Industrial market remains strong as unit let at Amber Business Centre
FHP Property Consultants have completed on the letting of Block 17.1 Amber Business Centre in Riddings, Alfreton to CST Engineering Ltd.
The property is an end terraced light industrial unit comprising 747ft2 of clear span space with some welfare facilities.
The premises is situated within a established industrial estate providing close proximity to nearby towns including Ripley, South Normanton, Belper and Kirkby in Ashfield, with main road links to the A38 and Junction 26 – 28 of the M1 motorway.
Dan Mooney of FHP Property Consultants said: “This was a smooth process having taken just 3 weeks from agreeing heads of terms to completion, so a great result for all involved.
“We received a solid level of enquiries for this unit especially from new businesses looking to get their foot in the door, so it is a pleasure to have agreed a deal with CST Engineering. We wish them all the best moving forward.”
Nottingham outdoor retailer set to scale-up with seven-figure funding package
Outdoor retailer Alpkit has received a £2.7 million funding package from HSBC UK, backed by UK Export Finance (UKEF), to support its international growth.
Alpkit will use the funding to purchase more stock to meet an increase in demand as well as for the development of a new footwear range set to launch this summer. Since the pandemic, demand in the sector has been increasing, with Alpkit seeing particular growth in its sales across cycling, outdoor swimming and technical outdoor clothing.
The company, which has eight sites in key locations across the UK, is also seeing demand increasing from international markets across Europe and the US. Alpkit plans to continue to grow its physical presence with the opening of new UK stores, as well as expanding its product ranges and digital trading capability worldwide.
The funding package from HSBC UK includes a £2 million General Export Facility (GEF) backed by UKEF, the government’s export credit agency. The scheme, which launched last December, has already provided over £275 million for businesses across the UK, and can be used by firms to help cover everyday costs linked to exporting and to scale up their business operations.
David Hanney, Chief Executive at Alpkit, said: “This deal will help accelerate our growth as we look to capitalise on a significant increase in demand domestically and internationally. It also means we can invest in innovation to create lower impact, long-lasting technical outdoor gear that is both repairable and recyclable.
“HSBC UK has stood side by side with us, providing support through the good and the challenging times. Our relationship manager at the bank, Anthony Greenfield, has been a constant source of support and reassurance which has been immensely valuable.”
Paul Armstrong, HSBC UK area director for East Midlands, added: “With the outdoor retail sector continuing to see substantial growth, Alpkit has moved swiftly to increase its offering across not only the UK but also international markets. We are delighted to work with UKEF to provide continued support as the business grows from strength to strength.”
Andy Mannix, UKEF export finance manager, added: “The accessibility, flexibility, and certainty of our GEF is a game-changer for companies like Alpkit. We have recently more than doubled the amount that HSBC can automatically administer to an exporter through its facilities to £5 million, and I am delighted our close partnership has helped make this deal happen.”
Alpkit donates one per cent of all turnover to the Alpkit Foundation, a charitable organisation set up by the Alpkit founders to support grass-roots and direct action projects to remove the barriers in getting outdoors and experiencing wild places. The charity has supported over 1,500 projects and donated over £450k to date.
Free workshop on becoming a council supplier set for the Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo
Have you ever thought about supplying your local council with goods or services? Would you like to access public sector contract opportunities but are unsure where to start?
Team Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire are set to run a free workshop on this very topic at the Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo, taking place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at The Bentley Hotel, Lincoln.
Running from 10:15 – 11:45, the workshop will demystify the procurement process and explore the potential which public sector contracts could bring to your business.
Team Lincolnshire ambassador Neal Wheatley, director and general manager of RG Carter Lincoln Limited, and Barry Taylor, regional director at Parker Technical Service, will be sharing insightful first-hand experiences on winning a major Lincolnshire County Council contract for the construction of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone and how supporting the local economy is a core value within the RG Carter Supply Chain Commitment.
