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APRIL 2020 | ISSUE 139 | £3.95
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INTERVIEW WITH HEALEY BROTHERS 04
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INSIDE FEATURES 10 CEO INTERVIEW WE MEET THE HEALEY BROTHERS SAM AND JOE
16 BUSINESS GROWTH ESAM – THE ENTERPRISE SPACE FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
19 CHARITY PROFILE THE STORY BEHIND CORNWALL AIR AMBULANCE’S SUCCESSFUL NEW HELI APPEAL
22 LEGAL SECTOR HOW ARE CORNWALL’S LAW FIRMS FARING?
26 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
ISSUE 139
REGULARS 4 INCOMING BUDGET REACTION
6 BUSINESS NEWS LISKEARD CATTLE MARKET PROJECT
33 ON THE MOVE MOVERS & SHAKERS
34 FOOD & DRINK CAINES IN CORNWALL
35 EDUCATION & TRAINING NEWS COLLEGE NAMES NEW PRINCIPAL
36 CREATIVE & DIGITAL
38 TOURISM HOTEL SECURES FOURTH AA STAR
39 CHAMBER NEWS CORNWALL CHAMBER LATEST
40 TEST DRIVE FORD TRANSIT PLUG-IN HYBRID
42 JUST A THOUGHT NATIONWIDE MD JULIAN HOCKING
44 CONNECTED SOCIAL DIARY PICS
48 THE LAST WORD COODES’ ABI LUTEY
80% AWESOME
37 FSB LATEST FROM THE FSB
CORONAVIRUS TO THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS?
PHOTO: CORNWALL BUSINESS SHOW SEE PAGE 46 FOR MORE
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 1
APRIL 2020
CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION
businesscornwall.co.uk
APRIL 2020 | ISSUE 139 | £3.95
CYDER HOUSE RULES
INTERVIEW WITH HEALEY BROTHERS
LEGAL SECTOR KEEPING BUSINESS WITHIN THE LAW
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
WORKSPACE FOCUS
04
04 9 772514
842001
9 772514
842001
ON THE COVER
JOE & SAM HEALEY – SEE PAGE 10
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nick Eyriey – 07395 915260 nick@businesscornwall.co.uk PUBLISHER Toni Eyriey – 07917 142668 toni@businesscornwall.co.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Morveth Ward – 07780 795603 morveth@businesscornwall.co.uk
WELCOME
BY EDITOR NICK EYRIEY
ISSUE 139
A NEW NORMAL These are strange days we are living in. Quite surreal. Who hankers for the golden days of Brexit? Here at Business Cornwall, the plan is to continue through the coronavirus crisis, as much as it is possible, with business as normal. Over the coming weeks, however, a new normal is set to emerge. What exactly that might entail, as I’m writing this, who knows? The whole situation is developing and changing on a daily basis. As I write this, businesses have been asked to work from home where they can, but there has been no full lockdown yet. As you’re reading this, perhaps that situation has changed, maybe not. Hence, there is not a huge amount of coronavirus information in this issue, because it changes so quickly. But I have been adding many stories to our website (businesscornwall.co.uk) on a daily basis, many with life-affirming tales about how local businesses are pulling together to work through this crisis. Another good source for coronavirus advice and support is the Growth and Skills Hub website (ciosgrowthhub.com).
ACCOUNT MANAGER Caroline Carter – 07801 981667 caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS PFA Research, Toby Weller DESIGN Ade Taylor design@businesscornwall.co.uk PRINT Printed in Cornwall by Deltor BUSINESS CORNWALL is published 10 times a year by: Tonick Business Publishing Pool Innovation Centre Trevenson Road Redruth TR15 3PL Tel: 01209 718688
All sectors in the business community are impacted by the coronavirus, but without wishing to sound too clichéd or contrived, together we can all pull through.
SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@businesscornwall.co.uk Registered under the Data Protection Act. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in an electronic retrieval system or transmitted without the written permission of the publisher. Stringent efforts have been made by Business Cornwall magazine to ensure accuracy. However, due principally to the fact that data cannot always be verified, it is possible that some errors or omissions may occur. Business Cornwall magazine can not accept responsibility for such errors or omissions. Business Cornwall magazine accepts no responsibility for comments made by interviewees that may offend.
Why not let us know how your business is working through these challenging times. The best way to contact us at the moment is probably through email. As I said, for the sake of everyone, we need to continue business as normal as much as is possible. Let us know what that new normal is, and we’ll publish all these stories online and in the next issue of Business Cornwall.
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THE CONVERSATION
The big question While additional financial support to help businesses through the Covid-19 crisis has since been announced, we focus on local response to some of the wider measures in the Budget Join the conversation @biz_cornwall
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CORONAVIRUS IMPACTS – WHAT HAPPENS IF YOUR CONTRACTS ARE AFFECTED? The full effects of coronavirus on business are not yet clear, but it is likely that travel restrictions, personnel issues and emergency regulation will impact obligations under high value commercial contracts. Tim Lane, Solicitor at Stephens Scown LLP, highlights the importance of checking contractual terms if obligations are unmet because of Coronavirus.
4 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
THE CONVERSATION
DANIEL SLADEN
MIKE CHERRY
Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s first Budget was dominated by Coronavirus with a £30 billion package pledged to help ease the ‘temporary disruption’ to the economy and he virtually wrote a blank cheque to the NHS to cope with Covid-19.
This is a pro-small business Budget, which has delivered a high streets bonus, a series of Conservative manifesto promises to small businesses, and emergency steps to support small firms through the coronavirus outbreak.
PKF Francis Clark
He also announced a raft of spending measures across all sectors – from business and education to green living and the regions - to try and stimulate growth. The Budget will provide relief for employees and businesses with fewer than 250 employees - 100% of statutory sick pay costs to be met by the Government for sickness related to coronavirus for up to 14 days per employee. The Government has used the limited funds at its disposal to try and support smaller retail and hospitality businesses, but there was no assistance for larger entities. However, for all those businesses, whilst workers might welcome increases in the national minimum wage, whether the businesses concerned can afford them will be an issue.
IAN CASS
Forum of Private Business Several of the announcements from Chancellor are in line with the wish list that we set out. In particular the commitment to accelerate investment on rural broadband connectivity, the investment in infrastructure, long term in the railways and in the shorter term our roads and also addressing the imbalance in the North/ South economies is well overdue, like moving treasury jobs out of London and is something we have been asking for.
• Exclusion clauses: Check each party’s liabilities under contract – do the circumstances explicitly excuse performance of contractual obligations? Alternatively, exclusion clauses may trigger pricing modifications, renegotiation, or dispute resolution. To rely on an exclusion clause, be sure that the event (Coronavirus, for example) is covered by the clause, and that non-performance was due to that event. • Force majeure clauses: These clauses cover unforeseen events impacting a contractual party. The party affected
Federation of Small Businesses
Covering the cost of Statutory Sick Pay and emergency measures for the self-employed are particularly welcome. Removing the minimum income floor for those on Universal Credit will bring help to those working hard to keep their businesses going. These are vital contingencies for the UK’s 5.8 million-strong small business and self-employed community. There may need to be further steps in the weeks and months ahead. The Bank of England funding package means that there are no excuses for banks not to help, when a small business customer is in distress. Suspending business rates for small high street firms is a huge bonus for our town centres and high streets. Together with extra cash for those that already qualify for small business relief, this shows a real commitment to supporting small businesses at the heart of communities. The case for fundamental reform to bring down the burden of such a regressive tax on bricks-and-mortar businesses is now stronger than it has ever been, and FSB is ready to help the Government deliver this.
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suspension of business rates for small high street firms is a welcome shot in the arm for our town centres, and the £3k of grant funding for those paying little or no business rates is welcome. And there will be more money for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub, which is a critical part of business support funded by the LEP. We would have liked to have seen a formal commitment from the Chancellor towards establishing the Great South West as the next regional growth alliance to rebalance the UK economy. That said, we warmly welcome the commitment to deliver the long overdue Camelford bypass on the A39 Atlantic Highway, and to upgrade the A303 which remains a key artery to our region. We were disappointed that there is still no detail about the Shared Prosperity Fund, and although the Chancellor pledged ‘to match current levels of funding for each nation from EU structural funds’ as a minimum, we will be seeking clarity that this still guarantees Cornwall a ring-fenced allocation as previously promised by the Prime Minister.
JULIAN GERMAN Cornwall Council
MARK DUDDRIDGE
On behalf of the residents of Cornwall, I’m extremely disappointed that Cornwall hasn’t done better from this Budget. Government has talked about ‘levelling up’, but what we’ve seen in the Budget is a new devolution deal in the north, Government promising to move jobs out of London up to the north, and nothing there for Cornwall.
This will be seen as a pro-business Budget, with a series of coronavirus emergency measures including sick pay provisions and access to finance for business interruption, and support for the self-employed. The
I’m really disappointed that the Government haven’t lived up to their promises, but I will continue to stand up for Cornwall, to call for fairer funding, and to fight for the powers and resources we need to deliver good services for all of our residents.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP
by the event is excused from, or can suspend, performance of some or all of its obligations under the contract. It is important to establish if the event falls within the clause, and if non-compliance was caused by the event. Force majeure events are usually extreme, and not caused by either party; they also usually require the event to have been unforeseeable, so a party relying on force majeure needs to prove that this was the case. • Frustrated contracts: If coronavirus makes it commercially impossible to
fulfil a contract, the contract may be “frustrated”. This may provide recourse to the party seeking to rely on the event, as contracts are automatically discharged by frustrating events and parties are no longer bound to perform their obligations. A party seeking to justify non-performance needs to ensure that they have met the relevant criteria. Assuming that a contractual obligation has been excused is risky, so legal advice should be sought.
Tim Lane is a solicitor within the corporate and commercial team at Stephens Scown. The team has top rankings in legal guides Chambers and Legal 500. For more information, please call Tim on 01872 265100, email corporate.cornwall@stephens-scown.co.uk or via www.stephens-scown.co.uk BUSINESS CORNWALL | 5
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Keep up date with the very latest news and Covid-19 updates on businesscornwall.co.uk
GREEN LIGHT FOR CATTLE MARKET
The long-awaited regeneration of Liskeard Cattle Market is set to go ahead with the support of a £590k investment by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The LEP’s funding comes from the Government’s Local Growth Fund and is part of a £975k project led by Cornwall Council to kick start the regeneration of the 1.4 hectare council-owned site in the heart of Liskeard. The cattle market closed in December 2017 and since then work has been going on with Liskeard Town Council, the community and other groups about how to transform the
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site with a mix of uses that will support the vitality of the town centre. The first phase will involve the demolition of derelict buildings and cattle pens and the completion of a detailed masterplan for the whole site. This work is expected to unlock a further £5 million of Cornwall Council and EU funding to create The Workshed, a new building at the town end of the site with 17 flexible units aimed at Cornwall’s booming digital and creative industries sectors, supporting around 33 jobs. The adjacent car park will be relayed and a new covered market area will be created,
Glenn Caplin, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said: “This is an exciting project for Liskeard and the LEP and paves the way for this site to bring added vitality to the town centre with new employment, community facilities and public space. By enabling the creation of The Workshed we are also supporting Cornwall’s fast-growing digital and creative sectors, which are priorities for the LEP.”
DEVELOPING YOUR TEAM Henry Ford allegedly once said, “the only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” This quote should resonate with all business owners. After all who doesn’t want their team to be highly skilled. Developing and implementing effective staff training can benefit your employees and your business. By investing in your staff, even with a small training budget, you can drive down costs and help increase sales
6 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
together with high quality public spaces. A planning application will be submitted shortly and once developed, The Workshed is expected to add around £1.2 million a year to the local economy.
and profits. Employees are your business’s most important asset. Their training and professional development is something you should plan to invest in. Cornwall Council’s Business Regulatory Support team offer a range of industry specific accredited training courses. The team offer a variety of options for training from training at one of their offices, online or they can arrange to deliver the training at a venue chosen by you.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
GREEN SCHEME SUCCESS Accountancy firm Bishop Fleming continues to save paper, energy and mileage after gaining ‘plastic free champion’ status. The firm has released the most recent results and statistics of its Environmental Management programme, which show the firm saved the annual equivalent of 155 trees, compared to its annual paper usage in 2012, when it first started recording its environmental data. The firm also saw its electricity and gas usage drop by 11.6% within the last year. With around 370 employees and seven offices across the south west and West
AWARDS POSTPONED The deadline for entering the Cornwall Business Awards has been extended to June 30. Organisers say the extension will allow businesses time to focus on addressing the impact coronavirus may have on their organisations.
