“But no app should put our money and data at risk. That’s why the Government is taking action to ensure app stores and developers raise their security standards and better protect UK consumers in the digital age.”
The NCSC report found all types of app stores face similar cyber threats, and the most prominent problem is malware: corrupted software which can steal data and money and mislead users. For example, last year some Android phone users downloaded apps which contained the Triada and Escobar malware on various third-party app stores. This resulted in cyber criminals remotely taking control of people’s phones and stealing their data and money by signing them up for premium subscription services without the individual’s knowledge. The NCSC report concludes the government’s proposed code of practice will have a positive impact and reduce the chances of malicious apps reaching consumers across different devices. NCSC Technical Director Ian Levy said: “Our devices and the apps that make them useful are increasingly essential to people and businesses and app stores have a responsibility to protect users and maintain their trust. “Our threat report shows there is more for app stores to do, with cyber criminals currently using weaknesses in app stores on all types of connected devices to cause harm. I support the proposed Code of Practice, which demonstrates the UK’s continued intent to fix systemic cybersecurity issues.” The code follows a government review of app stores launched in December 2020 which found some developers are not following best practice in developing apps, while well-known app stores do not share clear security requirements with developers. The app stores call for views is part of the government’s £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy to ensure UK citizens are more secure online and is alongside other tough UK safeguards for people using internet-connected devices. It is also part of the government’s work leading international efforts to raise awareness on the need for security and privacy requirements for apps to protect users.Tech industry asked for advice about tightening security on app development
Tech industry specialists are being asked by the Government for advice about enhanced security and privacy requirements for firms running app stores and developers making apps.
The calls comes after publication of a new report on the threats in app stores published today by the National Cyber Security Centre. It shows people’s data and money are at risk because of fraudulent apps containing malicious malware created by cyber criminals, or poorly developed apps which can be compromised by hackers exploiting weaknesses in software.
Millions of people use apps every day to shop, bank and make video calls and the UK app market is worth £18.6 billion – but there are few rules governing the security of the technology or the online stores where they are sold.
Under new proposals, app stores for smartphones, game consoles, TVs and other smart devices could be asked to commit to a new code of practice setting out baseline security and privacy requirements. This would be the first such measure in the world.
Developers and store operators making apps available to UK users would be covered. This includes Apple, Google, Amazon, Huawei, Microsoft and Samsung.
The proposed code would require stores to have a vulnerability reporting process for each app so flaws can be found and fixed quicker. They would need to share more security and privacy information in an accessible way including why an app needs access to users’ contacts and location.
Cyber Security Minister Julia Lopez said: “Apps on our smartphones and tablets have improved our lives immensely – making it easier to bank and shop online and stay connected with friends.
Administrators’ intervention saves ten joinery jobs in Elland
Ten jobs have been saved at Elland-based commercial joinery and shopfitting firm Crossley Webb Contracts thanks to the work of joint administrators Bob Maxwell and Louise Longley from Begbies Traynor, who have sold the business to the Oak Touch, also in Elland, as a going concern.
Founded in 2002, CWC specialises in bespoke furniture and specialist joinery, fit-out and refurbishment contracts for a range of well-known clients in the corporate workplace, hospitality, hotel and leisure sectors.
Bob Maxwell said: “It is excellent news that we have secured a buyer for CWC, safeguarding the jobs of the entire team. The business ran into financial difficulties as a supplier to the fitness and gyms sector, which itself suffered from severe trading restrictions during successive covid lockdowns.”
Forgemasters’ new press arrives in UK from Japan
A massive logistical effort has seen the UK’s largest forging press shipped from Hiagari Port, Japan, to King George Dock in Hull bringing the 8,000 tonne load 13,000 nautical miles.
Destined for Sheffield Forgemasters, the press was offloaded from MV Hanna, a 19,000 tonne heavy-lift cargo vessel, onto the Hull quay with 13 ultra-large components forwarded via barge to Goole, due to size and weight restrictions over the Ouse bridge.
