Southwark Business Today April 2016

Southwark

BuSineSS Today

issue 8: Spring 2016

Shad Thames

where past and present make for a heady mix - page 10 • Women in Business • Germany export overview • Technology

page 14 page 20 page 31

SHAD THAMES DINING

Whether you are looking for a business lunch, romantic dinner or a get together with family and friends, we have the perfect dining destinations.

All the warmth and welcome of a traditional Italian trattoria, with spectacular and uninterrupted views of Tower Bridge.

Situated on the first floor of the Design Museum, Blueprint Café enjoys one of the most iconic views in London.

0207 403 5403 www.cantinadelponte.co.uk

020 7378 7031 www.blueprintcafe.co.uk

• Cantina del Ponte •

36c Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE

• Blueprint Café •

Design Museum, London SE1 2YD

Head Chef Frederick Forster

Situated on Shad Thames, with that namesake view of Tower Bridge, Le Pont de la Tour serves traditional yet innovative French cuisine.

• Le Pont de la Tour •

36D Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE

020 7403 8403 www.lepontdelatour.co.uk

Situated on the riverside, next to Tower Bridge, the restaurant serves modern British dishes with an emphasis on locally-sourced London ingredients.

• The Butlers Wharf Chop House •

Wharf Building, 36E Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE

020 7403 3403 www.chophouse-restaurant.co.uk

To book online or for more of our London restaurants, visit www.danddlondon.com/restaurants

Welcome

Welcome to

Contents

Southwark BuSineSS Today The Southwark Chamber of Commerce magazine for all Businesses in Southwark note speaker was Keith Vas and have agreed to serve on their Business advisory committee.

We are grateful to Councillor Ian Wingfield for inviting us to attend the Big Business forum, and to Councillor Sarah King for asking us to participate in the Mediation and letting service.

The Chamber has had several successful events since the last publication including a trip around the Tower of London kindly arranged by my brother-in-law Major Michael McCarthy of the Royal Fusiliers, at which the regimental Colonel made an interesting speech. A sell out tour of 50 people for the House of Commons kindly arranged by our president designate Neil Coyle MP. This included a delegation of nine business people from our twin town of Langenhagen near Hanover in Germany. We also had an interesting talk from a business speaker, Dexter Moscow, on effective business networking.

We attended a talk on business at the Southbank University where the key

Future events include a public debate on “In or Out” due on 26th May. Check our website for further information.

This is probably the biggest single issue to affect businesses in a generation and one on which Southwark Chamber wishes to gauge the views of local businesses and then put them forward to our three MP’s.

We are also currently arranging our Annual Boat Trip for July, a tour of the Horniman Museum, a talk on Wellbeing and several international trips in addition to our normal events.

Other activities include working on the Tourist Forum, strengthening our connections with local education establishments and arranging a trip to Xiaogan China. However our main strength, networking within local businesses carries on a pace at numerous other events and communications. We welcome all Southwark Businesses to become members and to both benefit and contribute to this.

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04-06 Up Front 07 Education Matters 08 Up Front 09-13 Spotlight on Shad Thames 14-15 Women in Business 17 Up Close 20 Germany export overview 23 Voice from Westminster 24 Remembering when...

25 Cage Rattlers 26-27 Business News 28 Finance for Business 30 Health & Wellbeing 31 Technology 32-33 Chamber events 33 Last Word 34 Chamber Membership enquiries

Southwark Chamber of Commerce Southbank Technopark 90 London Road, London SE1 6LN 020 7403 9922 Email: admin@southwarkcommerce.com Web: www.SouthwarkCommerce.com

editor

John Dean Email: deangriss@btinternet.com

Publisher

Benham Publishing Limited 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com

Richard Kalmar

Chairman Southwark Chamber of Commerce

Published

April 2016 © Benham Publishing

advertising and Features

Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com

Studio

Mark Etherington Email: mark@benhampublishing.com Media No.1471

disclaimer

Southwark Business Today is published for Southwark Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members businesses in the Borough.

All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at Southwark Chamber of Commerce.

Views expressed in publication are not necessarily those of Southwark Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of the Editor. © 2016.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published

in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content.

Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

Southwark BuSineSS Today

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Up Front

Protecting the night-time economy Masterplan to deliver a new town centre for Canada Water

in February 2016, British Land shared the emerging Canada Water Masterplan with the local community for review and feedback.

The masterplan incorporates Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, the SE16 Printworks and Surrey Quays Leisure Park and proposes new homes, workspaces, retail and restaurants, alongside leisure and entertainment, plus a proposed replacement for Seven Islands Leisure Centre and a potential higher education campus.

The current masterplan sets these uses in a network of living streets and new open spaces, including a new 3.5 acre park and two new public squares. The masterplan seeks to increase permeability for the area, with a focus on cycling and pedestrian friendly spaces, alongside enhancing Canada Water Dock so that people can enjoy and interact with the water and wildlife.

It is anticipated that the completed scheme could provide around 15,000 jobs, with a range of workspaces, alongside retail and restaurants in an open-air high street with a mix of national and independent retailers.

Approximately 1,800 full time roles in construction would also be generated over a 15-year development period. It is British Land’s ambition to maximise local employment, training and business opportunities from the redevelopment; this would include apprenticeships and traineeships through bespoke employment and business programmes and working with local schools.

Eleanor Wright, Community Executive at British Land, said: “We are working with Southwark Council and the local community to create a new mixed-use town centre for Canada Water. The Masterplan will deliver an exciting mix of uses, and a range of opportunities for businesses and employment.

The Masterplan will evolve over the coming year and we are looking forward to developing our ideas further with the local community”.

“In addition, we are looking to host a meeting with the Southwark Chamber of Commerce in Summer 2016 to discuss the Masterplan and give local businesses an opportunity to provide feedback. Further details on this will be available shortly”.

More information can be found on the project website: www.canadawatermasterplan.com

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Southwark BuSineSS Today

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has confirmed plans for a night Time Commission, a six month investigation into what should be done to protect and manage the night time economy, which is worth £66 billion a year to the uK and employs 1.3 million people.

Investigators will look at the restaurants, bars, clubs, music venues and other activities that contribute to the night time economy and help attract the millions of visitors that have helped the capital break records as the world's most visited destination, with four out of five saying culture is a key reason for coming here.

Although plans for the Night Tube are expected to increase London's status as a 24 hour city, the Mayor wants also to ensure this is balanced with other needs of people living, working and doing business here, such as the impact on local residents, keeping people safe, street cleaning and other concerns.

Boris Johnson said: “There is no doubt that the night time economy is hugely

Contractors named

OCO Ltd and Smith and Byford Ltd have been announced as Southwark council’s heating and hot water contractors.

The current heating and hot water contracts expired on 31 March and the new contracts started on 1 April.

important to our prosperity and the life of our city, but there is insufficient oversight for the way it is managed and problems are mitigated.

“It is brilliantly successful, but night time activities can be seen as causes of noise and nuisance, whilst businesses complain that rising property values, the need for housing, licensing requirements and other red tape are damaging their operations, even leading to closures.

“If we are to compete against other world cities is vital that we develop policies to reconcile the competing needs and concerns.'

The Night Time Commission will run for six months and will make recommendations about measures to support the night time economy.

OCO Ltd will continue to provide the service in the north of the borough, with the contract for the south being awarded to Smith and Byford Ltd. The contracts will cover responsive and emergency heating and hot water repairs, as well as gas inspections and other services.

Up Front

Corporate entertainment, the imaginative approach Providing corporate entertainment that is both memorable and interesting requires considerable imagination these days. then assuming the finch position, (in the wild the finches clean them), then to have their carapace scrubbed.

The afternoon started with feeding the penguins, including bad lad Ricky the Rock penguin, recently banned from Whipsnade for raiding others eggs; feeding the meercats and perhaps best of all coati's (South American Racoons).

The food gets hidden around the cage to make feeding as natural as possible, but not for long, with their acute sense of smell nothing was left after seconds.

When our chairman, Richard Kalmar, received a gift of a day's zoo keeping for two, this certainly fitted the bill. This was generously provided by his long standing clients, property developers the Acorn Group to Richard and his daughter, both animal lovers.

The day started cleaning out the camels cage, the camels were kept in their stable, although usually docile their jaw is strong enough to crush a human skull. This was followed by cutting up fruit and veg, nothing but the best for the animals, and then

mucking out the giant tortoises, there is nothing they like better than having their hind legs tickled and

For those of you who have not been to London Zoo for a while it is definitely recommended, a lot has changed!