The team are able to provide training in areas such as: • Food Hygiene (level 2 and 3) • Allergens • Personal Licence Holder qualification (level 2) • Industry specific trading standards such as labelling, weights and measures, product safety, trading law and more • Health and Safety The benefits to you and your business of training with the Business Regulatory Support are:
Midlands, Bishop Fleming was recognised as a ‘plastic free champion’ by conservation charity, Surfers Against Sewage just six months ago. The firm eliminated its most frequently utilised single-use plastics from across the business. Director Ewan McClymont said: “Our environmental aspirations are very much at the heart of our core values, which includes doing the right thing. There is still much more that we can do to minimise our impact on the environment, but it is encouraging to see a reduction across our three key metrics, as well as a team effort to drive down our use of plastics.”
The new timetable also includes a longer online judging period and the postponement of the awards ceremony itself, which was due to take place at the end of June. The organisers, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth & Skills Hub and Cornwall Development Company, say they will monitor the evolving situation closely and make a decision about rescheduling the gala event informed by the latest advice. www.cornwallbusinessawards.co.uk
• Training delivered by professional, competent and experienced staff from those disciplines • Helps and supports your business to comply with legislation.
Leading yacht charter company, Sunsail, has named Turn to Starboard as its chosen charity of the year. The not-for-profit charity will receive a wide range of support from Sunsail to assist with delivering its service from its base in Falmouth. These include asking Sunsail customers who book holidays online to make an optional donation to Turn to Starboard. The charity will also feature in marketing and advertising campaigns to help to raise awareness of its service for wounded veterans. ____________________ Cornish staircase manufacturer, Spiral UK, has started production on bespoke stairs for a residential project in Kings Cross, London. Spiral has been contracted by McLaren Construction to work on a range of different staircase designs for installation in apartments known as Luma, Kings Cross, a development of 61 apartments which have a price range of £1.3-£2.5 million. ____________________ The Dales dealership in Scorrier has been named SEAT Dealer of the Year award for the fourth year. Sales manager Adam Gill said: “To win this award is a phenomenal achievement – and to claim it for a fourth year out of five is even better.” ____________________ Helston-based kitchen design and installation business, NOW Kitchens, has recorded its highest financial results after ten years of trading in Cornwall. Despite the industry sector as a whole seeing a dip in sales, NOW Kitchens bucked the trend and increased its annual turnover by 37% in 2018 and then by a further 28% by the end of last year.
For those that wish to work at their own pace or those that don’t feel comfortable in a group environment there is a large directory of cost-effective online training options.
• Ensures your staff are competent at their job • Flexible approach to your training needs • Training can be delivered at your premises (if suitable facilities available) • Well trained staff makes for a happy and motivated work force
For more information and scheduled training topics and dates please visit www.businessregulatorysupport.co.uk/training, or call 0300 1234 212.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 7
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HARBOUR MASTER STEPPING DOWN Following a distinguished career with Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) spanning more than 28 years, harbour master and chief executive, Mark Sansom, will be retiring at the end of the year. Sansom joined FHC as deputy harbour master in 1992 and was appointed harbour master and chief executive eight years later. Under his extensive tenure, Falmouth harbour has significantly developed its
BEST HOPE AFTER COMPANIES TO FLYBE COLLAPSE WORK FOR Cornish businesses have been ranked among 100 best medium sized companies to work for in the UK. Among the local contingent to be recognised in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For is The Rick Stein Group, which appears at 55th place in the list.
Cornwall has been dealt a heavy blow following the news that regional airline Flybe has gone into administration.
Flybe was controversially bailed out earlier this year when the Government agreed to defer a tax bill. It was only a short-term fix, however, and compounded by the coronavirus crisis, the airline could not survive. The collapse has a particularly significant impact for Cornwall. In addition to a daily
facilities and hosted major events including three tall ships races. Explaining his decision to step down, he said: “I am hugely privileged to have been employed in this role for such a long time. During my 28 years with FHC I have been fortunate enough to be involved in many exciting projects and have worked with many incredible people.” Current deputy harbour master Duncan Paul will become harbour master while recruitment for a new chief executive will begin shortly. link to London, Flybe also flew to such destinations as Edinburgh, Manchester and Leeds Bradford. There was also excitement at the prospect of a new link to Amsterdam, which was due to get underway last month. Cornwall Airport Newquay says it is working hard to find alternative carriers to operate key routes following Flybe’s collapse. Loganair has already announced that it will pick up the route to Edinburgh, which from June will operate twice weekly. The airport says it is in discussions with a number of airlines regarding other key routes and is confident that operators for services including Manchester and the important London PSO connection will be found.
Rick Stein said: “I still marvel at how the business has grown so that after 45 years we’ve now got 11 restaurants, four shops, 40 bedrooms, a pub and a seafood cookery school, mainly in Padstow but also further afield in Winchester, Marlborough, Sandbanks and Barnes. “I would say that apart from the best fish and lovely Cornwall, the real reason for our success is that we love what we are doing. It’s fun. I wouldn’t say that I’ve loved every minute of it, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The people make this business what is it today and I am so pleased for everyone who has played a part in being recognised as one of The Sunday Times top UK employers.” Law firm Stephens Scown was ranked for the sixth successive year, placed at #74, while chartered accountancy Bishop Fleming is ranked 82nd. The 100 Best Not for Profit Organisations were also revealed, with the Eden Project coming in at 81st place. 8 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
ANOTHER FIRST FOR PENZANCE? Penzance is looking to achieve another notable first under plans being developed between local employers, Penzance Chamber of Commerce and Cornwall Council. Back in 2017, Penzance became the first town in Britain to receive ‘plastic-free’ status from Surfers Against Sewage. Now it could be set to become the first Living Wage Accredited Town in England. The real living wage is based on the cost of living and is voluntarily paid by nearly 6,000 UK businesses and organisations. The current rate is set at £9.30, a pound more than the amount set out by the UK Government.
Leader of Cornwall Council, Councillor Julian German, said: “We are delighted to be working with a and supporting a group of dedicated employers in west Cornwall, who have clearly identified the benefits of paying the Real Living Wage. The project is very much in its early stages, but the passion and commitment being shown so far is excellent.” Independent councillor for Penzance East, Tim Dwelly, started the campaign: He said: “I am proud of the work being done by local employers and the commitment they are showing to achieving Real Living Wage accredited status.”
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AMAZON OPENING IN CORNWALL
KERNOW IN CANADA Cornwall showcased its mining potential at a special event in Canada last month. Cornwall Trade and Investment led a trade delegation to Toronto at the mining industry’s premier convention – PDAC 2020.
Amazon is set to open a new delivery station in Redruth this summer, creating 20 permanent jobs. Packages will be shipped to the delivery station in Parc Erissey Industrial Estate from Amazon fulfilment and sortation centres and loaded onto vehicles to get delivered to customers. Amazon says it will create around 20 new jobs at the 4,000 square metre delivery station. In addition, it will work with independent
delivery companies who will hire 80 drivers to collect parcels from the delivery station and deliver them to Amazon customers in Cornwall. Kerry-Anne Lawlor, country director for Amazon Logistics, added: “We are excited to open a delivery station in Redruth where Amazon’s 20+ years of operational expertise, technology advancements and investment in transportation infrastructure is enabling faster delivery for customers than ever before seven days a week.”
In 2019, the Department for International Trade launched Cornwall’s mining sector as one of the UK ‘High Potential Opportunities’ at PDAC. Building on this, a delegation of mining and mining services businesses travelled to Canada to highlight Cornwall’s unique prospects and expertise in sustainable mining for strategic metals, supporting clean growth in the UK and international markets. Cornwall Development Company MD, Mike King, said: “PDAC is one of the largest mining conferences in the world – providing a unique opportunity to drive investment into the region, develop export opportunities and engage with potential customers.”
SAPC PAIRS WITH WILDLIFE TRUST
CEO STEPS DOWN Carn Brea Leisure Centre is looking for a new CEO following the news that Alex Clifton is stepping down from the charity after nearly two decades working for Cornwall’s first Leisure Trust. David Price, chair of the board of trustees, said: “After serving the trust, its customers and staff exceptionally for more than 18 years, Alex has decided that the time is right to pursue other career aspirations. “Whilst the trustees were naturally disappointed to learn of Alex’s decision, we fully support him and wish him every success in the next chapter of his journey.” Clifton added: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that I’ve decided to step down and move on to pastures new. I’m confident that on the back of our record-breaking year, the trust has a solid foundation to deliver on the next steps of its strategic plan.”
St Austell Printing Company has teamed up with one of Cornwall’s most beloved charities to unveil the third edition of its popular “Cornish Pairs” card game. The family-run company has worked with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, dedicating the latest edition of its promotional card game to the wildlife who call Cornwall their home. A total of 15 animals are featured in each pack, along with promotional information about the charity’s work. Thousands of packs, including the recyclable packaging have been designed, printed and manufactured at SAPC’s sustainable Cornish factory. These games will be distributed by SAPC at events throughout the year and a number have also been donated to Cornwall Wildlife Trust to sell through its website. Last year SAPC was named the UK’s most environmentally-friendly printing company and this card game is the latest chapter in its ongoing support for Cornwall Wildlife Trust. In 2019 SAPC became a business partner and preferred printing supplier for the charity, and sales from SAPC’s annual calendar also raised funds towards its conservation work.
The previous two editions of the card game featured famous Cornish landmarks and locations including The Eden Project, St Michael’s Mount and Fistral Beach. Photos on social media showed the game being played as far away as Australia and Dubai. Beth Mayman, SAPC’s operations manager, said: “We feel privileged to call Cornwall our home and to be surrounded by exceptional landscapes and wildlife. That’s why we’ve been interested in the objectives of Cornwall Wildlife Trust for a number of years and respect the important work it does helping to protect Cornwall’s wildlife and wild places.” Isabella Hawkes from Cornwall Wildlife Trust added: “Creating the Cornish Wildlife Pairs game with St Austell Print was a brilliant opportunity to share wild and wonderful facts about Cornwall’s wildlife, as well as celebrate our talented local photographers. “It’s important to work with businesses who share our eco-credentials and ensure that sustainability and environmental protection are at the core of what we do.” BUSINESS CORNWALL | 9
SAM & JOE
HEALEY
This month it’s two for the price of one, as we meet brothers Sam and Joe Healey, the joint MDs behind family-run Healey’s Cyder Farm, which is not only one of Cornwall’s leading drinks businesses, but also tourist attractions with 400,000 visitors each year What was your background before joining the family business? Joe Healey: I went to Bath University to do business administration, a four-year sandwich course. I did some of it here and eight months at St Austell Brewery, which was where I realised that I really love this trade. At that stage was it not definite you would work in the family firm? JH: Mum and dad always said we needed to let them know by aged 25 if we’re in or not and there’s no pressure either way. In reality we always were and the Bath business degree was for that reason, and I did some of that sandwich year at the brewery for that reason. I then went to Coca Cola, again for that reason, because while it’s not alcohol it’s the same customers and route to market. It all tied in perfectly. At Coke I was in field sales, a bit of brand management, marketing. And the last year was account management for Sainsburys and the final hurrah with Coke being the Olympics, where I was supervisor at the Olympic Stadium which was pretty cool. And I came back after that, at the end of 2012. But it gave you a good grounding? JH: Absolutely, and I’ve still got contacts there. They’re very good at what they do Coke and I definitely learned a lot through that. What about you Sam? 10 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
Sam Healey: I did industrial design at university. The way it’s set here I’m on the operations and that side of things and Joe effectively runs the sales and retail side. So industrial design was good for that sort of thing, commissioning all the kit. I then went to Australia and did some stuff restoring Healeys (cars), and did some racing out there which was a bit of fun. I came back in 2008 and started basic managing the site side of things and then went into the quality side and then the production side. I didn’t realise Healeys cars was the same family? SH: Yes, that was grandad. Has the business really kicked on since the £3.8 million investment in the visitor centre and production facility in 2014? Did that pose some new challenges? SH: We had never packaged anything like that sort of volume on site. It wasn’t like we were going from a 2,000 bottling line to a 5,000 bottling line, we were going from almost a hand fill line to a 5,000 bottling line. We naively thought “it’s got a warranty, we don’t need any engineers!”. The most important people we have now are the engineers to fix it when it breaks! JH: Also the basic good manufacturing processes. Basic stuff which we weren’t very good on. Probably one of the best things we did was starting to talk to Marks & Spencer’s who then came down and pretty much helped us build our quality system. They wanted us to make them a co-branded product, but obviously they have strict quality standards. So, we learned a lot from them and eventually were starting to get the right people on board running the factory. That was a good 12-month process. Finishing the project, if we thought that was the hard bit done, the hard bit just started. There is a constant on-going challenge around people and training, but the business keeps growing. We’re now twice the size.
We’ve always been confident in the brand and the product. It’s always been can we make enough of it?
