Former Leeds investment broker turns street food entrepreneur
A former investment broker who quit his job to set up a street food company in Leeds is on track to turnover £1m this year.
James Ooi, who is half Chinese, set up Little Bao Boy after becoming disillusioned with his job, which involved regular travel to Hong Kong.
Little Bao Boy makes and sells bao buns through its own outlets in Leeds, to wholesalers and to franchisees. It has three outlets in the city, three trucks to go to festivals and franchise partners in London and Scotland.
James had moved to the city to study media at university from his home town of Middlesborough and stayed on after his degree to join the investment brokerage company, where he lasted five years before finding the job ‘soul destroying’.
A chance conversation with his sister about what to do next led to the creation of Little Bao Boy, which has been helped by business support programme AD:VENTURE.
“Our parents ran a restaurant in the north east, so we were brought up in hospitality. And all through uni I worked in hospitality. I went to see my sister in London and she said ‘have you thought of street food?’ And that really was the start of it all,” said James.
He quit his job and spent a year in a less demanding role, so he could start Little Bao Boy. In November 2018 North Brew Company, who were opening a tap room in Leeds, asked if Little Bao Boy would join them to do the food.
“We’ve never left,” said James, “And it has gone from strength to strength.”
And lockdown turned out to be a busy time, for the company,
“We won an award for being the most sold product in Leeds via Deliveroo. And all that from a 7ft by 7ft kitchen, and just me and my partner, as everyone else was on furlough,” said James.
To keep up with demand James needed to expand manufacturing, so he turned to AD:VENTURE for a grant. The business support programme, which is part-funded by the European Development Fund, helps businesses in North and West Yorkshire that are up to three years old.
As well as the grant of £25,000, which helped create five new jobs, James was given help with creating a business plan.
Each week now Bao Boy makes 10,000 bao buns for their outlets and another 10,000 for wholesalers.
The plan is to increase the number of outlets in Leeds from three to five, and to have about 50 franchisees, all buying supplies from them.
The core staff team consists of eight people, with plans for that to rapidly expand too. And sales have shot up four times in the last year, with turnover expected to top £1m this year.
James said: “The grant was pivotal. It was a crucial part of us being able to do what we do. It would have been a big financial risk for us to take in our early thirties, so it relieved a bit of stress and pressure and allowed us to have more breathing space.”
And he says he has no regrets about changing direction.
“If you go into hospitality as a career, it’s a way of life. I like being in the mix in the kitchen. I like cooking the food, I like tasting the food and I like cooking people new food. You also make good friends too.”
As well as the ERDF, AD:VENTURE’s funding and delivery partners include Leeds City Council and the region’s eight other local authorities, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University, the Business Enterprise Fund, and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.
Cllr James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “James has created a very successful company from his passion for great food and hospitality. And by doing that he has brought jobs to the region, and I am sure there will be many more to come.
“The growth of Little Bao Boy shows that with the right support, a good business idea can become a reality and a huge success, even in these difficult economic times.”
Walker Singleton acquires Brighouse estate agency
Property consultancy Walker Singleton has acquired Brighouse-based estate agency Daniel & Hirst as the firm further expands its residential property operations throughout West Yorkshire.
The deal, which was for an undisclosed sum, sees Walker Singleton grow its residential estate agency and property management portfolio within the Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford areas.
Walker Singleton now has around 750 properties under management and 180 homes for sale, all mainly located within the Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford areas.
The firm has offices in Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Bradford and employs 50 people, of which 17 work within its residential estate agency team.
Daniel & Hirst will continue to trade under its name until the first quarter of next year when Walker Singleton will launch a new singular residential estate agency brand that will encapsulate both offers.
The estate agency’s offices on Commercial Street in Brighouse will be rebranded as part of that announcement.
Waker Singleton’s premium estate agency brand, Charnock Bates, which specialises in the sale of fine, country and period homes across West Yorkshire, will remain unchanged.
Commenting on the deal, Walker Singleton director, Ben Waites, said: “Daniel & Hirst has an excellent reputation throughout Brighouse and its surrounding areas having been established in the town for more than 30 years.
“The acquisition increases our property portfolio but, as importantly, gives us an immediate local presence and experience in the Brighouse residential market which has proven to perform well over time.
“The deal also represents the continued implementation of our strategic plan to grow our footprint throughout the Yorkshire region. Our new estate agency brand incorporating both businesses, which launches early next year, will provide us with the platform for even further growth.”
