Pall-Ex unveils special edition livery to mark gold award honour by Ministry of Defence
Pall-Ex has unveiled a unique livery to commemorate being awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award by the Ministry of Defence, which recognises the network’s ongoing commitment to the armed forces.
Pall-Ex is the only UK palletised freight distribution network to hold the gold accolade and was awarded the honour due to its continued work supporting ex-military personnel via training, careers, and charity fundraising. The company joins an exclusive list of just three Leicestershire organisations that achieved the prestigious Gold accreditation in 2022.
To mark the occasion, the cameo-inspired livery was revealed in a special ceremony at the Reserves Forces and Cadet Association black tie event which took place at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
Pall-Ex Group CEO Kevin Buchanan said: “We are delighted to reveal this one-of-a-kind livery to mark what is a very special accolade. I speak on behalf of everyone at Pall-Ex when I say we are honoured to hold the ERS Gold Award which recognises our efforts across the business in helping veterans build rewarding careers, with many of our staff having joined us from successful backgrounds within the armed forces.
“The causes we support we hold dearly and being recognised so highly further cements our dedication and commitment to Armed Forces personnel.”
Pall-Ex’s efforts have been recognised as outstanding due to its forces-friendly pledges, including enhanced leave for Reservists and Cadets, and its ongoing fundraising for veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress.
Combat Stress is the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health and has been Pall-Ex’s Corporate charity partner for the last few years. To commemorate their partnership Pall-Ex was awarded with the Corporate Fundraising Group of the Year award in early 2022 for raising a staggering £35,000 in 2021 alone.
The cameo-livery vehicle aptly named ‘Poppy’ will be used for collection and deliveries around the Leicester area and will support Pall-Ex’s corporate division. The design will also be rolled out throughout the network as many of its shareholder members look to become gold accredited in the next few years.
DSP (Interiors) Ltd complete fit-out for Surescreen Diagnostics’ new production facility
Design, refurbishment, and fit-out specialists DSP (Interiors) Ltd have completed the first and second phase fit-out at Sherwood Business Park for SureScreen Diagnostics’ new lateral flow test production facility.
Over the past 18 months, the company, which is based on the Parker Industrial Estate on Mansfield Road in Derby, has partnered with SureScreen Diagnostics to support their expansion with the completion of a range of fit-out projects across Derby and Nottingham.
SureScreen remains at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19, producing antibody and antigen tests, which have been exported to 53 countries across the world. With more than 25 years’ experience in rapid diagnostic test products, SureScreen was the sole UK manufacturer to be validated by Public Health England during the pandemic.
This growing demand and product development, which includes the recently approved dual Covid and Flu test, has perpetuated the need to expand facilities over the past 18 plus months.
In 2021, SureScreen announced its expansion to a new production facility at Lucinda House at Sherwood Business Park in Annesley, Nottinghamshire following an order for tens of millions of antigen Covid-19 tests from the Government, which created 1,000 local jobs.
DSP (Interiors) Ltd Derby was appointed principal designer and contractor to fulfil a staged completion of extensive turnkey works at the facility, which is the largest of its kind in Europe.
Work undertaken as part of phases one and two has involved transforming the original warehouse which housed a small office, amenity block, mezzanine level and a large logistics space into a state-of-the-art production and packing facility.
The existing amenity block was completely gutted and fitted out to accommodate new staff including underground drainage, toilets, and showers.
Work has also involved the installation of a new circa 31,500 sq ft mezzanine floor to extend the production and packing space.
DSP (Interiors) Ltd undertook all associated works including partitions, ceilings, flooring, and bespoke joinery, along with mechanical, electrical, fire protection measures and plumbing works including specialist dehumidification ducting for the machinery and upgrades to the mains electrical systems.
Further works on the project have included the fit-out of the new warehouse including adjustable pallet racking and the full refurbishment of the existing offices, toilets, and kitchens.
Work also just completed on Phase 3, which included a large agile office and amenity, details of which will be released in the coming weeks. Work on Phase 4, a large Laboratory area, is also due to start in the first quarter of next year.
