Croda named as top chemical company for sixth successive year
Saith-based chemical company Croda International Plc has been named as the UK’s top chemical business in the annual Britain’s Most Admired Companies study for the sixth year running.
Winning its sector across 12 of the 13 key criteria companies were rated on, Croda also placed 14th overall, from the 259 leading British companies across 28 sectors taking part in the study.
Established in 1990, Britain’s Most Admired Companies is the UK’s longest running annual survey of corporate reputation. The competition is unique in that the winners are voted by board representatives, analysts and City commentators. The awards recognise factors critical to business success across categories, including sustainability, quality of products and services, inspirational leadership, ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent and capacity to innovate.
Steve Foots, Chief Exec of Croda said: “Being voted top of the UK chemicals sector for the sixth time is an amazing achievement. I am always extremely proud to win this award as it is voted for by our peers and organisations that we admire.
This award really is thanks to every one of our employees at Croda, their hard work and dedication in bringing our Purpose to life thorough sustainability and innovation.”
Housing Partnership wins RoSPA silver award
Lincolnshire Housing Partnership has been awarded the RoSPA Silver Award for our excellent health and safety performance throughout 2022.
Will Buxton is Health and Safety Manager at LHP, which owns and manages 12,500 and has 400 employees. He said: “We are thrilled to have received the RoSPA Silver Award for our health and safety performance in 2022.
“This is a significant achievement for us, and it shows that we are working to an incredibly high standard.
“I would like to thank all our colleagues for their support throughout the submission process, and I am proud of the work our Health and Safety Team has done to make this possible. We will continue to strive for excellence in health and safety, making LHP a safe and healthy place to work for all.”
Alex Dixon, LHP’s Executive Director of Property added: “Winning the RoSPA Silver Award for our exceptional health and safety performance throughout 2022 is a true testament to our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety in the workplace.
“We are proud of our Health and Safety Team, and all our colleagues at LHP, for their dedication to creating a culture of safety and making LHP a safe and healthy place to work for all.”
Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said:
“Accidents at work and work-related ill health don’t just have huge financial implications or cause major disruption – they significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. That’s why good safety performance deserves to be recognised and rewarded.
“We are thrilled that Lincolnshire Housing Partnership has won a RoSPA Award and would like to congratulate them on showing an unwavering commitment to keeping their employees, clients and customers safe from accidental harm and injury.”
Sponsored by Croner-i, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for the health and safety industry.
LHP would like to thank all our teams for their commitment to working safely and promoting a strong health and safety culture. This award is a fantastic recognition of LHP’s ongoing efforts to maintain the highest standards of health and safety in the workplace.
Excellence Awards recognise business successes in Goole
Businesses from across the area have been recognised at the 2023 Goole and Howdenshire Business Excellence Awards which were held at Goole Academy.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Blair Jacobs who paid a poignant tribute to his predecessor Harry Gration, who had been a stalwart of the event from the start and who presented last year’s awards shortly before his untimely death.
Blair, who had worked with Harry at the BBC, said Harry was “the consummate professional who was admired greatly by all who knew and worked with him.” This year, the Business Of The Year Award was renamed in his honour, and the judging panel chose Goole Sports Therapy as the recipient of the Harry Gration Business Of The Year Awardwhich was sponsored by PA Media and presented by Gareth Brammall.
The other big winner of the night was popular local butcher Philip Parkin, who was chosen by the organising committee to receive the Tim Richardson Lifetime Achievement Award. Philip, who runs Parkin Family Butchers, is a stalwart of Howden’s Market Place, and well known for his cheerful banter with customers, entertaining posts on social media and charity fundraising activities. Philip took over the family run business from his parents, Roy and Sylvia, and received a standing ovation as he made his way to the stage to receive his award.
The independent panel of judges waded through around 60 entries before coming up with their final shortlist and then choosing a winner for each of the award categories. The winners were:
Rising Star Of The Year Award – sponsored by Grotech Production and presented by Martin Usher: Natalie Holliday of PA Media (TV Metadata)
Small Business Of The Year Award – sponsored by MNA Group and presented by Mark Newman: E-Flooring
Large Business Of The Year Award – sponsored by Chronicle Publications and presented by Emily Collins: Repair and Restore Body Shop
Hugh Walton Community Champion Award – sponsored by H. Walton and presented by Charlie Walton: M. Dairies
Marketing Excellence Award – sponsored by Filstorage and presented by Paul Taylor: Goole Sports Therapy
Charity Of The Year Award – sponsored by Jos. Richardson & Son and presented by Joseph Richardson: A Shining Light
Training And Development Award – sponsored by Drax and presented by Jane Breach: FMG Repair Services
Self-employed/Micro Business of the Year Award – Siemens, presented by Jo Cox: AB Coaching
New Business Of The Year – sponsored by Danbrit, presented by Peter Aarosin: Accountancy Tuition Academy
Team Of The Year – sponsored by Fisher Security, presented by Steve Davies: Goddards Care
Garrey Haase, Chair of the organising committee, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who entered and attended the awards evening, as well as all of our sponsors and supporters. We couldn’t do it without you all! Well done to all of our shortlisted finalists and huge congratulations to our very deserving winners!”
