Secure your place at the unmissable East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022

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Secure your place at the unmissable East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022
Taking place on Thursday 15 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 will celebrate the region’s property and construction industry while presenting the ideal opportunity to connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks. The stand-out event in the business calendar will additionally feature John Forkin MBE DL, Managing Director at award-winning investment promotion agency Marketing Derby, as keynote speaker, as well as award-winning mind reader, magician, and professional mentalist Looch, who will bewilder guests during the evening’s networking.

Click HERE to secure your tickets for the unmissable occasion.

With nominations OPEN for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards, submit your entries NOW – showcase your business, team and projects. To submit a business or development please click on a category link below or visit this page.
The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 will also be awarded a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000. Find out who last year’s winners were here. Dress code is standard business attire.
 
Thanks to our sponsors:                                      

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Work underway on 82 new homes at Castleward

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Work underway on 82 new homes at Castleward
Construction work is now well underway on the third phase of the Castleward development in Derby city centre, as part of the £100 million regeneration project. Regeneration specialist Compendium Living, Derby City Council, Lovell and Riverside marked the occasion with a breaking-ground ceremony on the brownfield site, located on John Street. Castleward is one of the city’s largest housing projects, and in total will provide around 800 new homes. The project, which sits between Derbion shopping centre and Derby Midland Station, will see 15 – 20 years of redevelopment, also providing green space and 35,000 square feet of commercial retail space. The third phase of Castleward will consist of 82 new homes, comprised of one and two-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom maisonettes. The range of homes have been designed to appeal to first-time buyers, downsizers, commuting professionals and growing families. Compendium Living will provide 55 properties for open market sale, and the remaining 27 will be affordable homes for housing association, Riverside. Work on phase three is expected to be completed in early 2024, and the show property is set to open its doors in 2023. Bruce Lister, Managing Director at Compendium Living, said: “We are excited to have officially commenced work on the third phase of Castleward, and to have celebrated this occasion with our partners. “This ground-breaking marks an incredible milestone for Compendium Living. We’re very proud to be continuing our investment in Derby and furthering the regeneration of the Castleward area.  Along with Derby City Council, Riverside and Lovell, we are transforming this brownfield site into a vibrant and sustainable new community. “We are very much looking forward to welcoming more residents into their brand-new homes.” Councillor Steve Hassall, cabinet member for regeneration, decarbonisation, strategic planning and transport for Derby City Council, said: “We’re thrilled to see work beginning on the next phase of the Castleward redevelopment. “The first two phases have already delivered an excellent range of homes and commercial space, as well as an attractive gateway to the city from the railway station, not to mention regeneration of a brown field site. Now we are looking forward to seeing these new homes taking shape and adding to this exciting project over the coming months. “We’re keen to attract new residents to our city, as well as provide options for locals who may consider city centre living. Having brand new state of the art homes in the heart of Derby will help that come to fruition.”

Pharmacy chain starts work on multi-million pound HQ

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Pharmacy chain starts work on multi-million pound HQ
A pharmacy chain is building an ultra-modern headquarters, which will process millions of prescriptions per year for patients. Called Project Horizon, the multi-million pound venture in Derbyshire signals a new chapter for Chesterfield-based Peak Pharmacy. Construction work has started on a new Pharmacy Service Centre at Markham Vale, near junction 29A of the M1, to handle prescriptions and despatch medicines for the firm’s 150 community pharmacies across England. Prescriptions will be assembled for individual patients, then either delivered to local pharmacies for collection the next day, or direct to patients’ homes. The facility will use state-of-the-art robots and automated systems to support staff handling over 400,000 medicines and other prescribed items every month – that’s 20,000 a day, more than 40 every minute. Peak Pharmacy’s move is in response to caps in Government funding, which mean that pharmacy businesses are having to be more efficient in how they handle prescriptions. Centralising the process will also free up local pharmacists and Peak Pharmacy staff to provide other services for patients, such as vaccinations, blood pressure checks and healthy living advice. Managing Director Joe Cattee, whose parents Peter and Jane founded Peak Pharmacy in 1981, said: “These are ambitious plans for our company, staff and customers – in the face of a rapidly changing pharmacy landscape. “This will be transformational for us. We’re investing now to future-proof our business, so that we can continue to provide great local customer service which means so much to us.” The new hub is due to open in April next year. It will house up to 100 staff, with the potential to grow into a 24-hour operation in future. Peak Pharmacy is planning to be in a position to offer a centralised dispensing service to other independent pharmacies which don’t have the resources to develop their own centralised service, should the legislation allowing this change in the near future. Mr Cattee added: “We’re inviting other pharmacies to contact us now, so we can show them how our hub can benefit them too.” The company is investing more than £20m on Project Horizon, a significant proportion of which will be spent on automation technology. Around 40% of all prescriptions can be processed in this way. The project will replace five smaller existing Peak Pharmacy sites in Derbyshire. The new hub, on the site of the former Coalite coking plant in Bolsover, will: cover 113,000 square feet, have a continued focus on sustainability, with energy efficiency measures, electric charge points for colleague and business vehicles, major tree-planting and a bat box, and provide a canteen and leisure facilities.

