An international freight company with a long-standing involvement in space tech logistics has joined Space Park Leicester.
Founded in June 1972 in central Leicester by brothers Martyn, Stuart, and Chris Burrell, Pinnacle International Freight Ltd has grown into a globally recognised logistics solutions provider with bases in the UK and USA, along with a long-established network of global partners.
Pinnacle has supported the University of Leicester Space Research Centre in transporting components for various projects, showing a commitment to the region’s space sector.
Gavin Newman, operations director, said: “Pinnacle has been involved in Space tech logistics for many years, supporting the University of Leicester Space Research Centre with global movement of components for lots of exciting projects, including Swift X-Ray telescope, Catsat soft X-Ray Spectrometer, AstroSat India and the hugely complex delivery of MIRI for James Webb Telescope to NASA.
“We are proud of our Leicester heritage and the development of Space City Leicester. Joining Space Park Leicester aligns with our goal to support and encourage international businesses to base their operations alongside this unique and innovative community.”
Vinay Patel, Head of Commercial and Innovation at Space Park Leicester, said: “With over 50 years of international trade experience, the company will provide advice, guidance, and support for international trade and worldwide logistics within the Space City ecosystem.
“Their on-site presence will give Space Park Leicester an ongoing resource for day-to-day advice and operations as a logistics services provider, including customs matters and project management.
“Being part of the Space City ecosystem is a significant milestone for Pinnacle, marking a new chapter in the company’s history.
“Their long-standing relationship with the University of Leicester Space Research Centre and Space Park Leicester demonstrates a deep understanding of the importance of the work carried out here, our role as a customs site operator for East Midlands Freeport and the broader Space Tech industry.”
Gavin added: “This development strengthens our collaboration and demonstrates our commitment to being an integral part of the long-term, global space sector expansion. Our extensive experience ideally places us as a central point of advice and supply chain support, allowing scientists, researchers, and businesses to focus on their objectives.
“We are proud to extend our heritage to being part of the Space City and its global reputation.”
Nottingham Express Transit (NET) has completed a successful 12 months of support for local community groups, charities and initiatives, with a total of £11,573 in funds raised.
Over the course of the year, key partnerships included support for Aspley Food Bank, which saw the team donate food and household essentials on a monthly basis, while NET staff volunteered at the food bank over the Christmas period. In 2024, the team will be taking the partnership further, with both monetary and community commitments set to continue throughout the year.
Meanwhile, 2023 saw NET further develop its longstanding partnership with Nottingham community support group, The Pythian Club, by continuing its work alongside the club to support the city’s youth. This included joint ventures to local schools to educate on tram safety and anti-social behaviour, as well as raising £4,500 for the Club and its initiatives.
Other fundraising contributions were made throughout 2023 for local community charities such as Nottingham Central Women’s Aid and Framework. Here, NET participated in a charity golf day, hosted by Rothera Bray, which raised £5,902. Alongside these wider company campaigns, NET staff were encouraged to support their own personal fundraising initiatives during 2023, all of which were fund matched by NET.
Becki Horne, business engagement manager at NET, said: “We’re aware of our position as one of Nottingham’s fundamental infrastructure businesses and therefore how we can help the people of Nottingham with more than just their travel needs.
“We’ve had a fantastic year of support and fundraising which has seen us partner with some brilliant local causes like The Pythian Club, Aspley Food Bank and Nottingham Central Women’s Aid who work hard to offer care and support to so many across the city.
“At a time when charities all across the UK are really feeling the pinch more than ever before, we remain committed to supporting the many charities and causes across the city that do such fantastic work helping those who need it most. Looking ahead to 2024, we’re looking forward to taking our efforts even further, and helping even more Nottinghamshire charities, community groups and local initiatives.”
Last year also saw NET partner with visual communication experts Widgit, to provide newly enhanced travel aids on trams for those that may need additional support when travelling. Last year, the aids helped a group of special needs passengers easily travel to Nottingham’s Christmas Market, a trip that would not have been possible otherwise. Meanwhile Widgits’ digital aid has been downloaded over 1,000 times to date.
Becki added: “In addition to support for the community through working with local causes, we’re also really passionate about seeing what we can do ourselves to ensure we’re supporting as many of our passengers as possible. The introduction of our Widgit travel guides last year was a key part of that, ensuring that as many people as possible were able to travel around the city for days out, work, study and more.”