Sheffield Forgemasters contracted the shipping requirements to Allseas Global Logistics and GB Shipping & Forwarding, who worked with specialist heavy-load haulier, Allelys, to deliver the cargo from both docks to Sheffield with police escorting seven loads over 200 tonnes each.
Craig Smith, Import Export Manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “This is one of our largest logistical projects to date, requiring the press to be decommissioned in Japan and all of its thousands of components sorted into 488 packages.
“The 13 largest items, half of which weigh more than 200 tonnes each with the heaviest at 255 tonnes, required a second vessel to be chartered to ship the components to Goole, beyond the Ouse bridge, for loading onto Allelys’ largest transport vehicles.
“The cargo took 14 days to load, 45 days to travel from Japan to Hull and 12 days to unload.”
Following the historic company’s acquisition by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last year, there are plans to invest up to £400m over the next decade to support defence-critical assets, including a new heavy forge line and building.
Jamie Slater, Project Development Manager at Allseas Global Logistics, said: “One of the first hurdles was to source and charter a heavy lift vessel which had the capacity to stow all the cargo under deck but had a narrow enough beam to enter the locks at Hull Docks. Our chartering team worked for several months to find the right vessel available at the right time within the budget of the project.”
Andy Wormald, Project Manager at Allseas Global Logistics, said: “This is a complex freight package to transport and ship, with many different multimodal aspects and the utilisation of various items of heavy lift equipment.
“We worked closely with Allelys to ensure that all of the press parts were handled with efficiency, regardless of size or weight and managed the journey by sea and overland to arrive safely in Sheffield.”
David Allely, Managing Director at Allelys, said: “We have provided transport for the whole Sheffield Forgemasters consignment to deliver the press components from Hull and Goole to Sheffield, using our 45 tonne ballasted tractor units and modular 24 axle trailers.
“Loading and unloading the barge required our Liebherr LG1550 lattice-boom crane, with lifting capacity of 550 tonnes, which in turn, required two other cranes to assemble it at the dockside.”
Priest Abnormal Load services accompanied also accompanied all of the large loads from the ports into Sheffield. The press will be housed in a proposed new building at Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane site, with commissioning of the facility set to take place in 2025.
Sheffield Forgemasters specialises in the design and manufacture of high integrity forgings and castings offering end-to-end manufacture including steel production from a single site in the UK.
Small firms make rebate plea as UK loses 149 million working days to sickness
149.3 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK last year, with Covid-19 accounting for nearly one in four of all absences, according to new research from the New Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Small businesses are struggling under the pressure and are asking policy makers for a small business sick pay rebate. Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Policy and Advocacy Chair Tina McKenzie commented: “The average cost of sickness absence, including finding cover, stands at more than £3,000 a year for small employers, equating to £5 billion across the small business community as a whole.
“With operating costs surging in the round, small firms need more financial assistance to go on doing right by their staff when they’re unwell.
“On the day that the Government has announced yet more help for big energy-intensive companies, we’re asking policymakers to take forward our joint proposal with the TUC for a small business sick pay rebate which will support those who have received no assistance whatsoever with utility bills.
“Allowing small community businesses to recover sick pay costs will give them that much more space to invest, recruit and retain staff, spurring our economic recovery from the grass roots up.”
Yorkshire & North East continue to reach highs in CBRE’s UK Q1 2022 Logistics Market Summary
Global real estate advisor CBRE has published its UK Logistics Market Summary for Q1 2022.
Despite experiencing a quieter quarter in terms of logistics take-up in Yorkshire and the North East, with only 1 build-to-suit deal of 0.4m sq ft completing, a strong pipeline of deals is anticipated with the second largest amount of space under offer compared to other UK regions. The region concluded the quarter at 5.8m sq ft with 3 build-to-suit units over 1m sq ft.
