< PreviousEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk30PROPERTYWhen’s the besttime to investin foreignproperty? NowThinking of investing inforeign property butunsure when to take theplunge? We asked PeterJenkins, managingdirector of Lincoln-basedluxury holiday specialistSun-hat Villas & Resorts,why he thinks EastMidlands propertyinvestors should belooking further afield rightnow. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MACGYVERHHEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 30www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 31Why now, we hear you ask. Surelyinvesting in foreign property in thecurrent climate is a fool’s errand?Wrong, says Jenkins. “Following the UK’s decision to leavethe European Union in June, many havebeen under the impressionthat property investment on thecontinent would be a foolish move”, hesays. “However, despite the British Sterlingdecreasing to record lows against theEuro and a volatile exchange rate, signssuggest that such impressions areinaccurate.“Despite all the recent fluctuations inthe market, now is in fact the perfecttime to snap up a bargain abroad andinvest in foreign property. Privateowners who have been spooked byrecent events are looking to quickly off-load holiday homes and are doing so atcheap prices. Consequently, there aresome excellent deals to be had if youlook around and have the ability to actquickly”.“With interest rates at nearly zero, andpredicted to remain at historically lowlevels for the foreseeable future”, saysJenkins, “there is little point in usingyour excess money or savings to makecash investment, as you won’t be seeingsignificant returns on these investmentsfor probably a couple more years.“Conversely, borrowing money is nowcheaper than ever, meaning now is theperfect time to take out a loan for theright investment, such as a second homeor property to rent in Europe”.But what are the benefits?“Investing in a property portfolioabroad also offers a tangible asset thatcan also be used for your own purposes,such as adding to your retirement nestegg”, says Jenkins. “Fancy a spur of the moment citybreak (if you buy a city apartment) or ahome from home in hotter climates thatcan be used whenever you wish (if youdon’t need the rental income)? Owningforeign property opens up manyopportunities. Often, aninvestment property can make a returnjust on the peak and shoulder months,freeing up ample time for off-peakbreaks and holidays for yourself, andyour friends and family”.“Villa holidays have never been morepopular, highlighted by Sun-hat’s ownconsistent multi-year growth”, he says. “In the weeks following the Brexitresult, the company reported an 18percent increase in bookings comparedto the previous year. This trendcontinued into August, when bookingswere again up 10 percent compared toAugust 2015. Clearly, the British desirefor a life under the sun has not beendiminished.“Income from rentals in sought afterdestinations, such as TheAlgarve, Lanzarote and Spain, can offera very attractive return in your initialinvestment, as well as the potential forcapital growth. By working closely withthe right agent, you can ensure that yourinvestment property is marketedeffectively and achieves the kind ofreturn you expect and makes yourinvestment worth it”.“Now is the ideal moment to purchaseproperty abroad due to low interestrates and current property ownerslooking to sell quickly amid Brexituncertainty”, he adds.“Just ensure it is indeed in your bestinterests financially, do your researchinto areas abroad that are, or willbecome, popular destinations to makeyour investment as valuable as possible,and seek advice from experienced andtrusted agencies and advisors”.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MARCIN KRZYZAKEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 31East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk32PLASTICSLeicestershire-based injectingmoulding business Rutland Plastics iscelebrating its 60th anniversary, andrecently received the award for BestEnergy and EnvironmentalProgramme of the Year at theprestigious Plastics Industry Awards2016. EMBL spoke to director SteveAyre to find out more. What’s the story behindthe business?Rutland Plastics started in 1956. Itwas founded by my grandfather andhis business partner. I went away touniversity and did other things, butthe business was always somethingI wanted to be involved in, so Iarrived in 2004 as general manager. Like most businesses in oursector we took a hit in 2008-09. Ourorders fell off a cliff and we wentQ&ASteve Ayre, Rutland Plasticsdown to 85 people, but we’vegrown steadily since then and nowemploy 140. Tell us about your GreenAward. Why issustainability importantto you?We use a lot of electricity, andit’s a significant cost. We’re alwayslooking for ways to reduce ourcosts, so a sustainable approachSteve Ayre (third from left, holding award)EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 32www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 33makes sense for two reasons – it’sbetter for the environment, and thereare commercial drivers as well. At Rutland Plastics our lighting andcooling systems are all green, and thereare a number of solar panels on site. It’salways a focus for us. Do others in our industry take thesame approach? I suppose it dependshow much energy they’re using, but Icertainly know of other moulders whohave a green strategy. Is creating local jobssomething you look to do?We recognise that we’re part of acommunity and have been for 60 years.Rutland Plastics is a family business andwe have families working for us. Theimperative is to create consistentemployment. We’re not interested inhiring and firing quickly. Skills shortages are an issue to acertain extent, but we always traininternally. We have apprentices andtake on a student from LoughboroughUniversity every year. How do you plan to growthe business?The plan is to grow at our current sitefor the time being, and to use the assetswe already have more effectively. Weare not the sort of business that goes infor acquisitions and the like. In terms of growing our turnover, thatreally depends on the type of customerwe can attract. Has the Brexit vote causedyou to change yourstrategy?Only