Founded in 1889, Walker Singleton is a multi-disciplinary consultancy which provides partner-led property and asset services.
In addition to residential property, the firm has three other key service areas which are commercial and industrial property; machinery and business assets; and land and property auctions.
Daniel & Hirst founder, Michael Hirst, who will remain with the business, said: “Becoming part of Walker Singleton provides the Daniel & Hirst team with the opportunity to play our part in the creation of a new and ambitious estate agency brand.
“We are excited by the plans that Ben and the Walker Singleton team have and look forward to continuing to provide an excellent estate agency service for Brighouse and its surrounding areas.”
Walker Singleton was advised on the deal by corporate partner Angela Cashin at Schofield Sweeney whilst commercial property partner Greg Dolan at Ramsdens acted for the vendor.
Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire presents Regal Foods with Queen’s Award
On Monday 28 November, the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire visited Regal House, the home of Regal Food Products Group Plc, to present the company with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade.
Younis Chaudhry, CEO of Regal Foods, greeted the Lord Lieutenant at Regal’s head office in Bradford before introducing him to the team, friends and guests of Regal Foods. The awards presentation celebrated Regal Food’s international success who as a company export to over 40 countries around the globe.
The scroll presented by the Lord Lieutenant, Ed Anderson CBE, is the only document to be signed by her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Minister on the same scroll. A unique crystal bowl was also presented.
CEO of Regal Foods, Younis Chaudhry, says: “Regal is a Bradford family business I am very proud of. Our journey started just over 20 years ago with the vision of becoming number 1 at what we do. Thanks to sheer dedication and honesty we have become successful within international trade which has led us to this very prestigious, royal award.”
Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson CBE, says: “I am really proud of Regal Foods as a successful Yorkshire business and of course as a successful Bradford business. From the bottom of my heart, congratulations Regal Foods and I wish you all the success in the future.”
Lynsey joins Medical Solicitors to lead Hull office
Lynsey Furley has been appointed to lead the Hull office of Medical Solicitors, which opened at The Deep Business Centre in September 2021.
The firm’s founder Caroline Moore said: “Lynsey is a highly skilled senior lawyer, and she is clearly dedicated to helping vulnerable clients who have suffered negligence in their healthcare.
“People are having difficulty accessing healthcare and that’s leading to delays with diagnosis and treatment with the result that we are experiencing an increase in enquiries nationwide.
“We have to make sure we can meet that rising demand for our services and Lynsey’s appointment will give our lawyers more time to devote to individual clients and ensure we maintain our high level of client care.
“With offices in Sheffield and York, the expansion into Hull completes a ‘Northern triangle’ of legal services accessibility for our clients.”
Lynsey was born and bred in Hull, having gained a law degree from the city’s University. The majority of her career has been spent working for a regional law firm in the city and she has been recognised four times in the last five years by The Legal 500 for her positive feedback from clients.
Specialising in surgical errors and delays in diagnosis, Lynsey has previously secured six-figure settlements for her clients. She is committed to empowering her clients to overcome any psychological impact of their injuries by giving clear, efficient and friendly guidance throughout the legal process.
Lynsey said: “When I heard Medical Solicitors were opening an office in my local city of Hull, I was keen to join a firm that solely focuses on clinical negligence. I’m thrilled to be joining a great team and to continue to do what I am most passionate about – supporting my clients to obtain answers and compensation that will enable them to move on with their lives.”
Lynsey joins Amy Adkins, who previously worked in the same field with another law firm and moved to Medical Solicitors earlier this year.
Medical Solicitors Limited, which has its HQ in Sheffield, was launched by Caroline Moore more 13 years ago and also has an office in York. Initially Caroline worked as a sole practitioner but owing to the success of Medical Solicitors it has now expanded to a team of nearly 30.
Business Sheffield supporting businesses to manage cost of living
The rising cost of living is putting pressure on businesses across Sheffield, and the council is urging businesses to make use of free expert support to help them weather the challenge.
Costs are increasing across the supply chain, from raw materials and ingredients to transport and energy costs. At the same time, people have less to spend and are thinking differently about what to do with their money, making it harder for businesses to attract customers and cover costs.
This means many businesses are looking for new ways to market themselves and adjust their business model, as well as seeking to reduce their costs.
