Business & Innovation Magazine - Issue 16 November 2019

REGIONAL SCALE-UP REPORT

INTERVIEWS:

SECRET SALES, CHELTENHAM

DEELEY GROUP, COVENTRY

Life Sciences UPDATE

THE GENERATION GAME:

We meet family-run businesses

LOGISTICS REPORT

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Regional NEWS

Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire & The Thames Valley, Worcestershire, Coventry & Warwickshire and North Wiltshire

Editor-in-Chief and Co-publisher

Nicky Godding

Tel: 07966 510401

nicky.godding@nkmedia.co.uk

Commercial Director and Co-publisher

Kirsty Muir

Tel: 07971 912020

kirsty.muir@nkmedia.co.uk

Chairman, NK Media Ltd

James Palmer

Regional Account Manager

Rosemary Henderson

Tel: 07889 227432

rosemary.henderson@nkmedia.co.uk

Operations and Events Manager

Lizi Clapham

Tel: 07955 855817 lizi.clapham@nkmedia.co.uk

Customer Services enquiries@nkmedia.co.uk

Accounts accounts@nkmedia.co.uk

Lead Magazine Designer – Louise White Brace Creative Agency www.brace.co.uk

Magazine Printers

The Manson Group www.mansongroup.co.uk

Chief Photographer

Rob Lacey www.roblaceyphotographer.co.uk

Contributing Editor

Anita Syvret www.syvretmedia.co.uk

Contributing Columnist

Ian Mean

Sub Editor

Joyce Matthews

Regional Coverage: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire & The Thames Valley Worcestershire, Coventry & Warwickshire and North Wiltshire

NEXT ISSUE: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

PRINT DEADLINE: 9TH DECEMBER 2019

Business & Innovation Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine published by NK Media Ltd. Our readers are business owners, senior executives, key influencers, entrepreneurs, innovators and those working in further and higher education, and government departments. Any opinions expressed by those quoted in this magazine are their own and do not necessarily represent or reflect those of Business & Innovation Magazine, or of NK Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form of advertising or promotion without the written permission of the Editor-in-Chief or Commercial Director.

The editor’s view

Nicky Godding Editor-in-Chief

07966 510401

nicky.godding@nkmedia.co.uk

@Nickywritesbiz

Welcome to the 16th issue of Business & Innovation Magazine. It’s hard to believe it has been almost three years since we launched. The magazine has grown phenomenally in size, coverage and impact across the region.

We launched in 2017 to offer regional businesses of all sizes the opportunity to share their news and find opportunities to grow. But our bi-monthly, editorially-led published magazine wasn’t enough for news-hungry companies across the region. So we launched our daily news portal a few months later and extended coverage into the Thames Valley.

As a result, visitors to our news website are rising as fast as the numbers receiving our published magazine.

The economic upheavals of Brexit will continue long into the future, and concerns about sustainable sourcing are also making companies think hard about buying from overseas. Many are adapting their supply chains to use companies closer to home, but where do they find them?

We launched our magazine to report on and showcase companies in all sectors. Inside every issue, and on our website, readers can find news on thousands of businesses across all sectors, helping them build their business network across the region.

The business community now consider our magazine and news website a hugely valuable resource of information, and we are building on it every day.

This is our final issue for 2019, but we’re already looking forward to 2020. There’s no looking back for Business & Innovation Magazine.

FEATURE: FAMILY BUSINESSES

THE GENERATION GAME

P86

IN THE HEADLINES

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY NEWS

P124

P58

P10

INTERVIEW:

Secret Sales website to soar under Chris Griffin

ROUND TABLE:

BUSINESS LEADERS

P26

FEATURE: LOGISTICS DELIVERING THE GOODS

P117

P68 P15 The MEAN View: Be proud! Become an apprentice P25 Round-table: Business Leaders Keeping the passion alight. Owner-managed businesses get around the table

P26 Venturefest Oxford Pulls in crowds of entrepreneurs P33 BDO Worcestershire Growth Report Which Worcestershire companies are flying? P42 BIG INTERVIEW: It’s all about the community for Deeley Group We talk to Peter Deeley and his daughter Eleanor

P58 Businesses in the Community Regional businesses are raising thousands for charities P62 Spotlight on Leaders We talk to three bosses from successful scale-ups P65 FRONT COVER: Regional Scale-up report We reveal some of the region’s most exciting Scale-up businesses

P68 Career Launchpad NEW! We celebrate those launching their careers P81 Career Ahead Who’s moved jobs across the region? P82 FEATURE: The Generation Game Meet generations from the region’s family businesses P86 Legal and Financial News P93 Spotlight on Cyber P97 FEATURE: LIFE SCIENCES update We look a year on from publication of the government’s Life Sciences

P103 Spotlight on Manufacturing P113 FEATURE: Logistics - Delivering the goods The logistics sector is busier than ever P117 Commercial property news P124 Let’s Get Social GFirst LEP Annual Review 2019 P22 Oxfordshire Charity Ball P30 Oxfordshire Enterprise Awards 2019 P38 Malvern Festival of Innovation 2019 P46 Worcestershire Festival of Business 2019 P48 Warwickshire Business Drinks hosted by Business & Innovation Magazine P52 The Bessemer Society dinner at University of Warwick P110 P103

LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY UPDATE

GCHQ CELEBRATES 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Happy anniversary to GCHQ, the government’s communications headquarters

Founded on November 1, 1919, GCHQ moved to Cheltenham in 1950. It is now Gloucestershire’s single biggest employer, with around 6,000 people working at its Benhall headquarters, locally known as the Donut because it looks remarkably like one from above.

According to Tony Comer, GCHQ’s historian, Cheltenham was chosen because the US Army’s logistics headquarters, sited there during the war, meant that there were suitable buildings and lots of telephone lines. Originally GCHQ was located on two sites, at Oakley Farm and nearby Benhall.

In 1953, the local Gloucestershire Echo newspaper reported that Cheltenham Town Council had built 580 houses at Hester’s Way for those moving to Cheltenham, but these new houses weren’t enticement enough for some government employees to up sticks from London and venture west.

As a result, for much of the Cold War, GCHQ recruited 50 per cent of its

staff locally, training school leavers from across north Gloucestershire in something akin to an apprenticeship programme in how to be an intelligence analyst.

“I’ve lost count of the number of family dynasties I’ve come across in the Donut. It makes us take seriously our sense of social responsibility to the community that has sustained us for so long”

One staffer who did relocate to the town in the 1950s appeared happy with the move. The Echo reported: “On the whole the people of Cheltenham have accepted us wonderfully and shopping here is a real pleasure: it may take longer than in London, but the friendliness makes it well worthwhile.”

That approach and geographical focus is not something seen in any other part of the global intelligence community, added Tony, and gives those working at GCHQ

a sense of place and belonging.

“I’ve lost count of the number of family dynasties I’ve come across in the Donut. It makes us take seriously our sense of social responsibility to the community that has sustained us for so long. It gave, and gives, us a distinctive cohesion to the workforce which has many advantages.”

GCHQ has been marking its centenary all year, including welcoming HRH Prince Charles and the RAF’s Red Arrows, and staging a new exhibition at the Science Museum in London.

As part of his three weeks with the intelligence and security agencies, Prince William also spent time at GCHQ.

Wasdell acquires specialist pharma and healthcare manufacturer

Swindon-based Wasdell Group, Europe’s largest independent specialist manufacturer to the pharmaceutical and nutritional industries, has acquired Honeywood Limited, based in Northamptonshire.

Honeywood is a specialist manufacturer to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

The move will expand Wasdell Group’s manufacturing capacity in the UK

and follows the recent announcement of the completion of the group’s £36 million European headquarters in Dundalk, Ireland.

Wasdell Group’s chairman Martin Tedham said: “This acquisition adds capacity to our manufacturing capability here in the UK.

“It will enable us to support our growing number of clients in the US, which already work closely with Wasdell to

secure a fully outsourced supply chain for their products within Europe.”

Later this year, Wasdell Technical, the dedicated division that designs and manufactures commercial tooling for the group, will leave its current premises at Blagrove in Swindon as the lease on that building comes to an end.

Staff employed at Wasdell Technical will be moving to a site at Groundwell, in the northern part of the town.

You’ll be safe as houses in Rugby

The UK’s only organisation governing, regulating and licensing its member locksmiths in the UK, the Master Locksmiths Association, has relocated its national headquarters to Rugby.

The Association’s new headquarters, at Prospect Park, Valley Drive, houses a national training facility for locksmiths and testing facilities for some of the UK’s leading lock manufacturers and security products, as well as a museum of unique historic locks.

The Master Locksmiths Association was established in the 1950s. It relocated from Daventry to Rugby to provide larger premises for the growing association.

All MLA approved locksmiths undergo professional training courses, which will now be carried out at the new training centre.

Dr Steffan George, Managing Director of the Master Locksmiths Association said: “We are confident that this move will help us attract and train more locksmiths in the next 12 months, but more importantly help raise public awareness about the need to use an MLA approved locksmith for all lock and security protection in domestic and commercial properties.”

The MLA is the UK’s only authorised authority for locksmithing approved by the police, Home Office and other leading organisations including the British Standards Institute.

Worcester address-verification company goes global

Worcester-based address verification company Loqate has formed a partnership with NavInfo Europe to provide address data for mainland China.

Loqate is part of GBG, a global leader in identity data intelligence. In 2017, GBG acquired Worcester-based PCA Predict for £66 million. A highly successful provider of UK and international address validation services, PCA Predict was rebranded Loqate.

David Green, Managing Director of Loqate, said: “The Chinese marketplace is immensely important to our global customers and partners. Our relationship with NavInfo Europe means they can effectively verify and enhance their Chinese address data and serve customers in that market.”

Something

In the headlines

Hawkins & Brimble, the award-winning Cheltenhambased male grooming brand, has revealed its latest concept – a mobile barber’s van.

The van will arrive at your office, where its trained barbers will cut hair, trim beards or do wet shaves.

The new service comes hot on the heels of the company’s launch into Superdrug stores this autumn, marking the its biggest wholesale deal to date.

Hawkins & Brimble CEO, Stephen Shortt, said: “We have been providing barbers in offices across London for some time and it has proved very popular.”

He said it was a great way to incentivise employees. “We can invoice you for the day so you can give the service as a free perk, or we can charge your employee by credit card on the day.”

Earlier this year Hawkins & Brimble secured a £1.3 million finance package from HSBC UK and a private investor to reach international markets, including the USA, China, Australia and the Middle East. It will also support product development.

“We have been providing barbers in offices across London for some time and it has proved very popular”

The Hawkins & Brimble mobile barber’s van

Blenheim Palace contributes £100 million to economy

A report by Oxford Brookes Business School has revealed that Blenheim Palace is contributing more than £100 million annually to the national economy.

The figure is a major milestone for the Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site and represents a 15 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The estate also supports 2,159 jobs, up 12 per cent from last year.

The impact of visitor spending outside the Palace itself rose to more than £47 million.

People directly employed by Blenheim rose to 39, and its economic contribution to the local community alone was nearly £14 million.

This is the third report undertaken by Oxford Brookes Business School as part of a 10-year plan of action by Blenheim to achieve ambitious targets.

These include tripling the Estate’s contribution to the local economy, housing 300 families in high quality affordable housing, completing a £40 million restoration programme and becoming a net generator of green energy within a decade.

The plan also includes the training of 100 apprentices and a doubling of Blenheim’s total charitable contribution the local community – a goal which has already been achieved.

ROBERT HITCHINS TEAMS UP WITH INTERNATIONAL RETAIL DESTINATION COMPANY TO BARGAIN HUNT

The great British public loves a bargain and over the last 30 years the popularity of designer outlet shopping has continued to rise, bucking almost every retail trend.

Bicester Village, which opened in 1995, has long kept its place as one of the world’s most successful designer outlet centres. Two years later, the McArthurGlen outlet centre in Swindon opened.

Like any retail offer, designer outlets cater to different levels of consumer, with Bicester being at the very top.

restaurants and cafes. Construction is due to start on site next autumn with the first phase expected to open towards the end of 2021.

The scheme is part of a wider retail development including a new 81,800 sq ft garden centre, alongside an existing M&S supermarket, Starbucks and BP petrol filling station.

A planning application for 850 homes, a school and local centre has also been submitted.

“Gloucester Quays was the first designer outlet centre to open in Gloucestershire in 2009. Now, a decade later, the county is about to welcome a second”

Gloucester Quays was the first designer outlet centre to open in Gloucestershire in 2009. Now, a decade later, the county is about to welcome a second.

Cheltenham developer Robert Hitchins has teamed up with leading European outlet company ROS Retail Outlet Shopping to develop a new designer outlet centre at Junction 9 of the M5 near Tewkesbury.

It will be called Designer Outlet Cotswolds, and the 195,000 sq ft outlet village will open in two phases and feature some 90 retail units,

The development is the first venture in the UK by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping and shows its confidence in the growth potential of outlet shopping.

The Vienna-based company, one of the top five outlet operators in Europe, currently manages 10 outlet centres in Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Croatia and Hungary.

Simon Tothill, Property & Development Director of Robert Hitchins, said: “Designer Outlet Cotswolds will reflect the architecture and materials of the historic towns and villages of the Cotswolds.”

The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) attracts more than 23 million visitors annually.

Live concert at Blenheim Palace

CGI images of the proposed Designer Outlet Cotswolds

THE MAN WHO MADE ONLINE RETAIL PROFITABLE IS ABOUT TO RESHAPE DESIGNER FASHION

“There are things you can do in the real world that you can’t do on screen and in 10 years’ time, with more affordable technology, the streets in our bigger towns and cities could be mindblowingly engaging and experiential”

He’s done it once, he’s done it twice, now Chris Griffin is unleashing his unrivalled e-commerce knowledge on the global fashion sector again. But this time he’s taking on discount retailing for the world’s most exclusive brands

By Nicky Godding

Chris Griffin

CEO, Secret Sales

Three years after selling Cheltenham-based Anatwine after growing the team from two to 200 employees in just four years and almost a decade after building the world’s most efficient online retail system of its time for Superdry, Chris Griffin is back.

Now he’s helping the world’s biggest fashion brands efficiently dispose of their excess stock, having bought the controlling interest in the online designer fashion outlet, Secret Sales.

In an ideal world, every fashion retailer would make exactly the right amount of stock, in the right sizes and sell it all. Shock horror, this doesn’t happen.

Discount retailing is an accepted way to dispose of excess stock. But for the world’s top brands, such as Dior, Gucci, Ted Baker and Jimmy Choo, it’s tricky. How can you dispose of goods you’ve previously marketed as “luxury” at less than half price and still maintain that sizzle of exclusivity?

Beautiful clothes from the world’s most famous fashion houses must maintain their desirability, and the retention of brand equity is a massive headache for every top fashion brand’s marketing team.

Yes, there are high-end designer outlets where they can be sold, such as Bicester Village (acknowledged as one of the best of its kind in the world) but not enough, and up-market brands certainly don’t want their goods to end up in TK Maxx, or on any old online discount store.

There are also online private sales sites which retail high-end brands, but none of them truly represent the world’s top fashion brands in the manner they would wish.

Some global fashion brands experienced fairly unpleasant headlines last year when it was revealed that a small number were burning excess stock to avoid getting rid of them through outlet sales. Clearly nobody wants that to happen

in an era where sustainability is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. So what to do?

Enter Secretsales.com. With more than six million registered users already, 95 per cent of which are based in the UK, this well-established online platform was launched in 2006 by brothers Nish and Sach Kukadia. Earlier this year it was bought by the newly-established Lifestyle Retail Group, set up in Cheltenham by Chris Griffin and his Anatwine co-founder Matt Purt.

Nish and Sach are still on the board – as Chris says they know their users better than anyone else. “They are smart guys and have a level of understanding about their customer base it would take me years to get to know,” he said.

A great company with an extraordinary database

Chris bought the controlling interest in Secret Sales not for the proposition it has but for the proposition it will have. “It’s a great company with an absolutely extraordinary database,” he said.

When Chris and Matt bought into Secret Sales, it was running a flash sale operation and turning over around £50 million, but the entire operation is being relaunched this autumn to become an exclusive online store.

It will offer global designer brands a marketplace where they can have their own store on the site.

The Secret Sales marketing team will help them build high-end campaigns, alongside exclusive content, and add in a digital feed that will be able to showcase their entire discount inventory to customers.

This gives designer brands a top-quality online shop window which Chris says doesn’t currently exist elsewhere.

“We are offering the best shop window outside the brand’s website. Traditionally, retailers don’t look after brands well, they simply want to sell product. We work collaboratively, giving brands the opportunity to clear stock effectively, in a way that doesn’t have to be a dirty secret, but becomes something they are really proud of.”

Chris gets physical to boost brand awareness

This king of e-commerce has a few surprises up his sleeve. It’s not all about online. Secret Sales is using well-targeted pop-up stores in high footfall fashion areas to promote the concept.

“This summer we had one open in St James’s, London. We take smallish, 1,800-2,000 sq ft units where we allow one brand seven days to showcase their full price inventory at the front of the store, which is branded Secret Sales. The customer receives the full fashion brand experience as they enter, but 85 per cent of the store is behind closed doors, where only those invited will be able to access.”

Secret Sales

Secret Sales

A double whammy for brands and their customers

Chris’s plans for Secret Sales not only offers brands a place to sell excess stock in a classy and engaging way, it’s also helping brands build customer data to which they can market their full price stock. “When a customer buys through us we have their data. However, with the customer’s permission we will share their data with the brands.

“Big brands spend a great deal of money in acquiring customers. We can acquire a customer for a fraction of the cost by using the assets we have. We are not only a sales channel for brands, but a massively effective marketing channel for them too.”

Everybody wins, says Chris. “Customers win on price, and also on the level of engagement with the brand which is offering them a better experience than simply buying online.”

A world-class concierge service online

Here’s another area where Chris can see huge opportunities for the business, and where he plans to increase his team in Cheltenham to 50 people within the next 18 months.

“I have major plans for a customer service centre like no other. This is a huge opportunity for a brand to get to know their customer. I can’t think of the last time I had an online customer experience that even if they solved my problem, by the end of the call they had got to know me better, which could deliver a greater level of engagement with them in the future.

“Our customer services won’t just be answering questions but engaging with customers on all levels to make sure they are getting great service.

“I believe we should behave like a five-star hotel. You can buy a drink anywhere. But if you get looked after and feel valued, you’ll return again and again.

“We want to be a concierge unit delivering an experience and I expect that to become a massive part of the business. The biggest opportunity for Secret Sales is to know our customers when they talk to us.”

So why launch in Cheltenham, when the world beckons for this new retail concept?

“Gloucestershire offers a fantastic support network for local businesses and provides a great talent pool which we know will be essential as we concentrate on rapid growth,” said Chris. “Currently almost all of our sales are in the UK, but

within the first six months of next year we plan to launch Secret Sales sites in six countries across the world, and that’s just the start.

“Secret Sales has the potential to be a billion-pound business.” He’s not joking, and if anyone can do it, Chris Griffin can.

The future of retail, according to Chris Griffin

Chris said: “Being an e-commerce expert, everyone thinks they know what I will say. While e-commerce is likely to become the biggest part of most retail businesses, human beings are emotional creatures and we all like to look, feel, touch and experience.

“Online does a good job on certain fronts, but I’ve seen some amazing technologies which could transform our traditional high streets, making the physical retail environment more exciting than it’s ever been.

“There are things you can do in the real world that you can’t do on screen and in 10 years’ time, with more affordable technology, the streets in our bigger towns and cities could be mind-blowingly engaging and experiential. More importantly, retailers will be making money.”

Why business growth relies on effective and streamlined internal CRM systems…

One of the key challenges to continued company growth is to ensure that internal systems and processes are as effective and streamlined as possible. In particular this can often relate to the way in which contacts are managed and maintained from both a prospect and customer perspective, with smaller companies often keeping track of sensitive data using outdated, unsecure methods such as the use of unprotected spreadsheets, storing data on an individual’s machine and/or the transfer of data over email.

16i’s CRM system provides a way around this. As an online platform, the CRM system ensures that sensitive data is contained within one central, secure and encrypted database; with access (and the subsequent level) being password-protected and restricted on a per user basis (a customer service representative doesn’t need to see the same information as a marketing director). The system is however also incredibly easy and intuitive to use, allowing trusted users the ability to easily find and keep track

of customer and prospect information, ultimately helping to secure deals and opportunities.

Another common problem associated with business growth is the way in which both company files and branding documents are stored and shared, especially if these tend to be saved to an individual’s machine (and are therefore inaccessible to the rest of the team). Built with user experience in mind, 16i’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) system allows companies to easily store, share and showcase brand and digital assets from one central, online platform; removing the need for files to be stored elsewhere. Key features of the system include the ability for users to access the system anytime, anywhere; quickly upload, tag and categorise files at the touch of a button; as well as being able to easily share files with colleagues and/or clients.

Specifically tailored towards the travel industry the RES System goes further than this, helping travel companies to not only store contact information but

also keep a track of enquiries, bookings and invoicing in one central place. Key features include the ability to send sales emails via the system; securely store customer details (such as passport number and dietary requirements); assign members of staff to individual bookings, as well as being able to send invoices and/or feedback forms directly from the system – ultimately helping to consolidate everything into one place for easy access.

Regardless of your business size, and with a wealth of experience in bespoke builds, 16i can help to streamline your processes, remove security and data concerns, and ultimately allow you to spend time on what’s important… growing your business.

Interested in hearing more?

The 16i team would be happy to help.

Working with a range of clients from start-ups to international law firms, 16i have developed a number of tools and platforms to assist with company growth, and ultimately streamline and secure internal processes.

Turnover ticks up at Weird Fish after year of change

THE CULLIMORE GROUP GOES BACK TO ITS FARMING ROOTS

Gloucestershire haulage and aggregates company The Cullimore Group has re-launched Cullimore Farms, and in just a year has achieved Red Tractor Assurance accreditation.

The farm is growing barley, wheat and maize, rearing Gloucester Old Spot pigs and Charolais cows for pork and beef, and Cotswold Legbar and Burford Brown chickens for eggs.

It is also working farmland in Stroud, the Cotswold Water Park, Twyning and Ripple.

The Red Tractor mark is only found on food and drinks that are sourced from UK farms and have been checked from farm to basket.

Moreton Cullimore, Partner in the firm, said: “The Cullimores were farmers long before the first truck hit the road.

“While my father kept the farm operational with arable farming and about 300 dairy cattle, milk prices meant that

“This time next year I hope to be able to enjoy a nice cold glass of cider too. Which is most welcome when you’ve spent the day in the fields”

a dairy farm of that size could not remain a viable commercial entity.

“The decision was made last year to bring me in as a managing partner while my father eases into retirement. We have been working around the clock and my first goal is for the farm to become self-sufficient, then offer services to others in the agricultural community.

“There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears this past year, but now we have reached Red Tractor standards it’s all been worthwhile. To see the logo on our produce demonstrates we are farming ethically – which benefits the end user.”

Moreton has also been busy planting cider apple, pear and plum trees. He added: “This time next year I hope to be able to enjoy a nice cold glass of cider too. Which is most welcome when you’ve spent the day in the fields.”

Growth kicks off for rugby player’s home audio company

Smart Homes Sounds, the Gloucesterbased home audio company, founded by former England and Gloucester rugby player Andy Hazell, has doubled in size over the last 24 months, generating an annual turnover of £3 million.

The company, which has offices at Churcham Business Park in Gloucester and a “listening pod” in Cheltenham, sells smart speakers by manufacturers

such as Sonos, Bluesound, Kef, Bowers & Wilkins and Marshall.

Andy said: “We’ve seen the popularity of smart speakers surge, especially in the past 12 months.

“As a result, we’re growing month on month. Website traffic has also doubled with customers viewing our video tutorials.”

It’s been a year of change for clothing retailer Weird Fish, which has undergone key management and administrative changes. The company hopes the changes will set a “solid platform for significant future growth”.

Turnover at the retailer rose marginally to £22 million.

During the year the company, which relocated to Tewkesbury in 2018 after 24 years in Cheltenham, outsourced its distribution and logistics to Torque Logistics in Leeds.

The company continues to invest in its products, distribution channels and systems, as well as customer experience in-store and online.

Weird Fish has 17 branded stores and more than 1,400 stockists across the UK.

The company has also introduced a range of sustainable fabrics this year through the work of its research and development team, including bamboo, linen and Tencel – the latter of which has received a European Award for the Environment.

John Stockton, Managing Director of Weird Fish, said: “We will continue to increase the use of ecofriendly fabrics in our clothing and accessories. We then plan on moving to more platinum-rated ethical manufacturers and will widen our partnerships and collaborations with like-minded organisations.”

The Cullimore Group embracing the land

Part of Weird Fish’s range of ethical fabrics

Extracting value from your business…

Starting a business can be a lifetime’s dream; making it successful requires hard work and determination. Every owner leaves their business eventually, so why not take the steps to exit on your own terms and maximise value!

Planning:

It is never too early to consider exit planning; it is not a single event, but a tailored process and understanding it will help you maximise your financial return.

Tips:

Before you retire or sell your business, you should:

 improve profitability, current and forecast

 enhance your company image;

 nurture and tie-in long-term clients and suppliers;

 build a motivated team – make yourself dispensable; and

 reduce risk and uncertainty.

What is your business worth?

It is important to know your company’s value. There are several valuation methods, the most common of which is a multiple of maintainable profits - a trusted adviser can work out the most suitable for you. Multiples depend on risk. Factors to be considered include:

 company size;

 sustainability of competitive advantage;

 growth and profit trends;

 dependency on business owner;

 business disciplines and practices; and

 industry sector; market/economic environment.

Companies with blue chip clients and reputable brand name will attract higher multiples. Intangible benefits, e.g. intellectual property, attract a premium.

Exit taxes:

 when you sell your business Entrepreneurs’ Relief (ER) may be available, reducing the tax payable on your capital gain.

 if you qualify for ER, up to £10m of lifetime capital gains (per shareholder) will be taxed at a 10% rate, rather than 20% (for higher rate taxpayers).

 to qualify for ER, you must have owned the business for at least two years. If shares are being sold, the individual must have, (for at least two years):

• owned at least 5% of the ordinary share capital and voting rights;

• been an officer or employee of the company;

• been historically entitled to 5% of the company’s profits and assets OR be entitled to 5% of the proceeds on a sale.

ER is not always available, but advance planning may improve your position. How the sale is structured will also determine how much of your hardearned value is lost to the taxman.

We strongly recommend you take professional advice before making decisions on matters discussed

About us

Hazlewoods Corporate Finance team are experts in helping business owners achieve their goals. We are the South West’s number one corporate finance adviser (Experian M&A Review 2018) and can help you achieve your goals while ensuring that your lifestyle, income and security objectives are met.

“Hazlewoods assisted me with the disposal of my family business and I would heartily recommend them. From the beginning of the process, right through to the end, they were extremely professional, diligent and responsive to any matters that arose.”

Steve Roe

For more information on maximising the value of your business, contact Paul Fussell on 01242 680000 or email paul.fussell@hazlewoods.co.uk www.hazlewoods.co.uk

There are 5.7 million privately owned businesses in the UK, but it is estimated that fewer than 10% of owners have made plans for their exit.

Great British Card Company bought out of receivership

The Gloucester-based Great British Card Company has been bought out of receivership by Swan Mill Group, the parent company of greetings card publisher Ling Design, uniting two of the UK’s largest independent greetings card publishers.

GBCC will continue to operate separately to Ling Design in sales, operations and customer services.

Swan Mill, which trades as Swantex, also owns the luxury gift packaging brand Penny Kennedy and will now have a group turnover of more than £70 million specialising in “ink on paper” products.

David Byk, CEO of Swan Mill, said: “This acquisition brings together two great UK companies which will open up huge possibilities for all the UK regional, national and charity customers, as well as our strong export channel.”

The Great British Card Company started life as Paper House in 1980 in a Cheltenham garage, and then in a warehouse in Northleach. The business grew organically and through a series of acquisitions during the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

In 2008, the company bought Medici Cards, followed by The Almanac Gallery in 2013.

It also licences out to personalised online greetings specialist Moonpig and Design Design, a card publisher in the United States.

In the last published accounts

GBCC’s revenues dropped by more than 5.5 per cent.

COLLABORATION COULD MAKE OUR FOOD HEALTHIER AND LAST LONGER

A collaborative project between Gloucester-based Everfresh Natural Foods, Camden BRI and Holmach, a leading provider of thermal processing, has been awarded a £650,000 grant by Innovate UK. It will help improve the nutritional qualities and shelf life of baked goods, using sprouted grains and pasteurisation without detrimentally affecting the taste and texture of products.

The project comes after encouraging initial research in the area.

Tom Russell, Managing Director at Everfresh, said: “We hope this grant will help us discover just how beneficial the process is to the nutritional qualities of our products. We’re also excited to be working with Holmach on a unique pasteurisation method, which could dramatically extend the shelf life of breads and cakes without adding unnecessary additives. Both sides of the project look likely to produce baked goods which involve less processing, preservatives and additives, but produce highly nutritional end products that do not sacrifice taste or texture.”

Everfresh will work with Camden BRI, the Chipping Campden-based scientific services organisation which supports the food and drink industry, to identify which sprouted grains produce the best product.

Holmach will explore how pasteurisation, involving steaming products once packed, is able to extend their shelf life to allow removal of additives and help lessen food waste in stores. The team will also review novel packaging materials and systems that deliver food safety and shelf-life for sprouted grain baked goods.

New electric vehicle charging installation service launched

Engineering and consultancy company Frocester Group, based at Tetbury, has launched a new electric vehicle charger installation service, Epark Solutions Ltd.

Group MD Anthony Locke said: “It’s important that there are sufficient charging facilities to cope with the increase in electric vehicles expected on our roads in the coming years.

“Epark will advise businesses and residential customers on product

Set up 25 years ago, Everfresh is the only company in the UK making breads using 100 per cent sprouted whole grains in its products. It is a member of the Organic Food Federation. selection and design installations as well as being the single point of contact for all work required to install charging points.

“We’re also OLEV (the government’s Office for Low Emissions) approved.

“This means we can access the grants available for installing chargers in workplaces and at home.”

Frocester Group is a combination of engineering specialists working as individuals, or as an integrated team.

Great British Card Company

Everfresh bread

“We hope this grant will enable us to discover just how beneficial the process is to the nutritional qualities of our products”

Paul Hills, Sales Director at the Cheltenham based technology service provider First Digital, talks about the opportunities scale-ups have taking advantage of digital technology.

In rapidly growing scale-up businesses, attention is rightly directed at customer engagement with a laser focus on its chosen market, combined with detailed management of the customers journey. Improving both market engagement and the customer journey should be where the business aligns its resources. However, managing the growing complexity of the business operations is often overlooked, often causing significant operational challenges down the line. This is where digital technology and automation can help support scale-up businesses in their continued drive for growth.

“Time and experience has taught us that the sooner these technologies are implemented the greater the impact. Taking this action when the business is still relatively young helps to support profitability through increased operational efficiency in a rapidly growing business.”

and experiences is where we like our customers to focus. We simply take care of the technology requirements that support their growth ambitions.”

Paul Hillis, Sales Director First Solution Technologies

Scale-ups need to put in the building blocks to develop an efficient operational infrastructure at this critical point in the businesses development. With the right guidance, this process can be relatively straightforward. Many technologies today are delivered on an opex basis, meaning it is possible to deliver low capital cost deployments. This removes the competitive tension with

other capital projects going on within the business, making the opportunity to gain competitive advantage more straightforward than ever. Moreover, often some of the simplest of these technologies, for example Office 365, are already being paid for without being effectively utilised.

‘Taking a medium to long term view and developing an understanding of what challenges will become a barrier to growth in the future is often forgotten when a business is in scale-up mode. For example, can your current systems manage your data effectively as you grow? Will agile working be required to acquire new talent? You need a strategy in place now for these types of challenges for them to not hinder you in the future.’

First Digital have developed a unique framework called DX IQ, based on well-developed industry standards around transformation and best practice. This framework allows a business to create an operationally mature platform that can scale as the business continues to grow –without consuming scarce capital or using excessive internal management overhead.

