Business Eye June 2021

Issue 207 June 2021 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

CD Fairfield

Taking The Pain Out Of Debt Features:

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Power NI - Changing Market, New Challenges

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Connected Health Revolutionising Homecare

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Radius Housing - New Chairman Sets The Agenda

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Contents 10

June 2021 ISSUE 207

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Architects Of Exponential Growth

Martin Pitt - Ex PwC Man Leading Radius Housing Into A New Future

Belfast based entrepreneur Tom Smyth, owner of Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments and several other construction and property companies, has recently partnered with Florida based investment company Faison Capital.

Martin Pitt has taken over the chairman’s role at Radius Housing, Northern Ireland’s largest housing association and a key player in the wider housing sector here. He talks to Business Eye about funding, raising the standard of housing here and the challenges that lie ahead.

Power NI - Changing Market, 12 New Challenges

To Work - The Future 44 OfWhere Offices & The Office

Ryan Miskimmin, Head of Sales at Power NI, talks about the dynamics of a fast-changing electricity marketplace and at how the organisation has had to adapt from its role as the incumbent supplier to a player in a highly competitive sector.

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Mindmill - Changing The Talent Game Across The World

As bold visions go, Mindmill’s is one of the boldest. This is a Northern Ireland-based company which has set out to revolutionise the way organisations approach HR throughout the career journey.

Richard Buckley catches up with Laing Mewhort and Ryno Kleynhans, the two men driving the company’s vision forward.

CD Fairfield - Taking The 20 Pain Out Of Debt Business partners Phil Davison and Tom Cardwell freely admit that they took a bit of a step into the unknown when they teamed up to establish CD Fairfield ten years ago. But the company today is one of the biggest debt specialists of its kind serving a wide-ranging marketplace.

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The Green Recovery - NI’s Climate Action Strategy & Race To Zero

Business Eye’s Richard Buckley teamed up in the studio with Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink to host a virtual round table discussion looking at Northern Ireland’s Climate Action Strategy and the role of the business, tourism and consumer sectors.

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Connected Health - Revolutionising The Concept Of Homecare

Connected Health is one of the Northern Ireland economy’s hidden gems. Proudly based in Belfast despite having expanded and grown in both GB and the Republic, the company is on a mission to revolutionise the concept of Homecare, combining the might of technology and the power of people to achieve its long-term goal.

Buckley Publications 20 Kings Road Belfast, BT5 6JJ Tel: (028) 9047 4490 Fax: (028) 9047 4495 www.businesseye.co.uk

Marketplace Post-Covid

Business Eye joined forces with leading Belfast commercial estate agency firm CBRE NI to stage a virtual round table discussion event hosted at NIAVAC’s Belfast studio. The discussion looked at the future of office working post- pandemic and the knock on effects on the city centre and the investment marketplace.

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Visit Belfast - Bringing The City Back To Life

Gerry Lennon and Kathryn Thomson are both optimists by nature.

It’s almost a prerequisite for anyone working in or close to the tourism sector here in Northern Ireland. The Chief Executive and Chair of Visit Belfast look at the post-Covid future.

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Henderson Retail Opens First New Concept Supermarket

A £3.7M EUROSPAR in Doagh has been revealed as the first SPAR UK Fresh concept store to open in Northern Ireland by Henderson Retail. It’s the first of a series of highly localised retail offerings from the group.

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Localism On Steroids

Glyn Roberts of Retail NI looks at what success might look like for our post-pandemic High Streets as retail and our hospitality sector begins the long road to recovery from the pandemic.

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Tech Eye

A tour around the very latest developments in the world of technology, sponsored by tech experts Nitec. This month’s features include a summary of the top gadgets and devices on the market for today’s consumers.

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

Design Hexagon Tel: (028) 9047 2210 www.hexagondesign.com

Photography Press Eye 45 Stockmans Way Belfast, BT9 7ET Tel: (028) 9066 9229 www.presseye.com

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With a new DUP leader now in place and likely to last longer than Edwin Poots’ 21 days, the leaders of the unionist community have a very important job to do. They need to ratchet down the tension around the NI Protocol on the run up to the July marching season.

Comment

“Given that we’ve already had various street protests and rallies during June over the protocol, things are looking a bit ominous for the July period.”

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t’s not a problem we would have had this time last year. Covid put paid to any normal street demonstrations. This summer, things will be back – pretty much – to normal. It’ll be the 12th of July, and the various warm-ups and follow-up acts, with a little bit of social distancing thrown in.

But, given that we’ve already had various street protests and rallies during June over the protocol, things are looking a bit ominous for the July period.

Unionist leaders have been upping the ante for quite a few weeks now, complaining bitterly about the protocol and whipping up a fair amount of anger out in their heartlands. But, as ever here in Northern Ireland, they’ll be safely back in their living rooms when the trouble kicks off.

And, if it all gets a bit feisty, they’ll throw their hands up in horror and walk briskly away from an responsibility or blame. It has always been thus.

OK, so there may not be any issues. There may not be any street violence. Perhaps no one will hijack any cars and no one will set a big double decker bus alight on the streets of Belfast or one of our towns. And the resulting images won’t be flashed all over the world and decimate our tourist industry just as it heads into a summer of recovery.

But, for now, let’s work on the basis that there is potential for such scenes. That should be enough to galvanise unionist leaders from both parties (the Ulster Unionists aren’t blameless here) into action, to persuade them to dial down the rhetoric and try to ensure a relatively peaceful summer.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

____________________________________ It’s time for the Northern Ireland Executive to talk to us all as adults once again about the remaining Covid restrictions and how we can move on from the pandemic.

Boris Johnson might have kicked England’s so-called Freedom Day down the agenda by a few weeks until July 19th, but the odds are that he’s going to have to honour his promises then. That could mean an effective end of social distancing, the lifting of most rectrictions around numbers and – possibly, just possibly – an end to mandatory mask wearing in shops and other locations.

On the economic and business front, it could also mean an end to the ‘work at home if possible’ edict, signalling a gradual return to the workplace, hybrid or otherwise, over the rest of the summer and accelerating into the autumn months.

Economically, it’s all positive news and it has to be welcomed.

But what is crucial is that the Northern Ireland Executive keeps pace with England and announces quickly and clearly that it is going to do so.

It’s vital that we’re not left behind.

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Eye on News

Belfast UX agency Fathom joins forces with super-agency Low&Behold Five UK and Ireland agencies, including Belfast’s premier UX agency Fathom have joined forces to create a new marketing ‘super’ agency with a combined headcount of 65 professionals.

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he group is the brainchild of Darren Low, founder of Liquorice, which is one of the agencies involved in the new venture.

London and Carlisle digital agency Upbeat Productions, Warrington brand communications agency Bugler Smith, Birmingham’s JC Social Media and Belfast’s premier UX agency Fathom, which also has an office in Dublin, are the other four.

Collectively the new agency will be known as Low&Behold, with Darren as CEO and founders of some of the other agencies taking positions on the board.

Low&Behold will provide a comprehensive range of services including marketing and strategy, UX and development, creative, paid, earned and owned digital media, PR, events and internal communications.

Each individual agency will retain its identity during an adjustment period, while some owners

will form the group’s board of directors.

Clients will include Pets at Home, Just Eat, Which?, Yodel, SLG Beauty, Alliance Pharmaceuticals, Haynes, Tesco Mobile and AIB Bank.

Darren said: “It’s fantastic to finally be able to reveal the new business and officially welcome staff from all the agencies to Low&Behold.

“I’ve long believed there’s a way to bring the best of niche independent expert agencies and the strength and stability of the larger holding company model together, forming a highly capable, agile agency model that can wrap the right expert arms around any client.

“Low&Behold has this and I’m confident we can execute any brief in a workmanlike manner, but with the engaged and invested service delivery that is in the DNA of all the agencies we have acquired.

Commenting on the acquisition, Fathom founder, Gareth Dunlop said: “We have worked in the experience design industry since 2011 and join the Low&Behold business to broaden the services we can offer our own clients, and provide UX and service design specialisms to other clients within Low&Behold.

“Current Fathom customers will be looked after by the same exceptional Fathom team, and the usercentred design principles baked into the Fathom DNA will influence the digital design processes for clients across Low&Behold’s increased portfolio.

“As well as allowing Fathom to better serve its current customers, the acquisition offers opportunities for increasing business throughout UK and Ireland.”

CMI grows again following another acquisition Belfast-based NewCMI Ltd (CMI), one of the UK’s leading IT MSPs has continued on the acquisition trail with the recent purchase of Brookland Computer Services, a leading Cloud Services Provider (CSP) based in Cheam, south-west London.

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he acquisition of Brookland takes CMI to a turnover in excess of £13m with a staff of 100, based in four sites across the UK – Belfast, London, Cheam and Reading. The consideration is undisclosed.

This latest acquisition provides CMI with complimentary skills to further develop its digital transformation capabilities and further cements its commitment to the IT sector and the clients it serves. This acquisition comes straight after CMI recently launched a new range of Information Security, Compliance and Support services. The acquisition was funded by a combination of leading growth equity provider Panoramic Growth Equity and Boost & Co. Brookland has operated for 25 years in the UK and offers a range of hosting services, utilising its own Data Centre capability combined

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with extensive use of the Microsoft Azure platform. In addition, it provides the full range of IT connectivity and support services. The company a customer base of 150, including clients from financial, manufacturing, and professional services sectors amongst others.

Ken Roulston, Managing Director of CMI, spoke about the significance of the move: “The acquisition of Brookland will create an even stronger IT service provider to meet the needs of business in the post pandemic world. We take great pride in providing our clients with the best advice, so that they get the most from their IT investment.

The acquisition of Brookland comes on the back of CMI being recognised as one of the “most elite, innovative and strategic IT service providers globally” by the Channel Futures MSP 501 programme.

CMI Managing Director Ken Roulston

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Eye on News

Niavac sponsors East Belfast GAA Ladies and Mens senior Football teams Niavac, Northern Ireland’s leading provider of Audio-Visual Solutions has become the official 2021/2022 season jersey sponsors for East Belfast GAA Senior Men and Women’s football teams.

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ames Conlon, Niavac’s Managing Director said: “East Belfast GAA epitomises everything there is about bringing communities together no matter what background.

Sport sees no barriers and is a key example of how you can create an environment that promotes peace as people work together to the same goal. We have a long history of supporting the GAA community and we’re so happy to be a part of this local success story.”

Linda Ervine, East Belfast GAA President: “We’re delighted that Niavac has become our Senior Men and Women’s team’s official jersey sponsor. Over the last year,

James and the Niavac team have given us nothing but continuous support and for that, we are very grateful. It’s fantastic to have such an established local company buy into the inclusive ethos and invest in a new, vibrant and inclusive East Belfast which is welcoming to all.”

East Belfast GAA was founded last year and is a cross-community club that has an emphasis on encouraging friendship and cooperation between both sides of the political divide and currently has over 1,000 members and 400 players. The club’s crest proudly displays the motto written in English, Irish and Ulster Scots and the symbols of a

shamrock, thistle and red hand.

To celebrate this occasion, Niavac hosted a hybrid event at their HQs Virtual Studio last Thursday evening to celebrate their

sponsorship. Among notable names that attended was Peter Canavan who is Niavac Brand Ambassador and two-time All-Ireland Senior Football champion for Tyrone.

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Eye on News

New Titanic Quarter Neighbourhood To Be Known As ‘The Loft Lines’ Community consultation events have taken place on plans for a new urban community, to be known as The Loft Lines, in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

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acuna Developments, Watkin Jones Group, Titanic Quarter Limited and Belfast Harbour have partnered to deliver the project, which will comprise an integrated mix of around 800 new private rented, social and affordable apartment homes.

The partners have already engaged with more than 100 city stakeholders and members of the public will now be able to comment on the proposals at two online events to be held on June 1 and June 3.

The Loft Lines name is inspired by Belfast’s loftsmen, who planned out the life-sized plate patterns of ships on the enormous black floor of the shipyard’s mould loft, which once stood on the site of the proposed scheme. The loftsmen were geometrists and had to be exacting, as their work was the basis for building the highquality ships Belfast became known for. The Loft Lines development continues this same ethos of quality in its plan for a new way of living.

The Loft Lines will be a fully managed site, meaning that residents’ rent will include their wi-fi, gym, and other extras such as a front-ofhouse concierge service. The accommodation aims to deliver a level of residential amenities unseen in Belfast to date, with proposals including resident lounges, sports and recreational spaces, gyms, flexible working

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space, private dining spaces, games rooms, cinema rooms and children’s play areas.

The development will appeal to a diverse range of families, young professionals and older downsizers, who will have the choice of a range of housing sizes, from one, two, or three bed homes or studio apartments.

High quality social and affordable apartment homes will represent 20 per cent of the overall scheme and the developers have now selected their preferred social housing partner for the project.

The 3.8-acre site has been designed as a place for residents and visitors to enjoy, with a wide public promenade incorporated into the Maritime Mile, a pedestrian boulevard, landscaped courtyard gardens, balconies and rooftop terraces. The developers are working with Maritime Belfast to ensure The Loft Lines section of the Maritime Mile is enriched by art, nature and history.

At the heart of The Loft Lines site is South Yard Square, a 1-acre public area which is expected to have busy, active frontages, a play area and a sports park that will be used for exercise classes and outdoor events. Commercial space will be available for a coffee shop, restaurant and shops, with discussions already taking place with a number of independent retailers and

hospitality operators. A creche is also planned for families who need access to childcare on site.

The developers have also committed to delivering a sustainable, low carbon development for the city. With a view to giving people a more active and environmentally friendly commute, The Loft Lines will offer several green travel measures, including ground floor bike stores with wash down and repair facilities and will aim to reduce the reliance on car-parking, with significant provision and promotion of other active travel measures.

Anthony Best, director of Lacuna Developments, said: “The Loft Lines is a flagship project for Belfast that will build a new city centre community from the ground up. We are excited to share details of our proposals for The Loft Lines, which recognise the history of this site as a place of innovation and energy but at the same time offer a precise plan for a new way of living that will bring Titanic Quarter and the city of Belfast into a brighter, greener future.

“We want it to be a site that’s shared by those who live and visit, bringing back more of the life and vibrancy that the shipyards had and complementing the other development underway in Titanic Quarter. We look forward to engaging with more people through the community consultation and hearing their views on our plans.”

Eye on Cloud Communications

Radius Connect:

Making smarter business connections in Northern Ireland Despite significant progress, it’s taken a global pandemic for many businesses to realise that the ability to innovate quickly is vitally important for future stability, flexibility and growth – and those organisations that were more digitally mature have definitely had the edge.

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or more than 30 years, Radius Connect has been building a strong local, national and international presence in the provision of quality business communications that combines experience and industry knowhow to help local businesses succeed.

Through our acquisition of Connect Total and, more recently, leading IT and telecoms provider Rainbow Communications, Radius Connect now encompasses a local team of around 150 staff in Northern Ireland focused solely on delivering mobile and non-mobile services to a growing client base now more rapidly making the move from legacy technology to cloud-based services.

By investing in our people, our business and in the local economy, we’re committed to helping local businesses easily navigate the rapidly-changed mobile and tech landscape so that they can capitalise on the benefits available right now. We don’t sell products. We listen and we provide solutions for what businesses need.

Though the pandemic has generated enormous challenges, most SMEs in Northern Ireland now recognise that it is creating significant new opportunities for growth, to help communicate better, more efficiently and more securely. From professional services to manufacturing, retail and tourism, the need to innovate has never been greater.

Committed to our growing Belfast location, we can now enable more businesses to experience the benefits which unifying and strengthening communications can bring while offering more choice, quality and value than ever before.

What clients and customers want – and how they want to interact – is changing rapidly, and those organisations that move to meet their engagement needs can transform their outlook and prospects for a generation with our help.

For many companies, remote working will remain a feature to some degree and the infrastructure which will underpin this will be an essential enabler. With MS Teams, integrated VoIP telephony and secure cloud access in place, staff can confidently work anywhere at any time with all the tools they need – from a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

A major new force in Northern Ireland, Radius Connect is also part of something bigger – Radius Payment Solutions – a 2020 Sunday Times Top Track 100 company with a turnover which exceeded £2.6 billion last year.

One of Britain’s largest 100 private companies, we can now bring even greater product choice, opportunity and industry insight to Northern Ireland, including fuel and telematics for the fleet and transport sectors through to insurance solutions that meet every business need.

We see innovation and technology as critical elements in helping us define our future and how we differentiate ourselves and are constantly looking at ways to improve what we do.

Using our combination of data, networking and industry insight means we can support companies of all sizes in getting the smartest approach to their operations, differentiating us and how we deliver value.

Our approach is based on giving customers access to a wide range of market-leading products backed

Ray Ferris - Group Managing Director, Telecoms

up with independent consultancy, installation services and awardwinning customer service.

As Northern Ireland’s economic recovery gathers pace, we want to help companies embrace digital solutions which will make them more resilient, more efficient and future-focused, enabling them to rebuild faster, compete and win.

By harnessing the benefits, every company can quickly become more efficient, more productive and more secure.

In an increasingly uncertain world, confidence is everything and we look forward to sharing the insights and delivering the tools that drives opportunity and prosperity – and we want to continue what makes our customers happy.

Whether you are an established enterprise, or a growing start up, we can support you.

Let’s plan a better future together.

Radius Connect is rapidly becoming a leader in business telecoms in the UK and Ireland. For more information on its full range of services visit www.radiusconnectsolutions.com

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Eye on Equity

ARCHITECTS OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH Belfast based entrepreneur Tom Smyth, owner of Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments and several other construction and property companies, has recently partnered with Florida based investment company Faison Capital.

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aison Capital is redefining private equity and funding expansive growth across the U.S. Acquiring and moulding profitable, product producing companies in the lower to middle market who are primed for rapid expansion.

Faison Capital Products is a roll up strategy which will see the acquisition of multiple manufacturing companies across the United States.

These acquisitions will take place throughout 2021 and 2022. Each target will represent a profitable business with a solid track record but without the resources to scale.

Chief executive officer Quincy Faison states “I am excited to have Tom aboard as the third largest shareholder in Faison Capital. Our Managing Partner Liam Duffy introduced me to Tom and I immediately fell in love with him. He is a very passionate guy and his commitment to entrepreneurship is infectious.”

One of Faison’s projects Bluecorn is a well-established company with 30 years of uninterrupted operations making the highest quality beeswax candles. It is the first acquisition into The Faison Industrial Services Group. Bluecorn supplies customers from around the world and are pioneers of online candle sales Prior to being acquired by Faison Capital the business was delivering revenues of $1.4 million mostly via Amazon (£1.2 Million). It’s operations were in many cases reactive and it didn’t take advantage of structured resource or purchasing.

Currently Bluecorn is tracking to exceed revenues of $4 million for 2021, with Amazon revenue up 80% YOY.

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On the future of Bluecorn, Faison Capital CEO, Quincy Faison says: “What we’ve done so far is just the tip of the iceberg. We have other initiatives that we will not launch until we are in our new manufacturing facility. We have forecasted to get this business to $25M within five to seven years, the launch of a range of new scented product lines will be the next step in our growth path for Bluecorn”.

Expanding in America is one of Tom’s goals and when the opportunity to work with Faison arose, it was a perfect fit. He feels a strong connection to America, being close friends with Hollywood A-Listers, successful footballers and being a coach, mentor and speaker with American Billionaire Grant Cardone’s Licensee Programme.

With Faison being based in the US and the UK, bringing Tom Smyth on board means that Faison can expand and diversify the business further throughout the UK and Ireland.

Tom is a well known entrepreneur in the UK and brings a wide array of contacts and a well developed

business acumen. His thirst for success drives and motivates him everyday Quincy Faison states “Tom really knows how to grow a business, with years of experience in the property and construction world, he is a perfect fit for Faison Capital.”

With many contacts throughout the UK and globe, Tom has already brought multiple successful brands to the table for Faison. One of them is award-winning luxury tanning brand ‘Bellamianta’ which is based and manufactured in Ireland. Successful entrepreneur Linda Stinson has over 20 years experience in the beauty industry, developing her own range of clean, nutritious and luxury tanning products.

Linda knew she wanted to take Bellamianta to the next level and expand in the US Market and upon meeting Tom, knew he was the person to get her there Another company that Tom brought aboard is AMPX, owned by marketing genius, successful entrepreneur and good friend of Tom’s, Andy Malone.

AMPX is a lifestyle brand that seeks to enable individuals to discover

their ultimate potential through consistent, rigorous and disciplined mental and physical training.

They offer nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks for those looking to reach their ultimate fitness and wellness goals.

Another company that Tom brought aboard is AMPX, owned by marketing genius, successful entrepreneur and good friend of Tom’s, Andy Malone.

AMPX is a lifestyle brand that seeks to enable individuals to discover their ultimate potential through consistent, rigorous and disciplined mental and physical training.

They offer nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks for those looking to reach their ultimate fitness and wellness goals.

Faison are always on the lookout for businesses producing high quality products with massive potential to expand within the US market.

Want to find out more? Head on over to www.faisoncapital.com/

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Eye on Energy

Ryan Miskimmin & Power NI – Changing Market, New Challenges

As far as Power NI is concerned, Ryan Miskimmin is the corporate equivalent of a ‘lifer’. The Omagh man has spent his entire career with the company, joining as a member of the Business Energy call centre team, spending six years in the key role of Sales & Retention Manager and now at the helm as Power NI’s Head of Sales.

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Eye on Energy

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lthough competition in the commercial electricity market has been around for just over 20 years, and just over 10 in the domestic sector, with the advent of deregulation, the market became a very different place. “We had to create a sales culture from scratch,” says Ryan. “As the incumbent, we didn’t have to look for business. So it had to be a comprehensive change process.”

It’s a measure of how much Power NI has achieved in the new energy marketplace that it can now claim 55% of the market here in Northern Ireland. That’s no mean feat considering the fact that no less than eight suppliers are bidding for a slice of the action.

“Price is important to consumers, but there doesn’t tend to be a lot of difference between the prices being offered. So a lot comes down to customer service and that’s something we concentrate heavily on. For nine years in a row we’ve had the lowest level of Consumer Council complaints per 10K customers of any supplier here.

Ryan Miskimmin heads up dedicated sales teams focusing

on the domestic and business marketplaces in Northern Ireland, and is also responsible for a 50-strong sales team at sister company, Energia, in the Republic, where they have built up a base of 250,000 from a standing start in an ultra-competitive marketplace.

“We’re very pleased with what we’ve achieved south of the border,” he says. “It’s been very challenging but now that we have an established customer base, we’re very positive about our future prospects.”

He’s clear that the key challenge for all his sales teams is customer retention. “This is a market where switching has become prevalent,” he says. “The obvious conclusion would be that there isn’t a lot of customer loyalty around. But we’d disagree with that. We think that a lot of our customers stay with us because of the service they receive from us. We also offer a really good loyalty programme to back that up.