Speaking about their partnership with SureScreen Diagnostics, Andy Priestley, director of DSP (Interiors) Ltd Derby, said: “We are delighted to have completed phases one and two at Lucinda House at Sherwood 80 for SureScreen Diagnostics on schedule and on budget.
“SureScreen Diagnostics do incredible work, and we are happy to have delivered a state-of-the-art facility where they can continue manufacturing and producing their Covid-19 antigen tests.
“As principal designer, DSP (Interiors) Ltd have been heavily involved in designing the spaces to accommodate the ever-changing needs of the production and packing workflow. SureScreen has invested heavily in the latest technology and as such the design of the bespoke facility has been fluid and continues to be adapted to accommodate these developments.
“We are excited to be working on phases three and four of the project and look forward to continuing the strong partnership with SureScreen Diagnostics.”
Alastair Campbell, director of SureScreen Diagnostics, added: “DSP Interiors Derby have done a fantastic job on the first two phases of this project. It is obvious that they have a huge amount of experience in design, installation and fit-out projects and are always able to find the right balance of design flair and practicality for the space given.
“Andy and his team remain valuable partners in this exciting project, enabling us to keep up with the demand for test kit production, the development of new products, and realise our desire and responsibility to supply these important diagnostic products.
“Being agile around design changes and applying out of the box thinking on a large, changing project like Lucinda House has been invaluable. On a personal note, the fact that Andy, the top man, has often been on-site is great, as you can work through the ongoing project decisions together, leading to better efficiency and slicker decision making.”
Food retail space and restaurant pods planned for Riverside Retail Park
Plans for food retail space and restaurant pods at Riverside Retail Park, Nottingham, have been submitted to the city council.
Proposals, prepared by Firstplan on behalf of The Trustees of the Blackrock UK Property Fund, are seeking permission for a ‘floating consent’ to use up to 2,000 sq m across Units A to D at the site for food retail use.
Full planning permission meanwhile is sought for two restaurant pods with drive-thru facilities within the car parking area of Riverside Retail Park.
These will be operated by Starbucks and Popeyes and could provide 60 jobs.
Riverside Retail Park has traded as part of Nottingham’s retail offer for approximately 30 years. The development is anchored by a large B&Q Warehouse store, with other retailers currently trading at the site including Boots, Next, Poundland, Food Warehouse and Home Bargains.
New promotions at Paragon Law
Niche Nottingham immigration law firm, Paragon Law has promoted two senior colleagues to directors.
James Firman has been promoted to operations director. Firman joined the organisation over 15 years ago, initially joining as a general administration apprentice and since then has worked in finance, general operations, IT and HR. In 2021, he was named as Nottinghamshire Law Society’s Practice Manager of the Year.
Senior solicitor Emma Okenyi has been promoted to a legal director. In September, Okenyi celebrated her tenth year with Paragon Law and in the same month she also became head of the firm’s Personal and Family immigration team.
James Firman said: “Having joined Paragon Law after my A Levels I have grown around the business for all my working life. I have gone from helping stamp envelopes to managing Paragon Law through difficult periods such as covid and major IT projects giving us the capability to work remotely for our clients. I enjoy the challenges that my work presents and the entrepreneurial environment.”
Emma Okenyi said: “I initially came to the UK as an international student from Kenya to study law at the University of Hull and I subsequently qualified as a solicitor at Paragon Law. I have enjoyed the opportunities that have been presented to me and now particularly enjoy training and developing new lawyers that join my team.”
Founder and director Thal Vasishta said: “These promotions reflect the hard work, dedication, and talent shown by these individuals. Both James Firman and Emma Okenyi have been at Paragon Law for over 10 years and have since established themselves as amongst the best at what they do.
“Paragon Law continues to demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Emma is an example to all international graduates in the UK that you can reach the top of your field of work. 67% of our senior leadership are women and 67% are from a BAME background.”
