Sills & Betteridge LLP have acquired Nottingham-headquartered Campions Solicitors. The collaboration is a significant development in the East Midlands legal landscape and realises the ambitions of both firms to create a dynamic legal partnership in the region. Sills & Betteridge were founded over 265 years ago and are consistently ranked among the top-performing law firms in the UK. The firm first expanded into Nottingham from neighbouring Lincolnshire in 2013 when they acquired MacLaren Britton of King Street. In 2019 they undertook extensive sympathetic refurbishment of their current offices on George Street, Hockley to where the Campions team will now relocate. Campions offices on Mansfield Road in the city will close – and their operations in Pride Park, Derby and Grove Park, Leicester will remain open and be further developed by the firm. The merged practice will operate across the East Midlands as Sills & Betteridge incorporating Campions. Sills & Betteridge Chief Executive Martyn Hall explained the reason for the merger: “Bringing an established East Midlands brand like Campions on board will help us to develop our profile in the region and gain real competitive advantage in our complementary practice areas of family law, residential conveyancing and wills, trusts and probate. “We look forward to working with their team and providing additional personal and commercial legal services to their clients.” Campions Founder Stephen Campion said: “We are very pleased to be joining forces with Sills. We are aware of their strong reputation and wide range of legal services and believe our collective expertise and commitment to delivering excellent client care will truly benefit existing and future clients.” Daniel Priest, joining the merged practice as a Partner agreed: “Having worked in family law for over 20 years I am very excited to be bringing my experience and expertise of working with clients throughout the East Midlands to such a large and established legal practice.” The acquisition will see the 400 strong team at Sills & Betteridge deliver legal services from 18 locations across Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
Collaboration between property businesses to give Chesterfield homes new lease of life
Modular house builder plans job cuts
East Midlands manufacturer awarded £1m fitout contract for build-to-rent scheme
Mansfield-based Deanestor, the fitout specialists, has been awarded a contract worth over £1m by Gilbert-Ash for the first build-to-rent scheme in Oxford. This will involve the manufacture and installation of more than 6,500 items of fitted furniture – kitchens and wardrobe sets.
The £63m second phase of West Way Square in Botley will deliver 150 rental homes for Grainger plc – the UK’s largest listed residential landlord.
Deanestor previously provided kitchen and bedroom furniture for phase one of this mixed use development, which created 264 purpose-built student apartments and studios, as well as retail, hotel and commercial space and other amenities.
Due for completion by the end of 2024, this latest scheme is designed by architects Mountford Pigott to be net zero carbon.
Commenting on this new contract win, William Tonkinson, Managing Director of Deanestor, said: “This is our first contract with Gilbert-Ash but our second on the West Way site. It follows our successful delivery of multiple fitout contracts for private rental developments across the UK, including two other Grainger schemes.”
The kitchens for West Quay Square will be manufactured and pre-assembled in Deanestor’s factory in Mansfield to reduce work on site and will be fitted in a range of linear and L-shaped configurations. Each kitchen will have grey base units with contrasting porcelain white wall cabinets, quartz worktops with matching upstands and splashbacks, under-cabinet feature LED lighting, and matt aluminium handle trims.
Appliances will be integrated and include dishwasher, tall fridge freezer, oven, hob, extractor and washer dryer.
Deanestor will also manufacture and install 230 sets of fitted wardrobes to the bedrooms, in a light grey matt laminate finish and with different combinations of hinged doors, internal shelving and hanging rails.
Minister for Levelling Up visits Rutland to discuss proposals, progress and plans for £22.9m projects
Both councils successfully submitted a joint bid to the Government’s LUF and are already putting in place projects that will help boost the economy of the local towns and improve connectivity. At the heart of the joint LUF bid is revitalising rural economies and market towns.
The projects within Rutland will include the development of a new 100m2 facility at Oakham Enterprise Park, which will provide clinical, development and training medical space. The vision of this project is to help to grow the area’s economic development and provide high level jobs in the area.
A second project is a 500m2 travel anchor Mobi-Hub, focussing on two routes that will enable access to work, learning and services across both Rutland and Melton. The Mobi-Hub will further facilitate significant improvements to public transport and bus connectivity, with two initial funded routes being a catalyst to enable more far-reaching developments within Rutland.
The Council is also using the funding to support the economic regeneration of the area by the introduction of a mobile, digital visitor experience that will enable visitors to view two of the area’s unique heritage treasures. The digitisation of these assets will be a huge boost to Rutland’s tourist industry and will also enable the council to develop the display of all heritage assets to maximise their potential.
Melton Borough Council is using the funding to develop over 2500sqm of flexible food and drink production units, including a support service to help small or upcoming local producers develop and grow in the Rural Capital of Food. In addition, £2m funding was also awarded to Melton College to refurbish the theatre, delivering a multifunctional event space that is more accessible and will attract larger events.
The Minister’s visit included a presentation of these LUF projects at Rutland County Council offices, Catmose House, followed by a tour of Rutland County Museum.
The Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said: “Levelling up is about spreading the equality of opportunity everywhere and it’s been fantastic to visit rural communities in Rutland and Melton to see for myself how levelling up investments are helping here.
“Projects like these sits at the heart of our levelling up ambition for the country and they will create long-lasting change and greater opportunities and jobs for people in communities such as these that we care so much about.
“It is also fantastic that some of this funding is being invested in the area’s rich culture and heritage, all of which will boost the local economy by attracting visitors for years to come.”
Leader of Rutland County Council, Cllr Gale Waller, said: “Both Oakham and Melton Mowbray are rural, historic market towns with huge potential for economic growth. We are delighted to welcome the Minister to Rutland to show how this funding is being used and how these five key projects really focus on economic innovation, cultural destinations, health, science and mobility.
“We have already approved the purchase of 3 electric minibuses that will run between Rutland and Melton, it is therefore exciting to have the opportunity to show how the LUF projects are progressing.”
Leader of Melton Borough Council, Cllr Pip Allnatt said: “I am pleased that locally we are working to use taxpayer’s money to implement really worthwhile projects across Melton and Rutland.
“These projects will provide more job opportunities, enhance the quality of life for residents across Melton and Rutland and also provide valuable tourism assets which will attract more visitors to the area. I especially welcome the chance to improve public transport linking Oakham and Melton via our villages providing much needed services to our rural residents.”
NTU Net Zero Innovation Programme to support local businesses in Bolsover
Global mark of excellence awarded to Nottingham Business School
Nottingham Business School (NBS) has once again achieved a global mark of excellence which recognises its dedication to providing a personalised experience for all its students, its connections with industry partners, and its commitment to ethics, responsibility and sustainability.
NBS, part of Nottingham Trent University, completed a rigorous assessment process to retain its EQUIS accreditation for the full five-year period, demonstrating the School’s dedication to continuous improvement since its last evaluation in 2021.
EQUIS is awarded to top business schools by EFMD, a global, non-profit, membership-driven organisation dedicated to management development. It benchmarks business schools against international standards in governance, programmes, students, faculty, research, internationalisation, ethics, responsibility and sustainability, and corporate engagement.
The review team noted three major areas of achievement – personalised learning; connections with practice; and ethics, responsibility and sustainability.
Personalisation and experiential learning were recognised as outstanding features of all programmes and modules at NBS. The use of a ‘student dashboard’ to measure engagement was seen to be internationally leading, adding positively to the student experience. The high quality of skills and professional development among NBS graduates was recognised by industry partners.
NBS’ mission of being a ‘business school for business’ was evident in the positive feedback regarding its links with industry and corporate input into portfolio design and delivery. NBS was seen to play a key role in regional economic development, receiving regular support from the business community, alumni, and other stakeholders.
Ethics, responsibility and sustainability were found to be ingrained into all aspects of NBS, with the review noting that the School encourages initiatives which make a positive impact on the community.
Executive Dean of Nottingham Business School, Professor Baback Yazdani, said: “The assessment revealed the passion that our colleagues and students have for Nottingham Business School and their pride in being part of our community. This sense of belonging and commitment to making NBS the best it can be is reflected in the achievement of securing EQUIS accreditation for the full five-year term – an outstanding accomplishment for everyone involved.”
Along with EQUIS, NBS is accredited by AACSB and EFMD BA for International Business, which are also globally recognised hallmarks of excellence and quality for business education, as well as holding Small Business Charter status for its support and development for SMEs. The school is also a PRME Champion and held up as an exemplar and beacon by the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).
First letting agreed at Northampton logistics park for “biggest warehouse in the Midlands”
Yusen Logistics UK has become the first customer to lease a building at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, after signing almost 1.2 million sq ft of highly sustainable warehouse space at the state-of-the-art, multi-modal development. The building will be Yusen’s largest facility globally and is understood to be the biggest warehouse in the Midlands.
GXO Logistics lodges rival £760m bid for Wincanton
The acquisition price represents a premium of approximately 26 per cent to the increased and final offer price per Wincanton Share of 480 pence from CEVA which was announced on 26 February 2024.
Malcolm Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of GXO, said: “Wincanton is a world class business, and we have long been impressed by their high-quality people and diverse customer relationships across key industries. “The combination of GXO’s technological capabilities and global reach with Wincanton’s proven expertise in the UK and Ireland markets will enhance our offering for the benefit of both companies’ current and future customers. Our superior offer reflects our conviction in the value of this business and the opportunities the combined company will realize. “GXO has a long heritage in the UK and a demonstrated track record of seamlessly integrating businesses in this market. We’re proud that our operations support the growth of UK companies, create high value jobs, and enhance the communities where we operate. “As a focused pure play logistics leader, we are committed to investing in superior, differentiated logistics solutions, and we are confident that this combination will generate significant value for our shareholders, customers, and employees alike.”Manufacturing M&A activity drops in 2023