‘In effect, DX IQ takes our customers

down a well trodden path to operational maturity and effectiveness’ Says Paul Hillis

First Digital wants to talk to scale-ups about the potential the digital landscape has to offer. Further to improving businesses backbone operational maturity, First Digital have been working with their customers to help deliver them game changing digital offerings.

“We believe that scale-ups in almost any industry have the opportunity to further disrupt their market with the intelligent deployment of digital technology. Combining a scale-ups powerful market proposition with a digital edge can often lead to a huge opportunity for competitive advantage.” Says Paul Hillis

If you are an organisation looking to grow and are interested in how technology could potentially help you scale-up then First Solution are the people to talk to. Contact Paul Hillis on 01242 335549.

Scale-ups should be looking to digital technology to support their continued rapid growth.

Paul Hills, Sales Director, First Solution

“ Maintaining attention on managing customer journeys

HARTPURY TO DEVELOP DIGITAL INNOVATION FARM

Hartpury University and Hartpury College are creating a Digital Innovation Farm in response to a rise in demand for ways to adopt new digital technology in farming.

The development will include the National Centre for Agricultural Data Management and Interpretation, which Hartpury hopes will play a key role in developing agricultural data and security.

This 10-year vision is already underway at Hartpury’s 360-hectare campus near Gloucester, with the first phase including the construction of a £2 million Agri-Tech Centre, aimed at enhancing innovation in the farming industry.

Opening this autumn, the Agri-Tech Centre will provide farmers, students and

organisations with access to the latest commercial technology.

Using Hartpury’s on-site commercial working farm and purpose-built facilities, the farming sector will be able to work on the design and develop of new products and systems.

Russell Marchant, Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Hartpury University and Principal of Hartpury College, said: “Our aim is that, by 2030, the Digital Innovation Farm will have expanded to attract leading agri-tech companies, contributing to increased productivity in Gloucestershire and the UK.”

Bright spark inventor saves time for electricians

Cirencester designer Nigel Chute has sparked the interest of electricians with his latest product, BoxMate.

BoxMate solves a problem familiar to electrical installers, especially contractors working on new-build housing projects.

At “first fix”, the electrician secures metal back boxes to interior walls and pulls cables into position, making the boxes ready to be fitted with cover plates for light switches or socket outlets.

When the electricians return, they often find wet plaster in the back box which has dried into a solid mass and have to waste time chiselling it out.

Birmingham-based electricians and

Tech company wins award from global provider

Tewkesbury-based survey software specialist, SmartSurvey, has been named a rising star in the Online Survey Software category of the Summer 2019 Customer Success Report, published by Featured Customers, a global customer reference platform for B2B business software and services.

inventors David Bryant and Paul Chapman approached Nigel with a concept for a temporary cover plate to keep plaster out of back boxes.

Nigel collaborated with Doncasterbased innovations company Cattano on the project to develop a product that would tolerate variations in box size and stay securely in place.

Nigel’s ingenious design features crushable tabs to accommodate size variations.

The product also shields cables from damage during plastering.

It is now being sold online by Cattano and rolled out nationally.

SmartSurvey launched in 2010 and has experienced 40 per cent yearon-year growth. It now works with some of the world’s leading brands across multiple sectors. The survey software specialist has also become a supplier to a number of major regional organisations including Gloucestershire County Council, Stroud District Council, NHS Gloucestershire and the University of Gloucestershire.

SmartSurvey’s CEO, Mo Naser, said: “We are really delighted with this achievement. It’s also fantastic as a locally developed business to witness our emergence as a significant player in the global online survey software market. And given today’s heightened customer concerns around data protection and security due to Brexit uncertainties, our ability to provide clients with a completely UK-based offering, hosted on UK-based servers, puts us at a distinct advantage.”

Hartpury in developing a digital innovation farm

SmartSurvey’s founding directors Abid Naser and his three sons

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EESI DOES IT FOR 25 YEARS IN BUSINESS

EESI Group Services, an electrical, mechanical, building and facilities management, company is celebrating 25 years in business.

Set up by Mike Gardiner, Stonehousebased EESI is marking its 25th anniversary with a year-long celebration to July 2020. This will include charity fundraising and the launch of a new EESIHIRE service.

The company launched as an electrical contractor with just two employees. It has evolved into EESI Group Services, a multi-million-pound turnover company employing 70 people.

While semi-retired, Mike Gardiner remains owner and active chairman. Managing Director is Derek Jarman who has been working alongside Mike from the beginning.

Soon after EESI started, Steve Farthing joined and he also remains in the company 25 years on, now as the Electrical Divisional Manager.

Healthcare

“Surrounding ourselves with the right people has been a key part of the business being so successful,” said Derek. “A lot of our employees stay with us for their whole career, and that’s something we’re all very proud of.”

As its charity of the year, EESI is supporting Longfield,which provides hospice care for people with lifelimiting illnesses, and the management have agreed to match-fund the final figure raised by its employees.

Ali Russell, CEO of Longfield, based at Minchinhampton, said: “It really is fabulous to have a well-respected local company raise funds to help local families benefit from free hospice care.

“We look forward to an exciting, funpacked year full of fundraising events and activities for everyone.”

Business leaders come together to debate local industrial strategy

More than 30 business leaders from across Gloucestershire came together in September to hear David Owen, CEO of Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, talk about it is shaping the county’s local industrial strategy.

Bosses from a wide range of sectors, including food and drink, professional services, tech, cyber, building, waste management, environmental, publishing, energy and aerospace, voiced their views on how the county should take advantage of opportunities and face potential threats.

Gloucestershire’s Local Industrial Strategy focuses on sectors where the LEP feels there are most opportunities. These include cyber, based around the county’s world-class cyber hub in Cheltenham, and agri tech.

digital

innovation company buys leading software business

Cirencester-based digital innovation company, Intouch with Health, has bought SynopsisHealthcare, which develops software for hospital patients’ pre-operative assessments.

The acquisition boosts the support Intouch can offer hospitals and Trusts worldwide.

The Synopsis pre-operative assessment software supports Intouch’s patient flow

systems and the company says it will offer hospitals savings.

Mike Sanders, CEO at Intouch with Health said: “Synopsis will help support growth and widen our offering to existing customers.”

Synopsis is a complete pre-operative assessment system covering the entire process from initial questionnaire to post-op outcome.

It also acknowledges the challenges presented by the county’s ageing population, its struggle to attract and retain young people, skills gaps, transport obstacles and high housing costs. Many businesses also voiced concern at the lack of strategic vision or urgency, with one county and six district councils often pulling in different directions. Gloucestershire remains the only authority in the south-west without a unitary government in at least part of the area.

“A lot of our employees stay with us for their whole career, and that’s something we’re all very proud of”

The EESI team

Business leaders meet to discuss county strategy

GFirst LEP Annual Review 2019

The Director of GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming was the main keynote speaker for Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership’s eighth Annual Review at the University of Gloucestershire, in the new School of Business and Technology. Hosted by Chair of the LEP Dr Diane Savory and David Owen, CEO, GFirst LEP they shared the LEP’s draft Local Industrial Strategy.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

GFirst Annual Review 2019

Keynote speaker, Jeremy Fleming, Director of GCHQ

Joanna Cracknell from Bamboo with Lisa Cullis from Squashed Robot and Nick Bracey from Brace Creative

Stuart Emmerson from Hartpury University with Yesim Nicholson from Cirencester Growth Hub and Oli Christie from NeonPlay

Dr Polly Pick, Dagmara Durlik and Rachel Vieira from University of Gloucestershire

Kate Jenkins from GFirst with Roman Cooper from Allcooper and Neill Ricketts from Versarien

Antonia Shield from BPE Solicitors with Nicky Godding from Business & Innovation Magazine

Darren Stevens from Prestbury Marketing and Sarah Danson from GFirst

Dev Chakraborty from GFirst and Stephen Marston from University of Gloucestershire

Paul Jones from British Business Bank and Andrew Slaney from SGS College

Angela Presdee from Gloucestershire County Council with Andy Kime from The Growth Hub, Louise Hooker from Business West and Chris Lau from GFirst

Elizabeth Weaver from GFirst with Nigel Cottell and Mark Lawton from MOOG Lorrin White and Kevin Harris from Bamboo with Kirsty Muir from Business & Innovation Magazine

Ian Johnson from Little Big Agency with James Whittaker from Hazlewoods, Mark Wilton from HSBC and Tom Hall BPE Solicitors

Russell Warner from Westend Office Suites and Dr Salah Al-Majeed from University of Gloucestershire

Jeremy Williamson from Cheltenham Task Force with Rupert Walters from Morroway House and Mark Price from Vitruvius

Sarah Bryars from Target PR with Jo Draper from QuoLux and Amanda Keane from Cyber Central

Garry King from Two Rivers Housing and Simon Tothill from Robert Hitchins

Chris Carr from GFirst with Mike Warner from Warners and Di Haines from DWP

Matthew Burgess and Andy Bates from Gloucestershire College with Andy Merrell from Punchline

THE MEAN VIEW

Come on Boris, get behind our apprentices

By Ian Mean

Skills and apprenticeships are so vital in our post-Brexit economy.

You may remember the government trumpeting about creating three million apprentices by the end of the 2020 parliament.

Well, that’s a target which will be missed by a mile.

And on top of that, you have to question the government’s enthusiasm for skills and apprenticeships.

That’s because they have scrapped the role of the Apprenticeships and Skills Minister following the resignation of Anne Milton and the installation of Gavin Williamson as the new Secretary of State for Education.

So I would urge Boris Johnson to act now and realise that our young people and particularly our small and medium-sized enterprises, deserve a government minister to drive their interests.

Anne Milton, like me, was a former apprentice and I was impressed with her vision for young people when I interviewed her a few months ago.

She told me then that whoever won the PM leadership contest, she “would hold their feet to the fire on making sure that further education gets the attention it deserves”.

That has not happened despite a vociferous campaign by further education colleges and some sterling leadership by one of our Conservative MPs, Richard Graham of Gloucester.

If Boris fails to appoint a special Apprentices and Skills Minister soon it will be short-changing business and students.

Many of our further education colleges delivering apprenticeships are on their knees financially.

And that is not helped by an Apprenticeship Levy system which, for the most part, is misunderstood by business and treated with disdain.

This must be cleaned up and quickly.

The apprenticeship levy pot for small companies – those SMEs which will be the key to better productivity in the UK and more tax for the Chancellor – is virtually empty.

And the sufferers are those struggling youngsters trying to get an Level 2 apprenticeship.

These are mostly young people who will never break any academic pots but with a good SME will develop and learn real skills in a trade.

The government must realise that ploughing more and more money into higher education as opposed to further education with the colleges is not working in the long term.

I am proud of being a former apprentice – joining a local newspaper at 17 in South London and then joining the Daily Mail in Manchester as a reporter at 23.

I think being an apprentice is a badge of honour and government must get back to some clear thinking to develop skilled young people for the new postBrexit world.

Ian Mean is Gloucestershire Director of Business West, and a former regional newspaper editor.

He is an honorary vice-president of Gloucestershire College and has an honorary doctorate of philosophy from the University of Gloucestershire for supporting business in the county.

Ian is also chairman of the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust Organ Donation Committee and a board member of Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, championing small and medium-sized businesses.

“The government must realise that ploughing more and more money into higher education as opposed to further education with the colleges is not working in the long term”

KEEPING THE PASSION ALIVE

Owner-managed companies make up a huge proportion of businesses driving the UK economy

Many owner-managed companies are family businesses, but not all. Often set up by entrepreneurial people to put their ideas into practice and retain control, the owners will generally oversee all critical business decisions.

But how do you keep the enthusiasm flowing after the first flush of activity and success? When the business isn’t growing as fast as you want it to, or when you can’t find the skilled people you need?

Six bosses from owner-managed businesses across Oxfordshire discussed some of their issues with Business and Innovation Magazine and Oxford accountancy practice Shaw Gibbs in the lovely setting of Minster Mill Hotel on the banks of the River Windrush near Witney.

Round table participants

Peter O’Connell, Shaw Gibbs Managing Director

Steve Neal, Shaw Gibbs Head of Audit

Clifford Brown, Shaw Gibbs

Head of Corporate Finance

A top 100 accountancy practice with offices in Oxford and Marylebone, London Shaw Gibbs applies practical and innovative approaches to support clients’ business ambitions. Shaw Gibbs clients range from individuals to SMEs including owner managers and entrepreneurs.

James Axtell

Chairman of Symm & Co Ltd, the 200-year-old Oxford-based business which has built some of the city’s most iconic buildings across the last two centuries, from Oxford college buildings to stunning new residential homes.

Tim Walder

Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer at ZapGo Ltd, a high technology business founded in Oxford in 2013 to develop the next generation of batteries beyond lithium.

Peter O’Connell

James Axtell

Tim Walder

Managing Director at Bicester-based Nicholsons which offers garden design, construction, maintenance and forestry. Based on a 23-acre site at North Aston it also runs a garden and plant centre which is open to the public.

James Woollard

Managing Director at Witney-based Polythene UK Ltd. Established in 2007 the company is now the UK’s leading independent supplier of polythene products, including a growing eco range. In 2013, it moved to new carbon neutral premises.

Director of the Banbury-based Hawkins Group of Companies Ltd, an expanding construction company which manages commercial projects of all sizes from inception to completion.

Tagore Ramoutar

Co-founder and Managing Director at The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) established two years ago. The distillery uses sustainably grown organic grain from within 50 miles of the distillery. Its award-winning products are stocked in many wine and spirits retailers, including Majestic Wines.

ROUND TABLE: BUSINESS LEADERS

Personality, belief and investment in people

success

What drives all these successful owner-managers is a total belief and commitment to what they do.

And this enthusiasm can’t help but spread across their workforces. All the businesses around the table invest heavily in staff, helping them improve their skills as well as recognising the importance of what used to be called the “soft” skills –communication and teamwork.

James Axtell at Symm pointed out: “Improving the communications skills of our teams who work on a project every day is important, because the person who sees the client most isn’t going to be me, but more likely our site manager.”

James Wollard agreed: “People buy from people. Customer service is first, second and third.”

Paul Hawkins added. “Once we have a customer, they invariably remain loyal if we give them good service.”

Liz Nicholson

Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson

Liz Nicholson

Clifford Brown

James Woollard

Steve Neal

Tagore Ramoutar

drives

“Improving the communications skills of our teams who work on a project every day is important, because the person who sees the client most isn’t going to be me, but more likely our site manager”

HOW DO YOU KEEP THE PASSION ALIVE WHEN YOU’RE DEALING WITH THE NITTY GRITTY?

Until 2007 James Woollard of Polythene UK was UK Sales Manager for an innovative, environmentally-friendly French polythene manufacturer, then he developed the concept for Polythene UK. Now, thanks to the changing nature of the business, and investment in research and development, the company has a breakthrough opportunity to become a leader in its field.

“Our innovations have given me a buzz, and the government’s R&D tax credits make it cost-effective for us to invest in research and development, and we are getting recognition for that.”

Even in accountancy, Peter O’Connell, Managing Director at Shaw Gibbs says there are opportunities to maintain the passion for what his company does. “And that helps our clients. We are applying innovative technology to better engage with our clients.

“Listening to James, it’s worrying how many businesses don’t know that they can claim tax credits. Because nearly everyone, from battery developers to those in the service industry, can claim certain amounts of tax credits.”

Steve Neal, Head of Audit at Shaw Gibbs, agreed: “This is where our expertise marries with our local business knowledge, and why we can compete against much bigger accountancy practices on service, as well as price.”

But the government can take its time to pay tax credits, according to Tim Walder of Zap&Go. “We are about to receive our payments for 2017. It’s frustrating but we’ll get them in the end.”

Tim gave up a good job to co-found Zap&Go in 2013. “I wanted to buy an electric vehicle eight years ago. What stopped me was the UK’s roadside charging infrastructure which wasn’t good enough (it still isn’t). I have a manufacturing background and knew that electric vehicles wouldn’t be widely adopted unless there were incentives, and enough charging points equipped with energy storage to buffer the grid’s performance so cars could top up fast.”

Tim met Stephen Voller, now Zap&Go’s CEO, and he thought the same about mobile phones – why it took so long to charge them up. “He showed me a supercapacitor, which combines the speed at which capacitors can charge, with batteries that can hold large amounts of energy, but which take hours to charge.

“Stephen had undertaken promising research and had licensed some interesting patents from University of Oxford, so we joined forces to deliver our ideal of faster charging.”

Start-up tech companies must hold on to those beliefs, especially when going through fund-raising rounds, said Tim. “We secured seed money in the UK but had to go to the USA for serious investment.”

Clifford Brown, Head of Corporate Finance at Shaw Gibbs, understands the issues ambitious tech start-ups face. “UK investors and venture capitalists invariably fish in a small pond where previous successes have been demonstrated. They perceive the risks to be lower if there is a track record, and unless young businesses know or understand that eco system, it’s difficult to break in.”

Tim knows that Zap&Go’s technology could change the world. “I don’t own much of the business anymore because we’ve raised money through a series of debt and equity rounds, but I don’t care about that. I want this to work.

“That’s why our scientists work with us. What drives them is to be able to prove the technology. If you are an entrepreneur, it’s always about more than money.”

Tagore Ramoutar is Co-founder and Managing Director at The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD), the latest successful start-up in a 30-year career where he has launched new businesses and products for start-ups and large companies.

Tagore’s passion for what he does is in the journey. “Up to launch, ambition drives you. In the first year you have milestones to achieve. Challenges come in the second or third years, when a business might not be making the revenues you want.

“Don’t get disillusioned. Celebrate successes with everyone in the company, and be prepared to take the knocks, because there will be some.”

For Paul Jackson, Director at Hawkins Group of Companies, passion comes from his co-director Mike Hawkins. “His influence across the business is massive. I

“Up to launch, ambition drives you. In the first year you have milestones to achieve. Challenges come in the second or third years. Don’t get disillusioned”

translate Mike’s ideas into a strategy. We have a fairly flat management structure which helps us share our enthusiasm for the future. If our staff are excited about the projects we’re working on, it makes the company more dynamic.”

Hawkins has seen particular growth over the last 15 years. “It’s about putting people in the right roles to make best use of their talents and ambitions,” said Paul. “And having enough projects on the go to motivate everyone, while improving the business.

“Constant improvement is our biggest driver. Our regular employee forums are fantastic because they are generous in sharing ideas, then we work out how to implement them.”

Liz Nicholson, Managing Director at Nicholsons agreed. “Construction is booming at the moment and for a while we had slightly uncontrollable growth, so we slowed down and took stock.”

The outcome was the company’s 2020 vision, which looked at key targets. But Liz didn’t want rigid turnover targets, preferring to put people first.

“We are driven by a sense of community and by getting every job right first time, every time. Our staff are engaged with our forest schools programme. We build one a year and have done 10 so far. If you ask

A great introduction

Business & Innovation Magazine loves it when we introduce businesses who may never have considered working together.

them why they come to work, it’s likely they’ll say because of the community focus. It’s important to keep good staff, and put them in the right roles, because in our industry it’s difficult to get skilled people.”

This sense of employee purpose resonated with James Axtell, Chairman at Symm & Co. “Part of how we maintain our passion is drawing on our legacy and there is a real sense of our forebears – and not just my family. We have fathers working with sons and grandchildren, and there is pride in their craft. Many of our staff could get a job working for bigger homebuilders, but they like working on our unique and historic buildings.”

Symm & Co recently undertook a visions process for the business. “Once we peeled back the onion, we discovered what matters to everyone, from those working on site to senior managers, was care. Care for the client, for each other and for the fabric of the structures they work on.

“Plenty of people can build a house but if you find someone who connects at that level, it’s inspiring for us and our clients. We will never be the cheapest, and we will often be the most expensive because of our investment in staff and apprentices so we can all deliver the highest quality, but it’s this investment that sets us apart.”

But even strong businesses have challenges. Symm is widely respected for the quality

During the round table debate, Tagore highlighted his difficulties including somewhere to plant 500 juniper trees to provide a key ingredient for his TOAD gin, as well as helping with carbon offsetting. “I have planted 60 juniper trees but we need more space.

“There is a protected species called the Chiltern Juniper which I would like to plant.”

Liz Nicholson’s eyes lit up. “We can help.”

of what it does, but that doesn’t mean it should stay as it is. James said: “We need to explore new technologies, adapt our teams to take best advantage of their skills and decide how to augment the expertise we already have in the business.”

For James, it’s about trying to retain what the company excels at and encouraging more sophisticated ways of delivering it. “Rigorous financial controls will be critical, but it’s also about driving that passion. Our managing director is studying art history as he’s passionate about the subject and it boost his knowledge and appreciation of the projects we work on regularly.”

Tim’s challenge at Zap&Go isn’t just securing continued investment. “We are looking at producing billions of batteries. We are getting small amounts of carbon to work with but finding the quantities we need to scale up is really difficult and we are looking all over the world.”

Oxfordshire Charity

Dinner – In aid of Maggie’s Cancer Charity

The Oxfordshire business community attended a black-tie charity dinner in aid of Maggie’s Cancer Charity. John Wilkinson a friend to many and wellliked and respected professional in his role as deputy director for HSBC Corporate Banking in Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley, recently wrote and published a book called Face Cancer. John wrote this book during his ongoing battle with face cancer to help others and give something back. Over £6000 pounds was raised for cancer charities on the evening through a charity raffle and sales of John’s book. Representing John at the dinner, his Wife, Jane Wilkinson and their Daughter, Lois spoke of the families cancer journey, the impact and profound effect John’s book has had on people since it was published and thanked everyone for the support, care, kindness and love that has been shown John. www.facecancer.org.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Jane and Lois Wilkinson

Luise Scharley and Louise Martinez from Electric Hairdressing

Abdul Sadek and Robert Pounds from Santander

Nicky Godding from Business & Innovation Magazine with Sue Staunton from James Cowper Kreston and Kirsty Muir from Business & Innovation Magazine

Jack Matkin and Michael Bateman from HSBC

Simon Bassett from Royds Withy King with Pippa Bassett

Jim Wilkinson from Oxford Sciences Innovation with Liz Hulls from Vale Financial Training and Dr Roger Mould from HSBC Corporate Banking

Nick Milne from HSBC with Tanja Melling from Santander and Tim Keoman from HSBC

Claire Phillips from Oxford County Council and Ed Weightman from Penningtons Manches Cooper

HSBC Corporate Banking team for Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley

Jane Wilkinson with Tanja Melling from Santander and organiser of the evening’s dinner

Richard Hastings with Cameron Rathwell from HSBC Corporate Banking

Charity Dinner at Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

Ian Nash from HSBC Corporate Banking with Marie Nash Mark Shepherdson from Santander with Alison Walker from HSBC

Stephen Barratt from James Cowper Kreston and Tom Walker from Freeths LLP

Sammie Clegg, Colette Bane and Shumona Neswar from Knights plc

Robert Pinheiro from Royds Withy King with Charlotte Gilman from OBS and Philip Bevan

Alexis Hardey from HSBC with Stewart Elliston from Freeths LLP

Urszula Gunn-Carter and Hayley Dicks from HSBC

Are you considering IP at every stage of your product development cycle?

be frustrating,

scaling

I am often asked: ‘When is the best time during the product development process to think about and secure intellectual property?’

The answer is that there is no ‘best’ time or ‘one size fits all’ rule; every case is different and requires a unique strategy. Ideally though, intellectual property (IP) would at least be reviewed at every stage of the cycle, to recognise its full value and that your product is adequately protected upon launch.

It is commonly recognised by the business community that a patent can protect a novel technical concept, and that an invention should be kept confidential unless/until a patent application has been filed. What is less clear is when the best time to file this application is. While it is tempting to do so at the concept stage, which may be the right strategy if you need to disclose the invention publicly in order to raise funding, there are some drawbacks.

The invention is likely to evolve over the subsequent stages, so it is important to check along the way that the patent application still covers the invention in its current form and consider ‘topping up’ the application to include new features/ technical subject matter within 12 months of filing the application. This deadline applies if the original filing date is to be retained, and if filing corresponding overseas applications.

A registered design (RD) is another type of

registered IP, which protects the appearance of a product. Only the product’s appearance is protected, so it’s often best to wait to file an application until it’s ready to be launched. In the UK, US and European community, the law even provides for a socalled ‘grace period’ of 12 months, meaning that you can, in theory, file applications for RDs in those territories up to one year after you have publicly disclosed the product. However, this can be risky, not just because a third party could register something very similar in the intervening period, but also because few other territories offer this allowance, so if your product was disclosed to the public before the effective filing date of your RD in, say, China, the Chinese right would be invalid.

Trade mark (TM) registration also needs to be considered. You may wish to protect your mark in every country that you plan to sell into, but your budget and cash flow must allow for this. Unlike the other registered rights, your TM doesn’t have to be kept confidential until after you have filed a registration application, so an alternative might be to first file in your home markets ahead of the product launch, then file applications for registration in other territories as the market grows, spreading the cost over a longer period of time. It is however important to ensure that you are free to use your chosen TM in the countries to which you are selling (i.e. your use of the TM will not infringe someone else’s rights) and ideally before committing to branded materials.

The message is clear:

Get advice early in the product development cycle from a patent or trade mark attorney, and continue to review your IP strategy as the cycle progresses in order to optimise the potential value of your IP and, ultimately, your business. At Mathys & Suire, our attorneys can offer a free initial consultation to form a rough strategy of timings and budget for your product development.

Vicki Strachan Patent Attorney

head of Mathys & Squire’s Oxford office

vjstrachan@mathys-squire.com

www.mathys-squire.com

The product development cycle (illustrated below) can

especially if you are starting or

up a business. It can often take longer, and cost more, than expected, so the importance of realistic business plans and budgeting cannot be stressed enough.

Winners of the Oxford Trust Awards 2019 revealed

The Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards for 2019 were announced at VentureFest Oxford. These awards recognise achievement and potential in entrepreneurship.

This year’s winners included a business enabling the next generation of satellite services, a pioneer of insect pest control through genetical engineering, a company that’s developed a fully industrialised diamond marking system, and two entrepreneurs who have developed a software platform that will speed up cancer diagnosis.

The awards are sponsored by Barclays, Marks & Clerk, Advanced Oxford, Oxford Innovation and product design company Triteq.

Young Entrepreneur Award: Liberty Foreman and Katherine Willetts

Dr Liberty Foreman and Dr Katherine Willetts founded DynamX Medical in 2015 to commercialise their PhD research into the clinical applications of infrared spectroscopy. They have developed a software platform for artificial intelligence and infrared spectroscopy to improve cancer diagnosis.

Start-up Award: Opsydia

Opsydia creates practically invisible structures inside transparent materials by using ultra-fast laser technology.

Breakthrough Technology Award: Oxitec

Oxitec is pioneering genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops, including mosquito species that transmit dengue, Zika and malaria.

Award for Innovation: Oxford Space Systems

Oxford Space Systems is pioneering the development of a new generation of deployable antennas and structures that are lighter, less complex and lower cost than those in current demand.

Outstanding Achievement Award: Lionel Tarassenko, CBE, FREng, FMedSci

Head of Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, Lionel Tarassenko was chosen for his contribution to biomedical engineering and innovation in healthcare technology systems. His pioneering work in the clinical use of machine learning has influenced the development of e-health in Oxford and around the world.

VENTUREFEST OXFORD GROWS AGAIN THIS YEAR

This year’s VentureFest Oxford attracted hundreds of delegates, including innovators, academics and investors from across Oxfordshire, to make connections which could lead to new investments and business ideas.

Twenty start-up businesses competed to win a £1,000 cash prize and support worth £10,000. Each pitching session included input from an expert panel of investors including Prodrive Ventures, Metro Bank, KPMG, Richardsons Accountants, Dehns and Oxford Innovation.

The £1,000 prize was won by Measurable, a building control and monitoring platform helping to eliminate wasted energy.

A technology start-up returned triumphantly to VentureFest Oxford this year to reveal £800,000 of investment in its business after a chance visit to the festival last year resulted in meeting experts and investors at a critical stage of its growth.

Learning with Experts raised the money through the Oxford Investment Opportunity Network.

Set up by Elspeth Briscoe in 2014, Learning with Experts will now scale up its technology development and marketing teams, and hire new tutors.

Learning with Experts’ approach to community-based, global interactive online learning has flipped the percentage of course completion rates usually achieved by other online course models, often called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which can be free or a very affordable way to learn new skills or achieve qualifications.

“MOOCs have 80 per cent drop-out rates. Learning with Experts has 80 per cent course completion rates,” said Elspeth, a former strategy director for Skype and eBay, and for The Guardian.

Top marks as ed-tech company hits investment gold

Empowering Women – diversity is key

More frequently than ever, women are returning to work after having children and juggling a work life balance. However, despite a lot of companies offering flexible working arrangements, there still remains a lack of women working in the financial sector…

According to the FCA, within the wealth management industry only 16% of regulated staff within investment management firms were women last year and only 17.3% of FTSE 100 directors are female, reducing to only 13.2% for FTSE 250 companies. Despite these figures, according to ‘McKenzie’, companies with all female Boards of Directors outperform their peers.

We are extremely proud of where we are placed in the market with regard to the ratio of men and women in the workplace.

A recent Citywire study showed that Charles Stanley & Co are ranked in the top tier out of 19 companies within our sector. We committed to increase our female

representation at senior management level from 28% to 30%, and we met our target two and a half years early. Under the Women in Wealth initiative we had a target of 40% female new hires and last year we exceeded this with 48% of hires being women.

In the Oxford office, we are proud to have a diverse workforce with a ratio of 1:1 of men and women and with an age range of 21-60. With our current ratio we are able to match the right client with the right investment manager. Sometimes it’s easier for women to discuss personal circumstances with other women, and we are fortunate that we have a female investment manager. We also have two female trainee investment managers and we want to continue to encourage women to pursue a career in wealth management.

As a forward thinking office we have piloted a series of women only seminars. The aim is to promote informative discussions held in a roundtable style made for a very relaxed atmosphere where a range of topics could be explored.

To find out more about Charles Stanley’s services please contact office manager

For us diversity is important, not only in the people who work for us but also in being able to empower and meet the needs of a wide range of clients. To ensure that we are meeting our client’s needs as effectively as possible we have recently integrated a financial planning team into the Oxford office.

The value of investments can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than invested. Charles Stanley & Co. Limited, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Grab-a-bit

before it’s all gone!

In 2018, the Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme was launched with £67m funding available for businesses and surrounding communities to boost their broadband connection with a gigabit-capable connection (1,000Mbps.) Eligible businesses can each claim up to £2,500 and residents can claim £500 towards the cost of connection as part of a group project, provided there is 1 business for every 10 residential properties. Gigabit-capable full fibre broadband is future proof and the fastest type of connection available. To date, 79% has already been spent, so hurry if you want to get involved

Full details can be found at https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk

Need help understanding the scheme? Contact the Digital Infrastructure team: www.betterbroadbandoxfordshire.org.uk  broadband@oxfordshire.gov.uk  @oxfordshirecc

Ria Shepheard.

Ria Shepheard

Waylands Oxford opens all-new showroom

ANNE VECK NAMED UK’S FIRST CERTIFIED CARBON-NEUTRAL HAIR SALON

Hair care without the guilt. If regular investment in your barnet has begun to concern you with regard to sustainability, worry no more.

Anne Veck, an award-winning Oxfordshire hair salon, with sites in Oxford and Bicester, is powered by renewable energy and eco-friendly systems. It has now become the UK’s first certified carbon-neutral hairdressing business after achieving Carbon Footprint Standard C02 Neutral certification.

The Oxford salon has been attracting attention for years thanks to its sustainable approach, including the

use of pioneering BlueGenCeramic fuel cell technology to convert gas to electricity.

Acting like a mini in-salon power station, the fuel cell generates electricity from the mains gas supply at an 80 per cent level of energy efficiency, reducing the salon’s energy costs by 70 per cent.

Anne’s salon in Bicester also uses infrared heaters made from recycled materials, designed to use 60 per cent less energy than standard convection heaters and produce no CO2.

