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WILL ORME Chef’s new challenge
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MARK WEEKS Safety high points Column - Page 4
An EXAMINER publication
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees
Company realises its 10-year vision
A COMPANY using the latest computer wizardry to create images for architects, interior designers and furniture retailers is celebrating 10 years in business with its best-ever quarter. Pikcells, based at Wellington Mills, Lindley, was formed in 2003 by a group of graduates through Huddersfield University’s Business Generator at the town’s Media Centre. The company was heavily involved in creating images for architects and building firms – but took a big hit when recession struck in 2008 and much of that work dried up. Now it has a team of 14 creating computer-generated imagery for customers in the UK, Europe and North America – including big names such as Electrolux and Homebase. Founding directors Stephen Mooney and Richard Benson were joined by Matt Fell as production director earlier this year. Mr Benson, who is creative director, said: “When the recession happened, we almost folded, but we managed to overcome it. “We were able to get work with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom companies and we made a point of being the best out there. The idea was to make it hard for
■ PICTURE PERFECT: Creative director Richard Benson (right) and production director Matt Fell (second right) with the Pikcells team
anyone else to knock us off our perch. We aim to be ridiculously good at what we do! It has worked out really well and we have had a successful four of five years.” Mr Benson said Pikcells had also forged a joint venture with a big photography studio in Pennsylvania to form Shadowlight CGI, saying: “CGI is replacing what photographer used to do – building room sets and sourcing items, which was time consuming.
“CGI can create room sets that are realistic and highly detailed much more quickly. The computer hardware and software has become really good and easier to use. “Our US partners looked around for a CGI company in America, but couldn’t find anyone who could meet their requirements for quality. They found us via the internet and came over to see us. Teaming up with us has helped them to recapture a lot of former clients and it has allowed them
to do so much more.” Now about 30% of Pikcells’ work is for clients overseas, including the USA and Sweden. “We have just had our best quarter ever,” said Mr Benson. “Last year, we started to see a lot of work coming in from the construction industry again and we are getting a lot of work from London agencies in the property sector.” Pikcells also came to local prominence with a stunning 3D visualisation of a possible new building at historic Castle Hill to house “local art and history exhibitions illustrating communities through the ages and their impact on the local environment” . While that structure may never be realised, Mr Benson said the images illustrated what could be achieved through technology. He said. “This industry used to be about big machines and a lot of expensive software. Now it is becoming democratised and in 10 years time all the software will be online. “But the creativity and design skills will still be important – and we have a fantastic team in a wonderful office environment.”
Firm gears up for more contract success A C O M PA N Y m a k i n g liquid-filling and capping machinery is in line for further success after completing a move to new premises in Huddersfield. Karmelle Liquid Filling and Capping Solutions transferred operations from premises at Canal Street, off Leeds Road to a modern 5,000sq ft unit at Queen’s Mill Industrial Estate at Lockwood. The move provides more space for the firm’s manufacturing activities. T h e c o m p a ny h a s a l s o recruited new staff, taking its numbers up to nine, and is on the hunt for an additional project engineer. Karmelle director Peter Krawczuk said: “We have more than doubled the floorspace with the
move, which means we are able to take on bigger projects – and we have shipped quite a few out already. “We have also put £100,000 into a new machine shop, which employs three people and means we can manufacture spare parts on site – reducing our lead times and enabling us to get spares to customers more quickly, so reducing their downtimes.” Contracts completed in recent months include ones to provide machinery to fill paint tins, agrochemicals and oils. Previous contracts for the firm have included designing, building and installing a labelling line for Linthwaite-based pharmaceutical company Thornton & Ross and providing a new bottling plant for Glastonbury
Spring Water, which supplies bottled water for Glastonbury Festival goers. Historically, it has also exported to clients in Ireland, Holland, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, Croatia, Ghana and Colombia and provided equipment to fill and cap containers with products ranging from vegetable oil, pickled onions and molasses to motor oil and white spirit. Mr Krawzcuk said the firm had come through a tough 12 months during the recession as potential customers held back on investing in new equipment. But he said: “We have completed the move and there are more projects in the pipeline. We have completed projects for a number of local firms, which is always good.”
■ RIGHT SITE: Managing director Peter Krawczuk (front) with engineers Alan Watson (centre) and Ben Halligan in the firm’s new premises at Queens Mill Industrial Estate
INSIDE Making the grade A HUDDERSFIELD firm providing accountancy software has won an award. Liquid Accounts Ltd picked up the Business of the Month Award run by Huddersfield law firm Eaton Smith in conjunction with the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Government export support body, UK Trade & investments. Liquid Accounts helps local businesses save money on expensive and out of date accountancy software by providing a simple, easy to use accounting alternative.
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Safety standard A BUILDING firm in Huddersfield has been recognised for on-site safety. Termrim Construction, based at Bradley, has been awarded accreditation from safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety. Termrim employs 55 people and specialises in building projects for the care sector, residential and public sector housing and a private sector clients.
