TopicUK Leeds October2017

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LEEDS EDITION NO7

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BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.TOPICUK.CO.UK

POURING OF SUCCESS FROM G&T FRIDAY’S

SHOE ROYALTY SUPPORTS THE DIANA AWARDS

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MEET THE MAN AT

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Creating Inclusive Cultures (CIC) is a collaboration of established businesses in our major cities who understand the beneďŹ ts of investing in diversity and inclusion.

In our changing and competitive world CIC enables them to share insight and experience that will help everyone attract and retain the talent for the future success of their ďŹ rms and their cities.

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PACKAGES TAILORED TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS 2 STARTER ANIMATION 2 STARTER LIVE ACTION 2 WANT SOMETHING SPECIAL ?

Call us to find out how a live action video can benefit your business : 07711 539047 www.topicuk.co.uk

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Contents &Comments DE TAI LS O F T H I S M O N T H ‘ S TOP IC U K , YO UR LO C A L B U S I N E S S CO M M U N I T Y M AG A Z I N E

GROUP EDITOR Gill Laidler CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rob Blackwell SPECIAL FEATURE Brand Yorkshire LEGAL MATTERS Chadwick Lawrence BANKING Barclays Bank iT Dean Spencer Eitex

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Pretty Clever Pants go Global

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Meet the Man behind Victoria Leeds

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Bright Sparks of the future.

Cover: James Bailey Image: Duncan Lomax Ravage Productions

For Advertising Sales

Tel: 07711 539047 4

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Dining at the Chapel

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Editor’s Notes

by Gill Laidler Welcome to the November edition of TopicUK Leeds, I can hardly believe that it’s a year since we launched our first edition at The Tetley.

For a full list of where you can pick up your free copy visit our website: www.topicuk.co.uk

Since then, we have quadrupled our distribution as demand for TopicUK has grown. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has partnered with us in Leeds and contributed to its success. We have plans for growth throughout 2018 and hope to share these with you in our next edition, due out in early January. I’d like to give a particular mention to ABL Business, the latest partner to join TopicUK, who will be sharing their expertise with us over the next 12 months.

For Advertising Sales

This year, we were the proud media partners of Brand Yorkshire who held their 8th annual conference at The Pavilions in Harrogate on 5 October. We were just one of a hundred stands exhibiting and due to the high number of visitors, our extra print run of over 1200 magazines were quickly exhausted.

Congratulations to Richard and Mona Norman (who incidentally were married just a few days after the conference and are on their honeymoon as I write this) on such a fantastic event, hope to see you again next year.

Harvey Nichols Leeds played host to a special lunch on behalf of The Diana Awards and guest of honour was Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, who I was lucky enough to interview. What an inspirational man, but don’t take my word for it, you can read the full story on page 30.

Staying with Victoria Quarter, our cover story is James Bailey, General Manager of Victoria Leeds. James has a huge job looking after such a beautiful shopping destination and you can read about his journey from Northampton to Leeds on page 28.

Tel: 07711 539047

As we go to print, we have just seen the closure of Leeds Business Week, another jam-packed week of events, congratulations to everyone who was involved in making it a success. I attended two lunches, one at the start of the week at Tattu and one closing the week at Bibi’s, where the speaker was the brilliant Kersten England, CEO of Bradford Council. The week was rounded off attending the Yorkshire Society Awards at the Hilton Hotel, where we saw Tom Riordan, CEO of Leeds City Council named Yorkshire Man of the Year.

One of the highlights for me recently was a trip to Bedale to meet Karl and Cathy Mason, owners of my favourite Masons Yorkshire Gin. They have a fascinating story to share that you will find on page 34.

The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers and therefore, no responsibility can be held by the publisher for misinterpretation. Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/editor and staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magazine contact 07711 539047 or email editor@topicuk.co.uk. Published

by Ghost Publishing Limited, Paragon Point, Paragon Business Village, Red Hall Crescent, Wakefield WF1 2DF. Law pages are written by Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors LLP and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given.

Finally I hope you enjoy reading about entrepreneurs of the future on page 48, short bio’s of businesses recently set up with the help of Nat West’s Entrepreneurial Spark in Leeds.

It still seems a long way off, but as our next issue is published the first week in January, may I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and prosperous and healthy New Year.

Gill

Printed By: Charlesworth Press Wakefield

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TopicUK Leeds edition brings you a roundup of news and events and what’s been happening in our city recently.

Developer and asset manager MEPC has confirmed that the Government has chosen Wellington Place as the location of its new regional Government hub in Yorkshire. The move represents the biggest ever office prelet on record in Leeds.

The project will see the construction of buildings 7 and 8 from MEPC’s masterplan to create a state-of-the-art working environment. Scheduled for completion in 2020, the public bodies will be welcomed to the thriving business community which is one of the largest and most prestigious new city centre business quarters in Europe.

The new 377,000 sq. ft. building will be fully let on a 25 year lease, signed by HM Revenue and Customs, and is expected to bring over 6,000 civil servants to the centre of Leeds. This in addition to Wellington Place’s existing high profile business occupiers, including Sky Betting & Gaming, Willis Towers Watson, Squire Patton Boggs and Shulmans LLP, who will grow the community to almost 10,000 employees – one of the largest in the region.

This project is part of the Government’s plans for building a strong Civil Service base across the UK. The Leeds hub will transform central Government’s estate by accommodating multidepartmental workforces in shared buildings including HM Revenue and Customs and NHS Digital. This will deliver taxpayer savings, build Leeds’ strength as a

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Making history with biggest office pre-let Wellington Place confirmed as site of new Yorkshire Government hub national leader in digital skills, act as a catalyst for regional growth in Yorkshire and ensure the delivery of the best quality service to the public.

The buildings’ significant position on Whitehall Road will offer a prime city-centre location, easy access to the Leeds’ retail quarter and convenient transport links across the country via road and rail. In addition to its excellent working environment, employees will enjoy additional Wellington Place community benefits, including a workplace choir, onsite allotments, free bike hire and regular wellbeing and community events. The development also includes a wide selection of amenities, including a stateof-the-art gym, cafes, bars and restaurants, and extensive public space.

James Dipple, Chief Executive of MEPC, added: “This is an exciting time for Wellington Place and we are thrilled to be chosen as the home for the new regional government hub.

We look forward to welcoming our new occupiers to join our existing portfolio and, we believe, they will fit seamlessly into the well-established and active public realm at Wellington Place.

Both Hermes Investment Management and CPPIB who are funding this project acknowledge the importance of working in partnership with the public sector and are looking to create sustainable places which not only deliver attractive financial returns to our investors, but also have a beneficial impact upon the environment and local communities.”

“The Government’s decision to locate at Wellington Place, in the heart of Leeds, is great news for the city as it maintains its evolution as a key northern location for business.

We are proud to be a part of its sustained development and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Jeff Pearey, Director of JLL who advised the Cabinet Office added: “This is the largest office pre-let in Leeds ever and a major economic boost for the city. The biggest up until now had been the 374,000 sq. ft. letting to the Government at Quarry House which heralded the arrival of various government departments, some from London, over 20 years ago.

“As well as constituting the largest first phase acquisition of all of the regional government hubs completed so far, this property deal bolsters and reinforces the long term potential of Leeds’ West End.” Meanwhile, work continues across the site with Number 3 Wellington Place due to complete in December this year. Situated on the junction of Wellington Street and Northern Street, the building will create the principal north-east gateway into Wellington Place and form part of the 290,000 sq. ft. of recently constructed existing office and retail space at Wellington Place.

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Schools thanks Yorkshire curtain supply company A Yorkshire firm took advantage of a small window of opportunity to fulfil a rush job for curtain track and grabbed themselves more openings on major projects.

Renaissance curtain accessories, of Focus Way, Yeadon, was asked to supply enough curtain track to refurbish 1100 student rooms but faced a tight timeline and a strict budget with a request that it would be tough and long lasting.

The family firm, which supplies contractors, designers and retailers worked with its customer, Swanmac Blinds, of Cardiff and recommended a H section aluminium track in an assortment of colours that is attractive yet tough and was available to fit within the tight deadline the company faced.

As a result, the student

accommodation in Wales was refurbished in time for the new intake of students, the landlord lost no rental and it has resulted in more new business for the Yorkshire firm.

“Curtains are one of the finishing touches to any major build or refurbishment,” explained Renaissance sales manager, Sam Smaldon. “Student accommodation demands tough and resilient track that is affordable and provides added value.

“We recommended a product that fitted the bill and that we could deliver in the quantities they needed suggested the H track

because it is resilient, which is important when working on this kind of project so it offers real value for money.”

Oliver Swanson of Swanmac

Blinds said: “We pride ourselves on leaving locations clean and tidy, but Renaissance added value with their track and service. This has inspired both my customers and me in Renaissance.”

New appointment at auction firm Independent car auction firm G3 Remarketing has announced a new senior appointment as the brand continues to grow. Alex Miles has joined the team in the newly-created position of Buyer Services Manager.

Having worked for AMT Contract Hire & Leasing, The Harratts Group and Nidd Vale Motors – among other well-known brands, Alex brings with him a wealth of insight into the used car market. This knowledge will be used to help G3 further raise its profile among the dealer and car supermarkets network.

“Alex will provide a crucial role in further improving the quality of the sale experience, for vendors and buyers alike,” explains G3’s joint director Matt Dale. “He will be responsible for placing vehicles both pre and postsale, for instance, to improve conversions rates and returns for our sellers.”

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Nominate a Power Woman now The third Northern Power Women Awards will take place on 6 March 2018 at the Hilton Hotel, Deansgate Manchester.

The Northern Power Women Awards showcase role models and celebrate the many different ways women contribute to a thriving Northern Powerhouse. The inaugural awards were held in March 2016, attracting 440 organisation leaders, change agents, and inspiring male and female role models and earlier this year 520 celebrated success across the North.

The awards celebrate the women and men working towards creating gender balance in organisations across the entire Northern Powerhouse. Winners are profiled and their stories shared to encourage other individuals and organisations to step up and take action.

The awards also feature a Power list and a Future list, which showcase future leaders and influencers.

Nominate now at www. northernpowerwomen.com/awards/

Yorkshire tech partnership generates £1.6m revenue Two businesses have signed up to Leeds Dock just a month after Allied London announced a sale of the site for £32m.

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MEPC celebrates talent of Leeds based artists The second of four art installations, created by students from Leeds Arts University has been unveiled at 5 Wellington Place.

After an array of impressive competition entries submitted by students across various courses, the judging panel whittled it down to just four successful artists, to showcase their own creations.

The difficult decision was left to representatives from the companies that occupy 5 Wellington Place, Slav Sedlan of Willis Towers Watson, Harmajinder Hayre of Ward Hadaway and MEPC’s James Dipple. Inspiration for all of the pieces submitted was taken from Leeds and the surrounding county, with entrants using a mixture of artistic techniques.

The second piece to be hung, is a skyline of the city created by BA (Hons) Illustration student Janice Leung.

Janice said: “I was shocked when it was announced that my piece would be hung

in a public space, it’s a great opportunity to showcase our work. Leeds is such a refreshing city and I hope that I can inspire others to appreciate the beauty and character of the buildings around us, as that’s what makes each city unique.”

The artwork will be followed by a further two pieces from students at Leeds Arts University, and will be displayed on a

Recognising the complementary expertise within the two businesses, the channel specialists began working together in October 2016. Fast forward just under one year and the enhanced service offering has been wellreceived by PTG’s ever-expanding customer base.

market organisations throughout the country, in addition to IT infrastructures to FTSE 250 organisations. But keen not to dilute its in-house skill-set, PTG sought a connectivity and communications partner to strengthen the tech solutions delivered to customers.

With network, data security and voice communication capabilities within its own cloud portfolio, Elland-based Vapour was a logical choice.

The 90-strong Leeds-based team supplies managed cloud services to SME and mid-

Now, any project with a wide-area-network or hosted voice requirement is tackled by the two

A partnership between Vapour Cloud and the pure technology group (PTG) has yielded over £1.6m in less than 12 months.

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Entrepreneur grows business since entering the Den

The founder and CEO of revolutionary quiz technology, KwizzBit, was seen facing the infamous Dragon investors on BBc’s Dragons’ Den recently.

Serial entrepreneur, Mark Walsh pitched to the panel, in the hope of securing investment to accelerate business growth and add additional knowledge and strategy to the team.

Despite failing to obtain his requested investment of £80,000 for 10% equity in the den and receiving fiery feedback which questioned the size of the market, Mark, has since received funding worth £40,000 from the Business Enterprise Fund (BEP) and government-backed, UK Start-up Loans. quarterly basis throughout the year.

Elli Whitefoot, Assistant Careers Employability & Enterprise Manager, Leeds Art University, said: “Our students are hugely talented, with fantastic creative minds and abilities.

This has been a great opportunity to showcase our students and for them to feel as though their potential is truly recognised. The brief allowed teams in tandem, with pillow and duvet manufacturer John Cotton one of the first dual customers to come on board.

And with £1.6m of contracted revenue already recorded, the future looks bright for the two businesses.

“Technological innovation is happening incredibly quickly in this industry,” comments PTG’s sales director Gary Saunders. “It therefore takes more than just intuitive products to stand out.

“What a customer really wants is a robust

the artists to have creative freedom and explore a variety of materials and techniques.”

James Dipple, CEO of MEPC commented: “It’s great that Wellington Place can support other institutions in the city, and help to showcase local talent. We hope this can be a platform from which artists are inspired to pursue this as a career.” partner that can wrap up all of their requirements into one commercially-sound package. They need peace of mind that they’re dealing with experts in their field so that, should ‘disaster’ strike, they have everything in place to minimise operational disruption and continue with business as usual. They’re looking for speed, security and strong communication. That’s why I think PTG’s relationship with Vapour has worked so well. We’re on the same page in terms of what matters to customers and it all stems from our people.”

