new premises as it expands.\nHetty added: “We are in the process of moving and expanding! But it’s going to be a monumental task to do so.”\n21. British Land\nAll eyes will be on property giant The British Land Company Plc after it made a half-year after-tax loss of £730million as the coronavirus pandemic cut retail sales and footfall in its shopping centres.\nThe company, which announced a £1.1billion annual loss in May 2020, has now seen underlying profit fall by 29.6% to £107million and dividend per share fall from 15.97p to 8.4p.\nIt has been hit by the impact Covid-19 and national lockdowns have had on retail across a huge portfolio which includes the Drake Circus Shopping Centre and neighbouring The Barcode leisure complex in Plymouth. The company also owns a huge area of the city centre including the block which contains the House of Fraser and Debenhams department stores.\nIn September, British Land was only able to collect in 62% of the rents due to it nationally for the three-month quarter. The value of its portfolio has dropped 7.3%, with the value of its retail assets down 14.9%.\nHowever, bosses are remaining upbeat and say the company is “more financially resilient” with an “unrivalled pipeline of opportunities”.\nIt has sold £2.1billion of assets, including £1.2billion of retail property, and said it will be investing proceeds into development opportunities, particularly mixed-use schemes, which include offices.\nBritish Land is still confident in the office sector, despite many firms moving towards having staff working from home, and is also relying on its out-of-town retail parks, which make up 48% of its retail portfolio and have been “significantly outperforming benchmarks”.",
"21 South West companies to watch in 2021",
"If 2020 has been a waiting game then here's hoping for great things in 2021"
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"Hannah Baker",
"Image",
"Swns"
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The vehicle is aiming to break the world land speed record - but if a buyer is not found the project could be scrapped
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fbloodhound-project-put-up-sale-19697379.json
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en
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Bloodhound supersonic car put up for sale after cash woes following Covid-19 pandemic
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
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Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A supersonic car aiming to break the world land speed record is being sold off by the owner just over two years after he bought the vehicle out of administration.
Ian Warhurst’s firm, Grafton LSR, acquired the Bloodhound programme (now Bloodhound LSR) at the end of 2018 and reopened the project’s headquarters in Gloucestershire.
Bloodhound is aiming to reach more than 800mph (1,290km/h), with a number of high-speed trials already carried out in a dry lake bed in South Africa. The car reached a top speed of 628mph in the Kalahari Desert in 2019.
But the project has failed to secure the necessary funding for the world-record attempt - after the Covid-19 pandemic “wrecked” the opportunity - according to Mr Warhurst. He warned in March last year the project was under threat.
The car needs a rocket, which will be provided by Norwegian rocket specialist Nammo, in addition to its EJ200 Rolls-Royce jet engine.
Mr Warhurst said completing the rocket installation and taking the car to Hakskeenpan - a mud and salt pan in the Kalahari Desert - to try to exceed 800mph would cost £8m.
If a buyer for Grafton LSR - the holding company that owns Bloodhound - is not found, the car will be put into long-term storage with no certainty of being restarted, he said.
“When I committed to take the car high-speed testing in 2019, I allocated enough funding to achieve this goal on the basis that alternative funding would then allow us to continue to the record attempts,” he explained.
“Along with many other things, the global pandemic wrecked this opportunity in 2020 which has left the project unfunded and delayed by a further 12 months.
"At this stage, in absence of further immediate funding, the only options remaining are to close down the programme or put the project up for sale to allow me to pass on the baton and allow the team to continue the project.
(Image: SWNS)
“This gives someone with the right passion and available funding to effectively swoop in at the last minute and take the prize. I will, of course, be cheering from the side-lines when Bloodhound smashes through 800mph.”
The car has been dormant during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the team has tried to secure the necessary cash, but has overheads of tens of thousands of pounds a month.
Bloodhound is hoping to make the world record attempt in 2022 - but a new owner is needed to invest in the project so work can restart in the next few months.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Current world land-speed record holder Andy Green, who is planning to drive the vehicle if funding is secured, said: “In my opinion, the Bloodhound team has built the best land speed record car ever.
“It made our 628mph test run look easy. We’re now raring to get to 800mph plus, to showcase this technical marvel and to invite a global audience to join in an incredibly exciting adventure.
“After the horrible 2020 pandemic year we have all just experienced, the world needs a good news story, and Bloodhound is ready to deliver it.”
The UK's bid to break the world land speed record was first launched in 2007, but the project has faced a number of financial setbacks over the past decade, culminating in its collapse in 2018.
The project had initially hoped to break the record in 2011, but delayed the attempt after costs began to mount.
Last year, the car was split apart for cleaning, inspection and maintenance, and the engine removed and returned to Rolls-Royce for storage.
What do you think of the UK's bid to break the world land speed record? Share your views in the comments below
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https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/bloodhound-project-put-up-sale-19697379
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en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/18fa150717bb391a2522609b9e71aca7a12f1b29a0f295920b51cf1bbd3384c5.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA supersonic car aiming to break the world land speed record is being sold off by the owner just over two years after he bought the vehicle out of administration.\nIan Warhurst’s firm, Grafton LSR, acquired the Bloodhound programme (now Bloodhound LSR) at the end of 2018 and reopened the project’s headquarters in Gloucestershire.\nBloodhound is aiming to reach more than 800mph (1,290km/h), with a number of high-speed trials already carried out in a dry lake bed in South Africa. The car reached a top speed of 628mph in the Kalahari Desert in 2019.\nBut the project has failed to secure the necessary funding for the world-record attempt - after the Covid-19 pandemic “wrecked” the opportunity - according to Mr Warhurst. He warned in March last year the project was under threat.\nThe car needs a rocket, which will be provided by Norwegian rocket specialist Nammo, in addition to its EJ200 Rolls-Royce jet engine.\nMr Warhurst said completing the rocket installation and taking the car to Hakskeenpan - a mud and salt pan in the Kalahari Desert - to try to exceed 800mph would cost £8m.\nIf a buyer for Grafton LSR - the holding company that owns Bloodhound - is not found, the car will be put into long-term storage with no certainty of being restarted, he said.\n“When I committed to take the car high-speed testing in 2019, I allocated enough funding to achieve this goal on the basis that alternative funding would then allow us to continue to the record attempts,” he explained.\n“Along with many other things, the global pandemic wrecked this opportunity in 2020 which has left the project unfunded and delayed by a further 12 months.\n\"At this stage, in absence of further immediate funding, the only options remaining are to close down the programme or put the project up for sale to allow me to pass on the baton and allow the team to continue the project.\n(Image: SWNS)\n“This gives someone with the right passion and available funding to effectively swoop in at the last minute and take the prize. I will, of course, be cheering from the side-lines when Bloodhound smashes through 800mph.”\nThe car has been dormant during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the team has tried to secure the necessary cash, but has overheads of tens of thousands of pounds a month.\nBloodhound is hoping to make the world record attempt in 2022 - but a new owner is needed to invest in the project so work can restart in the next few months.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\nCurrent world land-speed record holder Andy Green, who is planning to drive the vehicle if funding is secured, said: “In my opinion, the Bloodhound team has built the best land speed record car ever.\n“It made our 628mph test run look easy. We’re now raring to get to 800mph plus, to showcase this technical marvel and to invite a global audience to join in an incredibly exciting adventure.\n“After the horrible 2020 pandemic year we have all just experienced, the world needs a good news story, and Bloodhound is ready to deliver it.”\nThe UK's bid to break the world land speed record was first launched in 2007, but the project has faced a number of financial setbacks over the past decade, culminating in its collapse in 2018.\nThe project had initially hoped to break the record in 2011, but delayed the attempt after costs began to mount.\nLast year, the car was split apart for cleaning, inspection and maintenance, and the engine removed and returned to Rolls-Royce for storage.\nWhat do you think of the UK's bid to break the world land speed record? Share your views in the comments below",
"Bloodhound supersonic car put up for sale after cash woes following Covid-19 pandemic",
"The vehicle is aiming to break the world land speed record - but if a buyer is not found the project could be scrapped"
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It is partnering with PPE safety eyeswear specialist Bollé
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fport-talbot-firm-british-rototherm-19679102.json
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| null |
Port Talbot firm British Rototherm creating 250 new jobs with new PPE partnership
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
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Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Port Talbot manufacturer British Rototherm Group is creating 250 new jobs after winning a lucrative contract to supply the world's leading personal protective equipment (PPE) safety eyewear specialist.
The deal sees Rototherm's medical and protective equipment division RotoMedical, becoming Bollé Safety’s exclusive UK manufacturer of PPE eyewear for the healthcare industry.
The contract will allow RotoMedical to produce over three million PPE items each month.
Production will be based at Rototherm's existing factory at Kenfig Hill Industrial Estate, utilising existing manufacturing capacity.
The maker of industrial measuring instruments, which dates back to the 1880s, pivoted during the pandemic to also produce medical masks and protective face shields equipment for health and care workers.
It has now added safety goggles with the supply contract with Bollé for which it will create a dedicated automated production line.
With PPE contracts for masks and face shields at one stage last year Rototherm, through temporary employment, had seen its workforce swell to 400.
It now employs around 200, with the Bollé contract alone creating 250 new permanent roles over the next three years.
The company is also bidding for a series of UK and European government contracts for its PPE range, which could create more employment opportunities, as well as through the expansion of its instrumentation division.
The Bollé face shields and goggles manufactured by RotoMedical will use locally sourced raw materials.
As well as for the UK and Ireland marketplace, they will also be exported to a number of other key global markets for the company.
British Rototherm managing director Oliver Conger said: “The last year has seen Port Talbot emerge as a sustainable manufacturing base for PPE and we are delighted that Bollé will add specialist PPE eyewear expertise.
"Like Bollé, Rototherm has a strong heritage dating back to the 1800s and a reputation for quality, industrial expertise, and innovation. We’re excited about this partnership and the synergies it will bring.
“Our ambition is that over 250 new jobs will be created in Rototherm's base in Margam over the next three years based on supply contracts on our horizon.
"Building on this success, there is the potential that this partnership could create even more jobs exporting high quality, innovative healthcare PPE eyewear across Great Britain, Europe and further afield. ”
Ian Walbeoff, vice president of sales at Bollé Safety said: “At the core of all that we do is an ambition to create protective eyewear that delivers greater everyday comfort, ergonomics and safety for those that need it most.
"Having worked across the UK and Ireland for the past 30 years I can say that today’s announcement is a new step for us and one that I am very proud to play a part in.
"We have a proud history providing PPE across the UK for South Wales Fire & Rescue, the UK border Force, The Royal Mint, Thames Valley Police and many leading companies like Western Power Distribution, Valero Energy and Cabot Carbon.
"We have now found a way to bring the best of what we do internationally at Bollé Safety to Port Talbot, creating jobs and making world class products that will genuinely save lives across the globe.”
Peter Smith, chief executive of Bollé Brands Group and president of Bollé Safety said: “Today’s announcement is another chapter in our UK story which goes back to 1964 when we sold our first safety goggles here.
“We take great pride in playing our part in protecting British manufacturing and healthcare workers and we are equally proud that going forward we will have 'made in Britain” emblazoned on some of Bollé Safety’s most innovative new products.
Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen our businesses step up to the challenge of helping us produce much-needed PPE right here in Wales.
"It’s great news that an international company like Bollé is working with a Welsh business to make vitally important items for those on the front line of health services, not just here in the UK but across the world.
“This is a testament to the skilled manufacturing workforce we have here in Wales, and I very much welcome this announcement at what remains an incredibly difficult time for our people, our businesses and our economy.”
Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the IoD in Wales said: “Today’s announcement by Bollé Safety and RotoMedical is excellent news for our economy and a great vote of confidence in the people of Port Talbot and the surrounding area who will no doubt welcome the opportunity of 250 much-needed new jobs in this important sector.
" It is a clear signal of what Wales has to offer as we focus on rebuilding our economy and creating jobs in the wake of the pandemic. We wish the new partnership between Bollé Safety and RotoMedical every success.”
Ian Price, director Wales, CBI said: “With the Welsh economy suffering significantly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s great to hear news of companies making investments and committing to creating local jobs. Wales remains a great place to live, work and invest.”
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https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/port-talbot-firm-british-rototherm-19679102
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/66bc1fe9477e793c6eb1afd831c053852931b95824b523c91f2bd7d76f3611cd.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nPort Talbot manufacturer British Rototherm Group is creating 250 new jobs after winning a lucrative contract to supply the world's leading personal protective equipment (PPE) safety eyewear specialist.\nThe deal sees Rototherm's medical and protective equipment division RotoMedical, becoming Bollé Safety’s exclusive UK manufacturer of PPE eyewear for the healthcare industry.\nThe contract will allow RotoMedical to produce over three million PPE items each month.\nProduction will be based at Rototherm's existing factory at Kenfig Hill Industrial Estate, utilising existing manufacturing capacity.\nThe maker of industrial measuring instruments, which dates back to the 1880s, pivoted during the pandemic to also produce medical masks and protective face shields equipment for health and care workers.\nIt has now added safety goggles with the supply contract with Bollé for which it will create a dedicated automated production line.\nWith PPE contracts for masks and face shields at one stage last year Rototherm, through temporary employment, had seen its workforce swell to 400.\nIt now employs around 200, with the Bollé contract alone creating 250 new permanent roles over the next three years.\nThe company is also bidding for a series of UK and European government contracts for its PPE range, which could create more employment opportunities, as well as through the expansion of its instrumentation division.\nThe Bollé face shields and goggles manufactured by RotoMedical will use locally sourced raw materials.\nAs well as for the UK and Ireland marketplace, they will also be exported to a number of other key global markets for the company.\nBritish Rototherm managing director Oliver Conger said: “The last year has seen Port Talbot emerge as a sustainable manufacturing base for PPE and we are delighted that Bollé will add specialist PPE eyewear expertise.\n\"Like Bollé, Rototherm has a strong heritage dating back to the 1800s and a reputation for quality, industrial expertise, and innovation. We’re excited about this partnership and the synergies it will bring.\n“Our ambition is that over 250 new jobs will be created in Rototherm's base in Margam over the next three years based on supply contracts on our horizon.\n\"Building on this success, there is the potential that this partnership could create even more jobs exporting high quality, innovative healthcare PPE eyewear across Great Britain, Europe and further afield. ”\nIan Walbeoff, vice president of sales at Bollé Safety said: “At the core of all that we do is an ambition to create protective eyewear that delivers greater everyday comfort, ergonomics and safety for those that need it most.\n\"Having worked across the UK and Ireland for the past 30 years I can say that today’s announcement is a new step for us and one that I am very proud to play a part in.\n\"We have a proud history providing PPE across the UK for South Wales Fire & Rescue, the UK border Force, The Royal Mint, Thames Valley Police and many leading companies like Western Power Distribution, Valero Energy and Cabot Carbon.\n\"We have now found a way to bring the best of what we do internationally at Bollé Safety to Port Talbot, creating jobs and making world class products that will genuinely save lives across the globe.”\nPeter Smith, chief executive of Bollé Brands Group and president of Bollé Safety said: “Today’s announcement is another chapter in our UK story which goes back to 1964 when we sold our first safety goggles here.\n“We take great pride in playing our part in protecting British manufacturing and healthcare workers and we are equally proud that going forward we will have 'made in Britain” emblazoned on some of Bollé Safety’s most innovative new products.\nDeputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen our businesses step up to the challenge of helping us produce much-needed PPE right here in Wales.\n\"It’s great news that an international company like Bollé is working with a Welsh business to make vitally important items for those on the front line of health services, not just here in the UK but across the world.\n“This is a testament to the skilled manufacturing workforce we have here in Wales, and I very much welcome this announcement at what remains an incredibly difficult time for our people, our businesses and our economy.”\nRobert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the IoD in Wales said: “Today’s announcement by Bollé Safety and RotoMedical is excellent news for our economy and a great vote of confidence in the people of Port Talbot and the surrounding area who will no doubt welcome the opportunity of 250 much-needed new jobs in this important sector.\n\" It is a clear signal of what Wales has to offer as we focus on rebuilding our economy and creating jobs in the wake of the pandemic. We wish the new partnership between Bollé Safety and RotoMedical every success.”\nIan Price, director Wales, CBI said: “With the Welsh economy suffering significantly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s great to hear news of companies making investments and committing to creating local jobs. Wales remains a great place to live, work and invest.”",
"Port Talbot firm British Rototherm creating 250 new jobs with new PPE partnership",
"It is partnering with PPE safety eyeswear specialist Bollé"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Arrival Pr"
] | 2021-01-14T11:01:06 | null | 2021-01-14T10:29:45 |
Pandemic brought pause and reflection for steering group as it gears up to go online
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fhumber-business-week-plots-2021-19622760.json
|
en
| null |
Humber Business Week plots 2021 ‘relevant, inclusive and supportive’ return
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A new vision for Humber Business Week is to be revealed later this month as organisers aim to deliver a ‘refreshed’ platform in 2021.
A staple of the region’s business calendar for 15 years, it was one of many events to fall victim to the pandemic in 2020.
Now it aims to return with a programme that is ‘relevant, inclusive and supportive’ to local businesses.
Chair Kath Lavery said: “It was certainly very disappointing to see Humber Business Week not take place in 2020 but that happened because we were perhaps somewhat focussed on trying to deliver what we’d always done before, which was a week based around physical events and networking, and that was impossible.
“Everybody involved is determined to return in some form this year with an event which is very much refreshed and reflective of where we are as a society at present, ensuring we can provide great value and support to our business community.
“The steering group has been very positive in using what has happened to reflect upon how Humber Business Week needs to change to ensure it continues to deliver on the values of inspiring the business community, supporting innovation and helping people make valuable connections.
“Most importantly, we need to be there to guide and support businesses throughout the region. That means we are all committed to staging an event which will overcome difficulties to go ahead in some form this year.
“Business goes on. Business has had to find a way to go on for the past nine months, and we want to be reflective of that and support the many great companies we have on both banks of the Humber.”
A virtual launch takes place later this month and it is expected that the event will follow suit.
“We naturally expect the week to have a majority of remote, digital events, which offer many benefits from being more easily accessible to potentially attracting more high-profile speakers,” she said. November’s decarbonisation and energy-focused Waterline Summit from Marketing Humber saw Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey join live and now BEIS head, Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng, pre-record.
“If we can deliver some physical events, we will do so too, we have to be flexible,” she said.
The steering group has welcomed some new members, including the entrepreneur behind the Humber's Top 30 Under 30 programme, Simon Jones. He will speak at the launch on Wednesday, January 27.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have been given a chance to have an input into where Humber Business Week heads in the future and I think this is a really exciting opportunity,” he said.
“It was disappointing to see the week not go ahead last year and we are all in agreement that we can’t let that happen again.
“We have talked about it being an evolution, not a revolution, as our goal is to be a leading local business group which provides real value to all companies across this region, from the biggest businesses to one-man bands.
“The key is remaining relevant, inclusive and accessible at all times. We want to ensure that every business in the Humber region is supported and given the best chance to grow and prosper, and Business Week has worked with many of the region’s leading organisations for many years to do that.
“Last year didn’t mark the end of Humber Business Week, but this year certainly marks an exciting and new beginning, all of which will be explained at our launch later this month.”
It will be staged from Monday, June 7, with University of Hull back as a partner.
To digitally attend the launch event, register here.
The deadline is nearing for Top 30 Under 30 - to apply click here.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/humber-business-week-plots-2021-19622760
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/c1dd16afa54dd90b500cab69386656429b58eb2af5e09a8f71da760c0960c989.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA new vision for Humber Business Week is to be revealed later this month as organisers aim to deliver a ‘refreshed’ platform in 2021.\nA staple of the region’s business calendar for 15 years, it was one of many events to fall victim to the pandemic in 2020.\nNow it aims to return with a programme that is ‘relevant, inclusive and supportive’ to local businesses.\nChair Kath Lavery said: “It was certainly very disappointing to see Humber Business Week not take place in 2020 but that happened because we were perhaps somewhat focussed on trying to deliver what we’d always done before, which was a week based around physical events and networking, and that was impossible.\n“Everybody involved is determined to return in some form this year with an event which is very much refreshed and reflective of where we are as a society at present, ensuring we can provide great value and support to our business community.\n“The steering group has been very positive in using what has happened to reflect upon how Humber Business Week needs to change to ensure it continues to deliver on the values of inspiring the business community, supporting innovation and helping people make valuable connections.\n“Most importantly, we need to be there to guide and support businesses throughout the region. That means we are all committed to staging an event which will overcome difficulties to go ahead in some form this year.\n“Business goes on. Business has had to find a way to go on for the past nine months, and we want to be reflective of that and support the many great companies we have on both banks of the Humber.”\nA virtual launch takes place later this month and it is expected that the event will follow suit.\n“We naturally expect the week to have a majority of remote, digital events, which offer many benefits from being more easily accessible to potentially attracting more high-profile speakers,” she said. November’s decarbonisation and energy-focused Waterline Summit from Marketing Humber saw Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey join live and now BEIS head, Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng, pre-record.\n“If we can deliver some physical events, we will do so too, we have to be flexible,” she said.\nThe steering group has welcomed some new members, including the entrepreneur behind the Humber's Top 30 Under 30 programme, Simon Jones. He will speak at the launch on Wednesday, January 27.\n“I’m absolutely delighted to have been given a chance to have an input into where Humber Business Week heads in the future and I think this is a really exciting opportunity,” he said.\n“It was disappointing to see the week not go ahead last year and we are all in agreement that we can’t let that happen again.\n“We have talked about it being an evolution, not a revolution, as our goal is to be a leading local business group which provides real value to all companies across this region, from the biggest businesses to one-man bands.\n“The key is remaining relevant, inclusive and accessible at all times. We want to ensure that every business in the Humber region is supported and given the best chance to grow and prosper, and Business Week has worked with many of the region’s leading organisations for many years to do that.\n“Last year didn’t mark the end of Humber Business Week, but this year certainly marks an exciting and new beginning, all of which will be explained at our launch later this month.”\nIt will be staged from Monday, June 7, with University of Hull back as a partner.\nTo digitally attend the launch event, register here.\nThe deadline is nearing for Top 30 Under 30 - to apply click here.",
"Humber Business Week plots 2021 ‘relevant, inclusive and supportive’ return",
"Pandemic brought pause and reflection for steering group as it gears up to go online"
] |
|
[
"Jonathon Manning"
] | 2021-01-05T12:53:37 | null | 2021-01-05T12:14:46 |
Yorkshire firm PFF has hired invested £2m in machinery to make the aprons at its factory in Washington
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Ffood-packaging-firm-creates-100-19565669.json
|
en
| null |
Food packaging firm creates 100 jobs to make PPE aprons for key workers
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Manufacturing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A food packaging manufacturer has created more than 100 jobs and invested more than £2m after pivoting to created PPE for frontline NHS workers.
PFF Group has massively expanded its business over the last few months after winning a contract to supply 360 million disposable polythene aprons to NHS staff and social care workers.
The contract was issued by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and following the win PFF invested £2m into custom-built machines that allow it to produce the aprons much faster.
The company has also invested in four additional machines that will fold the polythene before it is fed into the apron manufacturing machine.
PFF is headquartered in Keighley, West Yorkshire, but has a major manufacturing site in Washington, Tyne and Wear, where the new machines are being installed.
The North East site has hired an additional 100 members of staff, who have been brought in for the duration of the contract, allowing the factory to ramp up production to 24-hours a day.
Kenton Robbins, group managing director of PFF Group, said: “We worked closely with DHSC on due diligence ahead of our appointment as part of the Government’s ‘UK-Make’ initiative to source PPE from Britain. Demand for PPE has soared globally, with 210 million plastic aprons needed every week in the NHS alone.
“In just six months, in the midst of a pandemic and while continuing to support the UK’s food retail sector through the production and supply of food packaging, we worked in collaboration with the Hanbury-Autogil experts, to set up a new capability and capacity to manufacture disposable aprons. We have been able to design and build, two innovative, all-British machines that are the fastest and most reliable in the world, enabling us to significantly increase production.
“We are delighted to be able use our specialist sector knowledge and in-house expertise to ensure the UK’s need for PPE can be met during and beyond the pandemic, as well as creating job opportunities across our two sites in the current challenging climate.”
PFF’s new machinery was built by Devon’s Hanbury-Autogil.
Robert Hanbury, managing director at Hanbury-Autogil, said: “PFF approached Hanbury-Autogil with a challenge, we established that the business was seeking apron manufacturing machines that had a quicker output than the industry standard versions that they were using.
“The team at Hanbury-Autogil showed an incredible work ethic that led to design a machine that is clearly the fastest PPE apron machine in the world. We look forward to collaborating with PFF on future projects.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/food-packaging-firm-creates-100-19565669
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/67201a4dbc0435fb536cdb4ad3215e13c27dbf060f1f5ff6d2b50acc72e10d7d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Manufacturing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA food packaging manufacturer has created more than 100 jobs and invested more than £2m after pivoting to created PPE for frontline NHS workers.\nPFF Group has massively expanded its business over the last few months after winning a contract to supply 360 million disposable polythene aprons to NHS staff and social care workers.\nThe contract was issued by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and following the win PFF invested £2m into custom-built machines that allow it to produce the aprons much faster.\nThe company has also invested in four additional machines that will fold the polythene before it is fed into the apron manufacturing machine.\nPFF is headquartered in Keighley, West Yorkshire, but has a major manufacturing site in Washington, Tyne and Wear, where the new machines are being installed.\nThe North East site has hired an additional 100 members of staff, who have been brought in for the duration of the contract, allowing the factory to ramp up production to 24-hours a day.\nKenton Robbins, group managing director of PFF Group, said: “We worked closely with DHSC on due diligence ahead of our appointment as part of the Government’s ‘UK-Make’ initiative to source PPE from Britain. Demand for PPE has soared globally, with 210 million plastic aprons needed every week in the NHS alone.\n“In just six months, in the midst of a pandemic and while continuing to support the UK’s food retail sector through the production and supply of food packaging, we worked in collaboration with the Hanbury-Autogil experts, to set up a new capability and capacity to manufacture disposable aprons. We have been able to design and build, two innovative, all-British machines that are the fastest and most reliable in the world, enabling us to significantly increase production.\n“We are delighted to be able use our specialist sector knowledge and in-house expertise to ensure the UK’s need for PPE can be met during and beyond the pandemic, as well as creating job opportunities across our two sites in the current challenging climate.”\nPFF’s new machinery was built by Devon’s Hanbury-Autogil.\nRobert Hanbury, managing director at Hanbury-Autogil, said: “PFF approached Hanbury-Autogil with a challenge, we established that the business was seeking apron manufacturing machines that had a quicker output than the industry standard versions that they were using.\n“The team at Hanbury-Autogil showed an incredible work ethic that led to design a machine that is clearly the fastest PPE apron machine in the world. We look forward to collaborating with PFF on future projects.”",
"Food packaging firm creates 100 jobs to make PPE aprons for key workers",
"Yorkshire firm PFF has hired invested £2m in machinery to make the aprons at its factory in Washington"
] |
|
[
"Coreena Ford",
"Image",
"Hta Real Estate"
] | 2021-01-05T13:46:05 | null | 2021-01-05T13:09:58 |
The 46-strong workforce is expected to double with the increase coming in the firm's weaving operation
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fscores-jobs-created-griffith-textile-19566197.json
|
en
| null |
Scores of jobs created as Griffith Textile Machines moves into new base
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Scores of new jobs are set to be created on Wearside as part of major expansion for Griffith Textile Machines.
The machine manufacturer and weaving company has sealed a 15-year deal to move to Washington’s Pattinson Industrial Estate, through Newcastle industrial property agents HTA Real Estate.
The letting will see the expansion of Griffith Textile Machines, part of the Ulster Carpets Group, which makes textile machines and weaves carpets.
The property, on Alston Road, will be the home of the newly-renamed Ulster North East, the weaving operation of the company, which is currently undergoing a significant expansion.
The detached warehouse will be an additional premises for the company which already operates from a nearby unit on the estate’s Walton Road.
The 46-strong weaving team, which operates advanced carpet weaving looms, is expected to double in the new factory over a period of four to five years.
Five looms are currently being relocated to the new premises, which is only a mile from the Nissan plant, while a further six are being manufactured for installation over the next two years.
Dave Watson, managing director at Griffith Textile Machines added: “The new premises at Alston Road represents the culmination of three years’ engineering development, which will position the newly branded Ulster North East weaving business as the premier weaving operation in the UK, and differentiate it from our engineering arm.
“This has been made possible, not only by the team at HTA Real Estate, but also by our amazing engineering development team and the flexibility of our highly motivated weaving staff.”
Simon Hill, director at HTA Real Estate said: “It’s fantastic to see a growing operation such as Griffith Textile Machines bringing additional employment and investment to the North East region. These premises will give the firm the functionality it needs right now but also help to enable its ambitions for growth over the next 15 years.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/scores-jobs-created-griffith-textile-19566197
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/06be7bdc2ba85360fff8224cb90235859e6066f0eb6b8514d4cc01cbec4c2267.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nScores of new jobs are set to be created on Wearside as part of major expansion for Griffith Textile Machines.\nThe machine manufacturer and weaving company has sealed a 15-year deal to move to Washington’s Pattinson Industrial Estate, through Newcastle industrial property agents HTA Real Estate.\nThe letting will see the expansion of Griffith Textile Machines, part of the Ulster Carpets Group, which makes textile machines and weaves carpets.\nThe property, on Alston Road, will be the home of the newly-renamed Ulster North East, the weaving operation of the company, which is currently undergoing a significant expansion.\nThe detached warehouse will be an additional premises for the company which already operates from a nearby unit on the estate’s Walton Road.\nThe 46-strong weaving team, which operates advanced carpet weaving looms, is expected to double in the new factory over a period of four to five years.\nFive looms are currently being relocated to the new premises, which is only a mile from the Nissan plant, while a further six are being manufactured for installation over the next two years.\nDave Watson, managing director at Griffith Textile Machines added: “The new premises at Alston Road represents the culmination of three years’ engineering development, which will position the newly branded Ulster North East weaving business as the premier weaving operation in the UK, and differentiate it from our engineering arm.\n“This has been made possible, not only by the team at HTA Real Estate, but also by our amazing engineering development team and the flexibility of our highly motivated weaving staff.”\nSimon Hill, director at HTA Real Estate said: “It’s fantastic to see a growing operation such as Griffith Textile Machines bringing additional employment and investment to the North East region. These premises will give the firm the functionality it needs right now but also help to enable its ambitions for growth over the next 15 years.”",
"Scores of jobs created as Griffith Textile Machines moves into new base",
"The 46-strong workforce is expected to double with the increase coming in the firm's weaving operation"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Google Maps",
"Grimstelegraph"
] | 2021-01-18T12:21:04 | null | 2021-01-18T11:22:55 |
£13.2m clause kicks in as Norwegian chloride slag producer stays with Eramet
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Ftronox-cans-246m-supply-chain-19646521.json
|
en
| null |
Tronox cans £246m supply chain buy-out after UK authorities reject move to quell competition fears
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Tronox has abandoned its attempt to buy a supply chain business following UK anti-competition fears.
The chems giant agreed to buy Nowegian chloride slag producer TiZir Titanium and Iron for £246 million last May - eyeing up supply into the huge South Humber Bank site.
It was called in, and the Competitions and Marketing Authority has now rejected a remedy proposal. With it set to move to a phase two investigation, the deal with Erament has been canned.
The CMA had expressed concerns that with Tronox taking TiZir in-house, it would leave only Rio Tinto on the open market.
Jean-François Turgeon, co-chief executive of the titanium dioxide producer, said: "We are disappointed with the rejection of our remedy proposal and respectfully disagree with the view taken by the CMA.
"While TTI was an asset that would have furthered our vertical integration strategy, the decision to terminate the agreement reflects the fact that under the CMA's rules, we could not have obtained regulatory approval prior to the termination date under the agreement with Eramet.
“We are currently building significant momentum in the market and are already well-positioned to execute on our strategic plans with our existing portfolio today. We will continue to leverage our vertical integration and sourcing strategy to supply our pigment feedstock requirements and remain focused on our efforts to bring the Jazan smelter online."
It has triggered a £13.2 million ($18m) break clause in favour of Eramet.
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph)
John D Romano, fellow co-chief executive, said: “We remain confident that our vertical integration strategy will continue to provide a competitive advantage, allowing Tronox to deliver reliable, safe, quality, low-cost, sustainable tons to our customers while outperforming our TiO2 peers. The TiO2 business continues to benefit from the global industry recovery in 2021. With the current momentum, we are very optimistic about the short-, medium-, and long-term potential for both TiO2 and Tronox as the leading integrated supplier in the industry.”
The company will now make a £221 million ($300m) discretionary debt repayment before the end of the quarter - cash that had been earmarked for the deal.
On the fourth quarter, Mr Turgeon added: "Due to the positive dynamics in the market, we delivered an even stronger fourth quarter than we previously contemplated, with sales exceeding expectations and adjusted EBITDA coming in above our previously issued guidance.
“We expect fourth quarter 2020 revenue of $783 million (£578m) and adjusted EBITDA of $200 (£147) to $204 million (£150m), our strongest adjusted EBITDA performance since we closed the Cristal acquisition.
“This performance was driven by a continued demand recovery in the fourth quarter (up eight per cent) as well as delivery on our synergy targets from the Cristal transaction.
“We remain very confident in our ability to deliver industry leading results and are well-positioned to continue our participation in the recovery and demonstrate the full capabilities of our vertically integrated portfolio."
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/tronox-cans-246m-supply-chain-19646521
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/617839a8cf4b0eed6beb3ef6083b5dc23065c4f5082fcc98e2539d870abfda44.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nTronox has abandoned its attempt to buy a supply chain business following UK anti-competition fears.\nThe chems giant agreed to buy Nowegian chloride slag producer TiZir Titanium and Iron for £246 million last May - eyeing up supply into the huge South Humber Bank site.\nIt was called in, and the Competitions and Marketing Authority has now rejected a remedy proposal. With it set to move to a phase two investigation, the deal with Erament has been canned.\nThe CMA had expressed concerns that with Tronox taking TiZir in-house, it would leave only Rio Tinto on the open market.\nJean-François Turgeon, co-chief executive of the titanium dioxide producer, said: \"We are disappointed with the rejection of our remedy proposal and respectfully disagree with the view taken by the CMA.\n\"While TTI was an asset that would have furthered our vertical integration strategy, the decision to terminate the agreement reflects the fact that under the CMA's rules, we could not have obtained regulatory approval prior to the termination date under the agreement with Eramet.\n“We are currently building significant momentum in the market and are already well-positioned to execute on our strategic plans with our existing portfolio today. We will continue to leverage our vertical integration and sourcing strategy to supply our pigment feedstock requirements and remain focused on our efforts to bring the Jazan smelter online.\"\nIt has triggered a £13.2 million ($18m) break clause in favour of Eramet.\n(Image: Grimsby Telegraph)\nJohn D Romano, fellow co-chief executive, said: “We remain confident that our vertical integration strategy will continue to provide a competitive advantage, allowing Tronox to deliver reliable, safe, quality, low-cost, sustainable tons to our customers while outperforming our TiO2 peers. The TiO2 business continues to benefit from the global industry recovery in 2021. With the current momentum, we are very optimistic about the short-, medium-, and long-term potential for both TiO2 and Tronox as the leading integrated supplier in the industry.”\nThe company will now make a £221 million ($300m) discretionary debt repayment before the end of the quarter - cash that had been earmarked for the deal.\nOn the fourth quarter, Mr Turgeon added: \"Due to the positive dynamics in the market, we delivered an even stronger fourth quarter than we previously contemplated, with sales exceeding expectations and adjusted EBITDA coming in above our previously issued guidance.\n“We expect fourth quarter 2020 revenue of $783 million (£578m) and adjusted EBITDA of $200 (£147) to $204 million (£150m), our strongest adjusted EBITDA performance since we closed the Cristal acquisition.\n“This performance was driven by a continued demand recovery in the fourth quarter (up eight per cent) as well as delivery on our synergy targets from the Cristal transaction.\n“We remain very confident in our ability to deliver industry leading results and are well-positioned to continue our participation in the recovery and demonstrate the full capabilities of our vertically integrated portfolio.\"",
"Tronox cans £246m supply chain buy-out after UK authorities reject move to quell competition fears",
"£13.2m clause kicks in as Norwegian chloride slag producer stays with Eramet"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-27T12:15:01 | null | 2021-01-27T11:00:26 |
They join local agency Thornley Groves, which now has 3,000 properties under management in Manchester
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fleads-deals%2Fmanchester-firms-allison--co-19708826.json
|
en
| null |
Manchester firms Allison & Co and Pad Residential acquired by lettings giant Lomond Capital
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Two Manchester lettings and estate agents are the latest to have been acquired by fast-growing group Lomond Capital.
Allison & Co and Pad Residential have joined fellow city firm Thornley Groves under the Lomond brand as part of a fresh wave of acquisitions.
Salford-based boutique agency Allison & Co and city centre-based Pad Residential manage 350 properties across Manchester and join local agency Thornley Groves, which now has 3,000 properties under management in the city.
The news is one of four new acquisitions Lomond has made across the UK, bringing its total portfolio to 23,000 properties under management.
Jason Watkin, CEO of Lomond Capital in Manchester, said: “We are delighted to welcome the clients and staff of Allison & Co and Pad Residential.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
"Lomond group offers us the ideal blend of local knowledge and national structure. These acquisitions are a continuation of our approach to building our business while retaining our successful local approach.
"We are actively looking for new opportunities to grow within Manchester.”
Lomond merged with leading Yorkshire residential lettings firm Linley & Simpson at the beginning of the month.
The merger brings together some of the strongest letting and estate agency names on the UK High Street, employing more than 580 members of staff.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/leads-deals/manchester-firms-allison--co-19708826
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/74fdfbae42eeba34f4bc82b81adbadebd9d9910232766d8663c8704895fca7bf.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nTwo Manchester lettings and estate agents are the latest to have been acquired by fast-growing group Lomond Capital.\nAllison & Co and Pad Residential have joined fellow city firm Thornley Groves under the Lomond brand as part of a fresh wave of acquisitions.\nSalford-based boutique agency Allison & Co and city centre-based Pad Residential manage 350 properties across Manchester and join local agency Thornley Groves, which now has 3,000 properties under management in the city.\nThe news is one of four new acquisitions Lomond has made across the UK, bringing its total portfolio to 23,000 properties under management.\nJason Watkin, CEO of Lomond Capital in Manchester, said: “We are delighted to welcome the clients and staff of Allison & Co and Pad Residential.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\n\"Lomond group offers us the ideal blend of local knowledge and national structure. These acquisitions are a continuation of our approach to building our business while retaining our successful local approach.\n\"We are actively looking for new opportunities to grow within Manchester.”\nLomond merged with leading Yorkshire residential lettings firm Linley & Simpson at the beginning of the month.\nThe merger brings together some of the strongest letting and estate agency names on the UK High Street, employing more than 580 members of staff.",
"Manchester firms Allison & Co and Pad Residential acquired by lettings giant Lomond Capital",
"They join local agency Thornley Groves, which now has 3,000 properties under management in Manchester"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-13T09:37:21 | null | 2021-01-13T09:25:25 |
Covid was a 'difficult year for everyone' - but the firm still managed significant growth
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Fliverpool-tech-firm-mgiss-doubling-19614857.json
|
en
| null |
Liverpool tech firm MGISS doubling workforce after record-breaking 2020
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Liverpool tech firm is doubling its workforce after a record-breaking 2020 that saw turnover increase by 20%.
Baltic Triangle-based MGISS uses surveying and space technology to help utility and infrastructure companies find their buried assets £700,000 in the last 12 months and plans to grow from 10 staff to 20 by 2022.
Managing director Michael Darracott started the business in 2014 after identifying the challenge industries like water, energy and transportation faced in finding assets like cabling, pipework and tunnels when they’re buried underground.
MGISS combines satellite positioning technology and earth observation data to enable field workers to find hidden assets like a burst water main faster, keeping supply interruptions to a minimum.
Mr Darracott said: "I launched MGISS because the utilities and infrastructure companies faced a perfect storm of ageing assets, climate change and increased regulation, often compounded by incomplete historical information about where their buried assets are.
“One of our clients is Northumbrian Water Group, which has a network of 26,000 km of water pipes. Trying to locate a critical valve or section of pipe when they’re buried underground and you’re against the clock is a challenge.”
Northumbrian Water Group, incorporating Essex and Suffolk Water, supplies water and sewerage services to 4.4 million people, turned to MGISS and their technology because it’s accurate to within a few centimetres and is much faster and more efficient than the alternatives.
Several of MGISS’s clients are in the water industry, where companies can be fined millions of pounds for not getting customers back on supply after an interruption such as a burst main or major leak.
Mr Darracott said: “2020 was a difficult year for everyone because of Covid but it highlighted the value of our approach and technology.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
“Demand for our tech solutions increased significantly in 2020 and we saw an increase in annual recurring revenue growth of 60 per cent over the last 12 months. We now expect to double in size to 20 staff by 2022.”
As well as the water industry MGISS works with several major gas suppliers and multi-infrastructure contractors such as Sir Robert McAlpine and Wales and West Utilities.
Mr Darracott said the company is now evaluating additional investment as part of its growth strategy.
“We are seeing an increasing demand for our services in a traditionally risk-averse sector.
“Any investment will be tied to a need to scale our solutions to meet the needs of enterprise businesses, therefore it’s about securing talent and scaling technology.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/liverpool-tech-firm-mgiss-doubling-19614857
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/eb2f4e98c7aaea25ad76c9968223057d2dca80e87ad760a77684527895321842.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Liverpool tech firm is doubling its workforce after a record-breaking 2020 that saw turnover increase by 20%.\nBaltic Triangle-based MGISS uses surveying and space technology to help utility and infrastructure companies find their buried assets £700,000 in the last 12 months and plans to grow from 10 staff to 20 by 2022.\nManaging director Michael Darracott started the business in 2014 after identifying the challenge industries like water, energy and transportation faced in finding assets like cabling, pipework and tunnels when they’re buried underground.\nMGISS combines satellite positioning technology and earth observation data to enable field workers to find hidden assets like a burst water main faster, keeping supply interruptions to a minimum.\nMr Darracott said: \"I launched MGISS because the utilities and infrastructure companies faced a perfect storm of ageing assets, climate change and increased regulation, often compounded by incomplete historical information about where their buried assets are.\n“One of our clients is Northumbrian Water Group, which has a network of 26,000 km of water pipes. Trying to locate a critical valve or section of pipe when they’re buried underground and you’re against the clock is a challenge.”\nNorthumbrian Water Group, incorporating Essex and Suffolk Water, supplies water and sewerage services to 4.4 million people, turned to MGISS and their technology because it’s accurate to within a few centimetres and is much faster and more efficient than the alternatives.\nSeveral of MGISS’s clients are in the water industry, where companies can be fined millions of pounds for not getting customers back on supply after an interruption such as a burst main or major leak.\nMr Darracott said: “2020 was a difficult year for everyone because of Covid but it highlighted the value of our approach and technology.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\n“Demand for our tech solutions increased significantly in 2020 and we saw an increase in annual recurring revenue growth of 60 per cent over the last 12 months. We now expect to double in size to 20 staff by 2022.”\nAs well as the water industry MGISS works with several major gas suppliers and multi-infrastructure contractors such as Sir Robert McAlpine and Wales and West Utilities.\nMr Darracott said the company is now evaluating additional investment as part of its growth strategy.\n“We are seeing an increasing demand for our services in a traditionally risk-averse sector.\n“Any investment will be tied to a need to scale our solutions to meet the needs of enterprise businesses, therefore it’s about securing talent and scaling technology.”",
"Liverpool tech firm MGISS doubling workforce after record-breaking 2020",
"Covid was a 'difficult year for everyone' - but the firm still managed significant growth"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Shared Content Unit"
] | 2021-01-14T17:45:40 | null | 2021-01-14T16:50:49 |
Civica has worked with Hull City Council since 2015
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fprofessional-services%2Foutsourcing%2F100-new-home-based-call-19627716.json
|
en
| null |
100 new home-based call centre jobs created in Hull as city council extends Civica partnership
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
100 new home-based call centre jobs are coming to Hull after the city council extended its outsourcing partnership with Civica.
The pair have worked together since 2015 to deliver revenues and benefits services, provided from Kingston Centre - the Treasury Building in Guildhall Road.
A total of 230 employees transferred across when the initial deal was completed.
They now deal with multiple clients, handling more than one million customer enquiries every year, with those providing services for Network Rail being recognised in the Top 50 Companies for Customer Service as Best in Public Sector.
Civica, described as a leading public services software provider, has created a further 150 jobs - including apprenticeships - since the initial tender, and has delivered £6.4 million in financial benefits while supporting digital transformation across the city.
Councillor Daren Hale, deputy leader of Hull City Council, said: “We are delighted that this fantastic partnership with Civica – a real global leader in its field – will see the creation of dozens of new jobs in the city.
“The partnership’s innovative approach to customer service is already ensuring residents can access the right information and services more efficiently online.
“Now more than ever, these home-based jobs will give a much-needed boost to families in the city who might be finding it difficult during the current measures.”
