Henry Brothers appointed on Ministry of Justice Framework

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Henry Brothers appointed on Ministry of Justice Framework

Contractor Henry Brothers has been appointed on the Ministry of Justice Constructor Services Framework for the first time.

The company has been chosen on both national and regional frameworks in support of construction work across the entire justice sector, including courts, prisons, and the Home Office.

Managing Director of Henry Brothers Construction, Ian Taylor, said: “Being appointed to the Ministry of Justice Framework for the first time is excellent news for Henry Brothers. Henry Group has a long history of working in the justice sector, and more recently delivered a new £50m prison Block at HMP Maghaberry.

“We are excited to have been appointed on both the national and regional frameworks, which will give us an extensive pipeline of opportunities.

“Henry Brothers is on numerous frameworks, including the Crown Commercial Services Framework, so we are very familiar with working for Government organisations, such as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). We look forward to partnering with the organisations under the MoJ Framework to support future construction projects in the justice sector.”

Henry Brothers has been appointed on two Lots in Framework B – construction projects valued at between £5m and £10m. These cover the North region and the Wales and Central England region.

In addition, Henry Brothers has been appointed as one of eight contractors on Framework C for national construction schemes valued at between £10m and £30m.

Both Frameworks run for five years and cover work for MoJ Corporate, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service, Legal Aid Agency, Office of the Public Guardian, and the Home Office.

The anticipated value of Framework B is expected to be £0.75bn over four regions, while the anticipated value of Framework C is expected to be £0.625bn.

Howes Percival delivers £700m of corporate deals

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Howes Percival delivers £700m of corporate deals
Howes Percival’s corporate, commercial, and banking (CCB) team completed over 150 deals with a combined value of £700 million in 2022. The growing team advises clients on significant and transformational acquisitions and disposals and the full range of contractual matters. It also provides a dedicated banking and finance service to banks, financial institutions, funds, and other lenders. The number of completed transactions in 2022 was a further increase on the firm’s record deal volumes in 2021, with levels of M&A, financing and restructuring activity remaining high. The growth was also driven by the ongoing investment in the Howes Percival CCB team, over the last three years. The team is now 60% larger than in 2019, as a result of a series of quality lateral hires including Chris White, Chloe Bristow and Deb Hay Davison (all formerly at Dentons), James Stephen (BDB Pitmans) Will Taylor (EMW) and Bradley Johnson (Machins) all joining in 2022. Tom Maksymiw also qualified into the team during the year. Andy Harris, partner, and head of Howes Percival’s CCB team, said: “2022 was a record-breaking year again for Howes Percival’s CCB team and I’m incredibly proud of what we have delivered, both in terms of the volume of deals and the quality of the service the team has provided to clients. We hope we are increasingly seen as one of the go-to firms for corporate transactions in our key regions and we are getting more and more referrals across a wide range of sectors, as word spreads. “We have seen a really good flow of instructions from some of our key sectors such as Automotive (particularly motor dealer M&A), Development, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Leisure & Tourism and Technology & Innovation with significant transactions in each of these areas. We think these clients come to us not only because we are capable corporate, commercial and banking professionals, but also because of our relationship-driven approach, as well as our deep sector knowledge. “In addition to the lateral hires we are proud to have attracted, we continue to place great emphasis on recognising and promoting home-grown talent within the team, and offering a complete career path, from developing great trainees through to creating new partners. We’ve also expanded the firm’s services to clients. Paula Dumbill, who joined us from Browne Jacobson, established and has grown our dedicated Commercial team, while we also now have a dedicated Company Secretarial and Governance team headed by Chloe Bristow.” Andy Harris continued: “Of course, the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and the potential for recession in the UK are still major concerns this year, and we will all be keeping a close eye on things. As a general observation, transactions are taking longer to deliver, but the situation does vary by sector and we are still seeing plenty of activity and new opportunities.”