Reward makes key promotion
SME funding provider Reward Finance Group has strengthened its client relationship operations across Yorkshire, by promoting Chris Ibbetson to head it up.
With Reward providing tailored business finance loans and asset based solutions to SMEs across the UK, Chris will now lead the client relationship team in Yorkshire and also have responsibility for London, the North East and Scotland.
Chris has been with Reward for over four years, having joined from Yorkshire Bank where he spent eight years within corporate and private banking.
These key changes form part of the lender’s increased investment in people internally, its commitment to supporting SMEs through every step of their finance journey and to support the growth of its regional offices, particularly those in their relative infancy.
Reward is fast closing in on 500 clients, with that number having almost doubled over the last three years with its newer offices in Birmingham, London and Scotland contributing significantly to that pace of growth. These changes embrace the shifting nature of the business and transition to a truly national lender.
Gemma Wright, Managing Director for Reward in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “We’ve achieved outstanding growth across Yorkshire so it felt the right time to put this new structure in place and invest in our client relationship team.
“Chris is well placed to drive this area of the business forward in the region, he has a proven track record and a strong client-centric approach to providing commercial finance which meets SME’s business needs. I am looking forward to seeing the continued growth of the team under Chris’ guidance.”
Chris Ibbetson, regional operations manager for Reward, said: “Our growth has always been underpinned by solid client relationships and guiding the SME through every stage of the lending process.
“Getting under the skin of the client’s business requirements and finding a common sense solution doesn’t just stop when the deal is done, with ongoing collaboration between lender, broker and borrower a hallmark of our success.”
Levelling Up grant to bring Hull’s West Street Arcade back into use
A Levelling Up Funding grant has been awarded by Hull City Council to an exciting retail opportunity.
The council has provided £205,000 worth of funding to bring back into use West Street Arcade in Hull city centre.
The total cost of the project is £450,000 and creation of 10 shops will bring further employment to the city centre.
The dilapidated building has received planning permission after MMR Investment Limited applied for a full building restoration in 2021, as well as a rear extension last year.
The grant award will go towards these plans which will see 450 sq m over two floors of retail space created and the building split into 10 smaller units.
Renovation will include a full rewire of the building, installation of fixtures and fittings and all of the windows to be replaced.
Garry Taylor, Hull City Council’s assistant director for major projects, culture and place, said: “I am delighted the council is able to award this funding to MMR Investment Limited.
“It will help to bring back into use vacant units, in turn providing local jobs, and is another great example of excellent regeneration work done in the city centre.”
Yorkshire Dales hotel sold to luxury holiday home operator
The Burgoyne hotel in the Yorkshire Dales has been sold to luxury holiday home operator, Maison Parfaite.
Set within the Swaledale Valley, in the village of Reeth, this Grade II listed hotel has 11 bedrooms, a guest lounge and the 1783 Restaurant, which holds an AA Rosette. The building sits prominently in the village, overlooking the green, with stunning fell views from both the front and the rear.
Previous owner, Ian Hewitt is a Yorkshire born-and-bred, semi-retired oil executive, who now resides on the south coast of England. From here, he managed to oversee the hotel’s refurbishment, which transformed it into a very popular and highly profitable hospitality business.
Ian says: “During a ‘coast to coast’ walk in 2017, I stayed for a night in The Burgoyne and was attracted by the charm of the building and potential it had as a business. I felt that with the right level of investment, both structurally and operationally, it could be one of the best boutique hotels in the county. I was aware that it was available for sale and so I returned shortly after my walk, approached the seller and a deal was struck.”
Commenting on his decision to sell, Ian adds: “After a few years of driving the business forward, largely from afar, I decided that the time had come to let someone else take the reins and to capitalise on the investments I had made. Mark Worley of Christie & Co, had been advising me for a while, with regards to the state of the post-covid market and so I engaged him and Christie & Co to help find me a buyer.”
The new owners, husband and wife team, Sarah and Sean McDermott are the founders of Yorkshire-based hospitality company, Maison Parfaite which operates luxury holiday homes across the North East.
Sarah says: “My husband, Sean and I are absolutely thrilled with our new acquisition. We first stayed at The Burgoyne a few years back, when we were renovating our very first holiday home in Aysgarth, just in the next Dale!
