Derby IT solutions provider acquired
Park Place Technologies, the global data centre and networking optimisation firm, has acquired Xuper, an IT solutions provider based in Derby.
Xuper was founded nearly 40 years ago. Xuper chairman and Managing Director Peter Grogan has announced his retirement but will be assisting through the transition period.
Xuper’s clients will benefit from Park Place’s global access to parts and engineering expertise, as well as its full portfolio of IT Lifecycle offerings, including Professional and Managed Services. Xuper’s engineers average 20+ years in the field.
Park Place clients will benefit from access to Xuper’s team of experienced engineers, staff augmentation services and extensive third-party maintenance capabilities.
Chris Adams, president and CEO of Park Place Technologies, said: “Xuper has a long list of industry accolades and certifications, and nearly four decades of exceptional customer service.
“For decades, Xuper has been a well respected brand. Its culture of finding solutions and building long-term partnerships mirrors Park Place’s mission. Their commitment to channel partners is a complement to our work with the globe’s most accomplished channel companies.”
FHP complete two HMO portfolio sales
FHP and sister brand FHP Student Living have completed two portfolio sales of HMO properties in Nottingham.
David Hargreaves, founding director of FHP and FHP Living, said: “Demand for HMOs from students continues to remain good thanks in part to two very strong universities with rents continuing to rise.
“However with significant increases in interest rates as well as utility costs and increasing compliance and licensing requirements we are starting to see a ‘changing of the guard’ in terms of ownership.
“Many owners of student HMO’s have owned for 20-30 years and are now getting to an age where the constant changes and demands on them are resulting in them looking for an exit.
“At the same time we are seeing an increasing number of large prop co’s and institutionally backed companies buying in to the sector as they build substantial national portfolios of several thousand beds focused on the key university cities.”
Jonty Green, who heads the investment side of the FHP Student Living business, said: “Our two recent portfolio sales fall under such a scenario and the links FHP have with the large prop co’s and institutions through their overall investment work together with our deep local knowledge has put us in a strong position to help our clients achieve their aims.”
The first portfolio of five houses and 26 beds in the prime Lenton area achieved a price of just over £2,000,000 with Massers advising on the legals.
The second portfolio of 22 properties and 112 beds also in Lenton achieved a price of just over £8,000,000 with Helene Maillet-Vioud of Geldards leading on the legals.
AutoNation drops out of the race to acquire Nottingham car retailer
AutoNation has joined Hedin and PAG International in dropping out of the race to acquire Nottingham-based car retailer Pendragon.
The American firm has confirmed that it does not intend to make an offer after initially considering acquiring the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Pendragon for 32 pence per share, in cash.
The news pushes back to the forefront Lithia Motors’ increased offer for Pendragon’s UK motor business and leasing business. The total cash consideration is £397 million, including a previously publicly disclosed subscription for shares in Pendragon.
Last month Pendragon revealed plans to sell its UK motor business and leasing business to Lithia. They also agreed the terms of a strategic partnership, including the rollout of Pinewood, the company’s dealer management software (DMS) business, to Lithia’s existing 50 UK sites and the creation of a joint venture to accelerate Pinewood’s entry into the attractive North American DMS market.
As part of the transaction, it was announced that Pendragon’s Pinewood division, which operates the company’s proprietary DMS business, would become a standalone entity, retaining Pendragon’s existing listing on the London Stock Exchange and creating a pure play Software as a Service (SaaS) business with an accelerated growth plan.
Lithia is one of the largest automotive retailers in North America.
New options considered for road after construction costs rocket
Increased costs of around £27m mean that constructing a southern leg of Melton Mowbray Distributor Road isn’t viable at the moment, a new report says.
Leicestershire County Council is having to step back from building the road and unable to take up the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) grant, but will continue to work with Melton Borough Council and other stakeholders on alternative options to deliver new homes and jobs and secure infrastructure.
Government agency Homes England (HE) had offered the council an £18.2m HIF grant which was conditional on the southern stretch being fully funded. Despite extensive dialogue with HE, it has not been possible to find an alternative way forward.
Growing construction costs, plus inflation, have hiked the cost of the £43m scheme up to £70m and under the terms of the Government funding, the council would have been required to fund the gap of £27m.
