Sussex Business Times - Issue 396 2015

SBT

ISSUE 396

FREE

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

i360

BRIGHTON BRINGS YOU THE BRITISH AIRWAYS i360 OBSERVATION TOWER

FIGHT TO LIVE TOLLY PLESTED TELLS SBT OF HIS VARIED LIFE, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY

CASHLESS SOCIETY

TECHNOLOGY IS PROVIDING US WITH AN EASIER AND FAR ADVANCED WAY OF MAKING TRANSACTIONS

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WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW ŠKODA OCTAVIA

130 YEARS OF W. BRUFORD HOW HAS THIS PRESTIGIOUS BUSINESS CHANGED OVER THE MANY YEARS IN THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE JEWELLERY RETAIL TRADE, AND WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2016?

SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

S R U E EPREN

!

D E T N WA

ENTR

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SBT Welcome MEET THE TEAM

Lee Mansfield, Managing Director/ Publisher

Jenny Ardagh, Editor

Simon Skinner, Group Director

Lou Dobson, Title Manager

Harriet Weston, Amy Watson, Production Manager Production Designer

Clare Fermor, Operation Director

Mason Ponti, Business Development Manager

Amelia Wellings, Financial Controller

CONTRIBUTORS

Ben Copper, Managing Director of Nutshell Construction Ltd

Chris Dale, Managing Director of Structured Communications

Paul Statham, founder and CEO of Condeco

Ragnar Barnsby, Director at Fit Systems IT support

Ashley Pugh, Owner Christina Ewbank, of W.Brufords ACES Facilitator

Tolly Plested, Personal Trainer

Arron Hopkinson, Precision Massage

New Year brings with it new beginnings. Whether that’s in your personal life or in business, most people see January as a time to re-evaluate and get back on the track that they may have swayed from by the end of the last year. Things are looking up for businesses, and for the economy as a whole. New developments are being undertaken, and even completed, technology is rising to be at its peak of influence and accessibility and we are all – just about – used to the changes to expect in April.

This month, Paul Day focuses on 3 key changes that will arise as a consequence of decisions on how to combat IR35 avoidance.

That isn’t the only decision that’s being delayed either, as the government announces that they’re delaying the choice between Gatwick and Heathrow in the long-term debate: which should be expanded? SBT has covered this a number of times, so when will we finally know? And what’s the impact of indecision on businesses in the Gatwick area?

We look at the positives and negatives that a cashless society would bring, and also report all the winners, runners up, finalists and ‘ones to watch’ from the Sussex Business Awards.

Congratulations to all!

Our cover feature this month is on W Bruford, in their 130th year of trade. Their jewellery and watches are the height of luxury, and SBT talks to Ashley Pugh, Owner and Managing Director of W. Bruford about their history and what’s in store for 2016.

The regeneration of the Sussex coast is something that’s thoroughly important to our local economy, and the Brighton British Airways i360 is set to be a huge success, bringing even more visitors to the city steeped in history and culture. We focus on how businesses can benefit from the tower, and who is involved in the project.

Enjoy your read and I hope the new year starts at its best!

Jenny Ardagh Editor

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3

SBTContents

Issue 396

SBT

ISSUE 396

FREE

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

i360

BRIGHTON BRINGS YOU THE BRITISH AIRWAYS I360 OBSERVATION TOWER

FIGHT TO LIVE TOLLY PLESTED TELLS SBT OF HIS VARIED LIFE, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY

CASHLESS SOCIETY

TECHNOLOGY IS PROVIDING US WITH AN EASIER AND FAR ADVANCED WAY OF MAKING TRANSACTIONS

+

WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LAND ROVER SPORT

BEST OF W. BRUFORD W.BRUFORD, THIS YEAR IS CELEBRATING 130 YEARS IN THE JEWELLERY RETAIL BUSINESS, OFFERING SOME NEW ADDITIONS TO THEIR LUXURY JEWELLERY COLLECTION AND INSPIRING THE PEOPLE OF EASTBOURNE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

Cover: Ashley Pugh www.wbruford.com

Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansfield lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Group Director: Simon Skinner simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 017 Operations Director: Clare Fermor clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Sales Manager: Mason Ponti mason@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 014 Title Manager: Lou Dobson lou@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Editorial: Jenny Ardagh jenny@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 011 Production Manager: Harriet Weston harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 010 Production Designer: Amy Watson amy@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 018 Subscriptions: Linda Grace linda@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 015 Accounts: Amelia Wellings amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Published by Life Media Group, Unit1, Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by Berforts 17 Burgess Road, Ivyhouse Lane Hastings, East Sussex, TN35 4NR 01424 722733 www.berforts.co.uk

All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of Life Media Group LTD. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press.

Copyright Life Media Group LTD 2015 ©

4 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

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News

View the latest local and national business headlines.

Spending it

Kick start your New Year fitness regime with SBT’s selection of health and fitness products.

Events

On 3rd December, over 500 businesses across Sussex joined together at The Grand Hotel in Brighton to celebrate business excellence for the 27th year at the SBAs.

Money Matters

As the dust settles on the Autumn Statement, the Finance Bill is revealed, but decisions on IR35 avoidance are left in limbo.

Paul Day considers the impact of three key change areas.

Cashless Society

Technology is turning our wallets inside out and providing us with an easier and far advanced way of making transactions, with our mobiles, even with just a touch.

Brighton Development

Brighton brings you the British Airways i360 observation tower

Cover Feature - W. Bruford

W Bruford, this year is celebrating 130 years in the jewellery retail business, offering some new additions to their luxury jewellery collection and inspiring the people of Eastbourne.

Fight to Live

A businessman, a sportsman and personal trainer, Tolly Plested tells SBT of his varied life, both professionally and personally.

Tried and Tested in Sussex

SBT’s Editor, Jenny Ardagh reviews The View Hotel in Eastbourne, as a business meeting venue and for those much-needed short coastal breaks.

Chamber News

All the latest news and events from ACES.

Motoring

Simon Skinner reviews the new Range Rover Sport

Ask the Experts

Local Sussex business experts advise on relevant issues.

Made in Sussex

This month’s home grown hero is OSV LTD.

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SBTLocal News Over 200,000 SMEs In The South East Set For Expansion In 2016 The Close Brothers Business Barometer has recently revealed just under a quarter (23%) of SMEs in the South East, or (201,968) businesses are expecting to expand over the next 12 months, with 56% or (491,750) businesses expecting business performance to stay the same.

The quarterly survey of UK SME owners and senior management from a range of sectors also revealed over one fifth (21%) of SMEs in the South East believe their business is prospering in the current economy.

Moreover, when describing their current economic outlook, two thirds (60%) of SMEs in the South East believe the worst is behind them and that they are confident about the steady recovery of the economy.

Despite this, the study also showed that one in ten (11%) of SMEs in the South East have missed a business opportunity in the last 12 months, due to lack of available finance, with two fifths (40%) of these SMEs missing multiple opportunities.

Merger To Transform Structure Of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Irwin Mitchell and Thomas Eggar have completed their merger, creating a £250m legal business in 15 locations with nearly 300 partners. Legal services to businesses and high net-worth private client work will together account for half the Group’s turnover.

The personal injury business - 80% of which is made up of high-value, complex cases - will account for the remainder.

The merger deal will see turnover in the merged business team rise to more than £80m, and specialists in the combined team will provide a range of services to the retail, financial services, technology, media and manufacturing sectors, and will advise on employment and real estate.

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Nestle Apprentices Visit South Downs College In November 2015, Sussex Downs College Alumni members, Chloe Elmes and Morgan Steadman visited SDC and gave a talk regarding the Apprenticeship scheme at Nestle to A2 Business and Accounting students.

During their talk they gave the students an insight to their day-to-day roles and responsibilities and spoke about the recruitment process in detail. Vital tips on how to complete a successful application was a hot topic with the students, along with the free samples of Nescafé coffee.

Chloe completed her studies at Sussex Downs College in June 2015 with two Distinctions for her Subsidiary

Diploma in Business and Science.

Elaine Crawford, SDC Business Teacher said: “Chloe is a real credit to the college and shows how hard work and dedication can pay off. I hope this will be the beginning of many more SDC students working at Nestle.”

Amaris Hospitality To Rebrand Iconic Waterfront Hotel, Brighton As Jurys Inn

Leading hotel investment and hospitality group, Amaris Hospitality is to invest £5.6 million in the rebranding and further enhancement of its landmark, 210 bedroom 4 star Waterfront Hotel, Brighton, situated next to Brighton Pier.

The hotel will become Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront: the second in Brighton.

The group will invest the money to further enhance and refresh the hotel’s facilities, whilst Amaris Hospitality will

invest a total of £7.5 million to the area as a whole.

John Brennan, CEO of Amaris Hospitality, said: “We are delighted to be adding such a high performing hotel to the Jurys Inn brand. This initiative will see the hotel leverage its prime location, next to Brighton’s famous pier, with a significant investment programme to further enhance its exceptional customer service and business performance.”

Brighton Project Wins Community Award One Church, a Brighton-based project has won £2,000 worth of cooking appliances to update their cooking facilities from The Stoves Community Campaign. One Church Brighton was selected from more than 200 community organisations and applications from across the country, selected by judges because of the projects it runs that all have kitchens and food preparation at their heart.

