West & North Yorkshire Business Q4 2018

West & North

Business Yorkshire

Q4 2018

Bright sparks Innovation, education & collaboration

West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce British Chambers of Commerce Accredited

CONNECTING, SUPPORTING & REPRESENTING BUSINESS

WWW.BEFUND.ORG

UNLOCKING YOUR BUSINESS POTENTIAL WITH FLEXIBLE FINANCE At Business Enterprise Fund, we believe in the power of small business. We believe in its potential to transform communities. And we believe in you. Since launching our not-for-profit organisation in 2004, we’ve loaned over £30million to help local businesses thrive and grow. Now, we’ll do the same for you.

GET IN TOUCH TODAY:

INFO@BEFUND.ORG 0800 080 3145

FINANCE AND SUPPORT FOR SM ALL BUSINESSES IN YORKSHIRE AND THE NORTH EAST Business Enterprise Fund is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 726237) Representative example (Start Up Loans Company): £10,000 loan repayable over 5 years. 60 monthly payments of £193.33. Rate of interest 6% per annum fixed. Representative APR 6.18%. Total amount of credit £10,000. Total interest payable £1,599.80. Total cost of credit £1,599.80. Total amount payable is £11,599.80. This is an illustrative example based on loans of up to £25,000 from the Start Up Loans Company (SULC), rates and terms will vary for similar products from other sources should you not be eligible for a SULC loan. Further information is available on enquiry.

Helping Fund UK Business

West & North Yorkshire Business

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WELCOME 3

Get involved As we reach the end of the calendar year I’ve looked back at thoughts from January. We hoped that the Brexit issues would be resolved and that a devolution deal would be agreed for our patch. Sadly, neither of those things are sorted yet. However, there has been good news in West & North Yorkshire. Channel 4 made its decision to establish its base in Leeds, the plans for the former Odeon in Bradford have moved forward and the York Central site is being marketed. These will mean investment, job creation and new activity, which is great news.

Sandy Needham Chief Executive West & North Yorkshire Chamber

08455 240 240 editor@yorkshire-business.co.uk www.yorkshire-business.co.uk @WNYorkshire_Biz

In the last magazine we had a big feature on manufacturing and I’m pleased to report that the Leeds Manufacturing Festival and Bradford Manufacturing Week initiatives were both successfully run in October. Thank you to everyone who was involved in planning and delivering those. The feedback from both companies and schools has been great. Views of careers in manufacturing have definitely changed for the better. Andy Murphy, of Melrose Textiles, said that he’d gained enormously from meeting young people and, because of having a better understanding their views, he’s changed plans for his new factory.

In this issue you’ll find details of a visit by the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, news from universities and colleges, company profiles, investment in buses and examples of support provided by the Chamber’s International team and financial help from the Business Enterprise Fund.

Q4

West & North Yorkshire Business

4 CONTACTS EDITORIAL editor@yorkshire-business.co.uk DESIGN design@yorkshire-business.co.uk

6

MEMBERS’ NEWS News from Bradford, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire

12 14 16 18 19 21 22 23 24 26

REGIONAL NEWS

ADVERTISING advertising@yorkshire-business.co.uk

News from across the region

FEATURE

SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@yorkshire-business.co.uk

Nexus

FINANCE

GENERAL hello@yorkshire-business.co.uk

Relentless Interiors

PROPERTY

WEBSITE yorkshire-business.co.uk

New face at the forum

TRANSPORT

TWITTER @WNYorkshire_Biz

Getting rails industry on track

POLICY

West & North Yorkshire Business is a quarterly business magazine produced by the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. The audience for this publication is comprised of a targeted audience of the major decision makers and senior executives across both the Yorkshire region and the wider UK business community. © 2018 West & North Yorkshire Business - No Part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form of advertising or promotion without the express permission of the editorial team.

West & North Yorkshire Business has taken all reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate on the date of publication.

This magazine is published by the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Public realm

BREXIT Is your business ready?

BRADFORD A vote of confidence

FEATURE Leeds Beckett

BRADFORD

27

Development is music to our ears

TRANSPORT

28 30 31 32 34 35

Government Minister visits Produmax

PROFILE

Printed by Hart & Clough www.hartandclough.co.uk

York Business School

PROFILE

The Chamber group includes Chamber International, Business Enterprise Fund and West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Pavers

PROFILE Box Architects

INTERNATIONAL Success is in the bag

PROFILE

West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce British Chambers of Commerce Accredited

Sovereign Health Care

PROFILE Trinity Kitchen

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TOP TIPS Commercial property lease

PROFILE LeedsBID

PROFILE Team Activ

INTERNATIONAL New partnership

PROFILE Leeds City College

PROFILE Deliveroo

PROFILE Yorkshire Bank

PROFILE Up Your Game

INTERNATIONAL Smart Organic Solutions

FEATURE First Bus

PROFILE Minster FM Radio

INTERNATIONAL Harrogate Water Brands

RAISING THE BAR Annual awards evening

MANUFACTURING Leeds Manufacturing Festival

MANUFACTURING Bradford Manufacturing Week

CHARITY Bradford Chamber charities

ANNUAL DINNER Bradford Chamber

EVENTS Upcoming events and training

West & North Yorkshire Business

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CONTENTS 5

Talking transport 14 28

27

Education and innovation

54

Seeking progress

23

Raising the Bar awards

62 Bradford Chamber Annual Dinner

Bradford BID

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6

BRADFORD NEWS

No short cuts to tackling shortages During a recent holiday to Australia, I saw a lot of local news and quickly realised that many of the challenges we see in our cities are not unique to the UK. One of the most striking was the recognition of a skills shortage and, while I acknowledge that Australia is quite an attractive proposition for various reasons as a place to work, the reality is that relocating is not for everyone.

Upon looking closer to home – Europe – the story appears to be the same and, on further investigation, the skills shortage is a global issue!

However: what we must do is accelerate the pace at which we ensure that our young people are prepared for the future world of work. Bradford, with its many young people, needs to work extremely hard to prepare the young for the world of work.

Bradford Manufacturing Week saw manufacturers and schools coming together, with companies opening up their doors for students to have work experience and factory tours.

Nick Garthwaite President Bradford Chamber

Exceptional customer service The efforts of seven staff members to deliver exceptional service and commitment at Tong Garden Centre are being rewarded with an invitation to a prestigious awards ceremony.

All were selected for their positivity and commitment which contributed to the exponential growth. For their efforts, the staff members will attend the Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards which honour Yorkshire’s £8 billion a year tourism economy.

A family friendly employer Yorkshire Building Society has been named – for the second year running - as one of the top UK employers for building flexible, family friendly workplaces.

It earned the accolade after introducing a new approach more suited to finding a work-life balance.

The Society is named in the top 30 employers by charity Working Families after competing with large and small public and private sector organisations to gain a place on the list.

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Sparkling Bradford Key partners from the Bradford district have announced that they are working together to offer an all-inclusive Christmas initiative, called Sparkling Bradford.

The Sparkling Bradford initiative has been developed by The Broadway Bradford, Visit Bradford, Bradford Council, Made in Bradford and the University of Bradford.

Sparkling Bradford will encompass all of the season’s events and experiences, highlighting the district as a Christmas destination for people of the North this festive period.

Cycling for charity

On the move

Think big with small packs

Ramsdens Solicitors’ team of superheroes took on the Tour de Ramsdens 120 mile cycle route across our 14 offices, starting in Easingwold, York at 5am and finishing at the Ramsden Street office in Huddersfield at 7:45pm, in aid of The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust.

Yorkshire law firm Gordons has moved into a new 8,947 sq ft ground floor Grade A office at St James Business Park in Bradford, with a ten year-lease which demonstrates the firm’s continued commitment to the city.

A West Yorkshire-based chemical manufacturer has expanded its offering to include smaller, more accessible product solutions alongside its bulk chemical range.

The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust invited individuals across the region to do something Spectacular this September and join the fight against cancer. The super team at Ramsdens have raised an amazing £1,160 for the charity, smashing their original target of £400.

All staff based at Gordon’s former premises on Duke Street have moved into the new offices.

The innovative working environment includes relaxation areas and breakout spaces, which have been designed to further enhance collaboration, problem solving and teamwork.

Airedale Chemical has acquired two automated filling, labelling and capping production lines with the capacity to produce 2.4 million units per year at its four-acre site. The move to smaller packs will allow customers to differentiate themselves in the marketing by selling small packet chemicals alongside bulk and IBC quantities.

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LEEDS NEWS

Providing positive platforms While we are in a state of uncertainty due to Brexit negotiations and volatility in the economy, we also have much to be positive about, especially locally.

As a lobbying organisation, we need to focus on the things that we can influence, rather than worry about the things out of our control.

During 2018, Leeds Chamber, as well as our neighbours in Bradford and York & North Yorkshire, have influenced policy-makers to make all of our local geographical areas better places in which to do business – you can read about some of the recent activities in this magazine.

Chambers of Commerce, and our national partner the British Chambers, thankfully have the ear of decision-makers in Westminster, Whitehall and the Bank of England.

As well as lobbying direct to ministers and government departments, we also provide platforms for our members to speak direct to people in positions of influence; and for that reason, among others, I’m sure that, in months and years to come, Leeds Chamber will continue to play an influential role on behalf of the city’s business community.

Paula Dillon President Leeds Chamber

Powering Nigeria Xerogrid, a renewable energy business based in Leeds, has won a £165,000 contract to supply solar systems that will power mobile clinics in Nigeria for the charity eHealth Africa.

The business specialises in fitting solar and wind power in difficult to reach locations. The contract for eHealth Africa will facilitate semimobile, non-permanent health centres in Nigeria which will deliver health services and supplies to remote cut-off communities.

Educational excellence

Leeds City College is the first college in Yorkshire to be named a Maths Centre of Excellence and could receive over £1m of funding to develop new methods of teaching.

The college is one of 21 further education institutions in the country to test and share best practice through maths networks. The institution provides an opportunity for students at all levels to succeed and progress in maths.

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Supporting redevelopment Funding of £499,999 has been awarded by Arts Council England to Opera North towards a significant capital redevelopment project during 2019-2020.

Given through Arts Council England’s Small Capital Grants funding stream for National Portfolio Organisations, the support will allow Opera North to improve its arts facilities, make energy efficiencies, and develop digital technologies, as part of its Music Works project to transform the Company’s buildings.

The redevelopment will enable Opera North to perform and present more live music, as well as creating new public spaces, improving audience and participant experiences, and creating an open, welcoming and sustainable building that is fully accessible at all levels.

Impressive revenue growth

Prestigious panel success

New partnerships

Leeds-based Clarion is celebrating another year of strong growth with the law firm seeing revenue increase by 24% in the last financial year, well ahead of the industry average, which is close to 10% growth.

Ward Hadaway has been appointed as an awarded supplier to the Intellectual Property Rights Services framework by the North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium.

National development consultancy, Pegasus Group, has signed up as a Chapter Partner to the business networking group YEP.

Clarion increased turnover from £11.7m in 2017 to £14.5m this year and saw profits rise by 13%. The firm continuing to re-invest in the business, growing its team to 188 colleagues, including 24 partners.

The appointment means that Ward Hadaway can deliver IPR services on a national basis to over 400 organisations that are part of the framework, including a number across the North East.

YEP Leeds is part of the global group Young Entrepreneurs in Property which has 5,000 members in the UK and Dubai.

Pegasus has joined the network with aim to target the property and construction sector in Leeds.

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YORK & NORTH YORKSHIRE NEWS

All the help you need The last 18 months, since I have been President of York & North Yorkshire Chamber, have flown.

Many developments have begun to move forward; all the signs are that my last few months, before I hand over to Andrew Digwood in September, will see even more change as projects such as York Community Stadium come to fruition.

Meetings with MPs, York Council representatives and the Bank of England have enabled us to give voice to members’ views, while York’s Property Forum is working on York Central, the Local Plan and the traffic and transport infrastructure improvements.

Another key area facing our businesses is the skills gap and recruitment-related issues. I do feel that this needs to be dealt with at source, in schools, where I believe all options, whether further or higher education, apprenticeships or employment, should be given proper consideration with impartial careers advice.

Looking towards the year ahead, whether you’re looking for advice, networking, lobbying, international support or sharing best practice, then the Chamber has all the help your business needs.

Bridget Meynell President York & North Yorkshire Chamber

National award for law practitioner Rachel Roche, of York-based Roche Legal, is celebrating winning one of the highest accolades for layers in England Wales at the Law Society’s prestigious Excellence Awards.

Rachel, who recently launched a cutting edge online Will writing and Lasting Power of Attorney programme which she developed, collected the Law Society Sole Practitioner of the Year award at a glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

On receiving the award, Rachel commented: “To have been recognised with such a prestigious award is humbling and I want to pay tribute to the wonderful team here at Roche legal who have worked so hard to make this possible.”

