JULY 2020 £3.50 YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk VOLUME 35 ISSUE 7 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Chasing the new normal CHANGING TIMES Reducing overheads IT AND TELECOMS New age of communication REBOOTING THE ECONOMY REBOOTING THE ECONOMY 01.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:35 Page 1CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS To find out how to get your business on the up visit www.dextersharpe.co.uk Offices in Boston, Bourne, Horncastle, Lincoln, Louth, Skegness & Spilsby We pride ourselves on providing a pro-active, friendly and accessible service. Experts in Accounts and Tax Returns Tax Planning and Book-Keeping Audits and Business Advice We’re here to get you in the right direction Keeping business on the up… East Midlands Business Link Bricks 2020 A celebration of those helping to create the landscape for the next generation EAST MIDLANDS The annual Bricks Awards attracts property and construction professionals from across the East Midlands and is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the end of lockdown in a safe and secure environment. Visit www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk for more information. Awards are, of course, a means to celebrate success in the region, and forge new contacts, and tickets previously purchased will remain valid for the event. For those who haven’t yet secured a seat, additional tickets may be purchased online at: www.eventbrite.com/e/east-midlands-bricks-awards-2020-tickets-84605225507 NEW DATE Thursday 29th October 2020 02.qxp_Layout 1 07/07/2020 10:13 Page 1By the time you’re reading this, the UK will have entered the latest stage of its ongoing easing of the lockdown. June brought with it some key changes as the government attempted to get the economy moving again and, now that we’ve moved into July, things are beginning to return to the way things were pre-pandemic. Of course, social distancing measures remain in place and the fine for businesses that flout these regulations are steep. Yet workers have returned to the office in droves and with the tentative re- opening of bars and restaurants, things are looking more familiar. At a glance, it might be easy to think that the worst has passed us by, but the pandemic is still very much in effect. That’s why this month we’re raising money for the NHS with our charity special. Coronavirus is also the focus of our changing times feature which explores how companies can reduce overheads and creating a leaner operation. Throughout the pandemic, senior management and industry leaders have turned to Business Link for a light in the dark, a dependable source of trusted news, opinion and insight as they look to navigate the crisis. That remains as true for our July issue as at the beginning of the outbreak. Here’s to staying safe and getting the economy back on track! Stay safe and good reading, as always, Michael Fisher Editor The magazine that cares We care because we want to leave our world a better place than we found it Business Link believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is the key to maintaining a flourishing business that our customers will be pleased to use and our staff will be proud to be part of. Community - From a very local point of view, we strive to be a ‘good neighbour’. We also extend that into the much broader local community, through financial support of local causes and charities. Environment - Our actions extend to: conservation of energy and natural resources, minimisation of waste and ensuring our trading partners do likewise. From the Editor 03.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:36 Page 1CONTENTS JULY 2020 6 News The latest business news and success stories from around our region. 12 Commercial property Business Link explores the recovery signs in commercial property as the market moves towards a new normal. 16 Engineering New technology continues to change engineering and the role of engineers, enabling quicker design, efficient optimisation, and boosting time to market. 20 IT and telecoms The coronavirus crisis has sped up the change taking place within IT & telecoms, ushering businesses into a quicker, more immediate and interconnected age of communication. 24 Changing times It’s no exaggeration to say that businesses have a lot to contend with right now – from the ongoing Brexit withdrawal process, economic uncertainty and, to top it all off, the continuing coronavirus crisis. In times like these, it’s no surprise to see that businesses are looking to reduce overheads, maximise efficiencies and ensure they’re not wasting a single pound more than necessary. 28 NHS charity special Businesses from across our region’s industry divide join us in raising funds for supporting and thanking our incredible NHS for all their tireless efforts battling COVID-19. 32 Corporate hospitality As lockdown restrictions relax, it is worth taking some time to assess how physical events will need to be altered due to coronavirus. 