Significant milestone reached at new £9.2m East Leake School

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Significant milestone reached at new £9.2m East Leake School
A topping out ceremony has marked a major milestone at the new £9.2m school in East Leake which will create vital school places for the village. Millside Spencer Academy is part of a £14m investment in education in East Leake by Nottinghamshire County Council. The academy is being delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction, designed, cost-managed and project managed by Arc Partnership, a joint venture between SCAPE and the County Council, and run by Spencer Academies Trust. The two-storey building includes 8 classrooms, a nursery, a library, a food-tech room, a hall and dance studio. Once the keys to the school are handed over this summer, it will provide 350 primary and 26 nursery places in the heart of the new David Wilson Homes housing development, The Skylarks. Councillor Tracey Taylor, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Families, who recently had a progress tour at the site, said it was wonderful to see how the school was taking shape and to chat to staff and pupils about how much they’re looking forward to moving in for the new academic year. Cllr Taylor said: “I am delighted to be working with our partners to deliver this fantastic project and Millside Spencer Academy will be a great addition to the county’s family of schools – as well as a huge benefit to a village where many new families have moved to. “The County Council is committed to investing in our children’s futures by building new schools where needed across the county, and we’ve also set aside more than £9.5m over the next two years to refurbish schools in every borough and district of Nottinghamshire. “The Council’s major investment in delivering the new Spencer Academies Trust-sponsored East Leake primary school reinforces our commitment to ensuring all Nottinghamshire children have access to the best education and have an opportunity to succeed.” Located on former farmland on Rempstone Road, ground level works at the school is now complete and this will be followed by the installation of foundations and the erection of the steel frame. The first-floor planks, windows, doors and internal partitioning have also been fitted and the contractor is now turning its attention to the mechanical and electrical fixtures and external bricklaying and rendering. Councillor Reg Adair, Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “This school will be a wonderful asset for the families of East Leake and the feedback from everyone involved points to an excellent advert for partnership working at its very best. “Once the school is handed over, the Temporary Learning Village will be removed and used elsewhere to make way for the delivery of a new school field which will complement existing outdoor play areas. “I’m also delighted that the 30% target for the contractor to use and spend with local subcontractors within 20 miles has been exceeded.” This is the third successful project between the County Council, Arc Partnerships and Morgan Sindall following the successful joint delivery of Bingham Primary School in August 2022 and Rosecliffe Spencer Academy in May 2021. Sara Williams, head of pre-construction at Arc Partnership, said: “We are proud to be working in collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council and Morgan Sindall to design and manage the project delivery and bring much-needed school places to the local community. “Supporting the council’s move towards low carbon solutions, the school has been designed to be Net Carbon Zero in operation. It will have high levels of building fabric insulation, and a range of sustainable features including an all-electric strategy, meaning no fossil fuel will be burnt on site and as the National Grid decarbonises, the carbon emissions associated with the building will reduce.” Principal Sophia Thorne, at the Spencer Academies Trust, said: “The Millside Spencer community is amazed at the speed that our new school building is progressing. These facilities – alongside our existing on-site Forest School area, dedicated staff team, supportive parents and inspirational children – will continue to make Millside Spencer a happy school where everyone can shine.” Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “We are thrilled to mark the progress at Millside Spencer Academy with a topping out ceremony which highlights another significant project through Arc Partnership. We are delivering a school which will not only create vital pupil places, but also inspiring and modern learning environments. We will continue to engage with the local community through our social value initiatives and work towards our net zero goals as we near completion this summer.”

Plastribution Group acquires Leicester-based Eagle Plastics

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Plastribution Group acquires Leicester-based Eagle Plastics
A plastics raw materials distributor, Plastribution Group, has acquired another Leicester-based business, thermoplastics sheet supplier Eagle Plastics. Plastribution Group’s core business is the distribution of thermoplastic pellets for injection moulding, extrusion and blow moulding industries and the acquisition fulfils the company’s growth strategy to offer a wider range of plastic products, to include a sheet business, in their products division. Based in Thurmaston, Eagle Plastics supplies semi-finished thermoplastic materials to a diverse client base including blue-chip organisations. The business has eleven employees who will be retained at their existing site in Leicester, along with Managing Director Darren Clarke. Leading the deal from Geldards’ Corporate team was partner Debra Martin who was supported by solicitor Hugh White, who advised on all elements of the transaction. Debra Martin, partner, Geldards, says: “We were delighted to act for the Plastribution Group on their acquisition of Eagle Plastics, the deal is a great fit for both companies, aligning their core values and seamlessly integrating their operations. We wish them every success for the future.”

Trading Standards probe uncovers £200,000 fake car-parts scam

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Trading Standards probe uncovers £200,000 fake car-parts scam
Two Nottingham men have been given suspended prison sentences after an investigation by Trading Standards officers found they made more than £200,000 selling fake car parts. Nasir Abdulla, aged 35, of Chalfont Drive in Aspley, and Sayed Mahmoud, aged 34, of Haselmere Road, Bobbers Mill, admitted selling the counterfeit items when they appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 3 March. Nottingham City Council’s Trading Standards discovered that the pair started two companies around 2013 trading as ‘g-customz’ and ‘nf-designz’. They were importing thousands of counterfeit car parts from China, mainly Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes. These were then advertised on Facebook as genuine parts and sold to unsuspecting consumers. Abdulla and Mahmoud made a substantial amount of money from the scam, benefitting to the tune of £150,000 and £60,000 respectively. The car companies involved made test purchases from g-customz and nf-designz after seeing their parts being advertised and confirmed they were counterfeit before contacting Trading Standards, which began an in-depth investigation. Abdulla and Mahmoud pleaded guilty to the unauthorised use of trademarks between 2013 and 2018. Abdulla was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work. Mahmoud was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to do 120 hours’ unpaid work. Councillor Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Safety, said: “I commend Nottingham City Council Trading Standards for bringing these perpetrators to justice. “This was a difficult and complicated investigation over a long period of time which has resulted in the companies being closed down. The sentences handed out by the judge reflect the serious nature of their offending and are fully deserved.”

