BUSINESS NEWS

PHOTO: KATE WHITAKER

Under new ownership, Flybe is set to return to Cornwall Airport Newquay this month, operating daily flights to London Heathrow and Manchester.

Commencing on October 30, the regional airline will launch twice daily (Monday to Friday) flights to London Heathrow (daily service at weekends), while also adding a daily link to Manchester.

However, the UK’s largest regional airline, Loganair, will no longer be offering a daily service to Manchester (and onwards to Aberdeen) this winter, after announcing it was suspending all operations from the airport between November and March. This includes non-stop flights to Edinburgh and Newcastle – adding up to almost 300 flights in total.

Additionally, the carrier said summer routes linking Newquay with Teesside and onwards to Inverness will not return in 2023, and planned growth on other routes is to be redirected to other UK airports.

In a broadside to Cornwall Airport Newquay bosses, a spokesperson for Loganair said: “Despite all of the challenges that the pandemic has delivered, we’ve worked incredibly hard over the last two years to build up our presence at Cornwall Airport Newquay.

HUB BOX EXPANDS INTO DORSET

Cornwall-born bar and restaurant, Hub Box, will be opening its first ever Dorset establishment in early October.

The new 120-seat premises in Brewery Square, Dorchester, will be the 12th opening for the burger and beer restaurant group, with venues spanning the south west and beyond.

Despite the pandemic, Hub Box opened three new restaurants in lockdown and reported record sales of £12.6 million earlier this year.

Hub Box founder and CEO, Richard Boon, said: “Our Dorchester restaurant signifies a milestone in our journey as we venture into a new county, bringing job opportunities to the area and growing our passionate team culture.

“It’s a truly exciting time for Hub Box and we’re looking forward to welcoming the Dorset community through our doors this autumn.”

FLYBE FLIES IN, LOGANAIR FLIES OUT

“We’re most disappointed that short-sighted and short-term decisions by the airport’s management to incentivise unsustainable operations by other airlines leave no prospect of winter flights remaining viable, particularly against a backdrop of high fuel prices and rising inflation.

“In the meantime, we’ll be directing our efforts towards other UK regional airports such as Southampton, Exeter and Cardiff, where airport managements recognise and appreciate the enormous value that year-round, sustainable regional air services can bring to their communities and local economies.” Cornwall Airport Newquay said: “We are disappointed that Loganair have made the decision to cancel their flights to Manchester and Edinburgh this winter but would like to reassure our passengers that a daily service to Manchester is still available with Flybe and we look forward to welcoming Loganair back on both routes in the spring.

“As an airport we are committed to serving the people and economy of Cornwall and this is what drives the commercial decisions we make as an airport. We are delighted that we now have more airlines operating from the airport than before the pandemic, offering destination and airline choice to suit every traveller.”

ADVERTORIAL CHECK BEFORE YOU TRADE – ARE YOU FREE TO USE YOUR BUSINESS NAME?

By Frederick Noble, British and European Patent Attorney at Albright IP.

A judgment of the Intellectual Property Court earlier this year carries a stark lesson: from sole traders to multinationals, everyone in business needs to take responsibility, and do their research, to ensure they are free to use their business name.

The case concerns two businesses, both selling Chinese food. Beyond that, the two could hardly be more different. “China Tang”

VITAL FUNDING FOR LITHIUM PROJECTS

Two lithium projects in Cornwall have received additional Government funding as they move towards full production.

British Lithium and Cornish Lithium were both announced as winners in the Automotive Transformation Fund’s (ATF) Scale Up Readiness Validation (SuRV) competition.

British Lithium has been researching and developing the extraction of lithium carbonate from the mica in Cornish granite over more than five years. Part-funded by Innovate UK, a pilot plant has been built near St Austell and, in a world first, new sustainable technology is being used to successfully produce 99.9% pure battery-grade lithium carbonate. Three patents are pending.

British Lithium’s pilot plant became operational at the end of 2021 and the team are now progressing towards large-scale lithium carbonate production in about three years’ time.

“Lithium has never been produced commercially from mica before, so it’s been very important to rigorously test, refine and optimise our technology,” said chief executive Andrew Smith. “The ATF grant is key in helping us move on to the next phase of our development and we’re delighted to have their support.”

Cornish Lithium, meanwhile, will use the money to fund the construction of the hydrometallurgical section of a demonstration scale processing plant at the company’s Trelith processing site, associated with the Trelavour hard rock lithium project, near St Austell.

The demonstration plant will form a critical input to the company’s feasibility study. And subject to the conclusions of this study, the company hopes to build a commercial lithium extraction plant in Cornwall with the production of lithium hydroxide expected to commence in 2026.

CEO Jeremy Wrathall said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this ATF grant as it will accelerate our progress towards the commercial production of battery grade lithium hydroxide in the UK.

“We believe that a secure, sustainable domestic supply of lithium is essential for the development of a resilient electric vehicle supply chain for the British automotive industry.”

is a Cantonese restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, London. It is presumably not cheap. China Tang count among their clientele, apparently, Kate Moss, Tony Blair and Naomi Campbell. The other China Tang is (or was until recently) a Chinese takeaway in Barrow-in-Furness. There is a set menu for less than ten pounds a person, which was “not, it seems, ever served to Ms Moss, Sir Tony or Ms Campbell”.

