FTSE 100
CHARLOTTE LLOYD Footsure performance
- 158.02 5544.22
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JONATHAN JAMES A matter of money Column - Page 4
An EXAMINER publication
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees
Expanding agency bids fond farewell
A MARKETING agency has said farewell to Huddersfield – with a ringing endorsement of the town as a great place to grow a business. Manifest Communications has transferred from Huddersfield to Leeds after expanding from a staff of four to 20 in the space of 10 years. The company, which was founded in 1999 in Batley and later moved to Huddersfield before also opening offices in London, said it regretted the move, but said it was unavoidable. Many of its staff also live in the city, Nev Ridley, joint managing director, said: “The last few months have marked a turning point for Manifest – it was a case of sitting comfortably or making a decision to really grow and develop the business. “We decided on the latter and are already seeing the benefits of our new appointments and office move. “Whilst our clients are based all over the UK and throughout Europe, our base in central Leeds places us in good stead to further increase our regional presence. Shaun Beaumont, joint managing director, added: “It’s an extremely exciting time for Manifest at the
moment. “The developments in our northern office are being mirrored by our second office in London, which is almost two years old and is also seeing extremely positive growth. We’re looking forward to a successful future across the whole company moving forwards.” Said Nev: “When we arrived at the turn of the century, we were a fresh creative agency with a staff of four, working hard to grow the business. Now in the autumn of 2012, this number is now 20, split between creative and PR departments. “In July, 2009, we launched our London office, increasing Manifest’s nationwide presence, but also standing as an enduring testament to the success of our tenure in the Huddersfield. We’ve worked hard to build a roster of clients that any business would be proud of, but we want to acknowledge the role that the town of Huddersfield has played in this success.” Nev said Huddersfield was a town which allowed young businesses to flourish, saying: “The town boasts almost unbeatable infrastructure and connections – from easy access to the
■ ON THE MOVE: Nev Ridley (right) and Shaun Beaumont, of Manifest Communications
M62 and M1 to a train line that links Leeds to Manchester and beyond. “For a company whose founders live in Manchester and Barnsley respectively, few places offered what Hud-
dersfield could in terms of basic geography. “However, perhaps even more important than the practical advantages, was the sense that the town could support an agency with true creative ambitions. Manifest has always intended to grow alongside its client list and the number of young, modern agencies that have chosen to base themselves in the town tells a clear story – Huddersfield allows young business to flourish. Certainly, this has held true for Manifest. We serve a full and disparate range of clients – from Cummins Turbo Technologies to national brands such as Club Cleo and Brewdog. “Part of this success has to be attributed to a reputation cultivated in tandem with the town itself. It is with great regret that Manifest has chosen to move on.” Manifest provides PR and media relations, social media, advertising and marketing, graphic design, brand strategy and digital development for clients including SANYO, Asda, Panasonic, Dunlop Adhesives, Harman Technology and Balfour Beatty.
Half of Yorkshire’s workers feel under stress NEW research has revealed that 53% of employees in Yorkshire feel more stressed than they were 18 months ago – as the economic climate causes greater workloads and increased pressure in the workplace. The research – conducted by cash plan provider Sovereign Health Care
to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day – also revealed that only 27% of the region’s employers recognise that their employees are suffering from stress and put measures in place to support them. Russ Piper, chief executive at Sovereign Health Care, said: “Stress contin-
ues to be the main cause of absence in the workplace. “So, it’s important to try and minimise the impact of stress and mitigate against it where possible.” Mr Piper said: “Stress in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it can often drive us to achieve.
“But it’s how we deal with it that’s important. “Firms need to have the appropriate support in place and staff need to be aware of their stress levels more – especially if they are reaching the point where their health is starting to suffer.”
INSIDE Sporting success A PUBLICITY campaign on a sporting theme by Kirklees College was highly commended in the PR Week Awards. The college’s Get Real Results campaign, which was launched in October last year, took its theme from the college’s official education and training partnership status with Huddersfield Town.
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KITCHENS, bedrooms and bathrooms firm Norwood Interiors is gearing up for a busy pre-Christmas season after being saved from collapse. The company was acquired by the £100m-plus My House Group in August.
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Solicitors for business inYorkshire www.chadwicklawrence.co.uk Huddersfield | Wakefield | Halifax | Leeds
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
national
Page 2
Barclays boosted by 18% profits rise BANKING giant Barclays revealed a surprise third-quarter profit – despite its investment banking arm facing market turbulence. Barclays, which has cut 3,500 jobs so far this year, reported a 5% increase in underlying pre-tax profits to £1.34bn in the three months to September 30 – which comfortably beat City forecasts. Retail banking in the UK, Europe and Africa, as well as its Barclaycard arm, all reported revenue and profit growth, which offset declines at its ■ ON TRACK: Barclays expects to meet Government-agreed targets investment banking division Barclays Capital. bad debt charges were down by 34% to Increasing global recession fears – £2.8bn while sovereign exposure to driven by concerns over the eurozone Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and debt crisis and the size of US debt – hit Greece reduced by 31% to £8bn. investment banks hard in the period, The bank also reported gross new including US giants Goldman Sachs lending to businesses of £33bn, includand JP Morgan. ing £11bn to small businesses, putting Elsewhere, Barclays said the group’s them on track to meet Govern-
ment-agreed Project Merlin targets. Chief executive Bob Diamond said Barclays had put in a “reassuring” performance during a period of “considerable challenge and uncertainty”. BarCap reported a 15% fall in revenues to £2.3bn and a 49% plunge in underlying pre-tax profits of £388m. Mr Diamond said BarCap, which contributes to more than half the group’s profit, had been “clearly impacted” by the market environment but the division continued to make progress. Mr Diamond said Barclays expected the weaker market conditions to continue well into next year but it was still on course to meet targets set over the summer, including £1bn in cost savings. He said the eurozone rescue deal struck last week was “calming and
Shares fall 2.8%
substantive” but there was more work to be done. The weaker performance at BarCap was offset by a strong show at its UK retail banking division, which saw revenues increase by 21% to £1.2bn and pre-tax profits more than double to £494m. Barclaycard saw pre-tax profits increase by 54% to £378m. Shares in Barclays fell by 5.9p to close at 195.3p after the results were published. Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: “As expected, the investment banking unit has seen a significant decline in revenue, set against an erratic trading environment. Regulatory concerns remain a feature, even though the UK banks seem to have excused themselves from the European re-capitalisation requirements.
