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SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES
TOP TIPS
FOR EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
MICRO PUB REVOLUTION
WHAT DOES THE MICRO PUB REVOLUTION MEAN FOR BRITAIN’S PUB SCENE?
IT’S STICKY BUSINESS
LOTUS LABELS EXPLAINS HOW BUSINESSES FROM A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES ARE USING THEIR BESPOKE SERVICES
EXPERT
ADVICE FROM LOCAL SUSSEX BUSINESSES
+ WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE JAGUAR F-TYPE S COUPE
HOME-COMING WE TALK TO MELANIE ADAMS FROM SUSSEX BASED GIANT BREWERS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THEIR NEW RETAIL DIVISION, BREWERS HOME
THE CREDIBLE VOICE FOR THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY
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SBT Welcome MEET THE TEAM
Lee Mansfield, Managing Director/ Publisher
Simon Skinner, Group Director
Clare Fermor, Operation Director
Zoe Thomas, Editor
Jon Goodwin, Title Manager
Patrick McCreanor, Sales Manager
Harriet Weston, Amy Watson, Production Manager Production Assistant
Amelia Wellings, Financial Controller
CONTRIBUTORS
Andy Tyrell, Crunch Melanie Adams, Brewers Accounting
Richard Bell, PRB Consulting
Sussex is home to some of the best ales in the UK from Harveys of Lewes, to Dark Star in Brighton. With so much good beer to boast about, the pub industry in Sussex should be booming – but recent conditions (increased beer duty, lower revenues) have caused hundreds of pubs to close down. What was once the cornerstone of community life is now few and far between, and the pubs that are left are having to diversify. But alas, there is hope. The so-called ‘micro pub revolution’ is well underway, bringing local ales to disused shops, cafes and salons. In this issue we meet some of the entrepreneurs who’ve opened micro pubs in Sussex, and reveal how you could do it too, for as little as £5,000. In this issue we also meet one of the longest-running businesses in Eastbourne – Brewers, a company that now has outlets all over the UK and competes with top stores like Homebase and John Lewis. We speak with Melanie Adams to find out what made this company so successful. Eastbourne is an excellent hub for business and if you ever find yourself down here for a conference or meeting, why not treat yourself to a night in one of the town’s more exclusive hotels: the Waterside Boutique Hotel. You can read my review on page 48. It is our belief that hard workers deserve a treat, so if you’re on the look out for a new car that looks as great as it drives, you might like the Jaguar F Type our motoring correspondent Simon Skinner test drove this month. Sigh. We can dream. Enjoy your read!
Christina Ewbank ACES Facilitator
Rachel Stone, Bespoke Training Eastbourne Ltd.
Serena May, MCIPD Director, HR Dept
Editor Zoe Thomas
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Contents SBT Issue 386
SBT
ISSUE 386 FREE
SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES
TOP TIPS
FOR EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
MICRO PUB REVOLUTION
WHAT DOES THE MICRO PUB REVOLUTION MEANFOR BRITAIN’S PUB SCENE?
IT’S STICKY BUSINESS
LOTUS LABELS EXPLAINS HOW BUSINESSES FROM A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES ARE USING THEIR BESPOKE SERVICES
EXPERT
ADVICE FROM LOCAL SUSSEX BUSINESSES
+ WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE JAGUAR F-TYPE S COUPE
HOME-COMING WE TALK TO MELANIE ADAMS FROM SUSSEX BASED GIANT BREWERS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THEIR NEW RETAIL DIVISION, BREWERS HOME
THE CREDIBLE VOICE FOR THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Cover: Melanie Adams Brewers Home Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansfield lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Group Director: Simon Skinner simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 017 Operations Director: Clare Fermor clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Business Development Manager: Jon Goodwin jon@sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Editorial: Zoe Thomas zoe@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 011 Production Manager: Harriet Weston harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 010 Design Assistant: Amy Watson amy@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 018 Subscriptions: Linda Grace linda@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 015 Accounts: Amelia Wellings amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Published by Unit1, Swan Barn Business Centre, Old Swan Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by Gemini Press, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6NZ All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of Life Media Group LTD. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press. Copyright Life Media Group LTD 2015 ©
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News
View the latest local and national business headlines
Spending it
Stationary-lovers rejoice, we’ve sourced some of the best desk accessories to spruce up your workspace
Events
We take a look at upcoming business events not to be missed in March
Money Matters
What could the election mean for your taxes? Mike Chapman from Knill James explains
Cover Feature - Brewers
We catch up with Melanie Adams to find out more about the launch of Brewers Home
Lotus Labels
Meet the German company producing labels in Eastbourne
Micro Pubs
What does the micro pub revolution mean for Britain’s pub scene?
M2 Computing
Paul Kollnig explains how the West Sussex-based company harnesses technology to help improve and empower small to medium sized businesses
Chamber News
All the latest news and events from ACES
Motoring
SBT’s Simon Skinner reviews a selection of shiny motors to make us all feel jealous
Ask the Experts
Four local business experts advise on relevant issues
Made in Sussex
This month’s home grown hero is Get Manic
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SBTLocal News Eastbourne Firm Receives Prestigious Accreditation Carlton Property Management, based in Eastbourne, has been awarded a prestigious accreditation by the Association of Residential Management Agents (ARMA). The ARMA-Q accreditation is the new regulatory regime for residential leasehold managing agents. It is designed to raise standards and quality of service across the residential leasehold management sector. Despite collecting over a billion pounds in service charges from leaseholders each year, managing agents have not been regulated by government. The new accreditation has been introduced this year, and is voluntary. John Buckland, Director of Carlton Property Management said: “To achieve accreditation, we had to demonstrate that we comply with over 160 rigorous industry standards, so we are extremely proud to have achieved the ARMA-Q badge of quality, and it is only awarded to companies that meet top standards and levels of customer care.”
Business Bounce for Local Catering Company
Zebedee’s Lunch Box Ltd, a catering company specialising in supplying healthy, nutritious meals to nurseries and primary schools across the South East has expanded its business thanks to two awards (£87,500 and £82,500) from Locate East Sussex. As a result, 25 new jobs are being created, 15 of which have already been filled. Improvements have also been made to transport and equipment.
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Wightman & Parish Celebrates 100 Years at Eastbourne’s Cavandish Hotel
Hailsham-based Wightman & Parish has marked 100 years in business with a celebration dinner at the Cavendish Hotel. The company started as a supplier of basic ironmongery products in 1915 and has evolved to become a leading distributor of healthcare and hygiene products, now in the fourth generation of ownership. The meal was attended by more than 150 guests, which included special guests Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Peter Field, and Eastbourne & Willingdon MP, Stephen Lloyd. Wightman & Parrish Chairman, Michael Parrish, said: “My grandfather
and George Wightman set the company up in Lewes from humble beginnings and it’s changed enormously during that time to reflect customers’ changing needs. I’ve been with the company for 55 years and I learnt early on that a company is only as good as the people it employs - and we have a great team.” The Lord Lieutenant said: “We’re here to celebrate an amazing success story. I don’t know of any other Sussex company still in business after 100 years with the same ownership and the same commitment to the community. My wife and I are delighted to be here as your guest and as Her Majesty’s representative here in Sussex.”
Local MP Visits Lewes Company Helping Syrian Refugees International Development Minister Baroness Northover, accompanied by local MP Norman Baker, visited Firefly Clean Energy in Lewes, whose generators are being used by camps supporting refugees from Syria. The UK Government is committed to supporting the generation of clean energy in developing countries and believes that the private sector has an important role in providing this technology. The Minister visited to learn more about the products that Firefly manufactures and how they are are being used in developing countries and emergency situations across the world. Baroness Northover said: “Access to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy is vital if developing countries are to grow their economies and raise the living standards of their people. It also plays an important role in helping those
affected by humanitarian crisis when people can often be left without access to basic energy needs”. “The generators provided by Firefly, based here in Lewes, have been key to the UK’s response to the Syrian crisis. They provide essential power to affected people for light, heat and communication and enable medical teams to use lifesaving equipment in challenging environments.”
SBTLocal News Miller Homes South Builds for the Future in 2015 Miller Homes South has announced plans to build more than 250 homes in the region this year. The properties will be spread across four new sites and will also see the expansion of a current popular Miller Homes development in West Sussex. The award-winning housebuilder currently has nine developments in the South and the four new sites will be spread across West Sussex, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Miller Homes will be building new homes in Tetbury within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire and has also made planning applications in Oxfordshire in the villages of Drayton and Steventon. A new site is earmarked in West Sussex in the village of Tangmere and the successful Burleigh Woods
development in Crawley Down is being expanded in 2015. For Tracey Lee, Area Sales and Marketing Director at Miller Homes South, this announcement is testament to the buoyancy of the property market in the region. She said: “We are looking forward to an exciting year for Miller Homes South after a successful 2014, with new developments planned for the region. “The Government-backed Help to Buy scheme is still giving people the confidence to move and added to this the recent changes in stamp duty, we expect to see a boost to the property market this year.” Miller Homes currently has a number of active developments in the South. For more on Miller Homes in the South, visit www.millerhomes.co.uk
East Sussex Company Named Top Social Enterprise by RBS
The Ecological Land Co-operative (ELC) has been named ‘top social enterprise’ in the South East by RBS. The local company came out top in an index called RBS SW100, designed to track growth and impact in the social economy. It is an online listing of social ventures, ranked and scored according to their growth and social impact. The live market intelligence platform is designed to provide a substantial data resource for investors, commissioners
and policymakers as they seek to understand the landscape of the social economy and identify top performers across the UK. In the annual data snapshot for 2014, registered social enterprises in the South East show an average growth of 88% and a total combined turnover of £847 million. The South East accounts for 8% of the total registered RBS SE100 Index users, with 94 social enterprises on the Index in the region.
City College announces Jeremy Jacobs as new ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’
City College Brighton and Hove has announced that its new ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ is local businessman Jeremy Jacobs. Jeremy’s role will be to represent the College’s commitment to enterprise and innovation, supporting students and staff in developing entrepreneurship in practice and planning. He will have an office base at the College and attend surgeries to give advice and guidance. Jeremy is an entrepreneur with extensive business and digital marketing expertise who has been an Account Director for numerous global digital marketing agencies across international markets with clients including Waitrose, Lloyds TSB, Barclays, HSBC, Toyota, BMW, Open University and Qantas. In 2009, Jeremy co-founded Indulgence Cupcake Company which expanded rapidly and won a contract to supply Virgin Atlantic with cupcakes for 20 daily flights for 2 years. In 2012, the company rebranded to Raise Bakery to allow it to broaden its product range. Jeremy has also featured in Food Network’s Cupcake Wars in the US in July 2012. Jeremy continues to advise businesses and individuals on their digital marketing strategy. His most recent contract was working with Waitrose.
South East Succeeds in Retaining Graduates for Work More than a third (36%) of South East graduates remain in the region during and after university, and 33% study elsewhere before returning to work – reveals the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) in the Graduate Market Trends survey, published in
February 2015. The study examines how successful regions are at retaining their graduates six months after they leave university, which is essential to improving local economies. Charlie Ball, Head of Higher Education Intelligence at Prospects and its parent
charity HECSU said: “The region is large, populous, has a strong economy and is close to London, and so attracts a lot of students and graduates. A skilled and educated workforce is a boon to any region looking for economic growth.”
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SBTLocal News New Builds Rise 10% In England The number of new homes built in England last year rose by 10%, according to government figures. The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) 201 said the number of new builds started rose by 10% to 137,000. The number of new builds finished rose to 118,760 – an increase of 18% from 2013. Although the industry welcomes the news, it said the number was still ‘way short’ of what the country needs. Last year house-building was still 25% below the peak reached in 2007. Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of housing charity Shelter, said: “While a small increase in the number of homes built might be heralded as a success, the real story here is the shocking fact that we’re building just half the homes we need in England.” The South East has seen the biggest rise in building over the last year, according to the DCLG. A total of 100,000 extra people have now been employed in house-building, helping give the UK economy a much-needed boost.
Surfers Protest Newhaven Development Plans Surfers have launched a campaign to resist plans they say will ‘decimate’ Newhaven Beach, currently a popular surfing spot. The ‘Save Our Wave’ campaign urges the public to respond to plans for an extension on Newhaven Port, laid out by Lewes District Council. The development - costing between £20m and £40m, involves creating a new berth, dredging the area and extending the port. Although campaigners agree the regeneration is needed, they are calling for another option that will not destroy a ‘precious natural space’.
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New Business Boost: Bennett Christmas’ £20M Growth Strategy Mid Sussex insurance broker Bennett Christmas Group (BC Group) has bought a book of professional indemnity business from Howden as part of a three-year plan to double its gross written premium. The book transfer was as a result of a longstanding working relationship with Howden’s and provides mutual benefits for both companies and the customers. It is the second acquisition in three months for Burgess Hill-based Bennett Christmas and marks the start of an exciting fifth anniversary year for the firm. The result of a merger between two well-established family-owned brokers in Burgess Hill, Bennett Dawes and Christmas Insurance, the Group has seen its gross written product almost
double, from £6m to £11m since 2010. “The plan is to grow to £20m in the next three years and a major part of that strategy is further acquisition,” said BC Group CEO Mark Bennett. The Howden business will be managed by BC Underwriting, the Group’s specialist professional indemnity insurance division.
Brokers Brings 40 Years Experience to Bennett Christmas Friends and colleagues Andy Smith and Simon Harris have both underwritten their future with a move to a new employer after almost 30 years combined service at their previous company. The friends, who recently joined the commercial division of Bennett Christmas Insurance Brokers in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, both spent a long period of their careers with the then family-owned brokerage DF Edmonds & Co, which later became Brighton Insurance Group. When Andy left Brighton Insurance Group to become senior commercial account executive at Bennett Christmas, it wasn’t long before Simon followed as senior commercial account handler bringing with them a combined total of 40 years of industry experience. Andy, who lives in Hurstpierpoint, describes Bennett Christmas as a ‘close-knit’ team.“It’s a well-run insurance brokerage with traditional values of service – a family business, but forwardthinking,” he says. Simon, who still lives in Brighton, was also impressed by the firm’s local ethos. “It’s how I like to work,” he adds.
Outside of the office the pair are both FA Level 1 qualified football coaches involved in local youth football, as well as both being keen golfers and competitive pool players. Mark Bennett, Bennett Christmas CEO, said: “Andy and Simon are clearly both team players and we’re delighted to welcome them on board at an exciting time for Bennett Christmas as we expand both our brokerage and underwriting divisions.”