Hinckley & Rugby Building Society appoints new chief operating officer

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Hinckley & Rugby Building Society appoints new chief operating officer
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society has welcomed a new chief operating officer (COO) to its Executive Board. Barry Carter joined the Society on 4 July following the retirement of its former COO, Dean Waddingham in May. Barry comes to the Society having previously held a position as COO at HSBC Private Bank. He has 20 years of experience in Private and Retail banking and is a Chartered Certified Accountant, Chartered Banker and is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments. His role within the Society will include day-to-day operations and transformational change within the business. Upon taking up his new role with Hinckley & Rugby, Barry said: “It’s a great privilege to join the Society as chief operating officer. I am joining at an exciting time as the Society looks to streamline its mortgage process, take steps forward in its digital presence and continue its improvement of day-to-day performance. All of this is geared for the benefit of our members and colleagues, and I am very much looking forward to being a part of it.” Chief Executive, Colin Fyfe, welcomed the Society’s new arrival, saying: “I am delighted to welcome Barry to the Society and excited to see what he can bring to the business. He has gathered the knowledge, skills and experience throughout his career to support us in developing our exciting transformation and enable us to continue to provide a high standard of service to our customers. As chief operations officer, I am sure that our members and colleagues are at the forefront of his thoughts, ensuring we continue to put people first.”

Affordable housing provider revealed as latest developer at landmark Northamptonshire community

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Affordable housing provider revealed as latest developer at landmark Northamptonshire community
Glenvale Park LLP – the developers behind the new community on the northern edge of Wellingborough – has welcomed housing provider Stonewater to the landmark development. Glenvale Park is a sustainable new neighbourhood in Wellingborough, bringing 3,000 brand new homes, amenities and green spaces to the northern fringe of the town. Stonewater is the eighth developer to join the community, with construction beginning on this latest parcel of homes in July 2022. Other developers on site include Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Keepmoat Homes, Persimmon Homes, ilke Homes and Lagan Homes. Care provider LNT has also recently completed its development at Glenvale Park. Stonewater plans to deliver a total of 148 affordable homes to Glenvale Park comprising a mix of flats and houses for affordable rent, social rent, shared ownership and Rent to Buy. The opportunity for Stonewater to acquire the site from Glenvale Park LLP was facilitated by affordable housing developer V10 Homes which put together a packaged deal for the land purchase and construction of the homes. To support its environmental commitments, the completed houses on the development will be powered entirely by air-source heat pumps and Stonewater will also be providing electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Chris Montague, director of development (East and North) at Stonewater, said: “From affordable and social rented homes to options that can support aspiring homeowners to get their foot on the property ladder, we’re proud to be joining this community and delivering these much-needed affordable homes to Wellingborough. “The variation of housing we’ll be providing at Glenvale Park will bring together different generations in a way that will help keep the existing community strong – whilst tackling local housing need.” Mark Best, director of Midtown Capital Ltd, managing partner of Glenvale Park LLP, said: “Through our public engagement, we know how important affordability is for the local community. We’re therefore delighted to welcome Stonewater to Glenvale Park, bringing affordable homes of an excellent standard to our community, while also meeting a local need. “We’re committed to ensuring we create an inclusive, exciting and accessible place for Wellingborough, delivering excellent homes across a range of tenures in addition to an array of green open spaces and high-quality amenities.” Karl Timberlake, land and operations director for V10 Homes, said: “We’re proud to have worked in partnership with the superb teams at Stonewater and Glenvale Park LLP to create these additional affordable homes within the wider development. “The fact that this parcel will be 100% affordable aligns perfectly with one of our key sustainability pledges – to improve the social value of our developments. These homes will help change people’s lives and we are delighted to have played a part in creating them.”