Cyber-secure law firm Rollits is now one of a handful of law firms in the region to hold the governmentapproved Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.

Cyber Essentials is a cyber security standard which identifies the security controls organisations must have in place within their IT systems to mitigate internet-based threats.

Mike Wasling, Director of Information & Technology, says: “We’re delighted to have achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification as we take the security of our internal systems extremely seriously.”

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Innovative acting course CU Scarborough, part of the Coventry University Group, has partnered with the world-famous Stephen Joseph Theatre to launch a unique BA (Hons) Acting degree.

The innovative three-year course, which is due to begin in September 2019, will train students in acting for stage, TV and radio as well as introducing them to various nontraditional techniques such as presenting, corporate role-play, vlogging and video game acting.

In a bid to champion access to all, the degree will introduce a new auditioning process which will be free to prospective students, thereby removing some early financial barriers experienced by students.

Trans-Atlantic expansion

An outdoor haven

Self storage company flies high

Award-winning UK design consultancy TSP Projects has begun a transAtlantic expansion with the opening of a new Canadian office as a satellite to its York headquarters.

York Theatre Royal has launched a £50,000 scheme to create a unique outdoor haven in the city.

Inner Space Stations has been named the ‘UK Best Independent Facility of the Year’ at an award ceremony hosted by the Self Storage Association.

The company, whose specialisms include rail, energy, aviation, security and construction, is responsible for designing and constructing many major infrastructure projects. The project office in Toronto is set to benefit from the growing Canadian urban rail sector.

The project aims to transform the existing Patio Garden into an accessible and attractive space that can be enjoyed by all.

Tom Bird, the executive director of York Theatre, commented: “Our aim is to restore this garden and create a versatile patio garden that is family friendly and can be enjoyed as an extension of the theatre café.”

The self storage and service station operator opened only one year ago, following an investment of over £1.3 million. Graham Kennedy, the managing director of Inner Space Stations, has since developed a unique brand for the company which connects his fascination with space and sci-fi with his business.

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West & North Yorkshire Business

12

WEST & NORTH YORKSHIRE

Get your voice heard At the same time as we continue to have uncertainty over Brexit, progress with devolution in Yorkshire and the short to medium-term national political landscape, we should remain focused on what business and its leaders can influence.

Having the right level of investment in infrastructure, skills, training and education are issues on which the Chamber continue to lobby and campaign.

We know that government want to hear the business voice. We do this regionally, through our own work in West and North Yorkshire, and we do it nationally, through the British Chambers of Commerce. The Chamber’s voice is heard by government.

Trade network counts successes More than 80 Yorkshire Businesses have accessed first-hand advice on trading overseas from some of the region’s most experienced exporters in the 12 months since the launch of ExportExchange. The programme, which is backed by the European Regional Development Fund, offers a free peer-to-peer overseas trade network for Leeds City Region businesses.

Among the export businesses to benefit is Skipton-based Whitakers Chocolates, who reached out to ExportExchange for advice on exploring overseas sales.

The firm made contact with ExportExchange patron Garry Nield, of Taylors of Harrogate, and found his advice tremendously useful; Whitakers Chocolates plans to exhibit at ISM Cologne, the world’s largest confectionery exhibition.

Your Chamber is one of the largest in the UK and has a strong voice.

We will continue to deliver on our promise of ‘Connecting, Supporting and Representing’ our members and I urge all our members to make sure we hear your views. You can do this by contacting me and any member of the Chamber’s team.

I also urge members to take a look at our website for up-to-date news to ensure you know what the Chamber can do for you and how to get involved.

Gerald Jennings Chair of the Board West & North Yorkshire Chamber

Accommodating the older generation A £100m investment plan has been established to secure nearly 50% more accommodation for older people. York City Council is on track to deliver over 900 extra new units of accommodation with care for older people by 2020.

The 964 units represent a significant increase on the 533 which were originally planned, and reflect a growing need for more appropriate accommodation for older people.

West & North Yorkshire Business

Luxury photoshoots in stunning venues Yorkshire portrait photographers Lincoln Roth and Perrin Read from Roth Read Photography offer luxury Portrait Collections for their clients in new ventures with Fibre Penthouse, Leeds and The Principal Hotel, York.

Both portrait packages offer something extra special: The Fibre Penthouse Package includes Champagne with a VIP experience afterwards.

The Principal Package is more indulgent offering a personally chosen dress from Va Va Voom Boutique in York, a private hotel

Final phase for LBA redevelopment The region’s biggest airport is planning a multi-million pound, three-storey extension to its terminal building, that once complete, will house a transformed international arrivals process.

The newly announced final phase will include the construction of a new pier, replacing the current passenger walkway with a two-storey structure, housing arrivals and departures. The works are expected to be completed for summer 2020.

room, professionally styled hair and makeup, lunch and a Twilight Tea with sharing cocktails in teapots! An overnight stay presents an opportunity for clients to explore the historic and vibrant City of York.

Both these locations are stunning in their own way: The Fibre Penthouse is full of plush fabrics, bold colours and stunning lighting effects, whereas The Principal Hotel blends style and elegance with the grandeur of late Victorian architecture.

Clients’ receive a personal consultation before their shoot, and up to 30 (12x8”) matted images in a

Next generation broadband

beautiful Italian hand-crafted leatherette bound reveal box.

Perrin and Lincoln wanted to offer their clients more than just a typical studio photoshoot, so they created luxury packages in beautiful locations where up to 3 people can be indulged, posed, creatively lit and professionally photographed.

The promotional Reveal Box and images are on display at all three locations (including the boutique) and they can be seen together at the photography studio. For more information or a Consultation please call Roth Read Photography or visit their website.

More good than bad

New research on the nation’s bus drivers has revealed a fascinating snap shot into British life. The poll by Five million homes are to benefit First Bus revealed 71% of drivers surveyed said they from full fibre broadband as see far more good in the world than bad and half said CityFibre establish a £2.5bn they are in the privileged position of seeing all walks investment plan to expand its of life embark their bus. fibre network.

The researched found that the typical bus driver is on The £2.5bn investment the receiving end of 169 ‘thank yous’ in a typical day, programme will provide the as well as witnessing 42 toddler tantrums in the last infrastructure needed to year, 14 passionate kisses and 18 students finishing off underpin the UK’s digital future, their homework. stimulating growth in regional towns and cities, bringing in Melanie Rees, Customer Experience Director at First £85bn in associated economic Bus, commented: “Our bus drivers are the heart of benefits and creating 5,000 our business and they have one of the toughest jobs construction jobs. 37 towns and – they get to see Britain at its best, and worst. As one cities will benefit from CityFibre’s of the UK’s biggest bus operators, we know how planned infrastructure important the bus service is to local communities.” improvements.

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West & North Yorkshire Business

14 FEATURE Collaboration and innovation go handin-hand and when business and academia collide, great things happen.

Yorkshire has seen the biggest drop in businesses investing in research and development for growth, according to the most recent UK Innovation Survey*, which creates a great opportunity to re-connect academia and industry in our region.

One man who knows the benefits of bringing these two forces together is Dr Martin Stow, who has spent the past 25 years working in senior worldwide R&D and strategic leadership roles within the healthcare and life science industries.

Crafting his career in multinational businesses – as Vice-President for Research & Development with Johnson & Johnson - and in ‘start up’ organisations, most recently launching a disruptive and innovative DNA personalised skincare business, Martin has gained a rare insight into the challenges facing businesses of all sizes, specifically when considering how to promote and enable research and innovation within their organisations.

Drawing on that experience, Martin’s latest venture sees him leading the delivery and implementation of Nexus, a ground breaking University of Leeds initiative which is due to launch early next year, providing seamless access to research expertise, facilities and talent across the University.

Based in a brand new £40m building on the University campus, Nexus will feature state-of-the-art office and lab space, collaboration areas and coworking space as well as event and meeting facilities. A dedicated team will be responsible for facilitating productive working partnerships and collaborations to connect businesses

to the University’s world-class research and innovation, giving them a competitive edge in the dynamic marketplace.

The building will house a mixture of teams including those from Nexus, the University’s Research and Innovation Service, external professional advisors, start-ups, SMEs and corporate R&D teams all coming together to deliver innovative solutions to business challenges.

“I see Nexus changing the mindset and culture in which universities and industry work together,” says Martin.

“Universities have a key role to play in the economic development of the North and my vision for Nexus is for it to become an innovation powerhouse, driving economic, regional and societal change. We want to put the Leeds City Region at the forefront of innovations across multiple disciplines and in particular build upon the strengths of Medtech, Fintech and data analytics.

Although Individual light bulb moments are still crucial to innovation, ground-breaking ideas, inventions and new products are increasingly about pools of talent, shared expertise and collaboration. It’s crucial that trusted relationships can be formed and developed between businesses and academics. Not only to provide businesses with the opportunity to access leading research, but also for aspiring students and recent graduates to gain real industry insights and guidance.”

With a strong background in commercialisation and a continued focus on collaboration, the University of Leeds has a proven track record of helping the business community. It has created over 110 companies in the last 20 years, including six market listed companies with a value in excess of £550m.

Harnessing this experience Nexus will bring together a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, businesses and innovators with university researchers, professional partners and emerging student and graduate talent, to form new and valuable collaborations that will deliver commercial impact and

generate economic growth for Leeds and beyond.

Situated on Discovery Way, a new entrance to the University campus from Woodhouse Lane, Nexus is spread over six floors and will be a hub for the growing innovation community in Leeds. Set to open in early 2019, Nexus will bring world-class ideas, concepts and technologies to deliver breakthrough solutions to real world, market-based problems.

Martin adds: “Nexus is a hard-wired connection to the expertise available at the University and is invaluable for businesses who want access to the research and infrastructure needed to take an idea from concept to reality.

With core research capabilities across health, engineering, environment and data, we are able to drive radical thinking and new approaches that achieve commercial gain.

Revolutionary thinking creates new markets and new technologies and Nexus will be at the heart of that dynamic creative space.

As well as creating the right environment for collaboration to thrive, it is also key for Nexus to connect with the wider regional business community to better understand how we can provide the right support.”

Martin, who leads the University’s relationship with the Chamber of Commerce continues: “Forming strong relationships and partnerships with regional business organisations is critical to understanding the challenges and opportunities that they face. One of the benefits of the University’s partnership with the Chamber is that we can work closely with businesses to ensure we are able to support their growth plans. The Chamber plays a fundamental role in enabling us to lead the way on innovation, realising the tremendous value of research and development in translating great ideas into market success.” *41% of businesses with co-operation arrangements reported partnering with universities or other higher education institutions - The UK Innovation Survey 2017

“I see Nexus changing the mindset and culture in which universities and industry work together.�

Dr Martin Stow, Nexus Director

Business lender

cements plans for concrete interior specialists A Leeds couple who specialise in manufacturing and installing concrete interiors are expanding their business thanks to a ÂŁ20k loan from the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF).

West & North Yorkshire Business

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FINANCE 17 Relentless Interiors, based in Rawdon, was the brainchild of Sally Hotchin and Richard Butt who were inspired to set up a business producing concrete furniture and installing microcement floors and walls after discovering it for their own home three years ago.

The duo’s microcement creates a seamless concrete finish which is waterproof, stain resistant and nonslip, making it ideal for flooring, walls, stairs and outdoor spaces. After seeing a huge rise in demand for more products and services, they approached BEF for funding to help grow their offering.

Sally Hotchin, Commercial Director, explained: “It’s really exciting for us to be introducing a new material to the interior design mix, concrete is a brilliantly tactile and versatile material which creates a stunning, contemporary and very practical surface for kitchens, bathrooms and living areas of the home.

“Last year’s turnover was around £30k and we’re anticipating this will rise to £100k by the end of this year with demand especially high for microcement products; it is fast becoming a favourite with interior designers and architects. Securing a loan from BEF means we can now invest in more machinery and stock, such as glass fibre, to fulfil our growing order book and set up a niche training arm for installers who are fitting our products into homes.”

Richard Butt, Operations Director, added: “We’ve seen the trend for concrete in homes soar over the past year, it’s definitely the next big thing in interiors with microcement trending globally. Customers are so surprised at the versatility of concrete; for example it can be applied directly in shower areas making it watertight. The BEF loan has enabled us to form strong trade relationships with kitchen companies, architects and interior designers who are all at the forefront of the new trends.”

The Business Enterprise Fund is a social enterprise specialising in providing funding and advice to businesses across Yorkshire and the North East.

Rupert Shires, Investment Manager at BEF which has an office on St Paul’s Street in Leeds, said: “The entrepreneurial spirit within this organisation is inspiring. Sally and Richard have identified a growing trend within the market and we’re thrilled to see how our loan has allowed them to diversify into various business ventures. With clear passion and enthusiasm – Relentless Interiors have an exciting future ahead!”