SAM & JOE
HEALEY
Sam Joe Healey &
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 11
SAM & JOE
HEALEY
SH: We’re now doing the same thing we did with the bottling, with the keg line. We’ve been kegging on site for eight years, not to the same volumes as bottles, but we’re still doing 500 kegs a day. Fingers crossed, the jump up to a 1,000 I’m hoping isn’t going to be so much of a shock. JH: It’s the same people really doing the bottling line. The basic skills, basic manufacturing processes are transferrable across from one to the other. We’ve done the big learning on that side and hopefully now with the keg line should just improve efficiencies and not have 12 months of chaos, he says touching wood! And from there we started getting more comfortable with what we could do; we’ve always had an outstanding rate of sale. Tesco’s would always come to us; they look for an average of 12 bottles per week per store; and we’re up there at something like 250 which is just unheard of. Morrisons Newquay sells something like 4,500 bottles per week in the summer of our product. We’ve always been confident in the brand and the product. It’s always been can we make enough of it? With supermarkets it’s kind of scary you’re either on or you’re off. And at the moment we’re lucky having lots of ons going on. So, supermarkets have been driving the growth? JH: Yes, and we’ve pushed that as well because we’ve invested in bottling which fundamentally feeds supermarkets. But the on-trade, St Austell Brewery is still our biggest customer by far and our longest12 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
standing partner. They distribute something like 35,000 kegs for us. We don’t deal with any pubs direct, everything goes through the brewery locally and we deal with Molson Coors nationally. They’re doing significant volume now and that’s without us driving it; that’s through people holidaying in Cornwall, seeing the brand, seeing people liking the brand and word of mouth. How much business is done out of county? JH: If you add it all up, probably about 25%, which is still not much really. Is that where the growth is going to come from? JH: Yes, but then you’ve got stuff like the gin, which is going to be growth in Cornwall. That’s through existing accounts. It’s complementary, it’s not going to cannibalise existing sales and we already have the routes to market. Suddenly we have another product, complementary on the back bar, a great way to grow business. SH: There’s also the Red House - the shops in Perranporth. We’re now seventh generation, they built the first Healeys chasis down there. They built four down there before they moved to Warwick, then grandad did it as a supermarket and since then it’s been leased out as shops. Now we’re just in the process of developing it again as three retail units and nine holiday flats upstairs. JH: And none of it’s for sale. It’s all going to be holiday letting and the commercial units downstairs are going to be leased. A nice legacy building. Not many people view things in
that longterm way. On paper, you would struggle to justify the cost of that build based on the returns we’re projecting, but actually it doesn’t really matter, because it’s not for sale.
SAM & JOE
And in 30 years, 50 years, it’s still there and something we can be proud of. And it’s very much the same thing with the cyder farm. You can see with the buildings around you. Take the yard, we could have tarmaced it. It would have been cheaper and quicker, but actually no, this is a traditional farmyard. You’ve never thought about manufacturing elsewhere? This can’t be the best or easiest place to make cyder? SH: We view our bottling line as our rollercoaster. The reason people come here is they want to visit the farm and see where it’s made and it’s a genuine experience. If we were just a tourist attraction here and we were making it at Cardrew, the numbers would fall here. It wouldn’t be genuine, it would be disjointed. JH: The interesting question is what’s brand Cornwall worth and in our view it’s worth a lot. I think the food and drink reputation Cornwall’s got, Trewithen Dairy, Rowe’s Pasty, Rodda’s, there are some really good brands out there. I think it justifies the extra cost, and we’d never move. Yes, you’d get closer to your market, the logistics would be easier,
operationally it would be easier, but we don’t want to become the next Strongbow. Rattler is a pretty strong brand now? JH: The response on Facebook when we trialed Rattler gin shows us that. 1.3 million organic reach from a little cyder brand in Cornwall releasing a gin. How do Rattler and Healeys sit together as brands? I guess some Rattler drinkers may not even be aware of Healeys as a brand? JH: It’s interesting and we are trying to address that slightly. The bottle tops were just blank before, we said right we’re Cornish, Cornish flag. We’re Healeys, established 1980! Put it on the bottle. All of them have Healeys Cyder on the bottom, but it’s very much the Rattler brand.
and the amount who say, “yes in pubs”, is big. You think of the Guinness Storehouse, people go there because of Guinness. You come here, there’s actually very little Rattler branding, if that makes sense. Who is the typical Rattler drinker?
Suddenly we have another product, complementary on the back bar, a great way to grow business
And the same with the gin. When we were developing it and talking to people how we’re making it and distilling it from scratch, they were saying don’t you think it should be Healeys brand, if it’s going to be premium? No! the Rattler brand, the whole thing about Rattler has always been high quality, premium and fun! We’ve done 1,500 bottles in two weeks in February! Because of Rattler. And we wouldn’t have had 1.3 million on Facebook. What is Healeys? That’s the interesting thing. It’s cyder, it’s gin, it’s preserves. It’s a visitor attraction. It’s all things but you’ve got Rattler which is a really strong brand and if it’s working, embrace it. What are visitors coming here to see? The farm attraction or the cyder? JH: It’s both. we have questionnaires asking people have they seen our products before
HEALEY
JH: Our target market is the 21 to 35 drinker. The category average of cider is slightly older, mid 30s. We’re appealing slightly more to the younger demographic, which from a supermarket buyer perspective is great because we’re not cannibalising the same market. And it’s going to be really interesting to see how rattler Gin sits beside that.
Do you think the Rattler gin drinker will be the same as the cyder drinker? JH: It’s too early to tell really. But without stereotyping as everyone drinks both, he’s going to drink his pint of Rattler Cyder and she’s going to have a Rattler Gin. When did the idea come to go into gin? JH: With the second-generation investment project we had in that plan a distillery for gin and vodka but instead ended up-speccing the bottling line and fermenting tanks. So instead of spending on a distillery we thought it would be better spent on our core business, cyder, and getting a faster machine. It was only last year we realised we could technically make gin here, which was interesting as we had been told by someone years ago that we couldn’t make it with the type of still we’ve got, which is incorrect. BUSINESS CORNWALL | 13
SAM & JOE
HEALEY
SH: But if we had done it ten years ago, we would have done a Healeys Gin and it wouldn’t have anything like the legs Rattler Gin will have. We’ve launched the Rattler Gin at what I think is absolutely the perfect time. Everyone loves the brand and it’s got such a reach. How many bottles will you be producing? SH: There’s a bit of a debate about this at the moment. Sales are pushing for 45,000, production 20,000, so we’ll probably end up somewhere in between! JH: We reckon by December this year we’ll have done 40,000 bottles, although that might be pushing it. Originally we were maybe thinking 10,000. From a distillation perspective it will be a major step change. The really interesting thing is it takes 3,600 litres of cyder to make 200 litres of spirit. It’s going to eat through our cyder stock! That’s a lot of apples! I assume you have to use more apples than you have on the orchards here? Yes. We’ve got relationships with apple growers that dad made contact with 30 years ago in Devon, Somerset and Hereford. That’s all fine, but if it’s 40,000 bottles of gin this year and 80,000 next year, here’s our capacity, we need that much for cyder, and that’s part of our next project. So, you’re increasing the cyder capacity at the moment? JH: Which is the press and the new fermentation tanks, which will also feed the cyder sales, because that’s still growing. Head of sales has just come back from Asda with really positive meetings around lots of stuff. Cyder is still growing, so we’re going to have to increase it quite a lot, by more than double. Which is great, it’s all in the plan. It’s now just a timing thing and sequencing.
14 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
What part of the business do you enjoy most? It’s all quite different, from the tourism to the manufacturing? SH: We’re farmers, we grow apples; we’re manufacturers, we press, we bottle. We’re engineers, retailers, restaurateurs, tourist people, renewable energy people. All of this stuff. Vineyards. All this stuff makes up Healeys, so to be honest, you can do whatever you want! If you want to go and do something in the orchard for an hour, it’s there. There are so many different aspects, and that’s also the great thing for people working here. We have loads of people who have started here in the restaurant or the shop and now they’re orchard managers. Ben, our distillery manger, started in that restaurant up there when he was 16, 17. There’s a lot of people here who have done that sort of thing. As a tourism business, the cyder farm must be quite a popular destination in Cornwall?
that’s gone into every single bottle that’s ever gone out in the history of the world has been made here on site and we’re really proud of that. Supermarket buyers are used to going to industrial estates, you get them here and you can sit here with a coffee, they’ve just done the tour, and their perception of who we are and what we stand for and you tell them 400,000 other people have done this. What do they want to do when they go home, they want to buy our cyder from your supermarket shelves and get that taste of Cornwall back at home.
In the short time we’ve been in the market, the experience is there’s a lot of hunger for those things which are a little bit different and have a unique element
JH: We get About 400,000 visitors a year. Of that, about 80,000 did the tour. It’s £25 for the tour, which includes free pints and stuff. There’s an element of free entry and arguably there is also the fact that some people just turn up, buy four cases of cyder for their week down in Cornwall. But that’s it. What are we? Shop, restaurant, tourist attraction. It’s the ultimate experimential marketing. If we can get consumers here, they can try it, touch it, smell it. They will go away with a slightly different impression than before they came. We do hear preconceptions, that Rattler is mass produced and whatever. But this is where it’s made, every single drop of cyder
How many people do you employ here? SH: 85 full time, which goes up to about 130 in the summer. And revenues? JH: Just over £10 million. What percentage of that comes from tourism on site?
JH: A good percentage! We like to keep some secrets! It’s a very important part of the business. For example, the guided tours, we’re investing in them continually. We’ve now got the headsets, the unique cellar bar experience, some really cool stuff you can’t get elsewhere. When did you first open as a tourist destination? JH: Pretty much when dad moved here. Originally the shop was where the distillery is now. We’ve always tried to test the water first. Dad has been brilliant at that, don’t just jump two feet in, test the water first. And when you get confidence in it, you can then put some resources behind it like we have done with the gin.
SAM & JOE The gin market is very busy now. Are there any signs of it slowing? JH: Very busy. Go to the Chain Locker in Falmouth for example, and they’ve got something like 35 different gins. But it doesn’t seem to be slowing. In the short time we’ve been in the market, the experience is there’s a lot of hunger for those things which are a little bit different and have a unique element. If you take the Chain Locker and those 35, they’re all in the same space of the market, craft, hand-batched and foraged and stuff, all saying the same messages. We’re almost the exact opposite. Just have a bit of fun. “No divas, no princesses and definitely no prima donnas!” If I come back here in five years, what would I find? how would the business have grown? There would be new warehousing, more pressing, apple handling. More tank storage. Probably some element of distillery enhancement, whatever that may be. Some offsite stuff potentially. The vineyard might have been developed, possibly. And the vineyard near Truro? SH: Yes. We planted 12,000 vines in 2018, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. We made a tiny bit of wine this year as a trial. We had a very good growing season last year from planting them they got up huge because we had that drought. But they love the sun. It actually meant we could tie a number of them onto the canes which is unheard of in a first season. The ones we have tied we managed to get grapes off, so we made a tiny batch, 200 litres or something.
New Zealand Wine Maker of the Year, so he’s very good at fermenting juice! So, we’re quite excited about that. It’s comparable vineyard size to Camel Valley and we’ve got the skills inhouse to make what should be pretty good stuff, and we’ve got the route to market. So in five years’ time, wine, the spirits, gins. it’s slow, profitable growth. Organic growth, we’re not buying other cyder makers. Have things gone faster, better, than you expected? JH: We did a five-year plan two or three years ago and we’re a little bit behind. Was it an ambitious plan? JH: Fairly punchy! We’re actually not that far behind, and this next phase project should have us pretty much on track. And once the Red House comes through and all those bits, we’ll get there. And then there’s the next fiveyear plan, which we’re starting to scratch our heads on now. Do you both always sing from the same hymn sheet? SH: We had a little bit of a disagreement at the start of the week! So, we both went away, wrote a bullet point five-year plan independently and send it to eachother.
HEALEY
We literally sent it at exactly the same time and basically it said exactly the same thing. JH: There are little things we’ll disagree with, everyone one does. But fundamentally the big things we’re aligned on. We’re pretty lucky actually, our separate skills sets work well and we have dad who has huge experience we often draw on. And the board, there’s dad and a chap, Brian, who’s a non-executive director and brilliant help. There’s good governance behind the business. And would you ever sell? If Molson Coors called tomorrow and offered you a stupid amount of money, surely you would be tempted wouldn’t you? JH: Then what would we do? It’s not for sale! Not interested. I’ll ask you again in ten years, 20 years’ time! JH: Still not interested! The vision is to celebrate our 100th anniversary. And the interesting thing about that is it’s not us, probably not even our kids, might be their kids. This is long term.
