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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS 1 7 , D e c e m b e r, 2 0 1 3
The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees
Ford campervan’s an instant winner in England. ‘If you’re in the market for a new campervan, make sure the Terrier is at the top of your list.” Mr Elliot said: “This is fantastic news. “To win such a major award so soon after the launch is absolutely brilliant and I must thank all our staff and our friends at Ford for all their help developing our new model.” Wellhouse Leisure worked closely with Ford UK to develop the new campervan, which is based on the new Ford Tourneo Custom – the people carrier version of the Ford Transit – and offers a more luxurious interior. It also has a higher standard specification, including many items usually options, such as front and rear parking sensors, cab air conditioning, heated driver’s seat and Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity. Said Mr Elliott: “As soon as we saw the new Ford, I knew it would be an ideal base vehicle for a campervan conversion and I’m really delighted with the result.” The Wellhouse Ford Terrier can be viewed at the factory showroom in Shepley – and from January at its network of dealers across the UK. In addition, Wellhouse Leisure will shortly announce tours around the UK offering home demonstrations. It has also added extra dates to its shows and events calendar, including
There were 30 deals in Yorkshire compared with 38 in the North West and 31 in the South West – ahead of Scotland on 26, West Midlands on 24, East Anglia on 22, East Midlands on 18, the North East on 11 and Wales on nine. To date, the most interest in UK targets has come from the USA, followed by France and Germany. US companies were involved in 152 of the 407 deals so far this year, followed by France with 28 deals and Germany on 27 deals. Manufacturing was by far the biggest sector for inward investment, with over 141 manufacturing deals taking place in the UK involving overseas firms. Firms in Yorkshire saw a three-fold increase in the number of deals from
THREE companies have been flying the flag for Huddersfield this last week after scooping sought-after business awards from retail magnate and star of Dragons’ Den, Theo Paphitis. Chris Stimson, of LED lighting specialists EnergySavingLED; Carl Slingsby, from the Greedy Little Pig charcuterie and hog roast company; and Cath Atkins, of travel accessories firm Ickle Bockles were invited to meet Theo at an awards ceremony at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre.
● Full story - Page 8 ■ DRIVE: David Elliott (centre), receives the Campervan of the Year Award from Daniel Attwood (left) and Peter Vaughan, head of the judging panel, for Wellhouse Leisure's Ford Terrier (also pictured)
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an appearance at the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home show from February 6 to 9 at the SEC in Glasgow. Wellhouse Leisure will return to The Caravan and Camping Show at Birmingham’s NEC from 18 to 23 February.
Town proves hotspot for overseas firms HUDDERSFIELD has emerged as an inward investment hotspot . The town was one of the most popular targets for foreign investors in 2013 – with five businesses attracting bidders from overseas in the first three quarters of the year. Details of the deals emerge in figures from business information group Experian, which showed that the North West, South West and Yorkshire experienced the most inward investment deals by foreign companies – outside of London – during the nine-month period. While London and the South East led with 193 deals, foreign-led deals in the North West, South West and Yorkshire rose the fastest and in some cases outperformed the full year’s performance from 2012.
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A CAMPERVAN which made its debut just weeks ago is already a winner. Shepley-based Wellhouse Leisure saw its all-new Ford Terrier snap up the title of Campervan of the Year 2014 in The Motorhome Awards. The accolade comes just weeks after the Wellhouse Ford Terrier – named in honour of Huddersfield Town – made its first public appearance at the Motorhome and Caravan show at the NEC, Birmingham in October. Wellhouse managing director David Elliott said he was “extremely pleased and proud” by the result, adding: “It is a significant accolade to win against the shortlisted contenders from other highly respected brands – and in a market dominated by campervans based on the long-running Volkswagen Transporter.” The vehicle was highly praised by trade magazine commentators. Judging panel chair man Peter Va u g h a n , e d i t o r o f W h i c h Motorhome, said: “Here at last is a vehicle that can take on the myriad of campervans based on the VW T5 – and win!” Daniel Attwood, managing editor of MMM, said: “This is quite simply a superb campervan. Wellhouse has proved that high-quality engineering and design flair are still going strong
INSIDE
January to September 2013 – from 10 in 2012 to 30 deals so far this year. This was also mirrored by a large increase in the value of deals, up from £27m to £425m. Eleven deals were struck by US firms followed by Germany on four and France on three, Manufacturing accounted for 11 deals with wholesale, retail and repair on seven and professional and business activities on six. In Huddersfield, Moldgreen-based health and safety services firm SaferSpaces Ltd was bought by Shield Group Nederland BV, of the Netherlands, while Meltham-based Bolling Coffee was sold in a £4.37m deal to Bewleys Ltd, of Ireland. Pharmaceuticals firm Max Healthcare Ltd, of Holmbridge, was acquired by Elder Pharmaceuticals
Ltd, of India, while carbon fibre products business Absolute Engineering Ltd, of Skelmanthorpe, was taken over by US-based Pamarco Technologies LLC. The highest-profile deal was the £221.11m takeover of Linthwaite-based pharmaceuticals firm Thornton & Ross Ltd by Germany’s STADA Arzneimittel AG last August. Experian director Max Firth said: “The fact that British firms are increasingly attracting investment from foreign investors reveals the quality of businesses in this country. It’s also encouraging to see the manufacturing sector being a focus for so much of this attention after a tough few years.”
Sound advice ALMOST a quarter of SMEs in Yorkshire have never sought advice on how to boost their business, a survey has revealed. The study by Yorkshire Bank also showed that many of the firms which do seek advice are seeing “significant” financial benefit as a result. The survey suggests that 24% of Yorkshire’s 354,000 SMEs never seek out advice on gearing up to grow their business.