The salon’s carbon emissions have been measured at 19.3 tonnes per year, but this is offset completely by supporting tree planting in Kenya.

South Oxfordshire tech company fights rural crime

A South Oxfordshire company has won funding to develop a new technology to help fight rural crime.

uWatch Ltd, based in Cholsey, secured the funding from AgRIA (Agri-Tech Research Innovation Accelerator) supported by the European Union Development Fund and led by Rothamsted Research.

uWatch Ltd has spent four years developing a generic, sensor-rich, batterypowered Internet of Things hub called

The Cube which has many applications, especially in rural areas.

The company is working with University College London for six months aiming to dramatically increase The Cube’s remote sensor range.

It is also aiming to double battery life and interface with sensors that could detect polluting gases, sample water quality and detect farm gates being opened when they shouldn’t be.

A Volvo retailer has opened the doors to its new showroom, following a £1 million site investment.

Waylands Oxford is now open for business at its new home on Cumnor Hill, adjacent to the retailer’s previous premises.

Waylands Automotive Ltd also has franchised Volvo dealerships in Reading, Newbury and Swindon.

It purchased Lancaster Motor Company in Reading in 2017, Fawcett’s Garage in Newbury and Johnsons Cars in Swindon and Oxford last year. Turnover for the company last year was more than £36 million.

Dominic Gouldsborough, General Manager at Waylands Oxford, said: “The investment in the site demonstrates the high level of importance we place on making the Volvo customer experience as individual and as enjoyable as possible.”

Anne Veck’s Oxford salon

“We will continue to reduce our environmental impact and help showcase the positive difference the hairdressing industry can make to the environment”

Keith Mellen, Director at Anne Veck

Waylands opens new showroom at Cumnor Hill

MYWAGGYTAILS LAUNCHES PET CARE FRANCHISE

The franchise market has a new entrant. Chinnor-based MyWaggyTails is helping dog lovers turn their passion for pets into a business-in-a-box franchise, designed to care for the nation’s nine million pet dogs.

MyWaggyTails was founded by marketeer and business consultant Randle Stonier, inspired by his sister Mitch Howey.

Mitch wanted a job to fit in around her family and set up her dog-care business MyWaggyTails in 2017. After five months, she asked her brother for help.

Randle had a successful career leading award-winning marketing and events agencies, including several start-ups, and working with brands such as Vodafone and Virgin Media.

Fast-forward 18 months and Mitch begged Randle to stop promoting her business as she couldn’t cope with the demand.

However, she did ask him if he’d help her prepare for the new licensing regulations and audit.

Randle’s assistance led to Mitch receiving a five-star rating and being granted a home boarding licence for 10 dogs, along with some five-star customer reviews on Google, Facebook and Yell.

Randle is now using his new-found knowledge of the sector to help others start their own dog businesses and provide a range of pet-care services through MyWaggyTails, by establishing a business franchise.

Randle says: “MyWaggyTails offers a dog-focused “business in a box”.

There are now nearly 50,000 franchise businesses collectively contributing more than £17 billion and 710,000 jobs to the country’s economy, according to data from the British Franchise Association and NatWest.

In the last two years, more than onequarter of franchisees starting their business were aged 30 or under at launch, and 37 per cent of all newer franchisees are women.

Equestrian brand teams up with Cheltenham

Harwell-based equestrian brand Ariat has teamed up with Cheltenham Racecourse in a one-year deal.

The Ariat Leading Jockey Award will be awarded for the first time at the November Meeting which runs from November 15-17.

Ariat is building on an established partnership with champion jump trainer Paul Nicholls to widen its relationships

New toll houses open for business, thanks to Beard

Oxford-based construction company Beard has completed a major project at Bristol’s historic Clifton Suspension Bridge. It involved buiding new toll houses and refurbishing existing Grade 1 listed Victorian structures for The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust.

The seven-month project involved Beard demolishing and replacing both of the outdated 1950s toll booths on the Clifton side of the bridge and a 1970s building on the North Somerset side. The Victorian toll houses on the Leigh Woods approach have been refurbished.

Beard Director, Mike Hedges said: “We overcame the complexities of working in a hugely sensitive spot while minimising disruption for up to 10,000 vehicles a day which use the bridge.

“Having just completed the Being Brunel Museum alongside the SS Great Britain, we brought our expertise to another one of Brunel’s flagship projects, fulfilling Purcell Architect’s meticulous design to provide contemporary buildings that are sympathetic to Brunel’s original vision.”

Racecourse

in the horse racing world.

The brand provides footwear and apparel for top equestrian athletes and country enthusiasts.

Melanie Selman, European Marketing Manager at Ariat, said: “We are delighted to be sponsor of The Leading Jockey Award at Cheltenham Racecourse’s November Meeting.”

Mitch Howey and her dogs

New toll houses at Clifton Suspension Bridge

THE OXFORD TRUST ENTERPRISE AWARDS 2019

The Oxford Trust 2019 Enterprise Awards, run in partnership with Venturefest Oxford, recognised and celebrated the innovative companies and individuals working in the science and technology industry in the Oxford region. Professor Lionel Tarassenko, Head of the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford was presented with The Oxford Trust Outstanding Achievement Award.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Would you like to feature your business event, launch or party in our business events section?

Nicky Godding from Business & Innovation Magazine with Sarah Haywood from Advanced Oxford and Steve Burgess from The Oxford Trust

David Hartley with Ed Cole and Stephen Brown from Oxford Brookes University

Mike Foster Chair of Venturefest Oxford 2019 with Kirsty Muir from Business & Innovation Magazine

Matthijs Branderhorst from Marks & Clerk with Sebastian Johnson from OxLEP and Rakesh Roshan from OxSight

Chris Hale from MobOx and Philip Campbell from MEPC Milton Park

Dr Stuart Wilkinson from University of Oxford with Dr Phil Clare from University of Oxford

Dheeraj Ramakrishnan and Angela Hobbs from Triteq

Dr Alexander Reip from Oxford nanoSystems and Elizabeth Kirby from STFC

Gary Harris from Barclays with Alexander Lewis from Oxford Biomedica

Elspeth Briscoe from Learning with Experts with Jens Tholstrop from Oxford Investment Opportunity Network and Daniel Rosewarne from Learning with Experts

Professor Lionel Tarassenko, Head of the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford with Georgina Ferry and Megan Morys-Carter from The Oxford Trust

ENTREPRENEUR SISTERS LAUNCH BOX OF HUGS AFTER MOTHER’S BRAIN TUMOUR BATTLE

Three sisters have turned the trauma of their mother’s brain tumour into a business to celebrate her recovery.

Sisters Anna Peters, Lucy Ambler and Sophie Morris launched online gift company, Box of Hugs, while their mother, Jane Peters, was going through treatment for a brain tumour. Now the sisters, in partnership with The Brain Tumour Charity, have unveiled two new “Jane’s Brain Box” gifts to celebrate their mum’s recovery.

Jane, 71, from Woodstock, Oxfordshire, collapsed eight years ago with two tumours on her brain, one the size of an orange. Anna, Lucy and Sophie spent many hours together while their mum was in treatment and it was during this time they realised how difficult it was to send appropriate “thinking of you” gifts when you can’t be by someone’s side.

Their mum thankfully made a good recovery and realising life was too short, the three sisters quit their jobs to launch Box of Hugs - an online-gifting company that enables people to send thoughtful gifts in the post.

Sophie Morris, 38, from Woodstock, said: “We’re completely in awe of our mum. She’s made an amazing recovery, despite being left with epilepsy and other side-effects. These problems have certainly not got in the way of her enjoying life. She now runs every morning, walks twice a day and volunteers in a charity shop.

“We always knew we wanted to do something to show our appreciation to the surgeon and medical staff that saved mum. Box of Hugs was our first step. Mum gave us the push we needed to run a family business together. It’s meant our family’s closer than ever before. Now we want to use it to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity to thank everyone who helped our mum, and help more people affected by the illness.”

REGIONAL ROUND-UP OXFORDSHIRE

Pioneering River Severn dig is broadband first for Abingdon business

Abingdon-based Gigaclear has become the first broadband provider to drill under the River Severn to reach two of Gloucestershire’s most remote and poorly connected villages. This significant civil engineering feat will deliver full Fibre-to-thePremises (FTTP) broadband access to 861 homes in Longney and Framilode.

The work has been carried out as part of Gloucestershire County Council’s Fastershire broadband project with Gigaclear, which will give more than 70,000 homes and businesses in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire access to a new ultrafast network.

Peter Pentecost, Regional General Manager at Gigaclear, said: “The scale of this civil engineering task goes to show how passionately we believe in the importance of digital inclusion for all, no matter how rural their chosen home or business is.”

World-class

Business bosses from some of the most dynamic companies across the county joined academics and civic leaders in Oxford to witness the launch of Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy.

Working alongside around 300 organisations, as well as central government, Oxfordshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership wants its strategy to position the county as one of the world’s top three innovation ecosystems by 2040, led by Oxfordshire’s global strengths in science and technology.

The strategy also hopes to build on the county’s recent economic growth performance which, between 2012 and 2017, saw 50,000 new jobs created in Oxfordshire. That’s alongside an average five-year business survival rate of 49.3 per cent for those set up in 2011, more than five per cent above the UK average, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The county is also one of just three net contributors to the UK economy, with a current gross value added (GVA) of £23 billion a year.

Oxfordshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership is aiming to double the county’s GVA by 2040.

Lucy Ambler, Sophie Morris and Anna Peters

science and technology set to boost Oxford’s productivity

Delay with R&D tax claims as HMRC struggle to keep up…

The UK government launched R&D tax credits to encourage greater spending on the discovery and development of new ideas.

A popular scheme with companies across a range of sectors, it is designed to offer financial support for innovative activities in the spheres of research and development. Tax credits for small and medium sized companies, in particular, are increasingly generous, and can help to offset the substantial costs involved.

However, many businesses are still experiencing “significant delays” to their Research and Development (R&D) tax credit claims, as HMRC struggles to keep up with the scheme’s popularity.

HMRC aims for an R&D tax claim turnaround of 28 days, but it recently admitted that many claims take much longer, attributing the delays to a mix of the scheme’s popularity, a lack of resources, and HMRC’s duty to ensure payments are correct.

Jonathan Walton, managing director at Whitley Stimpson said: “We still have several clients who haven’t had their R & D refunds - despite HMRC saying that they would be sorted by 30 September 2019. The situation is slowly improving, although there is still some way to go, particularly for R&D expenditure credit (RDEC) claims.”

Alongside recruiting extra staff, HMRC has committed to a range of measures to improve the situation, including treating R&D tax credits and RDEC (for larger companies) the same, moving claim processing to the customer services

department and vowing to keep the R&D Consultative Committee abreast of its performance.

The R&D credit significantly reduces the tax liability or in many cases effectively provides a lump sum payment to the business courtesy of HMRC. Unfortunately, this has meant that the scheme has proved vulnerable to abuse.

“Whilst it is clearly a good thing that the government is trying to stop this type of abusive R&D claim, a cap will inevitably impact claims from some companies who, for genuine reasons, have small PAYE/NIC liabilities. This was a particular criticism of the original cap, especially for smaller companies, such as start-ups with low PAYE/NIC liabilities.”

Jonathan Walton, Managing Director, Whitley Stimpson

The government has therefore brought back a claim cap based on an organisation’s total National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) liability in any 12-month period. Businesses acting fraudulently (and those where UK-based R&D projects amount to basically just taking the payable credit) usually do not employ a lot of staff or pay NICs and PAYE, hence falling foul of the cap. HMRC believes it has already

prevented £300m of fraud, including deliberate claims where there’s little or no actual employment or activity in the UK.

This cap is now for three times the company’s total PAYE/NIC payment for the period, compared with just ‘one time’ previously. It is important to note that the cap will apply only to claims for the payable tax credit, and it will not affect the calculation of the enhanced R&D expenditure itself.

Since the introduction of these credits, Whitley Stimpson which has offices in Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe and Witney, has helped many companies with successful claims. These range from technology businesses, right through to traditional engineering and manufacturing companies.

If you’re wondering whether your company qualifies for R&D Tax Credits or if you need help in navigating the waters around the new cap, speak to the specialist team at Whitley Stimpson today. We can help you to decide whether your business meets the relevant criteria and whether any credits can be applied for the R&D projects you’ve undertaken.

Jonathan Walton, Managing Director, Whitley Stimpson

INVESTMENT BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO UK HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT PRODUCER

Business sale and acquisition specialist Watersheds, based at Swindon, has secured the multi-million pound sale of Therapy Equipment Ltd, a leading UK niche hospital equipment producer, to London-based business growth specialists Owner Venture Managers.

The sale will allow Therapy Equipment, which is already the NHS’s largest supplier of “suction and oxygen therapy” equipment, to grow internationally under its new owner, while maintaining production from the company’s longstanding base in Hertfordshire.

Tasty result for High Wycombe company

A High Wycombe company that designs and manufactures food and drink flavours reported record numbers of new customers last year, a trend it expects to continue through 2019, with underlying revenue growth of 11 per cent.

Synergy Flavours develops flavours, extracts and essences for the global food and beverage industry. In 2018, the company reported a turnover of more than £21 million.

Synergy has purpose-built research and development laboratories in High Wycombe. Earlier this year, the company announced it had expanded its manufacturing hub in Thailand.

Tech company acquires logistics specialist Proverbium BioCity helps Thames Valley innovators

Invenio Business Solutions, the Readingbased global provider of business technology and consulting services, has bought Proverbium, a Bangalore-based logistics consultancy.

This acquisition follows an £11.6 million investment in Invenio earlier this year from the Business Growth Fund (BGF), to support the company’s growth.

Tetra Pak is first carton company to launch paper straws in Europe

Tetra Pak, which has a processing centre at High Wycombe, has announced that customers have started field testing its paper straws for drinks products in Europe. The move means Tetra Pak is the first carton packaging company to provide such straws for beverage cartons in the region.

The company also announced its intention to publish and share its innovations on paper straw developments to

support industrial collaboration on the alternatives to single use plastic straws

Made from FSC™ certified paper and recyclable with the rest of the package, the new paper straw will be available initially for two small size carton packages commonly used for dairy and beverage products for children.

More than 25 innovators took part in Oxford Academic Health Science Network Accelerator sessions in Reading. Over three days the Market Discovery Pre-accelerator, run with BioCity, explored the commercial viability of some of their ideas.

BioCity, which aims to connect promising business ventures with investors and mentors, launched the new programme in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.

It wants galvanise growth in Thames Valley’s world-class health and life sciences cluster, supporting start-ups, spin-outs and growth companies.

This is a first for BioCity, which has until now operated outside the “golden triangle” – the unofficial grouping of research universities in Cambridge, Oxford, Milton Keynes and London.

Chris Munn of Therapy Equipment with Jessica Painter of corporate finance advisers Watersheds

WORCESTERSHIRE MANUFACTURES ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH, LITERALLY

Now in its fourth year, the 2019 Worcestershire Growth Barometer, published by national accountancy practice BDO, reveals the ambition of Worcestershire businesses

Manufacturing, the sector which has driven Worcestershire’s corporate growth for years, is again leading the county’s economy. But the 2019 Worcestershire Growth Barometer, published this month by national accountancy practice BDO, reveals a vibrant retail and wholesale industry snapping at its heels.

This year’s top 50 fastest-growing Worcestershire companies includes 18 manufacturing and precision engineering businesses and 12 retail, wholesale and leisure players.

These two sectors account for 62 per cent of the number of businesses in the top 50.

The 2019 Worcestershire Growth Barometer includes data on the financial health of Worcestershire’s 50 fastestgrowing businesses alongside original research on some of the county’s most exciting and ambitious businesses.

Collectively, the manufacturing and precision engineering companies in the top 50 made almost £1.8 billion in the last year under review, compared to less than £1.1 billion for businesses in retail, wholesale and leisure.

County’s booming growth is increasingly becoming a two-horse race

Business growth in Worcestershire is increasingly becoming a two-horse race between manufacturers and retailers.

Jointly, these sectors accounted for almost 83 per cent of turnover in this year’s top 50, a higher level of industry dominance than in any other area surveyed by BDO.

But what is going on in other sectors? In BDO’s 2016 growth report, the food and agricultural sector accounted for £340 million in turnover. In this year’s top 50, three food and agricultural sector businesses collectively pulled in less than £46 million.

It’s a similar story with professional services. Two years ago, this sector was the third largest by turnover, but does not appear at all in this year’s results.

Only real estate and construction has maintained its place in the top 50. This year just seven companies in the sector make a combined £274 million, roughly the same as in last year’s Growth Report list.

This turnover trend has a direct bearing on jobs, with manufacturing, retail and wholesale accounting for more than 11,800 out of the almost 15,300 workers employed by this year’s top 50 companies.

Overall, revenues across this year’s top 50 have grown by almost 51 per cent compared to two years ago. That’s not far off the average growth rate of the manufacturing and retail sectors combined.

“This year’s top 50 fastest-growing Worcestershire companies includes 18 manufacturing and precision engineering businesses and 12 retail, wholesale and leisure players”

Drone photograph of Worcestershire

Photography: Nigel Pugh, Managing Director, Impact Aerial Limited – www.impactaerial.co.uk

£23.5m Grant Support Available for Growing Start-Up and Existing Businesses

If you are a Start-Up or growing Small to Medium sized Enterprise (SME), then there is a grant funding programme designed to help you realise your expansion plans.

The Business Growth Programme 2 was launched in April 2019 and offers grants of:

 £2,500 – £10,000 for Start-Up businesses; and

 £10,000 – £1,000,000 for existing SMEs

to businesses based in, or moving into the Herefordshire, Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin areas.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Birmingham City Council, the programme was launched following delivery of the highly successful £33m Business Growth Programme, which assisted in excess of 500 businesses and created more than 1,500 new jobs when it closed in 2018.

Building on the programme’s previous success story, the Business Growth Programme 2 has been improved, making it far more flexible to business needs.

Grants can be used for the purchase of capital equipment, relocation and expansion, new product

Business Growth Programme Case Study - Broadfix

Broadfix is the UK’s leading brand of plastic shims and is always willing to consider new and innovative shim styles to add to their range.

Their MD, Clive Haughton, noticed that they had received several enquiries for a unique shim which they didn’t supply, but tooling costs for UK production were prohibitive. However, with the able assistance of Nadine Kinsey at Herefordshire Council, they managed to secure a Business Growth Programme grant which allowed them to proceed with UK tooling and manufacturing.

There have been many benefits to Broadfix in UK production for this product, not only in reducing their exposure to currency fluctuations compared to overseas sourcing, but also in cost-efficiencies by enabling them to manufacture at their modern lean factory in Hereford. Meanwhile the local economy has also benefited from the extra jobs created by the project.

The programme is delivered in association with The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership. To find out more details on the programme, or discuss a potential project, please contact The Marches Growth Hub on 0345 600 0727 or the Birmingham City Council Grants Hotline number on 0121 464 6456.

and market development and Building Information Modelling. Start-Ups can also use the grants for set up, installation and internal refurbishment costs.

Grants are awarded subject to availability/eligibility criteria and the creation of new jobs. See website for full eligibility criteria www.birmingham.gov.uk/bgp2

GIVE BUSINESSES MORE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW

Worcestershire has a healthy business economy but major challenges remain for the county’s leaders, according to Gary Rouse, Director of BDO Birmingham and author of the latest Worcestershire Growth Barometer.

“Some of our most successful businesses are flourishing in Worcestershire, but when they’re ready to grow, the county lacks relevant commercial space and will score an own goal if it loses them to other regions which have made better provision for ambitious small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Gary also urges growing businesses to invest in developing strong management skills and procedures to help them in

their next stage of growth. Technology has driven growth within the top 50 businesses, but this needs to become a recurring investment for ambitious companies.

“As you grow you need greater support around you, including experienced non-executive directors and a skilled management team. But many directors are so focused on delivering against their businesses’ objectives, they don’t always ask for help.

“There is a lot of support for businesses which do engage with agencies such as One Worcestershire, or the local enterprise partnership.

“My advice is to get your local business support organisation to understand your challenges. They have a great support system and an extensive network of experts in every field of business. The advice is there for the taking.”

Wychavon leads the way as Worcestershire’s growth capital

Wychavon takes the crown for business growth, accounting for almost £885 million in turnover (25 per cent) of the top 50 growth companies located there.

This district is home to two of the top three fastest-growing companies in the county, Excool and Transcal Engineering, and half the businesses in the top 10.

This is the first time in three years that Worcestershire’s top centre for business growth is not one of the county’s three northern districts, and Worcester City doesn’t even make second place. Top 50 growth companies in Redditch collectively made almost £775 million, narrowly beating the £748 million made by the county town’s businesses on the list.

Leading the charge for business growth in Redditch is Valeo Engine Cooling UK, the fourth fastest grower on the list, followed

by Mobility Group Topco at number eight.

Malvern Hills, home to the Malvern Science Park, is home to just three companies in this year’s top 50.

Most of Wychavon’s high-growth revenue was in retail, thanks to the presence of CP Foods (UK), a major global added value food producer.

Redditch’s disparity between retail revenue and earnings in other sectors is more marked. The district saw top 50 growth retailers bringing in almost £499 million in the last year, more than nine times the turnover of the district’s manufacturing and precision engineering sector.

Redditch-based Johnsons Cars, one of the largest independent car dealerships in the country, turned over more than £432 million in the last year.

In Worcester City, fast-growing manufacturing and engineering companies turned over more than £600 million in the year under review, with two heavy hitters in particular: Yamazaki Mazak saw turnover of more than £479 million and home and lifestyle products maker Gtech UK made almost £121 million.

Listed floor covering manufacturer Victoria added nearly £425 million to the Wyre Forest economy, while wholesale grocery retailer Primafruit contributed more than £133 million to Bromsgrove.

Seven companies in this year’s list had turnovers in excess of £100 million. Last year, the £100 million-plus group made a total of £1.9 billion, or 55 per cent of all the revenue in the top 50.

This year those figures are up at £2.17 billion and 57 per cent.

Gary Rouse, Director of BDO Birmingham and author of the latest Worcestershire Growth Barometer

Malvern Festival of Innovation 2019

Gala Dinner

As part of the week-long Malvern Festival of Innovation, Dr Adrian Burden founder of the festival hosted the black-tie gala dinner event in the elegant surroundings of Malvern College. Guests heard from David Page, CEO & Founder of Business Mix and enjoyed a stimulating evening of conversation over a three-course meal. www.festival-innovation.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Would you like to feature your business event, launch or party in our business events section?

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Black-tie gala dinner event in the elegant surroundings of Malvern College

Steve Dowling from IMechE with Geraldine Stapley

Linda Smith from BetaDen with BetaDen mentor, Hannah Ross from Worcestershire County Council & David Sidaway of Sidaway Technologies and BetaDen Cohort 1.0 member

Jenny Rohde from Jones Newton, Dr. Clive Stainton from CyberQ Group and Dr. Clive Summerfield from Auraya Systems, all BetaDen Mentors Andy Bates from Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) with Prof Colin O’Halloran of D-RisQ

Tim Charrot and Jonathan Ellwood from The IASME Consortium

Jessica Burden from The IASME Consortium with Richard Jenkins from National Security Inspectorate

Dr. Adrian Burden, Founder of The Malvern Festival of Innovation with Rosemary Henderson from Business & Innovation Magazine

Amanda and Duncan Sutcliffe from Sutcliffe & Co

Martin Huddleston from APMG International with Rebecca Ryan from Coventry Building Society

Phil Merrick, Sarah Rouse, Jack Hegarty and Simon Smith from Malvern Hills District Council

Tom Levitt from Sector 4 Focus and Rowena Innocent from Malvern Panalytical

BROMSGROVE ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORTS ASPIRING RACING DRIVER

The co-founder of Bromsgrove businesses Aspire Business Partnership and ANP Training is helping local racing driver Jordan Pimley to fulfil his dream of becoming a successful racing driver.

Alan Nolan is supporting 20-year-old Jordan from Stoke Heath, who is part of the Porsche team that races in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series, World Endurance Championship, 6 Hours at Silverstone and more.

Jordan’s passion for motor sport was evident early on. “For as long as I

can remember I’ve been watching motorsport and whenever I’ve had the opportunity, I’ve jumped into a gokart to live the fantasy.

My experience working in the pit-lane at Porsche fuelled my desire to be a professional racing driver.”

Alan said: “Jordan has shown such talent on the non-competitive racing circuit and a true commitment for the sport. I believe that as a local businessman, it is my duty to support the community and help talented people to fulfil their dreams. We will continue to support Jordan in his quest to become a professional racing driver and enhance the profile of the town.”

Unique Worcester lingerie start-up wins £15,000 boost

Undergraduate seamstress Imogen Mornement has won a £15,000 boost for her fledgling business at this year’s Worcestershire Innovation (WINN) “Make it Happen” competition run by Worcestershire County Council.

Her business, Penny and a Pearl, is harnessing a renewed interest in sewing, driven partly by the success of BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee.

Imogen designed a range of lingerie sewyour-own kits, which she is selling on-ine. “I want my customers to be proud of their lingerie by sewing their own,” she said.

WINN received more than £2.5 million

funding from the European Regional Development Fund to stimulate economic development by investing in projects supporting innovative businesses and creating jobs.

Imogen was also supported by the University of Worcester, where she is still a student.

Imogen said: “This will change the game for me and my business.”

Penny and a Pearl follows the theme of last year’s winner Nikki Hollier, who set up her business Border In A Box, a ready made garden kit that provides garden border templates showing users

REGIONAL ROUND-UP WORCESTERSHIRE

Redditch manufacturer secures contract worth $3 million

Solid State plc, the Redditchbased AIM listed manufacturer of computing, power and communications products, and distributor of electronic components, has revealed a major international contract win.

The contract, valued at $3million, has been won by the Group’s Pacer Optoelectronics business unit, acquired by Solid State in November 2018.

The display project, a rail infrastructure programme in the United States, will use Pacer’s capabilities and is expected to be delivered over the next nine months.

In September, the company reported in a trading update that as a result of a strong start to the year, profits for the year ending 31 March 2020 are likely to be significantly ahead of expectations.

which plant goes where and providing a list of items to buy from the garden centre.

Imogen and Nikki’s businesses are tapping into the UK’s growing crafting market, estimated to be worth more than £3.4 billion to the country’s economy, according to the UK’s Crafts Council.

“For as long as I can remember I’ve been watching motorsport and whenever I’ve had the opportunity, I’ve jumped into a go-kart to live the fantasy”

Penny and a Pearl lingerie

Alan Nolan with Jordan Pimley

2019 Annual Worcestershire Festival of Business

The 2019 Worcestershire Festival of Business took place at Chateau Impney Hotel in Droitwich Spa. The sixth annual celebration of Worcestershire enterprise and entrepreneurship was the biggest event so far, bringing together the Worcestershire business community to showcase the diversity of businesses in the county, and build connections within the local supply chain.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Would you like to feature your business event, launch or party in our business events section?

Please contact: kirsty.muir@nkmedia.co.uk or visit businessinnovationmag.co.uk

Rachel Smith, Sam Batkin, Neil Seager, Joanne Bennett, Eliza Bradley, Stewart Clayton, Dina O’Brien & Jo Baldwin from Ormerod Rutter

Cynde Cole, Caroline Pearson, Duncan Sutcliffe and Amanda Sutcliffe from Sutcliffe & Co

Verity Hudson from Hewett Recruitment

Richard Bull and Sophie James from Heart of Worcestershire College

Georgina Hunt from Harrison Clark Rickerbys

Darren Wilkins from City Signs

Alex Brookes from The Kiln

Corinna Elliot from Worcestershire LEP

Rhiannon Jones and Randesh Kalar from Worcestershire Business Central

Stuart Allen, Founder of Worcestershire Festival of Business and Jason Levy from Third Sector

Jen Taylor and Sam Freeman from One Creative Environments Ltd

WORCESTERSHIRE RECRUITMENT FIRM PLANS DIGITAL GROWTH AS UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS

A Worcestershire recruitment company is investing in digital application technology to help firms fill vacancies fast amid a shortage of people looking for work.

Record low unemployment has been a welcome boost for the economy but has left businesses struggling to fill jobs, according to county recruitment firm Workforce Staffing.

The project will be led by newly promoted manager Lucy Cotterill. In a twin recruitment approach, it will see Workforce’s Kidderminster office become a recruitment centre for interview and selection, with vacancy management, customer service, worker induction and training offered from the firm’s office in Worcester’s Foregate Street.

Water monitoring experts pour into Redditch

A leading supplier of water monitoring equipment has moved its European base to Redditch, with the help of commercial property agency John Truslove.

In-Situ Europe has been providing firms with specialist equipment to monitor surface and groundwater for more than two decades.

But increasing demand has seen the company expand to the point where it had outgrown its previous base in Shirley and it had to start looking for new premises.

Financial controller Julie Rose said: “We have expanded quite a lot in the last few years and we needed somewhere that combined office accommodation with warehouse space for our expanding range of technical equipment.”

Start-ups and freelancers now have a new home in Worcester

Worcestershire’s start-ups, freelancers and small businesses can now use a long-anticipated co-working space at the Old Police station in Copenhagen Street, Worcester following its grand opening.

The Kiln, a collaborative community to help entrepreneurs and lone workers, provides hot desking for more than 60 people. It has undergone extensive building and renovation work, creating a practical space for professionals to use as their base, and to share ideas and network.

The launch of The Kiln comes hot on the heels of The Kiln 0.5, a smaller scale, temporary hub based at The Guildhall in Worcester’s High Street.

“The Kiln, a collaborative community to help entrepreneurs and lone workers, providing hot desking for more than 60 people”

The staff at Workforce Staffing

The Kiln, Worcester

Top 30 accountancy firm

are using their centenary year to position their business for the future.

Starting in Torbay in 1919, it is no question that the historic values of the business have paramount significance to the firm, which is now the 29th largest firm in the UK by turnover, with 370 staff across seven offices in the West Midlands and South West.

But as it continues its year-on-year growth, the centenary has become much more than a historic date. The centenary has been a year-long programme of activity which is central to the ethos of how the firm shapes itself, not just for the foreseeable future but for the next 100-years.

Focusing on its relationships and business connections, as well as its membership of Kreston International, is helping the firm evolve from a regional practise to an increasingly national and internationally focused one.

Its strategy to use the centenary to position the business for the future has brough about transformational changes in many ways. At the start of the year, the business rebranded, evolving a fresh corporate image, signalling its ambitions and values. The rebrand has underpinned a new intranet for its internal communications, a redesigned website, and an investment in its social media and video content.

It’s ‘one firm’ culture has seen its connections and relationships develop not only externally but internally, with staff engaging across all offices to support one another in their individual and group fundraising activities.

At the heart of its centenary plans was a pledge to raise £100,000 – a target they smashed in just six months, with the total amount continuing to grow. As Ian Smith, Bishop Fleming’s Chair and colead for Corporate Social Responsibility added: “Rather than raise £100,000 for just one charity or cause, to encourage our people to engage in our activities, we’ve allowed them to raise funds for causes which are personal to them. As a result, we’ve generated nearly 3,000 donations, from over 100 activities, which will benefit over 60 charities.”

The firm believes that its ‘giving back’ and ‘one team’ culture will enable Bishop Fleming to become a dominant and nationally focussed practise, whilst supporting the regions, communities and clients that sustain the firm.

The 31-partner firm have seen the likes of management, all the way down to trainees taking part in extreme fundraising activities. The firm came together in March as title partner of the Bath Half Marathon where it fielded 120 entrants – the largest corporate team in the history of the 13.1 mile race. In June the firm joined together again, where four teams endure the National Three Peaks challenge.

The firm has ambitious growth plans too and has seen its headcount grow by 10 per cent in the last 12-months alone. Central to this has been the launch of Launchpad – its new Apprenticeship scheme – designed to offer yet more accounting career routes to candidates. As a result, this year the business has recruited a record number of trainees, a mixture of school leavers and graduates.

“Whilst raising over £100,000 (and counting) is a fantastic achievement, what is most pleasing has been the way these activities have brought different people from different offices, whose working paths may not have crossed previously, to come together.”

Bishop Fleming’s Centenary positions the firm for the future.

