Burton RBS building sold to aid Solesmith brand expansion
Burton upon Trent commercial property agents and consultants, Salloway have completed the sale of a 5,671 sq ft two storey modern office/retail property in Burton town centre to local business, Solesmith.
The move opens up an opportunity to grow a corporate merchandise and embroidery services side to the thriving business.
The property is located at 38-41 Station Street, Burton and was formerly occupied by RBS, with recruiter Pertemps previously occupying the first-floor space.
Solesmith are a local, well-established cult personalised gifting brand, conceptualized and founded by proprietor Lauren Dorling in 2014 when she realised there was a huge gap in the personalised gift market, an often-overlooked fashion accessory and gift opportunity – Great Socks.
As the sock business has grown, ranges have been developed to include underwear, slippers, homeware and cosy loungewear with magical personalised touches. Solesmith now have gift ranges that they design and make for major high street brands such as Next, Joules, Dunelm and John Lewis.
Lauren Dorling, proprietor of Solesmith, said: “What started as a sock brand has grown amazingly. All of our gifts are designed, photographed and personalised to order in our local workshop by our experienced, lovely skilled team.
“We have invested a lot in technology and systems but are at capacity in our current business premises in Burton and have been struggling to find the right property locally to purchase for our very much needed business expansion and relocation. Luckily, Salloway were able to provide us with the solution to our property needs!
“The new premises offer Solesmith room to grow as a design and online gifting business with more space, and an in-house photography studio. Alongside that we will have more focus on growing our sister brand Podsmith.co.uk, which specialises in corporate merchandise, workwear, embroidery services and product brand development for fellow independent businesses.
“The new property is ideally located in Burton town centre to enable us to offer potential customers an interactive retail showroom facility to visit, to see first-hand the unique products we offer and to discuss personal design requirements for individual personalizing of our range of gifts and merchandise. We feel really passionate about our local area and working closely with other local businesses and customers to collaborate and grow opportunities here.
“It was great to work with Salloway, another Burton business who really knows the market here and who helped the sale.”
Responsible for brokering the sale, Anwar Hussain, associate partner at Salloway, added: “As a former bank comprising just under 6,000 sq ft, this property attracted a lot of interest. It really is great to see a local independent business become established not only in the local market but thriving nationally through its supply to major High Street brands and its online presence. We wish Lauren and her team the very best.”
Leicester-based technology innovator establishes new head office in the city
Cyferd, an innovative software company, has set up a new head office and AI research hub in a historic building close to Leicester city centre.
Cyferd’s game-changing software can generate applications in seconds with just a few keywords, providing businesses across all sectors with a comprehensive suite of advanced tools that can help them to improve their operations and stay ahead of the competition on a global scale.
The decision to set up in Leicester reflects the company’s commitment to the UK tech sector and its passion for helping underrepresented groups advance their journeys to successful careers in technology. The new head office is based in the Grade-II listed former Fielding Johnson Hospital building on Regent Road, close to the city centre and Leicester’s two universities.
By establishing its head office in Leicester, Cyferd is committed to providing employment opportunities for local people and contributing to the city’s growing technology sector. The move is a testament to Cyferd’s belief in the potential of Leicester as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
The company’s founder and CEO, Ranjit Bahia said: “We are thrilled to be establishing the new tech hub of the UK, here in Leicester. Our vision is to bring together the brightest and best minds from all corners of the country in our new AI R&D facility. We aim to inspire the youth of Leicester and the UK, and show them that they could have a bright future ahead in the world of tech at our Leicester hub.”
With the establishment of its head office in Leicester, the technology start-up is poised for continued growth and success in the field of AI. As the company continues to develop ground-breaking solutions, it is committed to encouraging the next generation of tech pioneers by starting outreach programmes into primary and secondary schools to encourage interest in STEM subjects and careers in tech.
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “I’m very pleased that Cyferd has chosen to make its head office in Leicester, thereby joining what is the largest cluster of creative and digital businesses outside London.
“With two local universities at the forefront of design and technology on their doorstep, they certainly have a wealth of local talent to recruit from, and I welcome their commitment to developing local educational and job opportunities in this exciting sector.”