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
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Aggreko to power up the World Cup G E N E R AT O R h i re s p e c i a l i s t Aggreko has confirmed it has been chosen to supply temporary power to next year’s World Cup in Brazil as well as the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The contract represents another sporting boost for the FTSE 100 group, whose performance for 2013 has suffered in comparison with 2012 because of factors including the impact of the London Olympics. However in a trading update, the G l a s g ow - b a s e d c o m p a ny s a i d full-year results would now be slightly ahead of expectations. Revenues are pencilled in at £1.57bn – a similar level to last year – with pre-tax profits expected to be “at least” £335m, although this figure is some way below last year’s £365m. The company said: “We are delighted to report that we have been chosen as the supplier of temporary
■ CUP WINNER: Temporary power supply specialist is to provide an electrifying performance at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Confirmation of the deals came as Aggreko said full-year results were set to be slight ahead of expectations
power for the 2014 Fifa World Cup and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.” As part of the deal, the Glasgow-based firm will provide temporary power across the Games’ 13 sports venues and the Athletes’ Village. This will be supplied via 103 indi-
vidual generator sets connected through a network of more than 1,000 distribution boards and 200 kilometres of cabling. The system will be supported 24/7 by a dedicated team of engineers and technicians. Aggreko said that on an underlying
basis – stripping out the Olympics and some other factors – revenues for 2013 would be 3% higher and trading profits on a similar level to last year. This represents growing turnover in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, as well as the Americas, but a 12% fall due partly to contracts ending in Japan. Its power projects arm, which runs contracts from mining in Australia to army camps in Kosovo, will see revenues down by about 2%. A major deal in Panama will see it supply the country’s wholesale energy market, competing with the country’s permanent power generators. Shore Capital analyst Robin Speakman said the update provided slightly better news on trading but said the World Cup and Commonwealth Games contract wins, while pleasing, were “not of the same scale as last year’s Olympics”.
Aldermore backs Help to Buy
Firm seals energy deal
ONE of Britain’s newest banks has became the latest lender to launch products under the Government’s extended Help To Buy scheme. Aldermore, founded in 2009, is to make the mortgage guarantee available on remortgages as well as new home purchases. It is offering two-year fixed-rate products at 4.98% for up to 90% loan-to-value and 5.28% for up to 95% There will be a £999 fee on both. The Help To Buy scheme, which offers government-backed guarantees to those hoping to get on the property ladder with deposits as low as 5%, is currently being used
AN exploration company backed by the 20-year-old son of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has agreed a £110m deal to buy a gas and oil field in Russia. UK-listed Zoltav is 40%-owned by Arkadiy Abramovich’s ARA Capital investment vehicle, its largest shareholder. ARA is investing £26m as part of the deal to buy the Bortovoy licence in Saratov, western Russia, which contains a number of gas fields and a processing plant. The site produced 16.8bn cubic feet of gas last year and also has millions of barrels of oil reserves. Zoltav’s executive chair man
by Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC and Virgin Money. Other banks including Barclays and Santander have also announced their intention to take part. Alder more director Charles Haresnape said: “We are committed to lending to home-owners in the UK, especially those with small deposits, to get on the housing ladder and those who are unable to access mortgages from traditional high street lenders, despite being creditworthy. We are delighted to be offering remortgages under the scheme as well.”
Symon Drake-Brockman said: “The Bortovoy licence will become Zoltav’s first producing asset. It is a well-located, cash-generative, producing field.” The company already owns the Koltogor licence in Siberia, with probable reserves of more than 70m barrels of oil, which it is looking to develop for commercial production. It said it was continuing to review other oil and gas acquisition opportunities across the region, focused on Russia. The deal is set to help Arkadiy follow in the footsteps of his tycoon father.
Page 2 Jobs in prospect MORE firms expect to create jobs than not over the next 12 months – and Yorkshire is one of the employment hotspots. A report by employers’ body the CBI and management consultancy Accenture today found that 51% of firms expect their workforce to be larger in 12 months’ time – the first time job creators have outnumbered job cutters since the onset of the recession in 2008. Private sector jobs are expected to grow across all regions – with Yorkshire and the East Midlands the most buoyant UK regions. The report also highlighted an increasing number of opportunities for young people to find work – with companies planning to take on more graduates and apprentices. Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said: “We’re starting to see the recovery have an impact on business plans to hire, with more than half of firms boosting staff numbers next year and more opportunities for young people. “It’s good to see jobs being created across most regions, not just London and the south-east. “Our labour market performed well throughout the recession and pay caution and flexible contracts will continue to underpin growth. For the UK to remain an attractive place to do business, as the recovery takes hold, wage growth must go hand-in-hand with growth in productivity.”
SHARE PRICES NORTH AMERICAN American Express £51.80 +0.50 Gannett 1633.77 +28.20 Hess Corp £48.64 +0.24 Microsoft £22.64 +0.14 Motors Liquidation 45.98 Wal-Mart Stores £47.76 -0.10 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Avon Rbbr 581 +51/2 BAE Systems 4367/8 +27/8 Rolls-Royce 1236 +33 AIM Brady Plc 72 -1/2 AUTOMOBILES & PARTS GKN 360 +43/4 BANKS Barclays 255 +35/8 HSBC 6531/2 +7 Lloyds Banking Gp 765/8 +11/4 5 Ryl Scotland 320 /8 +43/4 Stan Chart 1306 +8 BEVERAGES 1 Diageo 1938 /2 +55 SABMiller £301/4 +3/8 CHEMICALS Croda £231/8 +3/8 Elementis 98 2601/2 +81/8 Johnsn Mat £32 +3/8 CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS Balfour Beatty 2723/4 +75/8 Costain 2761/2 -1/2 ELECTRICITY
Drax Gp 780 +11/2 SSE 1348 +17 ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Laird 2581/4 +21/4 EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS Alliance Trust 437 +3 FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICES BT Grp 372 +51/8 Cable & Wireless 49 +13/4 Comm Colt Group 125 +31/8 KCOM 983/8 -3/8 1 Talktalk Telecom 283 /4 +17/8 FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS Morrison W 2643/8 +35/8 Sainsbury 3951/2 +63/8 Tesco 331 +63/4 FOOD PRODUCERS AB Food £23 +5/8 Tate Lyle 785 +121/2 1 Unilever £24 /8 +1/4 GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIES Centrica 3255/8 +23/8 National Grid 7701/2 +14 1 Pennon Grp 645 /2 +11/2 Severn 1691 +23 United Utils 663 +6 GENERAL FINANCIAL 3i Group 3677/8 +63/4 ICAP 4255/8 +61/8 London StockExch 1613 +33 Man Group 82 +1 Provident Financial 1610 +1
