Pet food manufacturer takes 24,000ft² at Blenheim Park
Hot on the heels of the letting of 81,000ft² to Cotton On Group at Blenheim Park just off Junction 26 of the M1 by FHP and joint agents M1 Agency on behalf of Urban Logistics REIT comes a further deal with the disposal of prime new build space of 24,000ft² to an undisclosed, pet food manufacturer.
Blenheim 24 was one of four speculatively planned and constructed prime manufacturing/distribution units on Blenheim Park, which sits just off Junction 26 of the M1 on the edge of Nottingham. This is the third deal on the site following on from the lettings of speculative units of 18,000ft² and 81,000ft², leaving merely the final building available of 43,000ft² which has just completed and is ready for immediate occupation.
The letting of Blenheim 24 was completed by Chris Proctor and Tim Gilbertson of FHP Property Consultants on behalf of Urban Logistics. Chris said: “It was a pleasure to deal with our new occupier here and their investment in the building will no doubt create success and new jobs for the region. This is the third letting we have now completed on the site and we only have one unit left available of just over 43,000ft² which is immediately available on a new lease.”
John Barker, head of development at Urban Logistics REIT, added: “We have been pleased with the interest shown in the ten unit scheme where we partnered with Wilson Bowden. The six units in the East Midlands have generated strong interest and the four unit scheme at Kingsway in Rochdale, due for practical completion at the beginning of October, which is encouraging.”
Olivia Salisbury, asset manager at Urban Logistics REIT, said: “We are delighted to have let the third unit in the scheme so quickly after practical completion. This is testament to the quality of the units built by Wilson Bowden and their contractors, Glencar and the location of the scheme, so close to Junction 26 of the M1 and Nottingham City Centre.”
Toby Wilson at M1 Agency added: “We are down to the last unit on Blenheim Park, which is a credit to the quality and location of these units. The remaining unit of 43,000ft² is the only immediately available Grade A warehouse within Nottingham of its size range currently, so we would urge occupiers to come forward before it is too late.”
Joules names new CEO
Joules, the Market Harborough-based lifestyle group, has revealed that Jonathon Brown will become its new Chief Executive Officer.
This follows the announcement in May 2022 that Nick Jones would be stepping down from the role during 2022. Jonathon will initially join the group as CEO designate on 7 September 2022 and will become CEO on 30 September following a short handover period from Nick.
Jonathon is a proven leader with a strong track record of improving performance and implementing strategic transformation programmes across several digital and retail businesses. He started his career in various marketing and digital roles, including at Schroders, British Airways and Coca-Cola.
He has held senior positions at Aviva, where he was head of e-Channels, Kingfisher, where he was director of Multichannel, and John Lewis, where he was Omnichannel director. He was previously CEO of MandM Direct, where he executed a successful turnaround plan, and COO of Photobox Group, where he led the strategic, commercial, and organisational transformation of the group, working across the brand portfolio including PhotoBox and Moonpig.
Most recently, Jonathon was CEO of Compare the Market, part of BGL Group, where he led the business through a successful period of strategic transformation and growth.
Jonathon Brown said: “I am delighted to have been selected to lead Joules at such an important time in its development. Joules is a very strong brand, with a highly relevant purpose and product proposition. The group’s digitalisation in recent years as well as its increased customer base mean it has very solid foundations for the future.
“Whilst there have been some headwinds in the past year, I am very excited by the business’s future opportunities. The group is making strong progress against its clear plans to improve profitability by simplifying the business and optimising the cost base. I look forward to working closely with the Joules team to return the business to sustainable, profitable growth and optimise the significant future opportunities available to us.”
Ian Filby, non-executive chairman of Joules, said: “The Board was in unanimous agreement that, amongst some very high calibre candidates, Jonathan was the standout choice to be our new CEO. He has significant experience across the retail and digital industries, a proven track-record of delivering business transformation, and the vision and ambition to lead Joules through the next stages of its development. The Board has every confidence in him, and we look forward to working closely together over the coming years.
“I would again like to place on record the group’s thanks to Nick for his contributions during his time with Joules, and in particular his continued outstanding commitment and drive over recent months. Under Nick’s leadership Joules has made good progress against its strategy to develop as a digital-led lifestyle group and, more recently, he has spearheaded the implementation of several important strategic initiatives that the Board believes will underpin the group’s future success.”
