Insolvency specialist quits Sheffield for move to the north east
Insolvency director Claire Dowson is to leave the Sheffield office of rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor and return to her roots in the North East.
With 18 years’ experience in insolvency, Claire joined Begbies Traynor in Sheffield in 2015 having already passed the JEIB exams to become a licensed Insolvency Practitioner. She has been taking appointments for the last six years and has extensive knowledge of all aspects of corporate insolvency, including administrations, solvent liquidations and Creditors Voluntary Liquidations, working across a wide range of sectors.
Claire, who was born in Darlington and still has family in the region, said: “After eight years working for Begbies Traynor in South Yorkshire, the continued growth of our Teesside office provides a great opportunity for me to help bolster our offering to the North East market, while also returning to live and work in a region I know and love.
“I’m excited to be joining the team here in Teesside, adding capacity and knowledge to further grow our offering to businesses across the region at such a challenging time.”
Chemical and ingredients distributer expands with office and lab space at Lawnswood Business Park
Hillview Real Estate, the UK regional office investor, has signed a lease agreement with Brenntag UK for 6,260 sq ft of office and lab space at Lawnswood Business Park in Leeds.
Brenntag UK, a subsidiary of Brenntag SE, a global market leader in chemical and ingredients distribution, has taken the ground floor of Alexandra House on an eight-year lease. The lease agreement represents an expansion of Brenntag UK’s space at Lawnswood Business Park – it already occupies 14,000 sq ft at Alpha House for its UK headquarters.
Lawnswood Business Park was acquired by Hillview Real Estate in December 2018 for Hillview Partners Property Fund II. Located in North Leeds, it provides 150,000 sq ft of office accommodation.
Dom Ketteringham, asset manager at Hillview Real Estate, said: “The expansion of Brenntag’s lease at Lawnswood Business Park demonstrates the sustained strong occupier demand for high-quality and strategically located workspace near Leeds city centre and endorses our regional office strategy.”
Hillview Real Estate was advised by WSB and JLL.
Barnsley gets ready to take applications under new grant schemes
From next month Barnsley businesses will be able to apply for grants under new regional business support projects.
Barnsley Council’s Enterprising Barnsley team will lead the delivery of two new regional business support projects: Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant, and Launchpad – Business Start Up Programme, as well as delivering a new Rural Business Support Grant, all funded by UK Shared Prosperity Funding
The council will also collaboratewith the South Yorkshire Local Authorities and The Business Village to deliver a Low Carbon Project for SMEs across the region, that will provide support to help businesses decarbonise their operations.
Cllr Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “We’re delighted to approve these new business support projects, which Barnsley will play a key role in delivering on behalf of the wider region.
“It’s brilliant we can facilitate access to finance and support for our SMEs. It’s great we can boost our town’s entrepreneurs, increase productivity and provide better employment opportunities for all.
“The success and reliability of our Enterprising Barnsley team over recent years in delivering these projects through European funding has now been rewarded, by having our teams deliver and evolve these grants going forward through UKSPF. Recently, we have developed a new website and brand for Enterprising Barnsley, setting in place a robust system for handling these grants and delivering the best possible resource in terms of support for businesses in our borough.”
Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant
The Business Productivity and Digitisation grant project will address the productivity gap with grants up to £12,000 to support SMEs by providing access to grant support that will directly help them to increase productivity.
Launchpad
The Launchpad Project will address the start-up deficit. Starting a business isn’t easy. Those first steps can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to know where to begin. Launchpad provides one to one support for you to build up your knowledge, develop your ideas and build the confidence you need to take your business forward. It is accessible to individuals looking to start a business, SME’s that have been trading for less than three years and for micro businesses with 10 staff members or less of any age.
Rural Grant
The Barnsley Rural & Visitor Economy (capital) Grant Project will support those rural areas that often face specific challenges, specifically lower productivity rates. The Rural Fund supports the aims of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper and Future Farming Programme. It will provide small grants for capital projects that will help to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.