36 Design and marketing Showing the best face of a company can increase its value exponentially, but many neglect this aspect, hoping to rely on nothing more than word of mouth. 40 AutoLink From manufacturing right through to retail, it’s altogether a grim state of affairs for the automotive industry with COVID- 19 the most profound crisis it has ever faced. With production resuming and dealerships re-opened, we explore the future of motoring. 44 Finance One of the biggest financial issues that businesses are forced to contend with is late payments. It’s especially felt among SMEs and, considering they make up almost the entirety of the UK’s business community, it’s safe to say that late payments affect the entire economy. 46 Events We take a look at business events happening around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 50 And finally… Yorkshire-Lincolnshire- Business-Link @blmforum blmforum.net CONNECT WITH US 20 28 40 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:37 Page 1Group Editor Steve Fisher (s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Editor Michael Fisher (m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Assistant Editor Dominic Cuthbert (d.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.uk) Journalist Tess Egginton (t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk) Editorial contact newsdesk@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310305 Fax: (01472) 310317 Sales Director Angela Cooper (a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk) Advertising Sam Trott (s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk) Vicky Hunt (v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk) Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk) Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman, John Downes Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson Tel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314 (studio@blmgroup.co.uk) E-Mail: yorks-lincs@blmgroup.co.uk Website www.blmforum.net Address Haychart Ltd, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N.E. Lincs., DN31 2QE. ISSN No: 1462-2092 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. COVER PHOTOS : SHUTTERSTOCK - HXDYL • ARTHON .MEEKODONG • GORODENKOFF • CHESKY • ANDY DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY www.blmforum.net 16 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:37 Page 2CMA clears Harrogate Water acquisition The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has cleared Danone’s acquisition of Harrogate Water after launching a merger inquiry in May. Back in February, it was revealed that Danone was set to acquire a majority stake in Harrogate Water, the family- owned business behind the historic Harrogate Spring Water brand. The share purchase agreement will see the French corporation take a majority stake via a UK subsidiary, Danone Water. The current shareholders in Harrogate Water – the Cain family – will remain as minority shareholders and continue to contribute to the company’s growth. The acquisition will allow Danone Waters to further develop its position in the UK and support future growth for Harrogate Water’s portfolio. This move also reflects the shared ambition of both companies to encourage healthier and more sustainable drinking choices. James Cain will join the management team of Danone Waters UK and continue to lead the Harrogate Water business. 6 Business Link www.blmforum.net NEWS ‘Landmark moment’ as South Yorkshire devolution agreed The South Yorkshire devolution has been agreed, paving the way for new powers and millions of pounds of new funding in the region. The order for the deal comes letters of agreement were submitted by Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis, and council leaders in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It will be approved in Parliament in the coming weeks with a statutory instrument being used to pass this into law. Following this, millions of pounds of funding will come to South Yorkshire. “This is a landmark moment for our region. We are seeing powers transferred from Westminster – it means more decisions about South Yorkshire will be made in South Yorkshire,” said Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region. Card Factory CEO steps down after four years at helm Karen Hubbard is standing down as the CEO of Card Factory, the Wakefield-based greetings card and gifts retailer, after four years in the role. The company says Ms Hubbard will vacate both the role and from the board at the end of June. A search for her successor will begin immediately. Until a new CEO has been appointed, Chairman Paul moody will step into the role of Executive Chairman. Ms Hubbard’s exit comes at a time when the retailer is experiencing a drop in profits. “Karen has implemented a solid platform for future growth, recruited a strong Executive Board, overseen entry into new channels and markets and led the development of the refreshed strategy which is now more relevant to the market and macro-economic environment we face today,” the retailer said in a statement. James Cain, CEO of Harrogate Water, & James Pearson, MD of Danone Waters UK & Ireland © Shutterstock /V aleStock 06-11.