Chartered Surveyors raise £30k in Top Gear style bangers & cash fundraiser
As part of their activities to commemorate their 30th company anniversary, and raise £30,000 for three local charities, Loughborough-based specialist land development and property consultancy, Mather Jamie organised a TopGear style event whereby five teams were challenged to buy a £500 ‘banger’ and drive to East Anglia.
The original plan was to drive to the Norfolk coast with an overnight stay in Kings Lynn, however these plans were scuppered by the petrol crisis in October 2021, and an alternative challenge involving Leicester landmarks was arranged – which also gave drivers the option to limp their Bangers home if they broke down!
This alternative event finally happened in late December, pushing the firm’s fundraising total to £36k – 120% over the original target.
Four teams took part, each driving a ‘banger of choice’. Gary Kirk and Gary Owens chose a 1997 Ford Fiesta, Tim Jones a 2003 Honda Civic, a 58 plate Nissan Micra was the vehicle of choice for Rob Cole and his son, Henry, whilst Alex Reid and Sam Woodhouse went more upmarket with a BMW tourer.
All bangers and passengers started at 8am from Farm Town and each team was required to visit as many of the defined touristy and historical locations as they could within the timeframe. All had to reconvene no later than 3.15pm at Prestwold Aerodrome ready for a ¼ mile drag race after sourcing and buying an antique for £50, which will later be auctioned off for charity.
Each location that the teams had to visit in no particular order had a points value, with a bonus 10 points awarded to any team that also reached the Triumph Factory in Hinckley. Other sites included; Belvoir Castle, Melton Mowbray, where each team had to take a photo with a pork pie, Donington Park Race Circuit, Foxton Locks, and Twycross Zoo. To deter speeding and to penalise poor driving and maintenance, penalty points were incurred for any breakdowns and car repairs.
Commenting on the event, Rob Cole, Mather Jamie Managing Director, said: “When we set out to raise £30,000 for Rainbows, Loros and One Roof Leicester we also hoped that the events we held would create opportunities for team members to lift the mood caused by Covid and have some fun whilst doing something to help those in need.
“We are delighted that our combined efforts have smashed our target and hope that by the time we finally present the cheque we will be able to exceed our target by at least another £10,000.”
The Honda Civic proved to be the victory vehicle driven by Tim Jones who managed to arrive at all six locations in first place.
Manufacturing upturn continues at end of 2021
The manufacturing sector saw further growth of production, new orders and employment at the end of 2021. Although a slight easing in supply chain delays helped lift output volumes and take some of the heat out of input price increases, logistic disruptions and staff shortages were nonetheless still stymieing the overall pace of expansion.
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to 57.9 in December, littlechanged from November’s three-month high of 58.1. The PMI has remained above the neutral 50.0 mark for 19 months.
Output rose across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods sectors during December, with the overall pace of expansion improving to a four-month high. Increased
output was underpinned by rising intakes of new business, as domestic market conditions continued to strengthen.
The trend in new export business remained negative, however, as inflows of new work from overseas dropped for the fourth month in a row. This mainly reflected a steep decrease at consumer goods producers. In contrast, export demand for UK capital goods rose at the quickest pace since August. Manufacturers indicated that logistic issues, Brexit difficulties and the possibility of further COVID restrictions (at home and overseas) had all hit export demand at the end of the year.
Manufacturing employment increased for the twelfth successive month in December, with the rate of jobs growth staying close to November’s three-month high. Companies linked this to meeting improved demand, rising backlogs of work and efforts to address staff shortages. Capacity remained under strain, however. This was highlighted by a further increase in outstanding business, although the pace of expansion in work-in-hand volumes eased sharply to its lowest since February.
Companies maintained a positive outlook at the end of 2021. The majority of firms (63%) forecast that production would increase over the coming 12 months, compared to only 6%
anticipating a contraction. Optimism reflected expectations of renewed global economic growth, planned investment and hopes for less disruption caused by COVID-19, Brexit and
supply chain issues.
Inflationary pressures remained elevated in December. The rate of increase in factory gate selling prices accelerated to a fresh series-record high, as companies passed on (at least in
part) rising costs to their customers.