Amy Goodwin, Community Project Manager at One Church, said: “This is

such great news. We are really pleased as our kitchen is used so much across different projects serving the street community, families living in poverty and disadvantaged young people. We use our kitchen not only to serve but to educate people on basic cooking skills and eating well on a budget. We are creative with our food preparation, intercepting edible ingredients that were destined for waste and turning them into nourishing meals.

The funding from Stoves will make a huge difference.”

SBTLocal News The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Launches A Radical New Brand The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is launching a radical new brand alongside a major digital investment to better reflect the UK’s dynamic small business sector.

The move is intended to enhance the organisation’s appeal to the ever-changing makeup of the UK’s 5.4 million small businesses.

It will also make it easier for smaller businesses to see what FSB has to offer, streamlining access to its membership services, joining processes, and campaign activity.

David Miles, Director at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “UK smaller businesses are world leaders in their use of technology and customer care. As the voice of small business we need to reflect these fantastic businesses and I think the new brand demonstrates this.”

The UK has been ranked as one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. There are now more businesses than ever starting up with around 5.4 million registered in the UK at the start of this year, an increase of 1.9 million since the turn of the millennium.

Worthing And Adur Means Business: Better Business Show January 2016 The Better Business show will take place on 28th January 2016 at Worthing’s Town Hall and Assembly, collaboratively delivered by Worthing and Adur Chamber and Adur & Worthing Business Partnership.

The day will be a mix of inspiring speakers, workshops and networking, along with an exhibition of local businesses and 121 opportunities for expert support and advice. Among the line-up of speakers so far announced are Linus Gorpe, recently successful

on Dragon’s Den, and ‘Secret Millionnaire’ Gill Fielding.

The morning’s focus will be on local procurement, business startup support and connecting with experts and advisors. The afternoon’s focus will be on growth, the future and local success stories, including Inspirational speaker Linus Gorpe, who will share his journey establishing The Raw Chocolate Company.

Martin Searle Solicitors Launching Employment Law Campaign Martin Searle Solicitors are launching an employment law campaign throughout January 2016 to encourage employers to introduce or update their contracts.

They will be offering a 10% discount to businesses and organisations who need to update or implement new junior and senior contracts. These will include post-termination restrictions, where needed, to protect the business after an employee leaves. They will also provide free up-to-date grievance, disciplinary and capability policies.

Throughout January, their employment lawyers will provide a free half hour telephone advice service for employers

Eastbourne Beach Huts Competition International Longlist Announced Eastbourne Borough Council has announced the longlist for its Iconic Beach Huts Competition, narrowing down over 50 entries to the architects’ category to just twelve.

The competition, which was launched in September, has attracted attention from all over the world and is seen as a prestigious opportunity for leading architects to become involved in a major regeneration scheme and demonstrate their most creative talents.

As part of the Driving Devonshire Forward initiative, the iconic beach huts will become landmark symbols of the town’s Devonshire ward by creating new visitor attractions and enhancing Eastbourne’s reputation as a town embracing culture and design.

The competition consists of two separate categories. In addition to inviting submissions from practising, registered architects, there is a separate category for community members to work with the project’s consultant architect, and submit designs for a community arts project hut by January 15th 2016 The shortlist designs will be announced at the end of January 2016.

and employees on workplace contractual rights and policies and procedures.

To support the campaign, Martin Searle Solicitors have also produced a series of Factsheets, Case Studies, Top Tips and FAQs covering contractual rights for employers and employees.

For free and confidential advice, employers and employees can call Martin Searle Solicitors’ Contracts and Handbooks legal advice line on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout January from 4pm to 6pm.

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SBTLocal News Transport Minister Welcomes New Route That Will Cut Journey Times And Support Thousands Of New Homes And Jobs A £120 million new link road that will boost the East Sussex economy and improve journeys along the south coast was welcomed by the Transport Minister, Andrew Jones on 16th December.

The long-awaited Bexhill to Hastings link road, named Combe Valley Way, will significantly reduce congestion throughout the local area including the busy A259, Hastings seafront and surrounding rural roads. The road will also support economic regeneration, helping deliver up to 2,000 new homes and 3,000 new jobs.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “This new south coast link will end years of frustration for local people, providing far quicker journeys across the region and unlocking ambitious development plans. This road is further evidence of this government’s commitment to improving the UK’s transport infrastructure, creating

Structured Communications Spearheads Broadband Speed Testing With Global Leader Structured Communications, a Horsham based telecommunications provider and Ookla Speed­Testing have come together to provide a software, developed by Ookla and hosted by Structured Communications that has the ability of utilising highly accurate, world­class methodologies that are consistently evolving, enabling your business to keep abreast of new developments in network technology.

The software determines how ISPs and mobile carriers perform in locations around the world with its speed-test intelligence. The software is the most comprehensive database of crowd-sourced connection test results, and offers an unparalleled resource to understanding real­time global network performance.

8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

opportunities for the development of new homes, business and jobs. The communities of Bexhill and Hastings have waited a long time for this day and now they have an improved road network to help them get around and get on.”

The Bexhill-Hastings link road was delivered by East Sussex County Council with the Department for Transport providing funding of £56.85 million. The

first cars drove along the route on 17th December 2015 and a new dedicated path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders will be completed this year.

The scheme is already boosting the local economy as companies move into a new business park next to the new route. Glovers House – a 25,000 square foot business centre – has already welcomed its first tenants to the site.

A new bus route will also operate along the road linking Hastings and Bexhill with the new business park via the link road. The construction cost includes £21 million for a range of significant environmental measures including earthworks, fencing and extensive planting to screen the road.

A total of 108,000 trees and shrubs will be planted by next April - 2 for every 1 removed due to construction.

Alternative Funding – Inspired Financing Options for your Business Having opened a new Gatwick office last June, West Sussex and Gatwick-based chartered accountants and business advisers, Carpenter Box are keen to help local businesses, from SMEs to large corporates, to achieve their growth plans.

With this in mind, the firm is hosting an exciting new event at the Hawth Theatre in Crawley on 4th February 2016 involving an impressive panel of nine alternative funders and industry experts.

Panellists already confirmed include Marcus Stuttard, Head of AIM and UK primary markets at the London Stock Exchange, Andy Davis, Author of ‘Beyond the banks’, Alan Austin, National Sales Leader at GE Capital and James Chalk, Head of Equity Business Development at Crowdcube.

The event will be held between 9am and 11am on 4 February 2016.

To book your place please visit www. carpenterbox.com/inspired-financing or get in touch with Lucy Tunstall at Carpenter Box on 01903 234094.

SBTNational News Effective Cooperation Key Business Shopping On Mobile ToToTop £53bn Success By 2024

Close Brothers Helps To Create Or Protect Over 5500 Jobs Across The UK

A new UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) report highlights why effective cooperation rather than competition can improve companies’ productivity. The report draws on lessons from the UKCES UK Futures Programme, which, through a series of ‘productivity challenges’, helps employers to pilot innovative solutions to address specific workforce development problems.

It demonstrates, across sectors such as construction, manufacturing and legal services, that with good project management and communication,

Close Brothers Asset Finance today announced that it has helped create 5729 jobs across the country using two rounds of funding from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). £30m was allocated under round three of the programme. Round five has, to date provided a further 552 SMEs with £15.5m, forging an additional 1460 jobs and safeguarding another 742. £41.4m of the funds have been distributed to firms outside of London, with 21% allocated to SMEs in the North East, 23% to businesses in the Midlands, 20% to business in the North West, 14% to firms in the East of England and 14% to those in the South West.

businesses who would otherwise be competing can work together to solve challenges they share.

The publication also cites research that shows small businesses are half as likely to have collaborated in the last year as large businesses.

Other findings include that employers identify a common goal, good project management and strong communications as the most important factors in a successful collaboration, and the main barriers to companies teaming up are the financial and time requirements.

Bidbetter To Help SMEs Benefit From Government Target Bidbetter, a company which specialises in aiding SMEs win government contracts, has launched a tailored bid-writing service to help SMEs with tender processes and make the most of the government spending target.

Last August, it was announced that a new target to get more small businesses working on central government contracts would come into force. Matt Hancock declared that the government aims to ensure £1 in every £3 it spends will be with small

businesses by 2020. Now, Philip Norman, Founder and Director of Bidbetter has launched a bespoke bid writing service, which offers SMEs the skills of practised bid writers who have worked from both a sector and market place perspective.

Philip commented: “Following the Cabinet Office announcement, Bidbetter have spent time gathering the best and most experienced bid writers across the country to offer a new service to SMEs which will help ensure they make the most of the opportunities available.”

Uk Employment Rate Has Risen The UK employment rate has risen to a new record high of 73.7%, and average pay has grown 3% over the last year. The Unemployment rate is approaching pre-recession levels, and at 5.3% is the lowest since early 2008. Over the last year, there has been a drop of 210,000 in the number of unemployed people.

There are now also more women in work than ever before — with an increase of almost a million since 2010. Youth unemployment is at its lowest level since early 2006, whilst the number of long-term unemployed people has fallen by 25% in the last year – the lowest level in 6 years.

Cathay Pacific’s New Gatwick Service To Offer More Choice And Flexiblity For London Travel Cathay Pacific Airways recently announced that it will launch a new four-times-weekly service from London’s Gatwick Airport on 2nd September 2016, subject to government approval. Cathay Pacific will be the only airline that flies non-stop between Gatwick and Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific will operate the new

service from Gatwick’s South Terminal with its brand new Airbus A350-900 aircraft featuring Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class seats. Together with the premium service provided by Cathay Pacific’s cabin crew and a state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system in all classes, passengers will be assured of the best

inflight experience when they travel between London and Hong Kong.