Schroders £241/2 +3/8 Schroders NV 1894 +14 GENERAL INDUSTRIALS REXAM 4881/8 +91/4 Smiths Grp 1396 +29 GENERAL RETAILERS Ashley L 271/2 +1/2 Carphone Whse 2781/2 -11/2 Dixons Retail 511/4 -1/4 Home Retail 190 +1/4 1 Inchcape 577 /2 +21 Kingfisher 3705/8 +63/4 M&S 458 Mothercare 443 +63/4 Next £541/2 -1/4 WH Smith 1000 -1 HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Smith Nph 8411/2 +5 HOUSEHOLD GOODS Aga Rangemaster 1611/2 +1/4 Barrat Dev 3291/4 +1/4 Persimmon 1144 +8 Reckitt Benckiser £461/4 +1/2 Taylor Wimpey 1055/8 -1/4 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING IMI 1465 +25 INDUSTRIAL METALS Ferrexpo 1761/2 +15/8 INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION BBA Aviation 3123/4 +71/8 LIFE INSURANCE Aviva 4203/8 +31/8
2091/8 +21/8 1843/4 +25/8 1279 +10 3303/8 +81/2 3413/4 +51/2 MEDIA BSkyB 8021/2 -11/2 D Mail Tst 920 +19 +5/8 ITV 1831/4 Johnston Press 14 Pearson 1288 +7 Reed Elsevier 859 +2 +1 STV Group 3091/2 Trinity Mirror 187 +103/4 Utd Business 650 -25 UTV 218 -1/4 WPP 1319 +19 MINING Anglo American 12931/2 +24 Antofagasta 768 +7 BHP Billiton 1793 +351/2 1 Fresnillo 728 /2 +11 Kazakhmys 1957/8 +47/8 Lonmin 2921/2 +31/4 Rio Tinto £321/8 +3/8 VEDANTA 797 +22 RESOURCES MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES Inmarsat 749 +81/2 Vodafone Group 2273/4 +1 NONLIFE INSURANCE Admiral Grp 1261 +29 RSA Insurance Gp 901/8 -23/8 OIL & GAS PRODUCERS Lgl & Gen Old Mutual Prudential Resolution Standard Life
Local shares Carclo Marshalls National Grid Weir Gp
260 1751/4 7701/2 £203/4
+3 -1/4 +14 +1/8
FTSE closed at
6522.20 Up 82.24 BG 1236 +19 BP 4731/4 +71/2 1 Cairn Energy 261 /4 +33/4 Royal Dutch Shell £203/4 +1/4 A 3 Royal Dutch Shell £21 /4 +1/4 B Total £351/2 +1/2 Tullow Oil 846 +7 OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES AMEC 1059 +9 Petrofac 1153 +5 Wood Gp(J) 710 -121/2 PERSONAL GOODS Burberry Gp 1470 +24
PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY Astrazeneca £351/2 +1/4 GlaxoSmithK XD 181/2 7 Shire £27 /8 +3/4 REAL ESTATE Brit Land 598 Hamrsn 4971/4 +73/4 Intu Properties 3093/8 -3/8 Land Secs 9311/2 +3 SEGRO 323 -13/4 SOFTWARE ETC SERVICES Invensys 5031/2 +53/8 Sage Group 375 -1/2 SUPPORT SERVICES Berendsen 9301/2 +16 Bunzl 1373 +22 Capita 9971/2 +31/2 De La Rue 8861/2 +1/2 Electrocomp 269 +43/8 Experian 1070 -3 +1/2 G4S 2561/4 Hays 1213/4 +3 Homeserve 2611/4 +21/4 Menzies J 7801/2 +2 1 Rentokil 110 /2 +7/8 Smiths News 2233/4 -1/4 Wolseley £32 +3/4 IT HARDWARE ARM Hldgs 9951/2 -51/2 Spirent Comms 99 -1 TOBACCO Br Am Tob £313/4 +1/2 Imperial Tobacco £225/8 +1/4 LEISURE & HOTELS
Bwin.Party Digital 1171/4 Carnival £217/8 Compass Grp 9171/2 easyJet 1506 Enterprise Inns 1411/8 FirstGroup 1191/4 Go-Ahead Gp 1652 Greene King 851 Intercontl Htls 1908 Intl Cons Airl 382 Ladbrokes 1703/8 Mitchells & Butlers 4263/8 Natl Express 2623/4 Rank Org 1291/8 Stagecoach Group 3695/8 TUI Travel 390 Whitbread £353/8
+21/4 +1/4 +6 +32 +23/4 +11/4 +2 +41/2 +11 +7 -7/8 +15/8 +33/4 -1/4 +31/8 +61/4 +3/8
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TOURIST RATES Tourists going abroad can expect the following rates for sterling: Australia..................... 1.73 dollars Bangladesh................ 119.40 taka Brazil............................ 3.40 reals Canada...................... 1.65 dollars China ........................... 8.86 yuan Czech Republic .... 29.99 korunas Denmark..................... 8.42 krone Euro.............................. 1.13 euro Hong Kong............... 12.01 dollars Hungary................. 320.64 forints India........................ 89.23 rupees Japan......................... 159.78 yen Mexico ...................... 18.76 pesos New Zealand ............. 1.83 dollars Norway ....................... 9.63 krone Pakistan................ 164.68 rupees Philippines ................ 61.69 pesos South Africa................ 15.74 rand South Korea............. 1495.00 won Sri Lanka .............. 201.43 rupees Sweden..................... 10.24 krona Switzerland................ 1.38 francs Taiwan ..................... 42.22 dollars Turkey...................... 3.15 new lira USA ........................... 1.56 dollars
KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
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Making more of social media THERE’S no getting away from it! Social media is playing an increasingly important part in business. And companies need to harness the power of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get the message across about their products and services. That’s the view of Nicola Mellor, who runs Pepamint, a Slaithwaite-based business focusing on social media management. “Social media is changing all the time,” she says. “It’s about being interactive and communicating with customers and potential customers in a way that gets a business’s message across.” But for many firms, social media is still unfamiliar territory and owner-managers unversed in the world of Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram need guidance through the social media maze. Says Nicola: “Social media is changing daily and has an impact in everyone’s lives in business and at home. “Lots of businesses are wanting to get involved with social media, but they don’t always have the time to do it themselves or the skills. “We could see the need for a service that helps businesses to have an online social media presence. “We have created a service that can help businesses with their online presence by managing it for them, effectively and successfully. “We create bespoke packages which are tailored to each business and work on the social media platforms that suits them the most.” Nicola says all businesses should have an effective way of using online social sites – but a big difficulty to overcome is deciding which platforms are the most suitable. “Ideally, a business should choose one platform on which to concentrate their efforts,” she says. “Facebook is more B2C –
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Nicola Mellor Role: Owner Age: 26 Family: Partner Elliott Car: Vauxhall Astra Holidays: Walking in the Lake District; Crete and the Mediterranean; Vietnam is on my wish list! First job: Waitressing and washing up at The Sands House, Crosland Hill Best thing about job: Job satisfaction. I get a real buzz when I see the client get a return for our efforts Worst thing about job: All the paperwork! Business tip: You only get out what you put in. Success only comes with hard work and effort
business-to-consumer – while sales and marketing roles firstly Pepamint in August this year, having LinkedIn is B2B – for award-winning Meltham-based also undertaking some training to horse trailer firm Equitrek and business-to-business. further hone her existing skills. “The aim is to use social media later for Initial Facilities, part of She says: “I picked the name the Rentokil Initial group, before to create conversations and Pepamint after looking for inspiration joining luxury horse transport firm from paint charts! I wanted something relationships with clients and Equicruiser selling horse trailers potential clients.” quirky and a little bit different. Pepamint’s role is to provide its ranging in price from £100,000 to “It’s a brand name that stands out £500,000 to clients including clients with a targeted social and follows the theme of providing Knowsley Safari Park.. media strategy to help the client something fresh.” Says Nicola: “I realised there get as much online “visibility” as While her business focuses on the was a growing market for social possible – and measure the online world, Nicola is a firm believer Work: Managed social media and I had always had some that companies must not neglect the results to bring more business media social media element to my sales through the client’s door. value of face-to-face contact. and marketing roles.” Complementary services Site: Slaithwaite She has taken the social media After 10 months at Equicruiser, include search engine message to networking events, Phone: 07792 006055 optimisation, website hosting and Nicola took the step of setting up including 4N Huddersfield and Email: website content, website and accountancy firm Sheards’ Connection info@pepamint.co.uk email set up, design, printing and 13. PR. Pepamint’s clients range from Web www.pepamint,co.uk One of the keys to success for independent financial advisers, media business online is to stand out and marketing agencies and a from the crowd, says Nicola. recruitment firm to a lettings agency, And the results from taking a businesses in the health and beauty sideways look at things can be sector and a company manufacturing Yorkshire Show and I have won a somewhat unexpected. cardboard boxes. number of championships, but Says Nicola: “Just recently, I Her clients include ones in Kirklees business is taking priority. tweeted a picture of a Fairy Liquid and Calderdale, but also as far afield “It’s all about feeding, grooming and bottle on top of a Christmas tree as Lancashire and London. and just asked the question “I like to go and see them and talk to muck-out at the moment! But I still like ‘what’s going to be on your them,” says Nicola. “You build a better to be out riding four times a week and I also like walking Tia, my pet Staffie.” Christmas tree?’