“A large proportion of our customer base don’t want to switch supplier for a short-term gain and risk losing a high level of customer service. They also find initial switching offers – and what

happens after that – a bit confusing.

“But there were still around 15,000 customer switches across Northern Ireland last quarter so it’s something we have to live with and work with.”

The commercial electricity marketplace is different, but it’s no less competitive. “There are brokers in the marketplace and that makes it all the more competitive,” says Ryan. “Like domestic customers, businesses are looking for the best deal.

“But they’re also looking for longer-term deals. It’s not unusual for a company to ask for a 2-year fixed price deal on their energy, and that’s something we clearly have to manage and take a risk on. Also, businesses aren’t always taking a bottom dollar approach. Increasingly, they’re looking for an energy partner.

“That means an energy supplier who can add value – by helping firms to assess their energy usage and how it can be improved, by helping firms to make changes to how they do things and by helping firms to embrace the sustainability agenda.”

Northern Ireland companies, he says, are starting to ask for as high a proportion of their energy as possible

to come from renewable sources.

Increasingly, they’ll look to their energy partner to provide added value items such as LED lighting and smart energy solutions, for example, charging points for electric vehicles.

“It’s not a simple case of choosing an electricity supplier so that you can keep the lights turned on. It’s a lot more sophisticated than that these days.”

Like most other suppliers, Power NI has stepped up its own green credentials over recent years. Up to 70% of electricity demand across Ireland can come from renewable sources, but there’s always the proviso that it depends on those renewable sources. Wind energy, in particular, is notoriously fickle.

It’s a measure of how much the market has evolved that Ryan Miskimmin talks about ‘prosumers’ – consumers of electricity who are also producers of electricity, most often via solar panel installations or small-scale wind turbines.

As the move towards sustainability and carbon zero targets accelerates, he agrees with others in the industry calling on government to take a lead and set policies to encourage the use of electric vehicles and other technologies.

“It’s important that the right policies are in place and that the public gets the message. I think that people are buying into the green agenda more now than they’ve ever done, but it’s crucial that we keep that momentum going.”

That will be against an uncertain post-Covid background. During the pandemic, Ryan Miskimmin says, prices were kept low thanks to a lack of demand from commercial customers, those in retail and hospitality, for example. As we move further out of the crisis, he sees an upward squeeze on prices all round.

What he doesn’t see is any increasing in competition. “It’s a finite market, it’s a relatively small market and I think it has reached saturation point in terms of electricity suppliers,” he says.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be working hard to stay out in front.”

For more information on Power NI, Northern Ireland’s leading energy supplier, visit powerni.co.uk

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Eye on News

The Barclay Group invests £2m in its landline division, creating 35 new roles The Barclay Group, which includes Barclay Communications, Barclay Digital Services and WorkPal, has announced it will invest £2m in its landline division, creating 35 new jobs.

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he funding will be part of a major growth strategy for the company, which is Northern Ireland’s largest and fastest-growing indigenous telecommunications business.

The spend is already evident in new systems at the business, including cutting-edge customer relationship management software (CRM), an expanding engineering team, which will treble over the coming months, and a major office fit out which started this month.

In recent months the Belfast-based Barclay Group has also undergone a full rebrand of all companies including new website and logos to reflect its growth over the past 25 years. The new company branding is set to launch at the beginning of June to coincide with its office refurbishments.

An additional 20-seater call centre will also launch later this year at Barclay’s existing headquarters at Grove House in Donegall Pass in south Belfast.

Other technological investments in the pipeline will include a £500k cash injection into new landline software specifically designed for businesses that don’t need the complexity or cost of a fully cloud hosted telephone system, but due to the PSTN and ISDN switch off, are now in a position that they must make the change to VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and upgrade to the full fibre broadband network. This software will allow Barclay Group to deliver future-proof business communication at a highly competitive price and coincides with the new call centre.

Meanwhile new human resources software and a new billing system will transform in-house administrative operations.

Among the roles created as part of the investment are engineering positions, support staff, direct sales, telesales and business development managers.

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All 35 new positions will be filled by the end of this year, while more jobs will be added in coming months.

The £2m investment is one of The Barclay Group’s biggest spend to date and follows on from its most successful year ever.

In 2020 The Barclay Group surpassed all of its targets, and its upcoming financial results are expected to show a turnover growth in excess of 33% on 2019. This incline means the business now handles over 100,000 business connections (landline and mobile).

Last year also saw Barclay Communications successfully tender for a £3m contract with University of Cambridge, undergoing rigorous procedures and competing against some of the world’s biggest communication providers.

The new relationship is one of the company’s biggest and most prestigious contracts in its 25-year history and sees it deliver over 5,000 mobile connections that will be accessed by university staff.

Speaking about the latest investment in the business, Britt Megahey, Founder and Managing Director at The Barclay Group said: “We have been very privileged over the past year to have experienced so much growth during what has been a difficult era for many businesses.

“While it would be easier to sit back and enjoy that success, we know to be fruitful and sustain such growth we must always put into the business

what we get out and that includes investing in our team who are the backbone of the company.

“It also means securing the best, most convenient and the latest technology so we can offer our clients, who are seeking the most efficient communications systems around, the best on the market.”

Mr Megahey says investment will be ongoing.

He added: “We won’t be stopping at £2m. We have big plans to expand our services globally.”

John Roulston, Sales Director, Barclay Communications, who has been with the company for 18 years, added: “2020 was a challenging but rewarding year for Barclay Communications. We are still receiving fantastic feedback from our loyal customers expressing their appreciation in how we empowered their workforce with leading technology that stabilised their businesses at a very difficult time.

“We have exceptionally passionate staff and this was evident never more so than in the past 12 months. This investment and expansion announcement is testament to their hard work and the amazing business community throughout Northern Ireland.

Mr Roulston add: “It’s exciting times for the business. We are growing in house and expanding our client base and will be initiating a number of campaigns in the coming months which will allow us to give back to businesses and further support them to flourish coming out of lockdown.”

Introducing

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The benefits of switching to PivotalPay include

Eye on Recruitment

Mindmill – Changing The Talent Game Across The World

18

Eye on Recruitment As bold visions go, Mindmill’s is one of the boldest. This is a Northern Ireland-based company which has set out to revolutionise the way organisations approach HR throughout the career journey.

I

t does that through the innovative use of technology, and the software platform it offers, but it also does it by turning the time-honoured practices and disciplines of HR on their heads.

Local entrepreneur and recruitment specialist Laing Mewhort is Mindmill’s founder and CEO. “I’d been running my own recruitment company when I partnered with Professor Sidney Irvine and his assessment company Inpsych eleven years ago or so.

“In a nutshell, it was the world’s first digital psychometric system for screening and assessment, heavily validated in international defence forces,” he says. “What I loved about it right from the start was the amount of data it could generate. Our aim was to be more metric-driven around careers and specifically recruitment.”

Laing Mewhort and his Head of Operations Ryno Kleynhans talk a lot about data and the role that accurate and on demand data can play in the wider talent space for their clients.

Mindmill has its roots in international markets. A lot of its early development was in the key Middle East region. The Belfast-based company works alongside Silatech, a leading job creation and economic development organisation in Qatar and founded by the wife of the former Emir, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser.

“We worked with Silatech to establish the Tamheed platform which is delivering the concept of online career guidance and more to the wider Middle East and North African recruitment market,” says Laing Mewhort. “Over the past nine years, we’ve helped some 1.5 million plus young Arabs to find education, jobs and progress their careers.”

But it also has an established pedigree here in Northern Ireland. It was a key partner in the old RAP Programme (a conversion programme preparing non-

Mindmill’s technology, delivered via the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, looks at these four key aspects of careers – talent attraction, job screening, selection and professional development. “Each one of those,” says Ryno Kleynhans, “is crucial.

It’s not a case of getting one or two of those right, and that’s where a lot of companies have gone wrong over the years.”

Both Ryno Kleynhans and Laing Mewhort believe that their technology and services can have a sharper edge in the post-Covid environment as economies cope with increased number of displaced workers as well as other workers looking for a change of environment.

“The science, the methodology and the technology are all in place and ready to go,” adds Ryno Kleynhans. “Our system generates a lot of microdata

another market opportunity here in Northern Ireland. “A technology and data-based approach to recruitment and career mapping can take any potential bias right out of the picture at the outset,” he points out.

What Mindmill’s approach also does is take the HR function well past selection and recruitment.

“That’s just the start of it,” says Laing Mewhort. “It’s all about the career path, getting the right people in the right jobs, keeping them there and making sure they can progress.”

A technology-based approach can help avoid the well-worn scenario of having the wrong people in the wrong jobs, wrong students on the wrong courses resulting in the wrong career.

“A clearly defined psychometric approach can make all the difference right at the outset,” he says.

“Psychometrics have proven, for

“So setting the right metrics at the outset can be a real money saver for lots of organisations.”

Mindmill’s executives point out that psychometrics can also help with the live issue of workplace planning postpandemic. “Some people are suited to home working, others aren’t. That’s a fact of life,” says Laing Mewhort.

“But organisations should think and plan before they jump to conclusions on the future of workplaces.”

In a lot of ways, the Mindmill CEO says, not much has changed over the year. “We managed to change the word Personnel to two words – Human Resources – but that’s about it in some cases,” he says. It might be all about picking the best horse for the course, but in reality, it’s a lot more complex than that and both technology and science have huge roles to play.

“As we move further into the post-

IT graduates for a career in the tech sector), and continues to work on a range of graduate and apprenticeship programmes such as the Assured Skills Programme alongside local colleges.

“We thought that it was about time we talked about what we do to the business community here in Northern Ireland. We’re confident that we can help local organisations transform how they recruit, screen, select and develop employees going forward.”

and it’s possible to make that level of data really work for your organisation.

It can make an enormous difference.

“But it’s vital that companies and organisations embrace the full use of data. Too many organisations, historically, have been terrified of it. Our message is that it isn’t something to be scared of. It’s something to harness and use to inform people strategies.”

Laing Mewhort sees a ready market in the post-Covid era, but he also sees

example, that music graduates can be ideal for roles in data analytics.

And there are plenty of other examples where that came from.”

What it can also do, of course, is save organisations money. The net cost of making the wrong appointment has been well documented and it’s an amount that rises dramatically in the case of more senior positions.

“Getting it wrong is an expensive business,” adds Ryno Kleynhans.

Covid era, organisations need to think very carefully about their people.

“Organisations are growing again, and those who bounce back quickest need to plan it well and execute it even better. If they’re going to change how they work, the same applies. Even if nothing is going to change, it’s vital to look at your people in a new light.

“We’re here to help and to work with anyone in the talent space. Talk to us and let’s see what we can do for you.”

L-R: Ryno Kleynhans and Laing Mewhort of Mindmill

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Eye on Cover Story

CD Fairfield

Taking The Pain Out Of Debt Business partners Phil Davison and Tom Cardwell freely admit that they took a bit of a step into the unknown when they teamed up to establish CD Fairfield ten years ago. But the company today is one of the biggest debt specialists of its kind serving a wide-ranging marketplace.

“W

e came at it from different perspectives,” says Phil Davison. “My own background was in property investment and Tom had built a career in financial services.

So, in a lot of ways, our skills were complementary and we were introduced by a solicitor who’d worked with both of us separately.”

Back in those early days, 2011 into 2012, there were plenty of investors, developers and many others in difficulties. Distressed property was everywhere, there was a lot of debt, the market had flattened and most potential buyers were ‘sitting on their hands’, as Davison puts it.

“We started CD Fairfield by investing a cool £2,000 each, we secured the necessary licences and we got to work in a single room office, effectively part time, along with a secretary,” adds Tom Cardwell. “Most of our work in the early days was helping our

20

clients get out of negative equity positions through working closely with the banks and, if required, through the IVA (individual voluntary arrangement) route.

“It didn’t take too long before our reputation started to spread by word of mouth and we started to get busier and busier,” he adds.

“We hit £50,000 worth of income in our first year, and we’ve been effectively doubling that year on year since then. In the current year, we’re hopeful of posting a turnover of close to £4 million.”

CD Fairfield, complete with an expanding team, soon found itself moving into the insolvency space, traditionally the preserve of accountancy firms.

“What has always been important for us is the human side of what we do,” says Phil Davison. “Accountants might well look at debt as a set of numbers. We want to understand the issues and talk to our clients. We’re all too aware that it can be an

emotional time, a difficult time.

So we work hard to be sensitive in everything that we do.”

In a nutshell, CD Fairfield’s advisers will examine all the available options available to help ease debt problems. “We’ll look at restructuring debt, and there are various ways to do that, we’ll consider the possibility of new lending and, if we need to, we’ll put the wheels in motions towards IVA or CVAs. We’re pretty confident that no one else is servicing clients in the way that we do it.”

CD Fairfield markets its services directly to potential customers, in particular through its own websites like negativeequityni. com and negativeequityuk.com as well as gethelpwithdebt.co.uk.

It’s also been an early adopter of digital marketing, using a variety of social media platforms to reach existing and new clients.

But the company, based in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, also gains clients by

“Accountants might well look at debt as a set of numbers. We want to understand the issues and talk to our clients. We’re all too aware that it can be an emotional time, a difficult time.

So we work hard to be sensitive in everything that we do.”

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Eye on Cover Story rapid rise in property prices in parts of England could lead to debt problems further down the line. “I think there could be challenging times ahead. We’re not looking at the tsunami we had back in 2008 and after it, but it could be difficult.”

His view is that anyone who thinks that they are heading into a debt crisis should act quickly, tackle the problem head on and take professional advice before it is too late.

“We get too many people coming to us with debt problems who we’d really love to have heard from a bit earlier, when we could have done a lot more to prevent the problem getting worse,” says Tom Cardwell.

“We’re here to offer advice in the first instance. In fact, we offer a lot of advice on a pro bono basis. We’ll do that directly to our customers and potential customers, and we also do it through the range of podcasts and other communications we use to reach the market.”

Looking forward, both directors talk about aiming for ‘sustainable growth’. “We still love it,” says Phil Davison. “Tom and I still have a shared vision. The difference between the early days and now is that we have a brilliant staff team with us and that makes a huge difference.”

“We get too many people coming to us with debt problems who we’d really love to have heard from a bit earlier, when we could have done a lot more to prevent the problem getting worse.”

introduction and recommendation from professional advisers like accountants and solicitors.

From its initial years serving clients in Northern Ireland only, CD Fairfield nowadays deals with clients all over the UK. Around 50% of its total client base is located outside of Northern Ireland, and it has plans to open offices in both London and Manchester post-pandemic.

The initial staff of two parttime directors and a secretary has developed into a 25-strong team, shortly to be expanded to 32.

Phil Davison and Tom Cardwell are also due to be joined at a senior level this summer by one of Northern Ireland’s most experienced insolvency practitioners and a new financial director.

“On negative equity and property debt, we’d probably have around 300 ongoing cases at any given time,” says Tom Cardwell. “And the large

22

majority of those will be historic in that they’ll often relate to property debts taken on quite a few years ago.”

Phil Davison says that the company continues to refine its offering and respond to a changing marketplace. “The days of the financial crash have long gone but we’re still dealing with the aftermath of it. So we have to continually refine what we do. Every day is a learning day, and the landscape is always changing,” he says.

The landscape will inevitably change further in the post-Covid era. “There is a lot more borrowing out there nowadays,” Davison adds. “Businesses and individuals have made the most of payment holidays and the like, but that atmosphere won’t last forever.

I think everyone knows that. So there’s a strong possibility that hard times lie ahead. There’s no point in burying our heads in the sand.”

He also reckons that the current

Eye on Communications

Openreach engineer reflects on two decades of service Openreach, Northern Ireland’s largest digital infrastructure provider, is at the forefront of building Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband across the region, keeping homes and businesses connected to what matters.

J

ames Burleigh 37, from Carnlough, is a Senior Contracts & Civils Manager at Openreach. Business Eye spoke with James to discuss how he has progressed in his role at Openreach, what he’s working on now and advice he’d give others just starting out in their career.

Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself?

Originally born and raised in Glenarm, I moved to Carnlough 17 years ago, where I live with my wife and two daughters.

After school, I worked with Nortel Networks for 18 months before joining BT as an apprentice engineer in 2002.

You’ve recently progressed to become a Senior Contracts Manager at Openreach, what does this involve and how did you get into this?

As Contracts Manager, I’m responsible for sourcing and managing all the third-party suppliers to Openreach across the Engineering Field Services category in Northern Ireland, but I’ve taken a very wide and varied path to get here.

I joined BT Ireland as an apprentice back in 2002 and worked for 8 years as an engineer across a variety of roles providing new and repairing existing services into customers premises. I then progressed into working in our offices in Belfast helping to allocate the work to the engineers and then onto managing some of those teams. During that time, I also went back to school and studied Business Administration at the Northern Regional College There was then an opening within the Contracts Management team which I joined, and I haven’t looked back since. I really enjoy the work and most importantly, the people that I work with across Openreach NI and our suppliers.

Are there any new projects you’re working on at the minute that you could share?

Earlier this year I helped launch a Civil Engineering team which is the

first internal team of this kind at Openreach NI for 20 years. The team currently consists of eight members, seven of which are new starts, who all play an important role in the development of Openreach’s network infrastructure and bringing Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband technology to homes and businesses across NI. It has been a really exciting project to see come to fruition and I hope to see the team grow and similar teams be rolled out right across the region in the years to come.

It sounds like you’ve been busy working on various projects over the past few years, what are you most proud of achieving in this time?

My biggest achievement so far has been helping bring Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband to Carnlough via Openreach’s Community Fibre Partnership (CFP) scheme. This was quite a feat as it involved getting over 700 houses and businesses signed up and we did it in record time – just two weeks! The initiative is a great scheme that aims to bring Full Fibre to areas across NI that are not currently included in any private or publicly financed upgrade builds.

Communities, like Carnlough, pledge their Government Rural Broadband Gigabit vouchers to the scheme and if the target is reached, Openreach can build Full Fibre to the area which has huge benefits for residents.

I’m very proud of my time at Openreach so far, however it’s the people I work with that make it what it is. For anyone considering a job here, whether you’re a school leaver, graduate or someone looking a career change, there are plenty of gateways into the business such as the Apprentice scheme, which is accepting 100 new recruits this year. As part of the scheme, you receive 18 months’ training and an NVQ before graduating as a fully qualified engineer. If you’re interested in applying, you can find more information online at openreach.co.uk/ni.

23

Eye on Recovery

Richard Gardiner & RSM Responding To Market Needs In The Post-Pandemic Era We might feel as though we’re in the post-pandemic era, but a face-to-face meeting with RSM Northern Ireland’s senior partner Richard Gardiner shows how businesses have adapted.

24

Eye on Recovery

W

e talk in RSM’s impressive boardroom, arguably the Belfast boardroom with the best view along the river with Belfast’s new cityscape and icons, like Titanic and the Harland & Wolff cranes, in plain sight.

But, apart from one or two people, RSM’s offices on Lanyon Quay are eerily empty as the firm has evolved to hybrid and home working during the pandemic. And they’ve been that way since the heady days of March 2020 in common with many others around the city.

Like most others, he remembers the start of the pandemic all too well. “I think we all thought a few weeks working from home would be alright and that we’d soon be back. Little did we know,” he says.

When it came to RSM’s clients, reactions varied.

“The larger organisations are well resourced and were able to keep going pretty effectively. But a lot of our smaller client companies effectively went into hibernation and took a long Easter break.

“So, our consultancy and audit teams were able to work seamlessly from home while other areas of the business like tax advisory slowed down for a few weeks as businesses’ responded to lockdown

restrictions. For most, it was a case of spending those first few weeks trying to adapt and find ways to keep the company going. But, as a region, we’re innovative, we’re entrepreneurial and we tend to find a way.”

In RSM’s case, he says that all staff have been back working full-time with clients (albeit from home) since last summer and the end of the first lockdown period.

Like most other key advisers, he sees client businesses who’ve come through the crisis in better shape than they went into it. But he sees others, in harder-hit sectors, facing real challenges. And he’s well aware that there are is one particular cloud on the horizon.

“Businesses are coming back to a lot of debt,” he says, “and that something that we can’t shy away from.”

He’s fulsome in his praise of central government’s assistance for businesses throughout the pandemic, and also pays tribute to the banks for playing “a positive role” in ensuring that government-backed grants were channeled into the private sector.

“I think that the banks will have to continue to be supportive of their customers as we move out of this crisis.”

“We have some clients who took the grants and almost all of them have used furlough to some extent.

Some businesses have had a really challenging time of it to administer support at times, but the economy would not have survived without it.”

Richard Gardiner is hopeful for a bounce back for the hospitality and tourism sectors this summer, but adds that it’s a bounce back that is badly needed for the beleaguered industries. While some might recover quickly, others – he reckons – may struggle to find the energy to square up to the repayment of Covid debts.

“It’s really not easy when you’re staring at quite a number of years of servicing debt piled up during the pandemic. Not every business will be able to recover. ” Some middle market businesses, he says, have been able to adapt, and adapt well, during the pandemic. “I’ve spoken to quite a few clients who’ve re-engineered, re-shaped their businesses during the crisis and can look very positively at the future.

RSM’s staff, he reckons, will move towards a much more flexible, hybrid working model, embracing a mix of home and office-working. It’s the same hybrid model that seems to appeal to the vast majority of Northern Ireland businesses.

“Across the UK, we asked our staff what way they wanted to work going forward. Relatively small percentages want to work from home full time or from the office full time. A big majority in the middle likes the idea of flexible working so I think there’s no doubt that that’s the direction we will go in.”

The firm, with 33 offices across the UK, has already made a central decision not to withdraw from any of its physical locations. “Instead, we’ll be working hard to make the locations usable in the new era, and we’ll be investing in the technology necessary to do that.”

He’s quick to voice his concerns over the effect of the pandemic and home working on graduates and young staff working in accountancy. “We’ve increased our trainee intake again this year and invested in new innovative ways of onboarding staff to ensure they feel part of the team as it can be lonely working from home, and challenging in other ways, particularly when starting a new role.’

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Eye on Round Table

The Green Recovery – NI’s Climate Action Strategy And Race To Zero The Participants

Noyona Chundur Chief Executive, NI Consumer Council

Ann McGregor Chief Executive, NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Declan Billington Chair, CBI NI Energy Working Group

Business Eye’s Richard Buckley teamed up with Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink to stage a virtual round table discussion looking at Northern Ireland’s Climate Action Strategy and the role of the business, tourism and consumer sectors.

RB – I want to start with a broad brush question to each of you. How well are we doing here in Northern Ireland? Are we on track? Let’s start with you, Chris.