December saw a further substantial increase in average input prices, with the rate of inflation staying among the steepest seen in the survey history. There were reports of higher costs for chemicals, electronics, energy, food products, metals, timber and wood. Freight, shipping and air transportation costs were also higher, while ongoing supply disruptions, raw material shortages and issues relating to Brexit and COVID-19 also led to higher prices paid.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said: “UK manufacturing production rose at the quickest pace in four months in December, supported by increased intakes of new work, efforts to reduce backlogs of work and higher employment.
“While the uptick in growth is a positive step, the upturn remains subdued compared to the middle of the year, as supply chain constraints and weak export performance constrained attempts to raise production further. Manufacturers indicated that logistic issues, Brexit difficulties and the possibility of further COVID restrictions (at home and overseas) had all hit export demand at the end of the year.
“Although supply chains remain severely stretched, there are at least signs that the situation is stabilising, with vendor delivery times lengthening to the weakest extent for a year in December. This helped take some of the heat out of input price increases, but cost inflation remained sufficiently steep to necessitate the sharpest rise in factory gate selling prices on record. With restrictions and Omicron cases both rising, the growth and inflation backdrops could change again in the early part of 2022.”
Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “On the surface there wasn’t much of a change in the sector compared to last month but there was plenty to put manufacturers on edge about their prospects for the coming year.
“Purchasing by supply chain managers was at a four month high as businesses tried to beat another near-record inflation rate for raw materials and ordered ahead of time in the hope of defeating future setbacks. Delay fears remained as supplier deliveries remained under pressure albeit to the least severe extent since December 2020. On the plus side, optimism remained positive as manufacturers were buoyed up by the strongest pipelines of new work driven by UK customers and employment levels rose for the twelfth consecutive month to meet demand.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that the UK economy took a significant hit and new variants and potential lockdowns threaten to impede much needed progress but at least the sector ended the last quarter of 2021 on a surer footing.”
Senior partner steps down after four decades at law firm
Following a 43 year career at Sills & Betteridge, distinguished solicitor Stephen Wilson retired as the firm’s senior partner on 31 December 2021. His position was taken over by Karen Bower-Brown, the first woman to become senior partner in the 260 year history of the firm. Lincoln born Stephen joined Sills & Betteridge as an articled clerk in February 1979. He qualified as solicitor in 1981 and became partner in 1985. Stephen spent the first 10 years of his career handling a mixed case load of work before dedicating all of his time to litigation, ultimately specialising in complex personal injury and clinical negligence matters, until he retired. Notable achievements in Stephen’s career include his appointments as Deputy District Judge and President of Lincolnshire Law Society and being admitted as a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Stephen said: “I have been lucky to have such an interesting and varied legal career, all of which I spent at Sills & Betteridge. My greatest satisfaction has been recovering compensation for my clients, some of whom had suffered catastrophic injuries or the devastating loss of loved ones. It also gives me huge pride to know that I have helped drive the growth of the firm, from a small local practice when I joined, to the large, thriving regional firm it is today.” Having spent 30 years dominated by court deadlines, Stephen looks forward, initially, to a long rest. He will then spend time walking in his beloved Yorkshire Dales and exploring other beautiful areas of the British Isles, improving his golf handicap and spending time in the garden. He will also be found working behind the bar of his local village social club! Stephen’s successor Karen Bower-Brown, current head of the firm’s commercial department, joined the firm in 1999 following a position at a London firm located near Green Park where part of her remit was to advise staff in the Royal household. Karen now specialises in litigation work including commercial, contract and property disputes, as well as contentious trust and probate work for which she is a recognised specialist. Karen says: “I feel very proud to have been asked by the partners to take on the role of senior partner following Stephen Wilson’s retirement. The firm has gone from strength to strength since I joined as an assistant solicitor in 1999 when there was one office in Lincoln. “Now we have 15 offices in Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottingham and Northampton. Although Covid has proved to be a challenge for the firm, we have weathered the storm extremely well and I have no doubt that the firm as a whole has a bright future. I take the opportunity to thank Stephen Wilson for his contribution to the firm over the last 43 years including as senior partner. I wish him all the very best for the future.”
Duo of office sales sealed at Leicester’s Forest Business Park
FHP, acting on behalf of retained clients, have sold two office opportunities on Oswin Road, Forest Business Park just west of Leicester City Centre.
Both properties provide self-contained purpose-built office accommodation of just under 1,750ft² each, boasting ample car parking facilities to the front and within easy reach of J21A of the M1 Motorway.
