FEBRUARY 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS E-MAGBUSINESSTRAVELAll work and no playPRINTING &PACKAGINGBack to the drawing boardCORPORATEHOSPITALITYBuilding teamworkwww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKMODERNISINGBUSINESSMODERNISINGBUSINESSSunday 5 August 2018River Trent, Victoria EmbankmentAct now!Form a crew and enter the challenge!Tel 01780 470718www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/nottingham10thAnniversary Year! S 5yaydanunSuinnAht01 2tsusguuAaeYeyrasrev 8102!ra wwwwontAcviRS eftaobnogard.w8710leTeercramrmoFo!wciV,tnerTrev5yaydanunSu on/ku.oc.slavitse1707408tretnednawenabmEairotc2tsusguuA mahgnitto81egnellahchehthtnemkn8102 !e g g www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 3EDITOR’S NOTESFebruary often feels like a continuation of January’ssleepy New Year days but that can be a dangerous trap,especially in the business world. This month is when peoplecome back to life and the economy kicks into gear.Nowhere is this more visible than in the recent Brexitnegotiations going on between the parties and the EU,which has turned from the occasional half-hearted stab atwhether we’d consider it this year or not to an all-out brawl.The language used may be a little colourful for the businessworld and conspiracy theories are abound, but one thing isfor sure, the days of idly sitting by for the Government are gone.Meanwhile things are business as usual in the East Midlands, with Christmasdata coming in and certain sectors seeing more life than they’d expected to thistime last November. It’s a welcome relief for some, but awkward reading forothers – and the collapse of another major name in Carillion has brought morescrutiny onto the business community. The public’s attention may well befocused on unscrupulous businessmen and businesswomen in the comingmonths, but it’s nothing the region hasn’t seen before.Speaking of the region, our February issue is full of topical news and featuresabout business in the region. We look at the printing and packaging industry thismonth, and also analyse the pros and cons of team-building sessions as a meansto improve the efficiency of your workforce, as well as looking at business traveland leisure, as it’s never too early – or too late – to wine and dine your importantclients; all this and more in our February issue.We also have the East Midlands Bricks Award this month, our independentawards ceremony that celebrates the best in the construction industry. Takingplace on the 8th at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club, we’ll hope to see youthere, and it’s not too late to buy your tickets online on our home page. Good reading, as alwaysMichael FisherEditorWelcome...ContentsFebruary 2018LATEST NEWS 6A round-up of the latest news from our region.APPOINTMENTS 8East Midlands on the move.FINANCE NEWS 10The latest news from the world of finance around the region.PROPERTY NEWS 12All the latest from the property sector.MANUFACTURING NEWS14News and views from around the region.EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESS LINK BRICKSAWARD 2018 16East Midlands Business Link Bricks Award 2018 will ake placelater this monyh. The awards are a chance to recognise andcelebrate the region’s top projects, as well as the teams behindthem.ENGINEERING18With Brexit, the National Living Wage and a number of otherfactors influencing the manufacturing industry, companies willsoon be forced to turn to the engineering sector for a solution. BUSINESS SCENE 23Hailing 2018 its time to shine, Coalville-based haulage giant Pall-Ex presented accolades to its stars of logistics, including networkmembers and its own staff, at a glittering awards ceremonyhosted by Sir Lenny Henry and held at the East MidlandsConference Centre in January.PRINTING & PACKAGING24Rising waste is forcing packaging companies to get creative,fortunately innovation is ripe across our region. NETWORKING286 steps to successful networking by Fiona DuncanFounder/Director of RSViP Business NetworkBUSINESS TRAVEL 30The modern workplace is unplugged and always on the move.The world is our workplace now, with mobile data connectionsand public Wi-Fi ensuring that no matter the location – a hotel,coffee shop or park bench – that the busy businessperson cankeep on top of their work.DRAON BOAT RACE34Circle Sunday the 5th of August in your calendar, because thehighly anticipated Dragon Boat challenge is returning to theNottingham Riverside Festival!CORPORATE HOSPITALITY36Across every industry, teams who spend time with one anotheroutside of work show improved performance, and yet despitethis – businesses still consider team building an unnecessaryluxury. 