Low Carbon Grant Project
Supporting SMEs to decarbonise. The NetZeroBarnsley/Low Carbon Grant project will be a collaboration between the Council, The Business Village (BBIC Limited) and Sheffield City Council, who will be the lead partner. The project will offer free and intensive support, designed exclusively for businesses based in the Barnsley area, which have high-impact potential for contributing to the Net Zero carbon emission targets. Support will include in-person and peer-to-peer advice, this will be underpinned with a grant offer for businesses to invest in products that will help reduce their carbon footprint.
Information on each grant will be made available on the Enterprising Barnsley website – the grant application will go live in August once details have been agreed.
Lincoln events software platform raises £1.5m
A Lincoln company whose events software platform was used to help plan the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games has raised £1.5m to enable it to bring its technology to a wider audience and create new jobs.
Iventis has secured investment from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia Ventures and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), and Mercia’s EIS funds.
Iventis enables teams planning events to collaborate online by bringing together satellite imagery, maps, architectural drawings and other data in one easy to use platform.
The company has worked on a host of high-profile events including the recent Special Olympics in Berlin, the World Cup and Dubai Expo. The latest funding will enable it to further enhance its technology and bring it to a wide range of event planners.
Iventis was founded by Joe Cusdin who had previously worked on the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Mercia first invested in the business in 2019. The latest funding brings the total it has raised to date to over £2.1m and will enable the company to create around six new jobs.
Joe Cusdin, CEO, said: “Planning high-profile events is extremely complex with a host of different factors to consider – from designing and building the infrastructure and planning schedules to managing crowd control, transport and security.
“However the industry still relies heavily on spreadsheets, drawings and data in different formats. With Iventis we have already shown how technology can transform large-scale event planning. We will now be bringing our innovations and technology to a wider audience.”
Sandy Reid, investment director at Mercia, added: “Joe and the team have built a first-rate product and attracted a gold-standard client base.
“We believe there is huge potential to grow the business, not only in the field of sport and entertainment but also in areas such as tourism, transport and construction – anywhere teams need to work together to plan and manage complex operations.
“The funding will enable the company to strengthen its management team with a number of key appointments and accelerate sales growth.”
Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chief Executive Ruth Carver said: “I am delighted that Lincoln company Inventis has secured further investment through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF). The Greater Lincolnshire LEP, along with the European Union, co-funded the MEIF to help fuel local businesses’ growth ambitions and it is good to see investment into a digital events platform and investment in talent locally.”
Huddersfield SaaS firm appoints former tennis player as head of partnerships
Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, Adventoris has appointed former tennis pro and FMCG expert, Matthew Pinel, as its first ever head of partnerships to oversee the firm’s growing partnership programme.
Pinel, a former tennis pro and coach, has worked in FMCG management for the last 10 years in Australia, for the likes of Emma and Tom’s, and Gamekeepers.
The appointment comes following the signing of a partnership deal with global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) expert, Vision 33, as Adventoris moves towards a fully integrated future for the brand.
Adventoris, which has a turnover of £2m, now supports over 200 clients across a range of industries, including Pipers Crisps, Staedtler, Pukka Pies and Hills Prospect.
Commenting on his new role, Pinel said: “I am excited to be part of such an innovative and rapidly growing company. The ecommerce industry has always interested me, so I am grateful to James and the team for supporting my development at Adventoris.
“Having experience in the sports and FMCG sectors means that I have encountered some of the issues that SwiftCloud can help solve for businesses, so it is really exciting to be supporting the solution that has helped and will help so many businesses to boost their efficiency and productivity.”
CEO of Adventoris, James Clarkson, said: “Our partnership programme is an integral part of our business, and I am delighted to welcome Matt onboard to lead it. We believe that through trusted partnerships, we can work together to build a tech community that opens new sales channels, reaches new customers and helps mutually improve product portfolios.
