Southwark
BuSiNeSS Today
issue 6: Winter 2015
Southwark Twins with Langenhagen and Clichy
page 18
• Spotlight on Walworth page 10 • Women in Business page 14 • New Chamber website page 30
Welcome
Welcome to
Contents
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today The Southwark Chamber of Commerce magazine for all Businesses in Southwark We have built on links with BIDS, other Chambers including London Chamber, and many business groups within the Borough. A general meeting aimed at improving the communications between groups is planned for early in the New Year.
The Chamber is promoting twinning with Southwark’s two twin towns of Langenhagen (near Hanover in Germany) and Clichy-laGarenne (in Paris). A delegation recently went to Langenhagen where we were treated like VIPs. We hope to return the compliment early in the New Year, when a party of 10 business people are due to visit Southwark. See article on page 18. We have also recently visited our twin town of Clichy, and expressed our strong solidarity with them and sympathy after the horrors of a few weeks ago. They gave us an impressive presentation on their welcome to business, which we hope to learn from and persuade our powers that be to also provide.
The months have just shot by since I became a Chairman in April, during which time a lot has been achieved principally through having a great team of people in the chamber executive driving the work forward. In particular thanks to Sonia Sutton, our administrator, whose great experience and contacts have helped this progress. Projects we have been working on include the following:
We are creating four forums of which Tourism is the most advanced and is intended to be a blue print for the other three, IT, speciality food and the Arts. Special thanks to Abdul Mohamed, the former Mayor of Southwark, who is chairing this. We have now identified and met with key partners including Southbank University, Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) the Hilton and other groups. All have the mutual aim of promoting tourism and in turn employment prosperity from this growing sector.
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Southwark Business Today is published for Southwark Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members businesses in the Borough.
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04-06 07 09 10 13 14 16 18
Up Front Education Matters Remembering when... Spotlight on Walworth Cage Rattlers Women in Business Culture Southwark Twins with Langenhagen and Clichy 21 International Trade 23 Voice from Westminster 24 Business News 25 Up Close 26 Property 27 Legal Update 28 Hospitality 29 Business News 30 Branding, new Chamber website 32 Technology 32 Business News 33 Last Word 34 Chamber Membership enquiries
We had a very successful meeting looking at Regus’s serviced office in the baby Shard. Now we are planning our annual Christmas dinner. Events in the New Year include a trip to the House of Commons, a trip around the Tower of London. General networking events include crowd funding and effective networking.
Southwark Chamber of Commerce Southbank Technopark 90 London Road, London SE1 6LN 020 7403 9922 Email: admin@southwarkcommerce.com Web: www.SouthwarkCommerce.com
Like most organisations, websites need constant updating and a special thanks to Yoko de Souza, who is about to launch a progressive new website for the Chamber.
editor
John Dean Email: deangriss@btinternet.com
We are installing a new accounting system to ensure effective communications with all members and efficient accounting. We are also restructuring the Chamber in a more professional way suited to its ongoing growth and it is becoming a limited company.
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
Publisher
As we approach the New Year we are excited about the ongoing potential and active role that the Chamber can play in promoting businesses in Southwark during a time in which businesses are prospering.
All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
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Published
Winter 2015 © Benham Publishing
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Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com
Richard Kalmar Chairman Southwark Chamber of Commerce
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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. © 2015. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published
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Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
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The history of the Chamber’s use of the Coat of arms of the London Borough of Southwark
Report highlights importance of culture
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has praised the impact of culture and creativity on the economy of communities.
The first Metropolitan Borough of Southwark came into being in 1900 replacing the previous ‘Civil Vestry’s or Parish Councils of the Parishes of St Saviours, St George the Martyr, St Mary Newington and Christ Church whose vestry men were elected by the Rate payers of those Parish’s.
The new Metropolitan Borough of Southwark combined the Parish crests of those four parishes, the Red Rose of St Saviours, the Bridge House mark of St Georges, the lily of St Mary Newington and the Stags Head of Christ Church to form the coat of arms of the new Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. When the Southwark Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1924 the Borough of Southwark gave them patronage and the Chamber was allowed to use the Borough Coat of Arms as their Coat of Arms and the Chamber’s Chairman’s chain of office, still bears that coat of arms today. In 1965 when the first Metropolitan Boroughs in London were enlarged to form new Boroughs, Southwark Camberwell and Bermondsey Boroughs were enlarged to form the new London Borough of Southwark, who adopted a new Coat of Arms, with a red Rose, two Shakespearian figures, a Well, a Boat and a motto ‘UNITED TO SERVE’. At the same time the three Chambers of Commerce, Southwark Chamber, Camberwell Chamber and Bermondsey Chamber also came together to form the new Southwark Chamber under the patronage of the new London Borough of Southwark. We are the only Business membership organisation to enjoy this patronage. Ken Hayes. Honorary Secretary, (membership).
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The Mayor's comments coincided with the publication of The World Cities Culture Report 2015, the biggest international survey of opinion leaders ever undertaken about the value of culture and cities. Boris said: “Culture is the heartbeat of urban centres, a priceless asset that informs, educates, entertains and brings people together, making them wonderful places to live in.” The World Cities Culture Report, which is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, draws on a wealth of data to show the breadth of cultural activity in almost thirty leading cities, from how many museums, cinema screens, restaurants and live music venues they have, to how many international tourists they attract and how many people are employed in the creative industries. Artists, business leaders, entrepreneurs and politicians and opinion formers were asked for their views on the challenges and opportunities facing their cities and how culture can address them.
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
The report reveals that the cultural and creative sectors are increasingly recognised as critical to the success of leading cities around the world, with many contributors talking about the role that culture has in creating shared spaces and bringing people together. There are, however, concerns that cities are becoming too unaffordable for creative talent to survive and what practical steps should be taken to ensure arts and culture are accessible to the widest number of people and reflect the increasingly diverse populations now living in urban centres. Four out of five people say that culture is main reason that they come to London, with cultural tourists spending £7.3 billion in 2013 but there are fears its economic success is making the city increasingly unaffordable for artists and other practitioners.
A number of other cities, including Hong Kong, New York and San Francisco, have similar concerns. Like London, many cities are now developing policies aimed at embedding culture in planning, such as the protection of cultural venues and the creation of creative workspaces alongside future development. Paul Owens, Managing Director of BOP Consulting, the specialist firm which researched and wrote the report, said: “The World Cities Culture Report 2015 shows that all leading cities around the world are now taking culture seriously as an important item on the urban growth agenda. “The report is designed as a useful tool for developing more widereaching policies on culture and sustainable growth.'
The World Cities Culture Report, plus additional supporting data, is available www.worldcitiescultureforum.com
Up Front
Making the move Specialist recruitment consultancy Robert Half uK and global business consultancy firm Protiviti have opened an office in London’s Shard building.
Phil Sheridan, Managing Director of Robert Half UK, said: “When considering a new London location, we wanted to bring together our staffing and consulting businesses to provide a full spectrum of services from one central location. “From our new offices, we will continue to deliver recruitment services in finance and accounting, financial services, technology and administration.” Andrew Clinton, Protiviti Executive Vice President of International Operations and Head of the Firm’s UK Operation, said: “Protiviti and Robert Half have been providing consulting and
recruitment solutions for our clients for some time, and working from one location will only foster our ability to offer a broad range of services, from staff augmentation to full-service
consulting solutions. “We believe a distinctive building like The Shard is a reflection of the unique service offerings we can provide.”
ensuring quality apprenticeships
did you know that you can get support and advice from Southwark Council in improving the health of your employees. To find out more about the Charter standards go to www.london.gov.uk/healt hyworkplace It’s free for any business in Southwark to use the Charter and apply for accreditation, and you will get the support of a local lead from the council to help you develop your workplace wellbeing projects. Contact Ginette.hogan @southwark.gov.uk for more information. With Christmas and New Year in mind, you might also want to support your employees to be healthier and happier in 2016, by letting them know about these helpful resources: Change for Life has great tips on healthier eating (including snack swaps and recipe ideas), becoming more active, and cutting down on alcohol www.nhs.uk/change4life
Southwark Council has laid out its vision for Canada Water, with thousands of new homes, a new town centre and a leisure centre.
The council’s Cabinet approved the Heads of Terms at its meeting in November and the document is the basis for an agreement with British Land for the redevelopment of the area. Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, said: "This development is an enormous opportunity for the local community and Southwark as a whole.” A further report to authorise an exchange of contracts is expected to go to Cabinet next year. Consultation is continuing with residents on site regarding the new leisure centre and the final decision for its location will be included in the report. •••
Workplace Health The benefits of having a healthy, fit and committed workforce are clearly recognised. Lower absence rates, fewer accidents, improved productivity and increased workforce engagement are good for employers, employees and the wider economy. The Mayor of London’s Healthy Workplace Charter aims to recognise and develop employers’ good practices for workplace wellbeing. The Charter is an assessment framework which provides a series of standards for workplaces to meet. These cover: leadership, health and safety, attendance management, physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation, alcohol and substance misuse, and mental health and well-being.
