£1m town centre recovery fund announced for Stapleford businesses

Tess Egginton
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£1m town centre recovery fund announced for Stapleford businesses
Following approval back in November of the six core projects from the Stapleford Town Deal programme, the Town Deal Executive Board have announced the launch of the first project – the Town Centre Recovery Fund.
  A total of £1m has been made available for the Town Centre Recovery Fund. The fund will offer grant support to high street businesses in Stapleford Town Centre, and will be split into two grants to support different aspects of business recovery.
  1. The Business Continuity Grant aims to support business resilience and growth over the long term, sustaining occupancy levels within Stapleford Town Centre. This grant will support existing businesses looking to expand the way they distribute their services. It is anticipated a maximum of £200,000 will be spent on this portion of the wider Town Centre.
  2. The Building Development Fund is to create buildings of the future; improving accessibility, energy efficiency and the look and feel of Stapleford Town Centre. It is anticipated a maximum of £800,000 will be issued through this part of the fund.
The Chair of the Stapleford Town Deal Executive Board says: “The launch of the Town Centre Recovery Fund will provide a fantastic opportunity for businesses in Stapleford’s high street, to develop their own proposals for how the Town Deal can collaboratively invest in their businesses, improve the building stock in Stapleford, encouraging more investment in the area. “The Executive Board knew this financial commitment was vital for the town centre, which is why the Fund was included in the Town Investment Plan, and see the £1million of total grant support over the next 12 months as a catalyst for Town Deal Programme and its various projects as they move into delivery phase in early 2022.” The fund will open to applications on Monday 10 January 2022.

Cosworth appoints new Managing Director for Performance Electronics

Tess Egginton
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Cosworth appoints new Managing Director for Performance Electronics
Northampton-based Cosworth has continued to strengthen its executive team with the appointment of experienced automotive and consumer electronics professional Stefan Balkowiec into the position of Managing Director Performance Electronics. Balkowiec will play a pivotal role in Cosworth’s growth strategy and vision, leading the development of UX and digital cockpit product roadmaps. Bringing over 25 years’ experience and an enviable reputation in the connected car space, Balkowiec will help Cosworth to further develop its performance electronics division, creating unique value propositions for OEMs based on the company’s management of data analysis, control, and power. In his most recent position, Balkowiec was automotive solutions director at Harman International, where he led a global product team focused on digital cockpit development. Prior to that he carved out a name for himself at Symphony Teleca and Nokia-owned company NAVTEQ, where – for over a decade – he helped to pioneer automotive applications and products. Stefan Balkowiec said: “Electrification is changing everything within vehicle infrastructure, and Cosworth is becoming a major player in this area. I am delighted to join such an epic company, whose vision remains as innovative and cutting edge as when it was first established. “Previously, the different domains on vehicles – whether powertrain or electronics – were separate, but the future of mobility hinges, essentially, around a data centre on wheels. Cosworth is going through an important business transformation, and my role is one facet of that evolution. “We need to manage that process carefully but setting the company up for impressive and unprecedented growth. We will be retaining the DNA, the essence of what makes Cosworth great, but we’ll be pushing the boundaries like never before – and that’s exciting.”

PAGE Freight Services takes over 12,000 sq ft of industrial and office space at Colwick Industrial Estate

Tess Egginton
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PAGE Freight Services takes over 12,000 sq ft of industrial and office space at Colwick Industrial Estate
PAGE Freight Services have relocated to Colwick Industrial Estate due to rapid expansion. The company has taken 11,250ft² of industrial space alongside first floor office space of 1,635ft², totalling 12,885ft² of space let. Anthony Barrowcliffe of FHP agreed the letting on behalf of clients, Venus Estates. PAGE Freight are a premier company for all parcel distribution needs both nationally and internationally and are specialists in providing an end to end service from storage, warehousing, pick and pack operations right the way through to delivery destination. Anthony Barrowcliffe of FHP Property Consultants said: “This combined letting to an already established operator has almost brought Colwick Industrial Estate up to full occupation. I feel PAGE Freight are a great addition to an estate of already excellent tenants. The Colwick market is getting stronger and stronger with limited stock now being the issue.” Trisha Gutcher of PAGE Freight Services Limited said: “A huge thank you to FHP for their help in finding us a perfect warehouse and office so quickly. Venus Estates have been very welcoming and accommodating and we anticipate spending many successful years here.”

Sales expected to rise at Games Workshop

Tess Egginton
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Sales expected to rise at Games Workshop
Games Workshop is expecting sales to rise, while pre-tax profit slips, according to the board’s estimate of the results for the six months to 28 November 2021. The Nottingham-headquartered company said that trading is in line with expectations. The board anticipates sales of not less than £190 million, in comparison to £186.8 million in 2020, driven by growth in trade and retail channels following the reopening of the majority of its retail stores. Meanwhile profit before tax is expected to be no less than £86 million, in comparison to £91.6 million in 2020. In a statement to London Stock Exchange, Games Workshop said: “As always, we remain focused on our core business metrics and are working tirelessly to improve the ones that are in our control. Our operating profit-pre royalties receivable is estimated to be down c.£15 million. However, excluding foreign exchange movements, increased carriage costs and the costs of paying more to our great staff, our core business operating profit is broadly in line with last year’s exceptional performance.”