JH: The process is just the same as cyder making. Fruit, juice, ferment. So, we’ve got the same kit which can be used for all of it, and our head cyder maker was
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 15
GROWTH
PROGRAMME
The Enterprise Space for Advanced Manufacturing (ESAM) opened in summer 2018 offering a home to new and existing businesses in advanced manufacturing, engineering and low carbon environmental goods and services
An advanced
business space
The flagship development on the Carluddon Technology Park in St Austell offers both offices and industrial units designed to promote innovation and collaborative working and to act as a catalyst for start-ups. ESAM’s location and build has been carefully considered, designed to the BREEAM “Excellent” standard, located within easy reach of the A30, mainline rail services and airport and with its workspace developed to be flexible. Businesses could start with a single, small office and have the potential to expand their operation as the business grows, with additional mezzanine floors even an option. 18 months since its launch, ESAM’s 32 units are now at 50% occupancy, with a range of businesses taking up residency, including renewable energy company, Wattstor. The Cornish company launched in 2013, initially developing battery storage options to support domestic solar energy installations but later moving onto computer systems that could optimise renewable energy use. Wattstor’s primary product is an energy management system called iMP, or intelligent
16 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
GROWTH
PHOTO ABOVE: ESAM, BUILDING EXTERIOR
Management of Power. Designed and owned by Wattstor, the product is manufactured by a partner company in Europe. Technical manager, Bob Hicks, says: “If you invest in renewable energy, the best return is for you to use the energy itself, rather than selling it to the grid. This is where our product comes in. “iMP can give customers complete visibility of their energy and can provide them with information on how to make better use of their energy.”
PROGRAMME
PHOTO BELOW: WATTSTOR
ESAM’s high-speed fibre Internet and secure 24 hour a day access makes it the perfect location for ambitious businesses requiring a technical space but also somewhere they can bring customers or clients. Advanced manufacturing is considered a fundamental building block in securing Cornwall’s future economic prosperity. The investment into ESAM, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund to
the tune of £6.2 million and matched by £2.7 million of Cornwall Council funding, aims to put the building blocks in place to help the sector reach its potential. ESAM and the Carluddon Technology Park represent the first phase of a wider investment into the area to develop the West Carclaze Garden Village: the proposal for a thriving new community in the Clay Country which will include new homes, shops and amenities.
With the iMP developed, tested and ready to be introduced to the market, Wattstor found itself restrained by its previous workspace and moved into ESAM in 2019. Bob says: “ESAM is a high-profile site and helps us show ourselves as a credible player as well as with the presentation of our system. It is a perfect turnkey solution to what we are doing. “We have an area between an office and a workshop and our unit offers HGV access which allows us to take something off a pallet and put it right next to my desk.”
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 17
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18 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
CHARITY
PROFILE
UP, UP AND
AWAY!
Cornwall Air Ambulance has taken delivery of its brand-new helicopter. We look back at the charity’s successful fundraising appeal and what we can expect from this state-of-the-art piece of kit The people of Cornwall have stepped up to help Cornwall Air Ambulance complete one of its toughest missions to date. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our local communities, the £2.5 million fundraising appeal for a new helicopter was surpassed this year ahead of schedule. The lifesaving charity has now taken delivery of the next generation AW169 helicopter, the first aircraft the charity has ever owned. Since the charity launched the New Heli Appeal in April 2018, more than £2.7 million has been raised towards the cost of a new air ambulance helicopter, which will serve the county for many years to come. This incredible amount was achieved through the hard work of volunteers, supporters and fundraisers. Barbara Sharples, trustee and chair of the New Heli Appeal board, says: “We set ourselves a huge task in one of the poorest counties in the UK, but the reaction was heartwarming. The people, businesses and communities of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond got behind the appeal from day one. They were generous and innovative in the myriad ways they chose to raise funds, and they had fun. “We were all driven by a mission to give the aircrew the new helicopter which would transform the critical care they could give and save precious time, that is sometimes the difference between life and death. “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead this appeal. The amount raised is testament to how much the county cherishes this charity. This is your charity, saving your lives and the lives of people you may never meet. This is your legacy to Cornwall.” BUSINESS CORNWALL | 19
Having the extra space to allow two crew members to work on a patient will greatly improve the care we can give
NEW HELICOPTER FEATURES
lot. That basically means we want the people we treat to make the best recovery possible. The faster AW169 will allow us to reach patients more quickly. We are in turn able to start their treatment earlier and improve that patient’s outcome.
Cornwall is now the proud owner of an AW169 air ambulance helicopter. This next generation of helicopter is faster, more powerful and capable of reaching even more people in their hour of need. Air operations officer, Steve Garvey, explains the difference the new aircraft will make to the service the critical care team can provide. “We had one priority in mind when we were looking at bringing a new air ambulance to Cornwall – it must help us improve the care we give to patients,” he says.
The AW169 has some of the most advanced navigation capabilities on offer in the industry
“Part of this means having the ability to carry more medical equipment so we can make more lifesaving interventions. The extra power of the AW169 will allow us to do this.
“The faster we can reach a patient and treat them, the better their chances of survival are. As paramedics and doctors, we talk about patient outcomes a
20 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
“The greater space and access to patients is a benefit of the new aircraft. The scene of an emergency can be a very difficult place to treat a critically ill or injured person. Whether we land at the aftermath of a car accident or find ourselves treating someone on a busy beach, the environment can cause additional stress to a patient. Removing them from the public gaze into a warm, safe environment so we can assess and treat them in a cabin with enough space to do so will make a huge difference. “The AW169 gives our team 360-degree access to the patient with a stretcher down the middle, whereas in our current aircraft we can only treat them from one side. It may sound simple, but having the extra space to allow two crew members to work on a patient will greatly improve the care we can give.”
EXTENDED HOURS The state-of-the-art features of the new helicopter are allowing the charity to further the lifesaving service it provides to the community. Cornwall Air Ambulance will now fly for 19 hours a day, from 7am until 2am. Extending the operational flying time by seven hours will help the clinical teams reach more patients every day. Steve Murdoch, chief operating officer at Cornwall Air Ambulance, says: “The way our clinical teams provide care has continually evolved over the years. In 2017, we started a trial providing critical care in rapid response vehicles until 2am. “This trial provided us with the evidence that our services would be required until the early hours of the morning. As you would expect, the serious injuries and illness which require our specialist critical care can occur at any time of the day or night. “Being able to get specialist care to a patient quickly can be the difference between life and death. That is why we are committed to extending our operating hours, this will help us to reach an average of two or more patients per day.” The new helicopter has enhanced safety features for flying at night and the aircrew have been through extended training to prepare them for the new hours of operation. Chief pilot at Cornwall Air Ambulance, captain
CHARITY Adam Smith, explains: “There are many upgrades in this aircraft which will make a real difference to operations here. The AW169 has some of the most advanced navigation capabilities on offer in the industry. Being able to input locations into the helicopter, a bit like a car sat nav, will really help when we are flying in darkness. “During night operations, we rely on fixed fuel reserves, Cornwall has few fuelling options out- of-hours, so it’s a huge benefit to be able to fly further at night due to the better fuel endurance in the new helicopter. “The Synthetic Vision System (SVS) helps the crew when returning to airports or heliports as it shows us what we would see if it was daytime. “All of the aircrew have been going through night HEMS training and we are looking forward to operating the new aircraft for 19 hours a day.”
PATIENT CASE STUDY Over the August Bank Holiday weekend last year, Catherine (Cav) Hines was making the most of the sunshine on a ride with her horse Max. She was on The Kelseys near Holywell Bay, while her husband Chris walked their dog Bertie, alongside, when life changed in an instant. Out of nowhere, an unaccompanied dog came running up to the couple, barking and
snapping, hanging off the horse’s legs by its teeth. This spooked Max and led him to kick out. Catherine was thrown from the horse, which then trampled on her as it tried to back away from the dog. On the remote commons, with no road access, Catherine desperately needed emergency care. Chris rang 999 and Cornwall Air Ambulance was immediately tasked to the scene. Responding to the call were critical care paramedics Thomas Hennessy Jones and Martin Bunt. The helicopter landed just metres away from Catherine and paramedics started to assess her and administer pain relief. Chris says: “Witnessing the whole incident was horrendous. You don’t really have time to process what is happening. Hearing the air ambulance approach was such a relief, they were there so quickly.” Catherine sustained serious injuries to her ribs, arm, spine and head during the incident.
was very calm, the paramedics were so kind and I felt incredibly safe and well looked after.” Catherine was airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital for further treatment. Fortunately, she did not need surgery and has since recovered well from her injuries.
The faster we can reach a patient and treat them, the better their chances of survival are
She says: “It was traumatic, I can remember the pain. I couldn’t feel my legs, I wasn’t sure if they worked or not. I remember thinking ‘I can’t move’. When the paramedics arrived, it
PROFILE
Six months to the day since her incident, Catherine and Chris visited Cornwall Air Ambulance headquarters in Newquay to be reunited with the crew who helped her that day.
Catherine says: “A very large horse trampled on me, so I feel very lucky to be here. It was great to meet the paramedics again and thank them for saving my life.”
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 21
LEGAL
CORNWALL
Wealth Preservation for Family
talk
Legal
Increasing Business Value
Incentivise
Barriers to Growth
Succession And Options
Remunerating Family
Risks to the Business
Andrew Allen, who leads the specialist national legal sector team at accountancy and advisory firm PKF Francis Clark, gives us his overview on the sector and some of the challenges it faces in the future The legal sector, both in the south west and nationally, remains a challenging environment in 2020; major changes in recent years following the Legal Services Act 2007 effectively opened up the market to wider competition and this has had a wide impact on law firm strategy and investment decisions. In our experience many firms have reacted positively to these new challenges and are now, as businesses, in a stronger and more robust position. In particular parts of the sector seen some significant innovation in terms of how services are delivered to clients and the range of services (legal and non-legal) has been expanded in many firms. Client experience
22 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
has also improved in many firms as a result of these changes. Reflecting on the last couple of financial years for law firms; most have seen continued growth in top line income levels; however the rate of that growth has been slowing quite considerably particularly in 2019 when the typical levels of year on year growth were in the region of 5% which compared with growth levels of 10% to 15% a couple of years earlier. Considering the individual disciplines in law firms in 2020, our experience to date shows that private client and litigation (particularly commercial litigation and contested probate) are showing the greatest areas of growth.
seen that firms are needing to invest more heavily in IT related areas along with marketing and business development. Naturally these investments can often impact on the bottom line of law firm profits. Turning to some of the key challenges the sector faces: • SUCCESSION Most law firms are run and substantially funded by the partners/owners of the business. With increased perceived risks from potential incoming partners along with the volatility of the sector it has become more difficult for law firms to attract and retain partners. The impact of this in the longer term is that keeping key skills and a source of funding in law firms could become more difficult. This has also, along with other reasons, resulted in a continued trend of law firm mergers and joint ventures.
Firms are needing to invest more heavily in IT related areas along with marketing and business development
Profitability in law firms has followed a similar trend to top line income levels in many cases although we have generally
LEGAL
CORNWALL
REFLECTIONS FROM 2020 started with success for Stephens Scown LLP, and now sees the firm supporting the business community through challenging times. Board member Verity Slater, the firm’s deputy head of Cornwall, reflects on the year so far
In February, we found out we had ranked for the sixth consecutive year in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list. The survey is based solely on feedback from our people and reflects that this is great place to work. As we are employee-owned – something which is still very unusual in the legal sector – everyone has a real stake in the business. We have also some very interesting work in helping our clients to achieve success. NATIONAL EXPERTISE Stephens Scown is competing with large city law firms to win national work. We are using the expertise we gain from these national deals to help businesses based in Cornwall, too.
Earlier this year, we acted on a multi-million pound purchase agreement between two major Apple premium resellers. The deal has seen Compu B purchase our clients Professional Reseller Group, also known as Stormfront, in a move anticipated to bring €60 million in sales to Compu B’s parent company, B.ICONIC. 23 shops across the UK were involved in the deal. Closer to home, Stephens Scown recently assisted in the creation of joint working agreements between Legal & General Affordable Homes and our client, Coastline Housing Ltd. The arrangement aims to deliver an additional 300 homes for social housing purposes each year. UNCERTAIN TIMES If I had written this article a month ago, it
would have been very different; COVID-19 has changed things. For us at Stephens Scown, we have contingency plans in place, which mean that we will be able to help our clients in any eventuality and that clients will be able to contact us by email, landline or mobile numbers in the usual way. We are here to support businesses with their survival and recovery. We are keeping our website up to date with useful articles, but please do get in touch if you need help. Our employment team is also offering a free half-hour consultation to provide advice to employers. For more information or to speak to Verity, please call 01872 265100, email employment@stephens-scown.co.uk or visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk
DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT... LOIS WILD ST PETROCS Business Cornwall is a fantastic publication which keeps us informed of all the news of the Cornish business community while celebrating this vibrant and diverse sector. It provides us with a place to connect and engage with other businesses in the county in a meaningful way. The professional and personable team actively seek further engagement opportunities and connect people and ideas, which is greatly appreciated.