For top designer paint brands, the finest and widest selection of wallpapers and a great range of furniture, lighting, blinds, shutters and soft furnishings, visit brewershome.co.uk You can also come to our new Eastbourne showroom and discuss your ideas with our experienced advisors. www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 9
Online at: brewershome.co.uk • In store at: Brewers, Birch Road, Eastbourne BN21 6PL
SBTNational News Photographer Captures Hidden Nightshift Workers News photographer David Hedges shot his ’24 Hour Economy’ photo series to celebrate people who keep the country running while the rest of us sleep. Research found that amongst UK workers, over 7 million work between the hours of 6pm and 6am, with the most common nightworking industries being transport and logistics (52%), followed by entertainment, leisure and hospitality (36%). David’s images depict a range of night workers. You can view the images at http://presscentre.sony.co.uk/
Profit Drop For British Gas Owner Centrica, owner of British Gas, has reported a significant drop in profits as a result of unexpectedly warm weather and cheaper oil prices. The company’s full-year operating profits fell by 35% to £1.75 billion. On a residential level, British Gas profits fell by 23% to $439 million. To soften the blow, Centrica has made the ‘painful’ decision to cut dividend payments to its shareholders. Last year, dividends were cut from 17p per share, to 13.5p. Centrica has also announced the closure of two of its gas-fired power stations at Killingholme and Brigg – both of which are now losing money after 20 years in action.
Businesses Unruffled by Election Uncertainty New data published by Sussexbased accountants BDO LLP suggests that businesses are unruffled by the prospect of an upcoming election, despite the current high profile debate around businesses’ confidence in political parties. According to BDO’s Business Trends report, business optimism and output still remain high despite the most unpredictable election in a generation being only three months away. Both the BDO Output and Optimism Indices, predicting economic growth three and six
months ahead respectively, remain resolutely positive. Companies’ hiring intentions also remain positive. The BDO Employment Index, measuring expected employment growth, remained well above its long term trend, signalling that firms expect businesses to keep hiring in the near term. Commenting on the findings, David Eagle, Partner at BDO LLP, said: “This month’s report shows that local businesses can and will tune out of the parties’ electioneering to focus on what really matters – their business prospects.”
The Funding Centre - New Website For SMEs A new website has been launched aimed at SMEs looking for alternative sources of funding. The independent service helps small businesses navigate their way around the increasingly complex world of alternative finance. It includes a simple funding comparison tool enabling users to compare a variety of alternative finance products from some of the UK’s top providers in just a few simple clicks. “Our mantra is that businesses should avoid the high street banks, as well as the finance broker sector, which we believe is as much of a problem as the high street banks”, says David
Stevenson, Founder of the Funding Centre. “We believe businesses should go direct to the vast number of new alternative, online funding platforms. “At the last count there were hundreds of platforms and products offering everything from short term working capital finance through to long term equity. The choice is huge, arguably there’s too much, and businesses need sound, editorially led, independent guidance to help navigate their way around this constantly evolving space.” The Funding Centre is also rolling out a series of complimentary, alternative finance bootcamp events. www.TheFundingCentre.com
Robust Retail Sales Growth Kicks off New Year
Retail sales grew strongly in the year to January, slightly exceeding expectations, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 127 firms showed that whilst sales volumes grew at a slower pace than in the previous
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month - which benefitted from bumper Black Friday sales - the rate of growth remained healthy, and volumes were well above average for the time of year. Among the retail sub-sectors, growth was generally broad-based. Clothing reported the strongest rise in sales since February 2013, and robust
growth was also seen from grocers, furniture & carpets retailers and other normal goods, such as jewellery and second-hand goods. Internet sales volumes rose firmly again in the year to January, though the rate of growth eased off slightly for the second month running.
SBTNational News Fund Managers Reveal Economic Outlook For The Year Ahead
Pet Market Growth Slows In 2015
The UK’s top fund managers have raised concerns that the forthcoming General Election, coupled with economic uncertainty in both the Eurozone and in China, could cause a continued volatile market in 2015. The Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) and Baker Tilly Small and Mid-Cap Investors Survey 2015, interviewed some of the UK’s leading small and mid-cap institutional fund managers about their outlook for businesses over the coming year. As well as the General Election in May, the fund managers raised concerns as to where cash inflows would come from in 2015 in order for mid-cap quoted companies to continue to grow. Most of them expected that there would be a decline of companies seeking to IPO this year, and that this was largely due to macroeconomic and political uncertainty. The fund managers were also
The £4 billion pet care market growth is slowing as pet owners (with the exception of dog owners) become more price-conscious. Conlumino’s ‘Pet Care Sector Report 2015’ expects the market to slow from a 12.4% growth over the last five years, to a 9.3% growth this year. More than two thirds (67.7%) of consumers surveyed by Conlumino stated that price is an important attribute when purchasing. However this pales compared with the 91.6% of consumers stating that the preference of their dog is important in buying pet food. Indeed many consumers visit pet stores, and specialists in particular, to receive advice and information. Pets at Home, which positions its staff as pet experts, has unique specialist credentials making it market leader with 19.6% share in 2014. However, Greg Bromley, retail analyst at Conlumino remarks: “Reflecting trends in the wider food and grocery market, growth in pet food – the largest component in the pet care sector - is being heavily impacted by lower inflation.”
concerned that many investors particularly those managing large cap funds - were becoming increasingly risk averse as a result of the attitude and action of regulators. Many felt that investors were being discouraged from investing in small and mid-cap companies due to the perception that they were ‘risky’ investments, and that this could see some investors exit the small and mid-cap space altogether, making funding and liquidity even harder to gain in 2015. However despite these concerns, the managers said they expected small and mid-cap companies to perform well in 2015, with some forecasting that small companies would see real improvements in corporate valuations. Many of the fund managers also said that the quality of IPOs had improved recently, partly because the pricing has become more realistic.
Why Universities Are Britain’s Economic Cornerstone If the UK is to make its way in a world of intense global competition, growing businesses and universities must make the most of its world-class research base to keep the UK at the forefront of innovation and help deliver future growth. That’s according to a new report published by the CBI and Middlesex University. In recent years the UK’s diverse universities have made huge strides in supporting business innovation and the research that underpins it – playing its part in driving the economic recovery. Many firms have already developed partnerships with universities, with half of CBI members planning to strengthen
their ties in the future. While many large firms may already have established relationships, there is much for smaller, ambitious firms to gain by taking their first steps to developing a tie-in with a university. The challenge is to assist mid-sized
businesses in understanding exactly how to get the best from partnering with universities, to encourage more to take part in such schemes. Neil Carberry, CBI Director for Employment and Skills policy, said: “The UK’s universities are a leading light with world-beating research skills and facilities that punch above their weight. In an ever more competitive global economy, we must strain every sinew to get the most out of this competitive advantage. “While many larger companies already recognise the value of such tie-ups, it is vital to make our growing, ambitious firms more aware of the opportunities on offer.
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apprenticeships.gov.uk
Why am I so good for business? Because I’m an apprentice! • My skills meet the needs of my employer • I improve the bottom line • I’m great PR because customers like apprentices too!
The You’re Hired East Sussex apprenticeship campaign is looking for 500 employers and 500 ‘work ready’ young people – just like me.
Find out more. If you’d like support from a local training provider regarding apprenticeships, please call the National Apprenticeship Service www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk on120800 0150 600.
Jemma McCarthy, Hairdressing Apprentice & Wayne Robertson, Owner of Concept Hairdressing, Stone Cross, East Sussex
Spending It
Brighten Up Your Desk Personalise your work space and stay organised with our selection of desk accessories
CLASSIC PLATINUM-PLATED PROPELLING PENCIL Bring iconic style to your work space with this Classic propelling pencil from Graf von Faber-Castell. Timeless in style this propelling pencil features a platinum plated barrel and trim with an articulated clip adding the finishing touch. £275. www.amara.com
ANDREW MARTIN BALFOUR TABLE LAMP Add some modern convenience to your work space with this Astra desk light by Andrew Martin. Featuring an adjustable head and body, it’s easy to manoeuvre & manipulate as you read or write. £345. www.amara.com
BUTTERFLIES METAL PEN POT Keep your stationery organised and your desk spotless with this beautiful metal pen pot. The butterflies in the design create a pretty lace effect and the metal has a matt black finish. Match it with the metal letter tray and magazine file from the same range for a coordinated and elegant look to your work or study space. £5. www.paperchase.co.uk
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Spending It
BLOCK DESK CLOCK - GREEN Get some green on your table top with the Block Desk Clock! This designer green table top clock is a unique timepiece that tells the time using the negative space in cut out numbers on the face. £24. www.redcandy.co.uk
MY PASSPORT ULTRA METAL EDITION My Passport Ultra Metal Edition brings brains and beauty to portable storage. Striking colours and an innovative radial design complement your on-the-go style. £94.99. http://store.westerndigital.com
VINTAGE WORLD MAP BLOCK DESK CALENDAR Make sure that your loved ones always know where (and when!) they are, with this stylish wooden-block desk calendar in the classic Vintage World Map design. £9.95. www.dotcomgiftshop.com
GEOSTORE DESK TIDY Man the hunter: deft, skillful and powerful. But in the urban jungle, man is often hunting his pens, pencils and other essentials. Geostore kills the clutter on his desk so that he can spend less time hunting for his ruler and more time bringing home the spoils. £15. www.TheGreatGiftCompany.co.uk
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Spending It
BRIGHT IDEAS USB LIGHT The Bright Ideas USB Light is a USB Laptop light without a switch, with no lampshade, legs, switches or fuss - it’s simply a lightbulb at the end of an articulating arm, which glows when connected to a laptop to shed a bit of light on things. £15. www.TheGreatGiftCompany.co.uk
DESK JOTTER Jot reminders, messages and notes easily with our desk jotter from our Get Organised range. It features a cool black and white geometric print on the thick board cover and a bright green interior, perfect for a fresh start! £8. www.paperchase.co.uk
UMBRA SKYLINE DESK ORGANISER This moulded plastic desk tidy has been designed in the shape of a city skyline with buildings and skyscrapers acting as the pen pots and smaller buildings create an integrated media holder. £14.99. www.redcandy.co.uk
GREEN BLOSSOM PAPERCLIP HOLDER This pretty green magnetic flower is designed to neatly store paperclips in its centre. The unique blossom paperclip holder can also be used to attach little notes and reminders magnetically. £9.99. www.oakroomshop.co.uk
OFFICE NOTES Cavallini and Co Office sticky notes decorated with type writers, pencils, scissors, telephone, etc., in cream, blue, green and yellow paper. There are 8 blocks of notes in total, presented in a cute tin. £10.50. www.hamptonblue.co.uk
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Property
Eco Technology Show Delivers the Best Energy-Saving Ideas for Business Highlighting how embracing innovation in technology and low carbon solutions can save money and deliver genuine benefits to businesses, cities and communities on-going
“Electric vehicles and charging points are now familiar sights on our roads, and their use will be promoted by actor, comic and writer Robert Llewellyn”
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Business bosses can be forgiven for getting confused about Events going green. Funding cuts are sending mixed messages as the Coalition Government’s commitment to reduce the public deficit mean there are fewer grants and funding sources available. Indeed, the incentives seem to be mainly for businesses developing and promoting eco technology rather than the users – and many of them will be showing the
fruits of their R&D at the Eco Technology Show at the Amex Stadium this June (11-12). Larger firms, of course, have little choice in introducing reductions in carbon footprints. The ESOS Regulations 2014 brought into force Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and mean that all large businesses in the UK must assess energy use and energy efficiency opportunities at least once every four years. As a rule of thumb, if you employ 250 people or more, you need to be part of the scheme. ESOS stands for Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme
Advertorial
and Thameslink, a business which has ensured that ESOS is an opportunity and not just a compliance chore, will be sharing its experiences in one of the free seminars at the Eco Technology Show. The rail operator will share the ideas it uncovered, many of which can be adapted for smaller businesses. Solar boom in sunny Sussex Probably the most familiar source of financial support in our region is FiT (Feed in tariff) for solar panels on commercial roof space. It is actively being encouraged, and here in Sussex we live and work in the UK’s sunniest county, so every building owner and occupier should at least explore the options. The Eco Technology Show will provide a one-stop shop to talk to a range of providers and gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest technologies and business models before you make what will be a long-term commitment. Setting the scene at the Eco Technology Show will be Lord Rupert Redesdale, Founder of Energy Managers’ Association who has once again chosen the Sussex event as a platform for his campaign to transform the energy management profession in the UK and encourage businesses of all sizes to proactively manage their business’ energy usage. Electric vehicles and charging points are now familiar sights on our roads, and their use will be promoted by actor, comic and writer Robert Llewellyn. He has always been a science and technology enthusiast, even before he played the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf. Now perhaps known for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge he is an advocate of using and reusing resources efficiently, another key theme of the Eco Technology Show. For any business, the main incentive for going green is still energy and utility saving that will pay dividends year after year, as well as reputation. Indeed, many potential customers will ask about green credentials as part of their tender processes. “Exhibitors will show a remarkable range of ideas, from water softeners to complex energy management systems, and I defy any businessperson to leave the show without a headful of ideas that can boost their green credentials and their bottom line” said Show Director Nicola Gunstone. The Show and seminars are all free to attend, and there’s no need to book for the talks. Register for fast track entry at www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk
www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
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Money Matters
18 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
Money Matters
Top Tips for excellent customer experience Andy Tyrell, Client Experience Manager for Crunch Accounting, shares his top four tips on customer experience
Customer experience can make or break a Financial business. It doesn’t matter how good Advice your product is, or how much value for money it offers - if your customers aren’t happy, you might as well not bother. The customer service you provide can directly impact not just your company’s reputation, but also your finances, your staff happiness and your ability to expand the business. So what can you do better? Here are my top four tips that I’ve learnt from my seven years of experience in the field.
1
Answer questions before they’re asked
I’m on a mission to become the Derren Brown of customer experience, answering customers’ questions before they even think of asking them. A challenge with my current job at Crunch Accounting is that our clients run their own businesses and have a lot of stuff to remember. We do everything we can to provide the information they need - in our help centre, on our blog, on an accountancy timeline in the app itself but our clients are busy people and things can easily be overlooked. A great example of a solution I’ve implemented at Crunch is an alert system for VAT registration. Not all our clients have to register to collect VAT, but those with an income over £81,000 a year are obliged to by law, and can be liable for a fine of up to £2,500 if they don’t register on time. With over 6,000 clients it’s impossible for our team to manually monitor every single account to see if they’re receiving income over the threshold. But because the Crunch App keeps a real time record of invoices, we’ve now set up an automatic alert system that will notify clients if they raise invoices amounting to ¼ of the threshold over a quarter. It also alerts the client’s accountant, so they can get on the phone to discuss the issue. Systems like this also save our staff time, taking the pressure off their workloads and generally making their jobs easier. And happier staff means better service.
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Money Matters
2
Humanise the customer service process
One of the biggest challenges we face is what I call “client baggage” - the idea that when a client calls our support centre, they’ve not found what they need, or something’s gone wrong. It’s important to humanise the process of customer support. Cause and effect has to be part of everything you do, because it makes the process more real. If a team member doesn’t understand the cause and effect of their actions, then they’re unlikely to care, which can lead to sloppy service. When your customers call with a question, make sure you respond with empathy, that you put yourself in their shoes and - most importantly - that you acknowledge any mistakes that have been made, and set out a clear plan for making things right.