Platelet Services doubles lab footprint at BioCity Nottingham

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Platelet Services doubles lab footprint at BioCity Nottingham

Nottingham-based pre-clinical contract research organisation (CRO), Platelet Services has signed a new lease to double its lab space at BioCity Nottingham, reflecting the year-on-year doubling of demand for the company’s core platelet function testing offering.

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 support in drug discovery and development where platelet testing is required.

The additional space will allow the company’s project delivery and assay development services to proceed in parallel and will provide its team with more flexibility in delivering its core offering, with an anticipated shorter cycle time from agreeing a package of work with a client to the delivery of results.

Dr Natalia Dovlatova, CEO of Platelet Services, said: “With demand for our core platelet function testing offering rising significantly, this expansion of our lab space supports our continued growth strategy to broaden the range of test systems that Platelet Services is able to offer.

“Following the appointment of Paul Cato as senior research scientist earlier this year, we have ambitious plans to continue to expand our team with a focus on assay development. This is a really exciting time for Platelet Services, and we look forward to using the new space to strengthen our service offering and capabilities for the benefit of clients and further accelerate our growth.”

56% year end growth for Midlands business

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56% year end growth for Midlands business
Custom Heat, a plumbing and heating specialist that provides services across the Midlands has increased its turnover by 56 per cent during its last financial year. Established in 1980 in Rugby, Warwickshire where its head office remains, Custom Heat has expanded significantly over the last five years, but 2021/2022 is being celebrated as its most successful business year. In the last 12-months, Custom Heat has expanded its service area to include central and north Birmingham, south Staffordshire, and has also branched out south into the Cotswolds. It has also strengthened its three-year-old partnership with Worcester Bosch as one of the boiler manufacturer’s UK Accredited Service Partners – a move that follows a similar affiliation with British Gas made earlier this year. Lincoln Smith, Managing Director of Custom Heat commented: “56 per cent growth during 12-months is a wonderful achievement for us. We have worked hard to grow at a steady and sustainable pace, moving into new counties and areas as well as concentrating on building great business relationships with the likes of Worcester Bosch and British Gas. I have to say a huge thank you to our team members, who truly look after our customers, and also to our customers who recommend Custom Heat’s services to others.” In 2016/2017 the company’s turnover was £843,000, growing by 491 per cent in five years to almost £5 million. In 2017 the firm employed 40 people while today the Custom Heat workforce stands at 140, with 10 per cent apprentices. 30 new people have been welcomed to the team since January and the company forecasts that 50 more engineer roles and 10 office jobs will be created before 2023. Smith – who took over the family business twelve years ago – puts Custom Heat’s achievements down to his focus on customer needs, helping his team members to do their jobs better and utilising the latest, integrated technologies meet – and exceed – expectations. He explains: “I have always been interested in what the cloud can do as well as how technology can create efficiencies that manual processes never could, so when it was time for the business to push forward with its long-term growth plans in 2016, we strategically centred on such solutions. I hate the idea of a customer or staff member not being happy so I asked myself, ‘how can tech help with that?’.”

PwC Midlands celebrates over 400 promotions across the region

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PwC Midlands celebrates over 400 promotions across the region
PwC has boosted its Midlands team with over 400 promotions across the region, including eight partners, seven directors, 33 senior managers and 57 managers. The promotions highlight the investment the firm is making in its senior leadership team in the region and reflects the firm’s growth driven by demand for services including transformation, deals, technology and ESG. Speaking about the promotions, Matthew Hammond, PwC’s Midlands region leader, said: “Our people have worked incredibly hard over the past year and the promotions reflect our commitment to putting our people first and creating an environment for them to develop and grow. “The competition for talent remains hot, recognition and reward has never been more important, alongside Our Purpose, values and culture. I congratulate everyone who has taken their next career step forward with the firm. “In the last two years, we have grown our teams to over 3,300 people across the Midlands with a breadth and depth of skills in all our lines of services. The move to One Chamberlain Square in 2020 represented the firm’s largest investment outside of London, and we have bolstered our position amongst the region’s professional services businesses. “With the upcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games and investments being made across the region, it is a great time to build a career in the Midlands.” The promotions follow the recent announcement that over half of PwC’s 20,000 employees in the UK will receive a 9% pay rise, and 70% would get a rise of 7% or more.