The new service will provide passengers living in Greater London and the counties of Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and Hampshire a convenient way to travel to Hong Kong and beyond via the airline’s extensive hub in Hong Kong.

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Spending It

New Year, New You...

Kick start your New Year fitness regime with SBT’s selection of health and fitness products

BEDDIT - SLEEP MONITOR & WELLNESS COACH Beddit Sleep Monitor tracks your sleep accurately, without any disturbing wearable sensors. All you need to do is sleep on the sensor—Beddit takes care of the rest. £65.81. www.ahalife.com

EVA SOLO - SPORTS DRINK BOTTLE - 0.7L Keep hydrated in style with this sports drinking bottle from Eva Solo.

A hygienic safety cap protects the spout from dirt for a refreshing drink every time, while its watertight lid avoids leakage both during exercise and in sports bags. £30. www.amara.com

10 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

NUTRIBULLET 12 PIECE 600 SERIES Unlike everyday juicers and blenders, the NutriBullet completely breaks down ingredients into a pulp free, delicious smoothie liquefying and mixing together all the essential nutrition to help you on your way to 5 a day! £79.95. www.johnlewis.com

pletely a r all you 5.

Spending It

DESCANO ERGONOMIC VERTICAL MOUSE

TEFAL ZC500H40 PRESS REVOLUTION JUICER

Thanks to the vertical shape, your wrist rests on the desktop and always stays in a relaxed position, even when making repetitive movements. Editor Jenny Ardagh comments: “Although quite difficult to get used to, this mouse is far more comfortable and natural feeling on your wrist than a normal mouse.” SRP £37.99. www.scan.co.uk

Make fresh juice at home with Tefal’s ‘Infiny’ revolution juicer. The clever mechanism preserves as much flavour and vitamin goodness as possible by making full use of all the resources the fruit or vegetable has to offer £120. www.debenhams.com

DOOG MINI BELTS Wear the DOOG mini around your waist for a run with your dog. Holds your phone and keys in the back pocket, the all-important pick up bags are included in the front pocket, and the elastic strap holds it all tightly around your waist while you run and exercise. £9.40. www.dooguk.com

GARMIN VIVOACTIVE GPS SMARTWATCH Enhance your active lifestyle by investing in this innovative and multifunctional Vivoactive GPS smartwatch from Garmin, ideal for anyone that loves to keep a healthy balance between work and play. £199.99. www.johnlewis.com

VIBRAPOWER SLIM The Vibrapower Slim’s platform produces an oscillating motion – much like that of a see-saw.

This motion lifts one side of the body whilst lowering the other. Exercising on a moving platform like this helps to not only work your core muscles but also your supporting muscles, giving you a fuller body workout. £249. www.idealworld.tv

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 11

Sussex Business Awards 2015:

THE WINNERS

On 3rd December, over 500 businesses across Sussex joined together at The Grand Hotel in Brighton to celebrate business excellence for the 27th year. As Sponsor of the awards, we’re here to bring you an overview of the evening and the list of deserving winners The Sussex Business Awards, held on Thursday Events 3rd December at The Grand Hotel in Brighton, was an evening dedicated to celebrating business excellence across Sussex. The sixteen prestigious awards themselves, lending to the longest established scheme of its kind in the county, were presented by ITV’s star of the Chase, Paul Sinha. In their twenty seventh year, this was a night to be remembered, with five hundred of the county’s leading business people

gathering together to celebrate everyone’s hard work and dedication throughout the county. This year marked the first time that a ‘One to Watch’ accolade was also added to the shortlist, in which seven companies were named.

This year, AJS Labels, a Littlehampton-based business ‘did the double’ and was awarded the highest accolades at the annual Sussex Business Awards. The company took the prize of Sussex Company of the Year whilst its managing director, Andrew Scrimgeour, was also named Sussex Businessperson of the year.

The venue, The Grand Brighton itself took the title of Best Place to Entertain Your Clients. Commenting on this award, Andrew Mosley, General Manager said: “The team and I were delighted to be awarded a Sussex Business Award for Best Place to Entertain. It was also a real pleasure to host such a prestigious awards ceremony, celebrating business success within our county. We pride ourselves on offering businesses in Sussex and beyond a wide selection of options in which to entertain their guests.

He added: “The team work incredibly hard to deliver unforgettable experiences which leave lasting impressions on clients,

W W

Entrepreneur of the Year...

Andrew Stenning, Searches UK’s Managing Director, is awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Sussex Business Awards!

12 www.sussexbusinessgoup.co.uk

0800 043 1815

info@searchesuk.co.uk

Unit 2, Gemini Business Centre 136-140 Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7BD

www.searchesuk.co.uk

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Sussex Events & Networking

so to be credited for our efforts was hugely rewarding.”

Another big winner on the night was Ridgeview Wine Estate who was named Small Business of the Year, whilst its CEO, Tamara Roberts, was a finalist for the Sussex Businessperson of the Year. This latest accolade for Ridgeview rounds off a fantastic year for the wine producers who are celebrating their 20th Anniversary. Tamara Roberts said: “It really has been an exceptional year for us in this our 20th Anniversary year and we thank the Sussex Business awards.

This is a great acknowledgement of local support in an ever-increasing competitive Sussex wine industry.”

Ryan Heal, Chief Executive at Rockinghorse was named as the individual who made the ‘Greatest Contribution to Charity’, whilst Brighton Pride celebrated its twentyfifth year by being named as the ‘Greatest Contribution to Charity’ by an organisation. Ryan said: “Winning this award was an incredible surprise – it’s obviously nice to be recognised for trying to make a difference. I’ve enjoyed supporting a number of charities over the years, most notably Rockinghorse, and this award is shared with the incredible team at the charity who put in so much hard work to make a difference to the sick children of Sussex. I’d also like to dedicate the award to everyone I’ve ever tried to help through the charities I’ve supported over the years.”

Rob Fawcett, Partner and Head of Property at Bennett Griffin LLP, which won the Professional Services Award, commented: “The awards night was a great evening in a beautiful venue. It was fantastic to see so many Sussex companies coming together to recognise business in Sussex.

We were delighted to win the Professional Services Award in what was a very competitive category. As a firm, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with specialist legal advice combined with the highest level of care and service and this award is a real recognition of that and the hard work of all our staff.”

Creative Pod, the Marketing and Print

Agency, took home the Responsible Business Award after judges were impressed by their own social initiative, Young Start-up Talent.

Matt Turner, MD of Creative Pod said: “I am delighted that Creative Pod have been recognised for this award.

We are absolutely committed to being socially responsible and making sure that we have a positive impact in our local community within every aspect of our work. This is a fantastic achievement for all of the teams at Creative Pod and Young Start-up Talent.”

Alan Margetts, winner of the Boss of the Year award, and finalist for Sussex Businessperson of the Year, is no stranger to wins like this. He, and his business, The Kitchen Store has previously won awards such as, Best Independent Retailer 2015 at the Brighton & Hove Business Awards, and in 2014 they were winners of the Fastest Growing Business award. Alan commented on his most recent win: “The night got off to a great start with a birds-eye film of the sights and sounds of Sussex which I thought was breathtaking. Paul Sinha

Whichever Whichever way way you you slice slice it... it...

Searches UK have a more superior range of Searches UK have a more superior range of benefits for their clients compared to any benefits for their clients compared to any other search company. other search company.

0800 043 1815 0800 043 1815

info@searchesuk.co.uk info@searchesuk.co.uk

Unit 2, Gemini Business Centre Unit 2, Gemini Business Road, Centre 136-140 Old Shoreham 136-140 Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7BD Hove, BN3 7BD

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13

www.searchesuk.co.uk www.searchesuk.co.uk

Sussex Events & Networking

was a superb host and overall Midnight Communications did a fantastic job of organising the awards – it was a stellar year. The Kitchen Store was fortunate to be finalists in three categories so it made for a nail biting evening. We were really proud to be nominated in the Company of the Year and Sussex Businessperson categories, and to have won Boss of the Year was a great honour for all the team.”

Sussex Business Times proudly sponsored the Entrepreneur of the Year award, which was won by Andrew Stenning, Managing Director of Searches UK, and presented by our own Mason Ponti. Commenting on his win, Andrew said: “I am truly honoured to be awarded Entrepreneur of the Year and it is with huge thanks to the team at Searches UK for their continued hard work and dedication that I’ve been able to achieve this. Without their help, I would not be able to drive the business forward or deliver the excellent service that our clients deserve. I offer my congratulations to everyone shortlisted and all of the winners at the Sussex Business Awards. I’m delighted to be held in such high regard alongside so many other admirable business people.”

Mike Herd, Executive Director of the Sussex Innovation Centre and Chairman of the judges at the SBAs, commented: “This year was a record year! With the amount of entries received, the judging process proved a difficult task. The exceptional quality of the entries really shined through, and many worthy winners were chosen.”

