Kirklees Business News 17/04/12 by Huddersfield

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees

Company on track to double turnover A COMPANY manufacturing special oils and lubricants for the automotive industry has reported strong sales. Brighouse-based Millers Oils saw an 8% increase in sales across its entire range, including lubricants and fuel additives during the financial year ending March, 2012. The strong results mean Millers Oils is on track to reach its target of doubling revenue by 2015. It reported a record turnover of £25m globally last year. The firm said its growth was due to the addition of new distributors and direct partnerships totalling nearly 1,000 new accounts in the year. This was a combination of 561 new distributors and direct partnerships and 420 accounts returning to Millers Oils in the UK alone. While sales in all areas have been particularly strong, the automotive and industrials sectors put in a particularly strong performance with its Ecomax additives and Trident grades enjoying increased sales among cost-conscious customers. A focus on nanotechnology has also helped drive the company’s success in the motorsport and automotive sectors, with developments such as its Nanodrive range of engine oils at the beginning of 2012.

The increase in sales and product development resulted in five new appointments to the sales and technical teams. Joint managing director Steve Woollven said: “This growth is testament to the combined knowledge and experience of both our technical and sales teams. “Developing products that help manufacturers, drivers and engineers to perform at their best is no mean feat, but we are committed to developing state-of-the-art products that meet the needs of modern engines and machines.” Millers Oils opened a new research and development at its Brighouse site in 2011 with 15 new products set to launch later this year. The firm pumped £500,000 into its new research and development laboratory, which is focusing on developing technology to help in the manufacture of products that reduce friction – a key growth area for oil and lubricant companies. Mr Woollven said: “Our client service continues to improve, especially because of our UK-based support services. This is why so many businesses keep coming back to Millers Oils. “The past few years have been diffi-

Polar in top five A CAR dealership in Huddersfield has been voted one of the UK’s 50 top garages and one of the top five in Yorkshire. Polar Ford, at St Andrew’s Road, Bradley Mills, was one of 14 Ford Retail outlets recognised in the Garage of the Year competition. The contest is organised by government-backed consumer watchdog for the motor industry, Motor Codes, to recognise first class, honest operators.

● Full story - Page 5

■ CONFIDENT: Steve Woollven , joint managing director of Brighouse-based Miller Oils, said new appointments had helped boost sales

cult for most industries, but we are confident that we’ll continue to grow.” Millers Oils, founded in 1887, makes products including oils manufactured

specially for the automotive, motorsport, classic car and truck sectors. It has headquarters at Brighouse and depots in Glasgow and Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Huddersfield firm that’s in the driving seat A JAPANESE company has broken with its normal practices to award a three-year contract to a firm based in Huddersfield. Japan Tobacco International is outsourcing its UK vehicle incident management for the first time – and has chosen FMG Support, based at Bradley Mills. JTI’s UK operations include a headquarters at Weybridge, a distribution factory in Crewe and a manufacturing plant in N o r t h e r n I re l a n d . P rev i o u s ly, i t s 600-strong fleet of mainly BMWs and Vauxhalls had been managed in-house. JTI overheads and fleet manager Judy Edwards said: “A review of our internal processes and the introduction of a new car policy led to our decision to seek expert

INSIDE

support to realise real business benefits from fleet.” The contract was awarded at the start of the year, following a formal tender process when FMG was one of four companies shortlisted. She said: “We were impressed by their professionalism, their genuine interest in us as a company and a commitment to customer service which runs through the core of their business. “The management information FMG’s comprehensive system provides will help us make improvements in areas we are trying to focus on. “And, on a very practical level, our drivers will benefit from having a single

point of contact and speedier resolution of incidents thanks to FMG’s excellent network. “So far the handover and implementation process has been seamless, and we’re looking forward to working closely with the team to deliver service improvements and cost-savings.” FMG chief executive officer John Catling said: “The decision to outsource elem e n t s o f a n o rg a n i s at i o n’s f l e e t management is not always an easy one. “We hope that by working as a strategic partner, rather than simply a supplier of world class incident management services, our method is changing the way companies view fleet.”

■ STRATEGIC: FMG Support operations director John Catling

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Waste collection A WASTE management company caught the eye of judges in a monthly awards competition. Mirfield-based Sunersol Ltd, which specialises in recycling electrical waste metals, including electrical appliances and equipment, is the latest winner of the Business of the Month Award run by Huddersfield law firm Eaton Smith.

● Full story - Page 8

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

national

Banks bear brunt of fears over Spain BRITAIN’S biggest banks lost £2bn from their combined market value – as fears over Spain’s creaking finances saw investors dump financial stocks. Lloyds closed down by almost 4% or 1p at 29.7p while Royal Bank of Scotland fell by 0.8p to 24.3p and Barclays dropped 4.1p to 210.8p – even though a note from Investec Securities reinforced its buy rating on the stock. Traders were troubled by developments in Spain, where the Government’s implied cost of borrowing is creeping higher towards unsustainable levels amid fears the struggling country will require a bailout from the European Union and its partners. Banks also fell out of favour after equity analysts at JP Morgan Cazenove downgraded the sector amid concerns over the impact rising funding costs will have on profits. Rupert Osbourne, futures dealer at IG Index, said: “Spain remains very