Microlise snaps up Vita Software in £2.06m deal

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Microlise snaps up Vita Software in £2.06m deal
Microlise Group, a Nottingham-headquartered provider of SaaS based transport technology solutions to fleet operators, has acquired Vita Software, a provider of transportation management system (TMS) solutions, for £2.06 million. The acquisition will expand Microlise’s suite of transport technology solutions and is expected to immediately enhance earnings. Established 2012 in the UK, Vita Software is a SaaS based TMS who are highly regarded and profitable, adding recurring revenue to the Microlise Group. They provide a range of order management products to fleet logistics operators, which includes resource and transport costing, subcontractor management and invoicing solutions. Business and product integration will begin immediately, with all existing staff being retained. Microlise’s existing solutions manage the safe, compliant, and efficient execution of the transport movements through its range of subscription services, offering the tracking and execution of generated orders. Vita Software’s TMS capabilities provides upsell and cross-sell opportunities, embedding Microlise even further into its existing customers’ operations. The software only system is applicable to fleets of all sizes, supporting the group’s strategy to expand its value proposition further into medium sized fleets, with an enriched product offering. Microlise CEO Nadeem Raza said: “We are excited to announce the acquisition of Vita Software, as part of our strategic plans to grow the Microlise product portfolio using funds raised via our IPO. “This is the first of a number of targeted acquisitions that are being progressed, driving our long-term plan to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions that cater to fleets of all sizes across our strategic geographies. “Through combining TMS technology with our existing offerings, we are providing our customers with an accessible and enriched end-to-end solution that is designed to optimise operations, increase cost visibility, and improve profitability. “This acquisition will also provide us significant opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, enabling us to further strengthen our relationships with our customers and reinforce our position as a leading provider of transport technology solutions. “We remain committed to delivering innovative products and services that add value to our customers’ businesses, and we look forward to leveraging our expanded capabilities to achieve further growth and success.”

Yü Group reports “fantastic year”

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Yü Group reports “fantastic year”
The CEO of Yü Group, the independent supplier of gas, electricity and water to the UK corporate sector, has hailed “another fantastic year,” with record breaking financial performance and significant strategic progress. According to the Nottingham firm’s final audited results for the year to 31 December 2022, revenue grew 79% to £278.6m, up from £155.4m in the year prior. Pre-tax profits, meanwhile, rose 72% to £5.8m from £3.4m. Bobby Kalar, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’m pleased to report another fantastic year for Yü Group. We have once again clearly demonstrated our ability to surpass financial performance metrics and, with the strong momentum we have in the business, we are confident of this recurring theme continuing into 2023. “Our record breaking financial performance and significant strategic progress is a testament to the strength of the Group. Revenue increased 79%, EBITDA increased 359%, contracted revenue is up 57% and cash increased by £11.9m. Reflecting our continued confidence in the business we are also pleased to recommend the reinstatement of a progressive dividend policy. To achieve this despite the backdrop of a turbulent energy market is credit to the strong foundations we have in place and the ability and character of the team. “It’s been a busy year! Developing and integrating our smart metering business, Yü Smart from a standing start to a fully functioning business performing at pace has been a particular highlight. I’m proud to lead a team who have seized this opportunity to build and grow new capabilities. I clearly see the ability for the Group to accelerate its profitability by leveraging off our growing revenues and providing new services. Cash flow and cash management will remain a key focus, including through our smart meter rollout. “The EBRS scheme has worked well and rightly delivered support to our business customers. We will continue working with BEIS to champion assistance to UK businesses. “Whilst our industry has been plagued by negative impacts and a lack of investment and support, I am immensely proud to report our progress and development. The market opportunity is huge, we have a scalable platform, and we are primed and ready to grow. “We have got off to a fantastic start in 2023 with our exceptional performance continuing. Whilst we remain vigilant, we look forward to delivering continued shareholder value in 2023 and beyond.”

