Platelet Services celebrates record year

Tess Egginton
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Platelet Services celebrates record year
Nottingham-based pre-clinical contract research organisation, Platelet Services, has reported another successful year as it celebrates its fourth anniversary. Platelet Services offers an array of standard and customised platelet testing assays to determine the effect of compounds on platelet function. Working with both small drug discovery companies and large pharmaceutical corporations, Platelet Services offers comprehensive expertise and support in drug discovery and development where platelet function testing is required. Founded in 2018, Platelet Services has seen year-on-year growth as global demand rises for the company’s core platelet function testing offering, reporting a 60% increase in turnover over the past twelve months. Earlier this year, the company doubled its lab space at BioCity in Nottingham, in response to the increase in client projects. The space continues to provide the team with greater capacity and flexibility and has helped to drive greater efficiencies including a reduction in the cycle time from agreeing a package of work with a client to the delivery of results. The company also bolstered the team with the appointment of Dr Paul Cato as senior research scientist back in March. Natalia Dovlatova, CEO, says: “The company has come a long way over the past four years. During 2022, we have focused on consolidating the team and our core services and are now in a good place to expand our offering both in terms of capacity and flexibility. “We have been tapping into an ever-improving understanding of client types and needs, and team capabilities, which is helping us to expand what we can offer in terms of capacity, flexibility and new assays. “Looking ahead to 2023, we are anticipating more of the same and have a strong pipeline, with increased demand from overseas. Our focus is also to provide thought leadership and highlight the importance of platelet function testing in drug discovery projects and target safety assessment.”

Center Parcs settle discrimination claim after amputee denied use of activity slide

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Center Parcs settle discrimination claim after amputee denied use of activity slide
CenterParcs UK has settled a discrimination claim following a case where a visitor to their Sherwood Forest Village was denied use of an activity slide due to having a prosthetic leg. The claim was submitted by Chattertons Solicitors on behalf of Andrew Shaw who was on holiday with his family in November 2021. During the holiday, Mr Shaw had approached the entrance to one of the activity slides and was stopped by a member of staff who stated that he was not allowed on the slides due to his prosthetic leg and asked him to remove the prosthetic before going on the slide. Mr Shaw stated that he was unable to do this as he was unsafe without it. The staff member then refused to allow him on the slide. Following further discussion, it was later confirmed that it was Centre Parcs company policy and that he wouldn’t be allowed to use the slides unless he removed it. Carrie Clewes, head of Chattertons’ Equality team, said: “Acting on behalf of Mr Shaw we wrote to Center Parcs to point out that in providing an activity centre and accommodation service, Center Parcs are providing a service within the meaning of Section 29 of the Equality Act 2010 and are therefore, obliged to comply with the provisions of Section 29. “This includes the obligation to make reasonable adjustments. By refusing to allow Mr Shaw to partake in the activities, it was alleged that they had discriminated against him and treated him unfavourably because of something arising directly in relation to his disability – his prosthetic.” In agreeing the settlement, Center Parcs responded by confirming that it was not their intention to discriminate against Mr Shaw and apologised for any inconvenience, embarrassment and upset caused. They confirmed that they have now amended their internal policy and safety information, to remove any restrictions in relation to guests wearing a prosthetic and ensured that all staff are appropriately trained on the new policy. They further submitted a written apology to Mr Shaw and made a compensatory payment to reflect his injury to feelings, they further covered his legal fees.

2023 Business Predictions: Seb Saywood, investor at BGF

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2023 Business Predictions: Seb Saywood, investor at BGF
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.  It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years. Here we speak to Seb Saywood, an investor at the growth capital investor, BGF. Despite predictions that the UK is facing a protracted recession, indicators are pointing towards a softer landing than previously feared. The price of gas is already much less than at its peak, with inflation, dare we say it, also probably having already reached its highest point. However, there’s no doubt that it will remain a tough environment for discretionary consumer spending, particularly in the mid-market. While in the medium term spending is likely to hold up, thanks to savings generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, in certain demographics consumers may choose to trade down, resulting in wins for the likes of fast food versus casual dining. From an East Midlands perspective, the region has a strong reputation in sectors like healthcare, biosciences and more generally in business services, with a growing digital economy too. These sectors are less exposed and will hopefully remain resilient. The good news is that employment also remains high. That, combined with high historical saving levels, will hopefully result in a more benign environment compared to previous recessions. Whilst energy costs will be painful, rising interest rates may have less of an impact on home owners than initially feared, as the majority of mortgages are on longer-term fixed deals. A steady recovery in the value of sterling will also be very helpful. As with any difficult economy, strong, well-capitalised businesses in resilient sectors will find opportunities to seize market share, particularly from less nimble, over leveraged rivals. I expect to see increased consolidation which could drive fund raising activity. In terms of the M&A landscape, a more cautious view on valuations is starting to come through for certain types of buyers in some sectors, particularly where leverage is involved. However, valuations for the best, most scarce assets, are likely to hold up. This valuation pressure, which is driven by several macro factors, will affect the timing of exits and might result in an increase in minority deals in 2023. Owner managers looking to sell may be disappointed with headline valuations compared to historical expectations. This will encourage some to retain more equity to maximise the upside.