Regeneration plan takes a step forward
Drinkaware offers free apps to help people to calculate how much they are drinking (and the calorie content of their drinks) as well as providing reliable advice on cutting down. You could also encourage people to sign up to Dry January www.alcoholconcern.org. uk/what-we-do/ campaigns/dry-january
Finally, try to make time to have conversations in your workplace about mental health and wellbeing. Time to Change has some useful tips on making your workplace a place where people feel supported if they have any mental health issues www.time-tochange.org.uk/time-tochange-your-workplace
Thirteen businesses have signed up to the Southwark apprenticeship Standard, which sets the bar for highquality apprenticeships.
The Standard sets out the key features that employers should design into providing apprenticeships, including the London Living Wage, secure employment, excellent training and proper mentoring. At an event held during Living Wage Week, the 13 partner businesses that have signed up to the Standard were joined by four supporters that are already meeting three of the four criteria, and eight champions who are supporting the initiative across Southwark. Southwark Council is offering local small businesses free support with the cost and administration of creating an apprenticeship. Residents are also able to access free training, mentoring and support to apply for apprenticeships through the council’s Southwark Works and Youth Fund programmes.
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
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Up Front
an ever evolving city The anise Gallery in Shad Thames hosted Time & Tide, an exhibition by Jeanette Barnes looking at London’s nature as an ever-evolving city.
Library opens The new Camberwell Library has opened as part of the redevelopment of the area.
After the Mayor of Southwark, Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle, cut the ceremonial ribbon, Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, said: “The new Camberwell Library is the latest phase in the regeneration of Camberwell, and it will be of great benefit to our local community.
“We are making Camberwell a better place for everyone to live in, work and visit. The leisure centre has been refurbished and new affordable homes are now reaching completion on the Elmington Estate.
"However, our work continues and Camberwell Green itself is now being significantly improved, and the first of Camberwell’s new council homes near Masterman House are well under way.”
The new library, which replaces the old library site on Church Street, includes computer facilities and wi-fi as well meeting rooms.
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With more than 250 new tower blocks planned, the skyline is constantly in motion as animated cranes perform above whilst below people go about their day, unknowingly interacting with the architecture around them. Jeanette Barnes has, for the past 25 years, been capturing the city of London’s boundless energy through her drawings. Often vast in scale, they engage with the continual development of the urban environment and its relationship with those who inhabit it. In contrast to the frantic scenes that they depict, Jeanette’s drawings evolve gradually over time, the ebb and flow of information, akin to a passage of time,
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
developing until the drawings outcome is found. Her most recent work has taken her further into the depths of time, moving away from the familiar contemporary London to an exploration into its history, hidden and preserved amongst the river beds of the Thames. Everyday artefacts, carefully selected for their resonance, from specific sites along the Thames, St Paul’s, the Globe Theatre and Shad Thames, are reinterpreted. Their simplistic beauty highlighted and through integrating these objects into her work, Jeanette reconnects them with the present London. Time and Tide brings these two bodies of work together for the first time, contrasting the activity and timespan of contemporary London with
that deeper sense of history that London’s rivers maintain to re-frame our view of then and now. Jeanette Barnes studied fine art at the Royal Academy followed by Printmaking at the Royal College of Art. She has exhibited in many solo shows and group including several times at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the Jerwood Drawing Prize Exhibition. She has been awarded various scholarships and prizes, most recently the Hugh Casson Drawing Prize at the 2013 RA Summer Exhibition. Jeanette has taught at the Royal Drawing School for a number of years and has been a tutor on the Royal Academy Outreach Programme for more than twenty years.
Education Matters
initiative targets digital jobs Mayor of London Boris Johnson has launched a £5m programme to ensure that young people have the skills they need to access jobs in London’s technology sector.
London’s information technology workforce is expected to grow by 30 per cent between 2012 and 2022 to 274,000 people and the number of digital technology companies in the capital is also
increasing, up 46 per cent in the past five years to 40,000 businesses. However, the Mayor says he is keen to tackle the emerging gap between the skills young Londoners have and what employers say they need.
He also wants to increase the number of women taking up jobs in the sector; they make up just a third of the tech workforce. The new Digital Talent Programme, which has been launched in partnership with the London Enterprise Panel (LEP), will help Londoners aged 14 to 24 and open up links between businesses and colleges. Boris Johnson said: “It is absolutely vital that we nurture our tech stars of the future and make sure that our deep reserves of talent do not run dry.” The Digital Talent Programme will: • Establish a London Digital Talent Pipeline to inspire more young Londoners
access jobs requiring digital skills • Increase the number of places for people aged 16 and over at further education colleges so that young Londoners can study short digital courses • With a recent survey from O2 revealing that 23 per cent of parents believe digital skills to be irrelevant to their children, the initiative will launch an awareness campaign to increase the knowledge of digital careers. Lucy Haynes, CBI London Director, said: “To make sure we remain globally competitive, it’s vital that young Londoners have the skills and the knowledge to grow the city’s economy in the twenty-first century.”
To Computer Science and beyond London’s tech scene is booming and skilled employees are in demand. Sydenham High School GdST, winner of a 2015 Good Schools Guide award for the best Computer Studies GCSe results for girls in england, is focussed on ensuring its students can take advantage of the new opportunities.
The demand for digitally skilled employees in the Capital has never been greater so the introduction of the Government’s new computer science curriculum in the UK last September was a welcome move for schools. Part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, Sydenham High has embraced the change for its girls and has launched the computing curriculum at Key Stage 3. The scheme of work explores areas such as digital literacy, skills and careers. The main aim is to show young girls the new opportunities technology presents and what roles they can pursue in the outside world. The curriculum is designed to help the girls become creators of technology, instead of just consumers. The drive will also better equip them for the real world of work and industry - especially as women are currently underrepresented in the tech arena.
ICT and computer science are not interchangeable but they do have equal relevance. The difference between them is that the first teaches you to drive and second teaches you to make & design the vehicle itself. Sydenham High has already been awarded a 2015 Good Schools Guide Award for girls taking GCSE Computer Studies, having outperformed all other English schools in this category. The prestigious annual awards are based on a detailed analysis of the most recent examination results and are designed to highlight consistently good teaching. The push towards computing and computer science courses will help girls in particular to become better computational thinkers and improve their coding skills. From Shoreditch to Croydon, tech companies are moving in and seeking programmers, network engineers, data security and analytics. With many of these skills being taught at Key Stages 4 & 5,
it’s important that parents and girls are aware of the opportunities this trend represents and look beyond the traditional job market to the emerging tech careers on their doorstep. For more information about the education available at Sydenham High School GDST, visit the website www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net
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Up Front
developers urged to Flood contribution consider affordable housing Thames Water has agreed to contribute an extra £200,000 to the community fund set up by Southwark Council in the immediate aftermath of the Herne Hill flood in 2013.
Council leader Councillor Peter John said: “I know some businesses are still struggling and we will continue to work with them, and with the Herne Hill Forum, to work out how that money can be used most effectively. Herne Hill is a great example of a local high street with a vibrant independent business sector, something we are keen to nurture and support in Southwark.” •••
Flower company makes the move
igloo Flowers design Studio has moved in the arcade at The Shard. established in 2004, igloo Flowers began as a single florist shop in Bermondsey Street, South east London.
Its director and Master Florist Simon Lyons expanded the business to five local shops then moved his company on to become a specialist florist outfit for corporate contracts, high profile events and weddings.
He said: “We opened Igloo Flowers in The Shard Arcade due to the forthcoming construction of high end serviced apartments. Having built up a great reputation over the years and proudly serving The Shards occupants and The Shangri- La, along with other local businesses and residents, it was imperative to hold on to our client base. “I have every confidence it will become a much busier destination spot with the right tenants and promotional material.” •••
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developers of major sites in Southwark must deliver 35 per cent affordable housing or explain why they cannot achieve the target, Southwark Council has announced.
Southwark’s draft planning document states that a viability appraisal will be required for all proposed developments which do not meet Southwark’s affordable housing policy requirements. Cllr Mark Williams, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and New Homes, said: “We know the public has had concerns about the way developments are negotiated and we promised that we would find a way to put all this information in the public domain. “We know developers don’t want to share this information for commercial reasons, but we want our residents to see the workings and understand that we do all we can to get the best deal for Southwark.
"We think we’ve found a great way forward - if developers don’t want to face this public scrutiny then they will have to commit to 35 per cent affordable housing from the
outset. It’s a win-win for the people of Southwark." The draft development has started a 12-week consultation.