The problem for the second China Tang was of course that the one in the Dorchester had a registered trade mark.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the China Tang in Barrow flew beneath the radar for a while. But eventually when it came to their notice, the posher restaurant, armed with their trade mark registration, complained.

There was no allegation that there was any copying, or any deliberate aspect to the infringement at all. It seems to have been implicitly accepted by everyone involved that the second China Tang did not know about the first when the name was chosen.

In that context the proprietors of the cheaper China Tang pleaded a defence of “honest concurrent use”. This is a rarely-successful defence to trade mark infringement, and it did not work for China Tang number two either. Simply, they should have carried out a trade mark search to clear the name before they opened. A small

ST EVAL JOINS B CORP CREW

Candle manufacturer, St Eval, has become the latest Cornish company to become a certified B Corporation.

St Eval has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards representing its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.

St Eval is now part of a community of 5,100 businesses around the world that have certified as B Corps, including such brands as innocent, Patagonia and Ben Jerry’s, while in Cornwall the cohort includes the likes of Origin, Finisterre and Ward Williams Associates.

St Eval MD, Harry Young-Jamieson, said becoming a B Corp company was “one of the highlights” of his career.

“B Corp certification is a huge achievement for us,” he said. “It represents the innovative spirit of our company and the many people, past and present, who have driven it forward while remaining true to their values and those of St Eval.

“The road to certification was challenging; it required us to look at ourselves with a renewed sense of purpose and rigour. I am immensely proud to work for a B Corp company alongside people who continue to innovate and challenge the status quo.”

business they may have been, but the trade mark register can be searched online, for free, and quite easily.

Don’t get caught out. Contact us today to discuss how to find a brand which you can use lawfully and also protect as your own.

Albright IP, Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3PL fnoble@albright-ip.co.uk +44 (0)1209 316161

NEW DENTAL PRACTICE

Work has begun on a new state-of-the-art private dental practice in Saltash.

The new Smile Together practice, at Keast Mews, is due top open in early 2023.

Dental director, Jonathan Bouwer-Davies, explained: “We currently practice from Saltash Community Centre on Callington Road but are overwhelmed with demand from local people wishing to access our routine and specialist dental treatments.

“We’ve long recognised the need for expanding our service provision locally with additional dental surgeries, high-tech equipment and more experienced clinicians and have been working hard to achieve this. Keast Mews represents a perfect location for us, located just off the high street with parking and public transport connections close by.”

Cornish fashion brand Celtic & Co has launched into two John Lewis stores in London and Cambridge.

This will be the brand’s first ever physical presence in department stores on the UK high street.

CYCLING TO NET ZERO

Saint Piran Pro Cycling has issued a rallying call to the cycling community as it officially launches an ambitious journey to reach net zero and share its experiences of doing so across the cycling industry.

It is committing to a social impact plan that puts communities and the environment at the heart of its future - recognising its legacy of change and inspiration will far outlast its growing racing success.

Richard Pascoe, owner of the Saint Piran group, explained: “There is some incredible work being done in cycling - to improve lives and the environment, but there is a gap in learning.

“It is essential we are open about our journey because money and resources are limited across cycling, and costs are spiraling - we have to work smarter. We will be transparent about what we do and how we do it because if we don’t, how will we learn as an industry?”

The Saint Piran social impact plan has struck a number of key partnerships to help it make the impact it targets.

This includes working with the University of Exeter, leaders on environmental impacts, to understand its carbon footprint and working with Cornwall Council on sustainability projects including the promotion of cycling as a more sustainable way to travel.

CELTIC & CO IN JOHN LEWIS

MD, James Williams, explained: “Our relationship with John Lewis started when we first launched three of our slipper styles online with them in October 2020. It was great to be able showcase some of our products which are handcrafted in Cornwall through such an iconic British brand.

“The partnership really started to develop last summer when we also launched our collection of clothing and footwear on the John Lewis website. Strong online sales have proven we’re a great fit with their customer, and we’re delighted to have been selected as part of their in-store range in two locations – including the Peter Jones store on Sloane Square in London.

“This is a massive step for us as a brand in being able to reach new customers and promote the quality of our products. Always created using natural materials, there’ll be many tangible benefits of shoppers being able to feel the different textures of the materials we use.”

GOLD FOR FITTAMAMMA

A Cornish fitnesswear company has been successful at a major industry awards.

FittaMamma was awarded the Made for Mums Gold Award for its high impact maternity and feeding sports bra.

The bra was independently tested for supportiveness, comfort, effectiveness, ease of use, quality, style, size offering and value for money and was voted “very supportive and incredibly comfortable when breastfeeding”.

Alexandra McCabe, co-founder of FittaMamma, was delighted to receive the award. “The sports bra is a new product, designed to support women as their bodies change throughout each trimester and after their baby is born as well – we’re thrilled that it has received this accolade.”