“Working with the Vision 33 team has been fantastic for us as we look to grow our partnership division to offer a fully integrated solution for our clients, offering improved efficiency, time savings and ultimately increased sales.”
Wood Care Group acquires duo of Barnsley care homes
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has sold Chapel View and Field View Care Homes in Barnsley.
Chapel View and Field View, which occupy the same site in Mapplewell, Barnsley, provide quality care for 39 and 40 residents respectively. Both homes are rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘Good in all areas’.
The homes have been operated by Panaceon Healthcare Limited since they were acquired through Christie & Co over eight years ago.
Following a confidential sales process with Jonathan Wickens at Christie & Co, they have been purchased by Wood Care Group which now operates seven homes in the north of England.
Aditya Jain, director of Panaceon Healthcare Limited, says: “We are proud of what we have achieved in Barnsley with Chapel and Field View care home. Having bought these homes eight years ago, we have managed to turn both into vibrant and thriving care homes, providing exceptional care.
“Both homes are now rated ‘Good’ by the CQC with quality staff and stellar reputations. We could not have done any of this without the support from BMBC, our residents, our staff, and our other stakeholders.
“Both Barnsley and Chapel and Field View care homes will forever be close to our hearts, but we believe that we have found the right buyers in Wood Care Group which already has a presence in the area and Andrew and his team have the passion and ambition to take this business forward.
“They are deserving custodians of the legacy we have created. We promise all our staff, residents, and contractors a seamless transition and consistency of service.”
Andrew Wood, director at Wood Care Group, says: “We are delighted to welcome both Chapel View and Field View Care Homes to our group from Panaceon Healthcare. We look forward to working with the teams to continue to provide outstanding care for our residents.”
Jonathan Wickens, director – care at Christie & Co, says: “It has been a pleasure working with the directors of Panaceon Healthcare and we wish them well for the future. Wood Care Group is well known to us at Christie & Co, as the group acquired all seven of its homes through us and we feel very confident that they will continue the fantastic service that has been provided by Panaceon.
“The care home market remains very active in the north of England, with multiple bids being received on several of the homes we are currently marketing. Despite uncertainty over interest rates and rising operational costs, there remains a strong resilience across the sector.”
Chapel View and Field View were sold for an undisclosed price.
Leeds company swoops for international workplace management solutions firm
InVentry, a Sign in and Visitor Management technology company based in Leeds, has acquired international workplace management solutions company Hipla Technologies.
The strategic acquisition will enhance InVentry’s portfolio, with plans for product line expansion and an enhanced marketing strategy for UK and international growth, further cementing InVentry’s global presence.
Hipla Technologies is a provider of smart workplace solutions with bases in both Singapore and India. The company currently operates in the B2B space across various sectors with customers including Prestige, People Strong, Whiteland, Sattva, ATS as well as various other brands.
Sandeep Kaul, CEO of Hipla Technologies, said: “We’re really excited to become part of the InVentry family! Hipla’s existing product portfolio will complement InVentry’s core offering, helping us to provide the next generation of workplace solutions, covering crucial areas within visitor management, room management and door access control.”
Phil Lawson, director of InVentry, added: “This strategic acquisition supports InVentry’s long-term growth strategy, allowing us to provide customers with a range of innovative, specialist products whilst still maintaining the quality that has made InVentry who we are today.
“The acquisition also enables us to provide more products to the UK market, and allows us to better serve our growing international customer base in areas such as the UAE and Southeast Asia, with the addition of two new bases in India and Singapore.”
Motor giant accelerates into York warehouse
Motor giant, JCT600, has acquired a modern warehouse at Centurion Park on Clifton Moor in York.
JCT600, which has multiple dealerships, service, accident repair and van centres across Yorkshire, Humberside, Lincolnshire and the North East, purchased the 17,521 sq ft unit from leading parcel delivery company, DPD, for an undisclosed sum.