Business Cornwall has a range of effective platforms to communicate your business marketing objectives effectively. For more information, please contact Caroline Carter on 01209 718688 or caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 23
LEGAL
CORNWALL
SUPPORTING CLIENTS INTO A NEW ERA As the Government attempts to thrash out deals with Europe and the world during this Brexit transition period, so our legal teams are keeping abreast of the process on behalf of our clients, writes Hine Downing Partner Diana Standen
While outcomes are still far from clear, our progressive Falmouth-based firm is rising to the challenges of Brexit and beyond in recruitment, training, compliance and expertise across our departments to serve the many and varied needs of our communities. In increasing demand is the internationally recognised specialist work of Notary Public and solicitor Autumn Trebilcock - providing services to commercial firms engaged in international trade as well as private individuals.
24 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
No area of law will be untouched – from property and commercial to family law and dispute resolution and we recognise that within certain sectors – farming an example - there is anxiety over what a post-Brexit future might looks like. Advising our farming clients is Sue Reynolds, an agricultural and commercial property specialist who has farming in her blood and knows first-hand how uncertainties over the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and the character of any replacement UK agricultural policies and subsidies raise legal problems, particularly over long-term tenancies or other contractual arrangements in force after Brexit. Hine Downing can help farmers and landowners to review their tenancy and
partnership arrangements, including CAP variations, to existing agreements and the mechanism to resolve disputes. Across our areas of expertise Hine Downing offers insight and advice in uncertain times and by contacting us you will be assured of a service that is as friendly as it is professional. For more information please contact us on +44 (0) 1326 316655 or general@hinedowning.com or visit www.hinedowning.com
LEGAL
continued from page 22
• CASH FLOW
• PROCESS MANAGEMENT With increased competition a focus on cost of service delivery has become a crucial issue for law firms. This has required many firms to really focus on how they deliver their service and where they add value. Many firms for the first time have been costing their services and looking at pricing structures and options. All very healthy business management actions but this has been a difficult transition for the sector and the process continues today in many firms.
Law firms need to fund the period of time between paying their staff and when clients pay them for their services. This can at times provide a volatile cash position. With the impact of Brexit and Election concerns in 2019 combined with the coronavirus in 2020 there are increasing concerns that cash positions in firms could erode as they did in 2008 following the financial crisis.
• IT INVESTMENT Meeting both client and staff expectations has required considerable investment in many firms and this is ongoing. The investment here often requires large amount of management time and funding.
Most (law firms), have seen continued growth in top line income levels
Overall, while the legal sector continues to face challenges it should be noted that the health and longevity of law firm businesses today is better than it was in 2008 after the last financial crisis and the advent of the Legal Services Act. Many law firms have culturally,
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from a management and client service viewpoint, changed dramatically over this period and this places them in a stronger position to manage higher levels of competition and challenges that the future may present to them.
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BUSINESS CORNWALL | 25
COMMERCIAL
PROPERTY
We focus on the state of the commercial property sector in Cornwall. Brexit may be done, but uncertainties remain…
Glass half full, or half empty? The commercial property market performed well in 2019 and was looking forward to the coming year with confidence. Against a backdrop of considerable uncertainty last year, the commercial property market is said to have fared well. No business sector likes uncertainty, and with Brexit done (sort of), the sector was looking ahead with a touch more confidence. However, the unwelcome Covid-19 outbreak has very much thrown everything in the air again. Brexit got done, businesses now need to deal with the challenge of coronavirus. Tom Smith is head of commercial agency at Miller Commercial and as part of the front line in the local economic community and a barometer for business confidence
26 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
as a whole, saw a real shift in attitude from local and regional businesses and industries at the start of the year. With Brexit out of the way (sort of), they could now make decisions about their business plans with greater certainty than they have had in the past few years. “However, we have seen that developments over the past couple of weeks may temper this renewed optimism,” says Smith.
“However, we are already seeing the effects of coronavirus on some local businesses where the impact on cash flow is putting them under pressure.”
Covid-19 outbreak has very much thrown everything in the air again
“Time to expand, time to upgrade premises, time to invest in staff, plant and equipment or time to commit to longer term premises are all factors that we have discussed with businesses customers and clients alike in the past few months. “Record levels of demand in the industrial sector has led to sub 3% vacancy rates across Cornwall for industrial and manufacturing premises and prime rents are reaching new heights in the sector (up to £8.50 per sq ft), bringing with them enquiries from investors and developers seeking strong returns.
However, where there are threats for some, others see opportunity. And investors that are able to react can put this to their advantage.
Smith add: “Bricks and mortar remains a solid, long-term investment for both businesses and individuals. With low interest rates and a falling stock market, now is an opportunistic time for business owners to invest into buying their commercial premises, which, if bought correctly can have tax benefits to the owners as well.” Meanwhile, in recent weeks (prior to the coronavirus crisis), Vickery Holman and Alder King both published their annual market reports. Vickery Holman’s Market Review reports an increase in demand for good quality office space, but says Truro is no longer necessarily the centre of the business world for occupiers in Cornwall.
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Commercial agent Will Oldrieve says that while demand is largely focused in Truro city and the near outskirts, there have been “examples of excellent take up” at such places as the new ESAM (Enterprise Space for Advanced Manufacturing) and the office accommodation at Aerohub in Newquay. Supply of good quality office space in Truro, is being “snapped up pretty quickly”, while outside of Truro is “very limited” with most of the new build being let now. However, the report points to options in the pipeline which will be coming forward in the next few years. On the retail side, The Market Review says that following the decline of 2018, demand has been stabilised, albeit “still at low levels”. It says independent food and beverage and hairdressers are performing well in the retail sector, while the slowdown in CVAs and administrations is encouraging. The research says local retailers are still actively looking for deals on smaller units particularly those under the small business rates relief threshold. It is also reported that Next, Boots, Go
Outdoors, Smyths Toys, Shoezone, KFC and Wren Kitchens are all signed up to go into the new retail park at Hendra Park in Threemilestone.
But since the report was written before the coronavirus crisis struck Britain, there is probably more uncertainty than ever at the moment.
On the industrial side, Oldrieve says demand “cooled slightly” in 2019.
Over the past few weeks, Alder King also brought out its annual Market Monitor report on the south west commercial property market.
“There is a certain level of demand but not as strong as 2017/2018 as such properties tend to stay on the market for longer when they become vacant,” he says. Supply has increased since 2018, with significant amounts of industrial property becoming available in such places as Launceston, where Kensey Foods pulled out of circa 200,000sq ft.
It broadly echoes many of the findings made by Vickery Holman. It says demand for out of town office accommodation has increased year on year, particularly when it has good access to the A30. It says “poorer quality city centre offices”, often without parking, are in over supply and take considerably longer to let.
Local retailers are still actively looking for deals on smaller units
Bodmin has also seen a few larger units coming available such as the former Fitzgerald lighting unit at 36 Normandy Way as well as 30,000sq ft on Lucknow Road. In his introduction to the Market Review, MD Mark Pellow hints at a Brexit bounce.
Alder King says supply of industrial space in Cornwall more than doubled in 2019, reaching its highest level in five years – new developments at Indian Queens and Scorrier off the A30, the Aerohub in Newquay and Church View Business Park in Falmouth, accounting for 25% of the currently available space.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 27
COMMERCIAL
PROPERTY
A TAX TRAP FOR THE
UNWARY DEVELOPER Since 2012, a company buying a single dwelling for more than £500k has faced a potential 15% flat rate SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax) charge and an ATED (Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings) charge that starts at £3,650 per annum, but can be a lot more than that.
This has been the case for eight years now, but we still see developers slip into these charges unaware and, while reliefs are available that can wipe out the charge, we are increasingly helping developers with HMRC enquiries. Unfortunately, most of the time it is too late for a relief claim and all we can do is negotiate the amount of penalties due.
Common scenario…. A developer buys a run-down house with large gardens intending to renovate or convert the house and build new houses in the grounds. This is a dwelling purchase – it may never be used as one and may just be a land purchase to the developer, but it is still a dwelling even if no-one lives in it. Also, if the cost exceeds £500,000, and the purchaser is a company the starting point is a 15% SDLT charge and the ATED applies. But, it’s for business use – you don’t have to pay when it’s for business use! Do you?... The first problem is that the charge starts at 15% and can only be avoided by a relief claim made on the SDLT return. Showing any other tax charge is an incorrect return and HMRC will open an enquiry – usually about seven or eight months later. While relief is available for almost all business uses, they are specific and conditional. If the relief conditions are not met or are breached within the first three years of ownership, it will be withdrawn and the full tax is due. The main relief is for use in a development, letting or property dealing business or in the owner’s relievable trade. But, the property must be brought into such use without unreasonable delay and any non-qualifying use will disqualify relief.
28 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
Bishop Fleming tax director Robert Bailey has some timely advice regarding stamp duty land tax The most common scenarios that cause this are: 1. Holding the property in stock while another project is finished. Undue delay can cause relief to be denied – you must at least get the planning process started. 2. Allowing a relative to occupy the property while planning consent is obtained. The second scenario will be fatal to a relief claim. These properties are often in great locations and there can be a temptation to let a family member use the property while plans are drawn up. However, any occupation by a connected person will be non-qualifying - even if they pay a clearly commercial rent or it is necessary for security or insurance purposes to have a caretaker on site. All too often, we are brought in when the HMRC enquiry letter has arrived. This is usually months after purchase and it is too late because the relief conditions have already been breached. Conditions for ATED relief are similar. It is given for business use and must be claimed on an ATED return. More mistakes are being made and HMRC are picking these up as easy wins. They can add 30%, sometimes more, to the tax in penalties as well as interest, so the tax settlement can easily run into six figures. The lesson is to be aware of SDLT and take advice ahead of the deal.
For more information on SDLT or ATED, contact Robert Bailey, tax director at Bishop Fleming, on 01872 247086 or at rbailey@bishopfleming.co.uk
Redruth Enterprise Park Project Cornwall Business Park, West Scorrier, Redruth
JAD Developments (Redruth) Ltd are pleased to present Redruth Enterprise Park & Redruth House on Plots 11, 12 and 12A, Cornwall Business Park, West, Scorrier, Redruth. The development comprises a total of some 4,142 sqm (44,607 sq ft) of high quality low carbon office and hybrid office/industrial space, comprising 14 flexible small office suites and 14 hybrid office industrial units. The office suites start at 18 sqm, while the hybrid office/industrial units range from 235 sqm to 325 sqm.
The Redruth Enterprise Park project has just been completed and the units are available on a leasehold basis.
H LAUNC COMINNG SOO
The units are constructed to BREEAM excellent and are aimed at high value growth SME businesses. JAD Developments (Redruth) Ltd have successfully obtained some £3.47m of grant funding for the project from the European Regional Development Fund, as part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme. Redruth Enterprise Park is exceptionally well located in relation to the main A30 at Scorrier and provides excellent connectivity to Cornwall’s main transport network as well as lying in close proximity to Camborne-Pool-Redruth and Truro.
COMMERCIAL
PROPERTY
SIPP TAKES FLIGHT FOR LAS AEROSPACE Longstanding clients of Pam Johns, Head of Rural Services, Scott and Jackie Powell are preparing to use a SIPP to relocate their global aircraft parts company LAS Aerospace, after receiving specialist advice from Helen Willett at Coodes Solicitors. Scott says: “When we needed to relocate and buy a new home for LAS Aerospace, we were in a position to do it ourselves and decided it made perfect sense to buy through a SIPP. It was a long process because SIPPS are quite complicated to set up so progress can feel quite slow. Helen really grasped it though and, thanks to her perseverance, it all came together. She was excellent and it has all worked out really well for us.
Growing numbers of business owners are recognising the potential to invest in commercial property through a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) Jo Morgan, partner and head of commercial property at south west law firm Coodes Solicitors, says: “We know from speaking to our business clients and professional contacts that there is currently a lot of interest in SIPPs. Growing numbers of business owners are choosing to use the money invested in their private pensions to buy new premises, or the building from which the company currently operates. “However, there are risks which business owners need to be aware of and the SIPP process is highly complex and can become very drawn-out. This makes getting specialist legal advice absolutely crucial. That’s why at Coodes we have taken the approach of developing specialist SIPP expertise so we can respond to growing demand from clients.”