Project targets zero carbon outcome Lendlease has been granted permission for a new energy Hub that will deliver zero-carbon, affordable heat and hot water to residents and businesses across elephant Park. The company has also announced a new partnership with E.ON as the long-term energy provider across the regeneration project. Under the new agreement, Lendlease and E.ON will deliver the combined heat and power plant to generate and supply net zero-carbon heat and hot water to almost 3,000 new homes, as well as shops, offices, community and leisure spaces across Elephant Park, with the potential to deliver to at least a further 1,000 homes neighbouring the regeneration area. Designed by Duggan Morris Architects and Gillespie's Landscape Architects,
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
this latest phase of Elephant Park will also deliver a new community heart for Elephant & Castle, including: • A nursery providing earlyyears education to families at Elephant Park and the surrounding community, as well as job and training opportunities for local people • A community café that will provide a meeting point for the local community, as well as a flexible community space, managed by the café, and designed to accommodate a range of community events • A pocket park next to the Energy Hub, with energythemed play facilities for local children to enjoy
Rob Heasman, Lendlease’s Project Director for Elephant & Castle, said: “The Energy Hub is a key element of our ambition to create Central London’s greenest new place to live, which includes our aspiration to make Elephant Park climate positive by 2025.” Jeremy Bungey, Head of Community Energy at E.ON, said: “Elephant Park is a redevelopment project that’s not only changing the London skyline but is doing so with energy efficiency built into its very foundations. By using renewable biomethane as a carbon offset for our on-site energy centre and district heating network we’ll be able to deliver affordable, reliable and net zero-carbon heating to customers for years to come.”
Remembering when ...
Remembering when the Borough and West Lane War Memorials were erected …
By Ken Hayes, Honorary Secretary
Following the end of the Great War, as it was originally called, in 1918, now known as World War i, there were calls for memorials to be erected in memory of all those who lost their lives in that terrible conflict, which led to the erection of the Cenotaph in Whitehall and other memorials being erected all around the uK in the 1920’s. Some of these were originally constructed of wood and plaster to judge the reaction of the general public
In Southwark the Parish of St Saviours, which is also the Anglican Cathedral of the Diocese of Southwark since 1905, commissioned a memorial that was designed by Captain Philip Lindsey Clark DSO. This was erected in Borough High Street on the pavement island that divides Borough High Street from St Margaret’s Hill and was unveiled and dedicated in 1922 on Armistice Day and was attended by a crowd of over 20,000 people.
The memorial - described by English Heritage as exceptionally inventive depicts aerial and naval combat on the bronze reliefs on the sides of the memorial with a bronze statue of an advancing Infantryman, bayonet fixed, on the top of the memorial.
The front of the plinth depicts a soldier in classic costume and the rear has a mourning woman with a naked child and a bird, thought to be a dove. The inscription on the memorial reads:
Give honour to the men of St. Saviours Southwark who gave their lives for the empire 1914-1918
For the past three years the London Borough of Southwark have been holding their annual service of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday at the Borough Memorial, as their own memorial at Walworth Town Hall is not accessible due to rebuilding work following fire damage to that building.
A service of Remembrance is held there every year on 11th November which is also attended by the Mayor of Southwark, Councillors,
Civic Associations, including the Southwark Chamber of Commerce and the armed services and local school children.
This is attended by the Mayor of Southwark, Council leaders, Councillors and is also attended by Southwark Chamber of Commerce, other local civilian organisations and the armed forces who lay poppy wreaths in memory of all those who gave their lives in WWI, WWII and subsequent conflicts.
Another War Memorial, in memory of members of the civilian population, who lost their lives in this part of SE London was erected in 1921 at West Lane in Bermondsey, where huge civilian casualties were inflicted in this Docklands area during WWI, by bombs from German Zeppelins and in WWII during the Blitz and the V1 and V2 flying bombs.
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Spotlight on ...
Looking forward to the future Walworth is a vibrant area, home to many independent retailers and thriving small businesses but it faces a big challenge - being overshadowed by the investment of other parts of Southwark.
Among many people who are working hard to ensure that the area secures its fair share of attention amid all the millions being invested in neighbouring areas is a dedicated band of volunteers from the Walworth Society, plus the team at Southwark Council who are driving forward
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projects including the redevelopment of the Town Hall, the Newington Library and The Cuming Museum. Their mission is to ensure that the area’s assets are protected and that the right conditions exist for businesses to thrive. There are plenty of assets to protect in Walworth, which has a long history,
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Waleorde.
For example, St. Peter’s Church offers a glimpse of the area’s economic past. Built circa 1825, it is an indication of the wealth of the middle-class merchants who lived in the vicinity at the time and were able to hire, John Soane, one of the finest architects of that era.
Walworth is also home to the Pullens buildings - a mixture of Victorian living and working spaces and yards, East Street market is a major street market and there are unique array of pocket parks in the area. Working to protect the area’s many historic buildings is the Walworth Society, which aims to be ‘a voice for people in
Spotlight on ...
of Walworth with optimism
Walworth, to preserve and protect its rich architectural heritage and to protect and help improve its green and open spaces’.
The Walworth Society, run by volunteers from the local community, was formed in December 2011 and chair Jeremy Leach said: “We were initially set up to campaign to protect open spaces in the area but our activities have broadened. “One of our big roles is to make sure that the area is
not forgotten. People see all the investment at The Elephant and on the site of the Aylesbury estate and find themselves wondering about the bit in the middle.
“Walworth has much to offer and one of the challenges is ensuring that the independent retailers on the Walworth Road, and the small businesses to be found off it are not squeezed out by the rush to provide more residential property.” One of the society’s biggest projects over the past two
years has been work towards the Walworth Road being designated as a Conservation Area.
Jeremy said: “We have received amazing support from society members, local residents and councillors and officers to put the story of the Walworth Road and its historic significance together and the results of this work can be seen in the Historic Area Assessment that we have produced. “All of this work has now been turned into a planning
application for the Conservation Area and we are now in the middle of the consultation period which ends on 31st December.
“We see the Conversation Area as important to protect and enhance the area’s assets and as a way of encouraging businesses by creating the right conditions for them to thrive and encouraging investment in historic fabric of the Walworth Road.
“One of the area’s big assets is its links with arts and culture
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Spotlight on ...
and people locally are working hard to encourage the creation of studio space. For example, there is interest in the railway viaduct that runs through the area and the potential role of the arches to be developed to encourage businesses more.”
One of the existing cultural assets in the area is The Cuming Museum, founded by Richard Cuming and his son Henry, who lived locally and had a passion for collecting.
Between them, during the late 18th and the 19th Century, they acquired objects from around the world and when Henry died in 1902 he left funds in his will to create a public museum, which opened above the Newington public library on Walworth Road near Elephant and Castle in 1906.
The museum expanded onto the ground floor of the former Walworth Town Hall in 2006 but a fire in 2013 damaged the
“Our vision for Walworth Town Hall and Newington Library is to offer local residents a new, top quality space to act as a community hub for people to enjoy and use.”
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Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
building and since then the museum has been without permanent display galleries.
However, a series of successful projects and programmes have kept the museum in the public eye with a range of exhibitions at other venues.
The Walworth Town Hall and Newington library will be redeveloped into an exciting new civic space and the museum will become part of this, alongside a new library and Southwark’s local history library and archives.
Southwark council appointed Faithful+Gould Limited as lead consultants, with Avanti being selected as architects for the project. Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: “Our vision for Walworth Town Hall and Newington Library is to offer local residents a new, top
quality space to act as a community hub for people to enjoy and use.
“We want to bring people together and this project will play a key role in building strong communities and civic pride in this historic neighbourhood.”
Jane Foulkes, Associate Director at Faithful+Gould, said: "Faithful+Gould is delighted to be part of this interesting project, bringing these listed buildings back to life, and creating a community hub at the heart of Walworth as part of the surrounding regeneration.
“The project will bring together library and heritage services, museum and registrar services and other community uses under one roof and we hope that it will provide facilities which the locals, and users from the wider area, will enjoy for generations to come.”
Cage Rattlers
Cage Rattlers Letters from members These do not represent the views of the Chamber.
Why are we mollycoddling the cyclists? The most ungrateful, uneducated road users, abusers of the traffic rules, freeloaders and road accident causers. Having my office in Southwark and living in Long Lane I get all the ‘let’s be nice to the cyclists’ leaflets from the council. The latest two: 1. Cycle Hangers to be put in the street taking up parking space and traffic congestion. A nicely produced leaflet explaining this is storage for 6 bicycles and in keeping with Councils policy to significantly increase the number of residents using bicycles as their mode of transport. WHY? 2. Jubilee Cycle Grid Route Newcomen Street edging on Borough High Street to be closed to Traffic and become pedestrian and a Cycle Route.