Retail Assist appoints new Chief Finance Officer

Tess Egginton
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Retail Assist appoints new Chief Finance Officer
Nottingham-based IT service and software provider, Retail Assist, has appointed Andrew McManus as their new Chief Finance Officer. Andrew joins Retail Assist from Simworx Limited, a media based attractions group based in the West Midlands where he worked as group CFO. Prior to Simworx, Andrew served as group finance director for various businesses across the Midlands. Kevin Greathead, Managing Director, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Andrew to the team. He brings a wealth of relevant experience from across a range of industries, he is an accomplished expert and his mindset is perfectly suited to how we work. I look forward to working with him as we execute our strategy and continue to deliver award-winning services and solutions to our customers. “I’d also like to thank Matthew Proudlove for his time at Retail Assist. Over the last seven years, Matthew has been key to delivering the success of Retail Assist, from successfully leading a private equity backed buy-out to driving our response to the pandemic. I wish him the best of luck in his new role, I know he’ll be greatly missed across the business.” Matthew Proudlove, COO, will be leaving Retail Assist to join C3 Construction as finance director: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with and meeting some brilliant people over the years, none of what we have achieved as a business would have been possible without the support of so many talented, dedicated and hard-working people within Retail Assist, I’d like to thank everyone for their support over the years and wish every colleague, partner and customer every success for the future.”

Heavy machinery moving company appoints new contracts manager

Tess Egginton
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Heavy machinery moving company appoints new contracts manager
Nottinghamshire-based heavy machinery moving company, Joseph Merritt Group, have recently appointed Steve Burlinson as their new contracts manager. The appointment of Steve is a result of a recent influx in manufacturing activity, with enquiries coming from businesses across the UK requiring a heavy machinery moving service. Recent clients include the likes of ENGEL, DMG Mori, Heidelberg, Pirelli, and Trumpf. As a qualified CPCS appointed person, in his new role Steve will be responsible for managing both ongoing and upcoming contracts with clients. He will also act as a vital link between the sales and operations departments, providing expert advice where required. Steve said: “Living locally in Mansfield, I saw this as a great opportunity to join a family run business that operates within a niche market but ultimately delivers a quality service. I see this as a new personal challenge along with being a new chapter in my career.” James Merritt, co-owner of Joseph Merritt Group, said: “We are fast approaching our 100 year anniversary and as a result we wanted to make sure that we had the appropriate personnel in place to help us push forward in 2022. Steve is well respected in the industry and will work well with our experienced team to ensure we continue to provide an outstanding heavy machinery moving service to our clients.”

Terms agreed for £1.2bn acquisition of pharmaceutical company

Tess Egginton
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Terms agreed for £1.2bn acquisition of pharmaceutical company
The board of directors of Clinigen and the board of directors of Triley Bidco Limited (Bidco) have agreed the terms of a recommended all-cash acquisition of Clinigen by Bidco, a newly-incorporated company indirectly owned by the Triton Funds. Under the terms of the acquisition, Clinigen shareholders will be entitled to receive 883 pence per share. The acquisition values the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Clinigen at approximately £1.2 billion on a fully diluted basis. Triton is a European private equity investment firm with a track record and expertise in investing in healthcare, including in pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical services companies. Triton believes that “Clinigen can better reach its full potential in a private market setting with a greater focus on longer term value creation, enabled by the acceleration of investment in growth. Triton believes that as a private company Clinigen will be able to extend its geographical reach, compete more effectively for inorganic growth opportunities, and strengthen its differentiated technology base to the benefit of the company’s key stakeholders.” Elmar Schnee, chairman of Clinigen, said: “Since IPO, Clinigen has grown significantly to become the trusted global leader in access to medicine. We make sure a healthcare professional with a patient in need, anywhere in the world, can always get the right medicine for their individual patient quickly, easily and safely whether licensed or unlicensed. “Clinigen has delivered meaningful value creation to its shareholders with significant growth in revenue, earnings and cash flow since IPO. The Clinigen board believes this offer represents an exceptional opportunity for Clinigen shareholders to realise value for their investment in cash at a very attractive valuation. We are therefore unanimously recommending it to our shareholders.” Jan Pomoell, co-head of Triton’s Healthcare sector, said: “We are pleased that the board of Clinigen has unanimously agreed to recommend the acquisition of Clinigen by Bidco. “Clinigen has long established itself as a leading provider of services to pharma and biotech companies, and pharmaceuticals to healthcare professionals and patients, supported by a highly skilled workforce. We believe that under Triton’s ownership, Clinigen will be able to accelerate growth and better serve its clients, healthcare professionals and patients.”

