Long-established Suzuki & Subaru dealer acquired by Leeds group

Tess Egginton
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Long-established Suzuki & Subaru dealer acquired by Leeds group
Colin Appleyard Limited, one of the longest established Suzuki & Subaru dealer groups in the UK, has been acquired by Leeds-headquartered D. M. Keith Motor Group. Colin Appleyard Limited, which represents Suzuki in Bradford, Keighley, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Huddersfield, alongside Subaru in Keighley and Huddersfield, was initially founded by the late Colin Appleyard in 1971 and run by his son Robin Appleyard since 2010. The acquisition sees D. M. Keith’s first venture with Suzuki, giving it a scaled footprint from day one with the brand. D. M. Keith has expanded substantially over the last decade, most recently acquiring Ringways Ford and Kia in Leeds back in 2021. It now operates 19 businesses across sites in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Greater Manchester. This acquisition sees the group grow to an anticipated 2024 turnover to be in excess of £300m. On 14 February, all Colin Appleyard employees and assets were transferred to D. M. Keith Ltd, increasing the total number of D. M. Keith employees by 125.
The deal was brokered by David Kendrick & Ian McMahon of UHY Manchester, funded by Natwest Bank and the legal advice by Gordons LLP, Leeds.

Plans submitted for £3m health, well-being and community centre in Shipley

Tess Egginton
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Plans submitted for £3m health, well-being and community centre in Shipley
Plans have been submitted for a multi-million pound project in Shipley with a focus on Health, Well-being and Community. The £3m investment from the Shipley Towns Fund will transform The Old School building on Farfield Road, owned by mental health charity, The Cellar Trust. Plans, drawn up by local firm Rance, Booth and Smith Architects, include full refurbishment of the existing building, a new atrium at the front of the building and full landscaping. The proposals for the grounds include the creation of a well-being garden which will be accessible to the public. The new facility will continue to be run by well-established founding member charity, The Cellar Trust with input from strategic charity partner HALE, also based in Shipley. Its mission will be to provide health and well-being services by working with a range of services from the voluntary sector, public sector and social enterprise in one inclusive, welcoming and accessible place. The Cellar Trust CEO Kim Shutler said: “We have an established track record of successfully delivering specialist mental health support. This building will give us new opportunities to work in partnership with other local organisations, who may not easily have access to such facilities. “We’ll be making good use of the improved facilities with the access to green space and the opportunity for classes and activities. All with the aim of supporting even more people across Shipley.” Services will be available for the whole community and will particularly focus on supporting vulnerable people. There will be large rooms for groups and events, smaller activity rooms, consulting rooms for clinical and non-clinical interventions as well as a multi-faith and contemplation space. Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “This new community development will be invaluable, delivering improved access to mental and physical health services and will support the well-being of our community.” Chairman of Shipley Towns Fund Adam Clerkin added: “We are pleased to support this incredible project, which will change people’s lives. It will provide a wide range of integrated support services, delivered by a skilled workforce and a team of volunteers who are trained in engaging, assessing, motivating and giving people the tools to improve their health and well-being. We are delighted to have been able to support it through the towns fund.” Office and co-working space has been set aside for health and well-being providers and social enterprises. The atrium entrance space and welcome area will include an informal seating area and refreshments.
In addition to the £3m funding to be received through the Towns Fund, an additional £600k funding has been sourced through match funding, by way of building collateral from The Cellar Trust.

Goole invests in scooter fleet to help people get to work and training

Stuart Pearcey
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Goole invests in scooter fleet to help people get to work and training

Opportunity Goole – one of the eight strategic projects funded by Goole Town Deal – has subsidised the cost of 20 brand new scooters to help the town’s residents access training and job opportunities.

