York animal health business sells majority stake in pet microchipping company
Animalcare Group, the York-based animal health business, has disposed of its majority shareholding in Identicare to BG Bidco 21 Limited, a newly incorporated company owned by funds managed by Bridgepoint Advisors II Limited, for a cash consideration of £24.9m.
Animalcare Group said the transaction represents a significant crystallisation of value for the company and its shareholders from a non-core asset, and allows it to focus on growth in its pharmaceutical-based animal health market.
Identicare is a UK-based pet microchipping and pet owner-focused services company. As part of the Group’s strategy to focus on pharmaceuticals and to drive growth through launching innovative products, Identicare was separated from the UK pharmaceuticals business within Animalcare Ltd in March 2021, with specialist leadership brought in.
The disposal of Identicare strengthens the balance sheet of the Group, enabling it to accelerate organic and inorganic growth initiatives.
Jenny Winter, Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’m very proud to see what we have achieved with Identicare in recent years. Today’s decision to crystallise the value from the sale is the logical next step, significantly strengthening our balance sheet and giving us additional financial flexibility and firepower as we concentrate on growing our pharmaceutical-focused animal health business.”
Employers urged to share vision of getting more autistic people into work
The government has set out a vision for workplace culture changes to support autistic people to start and stay in work.
And Sir Robert Buckland, who led the review, has urged employers to get involved. He said: “The review can make a truly radical difference to the lives of autistic people and their families. I call on employers and government to lead this change and make these recommendations a reality.”
About three in 10 working age autistic people are in employment, compared with half of all disabled people and 8 in 10 non-disabled people, despite the majority saying they would like to be employed.
A review has made a number of recommendations for businesses and government, including:
- signing up for the Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index to access guidance on designing inclusive processes and procedures
- encouraging career progression by developing packages of training focused on autistic staff
- improving recruitment by ensuring careers advisers can provide appropriate advice to autistic jobseekers
- supporting autistic people who are already in the workplace by producing “autism design guides” to create appropriate premises, furnishings and equipment
- working with software suppliers to develop IT systems that meet autistic people’s needs.
New era for Harrogate College as £20m campus rebuild begins
Work on Harrogate College’s £20m campus rebuild is now underway. The college is replacing its main building and constructing a renewable energy hub to take its training and education provision to the next level.
The upgrade will result in state-of-the-art facilities including a mock hospital ward, digital technology suite, electric vehicle workshop and a construction centre focused on modern building methods.
Preliminary work began in February while the full construction phase, in what is currently the campus’ car park, will start in March.
Principal Danny Wild said: “We are really excited to see work on our new campus getting underway. The resulting, purpose-built facilities will allow us to keep producing the highly skilled individuals that our region’s businesses need, now and for decades to come.
“It will also allow us, while building on our close collaboration with local employers, to consolidate our position as the leading local provider of T Levels. We look forward to showing off the results, which will usher in an exciting new chapter for Harrogate College, its students and the people of North Yorkshire, in the summer of 2025.”
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones added: “As well as enhancing the facilities available to Harrogate College students, this £20 million new campus will bring many broader benefits to Harrogate, Knaresborough and the wider area.
“With many of the courses set to be on offer at the new campus geared toward sectors where there are currently local skills shortages, the development will provide a real boost to local economies, providing valuable opportunities for our young people and adults.”
The new main campus building is due to be completed by July 2025.
Yorkshire Building Society appoints Chief Finance Officer
Tom Ranger will join the Yorkshire Building Society as its Chief Finance Officer later this year.
He is currently Group Treasurer at Santander UK plc, a Non-Executive Director of Santander Financial Services plc Board and Senior Officer Santander Financial Services’ Jersey Branch.
Susan Allen, Chief Exec at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Tom later this year. The Society’s continued financial strength is essential to ensure we continue to deliver on our purpose of delivering Real Help with Real Life. His financial expertise and track record of achievement will be integral to our future growth and success.”
Tom said: “I’m delighted to be joining Yorkshire Building Society and look forward to working for a mutual organisation, owned by its members, and where all decisions can be made in the long-term best interest of its members.”