Gallery hosts celebration of drawing competition entries

The best entries from a popular drawing completion are on display at the anise Gallery.

As studio neighbours AVR London partner with the RIBAJ on this year’s acclaimed RIBAJ Eye Line Competition, the gallery hosts a retrospective exhibition of past winners from the drawing competition, running until April 28.

Now in its fourth year, the competition showcases the communication of an idea or concept through drawing.

It can be broad-brush, or worked through into the finest detail. It can be hand-drawn, computer-rendered, collaged, or any combination of techniques. The call for entries was issued on April 4.

Hugh Pearman, Editor, RIBAJ, said: “I’m especially pleased to welcome AVR London the RIBAJ’s Eye Line partner this year. Architect-led, this is a company that is in the business of very high quality architectural visualisation.

“They work with big names and rising stars alike. Like us, they want to encourage, recognise and – through their Anise Gallery – display the best drawings by practitioners and students. I’m greatly looking forward to our partnership.”

Southwark BuSineSS Today

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Up Front

Scheme secures go ahead

Plans to create new retail space, a new public square and regenerate the railway arches at Peckham Rye Station Square have been given the go ahead by Southwark’s planning committee.

The proposals, which have been submitted by architects Landolt+Brown after a co-design process with local residents, were approved at the meeting on March 1.

In the meantime, plans are continuing to create Peckham Palms, a temporary, bespoke retail area to house a number businesses, particularly afroCaribbean hair and beauty salons, that will be re-located from the station square during refurbishment. This is due to be complete this summer.

new charging regime for developers seeking planning advice Southwark Council has announced that it will be increasing its charges for pre-application planning advice to reclaim the costs from larger developers.

The money will be re-invested into council services to make sure that all residents feel the benefits of development.

Councils across London, including Southwark, have charged developers for pre-application discussions for several years. The meetings ensure that when applications are formally submitted they meet local planning policies and that any concerns have been raised in advance.

Southwark’s charges have not been reviewed since they were introduced in 2008 but the number of large scale

developments happening, or due to take place, has significantly increased.

The council’s planning team also receives thousands of queries each year from residents – from a simple ‘do I need an application for this work?’ to more technical questions like 'how high can I raise my roof for this extension?'

Now, as well as significantly increasing the charge to developers, Southwark Council will introduce a flat rate of £150 for the more bespoke level of pre-application advice to householders.

Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, said: "We have ensured that simple, day-today enquiries from our residents are not charged.

However, developers with larger, more technical and expensive applications that take up more officer time will have to contribute more for the professional service provided by our officers."

The charges will allow the planners to process applications more quickly as the ground work will have been completed through the consultation process.

Firms named for park project Southwark Council has named the two firms who will be designing the new play facilities and changing room area at the historic Peckham Rye Park.

A project is currently under way to design and build a new children’s play area for Peckham Rye Common, next to the café.

The work will also create a children’s playroom and new changing facilities, which will be located in the Grade II listed park, near to the football pitches.

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The project team carried out a design competition to find the best teams for the job and the council has said that Curl la Tourelle + Head has been appointed as the architect to design the changing rooms and the playroom, and Turkington Martin as the landscape architects to design the new play area.

Education Matters

Help your business grow are you a Southwark employer? Want to grow your workforce but don’t have the funds?

Then get involved in Southwark Council’s SEEDS project. Give a job to a local young person and pay them the London Living Wage and we’ll keep your business growing by helping to pay their salaries.

SEEDS wants to encourage employers in Southwark to create jobs for young people via a wage incentive. Micro businesses, SMEs and a limited number of voluntary and community sector employers will be offered mentoring and financial support to grow their workforce whilst employing young local people who are who are finding it hard to find a job.

SEEDS will provide: • Wage incentives of up to 50% to eligible employers who create job opportunities lasting 12 months and pay the London Living Wage to their SEEDS’ employees

• Apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship roles • Employability training and support for young people prior to securing employment • Mentoring support for young people and employers to help young people sustain and progress their employment • Recruitment support for employers to identify suitable roles and adopt appropriate recruitment strategies for young people with limited prior work experience.

To find out more about eligibility and what SEEDS could do for your business, contact: Catherine Blaikie 07816 976569 or email catherinea@treeshepherd.org.uk

City links help sixth formers get work-ready The problem of graduates leaving university without appropriate skills for the world of work is being tackled head on by Sydenham High School GdST through a new Professional Skills programme for the Sixth Form.

All Year 12 students receive specialist training in corporate communication, make contacts in the professional world and complete a self-directed project in order to build on and develop their work skills.

The programme also includes the opportunity to interview a variety of professionals face-toface, from doctors and lawyers to engineers and designers.

Taking place every fortnight, students undertake a mixture of school-based workshops and activities alongside challenges that require them to head into London and get a feel for the corporate world. This includes the opportunity to work with mentors who provide them with an insight into working life and professional career options.

The school has contacts with large firms and organisations

operating in the City of London who come into school to help students develop their abilities to email, speak on the phone and conduct meetings and interviews in a professional and effective manner.

really inspiring. It was also really good to get an insight

into the business world and visit their place of work.”

The course has a very reflective nature; students blog and record their experiences online, commenting on the obstacles faced, tackled and overcome.

By the end of the programme, they should have the key skills they need to gain work experience, internships and places on graduate schemes in their not-too-distant futures.

Year 12 Sydenham High student Zoe said: “Getting the chance to meet women who are successful in their professions and being able to ask them about their career paths and motivations was

Sydenham High sixth formers Tanuja and Catherine interviewed surgeon Mayoni Byrne within the school’s new Professional Skills Programme, designed to help them get ‘work-ready’.

For further information visit www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net

Southwark BuSineSS Today

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Up Front

London to lead worldwide celebration of busking Fifty cities across the uK, along with major world cities including new york, Sydney, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Paris and Toronto, will join London for the most ambitious celebrations of busking and street performance ever staged.

The first ever International Busking Day will take place on Saturday 23 July, with each city hosting music, circus, magic, street dance, physical theatre, street art and other entertainment in public spaces ranging from city squares to underground and railway stations and shopping malls to parks.

The global showcase builds on the success of the Mayor’s Busk in London programme and the Gigs busking competition. Over the past eight years, Gigs has attracted thousands of young musicians and been enjoyed by millions at Tube stations and other locations across the Capital.

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Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “I hope all cities will recognise the huge cultural contribution buskers make, and follow London's lead in making it easier for performers to do their thing.”

Musician Hugh Cornwell, one |of the founders of The Stranglers, said: “It's great to hear that there will now be an official Busk in London busking circuit in London's major train stations - another world first for London. It’s a great opportunity for the capital's young talent to show their wares and take on the challenge of an audience on the move.”

Kyle Falconer, from indie rock band The View, who found success through busking said:

Southwark BuSineSS Today

“Busking was essential for us as performers when we started our career, it's partly how we learned to craft our art and gives artists the opportunity to play to new audiences and a platform to be recognised.”

Richie from CC Smugglers, a band spotted busking by Jools Holland, said: “The sidewalk is the great equaliser; it separates the wheat from the chaff. The tricks you learn on the streets, you will take with you for the rest of your career.

Get it right out there, and you'll have no problem in the bars, theatres and big stages.”

Trafalgar Square will once again be at the heart of the action following the success of last year’s National Busking Day, which saw 22 cities, including London take part.

The Busk in London Festival will be returning with street performance over nine days from 23-31 July, with the square hosting performers from around the world.

Also new for 2016, a circuit of Busk in London street performance pitches is opening at eight Network Rail stations across London. Top quality acts, including magic, music, living statues and more, will delight and entertain rail passengers.

More details about International Busking Day and the Busk in London Festival can be found at www.buskinlondon.com

Cabin opens at gallery dulwich Picture Gallery has introduced a new Gallery Cabin into the grounds selling hot soups, sausage rolls and hot drinks.

The log Cabin, known as a Hygge, is open on weekends, and also sells a selection of sandwiches, soft drinks and confectionary to complement the hot selection.

Hygge - a Nordic word roughly translating to "cosy" - is a Scandinavian culture of wearing warm knit jumpers and scarfs, eating tasty, hot food, and snuggling up near a fire.

Spotlight on ...

Shad Thames

where past and present make for a heady mix in an age of architecture that looks the same wherever you are, it comes as a welcome change to encounter somewhere that respects its past but looks very much to the future.

Welcome to Shad Thames, a historic riverside area near Tower Bridge in Bermondsey, which can trace its history back for centuries.

