Tuesday, June 20,
Tuesday, June 21, 19, 2012 2012 Tuesday, August
www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/business www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/business
Lift off for BJB with Firm’s focus on major contract win future financessee page 12
Drawing lots! Steel Cooking up a treat: adventure in USA Young’s goes see gastro page 11
see page 2
see page 16
Offices are final piece of potato empire puzzle Embrace nature’s economic attraction
TAP in to nature tourism! That is the call from key byfigures Dave Laister for responsible Business managingEditor industrial and environmental harmony on the dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk Humber as a long-awaited report on the issue is early £3-million has been published. The 24-page document invested into from making Humber Nature Partnership northern Lincolnshire a sets out a blueprint central hubfor for the needs of“creating some the of right theenvironment UK’s biggest for economic investment,” and potato sellers. flags up the potential to bring Elsham Wold has into justthe become the millions of pounds new headquarters for AKP Group, area – with seals and migrating supplier to supermarket giant birds helping extendchip the Morrisons andtomajor traditional bucket and spade manufacturer McCain. season. A state-of-the-art office block, Full story and case studies temperature controlled potato from of the biggest storagesome facility and grading line, businesses who are leading together with extensions to by example, see pageareas four. have just existing handling been completed, with the 13-year-old firm headed by Richard Arundel moving the whole administration back into the area from York. The son of Grimsby town centre and Freeman Street markets grocer David Arundel, who also used to act as a potato merchant to the area’s fish and chip shops, joined forces with Suffolk businessman Bruce Kerr in 1999. The former KP potato storage facility which has now been substantially developed, was FFORTS to ensure acquired in 2007, when a projectthe more than beganavailability to grow skin of finished potatoes on theEuropean Isle of Axholme. 12,000 migrants “We currently wanted to show we could working across produce the required quality northern Lincolnshire are underlocally that supermarkets were way in earnest. buying in from Herefordshire, With a focus on food and Scotlandhuge or even importing,” he fresh as well as critical said. produce, “Morrisons backed us with it highly-skilled employees, are and we went to Yorkshirebosses Forward turning their attention (the scrapped regional to firming up their key assets should a hard development agency) putting Brexit materialise and labour together a plan. We then tied the movement be stifled, supply chain up and or gotworse, the re moved. funding.” Expanding regional law firm That equated to £700,000. With Pepperells set growth up a focus group Morrisons’has rapid in the to dealworld, with the withhas been retail theissue, business associate Ledbury propelledsolicitor quickly, Frances and working with to Eastoft-based L Harrison & keen work with businesses who Co, the infrastructure to allow for
Art imitates work Will Mary approve for Clugston Group high street leases? see page 26
see page 22
EXPERTS in Commercial Property and Leases Contact us on
01472 699599 64 St Peters Avenue Cleethorpes N.E. Lincolnshire DN35 8HP
SPEAKERS: Sir Roger Carr, left, and Gavin Esler. www.rjsolicitors.co.uk
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE: Richard Arundel, managing director of potato processor AKP. Picture: Jon Corken
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Top table is set Scratch for CBIdelivers dinner
Sainsbury’s salad
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 FLEDGLING fitness-focused gatherings later this year. foodie firm Scratch Meals celebrating successful for Dinner a new The is CBI Yorkshire aand Humber start Annual salad a supermarket takesrange placewith at Leeds Universitymajor. on October 10. The business on a year It will be one is of closing the firstinevents withsince John it moved fromport westdirector Londonfor toGrimsby Grimsby’s Europarc, Fitzgerald, and and in that time team has swollen from 17 to Immingham, asthe chairman of the region. 51.Mr Esler is an award-winning television and radio The Fit Kitchen brand, initially two microwave broadcaster, novelist and journalist. meals, has embraced summer, His latest book, duesalad to hitfor thethe shelves nextand month, the benefits beingthat feltcan of the as well focuses on are lessons be innovation, gleaned from as the town’s strong food cluster. leaders in how they tell stories, and will be the For theof fullhis interview founding managing subject speech with to the area’s business bosses, director Philip Pinnell, see page nine. 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
12,000 cases identified as Brexit labour risk dawns on employers
E
£20m milestone passed