■ BANK ROLL: Barclays, RBS and Lloyds are among UK bank stocks to suffer as investors reacted to growing fears that the Spanish economy could be the next to seek a bailout from its EU partners

much front and centre for global markets, as its borrowing costs remain near what many would consider unsustainable levels. “If there is one thing that we have learnt from the past couple of years of European debt, it is that these problems tend not to be resolved quickly and painlessly – and it does set the stage for potentially more volatility in the weeks ahead.” The yield on Spain’s 10-year govern-

Power firm set for takeover deal FRENCH firm GDF Suez is on the brink of securing full control of Rugeley power station co-owner International Power. GDF has increased its offer price for the 30% of the business not already in its hands to 418p a share, equivalent to £6.4bn. The proposal has been backed by International Power’s independent directors after they rejected an offer of 390p a share earlier this month. GDF’s acquisition, which is subject to shareholder approval, comes a year after it took a controlling stake in a new company combining International Power’s 45 power stations with its own non-European assets.

The new International Power business has 11 plants in the UK, including joint ownership of the giant coal-fired station at Rugeley in Staffordshire, which powers the equivalent of half a million homes. It also owns the gas-fired station at Saltend, near Hull, and is a majority owner in the First Hydro hydroelectric plants at Dinorwig and Ffestiniog in North Wales. The company has about 11,000 staff with operations in 30 countries. GDF, which employs 218,900 people worldwide and generated revenues of £75.5bn in 2011, said the acquisition would enable it to grow in key markets, including Asia.

ment bonds hit 6.1%, moving closer to the 7% which forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek financial help from the EU. The rate is at its highest level since the new conservative government took office in December. The government has implemented a tough austerity package of spending cuts, as well as labour and financial reforms, but investors are concerned by Spain’s banks, which are battling with

bad loans from a collapsed property market. The troubles in Spain were flagged by JP Morgan Cazenove as it downgraded the European banking sector from overweight to neutral. Mislav Matejka, analyst with European equity strategy at JP Morgan Cazenove, said Spanish deposits fell by £4.9bn in February and continue to show a negative trend. Mr Matejka said: “This is particularly worrying and shows that Spanish banks are becoming more and more vulnerable.” He said the bank started the year with a bullish stance at the start of the year, encouraged by the liquidity injection provided by the European Central Bank. But he added: “However, most recently the costs have increased again, hurting the profitability outlook for the sector.”

Steel plant up and running METAL production is back under way at one of the UK’s biggest steel plants – with the first usable slabs of iron due to be produced within days. The blast furnace at the plant in Teeside was rescued from the prospect of closure a year ago by Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) of Thailand. A gas lance was used to re-ignite the furnace in a special ceremony yesterday. The move will mark the resumption of steel making on Teesside following the mothballing of the plant in February, 2010. About 1,700 workers are now employed on the site and the figure

will increase to 1,800, similar to the numbers on site under the previous ownership. Win Viriyaprapaikit, president of SSI, said: “This is a very proud day for us in SSI and for me personally. “I believe that the investment we have made at Teesside will result in a very successful business which will benefit all of the stakeholders involved, including the local community and employees for generations to come.” SSI bought the Teesside Cast Products plant from Indian firm Tata a year ago for about £400m, rescuing the site from the prospect of closure.

Page 2 Pace is positive SET-TOP box maker Pace reported an encouraging start to its new financial year – but said it continued to be affected by problems with the supply of hard disk drives following flooding in Thailand. Chairman Allan Leighton told the company’s annual meeting that the financial position of the company was robust. Mr Leighton said: Pace had an encouraging start to the new financial year with revenue in line with our expectations. “The business is benefiting from a stronger operational focus and this is delivering tangible benefits in procurement, operating efficiency and costs,” he said. “Profitability in the period continues to be impacted by HDD supply issues, but is in line with our expectations. Cash performance in the period has been strong and the financial position of the company remains robust.” “The new management team is tightly focused on delivering an improved performance in 2012.”.

Taking off GATWICK airport said it handled 33.8m passengers in the year to March 31. That’s 3% higher than the previous 12 months, excluding the impact of volcano disruption. Low-cost carriers in the European scheduled sector made the biggest contribution to the year-on-year increase.

SHARE PRICES NORTH AMERICAN American Express £36.23 +0.13 Gannett 882.33 -65.54 Hess Corp £34.51 -0.33 Microsoft 1950.23 +8.46 Motors Liquidation 47.27 Wal-Mart Stores £38.02 +0.35 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Avon Rbbr 2781/8 -17/8 BAE Systems 2951/4 +23/8 1 Rolls-Royce 821 /2 +111/2 AIM Brady Plc 871/2 Dawson Intl 13/8 Man Brnze 393/4 +11/2 AUTOMOBILES & PARTS GKN 2033/4 +41/2 BANKS Barclays 2103/4 -41/8 HSBC 5411/4 -17/8 Lloyds Banking Gp 293/4 -1 Ryl Scotland 241/4 -3/4 Stan Chart 1499 +11/2 BEVERAGES Diageo 15431/2 +24 SABMiller £253/8 CHEMICALS Croda £217/8 +5/8 Elementis 98 1971/2 -71/4 Johnsn Mat £233/8 +3/8 CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS Balfour Beatty 2717/8 -13/4