3
Utilise social media
One of the biggest challenges in customer experience today is the internet. It’s is a place for negative customer experiences to spread like wildfire, potentially causing serious harm to your reputation. If customers have a bad experience, they have no problem getting on social media to talk about it, and won’t hesitate to write a bad review on Google, or one of the many business review websites. Most of these platforms don’t give you the chance to publicly respond, so for every bad comment, that’s a little dent in your company’s reputation. If you’re not constantly monitoring social channels like Twitter, you might find that issues blow out of proportion and reach hundreds of current/potential clients without you even knowing. So it’s important to have a dedicated team ready to respond at any moment. Social media is also a great place to engage with your customers positively. At Crunch we have a list of all our clients set
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up on Twitter, which we use to jump in on conversations, answering questions and offering advice. This feeds back to point one, and also shows our clients that we have their best interests in mind. In summary, the internet has increased transparency in customer service a huge amount, which is great for consumers, because it forces businesses to do better. That’s why customer experience is more important than ever before.
4
Set yourself up for referrals
At Crunch, it’s not just our clients’ businesses at stake, but our own, too. Just under 50% of our sales are generated from client referrals - a huge source of revenue. To encourage referrals you might want to consider putting an affiliate scheme in place that rewards clients for referring their friends. You can even measure how likely your clients are to refer through measuring your Net Promoter Score (NPS). A company’s NPS can range from -100, which indicates that every customer has had a bad experience, to +100, which indicates the opposite. Anything over zero
is considered “good” and anything over 50 as excellent. The score is based on user answers to direct questions, such as “How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend?”. They’re given a range to choose between 0 and 10, 0 being least likely and 10 being most. Users answering between 0 and 6 are considered unhappy, 6 and 7 as passive and 8+ as loyal supporters. If you can answer clients’ questions before they think of them, they’re more likely to give high scores on the NPS, more likely to recommend you to a friend, which ultimately means you’ll retain and gain more clients.
Andy Tyrell is Client Experience Manager for Crunch Accounting, the UK’s first and fastest-growing online accountant firm.
“According to Nesta the charity that supports innovation in the workplace - in 2013 crowdfunding sites helped small businesses raise more than £500 million”
If you would like to take part in our Ask the Experts panel please contact Zoe Thomas on: 01323 819 011 or zoe@lifemediagroup.co.uk
www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 21
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| www.worthing-coaches.co.uk 22 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
Water Coolers, Boilers & Zip Taps for your office
50 and Redundant, What Next?
A Sussex business woman shares her experience of being made redundant at 50 Returning to work after a two-week festive Focus break brought a mix of emotions. On the one hand getting out of bed on a pitch black winter morning isn’t appealing but, then again, returning to a routine is. Being a senior manager in a medium-sized business, the challenges of the next few weeks were top of my mind – how would l lead my team to deliver? So on a cold January morning I returned to my desk and job as head of marketing services and online, in a bright mood and ready to tackle anything. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Two days into the new business year, I was called to the boardroom where our HR manager was waiting. It suddenly dawned on me what was about to happen. Having previously had the unpleasant task of making people redundant, I knew the patter. The company were entirely professional in their delivery of the news that restructuring would affect my department and me personally. After 18 years of living and breathing the job and loving the brand, one could be forgiven for shedding a tear. But not me. I held a stiff upper lip (well, maybe a quiver or two), but no I would not, could not, allow my hurt to show. It would be true to say that the latter months of my 18-year tenure were not the happiest. Hugely challenging deadlines with a reasonably new team had given me sleepless nights. I was to hold onto this in the days that followed to reassure myself what was happening was for the best.
An interrupted night of sleep gave way to a grey, overcast morning – exactly what I didn’t need. But thankfully the school run gave me reason to shower and dress. I opened my wardrobe and peered in at the smart skirts and blouses that filled my wardrobe. When will I need these again, I wondered with a pang of sadness. I am a positive person, with a cuphalf-full mentality, so I got myself a notepad and wrote down all the things I needed to do. I was determined to stay focussed and not wallow in self-pity but, at the age of 50, finding oneself unemployed is undeniably daunting. That first day at home was spent list-making and networking. My list is long (I am nothing if not a clear thinker and planner!). Top of it was to phone everyone I could think of who might be able to offer advice or even a job. Next the obvious: update my CV, being careful not to make it a job description but more the highlights of my achievements. Everyone told me to set up a LinkedIn profile and contact lots of people to endorse me. I think I’ve done a good job at it. If a marketer can’t market themselves, it’s not a good sign. Buying a phone and laptop had to be a priority as my equipment is company owned. I’ve never had to buy a phone before, so considered the benefits of contract versus pay as you go. I opted for the latter, optimistic that I may have a company phone again soon! A quick scan of the job sites was uplifting. Surprisingly there are quite a few marketing jobs being advertised, albeit not many at a senior, strategic level. Two immediately caught my eye and I spent several hours completing
complex application forms. Whilst these are hugely time consuming, I think they are so much more comprehensive than a CV and, with such extensive experience, I am happy to tell people how I can add value to their business or organisation. Freelancing is on my consideration list. I’ve set the wheels in motion by purchasing a domain name “themarketingservice.net” and snapped up a gmail account with the same name. Now I need to decide how to present my service and charge myself to clients. I feel positive and buoyant at the moment. I know I may face days when I’m low but for the moment it’s a new door that’s opening for me and I intend to walk boldly through it. What’s more, I’ve just this minute, as I write this final paragraph, taken a call and have been invited for my first interview in 18 years. How exciting …
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Check a Professional
The Power Of Review
Checkatrade latched onto the power of Internet reviews early – enabling it to grow into one of the best-known online brands in the UK
“Checkatrade.com is now a household name across the UK, driven by the public demand for more information about businesses and the ability to read independent, verified reviews�
Following on from the success of checkatrade.com, Advertorial now in its 17th year, it became clear that the need for a similar service for professionals was needed. It always seem to crop up in conversations with other businesses, then suddenly we started to receive enquiries from both professionals and clients already using our website and whom were enjoying being able to make an informed choice! Having worked with trades, why move into unchartered waters? Checkatrade.com is now a household name across the UK, driven by the public demand for more information about businesses and the ability to read independent, verified reviews. However this was not how it was in the early days, very different in fact! Now
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we receive calls from tradespeople, saying they have to join us, as some customers are refusing to use them, due to not being able to check them out! We always knew that the concept of client reviews was a good idea, but of course for those whom the feedback was about, it was an unexpected change and for some unwelcomed. However, those who valued their business and reputation realised there was a demand for this information. Checkatrade.com had embarked on what has now become a growing trend and has now sparked a thirst for more information and feedback for other services. A little over four years ago, it was clear that the brand was growing at a phenomenal speed across the UK, as it was easy to use, and a completely FREE service, with no need to register for those searching. We knew that as a business, you have to listen to your
Check a Professional
customers and keep moving forward, so we started to look into providing them with information they had started to enquire about. Did you find the same concept would work for professionals? Yes absolutely, as the demand is via the consumer, who had requested more from us. It is easy to forget that we are all consumers and in business it is important to listen to your client’s needs. With some careful research, focus groups, talks with some regulators, scheme providers, along with some welcome input from different professions and consumer research, we knew that what we were looking to offer consumers was the first of its kind, but it didn’t faze us, as we had experienced this before, the difference being we were aware of demand. We have a strong, well known, trusted and marketed brand. The two sites are combined, meaning the services and members on Checkaprofessional.com can also be found via the Checkatrade. com website. The sites also share the same marketing platforms, so awareness is growing rapidly. The brand now receives over 1.1 million visits per month and has received to date 1,660,019 recommendations for our members’ businesses, making our
How are members finding it? We have received some lovely testimonials and reports from members who report that it has really made a difference to their business: “Gives customers the confidence that they will receive a quality service” “Independent customer feedback” “Valuable and effective tool for potential new clients” “We didn’t expect it to be a mechanism for gaining new business”
“Eager and forward thinking businesses will lead the way and will be rewarded by clients welcoming them and providing them with a more informed choice”
brand the leaders in the UK review industry for clients. For some it may well seem a strange idea to embark on offering a similar credibility tool, which works for trades to professionals, especially for those who are regulated, but we soon found out that many consumers did not contact a regulator to enquire, and of those who did, received very limited information. After meeting with regulators, who were of course inquisitive and full of questions, they agreed with our findings and could see how the site would benefit both client and profession. We have been dealing with consumers searching for recommendations since 1998, we know what brings them to our site, which is quite simply, FREE information on transparent businesses, who value client feedback. We don’t need to furnish them with how, or what is involved in a divorce case, or what a Surveyor will need access to, but they do appreciate that we have checked some vital business trading information, which they may not be aware is required and also provide them with independent, verified reviews they enjoy being able to read.
What are the expectations? You can choose to stick your head in the sand and wait of course! Consumers can read reviews and compare many products and service providers nowadays, such as, holidays, trades and insurance products, to name but a few. Unfortunately for some the temptation to be a follower is the easy option, why be different? In years gone by this was acceptable and almost the norm, however nowadays being different may be the only way to get in front of your prospective clients! Eager and forward thinking businesses will lead the way and will be rewarded by clients welcoming them and providing them with a more informed choice. Conclusion… The consensus of opinion is that if you want to grow your client base or just make sure you are doing the best to keep hold of your existing customer base, then you need to review what information you are providing clients. For more information regarding Checkaprofessional.com visit www.checkaprofessional.com or call FREEPHONE: 0800 093 8414
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Risk, Crisis and Resilience Marie Corner, medical device adviser for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust in Southampton, is studying part-time for her MSc in Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management at Portsmouth Business School.
Marie said: “I live in Fareham and chose to study part-time Advertorial so I could balance my fulltime work commitments and still study to an advanced level and gain a recognised qualification. I chose Portsmouth because the course offered was exactly what I wanted and it’s well regarded for the quality of its content and the expertise of the tutors. I wanted a course that would help me develop skills that would complement my professional role. “I love learning new things and being able to apply them, but one of the concerns I had before starting was would I be able to keep up, could I study to this level. I needn’t have worried. “I work as the Medical Device Adviser to Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. I really enjoy my job supporting clinical teams in delivering the best quality
care in the safest, most efficient way we can. I am lucky that I work with everyone from services users and clinicians to those working in procurement and governance, and although there is no clear professional pathway and development structure in my role, the Trust is fully supporting me. “The MSc in Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management course developed the skills I use every day and I now feel I’ve been given a box of tools that I can use to improve the value of my work. Studying helped me develop in other ways, too, and I’m now comfortable using evidence-based research in my work I feel confident in my ability to drive improvements and support staff. “One of the challenges I faced studying was that I needed to know well in advance the dates of lectures and course hand-ins in order to be able to plan my studies with my work, and the School wasn’t always able to firm
up long-term dates. On the plus side, the lecturers and tutors were fantastic and really supported us and helped us. The support I received was brilliant and enabled me to not just grow in confidence but also to really enjoy my studies. Studying to an advanced level also opens up the possibility of promotion. “It’s not until you undertake a commitment like this that you realise the only barriers you face are the ones your construct yourself.” Portsmouth Business School holds regular postgraduate information evenings. To find out more visit: www.showyoumeanbusiness.com
You’re a professional – so prove it Project Manager
HR Practitioner
Whether you are responsible for projects, HR, marketing, risk management or have ambitions for a top-level executive role, Portsmouth Business School offers part-time and professionally recognised postgraduate programmes for busy working people. A first degree may not be essential, as long as you have the right attitude and work experience which will have prepared you to succeed. You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain, so come along to our next open evening – for details please visit www.showyoumeanbusiness.com.
Sales Manager
Head of Programme Transformation
We’ve got our credentials – have you got yours?
26 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
T: +44 (0)23 9284 2991 E: pbs-studentrecruitment@port.ac.uk W: www.port.ac.uk/pbscourses
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e d
Planning a Business Event? Make yours memorable at Brighton Hilton Metropole
Sussex is home to a wealth of stunning venues perfect for Venue business events. If you’re planning an event locally, a quick Internet search will bring up all manor of buildings: castles, country houses, ancient barns, spa hotels, marquees and universities – but in terms of quality, size and location, there’s one place that ticks all the boxes. Brighton Hilton Metropole is the South East’s biggest residential conference venue, combining luxurious surroundings with modern conferencing facilities. Located right on Brighton’s famous promenade, many of the meeting rooms and public areas boast stunning views across the sea. Conference venues don’t have to be bleak, soulless places. Company culture is becoming increasingly creative, especially in Brighton - so there is a growing demand for venues with the flexibility to be styled and customised to particular needs. The Hilton offers a wide range of spaces, from compact meeting
rooms for a small team get-together, to huge exhibition halls offering 5,000 square metres of space for creative minds to play with. Everything you need from a business event venue: The difference between a business event and an outstanding business event is often all down to the venue. Choose the right place and delegates will hopefully be as happy and productive as possible. Choose the wrong place - difficult to access, bad service, faulty equipment – and you run the risk of annoying your delegates and not reaching your intended outcomes for the event.
Flexibility
When it comes to business venues, flexibility is about having choice. Due to its size, the Hilton has plenty of that. Choose from 35 function rooms to suit your needs, from a cosy meeting room with modern decor, to the huge Oxford Suite, which can seat up to 1,300 delegates. The operations team can work with you to style and set up the rooms
how you need them, with equipment and facilities of your choosing.
Unique
If you are looking for a venue to impress clients - perhaps you need to strengthen business relationships, negotiate an important deal, or simply reflect the quality of your brand in your conference, then the Hilton will do just that. Brighton seafront is one of the most famous stretches of coast in the UK, with the iconic pier just down the road. Many of the Hilton’s meeting rooms and guest rooms overlook this beautiful promenade, and you even have the option of hosting your event on one of the terraces in the summer, so you and your team can enjoy a beautiful Brighton sunset.
Location
The Hilton Brighton Metropole is close to transport links, with Gatwick airport just 30 minutes away on the train, and London Victoria 40 minutes away. The city also has direct links to the main local towns of Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes and East Grinstead to the north.
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Event Venue
The hotel is also close to dozens of interesting independent shops in the North Laines, as well as the designer boutiques and upmarket bars of the South Lanes - so delegates can easily turn a business event into a weekend away.
Quality
Hilton Hotels are world-renowned for their high standards in all areas of hospitality, including decor, facilities, service and food. Enter into the Hilton Brighton’s foyer and you can’t fail to be impressed by the opulent chandeliers and beautiful flower arrangements. The Waterhouse Bar and Terrace is arguably the hotel’s crowning jewel, offering a sleek cosmopolitan feel, expertly crafted cocktails and a top-rate menu from talented chef Peter Buckingham. The quality of conference equipment is also second to none, with everything from printers, AV equipment, fax, WiFi and photo copying, to office rental and secretarial services at your disposal.