Bishop Fleming trainees and graduates.

Bishop Fleming’s Worcester team pick up regional wellbeing award.

The firm have so far raised over £100,000 for 60 charities throughout its 100th year, taking part in activities such as The Bath Half Marathon and the Three Peaks Challenge.

Appointment of new audit director boosts growth ambition

Bishop Fleming’s centenary is proof that strong relationships deliver remarkable results. As a thriving business with a heritage that has been forged on delivering exceptional client services, it’s clear that ethos will be key to the firm’s future growth. Not only is 100-years in business being celebrated throughout the year, so are special relationships. The firm celebrated being in partnership with Worcestershire Cricket Club for 100-years in July, the special bond was marked with a school’s cricket competition for the local area and was very fitting giving the importance of the education sector to Bishop Fleming.

A plastic-free firm wide journey has also begun at the start of its centenary, within just six months the firm had removed over six single-use plastics and were accredited as ‘plastic free champions’ by conservation charity, Surfers Against Sewage.

The firm will celebrate its centenary year with an all firm event for its staff in Bristol in December. However, the 12-month centenary campaign will not finish at the end of the year but will be the start of propelling the business into its next 100-years, and a focus on building relationships which will set the firm apart.

Ryan Southall is an audit director in Bishop Fleming’s West Midlands office and has joined the firm at an exciting time as it continues its year-on-year growth.

Having a keen interest in accountancy from an early age, Ryan knew it was the career that he wanted to pursue, and since completing his professional studies he has experienced a number of different mergers of firms, gaining a wealth of experience in various top 10 firms.

Ryan then joined Bishop Fleming as an audit director knowing it is a great place to work for aspirational professionals.

The firm has been listed in The Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to work for, for four consecutive years and just this year alone, as it celebrates its centenary, its Worcester office has won regional awards for its commitment to employee wellbeing.

Joining the firm amid its centenary year, Ryan said: “I have been overwhelmed by the focus that the firm puts on its people and their development and I look forward to being a part of this.

“Moving to Bishop Fleming also provides me with a fantastic opportunity to build working relationships with clients and be

part of something great. There are fantastic growth opportunities within the Midlands and feel that Bishop Fleming have the approach, ability and commitment to deliver fantastic client service to this market.”

“I am really looking forward to playing my part in delivering on the growth strategy of the office and the wider firm.”

Ryan will work to help the firm to deliver the next stage in its ambitious growth plans.

West Midlands Partner in Charge, Chris Walklett commented “We are committed to the West Midlands and supporting the businesses that are part of the Midlands Engine. Key to that is attracting and retaining the best people. Ryan has been a key hire for us and brings with him a wealth of experience from his time within top 10 accountancy practices.”

The firm is ranked in the Top 30 of the UK’s national league table of accountancy firms, and has offices in Truro, Plymouth, Torquay, Exeter, Bristol, Bath and Worcester.

Ryan Southall, Audit Director with Chris Walklett, Partner.

Business & Innovation Magazine host Warwickshire Business Drinks

Business & Innovation Magazine hosted its VIP business drinks at the stunning Riverside Stratford. Senior directors from the Coventry and Warwickshire business community joined Business & Innovation Magazine to celebrate the publication’s growth across the region.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Riverside, Stratford, The Upper Deck Venue

Lee Corden from Advent Communications and Sean Rose from Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

Steve Lane from Quanta Dialysis Technologies and Martin Wallis from Auditel

Richard Middleton and Parmy Singh from Coventry City Council

Adam Dent from Advent Communications and James Brookes from Bromwich Hardy

Neill Smith The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) & Rosemary Henderson from Business & Innovation Magazine

James Logan from The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) with Nicky Godding from Business & Innovation Magazine

Toby Batchelor from British Motor Museum with Chris Hartley from NAEC Stoneleigh & Charlotte Dawes from British Motor Museum

Charlotte Durham from Pertemps and Georgina Forsythe from Muddy Stilettos

Krishna Parekh from Warwickshire College Group with Dina Parmar from Band Hatton Button

Debbie Girdlestone from The University of Warwick with Ian Wenman from Vivarail and Simon Dexter-Jones from GW Consulting International

Brian Peavot from Riverside Stratford and Rosemary Henderson from Business & Innovation Magazine

Andrew Dudley from Wright Hassell and Nigel Chilvers from Goldcrest Cleaning Eleanor Deeley from The Deeley Group and Andy Skinner from ASAP PR Tanya Aspinwall from Marketing Aloud and Penny Taylor from British Motor Museum

Lee Corden from Advert Communications with Nick Powell from Astheimer

Andy Plant and Simba Rwambiwa from CCL Solutions Group

Pete Wharton from Wharton Consulting and Alex Kerr from Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

Richard Hardy from Bromwich Hardy and Gwyneth Box from Tantamount

Sarah Windrum from The Emerald Group and Jonathan Smith from Business Forums

Jamie Wicks from The Box Factory with Rosemary Henderson from Business & Innovation Magazine and Neil Price from The Box Factory

Demolition business builds new vehicle fleet

EUROPEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY SETS UP SHOP IN COVENTRY

A European company that delivers renewable energy projects across the continent has launched a UK office in Coventry.

TEP Renewables was established in January as an offshoot of an existing business. It has contracts signed for massive projects across Europe including Cyprus, Greece and Italy, totalling more than 300 megawatts of renewable power generation.

The company has opened an office at the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Innovation Centre and plans to recruit around a dozen engineers before next year.

The office will serve the UK market and act as a springboard to North and South America.

Leonardo Montesi, chairman and CEO, said the Business Innovation Centre and Coventry was the perfect base for TEP

Renewable’s UK office. “We work with some of the continent’s biggest energy companies by bringing forward sites for renewable energy.

“The only element we don’t deliver is the production of energy – that is done by a partner organisation, which will have bought the plant or is working in partnership with us to develop one.

“Basically, we know our exit before we begin work on a project.

“Coventry is at the heart of new technologies and innovation so it made sense to invest here, especially as the University of Warwick Science Park has a history of helping technology companies succeed.

“This gives us a huge advantage in terms of recruitment and also in working with the university on research.”

Rank signs new lease to remain at Ricoh Arena

The Rank Group, which owns Grosvenor Casinos, the largest casino brand in the UK, has signed a new 10-year lease to remain at Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

Grosvenor, which operates 52 casinos, has been based at Ricoh Arena since 2009 when it took over the casino site and invested £1.6 million in the venue. The

company has now put pen to paper on a new decade-long deal.

The casino is the biggest in the city and features a full range of table and electronic gaming including Blackjack, Roulette and Poker as well as a strong food and drink offering. It attracted around 250,000 people through its doors last year.

Award-winning demolition specialist AR Demolition has announced further investment in its business.

The contractor, based at Carlton near Nuneaton, has bought a fleet of 35 new vehicles.

The latest round of investment follows significant spend on new plant and machinery.

This includes £1.5 million on three new high-reach machines in 2018, after a previous £1 million investment in 2016.

AR Demolition was founded by Andrew Thompson and current Managing Director Richard Dolman in 2007. Following a period of restructuring in 2017, the company reported a record start to 2018 and has reported a record increase in turnover of 22 per cent to £15.8 million for the year, with improved profits.

Richard said: “I am determined to make AR Demolition a beacon of industry best practice.

“Having a new fleet of vehicles will play its part in portraying the image we want to promote, not only to our clients but also within our workforce, to let them know we are a company which takes its reputation extremely seriously.

“This gives us a huge advantage in terms of recruitment and also in working with the university on research”

Richard Dolman, Managing Director of AR Demolition with the company’s new vehicles

Leonardo Montesi with Penny Robb, Manager of the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Innovation Centre

POTTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS AND DISMISSES IMPACT OF BREXIT ON HIS TRADE

The 87-year-old owner of a specialist pottery import business celebrating 30 years says he is not concerned about the impact Brexit may have on his company.

Barry Iskander runs ABS Pottery Imports Ltd from his home at Barton, near Bidford-on-Avon, and set up the company in 1989 after leaving his job at Rover.

The business imports terracotta to the UK from Catalonia and has also imported products from Portugal and Italy over the last three decades. It imports 40,000 pieces a year.

UK’s first greenfield high value manufacturing site opens

Lontra, a pioneer in advanced engineering technologies has opened what it says is the UK’s first purpose-built greenfield advanced manufacturing centre at Napton, Warwickshire, in partnership with Shield Group Engineering.

Lontra is the company behind the Blade Compressor® – the first clean-sheet compressor design in over 80 years.

This is the first phase of a rapid expansion driven by exports where Lontra is seeking to develop several advanced manufacturing centres, a global technology centre, assembly facilities and a revolutionary digitally driven services centre.

The new advanced manufacturing facility will complement the firm’s existing R&D Technology Centre enabling Lontra to better address a £69-billion market across 150 countries through its rapidly growing distributor network.

The facility is part of a new build hightech manufacturing and research park.

Barry has been working with regional accountancy firm Burgis & Bullock, for more than 10 years.

The accountants have been helping him with the Make Tax Digital initiative, the government’s flagship scheme that requires online tax filing and payment, as well as digital record keeping.

Barry primarily supplies trade in the UK and works with some independent retailers including Adnams Brewery in Suffolk and The Burford Garden Centre.

He said: “It will be a difficult 12 months with Brexit, but it is only a temporary concern for me and my business.”

Daniel abandons TV and film for gin distilling

Gin continues to be the favoured second career for many regional professionals, as this magazine’s news in-box can testify.

This month’s gin-tastic story goes to former film lecturer and TV cameraman Daniel Beckett who is writing the script for a sequel to his life story, as a gin distiller.

Pinnock Dry Gin has already earned awards and is stocked in more than 35 outlets throughout the county – including a Michelinstarred restaurant.

“It was always my ambition to write and direct an independent feature film. I also got into TV and worked on Hollyoaks in the camera department,” he said.

“Then I began a fulfilling career teaching film at my old college, but with greater pressures across the teaching sector, it made me realise that now was as good a time as any to start thinking about doing something else.”

Originally from Leamington and now

living in Kineton, Daniel, 38, was keen to celebrate his Warwickshire roots. The 11 botanicals used in Pinnock Warwickshire Dry gin include Cotswold Lavender from Snowshill, near Broadway, quince from Alscot Park near Stratford and honey from Red Road Nursery in Little Kineton.

The gin has also won awards from the International Wine and Spirits Competition as well as a Great Taste award with The Guild of Fine Food.

Daniel and his Pinnock Dry Gin

Barry Iskander of ABS Pottery Imports with Trevor Day, Head of Client Services at accountants Burgis & Bullock

THE TRUE VALUE OF

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES

The business might be more than 80 years old, but The Deeley Group has always pioneered modern development ideas for business and residential communities

By Nicky Godding

There isn’t a government statistic that reveals the true value that local family businesses contribute to the economies of the UK’s regions.

It would be great if there was. Because to those who aren’t familiar with companies like the Deeley Group, which has its headquarters in Coventry and undertakes projects across the Midlands and into Oxfordshire, this 83-year old construction and development company might look like any other.

However, just five minutes into a conversation with two generations of the family who work in the business – Peter Deeley, 77, and his daughter Eleanor, 43, two things become clear.

This company is commercially very savvy, but the directors feel just as strongly about supporting and encouraging local communities and understand just how much the built environment can help them thrive.

The Deeley Group is an award-winning company with thousands of successful developments under its belt.

One of these, Fordham House, won the Residential Property of the Year in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) West Midlands Awards this year.

Developed by The Deeley Group on the site of a redundant office building, and sporting an unusual but architecturally attractive “living wall” planted to wrap around two sides of the building, Fordham House is now owned and run by housing provider Orbit. It offers 82 private rented apartments with a letting strategy to

support local workers and residents. This is Orbit’s first such scheme, and it’s a success Peter Deeley said.

“Fordham House opened two years ago. It’s fully rented, with 85 per cent of the total number of residents working in the town.”

The Deeley Group is involved in all forms of residential development, including building houses for other companies and for its new Deeley Homes division.

“We work with many housing associations,” said Peter. “One scheme in Leamington Spa includes 140 houses and 20 apartments. Of those, around 50 were shared ownership, many of which went to young graduates working at Gaydon for Jaguar Land Rover. We are great believers in shared ownership.”

“Fordham House opened two years ago. It’s fully rented, with 85 per cent of the total number of residents working in the town centre”

Flexible living for a mobile workforce and those in later life

property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield’s Midlands residential team as a Partner, understands this.

The private rented sector is growing, and property agents Knight Frank report that 22 per cent of UK households expect to be renting privately by 2023.

There are many reasons for people renting rather than owning their homes – affordability being a major issue, but Knight Frank’s research also reveals that many people, particularly those aged over 50, don’t want the responsibility of owning a home.

Eleanor, who joined the family business in September after 10 years heading

“Many people reaching retirement want an easier, more flexible life. And the private rented sector can offer that. You can lock up your flat and spend time abroad if you want to. New PRS developments have technology wired into them and are linked into local services. Why go and pick up your shopping if someone will deliver it? That’s what connectivity enables you to do.”

The private rented sector also suits the younger generation, she said. “University graduates used to modern halls of residence with gyms and wired with technology don’t want to compromise when they start their career.

“Living in purpose-built accommodation gives them career mobility rather than being tied into a longer lease on a traditional flat or house.”

Better social spaces drive successful communities

It’s also about creating social spaces, she added. “It comes back to the traditional principles of community.

“Life is better with people around us, and that’s true in both residential and business communities, where a good building design can drive serendipitous meetings and relationships.”

Deeley Group

Deeley Group

Fordham House, built by The Deeley Group, with its unique living wall, is now owned and run by housing provider Orbit.

It offers 82 private rented apartments to support local workers and residents. It won Residential Property of the Year in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) West Midlands Awards this year

This community cohesion also benefits landlords. “There is research to show that if you have a relationship with two people in your building, you are 50 per cent more likely to renew your lease. If you know three or more, you are 75 per cent more likely to renew. It’s really interesting how personal interactions impact on value.”

It’s also great for landlords and investors. “Pension funds are investing heavily in private rented because it provides them with a de-risked income stream,” said Eleanor. “And the councils like it too, as being one answer to the national housing shortage.”

It can sometimes be difficult to put your finger on what makes a space work, but some things are almost guaranteed to drive social interaction, said Eleanor. “Staircases are now built in the centre of a development rather than being hidden away at the back because they provide a place to meet. It’s healthy and interactive.”

The Deeley Group works in practically all development sectors and Peter says he particularly likes mixed use schemes – which can put off other developers.

In September, Deeley began work on a £3.7 million mixed-use development near Aylesbury, which includes a new children’s day nursery, retail unit and 17 apartments in Pegasus Way, Haddenham, in partnership with Henry Davidson Developments.

The National Co-Op has committed to the convenience store, which will be on the ground floor along with a nursery and pre-school, with the two-bedroom homes on the first and second floors.

Deeley Group demonstrates the power of family

The Deeley Group is a family business. Peter joined in 1958, taking over as Chairman from his father in 1986. He is now Managing Director, having passed on the Chairman’s role to Peter Hartill in 2009.

Eleanor built a successful career with national property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield before bringing her wider experience to the company in September. Deeley is well respected across the Midlands community for its significant investment in local communities and charitable endeavours, and not least because of how it treats it sub-contractors.

The scheme, on a former airfield, is set for completion next summer and will bring the site back into use for the community.

Smaller businesses need space to grow

It’s not just about homes. Small and medium-sized enterprises are calling out

“We pay our sub-contractors promptly, on 25 days. This is less than half the time of some other, larger contractors,” said Peter. “And that policy gives us fewer headaches in getting skilled and experienced people to work with us. Being a family business certainly gives you strength.”

Eleanor agreed. “Having worked in a corporate, before coming into the family business, it’s a different perspective. I do think that people place importance on relationships. And we work as a team. That is slightly different in a family firm. We can take a more considered view because sometimes those things are just more important than they are seen to be in larger organisations.”

for space to grow. The Deeley Group is building 18 2,000 sq ft workshops at Tachbrook Park, Warwick for developer AC Lloyd.

“The beauty of this development is its flexibility,” said Peter. “The space is ideal for creative, technology or traditional businesses. But the region needs more such development, including investment in our science parks to offer high-tech space for emerging businesses.”

“Having worked in a corporate, before coming into the family business, it’s a different perspective. I do think that people place importance on relationships. And we work as a team”

Deeley Group

Deeley Group

Eleanor and Peter Deeley

HAZLEWOODS ON TRACK TO RAISE £100,000 FOR MAGGIE’S

Employees from Gloucestershire accountants Hazlewoods, along with family and friends, took on the Hazlewoods Run1000 challenge at Gloucester Athletics Club, raising money for cancer charity Maggie’s.

The challenge to get as many people as possible running 10 kilometres was just one of many activities taking place this year, as Hazlewoods aims to raise £100,000 for its chosen charity of the year. By the end of September, the accountancy practice had raised more than £72,000. Maggie’s provides free support to people with cancer and their family and friends, following the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks.

Built in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals, Maggie’s Centres have professional staff on hand to offer the support people need.

Jutexpo joins charity forces with Caroline Gardner and Waitrose

Worcestershire-based Jutexpo, the world’s biggest supplier of eco-friendly reusable bags, has joined forces with Waitrose and designer Caroline Gardner to produce shopping bags in aid of UK charity, Meningitis Now.

The range includes handy pouch bags made from recycled plastic bottles, manufactured using Jutexpo’s HALT™ process, which turns postconsumer plastic into a soft, durable fabric called rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate).

“The accountancy practice had raised more than £72,000 raised by the end of September”

It’s a roll-over for cricket club after business support

Leamington Cricket Club has thanked a Warwickshire company for supplying a vital 12th man in its promotion-winning season.

The club sealed promotion to the Birmingham and District League with a win over Tamworth – but its impressive home form had been boosted by the help of the Wigley Group, the Midlands-based property, development and construction company.

When the club’s 50-year-roller broke down, it threw home games into doubt. Wigley Group came to the rescue by sponsoring Coventry-based Clements Plant and Access Hire to source and supply the new roller, allowing the club to continue its promotion-chasing season at home.

Hazlewoods staff and friends run for Maggie’s.

Jim Longstaff, Robert Wigley, Kevin Mitchell, Chris Calcott, LCC 1st XI captain and Jonathan Wigley with the new Leamington Cricket Club roller.

Oxfordshire’s professional community raises more than £6K for cancer charities

More than 200 professionals from across the Oxfordshire and Thames Valley business community came together to raise more than £6,000 in just one night for cancer charities, at a special dinner held at Oxford’s Randolph Hotel.

Awareness of face cancer has been raised by John Wilkinson, a deputy area director for HSBC Corporate Banking in Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley. He was approaching 50 years of age, with a family and a busy work life when in 2017, his world was turned upside down.

An aggressive and rare cancerous tumour had appeared on his face. John underwent 30 hours of life-changing maxillofacial surgery across several operations, received almost 400 stitches and then endured further treatments of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

John has been tireless in his commitment to raise awareness of this rare cancer, with the publication of his book. While he wasn’t well enough to attend the fundraising dinner, his wife Jane and daughter Lois attended on his behalf.

Prime opportunity for young employees to follow their pastimes

A young football referee and a compassionate carer have praised bosses at a West Midlands accountancy firm for helping them to pursue their pastimes.

Semi-professional referee Dan Stokes and care home volunteer Liz McMillan are both benefitting from an innovative flexitime initiative by employers Prime Accountants Group, which has offices in Solihull and Coventry.

The flexible hours, which are offered to all employees at Prime, have allowed aspiring football league official Dan, an accounts senior from Bromsgrove, the time to travel the country for crucial midweek matches, while audit accounts manager Liz, 28, was able to begin volunteering.

Liz, from Redditch, is making a big difference with her Age UK volunteer work at a local care home courtesy of a flexible working day.

Bromsgrove law firm donates £1,950 to cardiac arrest charity

A law firm in Bromsgrove has donated £1,950 to a local charity which campaigns for venues and schools to have lifesaving defibrillators installed.

Lawyers at mfg Solicitors made the donation to the Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation after staff raised money throughout the past 12 months.

The Redditch-based charity was set up by parents Rob and Maggie Underwood following the death of their 16-year-old daughter Charlotte in 2010 of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. Tragically, three years later the couple’s son Craig, 17, passed away from Vascular Ethos Danlos Syndrome and last January, 19 year-old son Carrick also died due to heart problems.

Storm announces Oxfordshire Mind as official charity partner

Cassington-based Storm Internet has entered into a twoyear partnership with mental health charity Oxfordshire Mind to promote awareness of the charity’s mental health support services. Storm Internet aims to raise £10,000 on behalf of the charity over the partnership.

Kirsten Bridgewater, Kim Scolari of mfg with Robert Underwood

BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL SCALE-UP IS AMBITION AND DEDICATION

Every successful scale-up business has a boss with drive and ambition. We meet three bosses who have grown their abilities thanks to investing in developing exceptional leadership skills

Simon Kershaw Managing Director, SK Heating and Cooling, Gloucester

Simon launched his business in 1993, as a 25-year-old self-employed man-witha-van. “I’d worked in the industry for seven years but always wanted to work for myself.

“I wanted my family to have a secure home and it helped that my wife did all the paperwork and accounts, alongside juggling the responsibilities of supporting our young family.

“Now the children have grown up, we want to be recognised as leaders in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating. We want to be recognised as the company to call in Gloucestershire and surrounding counties for delivering a quality job.”

The company has grown significantly. “My wife still supports me and the business in accounts and quality control, but we now employ 40 people and have multiple contractors working for us.”

“The business grew last year more than expected. We are now turning over around £4 million and we aspire to grow at the pace of what we can deliver”

No one gives you a rule book when starting a business, Simon admitted. “Most grow organically, with reactive rather than proactive management and that is what we were doing.

“But as we got bigger, I found it difficult to delegate and was getting involved in everything.”

QuoLux’s LEAD course changed his approach. “I began to empower our managers to take control. After all that’s what I was paying them for – and what they wanted.

“I also put them through LEAD, and this has encouraged others within the business. We’ve got a great atmosphere internally and they are much more involved in running the business.

“In the last five years the business has undergone a massive change. I’m proud of our management team and staff who are now the core of the business, rather that it just being about me.”

But the benefits of training weren’t immediate. “It’s taken four or five years to embed the learning to drive change and growth – like cooking breakfast for a family then learning to cook for two rugby teams – they have totally different dynamics,” said Simon.

“Last year the business grew more than expected. We are now turning over around £4 million and aspire to grow at the pace of what we can deliver.”

Simon Kershaw

Getting the right support drives healthcare company’s growth

Jessica Fairhurst and Graham Bloxham, Premiere Healthcare

Premiere Healthcare was set up in 2007 by Jessica Fairhurst and Graham Bloxham. The company helps occupational therapists, physiotherapists, clinicians and patients get specialist equipment without unnecessary delays or complications.

Having worked in the healthcare equipment industry, the couple wanted to build their own business.

“We loved the industry and the people, and could sense there were opportunities,” Jessica said.

“Our early ambition was to create a business to sustain our family financially and become best in class in Gloucestershire.

“Originally, we supplied beds and mattresses to the NHS and nursing homes. Then we expanded our range to include specialist seating.”

The company’s growth has come from word of mouth and delivering outstanding customer service. “The basics are so simple but are often overlooked by our larger more corporate competition,” said Jessica.

Premiere Healthcare now employs a team of 29 and turnover for 2018 was £3.5 million.

“Our business extends to a 120-mile radius of our Tewkesbury headquarters.”

The couple have two children, the oldest of which has just started secondary school. Around two years ago Jessica realised that to support the business’s growth and profitability, she needed new skills.

She toyed with the idea of an online MBA or more

A big dollop of knowledge spurs on Cheltenham foodservice business

traditional night school, but this wouldn’t have fitted her lifestyle and she felt she would struggle to convince her senior management team that such a significant investment would deliver results quickly.

“I found QuoLux and it was my chance to develop personally and work on real time projects so that the team could see immediate benefits.

“It has been a real game changer personally and professionally,” she said.

“The way I approach challenges and opportunities has changed. I am supporting the team towards achieving their full potential which is paying dividends.”

There have been several quick wins in terms of motivation, morale and productivity, Jessica said, along with some longer projects, including the implementation of a strategic marketing plan.

“We will be developing the business through existing and new customers within our current geography, then looking to increase our reach. We are looking to achieve an £8 million turnover in 2022. My learning from the LEAD course and from my peers on

Chris Creed, Chief Executive

Creed Foodservice

Chris Creed , Chief Executive of Creed Foodservice since 2014, has been the driving force behind the Cheltenham-based company’s growth from a regional foodservice supplier to a national player. Under his watch, the business has grown from a £2 million to an £80 million turnover company.

Creed helps customers achieve their food strategies and commercial objectives, and has become a significant player across the care, education, leisure destinations and hospitality sectors.

He joined the family firm, then called Linbar Foodstores, in 1985, from his previous job at GCHQ. He’d always had an interest in food and liked meeting people (perhaps something he didn’t get to do when he worked for the UK’s listening service).

Linbar subsequently became Creed Catering Supplies in 1989 and then Creed Foodservice in 2010.

Chris was always ambitious but in the early days there was no real plan. There is now.

Without any formal business training, he, along with his brothers and co-directors, drove Creed to a £46 million turnover.

Having achieved such a track record, many bosses might think they didn’t need any more business knowhow. Chris would disagree.

Jessica Fairhurst and Graham Bloxham

“LEAD taught me about leadership and completely changed the way I approached life. It was such a big change that I have encouraged all the Board to undertake the LEAD programme.

This has given us common purpose and understanding and has completely changed the way that we do business.”

“People commented on how much I had changed. The biggest difference has been the cultural shift. We are now a Best Companies one-star employer, hoping to increase to two stars this year. Our amazing team of people share the same desire for exceptional customer service.”

The company recently held its second CreedFest for employees and their families, with nearly 400 people attending. “We are much more focused on the wellbeing of our people and the creation of the Creed culture.”

This renewed enthusiasm has spurred his ambitions. “We have joint goals. One is to reach £100 million turnover in the next few years. The other is to be a three-star company to work for.

“Being profitable means Creed can do all the socially important things like working with charities around its three depots and investing in their communities,” said Chris. “We can also make sure that we can maintain the wellbeing of all our employees.”

Scaling-up for success

Stewart Barnes, Managing Director, QuoLux

It’s often been said that the “best view comes after the hardest climb”.

Growing a business is no easy task. Leading any business through the changes that growth inevitably incurs is certainly not for the faint-hearted. But with the right skills and support and, most importantly, the belief and will to succeed, scaling-up successfully is achievable.

Belief really is vital. We see first-hand among the delegates participating on our programmes how increasing selfconfidence is often the key to unlocking potential for leaders. Recognising and appreciating their skills and attributes as a leader and being willing to work on those areas that they wish to improve, identifies practical, actionable steps. To do this, it’s vital to stop, reflect and seek feedback from peers.

This is something that works particularly well on our 10-month long leadership development programme LEADTM. Delivering positive change is a common challenge for leaders. On the programme they take time to focus on their business, equipping themselves with new tools and reflecting on their challenges from different perspectives. Here, business people feel comfortable to openly discuss issues with like-minded individuals, often gaining reassurance by the commonality of the situation and support from those who have also “been through it”. On every programme we see individuals inspiring each other; growing in self-belief.

Buoyed with self-confidence, leaders are better equipped to face organisational growing pains, whether that’s about securing more investment, delegating, taking on more staff or sites, re-organising management, motivating and inspiring staff or changing processes and even culture.

That in turn raises the issue of flexibility. Scaling-up brings change; organisations must adapt and diversify according to the environment they are in. Continual innovation is a must. This applies to businesses in all industries, not just tech companies often associated with scale-up, and the companies profiled here confirm this fact.

Never lose sight of your vision and ensure you bring your team with you on that climb – inspire belief. Then, the view will be worth it.

www.quolux.co.uk

“We are much more focused on the wellbeing of our people and the creation of the Creed culture”

Stewart Barnes, Managing Director, QuoLux

Chris Creed

BUSINESS SUCCESS CAN BE OFF THE SCALE

What is a scale-up business?

The Organisation of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), describes a scale-up as an enterprise with average annual growth in employees or turnover greater than 20 per cent over a three-year period, and with more than 10 employees at the beginning of the period. It excludes charities and social enterprises.

Definition:

This feature uses a wider definition now used by a number of organisations, including Beauhurst, a leading source of information on ambitious British companies. Our definition is: companies that have shown a 10 per cent growth in employee count or annual turnover over a three-year period, as well as those that have grown turnover by 20 per cent.

This allows us to introduce you to some of the region’s most exciting scale-ups which haven’t yet had their share of the limelight.

Why does an established business suddenly accelerate? Perhaps one of its products suddenly gains traction, or the market catches up with the company’s vision. Maybe a new management team spots an opportunity. Or it can be just luck.

Henry Whorwood, Head of Research and Consultancy at Beauhurst, a leading source of information on ambitious British companies, thinks what unites scaleups is that the people running them, young or old, experienced or not, have that entrepreneurial mindset.

“High-tech scale-ups are generally run by younger people, but not all. Perhaps someone senior in an established business has seen an opportunity and is willing to take the financial risk.” For those without deep pockets,

investors are willing to back scale-ups in some sectors more than others. Beauhurst highlights investor interest in ambitious university spin-outs. “Science and technology spin-out businesses, and the intellectual property usually associated with them, are of real interest to venture capital and private equity investment companies,” added Henry.

“And given the current macroeconomic climate, this makes sense. The companies with solid IP have the best chance of weathering the storm.”

Over the last couple of years, there has been an increasing amount of money available to scale-up companies.

“Just a few years ago a company wanting to raise £50 million had no one to talk to,” said Henry. “Now there are a number of avenues they can explore – and it’s not all about private equity or venture capital. Bank debt has more of a role than before.”

Scale-up businesses don’t always flaunt their ambition, but they are doggedly driving growth

“Science and technology, and the intellectual property usually associated with these spin-out businesses, are of real interest to venture capital and private equity investment companies”

Success needs courage, ambition, instinct and time to look ahead

An established business seeking to scale up has the advantage of at least some systems and procedures in place to support its ambition.

But a small scale-up business won’t always have that luxury. A very young company may have hit on a fantastic idea early in its existence and must ride the wave to take advantage of the opportunities, or lose them forever.

So how can they help themselves to succeed? Dale Williams, Partner at

Cheltenham law firm BPE, says they need courage, ambition and instinct, and at least one person in the business with the time to look ahead.

“Some will panic and draw back, but the really entrepreneurial will go hell for leather and take the risk. They’ll often have people like me urging caution – which is what we’re here for, but those most likely to succeed will have a natural understanding of their market. The decision will come down to their risk appetite.”

Lessons from LOVEFilM to Mothercare ...

Simon Calver is Head of Investments at the Business Growth Fund (BGF), the independent investment company backed by the UK’s biggest banks.

Best known for his seven-year tenure as Chief Executive at LOVEFiLM, which sold to Amazon in 2011 for a reported £200 million, he become CEO of Mothercare plc, kickstarting the troubled retailer’s turnaround plan and driving its international expansion.

Simon grew up in Gloucester and earned his first wages while at school, selling matchday programmes for Gloucester Rugby. He joined BGF last year to lead the Fund’s investment into scale-ups.

How does a business scale-up?

“A company must have the right leadership skills at all management levels. It’s about investing in talent within the business, sharing knowledge across the company and directing the passion that you get in the start-up phase.

“Put in structure. A small business will usually be driven by the founder. But as it

grows, the founder must learn to delegate. “Strategic prioritisation is essential. Where do you want your business to go next? Have you got new products? Do you want new customers or is overseas expansion your goal?

“Focus becomes very important. Ambitious businesses often want to do everything. They can’t. Decide how you want to grow, then focus on that. Don’t be afraid to say no to opportunities if they don’t fit your vision. Build flexibility and adaptability into your plans.

“Balancing business priorities is essential. Look after the customers you’ve got while going out and getting new ones.