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Sussex Events & Networking

For those who weren’t able to attend, here is a list of all the SBA 2015 winners, ‘Ones to Watch’ and Finalists from the awards evening itself: Innovation in Business

Sponsored by Sussex Innovation Centre WINNER: Burleys ONE TO WATCH: Infigo Software Ltd FINALIST: Dryad Maritime

Best Customer Service

Sponsored by Checkatrade.com WINNER: Flowers Unlimited ONE TO WATCH: The Heeler Centre FINALIST: Close Brothers Invoice Finance, Posh Totty Designs

Professional Services Award

Sponsored by Vantage Professional Risks WINNER: Bennett Griffin LLP ONE TO WATCH: Classic Consulting HIGHLY COMMENDED: Yelo Architects FINALIST: Richard Place Dobson

Responsible Business Award

Most Promising New Business

Sponsored by Checkaprofessional.com WINNER: Creative Pod Ltd ONE TO WATCH: IT First Ltd FINALIST: Basepoint, Clear Computing Ltd

Best Place To Entertain Your Clients

Sponsored by Sussex Business Times WINNER: Andrew Stenning, Searches UK FINALIST: Karen Bach, KalliKids FINALIST: Emily Rae, Plants4Presents

Sponsored by Thomas Eggar WINNER: Gene Commerce HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Base Skatepark CIC FINALIST: Bonieri

Sponsored by Title Sussex WINNER: The Grand Brighton ONE TO WATCH: Blanch House FINALIST: Alexander House Hotel & Utopia Spa, Hotel Du Vin

Boss of the Year

Sponsored by Heart FM WINNER: Alan Margetts of The Kitchen Store ONE TO WATCH: Janina Cooper of The Base Skatepark CIC FINALIST: Gary Townsend, Albion in the Community FINALIST: Guy Hilton, Hilton London Gatwick Airport

Healthiest Workplace Award Sponsored by Domestic & General WINNER: Checkatrade.com FINALIST: Active Sussex, Stelfox

International Business of the Year

Sponsored by HSBC WINNER: Allergy Therapeutics ONE TO WATCH: Stelfox FINALIST: 7thSense Design, Pasante Healthcare Limited

Most Sustainable Business

Sponsored by Wealden District Council WINNER: Brighton & Hove Buses FINALIST: Glyndebourne, Stone Cross Garden Centre

Entrepreneur of the Year

Sussex Businessperson of the Year

Sponsored by Mazars WINNER: Andrew Scrimgeour, AJS Labels FINALIST: Alan Margetts, The Kitchen Store FINALIST: Tamara Roberts, Ridgeview Wine Estate

Small Business of the Year

Sponsored by Sussex Chamber of Commerce WINNER: Ridgeview Wine Estate HIGHLY COMMENDED: Plants4Presents FINALIST: Edgcumbes Coffee Roasters and Tea Blenders, Long Man Brewery Ltd

Sussex Company of the Year Sponsored by Morgan Sindall WINNER: AJS Labels FINALISTS: The Grand Brighton, The Kitchen Store

Greatest Contribution to Sussex Charity

Sponsored by The Argus

BY AN INDIVIDUAL: Ryan Heal

BY AN ORGANISATION: Brighton Pride

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 15

Draft Finance Bill Leaves Contractors in Limbo 16 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

As the dust settles on the Autumn Statement, the Finance Bill is revealed, but decisions on IR35 avoidance are left in limbo.

Paul Day considers the impact of three key change areas

Money Matters

The draft bill tells us that we do not have the definitive answer but the discussion has significantly moved on, identifying many of the changes that will happen post 6th April 2016.

Changes in umbrella company legislation from 6th April 2016 Contractors and temporary workers who operate through umbrella companies and who cannot show that the hirer is not exercising supervision and control (which in reality will be difficult to do) will be restricted in their ability to claim Travel and Subsistence (T&S) expenses at the time they are incurred, including the cost of meals or accommodation related to their travel. Currently, they can claim this on a weekly or monthly basis meaning no one is out of pocket at any point in time. As a result, contracted workers may be reluctant to travel and may also demand higher pay from their employers.

For many, the likelihood is that they will have to revert to PAYE via their agency, therefore meaning umbrella companies could lose workers. As a business we remain interested to understand from the bigger umbrella companies what their operating models and value proposition post 6th April 2016 will be, as it is also true that up to 40 per cent of contractors and temporary workers do not claim expenses so umbrella companies may still have a legitimate role to play within the new legislation for this category of worker. For example, many recruitment companies do not have an internal PAYE payroll function meaning they will need to have an outsourced payroll service, which could be provided by larger umbrella companies in compliance with the new legislation, but at an increased operating cost that could be significant for smaller recruitment agencies. We have an in-house payroll service which ensures we pay workers correctly and on time.

Contractor Services Association (FCSA), it estimates that approximately 40,000 umbrella company workers will be worse off financially as a result of these changes. Trade body PRISM estimates that changes to the current system will hit contractors with a 20 per cent pay cut on average and expects the cost of the shortfall in net pay to cost employers £7bn if they are forced to plug the gap. Employers may choose to burden this debt on consumers by increasing prices.

Following the recent publication of the draft Finance Bill, a consultation period will last until February 2016, with responses highly likely. In fact, ten MPs already tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) on 8th December for Travel and Subsistence Claims, led by Labour’s Sir Alan Meale. Although EDMs are rarely put forward to debate, it does suggest a cause of relevant unrest.

Even a Yes2T&S campaign led by trade body PRISM has been instigated in the weeks running up to the Autumn Statement in an attempt to sway the minds of politicians.

“In reality the impact of the changes for the umbrella legislation will be introduced and felt early next year before 6th April 2016”

The draft Finance Bill affirmed the Spending Review’s stance and Finance proved to be quite a trouble-free afternoon in fact - unless you’re a contractor, of course. The government announced that it will go ahead with its earlier plans to prevent contractors taking tax relief on their travel to work costs. It was uncertain whether the government would include a clamp on those not paying taxes as a Personal Service Company (PSC) or those on tax avoidance within the IR35.

Industry view According to the Freelancer and

IR35 – what next?

Over the last few months, IR35 has come under scrutiny, if only for the fact that the HMRC has estimated that £430m of tax is lost due to IR35 avoidance. The legislation is designed to tax workers who receive payments from a client via an intermediary, affecting all contractors who do not meet HMRC’s definition of self-employment.

However, the lack of clarity over the government’s next moves has left contractors and temporary workers in a state of limbo. The Chancellor did not reference IR35 reform in his speech and there is no mention of IR35 in the draft Finance Bill publications. It is believed that the government received 160 responses as part of its consultation and it is still yet to affirm its position on the matter. The good news is that it seems Mr Osbourne has heeded concerns and will not be rushing through any changes.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17

Money Matters

Freelancers breathe a sigh of relief, for now The Chancellor forfeited the idea to push through plans in his Spending Review to place Personal Services Companies (PSC) on the payroll after a month.

If the proposed legislation came into force it would have meant that 4.6m self-employed workers in the UK would have to go on the payroll for each of the clients they work for beyond one month.

Newspaper sources indicated that the scheme to ban 90 per cent of PSCs from contracting for more than a month would raise up to £400m for the government.

Essentially, a ‘one-month-then-payroll’ clause could make the operation of a freelance business untenable.

This had already sparked strong opposition from industry leaders and politicians, and there were even suggestions of a rebuff from Mr Osbourne’s own ranks. However, its

18 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

omission from the Statement does not mean that PSCs are completely out of the woods; but only that it is highly unlikely that any rulings will be made before April 2016. No changes have so far been included within the government’s consultation documents, nor has the issue been raised with business leaders in the government’s regular IR35 Forum meetings. What we do know is that the Chancellor is determined to make IR35 more effective and this means collecting more tax for HMRC. Many PSCs have become accustomed to nasty surprises in the small print so eyes have shifted towards publications from the 2016 Finance Bill.

What to expect next Making changes to legislation within any sector is likely to act as a deterrent to many, and the contracting sector is no different. Therefore, further tightening of

the IR35 legislation, no matter how well meaning, is going to come up against resistance. In this case, the lack of clarity about the suggested changes, alongside modifications to areas like taxation and expenses, all make for opposition from those affected. Clients, recruitment companies and workers need to carefully follow the legislative changes through the consultation period. In reality the impact of the changes for the umbrella legislation will be introduced and felt early next year before 6th April 2016 as recruitment agencies such as ourselves will engage with clients and workers to ensure a smooth transition to comply with the new legislation.

Written by Paul Day, Finance Director at global recruitment specialist Omega Resource Group.

Informed Financial Advice

For 10 years, Informed Financial Advice has provided professional advice throughout the South East, in a way that is easy to understand. From businesses to individuals, Informed Financial Advice will identify the most suitable products and services for you Informed Financial Advice is, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary as a professional financial advice service.

The team can provide businesses and individuals with a range of solutions to issues with regards to Protection, Pensions, Investments, Mortgages, Equity Release and Care Fees.

Darryl Tribbeck, Director and Financial Adviser, started Informed Financial Advice in January 2006 and has considerable experience and knowledge, having been a Financial Adviser since 1989. In September 2006, Robin Gibbs joined as Office Manager and is now Operations Manager.

He has been working in Financial Services since 1989 in varied roles such as Financial Adviser, Office Manager and Regional Manager.

Trevor Ovenden joined Informed Financial Advice in April 2007 as an

Independent Financial Adviser and has been a financial adviser since 1992 and specialises in Equity Release.

Beatrice Dixon joined the team in January 2008 as office administrator. She is vastly experienced in financial services, having worked for local financial advisers since 2000.

Ce l 10 ebr Ye atin ar g s

Catherine Martin joined the Company in March 2012 and provides vital admin support to the financial advisers.

Steven Hayward is the Independent Mortgage Adviser and joined the team in August 2014, specialising in mortgage and protection advice, having worked in financial services since 2005.