Practicality
When you’re hosting international clients, or putting on an evening event, it can be a blessing to have suitable accommodation nearby. Having suitable accommodation in the very same building as the event itself is even better. The Brighton Hilton Metropole has plenty of comfortable, WiFi-equipped rooms, with a choice of lower priced guest rooms,
or suites with a separate living room and bathroom, perfect for longer stays. Those driving to the venue benefit from the convenience of a secure multi-storey car-park, so they can leave their car in a safe place overnight. The hotel benefits from additional facilities, including a gym - to work off those boardroom biscuits, and a pool to cool off. There is also a spa where delegates can enjoy a range of soothing treatments after a long day at work. Useful extras for those travelling in for
work include a luggage hold, foreign currency exchange, a barber and beauty salon, and an ATM machine.
Convenience
If you’re looking to book a business event without the hassle, the Hilton can help you simplify the process. There are a number of packages to choose from, including the Meeting Package, which offers a set price for a range of amenities including: • Meeting room • WiFi • Flip chart and markers • All day non-alcoholic beverages • Per person pricing For added convenience, you can select a number of add-ons including breakfast, lunch and dinner, healthy snacks and an LCD projector/screen/monitor.
For more information and to book your business event, contact the Brighton Hilton Metropole at 01233 775432 and ask to speak to Director of Sales. www.hilton.com/Brighton
28 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
Event Venue
Hilton Hosts Tattoo Convention A day in the life of the operations team organising thousands of tattoo enthusiasts How long do you spend preparing for the Tattoo Event Convention? From the initial enquiry to the start of the event, the management team spend several months of planning and organising. The client will be continuously liaising with one of the hotel’s event managers. With an event as big as Tattoo, from an operations aspect, we will start to plan the event approximately one month prior to the start data, planning the rota and organising any out of the ordinary day to day requests, such as organising additional power units for our infamous indoor full size dodgems. Closer to the start date we will look at the specific details, such as how much equipment we need in each area, what stock we need to order, what will be happening when, and what the clients expectations are. Are there a lot of nerves and tensions on the big day? It’s more excitement on the big day, rather than nerves and tension. Our Events and Operations Team work exceptionally hard together in the lead up to the event to ensure everything is in place to deliver the client’s vision and work with the planned schedule and anticipate any potential challenges. By having the right people, in the right places, at the right time, there is minimal tension or nerves. What could go wrong on the day? In advance of any large-scale event, the relevant risk assessments are completed by both our team and the event organiser’s team and approved by our Health and Safety Manager. The main risks posed are during the event setup, as machinery is often used and set/ stands/areas built onsite. This period is managed very closely and only licensed professionals are permitted to operate any machinery and build – only with prior
“We organise any out of the ordinary day-today requests, such as organising additional power units for our infamous indoor full size dodgems” approval following receipt of their Public Liability Insurance, risk assessments and method statements. The other main risk for a large event, is the volume of people attending. An extensive security team and traffic control system are in place to ensure the maximum capacity is not exceeded and only ticket holders/passes are allowed inside the event. How do you make sure thousands of tattoo enthusiasts are kept happy/fed/entertained during the convention? Delegates or visitors are here initially to enjoy the convention, to meet the tattoo artists, visit the stands and enjoy the entertainment on offer, so most of the hard work is completed for us for this convention. During this event we offer a selection of hot and cold food and drinks, on sale within the exhibition. Prior to the event our management team will meet,
discuss and agree with our Executive Chef, a menu which is suitable for the clientele attending the event and agree a pricing structure. This menu usually includes teas and coffee’s, soft drinks, a selection of sandwiches or salads and options for hot meals. How many tattoo artists do you expect to be there this year? We will expect to see in the region of over 150 artists at this event, with approximately 3,000 guests walking through the doors each day. The Brighton Tattoo Convention is a growing event which gets larger and larger each year. It is great to see it as such a continuing success and be part of something that attracts visitors and exhibitors from all over the world. www.hilton.com/Brighton
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Sussex Businesses are Finding Success with Help from the Navigator Scheme
Businesses across Sussex are finding ways to grow and develop their businesses, with help from the Business Navigator Scheme
“David has lots of reasons to say ‘cheers’: a much greater understanding of the fundamentals of running a business and clear plans for growth”
30 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
Businesses across Sussex are finding ways to grow Coast to and develop their Capital businesses, with help from the Business Navigator Scheme. Startups, social enterprises and established businesses in a wide variety of sectors are finding practical support to help with their growth and next phases of development. The Scheme signposts local businesses towards grants, funding and guidance available locally or nationally. The project is supported by the Regional Growth Fund, managed by Coast to Capital and delivered on behalf of the Greater Brighton City Region. Dedicated Business Navigators Laura Evans (Brighton & Hove and
Lewes), Tom Kenny (Worthing & Adur, Billingshurst and Horsham), Kerry Kyriacou (Chichester and Mid Sussex) and Geoff Ranson (Croydon and East Surrey) have helped over 2000 businesses in the past six months. The Navigators respond to enquiries from businesses in their area to find out about their individual needs, and then guide them to the right local and/or national schemes, advice and support. Here are just a few of the businesses already benefitting: Cin Cin Cin Cin (which means ‘cheers’ in Italian) is a mobile catering van based in Hove, available for events and private hire, serving prosecco and nibbles. Owner David Toscano contacted Brighton & Hove Business Navigator Laura Evans
www.c2cbusiness.org.uk
Advertorial
to find out exactly what kind of support he could access. With Laura’s help, David made use of the Growth Voucher scheme to get Cin Cin’s financial strategy and forecasting in place, and now has a business mentor. David has lots of reasons to say ‘cheers’: a much greater understanding of the fundamentals of running a business and clear plans for growth. He’s also met some great Sussex business people along the way. Wellbeing Events Debbie Stevens started her reflexology business in Worthing ten years ago as a hobby, never dreaming it would become a successful business. Now firmly established, Wellbeing Events offers individual sessions, pop up workshops for schools and businesses and monthly ‘girls night in. Debbie is now looking at her next phase of growth, thanks to the help of Tom Kenny and the Business Navigator Scheme. She says: ‘I didn’t realise that funding and guidance is available for established companies too. Accessing the scheme is going to help take Wellbeing Events to the next level.’ With the guidance offered by Tom and the Navigator scheme, Debbie is now taking on an apprentice and setting up as a limited company. Game Set and Match Chichester family business Game Set and Match specialises in the manufacture and sale of sports clothing and equipment for hockey, cricket, bowls, rugby and racquet sports, as well as providing training space for hire. Owner Rebecca Stemp sought help from Chichester Business Navigator Kerry Kyriacou, and with his support has completed a Be The Business application for funding for computer and staff training systems, embroidery software and support for taking on apprentices. Be the Business funding is for start-up as well as established businesses. Rebecca says, ‘We’ll hear back in March. If we’re successful, it will have a major impact on our business. We’ll be able to do some of the things we’ve been talking about implementing for ages, such as taking on an apprentice.’
Debbie Stevens
“With his support has completed a Be The Business application for funding for computer and staff training systems, embroidery software and support for taking on apprentices”
Call 01403 333840 to be put in touch with a Business Support Navigator in your area or see www.c2cbusiness. org.uk/ for more information.
www.c2cbusiness.org.uk www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk
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Cover Feature
New Store, New Concept, New Home With its roots firmly in Sussex soil, Brewers is poised to take the UK by storm with exciting new home store. Here, Melanie Adams takes us through the company’s past, present and its promising future...
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For a business that was founded over 100 Cover years ago, Brewers is doing remarkably well. Feature Soldiering on through wars, rations, cultural shifts, recessions and huge changes in retail, technology and consumer habits, the business has just taken its brand to a whole new level by launching Brewers Home. It began in Edwardian England... Clement Brewer and his wife Mary started their business selling everything a decorator could possibly need at 64 Cavendish Place in 1904. In 1910 they moved to 28 Pevensey Road and Jack Brewer joined the business, opening the second branch in Redhill in 1911. A store in Tunbridge Wells, under the Keith Brewer, opened in 1924 and the business became a limited company in 1925. In 1928 the Eastbourne shop moved
to Ashford Road, which remains the head office for the company. In 1928 a Guildford branch was established, then Horsham, Bexhill and over the years more branches were opened throughout Sussex, Kent and London. Moving into the modern age… In 1995, Melanie Adams joined the company and helped it grow to over 150 stores across the UK, including most recently Liverpool, Chester and Hull. Melanie told Sussex Business Times, “I first started working for Mark Brewer on a freelance basis in 1994 setting up a company wide made-to-measure curtain service”. He was wallcoverings manager at the time and in 1995 I joined the head office team responsible for our wallpaper and fabric showroom presentation and gradually took over the wallpaper buying. In 1999 we started with our online business Wallpaperdirect.com and then
Designerpaint.com in 2000 – selling wallpaper and paint. I manage both these brands, which have enjoyed substantial growth and in 2013 established Wallpaperdirect inc in the USA, with offices in Tennessee supporting the American market. I am also responsible for our central warehousing distribution in Eastbourne, with a team of 40 in the warehouse,” she continued. “We have recently acquired an additional warehousing space of 21,000 sq. ft. to enable us to supply wallpaper and paint not only to our own stores but also to our Internet customers both in the UK and overseas.” Despite having stores in some of the UK’s major cities, Brewers is still headquartered in Eastbourne. Melanie said: “Ashford Road is very central – we have parking nearby and are very close to the railway station so relatively easy for visitors to get to.
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Cover Feature
“The building is full of Brewers heritage and we are very proud of our beginnings in the Town and how we have grown the business. The office is deceptive from the outside looking very much like the shop of the 1920s however, behind the shop front we have some 70 staff managing the central functions of the business including premises, health and safety, IT, transport and printing. Our distribution warehouse is positioned in Maple Road on the other side of Town and has collections from carriers who have hubs close by so whether we are getting a parcel of wallpaper to California or Hull it is a speedy and seamless process.” Despite its increasing prolificacy, the business is still very much familyrun with the fourth generation now in control. Mark Brewer is Chairman, his Sister Alison, Cousins Nick, Neal, Simon and Charles are Directors and are all very actively involved in the Company. Melanie said: “We see ourselves as the specialists in all things decorating, whether it be problem solving or finishes. Although we have a large number of stores, we still remain flexible and our objectives are to help our customers get the best results by finding the best product for the job. We carry multi brands all with their unique features.
each generation and TV programmes like Changing Rooms were not always helpful when a very quick fix meant a quick lick of paint – as long as you didn’t look too closely! “There has been a real shift towards quality products and customers wanting to invest in a space they spend a lot of time in. The quality of wallpaper has improved immensely and with the introduction of ‘paste the wall’ papers too it is not the painful job it might once have been. “The trend for wallpaper has grown, as have paint brands like Farrow & Ball. Statement walls do say something about the homeowner and can be fun and easily changed. However, we are seeing resurgence in wallpaper on all four walls and paper does make an impact in the acoustic of a house, particularly where there are wooden floors.” As anyone in any line of business will know, changing trends can make or break the success of your company and sadly, it can often be a case of adapt or die. “All businesses are affected by recession,” Melanie agreed. “But fortunately for us the move from doing up a house to sell it changed to doing up a house to live in, so the need for decorating materials is always there. That doesn’t mean we don’t have to work very hard at it – running a successful business is never easy and we have a strong team of people across our business striving to deliver those results to enable us to continue to grow.”
“Although we have a large number of stores, we still remain flexible and our objectives are to help our customers get the best results”
ABOVE: Ashford Road, Eastbourne in 1928, Thornton Heath in 1944 and Crawley in 1957 and Birch Road, Eastbourne in 1972. OPPOSITE: Brewers Head Quarters in Ashford Road, Eastbourne with the Royal Warrant Images from a photoshoot for Brewers Home.
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Overcoming change and challenge… Like all industries, decorating has had its own idiosyncrasies, trends and challenges over the years. Melanie said: “After the war, decorating was a cheap and easy way to make homes more cheery when money was tight. Open fires and smoking habits meant that decorating needed to be done fairly regularly as smoke and nicotine stained the décor. “Trends always come and go with
Keeping up appearances... Over the decades a number of big contenders have moved onto the UK market - namely Homebase, which was launched in 1979 and made £1.49 billion with an operating profit of £18.9 million in the financial year 2013-2014. How does a relatively small, family-run business like Brewers compete with such a powerful force? “We have maintained the same values for over 100 years,” Melanie explained.
Cover Feature
“Value, quality and service – customer service is so important and we invest in so much training for our staff who are happy to give advice on any product we sell, from a paint brush to a pair of curtains. “This continuity has helped us to attract loyal and hard working staff who feel a part of the family experience which we can hopefully pass on to our customers. We have seen a lot of businesses come and go over the years and the big DIY chains are always on our radar but we have to set ourselves apart and focus as what we are best at selling.” With knowledgeable staff at the core of the business, Brewers is now in a place where it can expand its retail space. For Melanie and her team, it is important to give their trade customers the service they need to run their businesses by having a retail space where they can send their customers for quality product and a huge choice. “By creating a separate showroom in Eastbourne our objective is to improve not only what we sell but our customer service to both our trade and retail customers,” she added. Home grown value With the launch of the new Brewers Home store, We asked Melanie what old and new customers can expect to find. She told us, “Brewers’ value is also in supporting UK business. It has been very important for us to have our furniture made in the UK. All our sofas and armchairs are made in England in established furniture factories with years of experience. “We have selected some beautiful fabrics for their upholstery and in addition we are launching some exclusive fabric designs and many have names familiar to residents of Sussex – including Plumpton and Goodwood! “We are holding stock of those pieces and will be offering a white glove delivery service at no extra charge. We know there are times when our customers want something quickly and this will enable us to meet that expectation. “Out of our Eastbourne store we will offer a complimentary hanging service for curtains and blinds to ensure they look their best. We have also had some lovely wooden units made in the West Country, in four great colours with oak tops, which work so well with the whole
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Cover Feature
to existing larger Brewers branches or even as solus stores depending on its success,” Melanie said. In line with the rise of online shopping, Melanie has said the Brewers Home What’s in store for Brewers Home? model will be fully supported with a full “As part of opening our new Brewers e-commerce website, which will launch at Home store, we are relocating our the same as the physical store. Cornfield Interiors business from She said: Eastbourne “There are town centre, so “Running a successful over 13,000 those staff with on years of valuable business is never easy and wallpapers Wallpaperdirect. experience, com and we have a strong team of including furniture of will be on hand to people across our business thousands paint colours on advise staff and Designerpaint. train new staff striving to deliver those com – those in a brand new, results to enable us to will continue to more spacious be the heros of environment continue to grow” those products. where customers However, the can also park! Home website will bring together the wall Melanie added: “We are also finishes of wallpaper and paint, as well as introducing a new coffee shop which will giving a high quality service of curtains, be a creative space with free wifi so our blinds, curtain tracks, lighting, cushions, customers can spend time thinking about rugs, bedding and all those things to those important decisions when creating finish the room. their perfect room.. “We know they are not always easy The Eastbourne store is running as a decisions for our customers to make and pilot but the company plans to open a we want to help them feel good about second store in Exeter later this year. “We how they create their space,” she said. will, no doubt, learn from our customers “We have fantastic relationships with as to what they like and what they want our suppliers and the showroom will and our hope it to extend the model include brands such as Farrow & Ball, into other areas to either sit adjacent look. We have gone for a slightly more contemporary feel but quality and design are paramount.”