The Shad Thames street itself is named in John Rocque’s 1746 map of London and, in Victorian times, Shad Thames included the largest warehouse complex in London. Completed in the second half of the 19th

century, the warehouses stored huge quantities of tea, coffee, spices and other commodities, which were unloaded from and loaded onto river boats.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the Shad Thames area was home to a number of successful businesses handling cargo, warehousing and milling and Butler’s Wharf became the densest warehousing in London.

As business boomed, the south side of Shad Thames became an overflow for more warehousing and associated buildings, creating the distinctive “canyon” between the buildings on either side.

The metal bridges at various heights across the two sides of the street are another distinctive feature, used to assist in the transfer of goods between buildings.

The success of the docks continued through the 20th century with a period of intense use during the Second World War.

From the 1960s, however, the Pool of London (which extended from London Bridge to Cherry Garden Pier) lost its competitiveness.

With containerisation, goods were transported in vast boxes

Continued on next page

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Spotlight on ...

Continued from previous page from ships to trucks, and the 19th century docks could not cope with the large vessels.

In addition, the closed-in and narrow streets could not handle the increased road transport needed.

By 1972 the area was in decline, and the wharf and warehouse complexes were closed.

Some buildings were let out for individual storage and light industrial use and a diverse community of artists also took up spaces on short-term leases.

By the late 1970s there was increasing interest in regenerating the area and Sir Terence Conran became involved. In 1981 the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was formed and undertook site clearance and archaeological work in partnership with Southwark Council and private developers.

Conran and Partners acted as master planners of the Butler’s Wharf estate (a significant portion of the area) between 1985 and 1997.

The result was that Shad Thames was regenerated in the 1980s and 1990s, when many disused warehouses throughout the area were converted into offices and flats, some with restaurants, bars and shops on the ground floor.

As part of the regeneration of the area, Sir Terence Conran opened a number of now wellknown riverside restaurants which are now owned by D & D. The area includes numerous other cafes, bars, shops and estate agents and several cruise boats are moored at Butler’s Wharf pier.

The Design Museum, founded

by Sir Terence near the east end of Shad Thames, opened in 1989 but they will be moving to a new home in Kensington in summer 2016. Zaha Hadid Architecture will take over the Design Museum’s riverside site.

Shad Thames has many residents, particularly living in converted warehouses, and development of new flats continues. Many of the

converted warehouses retain their original characteristic features of brickwork, winches, cast–iron columns and window frames and sign-writing.

Due to its characterful buildings, cobbled streets, riverside views and proximity to landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Shad Thames has been used as a location for many films and TV programmes, including Oliver! (1968), partly shot in the area and including New Concordia Wharf. Charles Dickens' novel on which it is based was partly set just east of Shad Thames, in the slum area Jacob’s Island where Bill Sykes lived.

Also shot there were parts of The Elephant Man (1980), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), in which John Cleese's character dangles from an upper storey of Reed's Wharf, as well as numerous television shows.

a fascinating glimpse into Shad Thames We have been assisted in the preparation of this article by STAMP (Shad Thames Area Management Partnership), a ground-breaking collaboration between stakeholders in and around the Shad Thames area which includes local

residents, local businesses and Southwark Council.

Operating since April 2014, STAMP provides a framework for protecting, enhancing and celebrating the iconic Shad Thames area and has organised a number of successful events,

Some of the highlights on the trail include:

including walks, talks and open discussions which have been part of the London Festival of Architecture, Totally Thames festival and Find your London festival.

STAMP has produced a selfguided Shad Thames Trail

Courage & Co Ltd Anchor Brewhouse 50 Shad Thames

In 1787 John Courage founded his brewery which subsequently developed into a huge estate, including stables for the dray horses who delivered the beer (where the Circle development on Queen Elizabeth Street currently stands).

In 1985-9, Anchor Brewhouse was reconstructed, restored and refurbished as offices, shops and flats.

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and you can get a free copy by emailing culture@loveshadthames.org

For more information see www.loveshadthames.org and you can follow them on Twitter @loveshadthames

Cinnamon Wharf 24 Shad Thames

A mid-20th century warehouse, this was one of the earliest conversions by Conran Roche within the Butler’s Wharf estate (1987).

Tea Trade Wharf 26 Shad Thames

Previously Butler’s Wharf Building 15, the original building was described as a plain, but well-built 1922 warehouse. It was converted into flats in 2003.

Spotlight on ...

Tower Bridge Piazza

(previously Horselydown Square) and Brewery Square Entry via Shad Thames opposite Anchor Brewhouse

This late 20th century development on the Anchor Brewery site was built by Wickham Associates (now Wickham van Eyck). Described by the architects as a high-density mixed-use urban complex, it was constructed in 1983-1990.

The new structures include residential buildings, offices and shops, built in modern forms and colours, with yellow stock brick, terracotta detail, and blue balconies and window frames.

Not everything in this development is new. Eagle Wharf on the east side of Tower Bridge Piazza is an old warehouse; Brewery Square incorporates a 19th century building in the southwest corner and the Cooperage is a neo-Georgian interwar structure.

Plans are currently under discussion to refurbish Tower Bridge Piazza and Brewery Square.

Butler’s Wharf Complex Shad Thames

Wheat Wharf

There are records showing that a grain trader named Mr Butler rented warehouses from the Thomas family in 1794.

The existing Butler’s Wharf was originally built in 1871-3, with some rebuilding taking place in the 1880s and 1890s.

It was the largest and most densely packed group of Victorian warehouses in London, its sheer size of 25 acres unusual even at the time. Both Butler’s Wharf Building and Butler’s Wharf West are Grade II listed buildings.

When the complex closed in 1971, the vacant warehouses were rented out for individual storage and light industrial space. Some of the spaces on the riverfront were also colonised by artists on short-term leases and for nearly a decade a mixed community of 150 artists (reportedly including David Hockney, Andrew Logan and Derek Jarman) worked there.

Towards the end of the 1970s there was increasing interest in regenerating the area and a fire in 1979 highlighted the dangerous living conditions. As a result, Sir Terence Conran subsequently renovated and developed six buildings.

27 Shad Thames

Originally known as Coles Upper Wharf, this was the largest granary in Bermondsey in the mid-19th century.

An early warehouse survivor, it is Grade II listed with some structures from early/mid-19th century and frontages from 1903-4. The conversion was by Bankside Group Limited with architects Dransfield Owens da Silva.

Design Museum 28 Shad Thames

The predecessor to the Design Museum was the Boilerhouse Space at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Opened in 1981, this was independently run by the Conran Foundation to show industrial design.

The plan was to stay there for about five years, then move to Milton Keynes. In fact, the Boilerhouse Space lasted longer at the V&A, and in 1987 it became their 20th century exhibition gallery.

In 1989 the Conran Foundation plan was realised by the opening of the Design Museum in London, with Stephen Bayley as its first director.

The Design Museum was the first museum in the world devoted to the design of mass-produced objects. It will be closing in Shad Thames in summer 2016 and opening in a new and bigger site in Kensington at the end of the year.

“Shad Thames has many residents, particularly living in converted warehouses, and development of new flats continues.

Many of the converted warehouses retain their original characteristic features of brickwork, winches, cast–iron columns and window frames and sign-writing.”

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Spotlight on ...

Anise & Coriander Buildings and Anise Gallery 13a Shad Thames

Anise Building and Coriander Court were Victoria spice warehouses. In 2000 both buildings were converted to residential flats with some office space created at ground level. Many original features were retained in the conversion, including beams and brickwork.

In 2011 Anise Gallery set up in shared space with architectural illustrators AVR London. The Gallery promotes art and architecture as a joint discipline, showing work which captures architecture through a variety of artistic forms.

Their exhibitions are open to the public.

Blueprint Cafe

Nestled on the first floor of the Design Museum, Blueprint Café has magnificent views from Canary Wharf to the East through Tower Bridge and the City to the West.

With floor-toceiling windows and neutral wooden floors, Blueprint Café is the perfect setting to experience the simple yet innovative cooking of our Head Chef in the company of knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Le Pont de la Tour

A traditional Italian trattoria by the River Thames, we offer a warm welcome; Cantina is the perfect spot for a quick bite of lunch or relaxed dinner.

The interior of the restaurant is just as alluring as the setting: a mural of an Italian marketplace runs the length of the dining room while terracotta floor tiles and black and white ‘metro’ wall tiles give the place a cosmopolitan feel. A real continental experience in London Bridge.

Butlers Wharf Chop House

Saffron Wharf 20 Shad Thames

This is another new building developed

by Conran Roche built at the same time as the Conran Contracts/David Mellor building next door at 22 Shad Thames.