Since Mark encountered the Dragons, although screened recently was actually filmed in May, KwizzBit has grown the business by 300%, having implemented KwizzBit in a further 200 venues across the UK and aims to reach one million KwizzBit players by 2020. Significant growth has led Mark to make a further three appointments to the team and will make additional recruits by the end of 2018. Commenting on his experience in the den, Mark said: “Entering Dragon’s Den and meeting the Dragons was an incredible experience and one that will stay with me throughout my whole career. Since appearing on the show, I’ve learnt a huge amount and KwizzBit has gone from strength to strength; we’ve raised funding elsewhere, had a number of new recruits join us and we’ve increased sales significantly.

“I feel I represented myself and KwizzBit in the best way possible on the show and I feel really proud to have stood in front of some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs.”

As Mark left the den he commented that he would like to meet theDragon’s again, but be sitting next to them next time.

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LeedsEdition choose to wear, and adding a completely undetectable waterproof panel, the company quickly gained listings with Boots, Amazon, QVC and a number of international retailers.

Today the brand has undergone it’s own makeover, with the new name ‘Pretty Clever Pants’, and a global license deal with TV shopping channel High Street TV, the company behind health food market leader NutriBullet.

Pretty clever pants go global TV Presenter Carol Smillie talks to TopicUK editor Gill Laidler Since launching her business ‘DiaryDoll’ in 2012, television presenter Carol Smillie has spent the past 5 years tackling the taboo of life’s embarrassing little leaks, by creating a range of washable women’s underwear with a secret waterproof panel to protect against these leaks and instil confidence.

Such a simple idea initially grew quickly, and with a triple layer technology and a UK patent in place, Carol sold into high street giants John Lewis, Debenhams, and Alliance Healthcare.

The brand however, was not without its problems, as manufacturers went into administration and early sales stalled due to lack of education and funding capital.

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The company went back to the drawing board, and turned their attention to post pregnancy and women of 40+ who regularly suffer with bladder weakness, a massive market that, until then, only had the option of plastic pants or unattractive disposables.

By designing feminine pretty underwear that women would actually

High Street TV supply to a network of over 9,000 retail outlets across the UK, and have now created a 15 minute infomercial show, which was filmed with Carol in Los Angeles, to air across their four, 24hr channels and national media, with a plan in place to take the product worldwide, via their 87 global territory partners.

New shapes are already in the pipeline, and the opportunity for ‘Pretty Clever Pants’ is massive.

Carol is understandably delighted: “Creating a brand with no experience, around a topic no-one wants to discuss, was so much harder than I ever imagined, but as 1 in 3 women suffer from leaking issues at some point in their lives, whether they’re 12 or 80, I always knew that with the right backing, it could be huge. High St TV have been incredible and supported me from the very outset, and I am so excited to join them as they take it to a worldwide market” www.prettycleverpants.com

New director for Hotels Team Global real estate advisor, Colliers International, has announced the appointment of Kimberley Pearce as Associate Director in its Hotels Valuation team in Leeds.

With over five years of specialist property experience in the hotel, leisure and hospitality industries, Kimberley joins from a competitor where she was involved in undertaking valuations of single assets, small regional portfolios and large national corporate portfolios.

“Having successfully developed and established our hotels valuation business in recent years, Kimberley’s appointment will allow us to better serve both our existing and new clients across the North of England with her talent and sector specific experience key to her recruitment” said David Hossack, Head of UK Hotels Valuation at Colliers International. “Kimberly will complement the existing team well, fulfilling our goal of providing our clients with exceptional service across the whole hotels sector.”

Kimberley added: “The Colliers team is well known for putting clients first and challenging themselves to provide advice that supports the best business decisions, and I relish the opportunity to join them.”

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NGC Networks hits £5m turnover The Wakefieldbased business telecommunications specialist NGC Networks has achieved £5.2m turnover in its latest financial year, an increase of 13.5 per cent year-on-year. The company’s workforce has grown to 32 people.

TopicUK are delighted to welcome their latest business partner, ABL Business who are based in Cleckheaton.

ABL Business are a group of commercially focused professionals who will work with you as part of your team, to help your business grow.

NGC Networks provides business telecommunications and internet connectivity solutions to companies across the North of England.

The impressive performance has resulted from organic growth, with several new companies added to NGC’s client roster. Customers include Moores Furniture, The Funding Corporation and law firm Lupton Fawcett along with academies, schools and medical centres.

NGC, which is run by directors Nikki Guest and Dean Harrop, is also seeing the benefit of ongoing investment in business development, CRM and marketing.

Nikki said: “We have put time and effort into growing our customer base and that is reflected in our increased turnover figure. Effective and reliable communications are fundamental to businesses and organisations of all sizes and we are proud of our track record in providing competitive solutions married with fantastic customer service.”

Welcome new TopicUK partner ABL Business

The company was set up by Andy Redman and Alex Beardsley, two entrepreneurs who identified a gap in the market when it came to commercial support for SME businesses.

This year, NGC Networks announced a partnership with alternative infrastructure provider City-Fibre to deliver ultrafast, full-fibre internet connectivity to businesses in Wakefield, Bradford, Leeds and Huddersfield.

NGC is also seeing growth through its hosted telephony proposition, which provides businesses with cost savings and full resilience in the event of failure via cloud-based technology.

Dean said: “Our cloudbased solution provides customers with a wide range of communications facilities without the need to purchase an actual on-site telephony server, providing efficiency gains, cost

savings and business continuity.

“Flexible finance enables capex and opex models where customers can rent the service from us and still have the option to the title of the software and any associated hardware upon completion of the term.”

NGC clients also include mail order business Freeman Grattan Holdings, The Family Fund, Timpson, Manning Stainton Estate Agents, Puma UK, Lowell Group, The Car People and Sharp Business Systems.

NGC Networks has been shortlisted for the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2017 (companies up to £10m turnover).

With the fall of the trusted bank manager and a lack of funding available to the growing business, ABL are able to help by looking to provide additional support to growing SME businesses where they need it the most; in areas of commercial finance and marketing.

Whatever your financial requirements, ABL have a solution for you. They have access to over 70 funders and with their extensive knowledge, can help your business every step of the way.

Add this to their marketing expertise in developing and implementing effective solutions that enable business to grow, you have a winning combination. They work solely with SME’s providing professional outsourced support on an ongoing basis.

Starting from this edition, TopicUK will be working closely with ABL Business over the next twelve months to bring you news and updates about financial and marketing matters and what strategies you can put in place to help your business grow.

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Commenting on the launch, Neil said: “I am delighted to have opened my first boutique right in the heart of the ‘golden triangle’.

The feedback from clients and guests at the launch party was fantastic and very humbling, and a guest appearance from Geoffrey Boycott and his family made the evening all the more special.”

Mr Geddes launched his firm in 2010, with the aim of delivering a jewellery buying experience with service levels and attention to detail akin to that of a couture fashion house or Saville Row tailors.

Bowled over by expansion A Leeds-based private jeweller who specialises in sourcing and creating bespoke jewellery for some of the country’s wealthiest individuals has expanded his business with the opening of a new 650 square foot boutique in Boston Spa near Wetherby.

Neil Geddes, founder of NJ Geddes Fine Jewellery, opened the boutique at an intimate launch event attended by more than 50 clients and guests, including former England cricketer and Boston Spa resident,

Geoffrey Boycott OBE. With an office in Leeds city centre and operations across the UK, the Boston Spa boutique is the businessman’s first retail venture following business growth of 30% in the last 12 months.

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The boutique, which occupies the site of a former bridal wear store on the high street, was designed by award winning York-based interior designer, Carolyn Parker. It features an extravagant gallery of jewellery, bespoke furnishings and a show-

A Leeds-based PR agency has appointed its third director to support the company’s fast expansion since inception in April 2015.

MacComms has appointed Sarah Darbyshire from HR Solutions Yorkshire to support the business’s growing team and recruitment requirements as outsourced HR Director.

Sarah joins founder and managing director of MacComms, Ellie MacDonald, alongside fellow outsourced finance director, Martin

His team of designers and master jewellers create original couture pieces through a bespoke consultation and design process, in addition to reimagining heirloom jewellery as part of a new design.

He added: “Many of our clients are time-poor and need the assistance and discretion we provide to help them locate, purchase or design bespoke jewellery.

“Our Boston Spa boutique will provide a comfortable and unique environment in which clients can turn their bespoke jewellery ideas into a reality.”

Mellor of Mellor Financial Management, to the board of directors. Sarah joins the team after setting up her business 18 months ago, following a 20-year career managing HR in the private sector.

Sarah will support MacComms with all aspects of people management including HR strategy and projects, recruitment and selection, learning and development, performance management, reward and benefits, and managing and motivating employees.

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LeedsEdition reputation of Charms. This is similarly a family-run brand synonymous with trust, quality and integrity, so the fit into our stable of companies was perfect.

We look forward to bringing 50 years of installation expertise to the table – especially for some Charms’ clientele who may have previously used the company for ‘supply only’ bathroom purchases.”

Bathroom specialist expands An established bathroom specialist based in Leeds, has its sights firmly set on the future following the acquisition of a high-end retailer in Harrogate.

More Bathrooms – part of the fifty-two year old Passmore Group – has acquired Charms Bathrooms of Harrogate, in a move that looks set to secure an additional £1m of revenue in the first year.

With the existing owners approaching retirement, this could have marked the end of an era for family-run Charms. But the deal with fellow family-owned Passmore Group meant that jobs could be saved and 15 years of heritage preserved.

And now £6m turnover Passmore is implementing plans to grow the business to £10m in the next 3-5 years, which will create 20 jobs for local fitters, installers and surveying staff in the process.

Commenting on the move, managing director Tony Passmore said: “We have grown to become the leading bathroom designer and installer in Leeds and the surrounding area, so the acquisition of this well-known and respected Harrogate brand is a logical step in our ongoing expansion. In fact, the Harrogate deal is potentially the first of many.

“What mattered to us most was the cultural alignment and

With a 3,000-sqft showroom already in place, there was little fit-out work to do in preparation for the re-opening. In fact, with Charms’ exclusivity rights to supply Laufen Kartell and Roca Inspira products to Harrogate customers, Passmore has already been able to expand its range under the More Bathrooms umbrella. However, a number of additional products will also be added over the coming months, including stylish and accessible shower solutions and easy access bathing equipment.

“The Harrogate expansion signifies our desire to provide a fantastic bathroom experience to as many Yorkshire customers as possible,” adds Tony.

“The combining of these two businesses will help us to do just that.”

Ellie comments: “Sarah’s philosophy of HR is about helping businesses to manage, motivate and develop their employees whilst staying within the law. Given our phenomenal growth in a short space of time, Sarah has come on board to support our growing number of employees.

Sarah adds: “I am proud to be working with a like-minded young and growing company.

Both Ellie and I are Yorkshire born and bred, keen to collaborate and work together to get the most from the team.”

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Barclays has revolutionised its Business Banking Online offering and is pioneering the use of open data to benefit SMEs, in a banking industry first.

Barclays has collaborated with leading app providers to enable businesses to import their everyday business data and information provided by these apps into one dashboard within its online banking site.

Thanks to the mechanism of Application Programme Interfaces (APIs) - the ‘pipes’ through which organisations can securely share data SmartBusiness Dashboard, enables businesses to import their existing apps or download new apps, from a range of providers across bookkeeping, sales and inventory, marketing and analytics and workforce management.

Barclays launches new tool SmartBusiness Dashboard can be accessed by just one click in online banking and there is no charge to use the platform.

Ian Rand, CEO for Barclays Business Banking said: “This is a significant step in transforming day to day banking- meaning SMEs can see everything about their finance and data about their business in the one place through Barclays online banking. Busy business owners shouldn’t have to spend time sorting through different spreadsheets, reports or switching between apps - we’ve created a tool to give businesses time back - and this is an efficient way to run and grow their business.

“In giving businesses the choice to import their data and working

closely with partners through the platform, we believe this is a game-changer and will boost competition. No other bank is offering this to businesses.

Crucially, if you are a business owner this is a safe and easy way to access a range of data about your business, putting control firmly in the hands of businesses.”

Gill Laidler, Editor and Director of TopicUK, said: “Through Barclays SmartBusiness Dashboard we’re able to see all our business data in one place, including accounting and website traffic alongside our bank information. Not only does this give us a better picture of our business performance and help us to manage our cashflow

more efficiently, but it also frees up time to focus on running the business. I used to spend 20 minutes reviewing my business data and finances each morning – it now takes 5 seconds.”

In addition to the bank’s large network of business managers across the UK, SmartBusiness Dashboard is designed to be the place where businesses can view and analyse all their information in a simple and convenient way.

It will help SMEs to manage their cashflow, compare data and make improvements to help sales growth and add in marketing insight, and by removing the burden of admin, it aims to save businesses valuable time.

The introduction of SmartBusiness Dashboard is part of the bank’s investment in digital solutions, to support the needs of business owners in managing their finances and their business.

For the first time, businesses can view their real-time banking data and information about their business side by side, brought to life in easy-to-access charts. For example, rather than accessing each app individually, a shop owner can now securely log in to their online banking and view not only their financial information, but bring in their product sales data, website analytics and staffing rotas, all alongside their cash flow. Barclays believes this will boost business productivity and save owners valuable time.

Available to half a million of the bank’s business customers*, the

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Understanding the costs of development finance The variety of different development finance loans available in the UK is quite amazing, and it can be difficult to understand the impact of the various terms and costs applied by various lenders. Here we try to unravel some of the options:-

CMS enters 35th year with two major account wins Leeds-based Creative Marketing Services (CMS) has secured two major account wins as it enters its 35th year as a regional marketing and communications agency.

The company has been appointed by two of the UK’s leading home improvement brands, Redditchbased Bathing Solutions and Premier Bathrooms, to run their national campaigns worth more than £1.5m.

CMS was chosen for its outstanding experience in direct response marketing and the agency is now over-seeing the planning and delivery of advertising campaigns in national press, consumer magazines, online and broadcast.