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
national
Albemarle unveils turnaround hopes BRITAIN’S second-biggest pawnbroker is finalising a £35m rescue fundraising after the slumping gold price hammered its profits. Albemarle & Bond is slashing costs and has closed 33 pop-up gold buying stores while it completes the deeply-discounted rights issue, which it said would repair its balance sheet. The group, which had about 230 stores, has also appointed a new chief executive and is in talks with EZCORP, its biggest shareholder, on underwriting the cash call. It has secured a month’s breathing space with its lenders on covenant tests on its £51m debt pile. The price of gold has plunged by about a third over the past two years, squeezing the group’s profitability and leaving it at “high risk” of breaching banking covenants. Albemarle said the pop-up stores, which bought jewellery for cash, were
no longer profitable. It said: “The ongoing weakness in the gold price creates significant uncertainty over the company’s prospects for the current financial year to 30 June, 2014, and for the company’s profitability.” Rival H&T, the UK’s biggest pawnbroker, last month warned on profits and has also been shutting its Gold Bar gold-buying stores. Albemarle’s lenders have agreed to defer its earnings covenant test until October 30 and the pawnbroker said it is trying to agree a new banking package. Albemarle said a rights issue would be priced at 50p a share – a steep discount to Friday’s 125p closing price – and would be open to all shareholders. Its shares plunged about 50% in early trading yesterday and closed down 50.5p to 74.5p or 40.4%. It warned there was no certainty
■ TARNISHED: Albemarle has been hit by the falling price of gold
that the cash call will go ahead, with a further update due in the next two days. “Such an equity issue, if it were to proceed, would recapitalise the balance sheet and resolve potential covenant breaches in the current financial year,” it said. New boss Chris Gillespie will join
on October 7 from Provident Financial, where he managed its doorstep lending division. He will take full control of the group on October 18 and Greville Nicholls will revert back to non-executive chairman. Mr Nicholls, currently executive chairman, said Albemarle has found “the best candidate for the job”. He said: “I am confident that Chris’ consumer financial services and lending background, together with his board level management and leadership experience, will be significant contributors to begin turning around the business.” Texas-based lender EZCORP has just under 30% of the group’s shares. Analysts at N+1 Singer said the group’s debt burden was becoming “worrisome” and added: “The rights issue and subsequent balance sheet reshaping will improve the stability of the ongoing business.”
Aldi to open 50 more stores
Eurostar bid for rail line
DISCOUNT supermarket Aldi has pledged to open 50 new stores in the UK this year after posting record profits and boosting its market share. The retailer is increasingly opening in affluent locations such as Chancellor George Osborne’s constituency in Knutsford, Cheshire. Its 500th UK store is due to open in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, next month. The UK’s fastest-growing supermarket, which has stores at Huddersfield’s Ringway Industrial Estate and Milnsbridge, Waterloo, Elland and Batley, said fresh meat and vegetable sales are soaring as
CHANNEL Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar is bidding to run a key London to Scotland rail route which runs through Yorkshire. Eurostar is launching a joint bid with French company Keolis to run the East Coast line. The successful bidder for East Coast, which has operated in the public sector since 2009, is expected to be announced in October ,2014, with the new franchise starting in February, 2015. Eurostar would take a minority share in the Keolis-Eurostar consortium. Eurostar chief executive Nicolas
household budgets are squeezed by rising bills. It recorded £157.9m of UK pre-tax profits in 2012, up by 124% on a year earlier, according to figures published at Companies House. Revenues surged more than 40% to £3.9bn after the company lured in more than a million extra customers during the year. Its expansion plans contrast with some of its “Big Four” rivals – with market leader Tesco and number four player Morrisons calling time on the supermarket space race. Aldi opened 34 new stores in 2012 at a cost of £116.5m and is on track to add another 50 this year.
Petrovic said: “By joining forces with Keolis, we bring a unique blend of expertise and innovation with a fresh perspective. “The East Coast franchise is a vital economic artery and a key route for both business and leisure passengers which represents an exciting opportunity for future growth and investment.” East Coast has been run under the control of the Department for Transport since November, 2009, after National Express pulled out. Its return to the private sector has been opposed by Labour and rail unions.
Page 2 SSE feels the cold ONE of Britain’s biggest energy companies revealed it made a loss on its retail operations over the summer after wholesale gas prices rose. SSE, which trades as Southern Electric, Swalec and Scottish Hydro, also blamed rising fixed distribution costs for the shortfall in the six months to September 30, a period when energy use is much lower. The company last increased tariffs in October, 2012, but warned earlier this spring that more could be in the pipeline because it was facing additional costs of more than £80 per dual fuel customer in the 2013/14 financial year. Amid speculation that rival Centrica is poised to announce a rise in tariffs, SSE provided no commentary with yesterday’s update on the outlook for household bills. Shares in SSE and other utility companies fell sharply last week after Labour leader Ed Miliband’s pledge to freeze energy prices if he came into power. SSE’s retail division made a half-year profit of £75.7m in 2012, compared with a loss of £101.4m a year earlier. It contributed about 13% to the overall company’s results, with the rest coming from its energy networks and generation capacity. Group profits for the six months are expected to be lower than last year, although this should have no implications for the full-year performance.