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Little Greene, Harlequin, Sanderson, Zoffany, Scion, Designers Guild, Osborne and Little, Mulberry, GP and J Baker, as well as our own brand Albany which was first established in 1920! We love great design and our decisions area influenced by that. “This has been a very personal journey for my team and me – we have sat in every chair, spent hours deliberating over fabric choices and we love what we have done and hope our customers will too.”
The Brewers Home store will open on 30th March, Birch Road, Eastbourne www.brewershome.co.uk
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It’s Sticky Business
We meet Eastbourne-based Lotus Labels to find out how businesses from a variety of industries are using their bespoke services
“Standing out from the crowd is after all what package labelling is all about. It provides the consumer with important information”
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For a factory, it’s not a bad location. In fact, it probably boasts Advertorial one of the best office views in Eastbourne. Situated in an industrial park to the side of Lottbridge Drove – one of the town’s main arterial roads, Lotus Labels overlooks miles of open farmland towards the picturesque South Downs. It is this idyllically-situated factory that Dynamic Systems Group, one of Germany’s leading industrial label manufacturers, merged with in February 2014 – bringing with it a wealth of expertise in print systems, software, signage and even security and counterfeit protection. Heading up the business is Andreas Schillinger, also hailing from Germany – although he assures us he is now ‘well and truly anglicised’, having lived in
Oxford for the past 16 years. Now living locally with his wife and children, he says he enjoys the ‘laid-back’, ‘down to earth’ nature of the Sussex people. The Industry The global label and packaging industry is huge, worth somewhere in the region of £47 billion and served by as many as 30,000 manufacturers worldwide, who produce around 42 billion square metres of label stock every year. This number is expected to grow to 50 billion square metres by the end of 2015. Since 1993, Dynamic Systems has served a variety of sectors, from automotive – producing barcodes that track parts in the manufacturing process, to counterfeit protection – inventing security features (holograms, embossing, security inks etc.) for passports, tickets, coupons and security documents.
The recent merger with Lotus Labels has enabled the company to move into consumer markets such as food, lifestyle and leisure. Past and current clients of Lotus Labels include wellknown brands such as Alton Towers, Yo Sushi, Jaguar and the Fenwick department stores. “Our completive edge is being able to offer our clients bespoke solutions,” Andreas explains. “For example, one of our clients recently needed us to create a tag to hook discretely onto jewellery products, so they asked us to come up with a simple, innovative solution, which we did. We have the expertise and technical know-how to produce original ideas tailored to our clients exact needs. That helps us stand out from the crowd.” Why label? Standing out from the crowd is after all what package labelling is all about. It provides the consumer with important information like nutritional content, ingredients, contact details and so on, but it also entices them to buy the product instead of others on the shelf. Lotus Labels offers an Art Studio service to design labels for clients –
eliminating the need for them to hire a designer separately. But it’s not just fonts, colours, imagery and distinct design that adds value to a product. It’s also the quality of the label itself. Lotus Labels offers high quality materials from tamper-evident polyester, which can’t be removed without revealing a non-reversible message, to self-cling PVC which leaves no mark whatsoever, perfect for glass and plastic products. The company also sells labelling supplies, such as thermal printers, sheets of plain labels, ready-printed labels and accessories. Ongoing technical support is also offered to ensure clients get the most out of their products. 2015 is set to be a good year for Lotus Labels. Andreas tells us they aim to invest in new print technologies to boost their productivity over the coming months, in the hope that they can continue growing the business and improving their services.
“The global label and packaging industry is huge, worth somewhere in the region of £47 billion and served by as many as 30,000 manufacturers worldwide”
Whatever your labelling need, Lotus Labels is here to help you. Contact them at 01323 737888 or head to www.lotuslabels.com for a quick quote.
www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 39
What Does the Micro Pub Revolution Mean for Sussex’ Pub Scene?
No wonder more and more are opening: they’re small, simple and take as little as £5,000 to set up. But what will the ‘micro pub revolution’ do for Britain’s beer and pub industry?
Story of the micro pub The ‘micro pub Start-up revolution’ began in 2009 in Eastbourne, when ale enthusiast Martyn Hellier stood up at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)’s annual meeting and revealed a simple, easy and affordable business model for running a pub. Four years previously Martyn had been told that, thanks to new simpler, cheaper legislation coming into effect, he could easily turn his Kentish off-licence into a pub. At the time he didn’t like the idea: “Pub? No, not for me,’” he recalled. “I never, ever wanted to run a pub.” He believed there were things in ordinary pubs that were unnecessary – like juke boxes, slot machines and gastro-pub food. But what if he could cut the costs and complexities of the business by stripping these things away? No music, no food, no extras – just locally brewed
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ales, good conversation and that holygrail of busy establishments: somewhere to lean. Martyn went ahead and opened the Butcher’s Arms in the Kentish village of Herne, dubbing the 12 x 14 ft space Britain’s first ‘micro pub’. The diminutive pub has since won CAMRA’s East Kent Pub of the Year award twice and, after giving the presentation at the AGM in 2009, Martyn has inspired dozens of ale enthusiasts to follow in his footsteps. In fact, at the end of last year the UK’s 100th micro pub – The Lanes, opened in Dover. “There were 50 micro pubs trading at the end of 2013 and to see the number now topping 100 is truly remarkable,” said Martyn. “The Financial Times expects to see 5,000 in five years time.” Sussex is already home to a number of micro pubs, including The Brooksteed Alehouse and The Anchored, which are located just over a mile away from each other in the seaside town of Worthing.
After reading about micro pubs in the paper, Nigel Watson’s business ears pricked up: ”I hopped on several trains and a bus and found myself at the Butchers Arms in the tranquil Kent village of Herne, the first micro pub in the country,” he said. “I had a pint or two, got chatting to the locals and more importantly Martyn Hillier, whom many of us now refer to as the ‘Godfather’. “Martyn was a mine of information and so enthusiastic about his idea that I became infected, there and then, on the spot. I was hooked. I got home that night, March 2012 and did a bit of Internet research and found a little cluster of other micro pubs, so once again took several trains and a bus or two and visited three more. These were all the same as Martyn’s original but all so different, each reflecting the owner’s personality. Well that was it. I was hooked, I had to do this myself.” And so he did. After tracking down an empty shop in Worthing, applying
bulk are locals within walking distance fittings of the shop unit, such as many for change of use with the council and ageing from 25 upwards. Then some mirrors and lights, basins, plumbing, saving up enough money, he opened The retired customers who enjoy their ale and integrated seating, floor coverings, shed Anchorage. Today the small but bustling wines and finally, ale enthusiasts who pub just off the seafront serves a regularly and contents. travel to get here as part of a day out “My brother-in-law Roy and I then changing selection of ales sourced from visiting other real ale outlets selling new or replaced the rear window and installed a Sussex microbreweries, in addition to unusual beers.” door in the position of another window to local ciders and wines. Would Nick recommend the micro pub facilitate access/egress for customers to Nick Little, Owner of The Brooksteed business model to other ale enthusiasts? the garden (and smoking shelter). Then Alehouse just up the road, believes that “Yes. Overall it’s a straightforward model, our builders made some modifications far from competing against one another, with low overheads and a simpler product including re-roofing our extension, the two micro pubs benefit from their range to manage. Being your own boss enlarging the WC area and creating the proximity. is great but it’s very hard work and more cool room and kitchen spaces along with “Having The Anchored in town benefits difficult than a normal salaried job both our businesses,” he said. to get time out. “Those people who travel “Each were totally unique “Being able to create a micro specifically for the micro pub pub based on what you’d like as a experience will visit us both and all were so welcoming to punter is great - that blank canvas and spread the word. People us as strangers. The idea seemed means that you can start fresh are interested in micropubs, instead of suffering from any ill will so love to see what we’re both to work well, so we decided we if taking on an existing pub.” about.” He loves his job for many Nick, a former IT Manager, had to try this ourselves” reasons, first and foremost for was also inspired by ‘The being able to sell locally produced Godfather’ Martyn Hillier. He drinks and snacks he can be was impressed by the micro proud of. “We carefully research and new internal windows. A soundproofed pubs he visited during his research into select our drinks and snacks to suit the ceiling was installed and a full rewire took the idea, saying: “Each were totally tastes of our now loyal customer base. place along with every ceiling and wall unique and all were so welcoming to us Seeing them enjoyed to the extent they (except one) being re-plastered.” as strangers. The idea seemed to work are is very rewarding,” he said. When asked if it was a challenging well, so we decided we had to try this “The second aspect is that our micro process, Nick said: “It was to some ourselves.” pub is now seen as an asset to the degree, as a newcomer to running a Just like Nigel, Nick set about looking community. None more so than on business and going through planning for the ideal premises and finally found Christmas Day was this in evidence as and so on. Finding out what you need an old hair salon in Worthing that was a we opened over the lunch period and to do isn’t that straightforward but we good size, close to rail and bus links and welcomed many of our customers. The had some help from other micro pubs to located in a place where a good meeting community spirit was terrific! Seeing new guide us on certain aspects.” spot for the community was missing. customers come in, not feeling anxious Today the Brooksteed Alehouse He wrote on his blog: “Upon moving in, about wandering in and then engaging welcomes a diverse clientele. “The main we had to empty out all the fixtures and
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Micro Pubs
in conversation is really satisfying to see. Lots of new friendships have been forged here.” Is this the rebirth of the traditional British pub? Beyond their iconic status in British culture, pubs are important. Beer and pubs contribute £22 billion to UK GDP and generate £13 billion in tax revenue. The industry supports almost 900,000 jobs across the country. According to local brewery Hepworth’s, tax accounts for about two-thirds of the cost of every pint. Between 2008 and 2013, conditions became so hard for pub owners – beer duty increased by 42% while revenues only increased by 12% and beer consumption dropped by 16% – that 7,000 pubs closed down. A total of 58,000 jobs were lost. Given the Big Breweries were selling at a loss to gain market share in supermarkets, times became ever harder for pubs. Increasingly, takehome became the dominant feature, dependent on the purchase of loss leaders, cheap beer sold more for advertising than content. Two years ago, the Government yielded to pressure from several lobby groups to scrap the escalator tax (an annual increase in taxation on beer production). Beer duty was cut by 1p per pint in
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2013, knocking another 1p off in 2014. This secured 16,000 jobs across the country, boosted confidence in the industry and enabled over £1.1 billion to be invested in the next 12 months. Increased beer sales actually boosted the Treasury’s total tax take from beer. Andy Hepworth, MD of Horshambased Hepworth’s brewery, believes micro pubs can only serve to strengthen the industry. He explained: “Micro-pubs. Small and independent. Launched by people with a real love of real beer. People who have found a niche in a highly competitive market. Initiative and sound business sense. What’s not to applaud? “I wish the micro-pubs well. They are not tied to major, international breweries. They can be discerning in their purchases, and their enthusiasm is admirable. It is good to do business with them. The Food and Drink Industry is Britain’s major manufacturing resource. Beer is a major contributor to this. Let’s see more individuals presenting the best of Britain’s heritage!” Mark Lehmann of Goldmark Craft Beers in Arundel agrees. He said: “There is a hunger in society currently for natural and preferably local produce. This effect has been amplified by the American Craft Beer revolution that prizes taste and character over conformity. This demand is not being satisfied by the large breweries and pub companies like
Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns. “If you are a landlord of an Enterprise Inn or Punch Tavern, you will be paying at least 40% more for your beer than an independent Free House. With little profit from the beer sales, it is of little wonder many pubs are simply unable to survive and replaced forever by a block of flats or convenience store. To survive, many pubs changed their primary objective of selling beer, to selling food, leading to the gastro pub over the last ten years.” Goldmark Craft Beers supplies beer to Nigel over at the Anchored in Worthing. Mark continued: “He has no bar, no spirits and no food offer. He has got a brilliant selection of Sussex ales and ciders which are forever changing. He know which beers are good and which brewery’s beer to offer, which gives the business a massive advantage. The customers know there will always be fresh, great beers locally sourced. Nigel can buy his beer and negotiate the best price to make a profit, direct with the brewery.” “Nigel’s success has helped inspire others like the Brookstead Alehouse in Worthing, The Old Star in Shoreham and The Stanley Alehouse in Lancing. Goldmark Craft Beers supply all these new micro pubs regularly and everyone helps each other out, making trading fun.”
Micro Pubs
5 Steps for Starting Your Own Micro Pub
1
Find Your Spot
Most micro pubs are set up in old retail spaces - in the wake of the recession we’re seeing plenty of boarded up shops. You don’t even need a huge amount of space - low overheads enable you to keep the business small so you don’t need the same footfall through the door as larger pubs in order to operate.
4
2
Sort Out Your Licensing
Since the 2005 Licensing Act, opening a pub has become much easier. Now you can go through your local council instead of the courts. You will need to obtain both a personal and a premises licence.
Select Your Beers and Opening Hours Micro pubs have shorter opening hours than regular pubs, but this is up to the owner. You can choose to open at 12pm and close at 9pm if you like - as long as you can make it work financially. Martyn says: “You are not going to be a millionaire if you open one of these but you certainly get a better quality of lifestyle.”
3
Source Equipment
Luckily, micro pubs are by nature simple establishments - no pool tables, no dining tables, no slot machines and a bar isn’t even necessary. Look on eBay and auction sites for second hand equipment to keep costs down.
5
Open Your Micro Pub
Use all the marketing tools at your disposal - Facebook, Twitter, signage, word of mouth and welcome your local community through your doors. The revolution is just beginning!