. relationship when you can see them And her ambitions for Pepamint? “I’d “Someone got back to me and and you understand their business like to become a limited company by offered to put some work my way better. the end of next year,” she says. – just because the tweet had “People buy from people. It is all “My aim is to become a full service made him laugh!” about forging a relationship and agency offering everything in-house Nicola admits her role at building up trust. I’m very much a Pepamint is a far cry from her with a specialist team for each people pleaser!” schoolgirl dream of a career Nicola is happily very busy with individual service. working with horses. work – but retains a love for horses. ■ ONLINE: Nicola Mellor, of “There are still plenty of Nicola was brought up in “I have two horses – Tiko and social media agency Pepamint, opportunities.” Crosland Moor and attended Minstrel – but work does take over,” one of the keys to success for Holmfirth High School, where her businesses using social media is she says. “I used to compete in HENRYK ZIENTEK ambitions were entirely dressage at events such as the Great to stand out from the crowd equestrian. She gained a BTEC As things get better, national continue to keep your diploma in labour costs down equine by using our reliable management temp staff as and R at when you need them. Huddersfield We take on the Technical College, but admin burden - you her career We supply appropriately qualified and skilled people to any workplace. pay us later! path took her into sales and marketing. She International House, Chapel Hill, Huddersfield HD1 3EE Tel: 01484 351010 worked in
Pepamint
www.stafflex.co.uk
local
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Agency provides broadband boost A MARKETING agency has celebrated success with the launch of a regional broadband campaign. Shelley-based online marketing agency Design That Fits have been working with a West Yorkshire initiative to identify demand for superfast broadband as part of a larger nationwide campaign. The Superfast West Yorkshire project aims to improve access to high speed and superfast broadband in the West Yorkshire area, identifying the need for improved services in order to aid business growth in the region. Design That Fits has worked closely with the campaign to develop a series of online marketing resources, including a website and email marketing newsletters. Since the project’s official launch last month, the website has seen a “fantastic” response in businesses and individuals throughout the area, with more than 2,000 registering their demand for better broadband to date. David, a director at Design That Fits, said: “As a local business operating from a rural part of Kirklees, we understand the importance of a good internet infrastructure and see this as a key factor in our own growth in years to come. “We would encourage businesses throughout the area to visit the website and register their demand for better broadband.” Superfast West Yorkshire aims to improve both access and take-up of broadband and superfast broadband in the area and is supported and funded by the West Yorkshire local authorities and Broadband UK – part of the Department for Communities and Local Government – as well as the European Union.
Festive Friday A NETWORKING group is to stage its final meeting of 2013 this week. The Last Friday Club has moved its last get-together of 2014 to Friday, December 20. The event takes place from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at V Bar Eleven in Halifax.
KIRKLEES BUSIN
Another dilemma for the employer DIFFICULT dilemma employA ers often face relates to the point at which it becomes fair to
dismiss an employee who has been absent from the business for a lengthy period of time because of illness or injury. There are a number of factors to consider before arriving at the decision to dismiss, which have been updated in a recent case in the Scottish Court of Session. Turning firstly to documentation, an employer must ensure that it complies with its own absence procedures and any terms of the contract relating to ill health dismissals. For example, absence policies will commonly provide a particular process for dismissal, involving a meeting, right to representation and a right of appeal. The contract should set out the notice provisions which apply in the event of termination. Importantly, the employer has a duty to investigate the nature, extent and duration of the illness. It is likely that a business will be expected to regularly obtain medical evidence; this could be via the employee’s own GP, consultant or an external occupational health provider. At the point at which dismissal is being considered, it is vital that this evidence is as up-to-date as possible, as the expert’s opinion will have a significant bearing on the overall decision. Aside from obtaining regular medical evidence, the employer should keep in regular contact with the employee. Usually, this will be via
EMPLOYER’S BRIEF Daniel J Krigers
face-to-face meetings, with a common adjustment being that meetings take place at the employee’s home. This is a particularly good idea if the cause of the absence is the work environment – such as work related stress. Employees on long-term sickness absence may be protected under the Equality Act if their illness amounts to a disability. In such circumstances, there is a positive duty on the employer to consider whether any reasonable adjustments could be implemented which would facilitate a return to work. This might include adjustments to the employee’s duties, workplace or working conditions. Again, the employer should seek medical advice on whether any adjustments could be put in place. The business should always consider whether there are feasible alternatives to dismissal. They could be redeployed to other areas of the business; a common example would be where an employee working in a manual role is redeployed to a clerical position following a long-term phys-
ical injury. The recent case before the Court of Session has added to the above and clarified certain matters. It was held that it needs to be determined whether the employer could have waited any longer to dismiss, taking into account the size of the business, whether sick pay entitlements had been exhausted, the role which was being performed and whether anyone could adequately perform the role in their absence. The Court also placed emphasis on the need to discover the employee’s medical condition and likely prognosis, balancing this opinion against the employee’s own views prior to taking the decision to dismiss. The above points highlight the very detailed process which an employer must follow to avoid claims in unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. Chadwick Lawrence will soon be running seminars to the business community on this topic, with dates to be announced in the New Year.
