Without more help, we’re sleep-walking towards disaster for the tens of thousands of businesses

Would you like to pay £27.50 for a pint of Punk IPA?

Nope, I didn’t think so. But that’s how much you’d be paying in BrewDog York, for example, if we’d put up prices in line with our soaring energy bills.

Or how about £48.75 for a burger and fries?

Businesses all over the UK are facing the crippling combination of the worst cost inflation for decades and squeezed consumer spending power. Jeremy Hunt will make the situation worse when he rows back support for business energy bills from April. We’re only in the foothills of a crisis which poses a far bigger threat to companies than CV19.

The sad reality is that there are many great businesses that simply will not survive 2023.

This climate is incredibly challenging for BrewDog. Fortunately, we have the scale and backing to survive. Many smaller businesses aren’t so lucky.

The Government threw the kitchen sink at CV19 but unless it acts quickly tens of thousands of businesses vital to employment and our economy will wither and die.

People inside government KNOW this. Not all of them are career politicians who’ve never done a day’s work in the ‘real world’ of business.

This government has no plan, no ambition. People talk about a lack of industrial strategy. It’s far worse than that. There is no strategy full stop.

Why would anyone start a business in the UK today? I’ve seen more breweries, bars and restaurants than I can name go out of business in the past few months and that trend is only going to accelerate.

Industry experts estimate that up to 70% of the UK’s bars, pubs and restaurants could be forced to close. Every one that fails is an arrow in the heart of the sector.

Here’s my starter for ten on what I would do if I were currently in government:

1. Business rates. Cut them in half for a year, or better still scrap them altogether? Business rates are antiquated, and we need a review anyway.

2. Tax policy in general has been a farce. The Government put up National Insurance in April, then cut it again in November. It needs to be cut further still – the employer’s contribution in particular is literally a tax on hiring and growth.

3. VAT holiday for hospitality for a year. Everybody will be cutting back on budgets but every little helps. Pubs and bars like ours are vital parts of a community and we need to protect them.

4. Get a grip on strikes. Cut a deal rather than trying to ban strikes. The knock on effect for hospitality from the rail walkouts came at exactly the wrong time. The strikes in December alone cost our business over £1million.

5. State-backed loans to protect the really small guys who could disappear completely with repayments starting in 12 months’ time.

If this means spending a bit more money to support business through this nightmare now, it’s better than spending the money on unemployment benefits if thousands of businesses go under.

Without more help, we’re sleep-walking towards utter disaster for the tens of thousands of businesses in the UK.

One of Scotland’s leading commercial real estate lawyers has switched firms to join Aberdein Considine. Chris Richardson, a commercial property practitioner with almost 20 years’ experience, has left Anderson Strathern for Aberdein Considine where he is now Head of Commercial Real Estate for England and Wales.

Premium ice-cream brand Mackie’s of Scotland has appointed a new Managing Director as it eyes continued growth and development throughout the UK and abroad. Stuart Common has worked at the Aberdeenshire family business for more than 16 years, latterly as Sales and Marketing Director.

Duncan and Todd Group, Scotland’s largest independent optometrist and hearing care specialist, has appointed a Product Development Manager to help drive growth plans. Gillian Sibeth’s newly created role will see her travelling to branches across Scotland.

An oil service company has announced the appointment of a key member of staff to play a central role in realising future growth ambitions. Alan Quirke has been named as Chief Operating Officer of HydraWell and brings to the role almost 30 years of experience gained in the UK and international markets. His most recent role was as Head of Wells for a UK operator.

Ross Gatt has joined Semco Maritime Aberdeen as UK Sales and Marketing Manager. He was group Marketing Director at Valor Energy Group for the past five years.

Power Jacks has named Gary Caunt as Manufacturing and Continuous-improvement Director. He will be responsible for overseeing the manufacture of all products on the shop floor whilst introducing lean methodologies. Mr Caunt worked with the business previously on a consultancy basis.

Bilfinger UK has announce a new Aberdeen Commercial and Business Development Director. Joe Strachan takes over from Mike Henderson, who has retired. Mr Strachan was previously a Senior Commercial Manager with Wood.

Swire Energy Services has strengthened its UK commercial team with a new Business Development Manager. Calum Lawrie has joined from Robert Gordon University, where he worked in the business and economic development department for six years. He is responsible for managing the business growth and development across the rental, service and sales product lines.

Private client lawyer Lisa Law has joined Ledingham Chalmers as Partner in Inverness, underpinning the firm’s ambitious growth plans. Mrs Law takes up this senior role as the firm looks to double its turnover to £25million by 2025. She is one of only 10 solicitors accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in incapacity and mental disability law.

One of Scotland’s leading employment law specialists has been named as the new Head of Employment Law at Aberdein Considine. Robert Holland, a solicitor advocate (civil) - has joined the firm as a Partner. He was previously a partner with Balfour + Manson where he led the firm’s employment law team, and brings over 20 years’ experience in a range of legal disciplines.

