Walk away with a prize worth £20,000 at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024

Tess Egginton
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Walk away with a prize worth £20,000 at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
With Business Link’s East Midlands Bricks Awards set to be bigger and better than ever this year, and nominations flooding in, there’s also a grand prize worth £20,000 on offer. Celebrating the region’s property and construction industry, the prestigious event recognises development projects and people in commercial and public building – from office, industrial and residential schemes, through to community projects such as leisure schemes, schools and public spaces. We also highlight the work of architects, agencies and those behind large schemes – and the Overall Winner at the event, sponsored by Blueprint Interiors, will be awarded a year of marketing/publicity with Business Link worth £20,000. A highlight in the business calendar, winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening of celebration and networking with property and construction professionals from across the East Midlands. To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
Award categories include:

Nominations end Thursday 5th September

Tickets can now be booked for the 2024 awards event, click here to secure yours. Taking place in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Thursday 3rd October, from 4:30pm – 7:30pm, connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region. Attendees will also hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Dress code is standard business attire. Thanks to our sponsors:      

     
     
 

To be held at:

Nottingham’s Chapel Quarter acquired as part of £236m deal

Tess Egginton
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Nottingham’s Chapel Quarter acquired as part of £236m deal
Sterling Property Ventures (Sterling) has snapped up Nottingham mixed-use scheme Chapel Quarter. It comes as part of a wider deal for a portfolio of seven commercial property assets acquired from BlackRock – acting on behalf of British Airways Pensions Trustees Limited – for £236 million. Comprising 144,906 sq ft in the centre of Nottingham, Chapel Quarter includes a 120-bed Premier Inn, 66,054 sq ft of fully let offices and five retail/leisure units (one vacant). All properties in the portfolio, which includes a shopping centre, retail and logistics warehousing, offices, a hotel and food and beverage space, are freehold or held on long leases and boast a combined income in excess of £18.5 million. James Howarth, Sterling’s managing director, said: “Our plan is to have a minimum of £1billion of assets under management. Acquiring a property portfolio from British Airways Pensions is a significant stepping stone towards that target. We are seeking high quality assets, ideally with the opportunity to add value, allowing us to bring our skills to bear. As this latest purchase demonstrates, we are sector agnostic.” The seven new assets will be held in Sterling’s SPV Endeavour Ltd vehicle, which is backed by equity investor LetterOne. Fund manager BlackRock, through its Real Estate business, led the deal on behalf of British Airways Pension Trustees Limited, with joint agents ACRE Capital, Morgan Williams and Capital Real Estate Partners handling the sale. Sterling was represented by Knight Frank and HP Four LLP. Colliers undertook building surveys, with MAPP providing property management advice.

Northants PR agency adds to team with new appointment

Tess Egginton
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Northants PR agency adds to team with new appointment
Ballyhoo PR, a public relations and copywriting business in Lamport, has added a new senior PR and content executive to its team. Linda McKeown joins Ballyhoo PR from Weetabix and brings with her more than 25 years of magazine journalism and communications experience accumulated in a wide range of industries including beauty, food and drink, manufacturing and property. Career highlights have included working on a campaign with actress Tamzin Outhwaite for Avon and launching Quick Bite, a magazine for the fast food industry, which was stocked in WHSmith and subsequently acquired by another publisher. Most recently, Linda has developed and executed an internal communications plan for more than 1,000 employees at cereal giant Weetabix, during the implementation of a new, multi-million-pound warehouse management IT system. In her new role at Ballyhoo PR, Linda will be helping to produce a business magazine, crafting press releases, articles and blogs, and securing press coverage for a range of clients. Emma Speirs, director of Ballyhoo PR, said: “I’m really pleased to announce Linda’s appointment and welcome her to Ballyhoo PR. She will be a huge asset to the team and brings so much experience to the business that will be of real benefit to so many of our clients operating in the sectors Linda has previously worked in.” Linda said: “I recently joined the Ballyhoo team as senior PR and content executive and have already been made to feel like part of the team – and it’s a fab team! “I’m really excited to be able to contribute in helping spread the word about the fabulous SMEs we support. “There’s also great flexibility in the role, with hybrid working in place. I especially love our days in the office. It’s great to get together and collaborate as a team.”