East Midlands digital PR agency welcomes strategy consultancy to client base
Digital PR agency Jennie Holland PR has been appointed by strategy consultancy Wingman Ltd, headed by former England rugby star Rory Underwood.
Jennie Holland PR, a PR agency in the heart of Nottingham that designs and implements PR and social media campaigns for both B2B and B2C clients across multiple sectors, has been appointed by Nottinghamshire-based Wingman Ltd to provide digital PR services, covering media relations and social content.
Founded by former England rugby union player Rory Underwood MBE DL in 2009, Wingman supports businesses by showing them how to build the sustainable environments required to enable them to deliver their strategy effectively.
Jennie Holland PR will be an extension of Wingman’s in-house marketing department and has been appointed to deliver a digital PR strategy, to help build the profile and reputation of the firm both regionally and nationally, and to shout about its achievements and upcoming events, talks and business retreats, often led by Rory.
Founded on Rory’s 35+ years of experience across elite sport, the military and business, Wingman has an in-depth, unique understanding of what makes a productive and healthy work environment and an engaged, motivated team.
The company mentors businesses on how they can achieve excellent results through an effective implementation plan, engaging and aligning the whole organisation to deliver the strategy.
Wingman and Jennie Holland PR are both ambassadors for Team Lincolnshire, an independent ambassador programme championing Greater Lincolnshire’s communities, businesses and quality of life, and first met over three years ago at a talk given by Rory.
Georgina Mackintosh, senior PR manager at Jennie Holland PR, said: “Wingman is an incredibly impressive firm built on Rory’s inspiring career and myself and the rest of the team are delighted to be working together.
“Wingman has been delivering remarkable results through its specialist programmes nationwide for the past 13 years – enabling positive change within businesses that is measurable and impactful. We will be Rory and team’s publicity partner, helping them to reach new audiences with their unique services.”
Rory, director of Wingman, said: “We are very much looking forward to working with Georgina and the rest of team at Jennie Holland PR. Wingman has certainly come a long way since our inception and I’m very proud of the team and all that we have achieved together.
“Now feels like the right time to increase and strengthen our presence and build on our many successes. We want to take Wingman to the next level and this PR team is the ideal partner to help us get there.”
CTS Group makes sixth acquisition in 18 months
Leicester-headquartered CTS Group (Construction Testing Solutions), a provider of Geotechnical Consulting, Construction Materials Testing and Surveying and Monitoring services, have acquired Concept Engineering Consultants Limited, a leader in geotechnical, structural and geo-environmental services.
Operating across the UK and with headquarters in London, Concept Engineering employs 105 staff. The company was originally established in 1997, consulting for civil, structural and geotechnical projects and surveying buildings across London.
This is the sixth acquisition by the CTS Group over the last 18 months.
Chief Executive Officer for the CTS Group, Phil Coles, said: “Offering superb coring and drilling capabilities, as well as a wide range of high-quality site investigation services will be a strong addition to our growing portfolio of Geotechnical Consulting, Construction Materials Testing and Surveying and Monitoring Services.
“I am delighted that Concept Engineering will become part of the CTS Group and look forward to working with Milan, Anastasia, Natalie and the management team to continue to grow the business. This latest acquisition complements the previous deals announced over the last two years as we continue to grow and develop a strong team with the skills and knowledge to deliver a quality and trusted service to our customers.”
Concept Engineering’s CEO, Milan Dedic, added: “We are delighted to become part of the CTS Group and continue to bring innovative site investigation solutions to our clients.
“We look forward to the opportunity to expand the business as part of the group and having met the senior leadership team at CTS we believe we have found a company with a similar ethos to our own and see exciting times ahead. Together we will be able to offer our clients a market leading range of construction related testing, inspection and compliance services.”
Plans revealed to breathe new life into Nottingham Guildhall regeneration site
Vita Group has submitted plans for a major mixed-use development at Nottingham’s Guildhall and its adjacent site.
An important redevelopment site for the city, Guildhall is a Grade II listed building, originally built in 1887 and once home to the city’s Magistrates’ Court along with the former fire and police stations.
Vita Group’s proposal is specific to the former fire and police stations, bringing forward plans for a PBSA-led mixed-use development creating 967 student rooms. The accommodation will be supported with a residents’ gym, dance studio, co-study spaces, cinema and games rooms.
Along with the accommodation, plans also outline provisions for a public facing Market Food Hall for around 500 diners.