CC – Some sectors have performed well on greenhouse gas reduction, others not so well. The big challenge is to make sure that all sectors take up the challenge. The Climate Bill going through Stormont is good news as is work on our regional energy strategy, but we need to see more progress on

26

transport and that’s something for all of us, not just those who set policy.

JB – We’ve made a good start. Almost half of electricity produced here in 2019 came from renewable sources.

But we do have multiple problems.

We have not one but two potential bills going through the Assembly, and that’s a waste of time and resources.

Going forward, we can achieve a lot by decarbonising our economy and I’d highlight domestic space heating.

Gerry Lennon Chief Executive, Visit Belfast

We have high levels of fuel poverty, we rely too much on oil and we have a lot of badly insulated houses. We also have big challenges in transport and in agriculture. So we have a long way to go but it’s cheaper and more effective to do the heavy lifting now.

AM – As a Chamber, we signed up for this and we’re working to support firms in this area. We talk to different government departments and we get the sense that they’re not really working together as they should be. The same applies, to some extent, to businesses who could work together on innovation and technology. There’s a lot going on but it needs a lot more co-ordination.

DB – I’d call what we’ve achieved a warm-up lap. The marathon is about to start, but Northern Ireland has the potential to do great things. In the agri food sector, for instance, we see huge opportunities. We’re

John Barry Professor of Green Political Economy, Queen’s University, Belfast

good at strategies, not so good at delivery. Business is ready to step up to the plate, but we need an Executive willing to drive this forward.

NC – This is only going to happen if we actively engage consumers in attitudinal shifts. It’s great to see strategies taking shape, but how do we win hearts and minds? Also, the timeframes and targets are very ambitious so we need to work on prioritisation. Also, as Ann said, we need to be much more connected.

GL – Tourism can be seen as the bad boy of climate change. But we’re excited about the progress we’ve made. We’ve embedded sustainability into our three-year plan. The travellers of the future will be more environmentally and socially aware. Most conferences and events have to have sustainability built in before they go anywhere. So this is a market imperative if we are to compete as a city and destination.

Eye on Round Table

RB – If you had one short message for government here, what would it be?

CC – The Climate Change Bill has to progress, for starters. But we also need to join up all the various initiatives and we need clear policy to help drive behavioural changes. I think we’re a bit afraid of some of the policy decisions that need to be made and, as a result, we’re falling behind other regions.

JB – To offer a biblical quote....

Without vision, the people perish.

The government should start creating a positive narrative around decarbonisation. This is a fantastic opportunity to re-make society and the economy. But it’s also essential that we change things for our children and grandchildren.

RB – So the post-Covid Build Back Greener message isn’t just a sound bite. It can be a reality?

JB – Absolutely. It’s a truism that we should never let a good crisis go to waste. Covid has been a tough mistress, but it gives us a great chance to make

changes right across our society.

Businesses are running ahead of government and so are people. It’s time for them to catch up. We also need to invest in infrastructure – our electricity networks, our transport systems, etc.

AM – Young people will drive this and business will drive it, but government has to clear the path. It has to create partnerships and have the right people in place to lead.

DB – Ambition is what you find in strategy, but policy can breed inertia.

Northern Ireland has the potential to be agile, and there are huge advantages in being first. I’d say to government that they need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. They need to create a policy framework that allows business to drive things forward.

NC – Decarbonisation is a word that most people don’t understand, so we

need to make this more accessible.

But we also need connectivity across government and out to business and the people. The role of policy makers and of regulators will change. Affordability is also key. It’s important to be business driven, but I’d stress that all of society needs to be brought on this journey.

GL - Lenin is reported to have said that there are decades when nothing happens, and there are months when decades happen. This might be one of those points in time. The Executive has to move away from departmental silos and embrace inter connectedness and connectivity.

Looking after our environment and embracing sustainability benefits everyone. That’s the bottom line.

RB – Chris, transport accounts for 23% of all greenhouse gases in Northern Ireland. We see the Gliders, we see hydrogen buses, but tell us a bit more about where you are as an organisation.

CC – We’re focused on a number of areas. The first is to decarbonise public transport and we’re working with the

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Eye on Round Table organisation and we can filter this out to our members. It’s about taking small steps towards a much more worthy goal.

RB - Do our political parties buy into this, John?

JB - That’s a tough one. Let’s say that there is an unequal appreciation of the challenges we’re facing. It’s regrettable that the DUP and Ulster Farmers Union are waging trench warfare against the current bill. But farmers shouldn’t fear a climate bill. I do wonder if some parties are just paying lip service to climate change without really seeing that it is a fantastic opportunity. The sea doesn’t care if you’re Catholic, protestant, Atheist or a Dissenter.

It’s going to rise. This is something that should bring us all together.

CC - We have made progress. Very few people are denying climate change. Voters want to see climate policies, and perhaps this can be a unifying area going forward.

Department for Infrastructure on the policy front. The 2050 targets are fine but we need to be more immediate so we have a target by 2030 to reduce emissions by 50% and to be at zero by 2040. On the wider transport front, we need to get away from the private car and we can’t just expect to do things the way we’ve always done them. Even a commitment not to use a car one day a week would make a big difference... and everyone could do it tomorrow. We have had decades of under investment in public transport and, while we’re making progress now, we’ve a long way to go. So, for me, it’s decarbonise, invest in transport and drive behavioural change. Maybe the Covid era will help in that it has encouraged communities to come together and work together.

RB – Noyona, you mentioned engaging with consumers. Are consumers actively engaged in this cause?

NC – They are much more engaged than ever before. But we need to understand what they know before we can tell them what they don’t know.

There’s been a big rise in awareness but there’s a bit of a gap between that and understanding. It is possible to nudge behaviours in the right direction but consumers will always look at what this means for their wallet. Costs have to be explained and understood, and that’s sometimes forgotten.

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RB – Turning to you, Ann, is the business community more engaged?

AM – Larger firms are definitely more engaged. It’s a boardroom subject now... right up there with governance and finance. Unless you’re an innovative SME working in this area, then you’re less engaged. Smaller firms have smaller management team and have less capacity to deal with it. Many will need help to cope with it. But it’s something that they can’t ignore going forward.

RB – How important is a high level of buy-in from businesses, John?

JB – Partnership working is vital. The NI Assembly, in common with the Dail and others, has declared a climate emergency. But the pandemic showed us what an emergency response looked like. We do need to have a systemic, structural approach to this.

I’d caution against a greening business as usual approach or indeed a growth recovery post pandemic. We need jobs.

There are lots of people out there who are unemployed but just don’t know it. This is an existential crisis and we need to treat it as such.

RB – What are your thoughts on the importance of business buy-in, Declan?

DB - The CBI Working Group has always been a coming together of

regulated businesses in energy along with other businesses. The regulated businesses see big opportunities in this and they want to use their networks to support zero carbon. Then there are the innovators. We have world leaders in bio methane yet we have no policy to support them. In the agri food sector, the big supermarkets are hungry for sustainable products and our producers could easily flip to zero carbon. Finally, there are businesses who look for energy efficiency. We need an over arching policy that weaves all of this together.

RB – Turning to tourism, Gerry, what can be done to build sustainability into the wider tourism product as we come out of the pandemic?

GL – It’s a journey. We’ve had to look at the purpose of tourism. Our purpose now must be around social and economic wellbeing. Our visitors, for the most part, don’t come in their cars. They walk and they cycle. So we’re already taking small steps. But we must look at how we can contribute to the transition to net zero carbon. Along with Belfast City Council, we’ve joined the Global Destination Sustainability movement.

In terms of sustainability, we’re close to the bottom of the league table but the only way is up. By the end of the summer, we hope to be recognised as a sustainable destination marketing

RB - Are their real economic opportunities around sustainability?

Could we build something around it?

AM - We already are. But we need the right people across government and its agencies to drive it forward.

We can be far too slow to understand what leading edge companies are doing and respond to their needs.

DB - There are certainly a lot of opportunities. We have the world’s largest domestic heating business here in Glen Dimplex and a lot of other businesses involved in the broader sector. Yet our energy policy is very limited. We need to be more visionary. The protocol could make us a magnet for investment. Why not go for green energy manufacturing investments? It’s only a game changer if we have an Executive willing to grasp the opportunity.

RB - Chris, you’ve told us about what you’ve done on your network. But does the post-Covid era present opportunities to encourage people to change their lifestyle?

CC - People have had to change behaviour very suddenly. Working habits will change, and so could other habits, like commuting by car.

Employers have a role to play in this and they can help to set the agenda.

Eye on Round Table transition is transparent, that it is affordable and that it is inclusive. It also has to empower and educate consumers so that they buy into it.

JB - This has been a great discussion but we’ve only scratched the surface of the whole subject. We have the technologies to do this. But we do need to prepare for the complete electrification of our lives. We need energy and carbon literacy. Then there’s our planning system and the fact that it incentivises private car use.

Let’s integrate spacial planning with energy planning. Most importantly, let’s make sure we bring everyone in the community with us. And, as a parting shot, why now offer free public transport on certain routes?

To quote a Scottish novelist called Alasdair Gray, we should be working as if we’re in the early days of building a better society.

There is already a move, led by the public sector, to remove car parking spaces and that’s likely to accelerate.

RB - Our uptake of electric vehicles isn’t where it should be. What are our thoughts on that?

NC - We have to have the right incentives in place to encourage consumers. But we also need to dispel the myth that an electric vehicle is a luxury item. And we need to make them accessible and that requires huge investment in infrastructure.

There is no doubt that there are too many barriers, real and perceived.

CC - We haven’t actually got a transport strategy in terms of climate change, and that is a big missing piece. We need to make clear how we’re going to get to zero carbon via a mix of public transport, electric vehicles and policy around things like housing developments and how they link in with transport networks.

GL - It’s crucial that we have a whole enabling environment around public transport and access to public transport. I’d highlight cases like Moira Railway Station being well outside of Moira and the railway station serving Belfast City Airport being in the wrong place. We need to look at problems like these.

CC - I agree, Gerry. What we call the ‘last mile’ piece is important. Investment in public transport infrastructure has been very poor over the last decade but we’re starting to redress that. We’ll move as quickly as we can, but we do need people to change their behaviours and support what we’re doing.

NC - I have to come at this from a consumer protection perspective. We have to make sure that the whole

CC - I’ll finish with a couple of key points. Let’s get the Climate Bill through and let’s get it through now, let’s get a transport strategy in place and let’s encourage employers and employees to think about their transport behaviours.

RB - As a closing question, can I ask each of you what we need to do urgently here in Northern Ireland to really advance the climate action agenda?

DB - People need to understand what a carbon footprint is. Think back to the early days of the euro. Is it really beyond the pale to give consumers details of how much carbon they’ve bought with every energy bill, for instance? To drive understanding of the differences we can make.

GL - If we want businesses to change behaviour, government has to incentivise that change.

AM - For me, we have to move from the carrot to the stick, and the stick can take various forms. Take the case of banks, who are already looking for sustainability elements in projects and firms that they are supporting. Following on from that, large companies can use their stick on SME’s. Employers can use their stick on staff…and so it goes on.

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Eye on Health

Connected Health – Revolutionising The Concept Of Homecare As fast growth companies go, some fly above the radar in high profile sectors while others cruise below it in unheralded sectors of the economy.

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Eye on Health

C

onnected Health is one of the Northern Ireland economy’s hidden gems.

Proudly based in Belfast despite having expanded and grown in both GB and the Republic, the company is on a mission to revolutionise the concept of Homecare, combining the might of technology and the power of people to achieve its long-term goal.

“As a group of Directors, we took over the business seven years ago and since then we’ve grown the number of employees from 47 to 1,100,” says Director Ryan Williams. “Our people are carrying out more than three million physical home visits every year. That’s 30,000 hours of care per week across NI, GB and ROI.” Born out of the former Care Circle operation, acquired by the Connected Health team led by CEO Douglas Adams, the Group is now one of the largest in the Homecare sector in Northern Ireland.

“We’re definitely trying to re-define what we do. We never liked the term ‘domiciliary care’, and we’re applying technology to almost everything we do.

We’re a care company with an emphasis on technology, but we’re also a technology company with an emphasis on care.”

Ryan Williams and his colleagues talk about their three T’s – Talent, Training & Technology – with all three playing a part in how Connected Health does things.

It’s also a company that brings an energy, identity and new standards into an industry not always known for its innovation and fresh thinking. Visit Connected Health’s offices at Boucher Business Studios and the company’s personality is clear to see.... bright surroundings, a pervasive energy and a branding across everything from the Directors’ shirts to the office walls and even the coffee mugs.

“The old domiciliary care industry ran aground many years ago and the ship was simply rusting into the sea,” adds Williams. “There was no point in re-arranging the deckchairs.

What it needed was a real shake-up, a real revolution.”

The industry, say the Connected Health team, had also stagnated

at the point of delivery. Carers were clearlty undervalued by the entire health and social care system – we wanted to show their true value and contribution to the sector.

“In addition, we’ve been instrumental in lowering the average age of a care worker within our workforce from 52 to 27 years old, but more importantly, we’ve helped expand the range and type of functions carried out in people’s homes by those care workers – we’ve expanded the menu of Homecare.

“These days, our people can help clients to shower or bath, they can help them out of bed, they can make sure they take their medication, they can change stoma bags and oxygen tanks, they can engage in tech deployment and data collection – all with the right training.

In business terms, it’s about moving up the value chain for our clients and the wider system.

“We’re well aware that almost all of our carers will go the extra mile. They’ll help their clients in whatever way they can, pro bono and outside of the terms and conditions of their contract. It’s a part of what we do, we’re more than happy to personalise our service and we’d never want to change that.”

Technology can also come in handy when it comes to everyday Homecare; Connected Health has both developed

“The old domiciliary care industry ran aground many years ago and the ship was simply rusting into the sea.

There was no point in re-arranging the deckchairs. What it needed was a real shake-up, a real revolution.”

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Eye on Health

“We’re well aware that almost all of our carers will go the extra mile. They’ll help their clients in whatever way they can, pro bono and outside of the terms and conditions of their contract. It’s a part of what we do, we’re more than happy to personalise our service and we’d never want to change that.”

and deployed both virtual care services, innovative wearables and a range of proprietary technology on issues ranging from incontinence detection to automated medication support.

“There are significant challenges out there,” says Ryan Williams.

“We have an ageing population and it’s simply not going to be enough to keep doing what we’ve always done.”

The company’s Director of Clinical Services & Training, Theresa Morrison, agrees.

“Take the question of training,” she says. “Training for carers has often been seen as a ‘do the

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minimum’ approach and it’s crucial that we work to change that. We also need to change the image of caring as a profession and develop real career paths for our caring professionals, pathways that can lead right up to senior management. It can’t be seen as a Cinderella industry for any longer. Here at Connected Health, we have a role to play on that policy agenda and landscape”.

The company has its own dedicated Connected Health Academy which offers tailored training courses for its employees and potentially the wider sector.

“What’s important for us is

that we instill Connected Health standards and ways of working into every member of our team,” says Theresa Morrison.

The company managed to achieve 40% growth during the Covid pandemic. “That was largely because a number of providers struggled to continue delivery during the pandemic – for totally understandable reasons,” says Williams. “We kept working and kept providing our Homecare services throughout. We worked closely with the Trusts and the Department to establish dedicated Covid-specialist teams working in the community.”

Connected Health works with most of its clients through referrals from local Health Trusts but it also offers a private version of its Homecare services to clients whose families pay for varying levels of assistance from carers.

Theresa Morrison, says that private care is their fastestgrowing area at the moment and offers a great area for additional innovation in terms of both products and services – essentially tech enabled Homecare.

Connected Health has set out clear growth plans for the coming years.

“We’ll look out for acquisition opportunities in both GB and the Republic, but we’ll grow organically at the same time.

And our headquarters will definitely stay right here in Belfast,” says Douglas Adams.

“We want to grow our team from 1,100 to 4,500 over the next five years and we’re confident that the demand will be there in the community.

Dougie continues “No one wants to go into hospital. It’s seldom that anyone opts to enter a nursing home either. There is a demand, and it’s a growing demand, for the services that we offer, services that simply allow people to stay independent, healthy, and appropriately supported for longer.”

Eye on Insolvency

Considering an acquisition post Covid

By Grainne Quinn, Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, ASM

2020 will go down in history as a year of change, as the pandemic accelerated the natural pace of change as businesses had to adapt to a new reality by capturing opportunities and redefining strategies to face the crisis with confidence.

A

year on from the outbreak and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has surged globally, as businesses and investment firms rushed to get ahead of changes on how individuals and businesses operate and trade during the pandemic.

Desired assets are scarcer than the capital available to buy them, driving strong competition on the buy side to go after ‘premium assets and capabilities’. Furthermore the pandemic has had little impact on the valuations of healthy businesses and even a positive impact on those ‘premium’ companies, especially the ones that traded well through 2020.

It is envisaged that M&A activity will accelerate further in the latter stages of 2021, as corporate and private investors continue to have access to capital and pursue deals to build scale and expand scope.

For some, growth will come within industries, with market leaders strengthening their position as the economy continues to recover.

Others, seeing their business models upended by the pandemic, will explore how businesses in adjacent sectors can help drive transformation.

If you are considering an acquisition post pandemic, there are a number of key areas that should be considered to reduce the risk and maximise your return, including: 1 Target the right business for you -

it is vital to buy a business that is the right fit for your skillset, experience or one that fits with your existing business.

2 Price – carry out an independent

assessment/business valuation to establish the future potential of the business, what the target business is worth and how much you are willing to pay. Factors such as client retention, recurring revenues and new product development can have a significant impact on the business valuation, so it is vital to explore beyond the basic financials.

3 Heads of Agreement (HOA) –the HOA

will outline the agreed price and commercial terms which will form part of the final agreements, and ensure that any misunderstandings are “flushed out” at an early stage.

4 Due diligence (DD) - DD is essential

to develop a full understanding of the business and identify potential risks that might leave you exposed.

The DD process will also ensure key warranties necessary to protect the purchaser against any future liabilities are fully captured. The scope and level of the due diligence work will depend on the size and complexity of the target business, and depending on the outcome you might want to renegotiate the price or adjust the timing of the payment of the sales consideration.

5 Structure - careful tax planning is a key

element in acquiring a business and should be carried out at an early stage in the process. Different structures will have their pros and cons and can have a significant impact on the tax liabilities you could face, including gains on the future disposal of the target business.

6 Funding - consideration needs to

be given to the cashflow availability within the existing business and what funds it can commit to avoid over leveraging, in addition to assessing the ability to raise fresh funding in the target business.

7 Integration and managing change –

Company culture plays a major role in whether an acquisition will be a success or a failure. Maintain a focus on your key strategic objectives and your development plan and bring key employees with you on that journey to ensure early buy-in and efficient implementation.

Grainne Quinn is a Director at ASM Chartered Accountants specialising in Corporate Finance and Restructuring & Insolvency. If you would like to discuss a potential business acquisition or disposal please feel free to contact Grainne on grainne.quinn@asmmagherafelt.com or on 028 7930 1777.

When looking at acquiring a business, it is critical that you consider engaging a specialist M&A advisor who can bring a lot of added value and help protect and maximise your investment.

ASM Chartered Accountants has six offices, Magherafelt, Dungannon, Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk and Newry.

33

Eye on Housing

Martin Pitt – Ex-PwC Man Leading Radius Housing Into A New Future

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Eye on Housing Like many senior accountants at one of the big firms, Martin Pitt didn’t see himself confined to the garden or the golf course when he took retirement from PwC where he was an audit partner.

“I

wanted to give something back,” he says. “I’d been involved in various boards and a lot of different charities over the years, and I knew the third sector here in Northern Ireland well, having done the audits for a lot of local organisations over the years, so I kept an eye out for opportunities.”

He’d been on the board of Radius Housing, Northern Ireland’s largest housing association by some distance, for a year and a half and when previous Chair Diana Fitzsimons decided to step down, Martin Pitt found himself chosen for the role by his fellow board members. He took up the Chairmanship in February of 2021 and managed to have a couple of face to face meetings before Covid swept in and everyone, as he puts it, became a picture on the screen.

“It’s a sector I know well having worked with most of the leading local housing associations. But it’s also a sector which is crucial to Northern Ireland and its people. The availability of quality housing here is a live issue and it always has been.”

The figures speak for themselves at Radius. Headquartered in Belfast, it’s a social enterprise employing upwards of 1,000 people, with £90 million in revenue and £1 billion worth of assets and managing some 13,000 properties right across Northern Ireland. It provides sheltered housing, housing for special and complex needs as well as general needs housing and it also ranks as one of this region’s biggest housebuilders.

“Over the next year, we’ll aim to build somewhere between 350 and 400 new homes and we’ll do that on a sustainable basis,” says the Radius chairman. “At the same time, we’ll invest more than £25 million in maintaining all of our properties to the highest standards.”

None of this comes cheaply and an obvious question to the chairman of a housing association is around funding. In the case of Radius, the answer is surprising. In recent years, it’s moved up a gear thanks to an innovative piece of financial thinking.

Radius became the first Northern Ireland housing association to raise

funds through the issue of a bond to the financial markets. In fact, it raised a cool £110 million and nowadays, Radius housing developments in the likes of Newry or West Belfast are funded, at least in part, by investors as far afield as the United States and Japan who’ve injected money on terms ranging from 20 to 30 years.

“We had to do a lot of work to get there,” explains Martin Pitt. “We had to achieve a credit rating with Moody’s, and that’s not as easy as it might sound.

Having achieved an A1 rating, we had to get out there and talk to potential institutional investors in the US, in particular. It was all a bit of a novelty for a local housing association team.

“But we need critical mass to provide the right quality of housing and to provide as much of it as we can,” he adds. Government, back in the day, footed the bill for housing associations. Nowadays, it stumps up for close to 50% of what the associations do. It’s a big difference.

“We’ve worked with banks in the past and the banks have been very good when it comes to lending, but we needed to look at a funding solution that would deliver the critical mass we needed, and we’re glad we did.”

Radius is the result of a merger some years ago of two existing associations – Fold & Helm – making it the biggest by scale in the local environment.

It has an ambitious building programme in place to provide a range of housing units across the region. It’s a programme only held back by the limitations of the planning system here and by current issues affecting the supply chain in the construction sector.

“As an association, we provide social housing, affordable housing and private housing so it’s quite a mix.

We take the view that we’re not just building houses. We’re actually helping to build a community,” says Martin Pitt. He points to Radius’s largest single development at the moment, the large-scale Black’s Gate scheme on the former Ford/Visteon site close to the M1 Motorway in West Belfast.

“It’s a great example of what we’re achieving. These are really attractive and highly sustainable homes with low running costs for tenants. We’ve a firm

commitment at Radius to deliver on sustainability. We’re developing our first near-zero energy building (NZEB), 50% of our developments are on brownfield sites and we have at least 10% of open space on almost all schemes.

