New partnership to be the future of great things for Lincoln and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce is today announcing the start of an exciting future for Lincoln and Lincolnshire with a closer working relationship with Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG).
Having supported Lincoln BIG over the past 12 months as Interim Chief Executive, leading the team through a transitional period, Simon Beardsley will now take on the role of Managing Director of the organisation, while continuing in his current role as Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce.
Both organisations have a rich history in supporting Lincoln and the wider county, playing a pivotal role in supporting businesses and whilst this new partnership will strengthen the support provided to members and levy payers, the Boards of the respective organisations will ensure the businesses retain their independence.
Simon Beardsley, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “I am thrilled to be able to share this news with you, it is just the start of a fruitful partnership with our friends and colleagues at Lincoln BIG.
“Having been involved with the organisation, both operationally through the Collaboration 4 Growth project, the sharing of back-office services, such as finance management and strategically as a Board director, this development will build on that success, and I am confident and excited by what this new, more formal partnership will offer our business community here in Lincoln and Lincolnshire.”
Craig Harris, Chair of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, said: “As the new Chair of Lincolnshire Chamber Board of Directors, I am delighted to be supporting the organisation with this new partnership with Lincoln BIG, both organisations have a common goal of supporting businesses in Lincoln and more widely for the Chamber across Lincolnshire.
“It is of course extremely challenging times for our member businesses, making the work we do vitally important and with the support of the Board directors and Chamber team we will continue to drive forward our vision ‘to help create a sustainable and connected economy for Lincolnshire businesses’ which only compliments that of Lincoln BIG’s and by taking a much more collaborative approach going forward this can only mean great things for the growth of the city and county.”
Bailie Group bolsters strategic growth plan with NED appointment
Leeds-headquartered Bailie Group, a family-owned communications specialist, has announced the appointment of non-executive director, Frank Hayden, as the company strives to accelerate its business growth and resilience plans, with an ambition to reach £80m turnover by 2024.
With an illustrious CV, working on many critical projects Frank led the strategic and operational transformation of several high-technology businesses including Land Rover, BMW, Airbus, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. He played a leading role in the launch of the BMW Mini, Airbus A380, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Rolls-Royce engines for the Boeing 787 & Airbus A350.
Now working as a consultant and non-executive director, he has served more than 300 client leadership teams — across a wide range of industries — all over the world. In recent years, Frank was called upon to support the UK Cabinet Office, leading the work to accelerate the scale up of Covid-19 rapid test devices as well as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
On joining Bailie Group as a non-executive director, Frank comments: “Bailie Group has an enviable reputation with its customers for innovation, service delivery and added value. I look forward to helping the board of directors to continue to grow our competitive advantages and customer offering. I will bring valuable strategy and governance guidance, alongside customer insight, having previously worked with Bailie Group customers”.
Elaborating on the impact Frank’s appointment will have on the business, CEO, Fergus Bailie, shares: “We have ambitious growth plans for every company in the Bailie Group and we wanted an experienced individual to help us achieve the ambitious targets we have set ourselves. I’m delighted to have found someone with Frank’s expertise which complements every area of the Group.
“We have a purpose to invest in people and ideas that make a positive difference and Frank’s background epitomises this. His experience working across multiple sectors — and as a customer of our services — will help to provide a fresh perspective. Frank’s input has already been valuable, and he is bringing new ideas and an infectious enthusiasm to our meetings.”
With a mission to improve people’s lives through the sharing of knowledge, Bailie Group — a 160-year-old, family-owned business — incorporates a portfolio of six communications agencies and consultancies throughout the UK.
Scunthorpe Business Centre snapped up in £14m acquisition run
Scunthorpe’s Queensway Business Centre has been bought by Manchester property investment and development company, Hurstwood Holdings.
Previously owned by Dean Property Group, the recently Refurbished Business Centre in Scunthorpe boasts 20,820 sq ft comprising 33 offices from 168 sq ft.
Hurstwood Holdings has added the hub to its portfolio as part of a recent £14 million acquisition run in recent weeks, taking its total spend on new properties this year to £35m.
In addition to the Queensway Business centre, the company has completed the purchase of five additional industrial and office properties, nationwide, which include:
- Vision Park in Peterborough: Six modern warehouses totalling 15,037 sq ft and set to undergo a refurbishment, providing flexible leasehold accommodation from 1,150-6,781 sq ft.
- Fraser House in Ipswich: A 16,409 sq ft multi-let office building on Museum Street in the town centre where Hurstwood already owns another building. The prominently located, period building is fully let to Savills (UK) Limited, Peopleplus, Netscout, Attwells and Brewin Dolphin.
- Bridge of Don Industrial Estate in Aberdeen: Comprising six warehouse units, totalling 30,470 sq ft and fully let with occupiers including Andrews Hydrographics.
- Mandale Triangle in Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees: A 30,656 sq ft industrial building that is part vacant and part let to a Gym company.