Mark Good, planning director at CMS, said: “We are delighted to be working with these two national brands. Winning their business is a reflection of the length and breadth of experience that we have to offer in the home improvement, furniture and mobility markets. Bathing Solutions and Premier Bathrooms are the latest in a string of new accounts which CMS has won in a variety of sectors. Our

wide-ranging capabilities as a full-service agency has given us a competitive advantage with a comprehensive package encompassing strategy, web design and build, SEO, PPC, PR, digital marketing and brand management. We are securing a lot of new business from organisations seeking to source all of their online and offline services from a single agency as it enables a more cost-efficient, streamlined, responsive and integrated campaign delivery.

We’re currently working on many new pieces of business and expect to announce further client gains soon.”

Based in the rural surroundings of Hollinthorpe Hall, on the edge of the city, CMS has an extensive list of clients which include governmental departments and brand leaders in scientific, construction, logistics and retail.

Staff at the company’s Leeds HQ has almost doubled since 2014.

So first of all – Interest costs.

Pretty much all lenders charge interest of their funding. Many of the higher rates are quoted as a monthly rate, lower rates usually as an annual rate, but applied monthly. On the higher rates, be more aware of the impact of compounding – ie. interest charged on interest.

This is especially important on development finance which often allows interest to be added to the loan, or accrued. If you can pay it as it arises, your loan will be cheaper. Also, most lenders only apply interest on the actual funds borrowed, but some will apply what is called a “non- utilisation fee” – an interest rate charged on the funds you don’t use! The idea here is that they are being compensated for reserving the funds for you instead of lending the money to someone else.

Secondly – fees. All lenders, I think without exception, will charge an initial arrangement/ set up fee to cover their costs (and no doubt profit element) for setting up the facility. The fees range from 1% to 3%, with most in the 1.5% to 2% bracket.

On top of this, expect to pay a valuation/development appraisal fee, a legal fee, and possibly an initial and then ongoing monthly fee paid to a monitoring surveyor who will monitor the scheme for the lender as it progresses.

On conclusion of the scheme,

most lenders charge an “exit” fee – based either on loan amount (the cheaper option) or against GDV (usually more expensive).

There are various other smaller administration fees charged by many lenders at various stages of the scheme. There are variances – some lenders may accept more informal monitoring on smaller schemes, and some may not insist on a formal valuation, having the in-house skills to assess value themselves.

So why are there so many different permutations of costs? It’s essentially linked to perception of risk. So, the more experienced you are, or the more money you put into the scheme, the lower the risk and therefore cost. With so many funders, we would recommend you use a reputable, whole of market broker to ensure that you have the best chance of getting the best rates and terms for your particular scheme. It’s important that the broker takes time to understand and probably mitigate the apparent risk to the lender in order to obtain the best deal for you.

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LeedsEdition and getting customer feedback” Steven, and his co-founder, Marc Mills are now working hard on the launch of the live platform and will continue working with the AD:VENTURE programme and the Futurelabs team as the business launches and begins its exciting growth journey with ambitions to take the platform to a worldwide audience.

Left is Jim Farmery, AD:VENTURE Sector Development Manager for Wakefield Council and right, Steven Binnion Founder and director of Remind 2Find.

Online gift platform that keeps on giving!

The founders of Remind2Find have taken their pioneering shopping platform to the next level after teaming up with Futurelabs and the AD:VENTURE business support programme to take part in an innovative workshop programme designed to take new business ideas into reality.

Supporting early stage or first time tech entrepreneurs or teams with an idea or a product not yet ready for an accelerator or to raise funding, the funded programme was delivered free to businesses by Emma Cheshire, Co-Founder of Futurelabs, bringing a number of specialists to Unity Works in Wakefield to

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deliver specific content over a 4 week period in March and April 2017.

Remind2Find is a smart shopping platform that takes the guesswork out of buying for other people. After creating and sharing profiles with family and friends, users receive convenient reminders before an occasion along with inspiration on what to buy. Profiles can be fully personalised to include favourite brands and retailers, links to wish lists or, for those who don’t want anything, alternatives such as going for a drink or charitable donations.

Steven Binnion, co-founder, says

“91% of people shop in a rush at the last minute and only 23% have received a great gift in the last year, so there is significant room for improvement. As fast paced as the world is now, consumers really value services that actually save them time and stress!

After a period of slow progress setting up the business, I looked for a workspace that offered informal mentoring. Futurelabs became an obvious choice, having a genuine interest in real grassroots start-ups and an understanding of what they need.

Whilst working from the space at Futurelabs helped us to recover some momentum, the opportunity to receive structured mentoring and support through the FutureStart workshop programme tipped the balance.

We quickly validated and spotted some gaps in work we had done.

Most importantly, we left with a clear plan about what to do next and knowledge of people who could help us. Without this I fear we could still be refining our service rather than trialling it

Funded by the European Regional Development fund, AD:VENTURE enables businesses to grow through support such as expert mentoring, grants, professional workshops, finance brokerage, incubator office space and peer to peer learning.

Roger Marsh OBE, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “We are delighted to see businesses already benefitting from the opportunities and connections a regional programme like AD:VENTURE can offer. The programme was developed to help businesses just like Remind2Find to get off to the best and most informed start, and this is a fantastic example of how this type of programme works to boost the growth of SMEs in our region” You can find out more about Remind2Find at www.

Remind2Find.com

To find out if AD:VENTURE can help your business, visit www. adventure.org.uk For more about Futurelabs visit www.futurelabs.co.uk

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Why SMEs should look to alternative lenders to fund growth

By Ian Brooks Commercial Finance Manager with business support consultancy ABL Business.

Where people had barely heard of the Alternative Finance sector just a few years ago, now everyone is talking about new funders breaking the bank-borrowing mould.

Small businesses are catching on to the fact that there’s more choice available.

Traditionally bank lending was the most common source of external finance for SMEs but recently, banks have become reluctant to lend to certain sectors, particularly new, innovative and fast-growing enterprises with a higher risk-return profile. Funding gaps can be a challenge for companies wanting to undertake major transitions such as management buy-outs (MBOs) or Management Buy-Ins (MBIs).

A report by global innovation foundation NESTA raised concerns that an estimated 100,000 SMEs in the UK were turned down for bank lending with new start and young businesses making up 50% of the lending rejection rate.

Rather than accepting credit constraints as “the norm”, it becomes increasingly important to broaden the range of funding options available, to ensure entrepreneurs can continue their role in contributing investment, growth, innovation and employment.

There are now more than 100 alternative finance providers offering a range of options. These include asset-based lending, peer-to-peer lending, alternative debt, venture capital, and equity or a mix and match package of the above.

The proliferation of choice makes the role of an informed broking professional more vital than ever in ensuring that SMEs have access to the finance they need and are guided towards to the most appropriate solution. The broker community now facilitates more than £1 billion worth of SME borrowing every month.

At ABL Business, we dealt with more than 200 companies last

year and brokered £30million worth of funds using a hybrid mix of finance types to achieve the goals of each individual client. In one case, for example, a company looking to move quickly to new commercial premises and fund expansion could use bridging finance for the move and an invoice finance facility with an overpayment to support future growth and ease cash flow pressure.

Technology versus the human touch?

Modern technology has made incredible advances in loan processing and it’s partly due to this that the alternative finance market has exploded at the rate it has.

But personal relationships remain vital in the world of business funding. Back when businesses would automatically turn to their bank manager for a loan, that trusted figure would make capital available (or not), based on a long-standing knowledge of the company, its founders and the local economy.

Nowadays, SMEs with under £1m turnover are unlikely to get access to a bank manager at all and can often find themselves limited to call centre access.

So, the personal touch is now more likely to be fulfilled by an intermediary like a broker who gets to know the ins and outs of their client’s business, their story and their aspirations.

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Can business help to break the devolution deadlock?

Natalie Sykes - Regional Director, Institute of Directors

Devolution is the hot topic this Autumn, and I can’t hide my disappointment at the latest turn of events in negotiations to bring extra decision-making powers to Yorkshire.

As I write this column, an agreed devolution deal for Sheffield City Region has collapsed after Doncaster and Barnsley councils pulled out, indicating their preference for a wider, pan-Yorkshire settlement – even though the government has indicated this is a non-starter.

As a regional business organisation we support devolution for Yorkshire in whatever form

it comes. Devolved spending over areas such as transport and skills are critical if we are to truly realise the vision for a Northern Powerhouse. Yorkshire risks being left behind as other regions push ahead with devolution.

We had £900m on the table for one part of Yorkshire. Now we have nothing. It makes me wonder if the outcome would have been different were it business people rather than politicians around the table.

We need a collaborative strategy with a delivery timetable and structured financial plan that focuses on what this region requires to make a difference. Instead we have political in-fighting.

whether to your local MP or through initiatives such as the IoD’s national Policy Voice, which represents the interests of members to government.

We cannot afford for Yorkshire to become the land that time forgot. Right now, the heart of the Northern Powerhouse is not beating.

We need to act quickly and it is only with the business community on side that we will achieve an outcome that delivers economic prosperity.

ARE YOU IN YOUR FIRST STEPS OF STARTING OUT IN BUSINESS OR WITHIN YOUR FIRST FIVE YEARS? THE IOD’S

Business cannot stand on the sidelines and watch this unravel. I urge business leaders to get involved and make their voice heard,

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SME'S suffering because of culture of slow payments Two thirds of UK SMEs are of the opinion that there is a culture of slow payments in the UK. The results were obtained from the Close Brothers Business Barometer, a quarterly survey that questions over 900 UK SME owners and senior management across a range of sectors and regions.

“Late payments are a very real issue for SME business owners,” said Neil Davies, CEO, Close Brothers Asset Finance. “In some cases directors are having to defer their own salaries, increase their overdraft or pay their own suppliers late to ensure they remain liquid, causing the vicious circle to continue.

“This is clearly a national issue that spans both regions and industries.

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For example, 78% of Transport firms are affected by this issue, along with of 74% Manufacturing

businesses and 73% of Printers.”

The effects of late payments are multiple, ranging from damage to the supply chain and business reputation to impacting credit ratings and consequently the ability to access further funding.

“We should also not forget the very real human impact because, in many cases, the ability to pay staff in full and on time is a consequence of late payments,” continued Neil.

One in four firms in the UK have been forced to seek legal advice because of slow payments, while in the Republic of Ireland the figure is significantly higher at 41%.

“In the sectors we serve the figures are, in most instances, higher than

the national average,” said Neil.

“Construction (30%), Engineering (38%), Manufacturing (37%) and Transport (33%) all track higher than the rest of the UK.” Not only are many SMEs seeking legal advice, but 74% don’t feel that suitable legislation exists in support of SMEs to counteract slow payment by debtors, with firms in the East (85%) and West (84%) Midlands feeling particularly strongly about this issue.

“What these results confirm is that late payments are not merely a regional or sector issue, but one that is felt across the SME community,” concluded Neil.

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Shortlisted for Management Book of the Year Inclusive Leadership - The definitive guide to developing and executing an impactful diversity and inclusion strategy - locally and globally has been shortlisted for this year’s Management Book of the Year prize, which was announced by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the British Library.

The 25-strong shortlist for the overall £5,000 prize - sponsored

by Henley Business School, reflects and offers guidance on the challenges professional leaders face in managing multi-generational workforces increasingly shaped by technology and engaged through ethics.

on how to achieve a diverse supply chain.

Inclusive Leadership published

by Pearson has been shortlisted in the Management Futures category.

It is the first book of its kind and written by two experts with over a combined 30 years’ experience in the diversity and inclusion field.

In a straight forward style, the book explains why progress is slow in many companies and shares a roadmap to creating and delivering an effective strategy to deliver a more inclusive workplace. Looking at all aspects of business, it explores the employee life cycle and advises

“Admirably qualified to write about the practical challenges, and opportunities, in promoting diversity in business and creating inclusive workplaces. Full of pragmatic ways forward that enable you to convert words into action.”

The Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable, Former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skillssaid.

With examples of leading thinking and best practice from around the world, it introduces a practical framework that any sized organisation can use, wherever they are on their D&I journey.

Commenting on her shortlist announcement, co-author, Charlotte Sweeney OBE said: I’m stunned and absolutely

delighted that our book has been shortlisted for such as prestigious award. Creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces have been on the agenda for many companies for some time … with mixed results. So many leaders have told us how our book has transformed the way they deliver this priority and are seeing the tangible results!"

Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of strategy, said:“Thousands of books on how to become a better manager and leader are published every year.

Our shortlist directs everyone in the profession to those books that will make a definite difference to how they think and act as true management and leadership professionals.

For those passionate about their career, the progressive and practical lessons within these books are essential reads.”

The competition has been split in to five categories: Management Futures; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Practical Manager; Commuter’s Read; and Management and Leadership Textbook. The winner of each category, as well as the overall winner will be announced at an awards evening at the British Library on 6 February 2018 – with the winning author taking home a £5,000 prize.

Phil Spence, Chief Operating Officer at the British Library and a Companion of the CMI, said: “The British Library is honoured and thrilled to be hosting the CMI Management Book of the Year awards again. Not only are we the UK’s national research Library with a world-class collection of management studies resource, but also we have a long and successful relationship with CMI and are delighted to be supporting them in their mission to develop management and leadership.”

A FULL LIST OF THE SHORTLISTED BOOKS AND MORE DETAILS ON THE EXPERT JUDGING PANEL ARE AVAILABLE VIA THE COMPETITION WEBSITE YEARBOOK.MANAGERS. ORG.UK.

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ADVE RTO R IAL

Leeds: The Gigabit City On the cusp of fulfilling its full-fibre potential Leeds is widely recognised as a leading digital hub of the North and has seen its tech reputation go from strength to strength thanks to the continued growth of its digital sector.

The introduction of full-fibre connectivity has only served to further open the floodgates of the city’s digital capabilities to the benefit of the people and businesses who call it home.

Becoming one of the UK’s digital elite has been no mean feat, but Leeds’ unwavering determination to push boundaries and innovate has paved the way for its success.

The challenge now facing Leeds is how to remain at the top of its game in the digital space.