5012TAX40Were you one of the growing number of people who filed theirtax return on Christmas Day? Or are you still looking for anexcuse as to why you haven’t done it? Asks Erica Manderfield,Tax Partner at Streets Chartedered Accountants. PUBLIC RELATIONS42Who will you break up with this Valentine’s Day? By GregSimpson, of Press for Attention PR AUTOLINK44The electric car is coming into style and is in high demand. If youare thinking of following this future-thinking, environmentallyconscious, trend in 2018, or wondering what all the rage is, hereare some cars that will peak your interest.• The Road Ahread• Tesla Model SOUT OF OFFICE52Sustainability awards, charity dinners and trentbarton buses.EVENTS54We take a look at business events happening around the EastMidlands.AND FINALLY...5616Group EditorSteve Fishers.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukEditorMichael Fisherm.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukJournalistsDominic Cuthbertd.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.ukStuart Pearcey s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.ukSales DirectorAngela Coopera.cooper@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310310Accounts & SubscriptionsAngela Sharmanaccounts@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311Design & ProductionGary Jorgensen, Mark Cassonstudio@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310304Fax: (01472) 310314E-Mail:eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.ukPublisherHaychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group,City Gate East, Toll House Hill, Nottingham, NG1 5FSAll rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied,recorded or otherwise without expresspermission of the copyright holder, for whichapplication should be addressed first to thepublisher. While every reasonable care is taken,neither the publisher nor its participating agentsaccept liability for loss or damage to prints,colour transparencies, negatives or othermaterial of whatever nature submitted to thispublication. The views expressed in thispublication are not necessarily the views of thoseheld by the publisher.@BLMEastMidlandsBLMEastMidlandsFEBRUARY 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS E-MAGBUSINESSTRAVELAll work and no playPRINTING &PACKAGINGBack to the drawing boardCORPORATEHOSPITALITYBuilding teamworkwww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKMODERNISINGBUSINESSMODERNISINGBUSINESSCOVER PHOTOS: • shutterstock.com • Ivanko80• Christian Lagerek• nd3000• Don Pablo • TeslaEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk6Rise of the robots set to hit EastMidlands with up to 29% joblosses in some partsAutomation and globalisation will boost jobs in British cities over the coming decades, but certainparts of the East Midlands are set to lose nearly a third of their jobs to automation, according to arecent report.Mansfield, for instance, looks set to lose almost a third of its workforce to automation by 2030according to Cities Outlook 2018, published by Centre for Cities.The Centre’s annual check on the performance of UK cities’ economies published today has focusedon the impact of automation on driving job growth and job losses in cities over the coming decades.It forecasts one in five existing jobs in British cities as likely to be displaced by 2030, amounting to3.6m jobs in total.The posts most at threat it seems are retail positions, customer service roles and warehouse jobs.The good news, however, is that highly-skilled occupations such as media professionals, engineering roles andhospitality and leisure managers are likely to grow, says the report.Derbyshire companysets up in AmericaDerbyshire pedestrian electric tug manufacturer MasterMoverhas launched a US company to serve customers across bothAmerica and Canada. Over the last decade, the rapidly growingbusiness has found great success selling to some of the biggestnames in America.MasterMover’s electric tugs are used to move loads between 50and 120,000kg in a wide range of industries, includingmanufacturing, rail, aerospace and pharmaceutical.The tugs can be used by a single pedestrian operator to movethe load, which reduces downtime in factories where objects werepreviously moved by overhead cranes and minimises the riskscreated by manual handling.Over ten per cent of the Fortune 500 list have adoptedMasterMover technologies as a means of moving heavy loadsthrough their buildings. The