Go ahead given for new funeral home, commercial space and flats in Clifton

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Go ahead given for new funeral home, commercial space and flats in Clifton
A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service has received the green light from council planners to move ahead with a brand new, purpose-built funeral home with additional commercial space and three residential flats on Clifton high street. The successful planning application comes as the business further invests in its offering to the Clifton community, relocating from the current branch, Chaworth House on Varney Road. The new branch on Southchurch Drive will provide more space, measuring 169.1m2 compared to the current home’s 65m2, for both families and team members, a waiting room next to the chapel to allow more privacy and ease for the bereaved, onsite parking, and accessibility. And, as with all A.W. Lymn branches, the new Clifton location will have a cold room, a facility the company prides itself on and is included in all its funeral homes. Alongside the funeral home, the granted planning permission will see A.W. Lymn create residential and commercial opportunities. With the UK facing a “critical rental shortage,” the creation of three flats above the branch will be a welcome addition to the local high street, as well as the opening of a commercial space next door. The new location, set to open in 2023 as a more visible face to the community, will be run by funeral director Joanna Widdowson, who has been a part of A.W. Lymn for the past six years. Joanna said: “I am delighted that we have received planning permission to carry out the new work and am excited to continue delivering the high level of service that we pride ourselves on out of a bigger and better branch. The added space and improvement of the facilities will benefit families and the team, with even easier access as we will be located on the tramline and have onsite parking.” Pete Clarson, commercial director at A.W. Lymn, said of the move: “It is crucial that we are a visible, easily accessible face within the community. After serving the people of Clifton since 1990, we feel now is the right time to move to a more spacious branch and are investing in a purpose-built funeral home right in the heart of Clifton, with a residential and commercial offering.” A.W. Lymn is a fifth-generation family business headquartered in Sneinton, Nottingham and has been helping the bereaved in the region for more than 115 years. It employs over 120 staff and operates 27 funeral homes across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Cawarden acquires new equipment after securing £600k funding

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Cawarden acquires new equipment after securing £600k funding
Derbyshire-based specialist contractor Cawarden has added a Komatsu high reach demolition excavator to its equipment portfolio, thanks to fresh funding from Paragon Bank. Based in Derby and a provider of demolition, land remediation, earthworks, civils and groundworks project services throughout the UK, Cawarden secured over half a million pounds to acquire a PC490HRD-11. The new funding agreement is the latest in a series between Cawarden and Paragon’s SME Lending division, which has seen the two firms work together for over two decades. Founded over 35 years ago by William Crooks, Cawarden today employs 120 people and has a turnover of £22 million. It provides clients with an integrated ‘destruction to construction’ solution, allowing them to deal with only the delivery contractor. Terry Lloyd, head of construction at Paragon, has worked closely with William Crooks throughout Cawarden’s commercial relationship with Paragon – which now totals funding of over £10 million. Commenting on the latest funding agreement between Paragon and Cawarden, Terry Lloyd said: “Building close partnerships with businesses is key to what we do. By listening to our clients, understanding their needs, and then providing funding solutions that work for them has allowed us to build our reputation in the sector as a trusted financial partner. “I’m delighted that we were able to put this experience and expertise to excellent use with our latest funding arrangement with Cawarden.” He continued: “For our economy to thrive it is vital that fantastic firms such as Cawarden can access the funding they need to ensure they continue to grow and deliver essential services. Without the construction and demolition sector, our country would grind to a halt – and I am proud of the work Paragon does in keeping it moving.” Commenting on Paragon’s funding support for Cawarden, William Crooks said: “Providing our clients with the highest standard of service is central to our business, and with the addition of a Komatsu PC490HRD-11 to our industry-leading equipment portfolio we will continue to keep doing so in the years ahead.” He continued: “Working with Terry and the team at Paragon has been an invaluable driver of our growth as a business. Thanks to their commitment to understanding our operations and providing funding solutions that are tailored to our requirements, we’ve been able to develop a partnership that will continue to benefit Cawarden and our clients for years to come.”

