AUGUST 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINEACCOUNTANCYREVIEWMore than balancing the booksPRINT &PACKAGINGLife in plasticAUTOLINKCars of the futurewww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKBENEFITTINGBUSINESSBENEFITTINGBUSINESSSunday 5 August 2018River Trent, Victoria EmbankmentAct now!Form a crew and enter the challenge!Tel 01780 470718www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/nottingham10thAnniversary Year!www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 3EDITORS NOTESNo doubt, by now, readers will have familiarisedthemselves with the hotly anticipated Brexit WhitePaper. While it’s not the most riveting read we’ve everenjoyed here at East Midlands Business Link HQ, it doesprovide some much-needed clarity. While the White Paper has largely ticked all the rightboxes, business and industry leaders are still racked withfear over a potential “no-deal” scenario. The warningshave been coming thick and fast, with the PM eversuggesting stock-pilling food and medicine should she fail to secure afavourable deal. Things are more upbeat for our August issue where we’re celebratingbusinesses across our region, be that in the print and packaging industry, orsecurity. It’s also that time of year where we delve into the accountancy sectorfor our review, while elsewhere we cover business services and supply chainmanagement. This month’s commercial property feature looks at the health of the officemarket across the East Midlands, while in our corporate hospitality feature weshow how the great British pub is making a comeback. Elsewhere we’ve got all the best news and events, plus industry commentand insight. Basically, this is your go-to guide for regional business. Be sureand check out our website for all the news you need to read. Michael FisherEditorWelcome...ContentsAugust 2018LATEST NEWS 6A round-up of the latest news from our regionAPPOINTMENTS 8East Midlands on the move.FINANCE NEWS 10The latest news from the world of finance around the regionMANUFACTURING NEWS12News and views from around the regionPROPERTY NEWS 14All the latest from the property sector.ACCOUNTANCY REVIEW 16A good accountant will do more than help balance the books –they will be an integral part of the business, helping a companymonitor their finances, while also saving them significant amounts. TAX20Is it time to don a waistcoat? By James Pinchbeck, MarketingPartner Streets Chartered AccountantsBUSINESS SCENE22Lincoln based Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40accountancy practice, hosted their seventh annual Charity GolfDay this July raising £5,813 for the Air Ambulance.CORPORATE HOSPITALITY24The pub is making a comeback with closures slowing andinvestors interested. It’s good news, too, for business leaderslooking to wine and dine customers or treat staff. NETWORKING28Entrepreneurship. Fiona Duncan-Steer founder of RSViP BusinessNetwork talks about Entrepreneurship and asks - are you anEntrepreneur ?COMMERCIAL PROPERTY30Spanning from Leicestershire to Lincolnshire, the East Midlandscovers an impressive swathe of England; so, what’s happening inone city won’t necessarily be what’s taking place in another. This isexactly what we’re witnessing in the office market. While somecounties are experiencing a rise in demand and the spate of newdevelopments, others are struggling. Here East Midlands BusinessLink looks a little closer. BUSINESS SERVICES 34Business services keep a company running, but they should not bea fire and forget solution. Choosing the wrong service providercan cost in the long run. PUBLIC RELATIONS38About to issue news before you head away on holiday? STOP! ByGreg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and EnterpriseNation Champion for Nottingham.Champion for Nottingham.48PRINT & PACKAGING 40We can no longer ignore the environmental impact of plasticpackaging. So, what are businesses doing about it? East MidlandsBusiness Link investigates. SUPPLY CHAIN44The supply chain is one of the most pressured in the industry,with many expecting perfect results every time. AUTOLINK48We’ve reached a tipping point where pursuing low emissionstrategies are good for business, and that includes electric andhybrid vehicles. OUT OF OFFICE52All the leisure sector news from the last monthEVENTS54A timely look at forthcoming business events around the EastMidlandsDRAGNBOAT RACE56Nottingham Riverside Festival’s Dragon Boat Challenge is justaround the river bend. With teams from across the East Midlandsparticipating, it is a must-attend event, and is sure to be anexciting ride.AND FINALLY...601624Group EditorSteve Fishers.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukEditorMichael Fisherm.fisher@blmgroup.co.ukJournalistsDominic Cuthbertd.