“It’s our view that making our new homes more sustainable is just as important, maybe even more important, than encouraging us all to drive more eco-friendly vehicles.”

Radius had to face up to some unique challenges during the height of the pandemic. We managed to move over 300 office-based staff to home working with limited disruption.

This was possible through previous IT investments and the ingenuity of our IT team. Meanwhile we had to keep our maintenance services going through a succession of lock-downs.

This was a challenge for our Assets team and our contracting partners.

“Throughout the pandemic the safety of our tenants, staff and contracting partners remained our priority. However as a responsible landlord we also had to ensure that essential maintenance jobs were carried out. So much was achieved through a partnership approach.”

“But it’s brought some benefits too. Prior to Covid, we had plans in place to set up a dedicated contact centre so that our customers could contact us at any time and we can give an instant answer in up to 80% of cases. We were also planning pilot

schemes to expand agile working across our business for the benefit of customers and staff. The pandemic acted to accelerate many of our plans and has helped staff experience the benefits of home-working and increased agility. At Radius we want to capture and retain the positives during this otherwise disruptive year”.

The Radius chairman is well aware that housing is almost always a hot topic in Northern Ireland.

“The simple fact is that demand far outstrips supply,” he says “and that’s just not good enough. Poor quality housing is a major problem here and it has far-reaching effects on people’s health and wellbeing. We believe it defines the life-prospects of many and is key to reducing poverty in NI”.

“We work closely with government through the Department for Communities and, along with the communities we serve, our fellow associations, we form part of a structure that also includes the Housing Executive and private developers. Radius is particularly focussed on helping to create more shared communities where diversity is not only respected but celebrated”.

“What’s crucial is that we all work together towards a common goal where everyone regardless of background, age or special needs will have a quality place to call home from which they can contribute to the wider community”.

35

Eye on Law

Millar McCall Wylie – Fast Growth Law Firm Launches New Look The senior team at Belfast law firm Millar McCall Wylie could be forgiven for resting on its laurels after almost 25 years of continuous growth. Instead, the directors at the firm are setting their sights on a further 50% growth over the coming years.

Damian McParland, Peter McCall, Caroline Prunty and Jan Cunningham launch Millar McCall Wylie’s new brand identity in Belfast’s Victoria Square recently.

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Eye on Law

“W

e are definitely ambitious,” says Caroline Prunty, one of a team of directors at a firm which now employs close to 50 across its two offices in the city centre and at Ballyhackamore in East Belfast. “And our ambitious approach is built around a fantastic team of people which has been improved again by the young lawyers joining us every year, even during the pandemic.”

Caroline Prunty joined the firm back in 2000 and became a partner the following year. An experienced litigator, she heads up the litigation department at Millar McCall Wylie, which means that she heads a team working on civil and criminal litigation as well as commercial disputes and all aspects of family law.

The firm itself has its roots back in 1997 when it was set up by three Belfast lawyers – Conor Wylie, Peter McCall and Davy Millar. Both Wylie and McCall remain active Directors, now forming part of a management team comprising ten Directors and a Chief Operating Officer.

The leadership team has steered a steady expansion course which has included growth to almost 50 people and a 75% increase in turnover since 2015, the opening of a city centre office in Imperial House on Donegall Square East and the recent corporate re-brand.

“The decision to re-brand was an easy one for us,” says Caroline Prunty, a native of Fermanagh who cut her teeth as a solicitor west of the Bann before moving to Belfast. “It’s a new, more modern, brand that better reflects the firm that we are today. We’ve changed and we’ve evolved over the years and we’ve certainly grown a lot.”

Caroline brings the re-brand decision back to the ambition that she mentions at the start of the interview. In fact, ambition is a recurring theme.

“We’ve built up a very diverse team in a wide spectrum of specialist areas over the years,” she says. “There’s a vibrancy to both offices which is apparent to almost everyone who comes here or deals with us. We want to be regarded as a fast-moving, progressive law firm and I think that’s something we’ve managed to achieve.”

“It’s a new, more modern, brand that better reflects the firm that we are today. We’ve changed and we’ve evolved over the years and we’ve certainly grown a lot.”

Caroline Prunty, Director, Millar McCall Wylie

Millar McCall Wylie has stated its intention to clock up another 50% worth of growth over the next three years. Caroline Prunty talks about a process of ‘rejuvenation by recruitment’.

“The whole firm can be energised by the arrival of new, younger lawyers, and it’s certainly the case that older, more experienced lawyers are lifted by working with younger members of staff.”

The Belfast firm continues to recruit younger lawyers during the pandemic. But the recruitment of talent is a competitive game these days, and Millar McCall Wylie’s state of the art city centre office and new-look corporate identity are additional strings to its talent attraction bow.

“All of the big law firms in the city are looking for talent, the US and GB firms operating offices here are also looking for talent.

So we have to be on our game when it comes to attracting the best young people. But we know that we have to nurture the best young lawyers and we also know that our people are central to the future of this firm.”

Millar McCall Wylie ranks as one of the largest home-grown firms in Northern Ireland.

“We’re a Belfast-based firm, but our clients come from all over the UK , Ireland and international” adds Caroline.

“That’s been helped over the years by our successes and the fact that a number of our lawyers have been rated in both the Legal 500 and Chambers guides to law firms and lawyers in this jurisdiction.”

Five partners have been recognised across a range of sectors and Damian McParland was ranked as one of Europe’s leading corporate lawyers in this year’s Chambers Europe. In addition, the firm was awarded the Insider Dealmakers Corporate Law Firm Of The Year in 2020.

The firm’s core specialities include media law, technology, family law and employment. “But our vision is to offer legal expertise right across the board,” she adds.

With strengths across corporate, commercial and private law, a major driver of growth for the firm has been its success within film, television and media legal services, having worked with NI Screen, HBO, New Regency, Fox Studios, Microsoft/Xbox, Netflix and Disney.

It has advised on over 1,200 TV, film and new media productions with total budgets in excess of £2 billion, including all seasons of Game of Thrones, Derry Girls and Line of Duty as well as recent US major productions including The Northman starring Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skaarsgard and The School for Good and Evil starring Charlize Theron,

Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Regé-Jean Page.

The firm also continues to win new high-profile clients in a re-emerging real estate market having this year, for example, advised on the £70m financing of the 227,000 sq. ft Merchant Square office development in Belfast City Centre.

Solicitors were deemed as an essential service during the Covid pandemic, so following an early move to home working at the height of the crisis, office working is now the norm for the firm’s staff across its two offices.

“We’re also very, very busy,” says Caroline Prunty. “Residential house sales & purchases as everyone knows, is a busy area.

But we’re also working on a considerable number of high value commercial real estate transactions. Litigation is busy, as is matrimonial work and so it goes on.

“In some areas, I suppose, it can be put down to a postCovid bounce, but that’s not the case for every sector. Maybe it’s just an indication of a busy post-pandemic economy.

“It might sound a bit like a cliche, but we’re big enough to offer plenty of expertise but small enough to offer a real personal service to our clients. That makes a big difference and we don’t want to lose that as we continue to grow.”

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Eye on Communications

Using Digital Connectivity to Adapt During Times of Changeand for Economic Recovery Over the last year businesses have needed to adapt their operating models and find innovative ways to not only survive but to also thrive.

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any have found that technology has played a key role in helping them to overcome the challenges they’ve faced and there has been unprecedented levels of usage and demand for online services, which is only going to continue to grow. With that in mind, it’s clear that digital connectivity is playing a central role in economic resilience and recovery in the region. Research has also shown that greater access to fast, reliable, and future-proofed connections will be key for long-term socioeconomic growth in Northern Ireland with a predicted boost of £1.3 billion to the economy and 1.6% to employment (Cebr, 2019).

At the heart of greater digital connectivity is having robust infrastructure in place that can cope with increasing demands and the continued development of new, data-hungry technologies and Openreach is leading the charge in ensuring the region has a future-proof broadband network capable of meeting these demands - now and for decades to come.

As Northern Ireland’s largest digital infrastructure provider, Openreach is delivering an ambitious network build programme in the region and bringing Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband technology to homes and businesses at pace. As a result, more than 65% of all premises in the region, over 530,000 homes and businesses, can now access Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband on the Openreach network and of this total, more than 75% of premises in Belfast and Greater Belfast can access Full Fibre technology. This is an important development, and the business has recently announced plans to invest a further £100million in existing copper and fibre networks as well as its ultrafast Full Fibre broadband network build programme which forms

part of its existing plan to build Full Fibre to 20 million premises across the UK by the mid to late 2020s.

Speaking about the impact this will have on the local businesses, Simon Hamilton, CEO of Belfast Chamber, said: “It’s been an extremely difficult year for businesses right across Northern Ireland. Lots of Belfast Chamber members though have been able to innovate and adapt throughout this time. This wouldn’t have been possible without the essential infrastructure that is currently being built across the region by Openreach. Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband has not only helped businesses to continue operating during this crisis but will also be key to the economic recovery of Northern Ireland and we’re welcoming the news for further investment in the network.”

We also spoke with three local businesses to find out more about the impact technology is having on their businesses and how they’ve adapted their ways of working in response to the challenges faced over the last year and altered their business models to continue to deliver for their customers.

Kristina Murray, Director, KM Solicitors Your business: We’re a law firm who specialise in divorce, family and immigration law with offices in East Belfast and on the Crumlin Road. By the very nature of our business, we deal with the most personal aspects of people’s lives so having that face-to-face interaction with people is essential to help build a trustworthy relationship. When Covid-19 erupted into our lives, we needed to adapt quickly to ensure that ‘in-person’ interactions could continue.

Your story: Previously, all our client meetings had been in person, whereas now appointments are in person where necessary and via Zoom, and clients and solicitors alike, can continue to show up to court proceedings via video link so having access to reliable and fast broadband has been key to keeping this rapport with clients alive.

Your advice: A lot of the working practices that we’ve implemented throughout the pandemic are things that we will maintain. We’ve streamlined our working practices to bring a lot of things online so there is less paperwork now, more online documentation and that is definitely something that will continue into the future.

To find our more information about the benefits of Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband and how to upgrade, check your postcode as openreach.co.uk/ni, then contact your Communications Provider to choose the package that suits your needs.

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Eye on Communications Karen Breene, Co-Founder, Murphy & Bailey Your business: Murphy & Bailey is a newly established pet shop, coffee shop, gift shop on the Belmont Road in Belfast. Myself and my neighbour, Judith Scott opened the shop at the beginning of the pandemic so have been faced with challenges from day one. However, we were in a unique position where our business didn’t have to necessarily change, but instead was launched and has since gone on to grow throughout the lockdowns.

Your story: Our entire shop uses broadband including our security systems, the till, to our customers when they visit, so ensuring we had reliable broadband was really important so Full Fibre broadband has been instrumental in our operation so far.

Your advice: The role of social media in particular has been vast in helping us and our customers to spread the word about Murphy & Bailey and is something we would tell all businesses not to be afraid of. We were worried about opening a business at such a challenging time; however, we continue to be surprised and delighted every day at how brilliant our customers have been in showing their support for us by posting and sharing pictures, videos and stories online.

Gary McIldowney, MD, Follow Leisure Your business: We are a company that operates a series of hospitality businesses right across Belfast including Slim’s Healthy Kitchen, Output Espresso and Canteen, with premises on the Lisburn, Ormeau and Belmont Roads.

Your story: The hospitality sector has taken a huge hit from the pandemic and predominately before March 2020, all our businesses operated mostly offline. However, when restaurants and cafes were shut, we knew that we had to make changes to be able to survive. I upgraded our broadband services to Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband and it has completely changed the outcomes of our businesses. Customers can now make their orders online, I can have oversight of spending and expenses from home so I know when to order more stock remotely and we can carry out processes like payroll, scheduling and so on safely at home.

Your advice: Our biggest piece of advice to any other business out there, is don’t be afraid to adapt in the face of change. We had to overturn our whole business model however it’s been really successful for us and it is definitely something we will continue into the future.

*Cebr (2019) https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/images/hidden-pages/full-fibre-impact/CebrReport_online.pdf

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Eye on Charity

OFFSET YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT PLANT TREES IN AFRICA A cost effective way to becoming carbon neutral in business

Small and medium sized companies across Northern Ireland are being invited to join Northern Ireland development charity, Self Help Africa, in planting a million new trees both here in Northern Ireland and in Africa, while offsetting their carbon footprint.

S

elf Help Africa NI is seeking support from retailers, small manufacturers and other businesses for the scheme, which provides companies with the opportunity to offset the carbon they generate by planting trees.

The initiative will see trees being planted that could remove more than 20 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year, for decades to come.

It follows the hugely successful One Million Trees campaign that saw the Northern Ireland charity plant a million trees in Africa and a further 100,000 new native trees at home in Ireland last year, supported by premium yogurt brand Glenisk.

In this new initiative, Self Help Africa NI will work with businesses to calculate carbon consumption, based on utility bills and other information provided. The organisation will then provide firms with an estimate of the number of trees needed to plant for offsetting purposes, and a plan to meet these carbon targets by planting trees in Ireland and in Africa.

Tree planting as a means of carbon sequestration isn’t expensive. Self Help Africa NI calculates that each tree planted, once mature, will remove approximately 25kg of carbon from the atmosphere every year, and the total

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cost for a small business of offsetting its total carbon footprint can be as little as a few hundred pounds a year.

“The campaign provides local businesses with the opportunity to not just offset their carbon footprint, as their investment in trees will also benefit rural poor households in Africa,” says Self Help Africa’s Head of Northern Ireland, Denny Elliott.

“For a development charity working in agriculture, tree planting has always played an important part in the work, as trees are a key part of the mix of activities on small-farms, where they provide a source of food, income and much more,” he added.

Trees in Africa are also being planted in large-scale land rehabilitation projects, to arrest soil erosion, and as sources of shade and shelter.

Recent planting activities have taken place in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi and Burkina Faso.

“A tree that is planted anywhere will benefit people everywhere.

The fact that we’re planting trees in sub-Saharan Africa, where rural communities who are least responsible for climate change are feeling some of its worst effects, makes this proposition even more attractive to business owners,” Denny Elliott said.

While businesses here were already doing a huge amount to reduce carbon

Ulster & Ireland rugby star and Self Help Africa Northern Ireland Ambassador Rob Herring plants a tree for the charity

production, by reducing waste and recycling, by choosing green energy options, and more, planting trees can allow companies to go that final step.

The organisation has partnered with startup GreenFeet, who provide consultancy services to businesses seeking to devise more comprehensive sustainability strategies. GreenFeet’s easy to use app allows corporate clients to quickly calculate their carbon usage, and reduce their carbon emissions.

Companies that participate in Self Help Africa’s One Million Trees initiative receive certificates and other collateral to promote the partnership, and will also receive GPS coordinates allowing them to track where their trees have been planted in Africa and share the information with their customers and clients online.

If you are interested in finding out more about offsetting the carbon footprint of your business with Self Help Africa NI, please contact Denny Elliott on tel 07799 346997, by email at denny.elliott@selfhelpafrica.net or visit: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ onemilliontrees/carbon-offset/

Eye on Insurance

Indoor hospitality returns but does your business insurance policy provide adequate cover?

By Jacqueline McGivern, Account Manager, AbbeyAutoline

Northern Ireland has taken a huge step forward with the reopening of indoor hospitality as we continue to chart a course away from coronavirus restrictions.

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or those businesses who have not already done so and have changed how they operate, a review of your existing insurance policies to ensure they are fit for purpose could be timely.

The latest announcement from the Stormont Executive also gave the green light for indoor visitor and cultural attractions to re-open.

Parties of up to six people from two households can now meet inside while outdoor gatherings can now accommodate up to 500 people.

Non-essential travel has resumed to other parts of the UK with a traffic light system in place for some foreign travel.

On Monday May 24 people all across Northern Ireland raised a glass to the return of indoor hospitality. The sector has been one of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic but it has also been one of the most proactive in terms of putting safety measures in place.

One-way systems, increased cleaning and screens are just some of the measures business owners have put in place while some others, who have the capacity, built outdoor dining areas ahead of last month’s re-opening of outdoor hospitality.

But with Northern Ireland’s climate not ideally suited to al fresco dining, the

return of indoor hospitality has been the boost the sector has been craving.

For those who have extended their businesses or changed the use of certain areas, it is worth noting that this may have an impact on your insurance policy and conducting a review with your dedicated account manager is worthwhile.

Meanwhile many hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland will experience a different supply chain environment now they have re-opened due to new legislation.

The rules around importing goods into Northern Ireland have changed during lockdown with many within

hospitality now seeking to find exclusively local arrangements.

It is also worth pointing out that during these uncertain times having the right insurance policy in place can mean one less thing to worry about and bring great peace of mind.

The best insurance brokers will make sure your policy is tailored to suit the needs of your business and if your circumstances have changed during lockdown then now is the time to speak to your broker and undertake a review.

For those working with new suppliers, it may be prudent to add credit insurance to your policy to help protect you if they become insolvent and as licenced premises navigate changing legislation, loss of licence cover may be worth considering.

As Northern Ireland largest insurance broker, AbbeyAutoline’s experienced teams can tailor the right business insurance policy to suit your working needs. Our brokers can also review your existing policy to identify any potential gaps in cover.

We have a dedicated team of business experts who get under the skin of your business first and foremost, to help advise and guide you through the various insurance options to consider and help you arrive at a suitable level of insurance cover.

AbbeyAutoline’s business experts are passionate about building long term relationships with you. Our dedication to building our insurer relationships gives us the buying power to secure the most competitive and bespoke solutions for you.

Our team are here to help, give them a call on 08000 66 55 44. To find out more about AbbeyAutoline visit abbeyautoline.co.uk/business-insurance

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Eye on Round Table

Where To Work...

The Future Of Offices & The Office Marketplace Post-Covid The Participants

Richard Buckley Editor, Business Eye (host)

Paul Beacom Senior Asset Manager, MRP

Robert Ditty Senior Director, CBRE NI

Jackie Henry Managing Partner (People and Purpose), Deloitte UK

David Wright Director, CBRE NI

Steve Harper Executive Director of International Business, Invest NI

Business Eye joined forces with leading Belfast commercial real estate agency firm CBRE NI to stage a virtual round table discussion event hosted at NIAVAC’s Belfast studio. The discussion looked at the future of office working post-pandemic and the knock on effects on the city centre and the investment marketplace.

RB - I’ll start with a broad brush question to all of you. A big proportion of the UK’s biggest employers have said that they won’t be bringing staff back to the office full-time for now. So what does the future hold for the office working model here in Belfast and Northern Ireland?

Kate Smith Head of Workplace & Portfolio Strategy, CBRE UK

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Judith Cochrane Director of Operations, MCS Group

Derek Kennedy Programme Director, Strategic Investment Board

RD - This is something that every business is considering at the moment. I think there are locational issues to consider.

If you look at London, a lot of people face a big daily commute so it’s easy to see how home working is popular. It’s

different here. Home working and flex working will come through but it won’t be as widespread as it might be in London.

SH - From an Invest NI perspective, office space is still high on the agenda for inward investors. There will be a blended approach going forward. A lot of our staff want to get back to the office, they want to collaborate, but perhaps not five days a week. Providing safe and attractive workplaces is going to be critical. I think we’ll also see some decentralisation to outlying towns and areas, so there will be opportunities there.

Eye on Round Table

DK - Speaking to colleagues across the public sector here, there’s no doubt that remote working is here to stay. We were trying to rationalise our office estate long before Covid, but Covid has accelerated that immensely.

We’re now moving away from huge centralised offices and working towards a complete hybrid approach.

JC - Like almost everyone else, we’re working towards a hybrid model.

We’re in a hiring phase and pre-Covid that would have meant larger office space. These days, it doesn’t. I think we all need to look at what we get out of coming to the office and the conclusion has to be that the office is not dead. A lot of our younger people are really looking forward to getting back in and being with their team.

JH - Workplaces will continue to be very important to us. At Deloitte, listening to our people is key. We’ve asked 21,000 people in the UK and about 1,000 here in Belfast. We know they want to come into the office to collaborate and innovate together, we know they want to socialise as well. The workplace of the future for us will be about great spaces to allow them to do that. But it’s about flexibility and choice.

KS - Organisations are thinking about the future of work. Are we going to do things differently? What does that mean in terms of workforce? That flows into the role of the workplace.

There are some trends by sector, but we’re seeing a shaking up of attitudes.

Things are definitely changing, but a lot of the changes we’ll see will be driven by corporate cultures.

PB - A mix of home and office working is pretty much inevitable. We’ve heard the likes of Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan talking about returning to office working, but others have gone in

the other direction. The hybrid model will probably be the most popular. But we’re all social animals and collaborative working is really important. At the start of the pandemic, we read that productivity had gone up as a result of home working but as time as gone on, that’s not the case any more. So the office is by no means dead.

RB - Let me turn to CBRE. Can landlords, agents and the wider industry adapt to provide for a changing marketplace?

RD - We definitely can. We all need to look at how buildings are designed

and how they operate. Paul is right.

There was an early knee jerk reaction around the effectiveness of home working, but that has changed. People want to get back to office working.

DW - The Belfast market has been adapting for a long time for many different challenges. Covid speeds up the process of change. We work for a range of occupiers and landlords and there is no one size fits all solution.

But there is a willingness and a desire to get back to the office again.

RB - After a disappointing 2020, you’ve seen a lift in activity during 2021 so far. Is this a post-Covid bounce and will it continue?

DW - 2020 was a challenging year for almost everyone. As normality returns, organisations will make their decisions on how they’re going to work and that will lead to transactions and a busy market.

SH - Our pipeline of enquiries is very strong. What’s hampered us most has been the inability to get people here to see the place. I’d be very positive on international interest in Northern Ireland.

RB - Jackie, your new building, The Ewart, is the big construction project

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Eye on Round Table SH - Back in 2019, we had Derek and some of his colleagues in the office talking to us about remote working and its benefits. We even ran a trial back then which was really successful. So we were ready to go when the pandemic struck. We’ve surveyed the views of our staff throughout, and a hybrid model is definitely the preferred option now.

But we’re ready to open as soon as the government guidelines allow that. Some of our international offices are already up and running. In China, our office is even running events and exhibitions.

KS - International experiences can provide lessons. A lot of it is about providing confidence to return to the workplace, but also magnetising offices so that people are drawn back there. Offices will have to work a bit harder, in other words.

RB - When do we expect the work from home advice to be lifted and a return to workplace accelerated? at the moment in the city centre.

How much have your plans had to change as a result of the pandemic?

JH - The timing was perfect, in fact.

We’re so excited about the building. We hadn’t started on design pre-Covid, so we’ve started with a blank sheet, we’re involving lots of our staff and it’s a really energising project to be involved in.

