A home improvement specialist is marking its 20th birthday by setting out a four-year growth plan to achieve £100m in sales. Conservatory Outlet, which is headed up by CEO Greg Kane and managing director Mick Giscombe, has unveiled a strategy that will see it invest heavily in diversifying its manufacturing operations and further expansion of its home improvement offering. The Wakefield-based company is also marking the anniversary by introducing a new corporate structure that will involve the introduction of Conservatory Outlet Group as the holding business, with CO Manufacturing and CO Home Improvements reflecting its two main areas of operation. New websites and branding have been introduced to support the name change, kickstarting a £1m investment drive that will involve the installation of state-of-the-art CNC machining at its Cutting Room facility, a fleet of commercial vehicles, new IT infrastructure and the creation of 20 new apprenticeships. “We’ve had a fantastic two decades in business, enjoying significant growth across both our manufacturing and retail arms – so much so that we are now generating £62m of annual revenues and employing more than 400 people,” explained Greg Kane, CEO of Conservatory Outlet Group. “This is just the start. You can’t stand still in our world, and we want to continue to meet customer expectations when it comes to new home improvement products and improving their experience.” He continued: “That’s why we’ve outlined a new four-year growth plan that will look to accelerate us towards £100m and, to do this, we required a clear business structure that clearly celebrated our history but also paved the way for the future. “Our group will now comprise CO Home Improvements (covering the six retail businesses we own – Clearview, Orion, Planet, Trent Valley Windows, West Yorkshire Windows and Yorkshire Windows) and CO Manufacturing. “The latter reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality windows, doors and living spaces to our vitally important Premium retailers, but also the growth opportunities we see in other markets.” Greg went on to add: “We’re currently generating over £30m of revenues across manufacturing and we believe, with the right backing and diversification, we can take this figure up to £50m. “The market is changing and we’re helping push the boundaries of innovation when it comes to thermally efficient products and utilising new materials for achieving different aesthetics.” He concluded: “We are expecting similar growth in retail as we are in manufacturing and, together, we’ll hopefully hit the £100m target by 2029. “Our aim is to enhance the support we give to our network even further so they can collectively achieve great things, as well as looking at the opening of four new showrooms in Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, the Lakes and one in either Liverpool or Manchester.”

SmartSearch has acquired identity verification provider Credas Technologies Ltd to strengthen its foothold in the UK’s digital compliance sector. The deal, pending regulatory approval, brings together two leading players in Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) technology.

Credas serves more than 1,000 clients across the legal and property sectors, offering digital identity and onboarding solutions. SmartSearch currently works with over 7,500 regulated firms and has reported consistent double-digit annual growth since 2013.

The acquisition broadens SmartSearch’s technology capabilities and client base, aligning with its expansion plans following private equity backing from Triple Private Equity in 2024. The move positions the company to meet rising demand for automated compliance tools as financial crime regulation continues to tighten across the UK.

Phil Cotter, CEO, SmartSearch, comments: “Regulated firms are under pressure to meet rising KYC and AML demands while delivering seamless onboarding. By joining forces with Credas, we combine our strengths to deliver unmatched innovation and service. Our clients will see immediate benefits as we continue to set the standard for digital compliance.”

Both organisations will continue to operate under their established brands while combining technical and operational expertise to enhance efficiency and innovation across digital verification and risk management.

Thousands of Jet2 employees have received payouts totalling more than £58 million following the maturity of the company’s first ShareSave scheme. The programme, launched in August 2022, allowed staff to buy shares at a discounted rate of £7.66 each.

When the scheme matured on 1 October, participants benefited from an 84 per cent increase in Jet2’s share price. The return on staff investments exceeded £26 million. Employees who contributed the average £227 a month over three years gained around £6,900, while those investing the maximum £500 monthly earned close to £15,300.

More than 5,700 workers took part in the first ShareSave round. The company has since expanded the initiative, with over 8,900 staff now enrolled across three subsequent schemes. Each new plan enables participants to buy shares at a 20 per cent discount to the market price at launch.

The Leeds-headquartered leisure travel group said the result reflects the company’s ongoing growth and employee commitment, marking one of the largest collective share-based payouts in the UK travel sector this year.

Leeds has been named among the UK’s leading regions for mid-market business growth, according to new research highlighting a shift in innovation beyond London. The study, conducted by NatWest in partnership with Beauhurst, ranked the top 25 areas driving expansion among firms with annual revenues between £25 million and £500 million.

Leeds stood out for its growing strength in health technology and its established financial services sector. Its proximity to NHS Digital and leading hospitals has fostered a strong ecosystem for medical innovation, attracting both investors and skilled professionals. This dual focus on finance and health tech has positioned the city as a major player in the UK’s evolving business landscape.

The report also recognised Manchester and Oxford as other major centres of growth, while smaller areas such as Slough and Telford were noted for their emerging innovation clusters. Swindon featured prominently in renewable energy and clean technology activity.

With mid-market companies accounting for around a quarter of national employment and 30% of economic output, the research points to Leeds as a key driver of regional resilience and one of the cities shaping the UK’s next phase of business growth.

Fines totalling £1.6 million imposed on Yorkshire Water for pollution incidents are being reinvested into 12 environmental projects across the region. The funding, distributed through the Water Restoration Fund, will support schemes tackling river pollution, habitat loss, and long-term ecological damage.

The penalties relate to incidents recorded between April 2022 and October 2023 and form part of a wider national effort to reinvest water company fines into environmental recovery. The projects in Yorkshire include work to prevent further contamination of Ashfoldside Beck and the River Nidd, the creation of a pollution reduction plan with tenant farmers on the Bolton Abbey Estate, and restoration work at the Derwent Site of Special Scientific Interest to reconnect historical river meanders.

In total, more than £10 million in fines from several water companies, including Thames Water, South West Water, Anglian Water, United Utilities, and Yorkshire Water, has been allocated to 51 initiatives across England. These aim to reduce water pollution, manage flood risk, and enhance biodiversity.

In Yorkshire, allocations include £76,570.85 for Dewsbury Country Park, £81,730 for the Ashfoldside Metal Mines Project, £249,445 for the Water in the Wharfe scheme, £130,060 for studies on the Foss and Esk rivers, £222,960 for Swaledale and Wensleydale Environmental Farmers, and £149,291 for work at Hornsea Mere. The funding was released by the Rural Payments Agency.