Luckily for Leeds, it has 117km of ultrafast, next-generation digital infrastructure lining its streets thanks to alternative provider and Gigabit City builder, CityFibre.

In the past, investment in traditional infrastructure such as roads and rail has delivered substantial economic benefits to Leeds by creating jobs, supporting local supply chains and driving the growth of local businesses.

Digital infrastructure is no different, and its benefits are further reaching in many ways. Not only does it support those who build it, it drives

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the competitiveness, productivity and efficiency of those who use it – from businesses to public services such as schools and hospitals.

Leeds began its Gigabit transformation in 2016 and now offers gigabit speed connectivity (up to 1000Mbps) to businesses of every size and sector across the city. The next step in Leeds’ Gigabit City journey is for every business and organisation in the region to join the full-fibre revolution and harness the power of modern digital services.

Initiatives such as Leeds Digital Festival and the digital enterprise scheme are great examples of how the city is supporting digital growth locally by encouraging business development and new startups, while helping to make the city even more attractive to the UK’s top talent.

However, it’s not just digital industries that need digital support. Every UK business looking to remain competitive, agile and futureproofed must have a solid foundation to develop and reach its full potential. Ultrafast, full-fibre digital infrastructure will provide this foundation for the digital age.

As the global tech transformation continues to gain momentum, it’s no surprise that the way we do business is changing and that embracing this change becomes vital for businesses across every sector. Whether it’s improving communications systems to allow for flexible and remote working or utilising new technologies on the cloud; an ultrafast, high-capacity connection enables companies to innovate and grow. Essentially, if Leeds is to continue to be a hub for businesses looking for a location that gives them the digital edge, full-fibre connectivity must be the norm.

Thanks to its Gigabit City network, Leeds is increasingly in a position to utilise digital platforms that will enhance the lives of the people that live and work in the city. In the modern, digital world, connectivity should underpin the elements which work hard to make a city successful, and Leeds is a tried and tested model which others around the world should look to replicate.

Marc Lough, City Business Development Manager at CityFibre For more information about CityFibre and Leeds Gigabit City network, visit: www. cityfibre.com, www.cityfibre.com/Leeds

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Recognition for Horto at Rudding Park in the Good Food Guide 2018 Horto at leading luxury Harrogate hotel Rudding Park, is delighted to have received recognition in the Good Food Guide 2018, an annual compilation of the best UK restaurants and chefs showcasing outstanding talent and commitment to excellence.

Newcomer Horto, which received an overall cooking score of 5, topping other Harrogate based restaurants included in the

guide, was praised for its kitchen garden inspired concept with mature and confident dishes marked by contrasting textures

Horto, originally launched as a pop up-concept at the hotel’s Golf Club in 2016 and proved an instant hit with guests, locals and critics.

The focus of the restaurant is on fresh and forward-thinking dishes inspired by the kitchen garden at Rudding Park, which produces over 100 different types of fruit, vegetables and herbs under Head Kitchen Gardener Adrian Reeve’s expert cultivation; allowing Horto Head Chef Murray Wilson to create innovative menus derived from a plot to plate concept.

Now with a permanent home at the hotel’s new spa, which opened in May 2017, Horto has upped the ante. Described by the Good Food Guide as “elegant and contemporary”, the stylish setting features a sleek bar for a herbal infused cocktail or two, before guests make their way to the cool

white restaurant space enlivened with original art works and seating providing vibrant pops of colour.

By night, Horto Restaurant offers an a la carte menu featuring the likes of local Whitby Crab, Wetherby Hogget and a homegrown Yorkshire strawberry dessert. The piece de resistance is an ever-evolving seven or ninecourse tasting menu, which is best kept a surprise, taking diners on an immersive culinary journey bursting with both flavour and flair and can be complemented by a drinks pairing menu.

Peter Banks, Managing Director at Rudding Park commented:, “For us to achieve a score of 5 is outstanding when you consider the Michelin star Yorke Arms in Ramsgill and The Star at Harome achieved a score of 6. This is a testament to the dedication and skill of the Kitchen Garden and Kitchen teams.”

Law firm invests six figures in office enhancement Yorkshire law firm Gordons has completed a six-figure investment in its Leeds office to create an innovative working environment designed to further enhance interaction, problem solving and team work.

In addition, an activity room has been built to be used for fitness sessions and as a practice space for the firm’s resident band and choir.

The investment project was led by Gordons partner and head of operations, Victoria Davey. “We understand the importance of creating work spaces that facilitate interacting, working, relaxing and socialising,” she said.

“When designing our new office, we looked at a variety of different themes and layouts and chose a route which is distinct to Gordons that reflects our brand and values.

The layout of the office space has been specifically designed to enable the firm’s fee earners and support services teams to integrate, rather than sit in specialism-based silos.

“The end result is an enhanced environment which improves everybody’s working day, boosts our productivity even further and fosters greater collaboration, all of which

As part of the re-design of two floors of its Whitehall Road office, breakout spaces have been created to allow Gordons’ people to work away from their desks, along with a relaxation area.

ultimately benefit our clients.”

Gordons has offices in Leeds and Bradford and employs 196 people. Clients include retailers B&M, Iceland and Morrisons; construction and high performance materials manufacturer Saint Gobain; international brewers Molson Coors; and the world’s largest electrical heating business Glen Dimplex.

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IT

UPDATE

How cloud computing saves money for business

By Dean Spencer MD Eitex Limited IT is arguably one of the most expensive aspects of doing business. It’s not just the equipment, it’s also the staff that maintains the equipment and keeps your software running.

So, can cloud computing solve these problems, and actually save you money? Here are three realworld examples of how the cloud can save money: Cloud Computing - the hero of modern business processes.

If there’s one thing cloud computing does, it is level the technology playing field: • Small businesses have access to the same sophisticated technology as giant corporations.

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• Infrastructure costs plummet, making it less expensive to stay up to date.

• Support costs are predictable and reliable, removing the threat of unexpected budget disruptions.

• Cloud Computing Saves Your Tears WannaCry, the ransomware attack earlier this year, put entire business communities in a panic.

If the UK’s NHS could get hacked, what chance the rest of us?

It’s tempting to hang onto outdated or obsolete versions while they’re still working. The risk however is that unsupported software opens up security cracks, such as those that the WannaCry

virus took advantage of. Companies running Windows 10 were safely out of harm’s way!

It is a false economy to neglect computer security when hackers constantly find new, sophisticated ways to break through. Cloud computing reinforces your barricades so your system stays safely locked down.

Revolutionise Innovation and Product Development The cloud frees you from the restraints of current computing power, offering an inex-pensive platform for experimentation without long-term commitment.

Migrating to the cloud saves money for businesses in many different ways, including actual monthly expenditure on maintenance and by offering scalable innovation opportunities.

It’s more than a trend; it’s already the established way to ensure your business stays competitive.

Read more at www.eitex.co.uk/blog

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LEGAL

MAT TE R S Each issue Chadwick Lawrence Yorkshire’s Legal People, share with our readers information to keep us all within the law. If you have a legal question, or need to know about a particular subject, email editor@topicuk.co.uk

Credit control and debt recovery Asma Iqbql

Many businesses think that these two topics are interchangeable and basically the same.

The Corporate Recovery and Insolvency team at Chadwick Lawrence offer a realistic commercial solution to all your business and personal financial affairs.

With varied experience and expertise in all aspects of both corporate and personal insolvency our team, who work very closely with Licensed Insolvency Practitioners, can offer you a strategic answer to solving and re-structuring your financial affairs in a reliable and cost effective manner.

That is not the case. In fact, if you have a proper credit control policy then you should not need to worry about debt recovery because you should have no outstanding bills.

Regrettably, that is rarely the case and I would like to begin by telling a story of a middleaged builder who thought that as long as he quoted accurately and provided a good job to the customer then he would not have any problem in making his business a success.

As a tradesman he was excellent, but as a businessman he never even gave any thought to terms of business or financial control.

A friend of a friend contacted him and he went round and gave a quote for an extension.

The quote was accepted and without further investigation the builder purchased all of the raw materials, got in a couple of subcontractors and started work.

Just short of six months later the work finished, he left the site and sent an invoice.

He charged the sum that he quoted but nevertheless for four

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weeks he heard nothing at all from the customer.

Eventually, having been nagged by his wife, he gave the customer a ring and asked where his money was. The customer replied that he would be hearing from his solicitor shortly.

Unfortunately for the builder, the customer’s brother was a solicitor and sent him a three page letter complaining about the quality of the work and the prices quoted.

The builder could not believe what he was reading. He believed that he had done a very good job and that this man was just doing all he could to avoid payment. He thought he had no choice but to instruct a solicitor to pursue for recovery of his invoice.

There then followed an exchange of correspondence and eventually the builder had to pay for legal proceedings to be issued. Through the legal process he had to find more money for his solicitor and was pressed for payment by his subcontractors.

After a year he had no spare money to pursue the claim and finally accepted £20,000 less than he quoted, which was used to defray the cost of raw materials, sub-contractors and legal fees.

What lessons can be learnt from this from the point of view of credit control?

1. Know your customer When he asked around amongst his friends, the builder discovered that this customer was well known for not paying bills and there was a queue of people pressing him for payment for work that had been done to his home.

Had the builder carried out cursory credit checks he would have known that at the outset and if he had had any sense he would never have quoted for the job.

2. Have terms of business Every business should have these and it is essential that they are made known to the

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customer on or before the contract is made. There is no use in producing them after the invoice has been rendered because they will have no legal force whatsoever.

The terms of business should be made available with any quote given and the quote should refer to the terms of business. Alternatively, a letter should be sent to new customers and, indeed, to existing customers to let them know that any future orders/ contracts will be governed by your terms of business.

3. What should the terms of business include?

The essential features are:(i) An entitlement to a sum of money to be paid on acceptance of the contract and interim payments throughout the term of the agreement. (ii)The right to recover interest on unpaid bills. (iii)The right to stop work or

cease further supply of goods if invoices remain unpaid. (iv) The right to enter upon premises to recover goods that have been sold but not paid for.

Had the builder adopted such terms of business, he would have been able to stop work on the extension when invoices were unpaid. At that time the customer would be worried that the work would not be completed. By pursuing for payment after the extension was built the customer is under no such pressure.

Even with the best credit control system available there will still be occasions where invoices are not paid on the due date.

What steps should you take to recover your invoices In business you pay the person who is pushing you hardest and who you need the most.

Nothing is a greater waste of time than sending out a document

marked Statement 1. That is destined for the bin or the delete button. The customer knows that there are going to be many more statements which can have similar treatment.

What you should do when your invoice is not paid is to send a letter informing the customer that interest is going to start to run on the invoice if it is not paid within, say, seven days and that, if necessary, further work on the job will stop or no more goods will be delivered under the order and that the customer should ensure that prompt payment is made.

If payment is not made then the next letter should state quite clearly that the earlier letter has been ignored and that if payment is not made within fourteen days then legal proceedings will be issued.

If payment is not made then legal proceedings should be issued.

In too many businesses there is a view that whatever is done it must not upset the customer.

I hear too often it said by salesman or a fee earner that a debtor is a “good customer”.

To the salesman that means he orders lots of goods but to the business he only becomes a good customer if he pays promptly.

Businesses should be aware that the greatest cause of liquidation or bankruptcy is not an inability to find a customer but inability to get paid by the customer.

As with the builder, he will have laid out money to complete the contract, will be pressed by sub-contractors for payment (putting in a term that provides that sub-contractors will only paid when the main contractor is paid would have helped him) and businesses must realise that whilst this might sound trite, it is nevertheless true that:

Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cash is king.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT

ZOE ALLEN

ON ZOEALLEN@CHADLAW.CO.UK.

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James Prince: Head of the most cutting edge store to date Exactly one year after opening its doors in Leeds, TopicUK editor Gill Laidler, caught up with James Prince, Head of Branch at John Lewis in Victoria Gate. Here James shares with us his take on social responsibility, what motivates and challenges him and what he brings to his role in Leeds.

Previous to his appointment James spent the last four-and-a-half years as Head of Branch at Sheffield.

However, James started his retail career with rival retailer Debenhams in Preston where he joined the trainee management scheme.

Multiple leadership roles followed in various places around the country, before he left Debenhams were he was store manager, Leeds in 2008, to join John Lewis.

Beginning work in Liverpool, James moved to Cheadle in Cheshire, before setting up the JL at Home in Poole in Dorset. A move to Sheffield followed but coming full circle, James is back in Leeds.

“I was very proud of what our team achieved in Poole. JL at Home was new and we were uncertain that it would work, but it was

successful and gave the business the confidence to look at different formats,” he explained. Sheffield however was very different.

“It takes a different approach to work with an older more established store such as Sheffield.

I have lots of happy memories of my time there. The partners had taken on the view that they didn’t believe they could influence change or make a difference. It took a committed and ever evolving team to help our partners feel proud again.”

One year on and James is nicely settled into the Leeds flagship store. “I’m extremely excited to be in Leeds, the store here is future facing, at the cutting edge of design and we’ve a responsibility to prove that we can run our shops

more productively. Our click and collect service is very strong with 40% online sales, as well as strong online sales at Waitrose in North Leeds. Our fashion department saw immediate sales when we opened and homewear is also doing well,” James continued, “but sales of large electrical items have been slower, as people believe that we would be more expensive than dedicated electrical retailers, which is not the case, we price match all our goods, that is our policy and are never knowingly undersold.”

Whilst he was in Sheffield James chaired the Business Improvement District (BID) and has brought that experience to Leeds, joining the board of The Leeds BID. “I wanted to make sure John Lewis voice was heard, but also wanted to challenge myself professionally.”

James has two children, 12-year-old Lili and Neve who is nine. Neve attends a special school in Leeds where James is a Governor. “Neve has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disability similar to Autism,” he explained. “I have a vested interest being a Govenor, but in the last few years I’ve developed my sense of social conscience. I want to play my

role in society and give something back, I don’t like it when people through no fault of their own, aren’t given a fair deal in life.

