Grimsby-based Splash About announces acquisition and turnaround of reusable nappy brand
Global fintech firm’s move sees full occupancy at Leeds office destination
Santander UK backs enevo’s national expansion
enevo has secured a seven-figure revolving credit facility from Santander UK to support its national growth and strengthen client services in the built environment compliance sector. The funding marks Santander UK’s first committed investment in the company and underlines confidence in enevo’s leadership, strategy, and technical expertise.
The capital will enable enevo to invest in staff, systems, and service delivery while accelerating acquisitions of aligned consultancy and service businesses. The company is expanding teams across compliance, safety, and building control, with particular focus on Building Safety. The Building Safety division has more than doubled in size and provides regulatory oversight, technical guidance, and support for high-risk projects under the Building Safety Act. New hires bring expertise in fire safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, Gateway 1–3 submissions, Higher-Risk Building compliance, regulator engagement, documentation, and design coordination.
enevo operates from offices in Leeds, Manchester, and London, with further expansion planned in the South East and Midlands. The investment will enhance infrastructure, internal processes, and the ability to scale services nationally. Clients include Knight Frank, Torsion Projects, Eddisons, Savills, Avison Young, Caddick Construction, Esh, and JRL Group.
The company recently rebranded from C80 Group to enevo, unifying its services under a single platform to simplify client experience. The Santander UK facility supports enevo’s objective of becoming one of the largest privately owned built environment TICC companies in the UK.
Time Out: Lindsay Green, programme director at Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland
East Riding businesses gain over £500,000 in government support
Businesses in the East Riding have access to more than £500,000 in government funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund. The grants aim to support growth, innovation, and workforce development across the region.
Businesses can apply for grants of up to £50,000 for projects including capital investment, farm diversification, tourism accommodation development, and carbon reduction initiatives such as solar energy installation. Start-ups can access grants of up to £750, while training grants of up to £1,000 are available to help develop employee skills.
Invest East Yorkshire Business Support Services offers confidential advice to companies of all sizes and sectors. The team assists with identifying funding opportunities, business planning, workforce development, and market expansion, and can connect businesses with specialist support when needed.
Over the past two years, more than 2,000 local businesses have received guidance from Invest East Yorkshire advisers, who operate across the region to support business growth and economic development.
Invicta Holdings acquires Spaldings Group
Invicta Holdings Limited, listed on the JSE, has completed the purchase of UK distributor Spaldings Limited for R282.2 million through its subsidiary, Invicta Global Holdings Limited. The acquisition took effect on 1 September 2025.
Spaldings, established in 1954 and based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, supplies agricultural and ground care replacement parts and machinery. The company reported a net profit of £526,838 for the year ending 31 December 2024. Annual profits for 2025 are projected between £1.4 million and £1.6 million, with a net asset value of £4.5 million at the end of 2024.
The deal aligns with Invicta’s plan to expand internationally in markets where it has sector experience and management capacity. The acquisition is expected to support growth in Invicta’s global replacement parts and engineering business, enhance procurement efficiency, and broaden the product range. Funding will come from Invicta’s existing cash reserves.
The transaction is classified as a category 2 acquisition under JSE Listings Requirements and does not require shareholder approval.
David Fox, non-executive chair at Spaldings, said: “In Invicta Holdings, we have found a like-minded business that has significant expertise in our core markets – individuals who have shown great desire to support Spaldings in the next phase of our growth journey, while backing the existing management team to achieve those ambitions.” Law firm Mills & Reeve advised on the sale of the holding company of the Spaldings Group to Invicta Holdings. The Mills & Reeve team acted for the sellers, Inspirit Capital and the management shareholders of the Lincoln-based company. The team was led by corporate partner and head of international Tom Pickthorn and principal associate Hayley Simonds, with support from Ashley Kerr. Hayley Simonds said: “Spaldings is a company with a rich heritage and strong footprint – not only in the East Midlands, but also in the agricultural sector. This deal is not only a significant milestone in the company’s growth journey, but also demonstrates the ongoing appeal of high performing regional businesses to acquisitive overseas buyers.”Nuada carbon capture technology begins trial at West Yorkshire EfW plant
Nuada’s carbon capture system is now operational at enfinium’s Ferrybridge-1 energy from waste facility in West Yorkshire. The pilot plant, commissioned this month, will run for at least six months to test the technology under industrial conditions.