Daniel J Krigers is an employment law solicitor at Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors
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HUDDERSFIELD-based First4lawyers is celebrating after being named Claims Management Company of the Year – for the second year running. The firm, based at Dundas Street, lifted the sought-after trophy at the Eclipse Proclaim Personal Injury Awards 2013 held at the Park Plaza Riverbank, London. The awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate the excellence of individuals and organisations across the personal injury claims sector. In their citation, the judges said: “First4lawyers proved that it has an excellent understanding of its clients and a great business model. It is a claims management company that approaches things ‘the right way’. First4lawyers’ entry was also backed up by a number of strong testimonials.” First4lawyers is a leading marketing company specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence law. Established in 2008, it represents an expanding panel of more than 30 personal injury law firms, including many of the country’s top 100
THEY’RE a real Five Kirklees an companies have alongside some names in busine Stock Exchange to Inspire Britain The report is a c of the fastest-gr dynamic small a enterprises in th As well as ident companies, the in detail the opp challenges facin the sectors and shape the future Making the top 1 Brockholes-bas metal design an Allsop Ltd; Miln lubricants and o Batoyle Ltd; Bra drink suppler Ca global brand im Principle Ltd an specialist floorin Resdev Ltd. They join a host on the list, inclu Aardman Anima Metro Bank. To be selected f had be UK-base £6m to £250m in and have been i minimum of thre they had to dem growth in reven years and an inc numbers, works or patent filings The research pa of the British ec manufacturing a a fifth of the com 105 technology the list. More tha represented from region of the UK Greater London companies out o companies com and the Humber
Christm
■ FIRST PLACE: Donna Henshaw (front, left) with colleagues (back row, from left) Shonagh Aswat, Emma Rouse, Tim Felkin, Gemma Turner, Katie Oliver abd (front) Maria McLaughlin, Mel Aked and Rebecca Stead practices. If a consumer has sustained an injury from an accident which was someone else’s fault First4lawyers will put them in touch with a specialist solicitor so they can seek redress for the damage they have sustained. Chris Rodgers, head of business development at First4lawyers, said: “Being named Claims Management Company of the Year for the second year running is a real achievement.
Five firm so insp
“We’re thrilled that the team has been recognised once again for its hard work and commitment to delivering excellent service for our clients and panel of solicitors.” He said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy to fraud, exhaustively monitoring new claims and filtering potentially suspect ones in-depth. “Our staff are trained on the triggers and constantly seek new indicators of criminality.”
DELEGATES to a tomorrow have b the festive spirit. The Lockwood-b Chamber of Com local businesses final MY Network and bring along donate to the Hu at The Welcome can find a list of needed goods at www.thewelcome The event, run by partners Better T Solicitors and Th take place from 9 The Media Centr Street, Huddersf Chamber spokes Greenhough said networking even opportunity to m new contacts in Go to www.mycc
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inspiration. nd Calderdale e been ranked e of the biggest ess in the London e’s 1,000 Companies n report. celebration of some rowing and most and medium-sized he UK. tifying 1,000 publication examines portunities and ng SMEs and looks at d trends that will e of the UK economy. 1,000 are sed precision sheet nd engineering firm nsbridge-based oils manufacturer adley-based food and Caterers Choice Ltd; mplementation group nd Elland-based ng manufacturer
t of household names uding Mulberry, ations, Moonpig and
for the list, companies ed, have turnover of n the last 12 months in operation for a ee years. In addition, monstrate a positive ue over the last four crease in employee space, contract wins s. aints a vibrant picture conomy – with accounting for almost mpanies listed and businesses making han 100 sectors are m across every K. n accounts for 267 of the 1,000 with 85 ming from Yorkshire r.
mas spirit
a networking event been urged to get into . based Mid Yorkshire mmerce is inviting s to take part in the k event of the year – tinned goods to uddersfield food bank Centre. Attendees the most urgently t mecentre.org. by the chamber and Telecoms, Ramsdens he Media Centre, will 9am to 11.30am at re in Northumberland field. swoman Rebecca d: “It is an informal nt providing a great make some valuable a relaxed setting.” ci.co.uk/events
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Resolutions for retailers A RETAIL expert has urged “Jekyll and Hyde” traders to make a new year’s resolution to put customers first. Kate Hardcastle, co-founder of business transformation specialist Insight with Passion, said the recession had provided valuable lessons for retailers – but that some of the lessons had yet to be learned. “The businesses that have come through the recession in good shape have invested in the customer and their brand,” she said. “They have seen the recession as an opportunity and they have shown confidence in their offer. “But some companies have come across as ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. They hit the hard times, cut back and as a result they neglect the customer. They renege on what they have been doing. Customer service becomes unfriendly. “What the customer is looking for in a recession or challenging times is consistency, flexibility and value for money – not just price. A lot of companies are working only on price, but if you get the value right, people will come.” Insight with Passion has certainly been consistent in its efforts to support retailers and other businesses during an eventful 2013. The company, based at the Media Centre in Huddersfield, has conducted workshops for hundreds of businesses ranging from garden centres to travel agencies on issues such as customer service, innova-
■ CHALLENGE: Kate Hardcastle of Insight With Passion
tion and marketing. Among its activities, it has worked with Kirklees Council and several companies which are hoping to see some benefits to business from the arrival of the Tour de France next year. Said Kate: “Small business owners don’t have the time to spend seeing what other people are doing as best practice. If they do get that information, they don’t always know what to do with it. It’s our job to work as ‘translators’. She said: “From September onwards, we have had more enquiries from UK businesses than we
have ever had. People who have been able to survive the recession now need to know what their next step should be.” Kate also works with retailers overseas in locations including Paris, Milan, New York and Sydney. She said: “Other countries are doing better than us. They are looking at what they can offer in retailing that is different. “Town centres have to be places to socialise, places to dwell and spend time rather than just shop. There are retailers who are still not prepared to open after 5.30pm.” At a time when increasing focus is on internet shopping, Kate stresses: “Between 60% and 70% of purchases are still made in-store. “But customers can get out of the habit of going shopping and the internet will not stop growing. “As well as the bricks-and-mortar, a retailing business’ best asset should be its people. Rent and rates are very important, but there are so many things retailers can do to set themselves up and create an environment where people will visit.” And she said: “What Huddersfield really needs now is something that sets the town apart – and it is the independent shops that can create such a compelling offer. “We need niche shops providing individual advice and support. Local shops can compete with supermarkets that come into local areas. It’s all about being compelling to your customers.”