company’s customers have all beenattracted by the benefits of being able to save time, space andmoney while improving worker safety.MasterMover hopes to build on this success by developing asales and service network that will support its growing UScustomer base. Trading as MasterMover Inc., the business has setup in Charlotte, North Carolina.Hugh Freer, President of MasterMover Inc., said: “The south-eastern states of the USA have been enjoying phenomenalbusiness growth in recent years. A range of incentives haveattracted many of MasterMover’s long-standing customers intothe region. Being near companies like Boeing, Continental andBMW was a key factor in choosing to locate the business here inCharlotte.”LATEST NEWSPackaging firm thinks‘inside the box’ A global packaging company based in Nottingham has said it isready to cope with an increased demand for cardboard and paperfood packaging after supermarket giant Iceland announced plans tophase plastic out completely by 2023.The Wilkins Group, which manufactures food packaging for anumber of UK supermarket chains, said it already has the facilities toproduce the latest innovative cardboard food packaging on mass.Iceland announced plans to use recyclable paper and pulp traysinstead of plastic for its new food range. The move comes asconcerns grow about the effects that plastic has on the environment,in particular the danger it poses to marine life. Eight million tonnes ofplastic make their way into the oceans each year, and an area thesize of France has formed in the Pacific Ocean.Justin Wilkins, Sales Director at The Wilkins Group, which won theinternational trade award at the Midlands Family Business Awards,said: “We are well placed and fully capable of producing cardboardfood packaging. We have produced millions of cartons over theyears. We already have the machines ready to go.”The cardboard and paper packaging, some of which boasts thevery latest innovative design, can be microwaved and put in theoven.The company, which has hubs in Sri Lanka, China, Romania, Indiaand Bangladesh, has already been working with a supplier to createa transparent paper lid and is ‘looking at options’ including a possiblepress form tray.© shutterstock.com/ Investment inNottingham at record-breaking highNottingham’s annual in-depth commercial property reviewpublished by Innes England has revealed Nottingham benefitedfrom £510 million of investment activity in 2017- the highestlevel recorded in 11 years.The report – which monitors trends in the regional propertymarket focusing on Nottingham, Derby and Leicester – alsoidentified increased take-up across office, industrial and retail,in line with an increase in rental values.Craig Straw, Director at Innes England, said: “In the last year,Nottingham has benefited from a boost across all sectors.Investment levels have reached the highest point recorded overthe last decade which is great news for the city.“Leisure, student accommodation and the emerging PRS(private rented sector) have been key contributors to this growth and highlight the renewed confidence from investment funds willing to capitaliseon opportunities in the regions.“Activity at the larger end of the size range, which had been absent the year before, helped to boost the office take up figures. HomeServe andSiemens found new out-of-town premises for their new regional offices while Framework Housing secured a new city-centre HQ.“Take up was often not replaced with new supply and by the end of the year supply was down 20%. This market imbalance fed through to rentalinflation with prime rental growth being experienced for the first time in a number of years.”Prime retail rates have jumped on both High Street and out-of-town units; intu Victoria Centre and Giltbrook Retail Park continue to dominate thesector. Major brands such as The Range, Wilkos and B&M have opened new stores in the region, supported by the emergence of several new carshow rooms for Ford, Mazda and Aston Martin.Ben Taylor, Retail Director at Innes England, added: “One of the biggest deals struck in the retail sector this year was the sale of the building in OldMarket Square currently occupied by Debenhams. The 196,604 sq ft premises was acquired by Altum Capital in a £25.8 million deal.