SHARE PRICES NORTH AMERICAN American Express £46.66 -0.24 Gannett 1659.35 +11.12 Hess Corp £47.83 -0.57 Microsoft £20.42 -0.14 Motors Liquidation 46.35 Wal-Mart Stores £45.75 -0.21 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Avon Rbbr 550 +16 BAE Systems 4543/8 -121/4 Rolls-Royce 1112 -13 AIM Brady Plc 631/2 +21/2 AUTOMOBILES & PARTS GKN 342 -101/8 BANKS Barclays 2651/2 -1/4 HSBC 6693/8 -81/4 Lloyds Banking Gp 735/8 -5/8 Ryl Scotland 3597/8 -65/8 Stan Chart 1481 -14 BEVERAGES Diageo 1965 -12 SABMiller £313/8 -1/4 CHEMICALS Croda £261/2 -1/4 Elementis 98 2393/4 -3/4 1 Johnsn Mat £28 /8 CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS Balfour Beatty 2841/4 -1/4 Costain 2641/2 -11/2 ELECTRICITY
Drax Gp 6821/2 -71/2 SSE 1474 +6 ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Laird 2203/8 -3 EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS 3 Alliance Trust 425 /4 -23/8 FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICES BT Grp 3423/8 -4 Cable & Wireless 395/8 +3/8 Comm Colt Group 1161/2 +5/8 KCOM 91 +1/2 5 Talktalk Telecom 241 /8 -21/8 FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS Morrison W 280 -31/4 Sainsbury 3911/2 Tesco 359 -35/8 FOOD PRODUCERS AB Food 1876 -6 -11/2 Tate Lyle 7361/2 3 Unilever £24 /8 -1/8 GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIES Centrica 3693/4 +23/4 National Grid 7301/2 -81/2 Pennon Grp 699 +3 Severn 1763 -8 United Utils 691 +11/2 GENERAL FINANCIAL 3i Group 3633/4 -21/8 ICAP 3741/4 -21/2 London StockExch 1537 -29 7 Man Group 83 /8 -23/8 Provident Financial 1662 -10
Schroders £253/4 -1/8 Schroders NV £215/8 -1/8 GENERAL INDUSTRIALS REXAM 4815/8 -3 Smiths Grp 1399 -2 GENERAL RETAILERS Ashley L 26 +1/2 Carphone Whse 2361/4 +3 Dixons Retail 465/8 +1/8 Home Retail 1681/8 +13/4 Inchcape 6101/2 +1/2 Kingfisher 3857/8 -15/8 M&S 4965/8 +1/4 Mothercare 377 -113/4 5 Next £51 /8 -1/8 WH Smith 827 -31/2 HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Smith Nph 771 -41/2 HOUSEHOLD GOODS Aga Rangemaster 1281/2 Barrat Dev 3085/8 +61/2 Persimmon 1086 +25 Reckitt Benckiser £451/4 Taylor Wimpey 1003/8 +33/8 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING IMI 1455 -14 INDUSTRIAL METALS Ferrexpo 1771/4 -13/4 INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION BBA Aviation 305 -27/8 LIFE INSURANCE Aviva 3963/4 -65/8
1961/4 1875/8 1151 3173/4 3453/8 MEDIA BSkyB 870 D Mail Tst 762 1 HIBU /8 ITV 1751/4 Johnston Press 14 Pearson 1257 Reed Elsevier 833 STV Group 256 Trinity Mirror 124 Utd Business 7141/2 UTV 185 WPP 1270 MINING Anglo American 1518 Antofagasta 8181/2 BHP Billiton 1820 Eurasian Natural 2121/2 Res Fresnillo 973 Kazakhmys 266 Lonmin 3191/4 Rio Tinto £301/4 VEDANTA 1082 RESOURCES MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES Inmarsat 709 Vodafone Group 216 NONLIFE INSURANCE Admiral Grp 1233 Lgl & Gen Old Mutual Prudential Resolution Standard Life
-25/8 -3/8 -7 -51/2 -61/8 -31/2 -8 -1/2 -1 -61/2 +21/4 -111/2
Local shares Carclo Marshalls National Grid Weir Gp
380 1783/4 7301/2 £231/4
-16 +1/2 -81/2 -3/8
FTSE closed at
6462.22 Down 50.44
-12 -22 -111/2 -21 +3/4 -27 -77/8 -5 -1/2 +9
-3 -11/4 -14
RSA Insurance Gp 1207/8 OIL & GAS PRODUCERS BG 11801/2 BP 4331/8 Cairn Energy 2621/4 Royal Dutch Shell £203/8 A Royal Dutch Shell £213/8 B Total £357/8 Tullow Oil 1024 OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES AMEC 1074 Petrofac 1405 Wood Gp(J) 802
-17/8 -111/2 -8 -31/2 -1/8 -5/8 -22 -17 -5 -14
PERSONAL GOODS Burberry Gp 1634 +11 PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY Astrazeneca £321/8 +1/8 GlaxoSmithK XD 11 3 Shire £24 /4 +1/8 REAL ESTATE Brit Land 5771/2 -81/2 Hamrsn 501 -71/2 1 Intu Properties 321 /8 -31/2 Land Secs 919 -71/2 SEGRO 310 -11/8 SOFTWARE ETC SERVICES Invensys 498 -3 Sage Group 3293/4 -1/8 SUPPORT SERVICES Berendsen 9071/2 +91/2 Bunzl 1338 -11 Capita 996 +11/2 De La Rue 9931/2 -1 Electrocomp 276 -1/4 Experian 1177 -7 G4S 2541/4 +3/8 Hays 1183/8 +21/4 Homeserve 257 -1 Menzies J 8001/2 -81/2 Rentokil 109 -1 Smiths News 205 -41/2 Wolseley £32 -1/2 IT HARDWARE ARM Hldgs 986 -24 Spirent Comms 1275/8 +3/4 TOBACCO
Br Am Tob £323/4 Imperial Tobacco £227/8 LEISURE & HOTELS Bwin.Party Digital 1221/8 Carnival £21 Compass Grp 850 easyJet 1278 Enterprise Inns 1441/2 FirstGroup 1191/2 Go-Ahead Gp 1678 Greene King 801 Intercontl Htls 1802 Intl Cons Airl 3381/4 Ladbrokes 1691/4 Mitchells & Butlers 411 Natl Express 2561/4 Rank Org 154 Stagecoach Group 3261/8 TUI Travel 3673/4 Whitbread £295/8
-1/8
-11/8 -1/4 +1/2 +4 +21/2 +1/8 +28 +3 -3 +1 -21/2 +11/4 +27/8 -23/4 +21/8 -1/2 -5/8
FTSE 100
INDEX 6462.22
-50.44
FTSE 250
INDEX 14908.18
-16.70
TOURIST RATES Tourists going abroad can expect the following rates for sterling: Australia..................... 1.64 dollars Bangladesh................ 118.36 taka Brazil............................ 3.23 reals Canada...................... 1.59 dollars China ........................... 8.83 yuan Czech Republic .... 28.26 korunas Denmark..................... 8.50 krone Euro.............................. 1.14 euro Hong Kong............... 11.88 dollars Hungary................. 320.56 forints India........................ 89.44 rupees Japan......................... 150.27 yen Mexico ...................... 19.03 pesos New Zealand ............. 1.82 dollars Norway ....................... 9.24 krone Pakistan................ 160.87 rupees Philippines ................ 60.13 pesos South Africa................ 15.36 rand South Korea............. 1511.00 won Sri Lanka .............. 201.13 rupees Sweden....................... 9.92 krona Switzerland................ 1.39 francs Taiwan ..................... 41.71 dollars Turkey...................... 3.08 new lira USA ........................... 1.54 dollars