Tom succeeds Alasdair Lenman, who recently announced his intention to retire in June after seven successful years with the Society. The appointment is subject to regulatory approval.
Snaith-based Croda reports reduced profit for the last year
Snaith-based life sciences company Croda reports adjusted profit before tax for the last year down 33% to £308.8m – but the number isn’t unexpected and the group expects the figure for 2024 to be between £260m and £300m.
CEO Steve Foots says the firm is well-positioned for market recovery, adding: “Our performance this year reflects the prolonged destocking and weaker macro environment that has followed two record years post the pandemic.
“Despite the financial impact of this ongoing uncertainty, the technology trends that will drive our future growth have not changed with a continued transition to sustainable ingredients and biologics. We have successfully realigned our portfolio with these megatrends and our strategy is delivering with continued customer demand for innovation and sustainable ingredients.
“In Consumer Care, sales of new and protected products increased, and F&F outperformed once again. In Life Sciences, our Pharma business is leading the industry in biologics drug delivery with more partnerships and product launches strengthening our pipeline. Despite the challenging macroeconomic backdrop, we have continued to invest for the future, adding biotech-derived active ingredients to our portfolio through our acquisition of Solus Biotech and expanding capacity in Pharma whilst maintaining strict capital and cost discipline.
“Given the ongoing uncertainty in our end markets, the recovery trajectory for each of our business units remains difficult to predict and the range of possible outcomes in 2024 is therefore wider than usual at this stage of the year. Overall, however, the Group expects to deliver mid to high single digit percentage sales growth in 2024, excluding the c.$60m of Covid-19 lipid sales in 2023, with higher sales volumes more than offsetting lower price/mix.”
Wensleydale cheese and Grimsby smoked fish get protected status in Japan
From Thursday Yorkshire Wenselydale cheese and smoked fish from Grimsby will have protected status thanks to a new agreement between the UK and Japan to prevent imitation.
They’re two items on a list of 37 items to be granted special protected status for which Japan’s population of 125 million has a strong appetite.
The country’s status as the world’s third largest economy in 2022 and GDP per capita of £27,400 highlights the strength of its consumer market and the commercial opportunities for premium British products in Japan.
Securing GIs for iconic British products such as our region’s cheese and fish as well as Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Welsh Beef prevents counterfeit products being placed on the Japanese market, ensuring UK businesses can export with confidence and consumers receive authentic, high-quality products.
Trade Policy Minister Greg Hands said: “The UK’s excellent selection of unique, high-quality products are highly sought after around the world. Consumers in Japan can now be assured that they are enjoying the authentic taste of great British food and drink.
“This gives UK producers added confidence when selling into Japan, part of our plan to help British businesses grow and export more.”
Food and Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “Our GI protections are a guarantee of quality and excellence – so that the best of British food and drink can be appreciated not only here in the UK, but around the globe.“These additional protections will give assurance to British farmers and producers who export their unique products to Japan – and to Japanese consumers who will know they are buying the real thing.
“For UK businesses, GIs are vital for building trust and enhancing brand recognition, ultimately driving export growth and supporting the sustainability of local industries. They also reinforce the UK’s position as a producer of distinctive and sought-after goods.”New operator for Sheffield Arena revealed
ASM Global has been revealed as the new operator for Utilita Arena Sheffield, as of January 2025.
Last year, Sheffield City Council revealed that the city’s leisure and entertainment venues were set to receive £117 million of investment including rebuilds of some of the city’s most popular leisure centres and improvements to Sheffield’s Arena and City Hall.
As part of these plans, in June 2023, a competitive procurement process was launched in a bid to attract the best in leisure and entertainment provision to run Sheffield’s venues.
Operators were invited to bid on the running of Utilita Arena Sheffield.
Following a robust eight-month tender process, the Council has now selected ASM Global as the successful bidder and the new operator for the Arena.
ASM Global is one of the world’s leading producers of entertainment experiences, venue management and event strategy.
Councillor Richard Williams, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “I am really pleased to welcome ASM Global onboard as the new operators of Sheffield Arena, this is a major step forward in our ambitious plan for the city and entertainment facilities.