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Making the Move to Microsoft Office 365
We interviewed Paul Kollnig, Business Development Manager from M2 Computing, to find out how easy it is to make the switch and what the benefits are of doing so The majority of small to medium sized businesses Insight use Microsoft Office for their office productivity applications. In recent years, many companies have moved away from purchasing individual Microsoft Office software licenses and subscribed to the cloud based service, Microsoft Office 365. We interviewed Paul Kollnig, Business Development Manager from M2 Computing, to find out how easy it is to make the switch and what the benefits are of doing so. What is Microsoft Office 365? Microsoft Office 365 is a set of web enabled tools that allow you to communicate and collaborate with colleagues online and access your email, important documents, contacts
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and calendars from anywhere and on any device. Designed for SMEs, the service brings together the best communications and collaboration tools from Microsoft at a price that small businesses can afford. In addition, Microsoft Office 365 includes powerful security features with customisable user access control to protect all of your documents and emails. What are the main benefits of Microsoft Office 365? Microsoft Office 365 allows businesses to manage their costs, with a simple per user subscription model, starting from ÂŁ3.10 per user per month for Office 365 Business Essentials, which offers business class email, calendar, and contacts with a 50 GB inbox. Office 365 Business Essentials also includes 1TB online storage per user and the whole suite of online meeting tools. Microsoft Office 365 negates the
need for costly on-premise file and email servers, with the associated overheads of management, support and backups. Furthermore Microsoft Office 365 provides 99.9% enterprise availability and with enterprise level security, including built in anti-virus and anti-spam protection. Employees can access their emails and work on their documents safely at anytime and from anywhere, making it easier and quicker to respond to customer queries and demands. With Microsoft Lync and Sharepoint included, users can share and work on documents online, improving productivity whilst working remotely. What makes M2 Computing qualified to handle our transition? Based in West Sussex, M2 Computing was set up over 15 years ago to provide small to medium sized businesses with high quality IT solutions, support and managed services. The team here
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have extensive experience migrating businesses from existing on-premise server platforms or alternative hosted solutions to Microsoft Office 365. As an accredited Microsoft Silver Partner, we understand the complexity of email and server infrastructures and have successfully delivered cloud migration projects in business critical environments for clients across the South East. At the end of last year, we successfully migrated local Italian food manufacturer Pan Artisan, across to Microsoft Office 365. Prior to the switch, Pan Artisan maintained a hosted exchange server, with POP email for remote users. The team were keen to move across to Microsoft Office 365 to take advantage of the benefits of cloud email. Sam Davies, Office Manager at Pan’Artisan comments ‘We were very surprised at how easy it was to move to Office 365. It is very simple to use with a familiar menu system and email functions. We were up and running very quickly with minimal impact on our day to day business. M2 Computing managed the complete transition for us without a hitch.’ Will there be downtime/disruption to working hours while the migration from server-based email to cloud takes place? Our meticulous planning and attention to detail ensures minimal disruption to email during the migration from on-premise servers or 3rd party email providers to Microsoft Office 365. We aim to deliver a seamless transition by migrating users’ e-mail, contacts and calendars, configuring desktops, laptops and mobiles and, where possible, we perform the switch over out-of-hours. How long will it take? Microsoft Office 365 can be implemented relatively quickly. Redirecting e-mail from the old service provider to Office 365 usually takes a couple of hours for the new settings to propagate across the internet and you are good to go. How long it takes depends largely on how many
mailboxes you have and the amount of e-mails that need to be migrated. A fresh new instance of Office 365 can be configured and operational in a couple of hours. Will passwords be reset? We aim to replicate the existing settings, keeping usernames and passwords where possible. Is training provided on how to use the new system? As far as users are concerned, much will remain the same, in other words they will continue to access their e-mail via Microsoft Outlook, they will continue to access documents via mapped drives and shared folder and they will continue to use Microsoft Office. We help businesses get the most out of Office 365, including SharePoint and Microsoft Lync, analysing existing workflows to devise an implementation that increases efficiency and productivity, backed up with comprehensive training. Our company has rigid security guidelines - how can we be sure M2 Computing will work within these during the transition? Data security and integrity is paramount and if required we will work within existing security
frameworks, producing detailed audit trails and compliance reports mandated by the governing policies. Is there risk of losing important info such as contacts/groups/folder? No, the transition is seamless and all of the existing user data including e-mails, folders, calendars and contacts is replicated in Office 365. How can we trust the cloud to keep sensitive data completely secure? Microsoft Office 365 offers world-class security, with robust encryption, threat management, and security monitoring. You remain the sole owner of the data: you retain the rights, title, and interest in the data you store in Office 365.
For further information about migrating to Microsoft Office 365 visit www.m2computing.co.uk/microsoftoffice-365 or get in touch with the team on 01293 871971.
www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 47
Hotel Review:
Waterside Boutique Hotel Waterside Boutique Hotel Eastbourne
Address: 11-12 Royal Parade Eastbourne East Sussex BN22 7AR Telephone: 01323 646566 Web: www.watersidehotel eastbourne.co.uk
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‘Boutique hotels’ seem to be cropping up all over the place. Review A quick Google shows the term refers to ‘a stylish small hotel, typically one situated in a fashionable urban location’. Technically speaking, Eastbourne is ‘urban’ - it’s a town with a CBD, shopping centre, modern art gallery and plenty of restaurants and bars. But fashionable? That’s debatable. It was certainly fashionable to wealthy Victorians in the late 1800s – but today Eastbourne is eclipsed by its trendier cousin 17 miles west: Brighton, which attracts artsy crowds and famous residents like singer Adele and video blogging sensation Zoella. Still, Eastbourne has Michael Fish (if we’re to believe the rumours), and it’s quainter and cleaner – perfect for quiet weekends away. It has a beautiful
Victorian promenade that stretches from the modern Sovereign Harbour development right up to the base of the South Downs. Along this stretch of road, just west of the famous pier, is Waterside Boutique Hotel – hard to miss thanks to its royal blue facade. This was not my first visit. I’d been to the hotel’s restaurant three years previously for a birthday dinner. Sadly, the restaurant has since closed down and the bar/dining room now only serves breakfast, cocktails in the evening and a roast dinner from 12-4pm on weekends. Being a popular tourist town, Eastbourne is crammed with hotels and guest houses. Competition is tough, especially for a small place like Waterside, which I imagine competes with both similarly-sized guest houses and the bigger four and five star establishments up the road. I was there out of season and there was a definite sleepy feel to the place when I arrived –
“The room, which offers spectacular views over the English channel, also comes with a telescope, so those loved-up couples can enjoy a spot of star-gazing” I waited over 15 minutes for someone to come down and check me in. However, service was good once it started. Departing from its Victorian roots, this townhouse has been given a contemporary makeover, with moody lighting and patterned wallpaper in the bar area lending it a cosmopolitan feel. It’s actually a very nice place to come for a drink even if you don’t intend to stay the night – especially considering the front porch with its large plate windows overlooking the sea. My guest-room was light and clean, with attractive dark wood furniture and – a little bizarrely, a free-standing bath by the window. I’ve noticed a lot of smaller hotels bring the bathroom into the bedroom when there’s not much space. It’s a great touch for loved-up couples, but a little awkward if you’re going away with a friend. The room, which offers spectacular views over the English channel, also comes with a telescope, so those lovedup couples can enjoy a spot of stargazing after their romantic bubble bath. Before going out for dinner, I decided to head down to the bar to try out one of the cocktails I’d spied on the menu. I opted for a Pina Colada which, I was pleased to note, came in a decent sized glass (I’ve had too many over-priced cocktails in fancy glasses full of ice) and it tasted good. I got chatting to a young couple – the only other guests in the bar – and they told me they’d come from Portsmouth for a romantic weekend away. It’s great to know that Sussex continues to draw visitors in even from neighbouring counties, and
even during the sleepy winter months. The room really comes into its own in daylight. Although I was greeted that morning with a light flurry of snow instead of the bright sunshine I’d hoped for, it was still a treat to wake up to the sound of crashing waves, and to see the early morning dog-walkers bracing themselves against the wind. I imagine it must be bliss to run a bath one evening and watch the sun go down with the sash windows pulled open. I ordered salmon and scrambled egg for breakfast, which comes with a £3 surplus charge (a full English comes with the room price). It came with toasted brioche which was a treat – but I was disappointed with the lack of continental buffet. Guests can
help themselves to orange juice, fruit and jams but the only cereals were Rice Krispies and Cornflakes. None of the croissants, granolas, cold meats and cheeses you’d expect from an establishment of this calibre. Despite the minor set-backs, which I suspect were a result of it being a quiet time of year, Waterside Hotel is a good choice. It’s more relaxed than some of the other hotels on the promenade – no stuffy service or dress codes – and it has some nice touches, like jacuzzis in some rooms, telescopes, and even a spa room for various relaxing treatments. Contact Waterside Boutique Hotel on 01323 646 566 to book a room.
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Property
Build On Your Own Land:
Make Money and Benefit Sussex Julie Arnold, MD of Sussex Home Hub, is campaigning for the people of Sussex to build homes on their own land to meet housing quotas without losing countryside, jobs and money to volume house builders. Here, we meet a couple in West Sussex already benefitting from the scheme...
“New homes built by local people are more likely to be more attractive, employ more local people and ensure more of the profits stay in Sussex”
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Changes to the planning laws mean that hundreds of Property home owners in East Sussex and West Sussex may now have an opportunity to make hundreds of thousands of pounds from building new homes on their own land, converting barns and extending their homes. Julia Arnold, Managing Director of Sussex Home Hub*, explains: “East and West Sussex councils are granting planning permission for literally thousands of new homes across the counties right now. “In many cases where it was not possible before, hundreds of Sussex people may now be able to make significant amounts of money from their property by building. The rest of
the housing quotas are being granted to volume house builders.” The ‘Campaign to Get Sussex Building’ wants to use this opportunity to help people build on their own land. In this way we hope that fewer sites will be allocated by the councils to volume house builders, in order to meet their new housing quotas. New homes built by local people are likely to be more attractive, employ more local people and ensure more of the profits from the new homes stay in Sussex. Sussex Home Hub is a free service that helps people to put new build projects together and introduce ‘self-builders’ to teams who can do the work for them. Case Study: One couple in West Sussex have already benefitted from doing just that. At the pinnacle of a high flying career, Jim
Banting 50, a former Director of and enrepreneur, decided to leave his London life behind him and move to rural Sussex to start living The Good Life. Jim wrote the book: “Get a Dog, Don’t Work Like One” and took a taste of his own medicine. Together with his partner Sooky Choi, 49, a graphic designer, Jim packed up his life, sold his house and bought four acres of land and two dilapidated barns in West Sussex. Jim and Sooky now live in one barn and rent the one next door. Both barns are grand design dreams. They are warm, cosy, unpretentious and homely, with an abundance of exposed oak, natural stone, slate and glazing, which provides generous light and beautiful views across open countryside. At the same time, the homes are spacious, architecturally splendid and exude a wow-factor at every turn. Features include a high vaulted ceiling, spiral staircase, oak floors, original posts and rafters and reclaimed door frames. The project took fifteen months in total and although most people get a team in to do the work for them, Jim and Sooky project-managed every aspect themselves. Once they had planning permission, the project took off at a pace. Jim explains: “Sussex is rich in talent and the craftsmen and tradesmen we found throughout Sussex taught us a great deal. You can’t become proficient overnight in any aspect of a project like this, so it pays to listen and learn from the years’ of experience of the experts.” Although a builder would usually do it for his client, Jim and Sooky procured all the materials themselves, using the internet and books to guide them through the myriad of suppliers of materials, fixtures and fittings. Jim and Sooky took the task in hand and travelled to visit many of the quarries, shops, warehouses and tradesmen themselves. Jim and Sooky and their rescue dog, Wurzel, are living the Good Life now in spades. They rescue, breed and raise their own sheep and chickens and they grow and hand-harvest their own fruit. These in turn are made into wonderful soaps, candles and a host of delicious edible products which are sold through outlets all over Sussex. “It was extremely exciting,” Jim
explains: “The barns were uninhabitable but we were keen to try something completely different away from our corporate lives that would allow us to connect with land and seasons. “Previously, I had a portfolio career. It was good, but the more successful I became, the less control I had over what I did. As a result, the enjoyment of what I did was starting to diminish. This was my way of putting it all to one side and living the dream.” Loving the Good Life, Jim and Sooky plan to stay where they are indefinitely. “It has opened up our minds to the possibilities of what you can do,” said Jim. “It sounds cliché but every day we are still amazed by how wonderful the animals are; and living this close to the land brings us happiness every day.”
Total time and cost of project: • 12 months for the first barn • 15 months in total, for both barns • Cost of purchasing barns: £400,000 • Total cost of conversion: £500,000 • Approximate finished value: £1,350,000 • Rental from barn p/m: £1,000+
Jim’s top tips: If you want to do it yourself: 1. Plan and prepare thoroughly. Take time over this stage 2. Don’t change the plans once they have been signed-off 3. Get into the detail 4. Purchase as much of what you will eventually be able to see as possible yourself 5. Make sure the numbers stack up before you start 6. Don’t over-specify your fixtures and fittings if you are building to sell or rent
For more information see: www.sussexhomehub.org or telephone: 01403 711 639 or email: julia.arnold@sussexhomehub.org
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Chamber News
The Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex ACES Member News Why join your local Chamber of Commerce? Become a member of the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex (ACES) and promote your company in the business pages of Sussex Business Times. If you join your local Chamber of Commerce you automatically become a member of ACES and we can give you space to trumpet your good news here. Check the panel of eligible Chambers at the end of this article and join us from as little as £59 per year. You will become part of an alliance of 4,000 businesses across East Sussex and will be eligible to attend some excellent networking events and conferences. You will also find that we speak with one loud voice about important issues like the A27 and Gatwick Airport and work closely with local authorities to make East Sussex the best place to do business outside London. With influence like that, can you afford not to join?
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Baked By The Sea East Sussex is the home of cream teas online. We have found an ACES Member making freshly baked, beautifully packaged scones, brownies and cupcakes delivered to your door, your desk, your beach hut or wherever you may be! For corporate clients these attractive gift boxes are proving to be very popular. What better way to impress than with something personalised, edible, freshly baked and delicious? A charming and memorable way to say ‘thank you’ and one which ensures you will not be forgotten, the cream tea box arrives ready
to eat with fresh scones, jam, clotted cream, knives and napkins. These delightful boxes can be wrapped with ribbon branded to your company and your company logo can be printed on the personalised gift tag. Alternatively you can just include your business card for a more subtle approach. They also make fabulous presents for birthdays and Christmas or just to say “I’m thinking about you”. Visit www.bakedbythesea.co.uk or call for details on 01424 839178. Sign up to their newsletter to receive a complimentary 10% discount off your first order.
Chamber News
Eastbourne’s Grand Hotel launches the Grand Sporting Club Join sports lovers from across East Sussex on THURSDAY 14TH MAY for a black tie dinner with Matt Le Tissier of England, Southampton and Sky TV. Your host will be well-known comedian and raconteur, Barry Williams. “After many requests and suggestions, we are delighted to launch the Grand Sporting Club in May. There will be two events a year and we will feature fine food in the best surroundings, with ‘friendly’ drinks prices, terrific entertainment and valuable support for local Charities,” said General Manager Jonathan Webley. Suggestions will be very welcome and the chosen Charity will be announced prior to the evening. To reserve your table at what will undoubtedly be a popular event at the only 5* hotel on the UK coastline, email sales@grandeastbourne.com and don’t forget to nominate your chosen charity before each event.