It comes a month after ResQ revealed it was creating a further 120 contact centre jobs in the city after extending its contract with Vodafone. It has taken an entire floor in the iconic Hammonds of Hull building to accommodate the growth.
Paul Mason, Civica divisional managing director, said: “Civica has a strong track record in helping to deliver improved public services and better outcomes for people and communities, including sustaining the delivery of services during the tough times of 2020 via our remote and OnDemand capabilities.
"We look forward to building on this and the success of the Kingston Centre partnership with Hull to support those most in need.”
Anyone interested in applying for the roles should call 01482 587111.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/outsourcing/100-new-home-based-call-19627716
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/3e611ce8cb0fc22112c681b307c09aacb215fa2720de0a88bd6c021c0ed17ad4.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\n100 new home-based call centre jobs are coming to Hull after the city council extended its outsourcing partnership with Civica.\nThe pair have worked together since 2015 to deliver revenues and benefits services, provided from Kingston Centre - the Treasury Building in Guildhall Road.\nA total of 230 employees transferred across when the initial deal was completed.\nThey now deal with multiple clients, handling more than one million customer enquiries every year, with those providing services for Network Rail being recognised in the Top 50 Companies for Customer Service as Best in Public Sector.\nCivica, described as a leading public services software provider, has created a further 150 jobs - including apprenticeships - since the initial tender, and has delivered £6.4 million in financial benefits while supporting digital transformation across the city.\nCouncillor Daren Hale, deputy leader of Hull City Council, said: “We are delighted that this fantastic partnership with Civica – a real global leader in its field – will see the creation of dozens of new jobs in the city.\n“The partnership’s innovative approach to customer service is already ensuring residents can access the right information and services more efficiently online.\n“Now more than ever, these home-based jobs will give a much-needed boost to families in the city who might be finding it difficult during the current measures.”\nIt comes a month after ResQ revealed it was creating a further 120 contact centre jobs in the city after extending its contract with Vodafone. It has taken an entire floor in the iconic Hammonds of Hull building to accommodate the growth.\nPaul Mason, Civica divisional managing director, said: “Civica has a strong track record in helping to deliver improved public services and better outcomes for people and communities, including sustaining the delivery of services during the tough times of 2020 via our remote and OnDemand capabilities.\n\"We look forward to building on this and the success of the Kingston Centre partnership with Hull to support those most in need.”\nAnyone interested in applying for the roles should call 01482 587111.",
"100 new home-based call centre jobs created in Hull as city council extends Civica partnership",
"Civica has worked with Hull City Council since 2015"
] |
|
[
"William Telford"
] | 2021-01-13T09:36:20 | null | 2021-01-13T08:50:37 |
Already 65 firms have expressed an interest in the A303 upgrade and even more are being urged to come forward
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fdozens-smes-register-work-17bn-19614758.json
|
en
| null |
Dozens of SMEs register to work on £1.7bn Stonehenge tunnel scheme
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Dozens of businesses have registered their interest in working on the £1.7billion upgrade of the A303 at Stonehenge - but there is an opportunity for even more to be involved.
Highways England has called for smaller, local companies to play a part in the project which is predicted will help to create 21,000 jobs and deliver a £39billion boost in the long term, according to an independent economic assessment commissioned by local authorities and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, and validated by the Department for Transport.
And since extending an invite last month for small and medium-sized businesses to get involved in the transformational A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge, which includes a two-mile tunnel underneath the World Heritage Site, a total of 65 companies have already registered their interest, with 25% of those from the Wiltshire area.
Of the companies registered so far, a large percentage are involved in civil engineering, building and civil works, security, facilities management and landscaping, together with other professional services such as business supply, catering, cleaning, environmental and waste management.
Ahead of a virtual Meet the Buyer event for all interested companies, David Bullock, Highways England Project Manager for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, delivered a presentation to the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury Business Improvement District, and is encouraging even more businesses to get involved.
He said: “The scheme has numerous benefits, not only in improving journey reliability and enhancing the World Heritage Site landscape, but also in unlocking economic growth in the South West.
“The scheme is not just limited to larger, national and international companies, we’re encouraged by the response so far, and we’re keen for more local and regional businesses to get the chance to work with the project.
“With our archaeology specialists and preliminary works contractors expected to start on site later this year, there’s going to be some opportunities with those companies within the next six months or so.
“There will be greater potential when our main contractor is appointed later this year, or early 2022, and we’d urge businesses to get in touch now, so we can start to help them prepare.”
How to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here
Through its procurement process, the company, responsible for England’s major A roads and motorways, appoints main contractors who in turn require their own supply chain, which provides opportunities for sub-contractors and sub-consultants to bid for work and become part of the extended supply chain.
Highways England is already working closely with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Business West and the Federation of Small Businesses, and has also partnered nationally with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide free online training.
This helps smaller companies to upskill and places them in a better position to tender for work on larger infrastructure projects, such as the A303 Stonehenge upgrade.
The virtual Meet the Buyer event will be held on Thursday, January 21, where Highways England’s project team and contractors Wessex Archaeology and Osborne Ltd will outline potential business opportunities and field submitted questions.
Companies wishing to attend the online event and businesses interested in being a part of the A303 Stonehenge project are urged to contact Highways England here. Information will then be passed to the relevant contractors.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/dozens-smes-register-work-17bn-19614758
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/29b3f5c04a798d04e315588e7200206665943e650571a4d07c948086c0896450.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nDozens of businesses have registered their interest in working on the £1.7billion upgrade of the A303 at Stonehenge - but there is an opportunity for even more to be involved.\nHighways England has called for smaller, local companies to play a part in the project which is predicted will help to create 21,000 jobs and deliver a £39billion boost in the long term, according to an independent economic assessment commissioned by local authorities and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, and validated by the Department for Transport.\nAnd since extending an invite last month for small and medium-sized businesses to get involved in the transformational A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge, which includes a two-mile tunnel underneath the World Heritage Site, a total of 65 companies have already registered their interest, with 25% of those from the Wiltshire area.\nOf the companies registered so far, a large percentage are involved in civil engineering, building and civil works, security, facilities management and landscaping, together with other professional services such as business supply, catering, cleaning, environmental and waste management.\nAhead of a virtual Meet the Buyer event for all interested companies, David Bullock, Highways England Project Manager for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, delivered a presentation to the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury Business Improvement District, and is encouraging even more businesses to get involved.\nHe said: “The scheme has numerous benefits, not only in improving journey reliability and enhancing the World Heritage Site landscape, but also in unlocking economic growth in the South West.\n“The scheme is not just limited to larger, national and international companies, we’re encouraged by the response so far, and we’re keen for more local and regional businesses to get the chance to work with the project.\n“With our archaeology specialists and preliminary works contractors expected to start on site later this year, there’s going to be some opportunities with those companies within the next six months or so.\n“There will be greater potential when our main contractor is appointed later this year, or early 2022, and we’d urge businesses to get in touch now, so we can start to help them prepare.”\nHow to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here\nThrough its procurement process, the company, responsible for England’s major A roads and motorways, appoints main contractors who in turn require their own supply chain, which provides opportunities for sub-contractors and sub-consultants to bid for work and become part of the extended supply chain.\nHighways England is already working closely with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Business West and the Federation of Small Businesses, and has also partnered nationally with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide free online training.\nThis helps smaller companies to upskill and places them in a better position to tender for work on larger infrastructure projects, such as the A303 Stonehenge upgrade.\nThe virtual Meet the Buyer event will be held on Thursday, January 21, where Highways England’s project team and contractors Wessex Archaeology and Osborne Ltd will outline potential business opportunities and field submitted questions.\nCompanies wishing to attend the online event and businesses interested in being a part of the A303 Stonehenge project are urged to contact Highways England here. Information will then be passed to the relevant contractors.",
"Dozens of SMEs register to work on £1.7bn Stonehenge tunnel scheme",
"Already 65 firms have expressed an interest in the A303 upgrade and even more are being urged to come forward"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-29T10:06:26 | null | 2021-01-29T08:56:26 |
Warrington-based Langtree said the move will give it financial resources and allow it to boost activities
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fcommercial-property%2Fpgim-real-estate-takes-stake-19724475.json
|
en
| null |
PGIM Real Estate takes stake in Langtree as multi-million pound deal agreed
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A multi-million pound deal has seen US real estate giant PGIM take a 25% stake in North West property firm Langtree.
PGIM Real Estate has acquired the stake on behalf of an investment strategy, with the Warrington-based property development and management company saying the move will build on its strong growth since its foundation five years ago.
The move will provide Langtree with the financial resources to boost its activities, said the firm behind schemes such as Wire Regeneration, a mixed-use town centre redevelopment of Warrington’s southern gateway, and SciTech Daresbury, also in Cheshire.
PGIM Real Estate is part of $1.4tn global business PGIM, itself one of the world's largest real estate managers, of US-headquartered Prudential Financial, Inc.
Charles Crowe, head of UK transactions at PGIM Real Estate, said: “We have worked with the Langtree team for more than 10 years on numerous ventures. They already manage over £400m of investment and development assets on our behalf and so taking an equity share in the development business was a natural next step.
"Langtree has a strong management team with a wide range of expertise and together with the strengths that we can bring to the business, we are excited about the future and keen to start exploring new opportunities.”
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
John Downes, Langtree’s chief executive and its majority shareholder, said: “We are delighted to have secured this equity investment into the business. PGIM Real Estate has tremendous strength in depth and a wealth of experience supporting joint ventures, which is a key aspect of our business.
"Their investment is a real show of confidence in what we are doing and gives Langtree a tremendous platform to grow, with new opportunities now being a real target.”
Langtree’s model includes a number of third-party management contracts comprising industrial, office and residential for clients that include PGIM Real Estate.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/pgim-real-estate-takes-stake-19724475
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/a33e5ac78324197c22003ed5a44c18eddf600874e66e62ba8977e44a34dacedf.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA multi-million pound deal has seen US real estate giant PGIM take a 25% stake in North West property firm Langtree.\nPGIM Real Estate has acquired the stake on behalf of an investment strategy, with the Warrington-based property development and management company saying the move will build on its strong growth since its foundation five years ago.\nThe move will provide Langtree with the financial resources to boost its activities, said the firm behind schemes such as Wire Regeneration, a mixed-use town centre redevelopment of Warrington’s southern gateway, and SciTech Daresbury, also in Cheshire.\nPGIM Real Estate is part of $1.4tn global business PGIM, itself one of the world's largest real estate managers, of US-headquartered Prudential Financial, Inc.\nCharles Crowe, head of UK transactions at PGIM Real Estate, said: “We have worked with the Langtree team for more than 10 years on numerous ventures. They already manage over £400m of investment and development assets on our behalf and so taking an equity share in the development business was a natural next step.\n\"Langtree has a strong management team with a wide range of expertise and together with the strengths that we can bring to the business, we are excited about the future and keen to start exploring new opportunities.”\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nJohn Downes, Langtree’s chief executive and its majority shareholder, said: “We are delighted to have secured this equity investment into the business. PGIM Real Estate has tremendous strength in depth and a wealth of experience supporting joint ventures, which is a key aspect of our business.\n\"Their investment is a real show of confidence in what we are doing and gives Langtree a tremendous platform to grow, with new opportunities now being a real target.”\nLangtree’s model includes a number of third-party management contracts comprising industrial, office and residential for clients that include PGIM Real Estate.",
"PGIM Real Estate takes stake in Langtree as multi-million pound deal agreed",
"Warrington-based Langtree said the move will give it financial resources and allow it to boost activities"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton",
"Image",
"Pa"
] | 2021-01-04T09:32:47 | null | 2021-01-04T09:06:56 |
The Health Secretary refused to rule out tougher coronavirus lockdown measures
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fbusinesses-braced-full-national-lockdown-19557791.json
|
en
| null |
Businesses braced for full national lockdown as Matt Hancock calls coronavirus tier system 'no longer strong enough'
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Businesses are bracing themselves for a full national lockdown after Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out imposing tougher coronavirus restrictions.
It's thought that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a decision today other whether to bring in a full, England-wide lockdown - or at least to bring more regions under the highest Tier 4 measures.
With the vast majority of England already in Tier 4, the move would mean Tier 3 areas such as the Liverpool City Region, Shropshire, Yorkshire, Somerset and Herefordshire, are also moved up.
According to Mail Online, the Government's Covid-O committee is meeting later on Monday to decide whether a third national lockdown is required.
When asked on Sky News if changes to restrictions may be announced today, Mr Hancock said: "We have shown we are ready to move incredibly quickly. We look at the data on a daily basis."
He said the new variant is "much easier to catch", with the "old tier system no longer strong enough", adding: "It means that whereas the old Tier 3 was able to contain the old variant, that is proving increasingly difficult in all parts of the country.
"It is down to people's behaviour. What matters is, yes of course, the rules that we put in place, but it is also about how people act.
"And frankly what I would say is this: it is critical that everybody in the country does all that they can to reduce the spread of the virus."
(Image: PA)
It came after Mr Johnson admitted on Sunday that curbs were "probably about to get tougher", with Labour leader Keir Starmer also calling for a national lockdown within a matter of hours.
Mr Johnson told the Andrew Marr Show that Downing Street is assessing whether Tier 4 restrictions across two thirds of the country - are tough enough, emphasising: "We've got to keep things under constant review."
Another 20 million people across England were forced into the highest level of restrictions last week, meaning non-essential shops and businesses closed and people are limited to meeting one other person from a different household outdoors.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/businesses-braced-full-national-lockdown-19557791
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/c5a55aec11c8103b696e02dc3c4215d61cf00976ddb28f3581fae2325da6175e.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nBusinesses are bracing themselves for a full national lockdown after Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out imposing tougher coronavirus restrictions.\nIt's thought that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a decision today other whether to bring in a full, England-wide lockdown - or at least to bring more regions under the highest Tier 4 measures.\nWith the vast majority of England already in Tier 4, the move would mean Tier 3 areas such as the Liverpool City Region, Shropshire, Yorkshire, Somerset and Herefordshire, are also moved up.\nAccording to Mail Online, the Government's Covid-O committee is meeting later on Monday to decide whether a third national lockdown is required.\nWhen asked on Sky News if changes to restrictions may be announced today, Mr Hancock said: \"We have shown we are ready to move incredibly quickly. We look at the data on a daily basis.\"\nHe said the new variant is \"much easier to catch\", with the \"old tier system no longer strong enough\", adding: \"It means that whereas the old Tier 3 was able to contain the old variant, that is proving increasingly difficult in all parts of the country.\n\"It is down to people's behaviour. What matters is, yes of course, the rules that we put in place, but it is also about how people act.\n\"And frankly what I would say is this: it is critical that everybody in the country does all that they can to reduce the spread of the virus.\"\n(Image: PA)\nIt came after Mr Johnson admitted on Sunday that curbs were \"probably about to get tougher\", with Labour leader Keir Starmer also calling for a national lockdown within a matter of hours.\nMr Johnson told the Andrew Marr Show that Downing Street is assessing whether Tier 4 restrictions across two thirds of the country - are tough enough, emphasising: \"We've got to keep things under constant review.\"\nAnother 20 million people across England were forced into the highest level of restrictions last week, meaning non-essential shops and businesses closed and people are limited to meeting one other person from a different household outdoors.",
"Businesses braced for full national lockdown as Matt Hancock calls coronavirus tier system 'no longer strong enough'",
"The Health Secretary refused to rule out tougher coronavirus lockdown measures"
] |
|
[
"Tom Davis",
"Laura Watson"
] | 2021-01-07T13:11:16 | null | 2021-01-07T11:32:52 |
The leasehold for West Orchards Shopping Centre has been put up for auction
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fcoventry-shopping-centre-up-auction-19578748.json
|
en
| null |
Coventry shopping centre up for auction for £5.5m
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Coventry shopping centre is going under the hammer at an auction next month.
The leasehold for West Orchards Shopping Centre has been put on the market with a guide price of £5.5 million.
Unless it is sold in the meantime, the Smithford Way centre is going to auction on February 3 after current leaseholders - property investors RDI - decided to move on.
According to CoventryLive, RDI hold two 99-year leases from Coventry City Council.
The facility, which opened in 1991, is spread across six floors. It boasts retail, food and leisure outlets as well as a 563-space car park and is believed to have attracted more than seven million visitors in 2019.
Click here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email
Last year, the centre was dealt a blow when Debenhams - one of its flagship stores - announced its closure.
RDI, West Orchards Shopping Centre or Coventry City Council have failed to provide comment on the sale.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/coventry-shopping-centre-up-auction-19578748
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4d3e5ddeb33e5d73fb9cdf8a214c099b3be8b52e616d4ce0246d29aa039158f7.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Coventry shopping centre is going under the hammer at an auction next month.\nThe leasehold for West Orchards Shopping Centre has been put on the market with a guide price of £5.5 million.\nUnless it is sold in the meantime, the Smithford Way centre is going to auction on February 3 after current leaseholders - property investors RDI - decided to move on.\nAccording to CoventryLive, RDI hold two 99-year leases from Coventry City Council.\nThe facility, which opened in 1991, is spread across six floors. It boasts retail, food and leisure outlets as well as a 563-space car park and is believed to have attracted more than seven million visitors in 2019.\nClick here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email\nLast year, the centre was dealt a blow when Debenhams - one of its flagship stores - announced its closure.\nRDI, West Orchards Shopping Centre or Coventry City Council have failed to provide comment on the sale.",
"Coventry shopping centre up for auction for £5.5m",
"The leasehold for West Orchards Shopping Centre has been put up for auction"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Baker",
"Image",
"Getty Images"
] | 2021-01-04T09:33:38 | null | 2021-01-04T09:08:00 |
The company has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Fai-chipmaker-graphcore-secures-222m-19557801.json
|
en
| null |
AI chipmaker Graphcore secures $222m and is valued at $2.8bn
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Artificial intelligence chip maker Graphcore has been valued at $2.8billion (£2.05billion) after raising $222million in its latest funding round.
The Series E funding round was led by Ontario Teachers’ Pensions Plan Board as well as new investors Fidelity International and Schroders. Existing Graphcore investors, including Baillie Gifford and Draper Esprit, also joined the round.
The Bristol-based company's latest investment brought the total funds raised by the business to more than $710million since it was co-founded by Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles in 2016.
Graphcore, which also has offices in London, Cambridge, Palo Alto, Oslo, Beijing, Hsinchu, Seoul, New York, Seattle and Austin, has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world.
The technology is used in machine learning globally to help power driverless cars and robots.
Mr Toon said: "We’re delighted to announce that Graphcore has raised $222m of investment to help support the company’s continued global expansion and further accelerate future IPU silicon, systems and software development. "
The business achieved ‘unicorn’ status in 2018 - and has continued to grow rapidly in the last two years. In 2019, Mr Toon, Graphcore’s co-founder and chief executive, was named the UK’s entrepreneur of the year.
The company says it expects 2021 to be another “big year” with advances in artificial intelligence moving apace.
Graphcore’s next fundraising step could be an initial public offering, Toon told the Guardian in December. However, he said this would be “unlikely in 2021”.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/ai-chipmaker-graphcore-secures-222m-19557801
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/b1fd87e902d2bd7d55f9cee6973aabff829163594e6636aad0e3ca9d2de1e69f.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nArtificial intelligence chip maker Graphcore has been valued at $2.8billion (£2.05billion) after raising $222million in its latest funding round.\nThe Series E funding round was led by Ontario Teachers’ Pensions Plan Board as well as new investors Fidelity International and Schroders. Existing Graphcore investors, including Baillie Gifford and Draper Esprit, also joined the round.\nThe Bristol-based company's latest investment brought the total funds raised by the business to more than $710million since it was co-founded by Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles in 2016.\nGraphcore, which also has offices in London, Cambridge, Palo Alto, Oslo, Beijing, Hsinchu, Seoul, New York, Seattle and Austin, has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world.\nThe technology is used in machine learning globally to help power driverless cars and robots.\nMr Toon said: \"We’re delighted to announce that Graphcore has raised $222m of investment to help support the company’s continued global expansion and further accelerate future IPU silicon, systems and software development. \"\nThe business achieved ‘unicorn’ status in 2018 - and has continued to grow rapidly in the last two years. In 2019, Mr Toon, Graphcore’s co-founder and chief executive, was named the UK’s entrepreneur of the year.\nThe company says it expects 2021 to be another “big year” with advances in artificial intelligence moving apace.\nGraphcore’s next fundraising step could be an initial public offering, Toon told the Guardian in December. However, he said this would be “unlikely in 2021”.",
"AI chipmaker Graphcore secures $222m and is valued at $2.8bn",
"The company has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world"
] |
|
[
"Owen Hughes",
"Image",
"Peter Harbour",
"David Powell"
] | 2021-01-25T16:09:13 | null | 2021-01-25T15:55:07 |
Wilko said it was bringing its policy in line with other retailers but GMB has hit out at the company
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fwilko-sick-pay-benefits-cut-19696635.json
|
en
| null |
Wilko sick pay benefits cut leads to strike ballot warning
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Wilko is set to reduce sick pay benefits for its workforce at stores across the UK.
Currently Wilko employees are entitled to up to three occasions of sickness on company sick pay before reverting to statutory sick pay of £95.85 per week.
But from February 1 Wilko want to reduce this to one episode of sickness before moving to statutory.
The company says this is in line with other retailers and that it is a bid to tackle non-Covid absences.
They said they'll continue to support team members most in need including anyone quarantining or absent with a case of coronavirus.
But the GMB union has informed Wilko that if these measures go ahead, they face a ballot for industrial action.
They said many of these workers are on minimum wage, low hours and some have no entitlement to statutory sick pay which will leave them with no income if they become ill.
Roger Jenkins, GMB National Officer, said: "Loyal Wilko workers have grafted throughout this pandemic - putting themselves and their families at risk to keep stores open.
(Image: David Powell)
“Along with other retail workers, they’ve had to deal with a lack of social distancing, increased threats and abuse from customers.
"Wilko should be rewarding their commitment - but instead they’ve threatened to slash their sickness benefit.
“Wilko should hang their heads in shame.
“GMB will not tolerate this abuse of keyworkers and has informed Wilko that if these draconian measures go ahead, they face a ballot for industrial action."
A Wilko spokesman said: "We’re a family business that’s looked after our team for over 90 years through good times and bad.
"We operate an enhanced Company Sick Pay policy, and we’ll continue to support those team members most in need including anyone quarantining or absent with a case of coronavirus, anyone with long-term sickness and the extremely vulnerable. This will be over and above Statutory Sick Pay.
"Early last year we considered some necessary changes to our policy designed to bring us more into line with other retailers.
"We soon put these on hold to support our team members whilst we concentrated on keeping our stores open as an essential retailer to provide our customers with access to the household and hardware items they need for their families.
"We’ve been working in collaboration with the GMB to try and tackle non-coronavirus absence.
"At the heart of these conversations was our shared strong desire to protect both Wilko team members and the future of Wilko so we can continue to serve customers, run a successful business, employ people, look after team members who need our help and offer an attractive benefits package compared to other retailers."
Sign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.
As well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.
Wilko CEO Jerome Saint-Marc added: "Taking care of team members is not just something we do at wilko it’s one of our core values.
"We support team members who are: vulnerable, on coronavirus quarantine, or who have serious medical challenges. On top of that we pay full pay for a period of sickness absence for any team member in any year.
"Having unsuccessfully worked with our union to try to reduce absence we’re now changing our policy to reduce abuse of it by some team members.
"Going forwards second sickness absences in a year will be covered by statutory sick pay. This still protects our team members and the change protects customer service and the financial health of our business. It allows us to invest where we should be investing in the future of Wilko and all the customers, team members and suppliers who rely on it."
To have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/wilko-sick-pay-benefits-cut-19696635
|
en
| 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/cfe34877960682170122fff8f1cc1b6fd6d635f2528aa5ba294f472c5835f27a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nWilko is set to reduce sick pay benefits for its workforce at stores across the UK.\nCurrently Wilko employees are entitled to up to three occasions of sickness on company sick pay before reverting to statutory sick pay of £95.85 per week.\nBut from February 1 Wilko want to reduce this to one episode of sickness before moving to statutory.\nThe company says this is in line with other retailers and that it is a bid to tackle non-Covid absences.\nThey said they'll continue to support team members most in need including anyone quarantining or absent with a case of coronavirus.\nBut the GMB union has informed Wilko that if these measures go ahead, they face a ballot for industrial action.\nThey said many of these workers are on minimum wage, low hours and some have no entitlement to statutory sick pay which will leave them with no income if they become ill.\nRoger Jenkins, GMB National Officer, said: \"Loyal Wilko workers have grafted throughout this pandemic - putting themselves and their families at risk to keep stores open.\n(Image: David Powell)\n“Along with other retail workers, they’ve had to deal with a lack of social distancing, increased threats and abuse from customers.\n\"Wilko should be rewarding their commitment - but instead they’ve threatened to slash their sickness benefit.\n“Wilko should hang their heads in shame.\n“GMB will not tolerate this abuse of keyworkers and has informed Wilko that if these draconian measures go ahead, they face a ballot for industrial action.\"\nA Wilko spokesman said: \"We’re a family business that’s looked after our team for over 90 years through good times and bad.\n\"We operate an enhanced Company Sick Pay policy, and we’ll continue to support those team members most in need including anyone quarantining or absent with a case of coronavirus, anyone with long-term sickness and the extremely vulnerable. This will be over and above Statutory Sick Pay.\n\"Early last year we considered some necessary changes to our policy designed to bring us more into line with other retailers.\n\"We soon put these on hold to support our team members whilst we concentrated on keeping our stores open as an essential retailer to provide our customers with access to the household and hardware items they need for their families.\n\"We’ve been working in collaboration with the GMB to try and tackle non-coronavirus absence.\n\"At the heart of these conversations was our shared strong desire to protect both Wilko team members and the future of Wilko so we can continue to serve customers, run a successful business, employ people, look after team members who need our help and offer an attractive benefits package compared to other retailers.\"\nSign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.\nAs well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.\nWilko CEO Jerome Saint-Marc added: \"Taking care of team members is not just something we do at wilko it’s one of our core values.\n\"We support team members who are: vulnerable, on coronavirus quarantine, or who have serious medical challenges. On top of that we pay full pay for a period of sickness absence for any team member in any year.\n\"Having unsuccessfully worked with our union to try to reduce absence we’re now changing our policy to reduce abuse of it by some team members.\n\"Going forwards second sickness absences in a year will be covered by statutory sick pay. This still protects our team members and the change protects customer service and the financial health of our business. It allows us to invest where we should be investing in the future of Wilko and all the customers, team members and suppliers who rely on it.\"\nTo have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article",
"Wilko sick pay benefits cut leads to strike ballot warning",
"Wilko said it was bringing its policy in line with other retailers but GMB has hit out at the company"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Stuart W Conway"
] | 2021-01-15T12:08:39 | null | 1963-07-14T00:00:00 |
The new year has seen the huge deal across three continents go through
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fineos-completes-4b-bp-global-19630779.json
|
en
| null |
Ineos completes $4b BP global chems business buyout that reunites Saltend sites
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Ineos has started the new year on the front foot - completing the £3.6 billion acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics and Acetyls businesses.
The huge deal, involving several sites in Europe, Asia and the US, will see the Saltend operations combined, taking the British chemical company’s employment numbers from 40 to 380.
It is described as extending both the portfolio and the geographic reach of the business, and the divisions will be known as Ineos Acetyls and Ineos Aromatics.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos, and a former Beverley Grammar School pupil, said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to complete the acquisition, which is a logical development of our existing petrochemicals business extending our interest in acetyls and adding a world leading aromatics business supporting the global polyester industry.”
The agreed deal was announced in June, with group communications manager for Ineos, Richard Longden, stating it was the “missing piece of the chemistry set” after two previous business unit buy-outs in 2005 and 2008.
A £150 million investment in a replacement vinyl acetate monomer plant is ongoing in East Yorkshire.
(Image: Stuart W Conway)
“We are continuing to invest, it is core for us, and a natural fit in the heart of our chemicals business,” Mr Longden said following the initial announcement.
“The combination of the two will be great for Hull.”
The focus at Saltend is acetyls. It produces acetic acid and a range of derivatives from its nine sites, supplying a wide range of downstream industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, paints, adhesives and packaging.
The deal was described as strengthening that VAM investment, as the unification will make the whole process more efficient with directly integrated processes.
Acetyls was hailed as hero production as the pandemic kicks in, with acetic acid and acetic anhydride, critical for producing medications, such as paracetamol, insulin and high blood pressure treatments; disinfectant used in hospitals; medical protective clothing; and a bleaching activator in disinfectant, sterilant, sanitiser and detergents.
BP had celebrated 50 years at Saltend in 2017.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/ineos-completes-4b-bp-global-19630779
|
en
| 1963-07-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/b6d92fa486c7b3213615023673702f569525a96657ca7f5e2343edb9491baf90.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nIneos has started the new year on the front foot - completing the £3.6 billion acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics and Acetyls businesses.\nThe huge deal, involving several sites in Europe, Asia and the US, will see the Saltend operations combined, taking the British chemical company’s employment numbers from 40 to 380.\nIt is described as extending both the portfolio and the geographic reach of the business, and the divisions will be known as Ineos Acetyls and Ineos Aromatics.\nSir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos, and a former Beverley Grammar School pupil, said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to complete the acquisition, which is a logical development of our existing petrochemicals business extending our interest in acetyls and adding a world leading aromatics business supporting the global polyester industry.”\nThe agreed deal was announced in June, with group communications manager for Ineos, Richard Longden, stating it was the “missing piece of the chemistry set” after two previous business unit buy-outs in 2005 and 2008.\nA £150 million investment in a replacement vinyl acetate monomer plant is ongoing in East Yorkshire.\n(Image: Stuart W Conway)\n“We are continuing to invest, it is core for us, and a natural fit in the heart of our chemicals business,” Mr Longden said following the initial announcement.\n“The combination of the two will be great for Hull.”\nThe focus at Saltend is acetyls. It produces acetic acid and a range of derivatives from its nine sites, supplying a wide range of downstream industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, paints, adhesives and packaging.\nThe deal was described as strengthening that VAM investment, as the unification will make the whole process more efficient with directly integrated processes.\nAcetyls was hailed as hero production as the pandemic kicks in, with acetic acid and acetic anhydride, critical for producing medications, such as paracetamol, insulin and high blood pressure treatments; disinfectant used in hospitals; medical protective clothing; and a bleaching activator in disinfectant, sterilant, sanitiser and detergents.\nBP had celebrated 50 years at Saltend in 2017.",
"Ineos completes $4b BP global chems business buyout that reunites Saltend sites",
"The new year has seen the huge deal across three continents go through"
] |
|
[
"William Telford"
] | 2021-01-12T09:13:58 | null | 2021-01-12T09:00:00 |
Truro's CAD Architects designs major project to revitalise Holyhead
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fcornish-architects-chosen-100m-welsh-19604735.json
|
en
| null |
Cornish architects chosen for £100m Welsh waterfront development
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Cornish architecture firm has been appointed to work on one of Wales’ largest development projects – the £100million transformation of Holyhead.
Truro-based CAD Architects, one of the leading architectural practices in the South West, will work on the ambitious scheme, now opens for public consultation, which aims to regenerate economic activity by stimulating local businesses whilst attracting visitors, tourists and new residents to the Isle of Anglesey.
CAD Architects was appointed by the company leading the project, Conygar Holyhead Limited, after they viewed the successful waterfront development projects that the practice has carried out in Falmouth.
CAD Architects’ managing director Mark Dawes said: “This is fantastic news for our business, building our presence on the national stage and bringing financial benefit back to Cornwall. It recognises the excellent portfolio of work we have already carried out, both in Cornwall and around the rest of the country.”
The proposed Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme will incorporate a 250-berth marina, amphitheatre, promenade and gardens, together with more than 250 homes. There are also two 19th Century listed buildings, which will be sympathetically restored and converted into apartments.
“Our vision is to transform Holyhead waterfront into a vibrant place to live, work and play, whilst preserving its unique character and protecting the existing setting,” Mr Dawes said. “CAD Architects has over 20 years’ experience of working with developers on large scale developments that work in harmony with the environment. Our team is looking forward to help bring the Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme to life.”
How to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here
A spokesman for Conygar Holyhead Limited said: “It has taken our company over six years of careful planning to get this project to its current stage, where we are now ready to enter a period of public consultation.
“As local and national economies look to the future and seek to recover from the impact of the pandemic, large-scale projects of this kind will have a vital role to play, by providing new opportunities for growth and job creation.
“As soon as we met with the CAD Architects team and understood their visionary approach to projects, we knew that they were a perfect fit for the Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme.”
Mr Dawes added: “As an intriguing footnote, we have discovered that the local saint is St Cuby, the son of a Cornish King, who sailed from Cornwall to Anglesey and set up the abbey on Holy Island. So in bringing Cornish expertise to Anglesey, we are following in illustrious footsteps.”
After a period of public consultation during January 2021, the scheme will be presented to Ynys Mon Council for planning approval in April 2021. It is expected that construction work will create 700 jobs.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/cornish-architects-chosen-100m-welsh-19604735
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/6bfbed1a3ccd24d55321671628f398add59d8de9f9fe62707ccc0dac20703521.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Cornish architecture firm has been appointed to work on one of Wales’ largest development projects – the £100million transformation of Holyhead.\nTruro-based CAD Architects, one of the leading architectural practices in the South West, will work on the ambitious scheme, now opens for public consultation, which aims to regenerate economic activity by stimulating local businesses whilst attracting visitors, tourists and new residents to the Isle of Anglesey.\nCAD Architects was appointed by the company leading the project, Conygar Holyhead Limited, after they viewed the successful waterfront development projects that the practice has carried out in Falmouth.\nCAD Architects’ managing director Mark Dawes said: “This is fantastic news for our business, building our presence on the national stage and bringing financial benefit back to Cornwall. It recognises the excellent portfolio of work we have already carried out, both in Cornwall and around the rest of the country.”\nThe proposed Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme will incorporate a 250-berth marina, amphitheatre, promenade and gardens, together with more than 250 homes. There are also two 19th Century listed buildings, which will be sympathetically restored and converted into apartments.\n“Our vision is to transform Holyhead waterfront into a vibrant place to live, work and play, whilst preserving its unique character and protecting the existing setting,” Mr Dawes said. “CAD Architects has over 20 years’ experience of working with developers on large scale developments that work in harmony with the environment. Our team is looking forward to help bring the Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme to life.”\nHow to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here\nA spokesman for Conygar Holyhead Limited said: “It has taken our company over six years of careful planning to get this project to its current stage, where we are now ready to enter a period of public consultation.\n“As local and national economies look to the future and seek to recover from the impact of the pandemic, large-scale projects of this kind will have a vital role to play, by providing new opportunities for growth and job creation.\n“As soon as we met with the CAD Architects team and understood their visionary approach to projects, we knew that they were a perfect fit for the Holyhead Waterfront Redevelopment Scheme.”\nMr Dawes added: “As an intriguing footnote, we have discovered that the local saint is St Cuby, the son of a Cornish King, who sailed from Cornwall to Anglesey and set up the abbey on Holy Island. So in bringing Cornish expertise to Anglesey, we are following in illustrious footsteps.”\nAfter a period of public consultation during January 2021, the scheme will be presented to Ynys Mon Council for planning approval in April 2021. It is expected that construction work will create 700 jobs.",
"Cornish architects chosen for £100m Welsh waterfront development",
"Truro's CAD Architects designs major project to revitalise Holyhead"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Finch",
"Image",
"Google"
] | 2021-01-27T12:15:11 | null | 2021-01-27T11:07:32 |
Millions of doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine are being made in the UK
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fuk-factories-making-astrazeneca-vaccine-19708380.json
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en
| null |
The UK factories making the AstraZeneca vaccine
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Manufacturing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been described as a game changer in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and UK pharaceutical workers are at the forefront of production of the vaccine.
Astra Zeneca is currently at the centre of the row with the EU over supply of the drug after a partner plant in Belgium, which is making the vaccine on its behalf, reportedly fell behind on its targets.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Ian McCubbin, the manufacturing lead for the UK's Vaccine Taskforce said that the “vast majority” of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will be manufactured in the UK.
AstraZeneca also has some plants in Europe, with sites in Germany and the Netherlands producing the jab - these were the first to be rolled out in the UK.
There are production sites making the vaccine in Oxford and Keele with parts of the process being completed in Wrexham.
Cobra Biologics in Keele, North Staffordshire
Cobra Biologics has been producing pharaceuticals for more than 20 years. It has two facilities on Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park making the vaccine in a partnership with the global pharmaceutical giant.
The production agreement is part of a programme with the University of Oxford to ensure the not-for-profit worldwide supply of the vaccine during the pandemic.
Cobra, along with other consortium members, is providing large-scale manufacturing capacity for the vaccine.
Oxford Biomedica
Cell and gene therapy specialists Oxford Biomedica are manufacturing the vaccine at is Oxbox production plant.
Oxbox, opened by PM Boris Johnson on January 18, was originally intended to meet demand for medicine in the Group's core market of gene therapy but has been pressed into action to make the vaccine. The new 84,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, with 250 staff, was completed at the end of 2019.
In April 2020, the Group joined the Oxford Vaccine Consortium and shortly afterwards signed the first of two agreements with AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccine production. By October 2020, the Group had four manufacturing suites approved by the MHRA, three of which were contracted by AstraZeneca and are currently producing bulk vaccine at 1000L scale.
CP Pharmaceuticals, Wrexham
(Image: Image: Google)
Around 100million Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine doses are being produced at the north Wales facility.
The unassuming warehouse on Wrexham's industrial estate could provide "salvation for humanity", according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he visited the site back in November.
Overnight flooding in the town on January 20 affected the site but production was not slowed by the clean-up efforts.
The Wrexham plant is able to produce around 300 million doses of the vaccine each year, and had been producing 150,000 phials a day for months ahead of the roll out the vaccine across the UK at the end of 2020.
The CP Pharmaceuticals lab is carrying out the "fill and finish" stage of the manufacturing process. This involves dispensing the vaccine into vials ready for it to be sent out across the country.
The 18-month agreement with parent company Wockhardt was announced back in August. Wockhardt is one of the UK's biggest suppliers of medicines such as insulin, diamorphine and heparins to the NHS.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/uk-factories-making-astrazeneca-vaccine-19708380
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/26227124da7ead4d7376d660672755330aac02fe8dd5f8e41e13a81020c177f2.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Manufacturing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been described as a game changer in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and UK pharaceutical workers are at the forefront of production of the vaccine.\nAstra Zeneca is currently at the centre of the row with the EU over supply of the drug after a partner plant in Belgium, which is making the vaccine on its behalf, reportedly fell behind on its targets.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\nIan McCubbin, the manufacturing lead for the UK's Vaccine Taskforce said that the “vast majority” of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will be manufactured in the UK.\nAstraZeneca also has some plants in Europe, with sites in Germany and the Netherlands producing the jab - these were the first to be rolled out in the UK.\nThere are production sites making the vaccine in Oxford and Keele with parts of the process being completed in Wrexham.\nCobra Biologics in Keele, North Staffordshire\nCobra Biologics has been producing pharaceuticals for more than 20 years. It has two facilities on Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park making the vaccine in a partnership with the global pharmaceutical giant.\nThe production agreement is part of a programme with the University of Oxford to ensure the not-for-profit worldwide supply of the vaccine during the pandemic.\nCobra, along with other consortium members, is providing large-scale manufacturing capacity for the vaccine.\nOxford Biomedica\nCell and gene therapy specialists Oxford Biomedica are manufacturing the vaccine at is Oxbox production plant.\nOxbox, opened by PM Boris Johnson on January 18, was originally intended to meet demand for medicine in the Group's core market of gene therapy but has been pressed into action to make the vaccine. The new 84,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, with 250 staff, was completed at the end of 2019.\nIn April 2020, the Group joined the Oxford Vaccine Consortium and shortly afterwards signed the first of two agreements with AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccine production. By October 2020, the Group had four manufacturing suites approved by the MHRA, three of which were contracted by AstraZeneca and are currently producing bulk vaccine at 1000L scale.\nCP Pharmaceuticals, Wrexham\n(Image: Image: Google)\nAround 100million Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine doses are being produced at the north Wales facility.\nThe unassuming warehouse on Wrexham's industrial estate could provide \"salvation for humanity\", according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he visited the site back in November.\nOvernight flooding in the town on January 20 affected the site but production was not slowed by the clean-up efforts.\nThe Wrexham plant is able to produce around 300 million doses of the vaccine each year, and had been producing 150,000 phials a day for months ahead of the roll out the vaccine across the UK at the end of 2020.\nThe CP Pharmaceuticals lab is carrying out the \"fill and finish\" stage of the manufacturing process. This involves dispensing the vaccine into vials ready for it to be sent out across the country.\nThe 18-month agreement with parent company Wockhardt was announced back in August. Wockhardt is one of the UK's biggest suppliers of medicines such as insulin, diamorphine and heparins to the NHS.",
"The UK factories making the AstraZeneca vaccine",
"Millions of doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine are being made in the UK"
] |
|
[
"Coreena Ford",
"Image",
"Malhotra Group Plc",
"Handout Malhotra Group"
] | 2021-01-18T14:11:41 | null | 2021-01-18T13:04:32 |
The Ludhiana scheme will have 11 housing towers, a shopping mall, restaurants, hotel and cinema
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fcommercial-property%2Fmalhotra-group-founder-reveals-150m-19647803.json
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en
| null |
Malhotra Group founder reveals £150m plan for Indian home town
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The head of North East property, care and leisure company Malhotra Group Plc has unveiled plans for a £150m development in his Indian hometown.
Meenu Malhotra, chair and founder of the Newcastle group, said he has long held an ambition to give something back to his home town of Ludhiana, Punjab, which would create jobs as well as boost its economy through a raft of facilities.
Mr Malhotra has now unveiled a series of images which show his plans for the multimillion-pound scheme, which represents one of the largest investments in the company’s 40-year history, set on a 12 to 15-acre plot of land he has owned for a number of years.
All the consents needed for the huge project – including planning permissions - are being granted with the aim of allowing the development to get under way this year.
Mr Malhotra will oversee construction of a “one stop shop” creating around 2,000 jobs, featuring 11 towers housing 1,100 two and three bedroomed apartments, a 550,000 sq ft shopping mall with national and international retail outlets and restaurants, a hotel plus a multiplex cinema.
The centre tower – which will be 15 storeys high – will also include an additional restaurant for residents.
Based within five miles of the city of Ludhiana, the secure and gated complex which will also offer sports facilities including swimming pool, badminton and tennis courts, snooker and table tennis rooms and walking tracks.
The Malhotra Group is now in talks with Indian project management and consultancy companies to develop the scheme and recruitment is already under way.
Mr Malhotra said: “I have always referred to Newcastle as my adopted home and am very grateful to the people of the North East for their continued support.
(Image: handout from Malhotra Group)
“But at the same time I have always been a patriotic Indian, proud Punjabi and my home town of Ludhiana remains very close to my heart.
“I believe this is a fantastic opportunity for the area and I have been delighted by the encouragement and support we’ve had from the Punjab Government who have welcomed the project and the mega investment we are making.”
He added :“It will provide much needed job creation and personally will give me the opportunity to share my passion mentoring SMEs, assisting start-ups and little angels, which I’ve done for many years in the UK.”
Mr Malhotra will divide his time between India and the UK, in order to lead the development on behalf of both Malhotra Group and the family.
He said: “I will remain at the helm of UK operations, however during my visits to India the company’s day to day business affairs will be in the very capable hands of my younger brother Bunty, who heads our care division, and my eldest son, Atul, who heads our leisure division.