Thomas Szymkiw, of FHP’s Office Department, who agreed both deals, said: “Small, freehold office opportunities in Leicester are scarce, so when I was instructed to sell both buildings I knew that interest would be high – receiving several strong offers within a very short marketing timeframe.
“I am pleased that I have been able to assist both purchasers with their expansion plans and happy in the knowledge that they have been able to acquire two fantastic office buildings in one of the city’s most established commercial locations.”
Partner promotion for private client specialist
East Midlands law firm Bray & Bray has promoted experienced private client solicitor Russell Dalby to partner and joint head of the firm’s Wills, Trusts and Probate department.
In his new role, Russell will co-manage a team of eight Wills, Trusts and Probate specialists.
A full member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP), Russell will also act as a reference point on technical matters such as Inheritance Tax positions. Alongside co-head Andrew Hitchon, Russell will also be responsible for training and mentoring the team.
Commenting on his new role, Russell said: “I feel very passionately about coaching and mentoring team members to ensure they are continually cultivating their knowledge and skills.
“Andrew and I have already begun developing some in-house scenario training for the team, which complements our traditional focus of attending specialist seminars throughout the year. Keeping at the cutting edge of the latest legal developments will continue to be a core focus for us as we head into 2022.
“As partner, I look forward to expanding the profile of the team and nurturing relationships with existing and new clients. Bray & Bray has a reputation for listening closely to clients and truly understanding their needs, particularly during these challenging times, and this is something I am committed to preserving.”
Prior to joining Bray & Bray, Russell worked as a senior bank manager before retraining in law in 2010. He achieved the highest grade in the Legal Practice Course, before choosing to specialise in Wills, Trusts and Probate.
Tim Gladdle, senior partner and head of Corporate & Commercial Law at Bray & Bray, added: “Russell’s well-deserved promotion is in recognition of the significant role and contribution he has made to the firm’s ongoing growth, as well as his consistent hard work and steadfast dedication to the Wills, Trusts and Probate team and private clients.
“Bray & Bray remains committed to investing in our people and supporting their ambition and professional growth. I look forward to seeing Russell continue to excel in his new role.”
Nottingham City Centre office building sold
8 Clinton Terrace, on Derby Road, just north of Nottingham City Centre, has been sold in a deal brokered by FHP Property Consultants to Clinton View Ltd.
The property which extends to just under 3,000ft2, provides modern office accommodation over three floors with substantial car parking to the rear.
Thomas Szymkiw, of FHP’s Office Department who agreed the sale, said: “8 Clinton Terrace is a great building, in a fantastic location bordering the desirable Park Estate and in an area that has seen some fantastic developments in recent years including both private and student residential schemes.
“The property provided a perfect opportunity for either an office owner occupier or developer and we had high interest in the property on both fronts – resulting in a competitive bidding process that ended up with a fantastic result for our clients.
“The purchaser is looking to undertake substantial redevelopment of the building for residential use and I am very excited to see how their ambitious plans evolve over the coming months.”
Intoware appoints business development specialist for future growth
Nottingham-based digital workflow leader Intoware, has appointed Nicholas Hope to the role of business development specialist. Nicholas joins from Artex Ltd, part of the Saint-Gobain Group, where he was a national account manager for the UK’s leading DIY retailers.
Nicholas Hope will be responsible for driving market growth and future strategy by bringing Intoware’s automation platform WorkfloPlus to enterprises.
Prior to his role at Artex Ltd, Nicholas was a commercial account manager for firestone distributor, Permaroof UK Ltd, where he led its cross-functional teams through product life-cycle development and strategic planning for new products, gaining the top five customers in target industries within two years.
Intoware’s CEO, Keith Tilley, says: “We are delighted that Nicholas Hope has joined us at this time of tremendous growth. Nicholas is a well-regarded sales leader and a highly motivated individual with proven experience driving strategic sales and marketing initiatives to generate revenue by opening up entirely new and emerging markets.”
Nicholas Hope, business development specialist, Intoware, said: “I’ve always had a keen interest in new technologies, Intoware is at the very forefront of the industry 4.0 revolution, not only does WorkfloPlus deliver paperless working, but when combined with AI and assisted reality it transforms the efficiency of processes by capturing ‘real-time’ data to drive more meaningful decision-making.”