Business Sheffield, the council’s business support department, has teams of business experts who can support businesses with these changes. The Business Information Officer team supports high street businesses across the city, while the Business Advisors work with business of all kinds, from tech start-ups to big manufacturing companies and more.
In these challenging times, they can help businesses to review their cashflow and find efficiencies, as well as to refresh their marketing strategies. They can also help business owners to understand energy costs, bills and contracts.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee, said: “Sheffield’s businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and a key part of what makes this city such a special place to live and work.
“Our dedicated support teams within Business Sheffield have valuable experience and real practical support to offer businesses who are struggling with the impacts of the cost of living. If you own a business, we really encourage you to contact the team and see how they could help you.”
“I think the thing to try and remember through these challenging times is resilience,” says Alan Ball, Business Information Officer. “It can be really tough at times, but you’re not alone. Cash is king: try and make sure that you manage and control your cash flow. Look at new opportunities to sell, either online or through social media.
“Take full advantage of the free advice that’s there for you. You’re not alone in this: we will get through it and things will be better, and whilst it may seem challenging at the time, there is support out there.”
We don’t want any money, Hull Chamber tells Shadow Business Secretary
We don’t want money – just make bold decisions and let us get on with decarbonising the Humber and building for the future – that was the clear message voiced by the biggest businesses in the Humber when they met with the Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband at the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce.
Business leaders from Ineos Acetyles, Equinor, Drax, Orsted, Able UK, Prax Group, Phillips 66, Lindsey Oil Refinery, Smith & Nephew, Reckitts, Spencer Group and numerous others all made clear requests of present and future Governments to sweep the red tape out of their way and put the infrastructure in place to let these major businesses thrive in this region.
The former Labour Party leader who has praised the Humber 2030 Vision document was knowledgeable and enthusiastic as he outlined his Party’s plans to create GB Energy, a publicly-owned generation company. Ed Miliband listened carefully and questioned the company representatives in turn to establish precisely what blocks these major industries are facing and what needs to happen to get things moving faster in the Humber.
Business leaders around the Chamber table have billions of pounds to invest in the Humber, but much of that investment would be anticipatory he was told, and there was a need for certainty from Government that if that investment is made, contracts will follow. Businesses needed to have that confidence in place to bring those investment plans to fruition.
David Brooks, the Chief Executive of Ineos Acetyles UK had travelled from London to attend. He told the meeting: “The Government saying yes or no was very important. If you have ambitions for carbon zero in the Humber for 2030 BEIS needs to step up. Sometimes investment carries risk, but sometimes you have to take risks. The private sector does demand action and promptness to commit, otherwise they lose the confidence to invest.”
Emma Toulson from Orsted said: “We have invested £14billion in infrastructure and created the largest offshore wind hub in the world and it’s based in Grimsby. Hornsea 3 and 4 will cost another £14billion which then becomes £30billion investment potential, but we need access to the grid and planning permissions if we are to reach our ambition of 50GW by 2030 – it’s not too far away now! We all need to work together to decarbonise the Humber.”
Rolls-Royce works through site visits for nuclear reactor ‘parts factory’
Rolls-Royce is visiting all sites shortlisted as potential homes for its first factory to make small modular reactor power station components – including Pioneer Park at Stallingborough and the former Tioxide site on Moody Lane in Grimsby.
Since then, the company has added two additional sites to its shortlist – Shotton, Deeside and Teesworks, Redcar. These join Catterick and Ferrybridge in Yorkshire, Sunderland, Newton Aycliffe, Deeside in north Wales and Carlisle.
A team from Rolls-Royce SMR is currently in the process of visiting each site to gather more information in order to narrow down the potential factory locations.
COO of Rolls-Royce SMR, David White, said: “I’d like to thank the Local Enterprise Partnerships, the Welsh Government and the owners of the shortlisted sites for their continued support and cooperation.”
If Lincolnshire is chosen as a host for the new factory, the area is expected to benefit the area through significant investment, providing high-skilled jobs and sustainable economic growth.
The shortlist was selected from over 100 submissions from Local Enterprise Partnerships and development agencies which suggested sites across the UK where the Rolls-Royce SMR factories could be located.
‘Tech-for-good’ firm raises £750,000
Tech-for-good company GWD has secured a £750,000 investment from NPIF Maven Equity Finance.
Founded by Marek Narkiewicz and Ben Widdows, GWD supports socially minded organisations in the digital transition, accelerating their ability to build stronger relationships with customers and clients through impactful products and services.