Losses of £66m for JJB Sports
BT is picking up the pace
TROUBLED sportswear retailer JJB Sports warned it faces a number of critical trading periods as it plunged even deeper into the red. The 195-strong store group said pre-tax losses widened to £66.5m in the 26 weeks to July 31 from £24m a year ago as total sales slumped by more than a fifth to £142.4m. The Wigan-based group said trading conditions were worse than expected and remain “extremely challenging”. It said losses were worsened by a huge sale to clear old stock and the costs of closing 41 stores. Chief executive Keith Jones said trading deteriorated further in
TELECOMS giant BT said it will be able to provide super-fast broadband for two-thirds of the UK a year earlier than it previously predicted. BT will bring forward £300m of planned investment and take on an additional 520 new engineers, which it hopes to recruit largely from ex-armed forces personnel, to achieve its target in 2014 instead of 2015. The accelerated roll-out is part of a £2.5bn programme to provide quicker broadband services across the UK. Six million UK premises already have access to the new super-fast technology, a figure that will rise to 10m in 2012.
September and October. He added that if current trends continue, the year-end performance will be worse than expected. Mr Jones said the business, which employs 4,500 staff, faces a number of critical trading periods, including Christmas, the January sale and next year’s European football championships and Olympics. Shares in the retailer fell by 20% on the results, which analysts said missed even scaled-back market forecasts. Like-for-like sales fell by 17.7%, though JJB said that without the World Cup last year the decline would have been 10.7%.
The new fibre-optic cables support download speeds of up to 40 megabytes per second, which is easily fast enough to allow users to watch high definition television over the internet. They are substantially quicker than receiving the internet through BT’s traditional copper phone lines. The firm said its programme is the largest single commercial investment ever undertaken in the UK and one of the biggest civil engineering projects currently in operation. The company is also to apply for up to £530m of grants from the Government to take the new technology into rural and harder to access areas.
A RAFT of bad news created fresh fears about the strength of the global economic recovery – triggering a fall of 2.8% for London’s leading shares index. The FTSE 100 Index fell 158 points to 5544.2 with banks and miners leading the falls, as doubts surrounding last week’s eurozone rescue plan started to sink in amid reports China is reluctant to contribute to the bailout fund. Stubborn inflation, high unemployment and downgraded forecasts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development added to the waning optimism. France’s Cac-40 and Germany’s Dax both dropped more than 3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.5% as the London market closed. The OECD warned of a “marked slowdown” in eurozone economies next year, with growth to drop to just 0.3% after 1.6% growth this year. Unemployment in the euro area has also picked up with a rise of 188,000 in September the largest monthly increase for two years and raising the region’s unemployment rate to 10.2%. Despite today’s falls, London’s blue chip shares index has still risen 8% over October, making it the best monthly performance since July 2009. Outside the top flight, emergency repair firm Homeserve fell by 28% and retailer JJB Sports slumped by 19%.
SHARE PRICES NORTH AMERICAN American Express £32.15 -0.14 Gannett 743.13 -11.13 Hess Corp £38.78 -1.92 Microsoft 1665.32 -6.82 Motors Liquidation 46.48 Wal-Mart Stores £35.46 +0.04 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Avon Rbbr 305 +2 BAE Systems 2765/8 -95/8 Rolls-Royce 7021/2 -16 AIM Brady Plc 801/2 Dawson Intl 11/4 Man Brnze 35 AUTOMOBILES & PARTS GKN 1901/4 -101/2 BANKS Barclays 1951/4 -57/8 HSBC 5447/8 -203/8 1 Lloyds Banking Gp 32 /2 -25/8 Ryl Scotland 241/4 -2 Stan Chart 1459 -64 BEVERAGES Diageo 1289 -361/2 SABMiller £223/4 -7/8 CHEMICALS Croda 1757 +24 -53/4 Elementis 98 1441/4 Johnsn Mat 1879 -48 CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS Balfour Beatty 2517/8 -85/8 Costain 196 -23/4
Drax Gp 543 Intl Power 3381/4 -21/8 SSE 1344 -1 ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Laird 1493/8 -35/8 EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS Alliance Trust 339 -8 FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICES BT Grp 1881/8 +1/4 Cable & Wireless 361/4 +1/4 Comm Cable & Wireless 28 Wwide Colt Group 101 -4 KCOM 73 -2 3 -33/8 Talktalk Telecom 129 /4 FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS Morrison W 3021/4 +7/8 Sainsbury 2991/8 -45/8 Tesco 4013/4 -33/4 FOOD PRODUCERS AB Food 1106 -6 Tate Lyle 6521/2 -151/2 Unilever £207/8 -1/4 GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIES Centrica 2963/4 -43/4 National Grid 6171/2 -5 1 Pennon Grp 695 /2 -51/2 Severn 1516 -18 United Utils 6061/2 -1 GENERAL FINANCIAL 3i Group 2055/8 -113/4 ICAP 4041/8 -281/2 London StockExch 900 -12 7
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Provident Financial 1109 -6 Schroders 1429 -69 Schroders NV 1253 -33 GENERAL INDUSTRIALS Cooksn Grp 4805/8 -193/8 REXAM 3461/8 -63/4 Smiths Grp 957 -17 GENERAL RETAILERS Ashley L 201/8 -1/8 Carphone Whse 351 -31/2 Dixons Retail 117/8 -1/8 Home Retail 1001/8 -53/4 1 Inchcape 326 /4 -113/8 Kingfisher 2587/8 -101/4 7 M&S 321 /8 -71/4 Mothercare 1681/4 -103/4 Next £251/2 -1/4 WH Smith 548 -7 HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Smith Nph 5701/2 -101/2 HOUSEHOLD GOODS Aga Rangemaster 77 +1 Barrat Dev 883/4 -57/8 3 Persimmon 497 /4 -123/4 Reckitt Benckiser £32 -3/8 Taylor Wimpey 37 -15/8 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING Charter 897 +51/2 IMI 8241/2 -271/2 INDUSTRIAL METALS Ferrexpo 3231/4 -183/4 INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION BBA Aviation 178 -61/2