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
profile
Will’s back from his travels IT’S a dream job for Will Orme. The much-travelled chef is relishing his new role in charge of the kitchen at the Woodman Inn, Thunderbridge – working for the well-known hostelry’s new owners and helping to re-establish its reputation for high quality food and drink. The 18th century inn, which had fallen from its pinnacle, was bought just over a year ago by Leslie Country Inns, a company headed by director Craig Leslie, the son of entrepreneur and former Huddersfield Town chairman Graham Leslie. Since then, the revitalised pub-restaurant has been named Best Turnaround Pub for the Yorkshire, North East and Scotland region in the BT Sport Great British Pub Awards 2013. And Will, who heads a team of five kitchen staff at The Woodman, is doing his bit to make sure it builds on that kind of success. Will’s involvement with the trade began early! The son of Brian Orme, co-owner of the renowned Three Acres at Shelley, Will was born in a house behind the Rising Sun pub at Shelley. After attending Shelley High School, he trained at Huddersfield Technical College and gained NVQs in food preparation, food service and front-of-house. But he says: “Before I went to study catering, I was at Thornes Park Sports College at Wakefield and played football and cricket. “I decided I wanted to be a chef after working in a kitchen to earn some extra money.” His first job was working at the five-star Vineyard Hotel at Stockcross, near Newbury, before he moved to No 3 York Place in Leeds and later went to 1885 at Stainland. Will also worked for celebrity chef Rick Stein’s restaurant at Padstow and The Arkle at Chester as well as The Star Inn, near Helmsley. Says Will: “By the time I was with Rick Stein, I had built
myself up to sous-chef, but I took the job as comis-chef just so I could work there and gain more experience.” Will later moved even further afield, spending two years in Australia. “I lived in Sydney and worked at a casino for 12 months before running its 70-seater Spanish tapas bar. “It was great sitting on the waterfront and visiting the seafood restaurants.” Another highlight was working for both Manchester United and Manchester City – cooking meals for the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane. “We cooked for the fine dining suite at United on match days and for the 50-seater restaurant in the Chairman’s Suite at City,” he says. Will’s last job before landing the job at The Woodman brought him closer to home as chef at The Vineyard, Holmfirth. But his dream has been realised at The Woodman. “I worked at The Three Acres on and off for eight years and it gave me a very good grounding,” he says. “But I never wanted to be around just for the business to be ‘passed down’ to me. I wanted to prove I could do it by myself.”
At The Woodman, Will designed the kitchen, devises the menus and sources the food as well as leading the five-strong team. All the food comes from suppliers within a 10-mile radius. He works Thursdays to Tuesdays with two days off – but is always on hand as he lives in the cottage next door! “This is something I always wanted to do – a local lad who trained in Huddersfield, left to do some travelling and returned to my home town. “I’ve built up the food side here from scratch. “From the day we started up to now, we have trebled the amount of business we have been doing. It is hard work, but it is good fun. It’s nice because every day is different.” Says Will: “We are aiming to offer good, honest Yorkshire food at a reasonable price people can afford. Fine dining is a once-in-a-blue-moon experience. What we do here is to give people the food they like.” Will’s speciality is desserts, but he also likes to create traditional filling fare with a twist. “Autumn and winter are my favourite times of year,” he says. “I like doing ‘comfort foods’ like slow-cooked stews, soups and broths. There’s nothing better than being in the warm
■ HANDS-ON: Chef Will Orme at work in the busy kitchen of the Woodman Inn
Page 3
Will Orme
by a roaring fire enjoying a hot meal when it’s bitterly cold outside. “Last winter, when we had all that snow, we had people walking miles to get to the pub.” The Woodman’s quiet, rural setting suits Will. “There’s food all around in the woods,” he says. “I’ve made nettle soup and gone foraging for wild garlic and even crayfish from the stream.” Away from the heat of the kitchen, Will finds time to work on his golf. “My dad is a member at Crosland Heath and I play there,” he says. “I’ve also got a golfing holiday in Portugal booked next month. I also try to get out on my mountain bike when I can. I also enjoy cooking at home on my days off.” Will even found time to stage two cookery demonstrations at this summer’s highly successful Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival. “It went very well,” he says. “We have had people come to The Woodman after seeing me at the festival.” Meanwhile, everything’s under control in the busy pub kitchen. As well as regular lunches and dinners, The Woodman stages literary lunches, chef’s tasting events and plays host to two rotary clubs as well as a weekly networking group. The premises includes a 60-seater restaurant, bar area and private dining room on the first floor as well as the welcoming bar and dining area on the ground floor. “You get used to the pressure through experience” says Will. “The key is to have everything organised, clean and tidy. “I love the fact that I see different faces every week. The word has got round that we are doing something right and people are coming to try the place out for themselves.”