It was built entirely as offices but in 1997 was converted to flats, with office/shop space remaining at ground floor level.

The construction includes white stoveenamelled steel panels.

Cantina Del Ponte

Le Pont de la Tour is a luxurious D&D London restaurant, overlooking the river Thames, with a focus on traditional yet innovative French cuisine. Situated by Tower Bridge, Le Pont de la Tour is more than just a restaurant – with a bar, food store, wine merchant and bakery. Head Chef Frederick Forster has extensive experience having worked at The Savoy, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, where he worked closely with Raymond Blanc, Gordon Ramsay’s L’Aubergine and Le Gavroche with Michel Roux Jr.

Butlers Wharf Chop House is a restaurant devoted to ‘really good British food’, serving modern, simple and honest fare.

Situated on the riverside near London Bridge, we have a magnificent view across to Tower Bridge, the Docklands and beyond.

“As business boomed, the south side of Shad Thames became an overflow for more warehousing and associated buildings, creating the distinctive “canyon” between the buildings on either side. The metal bridges at various heights across the two sides of the street are another distinctive feature, used to assist in the transfer of goods between buildings.”

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Spotlight on ...

Journey of an entrepreneur from india to Shad Thames Southwark Chamber board member, Prem Goyal oBe JP, shares his journey as an entrepreneur from delhi to Shad Thames.

Prem with London’s young entrepreneurs and future business leaders

My story began 7,000 kilometres away from here in Delhi, where I grew up the youngest of 11 children.

During my summers as a child I would stay at my sister’s house.

Her place had no bathroom, no running water and one electric light. I remember collecting five buckets of buffalo dung everyday, which I’d shape into pancakes, slap them on walls to dry and then use for fuel. Back then, I was the dung collector champion!

Having worked hard in school to win entry to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), one of the world’s leading engineering universities, I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and graduated in 1996. After graduating, I was lucky to go to Clarkson University in New York on a teaching scholarship to complete a Masters in Engineering.

However, my excitement of flying for the first time at the age of 22 was short-lived.

The second I stepped off the plane I was a fish out of water and dropped to the bottom of society. I only had $20 to get me though my first seven days!

But I reminded myself that I had left India to fulfil my dream

of having a global business and I would work day and night to achieve this goal. I knew that if I was to be successful, I would need to acquire a combination of three ingredients: top business skills, substantial savings and a global profile.

Having scraped by on minimum wage by cutting grass, I worked hard, graduated and got a job.

To embed myself in the community I volunteered as a paramedic and a firefighter. As a Transport Engineer, I worked overtime all the time and saved every dollar for four years. It was no easy feat. I never ate out in New York for the first 12 months, but I still had the most delicious food everyday because I cooked it myself!

In parallel, I earned my Professional Engineer licence in the US. After four years, I was thrilled that I had saved 50,000 dollars, enough to pursue my next dream of studying a MBA at UCLA in California. In 1992, I completed my third graduation with the Dean’s Outstanding Student Award, the highest honour given to any student.

I then joined Sales and Trading at Goldman Sachs on Wall Street; I was interviewed 31 times before I got that job!

In subsequent years, I built a global profile. I lived in London,

Tokyo and Zurich while consulting with senior bankers and travelled to about 50 countries. I decided to settle in England after my first business trip to London in 1999 where I felt that a short man with a funny accent would get a fair chance. Here, I rekindled my love for curry and cricket too!

In 2002, I launched my management consulting company, Global Markets Consultants (GMC), providing services to the financial industry in London, New York and Tokyo.

GMC won Preferred Supplier status for Deutsche Bank every year between 2005 and 2013, something that I am extremely proud of. I am also proud to have created hundreds of management jobs and contributed millions in corporate and individual taxes to HMRC. More importantly, I passionately encourage my workforce to promote diversity and become pillars in the community.

Since then, Britain has given me so many opportunities.

I became a British citizen in 2006 – one of my proudest days. Six years later I was invited to have lunch with the Queen to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. Additionally, in 2013 I was awarded an OBE for services to the economy and charitable giving. I have delivered inspirational talks to thousands of young people at the House of Lords, House of Commons, schools, sports tournaments and community gatherings.

Undoubtedly, the opportunities that have been afforded to me in Britain are why this country stands alone in its ability to include everyone. I am extremely grateful to London and Southwark for embracing me and giving me the chance to start my global business.

I have now lived in London for 16 years, and for the last 10 years in Shad Thames right next to Tower Bridge.

Having been welcomed with open arms by Southwark residents, I am now dedicating my time to giving back. I have been an Executive Committee Member at Southwark Chamber of Commerce for the last four years. I support 25 charities and community organisations as a patron or board member, including Time and Talents in Bermondsey, Connection at St Martin’s homeless charity and Carragher Academy Irish Dance School. I’m also a magistrate in London, which I find rewarding.

My mantra growing up was Mahatma Ghandi’s words: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I want all of Southwark’s people to have the opportunities I have had and be given a chance to fulfil their potential. To this end, I have pledged millions to help them reach the top.

I am confident that through the Chamber and other initiatives we can continue to showcase the best of Southwark to the world just like we did during the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. I look forward to supporting more entrepreneurs and businesses from Southwark in the years to come. Together we can ensure that Southwark continues to be the best borough to live and work in London. That is my dream.

Prem speaking at the Lord Mayor’s annual reflections in the City of London

Southwark BuSineSS Today

13

Women in Business

Successful Business Women in Southwark ideas and advice from female entrepreneurs

Learning languages key for Susan

Susan isaacs owner Languages 2000

“I make learning fun.

For instance, we look at television programmes from abroad to help people understand the way the language works. ”

14

For Susan Isaacs, her successful career has all been targeted at helping people to conquer their nervousness about learning new languages, an approach which has helped numerous companies to thrive in a global market place.

She started her business, now called Languages 2000, thirty years ago when the Government was encouraging people to learn languages, ministers having identified the approach as crucial if UK companies were to trade abroad.

Susan, who teaches French, Italian, Spain, Portuguese and German, helps business people and members of the public to read documents in foreign languages and to communicate freely in conversation.

Her main body of work is with law companies but she teaches in other sectors as well and can point to many success stories.

She said: “Most people come to the classes feeling

Southwark BuSineSS Today

nervous about learning a new language or saying that they learnt one but it was a long time ago, “I start by getting them relaxed and because, once they overcome that nervousness, they can learn pretty quickly.

“It is important for business people to learn other languages. Say you are an insurance company or a law company, you need to be able to understand the documents you read.

“It also helps to be able to converse in another language because it allows you to talk to clients and prospective clients abroad.

“I make learning fun.

For instance, we look at television programmes from abroad to help people

understand the way the language works. If I am teaching lawyers, for instance, I will show them a programme about a judge in France, for example.

“Early in my career, I recorded a piece off Belgian radio that morning, for a group of stockbrokers I was teaching. It was about a Stock Exchange deal but when it was translated it turned out that they knew nothing about it.

“Because they could understand the language, they were able to act and make a lot of money!

It shows that learning other languages can provide opportunities.

“I find the most successful students are those that are really motivated, the people that truly do want to learn.”

Susan has new classes starting on May 10 and can be contacted through http://www.languages2000.co.uk/ or at Susanelizabethisaacs@icloud.co.uk

Classes are in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese near London Bridge and the Barbican.

Women in Business

iconic venue goes from strength to strength

Nicola Pottage came to the OXO2 on the South Bank in 2013 and has overseen its development into a popular venue for events ranging from corporate dinners to product launches.

Her previous posts had included working in historic buildings so moving to the venue, which is on Level two of the iconic OXO Tower and was opened in 2011, provided a different way of working.

Nicola said: “Working in historic buildings is always about compromise. You have the curators wishing to preserve the history of the building and the events team wanting to be as flexible as possible. That means that you have things like no red wine or stiletto heels whereas at OXO2 we can be much more flexible.

“I think that is one of the great attractions of the venue.

Our clients can paint the walls blue if they like, as long as they paint them white again afterwards.

“We have had some terrific events and it has been enjoyable to see the things that people do with the venue.

“I think our flexibility is a big selling point, that and the fact that we are in an iconic tower.

We have an excellent view across the Thames and not every venue can say that.

It is a competitive market place and things like this are real unique selling points for us. “OXO2 is a blank canvas that offers a wealth of flexibility, allowing you to put your own personal touch on your next event.”

