JULY 2019 EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK £3.50 Golden OpportunitiesMoving forwards Skills, funding and Industry 4.0 01.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:05 Page 1DO YOU HAVE EMPLOYMENT ISSUES? EASY BUDGET OPTIONS Fixed fee monthly retainer We can help you manage your legal responsibilities as an employer As well as day-to-day HR issues, there is growing pressure from increased employment legislation and failing to work within these laws can lead to time consuming and costly tribunal claims. Our Employment Retainer Service provides you with: > Initial employment health check consultation > Annual review of your contracts > Access to a library of HR templates > Unlimited advice by phone or email > Optional employment protection insurance > Low monthly payment plans Nottingham, Mansfield, Sutton & Kirkby 01623 782 784 info@hopkins-solicitors.co.uk “The service provided by Hopkins was second to none. They covered everything in an efficient, professional manner with minimum fuss whilst being on hand to answer our questions.” www.hopkins-solicitors.co.uk 02.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:05 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 3 EDITORS NOTES And then there were two. After the shocking drama that’s unfurled in British politics these past few years, the Tory leadership race has been a somewhat sedate affair. What with the bookies’ favourites both making it down to the head-to-head round. Now the nation is caught between a rock and a hard place. Whichever of those lying, cheating sneaks will cinch the top spot will be announced on July 23. Brexit and immigration remain the biggest talking points for both, evidently at the expense of other pressing issues including the environment. Come what May, we’ll at least be rid of May, arguably the nation’s weakest, most insipid leader in centuries. As most of us still cling to any modicum of security and certainty, let the July issue of East Midlands Business Link be your port in a storm. We take a dive into the importance of workplace health and safety with an emphasis this issue on mental health. It’s out with the old and in with the new in the IT & communications feature, while environmental impact is the hot topic in our look at the petrochemicals industry. We’ve also got reports on design & marketing, engineering and legal services to tide you over until the new PM is finally announced. Although the weather is neither here nor there at present, there’s no shortage of important corporate events taking place across the region. Turn to our events pages to make sure you stay ahead of the competition. Don’t forget to check in with our resident grump Frazer for the latest cynical look at the world. Good reading, as always. Michael Fisher Editor 03.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:23 Page 1ContentsJuly 2019 LATEST NEWS 6 A round-up of the latest news from our region APPOINTMENTS 8 East Midlands on the move. FINANCE NEWS 10 The latest news from the world of finance around the region MANUFACTURING NEWS12 News and views from around the region PROPERTY NEWS 14 All the latest from the property sector. HEALTH & SAFETY SPOTLIGHT16 As the desire for better mental health support in the workplace rises, employers must extend health and safety plans to fit. COMMERCIAL PROPERTY19 Homing in on Northamptonshire’s role in the midlands’ ‘Golden Triangle’ yields several important new deals and development opportunities hitting the market alongside planning consent for speculative developments. IT & COMMUNICATIONS 22 Embracing digital technologies improves internal process, saves money, boosts efficiencies and results in better service delivery for customers and clients. So why aren’t more business taking advantage of them? TAX26 The Red Arrows: A real and lasting boost to economic prosperity and social mobility by James Pinchbeck, Partner at Streets Chartered Accountants DESIGN & MARKETING 28 They’re the key components to success, but many businesses in our region put too little emphasis into them. Design and marketing is big business. ENGINEERING31 The engineering industry is developing at a rapid pace, embracing Industry 4.0 technologies. However, a labour shortage, skills gap and lack of R&D financing is hindering the industry. PUBLIC RELATIONS34 Your fleet and your image – driving growth or a vehicle for trouble? By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise Nation Champion for Nottingham. PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY36 Despite steady demand, the petrochemical industry is under mounting pressure and greater competition because of its environmental impact. CORPORATE HOSPITALITY39 Whether it’s a long-established customer or a potential new client, they should all be treated as company VIPs, and when it comes to corporate hospitality, that can be taken literally. NETWORKING 42 Which Business Network is Right for You? By Fiona Duncan- Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency LAW 45 Businesses have always had to tangle with increasingly complex legislative procedures, but with Brexit a mysterious pipe dream with no details forthcoming, the burden of keeping up with law has become more difficult than ever. AUTOLINK48 As the first half of 2019 comes to a close, we look at the new cars to keep an eye out for in the future, ones that may soon be drawing eyes on our roads. BUSINESS SCENE52 Guests were once again invited to join Streets Chartered Accountants for Breakfast at the 135th Lincolnshire Show OUT OF OFFICE54 All the leisure sector news from the last month EVENTS56 A timely look at forthcoming business events around the East Midlands AND FINALLY...58 48 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 01/07/2019 10:30 Page 122 Group Editor Steve Fisher s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Editor Michael Fisher m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Journalists Dominic Cuthbert d.