Nicholas enjoyed entrepreneurial success at 13 years old, when he founded e-commerce business, Blue Orchard Records. He digitally remastered cassettes onto CD and vinyl, creating campaigns that trebled the value of the business in three years to £83,000.
Having later graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2013 with a BA in Business Management and Marketing, Nicholas decided to pursue his business development career locally.
Mattioli Woods achieves “key milestone”
Mattioli Woods, the specialist wealth management and asset management business, has achieved a “key milestone” and strong revenue growth, according to a trading update in advance of its interim results for the six months ended 30 November 2021.
Total client assets of the group and its associate reached £15.1 billion at the period end, an increase of 42% on the equivalent prior period.
The business meanwhile saw total revenues rise to £49.9m from £29.5m.
Ian Mattioli MBE, Chief Executive, says: “The first six months of this financial year saw us build momentum despite the complexities, economically and politically, that persisted throughout 2021. During the period, we proactively balanced securing good financial outcomes for our clients with ensuring the long-term sustainability of our business, and I am pleased to report further material progress towards our strategic medium-term goals, with total client assets now at £15.1 billion.
“We saw strong performances in our pensions and consultancy, and investment and asset management operating segments with the number of new clients on-boarded in the first half and net inflows into the Group’s investment and asset management services ahead of the equivalent period last year, reflecting the success of new business initiatives and strength of existing client referrals, with organic revenue growth in excess of 10 per cent. for the period. These initiatives are also driving an increasing pipeline of new business enquiries.
“Our discretionary managed funds continue to perform well and represent a combined value of £5.1 billion, an increase of c.55% on the equivalent prior period, including more than £1.3 billion with the Group’s associate, Amati Global Investors, an increase of c.75% on the prior period.
“Recent acquisitions and double digit organic revenue growth have driven a material increase in scale during the period, with the Group’s profit margins maintained through prudent cost management and investment to realise further operational efficiencies.
“During the period we were pleased to announce the completion of our two largest acquisitions to date, Maven Capital Partners (Maven) and Ludlow Wealth Management (Ludlow). Both businesses are trading ahead of budget and have contributed positively to the Group’s results, building upon our track record of more than 30 successful acquisitions.
“Within Maven we are progressing a number of cross-sell revenue synergy opportunities that are already being shared with qualifying Mattioli Woods and Maven clients, and plan to bring further new opportunities in the near future. Maven has also delivered a number of performance fees ahead of budget further supporting the acquisition rationale. Our Ludlow team is already engaging with our discretionary managed investment services, as well as delivering planned cost synergies.
“We anticipate further consolidation within the wealth management, pensions administration, asset management and financial planning sectors, with many more opportunities coming to market. We expect to continue to assess and progress bolt-on opportunities in the nearer term as well as potentially more substantial opportunities in the longer term, with all potential transactions required to meet our strict investment criteria and due diligence procedures.
“We remain committed to our culture of putting clients first and to delivering our ambitious growth plans for the business. We are progressing our strategic initiatives, including the development of our bespoke MWeb platform and digital client interface, where we anticipate additional medium term investment in the region of £2-4m per annum.
“The Group’s trading outlook for the current financial year remains in line with management’s expectations and Mattioli Woods remains well-positioned to deliver sustainable shareholder returns.”
2022 Business Predictions: Ian Taylor, MD of Henry Brothers Midlands
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Ian Taylor, Managing Director of construction company Henry Brothers Midlands.
The construction sector will be extremely busy in 2022 with the roll out of a large number of frameworks and infrastructure projects worth billions of pounds nationally. There’s the £3.7bn New Hospital Programme, the £7bn Department for Education Construction Framework, schemes for the Ministry of Justice and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, plus the Government’s levelling up agenda to name just a few of the opportunities that are in the pipeline. Although we will have to wait to see if the levelling up delivers for the East Midlands in the way we were all hoping!
This huge programme of work will bring greater strain on the demand for materials and labour, leading to a knock-on effect on pricing. Supply chain issues during 2021 led to volatility and this will continue in 2022 as demand increases for the delivery of construction projects and we see inflationary pressures. To avoid pricing volatility, I expect that many clients will procure their developments through frameworks, which have a reduced procurement time over the traditional tender route, and allow projects to get to site more quickly. I also expect that clients and contractors will start working together on schemes as early as possible in the process – working smarter to avoid some of the uncertainties that are likely to arise in 2022.
