Senior appointments strengthen KPMG’s Northern Transaction Services Team
Professional services firm KPMG UK has made three senior appointments within its Transaction Services team in the North of England.
Partners James Kergon and Nick Taylor will lead the firm’s North Transaction Services team and Jake Williams has been promoted to Transaction Services Director. The team will also be welcoming Siobhan Dunne back into her role as Associate Director following a period of maternity leave.
James Kergon was previously the senior partner for KPMG in Scotland and led the firm’s Deal Advisory business there. During his 24-year tenure at KPMG, he has advised on a wide variety of transactions for both UK-based and international corporates and private equity clients across a broad range of sectors. In his new post, he has relocated to Leeds and will lead KPMG’s Transaction Services team in the Yorkshire and North East region.
Nick Taylor’s appointment follows 17 years in KPMG’s Transaction Services team, supporting clients across various sectors on M&A transactions. In his new role, Nick will relocate to Manchester from the Midlands, where he ran KPMG’s Transaction Services team for the last four years, and lead the team in the North West.
Leeds-based Jake Williams has nearly a decade of experience working in KPMG’s Business Services Deals team. In his role as Transaction Services Director, he will continue to provide transactional support to clients across the North of England.
The appointments follow a busy period for the North’s Transaction Services team, which has supported on more than 50 transactions over the last 12 months. Notable examples include Goldman Sach’s investment into Adler & Allan, Kitwave Plc’s acquisition of Total foodservice and Creed Catering Supplies, Sale of 55 Group to LDC, the management buy-out of A-SAFE UK backed by IK Partners and Twinkl’s minority sale to Vitruvian Partners.
James Kergon, North Transaction Services Team Lead at KPMG UK, said: “We ended 2024 with greater economic and political certainty, giving business leaders and investors across the North of England a more stable environment on which to achieve their growth objectives.
“I’m looking forward to working with Chris, Nick & Jake and the fantastic team we have here as we continue to build our on the ground presence and support for businesses looking to pursue M&A activity in the year ahead.”
Phil Murden, Yorkshire Office Senior Partner at KPMG UK, said: “Nick, James and Jake’s appointments come at an exciting time for KPMG’s transaction services team in the North of England. Their skills and experience will help us to meet the rising demand that we are seeing in the Deals market across Yorkshire and the North East.”
Law firm named as first tenant at new commercial district in Leeds
Vastint UK has named law firm Devonshires as the first tenant to move into new commercial building, 3 South Brook Street, at Leeds’ newest commercial district in Aire Park.
Devonshires, which opened its first Leeds office in 2017 to better serve its northern client base, is taking 6,157 sq ft across the 6th floor of the building, which will include meeting rooms, collaboration spaces and space for its now 41-strong team.
Aire Park’s new commercial district is set to become a vibrant destination with almost ¾ million sq ft of new office space on Leeds South Bank. The first two buildings on South Brook Street have created space for over 2,000 workers, offering 190,000 sq ft of Grade-A commercial space, including some of the largest floorplates available in Leeds.
Designed with ESG in mind, the buildings are targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification, along with a Platinum WELL accreditation.
Michael Cronin, head of portfolio at Vastint UK, said: “Today, occupants are looking for more than just great office space. To attract and retain talent, workplaces need to be vibrant destinations with real atmosphere and a sense of community.
“From our park to the new commercial space and our plans for the refurbishment of The Tetley building, our ambition has been to create something special at the heart of the South Bank. We’re thrilled that Devonshires has chosen to be part of this next chapter in Aire Park’s story and look forward to welcoming them to South Brook Street.”
Once complete, South Brook Street will feature seven buildings with 700,000 sq ft of Grade-A office space, creating space for over 10,000 workers, alongside 40,000 sq ft of retail space and a multi-storey car park.
Chris Drabble, co-head of Devonshires’ Leeds office, said: “We’re delighted to have secured our new home, expanding our footprint in enlarged office space in the city. The South Bank has long been due for redevelopment and Vastint’s vision for Aire Park is fantastic.
“It will inevitably become a thriving business hub, so we’re pleased to be a part of it from the outset, in what constitutes a vibrant working environment for our staff and our clients alike.”
The office space is currently being fitted out, with Devonshires due to move into their new office in March.