This is a major route taking traffic away from congested Great Dover Street and Long Lane. Plus Traffic route away from Guys Hospital where there is larger expansion for a Cancer Unit with more traffic requirements Plus I hear there is another Cycle Super Highway from Rotherhithe to London Bridge in the planning … and across the River another one from Tower Hill to Lancaster Gate! All causing congestion and costing the rate payers - resident and business. WHY? The cycle lane in Union Street is a nightmare for pedestrians. No more should be done to mollycoddle the Cyclists until :1. They are all licensed having passed a proficiency test and a highway code exam for cyclists.
journey from Home/Office to the station to destination. At London Bridge a Taxi dropping off has to come in from Borough High Street go past the Taxi Rank, drop off at the concourse. He cannot take a new fare from here and has to drive back down to Borough High Street re-enter London Bridge Forecourt and join the Taxi Rank. And the Passenger has not been given any thought either - coming out of the Station,
(Name and address supplied)
Supermarket Reward Cards
The Taxi drop off and Pick up at London Bridge Station Rail passengers at London Bridge Station have had just cause for complaint over the disgusting way their journey and comfort to and from work has been badly planned during the rebuild. But what about the Taxi and Taxi Passenger? Whoever planned the Taxi flow needs to seriously think about a career change. Taxi Drop off and pick up is an integral part of a passengers
2. They all carry 3rd party insurance with a pay out clause for stress caused to Motorists/Lorry Drivers and Bus Drivers in case of the numerous accidents they cause. 3. They pay a road tax to cover all these road alterations for their own selfish benefits. 4. Stricter Police action in fining cyclists for road traffic infringements - it will be a bigger money earner for the Police than the speeding cameras! 5. Ditto for poor brakes, no lighting, vision impairment and poor cycle maintenance. Cyclists - Amsterdam and Cambridge can keep them.
suitcases and all, he has to cross over three Bus station road exit routes to get to the Taxi Rank. It’s a wonder there has not been serious accidents with buses hitting passengers. Transport for London does not seem to appreciate the role of the Taxi and Passenger in the travel flow and no serious thought goes into planning this integral part of a journey.
(Name and address supplied)
I can’t be bothered to have reward cards for the various Supermarkets - I think it is a man thing. But when I reach the till and get asked for my card I always say please put it on the Charity one. Of course this brings a blank expression form the cashier. But why not - if these Supermarkets had a Charity Card behind the counter then all these reward points could be put to good use and providing food for various charitable causes and needy people. Why not! (Name and address supplied)
What’s rattling your cage? Write and let us know Email at admin@southwarkcommerce.com
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Women in Business
Successful Business Women in Southwark ideas and advice from female entrepreneurs Banishing the Grey days
anna Gryce Former award-winning interior designer and franchise holder for House of Colour in South east London
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Anna Gryce can trace the big change in her career to what she describes as her ‘away with grey project’. The colour and image specialist had enjoyed many rewarding years bringing beauty into the homes and lives of her clients but said: Although my confidence in designing fabulous interiors never faltered, I was growing less and less confident about designing - well, myself! “At some point I had sleepwalked my way to a wardrobe of grey. My go-to palette of greys and blacks, which I had always thought so chic, were draining me. I wasn’t ready to give up on fashion but the places I used to shop seemed to have left me behind. “In short, I felt that the way I looked on the outside just didn’t reflect the creative, fun and adventurous person that I knew was inside. “It was during ‘the grey years’, as I now affectionately call them, that my sister introduced
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
me to House of Colour. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the day, perhaps just to pick up an idea or two but the infectious enthusiasm and unquestionable expertise of the consultant as she gradually worked through my palette of ‘wow’ colours was transformational. “My face simply came alive - I looked absolutely radiant. And when, for fun, we went back to one of my worst colours, and I aged ten years in a second … well, that sealed it. I was officially converted. “After the colour class, it didn’t take me long to rework my wardrobe I hadn’t felt so excited and also so confident about shopping in years. The compliments that followed - from friends, clients and even, on occasion, complete strangers - gave my self-esteem a boost that went far beyond the way I looked.” Anna decided that she wanted to share this incredible journey of colour
confidence and style power. As a result she recently launched her East Dulwich based House of Colour studio for the South East London area covering East Dulwich, Peckham, New Cross, Nunhead and Honor Oak. Anna, is committed to giving her clients the lifechanging ability of knowing which colours make them glow and understanding the styles that flatter and fit perfectly. She said: “I am absolutely passionate about the difference that colour can make to people’s lives so they can look and feel fabulous, effortlessly, every single day.” As a woman in business, she appreciates the support of other women. Anna said: “House of Colour is a business run by women for women and I have the benefit of an excellent network of other wonderful women who all support each other.”
Women in Business
an opportunity too good to turn down
Every so often in life, opportunities come along that you simply have to take - that is certainly what happened to Jacquelyn Jubert in 2012. Having initially worked in art galleries then in administration for architects, she was working as a PA for an architect when the chance came to create an art gallery of her own. Her partner’s business, architectural illustrators AVR London, was moving into one of the old spice warehouses in Shad Thames and the opportunity came to take over the other half. Since opening in March 2012, Anise Gallery has focused on promoting art and architecture as a joint artistic discipline.
The work displayed in the gallery often extends to practices associated to architecture such as illustration and photography. Working closely with AVR London the gallery exhibits chosen artists that capture architecture through a variety of artistic forms. Although the building has been refurbished, the directors have ensured that many of its original features are retained and revealed. The industrial heritage of the building is very much evident to visitors and provides an appropriate backdrop to the artwork Jacquelyn said: “I had always been around galleries so it was one of those decisions that you have to take when I heard that space was available in Shad Thames.
Telling the story
yvonne Wilcox director Taylor Wilcox
“The building had been a solicitors office but we transformed it into a space to exhibit artwork while also working hard to retain its historical features. “One of the important things we have done is develop a niche, displaying artwork with an architectural theme. “There is a lot of competition in London and it is not enough to just put pieces of art on the wall and hope that people will come to see you. “You have to tell a story. You have to give people a reason to visit you. We are not on the main tourists trail, nor are we as big as many of the other galleries, so focusing on architectural art has given people a reason to come to see us.”
Yvonne Wilcox has enjoyed a highly successful career in public relations and marketing but she actually started her working life training to be a make-up artist then worked in the fashion industry. Now a director of her London-based public relations business, Taylor Wilcox, she said: “My first love was make-up and I trained as a make-up artist. “However, it became clear that it was very difficult to get into the industry so I then worked in the fashion industry. “My move into PR came when I worked for Sainsbury’s for just over two years, in the PR department.” Eventually she struck out on her own. She said: “I started
Jacquelyn Jubert director anise Gallery
working for myself twenty five years ago when my son was born. What appealed to me was the flexibility. “I started off working in retail and that expanded into work for charitable organisations as well as fashion.” Taylor Wilcox was formed six years ago and Yvonne said: “I have always believed that, even though PR is changing so quickly with so many new platforms, you have to stay loyal to the principles of PR. “For local publications, in particular, it is about telling the human story. It is about finding the human interest stories. “It is different for the national media, for them it is about presenting the product in a way that relates to lifestyle. “
Yvonne has taken those principles throughout a career which has seen her work for everyone from retail giants and companies and organisations in the public domain and charitable sector to family run businesses. She has created highly visible PR and consumer campaigns for a number of well-known organisations including Sainsbury’s, Littlewoods and The Glades Shopping Centre and worked across a range of retail, charity, fashion and consumer goods areas. She said: “I still like the flexibility that working for myself gives me. I can work for the client in their offices or in my own office at home. “I am not particularly looking to expand the business. I am very comfortable with where I am at the moment.”
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Culture
Collected and Possessed at the Horniman Museum and Gardens The latest exhibition at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill showcases taxidermy specimens and other objects usually kept behind the scenes in its south London stores.
Collected and Possessed features a series of stunningly detailed painted portraits of taxidermy animals, alongside their inspiration - the specimens themselves, brought out of storage especially for the exhibition.
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Artist Mark Fairnington has spent 5 years exploring behind the scenes at the Horniman, as well as Wellcome Collection and the Natural History Museum, to create the exhibition of more than 40 paintings of subjects including taxidermy dioramas, birds of paradise, skeletons, puppets and medical models.
Mark says: ‘Museum stores are full of peculiar, breathtaking and surreal images, with objects boxed, wrapped in plastic sheets or in nests of tissue paper, and arranged in unexpected juxtapositions. Collected and Possessed
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recreates that sense of awe and discovery, to give an insight into what it’s like to encounter the inhabitants of this seldom-seen world for the first time.’
Collected and Possessed is funded through Art Happens, the Art Fund’s crowd-funding platform. •••
Collected and Possessed is open at the Horniman Museum and Gardens from 28 November 2015 until 24 January 2016, and is free to visit. •••
Face Monkey © Mark Fairnington / Peter White FXP Photography
Nest © Mark Fairnington / Peter White FXP Photography
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Cover Feature
Southwark Twins with Langenhagen and Clichy
“In recent times, town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links between member cities.�
Twin towns or sister cities are a form of legal and social agreement between towns, cities, counties and even countries in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.