“Development capital will usually be essential, for example, to help manage cashflow as you hire new people ahead of the growth curve, or to make capital investments. But money alone won’t help a scale-up succeed unless it’s got the right management structure, trained its people properly, developed a realistic growth strategy and put in place the systems and procedures to support that ambition.

Dale says it’s all about having the right people – agreeing with Simon Calver’s remarks below. It’s also about not having the wrong ones.

“For instance, the very bright person whose idea helped them spin out a business from their university may well not be the right person to make that company commercial.

“Senior employees who find change a threat could also be a challenge for ambitious businesses.”

“Re-evaluate your progress and ambitions on a quarterly basis. Be honest about what’s working and what isn’t and do something about what isn’t.”

Simon quickly learned from his mistakes. LOVEFiLM was a little later to streaming films than it could have been, having first invested in digital downloads. It soon caught up and by the time it sold to Amazon, the service had reached two million subscribers and become the leading online DVD rental and streaming service in the UK and Europe. LOVEFiLM’s technology remains the foundation on which Amazon Prime Video operates today.

Simon Calver

GROWTH WARMS UP COLD CLAD’S TURNOVER

Founded in 2007 by Jon Pitman, Tewkesbury-based Cold Clad designs and builds fire-rated enclosures and fire separation walls for industries from engineering and IT data centres to food production.

The company also builds temperaturecontrolled environments, building envelopes and fire-rated structures. Its technology comes from the controlled environment constructions industries where temperatures range upwards from -40°C.

For more than a decade before setting up the business, Jon built his knowledge working for other companies in the sector

Cold Clad has expanded to meet rising demand for its design and installation services. Average growth over the last few

years has been up to 30 per cent a year, with turnover rising to around £16 million.

“When we launched, we had a lot of support, and many of our projects are with repeat customers,” said Jon. “One particular customer in Manchester has consistently used our services and we work for them all over the UK.”

A big issue is attracting skilled people. “We are seen as a specialist construction company and recruitment can be a challenge, but we have a committed team who are our greatest asset.”

Jon is ambitious for his company, but does not intend to overstretch the business financially. “It’s about maintaining turnover and the good working relationships with the people we trade with,” he added.

The business continues to grow. With 32 permanent employees, around 100 contractors work for Cold Clad on up to 25 live projects at any one time.

“Our plan is to target 15-20 per cent annual growth for the next few years,” added Jon.

Brexit-planning drives diversification for Future Advanced

From its Staverton headquarters near Cheltenham, Future Advanced Manufacture turns ideas into highly engineered prototypes capable of scaled production.

Its CEO, Craig Petersen, joined the company in 2000 on the shop floor, and just eight years later he’d led a management buy-out of the business.

Over the last three years the business, which has 85 employees, has grown its turnover from £6.5 million to more than £15 million, and the company is on course to grow to a planned £20 million by 2025.

To combat any potential downturn due to Brexit, it has expanded globally. Future

Advanced service equipment for the oil and gas markets is now exported to Russia, USA, Argentina, UAE and Saudi Arabia, resulting in 50 per cent of the company’s revenue come from outside the EU.

It has also successfully secured long-term agreements with a number of aerospace companies, including Safran and GE, and is approved to supply flight hardware to Rolls Royce.

Craig admits that potential Brexit threats helped him and his team to transform the business. “Any CEO who isn’t facing up to the issues by adopting diversification and mitigation strategies will struggle,” he said. However, he also knows that

When we launched we had a lot of support, and many of our projects are with repeat customers”

Craig Petersen at Future Advanced Manufacture, Cheltenham

Cold Clad

Why scale-ups are critical to the UK economy

“Scale-up businesses are some of the most important components in a growing economy. Their rapid growth breeds competition, innovation and job creation,” said Alex Cottrell,

Gloucestershire Growth Hub Manager

“Gloucestershire is fortunate to have a healthy pool of ambitious firms, and at The Growth Hub we’ve been running a programme to support these companies, and encourage others to think like them, since 2017. We’ve hosted more than 25 sessions, helping more than 200 businesses with speakers from powerhouse firms like EY and Smith & Williamson.

“Designed to stimulate big topic conversations and drive positive immediate actions, our scale-up programme runs every month, and is open to all high-growth Gloucestershire companies.”

www.thegrowthhub.biz

however prepared his company is, and his customers, problems at the borders could delay deliveries. “We are suggesting our clients stock up where possible in the short term.”

Despite anticipating a recession next year, which could be UK or global, Future Advanced is keeping to its planned targets.

“Ever since I took over 10 or so years ago, I’ve reinvested to keep us competitive. I don’t see that strategy changing and because of that, our clients want to grow their business with us. It’s great when your customers are fully supportive of your ambition and strategy.”

It’s Simplicity itself for HR sector as revenues rise for Forest business

The UK’s recruitment industry grew by 11 per cent to more than £35 billion last year, supported by nearly 35,000 businesses, from oneman (or woman) bands, to multimillion pound companies.

Here, at least, is one sector which doesn’t yet seem to have been affected by Brexit, or perhaps that’s the point. With fewer people from overseas able (or feeling welcome enough) to work in the UK, there’s more competition for the limited pool of UK skilled workforce, and more need for good recruitment agencies.

Simplicity in Business, based in the Forest of Dean, has built an £118 million turnover company supporting the sector. And it’s growing as fast as the 500 or so recruitment businesses it works with (which it refers to as partners). Typical partners employ up to 10 people and turn over up to £5 million annually.

Simplicity in Business acts like an invoice finance discounter

sector. As well as offering a comprehensive range of funding, it provides back office and technology services to help recruiters run their businesses more efficiently, compliantly and cost-effectively.

As a result, they have more time to look after their clients and seek new ones, leaving the financial and administrative management to the 70-strong team Mitcheldean-based Simplicity.

And the business has growth in its sights.

Director Jonathan Viney said: “We have recently invested around £3 million in new technology which gives even more support to our partners, and will allow us to widen our offer even further into the “Software as a Service” (SaaS) model.”

Simplicity’s technology includes a CRM system for its partners, and many more nice-to-have add-ons which they can take advantage of. All this will help Simplicity shape up for overseas expansion, which would certainly fit in with the company’s growth strategy. “We want to be turning over £200 million in

How to grow your business sustainably

Kevin Brent, who runs BizSmart, baed in Bromsgrove, has helped hundreds of businesses plan their growth in a successful and sustainable way.

Of the three companies covered in this feature, he highlights UniqueIQ and Sign Solutions as having reached the eight-12 employee “staging post” he refers to in the scale-up journey.

“Recognising that the next one was around 20 to 25 people, they needed to decide whether to focus on short-term profits or longer-term scale and value by pushing on – and if scaling up, how to navigate the financial “valley of death”. Sign Solutions decided external funding would minimise the risk and time taken. The other featured company, Graffica, scaled organically through strong partnerships to build proprietary software and effectively create two businesses in one.

“Recognising the next staging post in your scale-up journey, and planning how to navigate the valley of death in between is essential. Having a structured approach to scaling and access to a sounding board of your peers can give you the confidence and support to spread your wings.”

www.biz-smart.co.uk

A UNIQUE IDEA SECURES INVESTMENT FUNDING FOR GROWTH

How do you support your remote and mobile workforce as they go about their daily work? It’s a question being asked more often, in particular by local authorities having to stretch their social care budgets even further.

Enter Unique IQ. Founded in 2003 by David Lynes, this Redditch software company serves the health, social care and cleaning sectors.

Unique IQ is now growing at a phenomenal rate as its key products, the IQ:timecard and IQ:careplanner are being more widely adopted by major home care franchises such as Home Instead and high-profile charities including Marie Curie and the Carers Trust.

The IQ:timecard management software for remote workers enables businesses to monitor, schedule and manage field staff via a centralised system. The IQ:careplanner is a home care scheduling and care planning software.

Necessary form-filling takes precious contact time away from the care worker with their patients. Unique IQ’s systems can free up the care worker’s

time by enabling them to dictate rather than writing their notes, and monitor patients’ medications in real time, rather than writing notes which may not be read in time.

Last November, Unique IQ secured £250,000 of scale-up investment from venture capital firm Midven, which is managing part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

David said: “The investment allowed us to nearly triple our workforce. Now we employ 22 and have expanded our sales, marketing, finance, administration and customer support teams.

“Now we are more proactive and we’ve won some significant contracts.”

The company is on a five-year growth strategy, which includes expansion overseas – it already works with clients in Ireland, Switzerland and the USA. By growing existing contracts as well as securing new ones, David predicts company turnover will increase eight-fold within five years.

“I own and run the business, and for nearly 15 years I’ve worked long days and hard nights, but in the last 18 months it’s really taken off and we have renewed our enthusiasm as we see the benefits for hardpressed care workers in particular.”

Kevin Brent, BizSmart

David Lynes of Unique IQ

The rock-solid system for building value and scaling up your business.

Hear hear for Sign Solutions’ UK expansion plans

Most of the 11 million deaf or hard of hearing in the UK don’t view it as a disability, they just get on with their lives, but many do rely on interpreters to access essential services that hearing people take for granted.

One company which has helped them since 1998 is Sign Solutions, based in Alvechurch, Worcestershire.

Clare Vale is Sign Solutions’ Managing Director. “British Sign Language interpreters are based across the UK, but it’s impossible for them to physically provide communication support in several different places at the same time.

“In 2014 we introduced our Interpreterslive video interpreting service, which enables instant access to an online

British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter. Deaf people can now have equal access to products and services, such as in a hospital accident and emergency department, council reception or retail store.”

Sign Solutions’ video interpretation app allows deaf people instant access to an interpreter, relaying their message via voice to the individual the deaf person is trying to engage with.

The company can also put a secure video link on an organisation’s website, to increase its accessibility.

A deaf person can click on the website link to launch a video call with an interpreter who will translate their British Sign Language into English to the organisation answering the call.

The company also offers deaf awareness training and BSL translations.

With the deaf or hard of hearing community making up more than 10 per cent of the UK population, the demand for Sign Solutions’ services is growing.

Earlier this year the company won scale-up funding from venture capital firm Midven, which is managing part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

Prior to the investment, turnover was around £1.4 million and that had already grown by 25 per cent. Sign Solutions now plans to triple in size over the next five years.

Graffica flies high supporting air and rail transport management

Graffica was founded in 2000 to develop software to support the air traffic management industry. The Malvern company’s most important customer is EUROCONTROL, the pan-European civil-military organisation responsible for air navigation services and safety across Europe.

Other customers have included NATS (formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, the UK’s main air traffic services company). Graffica also supports simulations for major airports across Europe, including London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Milan Malpensa.

There is significant opportunity for this business to scale up. Although operating in a relatively niche sector, according to co-founder Mike Vere, if present air transport trends continue, the International Air Transport Association predicts that by 2037, passenger numbers could double to 8.2 billion.

“Our main objective is to help the transport industry develop, apply and integrate new software systems to help them use their resources better,” he said. “Early in our work with EUROCONTROL, we developed operational and simulation tools and software for them to carry out their own

research and development, and to improve and monitor Europe’s airspace.”

Graffica has begun diversifying into the rail sector, which has its own unique challenges that could be helped by Graffica’s software systems, says Mike.

The company, which turns over more than £2 million, has increased its headcount and now employs 35 people.

“In our industry we must invest in our own research and development to produce the software tools to support our customers. but the reward gives us the impetus to grow to the next level,” said Mike.

“Deaf people can now have equal access to products and services, such as in a hospital accident and emergency department”

The Sign Solutions team

LIGHT SHINING AHEAD FOR ZETA AS IT EXPANDS PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

The Zeta Group designs and manufactures intelligent electronics for the automotive market. It was formed by Phil Shadbolt in 1989 as a spin-out of Oxford Brookes University

By the year 2000, Bicester-based Zeta had become the market leader in special purpose vehicle controls, and diversified into the LED and solar lighting markets.

Zeta Specialist Lighting now develops and manufactures LED and solar powered lighting systems, including for street and amenity lighting, signage and commercial lighting, helping to bring down energy bills and carbon emissions.

The business employs 35 people and turned over £4 million last year.

For his services to business and innovation

Phil was awarded an OBE in 2016. He is also a board director at Oxfordshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership.

He remains as ambitious as ever for Zeta. This summer the Group was part of a consortium, led by Swindon-based

SSE Enterprise, which secured a £3.4 million government grant for a scheme to provide electric vehicle (EV) charging for drivers without off-street parking.

The £5.2 million EV scheme will see SSE Enterprise install 300 charging hubs at 35 local authority-owned car parks across Oxfordshire.

Managing Director Adrian Dennis said:

“Solar systems are very much driving growth, particularly in the UAE where there is of course an abundance of sunlight”

“Solar systems are driving growth, particularly in the UAE where there is, of course, an abundance of sunlight. We are also seeing increased demand for LED solar signage solutions among sign-makers in Europe, with sales of products including the Zeta Light Guide Panel and Bespoke Solar Signage Kit far exceeding targets.”

The company has also established a new company, Zeta Intersection Management, to development a traffic management system.

It is now seeking investment to develop its artificial intelligence control strategy which it says significantly improves traffic flow through roundabouts and intersections for connected and autonomous vehicles. Zeta is also celebrating 30 years of business by a further 50 per cent uplift in export sales.

Oxfordshire LEP offer a threeyear business support programme called eScalate. It provides access to finance and commercial readiness support for potential scale-up companies, including social enterprises.

For more information, contact eScalate Team on 01865 897181 escalate@oxfordshirelep.com

Eton College lit by Zeta Lighting

Consultant Connect, saving the NHS time and money, and improving patient care

An award-winning service that helps time-poor GPs treat their patients more efficiently is being incresingly adopted by NHS trusts.

Founded in 2015, Oxford-based Consultant Connect gives GPs the capability to communicate immediately with medical specialists by telephone, instant message and photo-message when their patients are in the consulting room.

Consultant Connect says that the UK average response time to a call is an incredible 27 seconds and estimates that its telephone advice service has saved the NHS more than £12 million to date by ensuring patients are given the right treatment from the start.

It also estimates that more than 60 per cent of calls through Consultant Connect

avoid unnecessary referrals to hospitals, including accident and emergency.

The service has so far expanded to more than 60 areas of the UK covered by 50 NHS Trusts.

The company has also established a national network of NHS consultants to help areas manage demand. These consultants are usually part-time and can take calls on their days off. They act as a back-up to local services and provide specialities that are not available locally.

The phone camera function on its Consultant Connect app has also led to a 75 per cent reduction in hospital referrals for skin conditions.

CEO, Jonathan Patrick, said: “This is a golden period for innovation in the NHS.

“Austerity has been an unbelievably tough challenge, but the silver lining is that commissioners and hospitals are more open to new ways of doing things.

“New ways of making money go further and improving patient care through technology.”

Medical imaging innovation is helping save lives of stroke patients

Brainomix, based in Oxford, is a medical imaging company using artificial intelligence (AI), for the fast diagnosis and treatment of stroke victims.

It was set up in 2010, spun out of Oxford University by co-founder and now CEO, Dr Michalis Papadakis, and aims to transform critical medical decision-making with its AI-powered imaging platform.

Following commercialisation in 2015, Brainomix’s software is now operating in 16 countries, in the UK and Europe.

Dr Papadakis said: “Currently every 30

minutes, a stroke patient who could have been saved dies, or remains permanently disabled, not because of the stroke but because they’re admitted to a hospital that doesn’t have the expertise to diagnose and select the patient for life-saving treatment.”

The company’s technology significantly increases a physician’s ability to diagnose and detect stroke damage on scans, compared to doing it manually, he added.

Last year the company attracted £7 million from a number of investors.

Now 300 hospitals, including publically-owned

health care systems and private hospitals, have used the software.

The company estimates that so far more than 200,000 scans have been processed using Brainomix’s technology.

The company’ technology is currently going through the USA’s rigorous Federal Drug Administration approval and expects to receive clearance early next year. Brainomix was the first to develop an AI software platform specifically for stroke diagnosis. Its software can help hospitals that don’t have MRI scanners and must rely on more basic imaging.

Brainomix’s longer-term strategy is a global expansion and replicating their success with stroke on other diseases that can be transformed with their AI imaging platform.

Brainomix’s software platform

Jonathan Patrick, CEO Consultant Connect

PROFITS RISE AT TRAVEL UP THANKS TO TECH INVESTMENT

Ali Shah arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 2002. It was a new country, he had no money and couldn’t speak English.

Now he’s built a travel business which last year turned over £328 million.

He’d come to the UK to marry the daughter of a family friend. He earned money working as a night security guard but he got bored. This was not surprising – he’d studied physics, chemistry and mathematics at university in Lahore.

In Pakistan, he’d worked in the travel industry, so after saving up money from his security job he bought a computer and despite not understanding English, set himself up in business selling flights on the now defunct Teletext.

“My English was still poor, so I wrote a script with questions to ask customers.”

These included: “What’s your budget? Where do you want to go?”

His tack was successful. He took over a high street shop in Reading and recruited talented people – some still work for him today. But the business was up against bigger, established companies such as First Choice and Lunn Polly.

What they didn’t have was the end-to-end booking facility he had designed. The backbone of his company TravelUp is Ali’s bespoke booking engine, e-traveller. Last year this helped him deliver more than half a million customer sales.

TravelUp owns the technology and invests around £1 million every year to

It’s time for celebration and growth at luxury watch makers

Christopher Ward, the Maidenhead-based watchmaker, has customers in more than 100 countries. The company creates high-quality timepieces that combine British style and innovation with Swiss watchmaking skills. The brand specialises in mechanical and quartz watches designed in the UK and manufactured in the home of horology, Biel, Switzerland.

The brand is a leading innovator in the British watch industry and this year marks the fifth anniversary of the creation of its own in-house Swiss-made movement, Calibre SH21. Christopher Ward’s current

watch collection includes dress, dive, aviation and motorsport watches, as well as a collaborative collection with Malvernbased car maker Morgan.

With a head office in Maidenhead and a workshop in Biel, the business now employs 45 people, processing 22,000 orders per year and generating sales of more than £10 million.

This summer, the company secured £6.35 million investment from BGF (Business Growth Fund), to provide the

keep it ahead of the market.

“We continue to invest in technology,” said Ali. “That involves artificial intelligence and individualisation of the customer journey to achieve higher customer satisfaction.”

The company, which is still based in Reading, has also grown through acquisition. Between 2015 and 2016 Ali bought three companies, absorbing them into the business.

He’s also planning to expand overseas, particularly into the USA

capital and resource to expand its market presence and product lines.

The company was founded in 2005 by Mike France, Chris Ward and Peter Ellis. James Austin, an investor at BGF who joined the board of Christopher Ward, said: “Ward is a fantastic example of

Ali Shah, Founder of Travel Up

Christopher Ward’s new C65 Cranwell Series 1 watch

Will scale-ups be the saviour of the UK economy?

The eaglet stands precariously on the edge of the cliff – its first flight. It will fall initially but then soar, it just needs to take the first step.

Some think the UK economy is also on a precipice, but Stuart Weekes, Corporate Tax Partner in the Thames Valley at national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe UK, says that many businesses across the country have the potential for growth, they just need to take the first step.

He said: “Necessity delivers innovation; innovation leads to growth. High growth companies such as scale-ups have already taken that first step.

“They have taken risks, they have invested in innovation and people, and are leading the charge. With this mindset, scale-ups could be the catalyst for the growth of the UK economy.”

www.crowe.co.uk

great British entrepreneurialism, becoming a truly credible player in the luxury watch market over the last decade.

“With a simple mission and a focus on producing quality products at fair prices, it has developed a strong track record and reputation among its loyal and growing customer base.”

Mike France, CEO and co-founder of Christopher Ward, added: “We’ve made great progress in 14 years, establishing really solid foundations.”

Across the world, the nutrition market is expanding out of its athlete-focused heartland and bursting into the mainstream – and the UK is one of its largest and most established markets.

With the global nutrition market expected to reach more than $24 billion by 2025, there are major opportunities for the ambitious.

Huel is a fast-growing nutrition brand making nutritionally complete, convenient food which aims to have minimum impact on animals and the environment.

The company was established in 2015 by registered nutritionist James Collier and Julian Hearn, now the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. Since 2017 the CEO has been industry veteran James McMaster. Last year the Hertfordshire company’s turnover was £40 million. It employs 100 staff in the UK and the USA.

James explains Huel’s phenomenal growth. “Our business model is predominantly direct to consumer. We have built a hugely successful business where we talk directly to our customers and have a strong community of “Hueligans”. We’re active on social media, direct contact through email, phone and live chat.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on the website to ensure all the information about our ingredients, manufacturing processes and nutritional value is there,” James added. And you can tell, the website is packed full of information.

Huel uses its global website to track where customers are coming from.

REGIONAL SCALE-UP THAMES VALLEY

Its development team is also creating new products and flavours which will appeal to certain markets.

But such fast growth from a young company will always pose risks.

James agrees: “For younger businesses such as Huel, launching a new product, launching into a new country or taking investment have elements of risk because it’s the first time we’ve done it. Especially leading a fast-paced company where we need to hustle and make decisions fast, it’s important to be able to handle that pressure and make decisions with confidence.”

Huel has recently expanded into physical retail. In partnership with retail giant Sainsbury’s, Huel ready-to-drink products are now in more than 500 of its stores.

James explained: “Part of Huel’s mission is to provide nutritionally convenient food, so it’s only natural that we explore retail opportunities for impulse buying that we can’t achieve from our website.”

The company is also championing its sustainability credentials. “Huel is plantbased food, which is one of the most important choices we can all make to significantly reduce our environmental impact on the world.”

In July, Huel achieved 50 million meals consumed in more than 80 countries.

Huel has more than a sporting chance for global growth

Julian Hearn, co-founder of Huel

CONTECHS — RIDING THE WAVE OF CHANGING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

Warwick-based Contechs is a leading provider of specialist design and engineering services to some of the world’s most well-known automotive engineering brands.

The company has seen phenomenal growth, organically and through strategic acquisition, over the last three years. This year it reported a turnover of £62 million, up from £58 million last year.

With clients such as Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley, the business, which was established in 1997, undertakes vehicle development from design concept to product launch and post-launch support. It also has a manufacturing facility in Warwick which designs and manufacturers car interiors.

Recognising that a key issue for UK engineering is a lack of skilled people, it established a recruitment division, which sources high calibre contract labour for clients, along with fully managed teams and the placement of permanent staff. The company also operates a longstanding in-house apprenticeship and graduate programme.

In 2017 and 2018, Contechs was listed in the Sunday Times International Track 200, which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales. In 2018 Contechs made overseas sales of £12.5 million.

Managing Director Peter Jarvis is upbeat about the company’s growth: “We provide a diverse, scalable offering, and with the focus on electric and autonomous vehicles, we are involved in a significant amount of development work.”

With sites in Warwick, Basildon, Germany and India, Contechs can maximise economies of scale. “And with the low strength of sterling, we can currently offer high levels of skills and design capabilities at globally competitive rates,” he added. “The whole concept of vehicle technology is changing,” said Peter. “Some of what we are doing is pure research and development, but always applied to real world situations. We also do a lot of pre-production simulation work. In past vehicle programmes, vehicle development simulation would be on vehicle prototype lines. That’s all changed as the technology has developed and it can be done through software packages concurrently in the concept and design stages.

Fastest growth region outside London

Coventry & Warwickshire enjoys the fastest growth of any region outside London. The West Midlands is the most popular destination for tech professionals relocating from London and most popular UK region for foreign direct investment.

Scale-ups are part of this success, and Coventry & Warwickshire partners offer substantial business support. From local support programmes or help from Innovate UK, APC UK, Midlands Engine or the Department for International Trade. For scale-ups, Business Ready, run by the University of Warwick Science Park and funded by ERDF and Warwickshire County Council as part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business: Start, Grow & Scale Programme, supports tech-based SME firms across the Coventry & Warwickshire LEP with ambitions to grow and scale.

Invest in Coventry & Warwickshire support, existing businesses to scale up and new businesses to set up here, accessing the benefits of locating in this high tech gateway. For more information visit www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk or email contact@investcw.co.uk

Peter Jarvis, Contechs’ Managing Director

Top of the class ParentPay looks to global growth

Coventry-based ParentPay is the UK’s leading provider of school online payment and parental engagement software.

Launched in 2004, ParentPay Group now serves more than 15,000 schools and 5.5 million parents, and the company and its CEO, Clint Wilson, have won a slew of scale-up and entrepreneurs awards.

The company’s growth rate has been maintained for 11 years straight. Last year the company’s turnover was £30 million.

Where did it all go so right?

First mover advantage for one – ParentPay created the market for school online payments. Learning from mistakes is another, and persistence in engaging with time-poor school business managers.

ParentPay was conceived by a working parent and former teacher who wanted to take away the headache of pupils having to bring cash to school for meals, trips and other things. The company’s technology helps schools collect and manage payments by parents. It’s removed the need for cash for the schools using the system. It’s also helping take the stigma away from families which don’t have access to banking facilities.

The mistake the company made was back in 2011, when its technology couldn’t cope with the increase in traffic through the website. Clint said: “We still refer to that as Black September, but we learned a lot.” Since then the company has significantly increased research and development investment

in enhancement of its platforms, technology infrastructure and development of new products.

Most important, added Clint, is the company’s investment in its customer services team. The company has 70 people in this department, and ParentPay says it has a 99.5 per cent retention rate.

Growth has come through organic expansion alongside acquisition. The company bought Schoolcomms, a school/parent communication app, and also Cypad, a tablet-based meal ordering and kitchen management platform for schools. It also acquired WIS, a Dutch school payment collection software business, to expand across Europe, where it is targeting France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

“There are 10 million pupils in the UK and 65 million more across Europe,” said Clint.

“We see substantial growth opportunities across Europe and aim to enter two or possibly three new markets within the next two years.”

Stairway to heaven for Coventry timber manufacturing company

Staircraft, based at Exhall near Coventry, has retained its place in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 for two years running. The league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastestgrowing sales over their last three years.

Sales reached almost £40 million in 2017. In 2018, the company’s turnover increased by 22 per cent, to nearly £44 million, with profits increasing too.

The company said this was due to a number of factors, including the significant investment of previous years beginning to pay dividends.

Staircraft makes staircases, joist floors, door linings and other timber products, and says it is the world’s leading staircase manufacturer. It operates 10 manufacturing facilities.

The company was founded by Managing Director Andy Hamilton in 1995 and now has three divisions: Staircraft Integrated Solutions, which serves some of the UK’s biggest housebuilders, Tru Building Systems, which services regional, timber frame and modular builders and Independent Construction Technologies, which provides specialist design, performance and system testing.

“We see substantial growth opportunities across Europe and aim to enter two or possibly three new markets within the next two years”

Clint Wilson, CEO of ParentPay

CAREER LAUNCHPAD

EG CARTER & CO WELCOMES MANAGEMENT TRAINEES AND APPRENTICES

Finley Stanley has joined the Worcestershire Business Central team as business administration apprentice. He also supports the marketing of the Growth Hub, engaging with the business community on social media and sharing news content for the area on the Worcestershire Business Central website.

Hannah Giles has joined the marketing team at the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce as part of her apprenticeship in digital marketing.

With a keen eye for all things digital Hannah hit the ground running and only three months in was populating the Chamber’s busy social media platforms and interacting with more than 1,500 members and the wider community.

Two apprentices who trained with an award-winning Worcestershire recruitment firm want to inspire others to consider apprenticeship schemes after being hired for permanent roles.

Hannah James, 19, and 21-year-old Jacob Beard, completed their apprenticeships with Workforce Staffing, learning about the business and the industry while earning a wage.

Gloucester-based EG Carter & Co has welcomed its latest new trainees and apprentices. Many of its senior managers began their careers at the company as apprentices or management trainees.

WHITLEY STIMPSON INVESTS IN YOUNG TALENT

Oxfordshire accountancy firm Whitley Stimpson has welcomed 16 new recruits to its offices in Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe and Witney.

Whitley Stimpson has been shortlisted for two awards relating to its investment in people this year already. The firm was placed in the top 10 of the British Accountancy Awards 2019 for Best Employer, and top five for the Accounting Excellence 2019 Investors in People award.

Human resources manager Tracy Williams said: “We are delighted to be welcoming the 16 new starters to the business, where they will bring real benefits for our clients and the teams they will work with.”

Above: Robin Hanman, Apprentice, Max Tyack, Management Trainee, Joshua Carter, Apprenticeship Mentor, Jake Matthews, Management Trainee, Carlo Thomas, Apprenticeship

Left: Hannah James and Jacob Beard

Above: Finley Stanley; Below: Hannah Giles

Mufaro Nyashanu, Ahmed Ali, Tomas Gould, Kieran Smith, William Membury, Fahad Muhammad. Middle row: Clare Piotrowski, Rebecca Parmenter, Matthew Bryer, Eleanor Kane Front row: Molly Jackson, Katie Hirst, Caitlin Wright

CAREER AHEAD

JAMES WROATH JOINS WINCANTON AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Wincanton, the UK’s largest third-party logistics company, based in Chippenham, has appointed James Wroath as Chief Executive. His most recent position was Head of North America at LSG Sky Chefs, the world’s largest provider of airline catering and in-flight services.

NEW PLACE FOR PLACI IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Placi Espejo has been appointed Head of Business Development at Oxford Technology Park. Formerly Head of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Heyford Park, Bicester, Placi is also Deputy Chair of Oxfordshire Business First, which promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in Oxfordshire.

SARAH ADVANCES TO OXFORD

Advanced Oxford, which supports the economic development of the Oxford region, has appointed its first Managing Director. Sarah Haywood is also an executive director at MedCity, which promotes life sciences investment and entrepreneurship in the South-East.

CROWE APPOINTS NEW NON- PROFITS PARTNER

National audit, tax, advisory and risk firm Crowe has promoted Tara Westcott to partner in its Non Profits team in Cheltenham. Tara, previously a director at the firm, joined Crowe in 2016 from a Big Four firm, where she worked for charities, education organisations, local government associations and private enterprises.

HUGHES PADDISON EXPANDS PRIVATE CLIENT DEPARTMENT

Cheltenham solicitors Hughes Paddison has expanded its Private Client Department with the appointment of Sue Senkbeil. Sue joins as an Associate Solicitor after working as a private client specialist in the Cheltenham area. She headed a Cheltenham probate department for seven years.

COVENTRY CITY NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY TO ROCK WITH NEW GENERAL MANAGER

Coventry city centre’s ambitious new night-time entertainment venue has an experienced new manager. Jonathan Owusu has been recruited as General Manager of Players Entertainment, a new £2 million karaoke and e-gaming centre on the site of the former Pink Parrot nightclub.

The Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry has appointed Sir David Brown as Chairman. Sir David was formerly Chairman of Motorola and Chairman of BSI. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and past president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

IT’S ALL CHANGE FOR THE REGION’S TOP RUGBY CLUBS

Wasps Group has announced that Stephen Vaughan has joined the group as Chief Executive (Sports) after seven years at Gloucester Rugby. He will develop Wasps Rugby and Wasps Netball brands and lead the club’s corporate and commercial teams. Stuart Cain has been appointed Chief Executive (Venue) and to lead on venue management.

Meanwhile, Gloucester Rugby has appointed Lance Bradley as its new Chief Executive Officer. Lance was previously Managing Director of the club’s principal partner Mitsubishi Motors. For the last 18 months he has been a NonExecutive Director at the club.

OXFORD’S SHAW GIBBS APPOINTS JAMES AS HEAD OF TAX

James Painter has been appointed as Head of Tax at Oxford-based accountants Shaw Gibbs. He has more than 13 years’ experience in tax, including working with owner-managers helping them structure their business for tax optimisation, business acquisition and disposal. He also advises on cross border and international tax issues.

DEVELOEPR ST. MODWEN EXPANDS SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

St. Modwen Homes has appointed Jeremy Attwater as Regional Managing Director South, following the regionalisation of the commercial team. Jeremy joins St. Modwen Homes from Jones Homes Southern where he was Managing Director.

NEW APPOINTMENTS DRIVE CONFERENCE EXPANSION AT BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM

The Warwick-based British Motor Museum has appointed two senior sales managers. Following the refurbishment and re-opening of its conference and event space for corporate hire, Charlotte Dawes and Toby Batchelor will generate new business and re-connect with past customers and agencies.