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.uk Stuart Pearcey s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.uk Tess Egginton t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk Sales Director Angela Cooper a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman accounts@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson studio@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314 E-Mail: eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.uk Publisher Haychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group, Huntingdon House, 278-290 Huntingdon Street, Nottingham NG1 3LY All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. @BLMEastMidlands BLMEastMidlands COVER PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM • RA2STUDIO • SERGEY MIHILOVICH • POPTIKA • OLIVIER LE MOAL • RED IVORY JULY 2019 EAST MIDLANDS LE £3.50 EADING BUSINESS MAGAZ ZINE Golden Opportunit dsMoving forwarties Indust Skills, try 4.0 funding and w www.blmgroup.co.uk 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 01/07/2019 10:30 Page 26 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk GENERAL NEWS Bennetts Administrators complete sale of the iconic store in Derby The Joint Administrators of Bennetts (Irongate) Limited have completed the sale of the Bennetts name and all assets in the Derby store to London Sole Limited. London Sole is part of a group of companies owned by Charles James Associates whose other business interests include French Sole Ltd, the well-known British shoe brand. Paul Mallatratt, Joint Administrator, said: “We are very pleased to have achieved a sale of the business in such challenging economic conditions and to be able to handover the business to new long-term owners, who wish to ensure the iconic Bennetts brand continues to have a strong presence on Irongate. We look forward to seeing how Bennetts develops over the coming months and would again like to thank the public and staff for their continued support during the administration process.” David Howick, Director of London Sole, said: “We are delighted to take ownership of the iconic Bennetts store in Irongate and are proud to have acquired the store with its wealth of history and tradition. We are keen to revive and develop the store while ensuring everything that is loved about the Bennetts brand remains intact.” Midlands companies win places on league table of Britain’s fastest- growing SME exporters The 5th annual Sunday Times WorldFirst SME Export Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s small and medium-sized private companies with the fastest- growing international sales. The 11 companies headquartered in the Midlands (compared to 13 last year) include seven new entrants to the league table. Their international sales have grown by an average of 64% a year over two years to a total of £72.8m, and together they employ 1,048 people. The region’s top-ranked company is Leicester-based Delta Global Source, which makes its debut on the league table. It supplies branded luxury packaging to high-end retailers including Tom Ford and Coach. It doubled its international sales to £4.8m in 2017. Another Midlands company featuring for the first time is reusable nappy supplier Bambino Mio, which has tapped into growing demand for environmentally-friendly baby products abroad, helping it grow overseas sales to £2.9m last year. The companies in the Midlands appear with well-known businesses from around Britain, including online jewellery brand Missoma, popcorn maker Joe & Seph’s, and coffee shop chain AMT Coffee. The latest league table shows that despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit, Europe continues to be the most important overseas market with more than four fifths of companies (85) selling there. However, they are looking further afield for future growth – 82 companies are targeting future expansion outside of Europe. The SME Export Track 100 is sponsored by WorldFirst, DHL Express and Heathrow Airport, and issupported by the government’s Exporting is GREAT campaign. It is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford- based research and networking events firm. Life sciences agreement signed for the Midlands Chairman of the Midlands Engine Sir John Peace and the Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz have signed a life sciences partnership agreement to foster greater collaboration in the sector between the two regions. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s (BIO) Convention and Exhibition in Maryland, the largest international Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical convention, and partnering event in the United States, to which Midlands Engine and the Department for International Trade, took a delegation. The agreement is designed to promote economic development, assist life sciences companies in Maryland and the Midlands, and attract investment. As part of the agreement, an exchange program will be developed where UK life sciences companies will visit Maryland to explore the US market for possible expansion, and vice versa. The MoU is for a period of three years, and can be renewed by both parties. The BIO event offered Midlands businesses access to global biotech and pharmaceutical industry leaders through one-on-one meetings, chances to meet industry thought-leaders with over 500 education sessions, and networking opportunities with more than 16,000 attendees from 67 countries. Earlier this year, the Midlands Engine welcomed a delegation of 10 Maryland life sciences companies as an opportunity to explore exporting to the UK market. The Midlands plays a major part in the UK bioscience sector, which is a priority for the Midlands Engine. In fact, Nottingham is home to BioCity, one of the largest incubators in Europe, housing more than 200 companies. With industry medical support organisations in both public sector NHS and academics, and commercial, the Midlands offers a huge amount of support for businesses looking to grow in this sector. Maryland is one of the top states for life sciences in the U.S. with more than 2,300 companies in the region. 06-07.