JUNE 2022 EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK £3.50 Under pressure Prioritising mental health Innovating agriculture 01.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:17 Page 1www.oms.uk.com 01530 833 533 info@oms.uk.com Helping you to perform at the highest level OMS have delivered consultancy and training services throughout the Midlands and UK for over 22 years. We are a leading authority in health and safety, employment, quality, environmental and business continuity management systems and training. Our tailored solutions support organisations throughout the UK. Could we help you too? Some of the benefits of using OMS 3 5 star Trustpilot rating. 3 Trusted by many major and local organisations to deliver consultancy and training. 3 Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 45001 for “The provision of Consultancy and Training Services” giving you the assurance that we have management controls in place to provide a quality offering safely, with minimal impact on the environment. 3 Easy access to our training centre, with free car parking, centrally located just a few minutes from Junction 22 of the M1. 3 Covid Secure training centre and head office. 3 Approved CITB touch screen (ITC) test centre, which allows you to attend a Site Safety Plus Health & Safety Awareness course and your touch screen test on the same day. 3 Wide range of health and safety e-learning courses. 3 Accredited to run a wide variety of courses at our training centre at Bardon Hill. 3 NEBOSH Gold training provider. Visit www.oms.uk.com , call us on 01530 833 533 or email info@oms.uk.com to learn more about us and how we can enhance your organisation. Our customers say Excellent 4.8 our of 5 based on 336 reviews 02.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:17 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 3 EDITORS NOTES Devolution could not have come at a better time given the absolute show of incompetence and rule breaking taking place in Westminster. As Boris Johnson continues to make a mockery of the office and the lockdown, and as he now seems poised to pledge to bring back imperial measurements despite their inaccuracy, businesses in the East Midlands have been pretty much left on their own. This is a trend that doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon, as once Boris does get a grip on reality, he’ll be busy dealing with the issues in Northern Ireland. Promises have been made to address the cost of living, but then promises have been made and broken so often by this Government that they don’t really matter anymore. The truth is that business leaders will have to rely on themselves and their own ability to do business to survive and thrive in the upcoming months, and even years ahead. As the world becomes ever more uncertain, and as political leaders across the globe become increasingly erratic, the ups and downs of the economic market may become something we just have to get used to. It’s been a while since we could honestly look at the economy and call it strong and stable anyway, so this new, erratic market may become the norm. The focus, therefore, is on making companies resilient as well as efficient. Gone are the days when it was enough to squeeze every drop of profit out of a product or service with no regard for the future. More than profit, more than return on investment, the question of how resilient a service or company is to a massive change will become steadily more relevant. If there is another pandemic in the future, can the company adapt? If another war breaks out, will its supply chain remain steady? If a recession hits, can you keep trading? If the employment market does not improve, how low can job turnover be kept? Redundancies, backups, plan B’s and the ability to weather the storm of these unknown and unpredictable variables is going to become the name of the game in the coming years – and the worst part is that it need not be this way. It need not be, but it’s looking increasingly like it will be. Michael Fisher Editor 03.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:18 Page 1@BLMEastMidlands BLMEastMidlands Latest news 6 A round-up of the latest news from our region. Stokes Tea & Coffee Q&A 16 120 years with a trained eye on the future! Commercial property 18 Closed stores, lesser footfall and a lack of respect – city and town centres have taken a beating since COVID, but now local councils are stepping up to tackle the issue. Agri-business spotlight21 The agri-tech industry is changing greatly thanks to pressures from the war in Ukraine and the Government’s pledge for Net Zero emissions. Thankfully, the red tape might be lifting. Tax 24 Jennie Brown, tax partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, offers ‘marginal gains tax tips’. Health and safety 26 With work-related mental health issues on the rise, costing employers £56bn in 2020-21, businesses must ensure they have an effective mental wellbeing strategy in place. Hopkins Solicitors Q&A 30 Hopkins Solicitors Legal Guide to Debt Collection Insurance 32 Markets change and insurance is no exception. In a post-COVID world the rules may soon be changing. It’s best for East Midlands companies to have a solid grasp