Relentless Interiors is based in Rawdon and offers bespoke design services, as well as having showroom space at Arlington Interiors in Farsley.

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West & North Yorkshire Business

18 PROPERTY

New face at the forum The Property Forum of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is to get a new chairman.

Steve Secker takes over from Eamonn Keogh at the December meeting of the property specialists. Steve, previously the managing director with McCarthy & Stone in the North East, now runs his own specialist retirement housing and development consultancy, based in North Yorkshire, and he is also a non-executive director of specialists in independent living for older people, Jonnie Johnson Housing.

Steve said: “I’m looking forward to taking on the role. It’s essential that Chamber members in the private sector development, construction and associated sectors have an opportunity, via the Forum, to get their voice heard. Eamonn has set the bar very high in his years as chair and I’d like to think that I will be able to do the same.”

Eamonn has been with planning consultants O’Neill Associates since 2014, and has led the Forum for seven years. He is qualified as both a town planner and chartered surveyor, and has also worked in property management and with a major housing developer.

Steve served 24 years with McCarthy & Stone, including 13 as MD.

West & North Yorkshire Business

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TRANSPORT 19

Getting the rail industry

back on track West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the government announcement to review the rail industry.

Former British Airways Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman of John Lewis Partnership, Keith Williams, will lead the review, and will report back in 2019, with recommendations to be implemented from 2020 onwards.

The review is expected to have a wide focus, including: • leveraging the commercial model to ensure improved services for passengers and taxpayers, and more effectively balance of public and private sector involvement • the roles and structures of all parts of the industry, involving working together more effectively to reduce fragmentation, improving passenger services and increase accountability • how the railway can support a fares system that delivers value for money for passengers and taxpayers; and improved industrial relations to maintain performance for passengers.

Addleshaw Goddard’s Sara Gilmore, who heads up the Chamber’s Transport Group, said: “We welcome the government review into the rail industry – it cannot come soon enough. It needs to be wide-ranging and thorough, and deliver significant improvements.

Someone within government or the industry needs to take responsibility for the current shambles that is the British rail network. Commuters deserve better than this. At a time when only 60% of Trans-Pennine’s services arrive within one minute of the scheduled time, and overall rail punctuality at its worst for 12 years, claims by the Government of the huge benefits of rail privatisation look very dubious. On top of that fares are increasing at higher than the inflation rate.

Things have to change within the industry, including accountability and responsibility.”

The move has also been welcomed by the wider Chamber network, with the British Chambers of Commerce adding: “After years of disruption and uncertainty, this review comes not before time. Given the role that the railways play in the daily lives of employees and businesses across many parts of the UK, the review must deliver tangible, visible improvements to the system for both businesses and commuters. Travel delays increase business costs, jeopardise business opportunities and make firms less competitive. This review must tackle all the aspects of rail travel currently worrying businesses, including service reliability, pricing, ticket flexibility, innovation, investment, freight and value for money. The review should also look at what more needs to be done to increase connectivity on trains – so that commuters and businesses alike can make productive use of journey time.”

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West & North Yorkshire Business

20 QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY

48%

Manufacturers CONCERNED WITH EXCHANGE RATES

RECRUITING

57%

80%

FULL TIME

48%

12%

DECREASE

Recruitment, looking for staff

INCREASE

UK sales in last quarter

SKILLED TECHNICAL

38%

32%

PROFESSIONAL MANAGERIAL

INCREASE

22%

54%

DECREASE

Recruitment

Export sales

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POLICY 21 Wikipedia defines place-making as “… a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Place-making capitalises on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and well-being”.

Increasingly the quality and appeal of the spaces between the buildings is as important as the buildings themselves.

Think of all of the great cities around the world and it is likely that the squares, piazzas, parks and plazas are what come to mind. Piazza San Marco in Venice; Trafalgar Square in London; Central Park in New York, all have a value far beyond their physical appearance, they are the places which put their city on the global stage.

Much closer to home we have Park

Square in Leeds, City Park in Bradford and the magnificent Piece Hall in Halifax which provide moments of calm in our otherwise busy schedules.

But there are more reasons to support the place-making agenda: the growing dominance of highways infrastructure and the need to travel quickly has led to poor air quality rising up the government’s agenda.

Leeds’ transformation in recent years has been mostly to the north of the river. The Waterfront has effectively been screened off from the rest of the centre and remains largely invisible.

Significant new development opportunities along the river and canal network, plus plans for high speed rail and other upgrades, will put nearly ten million people within an hour’s commute of a new station.

This will create a significant catchment area for employers looking to hire the right skills, and in turn will create further development opportunities within Leeds South Bank and beyond.

The Chamber’s Waterfront Report and Charter have seen pledges of support from investors and businesses close to the city’s waterways, but we want to see even more play a part. Over the past year, we have seen a growing commitment to activating the Waterfront, and this has set a foundation for everybody with an interest to take responsibility and respond to this ‘call to action’.

Tim Waring Director at Quod & Chair, Leeds Chamber Waterfront Group

The

value of public realm – the importance of place-making

A new Waterfront Enhancement Fund of up to £100,000 will offer grants for capital projects to make the area more accessible and attractive. The Fund will stimulate economic development and improved social well-being, and support the Cultural Strategy

by making the most of public spaces and providing a platform for the 2023 cultural programme in the city.

Details of the fund are at www.leeds.gov.uk/ business/investment-and-development/ leeds-waterfront-enhancement-fund

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West & North Yorkshire Business

22 BREXIT

Are you

ready for Brexit?

While some companies are already planning for the challenges and opportunities ahead, the Chamber believe that all firms – not just those directly and immediately affected – should be undertaking a Brexit ‘health check’, and a broader test of existing business plans.

We would, however, encourage all companies, irrespective of size, sector or whether they trade internationally to plan ahead and start the process right now.

Business issues are covered in our Brexit Checklist which you can find on our website at www. wnychamber.co.uk/europe . If Brexit isn’t on your boardroom agenda then do at least take a look at this document and ensure you are fully prepared.

At the time of writing the withdrawal agreement between the UK and EU remains to be approved by parliament, one outcome companies should consider is that we leave the EU on March 29th without any kind of agreement. We would strongly encourage companies to take note of the advice posted by government in the event of this scenario, details can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-toprepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal If you have any questions relating to Brexit then do not hesitate to contact the Chamber policy team and we will do our best to advise.

Here are some questions you might want to be asking your board members: On workforce matters, we have had some reassurances that EU citizen’s rights to live and work in the UK will be safeguarded. But what will your future skills needs be, and can they be found in the UK? Do you have staff development programmes in place and could you be eligible for any available training subsidies in your location. If you service clients in the EU, will your qualifications still be recognised after we leave the EU? If you are reliant on cross-border trade activities, would any delays at ports hinder or hold up your production capabilities?

Do you need to hold stock, and if so have you sufficient storage capacity? How might ‘Rules of origin’ effect relations with your EU customers and are they talking to you now about products you put into their supply chains?

What regulatory frameworks do you work to and will any future UK divergence affect your ability to supply your EU customers?

How are your contract T&Cs structured, do they refer to any terms that should be reviewed in light of Brexit? If you own any intellectual property, how will this be protected after March 2019?

What global opportunities might there be for your business after we leave the EU in 2019?

Currently the government is looking to explore free trade agreements with the USA, New Zealand, Australia and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), could there be opportunities to enter these markets or grow your existing market share?

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BRADFORD 23

BID result gives city centre boost City centre businesses in Bradford have given a big ‘thumbs-up’ to the proposal for a Business Improvement District.

A recent ballot revealed 79% of those who voted were in favour of the plan to raise £2.5m to boost the city centre over the next five years. The money will be used to fund new projects, not augment existing ones.

Rules stipulated that more than 50% of the 630 eligible businesses needed to take part, while also representing more than 50% of the total rateable value. The final figure represented 85% of the rateable value of properties owned and managed by those voting in favour.

The Business Improvement District (BID) will become a company limited by guarantee. About £2.5m will be collected over five years through a levy on those with a rateable value of more

than £12,000. A small business valued at £15,000 will pay £3.61 a week while an RV of £65,000 will mean £15.63 a week. Areas of activity will cover improving the city’s cleanliness, appearance, safety, supporting attractions, promoting to new audiences and businesses for investment.

“Now is Bradford’s time to show the best of partnership working.”

Ian Ward, Chairman of the BID development board, said: “The hard yards start now. There is a vast amount to be done and we will need to draw on every ounce of

commitment and determination we can muster to ensure we do our very best for the city in the years to come.

We can’t wait to get stuck into the projects that businesses have identified as the key issues to tackle.”

Sandy Needham, Chief Executive of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and joint Deputy BID Chair, added: “The BID will bring together some money, true collaboration and additional activity that could make a real difference to Bradford.”

Catherine Riley, Manager at the Kirkgate Centre, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Bradford businesses have voted overwhelmingly in support of the BID. Now is Bradford’s time to show the best of partnership working.

We look forward to working with the BID team over the next five years to make Bradford a cleaner, safer and more vibrant city.”

Leading the way with degree apprenticeships

Three years ago, the Government launched a new style of apprenticeship, bringing together full-time work experience and university education.

One of the universities leading the way, with the range and breadth of degree apprenticeship courses they offer, is Leeds Beckett University.

Degree apprenticeships work by matching a Governmentapproved industry ‘standard’ (a defined set of skills and learning outcomes that a course should provide for a specific occupation – for example, a senior leader, a registered nurse, or a chartered surveyor) to an education provider’s course.

There are currently more than 500 apprenticeship standards available, with more being created constantly to match the needs of businesses and the Government’s aim of establishing three million apprenticeships by 2020.

Ian Maude, who manages a dedicated degree apprenticeship team at Leeds Beckett, explained: “The university has a long tradition of work-based learning and working collaboratively with organisations in our region – and this underpins our degree apprenticeships.

“We describe degree apprenticeships as ‘growing your own graduate’. You can take on an apprentice at aged 18 and mould and shape them into your company while they do a degree. This builds a loyal employee who is likely to stay in the company for a long time. Equally, they are a great way of retaining experienced employees, by investing in their career progression.”

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FEATURE 25 Apprenticeships can either be closed – where a programme is tailored to an individual company’s training needs and all students on the course are employed by that company – or open – where students are made up of employees across a range of companies.

Leeds Beckett launched its first degree apprenticeship course in June 2017 with national pub and hotel chain, JD Wetherspoon. With 77 of their regional, area and pub managers currently taking part in the course, it is one of the biggest closed degree apprenticeships in the country.

Jane Welbourn, Course Director at Leeds Business School at Leeds Beckett, said: “JD Wetherspoon value our flexible and adaptable approach that understands their needs. This has resulted in a tailor-made product, where students can take contextualised theoretical learning back into the workplace, increasing their competence as professional leaders and managers.”

In April 2017, the Government introduced an Apprenticeship Levy, meaning that all companies with a wage bill of more than £3million are required to divert 0.5 per cent of their wage bill over this amount into a levy account to fund employee apprenticeships. If the funds are not used by the company within two years, they are lost.

Leeds Beckett is also one of the few universities in the region to offer apprenticeships to non-levy-paying businesses. In these cases, 90 per cent of the fees are covered by the Government, with only 10 per cent of the cost being paid by the company.

Leeds Beckett currently offers a total of nine degree apprenticeships, from foundation degree to masters’ level, covering areas including nursing, business management, digital technology, surveying and civil engineering. This year, an MBA for

senior leaders was launched and courses in social work, town and regional planning, law, and a digital masters’ programme are in the pipeline.

Ian said: “For an 18-year-old, a degree apprenticeship gives them the option of getting a degree without getting into any debt. They have a full-time job, where they are gaining work experience while having a degree paid for. This puts them ahead.

“The UK has been identified as being poor on productivity as a nation.

Degree apprenticeships are helping to address this, by providing more productive, better-trained employees.”

Robert Halliwell began a degree apprenticeship through Leeds Beckett and Yorkshire Building Society in 2017, studying for a BSc (Hons) degree in Digital and Technology Solutions.

Robert said: “Studying a degree at Leeds Beckett has helped my career immensely. The modules within my course are moulded to work with my apprenticeship and give me the skills needed to progress further in my career. I work from nine until five, Monday to Friday, at Yorkshire Building Society and then I remotely connect to Leeds Beckett for online seminars.

“The support from Leeds Beckett is brilliant, to the point where I don’t feel like I’m away from campus. We use Skype or Adobe Connect, so it feels like a real lecture environment where you can ask questions and engage with the lecturer. The course consists of core elements, delivered mainly in years one and two, with a choice of routes for years three and four which can be selected to suit the employers’ requirements. For my chosen route, I will be specialising in cyber security.”

Leeds Beckett work with a range of employers across the country, from Sky Betting and Gaming to ASDA and the British Retail Consortium (BRC), on both closed and open programmes.