“My plan is now to focus on the job at hand for the benefit of the people and economy of Ludhiana, by delivering an international facility. It is a huge responsibility, most humbling and I feel very privileged to be working in India.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/malhotra-group-founder-reveals-150m-19647803
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/9ea1bb290364556094efbaabc795c9cee0b6ca08d694f2c2ace243526c3f2b51.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe head of North East property, care and leisure company Malhotra Group Plc has unveiled plans for a £150m development in his Indian hometown.\nMeenu Malhotra, chair and founder of the Newcastle group, said he has long held an ambition to give something back to his home town of Ludhiana, Punjab, which would create jobs as well as boost its economy through a raft of facilities.\nMr Malhotra has now unveiled a series of images which show his plans for the multimillion-pound scheme, which represents one of the largest investments in the company’s 40-year history, set on a 12 to 15-acre plot of land he has owned for a number of years.\nAll the consents needed for the huge project – including planning permissions - are being granted with the aim of allowing the development to get under way this year.\nMr Malhotra will oversee construction of a “one stop shop” creating around 2,000 jobs, featuring 11 towers housing 1,100 two and three bedroomed apartments, a 550,000 sq ft shopping mall with national and international retail outlets and restaurants, a hotel plus a multiplex cinema.\nThe centre tower – which will be 15 storeys high – will also include an additional restaurant for residents.\nBased within five miles of the city of Ludhiana, the secure and gated complex which will also offer sports facilities including swimming pool, badminton and tennis courts, snooker and table tennis rooms and walking tracks.\nThe Malhotra Group is now in talks with Indian project management and consultancy companies to develop the scheme and recruitment is already under way.\nMr Malhotra said: “I have always referred to Newcastle as my adopted home and am very grateful to the people of the North East for their continued support.\n(Image: handout from Malhotra Group)\n“But at the same time I have always been a patriotic Indian, proud Punjabi and my home town of Ludhiana remains very close to my heart.\n“I believe this is a fantastic opportunity for the area and I have been delighted by the encouragement and support we’ve had from the Punjab Government who have welcomed the project and the mega investment we are making.”\nHe added :“It will provide much needed job creation and personally will give me the opportunity to share my passion mentoring SMEs, assisting start-ups and little angels, which I’ve done for many years in the UK.”\nMr Malhotra will divide his time between India and the UK, in order to lead the development on behalf of both Malhotra Group and the family.\nHe said: “I will remain at the helm of UK operations, however during my visits to India the company’s day to day business affairs will be in the very capable hands of my younger brother Bunty, who heads our care division, and my eldest son, Atul, who heads our leisure division.\n“My plan is now to focus on the job at hand for the benefit of the people and economy of Ludhiana, by delivering an international facility. It is a huge responsibility, most humbling and I feel very privileged to be working in India.”",
"Malhotra Group founder reveals £150m plan for Indian home town",
"The Ludhiana scheme will have 11 housing towers, a shopping mall, restaurants, hotel and cinema"
] |
|
[
"Andrew Arthur",
"Image",
"Getty Images"
] | 2021-01-27T09:15:25 | null | 2021-01-27T08:30:00 |
But caution is being urged against optimism for positive trends in the number of firms in 2021 as Government support for businesses looks set to be withdrawn this year
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Frecord-numbers-new-businesses-forming-19702789.json
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en
| null |
Record numbers of new businesses forming in much of South West despite pandemic
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A record number of new companies were formed in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset last year despite the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new analysis.
Somerset saw a third successive year of record company formations, with just under 6,500 new businesses registered in the county in 2020 - an increase of 6.5% on the previous year.
North Somerset was the area with the highest number of new businesses, followed closely by Bath and North East Somerset and Taunton Deane.
In contrast, just under 3,900 companies were dissolved, meaning that a little over 55,000 companies were registered in Somerset by the end of 2020, an overall rise of 6%.
Gloucestershire posted back-to-back increases, with 6,400 new companies registered - up 7.5% on 2019’s numbers.
More than 1,000 new firms were formed in Cheltenham, Gloucester and South Gloucestershire. These helped to contribute to a 5% growth in the total number of companies in the region.
Bristol also saw a record high for business formation in 2020 with just over 5,500 new companies registered, representing a rise of 10.3%.
Almost 2,800 companies were dissolved with a total of 36,200 businesses registered in Bristol by the end of 2020, a 7.8% growth on the number firms in 2019.
The figures, published by company secretarial software specialists Inform Direct, are based on data from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.
The damage done to business in the South West may not be fully represented, however, as Companies House put most dissolutions on hold between April and August following the start of the first national lockdown.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Additionally, the figures do not account for the number of new enterprises that have been set up on a short-term basis. John Korchak, Inform Direct’s operations director, said that workers starting new individual ventures after losing their jobs could be contributing to the rise.
Mr Korchak said: “It is excellent news to see that Bristol and Somerset have achieved a record year for new company formations during 2020 despite the unprecedented uncertainties brought by Covid-19.
“Many of the new company formations are in the retail sector, with a large number of new businesses set up to sell goods online or locally, thereby taking advantage of customers’ changing shopping habits.
“Secondly, the effect of the pandemic and national lockdowns means that sadly some existing businesses have folded and employees made redundant, and we see many of those people setting up new ventures on their own as an alternative way to earn a living.”
Mr Korchak urged caution against optimism for positive trends in the number of firms in 2021, with Government financial support for business set to be withdrawn later in the year.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme until the end of April while business rates relief will end after March 31.
Mr Korchak said: “2020 was a year like no other for UK businesses. Although we can look forward to a brighter future with the vaccination programme, there remain unknown factors such as how quickly the economy will recover and of course the impact of Brexit."
The South West figures are set against a national picture which saw a record-breaking 780,000-plus new businesses formed and the lowest number of company dissolutions (almost 420,000) since 2015.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/record-numbers-new-businesses-forming-19702789
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/cd0f40a99f1fa0c3749b4e013fa3a5c27895a5b0b1cd5e7e4cc93b4dcfa4a0d4.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA record number of new companies were formed in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset last year despite the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new analysis.\nSomerset saw a third successive year of record company formations, with just under 6,500 new businesses registered in the county in 2020 - an increase of 6.5% on the previous year.\nNorth Somerset was the area with the highest number of new businesses, followed closely by Bath and North East Somerset and Taunton Deane.\nIn contrast, just under 3,900 companies were dissolved, meaning that a little over 55,000 companies were registered in Somerset by the end of 2020, an overall rise of 6%.\nGloucestershire posted back-to-back increases, with 6,400 new companies registered - up 7.5% on 2019’s numbers.\nMore than 1,000 new firms were formed in Cheltenham, Gloucester and South Gloucestershire. These helped to contribute to a 5% growth in the total number of companies in the region.\nBristol also saw a record high for business formation in 2020 with just over 5,500 new companies registered, representing a rise of 10.3%.\nAlmost 2,800 companies were dissolved with a total of 36,200 businesses registered in Bristol by the end of 2020, a 7.8% growth on the number firms in 2019.\nThe figures, published by company secretarial software specialists Inform Direct, are based on data from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.\nThe damage done to business in the South West may not be fully represented, however, as Companies House put most dissolutions on hold between April and August following the start of the first national lockdown.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\nAdditionally, the figures do not account for the number of new enterprises that have been set up on a short-term basis. John Korchak, Inform Direct’s operations director, said that workers starting new individual ventures after losing their jobs could be contributing to the rise.\nMr Korchak said: “It is excellent news to see that Bristol and Somerset have achieved a record year for new company formations during 2020 despite the unprecedented uncertainties brought by Covid-19.\n“Many of the new company formations are in the retail sector, with a large number of new businesses set up to sell goods online or locally, thereby taking advantage of customers’ changing shopping habits.\n“Secondly, the effect of the pandemic and national lockdowns means that sadly some existing businesses have folded and employees made redundant, and we see many of those people setting up new ventures on their own as an alternative way to earn a living.”\nMr Korchak urged caution against optimism for positive trends in the number of firms in 2021, with Government financial support for business set to be withdrawn later in the year.\nChancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme until the end of April while business rates relief will end after March 31.\nMr Korchak said: “2020 was a year like no other for UK businesses. Although we can look forward to a brighter future with the vaccination programme, there remain unknown factors such as how quickly the economy will recover and of course the impact of Brexit.\"\nThe South West figures are set against a national picture which saw a record-breaking 780,000-plus new businesses formed and the lowest number of company dissolutions (almost 420,000) since 2015.",
"Record numbers of new businesses forming in much of South West despite pandemic",
"But caution is being urged against optimism for positive trends in the number of firms in 2021 as Government support for businesses looks set to be withdrawn this year"
] |
|
[
"Joseph Gerrard",
"Local Democracy Reporter",
"David Laister"
] | 2021-01-08T16:14:56 | null | 2021-01-08T14:38:14 |
EG Group proposal submitted to local authority for market town's northern entrance
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fcommercial-property%2Fpetrol-station-office-complex-drive-19588812.json
|
en
| null |
Petrol station, office complex and drive-thru restaurants plan unveiled for Beverley gateway site
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Plans for a commercial complex featuring two 24 hour drive thrus, a petrol station and offices have been submitted for Beverley.
Proposals for the site at the junction of the A1035 and Swinemoor Lane, north of the market town’s hospital, have been submitted to East Riding Council.
Developer EG Group runs franchises for restaurants including 75 Starbucks chains, 50 Burger Kings, 153 Subways and 104 Greggs bakeries.
It is owned by the brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who are in the midst of an Asda takeover bid..
The company stated in its submissions the facility would take passing trade from motorists and bring economic benefits to the area, including the creation of 164 new jobs.
The development is thought to be the biggest in Beverley since the Tesco superstore on Morton Lane was built on the site of the town's historic cattle market in 2002.
Plans feature a drive thru restaurant and another for a coffee outlet, six business units and 190 parking spaces with 19 disabled bays on the 2.45 hectare site.
EG Group stated in its submissions the vacant land proposed for the development is "highly accessible".
The company added the closure of 60 per cent of independent petrol stations in the UK since 2001 meant sites featuring them had to offer more facilities.
The developer stated: "This would provide an essential, modern roadside facility. Assessments have failed to identify suitable, available and viable alternative sites.
"Such facilities require a location immediately adjacent to a major highway in a prominent location. The site lies approximately 1.5km north east of Beverley, individuals would not be attracted away from the established centre as a result."
It has, however, drawn opposition, with claims the area is already overdeveloped.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/petrol-station-office-complex-drive-19588812
|
en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/33acdcd5b5583c64256842781701d12429eec3d44d57e3061bbf9af3de29911a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nPlans for a commercial complex featuring two 24 hour drive thrus, a petrol station and offices have been submitted for Beverley.\nProposals for the site at the junction of the A1035 and Swinemoor Lane, north of the market town’s hospital, have been submitted to East Riding Council.\nDeveloper EG Group runs franchises for restaurants including 75 Starbucks chains, 50 Burger Kings, 153 Subways and 104 Greggs bakeries.\nIt is owned by the brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who are in the midst of an Asda takeover bid..\nThe company stated in its submissions the facility would take passing trade from motorists and bring economic benefits to the area, including the creation of 164 new jobs.\nThe development is thought to be the biggest in Beverley since the Tesco superstore on Morton Lane was built on the site of the town's historic cattle market in 2002.\nPlans feature a drive thru restaurant and another for a coffee outlet, six business units and 190 parking spaces with 19 disabled bays on the 2.45 hectare site.\nEG Group stated in its submissions the vacant land proposed for the development is \"highly accessible\".\nThe company added the closure of 60 per cent of independent petrol stations in the UK since 2001 meant sites featuring them had to offer more facilities.\nThe developer stated: \"This would provide an essential, modern roadside facility. Assessments have failed to identify suitable, available and viable alternative sites.\n\"Such facilities require a location immediately adjacent to a major highway in a prominent location. The site lies approximately 1.5km north east of Beverley, individuals would not be attracted away from the established centre as a result.\"\nIt has, however, drawn opposition, with claims the area is already overdeveloped.",
"Petrol station, office complex and drive-thru restaurants plan unveiled for Beverley gateway site",
"EG Group proposal submitted to local authority for market town's northern entrance"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton",
"Image",
"Liverpool Echo"
] | 2021-01-14T05:33:02 | null | 2021-01-14T05:00:00 |
Mr Tomlinson was declared bankrupt at Liverpool County Court on January 5
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fprimesite-boss-kerry-tomlinson-who-19615027.json
|
en
| null |
Primesite boss Kerry Tomlinson who led Liverpool schemes such as The Rise, Strand Plaza and Herculaneum Quay declared bankrupt
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The director of the firm behind controversial Liverpool schemes such as The Rise, Strand Plaza and Herculaneum Quay - and which was itself put into liquidation last year - has been declared bankrupt.
A listing on the Government's Individual Insolvency Register confirms Kerry Tomlinson of Ormskirk was declared bankrupt at Liverpool County Court on January 5.
Mr Tomlinson was the man behind Primesite Developments, a firm leading several prominent projects that promised to deliver hundreds of homes right across the city.
The case went before the courts on the petition of Lendy Ltd, a former funding partner of Primesite, which is itself in administration.
According to Companies House, Primesite Developments Ltd went into liquidation last March.
A statement to BusinessLive by a representative of Mr Tomlinson said the bankruptcy hearing came after he "personally committed" to work with administrators and investors to ensure Herculaneum Quay was completed - with investors "able to realise their asset".
Herculaneum Quay is a 17-storey development in Dingle, and stalled when the firm in charge - Herculaneumco - collapsed in 2018.
In summer 2019, it was announced that investors were to take over - and the project with homes boasting views out over the River Mersey is hoped to be completed in the coming months.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
The spokeswoman added that "everything that could be done to save this project was done", and that it will be delivered "early this year".
She added: “Primesite's directors were assured, after extensive due diligence, that Lendy were a funding partner that would deliver the full scheme when the agreement took place in 2016, however, the fund entered administration in 2018, taking Herculaneum Quay down with it.
“Primesite's directors discharged their duties professionally and with integrity, with the only goal being to deliver the scheme for its investors, which we are satisfied was delivered.
"It is regrettable that Lendy and Saving Stream Security Holding feel it appropriate to take this action against Mr Tomlinson, when other directors have been discharged of any personal liability in this matter.“
(Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)
Credit firm Saving Stream Security Holding Ltd is also in administration. RSM Restructuring, the firm managing both Lendy and Saving Stream's administration, told BusinessLive it would be "inappropriate to comment".
Primesite's other projects included two prominent city schemes - The Rise on Low Hill, and Strand Plaza.
In November 2019, Mr Tomlinson told BusinessLive it would shut down after those projects had been completed - but still be on hand to serve existing clients.
The company's managing director Kerry Tomlinson said once it has finished the Strand Plaza apartments project and the Herculaneum Quay tower in Dingle - and "endeavoured" to complete The Rise site on Low Hill, they will "put [the firm] into a box and tie a ribbon around it".
Last year, it was revealed that Strand Plaza, a scheme delivering 109 apartments in the city centre, had £15.5m worth of debt - with investors raising fears it may never be completed. According to administrator FRP, building works stopped in April 2019.
Mr Tomlinson said in November 2019 "all but five" of the apartments had been completed and sold - despite investors claiming several ground floor flats were "just shells".
Primesite's vehicle behind The Rise - which had promised 400 homes on Low Hill - collapsed into administration last year stalling the scheme - but it has since been saved.
Nexus Residential and Legacie Developments said they had bought the site from administrators - and now hope to transform it into a 450-home eco-residential site.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/primesite-boss-kerry-tomlinson-who-19615027
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/03dd5b5fe37f09294656afedaa906ce593835bce5b8420d7b0476d51911d59ce.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe director of the firm behind controversial Liverpool schemes such as The Rise, Strand Plaza and Herculaneum Quay - and which was itself put into liquidation last year - has been declared bankrupt.\nA listing on the Government's Individual Insolvency Register confirms Kerry Tomlinson of Ormskirk was declared bankrupt at Liverpool County Court on January 5.\nMr Tomlinson was the man behind Primesite Developments, a firm leading several prominent projects that promised to deliver hundreds of homes right across the city.\nThe case went before the courts on the petition of Lendy Ltd, a former funding partner of Primesite, which is itself in administration.\nAccording to Companies House, Primesite Developments Ltd went into liquidation last March.\nA statement to BusinessLive by a representative of Mr Tomlinson said the bankruptcy hearing came after he \"personally committed\" to work with administrators and investors to ensure Herculaneum Quay was completed - with investors \"able to realise their asset\".\nHerculaneum Quay is a 17-storey development in Dingle, and stalled when the firm in charge - Herculaneumco - collapsed in 2018.\nIn summer 2019, it was announced that investors were to take over - and the project with homes boasting views out over the River Mersey is hoped to be completed in the coming months.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nThe spokeswoman added that \"everything that could be done to save this project was done\", and that it will be delivered \"early this year\".\nShe added: “Primesite's directors were assured, after extensive due diligence, that Lendy were a funding partner that would deliver the full scheme when the agreement took place in 2016, however, the fund entered administration in 2018, taking Herculaneum Quay down with it.\n“Primesite's directors discharged their duties professionally and with integrity, with the only goal being to deliver the scheme for its investors, which we are satisfied was delivered.\n\"It is regrettable that Lendy and Saving Stream Security Holding feel it appropriate to take this action against Mr Tomlinson, when other directors have been discharged of any personal liability in this matter.“\n(Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)\nCredit firm Saving Stream Security Holding Ltd is also in administration. RSM Restructuring, the firm managing both Lendy and Saving Stream's administration, told BusinessLive it would be \"inappropriate to comment\".\nPrimesite's other projects included two prominent city schemes - The Rise on Low Hill, and Strand Plaza.\nIn November 2019, Mr Tomlinson told BusinessLive it would shut down after those projects had been completed - but still be on hand to serve existing clients.\nThe company's managing director Kerry Tomlinson said once it has finished the Strand Plaza apartments project and the Herculaneum Quay tower in Dingle - and \"endeavoured\" to complete The Rise site on Low Hill, they will \"put [the firm] into a box and tie a ribbon around it\".\nLast year, it was revealed that Strand Plaza, a scheme delivering 109 apartments in the city centre, had £15.5m worth of debt - with investors raising fears it may never be completed. According to administrator FRP, building works stopped in April 2019.\nMr Tomlinson said in November 2019 \"all but five\" of the apartments had been completed and sold - despite investors claiming several ground floor flats were \"just shells\".\nPrimesite's vehicle behind The Rise - which had promised 400 homes on Low Hill - collapsed into administration last year stalling the scheme - but it has since been saved.\nNexus Residential and Legacie Developments said they had bought the site from administrators - and now hope to transform it into a 450-home eco-residential site.",
"Primesite boss Kerry Tomlinson who led Liverpool schemes such as The Rise, Strand Plaza and Herculaneum Quay declared bankrupt",
"Mr Tomlinson was declared bankrupt at Liverpool County Court on January 5"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-28T09:49:26 | null | 2021-01-28T09:17:32 |
Jobs have been transferred over to Greater Manchester firm AQL International, which owns vaping brand AquaVape
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fjobs-saved-aquavape-buys-market-19716298.json
|
en
| null |
Jobs saved as AquaVape buys market-leading firm EOS Group
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Jobs have been saved after an Essex vaping company was sold to Bolton firm AQL International Ltd.
Joint administrators from FRP Advisory were appointed to EOS Group on January 25 and on appointment, the business and its assets were sold to the Greater Manchester firm, which owns vaping brand AquaVape.
All 21 jobs at the vaping e-liquids manufacturer and online retailer and distributor of CBD-infused cosmetics have been safeguarded and transferred to the acquirer.
Mubaraq Patel, managing director of AquaVape, said: “Vapemate has long been recognised as one of the market leaders in British-made e-liquid and vaping products, which will enable us to broaden our product range significantly.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
"Moreover, the group behind it has a strong e-commerce platform that will complement our existing sales platforms as we look to build out our presence in the UK market.”
Ben Stanyon and Ned Ailyan from specialist business advisory firm FRP led the deal, also supported by FRP’s corporate finance team in the East Midlands, who marketed the business prior to administration, led by director Harry Walker.
Established in 2013, EOS Group manufactured and marketed its e-liquid products on both a wholesale and direct-to-consumer basis.
As well as owning e-liquid brand Vapemate, it had diversified into selling CBD-infused cosmetic products and hemp-based teas stocked by retailers including Boots and Holland & Barrett.
The business had experienced a significant decline in its order book over the course of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting sales of its products in retailers’ physical stores. This followed a period of significant financial investment in the development of its CBD-infused cosmetics range prior to the pandemic.
Mr Stanyon, director at FRP, said: “Despite having a well-established brand, like many associated with the retail sector, EOS Group had faced significant trading issues over the past 12 months.
"While those challenges ultimately compromised its ability to meet its financial obligations, we’re pleased to have secured a positive future for the business and all of its employees via the sale to AquaVape.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/jobs-saved-aquavape-buys-market-19716298
|
en
| 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/28c6403c1feb9c414fce1260ecc9ca1cde4954318758298ca587e005f20034a7.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nJobs have been saved after an Essex vaping company was sold to Bolton firm AQL International Ltd.\nJoint administrators from FRP Advisory were appointed to EOS Group on January 25 and on appointment, the business and its assets were sold to the Greater Manchester firm, which owns vaping brand AquaVape.\nAll 21 jobs at the vaping e-liquids manufacturer and online retailer and distributor of CBD-infused cosmetics have been safeguarded and transferred to the acquirer.\nMubaraq Patel, managing director of AquaVape, said: “Vapemate has long been recognised as one of the market leaders in British-made e-liquid and vaping products, which will enable us to broaden our product range significantly.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\n\"Moreover, the group behind it has a strong e-commerce platform that will complement our existing sales platforms as we look to build out our presence in the UK market.”\nBen Stanyon and Ned Ailyan from specialist business advisory firm FRP led the deal, also supported by FRP’s corporate finance team in the East Midlands, who marketed the business prior to administration, led by director Harry Walker.\nEstablished in 2013, EOS Group manufactured and marketed its e-liquid products on both a wholesale and direct-to-consumer basis.\nAs well as owning e-liquid brand Vapemate, it had diversified into selling CBD-infused cosmetic products and hemp-based teas stocked by retailers including Boots and Holland & Barrett.\nThe business had experienced a significant decline in its order book over the course of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting sales of its products in retailers’ physical stores. This followed a period of significant financial investment in the development of its CBD-infused cosmetics range prior to the pandemic.\nMr Stanyon, director at FRP, said: “Despite having a well-established brand, like many associated with the retail sector, EOS Group had faced significant trading issues over the past 12 months.\n\"While those challenges ultimately compromised its ability to meet its financial obligations, we’re pleased to have secured a positive future for the business and all of its employees via the sale to AquaVape.”",
"Jobs saved as AquaVape buys market-leading firm EOS Group",
"Jobs have been transferred over to Greater Manchester firm AQL International, which owns vaping brand AquaVape"
] |
|
[
"Tamlyn Jones"
] | 2021-01-26T08:43:57 | null | 2021-01-26T08:00:00 |
Food website has added one of the UK's largest retailers to its portfolio of partner firms
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Fbirmingham-tech-firm-whisk-lands-19696388.json
|
en
| null |
Birmingham tech firm Whisk lands Sainsbury's partnership
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Birmingham tech firm has struck a new partnership deal with supermarket giant Sainsbury's.
Whisk is a nutrition website that enables users to browse recipes based on factors such as personal taste and budgets then add a recipe to their meal plan.
They can then be added to an online shopping cart at a selection of grocery retailers, with Sainbury's becoming the latest to join the online platform.
Whisk now has five UK grocery partners, with Sainsbury's joining Asda, Ocado, Teso and Waitrose, and it also powers shoppable recipes for publishers such as BBC Good Food, Jamie Oliver.com and the Food Network,
This latest tie up with Sainsbury's comes at a time when more people are discovering online grocery retailing, brought on by the enforced restrictions and self-isolating as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Sainsbury's grocery sales were up by 8.2 per cent year-on-year in quarter three of 2020, with digital sales up by 117 per cent to £5.8 billion.
Whisk founder Nick Holzherr said: "We're thrilled to bring Sainsbury's into our Whisk partner ecosystem.
"As one of the premier grocers in the UK, Sainsbury's is a leader in online grocery delivery and e-commerce.
"We know from our user feedback that a Sainsbury's integration will be popular with users at a time when online grocery shopping is critical in the UK."
Whisk was launched in 2013 by Aston University graduate Mr Holzherr who appeared on hit BBC show The Apprentice the previous year and even pitched the business to Alan Sugar.
In 2019, it was bought out by global tech giant Samsung in order to join its 'Next' innovation division focussed on building and growing ideas.
James Leech, head of product at Sainsbury's, added: "Customers are increasingly choosing to do their grocery shopping and find recipes online.
"They need to find their favourite foods quickly and conveniently and this new partnership with Whisk will help inspire shoppers with a huge range of recipe ideas and make it even simpler for them to add to their bag and buy."
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/birmingham-tech-firm-whisk-lands-19696388
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/12282afdf8cd96dbfb019d07e4be0463363c83b9848ecd4276d1d4953b512177.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Birmingham tech firm has struck a new partnership deal with supermarket giant Sainsbury's.\nWhisk is a nutrition website that enables users to browse recipes based on factors such as personal taste and budgets then add a recipe to their meal plan.\nThey can then be added to an online shopping cart at a selection of grocery retailers, with Sainbury's becoming the latest to join the online platform.\nWhisk now has five UK grocery partners, with Sainsbury's joining Asda, Ocado, Teso and Waitrose, and it also powers shoppable recipes for publishers such as BBC Good Food, Jamie Oliver.com and the Food Network,\nThis latest tie up with Sainsbury's comes at a time when more people are discovering online grocery retailing, brought on by the enforced restrictions and self-isolating as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nSainsbury's grocery sales were up by 8.2 per cent year-on-year in quarter three of 2020, with digital sales up by 117 per cent to £5.8 billion.\nWhisk founder Nick Holzherr said: \"We're thrilled to bring Sainsbury's into our Whisk partner ecosystem.\n\"As one of the premier grocers in the UK, Sainsbury's is a leader in online grocery delivery and e-commerce.\n\"We know from our user feedback that a Sainsbury's integration will be popular with users at a time when online grocery shopping is critical in the UK.\"\nWhisk was launched in 2013 by Aston University graduate Mr Holzherr who appeared on hit BBC show The Apprentice the previous year and even pitched the business to Alan Sugar.\nIn 2019, it was bought out by global tech giant Samsung in order to join its 'Next' innovation division focussed on building and growing ideas.\nJames Leech, head of product at Sainsbury's, added: \"Customers are increasingly choosing to do their grocery shopping and find recipes online.\n\"They need to find their favourite foods quickly and conveniently and this new partnership with Whisk will help inspire shoppers with a huge range of recipe ideas and make it even simpler for them to add to their bag and buy.\"",
"Birmingham tech firm Whisk lands Sainsbury's partnership",
"Food website has added one of the UK's largest retailers to its portfolio of partner firms"
] |
|
[
"Owen Hughes",
"Image",
"Jodie Thomas"
] | 2021-01-29T07:04:01 | null | 2021-01-29T07:00:00 |
Jodie Thomas' business Charismatic Cat enjoyed success using Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fwaitress-who-set-up-gwynedd-19721130.json
|
en
| null |
Waitress who set up Gwynedd candle business takes on 'challenge' of high street after online success
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A waitress who didn't want to be "doing that forever" set up her own home fragrance business that has now opened its first shop after online success.
Jodie Thomas had worked as a waitress for five years when she started to think about starting a business.
She began making her own candles and after perfecting them launched her venture Charismatic Cat online in February 2017 - working from a small workshop in Botwnnog on Pen Llŷn.
It has been a big success - boosted by social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Now she is bucking the trend by also opening a physical store in Pwllheli.
(Image: Jodie Thomas)
Jodie, 24, said: "I was working as a waitress when I first started thinking about starting the business, and I had been a waitress five years at that point.
"I just knew that I didn’t want to be doing that forever and so I ordered a few bits to have a go at making candles initially.
"I tested them extensively for safety and performance, perfected them and then launched the business whilst still working as a waitress.
"I slowly started adding more home fragrance products into the range and it just sort of spiralled from there."
Joining the social media channels has seen her secure sales across the UK - with her TikTok videos getting 640,000 views in the last 28 days.
(Image: Jodie Thomas)
While she could have carried on just trading online she decided to take the plunge in a bricks and mortar store in a joint venture with a friend who uses half the store to sell products to raise funds for a small independent cat rescue centre.
She added: "We opened the shop fully aware we would be opening in strange times.
"But after stocking my products in a few other shops in the area over the last couple of years, I really wanted somewhere that was my own.
"So we decided to open as a joint venture in Pwllheli. I have a large range of my products in there and the rest is either other makers’ products or products to raise money for a small local cat rescue.
"We were up for the challenge of being part of the ‘High Street’.
Sign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.
As well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.
"We called it Likeminded as that’s what we are - in terms of both of us wanting the best for the stray and abandoned cats and kittens in the area.
"I’m cat obsessed myself and have four - hence the Charismatic Cat business name!
"I named it after one of them - Phoebe - who I found at the side of a road in 2015 and she’s such a character now."
To have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/waitress-who-set-up-gwynedd-19721130
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/20684eb38536d9214bcd7171f37420b3e926849d4df3cd39ce40eba018d98abc.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA waitress who didn't want to be \"doing that forever\" set up her own home fragrance business that has now opened its first shop after online success.\nJodie Thomas had worked as a waitress for five years when she started to think about starting a business.\nShe began making her own candles and after perfecting them launched her venture Charismatic Cat online in February 2017 - working from a small workshop in Botwnnog on Pen Llŷn.\nIt has been a big success - boosted by social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.\nNow she is bucking the trend by also opening a physical store in Pwllheli.\n(Image: Jodie Thomas)\nJodie, 24, said: \"I was working as a waitress when I first started thinking about starting the business, and I had been a waitress five years at that point.\n\"I just knew that I didn’t want to be doing that forever and so I ordered a few bits to have a go at making candles initially.\n\"I tested them extensively for safety and performance, perfected them and then launched the business whilst still working as a waitress.\n\"I slowly started adding more home fragrance products into the range and it just sort of spiralled from there.\"\nJoining the social media channels has seen her secure sales across the UK - with her TikTok videos getting 640,000 views in the last 28 days.\n(Image: Jodie Thomas)\nWhile she could have carried on just trading online she decided to take the plunge in a bricks and mortar store in a joint venture with a friend who uses half the store to sell products to raise funds for a small independent cat rescue centre.\nShe added: \"We opened the shop fully aware we would be opening in strange times.\n\"But after stocking my products in a few other shops in the area over the last couple of years, I really wanted somewhere that was my own.\n\"So we decided to open as a joint venture in Pwllheli. I have a large range of my products in there and the rest is either other makers’ products or products to raise money for a small local cat rescue.\n\"We were up for the challenge of being part of the ‘High Street’.\nSign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.\nAs well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.\n\"We called it Likeminded as that’s what we are - in terms of both of us wanting the best for the stray and abandoned cats and kittens in the area.\n\"I’m cat obsessed myself and have four - hence the Charismatic Cat business name!\n\"I named it after one of them - Phoebe - who I found at the side of a road in 2015 and she’s such a character now.\"\nTo have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article",
"Waitress who set up Gwynedd candle business takes on 'challenge' of high street after online success",
"Jodie Thomas' business Charismatic Cat enjoyed success using Facebook, Instagram and TikTok"
] |
|
[
"Laura Watson"
] | 2021-01-27T04:38:16 | null | 2021-01-27T04:00:00 |
And more new jobs will be created by March
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Ftakeaway-delivery-business-foodhub-create-19701806.json
|
en
| null |
Takeaway delivery business Foodhub to create 14 new jobs with launch of new Stoke-on-Trent contact centre
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Takeaway delivery app Foodhub is creating 14 new jobs with the launch of a specialist contact centre.
The company – which was formed in 2017 by Stoke-on-Trent school friends Ardian Mula and Mohammed Shakil – is opening the brand new facility at its head office in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.
The centre aims to provide an ‘enhanced service’ for customers and will be the first port of call for clients with any technical issues, dealing with website enquiries and changes to menus as well as general customer enquiries.
Its launch will create 14 new jobs immediately with more roles planned by March.
Basharit Hussain, Foodhub’s UK operations and field support lead, says the call centre will help to streamline the support process for clients and customers.
Basharit said: “2020 saw a number of major Foodhub innovations enter the marketplace, but now there’s opportunity to go much further.
“The creation of the UK call centre will enable us to focus on the areas where we can have the greatest impact, embracing new technologies to give our customers a world class service.”
Foodhub’s new covid-secure call centre has been kitted out with Perspex sheets at work stations and a one-way system to ensure it is meeting current Government regulations.
Staff are also required to maintain social distancing and wear a face covering when moving around the main office areas.
Click here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email
Foodhub CEO and co-founder Ardian Mula said: “We have always been proud to be a Stoke-on-Trent business, and I’m really excited that we’re injecting new jobs into the local economy right at the start of 2021. Foodhub is and always will be a bold challenger to the market, and after the success of 2020 there’s never been a better time to join the team.”
Since its launch, Foodhub – whose competitors are leading brands Just Eat and Deliveroo – has grown into one of the UK’s largest takeaway apps, with more than 20,000 takeaways and restaurants nationwide choosing to trade through the site.
Last year, the company announced that it plans to double the size of its business after seeing food orders increase by more than 33 per cent during lockdown.
It also made a number of key appointments to its executive team to help deliver on its growth plans which will see it target new, overseas territories.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/takeaway-delivery-business-foodhub-create-19701806
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/bdeab398ce7e3eb87ad526207a357f1410575d93e5233abeb216699e52545f88.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nTakeaway delivery app Foodhub is creating 14 new jobs with the launch of a specialist contact centre.\nThe company – which was formed in 2017 by Stoke-on-Trent school friends Ardian Mula and Mohammed Shakil – is opening the brand new facility at its head office in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.\nThe centre aims to provide an ‘enhanced service’ for customers and will be the first port of call for clients with any technical issues, dealing with website enquiries and changes to menus as well as general customer enquiries.\nIts launch will create 14 new jobs immediately with more roles planned by March.\nBasharit Hussain, Foodhub’s UK operations and field support lead, says the call centre will help to streamline the support process for clients and customers.\nBasharit said: “2020 saw a number of major Foodhub innovations enter the marketplace, but now there’s opportunity to go much further.\n“The creation of the UK call centre will enable us to focus on the areas where we can have the greatest impact, embracing new technologies to give our customers a world class service.”\nFoodhub’s new covid-secure call centre has been kitted out with Perspex sheets at work stations and a one-way system to ensure it is meeting current Government regulations.\nStaff are also required to maintain social distancing and wear a face covering when moving around the main office areas.\nClick here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email\nFoodhub CEO and co-founder Ardian Mula said: “We have always been proud to be a Stoke-on-Trent business, and I’m really excited that we’re injecting new jobs into the local economy right at the start of 2021. Foodhub is and always will be a bold challenger to the market, and after the success of 2020 there’s never been a better time to join the team.”\nSince its launch, Foodhub – whose competitors are leading brands Just Eat and Deliveroo – has grown into one of the UK’s largest takeaway apps, with more than 20,000 takeaways and restaurants nationwide choosing to trade through the site.\nLast year, the company announced that it plans to double the size of its business after seeing food orders increase by more than 33 per cent during lockdown.\nIt also made a number of key appointments to its executive team to help deliver on its growth plans which will see it target new, overseas territories.",
"Takeaway delivery business Foodhub to create 14 new jobs with launch of new Stoke-on-Trent contact centre",
"And more new jobs will be created by March"
] |
|
[
"William Telford"
] | 2021-01-19T09:39:40 | null | 2021-01-19T08:00:00 |
KPMG says Covid restrictions could be a breeding ground for fraudsters with firms warned to be on their guard
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fsouth-west-warned-tsunami-fraud-19649979.json
|
en
| null |
South West warned of 'tsunami' of fraud cases after 2020 figure hit £5.4m
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The South West has seen fraud cases worth £5.4million dealt with in court in the past year – with a “tsunami” of new cases expected in 2021.
The 12 cases brought before judges in 2020 was a 37% drop from 19 in 2019, when the value of money embezzled was £8.5million.
But experts at accountancy giant KPMG believe the drop was because the court system was slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic, and expects the number to rise. The company is also anticipating a surge in cases stemming from abuse of Covid payments such as the furlough scheme.
The value of fraud cases may have fallen by 36% in 2020 but two fraud cases in 2020 were for a value of £1million and the average value per case, between £250,000 and £1million, being higher than compared to 2019.
There was also a shift in the type of perpetrator committing fraud, with women being involved in half of the cases, compared to less than a quarter of cases in 2019.
Commercial businesses remain the most common target in these fraud cases, targeted in nearly all cases by their own employees. These criminals tend to be middle-aged or older.
Among the cases, a man posed as a supplier in a “sophisticated attack on a major business” and was found guilty of a £459,000 fraud. Police warned that criminal groups have “become much more sophisticated” in carrying out this type of fraud.
A woman who admitted stealing £437,000 from her employer "out of pure greed" to finance her house build and a "lavish lifestyle"was jailed for five years. She was found to have abused her position as financial controller over a two-and-a-half-year period, during which she concealed her thefts within legitimate business transactions.
Another woman was found guilty of stealing more than £100,000 from her employer to fund her gambling addiction. She was found to have abused her position as senior finance manager, which gave her “unlimited access to company finances”.
Damian Byrne, forensic lead for KPMG in the South West, said: “It is unlikely that the reduced levels of fraud cases heard in the South West’s courts during 2020 compared to 2019 is due to lower levels of fraud activity in the region, but rather due to the legal system operating more slowly despite the hard work of the courts, including a shift to remote hearings.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has increased fraud risk for individuals, businesses and the Government itself, with the different environment increasing the opportunities for fraudsters in a variety of ways. During these challenging times, it is important that businesses and individuals stay alert for signs of fraudulent activity.”
Nationally, 2020 saw a record fall in the value and volume of alleged fraud cases heard in courts, according to KPMG’s annual Fraud Barometer.
The Barometer, which records fraud cases of more than £100,000 reaching courts, reported a 51% drop in the volume of cases heard – a total of 180, compared to 369 in 2019 - as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions negatively impacted the efficiency of courts. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the value of alleged fraud cases reach just under £724million, down from £1.1billion in 2019.
Roy Waligora, head of UK investigations at KPMG said: “As we reflect on the 2020 fraud data, the brewing backlog of untried cases continuing to build up like water behind a dam cannot be ignored.
“Businesses and the general public must be cognisant of the fact that the drop in both the value and volume of fraud cases is not reflective of a downturn in economic crime, but rather fallout following the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on the courts.
“Covid-19, coupled with Brexit, which tipped the scales towards the end of 2020, means that 2021 will remain at high risk for fraud and economic crime. While a tsunami of fraud is still expected to hit the courts in 2021, it is evident that progressive measures, such as virtual courts, being put in place to manage the upcoming cases will likely ease the backlog.”
Procurement, loan and mortgage, counterfeit goods, and misappropriation of assets fraud, were the busiest areas for fraud in 2020, KPMG found.
Procurement fraud rose by 200% compared to 2019, from £16million to £49million. The value of loan and mortgage fraud ballooned 675% from £9.7million to more than £75million with the number of cases falling by one.
While the number of cases dropped from 19 to five in the 12-month period, the value of fraud secured through counterfeit, pirated or below stated quality goods activities rose over 415%, from £39million to more than £202million.
Tax fraud, including tax refunds, evasion of duty, evasion and VAT fraud fell by 93% from £721m to £54million over the same period.
Romance fraud, where cases often link to the online dating practice of “catfishing”, halved in value; but the number of cases remained constant.
In one case, a serial fraudster convinced women he had met through a dating app to give him £440,000 under the pretence that he was a successful currency trader who could invest their money which he used to fuel his lavish lifestyle.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here
Fraud cases with addiction listed as the purported motivator rose from 16 to 21 and grossed more than £7.3million in 2020, compared to £7.5million the previous year.
Perpetrators scammed eBay users, stole from employers, churches, government benefits, charity and there was even an attempt to blow up a cash machine – all to fund gambling or drug addiction.
Mr Waligora said: “The rise in addiction-related figures suggest that indications of the mental toll of lockdowns are beginning to emerge in our data, as more spare time leads to greater susceptibility to addiction and increased financial pressures.
Motivation for committing fraud is specifically expected to increase as a result of the economic conditions, KPMG said with furlough-related fraud expected to make its mark in 2021. The National Audit Office, indicated that more than £3billion in furlough money may have been stolen by October 2020.
The British Business Bank, responsible for overseeing the state-backed lending programmes Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), identified £1billion of fraudulent loan requests with more on the horizon.
In some cases, organised criminal gangs hijacked claims by taking the identities of taxpayers, in others, employers claimed payments but continued to keep employees working. The full scale of this fraud could result in losses of up to £26billion for the taxpayer, KPMG said.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/south-west-warned-tsunami-fraud-19649979
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/ee8c8bf515c8d4949b9a339045a4189e4a4edd64f3125149af745f5d13faa171.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe South West has seen fraud cases worth £5.4million dealt with in court in the past year – with a “tsunami” of new cases expected in 2021.\nThe 12 cases brought before judges in 2020 was a 37% drop from 19 in 2019, when the value of money embezzled was £8.5million.\nBut experts at accountancy giant KPMG believe the drop was because the court system was slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic, and expects the number to rise. The company is also anticipating a surge in cases stemming from abuse of Covid payments such as the furlough scheme.\nThe value of fraud cases may have fallen by 36% in 2020 but two fraud cases in 2020 were for a value of £1million and the average value per case, between £250,000 and £1million, being higher than compared to 2019.\nThere was also a shift in the type of perpetrator committing fraud, with women being involved in half of the cases, compared to less than a quarter of cases in 2019.\nCommercial businesses remain the most common target in these fraud cases, targeted in nearly all cases by their own employees. These criminals tend to be middle-aged or older.\nAmong the cases, a man posed as a supplier in a “sophisticated attack on a major business” and was found guilty of a £459,000 fraud. Police warned that criminal groups have “become much more sophisticated” in carrying out this type of fraud.\nA woman who admitted stealing £437,000 from her employer \"out of pure greed\" to finance her house build and a \"lavish lifestyle\"was jailed for five years. She was found to have abused her position as financial controller over a two-and-a-half-year period, during which she concealed her thefts within legitimate business transactions.\nAnother woman was found guilty of stealing more than £100,000 from her employer to fund her gambling addiction. She was found to have abused her position as senior finance manager, which gave her “unlimited access to company finances”.\nDamian Byrne, forensic lead for KPMG in the South West, said: “It is unlikely that the reduced levels of fraud cases heard in the South West’s courts during 2020 compared to 2019 is due to lower levels of fraud activity in the region, but rather due to the legal system operating more slowly despite the hard work of the courts, including a shift to remote hearings.\n“The Covid-19 pandemic has increased fraud risk for individuals, businesses and the Government itself, with the different environment increasing the opportunities for fraudsters in a variety of ways. During these challenging times, it is important that businesses and individuals stay alert for signs of fraudulent activity.”\nNationally, 2020 saw a record fall in the value and volume of alleged fraud cases heard in courts, according to KPMG’s annual Fraud Barometer.\nThe Barometer, which records fraud cases of more than £100,000 reaching courts, reported a 51% drop in the volume of cases heard – a total of 180, compared to 369 in 2019 - as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions negatively impacted the efficiency of courts. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the value of alleged fraud cases reach just under £724million, down from £1.1billion in 2019.\nRoy Waligora, head of UK investigations at KPMG said: “As we reflect on the 2020 fraud data, the brewing backlog of untried cases continuing to build up like water behind a dam cannot be ignored.\n“Businesses and the general public must be cognisant of the fact that the drop in both the value and volume of fraud cases is not reflective of a downturn in economic crime, but rather fallout following the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on the courts.\n“Covid-19, coupled with Brexit, which tipped the scales towards the end of 2020, means that 2021 will remain at high risk for fraud and economic crime. While a tsunami of fraud is still expected to hit the courts in 2021, it is evident that progressive measures, such as virtual courts, being put in place to manage the upcoming cases will likely ease the backlog.”\nProcurement, loan and mortgage, counterfeit goods, and misappropriation of assets fraud, were the busiest areas for fraud in 2020, KPMG found.\nProcurement fraud rose by 200% compared to 2019, from £16million to £49million. The value of loan and mortgage fraud ballooned 675% from £9.7million to more than £75million with the number of cases falling by one.\nWhile the number of cases dropped from 19 to five in the 12-month period, the value of fraud secured through counterfeit, pirated or below stated quality goods activities rose over 415%, from £39million to more than £202million.\nTax fraud, including tax refunds, evasion of duty, evasion and VAT fraud fell by 93% from £721m to £54million over the same period.\nRomance fraud, where cases often link to the online dating practice of “catfishing”, halved in value; but the number of cases remained constant.\nIn one case, a serial fraudster convinced women he had met through a dating app to give him £440,000 under the pretence that he was a successful currency trader who could invest their money which he used to fuel his lavish lifestyle.\nHow to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here\nFraud cases with addiction listed as the purported motivator rose from 16 to 21 and grossed more than £7.3million in 2020, compared to £7.5million the previous year.\nPerpetrators scammed eBay users, stole from employers, churches, government benefits, charity and there was even an attempt to blow up a cash machine – all to fund gambling or drug addiction.\nMr Waligora said: “The rise in addiction-related figures suggest that indications of the mental toll of lockdowns are beginning to emerge in our data, as more spare time leads to greater susceptibility to addiction and increased financial pressures.\nMotivation for committing fraud is specifically expected to increase as a result of the economic conditions, KPMG said with furlough-related fraud expected to make its mark in 2021. The National Audit Office, indicated that more than £3billion in furlough money may have been stolen by October 2020.\nThe British Business Bank, responsible for overseeing the state-backed lending programmes Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), identified £1billion of fraudulent loan requests with more on the horizon.\nIn some cases, organised criminal gangs hijacked claims by taking the identities of taxpayers, in others, employers claimed payments but continued to keep employees working. The full scale of this fraud could result in losses of up to £26billion for the taxpayer, KPMG said.",
"South West warned of 'tsunami' of fraud cases after 2020 figure hit £5.4m",
"KPMG says Covid restrictions could be a breeding ground for fraudsters with firms warned to be on their guard"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield",
"Image",
"Pa"
] | 2021-01-27T10:46:08 | null | 2021-01-27T09:34:09 |
The Manchester firm was founded by Sandy Chadha, who will retain just over 56% of the company
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fvaping-supreme-67m-floatation-ipo-19708146.json
|
en
| null |
Vaping specialists Supreme announces £67.5m flotation on AIM
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Manchester vaping, lighting and batteries firm Supreme has announced a flotation on the AIM market to raise £67.5m.