Work starts on second phase of Oadby residential development
Work on phase two of the Horwood Gardens development in Oadby is now under way.
The scheme being built by Ashberry Homes – part of the Bellway Group – is named after the first curator of the University of Leicester’s Botanic Garden, Arthur Horwood.
Horwood Gardens is bringing 71 homes for private sale and 46 affordable homes available for local people through low-cost rent or shared ownership.
Phase one included the construction of 45 private properties, and all the affordable homes, and now work has begun on the remaining 26 three, four and five-bedroom houses, which occupy a smaller site on the opposite side of Gartree Road.
Shirley MacLeod, sales manager for Ashberry Homes, said: “Work at Horwood Gardens is advancing extremely well, as we can see from our progress on phase one and the start of construction on phase two.
“This is great news for this part of Leicestershire as there is certainly demand for new housing here and in particular for high-quality, well-designed properties.
“The range of homes here has proved to be very attractive. There is something for every kind of buyer, whether they are purchasing their first home, upsizing to accommodate a family, or looking to downsize into a modern and more efficient property.
“Horwood Gardens is already an integral part of the Oadby area as a neighbourhood and a community is forming. And it is very fitting that it is named after Arthur Horwood as people in the area are rather fond of the Botanic Garden, which was transferred to Oadby in 1947 and is still here to this day.”
The scheme is part of wider 310-home project which is being delivered jointly by Ashberry Homes and Bellway. Work started towards the end of 2020.
The developers are investing more than £987,000 in local services and infrastructure through the contributions agreed as part of the planning agreement, including funding for bus passes, healthcare, primary and secondary education, as well as library contributions, allotment contributions and Coombe Park Pavilion contributions.
Miller Homes makes divisional managing director promotion
Ben Massey has been promoted to divisional managing director for Miller Homes, leading the company’s regional offices in East Midlands, South Midlands, and Yorkshire.
Ben joined Miller Homes in 2001 after completing his degree in residential development at Nottingham Trent University. Over the last 22 years, he has progressed through the company, becoming land director for the Midlands regions in 2013, before achieving promotion to the post of regional managing director for Miller’s East Midlands office and its South Midlands office, which opened in Northampton in 2022.
As divisional managing director, Ben will oversee the East Midlands and South Midlands regions, as well as taking on responsibility for the Yorkshire regional office, based in Wakefield.
Ben Massey said: “I’m very pleased to be taking on this new role at Miller Homes, working with our excellent teams across three unique and distinctive regions. I look forward to developing our presence in the South Midlands, where we will be celebrating our first completions this summer, while continuing to deliver top quality homes at new and existing sites in the East Midlands and Yorkshire.
“At Miller Homes, we take great pride in the work we do, building the best houses possible for our customers and maintaining strong relationships with contractors and landowners across the UK. It’s a real privilege to continue my professional journey with Miller as a divisional managing director, building on the invaluable experience I have gained to date with the company.”
Stewart Lynes, Chief Executive Officer at Miller Homes, said: “Since joining the company in 2001, Ben has made an excellent contribution to our work in the East Midlands, and more recently, he has played a key role in setting up a new regional office in South Midlands.
“His promotion to divisional managing director is well deserved and I’m sure he will work hard with the three regional teams to continue to grow our reputation as a quality homebuilder that customers can trust and rely on.”
Double award glory for Northamptonshire housebuilder
A Northamptonshire housebuilder is celebrating after winning big at a local business awards ceremony.
East Haddon-based Cora took home the gold award in the Sustainability category at this year’s SME Northamptonshire Business Awards, while Managing Director Luke Simmons scooped silver in the Business Person of the Year category.
The business creates developments throughout the Midlands, focused on sustainability and building energy efficient homes for the future.
The shift in focus comes after the business rebranded from Barwood Homes late last year.
Luke said: “We are absolutely thrilled to take home such prestigious awards, in recognition of all the hard work put in over the last year.