Nik Askaroff - Named South East’s Top Dealmaker
EMC Corporate Finance’s founder and CEO Nik Askaroff has been named Dealmaker of the Year at the highly prestigious Insider South East Dealmakers’ Awards 2015. Nik was presented with the coveted award – the premier trophy of the night – at a glittering ceremony held at the Copthorne Hotel, Effingham Park, Crawley. He is pictured above with James Bullock of category sponsor Brachers. It rounded off a triumphant night for the Hove-based firm which also saw it commended in two other categories – Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year
and Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year. Judges said Askaroff had enjoyed a ‘stellar year’. They added: “As well as possessing a shrewd eye for successful dealmaking…it is Nik’s ability to bring deals from London to the regional corporate advisory community that sets him apart.” It’s the second year running that EMC has walked away with one of the night’s top awards. Last year it won the Deal of the Year title for its work negotiating the sale of $100m freight forwarding and logistics company Bellville International
Ltd to OIA Global of Portland, Oregon. Highlight deals this year included the sale of Lewes illustrated publisher Ilex Press to the Octopus Publishing Group; the acquisition of Aspect Health Management by Posturite; the sale of Springs Smoked Salmon; the Solutions AV MBO; and the sale of Essexbased PaySuite Ltd to $3bn American corporation Intuit Inc. Nik said: “Being named the region’s top dealmaker crowns what has been a terrific 12 months for EMC. It’s great to have the endorsement of our peers in the corporate finance and wider professional services sectors.” “But I am more pleased for all the business owners and directors who we have been, and are, able to help achieve their strategic goals either by maximising the value of their companies when they decide to exit, making well-planned acquisitions, or negotiating refinancing arrangements. He added: “This year looks like another excellent one on the M&A front, especially in the small and medium deals sector where we are particularly strong. We already have several good deals in the pipeline so I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to impress the Insider awards judges again next year.”
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Advert Nov_Layout 1 14/10/2014 12:38 Page 2
Chamber News
in East Sussex
The right way to avoid tax! for 10 Years TR Fastenings - Best Profits (A Trifast Company)
F
inventions comes from the sale What are “Technology However, the DotCom crash in 2001 ounded in aTax smallReliefs” rented office at devastated products, sales and profits in just a few the top of Uckfield High Street in of patented products and how can they benefit your short months, and the two Midlands factories 1973, Mike Timms and Mike Roberts containing the patented invention; business? had to be closed as the focus was intensified established their business after into Asia. out; selling patented rights; Many companiesbecoming are stilldisenchanted unaware working for Licensing large industrial group in infringement and damages, that they may bea eligible for extremely A change of income senior management in 2007 Birmingham that restricted their creativity and the 2008 recession resulted in the near insurance or other compensation valuable research and development and individualism. collapse of the Company, with 2008 revenues related to patent rights. tax reliefs. If you are seeking an down to £84m with substantial losses, and in They focused on sourcing and selling The calculation profit retired eligible advance inindustrial the development of assembly a March 2009 the twoof previous CEOs fastenings to light were in thewhich South East at a time “Patent Diamond Box” is and notJim asBarker) simple as product orindustries a process involves a when ex for (Malcolm invited back by the shareholders to rescue stock deliveries could take as long as three normal accounting profit and so it is new advance or application of science the business. weeks from the larger industry market advisable to use a specialist in R&D or technology then is more leaders. Theiritcore valuesthan were “look By 2010 profitability started to recover, as did be professional, Taxthe Relief addition to your normal likely that professional, you will have a claim. provide sharein price. outstanding service, sell on value rather than accountant. ACES has been investigating tax In 2011 a major automotive bolt the cheapest price, maintain dynamic cash manufacturer was acquired in Malaysia, and reliefs for innovation management and motivate and take care in May 2014 a leading domestic appliance your staff”. Video Games with R&D of tax Tax Relief specialist and ACES If you have been Member Simon developing a Bulteel of Cooden Video Game Consultancy. These which has tax reliefs have incurred costs been improved after 1st April by successive 2014, you should governments since read this! 2000 and the most It has been a recent additions long and drawn have been created in line with the out process to gain the necessary current government’s pledge to make approvals from the EU, as the the UK “The Innovation Nation”. generosity of the scheme, like other creative industry tax reliefs makes it a Research and Development Tax Malcolm Diamond MBE and Jim Barker form of EU State Aid! Relief There are a number of qualifying Large and small companies are eligible In 1978, manufacturing of specialist fasteners requirements. intomust screw business in Italyvideo was brought The games for tax relief if they are advancing was started in Uckfield, with subsequent the Group. be British, as determined by the British science orfactories technology on ain product or and established Northampton TR’s major customer sectors Film Institute; intended forinclude supply and a processTelford in the 80’s. Automotive, Domestic Appliances, 25%and of Distributors your costs beare In the late 80’s, IBM selected TR as their most at least Electronics – allmust of which supplier to be trained in incurred enjoyingfrom organic growth. within the EEA. Researcheligible and component Development zero defect/on time deliveries to a new Many will be Expenditure Credit In Junecompanies 2014, TR announced theeligible best sales, assembly facility that relied on “Just In Time” share a decade, for profits someand form ofprice R&DforTax Reliefnow and After extensive consultation with large line. deliveries straight to their production 1,150 staff spread across 17 countries. Successful compliance led was to TR being a so with we recommend you consult an corporates, expenditure credit Trifast Plc is based in Uckfield and along with single source supplier with IBM, which then accountant who specialises in this field developedattracted to generate a revenue TR’s sales, distribution and manufacturing other major telecoms on site.tax As the overand 150 staff ACESemploys Member leading to TR. Thepreviously massive 1990’s surge likefacilities stream formanufacturers R&D to kick-start largest local employer, the Company sector carried it to a full LSE consultant, in the electronics Simon Bulteel of Cooden uneconomical or unviable projects. maintains close links with both the Uckfield listing as a PLC in 1994 named Trifast. Consulting. themato your member existing Chamber of Add Commerce founder The scheme also allows for the credit By 2000, sales turnover peaked at £120m of the Alliance Chambers East Sussex accountants asofthey focusin only on to be repaid to the company in the sales, and by 2001 three component (ACES) and the local Community College. willisnot manage your normal event of afactories loss. had been established in Singapore, R&D Theand College the main annual provider of ‘A’ Malaysia and Taiwan, with sales and Level candidates for TR’s 2 year NVQ Business accountancy requirements. distribution facilities in Southern Ireland, Studies Apprenticeship scheme. The Patent Box Norway, Sweden, USA, Holland, Hungary and Despite global uncertainty there is clearly Do you own a patent granted byUK. China, plus eight around the a feeling amongst TR management and the UK Intellectual Property Office, The Company had become global by staff that there are grounds for cautious UKthe based multinational formeror optimism for the future continuing growth European following Patent itsOffice National key customers to lower cost economies of their business as sales for year ended Patent Office of a country in the EEA? March 2015 are forecast to reach overseas – mainly Asia and Central/ If you do, Eastern subject to conditions, the £150 million. Europe. profit derived from the sale of patented If you would like to know more, inventions will be taxed at 18% check their website at tapering by 2% each year until 2017. www.coodenconsulting.co.uk The company’s profit on patented
www.acesalliance.org
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ACES Battle Chamber of Commerce www.battlechamber.org.uk Bexhill Chamber of Commerce 01424 842892 www.bexhillchamber.co.uk Crowborough Chamber of Commerce www.crowboroughchamber.co.uk Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce 01323 641144 www.eastbournechamber.co.uk East Sussex County Council 01273 481570 www.eastsussex.gov.uk Federation of Small Businesses 01424 754686 and Regional Office 01323 482018 www.fsb.org.uk/eastsussex Hailsham Chamber of Commerce 01323 310531 www.hailshamchamberofcommerce.co.uk
Hastings Chamber of Commerce 01424 205500 www.hastingschamber.co.uk Heathfield Chamber of Commerce 01435 865858 www.heathfieldchamber.co.uk The Institute of Directors 020 7766 8866 www.iod.com Lewes Chamber of Commerce 07917 382316 www.leweschamber.org.uk Locate East Sussex 0844 4159255 www.locateeastsussex.org.uk Newhaven Chamber of Commerce 0800 107 0709 www.newhavenchamber.co.uk Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce 01273 586222 www.peacehavenchamber.co.uk Seaford Chamber of Commerce 0800 881 5331 www.seafordchamber.co.uk South East Local Enterprise Partnership 01245 431469 www.southeastlep.com Uckfield Chamber of Commerce 01825 722607 www.uckfieldchamber.co.uk Wealden District Council 01323 443322 www.wealden.gov.uk
Test Drive
SBT’s Simon Skinner reviews three new cars: the Jaguar F-TYPE S COUPÉ 3.0 Litre V6, the Jaguar XF 2.2 Litre Diesel, and the Nissan Pulsar www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 55
Motoring
Jaguar F-TYPE S COUPÉ 3.0 Litre V6 Simon Skinner heads to Beachy Head with his Jaguar F-Type
It’s a treat to see the ‘Salsa Red’ INNOVATIVE F-Type Coupe roll into the car park at Life Media Group HQ. The jet black, 19” propeller alloys carry the impressive chassis along, resulting in some twitchy blinds from the neighboring offices and at first glance, the car resembles something akin to a stealth bomber. I last drove this car at the test facility at Millbrook, where I took the V8 up to and around 150mph (sorry organisers) in the speed bowl. It’s been too long a wait to spend the week with this car. Upon closer inspection though, the parallels with the E-Type become clearer. A two seater sports car that’s clearly drawn on the heritage of its older brother is under the skin of this ultra sleek, modern classic. So I have the car for a week, I’d better get on with it. Not a minute to spare as I jump into the cockpit and first impressions are of the huge dash. It really is enormous and serves to make
Engine - 3.0 litre V6 Supercharged Petrol 380 PS Engine capacity - 2995 Cylinders/valves per cylinder - 6/4 Maximum power – EEC PS (kW) 380 (280) Maximum torque – EEC Nm – 450 Transmission - 8 speed ‘Quickshift’ automatic Acceleration 0-60mph (0-100km/ h) – sec - 4.8 (4.9) Maximum speed – mph (km/h) 171 (275) Urban – mpg (l/100km) - 22.8 (12.4) Extra urban – mpg (l/100km) 42.2 (6.7) Combined – mpg (l/100km) - 32.1 (8.8) Carbon dioxide emissions – g/ km - 209
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the bonnet appear to go on forever as you peer over it. Looking around, there’s a lot of tech that can be found in other cars across the Jaguar - Land Rover range and as such, some of the best on the market. It’s beautifully put together with stitched leather and chrome buttons everywhere. It’s almost a ‘normal’ car as you trundle around town in it. The handling is easy, the suspension is soft and the seats are very comfortable, wrapping around you and occasionally tricking you into forgetting that you’re driving a
“It corners like a dream and even when the back end skips a little too far, there’s plenty of grunt to get you back on track.” 3.0 litre V6 Supercharged car that can hit 60mph from 0 in under 5 seconds. The odd nudge past boy racers from traffic lights or a swift entry onto a roundabout quickly reminds you though. So it is then, that when I break loose on the South Downs on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I take the opportunity to switch to sports mode and see what the car is really about. The first blast takes me uphill from the foot of the seafront in Eastbourne, to the tip of Beachy Head on a tight and windy climb, sadly lined with what looks to be a solid stone-wall. No chance to open it up here then. Creep over the very blind junction at the top though, and it’s a very different matter. The road opens up as I do the same to every fragment of the engine. The sound that comes from this car is quite unbelievable. Open the windows, turn the bloody radio off – it sounds like
there’s a firing squad chasing you as the back end dances and skips before throwing you forwards at an incredible rate. It’s one thing accelerating like this – but the corners and straights that loop around this part of the Downs really show you how well this car has been designed. It corners like a dream and even when the back end skips a little too far, there’s plenty of grunt to get you back on track. So it’s a real game of two halves here. This is a car that, given the individual’s circumstances (and perhaps not in the bright red) could be used as an everyday car. It’s comfortable, sensible even. It’s easy to drive and even has space in the boot for a decent set of golf clubs and an overnight bag. It could be used to commute and even regular motorway drives wouldn’t be too off-putting – I was managing 2325 per gallon through the week. Switch your psyche though and you have an animal. Real fun. Raw power and a real head-turner of a car. This has to be one of the best cars on the road right now and definitely one of the best looking. I just wish I had it for a little longer, another week of visiting clients followed by a day on the track would be ideal and actually, ideally what the car is for. PRICE AS TESTED (INC. OPTIONS): £73,955
Motoring
Jaguar XF 2.2l diesel The quintessential Jaguar saloon
I’ve been keen to spend some time with the latest Luxury Jaguar XF for a while – and the model that arrived at Life Media Towers was not to disappoint. First impressions of the car is that it’s large…very large! Big styling with big features are prominent everywhere with this car and walking front to back could take you a while. Surprisingly then, that when I got into the car I seemed to be quite confined. The driver cockpit is very snug. Given the dimensions of the car, it almost feels a little like the opposite of the Doctor’s Tardis, huge on the outside and small on the inside. The centre console with the (excellent) control interface, rises up to what feels like the middle of your chest and the driver’s seat wraps itself around you like a puffer jacket from the 1990s. There is however, plenty of room in the back for passengers (likely to be the car owner on many instances, I’m sure) to stretch their legs and churn out work as they lurch from city meeting to city meeting. The technology in new Jags never fails to impress me. The syncing of phones, use of the sat-nav, dialing in your favorite DAB station is so easy and intuitive, you could practically do it in your sleep. It’s consistent across the range and something that other manufacturers could learn a thing or two from. Clearly, this is a car that’s made for the serious road user. A car that’s built to chew up countless miles on motorways and (given it’s length), is extremely good at going in one direction. Surprisingly though, the XF is a dream on more curvy roads too. Slick and solid; reliable and dependable like an old English sheepdog. Taking it through its paces across the South Downs, the car reacts brilliantly and churns through corners with the agility
“Clearly, this is a car that’s made for the serious road user. A car that’s built to chew up countless miles on motorways” of a much smaller car. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it would still cause you a nightmare to have to pull an unexpected U-turn and don’t expect to get it into any tight parking spaces anytime soon, but the XF is a joy to drive. The engine is a true feat of engineering; responsive and dynamic and coupled with the auto gearing, fluid and fast. It seems that Jaguar’s got it just about right with this car. It’s fairly practical, not too juicy, has the right level of credibility for any businessman/woman. The proof though is in the pudding as they say,
and Jaguar can rest easy as the XF has sold by the bucket load. Practical as a family car as it is a business commuter, this one won’t be going anywhere anytime soon and a good thing that is too. ‘The XF has rightly been recognised as a quintessential Jaguar saloon. It is purposeful yet elegant, with inherent sporting intent in its design. For the latest version we have been able to evolve and enhance that performance character to make the XF the most visually dynamic car in its class.” Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar.