“Receiving the diagnosis that my daughter at 18-months had a genetic disability and would need life long care changed my life instantly.

Seven years on and her needs and the impact they have on my other daughter and me are ever changing and ever present,” he continued.

“I’ve had to accept this is something I’ll never be able to control, but as long as she’s happy and as healthy as can be, that’s the best I can hope for.”

FACT FILE Favourite holiday destination: Marbella.

Car driven: Mercedes GLC, but would prefer a Masaratti Favourite food: Indian Favourite restaurant: Tattu Favourite drink: Gin & Tonic (Leeds or Sheffield gin) Favourite Gadget: iPhone Downtime: I love films, my favourite is Apocalypto, Mel Gibson and I do watch Game of Thrones

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Meet the man at Victoria Leeds

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Victoria Leeds is the vibrant shopping destination in Leeds, opened exactly one year ago. It captures the heritage of Victoria Quarter and adds the stunning modern architecture of Victoria Gate. TopicUK Group Editor Gill Laidler went along to meet the man who keeps this new retail destination running smoothly - James Bailey.

James joined Victoria Quarter in September 2015 from his position as General Manager, at The White Rose Shopping Centre, where he spent three years, taking up the reins of Victoria Leeds, (a combination of Victoria Quarter and Victoria Leeds) when it opened on 20 October 2016.

Originally from Northampton, James’ early career was a placement as a nurse, part-time at his local hospital. They offered him a trainee management position where he learned great principals of management, over the three year course, followed by three years in management, a role he found very rewarding, but wanted more of a challenge.

So when he was offered the role of Deputy manager for a small shopping centre, he was quick to take it on. “Retail was completely new to me, but I did find it rewarding as well as a challenge,” he explained. “After just one year in that post, I was approached and asked if I would like to take up the position of Operations Manager for a large shopping centre in Milton Keynes. This was quickly followed by a field based role, supporting a number of shopping centres owned by

Hammerson, sector leaders in sustainability, then I spent three years as Centre Manager at Cabot Circus in Bristol followed by a move North to Edinburgh, where my wife Fran and I lived a rural, lifestyle even keeping a few chickens,” he laughed.

A move then followed to Leeds and the White Rose Shopping Centre, before James joined Victoria Quarter.

“Victoria Quarter is a special place,” James added. “I am so lucky to work in such a beautiful shopping centre where people visit from all over the country.

The opening of Victoria Gate last year, saw 17 new brands arrive in the city which is hugely exciting and we have seen a huge increase in footfall and expect our annual footfall to increase in Victoria Quarter by 30% and a city wide increase of 4 %, with 60% of local shoppers within the ABC1 category.

“Leeds has an estimated 1.9m people living within 30 minutes drive of the city centre, with

including Curve, our sparkling cocktail bar and Live bar with wall to wall HD screens showing the latest sporting events,” he continued. “Add to this delicious meals served from our onsite V restaurant and the fact that it is open 24 hours every day except Christmas Day, does make this a place not to be missed.”

James has made his home in beautiful Holmfirth where he lives with his wife Fran and their three children: Poppy aged nine; Lois aged seven and five year old Felix. an impressive total shopping catchment population of nearly 3.2m people regionally. As a result of this strong catchment population, Leeds ranks second nationally in terms of in-store retail expenditure.”

James’ role within the centre is a support role. “I look after all our retail partners, our customers, our stakeholders and our owners,” he said. “We have 80 staff that include cleaning, maintenance and security as well as nine in our management team, and I have to say this is the best team I have ever worked with.”

As well as retail, the centre has a number of cafes and restaurants, with some on the top floor having impressive outdoor terraces overlooking Leeds for diners to enjoy during the summer months as well as boasting the largest casino outside London.

“Our casino is amazing, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a gamer there is lots to do inside. But if you are a gamer, we have more ways to play than any other casino in the North. There are three floors of entertainment,

I really am lucky. I work in what can be described as the best shopping arcade in the country and live in one of the most beautiful villages in Yorkshire.

Work is an easy drive ahead of the traffic on a morning, I even squeeze some time in at the gym before my day starts.

FACT FILE What is your favourite food?

My wife's slow cooked lamb.

What is your favourite drink?

Martin Miller’s Gin and slimline tonic (with a twist of grapefruit!)

Where is your favourite restaurant?

ISSHO What is your favourite holiday destination?

Koh Samui What is your favourite gadget? iPhone If you didn’t work in retail, what would you do?

Be a professional footballer for Northampton Town FC

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Shoe royalty supports Diana Award Jimmy Choo has dressed many celebrities and royalty from Princess Diana to Beyonce Knowles and we were lucky enough to be invited to meet Professor Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat OBE, to title him correctly, on his recent visit to Leeds.

Harvey Nichols welcomes shoe designer Jimmy Choo

Jimmy was guest of honour at an event, hosted

by Changing Rooms TV presenter Carol Smilie, that took place in September at Harvey Nichols, to introduce The Diana Award, a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales, who belived that young people have the power to change the world.

Today, the charity has the support of HRH Prince William and HRH Prince Harry and their team at the Royal Charities Forum of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Their mission is to foster, develop and inspire positive change in the lives of young people. They do this in three key ways: • • •

Driving change. Facilitating change through practical action with young people.

Recognising change. Rewarding positive change made by young people.

Mobilising change. Celebrating and supporting ongoing change in young people.

Jimmy co-founded his business in London in 1996 with former British Vogue journalist Tamara Mellon. He learned the craft of making footwear from his cobbler father, which led him to create some of the most coveted shoes in the world, including many pairs for Princess Diana.

“I started from the bottom. My parents weren’t rich, so whilst I was studying at what is now known as the London College of Fashion, I worked in a restaurant at weekends to supplement my income.

“I have worked hard, one of my secrets is to keep my word. If I promise a client I will finish a shoe a week before a show, I’ll get it done, if not, I won’t go home. I remember last time I was commissioned to make a shoe for Helmut Lang

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From L to R: Kate Hardcastle, Diana Award Trustee; TV presenter Carol Smillie; Professor Jimmy Choo OBE; former Emmerdale actress Natalie Anderson and Sophie McManus, The Diana Awards

and Paul Smith, I didn’t go home for four days,” he laughed.

“If you want to be successful, it’s important to have the right team working alongside you. The best ones you have to pay more but you need a great assistant, marketing team, lawyer and accountant. These people will protect you.”

Jimmy sold his fifty percent of the business in 2001 to a private equity firm for £10m following a deterioration in his partnership with Tamara.

Today, having diversified into ready-to-wear, fragrances, eye-wear, menswear, accessories and handbags, his footwear bears the label Zhou Yang Jie, his Chinese name. “I don’t use Jimmy Choo anymore as I am not part of the company and I don’t want to confuse people,” he said “I’m not in competition with them, I’m happy where I am.”

Professor Choo became good friends with the

late Princess and made many pairs of shoes for her, because of this, he made the decision to fly in from Malaysia especially to support this cause. “Princess Diana was very special and it was a privilege to make shoes for her, when I was asked to support this event, I didn’t have to think twice. I think her support has helped me to be where I am in business today.”

The event was organised to mark the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. The Diana Awards have launched an initiative calling on volunteers from the world of work to embody her key qualities of compassion, kindness and service and Mentor a group of young people in a local Secondary School, passing on invaluable career skills and preparing them for the world of work.

If you would like to get involved with the charity and can support young people in your work place, further details can be found at www.diana-award.org.uk.

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ADVERTORIAL

Finance and Marketing; A perfect partnership ABL Business provides commercial finance and marketing support to SMEs across Yorkshire and beyond.

Not the usual mix of services, some might say, and you may be wondering how they would work as a package.

In fact, almost one in five (18%) FTSE 100 CEOs are former marketers, according to new research from Heidrick & Struggles. This makes marketing the second most common route to the CEO position, just behind those with a background in finance (36%).

(Marketing Week, 2017).

And this explains why our business mix works so well.

The premise really works around How we do business and NOT What we do.

SME owners are faced with a multitude of decisions and issues every day, many unrelated to their passion or skills. Therefore, they need trusted advisors to turn to.

But supposing you have a number of issues like: • How do I increase my sales?

I have a cash flow problem.

• I’m buying a new business; how do I communicate this?

• I want to move into a new market; is it viable?

These questions beg both a financial and marketing answer. Finance and marketing are the two areas of a business on which growth and profits are dependent; so both need to succeed together to ensure a company produces great results now and in the future.

As well as being able to provide support in the form of marketing and finance, we have key people working with us, contributing years of

experience in dealing with businesses of all shapes and sizes. The quirkier the question the better.

help you achieve your goals. Our services are tailored to you – we will never just try to make you fit into one of our products.

Behind every business there is a story and ABL Business exists to build long-term relationships with all our customers and help them with the next chapter.

Similarly, with marketing; we provide outsourced support as if we were your inhouse team. We use all the marketing tools available to achieve the outcomes that are right for your business.

We are always on hand to answer questions, give advice and support. Our ethos of ‘Speak to a human’ is really true. We often get people calling up in person to ask a question and if we can help we will. If we can’t, we’ll point them in the right direction.

It’s because of this ethos that we have grown from 3 to 13 in 3 years and brokered £30million of funds over the last year!

But enough of how we do it; what do we do?

We provide commercial finance across the board. If you are an SME looking for cash just pick up the phone for a chat. We specialise in providing a mixture of finance options to

Speak to us today and let us tell you how we can support you in taking your business to the next level.

Call the office to speak to a human on 01274 965356 or visit our website www.abl-business.co.uk to find out more about us.

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LeedsEdition Yorkshire Yurts’ Yurt Bar experiences will take place in Moor Allerton on selected dates throughout December; inviting local businesses to celebrate Christmas in a festive, apresski themed yurt with a threecourse dinner, drinks and live entertainment.

Home for Mongolian family thanks to Leeds firm A Yorkshire-based events company, that specialises in hiring beautifully handcrafted yurts, will help to build a home for a Mongolian family in need this Christmas.

Award-winning company Yorkshire Yurts, will donate £1 for every ‘Ski Boot’ drink sold at its Yurt Bar Christmas parties in 2017, to the Christina Noble Foundation’s ‘Give a Ger’ programme.

Yorkshire Yurts, which provides luxurious yurts, marquees and furnishings for weddings, parties and events, has aptly chosen to support the charity in providing funds towards

Founder and managing director, Tom Sterne said: “Having experienced significant demand for our Christmas Yurt Bar parties this December, we felt that a fitting way to give back, would be to support the country that developed the very product our business is based upon. building a traditional yurt, also known as a Mongolian ger, for a family without a home.

Established in 1991, The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation is a partnership of people dedicated to helping

children in Mongolia and Vietnam. The charity began working in Mongolia after recognising the thousands of sick and destitute street children living in manholes beneath the streets of the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.

The gift of a ger does far more than simply removing children from squalid and unhealthy living conditions. The most important factor is that it offers security and stability to families under pressure and the chance of a new start.

SME HR software product doubles customer base

in three easy-to-access sections, HR teams now have professional guidance to help with the entire employee lifecycle.

CascadeGo – the HR software solution for organisations with 1-150 employees – has doubled its client base over the past 12 months. These impressive figures come only 18 months since the product was introduced to the Cascade suite.

“The very purpose of CascadeGo is to strip the pain out of HR,” explains product director Paul Sparkes. “We’re giving small businesses the tools to manage employees – and their data – quickly, efficiently and effectively, even if their in-house resource is in short supply. And, if/when a client wants to migrate to a system suitable for a larger organisation – or one with more complex HR requirements – they can then move on to our Cascade product. There certainly seems to be an appetite for this type of solution.”

for the previous 12 years, the move meant IRIS could then offer an integrated HR and payroll product for the first six months of ownership, and the team had a dedicated presence at the HR Software Show for the first time this summer.

Leeds-based Cascade HR – under the IRIS Software Group – acquired award-winning technology firm Octopus HR in April 2016, for an undisclosed sum. With Octopus having led the industry’s ‘micro to SME business’ segment

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A packed product roadmap has also helped maintain fresh market interest. A new rota tool has strengthened the functionality offered to sectors including retail, care, distribution and health, for example. And a number of HR templates from Britain’s leading impartial authority on workplace relationships – ACAS – are also now available for CascadeGo customers to use for free. With the documents arranged

The product is just one cloud-based solution within IRIS Human Capital Management’s HR and payroll software suite. IRIS HCM has 80,000 clients in total and the wider IRIS Software Group – of which CascadeGo is a part – powers the payroll function for 14% of the UK’s companies.

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Top tips to make your party go with a bang The Christmas party is a key part of your staff engagement strategy, the perfect opportunity to celebrate success, boost morale, relax and plan for the coming year, so it is important to get it right. Start planning now for a successful event.

It’s never too early to start planning your Christmas party and some serious festive organising now will ensure your party runs smoothly.

September is the busiest month for booking Christmas parties and Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the most popular days.

Objectives Be clear on your objectives to help set your budget and theme. Is it a celebration of the year’s business achievements, to attract new clients or thank existing ones?

If you are renowned for creativity or if your event is more informal there are often no limits. Experienced event caterers are experts in being creative with budgets of any size and can offer a wide range of suggestions.

Location, location, location Location is arguably one of the most important decisions when planning an event as it sets the tone and style of the party. Accessibility is a key factor when choosing the venue to host your Christmas party.

Experienced event management companies can advise you on the location that will best fit the needs of your guests.

Event companies are usually able to arrange transport on request which can be vital if you’ve chosen a venue that is a little further out.

Whether you want to welcome

your guests over a chilled glass of fizz and festive canapés in front of a roaring fire or stage a spectacular themed party, it is important to first identify what you require from a venue. Capacity, location, ambience, accessibility, local accommodation and budget are all considerations.

Don’t forget that unique venues or those offering the ‘wow’ factor will book up quickly.

Be adventurous Being adventurous will enhance your company’s reputation, demonstrate you possess creativity and innovation and be more memorable.