Corinne Benton is the newest member of the team and joined in February 2015 and also provides vital admin support to the financial advisers.

All our dedicated and knowledgeable advisors can help you with anything from Group and Individual Pensions and Protection, to Medical Advice and Care Planning for you, your family and your business.

T: 01424 434045 E: office@informedfa.co.uk W: www.informedfa.co.uk

Providing quality, independent financial advice for individuals and businesses INDIVIDUALS Retirement Planning Investment Planning Family Protection Income Protection Mortgage Protection Equity Release Specialists* Care Fees Planning Specialists Residential & Buy to Let Mortgages**

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10 YEAR

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Informed Financial Advice celebrate their 10 year anniversary, and look forward to providing a dedicated service to their loyal clients, who have supported them over this time, for the next 10 years and more to come

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Bellcrest House, 114 Battle Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AG T: 01424 434045 E: office@informedfa.co.uk W: www.informedfa.co.uk *Equity Release refers to Home Reversion plans and Lifetime Mortgages.

To understand the features and risks, ask for a personalised illustration. **Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

For advising on Equity Release and Mortgages, we will charge you a fee.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19

Money Money Money…

In a Cashless World As with every other facet of society, the way we spend and carry our money is changing.

Technology is turning our wallets inside out and providing us with an easier and far advanced way of making transactions, with our mobiles, even with just a touch

Paper has become digital. We are all aware that technology Focus has swamped the paper trail we once had, which is a godsend within the business world: no more piles of paperwork staring you down at the end of your desk, and no more bins filled high with discarded work. Not only has the desk-job world let out a sigh of relief, but retail has become all the more simple too – well, the word ‘simple’ depends on your point of view.

How many of us actually walk around with cash in our pocket anymore? Isn’t it just easier to slot a plastic card into a machine, tap in your well-memorised

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pin number, and you’re away? We as a society have grown with technology, allowing our cash to no longer circulate like it used to; we’ve become a cashless society, and we’re not just talking about your usual cash card. Losing your cash or your credit cards will be a thing of the past with the new technology: mobile payments.

Data provided by Cash Loans suggests that, in Europe, 91.4 billion cashless transactions were made in 2013, whilst in 2014, only 1% of London commuters used cash. The use of money in a traditional sense is clearly declining, correlating with the huge growth in alternative technology, such as: Digital Wallet Apps (for example, Apple Pay or Google Wallet), Contactless Debit Cards,

Email Payments and Pre-Paid Debit Cards. The good old cheque book might as well be named a myth nowadays, with as little as 1% of consumer payments made through this means in 2014 and 50% of Brits under 25 never even having written a cheque at all!

With 4.4% of adults in the UK ‘rarely’ using cash at all (only 48% of payments made by consumers, businesses and financial firms collectively were in cash in 2014, creating a predicted percentage of just 34% of consumer payments made by cash by 2024), how do they make transactions?

Payment technology has been embraced by big names such as Apple, Google, and Samsung (to name a few), who all have wallet apps - a powerful

Money Matters

means of allowing you to store and use your debit, credit, ID, insurance and loyalty cards.

Apps like Google Wallet and Apple Passbook allow you to simply swipe your Smartphone in store to pay for a product.

Now, not all consumers have devices capable of supporting the payment technology needed to use them in store, however, the access to this technology is evolving rapidly, with more retailers (such as Boots in the UK) starting to install readers to cope with Near Field Communication (NFC) for Android users, and the technology needed for Apple Payments.

Technology, financial, and retail companies are all looking to profit from mobile payments – and compromises will no doubt need to be reached.

These relationships are tricky to arrange and will redefine traditional payment chains. However, several partnerships already exist. In the UK, Apple has already established several partnerships with banks (HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank, and Santander) and retailers/service providers (Boots, Nando’s, Waitrose, and Transport for London).

Gfk suggest that younger generations are more interested in a cashless economy and more willing to accept the new technology associated with it, while older generations tend to be more hesitant. This reflects the trend of openness to the growing technology

within society as a whole: Millennials have grown up with Smartphones, Debit Card payments, online transactions, and are now getting used to mobile payment and having little to no cash in their wallets almost all the time.

In addition to a willingness to adopt these advances and changes, consumers of all ages are experiencing a rapid transition to a point where the majority own a ‘smart’ device that is capable of cashless payments.

As with any new introduction like this though, there are concerns: security at the forefront. Security is one of the greatest barriers to the economic benefits of a cashless society - not only must devices be set up to cope safely and securely, companies across all sectors must also gain the trust of their customers, demonstrating that this is as safe a way to pay as with cash in hand – if not safer.

What will provide this reassurance?

Security options such as passwords and biometric authentication, or

finger print technology such as for Apple Pay. The convenience of cashless payments is what will win hands-down with many consumers, in particular busy business people. Over 2,500 businesses in the UK are already using an alternative option to physical cash in hand: the modern day Barter exchange system.

Bartercard aims to increase cash flow and profitability as well as enable trade with 100,000 Bartercard businesses worldwide. Since the launch of Bartercard in 1991, it has revolutionised the way businesses manage cash flow. Data analysed by Chris Edworthy, CEO of Bartercard and Director of Operations in Sussex, shows that our county’s noncash economy is thriving, with more goods and services ‘bought’, ‘sold’ and swapped this past year through the

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Money Matters

Bartercard network. Chris proposes that the top five sectors active in Bartercard Sussex are: professional services, hospitality, automotive, construction and building, and food and drink. His analyses looked at the performance of all Sussex Bartercard members who have significant sales or spend through Bartercard.

What mobile payments offer that cash and cards don’t is reward and targeted marketing. With GPS, retailers can identify a potential customer by their location, and in turn offer them discounts and offers: the ultimate in audience targeting. Alternatively, if a retailer knows a consumer has been browsing for something online, they could text them a discount code to use in store

or alert them to a deal through an app.

Furthermore, mobile payments eliminate the need for paper coupons and plastic reward cards, meaning a decrease in the rate of cards and pieces of paper lost in the bottom of a bag, or ruined in the back pocket of your jeans. Businesses will additionally be able to make transactions quickly and efficiently, with minimal amount of risk – once the technology improves, that is.

The disadvantages, for some, especially now, may outweigh the advantages. For example, wouldbe thieves are undoubtedly working on hacking techniques in the anticipation of a cashless future, and hacking is made fairly easy at this point in time with biometrics used by systems such as

“With GPS, retailers can identify a potential customer by their location, and in turn offer them discounts and offers: the ultimate in audience targeting”

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Apple Pay extremely clever but nowhere near perfect.

There is also the added problem with the battery life of a mobile phone: if you’re relying on Apple Pay and your phone runs out of battery you wouldn’t be able to pay. Some systems argue this is a futile argument, as payments will still be able to go through without battery. Some remain unconvinced.

These are things that will certainly need to be developed and improved if we are to become the cashless society that is promised to us. While there are logistical and security barriers to overcome, mobile payments will revolutionize the way consumers, retailers, financial institutions and technology companies interact. As consumers get to grips with the technology and understand how it benefits them and as companies increasingly see the opportunity to profit, mobile payments will become widely accepted and will ultimately replace cash and cards.

The information and facts within this article was brought to you by Choice Loans and Gfk.

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6 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

Made In Sussex

Halal Celebrations

Entrepreneurial Spark has fired up many a new business man and woman, including Aadam Patel at just age 14, who tells SBT about his ESpark experience and his growing company

What has been the biggest challenge in starting your own Success business?

Story As with any enterprise/ startup I have found myself juggling with lots of demands and had to be creative in putting all facets of the business together in harmony. I have been stretched in acquiring a business mind and skill-set in areas such as marketing, tax advice and sales to name a few.

For any startup, finance can be a real challenge. With regards to Halal Celebrations, our initial small orders contribute to high start up costs.

You’re a very young entrepreneur.

When did you know you wanted to run your own business?

My story began when I was 7 years old, when I noticed there was a lack of festive products aimed at the Muslim market for our celebrations. Come Eid there were no cards or crackers to celebrate with.

I started my own Eid revolution, at first creating celebration crackers for friends and family.

I quickly realised that my customers enjoyed hosting dinner parties for families and friends, not only for Eid or birthdays, but also through the year just for fun.

Halal Celebrations is about bringing friends and family together and giving them a cracking memorable time.

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More recently, prior to Entrepreneurial Spark I bought a boarded up property in a run down area in Lancashire through auction. I was hands-on as well as assuming the logistics of coordinating trade for the project. I learnt a great deal, from building relationships to negotiating with estate agents ready for sale.

What’s your long-term plan for Halal Celebrations?

Halal Celebrations will be a market leader in faith and culture related greeting cards and crackers - this untapped market potential opens the door to international trade, and I will broaden Halal Celebrations’ products into gifting.

I personally hope to embrace more active corporate social responsibility such as being a business ambassador to motivate and support other startup businesses and young entrepreneurs.

How have you found the experience of being involved in the Entrepreneurial Spark hatchery?

The experience has been amazing, If I had to summarise it in 3 words it would be: Nurturing, Collaborative and Mindset. Entrepreneurial Spark has positively challenged me every step of the way. The business mindset and entrepreneurial behaviour I have developed as a result has been integral to helping my business start up in a very clean and effective way.

In what ways has NatWest supported your business’s growth and plans?