HENRYK ZIENTEK
Role: Head chef Age: 31 Family: Partner Jay Car: Golf Blue Motion Holidays: I love Nice – it’s a place to get away from it all and relax First job: Doing a paper round in Manchester Best thing about job: Working with food and talking to the customers. It’s nice to walk around the tables now and again and see them enjoying themselves Worst thing about job: When it’s hot and sunny outside and you are stuck in a sweltering kitchen. But if you can’t stand the heat... Business tip: Don’t always believe what you see and hear when it comes to celebrity chefs! Being a chef isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle
Woodman Inn Work: Food and drink Site: Thunderbridge Lane, Thunderbridge Phone: 01484 605778 Email: info@woodman-inn.com Web: www.woodman-inn.com
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Celebration time LAW firm Chadwick Lawrence has celebrated its first year in Leeds city centre. The firm, which has offices in Huddersfield, held a barbecue at its Dock Street office for employees, clients and business partners. Chadwick Lawrence merged with Godloves Solicitors in Leeds a year ago – followed by a record increase in profits
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Creative solution for new ventures THREE very “crafty” ladies are bent on world domination – starting in the Holme Valley. Emma Woodhead, Maureen McGeorge and Elle Caldicott all run their own craft businesses – but have also combined to launch an umbrella brand, Me At Holme, to showcase their products in premises in the middle of Holmfirth. Their collections, which include greetings cards, notebooks, textile crafts and embroidered items are now displayed on the top floor of Multicraft Cabin in Victoria Street, occupying the former offices of electrical retailer Frank Platt. The new outlet was officially opened earlier this month, but is the culmination of months of work by the three entrepreneurs. Emma runs The Little Bird Press, while Maureen’s business is The Holme Maker and Elle operates The Handkerchief Tree. Together, Me At Holme sells their ranges of handmade designer homeware and interiors, stationery and gifts, all designed and made by them in the Holme Valley. Emma said: “I used to work in marketing, but I gave that up when I had my daughter. I started doing wedding stationery – and found my vocation.” Emma attended Holmfirth Market, where she met Maureen, who specialises in textile projects. She said: “We got together and realised our products complemented each other, so we worked together at craft fairs.” Emma said: “The arrangement has
■ CRAFT WORK: Emma Woodhead, Maureen McGeorge and Elle Caldicott at Me At Holme in Holmfirth
evolved with the opportunity to take some retail space slap bang in the middle of Holmfirth. “It was too good an opportunity to miss. We hope this will become a mini-department store with lots of different shops in one place – a little gem in the town centre.” Elle, who runs The Handkerchief Tree to make and sell embroidered textiles, also teamed up with Emma and Maureen. She said: “We want to promote modern, high quality crafts made f ro m h i g h q u a l i t y m at e r i a l s. Holmfirth is such a creative place. “But after Last of the Summer Wine and having a reputation as a tourist destination, it needs to go in a new direction. “Holmfirth was where you would
go shopping to find something unusual or unique things. It still has that feel to it. We want to take over the world – starting at Holmfirth!” Emma said the timing was right to open the new shop. “Retailing has been under pressure and the austerity measures seem to have ushered in a sort of “make-do-and-mend’ attitude. We design and make everything from scratch and that appeals to a lot of people.” She said online retailing has its good points, but added: “There is no substitute for seeing and touching the merchandise. “The high street has to become an ‘experience’ again. We have had out-of-town shopping and mall shopping – now a lot of people are coming back to the traditional shop.”
Going to greater heights ORKING at height continues W to be a dangerous proposition for individuals who must
carry out tasks above or below ground as part of their daily remit. Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace fatality. In 2011/12 falls from height were found to be responsible for 40 fatalities and over 3,000 major injuries. The 2013 HSS guide provides health and safety advice and guidance to those responsible for safeguarding workers involved in this workplace activity – as well as providing workers with information on how to protect themselves when working at height. The Work at Height Regulations set out a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height: ● Avoid working at height unless you have to. Always look for alternative ways to get the job done. Where you cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other meas-
RISKY BUSINESS Mark Weeks
ures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur ● If you have to work at height, do everything you can to prevent a fall. Consider all the risks in advance and carefully choose the right equipment for the job and the environment. Remember to use the most suitable protection, give priority to collective measures (eg guard rails) over personal protection (eg safety harness), take into account working conditions (eg weather/location), think about the safety of everyone in the area where equipment is used ● If you cannot eliminate the risk
of a fall completely, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the consequences should one occur. The regulations are aimed at maintaining and improving standards for all work at height. Duty holders must ensure that all work at height is properly planned and organised, those involved in work at height are competent, a full risk assessment is carried out and appropriate equipment is selected and used, the risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled, equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained For a full copy of the guidance, email mark.weeks@wilbyltd.co.uk
Mark Weeks is a risk management consultant at Wilby Ltd
Jonatha focus fo
FASHION footwear entrepreneur Jonathan Hirst i stepping up as one of the speakers at the Kirklees Business Conference. Jonathan (pictured) is the Fixby-based Mo worldwide brand fashion footwea be launched in S Arabia and the P local distributor Mocks & Sons h with a distributo start selling its f States from spri company has 50 stockists in the footwear chains Office and Solet Jonathan set up based in Hudde with firms such Marks & Spence advising their pr and buying depa travelled the glo from several con He launched Mo expanded it wor countries as far Nigeria. Mocks r a global licensin huge retail grou territories and la footwear – all wi KBC ‘13 offers t how Jonathan b conquer the glo The conference Wednesday, Oct Smith's Stadium with a full progr business-specif business clinic, housing more th suppliers and un The conference Kirklees Busine starts on Monda features free sec seminars run by businesses at a Businesses wan event to KBW sh www.kirkleesbu
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Page 5
Time for investors to change focus?