time will tell if it’s a real blow. Iwasn’t expecting the leave vote tohappen, personally, but we will weatherthe storm whatever transpires. We’re allabout minimising risk where we can, soI wouldn’t say we’ve modified ourapproach because of the referendumresult. In the end, businesses can’t afford tosit and wait to see what happens. Would you say the EastMidlands’ manufacturingsector is on the up? Location isn’t necessarily thatimportant to us, but yes, I would saythe sector is in good health. EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 33East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk34Brewin Dolphinand NPS gobonkers forconkersBrewin Dolphinand NPS gobonkers forconkersWealth managers Brewin Dolphinand independent professionalservices network NottinghamProfessional Services (NPS) stagedwhat they believed to be the city’sbiggest ever charity conkerschallenge on Friday 21st October atthe Galleries of Justice Museum. A total of £2500 was raised forNottinghamshire Hospice, whoseteam emerged victorious on theday. The runner-up wasNottingham-based agencyDistinction UK. Old adversaries Robin Hood andthe Sheriff of Nottingham kicked offthe competition, which saw teamsof two from a host of localbusinesses battle it out for the topspot previously held by FraserBrown.OUT OF OFFICEEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 34www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 35EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 35PHOTOS: MARCUS HOLDSWORTHCALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERSIf you are holding an event and would like one of our photographers to come along pleasecontact Ian Evans at i.evans@blmgroup.co.ukCan you spot yourself?Nottingham-based law firm Rothera Sharp teamed up withBaresca last month to hold a special tapas and wine tasting eventfor guests and staff.During the course of the evening Baresca’s resident wineexpert guided attendees through a selection of Spanish wines,paired with a variety of tapas dishes. Anton Balkitis, partner at Rothera Sharp said: “This marks thefirst client networking event since Rothera Dowson and SharpYoung & Pearce merged in June. It was wonderful to see somany people enjoying great food and drinks whilst chatting andnetworking. It’s safe to say everyone had a fantastic time!”Rothera Sharp tapasand wine evening East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk36BUSINESS SCENEEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 36OTOS: MARCUS HOLDSWORTHwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 37Register now for our latest breakfast eventThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is set to deliver his firstAutumn Statement this month. But what’s in it, and what willit mean for businesses? Will Philip Hammond’s proposals to“reset” the UK economy in the wake of Brexit have a positiveor negative effect on business?Our latest breakfast event, sponsored by Freeths, willdiscuss the contents of this year’s Autumn Statement andassess whether or not it fulfils the expectations of businessesin the region. A Q&A with our expert speakers will concludethe event.Date: Tuesday 29th November Time: 8am – 9.30am (breakfast will be provided) Venue: Freeths, 80 Mount Street, Nottingham, NG1 6HH Speakers: Kevin Edwards, Tax Partner, RSM UK, NottinghamChris Hobson, Director of Policy and External Affairs, EastMidlands ChamberRon Lynch, East Midlands Regional Director at the theInstitute of Directors (IoD)Click here to register for your free tickets to this eventWhat will theAutumn Statementmean for YOURbusiness? AUTUMN STATEMENTEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 37AUTOLINKJaguar XESafety firstAs winter nears, our minds turn to which are the safest cars to drive. This monthwe look across some of the cars recently tested to see which models offer thebest protection. East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk38EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 38Subaru LevorgModern cars come with plenty of active andpassive safety systems to protect us in the event ofsomething going awry but that’s little comfort tothose involved in an incident. What we want issomething to keep us out of trouble in the firstplace, so here’s a selection of cars we’ve tested oflate that should fare better under more challengingclimatic conditions.First up is the Subaru Levorg - Subaru has astrong reputation for rugged, well built cars withexcellent four-wheel-drive systems and this lesserknown model with an admittedly strange soundingname, is just the job. The name is a portmanteau,if you will, of the words: LEgacy, reVOlution, andtouRinG. If you’ve read our road tests in previous issuesyou’ll know it’s very capable in slippery conditionsand although Subaru is more focused onroadholding than performance its 168bhp 1.6 litreboxer engine certainly does the business. It’s arefined unit that doesn’t get too vocal when revved.Its resistance to roll is very impressive and, in ourbook, it handles impeccably so should keepreaders safe throughout the darker nights whenyou’re caught unawares. It also scored highly inEuroNCAPS performance tests in the event ofcollisions. So if you are unlucky enough to bebroadsided by someone, or hit head on, youshould be well protected. If the Levorg doesn’t quite float your boat, thencast your eyes over our test this month on theSubaru Forester, the car that virtually pioneeredcrossovers. Jaguar’s XE is worthy of mention too - scoring92% on adult occupant safety the range received apart time four wheel drive diesel version earlierthis year making it a formidable choice. Jaguar’ssystem works by sending power to only the rearwheels in normal driving conditions, to conservefuel, but when the Intelligent Driveline Dynamicsdetects a loss in traction, torque transfers to thefront wheels. It’s certainly a driver’s car - it handles superbly,grips well and has sharp handling to boot and asthe body is made from lightweight aluminium it’s agreat car to drive with all the hallmarks of a‘proper’ Jaguar, although better environmentalcredentials than the Jags of old. 40 Áwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 39EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 39Next >