3403/4 -221/4 1101/2 -4 110 -51/4 6471/2 -161/2 275 -81/4 2153/4 -8 MEDIA BSkyB 704 -28 D Mail Tst 4173/4 -173/8 ITV 64 -2 Johnston Press 43/4 +1/8 Pearson 1145 -31 Reed Elsevier 5341/2 -171/2 STV Group 110 -1 1 Trinity Mirror 48 /2 -1/2 Utd Business 508 -17 UTV 1213/4 +13/4 WPP 646 -42 Yell Group 35/8 -1/8 MINING Anglo American £227/8 -15/8 Antofagasta 1167 -88 1 BHP Billiton 1967 /2 -1341/2 Eurasian Natural 658 -42 Res Fresnillo 1698 -24 Kazakhmys 9271/2 -891/2 Lonmin 1088 -78 Rio Tinto £337/8 -23/8 VEDANTA 1278 -126 RESOURCES Xstrata 10451/2 -87 MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES Inmarsat 4691/4 -15 -11/2 Vodafone Group 1727/8 NONLIFE INSURANCE
Aviva Lgl & Gen Old Mutual Prudential Resolution Standard Life
Local shares Carclo Marshalls National Grid Weir Gp
2921/2 86 6171/2 1919
-143/4 -31/4 -5 -90
FTSE closed at
5544.22 Down 158.02 RSA Insurance Gp 1113/4 -31/4 OIL & GAS PRODUCERS BG 13561/2 -671/2 BP 461 -61/4 5 Cairn Energy 294 /8 -151/2 Royal Dutch Shell A £22 -1/2 Royal Dutch Shell B £223/8 -1/2 Total £325/8 -1/2 Tullow Oil 1403 -42 OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES AMEC 9251/2 -22 Petrofac 1436 -14 1 Wood Gp(J) 618 /2 -361/2 PERSONAL GOODS Burberry Gp 1341 -66 PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY Astrazeneca £297/8 -5/8 3
GlaxoSmithK 16 Shire 1951 -11 REAL ESTATE Brit Land 5101/2 -5 Captl Shop Cent 3291/4 -103/4 DTZ Hldgs 20 -11/2 Hamrsn 4071/8 -63/8 Land Secs 684 -151/2 SEGRO 2433/4 -47/8 SOFTWARE ETC SERVICES Autonomy Corp £251/2 Invensys 2251/2 -10 Logica 937/8 -31/4 Misys 2913/4 -13/4 Sage Group 2781/8 -67/8 SUPPORT SERVICES Berendsen 463 -101/2 Bunzl 806 -141/2 1 Capita 726 /2 -18 De La Rue 8441/2 -15 Electrocomp 2191/2 -65/8 Experian 8101/2 -131/2 G4S 2441/4 -23/8 Hays 791/4 -31/2 Homeserve 350 -1351/4 Menzies J 491 +1 Rentokil 72 -21/4 Smiths News 951/2 -3/4 Wolseley 1798 -102 IT HARDWARE ARM Hldgs 5841/2 -18 Psion 501/4 -1 Spirent Comms 125 -131/4 TOBACCO Br Am Tob £285/8 -3/4 3
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TOURIST RATES
LEISURE & HOTELS Bwin.Party Digital Carnival Compass Grp easyJet Enterprise Inns FirstGroup Go-Ahead Gp Greene King Intercontl Htls Intl Cons Airlines Gp Ladbrokes Mitchells & Butlers Natl Express Rank Org Stagecoach Group TUI Travel Whitbread
1093/4 £227/8 566 356 273/4 334 1390 4483/4 1149 1663/4
-3/4 -5/8 -11 -115/8 -11/2 -25/8 -10 -121/2 -42 -77/8
1381/8 240 2301/4 1387/8 2481/8 1703/4 1657
-4 -61/4 +11/4 -11/8 -61/2 -41
FTSE 100
INDEX 5544.22
-158.02
FTSE 250
INDEX 10479.74
-293.33
Tourists going abroad can expect the following rates for sterling: Australia...................... 1.44 dollars Bangladesh................. 115.06 taka Brazil.............................. 2.39 reals Canada....................... 1.52 dollars China ............................. 9.09 yuan Czech Republic ...... 25.85 korunas Denmark....................... 8.07 krone Euro............................... 1.09 euro Hong Kong................ 11.80 dollars Hungary................... 307.13 forints India.......................... 68.77 rupees Japan........................... 120.12 yen Mexico ....................... 18.68 pesos New Zealand .............. 1.83 dollars Norway ......................... 8.34 krone Pakistan.................. 130.39 rupees Philippines ................. 58.41 pesos South Africa.................. 11.73 rand South Korea.............. 1548.00 won Sri Lanka ................ 166.43 rupees Sweden......................... 9.83 krona Switzerland.................. 1.33 francs Taiwan ...................... 41.82 dollars Turkey....................... 2.66 new lira USA ............................ 1.53 dollars
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
profile
Charlotte Lloyd
Quick step to a new career MUSIC and dance mean a great deal to employment law adviser Charlotte Lloyd. The 26-year-old is carving out a career for herself at the Cleckheaton offices of Howarths Employment Law Ltd. But when she isn’t tackling employment tribunals or advising client companies, she takes to the dance floor with partner Tom. The popularity of TV’s Strictly Come Dancing has an influence, she says, but stresses a love of ballroom dancing is something she and Tom have inherited from their grandparents. “Tom’s grandfather used to dance and so did my grandparents,” she says. “It was Tom who suggested we going to dance classes. I am quite lucky, I suppose. A lot of women would have to hassle their fellas to go dancing. In my case, it’s the opposite! Charlotte and Tom both hail from the Midlands and began taking dance lessons 18 months ago before their move to West Yorkshire. “We were given the name of a dance school in Bradford and we have just had our first lesson there,” says Charlotte. “Our grandparents were competitive dancers in their youth. It is an aspiration to follow in their footsteps and although I’d definitely like to compete I don’t think we are quite good enough.” While Charlotte has been able to resume her dance lessons, she has had to forego her other musical pursuit. “I have played the electric organ since I was four,” she says. “Unfortunately, our flat in Cleckheaton is too small, so I couldn’t bring it with me.” Charlotte was born and brought up in Stourbridge, a glass-making town in the West Midlands and home to Johnny Briggs, alias Coronation Street’s Mike Baldwin. Charlotte attended Redhill School and went on to study four