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Nissan Pulsar
Nissan’s Mid-Sized Hatchback Makes an Entrance
If the Jaguar XF is for the company MD, the Stylish Nissan Pulsar is for the sales rep, tasked with tackling the motorways every day and as such, in need of economy and room. This car is the polar opposite of the XF in many ways. Upon first look, it doesn’t appear to be a particularly big car but step inside and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a much larger 4X4. This comes as a real surprise as I found myself swimming in room. Legroom front and back is more than generous, with 629mm of knee room in the back to be precise. That’s more than a Golf, Focus or Leon. This is a stupidly competitive class of car and the Pulsar wins for its space – but the interior quality and styling aren’t bad either. Speaking of winning, Nissan has had a run of this in recent years, with the Qashqai holding the record of ‘best selling’ car for more than a year.
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It seems that the Pulsar is a direct attempt to continue with this trend, having shared many of its styling and components with the Qashqai. As a smaller version to plug that gap in their range, I think they’ve done a really decent job of it. Yes, I know that this is really aimed at the family market, with the Pulsar being the first mid-sized hatch since they bumped off the (less than inspiring) Almera back in 2006, and you’ll see a lot more mums (and dads) dropping off little Jonny at the school gates than burning up and down the nation’s highways. However, if you look after your firm’s fleet, I would urge you to take a second look. The Pulsar’s fuel economy is almost as impressive as its interior space; I was getting around 55 per gallon, although Nissan will claim it to be nearer 78mpg, emitting only 94g/ km of CO2. This car is definitely not built for the race track and it’s not as responsive as some of its comparative motors currently on the market – the Golf, Astra
5 etc, but it’s less expensive and built for comfort. If you are on a motorway most days, that’s what’s important, right? Overall, it’s been a good week with this car and since I’ve clocked up almost a thousand miles in it, I feel well qualified to recommend it. Rarely have I had to put so little fuel in a car with so many far-flung meetings in front of me. If that was every week for me, this is a car I would seriously consider. Nissan Pulsar From £15,995
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Get in touch by phone or email: 5 Laura Evans at Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce laura.evans@c2cbusiness.org.uk 5 Kerry Kyriacou at Chichester Chamber of Commerce kerry.kyriacou@c2cbusiness.org.uk 5 Tom Kenny at Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce tom.kenny@c2cbusiness.org.uk 5 Geoff Ranson at Croydon Business Venture Limited geoff.ranson@c2cbusiness.org.uk To be put in touch with your local Navigator, call Coast to Capital on 01403 333840
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Advertorial
Brighton Fringe:
Design for Print Award Launched
Gemini Print announces judging panel for the inaugural Best Design for Print Award
“Calling out to all art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers, typographers, Fringe festival participants to submit their creatives before the end of April”
Gemini Print is delighted to announce the Award judging panel for the inaugural Best Design for Print Award. Open to all designs developed for this year’s Brighton Fringe, the Award will go to the best-judged creative. The judging panel comprises: Mark Tulley, director of Gemini Print, one of the region’s largest and most progressive printing houses. What he doesn’t know about print isn’t worth knowing!
Kimberly Butler, marketing director at Brighton Fringe, who has over 20 years’ experience specialising in the luxury, lifestyle and travel sectors. Gemini’s Mark Tulley, whose idea it was to launch the awards, said: “Each of us is a passionate advocate for the creative arts and as a group we contain a varied mix of unique and differing perspectives. We feel this will make a fair and robust judging panel and I’m sure we will enjoy some spirited discussion as we whittle down entries to find a winner.’
Daniel Fagg, creative director at Designate - Brighton’s biggest creative agency whose clients include LV=, Mark Warner holidays, Columbus and UKSA.
The judges are calling out to all art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers, typographers, Fringe festival participants to submit their creatives before the end of April. Entry is free. Deadline for entries: April 30.
Rupert Denyer, one of the country’s leading street and landscape artists, who has also worked as creative director for several leading global agencies.
Full details on how to enter are available at: www.brightonfringe. org/gemini-print-award.
Call Gemini on: 01273 464884
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Advertorial
Judging Panel - Design for Print 2015
Deadli for entr ne i April 30es: th
Rupert Denyer
Mark Tulley
One of the country’s leading street and landscape artists, who has also worked as creative director for several leading global agencies. www.rupertdenyer.co.uk
Director of Gemini Print, one of the region’s largest and most progressive printing houses. What he doesn’t know about print isn’t worth knowing!
Kimberly Butler
Daniel Fagg
Marketing director at Brighton Fringe, who has over 20 years’ experience specialising in the luxury, lifestyle and travel sectors.
Creative director at Designate – Brighton’s biggest creative agency whose clients include LV=, Mark Warner holidays, Columbus and UKSA.
or visit: www.gemini-print.co.uk
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your workplace, ensure they follow this and provide them with any induction information such as Fire Alarm tests due, location of welfare facilities and emergency evacuation procedures. Once this is done, they will ask to see the areas where people work. It is important to ensure they are accompanied at all times. During the inspection they will look to identify both good and poor practices being carried out by the ‘Duty Holder’, usually the Managing Director, within the work environment. Where breaches of legislation are found there are a number of options available to the enforcement officer. They may offer information and advice, or they may warn the duty holder that they are failing
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We may not have had the widespread flooding of last winter (yet!), but there has still been plenty of unpleasant weather to disrupt British businesses. In previous winters it has been suggested that extreme weather costs the UK economy a staggering £500 million a day. So what can companies do to reduce the impact? The HR Dept Eastbourne emphasises that knowing your employment law is key, and then
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communicating clearly with staff so they know what is expected of them. Serena May CIPD of The HR Dept Eastbourne says: “The law is actually quite accommodating to employers. There is no obligation to pay someone if they do not show up to work because of severe weather. But try to be reasonable, you don’t want employee relations frozen too! So if people are late, could they make up the time rather than be penalised?” Serena continues: “If you know that snow is going to strike or flooding is forecast, don’t shy away from reminding staff that it remains their responsibility to attend work on time. Of course, no employee should expose themselves to undue danger to get to work. But if you believe someone falsely claims they are snowed-in only to go posting snowman selfies on Facebook then it may be appropriate to bring disciplinary action against
them.” One exception to employees’ responsibilities towards their company is when schools and nurseries are closed due to inclement weather. In this case parents are entitled to take time off to care for dependants, although companies have no obligation to pay them. Serena adds: “The employer has responsibilities too, of course. They should ensure that the work environment remains safe. Pathways may need gritting, appropriate work wear should be provided, as well as adequate heating. If the temperature drops below 16 degrees (or 13 degrees for more exerting roles) staff are entitled to go home with full pay!” It’s clear that bad weather is generally bad news for all concerned. The HR Dept Eastbourne can help local small and medium sized companies add silver linings to those dark clouds. www.hrdept.co.uk
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Rachel Stone, Bespoke Training Eastbourne Ltd.
Business planning is a term banded about by business people. Where do you start? What makes it really successful? What is at the heart of it? Why is it so important? When working with business owners I am often asked about how to make things happen and move the business forward with a plan. As I have mentioned before the key is having absolute clarity about what you want your business to bring you, i.e. knowing what you want. (As Stephen Covey says: “Start with the end in mind”). From this point you can work backwards to what you need to do today. How you work this out and how you move towards what you want is based on many factors. To help with this I like to use the Directional Pyramid. It is a technique I often use when I start work with my clients. Let me talk you through it now. Firstly, I start by drawing a fairly large triangle on an A4 page. I divide the triangle up into chunks by drawing 5 horizontal lines across it as seen in the photo. At the top I explain that in order to get what we want from our businesses
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we must know what that is! Spending time identifying exactly what you want your business to bring you in the future is crucial. I often get people to describe where they want to be by a particular date. What will it look like, feel like, sound like, smell like and sound like? What will you be saying? What will others say about you and your business? Then I ask them to draw this as a picture. It uses a different part of the brain and releases more creativity. It’s about visualising the end point. When you can see it, you can move towards it. I’m asking the business owner, you, for your VISION. The place in the future which is better than now. I don’t know anyone who deliberately plans to go somewhere in the future that is worse than the here and now! The clue is in the word ‘Vision’. You’ve got to be able to see it. Under the Vision is the Mission. The journey. The ‘How’ you will get there. It’s a short, sharp, punchy statement of the way you will get to this place. For instance, RyanAir does this by cutting costs. What will you do to reach your Vision? How will you get there? (Mine is by making other businesses see how they can grow by making the decision-makers the most effective they can be!). So the Vision is the ‘place’ in the future and the Mission is the ‘how’ you will get there. Under this is the Purpose. Why does your business exist? If you were a stick of rock and I cut off your head, what would be running through the core of you as a statement? Back to RyanAirthey exist to make a profit by enabling as many people travel as cheaply as possible. What’s running through your business core? Most importantly of all, at the heart of all this, are your Values. (This is the secret ingredient) By living by your true Values you will have congruence (alignment). You will develop a set of behaviours by which you stand and define yourself. You must be true to your Values to offer sincerity, consistency, trust, and
a code of conduct that your customers, staff and other stakeholders will align themselves with if they share the same values. Without knowing what they are, how can you deliver these crucial aspects? Without living by them, how can you have congruence? (And, subsequently, without congruence it is hard to have happiness, and without this, it is hard to have success). Your Values define you and your business. They tell you how to make decisions. They guide you when making relationships. Building a Business is all about building relationships, after all. Your Values tell you what is a priority. From this you can identify your Objectives. Hang on a minute. At this point I must mention your brand. Your Values will form part of your own personal brand, plus this will be the foundation of how you develop your business identity in your market place. It is that important. Dwell on your Values and make them part of your business planning. From your Values you can work out your priorities and this forms the basis of the Objectives you will set yourself. This drives your Purpose. Your Purpose drives your Mission and by driving this forward you will reach your Vision. Having a clear and shared set of Values, you will be able to set the right Objectives to move everyone in your organisation forward towards the Vision. Once you know this you can identify the daily Activities you need to carry out to ensure that the Objectives are met. From there it all should fall into place, (with the correct level of accountability, reviewing and remedial action of course!) That’s the secret to successful business planning. If you want to work on this at my free Business Planning Focus day March 25th 9.15am - 12.30 please email mail me today. There are only 8 spaces so don’t miss out. Take action and email! Rachel@bespoketraining eastbourne.com.
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Society Review Littlehampton Academy wins the second Clear Computing Schools Challenge held at Worthing College
Congratulations to Littlehampton Academy who won the second Clear Computing Schools Challenge held at Worthing College on February 3th 2015 for schools in Sussex. The Challenge was ‘To build a social media platform or mobile app for young people in education’ After recent news showing the rising concerns of teenagers online being caught up in cyber bullying and inappropriate comments (“trolling”) on social media, Clear Computing thought it would be the perfect opportunity to hear from teenagers on how they would design a social media platform or App for teenagers, with consideration to these issues with Internet Security Day fast approaching on the 10th February. 14 teams from 5 West Sussex schools took part, Durrington High School, The Forest School, Littlehampton Academy, Chatsmore Catholic High School and St Phillip Howard Catholic High School.
The winning team “Wham Bazo” from Littlehampton Academy with staff from Littlehampton Academy and the judges on the day, James Constable – NatWest, David Enever, Barny Hall – Clear computing Ltd, Lee Curtis – Eset ,Andy Ferrett - Brightec , Darren Crabb - Darren Crabb Wealth Management, Martin Swann - Vantage Professional Risks , Andy Ferrett - Brightec
Teams from Durrington High School
Chatsmore Catholic High School Group shot and teams from Littlehampton Academy
Group shot and teams from The Forest School, Horsham
Students prepare to give their presentations
Teams from Durrington High School
Group shot from St. Phillip Howard School
Teams from St. Phillip Howard School
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Photography by Graham Franks ©
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Made In Sussex: Get Manic
James Brodrick, founder of Brighton based SEO & Digital Marketing Company Get Manic talks to SBT’s Jon Goodwin
Why did you set up Get Brand Manic? After working Focus for a local SEO company and being unhappy with the progress made he left and started Get Manic opening its doors back in 2012. The thriving digital sector of Brighton & Hove, dubbed ‘silicon beach’, has created an ideal commercial environment for SEO businesses to develop and grow. I set up Get Manic as a sole trader, and in the first three weeks I took on seven clients to kick-start the business and demonstrate what I could do for struggling websites. After a few months trading, I was joined by George Challiss the son of my first SEO client. George is now my Creative Director – with George’s design & coding expertise and my knowledge of business development, we began to grow the services we provided from SEO to website design, social media marketing, graphic design, web hosting, content writing & recently moved into video production. Essentially we have grown into a ‘one stop shop’ for all digital marketing requirements for all types of businesses across the globe. Our client base initially consisted of UK businesses, now we provide SEO services to companies in Mallorca, Malaga and as far as India! We currently have over 150 content writers to call upon with varied levels of interest and expertise – we’ve recently worked on James Andrews Golf School’s SEO and website content, (search golf school in Google) outsourcing the content to an expert ex-golf and now writer based in New Zealand! What gives you the edge over your competitors?
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took HV Wooding to the top of the Google ranking for ‘Assembly Company ‘and’ sub Assembly Company – they won a £200,000 a year contact. They said: “The excellent thing about all the work that Get Manic does is that it’s all quantifiable with reports. Since then we attended an exhibition just as visitors and we were recognised as the company that were untouchable on Google”. Sussex-based company O’Brien Removals have seen their two busiest years in their 40 year history since acquiring our services. They said: “Get Manic took an exact understanding of our business and the areas we cover. We are now being found for over 30 key words on page one of Google, Yahoo and Bing through SEO. They have helped us save on advertising also and stream lined our quotation process. Our main goal was to achieve a high ranking locally and get ahead of the competition”. Understanding businesses and how they are perceived online with an excellent understanding of what Google requires from websites and their SEO – keeping up to date with Google’s algorithms is key in this business. For website design and graphic design, this is where George takes over with his expertise in coding and design and now with an appetite for keeping ahead of the competition this makes for a formidable combination. It wouldn’t be unusual to find him working through the night! That’s the difference – the love for what we do! The return on investment that our clients receive shows how SEO really works – we are consistently in contact with our clients, tailoring their web content to maintain a high Google ranking. Two weeks after we
What are your plans for the future? We are still a young company, and we are happy to grow naturally and continue to grow our client base organically with our expert knowledge and our approachability. Having moved into offices a year ago they have recently expanded the group to feature in house content writing and expert link building SEO’s. We intend to develop our in house SEO team in order to maintain the excellent levels of search marketing and account management.
Contact James for all your SEO & Digital Marketing queries – info@ getmanic.com or visit the website www.getmanic.co.uk
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