HE much anticipated SeptemT ber meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee was con-
sidered likely to result in the start of tapering of Quantitative Easing (QE). In fact, the committee confounded expectations by announcing no change to either the base rate or the rate of asset purchases. The general consensus in the market before the decision was that the economy in the US had improved sufficiently that the exceptional monetary support, which amounts to $85bn of bond purchases per month, could be reduced by around $10bn. The economic commentary from many of the brokers now appears to be going for the December meeting as the new start date for tapering to commence. The market reaction was fairly significant but also fairly unsurprising. The S&P500 moved around 1.5% higher immediately following the announcement, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell approximately 17bps implying a capital appreciation comparable to the S&P, gold jumped by around 4% and the US dollar fell against all major currencies. The German electorate has helped Angela Merkel and her CDU party to a resounding election victory in Germany, just five seats short of an absolute majority and their best result in 20
CITY TALK Nick Gartland
years. However the former coalition partner the Free Democrats failed to secure 5% of the vote and therefore any seats in the Bundestag, meaning Merkel will either have to scrape a coalition with the smaller parties or form a fresh grand coalition with SPD. Either route will likely see protracted negotiations (2005 took 69 days). There has been little reaction to the news in equity or bond markets, even those in peripheral Europe where austerity looks likely to continue to be the order of the day. The arrival of Mark Carney as the new governor of the Bank of England has also led to a change in approach to monetary policy, as previously mentioned in last month’s article. The BOE have embarked on a policy of “forward guidance”, maintaining that until the unemployment rate falls below 7% (currently at 7.8%) a hike in interest rates will not be considered. However, there are three conditions attached: Firstly that CPI inflation in the MPC’s view is not
Nick Gartland, Senior Financial Planning Director, Investec Wealth & Investment
Perfect pitch MARKETING students in Kirklees have been urged to take part in a competition – by using their creativity to develop campaigns for real-life brands. Mars Petcare UK is joining forces with the Chartered Institute of Marketing to discover the nation’s brightest marketing talent as sponsor of CIM’s annual student competition, The Pitch. Participants will get the chance to develop innovative campaigns using a real-life business scenario for one of Mars Petcare’s billion dollar brands – Whiskas and Pedigree – and pitch them to a panel of leading industry judges via a three-minute video uploaded to YouTube. In responding to the Mars Petcare brief, the students will be required to draw upon their creative flair, presentation skills, strategic thinking and financial expertise as they look to impress the judges drawn from Mars, CIM and event supporter Mintel. The four most impressive teams will be invited to present at the finals in February, 2014. Everyone taking part in the competition will get a Continuing Professional Development certificate while the winners will get 12 months membership with CIM. There may also be a chance to gain work experience or to be considered for a direct-entry role with Mars Petcare, dependent on experience. In addition, the winners will also receive a Mars product hamper. The closing date for applications is November 15, 2013. Students must submit their entries via a three-minute video on YouTube by December 15, 2013. Visit www.cim.co.uk/thepitch
likely to be above 2.5% in 18-24 months time; Secondly, that inflation expectations remain well anchored; and thirdly, that financial stability is not deemed to be at risk. The intention of this policy shift was effectively to convince markets that interest rates would be kept close to zero for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, markets remain unconvinced that this will be the case, particularly given the strength of recent data points. Emerging market nations have had to deal with both the slowdown in China and also the prospect of QE ceasing in the US, along with a more competitive Japanese Yen. With regards to the reduction in Chinese growth rates, commodity producing countries such as Brazil have had to accept that demand for their products will likely slow. Meanwhile, with regards to the impact of a change in US monetary policy, Emer-
ging Markets, often the destination of cheap money over the last four years, must now contend with potential capital outflows. The impact of this has been most apparent in countries with large current account deficits, such as Brazil, India, Turkey and Indonesia, who are reliant on external financing and have recently seen both their currencies and bonds deteriorate in value. A number of commentators fear a re-run of the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98. Although it is difficult to predict just how the ending of QE will affect these countries in the short-term, since the last crisis we would highlight that EM countries have built up substantial FX reserves, FX rates are more flexible and government debt is generally denominated in local currency rather than US dollars and of longer duration. Nevertheless, the need to differentiate between countries within the EM space has become crucially important and we believe that investors should focus on those nations which boast fiscal and current account surpluses and are commodity consumers, rather than producers.
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
property
Furniture firm is on the move
A DEWSBURY-based business is expanding into new premises. Bluespot Furniture Ltd has been based at Ravensthorpe Industrial Estate for more than 10 years and occupies two adjacent industrial buildings. Now the company, has acquired the former Sabre Structures building on Bretton Park – joining other occupiers including A&J Fabtech on the industrial site – and will relocate before the end of the year. Bluespot boasts the latest technology in panel processing, enabling the firm to offer the most complex office furniture designs manufactured to high quality. The company’s new premises extend to
Contracts success for housing group ■ SPOT ON: The new premises in Dewsbury acquired by Bluespot Furniture Ltd 30,000 sq ft of high quality industrial and warehouse space, including office provisions. The vendor’s agents, Sanderson Weatheralls, were initially seeking offers in the region of £1.5m. Alec Michael, partner at Michael Steel & Co, which acted for Bluespot, said: “We have been delighted to assist Bluespot Furniture Ltd with the acquisition of these premises following a ‘chance’ phone call with one of their directors earlier in the year. “The premises and indeed this estate offer some of the best quality industrial/warehouse buildings in the
Kirklees area, which continues to suffer a lack of available development land/new build opportunities for occupiers. “Given the circumstances of Sabre vacating the premises, the price negotiated for our clients was competitive in the market place and this could well have been opportune as there are now signs of increased activity in the wider market place and some greater confidence amongst both occupiers and property concerns.” Bluespot’s existing modern premises of 16,500 sq ft at Ravensthorpe will be offered for sale.
Joining safecontractor elite A CONSTRUCTION company in Huddersfield has been recognised for on-site safety. Termrim Construction, based at Bradley, has been awarded accreditation from safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management among UK contractors. Termrim, which employs 55 people,
Page 6
specialises in building projects for the care sector, residential and public sector housing and has a diverse spread of public and private sector clients. Managing director Graeme Bird said: “Continual improvement in health and safety on our construction projects is a priority and accreditation by safecontractor provides recognition and an external audit of our procedures to demonstrate that we are exceeding national standards for health and safety.”
He said safecontractor accreditation would enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety would be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal. John Kinge, technical director of safecontractor, said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”
CONSTRUCTION and development specialist Southdale has begun work on £11.5m of new projects to develop more than 110 new homes across the North West. The business, which has previously worked with Kirklees Council on refurbishing hundreds of homes in Huddersfield, has doubled the size of its Warrington office to accommodate growth in the business and will recruit local people and offer training and education opportunities around each of four new sites. The projects involve creating 20 homes in Crewe, 33 in Salford, 15 in Stockport and 46 in Bury, where Southdale will also create day care facilities. For Great Places Housing Group, the homes in Salford and Bury are part of the Build Learn Grow project, a partnership which will see the creation of 300 properties and more than 20 apprenticeships across the North West. In Bury, Southdale will build 32 bungalows, 14 apartments and the day care facilities in a £4.73m project, which is due to complete in late 2014. The Salford scheme is a £3.47m project due to complete in summer, 2014. Peaks & Plains Housing Trust has appointed Southdale to build seven houses and eight flats in Stockport in a £1.66m development due for completion in autumn, 2014. In Crewe, Southdale is building 20 apartments for Wulvern Housing Limited. The £1.63m is scheduled for completion next August. Halifax-based Southdale employs more than 40 people across the North West.