RB - Paul, I should bring you in. MRP is the developer of The Ewart.

PB - We’re equally excited and delighted to have secured Deloitte as the anchor tenant of the building. We’re due to complete at the end of the year and we’re going to see a real state of the art office building including touch-less technology, large passenger lifts and an emphasis on open space. It will be a healthier, greener building setting new standards.

RB - Jackie, can I also ask you about younger members of staff. You bring in more young people every year. Have they suffered during the pandemic and are you looking forward to getting them back to an office environment?

JH - Yes, we have a very young workforce here in Belfast and what we’ve learnt is that everybody’s circumstances are different. Some people simply didn’t have the right conditions to enable them to work effectively. Then there were the challenges for those having

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to home school during the most recent lockdown. We’ve had to concentrate on stepping up our wellbeing and support challenges. Looking forward, we want to create a really attractive, inclusive workplace to suit everyone.

RB - Judith, you also deal with a lot of young job candidates and others. What do you think their hopes are going forward?

JC - Candidates ask the same question all the time. Will an employer want me to come into the office, can I work from home or will it be hybrid?

But the fact is that a lot of them do struggle working from a small bedroom or kitchen table, maybe in shared accommodation. They also worry about the effect all of this is having on their career. Can they still progress? Are

they missing out on office learning?

Younger staff learn by osmosis, they watch and hear others dealing with situations and learn from that.

RD - It’s crystal ball gazing at this stage.

I think we’re looking at some time in the autumn and that gives us all time to work on our hybrid models and structures.

RB - Derek, will it be quite some time before we see many civil servants back in offices?

DW - We’re up to 40% occupancy ourselves on certain days, and it’s increased since the city centre has opened up again. We’re hearing from a lot of client companies who are keen to get people back as soon as they can.

DK - I’m one of those leading the return to work programme for the civil service.

Firstly, and for obvious reasons, we have to follow government guidelines. Like anyone else, we have staff who want to get back to the office and who’ve struggled to work from home. But we’ve also achieved a lot - delivering face to face services remotely and successfully.

We surveyed 26,000 people and over 90% said they preferred a hybrid model, so that’s the way we’ll be going and we’ll be putting structures around that.

RB - What about the office investment space?

DW - There are schemes on site at the moment, one of them being The Ewart. There are others due to complete later this year. The Belfast market has been short on supply in recent years and it’s good that we’re seeing more choice coming on stream.

RD - During the pandemic, we even had the largest single office deal in this city with Merchant Square sold to a Middle Eastern investor for just over £87 million. It’s testament to the fact that investors still want to look at this region.

RB - Do we still need more Grade A offices for potential inward investors, Steve?

SH - We’re seeing a flight to quality.

Merchant Square and The Ewart are great stories for Belfast and there’s no doubt that potential occupiers will

Eye on Round Table great housing, brilliant schools. But I think one of the biggest things is the resilience and the ability to get things done. The pandemic showed that quality once again, backed up by our broadband infrastructure. That’s investment which really paid off over recent months. But we’ve also got a young population - 53% of it is under 40. That has to be a good thing.

RB - Kate, we’ve talked locally here.

Are you optimistic about the real estate market on a national level?

want to see inside them. There has also been an encouraging growth in the number of quality co-working spaces, and we’re glad to see those coming on.

RB - From a developer’s perspective, are offices still an attractive proposition, Paul?

PB - Very much so. We don’t under estimate the challenges, but we’re very confident that the market will be alive and kicking. Quality will be pushed to the front and a really good office environment will become part of the package for employees. If employers can hang on to employees, then landlords will be able to retain tenants.

RB - What does the future hold for the older public sector buildings known as ‘grey buildings’ - around Belfast and elsewhere?

DK - The public sector estate has suffered from a dire lack of investment over the years. But for us to deliver value for money, we need to make sure that the estate is as efficient as possible. When it comes to the older buildings, we’re looking at sensitive, responsible ways of disposing of these properties. But, apart from a couple of obvious examples, there aren’t too many of them.

RD - The developer community has to step in and look at ways of re-purposing some of these buildings.

We’re seeing growth in residential and build to rent so there might be something there and perhaps there are hotel and leisure opportunities.

Windsor House which became the Grand Central Hotel or River House, now one of the best office buildings in Belfast.

RB - There is an impact of all that we’re discussing on the city centre, and how it needs to change and adapt. What’s your sales pitch for our city, Steve?

SH - It’s our talent. We have a really talented workforce. We’re also a very cost competitive location, we’ve got

KS - Our brokers are now as busy as they were pre-pandemic in terms of enquiry levels. Organisations who kicked the can down the road during the height of the crisis are now looking at their options. So I think it’s right to say that we’re seeing real recovery in the market. We also have to build back in a more sustainable way, putting sustainability up there alongside quality.

RB - Can Belfast and Northern Ireland reap some benefits from its post-Brexit position?

RD - We’ve got access to UK and

EU markets so we definitely can.

Whether that feeds through into the office market is harder to predict.

SH - A good salesman will take any tool that will help him sell. Are there issues with the protocol? Of course there are. But there are advantages as well. So if I or my colleagues can use the protocol to persuade an investor to come here, then we’ll do that.

RB - I’d like to ask one final question around the virtual table. Cast your minds forward to June of 2022. Where will we be on working models and how will our city centre have changed?

RD - We have to be positive. There will be hybrid working but we’ll be used to it by then. There are some exciting commercial projects coming through and I hope that we’ll also see recovery and positivity in the retail sector.

DK - We’ll see a vibrant city centre, of course we will. We all miss going out to the city centre. I live up on the North Coast and I can’t wait to get to Cathedral Quarter, whether work brings me there or not.

JC - People will end up with a better work life balance. The past 18 months has given everyone a chance to focus on what is important to them.

PB - I think that if there is a silver lining to all of this, then Judith is right. It’s the focus on work life balance. By May of next year, we’ll be back to a much more normal market but with hybrid working part of what we do and how we do it.

KS - I’m an optimist. We’re going to create a future that is focused around us as human beings and our work life balance. Our buildings will be better, more sustainable and we’ll care more about the planet.

Most importantly, we’re moving to something that will be better.

SH - I really agree with Kate. I do see us back working in offices, maybe not all the time. Another factor that’s been accelerated is how much companies value their people. How they attract and keep talent has become even more important. Backing that up, I think the real estate offering in Belfast is superb.

So I’m very optimistic about the future.

DW - There are quite a few examples of how it can be done. Think about

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Eye on News

ANTRIM TO HOST NORTHERN IRELAND FOOD & CRAFT FESTIVAL

Antrim is set to delight foodie fans across Northern Ireland this summer with the launch of its first ever Food & Craft Festival.

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unning from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 July 2021, the NI Food & Craft Festival will deliver a feast of family fun, aiming to celebrate the best of local produce, from gastronomical delights and bespoke beverages to an abundance of artisan craft makers.

Developed in partnership with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and key sponsors, The Junction Retail & Leisure Park, Castle Mall Shopping Centre and Urban Events NI, the three-day long festival comprises of a jam-packed events programme across four main locations.

Antrim’s largest shopping and leisure destination, The Junction will act as the festival’s food hub, showcasing a mouth-watering range of local food and beverage producers, cooking demonstrations, award-winning food

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(L-R): The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Billy Webb, Castle Mall Centre Manager, Pamela Minford and Events & Operations Manager of Urban Events NI, Thomas Ferris, launch Antrim’s first ever Food & Craft Festival.

trucks and family entertainment. The Festival’s official drinks partner, Jake’s Cocktail Bar, will also host a pop-up garden where visitors can sit back and soak up the atmosphere.

Market Square’s perfectly positioned towncentre location, right next to Castle Mall, paired with its historic backdrop will be an appropriate home for an enchanting twilight market and a variety of events and art and craft markets.

The majestic Antrim Castle Gardens will be a scenic setting for a Picnic in the Park featuring a pop-up farm and will also provide festival revellers with multiple ‘Meet the Maker’ opportunities, and just a short walk along the river, visitors can enjoy family entertainment at the beautiful Lough Shore Park.

Additionally, restaurants, bars and retail stores within the surrounding area of the festival zone are signing up to be part of the gastronomical weekend by offering specialised dining options and menus.

Thomas Ferris, events and operations manager at Urban Events NI said:

“The NI Food & Craft Festival will be the out and about experience that we have all been waiting for this summer - and with several spacious and outdoor locations lined up to host the festivities, Antrim is the perfect location to run what we hope will become an annual event.

“From hosting regular Urban Market events at The Junction every month, we recognise that now more than ever, people want to ‘live local’ and support homegrown producers and local bricks and mortar venues on their doorstep.

This event provides an opportunity to do just that – and offer both local businesses and traders a space to join forces and thrive together.”

A shuttle bus service will run between the three main locations on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July. For further information on the event and admission fees, visit www.nifoodandcraftfestival.com.

AC T I V E LY, P R AC T I CA LLY, W E ’ LL H E LP YO U T H R I V E AG A I N The last few months have been extremely challenging.

But we’re here to reignite your plans − with expert support from our industry specialists, to help you get your business back where you want it to be.

Eye on Tourism

Sustainable tourism: The right choice for Belfast Visit Belfast chief executive, Gerry Lennon, says now is the time to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do for the benefit of all our citizens and visitors.

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arlier this year, Visit Belfast set out a bold and ambitious strategy for tourism recovery. The three-year recovery plan, Rebuilding City Tourism 2021-24, reemphasises the sector’s pivotal importance in the regrowth of our local and regional economy in a new and increasingly competitive marketplace.

We want Belfast to regain its leading position as a world class visitor destination. Accounting for around 40 percent of all visitor spend in the region, the city has a crucial role to play in any tourism recovery plans.

There are challenges ahead – the damage inflicted by Covid-19 on tourism and hospitality has been deep and far-reaching.

As the sector recovers and seeks to grasp the window of opportunity which the easing of public health restrictions has presented, a long-term strategy and approach based on fresh thinking is essential if we want to rebuild and strengthen both our attractiveness as a unique and compelling destination, and our resilience for the future.

Driven by a greater emphasis on our collective wellbeing, our response to climate change is rightly hastening as a result of the pandemic. Citizens and visitors everywhere are more aware of their role in living more sustainably than ever before. For Belfast, and the wider region, this presents an opportunity for positive change and action.

From transport to hospitality businesses and leisure to business visitors, everyone now has the opportunity to reassess how they can support the fight against climate change and redefine success within a

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greener, more sustainable economy.

This is not just a moral imperative, it is now a commercial necessity. Today’s visitors have changed. Environmental sustainability is now among one of the key considerations around travel; when they arrive, they want to know they are positively and ethically contributing to their immediate and wider environment through a range of practical measures from embracing lowcarbon transport to recycling to enjoying locally sourced food or reducing waste.

As we look to the future, addressing tourism’s carbon footprint and the sustainability of the sector will become increasingly important. Incorporating sustainable strategies into how an organisation operates makes good business sense in protecting the tourism assets that make Belfast and Northern Ireland so special.

Belfast is already ahead of many destinations. Belfast City Council declared a climate change emergency in 2019 and last year published its Climate Change plan, well ahead of many other destinations.

However, there is more we can and should do. In 2020, Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council worked in partnership with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement to assess the city’s credentials in their Global Destination Sustainability Index. This work assessed the city’s current performance, gave a baseline, and identified key areas for improvement.

Then, just this month, we launched an ambitious new initiative with Belfast City Council, designed to rapidly advance sustainability within the sector and redefine its growth for a generation.

Gerry Lennon, chief executive of Visit Belfast

Designed to help individual tourism businesses contribute to improving the environment, address climate change and lift the local economy, a new partnership with global sustainability experts, Green Tourism, will encourage eligible local businesses to boost their environmental credentials and be rewarded for their efforts through an international award.

Offering city tourism businesses the chance to secure gold, silver or bronze accreditation to demonstrate bestpractice standards in sustainability – with membership funded by Belfast City Council – the Green Tourism Award is the largest and most established sustainable certification programme in the world.

For our part, I’m really proud that Visit Belfast has secured a Green Tourism

accreditation. By improving sustainability practices in areas such as procurement, facilities management and staff wellbeing we as an organisation want to lead from the front as we look to encourage others to get involved in the initiative and make those first steps.

Our ambition is to have 50 percent of our partner businesses joining this industry-leading accreditation in the next 12 months and we are committed to supporting everyone in this journey.

Partnership has been a central pillar of Visit Belfast’s success for more than two decades. By facing these challenges together, we will succeed in rebuilding tourism sustainably and for the betterment of businesses, our employees, our residents and our visitors for generations to come.

Eye on News

Nitec Welcomes 2021 Professional Placement Student Intake

From left to right: Niall McDonald (Service Desk) – Ulster University, Emma Gates (Consultancy) – Queen’s University, Vincent Lee (Managed Services) – University of Dundee, Sam Stuart (Software Development) – Queen’s University, Maria Conway (Service Desk) – Ulster University, Harry Clarke (Service Desk) – Queen’s University, and Sorcha McWilliams (Marketing) – Ulster University.

Nitec Solutions are delighted to have welcomed seven Professional Placement students who will be training with and learning from Nitec’s trusted engineers across five respective departments over the course of the next year.

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s a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nitec’s newest recruits will enjoy an enriching hybrid learning experience of both working from the Head Office in Antrim Technology Park and working from home via Microsoft Teams, fully supported by Nitec’s specialised staff.

Michael Hutchinson, Operations Director at Nitec stated “We are thrilled to have our largest ever Professional Placement intake reflecting the company’s

continued growth and acceleration of our digital transformation and cyber security services”.

The placement students descend from various universities including Queen’s University, Ulster University and University of Dundee where they each study different courses and thus have been allocated to appropriate departments to gain experience supplementary to their studies.

The departments to be joined by the placement students at Nitec include

Service Desk, Consultancy, Managed Services, Software Development and Marketing. Each student will gain the opportunity to enrich their knowledge, apply theory and gain invaluable first-hand experience of the working environment throughout the year.

For any further information required contact Sorcha McWilliams via email (sorcham@nitec.com)

SHS Group Chief Awarded Honorary MBE

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laine Birchall, CEO of the SHS Group, has been awarded an honorary MBE as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to economic development in Northern Ireland.

Elaine, who is originally from Co. Kildare, has led the SHS Group - a FMCG familyowned Group headquartered in Belfast - and is a long-standing CBI member.

The SHS Group employs over 1,100 people in commercial offices and production sites in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. The Group owns many household brands including WKD, Shloer, Maguire & Patterson matches, Zip firelighters

and Meridian nut butters and distributes a portfolio of well-known brands including Colgate, Nurofen, Finish, Dettol, Ryvita and Tunnocks. The business has commercial offices in Belfast and Dublin.

Through her association with CBI NI, as a longstanding board member and more recently Vice Chair, Elaine has ensured Northern Ireland business issues have been represented to policymakers at all levels.

In partnership with Women in Business NI Elaine has volunteered her expertise to support and champion professional development for women, and she also sits on Business in the Community’s NI Board who work to deliver the region’s responsible business agenda.

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Eye on News

Henderson Retail opens first supermarket to deliver brand new Fresh concept in NI A £3.7M EUROSPAR in Doagh has been revealed as the first SPAR UK Fresh concept store to open in Northern Ireland by Henderson Retail.

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he 7,500 sq. ft. gross space development features a new build EUROSPAR, employs 35 people and is providing the only supermarket offering in the village.

It delivers a fresh food shopping experience customised for the Doagh community and is the first of the new fresh concept stores to open in Northern Ireland.

Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group explains; “This community supermarket has been designed and built with a data driven approach in order to provide a mission focused customer proposition tailored for local shoppers. It is the first outlet of its kind to open in Northern Ireland, following our new “Fresh” stores initiative, adapted for that community’s particular demands and needs, encouraging increased visits for a great fresh food shopping trip close to home.”

The team has worked with marketing, tech and analyst specialists to identify several criteria to determine a store’s primary shopping mission. The most important shopper mission for this type of EUROSPAR is the fresh produce top-up shop with products conducive to making a meal, therefore a greater proportion of space and variety of range to fresh produce and fresh meat will be dedicated in-store.

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Not only will EUROSPAR Doagh provide an array of local brands from Newtownabbey’s Asher’s Bakery to Jenkin’s local butchery from Ballyclare, but will also have an enhanced offering of Henderson Wholesale’s own brands including The CHEF range of pre-prepared meals, Greengrocer’s fruit and vegetables and the popular SPAR enjoy local range of meats, poultry, baked goods and every day fresh essentials.

Mark continued; “This proposition provides an elevated fresh food offering and meal solutions for tonight’s tea, catering to local demands. This is an innovative approach which Henderson Retail has applied to the new store, and has a vibrant fresh look with a choice of products that will create a standout shopping experience.”

As well as the fresh credentials, the store will feature the latest tech innovation for retail efficiency, including the GLORY cash management system to provide customers with full service yet touch-less cash payment solutions at the tills, and the option of self-scan checkouts for faster and contactless checkout experiences.

Store Manager, Daniel Duncan says the facilities and services EUROSPAR Doagh will bring to the community are second to none;

“We are bringing a supermarket experience to the local community, which includes a 32-space car park, customer toilet facilities, ATM, an on-site WineFlair off-license and a fuel offering from Texaco. Our in-store Post Office will be managed by Eddie Lister, while the fresh food offering will be complemented by Henderson’s dailyDeli hot food counter and Barista Bar coffee, offering a great range of premium coffee including flat whites and hot chocolates.

“We are already engaging with the local community and sponsoring the Doagh Primary School football team. We have also donated bedding plants to the school and pupils Hayley Crowe and Carter Johnston won our colouring competition and helped us officially declare the store open. Our community engagement also sees us supporting the Mid Antrim Animal Sanctuary, and we’ve provided sanitising stations to the Doagh Village Community Association. We also look forward to supporting EUROSPAR’s charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children with initiatives throughout the year.

“We’re delighted to be open and bring even more great value offers, services and facilities to the village.”

Eye onBack To Business

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Eye on Back to Business

DANSKE BANK: FUNDING THE RECOVERY TO HELP BUSINESSES THRIVE AGAIN

By Aaron Ennis, Head of North Business Centre, Danske Bank

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ne of the major challenges businesses have had to deal with over the past 18 months is the removal of their ability to plan ahead because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many in sectors such as hospitality and retail have been concentrating on survival and desperate to see the end of restrictions. But for a lot of others less acutely affected, the uncertainty over how and when life might return to normal has been enough to hold them back from investing in their businesses.

Thankfully, as we enter the second half of 2021, we are seeing positive signs that investment activity taken off the table during the pandemic is back in play

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and companies are moving into growth mode – for example, a rise in asset finance applications for new plant and machinery.

As Northern Ireland’s biggest bank, we want to see individuals and businesses in NI thrive and to give business leaders confidence that now is the right time to take steps like this.

In April, Danske Bank reaffirmed its commitment to NI and the local economy by creating a £500m Business Growth fund for medium to large size businesses designed to help them push the button on growth plans. At a time when other lenders are restructuring or increasing the amounts they want companies to self-fund to

secure loans - our locally-based business teams are committed to raising funding for customers.

Our £500m fund is open to both existing business customers and businesses who are currently with other banks but are open to moving their banking relationship to Danske Bank. New business customers who borrow from the fund will benefit from removal of the cost of switching through no arrangement, valuation or legal fees, as well as a 75% transactional fee discount for six months.

There is evidence of a rise in demand for lending across many sectors. The engineering and manufacturing sectors are beginning to invest in growth again, with a number of Danske Bank customers making significant investments in robotics to automate processes. This investment hasn’t resulted in job losses – far from it, but rather workers being redeployed to higher level roles within the organisations.

Among the trends I have noticed is significant demand for funding of professional buy-ins and buyouts across a number of sectors, including accountancy, legal, veterinary, dental, opticians and general practitioners - perhaps as a result of founders and partners viewing the end of the pandemic lockdown as the right time to take a step back. Many businesses like these have traded well at the end of the recession and in the early post-Covid phase, so are well positioned to make such a transition now. We expect further M&A activity to accelerate through the rest of this year across various sectors.

Many businesses in the convenience store sector are seeking to invest in expanded premises and product offering as the trend for more shopping locally, continues.

We are also seeing significant liquidity within many businesses who availed of Government backed interventions, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Bounce Bank Loan Scheme. While many companies who took this support for cash flow and to stay afloat are now focused on starting to pay back those debts, many other companies took the loans “just in case” and still have that money stored away for investment. While the debt hangover from CBILs and BBLs may prove challenging for some businesses, those with liquidity are seeking opportunities because they know the economy is expected to grow by around 7% this year and their own businesses should benefit.

We saw agility and innovation from businesses in response to COVID-19, with businesses pivoting into new sectors and for many the new products or services they created have become a core part of their business for the longer term.

Agility and innovation resonate with Danske Bank because we had to use both to operate remotely, deliver new products and still keep our branches open. The innovations that made that possible are now embedded in our own organisation.

As businesses build for a new future, we will make sure the funding is there to enable such innovation to translate into growth and expansion for our customers.

Eye on Back to Business

“Sausages!”

Those of a certain age may think that’s about that famous talking dog on “That’s Life” the famous Esther Rantzen TV show but for those of us dealing with out workings of Brexit it’s pretty much all we’ve heard this past month.

Stephen Kelly, CEO Manufacturing NI www.manufacturingni.org @manufacturingni

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he Co-Chairs of the UK/ EU Joint Committee to manage the Protocol met on the 9th June to discuss the its implementation and the experience of business and households. It was an opportunity for them to collectively agree actions to make it work. Sadly, they failed.

The preamble to the Protocol makes clear its intent. Both the UK and EU agreed that “the application of this Protocol should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities in both Ireland and Northern Ireland”.

But for many in business that commitment is not their experience as the Brexit friction created by controls in

the Irish Sea has meant supply chains have been strained.

Of course, this is the choice which the UK made when it chose one of the hardest versions of Brexit and agreed the first trade deal in history which made business most costly and difficult.

The biggest challenge for Northern Ireland’s manufacturers remains the preparedness and willingness of GB businesses to send components, ingredients and raw materials to our firms.

When surveyed, more than half of manufacturers said their GB suppliers remain ill-prepared for sending goods to Northern Ireland but worryingly 1 in 5 report their GB supplier will no longer send stuff here at all.

But equally our manufacturers report that EU customers and suppliers are struggling to differentiate between the UK and NI too.

46% say they have issues with EU suppliers and almost 1 in 3 say EU sales have been impacted. Goods are currently not freely circulating to and from the EU’s market as promised.

There is no doubt that the UK needs to step up but equally the EU needs to get its act together too.