TikTok against the clock for Hagley West
This Sunday, 13 November 2022, Tim Hayden, CEO of Hagley West Watches, will be attempting to set his new record for the most watch sales in a day on social media, during a six-hour livestream on TikTok.
The challenge comes as part of the build-up to Hagley West’s Black Friday extravaganza which will include the launch of a new limited edition purple collection. Based in Hertfordshire, with UK distribution handled in Northamptonshire, the company is growing rapidly thanks to TikTok.
Taking place from 6:45pm GMT on Sunday, the latest Tik Tok livestream will see Hayden and Hagley West attempt to reach 1,000 watch sales in a single day. Viewers will be able to tune in and see Hayden attempt to double his record daily sales, just using TikTok.
Hagley West’s Black Friday promotion will offer customers 20-50% off a variety of watch ranges, with a further 10% discount available for those who join the stream. The offers will run for the remainder of November and will see a series of other live streams planned from different places in the world, with Hayden also offering free products to those who participate in his famous ‘Find Tim’ challenges.
When discussing this weekend’s event, Tim Hayden explained: “We’re really excited about this Black Friday challenge. Over the last few years, we have watched Hagley West grow and we’ve made sure that we challenge ourselves by setting goals to keep us motivated. Last year we were able to sell more than 500 watches in a single day, and this year we want to double that.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun on the livestream and it’s going to be a great opportunity to interact with our followers. The new collection really is something special and we can’t wait to see them on the wrists of people across the world.
“Social media has allowed us to turn the business into something we could never have dreamed of. This has been because of the support from our followers and customers and now we want to give something back to them with this exclusive sale we’re running till the end of the month.”
For more information on Hagley West, visit www.hagleywest.com. Alternatively, follow founder, Tim Hayden on TikTok @timhayden6 to see how he gets on with his Black Friday challenge.
The office vs. the commute: what influences where people work?
Over the past year, we have heard about the success of working from home during and after the pandemic. A survey conducted by Hubble HQ to find out if people should ditch the office found that an overwhelming majority of people had a positive experience doing so. An even bigger percentage said they would like to continue working from home even if it is just one day a week. While these are compelling results, one cannot help but wonder if there is more to uncover. In this article, we look at what between the office and the commute drives people to prefer working from home.
The Lack of Commute
According to the survey mentioned, 79% of respondents say not having to commute has had an impact on their preference to work from home. Additionally, there is a relationship between how long a commute was in the past and how much a person enjoys working from home. People with longer commutes had a higher preference for working from home. Just over half of those surveyed and who had a 15–30-minute commute had a strong positive preference for working from home, while the proportion jumped to about nine in ten for those who lived more than two hours from their workstations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a higher percentage of those with short commutes said they had a negative experience from home compared to those with longer commutes — 15.4% compared to 0.6%. With all this in mind, we see a direct relationship with negative and positive feelings about working from home based on how long a commute is.How the Office Factors In
Understanding that a commute has an impact on work-from-home preferences, we need to examine whether the office has an impact too. People with shorter commutes are preferred and even necessary for their business to have an office. This is because they are more likely to need to come to the office. We see interesting results from those with longer commutes. This group prefers to use the office a lot less, obviously, but a significant majority say they don’t see the need for their business to have an office. The reasoning is that, if everyone works from home, the business can operate remotely, with virtual meetings and everything else assisted by technology.Personal Office Preferences
Those who prefer to work from home, including those with long commutes, also say the ability to create an office space that serves them best is a significant reason for them to continue working from home. Instead of commuting a few hours to work, sitting in a cubicle for about eight hours and then commuting back, they see gains in time, money, flexibility and productivity as reason enough to establish offices at home. Creating a personalized office space that allows for full immersion into work serves them best. This can include getting the desks and chairs they have always wanted, decorating their offices however they like and having the ability to control things like the amount of light and temperature. Additional options like all pitched roof windows are also preferred as they allow light and air to enter the office and create a conducive working environment. Those converting a space to an office and who want more light and air can visit Roof Window Outlet’s website to see what all pitched roof windows are available.Reclaiming Lost Time
