News

Mirius listed in business growth index

Mirius has ranked 138th in the twelfth annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 – 2021.

The index ranks Britain’s midmarket private companies with the fastest-growing international sales. This year’s special COVID-19 edition highlights the important contribution that private companies have made during the pandemic.

Already a global manufacturer of cleaning and hygiene products, Mirius turned its attention to the production of antiviral cleaning products at the beginning of the pandemic to supply healthcare providers and consumers with high performance antiviral cleaning solutions. Mirius was able to develop, test and supply antiviral surface disinfectants, including its now flagship Hycolin brand, in record time.

This vital disinfectant, which has shown to be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19) by independent laboratory tests, has afforded healthcare providers and consumers around the country protection against harmful bacteria and viruses during the ongoing pandemic.

Now, less than one year since its initial launch, Hycolin has become one of the fastest-selling cleaning products in the grocery sector, having sold millions of bottles in stores such as Savers, Dunnes, Lidl and Aldi as well as hundreds of independent retailers nationwide.

Steve Quinlan, CEO at Mirius, said: “We’re proud to be recognised within the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 after several years of incredible growth. At Mirius, we have been committed to offering effective cleaning solutions for over 50 years, and this year we have worked harder than ever to deliver more scientifically excellent cleaning products – when our professional customers and retail consumers have needed them most. We look forward to continuing to expand our ranges and developing additional high-performance products for the future.”

Coventry College unveils new courses to aid COVID-19 recovery

A bumper number of new courses are being launched at Coventry College as part of wider efforts to help the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A minimum of 12 courses will be open to students from September 2021, including new healthcare, business and performing arts-related courses to reflect rising student demand.

Three of the new courses expected to be popular following the pandemic include the Level 3 Technical certificate in Health & Social care, Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Mental Health, and Level 3 Certificate Understanding Principles of Dementia Care. These three courses allow for flexible study and are backed by the government’s National Skills Fund, entitling most adult learners to free study.

The college’s new premium Level 3 Diploma in Enterprise & Entrepreneurship – which is targeted at school leavers – is also preparing for a swathe of interest from entrepreneurial hopefuls ahead of the new academic year.

Paul Starkey, director of creative and service industries at Coventry College, said: “We know from our close links to industry that there is a need for more health and social care staff, as well as a need for existing professionals looking to up-skill.

“More people have expressed an interest in working within the health and social care sector after being inspired by the important role that healthcare professionals have played during the pandemic, and our new year-long Level 3 Health & Social Care course will play a key role in meeting this demand.”

Another area key to the country’s long-term recovery is the business community.

Donna Mason, curriculum manager for business at Coventry College, said: “Around 99.9% of British businesses are SMEs, which will have an important role to play in helping the economy to recover over the coming months. This course has an equally crucial role to play in bringing through the personnel to keep these businesses going in the longer run.”

For more information visit www.coventrycollege.ac.uk

Wright Hassall completes two major property deals

Midlands law firm Wright Hassall has competed two multi-million-pound commercial property deals within a week of each other.

Anna Power, senior associate in Wright Hassall’s commercial real estate team, acted for a private property investment company in securing the acquisition of two properties, each for around £3.1 million.

The first acquisition was of four industrial units covering 119,000 sq ft at Bridge Road in Brompton-on-Swale, Catterick from the existing tenant, who has taken a 15-year leaseback of the units as part of the deal.

The second deal was the acquisition of the recently refurbished and extended 53,000 sq ft industrial property on the Altham Industrial Estate in Accrington. The existing tenant will remain in occupation, having signed a 15-year lease less than a year ago.

Anna said: “I was delighted to work with this client on securing these two properties. Commercial property deals are often a good indicator of the market.

“These two deals underline the confidence investors still have, particularly in the industrial and logistics sectors with good long-term yields, and their resilience in the current economic climate. We also have a number of other deals in the pipeline for this client.”

Wright Hassall worked alongside the client’s property agent, Tom Bromwich from Bromwich Hardy, on closing the deals.

Anna Power

College reveals plans to boost skills and enterprise in Nuneaton

Outline plans have been revealed by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire (NWSLC) to launch a Digital Skills and Innovation Centre in the heart of Nuneaton that will help to regenerate skills and careers opportunities in the town.

The plans follow news earlier this month that Nuneaton was named as one of 45 UK towns to benefit from £23m from the government’s Towns Fund.

NWSLC plans to deliver a new state-of-the-art centre in the heart of the town centre that will enable access to digital skills training, provide an incubation space for business start-ups, and deliver a lifeline to the hospitality sector with the addition of a training restaurant that will be open to the public. The facility is expected to serve more than 2,600 students over the next ten years, support 290 business start-ups and deliver value to the economy worth £13.4m.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, said: “We’re delighted to be working with My Town Nuneaton to contribute to the regeneration of the town and boost opportunities for people to gain new skills that pave the way for exciting careers.

“We know that the UK is facing digital skills shortages and that careers in big data, AI, and superfast computing are set to grow on the back of swift developments in 5G connectivity. The Digital Skills and Innovation Centre is being designed specifically to address skills development in this area and provide space for entrepreneurs to thrive and grow.

“In addition, we have seen the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the hospitality sector. By re-locating our training restaurant to the town centre, we will provide a boost for vocational skills that will help the sector’s recovery in Nuneaton.”