OXO2 hosts a wide range of events, from parties, dinners, weddings, conferences and product launches to fashion shows and photo shoots.

The venue can also be used for filming.

Its success was recognised when it won Event Space of the Year for less than 400 guests at the Event Awards in 2014, beating competition from shortlisted venues The Deck at the National Theatre, The Goldsmiths’ Centre and Tower Bridge to take the prize.

During the qualifying period OXO2 hosted 112 events and highlights included a Whistles brand day in which store managers were introduced to a new collection with a catwalk show, the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards and a three-week event by brewer SABMiller.

OXO2 was also transformed into pop-up bar the Garden Gate with street food menus and ‘pick your own’ cocktails.

2014 has also seen OXO2 take its catering offering in-house, with the addition to the team of a new head chef and catering manager.

Nicola said: “Winning was really good for us and we had a terrific year afterwards.

The venue really is going from strength to strength.”

nicola Pottage Venue Manager The oXo2

Providing peace of mind to home-owners

diana Burn Sales director oliver Burn

Diana Burn has worked in the London estate agency trade for three decades but her career began in very different surroundings, working behind the bar as for ten years she ran public houses with her then husband.

After her divorce in the early nineties, she found herself with two small children and needing to find a job with more regular hours.

The answer was to work for an estate agent, something at which she excelled, and in 1999 she and her second husband established Oliver Burn, an estate agents that specialises in middle and high end properties.

Diana said: “At the time we set up the business, I was really enjoying my job so was not sure that I wanted to give it up but my husband said that we had to make the move then or we would never do it.

“The business has grown steadily since then. We started with just the two of us and now there are eight of us.

“When we started, the housing market was picking up and today it is really buoyant.

It is a competitive sector and although 50 per cent of our business is through referral we have to do a lot of marketing as well.

“The most sought after properties are period properties, three and four bedroom family homes and two bed flats and there is the biggest shortage in our postcodes for 30 years.

“Period properties remain popular. It is a quirky English thing that we would rather have a damp house with period features than buy a new home with all mod cons.

“Because there are not a lot of homes available, we are seeing more and more homes sold on

sealed bids, which can push the price up. The highest we sold over the asking price was £125,000.

“Technology is also changing the industry. People are happy to do a lot more online but our experience is that they still appreciate the human touch and wealth of knowledge that we bring to the experience.

“There is a lot to buying or selling a house, a lot of complex issues to address, and people do like someone to advise as they go through the process rather than it all being online.”

“You really have to whether a lot of storms running your own business, 2 ½ years ago our Herne Hill office was washed away by a flood that affected 30 businesses. We literally had to pick ourselves up and quickly regain any lost ground; we have gone from strength to strength!

Southwark BuSineSS Today

15

Up Close

active life provides for a fulfilling job There’s an old adage that if you want something doing you should ask a busy person, something that definitely rings true in the case of director, blogger, author and mother-of-two small children Jo Wimble-Groves.

The way she manages the competing demands on her time as the Business Director at award-winning Active Digital are testament to her belief in the personal touch when it comes to customer service.

Jo and brother Richard established the business in 1996 and it has grown to employ 25 people with offices in Kent, London and Dublin, supplying communications devices including smartphones and tablets to clients large and small.

Among its clients are Birdseye, GB Taekwondo and a number of other well-known sports teams.

For example, the successful Saracens rugby union club chose

to partner with Active Digital for their mobile communications contract.

As well as deploying Apple devices to Saracens coaches and players, Active Digital delivered a custom-built app to meet the demands of Saracens team performance analysis. The app enables coaches and players to access a range of training materials and more via the Cloud.

The partnership with Saracens captured the attention of The Mobile Industry Awards 2015, where Active Digital scooped the Best Unified Comms Award, one of a number of domestic and global awards secured since 2005.

Active Digital is also a direct partner of O2, and considered one of their most elite partners, winning the partner awards for two consecutive years for how they manage and maintain their O2 business customers.

Jo said: “Everything we do is driven by customer service.

We created the business because we felt that many businesses were not receiving the kind of customer service they needed from their communications providers.

“That commitment to customer service means that my working day includes a lot of meetings.

“I have two young children so my day starts at 5.30am with them and I like to get to the office by 8am when the first thing I do is look at my emails and have

a meeting with the team to talk through the projects on which we are working. Those meetings with our staff are important because we place a lot of emphasis on teamwork.

“After that, I tend to be out attending a lot of meetings and that can mean travelling all over the country. It could mean being in Aberdeen or Inverness or travelling to Manchester or over in Dublin. We are also working to increase the number of clients that we have in London.

“I think it is important to go to see clients. Many businesses are cutting down on the amount of travelling they do and are happy with Skype or conference calls but many of them appreciate face-toface contact and I will sometimes take a member of the team with me, which clients appreciate.

“I am immensely proud that we regularly win awards for our customer service. If a client has a problem then you should be prepared to jump in the car to go to see them.

“I try to be disciplined about when I leave work so I can be back home by six to see the children then, when they have gone to bed, I can catch up on work and other things.”

Those ‘other things’ include writing her successful blog www.guiltymother.co.uk, which she started at the end of January this year and which already has 6,500 followers.

She said: “I think every mother who works feels guilty about not being with their children so I started the blog to give voice to some of those feelings in a humorous and helpful way.

“I love my job, the people I work with and I adore my children but sometimes it feels hard to juggle both, along with everything else that mums have to deal with.

“I am constantly trying to find the perfect balance between work and home life but I have come to the conclusion that the guilt will probably always be there. I have learnt to manage it and the blog looks at how mums can do the same thing.”

She is also writing a book, due to be finished by the end of the year and aimed at encouraging young women to take advantage of opportunities in business, based in part on Jo’s motivational speaking work in schools.

Jo said: “I went into the business world at the age of sixteen and did not really know much. My books draws on my experiences to encourage young women to be confident enough to make something of the opportunities that come their way.

“I want to be able to know that my six-year-old daughter is confident enough when she is old enough to enter the world of work.”

Active Digital is a multi award-winning business mobile communications company.

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Southwark BuSineSS Today

17

International

Germany export overview Germany has a Gross domestic Product (GdP) of more than euR 2.7 trillion.

This makes it the largest economy in europe and the fourth strongest economy in the world. its consistently strong economic performance offers long-term growth potential for uK businesses.

Medium-sized Enterprises (SME). 99% of all companies are SMEs, with most family owned and passed from one generation to the next.

Germany has many so-called ‘hidden champions’. These are larger medium sized companies who are often global market leaders in specialised sectors.

Trade agreements

Germany is the UK’s largest export market in Europe and second largest globally after the US. The UK’s market share of German imports is around 4.7%.

Southwark Chamber of Commerce has recognised the potential by being twinned with Langenhagen where we have a good relationship with the local Chamber of Commerce.

Benefits for UK businesses exporting to Germany include: • one hour from the UK by air • easy access to eastern Europe • English widely spoken and accepted as a business language • strong domestic consumer market due to population of 81 million and resilient economy

20

Strengths of the German market include: • strong industrial base • hosts 65% of the world’s international trade fairs

Challenges doing business in Germany

If your product or service is successful in the UK, there’s a good chance you’ll be successful in Germany.

However, the German market is extremely competitive. UK companies need to be patient and persistent.

Some German companies have a ‘buy local’ attitude and for this reason British companies must offer something unique in order to stand out.

Growth potential

Germany was one of the first European countries to emerge from the global economic

Southwark BuSineSS Today

crisis. This was mainly due to: • strong exports • structural reforms undertaken by German companies • strengthened domestic demand

Germany’s economy is expected to grow by about 2% in the next 2 years. Future growth over the next 20 to 50 years is forecast between 0.7% and 1.75%. Germany faces a number of long-term structural challenges due to an ageing and decreasing working population.

Overall unemployment has consistently fallen since 2005.

It was 5.1% in May 2014, one of the lowest levels in 20 years.

The German economy is characterised by its Small and

Germany is a member of the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). This means that goods manufactured in the UK are exempt from import duties.

Contact the SOLVIT team if you have market access issues relating to the operation of the Single Market.

UK and Germany trade

Germany is the UK’s largest trading partner in Europe.

Since 2009 UK exports to Germany have increased by 21% to £43 billion. The main UK exports to Germany are: • mineral fuels and gas • machinery and mechanical appliances • vehicles and automotive components • aircraft • electrical machinery and equipment • pharmaceutical products There are over 1,200 British companies in Germany, employing over 200,000 people. Almost every 10th foreign company in Germany is British. Total British Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Germany currently amounts to £19 billion.