2153/4 -12 ELECTRICITY Drax Gp 5361/2 +6 Intl Power 4163/4 +127/8 SSE 1358 +18 ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Laird 2177/8 -7/8 EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS Alliance Trust 3633/4 +7/8 FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICES BT Grp 2153/4 -11/4 Cable & Wireless 303/4 -1/8 Comm Cable & Wireless 363/4 -1/2 Wwide 1 Colt Group 97 /2 -17/8 KCOM 701/4 -21/4 1 Talktalk Telecom 132 /2 -3/4 FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS Morrison W 294 +13/8 Sainsbury 3051/4 +31/4 7 Tesco 320 /8 -11/8 FOOD PRODUCERS AB Food 1203 +14 Tate Lyle 6871/2 -2 Unilever £203/8 +3/8 GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIES Centrica 3183/4 +51/8 National Grid 6451/2 +3 Pennon Grp 723 +5 Severn 1578 +21 United Utils 598 +4 Costain

GENERAL FINANCIAL 3i Group 1921/8 -4 ICAP 3691/4 -31/4 London StockExch 1046 +11 Man Group 1051/8 -47/8 Provident Financial 1129 -13 Schroders 1442 -13 Schroders NV 1135 +3 GENERAL INDUSTRIALS Cooksn Grp 7161/2 +3 REXAM 4261/4 +63/4 Smiths Grp 1037 +6 GENERAL RETAILERS Ashley L 231/2 Carphone Whse 1231/2 -33/4 Dixons Retail 163/4 -3/4 Home Retail 1043/4 -3/4 Inchcape 3591/4 -21/4 3 Kingfisher 301 /8 +33/4 M&S 3673/4 -21/8 Mothercare 162 -11 Next £293/8 -1/8 WH Smith 5331/2 -1 HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Smith Nph 6051/2 HOUSEHOLD GOODS Aga Rangemaster 841/2 +1/4 Barrat Dev 1331/4 -13/4 Persimmon 626 -131/2 Reckitt Benckiser £355/8 +1/2 3 Taylor Wimpey 49 /4 -1/2 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING IMI 9321/2 +51/2

INDUSTRIAL METALS Ferrexpo 2861/4 -83/8 INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION BBA Aviation 210 -35/8 LIFE INSURANCE Aviva 2981/4 -73/8 Lgl & Gen 1203/4 -13/4 1 Old Mutual 152 /4 -21/4 Prudential 722 -41/2 Resolution 2381/8 -41/4 1 Standard Life 220 /4 -5/8 MEDIA BSkyB 6471/2 +1/2 D Mail Tst 4445/8 -25/8 3 ITV 84 /4 Johnston Press 6 -3/8 Pearson 1124 +9 Reed Elsevier 527 +11/2 STV Group 1131/8 +1/4 3 Trinity Mirror 33 /4 -2 +31/2 Utd Business 6031/2 UTV 1497/8 -1/8 WPP 8431/2 +21/2 Yell Group 31/2 -1/8 MINING Anglo American £221/4 -3/8 Antofagasta 1120 -4 BHP Billiton 18921/2 +31/2 Eurasian Natural 5591/2 -101/2 Res Fresnillo 1560 -18 Kazakhmys 874 -6 Lonmin 9821/2 -14 3 Rio Tinto £34 /8

Local shares Carclo Marshalls National Grid Weir Gp

399 943/4 6451/2 1663

+19 -1/2 +3 -26

closed at at FTSE closed

5666.28 Up 14.49 VEDANTA 1162 -24 RESOURCES Xstrata 1100 -21/2 MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES Inmarsat 4213/4 -1/2 Vodafone Group 170 +1/2 NONLIFE INSURANCE Admiral Grp 1174 -9 RSA Insurance Gp 102 -11/8 OIL & GAS PRODUCERS BG 1400 +131/2 BP 443 +11/8 Cairn Energy 327 +7 1 Royal Dutch Shell A £21 /4 3 Royal Dutch Shell B £21 /4

Total £301/2 +1/2 Tullow Oil 1451 +8 OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES AMEC 1071 -8 Petrofac 1710 +17 1 Wood Gp(J) 693 /2 +31/2 PERSONAL GOODS Burberry Gp 1586 +21 PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY Astrazeneca £28 +1/8 GlaxoSmithK XD 251/2 Shire 1980 +21 REAL ESTATE Brit Land 4701/8 -2 -1 Captl Shop Cent 3163/4 -31/2 Hamrsn 4041/2 Land Secs 7071/2 -61/2 SEGRO 227 -53/4 SOFTWARE ETC SERVICES Invensys 1891/4 -15/8 Logica 785/8 -21/4 3 Misys 348 /8 -1/2 Sage Group 2863/8 -11/4 SUPPORT SERVICES Berendsen 522 +31/2 Bunzl 1007 +9 Capita 7351/2 +7 De La Rue 898 -11/2 Electrocomp 2337/8 -37/8 Experian 975 -3 G4S 2877/8 +43/8 Hays 881/8 -1/8 Homeserve 224 -11/2

Menzies J 606 Rentokil 861/8 Smiths News 903/4 Wolseley £231/2 IT HARDWARE ARM Hldgs 599 Psion 563/4 Spirent Comms 1671/8 TOBACCO Br Am Tob £313/8 Imperial Tobacco £243/4 LEISURE & HOTELS Bwin.Party Digital 1561/4 Carnival 1942 Compass Grp 6421/2 easyJet 4801/8 Enterprise Inns 601/2 FirstGroup 1971/2 Go-Ahead Gp 1125 Greene King 512 Intercontl Htls 1446 Intl Cons Airlines 1713/8 Gp Ladbrokes 1627/8 Mitchells & Butlers 2577/8 Natl Express 225 Rank Org 121 Stagecoach Group 2401/2 TUI Travel 194 Whitbread 1841 INDEX FTSE 100 5666.28 INDEX FTSE 250 11255.40