Newly released figures show the UK economy entered a technical recession as 2023 ended – defined by two consecutive periods in which the economy contracts.
UK GDP (gross domestic product) figures, a key measure of economy growth, show the economy contracted by 0.3% in the final three months of 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a slightly bigger fall than predicted by economists and follows a 0.1% shrink in the period from July to September.
The fall mirrors weakness seen across all three major sectors of the economy, with services output falling 0.2% quarter-on-quarter, construction output falling 1.3%, and production falling 1% quarter-on-quarter.
The technical recession is, however, expected to be shallow and short lived.
Anna Leach, deputy chief economist, CBI, said: “December’s GDP number suggests that the UK narrowly fell into a technical recession in the second half of the year. This brings to a close a pretty stagnant year for UK economic growth.
“The CBI’s most recent surveys suggest this year has started better than last year ended, with expectations for services and manufacturing in positive territory and the drag from higher interest rates expected to diminish.
“Better-than-expected real earnings growth will support consumers against the headwind of higher interest rates. But firms remain under pressure from higher borrowing costs, higher prices, weak demand and ongoing challenges recruiting the workers they need to grow and invest.
“There are multiple growth opportunities across the UK economy this year. As we head towards the Budget in March, we’re looking for action to support labour market participation and investment so that opportunities in high-growth industries like net zero can be fully realised.”
Nottingham-headquartered Phenna Group, which aims to invest in and partner with selected niche, independent Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) companies, has made its eighth Australian acquisition.
The deal continues Phenna Group’s growth in the region, whilst augmenting its entry into the building certification market.
Modern Building Consultants (MBC Group) is a building surveyor consultancy with capability in the retail, industrial, government, education, health and aged care sectors.
Founded in 2013 by Heath McNab and joined by Joel Lewis in 2018, MBC Group has a team of experienced specialist consultants based in NSW that also service the ACT, Queensland and Victoria.
Heath McNab and Joel Lewis, MBC Group Directors, said: “We are genuinely excited to be joining Phenna Group. This was clearly a very important strategic decision for our business.
“From our first engagement with the Phenna Group team, it became obvious that their commitment and focus to the continued growth of our business and their differentiated business model was the perfect fit for MBC Group.
“We believe we have a strong future together and look forward to working with Paul, Brett and their teams to grow our business and capabilities.”
Brett Coleman, Divisional MD, Australia, said: “It is very exciting to welcome Heath, Joel and their team to Phenna Group. Over the past ten years they have built a very strong business with an enviable reputation for technical capability within the Australian building certification market. I look forward to working with them to continue their growth.”
Paul Barry, Group CEO of Phenna Group, added: “I am delighted to welcome Heath, Joel and their team to Phenna Group. The addition of MBC Group supports our fast-growing certification and compliance operations in Australia.
“Their experienced team and extensive capability provide a strong base to grow our certification and compliance business. I look forward to working with Brett, and the MBC Group team to continue their exciting journey.”
Phenna Group were advised by Macpherson Kelley and Pitchers Partners. MBC Group were advised by Red Swan Partners, RSM and Holding Redlich.
Nottingham-headquartered engineering consultancy BWB will grow under new leadership with the appointment of Graham Sant as Chief Executive.
Graham, who joined the company’s board three years ago, takes over from long-running CEO Steve Wooler, who has led BWB since a management buy-out in 2008 and will stay on as a non-executive director.
Graham said: “I joined BWB because it stood out as something almost unique – a consultancy of national standing that has a refreshingly agile and entrepreneurial approach, and a team of people who combine experience and intense professionalism with real ingenuity and client focus.
“They’re passionate about creating places which work for everyone while preserving our planet in the process. It’s a guiding principle for them.
“My remit has been to help the business build on that culture to grow the number of large, high-value projects that we are delivering on behalf of clients, and I’m delighted to be taking over the reins from Steve at a time when BWB is doing significantly more large-scale work.”
Major projects BWB has delivered include SEGRO’s strategic railfreight interchange at Radlett, the BBC’s new West Midlands headquarters in Birmingham, the Hinckley national railfreight interchange with Tritax Symmetry and National Highways’ major improvement scheme on the M621 in Yorkshire.
Graham added: “Steve has done an incredible job leading BWB. It has navigated the financial crisis, Brexit and the pandemic, but it has grown significantly, and delivered landmarks that embody sustainable design. It has also become established as an employer of choice and recognised as the best large consultancy by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering.”