The company manufactures and imports vaping products, batteries, lighting and sports nutrition products, working with retailers that include B&M, Poundland and The Range.
Supreme said that £7.5m of the proceeds raised will go to pay off some of the company's debts. Founder and chief executive Sandy Chadha will retain 56.8% of shares.
The IPO, which will value the company at around £156m, will start on February 1.
Mr Chadha said: “I am deeply proud of the business we have developed and believe our flotation on AIM will provide Supreme with the tools with which to capitalise on a number of exciting growth opportunities.
“We have created a profitable business of significant scale, underpinned by a platform which provides a seamless route to market for a number of leading brands and product categories.
“We have established leading positions across the battery, lighting and vaping markets.
“Coupled with our proven ability to innovate, with recent category entries such as sports and nutrition and branded household consumer goods now contributing substantially to our financial performance, we have a clear path to maintaining sustainable growth.”
Supreme said the flotation would enable it to execute its growth strategy and incentivise key employees.
In its last financial year the company generated revenues of £92.3m, with an adjusted EBITDA of £16.2m. It said it intended to pay dividends of around 50% of net profits.
As well as its own products – including 88Vape - Supreme acts as a distributor for brands such as Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/vaping-supreme-67m-floatation-ipo-19708146
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/644eba65b6e07600b92d955ddf708db2755a48bbf647693088f6b1bf9266a65c.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nManchester vaping, lighting and batteries firm Supreme has announced a flotation on the AIM market to raise £67.5m.\nThe company manufactures and imports vaping products, batteries, lighting and sports nutrition products, working with retailers that include B&M, Poundland and The Range.\nSupreme said that £7.5m of the proceeds raised will go to pay off some of the company's debts. Founder and chief executive Sandy Chadha will retain 56.8% of shares.\nThe IPO, which will value the company at around £156m, will start on February 1.\nMr Chadha said: “I am deeply proud of the business we have developed and believe our flotation on AIM will provide Supreme with the tools with which to capitalise on a number of exciting growth opportunities.\n“We have created a profitable business of significant scale, underpinned by a platform which provides a seamless route to market for a number of leading brands and product categories.\n“We have established leading positions across the battery, lighting and vaping markets.\n“Coupled with our proven ability to innovate, with recent category entries such as sports and nutrition and branded household consumer goods now contributing substantially to our financial performance, we have a clear path to maintaining sustainable growth.”\nSupreme said the flotation would enable it to execute its growth strategy and incentivise key employees.\nIn its last financial year the company generated revenues of £92.3m, with an adjusted EBITDA of £16.2m. It said it intended to pay dividends of around 50% of net profits.\nAs well as its own products – including 88Vape - Supreme acts as a distributor for brands such as Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic.",
"Vaping specialists Supreme announces £67.5m flotation on AIM",
"The Manchester firm was founded by Sandy Chadha, who will retain just over 56% of the company"
] |
|
[
"Tom Pegden",
"Image",
"Dercity Council"
] | 2021-01-14T04:02:11 | null | 2021-01-14T03:00:00 |
1.8 million sq ft facility could provide manufacturing facilities and start-up units and help create 5,000 jobs
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fregional-development%2F300m-smartparc-food-manufacturing-campus-19617429.json
|
en
| null |
£300m SmartParc food manufacturing campus in Derby takes step forward
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Plans for a 155-acre high-tech food manufacturing campus in Derby have taken a big step forward.
A formal planning application has been submitted for the SmartParc development on the former Celanese chemical plant site near Spondon.
The £300 million, 1.8 million sq ft facility could provide manufacturing facilities, start-up units and a potential location for a Food Manufacturing Technology Centre of Excellence. It could help create 5,000 jobs.
Derby City Council, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – which is supporting a £12 million grant, secured through the Government’s Getting Building Fund – and Marketing Derby have been heavily involved in the plans.
SmartParc chief executive Jackie Wild said: “We’re delighted to take another step forward in our plans to put Derby at the heart of the UK’s future in sustainable, efficient food manufacturing.
“We are liaising closely with local residents and stakeholders to ensure their views are incorporated in our plans to regenerate the site and exploring SME business and university partnerships to bring our collaborative next-generation sustainable food ecosystem to life.
“We are proud to be partnering with D2N2 and Derby City Council to re-energise the local region.”
Derby City Council leader Coun Chris Poulter said: “The project fits perfectly with Derby’s future ambitions. Its focus on innovation and lowering carbon outputs ticks key boxes in our economic recovery strategy.
“We are hugely excited to see the SmartParc scheme progressing so quickly and positively.
“The project fits perfectly with Derby’s future ambitions. Its focus on innovation and lowering carbon outputs ticks key boxes in our economic recovery strategy.
“If planning is approved, it would greatly assist our efforts to diversify the city economy.
“And, of course, the project would create thousands of new jobs and rejuvenate a previously blighted but strategically important site.”
John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “Smart Parc is an exciting and innovative concept that will not only create thousands of jobs but also help diversify our economy.
“Marketing Derby has been working with their team for some time and we are delighted to see planning being submitted so quickly. It’s beginning to feel real, which is fantastic news.”
Assuming it gets the go-ahead, the Spondon site could help develop the latest ways to cut food waste food miles, and carbon output and increase UK food security and our competitiveness around the world.
Sajeeda Rose, chief executive of the D2N2 LEP, said: “We want our region to build back better, bigger and faster to fuel a green economic recovery and deliver long-term economic growth.
“This submission is great news for Derby and for the whole of our region and will provide a much-needed boost to confidence and our recovery efforts.
“We are confident that, once the final business case is approved, the D2N2 LEP’s £12 million investment, through the Government’s Getting Building Fund, will support the creation of a world-leading sustainable food-manufacturing facility that will deliver pioneering innovation, boost jobs and transform the local economy.”
Scott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber, said the development would provide a welcome boost to Derby’s economy.
He said: “SmartParc will have a transformative effect on the Derby economy, creating employment and investment opportunities for the city.
“SmartParc will put Derby on the map as a food and drink manufacturing hub of national and international significance.”
Subject to planning permission from Derby City Council, SmartParc’s intention is to start to redevelop the Celanese site this spring, with planned opening and initial occupation by the end of the year.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/regional-development/300m-smartparc-food-manufacturing-campus-19617429
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/e455b159c3c4f658f061312432907ebef30d6c4fc040d32854e3b5311b89ea80.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nPlans for a 155-acre high-tech food manufacturing campus in Derby have taken a big step forward.\nA formal planning application has been submitted for the SmartParc development on the former Celanese chemical plant site near Spondon.\nThe £300 million, 1.8 million sq ft facility could provide manufacturing facilities, start-up units and a potential location for a Food Manufacturing Technology Centre of Excellence. It could help create 5,000 jobs.\nDerby City Council, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – which is supporting a £12 million grant, secured through the Government’s Getting Building Fund – and Marketing Derby have been heavily involved in the plans.\nSmartParc chief executive Jackie Wild said: “We’re delighted to take another step forward in our plans to put Derby at the heart of the UK’s future in sustainable, efficient food manufacturing.\n“We are liaising closely with local residents and stakeholders to ensure their views are incorporated in our plans to regenerate the site and exploring SME business and university partnerships to bring our collaborative next-generation sustainable food ecosystem to life.\n“We are proud to be partnering with D2N2 and Derby City Council to re-energise the local region.”\nDerby City Council leader Coun Chris Poulter said: “The project fits perfectly with Derby’s future ambitions. Its focus on innovation and lowering carbon outputs ticks key boxes in our economic recovery strategy.\n“We are hugely excited to see the SmartParc scheme progressing so quickly and positively.\n“The project fits perfectly with Derby’s future ambitions. Its focus on innovation and lowering carbon outputs ticks key boxes in our economic recovery strategy.\n“If planning is approved, it would greatly assist our efforts to diversify the city economy.\n“And, of course, the project would create thousands of new jobs and rejuvenate a previously blighted but strategically important site.”\nJohn Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “Smart Parc is an exciting and innovative concept that will not only create thousands of jobs but also help diversify our economy.\n“Marketing Derby has been working with their team for some time and we are delighted to see planning being submitted so quickly. It’s beginning to feel real, which is fantastic news.”\nAssuming it gets the go-ahead, the Spondon site could help develop the latest ways to cut food waste food miles, and carbon output and increase UK food security and our competitiveness around the world.\nSajeeda Rose, chief executive of the D2N2 LEP, said: “We want our region to build back better, bigger and faster to fuel a green economic recovery and deliver long-term economic growth.\n“This submission is great news for Derby and for the whole of our region and will provide a much-needed boost to confidence and our recovery efforts.\n“We are confident that, once the final business case is approved, the D2N2 LEP’s £12 million investment, through the Government’s Getting Building Fund, will support the creation of a world-leading sustainable food-manufacturing facility that will deliver pioneering innovation, boost jobs and transform the local economy.”\nScott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber, said the development would provide a welcome boost to Derby’s economy.\nHe said: “SmartParc will have a transformative effect on the Derby economy, creating employment and investment opportunities for the city.\n“SmartParc will put Derby on the map as a food and drink manufacturing hub of national and international significance.”\nSubject to planning permission from Derby City Council, SmartParc’s intention is to start to redevelop the Celanese site this spring, with planned opening and initial occupation by the end of the year.",
"£300m SmartParc food manufacturing campus in Derby takes step forward",
"1.8 million sq ft facility could provide manufacturing facilities and start-up units and help create 5,000 jobs"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Abp",
"Chris Curtiss"
] | 2021-01-15T10:36:16 | null | 2021-01-15T09:05:14 |
Weekly sailings described as a 'significant boost to retailers handling food and clothing'
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fports-logistics%2Fhola-immingham-new-bilbao-shipping-19630016.json
|
en
| null |
Hola Immingham! New Bilbao shipping service links Humber with northern Spain
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A new shipping service linking the Humber with Spain has been secured by ABP.
WEC Lines will operate between Immingham and Bilabo from Sunday, and the addition is described as a “significant boost to retailers handling food and clothing”.
It comes months after a £36 million terminal expansion completed, with six new state-of-the-art cranes and capacity increased on the South Bank.
Simon Bird, ABP Humber’s regional director said that with the increase in demand the new service is a reliable logistic solution for all parties.
“This is fantastic news for ABP Humber and WEC Lines, increasing our connectivity around the world and keeping Britain trading,” he said. “The new facilities as part of the upgrade at the Humber Container Terminal means we are ready for what the year brings. We look forward to even stronger relationships with our container customers.”
Dutch vessel MV Freya will serve the route from northern Spain, with a weekly call by the 118m long boat, which has a capacity of 658 trailer equivalent units.
Roger Megann, managing director of WEC Lines UK, said: “We are responding to market demand to bring containers closer the shipper or consignees door. Immingham plays a key role in this through its central East Coast position. By removing the road miles from the door to door our clients will benefit from reduced costs, zero congestion, lower emissions and improved control over their stock.
"This service brings a new and reliable logistic solution to the market which will give clients a clear and advantageous choice in a market where choice has previously been lacking.
“This service will be very relevant post January 2021 as demand for innovative container services increase.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/ports-logistics/hola-immingham-new-bilbao-shipping-19630016
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/db07308161ebb3aa2643688d2e5970faa35093028f2eb8ee7cdec7d3b266fdfb.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA new shipping service linking the Humber with Spain has been secured by ABP.\nWEC Lines will operate between Immingham and Bilabo from Sunday, and the addition is described as a “significant boost to retailers handling food and clothing”.\nIt comes months after a £36 million terminal expansion completed, with six new state-of-the-art cranes and capacity increased on the South Bank.\nSimon Bird, ABP Humber’s regional director said that with the increase in demand the new service is a reliable logistic solution for all parties.\n“This is fantastic news for ABP Humber and WEC Lines, increasing our connectivity around the world and keeping Britain trading,” he said. “The new facilities as part of the upgrade at the Humber Container Terminal means we are ready for what the year brings. We look forward to even stronger relationships with our container customers.”\nDutch vessel MV Freya will serve the route from northern Spain, with a weekly call by the 118m long boat, which has a capacity of 658 trailer equivalent units.\nRoger Megann, managing director of WEC Lines UK, said: “We are responding to market demand to bring containers closer the shipper or consignees door. Immingham plays a key role in this through its central East Coast position. By removing the road miles from the door to door our clients will benefit from reduced costs, zero congestion, lower emissions and improved control over their stock.\n\"This service brings a new and reliable logistic solution to the market which will give clients a clear and advantageous choice in a market where choice has previously been lacking.\n“This service will be very relevant post January 2021 as demand for innovative container services increase.”",
"Hola Immingham! New Bilbao shipping service links Humber with northern Spain",
"Weekly sailings described as a 'significant boost to retailers handling food and clothing'"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Hudson Contract",
"Shared Content Unit",
"Bruce Rollinson"
] | 2021-01-29T14:42:17 | null | 2021-01-29T14:21:41 |
Construction Industry Scheme 'saviour' lifts the lid on life at the helm of a business that took a hidden headache away from the hard hat
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fprofessional-services%2Foutsourcing%2Fhudson-contract-clocks-up-quarter-19728075.json
|
en
| null |
Hudson Contract clocks up a quarter of a century
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
An idea brought forward in an East Yorkshire garden outbuilding to solve a construction headache has now become a £1.6 billion business as it prepares to mark 25 years of trading.
Hudson Contract was a direct response to a HMRC challenge to the hard-hat sector’s ‘subbie reliance’, balancing tax take with the need for a flexible workforce.
And despite an early but protracted challenge to the justification of the service from the government agency - now the biggest promotional tool - the founder is looking forward to seeing what the next quarter of a century brings.
The son of a Bridlington milkman, Dave Jackson had his own modest building business and Hull-based construction employment agency in the mid Nineties.
A university graduate and qualified draughtsman, he opted for a more physical job to build himself up after successful chemotherapy, having contracted Hodgkin’s disease as a young adult.
So how did he become the chairman of one of the biggest regional companies many will have never heard of?
“It is a pretty unusual business, it doesn’t fit in a box,” he said of the status. “It is business-to-business, it is in the construction sector. We saw a need for outsourcing of a role and responsibility. The role is that of workplace audits to correctly determine employment status. Thereafter it is contractual responsibility to contract services of freelance builders to work on building sites.
“We’re not lawyers, we’re not accountants, it is not purely payroll. We’ve found a niche.”
(Image: SHARED CONTENT UNIT)
That niche sits with the Construction Industry Scheme - and if you Google it, Hudson’s is the answer provided.
An example of the issue manifesting is when a contractor engages with a bricklaying gang, and one job moves to the next and the next. “They get on well, both parties are happy with the quality and happy with rates of pay, and suddenly three years down the line they are classed as employees, and a tax bill is looming, and it goes back to the start too,” Mr Jackson said.
He saw it on the frontline, acutely aware of the fluctuating workforce requirements of a cyclical and project-based sector. When approached by a contractor with a flyer from HMRC - asking ‘are your subbies your employees’ - it was remarked that whoever could solve that issue would be on to a winner.
Mr Jackson has certainly won, and from a coastal office in a hometown he is proud of, a team of 35 in ‘Brid’ and employees in the field and other locations nationwide look after 2,500 businesses and 72,000 tradespeople.
But it very nearly didn’t get from foundation level. A cursory visit from an inspector instigated a legal battle that ended up with a successful appeal - an issue that never dimmed the “entrepreneurial light bulb moment” that launched.
“I managed, in the first 18 to 20 months to create a strong regional presence, but when the Inland Revenue disagrees with your business model, and it takes eight years to overcome their difference of opinions, it is hard,” he said.
Mr Jackson had, however, retained his building business. “We never stopped trading, we had a clientbase - we went down to about eight clients - during the argument being heard. About six years into the argument we had the decision in our favour to justify the business model, and we realised it was time to push on and reach new clients. We went from the region, to the North of England, and it was when I was including Essex we realised we’d become a national business. We’d gained real momentum.”
Wider legislation changes have brought challenges, but they have been overcome.
“We have had our argument days, and left them behind, we’ve had acceptance from the Inland Revenue for what we do in the end, in 2007,” he said - with his tax-specialist barrister remaining a great friend.
Could it have stopped him in his tracks? Lesser men probably so. “I never thought it was not worth the hassle, it is always worth the hassle,” he said. “My main worry was the solution could be an eternity away. It certainly is when you pick an argument with HMRC. They know how to play the long game.
“I had a strong sense that we were right, that we were standing on the right side of the interpretation of tax law and to be told we weren’t was not good enough, and had to be challenged. In the end it became known to us that assumptions that we were an employment business were based on notes taken on two very small pieces of notepad paper from that first meeting.”
The key pieces of paper now are the rulings, and subsequent case law - way more than the “12 lines” Mr Jackson feels nearly did for Hudson.
“What it all comes down to now, is when we started to attract more business, we did partly because of what we offered, but we could put case law in our own name on the table. “People can take issue with what you say, but what courts have determined is now our USP. We may be in a field of 100 but we are in a class of one.”
Being described as lawful, proper and ethical as part of the final hearing was quite a feather in the cap too.
Looking ahead, three direct family members are in the business, but all are treated as one.
“I take it very personally that employment should be as secure as I can possibly make it,” he said. “We’ve had policies in place throughout Covid and as the construction industry has largely sayed at work - 85 per cent to 90 per cent I would say. We’ve recently had a pay review and put everyone up. We work as a family and I cannot think of a better way of supporting it.”
It isn’t just his ‘family’ that is being helped either. Hudson funds an apprenticeship scheme for small construction businesses - many working out of vans as sole traders or tight teams.
(Image: Bruce Rollinson)
It is coming up to a decade with half the wages of 170 covered.
He has strong links with the local college now, but started by suggesting young lads sat outside a builders’ merchant on a Saturday with a letter of guarantee from him.
“In and around Bridlington there are no construction companies bigger than a dozen employees, most are one or two-man companies, operating from a van,” he said.
“Getting an apprenticeship is difficult. It was a question of what we could come up with and it was a very simplistic approach. But if we have proof of apprenticeship and college attendance, we pay half the wages.”
Brutally honest - a clear trait - Mr Jackson tells how a third do drop out, but many have gone on to freelance. Three went to Australia as a brickie and carpentry team and two started their own businesses.
“Our whole intention was to keep it local, it is not easy to create new work opportunities in a seaside town, especially opportunities that have a three year requirement to qualify,” he said. “A trade is a skill for life, and it is a good thing to commit to. I was born and brought up in Brid.
"The success of Hudson affords me the chance to put something back in the community. It is not for a big headline or to appear clever, I just look around and there aren’t the opportunities. We’re not a thriving industrial heartland or commercial centre, but out there is a college with places for students with an apprenticeship.”
Another on the payroll is the town rugby team’s youth development officer - with a car to get round schools too, as he hopes the next generation indulge in what became a late passion for him as a spectator.
While he has “no intention to retire” the past seven years have seen him in the role of executive chairman.
“I want to stay as chair, where I have freedom to come and go as I feel, and can pick things up that I want to pick up,” he said. “There’s no day-to-day responsibility, but an overarching responsibility of a different kind. We had an MD in waiting in 2014, and there was no point in holding him or us back.
“Now we’re at 25 years and it is an interesting time to look about - there are bound to be challenges with legislative changes, and I don’t think we have quite fulfilled our market potential. There’s growth to be had still, and I aim to keep going - I enjoy it.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/outsourcing/hudson-contract-clocks-up-quarter-19728075
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/1bd4689b9947f5220e7e8fb1d13e6c50a36246eabb5bc0db70be898efea70d6e.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nAn idea brought forward in an East Yorkshire garden outbuilding to solve a construction headache has now become a £1.6 billion business as it prepares to mark 25 years of trading.\nHudson Contract was a direct response to a HMRC challenge to the hard-hat sector’s ‘subbie reliance’, balancing tax take with the need for a flexible workforce.\nAnd despite an early but protracted challenge to the justification of the service from the government agency - now the biggest promotional tool - the founder is looking forward to seeing what the next quarter of a century brings.\nThe son of a Bridlington milkman, Dave Jackson had his own modest building business and Hull-based construction employment agency in the mid Nineties.\nA university graduate and qualified draughtsman, he opted for a more physical job to build himself up after successful chemotherapy, having contracted Hodgkin’s disease as a young adult.\nSo how did he become the chairman of one of the biggest regional companies many will have never heard of?\n“It is a pretty unusual business, it doesn’t fit in a box,” he said of the status. “It is business-to-business, it is in the construction sector. We saw a need for outsourcing of a role and responsibility. The role is that of workplace audits to correctly determine employment status. Thereafter it is contractual responsibility to contract services of freelance builders to work on building sites.\n“We’re not lawyers, we’re not accountants, it is not purely payroll. We’ve found a niche.”\n(Image: SHARED CONTENT UNIT)\nThat niche sits with the Construction Industry Scheme - and if you Google it, Hudson’s is the answer provided.\nAn example of the issue manifesting is when a contractor engages with a bricklaying gang, and one job moves to the next and the next. “They get on well, both parties are happy with the quality and happy with rates of pay, and suddenly three years down the line they are classed as employees, and a tax bill is looming, and it goes back to the start too,” Mr Jackson said.\nHe saw it on the frontline, acutely aware of the fluctuating workforce requirements of a cyclical and project-based sector. When approached by a contractor with a flyer from HMRC - asking ‘are your subbies your employees’ - it was remarked that whoever could solve that issue would be on to a winner.\nMr Jackson has certainly won, and from a coastal office in a hometown he is proud of, a team of 35 in ‘Brid’ and employees in the field and other locations nationwide look after 2,500 businesses and 72,000 tradespeople.\nBut it very nearly didn’t get from foundation level. A cursory visit from an inspector instigated a legal battle that ended up with a successful appeal - an issue that never dimmed the “entrepreneurial light bulb moment” that launched.\n“I managed, in the first 18 to 20 months to create a strong regional presence, but when the Inland Revenue disagrees with your business model, and it takes eight years to overcome their difference of opinions, it is hard,” he said.\nMr Jackson had, however, retained his building business. “We never stopped trading, we had a clientbase - we went down to about eight clients - during the argument being heard. About six years into the argument we had the decision in our favour to justify the business model, and we realised it was time to push on and reach new clients. We went from the region, to the North of England, and it was when I was including Essex we realised we’d become a national business. We’d gained real momentum.”\nWider legislation changes have brought challenges, but they have been overcome.\n“We have had our argument days, and left them behind, we’ve had acceptance from the Inland Revenue for what we do in the end, in 2007,” he said - with his tax-specialist barrister remaining a great friend.\nCould it have stopped him in his tracks? Lesser men probably so. “I never thought it was not worth the hassle, it is always worth the hassle,” he said. “My main worry was the solution could be an eternity away. It certainly is when you pick an argument with HMRC. They know how to play the long game.\n“I had a strong sense that we were right, that we were standing on the right side of the interpretation of tax law and to be told we weren’t was not good enough, and had to be challenged. In the end it became known to us that assumptions that we were an employment business were based on notes taken on two very small pieces of notepad paper from that first meeting.”\nThe key pieces of paper now are the rulings, and subsequent case law - way more than the “12 lines” Mr Jackson feels nearly did for Hudson.\n“What it all comes down to now, is when we started to attract more business, we did partly because of what we offered, but we could put case law in our own name on the table. “People can take issue with what you say, but what courts have determined is now our USP. We may be in a field of 100 but we are in a class of one.”\nBeing described as lawful, proper and ethical as part of the final hearing was quite a feather in the cap too.\nLooking ahead, three direct family members are in the business, but all are treated as one.\n“I take it very personally that employment should be as secure as I can possibly make it,” he said. “We’ve had policies in place throughout Covid and as the construction industry has largely sayed at work - 85 per cent to 90 per cent I would say. We’ve recently had a pay review and put everyone up. We work as a family and I cannot think of a better way of supporting it.”\nIt isn’t just his ‘family’ that is being helped either. Hudson funds an apprenticeship scheme for small construction businesses - many working out of vans as sole traders or tight teams.\n(Image: Bruce Rollinson)\nIt is coming up to a decade with half the wages of 170 covered.\nHe has strong links with the local college now, but started by suggesting young lads sat outside a builders’ merchant on a Saturday with a letter of guarantee from him.\n“In and around Bridlington there are no construction companies bigger than a dozen employees, most are one or two-man companies, operating from a van,” he said.\n“Getting an apprenticeship is difficult. It was a question of what we could come up with and it was a very simplistic approach. But if we have proof of apprenticeship and college attendance, we pay half the wages.”\nBrutally honest - a clear trait - Mr Jackson tells how a third do drop out, but many have gone on to freelance. Three went to Australia as a brickie and carpentry team and two started their own businesses.\n“Our whole intention was to keep it local, it is not easy to create new work opportunities in a seaside town, especially opportunities that have a three year requirement to qualify,” he said. “A trade is a skill for life, and it is a good thing to commit to. I was born and brought up in Brid.\n\"The success of Hudson affords me the chance to put something back in the community. It is not for a big headline or to appear clever, I just look around and there aren’t the opportunities. We’re not a thriving industrial heartland or commercial centre, but out there is a college with places for students with an apprenticeship.”\nAnother on the payroll is the town rugby team’s youth development officer - with a car to get round schools too, as he hopes the next generation indulge in what became a late passion for him as a spectator.\nWhile he has “no intention to retire” the past seven years have seen him in the role of executive chairman.\n“I want to stay as chair, where I have freedom to come and go as I feel, and can pick things up that I want to pick up,” he said. “There’s no day-to-day responsibility, but an overarching responsibility of a different kind. We had an MD in waiting in 2014, and there was no point in holding him or us back.\n“Now we’re at 25 years and it is an interesting time to look about - there are bound to be challenges with legislative changes, and I don’t think we have quite fulfilled our market potential. There’s growth to be had still, and I aim to keep going - I enjoy it.”",
"Hudson Contract clocks up a quarter of a century",
"Construction Industry Scheme 'saviour' lifts the lid on life at the helm of a business that took a hidden headache away from the hard hat"
] |
|
[
"Sion Barry"
] | 2021-01-29T16:38:14 | null | 2021-01-29T16:21:53 |
Dragon Taxis has extended its offer of free rides to February 14th
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fsouth-wales-taxi-firm-giving-19730151.json
|
en
| null |
The South Wales taxi firm giving free rides to the elderly to get their Covid vaccinations
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
South Wales’ largest taxi firm, Dragon Taxis, has extended its offer of free rides taking the elderly and vulnerable patients to get their Covid vacinations.
The firm is working with participating GP practices in Bridgend, Cardiff, Newport and Torfaen to offer rides to eligible people who have been invited to make a vaccination appointment, providing they have no other means of transport.
Launched last year, the service is being extended to February 14h.
For ease, the telephone operators at the participating GP surgeries will co-ordinate the free journey with the Dragon Taxis dispatch centre using a dedicated web-based booking system.
The system is designed to ensure that only those eligible get access to the free rides.
Jack Price, regional director of Dragon Taxis, said: “In these first few weeks of the programme, we are helping to assist the first wave of people get their vaccinations. For those who don’t have another means of transport we want to help our local community beat Covid.
“Dragon Taxis has extended this offer until February 14th in line with the Welsh Government’s target of completing the first wave of vaccinations.
“We don’t want to bring any additional pressure on the NHS or GP practices and it’s vital that people do not call their GPs or NHS asking about free rides. Our offer is strictly on appointment only for those persons who are eligible.
“We’ve had tremendous interest across South Wales. We are also exploring the option of fixed rates and reduced fares for future waves of people who are invited for their vaccination."
Sign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.
As well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.
Dragon Taxis has more than 1,200 driver partners.
Operating for 30 years it is owned by Veezu, the UK’s fastest growing taxi and private hire business, which is headquartered in Newport.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/south-wales-taxi-firm-giving-19730151
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/06c030e38efcf2260cae44561563ea9487f3ae69b91c070258c95a9a000f494d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nSouth Wales’ largest taxi firm, Dragon Taxis, has extended its offer of free rides taking the elderly and vulnerable patients to get their Covid vacinations.\nThe firm is working with participating GP practices in Bridgend, Cardiff, Newport and Torfaen to offer rides to eligible people who have been invited to make a vaccination appointment, providing they have no other means of transport.\nLaunched last year, the service is being extended to February 14h.\nFor ease, the telephone operators at the participating GP surgeries will co-ordinate the free journey with the Dragon Taxis dispatch centre using a dedicated web-based booking system.\nThe system is designed to ensure that only those eligible get access to the free rides.\nJack Price, regional director of Dragon Taxis, said: “In these first few weeks of the programme, we are helping to assist the first wave of people get their vaccinations. For those who don’t have another means of transport we want to help our local community beat Covid.\n“Dragon Taxis has extended this offer until February 14th in line with the Welsh Government’s target of completing the first wave of vaccinations.\n“We don’t want to bring any additional pressure on the NHS or GP practices and it’s vital that people do not call their GPs or NHS asking about free rides. Our offer is strictly on appointment only for those persons who are eligible.\n“We’ve had tremendous interest across South Wales. We are also exploring the option of fixed rates and reduced fares for future waves of people who are invited for their vaccination.\"\nSign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.\nAs well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.\nDragon Taxis has more than 1,200 driver partners.\nOperating for 30 years it is owned by Veezu, the UK’s fastest growing taxi and private hire business, which is headquartered in Newport.",
"The South Wales taxi firm giving free rides to the elderly to get their Covid vaccinations",
"Dragon Taxis has extended its offer of free rides to February 14th"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-15T15:10:13 | null | 2021-01-15T15:00:58 |
It includes better transport links, a maker's yard, housing, and plans to open up the waterfront area
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fambitious-multimillion-pound-masterplan-transform-19633400.json
|
en
| null |
The ambitious multimillion-pound masterplan to transform Stretford Mall and town centre
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
An ambitious multi million-pound masterplan has been revealed to transform Stretford Mall and the surrounding town centre area.
The plan covers more than 27 acres and comprises five neighbourhoods - Victoria, St Ann's, Lacy Street, Stretford Centre and Stretford House - and includes turning King Street into a thriving retail centre.
That's as well as a phased redevelopment of Stretford Mall, improved transport links, pedestrianised streets, more greenery and open spaces, and a reconfigured town centre with better connections to the Bridgewater canal.
Also included are ideas such as a 'maker's yard' for small independents, a mixed-use space replacing Lacy Street car park, housing - and plans to open up the waterfront area.
It's been put forward by Bruntwood Works and Trafford Council, and follows a 15-month consultation with the community.
Cllr Andrew Western, leader of Trafford Council, said: “I am hugely excited by the wide-ranging regeneration plans for Stretford and I know local residents also share that excitement.
"Stretford has enormous potential, making it one of the most exciting towns in the region.
"The proposals will significantly improve connectivity, create valuable green and open spaces, and hubs for people to gather and interact. It will also help attract local independent businesses and exciting retail and hospitality brands, while enhancing the lives of local residents and visitors.”
It's as part of the wider Stretford Masterplan and the Area Action Plan (AAP) - and hopes to provide places to play, work, shop and live.
According to Bruntwood, among the blueprints are plans for the historic King Street to be reinstated to provide a "thriving high street", as well as improved transport links, pedestrianised streets, more greenery and open spaces, and a reconfigured town centre with better connections to the Bridgewater canal.
That's as well as a "phased redevelopment" of Stretford Mall - "to provide an evolved retail and leisure offering to a rejuvenated King Street".
The Lacy Street area would be repurposed in a bid to unlock the connection between the town centre and the canal – an important green infrastructure and recreational route.
A series of interlinked public realm spaces where residential, retail and leisure will interact with the canal and bring people into Stretford from the wider area.
There are further plans to provide up to 800 varied residential units around Stretford Mall and St Matthew’s Church, which will include affordable housing.
More green meeting areas will be created with public squares and open spaces under the plans, with proposals for a green biodiversity corridor including a Library Square and a ‘Central Park’ at the heart of the town centre.
Plans will also create improved access to the Bridgewater canal.
With a focus on attracting more local businesses to the area, the plans include proposals to create a ‘Makers Yard’ hub for small independents and the evening economy, complete with outdoor seating, eateries and bar areas.
Andrea George, town centre and consumer brands director at Bruntwood Works, said: “One key theme to emerge from the public’s feedback is the importance of bringing back a vibrant high street, which will be the beating heart of the town.
"We plan to do this by reinstating King Street and delivering the right blend of retail, leisure, workspace and mixed use space to meet the needs of the community, where local independents can be neighbours with exciting brands.
“Green and open spaces that can safely bring people together are at the centre of our proposals. The plan will deliver a mix of leafy public squares and parks, including Library Square and Central Park, and change traffic flows around the town to make it easier and safer to get around town on foot and by bicycle, while connecting the town centre with the canal waterfront.
"We look forward to working in partnership with local residents, businesses and Trafford Council to help reinvigorate Stretford town centre, and build upon its heritage so it works better for the future.”
Ongoing feedback is still welcome from residents and businesses, who can have their say via the Stretford Mall Public Consultation website.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/ambitious-multimillion-pound-masterplan-transform-19633400
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/ca4c8673b6b49743e648f55f319fc356eb774938508c4ae411ca69d4888fa3ed.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nAn ambitious multi million-pound masterplan has been revealed to transform Stretford Mall and the surrounding town centre area.\nThe plan covers more than 27 acres and comprises five neighbourhoods - Victoria, St Ann's, Lacy Street, Stretford Centre and Stretford House - and includes turning King Street into a thriving retail centre.\nThat's as well as a phased redevelopment of Stretford Mall, improved transport links, pedestrianised streets, more greenery and open spaces, and a reconfigured town centre with better connections to the Bridgewater canal.\nAlso included are ideas such as a 'maker's yard' for small independents, a mixed-use space replacing Lacy Street car park, housing - and plans to open up the waterfront area.\nIt's been put forward by Bruntwood Works and Trafford Council, and follows a 15-month consultation with the community.\nCllr Andrew Western, leader of Trafford Council, said: “I am hugely excited by the wide-ranging regeneration plans for Stretford and I know local residents also share that excitement.\n\"Stretford has enormous potential, making it one of the most exciting towns in the region.\n\"The proposals will significantly improve connectivity, create valuable green and open spaces, and hubs for people to gather and interact. It will also help attract local independent businesses and exciting retail and hospitality brands, while enhancing the lives of local residents and visitors.”\nIt's as part of the wider Stretford Masterplan and the Area Action Plan (AAP) - and hopes to provide places to play, work, shop and live.\nAccording to Bruntwood, among the blueprints are plans for the historic King Street to be reinstated to provide a \"thriving high street\", as well as improved transport links, pedestrianised streets, more greenery and open spaces, and a reconfigured town centre with better connections to the Bridgewater canal.\nThat's as well as a \"phased redevelopment\" of Stretford Mall - \"to provide an evolved retail and leisure offering to a rejuvenated King Street\".\nThe Lacy Street area would be repurposed in a bid to unlock the connection between the town centre and the canal – an important green infrastructure and recreational route.\nA series of interlinked public realm spaces where residential, retail and leisure will interact with the canal and bring people into Stretford from the wider area.\nThere are further plans to provide up to 800 varied residential units around Stretford Mall and St Matthew’s Church, which will include affordable housing.\nMore green meeting areas will be created with public squares and open spaces under the plans, with proposals for a green biodiversity corridor including a Library Square and a ‘Central Park’ at the heart of the town centre.\nPlans will also create improved access to the Bridgewater canal.\nWith a focus on attracting more local businesses to the area, the plans include proposals to create a ‘Makers Yard’ hub for small independents and the evening economy, complete with outdoor seating, eateries and bar areas.\nAndrea George, town centre and consumer brands director at Bruntwood Works, said: “One key theme to emerge from the public’s feedback is the importance of bringing back a vibrant high street, which will be the beating heart of the town.\n\"We plan to do this by reinstating King Street and delivering the right blend of retail, leisure, workspace and mixed use space to meet the needs of the community, where local independents can be neighbours with exciting brands.\n“Green and open spaces that can safely bring people together are at the centre of our proposals. The plan will deliver a mix of leafy public squares and parks, including Library Square and Central Park, and change traffic flows around the town to make it easier and safer to get around town on foot and by bicycle, while connecting the town centre with the canal waterfront.\n\"We look forward to working in partnership with local residents, businesses and Trafford Council to help reinvigorate Stretford town centre, and build upon its heritage so it works better for the future.”\nOngoing feedback is still welcome from residents and businesses, who can have their say via the Stretford Mall Public Consultation website.",
"The ambitious multimillion-pound masterplan to transform Stretford Mall and town centre",
"It includes better transport links, a maker's yard, housing, and plans to open up the waterfront area"
] |
|
[
"Chris Pyke"
] | 2021-01-11T05:22:18 | null | 2021-01-11T05:00:00 |
The pandemic did not slow down financing with almost £2m was invested in nine deals
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fangel-investor-funding-increased-wales-19596144.json
|
en
| null |
Angel investor funding increased in Wales during 2020
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Investments in Welsh businesses by syndicates of angel investors in Wales has grown.
This rise comes despite business uncertainty in 2020 says the Development Bank of Wales.
With six new lead investors and 57 new angel investors registered with Angels Invest Wales in 2020, almost £2m was invested in nine deals. Six of these were completed post lockdown in the last quarter of 2020 prompting continued growth in 2021.
During 2020, lead investor syndicates invested £1.045m which leveraged £931.8k of match funding by the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund, managed by the Development Bank of Wales. More than 230 angels have now registered their interest in investing in Welsh businesses with bio-tech, fin-tech, health-tech and SaaS proving particularly attractive industries.
In quarter three of 2020 deals completed include: Cardiff-based Rescape Innovation Limited is pioneering the use of virtual reality to solve challenges in healthcare. Lead investor Andrew Diplock has led a syndicate that raised over £482.5k with £42,500 of match funding from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund. This is in addition to the first fundraising round giving an overall total of £250,000.
Atherton Bikes Limited is a manufacturing business based in Llanrhaedr. Lead investor Rhys Owen led a syndicate of eight angel investors from North Wales raising over £76,000 with a further £76,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.
SaaS business Mercury Labs Limited specialises in the prioritisation of high volume email control. It has the backing of David Hulston as lead investor with a syndicate of eight angel investors. A total investment of £250,000 includes £125,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.
£300,000 for Cardiff based Elen Financial Software Ltd. A syndicate of angels invested £150,000 with a further £150,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.
Steve Holt, Director of Angels Invest Wales said: “Obviously 2020 has brought a period of real uncertainty for business and investors alike but we finished the year on a positive note, with six supported deals completing in the last quarter.
“This increase in activity in the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund definitely reflects the appeal of ‘syndicate’ investing for angel investors more generally.
“The benefits of sharing risk and knowledge with like-minded co-investors is an attractive strategy for many angels in Wales and has definitely influenced angel investment decision making recently.
“With six new ‘lead’ investors now appointed, some of the key sectors being supported are fintech, biotech, healthtec and ICT, all of which align with the Welsh Government’s economic growth strategy.
“As business and investors in Wales recover from the impact of the pandemic we expect to see a continuation of these positive angel investment trends. There is still plenty of work to be done in growing the angel eco system in Wales, but with the significant expansion of our Angels Invest Wales investor cohort this year, we are hopeful that many successful deals will follow in 2021.”
The £8m Wales Angel Co-investment Fund provides Welsh business with a key source of alternative finance through the encouragement of more active angel investment. The five year fund supports the creation of angel syndicates and networks across Wales by providing loans and equity up to £250,000 to investors looking for co-investment.
Tom Preene is the Operations Manager of Angels Invest Wales. He said: “Our Wales Angel Co-investment Fund is available to syndicates of investors seeking to co-invest in Wales based SMEs. Syndicates are managed by lead investors who have been pre-approved by the Development Bank , and we are actively seeking new lead investors in key sectors to expand the reach of the fund.
“All of our investors have access to our bespoke online investment platform which provides a really useful tool for matching investors with businesses. It also allows businesses to upload deal information to the platform, showcasing directly to registered high-net-worth individuals while providing investors with an easy and accessible source of business opportunities to review at any time. We’re certain that it will continue to play a key role in 2021.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/angel-investor-funding-increased-wales-19596144
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/c4585a440d2df76ee223b108d71640b3c78ae0b4405faf0f938f1d7d2172d116.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nInvestments in Welsh businesses by syndicates of angel investors in Wales has grown.\nThis rise comes despite business uncertainty in 2020 says the Development Bank of Wales.\nWith six new lead investors and 57 new angel investors registered with Angels Invest Wales in 2020, almost £2m was invested in nine deals. Six of these were completed post lockdown in the last quarter of 2020 prompting continued growth in 2021.\nDuring 2020, lead investor syndicates invested £1.045m which leveraged £931.8k of match funding by the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund, managed by the Development Bank of Wales. More than 230 angels have now registered their interest in investing in Welsh businesses with bio-tech, fin-tech, health-tech and SaaS proving particularly attractive industries.\nIn quarter three of 2020 deals completed include: Cardiff-based Rescape Innovation Limited is pioneering the use of virtual reality to solve challenges in healthcare. Lead investor Andrew Diplock has led a syndicate that raised over £482.5k with £42,500 of match funding from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund. This is in addition to the first fundraising round giving an overall total of £250,000.\nAtherton Bikes Limited is a manufacturing business based in Llanrhaedr. Lead investor Rhys Owen led a syndicate of eight angel investors from North Wales raising over £76,000 with a further £76,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.\nSaaS business Mercury Labs Limited specialises in the prioritisation of high volume email control. It has the backing of David Hulston as lead investor with a syndicate of eight angel investors. A total investment of £250,000 includes £125,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.\n£300,000 for Cardiff based Elen Financial Software Ltd. A syndicate of angels invested £150,000 with a further £150,000 from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.\nSteve Holt, Director of Angels Invest Wales said: “Obviously 2020 has brought a period of real uncertainty for business and investors alike but we finished the year on a positive note, with six supported deals completing in the last quarter.\n“This increase in activity in the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund definitely reflects the appeal of ‘syndicate’ investing for angel investors more generally.\n“The benefits of sharing risk and knowledge with like-minded co-investors is an attractive strategy for many angels in Wales and has definitely influenced angel investment decision making recently.\n“With six new ‘lead’ investors now appointed, some of the key sectors being supported are fintech, biotech, healthtec and ICT, all of which align with the Welsh Government’s economic growth strategy.\n“As business and investors in Wales recover from the impact of the pandemic we expect to see a continuation of these positive angel investment trends. There is still plenty of work to be done in growing the angel eco system in Wales, but with the significant expansion of our Angels Invest Wales investor cohort this year, we are hopeful that many successful deals will follow in 2021.”\nThe £8m Wales Angel Co-investment Fund provides Welsh business with a key source of alternative finance through the encouragement of more active angel investment. The five year fund supports the creation of angel syndicates and networks across Wales by providing loans and equity up to £250,000 to investors looking for co-investment.\nTom Preene is the Operations Manager of Angels Invest Wales. He said: “Our Wales Angel Co-investment Fund is available to syndicates of investors seeking to co-invest in Wales based SMEs. Syndicates are managed by lead investors who have been pre-approved by the Development Bank , and we are actively seeking new lead investors in key sectors to expand the reach of the fund.\n“All of our investors have access to our bespoke online investment platform which provides a really useful tool for matching investors with businesses. It also allows businesses to upload deal information to the platform, showcasing directly to registered high-net-worth individuals while providing investors with an easy and accessible source of business opportunities to review at any time. We’re certain that it will continue to play a key role in 2021.”",
"Angel investor funding increased in Wales during 2020",
"The pandemic did not slow down financing with almost £2m was invested in nine deals"
] |
|
[
"Jonathon Manning",
"Image",
"William Wood Watches"
] | 2021-01-27T15:24:18 | null | 2021-01-27T14:38:06 |
William Wood Watches has had a bumper year after the launch of its Valiant Collection
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fwilliam-wood-watches-charity-valiant-19711008.json
|
en
| null |
Watch maker's growth sparks £10,000 donation to fire service charity
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A luxury watch company that takes its inspiration from the fire service is donating £10,000 to charity after its latest design proved a hit with customers.
William Wood Watches was founded by North East entrepreneur Jonny Garrett, who designs luxury timepieces honouring firefighters across the UK.
The company is named after Mr Garrett's grandfather, who served as a fireman in Newcastle city centre.
Last year the business released its Valiant collection, which used recycled firefighter's hose for the watch strap. The back of the watch also included a commemorative coin made from a 1920s firefighter's brass helmet.
The watch has proved popular with members of the fire service, their families and watch collectors and has led to William Wood Watches boasting its best ever year.
Mr Garrett said: "A turning point for us was the Valiant Collection. We have sold 800 of that range since launching it in December.
"Then on top of that Covid has meant that people are sat at home. Opposite to what you read a lot of people have money if they have a job. So people are spending money online.
"At the moment the money numbers are increasing and increasing. In December, with Christmas, we had a £100,000 month."
Mr Garrett added that people with extra disposable income during lockdown are spending more on luxury goods such as watches and added that William Wood Watches provide an extra incentive to customers as it supports those in the fire service.