Nick Rushton, Leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: “We’ve bent over backwards trying to identify alternative funding methods and lobbied Government for more money to help us get the southern leg over the line. We’ve simply exhausted all avenues and cannot afford to build it at this point in time, given our cost pressures and inflation.
“Construction of the north and eastern leg is well underway and one of the biggest road schemes we’ve ever built. Given the amount of work put in on the southern stretch to date, we would be in a good position to bid for money to support this project at a later date.
“Creating much-needed new homes, along with the schools and roads communities need, remains a top priority. We’re committed to working with Melton Borough Council, MPs and other stakeholders now and in the future, to secure cash and deliver their local plan.”
Work to build the northern and eastern leg got underway earlier this year. The ground has been levelled and drains and fencing put in for the new 7.1km road which is on track to open in late 2025. County council shares rail freight concerns
A detailed new report has shown the wide-ranging concerns Leicestershire County Council has with the proposed Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI).
Responding with a written representation as a statutory consultee on the proposal, the county council’s report states that it cannot support the application due to the lack of information provided by the applicant.
HNRFI is planned on land to the east of Hinckley with access from M69 Junction 2. Plans submitted by Tritax Symmetry have been assessed by the county council, who found significant gaps, including:
- Only 21 of 45 junctions needing detailed assessments by the applicant having been carried out
- No detailed assessment of impact on M1 J21/M69 J3
- No detailed analysis of the impact of the development on Sapcote village
- Significant impact on public rights of way and lack of proposals for new walking and cycling routes
- Overexaggerated carbon benefits of the scheme
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “It’s plain to see that the highways information provided by Tritax is nowhere near enough for us to support this proposal. Information is lacking and where it is provided, some is inconsistent.
“I hope this reassures residents who will be most impacted by this development that our representation to the Planning Inspectorate makes it clear the information supporting the proposals falls way short of what we’d expect to see.
“Rail freight interchanges do have benefits and another in Leicestershire would be welcomed, but it has to be right for the county and our road network, and from what we can see this location just isn’t suitable.”
Due to the scale of the development, the final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Transport. Ideagen strengthens Australian footprint with new acquisition
Ideagen, the regulatory and compliance software firm, has further strengthened its EHS capabilities with the acquisition of Australian health, safety, environment and quality software company, Lucidity.
It is Ideagen’s second Australian acquisition of 2023 following OnePlace Solutions in May, joining Ideagen CompliSpace, Ideagen’s established governance, risk and compliance management solution acquired in 2021. This takes the total investment by Ideagen into Australia-based software businesses to around AUS $150m.
It is also Ideagen’s third health and safety solution in 12 months, following the acquisition of DevonWay last month and ProcessMAP in 2022 as the Nottingham-based business proactively boosts its EHS and asset management capabilities.
Ideagen CEO, Ben Dorks, said: “Australia is a hot bed of good, innovative tech businesses and Lucidity is a great example of this – a class-leading solution offering customers depth of functionality and scalability to meet their EHS and quality needs.
“The addition of Lucidity builds our footprint and increases the support we can offer to regulated industries in that region, and we are looking forward to amplifying that great tech globally.”
Lucidity CEO, James Graham, said: “Joining Ideagen means we can realize our growth ambitions faster by leveraging Ideagen’s global reach, which opens up additional business possibilities.
“We will be able to deliver even more value and innovative solutions to our clients as we will have the tools, resources and support to accelerate the development of our product and, importantly, our people too. By combining our strengths, we’ll be better equipped to tackle industry challenges, deliver remarkable solutions to our clients, and create lasting impact.”
Lucidity is a cloud-based environmental health, safety and quality management solution that connects on-the-ground workers with management teams. It enables workers to record hazards, incidents and operational processes in one central location while providing real-time dashboards for management to monitor compliance, accountability and efficiency.
Customers include Acciona Australia, infrastructure business Downer, Cargill in the agricultural sector and construction companies Meinhardt Group, Metricon Homes and Built.
Lucidity is Ideagen’s fifth acquisition of 2023 following Qadex (now Ideagen Quality Management Food and Beverage edition) in January, Ideagen Tritan and Ideagen OnePlace Solutions in May and Ideagen DevonWay last month.