Vita Group says the proposals have been designed to sit within its surroundings sensitively and sustainably on Shakespeare Street, North Church Street and South Sherwood Street and will complement the existing plans already approved for a hotel on the Guildhall site. Plans also outline better provision for pedestrian friendly pavements and support biodiversity with significant planting and new trees.
Mark Oakes, chief commercial officer for Vita Group, said: “A vastly underutilised redevelopment opportunity, Guildhall has the potential to be one of Nottingham’s major landmarks once again, bringing significant investment to the city and a historically important building back to life.
“The plans aim to create best-in-class student accommodation with outstanding amenities, whilst also easing pressures on local housing stock. The Market Food Hall will create a go-to destination for all the city to enjoy, providing the perfect backdrop for exciting new independent restauranteurs to bring their new ventures to people across the region.”
Nominations close on Friday! Enter the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 NOW!
With nominations closing this Friday (19 August) for East Midlands Business Link’s prestigious Bricks Awards, don’t miss this opportunity to raise the profile of your business by submitting a nomination!
Celebrating the region’s property and construction industry, its people, and outstanding developments, the annual awards attract leaders from across the region and are the perfect way for businesses to promote the work they are completing and create more buzz.
Award categories include: most active estate agent, commercial development of the year, responsible business of the year, residential development of the year, developer of the year, deal of the year, architects of the year, excellence in design, sustainable development of the year, contractor of the year, and overall winner.
A highlight in the business calendar, winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 15 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening that will also provide plenty of chances to forge new contacts with property and construction professionals from across the region.
Henry Brothers, winners of Commercial Development of the Year at the 2021 East Midlands Bricks Awards, reflected on the event: “Henry Brothers was absolutely thrilled to have won the Commercial Development of the Year award at the East Midlands Bricks for the delivery of the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus.
“The Henry Brothers story began in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and the company has grown to become a leading UK construction company. However, this award for Henry Brothers Midlands cements our position as a significant member of the East Midlands construction sector and we are very proud to have been recognised for our contribution.
“We enjoyed the informal atmosphere of the East Midlands Bricks Awards ceremony and hope to nominate projects next year, as we’d very much like to be part of the event in 2022.”
To submit a business or development for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022, please click on a category link below or visit this page. Make your nominations before entries close on Friday 19 August!
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.
Thanks to our sponsors:
- Most active estate agent
- Commercial development of the year
- Responsible business of the year
- Residential development of the year
- Developer of the year
- Deal of the year
- Architects of the year
- Excellence in design
- Sustainable development of the year
- Contractor of the year
- Overall winner (this award cannot be entered, the winner will be selected from those nominated)
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the awards event – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on 15 September 2022 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region. The event will also welcome 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 and astonish guests during the evening’s networking. Dress code is standard business attire.
To be held at:
Bookings for the East Midlands Expo heat up
The East Midlands Expo is picking up pace as bookings soar.
Returning on Monday 14 November 2022, the established event of over 20 years offers an ideal day for networking and business generation.
The free to attend expo, for which Business Link is a proud partner, is well targeted and aimed at the construction, property, business, investment, finance, professional services and related B2B markets.
Event organiser Tina King said: “Hot, hot, hot, and not just the weather. Bookings for the East Midlands Expo and Property & Business Investment Nottingham 14 November event are steaming ahead – up by over 40% versus the same period last year. It is great to see so many exhibitors and delegates engaging with networking and exhibiting again following Covid restrictions.”
Taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, the exhibition will open to attendees at 9am, with a seminar taking place between 10:45am and noon.
A special networking lunch (for which tickets can be purchased here) will then take place between 12:15pm and 2:15pm, and the exhibition will close at 3:30pm.
For more information on exhibiting at the event click here.
To register to attend the event for free click here.
To secure tickets for the networking lunch click here.
From property agents to developers, architects, contractors, investors, PR firms, and more, see the list of current exhibitors here.Northampton-based accountancy firm acquired by local counterpart
Cottons Accountants Northampton has acquired J R Watson & Co, a fellow Northampton-based accountancy firm, as part of its continued growth plans.
Established over 100 years ago, J R Watson & Co has been providing accountancy and taxation services to small and medium sized business and individuals in the Northamptonshire and Warwickshire areas.
A natural stage in the business lifecycle, the retiring partners are passing the baton to Cottons, along with a high-calibre team.