Freeths bolsters corporate team in East Midlands

Tess Egginton
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Freeths bolsters corporate team in East Midlands
Law firm Freeths has appointed Ania Vernon as corporate partner in the East Midlands. Ania joins the firm from Shoosmiths. As a well-regarded individual within the corporate finance community, Ania routinely leads the delivery of high quality indirect real estate M&A, both offshore and domestic. She has over ten years’ sector experience specialising in tech, retail and asset-manager M&A, and brings with her rich credentials for advising management teams on buy-outs, institution-sponsored deals and other transactional processes. In her new role at Freeths, Ania will help strengthen the growing presence of the wider national corporate team within the East Midlands. Commenting on the appointment, Leon Arnold, said: “The addition of Ania to the team comes at an exciting time for Freeths, as the corporate team enjoys a consistent upwards growth trajectory. The wealth of experience that Ania will bring will only continue our strategy to bolster services for clients within the region as well as lend hand to multiple, ongoing projects across the UK.” Ania Vernon added: “I’m beyond thrilled to have joined Freeths at such an exciting time. Having grown up in the East Midlands and called this buzzing region ‘home’ for most of my life, I feel invested on a human level in its continued prosperity. So, when Freeths got in touch to tell me about their reignited strategic focus and serious expansion plans here, the opportunity was a no-brainer. Suffice to say we’re definitely going to be a team to watch!” Ania’s appointment follows several significant corporate key hires in the East Midlands over the last two months including partner Martin Smith and director Hannah Tessyman.

Work starts on £13m BTR project set to revitalise Nottingham’s Castle Wharf

Michael Fisher
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Work starts on £13m BTR project set to revitalise Nottingham’s Castle Wharf
Work has officially started on a much-needed £13 million high quality build-to-rent residential scheme set to transform Nottingham’s Grade II listed former British Waterways building on the canal side area at Castle Wharf. The project, which is being developed in partnership with The Canal & River Trust (CRT), H2Ourban – the joint venture between bloc Group and CRT – and Citra Living, part of Lloyds Banking Group, will see the building converted to provide 95 residential units including 12 studios, 42 one-bedroom apartments and 41 two-bedroom flats, this includes a rooftop extension housing eight apartments. The scheme, which will help bridge the gap in Nottingham’s rental market, is set to breathe new life into the west of the city – helping to enhance a destination well known for its historic buildings. Richard Thomas, CEO for H2O, said: “H2O is committed to delivering high quality developments that go beyond providing much needed housing, creating thriving communities and promoting health and happy lifestyles as well. This project is the latest in our pipeline and follows this ethos to its core. “Working with our project partners, we’re revitalising an area of Nottingham with a brand new and modern offering, while maintaining and protecting enough of its character that we don’t lose its rich history. “The H2O partnership goes back two decades and specialises in creating exemplary waterside developments that provide both economic and social value, and this latest project certainly does that.” Located in the Canal Conservation Area, the six-storey former warehouse dates back to 1919 and was originally built to help move goods along the Nottingham and Beeston Canal. Ground floor amenity space for residents will also be included. Designed by Franklin Ellis Architects, it is being constructed by Jessops Construction Limited and completion is due in March 2025. Speaking about the project Andy Hutchinson, CEO of Citra Living, said: “Bringing disused buildings back in to use and regenerating areas into new communities is central to what Citra is about. Regenerating the warehouse at Castle Wharf will bring much needed homes to the area, allowing more people to live in the type of quality homes they want in the areas that give them access to the facilities and amenities they want.”

East Midlands furniture manufacturer awarded £2m fitout contract in Scotland

Michael Fisher
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East Midlands furniture manufacturer awarded £2m fitout contract in Scotland
Mansfield-based fitout specialist, Deanestor, has been awarded a contract worth over £2m by Robertson Construction Tayside for the new Monifieth Learning Campus in Angus. This brings Deanestor’s furniture and fitout work for Robertson in Scotland to 15 contracts, totalling around £17m. Due to open in August 2025 and to be fully completed by summer 2026, the £66.5m facility and for around 1,200 pupils is designed to meet Passivhaus standards and will combine energy efficiency with a high level of user comfort. Deanestor will fit out 379 spaces across the three-storey campus and will design and manufacture or procure more than 13,000 items of fitted and loose furniture and equipment for the project. These will include dining tables, chairs and seating, lockers, storage solutions, shelving, teaching walls, mobile cabinets, sports equipment, changing benches, musical instrument racks, and kitchens for life skills and home education. According to William Tonkinson, CEO of Deanestor, “We are delighted to be working with Robertson once again – a longstanding Deanestor contractor client – and on our first education project for Angus Council.” “The high quality standards we work to and our consistent on-time delivery of major and complex school fitout contracts meant we were well placed to be awarded this latest contract. We look forward to starting on site early next year.” Councillor Beth Whiteside, Leader of Angus Council, said, “This new learning campus will have a hugely positive impact on the education of young people. Monifieth High School has high aspirations for all of its young people, and now it will soon have a building to match this ambition.” The building’s construction and fitout will take place in a live school environment as the current Monifieth High School will remain operational until the new learning campus is built and ready for occupation. The existing school will then be demolished to make way for all-weather and grass sports pitches. The 13,800m2 high school campus will feature a central atrium with a social stairs, a learning plaza around the dining hall, classrooms arranged over three storeys, an early learning and childcare facility, swimming pool and access for out-of-hours community use.

Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25% for seventh time

Tess Egginton
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Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25% for seventh time
The Bank of England has held interest rates for the seventh time, at 5.25%, in line with expectations. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way to help sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 19 June 2024, the MPC voted by a majority of 7–2 to maintain Bank Rate at 5.25%. Two members preferred to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 5%. Twelve-month CPI inflation fell to 2% in May from 3.2% in March, though is expected to rise slightly in the second half of this year. Alpesh Paleja, Interim Deputy Chief Economist, CBI, said: “It’s unsurprising that the Monetary Policy Committee kept interest rates on hold this month. Recent data has been a bit of a mixed bag: while inflation is falling and the labour market is loosening, wage growth remains stubbornly strong and services inflation is higher than the Bank’s forecast. Signs of continued persistence in domestic price pressures will have prompted caution among the Committee. “We still expect the MPC to cut rates in August, but this is not a done deal – they remain very data-driven, so the evolution of key indicators over the coming month will be key. Furthermore, the pace of any rate cuts beyond August is likely to be gradual, if the Bank remained concerned about the persistence of underlying price pressures.”

93,000 sq ft prime distribution warehouse sold in Leicester

Tess Egginton
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93,000 sq ft prime distribution warehouse sold in Leicester
MK2 Real Estate, acting on behalf of Royal London Asset Management Property, has sold Unit 21 Thorpe Way, Leicester, for an undisclosed sum. The 93,000 sq ft prime distribution warehouse has been acquired by Wesleyan Assurance Society. Located on Grove Business Park, in Enderby, Leicester, within the established logistics ‘Golden Triangle’, the unit is let to fashion retailer White Stuff until 2028 at an annual rent of £706,276. MK2 was instructed to market the property for offers in excess of £11 million. Mark Rooke, director in MK2 Real Estate’s investment team, said: “We are pleased to have concluded the sale of Unit 21 to Wesleyan Assurance Society, on behalf of Royal London Asset Management Property. “The industrial and distribution market in Leicestershire has proven to be a strong performer over recent years, with rental growth above the national industry average. Coupled with high levels of demand for space in the region and a shortage of available and pipeline industrial stock, the investment fundamentals are compelling.” Joe Curlett, head of property at Wesleyan Assurance Society, said: “The acquisition of Unit 21, Grove Park, Leicester, is a great addition to Wesleyan’s growing commercial property investment portfolio.”

Day aims to highlight role of women in engineering

Stuart Pearcey
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Day aims to highlight role of women in engineering
Women working in Chesterfield’s manufacturing and engineering sector will be celebrated on Sunday as part of International Women in Engineering Day. The day aims to raise awareness of careers in the sector for women, with 2021 figures showing that just 16.5% of engineers in the UK are female. With many businesses in Chesterfield working to reduce skills gaps in their workforces, attracting a diverse range of skilled people is a key priority for the future, says Nick Catt, Destination Chesterfield Board Member and MD of Weightron Bilanciai. He added: “Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day is not just about recognising the remarkable achievements of women engineers worldwide, but also about inspiring future generations to break barriers, innovate without limits, and reshape the world with their ingenuity and passion. “I would strongly recommend that young women and girls across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire to look into what a rewarding career in our sector can offer. By encouraging more women to work in engineering, we are able to futureproof our businesses and help them to thrive for future generations.”

Mortgage broker wins three awards at national industry events

Stuart Pearcey
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Mortgage broker wins three awards at national industry events
Chesterfield-based Mortgage 1st has won some of the most competitive categories in three nationally recognised industry events. In the space of just 17 days, Mortgage 1st picked up awards at three financial and mortgage sector awards ceremonies: • Mortgage Strategy Awards – Best Mortgage Broker • Financial Reporter Awards – Broker Firm of the Year • Legal & General Mortgage Club Awards – Best Broker Firm for Overall Quality MD Jon Stones said: “This remarkable level of success is true testament to the skillset, culture and commitment of our amazing team at Mortgage 1st. To be recognised as the best mortgage broker firm in the UK across three separate awards events signals that we are very close to achieving exactly what we set out to 16 years ago. “Being trusted to provide first class advice comes with huge responsibility, we aim to provide this as seamlessly as possible whilst keeping the customer at the heart of every improvement we make as a brand. “We are still in a state of shock to be completely honest but thrilled that the judges and the readers of industry publications have recognised our achievements over the last 12 months. Winning these awards leaves us feeling immensely proud but also fuels our ambitions to enhance our offering even further.” The business was established in 2008, but has since grown into a company with over 50 employees based at its head office just off junction 30 of the M1.
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