Professor Christopher Prince, Pro Vice Chancellor Business Engagement at Leeds Beckett, said: “We have recently created a retailfocused management degree for

the national members of the BRC. There are many benefits for a company to set up a closed course as the degree content can be contextualised and customised for the company – we can include guest speakers from the organisation and tailor the entire course to their needs and requirements.

Some companies are changing their whole training and development offering for staff in order to run degree apprenticeships so it is important that they fully fit the needs of the company.”

In designing its degree apprenticeship offering, Leeds Beckett analysed the regional priorities for growth.

Professor Prince explained: “We wanted to ensure that our comprehensive suite of courses linked specifically to the needs of the region.

We consulted Leeds City Council’s Inclusive Growth Strategy and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) strategic economic plan, and aligned our offer and strengths with meeting these priorities – which include supporting the growing digital sector and the professional services – nursing, building and construction, and the legal and management sector.”

In 2017 and 2018, Leeds Beckett cohosted a degree apprenticeship information evening with Leeds City Council, for school children in years 10 and 11 across the city. This year saw triple the number of parents attend the event.

By summer 2019, Leeds Beckett aims to have more than 300 students on degree apprenticeships, and 1,000 registered apprentices by 2021.

Professor Prince added: “Degree apprenticeships are an important part of what the university offers to support the city and region.

They not only give young people a different route to getting a degree, but are also a way to retrain and upskill existing staff.”

For more information about degree apprenticeships at Leeds Beckett University, please visit www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk

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West & North Yorkshire Business

26 BRADFORD

Odeon opportunities about to open up The man leading the scheme to bring Bradford’s former Odeon building back into use gave an update to the business community recently.

Lee Craven, who intends to make ‘Bradford Live’ again, addressed a Chamber of Commerce audience in the city, telling them about the planned uses for the site. The £20 million scheme will be operated by events and venue specialist, the NEC group. It is expected that the venue will be up-and-running in September 2020, with 225 events and an anticipated 270,000 visitors each year.

The ‘four venues in one’ project – officially titled ‘Bradford Live’ – will reinvigorate Bradford’s nightlife, as well as broadening its corporate offer and enhancing the city’s profile and image. The 4,000 maximum capacity venue will include a 400-capacity lounge, a ballroom to accommodate 800, and four other bars.

Opened in 1930 as the New Victoria and renamed the Gaumont 20 years later, it has been closed since 2000.

There were several declarations of interest in the site in the interim period – whether to demolish and rebuild or to

retain and protect its original features – but it now seems the current scheme is moving forwards. A planning application is to be submitted later this year and leading social entrepreneur Lord Andrew Mawson has been announced as patron to the scheme.

Allan Booth, Chair of Bradford Chamber Property Forum, said afterwards: “This scheme and the whole demolition-versus-save-theOdeon debate has created many news headlines and column inches over the last few years. It’s taken a lot of time and patience from Lee and others to persevere with his aspiration to bring the building back to life and he is to be applauded for that. There were many questions from the floor following his presentation to Chamber members – always a good sign of the level of interest in a topic. We look forward to hearing from and supporting the progress of ‘Bradford Live’ – it’s another piece in the Bradford city centre regeneration jigsaw.”

The event took place at the Great Victoria Hotel, and was hosted by Bradford Chamber Property Forum chairman, Allan Booth.

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TRANSPORT 27

Policy team provide platform for transport discussion Bradford businesses were able to bend the ear of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling when he visited the District.

The Chamber policy team pulled in a small group of members, principally (but not exclusively) from manufacturing, when the minister came to Bradford at just two days’ notice.

Aerospace engineers Produmax in Shipley hosted the visit, accompanied by an entourage of media journalists and broadcasters. Mr Grayling and local MP Philip Davies met with a dozen local businesses, including Bradford Chamber President, Nick Garthwaite, all of whom related hurdles on road, rail and air travel into and out of Bradford. Others present included Manor Coatings, Univer and Incommunities.

The visit included the announcement that £300,000 was being made available for a feasibility study on the need for a new by-pass for Shipley.

It was also revealed that Highways England will spend £500,000 on improvements to the A1 at junction 47 near Harrogate, increasing road capacity, reducing queuing and improving journey times.

Mike Cartwright of the Chamber’s policy team, who organised the event, said afterwards: “It was all hands on deck when we got the call from the Department for Transport (DfT) – Manor Coatings also offered to host the visit, so thanks to them and Produmax for stepping up at such short notice.”

The DfT later said: “The feasibility study could uncover evidence of the wider benefits of a new by-pass to the town; for example, by cutting congestion in the centre and moving traffic onto an alternative road. It will also explore how a route to the east could improve air quality and remove barriers to economic growth. If found to be viable, a relief road would provide a second crossing of the River Aire at Shipley and potentially create access to future development opportunities, including new housing.”

Any future decisions on whether a bypass is built will depend on the outcome of the feasibility study.

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West & North Yorkshire Business

28 PROFILE

We live in an uncertain world where being prepared for change is an increasing challenge for every business, big or small.

Navigating the shifting sands of our current economic landscape will take foresight, resilience and well-trained leadership. A bold ambition to train agile and flexible decision-makers of the future has led to a unique partnership between a global business consultancy and York St John University to deliver a bespoke master’s degree in business.

Leadership and business change experts Primeast, who have worked with brands including Google and Rolls Royce, have teamed up with York Business School at York St John University to develop the York Executive MBA, a course that combines both academic rigour and real-life workplace experience. Recent winners of the Queens Award for International Trade, Primeast are trusted across different industries around the globe to facilitate performance improvement in the fields of leadership, organisational change and teamwork.

Simon Tarver, Director of Primeast, describes the approach to delivering the new qualification: “The strength behind the partnership with York St John University is a unique experiential aspect of the course. It will be distinctive in that students will be able to apply their learning to a work environment. We’ve seen MBAs from providers with a strong academic perspective, and other providers with great industrybased, practical experience - this partnership has both.”

The York Executive MBA is one of a suite of degree apprenticeships offered by York St John University’s Academic Alliances programme.

Jo Burgess, business development manager for Academic Alliances, said: “Primeast has been working with experts at the heart of the business world for many years and the quality of their facilitators is what makes learning come alive.

Our MBA students will have the opportunity to pursue independent research on a question or problem of their choice, engage in debate in the relevant disciplines, and - with the guidance of a faculty mentor produce a substantial paper that reflects a deep understanding of the topic.”

Jo Burgess adds: “The ethos of York Business School is very much to challenge current business methods and always seek progress and innovation. We look to constantly equip our students to push business practice forward, always considering the purpose of business as well as the methods and trends. It is vital that we enable the next generation of business leaders to develop the confidence, resilience and skills to meet the needs of a changing world, and our partnership with Primeast will help us to continue to deliver on this.”

“The ethos is to challenge current business methods and seek progress and innovation.”

York Business School was officially launched in January 2018 by Allan Leighton, following the appointment of a new Dean and a move into the De Grey building on Gillygate, York. Leading the York Business School is Dean Dr Bob Gammie, who has a wealth of experience in delivering a wide spectrum of business education and has already transformed the range of education opportunities at York St John University.

Five brand new modules have been designed specifically to be based within a real business setting where participants will get executive coaching from accredited coaches to achieve outcomes with a real business impact. With measurable output and case studies, the York MBA will look to open the minds of learners in a purposeful and commercial way, to understand the crucial role that well-trained decision makers play in organisations across every sector and market.

Through the new and unique collaboration, York Business School leaders are confident that the prospects of businesses in the region will be improved as a result.

Primeast delivered client programmes in 40 countries, 6 languages and within 11 different industries last year and this is the first time the firm has directed their extensive experience towards a collaborative MBA degree apprenticeship. The consultancy currently engages a 100-strong network of global facilitators all within specialist fields. The Harrogate-based firm, with offices in the United States and consultants based all over the world, delivers leadership and organisational change programmes for large, multinational businesses.

For more information on the MBA, visit: www.yorksj.ac.uk

Best of both worlds as university & business unite

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West & North Yorkshire Business

30 PROFILE

Pavers shoes encourages philanthropy Leading nationwide comfort shoe retailer, Pavers, has launched its own charitable trust, encouraging its employees to apply for grants for deserving local, regional, and national causes.

The Pavers Foundation was established in 2018 to support charitable giving by Pavers staff to causes they care about. Aside from supporting major charities, the Foundation is welcoming applications from any of Pavers’ 1,700 employees for grants relating to health, education, or community in their local area. Pavers will also be contributing a percentage of annual profits to the Foundation on an annual basis.

Stuart Paver, managing director at Pavers, said: “As a family, we wanted to share our success by helping causes that are personal to us, as well as those that matter to our colleagues, who work so hard every day. The Pavers Foundation allows everyone from all regions and areas of the business to get involved.

In addition, Pavers will also support two major charities a year, which will be chosen by its employees by vote every 6 months.

Stuart continues: “We’re excited to be in a position to encourage philanthropy and look forward to awarding grants to help out in the communities in which we operate.”

Pavers is one of the UK’s leading shoe retailers, with a focus on comfort, quality and affordability. The footwear retailer was founded by Catherine Paver in 1971, and remains family owned today.

The Pavers Foundation was established with £2.5m in donations from the business and Cathy’s private estate, making it one of the largest family business foundations in the north of England. In addition to this significant initial donation, the business will donate a further 2% of net profit each year, ensuring the Foundation can continue to help worthy causes into the future.

“We’re looking forward to awarding grants to help our communities.”

“Everyone at Pavers will be able to submit grant applications for any local charity or initiative that means something to them. It could be a local community playground, a sponsored charity run, or a school raising money for repairs – as long as the application relates to health, education, or community, we will consider it!”

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PROFILE 31

Boxing clever Never judge a book by its cover, so the old cliché reminds us.

And yet here at Box Architects, we rather enjoy being judged by first impressions.

As an architectural practice, we are tremendously proud of how far we have come in just 15 short years. We have carved a reputation in the industry for having a laser-sharp focus on delivering projects that have the right balance of the commercial and the creative. And it really does not matter whether we are designing a tower block, residential development, office building or a relaxing space for guests at a luxury hotel – the client must always come first.

Client centric Ken Earl, Director at Box Architects, explains: “We have steadily grown into a practice that stands shoulder to shoulder with many of our larger competitors. We provide design excellence balanced with a real understanding of commercial constraints, practicality and

deliverability. Every project – irrespective of size – represents an investment in time and capital expenditure by everyone involved. My team and I take this responsibility seriously. We treat each project as an opportunity to deliver commercial and creative excellence.”

Council to successfully explain the potential of the site to key stakeholders. In fact, Sarah McMahon, Principal Planner at Leeds City Council, remarked how our overall design “would make a positive aesthetically appropriate contribution to the context of the wider area”.

We have amassed an enviable client portfolio across our two locations in Leeds and London. It includes a rolling refurbishment project for Visa Inc. of its London headquarters in Sheldon Square. The client wanted to create new office spaces to support employee innovation and wellbeing.

We thrive off creating spaces for people to work, live and play. We develop creative ideas to drive commercial opportunities for developments and design buildings that work. We meticulously support delivery to ensure planning is achieved and projects are delivered.

Our team began by reconfiguring the reception area, the IT and finance departments as well as refurbishing the male and female washrooms on every floor. This first phase has created a ‘well’ building, signalling that Visa is an innovative technological company.

Ken Earl continues: “The breadth of our portfolio is testament to the sheer dedication of every member of our team to exceed a client’s expectation.

The practice is currently working on many incredible projects with BOOST Drinks, Elstree Studios and something extraordinarily stylish with the formidable Foster + Partners. We are all excited for the journey into 2019 and beyond.”

Box Architects has received approval from Leeds City Council for an 18-storey gateway tower designed for Q Property Developments. The existing location has multiple restrictions. We worked closely with Indigo Planning and Leeds City

www.boxarchitects.co.uk

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West & North Yorkshire Business

32 INTERNATIONAL

Success is in the bag

after handbag entrepreneur has import costs cut

An international handbag entrepreneur with a base in the UK has had her manufacturing import costs reduced thanks to help from Chamber International.

Online handbag designer and manufacturer, Farah Asmar, who bases part of her business in London, gained advice and support in having samples of new handbag designs exported to her outsourced manufacturing facility in Istanbul where the leather used in the manufacturing originated.

Former graphic and fashion design student, Farah Asmar, who started her business from her home country of Jordan in 2011, approached Chamber International for specialist support on how to export the samples back to Turkey without incurring significant import costs.

Chamber International was able to help Farah Asmar as it is authorised to issue ATR1 certificates, which enable goods to gain tariff preferences on imports and exports between the EC and Turkey, on behalf of H.M Revenue & Customs.

Farah Amsar, who also operates her business out of Amman, the capital of Jordan, says: “Thanks to the help I was given, I managed to get the sample handbags into the country of origin without paying extra import duty as they were samples.

