Gowercroft Joinery appoints new finance director
Alfreton-based timber window and door manufacturer Gowercroft Joinery has appointed a new finance director to help spearhead the next stage of the company’s expansion.
Harry Dixon, from Mickleover, brings almost a decade of commercial accountancy and building industry experience, having started out as a credit control apprentice at one of the country’s major chains of builders’ merchants and then rapidly progressed his career with major IT and construction companies, all of which have gone through accelerated growth journeys.
In his new role Harry will be taking ownership of the company’s financial structures, as he works across the business streamlining systems, driving efficiencies and profitability, and building strong supplier relationships in support of the company’s senior management team.
Harry said: “I am thrilled to be joining such a dynamic and rapidly expanding business. Gowercroft has had such an amazing track record so far, and I am very much looking forward to being part of its future successes.”
Andrew Madge, Managing Director of Gowercroft, said: “We’re delighted to have Harry on board. His broad base of experience and positive attitude is a perfect fit for our company culture as we push ahead, launching new products and expanding into different markets.
“Gowercroft has expanded turnover by 110% over the past two years by delivering highly innovative windows and doors to a string of new customer and prestigious projects nationwide.”
Iconic Lincoln property, Judge’s Lodgings acquired by new owner of the White Hart Hotel
The Judge’s Lodgings, an iconic and historic property in the heart of the cathedral city of Lincoln has been acquired by locally based businessman Andrew Long, following his recent purchase of the adjacent White Hart Hotel.
TSP Developments (part of Andrew’s Travel Sector Property Group) has acquired a 999-year ‘virtual freehold’ interest in the Judge’s Lodgings from Lincolnshire County Council.
Coleby-based businessman and Chartered Surveyor Andrew Long recently acquired the White Hart Hotel, together with the site of the White Hart Garages and car park in July this summer. Proposals for the hotel’s major refurbishment and the redevelopment of the White Hart Garages site are now being prepared in conjunction with his planned full refurbishment of the Judge’s Lodgings building.
Andrew explains: “My TSP group of companies are working closely with locally-based John Roberts Architects and our wider project team to produce a major redevelopment and significant overall enhancement scheme for the St Paul’s Lane, Bailgate and Castle Hill quarter of the city.
“Subject to obtaining the respective statutory consents, there is now a unique opportunity to deliver a fully interrelated redevelopment scheme for the White Hart Garages and car park site, in conjunction with the refurbishment and sustainable long-term future use of the Judge’s Lodgings.”
Andrew added: “With long-established vehicular access from and to St Paul’s Lane, we are proposing a high quality dedicated arcade of ‘kiosk-style’ retail units for artisan crafts and products/services, that will be situated within the frontage of 2 Bailgate, immediately opposite the White Hart Hotel.
“This arcade will then also provide an attractive safe pedestrian link through to the new on-site parking area, as to be situated immediately to the rear of the Judge’s Lodgings, from which there will also be direct customer access.
“Subject to further detailed design, we will also create an additional 30 hotel bedrooms within a combination of the upper floor level of the original Judge’s Lodgings building and ‘new build’ elements within the overall site, all to be operated through the White Hart Hotel (currently 50 bedrooms) and situated within a fully integrated landscaped setting. The ground floor of the Judge’s Lodgings is to be used for high quality restaurant and other hospitality facilities, on which further information will be released at a later stage.”
The Grade II ‘star’ Listed building was owned by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) who had declared it surplus to their requirements and sought to find a suitable new owner committed to the full refurbishment of the building and its appropriate long-term use.
Andrew France, associate director at Lambert Smith Hampton, marketing agents for the property, said: “Acting on behalf of LCC, we are pleased to have concluded this transaction with TSP Developments and have been impressed with the proposed refurbishment scheme in conjunction with Andrew Long’s redevelopment of the immediately adjacent White Hart Garages site.”
Marketed with a guide price of ‘offers in excess of £850,000’, the negotiated contracted price is strictly confidential.
James Cook, of Kier Design & Business Services on behalf of LCC, added: “There has been detailed engagement to successfully finalise the transaction to the satisfaction of both parties over the last eight months, for what should now be a secure long-term future for the Judge’s Lodgings.”
The predominantly Georgian building was first built in 1810 and has a commanding ‘landmark’ location overlooking Castle Hill Square, immediately adjacent to the Eastern Main Gate of Lincoln Castle (built by William Conqueror in 1068).