Finally, I predict that there will be an increasing requirement to provide carbon neutral projects. We saw this grow in 2021 and the direction of travel is only one way. In time, all projects will need to show a carbon neutral performance.
Indie video game label makes duo of acquisitions
Team17, which has offices in Nottingham, Manchester, and Wakefield, has kicked of 2022 by revealing two acquisitions.
The indie video game label has acquired The Label, a USA-based independent publisher specialising in mobile subscription games content for an initial consideration of $24 million (£17.76 million) with additional earn out consideration of up to a maximum of $16 million (£11.84 million) over the next three years.
The total consideration of up to $40 million (£29.6 million) will be paid through a combination of cash and shares, which are subject to a 12 month lock-in period.
Michael Pattison, CEO of Team17 Games Label, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with The Label’s entrepreneurial team, who are true pioneers in the delivery of quality mobile subscription games and technology. We are excited to tap into their unrivalled market and gaming experience to further take advantage of this growing market.
“The Label is a fantastic addition to the Team17 family, creating an indie game powerhouse across PC, console and mobile platforms. We look forward to helping them build on their impressive track record of success, further enabling them to scale even greater heights in support of our ambitious growth aspirations.”
Joshua Babich, general manager and Vice President, said: “It’s an honour to join the world’s leading independent games publisher. Team17 has been a pillar of excellence for over three decades for gamers and creators, bringing some of the most imaginative and unique titles to life. With their support the sky’s the limit and our partners can feel confident our combined leverage will accelerate success for all.
“Joining the Team17 family opens up unprecedented doors for us all. While we’ve carved out a strong foothold in the mobile subscription space, this allows us to instantly expand our market reach in ways that just wouldn’t have been possible before. We are delighted to be part of a Group that puts games development and creativity first!”
Team17 has also announced the acquisition of all rights and assets of Hell Let Loose (HLL), an existing 3rd party title to its 1st party family for an initial consideration of £31 million plus a contingent earn out consideration of up to a maximum of £15 million.
HLL is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game which has over six million owners. HLL was created by developer Black Matter and is co-developed and published across multiple platforms by Team17.
Michael Pattison, CEO at Team17 Games Label, said: “We are delighted to be announcing the acquisition of the Hell Let Loose IP. Hell Let Loose has quickly become a highly credible and innovative multiplayer tactical first-person shooter supported by a very passionate and highly engaged community with over six million players.
“Having built a close and extremely productive relationship with Black Matter already, we believe that by bringing Hell Let Loose into the Team17 stable, we can serve and build upon the needs of an ever-growing community, improve and expand upon the existing player experience and develop new ways to entertain and delight. We firmly believe Hell Let Loose can become the definitive large-scale team-based military simulation.
“This acquisition represents an important next step in our strategy to expand our ownership of IP that is not only of the highest quality, but importantly has long-term growth potential.”
Max Rea, founder & CEO of Black Matter, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for our fans and a logical next step-up in the development of Hell Let Loose as a brand. Team17 love our brand and community as we do, which has expanded across multiple platforms successfully.
“We’ve worked very closely with our good friends at Team17 over the last several years and firmly believe that this acquisition is the next logical step to enable us to further deliver great content to the highly passionate HLL community, as well as find new ways to engage and entertain in the future.
“We are really excited to continue to work with Team17 on the next stage of growth for Hell Let Loose.”
The news comes as the company provides a trading update for the twelve months ended 31 December 2021 (FY 2021) in which it has “continued to trade above Management’s expectations across H2 2021 completing a solid performance in 2021. As a result, revenue and adjusted EBITDA for FY 2021 will be ahead of Management’s expectations and ahead of FY 2020.”
Debbie Bestwick MBE, CEO of Team17, said: “We are pleased with the 2021 performance, in which we continued to execute on our highly ambitious pipeline alongside completing the acquisition of StoryToys. Bringing StoryToys into the Team17 family sees us align our growth ambitions with their hugely talented team and is a clear marker for our future growth strategy.
“In addition, we are delighted with the acquisitions announced this morning. These further support our content and people growth plans. We look forward to working with them as part of our growing Team17 Group in 2022.”