BGF STRENGTHENS READING TEAM WITH ADDITIONAL INVESTOR

BGF has expanded its Reading team with the appointment of Guy Pope as an investor. Guy joins from Newburybased BCMS Corporate, where he specialised in mid-market transactions.

AGRICULTURAL LAW SPECIALIST JOINS LODDERS AS PARTNER

One of Gloucestershire’s best-known agricultural lawyers, John Fisher, (right in photograph) has joined Cheltenham firm Lodders Solicitors as a partner in its Agriculture and Rural Sector team. He will work alongside head of Lodders’ Rural Sector team, James Spreckley (pictured left, with Lodders Managing Partner Paul Mourton centre).

Stephen Vaughan, Wasps Rugby Club

Above: Lance Bradley, Gloucester Rugby Club

PRINTWASTE RECYCLING & SHREDDING, CHELTENHAM

Established 1994

Employee numbers: 80

Generations in the business: 2

Cheltenham-based Printwaste was set up by brothers Don and Geof Robins.

Don tells the story: “My brother and I are lucky to see our children becoming part of the family business. Their skills are proving positive for the company.

“This industry is necessary to all our futures and our children have embraced this. Their generation is tasked to reverse the consequences of damage the human race is doing to the planet.

“Businesses are addressing waste and recycling with new vigour, often led by the younger generation. We innovate to ensure our services achieve their goals and with the energy and drive of the next generation, our future as a business looks really promising.

“When we began, the green movement was taken seriously by a very few. We started by recycling waste paper from the printing trade. Then the IT revolution took us inside offices to collect for recycling. Data protection concerns gave us the opportunity to offer confidential shredding and data destruction. Now, as a one-stop provider, we can treat any office or business waste as a resource and process it into reusable material.”

There are many reasons why family businesses change, Don said. “Some get too big or the children don’t want to join the business. Some don’t have the right skills in the family to ensure the business continues to flourish.

“Succession and leadership issues are challenges as the next generation becomes competent. Turning these into opportunities will move a family business forward. Do that and running a business with two generations can be a lot of fun – a vital ingredient for any family business.”

THE GENERATION GAME

A report analysing family businesses, published this summer, revealed that three-quarters of family business owners wish they could put more distance between their work and personal lives. More than half say there are no clear boundaries, and disagreements about how to run the business can create significant tensions.

Peter Roper, founder of the Worcestershire-based Family Business Practice, says that a big challenge for family businesses is how to integrate multi-generations into the organisation. “Our experience is that it’s essential to have a family plan with a clear understanding of what each individual’s intentions are first, and from that create a purposeful family business plan. Not to do so, and in this order, is at best folly and worst asking for trouble.”

The report, which was published this summer by specialist lender Cynergy

Bank (formerly The Bank of Cyprus), also revealed that the construction sector has the highest number of family businesses in the UK.

More than half of the million or so private construction businesses have two or more family members in management positions. Property, transport, education and healthcare all feature in the top five sectors for family businesses while manufacturing, agriculture and hospitality bring up the rear.

Two thirds of UK businesses are familyowned, that’s 4.8 million in total, of which more than 18,000 are medium and large businesses, according to the Institute for Family Business.

They also generate more than a quarter of the UK’s gross domestic product.

We showcase the family generations running their businesses across the region.

“Life’s a gamble; when choosing partners, you should take a little care” sang Bruce Forsyth in the classic 1970s TV show, The Generation Game. That also goes for family businesses

“Our experience is that it’s essential to have a family plan with a clear understanding of what each individual’s intentions are first, and from that create a purposeful family business plan”

Printwaste’s

Geof Robins, with his son Tom, and brother Don

NICHOLSONS, NORTH ASTON

Established: 1979

Employee numbers: 160 Generations in the business: 3

From its 23-acre site at North Aston, between Banbury and Oxford, Nicholsons offers professional garden services including design, construction and maintenance, forestry and arboriculture. Its Rosara Outdoor Style sells garden furniture and accessories, there is a plant centre specialising in trees, hedging and topiary, and a yurt café.

Roderick Nicholson established the business in 1987. Five years later he was joined by his son Niel, now Financial Director. Liz Nicholson joined in 1997 and is now Managing Director. From a solid business base Liz established Nicholsons Landscapes the following year, now a core part of the business.

While Liz and Niel are passionate about the business and would welcome their daughters joining the company, they also feel that they should be encouraged to do their own thing.

“Our eldest, Rosi, is studying international development, and is heavily involved in our outreach programme and tree nursery in Kenya,” said Liz. “Nicholsons is developing a relationship with the International

THE LUCY GROUP, OXFORD IS A GLOBAL PLAYER

Established: 1812

Employee numbers: More than 1,400 Generations in the business: 2

Lucy Group is an international group which operates across a number of sectors: Lucy Castings, Lucy Controls, Lucy Electric and Lucy Real Estate. Since its origins more than 200 years ago, the Group has evolved significantly and now has factories in 10 regions and trades in more than 60 countries.

From an ironmongery shop on Oxford’s high street, the business moved to a new brass and iron foundry in Jericho in 1825. This site became known as Eagle Works and is now Lucy Group’s headquarters.

Two generations of the family work in the business Richard Dick is Executive Chairman and CEO, and his son Jonathan

Finch-Dick is Executive Director. Robert Dick (Richard’s brother) is also a director.

Jonathan said: “I always wanted to be involved with the Group. I did work experience here when I was younger; but it was important to develop outside the business. After university, I spent 12 years with global real estate advisory firm CBRE, ending up as a senior director. I always stayed involved with Lucy Group and in 2017 the opportunity came to join full-time.

“My father and I have a good relationship. He’s from an engineering background, unlike me (and he does occasionally remind me of that). We have different perspectives on many things, but great mutual respect and similar values.

“Of course, we disagree occasionally but we both think it’s important to challenge

The business has developed a “2020 Vision”. This includes targets for net profit across all business streams in preference to turnover, retaining its focus on the excellence of its professional services, increased employee training support, treating all the team as family and meeting its target of planting one million trees in Africa in 10 years.

different approaches. The important thing is we work together to achieve the best way forward.

“One privilege of working for a family business is being able meet with people across all our locations, to understand their motivation, and thank them for their hard work. It is not always easy, and there are often difficult decisions, but hopefully people know we’re striving for the longterm success of the business.”

Since Roderick retired in 2008 the business has continued to expand.

Tree Foundation, a charity working with communities in Africa and the UK to encourage sustainable community forestry projects and support local communities.”

Richard with his son Jonathan Finch-Dick

CITY SIGNS, WORCESTER

Established: 60 years ago

Employee numbers: 6

Generations in the business: 2

City Signs is a 60-year-old sign production company known locally and nationally. Started by company founder Horace Wilkins in Luton, the company moved to Worcester in the late 60s.

Darren and Deanne Wilkins, two of Horace’s children, are now at the helm, and have grown City Signs to be a leading signage specialist.

Its 2,700 sq ft headquarters houses a showroom, design studio, digital print rooms, clean assembly area and vehicle workshop.

“We are growing at our fastest rate with the introduction of new products,” said Darren. “Especially our recyclable exhibition displays.”

Darren wasn’t overly enthusiastic about joining the family business, but that was 24 years ago. “If my two children wanted to come into the business then I would encourage them, but I wouldn’t push them – they need to follow the career path they want. Deanne, my sister and codirector has no children so there’s no pressure on her side.”

KW BELL GROUP, CINDERFORD

Established: 1965

Employee numbers: 300, plus 250 sub-contractors

Generations in the business: 3

The KW Bell group of companies includes building contractors, groundworkers, home designers and developers.

It was founded by company chairman Keith Bell and its head office is in Cinderford, in the Royal Forest of Dean.

Peter Bell is Managing Director. His daughter Nicola Bird joined the business five years ago and has comprehensively overhauled the company’s safety department.

She is also forging ahead in her business development role, creating the company’s apprenticeship schemes and developing its South West Construction Education Centre.

“We have invested £2.5 million in new technologies and methodologies,” said Peter.

“This has given us a much better understanding of wellbeing at work. It has also catapulted us to the top of many preferred bidder lists.”

These actions and behaviours are a change of attitude, but not direction, he explained. “With two or three generations in a family business, you need to know the basic rules,” said Peter.

“The founder might not know the value of corporate governance, and all the pitfalls that will inevitably occur, but problems will occur if there isn’t a set of red lines and guidance.

“If a family lets it, emotion could get in the way of commercial, and the family’s work ethic must be 100 per cent, or non-family employees will lose respect for siblings coming through the ranks, who haven’t earned their stripes.

“The big thing for me is recognising and encouraging talent,” added Peter.

“After all, we eventually want people that are more talented than us, to perhaps enable a move into the role of business owner rather than CEO.”

Right: Nicola and Peter Bell

“With two or three generations in a family business, you need to know the basic rules”

Darren Wilkins with his wife Sarah

GEOMETRIC MANUFACTURING LTD, TEWKESBURY

Established: 1986

Employee numbers: 50

Generations in the business: 2

Tewkesburybased Geometric Manufacturing specialises in CNC manufacturing. It also sources materials, undertakes machining, routing and fabricating, sub-contract finishing and partial or full mechanical assembly.

The business was founded by Paul Wenham and his father. Paul’s daughter, Zoe Burke, joined in 2012 and his father retired in 2013. Paul’s wife is also a director.

“We focus on our customers,” said Paul. Customer service breeds repeat business and when individuals leave one business and join another, if they have enjoyed a good relationship, they often introduce us

to their new company.” Geometric’s approach to business has seen it grow 30 per cent annually for the last seven years.

“We invest in new technology, the latest machines and software. Our most recent change has been to acquire a business in a different sector,” added Paul.

“My daughter has become pivotal in our growing operations. Recently married herself, it will be a while before the next generation is ready to join our adventure, if it’s what they want to do.

“My son made his own way in the world. Last year he left a secure company position to start his own digital marketing agency while studying for a degree. The entrepreneurial gene is in the blood.”

THE CHRISTMAS DECORATORS, WORCESTER

Established: 2016

Employee numbers: 14

Generations in the business: 2

The Christmas Decorators, set up by Paul and Ali Chesters, specialises in the design and installation of interior and exterior festive lighting and Christmas decorations for businesses and residential properties. It also specialises in creating winter wonderland weddings and themed Christmas parties.

Last year, after securing an Enterprising Worcestershire grant, the company began raising its profile through marketing, and has since secured some major new clients such as Worcestershire Cricket Club.

Rather than encouraging the next generation to come into the business, (it’s a bit too soon as their son Charlie

is still a baby), Paul and Ali have instead encouraged their parents to come on board.

Initially filling in as free labour, Ali’s dad and Paul’s mum are now on the payroll. Ali’s dad is often found delivering and collecting stock for upcoming installations. Paul’s mum has joined the decorating team, creating and preparing Christmas decorations in the workshop before they are installed.

For Ali personally, the reassurance of having a parent’s wisdom and commitment settled her early day nerves and acts as a comfort to her in unknown situations.

“I’ve experienced the business as both the junior family member and now as a senior member of the family and it can be a strain on family relationships, especially when you hit a bump in the road. But overall it is a fantastic experience and probably unlike any other family connection.

“We have complete trust in each other’s abilities. That doesn’t mean there are never crossed words, raised voices or disagreements, but these are usually aired and perhaps talked through in greater detail away from work so we can quickly move on.”

Paul added: “We are also aware that the stability, tradition and values that our parents bring to the business also impact us greatly. We feel that this applies even more so when delivering a service at Christmas time, as we feel strongly that family and friends matter most during this time, to us and to our clients.”

“We are also aware that the stability, tradition and values that our parents bring to the business also impact us greatly”

“We invest in new technology and the latest machines and software. Our most recent change has been to acquire a business in a different sector”

Paul Wenham with his daughter Zoe Burke

SUTCLIFFE & CO, INSURANCE BROKERS, WORCESTER

Established 1984

Employee numbers: 22

Generations in the business: 2

Sutcliffe & Co is a Worcester broker focusing on the Three Counties.

“Being an independent insurance broker means Sutcliffe & Co is not tied to any particular insurer,” explained Duncan Sutcliffe.

The insurance industry continues to grow exponentially. “You can get insurance for pretty much anything now, which is great,” said Duncan. “And insurers do adapt well to changes in technology, markets and society in general. It keeps us on our toes.”

He is a fourth-generation insurance broker, but Duncan admits that it wasn’t his first choice of career. “However, having got the insurance bug I am passionate about my business and looking after clients. I have two boys and a fair number of nieces and nephews, so there is a lot of potential brokers in the making, and enough time to persuade them to follow in the Sutcliffe family footsteps.”

Would you ever sell the business?

“That isn’t on the cards. Sutcliffe & Co is an independent family business and we plan to keep it that way.”

HILLSIDE BREWERY AND EVENTS, LONGHOPE

Established 2014

Employee numbers: 5, plus temporary staff Generations in the business: 2

Since Peter and his son Paul Williamson established Hillside Brewery, the business has grown by at least 25 per cent a year. This growth has come from the original brewery business and its newer events offering.

“We are a small business but we have won more than 50 awards so far, including the Best UK Rural Drink Producer and the Best Food or Drinks Producer in Gloucestershire,” said Peter. “These have encouraged us as we seek to develop the business successfully.”

Hillside started as a brewery but the margins in beer are low and the UK is oversupplied with beer. “We have more breweries per head in the UK than any other country,” he added.

So father and son developed an extensive events business alongside the brewery, converting some of the agricultural buildings on the family’s

SMITHS (GLOUCESTER) LTD

Established: 1982

Employee numbers: 525

Generations in the business: 2

It’s now one of the largest construction and waste management companies in the South West, but when Alan Smith started the

40-acre farm into high-quality facilities and event spaces, using some of the land for camping and other activities.

As a result, Hillside has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors to the brewery since 2014.

Peter has strong views on family businesses. “Having observed other family businesses, and this is not a criticism, views can differ significantly between generations and while it needs to be clear who ultimately makes the decisions, this can involve significant frustration and create conflict.

“Our business was set up jointly by a father and son. We began by me taking most of the decisions and for a few years Paul working alongside me as we tried to make decisions jointly.

“However, we have now agreed that Paul should become Managing Director. He leads the business and manages it day to day. I have deliberately stepped back to help facilitate this. I work one or two days a week, but it is clear that I work for Paul. He makes the key decisions and manages all the staff.”

business in 1982 it was just him and one machine.

“Now there are lots more mouths to feed and plenty more pairs of eyes, all with an enthusiastic approach to the ways that we can shape the business,” he said. “We have undergone controlled growth for a number of years and continually invest in new machinery, lorries and staff training.”

The company has adapted to prevailing business conditions. “When presented

Duncan Sutcliffe

SAFETYFLEX, COVENTRY

Established 2010

Employee numbers: 5, plus temporary staff

Generations in the business: 2

Safetyflex designs and manufacturers anti-terrorism bollards from its Coventry headquarters.

Founder Rob Gerrard, a trained engineer, built up another successful company, GME Springs, whose products were supplied to a range of vehicle manufacturers.

But the catalyst for the birth and success of Safetyflex was his wife Jeanette.

Rob explained: “We used to live next to work, and my wife, who is a keen gardener, became a little tired of lorries damaging her lawn as they turned around after steel deliveries. She told me that my personal safety depended on me protecting her cherished garden.”

So he harnessed his engineering knowledge and used leaf springs, cut in half, mounted vertically, as a series of protective bollards. He said it was the best business move he ever made.

The spring technology has now been used to design and produce spring steel bollards that will stop vehicle threats against any key asset.

These first bollards have been developed into street furniture designed to repel the sort of vehicle terrorist attacks which have occurred across the world.

Marcus, Rob’s son, has developed the company in the UK, and established a network of distribution and installations across the globe which has seen the group’s turnover rise to around £8 million.

Safetyflex products now protect landmarks, buildings and locations including the Augusta National golf course - home of the US Masters, Oxford Street in London and the Melbourne East Police Station in Australia, as well as in the company’s home city.

with an obstacle we always find a way around, or work through it.”

All four of Alan’s children have chosen to be involved in the family business. “My youngest two, Rebecca and Lisa, went to university and returned to the family business after graduating. Helen and Paul joined almost straight from school.

“My wife and I didn’t pressure the family to join the business, as the decision needed to be theirs. We are, however, very proud that they chose to do so. It’s a new era of the business with a new direction for the future.”

Marcus explained that the family dynamic is key to the success of the company.

“There is a very clear vision and direction and I think that comes, to a degree, from the family element. There are not conflicting corporate agendas at play, and when you are dealing at the higher end of the security community that is very important.

“We are not a massive corporate entity that can use our size and standing to win work. We have to win on quality of engineering, design and service, and being a family firm really resonates with our clients.”

Marcus has three children and two have already been in to experience life at Safefyflex – so that tradition looks set to continue.

“We are not a massive corporate entity that can use our size and standing to win work. We have to win on quality of engineering, design and service, and being a family firm really resonates with our clients”

Rob and Marcus Gerrard

Regional accountancy companies celebrate rise in corporate work

Three accountancy businesses are celebrating a rise in corporate work.

ANGEL NETWORK TO EXPAND INTO MIDLANDS FOLLOWING £10 MILLION INVESTMENT

British Business Investments, a commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank, has announced a new commitment to Dow Schofield Watts Angels (DSW) as the first partner in its £100 million Regional Angels Programme.

DSW is one of the largest business angel networks in the North, managing investments on behalf of 90 investors, based primarily in the North West,

pioneers

Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) and Indian law firm, India Law Alliance have announced a collaboration to support clients in the UK-India corridor.

Nicolas Groffman, Head of International at HCR, said “I am keen to build on what we can offer clients in countries like India which are becoming increasingly important for our clients. Adding local legal capability in India is imperative for full service firms like ours.”

Anupam Dighe, founding partner of India Law Alliance, said: “I am looking forward to sharing experience with my UK counterparts and for my team

Yorkshire and the North East. As a result of British Business Investments’ commitment, DSW Angels intends to expand its investment activities into the Midlands and the South West.

The £10 million commitment will be invested alongside the DSW Angels network into early stage businesses. This is expected to deliver almost £30 million of new funding for scale-up businesses in the regions.

The corporate finance team in the Midlands office of national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm Crowe is celebrating hitting £100 million in deal value in the past 12 months.

A quartet of deals in August saw Crowe smash through £100 million, with the team led by Partner Andy Kay advising on the sales of Protech, Walsall Pressings, DRB Engineering and a major service office sector sale to a private investor.

Midlands business advisory firm, Harrison Beale & Owen (HB&O), is also celebrating unprecedented growth in demand for business sales and acquisition support which has seen its corporate finance team expand significantly since launching five years ago.

In the last five years, HB&O has supported more than 200 projects, including in excess of 100 business disposals or purchases with a total value of £209 million.

Baldwins’ corporate finance team also recorded a landmark month in August after helping three Midlands firms to clinch multimillion pound takeovers.

Redditch-based geotechnical data company, Keynetix, was acquired by leading global infrastructure software firm Bentley Systems after receiving approaches from a number of suitors in 2018.

of lawyers, in India to participate in HCR’s training programmes.”

The collaboration will enable both firms to provide clients with multijurisdictional transactions. HCR’s international work reaches 80 countries through five worldwide hubs.

The other two takeovers were haulage firm MTH Express Services, acquired by transport company Walkers Transport and workshop equipment supplier Telford Group sold to quarrying machinery business Robinsons Longcliffe.

“The £10 million commitment will be invested alongside the DSW Angels network into early stage businesses”

Harrison Clark Rickerbys

international collaboration

David Smith and Keith Benson, co-founders of DSW Angels

Nicolas Groffman, Head of International at Harrison Clark Rickerbys

OFF-PAYROLL WORKING NEW RULES AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOU

By Sue Daye, Private Client and Professional Services

Partner,

Harwood,

It’s not just high-profile BBC presenters that have been caught by HMRC’s crackdown on the use of the Personal Service Company (PSC). The issue applies to all workers who provide their services through a PSC or other intermediary to large and medium-sized businesses.

In July 2019, new draft off-payroll working rules were published, introducing changes to the current regime which is known as IR35.

The new rules take effect from April 2020. They require organisations engaging workers via an intermediary to check whether the individual providing the services should be treated as an employee or self-employed for tax purposes.

If these checks show that the relationship is effectively one of employment, and therefore IR35 will apply, the business will have to deduct PAYE and NIC from payments made for the worker’s services.

Previously it was the responsibility of the PSC to make these deductions, but HMRC’s view was that fewer than 10 per cent of these organisations actually complied.

It is estimated that this measure could raise as much as £1.3 billion in tax by 2023-24. This is something that businesses must be aware of and account for in their budgeting.

The rules already apply to public sector employers, but the new rules will apply to all medium and large businesses in the UK from next April.

Small businesses will initially be exempt.

A small business is defined as an incorporated body that meets two of the following three criteria:

 A turnover of less than £10.2 million

 A balance sheet of less than £5.1 million

 Fewer than 50 employees. However, an incorporated business need only exceed the £10.2 million turnover figure to be considered “not small”. The new rules apply from 6 April 2020.

It is essential that affected businesses take action now to ensure that they are ready to comply with the new regime from next April by identifying all off-payroll workers and reviewing the terms of engagement and the necessary policies and procedures put in place.

This will including documenting the engagers’ conclusions regarding the employment status of the worker and issuing a “Status Determination Statement” to the worker, the PSC and any other intermediary (such as an agency) in the chain of engagement.

This is a good time to evaluate business strategies and consider whether current methods of engaging workers are

compatible with the new legislation and whether the current practices still fit the business’s requirements.

If a business establishes that the new rules will apply and it should be deducting PAYE and NIC from payments made to a worker, it will need to evaluate the cost of the employer’s NIC which will also apply, as well as any Apprenticeship Levy payments.

This will need to be built into budgets and many engagers may re-evaluate the rates they are prepared to pay freelance workers as a result.

If the business continues to engage with PSCs, it is the engager’s responsibility to perform and evidence an employment status check on the individual.

Employment status is subjective, based on case law rather than legislative tests.

The risk of getting the status wrong is expensive. Not only would the engager be subject to interest costs and potentially penalties for failure to operate PAYE correctly, but it opens up the possibility of back taxes on the individual for four or six years, depending on the specific rules applied. NIC can be charged going back six years.

Take time now to assess the implications of the changes to the IR35 rules as they affect PCS engagement. This should be done well ahead of the 6 April 2020 deadline. www.crowe.co.uk

Tax

and Caroline

Partner, Head of Share Schemes and Employment Tax at Crowe

Sue Daye, Private Client and Professional Services Tax Partner

Caroline Harwood, Partner, Head of Share Schemes and Employment Tax

YOUNG CYBERISTS HEAD TO BUCHAREST TO COMPETE AGAINST EUROPEAN TEAMS

Nearly a dozen of the UK’s brightest young cyber security specialists headed to Bucharest this autumn to compete against teams from across the region in this year’s European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC).

Led by captain, Sophia McCall, and managed by Cyber Security Challenge UK (CSCUK), the team spent the summer training with NCC Group and Bristolbased Immersive Labs.

In a sector facing an acute shortage of fresh talent, CSCUK selects and nurtures the UK team, aiming to include

individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Dr Robert Nowill is Chairman of the CSCUK Board and a former board member at GCHQ. He lives in Cheltenham.

Robert said: “Our mission is to increase the inclusivity and diversity of the cyber security industry, and competitions like the ECSC are an integral part of our efforts to broaden the reach of cyber. We have always looked to encourage participation by those who may not otherwise have considered career pathways into cyber, and this year’s team represents an incredible mix of ages, genders and backgrounds.”

Smaller businesses a growing target for hackers

Kidderminster-based CyberGuard Technologies, a division of OGL Computer, has completed the installation of cyber security systems into Loughborough-based SDI Displays, a manufacturer of retail and visual merchandising equipment.

Colin Dennis, Head of Cyber at CyberGuard Technologies, said: “Many smaller businesses don’t think of themselves as a prime target for cyber attacks, but they are a growing target as hackers believe they will have weaker IT systems in place.”

More than half of manufacturers have been the victim of cyber-crime, and a third of those have suffered some financial loss or disruption to business.

Manufacturing is the fifth most targeted sector for attack in 2019, behind government systems and finance.

Looming skills crisis threatens future of Thames Valley digital hub

Global cyber security leader, RSA Security, is warning that the Thames Valley’s digital economy could be challenged unless the cyber security skills gap is addressed.

The Thames Valley is a hub for UK technology innovation. There are 11,656 digital technology businesses based in Reading alone, and the digital sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of Berkshire’s economic output.

Cyber security skills are in higher demand here than the national average and government research shows that half of all businesses and charities have cyber security skills gaps to fill.

In association with the educational charity Engineering Development Trust, RSA is running a digital risk management competition in 10 secondary schools across the Thames Valley.

Sophos sells to USA private equity company

Leading USA private equity investment firm, Thoma Bravo, LLC, has reached agreement with Abingdon-based Sophos Group, to buy the business for more than £3.5 billion.

Oxford University graduates

Jan Hruska and Peter Lammer founded Sophos in 1985. The company now employs 3,500 people across the world, 600 of which are in the UK. Sophos protects more than 400,000 organisations of all sizes in more than 150 countries from cyber threats.

“Our mission is to increase the inclusivity and diversity of the cyber security industry ”

AT THE HEART OF THE LEGAL SECTOR FOR TECH AND CYBER IN THE REGION

Emma Hickson Partner, Head of IT and Cyber Team

BPE Solicitors launches specialist IT and Cyber team

Technology touches every business and our use of IT is allpervasive, at home and at work. With this ubiquity, comes vulnerability. Fortunately, there’s plenty of good advice from IT specialists to help companies protect their systems from the risk of hackers, malware and cybercrime.

Legal expertise in relation to IT matters is less prevalent, however, which is why the launch of BPE’s IT and Cyber team is so significant for the region’s business community.

Unique insight

BPE’s IT and Cyber team are specialist legal advisers with deep sector experience, accustomed to working in highly sensitive environments. Having all previously held roles within private, multi-national companies in the technology sector, the team can offer a unique industry perspective.

“We’re all passionate about IT and the cyber-tech industry at large,” comments Emma Hickson, who heads up the IT and Cyber team at BPE. “The tech sector is growing at an extraordinary rate both globally and regionally. There’s a real energy from the local cyber tech community and an infectious enthusiasm that we feel in our team too.

“That’s why it’s so great to be in a position to support firms of every size and business life-stage. We enjoy working for suppliers and customers in the public and private sectors and with companies of all sizes from tech startups and scale-ups to listed companies.”

Supporting start-ups

BPE has a great track record for advising entrepreneurial start-ups, drawing upon its specialists in Corporate, Commercial, IP, Employment and Property to help young businesses get off to a sound start. Factor into the mix the team’s IT and Cyber expertise, and that’s great news for the flourishing tech startup community located in one of the UK’s most prominent cyber hotspots.

In recent years, investment and development has taken place to build on the presence of GCHQ in Cheltenham and the unique skillset this attracts to the wider region. As a result, world-class accelerator programmes are now making their mark, bringing together those at the forefront of academia, commercial and public sector cyber expertise, sharing knowledge and collaborating with start-ups.

“We’re really proud to be involved in supporting the dynamic young businesses taking part in regional accelerator programmes,” says Emma.

“Starting a business is exciting but the pace moves quickly and making time to ensure everything is set up properly is a challenge,” acknowledges Emma. “We’re on hand to help founders feel more in control by ensuring that appropriate contractual and IP protections are in place and advising on spending prioritisation and fundraising to support R&D and scale-up growth. We genuinely enjoy working with and getting to know our start-ups and can offer flexible pricing and support options to facilitate affordable access to first-rate legal services.”

Prime movers

At the other end of the spectrum, BPE has experience of working with very large IT service companies, often referred to as primes. “Before joining BPE, I spent eight years working at IT services provider DXC Technology as an outsourcing lawyer,” says Emma. “There’s change happening within these very large organisations as aspects of legal services become digitised and in-house legal spend is becoming heavily scrutinised.

“Because our team at BPE has experience of working client-side for global IT service providers, we’re in a great position to offer specialist counsel, insight and even connections where needed. These businesses often supply into government and financial services and unlike many of our competitors, we have the experience to provide trusted advice on their businesscritical, highly sensitive contracts.

“The larger companies are often looking to invest in rising stars, so it’s great to be able to offer introductions to impressive start-ups that we’ve met. That’s one of the really satisfying aspects of being immersed in such an innovative, dynamic sector.”

Middle ground

If the start-ups and primes book-end the parameters of this diverse sector, then the mid-sized firms occupy the most extensive ground in between.

“Whether a business is reliant upon technology platforms, or is a tech provider to others, having really clear contractual terms is fundamental,” says Emma.

“Technology contracts can be complex, loaded with IT jargon and unusual clauses. Customers can be intimidated to be faced with pages of standard contractual terms from a very large supplier, and equally, the customer’s own standard terms are unlikely to be suitable for complex IT service arrangements. We steer clients through the procurement and contractual process providing pragmatic, commercial, risk-based advice.”

“Many of our clients work with cutting-edge technologies that attract the interest of larger companies who then demand to contract solely on their terms. This can be overwhelming for smaller suppliers and we regularly represent our clients’ interests in negotiations with large household names. Advising on and negotiating these complex contracts is a tough ask of even the best commercial lawyer, but it takes a sector specialist to understand the key areas of risk and how best to secure the most appropriate protections and this is where BPE is gaining a reputation for adding value”

Innovation

In an innovative tech environment, making strong personal connections and building trust is a key ingredient for success. Collaboration is embedded in the DNA of BPE, which is why the IT and Cyber team has a strong presence in the local and regional community. From hosting monthly networking events for individuals in the tech sector to sitting on local authority business boards, the team is both visible and accessible.

BPE is also a board member of Cyber Cheltenham (CyNam), a Community Interest Company that organises educational and social events to service Cheltenham’s active network of cyber tech businesses. “There’s a fantastic network of businesses working together throughout the region, with Cheltenham acting as a particular hotspot. CyNam is the embodiment of that collaboration, bringing people together to share insight and make connections.

“The IT and Cyber team has also supported the recent launch of Hub8, an exceptional workspace dedicated to those working in cyber-tech. Hub8 will be an important meeting point for the flourishing local cyber-tech community and we’re

going to be popping in regularly to ensure people know there’s specialist legal help on hand if they need it.

“The ambitious plans for Cyber Central in the west of Cheltenham, will continue to build on our growing IT and cyber practice. Having all this on our doorstep makes for exciting times.

“We truly understand the needs of this fastpaced sector and we want companies to understand that the legal services market is evolving and doesn’t need to be expensive, painful, dull or reactive.”

Emma Hickson Partner, Head of IT and Cyber Team, BPE Solicitors

 Joined BPE

in 2018

 Experienced in large-scale public sector and financial services outsourcings

 Trained and qualified at Eversheds in London

 Former Chief Legal Officer for Luup, the Norwegian mobile payments company

 Former Outsourcing Lawyer for the in-house team at DXC Technology

 Recognised by the Legal 500 for her expertise in advising clients in the IT and Telecoms sector

www.bpe.co.uk

A Christmas Poem from Wynne-Jones IP

Lookalike toys look the same as the real thing. It’s just got a different name. It even comes in a box in the same colours and with similar looking artwork. It must be the same toy, right? Wrong. Copycats are not only cheap, they are inferior and often break before the Turkey’s wishbone, and they frequently do not meet safety standards (think lead paint and you get the idea…).

Aren’t copycat products illegal?

Yes…And no.

Sometimes a product is so obviously a copy that the owner of the original work can enforce its intellectual property rights, get the lookalike product off the shelves, and even get damages for lost sales. Here’s a ghost of Christmas Past: Big Little Toys successfully claimed copyright infringement of its product “An Elf for Christmas” against lookalike “Magical Christmas Elf” being sold by B&M Bargains, and they secured a settlement of £25,000 plus costs.

In other cases, however, it’s not so clear cut. The manufacturers of lookalike products are ingenious when it comes to making small changes that are often indiscernible to consumers, but

legal action against them. And the manufacturers of genuine products are often resigned to having their toys and games knocked off because they know the law doesn’t always help them as much as it should.