THE BENEFITS AND RISKS Coodes partner, Helen Willett, has helped a number of business owners to invest in commercial property through a SIPP. “It offers a tax efficient way of investing in property and growing a pension pot, which can make it a great option for ownermanaged businesses,” she says. “A key attraction is that any growth in the property value is free from capital gains tax. “If you run the business that operates from the premises, you effectively become your own landlord. If you lease the property, the rent the business pays is an allowable
30 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
“We’ll be in a position to take on new lines and new product ranges. Crucially, we will have room for expansion and the capability to grow our workforce. It’s a win-win situation for us as the owners.”
SIPP IT AND SEE business expense and the pension pot also gets a tax-free rental income.
SIPP SUCCESS FOR CORNISH GEMS
“A SIPP can be a good option, but it doesn’t work for everyone and it is important to understand the potential pitfalls. For example, your buying options may be limited through a SIPP, as pension funds will not take certain risks. The occupation of the premises will need to be formalised with a lease so that rent is payable into the pension fund, even if the pension owner effectively owns or controls the business that occupies the property.
Nadia Macer-Wright and Julianne Shelton, founders of luxury self-catering holiday company Cornish Gems, used a SIPP to buy the company’s premises in St Ives. They were advised by Helen Willett at Coodes Solicitors.
“Before deciding on whether or not to invest in commercial property through a SIPP, seek legal advice so you know that this is the right decision for the future, as well as for your business now.” For advice on investing in commercial property through a SIPP, contact Helen Willett at Coodes Solicitors on 01736 362294 or Helen.willett@coodes.co.uk
www.coodes.co.uk
Nadia says: “When we wanted to buy the building that Cornish Gems was leasing, we were advised that a SIPP was a tax efficient way to invest in property and save for the future. Initially, we struggled to find a local solicitor with the right expertise to advise us on buying a commercial property with a SIPP. “I would advise anyone going through the process to prepare and plan well in advance. Buying through a SIPP can be very complicated so you will need the right advice. “Helen was really helpful throughout and was very clear on what we needed to do. She clearly has a wealth of experience and it really made a difference to have Helen on our side. Coodes did a great job of turning it around as quickly as possible and we really valued Helen’s support.”
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MEET THE EXPERTS IN INDUSTRIAL SPACE
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Helping you find the right premises across Cornwall and the south west
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27A Pennygillam Way, Launceston High quality, modern light industrial/warehouse unit To Let. 15,000 sq ft in total including 1,900 sq ft of refurbished offices as well as a further 1,400 sq ft mezzanine storage and plenty of car parking.
Rent of £85,000 pa excl. EPC E121
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The Business Property Specialists A30 Business Park, Indian Queens Brand new high specification light industrial units. Built to the highest standards. Units 9A, 9B and 9C are all now let to local, expanding businesses. New phases to be delivered in 2021.
Cornwall’s most active agent 9 years in succession 2011 to 2019, which is why we make things happen for sellers, landlords, buyers and renters
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Unit 1 St Austell Bay Business Park, St Austell A 3,076 sq ft industrial unit in a well-established business park. Let to a national trade counter occupier.
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11a Callywith Gate Industrial Estate, Bodmin A 6,200 sq ft semi-detached industrial/warehouse unit of steel portal frame construction. Let to a well-known producer of contemporary domestic and commercial furniture.
With people turning to the media for clarity, updates and information, Business Cornwall is fortunately in a strong position to not only provide updates relevant to the B2B community but also help in spreading your specialist business tips, advice and services. Furthermore, to make this more obtainable through these unprecedented times, we are offering the best value packages we’ve ever put out so that we can keep the cogs turning of our business and yours.
GET YOUR CAMPAIGN ONLINE TODAY! businesscornwall.co.uk
info@businesscornwall.co.uk
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12/03/2020 15:52
PEOPLE
ON THE MOVE
DOWNES FLIES INTO CORNWALL Cornwall Airport Newquay has appointed a new MD. Pete Downes is currently aviation director at London City Airport and has been instrumental in driving its route development and airline growth, delivering passenger numbers in excess of five million per year.
POPPY ON LEP BOARD
He will take up his new role next month, replacing Al Titterington who has joined Birmingham Airport after 14 years in Cornwall. He said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to lead the team at Cornwall Airport Newquay, building on the airport’s impressive track record of delivery for the region.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed Poppy Naylor as a non-executive director.
“Having spent several years working in the south west of England previously, I’m looking forward to returning and working together with our airlines, partners and stakeholders to create an exciting future for aviation in Cornwall.”
Naylor is a charity fundraising and marketing consultant with almost 20 years’ experience in the voluntary sector. She spent 15 years at Cancer Research UK and led the campaigns team, including the Stand Up to Cancer campaign. Since 2017, Naylor has run her own consultancy business with clients including Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Unicef UK’s Soccer Aid campaign, which raised a record £7.9 million last year. She is also a board trustee of First Light Southwest, a charity supporting people in Cornwall, Devon, and Wiltshire who have been affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. LEP chair Mark Duddridge said: “We’re delighted to welcome Poppy to the LEP and I have no doubt her skills and experience will enrich our board and its decision-making.”
ACCOUNTANT ADDS FOUR Bishop Fleming has continued to expand its Truro office with the recruitment of four new positions. Since January, the recruitment drive has seen Alex Gabriel and Bradley Aimable join the accountancy firm as audit senior’s, Thomas Julier as a CBS assistant and Jeannie Coles as a client support administrator.
MARKETING HEAD
The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro has appointed a new CEO. Jonathan Morton was formerly head of business and operations at Tate St Ives. During his seven years at the Tate, he delivered an ambitious capital programme that achieved a 30% increase in admissions’ income and attracted over 300,000 visitors a year. “I’m very excited about my new role,” he said. “The museum is a treasure trove of Cornish heritage and it’s important that it should feel accessible and open to everyone, whatever their age or background. “My task will be to consult with stakeholders, listen to their views and build partnerships that will help us take the museum forward as an attraction and resource that instils local and wider community pride.”
Bishop Fleming Truro partner, Alison Oliver, said: “We are so pleased to welcome our new starters who have joined us, their appointments come at an exciting time for Bishop Fleming as we continue to grow.”
Accountancy firm PKF Francis Clark has named a new director of marketing.
MUSEUM NAMES NEW CEO
Having worked in professional services for 20 years of her career, with ten of those being for a ‘Big 4’ accountancy firm, Mandy Reynolds brings a wealth of experience to the role. Her marketing track record extends wider than just professional services with managerial positions at advertising agencies, representing major brands such as NHS, Xerox and several national house builders. Most recently she was at law firm Stephens Scown. BUSINESS CORNWALL | 33
FOOD
& DRINK
A new gin using foraged ingredients from the Cornish coastline has been launched.
REFILL STATIONS Cornish food and drink businesses have been launching bespoke-made salt refill stations. Made from upcycled and repurposed materials such as cereal dispensers and reclaimed wood, the salt refill station from Cornish Sea Salt is designed to encourage customers to reuse their pots while reducing waste. Improving sustainability credentials is a key focus for Cornish Sea Salt in 2020. Later this year it will also be launching 100% biodegradable and compostable packaging alongside its refill initiative. Meanwhile, Rodda’s is to triple the number of refillable milk stations across independent retailers in Cornwall.
NEW GIN LAUNCHES
Flavoured by locally-sourced samphire and three types of Cornish seaweed, Rosemullion Distillery’s Seafarer’s Gin is now available to purchase online and in select stores across the south west.
Rosemullion Distillery, which is based on the Helford, was launched in 2019 by husband and wife team Andy and Liz Bradbury. Andy Bradbury, co-founder of Rosemullion Distillery, said: “Those who are lucky enough to live in Cornwall, or have visited our beautiful coastline, will know what it’s like to walk along the beach or the coast path, taking in the refreshing sea air, and feeling the salty spray as the waves crash against the coastline. “We’ve tried to encapsulate that feeling in our Seafarer’s Gin, so that our customers can experience a small piece of the Cornish coastline at home.”
Launched last year, Rodda’s currently has 31 stations in Cornwall including Trevaskis Farm near Hayle and Emilys of Truro. This initiative gives businesses the opportunity to offer the refillable milk stations to customers and provide an alternative way to purchase local milk. MD Nicholas Rodda said: “We know our customers are looking for more sustainable options when it comes to buying milk and our pledge to double the amount of our milk stations is designed to help provide that choice.”
BEST FOODIE HOTEL The Greenbank was crowned ‘Best Foodie Hotel’ in the south west at the Food Magazine Reader Awards. The four-star hotel overlooking the Carrick Roads in Falmouth boasts two AArosette status in its popular Water’s Edge restaurant, which is headed up by executive chef Nick Hodges and head chef Bobby Southworth. Hodges said: “The team and I are delighted to have received this award, especially as it has been voted by the readers, many of which are our guests.” 34 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
CAINES OPENS IN CORNWALL Renowned celebrity chef Michael Caines unveiled The Cove at Maenporth last month following the refresh of the kitchen and development of an entirely new menu. The menu features a brasserie style à la carte menu offering “elevated beachside fare”, while the restaurant also offers an evening six-course tasting menu (£75), featuring some of Caines’ signature dishes.
The Michelin-starred chef, who runs Lympstone Manor Hotel in Devon, said: “I am really excited to be reopening The Cove as my first Cornish venture and working with the dedicated team to welcome new and familiar faces back to the restaurant. “It’s a very special and beautiful place here at Maenporth Beach with an incredible outlook over the Cornish Coast and I am excited about the journey ahead of us, showcasing great produce and introducing myself to the local community.”
www.truro-penwith.ac.uk
EDUCATION &
SPONSORED BY
A CUT ABOVE THE REST Truro and Penwith College is officially a cut above the rest, having been recognised as the best provider of hair and beauty apprenticeships in the UK. The college attended the 2020 AAC Apprenticeship Awards at the ICC Birmingham last month, where it was awarded the Hair and Beauty Apprenticeship Provider of the Year title. The annual awards, organised by FE Week and the Association of Education and Learning Providers, is open to all apprenticeship providers and employers across the country, and celebrates the very best education providers the UK has to offer. Hayley McKinstry, programme team leader for hair, beauty and complementary therapies at Truro and Penwith College, said: “It is an honour to have won this national award for Hair and Beauty Apprenticeship provider of the Year. It showcases the hard work and dedication that the team put into the delivery and support offered throughout our apprenticeship provision.”
COLLEGE NAMES NEW PRINCIPAL Truro and Penwith College has confirmed Martin Tucker as its new principal. Tucker, who has sat on the college’s senior management team for the past 13 years as director at Penwith College, will take the reins from current principal David Walrond, who, as previously announced, will retire on September 1. Chair of governors, Bob Crossland, said: “Martin’s role to date, as part of the senior management team, his extensive experience in education and reputation in the county is such that he will be well placed to lead the college in the coming years both to face new challenges and maintain and build on its (Ofsted) Outstanding status providing high quality education for the young people of Cornwall.” Tucker, who lives with his family just outside Penzance, has been teaching since 1985, having trained as a PE and Science teacher. Previous roles include head of PE at Penwith College and programme team leader for
HANDLE WITH CARE Seagulls favour food that has been handled by humans, according to new research from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn Campus. Herring gulls were presented with two identical food items – one of which they had seen a human holding. The gulls pecked more often at the handled food, suggesting they use human actions when deciding what to eat. The University of Exeter study follows previous research which found that staring at seagulls makes them less likely to steal food. “UK herring gull numbers are declining, but urban populations have increased,” said lead author Madeleine Goumas. “Despite the fact they’re a common sight in many towns, little is known about urban gull behaviour.
TRAINING
sport at Truro, where he played a pivotal part in the department’s expansion. He said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to continue the development of such an outstanding college for Cornwall’s learners and business community. I am proud to have already been a part of the tremendous success of the college working with outstanding staff and governors.” Away for the college, Tucker is a director of the Cornish Pirates and director and chair of the England College’s Rugby Football Union.
“We wanted to find out if gulls are simply attracted by the sight of food, or if people’s actions can draw gulls’ attention towards an item.
“Our study shows that cues from humans may play an important part in the way gulls find food and could partly explain why gulls have been successful in colonising urban areas.” In the study, carried out in Cornish towns including Falmouth and Penzance, a researcher approached individual gulls and placed two buckets on the ground in front of them, each covering a wrapped flapjack. The buckets were then removed, and the researcher picked up one of the flapjacks, handled it for 20 seconds, and then put it back down on the ground. In total, 38 gulls were tested, 24 pecked at one of the flapjacks and 19 of these (79%) chose the one that had been handled.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 35
CREATIVE
AND DIGITAL
SPONSORED BY Falmouth-based digital marketing agency 3WhiteHats has been named among the top five places to work in the UK.