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.ukStuart Pearcey s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.ukTess Eggintont.egginton@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,Huntingdon House, 278-290 Huntingdon Street, Nottingham NG1 3LYAll 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 participatingagents accept liability for loss or damage toprints, colour transparencies, negatives or othermaterial of whatever nature submitted to thispublication. The views expressed in thispublication are not necessarily the views ofthose held by the publisher.@BLMEastMidlandsBLMEastMidlandsAUGUST 2018EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINEACCOUNTANCYREVIEWMore than balancing the booksPRINT &PACKAGINGLife in plasticAUTOLINKCars of the futurewww.blmgroup.co.ukWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKWWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UKBENEFITTINGBUSINESSBENEFITTINGBUSINESSCOVER PHOTOS: VANESSA BARTON PHOTOGRAPHYSHUTTERSTOCK.COM • BANNAFARSAI_STOCK • MILA SUPINSKAYA GLASHCHENKO • EVERYTHING POSSIBLE • STUDIO DAGDAGAZ 6East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukGENERAL NEWSNorthants businesses focus onrecruitment in uncertain marketHalf of Northamptonshire businesses are planning a recruitment drive over the next 12 months to support growth in amore challenging economic environment, according to a new poll from financial and business advisers Grant Thornton.The survey of local companies was conducted at the 2018 Northamptonshire Limited event when Grant Thorntonunveiled the results of its annual analysis of the 100 top performing businesses in the county. This year’s study found localfirms continue to prosper with increases in turnover, profitability and employment.Results from the event poll reveal hiring new people will be by far the most important factor for local businesses tocontinue this positive growth trend over the coming year (50%). This is followed by investing in new technologies (19%),acquisitions (14%), capital expenditure (13%) and a rise in exports driven by the lower value of the pound (5%).However, the survey suggests the next 12 months will also present a more challenging backdrop with the majority ofbusinesses questioned (53%) stating current businesses conditions are more difficult than this time last year. A further 47% of firms saideconomic growth was their biggest worry ahead of interest rate rises, Brexit or GDPR.Greener future liesahead for Lincolnshirefood supplier Lincolnshire-based food supplier Sleaford Quality Foods is set to trial anew range of recyclable packaging products to cement its reputation inenvironmentally-friendly food provision.A supplier of high quality ingredients for the food manufacturing andcatering industries for over 50 years, the firm is now ramping up its effortsas the environmental damage inflicted by plastic overuse continues to hitthe headlines.August sees the eco-conscious family business trialling a new 2 plypaper bag with a polyethylene (PE) coating. The innovative bag, whichcontains such a small percentage of PE coating that it is classed as fullyrecyclable, will house two new product lines, and in the long term thecompany is aiming to use the bag to package its entire product range.The firm is also looking to develop a series of recyclable laminates andpouches made from a mono-layer plastic, which will allow them to beprocessed through a recycling loop.The packaging of one of Sleaford Quality Foods’ signature ranges isalso set for an eco-friendly revamp. The popular Chef William range,which includes soups, herbs and spices, canned fruit and vegetables and“core” ingredients such as pasta and rice, currently packs it’s seasoningrange in pots made from the recyclable material PET, with lids ofpolypropylene.However, some recycling sorting stations are unable to detect the lidsdue to their black colour. The firm is therefore set to jettison lidscontaining carbon black in favour of alternative colours in order to ensurethat they are detectable in the recycling loop.James Arnold, Managing Director at Sleaford Quality Foods, said: “Weare constantly challenging our supplier and clients to step up their effortsto reduce plastic usage, and have recently held discussions with acompany that is developing a fully compostable bio-plastic – one of themost environmentally-friendly packaging materials available on today’smarket.”New agreement on smarttransport research signedat NottinghamThe University of Nottingham has signed a formal agreement to supportgovernment plans to make the UK a world-leader in driverless and interconnectedvehicles and intelligent transport infrastructures.The ‘Deep Academic Alliance’ (DAA) was agreed with the Transport SystemsCatapult (TSC) to mark the start of a three-year collaboration to deliver innovation,skills and technology on smart transportation.DAAs are key partnerships between the TSC – an Innovate UK-backedorganisation – and UK universities, aligning transport-related research andeducational roadmaps, with industry strategies.The Alliance is set against a backdrop of growing demand and increasingopportunity; the global market for ‘Intelligent Mobility’ is estimated to be worth£900bn a year by 2025. Meanwhile, a key ‘Grand Challenge’ in the UKgovernment’s Industrial Strategy is the future of mobility and how to make travelsafer, better connected and more efficient.Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research andKnowledge Exchange, explains: “This alliance will place Nottingham and the TSCat the forefront of smart transport and mobility in a city context.“It has already enabled us to not only create, but also build joint capabilitiesand resources that address challenges in this space. Moving forwards this willfurther support the delivery of UK economic growth, impact throughcommercialised research and exploit international market opportunities.”Transport Systems Catapult CEO, Paul Campion, said: “We are extremelyexcited to announce this partnership with the University of Nottingham.“Transport is changing: operator focused, single mode, fossil fuel dependentand disconnected travel will be replaced with user centric travel based on systemwide integration and data driven services. High profile developments likeautomated cars are just the tip of the iceberg and the market opportunity for theUK is huge.”© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / PORTRAIT IMAGES ASIA BY NONWARIT www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 7GENERAL NEWSLLEP to develop localIndustrial StrategyLeicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) is one ofsix named by Business Secretary Greg Clark to work more closely withGovernment to develop local Industrial Strategies.Mr Clark made the announcement on a Cabinet visit to Newcastle.North East, Tees Valley, West of England, Cheshire & Warringtonand the Heart of the South West LEPs will also be the second wave ofareas to benefit from working with the Government to develop theirlocal Industrial Strategies.The aim of local Industrial Strategies is putting regional people andbusinesses in the driving seat, allowing leaders to harness thestrengths of their own areas in a targeted approach.To ensure these local plans are underpinned and supported byrobust institutions, the Government also published the conclusions ofa review of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and announced up to £20m of additional funding – a 50% increase in resource funding for LEPs.The review also lays out the Government’s expectation of LEPs to improve their gender balance and representation of those with protected characteristics, with theaim of equal representation of men and women on boards by 2023.Kevin Harris, LLEP Chair said: “We have been planning our Local Industrial Strategy Prospectus for several months to ensure we were ready when the Governmentcalled for more regions to submit proposals. We engaged with over 100 businesses during a series of round table events in May, in addition to local authority,education and university partners to ensure that our local strategy reflects the key sectors and strengths of our region and meets the foundations and grandchallenges that the Government wants to develop.”Pattonair contract renewedfor global OEM and MROparts support until 2025Rotorcraft turbine manufacturer, Safran Helicopter Engines (SHE), has awarded aglobal OEM and MRO parts support contract to Pattonair, the Derby aerospace anddefence supply chain service provider, until 2025.The contract was signed at the Farnborough Airshow by Franck Saudo, President –Safran helicopter engines, and Wayne Hollinshead, CEO of Pattonair.Incumbent supplier, Pattonair, won the competitively bid contract to support 16Safran sites globally and deliver over 6,000 C class parts to 180 locations worldwidethrough to 2025. The contract also encompasses a combination of product costimprovement projects to be driven forward by Pattonair and jointly with SHE.Pattonair is a SHE Gold Supplier, which recognises those suppliers who canguarantee the best performance and provide a real return on long-term investment.Pattonair supports Safran Group Companies including Safran Aircraft Engines,Safran Transmissions, Safran Landing Systems and others.© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / G-STOCKSTUDIO Derbyshire firm drives 80% export growth in a yearDerbyshire-based biotechnology firm Retrogenix has increased its revenue from international sales by 80% in the last year with particular successes in China, Japanand South Korea, with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT).Retrogenix uses unique technology to screen drugs and therapies for the pharmaceutical sector.Two thirds of Retrogenix’s revenue is generated by sales to the United States, and last year, growing demand from China, Japan and South Korea, increased thevolume of sales by over 700%. Sales to these countries now make up 5.5% of total revenue, according to its most recent financial reports, compared with 1.3% in theprevious year.The business, located in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, works with 18 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies worldwide and its screening technology isdriving wider advances in medical research. Retrogenix has won two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise; one in 2015 for innovation, and again in 2017 specifically inrecognition of its growth in international trade.Jim Freeth, Managing Director, Retrogenix, said: “Until now we’ve been mostly reactive to interest from China, Japan and South Korea, but DIT has helped us tobe more proactive in capitalising on the clear demand. We’ve grown from having just one contract in China last year to eight today.“The majority of the global pharma sector speaks English which has made our exporting journey much less daunting, but there are other specific challenges we’vefaced. For example, shipping biological samples from China to screen here can be challenging for our clients because of restrictions on what can cross their borders.Working with DIT has helped us find solutions to this. If we can do it then other businesses can too.”L-R: Hilary Chipping, Chris McDermott,Mike Hughes, Kieron Salter and FionaBaldwin of Grant Thornton.CBI appoints new EastMidlands chair and vice-chairMandie Stravino and Darren Wilson have been appointed as the East Midlands Chairand Vice-Chair of CBI, taking over from Andy Cliffe, Former Managing Director at EastMidlands Airport.Mandie is the CEO of Derby College Group and responsible for DCG’s performance.She also serves on many boards including the Opportunity Area Board for Derby City, theDerbyshire Economic Partnership, the Metro Strategy Board – Derby City/Nottingham Cityand the Midlands Engine Skills Group.In December 2017, Mandie was appointed to the Further Education Principals’Reference Group to support, challenge and advise the FE Commissioner and contribute tothe Government’s policy development work affecting the FE sector.Darren is Vice President Industrial Minerals, CEO Europe, of the Swedish state-ownedmining and minerals company LKAB Minerals. He holds global responsibility for thecompany’s Industrial Minerals Business, leading its M&A activity, and has regionalresponsibility for all its European activity. Darren started his career in engineering andworked in various functions and companies within Saint-Gobain before joining LKAB.Both Mandie and Darren are members of the CBI’s East Midlands regional council.Commenting on her appointment, Mandie Stravino, Chair of CBI East Midlands, said: “I amhonoured to be appointed to this role – recognising that the skills agenda is a crucial factor inthe strength and sustainability of individual businesses and the wider economy. I lookforward to representing the high calibre of East Midlands’ businesses and organisations whoare members of the CBI in this region.”Commenting on his appointment, Darren Wilson, Vice-Chair of CBI East Midlands, said:“This is a great time to be involved in the engagement between the CBI, business andwider stakeholders through the many challenges facing the UK. As well as Brexit, thereis much work to do on infrastructure, skills, innovation and the general reputation ofbusiness itself.”Team expansionfor Justin SmithArchitectsFollowing the recent acquisition of Eaton DesignArchitects, Derby’s Justin Smith Architects have moved tofurther expand their team.Phil Cooper joins the team as business developmentmanager. Phil has tremendous experience of the builtenvironment industry and will be working closely withcompany director, Justin Smith to continue to develop thecommercial relationships across the UK.Chris Wood has joined the team as a lead CharteredArchitectural Technologist and brings a wealth of experiencegained from blue-chip AJ100 practice the Harris Partnership.Oliver Johns joined the practice last year for a gap year ofprofessional practice to assist with general design work, 3dmodelling and visualisation. Due to Oliver’s impact in thestudio, JSA have moved to make the position permanent.JSA have also appointed a digital media executive tohandled all aspects of the web site and social mediamarketing.Justin Smith said:“With our practice evolving andcommercial relationships growing, we felt it has beenimportant to add additional talent, experience and versatilityto our team. We are delighted to bring our new teammembers on board.”8East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukL-R: Chris Wood, Stephen Eaton, Justin Smith, Phil Cooper, Oliver Johns.L-R: April Hayhurst – Derby College Vice Principal, Mandie Stravino -Derby College CEO, Carolyn Fairbairn - CBI Director-General, RickBlackmore - CBI East Midlands Regional Director.Fisher GermanexpandsAshby team Property consultancy Fisher German hasmade a senior appointment to head up amajor expansion of its new homesoperation.Ella Cartwright has joined the firm asnational new homes manager and istasked with creating a national profile forthe firm’s New Homes Team, which willspecialise in providing a comprehensivenew homes sales and marketing service.Ella, who is based in Fisher German’sAshby office, joins the firm from Bidwellswhere she spent four years as a sales negotiator and has experience in selling a number of keydevelopments in and around Cambridge.She will be working in collaboration with colleagues in the firm’s development team across all 16 officesto grow the new homes service, dealing with a variety of sales from bespoke properties to large strategicdevelopments.Ella said: “Fisher German is a nationally established brand with a fantastic reputation and I look forward tousing my expertise to grow the New Homes Team and add value to the firm.“I am going to be taking the new homes provision that was already in place and expanding this to move iton to the next level for our clients.“I will be working with the development teams based across all of the Fisher German offices to make contactwith developers at key stages, whether that be in the early planning stages or following sales, as well as gettingin touch with developers we are aware of to enquire if we can help them with any stagnant sales.”Appointmentbolsters IntegratedFood Projects’engineeringexpertiseStructural Design Associates (SDA), an East Midlandsbased engineering consultancy, is continuing to grow itsrange of services with the appointment of a seniorchartered civil and structural engineer, Ken Leung.Following its acquisition by food and drink capitalinvestment experts, Integrated Food Projects (IFP) at theend of last year, it has launched a new civil engineeringdivision to advise clients of both businesses.Heading up the department is Ken who brings withhim more than a decade of experience in civil andstructural engineering, specialising in both designconsultancy and construction.A graduate of Cardiff University, Ken has workedboth in the UK and internationally, helping to deliver high profile projects in the public and private sectors.Commenting on the appointment, Philip Chatfield, managing director of Integrated Food Projects, said:“Ken has worked for a number of large consultancies, and I am delighted that he has chosen SDA as theplace to progress his career further. He is keen to contribute to the ongoing development of the serviceswe already offer to clients, as well as expanding our civil engineering division for both SDA and IFP.“All this means we can continue to bring together our knowledge and expertise to deliver a completedesign service.”As an engineer, Ken has played a key role in the construction of the 66 storey, New World Centre inKowloon, Hong Kong. The development comprised of a 17-storey shopping/retail mall, accommodatedoffices and serviced apartments with the top 17 floors as a hotel. He will be involved on a £7million sportsfacility at the prestigious Repton School, which is a long-standing client of Derbyshire-based SDA. and alsothe latest phase of development at Ascott Transport Ltd creating a £6million distribution facility.Major seniorshake-up forNottsconstructionfirmDavid Woodhead, Managing Director ofNottinghamshire construction companyWoodhead Group, will become Chairman afterforty years with the firm.This paves the way for a new managementstructure, the firm said, ensuring “sustainabilityand resilience”.Mr Woodhead will be succeeded by anestablished leadership team, which has beendeveloping for the past seven years.Business Development Director Glenn Slatertakes up the new role of Chief Visionary Officer,working alongside HR Director TeresaWestwood, who has been appointed ManagingDirector.Existing Directors, Hilary Cheshire and CraigPygall, will continue in their roles as FinanceDirector and Director accountable foroperations and commercial respectively.They are joined on the board by LeoWoodhead, who joined the business twoyears ago, and will take up the role ofBusiness Development Director; and TomWoodhead, who has been working on thestrategic leadership team for the past fouryears, and will now be taking up the role ofBusiness Services Director.In the past 39 years, Mr Woodhead hastaken the business from turning over£279,000 in 1980, to last year showing aturnover of £52.5m“The decision to step back has notbeen taken overnight, it has been verymuch in the planning for severalyears,” he said.“We will remain a family-runcompany, with our head office inthe village where it all began, andstill with three members of ourfamily on the Board ofDirectors.”www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 9APPOINTMENTSNext >