M-EC appointed to trio of local authority projects
M-EC, a firm of technical development consultants, has been appointed to provide expert advice on a trio of local authority infrastructure projects in Leicestershire. The projects involve three of the company’s specialist departments.
The firm has been engaged by North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) and Leicestershire County Council (LCC) to carry out a range of surveys and impact assessments for projects taking place in Coalville and Ashby de-la-Zouch.
In Coalville, M-EC is working with NWLDC and other specialists on the £1.5m Marlborough Square to ensure the success of the redevelopment project in the heart of the historic market town. The redesigned square is intended to provide a more attractive, pedestrian friendly public space suitable for families and for events and markets. The regeneration will complement the adjacent newly refurbished Coalville indoor market.
The new designs for the square necessitate the redirection of traffic around the town centre. M-EC’s specialist transport team has provided pre-planning highway and transport support for the project. The team has also created a road sign and lining design scheme in support of a future Section 278 application to undertake the works within the public highway.
Also in Coalville, M-EC have been working on a residential scheme on Highfield Street on behalf of NWLDC and LCC. M-EC’s GI, Geomatics, Civils, Structures and Lighting teams have all been involved in this project in order to progress on site construction and technical approvals from the relevant statutory authorities.
Working with Ashby-de-la-Zouch Town Council, M-EC’s Acoustic Air team has been commissioned to undertake Air Quality Monitoring to review the level of road traffic emissions within the Town. Continuous 12-month monitoring of Nitrogen Dioxide has been undertaken and the findings of this will be reported back to the Town Council.
Tim Rose, director at M-EC, says: “As Leicestershire headquartered, we are pleased to be working closely with several local authorities across the county on projects which will improve the lives of Leicestershire residents.
“The Marlborough Square development in Coalville in particular has been long awaited and the improvements to the town centre will have a positive impact on the local economy, encouraging further investment in the area and reducing pollution levels.”
East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women co-chair Jean Mountain wins top award
The co-founder of East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women network has been recognised for her career achievements with a major award.
Jean Mountain was named the Businesswoman of the Year at the Nottinghamshire Live Women in Business Awards today (5 January).
She was commended for “fighting tooth and nail to break the glass ceiling” for other professional women via her work with the group, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Jean, who owns The Dressing Room boutique ladies’ clothes shop in Mansfield Woodhouse, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won the Businesswoman of the Year award 2021 – it’s such a huge honour.
“I’ve dedicated my entire working life to being focused on collaborative networking with businesses especially in my home county, Nottinghamshire.
“As co-founder of the East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women network, I truly believe in holding out a hand to the next person by helping each other to learn, grow and succeed.
“As I diversify through my businesses and grow my high street boutique, I’m proud to be recognised with this prestigious award.”
Jean has a long history of entrepreneurship over three decades after completing a business studies course at West Nottinghamshire College in the 1980s. She was aged 23 when she was first tasked with running a factory for The Supreme Rubber Stamp Company, based in Huthwaite, before going on to set up an accessories busines, become a silent partner for numerous companies and a director at a national print management firm.
Alongside her commercial activities, she has been heavily involved in the region’s business community. Initially joining the former Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce board of directors, she went on to become president of East Midlands Chamber in 2015/16 and chair of the Chamber’s Nottinghamshire members’ forum.
Another role as chair of the East Midlands Business Crime Forum led to her becoming vice-president of the National Business Crime Forum, setting up an all-party parliamentary group lobbying for better security to stop business crime.
But it has been via the Enterprising Women network that Jean has had a profound impact on other professional women working across the East Midlands since it was set up in 1997.
She runs it alongside Eileen Richards MBE, the owner of Leicester-based ER Recruitment, and has grown it to a membership base of more than 500 people. It features regular networking events with guest speakers and an annual Enterprising Women Awards, which will be launched again this spring.
Eileen, who was East Midlands Chamber president until last month and remains a board member, said: “On behalf of the Enterprising Women network, I am absolutely delighted that Jean has been awarded with the Nottinghamshire Live Businesswoman of the Year accolade.
“Jean is a truly entrepreneurial spirit who manages businesses across a variety of sectors, and is an influential leader to both her employees and all of us who are part of the network.
“This award will mean the world to her and I know everyone in the network will agree just how much it is deserved.”