Page 5 Building society wins more awards A BUILDING society with roots in Huddersfield has won a string of awards. Yorkshire Building Society took two prizes in the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards – winning in the lenders’ Customer Service/Treating Customers Fairly and large lenders’ Community Services categories. It also scooped the title of Best Overall Bank/Building Society in The Personal Finance Awards 2013/14, which is voted for by 14,000 consumers. Andy Caton, corporate development director at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “Forging strong relationships with our customers and local communities is at the heart of what we do so we’re delighted to have received these awards. “We are proud to have won the Mortgage Finance Gazette award for Customer Service/Treating Customers Fairly for the second consecutive year – we continue to perform well in industry customer satisfaction surveys and winning this category is additional recognition from our peers, which is very welcome. “The success of our group-wide Actionteering programme – acknowledged by the Community Services award – and the growing and varied group of good causes which has benefited, demonstrates the enthusiasm of our people towards making a difference in the communities where they live and work. “In addition to the industry recognition, consumer votes which won us the Best Overall Bank/Building Society in The Personal Finance Awards 2013/ are another pleasing show of support from the people who matter most, our customers.” In the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards, the Bradford-based Yorkshire was highly commended in the category for Best Online Lender and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society – part of the Yorkshire Building Society Group – was highly commended in the categories of Best National Building Society and Best Overall Lender.
£12m in loans for firms
Key advice over Self-Assessment
HUDDERSFIELD companies have received £12m from NatWest under the Funding for Lending Scheme, according to the bank. More than 100 firms in the town have taken loans with NatWest under FLS since the scheme was launched in August last year. In addition, NatWest has being contacting its Huddersfield SME customers offering to lend a total of £12m more in a bid to drive growth. Across West Yorkshire, the bank is offering SMEs £158m in new lending. The Bank of England revealed that Royal Bank of Scotland, which includes NatWest, has increased net lending through FLS by £245m in the last quarter. Recent figures also show that demand for lending is improving across the UK, with SME loan and overdraft applications up by 6% quarter-on-quarter. RBS and NatWest made an initial £4bn available to customers across the UK and has now increased the pot to £10bn –
TAX chiefs are urging first-time Self Assessment filers who haven’t sent in a return to register for its online services now – and avoid a rush to beat the January 31 deadline. Registration can take up to seven working days to complete, as the final step involves HM Revenue & Customs sending an activation code in the post. Individuals can register by visiting www.hmrc.gov.uk/signup and following the on-screen instructions. Newcomers to Self Assessment in 2012/13 include parents with incomes above £50,000 who received Child Benefit payments from January 7, 2013. They have to pay a tax charge based on their incomes and how much of the benefit they received in the 2012/13 tax year. January 31 is also the deadline for paying any tax owed for 2012/13. Taxpayers owing less than £3,000 who want HMRC to collect the tax they owe through next year’s tax code, must submit their online return by midnight on December 30. For general advice, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa or call the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 2003310.
allowing its relationship managers to contact thousands more SMEs in the coming months. Ian Cowie (pictured), chief executive of business and commercial banking for NatWest and RBS, said: “Up until now, we
have lent £12m to businesses in Huddersfield through the Funding for Lending scheme. “We are the UK’s biggest lender to SMEs and that is great news but we want to do more. “That is why we are now proactively speaking to customers to let them know how much we could lend to them if they want to invest. “That presents opportunities for SMEs and will benefit the local economy here in Huddersfield.” Proactively approaching customers, quicker credit decisions and a new dedicated website are among a number of actions RBS is taking forward in response to the Independent Lending Review. Mr Cowie said: “We want to support even more businesses. That is why we commissioned the lending review and why we will act on its findings. “We want to make it simpler for customers to work with us, boost lending to SMEs and drive growth in the UK economy.”
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
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Town get a result with Chinese trip A SPORTING link-up set to bring business benefits to Huddersfield has been hailed a success. Three Huddersfield Town coaches recently returned from Zhongshan, China, after delivering a music and sport summer camp to local youngsters as part of the football club’s international development programme. Rob Day and Dave Nicholls, who coach the Under-11s in Town’s Academy, joined Luis Alcantarilla in travelling to China as part of the second stage of Town’s partnership with the Fired Up Corporation. The first stage was a week-long business trip to China, during which a delegation featuring the Fired Up Corporation, CBC Computers, Morris & Sons, Approved Food and Stockleys Sweets, visited organisations including HSBC in China, electrical giant TCL, the Chinese FA and Chinese Super League football team Guangzhou R&F At the time, commercial director Sean Jarvis said: “This initial visit was totally focussed on forging business-to-business links. We met some great Chinese businesses and the idea was to help our business partners forge links in the country, as well as forge links of our own.” The summer camp, which was run over an eight-week period, was the first of its kind for the club in China In total, 161
■ BALANCED VIEW: Community coach Rob Day shows how it's done during the summer camp in China
Chinese youngsters participated in the football element of the camp and were taught a variety of sport based and educational skills by Town’s coaches. The programme culminated in a World Cup gala event, which was created and run by Town and Fired Up. That was followed by an awards ceremony. Town’s international development manager, Ajin Abraham, said: “Crucial to building our brand internationally was to
understand where the core success factors of the Club lie and we formulated our strategy accordingly. “The three pillars of football, business and community are essential to our growth and are our core areas of strength. Our international development efforts are based around these core competencies. This would translate into football development, business development and international development respectively. “We are extremely glad that Fired Up Corporation reflected our values and joined us on this venture. The whole programme has been very well received and there is appetite to do more in Zhongshan and Nantou. “We already are at a position where the people of Zhongshan and Nantou are looking out for Huddersfield Town’s progress in the Sky Bet Championship. These are exciting times at the club and we will do everything we can to push the boundaries with Town.” Fired Up chief executive Richard Kaye said: “This was our third summer camp in Nantou, China, but the first to include football. Interest in football in China is growing rapidly and it is absolutely right that we should be partnering with Huddersfield Town in developing the football skills of young people in this community.”