“Rental rates at intu Victoria Centre reached a record high of £275 per sq ft. There was some movement in occupiers leaving and new tenantsmoving into the centre, with High Street retailers including Vodafone, Joules and Fat Face all relocating within the last year.”In the industrial sector, take-up rose 24% year on year driven by large acquisitions in the logistics sector from the likes of Kuehne + Nagel and CyncUK. Replacement supply was often absent and availability continued to tighten with the market now only providing around ten months of supplybased on average take-up levels. These market dynamics fed through to drive prime rents which rose to £6.25 per sq ft, exceeding the peakrecorded in 2008.7 www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link Disappointing decrease inapprenticeship starts Apprenticeship start figures have dropped a staggering 27% drop year onyear according to new figures. However this is progress on the previousquarter. Many comments have rolled in on the subject.Verity Davidge, Head of Education and Skills Policy at EEF, said: “Today’sfigures should act as a wake-up call to Government which has failed to acton industry’s growing concerns around the Apprenticeship Levy.“The fact that the drop isn’t as huge as the previous quarter is by nomeans a cause for celebration as the numbers are a snapshot of the timewhen most apprenticeships begin. The only ray of hope we can find is theincrease in the number of higher apprenticeships.“This worrying trend is not just hampering employers’ ability to get theskills their business needs, it is taking away invaluable opportunities for thenext generation to undertake training and secure a future job.“It is clear the Apprenticeship Levy and wider reforms aren’t working andneed a radical rethink. Government must listen to business concerns andensure the Levy delivers the demand-led system that was promised toemployers.”In agreement, Neil Carberry, CBI Managing Director of People policy, said:“Today’s drop in apprenticeship starts remains alarming and proves againthat the Apprenticeship Levy isn’t yet working for businesses, apprenticesand the economy.”© shutterstock.com/ Monkey Business Images © shutterstock.com/ Willyam Bradberry 8East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukAPPOINTMENTSEast Midsarchitectsappoints four newAssociateDirectorsMidlands architectural practice maber hasappointed four new associate directors at itsNottingham, Derby and Leicester offices.They are Andy Purvis and Leo Ward, both based inNottingham, Lee Smith in Derby and Tim Boxford inLeicester.The promotions, say the firm, are a result ofmaber’s continued success and a string of majorinstructions on significant projects across the UK.The company’s business plan sets ambitious growthtargets, and the strategy is to give key individuals astake in the business in order to encourage long termcommitment to the company. The practice, whichwas originally formed in Nottingham 35 years agothis year has always relied on organic andsustainable growth driven by a motivated team. Thisethos is embedded in each of its five offices, whichinclude Birmingham London, Derby and Leicester, aswell as its headquarters in Nottingham.Managing Director Mark Hobson says: “Theseappointments are in recognition of the significantcontributions that all four have made to the successof the practice. They also strengthen ouraccountability structure and provide more resilienceon projects for the benefit of our clients. Perhapsmost importantly, they add new lifeblood to themanagement team, which will help to ensure ourcontinued growth and success.”Lee Smith joined maber in 2005 and heads adesign team that has delivered successfulcommercial and education sector projects.Howard WardAssociates announcestrio of appointmentsConsulting engineers Howard Ward Associates (HWA) has expandedits team with the appointment of Mark Lusher as a principal engineer, andBabar Ahmed and Miles Foster as engineers.The Nottingham-based firm has a 30-year track record of successfullydelivering construction engineering consultancy services across a rangeof sectors, including education, healthcare, emergency services,commercial and residential.Dan Bailey, partner at HWA, said: “We have experienced a very busy 12months and that is set to continue throughout 2018. To accommodatethat business growth we are continuing to expand our skilled team and itreally is fantastic to have so much talent join us.