JCT600 is a well-known, family-run business with a 75-year pedigree. It is a trusted partner of 21 of the world’s best car brands, including Aston Martin, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari and many more. The company will use the new site as a vehicle preparation centre.
Leeds property consultancy GV&Co advised DPD on the off-market transaction alongside sbh, and JCT600 was represented by Eaton Commercial.
Jonathan Jacob, senior surveyor from GV&Co, said: “Having let DPD their new state-of-the-art parcel facility on Northminster Business Park, we were delighted to have been retained to sell their building on Clifton Moor, which they had outgrown. Unit 1, Centurion Park provided a unique opportunity for JCT600 to acquire a modern, low site density building adjoining their existing ownership and we are pleased to have concluded the sale quickly.”
Robert Eaton, director at Eaton Commercial, added: “The opportunity for JCT600 to secure the freehold of further significant property in the heart of their dealership and support network at Clifton Moor, York, was not to be ignored, with the deal being rapidly concluded. JCT600 are now working up their plans for the business operation from the site.”
Three new faces prepare to step up at Yorkshire’s Chamber of Commerce
West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has three new ‘presidents-elect’ for Bradford, Leeds and York & North Yorkshire. The business representatives will lead and campaign for their respective areas on behalf of the local Chamber membership.
Mark Cowgill will represent Bradford; Sound Leisure’s Chris Black will cover Leeds; and Sarah Czarnecki of Gray’s Court Hotel takes on York & North Yorkshire. Each has extensive knowledge and expertise in their own field, with years of experience of working with stakeholders and dealing with key decision-makers. They will represent their members at high-level meetings and chair internal Chamber groups as part of the info-gathering and policy-making process in the business organisation.
Amanda Beresford, Chair of the Board of West & North Yorkshire Chamber, said: “This is an exciting time for the Chamber and for the wider business community. Yes, there are some tough decisions being taken in many businesses and life is a bit tricky for many, which is why it’s as important as ever that our politicians and other decision-makers are fully aware of relevant business issues.
“We have another great team stepping up and an expert policy and representation team supporting and continuing our lobbying activities – and so I’m very confident for the future.”
Mark said: “I’m looking forward to following on from some of our recent great business figureheads, and confident about taking Bradford forward.”
Chris added: “Leeds is already a great location in which to do business but I’m sure that we continue the good work with other stakeholders to push on to another level.”
Sarah said: “It’s a privilege for me to take on this key role right now. We’ve a great support team helping the local business community, so we’re in good hands.”
Government plans to fund replacement of unsafe cladding on thousands of buildings
The government is to cover the cost of removing unsafe cladding in thousands of mid-rise buildings protecting leaseholders from costs where the responsible developer cannot be made to pay.
Funds will come under the Cladding Safety Scheme, the government’s biggest building safety intervention to date, as part of a wider package of measures to help end the building safety crisis across England.
It is estimated that thousands more mid-rise buildings will qualify, giving tens of thousands of residents across England a pathway to a safe home, with no cost whatsoever to leaseholders in the building.
The CSS will be funded by both the £5.1 billion allocated by government to fix the most dangerous buildings and through revenue from the Building Safety Levy on new development.
The scheme will be available to all medium-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres across England and high-rise buildings over 18 metres outside of London where fire safety professionals have recommended that works must take place. The scheme will also be available to the social housing sector.
All building owners who believe they are eligible for funding need to apply through Homes England Cladding Safety Scheme application portal.
Any leaseholders or residents living in a building they think is eligible for funding will be able to provide further information about their building using Homes England’s ‘Tell Us tool’.
Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “The Cladding Safety Scheme pilot was an important step in removing the cost burden on leaseholders trapped in unsafe homes and built on the progress made on building safety.
“The full rollout of the programme allows us to go even further. Our team is ready to go, and we expect thousands of buildings to benefit over the next decade.
“We will continue to work with DLUHC to ensure the pace we’re working at is maintained, so we can bring peace of mind and protection to the millions of people whose lives have been affected by unsafe cladding.”