Self-builder gets a boost TO LET
Industrial Unit
Mark Street, Huddersfield, HD1 4ST 1 Single storey workshop 1 414.34m2 (4,460 sq ft) 1 Drive in loading access Rent: Reduced to £12,000 per annum (Joint Agents Bramleys)
TO LET
Providence Garage
Luck Lane, Huddersfield, HD1 4QT 1 Garage/workshop unit 1 274.78m² (2,957 sq ft) 1 Drive in access via sliding loading doors Rent: £14,000 per annum (Joint Agents Bramleys)
FOR SALE
19 Brook Street
Huddersfield, HD1 1EB 1 Large retail/restaurant unit 1 250m2 (2,686 sq ft) 1 Accommodation over 3 floors 1 Central Location opposite market 1 Suitable for a variety of uses (STP) Price: £175,000
NEW measures to help more people build their own homes will increase choice and affordability in the housing market, says the Federation of Master Builders. The measures, announced by Communities Minister Don Foster (pictured) are designed to encourage take-up in the self-build sector and include guidance for planning authorities to better identify local demand for self-build and a review of small sites held by the Homes and Communities Agency to identify more land suitable for small developments and self-build projects. FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: “At a time when more and more people are trying to get on to the housing ladder, any attempt to get the self-build market moving is a positive step forward. “We know that the self-build sector is an underdeveloped part of the UK housing market, accounting for only around 10% of all new homes, which compares unfavourably with other European countries such as Germany and Ireland, where the figure is 50% and Austria, where it is as high as 80%. He said: “The Government’s proposed new planning guidance will encourage local authorities to accurately assess the level of demand for self-build in their area, which should in turn lead to local plans making better provision for self-build opportunities, increasing the options available to anyone
looking for a new home. “Local housebuilders typically champion choice and customer focus and will be ideally placed deliver the high-quality custom-built homes many people aspire to live in.” Said Mr Berry: “Any exemption from paying the Community Infrastructure Levy needs to apply to all small developments, not just self-build projects, to ensure that large numbers of smaller sites do not become unviable, further weakening local house-builders and further reducing the capacity of the industry to deliver the uplift in new housing the country as a whole so desperately needs.”
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
property
Commissioner sees lock-snapping issue
A BRIGHOUSE firm has stepped up its campaign to combat lock-snapping by demonstrating the problem to West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-William and Craig Whittaker, MP for the Calder Valley. Avocet Hardware arranged the visit as part of a drive to highlight the issue and what can be done to stamp it out – a campaign that has already seen the firm become the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network’s primary security sponsor and give a presentation at the Houses of Parliament. Lock-snapping is a fast-growing form of forced entry that takes advantage of a design flaw in the Euro cylinder lock that is fitted as standard in millions of UK homes. Avocet Hardware chairman VK Jain said: “Lock-snapping is a significant problem already and it will only continue to grow without proper recognition and action – and that includes getting the neces-
FOR SALE/MAY LET
sary authorities, including politicians and Crime Commissioners, to recognise the scope and scale of the problem. “Astonishingly, large numbers of police forces still don’t officially categorise lock-snapping as a means of forced entry, but in regions where they do the figures are extremely worrying. “In West Yorkshire, 27% of burglaries in 2012 were attributed to lock-snapping, while in other areas the figure has unofficially been put at over 50%.” Steps already taken in the fight against lock-snapping have been the introduction of two new product standards – BS TS007 and SS312 Sold Secure Diamond accreditation. Developed by the Glass & Glazing Federation, the British Standards Institute, Master Locksmiths Associations and the UK Police’s Secured by Design initiative, the standards are the guideline for lock manufacturers wishing to bring to market snap-proof solutions.
Showroom
TO LET
■ KEY TALKS: VK Jain (left), Avocet Hardware chairman,demonstrates lock-snapping to West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-William (centre) and Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley
Industrial/Trade
Wesley Place, Wellington Road, Dewsbury 678m2 (7,300 sq ft)
Staincliffe Trade Centre, Halifax Road, Dewsbury 572m2 (5,678 sq ft)
Highly prominent showroom/commercial building with parking, situated on Dewsbury ring road near railway station
High profile two storey unit with on site parking, adjacent to Halifax Road near Plumb Centre
TO LET/MAY SELL
Industrial
TO LET
Offices
Hugh House, Foundry Street, Brighouse 662m2 (7,136 sq ft)
Unit 19, Hoyer Park Industrial Park, 517 Leeds Road, Huddersfield 76m2 (820 sq ft)
Single storey workshop with good quality offices. Occupation immediately available. Joint agents - Bramleys 01484 530361
** RE-AVAILABLE FOLLOWING ABORTIVE NEGOTIATIONS ** Single storey office with parking adjacent to A62 Leeds Road
www.michaelsteel.co.uk
All enquiries to Alec Michael alec@michaelsteel.co.uk
Page 7 Company recognised for export endeavours A COMPANY supplying clay pipes for the construction sector has been recognised for its export successes. Naylor Industries, which is based at Cawthorne and draws many of its employees from Kirklees, has been included in the International Track 200, an annual listing published in the Sunday Times and recognising the UK’s 200 fastest-growing exporters. Chief executive Edward Naylor (left), chief operating officer Bridie Warner-Adsetts and non-executive chairman David Fletcher represented the firm at the annual awards dinner, which was held at the Jumeirah Carlton Hotel in London. Naylor Industries, which employs about 230 people, was ranked 189th on the 2013 list with average annual international sales growth of 25.71%. Export sales accounted for £2.44m from total sales of £34.94m.
