Tuesday, June2017 19, 2012 2012 Tuesday, August 21, Tuesday, August 15,
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Six months in,on we sit Firm’s focus down new CEO futurewith finances
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She’s electric! Cooking up aGreen treat: car guru gets Zappi-d Young’s goes gastro see page 4 see page 16
Huge logistics investment Offices are final piece takes teamempire to a new level of potato puzzle
by Dave Laister by Dave Laister Business Editor
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE: Richard Arundel, managing director of potato processor AKP. Picture: Jon Corken
Business Editor dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk
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dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk
AST-growing South Bank logistics operator East early hasa been Trans£3-million has made £1.6 invested into making million investment in a northern Lincolnshire a new, high-quality warehousing hub for facilitycentral to capitalise onthe theneeds rapid ofgrowth someinof the transactions. UK’s biggest online potato sellers. The Stallingborough-based Elsham Wold has just become the business, one of the Humber’s new headquarters AKP Group, leading integratedfor logistics supplier to supermarket giant suppliers, has invested in the Morrisons and major chip 40,000 sq ft, high-bay warehouse, manufacturer McCain. to win a enabling the business A state-of-the-art office block, major new customer. temperature controlled potato is The significant new contract storage grading line, with a facility leading and medical supplies together with extensions to jobs company . A total of 16 new existing handling have just are being created,areas bolstering the been completed, with the 100 staff at the £18 million 13-year-old firm headed by Richard turnover business. Arundel the East whole It also moving represents Trans’ administration area first move intoback “pickinto andthe pack” from York. logistics – a growing market The son Grimsby town driven byofconsumers and centre and Freemanfavouring Street markets businesses the speed grocer David Arundel, who also and convenience of online used to act as a potato merchant to purchasing – taking the business the area’s fish and chip shops, to a new level. joined with Suffolk The forces investment means East businessman Bruce in 1999.a Trans can now offerKerr customers The former KPsq potato storage total of 200,000 ft of newly-built facility which has now been or recently refurbished substantially was on warehousingdeveloped, over nine acres, acquired in 2007, when a project the doorstep of Britain’s biggest began to tonnage, grow skin finished port by Immingham, potatoes Isle with 75 on perthe cent of of theAxholme. UK’s manufacturers, importers and “We wanted to show we could exporters fourquality hours’ drive produce thewithin required time. that supermarkets were locally buying in from Herefordshire, Managing director Paul Scotland even“This importing,” he Hicklingor said: is a major, said. “Morrisons backed with it long-term investment forusthe and we went to Yorkshire business. It enhances ourForward ability to serve existing and new (the scrapped regional customers requiring reliable, development agency) putting secure and cost-effective logistics together a plan. We then tied the and underpins supply chain up our and position got the as the leading company in the Humber funding.” region for high-class That equated to £700,000. With warehousirapid ng. growth in the Morrisons’ “Although the business Humber has is anbeen retail world, the important hub forand logistics, there propelled quickly, working is very limited availability of & with Eastoft-based L Harrison high-class, modern storage Co, the infrastructure to allow for
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64 St Peters Avenue Cleethorpes N.E. Lincolnshire SPEAKERS: Sir Roger Carr, left, DN35 and Gavin 8HPEsler.