Satisfy your guests’ appetite through innovative ideas and themes. We’ve been asked to organise everything from a Christmas barbecue, geocaching for Secret Santa presents

in the park, or old-fashioned parlour games for a more traditional feel.

Tailor your event around exceptional food and service to ensure the event has the right impact and delivers its objectives.

A festive feast Your menu should reflect your company and its values. Bespoke menus can really make your party unforgettable.

Daniel Gill is the Creative Director and Founder at Dine. Established in 1998, Dine caters for more than 100 corporate events and 200 weddings each year as well as providing exclusive private dining. The company provides event services for organisations ranging from English Heritage and the National Trust to the owners of some of the UK’s most notable private houses.

Work with your venue to establish expectations. Are you aiming for a traditional or more innovative menu, a buffet or three-course meal? Will there be a set menu or can guests choose their dishes beforehand?

Remember to cater for any special dietary requirements. If you have a theme to your party, your venue caterer will help you to incorporate it in your menu.

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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

Pouring of success from G&T Fridays What started as a few Gin & Tonics on a Friday night has resulted in success for one North Yorkshire couple. Group Editor Gill Laidler visits Karl and Cathy Mason at their Gin Distillery in Bedale, North Yorkshire.

Images: Duncan Lomax - Ravage Productions With busy careers and lives, Karl and Cathy Mason enjoyed nothing better than to relax with friends on a Friday evening and unwind with their favourite tipple, Gin. “Cathy and I would try different Gin & Tonic’s using different Gin brands, noting which were our favourites then putting the images of our drinks on Facebook,” explained Karl. “This

started a little online club when our friends started to join in and to our surprise, we soon had 10,000 followers, all sharing their Gin recipes and images. I started to run competitions for the best recipes and images posted, sending miniature bottles of Gin out as prizes, which attracted the attention of large Gin companies who started to send us bottles to try and review for them,” he continued. “One Friday night, we tried one particular brand of Gin that I said was the same as most other Gin’s we had tried, tasting no different, just put in a different bottle and boldly announced that I could do better! The gauntlet was down and friends challenged me to do just that.”

Determined to have a go, Karl started to research how to make Gin and found that there were lots of large brands, but very few local craft Gins. “We found a company in Cambridge who were prepared to work with us helping to perfect our recipe, advising

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and showing Cathy and I how its made and helping us to make our first batch of 120 bottles.

“We wanted to create a taste that wasn’t your run of the mill, off the shelf Gin. Recipe after recipe was rejected in the search for a Gin we felt deserved to be called Masons Yorkshire Gin, a Gin we would choose to drink ourselves that is distinctive and unique, I think we have achieved that.”

Their first stockists were The New Ellington in Leeds and Lewis & Cooper a small deli

close to Bedale. “They agreed to take some to sell in the deli,” Karl continued, “and with press attention, Twitter and word of mouth and the fact that they managed to sell 22 bottles in one afternoon, we very soon gained more stockists Armed with more stock, Karl and Cathy decided to take their Gin and try them at country shows.

“Presentation is everything, so we worked hard to make sure we looked the best,” added Cathy. “There were other Gin

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frustrated that their Still hadn’t arrived which they had ordered months ago and there was only so much Gin they could produce.

Time was their enemy with both of them still working full time, so they were relived when their Still finally arrived from Portugal, after a six months wait, prompting Cathy to give up her job as a teaching assistant at Bedale High School and work full time in the business. It was at this point they were lucky enough to find a Distiller who had a wealth of experience.

“This I think was the turning point,” added Karl. “We had to make a success of it, so with our new Still, installed in our premises in our hometown of Bedale we set to work. Gradually we were able to make more and more with each batch, then once sold at the shows and the growing number of retailers, this gave us the cashflow to purchase another Still.”

publishing job and concentrate full time on the business with Cathy.

The business was growing rapidly as demand for Masons

TA K E ONE MEA SU RE

companies there but they were offering samples in little thimble sized plastic pots, whereas we purchased slightly larger one’s so we were able to add the tonic and orange peel that makes the original blend perfect. Within the first few hours, we were completely sold out!”

Karl and Cathy continued selling their Gin at country fairs and prestigious shows such as the Great Yorkshire Show and Hampton Court Flower Show, but it was slow, they were

Distilled in copper alembic stills ‘Steve’ and ‘Leftie’ in 200 litre batches, each 70cl bottle bears its own hand written batch and bottle number in specially manufactured bottles, blown with a Yorkshire Rose in the base.

EACH OF MA SONS YORK SH IRE GIN A ND COINTREAU, A DD A WEDGE OF FRESH ORA NGE A ND A LIT TLE SU GA R SYRU P. GA RNISH WITH A WH ITE ROSE PETA L.

With its traditional slow distillation method, pure Yorkshire water and just the right balance of juniper, citrus elements and secret botanical ratio (they planted a few juniper bushes in their garden and a future plan is to have a visitor centre with a botanical garden), they have created a very unique tasting Gin. More outlets followed, and at this point Karl decided to give up his

wanted to buy into the business and brought in another business associate, Richard Page, a successful family business owner and now MD of IPN, (Inspired Pet Nutrition) famous for the Wagg and Harrngton brands.

Both businessmen could see our potential for growth and offered us a cash investment that is now earmarked, awaiting our business plan for future growth,” said Karl.

“It is emensly flattering that these two entrepreneurs wanted to join our business and with their expertise and advice this can only add to the strength of our brand.”

Today, the business employs 30 staff, mostly from the Bedale area and they have moved to larger premises where they have room to expand.

Gin grew so a decision had to be made when they were offered investment, which would help the business grow faster taking it to another level.”

“We have lots of plans for the future,” added Cathy. “We want to add more flavours to three we produce already, my favourite original, lavender and Karl’s favourite Tea, made with Yorkshire Tea.

James Lambert, founder of R&R Ice Cream had sold his business to Nestle and was looking for an investment projects. “He

If you’d like to try some of their recipes, head over to the website, but above is one to get you started.

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D IN I NG

This edition, our restaurant review takes us to Farsley and a former dance hall and Wesleyan Chapel built in 1846.

O U T

Dining at the chapel better known for dancing

By Gill Laidler - Group Editor TopicUK

When the chapel became vacant in 1952, it was purchased by the Porritts who lived in a small flat on the top floor. The Porritts taught many local people to dance at their dance school, with many meeting their future partners there.

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Today the chapel is home to Deeva, a modern contemporary Indian Restaurant. On opening night, the restaurant was delighted to welcome back many of the dance schools former pupils, one of which was John Anderson who worked at Pudsey Civic Hall and who met his late wife of 45 years Shirley at the venue.

Deeva is owned by Zulfi Hussain and his business partner Sanjeer Johar, the Farsley Village postmaster, who said he was delighted that people with memories of the restaurants early days had attended the opening.

The decor today includes old photographers from the dance hall days and the partners have

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58 Town Street Farsley Leeds LS28 5LD appealed for anyone who has old photographs of the dance hall or would like to share their memories to get in touch.

TopicUK editor visited the restaurant early one Saturday evening and was surprised to see how busy it was.

“I’m not familiar with Farsley but found the restaurant easy enough on Town Street and my sat nav took me to a car park immediately behind the restaurant, although there is limited parking on the main road in front.

“We were welcomed in the bar area and immediately shown into the restaurant. We were asked if we had a table preference, near to the open kitchen perhaps, which our host told us might be a little noisy or further away towards the back where it was quieter. We chose the quieter option but still with a good view of other diners.

We were presented with both the wine menu and the food menu and left alone to browse, both of which were quite extensive.

“When our waiter returned, we ordered a bottle of Grand Hacienda Sauvignon Blanc from Chile at a respectable £15.95 and were asked if we would like fresh poppadoms with a pickle tray.

The Poppadoms were very fresh and still warm and the pickle tray was just as fresh.

“After a short while, he returned to take our order. My companion chose lamb chops to start and

described them as ‘beautiful’ and I ordered Salmon Tikka, something I’ve not seen on an Asian menu before, but it was delicious, a starter I can highly recommend.

“For main course my fellow diner chose cod at a respectable £14.95, this was a huge fillet of fish served tandori style with rice and salad with a spicy sauce. I ordered a spicy Garlic Chicken at £9.95 with Pilau rice and both dishes didn’t disappoint. The portions are very large, so we could have skipped the Garlic Naan we ordered, but this was served piping hot, cooked light and fluffy, just right!

“The menu is quite unique in that diners choose a sauce such as bhuna or tikka, then select the meat, fish or vegetable, then the heat from mild to very hot.

“I have to admit I am not a huge fan of dessert and to be honest, we couldn’t have eaten another thing, so gave this course a miss.

“We left the restaurant around 8pm which had become very busy, mostly with families,

making a mental note that we would return, despite it being a 30 minute drive from home.

“There is private dining space on the first floor and an upstairs lounge to enjoy a drink before sitting down to dine. This space can be booked for private parties, corporate events and even small intimate weddings.”

1 RESTAURANT OPEN DAILY, MONDAY TO SATURDAY 5PM TO 11.30PM AND SUNDAY 1PM TO 10.30PM

I have to admit, Indian food is our favourite and we have spent many years sampling many different restaurants and I can say that Deeva is very high on our list. A nice touch was the waiter asking if we were ready for our main course when he cleared away the starter, or if we wanted a break.

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ADV E RTO R I A L

£12.3M PROGRAMME SEEKS AMBITIOUS SCALE-UPS #ThinkBig #ThinkAdventure 1 AD:VENTURE, the £12.3m programme offering wrap-around support for eligible pre-start, young and new firms with strong growth potential in the Leeds City Region is seeing fantastic results within its first year of delivery, and is on the lookout for more great scale ups to reach its ambitious target of assisting 1240 businesses in its lifetime.

1 The programme is now directly engaged with 400 businesses, supporting them to focus on strategies and deliver their growth objectives with a tailored package of support that meets the needs of the business.

The programme supports business with specialist advice and offers vital knowledge and signposting through its strong networks and combined business growth expertise.

Providing high value one-toone support, including expert mentoring, finance brokerage, low rate loans, young enterprise support, start up and scale up grants, professional workshops, incubator office space, peer to peer learning, specialist sector advice and university and academic input, AD:VENTURE can offer something for any young business with genuine growth ambitions.

Aiming to smash it’s target and support a diverse range of new and innovative businesses, AD:VENTURE is calling out for regional based enterprises to get in touch and capitalise on the help this impressive programme can offer, giving them access to a huge range of professional support that will have a lasting

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and positive impact on their business.

The programme can work with a range of sectors from marketing to manufacturing, though like all ERDF funded programmes, it is focused on growing companies that offer a business to business service or product.

Huddersfield based KC Communications is one company who received support including mentoring and help with an application for a business growth grant of £7,000.

Director, Katrina Cliff says “Initially I no idea what help was out there. Knowing you are going to get some money back towards a big move like this has allowed me to approach this move with much more confidence, supporting cash flow and allowing us to develop much faster than planned” Infinity Works are another high growth company who have benefited from the programme.

Needing to relocate to realise their growth potential, the company used grant funding from AD:VENTURE to leverage the benefits of their new 10,000 square feet office space.Paul Henshaw, Director said “I recommend to anyone who is starting out, reach out for help.

This really saves time for me as a business director, a resource no business can afford to waste” Herida Healthcare, based at Copley Hill trading estate invested in new manufacturing resource planning equipment, including bar coding and scanning items, which allows full traceability of materials and is a key requirement for suppliers to the NHS and after accessing a wide range of support, are on course for £2 million turnover just eighteen months after the business started trading.

Leeds based Tarte and Berry, an award-winning artisan bakery accessed mentoring support and a grant to support relocation to a

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larger premise, accelerating their growth and developing their business to business supply chain.

CA S E S T U DY:

The founders of Remind2Find have taken their pioneering shopping platform to the next level after teaming up with Futurelabs and the AD:VENTURE business support programme to take part in an innovative workshop programme designed to take new business ideas into reality.

Roger Marsh OBE, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, speaking on behalf of the AD:VENTURE programme said: “Supporting SMEs and new business ventures are the real lifeblood of the Leeds City Region economy – it’s where new jobs and new prosperity comes from so it’s vital that we support them. We are delighted to see businesses already benefitting from the opportunities and connections a regional programme like AD:VENTURE can offer.

These are fantastic examples of how this type of programme works to boost growth in our region” Made up of partners from across the public and private sector, including all local authorities in the region*, higher education institutions Bradford University, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Trinity University, the LEP, Business Enterprise Fund, Chambers of Commerce and The Princes Trust, AD:VENTURE is one of the largest European funded programmes in the UK, and matched by it’s dedicated partners AD:VENTURE is receiving £6,161,084 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. *Excluding Barnsley as this sit’s within Sheffield City Region for ESIF purposes

ANY BUSINESSES THAT FEEL THAT THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR AD:VENTURE ERDF SUPPORT SHOULD VISIT HTTP://AD-VENTURE.ORG.UK/ AND REGISTER INTEREST. YOU CAN ALSO CALL ON 0845 524 0210 OR EMAIL SUPPORT@AD-VENTURE.ORG.UK

“I want to transform the 3D printing industry” said Ravi. “The technology is brilliant, but now it can be sustainable too.”

Ravi approached AD:VENTURE to help him set up his business. His advisor supported Ravi with writing a business plan and cash flow forecast, as well as steering him to digital marketing advice for the start-up business.

Entrepreneur builds sustainable future for 3D printing 3D printing is a fast-growing disruptive technology. From humble beginnings as a novelty demonstration tool 3D printing has become a growing player in the manufacturing world, as the technology to utilise it becomes faster and more efficient than ever before.

Leeds Entrepreneur of the Year Ravi Toor is all too aware of this. Having graduated with a BA in Environment and Business and Leeds University he saw a need for change in the market, which relies on plastic ‘filaments’ to build models and products. “There’s a clear environmental need for recycled filament” Ravi said.

AD:VENTURE partner the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) then followed by delivering start-up funding to boost Filamentive’s stock capacity.