The sentiment of reclaiming lost time is strongest in those who have the longest commutes. Many people started working from home due to the risks associated with commuting and being in the office and, with these risks gone, they still see the benefits of working from home. Not having to commute every day means people have more time to spend doing something they love outside work, to spend time with their families or to do something that benefits their lives differently. These people are not looking to flood back to the office and have this time and flexibility taken away from them. With office occupancy rates remaining below 50% for most of the week, we see people are not returning to the office if they can help it even in cases where executives are asking them to.Financial Savings
It is also worth noting that many people are working from home to save money. 55% of respondents in the Hubble HQ survey above said they work from home for this reason. Total Jobs found that the average Londoner could save up to £14,000 in commuting costs over their careers if they worked from home. Other savings could stem from not having to purchase expensive meals or paying a nanny to take care of the kids in the evenings as they would do while commuting. While commuting time has a significant effect on where people work, the office environment also plays a role too. Saving time and money and having freedom and flexibility all factor into these decisions, whether people want to work from home because they do not want to commute or because they love their home offices more.Synectics sells non-core business
Synectics, a Sheffield-based leader in the design, integration and support of advanced security and surveillance systems, has revealed the conditional sale of the business of SSS Management Services Limited, which is a trading entity of its Nottingham-based Synectics Security division, for cash consideration of up to £0.2 million to Parfas Limited.
The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed on or before the company’s financial year end on 30 November 2022.
SSS provides monitoring and managed services, principally to multi-site retailers in the UK. These activities are considered by the Board to be non-core and are not part of the company’s growth plan. The sale of the business will allow the company to focus on the growth of its core business and allow SSS to prosper under private ownership.
The consideration comprises an initial cash payment on completion of £0.1 million with the balance, conditional on the profitability of SSS post-sale, payable following the first anniversary of completion. The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.
In the company’s last financial year ended 30 November 2021, the SSS business generated audited revenues of approximately £7 million and an operating profit of less than £0.1 million and, as at 30 November 2021, had audited net liabilities of approximately £1.6 million.
Paul Webb, CEO of Synectics plc, said: “SSS Management Services is a unique business with a very strong management team that will thrive under private ownership.”
Stacey Anderson, Managing Director of SSS, added: “While our long-established business has been part of Synectics for some time, we believe that we can serve our customers better as an independent privately owned business remaining true to our core values of providing the very best levels of service, independent of service providers.”
Freshney Place development planning application submitted
The planning application for a new market hall, a cinema and other leisure facilities at the Western end of Freshney Place have now been submitted into the planning system.
This is another opportunity for people to have their say on the scheme before it is considered by the Planning Committee in the months ahead, and is the time when statutory authorities can also submit their detailed comments.
As previously reported, the council has won significant grant monies for the transformation of the western end of Freshney Place, which it bought during the summer. The proposed leisure development will house a new cinema, with local and regional operator Parkway Entertainment Group coming in as an anchor tenant and pledging to provide a great venue to complement its offer in Cleethorpes.
The plans will also feature a remodelled entrance to the centre, which will be lined with units for leisure and eateries, and an entrance to a new and transformed Market Hall.
Prior to submission, public drop in sessions were held by the project team to inform residents and businesses what the scheme might look like if approved, as well as talking through the timescales for the various phases of the development.
During the consultation, the main issues highlighted by visitors included the leisure use of the area, parking once the improvements have been made, and the design, look and feel of the planned new buildings.
Alongside the plans for the Freshney Place development, North East Lincolnshire Council has launched a new project aiming to improve the town centre street scene. Focused on the Victoria Street West pedestrian precinct and surrounding streets, officers are encouraging owners of a relatively small number of street-facing properties to make improvements. They are writing to the owners of properties and advising them on the works needed to bring their buildings to an acceptable standard.