“This was very useful as it reduced my production costs enabling me to supply high-quality items at a competitive price.”

Farah Asmar designs and manufactures her handbags using ethically-sourced leathers and exotic skins from calf leather and lamb to suede.

Her handbags, which range from clutches and totes to shoulder and cross-body designs to accompany their owners throughout the day, sell for between $350 to $800, mainly in The Middle East, but particularly the Gulf; the UK and US, with HM Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan among celebrity customers after being photographed carrying a Farah Asmar bag several times.

Farah, who employs only an operations manager and a part-time accountant and outsources her manufacturing,

says: “I now operate between Amman, London and Istanbul, where the handbags are manufactured. I design all the styles myself and my Istanbul manufacturing team advises me on what’s best technically.

“The relationship between a woman and her handbag is always very strong. They are not only useful and practical but also attractive and give women confidence. My customers are generally people who are smart and want something unique, coupled with the high quality and the limited quantity I produce.

“We launch four or five new designs every season and reproduce and develop the best sellers.”

Orders from Farah Asmar’s website are fulfilled through the Istanbul manufacturer.

She says: “I’ve now got a presence on other high quality online platforms but my aim is to get into well-known UK retailers, such as Harrods and Selfridges, to help position my brand as a luxury one. I’m also hoping to go global and, if so, will be exporting and importing more regularly.”

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HEADING 33

“This was very useful as it reduced my production costs enabling me to supply highquality items at a competitive price.�

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West & North Yorkshire Business

34 PROFILE

Russ Piper Sovereign Health Care

Supporting health and wellbeing in businesses and communities In the modern-day workplace, looking after employee health and wellbeing is high on every employer’s agenda – but providing health cover can often come down to budgeting issues and business priorities. That’s where a health care cash plan comes in – a value-for-money incentive that helps keep your staff healthy and happy.

At Sovereign Health Care, our cash plans enable customers to claim money back towards the cost of dental check-ups and treatment, visits to the optician, physiotherapy and much more. Being able to recoup some of these costs encourages individuals to keep on top of their health care by taking preventative measures and getting treatment early It’s simple things like this which could affect your employees’ health and, in turn, your business. But by providing your staff with a cash plan, they will no longer need to delay treatment because of the cost, which could result in faster diagnosis and treatment meaning they return to work quicker, or don’t need to take time off work in the first place.

Not only do we look to help businesses, but also the wider community – in fact, supporting people is at the heart of everything we do.

With our not-for-profit business strategy, we can truly make a difference to people’s lives through our Community Programme. Each year, we donate a minimum of £500,000 to causes across West Yorkshire to support health and wellbeing. We’ve donated £5.8m to organisations of all sizes over the last decade, including Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Marie Curie Bradford. We’re able to do this because we have no shareholders, so any surplus we make is available to either reinvest in the business or award to charitable initiatives.

Sovereign Health Care 01274 841130 www.sovereignhealthcare.co.uk

2018 marks Sovereign’s 145th anniversary, and our original principal of supporting people when they need access to health care is as relevant today as ever. But of course we are changing and modernising to meet the demands of today’s population.

As the only independent cash plan provider in the Leeds and Bradford area, Sovereign Health Care is the natural choice for your business when it comes to supporting employee health and wellbeing.

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PROFILE 35

Eat, drink and be merry this Christmas at Trinity Kitchen With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start planning your annual Christmas party.

Instead of going through the motions for the festive gettogether, take out the hassle and opt for something unique that’s sure to have something for everyone.

Trinity Kitchen – known for being one of the best foodie destinations in the city – is now offering businesses the chance to hire out the unique space along with its street-food experience, offering a feast of festivity to finish the year off with a bang.

With capacity for up to 1,000 people, the vibrant venue, which includes a central space with room for a dance floor and DJ setup, can be hired exclusively or in sections.

Combining award-winning street food that rotates every eight weeks, along with a late licensed bar, Trinity Kitchen allows guests the chance to choose from a range of food and flavours from around the world – right in the heart of Leeds city centre.

Michelle Rennoldson, Corporate Sales and Events Manager at Trinity Kitchen, said: “Trinity Kitchen offers a wonderful alternative space in Leeds city centre,

perfect for businesses looking to celebrate the festivities with their colleagues.

“With a concept completely unique to Trinity Kitchen, the street food experience provides guests with an array of awardwinning cuisines that has something to suit everyone – and we all know that the way to people’s hearts is through their stomachs.

“This is the first time we’ve offered this unique venue for hire during the festive season, and we’re sure it’s going to be a busy Christmas for us!

“With a late licensed bar, incredible awardwinning street food and space for a dance floor and DJ, what more could you want from a Christmas party venue?”

Christmas party packages are available from £35 per person. For more information about booking Trinity Kitchen, contact Michelle Rennoldson, Corporate Sales and Events Manager, via Michelle.Rennoldson@trinityleeds.com or call 07817 646 329.

Venue: Trinity Kitchen, 27 Albion Street, Leeds, LS1 5ER. Bookings: For corporate event enquiries contact Michelle Rennoldson, Corporate Sales & Events Manager on Michelle.

Rennoldson@trinityleeds.com or call 07817 646 329. https://trinityleeds.com/venue-hire

TOP TIPS 1 of 4

Five top tips

for your commercial property lease

By Paul Young, head of commercial property, Gordons As a tenant entering a lease on a commercial property, it’s vital to know what you’re agreeing to.

Enquiring with your landlord as early as possible is key, and taking advice from your lawyer will also ensure the information the landlord provides is satisfactory for you to sign on the dotted line.

Your negotiations with the landlord will depend partly on market forces – which could give either you or them the upper hand – but being as informed as possible will help you secure a positive deal. Here are my five top tips on what to look for when negotiating a commercial property lease.

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TOP TIPS - COMMERCIAL PROPERTY LEASE 37 1. Planning

4. Building condition

On day one, the landlord should supply a copy of the planning permission authorising your proposed use of the property. If the current permissions don’t cover your intended use, then a new application will be needed, causing delays.

Have the building surveyed so you understand its condition, including plant and utilities. Also ask the landlord if the building has flooded in the past, as this will affect the level and availability of your insurance.

Planning permissions often come with conditions. Make sure that the permissions match with your requirements for hours of use, delivery times and restrictions on noise, lighting and external storage. If the conditions don’t meet your needs, this will prevent you from running your operation as you wish.

If the premises are newly built, then you will need to ask the landlord to provide a list of all guarantees and warranties, which are to be made available. These may be needed to cover the remediation of any defects going forward.

The landlord should also provide you with evidence that the conditions relevant to its initial construction have been satisfied.

2. Statutory compliance Your landlord must comply with various statutory obligations, and if they don’t then this may cause delays and extra costs for you as a tenant. There are five key areas to check for your landlord’s compliance.

Firstly, an asbestos report should be thoroughly checked. The best type is a full refurbishment type report, but management surveys are normally supplied. These need checking and care given to any areas not surveyed and limitations generally. It may be that a new, more detailed survey is required.

Secondly, an EPC certificate will need to be supplied. This will set out recommendations for works which may be needed to be carried out.

Obviously, this may have a cost consequence for you as tenants. Thirdly, the landlord on a new build, or where a property has been refurbished, should supply a building regulations completion certificate.

Next, landlords should be asked to provide a fire risk assessment to show their compliance, particularly where cladding is present. Finally, initial installation and test certificates should be provided for all electrical installations, gas installations, emergency lighting and lifts if applicable.

3. Establishment and ongoing costs In addition to rent, extra costs may be applicable during your tenancy. You should ask your landlord about how much they are going to charge for insurance and service charge. You should also ask how much the business rates are so you can include them in your costings.

5. Lease terms When it comes to negotiating the lease terms with the landlord, there are many elements that should be considered. Below are a number you should consider: i. Break option – if there is a tenant’s option to break, then there should be no conditions attached to this. Landlords will seek to impose conditions such as payment of rent and the observance of covenants. These conditions should be avoided as otherwise any noncompliance, even if minor, will frustrate the break. ii. 54 Act protection – you should include this as otherwise, at the end of your lease, you will have no rights to remain in occupation, will be left with relocation costs and will have lost all of your initial set up costs. iii. Service charge – if there is to be a service charge, you should look to have this capped. In addition, any costs should be fair and reasonable as otherwise you are giving the landlord an open chequebook for costs. iv. Repair – unless the property is a new build, you should always look to limit your repairing obligation by reference to a scheduled condition, as otherwise you may again be giving the landlord an open chequebook for the costs of improving the condition of the premises at the end of the lease. v. Landlords obligations – you should look to ensure that under the terms of the lease, the landlord is obliged to deal with asbestos, energy performance requirements, environmental contamination, uninsured risks and the remediation of any ‘inherent defects’.

Gordons employs 200 people in total, split between its two office locations in Leeds and Bradford.

For more information visit www.gordonsllp.com

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West & North Yorkshire Business

38 PROFILE

Brought to you by LeedsBID Now is an exciting time for Leeds.

Leeds Boost

The city is buoyant with investments and developments, and we are exceptionally proud of how Leeds Business Improvement District (LeedsBID) and our partners have contributed to this success.

Engaging and jargon-free training from LeedsBID is benefiting the businesses of Leeds. Bitesize sessions were born out of a digital-skills shortage in the city and, so far, over 500 people at 150 organisations have been trained by the award-winning scheme.

Many of the 900+ levy-paying organisations we represent are very familiar with our work in the three years since our inception; other stakeholders may not be as aware of the catalytic role LeedsBID plays.

The annual £2.5m investment we receive goes back into the city to create impactful experiences brought to you by LeedsBID:

Leeds International Piano Competition Four weeks of events exploded across the city in association with LeedsBID. Pianos popped up in diverse venues, BBC breakfast filmed the event, and commuters were treated to appearances by Ed Balls, Sophie Raworth and Alistair McGowan. Nine of the 12 pianos now remain in public locations.

Leeds Welcome City visitors embrace our striking ‘LEEDS’ letters at the train station and enjoy the services of our Street Rangers and Welcome and Evening Ambassadors - a subtle force in the city removing graffiti, cleaning highways, guiding visitors, supporting night-time visitors and more.

Audio and Radio Industry Awards (ARIAS) The red carpet was rolled out at the first direct arena when LeedsBID brought the ARIAS to Leeds.

Working with the Radio Academy, Leeds now hosts an event that attracts national media attention and radio-industry celebrities.

Summer in the City

A City Less Grey

Each year, LeedsBID facilitates free events at Sovereign Square, Bond Court, Park Square and others.

Music, deckchairs, and digital screens (showing Wimbledon) have enriched the summer city environment for visitors and city workers.

Initiated by East Street Arts and fullyfunded by LeedsBID, this urban-art project gained national acclaim after winning a 2018 Planning Award.

The iconic ‘Athena Rising,’ mural on Platform by the train station is now the UK’s tallest piece of street art.

Ambition:Leeds

By working in collaboration, our notfor-profit non-political organisation is improving experiences, standards, and adding value for all city users.

Leeds is now attracting international attention and talent, and rightly so. It is a fantastically exciting time, and we are eager to see what the future holds for Leeds.

This new training centre for the retail and hospitality sectors opened in City Exchange in October. LeedsBID and Leeds City Council have joined forces alongside Landsec and education providers to identify workforce-skills needs and provide masterclasses, workshops, and training.

Leeds International Festival (LIF) Created by the creative sector in 2016, the annual LIF is already the UK’s leading metropolitan festival of new ideas and innovation. The eclectic programme in 2018 consisted of 52 events over 15 days, showcasing international and home-grown talent and pushing diversity.

LEEDSBID 104 Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6BG 0113 467 2780 enquiry@leedsbid.co.uk www.leedsbid.co.uk @LeedsBID

West & North Yorkshire Business

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PROFILE 39

Just how healthy are Yorkshire’s office workers?

According to our research, there is lots of room for improvement, with many employees taking minimal lunch breaks, and experiencing stress, fatigue and mental slumps on a daily basis. We want to change this, and that’s exactly why we’ve opened our second Team Activ office right in the centre of Leeds dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace to boost high performing teams and productivity in our great city.

Our study has revealed a potential ticking time bomb of workplace stress and unhappiness among Yorkshire’s office workers. However, the research also highlights a direct link between employer wellness programmes, and staff performance and happiness.

Skipping lunch?

The data reveals the region’s average employee lunch break is just 15 minutes long, with 9% taking less than five minutes each day. Only 16% of Yorkshire’s workers admitted taking their allotted full hour for lunch.

Health habits in the office are also a cause for concern: 43% of staff admit regularly binging on junk food or

sweets due to dipping energy levels, 43% experience extreme tiredness while at their desk, and nearly a third (32%) frequently experience midafternoon ‘mental slumps’.

top, followed by staff getting more exercise each day (67%), taking more breaks (60%), having a better diet while at work (58%), and drinking less caffeine (49%).