Entrepreneurial Spark really takes away the hassle and financial strain associated with setting up a business leaving the entrepreneur to focus on their business from the outset. In my opinion, the creative environment created

by Entrepreneurial Spark, especially with their free advice, training and office space, is conducive to #GoDo. Natwest has been at the forefront of accelerating Halal Celebrations through enablement, mentorship and fostering a conducive business space to work collaboratively and accelerate.

Gatwick Expansion

Delaying Tactics

After much debating, many angry business community voices and plenty of news coverage nationally, the time was here. However, now the government has announced that the decision between expansion at Heathrow vs Gatwick will be postponed until Summer 2016

Gatwick or Heathrow: the decision was within reach. However Insight the government announced in early December that they needed more time to investigate in more detail the environmental impact of a new runway at Heathrow. Although plenty of business and union leaders will likely be hugely frustrated at yet another delay, it means that expansion at Gatwick will not be ruled out until another review. The verdict will now be given in Summer 2016.

Stephen Oliver, Partner at Vail Williams’ Gatwick office, explained that the failure to make a decision over the possible expansion of Gatwick airport will put on hold even more business development plans: “The government needs to stop procrastinating and make a decision.

This uncertainty is making it so difficult for businesses to plan ahead. We are aware of a number of property transactions that have stalled in the last 12-18 months due to the uncertainty over expansion at Gatwick. With another six months likely to pass before we hear any progress, it’s hard to think even more deals won’t get caught up in this frustrating holding pattern.

Stephen added: “We need to know one way or another. Even if the Gatwick expansion is refused, at least it would give the certainty businesses need to get their property arrangements in order, now they finally know the lie of the land. There

may be new arrivals too, attracted by the settled conditions of a strong region.”

It wasn’t all bad news to everyone though. Gatwick Airport CEO, Stewart Wingate responded to the Government’s decision to postpone, again taking the opportunity to point out the clear benefits of an expansion at Gatwick: “We are glad that the Government recognises that more work on environmental impact needs to be done. Air quality, for example, is a public health priority and obviously the legal safeguards around it cannot be wished away.

“Even Heathrow’s most vocal supporters must now realise a third runway at Heathrow will never take off as the environmental hurdles are just too high. If they want Britain to have the benefits of expansion and competition they should now look to Gatwick.

“This uncertainty is making it so difficult for businesses to plan ahead”

Expansion has been in a holding pattern for decades. Momentum is now behind Gatwick as it becomes ever clearer that it is the obvious solution. We will continue to work closely with Government to take forward our plan which is legal, affordable and can actually deliver for Britain.”

Coast to Capital LEP also welcomed the announcement. Tim Wates, Chairman of Coast to Capital, recently wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to consider a second runway at Gatwick, instead of Heathrow. He said: “It’s clear from research that expanding Gatwick would cost half as much as expanding Heathrow and requires no public funding. It will stay well within EU air quality limits, even after expansion, and would result in far fewer people being affected by noise than at Heathrow.

“It is essential that over the coming months that we work closely with the business community and our partners to continue to highlight to Government that Gatwick is the best option for this area and the UK.”

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An All-Round Asset:

The i360

Brighton and Hove has contributed hugely over the years to the Sussex entrepreneurial scene, its economic strength and overall attractive nature for residents and visitors alike. Now, Brighton brings you the British Airways i360 observation tower to really round it off Sussex is a county that’s proud of its businesses, and also Insight proud of its coastal heritage. Put the two together, and you have the perfect recipe for a community dedicated to the growth, regeneration and upkeep of its assets.

Brighton and Hove, named Bristelmestune in its beginning, has grown to be a fashionable destination and home to more than a quarter of a million people. It has also become a major vein in the circulatory system of the UK economy, producing a culture of

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keen entrepreneurs, and ultimately over 12,000 successful businesses. It also acts as a tourism hub, with key features such as the pier, the Pavilion, the long stretch of beach and a large shopping centre: all attracting 11 million visitors and more than 1 million international holiday-makers every year.

Brighton is a city which just keeps on giving in terms of business, and that’s continued through the engrained culture of entrepreneurs and start-ups. In 2012, 1,620 new enterprises were registered in Brighton and Hove alone, with a 19% selfemployment rate among 16 to 74 year olds: compared to 15 per cent in England as a whole. Construction also makes up

a large part of the continual growth within the city, and many a project has made Brighton and Hove the tourist hub that it is today, including but not limited to the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF). This is a Government led, long-term project that aims to encourage and support the economic development of UK coastal communities, such as Brighton and Hove. Its ultimate goal, since it started in 2012, is to fuel economic growth in these coastal communities through projects that directly or indirectly create sustainable jobs and safeguard existing jobs. And it has done just that –since 2012, it has awarded grants to 104 organisations across England, Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland to a value of £53.6 million. These projects are forecast to deliver 7,655 direct and indirect jobs. This funding round sees £64 million available to local communities, including those in Sussex, and the Autumn Statement in November confirmed its continuation not only in 2017/18 but also for the next 5 years, into 2020/2021. In the Fund’s third round, Brighton has been awarded £44,600, provided for its Hippodrome theatre, so it can be brought back into use for live performance and events, as well as £50K for the regeneration of Madeira Drive.

Ron Crank, Chief Executive of Coast to Capital LEP welcomed this announcement of the Fund’s continuation, commenting: “This investment is great news for our seaside towns to help secure their long-term future. The coastal economy is very important to our region and towns such as Brighton and Bognor are a priority for Coast to Capital. These places need to be an attractive prospect for visitors and investors alike and projects of this kind will not only make them a more attractive tourist destinations and business prospect but will help create jobs too.”

At any one time, there are always numerous construction jobs or improvements happening over the city of Brighton and Hove: at this point in time, there are ten major developments

in addition to Madeira Drive. These include: the redevelopment of the Gala Bingo Hall in Hove, Park House on Old Shoreham Road, The Open Market, The former Royal Alexandra Hospital, Site J at Brighton Station, The British Engineerium, William Moon Lodge nursing home and a care home on Carden Avenue. Recently been completed are the New England Quarter, American Express Headquarters, Amex Community Stadium and the Jubilee Street redevelopment. All of this

adds to the upkeep of business within the city; with new investment comes new business, and vice versa.

The most recent, and much talked about development is the new British Airways i360 tower, set to open in the summer of 2016. This grand and ultramodern looking structure is set to be the world’s most slender tower, the tallest observation tower outside of London, and the world’s tallest moving observation tower at 162 metres (531 feet) high. At

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450 feet, the glass viewing pod will allow observers to enjoy views of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, South Downs National Park and Sussex coastline in all its glory, from Bexhill to Chichester.

British Airways has jumped on-board (forgive the pun) of this project fairly recently, and with their long-standing history in celebrating and supporting British design and engineering, it’s no surprise that they’ve named themselves the Headline Sponsor of the i360 tower.

We got in touch with the team at British Airways to discuss their involvement in the project, and what it means for Brighton’s tourism and business development.

Lynne Embleton, British Airways’ Director of Strategy and Managing Director of Gatwick, said: “We fly to 67 destinations across the globe from Gatwick, and employ more than 2,500 staff in Sussex, so putting our name to the i360 and helping to promote even more tourism to the area made perfect sense.”

Eleanor Harris, Chief Executive of the British Airways i360 project, said: “We are delighted to have such a prestigious British and global brand sponsoring our ground breaking attraction. British Airways and the i360 share a similar market regionally in the South East and a

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comparable international reach. We also share a proud history of engineering and design excellence.”

Eleanor commented on how important sustainability was in the design and construction of the project also: “We are also aiming to set a new global benchmark in sustainability. We are a 100% green energy venue and even generate green energy as the pod descends. We serve locally-sourced food and our building is designed to be energy efficient.”

As promised, electricity will be the only energy source used in operating the i360, and it will come entirely from renewable energy sources. The i360 pod’s descent will generate 50% of the energy required to power its ascent, plus its initial conception, design and build have all kept to this ethos.

A range of innovative design techniques to ensure sustainability have been applied during construction, including using natural ventilation to cool the building.

Consumption of fresh water will also be minimised by using low flow washbasins and water-efficient dishwashing equipment, while the viewing pod itself has thermal insulation, double-glazing and mechanical ventilation to minimise energy usage. Low energy lighting will also be used throughout the attraction.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is providing all the engineering design, project management, construction design management coordination and inspection body services. They, as a company are dedicated to sustainable engineering, design and construction.

Jacobs Group Vice President, Bob Duff stated: “We are very pleased to be back working with this creative and highly skilled team to deliver the Brighton i360. We look forward to leveraging our global engineering design and project management experience to deliver innovation and value on this project, which is expected to result in a truly unique and inspiring tourism experience in Brighton.”

Two high-profile South East professional services firms have beaten the competition to partner with the Brighton i360, including Chartered Accountants Spofforths and law firm DMH Stallard, who have each signed a five-year agreement with Brighton i360 Ltd to work together to capitalise on the opportunities which the exciting new attraction and venue will bring to the region.

Eleanor Harris, CEO of Brighton i360, “We are delighted to be working with two of the region’s leading professional services firms and we look forward to

developing a partnership where, as a team, we can do some really groundbreaking business activities which benefit the entire region. Together we will launch an exciting new networking event at the i360 aimed at business leaders from the Gatwick Diamond and London, launching in 2016.”