of what that might mean. Construction35 A war in Ukraine and a labour shortage are holding back what would otherwise be one of the strongest sectors in the country. Public relations 38 Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and the PR and Communications Ambassador for the IoD in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, shows what can be learned from Tesco’s recent advertising ‘controversy’. Logistics 40 A key logistics hub for the UK, the East Midlands continues to expand its offering to the industry. Networking44 Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency, considers what it means to be successful. Meet the experts 46 Finding the right expert can be difficult, but the key is looking for someone who can understand your business almost as well as you can, and who can apply that knowledge to their field of expertise. Precision FM Q&A 48 People and passion over profits GF Tomlinson 50 Opening ceremony to mark completion of new £3.4m fire station in Worksop AutoLink52 When choosing your next new car it can be all too easy to get caught up in the moment. The excitement of those new models glistening under the showroom lights can, occasionally, cause buyers to later regret their decision, especially if we later discover there was a new improved model tucked away that the dealership didn’t want you to know about. JUNE 2022 EAST MIDLANDS £3.50 LEADING BUSINESS MA AGAZINE essuUnder pr health Prioritisin eur Innovang mental eating agricultur www.blmgroup.co.uk Cover photographs courtesy: stock.adobe.com/Melanie Kocheva • Tomasz Zajda • kasto • Pixel-Shot • kinwun Contents June 2022 Corporate hospitality 55 For some, it may have been a while since they’ve had to speak at a public event – at least one that wasn’t hosted virtually – and a little reminder of the key points might make all the difference. Out of office 58 Good news from across the region. Events60 A timely look at forthcoming business events around the East Midlands. And finally...62 Here’s Frazer’s collection of the weird and wonderful ‘news’ that came his way over the last few weeks. 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:18 Page 140 Group Editor Steve Fisher s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Editor Michael Fisher m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Journalist Tess Egginton t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk Sales Director Angela Cooper a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman accounts@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson studio@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310304 E-Mail: eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.uk Publisher Haychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group, Huntingdon House, 278-290 Huntingdon Street, Nottingham NG1 3LY All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:18 Page 2 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk GENERAL NEWS APSS become proud sponsors of C2C2C 100-mile bike ride Lincolnshire-based commercial interior design and fit out business APSS has sponsored the 11th annual charity 100-mile bike ride, submitting its largest team of 17 riders to take on the challenge. The Castle to Coast to Castle (C2C2C) bike ride first started with 79 riders in a bid to get local businesspeople out of the office and onto their bikes. Now in its 11th year, more than 600 riders take part for local charities. This year the event will raise money for charities including the APSS charity of the year St Barnabas Hospice in addition to EDAN Lincs, Headway Lincolnshire and Just Lincolnshire. Laurence Barrass, APSS Managing Director, said: “As a company, APSS wants to help support and strengthen its local community. It’s a great bonding opportunity for our staff, clients, and supply chain alike and is always an excellent challenge for all involved. This year we have a team of 17 people, 10 of which are APSS staff. East Midlands firms win place on £1.56bn civils and infrastructure framework Two East Midlands-based contractors have been appointed to a new £1.56bn civils and infrastructure framework. The news came as national procurement firm Pagabo announced the appointment of 48 suppliers to their brand-new £1.56bn civils and infrastructure framework, which goes live on 1 June 2022. The awards include Winvic Construction and Whitehouse Construction, Buckingham Group, John Sisk and Son and Galliford Try Construction. The new framework will run for four years until May 2026 and will allow local authorities and public sector bodies to procure a range of projects such as rail, nuclear, bridges, roads, maritime, telecommunications, water, and alternative power projects. The company has appointed 48 core and reserve suppliers across the four framework lots, which cover value bands of up to £30m and above. This provides ample supplier choice for clients, with the geographical breakdown also providing equal opportunities SMEs alongside large organisations. Access Training achieves EPA Centre of Excellence status High pass rates and a high number of distinctions are why Access Training (East Midlands) Ltd has been chosen as a Centre of Excellence for End-Point Assessment (EPA), according to City and Guilds. The organisation, which has training centres in both Nottingham and Derby, joins only 100 of independent training providers/colleges and employer providers across England and Wales to be awarded this standard. It has been delivering EPA through City and Guilds since the Apprenticeship Standards were first introduced in 2017, for apprenticeships ranging from Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 to Team Leader Supervisor Level 3, and Operations and Departmental Manager Level 5. This follows a number of qualifications delivered in partnership with City and Guilds for over three decades, including in the areas of Childcare, Health and Social Care, Customer Service, Teacher and Assessor Training and Construction. 