But more worryingly the research reveals nearly one-in-five (18%) office workers suffer from depression or negative thoughts while in work, with the top reasons for this discontent emerging as being ‘worked too hard’ (40%), lack of employer support (35%), and lack of job stimulation (32%).

Darren Padgett, Director and founder of Team Activ, said:

A solution?

On a more positive note, there is a direct correlation between employerled wellbeing schemes and staff happiness and performance. Staff who DON’T benefit from wellness schemes are a staggering 350% more likely to be unhappy, depressed and stressed at work, 25% more likely to have mid-afternoon mental slumps and 400% more likely to skip lunch!

The study also sought to understand what would help ‘de-stress’ the region’s office workers and make their days happier and more productive. A more supportive workplace environment (75%) came

“While of course employees need to take responsibility for their own wellbeing, the onus is also on employers to lead from the front, ensuring their staff are happy, healthy, and motivated. That’s what Team Activ’s work with businesses is all about; we work with each company to find out where we can support them to make the most impact and improvement in team performance, wellbeing, business growth and productivity.”

“As director of a social enterprise working with businesses across Yorkshire, I’ve seen the benefits of using physical activity to boost mental wellbeing. Proven to alleviate anxiety and stress, exercise provides a quick and cost effective wellbeing fix.

At a time where mental health issues are affecting more people than ever, it is vital that employers work to overcome stigma and work hard to prioritise wellbeing.”

Q4

West & North Yorkshire Business

40 INTERNATIONAL A second major business partnership – this time to improve how UK companies can access North American markets – has been launched by Chamber International.

The new partnership with Resolve, a 12-strong team of export specialists, sales agents, business advisers and marketeers, based in North Yorkshire and Charlotte, North Carolina, will support growing UK interest in North America in the wake of Brexit and as harbinger to any US-UK trade deal.

Under the new partnership, Resolve, founded in 2006 by managing director, Mark Ashton, who has lived and worked in the US, will work alongside Chamber International, which offers a wide range of export advice, trade services and overseas networks, to provide comprehensive support to businesses targeting North America.

Resolve offers a wide spectrum of services including bespoke market research, matchmaking with partners, fund raising and export grant applications; developing export strategies, and operational and administrative support, including business incubator services.

Resolve’s main US-based business partner is honorary British consul in North Carolina, Michael Teden, who has worked in the US for almost 40 years and runs his own business providing support to UK companies in the US. Mark Ashton, based in Skipton, says: “Together we and Chamber International can offer bespoke support services with outstanding value for money, healthy independence and objectivity, direct market access via our trusted relationships in North America and, crucially, the ability to minimise the risks and

enhance the benefits.

“The US is the UK’s largest national market and we are the biggest foreign direct investor in the US economy, but most Americans have no idea that many of their household name companies are British or owned

by British parent companies.

“Many UK companies have come a cropper in the US by seriously underestimating the challenges and pitfalls. The 50 states have different regulations, sales tax regimes and investment incentives.

There is also a surprisingly bureaucratic federal government with a national set of agencies, regulations, tax regimes, and a complex immigration system which can cause overseas businesses major headaches.

“It makes good sense for UK companies wishing to trade there to have in-depth preparation and specialist support and we look forward to providing this alongside Chamber International.”

In the last 12 months Resolve has advised six Yorkshire-based companies on US market entry, two of which were introduced by Chamber International. Five are actively investigating the best method of entry and the sixth has already formed a partnership with a US business.

Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, says: “Our enquiries from businesses wishing to target the US are rising. The US is set to become a far more significant market post-Brexit but it is a vast and hugely complex nation so partnering with a dynamic and entrepreneurial organisation such as Resolve strengthens our support and contacts considerably to help businesses approach the US with greater knowledge and reduced risks.”

Step up exports to North America

New partnership launched to help UK businesses

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West & North Yorkshire Business

42 PROFILE

Developing talent with apprenticeships As the spotlight continues to shine on the growth of apprenticeships, leading education establishments such as Leeds City College are forging key connections and reinventing the way we go about developing a talent pipeline.

Head of Business and Employer Relations at Leeds City College, Lee Pryor said: “The biggest challenges at present with apprenticeships is that large businesses, both in healthcare and other sectors are a bit sceptical about the ‘hard sell’ but, with the right type of employer engagement and objectives, employers will begin to see the benefits beyond just taking on apprentices.”

“I think from my perspective, it is about employer engagement and building individuals and an organisation’s reputation.

“We have had education reforms in the last few years, as well as the introduction of the levy but, we need to remember there are SMEs that we still need to work with and they are key to employer growth,” he added.

Lee Pryor joined Leeds City College in April this year. His focus is to grow the college’s apprenticeship provision, as well as engagement with employers, ensuring that they are well supported in their workforce development needs.

Lee is a trained nurse who specialised in children and adult care. He worked in the NHS for 12 years in a number of posts and in clinical wards. In his last three years with the NHS, he was a manager for children and women’s services.

In 2005, Lee went into teaching as he wanted to pursue this further following a stint of training nurses as part of his role.

Within the NHS and education sector, Lee said he had always worked with apprentices and that it was at a time during the ‘train to gain’ era.

“As a curriculum head I was successful at improving the apprenticeship provision and growing numbers.”

“One thing I always enjoyed, was working with employers in the health sector and wanted to spread it further field,” he added.

Pursuing an apprenticeship Leeds City College and Keighley College have a wide and varied apprenticeship offer, covering all industry sectors.

Apprenticeships are available at intermediate, advanced and higher levels. The college has a Business Engagement Team (BET) who cover a wide range of provisions that contribute to its overall growth.

“The team are certainly a ‘safe bet’ for the employer’s workforce development needs. They don’t just look at apprenticeships, they look at the bigger picture.

When we go out and speak to employers we are also there to support the organisation in taking on an apprentice.”

Lee said that there are also other opportunities in the college as well that include full course provisions and masterclasses.

“I think what makes my current job worth it, is the responsiveness and reputation. Yes, I am employed by Leeds City College but I am working for over 2,000 employers.

“It is about showing what we can do and using some of the experiences and knowledge I have acquired over the years to build a strong and effective team,” he added.

At a national level, Lee is involved in writing standards for apprenticeships. He now sits on a board called the Hospital Play Specialist Education Trust, who are writing a degree standard for apprenticeships.

West & North Yorkshire Business

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PROFILE 43

Deliveroo is a British tech success story The company was founded in London in 2013 and today works with 10,000 restaurants and 15,000 riders across the UK to deliver high quality food to our customers.

Deliveroo has been operating in Leeds since July 2015 and today works with over 250 restaurants across the city. We are bringing fresh thinking to the food and drinks sector worldwide and supporting the restaurants of all sizes to grow and find new customers..

Internationally, Deliveroo works with 30,000 riders and 35,000 restaurants in over 200 cities across the globe. Analysis by the Financial Times showed that Deliveroo is one of the fastest growing companies in Europe.

Leeds is incredibly exciting for Deliveroo - it’s one of our biggest city markets in the UK, the range of restaurants is impressive and there is a great interest from customers in trying new cuisines.

Leeds is also important to us for another reason - it's home to Deliveroo Editions, our first in the North of England. These tech ‘enabled’ super kitchens provide a home in Leeds for new, exciting and often totally unique restaurant brands. Deliveroo is passionate about food and wants to champion and support local favourites, taking them to new areas. By expanding into Deliveroo’s delivery-only super kitchens, restaurants are able to grow without needing a physical presence in the area, enabling them to reach new customers. The restaurants use their own expert and highly passionate chefs, just as they do in their bricks and mortar restaurants, but thanks to Deliveroo they are able to bring the same restaurant-quality dishes to more people in your area, faster.

At this site we are working with great range of partners. Proove Pizza have come from their home in Sheffield to offer Napoli style pizza, Yard and Coup brings their secret recipe for buttermilk fried chicken, while Mr Miyagi Ramen & Bao, also originating from Sheffield, brings to Leeds a wide selection of Japanese inspired food.

Deliveroo only does well when our partner restaurants do - we are therefore committed to supporting restaurants to access more customers and assist the restaurant sector across Leeds to grow and expand. Restaurants who partner with Deliveroo can see their revenue increase by up to 30% - Deliveroo is good for small businesses, helping them generate more orders, increase their revenues, all contributing to the creation of new jobs across the restaurant sector.

“Leeds is incredibly exciting for Deliveroo - it’s one of our biggest city markets in the UK, the range of restaurants is impressive and there is a great interest from customers in trying new cuisines.”

Deliveroo 0203 699 9977 support@deliveroo.co.uk deliveroo.co.uk twitter.com/Deliveroo linkedin.com/company/deliveroo/ facebook.com/Deliveroo/

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West & North Yorkshire Business

44 PROFILE

Tell us about your role and experience My role as Head of Customer Banking for Leeds City Region is one of leading the bank into the external market place and developing stronger relationships with local businesses, professionals and organisations that represent business like the Chambers of Commerce.

I have worked for the Bank for over 23 years and am delighted to be back in Yorkshire having spent the last few years growing our Commercial Banking Business in the North West.

My primary focus is ensuring the bank is investing in our communities and making sure we are connected together for our wider benefit as I am a great believer that the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts.

What does 2019 look like for Yorkshire Bank and your customers?

2019 for Yorkshire Bank promises to be a very exciting year as we have just acquired Virgin Money which makes us the 6th largest bank in the UK. We want to disrupt the traditional banking market and be a true alternative to our competition.

Despite this, it is very much business as usual supporting our existing customers and who will face a number of challenges including Brexit, a skills gap shortage and increasing interest rates and looking to attract new customers to the bank who are looking for a relationship with their high street bank.

Which sectors have you seen the biggest growth in 2018, do you see this continuing in 2019?

We have seen growth in 2018 across the full range of sectors but in particular around

Healthcare, Manufacturing, Wholesaling, Professional Practices, Transport & Storage and general Business Services.

I absolutely see this continuing into 2019 and as an active partner of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP); we will continue to work collaboratively with business and government to drive economic growth across the region.

The Bank is also looking to participate in The Royal Bank of Scotland Alternative Remedies package in early 2019 where we look to acquire some of those customers who are being divested away from Royal Bank of Scotland / Williams & Glynn.

What is Yorkshire Bank doing to support these sectors and the wider business community?

We have committed £6bn of new lending to the SME market place over a three year period. We are now into year two of that commitment and on track to deliver our promise. We have specifically carved out £300m each year to support Yorkshire SME’s and I’m delighted to say we’ve exceeded our pledge in 2017 and 2018 so far.

We also have a number of SME growth initiatives such as 100% loan to value funding for those businesses looking to acquire their own premises.

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PROFILE 45

Immerse your business in immersive technology

Healthcare: Sheffield Hallam University has developed a VR game which is used as distraction therapy, to help burns victims deal with the agonising pain they can experience during medical treatment. The immersive nature of VR can help patients stop focusing on the pain, as they are effectively ‘elsewhere’.

Construction: Sustainable urban developer Citu has partnered with Leeds Beckett University to co-design a zero carbon housing solution to world class standards. Computer generated images (CGIs) and detailed designs were unveiled last year and potential buyers can have a look around the development through a fully immersive VR experience before the houses have even been built.

Immersive technologies are not just for gamers. AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are being enthusiastically adopted by many businesses. Could they work in yours?

Food & drink: Australian wine brand 19 Crimes has used AR to create memorable marketing campaigns, telling the story of the historic criminals pictured on their labels and engaging with customers in a whole new way.

There’ll be a fantastic opportunity to find out early in the New Year, when the “Up Your Game” event in Bradford will bring a whole range of creative companies to the region, including immersive technology providers from overseas.

Local companies now have a unique opportunity to meet some of the world’s leading digital developers and creative innovators right on their doorstep, here in Yorkshire.

There's a great deal of business potential in harnessing the ability to see and interact with new environments or products in a virtual world. Not only can these technologies boost productivity and efficiency - for example, by saving money on expensive prototyping - but they can also revolutionise things like training and R&D. They are creating innovative and exciting customer experiences too: approximately 75% of the biggest brands in the world have integrated VR into their marketing strategy to date, because of its power as a marketing tool: it increases buyer awareness, accelerates the purchasing process and offers more personalised choices to buyers.

All kinds of different sectors are now using immersive technologies. Here are just a few: Tourism: AR technology is now being used, to give visitors a whole new way of experiencing England’s historic cities.

Using English Heritage’s app, visitors can uncover AR displays, reconstructions and 360-degree panoramas telling the unique story of each site. It should broaden the appeal of these historic cities for younger audiences, as well as encourage return visits.

“Up Your Game”, part of the Yorkshire Games Festival which will take place in Bradford in early 2019, offers you a platform to get involved, learn about the new technology and form potentially game-changing global collaborations.