Despite Yorkshire & North East having the lowest vacancy rate in the UK at just 0.94%, the region has increased QoQ from 0.55% with availability increasing by 52% QoQ reaching 2.3m sq ft. Take-up is predominantly made up of speculative under construction spaces.
Nearly all UK regions have experienced rental growth throughout Q1 with Yorkshire and North East climbing to £7.75psf, a 24% YoY rise. Prime yields within the region hardened 10bps to 3.65%.
Across the UK, highlights included the development pipeline, which was up 36% QoQ to 28.3m sq ft and there were record high levels of speculative under construction space, 14.97m sq ft at the end of Q1, though 5.9m sq ft of this space had already been taken by the end of the quarter.
Nationally, take-up of logistics space totalled 10.43m sq ft in Q1 2022, representing an increase of 100% compared to Q1 2021’s figure of 5.21m sq ft. The South East and the East Midlands captured the largest shares of UK take-up, whilst unusually Yorkshire and North East captured the smallest share.
A total of 41 deals have completed nationally this quarter, a 64% increase compared to Q1 2021 stats, which saw 25 deals complete. The quarter ended with a record level of space under offer, 22.46m sq ft, a 132.7% rise from the end of Q4 2021, suggesting a busy year ahead for the sector. 42% of space taken fell into the smaller size category of 100k-300k, whereas there were 5 deals exceeding 500k sq ft, equating to 29% of total take-up.
Mike Baugh, senior director for CBRE Leeds, said: “The supply forecast is positive with circa 9m sq ft of space coming to the Yorkshire market over the next few years. This may sound a lot, but it only equates to two-to-three years’ worth of supply. In addition to the imbalance between supply and demand, the sector faces additional challenges including labour availability and the continued rise in construction costs.
“Interestingly, only 5% of take-up came from the online sector for Q1 2022, while other sectors provided a significant amount, including 3PL, showing the diversity in the types of occupiers currently seeking a significant quantity of warehouse space throughout the UK.
“Investors continue to focus on the logistics sector and aligned to occupier requirements, are really driving the ESG agenda leading to some exciting new, best-in-class schemes in our region.”
Two new deals completed at historic Yorkshire mill
Two new deals have been completed at Sunny Bank Mills, the historic Yorkshire mill complex between Leeds and Bradford.
Ladies nightwear and underwear manufacturer Marsylka has moved into the iconic 1912 Mill in Farsley, where YTV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed, while expanding medical services company Technomed has doubled its office space in the same building.
During the past ten years Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern office and mixed-use complex for the 21st century, creating 400 sustainable new jobs.
Robert Hainsworth, Managing Director of Marsylka, which was founded in 1936 and which supplies high-profile retailers like Tesco and Marks & Spencer, explained the reasons for the company’s move.
“We have a warehouse nearby and the Farsley area is reasonably well-located for most of the people who work in the office. It is quite a peaceful place to work but there are good facilities nearby. I live a few miles away and have visited Sunny Bank Mills a number of times over the last few years.
“We have two factories in Sri Lanka employing 1300 people, where all our production and sampling and most merchandising is carried out. We mainly ship direct from Sri Lanka to our customers’ own warehouses. In the UK we now employ 23 people in sales and warehousing and our space requirement has changed.
“As a result, we have decided to separate our warehouse and office functions, with 10 staff moving to our new office in the 1912 Mill. The whole process from our initial visit to moving in was smooth, with landlords John and William Gaunt being very helpful.”
Meanwhile Technomed, which provides cardiology diagnostic services to NHS trusts and to the private sector, first moved to Sunny Bank Mills in 2019, initially in the Old Engine Room, before moving into a larger office in the 1912 Mill.
Mark Pashley, Managing Director, explained: “Due to the sustained growth of the business, this year we have opened another two offices in the 1912 building. The main focus of these two additional offices is to support our direct-to-patient postal service where hospitals and other healthcare organisations can request heart monitors which are sent to the patients’ homes, therefore removing the need to visit a clinic.