“We instantly fell in love with The Burgoyne, so when it came up for sale, we just had to add her to our portfolio of fabulous holiday homes in our Maison Parfaite portfolio. We are very grateful to Ian and for all at Christie & Co, for allowing us the opportunity to purchase this wonderful, iconic building and we’ll be sure to do her justice with a fabulous renovation coming soon.”
Mark Worley, director and hospitality agent with Christie & Co, who brokered the deal, says: “The Burgoyne is a superbly presented hotel which generates excellent profits and boasts an idyllic location in a National Park. It therefore ticks three very important boxes on the list of current buyer requirements.
“We are very pleased that Sarah and Sean have bought the business, with the intention to continue to provide high quality accommodation for the Yorkshire tourist and leisure economy.
“This sale demonstrates that the current hotel market remains buoyant and the demand for hospitality businesses continues despite the challenges around operating costs.”
connective3 acquires Leeds Paid Media Performance agency Made Greater
Leeds-headquartered performance marketing agency connective3 have completed the acquisition of Paid Media Performance agency Made Greater, also based in Leeds, for an undisclosed sum.
connective3’s paid media offering has grown significantly across the last year as they achieved Google Premier Partner Status and were rated Top 3 in the UK for Google Ads Growth. Key client wins including Q Hotels and Ocado have further motivated the need to expand the team head count and expertise in this department.
Made Greater’s roots lie within the digital publishing space. Their approach to media buying techniques, and creative-led thinking is founded in the opportunities offered through leveraging a network of owned websites, and the full spectrum of paid social channels for traffic acquisition and conversion. Their unique approach and the expertise of their team are why they were chosen to add to the connective3 paid media offering.
Tim Grice, CEO at connective3, said: “The acquisition has enabled us to bring a huge amount of talent into the business and a wealth of experience in the paid social space. We’re going through a strong period of growth, but particularly in the paid media space winning accounts in the UK and internationally. The whole business is looking forward to working with the Made Greater team and excited about the opportunities it will create as we continue to build one of the strongest digital performance agencies in the UK.”
James Maisey, MD, Made Greater, said: “This is a hugely exciting time to become a part of connective3’s expanding team. Our philosophy at Made Greater has always been to prioritise innovative thinking and strategic dexterity in a fast-changing digital landscape – their ambitions and values match our own. This acquisition is a natural step that enables us to continue to nurture our existing brand relationships, whilst also providing an opportunity for us to support the growth of an already excellent paid media team, offering and client portfolio.”
New jobs to be created as almost 17 acres of North Lincolnshire land and property bought by Rainham Steel Company
Major investment is to lead to the creation of up to 60 new jobs following a deal in which independent international steel stockholder and distributor Rainham Steel Company has bought almost 17 acres of commercial land and properties in North Lincolnshire.
The business, which already services the UK, European and world markets from a 70 acre site and distribution facility in Scunthorpe, is to use the Althorpe Wharf site, in Station Road, Keadby, as a base for manufacturing reinforcement bar products.
The sale of the land, which was owned by RMS Trent Ports Limited, included open storage land and a number of industrial warehousing facilities, with a deal close to asking price agreed.
Rainham Steel Company is now to invest around £3.5m into developing the site over the coming year, installing plants and machinery in the existing facilities on site. Longer term plans are to build a dedicated new building on site.
The company supplies major steel fabricators, stockholders, construction companies, civil engineers and builders’ merchants, employing more than 180 members of staff. It already has four other sites in Scunthorpe.
The land had previously been used by RMS Trent Ports Limited to stock a variety of mainly bulk and steel based imports and exports.
The company, which handles all types from cargo through the Humber ports, turned to Hull-based commercial property specialists Garness Jones to sell the site after it became surplus to their business requirements.
Francis Micallef, operations director at Rainham Steel, said: “This is a really exciting announcement as we are going to be making a significant investment into this site to transform it into a northern reinforcement bar manufacturing site, adding to a similar one we have down south.
“We’ll initially be creating around 20 new jobs at the site, and we expect that number to increase to around 60 new jobs over the course of the year, as the site becomes fully operational.
“We’d actually looked around the site a few years ago as we’ve always enjoyed a good working relationship with RMS Trent Ports through their importing of steel. It wasn’t quite the right time then, but when we saw it on the market recently it was the perfect time and opportunity for us to add this new manufacturing facility.
“It’s obviously very pleasing to be able to put this large site into good use, expanding our operations and creating new employment in the region. We also have plans to reopen the Wharf on site in the future too.”
Chris Hyam, senior surveyor at Garness Jones, handled the deal and said: “We are delighted to have secured this sale for our client RMS Trent Ports Limited, as the site had become surplus to requirements for them.
“Following a short period of marketing we had strong levels of interest from developers and owner occupiers.