A flagship product of GWD is its contactless fundraising device, the Donation Station, which uses interactive storytelling and intuitive design to help organisations enhance the donor experience, encouraging engagement, and creating a lasting impression of a fundraising cause.
Headquartered in Sheffield, GWD has deployed hundreds of Donation Stations across the UK. The company is proud to be a partner of choice for organisations across the charity, faith, arts, heritage, and corporate sectors, which can include institutions such as libraries, gardens, and museums.
The £750,000 worth of equity will allow GWD to accelerate key product development and add new service lines, enabling the company to continue helping its clients to build long-lasting donor relations more effectively.
“We are delighted to provide funding to GWD as it enters its important scale-up phase. GWD have market leading products in sectors that are rapidly growing, with great potential to expand the business rapidly. I am excited to be working with Marek and Ben and the rest of the team,” said Alex Rothwell, investment director at Maven.
“From the first meeting we were confident that Alex and Maven were the right funding partner for GWD. We have a fantastic team and a mission to bring innovative technology to right where it’s needed and Maven immediately saw the value in that. I’m excited to push on with their support and to continue serving our clients,” said Marek Narkiewicz, co-founder and CEO of GWD.
Leeds engineering services group acquires Northern Irish firm
Renew, the Leeds-based engineering services group, has acquired Enisca Group from its founders for a total consideration of £15.6m.
Enisca is a multi-disciplinary engineering business operating in the water and environmental sector with headquarters in Cookstown, Northern Ireland but with a base on the UK mainland. Enisca has long term Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Controls and Automation (MEICA) frameworks with Southern Water, South East Water, Affinity Water, Yorkshire Water, Irish Water, Northern Ireland Water, Anglian Water and Northumbrian Water.
The entire executive management team of Enisca will remain with the business post acquisition.
Paul Scott, Chief Executive of Renew, said: “This acquisition broadens Renew’s exposure to the UK water market and is consistent with our stated strategic objectives. Enisca is a highly regarded business with a strong track record and is well known to Renew having been a joint venture partner of Browne since the start of AMP6 in 2015.
“Our existing multidisciplinary water capability, complemented by the inclusion of Enisca will significantly enhance Renew’s proposition ahead of AMP8 procurement in 2024. I am delighted to welcome the management and staff of Enisca to the Renew family.”
Tom Ruddy, chairman of Enisca, said: “We very much look forward to the opportunity to join with Renew for this attractive new chapter. Renew will be an excellent long-term strategic fit for Enisca giving us access to its interconnected group subsidiary businesses, clients and frameworks.
“I would like to thank my fellow directors and shareholders and all the employees of the Enisca Group companies for building the company to where it is today, a strong and vibrant business in the UK and Ireland Water and Environmental markets.”
MAG reports distribution reaching £20 million amid company growth
One of the UK’s leading suppliers of commercial laundry machines, MAG Laundry Equipment, has successfully distributed over £20 million of equipment as they continue to support businesses across the UK, as well as celebrating a 16-year partnership with the manufacturing giant The Onnera Group.
MAG, which has recently won a Laundry & Dry-Cleaning Award for Machinery Distributor of the Year, has experienced significant growth during its 13-year partnership with The Onnera Group. The company’s sales have been further enhanced by MAG’s exclusive UK distribution of the Primer brand, which has contributed to its overall machine distribution exceeding £20 million.
This record growth has resulted in a continued and steady investment into the commercial laundry sector, with MAG leading the way in research and development, upgrading its fleet with green vehicles, and doubling its network of UK engineers.
MAG’s leadership in the sector was recognised within the company’s recent award win where the team was celebrated for strong overall performance, innovation, technological advances, excellent customer service and thoughtful environmental standards.
Commenting upon the company’s recent growth, Mark Dennis, Managing Director at MAG, said: “To have achieved such unprecedented growth and to be this year’s Machinery Distributor of the Year is truly such an honour.
“Our success is reflective of the hard work the team puts in day in, day out. Particularly with regards to forging strong manufacturing partnerships, which have allowed us to supply some of the most energy efficient, technologically advanced equipment in the world.
“I would personally like to thank everyone who has helped us get to where we are today. MAG has always been a business that doesn’t stand still – and we look forward to enjoying future successes like this with the team.”
MAG, which supplies and services commercial and industrial washing machines, tumble dryers and ironers, is currently within the top five suppliers in the country. The business has grown from strength-to-strength since being founded in 1986.