A-Levels at the town’s sixth form, King Edward VI College. After leaving sixth form, she went on to study law at the University of Birmingham before going on to further her legal studies at the University of Wolverhampton. She says: “I always wanted to be a lawyer. I quite liked the Ally McBeal-type lawyer and loved the TV programme. It was hard work and there were certain aspects of it I didn’t like, but I have never regretted it. The law was the career path I wanted to follow.” Charlotte’s hard work was rewarded when she gained a masters degree in law in 2009. She began her training contract with FTSE 250 company Rentokil Initial in September of the same year before qualifying as a solicitor in September, 2011. Says Charlotte: “During my training at Rentokil Initial, I worked as part of the in-house legal team and predominantly dealt with commercial law, employment law and civil litigation matters.
■ FOOT SURE: Charlotte Lloyd, of Howarths Employment Law Ltd in Cleckheaton
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Role: Employment law adviser Age: 26 Holidays: My last holiday was a three-week inter-rail trip around Europe Car: Fiat 500 Best thing about job: The diversity of the role and not knowing what is coming next Worst thing about job: Having to look across the corridor from my office at the boss! Business tip: Be vulnerable – open yourself up to new learning experiences
“The training I received at Rentokil Initial was fantastic and it soon became clear that employment law was the area of law for me. In the final months of my training contract I dealt solely with the company’s employment law issues, advising the company’s in-house human resources team about various issues and independently conducting employment tribunal hearings in hearing centres countrywide. “The company had in the region of 40,000 employees and I enjoyed being involved in the numerous issues which having an employee base of this size presented. I really enjoyed the diversity of the tasks and the fact that I got to work alongside different people. “It really was a case of being chucked in at the deep end! I got the opportunity to do things that I wouldn’t have ben able to do if I had trained in private practice.” Nevertheless, Charlotte decided it was time to move on – and discovered an opportunity to head north. “I knew that employment law was the way forward for me and I was looking nationally,” says Charlotte. “I saw an advertisement for a post with Howarths Employment Law and it seemed to fit the bill.” She was interviewed by directors Andy and Gavin Howarth and was offered the post. Charlotte admits: “I’d never even been to Yorkshire before and I had never even heard of Cleckheaton. I had to look it up on Google!” But she says: “I felt that the role fit in well with my skill set and I thought it would enable me to utilise my existing knowledge whilst allowing me to gain new experience. “Thankfully my interview with Andy and Gavin went well and I was offered the position the following week. I was over the moon.” Now, Charlotte has made
Cleckheaton her home, saying: “I’ve settled in really well and, of course, Tom has moved up. “We are getting our bearings and finding our way around. We went to Scarborough and we have been looking around the neighbouring towns “ Charlotte is also enjoying her role with the company, saying: “It’s different every day. My biggest reservation was that the work would not be as diverse as it was at Rentokil Initial, but I am still dealing with tribunal cases and the issues that come through are just as complicated.” She says: “Although I have only been at Howarths for an extremely short amount of time, I already feel at home. The team have made me feel very welcome and I am enjoying getting to know everybody. I can genuinely sense the excitement that everybody gets from working here and the passion that everybody has for driving the business forward. “I’m really looking forward to see what the future has to hold for both myself and Howarths.” Charlotte says employers are increasingly aware of the issues at stake. “There are companies that struggle with their legal obligations in terms of employment law, but once they have been given some guidance it becomes easier for them to manage,” she says. “Quite often, companies are not aware of their obligations. They are not aware that they have breached the rules if they are not seeking advice. “But it is silly to be blasé about issues such as retirement age agency worker regulations.”
HENRYK ZIENTEK
Howarths Employment Law Ltd Work: Specialists in HR and employment law Site: Cleckheaton Employees: 12 Phone: 01274 864999 Email: charlotte @howarths-uk.com Web:www.howarths- uk.com
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Events focus on workplace stress TRAINING sessions to help firms cope with stress in the workplace are on the agenda. Kirklees Better Health at Work is staging five events at the Textile Centre of Excellence, Red Doles Lane, Huddersfield, to raise awareness of stress in the workplace and offer advice and support to businesses and individuals. A one-day course aimed at individuals who feel they may be experiencing stress will be held from 9.30am to 3pm on December 1, January 17 next year and March 20. And a one-day course to equip managers with practical skills and up-to-date information to identify and manage stress in the workplace will be held at the same times on December 14 and February 7, next year. Stress management workshops – each lasting two-and-a-half hours and running over six weeks – are also under way. Bite-size training sessions are also on offer covering topics such as stress management; the benefits of a mentally healthy workplace; handling difficult situations and recruitment, selection and retention. Kirklees Better Health at Work, based at Wakefield Road in Huddersfield, is a partnership between Kirklees Council, the NHS, the Health and Safety Executive and Job Centre Plus to support small and medium-sized businesses in Kirklees.