The new scooters will be managed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s existing Kickstart vehicle loan scheme, but the Opportunity Goole-funded scooters are exclusively for the use of Goole residents. This latest investment takes the total number of scooters available to Goole residents up to 20, although 11 of these are already in use. Councillor Anne Handley, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The council’s Kickstart Scheme has been hugely successful and there are now 55 scooters available to residents across the East Riding. Thanks to this investment from Goole Town Deal, 20 of these are exclusively for the use of Goole residents. “We know that demand for these scooters in particularly high in the Goole area, so it’s wonderful to see Opportunity Goole linking up with the Kickstart Scheme to deliver even greater benefits for the town’s residents. I’d encourage anyone who would like to loan a scooter but needs help applying or is struggling to meet the start-up costs to have a chat with the Opportunity Goole team for support and advice.” Phil Jones, Chair of the Goole Town Deal Board, said: “It’s fantastic that there are now 20 scooters available to help residents of the town access work and training opportunities. As one of the eight strategic projects that the Goole Town Deal Board chose to allocate funding to, the Opportunity Goole team helps local people to gain the knowledge and skills they need to secure employment and ensures that employers can recruit local people with the skill set that they’re looking for. This is another fantastic example of the team – and Goole Town Deal funding – being used to make a tangible difference to local people.” Goole residents who are struggling to access work or training opportunities due to a lack of public transport or difficulties meeting transport costs can contact the Opportunity Goole team for more information or visit the Kickstart page on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council website. Eligible applicants are required to pay a monthly charge of £69 to cover rental fees, insurance, tax and servicing, but this is typically much cheaper than the cost of other forms of transport. There’s also a £115 start-up fee, but the Opportunity Goole team may be able to help any applicants struggling to make this initial payment to access grant funding. Pop in to chat with the team at Goole Library or email: opportunitygoole@eastriding.gov.uk  

North East Lincolnshire plans staff move to support Grimsby Town centre businesses

Stuart Pearcey
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North East Lincolnshire plans staff move to support Grimsby Town centre businesses
North East Lincolnshire Council this year will see the vast majority of its staff and partners, brought together to work in and support Grimsby town centre through its Doughty Road depot project. When the refurbishment of Doughty Road is complete in late summer this year, 300 council and partner staff will be working from the completely refurbished major works depot. It sits very close to the town centre and neighbours the Town Hall, the Municipal Offices and New Oxford House – together those buildings will then house over 1,000 employees of not only the authority, but staff of partners in both project delivery and health. Council leader Philip Jackson said: “We have been clear about this authority’s efforts to support our town centre – our purchase of Freshney Place, and then the House of Fraser building is evidence of this. “However, we have also considered how we need to make every effort possible to encourage and increase footfall to both Freshney Place and the surrounding town centre. Our plan to re-locate staff, where possible, into the town centre is a way of doing just that.” The new Doughty Road depot will see the amalgamation of services from the current site and the Gilbey Road Depot. It will accommodate all teams that are currently housed at the sites as well as the council’s environmental fleet, bin wagons, education buses and associated vehicles. Efficiencies will include savings associated with staff working together on one site with modern facilities and infrastructure, green energy from solar panels, battery storage, rainwater harvesting and an air source heat pump. All the hard core from the demolished buildings has also been used for the ground works, with all metal and wood from the demolition recycled. Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport added: “I’m delighted to see this approved by Cabinet. We feel strongly that this is a necessary development for the borough and one that will provide countless benefits to the teams working there and Grimsby as a whole.”