3WHITEHATS IN TOP 5
Campaign Magazine, one of the UK’s leading media publications, has ranked 3WhiteHats in fifth place for ‘Best Places to Work 2020’ overall, as well as #3 on its list of the ‘Best Small Places to Work’. It is also the highest-ranking nonLondon agency to make these lists. 3WhiteHats specialises in SEO, paid search, social and web analytics;
80 PER CENT AWESOME
Their business, registered in Cornwall, launched last month with two events – one in Truro and the other with University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The concept was developed while the pair holidayed together on the Isles of Scilly two years ago. They came up with the idea of ‘operating at 80% awesome’ – how aiming for 100% perfection is just not feasible, and actually unsustainable. Picken said: “As mums, business owners,
delivering marketing campaigns for national and international brands. MD Tom Telford said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised in the top rankings for the best agencies to work for. Since we started out in 2010, we’ve worked really hard to build an agency that not only delivers the best work for clients, but is also the best place to work for all our teammates. “It’s been a big team effort over the years and I couldn’t be happier for us to be recognised alongside other top UK agencies.”
PADDLE LOGGER SHORTLISTED
Two friends have turned their quest for work-life balance into a new business, catching the attention of a world-leading university. Event professional Claire EasonBassett and chartered PR Rachel Picken have launched ‘80 Per Cent Awesome’ – a business that will bring workshops, events, products and a community to people who are seeking a life that’s a little less perfect.
www.digitalpeninsula.org
Local watersports business Paddle Logger has been shortlisted in the international Sports Technology Awards. ambitious professionals and partners, we know how exhausting it is to try and perform at optimum capacity. When I built Agile PR, I did this with a mind to mental health and ensuring I had time with my young family.” Eason-Bassett is former director of Mackerel Sky Events, and 18 months ago relocated to Buckinghamshire with her family to join English National Ballet as head of business development and events. She said: “What started as an idea has really gained momentum and we are continuing to evolve the model and tools as we build the community. Life can be chaotic and complex and operating at 80% is proving to be a sustainable way to cope with it all.”
The business, which produces an app for anyone who participates in a paddle-based sport, has been shortlisted in the Most Innovative Sports App category. Founder and CEO, David Walker, said: “As a small team of two, Lewis and I have worked extremely hard bootstrapping this brand, developing our service for paddlers around the world, so I am particularly proud we have got this recognition. “Especially as we also operate in a relatively small global market, it is fantastic to be representing paddlesports on the shortlist with the likes of sailing, football and running.” Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on June 25.
B CORP STATUS FOR MADE OPEN
refocussed our core values, renewed our business goals and developed a set of performance measures in line with a selection of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
Design and technology company Made Open has joined the growing list of Certified B Corporations.
Made Open joins the likes of Leap, Finisterre and Solve Web Media to gain B Corp status in Cornwall and over 2,500 Certified B Corporations from more than 130 industries and 60 countries around the world.
This accreditation shows that Made Open “uses the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy”. Made Open creates digital platforms and design services that support communities. Director Kathryn Woolf said: “We are
36 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
extremely proud to have achieved the B Corporation certification. Our mission at Made Open is to create positive and sustainable social change using design and technology; however, proving it has, in the past, been difficult. “The process has helped us to look introspectively at all aspects of our business; what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and how we measure our performance. We have
NEWS
SPONSORED BY
#FSBCONNECT
CONFERENCE SUCCESS FSB Women Cornwall hosted around 120 delegates and speakers at its “In Confidence” conference at the Falmouth Hotel last month.
Cornish Ware. Sandra Garlick MBE was a lawyer and now runs Woman Who in the Midlands.
The feedback and post-event chat has been amazing. It was a resounding success with people coming from as far away as Blackpool, Coventry and Reading and local speakers too, all collecting to inspire our local business community. Whilst the event was primarily aimed at women men attended as well. Just proving that we can all learn from each other.
And then Cornwall’s Laura Whyte (Whyfield) and Frances Brennan (Seetec Pluss & CIoSLEP) told us about their business journeys, which they modestly said weren’t that remarkable but made the room just light up with admiration.
There were inspiring stories from some amazing speakers like Karina Rickards who, after overcoming many challenges, working for Cartier and sailing through a hurricane, arrived at taking over well-known pottery
Kirsty Miles-Musgrave ran a panel session with some of the women that sponsors, the Growth Hub, have been working with and if that wasn’t enough the afternoon was a succession of nine different workshops from Yoga to networking and hypnotherapy to marketing, finance, presenting and management.
WINNING AT FSB AWARDS
CALL TO REVITALISE HIGH STREETS A major new report, ‘Streets Ahead’, from the Federation of Small Businesses has revealed how small firms facing an uphill battle to survive, want to be supported so they can play their part in transforming high streets. That is why in addition to making funding available to local authorities and other public bodies through the Future of the High Streets and Stronger Towns Fund, FSB wants to see small businesses directly supported so they can lead the way in transforming our high streets. FSB national chair Mike Cherry, said: “High streets are at the heart of our communities. They are the epicentre of villages, towns and cities right across the country, but for many, these are difficult times.
Two great small businesses from Cornwall were chosen as among the ‘Best in the West’ at the FSB ‘Celebrating Small Business Awards 2020’ held in Taunton.
underwater marine surveyors Ultrabeam Hydrographic (pictured above) scooped the High Growth Business of the Year.
The south west finals of the national FSB contest took place at Somerset County Cricket and four firms from the county were shortlisted for the awards which featured companies from as far apart as the Forest of Dean and the Isles of Scilly.
Ultrabeam’s director Gabriel Walton said he was delighted his company had been recognised at the awards. “It is great to have won this. It has been a real rollercoaster for us since we started two years ago and to win this award is a real confidence boost for the year ahead.”
St Petrocs, from Truro, which is working to end homelessness in the county, won the Community Award trophy while Hayle
The two other Cornish firms shortlisted for the trophies on offer were Float Digital (Falmouth) and Island Fish from the Isles of Scilly.
FSB Offer for Business Cornwall Magazine Readers at www.fsb.org.uk/join If you want to join FSB after reading this page then please quote BCM30 when you join and save £30!
“Small businesses are ready and willing to step up within these communities with almost a third of those on high streets taking a role in the local leadership of the high street, and many more wishing to get involved. However, the fact remains that small businesses need urgent direct support to enable them to be at the vanguard of the transformation of the high street. “Business rates have long been a painful thorn in the side of businesses, and that struggle has only intensified. Our research shows that without the business rates relief, a staggering 38% of small businesses on the high street would not survive. This just goes to show how regressive and unfair the rates are on small firms. That is why we have called on the Government to further extend the scope and duration of the ‘Retailers Relief’ and to remove the rateable value ceiling of £2,899 on second business premises in England. “But it’s also critical that local authorities take action too. Measures such as the expansion of free or discounted parking is a simple way to encourage shoppers to a high street, especially at a time when large anchor stores are closing.” BUSINESS CORNWALL | 37
TOURISM
NEWS
SPONSORED BY
NEW CAMPSITE OPENS
AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRIES
A new campsite with 115 pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes has opened near Newquay.
The 2020/21 Cornwall Tourism Awards have opened for entries and businesses from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are invited to start their submissions. The awards, now in their 19th year, cover both Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, offering business the chance to win not just locally, but to progress on to the regional south west awards and – for matching categories – the national VisitEngland awards. Categories cover the full range of tourismrelated businesses including pubs, cafes and restaurants as well as accommodation, attractions and events. There are also generic categories for ‘unsung heroes’, leadership, innovation, new businesses, dog
The venue is an extension to the Atlantic Reach Resort site, which already offers 230 holiday properties and leisure facilities. friendly, accessibility, wildlife friendly and sustainability. Head of VisitCornwall, Malcolm Bell, said: “The Cornwall Tourism awards enable the best from our Cornish tourism offer to showcase how good they really are and, most importantly, for the owners, managers and staff to gain the recognition they so rightly deserve.” Full details of the awards are at www. cornwalltourismawards.org.uk All entries must be submitted online by April 26.
VISIT ENGLAND ACCOLADES Two Cornish venues were named among the winners of the VisitEngland 2019 Visitor Attraction Accolades. England’s attractions have been awarded Accolades based on the score they gained in
HAPPY HENDRA Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay was named as Britain’s Holiday Centre of the Year by the AA in its recent annual Caravan and Camping Awards. Hendra director Jon Hyatt said the AA accolade was an “incredibly proud” moment for the May and Hyatt families who have owned the park for almost 50 years. “This award is particularly special to us because it is based not just on our quality standards, but the experience which guests enjoy,” he said. The park first started welcoming camping guests in 1972, and today provides a wide range of attractions including a pools complex, professional entertainment and family activities. 38 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
www.visitcornwall.com
The Mullion Cove Hotel has received a fourth AA star. The accolade comes after several years of continual upgrading across all internal and external areas, under the management of Daniel Thompson, who joined the team in 2015. In addition to room refurbishments, Thompson has overseen the development of the spa, as well as a collection of fivestar self-catering apartments. During this time, the restaurant has also been awarded two AA rosettes. Thompson said: “Of course, we are over the moon at being recognised as a four star hotel, but we see this very much as a catch up award that simply reflects the excellent service and quality across all areas that we have been offering for a long time now.”
The site will feature a new toilet and shower block, as well as electric hook ups, free showers, free power points, washing cubicles and disabled amenities. Owner Charlotte Masters said: “We’re so excited to be opening this new campsite. With roughly five million visitors coming to Cornwall every year, people always struggle to find pitches in the area especially in the summer months. This new site will help ease the congestion and offer more variety to those visiting our beautiful part of the world.”
their annual Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessment by VisitEngland. A total of 73 attractions were recognised as a result of the “exceptional experience they provide visitors” from story-telling to food and drink and from customer service to overall winners. The St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre was recognised in the Quality Food and Drink category while Trebah Gardens was given a Gold Accolade.
FOUR STAR MULLION COVE
CHAMBER
SPONSORED BY
cornwallchamber.co.uk
NEWS
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT – HIYIELD recent work with Cornwall Wildlife Trust focused on making important habitat data more accessible. And we’ve been lucky enough to work with the team behind Bristol’s fantastic new attraction, The Wave, to tackle some challenging technical problems as they launched England’s first Surf Park.”
HiYield is a new product-focused digital agency based out of St Austell. Its goal is to create engaging and user-centered websites and digital products, combining research, creativity and technology to deliver real results for its clients. It doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up, SME or corporate innovator, HiYield has seen its approach yield success. Founder and head of technology, Matt Ville, explains: “To make it work, we deep dive, mapping the whole digital journey. Before designing or building anything, we discover. It’s a creative process bringing together project and client teams, to collaboratively learn and discover everything there is to know about the business, end-users and the potential pains and gains. We can then confidently design with the user in mind, making evidence-based decisions to accomplish project goals. “Over the last year, we have seen fast growth partnering with various businesses to bring their digital ideas to market. We’re thrilled to be working on exciting projects and building strong relationships with new clients too. Our
HiYield also supports various businesses in redeveloping their websites, making sure they are “visually exceptional” but more importantly ensuring they deliver for the business, providing a tangible return on the investment. “Working hand in hand with our clients, supporting them to grow and achieve their goals, has given us the exciting opportunity to grow our team,” says Ville. “Starting out a year ago as a team of three, we’ve more than doubled in size to seven. “For us, being based in Cornwall benefits us hugely. Our team has a great work-life balance in a location that offers so much to us. The creative and technology cluster in Cornwall has seen massive growth over the last five years, fueling collaboration and helping support our growth. Organisations like the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has been a massive support for us, connecting us with partners in the local community, getting our brand out there and effectively bridging the gap between our services and the businesses that need them. We are growing and are excited about the future, continuing to do what we love in the place we love.”
WHY JOIN? Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is an independent not for profit organisation accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce. We solely exist to represent businesses in Cornwall. Our events provide a platform for businesses to connect, create and make valuable business relationships. Membership to the Chamber starts from as little as £18 +VAT per month and provides you and your business with the tools you need to promote your business. Get in touch with Darren Buckley, our business development manager to have a chat about how we can support you and your business. darren@cornwallchamber.co.uk 07985189852
A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT With the coast on our doorsteps and many offices within walking distance from the beach or green space, Cornwall provides the perfect base to challenge the 9-5 working routine. Smart Working or flexible working can enhance the working environment of staff leading to higher staff morale, higher productivity and greater staff retention. Therefore, we will be promoting the importance of the work/life balance, to encourage Cornish businesses to adapt to the smart working way. In order to encourage employees to thrive in the beautiful environment around us.