- Kings Court in North Shields: Situated close to the town centre, this two-storey modern office building totals 78,577 sq ft, the majority of which is let as a courthouse to the Secretary of State, which has been in occupation for more than 20 years.
Nicholas Associates Group open new Doncaster office for Stafforce brand
Talent management solutions provider Nicholas Associates Group has opened a new branch office in Doncaster for its Stafforce recruitment brand.
Stafforce has branches across the UK and provides temporary, flexible roles as well as ongoing permanent career moves. The new office is located in Bizspace on TenPound walk in Doncaster.
The Nicholas Associates Group, which has its HQ in Rotherham, has established business in Doncaster having had a Stafforce office in the town five years ago. Since then, candidates, as well as three staff that live in Doncaster, have been travelling to Rotherham for interviews. The new office means that job seeker needs will be met locally in a more sustainable and environmentally conscious manner.
Stafforce Managing Director, Tony Boorman, said: “We’ve identified that the market has changed and there is a definite need for a quality local recruitment specialist. Whilst video interviews will still be an option, having a local office means we can also offer a place for face-to-face meetings.
“We believe offering flexible options enables us to interact more with our clients and candidates and allows us to get to know them better. This in-depth understanding enables us to match candidate skillsets, personalities and ambitions with client needs.”
Major office building set for Sheffield as approval granted
A new sustainable office building in Sheffield City Centre, 190 NORFOLK STREET has been granted planning approval and will help meet the need for Grade A accommodation in the city.
Grantside’s proposals for a six-storey office development on the corner of Charles and Norfolk Street were approved by Sheffield City Council’s Planning Committee, after taking on feedback following a refusal earlier this year.
The proposed building will include around 2,200 sq ft of retail and active space on the ground floor, with around 19,500 sq ft of flexible office space above.
Steve Davis, founder and Chief Executive of Grantside, said: “We have listened to feedback and amended the plans and are pleased that Councillors recognised the benefits that this exciting development will bring.
“It fits in with our sustainable approach to development and will be a landmark Net Zero-carbon ready building, regenerating a prime site within the city’s commercial quarter. The building is targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’, EPC ‘A’ rating, Wired Score Platinum and Cycle Score Certified Platinum rating for sustainability.”
£300m Sheffield scheme gets underway with innovative construction solutions
Innovative construction solutions and an award-winning carbon reduction initiative are being implemented on Sheffield’s newest mixed-use development.
Derbyshire-based contractor Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) has started construction on the first phase of Urbo (West Bar) Ltd’s £300 million West Bar scheme. This phase, funded by Legal & General, will be called Soho Yard and will deliver two apartment buildings of 18-storeys and 14 storeys which will provide 368 homes to rent.
The exterior of these buildings will reflect the Victorian industrial structures that were previously on the site, but the construction techniques will include 21st Century sustainable, off-site methods designed to reduce carbon emissions and speed up the construction process.
The first tower crane has been installed and a second will be erected in mid-November. Both cranes will be operated using a carbon reduction initiative that Bowmer + Kirkland is rolling out across all its construction sites and for which the contractor has won two awards for innovation and carbon reduction.
B+K has recognised the carbon, fuel and cost savings associated with the Punch Flybrid technology, which uses a robust and durable flywheel energy storage system to significantly downsize generators powering tower cranes and other dynamically used equipment on site. Typically, the system is reducing CO2 emissions by 30-40% and using 26% less fuel.
The apartments will take 125 weeks to complete and B+K will also be building an eight-storey 100,000 sq ft Cat A office facility – known as number 1, West Bar Square at the opposite end of the site. Construction starts mid-November and the building will be available for new occupiers from Spring 2024.
Bowmer + Kirkland regional director, Steve Chambers, said: “We are all very excited to be constructing this major development in Sheffield. We have built some of the city’s most recognisable buildings over the years and we are delighted to continue our relationship with the city and look forward to delivering this regenerative scheme for our client.”
Urbo Managing Director, Peter Swallow, added: “We are excited to see Bowmer + Kirkland forging ahead now with construction of our West Bar development which is one of the largest mixed-use projects in the region and a major part of the regeneration of Sheffield City Centre. They are a perfect fit with our wider team, delivering a high-quality end product with both the residential and office buildings and also the connecting public realm spaces.”
The West Bar scheme is a joint development by Urbo Regeneration Ltd and Peveril Securities and is designed by 5 Plus Architects.
Shift Left goes global with acquisition by Planit
South Yorkshire IT and quality engineering consultancy, Shift Left, has been acquired by Planit, an Australian-headquartered global leader in quality engineering and application testing services.
The move sees Shift Left join the Tokyo-based NRI Group, employing 13,500 people around the world and with a market capitalisation of US$15.7bn.
Following its acquisition of Shift Left, Planit is now contending for the second spot amongst specialist quality engineering service providers, worldwide.