Alex Spofforth, Brighton Partner of Spofforths, which has offices in Brighton, Chichester, Horsham and Worthing commented: “We recognise that the Brighton i360 has huge appeal to attract business and tourists from London and further afield. We see it as being a great community and commercial asset to the region and we are proud to be associated with it as our portfolio of clients from Sussex to London grows.”

DMH Stallard retains an office in Jubilee Street, Brighton and provides the full range of legal services to commercial and private clients. Richard Pollins, Managing Partner of DMH Stallard, which has its headquarters in Gatwick and offices in Brighton, London, Guildford and Farnham said: “DMH Stallard is committed to Brighton so we are proud to be supporting yet another high profile initiative for the city. Over the last 45 years we have contributed to some of the most important strategic developments that have made the City the success it is today, including the Amex Stadium, the regeneration of Jubilee Square and the award winning New England Quarter.”

The British Airways i360 in Brighton has been funded through a PublicPrivate Partnership, and with the total project costing a whopping £46 million, so it’s doesn’t come cheap! Their own management team provided £6 million, with Brighton and Hove City Council making up the rest in the form of loan money from Public Works Loan Board and the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.

So, apart from those involved with its construction, what will the i360 do for local businesses in the future?

This investment, however much it sounds, is set to be well worth the cost, with estimations of a new income stream of over £1 million per year, which will be applied to improving the seafront itself.

The i360 is also set to deliver 440 new jobs in the region, which in itself provides a massive boost to the local economy.

The tower will, first and foremost be a beach-side venue and viewing beacon, however, for the use of businesses in and around Brighton and Hove, it will also

provide conference and events rooms at its base, catering for anywhere between 10 and 1,000 guests.

The pod itself will offer the opportunity for exclusive hiring for up to 200 people (192 people if catering is served inside the pod). It is planned to include a sky bar, state of the art sound system and video screens, which can all be tailored to events organisers’ or business requirements.

Meeting rooms will be suitable for meetings from 10 to 300 people, located in a separate suite away from the main public building. For larger conferences, the Brighton i360’s placement next to the city’s largest conference venues and hotels is ideal, and the team is working closely with The Grand, Hilton Brighton Metropole and the Brighton Centre to bring something exciting and new to support the city’s conferencing offer.

Eleanor Harris said: “There is no other venue like this on the South Coast and we have taken exceptional care to design

these rooms and all the facilities to create somewhere truly special for conferencing and events. Conference organisers are always looking for somewhere novel for pre-meetings, dinners and receptions and Brighton will now have somewhere truly unique to offer.”

It seems that the tower’s major pull will be tourists, which in itself will bring a huge amount of money into the economy and into local business owners’ pockets.

Hotels along Brighton seafront see profits roll in from tourists, in particular in the summer when the i360 will be at its best.

Sascha Koehler, General Manager at the Hilton Brighton Metropole said: “We at Hilton Brighton Metropole are excited about the progress the i360 is making and the impact it will have on bringing more visitors to Brighton. It will become a main attraction for tourists as well as Conference and Meeting clients and will enhance the city’s offer of local attractions. I personally cannot wait myself to see the tower completed

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and enjoy the breathtaking views over Sussex.”

The Sea Life Centre is another major tourist attraction that must now work alongside the tower. We spoke to Max Leviston, General Manager of Sea Life Brighton about what he thinks of this new project: “Brighton as a destination has grown in stature and reputation over the past two decades whilst some other UK coastal towns have hibernated blaming the weather, economy and any other excuse that the tide brings in.

“As time moves forward we already know that council funding will become harder to secure and departments like Visit Brighton that market the city will become a thing of the past. This is why everyone should be encouraged to support this new attraction, which is sure to become as iconic as the Pier, Pavilion and Aquarium. Yes there has been some opposition from different corners in the past, but with the 450ft viewing tower firmly rooted on our seafront there is no going back, so we should all support them going forward. Eleanor Harris has a wealth of experience in tourism and has achieved an unrivalled amount of tourism PR in recent months and this will continue to promote the city of Brighton long into the future.

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“The British Airways i360 has set itself a very ambitious visitor volume target, and if it achieves these budgets it will be responsible for bringing nearly 1m additional visitors onto the seafront every year. These people will eat, shop, park and bring very welcome economy into many business across all areas of the city, not just tourism.”

This project is not only focussed on providing an impressive observation tower to Brighton seafront, but also incorporates plans to regenerate the surrounding area. For example, around the West Pier, event space is planned to

be built, reviving the Pier’s own history as a seaside attraction and entertainment hub for holidaymakers. Instead of a concert halls and bandstand, or the boating lake that was previously there, a flat paved area will be laid, providing a unique backdrop to event, such that Brighton is famed for. A number of improvements will be made over the course of next year around this area, and the i360 is only a contribution. Most importantly, all these plans will come together to benefit shops, restaurants, businesses and hotels in the area who rely on tourism for their income.

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32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

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Wear the love Get ready for the most romantic day of the year - invest in yourself or send this page (circled with hints) to your loved one 1. Carat* - Hearts for You Earrings - £143.00 - Inspired by Brufords. 2. Pandora Rose valentines bundle - £149.00 - Pandora Eastbourne 3. Thomas Sabo - Glam and Soul heart pendant - £80.00- Inspired by Brufords. 4. Clogau - Fairy Earrings - £129.00 - Inspired by Brufords. Thomas Sabo - Heart charm - £45.00 - Inspired by Brufords. 5. Swarovski Duo Hearts Pendant - £59.00 - Inspired by Brufords 6. Heart clover charm - £55 - Pandora Eastbourne. 7. Cloqau - Fairy Locket - £250.00 - Inspired by Brufords 8. ChloBo - Hearts Charm Bracelet - £230.00 - Inspired by Brufords’. 9. Heart clover pendant - £85 - Pandora Eastbourne. 10. Swarovski - Cupido ring - £74 Inspired by Brufords. 11. Emozioni - Ice Sparkle Heart Coin - From £29.95 - Part of a coin pendant concept - Inspired by Brufords. 12.

Emozioni - Heart Bangle - £19.95 - Inspired by Brufords. 13. Hot Diamonds - Just Add Love pendant - £49.95 - Inspired by Brufords. 14.

Ti Sento - Hoop Earrings - £140.00 - Inspired by Brufords. 15. Thomas Sabo - Heart charm - £45.00 - Inspired by Brufords. 16. Swarovski - Cupido pendant - £79 - Inspired by Brufords. 17. Thomas Sabo - Infinity ring - £89 - Inspired by Brufords.

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Inspired by Brufords, Arndale Centre, Eastbourne BN21 3NW. www.inspiredbybrufords.com 01323 410264

Made In Sussex

Best of W. Bruford W. Bruford, this year is celebrating 130 years in the retail jewellery business, offering some new additions to their luxury jewellery collection and inspiring the people of Eastbourne

Ashley Pugh

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The best jewellery you can buy is often the jewellery with the most Insight sparkle, the richest story and the deepest sentiment. A store that offers the same, in everything they do, is where you want to make that all-important purchase.

W. Bruford, now managed and owned

by Ashley Pugh, has been a recognisable and often almost revered name in Eastbourne since 1886. Its long heritage – longer than most businesses in the town itself - is reflected in its exceptional, personal and attentive service as well as their expansive range of jewellery and watches.

Ashley has been in the trade since 1983, when he started as a temporary Christmas employee at a Goldsmiths store in the West Midlands. He moved to Eastbourne in 1985 to take on the role of Manager and worked there and in Brighton for over 17 years.

Ashley’s eye was often caught by the W. Bruford name – one of the foremost names in town – thinking how nice it would be to one day run it himself.

The Bruford business has been in Eastbourne since 1886 and was

owned by the family until it was sold in 1998. A Norwich-based family who ran their own jewellery business, called Winsor Bishop had connections with the Bruford family and when the opportunity to buy the business came along they snapped it up.

Unfortunately the father and Chairman of Winsor Bishop, John Kerridge sadly passed away in 2000. It was at this point that Ashley was, by a stroke of luck and trade connections, approached by the family, who asked him to join the team at W. Bruford as Manager. It was very important to them that he helped them maintain and develop the business, applying his knowledge as both a jeweller and a businessman. Ashley explained: “To be successful in today’s market you need to be both a good jeweller and good business person.

Traditionally, this wasn’t always the case. I was lucky enough to have had 17 years with Goldsmiths, where in those days a Manager purchased his own stock and catered to the local market, whilst being aware of stock turn and margins.”

W. Bruford

“Times have changed for jewellery as a trade and W. Bruford has moved with the times” Ashley managed the store in Cornfield Road until, a year on, he and the Kerridge family realised that it was in everyone’s best interest for him to take full ownership. The rest, as they say, is history: for 13 years, Ashley has led the company into the 21st Century, changing with the times, whilst still maintaining its intriguing back-story and family-owned philosophy.

Ashley says: “W. Bruford has always been a very traditional brand, to its credit, but in around 2006, I noticed a shift in the market that simply had to be pursued - there were suddenly many fashion brands coming to market, such as Links of London, Hot Diamonds and Swarovski. We had our Bruford’s own brands, but people were coming into the store and asking for these emerging fashion brands. As such, we took on some of the big fashion brands in the Cornfield Road store, as an experiment with what the market could offer, and it brought many more customers to the store – baring in mind, we were traditionally a fairly ‘closed door’ store, this was a big step for us!”