Weir proposes closure of Todmorden manufacturing site
Weir has revealed plans to “optimise capacity” across its Minerals Division’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, putting its manufacturing site in Todmorden at risk of closure. The company has initiated a consultation with employees on the proposal.
The business noted that a recent review of the Minerals Division EMEA region has highlighted significant overcapacity, particularly at the Todmorden plant. This issue is compounded by limited current demand and modest projected growth in the UK and European domestic markets traditionally served by the facility.
Weir added that the Minerals Division’s key growth markets within EMEA for mining future facing commodities such as copper are mostly located in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The proposal includes plans to invest in a new engineering, technology, and sales & service centre nearby. This new facility will consolidate the operations of the Division’s existing Rochdale service centre, with the unaffected roles from Todmorden, on a new modern site.
If implemented, the proposal would result in the closure of the Todmorden plant by the end of 2025 with production being relocated to other facilities in the EMEA region, including to the Division’s South African foundries in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.
None of Weir’s other UK operations are impacted by the proposal.
Government’s solar farm announcement branded a ‘slap in the face’ for Lincolnshire
Government announcements that applications for solar farms at Heckington Fen and West Burton have been granted consent are another slap in the face for Lincolnshire, according to a county councillor.
Colin Davie, executive councillor for environment, economy and planning at Lincolnshire County Council, says adding two more giant solar farms to Lincolnshire’s countryside in the face of strong local opposition shows that the government has not listened to residents.
He said: “These two developments add more than 1,000 hectares of solar parks to the county, bringing the total land now allocated for five approved developments to around 3,500 hectares. A further 6,400 hectares are also being proposed in Lincolnshire.
“Trashing the countryside and putting ginormous industrial developments on agricultural land has understandably caused much local outrage. On top of this, I have no confidence that these schemes help in any way to delivering the affordable energy that we need.
“Quite frankly these decisions are another slap in the face for Lincolnshire, and the government must start considering the cumulative impacts of all these proposals in our county.
“In our recent survey, residents have told us that they are very concerned about the impacts that so many Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will have on Lincolnshire, and the effects on our nature, landscape and communities.
“They also told us that they – like us – consider rooftops and brownfield sites being the most appropriate places to install solar panels. We must stop the industrialisation of the Lincolnshire countryside.”
West Burton solar project gets go-ahead
Island Green Power’s West Burton Solar Project has received the go-ahead from Secretary of State Ed Milliband.
The West Burton Solar Project will provide solar and energy storage in several land parcels in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, approximately 7.4km to the south and up to 14.6km southeast of Gainsborough in the local authority of West Lindsey District Council.
This Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) will provide three electricity generating stations, each with anticipated capacity in excess of 50MW, comprising ground mounted solar arrays, with associated development comprising energy storage, grid connection infrastructure and other infrastructure integral to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the NSIPs.
On completion the project is set to supply up to 480 MW of clean electricity to the National Grid. That’s equivalent to the energy needed to power around 144,000 homes and replace around 24% of the capacity of the coal powered West Burton Power Station.
Tara Chopra, Technical Director (EIA and Major Infrastructure) at Lanpro, who supplied planning, EIA and environmental expertise, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the Secretary of State’s announcement today for West Burton, which marks the successful conclusion of three years of dedicated work by Lanpro for Island Green Power.
“This decision enables the project to deliver affordable, clean energy to hundreds of thousands of households across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. It plays a vital role in advancing the nation’s Net Zero goals.
“Again, this is a strong reflection of the current government’s commitment to renewable energy, and we are optimistic that it will lead to more favourable outcomes for our clients in the renewable sector.”
In preparing the planning application, Lanpro worked alongside Pinsent Masons (legal advisor), Dalcour Maclaren (land referencing) and Counter Context (communications).
2025 Business Predictions: Andrew Gent, director at GV&Co
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Andrew Gent, a director at Leeds-based property consultancy GV&Co, who is hoping that 2025 will be a better year for the big-shed market following a year of uncertainty in 2024.
Nationally take up of industrial properties over 100,000 sq ft during 2024 was up on the year before. However, most was in the Midlands and in the ‘Golden Triangle’ serving the south-east conurbations. 2024 was a slow year for take up in the Yorkshire region, with many businesses including on and offline retailers deferring decisions until the general election, and then when we hoped things might kick on, the market held back, waiting for the budget, which didn’t really deliver what businesses were looking for!