“The business support has been invaluable; not only are we growing, but we’re also improving the sustainability of 3D printing at the same time.” Said Ravi. “Over the last year’s trading, while I was still finishing my degree, we achieved £50,000 revenue and we’re aiming for six figures in the next 12 months.”

Julie Micklethwaite, BEF Start Up Loans Manager, delivered the funding for Ravi.

“Filamentive is a fantastic example of how to find a gap in a very innovative market.

The Start Up Loan we provided has been put to great use, and I’m delighted to see the business thrive.” She said.

Filamentive has since secured a trade deal with Amazon, opening the market to customers in the USA, including schools and manufacturing businesses such as NOA Brands – the world’s largest producer of mannequins.

90% of all plastics worldwide are derived from non-recyclable sources, so in response to this Ravi founded Filamentive.

Using recycled polymers, the business has quickly gained traction in producing environmentally friendly filaments for the industry.

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H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G

Find Your Fit

By Amy Harrison

A gym can be something different for everybody; whether its a place to de-stress or an environment to challenge themselves. Leeds offers several gyms in and around the centre where busy professionals can find their very own work-free retreat. Here, find out more about five of the best gyms in the city and see which is best for you. wellbeing; with a relaxing sauna and physiotherapists. For £51 per month (based on a 12-month contract) members can escape the hustle and bustle of Leeds between 6am – 10pm on weekdays. While Nuffield Health isn’t the cheapest it boasts an impressive array of fitness classes for all abilities including yoga, spinning and virtual Les Mills workouts.

THE GYM GROUP The Core, The Headrow The Gym Group provides a range of Facilities from cardio and weights to fitness classes.

For £9.99 a month, members can enjoy a friendly gym with fitness classes and the choice to kick-start their membership with 3 free 30 minutes sessions with a personal trainer.

Benefits: Open 24/7, no contract, free fitness classes for all members, sunbeds, 3 free sessions with a personal trainer.

Best for: Those looking for a simple, fun gym with a friendly atmosphere.

PURE GYM 4 Cloth Hall Street, Opposite the Corn Exchange For £14.99 a month, Pure

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Gym offers over 220 pieces of equipment including a large cycle area, over a dozen running machines, weights equipment and a squat rack. Companies have the chance to enjoy a 5% or 10% annual discount when they sign up for the corporate membership plan.

Benefits: No contract, personal trainers available, open 24/7, free classes for members.

Best for: Those who are ready to jump right in and start reaching their fitness goals.

EXERCISE 4 LESS Kirkstall Road, Burley Located just outside the city centre, Exercise 4 Less offers an impressive £9.99 per month membership. Although there are limited opening hours (6am –

10pm on weekdays), members have access to over 400 pieces of equipment and over 200 classes each month. Inside the 36,000 square foot gym, members can take advantage of equipment, such as cardio machines, free weights, a full size boxing ring, punching bags and a spin studio.

Benefits: Free exercise classes for children, a ‘ladies only’ workout room, Combat Zone dedicated to martial arts training, low-priced.

Best for: Those looking to introduce some adventure to their fitness routine.

NUFFIELD HEALTH The Light, Leeds Nuffield Health don’t only focus on bringing members the latest in fitness, they also highlight

Benefits: Adult only gym, pool, sauna, range of health experts, multi-club access.

Best for: Adults looking to improve overall health and wellbeing, ideally not on a budget!

MOTIV8 NORTH The Parade Building, Saxton, Leeds Motiv8 North specialise in fitness classes and personal training for groups and individuals who are dedicated to achieving a healthier, fitter lifestyle. With two studios across the city, clients can enjoy a small gym membership and classes at Marshall Court or workout in a semi-private space with a personal trainer in Saxton.

Memberships start from £25 per month.

Benefits: Very personalised training with experienced personal trainers.

Best for: Those determined to take their fitness to the next level.

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Thousands of charities and voluntary groups across the city work tirelessly to address inequalities and help their communities. Leeds Community Foundation invests in these groups to support Leeds, now and in the future.

With your support, The Leeds Fund will help to build a city of opportunity for all.

The Leeds Fund

www.theleedsfund.org.uk

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Northern Powerhouse vision must reflect the region’s digital ambitions

It’s been three years since former chancellor George Osborne first coined the phrase, and almost a year since the first strategy was unveiled in the autumn statement, but many people across the north are still asking the question “will the Northern Powerhouse movement work or is it all just smoke and mirrors?”

the fourth industrial revolution redefines traditional sectors such as manufacturing, engineering and business services.

average) and near unlimited bandwidth, unlocking business growth and skills, underpinning public services and smart infrastructure and driving inward investment. And when compared with the objectives of the Northern Powerhouse, the benefits of

Finally, it also sets the stage for a post-Brexit Northern Powerhouse that can compete with Europe where full-fibre has long been the standard. Inward investment from major industries and international firms will always be a coveted prize, so we must have the infrastructure, skills and ambition they need and expect.

Throwing Brexit into the mix has certainly not helped, but perhaps more would have been achieved by now if the focus was placed on the needs and demands of the future, rather than what might have benefited the region in the past.

Connectivity is rightly a central theme of the Northern Powerhouse strategy. However, much of the rhetoric to date has laboured on transport. While it’s undisputable that we will always need a fit-for-purpose cross country transport network, we must also consider the other forms of infrastructure that keep us connected and mobile. Put simply, the region’s digital highways are busting at the seams just as much, if not more than, its motorways and trains.

This isn’t just about better internet speeds, mobile phone signal and 4 and 5G connectivity – this is about building the foundation required to deliver success for each of the Northern Powerhouse’s objectives.

And given the well documented

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link between connectivity and prosperity as well as increased efficiency, productivity and competitiveness, this foundation has to be full-fibre.

Alternative infrastructure provider, CityFibre has been leading the charge on transforming the UK’s digital infra-structure and has been the driving force behind the creation of 42 Gigabit Cities in the UK, including Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Hull, Huddersfield, Wakefield and York.

For the uninitiated, Gigabit Cities are geographical communities that have active full-fibre digital networks underneath their streets, providing ultrafast internet speeds (50 to 100 times the national

Gigabit City connectivity provide a perfect match and a much more affordable solution than new railway lines and roads.

For example, full-fibre infrastructure can help raise education and skills levels across the north by supporting new e-learning initiatives and the adoption of digital tools while helping young people gain the digital skills required by the modern work place. Similarly, it makes cities more attractive to new business start-ups, especially in the tech sector. The Northern Powerhouse region is in fact home to four of the UK’s 27 tech clusters (including the largest outside London), illustrating perfectly the changing face of the region as

In the words of Councillor Graham Turner of Kirklees Council, speaking at a recent event: “a new technically advanced digital infrastructure is just as, if not more, important than a physical transport infrastructure when it comes to accelerating the growth of a business community.”

Ultimately, the Northern Powerhouse is about accel-erating growth – so let’s keep the vision alive and alight with full-fibre.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CITYFIBRE, OR TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN CONNECTING TO A GIGABIT CITY NETWORK NEAR YOU, VISIT: WWW.CITYFIBRE.COM

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Chadwick Lawrence invest in probate team growth AWM sign £165M deal with Bradford Council Leeds based Associated Waste Management (AWM) has signed one of the largest waste contracts in the UK outside the PFI arena. The 15-year deal worth a £165 million, which has the possibility of extending, will see AWM deliver recycling and energy from waste to the region.

The deal that commences on 1st April 2018, concludes 18 months of tendering which involved rigorous operational and financial testing. Key elements of the contract have included the development of a new facility in South Leeds, which will process the 150,000 tonnes per year from Bradford and the securing of a partnership for thermal off-take with SSE at FM2, Ferrybridge in 2019.

Uniquely, the relationship between AWM and SSE has developed over a number of years and the proposal will provide a fully integrated solution for Bradford’s residual waste, recovering energy by generating electricity at the new FM2 burner in Ferrybridge.

The business already supplies FM1, however, the new supply agreement has earmarked provision of 150,000 tonnes per year for up to 15 years.

Both FM1 and FM2 will have a capacity of individually generating 80 MW of electricity

and will collectively process 1.2M tonnes of waste annually.

Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Sport, said: “We are delighted to be signing this contract with Associated Waste Management. This solution will secure a method of treating the residual waste from Bradford for the next 12 years with an option for a further three years. The process will lead to an increase in recycling rates as well as a high level of diversion from landfill.”

Chadwick Lawrence solicitors, also known as Yorkshire’s Legal People, have developed their probate team by investing in the training and promotion of existing staff members.

The Wills and Probate department recently promoted three of its existing staff members following internal training.

Rachel Bedford, Emma Markham and Justine Joyce had all previously worked in secretarial roles prior to their promotions.

Both Rachel and Emma have been with the Probate team at Chadwick Lawrence for 3 years and Justine has been a secretary with the department for 5 years.

All three have trained with existing fee earners at the firm during their

time in these positions, and are familiar with the clients and cases that the department experiences on a daily basis.

The promotions expand the Chadwick Lawrence Wills and Probate team to a total of 7 fee earners, 4 assistants, and 2 consultants being Martin Vesely and Stephen Oakes.

In total, the 6 individuals who have been promoted internally are Rachel Bedford, Emma Markham, Justine Joyce, Susan Preece, and Suzanne Powell.

Additionally, Susan Preece has recently obtained her membership approval with the Institute of Paralegals, making her a Fellow of the Institute.

“I am delighted with the progress the team have made internally, and how they have worked together to develop each other’s skills,” commented Neil Wilson, Managing Partner of the firm, “Their existing experience with the department and our existing clients means that their promotions bring an extra strength to the service we provide and fully embraces the Chadwick Lawrence Way.”

Tim Shapcott who led the AWM bid team, along with advisors Craig Pember of Roamine Advisory, Ben Sheppard of Walker Morris and Ruth Hann of PWC said: “Signing this contract demonstrates our dedication to provide Bradford Council with a market leading solution to treating the district’s waste.

On behalf of the whole team at AWM, John is delighted to have signed the contract and to be continuing our relationship with Bradford.”

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YORKSHIRE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

YTL SYSTEMS

LINES & CALLS

INTERNET

MOBILE

t: 0844 847 0080 e: info@ytl.uk.com 11 Appleton Court, Calder Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 7AR

Yorkshire Telecommunications Limited

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There’s so much more to John Lewis Leeds It’s that time of year when the dark nights are drawing in, we’re huddled up under layers of clothes to keep out the cold and feeling weary with thoughts of the winter ahead.

But did you know that whilst you’re out shopping this autumn, you can take a break and have a little pampering at the John Lewis Spa in Victoria Leeds..

Perhaps its a quick manicure you’re looking for? Just 20 minutes and you will leave with beautiful manicured nails that includes shape, base coat, two coats of polish and top coat for £25. Weary feet from all that shopping? Why not allow 45 minutes at the end of your shopping trip to pop in for a pedicure. Nail shaping, cuticle maintenance, foot soak and massage, base coat and two coats of polish will not only have your

feet looking great, but feeling great too for just £36.

Forget the shopping, You could take time out for yourself and reserve any of the spa’s treatments for total pampering.

What about a hot stone massage.

Your choice of 45 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes, let their therapists treat you to a full body massage using heated basalt stones. Placed along the chakras to open up your energy pathways, the hot stones also ease out tension, reduce aches and pains and instantly relax the muscles, helping your treatment work at a deeper level.

John Lewis Leeds even has its

own hair salon. Choose from a quick cut and style, a colour treatment or even a perm.

Christmas is coming, why not UK National Young Trader of the year 2017 at the National Youth Market in Manchester.

How to get a Perfect Pout Pura Cosmetics was set up two years ago by 17-year-old entrepreneur Rose Dyson from Silkstone in Barnsley.

The idea for the business came to her when she was studying for her GCSEs at Horizon Community College. Rose took part in the Inter-Schools Business Challenge and spotted a gap in the market for affordable, yet ethically principled lip carecosmetics. She set to work creating her own natural, cruelty-

free and vegan friendly range that she named Perfect Pout.

Since then, the firm has received many awards from entrepreneurs Theo Paphitis and Jacqueline Gold and won Start-up Business of the Year 2016 at the Proud of Barnsley Awards. Most recently, Rose won

All products are handmade

by Rose and come in amazing flavours such as Prosecco Bubbles and Pina Colada which are sold on the Pura Cosmetics online store and at markets and trade fairs across the north.

We were lucky enough here in the TopicUK office to receive a gift box from Rose containing two Perfect Pout lip scrubs in Pina Colada and Revitalising Raspberry flavours as well as three lip balms - Blissful Bubblegum, Strawberry Daiquiri and Pick-me Up Peppermint.

So what did we think?

First the lip scrub. “Amazing” was

treat a loved one to a beauty gift card so they can pop along and enjoy any of the &Beauty experiences. a word used by TopicUK Editor.

“I had been suffering from dry lips for days, so this package arrived in perfect time for me. I tried the Revitalising Raspberry and in just one application, my lips felt super smooth. The taste was pleasant but I loved the taste and smell of the Pina Colada scrub.”

Time to try the balm. The balm does its job perfectly and compliments the scrub. We would recommend matching flavours but our favourite flavour was Blissful Bubblegum.

The verdict? We would definitely recommend. The scrub really does work on dry areas instantly and the balm is just right, as some balm’s can be sticky. Super smooth lips without being greasy!

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Freeze away the years It was a conversation with a friend that led me to visit Haven Beauty in Lawnswood, Leeds. Commenting on her lovely complexion, she told me about a revolutionary new procedure she was having at Haven, a non-surgical facelift called CACI. So when owner Anna called me and offered for me to try it for myself, how could I refuse?

TopicUK group editor visits Haven Beauty

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived, but was quickly put at ease by Anna who explained in detail what I could expect.

CACI’s signature non-surgical facial toning is an advanced, non-invasive facial, with twenty years medical research behind it.

Microcurrent impulses lift and tone the facial muscles and the neck area, whilst improving the skins elasticity and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, giving a more youthful, fresh appearance and glow.