“Everyone at Cora is committed to sustainability and creating amazing places that support our environment. We are proudly Northamptonshire-based, so winning a local award makes this feeling that extra bit special.”
Cora has invested heavily in renewable energy alternatives on its sites, while it is also researching innovative new ways to heat its homes using waste water recovery systems.
It has also contributed more than £11,000 towards nature preservation in the last year while planting over 9,000 trees and shrubs.
The business also recognises its social responsibility and puts great emphasis on training apprentices and graduates, while setting targets to hire more people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
It has also set a goal of designating 50% of its homes for affordable housing over the next two years.
Luke added: “As a business we recognise the impact our industry has on the world – and we want to make it a better one.
“We are proving that investing in sustainable practices and delivering on our social ambitions can have a real impact not just on our customers, but us as a business too.
“This is a very exciting time for our business and I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say we are looking forward to extending our reach further throughout the Midlands and beyond.”
Shoosmiths’ Wealth Protection and Disputed Wills and Trusts teams transfer to Rothley
Law firm Shoosmiths has transferred its Wealth Protection team and members of its Disputed Wills & Trusts and Court of Protection teams to Rothley Law following a strategic review.
The 41-strong team joining Rothley includes three former Shoosmiths partners Adam Draper, Melissa Maple and Lucy Taylor, and legal director Charlotte Dunn.
The transfer follows a strategic review by Shoosmiths in 2022 which led to the firm’s decision to withdraw from the consumer facing High Net Worth and Family markets. Subject to client agreement, ongoing matters and relationships will be transferred to Rothley.
Chairman of Rothley Law, John Verrill, said: “We are delighted to bring onboard the High Net Worth, Disputed Wills and Trusts and Court of Protection teams from Shoosmiths. This is a major cornerstone of our growing Rothley consumer practice.
“The quality of the client work being produced by these teams is incredibly high and the level of care, passion and quality they bring to their clients is exceptional, producing a culture of ‘above and beyond’. We look forward to working with these teams in innovative ways, to grow and develop these disciplines and to win increased market share.
“We thank Shoosmiths for the ease of transition of these valued partners and staff and we will maintain a complementary offering for their firm to ensure that they can remain a broader service port of call and refer such opportunities to Rothley with confidence in future.”
Peter Duff, chairperson at Shoosmiths, said: “They are a first class team and we fully expect to maintain close relationships on both a personal level and also for the benefit of our mutual clients. We wish the team and Rothley Law every success in the future.”
Motor Source ESFL champions crowned
Teams from the West Midlands Police, North Wales Police and London Fire Brigade have been crowned this season’s champions in the Motor Source ESFL in the women’s league, men’s open age and veterans leagues.
An epic day of football took place at the beginning of June, and not just the FA Cup Final, no, it was the finals day for the Motor Source Emergency Services Football League!
Playing at Broadhurst Park Stadium in Manchester on Sunday 4th June, the final matches from the Women’s, Men’s Open Age and Veterans Leagues took place, with the West Midlands Police Women’s Team, North Wales Police Men’s and London Fire Brigade Veteran’s coming out victorious and taking home the trophies.
Final Scores:
Women’s Final – West Midlands Police 5 – 0 London Fire
Men’s Open Age – North Wales Police 1 – 0 Thames Valley Police
Men’s Veteran – London Fire 1 – 1 Met Police with London Fire winning on penalties.
Players from the winning teams shared what this means to them after their victories:
West Midlands Police Women’s FC
West Midlands Police Women’s FC Coach
London Fire Brigade Veterans FC
The Motor Source ESFL was set up in 2019 by two Detective Constables who work for West Yorkshire Police, Andy Smurthwaite and Pete Overton, with the aim to bring together the police service, the fire service, the NHS and the prison service in a competitive UK wide league and the only league of its kind in the UK!
It was during the duo’s involvement in the running of the West Yorkshire Police Team that they realised how limited fixtures were and the difficulties in arranging games. Each of the respective Emergency Services have their own competition but surprisingly there were none that brought the 999 community together. From here the idea of the Emergency Services Football League was born!