Firms failing to seek advice ALMOST a quarter of small and medium-sized enterprises in Yorkshire have never sought advice on how to boost their business, a survey has revealed. The study by Yorkshire Bank also showed that many of the firms which do seek advice are seeing “significant” financial benefit as a result. The survey suggests that 24% of Yorkshire’s 354,000 SMEs never seek out advice on gearing up to grow their business. The research also found that the average saving or extra profit made by businesses who did take external advice was £4,000 every year. If this saving was applied to all 84,960 businesses who don’t seek advice, the total saving could be almost £340m.
Across the UK, the survey found that 22% of Britain’s 4.9m SMEs never seek out advice. If this saving was applied to all 1.07m businesses failing to seek advice, the total saving could be in excess of £10.6bn. The survey also indicates that 61% of those polled in Yorkshire were convinced that good professional advice was a key element in a successful business. Some 57% of businesses seek out advice at least once a year or more, 47% once every six months or more, while 16% looked for advice once a month or more. While the main source of advice was from professionals such as accountants and lawyers (44%), others included peers (41%), banks and trade bodies
such as the Federation of Small Businesses. Meanwhile, the most popular areas of advice sought were ways to increase your business (33%), law and regulation (28%) and industry specific issues (18%). Business confidence appears to be growing – with recent SME research from Yorkshire Bank also suggesting that all businesses in Yorkshire were looking to invest over the next year. But the survey revealed that just 12% of Yorkshire respondents believe there is enough public sector support for businesses that wish to set up or grow, while only 29% said there is enough private sector support. Alan Young, regional director for business and private banking with Yorkshire Bank, said: “The
pressures and demands on business owners and managers have never been greater, therefore finding the time to seek out external advice can be extremely challenging. “It is more important than ever that businesses are aware of the specialist help and advice that is available to them and we will do all we can to help. “Through our recent Business Week programme where we hosted over 200 events throughout the UK, we got the chance to provide relevant information on the topics that mattered most to our customers. “SMEs are crucial to the UK economy and its emerging recovery and we will continue to support them and those that advise them, in 2014.”
Focus on finance in new year KIRKLEES manufacturers will get valuable pointers over finance at an event to be held in Huddersfield in the new year. Experts from accountancy firm Grant Thornton will provide information and insight into keeping a firm’s financial strategy on track at Finance for
the Future. The event, which runs from 9am to 2pm on Tuesday, February 11, at the John Smith’s Stadium, has been organised by the Manufacturing Advisory Service. It will cover issues such as options for funding future
expansion plans, succession planning, maximising tax relief on investments in research and development and patents as well as the financial benefits to be had from improving the efficiency of overseas operations. The event, aimed at
managing directors and owners of manufacturing businesses with turnover exceeding £3m, will provide an opportunity to book a one-to-one session with a finance expert to look at individual business needs. Contact Thomas Moore on 07920 563771.
Page 6 Companies urged to ‘bridge that gap’ MANY more companies across Kirklees should consider gap funding to help grow their businesses, says the head of regional funding body Finance Yorkshire. New figures show that some 17% of firms in the region are totally unaware of alternatives to traditional bank lending. Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity-linked investments to businesses and has invested more than £56m in small and medium-sized enterprises in Yorkshire and the Humber in the last three years. Chief executive Alex McWhirter (pictured) said: “We complement the funding available from the banks and we can invest in SMEs – it’s as simple as that. “We know that it is not always possible for SMEs to secure finance from traditional funding sources to achieve their ambitions and that’s where Finance Yorkshire can step in and fund this gap. “Businesses need to be aware that Finance Yorkshire is here, willing and able to provide the potential funding they need for business growth. “Many of our companies have plans to invest in their businesses which is great news for the regional economy and Finance Yorkshire can help them do just that.” Finance Yorkshire works with a network of financial intermediaries and business advisers to inform companies in Yorkshire and the Humber about the funding available to support business growth in the region. To date, more than 300 SMEs in Yorkshire, the Humber and North and North East Lincolnshire have found additional gap funding at Finance Yorkshire. It has made more than 477 investments totalling some £56m, leading to the creation or safeguarding of 6,120 jobs. Go to www.finance-yorkshire.com
Applegate gains NAEA licence HOLMFIRTH-based Applegate Properties, led by managing director Amy Wray (pictured), has received its licence from the National Association of Estate Agents. A licensed estate agency branch means consumers are guaranteed that at least one agent within that branch is qualified in residential property sales, either through a formal qualification or through length of membership of the NAEA. The new licence will also guarantee that Applegate Properties is covered by required amounts of Professional Indemnity Insurance. it will also undertake 12 hours of Continuing Professional Development every year, commit to keeping up to date with industry developments and be bound by the NAEA’s Rules of Conduct. The NAEA represents about one in three estate agents in the UK.
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VERY client is unique and individual – and always receives the best possible bespoke service from Huddersfield’s long established chartered accountants Walker & Sutcliffe in Greenhead Road on the edge of the town centre.