Freeths bolsters real estate offering with strategic promotions

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Freeths bolsters real estate offering with strategic promotions
Law firm Freeths has promoted partner James Hart to lead the real estate team across the Midlands region and Patrick Adie has also been named national head of housebuilding & strategic land. James is now responsible for coordinating the firm’s real estate teams across its four Midlands offices in Birmingham, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. With a long-standing reputation in the region, he leads the relationship for some of the firm’s largest clients. Patrick Adie has also been promoted to national head of housebuilding & strategic land, with responsibility for promoting the firm’s offering in these key sectors. Patrick is an award-winning solicitor and is ranked as ‘Up and Coming’ in Chambers and Partners 2023. Partner and national head of real estate at Freeths, Darren Williamson said: “It is our mission statement to be the best national real estate practice in the UK and to be the destination firm for real estate clients. “We have been consistently ranked as ‘Tier 1’ in the leading directories’ legal rankings where James and Patrick operate, and these appointments will help further our aims. “Both James and Patrick are ‘home grown’ talent, having trained at Freeths and built outstanding practices over their careers, which serves to highlight why Freeths is such a great place to work. It is a huge pleasure to welcome them into their new roles.” James Hart added: “Freeths is a national, full-service law firm but our heart is the historic Midlands-based property practice – it is the ‘engine room’ of what we do. I’m looking forward to supporting the team’s growth over the next five years of our business plan.” Patrick Adie continued: “We have an outstanding reputation in the housebuilding and strategic land sectors, including having acted for many of the top-10 housebuilders for several decades. “It’s exciting to be able to lead the team on the next stage of our growth plans. I look forward to working with colleagues across our 12 offices so that we can continue to build on our outstanding service for clients, both at regional and national level.”

Frasers Group serves eviction notice to Coventry City

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Frasers Group serves eviction notice to Coventry City
Coventry City has received an eviction notice from Shirebrook-based Frasers Group, new owners of the Coventry Building Society Arena. The football club says it has been told that it must agree a new licence to play at the Arena, following the Frasers Group acquisition of the stadium from administrators in November. In a statement Coventry City said: “We were surprised to learn of this intention by Frasers Group, given that discussions with Coventry City prior to the completion of their purchase of the Arena led us to understand the existing terms would continue unchanged with Frasers Group as the new owners of the Arena.” Coventry City Football Club has an existing long-term licence to play at the Arena, which was agreed in March 2021 to run until 2031. Coventry City added: “Frasers Group have now presented to Coventry City a new agreement with new commercial terms, which have been presented to us without any dialogue or negotiations, and are less favourable to the Football Club. In addition, this licence would only run until May 2023. “Frasers Group have said they would negotiate for beyond May 2023, but this leaves us without the security and certainty that our current deal provides to us and our fans. “To confirm, Coventry City are happy to continue under terms of the current licence which we already have in place to play at the Arena. “Following Frasers Group’s purchase of the Arena, one of the great assets of the City of Coventry, they stated they were ‘looking forward to working with Coventry City Football Club’. “Coventry City hope that they will act on those words for the good of the Arena, the Football Club, our fans and the City and community that they are now part of.”

Ambitions Personnel named as Crown Commercial Service Supplier

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Ambitions Personnel named as Crown Commercial Service Supplier
Recruitment firm Ambitions Personnel have been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Permanent Recruitment 2 Framework agreement. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector in gaining the greatest commercial value when buying common goods and services. In 2019/20, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits worth over £1bn – supporting world-class public services that offer the best value for taxpayers. Ambitions Personnel will be delivering recruitment services to Lot 2 – Non-Clinical / General Recruitment, which includes hiring into roles such as administration, customer service and IT. Managing Director of Ambitions Personnel, Mandy Watson, said: “It’s great that we’re now a named supplier on the esteemed CCS framework. We’ve had many success stories of recruiting into the public sector spanning over 30 years, and now it’s time to expand this – we want to be the go-to recruitment agency.” Since 2010, the government has launched several initiatives to help support SMEs across the UK. Mandy continued: “The government’s SME Action Plan allows smaller businesses to compete with much larger organisations. Ambitions Personnel will play a prominent role in efficiently hiring new staff into government roles, helping the government achieve their spending targets for helping small businesses. “With this step, we’re already looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Nottingham digital agency sweeps aside stateside competition to land contract with American cleanroom giant