2022 Business Predictions: Mandy Watson, MD at Ambitions Personnel

Tess Egginton
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2022 Business Predictions: Mandy Watson, MD at Ambitions Personnel
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 Mandy Watson, MD at Ambitions Personnel, a recruitment expert based in the East Midlands. 2021 has been somewhat of a hangover from the events of 2020. 2022 will be slightly different, but we envisage staff and skills shortages will continue as the unpredictability carries on. The realities of the issues associated with this are yet to be really perceived by the public. As a result of labour shortages, some employers may have to reign in their product range or level of services. Consumers may well have to accept a more limited array of products to choose from than they are used to and less chance to enjoy perks like same day or next day deliveries. Fulfilment may well be an issue. Employers will also have to continue to increase offerings, although possibly not salaries as these have already been pushed to the limit of what firms are comfortable and able to pay. This is where working conditions and other benefits become important. Therefore, employer branding is more important than ever and those who are simply returning to a ‘business as usual’ model pre-pandemic might find themselves the ones not able to attract talent. As a recruitment operator in the East Midlands, we are already seeing businesses who don’t believe the labour market will become favourable again, they are turning to automation as the solution and we could expect to see a gradual reduction in the demand for low-skilled positions in the longer term.

Architecture practice maber announces new team members

Eleonora Gallina
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Architecture practice maber announces new team members
maber is pleased to welcome a crop of new talent to the practice, which represents the strongest growth in the business in over a decade. The new positions have been created to help manage an increasing workload and to strengthen individual studios across the practice’s five offices. They are also linked to strategic plans intended to upgrade the infrastructure of the company with improvements in governance, financial control and the design studio structures that provide clients with leading levels of quality and innovation. The maber expert services team which includes BIM, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture has also been strengthened with a number of new recruits. Four long-standing board Directors, Mark Hobson, Colin Tompkins, Ian Harris and Fergus Lowe make up the newly formed Practice Leadership Group which will set the strategic course and direction of the company, maintain client relationships and keep the business on track to be ‘great to work with and great to work for’. A number of key strategic changes have been made to individual teams with the introduction of Studio Directors, Design Leaders and technical Delivery Leaders to leverage individual strengths and create even stronger project performance. The new recruits, who include a number of graduates, will be integrated into each studio in order to provide additional creative input and to bolster overall resource capability. Flexible, hybrid working has been embraced as a natural development of the practice’s pre-pandemic policy of “everything from anywhere” cloud based working. The evidence so far is that this way of working improves operational productivity, and at the same time promotes an improved work life balance for the whole team. The growth reflects a level of optimism across the business based on a healthy list of current live projects, combined with a strong opportunity pipeline.

Duo of promotions at Godwin Developments

Eleonora Gallina
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Duo of promotions at Godwin Developments
Godwin Developments announces the immediate promotions of Development Director Matt Chandler to the position of Managing Director and Catherine Hems to the role of Associate Director, Communications and Engagement. A member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Matt joined the company as a Development Manager and became Associate Director in 2018 before being promoted to Development Director in September 2020. Prior to his role in Godwin, he gained a range of experience in the real estate industry working as a Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager and Development Manager within consultancies and developers. Throughout his career, Matt has led the development of varied projects ranging from high-end residential, commercial, and mixed-use schemes, and is skilled at all stages of the development process. Most recently he worked on the company’s 783-bed student scheme in Nottingham, from site acquisition through to full planning permission being secured in just over a year. As Managing Director for Godwin Developments, he will focus on delivering the company’s ambitious growth plans across its residential, commercial, and industrial pipeline. The business’ London and Nottingham teams will report into Matt and he will continue to be based in the company’s Birmingham head office. Catherine Hems, who joined the business as Senior Communications Manager from a London PR agency, has also been promoted to Associate Director, Communications and Engagement. In addition to her media relations remit, Catherine will lead on all stakeholder management activity for the business as a whole and for the individual schemes Godwin is delivering across the country. She will continue to play a significant role in creating and delivering the strategic communications of Godwin Developments. The co-founders and directors of Godwin Developments, Stephen and Stuart Pratt, said: “The executive board felt that Matt’s development knowledge and experience, combined with his drive and leadership qualities, made him the right person to help build on Godwin’s past success and be at the forefront of delivering an exciting future for the business as Managing Director. “Since arriving at the business in the spring, Catherine has built a solid understanding of the industry and demonstrated her outstanding communications capabilities. She has continually brought new perspectives and ideas to the table which have played an important role in building the reputation of our business. “We wish them both every success in their new roles and look forward to continuing to work closely to take the business to the next level.” Find out more about the Godwin Developments team here.
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