Andrew Long added: “There is a relatively unattractive 1958 utilitarian-style flat roof extension that has no architectural merit, but there is now a significant important redevelopment opportunity in conjunction with the site of the White Hart Garages, which will also retain approximately 40 on-site customer parking spaces for the White Hart Hotel.”
Shoosmiths Solicitors of Leeds acted on behalf of TSP Developments, in conjunction with PBC Surveyors and Project Managers of London, Andrew having worked closely with both of these firms on numerous major projects throughout the UK for in excess of 25 years.
Paul Philips, Managing Director at PBC, added: “We are very pleased to be working with Andrew in the wonderful historic city of Lincoln, based on established long-term professional relationships and also Andrew’s renewed close working relationship with John Roberts Architects, together with other locally based members of the project team.”
Pride Park property deal for Derby virtual training company
A Derby-based specialist IT, Cyber Security and Digital Marketing apprenticeship training company, has moved into new premises to pave the way for future growth.
Althaus was launched in 2019 with a focus on offering fully remote digital apprenticeship training across the UK.
It has since branched out into delivering innovative 12-week Digital Bootcamp programmes on behalf of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership to tackle the growing skills gaps in the sector by enabling people to upskill online.
The company currently has 27 employees and, with plans to double in size and turnover year on year, Althaus has bought new 4,055 sq ft offices in Victoria Way, Pride Park, from East Midlands Chamber in a deal jointly secured by property consultants OMEETO and FHP.
Althaus co-director Josh Stamp said: “Having established Althaus in Sadler Bridge Studios in Bold Lane, we have outgrown these premises and are delighted to move into our new HQ in Pride Park.
“The offices are in a prime position with excellent transport links for our team of advisors and training consultants and also gives us the capacity to expand our studio space where our online training materials are produced in-house.
“Despite launching in the middle of a global pandemic, we have grown to be a highly regarded training provider both within the East Midlands and nationwide. From our head office in Derby, we currently employ a team of 27 staff who deliver impactful training courses in IT, Cyber Security and Digital Marketing.
“We have already trained more than 300 individuals across over 80 organisations with 75% of our learners gaining employment or progression in their workplace.
“With excellent feedback in our first interim Ofsted inspection and from employers who are recognising the high quality of our provision, we predict rapid growth of the next two years and these premises will cater perfectly for this sustained expansion.
“Chris at Omeeto has been a pleasure to work with from start to finish, keeping in regular communication throughout and proactively working with myself and the Chamber to ensure a timely transaction. The Chamber have particularly been super helpful.”
Chris Wright, director of OMEETO, continued: “The commercial property market in Pride Park continues to be in high demand and this deal reflects the continued desire for growth amongst SMEs – particularly those focused on and servicing the growing IT and digital sectors.”
Joint agent Darran Severn from FHP added: “I am pleased the sale has completed in what has been a great result for all parties. There continues to be a lack of good quality office buildings available on Pride Park and, as a result, capital values and rents remain strong.”
Lucy Robinson, director of resources at East Midlands Chamber, concluded: “We took the strategic decision earlier this year to co-locate the Derby office with the University of Derby at the Enterprise Centre and contribute to the overall regeneration of the city centre.
“We are delighted this prominent office will now support the expansion of Althaus, which has a vital role to play in addressing much-needed skills in our local and regional economy.
“The teams at OMEETO and FHP have done a sterling job in bringing this deal to fruition.”
Nottingham-based smart sensor company helps major car manufacturer make significant energy savings
Smart sensor manufacturer Pressac has helped car company Toyota more than double its energy cost savings.
Energy monitoring sensors, which measure how much power is flowing through a cable, have helped the company discover exactly which parts of its production processes are using excess energy. The information will play a huge role in Toyota’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Around 300 of Pressac’s wireless current transformer (CT) clamps have been installed at Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire. By clipping them around individual cables, the company were able to see, for the first time, how energy was being used at machine level.
Pete Burbidge from Pressac, which is based in Glaisdale Drive, Bilborough, explained: “The clamps gave Toyota the ability to view the energy consumption of each piece of equipment, and its condition, in real time. By monitoring the currents passing through them they could identify whether they were operating at their optimum level, as well as spotting areas where machines had been left on unnecessarily.