Sandwich course ONE of the UK’s suppliers of sandwiches has teamed up with a telecoms company to run a tasty competition. Aspley-based Shaw & Lisle is working with Code Blue, with offices at Old Leeds Road, to run The Golden Ticket Competition at Manchester University among the institution’s 39,000 students. The winner of the competition will receive a Blackberry phone courtesy of Code Blue Communications. Shaw & Lisle makes more than 25,000 sandwiches a day and supplies customers from the Scottish Borders to the Midlands and from the east to the west coast.
One of Yorkshire’s leading commercial law firms based in Huddersfield and Leeds, delivering comprehensive legal advice in corporate and commercial matters, commercial property, litigation and intellectual property.
Tel: 01484 483 033 Fax: 01484 741 442 www.austinkemp.co.uk
KIRKLEES BUSIN
Maintaining that delicate balance! OUR long marriage has YTheended. finances were contentious
and you have been left paying maintenance. Still, it’s an amount you can at least afford, even if it’s painful. A few years pass and something changes – perhaps you sell your company for a good sum. Well, it’s your money isn’t it? You did a deal at the time you divorced, so your “ex” doesn’t need to be consulted or even informed, surely? The good life beckons. Would that life and law were that simple! There’s still a way for your “ex” to look for some more. Where a maintenance order is in existence, she can apply to the court to vary the amount you pay – upwards, obviously. If you now have capital which wa s u n ava i l ab l e wh e n yo u divorced, she can ask the court to capitalise the increased amount and make it payable in a lump sum. It may not be – strictly speaking – a second bite at the cherry, but it will certainly feel like it. So how can an increase in maintenance be justified? Well, there are two main ways. The first is that the original amount was not enough to enable your “ex” to live to the standard she did during that marriage. In all fairness, this is usually the case
FAMILY BUSINESS
Jonathan James
anyway. If the same financial resources have to support two households where they used to support one, the laws of arithmetic mean that for all except the super-rich, the households will have to live more modestly. If you now have more money, you can raise her standard of living back to the previous level, and she can justify an increase. More rarely, there is a different argument. This arises where your “ex” gave up a potentially lucrative career to prioritise your family. If this was the case, she can argue that she should be compensated for that lost career and its earning opportunities. Usually this is done when the first financial order is made, by an adjustment to the amount of capital. If there wasn’t enough money to
do this back then, she can always ask for more maintenance later if your wealth has significantly increased. Arguably there is a third reason for asking for an increase in maintenance – to balance risk between the two of you. If you become poorer, you can apply to the court for a reduction in maintenance. If the courts only ever allowed your ex to receive an amount to cover her needs, that means she could only ever have either enough to live off (if you can afford to pay it) or too little (if you can’t). That’s not fair, so courts will occasionally allow her to have more than she needs if you have more than enough to meet both her needs and your own. If you’re rich enough to be able to do that, I shouldn’t bother losing sleep over it!
Jonathan James is head of private client and family department at Austin Kemp Solicitors
Sound parental advice A BUSINESS support consultancy is expanding its activities to tackle the problems faced by parents returning to the workplace after starting a family. Mirfield-based Threedom Solutions, which provides business coaching and services around human resources, said many parents felt unprepared for the challenge of balancing work and home life – and that having a young family had regularly impacted on their performance at work. Director Janie Lambeth, a mother of two, said: “Many of the parents we spoke to said they felt unsupported in the work place once they’d announced they were pregnant and – inevitably – a lack of confidence when they returned to it. “When you consider it can cost between three and five times an employee’s salary if they choose not to return after parental leave, these are concerns that companies shouldn’t be ignoring.” Threedom Solutions has
devised a series of workshops to tackle issues relating to maternity leave, including preparing and managing the handover, dealing with personal anxieties, improving personal confidence, re-integrating into the business and managing work-life balance. Said Janie: “As a working mum of two boys I understand what issues new parents face and how daunting it can be returning to work. “These workshops are about finding the right work-life balance and getting the best results for both the business and the individual.” Threedom Solutions has worked with national and Yorkshire-based clients, including retail financial adviser Sesame Bankhall Group, Lloyds Banking Group and Elland-based landscaping products firm Marshalls Plc. It also delivers parenting coaching under the Next Generation Coaching franchise, a series of courses designed to ■ SUPPORT: Janie Lambeth, a enhance performance in the director at Mirfield-based business business, sport and education support consultancy Threedom fields.
Court blow for the tax exiles
THE taxman has scored a major victory in clamping down on individuals trying to leave the UK to avoid the 50% tax rate. In a Supreme Court judgement, a wealthy individual w left the UK in the 1970s was deeme to be still tax-resident here – desp meeting the conditions for non-residency set out in general H Revenue & Customs guidance. David Butterworth (pictured), of Huddersfield chartered accountan firm Wheawill & Sudworth, said th this was another instance of needing to look at the substance o the arrangements rather than just their legal form. He said: “Although the technical conditions were met, in the round was decided that the person had n left the UK either permanently or indefinitely by making a distinct break with it. “Deciding factors included retainin a house in the UK, sending childre to private school here and making such habitual trips to the UK each year that they became more than just visits.” Mr Butterworth said: “This decisio will make it much more difficult for big-earners to leave the UK to avo high taxes whilst still retaining direct links here. It seems that new legislation will be introduced to both tighten the rules and make th overall position clearer to understand.”