-21/2 -3/8

+101/2 +1/2 -53/4

+1/4 -1/8 +41/2 -3/4 -1/4 -31/2 -13 +5 -33/4 +3/4 -3/4 -21/4 -11/2 -3 -21/8 +14 +14.49 -55.65

TOURIST RATES Tourists going abroad can expect the following rates for sterling: Australia...................... 1.45 dollars Bangladesh................. 122.04 taka Brazil.............................. 2.60 reals Canada....................... 1.51 dollars China ............................. 8.94 yuan Czech Republic ...... 27.68 korunas Denmark....................... 8.60 krone Euro............................... 1.16 euro Hong Kong................ 11.65 dollars Hungary................... 326.07 forints India.......................... 72.06 rupees Japan........................... 121.32 yen Mexico ....................... 18.60 pesos New Zealand .............. 1.80 dollars Norway ......................... 8.79 krone Pakistan.................. 135.13 rupees Philippines ................. 57.97 pesos South Africa.................. 11.88 rand South Korea.............. 1570.00 won Sri Lanka ................ 190.87 rupees Sweden....................... 10.33 krona Switzerland.................. 1.39 francs Taiwan ...................... 40.80 dollars Turkey....................... 2.70 new lira USA ............................ 1.51 dollars

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

profile

Family ties are key for Darren

Page 3 Darren Whitehead Role: Co-owner Age: 37 Family: Married to Debra with children Tom, 20, Jack 18, Tilly, seven, and Anna, four Holidays: Cape Verde in the central Atlantic Ocean Car: Land Rover First job: Working in my dad’s video shop Best thing about job: Working from home is great Worst thing about job: Call-outs at odd hours! Business tip: Customer satisfaction is the key

The Real Lock Company FAMILY is everything to Colne Valley businessman Darren Whitehead. The co-owner of The Real Lock Company is happiest surrounded by his nearest and dearest. And that’s the usual state of things as the business he runs with co-owner Stephen and lifelong friend Stephen Allen is based at Darren’s Slaithwaite home. Darren, 37, who worked as a joiner and a construction site manager before setting up his own business, built the house he lives in four years ago. He shares the property, which commands fine views of the valley, with his wife Debra and four children as well as his mother-in-law. The family also have several dogs. As Darren says: “It’s generally a very busy house!” The property is also next door to Meadow Court care home, which is owned by his parents and uncle. When they acquired the home from Kirklees Council, Darren carried out the necessary improvements. He remains involved in the business. Darren grew up at Hill Top, Slaithwaite, just three streets away from his present home. He attended Colne Valley High School, but admits: “I was not very academically-minded. I struggled to learn things that did not grip me. “I left school and worked for Gill Joinery in Golcar. It was a very good apprenticeship. Working with the boss all the time, you don’t get away with a great

Darren went on to work for joinery firms at Linthwaite and New Mill before the chance came to step up to construction manager, working in London for five years. “It was a tremendous opportunity to gain more experience,” he says. “It’s an opportunity I would never have got up here.” Darren worked for a construction company in Welwyn Garden City. He was involved in several commercial developments, including the building of big industrial units at Croydon and the provision of a holding area for Customs & Excise at Heathrow Airport. However, Darren says: “I was always going to come back. it was big decision to go there in the first place. I was supposed to be going for a month, but it turned out

to be a lot longer. I left London in 2000 and came back up here to see if I could get a job at management level.” Back home, Darren worked on several major schemes, including the refurbishment of the visitor centre at Tunnel End, Marsden, and a £1.2m contract for a specialist old people’s unit at Harrogate. Although his employers sent him to London for 12 months, Darren was soon back – helping with the Meadow Court refurbishment. “The home had been closed for four or five years and needed bringing up to regulations,” he says. Darren later worked for a Halifax construction firm on schemes including the refurbishment of retail units in Deansgate, Manchester;

■ OPPORTUNITIES: Darren Whitehead, of The Real Lock Company, based at Slaithwaite

a £3.4m extension for Leeds College of Art and Design; new minor surgery theatres at Holme Valley Memorial Hospital in Holmfirth; and the conversion into offices of part of historic Hopton Mills at Mirfield. However, Darren foresaw the downturn looming for the construction industry and decided to go back to his roots in joinery and work for himself. “I had just passed the entrance exam to be a part-time fireman at Slaithwaite,” he says. “With that, my role handling health and safety and maintenance at Meadow Court and my own business, I thought I would be all right. But two weeks before I was supposed to start with the fire service, the cuts came and there was a freeze on recruitment.” A fresh opportunity arose when friend Stephen Allen had his house broken into – and they began looking for a good lock to replace the one damaged in the burglary. “I tried to find the best one on the market and everyone was giving me contradictory advice,” says Darren. “While we were looking into this, another friend had his house broken into. He had four locks replaced – and was charged £350 by the company doing it. In effect, he’d been robbed twice! We wondered if we could make a little business – find a good lock that works, keep the price down as far as we can, pass on the savings to the customer and offer an efficient