The Cornwall Chamber staff are now able to work from any location from views of St Michaels Mount to an airport foyer the location does not impact the standard of work produced. By providing colleagues with the tools to work from anywhere there are productivity advantages to be gained. By facilitating remote working this reduces travel time therefore, impacting the overall carbon footprint of the Chamber. With this in mind, we will be holding our
annual Sustainability Conference at the Lighthouse Cinema, Newquay on the May 12. We believe that this is an equally important topic that businesses should be focusing on. This is a free event. Book to attend at cornwallchamber.co.uk
Email: hello@corwallchamber.co.uk Call: 01209 216006 Online: www.cornwallchamber.co.uk BUSINESS CORNWALL | 39
TEST DRIVE
FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM PHEV
FORD
TRANSIT WORDS BY MORVETH WARD
Plug-in Hybrid The new Ford Transit Custom Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) could be just the right tool for the job
40 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM PHEV
TEST DRIVE
First-things-first, the new Transit is virtually exactly like any other Transit Custom in size and practical terms. Unless you spot the cover for the plug-in dock then you’d really not know. I was expecting the load bay to be rudely encumbered by the batteries and equally the precious payload to be eaten away at – but no, you get the same space and payload as any other. This then brings me on to the Transit itself, electrified or not. Now, there’s a reason this household name of a commercial has been a best seller in the UK for so many years: it’s brilliantly versatile, practical and drives like a car. It has been the central tool for vast numbers of businesses since its inception in the 1960s. The new Transit follows suit and offers all the practicalities with a better, more luxury cabin and effortless and a pleasantly involving drive. The PHEV is the most refined in the range, since the electric motor is quieter than the combustion alternative. It’s not quick like some of the electric cars, but for a van it shifts along reasonably well, offering modest but instant torque. The petrol engine on board is purely a generator, therefore no extra speed is attributed to this and it’s more of a back-up. However, with this it is capable of 310 miles. See Figure 1 below.
are realistic and know that it is aimed at a low mileage customer. If you’re a delivery driver, racking up hundreds of miles a day, then this is a complete waste of time. But if your business demands a more modest number of miles then this is well-worth considering. Especially when you take into account the governments Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG) which will pay for 20% off the purchase price for applicable vehicles. Also, the petrol will hold the range, so as long as you have petrol you wont run out of electric range, though clearly
It’s brilliantly versatile, practical and drives like a car
With a max range of around 35 miles in electric mode, Ford
defeats the object if you have it running all the time. Money aside, having a vehicle with lower Co2 footprint is clearly a primary factor in opting for the PHEV as well as pervading a clear message to existing and prospective clients, that you’re making some effort in doing your bit. So, the new Transit Custom PHEV has a lot going for it and I’d recommend you check it out!
Contact: Vospers Van Centre Truro, 01872 226206
Selectable EV Modes (Figure 1) EV Auto Vehicle determines how best to use the two energy sources EV Now Using only electric power until the battery is depleted EV Later System aims to maintain current level of battery charge EV Charge Utilises the petrol engine to charge the battery to c.85% BUSINESS CORNWALL | 41
OPINION
JUST A THOUGHT
Email marketing is a massive industry, albeit one grappling with the problem of diminishing returns. But what is the environmental cost of all these emails landing in our inboxes? It might be greater than you think, argues Julian Hocking of Nationwide Print
STOP! DON’T PRESS ‘SEND’ UNTIL YOU’VE READ THIS…
It won’t come as any surprise to you that, as the MD of an award-winning printing company, I’m not the biggest fan of emailing marketing. Yes, it can be clever, eyecatching, engaging and occasionally results in me buying something I don’t need, but it can also be irritating and has arguably reached saturation point.
power as you craft that witty, but completely unnecessary, response. 2. It takes energy for that email to travel on the network to the recipient, even if they are sat at the next desk. 3. That email is stored on the cloud - possibly in multiple places on the cloud if you’ve CC’d loads of colleagues just to prove how droll you are.
On the plus side there is certainly no excuse for forgetting a Mother or Father’s Day in the age of email marketing – I get at least ten reminders from various companies every day!
Scale this up to the level of email marketing, where companies email their huge mailing lists several times a week, and it’s not surprising that the web now has a larger carbon footprint than the aviation industry.
At Nationwide Print we’ve been banging the drum for years about the value the most successful global brands (Armani and Rolex for example) place in print, the resurgence of independent and niche publishing, and the ability of print to cut through the noise of modern life. However, it was only recently that a chance conversation with our friends at design agency Leap raised another important point that I hadn’t fully considered before, and that is the carbon footprint of email versus print marketing.
This is because the huge data centres required to run all this use an enormous amount of energy. It’s hard to quantify the carbon footprint of every email but one recent study found that if in the UK we sent one less email every day, we would save more than 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year – equivalent to 81,152 flights to Madrid or taking 3,334 diesel cars off the road. ‘Greening’ the digital sphere has the potential to reduce global emissions by 15.3% by 2030 – what a massive difference that would make!
But what of the environmental impact of these retro applications of ink on paper?
How many times have you emailed someone just to say ‘thanks’, ‘noted’, or ‘in the diary’? Every time you write an email there are three energy uses to consider. 1. Your device is using 42 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
There are several things you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of your emails The Carbon Literacy Project has a few simple
and useful pointers. Switching to carbon neutral hosting would be a very positive step for businesses looking to improve their sustainability credentials. Oh, and I almost forgot; you could reconsider the value of print as a marketing channel too! The most successful brands always consider print as part of the marketing mix. To create a lasting impression – for example the release of a new collection or celebrating a major milestone – these companies invest in a beautiful piece of print marketing or brand publication. And it’s very telling that these are the brands we feel an emotional connection to; we’ve sat down with that lovingly produced piece of content and engaged with it for more than a fleeting second – we’ve been reeled in by the beauty of print. But what of the environmental impact of these retro applications of ink on paper? There are so many variables that it’s hard to precisely quantify, but if you make green choices the impact can be minimal. Choose recycled paper, vegetable inks, a printer powered by renewable energy, and an environmentally-friendly postal service, or consider an innovative collaboration with a company already delivering to the homes of your target audience – like a food box company or Business Cornwall for example! And don’t forget, once your audience have engaged and assimilated your piece of print, they will recycle it – it won’t float around in the cloud using energy forever…
PRESENTS
DUT T Y MOONSHINE • DICK VA LENTINE CHA LI 2NA & KR A F T Y K UTS • INDIAN MAN LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE • THE CORRESPONDENTS EMMA MORTON & THE GR ACES • MERRYMAKER MR TEA & THE MINIONS • ANDY QUICK BAND • MALAVITA CHAINSK A BR ASSIK A • PAT TERN PUSHER L ADY VIOLET HUGH LORDS OF LIGHTNING • TI TA N THE ROBOT • V I CTORI A N S P ORTS DA Y TALKS AT TEATIME • DE LI CI OUS DE M OS • THE TI M E M A CHI NE GRAND CINEMATIC EXPER I E NCE • THE S A NCTUA RY • S I LE NT DI S CO WOOD-FIRED HOT TUBS • HOBBI T HUTS • S E CRE T GI N GA RDE N PLUS S O M UCH M ORE
29-31 MAY 2020
CONNECTED
CORNWALL
SPONSORED BY Networking events started trailing off last month as the magnitude of the coronavirus began to hit home. Other events like the Expowest and Cornwall Business Shows went ahead and while a lot of good business was undoubtedly done, numbers were down as Covid-19 cast its shadow. But as for events in April, that would appear to be a total write-off. And looking further ahead in the diary, dates are already being cancelled or postponed. The Royal Cornwall Show for instance, which was supposed to take place in June, has now been put back to September,
There is NO EVENTS DIARY this month for obvious reasons
www.cioslep.co.uk
while the Cornwall Business Awards, which had been slated for June 25, will now also be held later in the year. However, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. And the Your Partnerships networking group isn’t letting Covid-19 get in the way of their raison d’etre, by holding their events online. “We will fight the virus on the beaches…we will never surrender!” It’s amazing what you can do with technology these days. Download the zoom app to your phone, tablet or pc, and you’re almost as good as there. Virtually, anyway For a full list of the online Your Partnerships events, go to yourpartnerships.co.uk
CORNWALL BUSINESS SHOW
While numbers were down due to coronavirus, visitors still reported quality conversations and contacts made at the Cornwall Business Show
BELINDA SHIPP - CORNISH MARKETING CONSULTANCY
NICK PEARCE PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM
LAURA WHYTE - WHYFIELD ACCOUNTANTS
GO JUTE CUSTOM BAGS
44 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
VISITORS ENJOYING TARQUIN’S GIN
SPONSORS - CORNWALL & ISLES OF SCILLY GROWTH & SKILLS HUB
CORNWALL
CONNECTED
ROYAL VISIT HRH The Prince of Wales visited Celtic & Co in Newquay last month in celebration of the clothing company’s 30th anniversary
JOSH HOOLE - CORNWALL & ISLES OF SCILLY GROWTH & SKILLS HUB
SEMINAR CROWD
ENJOYING THE SHOW
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 45
CONNECTED
CORNWALL
SPONSORED BY
EXPOWEST CORNWALL
The hospitality and food & drink industry gathered in Wadebridge last month for the annual trade show
FSB WOMEN CONFERENCE
The FSB Women ‘In Confidence’ Conference hosted 120 delegates last month at the Falmouth Hotel
FSB CEO JULIE LILLEY ADDRESSES DELEGATES
46 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
AGILE WORKSHOP WITH BELINDA WALDOCK
KARINA RICKARDS (CORNISHWARE)
www.cioslep.co.uk
CORNWALL
CONNECTED
SENIOR EXECUTIVES’ FORUM
The Alverton, Truro provided an inspirational backdrop for the Senior Executives’ Forum (SEF) hosted by CCB Training. SEF members and guests heard from Caitlin Gould, Bluefruit Director and Chair of the Digital Skills Partnership (DSP).
DEBORAH PULLEN (FUSION), IAN CURNOW (KONNECT CORNWALL CIC), SARA PUGH (8WIRE) AND CLARE RUTT (FRIDAY GIRL)
NATALIE HADFIELD (BESPOKE IT SOLUTIONS), MIKE BORKOWSKI (MIDAS) AND MARK JONES (MIDAS)
JUSTIN OLOSUNDÉ (CORNWALL COLLEGE GROUP) AND CAITLIN GOULD (BLUEFRUIT)
ALISON MORDEN-HAWKE AND TIA ZIMMER (WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON)
JAMES HODGSON (HODGSONS)
JOHN CATCHPOLE (FOOT ANSTEY) AND LEWIS TOLPUTT (CLASSIC BUILDERS)
MARK SANSOM (FALMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS), MATT COOK (ACRONYMS) AND ALAN STANHOPE (CHS)
TIM ATKINS (STEPHENS SCOWN) AND LEON SARGEANT (HANDELSBANKEN)
MARK REED (CORNWALL COUNCIL), LAURIE TROUNCE (STEPHENS SCOWN), TRACY LEWIS (BISHOP FLEMING) AND SIMON FUNGE (WORLDWIDE FINANCIAL PLANNING)
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 47
THE LAST
WORD
SPONSORED BY
www.paddleandcocks.co.uk 01872 672072
Coodes Solicitors head of commercial dispute & employment
ABI LUTEY WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
An actress, horse rider or air hostess! My legal career found me by accident when I was working as an assistant for a local litigator over 25 years ago. I have not looked back since then.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB?
Working as an assistant to a local property developer. I love that all these years later I am still working with commercial properties as a lot of my case work is property litigation.
WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKETS?
Usually a bit of carrot (for my horse), sweet wrappers (my children) and poo bags (for my dog, naturally!)
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX?
With a combination of my boys, my Border Terrier Rufus, and my ex racehorse, Custard. Winter weekends are full of rugby as both my children play, and we like to travel or be at the beach in the summer. I love being outdoors.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION?
Italy. I have not explored it all, but I am in love with the country and everything about it. Beautiful country, food, people and coffee!
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WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER? Achieving partnership at Coodes.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE WORST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?
In my early career turning up to the completely wrong court for a hearing, luckily the judge was very understanding!
IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY TWO PEOPLE FOR DINNER, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY WOULD YOU INVITE THEM?
Plato to have a chat about philosophy and Emmeline Pankhurst to discuss politics.
IF YOU COULD BE GOD FOR A DAY, WHAT MIRACLE WOULD YOU PERFORM? Create a second Earth from scratch.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE IN LIFE?
Being afraid to make them and learning from them.
WHAT WAS YOUR LUCKIEST BREAK?
Joining Coodes. I gained a second family and my career has blossomed. Working with nice people is really important when we spend such a large proportion of our life at work.
ARE YOU LOOKING TO HIRE A FINANCE PERSON?
The Significant Financial Employee grant from Access to Finance could help you attract financial expertise without breaking the bank. Eligible businesses can receive up to £10,000 for up to 20% of full salary costs for a role that meets the following criteria: · · · ·
Specific finance related project Up to a 12 month period Minimum salary level equivalent to £30K per annum Employee with degree or equivalent level
01872 300 386
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