(Image: William Wood Watches)
The Valiant Collection was initially sold through Kickstarter for £625, but after huge demand for the watch led to a 10 month waiting list, it now sells for more than £1,200.
Turnover has increased five fold from £125,000 last year to more than £650,000.
Part of the company's ethos is to support fire fighters around the UK and as part of this commitment the business donates a proportion of its profits to The Fire Fighters' Charity each year. After its strong performance in 2020 William Wood Watches is donating £10,000 to the charity.
The company also designed a limited edition watch, containing the image of a koala bear, in support of efforts to stop the Australian bush fires last year. The watch was auctioned off and the proceeds given to charity. This year the business is planning a similar auction to raise money for the families of the 9/11 terror attack, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
On top of its charitable plans, William Wood Watches is also preparing to launch its latest design. Known as the Triumph, it will be unveiled in the coming weeks. The watch will be the company's first made in Switzerland.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/william-wood-watches-charity-valiant-19711008
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/6b06d240d56d26818c7a62e4654061aec7225024295227143c2642875dd5949d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA luxury watch company that takes its inspiration from the fire service is donating £10,000 to charity after its latest design proved a hit with customers.\nWilliam Wood Watches was founded by North East entrepreneur Jonny Garrett, who designs luxury timepieces honouring firefighters across the UK.\nThe company is named after Mr Garrett's grandfather, who served as a fireman in Newcastle city centre.\nLast year the business released its Valiant collection, which used recycled firefighter's hose for the watch strap. The back of the watch also included a commemorative coin made from a 1920s firefighter's brass helmet.\nThe watch has proved popular with members of the fire service, their families and watch collectors and has led to William Wood Watches boasting its best ever year.\nMr Garrett said: \"A turning point for us was the Valiant Collection. We have sold 800 of that range since launching it in December.\n\"Then on top of that Covid has meant that people are sat at home. Opposite to what you read a lot of people have money if they have a job. So people are spending money online.\n\"At the moment the money numbers are increasing and increasing. In December, with Christmas, we had a £100,000 month.\"\nMr Garrett added that people with extra disposable income during lockdown are spending more on luxury goods such as watches and added that William Wood Watches provide an extra incentive to customers as it supports those in the fire service.\n(Image: William Wood Watches)\nThe Valiant Collection was initially sold through Kickstarter for £625, but after huge demand for the watch led to a 10 month waiting list, it now sells for more than £1,200.\nTurnover has increased five fold from £125,000 last year to more than £650,000.\nPart of the company's ethos is to support fire fighters around the UK and as part of this commitment the business donates a proportion of its profits to The Fire Fighters' Charity each year. After its strong performance in 2020 William Wood Watches is donating £10,000 to the charity.\nThe company also designed a limited edition watch, containing the image of a koala bear, in support of efforts to stop the Australian bush fires last year. The watch was auctioned off and the proceeds given to charity. This year the business is planning a similar auction to raise money for the families of the 9/11 terror attack, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.\nOn top of its charitable plans, William Wood Watches is also preparing to launch its latest design. Known as the Triumph, it will be unveiled in the coming weeks. The watch will be the company's first made in Switzerland.",
"Watch maker's growth sparks £10,000 donation to fire service charity",
"William Wood Watches has had a bumper year after the launch of its Valiant Collection"
] |
|
[
"Tamlyn Jones"
] | 2021-01-15T03:20:38 | null | 2021-01-15T03:00:00 |
High-speed rail project becomes an employer partner of our apprenticeship campaign
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fhs2-joins-ladder-greater-birmingham-19625305.json
|
en
| null |
HS2 joins Ladder for Greater Birmingham apprenticeship drive
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
High-speed rail project HS2 has joined a scheme designed to create new apprenticeships across Birmingham and Solihull.
Ladder for Greater Birmingham was launched in partnership with our sister website BirminghamLive in summer 2018 with the aim of creating more than a thousand new apprenticeships across the city region.
HS2, whose chief executive Mark Thurston began his career as an engineering apprentice, has now become an employer partner of the Ladder with the aim of starting new careers for apprentices on the rail project.
Last year, HS2 ran apprenticeships in project management, finance and cyber security among others and future talent manager Karen Davis explained that the company's opportunities changed each year as the project evolved.
Work on phase one between Birmingham and London is well under way with the region benefitting from two new stations in Birmingham city centre and near the airport.
Ms Davis said: "We have committed to ensuring that HS2 creates 2,000 apprenticeships and we're delighted to join forces with The Ladder to ensure that individuals in Greater Birmingham and Solihull benefit from the opportunities we are creating.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime project that will transform our railways, better connect our major cities and boost economic growth across the Midlands and the north.
"We want local people to play a part in helping us deliver this legacy project and I actively encourage them to apply."
The Ladder is run by community development group The Vine Trust and training provider Performance Through People with funding from the GBSLEP and Birmingham and Solihull Training Provider Network, with BirminghamLive as media partner.
Part of the ongoing campaign has been our annual Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards which were last held in November and celebrated individuals, employers and training providers across a broad range of categories.
Justine Johnson is senior business development adviser at Performance Through People and works as the apprenticeship manager of The Ladder campaign.
She added: "We're delighted to have HS2 join us as a new employer partner.
"We look forward to assisting the company in its annual recruitment of apprentices by promoting these vacancies on The Ladder's website."
To find out more about the Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign and how employing apprentices can benefit your business, visit ladderforbirmingham.co.uk or call 03332 409 699
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/hs2-joins-ladder-greater-birmingham-19625305
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/0cb4ba8ea4a823f9ee0a85fee71183c942a85f3b4f77025a7b228072c8163b59.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nHigh-speed rail project HS2 has joined a scheme designed to create new apprenticeships across Birmingham and Solihull.\nLadder for Greater Birmingham was launched in partnership with our sister website BirminghamLive in summer 2018 with the aim of creating more than a thousand new apprenticeships across the city region.\nHS2, whose chief executive Mark Thurston began his career as an engineering apprentice, has now become an employer partner of the Ladder with the aim of starting new careers for apprentices on the rail project.\nLast year, HS2 ran apprenticeships in project management, finance and cyber security among others and future talent manager Karen Davis explained that the company's opportunities changed each year as the project evolved.\nWork on phase one between Birmingham and London is well under way with the region benefitting from two new stations in Birmingham city centre and near the airport.\nMs Davis said: \"We have committed to ensuring that HS2 creates 2,000 apprenticeships and we're delighted to join forces with The Ladder to ensure that individuals in Greater Birmingham and Solihull benefit from the opportunities we are creating.\n\"This is a once-in-a-lifetime project that will transform our railways, better connect our major cities and boost economic growth across the Midlands and the north.\n\"We want local people to play a part in helping us deliver this legacy project and I actively encourage them to apply.\"\nThe Ladder is run by community development group The Vine Trust and training provider Performance Through People with funding from the GBSLEP and Birmingham and Solihull Training Provider Network, with BirminghamLive as media partner.\nPart of the ongoing campaign has been our annual Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards which were last held in November and celebrated individuals, employers and training providers across a broad range of categories.\nJustine Johnson is senior business development adviser at Performance Through People and works as the apprenticeship manager of The Ladder campaign.\nShe added: \"We're delighted to have HS2 join us as a new employer partner.\n\"We look forward to assisting the company in its annual recruitment of apprentices by promoting these vacancies on The Ladder's website.\"\nTo find out more about the Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign and how employing apprentices can benefit your business, visit ladderforbirmingham.co.uk or call 03332 409 699",
"HS2 joins Ladder for Greater Birmingham apprenticeship drive",
"High-speed rail project becomes an employer partner of our apprenticeship campaign"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"David Lee Photography Ltd",
"Px Group"
] | 2021-01-05T08:18:23 | null | 2021-01-05T08:15:00 |
PX Group site is proving a major attraction for inward investment as complex engineering embraces elements and energy
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fsaltend-shows-minerals-investment-mounts-19562189.json
|
en
| null |
Saltend shows its minerals as investment mounts at strategic Humber site
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A swoop for Saltend Chemicals Park in early 2018 is rapidly emerging as a shrewd move for PX Group as the potential becomes reality for one of the Humber’s most strategically important heavy industry sites.
Last summer saw it selected by Equinor for hydrogen production and as the year closed Pensana Rare Earths outlined plans for magnet metal processing there.
With Ineos completing on the reunification of a significant element of the 370 acre site as it takes on the BP plant - the split which part-created the opportunity - while also overhauling major operations and Tricoya also topping off on the construction materials plant, Saltend has never been far from the business news headlines in recent months.
Garry Gibbon, group commercial manager, told how Pensana is the first wholly ‘new’ entity to emerge while it has been in PX ownership.
In selecting the Humber region, the mining firm's chairman, Paul Atherley, told how the Saltend facility had seen off competition from Merseyside, Grangemouth and Germany, due to the plug and play nature of the park - as well as the complex chemical engineering capabilities offered.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Pensana on to the site,” Mr Gibbon said - as work progresses to fund and consent a £100 million plant that could create 100 jobs.
“We bought the site as the operating company in March 2018 and this is the first company that has committed over the two years,” he said. “We‘ve had a number of enquiries, some of which are in the development stage, but Covid has played a big part in slowing things down from an investment point of view.
“The Pensana enquiry came through the Humber LEP, Phil Glover (business development manager there) brought it in, and it has been turned around very quickly. The initial enquiry was only in November, and we have done an extraordinary amount of work in that short time to convince Pensana to come to Saltend against competition we knew was across the UK.
“We got them on site very quickly, managed in a safe and secure way, they saw the plot of land they are looking to develop on, and that was great.”
As Mr Atherley stated in an interview with Business Live, it was the access to the vital utilities that helped get the Humber across the line.
“We offer a number of support services, so they don’t have to build in infrastructure such as power, steam and water; we can provide all that. That is a big part of the attraction - it can mean multi-million pound investments do not have to be made, it can save a substantial amount.”
Pensana will join the likes of BP and Ineos - potentially wholly Ineos even within the six month window being eyed - as well as Nippon Gohsei, Tricoya - part BP owned - Air Products, Perenco, the mothballed Vivergo Fuels plant and on-site Triton Power Station.
“What we do find through a lot of the enquiries is businesses like the idea of being alongside big blue chip companies,” Mr Gibbon said. “For some businesses, a feedstock is someone else’s waste product. There’s an attraction for small businesses too, engineering companies to service these companies - becoming on-site workshops almost.”
Patrick Pogue is PX Group’s commercial development director, and while there is 110 acres of brownfield development land to fill - he is acutely aware that such arrivals quickly fill the voids.
Mr Pogue was involved in the acquisition of the top tier Comah site from BP, and he told how the opportunities understood at the time are now emerging.
“We have Tricoya in construction, we have Equinor coming forward with H2H Saltend, now Pensana. These big investment projects take many years to come about, so for them to happen at the moment, particularly in Covid, is quite amazing. It is in part down to the work we have been doing in the two years since we took over.
(Image: PX Group)
“We are also getting support from the LEP, and we’ve also been in regular dialogue with the Department for International Trade and the local authority, which is all part of the wider engagement. The support we get for this strategic site is fantastic, and that’s why we are having this success.”
The “complex carve-out” from BP involves the transfer of 50 BP staff and the management responsibility of more than 150 contract staff.
While BP retained manufacturing assets and the petrochemicals technology centre - with the former part of a global multi-site $5 billion deal agreed with Ineos - PX took on the vessel jetty, bulk storage tanks, utility distribution systems, road loading facilities, central control room, workshops, labs and numerous other buildings.
“Equinor is a major project and Pensana has quite a large footprint for plant,” he said. “Saltend will start to fill up. There is still development capacity and we can free up land and look at different areas and repurposing, we also work quite closely with the port, and there is further development potential - we don’t want to be constrained, if we can remodel and re-use we will.”
Footprint and diversity of operations makes it the jewel in the PX Group portfolio, with St Fergus gas plant in Aberdeenshire another notable site.
“We’d like to go wider and do more in the Humber, and Saltend gives us that platform,” Mr Pogue said. “Our heritage is in Teesside but we’re in the Humber now, and it is a big industrial heartland.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/saltend-shows-minerals-investment-mounts-19562189
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/2400ad4f8834464c2ce5dbbe55caef0e78c07861e1db3d64238fe6ca63bac01d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA swoop for Saltend Chemicals Park in early 2018 is rapidly emerging as a shrewd move for PX Group as the potential becomes reality for one of the Humber’s most strategically important heavy industry sites.\nLast summer saw it selected by Equinor for hydrogen production and as the year closed Pensana Rare Earths outlined plans for magnet metal processing there.\nWith Ineos completing on the reunification of a significant element of the 370 acre site as it takes on the BP plant - the split which part-created the opportunity - while also overhauling major operations and Tricoya also topping off on the construction materials plant, Saltend has never been far from the business news headlines in recent months.\nGarry Gibbon, group commercial manager, told how Pensana is the first wholly ‘new’ entity to emerge while it has been in PX ownership.\nIn selecting the Humber region, the mining firm's chairman, Paul Atherley, told how the Saltend facility had seen off competition from Merseyside, Grangemouth and Germany, due to the plug and play nature of the park - as well as the complex chemical engineering capabilities offered.\n“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Pensana on to the site,” Mr Gibbon said - as work progresses to fund and consent a £100 million plant that could create 100 jobs.\n“We bought the site as the operating company in March 2018 and this is the first company that has committed over the two years,” he said. “We‘ve had a number of enquiries, some of which are in the development stage, but Covid has played a big part in slowing things down from an investment point of view.\n“The Pensana enquiry came through the Humber LEP, Phil Glover (business development manager there) brought it in, and it has been turned around very quickly. The initial enquiry was only in November, and we have done an extraordinary amount of work in that short time to convince Pensana to come to Saltend against competition we knew was across the UK.\n“We got them on site very quickly, managed in a safe and secure way, they saw the plot of land they are looking to develop on, and that was great.”\nAs Mr Atherley stated in an interview with Business Live, it was the access to the vital utilities that helped get the Humber across the line.\n“We offer a number of support services, so they don’t have to build in infrastructure such as power, steam and water; we can provide all that. That is a big part of the attraction - it can mean multi-million pound investments do not have to be made, it can save a substantial amount.”\nPensana will join the likes of BP and Ineos - potentially wholly Ineos even within the six month window being eyed - as well as Nippon Gohsei, Tricoya - part BP owned - Air Products, Perenco, the mothballed Vivergo Fuels plant and on-site Triton Power Station.\n“What we do find through a lot of the enquiries is businesses like the idea of being alongside big blue chip companies,” Mr Gibbon said. “For some businesses, a feedstock is someone else’s waste product. There’s an attraction for small businesses too, engineering companies to service these companies - becoming on-site workshops almost.”\nPatrick Pogue is PX Group’s commercial development director, and while there is 110 acres of brownfield development land to fill - he is acutely aware that such arrivals quickly fill the voids.\nMr Pogue was involved in the acquisition of the top tier Comah site from BP, and he told how the opportunities understood at the time are now emerging.\n“We have Tricoya in construction, we have Equinor coming forward with H2H Saltend, now Pensana. These big investment projects take many years to come about, so for them to happen at the moment, particularly in Covid, is quite amazing. It is in part down to the work we have been doing in the two years since we took over.\n(Image: PX Group)\n“We are also getting support from the LEP, and we’ve also been in regular dialogue with the Department for International Trade and the local authority, which is all part of the wider engagement. The support we get for this strategic site is fantastic, and that’s why we are having this success.”\nThe “complex carve-out” from BP involves the transfer of 50 BP staff and the management responsibility of more than 150 contract staff.\nWhile BP retained manufacturing assets and the petrochemicals technology centre - with the former part of a global multi-site $5 billion deal agreed with Ineos - PX took on the vessel jetty, bulk storage tanks, utility distribution systems, road loading facilities, central control room, workshops, labs and numerous other buildings.\n“Equinor is a major project and Pensana has quite a large footprint for plant,” he said. “Saltend will start to fill up. There is still development capacity and we can free up land and look at different areas and repurposing, we also work quite closely with the port, and there is further development potential - we don’t want to be constrained, if we can remodel and re-use we will.”\nFootprint and diversity of operations makes it the jewel in the PX Group portfolio, with St Fergus gas plant in Aberdeenshire another notable site.\n“We’d like to go wider and do more in the Humber, and Saltend gives us that platform,” Mr Pogue said. “Our heritage is in Teesside but we’re in the Humber now, and it is a big industrial heartland.”",
"Saltend shows its minerals as investment mounts at strategic Humber site",
"PX Group site is proving a major attraction for inward investment as complex engineering embraces elements and energy"
] |
|
[
"Laura Watson",
"Image",
"Getty Images"
] | 2021-01-26T03:38:47 | null | 2021-01-26T03:00:00 |
A-Z Motor Spares has also created three new jobs
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fcar-parts-supplier-sees-50-19693255.json
|
en
| null |
Car parts supplier sees 50% revenue growth after £225k funding boost from Lloyds Bank
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
An independent car parts supplier has grown its revenues by 50 per cent despite Covid-19 – thanks to a £225,000 funding package from Lloyds Bank.
A-Z Motor Spares, which has two sites in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, has traditionally focused on supplying aftermarket replacement car parts and accessories to retail and trade customers.
However, when the pandemic hit – and many of the firms’ customers were forced to close their doors – the business decided to focus on supplying parts direct to the public via its website.
The change to its business model saw A-Z Motor Spares’ online revenues surge, to the point online sales made up more than half of overall turnover.
And three new jobs have been created at the business as a result, to help process online orders.
The company used the cash boost from Lloyds to upgrade its IT infrastructure and manage its working capital to help cope with the sudden increase in online demand.
Mohammad Nadeem, managing director at A-Z Motor Spares, said: “We launched our website to support our ambition of supplying parts to both trade and retail customers across the country, as well as locally. But we never could have imagined it taking off in the way it has, as huge numbers of drivers got under the bonnet to begin maintaining their vehicles themselves during lockdown.
“The growth we’ve experienced in online sales has more than made up for the fall in demand from our trade customers. And we couldn’t have achieved this without the support of Lloyds Bank and the hard work of all our staff.
“Despite the need to adapt and adjust to the new working environment, our teams have risen to the challenge and we look forward to what 2021, and beyond, looks like for us as a business.”
Click here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email
Jonathan Pendlebury, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank – which provided the £225,000 funding package through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) – said: “Launching an e-commerce site to sell direct to the public has proved to be a great move for A-Z, giving it access to a whole new market when its core business was impacted by the pandemic.
“It is now a more resilient business with growth on its agenda and a bright future ahead.
“Lloyds Bank is working closely with business customers right across the UK to guide them through this challenging period and help them access the support that’s available.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/car-parts-supplier-sees-50-19693255
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/28704a88b3060ee84b85d0535833534a8bfd7ba5ef17f6a47dbb2ddea8b3f54f.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nAn independent car parts supplier has grown its revenues by 50 per cent despite Covid-19 – thanks to a £225,000 funding package from Lloyds Bank.\nA-Z Motor Spares, which has two sites in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, has traditionally focused on supplying aftermarket replacement car parts and accessories to retail and trade customers.\nHowever, when the pandemic hit – and many of the firms’ customers were forced to close their doors – the business decided to focus on supplying parts direct to the public via its website.\nThe change to its business model saw A-Z Motor Spares’ online revenues surge, to the point online sales made up more than half of overall turnover.\nAnd three new jobs have been created at the business as a result, to help process online orders.\nThe company used the cash boost from Lloyds to upgrade its IT infrastructure and manage its working capital to help cope with the sudden increase in online demand.\nMohammad Nadeem, managing director at A-Z Motor Spares, said: “We launched our website to support our ambition of supplying parts to both trade and retail customers across the country, as well as locally. But we never could have imagined it taking off in the way it has, as huge numbers of drivers got under the bonnet to begin maintaining their vehicles themselves during lockdown.\n“The growth we’ve experienced in online sales has more than made up for the fall in demand from our trade customers. And we couldn’t have achieved this without the support of Lloyds Bank and the hard work of all our staff.\n“Despite the need to adapt and adjust to the new working environment, our teams have risen to the challenge and we look forward to what 2021, and beyond, looks like for us as a business.”\nClick here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email\nJonathan Pendlebury, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank – which provided the £225,000 funding package through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) – said: “Launching an e-commerce site to sell direct to the public has proved to be a great move for A-Z, giving it access to a whole new market when its core business was impacted by the pandemic.\n“It is now a more resilient business with growth on its agenda and a bright future ahead.\n“Lloyds Bank is working closely with business customers right across the UK to guide them through this challenging period and help them access the support that’s available.”",
"Car parts supplier sees 50% revenue growth after £225k funding boost from Lloyds Bank",
"A-Z Motor Spares has also created three new jobs"
] |
|
[
"Sion Barry"
] | 2021-01-14T10:05:38 | null | 2021-01-14T09:44:46 |
He has been appointed to the board of the region's Economic Growth Partnership
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fprofessional-services%2Fbanking-finance%2Fformer-admiral-chief-executive-david-19622457.json
|
en
| null |
Former Admiral chief executive David Stevens in new Cardiff Capital Region role
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Former chief executive of FTSE 100 car insurance to loans group Admiral, David Stevens, has taken up a new role supporting the economic development of the Cardiff Capital Region.
Mr Steven has been appointed to the board of the region's Economic Growth Partnership (EGP).
The board plays a key role in supporting the growth strategies of the region, made up of the 10 local authorities of South East Wales and its cabinet consisting of the authority leaders.
As well supporting the delivery of the region's economic and industrial growth plan, the board also plays an advisory in the deployment of funding from the region's £1.2bn City Deal.
Mr Stevens, who co-founded Admiral as a start-up selling car insurance over the phone in Cardiff back 1991, stood down as its chief executive last month.
On his new role he said: "South Wales has been both a welcoming home and a very important part of the magic potion which has made Admiral a huge success. I warmly welcome the chance, towards the end of my career, to try and give something back.
"The EGP board, with its already established track record of making things happen, seems like a place where I might be able to do that.”
The board is chaired by partner with corporate advisory firm Gambit, Frank Holmes. It also includes former Admiral finance director Andrew Probert.
On the latest appointment Mr Holmes said: "H aving experienced and talented leaders on our board is essential for our collective ambition for the Cardiff Capital Region and I am delighted to welcome an individual of the calibre of David Stevens.
"His immense range of skills and unique experiences combined with his different perspectives will further compliment the considerable range of expertise we have around the table. David will unquestionably add real value to the team and we are all looking forward to working with him."
Mr Stevens has been succeeded as chief executive of Admiral, which employs more than 7,000 in South Wales, by Milena Mondini de Focatiss.
His other interests include the charity the Waterloo Foundation, which he set up with his wife Heather in 2007.
To have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/banking-finance/former-admiral-chief-executive-david-19622457
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/62e144d5af75bf1156d4b74ec4a244496c18b4f8c78fd9ab13618f86738d8d7f.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Wales Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nFormer chief executive of FTSE 100 car insurance to loans group Admiral, David Stevens, has taken up a new role supporting the economic development of the Cardiff Capital Region.\nMr Steven has been appointed to the board of the region's Economic Growth Partnership (EGP).\nThe board plays a key role in supporting the growth strategies of the region, made up of the 10 local authorities of South East Wales and its cabinet consisting of the authority leaders.\nAs well supporting the delivery of the region's economic and industrial growth plan, the board also plays an advisory in the deployment of funding from the region's £1.2bn City Deal.\nMr Stevens, who co-founded Admiral as a start-up selling car insurance over the phone in Cardiff back 1991, stood down as its chief executive last month.\nOn his new role he said: \"South Wales has been both a welcoming home and a very important part of the magic potion which has made Admiral a huge success. I warmly welcome the chance, towards the end of my career, to try and give something back.\n\"The EGP board, with its already established track record of making things happen, seems like a place where I might be able to do that.”\nThe board is chaired by partner with corporate advisory firm Gambit, Frank Holmes. It also includes former Admiral finance director Andrew Probert.\nOn the latest appointment Mr Holmes said: \"H aving experienced and talented leaders on our board is essential for our collective ambition for the Cardiff Capital Region and I am delighted to welcome an individual of the calibre of David Stevens.\n\"His immense range of skills and unique experiences combined with his different perspectives will further compliment the considerable range of expertise we have around the table. David will unquestionably add real value to the team and we are all looking forward to working with him.\"\nMr Stevens has been succeeded as chief executive of Admiral, which employs more than 7,000 in South Wales, by Milena Mondini de Focatiss.\nHis other interests include the charity the Waterloo Foundation, which he set up with his wife Heather in 2007.\nTo have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article",
"Former Admiral chief executive David Stevens in new Cardiff Capital Region role",
"He has been appointed to the board of the region's Economic Growth Partnership"
] |
|
[
"Andrew Arthur",
"Image",
"Alex Brenner"
] | 2021-01-26T08:43:17 | null | 2021-01-26T07:30:00 |
It's hoped smaller organisations and freelancers hit by the pandemic can benefit from the grants
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fbristol-city-council-opens-new-19695480.json
|
en
| null |
Bristol City Council opens new round of arts funding for city’s creative and cultural industries
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Bristol-based creative and cultural businesses can apply for grants of up to £5,000 under a new round of arts funding announced by the city’s council.
Applications for the funds are open to organisations and individuals working on creative projects taking place in the city between June 2021 and May 2022. It’s hoped smaller businesses and freelancers in particular will be able to benefit from the grants, which start at £500.
Councillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol, said: “Following an uncertain year for the creative industries, it’s more important than ever that we continue to support arts and cultural activity in the city.
“We especially want to reach smaller organisations and freelancers who have been particularly hard-hit during the pandemic.
“This funding stream is intended to nurture new and emerging ideas and one-off projects as well as supporting organisations to develop and grow over a longer period.”
The money will be drawn from the Originators Fund, part of Bristol City Council’s Cultural Investment Programme. The initiative is designed to develop Bristol's national and international reputation as a creative cultural city, to actively advance equality and diversity and to improve people's lives through the arts.
The scheme funding from last year has just been released, after being delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
A total of 25 projects are set to benefit including literary events for children, community festivals, theatre classes for young people and creative workshops for survivors of sexual violence.
One of the recipients is community organisation Razana Afrika, which provides educational resources to people of African descents to learn about their culture and history.
Razana Afrika’s founder, Christelle Pellecuer, said: "We are really excited to receive Originators funding. It will enable us to move into a new phase in 2021 under a new name, Razana Afrika (African Ancestors) co-directed by Dr Marie-Annick Gournet and Dr Shawn Sobers, and curate our African King exhibition.
Sign up to our #IAmBOB newsletter We're celebrating the success of the UK's black-owned businesses - and we want to tell you all about them in our #IAmBOB newsletter! Following the success of the #IAmBOB campaign, in January 2021 BusinessLive will be launching a newsletter all about UK black-owned businesses. Once a month, we will share news, features and comment from companies led by black business leaders - from start-ups and SMEs to blue-chip corporations and household names. So if you want to find out about black-owned businesses across the country, please enter your email and select ‘black-owned businesses’ over on our Business Live email centre.
“This will share stories of African kings with the community, and empower people to learn more about African history. We have wanted to develop this for a long time to complement our African Queen exhibition, which has been well received by the community.”
The deadline for applications for the latest round of Originators funding is midnight on Monday, March 8, 2021, with the outcome of submissions following in mid-May.
Those wishing to submit an application are encouraged to register for a free online information session which will be held on February 2.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/bristol-city-council-opens-new-19695480
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/171c87188b45bff83f3e8a61fb5a56f3ef8550ed3ac1fa1a47c8f7cefdbe869a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nBristol-based creative and cultural businesses can apply for grants of up to £5,000 under a new round of arts funding announced by the city’s council.\nApplications for the funds are open to organisations and individuals working on creative projects taking place in the city between June 2021 and May 2022. It’s hoped smaller businesses and freelancers in particular will be able to benefit from the grants, which start at £500.\nCouncillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol, said: “Following an uncertain year for the creative industries, it’s more important than ever that we continue to support arts and cultural activity in the city.\n“We especially want to reach smaller organisations and freelancers who have been particularly hard-hit during the pandemic.\n“This funding stream is intended to nurture new and emerging ideas and one-off projects as well as supporting organisations to develop and grow over a longer period.”\nThe money will be drawn from the Originators Fund, part of Bristol City Council’s Cultural Investment Programme. The initiative is designed to develop Bristol's national and international reputation as a creative cultural city, to actively advance equality and diversity and to improve people's lives through the arts.\nThe scheme funding from last year has just been released, after being delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.\nA total of 25 projects are set to benefit including literary events for children, community festivals, theatre classes for young people and creative workshops for survivors of sexual violence.\nOne of the recipients is community organisation Razana Afrika, which provides educational resources to people of African descents to learn about their culture and history.\nRazana Afrika’s founder, Christelle Pellecuer, said: \"We are really excited to receive Originators funding. It will enable us to move into a new phase in 2021 under a new name, Razana Afrika (African Ancestors) co-directed by Dr Marie-Annick Gournet and Dr Shawn Sobers, and curate our African King exhibition.\nSign up to our #IAmBOB newsletter We're celebrating the success of the UK's black-owned businesses - and we want to tell you all about them in our #IAmBOB newsletter! Following the success of the #IAmBOB campaign, in January 2021 BusinessLive will be launching a newsletter all about UK black-owned businesses. Once a month, we will share news, features and comment from companies led by black business leaders - from start-ups and SMEs to blue-chip corporations and household names. So if you want to find out about black-owned businesses across the country, please enter your email and select ‘black-owned businesses’ over on our Business Live email centre.\n“This will share stories of African kings with the community, and empower people to learn more about African history. We have wanted to develop this for a long time to complement our African Queen exhibition, which has been well received by the community.”\nThe deadline for applications for the latest round of Originators funding is midnight on Monday, March 8, 2021, with the outcome of submissions following in mid-May.\nThose wishing to submit an application are encouraged to register for a free online information session which will be held on February 2.",
"Bristol City Council opens new round of arts funding for city’s creative and cultural industries",
"It's hoped smaller organisations and freelancers hit by the pandemic can benefit from the grants"
] |
|
[
"Tom Pegden"
] | 2021-01-25T05:00:46 | null | 2021-01-25T03:00:00 |
EE Smith has worked on big hotels in London including The Londoner, Grosvenor House, The Langham and The Savoy
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fcommercial-property%2Fee-smith-contracts-guiding-more-19674266.json
|
en
| null |
EE Smith Contracts guiding more women into construction
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Commercial Property Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
An interior fit-out contractor which has worked on prestigious London hotel schemes is encouraging more women into the construction sector.
EE Smith Contracts, based on the Clarendon Industrial Estate in Leicester, has offered two week placements to two unemployed women on two of its London sites. It is hoped the experience will lead to permanent work.
The business was part of a recent Women into Construction event held with West London College and the Mayor’s Construction Academy West London, and supported by other businesses including Laing O’Rourke, Kier and the Berkeley Group.
It wants to get more women taking qualifications within the field including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and traffic management courses.
EE Smith has worked on a number of international hotels in London – including The Londoner, the Grosvenor House, The Langham and The Savoy – along with commercial buildings and super-prime residences.
Its apprentice co-ordinator Andy Carter said the move was part of EE Smith’s policy of giving everyone the same opportunities.
He said: “These sorts of programmes are important in attracting women into a sector which has historically been male dominated.
“Women who move into the industry often find it highly-rewarding and a great way of developing their career.
“It was interesting to hear from women at the online session from a wide range of backgrounds – some who had experience of the construction sector and others who wanted a change of career.
“Covid-19 has given many people the time to think about their goals in life as well as redundancy having meant others have had to seek new opportunities.
“Construction is a diverse and fantastic career and we have the experience at EE Smith Contracts to help women learn new skills on-site and through courses with local colleges.
“I am looking forward to meeting the candidates in person who are starting their placements with us at our Knightsbridge site where we are completing a full fit-out of luxury apartments.
“The variety of opportunities available in the construction is underlined by the fact one person will be learning a trade and the other will be focused on site management and. We really hope these placements will progress into full-time employment with EE Smith Contracts.
“These placements being offered by well-respected companies will help to reduce the skills gap and hopefully encourage more women to consider a career in the sector and change the face of construction.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/ee-smith-contracts-guiding-more-19674266
|
en
| 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/ee797d20fa26e57c07d9d417f9c107111fdb9d7ba8cf610f1526f9280f1d949b.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Commercial Property Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nAn interior fit-out contractor which has worked on prestigious London hotel schemes is encouraging more women into the construction sector.\nEE Smith Contracts, based on the Clarendon Industrial Estate in Leicester, has offered two week placements to two unemployed women on two of its London sites. It is hoped the experience will lead to permanent work.\nThe business was part of a recent Women into Construction event held with West London College and the Mayor’s Construction Academy West London, and supported by other businesses including Laing O’Rourke, Kier and the Berkeley Group.\nIt wants to get more women taking qualifications within the field including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and traffic management courses.\nEE Smith has worked on a number of international hotels in London – including The Londoner, the Grosvenor House, The Langham and The Savoy – along with commercial buildings and super-prime residences.\nIts apprentice co-ordinator Andy Carter said the move was part of EE Smith’s policy of giving everyone the same opportunities.\nHe said: “These sorts of programmes are important in attracting women into a sector which has historically been male dominated.\n“Women who move into the industry often find it highly-rewarding and a great way of developing their career.\n“It was interesting to hear from women at the online session from a wide range of backgrounds – some who had experience of the construction sector and others who wanted a change of career.\n“Covid-19 has given many people the time to think about their goals in life as well as redundancy having meant others have had to seek new opportunities.\n“Construction is a diverse and fantastic career and we have the experience at EE Smith Contracts to help women learn new skills on-site and through courses with local colleges.\n“I am looking forward to meeting the candidates in person who are starting their placements with us at our Knightsbridge site where we are completing a full fit-out of luxury apartments.\n“The variety of opportunities available in the construction is underlined by the fact one person will be learning a trade and the other will be focused on site management and. We really hope these placements will progress into full-time employment with EE Smith Contracts.\n“These placements being offered by well-respected companies will help to reduce the skills gap and hopefully encourage more women to consider a career in the sector and change the face of construction.”",
"EE Smith Contracts guiding more women into construction",
"EE Smith has worked on big hotels in London including The Londoner, Grosvenor House, The Langham and The Savoy"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-25T16:08:32 | null | 2021-01-25T14:28:55 |
The firm said it's in a 'strong position' to support current commercial and personal finance customers and new borrowers, despite the challenges posed by the latest lockdown
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fspecialist-lender-together-completes-500m-19695499.json
|
en
| null |
Specialist lender Together completes £500m bond issue
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Manchester-based specialist lender has said it will issue £500m in six-year bonds at a coupon of 5.25%.
Cheadle-based Together has increased the fund raising by £50m from its initial offering after "significant demand" from investors.
A spokesman today said proceeds from the issuance will be used to redeem £350m of existing bonds due to mature in 2024 and to support further growth in lending.
Together employs more than 530 colleagues and has a loan book of more than £4bn.
Marc Goldberg, commercial CEO at Together said the issuance “shows how strong Together is thought of in the market place” and remains in a “strong position” to support current commercial and personal finance customers and new borrowers, despite the challenges posed by a third national lockdown, which could last until the spring.
He said: "We are delighted with the success of the transaction, our second fund raising during the pandemic.
“The new issuance, which is our largest bond to date, was upsized by £50 million on the back of strong investor support and provides additional headroom as we continue to shape our business for an exciting future.”
Pete Ball, personal finance CEO at Together, said the latest bond offer follows the success of the group’s fourth - and largest - public residential mortgage-backed securitisation of £370m in July.
He said: “We continue to diversify and add depth of maturity to our funding platform to support our lending ambitions.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
“We were delighted to be the first company to issue a sterling bond since the completion of the Brexit process. The transaction received strong demand from high quality investors and was many times over-subscribed."
Citigroup and Goldman Sachs International acted as the joint bookrunners for the issuance of the bonds.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/specialist-lender-together-completes-500m-19695499
|
en
| 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4fa2dd39b821ef2c4de75115fa23a5f87e7a2db2bc20c0b5c221b562d91164be.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Manchester-based specialist lender has said it will issue £500m in six-year bonds at a coupon of 5.25%.\nCheadle-based Together has increased the fund raising by £50m from its initial offering after \"significant demand\" from investors.\nA spokesman today said proceeds from the issuance will be used to redeem £350m of existing bonds due to mature in 2024 and to support further growth in lending.\nTogether employs more than 530 colleagues and has a loan book of more than £4bn.\nMarc Goldberg, commercial CEO at Together said the issuance “shows how strong Together is thought of in the market place” and remains in a “strong position” to support current commercial and personal finance customers and new borrowers, despite the challenges posed by a third national lockdown, which could last until the spring.\nHe said: \"We are delighted with the success of the transaction, our second fund raising during the pandemic.\n“The new issuance, which is our largest bond to date, was upsized by £50 million on the back of strong investor support and provides additional headroom as we continue to shape our business for an exciting future.”\nPete Ball, personal finance CEO at Together, said the latest bond offer follows the success of the group’s fourth - and largest - public residential mortgage-backed securitisation of £370m in July.\nHe said: “We continue to diversify and add depth of maturity to our funding platform to support our lending ambitions.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\n“We were delighted to be the first company to issue a sterling bond since the completion of the Brexit process. The transaction received strong demand from high quality investors and was many times over-subscribed.\"\nCitigroup and Goldman Sachs International acted as the joint bookrunners for the issuance of the bonds.",
"Specialist lender Together completes £500m bond issue",
"The firm said it's in a 'strong position' to support current commercial and personal finance customers and new borrowers, despite the challenges posed by the latest lockdown"
] |
|
[
"Tom Pegden"
] | 2021-01-18T06:23:36 | null | 2021-01-18T03:00:00 |
81,000 sq ft building – which cost £90m and took three years to build – will be officially opened in coming months
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Frolls-royce-runs-first-engine-19638728.json
|
en
| null |
Rolls-Royce runs first engine on world's biggest testbed
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Rolls-Royce has begun running engines on a vast new testbed in Derby.
The engineering giant said it had successfully completed the first engine run on its Testbed 80, which – which it said was the “largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed” in the world.
The 81,000 sq ft building – which cost £90 million and took almost three years to build – will be officially opened in the coming months.
As part of the build-up to that it has been used to put a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine through its paces.
It is big enough to accommodate individual engines with enough thrust to launch a Boeing 747.
Chris Cholerton, the president of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said: “Today is an important landmark in our journey towards a more sustainable future for aerospace and aviation.
“Testbed 80 will not only test engines such as the Trent XWB – the world’s most efficient aero-engine in service – but also the engines and propulsion systems of the future, which will see us take another step towards decarbonisation. It’s great that the first engine test has been a success and we are looking forward to the official opening of the facility in the coming months.”
The facility will be able to test the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000 engines as well as the new UltraFan demonstrator for the next generation engines, as well as hybrid and all-electric flight systems which will come online in the future.
Rolls Royce said the data systems inside Testbed 80 can analyse 10,000 different parameters, using an intricate web of sensors that detect even the tiniest vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second.
They can be used to monitor how every component behaves in a range of conditions.
The testbed also has a powerful X-ray machine able to capture 30 images per second and beam them directly to a secure cloud, where engineers around the world can analyse them along.
A spokeswoman said: “We’re the only engine manufacturer in the world to X-ray our engines while they are running. This unique test allows us to inspect engines to minute levels of detail and obtain precise levels of data.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/rolls-royce-runs-first-engine-19638728
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/d691c419ec50742d4af898451316235a6dfdc504d9e87571ac7097da67240a1a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nRolls-Royce has begun running engines on a vast new testbed in Derby.\nThe engineering giant said it had successfully completed the first engine run on its Testbed 80, which – which it said was the “largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed” in the world.\nThe 81,000 sq ft building – which cost £90 million and took almost three years to build – will be officially opened in the coming months.\nAs part of the build-up to that it has been used to put a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine through its paces.\nIt is big enough to accommodate individual engines with enough thrust to launch a Boeing 747.\nChris Cholerton, the president of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said: “Today is an important landmark in our journey towards a more sustainable future for aerospace and aviation.\n“Testbed 80 will not only test engines such as the Trent XWB – the world’s most efficient aero-engine in service – but also the engines and propulsion systems of the future, which will see us take another step towards decarbonisation. It’s great that the first engine test has been a success and we are looking forward to the official opening of the facility in the coming months.”\nThe facility will be able to test the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000 engines as well as the new UltraFan demonstrator for the next generation engines, as well as hybrid and all-electric flight systems which will come online in the future.\nRolls Royce said the data systems inside Testbed 80 can analyse 10,000 different parameters, using an intricate web of sensors that detect even the tiniest vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second.\nThey can be used to monitor how every component behaves in a range of conditions.\nThe testbed also has a powerful X-ray machine able to capture 30 images per second and beam them directly to a secure cloud, where engineers around the world can analyse them along.\nA spokeswoman said: “We’re the only engine manufacturer in the world to X-ray our engines while they are running. This unique test allows us to inspect engines to minute levels of detail and obtain precise levels of data.”",
"Rolls-Royce runs first engine on world's biggest testbed",
"81,000 sq ft building – which cost £90m and took three years to build – will be officially opened in coming months"
] |
|
[
"Laura Watson"
] | 2021-01-29T05:32:28 | null | 2021-01-29T05:00:00 |
The Stafford business is currently on a 'massive' recruitment drive
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Flangley-foxall-track-hit-employee-19713291.json
|
en
| null |
Langley Foxall on track to hit employee milestone as it gears up for 'at least 50% growth' in 2021
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Software solutions specialist Langley Foxall is looking to grow its workforce to a milestone 30 employees by the summer as part of its ambition to achieve ‘at least 50 per cent growth' in 2021.
The Stafford business grew by 40 per cent in 2020 following a boom in business over the last 12 months.
Now it is looking to build on that this year as it continues to help its clients navigate a new way of working.
Managing director Nicholas Langley – who founded Langley Foxall in 2013 – said: “Our growth over the last 12 months has been down to two things really – a little bit of luck to start with, but also quite a bit of hard work from our sales team.
“We deal a lot with the manufacturing sectors and there’s obviously some really key areas that have exploded over the last 12 months and businesses have had to up their game in terms of software.
“In the chemical manufacturing sector particularly, we’ve seen monumental growth over a 12-month period but a lot of places don’t actually have the processes in place to support that growth, so they’ve had to realign their strategies and think about how they are going to continue to grow and make it sustainable.
“It means they have had to look at their processes and software to ensure they are able to continue working at that kind of scale, and of course, keep scaling up.”
Business development manager Anthony Fowler added: “In this current climate, businesses cannot operate the way they have done in the past.
“There are businesses that may have previously been stuck in their ways, with heavy paperwork and spreadsheets etc, but these businesses, particularly manufacturers, now need to evolve and are leaning on us.
“They have not had to do it before but now they are researching, asking questions and looking at different software solutions – and we are providing that advice and guidance.
“We’ve got a lot of experience working in many different industries and we’re happy to provide that support.”
Anthony added: “The exciting thing is that businesses are open to change now and are embracing the digital transformation that has happened over the last 12 months, and that’s been really beneficial for us.”
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In the next six months, Langley Foxall – which is based at Staffordshire Technology Park – has plans to increase its 24-strong workforce to in excess of 30 by the end of June.
Nicholas said: “We took three new developers on last year and we’re looking to do the same again in the first quarter of 2021, we’re also going to expand the sales team.
“So we’re on a massive recruitment drive at the moment which is really exciting.
“Over the past 12 months, one of my main phrases has been ‘tough times don’t last but tough teams do’ so we are really working on the teams to make sure that we’ve got that resilience as a business and are cultivating the right culture going forward.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/langley-foxall-track-hit-employee-19713291
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/54c517d21f49b283762254d858c97b3848d99cffd47826349bbbaac8c30ec0ef.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nSoftware solutions specialist Langley Foxall is looking to grow its workforce to a milestone 30 employees by the summer as part of its ambition to achieve ‘at least 50 per cent growth' in 2021.\nThe Stafford business grew by 40 per cent in 2020 following a boom in business over the last 12 months.\nNow it is looking to build on that this year as it continues to help its clients navigate a new way of working.\nManaging director Nicholas Langley – who founded Langley Foxall in 2013 – said: “Our growth over the last 12 months has been down to two things really – a little bit of luck to start with, but also quite a bit of hard work from our sales team.\n“We deal a lot with the manufacturing sectors and there’s obviously some really key areas that have exploded over the last 12 months and businesses have had to up their game in terms of software.\n“In the chemical manufacturing sector particularly, we’ve seen monumental growth over a 12-month period but a lot of places don’t actually have the processes in place to support that growth, so they’ve had to realign their strategies and think about how they are going to continue to grow and make it sustainable.\n“It means they have had to look at their processes and software to ensure they are able to continue working at that kind of scale, and of course, keep scaling up.”\nBusiness development manager Anthony Fowler added: “In this current climate, businesses cannot operate the way they have done in the past.\n“There are businesses that may have previously been stuck in their ways, with heavy paperwork and spreadsheets etc, but these businesses, particularly manufacturers, now need to evolve and are leaning on us.\n“They have not had to do it before but now they are researching, asking questions and looking at different software solutions – and we are providing that advice and guidance.\n“We’ve got a lot of experience working in many different industries and we’re happy to provide that support.”\nAnthony added: “The exciting thing is that businesses are open to change now and are embracing the digital transformation that has happened over the last 12 months, and that’s been really beneficial for us.”\nClick here to sign up to the daily BusinessLive email\nIn the next six months, Langley Foxall – which is based at Staffordshire Technology Park – has plans to increase its 24-strong workforce to in excess of 30 by the end of June.\nNicholas said: “We took three new developers on last year and we’re looking to do the same again in the first quarter of 2021, we’re also going to expand the sales team.\n“So we’re on a massive recruitment drive at the moment which is really exciting.\n“Over the past 12 months, one of my main phrases has been ‘tough times don’t last but tough teams do’ so we are really working on the teams to make sure that we’ve got that resilience as a business and are cultivating the right culture going forward.”",
"Langley Foxall on track to hit employee milestone as it gears up for 'at least 50% growth' in 2021",
"The Stafford business is currently on a 'massive' recruitment drive"
] |
|
[
"Tamlyn Jones"
] | 2021-01-28T05:05:45 | null | 2021-01-28T04:30:00 |
Annual report shows revenue more than halved and a pre-tax loss of almost £1m as club suffers impact of matches played behind closed doors and corporate activity halted
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fwarwickshire-ccc-slips-red-covid-19709813.json
|
en
| null |
Warwickshire CCC slips into red as covid impact bites
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Revenue more than halved and profit slipped into the red as Warwickshire County Cricket Club suffered a major financial hit from the impact of covid-19.