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
Movers and shakers
Page 8
Software specialist takes monthly prize Emma Kirk
CJA Accountancy Services A KIRKLEES accountancy firm has appointed a new apprentice – sooner than planned. CJA Accountancy Services, which opened its doors in Roberttown in May last year, has appointed Emma Kirk, 18, from Cleckheaton, who is studying accountancy at Huddersfield New College. She is pictured (above, left) with CJA director Caroline Askin. Ms Askin said the plan had been to grow the business and take on a new member of staff two to three years down the line, but due to clients recommending her business to colleagues and other small businesses, she had been able to take on a new apprentice sooner than planned. Said Ms Askin: “I started in 1991 on a YTS scheme in Mirfield, where I was nurtured and brought on by the amazing people there. I’m eternally thankful to them as they gave me my love for the job, and I always planned to do the same for someone when the time was right.” She said: “Most of my new clients are new business start-ups that are just completing their first year of trading. It’s tough when companies first get going, but they’re still going strong and I fully expect them to be successful and to be doing their accounts in years to come.” Ms Askin has 21 years’ experience as an accountant and looks after the business finances of SMEs in Cleckheaton, Huddersfield and Bradford areas.
Matthew Schofield & Joel Harrison
Sheards A HUDDERSFIELD accountancy firm has recruited two new apprentices. Matthew Schofield (above, right), of Meltham, and Joel Harrison (also pictured), of Beaumont Park, have joined Sheards at New North Road. Mr Schofield is working with Tim Musgrove to provide support to the payroll and taxation team while Mr Harrison is in an apprentice administration role, helping with all aspect of the firm. Director Kevin WInterburn said: “We welcome them both to the Sheards team and look forward to their progression as they expand their experience with us.”
A HUDDERSFIELD firm providing accountancy software has won an award. Liquid Accounts Ltd picked up the Business of the Month Award run by Huddersfield law firm Eaton Smith in conjunction with the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Government export support body, UK Trade & investments. Liquid Accounts helps local businesses save money on expensive and out of date accountancy software by providing a simple, easy to use accounting alternative. Its multi-award winning software is fully supported by all the main accreditation groups. Unusually for an online package, it offers additional features such as order processing, payroll and stock control as well as passing on new rules and regulations from the HM Revenue & Customs to all customers to ensure that they always follow the correct guidelines. The firm, which started with two people, now has a team of IT developers to enhance the product, a technical support team to help customers and an account management and sales team, which has trebled the employee count over recent months in order to cope with the large growth in the users of the Liquid product. Liquid covers the whole of the UK and has ambitious plans to expand into a number of European countries and America in the next 18 months. The judges were impressed by Liquid
■ NUMBER ONE: Alison Palmer (centre) presents the award to Colin Meakin (third right), Emma Rushworth (second right) and Alison Cooling (right). of Liquid Accounts watched by (from left) Jo McBeath, of UKTI; David Busfield, HSBC; Examiner business correspondent Henryk Zientek; and Ellie Lyon, of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce
Accounts, product offering and its future plans. The service can be adapted to the needs of an individual business, so they only pay for what they need. Being cloud-based, the software is accessible anytime, anywhere – making it flexible for clients. Liquid Accounts chief executive Colin Meakin said: “The Liquid team are overjoyed to have received this award. It’s a
great honour to be acknowledged by the local business community as a robust provider of small to medium-sized business accounting solutions. “The big boys have had their own way for far too long!” The award is open to firms in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. For details, contact Ian Greenwood on 01484 821389.
Mechanics meet the Giants GIANTS star Kyle Wood and club commercial manager Paul Cribb brought an important bit of silverware with them on a visit to a Huddersfield firm. Staff at Paddock-based Five Star Autocentre, which has embarked on a three-year sponsorship deal with the club, got a close-up look at the League Winners Shield, which the team won by topping Super League this summer. As part of the sponsorship, Five Star Autocentre is providing funding which can be used towards the general running of the club, including managing the pitch and providing transport to away games. Mohammed Asif Ali, director at Five Star Autocentre, said: “We are extremely proud to be sponsoring the Huddersfield Giants. “Supporting a local sporting organisation is the ideal opportunity to
show how much we value the significance of a healthy and active lifestyle, which we all feel very passionate about. We congratulate the whole team on winning the 2013 Super League Shield after 82 years.” Mr Cribb said: “We are delighted that the team at Five Star Autocentre are supporting our club. “ Our sponsors play a vital role in helping us become as successful as we can and we really couldn’t keep it going without them. “The financial contribution will go a long way in providing the team with the necessary equipment and opportunities needed. “We honestly can’t thank them enough for their help and look forward to working with Five Star Autocentre over the next three years.”
■ SOLID SILVER: Giants player Kyle Wood (right) and commercial manager Paul Cribb show off the shield to Mohammed Asif Ali and David Fosbrook
Lawyers shortlisted for awards A LAW firm in Huddersfield has been shortlisted as finalist in the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards. Ramsdens Solicitors is in the running for the category of Law Firm of the Year with 11 to 30 Partners while trainee Jane Underwood (pictured) is shortlisted in the category of Trainee of the Year. The awards, which will be announced tomorrow at a
ceremony at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds, have attracted a record number of entries. Paul Joyce, managing partner at Ramsdens, said: “We were incredibly proud to have won this award back in 2011 and to be recognised again puts our regional practice on the map and is a real tribute to the continued hard work and determination of our entire team across our nine
offices throughout Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield over the last two years.” The latest nominations follow the success of the firm last year in being shortlisted in the category for best use of social media in the LFS Conveyancing Awards in recognition of its use of blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as parts of its marketing strategy.