Making better connections
HOT business topics will be on th menu for a series of breakfast briefings which get under way this month. Edgerton-based IT products and services specialist Brighter Connections will be hosting the events in partnership with law firm Chadwick Lawrence. A spokeswoman for Brighter Connections said: “These briefing will focus on ‘hot business topics which are at the top of the agenda for many companies at the mome “For each topic, we will focus on t associated IT and legal challenges and offer solutions which should bring tangible benefits in terms of helping your business to become more productive, more profitable and more secure.” The first briefing, Social Networki or Social Notworking? will examin the impact of social networking on businesses. Sessions will be held on Thursday, November 10, from 8.30am to 10am at Chadwick Lawrence, Paragon Business Park Wakefield; and on Thursday, November 10, at the same time at Brighter Connections Ltd, Edgerton. Each event is limited to 30 places. Call 03707 551515 or email marketing@ brighter-connections.com
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Don’t be a twit using Twitter! HE news has recently featured high T profile brands which have had to cancel promotions on social media
sites due to breaches of the sites’ code of practice. This highlights that many companies are unaware that sites such as Facebook and Twitter have rules and regulations which govern the promotional activities of businesses. Fantastic Media has always advised clients to exercise caution when dipping into the world of social media. Such sites are a form of two way communication and can generate both positive and negative publicity. Social media has proven an excellent way for consumer brands to connect with their audience, but we at Fantastic are yet to be convinced of the case for social media in the business to business arena. Any business would not engage in any marketing activity without first fully establishing its objectives, researching the audience and understanding its chosen media. Social media should be treated with the same level of respect. Just as it can be a great communication tool for a business, if used wrongly or carelessly it is potentially harmful. So how can you avoid the pitfalls? Here are Fantastic Media’s top five tips
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PEOPLE. RESULTS. VALUE
Donna Gardner
for businesses using social media platforms: ● Is there a relevant audience using social media with which your brand can engage? Talking to yourself is a pointless exercise ● Make your content and posts relevant to the audience. Provide people with useful and interesting information, links and news ● Be prepared to engage with your audience and don’t underestimate how time consuming this may be. If someone asks a question, answer it. Engage your audience in conversations wherever possible to build trust, rapport and credibility ● Update your content regularly. Failure to update will result in your audience losing interest, and like once close friends, they and your brand will simply drift apart ● If you are planning a competition or
promotion check the rules and regulations of the site. Don’t assume that you can do whatever you want – that’s not the case with other media, so why would it be on social media sites? After all, they have to keep these things in check somehow! In summary, social media is undoubtedly a serious marketing tool. It should be considered as part of an integrated marketing strategy, as coupled with other, more traditional marketing methods it provides a unique opportunity to engage with consumers. However social media should never be adopted as the sole marketing strategy of a business because of its apparent simplicity and cost effectiveness. In the wrong hands it could cost your brand dearly.
Donna Gardner is client services director at Fantastic Media
Firm all set for a fresh start A COMPANY selling kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms is gearing up for a busy pre-Christmas season after being saved from collapse. Award-winning Norwood Interiors, which has showrooms in Brighouse and Leeds, was acquired by the £100m-plus My House Group in August after falling into administration. The deal saved 20 jobs at its sites at Spring Street in Brighouse and Abbey Retail Park, Kirkstall, Leeds. Norwood Interiors was established more than 25 years ago and is one of the largest specialist home interior retailers in the area. its two showrooms feature almost 100 displays of stylish kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture. The business is now part of My House Group’s interiors division. My House Group own a wide range of home improvement companies, including Christies Bedrooms and Kitchens, window and door firm Weatherseal and home maintenance company A Job Worth Doing. New investment has given the existing team at Norwood
Interiors the chance to update the showroom and its product ranges to include more room displays and the latest new fitted furniture. Norwood sales manager Julie Gokce said: “Norwood is a celebrated name throughout Yorkshire for specialist interiors and we’re delighted to be able to welcome back long-standing customers to see the new-look store. “Our team have been designing and installing rooms across Yorkshire for 25 years and we have a highly skilled group of designers and installers here who are all passionate about creating wonderful dream rooms.” The Kirkstall showroom staged a VIP preview weekend, complete with food and wine to unveil the new look. Norwood Interiors, formed in 1985, has won several awards for its bespoke kitchen, bathroom and bedroom designs and installations. It was named Master Kitchen Retailer of the Year in both 2005 and 2006.
■ FRESH START: Sales manager Julie Gokce is set to welcome back customers
Company uses its loaf to help bakery A COMPANY providing compresses air systems rose to the occasion with its latest contract. Haighs Bakery, based in Leeds, turned to Rastrick-based Boge Compressors Ltd to upgrade its compressed air system with a compact and highly-efficient screw compressor. The bakery has been providing local bakeries, corner shops, schools, restaurants and catering companies with a variety of baked goods such as bread, cakes and savouries for more than 60 years. Compressed air is used to power the wrapping machines at Haighs Bakery, which operates around the clock. As production has increased in the last few years, new demands have been placed on the compressed air system. Bakery director Adam Haigh said the existing and ageing compressor was no longer able to effectively meet these new demands and invited Boge Compressors to assess the compressed air system. The new computer-controlled compressor has now been installed and operates 24 hours a day. BOGE Compressors Ltd is part of German group BOGE International. The group manufactures a range of oil-lubricated and oil-free screw and piston compressors for a wide range of manufacturing processes.
No formalities! BUSINESS leaders in Huddersfield town centre can let off steam at an informal event this week. The latest get-together of the First Friday Club – billed as “just a quick drink with friends on a Friday” – will be held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Friday at The Head of Stead in St George’s Square. Contact Krishna Patel at accountancy firm Revell Ward on 01484 550018.
property
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Developer makes awards shortlist BROCKHOLES-based property developer Towngate Homes has been shortlisted for another award for a prestigious residential development in Halifax. The company has been nominated in the category for Best Family New Build at the Northern Design Awards. The Northern Design Awards bring together designers, retailers and property developers to celebrate design and style. The award ceremony will take place in Manchester on November 24 following a stringent judging process overseen by industry experts, including Sir Terence Conran, Wayne Hemingway and Diarmuid Gavin. Towngate Homes’ Broomfield Avenue scheme comprises 16 craftsman-built, spacious, natural stone detached homes and townhouses, occupying a two-acre site in a conservation area overlooking Savile Park on the outskirts of Halifax town centre. The development has previously received accolades at the Local Authority Building Control West Yorkshire Building Excellence Awards and the UK Residential Property Awards. Sister company Conroy Brook was named Housebuilder of the Year in the small to medium category and Best Design for Somersbury Court, Almondbury, in the Housebuilder of the Year Awards 2010.