Inflation stays stubborn
Inflation failed to drop as expected last month, stuck at an annual rate of 6.7%.
Remaining the same as in August, a fall in the price of food and drink has been offset by rises in restaurant, hotel, and fuel costs.
Core inflation meanwhile, which takes out volatile factors like energy, food, alcohol and tobacco to give a clear picture of underlying trends, rose 6.1% in the 12 months to September 2023, down from 6.2% in August.
For those presiding over interest rate decisions at the Bank of England, the picture becomes ever-more complex. A continued decline in inflation would have presented a case for rates to stay where they are, but if inflation stays stubbornly high, the Bank may consider the only option to be returning to a stint of rate rises again.
It comes after figures last month presented a welcome, surprise slowdown for inflation and saw a pause to a run of interest rate increases.
New Central Library set for end of November opening
Nottingham will be able to experience its new Central Library soon, when it opens at the heart of the Broad Marsh regeneration area on Tuesday 28 November 2023.
The library, which is part of the new Broad Marsh Car Park and Bus Station complex, puts children, young people and learning at the heart of its design, with a children’s section, immersive storytelling room, extensive book collection and comfortable areas to sit and read.
Spread over three floors with full accessibility via lifts, the library also includes:
- Feature-book walls and shelving to display a large collection of titles
- Free Wi-Fi and free access to computers, laptops and tablets
- A café and ground floor reception area which can be converted into a performance space
- Specialist and rare collections room for local study material
- Learning lab for special activities and school class visits
- Meeting rooms
- Exhibition space
- Creative design areas
- Business Intellectual Property Centre for the city.
John Pye makes trio of associate director appointments
Nottingham-headquartered national auction house John Pye & Sons Ltd has made three senior internal promotions; Alan Avery, commercial manager; Matt Ganner, head of IT; and Bruce Burton, financial controller, have all been promoted to the position of associate director with immediate effect.
The announcement comes as John Pye looks to capitalise on a solid period of growth, including its recent expansion into Europe, winning five new Government and local authority tenders this year and developing existing services to meet client requirements.
These appointments will bolster the senior management team, ensuring it is poised to manage and deliver on director and shareholders’ expectations.
Adam Pye, Managing Director at John Pye, said: “I am delighted to announce, on behalf of the John & Sons Ltd board the promotion of three senior members of our current management team to associate director.
“Matt Ganner Head of IT, Bruce Burton, Financial Controller, and Alan Avery, Commercial Manager, will join the other associate directors of Paul Hird, Head of Government & Luxury, Mike Vitale, Nottingham Site Manager, and Charles Loake, Joint Head of Business Assets.”
The appointments are recognition of Alan, Matt and Bruce’s added value to the business across commerce, IT and finance, and their proven desire to maximise returns to the company and deliver on customer expectations.
Adam Pye continues: “The business is moving rapidly and expanding almost monthly – we have just hit the £100m in sales in a year milestone. We know the business needs an effective forward-thinking senior management structure to oversee this growth and all three will be pivotal in helping us reach our goals.”
Alan Avery joined the firm in 2017 as commercial manager and is responsible for regular client, supplier and site visits to ensure a high level of quality and compliance across the company.
With key skills in data analysis and continuous business improvement, Alan supports implementation of new initiatives, boosting profitability, green credentials and creating an all-round better working environment. Working with procurement, Alan has aligned suppliers to match the business’s own sustainability goals.
Alan says: “To see and be part of a growing thriving company is an absolute privilege. The Board and company have provided me with a huge amount of support since joining the business and I’m extremely grateful for all the development I’ve received. I hope to continue making a positive contribution as John Pye goes from strength to strength.”
Bruce Burton is a chartered accountant and an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). As financial controller, he works under the finance director with a team of ten direct reports and oversees the daily running of the finance department.
Through his experience, Bruce has been key in implementing continuous improvement within the finance team, driving efficiencies, embracing software and automation, plus building a team with the right skill set with the ability to continually develop.
Bruce said of his new post: “It is a great privilege to be appointed associate director alongside Alan and Matt. Myself and the finance team have worked tirelessly and made significant progress since my arrival, and this is huge recognition for all our efforts.”