Nuclear reactors from Rolls-Royce to power Australian submarines

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Nuclear reactors from Rolls-Royce to power Australian submarines
Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd will provide the reactors for Australia’s first nuclear powered submarines. The announcement will see thousands of jobs created for Rolls-Royce and across the UK supply chain. Rolls-Royce Submarines, based in Derby, currently employs more than 4,000 people and designs, manufactures and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
Steve Carlier, president – Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd, welcomed the news, saying: “We are delighted to be asked to play our part in delivering this element of the AUKUS Agreement and are well prepared to support through our nuclear expertise and engineering excellence. “For over 60 years we have provided the power to the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines and we are proud to be playing a critical role in helping Australia acquire their own nuclear propulsion submarine capability. “This is great news for Rolls-Royce and for the country as a whole with the creation of more UK jobs and an opportunity to showcase British innovation and expertise on the world stage.” Rolls-Royce is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components. Additionally, it provides frontline support across the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane. To ensure a steady pipeline of future talent into the industry, Rolls-Royce last year opened a new Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby, which will provide 200 apprenticeships each year for at least the next decade.

Staff at science company with Derbyshire HQ vote to save lives after naming St John Ambulance their new charity

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Staff at science company with Derbyshire HQ vote to save lives after naming St John Ambulance their new charity
Hundreds of employees at a chemistry company with a Derbyshire headquarters will be helping save lives after nominating St John Ambulance as their next adopted charity. Lubrizol, a science company whose research and development function and headquarters is based at Hazelwood near Belper, has now announced that the leading first aid organisation will be its next charity partner over all its UK sites. The partnership means that Lubrizol’s employees will be undertaking a series of fundraisers aiming to raise thousands of pounds for St John Ambulance over the next two years. Lubrizol has around 350 staff at its Hazelwood headquarters and hundreds more at a further four sites around the UK. The company’s support for St John Ambulance comes after its previous two years of fundraising raised a phenomenal £28,282 for mental health charity Mind. The company’s achievement in raising the money was all the more remarkable because staff were forced to undertake many charitable activities on their own because of Covid lockdowns. Representatives from St John Ambulance joined staff from Lubrizol’s charities and communities committee at a recent charity day, where they told how all money raised would go towards helping save lives. Eva Szabo, corporate partnership officer for the charity, told employees: “Every single donation that you raise will go towards saving a life. We are really looking forward to going on our fundraising journey together so thank you in advance!” Eva was joined at the day by Heather Powell, volunteer unit manager at St John Ambulance in Derby. Heather said: “One of our main aims at St John Ambulance is to make sure that as many people in the community as possible are trained in first aid so anybody can help in an emergency.” Eva added: “CPR has been in use in some form since 1740 but still to this day not everybody is confident enough to know what to do to help save a life.” In the UK, more than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest every year. When this happens, every second counts and the key to survival is early chest compressions and early defibrillation. Without lifesaving intervention the chances of survival start to decrease by about 10 per cent with every passing minute. Eva said: “We need support from companies like Lubrizol to help us train and equip as many people as possible with the skills needed to help save lives. We don’t want anybody to have any regrets. Every single person has the potential to make a difference in an emergency, and every single donation raised has the potential to save somebody’s life.” Tom Grazier, co-chair of the communities and charities committee at Lubrizol, said: “I’m delighted that we will be supporting St John Ambulance for the next two years. Our charitable work is very important to us at Lubrizol and we’re really looking forward to working with this fantastic charity in supporting their life-saving work. “It’s very powerful to think that the money we raise will be put to good use in saving lives. Every charity we support has been voted on by employees here at Lubrizol and this time St John Ambulance emerged as a clear favourite. “We’re very proud to be giving them our support. Staff from around our Lubrizol sites will be getting their thinking caps on and coming up with some great ideas as to how we can raise vital funds for this great cause.”

Digital transformation company moves global headquarters to Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

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Digital transformation company moves global headquarters to Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre
Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre has welcomed another new tenant, with Konektio relocating to the town from nearby Clay Cross. The company, which specialises in digital transformation solutions for the industrial and manufacturing industries has chosen the centre due to it’s ideal location and connectivity. Commenting on the move, Peter Stephens, CEO at Konektio, said: “We are delighted to announce the relocation of Konektio’s global headquarters to the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre. “As a leading provider of Industrial IoT and Energy Monitoring applications, we are enabling the digital transformation for the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Konektio creates significant value for our clients across the UK, Europe, and the US with turn-key solutions for asset condition-based monitoring and energy usage solutions. We help our customers tangibly reduce their operating and energy costs, improving their profitability whilst reducing their impact on the environment. “The decision to select the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre was a strategic one, as the Centre offers an outstanding business environment and top-notch facilities that align with Konektio’s vision and support our customers and rapid organisational growth.” Since opening in Summer 2022, the Enterprise Centre has gone from strength-to-strength, with more than 60% of the space already occupied, and less than a dozen of the 32 office spaces now remaining.
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