“The team at Cottons have worked hard to ensure the merger for the existing partners has been as seamless as possible, as they transition towards retirement. We are very much looking forward to working with the J R Watson & Co team and clients on this next chapter,” said Charles Hill, director, Cottons.
“We pride ourselves on our service, and this new merger provides our clients with an opportunity to continue with a long-term partnership, with familiar faces and access to a wider, more modern service offering. We feel our clients are in good hands,” said Alan Markham, J R Watson & Co partner.
All seven J R Watson & Co staff are being retained.
Healthcare company strikes deal as it chases record revenues
Health and social care enterprise Provide Community Interest Company (CIC) has acquired Nottinghamshire-based React Homecare, with support from FRP Corporate Finance, as it moves to achieve record revenues during 2022.
Provide Community is an employee-owned CIC delivering a wide portfolio of health and social care services in hospitals and community care settings. As a not-for-profit organisation, all Provide Community surpluses are reinvested into services and supporting the communities it serves. In 2022 alone, charities and community groups have shared grants and match funding of almost half a million pounds.
Provide Community became a CIC in 2011 and has since grown from c£40 million revenue to £75m million revenue currently, through both organic growth and acquisitions, employing more than 1000 people.
Whilst Provide Community operates in the NHS market, it has also diversified through acquisition, including organic growth in its Provide Digital business and Provide Wellbeing business, which are developing and delivering innovative solutions for health and social care.
The recent acquisition of React Homecare, a domiciliary care provider to adults of all ages, is the latest of several acquisitions. React Homecare has a network of eight local offices in the Midlands and Yorkshire, helping Provide Community grow geographically outside the South East.
Provide was advised by FRP Corporate Finance in Brentwood, led by partner Chris Adlam and supported by associate director Joanne Price. The FRP team will continue to work with Provide to identify further acquisition opportunities.
Philip Richards at Provide Community said: “Provide is a dynamic organisation that is constantly working to deliver the very best quality care and clinical outcomes that we can. We want as many people as possible to be able to access our services, which is why we continue to be interested in buying businesses that complement our existing organisation.
“We have a target to grow and diversify revenues to £120m and will keep exploring opportunities to grow and develop our services both organically and through acquisition, whilst always putting our service users’ and their families at the heart of everything we do.”
Chris Adlam, partner at FRP Corporate Finance, added: “It is a pleasure to be able to work with an organisation with similar values to our own and to support Provide’s ambitious growth plans as it works to develop a wider portfolio of services across healthcare, social care and digital healthcare solutions.
“This latest acquisition complements Provide’s existing operations and means the organisation is well-placed to roll out its high-quality care, for the benefit of the communities it serves whether in hospitals, clinics or service users’ homes.”
Birketts LLP provided legal advice to Provide.
MEPC completes 265,000 sq ft Phase 3 industrial development at Silverstone Park
MEPC has completed its latest Phase 3 development at Silverstone Park which adds a further 265,000 sq ft of industrial accommodation to the estate.
The development comprises four sizeable properties – two of which have already been let prior to completion.
In addition, the spine road through Phase 3 has been fully asphalted and is now open, thereby linking businesses direct to the earlier Phases 1 and 2 of development.
“It’s great to have the spine road that originally started to be built during Phases 1 and 2 now completed as this crucially links up all the areas on the western side of Silverstone Park,” said MEPC’s development director Chris Kimber-Nickelson.
“Phase 3 has been a successful project in spite of some supply challenges related to the pandemic which affected multiple trades.
“Architecturally, each property is a progression of the designs we saw during Phases 1 and 2 and we are extremely pleased with the final product.
“The units are strong on energy efficiency and look terrific for the businesses occupying them. The infrastructure we put in place prior to building works commencing means that businesses really can ‘plug in and go’.
“I believe we have intelligently implemented the outline consent to maximise the value of this parcel of land.”
He added: “What is also really exciting about the businesses being attracted to our new buildings is the activity behind their front doors.
“The technology they are developing and projects they are working on are off the scale and, with all that, they are also creating many high-level jobs and skills.
“To have terms on two of the four properties already agreed before they were finished and the two others in solicitors’ hands… I don’t think we could have asked for a better conclusion.”
Meanwhile, MEPC has already been granted planning consent for its Phase 4 of development – a 100,000 sq ft scheme to include hybrid industrial units, with smart offices, a nursery, gym and café.
An application for planning consent for Phase 5 – c.201,300 sq ft of industrial premises on land opposite the main entrance to Silverstone Circuit – has also been submitted.