Organised by the Enterprise Europe Network, this international business-to-business matchmaking event will be a unique opportunity to explore how you can form strategic partnerships to boost your business with the very latest games, motion graphics, VFX, AR and VR technology.

Find out more and register here: https://upyourgame.b2match.io Location: National Science and Media Museum, Bradford Date: 7 & 8 February 2019 Contact Phone Number: 0300 123 3144

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West & North Yorkshire Business

46 INTERNATIONAL A manufacturer of essential oil health products widely used for blood disorders, digestive problems and skin complaints, has appointed Chamber International, to help it boost global exports after breaking into the African market.

Smart Organic Solutions, Bradford, which develops its natural and organic products in partnership with biochemists in the USA and India, using the latest nanotechnology, is working with Chamber International to help it to increase exports by 40 per cent in the next two years.

Founded in 2010 by operations director, Nigel Silcox, Smart Organic Solutions, which has three staff, supplies its products through health shops and pharmacies as well as e-commerce and has built up a £250,000 turnover of which about 25 per cent is from exports.

The company also makes products for use in agriculture.

Sales and marketing director, Mark Polack, says: “When our current product range was launched a few years ago, several customers asked us to send items to their friends and family overseas. We then undertook market research to identify the best countries to export to and were surprised that those in Africa showed most interest.

“We now have our products registered in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and the UAE. We have started exporting to Ghana and Nigeria and are negotiating with distributors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We recently exhibited at the Arab Health Fair in Dubai where we picked up some interesting enquires. There is a growing interest in natural and organic products and we believe that there is a significant overseas market we can supply.

“Chamber International has been very helpful and initially supported us with our registration process in various countries including Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Nigeria. We are looking forward to building our exports by accessing the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the Global Chamber Network. We are also working with the Department for International Trade.”

Smart Organic Solutions’ two main customer groups are holistic health practitioners and members of the public. While the company does not make specific health claims for its products, it compiles and monitors feedback from holistic practitioners on the benefits to their patients.

The company’s products also include a natural nano blood cleaner, a tonic to support the immune system, a face and body tonic, an herbal soak and a new range to combat fatigue, inflammation and cardiovascular health.

Among the company’s agricultural products is Boost Crop Agro Charger which helps fertilizers work more effectively by increasing plants’ ability to absorb nutrients and water through their roots so the amount of fertilizers can be decreased.

Another is Boost Natural Agro Clean, a natural crop protector and alternative to pesticides that eradicates harmful insects.

Organic health solutions company

moves to step up exports

First Bus: progress through partnerships First Bus is committed to advancing partnerships, everywhere we operate.

Leeds is one of the flagships of our new approach with partners sharing a common objective to invest in the bus network and to double passenger numbers in the city over the next decade.

By working together, local authorities and bus operators can make a real impact on congestion and air quality, provide better services for our customers, support local economies more effectively and ultimately help to increase passenger numbers. These are all parts of a virtuous circle; more passengers mean fewer cars on the road, less congestion and, in turn, improved air quality.

At First Bus, we are committed to continuing to provide reliable bus services and supporting local economies and we believe the air quality agenda allows buses to demonstrate their full potential.

In Leeds, we have agreed a partnership with Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority with the aim of doubling passenger numbers by 2025, which will be delivered through investing in bus infrastructure. We match this with our own fleet investment in the newest,

greenest buses for the city. This not only supports the city’s aspirations on growing bus patronage, but it also meets the needs of its Low Emission Zone proposal.

We are committed to investing in new technology and payment options. The introduction of contact-less payments alongside our success with mobile ticketing is pivotal as we continue to make bus travel a convenient, simple and attractive experience for our customers.

With contact-less now available across Yorkshire, we are working hard to encourage more customers to convert to using mTickets or contact-less, as this will have a huge impact on boarding times and will help us in the battle to speed up the bus.

West & North Yorkshire Business

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FEATURE 49

Investment in Leeds’s bus network

Bus18

Leeds will benefit from high frequency bus corridors, improved park and ride facilities and better stops and signs after a £174m funding package was confirmed in April 2017.

The Leeds partnership builds on the pre-existing West Yorkshire Bus18. This partnership, brought together by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, has involved the cityregion’s major bus operators working together to improve West Yorkshire bus services and encouraging more people to use them.

Connecting Leeds is the ambition to transform travel in Leeds for people who live, work in and visit the city. It features significant investment in bus, rail, road, park and ride, cycling and walking infrastructure, services and facilities including enhanced transport hubs, improved public spaces, low-emissions vehicles and the latest smart travel technology.

The multimillion pound investment includes new segregated bus corridors, with real time information for passengers to include journeys in and around the city centre. Commuters will see more reliable journeys and better travel information, with a focus on improving the daily experience of bus users.

Recent successes included: 1. Making buses easy to use by reducing the number of service changes, addressing the issues affecting punctuality on five key routes and improving passenger information.

2. Reducing emissions by signing up to the ECO Stars scheme, which provides recognition, guidance and advice on operational best practice to help reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions on local roads.

For our part, we will deliver a fleet investment of £71million in 284 new vehicles by the end of 2020 that meet the Low Emission Zone requirements, with Leeds City Council investing in the highway network to deliver a reduction in bus journey times and improved reliability.

3. Improving passenger experience and satisfaction by launching a money back guarantee and focussing on young person initiatives – including a recent announcement to allow children in uniform to travel without a half fare bus pass.

We have also worked alongside the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and other operators to bid for government funding for retro-fitting of the remaining vehicles that will not comply with the Leeds Low Emissions Zone proposal. The results will see the customer experience hugely transformed, as well as the city’s environment.

The mutual trust and commitment gained through working together on Bus18, gave partners the confidence to embark on the even more ambitious agenda for across the city.

The First Bus partnership with Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is at the heart of our future strategy for improving the reliability of services and encouraging even more residents and visitors to travel by bus in the city, whether for work, education, retail or leisure.

Nominations NOW OPEN for the PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards The annual PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards in association with HSBC, The Department of International Trade and Chamber International, is set to return for a third year to recognise the North’s top exporters and celebrate achievements in international trade.

Businesses of all sectors and sizes are being encouraged to enter with a host of awards on offer - from micro exporter and e-commerce exporter to most entrepreneurial exporter and export team of the year.

SA Book ad A6 AW.pdf

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05/10/2018

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The winners will be announced at the awards dinner at The National Railway Museum, York, on February 7 2019.

Leeds Chamber of Commerce

ANNUAL DINNER 31 JANUARY 2019 Book your place by calling 01274 206660

Leeds Chamber of Commerce Part of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

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CM

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York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

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ANNUAL DINNER

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL FIONA LAMBERT ON

4 APRIL 2019

01759 321200

Book your place by calling 01904 210010

www.pocklingtonschool.com/welcome-to-boarding @PockBoarding

York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Part of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

West & North Yorkshire Business

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PROFILE 51

Minster FM radio Commercial Director Peter Bilsborough heads up a team that has changed dramatically over the years. When Minster FM launched it offered radio advertising packages but as digital technologies have changed the way media is consumed the range of products offered has changed too. “Nowadays it’s much more about creating a tailored solution to cater for the specific marketing goals of a client,” said Peter.

In practice this means identifying the best multimedia opportunities and using radio to multiply the campaign’s effectiveness.

Peter says that while many businesses diverted their traditional marketing budgets in to social and online the tide has turned and the smart buyer is now looking for a combined approach, “we’re now at a point where most businesses have dipped their toes into the world of digital media with varying degrees of success. The best of online ideas is worth nothing if no one sees it, what we’re able to do at Minster FM is combine traditional media with digital products to guarantee audience delivery.”

Launched in 1992 Minster FM is the longest established commercial radio station in North Yorkshire. In contrast to many radio brands the station remains locally rooted with all of its programming originating from studios in York, and all advertising delivered locally rather than through national sales houses. This model works, Minster FM is consistently the most highly rated commercial radio station in its area reaching 47% of adults living in its broadcast area every 13 weeks.*

The strength of Minster’s on air audience means that when the in house digital team produces video, web or social they can be confident in their radio colleagues delivering audience to those properties something which digital alone simply cannot offer. The range of platforms covered by the same team also means that Minster can see how effective a campaign is from start to finish, “we even see this with our own content,” said Content Director David Green, “we mention something on air and we’re able to see the number of people on website rise within seconds or a product in our voucher shop sell out.”

Minster FM’s media executives offer a consultative approach, getting to know your business and your marketing goals to produce a tailored business solution. There’s even now an opportunity to get a free radio demo produced for your business at www.minsterfm.com/advertising *Projected 13 week audience, RAJAR/Ipsos Mori/RSM, Q1 2018, Minster FM TSA

Spring markets into new

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INTERNATIONAL 53

A major export contract to supply its award-winning bottled spring water to Vietnam has been won by Harrogate Water Brands.

The contract, following an introduction to a Far East distributor, is the latest export success by the company charged with re-vitalising Harrogate’s spring water industry since a decision by the board to target exports only three years ago.

Exporting to Vietnam follows sales to Russia and The Middle East after the independent company’s decision to invest £8m in stepping up production of its still and sparkling spring water in 2014.

Initial international success came when the business entered the airline market after an approach by Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, later followed by deals with others, including Emirates and Thomson Airways, and Harrogate Water Brand’s development of an anti-roll bottle for easy in-flight handling.

The company, which started by building sales in the food service sector where founding members of the sales team had expertise, receives support and advice from Chamber International, and the Department for International Trade.

Now the company, which started production in 2002, has grown to 84 staff and a £20m turnover of which 10 per cent is generated by overseas sales.

Harrogate Water Brands export and new business development manager, Greg Hatton, says: “Accessing the Vietnamese market is another significant step in making Harrogate Spring Water a major global brand on the ground as well as in the air.

“There has been a fantastic reception from overseas since we started exporting due to a combination of Harrogate Water’s heritage and classic presentation, through to confidence in our quality, high standards of production and environmental focus.

“Chamber International does a great job in assisting us with advice and support to ensure the smooth operation of our exports as we continue to build sales overseas and it makes a significant contribution to our success.”

Harrogate Water Brand’s success in Russia followed strong connections with Harrogate

“Accessing the Vietnamese market is another significant step in making Harrogate Spring Water a major global brand on the ground as well as in the air.” which have existed since the Russian royal family were frequent visitors to the spa town to ‘take the waters’ dating back to the late 1800s.

The first mineral water spring in Harrogate was discovered by Queen Elizabeth I’s physician who recommended its health benefits to his patients and Harrogate became known as ‘the English Spa’ attracting wealthy visitors from throughout Europe and the British Empire.

In 1740, the town produced the first bottled water and by 1914 became a major exporter, largely due to a need to keep the troops hydrated from Yorkshire to Bombay. Harrogate Water Brands, which draws and bottles perfectly-balanced mineral water at its site in Harlow Moor Road, was launched in 2002 after Harrogate Council decided to re-start production and put a contract out to tender.

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West & North Yorkshire Business

54 RAISING THE BAR AWARDS

This year our applicants The sixth Raising the Bar Awards, which took place at Leeds Civic Hall, celebrated all the hard work businesses put into supporting the wider community and measuring their social impact in Bradford, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire region.

The evening was hosted by BBC Radio Leeds presenter, Andrew Edwards and featured guest speaker Richard Mason of Burberry, who shared Burberrys responsibility goals for 2022 and how they were acting responsibly.

The awards gave businesses recognition in four key areas Economy, Environment, Education and Community. The evening showcased some fantastic examples of how companies worked on their social impact. From extended support for families to thousands being raised for charity, apprenticeships to business start-up programmes and a cookery school to a kid’s lab.

The nature of these awards is not just about the accolade, it’s about continuous commitment and improvement. The West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce bench marking tool, used to complete the award application, is available all year round giving businesses to opportunity to monitor their social impact.

Thank you to our event sponsors

MAIN SPONSOR

SPONSORS

Raised

£64,402

for local groups/charities

Gave

7,779

hours of volunteering

BradfordLitFest @BradfordLitFest

B&M Waste Services @BagnallMorris

Congratulations to @RanceBoothSmith for their amazing work investing in the West Yorkshire economy.

Deserving winners

We won not one, but two awards! #RTBawards

Roche Legal @Roche_Legal Well done to everyone tonight at the #RTBawards #proud #anythingispossible

Novalux LED @NovaluxLED So proud to have won the small business #environment award at tonights #RTBawards.

Thank you @RtBYorkshire for the recognition.

Victoria Wainwright @NW_victoriaw We won! Extremely proud to receive the award on behalf of @Naylorwintsg team! #proud #topteam

Naylor Wintersgill @Naylorwintersg Delighted to have been shortlisted for 3 awards tonight @RtBYorkshire awards and we’re looking forward to a great evening in #Leeds

YorkHospitalCharity @YorkTHCharity Inspired to hear about all the great work and partnerships in our region tonight at Leeds Civic Hall. Thrilled to see our friends and supporters @Roche_Legal win a community award – well deserved.