If there are weaknesses in your intellectual property protection, copycats will find it. Any copycat can avoid trade mark

infringement by simply adopting a different name; most toys and games are not patentable, and that only leaves designs and copyright. Design registration is hopelessly under used by businesses (and often badly used), and copyright requires proof of copying. So, many businesses leave themselves horribly exposed and at

But it isn’t just sales that get hit. Reputations do too. Many consumers simply do not realise they bought a fake. Even if they do, it is often too late. Last December, trading standards officers in Lincolnshire seized fake versions of the L.O.L Surprise! Doll that were being sold locally after they received complaints from angry parents who thought they were buying the genuine product. When parents arrived home they discovered the toys were faulty and failed to perform like the genuine dolls. They even had screws in their backs that were dangerous to small children.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Up and down the country, (and not just at Christmas), parents – and children – are being duped. In 2013, the UK IPO said:

We’re talking copycats; businesses that ride on the coat tails of others, by making and selling lookalike products. After all, who doesn’t like a bargain, and Christmas is expensive enough anyway. It’s a vital time for many legitimate businesses, but also a (Christmas) gift for copycats. Christmas comes but once a year; A crucial time for traders dear. A time for sales to make the year And keep the New Year without fear Of feast and famine, A time to merry make and riches win. But, sad to say, There’re those that may Seek to steal your hard earned trade, And hapless consumers to persuade To buy not yours, but theirs! ‘Tis humbug! But ‘twill end in children’s tears.

“There is a lookalike effect. In essence: Consumers are more likely to make mistaken purchases if the packaging of products is similar and there is strong evidence that consumers in substantial numbers have made mistakes; Consumers’ perceptions of the similarity of the packaging of goods are correlated with an increased perception of common origin and to a material degree. There is also an increased perception of quality; the lookalike effect increases consumers’ propensity to buy a product in similar packaging.“

In a recent study, the British Toy and Hobbycraft Association purchased 200 toys from online stores and found that 58% were illegal to sell in the UK as they failed to meet safety regulations and 22%

had serious safety failures “which could cause serious injury or death to a child.”

The Code of Conduct

To address the epidemic and tackle the problem, we’ve teamed up with Mojo Nation who support toy and game inventors in the development of their ideas, fuelling collaboration across the global toy and game sector as well as designers and retailers, to create a Code of Conduct for the toy and game industry. The goal is to discourage the manufacture, stocking and sale of fake toys and games and to make it easier for consumers to spot and avoid fakes. We believe we can achieve the former by achieving the latter. Of course, we need the support and goodwill of the industry – but, judging by the feedback we have had so far, we have that in abundance.

We plan to use a joined up approach, with everyone represented in a forum made up of retail buyers, designers and heads of R&D. Under the Code, manufacturers will agree not to create copycat products and retailers will agree not to stock clear copycat products. Our vision is of a pioneering industry that promotes a fair and safety conscious trading environment that recognises and rewards the intellectual investment of toy and game creators, even where the law may be too blunt an instrument to be of much help. By so doing, we hope to restore Santa’s reputation and ensure that the toys and games he delivers are the ones actually implored in the many heart-felt letters he receives.

Merry Christmas!

For further information and expert advice please contact

Victor Caddy, Director and Trademark Attorney

victor.caddy@wynne-jones.com

Victor Caddy

I have been in post as the University of Oxford Lead for the Industrial Strategy since July 2018. My primary focus has been on the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, to promote it internally to the University’s academic audiences, and externally to our industry partners; providing an overview of exactly what the Industrial Strategy is and why it has come into play.

My role includes engagement with Government and funding agencies to influence and to gather intelligence on different aspects of the Industrial Strategy. This helps best prepare us for future applications. Recent political turmoil meant that momentum around funding opportunities and awards slowed a little in early 2019, however, things are now changing.

There are many more calls live that can benefit a wide range of industry sectors. To access the list of open calls, you can visit our Industrial Strategy website: ox.ac.uk/ research/innovation-and-partnership/ partnerships/industrial-strategy.

The Industrial Strategy – two years on…

messaging around the industrial strategy in terms of its focus, available funding opportunities and readiness of the University to partner with local businesses (in joint research, consultancy and more). SME’s can benefit from connecting with the University of Oxford to form consortiums and to learn how to engage with the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. One such example is the National Consortium of Intelligent Medical Imaging (NCIMI) that includes 12 companies, 1 multinational and 11 SME’s. NCIMI is funded by the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to drive innovation in the use of artificial intelligence for improved diagnosis of a variety of diseases.

Partnering with the University

At the University of Oxford, we work in partnership with many organisations finding better answers to the real challenges of today and tomorrow. We have dedicated teams in place to help build relationships and facilitate collaboration across the full breadth of academic disciplines and business sectors. For problems falling within the themes of the Industrial Strategy, by working with the University, you can gain access to not only world-class expertise from academics but the opportunity to leverage UK Government’s funding support and our team’s wider connections to other academic groups and industry partners across the UK and internationally.

The roadshows allowed us to meet with regional businesses to amplify

To find out more about this successful consortium, you can read more by visiting the website: medsci.ox.ac.uk/research/ networks/national-consortium-ofintelligent-medical-imaging

If you are interested in discussing a potential collaboration with the University of Oxford or for any information relating to this article please contact me, Dr Deborah Spencer MBA.

Dr Deborah Spencer MBA – University Lead, UK Industrial Strategy. Industrial Research Partnerships team, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford

www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/innovation-partnerships

The Industrial Strategy launched two years ago on 27th November 2017, with the ambition for the UK to aim high and lead the world in innovation across four Grand Challenge themes.

“Engaging with the business community has been a critical part of our recipe to support the Industrial Strategy, so during 2019 we launched a series of “Science Park Roadshows.”

LIFE SCIENCES:

POWERING THE UK’S ECONOMY

The government published its Life Sciences Industrial Strategy late last year.

The development of the strategy, led by Sir John Bell, included recommendations on how the government can maintain the UK’s existing strength in life sciences and increase the pace of economic growth in this area.

It called for increasing funding for basic science to match international competition, ensuring the fiscal environment supports growth and attracts investment, improving the collection of health data and boosting the recruitment and retention of skills workers in the sector.

Manufacturing is at the forefront of the UK’s wider industrial strategy, and one of its ambitions is to make the UK the best place in the world to make medicines, because medicine manufacturing is the most productive part of the most productive sector of our economy.

According to Dr Andy Jones, Director of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Medicines Manufacturing Challenge: “Better manufacturing technology brings improved control of quality. Lots of manufacturing has gone overseas and quality has often suffered as a result. But

manufacturing is critical in the future development of medicines.”

The spending round, announced by Chancellor Sajid Javid in early September, signals the government’s continued support for the strategy.

In his speech to the House of Commons, the Chancellor said: “We want to push the frontiers of science and technology and turbocharge our ambition on research and development.”

He also promised £250 million for ground-breaking artificial intelligence technologies to help solve some of healthcare’s biggest challenges today.

In Sir John Bell’s foreword to his Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, he pointed out that to retain the UK’s competitive edge, there is a requirement for sustained effort over a longer period of time.

He said: “To deliver the potential for economic growth through the projects and programmes outlined in this strategy, there will be a need for oversight of this programme over the next five years.”

The UK biopharmaceutical industry has:

 More than 62,000 employees

 The highest productivity of any high technology sector (over £330,000 GVA per employee)

 Exports worth £30 billion

 More research and development spending in the UK than any other sector (£4 billion per annum)

Securing jobs and growth

The health life sciences industry revolves around the application of biology and technology to health improvement, including biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, genomics, diagnostics and digital health.

It has the advantage of very high productivity compared to other sectors, and generates a wide range of products including drugs, medical technology, diagnostics and digital tools, as well as products for consumer health. It is also widely distributed across the whole of the UK and brings significant jobs and growth to virtually every region.

The UK’s life sciences sector punches above its weight for the UK economy. We look at how the government’s life sciences industrial strategy is shaping the region’s ambitions

“We want to push the frontiers of science and technology and turbocharge our ambition on research and development”

Source: The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)

LET’S DRIVE A KENDALL SQUARE VIBE IN OXFORDSHIRE

Sarah Haywood Price, the new Managing Director of Advanced Oxford, wants to drive the Oxford region higher up the global rankings for its scientific and technical capabilities, mirroring the thriving Kendall Square life science community in the USA.

Sarah took on the new role at Advanced Oxford this summer to spearhead the membership organisation in developing and promoting Oxfordshire’s huge potential as a global hub for science and innovation.

Her move to Oxford comes after spending five years leading MedCity, which supports the world-leading life sciences ecosystem across the South East, where she remains an executive director.

Now she’s charged with doing the same for Oxfordshire.

Kendall Square, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is known for being probably the world’s pre-eminent life science cluster. It’s not as small as it might sound, covering an area of around 200 square miles, but it does present an iconic central point of focus for the cluster.

“Significant investment has been made by Massachusetts’ state government in creating the right environment for the world’s most successful pharmaceutical companies to locate some of their research and development activity in the area,” she said.

“It has all the ingredients of success for the life sciences sector: a strong network of commercially-minded academics, investors, academic institutions and

businesses. We can do the same in Oxford for the broader sector of scientific and technology companies that Advanced Oxford represents.”

And there is a lot to celebrate in the Oxford region. “We have active investors, very successful science and technology companies, exciting younger businesses keen to scale up and some of the country’s most successful biotech companies,” she said.

“Like Kendall Square, the Oxford region has all the components for success. We want to make collaboration easier and more efficient, to promote the richness of Oxfordshire’s industrial space in order to attract skilled people, and drive further investment into the businesses already here.”

MedCity provided a “front door” for smaller companies which wanted to grow but didn’t know where to go for help, and Sarah wants the same for Advanced Oxford.

“MedCity supports companies by understanding their needs and issues, introducing them to the people, places

and capabilities to help them. I want the same for Advanced Oxford, as well as it being the voice for the science and technology community in the region.”

Oxford already has a great physical infrastructure.

This includes world-leading science parks such as Begbroke and Milton Park, alongside campuses such as Culham and Harwell, which hosts national science infrastructure such as Diamond Light Source, the UK’s synchrotron and The Rosalind Franklin Institute, alongside a strong on-site science eco-system.

Another centre for excellence is the area around the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals, the recently opened Oxford BioEscalator, a hub for new and development life science innovations, and Oxford Brookes University.

These four sites are within a 15-minute walk from each other.

“We want all these sites to become connected, to help those working there feel that they can move easily and frequently between them,” added Sarah.

Sarah Haywood Price, the Managing Director of Advanced Oxford

“We have active investors, very successful science and tech companies, exciting younger businesses and some of the country’s most successful biotech companies”

Oxford’s Electrospinning Company secures major investment

Oxford-based The Electrospinning Company has received £1.5 million funding led by London-based venture capital firm Downing Ventures

The business uses electrospinning to design and manufacture biomaterials, made from synthetic polymers that are implanted into the human body providing help for a range of medical procedures.

Sensyne Health welcomes report on value of healthcare data

Oxford-based healthcare technology company Sensyne Health has welcomed a new report from professional services firm EY that estimates that curated NHS data could generate as much as £5 billion per annum while delivering around £4.6 billion of benefit to patients. This is through operational savings for the NHS, enhanced patient outcomes, personalised medicine and wider benefits to the UK economy from ‘big data’ use.

Oxfordshire has long been a magnet for those looking for a successful career in science and technology, but like every other region, it has to fight for the skilled and talented people needed by the county’s companies operating in this sector to thrive, added Sarah.

“We know that people like coming to work in Oxfordshire because of the quality of the jobs and because they want to participate in this innovation-rich ecosystem, but every company has rapidly-changing needs,” said Sarah.

Over the course of the next few months, Advanced Oxford will be analysing the key skills needs of its members and what their anticipated needs will be over the next two to five years.

Driving skills and talent into Oxfordshire

Life Sciences

“We will look at issues including the effective use of apprenticeships and the extent to which that can help the pipeline of skills. We will continue to call for the right infrastructure and housing investment, because if we want to grow the economic and innovation base we need to know that there will be enough homes for people to live in and the roads and transport infrastructure for them move around Oxfordshire effectively.”

And Brexit also has its challenges. “In life sciences in particular, the labour market has always been global in nature, particularly in the more specialist roles. Whatever happens, we do need to ensure we have an effective labour market and a migration system that works and continues to allow us to bring in the right skills and the brightest and best from around the world.

“The government’s announcement in September that it is allowing students to stay on to work after graduation has been well received by the scientific community. The UK needs to continue to see similar policies which recognise talent.”

The report suggests a framework for the NHS to harness patient data in an ethical manner, demonstrating its high value to the healthcare ecosystem, and places the UK at the forefront of global healthcare innovation.

Lord Paul Drayson, Chief Executive Officer at Sensyne Health, said: “Data driven innovation will transform how healthcare is delivered in future. The quality and scale of NHS data, covering a population of more than 50 million people from birth to death, provides the UK with a major competitive advantage and is a very valuable national asset. Enlightened policy that encourages ethical and fair collaborations between the NHS and the life sciences industry that use NHS data could help fund NHS services in future, as well as significantly improving the quality and affordability of care for patients.”

MoA Technology awarded funding to develop herbicide platforms

MoA Technology has secured funding of £6.3 million to develop its unique in vivo herbicide discovery platforms. The company was spun-out from Oxford University’s Plant Sciences Department after ground-breaking research by co-founders Professor Liam Dolan and Dr Clément Champion. It aims to provide farmers with a choice of innovative technologies for weed control.

The funding round was co-led by Oxford Sciences Innovation, the world’s largest university venture fund, and Parkwalk Advisors, the largest enterprise investment scheme growth fund manager focused on university spinouts.

Hadyn Parry, Chairman of MoA Technology, said: “Weeds are now a greater threat to crop yields than at any time in recent decades. New solutions are urgently needed. Raising £6 million at this stage in the company’s development is testament to the strength of the company’s prospects.”

MoA Technology plans to move new active ingredients towards development and work with partners to make them available to farmers worldwide.

NIGHTSTAR THERAPEUTICS COMPLETES SALE TO BIOGEN…

The sale of Oxford University spin-out company Nightstar Therapeutics has been completed.

The clinical-stage gene therapy company, which was co-founded in 2013 by Professor of Ophthalmology, Robert MacLaren. is developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases that lead to progressive blindness.

The company’s pipeline of therapies focuses on rare eye diseases with no currently approved treatments.

Following Nightstar’s initial public offering on the USA’s biotech-friendly

NASDAQ stock exchange market in September 2017, it grew to a market capitalisation of 500 million dollars.

Earlier this year the company was bought by US biotech company Biogen for around 800 million dollars from Syncona, a leading UK life sciences fund.

Nightstar’s lead asset is NSR-REP1 for the treatment of choroideremia, a rare, degenerative, X-linked inherited retinal disorder, which leads to blindness and has no approved treatments. Initially, patients with this disease experience poor night vision, and over time progressive visual loss ultimately leading to complete blindness.

…While Oxford Biomedica collaborates with Japanese company Santen on inherited retinal disease

Oxford Biomedica, the leading gene and cell therapy group, is collaborating with Santen Pharmaceutical, the market leader for prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals in Japan. It plans to research and develop gene therapy products for the treatment of inherited retinal disease. Inherited retinal diseases are a group of rare disorders caused by one of more than 260 different genes, where mutation results in vision loss or blindness, often disproportionally affecting children and young adults.

John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica, said: “We are delighted to have formed our first collaboration in Japan. We believe that our LentiVector® platform is particularly well-suited to the delivery of large genes to the eye.”

Novartis’ five-year Big Data collaboration with University of Oxford

Leading global medicine company Novartis is working on a five-year collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute (BDI) to establish a research alliance that will improve drug development by making it more efficient and more targeted.

Using artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, the partners expect to

transform how ultra large and multiple datasets are analysed, combined and interpreted to identify early predictors of patient responses to treatments for inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.

The alliance will make use of anonymised data from approximately five million patients from the UK and international

partner organisations, together with anonymised data captured from relevant Novartis clinical trials.

Combining the BDI’s machine learning technology and experience in data analysis with Novartis’ clinical expertise and trial data, the alliance expects to predict how patients will respond to existing and new medicines.

“The company’s pipeline of therapies focuses on rare eye diseases that have no currently approved treatments”

Bioinformatics, an increasingly popular field of research…

You have probably heard talk of bioinformatics –it is an increasingly popular field of research –but do you really know what it is, and how it is affecting research carried out in our area?

In short, bioinformatics is about applying statistical and computational techniques to the analysis of biological systems. This is of particular interest in relation to the genome, where a growing number of academics and companies are interested in the applications of genetic analysis in the fields of clinical care, digital health, and personalised medicine.

In this article Amanda Simons, and Richard Morris from leading patent and trade mark firm J A Kemp, look at the topic of genomics. Since the completion of the Human Genomics Project in 2003, a number of projects have sought to sequence the genomes of large numbers of individuals in order to better understand the variation in genetic information across populations, and how it is linked to the different characteristics of individuals. For example, in 2012 the UK government announced the 100,000 Genomes project, administered by Genomics England, which aimed to sequence the genomes of 100,000 NHS patients. The project focussed in particular on individuals with rare diseases or conditions, and was completed in 2018. Although around 99.9% of human DNA is identical between individuals, analysing the possible interactions between variations in the remaining 0.1% still represents a daunting problem. Analysing these data is the focus of the rapidly growing field of genomics, a subfield of bioinformatics specifically concerned with the analysis of whole genomes. Falling costs of genome sequencing, and huge increases in computing power over recent years, have made it possible to analyse genetic data on a scale not previously envisaged. Sophisticated statistical tools are used to analyse correlations between variations in

Amanda Simons, Partner, J A Kemp

an individual’s DNA, and their physical characteristics. The results can provide powerful insights into how these variations affect risk of disease or response to particular stimuli or drugs.

These insights are of particular interest to pharmaceutical companies and health care providers. The response of an individual to a particular drug or treatment is often difficult to predict, and a large amount of time and money is routinely wasted in finding which treatment option is most effective for a given individual. Genomics has the potential to much more accurately predict an individual’s response based on their genetics. This could revolutionise care by allowing health service providers to give patients highly personalised and more effective treatment.

And there is plenty of work going on in this field on our doorstep. For instance, the world’s largest health-focused big data institute opened in Oxford a few years back. This encompasses the aptly named Big Data Institute (BDI), which brings together researchers in genomics, statistics, health data and other related fields. The BDI is already working in partnership with Novartis, for example, to bring forward various genomics-related programs.

A challenging problem in the genomics field, though, is the accurate and reliable identification of correlations between genetics and physical characteristics. The interactions between different regions of the genome are complex, and the effects of any individual genetic variation may be small – this means you may only detect a physical difference by looking across a range of small genetic variations. This type of problem lends itself to sophisticated

statistical algorithms, and computational analysis. A lot of work is being invested in developing new genomic algorithms and techniques.

Protection for the tools and algorithms that companies develop is very important to allow them to commercialise their ideas, encourage investment, and continue developing new and improved techniques. There is a common misconception that this type of invention, typically implemented in software, is not eligible for patent protection. In fact, the European Patent Office, and other offices around the world, routinely grant applications for new technical software inventions. These can provide valuable protection for companies working in this sector.

Amanda is a patent attorney with over 20 years’ professional experience focused on the pharmaceutical and medtech sectors, including medical sensors and other medical equipment. She also has experience in a broad range of chemical technologies including polymers, alloys and glasses. Amanda routinely advises on overall patent strategy and portfolio management, including due diligence and freedom to operate matters.

Richard joined J A Kemp in 2017 and works in the firm’s Oxford office. He has worked on drafting and prosecuting patent applications for a number of clients local to the Oxford area, including from the university and its spin-out companies.

Amanda Simons – Partner, Patent Attorney asimons@jakemp.com | Tel: 01865 406100

Richard Morris – Trainee Patent Attorney rmorris@jakemp.com

New research laboratory opens at Milton Park

Global pharmaceutical company Ipsen has opened a new research laboratory at Milton Park specialising in neuroscience. It is part of a £12 million investment by the company at the Park.

The UK is one of three global hubs for Ipsen. It forms a vital part of the company’s global research and development, manufacturing and commercial operation.

The event was attended by MP for Didcot and Wantage, Ed Vaisey and government health minister Baroness Blackwood. This French company has invested £100 million in the UK in the last four years and supports around 100 jobs at Milton Park.

HUBS LAUNCHED TO ENHANCE CLINICAL TRIAL CAPABILITY

NHS Digital, the national information and technology partner to the UK’s health and care system, is working with the University of Oxford, Microsoft and IBM to develop a new hub. This aims to revolutionise the way in which clinical trials are delivered. It will provide foundation services to determine whether a clinical trial is feasible, and to support better planning and delivery of clinical trials in the UK.

one of seven new hubs announced to enable research for health discoveries.

“NHS DigiTrial, the NHS Health Data Research Hub for Clinical Trials, is one of seven new hubs announced to enable research for health discoveries”

Led by Health Data Research UK, the hubs are the first of their kind in the world. It aims to improve the lives of people with debilitating conditions by making health data more accessible for research while maintaining strict controls around data security and privacy.

NHS DigiTrial, the NHS Health Data Research Hub for Clinical Trials, is

Diagnostics company acquired by Italian life science business

Blue Earth Diagnostics, a molecular imaging business helping to diagnose prostate cancer, has been sold by healthcare company Syncona to Bracco Imaging, part of the leading Italian multi-national healthcare company Bracco Group.

Blue Earth Diagnostics is now officially a subsidiary of Bracco Imaging. Led by its current leadership team it will retain the

well-established Blue Earth Diagnostics name and its headquarters in Oxford, while maintaining a significant and operational presence across the US, based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Blue Earth Diagnostics employs approximately 100 people and was expected to generate revenues of 140 million dollars in the year to September 2019, primarily in the US.

The Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford will provide clinical and trial leadership.

Ed Vaisey MP with Baroness Blackwood and Ipsen CEO David Meek

Blue Earth Diagnostics

Life Sciences

The Bessemer Society Presents: The Electric Vehicle Challenge at University of Warwick

The theme for this Bessemer Society grand dinner held in The Rootes Building at University of Warwick and co-hosted with WMG was “The Electric Vehicle Challenge”. Attended by some of the best brains from across the science, technology and manufacturing sector, The Bessemer Society brings together leading business figures to discuss key industry topics and enable unique networking at a senior level. Guests heard from four of the most senior people from the UK’s automotive and battery technology sector. Keynote speakers Professor David Greenwood leader of Advanced Propulsion Systems at WMG, Richard Hankinson, Automotive Director at Unipart Logistics, Isobel Sheldon, Head of Business Development at UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) and commentator Professor Dr Gero Kempf, Chief Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, delivered a fascinating insight into the EV supply chain, followed by group forum and discussion.

Business & Innovation Magazine are proud to be Official Media Partners of The Bessemer Society www.bessemer-society.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB LACEY

Keynote speakers, Richard Hankinson, Automotive Director, Unipart Logistics, Isobel Sheldon, Head of Business Development, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) Professor David Greenwood leader of Advanced Propulsion Systems, WMG with Steve Bennington from The Bessemer Society and Alex Stewart Founder of The Bessemer Society

Professor Dr Gero Kempf, Chief Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover with Ian Constance CEO, Advanced Propulsion Centre

Nick Russel from Denchi Power with Adam Holland from JCB Power Products

Event sponsors, James Colley and James Speller from Consilium Recruitment with Alex Stewart, Founder of The Bessemer Society

Dr. Chris Wright from Faradion with Nick Rodgers from Productiv Group and Nicky Godding, Editor-in-Chief, Business & Innovation Magazine

Paul Blackmore from UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) with Jason Bettles from Munters

Kevin Edgar from Tata Steel with Professor Jon King from WMG centre HVM Catapult

Clive Warren from Renishaw with Ryan Maughan from AVID Technology

Mark Turner from M-Solv with Scott Roberts from Polar Technology Group and Janet Donovan from M-Solv

Keynote speaker, Richard Hankinson, Automotive Director, Unipart Logistics

Keynote speaker, Isobel Sheldon, Head of Business Development, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)

Keynote speaker, Professor David Greenwood leader of Advanced Propulsion Systems, WMG

Alex Stewart, Founder of The Bessemer Society

Charles Keen from Keen Ltd and Wicher Kist from Saietta Group

Dr. Chris Wright from Faradion with Hugh Sutherland from ZapGo

Dr. Mike Jennings from Swansea University with Professor Phil Mawby from University of Warwick

David Alcraft from The Alcraft Motor Company with James McGeachie from Prodrive

Rob Harper from The Compound Semiconductor Centre and Philip Johnston from Trackwise

Martin Boughtwood from Deregallera with Alison Meir from WMG

Rising revenues for historic Redditch aerospace business

Redditch-based Mettis Aerospace has reported group sales revenue up 10 per cent year-on-year to £82.5 million, reflecting a further growth in sales of products for new and next generation aircraft and engines, as well as increased build rates.

Mettis Aerospace began in the 1930s as High Duty Alloys (HDA). Its Redditch facility was responsible for the majority of Britain’s aero-engine pistons in the Second World War, producing more than 10 million components, including the V-shaped spars that held the bouncing bombs on the Lancaster bombers during the Dambusters raid.

Consequently, the factory was a target for the German Luftwaffe keen to disable one of the allies’ vital wartime manufacturers. So the company stationed anti-aircraft guns on the hill by the forge mill.

In 1945, HDA made the first impellers for Frank Whittle’s pioneer jet engine in what was then a top-secret project. Following more inovations through the decades, the company became Mettis Aerospace in 1999 following its acquisition by the Mettis Group.

The company said that the outlook for the civil aerospace market remains positive as travel volumes continue to increase. Growth of around five per cent per year is expected for both passenger and cargo traffic, with highest growth rates anticipated in the Asia Pacific region and China with India, the Middle East and Latin America closely behind.

MIRA SHOWERS CELEBRATES QUEEN’S AWARD

The Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Edward Gillespie OBE, and Councillor Steve Jordan, Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council joined Mira Showers in Cheltenham to celebrate the company’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise, for its innovative Mira Sport Max shower.

This is the second time that Mira Showers has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The Mira Flight Safe anti-slip shower tray, which is manufactured in Mira Showers’ trays and enclosures factory

in Hull, scooped the award in 2017. The latest award recognised the Mira Sport Max for its world-first design for electric showers. It uses patented Mira Airboost technology to increase water flow by up to 30 per cent, without using any more water.

AB Dynamics buys US automotive supply business

AB Dynamics, the Bradford-on-Avon based designer and manufacturer of advanced testing systems and measurement products to the global automotive sector, has acquired California based Dynamic Research Incorporated (DRI) for 24.7 million dollars.

DRI is a leading supplier of automotive engineering products and services to the US automotive market. It performs full-scale track testing of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

(ADAS) and vehicle dynamics tests, providing these services through a test facility and track in California.

AB Dynamics CEO, Dr James Routh, said: “We believe the transaction will not only increase the Group’s access in the growing US market for ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing and verification, but also complements our technical capabilities and facilities. Together we will be unrivalled in ADAS track testing products and well positioned for future growth in an evolving landscape.”

The Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Edward Gillespie OBE, celebrates its Queen’s Award with Mira Showers

BUILDING A SOLID UK SUPPLY CHAIN FOR THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET

Less than six years ago, any conversation on the growth of the electric vehicle market would focus on whether, not when, electric vehicles would dominate our transport system.

It’s the other way around now. But how can the UK seize the initiative in transitioning to battery-powered electric vehicles?

More than 70 people attended the Bessemer Society’s latest dinner to debate the issues.

The Bessemer Society is a growing membership forum for business and academic leaders in the fields of science and technology.

David Greenwood, Professor of Advanced Propulsion at WMG, The University of Warwick, gave a keynote speech. Other speakers included Isobel Sheldon, Head of Business Development at the government-funded UKBIC (Battery Industrialisation Centre), and Richard Hankinson, Director of Automotive at Unipart Logistics and Global Account Director for Jaguar Land Rover.

Professor Greenwood highlighted the UK government’s policy to legally mandate the country moving to zero net carbon emissions by 2050.

But he pointed out that what started as a regulatory push, is now becoming a consumer pull.

“Many early adopters of electric vehicles were buying them as a lifestyle choice. As these vehicles become more affordable,

they are being bought and used by more people as their daily source of transport.”

But electric vehicles still represent only four or five per cent of the market, he added. There is huge potential for growth.

The battery determines the range, cost, performance and lifetime of an electric car. Weighing around a ton and bolted underneath the vehicle, new cars are being designed around it.

For manufacturers, it also represents a hefty 40 per cent of the build and materials cost of the car, sometimes more.

The UK makes up to two billion cars a year. That’s a battery market worth about £5 billion a year, just to supply cars built in the UK. Multiply that across Europe and you get to about £50 billion, said Professor Greenwood.

And it makes sense for those batteries to be build close to the manufacturing plant.

There are established players in some markets, but there are opportunities for

small and innovative companies to bring their technologies forward, he added.

“We have a big market to go for, locally and in Europe. But the converse is also true. If we are unsuccessful in building a UK battery industry, car assembly for the new generation of electric vehicles may move to plants closer to the battery manufacturer and if that’s in Europe, the UK could find itself building out a legacy of internal combustion engines.

“In terms of the technology, we have fantastic universities and start-ups and the capability to innovate in this area,” said Professor Greenwood.

That opens up a huge opportunity for supply chains.

In 2017 the government set up the Faraday Challenge with £256 million of funding for the first four of an intended ten-year commitment to build a battery supply chain in the UK.

“There is an equally big opportunity around battery recycling,” said Professor Greenwood. “We can’t afford to continually dig up minerals from the ground. But we import batteries. Every one of them is a big box of expensive materials, which we could recycle.

“I am working with some companies which are interested in getting large recycling plants into the UK.”

The electric vehicle market is fast-moving and a huge industrial opportunity, said Professor Greenwood. “The UK is committed industrially and at government level to grab a big slice of this. And given what we have done in the past, we have a pretty good chance of achieving that.”

“In terms of the technology, we have fantastic universities and start-ups and the capability to innovate in this area.”

Richard Hankinson, Unipart Logistics, Isobel Sheldon, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), Professor David Greenwood leader of Advanced Propulsion Systems, WMG, Steve Bennington and Alex Stewart, The Bessemer Society

Crowe helps Albert Jagger with major reshoring project

ANDY CLEANS UP ON INNOVATION IN COVENTRY

British clean engineering innovation was showcased to the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, on a visit to clean engineering accelerator Productiv.

This Coventry-based company aims to bridge the gap between small companies developing low carbon technology and large vehicle manufacturers, and helps accelerate innovative clean engineering technologies to market and into production.

The Mayor saw some of the company’s current projects. These included Rolley, an innovative ride-on micro electric

vehicle, Zapinamo, a system for rapid electric vehicle charging and a hydrogen powered drone being developed with Intelligent Energy and Bladon who are manufacturing micro turbine generators to power mobile phone masts in remote locations worldwide.

Productiv CEO, Richard Bruges, said: “The Mayor has put the environment firmly at the top of his agenda and his Clean Growth Challenge, launched this summer, is ample demonstration of the crucial role of clean engineering in both the economy and the environment.”

Digital manufacturing centre speeds up at Silverstone

Funding has been secured for a new Digital Manufacturing Centre at Silverstone Park, forecast to generate £9 million additional economic value for the area.

The project is led by Bicester-based engineering consultancy KW Special Projects which secured funding from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership for the 1,657 sq metre facility.

The centre will act as a technology innovation hub, with digital manufacturing

facilities including additive manufacturing. Incubation and manufacturing space for highperformance technology startups will also be available at the new facility.

The innovation centre is expected to help develop new and high-value engineering opportunities and assist more than 100 small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Coming from a motorsport background, it’s exciting to be able to help drive the latest technology projects across multiple industries at Silverstone,” said Kieron Salter, Managing Director at KW Special Projects.

National audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe UK, has helped one of the Black Country’s best-known businesses to reshore a significant part of its manufacturing process.