“John and William have been excellent at every stage of the journey here at Sunny Bank Mills. Our unique need for specialist technical infrastructure and bespoke room configurations to meet clinical requirements have always been welcome, implemented quickly and to a very high standard.
“Their ongoing support and flexibility made the decision to continue expanding the business here at Sunny Bank Mills incredibly easy,” added Mark.
John Gaunt said: “We are delighted to welcome Marsylka to Sunny Bank Mills and to accommodate the expansion programme of Technomed. It’s tremendously fitting that a clothing manufacturer like Marsylka, with such a rich history, should choose an old textile mill like ours, while it is incredibly satisfying to nurture and help a flourishing company like Technomed to grow.
“Both these deals are a resounding endorsement of the quality of our flagship 1912 Mill, the most prominent and spacious building in the mill complex. Plans are now being drawn up to refurbish the remaining 14,000 sq ft into quality office space over two floors available to let in a variety of configurations.”
Sarah-Jayne Lishman of Leeds-based marketing agents Dove Haigh Phillips, said: “The owners of Sunny Bank Mills took the brave decision to invest heavily in their mill and this decision has paid dividends.
“This is one of the most significant mill regeneration projects in Yorkshire. Steeped in history and with massive potential, Sunny Bank Mills is now one of the prime business locations in the West Leeds area.”
Competition watchdog is minded to allow sale of Morrisons filling stations
The Competition and Markets Authority proposes to accept an offer from buyer of Morrisons to sell 87 petrol stations to address competition concerns.
In January, the Competition and Markets Authority opened its investigation into Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Holdings LLC’s £7bn purchase of Wm Morrisons Supermarkets Ltd.
CD&R is the owner of the Motor Fuel Group, the UK’s largest independent operator of petrol stations, with 921 sites, while Morrisons operates 339 petrol stations across England, Scotland and Wales. The CMA’s Phase 1 investigation focused on local areas where both businesses operated petrol stations.
Following its Phase 1 investigation, the CMA found that the deal raises competition concerns in relation to the supply of petrol and diesel road fuel in 121 areas across England, Scotland and Wales – so could lead to higher prices for motorists in these locations.
In order to address these concerns, CD&R has now offered to divest 87 of MFG’s petrol stations to a purchaser or purchasers to be approved by the CMA.
The CMA says it’s minded to accept these proposals, which appear to be suitable to restore the loss of competition brought about by the deal across each of the 121 local areas in which the concerns were identified. While the number of petrol stations CD&R is proposing to sell is lower than the number of areas in which concerns were identified, the sale of some petrol stations would address the concerns in multiple areas.
The CMA is now consulting on the proposals – known as undertakings – for the sale of these petrol stations. If the CMA accepts the proposals, the deal would be cleared to proceed.
Colin Raftery, Senior Director of Mergers, at the CMA, said: “The sale of these petrol stations will preserve competition and prevent motorists from losing out due to this deal, which is particularly important when prices have recently hit record highs. If we conclude that the competition issues have been addressed following a consultation on CD&R’s offer, the deal will be cleared.”
Manufacturing growth picks up despite rising price inflationary pressures
The start of the second quarter saw a mild growth acceleration in the UK manufacturing sector. The rate of expansion in output improved from March’s five-month low, leading to a further solid increase in staffing levels.
The seasonally adjusted S&P Global / CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to 55.8 in April, up from 55.2 in March and the earlier flash estimate of 55.3. The PMI – which is calculated as a weighted average of five subindices – has signalled expansion for 23 successive months.
Manufacturing production increased across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods industries. Solid rates of expansion were registered in the latter two categories, while the expansion at consumer goods producers was only marginal.
Companies linked higher production to increased intakes of new business, reduced delivery delays (compared to earlier in the year) and efforts to clear backlogs of work. The outlook
also remained positive, with almost 55% of companies expecting output to rise over the coming year. However, the overall degree of confidence slumped to a 16-month low.