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:39 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 7 NEWS Pandemic sees UK payrolls drop by over 600,000 The number of people on UK payrolls dropped by 612,000 between March and May, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and HM Revenue and Customs. ONS said the number of job vacancies in May had also fallen to a record low. The figures reflect the impact of around six weeks of lockdown in the UK, in which almost nine million workers have been furloughed. Matthew Percival, CBI Director of People and Skills, said: “Unemployment falls unevenly across society and leaves scars that last generations. The urgent priority must be creating inclusive jobs today, by turbo charging the sustainable industries of tomorrow. This should be backed by a revolution in retraining, with business, government and education providers stepping up to reskill communities for the future.” Although the figures reveal the extent that the pandemic has hit affected the economy, economists say that the full impact on employment will not be felt until wage support schemes end later this year. © Shutterstock/Monster Ztudio Further funding secured for waste-to-fuels project Velocys, the sustainable fuels technology company, has secured a further £500,000 of grant funding for the Altalto waste-to-fuels project from the Department for Transport (DfT), under the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (F4C). The proposed Altalto Immingham plant is planned to convert hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year of residual waste into sustainable fuels, mainly aviation fuel. Velocys was awarded a grant of £400,000 in Stage One of the F4C in 2018, and was shortlisted to receive an award in Stage Two. The DfT has now made £500,000 of the Stage Two grant available to Velocys. Velocys is one of the two remaining companies expected to receive the balance of funding in Stage Two, subject to completion of future project milestones. Henrik Wareborn, Velocys CEO, said: “This grant, particularly at the present time, underlines the importance of our project to the Government’s plans for a green recovery.” © Shutterstock/Jar omir Chalabala NPIF lends more than £23m in North Yorkshire businesses The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) has lent more than £23 million in North Yorkshire since February 2017. Delivered by Sheffield’s British Business Bank, the fund has made 66 investments in 47 York, North Yorkshire & East Riding based small growing businesses. The total £23 million invested includes £16.2 million directly from NPIF, along with a further £7.7m from private investors. NPIF is also actively supporting businesses which have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, providing loans backed by the CBILS scheme. “This is a fantastic milestone for NPIF funding in York and North Yorkshire,” said David Dickson, Chair of the Infrastructure and Joint Assets Board of York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. “This level of investment has unlocked economic growth, created new jobs and encouraged private sector follow on investment. We’re pleased to support NPIF investment in York and North Yorkshire and we hope there will be ongoing take up from SMEs in our area.” © Shutterstock /Billion Photos 06-11.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:39 Page 2TOWER FIELD SERVICES Cat Tech Tower Field Services offers bespoke mechanical services to oil refinery and petrochemical plants all around the world. Our team has vast experience in overseeing and undertaking the installation of all types of Tower internals. Our Tower tray, packing and other internals installation services has deep roots, with several of the senior team at Cat Tech being involved in the founding of the Cana-Tex organisation. Since 1971, Cana-Tex had been the premier global Tower speciality contractor; performing Tower maintenance and plant turnaround projects around the world. These origins, with the addition of new team members, make Cat Tech Tower Field services a global operation which is both cost effective and technically experienced. We strive to create new ways to make your Tower work safer, faster and more productive and that can make very good things happen for your business. We thrive on exceeding our clients expectations and understand the need for upfront communication in relation to timescales and costs. No-one likes surprises in this industry and we ensure that everything is done, from pre-job planning, on site activities to post job reporting in a manner which allows our customers to concentrate on their core business. Let us show you what we can do. We work hard to maintain an industry reputation for safety, speed and dependability. Ours crews have been trained by us, this allows us to staff a project with the proven skills necessary to produce customer satisfaction. It is our