Proposals to transform Travelodge into student flats granted conditional permission
A proposal to convert the Travelodge Hotel on Maid Marian Way, in Nottingham, into student accommodation has been granted conditional permission by the city council.
The plan would see the ten-storey hotel become 121 studio apartments.
A design statement submitted on behalf of the applicant says: “The building is currently looking tired, with a light grey aluminium trim to the concrete frame, in need of repair, dark blue spandrel panels at first floor podium level, that change to off white in the tower levels above.
“We will celebrate the 1970s character of the building, retaining the language of expressed structure and infill curtain walling.”
It continues: “By increasing the number of dwellings and therefore the number of residents in the local vicinity, the proposed development of this site will help to support the existing businesses and facilities thus ensuring their long term success, and the sustainability of this urban centre.”
Derby mixed use scheme sold in £1.7m deal
BB&J Commercial have completed the sale of a large multi-let mixed use scheme of over 30 flats occupied by both professionals and students together with a pay and display carpark in Derby City Centre.
Located on Stafford Street close to the junction with Friar Gate and Ashbourne Road, the property was marketed at a price in excess of £1.7 million being reflective of the valuable income stream, and the sale of the freehold investment attracted a large amount of interest around the asking price.
BB&J Commercial partner, Mark Richardson, acted for the seller and said: “Whilst the commercial property market may seem low on stock, demand for good quality investments remains strong. This was a large property primarily used for housing provision and is a good example of more investors considering this sector as a viable investment on a larger scale.”
Looking at the wider property picture, Mark continued: “It fits in with the strong appetite for investment sales, which in 2021 exceeded an incredible £50 billion nationally. It’s also worth noting that this type of investment within the city centre is yet another example of Derby being seen as a city of both sustainability and growth.
“Alongside investment and construction schemes such as the nearby Becketwell redevelopment, Nightingale Quarter and those in areas such as Agard Street it is one more piece of the property jigsaw being put together to ensure the vibrant future of Derby.”
Administrators appointed to digital payments firm
James Bennett and Ed Boyle from Interpath Advisory have been appointed joint special administrators to Chesterfield-based Viola Money (Europe) Limited.
Viola Money (Europe) Ltd is an electronic money institution focused on digital payments, offering e-wallet accounts, prepaid cards and money transfers to individuals.
On 21 December 2021, a special administration order was made by the Court in relation to Viola under the Payment and Electronic Money Institution Insolvency Regulations 2021.
The application to the Court for the special administration was made by the FCA and follows requirements imposed on Viola by the FCA on 14 December 2021, which required it to cease all regulated electronic money and payment services and not to deal with any of its client funds. This is the first special administration order made under these regulations.
The special administration process includes provisions to facilitate the return of customer monies by the administrators. The joint special administrators will carry out an assessment of all the customer funds held by the firm to confirm the current position.
James Bennett, Managing Director at Interpath Advisory and joint special administrator, said: “Our immediate priority is to gather in the assets of the Company, and those it safeguarded on behalf of its customers. We will also seek to reconcile the accounts of the Company before distributing the safeguarded funds as quickly as possible.”
Wren Sterling completes secondary management buyout
Nottingham-based Wren Sterling has revealed that its secondary management buyout has completed, following approval from the Financial Conduct Authority.
In July 2021, Wren Sterling agreed terms on a majority investment from investment funds affiliated with Lightyear Capital LLC (Lightyear) to complete a management buyout from Palatine Private Equity and shareholders. Terms were not disclosed.
Lightyear is a New York-based financial services-focused private equity firm with sector expertise in asset and wealth management.
The deal will see Wren Sterling’s management team and staff remain in place to deliver the business plan goals of growing the business through organic strategies plus, with access to funding, continuing to make selective acquisitions. The business now has more than 200 employees and intends to extend its office network in key areas.
Wren Sterling was created following a management buyout of Towergate Financial led by Ian Darby and supported by Palatine Private Equity in March 2015, and the intervening six years has seen Wren Sterling double its assets to £4.7bn under management and substantially increase its profitability.
In the period since the deal was first announced in July, Wren Sterling has enjoyed strong trading performance, welcoming hundreds of new clients and increasing its AUM by £200m.