The modern concept of town twinning, conceived after the Second World War in 1947, was intended to foster friendship and understanding between different cultures and between former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation and to encourage trade and tourism. In recent times, town twinning
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has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links between member cities.
Southwark Chamber see clear benefits in twinning and are keen to build business contacts with our two twin towns of Langenhagen, (near Hanover) in Germany and Clichy in Paris. These run in parallel with already strong educational links including school exchanges and swapping of teachers. The Chamber welcomes the very positive rapport we have had with Langenhagen and in particular Birgit Naeschke, who has championed our
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twinning over many years. The Chamber recently sent representatives over there where we were warmly welcomed and treated like VIPs. This trip included being invited to their annual business dinner held in the impressive setting of the Maritim Hotel, the biggest hotel in North Germany. Over 350 people attended the ball, which included a first class stage show. The next morning we were taken around a state of the art Mercedes showroom where, as well as offering a highly polished presentation of the latest cars (pun intended),
they also have a unique collection of classic Mercedes cars with prices ranging up to â‚Ź400,000. Let us know if you are interested and we will sort you out a good deal! In the afternoon we were given a fascinating behind the scenes tour of the Maritim Hotel which can accommodate 1,000 guests plus 2,000 diners. For afters we had some superbly presented canapes. The trip was extensively covered in the local paper which published articles about the visit including photographs of our representatives.
Town Twinning
elisabeth Church
In response they have already sent over representatives that attended a business event where they met several Southwark Chamber members. A return trip is planned for the new year, when we will struggle to repay their generosity. The deputy mayor and other representatives from Clichy recently visited Southwark. On a return visit, just after the atrocities, Chamber members were pleased to be part of a trade delegation to Paris and in particular to our twin town of Clichy. We were very warmly welcomed firstly by the Franco British Chamber of Commerce.
This was followed by a meeting with several deputy mayors in their impressive offices in Clichy Town Hall. They gave us an interesting talk on the town, several souvenirs and accompanied us on a trip to a local cheese business, where we were lucky enough to sample their wares washed down with a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau. It is our intention to continue to build on this long standing relationship with further exchange trips next year. The Paris trip was a joint event with Southside Chamber of commerce. Langenhagen airport
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International Trade
an important Marketing, Sales and Purchasing Tool
a Trade Fair, exhibition or Show - Commercially beneficial to Companies by Barry Martin to attend whether as an exhibitor or Visitor.
Exhibitions take place all over the World and are a shop window for local companies and equally for overseas companies to promote their products to the local Market. If you have to travel to a destination to meet a client, it is well worthwhile timing that visit to coincide with such an event. This will add important dimensions to your trip. At an Exhibition you will; • Meet potential new customers. • Give you an insight of the Competition • Get a feel for the vibrancy of your business • Gain New Ideas • Learn about new technical innovations in your industry Trade Fairs follow the traditions of the Medieval merchants who used to meet at the crossroads of the old trading routes to purchase, barter and sell their wares. Goods included Livestock, Food stuffs, Commodities, Clothes, Manufactured goods and Spices from the far east. Today Exhibition participation is much more sophisticated with stands representing the status of the company costing up to half a million pounds. Although the majority of the
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exhibition booths cost less than £5000 and serve the purpose very well. But be aware, the stand is only half of the exhibition budget there is also the printing of the Brochures, the Give-aways, Catering, Staff Travel costs, Hotels and subsistence. And the Freighting of your Exhibits. At least two weeks before the start of an exhibition a whole army of people are working hard to organise the show Stand Builders, Electricians, Utility people, Stand Dressers, Caterers, Freight Companies, Custom Officers and Clearance experts. All thriving to build this Exhibition Village that will be a hub of activity for three days only to knock it all down to start again for the next show with not too dissimilar looking stands. Most Exhibition Halls have at least 12 shows a year so you can see what a multimillion pound industry the exhibition world is! My exhibition expertise is in the Russian Market where in Soviet times and because of the central buying situation, they had to last 2 full weeks. On the first 2 or 3 days the factory man from Ufa or Samara would come along and view what was on offer and what suited his factory.
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He would write a report that night to his local branch of the State buying organisation. Over the next two days they would go and check on his findings and then report to the Head Office in Moscow. Over the next few days they would send in their experts, lawyers, accountants and negotiators. Hopefully on the last day a man would come along with the contract. More often or not they would leave it till after the show knowing you were anxious to get home and squeeze another discount out of you to equal the cost of shipping your piece of machinery back to the UK. A lot of work and expense for one order you may think but by then you were on the tried and tested purchase list of the buying organisation, any other factory in the vast Soviet Union that wanted that type of equipment in the next four years then you got the order. All that effort and expense for one Below is the type of exhibitions that are taking place in Russia next year: Batimat Construction and Interiors Materials Moscow 05-08 April 2016 ••• Neftagaz Oil and Gas Industries Moscow 18-21 April 2016 ••• Tyres and Rubber Rubber and Rubber Goods Moscow 18-21 April 2016 ••• Sviaz Communication Technology Moscow 10-13 May 2016 ••• Elektro Electrical and Lighting Equipment Moscow 06-09 June 2016 ••• WorldFood Food and Consumerables Moscow 12-15 September 2016
machine could lead to orders for 500 machines! Now as a service facilitator for companies exhibiting in the Soviet Union we were happy for 14 day exhibitions - two of our services were in providing daily catering and booking hotel accommodation – much better to sell these items for 14 days than a mere 3 days. Sadly since the collapse of the central economy and the advent of Capitalism Russia now conforms to 3 day exhibitions. Exhibitions, whether as a visitor or Exhibitor must form part of your marketing and research budget. More often or not your absence from your industry’s show will do you more harm than you gain with your presence. There are no promises with exhibitions except one thing you will get sore feet - take comfortable and sturdy shoes.
Khimia Chemical Industry and Science Moscow 19-22 September 2016 ••• Some Worldwide Exhibitions are run in conjunction with a Medical or Scientific Conference, such as: Dental Expo Forum and Dental Equipment Exhibition Moscow 26-29 September 2016 ••• There are famous exhibitions that often make the news every year: • The Farnborough Air Show • The Frankfurt Book Fair • The World Travel Market ... to name just three.
International Trade
The time is right to trade with China By Chris Lowsley China Business adviser, uKTi South east
South east businesses are profiting from a surge in exports to China which, according to the latest HMRC figures, have already reached £380 million this year.
“With the closer political and business ties the UK is forming with China, and the fact that UK companies can now open up a Chinese currency (the Renminbi or RMB) account with a UK bank, it has never been easier for companies in the South East to engage in business with China.”
With China now established as one of the top ten export destinations for local businesses, there has never been a better time to explore new opportunities with the country and its currency. Exporting is a proven route to business growth and the UK visit of Chinese president Xi Jin Ping, in October this year, showcased the prosperous opportunities in China for UK businesses. As well as the larger contracts signed, such as Rolls-Royce announcing a deal with HNA Group to provide Trent 700 engines to power 20 Airbus A330s, there have been many smaller contracts signed,
such as Merlin Entertainment Ltd agreeing to take Lego-Land to Shanghai! Of course, the Chinese economy has demonstrated consistent export-led growth for more than 30 years, and is now a major market for a wide range of British goods and services. But it is not just one way traffic. Whilst the export market goes from strength to strength there is a huge appetite from China to invest in the UK. Indeed, with the closer political and business ties the UK is forming with China, and the fact that UK companies can now open up a Chinese currency (the Renminbi or RMB) account with a UK bank, it has never been easier for companies
in the South East to engage in business with China. London is now the largest offshore trading centre for the RMB. When you think that over 60% of all trade transactions in the ASEAN region are now denominated in RMB, the importance of the currency and its potential for UK business is striking. Many contracts have been signed recently for UK based projects with Chinese investment. One of the largest, recently, is the two new nuclear reactors that EDF will build with significant Chinese investment. With the Chinese state visit there has never been a better time to look to international markets.
I’d urge anyone who is thinking about exporting, or who already exports but wants to break into the Chinese market or use RMB currency, to get in touch with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) a Government department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We have a track record of helping thousands of new and established exporters achieve international success. I myself focus on the Chinese market and would love to hear from you and help you on your trading journey. To find out more about UKTI services visit www.gov.uk/ukti or contact export@uktilondon.org.uk
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Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
Voice from Westminster
Policing and Business Safety in Southwark Neil Coyle in a recent Commons debate on policing, i was shocked how few MPs referenced the relationship between police and the business community. How the police serve local businesses can be relevant to whether they just survive or are able to thrive. The debate took place at a crucial time in the context of the pending Comprehensive Spending Review and a potential 25-40% loss to the Metropolitan Police’s budget.