“It is an excellent acquisition for Rainham Steel, as they have secured a large site which can meet their expanding manufacturing and storage needs.
“The existing buildings allow for immediate expansion of their manufacturing processes and the surplus land allows for potential future development. It is a great deal for the local economy given it is leading to further significant investment and new jobs.”
Acquisitive pub chain sets sights on Yorkshire & Lincolnshire venues
A Derbyshire-headquartered independent pub company has revealed ambitious plans for the growth of its estate following new investment.
The Pub People Company is targeting the acquisition of up to 60 freehold venues across the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
The move is being financed by investment manager, Downing LLP, which has committed to expansion having acquired the business last year.Commercial property agent, FHP, has been appointed to source suitable properties to add to the Group’s estate, and is exploring opportunities with both independent pub owners and groups keen to sell.Formed in 1993, The Pub People Company has developed a reputation for cask ale and good value fresh food, underpinned by a quality estate and well-resourced central function. Its managed pubs includes an existing portfolio of 40 properties, which are based in and around Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, and Lincoln. Andy Crawford, Managing director of The Pub People Company, said: “The Pub People Company is keen to invest in further venues in the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire areas. We’ve got a great following in our current estate of 40 pubs and we would like to expand on those.“The pub sector continues to have its challenges but with a long established business, strong backing and well invested properties in the area, we’re keen to add to our estate. We are looking to acquire freehold pubs in community and town locations across the region and are keen to speak to individual pub owners and groups who may be looking to sell, so please do get in touch with our agents at FHP.”Doug Tweedie of FHP said: “This is an exciting time of expansion for The Pub People Company and we’re delighted to be helping them to find new freehold pub sites.“We’ve formed a strong team between the two parties, which means we are able to appraise and make decisions on new acquisitions quickly and efficiently. We’re looking forward to speaking to like-minded individual owners and pub groups about new opportunities.”
Businesses perceived as not doing enough on sustainable packaging
Consumer perception is that businesses are not doing enough when it comes to the issue of sustainability, a new study has found.
According to a study by accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO LLP, almost 60% of consumers surveyed believed that companies needed to do more to address sustainability.
Particular criticism was levelled at the electronics, home appliance, and fashion & beauty sectors for their use of packaging, with 60% of respondents stating that too much packaging material was used in these sectors. This compares to 40% and 50% in healthcare and groceries, respectively.
Daniel Guttmann, BDO Strategy & Commercial Due Diligence’s lead partner for industrial products, technology and services, said: “Sustainability continues to be a top issue for consumers and, therefore, has to be a key priority for corporates – packaging, in particular, is an important area which is also very visible to consumers.
“There is a popular consensus that companies use more packaging than is necessary and that they should take more responsibility for addressing this. That includes absorbing potentially higher costs, which is a real issue for many companies, but critical for their image and improving public perception.”
The UK-wide representative study, which surveyed 500 people between the ages of 16 and 25 and 35+ across all income brackets, showed that over 90% of consumers believe that businesses should carry the cost of improving the sustainability of their packaging. Additionally, more than half (51%) of respondents said they were not prepared to pay higher prices for the use of more sustainable materials. There was however a much higher willingness from younger consumers (<35 years) to shoulder some of the cost – heralding a potential step change in driving the ESG agenda.
Guttmann said: “A large gap remains between consumers’ concern for the environment and their willingness to recycle compared to their understanding of sustainable packaging materials, and crucially their willingness to pay a higher price for more sustainable packaging.
“For many years, consumers have been demanding more sustainable practices from businesses. Unfortunately, they have, and still are on the whole, unwilling to carry some of the costs associated with achieving these goals.
“What’s clear from our study, is that younger generations are more concerned, more engaged, and more likely to recycle than the general population. Critically, they are increasingly prepared to take on some of the financial burden of making more sustainable packaging a reality.”
The study highlighted that while an overwhelming number of consumers are concerned about the impact of packaging on the environment, with 96% admitting that recycling and reuse is important, more than a quarter of respondents have only limited understanding of which materials are more or less sustainable than others.
BDO’s recent Packaging Sector Insights report detailed a number of areas driving sustainability in the packaging sector, including Government regulations, taxes and incentives, such as the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), the availability of collection and recycling infrastructure, and corporate investment in R&D to reduce waste, maximise the use of recyclates, and develop new materials.
Guttmann concluded: “What is clear is that significant work is already being done by industry professionals to address the issue of sustainability in packaging – whether it’s innovative ways to drive improved usage and processes for existing materials (such as downgauging) or the development of new methods and substrates.
“However, investment in recycling infrastructure and technologies is absolutely necessary if we are to move to a truly circular economy. Consumer willingness is there and growing and materials are improving, but collection, separation and treatment are not quite where they need to be.”