“The size and scale of the site meant they needed an easy-to-install, cost-effective solution with a strong signal that could cover the expanse of the site.”
Previously, the company had been able to view energy consumption at transformer level but did not have the granular detail about each piece of machinery – information which is already making a big difference.
In the case of one injection moulder, which was identified as ticking over at a high power level, changes were able to be made which have resulted in its energy consumption in non-production periods being reduced by 82%.
Pressac worked with ESCO, the Energy-reduction Support and Collaboration function of Toyota to set up initial data visualisation.
Graham Lane, ESCO group leader, said: “We’ve been extremely impressed with the ease of installation and the lack of ongoing maintenance needed.
“There was no production downtime when they were installed and the beauty of the sensors themselves is that we don’t have to worry about their maintenance, we can just install them and let them do their job.”
The sensors, manufactured at Pressac’s Nottingham headquarters, transmit their data wirelessly to Toyota’s existing building management systems via MQTT, a common Internet of Things protocol.
Graham added: “If we look back five years, small improvements may not have been as impactful as they are today. All energy consumption savings are taking us a step further towards our carbon-reducing ambitions.
“Current energy costs also means that little interventions can have hugely beneficial results. Going forward we’d like to have every single piece of kit covered, to give us a complete model of the whole production process and identify where we can make even more energy savings.”
Pressac also supplied the company with air quality sensors to help ensure the production zones provided the optimum conditions for team members to work in.
Custodian REIT dispose of 18,424 sq ft warehouse and distribution unit at a premium
Leicester-based property investor Custodian REIT, has announced the disposal of an industrial unit in Kilmarnock at auction for £1.4 million at a 12% premium to its 30th June 2022 valuation.
The group aims to deliver a strong income return by investing in a diversified portfolio of smaller regional properties across the UK, and say the environmental credentials of the 18,424 sq ft warehouse and distribution unit no longer fit with the Company’s ESG objectives and it was not considered practical to mitigate these risks. Having recently increased the lease term by 10 years it was considered the right time to sell and crystallise a valuation uplift.
Commenting on the disposal, Richard Shepherd-Cross, Managing Director of Custodian Capital Limited (the Company’s external fund manager), said: “The sale of this industrial unit at a premium to valuation demonstrates the ongoing liquidity in the market for smaller lot sized commercial real estate, underscoring our investment thesis. Having acquired this property as part of our IPO portfolio eight years ago and having recently increased the lease term until 2032, we felt that now was an opportune time to crystallise the value we have created. The proceeds of the disposal will be recycled into identified improvements to the remaining portfolio which we believe will be more accretive and better support the strategy of providing shareholders with strong income returns.”
Sterling performance at Kitchen Appliance retailer
Marks Electrical is celebrating its good fortunes today with revenues soaring by 15.1% to £43.1m in what the company describe as a “tough market conditions” economically.
The company’s resilient profit performance and Adjusted EBITDA of £2.7m (H1-22 £3.0m), delivering a margin of 6.3% and the company is confident that it will deliver our full year targets.Mark Smithson Chief Executive Officer, commented: “I’m proud of the performance we’ve delivered against a tough back-drop, with the Group’s sales up 15.1% in a very challenging market where the online MDA and CE markets were down over 15% in our first half. This further demonstrates the resilience of our business model and the attractiveness of our market-leading customer offering.
Our focus on operational excellence, customer service, and improving brand awareness has enabled us to continue to gain share in a very competitive market, where our share grew from 1.6% to 2.1% of the overall MDA market and from 2.6% to 3.9% in the online segment. As more people across the UK come into contact with the Marks Electrical proposition and become customers, we are able to harness our highly efficient, single-site operational model to drive profitable market share growth.
The strong competitive activity we saw in pricing and marketing during the first half has begun to ease more recently and despite the margin pressure, we were able to achieve an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.3%, keeping us on track to achieve our full year objectives and continuing to demonstrate the differentiated margin proposition of our operating model.
As growth momentum continues to build going into the peak trading period, with an acceleration in October and a strong start to November, our focus on operational excellence and cash flow generation, combined with our net cash position, provides us with a robust platform to generate continued profitable market share growth and deliver on our full year targets.”
Leicester Council drops workplace parking levy proposals to alleviate cost-of-living crisis
Leicester City Council has announced that proposals to introduce a workplace parking levy (WPL) in Leicester in 2023 will not be developed.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke says the current political and economic circumstances make it impossible to proceed with the levy, although the council’s long-term commitment to improve public transport in the city remains the same.