I spoke in the 4th November debate to raise concerns I’ve picked up from local businesses. There has been a spate of commercial burglaries in and around the Long Lane, Tower Bridge Road area and including at the Leathermarket offices. Burglars appear to target office equipment - including laptops and I-pads, but even shops have been targeted with Cold Mountain Kit being burgled just after they opened on Tower Bridge Road. There has also been a spike in shoplifting reported to me, from
independent boutique shops right through to the Tesco store in the Elephant and Castle shopping centre where I was shown photos of stolen goods that had been recovered. I was informed that, to dodge security scanners, meat is sometimes stolen by being hidden in the underwear of shoplifters. You will be reassured to learn that recovered meat isn’t repackaged and sold on. But businesses need to know that they will receive help from the police to tackle persistent crimes like these. Failing to tackle frequent thefts and shoplifting could determine the success of new starters and independent outlets in particular. On Bermondsey Street and towards Borough people have also reported being targeted outside pubs and bars for mobile phone thefts which
has knocked the confidence of some otherwise regular customers. Stepping outside to take a call or use a phone whilst smoking should not result in street robberies often committed by young men on bikes. Lower takings for landlords is the outcome if the problem is not tackled effectively and my fear is the spending review may leave our police with insufficient resources to handle this issue.
Squatting of commercial properties has also caused problems locally. From businesses trying to open in squatted premises, to neighbours who often have to put up with very anti-social sites like the former Albion pub in Rotherhithe or the professional squatters who temporarily took over the Elephant and Castle pub. Given the number of sites squatted
and the limited powers of the police to intervene this is another issue that could rise further under a reduced local police force.
I’m well aware how hard local officers and PCSOs work, but I don’t want them stretched further as our population continues to grow. I also want businesses to have every confidence investing in our area. I’ve raised all these issues with the Borough Commander in our regular meetings and squatting with the Met Commissioner directly. The Commissioner promised additional resources to help tackle the problem and I hope incidences reduce as a result.
If these issues are affecting you or you have further concerns you wish to raise then please contact me on: 020 7219 8733 or at: Neil.Coyle.MP@parliament.uk
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Business News
The Print Rooms Coming early 2016! The Print Rooms, one of Workspace’s newest developments in Southwark, has been transformed into a stunning property offering office and studio space ideal for New and Growing Companies.
As a result of a vast rooftop extension, there will be duplex studios available over the fourth and fifth floors, giving impressive views across Southwark through the floor to ceiling glazing. All studios will have wooden flooring throughout and natural light will flow through these airy spaces. A double height reception will house a new café and high-spec meeting room. For those looking to hold a meeting or an event, look online at how to book: workspace.co.uk/meetingrooms. What’s more, for those looking for mobile working and freelancing, The Print Rooms will also offer our latest co-working club, Club Workspace Southwark. Situated half a mile from Borough Market and its array of bars, shops and local restaurants, The Print Rooms is ideal for businesses looking to be in a fashionable yet business-orientated working environment. Southwark tube (Jubilee line) is just over 300
metres away. Southwark is the perfect location for you to work and play as there is plenty to do and see. You'll find the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre nearby, as well as numerous other museums, theatres and art galleries. With the additional 1,300 sq m of space, creating a total of 4,200 sq m, The Print Rooms is ideal for New and Growing
Companies seeking a vibrant property in the heart of London. Enquire today by calling 020 3176 4034, or search online at workspace.co.uk
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
Up Close
Keeping pace with the fast-moving property auctions business Property auctioneer Jeremy Lamb’s working days begins at 7am and can see him travelling to just about anywhere in the uK to view houses. overall value or the current letting income through refurbishment, or through obtaining planning consent to add value to the land or buildings.
Jeremy said: “My day generally starts at 7am and like many people begins with checking my e mails. Depending on where we are in the auction cycle will dictated how the rest of my day will pan out. “If it is the early part of the cycle my day will be spent inspecting, photographing and reporting to vendors on potential lots for the auction this can involve me traveling to anywhere in the UK.
Jeremy Lamb Andrews & Robertson ••• Jeremy MRICS is a director and auctioneer at Andrews & Robertson, an independently owned property auctioneers involved in the auction market for more than 150 years.
Based in Camberwell and Knightsbridge they hold seven auctions each year at the Hotel Russell in Central London
The company has a built up a strong reputation for selling all types of residential and commercial property across the length and breadth of the country including houses, flats, investments, shops, offices and industrial premises and sites. Most of the properties provide opportunities to improve the
“My role as one of the surveyors within the company is to advise our wide range of corporate clients. We act for housing associations, local authorities, charities, banks and receivers and provide general auction disposal advice and values.
“Once I have received instructions to include a property, I prepare proof details to appear in the catalogue these will be sent to the vendor and his solicitors for approval. It is my job to ensure that all details are correct. We have a
strict timetable to adhere to from initial instruction to print and auction indeed my working day is dictated by deadlines. “If it is print day for the catalogue I will personally go to the design studio to oversee the final proofing and layout for the catalogue. It is my responsibility to ensure that the catalogue is approved for print on time. “Once printed the marketing begins and I monitor the interest on the lots I am responsible for enabling me to report back to the vendors this information assists in setting the reserve prices.
“On the day of the auction we pack up the business and take it to the Hotel Russell. I am one of the auctioneers so spend time on the rostrum as well as speaking with vendors making sure that the day runs smoothly. When the hammer falls the property is sold and a legal and binding contact is formed.
“After the sale we return to the office and the whole cycle starts again. It’s a fast moving and exciting business to be involved in. Depending on where we are in the cycle my day ends between 5pm and 7pm.”
“My role as one of the surveyors within the company is to advise our wide range of corporate clients. We act for housing associations, local authorities, charities, banks and receivers and provide general auction disposal advice and values.”
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Property
KaLMaRs Pleased to sponsor the property page
old Kent Road Regeneration Southwark Council have arranged a series of public consultations on the future of the old Kent Road. By Richard Kalmar
“The programme for the next 20 years includes ambitions to create 15,000 to 20,000 new dwellings and 10,000 new jobs.”
London is growing and developing and we need more homes and more jobs in London. The Old Kent Road area has the potential to accommodate some of this growth and, as long as local environments and community life develop and improve alongside, we will have many things to celebrate in the future. The programme for the next 20 years includes ambitions to create 15,000 to
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20,000 new dwellings and 10,000 new jobs. This is underpinned by the proposed extension of the Bakerloo line with two new stations on the Old Kent Road, providing the potential to become new hubs for business centres reinvigorating the retail and with “green lung’ linear parks crossing the road. At the last of these meeting, which I attended, the spirit of cooperation between local
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
residents, developers, and other interested parties to plan the improvements was palpable. This involved modelling where each the different uses could go, with Lego blocks representing parks, business space, shops, high and medium rise residential blocks, together with cycle paths and general improvements. Six teams each produced their own thoughts, which architects Allies and Morrison carefully photographed
and are extracting general themes from these to put together a masterplan. Led by the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and New Homes, Councillor Mark Williams, the council dealt with some challenging questions from those that attended, and now plan to come up with a masterplan of ideas which are due to be brought together and published in the new year.
Legal Update
Thinking of selling your business? Before you even think of advertising your business for sale, there are some key steps you need to take in order to prepare your business. By alan Zeffertt anthony Gold Consider also taking non cash consideration, usually in the form of shares in the purchasing company. Only those assets which are necessary for the smooth running of the business need to be included as part of the sale. For example, consider excluding a freehold property the full value of which may not be reflected in the price for the business, which may be calculated on a multiple of profits. A seller might also exclude any intellectual property rights and licence their use to a purchaser thereby maximising the return on such rights.
Shares or assets?
If you are a limited company, your first decision is whether to have a share sale or an asset sale. With a share sale, you are selling not only assets, but also any of the company’s liabilities. This means that a buyer will usually ask you for warranties and indemnities. Transferring assets is usually simpler. Either way, the type of sale is usually determined by tax considerations so that you maximise your share of the sale proceeds and minimise the tax cost. The main question is how to avoid the tax ‘double whammy’ for individual shareholderscorporation tax on the chargeable gain on the sale of the business, on top of income tax on the distribution of the net proceeds as dividends. There is a way round this. Entrepreneurs' Relief can usually be claimed. If the
company is a trading company the seller can benefit from a capital gains tax (CGT) rate of 10%. This is very attractive for individual shareholders selling shares in a private company. Take tax advice before you even market the business for sale, so that you don’t end up paying more tax than you need to.
Capital v income
You should consider whether to sacrifice receiving a lump sum now for a potentially larger capital sum later. A seller’s willingness to continue in a consultancy or employment role after sale may assist in maximising the price which a purchaser is willing to pay. Although to many people ‘cash is king’, you may be able to achieve a greater sum overall if you are prepared to consider deferred payment of the consideration over a period of time.
is VaT on the sale avoidable?