Grant helps packaging firm cut energy consumption

Stuart Pearcey
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Grant helps packaging firm cut energy consumption
Scunthorpe-based international packaging company Skymark has used Government cash to help it install a smart metering system to cut its energy consumption and improve productivity. Skymark Packaging International installed a £30,000 “full site submetering system” to improve energy consumption and efficiency by accurately determining where electricity is used during the manufacturing processes. The investment has been backed with £5,000 Government cash – with Skymark one of several dozen firms to collectively invest more than £2.2m backed with £300,000 coming from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Shaine Gill-Ohrt, Skymark’s compliance and accreditation manager, said: “We found out about the opportunity during a business briefing at The Baths Hall back in early 2023 – although the timelines were tight, we embraced the challenge and applied for the funding. “The project has been vital in us being able to accurately determine our energy consumption, calculating utilities and carbon levels more accurately and while we are still in the early phases it remains difficult to determine the full impact, it has opened several significant doors, not least in accurately determining costs. “We would like to thank North Lincolnshire Council for their support and engagement in what has been a milestone project for Skymark.” Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This Government cash is helping many businesses in North Lincolnshire improve and develop for the future. “It is brilliant to see companies like Skymark implementing the funding to make technology investment which are driving real change. The new system has seen several smart units and 54 individual monitoring stations installed which report real-time electricity consumption back to a cloud-based portal. As a result, the company candetermine the most efficient manufacturing processes, accurately cost each process and product range, assess the electricity impact of reducing machine work times, use the data to change behaviours, set reduction targets per machine and per department while also clearly demonstrating savings and productivity improvements. Skymark joins the likes of Trent Refractories, Harlequin Office Furniture, Sentex Hydraulics and Blended Products along with several dozen others which have invested the £2.2m after being backed with £300,000 Government cash from the £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Government leaves food producers in the cold, says NFU

Stuart Pearcey
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Government leaves food producers in the cold, says NFU
The government has missed an opportunity to grow the UK’s horticulture sector, says the NFU, which wanted the country to rely less on food imports by supporting initiatives to grow it here.
NFU Horticulture & Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett said the government’s response had “missed the opportunity to grow the British horticulture sector”. There was no reference to growing UK horticulture within the response, but instead a ‘commitment’ to broadly maintain the UK’s food self-sufficiency at the current level of 60%. Martin warned that the industry was facing its third year of unprecedented and highly volatile costs of production, with growers having seen profits ‘all but wiped out for the last two years’, with profit margins unlikely to stabilise soon. “The risk and lack of reward is simply too high,” Martin added. Fruit and vegetable shortages combined with ongoing global instability has left the supply chain “fragile” Martin said. “We shouldn’t rely on imports to feed the nation. Instead we need government to match its own ambitions for the sector, alongside supporting our ornamental plant and flower businesses to achieve their environmental and biosecurity objectives. “As a start, we need to give our British growers certainty by having a consistent plan for seasonal labour, including a five-year rolling Seasonal Workers Scheme, as well as sustainable returns and longer-term contracts with their key customers, the retailers and processors.”

Hull Trains renews sponsorship deal with both city’s two Rugby League clubs

Stuart Pearcey
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Hull Trains renews sponsorship deal with both city’s two Rugby League clubs
Hull Trains has extended its partnership with the city’s two Rugby League clubs for a third consecutive year ahead of the new season kicking off today with the city derby. Sponsorship of two major Hull teams is a key part of the rail operator’s local investment plan and is an excellent opportunity to help drive further interest in the city and its major sports teams. Louise Mendham, Service Delivery Director at Hull Trains, said: “Rugby league is part of the fabric of Hull and means a lot to everyone in the region. We are proud to once again support both sides in their respective Super League campaigns and wish them both well for the season ahead.” Paul Lakin, Hull KR Chief Executive said: “We’ve had two fantastic years working with the team at Hull Trains and I’m delighted this will continue for a third season in 2024. A particular highlight was Hull Trains carrying more than 3,000 of our fans down to London for the Challenge Cup final.” Hull FC Chief Executive James Clark added: We have had a long and fruitful relationship with Hull Trains over the years. They are hugely recognisable as a brand within the area and this partnership is mutually beneficial in terms of brand exposure. Not only that, but perhaps most importantly we love working with them as they have a genuine commitment to the local community and really care about making a difference.”