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22

Southwark BuSineSS Today

Voice from Westminster

Wrestling with the budget neil Coyle MP it was wonderful to host the recent Southwark Chambers’ tour of Parliament and reception.

Thanks to all who came. i hope you enjoyed the visit.

March saw the Government deliver a new Budget, but an age-old lesson in mismanagement that no business would get away with.

The outcome is a financial black hole to the tune of £4.4 billion – and saw the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Some positive initial headlines for the Chancellor did include the announcement of a Lifetime ISA, for those who can afford to save, and a reduction

in Capital Gains Tax for selfemployed people. There also seemed good news for small businesses with rates thresholds changes increasing from £6,000 to a maximum of £15,000 and higher rate relief from £18,000 to £51,000.

The Government initially claimed a potential 600,000 small businesses would be helped with an annual saving of over £5,000 each. However, some Southwark businesses have since questioned whether they’ll qualify and if the council may have to reduce services or increase other charges in the context of further deep cuts to local authority grants,

Entrepreneur visitors from Langenhagen partner companies attend Southwark reception.

which have already seen Southwark lose over £200 million. As ever, there appears to be a degree of smoke and mirrors within the Budget.

Media coverage swiftly moved to focus on the huge hole emerging from the U-turn on taking an axe to Personal Independence Payments for disabled people. It was one of the most significant cuts in the Budget and has left the Chancellor embarrassed, with a whole new set of as yet unannounced cuts to find.

I am not usually sympathetic to the Chancellor, but he appears out of sorts and facing stern

competition to inherit the Conservative leadership from rival and outgoing London Mayor Boris Johnson. I look forward to the Southwark Chambers’ debate on EU membership which I am sure will form part of their battles ahead. I am in favour of staying in the EU and recognise the value it provides in jobs, exports and stability which could be lost if the ‘remain’ campaign does not succeed in June.

Neil.Coyle.MP@parliament.uk or call me on 020 7219 8733.

Southwark BuSineSS Today

23

Remembering when ...

Remembering when the evelina Children’s Hospital was founded in 1869

By Ken Hayes, Honorary Secretary

The evelina Children’s Hospital was founded by the austrian Baron, Ferdinand de Rothschild, in memory of his english wife evelina, who had died in childbirth three years earlier.

By 1900 the hospital’s income from legacies and subscriptions was £6,150. As outgoings were only £6,003, the Evelina was secure financially, when other children’s hospitals were running at a loss, according to Henry Burdett’s review of hospitals in 1901. The Evelina did not grow as the founder had anticipated.

Initially he had planned a maternity hospital, but was persuaded by his friend Dr Arthur Farre, an eminent obstetrician and physician to Queen Victoria, that the greater need was for a children’s hospital to provide for the poor children south of the river Thames.

Dr Farre became Chairman of the management committee, directing the planning, organisation and running of the hospital for six years on a site in Southwark Bridge Road. Unlike other children’s hospitals, the Evelina was funded entirely from Rothschild’s own wealth, so the Evelina was able to be purpose built instead of having to make the best of inappropriate buildings, as most new children’s hospitals were forced to do. It was a three storey building with light and airy wards, an Out-Patients,

24

dispensary, isolation ward and a playroom.

It was built to hold 100 cots and opened with 30, with expansion envisaged as funding allowed.

Rothschild originally covered the cost to get the hospital up and running, hoping to attract public support, which would transform it into a truly voluntary hospital.

In 1871 a public appeal was made, but was not successful and the Evelina continued to be run as a private charity by the Baron and his friends.

In 1892 a more open style of management was introduced, with a constitution that gave subscribers the opportunity to be elected to the management committee, more in line with other public voluntary hospitals and public money began to flow inwards. The Baron also continued his generous support.

Rothschild’s final contribution was a bequest on his death in 1898 of £100,000.

Southwark BuSineSS Today

In 1900 there were only 66 cots in use, due to a lack of funds not demand. The large numbers of children as out-patients is testament to that. By the turn of the century nearly 20,000 patients a year made use of the facilities, many making repeated visits, not surprising in this extremely poor slum area of London where families averaged ten per household with no plumbing facilities and where human waste was sold as fertiliser to market gardeners and urea to the tanneries in this area of Southwark.

The Evelina had remained as it was from its foundation until a period of refurbishment and expansion began in 1896 and continued until 1903 with the installation of electric light in 1896, an isolation ward and improved accommodation for nurses and servants by adding a new floor in 1903. By 1907 a new wing had been added, providing space for an expanded out-patient department, an operating theatre, X-ray facility, drug store and a roof garden.

Like many hospitals the Evelina suffered in WWI as financial support dwindled and in 1921 the Care Commission made a recommendation for temporary state support for the voluntary sector, but also emphasising the importance of self-help rather than reliance on charity funding.

Patients at the Evelina were required to make a contribution

to the cost of their treatment.

Charitable fund raising continued throughout the interwar years and the most important event in that period was the opening of the Evelina’s own convalescent home in 1931.

The outbreak of WWII saw the Evelina turned into a Casualty Post, the children being sent home or to other hospitals, although the out-patient department remained open.

Throughout the war years the hospital was opened and closed as conditions changed and it took direct hits several times, in 1940, 1941 and 1944 but no loss of life. However the Evelina’s days as an independent hospital ended in 1946 with the foundation of the National Health Service and the process of merging the Evelina with the nearby Guy’s Hospital began. In 1948 the training of doctors and nurses for both institutions were integrated, although the Evelina retained a large degree of administrative autonomy. It took another 30 years to fully integrate, when the building on Southwark Bridge Road closed and the hospital became fully part of Guy’s Hospital, on two floors of the new Guy’s Tower.

The Evelina Hospital was reborn in 2005 when it moved to a completely new specially designed building on Lambeth Palace Road adjacent to St Thomas’ Hospital celebrated their 10th Anniversary in 2015.

The Evelina has been rated ‘Outstanding’ following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission, the first Children’s Hospital to achieve this rating.

Cage Rattlers

Cage Rattlers Letters from members

These do not represent the views of the Chamber.

Tax invasion by HM Revenue & Customs Before the Taxman moans and attacks companies that take action to evade paying taxes he should look at its own sharp practices in collecting taxes.

I refer to the stealth tax invasion on your State Pension.

They will adamantly say they do not tax your pension and fair enough the full amount is paid into your bank account each month.

BUT in working out your tax code to tax your other income they deduct from your tax allowance the full annual amount of your state pension and give you a K tax code and an amount that will be added to your taxable income each year.

So you now get no tax allowance against your income and plus this K figure – all is taxed at 20% on

Name and Address supplied

How do i know it’s March?

Changing the voting rules

i am a resident and have a business premises here in Southwark.

At my home address I received this week the registration document to vote in the Mayoral Election.

All fine there but I was idly reading the explanatory notes on who is allowed to vote in what elections etc and read.

“EU Nationals cannot vote in the Parliamentary Elections nor the EU Referendum but they can vote in Local Elections.”

all under £32,000 and 40% on anything above this amount.

That is a sneaky way of taxing your Pension – not Tax Evasion but Tax Invasion.

And bear in mind when you paid in your contributions for the past 40 odd years this is from taxed income.

So they are taxing you not once but twice on your state pension.

And they have a cheek to have ago at the Tax evasion by companies.

They are only following the Taxman’s furtive example.

How does that work?

So economic migrants can vote in local elections but British businesses who pay business rate taxes which forms the biggest slice of the council budget, are not allowed to vote on who spends our taxes !!!!!!

That’s not fair is it.

Barry Martin

The Russia House

Is it the chirping of the birds waking me up in the mornings?

Is it the daffodils in bloom or the snow drops poking through the grass?

Perhaps the trees coming into bud?

Maybe even myself feeling a bit perkier after the winter?

No! It’s the chatter of Polish Workmen ripping up perfectly good paving stones and replacing them with new ones!

plus ...

Unnecessary replacement of the Tarmac on the back roads.

Even trees being planted in spare grass areas of residences.

Yes its March – time to use up the unspent cash before the new 2016 budget is dished out.

Spring may be early or late but this is an annual March event that you can always rely on.

Name and Address supplied

What’s rattling your cage? Write and let us know Email at admin@southwarkcommerce.com

Southwark BuSineSS Today

25

Business News

Changes to Tooley Street ThamesLink is starting work on the new station entrances on Tooley Street on 30 april and from august will begin to rebuild platforms 1 to 3.