service.” The threat of burglars breaking into houses quickly and easily by “bumping” or “snapping” the locks fitted to many domestic plastic doors was graphically illustrated in a BBC TV programme – raising awareness of the need to fit locks which could not be so easily unpicked. While Darren questions the wisdom of showing the techniques used by burglars on television, he says: “People need to be made aware of the dangers. It is not a case of trying to frighten people, but explaining that people have to make their house as secure as possible – without fitting bars and shutters. It’s also about taking sensible precautions to prevent crime, such as not leaving the family silver on show in the window.” The Real Lock Company found its supplier in Brighouse-based Avocet ABS, which supplies the firm with the ABS Lock – one which has been awarded the British Standard Kitemark PAS024 and which is designed to prevent easy access into the home. Darren and Stephen have demonstrated their locks at Neighbourhood Watch meetings as well as receiving glowing references from satisfied customers on Facebook and the Age Concern UK website. The company is also approaching insurance companies to win endorsement for its products. Running his own business couldn’t suit Darren better – despite the odd 2am call-out to replace busted locks! And

Work: Fitting the best products Site: Slaithwaite Phone: 01484 846849 Email: darren@the reallockcompany.com Website: www.the reallockcompany.com the lessons he learned in management still hold him in good stead. “I have a good manner with people, I think,” he says. “I can get people on-side and get things done. There are two methods of management – shout and bawl or try and coerce people into doing what you want them to do. People will always try to help if you are right and reasonable about it.” He says: “I always thought I would end up in joinery management somewhere and when the opportunity arose to be a site manager I took it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I have done my fair share of travelling to sites and being away from 6am to 6pm. “Family is a massive part of my life. Now I can work from home and when I’m not working we go walking the dogs or have big family dinners. We watch Huddersfield Town and enjoy family things. Even during the holidays, the youngest kids have been helping make Easter bonnets with the residents at Meadow Court. “Home life is vital for us and the children. If you can find the right work-life balance, you are very lucky. At the moment, I feel really blessed.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

local

Healthy outlook

A BRAND marketing consultancy in Mirfield has developed a new public health campaign to reduce smoking rates. Purebrand, based at The 1812 Building, Wheatley Park, was appointed by NHS Peterborough to help encourage the city’s one in four smokers to quit. Purebrand Public Sector, the agency’s public sector arm, developed a social media campaign using Facebook to bring together smokers who wanted to kick the habit and enable them to encourage each other to quit. The central premise of the campaign is that smokers are more likely to quit if they get support and encouragement from other people. The specially-created pages invite smokers to make a public pledge and share their story. A unique association with the British Heart Foundation also means that smokers can raise money for the charity by asking Facebook friends to sponsor them to give up. Online tools are also available, such as a smoking calculator – which calculates the potential savings people could make when they quit and what this money could buy - and links to download the NHS Smokefree iPhone app and desktop widget for PC, which gives daily messages of support direct to the user’s desktop. A range of other tools designed and implemented by Purebrand to create awareness of the campaign and drive people to the Facebook pages, include advertising on local radio, buses and Peterborough City Council outdoor poster sites. Purebrand managing director Simon Ryan said: “The intention is that the campaign will continue to grow organically through the power of social media and word-of-mouth. Within just six weeks of its launch, there has been more than 1,000 hits on the Facebook pages.

Dealership voted one of UK’s best A CAR dealership in Huddersfield has been voted one of the UK’s 50 top garages and one of top five in Yorkshire. Polar Ford, at St Andrew’s Road, Bradley Mills, was recognised in the Garage of the Year competition, organised by the government-backed consumer watchdog for the motor industry, Motor Codes, to recognise first class, honest operators. Polar Ford and parent company Ford Retail garages occupy 52% of the 25 nomination slots for which they were eligible. In total, 14 Ford Retail garages were nominated for the‘Garage of the Year award across six UK regions. The accolade follows Ford Retail’s Moments of Truth 24 programme which looks to engage customers and find out just how satisfied they are with their car service.

■ EXCELLENT RESPONSE: Simon Ryan, of Purebrand, based at Wheatley Park, Mirfield

“The use of social media in public health campaigning is still a relatively new approach for the NHS, although it is gathering momentum. The excellent response to this campaign so far has been very encouraging.” Mr Ryan said: “As so much of our daily conversation with friends and family happens via social media, it made sense to find a way to

■ LEARNING THE DRILL: John Crossley (left), senior design engineer at Extract Technology, with (back, from left) Sam Edwards, Shane Brook, Brad Thomas and (front) Chris Hudson and Hannah Dickinson, the firm's four apprentices and work experience placement student

Manufacturing firm shows its backing for apprenticeships A HUDDERSFIELD manufacturing firm has underlined its commitment to apprenticeships. Bradley-based Extract Technology has recruited three new apprentices as well as providing a work experience placement at its Leeds Road site. The company, which was established more than 30 years ago, has been involved in young apprenticeship initiatives and school work placements for more than 15 years. Paul Hudson, technical and operations manager, said: “Having benefited from

Page 5

serving an engineering apprenticeship myself, I feel very proud to be part of an organisation which actively supports young adults at the outset of their chosen career path. “The current group of apprentices, are learning key skills across all areas of the business, including, IT, sheet metal work, internal sales and administration.” Extract Technology is a leading supplier of containment and aseptic systems for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, biotech and chemical markets and has completed projects for major companies worldwide.

involve them in the quitting process so they could regularly offer messages of support to friends and loved-ones trying to kick the habit. It’s a unique and highly personalised tool for people wanting to stop smoking.” Facebook advertising has also enabled the campaign to direct highly targeted messaging at very specific audiences, including Polish, Portuguese and Asian communities.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

property

It’s all down to teamwork

Development completed The first two phases of development provided about 60,000sq ft of industrial units, which were built on a speculative basis and sold to various owner occupiers shortly after completion. A further 42,95 sq ft was speculatively developed over 10 buildings in phase three. Agent Gent Visick had now secured the final letting for the flagship 10,000sq ft Unit 1 to Route One Highways Ltd.