“We made a commitment in 2019 to consult on a levy in Leicester, and at that time we could not foresee the political uncertainty and dire economic situation the country is facing today. We have concluded that we cannot implement a WPL during this ongoing national cost of living crisis, which is causing such uncertainty and concern for so many people and businesses in our city.
“The consequence of this of course is that we won’t have the funding needed to radically improve public transport for so many of our residents, which would in turn help to tackle the climate emergency. In truth, simply maintaining the current levels of service will be a huge challenge.”
The workplace parking levy consultation was carried out in the spring and generated more than 4,000 written responses.
Cllr Clarke said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation. We also met with many local business, school, NHS and trades union leaders, to listen to the views of those they employ or represent, and we are grateful for their input.
“I am particularly grateful for the input from transport and environmental campaigners and want to reassure them that we will continue to focus on cleaning the air and reducing Leicester’s carbon footprint.”
The consultation findings will be available at: https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/sec/wpl
Transport improvements made in Leicester over the last few years include the formation of the Leicester Buses Partnership, and the expansion of the city’s fleet of all-electric buses with more than 100 new vehicles set to be on the roads in the next two years.
There has also been investment in the country’s first net zero carbon bus station at St Margaret’s; the development of new bus priority corridors linking the city centre to local neighbourhoods; and the expansion of the city’s network of safe and attractive routes for pedestrians and people on bikes.
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We have made enormous improvements in Leicester in recent years thanks to successful bids for funding that we have had to compete for against other local authorities. However, our long-term aims require significant and reliable ongoing funding that is not currently available.
“We can only hope that before too long there will be a Government in place that will have the vision to transform public transport in this country, and will provide the funds to do it.
“As it stands, severe Government spending restrictions already in place mean we have a shortfall in our budget of many tens of millions, and it’s likely the Chancellor will announce further cuts to public services in November. This means we will be taking difficult decisions on all council services including transport over the next few months.”
“In the meantime we need to continue to raise funding to support our existing public transport facilities, tackle the climate emergency and carry out improvements where we can, and that is why we are taking the decision today to increase our car parking charges for the first time in eight years.
“We also need to look at how we can increase passenger numbers and reduce the large subsidies being given to some bus services, including park and ride, which have been severely affected by the pandemic.”
BDO strengthens Midlands team with duo of director hires
Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has strengthened its team in the Midlands, with the appointment of two directors.
Dan Corden and Liam O’Donohue join as directors in the Business Services & Outsourcing (BS&O) team, covering both the East and West Midlands. The duo’s arrival follows the firm’s move to a prominent office location in Nottingham city centre, cementing its commitment to the regional market.
Corden, who has over 10 years’ experience in financial and operational management, will be responsible for expanding the firm’s outsourcing and advisory offering across the whole of the Midlands, focusing specifically on ambitious entrepreneurial owner managed businesses and SMEs, as well as the technology and creative sectors.
O’Donohue – a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant – brings considerable experience to the BS&O team, having worked in the accountancy and business advisory sector since 2001. He will focus specifically on entrepreneurial, high growth and international Midlands-based businesses in the automotive, transport and manufacturing sectors.
Suk Aulak, partner at BDO in the Midlands, said: “In the last 12 months, our BS&O offering has seen considerable growth across the region, as we continue to support businesses to help them meet their growth ambitions, while facing changing requirements and economic forces.
“We’re delighted to have strengthened our Midlands teams with the appointment of Dan and Liam – two outstanding individuals who will add real value to our regional proposition.”
Corden said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining the Midlands team, following the move into high-profile offices earlier this month. The move cements the firm’s commitment to the region and provides us with the perfect base to support and engage with entrepreneurial and fast-growth businesses across the whole region that are looking to outsource a range of accounting, advisory and compliance services.”
O’Donohue added: “There’s significant market potential in the Midlands for Business Services & Outsourcing and we’re looking forward to working alongside a fantastic team in both the East and West Midlands, to help develop exciting opportunities at both a local and national level.”
Nottingham Colleagues raise hundreds with Rainbows charity day
Colleagues at a Nottingham chartered accountants staged a special Rainbows Day to support the East Midlands’ only children’s hospice.