“Mark has extensive experience in the industry and we’re lookingforward to sharing his expertise with our existing and future clients. Babarand Miles have demonstrated a passion and dedication to the sector andthey will both be a real asset to the firm.”Mark Lusher, who has 15 years of experience in the industry andstudied civil engineering at the University of Bolton, joins HWA from Arupwhere he worked as a senior engineer.In his new role, Mark will be responsible for leading projects, supportingand mentoring the firm’s team and working closely with the firm’s clientbase.L-R: Leo Ward, Tim Boxford, AndyPurvis, Mark Hobson (ManagingDirector), Lee SmithL-R Babar Ahmed, Miles Foster,and Mark LusherLeicester law firmcontinues to shakeup conveyancingmarketBHW Solicitors, based in Leicester, has addedfour new recruits to its residential conveyancingdivision, taking the team to 30-strong.Jayne Concannon, Diane Woolley, Nicola Dixonand Kerri Simner all join BHW.Sarah Newcombe, Partner and Head ofResidential property, says: “We are delighted towelcome these new appointments to the team.Between them they have years of experience withinthe conveyancing industry and we feel they will assistthe firm in achieving its ambitious plans for growth.”BHW operates two specialist services within itsconveyancing division: BHW Residential and BHW NewBuild. BHW Residential offers a full conveyancing servicefor existing properties, while the specialist New Buildteam deal solely with the purchase of new build homesbought directly from developers.Nick Bridle, Managing Partner at BHW Solicitors adds,“We are investing heavily in the personnel, infrastructure andtechnology within our Residential and New Build teams toensure the most efficient and cost-effective service for ourconveyancing clients.”Smith Cooper bolster theirMidlandsofferingProgressive Midlands-basedaccountancy and business advisoryfirm Smith Cooper is delighted towelcome two new members to itsaward winning Corporate Financeteam.Alex Thompson joins as a SeniorExecutive, whilst James Ward joinsas a Senior Manager. Both willprimarily be based at theNottingham office, but will operateacross the wider Midlands, and assist clients throughout the UK.Both Alex and James will be acting for business owners and management teams to supportand deliver all types of corporate transactions including acquisitions, disposals, managementbuy-outs/buy-ins and fundraising.Commenting on his new appointment, Alex said “Smith Cooper has established a prestigiousreputation in the Midlands, and I feel privileged to be working as part of the Corporate Financeteam.”Whittam Coxmakes a trio ofpromotions Whittam Cox Architects has made threesenior promotions in the wake of a sustainedperiod of growth and diversification.Central to this is the promotion of AndrewDabbs, will see him join the board ofdirectors to provide strategic leadership to agrowing number of large design led projects.He joined the practice 14 years ago, andhas played a central role for many years inreinforcing the company’s design approachand credentials as well as driving efficiencyto the practice’s management processes.The promotion and to drive a consistentdesign review process through theorganisation.Whittam Cox are also pleased toannounce the promotion of Rachel Bentleyand David Turner to Associate Director levelto further support the company’smanagement structure.New Senior VicePresident andPresident andManagingDirector of BootsSebastian James has been appointed asSenior Vice President and President andManaging Director of Boots.He also will be contributing to the Groupwith involvement in a number of key areas,joining the company in the summer of 2018and taking up his new role at the beginningof the new fiscal year on 1 September. Hewill report to Alex Gourlay, Co-ChiefOperating Officer for Walgreens BootsAlliance.James joins from Dixons Carphone plc,Europe’s leading specialist electrical andtelecommunications retailer and servicescompany, employing over 42,000 peoplein nine countries, where he is currentlyGroup Chief Executive since 2014, havingbeen Chief Executive of Dixon Retailsince 2012. Previously, he was ChiefExecutive Officer of Synergy InsuranceServices and Silverscreen Holdings,having started his career inmanagement consulting with TheBoston Consulting Group and Bain &Company.Elizabeth Fagan, who has led Bootssince June 2016, will continueworking with the Company and willtake on the newly created role ofNon-Executive Chairman of Boots inthe new fiscal year.Alex Gourlay, Co-ChiefOperating Officer for WalgreensBoots Alliance says: “We aredelighted that Sebastian will joinour Company at an equallyexciting and challenging timefor the retail environment inthe UK and for the futuredevelopment of Boots, abrand synonymous withpharmacy and care.”www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 9Solicitors, Leicester. From left: Nicola Dixon, Jayne Concannon,Sarah Newcombe, Kerri Simner and Diane Woolley. © www.martinneeves.com Next >