Senior commercial and procurement officer at Lincolnshire County Council, Megan Rice, said: “We recognise the frustrations caused and the barriers created through a lack of understanding of the public sector procurement process around why and how decisions are reached.
“This event will guide businesses through what is meant by procurement and why public sector bodies must follow certain processes, as well as providing insights into where to find tender opportunities including new procurement pipelines and how to identify supply chain opportunities.”
Sign up to the workshop here.
Opening at 9am, the free to attend Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo, provides everything required for a great day of networking and business generation. Business Link is a proud partner of the well targeted event, which is aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets. As the exhibition closes, it will roll directly into an informal, open buffet style network lunch – tickets for the lunch are just £25 plus vat and can be ordered and paid for directly online. Spaces for the lunch are limited, so order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. To attend the event, register for free here. To generate opportunities by exhibiting at the event, click here. Purchase tickets to the networking lunch here. To see the full list of who is exhibiting click here. Meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road.West Yorkshire firm swoops for Burton pitched roof systems manufacturer in £535m deal
West Yorkshire-based Marshalls, a supplier of concrete and natural stone products for external landscaping, has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Marley Group in a £535 million deal.
Burton-headquartered Marley is a leader in the manufacture and supply of pitched roof systems to the British construction market.
The acquisition is conditional, amongst other things, on the approval of Marshalls shareholders, and completion of the acquisition is expected to occur in late April / early May.
Martyn Coffey, Chief Executive of Marshalls, said: “The acquisition of Marley represents a significant step towards achieving our strategic goal to become the UK’s leading manufacturer of products for the built environment.
“Marley is a highly profitable business with established market positions across UK RMI and new build housing. Much like Marshalls, its position is underpinned by a track record of product quality and customer service, and we believe Marley will represent a strong cultural fit with our own business.
“We would like to welcome Marley’s management team and colleagues to the Marshalls family and look forward to working with them in the coming years.”
Marley’s management team, led by David Speakman (Chief Executive Officer), Dominic Heaton (Chief Financial Officer), and Paul Reed (Chief Operating Officer), will continue to lead Marley following the acquisition and Marley will operate initially as a standalone division within the Marshalls group.
David Speakman, Chief Executive of Marley, said: “Marley is a robust business with a strong future ahead of it. As part of the Marshalls family, I believe we will be extremely well-positioned to continue our growth strategy to the benefit of our colleagues, customers and partners.”
NTU researchers design method to decide whether to take a sick day
As the rise in home working blurs the boundary between work and home lives, it has become easier for people to work while unwell. But should you?
Researchers from Nottingham Trent University studying presenteeism – working while ill – have designed a structured way for employees to consider if they should take time off work due to ill-health.
While presenteeism can exacerbate illnesses and have a detrimental impact on productivity, if it is properly managed it can actually play a positive, therapeutic role in recovery and rehabilitation.
The process to support employees in their decision-making has been created by Dr Zara Whysall, Associate Professor in Business Psychology at Nottingham Business School’s Department of Human Resource Management, postgraduate researcher Huijun (Regen) Chen, and Dr Maria Karanika-Murray, Associate Professor in Occupational Health Psychology at NTU’s School of Social Sciences, who are experts in organisational behaviour and workplace well-being.
Dr Whysall said: “The shift to hybrid and virtual working places even greater onus on individual employees to make the right decisions when balancing health and performance demands, because they’re no longer surrounded by managers and colleagues who might pick up on issues and provide support and advice.
“The most important thing which determines whether going to work while you’re unwell will be beneficial or detrimental to health is making right choice between sickness absence and presenteeism, considering the nature of the illness and your work demands.
“In reality this decision process takes place subconsciously and very rapidly, so making ourselves aware of the possible steps may help us to reflect and become more deliberate in what we decide.”
Here Dr Whysall and Dr Karanika-Murray explain the four-step process that employees can undertake:
- Trigger – What has happened? How badly am I affected?
HSBC helps exploited young people and families re-build lives
Specialist child exploitation charity Safe and Sound has joined forces with high street bank HSBC as part of its transitions programme to help the young people and families they support move forward positively with their lives.