Ian Darby, Wren Sterling’s executive chairman, said: “We are all delighted that we have been given the green light to proceed. It marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the history of Wren Sterling and, with Lightyear’s backing, the management team can now deliver on our growth plans, while investing in continually improving our client service and developing our talent.
“This deal is a fantastic result for Wren Sterling’s shareholders including our former investor, Palatine Private Equity, clients and employees.
“Lightyear has significant experience in our market, which will complement the ability of Wren Sterling’s management team to continue to build a successful financial advice business in the UK.”
Work poised to start on phase four of Lincolnshire housing development
Work is poised to get under way on phase four of Charterpoint’s housing development in Louth, Lincolnshire.
It will bring a further 40 plots into build at Westfield Park on the edge of the town.
Planning permission was granted for 240 homes on the site in 2018. This latest phase is the penultimate phase and will bring the total number of homes built at Westfield Park by Snape Properties to 200.
Charterpoint CEO Adrian Goose said: “Westfield Park has proved to be a very popular housing development and the new homes can’t be built quick enough to keep up with demand.
“It’s an excellent location which has already become a thriving community for families in Louth and we are delighted to be releasing a further 40 plots to Snape Properties so that they can continue building and move onto the penultimate phase of the development.”
The housing development features a mix of three and four-bedroom semi-detached houses and four and five-bedroom detached houses.
A two-storey, 66-bed care home has also been built on the site, which is off Grimsby Road.
Bridge Help smashes fundraising target for Chesterfield Foodbank
More than £4,000 of much-needed food and toiletries was donated to Chesterfield Foodbank just before Christmas thanks to a fundraising appeal by commercial bridging finance company Bridge Help.
Launched in November 2021, the team at Bridge Help hoped to raise £2,021 of food and toiletries but, thanks to the generosity of its brokers, suppliers and Chesterfield’s business community, Bridge Help smashed its original fundraising target in just six weeks.
A total of £2,130 of food and toiletries was collected which was matched pound for pound by Bridge Help. The match funding pledge meant a total of £4,360 – more than double the original fundraising target – was donated to Chesterfield Foodbank.
With the help of eight volunteers, hundreds of packets, tins, boxes, cartons, sacks and bottles were transported from Bridge Help’s offices in Chesterfield to the Foodbank warehouse ahead of Christmas.
As well as Christmas treats of biscuits and crisps, Bridge Help also collected essentials, such as nappies, toiletries, tins and dried foods, which were all donated to Chesterfield Foodbank to ensure the charity had stock to distribute well into 2022.
The haul filled the Chesterfield Foodbank van as well as two additional vehicles, with Bridge Help CEO Chris Sellars also pitching in to help with a delivery when it became evident there was too much for two vehicles.
The annual charity fundraising campaign was organised by Phoebe Sellars, a Business Development Manager at Bridge Help and also a trustee of Chesterfield Citizens Advice.
Phoebe said: “Wow, just wow. I can’t thank everyone enough who donated. It was a pleasure and an honour to be able to hand over everything we collected and know that, together, we have made a small difference in the lives of people who are facing hardship not just at Christmas but throughout the year.”
Rolls-Royce completes sale of Bergen Engines
Rolls-Royce has completed the sale of its Bergen Engines business to Langley Holdings plc for an enterprise value of €63m.
The completion of the transaction, which was announced on 3 August 2021, follows the conclusion of work to separate the business from the Group.
Sale proceeds of €91m from the transaction, together with €16m of cash held within Bergen Engines which has been retained by Rolls-Royce, will be used to help rebuild the Rolls-Royce balance sheet in support of its medium-term ambition to return to an investment grade credit profile.
In 2020, Bergen Engines generated revenues of approximately €200m.
Wabtec Faiveley takes Derby office building
FHP Property Consultants have let 39 Brunel Parkway, Pride Park, Derby to Wabtec Faiveley, a rail equipment company.
The property comprises a modern semi-detached two storey office building.
The offices have been let on new lease terms for a period of 5 years at a headline rent of £12.80ft2.
Darran Severn of FHP Property Consultants says: “I’m pleased this letting has completed and it’s been a great result for both our client and the new tenant.
“Pride Park is Derby’s primary office location and is still very popular with local businesses due to its connectivity. 39 Brunel Parkway offers modern air-conditioned office space with good parking. I look forward to seeing the tenant in occupation in the new year.”