However, despite the challenges, our businesses remain committed to making the Protocol work. They recognise the opportunity which it provides and are appealing to the NI Executive to identify and grasp the opportunity which has

been provided to us. Only 18% say they want the Protocol scrapped.

Business is clear, the Protocol is the law but we need help to make it work.

For them there is a need to quickly agree actions to decompress the politics and provide ‘stability’; an appeal for ‘certainty’ by agreeing long term weatherproof solutions; for greater ‘simplicity’ on the administrative requirements to move stuff across the Irish Sea; and, to remove costs or provide compensation to ensure ‘affordability’ for families and traders.

Get that right and the ambitions of the Protocol can be achieved and prosperity can flow.

And already there are signs that this is within our grasp. Our sales of goods to Ireland are up 44% and Invest NI report that they have already had more foreign investment enquiries in the first 3 months of 2021 than any of the last 3 years in full.

Ulster Bank’s PMI’s also report a rapid growth in new orders as markets at home and overseas reopen from Covid restrictions.

We can of course substitute the ‘British Banger’ with great produce produced at home but if our manufacturers are to grasp our unique competitive position that’s provided by having access to both the UK and EUs markets then we need the NI Executive to secure opportunities with a compelling and consistent message to markets and for the UK and EU to ensure that our supply chains flow with the freedom both agreed back in October 2019.

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Eye on Back to Business

Localism on Steroids

By Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive, Retail NI

At long last we can begin to ask ourselves what success looks like for our post pandemic High Streets as we begin the long road of recovery for our retail and hospitality sectors after some of the toughest ever months.

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nlike this time last year when retail reopening began, only to close some months later, the game changer this time is the fantastic progress of the vaccine rollout.

Part of the solution to this challenge lies in fully developing and implementing the concept of ‘localism’ to repurpose our town and city centres as unique hubs at the heart of our community, with as Mary Portas said in her ground-breaking report, to reimage them as ‘destinations for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning’ Retail NI members have always championed localism, priding themselves in supporting local suppliers, producers and manufacturers. 70 pence in every pound spent with an independent retailer is recycled around this supply chain and other local businesses. This is why we want to see localism ‘on steroids’ along with the reimaging of our high streets as destinations where residents and visitors can dwell

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as they work, rest and play as the central policy priorities of the Executive’s recovery plan to drive future post-pandemic prosperity.

Localism is not just about supporting independent retailers; it is also about empowering people and communities to reshape and repurpose their local villages, towns and cities and above else reinvigorate the leadership model.

doubt that homeworking might well continue to be an option for many employers, but many workers want the social interaction that goes with the office and of course they play a huge role in the footfall and spending in in our town and city centres.

The welcome news from Finance Minister, Conor Murphy of plans for a number of civil service hubs,

“70 pence in every pound spent with an independent retailer is recycled around this supply chain and other local businesses.”

Our eleven local Councils have a key role in the localism agenda and the Executive needs to devolve regeneration and other powers to them so they can play a fuller role in the recovery process.

We also need to focus on a plan to get people safely back to their offices and workplaces at an appropriate time. There is no

will be a boost to local towns and promote regional economic balance. It is vitally important that the location of these hubs is done on a strictly town centre first basis for maximum benefit for our retail and hospitality sectors.

The introduction of the High Street Voucher scheme in early Autumn will be a much-needed

stimulus measure benefiting our whole economy. We need to be very clear that this voucher needs to be directed toward independent retailers and local hospitality firms and not large multiple supermarkets who have done well during the pandemic.

While the new High Streets Taskforce is rightly focusing on the medium to long-term policy priorities, we need a short-term ‘reopening’ group, comprising Executive, Councils and Business representatives to co-ordinate all of this over the next few months.

While many of our members, have a business rates holiday until April 2022, we have still the huge problem of fixing our antiquated and broken system of business rates to address, not to mention Reval 2023 to get thorough.

Let’s also not forget that the virus is still out there, and we need to ensure we do all of this in safe and timely manner while we complete the vaccination process and begin to chart a post pandemic economic and wellbeing recovery.

Eye on Back to Business

I Wouldn’t Start From Here Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean, Ulster University Business School

There is no post-pandemic context in my view – we will be living with the out-workings of COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, in much the same way we live with flu.

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ccepting that reality requires a comfort with uncertainty and ambiguity and this is a necessary entrepreneurial quality for business leaders to have as we start our recovery journey. As companies start to consider what the future may look like it is important not to be defined by what has gone before, or indeed what has emerged over the last year.

Of course, there is every opportunity to re-envisage how the value proposition in a company can now be offered differently. Will the creation and delivery of that value now involve more online collaboration, hybrid platforms or possibly a return to largely face to face servicing by office based teams?

Naturally, in thinking about such things, there is a temptation to look at other companies, competitors and sectors to see ‘what others are doing’ but it must be remembered the way in which any business can best configure its offer is highly contextual and customer-defined.

That the pandemic has shown that a company can deliver services online because it had to, is not the same thing as this being the optimal way to deliver

value longer-term. Because employees have perhaps been working at home for 18 months does not mean this is the optimal model for the effectiveness and efficiency of a business in terms of employee satisfaction or productivity.

In June 2021, The Guardian reported on research regarding ‘the empty office’.

More than half of employees surveyed said they considered online meetings less productive than in-person and only 7% preferred meeting online. They stated that they missed the ‘peripheral vision’ and incidental information exchange that happened in the office with in-person meetings. It wasn’t just about the meeting of course – it was about what happened on the way to the meeting and over an M&S sandwich talking about the meeting - as well as talking about Mare of Easttown and how Kate Winslet doesn’t look as happy now as she did in Titanic. Whether employees come back to work remotely, on a hybrid basis or in the office full-time there will be some cognitive reframing required as business reopens and recovers. Techniques to shift employees’ mindsets so they are better able to look at a situation,

person, or relationship from a different perspective are important given that realities for everyone have now changed and change is uncomfortable. What has gone before is gone – what lies ahead is not a return to the old normal. Easier to say than to truly accept however.

Many commentators blithely talk about the opportunity that exists around reinventing the office. We hear about the opportunity to create new flexible ways of working – all as if this has been some kind of panacea to a pre-covid malaise and that the pandemic has brought us a new opportunity to release the latent, bubbling potential of our people – potential that would already have emerged were it not for the fact that employees were just a bit tired from their daily commute all this time. Now that we are more enlightened such staff will suddenly convert that potential into exciting new endeavour for the good of the business, while working autonomously from home. This is naïve in the extreme. Leadership styles, according to McGregor, grow out of the allegiance of managers to Theory X or Theory Y beliefs. Theory Y managers rely on participative techniques and value the opinions of their employees; proponents of Theory X believe workers need to be controlled closely and told exactly what to do. Equally, some employees within those managers’ teams will be disposed to being located in the more social office environment where they can enjoy the incidental information exchange that happens there. Others will be more disposed to remote /home working but what issues may emerge for managers and supervisors around cultural alignment, team building and productivity in the remote model? In the cases of both managers and employees, the X/Y and office/home extremes cited above are just that – extremes - and underscore that this is really a continuum of preferences where managers and employees may seek to be located at various points between those extremes and this positioning may change over time. Think too about the customer and their preferred mode of being engaged with as part of the value proposition. In short, finding an optimal and reconciled balance around a harmonious and effective working model will not be simple.

Research indicates that well over 30% of new jobs which will emerge through the 4th Industrial revolution will require a

formal university education and doubtless we need to consider carefully how we configure our human resources to best effect and make sure staff are developed to help future proof the business. The higher education sector is critical in underpinning business recovery and future-proofing our companies and the economy – the sector has a critical role to play in the acquisition of knowledge and skills and converting these to effect positive economic impact. With respect to the higher education delivery model, while many UK universities are retaining much of the remote online delivery activity they were compelled to engage in through the lockdowns, this may not be a sustainable or optimal approach.

Learning, especially the deep learning fostered at university, is at its best when delivered as a highly social engagement.

University campuses catalyse and stimulate opportunities for interaction, peer learning, group discussion, active learning through live case studies and solving complex problems in an environment fuelled by a collective sense of curiosity and critique. The service interface between university teams and students is a high involvement one. Ulster University’s new Belfast campus, as well as recent multi-million pound investments at the Coleraine and L/Derry campuses reflect an organisational commitment to place and to the role of the University in providing social learning spaces - as well as acting as agents of change within the regional economies where those campuses are located. Moving educational provision purely online can erode the differential value offered by place and consequently can reduce the opportunity for value co-creation between student and the university ecosystem. Such a shift could move education towards potential commoditisation in much the same way the closure of bank branches has led to the commoditisation of banking services.

Once place and people are removed from the value proposition surrogate ques emerge through a renewed client focus on cost and price – always a difficult place to be unless your business has significant scale and cost efficiencies.

In short, we need to tread carefully as we reopen, reinvigorate and renew – this is a process that needs to be carefully considered so we don’t lose the opportunity to create the economy we would all wish to see.

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Eye on Back to Business - Law

Right to work checks – changes on the horizon

By Amy Collins, Solicitor at UK law firm TLT

EU rules relating to free movement of people ceased to apply to the UK on 31 December 2020.

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s such, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals (“European Nationals”) travelling to the UK are now subject to more stringent immigration requirements than they were before. These changes will also impact on how employers will carry out right to work checks for European Nationals moving forward.

Grace period From 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021, there are no Brexit-related changes to how an employer checks a European National’s right to work in the UK. This is because European Nationals have until 30 June 2021 to make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme (“the Scheme”).

Under the Scheme, European Nationals who were resident in the UK on or before 11pm on 31 December 2020 can apply for status which will permit them to continue to live and work in the UK. The Home Office has confirmed that the way in which checks are carried out will change on 1 July 2021 when the Scheme closes. At the time of writing, the Home Office has not published the details of the anticipated changes. Guidance is expected before the end of June.

During the grace period, employers cannot refuse to accept a passport or ID card from European Nationals or insist they use the Home Office’s online checking service to prove their right to work, for example as evidence that they have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

After the grace period When the grace period ends,

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there will be no mandatory requirement for employers to undertake retrospective checks on European nationals who were employed on or before 30 June 2021. However, current guidance recognises that some employers may wish to conduct retrospective checks and does not prohibit this - provided these checks are carried out in a non-discriminatory manner. Employers should seek advice before carrying out retrospective checks of this nature.

Potential risks The grace period arrangements do pose some risks for employers hiring European Nationals between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021. For example: (i) A European National is hired during the grace period who can produce a passport or ID card for checking purposes. They may be eligible for the Scheme, but miss the deadline or do not apply. Unless alternative permission is granted the Employee may be working illegally after 30 June 2021; or (ii) A European National could have entered the UK as a visitor after 1 January 2021. They can produce a passport or ID card for checking purposes, but would be working illegally as further visa permissions are required for those who enter from 1 January 2021 onwards and wish to work.

In both situations, the employer may inadvertently and innocently hire a European National who does not have the right to work in the UK.

Mitigating risks If an employer has carried out a compliant right to work check on European Nationals during the grace period - by checking the individual’s passport or ID card they will have a statutory excuse against civil penalties issued by the Home Office for illegal working.

Whilst having the statutory excuse against illegal working is a comfort, employers should remain cautious in relation to European National staff hired during the grace period. An employer cannot continue to rely on an existing right to work check where the employer knows or has reasonable cause to believe the individual does not have the right to work.

Continuing to employ in those circumstances would be a criminal offence, punishable by unlimited fines and/or imprisonment.

Employers need not “dig around” and try to find knowledge of illegal working from 1 July 2021. However, if for example the employer becomes aware that a European

National employee has not made an application under the Scheme to secure status and the 30 June 2021 deadline has passed, this would mean that the employer knows or has reasonable cause to believe the individual does not have a right to work in the UK. In the circumstances, they will no longer be able to rely on the existing right to work check. If continued right to work cannot be appropriately verified, then steps may well have to be taken to terminate employment. There are a number of risks involved in dismissing staff for right to work issues and we would always advise employers to seek appropriate legal advice before undertaking such steps.

Contact Amy Collins on 0333 006 0802 or email amy.collins@tltsolicitors.com

Host with the Titanic Hotel Belfast

To find out more please contact events@titanichotelbelfast.com or please call +44 (0)28 9508 2000.

Eye on Back to Business

Hilton Belfast

Back to Business

As the hospitality industry re-opened on the 24th May, for Hilton Belfast it is not just back to business but back to true hospitality and helping guests make new memories.

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ollowing government Guidance to all “nonessential businesses” being required to close this much-loved hotel had to shut its doors. Behind closed doors, we were getting ready for brighter days. The downtime was used to put the final additions on a stunning renovation, costing in excess of £10m. This transformed the hotel’s whole look and feel so that guests arriving during summer 2020 found Hilton Belfast unrecognisable from the summer prior. The familiar Hilton service and friendly team were still there but the hotel now had a stylish new look with local influences both subtle and overt. Ranging from floor tiling evoking the Giants Causeway, to Art Deco features and restaurant

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ceiling that is a direct replica of that on-board The Titanic.

From this summer 2020 onwards the hotel remained open, providing accommodation for key and essential workers as well as looking after elite and international sports teams. Mark Walker, General Manager at Hilton Belfast added: “We took every possible step to implement full social distancing measures and new processes to protect our guests and teams.

We introduced Hilton CleanStay standards of hygiene as well as Hilton EventReady procedures for hosting meetings and events safely. We were also able to keep the team fully engaged and working in a safe environment.

The reopening of hospitality to all on the 24th May 2021 and

Eye on Back to Business

the ability to resume most of the services and facilities has been tremendous, enabling us to no longer just provide a shelter, but bringing true hospitality back.”

The response from guests has been emphatic. They have missed short breaks, nights away and our warm welcome. The demand for staycations and quick getaways was almost instant. The pent-up demand was evident from the start, our hotel, bar and restaurant were buzzing again! The hotel is back and team Hilton Belfast is looking forward to a very busy summer. We have prepared to

welcome back our frequent guests and added extra elements to ensure that new guests needs are exceeded. With an extra focus on the domestic market, it is important to make families or pet owners, feel welcome and engaged during their stay.

Until international travel restrictions are lifted, the hotel is ready to welcome guests travelling shorted distances to explore Belfast from a stylish, safe and welcoming home-fromhome while enjoying the city and all it has to offer historically, culturally and the great outdoors.

As we all get back to business, Hilton Belfast is primed and ready with a great new look and has a team trained and ready for the resumption of business travel, meetings and events.

Kelly-Anne Small, Business Development Manager at Hilton Belfast, commented: “We have worked hard with the Hilton brand team on tools such as the Hilton EventReady Playbook to help event planners navigate the new ways to host their team meetings and events. We provide you peace of mind from start to finish, from Flexible pricing, space options and

contract terms, to inspiring food and beverage menus thoughtfully served, timely and versatile.” ` Whether you are planning a summer staycation or thinking about planning your next team event the team is ready to welcome you back. When you are ready to meet or travel again, Hilton Belfast is ready for you.

www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ bfshitw-hilton-belfast/

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Eye on Back to Business

‘Our people are our top priority’ Local IT business receives UK recognition

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utsource was founded in 2000 by founder and CEO Terry Moore when the so called “Millennium Bug” was featuring heavily as a scare story in media and he recognised that security was the issue that business needed to focus on and set about changing the narrative. Terry combined his expert technical knowledge with his business entrepreneurial skills to enable and help people better understand that technology was something to embrace in business, IT could make their life better not worse. The Outsource team and services have grown substantially since then and in both size and expertise. The team is now made up of a highly skilled and diverse workforce of almost 50 staff,

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in locations across NI, ROI, and GB. Outsource offer a range of diverse IT solutions and technology services, with ambitious plans for group growth as demonstrated with their recently launched cloud services. OSG Cloud is the market’s most innovative and disruptive cloud services and solution offering, designed and delivered in partnership with the world’s leading cloud technology partners; Dell EMC, VMWare, Veeam and Intel. OSG Cloud is already delivering positive experiences for local and international customers which has resulted in the completion of new contracts in excess of £1m within the first few months of launch.

While the company boasts highprofile clients such as Kingspan and Galgorm resort, it is the emphasis

on wellbeing which has grabbed the headlines recently. The company prides itself on creating a family-like atmosphere, where people want to do their best for their colleagues. The organisation has cultivated this positive environment by putting in place a range of measures to increase employee wellbeing. From practical steps - such as facilitating flexible working and additional leave, to more leisure-based activities, such as their ‘Make Life Better’ initiative where employees are encouraged to develop a new skill outside of work, funded by the company, such as learning a language, or how to play a musical instrument.

This extensive focus on employee welfare led to Outsource picking up the Wellbeing Award at FSB’s UK Celebrating Small Business Awards.

The Celebrating Small Business Awards ceremony took place virtually and was hosted by former Sports Presenter of the Year Clare Balding. The finalists included businesses drawn from every nation and region of the UK. At the Awards, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hailed small businesses and the selfemployed as “the vital, blood-pumping heart of our communities – creating jobs, supporting skills and opportunity, and helping out your customers”.

Outsource Solutions CEO, Terry Moore declared his surprise when receiving the Award, commenting he

said: “virtual awards are hard to get right but congratulations to all at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for pulling off such a fantastic UK event. Clare Balding may have been able to see my surprise when asking how it felt for Outsource Solutions be the winners of the UK Wellbeing award. We are a people business who use technology to make life better for our staff and others. The past year has been tough on everyone and as always, our committed team have stepped up, responded to business demands and adapted to change in a positive way - so this award feels timely. We don’t always get it right – perfection is the enemy of better – but we are on a relentless journey of continual improvement and our people will always be our top priority.”

Outsource Solutions (NI) Limited The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards recognise and celebrate the huge contribution that smaller businesses and the self-employed make to the UK.

Celebrating the Wellbeing Award of the Year Winner Outsource were delighted to be named winners of the UK Wellbeing Award at the virtual FSB Awards.

It was great to connect with businesses from across the UK, to discover we were recognised as one of just two winners from Northern Ireland. A proud moment of achievement for the team as we launch, grow and develop our innovative cloud services, OSG Cloud, which will increase productivity, reduce downtime, and simplify operations for business nationally and internationally.

Virtual awards are hard to get right but congratulations to all at Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for such a fantastic UK event.

We are a people business who use technology to make life better. The past year has been tough on everyone and as always, our committed team have responded to business demands and adapted to change in a positive way -this award feels timely.

We don’t always get it right, perfection is the enemy of better, but we are on a relentless journey of continual improvement and our people will always be our top priority.

Terry Moore (CEO) Outsource Solutions (NI) Limited

Get in touch T: 02894 485112 E: info@osgroup.co.uk W: www.osgroup.co.uk #FSBAWARDS

Winner

Eye on Back to Business

Rising from the ashes Abbey Upholsterers comes back fighting to pick up UK award

Abbey Upholsterers Specialist Joinery and Fit-out is a 100% family-owned company which has been providing high quality bespoke furniture, specialist joinery and fit-out solutions for over 90 years.

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t has fitted out some of the world’s leading venues, including Claridge’s London, Shelbourne Dublin, Midlands Manchester, Emirates and Wembley Stadiums, to name but a few.

The company is renowned for delivering superior quality interior fit-outs and exceptional furniture.

Their reputation as a leading specialist commercial fit-out and upholstery provider in the UK and Ireland has been achieved by focusing on the same core values of trust; integrity; and quality, from which the business had been founded on – and these values continue to drive it forward.

While Abbey Upholsterers continued to grow through the pandemic - as many venues sought to use the opportunity

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during lockdown to refresh their premises for the return of customers- tragedy struck in April when their Meadowbank premises in Carrickfergus was ravaged by fire, causing significant damage to the property. The company has however picked itself back up and has now re-opened in temporary premises at Kilroot Business Park, also in its hometown of Carrickfergus. The company prioritised reclaiming and utilising whatever it could from the Meadowbank site, to which they hope to return once renovations are completed. By moving to a new temporary home just miles from their site, they minimised disruption to staff and their manufacturing processes.

Abbey Upholsterers recently

Eye on Back to Business

scooped the top prize for ‘UK Family Business of the Year’ at FSB’s UK Celebrating Small Business Awards. The Celebrating Small Business Awards ceremony took place virtually and was hosted by former Sports Presenter of the Year Clare Balding. The finalists included businesses drawn from every nation and region of the UK. At the Awards, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, personally hailed small businesses and the self-employed as “the vital, blood-pumping heart of our communities – creating jobs, supporting skills and opportunity, and helping out your customers”.

The company’s Commercial Director, Judith Neill, said fighting off the competition to pick up the award was timely, she added: “following a difficult year with

COVID and Brexit which has affected many businesses across the UK we really felt we had turned a corner and business was growing exponentially.

“Unfortunately, we recently suffered a devastating fire at our premises which resulted in a gargantuan challenge to get the business operational again. Against the odds, we are almost fully operational and have maintained our full workforce, fulfilled orders and business is indeed growing again. This award therefore comes at a perfect time and reminds us of the strength and tenacity of this family business. We are proud to be back producing quality furniture for customers throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond. On behalf of

the Devlin family and the entire workforce, I would like to thank FSB for this prestigious award.”

Commenting on the success of the Abbey Upholsterers and the other Northern Ireland businesses represented, FSB Northern Ireland Regional Chair, Brendan Kearney said: “we are absolutely delighted to celebrate our wonderful small businesses who have faced incredible challenges over the past fifteen months. Our eleven Northern Ireland category finalists provided

great representation in our UK finals showcasing innovation, ambition, determination and all that is good within our SME sector.

For two NI based businesses to come out on top in their categories is a considerable achievement but comes as no surprise given the incredible resilience and determination we continuously see in our local companies and organisations. We are so very proud of all our finalists and winners and look forward to a positive period of regrowth and regeneration ahead.”

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Eye on Back to Business Belfast law firm Millar McCall Wylie has described a major US investment into Derry headquartered digital learning company Learning Pool as a ‘huge moment in a true Northern Ireland success story’.

Millar McCall Wylie acts for Learning Pool in major US investment

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illar McCall Wylie acted for Learning Pool and its management, including founder Paul McElvaney, in the deal, which sees US based private equity firm Marlin Equity Partners buy out Carlyle Cardinal Ireland (CCI), a company that invested in Learning Pool five years ago.

The transaction, which represents one of the largest ever US investments in a Northern Ireland business, was

managed by Millar McCall Wylie’s corporate team, led by Damian McParland, assisted by Louise Cavanagh and Hayley Cummings.

“This deal represents a huge moment for Learning Pool, a pioneering local business making its mark on the world stage – it’s a true Northern Ireland success story,” said Damian McParland, Director, Millar McCall Wylie (pictured).

“Millar McCall Wylie has acted for

Learning Pool from its inception in 2006 through all stages of its journey, including the previous investment by CCI in 2016 and various significant acquisitions in recent years.