further increases has now been put in place. by Dave “We have Laister taken two years to get to this,” said Mr Arundel. “We got Business Editor the grant funding for storage and dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk grading operations in 2009, and built the storage throughout 2010, feel exposed to changes thatWe could to be open for that harvest. follow thepotatoes under negotiation retreat have had in from 2010 and from and Brussels. 2011, the whole project has Andfinished it comeswith after research been the offices into just the seafood sector revealed upwards now. of“Our 30 per cent is are Eastern desire toof have more European origin, while Gary quality potato producers localDrane, to headsite. of McDonald’s this It would cutburger down on producer OSI, transport costs.headquartered There is still ainlot Scunthorpe, how 40the per cent of of potential, ittold will help his staff were not UK nationals. environmental footprint and this part oflaw thefirm world the ability The is has looking to roll to out grow some of the best potatoes support to businesses with the in the country, that is what we are Home Office documentation to majoring on.” secure permanent residency for A total of 44 people are now
A FURTHER £4-million of investment across the region this last quarter has seen the total funds issued by Finance Yorkshire climb to £23-million. The money, available to firms in northern employed, handling 120,000 tonnes Park on Grimsby’s flagship Lincolnshire in seedcorn, loan and equity linked of potatoes a year. Of that, 35,000 Europarc development, will be investments – ranging from £15,000 to £2-million – those are thatself-grown, wish to apply, with about. There may a five-year tonnes with a officially opened thisbeweek by is there to help small and medium sized businesses interested migrants facing 85 pages timetable for European nationals to growing group in this region and Agriculture and Horticulture meet their growth and development requirements. of form-filling kick-start the stay and keep on working and around another to site in Suffolk, Development Board chairman The figure amounts to 224 investments in 183 p ro c e s s. building up reasons to stay . That contributing the balance. John Godfrey CBE, himself a small and medium sized enterprises since August journey could be two years. North Lincolnshire farmer. With interest soaring were she has Recently 15 employees 2010, leading to more than 4,600 jobs created and heardwith first three hand graduate of concerns, as well Mr“There is aadded: lot of mis-information added, Arundel “We’re safeguarded in the region. In the last quarter alone, as sickening incidents racism and slight panic. We still have trainees also part of the of company, looking forward to opening the the venture capital and loan fund completed 30 stemming from the Brexit vote. legislation protect European new cold storetoand grading facility specialising in growing, logistics investments totalling more than £4.3 million. nationals who have been here some Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance andAddressing technical elements, including – the uncharacteristic weather a special business time. It ishave a question ofus either conditions brought a agronomy . TheLedbury, remaining forum, Miss who first Yorkshire, said: “We are looking forward to building firming it year, up tobut have permanent investment seen a fleet of six challenging the opening worked as has an immigration adviser on these figures and helping more companies residency could lead to Mercedes rigs brought in to deliver event is just that rewards for everyone’s at University of Hull while achieve growth in the coming months. citizenship, or they can have the potatoes as to acustomers, with“We the hard work. qualifying solicitor, said: “We urge established and early stage companies permanent residency andonly keep their to continue to speak to us to see if Finance primary route Morrisons’ have found that there are packing a “The new facility will not European nationality . We have operations Harrogate. significantnear amount of people, and a enable us to meet the demand of been Yorkshire can help turn their ambitions into a reality.” doing these applications a long Supported by the European Union, it has attracted significant amount of businesses our biggest customers, but for we’ve Keen to cultivate a prosperous time. A lot of people don’tthe know it £30-million investment from the European Regional affected people are forced future for ifLincolnshire potatoto leave.also successfully improved can beand done, especially businesses. Development Fund, £15-million from Yorkshire farmers, 32,000sq ft storage and quality freshness of our “Therethe is a lot of uncertainty, Forward’s Single Programme, and £45-million match Employers wouldn’t have facility andtwo 4,000 sq ft twowhat storey potatoes by reducing there are positions, we funding from the European Investment Bank. office – which drew handling ● Continued on page 8 and using don’tdevelopment know and what we can guess transportation, For information visit www.finance-yorkshire.com inspiration from Genesis Office the latest cold store technologies.”
CONTENTS: P6 Energy 8 Food 10 Process/Chemicals 16 Ports & Logistics 18-19 Business Support 20 Training 21 Careers 22 Commercial Vehicles 23 Commercial Property 28 Laister’s Last Word CONTENTS: Energy P6 Chemicals P8 Ports and Logistics 10 Business Support 12 Careers 14 Business Solutions 15 Food 16 Training 17 Commercial Vehicles 18 Diary 20 Commercial Property 21
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