A PROPERTY firm is celebrating after completing a 10-year development in West Yorkshire. The third phase of a 100,000sq ft warehousing and distribution hub at Featherstone is now fully occupied – marking the successful end of the phased development by Priority Sites. The firm acquired more than six-and-a-half acres of former colliery land at Green Lane.

A LAW firm in Huddersfield has launched a new team to tackle construction law issues. The team at Armitage Sykes Solicitors in Huddersfield aims to help and advise developers, contractors and sub-contractors, professional consultants and the finance sector on non-contentious issues such as procurement, construction contracts, commercial agreements and development agreements. It also has the full armoury of procedures to pursue construction disputes, including those in relation to recovery of construction contract debts. The firm, based at New North Road, decided to launch the new team now given the changes to the Construction Act 1996 and the general pending impacts of the Localism Bill and Local Planning Framework reviews. It has also recruited Adele Dethick, a highly experienced construction law litigation specialist, who has acted for both RIBA and for a number of individual architects of world

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • AGENTS • CONSULTANT • ADVISOR

TRAFALGAR MILLS • LEEDS ROAD • HUDDERSFIELD • HD2 1YY

Caldervale Works, Brighouse Self contained industrial unit with offices and toilets. Available for immediate occupation. Large secure yard and loading area. Size 13,195 sq ft. Terms available on application.

Huddersﬁeld Road, Brighouse Available to let 1,117 sq ft. Situated in a busy town centre with a main road location. The premises are ideal for various uses (subject to planning) Terms available on application Contact: Paul Andrew Walker Singleton 01484 477600 Christine Eccleston MB Services 01484 557102

Prominent Retail Shop

4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

£25,000 p/a ● Double fronted retail unit 922 sqft ● Ancillary accommodation 3,022 sqft ● Finished to a high quality ● Excellent display frontage 4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL Office Building FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

395m2 (4,250ft2) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) ■ Vacant possession ■ Suitable for refurbishment for alternative occupational residential uses or possible complete redevelopment, subject to planning consent

4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

Street, HD1 2JF

£13,500 p/a ● Sales Area 116.6sqm (1,255sqft) ● Excellent display frontage ● Rateable Value £12,750 ● Close to Bus Station and Multi-storey car park ● and Sainsburys Supermarket

renown. Partner Martin Thompson said: “The firm can now compete with Leeds and Manchester-based firms in construction law, but with the advantages of a more locally-based solicitor’s

service which clients like. “The addition of Adele plus the recruitment of Louise Sykes to the debt recovery team last year gives us the right experience to launch into this market. “

● ● ● ● ● ●

4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

HD1 2HG

From £7 PSF Open plan offices 140sqm (1,509sqft) Town centre location Newly Refurbished Air conditioned DDA friendly lift and central stairwell

4 RANGE LANE 4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL Halifax, HX3 6DL Retail / Offices FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES 395m2 (4,250ft2) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) ■ Vacant possession ■ Suitable for refurbishment for alternative occupational residential uses or possible complete redevelopment, subject to planning consent

■ HOME GROUND: Basharat Ali (left) and Martin Thompson, of Armitage Sykes, welcome Adele Dethick to the firm's new construction law team

Open Plan Offices

Retail

395m2 (4,250ft2) 395m2 (4,250ft2) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) ■ Vacant possession ■ Vacant possession ■ Suitable for refurbishment for ■ Suitable for refurbishment for alternative occupational residential alternative occupational residential uses or possible complete uses or possible complete redevelopment, subject to redevelopment, subjectSergeantson to CROSS CHURCH STREET, HUDDERSFIELD, planning consent planning consent

HD1 2PY

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4 RANGE LANE Halifax, HX3 6DL Retail Premises / Offices FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

■ industrial LAND

■ offices OFFICES

■ retail

INDUSTRIAL

■ investment

INVESTMENT

■ land

RETAIL

4, 6 & 6A Greenhead Road, Huddersfield, MARKET STREET, HUDERSFIELD, ST GEORGES SQUARE, HUDDERSFIELD, HD1 4EN HD1 2EW HD1 1LA 4 RANGE LANE£22,500 p/a 4 RANGE LANE 4 RANGE LANE 4 RANGE £15,000 p/a £6,000LANE p/a HX3 6DL Halifax, HX3 6DL Halifax, 6DL ● 2 Halifax, Storey Office Building with Car parking ● 83.02sqm (894sqft) Plus Stores and HX3 Staff6DL Areas ● Ground floorHalifax, offices HX3 within Grade II listed FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES FORMER HOSTEL PREMISES