“We are particularly proud to have acted for the company in securing an investment which will see it increase its workforce and expand its already ambitious horizons. We extend our congratulations to CEO Paul McElvaney

and everyone at Learning Pool – we have no doubt the business will continue to thrive as it enters this new chapter,” Damian McParland said.

Learning Pool CEO Paul McElvaney said, “It was great to have Millar McCall Wylie on board as legal advisors, as they have been from the outset, providing excellent, commercially focused advice and guidance to the business and the management team.”

Maxol Invests In Eglinton Site M axol, Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, has completed an extensive refurbishment of their Eglinton service station in Co. Derry/Londonderry with a total investment of £80,000. The investment is part of Maxol’s ongoing commitment to providing quality, choice and convenience for customers across Northern Ireland.

A new SPAR Daily Deli has been introduced and provides a wide range of tasty hot and cold food served throughout the day, including vegan and vegetarian options, to meet increasing customer demand. The internal seating area has been refurbished, ensuring customers have a comfortable, modern dedicated place where they can enjoy a delicious coffee from the Barista Bar or a bite to eat.

With the installation of a new porch, renovated entrance area and an additional till to allow for a more efficient shopping experience, Maxol continues to serve its local community to the highest standard.

On the forecourt, and in line with Maxol’s journey towards becoming a more environmentally sustainable business, the company has installed new pumps with an integrated injection solution offering its new premium fuel grades. Maxol Premium Fuel has fewer pollutants for better power, acceleration and overall performance of your car and is central to Maxol’s carbon offset programme which launched in November last year. Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said: “The investment at Maxol Eglinton

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Pictured (l-r) Kevin Paterson, Regional Manager NI, Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group and Val Rodden, Licensee of Maxol Eglinton.

represents our ongoing ambitions to continually improve our services, choice and facilities offered to our customers. We’re extremely happy with the renovations and are confident that these new features will provide an even more enjoyable, and convenient shopping experience for all customers in the area.

“Just last year we celebrated 100 years of Maxol in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to continue investing in our local service stations.

It is our aim to have a network of convenience

destinations that will continue to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers across NI. We wish Alan and Val and their team, who have been at Maxol Eglinton since it opened in February 2015, every continuing success.”

Alan and Val Rodden, Licensees of Maxol Eglinton, said: “This investment will enable us to provide our valued customers with a great instore experience and we’re confident the improvements will be welcomed by the local community and we look forward to delighting everyone in store.”

Abbey Upholsterers

The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards recognise and celebrate the huge contribution that smaller businesses and the self-employed make to the UK.

Celebrating the Family Business of the Year Winner Abbey Upholsterers is back open for business!

What a week as we reopen following a devastating fire and receive news that we have won FSB UK Family Business of the Year.

Abbey Upholsterers is delighted to be open and operational from temporary premises at Kilroot Business Park Carrickfergus, where we can welcome customers. Since the Meadowbank site fire in April, our team has worked tirelessly to enable customer entry and recommence the manufacturing of the bespoke furniture and joinery for which we are world-renowned.

Our priority was to reclaim and utilise what we could from our Meadowbank site, to which we will return when renovations are complete. These efforts have culminated in a temporary new home, a few miles from our headquarters, minimising disruption to staff operations and manufacturing processes.

Abbey Upholsterers is proud to be back producing the quality furniture for customers throughout Ireland, the UK and beyond.

It is fantastic news to be awarded the FSB UK Family Business of the Year. This award reminds us of the quality, strength and tenacity of our family business throughout its 90-year history.

Get in touch T: 028 9336 7073 W: www.abbeyupholsterers.com #FSBAWARDS

Winner

Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke

Side by Side Leading the fight against chest, heart & stroke illnesses in Northern Ireland since 1946.

For information and to donate visit www.nichs.org.uk Supported by Charity Reg No NIC 103593

t o o B e R BIG Day

The

in support of

f l o G e t a r Corpo

Friday the 17th of September 2021 Companies, and groups of individuals are invited to register for the ‘BIG Re-Boot Corporate Golf Day’at Ardglass Golf Club, on Friday the 17th of September 2021, in support of Marie Curie. Join us at this magnificent links course and play a round in support of this fabulous charity. Teams of four are invited to participate in what is sure to be a fantastic day out, and a great way to reconnect again with clients, customers and friends for perhaps the first time, in a very long time.

OUR PACKAGE INCLUDES...

Player entry – Refreshments on arrival – Goodie bag & snacks – Driving range access Pre-event putting competition – 18-hole team and individual event (rolling tee times allocated on a first come basis)

‘Longest Drive’, ‘Nearest the Pin’, and ‘Beat the Pro’ competitions – On course refreshments – BBQ and refreshments after golf – Team and individual prizes on offer – Auction & Raffle

Individual rate: £100 per person | Team rate: £400 per team of 4 Register at www.theconsummatepro.com/events/marie-curie or call us on 07818 000 703

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Full terms and conditions and booking details available on website.

TechEye

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Where There’s Muck, There’s Virtual Money On an idyllic farm in the Welsh hills, cows chew the lush grass and sheep graze on the upper slopes. In a green shipping container next to a large domed tank, a very different kind of farm also thrives in this idyllic landscape - a cryptocurrency farm.

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hilip Hughes’s family have farmed the land for generations - but now he is turning his hand to mining, using powerful computers powered by renewable energy to generate new cryptocurrency.

And that energy is derived, as Philip puts it, from “cow muck”.

A big six-cylinder engine running at 500rpm turns methane given off by decomposing cow manure into electricity.

The process is called anaerobic digestion.

In the absence of oxygen, microbes break down the manure and produce methane, which can be combusted to produce heat and electricity, instead of entering the atmosphere where it would act as a powerful greenhouse gas.

What’s left over can be used as fertiliser.

About two-thirds of the electricity generated by the anaerobic digester helps power the farm and the farm’s caravan park - but the remainder powers mining rigs, specialist computers about the size of a suitcase.

They are working on complex computations that serve to verify transactions and in return are rewarded with new cryptocurrency - a process that can consume large amounts of energy.

Presently, they are mining Ethereum.

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The income has been good but “it does very much depend on what day you ask that question”, Philip says, with a nod to the notorious volatility of this digital product. The value of Ethereum has fallen from over $4,000 (£2,800) in May to about $2,400 at the time of writing.

Philip has also started leasing out his renewable energy. The rigs powered by the digester are a mixture of those he owns and others belonging to third parties. At a cost of about £18,000, each rig is stuffed with “lots of very powerful computer-graphics cards”, according to supplier Josh Riddett, who runs Easy Crypto Hunter, in Manchester.

And while the energy consumption of Ethereum mining is high, it is significantly less than mining Bitcoin.

Josh has been pitching cryptocurrency mining to small-scale renewable electricity generators for some time - he says his equipment is in 42 sites covering solar, hydro and wind-powered generators in addition to anaerobic digestion.

But some small-scale hydro projects are wary because they worry about the environmental impact of the cryptocurrencies.

And others doubt cryptocurrencies will be valuable for long enough or

consistently enough to repay the considerable capital investment hydropower requires.

Out of the British Hydropower Association’s 290 members, the association’s CEO Simon Hamlyn, knows of just two who are trying out crypto mining. One has purchased a number of rigs to install at sites in Northern Ireland.

But the other fell victim to a heist, when masked thieves crossed fields to break into the powerhouse and steal the rigs.

Previously, the main mechanism for developing renewable-energy schemes was the feed-in-tariff, which paid renewable generators for the electricity they fed into the grid. The tariff started in 2011 and a boom in renewables followed - but the amount it pays has declined and it closed to new generators in 2019.

“We’re not going to be able to move to green energy unless the government revitalises the subsidy, or we start looking at alternatives,” Josh says.

But renewable energy used to mine cryptocurrency cannot be used for other purposes, such as powering electric cars or heating homes.

If cryptocurrency is as socially valuable as any of those things, this might not matter - but for critics such

as financial economist Alex de Vries, who writes the Digiconomist blog, it is a waste of green energy. “The utility these systems can have is inherently extremely limited,” he says.

“If you look at Bitcoin, it can only process seven transactions per second at most - that’s its maximum capacity.

“You have to consider that a payments provider like Visa can do 65,000 transactions per second if needed.”

The decline of heavy industry has left some parts of the US with a surplus of hydroelectric power and the resulting cheap electricity has attracted cryptocurrency miners.

But communities that have experienced a “gold rush” of crypto miners have found it a mixed blessing, pushing up electricity prices.

Alex worries also about the limited lifespan of mining equipment, which he says can rapidly become obsolete, creating an e-waste problem. And rather than switching to renewables, many say it would be better to make cryptocurrencies more efficient - or stop using them altogether.

In the UK, the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association says only a “small handful of plants” are exploring crypto mining.

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FIELD DAY FOR FOOD APPS – But Cost Is An Issue

Food delivery apps have experienced huge growth during the pandemic. The Deliveroos, UberEats and Just Eats of this world couldn’t have had it much better as restaurants shut their doors and millions of people around the globe were confined to their homes.

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ut a new survey has found that they’re definitely not the cheapest option. The survey from Which? compared the costs of meals from five eateries, bought directly and ordered on apps Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat. On average, a takeaway cost 23% more on an app than ordering directly. But the app companies said their commission charges were fair.

Which? found:

our business, paying for riders’ fees, customer services and upgrading our services for restaurants.”

Just Eat said it believed its commission rates “are aligned with the value we provide to our partners”.

UberEats said it was focused on “ensuring that the best restaurants and the best selection of food is available to customers”.

Most of the people surveyed by Which? had used delivery apps for takeaways and groceries during the pandemic:

Just Eat said it investigated all customer complaints raised issues. And Uber Eats encouraged customers to use the help section of its app, saying it had a dedicated customer-service team.

Which? said many apps offered credit refunds - but consumer law meant customers should be given money back Which? consumer rights expert Adam French said: “Next time you fancy a takeaway, you should be aware that the undoubted convenience offered by a delivery app comes with a hidden additional cost.

“If something goes wrong with your order, you might also find yourself caught between the restaurant and the app.”

an average of 31% more than ordering directly

The most expensive order was a burrito and a taco from a Mexican restaurant, which cost £43.94 on Deliveroo £12.29 (44%) more than ordering directly. Before adding delivery and service charge, the cost was £8.30 more.

Prices on apps are generally set by restaurants and they often increase the price to cover the service fees charged.

In response to the survey, Deliveroo said: “We encourage restaurants to set the same menu prices as they offer customers when dining in. And the commission we charge is then reinvested back into

And their most common complaints involved:

The proportion of customers who had found complaining difficult was:

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Best Kit For 2021 & Beyond We can’t and won’t pretend to know much about this kind of thing, so we’ve turned to the knowledge of the undoubted experts at WIRED, the very best tech news resource around.

WIRED Recommends is their definitive guide to the best gadgets, gear and new products and every single product featured has been tested properly by WIRED reviewers. This list covers the number one picks for every category they’ve tested so far, and links to the new and noteworthy tech we’ve reviewed.

Headphones:

Laptop:

Tablet:

Sony WH-1000XM4

Dell XPS 13 (2020)

Apple iPad Air

Weight: 255g | Battery life: 30 hours | Noise cancelling: Yes

Weight: 1.2kg | Battery life: 12 hours | Screen: 13.4-inch 1080p/4K

Screen: 10.9-inch | Battery life: Unspecified/10 hours | Weight: 458g

The Dell XPS 13 (from £999) is described

by WIRED as the best laptop you can buy right now. This 13-inch laptop is slim and light yet is powerful enough to deal with a heavy workload. There are numerous configuration options, including non-glare screens, Full HD or UHD and touchscreen versions. The tiny screen bezel means it has a very small footprint, making it easy to fit in any bag.

The addition of Tiger Lake processors and Xe graphics to the latest models means basic gaming is a reality, allowing for Rocket League and more on the go.

The team say they love the iPad Pro but, for most people, the revived iPad Air (From £529) is the best choice. The latest model even borrows its modern design from the significantly more expensive iPad Pro. You get a high-resolution screen, intuitive software and a huge collection of apps. No platform can compete when it comes to apps designed specifically for tablets. The new model is also compatible with Apple’s latest tablet accessories – including the Magic Keyboard (£271) and Apple Pencil (£117).

The Sony WH-1000XM4 (£280) continues Sony’s stellar runner at the front of the over-ear headphones pack. The new WH-1000XM4 don’t reinvent the wheel compared to their already phenomenal predecessors but, instead, make some slight tweaks to keep them cutting edge.

You’ll get remarkable noise-cancelling, strong battery life, ingenious sound and a comfy fit – a winning combo.

Price - £280

Price: From £529 Price – From £995

4K TV:

LG OLED65G1 Display: 65inch 4K OLED | Smarts: webOS | Connections: HDMI 2.1 x4, USB, Wi-Fi

This 65-inch OLED is the pick of the big-scale TVs. With exceptional picture quality owing to the new ‘evo’ OLED tech, best-in-class webOS interface; a litany of HDMI 2.1 ports for next-gen gaming and all that in a stylish 20mm chassis, the LG OLED65G1 (£2,999) does almost absolutely everything very, very, very well - even the sound quality is surprisingly good though - as ever - get a soundbar.

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Price – From £2,999

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The smartphone:

Webcam:

Wireless Speakers:

Apple iPhone 12

Logitech C920s

Sonos

Screen: 6.1-inch OLED | Processor: A14 Bionic | Cameras: 12MP wide, ultra-wide

Specs: 1080p/30fps, 720p/30fps | AF: Yes | Stereo mic: Yes

Voice: Alexa, Google | Wi-Fi: Yes | Apple AirPlay: Yes

The iPhone 12 (£699) is WIRED’s top pick for the best smartphone you can get your hands on in 2021. You might get more horsepower from its Pro-equivalents and Android rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra but the iPhone 12 combines Apple’s signature swift software experience, a new and exciting design, superb photography and some neat new features with a decent sub-£800 price.

Logitech’s C920s (£84) is hailed as the best webcam of the bunch when it comes to bang for your buck. From stellar image quality to useful autofocus, stereo microphones and a robust build, Logitech’s webcam is a true all-rounder. Other neat features include a privacy cover for when it’s not in use, a 1.2m cable and a tilting function to get that perfect angle.

Price: £699

Price: From £84

Painless to operate and with a range of comprehensive kit, Sonos (from £199) still offers the best pound-for-pound wireless, multi-room system around. The user experience is smooth and stable, there’s a wide product range, including subs and amps, together with AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect etc (though no hi-res audio) and an up-and-at-’em sound. If you need somewhere to start we’d recommend the voice controlled and good value Sonos One. (The recent controversy over support for legacy products has been smoothed over to an extent but we’ll be keeping an eye on it).

Price: From £199

Bluetooth speaker:

Fitness tracker:

UE Megaboom 3

Fitbit Charge 4

Weight: 925g | Battery life: 20 hours | Waterproof: IP67

Weight: 49g | Battery life: 7 days | Sensors: Optical HR, SpO2, GPS

The genuinely fantastic UE Megaboom 3 (£123) is the team’s top pick from all the Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested.

It balances features, sound quality and value better than any of its rivals with an impressive 20 hour battery life and the ability to stereo pair and daisy chain with other UE speakers.

Price: £123

If you don’t have a fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 4 (£119) is a great place to start. With GPS built-in, great activity and sleep tracking plus new heart rate features, it’s a fitness all-rounder that offers a hell of a lot of smarts in a neat, comfortable band for everyday wear.

Price: £119

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Eye on Finance

Happy Anniversary, Upstream!

Back to the Future…? alongside a variety of customers, helping them to refocus and drive success again. We are guiding them through their growth trajectory and bringing in collaborative partners along the way to make this journey seamless.

Alongside our new investors, we have stepped up our own business model and we are now supporting much larger businesses and corporate transactions for owners looking to acquire, diversify and scale. The environment we all find ourselves in, much like 2011, is one of change and restructure, there will be a debt overhang and impairments within the institutional lending sector and business owners of

to align to their new aspirations. As ever, I see this as Upstream’s core role.

We built our business coming out of a banking crisis and we will scale our business coming out of this pandemic.

Adversity brings opportunity, and the brave will flourish. One of our strap lines in the early days in Upstream was “Funding Fearless Growth” and I firmly believe that this still works in 2021. Upstream is going from strength to strength and to that end, we will be bringing some exciting news and updates to the market, in the next number of weeks.

So - here’s to the next ten Upstream

I suppose like birthdays these days, this 10th anniversary crept up on me rather quickly. Where have all those years gone?

Alan Wardlow Sales Director and Judith Totten , Founder and MD

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hen we opened the doors on our shiny new finance business, with enthusiasm, big dreams and, I’m happy to say, a large dollop of naivety on 1 June 2011, we embarked on a rollercoaster ride worthy of Disneyland! Like every other business, we have had our ups and downs - but it’s never boring! Upstream has delivered on its promise to transform the provision of working capital funding across NI Day one in 2011 was driven by my desire to do things differently, approach business funding in a fresh and open manner, and build partnerships with our clients. Coming out of the then Banking crisis, I knew instinctively that the SMEs who form the backbone of NI business needed

more. More flexibility, more creativity and innovation in finding funding solutions, more empathy and more delivered that and, dare I say it … more!

Feeling nostalgic, I thought I would see what we have achieved in in terms of silverware! In ten years, we have pre funded over 770 million invoices for customers, and generated c£100M of new working capital year customers have enjoyed this support and our first ever client who signed up on 6 June 2011, is still with us today!

Consistently, we have listened to our customers’ needs and as a direct result of this delivered a unique supply chain offering to the NI market alongside

working capital in all shapes and sizes - and our plan is simply to keep doing How will 1 June 2021 differ from 1 June 2011? It is a bit Marty McFly and Back to the Future, I guess.

This time though, we are rebuilding and rebooting our economy post pandemic, we are working through the challenges post BREXIT and we are positioning ourselves to support businesses across Ireland with their working capital needs as the economy recovers. Our collective enthusiasm remains unabated, and as a team we still have our dreams, but the naivety has been replaced with experience and authenticity. We know what we can

Thank you to everyone who has our customers, our investors and our whole network. Without you, Upstream wouldn’t be what it is today and more importantly, what it will be in the future.

To find our more about the and who we are, check us out at www.upstreampositive.co.uk . Let us fund your future, fearlessly!

Contact us for more information: Judith Totten MBE, Upstream: T: 02890 999450 E: judith@upstreampositive.co.uk

differentiates Upstream. We are working

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Eye on News

Curtain Up on £12.2 million Grand Opera House Restoration

Pictured at the unveiling of the results of the restoration project are (l-r): RoisÍn McDonough, Chief Executive. Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Ian Wilson, Chief Executive, Grand Opera House; Colin Loughran, Chairman Grand Opera House Trust and Paul Mullan, Director, Northern Ireland, National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The £12.2 million restoration and development of the Grand Opera House in Belfast has been completed, allowing the Grand Opera House Trust and its Chief Executive to plan for its full reopening in line with the recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

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he results of the restoration project were unveiled to key stakeholders and media today, and the Theatre will reopen to the public with bookable Theatre Tours in July. These tours will precede the full reopening of the Theatre for performances later in the year, subject to the covid-19 public health guidance at that time.

The restoration project, which is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Department for Communities, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and The Wolfson Foundation, has seen the auditorium’s paintings and decorative and ornate plasterwork painstakingly restored and conserved, as well as new seating, carpets, curtains and drapes installed. The design of the foyer and public spaces has been totally reimagined, with a new bar installed in the restored 1980 glass extension

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overhanging Great Victoria Street, as well as beautifully refurbished stalls and circle bars. As part of the project, the Theatre’s technical infrastructure has been upgraded and a permanent heritage exhibition installed telling the fascinating story of the Theatre’s 125-year history. Facilities for those customers with access needs have also been greatly enhanced throughout.

Speaking about the completion of the project Colin Loughran, Chairman of the Grand Opera House Trust, said: “Today is a momentous day in the long and proud history of the Grand Opera House and represents a significant ray of light in the darkness of the last year.

The ambitious restoration project has delivered fantastic results and we are hugely confident that it will ensure the Theatre remains on the world stage as a centre for theatregoing and as a Belfast visitor and tourist attraction. We would like to thank our funding partners for their unwavering

support which has helped to secure the Theatre for generations to come.”

Welcoming the project completion, Paul Mullan, Director, Northern Ireland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “We are delighted to support the Grand Opera House with the restoration of this historic Grade A listed building in the heart of Belfast, thanks to money raised

by National Lottery players.

“This is a significant project which will help to protect the heritage of the Theatre, as well as provide opportunities for people to explore its history for many years to come.

“The work to conserve the building’s unique architectural features and paintings has also been undertaken by local conservationists and tradespeople, which emphasises the value that heritage brings to the economy, people and wider community.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, heritage has a vital role to play in our recovery and venues like the Grand Opera House will be instrumental in helping the sector to thrive once again.”

RoisÍn McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “The Arts Council is very pleased to see work completed on this important historic building and we very much look forward to the day

when it can reopen fully and once again welcome back audiences to enjoy shows in this beautiful Theatre.

“The Arts Council has funded the Grand Opera House for many years, and we recognise its value as one of the city’s most important cultural assets and the enormous contribution it makes to the local economy. This vital restoration work will ensure the Theatre’s place for future generations of audiences, actors and theatre makers, protecting one of our most celebrated and treasured cultural landmarks for many years to come.”

The project was delivered by specialist construction firm, Tracey Brothers Ltd, and more than 60 subcontractors. John Tracey, Director of Tracey Brothers, said: “The project was unusual as it was made up of two separate sites. The focus of the work was the extensive restoration of the 1895 listed building and the installation of state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems to meet modern-day theatregoer expectations.

Alongside this was the reimagination of the 2006 extension to make it more sympathetic to the Matcham building, complete with a stunning helical staircase, enhanced bar and hospitality facilities, and the installation of new interpretative spaces telling the story of the Grand Opera House.

AIB Business Eye AWARDS 2021

AWARDS 2021

Eye on Awards AWARDS 2021

Company of the Year

Tourism & Hospitality Award

Northern Ireland’s overall company of the year in the opinion of the judging panel. Companies can be of any size/scale, number of employees, and must be able to exhibit exceptional performance, especially but not exclusively during the 12 month period to 28th February 2021.

The company or organisation making the most valuable contribution to the continued development of tourism & hospitality here in Northern Ireland. Possible entrants might include hotels/hotel groups, other forms of accommodation, tourism development organisations, restaurants, travel facilities, etc.

Sponsored by AIB Sponsored by Visit Belfast

Employer of the Year

The category is open to senior managers and leaders in businesses and organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors, whose leadership and achievement can be clearly demonstrated.

This category sets out to recognise those local organisations exhibiting best practice in terms of people management. The judging panel will look for clear evidence of class-leading initiatives designed to make the organisation a better and more caring employer.