Work is also progressing on the Riverhead scheme, with the plans being put forward for approval by the Council’s Cabinet at the meeting next month. These plans do not require planning permission as it is permitted development on public land. If approved, work is expected to start in the early new year.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the Council, said: “We have said all along that we are working to improve our town centres, to make them more attractive for people to live and work in. We have already seen the improvements to Garth Lane and St James’ Square completed, and now we’re working hard to deliver other elements of the Grimsby masterplan, as well examining opportunities to use empty spaces differently.”
Fall in GDP sets country on course for quickest return to recession in almost half a century
The UK economy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2022, setting Britain on course for the quickest return to recession since 1975 and offering sobering backdrop to the Autumn Statement next week, the Resolution Foundation said today (Friday).
While a smaller fall than markets expected, the latest contraction was widespread, with consumer spending shrinking amidst an acute cost-of-living.
Should the UK slide into recession next quarter it would be the quickest return to recession since 1975, with the UK only coming out of its last recession eight quarters ago (in Q2 2020).
The UK’s performance was weaker than all other G7 economies (though data for Japan has not yet been published).
James Smith, research director at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Falling consumer spending has caused the economy to shrink in the third quarter of 2022. This has set Britain on course for the quickest return to recession in nearly half a century.
“These latest figures provide a sobering backdrop to the Autumn Statement next week. The Chancellor will need to strike a balance between putting the public finances on a sustainable footing, without making the cost-of-living crisis even worse, or hitting already stretched public services.”
Award win puts Leicester logistics firm in pole position
A Leicester logistics specialist is celebrating after winning an award for innovation from a leading industry body.
Translink Express Logistics Ltd won the coveted Contribution to Innovation award at the Institute of Supply Chain Management’s (IoSCM) annual Supply Chain Awards.
The Narborough-based firm was celebrated for overcoming major industry challenges with innovative initiatives and thinking outside the box to introduce business improvements.
As key workers during the pandemic, its team helped deliver essential goods to local supermarkets, after transforming its warehouse into a fully functional distribution centre in under two weeks.
Translink, which is a family-owned business and a member of the Pallet-Track network, also worked closely with Blaby District Council on its ‘Blaby District Let’s Talk Logistics’ scheme.
The initiative was launched during the 2021 HGV driver shortage to boost recruitment across the supply chain and raise the profile of careers in logistics.
Commercial and finance directors, Chris and Debbie Hobbis, collected the award during a ceremony at The Copthorne Hotel in Newcastle.
The IoSCM provides globally-recognised qualifications and training to raise the standards of supply chain networks worldwide.
The firm’s quality and compliance manager, Heidi Edwards, entered the firm for the award.
She said: “It’s the first quality award for our business and valuable recognition from a respected, professional body.
“The projects were very much a team effort but Chris, in particular, deserves the recognition as it was his leadership and contribution which secured the project that kept us busy throughout that time.
“He spearheaded change in the business, as he was determined to keep it fully operational and to keep the team feeling confident and motivated through the obstacles of the pandemic and the HGV driver shortage.
“It was Chris’s determination and vision that helped the business to thrive by putting new cost-saving systems in place and kitting out what was a basic storage warehouse into a pick and pack facility, which has also created new jobs and increased our team to over 90 members of staff in total.
“We never expected to win because compared to the competition we’re a small depot in the Midlands, but I’m so proud of us for winning.”
Translink’s first award win comes at the end of its 35th year in business.
Chris said: “Like everyone in the industry, it has been a really challenging period for us, with lots of ups and downs, but we have had a great 35th year; our entire team has worked so hard to ensure that we continue to deliver excellence within our sector for both our customers and our partner members in Pallet-Track.
“This is truly an award-winning year, made possible because of our entire team spirit, no one person is ever responsible for a company’s success and we would like to say a great big thank you to our entire team for all the effort and support they continue to show.
“Just to be nominated as finalists in the IoSCM Supply Chain Awards was absolutely amazing, so it is a very proud moment for the entire team to share.”
Caroline Green, chief executive of Pallet-Track, said: “As a network, we are thrilled for the team at Translink Express as they have worked incredibly hard under difficult circumstances to pivot their services and overcome the challenges of recent years.
“We are all so pleased to see the team receive the recognition that they deserve.”