Betting chain’s town centre site A NEW tenant has been secured for a prime retail property in Huddersfield town centre. Bookmaking firm Ladbrokes has agreed terms for the 1,572sq ft property on King Street opposite the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, off an asking rent of £30,000 a year. The deal was completed by the Huddersfield office of chartered surveyors Eddisons. The property was formerly occupied by the NYC bar, which ceased trading earlier this year as the economic downturn continued to hit the licensed trade.
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Investors taking up opportunities YORKSHIRE’S commercial property scene is picking up, a survey has revealed. The total value of commercial property investment transactions across Yorkshire rose to £306.5m in the three months to the end of September from £107.2m in the previous quarter, according to the latest figures from national commercial property firm Lambert Smith Hampton. However, the survey said the third quarter figure was still below the total of £412m for the same quarter of 2010. The most significant deals to take place during the quarter included Orion Capital Managers’ acquisition of 50% stake in White Rose office Park in Leeds for £130m, F&C REIT Asset Management Ltd’s acquisition of Cheapside Shopping Centre in Barnsley for £26m and RREEF’s acquisition of Lateral, City Walk in Leeds, for £24.3m. Of the total value of transactions, UK institutions committed £96.4m during the quarter, accounting for almost one third of the total activity, compared with 64% from the second quarter of 2011. The industrial sector, which
■ SECURITY: Graham Foxton, of Lambert Smith Hampton's Yorkshire investment team
accounted for 57.5% of total market in the second quarter, fell sharply to 1% and gave way to the office sector, which comprised a staggering 55% of the total market. Retail remained stable at 39%. Graham Foxton, surveyor with LSH’s Yorkshire investment team, said: “The deals mentioned above show that investors have an appetite for the right product and are
willing to invest in our region when the opportunities are available. “They continue to seek the security of long-term income and prime properties in Yorkshire. “The secondary market continues to be challenging as purchasers and lenders remain risk averse. “London and the South East markets continued to be domin-
ant in terms of total transactions. However, this can but put down to the availability of good quality investment stock.” Focusing on the UK as a whole, investors bucked market sentiment in the third quarter by with transactions totalling £8.06bn – some 22% up on the previous quarter – in what is typically the quietest quarter of the year. LSH chief executive Ezra Nahome said: “Commercial property continues to provide attractive returns to investors in comparison to other asset classes and following the Bank of England’s second round of quantitative easing, which will support continued low-finance costs and stimulate interest in the market, we could witness increased investment activity over the coming 12 months. “The number of deals completed in the regions was half the amount completed in the second quarter. “Yet closer examination shows that the volume of money invested remained the same quarter on quarter, clearly demonstrating that investors are focused on quality over quantity in the regions.”
Agency hails ‘robust’ performance in Yorkshire PROPERTY agency Knight Frank said its Yorkshire operations were “in robust health” as it disclosed a 10% rise in profits to £102m for the year to March 11. The group lifted turnover by 7% to £308.4m from £288.0m last time with all its global regions proving profitable – particularly in the UK and Asia Pacific. Net
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • AGENTS • CONSULTANT • ADVISOR
TRAFALGAR MILLS • LEEDS ROAD • HUDDERSFIELD • HD2 1YY
Broadfield Mills, Lockwood, Huddersfield Industrial unit to let 9,000 square feet Good yard area and ample parking
Trafalgar Mills, Leeds Road, Huddersfield 1st and 2nd floor offices to let up to 4,376 square feet Main road location Contact: Paul Andrew Walker Singleton 01484 477600 Christine Eccleston MB Services 01484 557102
assets rose to £125.1m from £99.8m before with further reserves unchanged at £10m and cash in bank up to £90.6m from £74.0m. Alex Munro, head of commercial agency development at Knight Frank in West Yorkshire, said: “Knight Frank is a wonderfully diverse business which has
positioned it well with a fantastic residential market in central London. “At the same time our commercial and regional business in Leeds and elsewhere is in robust health. “In challenging market conditions, we are still maintaining our profile through our deal-making abilities.”
Nick Thomlinson, senior partner and chairman of the Knight Frank Group, hailed a continuing strong performance across the group, adding: “In the UK, our residential business once again out-performed the market and our commercial division exploited the improved transactional activity.”
Dewsbury firm cooks up a new kitchen DEWSBURY-based Rixonway Kitchens has donated one of its kitchens to a community centre in London. Rixonway, a leading manufacturer working in affordable and social housing, has provided a kitchen for the Burnt Oak Community Centre in Barnet. The company make the donation following the NFA Awards 2010. RIxonway sponsored the most outstanding young person category, which was won by Barnet Homes resident, Rui Jorge Octavio, who is pictured (right) with centre manager Angie Moore . His work at the community centre inspired the company to donate the kitchen.
length management organisation, which manages and maintains 15,000 leasehold and council homes on behalf of Barnet Council. Rixonway provided a kitchen from its Trieste range in walnut, which was chosen by Barnet Homes. Paul Rose, chief executive of Rixonway Kitchens, said: “It’s always great to see a donation have such a positive impact on a community. We’re delighted to hear the kitchen has made such a difference and we hope it will be valuable to Rui to continue his important work.” Rixonway Kitchen’s donation was matched by building contractor The Apollo Group and Lovell, which both carried out additional works free of charge.