Strong growth headwinds continued to buffet manufacturers during April. New order growth slipped to its weakest in the current 15-month upturn, stymied by lower intakes of new export business and the impact on demand from rising selling prices. Weaker foreign demand reflected subdued conditions in overseas markets, the war in Ukraine and
transportation issues. Lacklustre demand from the EU was linked to longer delivery times, customs checks and higher shipping costs post-Brexit.
Inflationary pressures continued to build at manufacturers. Input costs rose at the second-strongest pace in the survey history. Around 85% of companies registered an increase in
purchase prices, while there were no reports of a decrease (a survey first). The rate of inflation at consumer goods producers hit a series-record high.
A broad range of inputs were reported to be up in price. This included chemicals, energy, food, freight, fuels, gas, metals, oil, plastics, polymers, timber, and transportation (air, land
and sea). Several companies simply noted that “everything” cost more. Supplier price increases, market forces, the war in Ukraine, general inflationary pressure and China lockdowns also contributed to higher purchase prices.
April also saw output charges increase to a record extent, as manufacturers acted to pass on rising costs. Almost 61% of companies reported an increase in selling prices, compared
to less than 1% initiating a reduction. Rates of output charge inflation were either at, or near to, series-record highs across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods sectors.
Employment rose for the sixteenth month running in April, as companies reacted to increased production and rising order backlogs, prepared for expected future growth and
addressed staff shortages. Job creation was seen in the consumer, intermediate and investment goods industries and at SMEs and large-sized companies alike.
Purchasing activity increased for the fifteenth month in a row during April. Companies reported buying inputs in advance of expected price rises, to build-up safety stocks and to guard against further supply chain disruption.
Vendor lead times lengthened again in April. This reflected input shortages, port congestion, COVID issues, a lack of transportation capacity (especially for trucks and shipping), customs clearance delays, lockdown in China and the war in Ukraine.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Rob Dobson, director at S&P Global, said: “The improved expansion of output at manufacturers, while positive in itself, failed to mask the continued headwinds buffeting the sector at the start of the second quarter. New business growth near-stalled as a slowdown in the domestic market was accompanied by a further deterioration in export orders.
“Manufacturers and their clients are struggling as lockdowns in China and the Ukraine war exacerbate stretched global supply chains, the inflationary picture worsens and geopolitical tensions rise. Specific to the UK, Brexit represents an additional headwind, notably via lost
EU customers, increased paperwork, customs checks and border delays. Business optimism has fallen to a 16-month low as companies become more cautious about the future outlook.
“The inflationary situation is getting increasingly fraught. Input costs rose to the second-greatest extent in the 30-year survey history, leading to a record increase in factory gate
selling prices. Around 85% of manufacturers reported higher purchasing costs, compared to no reports of a decrease, with several firms simply noting that ‘everything’ was up in price. Worryingly, consumer goods producers reported record increases in both output charges and input costs, which is likely to further constrain household spending and reinforce the cost-of-living crisis.”
Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “In spite of the softer rate of expansion in new business, the manufacturing sector held its ground in April, benefiting from work already in hand and recent easing of supply chain
stresses.
“However, it is difficult to see where ongoing growth will come from in the coming months as new order growth was the most sluggish in over a year. Higher costs and shortages
took a bite out of potential opportunities with clients hesitating to place orders and Brexit obstacles weighing down as work from overseas shrank for a third month in a row. Not one business in the survey reported paying less for their materials in April and 85% of supply chain managers reported higher costs, leading to the second highest inflationary rise in PMI history.
“Manufacturers are certainly feeling the pressure resulting in less optimism for the year ahead. With the lowest business expectations since December 2020, the global economy will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to give manufacturers the leg up they need.”