In its latest annual results for 2019/20, the Birmingham club saw turnover tumble year on year from £26.5 million in 2018/19 to £11.6 million and pre-tax profit slipped from £3.22 million to a loss of £974,314.
The annual report covers the 12 months to September 30, 2020 and shows the harsh financial impact the pandemic had on the club's finances, mainly due to cricket matches having to take place behind closed doors last summer.
Its Edgbaston stadium is also used for corporate events and award ceremonies which had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
The club said it had anticipated a "significant downturn" in profitability.
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Alongside the impact of the pandemic, it said there was a difference in the "comparative attractiveness" of its major match programmes between 2019 and 2020, such as it hosting the first test of the 2019 Ashes series.
Chief operating officer Craig Flindall thanked the cricketing authorities for enabling games to go ahead at Edgbaston last summer despite the covid restrictions and praised the club's fans as more than 60 per donated their annual subscriptions.
He said: "Strong sales of major match tickets and club memberships for the 2020 season put us in a good position to initially mitigate the impact of covid.
"Major Match ticket sales in March 2020 were significantly ahead of budget….and we were able to retain these revenues through insurance.
"While the relocation of these matches did result in the loss of hospitality, catering and retail revenues, we are very grateful to the ECB and the overseas boards for the great efforts made to stage these matches in bio-secure venues.
"We are very appreciative of the support of members, supporters and our partners which should ensure the club is able to continue to trade through this uncertain period while we await the return of crowds and our conference and events business."
Chief executive Stuart Cain added: "Huge thanks go to the many members who donated their subscriptions and to the commercial partners who continued to invest in our match day activation and in the enhanced live stream of our matches which was developed to support fixtures being played behind closed doors."
During the course of the pandemic, the stadium's car park was opened up to be used as a covid test centre and the club ran a food storage and distribution hub for a charity fighting food poverty.
Warwickshire CCC received a further boost this week when it was awarded a men's test match in England's series with New Zealand in June.
This is in addition to England international against Pakistan in July and the T20 finals days in September; both of which are already sold out.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/warwickshire-ccc-slips-red-covid-19709813
|
en
| 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4b79204fa9135f7a30aa7b4c52a75914c29236f9b15fe00109ea6562a3e13739.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nRevenue more than halved and profit slipped into the red as Warwickshire County Cricket Club suffered a major financial hit from the impact of covid-19.\nIn its latest annual results for 2019/20, the Birmingham club saw turnover tumble year on year from £26.5 million in 2018/19 to £11.6 million and pre-tax profit slipped from £3.22 million to a loss of £974,314.\nThe annual report covers the 12 months to September 30, 2020 and shows the harsh financial impact the pandemic had on the club's finances, mainly due to cricket matches having to take place behind closed doors last summer.\nIts Edgbaston stadium is also used for corporate events and award ceremonies which had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic.\nThe club said it had anticipated a \"significant downturn\" in profitability.\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nAlongside the impact of the pandemic, it said there was a difference in the \"comparative attractiveness\" of its major match programmes between 2019 and 2020, such as it hosting the first test of the 2019 Ashes series.\nChief operating officer Craig Flindall thanked the cricketing authorities for enabling games to go ahead at Edgbaston last summer despite the covid restrictions and praised the club's fans as more than 60 per donated their annual subscriptions.\nHe said: \"Strong sales of major match tickets and club memberships for the 2020 season put us in a good position to initially mitigate the impact of covid.\n\"Major Match ticket sales in March 2020 were significantly ahead of budget….and we were able to retain these revenues through insurance.\n\"While the relocation of these matches did result in the loss of hospitality, catering and retail revenues, we are very grateful to the ECB and the overseas boards for the great efforts made to stage these matches in bio-secure venues.\n\"We are very appreciative of the support of members, supporters and our partners which should ensure the club is able to continue to trade through this uncertain period while we await the return of crowds and our conference and events business.\"\nChief executive Stuart Cain added: \"Huge thanks go to the many members who donated their subscriptions and to the commercial partners who continued to invest in our match day activation and in the enhanced live stream of our matches which was developed to support fixtures being played behind closed doors.\"\nDuring the course of the pandemic, the stadium's car park was opened up to be used as a covid test centre and the club ran a food storage and distribution hub for a charity fighting food poverty.\nWarwickshire CCC received a further boost this week when it was awarded a men's test match in England's series with New Zealand in June.\nThis is in addition to England international against Pakistan in July and the T20 finals days in September; both of which are already sold out.",
"Warwickshire CCC slips into red as covid impact bites",
"Annual report shows revenue more than halved and a pre-tax loss of almost £1m as club suffers impact of matches played behind closed doors and corporate activity halted"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield",
"Image",
"Colin Davison",
"Handout North East Bic"
] | 2021-01-18T09:28:30 | null | 2021-01-18T08:21:17 |
The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a wave of people launching businesses with a social purpose
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fpandemic-sparks-rise-social-enterprise-19645116.json
|
en
| null |
Pandemic sparks rise in social enterprise start-ups in North East
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The coronavirus pandemic has reached into many parts of society and caused millions of people - some voluntarily, but many not - to embark upon new careers.
The challenges the pandemic has thrown up has also reinforced a sense of community among many, including some of those launching new ventures in the region.
And according to the North East Business and Innovation Centre - a centre in Sunderland which supports start-ups and helps small firms to develop - the pandemic has inspired a new wave of social entrepreneurs who are developing business ideas to support their Covid-stricken communities.
The BIC has reported a rise in demand for the business advice services of its social enterprise experts since the outbreak of the virus, with inquiries coming from people looking to start-up new businesses aimed at making a difference to local people and places, as well as from existing enterprises with plans to expand everything from counselling services to food co-operatives.
Kevin Marquis, the North East BIC’s social enterprise manager, said more people are realising that the social enterprise model - businesses that trade with the aim of tackling social problems and improving communities - is a good fit for our troubled timed.
He said: “As with all crises, the pandemic has brought out the best in a lot of people and has inspired them to take collective action to consider how they can best support others.
(Image: handout from North East BIC)
“People are thinking more about their social objectives and their own accountability and responsibility to their communities. They’re turning to social enterprise as this is the best model to support those objectives.
“Private businesses too are looking to convert to this model because their social conscience has been pricked and they recognise that this route opens up income and diversification opportunities that will make them more sustainable.”
The latest State of the Sector report by Social Enterprise UK found that there were around 100,000 social enterprises in the UK with a combined income of £60bn. Companies House records show there are almost 1,000 in the North East, almost three-quarters of which have been registered in the last five years.
The new wave of social enterprises that has sprung from the pandemic has been welcomed, but the sector also needs help to get individual organisations through the crisis, according to Andrew O’Brien from Social Enterprise UK.
He said: “It is incredibly hard to predict what it is going to happen at the moment, but what we know for certain is that social enterprises are going to be needed at every point in our journey. Now in the middle of this crisis, social enterprises are stepping up to the plate and providing support to their communities and living their values.
“Once the crisis has passed, we will need social enterprises working in our economy to ensure that the people who have been worst affected are supported and that we rebuild our economy in a way that helps people and planet. The climate emergency and growing social inequality are not going away due to Covid-19. If anything, they may get worse as governments focus on propping up the status quo.
“Our message is, therefore, a simple one. The British Government must not ignore the social enterprise sector.
“We’ve made so much progress in recent years to grow this sector and make our economy a better one for all our communities. We cannot allow Covid-19 to knock us off course.”
Support for a number of social enterprises in the North East has come from the North East Small Loan Fund, part of the wider European-backed North East Fund established in 2018 with the aim of backing 600 companies over five years.
The North East LEP has also backed social enterprises and voluntary groups, with chief executive Helen Golightly saying that “we recognise the central role that voluntary, community and social enterprise-led projects have to play as we work together as a region to build a stronger post-pandemic North East.”
One social enterprise that has thrived in recent times is Newcastle’s Big River Bakery, originally launched eight years ago by Andy Haddon while he was working as a senior researcher at Newcastle University’s Sustainability Institute, and which recently moved into a bakery, cafe and training space at Shieldfield.
As well as making baked goods for its local community and providing employment and training opportunities, the bakery has constructed its supply chain around an ability to give back to society and create communities that can support and sustain themselves. This includes outreach education projects, and partnering with other local businesses and charities.
Mr Haddon said: “We can help support businesses who are committed to delivering true social impact but are constrained in doing this themselves due to the nature of their sector.
“Such organisations can partner with us through investment in our social enterprise, and because we are much closer to the communities that need the most help in our society, we are able to deliver that benefit on their behalf.
“In so doing, we can help them to secure public sector contracts, by helping them to build a better and more equal society.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/pandemic-sparks-rise-social-enterprise-19645116
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/764e24030e8622a7cd878da2a404e2850d4141f45fb7c46ef121f32b6c8c9799.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe coronavirus pandemic has reached into many parts of society and caused millions of people - some voluntarily, but many not - to embark upon new careers.\nThe challenges the pandemic has thrown up has also reinforced a sense of community among many, including some of those launching new ventures in the region.\nAnd according to the North East Business and Innovation Centre - a centre in Sunderland which supports start-ups and helps small firms to develop - the pandemic has inspired a new wave of social entrepreneurs who are developing business ideas to support their Covid-stricken communities.\nThe BIC has reported a rise in demand for the business advice services of its social enterprise experts since the outbreak of the virus, with inquiries coming from people looking to start-up new businesses aimed at making a difference to local people and places, as well as from existing enterprises with plans to expand everything from counselling services to food co-operatives.\nKevin Marquis, the North East BIC’s social enterprise manager, said more people are realising that the social enterprise model - businesses that trade with the aim of tackling social problems and improving communities - is a good fit for our troubled timed.\nHe said: “As with all crises, the pandemic has brought out the best in a lot of people and has inspired them to take collective action to consider how they can best support others.\n(Image: handout from North East BIC)\n“People are thinking more about their social objectives and their own accountability and responsibility to their communities. They’re turning to social enterprise as this is the best model to support those objectives.\n“Private businesses too are looking to convert to this model because their social conscience has been pricked and they recognise that this route opens up income and diversification opportunities that will make them more sustainable.”\nThe latest State of the Sector report by Social Enterprise UK found that there were around 100,000 social enterprises in the UK with a combined income of £60bn. Companies House records show there are almost 1,000 in the North East, almost three-quarters of which have been registered in the last five years.\nThe new wave of social enterprises that has sprung from the pandemic has been welcomed, but the sector also needs help to get individual organisations through the crisis, according to Andrew O’Brien from Social Enterprise UK.\nHe said: “It is incredibly hard to predict what it is going to happen at the moment, but what we know for certain is that social enterprises are going to be needed at every point in our journey. Now in the middle of this crisis, social enterprises are stepping up to the plate and providing support to their communities and living their values.\n“Once the crisis has passed, we will need social enterprises working in our economy to ensure that the people who have been worst affected are supported and that we rebuild our economy in a way that helps people and planet. The climate emergency and growing social inequality are not going away due to Covid-19. If anything, they may get worse as governments focus on propping up the status quo.\n“Our message is, therefore, a simple one. The British Government must not ignore the social enterprise sector.\n“We’ve made so much progress in recent years to grow this sector and make our economy a better one for all our communities. We cannot allow Covid-19 to knock us off course.”\nSupport for a number of social enterprises in the North East has come from the North East Small Loan Fund, part of the wider European-backed North East Fund established in 2018 with the aim of backing 600 companies over five years.\nThe North East LEP has also backed social enterprises and voluntary groups, with chief executive Helen Golightly saying that “we recognise the central role that voluntary, community and social enterprise-led projects have to play as we work together as a region to build a stronger post-pandemic North East.”\nOne social enterprise that has thrived in recent times is Newcastle’s Big River Bakery, originally launched eight years ago by Andy Haddon while he was working as a senior researcher at Newcastle University’s Sustainability Institute, and which recently moved into a bakery, cafe and training space at Shieldfield.\nAs well as making baked goods for its local community and providing employment and training opportunities, the bakery has constructed its supply chain around an ability to give back to society and create communities that can support and sustain themselves. This includes outreach education projects, and partnering with other local businesses and charities.\nMr Haddon said: “We can help support businesses who are committed to delivering true social impact but are constrained in doing this themselves due to the nature of their sector.\n“Such organisations can partner with us through investment in our social enterprise, and because we are much closer to the communities that need the most help in our society, we are able to deliver that benefit on their behalf.\n“In so doing, we can help them to secure public sector contracts, by helping them to build a better and more equal society.”",
"Pandemic sparks rise in social enterprise start-ups in North East",
"The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a wave of people launching businesses with a social purpose"
] |
|
[
"William Telford",
"Image",
"Matt Gilley"
] | 2021-01-19T08:01:06 | null | 2021-01-19T07:00:00 |
Defence giant sees shares tumble as ongoing coronavirus pandemic hits earnings
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fbabcock-sees-profits-shrink-118m-19648930.json
|
en
| null |
Babcock sees profits shrink by £118m as Covid casts shadow over future income
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Defence and engineering giant Babcock International Group PLC has seen profits fall by £118million compared to a year ago and has now raised concerns about future income levels.
The company, which operates the huge dockyards at Devonport, in Plymouth, and Rosyth, in Scotland, has seen trading hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – especially at its civil aviation section.
The company said underlying revenue for the past nine months was £3.399billion, down from £3.574billion for the same nine-month period a year earlier, a 3% drop excluding disposals and currency fluctuations.
Underlying operating profit in the nine months was £202million, a dip from £320million for the same period a year before, down 34% excluding disposals and FX (foreign exchange), with a negative impact from civil nuclear insourcing, Covid-19 and civil aviation all blamed.
(Image: Matt Gilley)
Shares dropped 18% following the announcement to the Stock Exchange and have now fallen 65% over a year.
The aerospace and defence company - updating investors for the first nine months of the financial year ending March 31, 2021 – revealed that order intake stood at £3.1billion with the order book standing at £16.8billion at December 31, 2020, down from £17.6billion at the end of March 2020.
Babcock said it has recently started a detailed review of its balance sheet and contract profitability and early indications suggest there may be “negative impacts” for current and/or future years.
This review is being supported by an independent accounting firm and the outputs will be reviewed by the firm’s auditor PWC, its audit committee and board prior to the publication of results for the year ending March 31, 2021, expected in May.
Babcock said uncertainty remains for the rest of this financial year, especially given that its fourth quarter is historically its strongest and that the Covid-19 situation has worsened in most of the company’s markets.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here
Given this uncertainty, and the start of the review of contract profitability and balance sheet, the company will continue not to provide financial guidance for this financial year.
Babcock announced a review of strategic priorities in November 2020, now well underway, which will focus on cash delivery, being a strategic partner to the UK Government, international growth, driving innovation, and transforming the “ESG (environmental, social and governance) and people agenda”.
Net debt at the end of 2020 was £1.207billion, a reduction of £255million compared to 2019 and although this position is higher than that reported on September 30, 2020, when it stood at £871million, the company said it is consistent with the average net debt for the first nine months of this financial year of £1.222billion.
Babcock is currently in the midst of a £600million project to refit and extend the life of the UK’s fleet of Type 23 frigates, with work being carried out at Devonport where is due to start a major upgrade of facilities in 2021.
David Lockwood, Babcock chief executive, said: "While trading in the third quarter has continued to reflect the challenges of the first half and there remain a number of near term uncertainties, the fundamental strengths of the group and the opportunities ahead give us confidence for future years and I look forward to reporting back at the full year results".
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/babcock-sees-profits-shrink-118m-19648930
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/51c465d1eba2058046bf1e59912fb89f68f09373538e36c63b63ee8cd325e2fd.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nDefence and engineering giant Babcock International Group PLC has seen profits fall by £118million compared to a year ago and has now raised concerns about future income levels.\nThe company, which operates the huge dockyards at Devonport, in Plymouth, and Rosyth, in Scotland, has seen trading hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – especially at its civil aviation section.\nThe company said underlying revenue for the past nine months was £3.399billion, down from £3.574billion for the same nine-month period a year earlier, a 3% drop excluding disposals and currency fluctuations.\nUnderlying operating profit in the nine months was £202million, a dip from £320million for the same period a year before, down 34% excluding disposals and FX (foreign exchange), with a negative impact from civil nuclear insourcing, Covid-19 and civil aviation all blamed.\n(Image: Matt Gilley)\nShares dropped 18% following the announcement to the Stock Exchange and have now fallen 65% over a year.\nThe aerospace and defence company - updating investors for the first nine months of the financial year ending March 31, 2021 – revealed that order intake stood at £3.1billion with the order book standing at £16.8billion at December 31, 2020, down from £17.6billion at the end of March 2020.\nBabcock said it has recently started a detailed review of its balance sheet and contract profitability and early indications suggest there may be “negative impacts” for current and/or future years.\nThis review is being supported by an independent accounting firm and the outputs will be reviewed by the firm’s auditor PWC, its audit committee and board prior to the publication of results for the year ending March 31, 2021, expected in May.\nBabcock said uncertainty remains for the rest of this financial year, especially given that its fourth quarter is historically its strongest and that the Covid-19 situation has worsened in most of the company’s markets.\nHow to contact William Telford and Business Live Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region. To contact William: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01752 293116 Mob: 07584 594052 Twitter: @WTelfordHerald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473 William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here\nGiven this uncertainty, and the start of the review of contract profitability and balance sheet, the company will continue not to provide financial guidance for this financial year.\nBabcock announced a review of strategic priorities in November 2020, now well underway, which will focus on cash delivery, being a strategic partner to the UK Government, international growth, driving innovation, and transforming the “ESG (environmental, social and governance) and people agenda”.\nNet debt at the end of 2020 was £1.207billion, a reduction of £255million compared to 2019 and although this position is higher than that reported on September 30, 2020, when it stood at £871million, the company said it is consistent with the average net debt for the first nine months of this financial year of £1.222billion.\nBabcock is currently in the midst of a £600million project to refit and extend the life of the UK’s fleet of Type 23 frigates, with work being carried out at Devonport where is due to start a major upgrade of facilities in 2021.\nDavid Lockwood, Babcock chief executive, said: \"While trading in the third quarter has continued to reflect the challenges of the first half and there remain a number of near term uncertainties, the fundamental strengths of the group and the opportunities ahead give us confidence for future years and I look forward to reporting back at the full year results\".",
"Babcock sees profits shrink by £118m as Covid casts shadow over future income",
"Defence giant sees shares tumble as ongoing coronavirus pandemic hits earnings"
] |
|
[
"Laura Watson"
] | 2021-01-22T03:27:51 | null | 2021-01-22T03:00:00 |
Law firms, a clay manufacturer and a banking giant are among the firms which have recently welcomed new recruits
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fprofessional-services%2Fmovers-shakers-round-up-latest-19626480.json
|
en
| null |
Movers and shakers: A round-up of the latest appointments from Staffordshire
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Commercial property solicitor Jamie Cooper has taken up a position with Beswicks Legal.
Jamie has a wealth of experience having worked for a number of large regional law firms, as well as in-house for a leading strategic land promoter.
He joins Festival Park-based Beswicks as a commercial property associate.
Jamie deals with all aspects of commercial property law and specialises in residential and commercial developments, strategic land (including promotion and option agreements) and landlord and tenant asset management.
Beswicks managing partner Nick Phillips said: “We’re delighted that Jamie has joined us. His energy, motivation, technical ability and commitment to delivering an outstanding service to clients is a perfect fit for Beswicks.
“His appointment really does underline the strength and depth of our commercial property team establishing them as the go-to experts in this area of law.”
Jamie added: “I was attracted to Beswicks because of the calibre of work and clients that they attract. The ability to live and work within a vibrant property market which is seeing huge investment and development is also a big draw. Beswicks has a strong reputation in the local area and further afield and I’m looking forward to enhancing that reputation further.”
Law firm Thompsons Solicitors has hired a new partner.
Glen Edney has joined the company to lead its Stoke-on-Trent office, in Etruria.
He joins with 26 years’ experience in personal injury law and will manage a team of more than 70 staff, with particular focus on employer liability and public liability accident claims.
Glen said: “In my career, I have always acted on behalf of claimants, not defendants, so Thompsons Solicitors’ status as a leading social justice law firm really resonated with me.
“In my short time at the firm, I have already seen just how much value is placed on people – whether that is the clients, union members or staff – so I’m confident this new role will be a perfect fit for me.”
Clare Mellor, chief executive of Thompsons Solicitors, added: “In 2021, Thompsons will have been acting only for the injured and mistreated for 100 years, fighting throughout that century to ensure we get the maximum compensation for those injured through no fault of their own. Throughout Glen’s impressive career, he has echoed this approach in his work, which is why we are so excited to bring him on board.
“The Stoke-on-Trent office plays a vital role at Thompsons, supporting thousands of people who have suffered injury or received poor treatment every year. By ensuring their cases are quickly resolved and they get the financial help they need, our clients can move on with their lives.”
Meanwhile, Trentham law firm RJS Solicitors has welcomed Selina Pavey to its private client department.
Selina, who was born in Manchester and worked in the area for several years after qualifying as a solicitor in 2010, has joined RJS after spending the previous three years at a well-established firm in Cheshire.
She specialises in wills, estates, lasting power of attorney, inheritance and other personal matters.
David Carson, head of estates and trusts at RJS, said: “Having worked with Selina previously I was very keen to get her on board. The empathy she demonstrates with clients, particularly the elderly, is just one of her many talents.”
Selina said: “I’m delighted to join the team at RJS and really looking forward to establishing a strong client base and delivering a first-class service.”
Caravan, campervan and motorhome leisure equipment specialist Miriad Products Ltd has appointed Penny Whitelock to the role of CEO.
The company – which recently relocated from Derby to Uttoxeter – was established in 1999 following a management buy-out.
Penny joined the business as managing director in November 2019 with more than two decades of experience at senior leadership level.
Now Penny is taking over from Mike Ham who is stepping down from the role of CEO.
Penny said: “With a keen eye on our customers and innovation, we are ambitious to see the business grow organically by 25 per cent in the next three years.
“Acquisition plans are also being considered to broaden our product and customer bases.
“We are investing in our future, not only in new premises and machinery, but in our people. They have been highly motivated, keen to learn, open minded and together we will continue to enthusiastically drive Miriad forward to embrace new opportunities and progress and grow the legacy of the original owners.”
Also welcoming new recruits is e-commerce and digital marketing agency Kanuka Digital which has recruited Lucie Oge as SEO Manager.
Lucie joins the firm following a record month in business for the Stafford company whose clients including Tile Giant, Bacofoil, Mountfield Lawnmowers and Heritage Parts Centre.
Lucie has previously worked at UK fashion brand Nasty Gal and as SEO director at PHD Media in New Zealand.
Joe Turner, Kanuka Digital’s marketing manager, said: “We’ve doubled turnover in the past few years, and our ambition remains sky high for 2021. Although Covid-19 has thrown some big hurdles at us and our clients, I couldn’t be happier with how we’ve responded at Kanuka Digital. The whole team has embraced the challenge and achieved some fantastic results to help our clients get the most out of their online presence.”
At the same time, clay manufacturer Valentine Clays has appointed a technical manager to help with its current expansion plans and avid support of the ceramics industry.
Mark Cumberlidge joins the Fenton business from the UK’s leading mineral processing company, Furlong Mills, where he worked as technical manager for the past 26 years.
Mark will manage and develop Valentine Clays’ ceramic recipes, including the sourcing of the relevant raw materials, to ensure Valentine Clays produces the best quality products for its customers.
This appointment will also enable Valentine Clays to support the ceramics industry by offering a technical consultation service.
Mark said: “I have worked with Valentine Clays for a long time during my previous role, they are a great company with a can do attitude and I look forward to the challenge ahead in helping to develop the best possible ceramic products.”
“It’s exciting to be part of a local company with great ambitions that are focused on supporting our industry the best way they can.”
Alan Ault, managing director and owner of Valentine Clays Ltd, added: “Mark was the obvious choice when considering the company’s restructure and having worked with him for many year’s is one of the country’s leading ceramic Technical minds.
“As a company we are very much looking forward to working with Mark who will be invaluable when it comes to helping our business to grow but in also ensuring the ceramics industry has the support that it needs from a manufacturer such as ourselves.”
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
LLOYDS Bank has strengthened its support for businesses in the North West following the appointment of a new relationship manager to its commercial banking team.
Jonathan Pendlebury has been appointed to support the bank’s portfolio of SME customers, working with firms across South Cheshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Bringing almost two decades of experience in the financial services sector, Jonathan joins the team from his previous role as a local business development manager in Lloyds Bank’s business banking division.
Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Jonathan joins a team of eight relationship managers focused on providing financial support and guidance to businesses with annual turnovers of between £3 and £10 million.
Together, the team works with more than 1,600 companies in the area.
The appointment follows the departure of long-standing relationship manager Phil Steele, who retires following 43 years of service with Lloyds Banking Group.
Ken Garvie, area director for North Staffordshire and Derbyshire at Lloyds Bank, said: “When planning for growth, it’s vital that firms have the support of an advisor who truly understands their objectives and the challenges they face and Phil has been instrumental to the success of so many firms in that respect.
“Jonathan is ideally positioned to continue providing the region’s businesses with the tailored funding and guidance needed as they look to recovery over the coming months.”
Jonathan added: “Having worked across North Staffordshire for close to two decades now, it’s a patch I know well. And I look forward to bringing my previous experiences in supporting the region’s businesses to my new role in the commercial banking team.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/movers-shakers-round-up-latest-19626480
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4fa3a4cec00bbfa2e12c4b935de2b8b0b6359d60377edc51d62e636a37bc4534.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nCommercial property solicitor Jamie Cooper has taken up a position with Beswicks Legal.\nJamie has a wealth of experience having worked for a number of large regional law firms, as well as in-house for a leading strategic land promoter.\nHe joins Festival Park-based Beswicks as a commercial property associate.\nJamie deals with all aspects of commercial property law and specialises in residential and commercial developments, strategic land (including promotion and option agreements) and landlord and tenant asset management.\nBeswicks managing partner Nick Phillips said: “We’re delighted that Jamie has joined us. His energy, motivation, technical ability and commitment to delivering an outstanding service to clients is a perfect fit for Beswicks.\n“His appointment really does underline the strength and depth of our commercial property team establishing them as the go-to experts in this area of law.”\nJamie added: “I was attracted to Beswicks because of the calibre of work and clients that they attract. The ability to live and work within a vibrant property market which is seeing huge investment and development is also a big draw. Beswicks has a strong reputation in the local area and further afield and I’m looking forward to enhancing that reputation further.”\nLaw firm Thompsons Solicitors has hired a new partner.\nGlen Edney has joined the company to lead its Stoke-on-Trent office, in Etruria.\nHe joins with 26 years’ experience in personal injury law and will manage a team of more than 70 staff, with particular focus on employer liability and public liability accident claims.\nGlen said: “In my career, I have always acted on behalf of claimants, not defendants, so Thompsons Solicitors’ status as a leading social justice law firm really resonated with me.\n“In my short time at the firm, I have already seen just how much value is placed on people – whether that is the clients, union members or staff – so I’m confident this new role will be a perfect fit for me.”\nClare Mellor, chief executive of Thompsons Solicitors, added: “In 2021, Thompsons will have been acting only for the injured and mistreated for 100 years, fighting throughout that century to ensure we get the maximum compensation for those injured through no fault of their own. Throughout Glen’s impressive career, he has echoed this approach in his work, which is why we are so excited to bring him on board.\n“The Stoke-on-Trent office plays a vital role at Thompsons, supporting thousands of people who have suffered injury or received poor treatment every year. By ensuring their cases are quickly resolved and they get the financial help they need, our clients can move on with their lives.”\nMeanwhile, Trentham law firm RJS Solicitors has welcomed Selina Pavey to its private client department.\nSelina, who was born in Manchester and worked in the area for several years after qualifying as a solicitor in 2010, has joined RJS after spending the previous three years at a well-established firm in Cheshire.\nShe specialises in wills, estates, lasting power of attorney, inheritance and other personal matters.\nDavid Carson, head of estates and trusts at RJS, said: “Having worked with Selina previously I was very keen to get her on board. The empathy she demonstrates with clients, particularly the elderly, is just one of her many talents.”\nSelina said: “I’m delighted to join the team at RJS and really looking forward to establishing a strong client base and delivering a first-class service.”\nCaravan, campervan and motorhome leisure equipment specialist Miriad Products Ltd has appointed Penny Whitelock to the role of CEO.\nThe company – which recently relocated from Derby to Uttoxeter – was established in 1999 following a management buy-out.\nPenny joined the business as managing director in November 2019 with more than two decades of experience at senior leadership level.\nNow Penny is taking over from Mike Ham who is stepping down from the role of CEO.\nPenny said: “With a keen eye on our customers and innovation, we are ambitious to see the business grow organically by 25 per cent in the next three years.\n“Acquisition plans are also being considered to broaden our product and customer bases.\n“We are investing in our future, not only in new premises and machinery, but in our people. They have been highly motivated, keen to learn, open minded and together we will continue to enthusiastically drive Miriad forward to embrace new opportunities and progress and grow the legacy of the original owners.”\nAlso welcoming new recruits is e-commerce and digital marketing agency Kanuka Digital which has recruited Lucie Oge as SEO Manager.\nLucie joins the firm following a record month in business for the Stafford company whose clients including Tile Giant, Bacofoil, Mountfield Lawnmowers and Heritage Parts Centre.\nLucie has previously worked at UK fashion brand Nasty Gal and as SEO director at PHD Media in New Zealand.\nJoe Turner, Kanuka Digital’s marketing manager, said: “We’ve doubled turnover in the past few years, and our ambition remains sky high for 2021. Although Covid-19 has thrown some big hurdles at us and our clients, I couldn’t be happier with how we’ve responded at Kanuka Digital. The whole team has embraced the challenge and achieved some fantastic results to help our clients get the most out of their online presence.”\nAt the same time, clay manufacturer Valentine Clays has appointed a technical manager to help with its current expansion plans and avid support of the ceramics industry.\nMark Cumberlidge joins the Fenton business from the UK’s leading mineral processing company, Furlong Mills, where he worked as technical manager for the past 26 years.\nMark will manage and develop Valentine Clays’ ceramic recipes, including the sourcing of the relevant raw materials, to ensure Valentine Clays produces the best quality products for its customers.\nThis appointment will also enable Valentine Clays to support the ceramics industry by offering a technical consultation service.\nMark said: “I have worked with Valentine Clays for a long time during my previous role, they are a great company with a can do attitude and I look forward to the challenge ahead in helping to develop the best possible ceramic products.”\n“It’s exciting to be part of a local company with great ambitions that are focused on supporting our industry the best way they can.”\nAlan Ault, managing director and owner of Valentine Clays Ltd, added: “Mark was the obvious choice when considering the company’s restructure and having worked with him for many year’s is one of the country’s leading ceramic Technical minds.\n“As a company we are very much looking forward to working with Mark who will be invaluable when it comes to helping our business to grow but in also ensuring the ceramics industry has the support that it needs from a manufacturer such as ourselves.”\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nLLOYDS Bank has strengthened its support for businesses in the North West following the appointment of a new relationship manager to its commercial banking team.\nJonathan Pendlebury has been appointed to support the bank’s portfolio of SME customers, working with firms across South Cheshire and Stoke-on-Trent.\nBringing almost two decades of experience in the financial services sector, Jonathan joins the team from his previous role as a local business development manager in Lloyds Bank’s business banking division.\nBased in Stoke-on-Trent, Jonathan joins a team of eight relationship managers focused on providing financial support and guidance to businesses with annual turnovers of between £3 and £10 million.\nTogether, the team works with more than 1,600 companies in the area.\nThe appointment follows the departure of long-standing relationship manager Phil Steele, who retires following 43 years of service with Lloyds Banking Group.\nKen Garvie, area director for North Staffordshire and Derbyshire at Lloyds Bank, said: “When planning for growth, it’s vital that firms have the support of an advisor who truly understands their objectives and the challenges they face and Phil has been instrumental to the success of so many firms in that respect.\n“Jonathan is ideally positioned to continue providing the region’s businesses with the tailored funding and guidance needed as they look to recovery over the coming months.”\nJonathan added: “Having worked across North Staffordshire for close to two decades now, it’s a patch I know well. And I look forward to bringing my previous experiences in supporting the region’s businesses to my new role in the commercial banking team.”",
"Movers and shakers: A round-up of the latest appointments from Staffordshire",
"Law firms, a clay manufacturer and a banking giant are among the firms which have recently welcomed new recruits"
] |
|
[
"David Laister",
"Image",
"Keepmoat Homes"
] | 2021-01-07T14:59:29 | null | 2021-01-07T14:29:54 |
Third phase in Thurnscoe unlocks £52m investment
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2F360-home-development-unlocked-keepmoat-19580794.json
|
en
| null |
360-home development unlocked as Keepmoat secures land deal in Dearne Valley
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Housebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed a major land deal in its native South Yorkshire.
The Dearne Valley site acquisition, on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, will open up as £52 million development featuring 360 homes.
Previously owned by the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Doncaster-headquartered Keepmoat will partner with Homes England and the local authority to deliver what is a third phase in the area.
School Street, Thurnscoe, will feature two, three and four-bedroom homes with off-street parking and private gardens, of which 5 per cent will be affordable housing.
Public open spaces and a children’s play area are also proposed.
It comes just weeks after four land deals completed for Keepmoat in the region, creating a pipeline of more than 1,000 new builds.
(Image: Keepmoat Homes)
Dan Crew, regional managing director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing to work in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Homes England to deliver our third phase in Thurnscoe.
“As a local developer, with our head office in Yorkshire, this acquisition is a positive step for our ambitious growth plans in South Yorkshire and following the success of previous developments in the area, it’s a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our presence in the town and cement our relationship with the council.
“The new homes are designed for both first time buyers and those looking to up-size, as well as providing much needed provision of more affordable homes. We are driven to make a big impact in the local area and aim to create a new community with open spaces and park facilities for everyone to enjoy.”
The first homes will become available to purchase at the start of 2021 and the development will take around nine years to complete.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/360-home-development-unlocked-keepmoat-19580794
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/b7ed1fc8a4c2d9929acafab1257cbf4bafe18eef2ce37f732ac714442bfea206.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nHousebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed a major land deal in its native South Yorkshire.\nThe Dearne Valley site acquisition, on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, will open up as £52 million development featuring 360 homes.\nPreviously owned by the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Doncaster-headquartered Keepmoat will partner with Homes England and the local authority to deliver what is a third phase in the area.\nSchool Street, Thurnscoe, will feature two, three and four-bedroom homes with off-street parking and private gardens, of which 5 per cent will be affordable housing.\nPublic open spaces and a children’s play area are also proposed.\nIt comes just weeks after four land deals completed for Keepmoat in the region, creating a pipeline of more than 1,000 new builds.\n(Image: Keepmoat Homes)\nDan Crew, regional managing director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing to work in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Homes England to deliver our third phase in Thurnscoe.\n“As a local developer, with our head office in Yorkshire, this acquisition is a positive step for our ambitious growth plans in South Yorkshire and following the success of previous developments in the area, it’s a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our presence in the town and cement our relationship with the council.\n“The new homes are designed for both first time buyers and those looking to up-size, as well as providing much needed provision of more affordable homes. We are driven to make a big impact in the local area and aim to create a new community with open spaces and park facilities for everyone to enjoy.”\nThe first homes will become available to purchase at the start of 2021 and the development will take around nine years to complete.",
"360-home development unlocked as Keepmoat secures land deal in Dearne Valley",
"Third phase in Thurnscoe unlocks £52m investment"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield",
"Image",
"Pa"
] | 2021-01-26T17:12:37 | null | 2021-01-26T16:29:00 |
Research by Santander found that small firms in the North East fear that business will not return to pre-pandemic levels until May 2022
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fsme-owners-fear-future-suffer-19704946.json
|
en
| null |
SME owners fear for future and suffer mental health issues, research finds
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
One in 12 SMEs don’t expect to survive the coronavirus pandemic, new research suggests.
The research commissioned by Santander also found that small firms in the North East don’t expect business to recover to pre-pandemic levels for more than a year, with almost half (43%) saying they have been performing badly since the start of the pandemic.
Firms in the region say their profits have fallen by an average of 12.3% since the start of the pandemic, the highest level of any UK region.
And almost a third - 29% - say they are unsure whether they want to continue running their business as a result of the impact on their mental health.
Susan Davies, head of business banking at Santander UK, said: “Small businesses have proven their resilience so far, and their hunger to survive and thrive is palpable. With the growth of remote working, small businesses across the country will be at the forefront of our economic revival, but 2021 will be a crunch year for many, with a lot riding on a successful vaccine rollout.
“While there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, extensions to VAT deferrals, the furlough scheme and business rates relief could provide businesses with additional breathing space.
"We have been working tirelessly to support small business owners throughout the pandemic - from online workshops, ecommerce training and mental health support – and we will continue to help them find solutions to the huge challenges they are currently facing.”
The Santander research found that just over a fifth (21%) of 21% SMEs in the North East have started or increased sales through a dedicated online shop as a result of the pandemic, but 69% said that selling their product or services online or through social media was not an option.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/sme-owners-fear-future-suffer-19704946
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/bfc1c6696b75073d7a2b09f5addebe71fc8b467e68b8696238c1647e347cb623.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North East Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nOne in 12 SMEs don’t expect to survive the coronavirus pandemic, new research suggests.\nThe research commissioned by Santander also found that small firms in the North East don’t expect business to recover to pre-pandemic levels for more than a year, with almost half (43%) saying they have been performing badly since the start of the pandemic.\nFirms in the region say their profits have fallen by an average of 12.3% since the start of the pandemic, the highest level of any UK region.\nAnd almost a third - 29% - say they are unsure whether they want to continue running their business as a result of the impact on their mental health.\nSusan Davies, head of business banking at Santander UK, said: “Small businesses have proven their resilience so far, and their hunger to survive and thrive is palpable. With the growth of remote working, small businesses across the country will be at the forefront of our economic revival, but 2021 will be a crunch year for many, with a lot riding on a successful vaccine rollout.\n“While there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, extensions to VAT deferrals, the furlough scheme and business rates relief could provide businesses with additional breathing space.\n\"We have been working tirelessly to support small business owners throughout the pandemic - from online workshops, ecommerce training and mental health support – and we will continue to help them find solutions to the huge challenges they are currently facing.”\nThe Santander research found that just over a fifth (21%) of 21% SMEs in the North East have started or increased sales through a dedicated online shop as a result of the pandemic, but 69% said that selling their product or services online or through social media was not an option.",
"SME owners fear for future and suffer mental health issues, research finds",
"Research by Santander found that small firms in the North East fear that business will not return to pre-pandemic levels until May 2022"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Finch"
] | 2021-01-18T14:12:51 | null | 2021-01-18T13:49:50 |
The Cornwall-based retailer, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, has ridden out the pandemic so far because of strong online presence and strong Cornish identity
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fslippers-socks-lead-soaring-sales-19648004.json
|
en
| null |
Slippers and socks lead soaring sales for Cornish clothing brand Seasalt
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Cornwall's fast growing fashion brand Seasalt has seen sales reach £75million this year, a rise on last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Strong online sales have seen the brand, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, grow turnover to £75.4million, an increase of 15% on the prior year and the 11th successive year of 15%+ sales growth.
It has reported operating profit of £1million and profit before tax of £700,000 – level-year-on year after adjusting for unrealised foreign currency movements.
It has revealed a gross profit margin of 55% and underlying EBITDA of £4.4milion.
Chief Executive Paul Hayes said that a strong online presence, reaching custiomers where and when they want to shop combined with a strong Cornish identity had underlined the success.
The business was ranked 38 in the list of Top 150 biggest firms in Devon and Cornwall in the Western Morning News Annual Business Guide 2020.
He said: "Staying close to our customers, being able to understand their needs and never forgetting our Cornish roots has helped us deliver this strong performance and allowed us to adapt at pace during the pandemic.”
“We had started our digital transformation well before the first lockdown, but the events of the past year have accelerated all our plans. We now make approximately two-thirds of our sales online and while our stores remain a vital and constantly-evolving part of the business, we expect a much higher percentage of sales to be digital from now on.
“As we begin our 40th anniversary year, we have taken the steps necessary to prepare Seasalt for the challenges ahead and we are well positioned for continued success as the economy recovers.”
The brand, which was also rolling pout a number of store openings across the UK before the pandemic hit, was forced to make redundancies in June this year, affecting up to 10% of its head office staff in Falmouth.
Like all bricks-and-mortar retailers, the store closures through repeated lockdowns and restrictions has caused severe disruption to trading in Seasalt’s store estate and will continue to do so for at least the early part of 2021, says the report.
Store sales for the year ended 30th January 2021 are expected to be approximately 57% lower than those of the year ended 1st February 2020, the trading update reports.
The reduction has had a significant impact on the profitability of the store estate and discussions are ongoing with landlords, who are mostly being very supportive partners.
Mr Hayes said: "Our stores remain a vital part of the business and we can’t wait for them to reopen. We know customers love to touch and feel our products and spend time with our staff, with many shopping online and in the stores. The experience we offer in our stores is unique and remains challenging to replicate online."
If you want more stories like this... You can sign up to our daily e-bulletin of business news in the South West or our weekly round-up of the best articles on enterprise and retail. Sign up here.
He said that staying close by communicating with customers has been vital during the pandemic.
He said: "Our communication with customers has been authentic and built on the emotional connection we have with them and their love of Cornwall. Our stories attached to our heritage are key to what we do and it’s that authenticity we believe our customers enjoyed coupled with consistently great product."
Online sales have grown well above expectations, with customers responding to a mixture of brand content, Cornwall-inspired activities and positive messaging. Current expectations for the year ended 30th January 2021 are for online sales to have increased by 72% year on year, reflecting high demand for Seasalt’s relaxed style of clothing as customers adapted to spending more time at home. Overall, across all sales channels, sales are expected to be only 9% down year on year.
Seasalt has embraced online selling, including partnerships with European ecommerce site Zalando and eBay which has reached new customers. Online sales now account for 67% of sales and are expected to remain the dominant channel after stores reopen.
Customers are adapting to working from home with sales of women’s socks, slippers and trousers more than doubling.
The launch of virtual and in-store appointments when allowed have providing customers with a personalised experienced in a safe and comfortable environment.
For the five-week period ended 2nd January 2021, overall sales increased by 17% compared with the same period last year, with a 44% fall in store sales more than compensated for by a 95% rise in online trade. International sales increased by 20% in the same period.
Malcolm Macdonald, Seasalt Chief Finance Officer, said: “I am pleased to say momentum from a strong set of financial results last year carried on into the new financial year and through Christmas.
“By being available to customers where and when they want to shop, Seasalt has been able to continue to trade successfully through a period of enormous uncertainty in the retail sector.”