Leicestershire firms encouraged to take advantage of growth grant before it’s too late

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Leicestershire firms encouraged to take advantage of growth grant before it’s too late
Business owners in Leicestershire are being urged to check if they are eligible for a growth grant from the Business Gateway Growth Hub before funds run out. Currently around £400,000 remains in the pot for the Business Growth Grant aimed at Leicester and Leicestershire’s SMEs with ambitions to grow. Grants from £2,000 to £25,000 are available, providing a third of the project cost and come with the support of a dedicated business adviser throughout the application process. The Business Gateway service was extended last year after receiving an additional £2 million to provide business support to Leicestershire businesses recovering from the effects of COVID-19. It has helped 78 businesses with grants totalling around £1.5 million so far. The free business support service is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The growth grant is managed by Leicester City Council which runs the service with partners Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). To be considered for this grant Leicester or Leicestershire-based businesses must have been running for 12 months, trade business-to-business, have fewer than 250 employees and be looking to grow, innovate and create jobs. The grant could be used for:
  • New innovative technology products or services that improve business performance
  • Premises improvement or expansion-related to business development
  • New products or services
  • Upgrading capital equipment to enable a more technical or automated approach, or to reduce carbon emissions
  • Marketing or promotional activity or other revenue costs to help the business grow or create jobs.
Reactive Components and Shahtex Leicester have benefited from the growth grant. Reactive Components is a product development consultancy for the composites market. It received £20,000 to set up a laboratory after the pandemic which had put a halt to the owner travelling to customer sites abroad. The grant was spent on technical equipment for the business. Owner, Dr Yves Didier, said: “I wanted to create some resilience in my business model. With the UK premises, I can now offer new services by taking on smaller one-off studies but also investigate technological areas which I couldn’t do before on a customer’s premises. “They say one of the big strengths of being a relatively new business is the ability to react, but I don’t think I would have been able to react as well without the support of the grant. My recovery would have been a lot slower and this extra money has allowed me to be braver.” With a £25,000 grant from the Business Gateway, knitted fabric supplier and manufacturer Shahtex Leicester invested in new computerised machinery which enables the family business to develop seamless garments. Tejas Shah, director, said: “I was naturally wary about the grant and the support because I was thinking ‘what’s their ulterior motive?’ It took me two or three meetings to realise that the Business Gateway had no ulterior motive, they were there to help. In the end, the support we received was more than just the grant. Now I know it’s there, why would I let it go?!” Rachel York, Business Gateway manager, added: “We’re in very tough trading conditions at the moment but standing still isn’t really an option for our local businesses if they want to survive. If you’re an SME and think you have a growth project in mind, start a conversation with us now. We estimate this fund will probably be allocated by October or November this year, so it’s worth considering before the money runs out.” Business owners or managers interested in the grant can find out more on the Business Gateway website. For information about free business support they can call 0116 366 8487 or email growthhub@bizgateway.org.uk

Grant Thornton reveals role on Derby County’s greatest ever save

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Grant Thornton reveals role on Derby County’s greatest ever save
Grant Thornton UK LLP has revealed its role in securing the future of Derby County Football Club after it was placed into administration. On Friday 1st July 2022, David Clowes, a Derby-based property developer and lifelong fan of the team, completed the process of purchasing the club. Grant Thornton advised the team’s new owner throughout the transaction. Derby County, a community asset and one of Britain’s oldest football clubs, has been in administration for 10 months, with administrators Quantuma looking for a buyer since September 2021. Mr Clowes’ successful bid for the business followed his separate acquisition of Pride Park stadium from previous owner Mel Morris. Prior to the now successful bid, Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, which is based in the Derbyshire village of Ednaston, had given the club a loan to ensure that they could take part in the next football season after a previous buy-out attempt collapsed. Derby County suffered a points deduction when it went into administration and was relegated from the EFL Championship in May. As Mr Clowes’ takeover complies with the EFL insolvency policy, Derby will avoid a further points deduction when it begins the new football season in League One in August. Founded in 1884, Derby County has an illustrious history that has seen it become first division champions and FA cup winners. Jessica Fountain, tax director at Grant Thornton, said: “The deal completed today is great news for the club as well as for the people of Derby, who are heavily invested in the team’s future. As one of England’s oldest football clubs, Derby County holds a lot of value culturally, socially, and economically for the local community. “Working with David to save Derby County Football Club has been a really inspiring project – and one that’s extra special given David’s relationship with the club as a loyal lifelong fan. The Derbyshire born and bred businessman took the opportunity to step in and purchase the club in order to save it from near collapse. “Having both the Pride Park stadium and the club under the control of a highly motivated local owner is a great outcome for Derby County, who can now move forward with confidence.”
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