06-15.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:23 Page 1West & East Midlands deliver stand-out FDI performance in 2021, new EY report reveals The Midlands delivered a strong Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) performance last year, according to the 2022 EY Attractiveness Survey, with both the West and East Midlands seeing their number of FDI-backed projects growing at a faster rate than the rest of the UK. The East Midlands hosted 39 projects in 2021, up 2.6% from the 38 projects in 2020 and the same number of projects as 2019. By comparison, UK project numbers grew just 1.8% from 975 in 2020 to 993 in 2021. The East Midlands also has good reasons for optimism about future growth, with 8.6% of investors surveyed by EY describing it as the most attractive UK region for investment, behind only London (26.9%), Scotland (15.8%) and the South East (9.3%). The East Midlands’ 2021 project total was above its 10-year average of 34.6 and more than double the 17 projects in the region in 2012. East Midlands business confidence returns to growth in May Business confidence in the East Midlands rose nine points during May to 25%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in the East Midlands reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up one point at 20%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 17 points at 30%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 25%. The region’s businesses identified a range of growth opportunities for the next six months, including hiring new employees and investing in the development of their teams (41%), evolving their offering with new products or services (27%) and diversifying into new markets (24%). www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link GENERAL NEWS • Commercial • Events • Headshots • Automotive • Fashion CALL OR EMAIL FOR A QUOTE 07506 998855 STEVE@STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Creating eye-catching images to help businesses build their brands and engage with clients. 06-15.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:23 Page 2APPOINTMENTS Further expansion of the FHP agency team FHP Property Consultants have announced further expansion of their Retail & Leisure agency team, with the appointment of Ellis Cullen. Ellis brings with her 3 years of property experience in the East Midlands having previously worked for NG Chartered Surveyors. Ellis joins at an exciting time for the business where it is seeing growth in all sectors and will add to FHP’s aims of trying to provide the best possible service to clients new and old alike. FHP were ranked the 4th most active retail agent nationally in 2021 by EG Radius, transacting on 430,000 sq ft of accommodation. Director Alan Pearson commented: “I am delighted that we have found the need to be on the recruitment trail again. We are continuing to experience good levels of enquires for retail and leisure properties throughout the Midlands and the ongoing transactional volumes has resulted in the need to expand our team to service our valued client, both new and existing.” East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk George Square appoints new advisers to meet demand for mortgage advice Two experienced mortgage advisers have joined George Square Financial Management’s Nottingham city centre office team. In line with the firm’s corporate expansion plans, Phil Browne and Alex Barrett join as mortgage protection advisers to meet growing demand for impartial mortgage advice and specialist lending in the region. With 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Phil Browne has specialised in providing professional mortgage services for several firms in London and Brisbane for the last 20 years. Nottingham born and raised, he returns to the region to lay roots at a well-established local business and is looking forward to using his knowledge of the area in his new role. Alex Barrett also joins the team as a mortgage and protection adviser. CeMap qualified and with several years’ experience under his belt within the financial services sector, Alex will be responsible for providing high quality mortgage and protection advice and support to George Square’s roster of clients. He joins the firm from a high-street estate agency, where he worked as a mortgage consultant. Martin Ward relinquishes position on Mather Jamie management board Leicestershire-based specialist land development and property consultancy, Mather