Safe and Sound supports children and young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation. This includes online grooming, sexual exploitation, coercion to run drugs through County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation. They also support the wider family and raise awareness of the dangers in local communities.
A key part of their support programmes is to help the 203 young people and 49 families they are currently working with re-build their lives including returning to education, finding a job as well as addressing financial and housing matters.
HSBC has already supported the charity with fundraising and sponsorship. They are now planning a series of workshops to teach young people life skills such as budgeting and opening bank accounts and to support struggling families with financial planning.
HSBC local director David Tomlinson explained: “I first came across Safe and Sound whilst judging the collaboration category of the East Midlands Chamber’s Derbyshire Business Awards and was very impressed with the breadth of their work and their passion to support young people and families in the local communities that we too serve.
“As well as supporting the charity’s fundraising efforts, we were keen to share our expertise in financial planning with young people as they transition into adulthood and with families who perhaps have been disengaged in the past with the services and support that banks can provide.
“Our commitment to local communities means we have extensive synergy with Safe and Sound’s work and I look forward to working more closely together in the coming weeks and months.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “Although any child is at risk of exploitation – regardless of their age, sex, background or family circumstances – financial pressures faced by the whole family can make them more vulnerable to perpetrators.
“As part of our transitions programme, we therefore put in place a wide range of support to help the whole family rebuild their lives and financial stability is an important part of that.
“We are therefore extremely grateful to HSBC for their commitment both to the charity and directly to the young people and families we support.”
Manufacturer teams up with Derby College Group to help train next generation of plumbers
A manufacturer has teamed up with Derby College Group (DCG) to help train the next generation of plumbers.
German-owned Rothenberger has donated tools worth more than £2,500 to DCG’s Plumbing department and regional sales manager Anthony Haynes recently visited the College to demonstrate a wide range of equipment to full time students and apprentices.
Mr Haynes said: “DCG is training the next generation of plumbers and it is important that we do what we can to introduce them to the wide range of tooling and equipment that they will use in their working lives.
“Coming together in the workshop enables the young people to try out the tools for themselves and we are delighted to be supporting the College in this way.”
Plumbing and Gas teacher Andy Chesworth, who has joined the DCG team with more than 20 years’ experience under his belt, continued: “We greatly value our industry links with leading employers and manufacturers to ensure that our students and apprentices are totally up to speed with the capabilities of the tools and equipment available to them.
“Meeting a wide range of professionals who talk about their own experiences and pass on their industry knowledge is also important to inspire young people to aim high.”
Local architects appointed to reimagine National Stone Centre in Wirksworth
A Derbyshire-based building design and consultancy practice has been successfully appointed by the Institute of Quarrying (IQ) to reimagine the National Stone Centre (NSC) in Wirksworth.
Plans to reinvigorate the National Stone Centre were announced following the merger of the National Stone Centre and the Institute of Quarrying in 2021. Babenko Associates, located just a stone’s throw from the National Stone Centre on Porter Lane in Wirksworth, won a three-way pitch to representatives of the IQ and NSC trustees.
Viv Russell, IQ chairperson, says: “The Institute has a driving ambition to realise the potential of the NSC and create a new home for IQ at the 42-acre site on the edge of Wirksworth. This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a hugely exciting new visitor centre that celebrates the extraordinary role that stone plays in all of our lives. The existing building has limited potential for development, so we invited ideas from a small group of local architects to come up with their own vision for a new national stone centre.
“All three gave us a lot of food for thought, but ultimately the team at Babenko Associates really captured our imagination with their ideas around construction materials, sustainability and use of space. In addition, we want the NSC to continue to grow as part of the vibrant local community. Employing a partner that can be on site in minutes and also understands the nuances of the local area is a huge benefit to us.”
Gabriel Babenko of Babenko Associates heads a multi-skilled team of professionals who have worked in the construction industry for over 30 years. He adds: “The National Stone Centre is a bit of a local landmark, so we jumped at the opportunity to present our ideas to provide the Centre with a new home, as well as office and meeting accommodation for the IQ and its members.