Is ecommerce the future for retail or will High Street shops survive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
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https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/slippers-socks-lead-soaring-sales-19648004
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/2da2a994ba50207934d275a84eb8a1e7c1d6b0f0fb157c35e45c5650158e4628.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nCornwall's fast growing fashion brand Seasalt has seen sales reach £75million this year, a rise on last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic.\nStrong online sales have seen the brand, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, grow turnover to £75.4million, an increase of 15% on the prior year and the 11th successive year of 15%+ sales growth.\nIt has reported operating profit of £1million and profit before tax of £700,000 – level-year-on year after adjusting for unrealised foreign currency movements.\nIt has revealed a gross profit margin of 55% and underlying EBITDA of £4.4milion.\nChief Executive Paul Hayes said that a strong online presence, reaching custiomers where and when they want to shop combined with a strong Cornish identity had underlined the success.\nThe business was ranked 38 in the list of Top 150 biggest firms in Devon and Cornwall in the Western Morning News Annual Business Guide 2020.\nHe said: \"Staying close to our customers, being able to understand their needs and never forgetting our Cornish roots has helped us deliver this strong performance and allowed us to adapt at pace during the pandemic.”\n“We had started our digital transformation well before the first lockdown, but the events of the past year have accelerated all our plans. We now make approximately two-thirds of our sales online and while our stores remain a vital and constantly-evolving part of the business, we expect a much higher percentage of sales to be digital from now on.\n“As we begin our 40th anniversary year, we have taken the steps necessary to prepare Seasalt for the challenges ahead and we are well positioned for continued success as the economy recovers.”\nThe brand, which was also rolling pout a number of store openings across the UK before the pandemic hit, was forced to make redundancies in June this year, affecting up to 10% of its head office staff in Falmouth.\nLike all bricks-and-mortar retailers, the store closures through repeated lockdowns and restrictions has caused severe disruption to trading in Seasalt’s store estate and will continue to do so for at least the early part of 2021, says the report.\nStore sales for the year ended 30th January 2021 are expected to be approximately 57% lower than those of the year ended 1st February 2020, the trading update reports.\nThe reduction has had a significant impact on the profitability of the store estate and discussions are ongoing with landlords, who are mostly being very supportive partners.\nMr Hayes said: \"Our stores remain a vital part of the business and we can’t wait for them to reopen. We know customers love to touch and feel our products and spend time with our staff, with many shopping online and in the stores. The experience we offer in our stores is unique and remains challenging to replicate online.\"\nIf you want more stories like this... You can sign up to our daily e-bulletin of business news in the South West or our weekly round-up of the best articles on enterprise and retail. Sign up here.\nHe said that staying close by communicating with customers has been vital during the pandemic.\nHe said: \"Our communication with customers has been authentic and built on the emotional connection we have with them and their love of Cornwall. Our stories attached to our heritage are key to what we do and it’s that authenticity we believe our customers enjoyed coupled with consistently great product.\"\nOnline sales have grown well above expectations, with customers responding to a mixture of brand content, Cornwall-inspired activities and positive messaging. Current expectations for the year ended 30th January 2021 are for online sales to have increased by 72% year on year, reflecting high demand for Seasalt’s relaxed style of clothing as customers adapted to spending more time at home. Overall, across all sales channels, sales are expected to be only 9% down year on year.\nSeasalt has embraced online selling, including partnerships with European ecommerce site Zalando and eBay which has reached new customers. Online sales now account for 67% of sales and are expected to remain the dominant channel after stores reopen.\nCustomers are adapting to working from home with sales of women’s socks, slippers and trousers more than doubling.\nThe launch of virtual and in-store appointments when allowed have providing customers with a personalised experienced in a safe and comfortable environment.\nFor the five-week period ended 2nd January 2021, overall sales increased by 17% compared with the same period last year, with a 44% fall in store sales more than compensated for by a 95% rise in online trade. International sales increased by 20% in the same period.\nMalcolm Macdonald, Seasalt Chief Finance Officer, said: “I am pleased to say momentum from a strong set of financial results last year carried on into the new financial year and through Christmas.\n“By being available to customers where and when they want to shop, Seasalt has been able to continue to trade successfully through a period of enormous uncertainty in the retail sector.”\nIs ecommerce the future for retail or will High Street shops survive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below",
"Slippers and socks lead soaring sales for Cornish clothing brand Seasalt",
"The Cornwall-based retailer, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, has ridden out the pandemic so far because of strong online presence and strong Cornish identity"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield"
] | 2021-01-29T08:33:34 | null | 2021-01-29T07:30:00 |
If successful, the deal would be the Manchester online retailer's second raid on the UK high street after Monday's acquisition of Debenhams
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fboohoo-talks-buy-dorothy-perkins-19724243.json
|
en
| null |
Boohoo in talks to buy Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands from Arcadia administrators
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Online fashion retailer Boohoo could be about to make its second raid on the UK high street after confirming it is hoping to buy part of Sir Philip Green's failed Arcadia Group.
The Manchester company, which this week bought the Debenhams brand in a £55m deal that will see all of its stores closed, has said that it is in exclusive talks with Arcadia's administrators on a deal to buy the Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands.
In a statement to the Stock Exchange, Boohoo said that “these discussions may or may not result in agreement of a transaction”.
The potential deal comes as the rise of online retail has been accelerated by the pandemic.
Monday's acquisition of Debenhams gave Boohoo access to its customer database, as well as sectors in which it has not previously been strong, such as beauty, sport and homeware.
If successful, a deal for the three Arcadia brands would also widen Boohoo's appeal to older customers.
The deal would almost certainly mean further closures on the high street, however, and thousands of job losses.
Rival online retailer Asos confirmed this week that it was in talks with Arcadia’s administrators to buy Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and the HIIT brand which is sold in Burton., with that transaction also seeing the brand shut its physical stores and go online only.
Reports this week said that the Arcadia group went into administration with debts of £750m.
The company went into insolvency in Decembr after becoming the latest high street firm battered by the pandemic, putting 13,000 jobs at risk.
The wider problems of the retail sector have been shown by new figures which show that more shops are closing permanently in the face of coronavirus restrictions.
The latest BRC-LDC vacancy monitor revealed that 13.7% of all shops were empty during the quarter to the end of December.
Shopping centres saw a particular surge in shuttered stores, as the vacancy rate jumped to 17.1% from 16.3% in the third quarter. High street vacancies increased to 13.7% from 13.3% in the previous period, though retail parks were more resilient.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/boohoo-talks-buy-dorothy-perkins-19724243
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/e0a0df118812fe3f31ef598fb3cfbf3ebb97e1b68325bb95f59bc3d1ac461b37.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nOnline fashion retailer Boohoo could be about to make its second raid on the UK high street after confirming it is hoping to buy part of Sir Philip Green's failed Arcadia Group.\nThe Manchester company, which this week bought the Debenhams brand in a £55m deal that will see all of its stores closed, has said that it is in exclusive talks with Arcadia's administrators on a deal to buy the Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands.\nIn a statement to the Stock Exchange, Boohoo said that “these discussions may or may not result in agreement of a transaction”.\nThe potential deal comes as the rise of online retail has been accelerated by the pandemic.\nMonday's acquisition of Debenhams gave Boohoo access to its customer database, as well as sectors in which it has not previously been strong, such as beauty, sport and homeware.\nIf successful, a deal for the three Arcadia brands would also widen Boohoo's appeal to older customers.\nThe deal would almost certainly mean further closures on the high street, however, and thousands of job losses.\nRival online retailer Asos confirmed this week that it was in talks with Arcadia’s administrators to buy Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and the HIIT brand which is sold in Burton., with that transaction also seeing the brand shut its physical stores and go online only.\nReports this week said that the Arcadia group went into administration with debts of £750m.\nThe company went into insolvency in Decembr after becoming the latest high street firm battered by the pandemic, putting 13,000 jobs at risk.\nThe wider problems of the retail sector have been shown by new figures which show that more shops are closing permanently in the face of coronavirus restrictions.\nThe latest BRC-LDC vacancy monitor revealed that 13.7% of all shops were empty during the quarter to the end of December.\nShopping centres saw a particular surge in shuttered stores, as the vacancy rate jumped to 17.1% from 16.3% in the third quarter. High street vacancies increased to 13.7% from 13.3% in the previous period, though retail parks were more resilient.",
"Boohoo in talks to buy Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands from Arcadia administrators",
"If successful, the deal would be the Manchester online retailer's second raid on the UK high street after Monday's acquisition of Debenhams"
] |
|
[
"Nick Statham",
"Tom Houghton",
"Image",
"Stockport Council"
] | 2021-01-27T06:09:00 | null | 2021-01-27T05:00:00 |
A report to the council's cabinet makes the case for pushing ahead with the next stage of the huge scheme
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Fstockport-exchange-plans-large-new-19702524.json
|
en
| null |
Stockport Exchange: Plans for large new office block and 400-space car park revealed
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The next phase of the Stockport Exchange development will include a new office block and 400-space multi-storey car park, it's been revealed.
New council papers say the block will be part of the huge scheme's fourth phase. It will be 64,000sq ft in size, aimed at helping Stockport's recovery from the pandemic.
Located next to the town's train station, the previous three stages of the project have already brought two office developments, a 115-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel, and a multi-storey car park to the area.
BASF currently occupies the two top floors of the Phase Three offices completed in May - and town hall bosses are keen to capitalise on the success of the scheme.
A report to the council's cabinet makes the case for pushing ahead with a further phase of development, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
It states: "It is essential to maintain momentum at Stockport Exchange to bolster the proposed transformation of the town centre through the delivery of high quality commercial floor space and employment opportunities."
The document claims the economic advantages of the 64,000 sq ft office development would be 'significant'- and aid Stockport's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also warns that £4.2m secured via the government's Get Building Fund could be at risk if the council 'slows the pace of Stockport Exchange delivery'.
The scheme is not without its complications, however.
It would be built on part of the development's temporary car park - meaning there would no longer be enough spaces to cater for all the businesses based there.
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Provision for current tenants would have to be found at other town centre car parks during the construction of the new multi-storey.
Stockport council bought Stockport Exchange - formerly Grand Central - in 2011, when it was earmarked as a key town centre regeneration site.
As well as new offices and a hotel, it also now boasts a Sainsbury's convenience store and Cafelito coffee shop and has been transformed into a more attractive area.
The various phases have been carried out in partnership with Muse Developments - which is involved in several other schemes across Greater Manchester, including in Bolton and Salford.
Stockport council's economy and regeneration scrutiny committee will consider the report when it meets on Thursday night.
It will then go to cabinet next month for a decision on whether to proceed with the scheme.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/stockport-exchange-plans-large-new-19702524
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4f8a7ef8c0e83cb28b79c321ef1720ecd33e947e5bd6474601254957fad4748a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe next phase of the Stockport Exchange development will include a new office block and 400-space multi-storey car park, it's been revealed.\nNew council papers say the block will be part of the huge scheme's fourth phase. It will be 64,000sq ft in size, aimed at helping Stockport's recovery from the pandemic.\nLocated next to the town's train station, the previous three stages of the project have already brought two office developments, a 115-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel, and a multi-storey car park to the area.\nBASF currently occupies the two top floors of the Phase Three offices completed in May - and town hall bosses are keen to capitalise on the success of the scheme.\nA report to the council's cabinet makes the case for pushing ahead with a further phase of development, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.\nIt states: \"It is essential to maintain momentum at Stockport Exchange to bolster the proposed transformation of the town centre through the delivery of high quality commercial floor space and employment opportunities.\"\nThe document claims the economic advantages of the 64,000 sq ft office development would be 'significant'- and aid Stockport's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.\nIt also warns that £4.2m secured via the government's Get Building Fund could be at risk if the council 'slows the pace of Stockport Exchange delivery'.\nThe scheme is not without its complications, however.\nIt would be built on part of the development's temporary car park - meaning there would no longer be enough spaces to cater for all the businesses based there.\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nProvision for current tenants would have to be found at other town centre car parks during the construction of the new multi-storey.\nStockport council bought Stockport Exchange - formerly Grand Central - in 2011, when it was earmarked as a key town centre regeneration site.\nAs well as new offices and a hotel, it also now boasts a Sainsbury's convenience store and Cafelito coffee shop and has been transformed into a more attractive area.\nThe various phases have been carried out in partnership with Muse Developments - which is involved in several other schemes across Greater Manchester, including in Bolton and Salford.\nStockport council's economy and regeneration scrutiny committee will consider the report when it meets on Thursday night.\nIt will then go to cabinet next month for a decision on whether to proceed with the scheme.",
"Stockport Exchange: Plans for large new office block and 400-space car park revealed",
"A report to the council's cabinet makes the case for pushing ahead with the next stage of the huge scheme"
] |
|
[
"Andrew Arthur",
"Image",
"Westerndailypress",
"Edf",
"Bilfinger"
] | 2021-01-21T12:11:09 | null | 2021-01-21T11:30:00 |
The Portishead-based company will deliver oversized equipment to nuclear power plant
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fmanufacturing%2Fosprey-group-wins-multi-million-19670034.json
|
en
| null |
Osprey Group wins multi-million pound contract with Hinkley Point C
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A logistics company in North Somerset has won a multi-million pound contract to deliver all of the oversized equipment needed for the next stage of construction at Hinkley Point C.
Portishead-based Osprey Group will transport critical assets to the Somerset nuclear power plant, as steam generators, turbines and nuclear reactors continue to be installed at the site near Bridgewater.
Osprey, which has expertise in both marine and heavy land logistics, has a working relationship spanning several years with Hinkley Point C, which is overseen by French energy giant EDF.
John O’Connor, Osprey’s commercial director, said: “Normally, critical assets are called forward by the construction director, and multiple contractors complete the delivery.
“It’s an enormous task to perform this to the tightest of schedules, with so many contractors and interlocking phases of construction. You need a detailed plan and the right specialist heavy-logistics’ resources – all applied intelligently with a best for project, one team mindset.
(Image: EDF / Bilfinger)
“Hinkley Point C is an inspiring project driven by exceptional people – our job is to provide safe, flexible and reliable service every time. It’s an exciting time for Osprey and we look forward to supporting EDF and all Tier 1 contract partners in delivering success together.”
Osprey will transport the equipment manufactured around the world and deliver by water via its dedicated muster port at Avonmouth. From there, deliveries will be made to the build teams on site in line with predefined construction scheduling.
Mr O’Connor added: “This is a brand new, specialist logistics model for receiving critical equipment. All in all, over £1billion of essential, critical assets will move through this operation over the coming years.”
Nigel Cann, Hinkley Point C’s delivery director, said: “It’s fantastic to see a local company step up to the challenge of delivering this volume of critical components for our project.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
“Osprey has already proved to us that they have the capability and expertise to deliver to the high standards of safety, quality and efficiency required for such a complex construction job.
“We set out to ensure that businesses in the region would benefit from HPC and this is the latest example of us delivering on that commitment.”
The nuclear plant aims to generate low carbon emission for six million homes over 60 years.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/osprey-group-wins-multi-million-19670034
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/c67f0ec354a30c7977ff5ededd35f16f74561949d368a345d92899dcaf2ec17e.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA logistics company in North Somerset has won a multi-million pound contract to deliver all of the oversized equipment needed for the next stage of construction at Hinkley Point C.\nPortishead-based Osprey Group will transport critical assets to the Somerset nuclear power plant, as steam generators, turbines and nuclear reactors continue to be installed at the site near Bridgewater.\nOsprey, which has expertise in both marine and heavy land logistics, has a working relationship spanning several years with Hinkley Point C, which is overseen by French energy giant EDF.\nJohn O’Connor, Osprey’s commercial director, said: “Normally, critical assets are called forward by the construction director, and multiple contractors complete the delivery.\n“It’s an enormous task to perform this to the tightest of schedules, with so many contractors and interlocking phases of construction. You need a detailed plan and the right specialist heavy-logistics’ resources – all applied intelligently with a best for project, one team mindset.\n(Image: EDF / Bilfinger)\n“Hinkley Point C is an inspiring project driven by exceptional people – our job is to provide safe, flexible and reliable service every time. It’s an exciting time for Osprey and we look forward to supporting EDF and all Tier 1 contract partners in delivering success together.”\nOsprey will transport the equipment manufactured around the world and deliver by water via its dedicated muster port at Avonmouth. From there, deliveries will be made to the build teams on site in line with predefined construction scheduling.\nMr O’Connor added: “This is a brand new, specialist logistics model for receiving critical equipment. All in all, over £1billion of essential, critical assets will move through this operation over the coming years.”\nNigel Cann, Hinkley Point C’s delivery director, said: “It’s fantastic to see a local company step up to the challenge of delivering this volume of critical components for our project.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\n“Osprey has already proved to us that they have the capability and expertise to deliver to the high standards of safety, quality and efficiency required for such a complex construction job.\n“We set out to ensure that businesses in the region would benefit from HPC and this is the latest example of us delivering on that commitment.”\nThe nuclear plant aims to generate low carbon emission for six million homes over 60 years.",
"Osprey Group wins multi-million pound contract with Hinkley Point C",
"The Portishead-based company will deliver oversized equipment to nuclear power plant"
] |
|
[
"Tom Pegden"
] | 2021-01-12T13:48:25 | null | 2021-01-12T13:10:52 |
Company cites strong sales of Warhammer 40,000 miniatures and Age of Sigmar range across the world
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fwarhammer-sales-soar-thanks-another-19609826.json
|
en
| null |
Warhammer sales soar thanks to “another cracking performance from a truly amazing global team”
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Profits are up 50 per cent at Warhammer creator Games Workshop on the back of strong global sales in what bosses called “another cracking performance”.
The tabletop gaming firm, headquartered in Lenton, Nottingham, said pre-tax profits for the half year to November 29, jumped 56.3 percent to £91.6 million.
Total sales for the period were up 27 percent to £168.8 million - compared to £148.8 million for the six months before the pandemic hit.
The company, which is valued at around £3.8 billion, said store sales slumped by 18.5 percent to £37.3 million as a result of coronavirus restrictions.
Chief executive Kevin Rountree labelled the results “another cracking performance from a truly amazing global team”.
He said it had been a “solid six months building on the great progress and profitable growth we have been consistently delivering over the last five years”.
He said: “In line with our earlier announcement regarding repayment of furlough support and other government subsidies, we are also in the process of cancelling the UK expanded business rates retail discount scheme for 2020/21.
“We made no claims for financial support or subsidies from government during the period.”
The global firm runs the business from it’s Nottingham site.
With its new East Midlands Gateway hub near Nottingham now finished, the ‘old’ finished goods warehouse in Lenton, Nottingham, is planned to be reconfigured as an on-site component warehouse and space to support production of paint and resin miniatures.
Founded in 1975, the firm, which began life as a mail-order business for fantasy role-playing games, now makes tens of millions of models a year.
It is attributing the record sales, profit levels and cash generation in the current reporting period to “a step change in unit sales of our Warhammer 40,000 miniatures across the world; our full range, including Age of Sigmar, has sold well too”.
The firm has performed particularly well in North America following increased investment.
The business said: “Our manufacturing, warehousing and support teams at our main HQ in Nottingham and warehouse hubs in Memphis, Tennessee and Sydney, Australia not only worked well within our new health and safety procedures but they have also made, picked and packed a significant increase in volume compared to the same period last year.
“The majority of our 529 retail stores have been restricted or closed during the period, following local government guidelines.
"It was great to see, during the periods our stores were allowed to open, our store managers doing a fantastic job of delivering their normal outrageous service for our loyal customers during such a challenging time.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/warhammer-sales-soar-thanks-another-19609826
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4c0c2d7196f8bf424362e78d6d5a9b72adbe396203b18bd5bd7f486b085f75be.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nProfits are up 50 per cent at Warhammer creator Games Workshop on the back of strong global sales in what bosses called “another cracking performance”.\nThe tabletop gaming firm, headquartered in Lenton, Nottingham, said pre-tax profits for the half year to November 29, jumped 56.3 percent to £91.6 million.\nTotal sales for the period were up 27 percent to £168.8 million - compared to £148.8 million for the six months before the pandemic hit.\nThe company, which is valued at around £3.8 billion, said store sales slumped by 18.5 percent to £37.3 million as a result of coronavirus restrictions.\nChief executive Kevin Rountree labelled the results “another cracking performance from a truly amazing global team”.\nHe said it had been a “solid six months building on the great progress and profitable growth we have been consistently delivering over the last five years”.\nHe said: “In line with our earlier announcement regarding repayment of furlough support and other government subsidies, we are also in the process of cancelling the UK expanded business rates retail discount scheme for 2020/21.\n“We made no claims for financial support or subsidies from government during the period.”\nThe global firm runs the business from it’s Nottingham site.\nWith its new East Midlands Gateway hub near Nottingham now finished, the ‘old’ finished goods warehouse in Lenton, Nottingham, is planned to be reconfigured as an on-site component warehouse and space to support production of paint and resin miniatures.\nFounded in 1975, the firm, which began life as a mail-order business for fantasy role-playing games, now makes tens of millions of models a year.\nIt is attributing the record sales, profit levels and cash generation in the current reporting period to “a step change in unit sales of our Warhammer 40,000 miniatures across the world; our full range, including Age of Sigmar, has sold well too”.\nThe firm has performed particularly well in North America following increased investment.\nThe business said: “Our manufacturing, warehousing and support teams at our main HQ in Nottingham and warehouse hubs in Memphis, Tennessee and Sydney, Australia not only worked well within our new health and safety procedures but they have also made, picked and packed a significant increase in volume compared to the same period last year.\n“The majority of our 529 retail stores have been restricted or closed during the period, following local government guidelines.\n\"It was great to see, during the periods our stores were allowed to open, our store managers doing a fantastic job of delivering their normal outrageous service for our loyal customers during such a challenging time.”",
"Warhammer sales soar thanks to “another cracking performance from a truly amazing global team”",
"Company cites strong sales of Warhammer 40,000 miniatures and Age of Sigmar range across the world"
] |
|
[
"Sam Russell",
"Tom Pegden",
"Image",
"Joe Giddens Pa"
] | 2021-01-26T03:39:07 | null | 2021-01-26T03:00:00 |
Supermarket chains and UK growers see jump in sales for greens such as leaks, sprouts, broccoli and cabbage
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Flockdown-home-cooking-sees-veg-19693463.json
|
en
| null |
Lockdown home cooking sees veg sales rocket
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
More people cooking from scratch during lockdown has led to a rise in demand for fresh veg.
Supermarket chains and UK growers say they have seen sales rocket for greens such as leaks, sprouts, broccoli and cabbage.
In the last year, Tesco has also seen demand for herbs and spices soar by more than 25 per cent as more Britons take to picking up their recipe books and cook from scratch.
Veganism and plant-based events such as Meat Free Mondays and Veganuary also contributed to the surge in sales of greens, according to Lincolnshire-based TH Clements.
The company, based near Boston, is one of the UK’s biggest growers of greens such as sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and spring greens and is a supplier to supermarket giant Tesco.
Tesco said that since the first lockdown in March last year, it has seen increases in its sales of vegetables against the previous year, with the highest increase in leeks, with demand up by more than 30 per cent.
It has also seen increases in sales of cabbage, up nearly 25 per cent; broccoli, up 20 per cent; sprouts, up 10 per cent; kale, up 10 per cent; and spinach, up nearly 10 per cent.
TH Clements spokesman Richard Mowbray said: “In the last year, sales of greens have particularly soared and we are working with Tesco to manage the extra demand by planting more vegetables.
“Greens became part of the nation’s staple post-war meat-and-two-veg diet at school and at home but many kids loathed them because they were made to eat them for health reasons.
“Sales eventually dropped off when fast food outlets began emerging here in the 70s and never fully recovered.
“The good news is that greens are now at their most popular for ages and a big part of that boom is the scratch cooking and vegan booms that are currently taking place.”
Like Tesco, TH Clements is also seeing major increases in demand for vegetables, with the greatest increase for broccoli, up by more than 50 per cent, followed by cabbage, up by 30 per cent.
Tesco fresh vegetables buyer Ben Rowbotham said: “The popularity of greens is soaring right now and it’s down to a combination of the current plant-based revolution and lockdown which is giving people more time to cook from scratch and eat more healthily.
“Greens got their poor image from the post-war baby-boomer generation schoolchildren who generally loathed them as they were always being told to ‘eat their greens’ for health reasons.
“Unfortunately many people used to boil them to death so that you were left with unappetisingly tasteless vegetables swimming around in green water.
“Now, with today’s kitchen equipment, people can easily steam, stir fry and even microwave them to bring out the best flavour and preserve the goodness.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/lockdown-home-cooking-sees-veg-19693463
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/cde7548f80bef2f3698eb980221bbfae95664ad85586910757c885c7daf50d87.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nMore people cooking from scratch during lockdown has led to a rise in demand for fresh veg.\nSupermarket chains and UK growers say they have seen sales rocket for greens such as leaks, sprouts, broccoli and cabbage.\nIn the last year, Tesco has also seen demand for herbs and spices soar by more than 25 per cent as more Britons take to picking up their recipe books and cook from scratch.\nVeganism and plant-based events such as Meat Free Mondays and Veganuary also contributed to the surge in sales of greens, according to Lincolnshire-based TH Clements.\nThe company, based near Boston, is one of the UK’s biggest growers of greens such as sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and spring greens and is a supplier to supermarket giant Tesco.\nTesco said that since the first lockdown in March last year, it has seen increases in its sales of vegetables against the previous year, with the highest increase in leeks, with demand up by more than 30 per cent.\nIt has also seen increases in sales of cabbage, up nearly 25 per cent; broccoli, up 20 per cent; sprouts, up 10 per cent; kale, up 10 per cent; and spinach, up nearly 10 per cent.\nTH Clements spokesman Richard Mowbray said: “In the last year, sales of greens have particularly soared and we are working with Tesco to manage the extra demand by planting more vegetables.\n“Greens became part of the nation’s staple post-war meat-and-two-veg diet at school and at home but many kids loathed them because they were made to eat them for health reasons.\n“Sales eventually dropped off when fast food outlets began emerging here in the 70s and never fully recovered.\n“The good news is that greens are now at their most popular for ages and a big part of that boom is the scratch cooking and vegan booms that are currently taking place.”\nLike Tesco, TH Clements is also seeing major increases in demand for vegetables, with the greatest increase for broccoli, up by more than 50 per cent, followed by cabbage, up by 30 per cent.\nTesco fresh vegetables buyer Ben Rowbotham said: “The popularity of greens is soaring right now and it’s down to a combination of the current plant-based revolution and lockdown which is giving people more time to cook from scratch and eat more healthily.\n“Greens got their poor image from the post-war baby-boomer generation schoolchildren who generally loathed them as they were always being told to ‘eat their greens’ for health reasons.\n“Unfortunately many people used to boil them to death so that you were left with unappetisingly tasteless vegetables swimming around in green water.\n“Now, with today’s kitchen equipment, people can easily steam, stir fry and even microwave them to bring out the best flavour and preserve the goodness.”",
"Lockdown home cooking sees veg sales rocket",
"Supermarket chains and UK growers see jump in sales for greens such as leaks, sprouts, broccoli and cabbage"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-08T11:36:38 | null | 2021-01-08T11:15:50 |
It achieved strong sales last year despite the Covid pandemic
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Ftoy-maker-sambro-international-eyes-19586343.json
|
en
| null |
Toy maker Sambro International eyes growth after receiving £13m Barclays funding
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Manchester-based international toy maker and distributor is assessing growth opportunities after it secured a £13m funding package from Barclays.
Sambro International is a global supplier of licensed toys, stationery and arts and craft products, and said it achieved strong sales throughout last year despite the Covid pandemic.
The firm employs around 90 staff with offices in Bury, Hong Kong and Amsterdam, and said it will now continue its growth aspirations.
Tony Hicks, CEO, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Barclays’ team and have been very impressed with their desire to understand our business and build a strong partnership approach.
"The next few years will be very exciting for our business.”
Tom Falcon, chairman of Sambro and partner at Elysian, which has backed Sambro since 2016, added: “We have been really impressed by Sambro’s resilience and business improvements over this challenging period.
“Combining Sambro’s highly capable team with Barclays Bank support, the platform has been laid for a period of accelerated growth.
"Sambro can pursue new opportunities and markets and we are excited by the future for the business.”
Matt Ryan, head of north and midlands large corporate retail and wholesale at Barclays, added: “Barclays has been building a close relationship with Sambro International since it was acquired by Elysian in 2016 and I’m delighted to see this latest facility put in place to support their continued growth aspirations.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/toy-maker-sambro-international-eyes-19586343
|
en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/7c1f75ca265cce86a3b2916dfe8f614e912fb782f74c5c7923eca57251e0fc7b.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Manchester-based international toy maker and distributor is assessing growth opportunities after it secured a £13m funding package from Barclays.\nSambro International is a global supplier of licensed toys, stationery and arts and craft products, and said it achieved strong sales throughout last year despite the Covid pandemic.\nThe firm employs around 90 staff with offices in Bury, Hong Kong and Amsterdam, and said it will now continue its growth aspirations.\nTony Hicks, CEO, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Barclays’ team and have been very impressed with their desire to understand our business and build a strong partnership approach.\n\"The next few years will be very exciting for our business.”\nTom Falcon, chairman of Sambro and partner at Elysian, which has backed Sambro since 2016, added: “We have been really impressed by Sambro’s resilience and business improvements over this challenging period.\n“Combining Sambro’s highly capable team with Barclays Bank support, the platform has been laid for a period of accelerated growth.\n\"Sambro can pursue new opportunities and markets and we are excited by the future for the business.”\nMatt Ryan, head of north and midlands large corporate retail and wholesale at Barclays, added: “Barclays has been building a close relationship with Sambro International since it was acquired by Elysian in 2016 and I’m delighted to see this latest facility put in place to support their continued growth aspirations.”",
"Toy maker Sambro International eyes growth after receiving £13m Barclays funding",
"It achieved strong sales last year despite the Covid pandemic"
] |
|
[
"Owen Hughes",
"Image",
"Bailey",
"Partners"
] | 2021-01-20T11:48:09 | null | 2021-01-20T10:41:49 |
The high head run of river scheme has a potential installed capacity of in excess of 500kW
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Ffamily-behind-snowdonia-hydropower-project-19661993.json
|
en
| null |
Family behind Snowdonia hydropower project seeks investors
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Investors are wanted for a Snowdonia hydropower project being developed by a Welsh farming family.
The project within the Snowdonia National Park is a high head run of river scheme with a potential installed capacity of in excess of 500kW.
The current owners have already secured an abstraction and impoundment licence through the regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) but need further investment to take it to the next stage.
The scheme is now being marketed by Baileys and Partners who described as an “exciting opportunity”.
Director Edmund Bailey said he had already received a high level of interest just days after advertising the scheme.
He said this had come from hydro investors and developers as well as community ventures - but he also expects heavy industry may see this as a way of off-setting their carbon use.
He added: “Whilst the Feed in Tariff (FiT) support mechanism is not available for this scheme, we envisage the motivations to invest coming from those who are ambitiously trying to meet net zero carbon emissions whilst also considering their corporate reputation and corporate social responsibility and governance.
Sign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.
As well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.
“The market for carbon investments linked to the urgency of the climate agenda has significantly boosted interest in the voluntary market for different types of carbon offsets.”
He added: ”In addition to producing renewable energy, the scheme has the capacity for facilitating biodiversity enhancement as it is located within an environmentally and culturally important setting.
“The income arising from scheme should also be able to contribute to ongoing positive management of the surrounding farmland.”
To have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/family-behind-snowdonia-hydropower-project-19661993
|
en
| 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/106e6a7674b49047a77231b7d846baa9f5ab5ab6f3b7ba046aa004b052ee2b69.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nInvestors are wanted for a Snowdonia hydropower project being developed by a Welsh farming family.\nThe project within the Snowdonia National Park is a high head run of river scheme with a potential installed capacity of in excess of 500kW.\nThe current owners have already secured an abstraction and impoundment licence through the regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) but need further investment to take it to the next stage.\nThe scheme is now being marketed by Baileys and Partners who described as an “exciting opportunity”.\nDirector Edmund Bailey said he had already received a high level of interest just days after advertising the scheme.\nHe said this had come from hydro investors and developers as well as community ventures - but he also expects heavy industry may see this as a way of off-setting their carbon use.\nHe added: “Whilst the Feed in Tariff (FiT) support mechanism is not available for this scheme, we envisage the motivations to invest coming from those who are ambitiously trying to meet net zero carbon emissions whilst also considering their corporate reputation and corporate social responsibility and governance.\nSign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.\nAs well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.\n“The market for carbon investments linked to the urgency of the climate agenda has significantly boosted interest in the voluntary market for different types of carbon offsets.”\nHe added: ”In addition to producing renewable energy, the scheme has the capacity for facilitating biodiversity enhancement as it is located within an environmentally and culturally important setting.\n“The income arising from scheme should also be able to contribute to ongoing positive management of the surrounding farmland.”\nTo have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article",
"Family behind Snowdonia hydropower project seeks investors",
"The high head run of river scheme has a potential installed capacity of in excess of 500kW"
] |
|
[
"Alistair Houghton"
] | 2021-01-21T16:44:09 | null | 2021-01-21T08:40:00 |
New self-serve platform driven by feedback to make life easier for business owners
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fpartners%2Fsetting-up-advertising-campaigns-now-19671748.json
|
en
| null |
Setting up advertising campaigns is now as easy as ordering online shopping
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Reaching an engaged audience across Yorkshire and the UK is as simple as ordering online shopping - thanks to the introduction of a new self-serve advertising platform.
Reach Ad Manager allows business owners and agencies to quickly upload campaigns to the Reach online network, which includes this website and dozens of leading local newsbrands. It's the UK's biggest news network, reaching more than 42 million people every month.
Once approved, ads will appear online in as little as 48 hours, and customers can tweak and monitor their campaigns via a live dashboard.
Based on feedback that the traditional ad booking process can be lengthy and convoluted, the new platform has been designed with ease-of-use in mind. New campaigns can be created in just four simple steps.
Nick Copson, commercial marketing director for Reach Regionals, said: "We've listened to our customers and one common thread is they want a quick and easy way to upload their own campaigns to the Reach network, in their own time and under their own steam.
"Reach Ad Manager has been introduced precisely to address this feedback. Our customers can now grow their businesses by accessing our unrivalled online audience in just a few clicks. It's as easy as doing an online shop. It's completely secure too - the platform is powered by DanAds, which is also used by eBay, Expedia and Trip Advisor."
"Last year has also shown that it's important for business owners to take matters into their own hands as they plot a course around the obstacles that the Covid pandemic has presented. Reach Ad Manager provides them with complete control over their campaigns, enabling them to adjust targeting strategies, add new creative or pause campaigns as and when they see fit."
Reach Ad Manager is available here.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/partners/setting-up-advertising-campaigns-now-19671748
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/302f470de1d931b50a56daa799a6d1da34ff551655d2d963464f62b3da2b2539.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nReaching an engaged audience across Yorkshire and the UK is as simple as ordering online shopping - thanks to the introduction of a new self-serve advertising platform.\nReach Ad Manager allows business owners and agencies to quickly upload campaigns to the Reach online network, which includes this website and dozens of leading local newsbrands. It's the UK's biggest news network, reaching more than 42 million people every month.\nOnce approved, ads will appear online in as little as 48 hours, and customers can tweak and monitor their campaigns via a live dashboard.\nBased on feedback that the traditional ad booking process can be lengthy and convoluted, the new platform has been designed with ease-of-use in mind. New campaigns can be created in just four simple steps.\nNick Copson, commercial marketing director for Reach Regionals, said: \"We've listened to our customers and one common thread is they want a quick and easy way to upload their own campaigns to the Reach network, in their own time and under their own steam.\n\"Reach Ad Manager has been introduced precisely to address this feedback. Our customers can now grow their businesses by accessing our unrivalled online audience in just a few clicks. It's as easy as doing an online shop. It's completely secure too - the platform is powered by DanAds, which is also used by eBay, Expedia and Trip Advisor.\"\n\"Last year has also shown that it's important for business owners to take matters into their own hands as they plot a course around the obstacles that the Covid pandemic has presented. Reach Ad Manager provides them with complete control over their campaigns, enabling them to adjust targeting strategies, add new creative or pause campaigns as and when they see fit.\"\nReach Ad Manager is available here.",
"Setting up advertising campaigns is now as easy as ordering online shopping",
"New self-serve platform driven by feedback to make life easier for business owners"
] |
|
[
"Owen Hughes",
"Image",
"Stena Line"
] | 2021-01-14T11:36:31 | null | 2021-01-14T11:26:27 |
Stena Line is moving its new vessel from Liverpool-Belfast to the Rosslare-Cherbourg route
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fports-logistics%2Fstena-embla-joins-brexi-dus-19623260.json
|
en
| null |
Stena Embla joins 'Brexi-dus' from UK's Irish Sea ports as trade falls
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Stena Line’s latest ferry has been taken off the Belfast-Liverpool route as post-Brexit trade plummets at the UK's Irish Sea ports.
Ports like Holyhead and Fishguard have seen a huge cut in freight after the end of the transition period - seeing Stena cut sailings from both of the Welsh ports.
The new red-tape on trade between mainland UK and the island of Ireland has hit services - with goods either not sent or re-directed on direct EU to Ireland routes.
It has also been Irish Ferries switch its giant WB Yeats vessel from Holyhead-Dublin to Rosslare-Cherbourg.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week claimed the fact Holyhead was quiet showed that truckers were instead switching to direct mainland UK to Northern Ireland routes.
But now Stena have revealed they are taking the brand-new Stena Embla off the Liverpool-Belfast service and moving the vessel to the Rosslare-Cherbourg route.
(Image: Stena Line)
They said it was due to the current Brexit related shift for direct routes and increasing customer demand.
It is hoped these moves will be temporary as retailers and hauliers get to grips with the additional paperwork for trade.
Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Irish Sea trade director, said: “Given the short-term market distortion, we have decided to temporarily deploy our new Stena Embla vessel on the Rosslare – Cherbourg route.
"Clearly Brexit has created an increase in the demand for direct freight routes, and in particular driver accompanied freight, so the addition of Stena Embla, whilst temporary, plus the recently introduced Stena Foreteller to the route will provide a welcome addition for our customers at this time.
“Stena Line has always prided itself on being flexible when it comes to the efficient deployment of its fleet.
"Having very experienced onshore and onboard teams means that we are able to respond to market and customer demands rapidly. At present we are currently reviewing our Rosslare-Cherbourg operations and will keep engaging with our customers to identify the most appropriate Stena Line operation for the route."
To have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/ports-logistics/stena-embla-joins-brexi-dus-19623260
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/ac23db9f312d3063c956658e2ebf1b36af32f0e9b9bf6c3491037138f7af335d.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - National Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nStena Line’s latest ferry has been taken off the Belfast-Liverpool route as post-Brexit trade plummets at the UK's Irish Sea ports.\nPorts like Holyhead and Fishguard have seen a huge cut in freight after the end of the transition period - seeing Stena cut sailings from both of the Welsh ports.\nThe new red-tape on trade between mainland UK and the island of Ireland has hit services - with goods either not sent or re-directed on direct EU to Ireland routes.\nIt has also been Irish Ferries switch its giant WB Yeats vessel from Holyhead-Dublin to Rosslare-Cherbourg.\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson this week claimed the fact Holyhead was quiet showed that truckers were instead switching to direct mainland UK to Northern Ireland routes.\nBut now Stena have revealed they are taking the brand-new Stena Embla off the Liverpool-Belfast service and moving the vessel to the Rosslare-Cherbourg route.\n(Image: Stena Line)\nThey said it was due to the current Brexit related shift for direct routes and increasing customer demand.\nIt is hoped these moves will be temporary as retailers and hauliers get to grips with the additional paperwork for trade.\nPaul Grant, Stena Line’s Irish Sea trade director, said: “Given the short-term market distortion, we have decided to temporarily deploy our new Stena Embla vessel on the Rosslare – Cherbourg route.\n\"Clearly Brexit has created an increase in the demand for direct freight routes, and in particular driver accompanied freight, so the addition of Stena Embla, whilst temporary, plus the recently introduced Stena Foreteller to the route will provide a welcome addition for our customers at this time.\n“Stena Line has always prided itself on being flexible when it comes to the efficient deployment of its fleet.\n\"Having very experienced onshore and onboard teams means that we are able to respond to market and customer demands rapidly. At present we are currently reviewing our Rosslare-Cherbourg operations and will keep engaging with our customers to identify the most appropriate Stena Line operation for the route.\"\nTo have your say on this story please use our comments section at the top of this article",
"Stena Embla joins 'Brexi-dus' from UK's Irish Sea ports as trade falls",
"Stena Line is moving its new vessel from Liverpool-Belfast to the Rosslare-Cherbourg route"
] |
|
[
"Tamlyn Jones"
] | 2021-01-26T10:19:50 | null | 2021-01-26T10:00:00 |
Birmingham Publicity Association is hosting a webinar on Thursday to discuss findings of new survey
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fbirminghams-media-creative-sectors-fare-19700420.json
|
en
| null |
Birmingham's media and creative sectors 'fare well' but challenges persist
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The marketing, media and creative industries in Birmingham have fared well during lockdown but have still been hit by challenges, according to new research.
The poll, undertaken by trade group the Birmingham Publicity Association (BPA), analysed the views of businesses, employees and freelancers about how the covid-19 pandemic had impacted them.
The issues facing the sector, along with the results of the survey, will be discussed at an online event later this week.
The survey revealed that every respondent's organisation had managed to secure new business over the past ten months, despite government restrictions and lockdown pressure.
A further 75 per cent of those questioned said new technology had played a significant role in helping people adapt to the change in circumstances.
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
However, 45 per cent of respondents said they had been forced to reduce staffing numbers and 95 per cent felt increased levels of stress throughout this time.
Productivity levels increased, according to the research, with 80 per cent of respondents saying they had been more productive while working from home.
The survey also revealed some optimism as 65 per cent expected to be back to pre-covid levels of work by the end of 2021.
The BPA is hosting a webinar called '2021 Vision' on Thursday January 28 at 2pm to discuss the findings of the survey and how this will impact the coming year.
Among the topics up for debate are how covid-19 will impact the sector both professionally and personally and which issues need to be addressed.
Panelists include Birmingham Design Festival director Dan Alcorn, Marc Reeves, Midlands marketplace publisher for BusinessLive publisher Reach plc, CX2 Talent Solutions founder of Dan Rodrigues and Tara Tomes, founder of PR agency East Village.
BPA chairman Mark McDonagh said: "Overall, it's good to see that the industry is weathering the storm.
"However, it's not been without its challenges which have no doubt created levels of stress for almost everyone but there are positives to look forward to.
"The discussion will canvas the opinion of thought leaders from within the industry in Birmingham and also give us the opportunity to engage with our business community."
Mr Reeves added: "The talk will be a great way to check the temperature of the industry at the start of the year.
"It will act as a barometer for what we believe will be coming over the next few months during such uncertain times."
Visit Eventbrite to book a place at the webinar which is expected to last an hour.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/birminghams-media-creative-sectors-fare-19700420
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/07a3dc1f72f6c44ad074cf927aabce56981dec9643391ce285891ce281faedf5.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe marketing, media and creative industries in Birmingham have fared well during lockdown but have still been hit by challenges, according to new research.\nThe poll, undertaken by trade group the Birmingham Publicity Association (BPA), analysed the views of businesses, employees and freelancers about how the covid-19 pandemic had impacted them.\nThe issues facing the sector, along with the results of the survey, will be discussed at an online event later this week.\nThe survey revealed that every respondent's organisation had managed to secure new business over the past ten months, despite government restrictions and lockdown pressure.\nA further 75 per cent of those questioned said new technology had played a significant role in helping people adapt to the change in circumstances.\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nHowever, 45 per cent of respondents said they had been forced to reduce staffing numbers and 95 per cent felt increased levels of stress throughout this time.\nProductivity levels increased, according to the research, with 80 per cent of respondents saying they had been more productive while working from home.\nThe survey also revealed some optimism as 65 per cent expected to be back to pre-covid levels of work by the end of 2021.\nThe BPA is hosting a webinar called '2021 Vision' on Thursday January 28 at 2pm to discuss the findings of the survey and how this will impact the coming year.\nAmong the topics up for debate are how covid-19 will impact the sector both professionally and personally and which issues need to be addressed.\nPanelists include Birmingham Design Festival director Dan Alcorn, Marc Reeves, Midlands marketplace publisher for BusinessLive publisher Reach plc, CX2 Talent Solutions founder of Dan Rodrigues and Tara Tomes, founder of PR agency East Village.\nBPA chairman Mark McDonagh said: \"Overall, it's good to see that the industry is weathering the storm.\n\"However, it's not been without its challenges which have no doubt created levels of stress for almost everyone but there are positives to look forward to.\n\"The discussion will canvas the opinion of thought leaders from within the industry in Birmingham and also give us the opportunity to engage with our business community.\"\nMr Reeves added: \"The talk will be a great way to check the temperature of the industry at the start of the year.\n\"It will act as a barometer for what we believe will be coming over the next few months during such uncertain times.\"\nVisit Eventbrite to book a place at the webinar which is expected to last an hour.",
"Birmingham's media and creative sectors 'fare well' but challenges persist",
"Birmingham Publicity Association is hosting a webinar on Thursday to discuss findings of new survey"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Finch"
] | 2021-01-11T03:20:42 | null | 2021-01-11T00:01:00 |
Sluggish sales and cancelled orders tarred business performance in December but vaccine hopes have boosted optimism for the year ahead.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fpartners%2Fsouth-west-firms-feel-rough-19589694.json
|
en
| null |
South West firms feel the rough end of 2020 but there are high hopes for 2021, new data reveals
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Firms across the South West had a tough end to 2020 with sales down and rising costs.
But the Covid-19 vaccine has prompted optimism for the year ahead, according to the latest PMI data from Natwest.
Private sector companies in the South West saw further declines in both output and new orders in December as the pandemic continued to dampen customer demand.