intention to demonstrate the benefit of utilising Cat Tech for all of your Tower work. The benefits of engaging Cat Tech are: l Experienced Tower specialists. l Proven track record. l Ability to supply spares and replacements. l Spade to Spade service. l Revamps or modifications to Towers / Internals. l Inspection of Tower internals. l Supervision of external/client labour force. l Detailed inspection reports. l Cleaning of tower internals. l Reactor tray field services. l Turnkey reactor tray field services. At Cat Tech, we continue to create new ways to make Tower work safer, faster and more productive. And that can make very good things happen for your business. Contact us for further information. Our well established sales team have a wealth of experience. We take pride on ensuring all enquires are dealt with quickly and efficiently. UK: Cat Tech (Europe) Ltd., 1 South Park Road, South Park Industrial Estate, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN17 2BY UK Phone: +44 (0) 1724 871747 Fax: + 44 (0) 1724 861928 Bulgaria: Cat Tech Services (South Eastern Europe) Ltd., Devnia, Varna District, Povelyanovo, 20 Droujba Str, R Bulgaria, 9160 Phone: +(35) 9519 92052 Fax: +(35) 9527 46770 China: Cat Tech Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Room 1230 No.1, 58 Nong Huachi Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 20061 CN Phone: +(86) 2152 9175 08 Fax: +(86) 2152 9175 05 Singapore: Cat Tech Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., 17 Fan Yoong Road, Singapore 629794 Phone: +(65) 6264 6261 Fax: +(65) 6264 6401 South America: Please contact the UK office on +44 1724 871 747 Thailand: Cat Tech Services (Thailand) Ltd., 2/1 Soi Banbon Nuenpayom Road, Maptaphut Sub District, Muang Rayong District, Rayong Province 21150 TH Phone: +(66) 894 064 100 Fax: +(66) 638 692 382 MAKING YOUR PLANT WORK… SMARTER www.cat-tech.com PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KAWINNINGS 06-11.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:40 Page 3York biotech to develop aptamers to detect COVID-19 in wastewater York biotech, Aptamer Group, has signed an agreement with Integumen to develop and manufacture aptamers to detect SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in wastewater. The aptamers have the potential to play a key role in the real- time identification of localised COVID-19 hotspots in wastewater, from which authorities can be alerted through Integumen’s real- time alert system to prevent the spread of the disease to the wider community. The Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) formalises Integumen’s access to Aptamer Group’s raw materials for coating aptamers on silicon wafer surfaces at nano-scale. Integumen will provide the Aptamer Group with access to its UK Sand Hutton manufacturing facilities, which specialises in laboratory grown human skin equivalents specifically designed to host bacteria, virus and fungi. A pilot batch of the aptamers will be tested on Integumen’s SARS-CoV-2 model virus. Once initial testing is complete in two months, validation on the real SARS-CoV-2 virus will be carried out at the containment level 3 (CL3) laboratory in the University of Aberdeen. Upon completion of the validation study, Integumen and the Aptamer Group will enter into a longer-term supply agreement, with Integumen manufacturing and commercialising real-time pathogenic virus and bacteria detection devices through its production, sales, marketing and distribution channel partners around the world. “Integumen’s business model is built on collaborating and cooperating with partners such as the Aptamer Group who have technologies that deliver solutions to major societal problems like COVID-19,” said Gerard Brandon, CEO Integumen. “Surveillance and testing of waterways for the presence of bacteria and viruses has recently gained recognition as an important step in identification of COVID-191. “This collaboration is yet another example of the diagnostics industry working together to rapidly bring effective solutions in the fight against this global pandemic.” www.blmforum.net Business Link 9 NEWS © Shutterstock/SAKhanPhotography © Shutterstock /A vatar_023 Leeds in top six best performing UK cities for attracting foreign direct investment projects Leeds has been ranked as the sixth best-performing city in the UK (outside of London) for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, with 20 in the city in 2019, according to the EY 2020 UK Attractiveness Survey. The report examines the performance and perceptions of the UK and its regions as destinations for FDI, and this year includes a survey of 800 international investors looking at the impact of COVID-19 on investment. Leeds was home to nearly 34% of all projects in Yorkshire & Humber in 2019 and it was the only town or city in the region to make the Top 10 for FDI. Within the region, Sheffield was second placed with seven projects, while Hull, York and Wakefield won two each, and Grimsby recorded one project. 06-11.qxp_Layout 1 06/07/2020 10:40 Page 4Next >