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:24 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 7 GENERAL NEWS Leicestershire’s Samworth Brothers acquires minority stake in Higgidy Leicestershire-based Samworth Brothers has acquired a minority stake in Higgidy with the option of increasing its stake in the business in the years to come. Samworth Brothers’Chief Executive Flor Healy said: “The Higgidy team has been extremely successful over the past 16 years in growing a much-loved and contemporary premium consumer brand with strong retailer partnerships. “Our own business already has a great track record in developing brands with distinctive identities and brand stories. We are also strong in savoury pastry and food- to-go and have been successful in innovating and developing these categories further in recent years. Our involvement in Higgidy will help build on these existing business strengths and open up significant new opportunities. “We are also impressed by Higgidy’s success in developing a significant % of sales in vegetarian and vegan product lines and look forward to working with the Higgidy team on further innovation in such areas.” Higgidy CEO Mark Campbell said: “We love making feel good family food and our long-term ambition for Higgidy is to build an enduring British food business that we can all be proud of in the decades to come. We’ve always known that to achieve this in our sector we’d need to partner with a larger business at the right moment. “With significant opportunities opening up for us in the market this feels like the exactly right moment and Samworth Brothers’ fit with our values & culture as well as our strategic alignment make them the exactly right partner.” Higgidy will remain a separate business with its own manufacturing facilities. Flor Healy, Samworth Brothers CEO, will join the Higgidy Board as a Non-Executive Director. © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / DANIEL J. RAO change in the application of HPC on wind flow simulations and reshape almost every stage of wind energy exploration. The goal of HPCWE is to address the key open challenges in applying HPC on wind energy, including efficient use of HPC resources in wind turbine simulations, accurate integration of meso- and micro-scale simulations, and optimisation. The consortium will develop novel algorithms, implement them in state-of-the-art codes and test the codes in academic and industrial cases to benefit the wind energy industry and research in both Europe and Brazil. Dr Xuerui Mao said: “Wind energy, both onshore and offshore, has experienced rapid developments in Europe in the past 20 years and is flourishing in Brazil. Wind energy and the associated fluid flow simulations have been one of the biggest user of HPC resources in both Brazil and Europe. “HPCWE will have a direct impact on societal issues such as reduction of CO2 through promoting wind energy exploitation. The new HPC techniques will create job opportunities, particularly in consultancy in various aspects of wind energy such as wind resource assessment and wind farm optimisation.” University of Nottingham leads €2m project to optimise wind power The University of Nottingham is leading a €2m High Performance Computing (HPC) project to optimise the sustainable exploitation of wind power in both the European and Brazilian energy markets. The two-year project will involve 12 partners from across Europe and Brazil with a proven track record of HPC hardware, wind energy, numerical methods, software development and industrial applications. Annual energy production by wind turbines reached around 10.4 per cent in the EU by the end of 2016. Brazil, meanwhile, has the ninth largest wind capacity in the world and is experiencing more than 10 per cent annual growth with nearly 500 wind farms already deployed. HPC has been a must for each of these activities and is also essential to the supply change of wind energy, as well as other related industries, such as power systems, energy storage, etc. Project lead, Dr Xuerui Mao, from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, said: “Wind as a clean and renewable alternative to fossil fuels has become an increasingly important contributor to the energy portfolio of both Europe and Brazil. By 2025 the wind power market is expected to grow over $110bn. The HPC market is also a very important and growing market reaching total revenues of $11.4bn by 2015 alone. “At almost every stage in wind energy exploitation ranging from wind turbine design, wind resource assessment and power prediction to wind farm layout and operations, the application of HPC is a must.” With €2m in Horizon 2020 funding, the ‘High Performance Computing for Wind Energy’ (HPCWE) project will deliver a step 06-07.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:25 Page 2FRP Advisory boosts Midlands corporate finance team Specialist business advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP has strengthened its corporate finance team in the Midlands with two new appointments, following a year of record growth. Daniel Chouciño and Fahim Kassam join as assistant manager and manager respectively, and they will work closely with the 5 strong team of corporate finance specialists who are responsible for identifying opportunities and supporting businesses across the region. Daniel joins from Translink Corporate Finance, where he was an assistant director, and he will be based in the firm’s Leicester office where he will work closely with director Harry Walker. Fahim joins from Alantra, where he was an associate, and he will be based in the firm’s Birmingham office where he will work alongside director Colin Strevens. As specialists in M&A activity they bring a breadth of experience, having previously supported businesses across the aerospace, engineering, food & beverage and healthcare sectors amongst others, and will work closely with the team as they help owner-managed and private equity-backed clients across the region to implement their strategic growth plans. 