The uK's most sustainable venue Located in the heart of London’s Southbank, 15Hatfields is an award-winning sustainable venue offering a range of contemporary, flexible and stylish event spaces.

15Hatfields, London's most sustainable venue, has recently installed brand new 1 gigabyte WIFI - one of the largest bandwidths of any conference venue in London.

This new WIFI speed will result in seamless video conferencing capabilities, unprecedented download speeds and practically unlimited numbers of devices able to connect at once.

For those who hold high tech conferences, or you simply want peace of mind, just ask 15Hatfields about increasing the bandwidth at your event.

As the work moves across to the other side of the station they will need to access the work site from Tooley Street.

To do this, they need to make changes to the road.

These changes have been agreed with the London Borough of Southwark and Transport for London.

May Day bank holiday weekend, 30 April - 3 May From 0100hrs on Saturday 30 April through to 0600hrs on Tuesday 3 May Tooley Street closes completely to traffic from Borough High Street to Bermondsey Street.

Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the weekend. Controlled entry

will also be maintained for deliveries and residents via Borough High Street only.

From Tuesday, 3 May until 2018 • Tooley Street closes to eastbound traffic from Borough High Street to Bermondsey Street.

Westbound traffic will travel in the eastbound lane.

• The southern footpath on the station side of the road will be closed from Cottons Bridge to Bermondsey Street.

• Cyclists will be able to travel in both directions on Tooley Street: westbound with the traffic and eastbound in a segregated lane.

Catherine Blaikie telephone 07816 976569 email catherinea@treeshepherd.org.uk For more information please visit thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/tooleystreet

26

Southwark BuSineSS Today

Business News

Fund provides boost for film-makers

Budding producers, directors and screenwriters from Southwark and Lambeth have been offered a helping hand by the Southern exposure Film Fund (SeFF).

Derrick Crowley,

derrick Crowley moves to news Corp australia derrick Crowley, Group HR director at news uK, is leaving to join news Corp australia, leading their human resources function. derrick has led HR for news uK since 2010.

The fund has previously given several award-winning directors and producers a helping hand when they first started.

This year, six projects were shortlisted and after interviews with the SEFF panel, awards were granted to three film projects: • Domestic Policy

by Alicia MacDonald (writer/ director) and Helen Grearson (producer) • The Distant Sea

by Nic Wassell (writer/ director) and Charlie Cauchi (producer) • A Girl Goes For Dinner

by Jack Ethan Perry (writer/ director) and Kat Pearl (producer) Jack Ethan Perry, writer and director of A Girl Goes For Dinner, said: "This really is an unparalleled opportunity, it gives me the chance at 23, to bring together friends and skills, and create a film from a story that began at my dinner table in Streatham Hill only seven months ago.

"We hope this project will inspire other artists to keep pushing their practice in new ways, away from what is

'fashionable' or 'correct' and make their voices heard. This platform to speak directly to an audience is an opportunity that we will grab with both hands."

The successful projects will receive training and support from industry professionals to make their films, including script development, pitching and production. The finished films will be screened at the BFI Southbank in September and be eligible for the London Film Festival.

SEFF forms part of Film London’s capitalwide short film-making scheme 'London Calling', which seeks to support the city’s most exciting new filmmaking talent.

Since 2006 the fund has supported more than 150 short films, many of which have gone on to receive national and international acclaim.

Southern Exposure itself is funded by Southwark Council, Lambeth Council and is match funded by Film London, the BFI and Creative Skillset.

Mark Beesley, HR Director for Marketing, Technology, Finance and Operations, will take up the role of Interim Director of HR for NewsUK. Mark joined the business in 2007.

Rebekah Brooks, CEO of News UK, said: “Derrick has shown strong leadership and commitment over the last six years, dealing with many difficult issues. He is a valued member of our team and I am delighted that we are keeping his talent within the group. I wish him every success in the future.

“I am in no doubt that Mark’s impressive experience and the strong HR team will continue the good work as we build the success of the company.”

Mark Beesley

Southwark BuSineSS Today

27

Finance for Business

Getting the finances right Good financial advice is crucial if businesses are to survive and the good advisers are the ones who pride themselves on working with their clients in a way which makes them feel comfortable.

At a time when more and more businesses are starting to feel more confident about the economy, and are beginning to think ‘investment’ rather than ’cutbacks’, it is vital that they seek out the right advice.

Even though the financial crisis is slipping into memory, the banks remain careful when offering loans so companies seeking the necessary finance still need to plan carefully.

Financial advisers start by finding out what a business needs; it may be help with better financial management

or it may be support applying for loans or grants to buy equipment or take on new staff.

Bringing in the specialist advisers is crucial because they are the ones who know what opportunities are available.

That means an initial meeting when the adviser, be it a specialist financial services company or based within a bank, sits down with the client and draws up a detailed plan based not just on current needs but also looking to the future - maybe even doing a little dreaming with the client!

Key to that is agreeing priorities. What does the client want to achieve in the short term, where do they want to be in the mid-term, what is the long-term vision? Where do they see their company in ten years and what kind of finance is required to make that possible?

Through talking things honestly and sensibly, adviser and client can work together to come up with an action plan which is based on a solid financial platform.

And the good advisers are flexible: they know that, as

life progresses and businesses meet changing situations, their client’s needs and priorities will change. That means a financial plan that can be adapted when necessary.

Once that initial plan has been drawn up, the process moves onto the next stage, obtaining the finance to make things happen.

One way of obtaining finance is going to the banks but another way for businesses requiring injections of funds is approaching venture capitalists, who are well versed in assessing prospective partners’ financial needs and dovetailing them with their own.

Even in challenging economic times, such an approach should not be dismissed out of hand because a bright idea remains a bright idea and can attract funding to turn it into reality.

The history of British business has been scattered with tales of innovations that arose out of the need to create new markets.

None of it can happen without finance - and that means calling in expert help.

“Financial advisers start by finding out what a business needs; it may be help with better financial management or it may be support applying for loans or grants to buy equipment or take on new staff.”

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Southwark BuSineSS Today

Health and Wellbeing

Taking a healthy approach to the workplace can improve productivity The importance of health in the workplace is increasingly being recognised as a key driver in productivity. attractive and rewarding enough for employees so as to increase motivation and productivity.

Experience has shown that good schemes promote a happy and harmonious working environment which, in turn, can reduce absence and reduce costs for the company as well as improving loyalty.

Benefits that provide for an employee’s wellbeing, by giving staff a helping hand and promoting enjoyment and relaxation, do go a long way to making an employee feel valued and appreciated, which in turn increases an employee’s allegiance.

Put at its simplest, a healthy workforce do more work and feel better disposed to their employer, particularly if that employer invests in things like gym membership and healthy living schemes.

A study published several years ago underlined how poor workplace health can damage productivity. Produced by the Work Foundation in partnership with RAND Europe and Aston Business School, the report showed that an estimated 27.6 million working days were lost in a single year

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in Britain due to work-related illness. This represented 1.15 days lost on average per worker.

On the other hand, various recent research reports show that healthy workers take less time off due to illness and work harder.

The responsibility of the employer in creating such a situation has been identified by the World Health Organization, which has suggested that supporting staff, through schemes ranging from those tackling lower back pain caused by spending too

Southwark BuSineSS Today

long at their desks to those helping staff who are eating unhealthily at work because the canteen menu is limited, can have positive outcomes.

A good employee benefit scheme strikes a balance between being affordable and easy to implement for businesses, whilst being

In 2013, research commissioned by Capita Employee Benefits found that out of 3,000 respondents to the survey, 46% cited their benefits as a reason for staying with their current employer.

What’s more, a benefit scheme which appeals to the wider audience also has the ability to help with recruitment by attracting talented candidates.

“Recent research reports show that healthy workers take less time off due to illness and work harder.”

Technology

Ransomware

What is it? What are the risks? What can i do?

What is Ransomware?

‘Ransomware’ is type of Virus (malware) that is written to infect a PC (or network) making it impossible to access files until a ransom is paid. One of the most common forms of ransomware is Cryptolocker.

Since first seen in October 2013, Cryptolocker has infected hundreds of thousands of PCs and networks. The virus is distributed through counterfeit emails and spurious websites, both of which imitate genuine organisations. After the files have been encrypted, the virus will prompt the user to make a payment to release the files.

Although paying the ransom should fix the issue, there have been many reports that the files have not been decrypted or shortly after the PC is infected again.