UK falls into technical recession

Tess Egginton
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UK falls into technical recession
Newly released figures show the UK economy entered a technical recession as 2023 ended – defined by two consecutive periods in which the economy contracts. UK GDP (gross domestic product) figures, a key measure of economy growth, show the economy contracted by 0.3% in the final three months of 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a slightly bigger fall than predicted by economists and follows a 0.1% shrink in the period from July to September. The fall mirrors weakness seen across all three major sectors of the economy, with services output falling 0.2% quarter-on-quarter, construction output falling 1.3%, and production falling 1% quarter-on-quarter. The technical recession is, however, expected to be shallow and short lived. Anna Leach, deputy chief economist, CBI, said: “December’s GDP number suggests that the UK narrowly fell into a technical recession in the second half of the year. This brings to a close a pretty stagnant year for UK economic growth. “The CBI’s most recent surveys suggest this year has started better than last year ended, with expectations for services and manufacturing in positive territory and the drag from higher interest rates expected to diminish. “Better-than-expected real earnings growth will support consumers against the headwind of higher interest rates. But firms remain under pressure from higher borrowing costs, higher prices, weak demand and ongoing challenges recruiting the workers they need to grow and invest. “There are multiple growth opportunities across the UK economy this year. As we head towards the Budget in March, we’re looking for action to support labour market participation and investment so that opportunities in high-growth industries like net zero can be fully realised.”

Business confidence has been low for almost two years, FSB survey reveals

Stuart Pearcey
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Business confidence has been low for almost two years, FSB survey reveals
Research by the Federation of Small Businesses has found that confidence among small firms has been in negative territory for seven straight quarters, due to the energy price crisis and the knock-on impact on the cost of doing business
Responding to Office for National Statistics stats showing that GDP fell by 0.3% in the final quarter of 2023, following a fall of 0.1% in the third quarter, FSB Chair Martin McTague said the news that we’re in a recession would just confirm what many small firms have been saying for some time now – it’s very tough out there. He said: “There are big differences between sectors, with the hospitality sector recording by far the gloomiest confidence score, underlining that economic pain and strain are far from equally spread out. “Small firms are grappling with high interest rates, energy costs much greater than they were a couple of years ago, and weak consumer demand. Two in five small firms said their revenues decreased over the final quarter of last year, with only a third saying they increased, showing that the shine has definitely come off the so-called ‘golden quarter’, to small firms’ detriment. “The Government needs to foster an environment where small firms can grow, to the overall benefit of the economy, and to put this period of stagnation and shrinkage behind us once and for all. We have set out an ambitious but achievable programme for small business growth at the forthcoming Budget. “Uprating the Employment Allowance to keep it in line with recent raises in the National Living Wage, raising the VAT threshold from £85,000 to at least £100,000, bringing back tax-free shopping for overseas visitors, ensuring the future of the Recovery Loan Scheme to get funds to start-up and scale-up businesses, and bringing in a national Business Energy Advice Service to help small firms with eye-watering energy costs would all provide a launchpad for growth. “Small firms have the drive and the potential to get the economy back up and running, and to put this period of economic decline firmly behind us.”

Tammy appointed to lead UK Fresh Produce Network

Stuart Pearcey
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Tammy appointed to lead UK Fresh Produce Network
Tammy Dawson-Doughty has been appointed as head of the UK Fresh Produce Network, which seeks to connect and support professionals in the fresh produce industry throughout Lincolnshire by fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and promoting growth. After spending much of her life working in Lincolnshire, specialising in business innovation, partnerships and income maximisation, Tammy looks forward to using her contacts and experience to support local organisations and bring success to the local businesses. She said: “Whether you are a large-scale producer, an importer, a distributor, or an industry professional, I look forward to supporting your business and fostering a thriving community where collaboration, knowledge sharing, and growth opportunities are at the forefront! “Please feel free to connect with me, share your thoughts, or reach out for any collaborations or opportunities!” As Head of UK FPN Lincolnshire, Tammy will be working closely with farmers, suppliers, retailers, and policymakers to promote and support the local fresh produce industry and create opportunities for collaboration and innovation. In addition to her current role at the Chamber, Tammy is also passionate about martial arts and is the current chair of trustees at Boston Grammar School. Simon Beardsley, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed Tammy,said: “We are thrilled to have Tammy join the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce team.  Her expertise, dedication and skills have already proven invaluable, enhancing our capabilities and offerings for UK Fresh Produce businesses across the county through implementing effective policies and strategies that benefit both the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and our network.”
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