Reflecting on his time leading BWB, Steve Wooler added: “In many ways, BWB has been my life’s work professionally, and while I’m stepping down as CEO I am definitely not stepping away from a business I’m passionate about.
“I was BWB’s 18th employee in a small office in Nottingham, and have seen it evolve from a single-discipline small consultancy to a national multi-disciplinary business which delivers for blue chip clients from offices across the UK.
“There is so much more that we can still achieve and I’m absolutely confident that with Graham at the helm of a brilliant team we have an exciting journey ahead of us.”
Nimbus Disability, the Derby-based social enterprise run by disabled people for disabled people, has appointed two new non-executive directors.
Lisa Sturley and David Gordon will join the established board which oversees the organisation’s operations including the award-winning Access Card which simplifies and improves disabled people’s access to a wide range of venues and events.
Lisa Sturley has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services including roles at RBS and Credit Suisse. She is currently head of market intervention, insurance at the Financial Conduct Authority – supervising retail and wholesale general insurance providers and intermediaries, life insurers and funeral plan providers.
She is also an experienced school governor – supporting schools which ‘require improvement’ and building governance frameworks to support and challenge leadership.
Lisa said: “This is a great opportunity to support Nimbus Disability as they continue their work to break down the barriers faced by disabled people who are seeking fair access to venues and experiences.
“I am proud to be part of the organisation and look forward to providing strategic oversight, working with the Nimbus Disability team to identify future opportunities to improve the lives of disabled people and supporting the team as it expands.”
David Gordon, who is associate professor of marketing at the De Montfort University’s Leicester Castle Business School, has also joined the Nimbus Disability board – bringing a wealth of business knowledge and lived experience as a wheelchair user.
David Gordon
He said: “As a full-time wheelchair user, I face the challenges of access in my daily life and can guide and advise Nimbus Disability from both a commercial, academic, and lived experience perspective.”
Martin Austin MBE is the founder and managing director of Nimbus Disability. He said: “Since gaining The Queen’s Award for Innovation, we have grown rapidly both in terms of colleagues and in the volume of disabled people who hold the Access Card.
“Strong governance is key for social enterprises such as ourselves whose ultimate aim is to provide a high quality service that generates profits for the benefit of charitable causes – in our case Disability Direct.
“We regard ourselves fortunate to continue to attract highly experienced and knowledgeable non-executive directors to provide guidance, governance and to be our critical friend. We look forward to welcoming Lisa and David to our board in the coming weeks.”
A Leicestershire-based footwear wholesaler is accelerating its growth in international and domestic markets following a seven-figure funding package.
T&A Holdings, whose subsidiaries include T&A Footwear Limited and Heavenly Feet Limited, will use an international trade finance package from HSBC UK to support their global growth.
T&A Footwear Limited specialises in designing, manufacturing, and supplying footwear to major retailers like Sainsbury’s, George at ASDA, and Clarks.
Meanwhile, Heavenly Feet Limited focuses on designing and supplying its own brand, Heavenly Feet, to a network of over 300 independent retailers, along with partnerships with prominent retailers such as Next, JD Williams, and Shoe Zone.
T&A Holdings works closely with manufacturers across the Far East, including China and Vietnam. Funding from HSBC UK will enable the company to source and purchase plant-based materials as the company invests in designing and manufacturing recyclable footwear.
David Markham, financial director at T&A Holdings, said: “This funding from HSBC UK provides an exciting opportunity for us to explore sustainable production opportunities within Asia and bring our products to new and existing customers worldwide.”
Chirag Makwana, relationship manager at HSBC UK, added: “T&A Footwear and Heavenly Feet are long-established wholesalers and retailers of footwear in the UK. As interest in sustainable fashion continues to increase, we’re excited and delighted to support with boosting growth for both companies internationally.”
Dunelm Group, the Leicester-headquartered homewares retailer, has hailed a “strong performance” in its interim results for the 26 weeks to 30 December 2023.
The company reported sales growth of 4.5%, with total sales increasing to £872m, up from £835m in the same period of the year prior.
Profit before tax, meanwhile, increased by 4.8% to £123m, growing from £117m.
Nick Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “In the past six months we have kept our customers front of mind, ensuring our broad offer has value at its core whilst also expanding our ranges, introducing new styles, and improving the experience across our store and digital channels.