Jamie has announced that one of its founding directors, Martin Ward, has relinquished his position on its management board. Martin was one of the founders of the company in 1991, and has sold his remaining shares to fellow directors Rob Cole and Andrew Bamber over recent years. Since then, he has relinquished responsibility for business operations but continued managing an extensive and long standing client portfolio. He will remain a director of the company and the Mather Jamie management board now comprises Robert Cole, Andrew Bamber, Alex Reid and Gary Owens. Whilst Martin has stepped down from his managerial responsibilities, he will continue to focus on the completion of a number of deals that are in the pipeline for his long standing clients, including his work on the sustainable urban extension at New Lubbesthorpe on behalf of the Drummond Trust, and advising the Harpur Crewe Estate on short and medium term residential and commercial development south of Derby, including Infinity Park and Infinity Park Garden Village. 06-15.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:23 Page 3PR expert Mike Shields joins eComOne to shape digital PR offering Lincoln-based eCommerce Growth Agency, eComOne has appointed Mike Shields to head up its Digital PR department. Mike started his career in 2008 as a journalist working on regional newspapers and B2B titles which then progressed to heading up PR departments in B2B, communications and international agencies. His award-winning work has been featured across all major newspapers and hundreds of niche titles and he has helped launch several long-running business podcasts for clients. CEO and founder of eComOne, Richard Hill says: “Mike is a hugely respected PR professional in Lincolnshire who has already started making an impact on the calibre of our agency. His wealth of knowledge and impressive network has impressed our existing clients and we can’t wait to grow this department further by introducing retention marketing.” Mike Shields, head of Digital PR says: “I’m really excited to be part of a team of SEO experts, the link between Digital PR and this part of marketing is intrinsic and I’m looking forward to bolstering our offering. eComOne has a wide variety of really engaging clients that I’m hoping to be able to make an impact with.” Employment law specialist joins Sills & Betteridge LLP The firm has welcomed Aleksandra Flack as an associate solicitor to its employment law team in a move which will benefit employers, public sector organisations, charities, HR professionals and employees across the region. She provides assistance and advice on all aspects of employment law and has considerable experience and a very successful track record of representing clients in Employment Tribunal proceedings where she has negotiated many favourable and significant settlements, for both employees and employers. Additionally, Aleks delivers bespoke training to HR professionals and managers, and is a popular event speaker. Stephen Britton, head of employment law, is delighted with the appointment: “Aleks is a perfect addition to the team. She has a high level of expertise and her energy, enthusiasm and genuine passion for putting the client first really shines through.” For Aleks the position represents an exciting new opportunity: “I am really excited to start my role at Sills & Betteridge Solicitors and look forward to supporting businesses and individuals with the employment- related matters and challenges they face. Sills & Betteridge is a well-established firm that puts clients first and I am delighted to be part of its ambitious plans for the future.” The firm has grown significantly over the last 5 years through organic and acquired growth, and now has 15 offices and over 330 partners and staff. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link APPOINTMENTS Intoware appoints new marketing manager for future growth Nottingham-based digital workflow firm Intoware has appointed a new marketing manager to support the next phase of its growth. Elenor Gordon joins from Ochiba Business Solutions, an SAP Business One reseller, where she was marketing manager for seven years. In her new role, Elenor Gordon will lead Intoware’s marketing and brand activities as it continues to expand its global client base, reseller partnerships and develops its digital work- instruction platform, WorkfloPlus that empowers the frontline workforce through ‘connected working’. Elenor Gordon brings to the role more than 25 years of delivering strategic marketing campaigns for businesses, of which 14 years were working within the technology and software industries using her creative skills to deliver business growth. At Ochiba Business Solutions she was responsible for targeting various markets including manufacturing, marine, energy, construction and aerospace. Her career began at Kingston Business Communications Ltd, where she split her time between the IT and marketing departments. It was there that she realised the importance of technology for operating successful marketing operations and the value of bringing a logical approach to problem solving that she has used throughout her career. 06-15.qxp_Layout 1 07/06/2022 09:23 Page 4Next >