Charlie House has appointed John Brebner as Chief Executive to lead its strategy and vision to support children with lifelimiting and life-threatening conditions and their families. His focus will be on the development and expansion of current and new services as well as helping to deliver the Big Build Appeal, an initiative to develop a dedicated support centre in the North-east.

Megan

Megan Hine, previously Account Manager - fixed gas detection systems, has now taken on the role of UK Business Development Manager Clean Energy at Dräger, with a focus on ensuring companies are aware of potential challenges and safety considerations as early in the process as possible.

Member-led organisation Step Change in Safety has appointed two fresh faces to its senior leadership team. BP’s Gillian Urquhart and Global E&C’s Derek Mitchell take up the respective positions of Operator Co-chairperson and Contractor Co-chairperson. It marks a milestone for Step Change in Safety, with Ms Urquhart becoming the first women to hold such a senior position at the industry body.

Graham + Sibbald Chartered Surveyors and Property Consultants has announced the appointment of Alex Robb of AB Robb Chartered Surveyors to its Aberdeen-based commercial department. His emit will primarily involve negotiations, disposals and acquisitions of commercial properties on behalf of a range of clients across Aberdeen and the surrounding local area.

The Urban Wellness Hub and Urban Wellness Float, a wellbeing centre in Bridge of Don, are really pleased to announce that Shona Duthie has joined the wellness team.

Louise Smyth has joined Aberdeen based marketing powerhouse Prospect 13 as Digital Marketing Lead. Having worked in marketing and communications in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, Louise leads the agency’s creative team on strategy and digital content creation, as well as working closely with a diverse range of clients to deliver their digital marketing campaigns and projects.

Award-winning children’s charity, Denis Law Legacy Trust has welcomed two new graduates into their operations team. Greg Millar joins as Communications and Marketing Officer and Nikki Fyfe joins as Volunteer Officer. Both are graduates of the Robert Gordon University in Ba (hons) Communication Design and Bsc (hons) Sports Science, respectively.

Caitlin Burns joins the team at Recycle Scotland as Sales Support Executive to assist their growing clientele with sustainable furniture solutions for their workspaces. Along with the wider team, Caitlin will be working with a range of businesses from large corporates to SME’s, supporting organisations from all across Scotland to adopt a circular approach to their office furniture.

ICR Integrity, a technologyenabled provider of specialist maintenance, inspection and integrity solutions, has announced the appointment of Ross McHardy as Group Director. He will focus on supporting the global growth and diversification of ICR’s repair and maintenance business.

French oil major TotalEnergies has named a new Managing Director for its UK North Sea business. Nicolas Payer takes up the role from Jean-Luc Guiziou who had been in the position for nearly five years. Mr Payer has held several management roles across the group, most recently leading TotalEnergies Global Procurement, which handles its purchasing services.

Strategic advisory firm True North has appointed two new Senior Advisers. Former MP for Banff and Buchan Eilidh Whiteford and award-winning author and former political adviser Andrew Liddle have joined the Aberdeen headquartered company, established last year by Managing Partners Geoff Aberdein and Fergus Mutch.

The Head of Education at Aberdeenshire Council has been appointed to the board of Aberdeen Science Centre. Laurence Findlay was a teacher of modern languages and held leadership and teaching roles with Moray Council before moving to Aberdeenshire Council in 2018.

Paul Young has joined Shepherd and Wedderburn as a Partner in the infrastructure team, bringing more than 10 years of expertise, with a particular focus on the energy, infrastructure and real estate sectors. Mr Young, further bolsters the firm’s capability and market strength in the infrastructure and energy sectors.

MRS Training & Rescue has appointed Tori Jennings as Assistant Operations Manager at its newest training centre at Bridge of Don. She was promoted to team leader last June, having joined the company in September 2020 as a Trainer and Rescue Operative at its training centre in Knottingley, West Yorkshire.

A senior oil and gas engineer has pledged to help ensure the industry has the skills for net zero after being named as the new Regional Chair for the North Scotland by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (EITCB). Steve Hamilton is Chief Technical Authority, EMEA, with Xodus Group in Aberdeen.

Mackinnons Solicitors has appointed three new partners across its property and marine commercial teams. Angus Easton, who has many years of experience in marine and commercial shipping work, has been promoted to Partner in the marine commercial team. Pamela Bursill, who has almost 30 years of experience in residential property work advising clients on Deeside and beyond, joined Mackinnons in 2021 and has now been promoted to Partner in the property team. Gregor Sim, previously a Partner with James & George Collie, has been promoted to Partner from Senior Associate in the firm’s property department, specialising in rural, residential and private client work.

Aberdeen-headquartered problem-solving company STC INSISO has announced a further change to its executive leadership team as it prepares for accelerated business growth in 2023. Steve Holmes has become Chief Operating Officer following two years as Chief Performance Officer.

Westhill-based construction firm CHAP Group has appointed Richard Stott to the role of Civils Director to help deliver ambitious growth plans. He joins CHAP having spent over 21 years with a local competitor, latterly as Managing Director.