Top table is set for CBI dinner
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Sir Roger Carr, president of the CBI and Gavin Esler, best known for his role as a presenter on BBC Newsnight, have been confirmed as the guest speakers at one of the region’s leading business gatherings later this year. The CBI Yorkshire and Humber Annual Dinner takes place at Leeds University on October 10. It will be one of the first events with John Fitzgerald, port director for Grimsby and Immingham, as chairman of the region. Mr Esler is an award-winning television and radio broadcaster, novelist and journalist. His latest book, due to hit the shelves next month, focuses on lessons that can be gleaned from leaders in how they tell stories, and will be the subject of his speech to the area’s business bosses, and their guests. For more information about the dinner, which is frequently well represented by the South Bank and features a drinks reception within Parkinson Court, home to the famous Marks & Spencer archive and art gallery, e-mail katya.menhennet@cbi.org.uk or visit http://yorkshire-annual-dinner.eventbrite.com
your daily port of call £20m milestone passed further increases has now been put in place. “We have taken two years to get to this,” said Mr Arundel. “We got the grant funding for storage and grading operations in 2009, and built the storage throughout 2010, to be open for that harvest. We have had potatoes in from 2010 and 2011, and the whole project has been finished with the offices just now. “Our desire is to have more quality potato producers local to this site. It would cut down on transport costs. There is still a lot such as this the offacilities potential, it will helparound the estuary. environmental footprint and this part of the world has theis ability to “The new warehouse grow some to of the the latest best potatoes in equipped standards the country, that is what we are to and is technically far superior majoring on.”facilities – in some many other cases storage amounts no more A total of 44 people areto now
STRONG TEAM BEHIND ME: Paul Hickling, managing director, unveils the £1.6 million investment that is driving East Trans forward. Left, pick and pack. Park on Grimsby’s flagship employed, handling 120,000 tonnes Europarc development, will be and ofthan potatoes year. that,or 35,000 a bigabox inOf a field on an from having a dozen vehicles tonnes are self-grown, with a officially opened this week industrial estate. turnover of £1 million to by growing group in this region and Agriculture and Horticulture operating more than 100 HGVs “Our expanded storage capacity Development Board chairman around another site in Suffolk, and 160 trailers. has already the paidbalance. dividends by John Godfrey CBE, himself a contributing enabling us to provide a pick and North Mr Lincolnshire Aarosin, former farmer. Recently 15 employees were pack service to agraduate major new Bondholders chair, said: “We’re Mr Arundel added: “We’re added, with three customer, supported by full fibre now well positioned for further looking forward to opening the trainees also part of the company, connectivity ourlogistics site which new growth as existing and cold store and grading facility specialising inacross growing, gives the client 24/7 visibility and prospective clients respond to the – the uncharacteristic weather and technical elements, including instant stock ever-growing agronomy . The information.” remaining conditions havedemand broughtfor usonline a purchase and fulfilment, which East Trans year, but the opening investment hasserves seen amore fleet than of six200 challenging require much more for sophisticated clients, including many whom event is just rewards everyone’s Mercedes rigs brought in for to deliver logistics it has been to a key, long-term the potatoes customers, with the hard work.support. logisticsroute provider. “As new trusted warehousing and primary Morrisons’ packing “The facility will not only distribution partners we canof meet It is owned byHarrogate. Mr Hickling and enable operations near us to meet the demand that need, customers, giving our customers fellowtodirector Peter Aarosin, and our Keen cultivate a prosperous biggest but we’ve peace of mind that their stock was acquired 11 years potato ago from also successfully improved the future for Lincolnshire management and deliveries Icelandic-owned international farmers, the 32,000sq ft storage quality and freshness of our are in very good hands. transportation potatoes by reducing facility and 4,000company sq ft two Eimskip, storey which remains an–important transportation, handling and using office development which drew customer. Since then it has grown the ● latest Continued page two. cold on store technologies.” inspiration from Genesis Office
A FURTHER £4-million of investment across the region this last quarter has seen the total funds forFinance the latest and breaking issued by Yorkshire climb to £23-million. The money, available to firms in northern business news Lincolnshire in seedcorn, loanaround and equitythe linked investments – ranging from £15,000 to £2-million – Humber region is there to help small and medium sized businesses meet their growth and development requirements. The figure amounts to 224 investments in 183 small and medium sized enterprises since August 2010, visit leadinghumberbusiness.com to more than 4,600 jobs created and safeguarded in the region. In the last quarter alone, the venture capital and loan fund completed 30 investments totalling more than £4.3 million. Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said: “We are looking forward to building on these figures and helping more companies achieve growth in the coming months. “We urge established and early stage companies to continue to speak to us to see if Finance Yorkshire can help turn their ambitions into a reality.” Supported by the European Union, it has attracted £30-million investment from the European Regional Development Fund, £15-million from Yorkshire Forward’s Single Programme, and £45-million match funding from the European Investment Bank. For information visit www.finance-yorkshire.com
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