Managing Partner Nick Ledgard, who leads the specialist financial team, says: “Every business has different needs and aspirations and we always tailor our services to meet their exact requirements. “As accountants we are completely client focused and our initial priority is to get on a client’s wavelength and find common ground. “All businesses have very individual needs and even the different people within each business have their own goals and ideas, all of which have to be understood and analysed. “We can then produce a choice of strategies, or route plans, that will achieve all of the various individual goals within the business and those of the various stakeholders. “We help clients navigate around problems in the journey by highlighting them as soon as they become evident and suggest various solutions, or detours, to get them back on track to the destination as quickly and efficiently as possible”. “It is like having your own
financial and business SATNAV with you for the journey, giving advice and re-calculating the best route depending upon the decisions taken by the driver”. He said: “My team and I offer a very honest approach and our first job is to clarify client’s needs so everyone is moving forward in the same direction. “We pride ourselves on ‘thinking…outside the books”. Walker & Sutcliffe is already the number one choice for many local and national businesses and continually grows a portfolio of commercial and personal clients. The business was started by David Walker in 1975 and has grown over the years to become one of Huddersfield’s leading chartered accountancy practices and business strategy specialists. Today all kinds of businesses use the services of Walker & Sutcliffe, ranging from sole traders to multi-national organisations. Among the services offered by Nick and his team are business start-up advice, cash flow planning, accounts and audits, tax compliance, CGT and IHT planning, advice on buying and selling a business, payroll, management information systems, retirement and exit planning and strategic issues. Nick says “We differ from many other accountants by taking the time to fully understand our individual client’s needs and goals. “This allows us to ensure our advice is directed towards
achieving the client’s actual goals, not some presumptions of them. We specialise in succession planning to safeguard the future of the business and to maximise its worth. “It is amazing that many people leave it too close to their desired retirement date to think about how they are going to realise the value in their business, which is often their largest single asset. “All our clients are different and therefore our services are tailored to meet their individual needs”. Although Walker & Sutcliffe offers help to many local businesses, its portfolio includes customers from Scotland to the South Coast, and even overseas. Local clients are always welcome to use free boardroom facilities at Walker & Sutcliffe for meetings or small conferences. This is all part of the service and continuous dedication to its valued clients. Nick said “Walker & Sutcliffe exists to help individual client’s financial needs. ■ GREENHEAD ROAD: Walker & Sutcliffe premises on the edge of town “Through a joint venture, R B Walker & Sutcliffe, we are also working with colleagues who are specialists in wealth management. “Our aim is always to improve the Our Mission Statement financial performance of our clients’ businesses and personal “To be the first choice as auditors, accountants, taxation and assets and make sure they are general business advisors for the Small Medium Enterprise structured to perform in the most sector in West,Yorkshire and the surrounding areas by offering profitable and efficient way”. a progressive, proactive approach through a value-for-money service of financial measures and advice, enabling clients to Contact Nick and his team on meet their financial and business goals in the short, medium FREEPHONE 08000 32 32 03 and long terms.’’
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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS
Movers and shakers
Dragon tamers!
Lucia Harney-Day
Orchard Energy ORCHARD Energy has completed the final phase of a senior management restructuring process with the promotion of Lucia Harney-Day (pictured) to the role of associate director of new business sales. The appointment brings the total number of associate directors at the Elland-based energy management consultancy to four – all of whom have been appointed in the past 12 months. Orchard Energy managing director Gareth Henderson said: “Lucia’s appointment completes our senior management team and means we now have everything in place to move forward with our business growth strategy as we head into 2014. “Since her appointment as UK sales manager last November, she has been focused on staff development and reviewing our targets and procedures. “Her leadership skills have come to the fore during this time and her ideas and enthusiasm have made an impact at all levels of the business.” Ms Harney-Day joins fellow associate directors Ian Dickinson, Kath Henderson and Colette Costello on the senior management team, all of whom were promoted internally earlier this year.
Peter Cass
Deloitte BUSINESS advisory firm Deloitte has appointed Peter Cass as a new senior tax manager at its private client team in Yorkshire. Mr Cass joins Deloitte with 18 years’ experience of advising professional service firms on mergers, demergers, partnership disputes, conversion to LLP as well as incorporation. He joins from RSM Tenon, where he was national head of its professional practices team. Stephen Hall, tax partner in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “I am delighted that Peter has decided to join Deloitte. Peter will be a valuable asset to the strong team we have across the region.” Mr Cass said: “The opportunity to join the pre-eminent adviser to the sector was too good to refuse and I look forward to working with the team in growing our client base across the North region.”
James Woodhead
Findyoucars HOLMFIRTH man James Woodhead has been appointed head of sales for new online car portal Findsyoucars.com based in Birmingham. Mr Woodhead (pictured) has previously worked for Trader Media Group as new media consultant and Manheim Europe, where he held the position of digital business development manager.
Page 8
■ HIGH POINT: Carl Slingsby (above left), of Greedy Little Pig, with (from left) Chris Stimson, of Energy Saving LED; Sarah Slingsby, of Greedy Little Pig; and Cath Atkins, of Ickle Bockles, who have all caught the attention of Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis
THREE companies have been flying the flag for Huddersfield this last week after scooping sought-after business awards from retail magnate and star of Dragons’ Den, Theo Paphitis. Chris Stimson, of LED lighting specialists E n e rg y S av i n g L E D ; C a r l Slingsby, from the Greedy Little Pig charcuterie and hog roast company; and Cath Atkins, of travel accessories firm Ickle Bockles were invited to meet Theo at an awards ceremony at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre. They joined previous winners of Small Business Sunday – or #SBS – whose brands and social media efforts have caught the attention of Theo,
who is chairman of the Ryman stationery group, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue. Every Sunday, small business owners are encouraged to tweet Paphitis as part of his weekly #SBS event. With more than 400,000 fellow followers competing for his attention, business owners have to be wily enough to frame their business in a way that will outshine the competitors and capture the Dragon’s imagination. Chris, who is managing director of EnergySavingLED, said: “Winning the #SBS award from someone like Theo Paphitis has been a real boost for EnergySavingLED.com – it’s really raised the profile of the company on a national
level. Our social media followers shot right up and we began receiving new enquiries from all over the world. “In fact, just the day after, we achieved record sales, which goes to show just how powerful word-of-mouth really is. It’s amazing to have received such wide exposure, and our business is going from strength to strength as a result.” C a t h , o f T h o n g sbridge-based Ickle Bockles, said: “Being chosen by Theo Paphitis as one of his #SBS winners is a fantastic feeling! We noticed a surge in online orders following our win. “Getting Theo's stamp of approval has certainly helped raise awareness of the Ickle Bockles Brand.”
Shelley-based Greedy Little Pig’s Carl Slingsby noted how the award had given his Huddersfield hog roast and charcuterie business a new level of exposure. “Being chosen as a #SBS winner has set us apart from the competition. “It’s not just fantastic to be associated with big business names like Theo Paphitis – it’s given us the chance to reach out for national recognition. “The #SBS winner award is a hallmark that says Greedy Little Pig is a company with a difference. “We’re building our brand at the moment, and while there are lots of little hog roast organisers out there, we’re a serious business with everything that entails.”
Theo rewards sporting greats A COMPANY working with organisations in Kirklees was also honoured by Theo Paphitis. Sport4Real Ltd, run by former PE teachers Dean Kimpton and Sam Green, supply quality sports kits and equipment to schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK and beyond. Among its clients, the Oldham-based firm works with Kirklees College, supplying kit and equipment to the
public services programme. The business also supports grassroots sport, giving away a sponsored team kit each month. Recent winners include Lindley Lightning Junior Football Club, which won a prize of a free sponsored Joma Sport UK kit. The club was chosen from more than 250 applicants, as a result of it's exemplary attitude to developing children through sport.
■ WINNERS: Theo Paphitis (centre) with Dean Kimpton (left) and Sam Green, of Sport4Real Ltd