“This has been particularly important in a more difficult trading environment and has resulted in another strong sales performance combined with market share gains. Despite ongoing pressures on consumers, we are encouraged by the wide variety of new customers shopping with Dunelm, and existing shoppers also coming back more frequently.
“Alongside the positive sales performance we have delivered a very strong gross margin, which is testament to our tight operational control and the inherent strength of our business model.
“As we move towards Spring and customers look to freshen up their homes, our specialist proposition continues to resonate strongly and, in a dynamic retail environment, we are relentlessly focused on evolving and investing in our business to ensure we remain relevant to further increase our broad appeal.
“We have never been more excited about our future as we build trust in our offer and identity as the Home of Homes.”
Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, helps you get the media to fall in love with you.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue
The media craves experts
Might the next one be you?
Because here is the truth
When it comes to the press
It’s not about budgets
That’s not how you impress
Imagine a journalist,
Locked in their tower
As the deadline ticks down
Slowly, hour by hour
And yet they still lack
That nugget, that quote
To enliven their copy
On that, they will dote
Because too many times
When they open a pitch
It’s a glorified advert
I’m sorry to bitch
But it’s true, coz I’ve been there
I’ve seen it and done it
Folk send in their “stories”
There’s no way they will run it
Yet there’s always that hope
That in amongst all the waste
Is a beautiful gem
They can copy and paste
Full of insight, and wisdom
Knowledge and skill
The work of a lifetime
Broken down and distilled
To a couple of sentences
Sometimes much more
That sheds light on a topic
Like never before
For that they will thank you
Be you butcher or baker
Dentist or broker
Or candlestick maker
For you are the expert
That means you have the clout
To transform your marketing
Of that there’s no doubt
The challenge for you
On this Valentine’s Day
Is to drop them a line
When the chance comes your way
So, apart from poems of questionable quality, how do you make the media fall in love with you?
There’s no need for incantations and you will be pleased to see that neither eye of newt nor toe of frog are on your shopping list.
However, we are going to weave something of a spell here as we aim to at least get you a date with your target media.
By the end of it, you might even be holding hands. OOOOOOhhhhhh.
All too often when people chat to me at events, they seem keen to find ‘sneaky ways’ to get the press to cover them.
Almost like they are trying to get away with being covered by them before they are rumbled!
A bit like online dating but using a VERY old photo or perhaps exaggerating some of your ‘achievements’ in the hope that they will pique interest.
The problem is, this strategy will only work in the short-term before you are rumbled, if indeed it works at all.
Are we in a relationship?
I want you to be more mature about what you want from each other in any potential media relationship.
I want you to think about what you BOTH bring to the party. It shouldn’t just be about you getting media coverage, it should be about them getting a great story so they can sell more copies or clicks.
It is a win/win for both of you.
I want you to start looking for a relationship where you are perfect for one another.
The problem is, although it is perfectly possible to DIY when it comes to PR, too many people are focused on What’s In It For Me?
To be really good at the PR game, you need to think about What’s In It For Us?
You need to find the right media partner, the perfect fit for your business, not your ego.
You need to find common ground where you and the journalist are greater than the sum of your parts. You need to add some Valentine’s Value.
If you work with this approach, you will soon start to find that you are doing less of the chasing and the media suitors are actually flocking to you for a date.
Valentine’s Day was originally a celebration of the coming of spring. If you start to work with my approach you will soon find your PR and marketing campaign is blooming marvellous.
Or you could just send them flowers, it’s a start.
A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press for Attention PR in 2008.He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective.
See this article in the February issue of East Midlands Business Link Magazine here.
The UK’s largest inland marina reports high demand for a new £6 million mixed used development for which planning permission was recently confirmed.
Councillors at South Derbyshire District Council approved the plans for the Mercia Marina development, known as the Promenade, last March – but have now formally green-lit the scheme, paving the way for construction to start.
The Promenade will house 14 apartments above seven ground floor retail units.
Made from glass, stone and timber, the building will mirror two similar developments, which have been created at the 77-acre site, near Willington, over the past decade – the Boardwalk and Piazza.
Mercia Marina has grown from a former fishing lake in a gravel pit to becoming one of the leading leisure and tourism businesses in the East Midlands, supporting more than 300 jobs directly, and many more indirectly.
It has moorings for more than 600 narrowboats, as well as housing dozens of holiday lodges.
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