For more information visit www.nwslc.ac.uk

High 5 training scheme helps pupils on return to classroom

Bruce Williams, Kelly Wright and Arif Ghaffer, of PET-Xi, at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School

A Merseyside school has teamed up with a national training provider to deliver intensive and immersive lessons to help pupils catch up as they return to the classroom.

St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, in Whiston, has joined together with training provider PET-Xi to deliver GCSE maths and English lessons to some of its year 11 pupils who are most in need of additional support.

PET-Xi is delivering its High-5 training programme to four groups of pupils over the next few weeks at the school, which promises to move a minimum of 70% of the group up by a grade in just five days and to increase their confidence.

The move comes as pupils return to the classroom for the first time since December last year.

The school is the first location PET-Xi has delivered face-to-face lessons at since the very first lockdown in March last year after moving its programmes online.

Steve Smith, business development manager at PET-Xi, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be working with St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School to do what we do best – delivering intensive lessons to pupils. It’s fantastic for us to be back in the classroom delivering face-to-face.

“Year 11 pupils need supporting now more than ever and the sessions we deliver complement everything that the school already has in place.”

Helen Charnley, assistant headteacher at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, said: “Pupils have found the PET-Xi maths and English sessions invaluable in identifying and closing gaps in learning.

“The sessions are enjoyable, engaging and interactive but also academically rigorous and as a consequence, pupils develop their knowledge, skills and understanding and make accelerated progress.

“Pupil voice is overwhelmingly positive and we will continue to work with PET-Xi in the future to support and challenge our pupils.”

For more information visit https://www.pet-xi.co.uk/

Affordable homes for families across the Midlands

Housing association Midland Heart completed and handed over 350 new homes during the year to March 31, 2021.

This includes 131 in Leicestershire, 97 in Staffordshire, 92 in Warwickshire, 12 in the West Midlands and 8 in Northamptonshire.

Joe Reeves, executive director of finance and growth at Midland Heart, said: “This is a brilliant achievement for us, especially during what has been a challenging year. All of these new homes have been offered at affordable rent and low-cost home ownership, which is great news for our customers.

“This year, we made the decision to extend our corporate plan by a year and refresh our development target to build 4,000 new homes by March 2025. With over 900 developed over the previous two years and 1,400 properties currently being built on site, we are well over halfway towards our target.”

Chris Miller, director of development at Midland Heart, said: “Handing over so many new homes this year while dealing with the various restrictions has been a challenge but I’m pleased that so many families have been able to settle into their new homes as planned.

“I’m very proud of the team and their work both within Midland Heart and outside of the organisation with our many partners, developers and local authorities. The bar is set even higher for 2021-22 with a target of around 800 new homes to be completed by April 2022.”

Midland Heart said its forward pipeline was very strong. The company is due to start on several sites this year, including Drakelow Park in Burton-on-Trent in partnership with Countryside Properties.

For more information visit www.midlandheartgroup.org.uk

Growth fuels Gas Data expansion

A Coventry manufacturer of portable and fixed gas analysers has recorded year-on-year growth that has allowed it to operate on a grander scale.

Established in 1991, Gas Data is renowned among industry professionals as a manufacturer for industrial applications. The company has seen growth since the new owner, Peter Cieslak, took over the management in 2018.

Through the years, Gas Data has been listening to its customers and innovating with well-engineered products and customised services to guarantee the highest quality standard and reliability. The company is an ATEX, UKEX and IECEx-certified manufacturer with several product accreditations. Currently, Gas Data employs a highly professional team of people. It is now looking to expand its workforce to innovate, advance its technologies to the next level, and increase its presence within the gas industry.

The increase in staff allows the company to support and supply more customers than ever. Gas Data is proud to deliver its services to 1,500 customers in more than 50 countries and looks forward to extending its customer base.

Making that all important change stick

The last 12 months has seen businesses of all types facing unprecedented challenges. COVID-19 has been a driver for greater innovation.

“In a changing world, success depends on our ability to adapt” says Richard Miller, Strategic Services Partner at Dafferns. But how do we make that change stick, and make it more than a leap of faith?

Research tells us that the probability of change success in whatever project or initiative you undertake can be as low as 30%, which means there is a 70% probability you will fail.

Whilst any adaptation of your model requires an element of ‘trial and error’, there is a risk of a high cost in terms of lost time, reduced confidence, wasted money and poor utilisation of resources.

Research by global business experts Mindshop has examined how to improve your probability of change success, identifying 3 main contributing factors:

Readiness (30%)

• How ready the organisation and the people within the organisation are to implement change? • Does the leadership visually and emotionally support the change? • Do the participants understand the need for change? • How do you answer the question

“What’s in it for me?” • Do you have an appropriate process to bring about the change? • Is there sufficient confidence for it to succeed?

Capability (40%)

• The skills, people, training and resources needed to implement change – both operational and dynamic

Beliefs (30%)

• The overall attitude of the organisation in relation to the change

For your business to be agile it makes sense to identify where the key gaps are before you start, and to put in place specific action plans and key performance indicators to bridge those gaps. We use a simple diagnostic tool as a starting point, in testing how likely a particular plan or initiative is to succeed.

A little time invested in assessing whether your business is “change ready” in the first place will boost your probability of achieving those all-important plans as you reset your business for 2021.

Try the diagnostic for yourself at https://dafferns.com/diagnostic/changesuccess/. You can find more information at www.dafferns.com or by contacting Richard.Miller@dafferns.com

Dafferns Chartered Accountants Trusted Advisers since 1896 Authentic, Agile, Connected www.dafferns.com