With the uncertainty around Brexit, Albert Jagger reviewed its supply chain in 2017 to consider bringing the manufacture of one of its signature products back to the UK.

The company, founded in 1887, began a review of operations with the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre, looking at the potential of reshoring antiluce production.

Antiluce, or dropcatch fasteners, are commonly used on trailer tailgates and sides, allowing panels to drop down and then securely fasten back up. The team at MTC remapped the shop floor looking at product flow optimisation and advised investment in CNC machinery.

The reintroduction of antiluce manufacturing, which began in June, cost more than £500,000. More than 750,000 antiluce are expected to be produced in the first year.

“Coming from a motorsport background, it’s exciting to be able to help drive the latest technology projects across multiple industries at Silverstone”

Manufacturing

Mayor Andy Street visits Productiv

The team behind the reshoring project at Albert Jagger

We’ve a head for boxes

Leamington Spa based corrugated packaging manufacturer, The Box Factory, have invested in a new purpose built Design Centre to encourage a creative and sustainable approach to packaging.

The challenge to minimise the impact we have on the world around us is growing by the day. It affects every one of us and is an issue that commands attention across the globe. World leaders are coming under more and more pressure and people such as Greta Thunberg show that individuals really can make a difference on this global issue.

The challenges are being tackled in no small way by the packaging industry. Consumers are increasingly asking questions of the retailers and manufacturers they buy from and the corrugated packaging industry is in a naturally strong position to help provide the answers. Thanks to modern manufacturing processes corrugated packaging can be produced using 100% recycled material and is 100% recyclable. There is a well-established infrastructure for the recycling of paper based packaging which allows for recycled corrugated boxes to be processed and turned in to new boxes within two weeks.

Against the backdrop of environmental pressure there is also an ever-increasing

pressure on businesses to operate in a cost-effective way to provide best value. These pressures do not have to be at odds with each other, innovative and pragmatic design can provide the answers. The Box Factory currently have 3 full time designers who have a clear brief for every project: Create a bespoke design that performs as well or better, is cost effective, easy to use and better for the environment. When they achieve this there is a ‘win win’ situation with companies often reducing costs.

The design team have now moved into a new design centre which houses a recently acquired DYSS X5 CAD Table from AG/CAD and has been built to provide a calm and creative environment. The highly experienced team look at projects from different perspectives. Use of the correct materials and ensuring best use of this material is as important as the design, shipping unnecessary fresh air increases the cost of logistics as well as the carbon footprint. As corrugated packaging is shipped ‘flat packed’ it often takes up significantly less warehouse space and is more efficiently delivered, meaning that it has an impact even before it has been used. Typically, this process works best where volumes are high, meaning that a bespoke design, once implemented, makes a significant impact.

Jamie Wicks, Sales and Marketing Director, says “Our certification to FSC, sourcing from sustainably managed

forests, recycling waste materials and planting trees to offset carbon emissions are a few of the practical steps we have taken to help, but there is much more that we can do…

A drive to move away from single use plastics and polystyrene is pushing all industries to engage with the supply chain to seek out new solutions. The new design centre is already at work on projects to help replace many hundreds of thousands of single use plastic items from entering the supply chain.

During the planning of the new design facility, future requirements were discussed and taken into consideration. As creative, intelligent design will continue to play a crucial role at The Box Factory, the space is easily adaptable to cope with two additional designers. This certainly future proofs this part of the business and shows commitment to our industry and customers alike.”

Greta Thunberg – Environmental Activist

FLY ME TO THE MOON — THAT’S A REAL LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE

NASA is seeking companies to transport cargo, science equipment and other supplies to its lunar spaceship, called Gateway, ready for astronauts to land on the moon once again by 2024.

There can be no cooler logistics job than this.

“We are asking industry to propose their best solutions for delivering cargo and enabling our deep space supply chain,” said Mark Wiese, NASA’s Gateway logistics element manager at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

There is at least one British company which could provide NASA with a solution. Reaction Engines, based at Culham Science Centre, is developing the technologies needed for hypersonic propulsion with its Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE).

SABRE-class engines will enable aircraft to fly more than five times the speed of sound and allow space launch vehicles to be built that will radically improve the affordability and responsiveness of access to space.

But whether delivering goods to a lunar spaceship or a warehouse in Slough, the

logistics sector has grown phenomenally thanks in no small part to the rise in online shopping and the frantic stockpiling that took place before the first expected Brexit in March.

According to figures released by the Freight Transport Association, the UK’s logistics sector reported a turnover of £924.5 billion in 2018.

But along with the opportunities come some major challenges.

According to Chris Yarsley, Policy Manager at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), responsible for the Midlands and South West of England, many of the transition systems set up ahead of the first Brexit date, March 29, are now running out of time and need to be updated.

“A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes, but we are concerned it’s not enough and we continue to work daily with the government to make sure that the supply chains continue without a break.”

Another issue for the logistics sector is the government’s ambition to set up clean air zones. In 2020, the government

plans to introduce clean air zones in Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton. These are needed to improve air quality by discouraging the use of older, more polluting vehicles.

Clean air zones were expected to be set up in more cities, including Bristol and Coventry but have been dropped for the moment due to the expense.

These, along with schemes for many other cities, will be revisited later.

The FTA is campaigning for better coordination between local schemes to avoid a patchwork of programmes across the country operating to different standards and administrative systems.

There are 192,525 logistics companies in the UK, of which nearly all are small or medium-sized enterprises, and collectively they employ more than 2.7 million people.

The UK logistics market

The UK logistics industry performs a vital role in the UK economy, moving goods to and from hubs and ports, and supporting industries such as construction, manufacturing and services. The wider logistics sector contributes £124 billion to the UK economy.

Source. Freight Transport Association Logistics Report 2019

“We are asking industry to propose their best solutions for delivering cargo and enabling our deep space supply chain”

Logistics isn’t just for the earth-bound. NASA is now seeking companies which can supply goods into space, but the logistics sector as a whole has grown phenomenally

An illustration of the Gateway which will serve as home for human and robotic missions to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars.

Photo: NASA

A RECORD YEAR FOR INDUSTRIAL AND LOGISTICS INVESTMENT VOLUMES…

The year 2018 delivered a record for industrial and logistics investment volumes, according to Lambert Smith Hampton’s 2019 Industrial & Logistics Market report.

A total of £8.4 billion of assets changed hands and the sector outperformed the rest of the commercial real estate market.

Take-up of warehouse space above 100,000 sq ft fell just short of 2016’s record high.

But it was a different picture at the smaller end of the market. Despite an increase in supply, take up of 50,000 sq ft to 99,999 sq ft space was the worst in nine years after a record year in 2017.

Lambert Smith Hampton expected 11.7 million sq ft of speculative development to come forward in 2019 but reported that the critical lack of supply of quality medium-sized and small properties will continue, despite robust levels of demand.

Strong overall results also hide a striking difference in performance between UK

regions. Take-up in the East Midlands hit a record 14.6 million sq ft and big box logistics take-up increased 93 per cent. But take-up in the West Midlands hit a six-year low due to a lack of large logistics deals.

Looking ahead, investors seeking to drive performance will now be banking on rental growth alone, as rising land values and record low yields mean that the era of yield compression has largely come to an end. However, with favourable rental growth prospects in relation to other property sectors, UK industrial and logistics is still forecast to outperform the wider market across the next five years.

… but logistics companies not so confident

Almost 60 per cent of logistics companies say trading has got tougher in the past year, according to Barclays and accountants BDO in a report published this summer. Close to 15 per cent said market conditions are much more difficult – the highest such result since the second half of 2012.

The report, prepared in conjunction with research agency Analytiqa, also revealed

that despite tough market conditions, more than the 100+ survey respondents (all senior decision-makers in the sector), said they still expect to increase profits over the next 12 months.

A weak outlook for UK economic growth, Brexit, and the downturn in the global economy have resulted in nearly half the operators committing to lower levels of investment — but not in technology and sustainability where three quarters of logistics operators say they are likely to make significant capital investment in the next 12 months.

More than two thirds of businesses taking part in the survey say they will be investing in sustainable, environmental or green projects in the next 12 months. There are pragmatic reasons for this as operators anticipate the commercial benefits of cutting fuel usage to secure continued access to the increasing number of UK cities introducing clean air zones.

Fraiken extends long-standing fleet management contract with NHS Blood and Transport

Coventry-based Fraikin has sealed a threeyear renewal deal for one of its longestrunning fleet management contracts.

The company, which provides commercial vehicle contract hire and fleet management, will continue to manage 350 NHS blood and transplant vehicles,

including emergency response cars and the refrigerated trucks which collect and transport blood and blood-related products nationwide.

Tom Hammond, National Fleet Services Manager at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “The national reach of Fraikin’s

mobile technician network ensures any unexpected issues we encounter are handled effectively.”

NHS Blood and Transplant requires a minimum 98 per cent vehicle availability, a 100 per cent MOT pass rate and a first-fix rate for any breakdowns of 99 per cent – all of which Fraikin achieves. The maintenance schedule is managed by the team at Fraikin’s headquarters in Coventry.

NHS Blood and Transplant is the nondepartmental public body of England’s Department of Health and Social Care. Just 830,000 people gave blood last year, but more than 200,000 new donors are needed annually to replace those who can no longer donate regularly.

“A total of £8.4 billion of assets changed hands in 2018, enabling the logistic sector to outperform the rest of the commercial real estate market”

Fraiken extends fleet management contract with NHS

Essitys and IPP cut carbon footprint and boost operational efficiencies

One of the world’s largest hygiene and health companies is working with Coventry-based IPP, a leading pallet pooler, to reduce the carbon footprint created by its deliveries of more than two million pallets a year.

IPP delivers to 21 locations across the UK and Ireland for Sweden-based Essity, which owns tissue and paper towel brands including Cushelle and Plent, and manufactures products for the retail and professional markets. Both parties are looking to reduce CO2 and NoX emissions, reducing costs and boosting operational efficiencies.

Since November last year, the two businesses have been reducing “empty running”, the practice of returning empty vehicles which contribute to pollution and create additional congestion on the UK’s road network.

Terry Scott, Planning and Logistics Manager at Essity, said: “Working with IPP means that we can achieve high levels of waste reduction more cost-effectively, a major bonus to both businesses.”

Shelley Harris, Commercial Director at IPP, added: “Essity has a very high profile in the retail and medical markets

Rail Alliance collaborates with the Railway Industry Association and Rail Forum Midlands

The Stratford-upon-Avon based Rail Alliance has announced a new collaboration with the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) to form the Rail Sector Supply Organisations “Innovation Family”.

Innovation is crucial to the delivery of the UK’s future railway and the Rail Alliance says that joining with the RIA and RFM will help the sector identify, advance and promote innovation.

Launched around a decade ago as an offshoot of the Manufacturing Advisory Service within the West Midlands, the Rail Alliance has become a major rail sector networking organisation.

and rightly has a zero-tolerance approach to inefficiency in its supply chain. We work with the business to deliver reductions in empty running and total transparency so everyone can see the savings.

“This is a good example of proactivity as companies like Essity recognise sustainability not just as a ‘nice to have’, but as an economic and environmental necessity.”

Gloucester-based WMB Logistics, which specialises in bike transport, storage and asset management, is ready and waiting for Brexit, whenever it may come.

The company has been proactive from the beginning to make sure it’s post-Brexit ready, with staff undertaking the necessary training to facilitate the shift in logistics and importing, and to make this as smooth a transition as possible for the business and its clients.

Paul Lusty, Director at WMB Logistics, said: “We were approached by a number of customers to handle customs clearance on their behalf in preparation for Brexit. We now have the procedures in place that will guarantee that Brexit doesn’t create a nightmare for our clients and those businesses that choose to work with WMB.

“By registering with the necessary authorities and having access to their systems, we can now handle the additional administration required when importing into the UK from the EU. In addition to this, we will also be able to handle imports from outside the EU, which will give our clients even more options.

“Whilst the country is unsure what Brexit will actually mean, we are confident that we have all bases covered.”

Gloucester bike transport and storage specialist gears up for Brexit exit –whenever that will be

IPP working with Essity to reduce carbon footprint

WINCANTON LAUNCHES VIRTUAL WAREHOUSE FINDER SERVICE

Chippenham-based Wincanton has launched a new service, “Virtual Access to Storage and Transport” (oneVASTwarehouse) to make finding and selling warehouse space easier.

The platform matches buyers and sellers of warehouse space, allowing companies that need on-demand access to storage to find it quickly, and warehouse owners the opportunity to advertise underused space to generate a new income stream.

Adrian Colman, Chief Executive Officer at Wincanton, said: “We have pioneered collaborative warehousing for a number of years, but with oneVASTwarehouse we are virtualising our services and getting a better utilisation rate for our customers’

warehouse space. This has evolved from a great idea, created through Wincanton’s W2 Labs programme, in which we explore digital innovation in logistics.”

IM Properties secures planning for UK logistics centre as Jaguar Land Rover makes long term commitment

Solihull-based IM Properties has secured planning permission on a new global parts logistics centre for Jaguar Land Rover to help retain the automotive company’s aftermarket parts business in the UK.

The proposed 2.94 million sq ft campus at junction 11 on the M42 will enable Jaguar Land Rover’s global aftermarket business to evolve, maintaining its competitiveness in a challenging global marketplace.

David Smith, IM Properties Planning Director said: “We are pleased to have secured permission for such an important new global facility, which will ensure Jaguar Land Rover’s long-term commitment to the UK.”

a huge commitment which will contribute an additional £139 million GVA per year to the local economy”

Kevin Ashfield UK Development Director at IM Properties, added: “Agreeing to a 20-year lease shows huge commitment which will contribute an additional £139 million GVA per year to the local economy.”

Business improvement experts join Downton

Gloucester-based UK haulier CM Downton has recruited two senior recruits to drive efficiency and performance through analytics and technology.

Kevin Yapp and Clark Podger have joined as Business Improvement Director and Business Improvement Manager.

The pair have more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, and previously worked together in the senior logistics team at Sainsbury’s Argos.

Downton is part of the newly formed EV Cargo group of leading UK logistics firms, which provide transport, logistics, freight forwarding services and logistics technology to many leading brands.

The new facility, which will service 80 countries, will enable Jaguar Land Rover to sustain and create jobs in its business and supply chain, with 1,200 positions required from day one and 3,000 forecast by 2030.

Jaguar Land Rover will integrate its Jaguar and Land Rover operations into one logistics platform, giving the company a more efficient supply chain.

“Agreeing to a 20-year lease shows

Logistics

Kevin Yapp and Clark Podger join Downton

Wincanton launches oneVASTwarehouse

The logistics sector is struggling to fill driver vacancies, according to a report published by Barclays and accountants BDO.

Logistics companies say the lack of drivers is having a major impact on their business.

Operators are also struggling to fill leadership roles and finding warehouse staff and IT talent is also a concern, said the report.

HGV drivers and mechanics are becoming increasingly hard to recruit and the age demographic, specifically within the HGV driver population, is significantly older than the national average. As a result of these factors, and the current reliance on EU labour, the sector faces serious labour shortages over the next five years.

Could technology be the answer? Yes — in the long term, but that presents its own problems, according to Sarah Windrum, CEO of IT and telecommunications company The Emerald Group, based in Leamington Spa. “Few people are willing to train for a job which might not be there in the future,” she said.

Sarah is a board member of the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and works with Warwickshire County Council which sees logistics as a priority sector.

Robotic sorting and autonomous local deliveries could soon be a reality

She added: “China has logistics companies using autonomous pods to deliver and deploy robots in their warehouses. UK businesses I have spoken to want to upskill their existing employees where possible but are aware there are limitations to this. Strategists talk about the cliff-edge automation that logistics is likely to experience but no one knows exactly when it will come.”

There needs to be a national UK approach to logistics recruitment, said Sarah, as the rapid changes in technology create opportunities as well as challenges.

LOGISTICS SECTOR STRUGGLING TO FILL VACANCIES

“I am working on a programme for Warwickshire County Council which will be piloted in a couple of secondary schools to inspire young people to think about the skills needed for the logistics sector and challenge them to look at the industry in a different way by highlighting the potential changes new technology will bring.

“I would love to see the Department of Education look at what we are doing for a national programme, as they have with creative career programmes like Digital Schoolhouse.”

In the West Midlands, the Novus Trust (part of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport) offers a degree in logistics with Aston University to help build a talent pipeline for the industry, but there is a more urgent need that may require short-term financial incentives and support for training from government to ensure logistics companies, especially small and mediumsized enterprises, can take advantage of the new talent being created.

While some small and medium-sized logistics businesses have a visionary leader willing to trial new technology, they often struggle to upskill their employees to make best use of it, explained Sarah.

Don’t fear new technology, it creates new opportunities

“I think there is a fear of new technology taking jobs in the sector rather than creating new opportunities.”

“This is a problem for bigger businesses too, as the implementation of new technology is often the responsibility of a Head of Digital Transformation or Chief Technology Officer who will still need to ensure the culture of the business is ready to accept these changes.

“So far the actual programming and technical skills have been identified as less of an immediate need in the businesses I have interviewed, with people-led skills like cyber security, digital leadership, and data analytics given more of a priority.”

“Few people are willing to train for a job which might not be there in the future”

Sarah Windrum, CEO of The Emerald Group and board member of the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Multi-million pound move for APC Streetwise Couriers

Logistics

A Warwick-based company is celebrating a major milestone with a multi-millionpound move and expansion.

APC Streetwise Couriers, based on the Heathcote Industrial Estate has moved to a new hub at the Tournament Fields development just off the A46 at Warwick.

The logistics carrier, which employs 65 staff, has signed a 15-year lease on a new 25,500 sq ft headquarters which will see it treble its space this month.

The move, completed through Leamington-based commercial agents Wareing & Company, comes 20 years after owner Dave Cleaver started working for the business which he went on to buy in 2015.

The company has delivery and collection rights for parcels and packages across the CV postcode area for the national APC network but the

move will allow it to take more and bigger consignments.

Dave said: “This is a very big move for the company and will allow us to continue the growth of the business.

“We have simply outgrown our current base and we have ambitious expansion plans and this move will allow us to put those into action.

“Tournament Fields is ideally placed very close to the A46 and M40 and transport links are vital to our business. It also helps that two of our major clients are neighbours.

“We have five double-decked delivery lorries visiting every day and having a modern building will massively improve our efficiencies.”

Midlands law firm Wright Hassall acted on behalf of APC Streetwise Couriers.

Haulage sector gets £1 million boost to increase workforce

A £1 million boost to help the logistics sector increase its workforce and recruit new talent has been announced by the government.

The Road to Logistics programme aims to support those who may find it difficult to get permanent jobs, such as veterans, ex-offenders and the longterm unemployed, by supporting them in a career in transport.

Employment in the transport and logistics sector has risen since 2010 but has seen a recent fall. There are currently almost 1.5 million people working in the industry.

Founded by the Road Haulage Association and Microlise, the Road to Logistics is a not-for-profit organisation open to all hauliers that will help them find new logistics professionals by offering support and training to those struggling to find permanent employment.

Smiths News secures longterm distribution contracts

Smiths News, part of Swindon-based news wholesaling and mixed freight distribution company Connect Group, has agreed a new contract with The Telegraph to September 2024, covering the distribution of The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph

The agreement covers all Smiths News’ existing distribution territories, securing annual revenues of more than £100 million, and accounting for around 15 per cent of its newspaper sales.

Jos Opdeweegh, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Since September 2018 we have renewed more than £900 million of annual revenues.”

“We have five double-decked delivery lorries visiting every day and having a modern building will massively improve our efficiencies”

Bill Wareing, Wareing & Co, Dave Cleaver and George Gailey of APC Streetwise Couriers, Paul Shanley, CWC Group and Andrew Jones of Wright Hassall

MYSTERY BUYER SNAPS UP OFQUAL’S FORMER OFFICES IN COVENTRY

A high-specification 20,000 sq ft office in Coventry has been sold in a multi-million pound deal completed by commercial property advisers Bromwich Hardy.

The two-storey office site at 1410 Spring Place, Coventry Business Park was previously the home of education regulator Ofqual. It has been bought by a Coventry-based company for a new head office whose name has not been disclosed.

Bromwich Hardy partner Michelle Mills said the offices generated considerable interest since going on

the market six months ago, illustrating the need for more high-quality office accommodation across the city.

“These are superbly-located offices on a dynamic business park on the western edge of the city, offering excellent, up-todate facilities and transport links.

“The fact that we have seen so much interest reflects the shortage of Grade A stock of all sizes in the city and the wider Warwickshire business environment.”

More than 35 companies are based at the business park including The Deeley Group, I-Nexus, Bellway Homes,

Palmer and Harvey, The Village Hotel and national retail outlets such as Sainsbury’s, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Citroen.

Carter Jonas sells 24 acres of employment land to Tungsten

Property consultancy Carter Jonas has sold a 24-acre employment site in Witney to industrial and warehouse developer Tungsten Properties on behalf of Oxfordshire Land.

The site, which forms part of a larger mixed-use development, has outline consent for B class employment uses.

Located on the corner of Downs Road and Range Road, it is close to a new junction on to the A40 which provides direct access to Oxford to the east and Cheltenham and the M5 to the west.

Representing Oxfordshire Land, Jon Silversides from Carter Jonas said: “Witney has experienced considerable growth in recent years and the promotion

of the larger West Witney development scheme, of which this site is part, has played a vital role in its progression.

“Witney is fast becoming a destination of choice for investors and occupiers attracted to its improved infrastructure and the development options available.

“Such factors - coupled with the fact that this is the first site of this scale to become available in the region for 15 years – meant strong levels of interest were received.”

“The fact that we have seen so much interest reflects the shortage of Grade A stock of all sizes in the city and the wider Warwickshire business environment”

The site bought by Tungsten Properties in Witney

The offices at Coventry Business Park

Bruton Knowles chosen to manage two business centres in Gloucestershire

Property consultancy Bruton Knowles has been appointed to manage two new business centres in Gloucestershire, owned by property development and investment company AC Lloyd.

The Space Business Centres in Cheltenham and Gloucester were acquired by the Warwick-based business in 2018 in a £6.475 million deal.

The site in Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham features four separate buildings with a total of 56 units ranging from 275 sq ft to 774 sq ft and a mix of tenants from health and fitness to building and construction services.

The centre in Olympus Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester, has five separate terraces containing 53 units from 357 sq ft to 721 sq ft and is home to retailers, engineers, electrics and design, and lifestyle and leisure providers.

Head of Commercial Property and Partner at Bruton Knowles, Dorian Wragg, based in Gloucester, said: “We’re pleased to have been appointed to manage such an active pair of properties for AC Lloyd as they make their first investment venture into the Gloucestershire market.

“Both business parks are ideally placed and configured to attract SMEs, boasting

town centre postcodes and manageable spaces which are the perfect size for a range of purposes.”

Tony Hargreave, Property Asset Manager at AC Lloyd, said: “We are impressed with Bruton Knowles’ knowledge of the market in Gloucestershire and it is important we have a high-level of expertise managing these centres on our behalf.”

Property consultancy Harris Lamb is calling for local planning authorities to take a proactive approach to dealing with soaring town centre vacancy rates.

Figures released by the British Retail Consortium show that town centre vacancy rates have hit a four-year high at 10 per cent. However, the number of retail properties approved for conversion to residential use has plummeted and too many long-term empty units remain empty.

According to Harris Lamb, which has offices in Stoke, Birmingham and Worcester, a contributory factor is the restrictions imposed by some local authorities which prevent developers from using Permitted Development Rights (PDR), introduced in 2013 to allow them to convert commercial property for residential use without a full

planning application. The aim was to incentivise developers to convert disused commercial property into housing and help reduce the shortfall in new homes.

Head of Planning at Harris Lamb, Patrick Downes, believes planning authorities need to take a more realistic view.

“There are real opportunities right now for specialist developers to revitalise such locations with appropriate commercial, residential and mixed-use schemes, and they are not being maximised,” he said.

“Whilst these may not be necessarily retail-led, they can still provide excellent opportunities for other commercial uses and residential accommodation.

“Allowing existing retail units to be converted will not only help to revitalise

existing floor space, but would be entirely consistent with the government’s requirement in the framework to make the best use of previously-developed land and will also help to boost development and construction activity.”

Let’s have a new approach to converting empty shops, says Harris Lamb

Dorian Wragg from Bruton Knowles and Tony Hargreave from AC Lloyd

Patrick Downes from Harris Lamb

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Creating some of the best places in the world for science and research to thrive

Myjar picks Banbury as Estonia back-up

Myjar, which offers short-term and flexible loans, has opened in Packington House, Banbury, with the help of White Commercial property consultants.

The 4,710 premises at Horse Fair supports Myjar’s operation in Tallin, Estonia.

Packington House was formerly home to Bibby Financial Services which recently relocated to 35,000 sq ft at Banbury Business Park.

Former workhouse now provides office space

GJS Dillon has been appointed to let a ground floor office suite in Bromsgrove which was once a workhouse.

Bartleet House in Birmingham Road was built in 1701 and became a parish workhouse in 1723. Now a refurbished three-storey office building, it is close to full occupancy.

The 1,695 sq ft ground-floor accommodation consists of private offices, meeting rooms, a kitchen and reception area, plus seven parking spaces.

ST. MODWEN STARTS FINAL PHASE OF WAREHOUSE DEVELOPMENT IN WORCESTER

St Modwen has begun building three industrial and logistics units, totalling 94,545 sq ft, at its Nunnery Park development in Worcester.

The units form the final phase of construction at the site which St Modwen is expanding after obtaining planning permission from Worcester City Council in April 2019. The wider expansion of the 20-acre park is expected to create more than 130 new jobs.

Nunnery Park is home to the UK Storage Company, Auto Support

and Supra UK, as well as to Kentucky Fried Chicken, a Greene King pub, petrol station and convenience store.

The new industrial units, between junctions 6 and 7 of the M5, are expected to be ready for occupation next spring.

James Irwin-Singer, Development Manager at St. Modwen, said: “The popularity of Nunnery Park is down to sustained market demand for strategically-located warehousing and industrial space in Worcestershire. Developing three further units will allow us to meet the needs of potential occupiers and expand what is already a quality offering.”

Perspectum takes space at Oxford Business Park

Life science company Perspectum has signed a 10-year lease on 24,257 sq ft of space at the newly-refurbished Building 5520 at Oxford Business Park, owned by Arlington.

The move enables Perspectum to house its Oxford employees under one roof and to keep growing. The firm develops solutions for the identification and monitoring of metabolic disease and cancer.

BNP Paribas, VSL & Partners and Lambert Smith Hampton advised Arlington. Freeths and Bidwells advised Perspectum Diagnostics.

“The popularity of Nunnery Park is down to sustained market demand for strategically-located warehousing and industrial space in Worcestershire”

Steven Smith, Richard Tomlinson, James Irwin-Singer, Richard Bailey and Tesni Thacker

Outdoor plaza for Cheltenham’s Quadrangle gets the nod

Designs for a new plaza space outside the Quadrangle building in Cheltenham have been approved by Cheltenham Borough Council.

Consent for the refurbishment of the mixed-use building next to the Town Hall was granted in April 2018.

ARCHITECTS PREPARE FOR GROWTH AT BOND’S MILL, STONEHOUSE

Architects Eric Cole are preparing for growth as they take a lease on new offices at Bond’s Mill, Stonehouse, owned by Robert Hitchins.

Director Russell Wilks said the move from Cirencester to the Eagle Suite (2,803 sq ft) in The Wheelhouse offers a great opportunity.

in a spacious office with fantastic views across the valley,” he said.

“We’re delighted to welcome Eric Cole Ltd, relocating from Cirencester to Bond’s Mill”

Robert Hitchins’ Helen Hawke said: “We’re delighted to welcome Eric Cole Ltd, relocating from Cirencester to Bond’s Mill. Eagle Suite is a stunning office at the top of our main mill building and the light and airy feel will be a great creative environment for architects.”

Work has now started on the redevelopment following the appointment of Swindon-based Beard Construction as main contractor.

AWW Architects worked with Tyler Grange Landscape Architects to develop the new plaza plans which will create a softer edge between the Quadrangle and Imperial Gardens which sit behind it.

There will be an external seating area for ground-floor restaurants plus new landscaping to match trees near Cheltenham Town Hall. The path between the plaza and Town Hall is retained with steps and a ramp. Removable display stands have been included to accommodate Art in the Park.

“The decision to move will enable the company to continue growing and provide a better working environment

The agent was John Hawkins, of Hawkins Watton Stroud.

Luxury homebuilder Lockley brings back the bungalow

Luxury homebuilder Lockley Homes has applied for planning permission for nine properties on a two-acre site in Broomhall Lane, Worcester, close to a proposed super-village.

The super-village site crosses the Malvern, Wychavon and Worcester city boundaries and would see a new urban

extension south of Worcester with more than 2,000 homes, new schools, retail and leisure facilities.

Lockley Homes has made the rarely-built bungalow a feature of its proposed development – it includes four bungalows and four three and four-bedroom homes.

“The entire project team worked with the tree and parks officers to ensure the new design creates a plaza space that the public can enjoy,” said Paul Jenkins from SF Planning.

A CGI of how the new Quadrangle will look

Letting agent John Hawkins with Russell Wilks, Helen Hawke from Robert Hitchins, plus staff from Eric Cole at Bond’s Mill

Hospitality sector in the Cotswolds remains resilient, says Colliers

The Cotswolds hospitality industry remains robust – despite a reported slowdown in the region’s housing market, said Peter Brunt from Colliers.

Peter, a director in the hotels team at Colliers International, was responding to a recent report which noted a slowdown in house prices in the area following a slump in property prices in London.

“As long as vendors price sensibly, there continues to be a ready market of buyers looking for new properties in the Cotswolds,” he said.

Colliers International brokered pub and hotels deals in the Cotswolds worth more than £13 million in the first half of this year.

“The hospitality market proved highly resilient through the recession. It is a micro market that has perennial high demand from operators.

“Trading for pubs continues to be strong with the number changing hands in the over £1 million price bracket growing, and some exceptional units breaking the £2 million barrier.”

UNITS ALMOST FULL AS MARICOTT COURT NEARS COMPLETION

All units offered for sale at a new £3 million commercial property development near Leamington Spa have been snapped up as work continues to complete the scheme.

Ten units at the 13-plot Maricott Court development, next to Holywell Business Park in Southam, are now sold or under offer. Discussions are being held with prospective tenants for the final three rental properties scheduled for completion early next year.

Commercial property specialists ehB Reeves, based in Leamington Spa, have been marketing the units for lease and sale freehold. They range in

size from 1,873 sq ft to 6,268 sq ft. Simon Hain, director at ehB Reeves, said: “We’ve had a real mix of owner/occupier and buy-to-let investor interest so we’re confident of seeing an equally diverse mix of businesses setting up in these units.

“The interest in this site is indicative of the demand for high-quality commercial properties. This has been a very successful and sought-after scheme since its inception.”

The Maricott Court development is the final phase of the Holywell/ Northfield Road site, which is already home to businesses including Tesco, HAB International and DYWIDAGSystems International.

Park Sheet Metal signs up for 35,000 sq ft unit in Nuneaton

A Coventry-based automotive supplier has secured new premises in Nuneaton for its main warehouse and distribution centre.

Park Sheet Metal has agreed a 10year lease on a 34,869 sq ft unit in Harrington Way, Bermuda Park, with landlord Warmflame Developments.

Joint agents CBRE and Burbage Realty advised Warmflame Developments on the letting.

Park Sheet Metal supplies metal components and assemblies, predominantly to the niche automotive sector. Customers include Aston Martin, Bentley

and BMW. Warmflame Developments acquired the unit from Milsco earlier this year and completed a full refurbishment of the property.

Paul Hodge, managing director of Warmflame Developments, said: “We went under offer on the unit and completed within four weeks, demonstrating our ability to move quickly using our balance sheet.”

Peter Brunt from Colliers

Craig Herrick from CBRE, Paul Hodge from Warmflame Developments, CEO Mark Barge from Park Sheet Metal

Director of ehB Reeves Simon Hain at Maricott Court site