Want more South West news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive South West is your home for business news in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from the region and we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Nonetheless, business confidence regarding the year-ahead held close to a record-high on hopes that a vaccine roll-out and easing of public health measures would lead to a strong rebound in economic conditions.
The headline NatWest South West Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – edged down from 47.1 in November to 46.9 in December, to extend the current sequence of falling output to three months. Though modest, the rate of contraction was the steepest seen since June.
The essential guide to lockdown 3 in England Time off explained
Business support
Paul Edwards, Chairman of the NatWest South West Regional Board, said: “Businesses across the South West had a tough end to 2020, and saw further declines in both new orders and activity. The pandemic continued to heavily weigh on performance, with clients often cancelling or delaying orders due to uncertainty over the trajectory of the virus and restrictions to contain it.
"On a more positive note, the roll-out of vaccines and the prospect of an end to the public health crisis meant that business confidence held close to November's record high. However, the path to recovery is likely to be prolonged, as rising virus cases and a renewed national lockdown will cause further disruption to business operations and weaken spending.”
Adjusted for seasonality, the New Business Index signalled a third successive monthly decline in new orders placed with South West private sector firms in December. Panel members often mentioned that customer demand was generally weak due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on trade and travel. That said, the rate of contraction was the slowest seen over the current period of reduction and only modest.
Across the UK as a whole, new work fell only fractionally.
Optimism towards the year-ahead remained historically sharp in December, despite easing from November's record high. Companies in the South West frequently linked positive projections for activity to expectations that customer demand will rebound once the pandemic is under control and trading conditions normalise.
At the UK level, sentiment regarding the 12-month outlook for output was little-changed from November, and not quite as strong as that seen in the South West.
South West private sector firms reported a further fall in staffing levels during December. Though solid, the rate of job shedding eased notably from November and was the softest recorded in the current ten-month sequence of decline. Several monitored companies indicated that employment had declined due to redundancies stemming from the pandemic.
At the national level, workforce numbers also fell at a much weaker pace, and one that was slightly softer than seen in the South West.
December data revealed a sustained drop in unfinished workloads at South West private sector firms, thereby stretching the current sequence of decline to 26 months. The rate of backlog depletion eased slightly to the weakest for three months, but remained solid overall. Lower amounts of work-in-hand (but not yet completed) were often linked to spare capacity amid muted sales and efforts to improve efficiency.
The level of outstanding business at the UK level fell for the third month in a row in December, though the rate of reduction remained modest and slower than that in the South West.
South West private sector firms signalled a sharp and accelerated rise in average input prices during December. Moreover, the rate of inflation was the steepest recorded since late-2018 and exceeded the long-run series average. Supplier price hikes, often attributed to stock shortages, as well as increased staffing costs were linked to the latest upturn in operating expenses.
A sharper rise in input prices was also seen across the UK as a whole at the end of 2020. That said, the rate of inflation remained below that seen in the South West.
Although input costs continued to rise, prices charged by private sector firms in the South West fell for the third time in the past four months in December. Though modest, the rate of discounting was the quickest since May. Anecdotal evidence suggested that a number of businesses cut their selling prices in order to attract customers and secure sales.
The drop contrasted with the UK-wide trend, which pointed to a slight increase in output charges at the end of the year.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/partners/south-west-firms-feel-rough-19589694
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/036f2407fbe8f14f80590cc0b37f442c849e5c25d7c420bd201050eaffa5c77e.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nFirms across the South West had a tough end to 2020 with sales down and rising costs.\nBut the Covid-19 vaccine has prompted optimism for the year ahead, according to the latest PMI data from Natwest.\nPrivate sector companies in the South West saw further declines in both output and new orders in December as the pandemic continued to dampen customer demand.\nWant more South West news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive South West is your home for business news in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from the region and we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nNonetheless, business confidence regarding the year-ahead held close to a record-high on hopes that a vaccine roll-out and easing of public health measures would lead to a strong rebound in economic conditions.\nThe headline NatWest South West Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – edged down from 47.1 in November to 46.9 in December, to extend the current sequence of falling output to three months. Though modest, the rate of contraction was the steepest seen since June.\nThe essential guide to lockdown 3 in England Time off explained\nBusiness support\nPaul Edwards, Chairman of the NatWest South West Regional Board, said: “Businesses across the South West had a tough end to 2020, and saw further declines in both new orders and activity. The pandemic continued to heavily weigh on performance, with clients often cancelling or delaying orders due to uncertainty over the trajectory of the virus and restrictions to contain it.\n\"On a more positive note, the roll-out of vaccines and the prospect of an end to the public health crisis meant that business confidence held close to November's record high. However, the path to recovery is likely to be prolonged, as rising virus cases and a renewed national lockdown will cause further disruption to business operations and weaken spending.”\nAdjusted for seasonality, the New Business Index signalled a third successive monthly decline in new orders placed with South West private sector firms in December. Panel members often mentioned that customer demand was generally weak due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on trade and travel. That said, the rate of contraction was the slowest seen over the current period of reduction and only modest.\nAcross the UK as a whole, new work fell only fractionally.\nOptimism towards the year-ahead remained historically sharp in December, despite easing from November's record high. Companies in the South West frequently linked positive projections for activity to expectations that customer demand will rebound once the pandemic is under control and trading conditions normalise.\nAt the UK level, sentiment regarding the 12-month outlook for output was little-changed from November, and not quite as strong as that seen in the South West.\nSouth West private sector firms reported a further fall in staffing levels during December. Though solid, the rate of job shedding eased notably from November and was the softest recorded in the current ten-month sequence of decline. Several monitored companies indicated that employment had declined due to redundancies stemming from the pandemic.\nAt the national level, workforce numbers also fell at a much weaker pace, and one that was slightly softer than seen in the South West.\nDecember data revealed a sustained drop in unfinished workloads at South West private sector firms, thereby stretching the current sequence of decline to 26 months. The rate of backlog depletion eased slightly to the weakest for three months, but remained solid overall. Lower amounts of work-in-hand (but not yet completed) were often linked to spare capacity amid muted sales and efforts to improve efficiency.\nThe level of outstanding business at the UK level fell for the third month in a row in December, though the rate of reduction remained modest and slower than that in the South West.\nSouth West private sector firms signalled a sharp and accelerated rise in average input prices during December. Moreover, the rate of inflation was the steepest recorded since late-2018 and exceeded the long-run series average. Supplier price hikes, often attributed to stock shortages, as well as increased staffing costs were linked to the latest upturn in operating expenses.\nA sharper rise in input prices was also seen across the UK as a whole at the end of 2020. That said, the rate of inflation remained below that seen in the South West.\nAlthough input costs continued to rise, prices charged by private sector firms in the South West fell for the third time in the past four months in December. Though modest, the rate of discounting was the quickest since May. Anecdotal evidence suggested that a number of businesses cut their selling prices in order to attract customers and secure sales.\nThe drop contrasted with the UK-wide trend, which pointed to a slight increase in output charges at the end of the year.",
"South West firms feel the rough end of 2020 but there are high hopes for 2021, new data reveals",
"Sluggish sales and cancelled orders tarred business performance in December but vaccine hopes have boosted optimism for the year ahead."
] |
|
[
"Tom Pegden"
] | 2021-01-07T10:37:26 | null | 2021-01-07T09:28:22 |
Comes on the back of big drop in store sales over Christmas but more people shopping online
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Fjoules-warns-new-lockdown-could-19577754.json
|
en
| null |
Joules warns new lockdown could lead to £18m losses
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Joules, the UK lifestyle brand, has warned the new national lockdown could see it lose between £14 million and £18 million – if the restrictions continue until April 1.
The national clothes brand said the closure of its stores, the cancellation of country shows and disruption to wholesale partners such as John Lewis, would have a big impact on its figures this year.
But the business did say that new retail restrictions would be partially mitigated in the full financial year to 30 May 2021 due to:
- better than expected sales and profits in past seven months
- continued strong momentum of its digital platforms, driven by growth in the number of "active" customers, the relevance of the product offer and recent investments in its distribution centre
- ongoing benefits from cost reduction activities, including head office costs and lease renegotiations
The business added that its strong balance sheet would enable it to "navigate the current climate and emerge in a strong position".
Want more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Chief executive Nick Jones said: "While the latest round of restrictions on store retail across the UK present a further challenge for the retail sector as we enter 2021, we remain very confident that Joules, as a highly relevant, digital-led brand with an engaged and growing customer base and healthy balance sheet, is well positioned to navigate these challenges.
"As a result, we remain as excited as ever by our long-term growth prospects."
In a trading update for the last seven weeks, the business, which is based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, said the current restrictions came on the back of decent online revenues.
Sales through its websites, including the Friends of Joules digital marketplace, were up 66 per cent year on year since late November, driven by more people shopping at home and improved conversion rates across the group's platforms.
Total store sales were down 58 per cent during the period, reflecting the enforced closures of non-essential stores and reduced footfall as and when stores were able to open.
Even when stores were trading, revenue was 23 per cent lower when compared to the corresponding prior year period and had been particularly down over the last two weeks.
However, the growth in Joules' e-commerce sales more than offset the decline from stores.
As of January 3, the group had net cash of £13 million and total liquidity headroom of £63 million.
Mr Jones added: "We are pleased with the continued strong performance delivered across our digital channels during the Christmas trading period and are encouraged by the increasing customer awareness of, and demand for, the Joules brand.
"This has been supported by our Friends of Joules digital marketplace which added a great range of products and gifting options for customers throughout the Christmas trading period."
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/joules-warns-new-lockdown-could-19577754
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/3c2c4a356b7dedd986dbfdeb8004d116bf117e93340af9ef4aa3f15cdf3d5f2a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - East Midlands Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nJoules, the UK lifestyle brand, has warned the new national lockdown could see it lose between £14 million and £18 million – if the restrictions continue until April 1.\nThe national clothes brand said the closure of its stores, the cancellation of country shows and disruption to wholesale partners such as John Lewis, would have a big impact on its figures this year.\nBut the business did say that new retail restrictions would be partially mitigated in the full financial year to 30 May 2021 due to:\n- better than expected sales and profits in past seven months\n- continued strong momentum of its digital platforms, driven by growth in the number of \"active\" customers, the relevance of the product offer and recent investments in its distribution centre\n- ongoing benefits from cost reduction activities, including head office costs and lease renegotiations\nThe business added that its strong balance sheet would enable it to \"navigate the current climate and emerge in a strong position\".\nWant more business news straight to your inbox? BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nChief executive Nick Jones said: \"While the latest round of restrictions on store retail across the UK present a further challenge for the retail sector as we enter 2021, we remain very confident that Joules, as a highly relevant, digital-led brand with an engaged and growing customer base and healthy balance sheet, is well positioned to navigate these challenges.\n\"As a result, we remain as excited as ever by our long-term growth prospects.\"\nIn a trading update for the last seven weeks, the business, which is based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, said the current restrictions came on the back of decent online revenues.\nSales through its websites, including the Friends of Joules digital marketplace, were up 66 per cent year on year since late November, driven by more people shopping at home and improved conversion rates across the group's platforms.\nTotal store sales were down 58 per cent during the period, reflecting the enforced closures of non-essential stores and reduced footfall as and when stores were able to open.\nEven when stores were trading, revenue was 23 per cent lower when compared to the corresponding prior year period and had been particularly down over the last two weeks.\nHowever, the growth in Joules' e-commerce sales more than offset the decline from stores.\nAs of January 3, the group had net cash of £13 million and total liquidity headroom of £63 million.\nMr Jones added: \"We are pleased with the continued strong performance delivered across our digital channels during the Christmas trading period and are encouraged by the increasing customer awareness of, and demand for, the Joules brand.\n\"This has been supported by our Friends of Joules digital marketplace which added a great range of products and gifting options for customers throughout the Christmas trading period.\"",
"Joules warns new lockdown could lead to £18m losses",
"Comes on the back of big drop in store sales over Christmas but more people shopping online"
] |
|
[
"Chris Pyke"
] | 2021-01-18T14:52:16 | null | 2021-01-18T13:57:54 |
Health & Her, a female health specialist company, expect to create up to 18 new jobs and supply chain partners in Port Talbot and Conwy are also expected to benefit from the growth of the business
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fenterprise%2Fhealth-tech-firm-receives-six-19648166.json
|
en
| null |
Health tech firm receives six-figure investment to help expansion
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A health tech company has received a six-figure follow-on investment by the Development Bank of Wales
Health & Her says it will use the investment to revolutionise the way women manage the symptoms associated with menopause.
Founded in 2017, Health & Her is the first holistic menopause hub offering products, specialist advice and symptom tracking through their menopause app.
The Development Bank of Wales made an initial six-figure investment in 2019 alongside funding from a syndicate of angel investors and the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund. The Cardiff based health-tech company has grown five-fold over the past year.
This second round of funding in December 2020 sees the Development Bank follow its equity investment alongside the angel syndicate and matched funding from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund .
The company says the money will enable it to carry out product development and expand into mainstream retail. Health & Her expect to create up to 18 new jobs and supply chain partners in Port Talbot and Conwy are also expected to benefit from the growth of the business.
Health & Her’s award-winning menopause health hub seeks to empower women to manage their symptoms by providing cutting edge products, leading expert advice and clinically novel insights via an ecommerce website, telehealth service and an app. Health & Her also offers a free online menopause symptom tool and tracker along with qualified and expert information on the menopause from the UK’s top experts. Paid online appointments are also available with specialist GPs.
Kate Bache, Health & Her co-founder and chief executive, said: “Menopause can be life-changing for so many. By empowering women to consider body, mind and lifestyle –and giving them the tools to improve their experience – we hope to really change millions of women’s lives for the better.
“In fact, the research we’ve done with women has helped us understand just how complex menopause experiences and symptoms can be. It is really important that we constantly change and improve Health & Her by listening to the women we serve.
"It’s about finding the best ways to reach all women and making products and services more accessible. In a world of ever-changing communication methods and media trends, we need to make it really easy for women to find, use and feel supported by what we have to offer.
“This latest funding now means that we can scale-up with the help of the Development Bank as our long-term equity partner. From their initial investment in 2019 , their ongoing support has been critical to our growth. We’re delighted to have them on the journey with us.”
Sign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.
As well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.
Sarah Smith of the Development Bank’s technology ventures team said: “Health & Her is on a mission to track down the very best menopause finds, and share brilliant ideas that will change women’s lives for the better. With data at the heart of the offering, the business has recorded strong growth over the last year and plugged a gap in the market.
“Along with the continued support of the Development Bank and private angel investors, Health & Her is a home-grown business with an exciting future that is making a real difference to women’s lives. It’s great to see the impact that co-investment can make; bringing the real firepower of an institutional investor and the added value of angel investing.”
The Development Bank of Wales can invest equity in start-up, early stage or established companies looking to develop and exploit technology with entry investment from £50,000 to £2m. Follow-on investment up to £5m is available along with access to a large network of co-investors and business angels through Angels Invest Wales.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/health-tech-firm-receives-six-19648166
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/b22b64d2f5bf39cc303bd918793a33d91a8bc2fed967363715e7c9362ebd2e9e.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Enterprise Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA health tech company has received a six-figure follow-on investment by the Development Bank of Wales\nHealth & Her says it will use the investment to revolutionise the way women manage the symptoms associated with menopause.\nFounded in 2017, Health & Her is the first holistic menopause hub offering products, specialist advice and symptom tracking through their menopause app.\nThe Development Bank of Wales made an initial six-figure investment in 2019 alongside funding from a syndicate of angel investors and the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund. The Cardiff based health-tech company has grown five-fold over the past year.\nThis second round of funding in December 2020 sees the Development Bank follow its equity investment alongside the angel syndicate and matched funding from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund .\nThe company says the money will enable it to carry out product development and expand into mainstream retail. Health & Her expect to create up to 18 new jobs and supply chain partners in Port Talbot and Conwy are also expected to benefit from the growth of the business.\nHealth & Her’s award-winning menopause health hub seeks to empower women to manage their symptoms by providing cutting edge products, leading expert advice and clinically novel insights via an ecommerce website, telehealth service and an app. Health & Her also offers a free online menopause symptom tool and tracker along with qualified and expert information on the menopause from the UK’s top experts. Paid online appointments are also available with specialist GPs.\nKate Bache, Health & Her co-founder and chief executive, said: “Menopause can be life-changing for so many. By empowering women to consider body, mind and lifestyle –and giving them the tools to improve their experience – we hope to really change millions of women’s lives for the better.\n“In fact, the research we’ve done with women has helped us understand just how complex menopause experiences and symptoms can be. It is really important that we constantly change and improve Health & Her by listening to the women we serve.\n\"It’s about finding the best ways to reach all women and making products and services more accessible. In a world of ever-changing communication methods and media trends, we need to make it really easy for women to find, use and feel supported by what we have to offer.\n“This latest funding now means that we can scale-up with the help of the Development Bank as our long-term equity partner. From their initial investment in 2019 , their ongoing support has been critical to our growth. We’re delighted to have them on the journey with us.”\nSign up to our BusinessLive Wales email service BusinessLive Wales is your new comprehensive home for business news from across Wales; from large corporates to exciting start-ups and sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial and professional services. To sign up to our breaking news and daily newsletter service CLICK HERE.\nAs well as our in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts.\nSarah Smith of the Development Bank’s technology ventures team said: “Health & Her is on a mission to track down the very best menopause finds, and share brilliant ideas that will change women’s lives for the better. With data at the heart of the offering, the business has recorded strong growth over the last year and plugged a gap in the market.\n“Along with the continued support of the Development Bank and private angel investors, Health & Her is a home-grown business with an exciting future that is making a real difference to women’s lives. It’s great to see the impact that co-investment can make; bringing the real firepower of an institutional investor and the added value of angel investing.”\nThe Development Bank of Wales can invest equity in start-up, early stage or established companies looking to develop and exploit technology with entry investment from £50,000 to £2m. Follow-on investment up to £5m is available along with access to a large network of co-investors and business angels through Angels Invest Wales.",
"Health tech firm receives six-figure investment to help expansion",
"Health & Her, a female health specialist company, expect to create up to 18 new jobs and supply chain partners in Port Talbot and Conwy are also expected to benefit from the growth of the business"
] |
|
[
"Neil Lancefield",
"Tom Houghton",
"Image",
"Getty Images Europe"
] | 2021-01-20T09:40:21 | null | 2021-01-20T09:12:41 |
Carlos Tavares says its fate depends on decisions made by the UK Government
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Ffuture-vauxhalls-ellesmere-port-plant-19661247.json
|
en
| null |
Future of Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in doubt as Stellantis to decide fate 'within weeks'
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
The future of Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant is in doubt after the car giant's owner said he would decide its fate within weeks.
Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, an automotive superpower formed by the recent merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler, said the outlook for the facility is uncertain, largely due to the upcoming ban on new petrol and diesel cars.
Governments can "create situations which destroy the business model", he told a press conference.
"If we are told that in 2030 internal combustion engines cannot be sold in the UK - which we respect as a decision from the country - then we are not going to invest in internal combustion engines anymore because that makes no sense.
"That means that we are going to work on other directions, and then we see if there is a business model for the other directions."
He went on: "If you change brutally the rules and if you restrict the rules for business, then there is at one point in time a problem.
"The more we put stringent objectives on the automotive industry, the more you get close to that limit."
Mr Tavares said that "from a pure logistic perspective" it could make more sense to focus investment in electric car manufacturing in the EU rather than the UK, because it sells more of the vehicles in the former, as PA reports.
But he added: "It depends also on the UK Government's willingness to protect some kind of automotive industry in its own country."
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
He said the firm is "reviewing those different scenarios" and expects to make a decision about the Ellesmere Port plant "within a few weeks".
Mr Tavares pledged that "we will not shut down plants as a consequence of the merger" between PSA and Fiat Chrysler, but noted that companies have an "ethical responsibility... to make the appropriate decisions" if a country is "putting so many barriers (up) that there is no room to find something that creates value".
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/future-vauxhalls-ellesmere-port-plant-19661247
|
en
| 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/4fdb8db928a278f695df48789db6ddff2cf70673dd0aee31df41b0eeb62120c2.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThe future of Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant is in doubt after the car giant's owner said he would decide its fate within weeks.\nCarlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, an automotive superpower formed by the recent merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler, said the outlook for the facility is uncertain, largely due to the upcoming ban on new petrol and diesel cars.\nGovernments can \"create situations which destroy the business model\", he told a press conference.\n\"If we are told that in 2030 internal combustion engines cannot be sold in the UK - which we respect as a decision from the country - then we are not going to invest in internal combustion engines anymore because that makes no sense.\n\"That means that we are going to work on other directions, and then we see if there is a business model for the other directions.\"\nHe went on: \"If you change brutally the rules and if you restrict the rules for business, then there is at one point in time a problem.\n\"The more we put stringent objectives on the automotive industry, the more you get close to that limit.\"\nMr Tavares said that \"from a pure logistic perspective\" it could make more sense to focus investment in electric car manufacturing in the EU rather than the UK, because it sells more of the vehicles in the former, as PA reports.\nBut he added: \"It depends also on the UK Government's willingness to protect some kind of automotive industry in its own country.\"\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nHe said the firm is \"reviewing those different scenarios\" and expects to make a decision about the Ellesmere Port plant \"within a few weeks\".\nMr Tavares pledged that \"we will not shut down plants as a consequence of the merger\" between PSA and Fiat Chrysler, but noted that companies have an \"ethical responsibility... to make the appropriate decisions\" if a country is \"putting so many barriers (up) that there is no room to find something that creates value\".",
"Future of Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in doubt as Stellantis to decide fate 'within weeks'",
"Carlos Tavares says its fate depends on decisions made by the UK Government"
] |
|
[
"Jonathon Manning",
"Image",
"Unknown"
] | 2021-01-04T13:17:43 | null | 2021-01-04T11:55:35 |
The company will now be part of UniHomes
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Fsplit-the-bills-sold-acquisition-19558612.json
|
en
| null |
Sheffield bill sharing platform Split The Bills sold to accommodation website
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A Yorkshire tech firm that allows students living in shared accommodation to divide their household bills has been sold.
Split The Bills was founded in 2011 by Ashley Tate and specialises in helping students pay their household bills, aiming to make shared-living easier for its customers while providing households with 100% green energy.
The company has now been sold to fellow Sheffield business UniHomes for an undisclosed sum.
UniHomes is a leading student accommodation platform, that helps students find somewhere to live when they go to university.
The business, founded in 2015 by Phil Greaves, Bradley Cox and Luca Mori, last year helped 160,000 students find accommodation and has 14,000 houses advertised on its site.
The acquisition means UniHomes will now be able to continue to service its customers after they move into their property by handling their bills.
Phil Greaves, co-founder of UniHomes, said: “Our goal is to become synonymous as the go-to accommodation portal for students, providing the best choice of available properties with the added bonus that bills are included.
"Our vast network of letting agent partners recognise the power of our offering.
"Adding UniHomes to an agent’s list of portal partners opens the market up to them considerably and, even better, we’re completely free of charge to agents.”
Bradley Cox added: “2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, this acquisition would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the teams in both businesses.
"I’m very proud of what we have achieved over the past 5 years. With the addition of Split The Bills, we look forward to the next chapter of our journey and we’re very excited for 2021!”
Following the deal Split The Bills founder Ashley Tate will remain in the business as a majority shareholder. The acquisition brings UniHomes' headcount to 50.
UniHomes is currently expanding across the UK and plans to be operating in more than 40 UK cities by the end of 2021.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/split-the-bills-sold-acquisition-19558612
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/d7316b07f9604805090b37b4493d3936642e94415352d0eeddf371512fab9e6a.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Yorkshire & Humber Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nA Yorkshire tech firm that allows students living in shared accommodation to divide their household bills has been sold.\nSplit The Bills was founded in 2011 by Ashley Tate and specialises in helping students pay their household bills, aiming to make shared-living easier for its customers while providing households with 100% green energy.\nThe company has now been sold to fellow Sheffield business UniHomes for an undisclosed sum.\nUniHomes is a leading student accommodation platform, that helps students find somewhere to live when they go to university.\nThe business, founded in 2015 by Phil Greaves, Bradley Cox and Luca Mori, last year helped 160,000 students find accommodation and has 14,000 houses advertised on its site.\nThe acquisition means UniHomes will now be able to continue to service its customers after they move into their property by handling their bills.\nPhil Greaves, co-founder of UniHomes, said: “Our goal is to become synonymous as the go-to accommodation portal for students, providing the best choice of available properties with the added bonus that bills are included.\n\"Our vast network of letting agent partners recognise the power of our offering.\n\"Adding UniHomes to an agent’s list of portal partners opens the market up to them considerably and, even better, we’re completely free of charge to agents.”\nBradley Cox added: “2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, this acquisition would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the teams in both businesses.\n\"I’m very proud of what we have achieved over the past 5 years. With the addition of Split The Bills, we look forward to the next chapter of our journey and we’re very excited for 2021!”\nFollowing the deal Split The Bills founder Ashley Tate will remain in the business as a majority shareholder. The acquisition brings UniHomes' headcount to 50.\nUniHomes is currently expanding across the UK and plans to be operating in more than 40 UK cities by the end of 2021.",
"Sheffield bill sharing platform Split The Bills sold to accommodation website",
"The company will now be part of UniHomes"
] |
|
[
"Graeme Whitfield"
] | 2021-01-18T09:28:50 | null | 2021-01-18T09:18:00 |
The £20.8m deal will see 90 people from CVR's offices in the south of England and overseas join Begbies Traynor
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fprofessional-services%2Fbegbies-traynor-adds-offshore-offices-19645439.json
|
en
| null |
Begbies Traynor adds offshore offices in acquisition of insolvency group CVR
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Manchester-headquartered accountancy group Begbies Traynor has added its first offshore offices after a £21m acquisition of an insolvency group.
The corporate restructuring specialist said it would pay a consideration up to £20.8m for CVR Global, an insolvency practitioner focused in the south of England.
The deal will add Begbies’ first ever overseas offices, as it gains access to CVR’s offshore sites in Gibraltar, Jersey, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.
CVR also has significant insolvency practice, and a strong forensic accounting side, Babies said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday. It has UK offices at London, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton, Hove, Medway and Colchester
Ric Traynor, Begbies Traynor’s executive chairman, said: "The acquisition of CVR is our largest insolvency acquisition to date and is expected to be immediately earnings-enhancing,” said
“The increase in scale and capabilities leaves the group well-positioned to increase its market share and continue to grow its business recovery and financial advisory revenues.”
CVR’s 90 partners and employees will join Begbies’ offices and teams in the south of England and will operate under the Begbies Traynor and BTG Advisory brands.
In its most recent financial year, CVR made revenue of £9.5m and normalised pre-tax profit of £1.2m. The acquisition is expected to bring operating synergies of at least £750,000 every year.
Mark Fry, head of business recovery and advisory of Begbies Traynor, said: “The acquisition of CVR significantly increases the scale and specialisms of our business recovery and financial advisory business across London and the South of England, whilst enhancing our overseas capabilities.
“The CVR team has a similar style and culture to our own and will be a highly complementary fit with our business. We welcome the team into the group and look forward to working with them.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/professional-services/begbies-traynor-adds-offshore-offices-19645439
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/8aec518e7e2c9e5994de61c5fdb3b8ceacc14cd5ae124ccbb25333fb939ab9b9.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nManchester-headquartered accountancy group Begbies Traynor has added its first offshore offices after a £21m acquisition of an insolvency group.\nThe corporate restructuring specialist said it would pay a consideration up to £20.8m for CVR Global, an insolvency practitioner focused in the south of England.\nThe deal will add Begbies’ first ever overseas offices, as it gains access to CVR’s offshore sites in Gibraltar, Jersey, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.\nCVR also has significant insolvency practice, and a strong forensic accounting side, Babies said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday. It has UK offices at London, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton, Hove, Medway and Colchester\nRic Traynor, Begbies Traynor’s executive chairman, said: \"The acquisition of CVR is our largest insolvency acquisition to date and is expected to be immediately earnings-enhancing,” said\n“The increase in scale and capabilities leaves the group well-positioned to increase its market share and continue to grow its business recovery and financial advisory revenues.”\nCVR’s 90 partners and employees will join Begbies’ offices and teams in the south of England and will operate under the Begbies Traynor and BTG Advisory brands.\nIn its most recent financial year, CVR made revenue of £9.5m and normalised pre-tax profit of £1.2m. The acquisition is expected to bring operating synergies of at least £750,000 every year.\nMark Fry, head of business recovery and advisory of Begbies Traynor, said: “The acquisition of CVR significantly increases the scale and specialisms of our business recovery and financial advisory business across London and the South of England, whilst enhancing our overseas capabilities.\n“The CVR team has a similar style and culture to our own and will be a highly complementary fit with our business. We welcome the team into the group and look forward to working with them.”",
"Begbies Traynor adds offshore offices in acquisition of insolvency group CVR",
"The £20.8m deal will see 90 people from CVR's offices in the south of England and overseas join Begbies Traynor"
] |
|
[
"Tom Houghton"
] | 2021-01-21T10:38:56 | null | 2021-01-21T10:00:00 |
The firm facilitates travel for some of the biggest sporting organisations
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Feconomic-development%2Feverton-fc-announce-clarity-sports-19669561.json
|
en
| null |
Everton announce Clarity Sports as new official team and business travel partner
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Everton FC has announced a new official team and business travel and match break partner.
Clarity Sports has been added to the Premier League club's partner portfolio, signing a new multi-year agreement that will see the firm facilitate its team travel for all fixtures and business trips.
Part of Clarity Travel, Clarity Sports facilitates travel for some of the biggest organisations across multiple sports.
Alan McTavish, commercial director at Everton, said: “Clarity Sports is a leader in sports and business travel, and we are delighted to announce this agreement.
“I know how eager Evertonians from all over the world are to visit Goodison again when it is safe to do so, and Clarity Sports and the Club will be ready to offer them a warm welcome and provide an unforgettable experience when the time is right.”
Rob Slawson, director of Sports Travel at Clarity, added: “It is always a real privilege to be trusted to facilitate team and business travel for any organisation, and we are really excited to be working alongside a club of the size and stature of Everton."
Sign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
As official Match Break partner, Clarity’s sporting arm, Sportsbreaks.com, will also offer Evertonians access to their specially-designed 'Match Break' packages when fans are permitted to return in full to stadiiums.
Mr Slawson added: “As well as working alongside the club to secure team and travel operations, we have agreed a fantastic deal to provide Match Break packages to Everton fans.
"We are all itching to get back to watching live sports, and when it is safe for fans to return to full-capacity grounds, our fantastic Match Break packages will be available to Everton fans around the world via sportsbreaks.com.”
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/everton-fc-announce-clarity-sports-19669561
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/e61c8a2c40d87a21781d34e4f65aaed1a8282d4328b10ca5a343fd1c55aa9136.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - North West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nEverton FC has announced a new official team and business travel and match break partner.\nClarity Sports has been added to the Premier League club's partner portfolio, signing a new multi-year agreement that will see the firm facilitate its team travel for all fixtures and business trips.\nPart of Clarity Travel, Clarity Sports facilitates travel for some of the biggest organisations across multiple sports.\nAlan McTavish, commercial director at Everton, said: “Clarity Sports is a leader in sports and business travel, and we are delighted to announce this agreement.\n“I know how eager Evertonians from all over the world are to visit Goodison again when it is safe to do so, and Clarity Sports and the Club will be ready to offer them a warm welcome and provide an unforgettable experience when the time is right.”\nRob Slawson, director of Sports Travel at Clarity, added: “It is always a real privilege to be trusted to facilitate team and business travel for any organisation, and we are really excited to be working alongside a club of the size and stature of Everton.\"\nSign up for your free BusinessLive North West newsletter BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts. You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss. By bringing together North West coverage with that from across Reach’s titles in England and Wales, BusinessLive will shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs, the stars of the future and the small firms that are the backbone of our economy. Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.\nAs official Match Break partner, Clarity’s sporting arm, Sportsbreaks.com, will also offer Evertonians access to their specially-designed 'Match Break' packages when fans are permitted to return in full to stadiiums.\nMr Slawson added: “As well as working alongside the club to secure team and travel operations, we have agreed a fantastic deal to provide Match Break packages to Everton fans.\n\"We are all itching to get back to watching live sports, and when it is safe for fans to return to full-capacity grounds, our fantastic Match Break packages will be available to Everton fans around the world via sportsbreaks.com.”",
"Everton announce Clarity Sports as new official team and business travel partner",
"The firm facilitates travel for some of the biggest sporting organisations"
] |
|
[
"Coreena Ford"
] | 2021-01-17T01:52:18 | null | 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
The Stockton furniture chain has traded strongly despite the pandemic
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Fretail-consumer%2Ffurnishings-firm-barker--stonehouse-19636545.json
|
en
| null |
Furnishings firm Barker & Stonehouse benefits from pent-up demand from homeowners
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Home furnishings firm Barker & Stonehouse says pent-up demand following lockdowns is giving the firm a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The family-owned firm, which has 11 stores including its flagship Teesside Retail Park shop in Stockton, has posted accounts for the year ended March 29 2020, which show turnover dipped slightly, from £77.5m to £75.1m, which the firm puts down to the impact of the early days of the pandemic.
Operating profit, however, jumped 17% from £2.52m to £2.96m – a performance the directors described as “satisfactory” – and since the year end its performance has continued to improve.
In a report accompanying the accounts, directors said: “Since reopening, post-lockdown, trading in all stores has been above that of last year, due to a degree of pent-up demand. Despite this year’s unprecedented Covid situation, the company is up-to-date with his corporate PAYE, VAT taxation liabilities and with all landlords.
“Our suppliers have also been paid on time throughout the year. Like many homewares businesses, the company has traded strongly since the year end despite the pandemic.“
The group, which has 385 full time equivalent employees, also said it disposed of its final legacy property in Teesside, and that dividends paid out during the year totalled £264,000, down on the previous year’s £363,000.
The company added that during the year it had been continuing its work to reduce its carbon footprint – work which has also helped thousands of families as part of the Trees4Trees reforestation project that managing director James Barker launched more than 10 years ago.
Sign up for your daily BusinessLive North East newsletter You can get all the day's business news from the North East sent to your email inbox each morning. By signing up here, we will deliver the headlines from companies in Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside straight to your email inbox every morning. Our specialist team of business writers will bring you stories from a range of sectors, reporting on companies large and small.
The firm added: “During this time, working with the Carbon Trust, we have managed a significant reduction in omissions, surpassing standards set as excellent by Government bodies. The company is also working with experts from Newcastle University to establish a route to become carbon neutral.
“The company is also one of the founding partners in an Indonesian reforestation project, Trees4Trees.
“The programme works with universities, farmers and landowners to ensure a virtuous circle of education, commerce and community benefits to date the company has planted over 1,500,000 trees helping over 14,000 families to build a better life for themselves by earning a sustainable income and understanding the part they play in environmental stewardship.”
Barker and Stonehouse has stores in Stockton,Darlington, Newcastle, Leeds, Hull, Knaresborough, Nottingham, Guildford, Hove and Battersea and also has warehouses in Middlesborough, Blaydon, Eggborough and Crawley.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/furnishings-firm-barker--stonehouse-19636545
|
en
| 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/f2b192072ac84cd37e4bba54e132a7fa45f2476759f35c553d16722202338c78.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - Retail & Consumer Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nHome furnishings firm Barker & Stonehouse says pent-up demand following lockdowns is giving the firm a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic.\nThe family-owned firm, which has 11 stores including its flagship Teesside Retail Park shop in Stockton, has posted accounts for the year ended March 29 2020, which show turnover dipped slightly, from £77.5m to £75.1m, which the firm puts down to the impact of the early days of the pandemic.\nOperating profit, however, jumped 17% from £2.52m to £2.96m – a performance the directors described as “satisfactory” – and since the year end its performance has continued to improve.\nIn a report accompanying the accounts, directors said: “Since reopening, post-lockdown, trading in all stores has been above that of last year, due to a degree of pent-up demand. Despite this year’s unprecedented Covid situation, the company is up-to-date with his corporate PAYE, VAT taxation liabilities and with all landlords.\n“Our suppliers have also been paid on time throughout the year. Like many homewares businesses, the company has traded strongly since the year end despite the pandemic.“\nThe group, which has 385 full time equivalent employees, also said it disposed of its final legacy property in Teesside, and that dividends paid out during the year totalled £264,000, down on the previous year’s £363,000.\nThe company added that during the year it had been continuing its work to reduce its carbon footprint – work which has also helped thousands of families as part of the Trees4Trees reforestation project that managing director James Barker launched more than 10 years ago.\nSign up for your daily BusinessLive North East newsletter You can get all the day's business news from the North East sent to your email inbox each morning. By signing up here, we will deliver the headlines from companies in Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside straight to your email inbox every morning. Our specialist team of business writers will bring you stories from a range of sectors, reporting on companies large and small.\nThe firm added: “During this time, working with the Carbon Trust, we have managed a significant reduction in omissions, surpassing standards set as excellent by Government bodies. The company is also working with experts from Newcastle University to establish a route to become carbon neutral.\n“The company is also one of the founding partners in an Indonesian reforestation project, Trees4Trees.\n“The programme works with universities, farmers and landowners to ensure a virtuous circle of education, commerce and community benefits to date the company has planted over 1,500,000 trees helping over 14,000 families to build a better life for themselves by earning a sustainable income and understanding the part they play in environmental stewardship.”\nBarker and Stonehouse has stores in Stockton,Darlington, Newcastle, Leeds, Hull, Knaresborough, Nottingham, Guildford, Hove and Battersea and also has warehouses in Middlesborough, Blaydon, Eggborough and Crawley.",
"Furnishings firm Barker & Stonehouse benefits from pent-up demand from homeowners",
"The Stockton furniture chain has traded strongly despite the pandemic"
] |
|
[
"Hannah Finch"
] | 2021-01-08T13:08:00 | null | 2021-01-08T12:00:00 |
Work is due to start next year on the initiative is being funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Heart of the South West LEP, CDS local authorities, European Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme for England.
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-live.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2Fnext-stage-fast-broadbrand-south-19578583.json
|
en
| null |
Next stage of fast broadbrand to South-West's 'forgotten areas' set to roll out
| null | null |
www.business-live.co.uk
|
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Three companies have been selected to roll-out full fibre broadband networks on behalf of the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme, backed by Government funding.
Airband, Truespeed and Wessex Internet will be installing full fibre broadband across Devon and Somerset to more than 56,000 rural homes and businesses over the next four years.
The combined public and private sector investment of around £80million will be in the vanguard of the Government’s ambitions to build a Gigabit capable network across the UK.
Sign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Councillor Rufus Gilbert, CDS Board Member and Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said the plans will provide vital connectivity to rural communities.
He said: "Access to services online, home working and staying connected has never been more important, and these investments will provide a much needed boost to our rural and coastal communities”.
The three companies all have experience of working in the region and, between them, have already delivered connections to nearly 41,000 premises in the CDS region.
In the new roll-out, Airband will be expanding its full fibre coverage into rural areas of Somerset West and Taunton, parts of Sedgemoor, East Devon, as well as areas of Mid Devon, South Hams and Teignbridge.
Truespeed will be working in B&NES (Bath & North East Somerset), North Somerset, Mendip and part of Sedgemoor, while Wessex Internet will deliver in rural communities of South Somerset.
Work is due to start next year for completion in 2024. The initiative is being funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Heart of the South West LEP, CDS local authorities, European Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme for England.
Councillor David Hall, CDS Board Member and Somerset County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Community Infrastructure, said the appointed firms have significant experience of delivering broadband connections in rural areas of Devon and Somerset.
He said: "They have an understanding of the remote areas where CDS is looking to improve connectivity. This investment will deliver full fibre broadband ahead of many other parts of the country.”
Evan Wienburg, Truespeed CEO, said the plans will roll-out full fibre broadband infrastructure to those areas left behind by the industry giants.
He said: "The requirement for full fibre broadband is essential as more people study and work from home. Many Truespeed customers are already benefiting from our ultra-reliable, ultra-fast broadband service and we will continue to work as hard and as fast as we can to accelerate our roll out.”
CDS has delivered connectivity to more homes and businesses than any other broadband programme in England.
Nearly one million homes and businesses in Devon and Somerset now have access to superfast broadband with the Government supported CDS programme and its stimulation of the commercial market.
Of these, over 300,000 homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband as a direct result of public funding.
Tell us about broadband in your area - are you a business in a remote part of the South West? Do you have good enough broadband to operate. Share your experience in the comments section below
As part of its Fibre Extension Programme, CDS is currently funding fibre broadband connections to over 6,000 homes and businesses being delivered by Airband. Thanks to the high level of take-up of broadband services in the region from previous connectivity delivered by Openreach, CDS is also re-investing a £6 million dividend to extend full fibre coverage to over 2,000 premises, again working with Openreach, through the Government’s “Gainshare” agreement with the company.
CDS is also working closely with the Government’s Rural Gigabit Voucher programme to support communities who wish to contract with telecoms providers to design bespoke broadband solutions for their communities. To date, over 3,400 premises in Devon and Somerset have been connected to fibre through the Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme, with another 2,800 vouchers approved for build over the next 12 months. This represents a voucher investment of nearly £7.4 Million in full fibre across the CDS region.
Investment from CDS can only take place in areas where there are no current or credible future plans to deliver Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband infrastructure capable of download speeds of at least 30Mbps.
The whole Connecting Devon and Somerset programme is expected to deliver an £800 million boost to the regional economy.
|
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/next-stage-fast-broadbrand-south-19578583
|
en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.business-live.co.uk/6ef0e997e004ffd82a52352499bdd12501cdc0975f763bafe2c64c6aeeabdedc.json
|
[
"Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - South West Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email\nThree companies have been selected to roll-out full fibre broadband networks on behalf of the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme, backed by Government funding.\nAirband, Truespeed and Wessex Internet will be installing full fibre broadband across Devon and Somerset to more than 56,000 rural homes and businesses over the next four years.\nThe combined public and private sector investment of around £80million will be in the vanguard of the Government’s ambitions to build a Gigabit capable network across the UK.\nSign up for more business news straight to your inbox Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here\nCouncillor Rufus Gilbert, CDS Board Member and Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said the plans will provide vital connectivity to rural communities.\nHe said: \"Access to services online, home working and staying connected has never been more important, and these investments will provide a much needed boost to our rural and coastal communities”.\nThe three companies all have experience of working in the region and, between them, have already delivered connections to nearly 41,000 premises in the CDS region.\nIn the new roll-out, Airband will be expanding its full fibre coverage into rural areas of Somerset West and Taunton, parts of Sedgemoor, East Devon, as well as areas of Mid Devon, South Hams and Teignbridge.\nTruespeed will be working in B&NES (Bath & North East Somerset), North Somerset, Mendip and part of Sedgemoor, while Wessex Internet will deliver in rural communities of South Somerset.\nWork is due to start next year for completion in 2024. The initiative is being funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Heart of the South West LEP, CDS local authorities, European Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme for England.\nCouncillor David Hall, CDS Board Member and Somerset County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Community Infrastructure, said the appointed firms have significant experience of delivering broadband connections in rural areas of Devon and Somerset.\nHe said: \"They have an understanding of the remote areas where CDS is looking to improve connectivity. This investment will deliver full fibre broadband ahead of many other parts of the country.”\nEvan Wienburg, Truespeed CEO, said the plans will roll-out full fibre broadband infrastructure to those areas left behind by the industry giants.\nHe said: \"The requirement for full fibre broadband is essential as more people study and work from home. Many Truespeed customers are already benefiting from our ultra-reliable, ultra-fast broadband service and we will continue to work as hard and as fast as we can to accelerate our roll out.”\nCDS has delivered connectivity to more homes and businesses than any other broadband programme in England.\nNearly one million homes and businesses in Devon and Somerset now have access to superfast broadband with the Government supported CDS programme and its stimulation of the commercial market.\nOf these, over 300,000 homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband as a direct result of public funding.\nTell us about broadband in your area - are you a business in a remote part of the South West? Do you have good enough broadband to operate. Share your experience in the comments section below\nAs part of its Fibre Extension Programme, CDS is currently funding fibre broadband connections to over 6,000 homes and businesses being delivered by Airband. Thanks to the high level of take-up of broadband services in the region from previous connectivity delivered by Openreach, CDS is also re-investing a £6 million dividend to extend full fibre coverage to over 2,000 premises, again working with Openreach, through the Government’s “Gainshare” agreement with the company.\nCDS is also working closely with the Government’s Rural Gigabit Voucher programme to support communities who wish to contract with telecoms providers to design bespoke broadband solutions for their communities. To date, over 3,400 premises in Devon and Somerset have been connected to fibre through the Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme, with another 2,800 vouchers approved for build over the next 12 months. This represents a voucher investment of nearly £7.4 Million in full fibre across the CDS region.\nInvestment from CDS can only take place in areas where there are no current or credible future plans to deliver Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband infrastructure capable of download speeds of at least 30Mbps.\nThe whole Connecting Devon and Somerset programme is expected to deliver an £800 million boost to the regional economy.",
"Next stage of fast broadbrand to South-West's 'forgotten areas' set to roll out",
"Work is due to start next year on the initiative is being funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Heart of the South West LEP, CDS local authorities, European Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme for England."
] |
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