2) 395m2 (4,250ft ● 317.8sqm (3,420sqft) NIA

● ● ●

Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) possession ■ Vacantof Huddersfield town centre Outskirts ■ Suitable for refurbishment for alternative occupational residential system and CCTV alarm Security uses or possible complete redevelopment, subject to DDA compliant planning consent

building 395m2 (4,250ft2) 395m2 (4,250ft2) 395m2 (4,250ft2) ● Hectares Prominent town centre position Site Area 0.13 (0.33 Acres) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres) ● 49.33sqm (531sqft) ■ Vacant possession ■ Vacant possession ■ Vacant possession forProminent town refurbishment for ■ Suitable for refurbishment for ■ Suitable for refurbishment● ■ Suitable location centre for ● Close to prime shopping area alternative occupational residential alternative occupational residential alternative occupational residential or possible complete uses or possible complete uses or possible complete ● Opposite railway uses station redevelopment, subject to redevelopment, subject to redevelopment, subject to ● Suitable for retail or financial and professional services ● Attractive Grade II listed building planning consent planning consent planning consent

T. 01484 530361 www.bramleys.com

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS New lettings for Mirfield location TWO new lettings have been confirmed at Wheatley Park, the rural office park on the outskirts of Mirfield. Commercial property developer St James Securities has let 1,852sq ft of office space to branding agency 10 Associates, formerly based at Bradley, and 1,189sq ft to Alandale Logistics (Northern) Ltd. Both lettings are for office suites at the beautifully-restored 18th century Watermill at Wheatley Park. Oliver Quarmby, of St James Securities, said: “These two lettings in a challenging property market are a testament to the quality and location of Wheatley Park. “Well over half of the 25,000sq ft space at the Watermill has now been let, with only 9,000sq ft left. The remaining space is available in suites from 900sq ft upwards to the whole 9,000sq ft.” Meanwhile the 5,800sq ft 1812 Building, next door to the Watermill, has proved popular with only 1,000sq ft left available to lease. David Worthington, managing director of 10 Associates, said: “Wheatley Park is the perfect base for our growing business and a contrast to Bradley Business Park, where we had been for the past six years. It has a fantastically creative environment and a wonderful ambience, which will benefit our staff and our clients alike. It is a stunning place in which to work.” Kieran Farrell, director at construction logistics firm Alandale Logistics (Northern), which has relocated from serviced offices in Wakefield, said: “This is a great move for us.”

property

Learning lessons about lease laws

T is usual for businesses to Ibuylease premises rather than them.

In these hard pressed times, both landlords and tenants will end up scurrying to their top drawers to pull out and “dust off ” their lease documents to check their legal rights and obligations. However, seeking to enforce strict legal rights may not help either party where the tenant is short of money and the landlord does not want an empty property. In such circumstances the parties need to work together to keep the business afloat. So what can be done? The parties need to be creative. They will need to consider whether any changes to the lease can tide the tenant over during a period of difficult trading. Firstly, the parties can look at the intervals at which the tenant pays rent. Commercial leases usually require the tenant to pay rent in

INFORMED DEVELOPMENT

Jason Bannister advance on a quarterly basis. This can be quite demanding on cash flow. On that basis, the parties need to ask whether it would be helpful if the rent payment clause was varied so that rent is paid on a monthly basis. Furthermore, the tenant could request a “rent holiday”. This can be a useful short term measure in that the rent is merely suspended for a period of time and then paid back later. Most commercial leases include provisions for a rent review at certain specified inter-

Offices

Fieldhead Lane Birstall/Drighlington 3,676 m2 (39,564 sq ft)

Joint agents

TO LET

High quality factory and offices on secure site being strategically located less than 1 mile from Junction 27 of the M62/M621 re-available following abortive negotiations

Offices

Chequers, Woodsome Park, Fenay Bridge 228 m2 (2,449 sq ft) Part let part vacant office complex just off Rowley Lane. Also benefiting from consent for demolition and erection of 3 detached dwellings.

FOr SALE

Seeking offers in the region of £350,000

Offices

291 Wakefield Road, Lepton Gross income £33,600 pax Fully occupied commercial property (on inclusive agreements) immediately adjacent A642 Wakefield Road

FOr SALE

www.michaelsteel.co.uk

Page 7

Seeking offers in the region of £350,000

All enquiries to Alec Michael at Michael Steel & Co on 0113 32489999 or email alec@michaelsteel.co.uk

vals. A point of negotiation for the tenant could be either suspending the review or initiating the review and introducing the revised rent in stages. Leases usually do not allow the tenant to share occupation with another party. If the tenant has surplus space, perhaps someone could be found to share occupation of the property and contribute to the costs of rent, overheads, etc. Landlords should take seriously any request by a tenant to either sub-let or share occupation of part of the property.

Jason Bannister is a solicitor with Armitage Sykes in Huddersfield

However, landlords will need to be very careful that, in these circumstances, their interests are properly protected. In all cases, what both parties need to realise is that even though a lease is a contract the terms are not “set in stone”. They can be changed with mutual agreement. A word of caution. Any changes to a lease must be properly documented to avoid unwanted consequences. Legal advice and possibly advice from a surveyor should be sought before any changes are implemented. Some changes to a lease can result in a deemed surrender of the existing lease and the creation of a new one. This could have disastrous consequences!

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

Movers and shakers

Page 8

Firm praised for its waste line!