“ASM Global have an unrivalled reputation in the global venue industry and this new investment will certainly allow us to compete on a global scale.”
Utilita Arena Sheffield joins ASM Global’s network of more than 350 venues around the world, which collectively host 20,000 events and welcome 164 million guests every year.
Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “We are thrilled that ASM Global have chosen to work with us to bring the benefits of global scale to operate and invest in Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
“Sheffield is a city on the up. Coming on the back of hosting the MOBO Awards and with the city’s rich musical and sporting history and our reputation for hosting major events, this new exciting partnership with ASM Global is another example of our ambition for Sheffield.”
Chris Bray, President of ASM Global Europe, said: “Sheffield is a city with a rich cultural heritage. It’s known and loved for producing some of the UK’s most exciting musical talent who’ve gone on to put Sheffield on the map on a global scale. We are hugely excited to have been appointed to operate the Utilita Arena, which joins ASM’s industry-leading UK portfolio.
“Our goal is to ensure the venue is a must-play for world-class artists, and that the content is diverse, exciting and world-leading. We have exciting plans for reimagining the customer experience too and are looking forward to getting better acquainted with the city very soon.”
Alongside the Council’s earmarked investment, which will benefit a number of venues and services across the city, ASM Global have committed to significant investment to re-vamp the Arena.
New Sheffield office building welcomes major law firm as first occupant
DLA Piper has signed up to take the top two floors of Elshaw House, Sheffield City Council’s new zero carbon-ready office building.
DLA Piper’s move into Elshaw House will see one of the world’s largest law firms, and a key employer in the city, maintain its presence in Sheffield City Centre.
Fit out of the two-floors, as well as an adjoining private terrace on the top floor, will be completed in this spring. The space will span over 17,000 square feet in total.
Having reached completion last month, Elshaw House is the flagship office development within Heart of the City – the £470m mixed-use development scheme led by Sheffield City Council and its Strategic Development Partner, Queensberry.
Located on Carver Street, next to Pound’s Park, Elshaw House is the pinnacle of sustainability and will achieve a five-star BREEAM green energy rating, making it a key part of the Council’s green goals.
Additionally, Elshaw House has also recently achieved an ‘excellent’ five-star NABERS UK rating due to its lean design, providing a structure with 40% lower than average carbon usage. This places it in the top 1% of office buildings in the UK for energy efficiency.
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “We are thrilled that DLA Piper has signed a lease on Elshaw House. It is one of the world’s largest law firms. For such an established business to reaffirm its commitment to the city shows a real confidence in everything we’re doing to drive Sheffield forwards and continue growing our economy.
“Elshaw House represents the very best in office space and is delivering new headline rents for Sheffield. Alongside the world class Pound’s Park, Grosvenor House – home to HSBC and CMS – and Europe’s largest food hall, we’re creating a truly transformational new city centre district.”
Andrew Davison, Project Direct at Queensberry, added: “In our opinion, DLA Piper has secured the best office space in South Yorkshire, with unrivalled sustainability, location and employee wellbeing benefits. World class commercial spaces like this are helping to take Sheffield to the next level on the national stage.
“Interest in the other floors in Elshaw House is incredibly high and the ground floor retail and F&B spaces are also attracting potential occupants.”
Elshaw House has six ground floor units suitable for retail or food and drink venues, complementing the seven storeys of workspace above.
Access to Elshaw House connects directly to the new urban park, Pound’s Park, and is integrated into Sheffield’s active travel strategy which focuses on ease and accessibility, with the building featuring bike storage, service centre and showers to help keep the city moving.
University of Leeds spinout receives £3.5m investment boost
University of Leeds spinout adsilico has received an investment boost to scale up its work and accelerate life-saving benefits for patients.
Northern Gritstone and Parkwalk Advisors have announced a combined £3.5 million investment into the computational medicine company.
adsilico is developing an end-to-end in-silico trials (IST) solution based on virtual ‘synthetic’ patient populations that will provide better and safer medical devices earlier to patients.