Covid Business Hero Award A new award reflecting the Covid era and recognising the outstanding contribution made by an individual on behalf of a specific sector or the wider business community during the crisis.

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A second Covid era award, this time spotlighting innovation, adaptation and/or a change in business direction of leading NI companies in direct response to the challenges of the coronavirus crisis.

Research & Development Award The Research & Development (Innovation) project which, in the opinion of the judges, is the best example of how companies can harness research, development and innovation to further their business aims and objectives.

Young Business Personality of the Year

Sponsored by Ulster University Business School

Covid Response Company of the Year

Sponsored by Lockton

Medium/Mid-Sized Business of the Year This category will recognise a leading player in the 50-250 employee sector of the Northern Ireland economy, a key sector which includes a number of our leading private sector companies. As with Company of the Year, entrants must demonstrate exceptional performance across the board.

Sponsored by U105

Covid Era Innovative Company of the Year Innovation has taken on a whole new meaning during the Covid crisis. This award sets out to recognise outstanding product or service innovation by a local company as a response to the pandemic.

Sponsored by NIE Networks

Eye on Awards AWARDS 2021

Business Personality of the Year

Community (CSR) Award

Family Business of the Year

The keynote award will honour Northern Ireland’s outstanding business personality over the past 12 months, an individual whose leadership achievements have contributed to business success and to the wider local economy.

Corporate social responsibility plays an important role for NI companies and this specialist category sets out to recognise an organisation from the private, public or voluntary sectors making a clear and impactful contribution to its local community as a whole.

Northern Ireland’s economy is built on family business success and this key category will recognise the family-owned business, of any size of scale, which can demonstrate exceptional achievement during the year to 28th February 2021.

Sponsored by Harbinson Mulholland

Sponsored by Community Foundation NI

Small Business of The Year The organisation with 50 employees or less which, in the opinion of the judges, exemplifies best practice and achievement across the board. Evidence of growth and development, clear vision and strategy to deliver growth, commitment to superior customer service, demonstration of innovation across the business.

Professional Services Firm of the Year This category sets out to honour Northern Ireland’s leading accountancy, legal or other professional services firm working with and providing key advice to clients in the local business community.

Manufacturer of the Year

Executive Support Professional of the Year This award will honour one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of the business world here, Northern Ireland’s leading Executive Support Professional, a key member of staff in any organisation providing exemplary support services to management within the organisation.

A very important category, this one is open to all manufacturing organisations, of any size and scale, operating in Northern Ireland. The judging panel will look for evidence of innovation, attention to detail, state of the art engineering and product market success.

Sponsored by RSM

Sponsored by Honeycomb

Sponsored by Davy

Full details are available online at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk

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Eye on News

CIGA Healthcare reveals revolutionary air purification device for hospitals, offices, bars and restaurants

Ballymena-based diagnostics firm CIGA Healthcare is to launch a revolutionary, ceilingmounted air purification device which will eradicate 99.9% of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and moulds.

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he PlasmaGuard range of devices which also features a covid detector has been designed for use in bars, restaurants, hospitals, schools and any interiors including offices and factories and is already in use in thousands of sites in America. The air purification system uses proven non-thermal

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cold plasma technology and can be incorporated into existing air conditioning systems.

CIGA Healthcare CEO Irwin Armstrong, who sits on the board of Ulster University’s Connected Healthcare Innovation Centre, says the device is unlike any other air purification system and more advanced than any currently on the market.

“When a change in your indoor air quality is detected, the sensor notifies the smart hub to initiate the Plasmaguard to respond in real time. The system then operates to destroy the pollutants until the sensor verifies that your air is clean again,” says Mr Armstrong. “It is 99.994% effective against Covid-19.”

“We are confident it is the best available solution for eradicating 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, mould, fungi, allergens, asthma triggers, odours and more, within any occupied environment,” he says.

“Today, many facilities use highly ineffective simple dust filters, UV lighting, or weak ionizers.

They have shown little evidence in providing safety from harmful airborne pathogens

distributed through air conditioning systems”.

“With many businesses in the hospitality sector on the brink of bankruptcy, PlasmaGuard introduces a unique, scientifically proven, in-duct Non-Thermal Cold Plasma (NTCP) technology that increases confidence in the safety of the operation.”

CIGA Healthcare was established in 2005 by Irwin Armstrong and has grown rapidly over the years. Based in Ballymena the firm now supplies a wide range of over-the-counter and professional tests to pharmacies and healthcare services under its own brand Suresign. In 2012, subsidiary CIGA Healthcare LLC was established as part of the company’s expansion into the American market.

CIGA Healthcare now exports to more than 60 countries across the globe.

The company employs 28 at its Ballymena site where it manufactures and packages a range of products including blood pressure monitoring devices, heart rate monitors, pregnancy tests and other diagnostic equipment.

A new look, a new chapter.

Expertise for everyone. mmw@mmwlegal.com Imperial House, 4-10 Donegall Square East, Belfast, BT1 5HD 396 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3EY

Eye on News

Henderson Foodservice invests £16 million in new warehouse

Pictured are (l-r) Kiera Campbell (sales director) Cathal Geoghegan (managing director) and Mark Stewart-Maunder (commercial and development director).

Henderson Foodservice has unveiled a new £16 million warehouse facility as part of an ongoing re-development of Henderson Group’s Mallusk complex which began back in 2010.

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he Foodservice team accelerated the move to the 190,000 square foot ambient and chilled distribution centre, to support the hospitality sector as it rolled out a phased opening to the public with the easing of lockdown restrictions.

The new larger storage facility has enabled Henderson Foodservice to offer their customers an expanded product range with greater efficiencies in terms of goods in, order processing and picking, providing an overall enhanced supplier and customer experience.

Design and build has also incorporated the latest sustainability and energy efficiency techniques including maximisation of natural

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light in work areas and any artificial lighting installed is photo and movement sensitive. Other features include a state of the art charging optimiser for all mechanical handling equipment and an energy optimised refrigeration system. Packaging waste is recycled or reused whilst food wastage is minimised and any generated is processed for re-use via an anaerobic digestion plant for gas production.

During the pandemic in 2020, acquisition companies BD Foods and Foodco were integrated into Henderson Foodservice operations at Mallusk generating an increased product range which required improved storage facilities.

Facilitated by an experienced

project team the move was undertaken during the reopening of outdoor dining, despite the pressures from increased orders and customers returning. Multi-site processes were implemented and a new version of the warehouse management system was made operational with no impact or interruption to customers, order fulfilment or continuity of supply.

Henderson Foodservice Managing Director, Cathal Geoghegan, praised the Foodservice warehouse project team for its successful and streamlined transition to the new distribution centre saying, “As hospitality has thankfully been able to open up, our move couldn’t have been more timely. We’re thrilled to be able to support the industry in what has been such a challenging year and we look forward to working closely with our customers as the economy continues to move forward in a positive trajectory.

“The design, build and fit-out of our new warehouse was in partnership with Fermanagh based

construction company Tracey Brothers who had previously completed our ambient warehouse facility in 2017. We’d like to thank them for their excellent project delivery which helped us transfer to the new centre with zero disruption to customers, during an exciting yet challenging time for our business as we restocked and prepared for the reopening of hospitality.”

This latest project is Phase 3 of a Henderson Group re-development investment strategy first conceived in 2008. The initial phase featured a Foodservice depot completed in 2010 followed by Group head offices doubling the company’s office space in 2016. In 2017 the Group bought an adjacent Marks & Spencer distribution centre which was remodelled into an 185,000 square foot ambient temperature depot.

Looking to the future Henderson Group is currently planning business requirements up to 2040.

Eye on News

Carson McDowell appoints two new partners, creating largest senior team in NI

B

elfast-based law firm Carson McDowell has announced the appointment of two new partners, bringing its partner headcount to 30, the largest of any legal practice in Northern Ireland.

The firm announced today that Paul McGuickin has become a partner in its corporate team and Chris Phillips has been promoted to partner in its real estate practice.

Roger McMillan, Managing Partner of Carson McDowell, said: “These appointments and the growth of the firm’s partner group reflects our commitment to hiring and developing talented lawyers to provide the highest levels of service to clients.

“I would like to congratulate Chris and Paul and on their promotion to the partner group. Both are highly experienced and capable lawyers whose expertise and advice is greatly valued by their clients.”

A graduate of Queen’s University, Paul qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and practised as a corporate and commercial lawyer with an international law firm before joining Carson McDowell in

2018 as a senior associate. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate restructuring strategies and corporate governance issues.

Chris studied at the University of Oxford before joining Carson McDowell as an apprentice in 2007 and qualified as a solicitor in the real estate team in 2009.

He is involved in all aspects of commercial property, including acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant work and providing asset management advice to clients with large property portfolios.

Neasa Quigley, Senior Partner, said: “Carson McDowell has always focused on delivering for our clients and in the past 15 months we have concentrated our efforts on helping them to meet the challenges to their businesses from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are fortunate to represent a large number of commercially sophisticated local businesses and high-profile international clients operating in and from Northern Ireland. As lockdown restrictions ease and the economy begins to accelerate again we look forward to helping them to take

Pictured in Belfast (L-R) are Paul McGuickin, Neasa Quigley, Roger McMillan and Chris Phillips of Carson McDowell.

advantage of opportunities for growth.”

In this recent round of promotions, the firm has also announced that Rachel Lewis, Banking and Emma Duffy, Healthcare Dublin have been made Associate Solicitors. In December 2020 the firm made 18 promotions across its teams.

The firm employs 112 solicitors, over two thirds of whom are women, bringing its total headcount to more than 180 people.

Carson McDowell achieved the ‘Band one’ rating in 21 out of 26 practice areas ranked in the 2021 Chambers Guide and had 22 partners given the top accolade on an individual basis, more than any other Northern Irish law firm. It also had 12 practice areas ranked as tier 1 in the 2021 edition of the Legal 500 guide, also higher than any other local firm.

Brian Waddell honoured with Heritage Tales Plaque in his Hometown

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rian Waddell (1934-2009) a true pioneer of Northern Ireland’s television industry was honoured with a Heritage Tale plaque in his hometown of Randalstown, Co Antrim by the Randalstown Historical Society. Brian’s sister Frankie McBrien and his children Jannine and JB Waddell who both followed their father into the television production industry are pictured unveiling the plaque in Randalstown earlier this week.

Jannine Waddell, MBE, Managing Director of Waddell Media said:“I am deeply touched that the Randalstown Historical Society has chosen to highlight my father’s childhood home, 11-13 Main Street as one of their places of historical interest as part of the prestigious Heritage Tales initiative. “After working as a reporter and producer at the fledging Ulster Television, my father took on coveted role of Controller of Programmes which he enjoyed for many years before having the foresight to go out on his own to set up one of the UK’s first production companies in Waddell Media.

“My father was very proud of his Randalstown roots and our family is very touched that his memory is being

kept alive for future generations in his hometown by this beautiful tribute which includes a wonderful write-up about his life and career on the Tales’ website which I hope will inspire the next generation of storytellers.”

Randalstown Historical Society’s Heritage Tales initiative was funded by Heritage Lottery to place 15 bronze plaques around the town highlighting places of historical interest. Brian Waddell’s plaque is located at 11-13 Main Street, his childhood home.

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Eye on News

Hinch Distillery Launches Gin & Whiskey Tours

L-R Francesca Owens, Hinch Visitors Centre Tour Guide; Alan Greer, Hinch Visitors Centre Sales Development Manager; Dr Terry Cross OBE, Hinch Distillery Chairman and Claire McLernon, Hinch Visitors Centre Tour Guide

Northern Ireland’s newest hospitality offering, Hinch Distillery, which lies in the heart of Co. Down on the Killaney Estate, has opened its booking system for guided whiskey and gin tours today, as restrictions ease.

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he venue, which is home to the globally acclaimed Hinch Irish Whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin brands, which have already attracted coveted international awards, will kick off its inaugural gin tour on August 1, accommodating 10 guests and gradually increasing capacity to 16 guests as restrictions allow. Whiskey tours are available to enjoy during June, and beyond.

The Experience will unwrap the mastery behind making a worldrenowned whiskey and gin, as well

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as the story behind the business.

Guests will also soak up the individual steps of the distilling process on the tour including the Ingredients Room, Mash House, Still House, Spectrum Room and the Tasting Room where they can sample some whiskeys while enjoying the sleek, modern decor that has been masterminded by the same team behind New York’s Dead Rabbit.

The Ninth Wave Gin tour will allow guests to not only uncover the craft involved in making gin, but lend their hand in making their very

own bespoke gin to bring home by attending the Gin School Experience.

The full reopening of the distillery, including its new restaurant, retail shop and events spaces has been a long time coming for the business, which opened its doors in November 2019, with plans to launch its £15m facility and visitor attraction last summer.

Pandemic-induced restrictions on social establishments saw it postpone that launch until May 24 when it opened the doors to its stunning Hinch Brasserie restaurant, the newest culinary offering in Northern Ireland, featuring a menu of Irish fusion dishes.

The Hinch Distillery complex was founded by NI entrepreneur Dr Terry Cross OBE, who previously owned Delta Print and Packaging Limited.

No stranger to the drinks sector, Dr Cross took over Château de La Ligne, a Bordeaux vineyard over 20 years ago, and restored it to its former glory. He has been carrying on the tradition of the estate by producing a variety of Bordeaux Merlots and more over the years.

Speaking about launching the next instalment of his new business, Hinch Distillery Chairman Dr Terry Cross OBE said: “For many people, Hinch Distillery is a brand new asset in the tourism crown here, but for us it’s already been a wild and wonderful journey of securing

massive contracts internationally and beckoning prestigious awards.

“We’ve been very innovative in this time launching a wide and varied selection of spirits; from small releases of beer cask finished whiskeys and others finished in unusual casks, to our new Ninth Wave Export Gin which at 46% has even bigger and bolder flavours than its classic sibling’s 43% ABV. This is available from the 25th June.

“To finally be able to launch our tours and expose that range to the public is a very proud moment. We can’t wait to showcase what we’ve been doing, how we’ve been doing it and begin what will be a story of indigenous NI craft, skill and hospitality.”

Alan Greer, Hinch Visitors Centre Sales Development Manager, added: “Hinch Distillery has been working hard behind the scenes since its production lines opened in November 2019 and distilling started on site in November 2020 and to be able to unveil that process in its entirety to the Northern Ireland public and our visitors has been a highly anticipated moment.

“The visitor tour experience will be unlike no other and really enrich the drinks tourism sector in Northern Ireland. We hope to educate and indulge whiskey connoisseurs and novices alike in the coming months and expect big demand for both our whiskey and gin tours.

“As the staycation market is extremely strong this year, we do believe booking slots will sell extremely well and urge interested individuals and parties to book today for the coming months.”

Each whiskey tour will last approximately one hour with prices ranging from £18 to £27.

Ten guests at a time will undertake each tour with a specialist guide.

Among the tours are The Classic Whiskey Tour (£18) which will conclude with a duo of whiskey tastings while the Premium Whiskey Tour (£27) will incorporate a tasting of four Hinch whiskeys.

Gin Tours last 1.5 hours and cost £45 including a 50cl bottle of a personally blended gin to take home. Additional bottles can also be ordered for gifting. For further information, visit hinchdistillery.com.

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Eye on Motoring

Motoring with James Stinson

Volvo’s plug-in player The XC90 Recharge is the smart choice for company car drivers, writes James Stinson

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he race to all electric cars is on but for many the leap to battery-only power is still a little too far. While range is improving, the limitations are too great for some, especially high mileage users who frequently take in long journeys.

For these drivers, the sweet spot on the journey to electrification is likely to be some sort of mild hybrid, which combines petrol and battery power or one of the many new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that are flooding the market. Volvo is leading the way by offering plug-in versions across its range.

PHEVs provide the same range and flexibility of a regular petrol car along with some quasi green credentials by

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dint of their small electric motors that offer some electric only running. Like fully electric cars, they are especially popular with company car owners thanks to attractive benefit-in-kind tax rates.

This XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid is the flagship of the Volvo range, and one of the best £50,000 plus SUV plug-in hybrids around. It’s big and luxurious and stacked with a dizzying array of safety equipment. And it’s one of the few proper seven-seaters around.

The meat of the car is a turbocharged and supercharged two-litre petrol engine, which produces some 303 bhp. Added to this is an 87 bhp electric motor, giving a combined 390bhp.

The electric motor is powered by a

recently upgraded 11.6 kWh battery.

The engine drives the front wheels and the electric motor the rears to provide authentic all-wheel-drive performance.

Not only does this enable acceleration from rest to 62mph in just 5.8 seconds, but it also registers low CO2 emissions of just 63 g/km and fuel economy of up to 100 mpg. These figures can be misleading because real world figures depend on how much all-electric driving you do.

Drive in petrol-only mode and you’ll likely get high twenties mpg. Equally, keep the battery charged by plugging in overnight and you’ll be able to eke out 30 miles in electric-only mode with no petrol consumption and zero emissions.

It’s this which earns the XC90 Recharge exceptionally low benefit-in-kind rating for company car taxation of just 15 or 16%, depending on the car’s equipment grade. This means monthly car tax bills for a 40% taxpayer from just £338.

And it feels every inch a premium quality car, from its clean yet distinctive Scandinavian styling to its impressive equipment specification.

The cabin is luxurious, airy and quiet while the ride is silky smooth.

The XC90 Recharge T8 is available in three grades: Inscription Expression; R-Design; and Inscription, with the latter two available in higher specification ‘Pro’ versions. Broadly speaking, R-Design versions are sportier while Inscription indicates a more comfort orientated set-up.

Standard features include a four-

zone climate control system, all-wheel drive, power-operated tailgate, LED headlights, heated, power-adjustable front seats, leather upholstery and a rear parking camera. and minimalist. Sensus connectivity provides a nine-inch touchscreen to co-ordinate the car’s navigation and multimedia functions, voice control, access to the Volvo On Call connected services platform and a SIM card with up to 100GB of data. The Volvo City Safety package of active safety systems is also provided as standard on all versions.

The fully flexible interior provides seven individual seats in three rows, together with generous load space that can be easily extended when extra cargo capacity is needed. There’s 276 litres of boot space even in sevenseat mode, increasing to 640 litres in five-seat form. Fold all the seats down and the Volvo is cavernous, with a total of 1,816 litres of boot room.

PHEVS unlike their all-electric counterparts also boast great towing credentials, with the XC-90 Recharge having a 2,400 kgs towing capacity.

Prices start from £65,540 and top out at £75,190 for the Inscription Pro model.

Private buyers should consider whether they do enough short, city-type driving to harvest the fuel savings that come with all-electric driving. The attractive benefit-in-kind tax benefits make the Recharge a no brainer for company car drivers over petrol and diesel versions.

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Eye on Motoring

Motoring with James Stinson

Hefty price cuts for BMW’s i3

The UK government has once again cut the subsidy on new low emissions vehicles.

Until March, you could get £3,000 off a new electric car costing anything up to £50,000.

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he grant exists because electric cars are more expensive to make but they are getting cheaper and the government isn’t keen to keep subsidising them for any longer than it has to. So, the grant has been cut to £2,500 and is now only available on cars costing up to £50,000.

The good news is that it looks like the cut won’t have much impact on car buyers. In fact, the opposite could be true.

BMW, which had only recently raised the price of its electric-only entry level i3 to nearly £40,000 has since reduced prices to below £35,000 so it can continue to benefit from the government subsidy.

On the road pricing before grant for the BMW i3 now starts at £33,805 and £34,805 for the sporty BMW i3s, meaning buyers will still get 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, parking sensors, heated front seats and a

10-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The entry-level i3 is powered by a 44.2kWh battery pack and a 168bhp electric motor mounted on the rear axle. BMW says the system will cover up to 190 miles between charges and When connected to an 11kW AC Type 2 charger, the i3’s battery pack will recover an 80 percent charge in three hours. The EV also supports 50kW DC rapid charging, which will top the battery up to the same level in 42 minutes.

The i3s features the same battery pack as the entry-level model, but

it has a more powerful 181bhp electric motor. Because of the extra power, the EV’s maximum range time is improved to 6.9 seconds.

Like the entry-level car, the flagship model hasn’t had any equipment removed, despite the new, lower price. Buyers still receive 20-inch alloy wheels, lowered sports suspension, a slightly wider track, flared wheel arches and dedicated trim inlays for the front bumper.

The i3 has been around since 2013 but it’s still an exceptional little car and even more so with the latest price cut.

Citroen’s new twist on the family hatchback

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ou could never accuse Citroen of following the crowd. It’s been making quirky and sometimes brilliant cars for the best part of a century, from the dinky 2CV to modern classics like the DS3. And It’s a Fiesta and Golf rival even though it looks nothing like those traditional hatchbacks. That’s because of the jacked-up SUV-type styling and couple-like roofline, which is pretty unique for this class and price bracket.

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Citroen says the model, which comprises petrol and diesel powertrain options alongside the fully electric version, will “put compact hatchbacks back on the map” through an SUV influenced design and a focus on comfort.

The petrol-powered C4 is offered with a choice of three 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engines, ranging from the Puretech 100 to the Puretech 155. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is available on the most powerful petrols.

There are also two four-cylinder diesels, the BlueHDi 110 and auto-only BlueHDi 130. It’s strange to see Citroen launch a new car with a diesel engine but high mileage users might still be tempted by the oil burner in the range.

The electric option could also tempt some who can avail of generous company car tax benefits for battery-only vehicles.

The e-C4 features a 134bhp, 192lb ft electric engine, which draws power from a 50kWh battery. The car also recovers energy when decelerating and braking, that can alter the amount of engine power and the energy draw for the air conditioning to boost range.

Citroen claims a range of 217 miles, a 0-62mph time

of 9.7 secs and a top speed of 93mph. Real-world driving will probably deliver range somewhere around 160-180 miles. For all its green credentials though, the e-C4 comes at a hefty price premium of around £7,000 over similarly specced petrol versions.

There are four trim levels to choose from: ‘Sense’, ‘Sense Plus’, ‘Shine’ and ‘Shine Plus’. Standard equipment includes LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, a 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.

In line with Citroen’s focus on comfort, the C4 and e-C4 are fitted as standard with the firm’s Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension, which uses two hydraulic stops to reduce bouncing and smooth the ride.

Inside, the e-C4 and certain C4 models will be offered with Advanced Comfort seats, including optional heating and massaging systems. Six interior colour schemes, all aimed at making you feel “as if you are in your living room”, are offered. Citroën also claims best-in-class rear knee room and a wide variety of storage compartments.

Prices start from £21,010 for the 100 bhp petrolengined ‘Sense’ version with cheapest electric model - ‘Sense Plus’ - costing from £30,895.

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