Public House/Commercial
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Residential Land
The Rose & Crown, Northgate, Almondbury, Huddersfield Ground Floor 265 m2 (2,854 sq ft) + first floor living accommodation & cellar
Calder Bank, off Thornhill Road, Dewsbury 929 – 3,819 m2 (10,000 – 41,108 sq ft)
Central Business Park, Central Street, Dewsbury Central House (Unit 1) 244 m2 (2,626 sq ft)
Snelsins Road & Snelsins Lane, Cleckheaton 0.51 ha (1.25 acres) gross
Highly prominent public house – without tie – available on flexible terms including or excluding first floor residential accommodation. Ground floor can be split to suit individual occupiers with large rear car parking
Modern single storey industrial/ warehouse space with excellent on site loading only a short distance from main A644 Huddersfield Road
High quality modern B1 business/ commercial space strategically well located close to Dewsbury town centre with off street secure parking
Exclusive residential development site with consent for 5 detached dwellings conveniently located ¼ mile from Junction 26 M62 in woodland setting
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Sohaib Hamid
IBB plc ISLAMIC Bank of Britain plc is extending its presence in West Yorkshire with the appointment of Sohaib Hamid as business development manager. Mr Hamid (pictured) will be based at the Dewsbury branch of estate agency Reeds Rains and will provide expertise to local people wishing to find out more about Islamic banking. His remit is to reach out to customers across West Yorkshire, which is home to one of the UK’s largest Muslim communities. Mr Hamid said: “The local community of West Yorkshire is an important one for the growth of IBB. My appointment marks the start of the bank being more involved in local community life and helping people to incorporate Islamic finance into their daily personal and business activities.” He will be available to assist customers who wish to take out Sharia compliant home finance, open Halal savings accounts or discuss how they can incorporate Islamic banking into their lives. IBB is the UK’s only wholly Sharia-compliant retail bank and is regulated by the Financial Services Authority. It has the largest range of Sharia compliant retail financial products in the UK, including a range of savings accounts, home purchase plans, and – in conjunction with its partners – pensions and investments. It does not deal in interest and nor does it invest in activities such as gambling, tobacco and alcohol.
Movers and shakers
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College scores with the judges
■ CUP WINNERS: Kirklees College’s campaign was praised in the PR Week Awards
A PUBLICITY campaign on a sporting theme by Kirklees College has been highly commended in a national awards. The college’s Get Real Results campaign proved a winner at the PR Week Awards. The campaign, which was launched in October, 2010, based its theme on the college’s official education and training partnership status with Huddersfield Town. Judges rated it above other high-profile campaigns such as the Olympic Delivery Authority’s campaign on constructing the Olympic Park for London 2012, Fishburn Hedges’ campaign on TV Licensing and NHS Bury’s Care about the Cost campaign. The overall winner was Transport for London’s campaign on the capital’s cycle hire scheme. The college campaign stretched much wider than the set of six photos used in all college promotions throughout 2010-11 The PR and marketing team aimed to raise awareness of the college and what it has to offer among the local community
along with developing business opportunities was achieved through a number of methods. The college was main shirt sponsor for Huddersfield Town, which meant that the logo gained unrivalled exposure in the local area and nationally. Joint PR opportunities between the college and the football club included student work experiences and student performances at the club’s events and matches, joint business networking events and representations from high profile players at college awards and events. Research commissioned earlier in the year showed that the awareness of the college and its curriculum offer had increased for all its target audiences. Michael Bennett, head of PR and marketing at the college, said: “We knew this campaign would be worthwhile. “The PR opportunities for the college have grown incredibly since this campaign begun and the integrated communications and events have raised the profile of what the college can offer to both school leavers and businesses.”
Alyson Reeves
PwC ACCOUNTANCY firm PwC has appointed Alyson Reeves as director to lead its financial services consultancy offering in West Yorkshire. Ms Reeves (pictured) has previously worked with organisations including the Bank of England, FSA, Lloyds Banking Group, Centrica, the Serious Fraud Office, BBC, the Identity and Passport Service and Virgin Money. Following a series of key senior appointments, PwC has significantly increased the size of its financial services team, which now totals more than 170 professional staff across the north. Mark Hannam, Northern financial services leader and assurance partner at PwC, said: “This is a key appointment for our financial services practice.
Get with the beat!
Tim Welton, Tom Rodgers, Jacqui Vance & Carol Simpson
Chadwick Lawrence
Kevin Mawer
BTG KEVIN Mawer has joined BTG Global Risk Partners, part of specialist professional services group Begbies Traynor Group, as partner and head of its forensic insolvency investigations division in West Yorkshire. Mr Mawer, a qualified insolvency practitioner, was previously a director with KPMG in Leeds office, where he set up and led its forensic recovery team. He also spent nine years as a partner with Grant Thornton and 14 years with Arthur Andersen.
ACCOUNTANCY firm Revell Ward aims to drum up more business! The firm, based at Market Street inn Huddersfield, has teamed up with VAT consultant Rhona Graham (centre) to enhance its provision of specialist tax services. Rhona, who is pictured with tax director Lesley Sutton (left) and partner Karen Borowski, has vast experience in VAT planning and tribunal claims and has saved her clients £1m in VAT over the past 12 months. In her spare time, she plays
African drums as a way to let off steam! She said: “Whether you have bought or built new premises lately or you are exposed to the complexities of partial exemption or you are an independent financial adviser facing the new RDR rules, there’s opportunities for everyone to make savings.” Karen said: “I think that Lesley and Rhona make a formidable tax force in the town and I am really excited about the opportunities this brings both us and our clients.”
FOUR key fee earners at law firm Chadwick Lawrence have been made associates by the practice. Tim Welton, Tom Rodgers, Jacqui Vance and Carol Simpson have all progressed through the company to take on more senior roles. Mr Welton joined Chadwick Lawrence as a paralegal in the criminal department. Now in the role of associate, he works in the dispute resolution department as the team leader in Wakefield. Mr Rodgers qualified in 2000 and has worked in the legal sector since qualifying. Having worked in practices in Sheffield, Leeds and now Wakefield. Mr Rodgers is also qualified as a notary public. Ms Vance has worked at Chadwick Lawrence since 2002 specialising solely in medical negligence cases on behalf of claimants. Ms Simpson was a registered nurse and midwife for 15 years before leaving the NHS. She completed a law degree in 2000 and qualified as a solicitor in 2004. She joined Chadwick Lawrence in 2007 and specialises solely in medical negligence. Managing partner Jeremy Garside (pictured (centre) said the promotions were in recognition of the commitment shown by each individual.