If the sale of the business is treated as the Transfer of a Going Concern, or TOGC, it will be outside the scope of VAT. While you do not pay VAT on the sale, you are not prevented from deducting input taxes on related expenses as a general business overhead. TOGC applies where a business is transferred either in whole or in part as a going concern, and the assets are to be used by the buyer in continuing the same type of business as the seller. However, your buyer needs to be registered for VAT at completion of the sale, or must be liable to be registered, if the turnover exceeds the existing registration limit immediately before the transfer. There must be no significant break in the normal trading pattern before or immediately after the transfer.
What if one of the assets transferred is property? If you have elected to waive exemption but your buyer has not, you must charge VAT on that part of the property which falls outside the TOGC. For the property to be included in the TOGC, your buyer must notify HMRC of the election to waive exemption. This needs to be done before the ‘time of supply’, which is either on exchange of contracts or if vacant possession is given, before completion.
“Take tax advice before you even market the business for sale, so that you don’t end up paying more tax than you need to.”
There’s quite a lot of information here to digest.
If you are thinking of selling your business and you aren’t sure what steps to take, contact Alan Zeffert on alan.zeffertt @anthonygold.co.uk or call 0207 940 4020
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Hospitality
Restaurant Reviews
By Margaret Rowse executive Committee
artusi
161 Bellenden Road, London SE15 4DH Telephone: 020 3302 8200
Artusi is a small restaurant in the Bellenden Rd conservation area of Peckham. Offering a new menu every day of wonderful fresh food that they cook to order. The menu is not extensive, but what they do offer is cooked to perfection.
Service is attentive and friendly and the waiting staff are very knowledgeable. Prices are extremely reasonable too for such good quality. This is well worth making a trip to Peckham.
No. 67 Café & Restaurant
North Pole Piano Restaurant
This is an independent Café/Restaurant and is situated within the South London Gallery, and is quickly gaining a good reputation.
The North Pole is uniquely a whole night out under one roof!
67 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UH Telephone: 020 7252 7649
It has a very clever idea of being a lively café in the day and then transforming into a chic Bistro in the evening. Part of the careful restoration of the gallery which turned the Victorian terrace in to a piece of contemporary architecture No.67 is pretty impressive with its interior. It has space, a conservatory, part cosy Parisian deli, and is very stylish and also offers an al fresco dining space.
No. 67 offers a good menu of seasonal favourites and snacks, light bites, coffees and
Lobos
cakes. However in the evening it goes into bistro mode with the menu changing to an impressively refined collection of British and Mediterranean dishes accompanied by a good collection of wines and beers. Food is good quality no fuss plates.
14 Borough High St, London SE1 9QG Telephone: 020 7407 5361
131 Greenwich High Road, London, SE10 8JA Telephone: 020 8853 3020
You can start your evening with a cocktail in the ground floor bar and then head up the spiral staircase to the spacious modern country house style dining room. Modern European cuisine includes a breast of duck with a rhubarb compote, fondant potato and red wine jus and a fillet of sea bass with vegetable ratatouille and red pepper coulis. The meal is accompanied by a resident pianist. They offer a special mid-week three course set menu at £14.95 for 2 courses and £19.95 for 3. (Something to look out for - Goldfish swimming in the chandeliers!)
After your meal carry on your evening in the bar until 2am or go for a stroll and take in the sights of Greenwich, make a night of it.
This new tapas bar has been opened by chef Robert Catro and friends he met while working at Brindisa, also in Borough Market.
with a small choice of tapas dishes such as Baked cheese with excalivada, Migas, Chorizo al vino. The Iberico pork fillet with trintxat potatoes is filling and delicious.
This is tucked away under the railway arch as you approach London Bridge on the left. It looks small from the outside but is in fact long and narrow and situated on two levels.
The food is based around prime cuts of Iberico pork,
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Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
All the food is sourced from Borough Market and the menu changes constantly depending on what is in season and available.
Check them at www.lobos tapas.com
Business News
Bermondsey Tonic Water the uK's first craft Tonic Water at London Gin Bar '214 Bermondsey', Nick Crispini set out to bring together the widest array of Gins from the world’s best distilleries. However, he and fellow Gin lover, Lawrence Mason found that the diversity of Gin was often obscured by the taste of most commercial tonic waters. Nick & Lawrence therefore set out to develop a new tonic, one designed to preserve and complement the unique flavours in every gin. The result is a smooth and crisp beverage with only natural quinine flavours and none of the commonly found cloying bitter-sweetness of other tonics. The overwhelming bitter-sweet nature of commercial tonic waters comes from their chemical extraction of Tonics key ingredient, Quinine. In contrast, BTW's handmade process uses natural Quinine from the South American Cinchona bark. When incorporated in its natural state, a well-balanced, all natural tonic is produced, dedicated to complementing and enhancing the experience of a G&T. Slightly lower in carbonation than you may be used to and sunset golden in colour due to the use of cinchona, BTW is a mixer made with the thinking drinker in mind. What matters most for the team at BTW is producing a drink that can sit proudly with
a quality spirit. The current soft drink market is awash with overly sweetened, blended brands that really have no right to be mixed with an artisan spirit. It is flavour and provenance that matter most to BTW, the recipe itself being derived from a Victorian technique for naturally extracting quinine into water. Along with a more typical, ready to serve beverage, BTW is also available in syrup form. Essentially a highly concentrated Quinine flavoured cordial it has been designed to be lengthened with carbonated water. The resulting syrup can be used to spice up a cocktail without having to add more alcohol. It works very well as a Campari substitute in a Negroni and as a way to add depth of flavour to any gin based cocktails. Some have even been known to cook with it: BTW cured salmon or BTW Chutneys being some of the more straightforward creations. BTW is still being hand-crafted in Bermondsey and can currently be found at high street retailers such as Whole Foods, Borough Wines & Fortnum & Mason or online at www.btw-drinks.com/stockists
“What matters most for the team at BTW is producing a drink that can sit proudly with a quality spirit.”
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
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Branding
Southwark Chamber of Commerce launches new Visual identity and Website “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” Winston Churchill
“Great brands are easy to recognise. They have a clear visual identity and they build strong customer loyalty.”
A brand can be one of the most valuable assets of a business and requires careful crafting to ensure it authentically represents the business. A well designed brand effectively communicates the organisation’s vision, products and operations, in a way that is relevant to its customers. Companies change aspects of their branding like their logos, their visual identity and their marketing materials to keep their brand up-to-date. Great brands are easy to recognise. They have a clear visual identity and they build strong customer loyalty.
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With a year of change, including a new chairman, fresh faces on the executive team, and a myriad of new ideas for supporting members, it was decided that 2015 was the perfect time for the Southwark Chamber of Commerce to update its branding. This article shares the thinking behind the Chamber’s new visual identity and some useful tips for designing a logo and website. These tips can help you improve your branding, whether you’re creating a new identity or considering a brand refresh.
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
Logo Design
Your logo design should adhere to five key design principles. 1. Distinctive Your logo design needs to stand out from your competitors. Avoid using the same style or visual elements as everyone else. 2. Memorable Your logo design should use visual elements that are easy for your customers to recognise and remember. 3. Flexible Your logo design needs to work in multiple settings from printed applications like business cards and leaflets to digital applications like your
website and social media. It should also be effective in both in black and white and colour. 4. Scalable Your logo needs to work in multiple sizes from large scale applications on posters or billboards to small scale applications like pin badges and favicons. 5. Relevant Your logo design must be suitable for the business it identifies and be relevant to your customers. This is achieved through in-depth research into the industry involved, helping to differentiate the business from competitors.
Branding
“A well designed brand effectively communicates the organisation’s vision, products and operations, in a way that is relevant to its customers. Companies change aspects of their branding like their logos, their visual identity and their marketing materials to keep their brand up-to-date.”
Website Design
Your website should be simple to use, visually stimulating and designed to help answer your customers’ questions. 1. Do your research. Take a look at your competitors’ websites and work out what you like about them and what you don’t. Try to identify things that work well and think about how you can apply them to your own the design of your website. 2. Start with questions. Your customers usually come to your website to answer specific questions like what products do you offer? Or how to contact you? Designing your website around your customer’s questions will make it easier to navigate and use. 3. Keep it simple. Your customers are busy. Provide them with useful, concise information right from the start. Try to keep everything simple and clutter free. 4. Make text easy to read. Use consistent fonts (no more than 2-3), with good colour contrast, and legible font sizes. 5. Make it responsive. Your customers will be accessing your website from multiple different devices. A responsive website will ensure your site looks professional on PC’s, tablets and mobile phones.