ISTs use modelling and simulation to produce scientific evidence of device performance and safety, before testing in human clinical trials.
It will reduce costs and accelerate research and development timescales for medical device developers, while reducing animal experimentation and partially replacing costly and potentially harmful human trials.
Based on research funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering at the University of Leeds’ Schools of Medicine and Computing, adsilico has developed an IST technique that combines multiple data sources and uses generative AI to create synthetic populations on a scale ideal for clinical trials.
Northern Gritstone’s investment of £2m sits alongside £1.5m from co-investor Parkwalk Advisors. The combined seed round investment will be used to fund essential development in adsilico and build the team.
Professor Alejandro Frangi, founder of adsilico, said: “Medical devices follow a lengthy evaluation with a tiny amount of scientific evidence currently derived from computer modelling and simulation.
“The cost is ever-increasing, delaying life-saving benefits to patients. Northern Gritstone’s and Parkwalk’s investment and support will enable adsilico to offer a scalable solution to the medical device market to produce evidence on an unprecedented scale.”
Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, said: “This funding will help to redefine the development of medical devices, enhancing performance and safety with more certainty and speed, and most importantly, prior to human testing.
“It is a further testament to Leeds’ pioneering approach and strength in driving innovation to accelerate the adoption of new health technologies, delivering improvements and impact directly to healthcare professionals and patients.”
Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said: “Computational modelling has the potential to revolutionise the MedTech industry and reduce the risks to humans. Northern Gritstone is delighted to support adsilico’s team, who once again demonstrate that great science and technology-enabled businesses are being created in the North of England.”
Moray Wright, CEO of Parkwalk Advisors, added: “We are proud to be backing adsilico through this seed funding round. adsilico’s pioneering approach to in-silico trials has potential to significantly accelerate the pace of innovation in medical device development. It’s fantastic to see this university spin-out take another step forward on its vision to bring safer and more efficient medical devices.”
Energy crunch will come in 2028, predicts new research
Demand for energy in the UK will exceed supply by 2028, according to a new report by Public First commissioned by the Drax Group.
In its report, called ‘Mind the gap: Exploring Britain’s energy crunch’, Public First says that’s when we should expect a perfect storm of increased demand, retirement of existing assets, and delays to the delivery of Hinkley Point C, which will culminate in demand exceeding secure capacity by 7.5GW at peak times.
Richard Gwilliam, Drax Group’s UK BECCS Programme Director, said: “Delivering energy security is a critical and longstanding challenge for all governments. The need to maintain it while tackling climate change and rapidly decarbonising economies makes the issue all the more acute.
“This research demonstrates the UK is facing a power generation crunch point, with demand set to outstrip the supply of secure dispatchable and baseload capacity – leaving the UK reliant on intermittent forms of generation.
“To keep the lights on, part of the solution will be extending the lives of existing generation assets. Drax Power Station and our pumped storage and hydro power sites already provide secure, renewable electricity for millions of homes and businesses – but there’s more we can do.
“Drax plans to massively expand the generation capacity of Cruachan pumped storage power station in Scotland, some of which could be available to help bridge the power gap. Additionally, providing we secure the appropriate transitional support, our project to deliver two units of BECCS at our Selby site would also support energy security and decarbonisation through the crunch and well into the future.”
This predicted energy shortfall is more than three times the secure de-rated power that Sizewell C will be capable of providing to the system when its finished, and nearly double the 2022 gap. Uncertainty for biomass generators, which contribute over 3GW of secure dispatchable power, risks compounding the shortfall by nearly 50%.
The research underscores that energy security will be a key issue in the next Parliamentary term. Without additional action taken to make up the shortfall, the UK will be more dependent on intermittent power from international energy interconnectors and renewables like wind and solar.
The report states building additional new capacity is unlikely to have a material impact in time and that to deliver certainty the Government should:
- Extend the use of existing baseload generation assets which provide secure capacity, including nuclear plants scheduled to retire, and agree transitional arrangements for biomass operators that plan to install bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.
- Work to reduce peak demand by encouraging flexibility and installing more home insulation.