“The site is a real hidden gem, with stunning views and an industrial legacy of past quarrying that includes stone extraction for the M1 in Derbyshire. We will be working on fine-tuning our ideas over the next couple of months and are looking forward to a big reveal for the project later in the year.”
The Institute of Quarrying is relocating to temporary buildings on the site in Wirksworth and the National Stone Centre remains open as usual.
A public consultation about the vision for the site continues with a community meeting at the National Stone Centre on Saturday 9 April, starting at 9am. Draft proposals showing what the site could look like will be presented and will remain on display at the NSC until the end of May.
Notts fitness firm on “Cloud” 9 with latest Icaros deal
A Nottinghamshire fitness equipment business has announced a second major distribution partnership with an award-winning virtual reality fitness machine – Icaros.
Fitness Options, based Kirkby-in-Ashfield, supplies high-end home and commercial fitness equipment alongside the design and installation of bespoke home gym solutions.
Fitness Options has been working closely with the German manufacturer as it seeks to bring a new experience to the UK fitness market and secured an exclusive deal to supply and showcase their virtual reality equipment back in 2000 – it also boasts the largest display of ‘Life Fitness’ equipment in the Midlands.
Now they have added the new ICAROS Cloud, a giant high tech wobble board.
Karl Viner, who co-owns Fitness Options with Wendy Howe and Ray Needham, said: “As fitness equipment evolves to become more immersive, we have seen with the success of virtual reality spin classes and increasing investment in technology to create genuinely fun and interactive experiences. Who would have thought that you could be ‘flying’ through a landscape or chasing antelope in a virtual desert as you train your core and stability?
“Once again, we look forward to showcasing the latest range of Icaros equipment at our showroom here in Nottinghamshire but also on the road as it really is a very eye-catching piece of technology that captures the imagination.”
Cawarden gifts life-saving water pump to highlands of Zimbabwe
Providing a much-needed source of clean, fresh drinking water, a community water pump has been built in Manicaland – a province in the north eastern highlands of Zimbabwe – on behalf of Derby-based Specialist Contractor, Cawarden.
The pump has the ability to produce up to 10,000 litres of potable water per day, supplying upwards of 300 people within the community, who are now able to collect clean drinking water and water for productive use every day.
The pump means the community’s children no longer need to spend hours every day walking trying to source water. Instead, they now have time to attend school.
The pump was built by local people using sustainable materials to ensure users can repair and service it themselves.
Emma Attwood of Cawarden said: “We are proud to put our name to this incredible initiative and we’re pleased to be helping to make a difference. Thank you AquAid Water Coolers for helping us to make this possible.”
Fern Shaw of AquAid Water Coolers said: “We are grateful to Cawarden for using our water dispensers and being among our 33,000 customers nationwide, who, by ensuring that everyone in their organisation remains properly hydrated, have helped bring a lifetime supply of potable and productive water to more than two million people in communities across Africa.”
Keeping properly hydrated allows us to perform at our very best throughout the day. That’s why Cawarden partnered with a leading watercooler supplier, AquAid, to give its employees access to naturally filtered water.
Cawarden’s water coolers provide unlimited, high-quality filtered water on demand. But what makes the unique relationship with AquAid very special is that with every cup of AquAid water, Cawarden’s employees are helping those less fortunate – because with each purchase an automatic donation is made to The Africa Trust.
These funds are used to build ‘Elephant Pumps’ – just like Cawarden’s in Zimbabwe. The pumps are a modified version of an age-old Chinese rope pulley system and collect clean, safe water from below ground.
One of the most effective ways to end the cycle of poverty is to empower a community to care for itself and this includes providing access to clean water to help sustainable development. To date, AquAid has built over 8,000 Elephant Pumps across parts of Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to bring life-saving water to thousands of people every day. They have also donated more than £18 million to charity.