With an increase in national insurance and the minimum wage, labour costs are on the up and some businesses are re-thinking their plans, with deals stalling or being pulled all together. This may lead to a move towards automation, as increased labour costs give the capital investment a quicker pay back and remove future uncertainties over additional labour cost rises.
There are positive signs for 2025, with a number of pending deals which, if transacted, will give the Yorkshire market a fillip and set the scene for the rest of the year to push on. Factor in the government’s push for additional housing, which in itself will lead to increased demand for warehousing and in particular last mile delivery facilities, and 2025 could see increased demand for warehouse space. Plus, the return of Amazon to the marketplace could be another positive.
However, to a greater degree, current take up is being driven by strategic thinking as opposed to a response to increased sales and we have seen a degree of secondary space return to the market as occupiers look to modernise their supply chains, which is balancing the market in terms of supply and demand.
There are however headwinds in the offing, and whilst government rhetoric has been about economic growth so far, the budget has failed to inspire confidence with zero growth reported from July to September. Let’s hope that the anticipated raft of early lettings materialises and that the underlying metrics for the Big Shed market outweigh the short-term economic conditions.
Major new development approved in Epworth
Plans have been approved for a major new development in Epworth including a new GP surgery, a new Holmes and Garden Centre and foodstore.
The proposed development, on Belton Road in the town by Millea Land, will take place on predominantly brownfield land.
The proposals will offer an economic boost and create around 100 new jobs for local people.
During previous consultation on the plans, the community had been very positive about new medical facilities and potential for more shopping choice and new jobs.
During the planning process, the plans have been amended through positive discussions with Epworth Town Council and Council’s Highway Officers. These changes have included a new controlled crossing on Belton road and improvements to the public right of way linking the site with the town centre, including a safe pedestrian route.
Jonathan Millea of Millea Land said: “Gaining approval for this major development in Epworth is the culmination of over four years of hard work and listening to the community.
“We are very excited to deliver the development, and we will look to get onsite as soon as possible. These plans will bring many huge benefits to the town and area, including new jobs, better medical facilities and better shopping choice.”
Andrew Jackson appoints new partner in estates team
Jessica Richardson has joined Andrew Jackson Solicitors as a partner in the agricultural and landed estates team.
She has extensive experience acting for landed estates, farmers, farm businesses and charitable trusts with agricultural property.
Representing owners, buyers and lenders, Jessica is highly regarded for her depth of knowledge and expertise dealing with all aspects of the ownership, sale and purchase of agricultural and other rural land.
With complementary skills in estate management, Jessica’s practice also involves the grant, management and termination of agricultural and other tenancies of farm land, including former farm land, and the securing possession of agricultural holdings. She is experienced in helping farmers with diversification projects and with the funding for them.
Helen Mellors, partner, and head of the firm’s agricultural and landed estates team, also commented: “Jessica is a great addition to our regionally recognised team. Her knowledge, expertise and proactive approach will help us to ensure that we can continue to provide the highest standards in service and value for our clients.”
Hallam Land sells 365 homebuilding plots to two developers
Sheffield-based Hallam Land has sold 365 residential plots – 75 in Ambrosden, Oxfordshire to house builder Mulberry Homes and 290 residential plots in Sittingbourne, Kent Taylor Wimpey, respectively.
Hallam acquired the Ambrosden site in 2014, before promoting the land through the planning process. In December 2023, an outline planning consent was secured for the homes as well as a 12-acre community woodland, local highway improvements and a children’s play area.
In 2017, Hallam agreed a promotion agreement for the Sittingbrourne site before submitting an outline application in November 2022. Hallam successfully secured planning consent on an appealed decision in July 2024, following an initial refusal in 2022. The appeal was made on the basis that Swale Borough Council’s outdated development plan could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply which in turn was failing to meet the area’s housing needs.
Fizzy drinks company’s hires will boost international sales and develop new products
Horsforth-based fizzy drinks company CO2Sustain has made two appointments to help further accelerate the company’s international growth plans.
As sales manager in Southeast Asia Simon Briggs will be responsible for key strategic geographical growth areas and Chris Watts will strengthen new product development and the technical team.
Chris Watts joins a Product Technologist and will bring his knowledge and expertise to new product development strategy as well as managing laboratory functions. He is a biological sciences graduate.
Jonathan Stott, director at CO2Sustain, said: “The team and I look forward to supporting Simon and Chris to succeed and wish them well.”