Creating a new Visual Identity and Website for the Chamber
The New Logo
In the last 15 years the borough has experienced immense change both in terms of commercial growth and architectural development. Having just celebrated its 90th anniversary, the Chamber did not want to lose its link to
The New Website
Southwark’s trading heritage. The Chamber was keen for the new identity to pay homage to history, but also wanted be seen as future facing with a dynamic and contemporary logo. Image shape and form: After reviewing a number of different concepts, the Chamber chose a design called “Iconic Southwark”. This contemporary illustration design uses the silhouettes of two globally recognised and celebrated architectural icons in the borough - Tower Bridge and the Shard. Colour: Blue palettes are associated with credibility, professionalism and dependability, and are often
www.southwarkcommerce.com
The new responsive website and social media sites have been designed to connect with“on-the-go” business people. They’re a great way for existing and potential members to keep up to date with latest business news, chamber events and networking opportunities and above all to meet new people and grow their business.
used by corporate institutions. The colour teal was chosen to symbolise the vibrancy of the area and the importance of the River Thames in Southwark’s commercial history. Typeface: Southwark is one of the oldest parts of London with a history that dates back to Roman Times. The logo incorporates the Optima typeface, a font inspired by Roman stone carving. At a glance, with its iconic illustration, this striking new logo represents a professional and energetic organisation. It is distinctive, memorable and symbolic of Southwark’s past, present and future.
Both the new Visual Identity and website are representative of a dynamic and welcoming Chamber of Commerce - a membership networking group focused on stimulating growth and helping businesses to prosper in a borough which is rich in commercial history and is growing at rate of knots.
Take a look at the website and join today!
Yoko De Souza is Managing Director of WaterBear Design Ltd Yoko@waterbeardesign.com http://waterbeardesign.com
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Technology
How will the internet of Things (ioT) impact SMB’s? By Will Brooks Commercial director Zenzero The phrase ‘internet of Things’ or ioT is used a lot currently but do you know what it means? No, then don’t worry, it’s a simple concept…
It is all to do with connecting any device to the internet or other devices. The list of ‘things’ is endless and already includes everyday items such as your mobile phones, coffee makers, fridges, lamps and cars. It also applies to larger products, such as the engine of an aeroplane or the drill of an oilrig. Even cows wear collars that collect data about milk production to inform the Farmer. Gartner estimate there will be over 26 billion connected devices by 2020. The IoT will be a giant network, transforming relationships such as people with people, people with things and things with things. It has the potential to completely revolutionise the world we know today. IoT is already here The term may be new but the concept has been around for
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many years. An early example is when vending machines were fitted with a SIM card, sending data to the office when stock levels reached an agreed level so drivers were not sent to restock machines that had not been used when they should have been filling up empty ones in other locations. Last year, Milton Keynes became the first UK city to introduce a IoT network. A dedicated network was created picking up signals from sensors installed on thousands of objects such as bins (signalling when collection was required) and car parks (informing how many parking spaces were available). Car insurance companies have started using the IoT to encourage better driving and reduce claims. By installing devices in cars that collect data on speed and use of breaks, the car insurer can assess driving behaviour and reward good drivers with lower premiums.
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
How it impacts forward thinking businesses If utilised correctly, the IoT has the potential to offer a wide range of benefits to SMBs in the form of boosted productivity and competitive advantages. An organisation with a mobile workforce such as service engineers could use vehicle tracking to know the location of staff to optimise travel time when allocating jobs. If every engineer was able to make one more service call per day the system would quickly pay for itself. Forward thinking businesses can also use the IoT to optimise their processes and reduce excess consumption, leading to improved efficiency and lower costs. Data provided by devices can determine the best way of doing something, which will allow businesses to gain a significant advantage over their competitors.
How the future looks for the IoT As it currently stands, the future is set to be dominated by the IoT, with plans to connect every device that can possibly be connected. Whilst some could possibly see the IoT as a breach of privacy, there’s no denying the efficiencies it offers. So the question should now be “are you ready for the IoT?” What should you be doing? Not only can Zenzero help to advise customers on how to build secure and scalable infrastructure and enable the mobile workforce the software team can build custom applications to give your business the competitive edge you are looking for. To find out more about how Zenzero can help your business benefit from the IoT please call the team on 0333 3209 900 or e-mail solutions@zenzero.co.uk
Last Word
Flexible working:
why employers need to get on board
Barry Martin Chairman
The world of work is changing. How, when and where people work are now just as important as the roles they do.
14.1 million British workers are now looking for some form of flexibility in their next role. Yet the publication of Timewise latest research report - the Flexible Jobs Index - highlighted that only 6.2 per cent of quality jobs - paying a minimum of £20,000 FTE - in the UK are advertised as open to flexibility at the point of hire. And when it comes to finding quality flexible jobs London, the Capital is bottom of the class - with only 3 per cent of jobs advertised as offering flexible working options. Flexible working - from the point of hire - is an essential tool for employers to use, in achieving a competitive advantage in attracting the best and brightest talent. The problem is, that while employers may be happy to offer flexible working options to the right candidates, they don’t say so from the point of hire.
Yet the flexible talent pool is massive; more that 5.4 million people already work in flexible jobs and an additional 629,000 people want to work but can’t find a job with the flexibility to fit with their caring responsibilities. This gap between flexible working and flexible hiring is causing a major bottleneck. Without a flexible jobs market they can go to, employees are getting stuck in their current flexible or part time job or even choosing to trade down to get the flexibility they need. Businesses are losing out through the under-utilisation of skills and even the complete loss of valuable employees. The good news, is that adapting to flexible hiring is easy. Employers simply have to ask themselves: for the best candidates, will I consider flexible working for this role? If the answer is yes, say so in the advert. This doesn’t commit an employer to making the role flexible; it simply means being open to the discussion for the right candidate. Are you a South London employer? If you want to find out how ready you are to embrace flexible hiring complete the short survey below and we ll give you a free advice session on how to enhance your recruitment practices. www.surveymonkey.com/r/ FlexibleLambeth For more insight into the work of Timewise and real life case studies, please visit www.timewise.co.uk
Helping young people An initiative that helps young people move into education, employment and training particularly those in danger of being involved with gangs or crime - has been welcomed back for the fifth year. Street Elite is run by the Change Foundation and Southwark has been its base for training young people from all over London since 2011.
However, last year it started offering a Southwark-only cohort for young people in the borough and will be doing the same this year. Southwark Council has been working with the Change Foundation and The Berkeley Foundation who fund the programme, to bring it back to Southwark.
The Russia House Ltd
I studied but failed Russian Language at school in 1962 but that gave me the seeds to spend the next 53 years in a career involving trade with Russia. I formed my own company The Russia House Ltd in 1970 to facilitate trade with Russia for UK companies I have travelled to Russia more than 300 times, visiting many far-flung cities, but the Russian is still useless until the tenth vodka has been consumed. I still like the occasional adventure, such as visiting The Crimea last December. I worked in the Borough of Southwark since 1962 and am almost as fascinated with the history and life of Southwark as I am with Russia and am so looking forward to 2018 when all the re-build of the London Bridge Area is finished. I joined the Southwark Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and became the Chairman in 2012 for a three-year spell and am still active as an Executive Committee member with responsibilities for the Chambers Magazine Southwark Business Today.
Q1
What was your first job and what was the pay packet?
I joined L.W. Morland & Co Ltd in St Thomas Street in 1962 on £6 / 10 Shillings a week plus 15 shillings Luncheon Vouchers.
Q2
if you were prime minister, what would be your first decision?
Give businesses who pay business rates the vote in local council elections.
Q3
What is the biggest challenge in your business?
Keeping the money coming in before we have to spend it again - cash flow.
Q4
if you could do another job, what would it be?
Opening Batsman in the England Test Cricket squad.
Q5
What's your favourite London building? Tower Bridge and Tower of London viewed from Southwark.
Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
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Join Us
Join us Chairman
Richard Kalmar - Kalmars
•••
Vice Chairman
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.
Les Johnson - LJPM Ltd
Membership application
Vice Chairman
• Small/Medium sized companies 2 to 50 employees £150 per annum
•••
Alex Webb - SLPN
•••
executive Members - 2015/16
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
John Steward - Steward & Co.
Hon. Solicitor
•••
Peter Mantell - Anthony Gold & Partners
•••
Hon. Membership Secretary Ken Hayes - Life Member
•••
Duncan Field - Life Member Cait Wilkinson - Life Member
•••
President
Sir Simon Hughes
•••
Vice Presidents Harriet Harman MP Lord Roy Kennedy Dame Tessa Jowell
••• By working together we can help create the conditions for business to thrive in the area.
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Southwark BuSiNeSS Today
• Sole trader
£100 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:
Address:
Post Code:
Telephone:
Email:
Number of Employees: Full Name:
Position:
Payment Details: BANK DETAILS: SORT CODE: ACCOUNT NO:
HSBC - SOUTHWARK C OF C 40-06-21 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
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