Mike Weale, CEO of Planit, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Shift Left to the Planit group and leverage their suite of services and strong customer base to expand our offerings throughout the UK and into Europe. We see these regions as key to executing our Vision 2030 strategy, and have aggressive plans for expansion. Thanks to this acquisition, the combined entity has now grown beyond 300 people in the UK.”
The deal comes just four months after Planit’s acquisition of its primary competitor in the New Zealand market, Qual IT, and cybersecurity specialist, SEQA.
Shift Left was co-founded by Alan Upton and Dave Rigler seven years ago in Yorkshire, and has since grown to service clients across the UK and Europe.
“This is an incredible milestone for Shift Left and will launch the next stage of growth,” says Dave Rigler, co-founder of Shift Left.
Addressing why the deal came about, Rigler said: “We were listening to the needs of our customers, and we could clearly see the opportunity to expand our global reach and extend our service offerings. We also knew that achieving this on our own would be possible but would take significant time and investment. We needed to find a partner with a substantial global footprint and Planit was the logical choice.”
“Not only did we have a historical relationship, we also knew Planit had the capability and capacity to move our business forward. We’ve seen Planit’s great work first-hand at clients like Specsavers, where they have over 100 quality specialists servicing their end-to-end quality needs,” said Rigler.
The Shift Left brand will remain in operation with its senior management continuing to lead the business, its employees, and client engagements.
Shift Left joins Planit locally in the United Kingdom and globally into the wider business footprint across Australia, India, New Zealand and the Philippines. The acquisition figure is confidential.
Bradford’s Jubilee Mill sold to freight forwarder
Property group Eddisons has sold the 32,000 sq ft Jubilee Mill near Little Germany in Bradford to independent freight forwarding firm Uniexpress.
Uniexpress, which is headquartered in the city and operates from nine locations across the UK, has relocated its head office from Bradford Business Park to the Jubilee Mill to accommodate the growth of the business, renaming the four-storey property Navigation Point. It now employs more than 70 people in Bradford.
Uniexpress CEO Michael Fitzpatrick said: “We’re excited to have secured this city centre location to support our continued growth. Its location is ideal to attract new talent and establish our headquarters as a centre of excellence in freight forwarding.”
Eddisons associate director Matt Jennings added: “We’re really pleased to have sold Jubilee Mill to Uniexpress. Not only is it great to be able to help a successful Bradford business achieve further growth, it is also really good news that this deal will ensure that jobs remain in the city centre.
“We received a great deal of interest from buyers who were keen to redevelop the site as residential accommodation but it is very positive for Bradford that this property will continue as a high quality, modern employment centre.”
Eddisons sold the open-plan Jubilee Mill office building on behalf of debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which was founded in Bradford in 1996.
Increasing demand for the charity’s services, which provide free debt advice for people with financial problems, fuelled by the cost of living crisis and rising energy prices, has necessitated a move to new premises for CAP. The charity has consolidated into a single premises at Jubilee House, the former Yorkshire Building Society call centre, on Filey Road in the city in order to ramp up its support for people with debts and other financial difficulties.
As part of the relocation, earlier this year Eddisons also sold CAP’s 17,000 sq ft Jubilee Centre on Stott Hill to the Light Church, securing the future for the Bradford Central Foodbank, which operates from the property.
A 4,000 sq ft, three-storey office building on Captain Street/Stott Hill is also currently for sale with Eddisons on behalf of CAP.
Major food group issue profits warning amidst inflationary pressures
Grimsby-based Sea Food specialist, the Hilton Food Group, have warned that operating profit will now be below its expectations for the full year, citing inflationary pressures as the primary cause.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning the company state “Given the challenges in the UK Seafood business alongside the wider macro-economic environment, the Board anticipates that operating profit will now be below its expectations for the full year.
“Despite this the Board remains confident that the business is well placed for 2023, with the Group’s financial position continuing to be strong, with leverage remaining at comfortable levels.
“We have made good progress in ongoing discussions regarding geographic expansion and continue to explore opportunities for growth in our existing markets as we deliver on our strategy of becoming the protein partner of choice.”
Greater Lincolnshire LEP to focus on ‘four game changing sectors’ at annual conference
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise’s annual conference, which takes place this week, will will focus on Greater Lincolnshire’s four game-changing sectors – energy, UK Food Valley, defence, and ports & logistics.
The organisers have also brought together a line-up of high-calibre speakers who will lead an in-depth discussion on the day and provide an opportunity for business leaders to pose questions and share views at a time of challenge and unique opportunities for growth.
Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: “Everyone is really looking forward to getting together on Thursday and unpacking our four game-changing sectors.
“The event is free to attend and places are being booked up fast.
“Those attending will be treated to an enlightening discussion about some of the opportunities which have the potential to transform the economy of Greater Lincolnshire.”
Greater Lincolnshire – Leading the Way takes place from 8.30am until 1pm on Thursday 10th November 2022. Register for your free ticket to the conference by visiting the Eventbrite page.
We are also welcoming strategic partners in an exhibition this year showcasing some of our collaborative projects and programmes.