Nosheen Bukhari & Rebecca Chapman

Ridley & Hall LAW firm Ridley & Hall has announced two key appointments. Newly-qualified solicitors Nosheen Bukhari (right) and Rebecca Chapman have joined the wills and probate and community care teams respectively. They are pictured with managing partner Adam Fletcher. Their promotion has come in part due to the success of two recent services launched by Huddersfield-based Ridley & Hall. Elderflower is a collaborative service providing specialist legal, financial and bereavement advice to those at or approaching retirement age. The Grandparents Legal Centre provides services across England and Wales, working closely with various grandparents’ support groups on issues such as kinship care, contact with grandchildren and residence orders. Managing partner Adam Fletcher said: “Ridley & Hall acknowledge the importance of recruiting the right calibre of solicitors and it became clear during Nosheen and Rebecca’s training contracts that they had a clear focus on client service and would complement the experienced teams which they are joining.”

Steve Dibb, Razia Jogi, Alison Kaye, Clare Peckett & Lisa Philips

Switalskis

A LAW firm with offices in Huddersfield and Dewsbury has announced five new partners. Steve Dibb, Razia Jogi, Alison Kaye, Clare Peckett and Lisa Phillips (pictured) joined the partnership at Switalskis, which has six offices in West Yorkshire and specialises in legal aid work. The firm already has six partners. Managing partner John Durkan said: “Our new partners will bring the additional drive, energy and determination necessary to ensure Switalskis is best placed to meet the future challenges awaiting us in an increasingly complex legal marketplace. “We have had a tight, unified team of six partners for some time, but the market has changed and our firm has grown significantly over the past few years.” Steve Dibb is a solicitor specialising in child care law and is based at Bond Street in Dewsbury while Alison Kaye is a solicitor advocate specialising in child care law and is based at New Street, Huddersfield.

A WASTE management company has caught the eye of judges in a monthly awards competition. Mirfield-based Sunersol Ltd, which specialises in recycling electrical waste metals, including electrical appliances and equipment, is the latest winner of the Business of the Month Award run by Huddersfield law firm Eaton Smith. Sunersol specialises in collecting and pre-treating electrical waste ranging from small electrical appliances to TVs from businesses, waste management companies and councils. The company carries out pre-treatment at its registered recycling site in West Yorkshire before baling for export to re-processors of ferrous, non-ferrous, plastics and circuit boards – with 90% of the product going to China. Sunersol, which has 52 full-time staff, is targeting further expansion during 2012 and coming years. It has applied for planning permission for an additional 35,000sqft of warehousing to greatly expand the existing recycling centre. If successful, the development will create another 40 jobs. The judges commended Sunersol for its hard work and determination to create a new business that has grown over the last year from starting up to a £3m turnover. With ambitious expansion plans including collecting and recycling large house-

■ NO WASTE: Deborah Melluish (centre), of Eaton Smith, presents the award to Craig Thompson (third right) and Vikki Taylor (second right), of Sunersol Ltd, watched by (from left) Heather Guile, of UKTI; Kathryn Shuttleworth, of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce; Examiner business reporter Henryk Zientek; and Richard Hetherington, of YIBP (UK) Ltd

hold electrical appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, dryers and ovens and with the help of the UKTI the company is also targeting a number of new export markets.

The award is run in association with the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and UKTI. It is open to firms in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. Contact Ian Greenwood on 01484 821389

Keegan still on his game MORE than 300 businesses were represented at the annual Yorkshire Business Forum – when footballing hero Kevin Keegan took centre stage. The forum, which is sponsored by law firm Chadwick Lawrence, took place at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield and saw many of Huddersfield Town’s business partners come together to enjoy an afternoon of high quality speakers. Club partners such as Kirklees College, Pink Link and Wilby Ltd heard about the business and community activities of the club over the past 12 months. ITV's John Shires hosted the forum and introduced speakers Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire; Town manager Simon Grayson and Kevin Keegan. The former England star took guests through a timeline of his life – from his hometown of Doncaster to his times in Hamburg, Marbella and Newcastle, where he enjoyed arguably his best spell in football management.

Make the grade KIRKLEES firms have been urged to join the search for the UK’s best manufacturers. Yorkshire businesses of all sizes and talented apprentices are invited to show how they've made it by entering the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards at www.eef.org.uk/awards. The EEF awards are free to enter and provide many opportunities to win across 10 categories and at both regional and national finals. The awards will be judged in five UK regions. Regional winners will be announced in November and the national awards at a ceremony next January in London.

Tips for a better business - from Balance Accountants

2. Concentrate on the parts of the business that give the greatest return. There is a well known principle called the 80/20 rule which is the subject of a whole book written by someone called Richard Koch. Essentially the rule states that 80% of what you achieve comes from 20 % of the effort that you put in. In other words, a few things are important but many other things are not. For example—20% of customers, markets and products/services generate 80% of profits. It makes sense to use the 80/20 rule in your own business by identifying the 20% of your customers, markets, products and services that generate 80% of your profits and then explore what you can do to get more of your 20% customers, sell more of your 20% products/services and penetrate more of your 20% markets and channels. Also explore how you can make your 80% customers, products, services, markets and channels more profitable. And if that isn’t possible, consider scaling down or even withdrawing from these areas. Balance Accountants specialise in helping business owners to have better, more profitable and more enjoyable businesses. If your business is not performing as well as you want it to then you should contact us now. Balance Accountants,Victoria Court, 91 Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth HD9 3JA Tel: 01484 685 413 Fax: 01484 682206 www.balanceonline.co.uk info@balanceonline.co.uk