Settling down on a lovely warm bed, a feature welcomed by all clients Anna told me, especially during the winter months, she began by using a cleansing gel to prepare my skin for treatment. This was followed small probe like wands that lift and work around the contours of the jaw line, cheekbones and forehead, concentrating on the frown lines.

Next came the Cryoglobe, which Anna informed me I would love or hate. Honestly?

I hated it. The Cryoglobe is used when frozen for a stimulation facial massage. Freezing cold temperatures cause vasoconstriction and vasodilation, which encourage vascular microcirculation in skin tissue. The result visibly

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smooths out lines and wrinkles, tightens pores and reduces facial redness.

although a course of six treatments is recommended.

Finally, it was time for the coolift gun. This is a revolutionary registered system that performs a radical facial treatment using a safe, fast and efficient method. The gun pushes into the facial tissues a powerful CO2 flow, at a very low temperature with a very high pressure, combined with a high concentration of atomized active ingredients. Visible effects can be seen after just one session, intense hydration, collagen stimulation, dermis regeneration and improvement of skin texture and quality,

The result? My face was rather tingly but felt much tighter, especially around the jawline.

The skin looked more plump and lines visibly reduced, particularly my frown lines. Will I go back for more? Probably. My skin was improved so I am curious to see the results after the six treatments.

To find out more about this new treatment, visit www.haven-beauty.co.uk or call 0113 267 1729.

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Strategy building North of the border There seems to be a lot of focus at the moment on walking networking events and walking strategy meetings. Does your business do this? Do you organise away days and team building events? Have you ever considered venturing a little further afield?

Why not visit Scotland?

TopicUK Group Editor recently caught up with Theresa Ring, Visit Scotland Business Events, Marketing manager in North England to find out what Scotland has to offer.

Theresa is part of a team of 13 dedicated business event specialists and is responsible for developing business events by working closely with third party agencies and corporate planners to generate meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions enquiries for Scotland.

Theresa began her career in events after completing an HND in hospitality management, before going on to St Andrews Links where she managed the corporate golf days as well as being actively involved in the Food and Beverage Management for the British Open and Dunhill Links Championships.

events department at West Park Conference Centre in Dundee. I joined Visit Scotland in 2009 as British Tourism Executive.”

So what is available North of the border for Yorkshire businesses and what are the benefits?

Business incentive trips are on the rise according to the latest industry report, with budgets and group sizes growing year-on-year. Event planners found more businesses are prepared to invest in their employees, by recognising that annual incentive travel increases staff retention, morale and motivation, all of which boost staff

performance and drive business growth.

“Well organised activities keep teams talking about their experiences for months or even years. Away days help build trust, mitigate conflict, increase collaboration and teamwork, as well as develop brand loyalty, something all SME’s should consider for their business strategy,” added Theresa.

“Our industry has noticed an increase in demand for outdoor and healthy-living options and what sets Scotland apart from the competition are the inspiring landscapes, making for a truly effective and rewarding experience for all groups. We have suberb activities on offer such as Bear Grylls Survival Academy which is set on a remote island off the West coast, quad-biking in rural Perthshire, land yachting along the west sands beach in fife, speedboat adventures on Loch Lomond, blind folded 4x4 off-road team challenge in the Highlands and murder mystery hunts in Glasgow, we really do

have something for everyone.”

Scotland is easily accessible from Yorkshire. A three hour train journey from Leeds, even less from York or a one-hour flight from Manchester.

So what are you waiting for?

Get your team motivated and out in the fresh air. Theresa has developed strong links with travel agencies around Leeds and working together, can arrange the perfect away-days and team buidling strategy events for your company.

“I gained lots of experience working in events on an international level through placements at Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina and managed a team at the Dubai World Cup,” she explained. “I then went on to Gleneagles Hotel where I managed in-house events before I moved to establish an

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CRAFTIOSITY

Founded by Moira Fuller in 2016, Craftiosity is the subscription box of modern craft kits.

Each month, they send the tools, materials and instructions to make a complete and useful project. It could be Japanese shibori dyeing, bookbinding, lino cutting - or something completely different!

Alongside a day job in venue management, she’d previously worked as a craftsperson, selling her work through shops and galleries across the UK, and teaching workshops for the National Trust, West Yorkshire Print Workshop and others. It was whilst teaching these workshops that the nugget of the idea for Craftiosity began.

“I was stunned at how far people would travel to get to the workshops and how often I’d hear them say that they didn’t think they were creative. I wanted to make it a lot easier for folk to have fun and try new crafts. Seeing the trends for crafting and creativity through adult colouring books, it was the ideal time to launch Craftiosity.”

Bright sparks of the future Since they launched, they have developed a series of enablement programmes that grow the mindset of the entrepreneur. They are action-focused and specifically designed to build the people who build great businesses.

for that serious business acceleration and growth.

They want to create entrepreneurs who have a positive impact on society.

Entrepreneurial Spark Enablers work shoulder to shoulder with Entrepreneur Development Managers from NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank who utilise local ecosystems to help make entrepreneurs credible, backable and investable.

The focus of Entrepreneurial Spark, with its Leeds programme on Cross Park Street, is squarely on the individual, developing behaviours which allow

Their partnerships with KPMG Enterprise, Dell Technologies, Harper Macleod and Pinsent Masons also mean that they are working with the best

Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free people accelerator for early stageand growing ventures.

CO O P E R

K I N G Founded in 2014, by Dr Abbie Neilson, a former scientist and Chris Jaume, a chartered architect, Cooper King Distillery is England’s smallest whisky distillery.

All the craft kits come with step-by-step photo tutorials, as well as video tutorials online for those who prefer to learn by watching.

Since its launch, Craftiosity has evolved, learning from customer discovery and growing subscribers by 20% each month. Earlier in the year, Craftiosity won a Natwest #GoDo Business Award and a few months later, Moira left her role managing a venue to focus fulltime on the business, bringing in freelancers, intern support and mentors to help with growth.

“We love delighting our customers and are excited for the plans we have to keep doing that, and to bring easy, modern crafting to more people.”

In October, Craftiosity brought out a range of some of their most popular kits for retail.

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in the business to deliver specific expertise to work on those building blocks of entrepreneurial success.

So far they have enabled over 1,700 start-up and scale-up businesses, over 80% of whom are still trading today.

Last issue, you may recall

Cooper King Distillery is a family-owned micro-distillery built on the site of a stable, featuring a shop and spirit tasting area.

Its first batch of premium single malt whisky, made using Yorkshire barley, is scheduled to go into production in Winter 2017, with a projected release date of 2022.

With a desire to leave the rat race, co-founders Chris and Abbie travelled across the globe, and whilst visiting Australia the pair became fascinated by Tasmania’s eight operational whisky distilleries and the hand-crafted premium whisky industry, which was just starting to take off in this part of the world. This gave them the idea for their business.

Abbie and Chris were taught

by Bill Lark, the godfather of Tasmanian whisky, and armed with a wealth of knowledge gathered from across Tasmania’s now internationally acclaimed New World whisky distilleries and beyond, Cooper King Distillery will produce authentic premium spirits, using the highest quality ingredients that England has to offer.

The Cooper King Distillery Founders’ Club is offering craft spirit lovers a unique opportunity to become part of the Cooper King family and help make English distilling history. Membership tiers

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LU BY LU

®

home to the old RAF base in Church Fenton. Not only is the site filled with history and heritage, it has a personal resonance with me as my dad did some of his pilots training there many, many years ago. As the business name of Lubylu is the nickname given to me by my dad, it seemed a perfect place to set up the workshop.

Lubylu®, handmade home fragrance creations designed to scent your home and your life with aspirational aromas that inspire and revive, relax and invigorate.

I’ve always loved having a home that people comment on how incredible it smells and what better way to do that than to design and make my own home fragrance products?

After 15 years working for large corporate groups I decided to follow my creative passion and run my own business.

we featured Claire Shakespeare who designs and manufacturers handbags, that now sell in John Lewis Leeds. This issue, we feature a handful of entrepreneurs from the hub who have been inspired to create their own businesses and who the programme will go on and nurture.

start from £30, which is ideal for a gift, through to more established memberships which include a name engraving on the Founders’ Plaque in the distillery.

Memberships also offer first access to rare and collectable whisky in the form of new, special, and small-batch releases, individually-numbered single cask releases from their early casks, plus the chance to own Cooper King Distillery’s Inaugural Release bottle #1.

On my 39th birthday I handed in my notice (a little gift to myself) and thought that I’d give it a year before I turned 40 and then at least I could say I tried! Nearly 3 years on and the business has grown into a

brand of choice for gifts for all occasions, that people recognise as one which not only produces amazingly scented products but one that actively supports other local and UK businesses.

In July 2016 the Lubylu® workshop moved from our

Using soy wax means that Lubylu candles produce a cleaner burn and, for many, a more discernible scent throw.

The soy wax I use comes from sustainable sources, is animal friendly and is not a product of genetic modification, this is important to me, as is the fact that I try, to source my ingredients, raw materials, packaging and other business support from local and UK suppliers.

LU V E N E S CO collar industry and into online retail, specifically selling diet supplements. Anton took to online retail like a duck to water, bringing in a revenue of £2000 all within his first month.

At the age of 24, Anton Burton, was able to turn his career and life around from tiresome sales assistant to creating and owning his very own line of modern male grooming products.

Anton Graduated from University of Manchester in 2013, with a degree in Business Studies and set off for a career in the Finance Industry. However, his entrepreneurial instinct veered him from the white

Having experienced such a positive outcome Anton made a first attempted at running his own business by entering the tea industry and selling his own range of boutique detox tea’s online. Though, due to a lack of experience and knowledge sadly this failed, but undeterred, Anton did not give up on his dream and turned to his surroundings for inspiration a and soon discovered the beard phenomenon and gap in the market for beard oils and other male grooming products.

In April of 2015 Anton made an initial investment of £3000

and finally rolled the dice and started up his online business, Luvenesco, a line of natural and sophisticated grooming treatments for men. One month after their launch in 2015, Luvenesco was turning over 50-60 products a day, bring in an estimated turnover of £900 a day through their online website and other retail websites such as Amazon.

Two years on and Anton has his line of luxurious beard oils, balms, washes and creams.

Today, Luvenesco is proving to be as strong as ever selling products not only through their online store but at local retailers such as Al Barber with the prospect of getting into a further two retailers in Leeds come Christmas 2017.

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PARIA

R O S S

PARIA (meaning social outcast) brings fashion forward design and attitude to the technical cycling apparel market; they design clothes which look as good on the bike as off it.

The PARIA brand was conceived as an antidote to the elitist and aloof attitudes which have dominated the road cycling scene, developing kit which looks as good as it performs.

High quality performance fabrics and production are combined with a tongue in cheek/two fingers- upattitude to deliver a proposition which makes theirriders stand out on the road for all the right reasons.

Keeping this no compromise attitude at the heart of what they do, they have built a loyal community across the track and road cycling scene, bringing in those people who aren’t your standard MAMIL or club cyclist.

BRAINPOWER

Their brand ambassador programme has taken the riders to the centre of what they do.

By wearing their kit, enjoying themselves and doing what they do best; riding, they have created strong content which is relevant to Paria’s target market. They now have around 30 high profile ambassadors stretching from Dubai to Melbourne, as well as a sponsored Dutch crit team, and competitive riders both in New York and LA. This has generated sales on all major contents (apart from Antartica….), and as they come to the end of their second year of trading they are targeting their first six figure turnover.

The team provide feedback on our kit design, branding, manufacturing as well as linking them direct into their communities. This has fed into their plans for 2018 where they are launching a sole PARIA sponsored male and female race team, developing their own bespoke technical designs for kit for use on and off the bike.

Their Digital strategy is also being refined, building on the 20k followers they have across their combined social media platforms as they look to disrupt the big bike brand party.

GROUP

Clothing brand Ross Barr launched in Leeds in 2015. The brand debuted with a single piece of men’s knitwear called ‘The Spencer’, which is inspired by the elegance of the Regency Period and is completely 100% made in Britain.

All garments are designed by the designer Ross Barr-Hoyland. 27.

Originally from Wakefield, Ross received support from The Prince’s Trust as part of their Enterprise Programme.

Since then, the brand continues to go from strength-to-strength.

Inspired by the ethos of The Prince’s Trust, Ross wants the brand to resurrect the old industries, such as woollen, textile and even metalwork in the hope that it will provide hope and opportunity to the areas and people that are crying out for it.

The launch season was incredible for the brand as it not only saw sales come in from across globe, ans Ross was delighted when the world’s biggest male supermodel, David Gandy wore The Spencer for the Campaign for Wool Week held in London in 2015.

and ethos, men and women from across the world bought not only into the style, but the ethos and dream of the brand and that of its founder. One important key principle of Ross is to also give back and help as and when he can.

To date, the brand has raised over £2,000 for charity by donating Spencer’s for auction in aid of The Prince’s Trust, Children with Cancer UK, Cancer Support Bradford & Airedale and the RSPCA Bradford Branch.

Since the launch people have seen the sheer will, determination and passion Ross has not only for fashion but also for British industry and the country as a whole. For him, the ethos for Ross Barr will always be that ‘every stitch and every thread is authentically British’.

With the brand’s amazing imagery

LT D

PowerFocus® is a breakthrough premium Nootropic supplement from cognitive enhancement brand Brainpower Nootropics. We have improved brain function for thousands of satisfied consumers by utilising a state of the art Non GMO, natural herbal formula combining the highest quality ingredients to enhance cognitive function, memory and focus

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BA R R

and mood.

PowerFocus® is based upon clinically proven hard science and rigorous testing.The hand picked ingredients PowerFocus® are unapologetically premium many have backing from years of double blind placebo tested research. All of the ingredients in Brainpower Nootropics products are compliant with EU food supplement law. PowerFocus® is made to GMP

standards and every ingredient in PowerFocus® undergoes rigorous 3rd party purity testing with certification.

We are currently the number 1 best seller on Amazon.co.uk. We are also expanding into the cognitive function food and drink market in 2018.

2017 November

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