Enable2 @Enable2CIC We really are so thrilled to be winters @RtBYorkshire this evening. Here’s Helen, Val, Yasmin and Liz with our education award

The Big Swing @TheBigSwing We’re so excited to be attending our first Chamber of Commerce event. #LeedsCivicHall is beautiful.

Looking forward to some networking

ECONOMY SMALL

ENVIRONMENT SMALL

Committed to developing the local community, Rance Booth Smith Architects sourced 95% of goods and services from the local area in the past year.

Novalux LED Ltd have helped pave the way for greener lighting across various properties, saving over 1000 tonnes of carbon in total.

ECONOMY MEDIUM

ENVIRONMENT MEDIUM

Naylor Wintersgill donated IT equipment to local schools so they could use funding to improve education elsewhere.

Engaging young people with caring for their local environment, B&M Waste Services started the Little Litter Pickers campaign to organise local litter picking.

ECONOMY LARGE

ENVIRONMENT LARGE

Curtins pledged themselves to helping develop pathways for women into careers in engineering, by supporting students, attending women’s engineering days and similar events.

Mott MacDonald demonstrated their dedication to recycling, as they exceeded industry averages for recycling waste and hosted internal events which raised awareness of recycling.

Rance Booth Smith Architects

Naylor Wintersgill

Curtins

Novalux LED Ltd

B&M Waste Services

Mott MacDonald

West & North Yorkshire Business

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RAISING THE BAR AWARDS 57

EDUCATION SMALL

COMMUNITY SMALL

Bradford Literature Festival hosted family fun days which were free events for school children and looked at engaging the most disadvantaged of social groups.

Roche Legal demonstrated commitment to developing the local community by holding fundraising events and hiring 100% of staff locally.

EDUCATION MEDIUM

COMMUNITY MEDIUM

Enable2 CIC coordinated projects in primary schools which hoped to help children and their parents with nutrition and staying healthy.

B&M Waste Services offers free advertising to its nominated charity, Leeds Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, as well as having raised over £10,000 for them.

EDUCATION LARGE

COMMUNITY LARGE

BASF continue to improve their widely successful Kids’ Lab, which attracts hundreds of children every year from primary schools to engage with science.

Hungate proudly operate a community fund which distributes £25k per annum to local charities, which are nominated each year.

Bradford Literature Festival

Enable2 CIC

BASF

Roche Legal

B&M Waste Services

Hungate by Lendlease

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West & North Yorkshire Business

58 LEEDS MANUFACTURING FESTIVAL

Building the future Run by the Leeds Manufacturing Alliance, supported by a group of sponsors, this festival has brought greater awareness to the depth of career opportunities within manufacturing that exist across our region.

A series of local events took place during October opening the doors of manufacturers to young people, schools and local communities. This allowed anyone interested in manufacturing to see for themselves what it is like day to day working in the sector and find out more about the exciting career opportunities that exist in Leeds.

The festival ran 54 events involving 3,024 youngsters and offered 417 influencers the ability to get involved and be more aware of the opportunities open to young people within manufacturing. Whilst the event mainly ran during the month of October, the momentum has been started and there are still more events

being planned and interactions with young people and manufacturing companies continuing.

With 1,800 manufacturing firms in Leeds, the city is the 3rd largest manufacturing centre in the country by local authority area, with 26,000 people directly employed in this sector.

However, there is a skills shortage at all levels of manufacturing with apprentices and graduates in high demand, so this festival was set up to address this requirement for more people to enter careers in manufacturing. Careers in this sector can be varied and rewarding, whether it’s working on the shop floor or in management this festival has started to raise the awareness of the possibilities to young people across Leeds. The environments and careers are incredibly diverse from engineering and medical technology, to food and drink, textiles, aerospace components and even juke boxes. Young people could be involved in developing new technologies, designing new products

or even exporting products around the world.

“I loved being involved having direct contact with young people and opening the doors of conversation about manufacturing. It was interesting to see the reactions and the realisations that there are a whole host of career opportunities within manufacturing.

I know that this first year was an overwhelming success and we have started the journey of linking with the future generations. I look forward to an even bigger and better festival next year.”

Tracey Dawson – Daletech Electronics Ltd

West & North Yorkshire Business

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BRADFORD MANUFACTURING WEEK 59

Inspiring young minds Bradford Manufacturing Week is a West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce initiative delivered in conjunction with Bradford-based Aspire-igen and sponsors Barclays Bank, Naylor Wintersgill, Mitton Group, Gordons LLP, the University of Bradford, and Leeds Bradford Airport.

From 8-12 October, the Week offered events, work placements, and company visits to inspire, engage and attract students to the sector.

The brainchild of Nick Garthwaite, president of Bradford Chamber and MD of international chemicals and detergents manufacturer Christeyns, the week ‘matched’ over 50% of Bradford’s secondary schools with more than 40 local manufacturers to create 3,000 manufacturing experiences for 14-18 year old students.

Speaking of the week, Nick said: “Despite Bradford being the youngest city in the UK with a growing population of school leavers, our apprenticeships are low. From August 2016 to January 2018 just 1,510 were

undertaken across the manufacturing and engineering sector in Bradford and there are just 80 manufacturing apprenticeships we know of that are currently being officially advertised.

The time to change that is now.

“The Chamber lead this initiative because we want young people to see for themselves the range of exciting and progressive career opportunities this industry presents. From automation and robotics to research and development of new technologies, manufacturing is an incredibly fastmoving and dynamic place to work.

Speaking of his personal highlight, Nick said: “Bradford Manufacturing LIVE was a real high point in our event line up for the Week because it really got the pupils thinking, talking and asking the questions that were important to them.”

More than 30 pupils from across Bradford came face to face with manufacturing representatives as part of Bradford Manufacturing LIVE. The

panel was made up of refrigeration specialists Epta UK, metal heat treatment specialists Keighley Laboratories, Seabrook Crisps, international chemicals and detergents manufacturer Christeyns UK and manufacturing specialist recruiters The Works.

Nick continued: “The students had really done their research, and many addressed the big issues in manufacturing such as employing women, attracting young people to the sector and whether apprenticeships are the right route to take. Utilising Twitter also meant we could engage with an even wider audience of young people on a platform they are familiar and comfortable with. Between social media and the interactions in the room, we answered around 20 questions put to us – we were euphoric by the end of the session and agreed, it’s certainly an event to be repeated during Bradford Manufacturing Week 2019.”

Providing a helping hand with regulatory compliance If a business is unsure about the regulatory framework that governs their industry, it’s important that they seek advice to ensure they are taking the right steps to compliance. The risks of noncompliance are too high for any business to ignore. Firstly there is the short-term impact to their bottom line if they are fined and secondly, there are the long-term costs associated with damage to brand reputation.

How we can help West Yorkshire Trading Standards offer a range of services to businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber to help with regulatory compliance. Through offering such services, they work to create a fair and sustainable trading environment for both the benefit of consumers and businesses.

Our Services

•

Pay As You Go Business Advice – This is perfect for smaller businesses and start-ups that need guidance on a broad range of legislative requirements. For example, a food producer looking at food labelling and nutrition claims.

•

Training – A number of training workshops are delivered by West Yorkshire Trading Standards including Consumer Rights Act For Businesses and An Introduction to Weights & Measures (for those businesses who supply packaged goods to consumers).

•

Primary Authority Partnerships – Under the Primary Authority statutory scheme, West Yorkshire Trading Standards can provide assured advice that will apply wherever the business operates.

•

Compliance Audit Service – West Yorkshire Trading Standards can perform auditing services against a wide range of regulatory areas, including customer complaints procedures.

•

Product Safety – West Yorkshire Trading Standards work with those businesses impacted by product safety legislation including importers, distributors and retailers of consumer goods.

Find out more by contacting West Yorkshire Trading Standards: t: 0113 535 0336 e: WYBusinessGrowth.Development@wyjs.org.uk w: wyjs.org.uk/trading-standards

West & North Yorkshire Business

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CHARITY 61

Local charities get business boost

The activities of two local charities will be supported by Bradford Chamber of Commerce over the next 12 months.

Bradford Nightstop and The Big Swing will be supported by fund-raising efforts by the business support organisation from now until next summer, when the current President, Nick Garthwaite steps down. Nightstop provides emergency accommodation for young homeless people (1625), while The Big Swing is a playground for children.

Nightstop is a model that has been rolled out across 30 UK locations, and first began in Leeds in 1987, with the Bradford one appearing five years later. Since then, more than 10,000 bed nights have been provided in Bradford alone. Volunteers are based across the District, and they are always on the look-out for more volunteers. The Big Swing is a supervised, free adventure playground, open five days a week. The site is aimed at 5-13 year olds, with other facilities available for younger children.

The charity is also about to run some extra sessions for children with additional needs, while it also has an outreach team delivering play in five locations across Bradford.

Nick Garthwaite, the Managing Director of cleaning products company, Christeyns, said: “I’m pleased that the Chamber will be supporting the good works of these two charities over the coming months. It’s never an easy decision, deciding one charity over another, which is why we limited the selected ones to just one year – so that we can support different ones over the years.”

The main fund-raising event for the Chamber is its annual dinner, which took place this year on 20 November at the Midland Hotel.

Jenny Turner of the Big Swing said: “It’s great that the Chamber is supporting us. It will bring in much needed funds and help raise our profile among the business community.”

A spokesperson for Bradford Nightstop added: “All help is gratefully received, especially in our 25th year, and we look forward to working closely with the Chamber and its members in the months to come.”

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West & North Yorkshire Business

62 BRADFORD CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNER

Brilliant Bradford

The Bradford Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, was an evening of celebration attended by over two hundred of the district’s businesses, local dignitaries and MPs. Bradford Chamber of Commerce President, Nick Garthwaite shared with the audience examples of recent improvements to the city’s fortunes and how Bradford Manufacturing Week brought together businesses, schools and colleges.

The event was hosted by the TV and Radio professional Jon Hammond and the Guest speaker for the evening was Gyles Brandreth, who had the audience in fits of laughter with his inimitable humour.

Gyles talked about how Bradford had turned a corner and there was confidence around the city. Gyles said after the event: “I’m bowled over by the energy, positivity, spirit of enterprise and friendship at the Bradford Chamber Dinner. Honoured to be in brilliant Bradford.”

SPONSORS SPONSORS

SPONSORS

Bradford Chamber of Commerce Part of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

West & North Yorkshire Business

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BRADFORD CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNER 65

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West & North Yorkshire Business

66 EVENTS December 7 Christmas Lunch 12noon - 2.30pm £42 / £54 The Principal Hotel, York 10 Chamber Carol Service 6.30pm - 8pm No charge All Saints Church, Pavement, York 13 Pure Networking 7.30am - 9am £20 / £30 Kings Manor, York 19 Pure Networking Christmas Lunch 12noon - 2pm £30 / £42 Hotel du Vin, Harrogate

January

February

9 Business Lunch 12noon - 2pm £30 / £42 Maxis Restaurant, York 10 Pure Networking 7.30am - 9.30am £20 / £30 Venue TBC - Leeds 17 The Power of Networking in association with Leeds BID 12noon - 1.30pm £20 / £20 The Lost & Found, Leeds 22 Pure Networking 7.30am - 9am £20 / £30 Middlethorpe Hall & Spa, York 23 Learning Lunch 12noon - 2pm £20 / £30 Devere House, Bradford 25 Business Lunch 12noon - 2pm £30 / £42 Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough 31 Leeds Chamber Annual Dinner 6.45pm - 11pm £114 / £138 The Queens Hotel, Leeds

6 Business Lunch 12noon - 2pm £30 / £42 Fairfield Manor, York 7 Pure Networking 7.30am - 9.30am £20 / £30 Leeds United Football Club 14 Learning Lunch 12noon - 2pm £20 / £30 Devere House, Bradford 19 Pure Networking 7.30am - 9am £20 / £30 Fulford Golf Club, York 21 Property Lunch 12noon - 2pm £30 / £42 York Racecourse 22 Learning Lunch 12noon - 2pm £20 / £30 Barnett Waddingham, Leeds

International Training Understanding Exporting & Incoterms 11 Dec 2018

Leeds City Centre

Export Documentation 10 Jan 2019

Leeds City Centre

Export Documentation & Import Procedures 26 Feb 2019 Leeds City Centre

Methods of Payment & Letters of Credit 05 Mar 2019 Leeds City Centre

Understanding Incoterms 05 Mar 2019 Leeds City Centre

Brexit Seminar 19 Mar 2019

Deloitte LLP, Leeds

Understanding Exporting 26 Mar 2019

Leeds City Centre

“Networking events are an excellent way to meet people, interact and find out what’s happening in the business world.”

Suzanne Burnett Castle Employment & HR

Don’t miss out!

Book now at http://chmbr.co/2p

Members’ price / Full price Prices include VAT

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