Page Kirk accountants, based in Gregory Boulevard, has chosen Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People as its charity of the year.
Over 40 colleagues have been fundraising since January and there are lots more events to come in the run up to Christmas. Last month, the team staged a dedicated Rainbows Day, which in itself raised £400.
Rainbows’ mascot Bow Bear was on site surprising staff as they arrived that morning. He also got up to mischief during the day carrying out photocopying and taking over reception.
As well as enjoying Bow’s antics, colleagues held a bake sale, staged a quiz, played games and there was a raffle to win a day’s annual leave. Staff also made donations for their lunch, which was provided by Page Kirk.
James Haywood, partner at Page Kirk, said: “It was pleasure to hold Rainbows Day at our office. Having chosen Rainbows as our charity of year, it was great to hold a specific event related to the charity that all members of staff could take part in and understand the wonderful work that Rainbows is performing to brighten children’s lives.
“The day itself was a fantastic success with all enjoying themselves and having Bow Bear around with his energetic enthusiasm made the day, especially when he ran down to me waving his arms when I arrived at the office in the morning.
“We are very proud to be supporting Rainbows this year and look forward to the many events that we still have planned in the diary.”
Kirsty Coxon, corporate fundraiser at Rainbows, added: “We are thrilled to have Page Kirk on board for 2022 and they have been doing some fabulous things for us. The Rainbows Day, and Bow Bear’s visit, was a big hit and it is great to see so many people getting involved.
“We rely on the support of companies like Page Kirk to continue to provide care to more than 300 children and young people with terminal and serious illnesses, including those from Nottinghamshire.”
The power of video testimonials
Glowfrog Video Production discusses the power of video testimonials.
A testimonial is an ideal way to convey genuine customer experiences which in turn will garner the interest of potential future customers and clients. However, a video testimonial goes one step further and helps to humanise the brand, making them an incredibly effective form of marketing. Testimonial videos can really help customers connect to your brand on a deeper level.
Brand personality and visibility
A video testimonial can make your brand so much more memorable and personal to customers and will mean that your brand is the first to come to mind when selecting a product or service. You can portray the personality of your brand and help differentiate your company from competitors through the medium of video much more effectively. In the process you can have a greater control over your brand’s image and convey a much clearer message.
An interesting video testimonial can grab the attention of customers and maintain that interest. Not only does it inform your potential customers about your company, it also allows future customers to see what others think about your company and their individual experience.
In terms of visibility, video testimonials are reportedly 12 times more likely to be shared than text based content. This casts a wider net for audience reach and allows your company to reach larger markets. A video also has a 95% higher retention rate vs. standard text testimonials.
Trust and credibility
If you have an engaging video, this can convey a message in a much more accessible way. It allows customers to see genuine customer satisfaction and emotion as opposed to a write up review. Seeing a face to face testimonial like this can build faith in your brand much more effectively. 72% of consumers say a positive testimonial increases their trust in a business.
This also immediately generates more credibility for your organisation as an unscripted, word of mouth testimonial is a much more genuine approach to marketing. It isn’t a quote listed as text, it’s a real person informing others about their experience in a direct manner. It illustrates what customers have gained from using your products and services and how they can benefit from using your business.
Putting a face to your brand
If customers can see that real people use your service or product and that there are real people behind your organisation this can really help people relate to your company. It can give them a good reason to choose you over a brand which doesn’t have that personal touch. Studies show that 2 out of 3 people are more likely to choose your brand after seeing a video testimonial.
Displaying emotion and connecting to your brand
A video testimonial is a great way to show someone with a genuine enthusiasm and passion for your product or service and is a perfect way to reach out to new customers. An emotional connection can allow customers to really believe you are sincere and that your product or service is better than the competition because of the genuine reaction.
Facial expressions, tone of voice, legitimacy and personal emotion all play a role if you choose to post your testimonials in video format, which is hugely influential when potential customers are making choices.
Video testimonials can improve reach and help create an authentic and personal image for your brand. They can also generate trust and credibility in your brand and convey a message in a direct and clear manner. Customers can put a face to your brand and in an age where video marketing is a such an effective tool, testimonial videos are one of the best ways for your business to cultivate interest and a loyal and satisfied customer base. If you would like to enquire about producing video testimonials for your company, please visit www.glowfrogvideo.com – the East Midlands’ best rated video production company.