Cryptolocker targets businesses and individual machines the same way. The likelihood is that the malicious code will have come from the Dark Web after a Hyperlink that was inadvertently clicked opened

Cyber-attacks are unscrupulous, unsolicited and unwelcome and growing at an exponential rate. Previously an annoyance they are now a serious threat to businesses of all sizes. The world we work in is becoming ever more connected and reliant on the internet making every organisation a target for cyber-attacks. up a connection to a Ransomware site. The Dark Web is a collection of websites that are publicly visible, but have hidden IP addresses making it very hard for the authorities to shut them down as it can be impossible to establish where they are.

The consequences of Cryptolocker in a business environment is often more damaging than on a home PC as the scope for disruption significantly increases. A single infected machine opens the door to the entire network, meaning that all server data, mapped drives and cloud based plugins (such as Dropbox) could be encrypted.

Within the UK Government there is a dedicated cybercrime unit to tackle the Dark Web, but it is a battle that will never be won no matter how hard they fight to track down the culprits. Therefore all businesses should take action to protect their data.

How to avoid infections

Hackers are persistent and professional and have countless methods for inflicting havoc. The changing landscape makes it impossible to totally mitigate against the risk of infection, but there are a number of steps that should be taken; • Use a reputable anti-virus package and ensure the security definitions are updated regularly

• Update your PCs and servers with the latest Windows Updates

While ‘prevention is always better than cure’ you must have a plan should the worst happen. Of fundamental importance should be a robust backup process to regularly (ideally hourly) back up files and a tested and trusted restore process so that you can quickly recover the system to a point in time before the malware was introduced.

To learn more about how you can protect your business call the team at Zenzero on 0333 3209 900 or visit our website: www.zenzero.co.uk/sonicwall

• Use a Firewall (such as a Dell SonicWALL) to block access to Tor sites to cut off the Dark Web

• Educate staff NOT to click on adverts or pop ups that may appear whilst surfing the internet

• Never open an e-mail attachment when you don’t recognise the sender • Never open an attachment with the extension .EXE

Southwark BuSineSS Today

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Last Word

upcoming events

Cevat Riza

Save the dates Join our informative and engaging range of events. a perfect opportunity to make new business contacts.

Times and locations to be confirmed.

DATE

Thursday 28 April 18:00hrs Thursday 12 May 08:30 – 10:00hrs

EVENT

Southwark Chamber of Commerce, AGM The Winchester Room, First Floor 77 Borough High St, George Inn, London SE1 1NH Early Bird event: Employment (venue TBC)

Thursday 26 May 18:00hrs

The Referendum Debate: What will this mean for your business? (venue TBC)

Monday 6 June 08:30 – 10:00hrs

Early Bird event: Regeneration and New Homes in Southwark (venue TBC)

Thursday 16 June 08:30 to 10:00hrs

Early Bird event: Wellbeing

Tuesday 12 July

Annual River Trip

Tuesday 21 July 18:00hrs

Business to Business The Boot and Flogger, 10-20 Redcross Way, SE1 1TA

Thursday 8 September Thursday 22 September 08:30 – 10:00hrs

Secret Evening at The Horniman Museum 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ Early Bird event: Business Legal (update) (venue TBC)

Thursday 6 October 18:00hrs

Mayflower 2020 117 Rotherhithe Street, SE16 4NF

October / November Evening

Wine Tasting Evening Laithwaites, 219-221 Stoney Street, SE1 9AA

Managing Director

Seymour Valentine

My Parents arrived in the UK in the 1958, I came along in the early60’s and grew up in Bermondsey where I went to school with my wife.

Throughout my life I have always wanted to run my own business and when I had established my own Vending Company, it gave me immense pleasure to locate it in Bermondsey close to the factory my parents worked at in the Shuttleworth chocolate factory. Strangely enough as did Sandra one of our longstanding employees.

Supporting the local community and enterprise is important to me and continuing to employ local staff to operate our London wide customer base gives me enormous pleasure.

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

What was your first job and what was the pay packet?

The Anchor Butter Factory on Butlers Wharf, with as much butter we could use, no salary, but looking back, the experience was formative and has proved to guide me through many and various situations during my life.

if you were prime minister, what would be your first decision?

Zero Income Tax on the first £20k, this would allow young people in jobs to save and afford to get on the housing ladder.

What is the biggest challenge in your business?

Time, there is never enough of it!

Running a number of business there is always someone who needs help and support. Providing this I get immense pleasure in developing our next generation of sales, marketing and managerial people to continue the ethos of an organisation I have built and cherish.

if you could do another job, what would it be?

A Farmer and probably have even less time! But I would love to be involved in an industry that provides much of the produce that we use in our vending business today.

What's your favourite London building?

The Tower of London, viewing it as I go over tower bridge it gives a vast sense of our history, almost buried below the modern City of London architecture.

I’m sure it will still be around even after the current skyline changes or disappears.

Southwark BuSineSS Today

33

Join Us Chairman

Richard Kalmar - Kalmars

•••

Vice Chairman

Les Johnson - LJPM Ltd

•••

executive Members - 2016

Richard Kalmar - Chair Les Johnson - Events Roger Beckett Duncan Field - Education Dan Harder - Business Group Liaison William Harwood - Local Employment Ken Hayes - New Members Peter Mantell - Legal Publicity & Barry Martin - Southwark Business Margaret Rowse Today Magazine Yoko de Souza - Equalities Diana Stevenson - Website John Steward - Finances Sonia Sutton - Administrator Alex Webb - Fundraising Cait Wilkinson - Committee Welfare

Hon. Treasurer

Join us The Chamber is made up of active and successful business people from a wide range of sectors, who are based in Southwark, believe in Southwark and wish Southwark to prosper.

Membership application • • • • •

Address:

Post Code:

•••

Telephone:

John Steward - Steward & Co.

Hon. Solicitor

•••

Email:

Peter Mantell - Anthony Gold & Partners

Number of Employees:

•••

Full Name:

Hon. Membership Secretary Ken Hayes - Life Member

•••

Duncan Field - Life Member Cait Wilkinson - Life Member

Position:

•••

President

Sir Simon Hughes

•••

Vice Presidents

Harriet Harman MP Lord Roy Kennedy Dame Tessa Jowell

•••

Sole trader £100 per annum Small/Medium sized companies 2 to 50 employees £150 per annum Large companies - 51 employees plus £300 per annum Corporate/PLC’s by agreement.

All new members pay a one off administration fee of £25 Company:

By working together we can help create the conditions for business to thrive in the area.

Payment Details: BANK DETAILS : HSBC - SOUTHWARK C OF C SORT CODE : 40-06-21 ACCOUNT NO : 21357646

To join, please send your details to: Southwark Chamber of Commerce Southbank Techno Park, 90 London Road,London. SE1 6LN Tel : 07477 581977 Email : admin@southwarkcommerce.com www.SouthwarkCommerce.com Twitter : @southwarkcomm Facebook : southwarkcommerce

Over 40 years of experience in design and project management on a broad range of project types from small to large scale developments.

Our services includes providing professional and technical advice, assisting with project planning from concept to completion.

Working with private and commercial clients, our expertise will add value to your project saving you time and money in achieving your goal.

“Les Johnson of LJPM has been working with me for the past year. It has been a pleasure to have Les on board for a number of reasons. Les is very knowledgeable in all areas within the building industry; he has been a great problem solver and sound board during the development of my new venture Cafè1809. I have also enjoyed working with Les as he is very polite and considerate.I have no hesitation in recommending Les Johnson and will definitely be working with him on my future projects” Dame Kelly Holmes

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Southwark BuSineSS Today

• Design

• Project Management

• Contract Administration • Building Surveying Services

• CDM Coordination and Design Risk Management

SOUTH LONDON'S LEADING AGENTS

KALMARs are an expanding firm of South London

estate agents and an independent property adviser.

Our expansion is being achieved through improving client service by planned growth and training. We have many

years’ experience as South London estate agents with

average time for staff at the company being 8 years,

complemented by a young enthusiastic team. We have an

unrivaled record in sales and lettings of commercial and

residential properties in the South London area.

AGENCY

Our principal objective is to provide a professional service with quick results whilst maintaining complete integrity.

As South London Estate Agents we offer Development,

Office, Industrial, Retail and Residential Sales and Letting.

DEVELOPMENT

We offer a comprehensive package on development

projects starting at the site appraisals stage, often prior to

acquisition, working with other professions in developing plans, continuing with sales and marketing advice, and concluding by arranging a letting or sale.

Jamaica Wharf

2 Shad Thames

London SE1 2YU CONTACT US

Telephone: 020 7403 0600

Email: info@kalmars.com

www.kalmars.com