Business distress figures could be ‘calm before the storm’ – claim
Signs that business distress may have stabilised in the first three months of this year are likely to be dramatically reversed as the global economy starts to feel the devastating impact of the war in Ukraine and soaring energy prices.
Begbies Traynor’s latest data reveals a 22% drop in ‘significant’ or early-stage distress in Lincolnshire, compared to the first quarter of last year when the country was in lockdown, and a 4% fall compared to the final quarter of 2021. Across the UK as a whole, significant distress fell by 20% year on year and 1% since the previous quarter.
Gareth Rusling, who heads Begbies Traynor’s Lincolnshire offices in Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Grimsby, said: “While at first glance these latest business distress figures seem to paint a relatively optimistic picture, of businesses in Lincolnshire, and the whole of the UK, beginning to emerge from the enormous challenges of the past two years, unfortunately they do not take into account the two most recent global developments that are already beginning to shake the economy to its core.
“The gathering storm of the war in Ukraine, and the sharp rise in energy prices and escalating cost of living crisis which the conflict is set to exacerbate, will inevitably put enormous strain on business across almost every sector.
“For small-business owner-managers in particular, it’s now essential to be as structurally and financially well prepared as possible. Seeking advice at the first signs of financial distress is also a wise move and means that more options are available to take positive action.”
In Lincolnshire the decline in business distress was seen across the whole economy in the first three months of 2022 compared with Q1 2021. Printing and packaging saw a 30% year-on-year fall, food and drug retail sector distress fell by 27%, while in Lincolnshire’s automotive sector, distress dropped by 27%.
In Q1 of 2022, compared to the final three months of 2021, distress continued to fall gradually across the regional economy, with only construction and general retail (both up 1%) and health and education (up 3%) seeing a slight increase in financial difficulties.
A short guide on organising your business for further success
When running a business, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by certain things. For example, remaining organised while trying to also hit your targets can be very difficult. While organising your business properly requires you to set aside some time to do so effectively, knowing how to keep your business organised without having to spend time deliberating on which methods to use can help keep you on track with running your business. And while it may take a bit of time to implement these new methods, ultimately, an organised business is going to be much more efficient and effective than one that isn’t.
Declutter Your Workspace
Whether you’re operating out of an office or retail space, ensuring that everywhere is decluttered is a brilliant step towards gaining more success as a company. When a space like this is cluttered, especially a retail space or stockroom, it can be much harder to find what you’re looking for, slowing workflow and even causing bottlenecks. As well as decluttering, it’s important to consider storing everything in an organised manner, labelling things, and using some great office storage ideas. This can keep everyone in the office working efficiently as they’ll know where everything is, or at least will be able to find things easily. Efficiency like this will provide your team with more time to spend on their current tasks instead of spending valuable time searching for the things they need.
Organise Your Documents
Like keeping your physical workplace organised, you’ll also want to ensure that your digital assets are well taken care of. Failing to have a well-thought-out and easy to use digital storage system in place is a common way in which documents can get lost. Having no system in place at all is a sure-fire way to increase your risk of important documents going missing, and therefore it’s important to make sure that everyone is following a strict set of rules when it comes to organising shared documents as well as their own. You can even make use of things like an online PDF merger to keep your PDF files in an easy-to-read format and reduce the amount of digital clutter on your company devices too. When you have fewer documents to sort through, it’s much easier to find what you’re looking for. Just remember that as well as sorting files into the right places, you make use of a proper naming system for these files and folders too.
Utilise Automation
The more tasks that your team takes on, the more their efficiency can decrease as well as their motivation. Unfortunately, when these tasks are menial yet necessary, they can’t be avoided. However, there are ways in which you can minimise the amount of time required to complete these tasks by implementing automation into your business. There are countless useful automation systems that can seriously benefit your business, from administrative automation such as email and payroll tasks to customer services and even marketing tasks. Making use of these automation solutions can grant your staff extra time to work on other important work, ultimately improving your chances for further success.