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Nottingham digital agency sweeps aside stateside competition to land contract with American cleanroom giant

A Nottingham digital agency has landed its first major transatlantic contract after it was appointed to run the online paid advertising campaign on behalf of a market-leading American cleanroom company.

Repeat Digital has been chosen to manage the online paid advertising for Angstrom Technology, which is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and even appointed the Long Eaton firm ahead of its own American-based digital marketing agency.

Repeat, which employs six people and is based in Bramley Road, Long Eaton, was founded by entrepreneur Olly Fisher in 2017 and offers a number of online services, including pay-per-click and SEO management for a range of companies in a number of sectors, including legal, manufacturing and ecommerce industries.

Its contract with Angstrom came following its work with Connect 2 Cleanrooms (C2C), a Lancaster-based supplier of modular cleanrooms and cleanroom equipment for organisations requiring hygienic spaces, such as pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers.

Repeat has been looking after the company’s online lead generation work and its e-commerce store, which sells cleaning supplies, sterile clothing and furniture, for the past 14 months, raising awareness of the brand and increasing sales by more than 100% over a nine month period.

Its success came to the attention of Angstrom Technology when the American firm took over C2C earlier this year.

The companies will now embark on a joint strategy to increase sales of their services and products all over the world, with Repeat being asked to carry on with its work with C2C and take on Angstrom’s own digital marketing in America as well.

Olly said: “The US market is massive and so for a company of our size to get a foothold over there with such a prestigious client is huge news and an amazing opportunity for us.

“What makes it more special is that we won the contract having previously demonstrated what we can do through our work with C2C. Theirs is a very specialised market and we were able to use our ability to target potential customers more accurately in order to generate more leads and increase sales through their online shop.

“It’s testament to the skills and ability of our team that Angstrom were impressed with what they have achieved and this proves that any agency with the right skills and approach can serve large and well-established clients no matter where they are in the world.”

Sean Fryers, marketing manager at Connect 2 Cleanrooms, said: “The results that Repeat Digital have achieved on behalf of C2C have had a significant effect on its business and we have enjoyed working alongside them.

“With that in mind we felt it was in everybody’s interests for them to begin working on behalf of Angstrom Technology as well and we look forward to seeing what great results Repeat Digital can achieve on its behalf as well.”

Acres says “Viva Espana” as it opens Malaga office

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Acres says “Viva Espana” as it opens Malaga office

Derby-based Acres Engineering is celebrating after opening a new base in Malaga, Spain.

The family business, which is located on Castle Lane Industrial Estate, Melbourne, has appointed Alejandro De Castro to head up the company, which will be trading as Acres Engineering Europe S.L.

Alejandro has worked at Acres Engineering in Derby for over 4 years, where he has been involved in the creation of more than 1,500 products across Acres’ range of markets and as a senior member of the management team.

Luke Parker, Managing Director at Acres Engineering, says: “This is such an exciting moment for all of us. Spain is a global leader in automotive components (one of our major markets) and is actively investing to increase and enhance the industrial sector.

“This is a positive statement of intent from us as a growing business and a move which will also give us crucial access to the European common market. I am delighted to be working with Alejandro on this new venture, he has incredible talent as a designer but also as a manager and leader.

“By continuing to work closely together we will bring our knowledge, experience and processes from the UK to the European market and naturally learn a great deal from how Spain has built its own reputation for manufacturing excellence. That can only be a good thing for our customers here in the UK and across the continent.”

Speaking about the new business and market opportunity, Alejandro said: “Our focus with this new adventure will be not only to supply our customers with good quality and innovative products but also to champion the industry as a whole in Spain.

“It is not simply about wanting Acres Europe to be a success for ourselves but also for our supply chain. I feel very grateful for this opportunity and the faith that Luke and the management team have shown in me. We cannot wait to get started.”

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