Title sponsors of the league, Motor Source Group offer new car discounts for Emergency Services personnel, saving them on average £6,019 each on their new cars, and have been supporting the ESFL from its initial days.
CEO Steve Thornton said: “It has been our pleasure to be closely involved with the ESFL again this season. Seeing all of the teams really dedicate themselves to their league and matches, and then what it means to them to be involved in the finals day is just brilliant.
“The ESFL is a great incentive to bring people together from all Emergency Services and give something really positive to help boost their health and well being too.”
Find out more about the ESFL and register your team here: https://www.esfl.co.uk/register/
East Midlands company receives global award during 40th anniversary year
Michael Howard, founder and Managing Director of Frontier Software plc, has collected a prestigious award at the Global Payroll Association (GPA) Awards held on 8 June in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Described by the GPA as a ‘disruptor in the payroll industry’, Michael was presented with the Judges Award, in special recognition of Frontier Software’s 40 years in the provision of payroll software and services worldwide.
At the event, which celebrates the global payroll industry, a delighted Michael collected the award from CEO Melanie Pizzey and judges David Spencer and Ana Ronco-Dumas. Michael, who founded Frontier Software in 1983, said he was honoured and especially proud to receive the award during the company’s 40th Anniversary celebrations.
Michael flew in from Melbourne, Australia to celebrate with solution providers and payroll professionals from across the globe, and then departed the next day for the office in Manila, Philippines.
Upon accepting the award, he thanked both the GPA and judges for recognising his active role within the payroll industry, and the work of Frontier Software, saying: “I am very proud of the company and all that it has achieved.”
He added: “Payroll is critical to every business and across 40 years Frontier Software has never stood still. There is always more that we can be doing, and we must keep listening, learning, and developing our solutions in line with the technology, legislation, and the demands of existing and potential new customers.”
In a market where providers come and go, Frontier Software has remained a constant that can be relied upon and trusted to deliver when it comes to payroll software and services.
With a focus on payroll and HR and an ambition to provide first class products and customer service, the company goes from strength to strength with the indefatigable Michael Howard at the helm!
In a market where providers come and go, Frontier Software has remained a constant that can be relied upon and trusted to deliver when it comes to payroll software and services.
With a focus on payroll and HR and an ambition to provide first class products and customer service, the company goes from strength to strength with the indefatigable Michael Howard at the helm! Next ups sales and profit guidance as trading beats expectations
In an unscheduled update Next has revealed better trading than expected, upping its sales and profit guidance for the year.
The Leicestershire-based company said: “Trading in the last seven weeks has been materially better than the guidance we issued in May and we are updating the market accordingly.”
Full price sales in the first seven weeks of the second quarter were up 9.3% versus last year. It compares to Next’s guidance of -5%.
In the period, Next has beaten its full price sales estimates by £93m. As a result the firm said: “We are upgrading our full price sales guidance for the full year by £137m and our full year profit guidance by £40m to £835m.”
Next has put the reason for the improved performance down to the onset of warmer weather, particularly coming after a wet and cold April, and, in an inflationary environment, increases in annual salary uplifting household income. Next added: “We do not think it is a coincidence that sales stepped forward so markedly at a time of year when many organisations make their annual pay awards.”
Frasers Group take 8.9% stake in Currys
Frasers Group is further growing its retail portfolio, taking an 8.9% stake in electricals retailer Currys.
It comes just a week after the Shirebrook-based business acquired a strategic stake of 18.9% in online electricals retailer AO World Plc. The £75m investment was said to be the culmination of productive talks over the last two years about establishing a strategic partnership. Frasers has since upped its stake to 21.3%.
Through the investment, Frasers Group said it would benefit from AO’s “valuable know-how in electricals and two-man delivery,” helping to drive growth in the firm’s bulk equipment and homeware ranges. In turn, Frasers said AO will have the opportunity to benefit from its expertise and ecosystem.
Frasers Group has also announced a £70m maximum share buyback programme.
Earlier in the month it was revealed that up to 200 jobs could be slashed at Frasers Group’s Shirebrook headquarters and in London as the retail giant tries to streamline processes.