The installation uses metal-organic framework technology to capture carbon dioxide from point sources through a vacuum swing process. The approach targets efficiencies in energy use and operational costs when scaled commercially. enfinium plans to evaluate the system for potential deployment across its six UK facilities, advancing its decarbonisation strategy for the waste sector.
Energy from waste facilities process large volumes of unrecyclable material, approximately half of which is biogenic, including food, paper, and plant matter. Capturing CO2 from these sources prevents it from re-entering the atmosphere, delivering net carbon removal. Studies by the Climate Change Committee and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies indicate the sector could remove between five and eight million tonnes of carbon annually by 2050.
The trial provides operational data for both technology performance and integration at scale. The results will inform wider adoption strategies, positioning the energy from waste sector to contribute to the UK’s net zero objectives while improving the cost-effectiveness of carbon capture deployment.
Northern agencies target US contracts through new upshoring initiative
A Yorkshire-based marketing firm has launched a programme to connect UK digital and creative agencies with US clients. Great British Marketing (GBM), operating from Leeds and Boston, has created a panel of more than 20 pre-vetted agencies across the north of England. Collectively, the panel employs over 210 staff and generates more than £19 million annually in digital and creative services.
Research conducted by GBM over two years with more than 100 senior US marketers found that 54% were open to working with UK suppliers. Rising costs for US agencies, which can be 40% to 60% higher than UK equivalents, combined with inflation and wage growth, have increased demand for overseas providers offering competitive pricing.
The initiative, called Upshoring, enables UK agencies to access US contracts without upfront market investment. The suppliers on the panel provide services including SEO, PPC, brand strategy, media relations, graphic design, video production, coding, and UX. GBM intends to expand the panel to 40–50 agencies to create a collaborative community representing Northern creative expertise to US buyers.
GBM has worked with UK and US clients since 2014, supporting marketing agencies, software and SaaS businesses, manufacturers, regional cities, and government departments such as the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Justice. Upshoring aims to deliver cost-efficient solutions to US clients while showcasing the quality and adaptability of Northern UK creative talent.
Second solar farm proposed near Keadby
Lidsey Renewables Ltd has submitted plans for a solar farm on 99 hectares of North Moor Farm, near Keadby in North Lincolnshire. The development, Moors Solar Farm, could generate up to 49.9MW across nine fields currently used for agriculture and partially occupied by wind turbines from SSE’s Keadby Wind Farm.
The proposal follows a separate application for Pilfrey Solar Farm on land between Ealand and Keadby. If both projects receive planning approval, they would sit approximately 220 metres apart.
Despite proximity, the two schemes are entirely independent. They have different landowners, separate electricity connection points, and will operate independently. The only commonality between them is that Sirius Planning acts as the agent for both applications.
Venator UK operations face uncertainty after parent company enters administration
Venator Materials plc, the Wynyard-based parent company of a chemical manufacturer, has appointed Alvarez & Marsal as administrators. The move affects the holding company and two other non-trading UK entities, while the main trading company, Venator Materials UK Limited, continues operations across its sites in Greatham, Birtley, and Wynyard.
The administrators will work with the Venator leadership team to manage the sale of UK businesses and explore opportunities for other group entities. The broader group, including operations in the US and France, remains under the oversight of its existing boards.
Venator specialises in titanium dioxide pigments and performance additives. Its UK workforce totals 519 employees, contributing to a global workforce of 2,249. The company has cited rising costs and increased market competition as factors affecting recent performance, prompting the restructuring measures.
Local stakeholders have emphasised the importance of maintaining confidence in the business to support a successful sale and protect jobs, with any potential buyer required to demonstrate commitment to continued operations.
The administration provides a structured process for assessing the future of the UK businesses while maintaining current trading activities and supporting ongoing global operations.