8 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk Taylor Bloxham Group appoints new CEO An East Midlands business with an 80 year history has appointed a new Chief Executive with immediate effect. Marketing communications and printing company the Taylor Bloxham Group has appointed Teresa-Anne Dunleavy as CEO, replacing Robert Lockwood who has moved to the position of non-executive director following a period of ill health. A marketing postgraduate, Dunleavy studied at Harvard Business School prior to embarking on a 20 year career in marketing communications and events. She has worked in chief executive roles at several large international companies and held senior advisory roles for leading global brands including British Airways, Toyota and Nintendo. Dunleavy specialises in working with companies undergoing significant structural and cultural change. The Taylor Bloxham Group has undergone a successful period of transition over the last three years, expanding the company’s services from high quality printing to include additional brands specialising in creative design and production (Instore), direct mail (Mailbox) and fulfilment (FastAnt). Group Chair, April Sharpless, said: “Robert Lockwood has overseen our forward-looking diversification strategy, establishing divisions specialising in areas of marketing communications, all strategically designed to complement our core print offering. Now successfully embedded, Teresa-Anne joins with a brief to drive growth of our combined services as an integrated offering. “She brings immense experience, outstanding business acumen and the drive needed to successfully compete in an increasingly aggressive market. I am delighted to announce her appointment and that we retain Robert’s expertise in his move to non-executive director.” APPOINTMENTS 08-09.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:25 Page 1Director promotion at Grant Thornton Business and finance adviser Grant Thornton in Leicester has promoted restructuring specialist Helen Wheeler-Jones to Director in its Midlands advisory team. Wheeler-Jones joined Grant Thornton in 2015 and focuses on supporting and building Grant Thornton’s restructuring advisory and lender offering across the East Midlands. She has played a leading role on many of the firm’s complex and investigatory assignments including All Leisure Holidays and HPI Racing. Eddie Williams, partner and head of Grant Thornton’s restructuring team in the Midlands, said: “Helen’s promotion is recognition of her hard work since joining Grant Thornton. She is a leading member of our 30-strong Midlands advisory team which has grown significantly in the last four years. “Helen is recognised as a trusted advisor within the market and has played key roles in restructuring and rescuing business and preserving thousands of jobs within the region over this period. Her promotion to Director, alongside further new members, enables us to continue supporting our restructuring clients across the region in what we believe will be busy times ahead.” Freeths announces legal promotions in Leicester Law firm, Freeths, has made two promotions in its Leicester office. Harjit Saund, an experienced real estate lawyer has been promoted to Partner, while employment specialist Hurmus Oltan has been promoted to an Associate. Harjit specialises in investment transactions, property finance and estate/ portfolio management together with complex landlord and tenant issues. Hurmus advises employers and HR advisers in diverse sectors (including logistics, retail, care and the public sector) on all aspects of employment law. Leicester office Managing Partner, Mukesh Patel said: “These promotions reflect our focus on nurturing talent as part of our continued growth, so we’re delighted to recognise the contribution that both Harjit and Hurmus make to the success of Freeths office here. They are an integral part of a larger team which supports businesses in the region and nationally with their varied commercial law needs.” Rothera Sharp announces trio of promotions East Midlands-based law firm Rothera Sharp has announced three promotions across its Nottingham offices. Residential conveyancing specialist Michelle Young, based at the firm’s West Bridgford office has been promoted to Partner while solicitor Eleanor Robinson, also based at West Bridgford and Chartered Legal Executive Rebecca Green who is based at the firm’s Wollaton and Long Eaton branches have been promoted to Associate level. The promotions come amidst continued growth for the firm, across its seven offices which specialise in both individual and business matters, from conveyancing and family law to commercial property and debt recovery. Christina Yardley, CEO at Rothera Sharp said: “The promotions of Michelle, Eleanor and Rebecca reflect the amazing talent we have at Rothera Sharp and demonstrate the career progression that our staff can make in the firm as a result of their commitment, loyalty and hard work.” Wytech caps off year of growth with new staff IT support and telecoms specialist Wytech has recruited three new members of staff, moved to a new head office and launched a new website following a successful 12 months of business growth. The firm welcomes Rob Smith on board as a business development manager, while Charles Bradley and Paul Brewell are welcome additions to its friendly support desk team. Their appointments mark the first phase of a planned expansion and follow the firm’s move to new premises after it relocated its operation from Derby, to the state-of-the-art new Ednaston Park Business Centre, near Ashbourne. Wytech has also recently relaunched its website to better showcase its range of products and services. Founded in 2004, Wytech provides businesses of all sizes with a complete tailored solution, including fully-managed IT solutions and bespoke systems and networks. Mark Jones, Wytech’s Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rob, Charles and Paul on-board at what is an exciting time for the business, following our move to Ednaston Park. “Their appointments come on the back of a solid period of growth for the company and will not only help us meet increasing client demand for our services, but help the business to develop further as we look to recruit additional sales and technical staff as we continue to grow. “The managed IT and telecoms sector is extremely competitive, but we pride ourselves on being innovative, flexible and proactive in our approach to creating solutions for our clients, with high levels of personalised customer service and up-to- date technical expertise.” www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 9 APPOINTMENTS 08-09.qxp_Layout 1 28/06/2019 15:25 Page 2Next >