Head of IT, Matt Ganner, began his career at John Pye in the marketing department, helping launch new departments, such as Property and Luxury Assets. Early on Matt demonstrated a strong interest in the statistical side of marketing and the auctions themselves.
Having moved over to the IT department, Matt oversaw many key IT transformations within the business, resulting in his appointment as head of IT.
Matt’s skills lie in bridging the gap between the departments and the auction process using technology, whether that’s extracting and analysing key data to improve user experience, to bringing in new devices and processes which allow for more efficient working at all levels of the business.
Speaking of his appointment, Matt says: “Having worked for the company for 10 years and being part of its incredible growth, I’m delighted that I’ll now be playing a more integral strategy-based role. I’m looking forward to taking the business forward and pushing the IT team and innovations to a new level.”
Mather Jamie host USA owners of Harpur Crewe Estate in Derby
Loughborough-based specialist land development and property consultancy, Mather Jamie recently hosted David Johnson and his wife, Pam Johnson, who are the heirs to the remarkable Harpur Crewe Estate in Derby, as they embarked on their first visit to the UK from the USA since 2019 due to Covid restrictions.
Nestled in the picturesque village of Ticknall, the Harpur Crewe Estate is a testament to English history but also a story of international connections and dedication to preserving buildings and family heritage.
The Harpur Crewe family has held ownership over this estate since the 1500s, weaving their legacy into the very fabric of the community. However, the last surviving members of the Harpur Crewe family found themselves without heirs in the late 20th century.
The intricate unravelling of inheritance rights brought David and Pam Johnson, from Vermont, USA, into the spotlight as the last surviving heirs. In 1999, the Johnson family officially inherited the Harpur Crewe Estate, forming The Harpur Crewe LLC to manage and safeguard its future.
The Harpur Crewe LLC is a property and landowner of significant residential and industrial development sites, and a major contributor to the region’s economic growth and prosperity.
The Infinity Park and Infinity Garden Village projects bear the imprint of the Johnson family’s commitment to regional development. Infinity Park Derby is a unique collaboration between Derby City Council, the Harpur Crewe Estate, Rolls-Royce, and developers Cedar House, Wilson Bowden, and Peveril Securities.
The 100-acre Park is located to the south of the city, next to the world headquarters of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace and within 15 minutes of OEMs such as Toyota Manufacturing (UK), Bombardier, and JCB. Plots are available on a design-and-build basis and can be purposed for anything from office-use to industrial distribution.
Mather Jamie became involved with the Harpur Crewe Estate in 1999, during the probate valuations process following the passing of Miss Airmyne Harpur Crewe. Mather Jamie Director Amy Biddell has been overseeing its management since 2013 and hosted Pam and David during their visit. Amy is assisted by Amber Forster, Mark Brandon and Victoria Golbourn with the management of the Estate.
Commenting on the visit, Amy Biddell said: “The visit by David and Pam Johnson to the Harpur Crewe Estate serves as a reminder of the enduring connection between family, history, and heritage.
“Their commitment to preserving this historic estate for future generations, combined with their contributions to regional development, reinforces the importance of stewardship and the legacy of the Harpur Crewe family, now carried forward by the Johnsons.”
David Johnson added: “My family’s ancestors moved into Ticknall in 1622. Our family’s 400+ year history in that charming village and the surrounding area is the origin of my father’s ‘500-year vision’.
“For the estate to be successful for the next five centuries it is essential that our properties are kept in excellent condition, made as energy efficient as possible and equipped with the modern features that tenants are looking for.
“Amy and her team understand our vision and objectives and continue to successfully implement improvements, new ideas and strategies to enhance our portfolio and ensure that my father’s vision comes true.
“I absolutely enjoy every minute of our annual visits and I am thankful to Amy, Mark, Amber, Victoria and the entire Mather Jamie staff for their work on behalf of the Harpur Crewe Estate.”
The Harpur Crewe Estate also comprises 71 let residential properties, 2 holiday cottages, 3 farms, various gardens, and allotment land. Additionally, it includes an equestrian therapy centre, fishing rights, agricultural land, and the quaint yet intriguing “Lock up” goal in Ticknall.