Ashley explained how he approached a brand that, at the time, not many people had heard of: Pandora. Nobody could have known at the time what a huge phenomenon this brand would

become, but as we know very well now, Pandora changed the jewellery retail trade massively: “Suddenly, we were enticing a wider demographic to our store, and that led me to the decision of opening elsewhere. We had the right stock, but perhaps weren’t in the most prominent location for it to really become the success I knew it could be,” said Ashley.

A new store was opened, with a new look and image in the Arndale Centre, taking along with it the fashion brands from Cornfield Road. The name was based upon the many visitors that had come through Cornfield Road, looking for ‘inspiration’ from the stock.

Thus, ‘Inspired’ by Brufords was born, becoming one of the first multi-brand stores in the UK, selling, fashion-led jewellery and watches at affordable prices. This attracted a younger market than perhaps had traditionally been associated with Brufords before: a welcome shift for Ashley as it opened the world of jewellery retail up to all walks of life.

With the success of the new Inspired concept, Pandora grew to such a degree

that it needed its own stand alone store, which was opened in November 2014.

This has proved to be a fantastic move, with Pandora now a major brand name on the UK high street. There was now a gap left to be filled in Inspired, and how to fill it became more and more obvious when looking at the market.

Before September 2015, there was no gold or diamond product stock at Inspired, and the opportunity came about to launch a bridal range, offering beautiful diamond and gold wedding and engagement rings. The wedding ring market is something that Ashley views as a hugely important aspect of jewellery retail, and he believes this new venture is a large stepping stone on the way to establishing the Inspired name in the younger consumer market.

He concluded: “We have always looked forward at emerging markets, and acted accordingly – so we are continuing to do just that. The high street has changed, and we have with it.

We now have websites for each section of the business, we promote ourselves in a market relevant and modern way, and certainly as a result, still lead the way in terms of luxury, high-end products in Eastbourne whilst appealing to a wider market through our store locations.” www.wbruford.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35

Made In Sussex

The Business of Being Social

Want to learn how to be as social as you can in your business? The Business of Being Social is SBT’s Book of The Month, giving excellent advice on how to best communicate with your customers

With social media having a huge impact on how businesses Extract communicate with their customers, digital experts Michelle Carvill and David Taylor are here to guide businesses in harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and a host of other social media networks.

The Second Edition of The Business of Being Social, published by Crimson, teaches businesses how to: create a viable, integrated and manageable social media strategy, understand the newer platforms, manage effective social advertising campaigns and grow a vibrant community on all relevant social media platforms and use them to understand a target audience.

Sussex Business Times is giving away two copies of this must-have book. Read on for a tempting extract, followed by details of the competition.

36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Extract from The Business of Being Social: Becoming an Adaptive Social Business Before you embark on any social media campaign it is vital that proper planning is done in your business.

Most people still view social media as being the preserve of the marketing department or press office, when in reality many areas of the business – including research and development, customer service, supply chain management, IT, internal communications, human resources, recruitment and sales – are impacted by social media.

Whether you are a small or medium enterprise, microbusiness, public body or large corporation, you clearly need to have the right approach to embracing digital technology if you are going to achieve your business objectives.

This means becoming a truly adaptive

organisation that is ready to meet the challenges and opportunities posed by today’s ‘always connected’ customer.

To ensure that, as an organisation, you embrace social media activity effectively across different functions, we have developed a simple six-step plan that will help you reorganise your business and help you ultimately to achieve three key objectives: 1. increase your profits 2. lower your costs 3. ensure a long-term future for your business.

Get your business strategy right The first step on the path to creating a modern, ‘social’ business is to have a proper strategy in place: not a social strategy, or even a marketing strategy, but an overarching business strategy that will help you guide your organisation into the future. It is important to Plan, Listen, Analyse before you Engage.

This takes the planning process a level

Essential Reading

deeper – right to the very heart of your company.

Why is this important? Aside from the fact that every organisation, from the smallest sole trader to the largest international body, needs to have a cohesive strategy in place, in the new social age it is harder to ‘wing it’ and muddle along. As we’ve seen, social media now affects so many parts of an organisation. Failure to plan at the outset could result in your business stagnating or even failing altogether.

While most firms will have a one- or two-year plan, few have a long-term vision for their business – which is important when technological advances mean that the world is changing so rapidly. Sole traders may want to think about their exit strategy; medium-sized enterprises may be eyeing expansion; while large corporations will be thinking about shareholder returns.

Next comes an understanding of your target audience(s). In the past, when there were only a handful of ways to communicate with customers, this was fairly simple. However, now that there are so many channels to communicate with – traditional, online, social networks, social messaging sites, forums – it is imperative that you have a plan for reaching people in the way in which they prefer to be communicated with.

LEARN HOW TO:

• Create a viable, integrated, manageable social media strategy

• Understand the newer platforms, including Google+, Tumblr, Whats App, Ello and others • Manage effective social advertising campaigns

MICHELLE CARVILL is a Director at digital agency Carvill Creative; covering social media, web, online and digital marketing. She is also Marketing Director at MadeSimple Group. Over her 25 year career she has gained a wealth of experience in marketing, communications and the digital arena – and she regularly speaks, consults and trains in social media, digital and modern marketing.

DAVID TAYLOR is a digital management consultant with almost 25 years’ experience in journalism, media relations, PR, marketing communications and social media consultancy. He works nationally and internationally with both small and large enterprises, helping them to make sense of the new digital landscape and adapt to meet the challenges posed by the always-on consumer.

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FOR CONTENT UPDATES VISIT www.thebusinessofbeingsocial.co.uk

£16.99 $25.00

www.crimsonpublishing.co.uk

Michelle Carvill and David Taylor

• Grow vibrant communities on all relevant social media platforms and use them to understand your audience

THE 2 BUSINESS OF BEING SOCIAL

N ED IO VIS DIT RE ND E CO

Social media has been part of most businesses’ marketing strategy for several years now, but many are still confused about how to stay abreast of emerging channels and get the most out of the long-established ones. Widely praised on first publication, this completely revised new edition of The Business of Being Social breaks down the every aspect of social media, from the basics to the most complex issues, and explains step-by-step how you can build a strategy for success.

“I covered the first edition with my highlighter pen.

Immensely practical.”

John Dodds Global Director Brand and Marketing Communications Excellence - Air Products

SE

Do you know how your company’s Facebook page actually benefits the business? Are you getting the most out of Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram? What are the other key social media platforms and how are businesses using them profitably?

THE BUSINESS OF BEING SOCIAL

How different generations, use traditional channels They will take a paid-for newspaper daily, listen to the wireless and watch terrestrial television. They may even happily accept cold calls and take time to read printed material sent to them through the post.

However, a sizeable proportion of these people are starting to use social media.

Next up are the Baby Boomers, aged between 50 and 70. Most of the leaders in the country – whether in politics, education or business – fall into this age group and they split neatly into those who prefer the old ways of doing business (they think more like Veterans) and those who understand the old Darwinian ‘adapt or die’ principle. This is whereExpertissues can guidance on building a winning social media strategy for your business. start to arise in companies: while the ‘old guard’ refuse to change their marketing and communications strategies, instead relying on tried and trusted methods, younger executives and marketing professionals become increasingly frustrated as they try to sell their new ideas to people who just don’t want to listen.

However, a recent survey by Forrester found that over half of over-65s are on Facebook and many regularly use social networks to communicate with friends, families and colleagues. Equally, many industry leaders are now prepared to blog, tweet or network via LinkedIn. Within this group, it all comes down to mindset, which we’ll cover shortly. We then come to the Generation Xers, people who, like the co-authors, were born between 1964 and 1979. This group is the last generation ever to read paid-for newspapers on a regular basis; we make up the median age group on Facebook; we’ve adapted quickly to new ways of working; and we’ve used email for most of our working lives. Yet even within this age group there are still many people who yearn for the pre-BlackBerry days when work was limited to an eight-hour day and you knew where you stood with communications. And many of these people are now senior managers!

A practical guide to harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media networks for all businesses Michelle Carvill and David Taylor

The Business of Being Social: A practical guide to harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media networks for all businesses.

Published by Crimson Publishing. £16.99.

Competition For your chance to win one of the copies of ‘The Business of Being Social: The Revised Second Edition’ simply answer the following question: What does ‘SEO’ stand for? a) Seeking Engineering Oscillation b) Search Engine Optimisation c) Social Enterprise Optimisation All answers must be sent to jenny@lifemediagroup.co.uk along with your name and contact details (including address) and ‘Business Book Comp’ in the subject field.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37

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Made In Sussex

Fight to Live

A businessman, a sportsman and personal trainer, Tolly Plested tells SBT about his varied life, both professionally and personally, advocating a healthy body and healthy mind with mixed martial arts at the forefront of a fulfilling life and, for him, career

Tolly Plested grew up in Eastbourne, and has since made it his Focus home and base for his business, First Generation Mixed Martial Arts. From the age of 7, he made a hobby out of Mixed Martial Arts, including karate, judo, Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, boxing: the works. In young adulthood, he became a Professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, competing against National and International champions. Over his career he has been undefeated in MMA (14 fights, and a pro record of 8) and currently holds 3 National titles. Although not matched with most people’s idea of an entrepreneur or businessman, Tolly is also owner of a multi-discipline Mixed Martial Arts academy for all ages, teaching individuals, young and old alike. He not only inspires them to live a healthy lifestyle, but also gives them the drive they need in their future or current careers through MMA coaching.

Many people, especially busy businesspeople, don’t fully appreciate or act on the importance of exercise. Editor,

40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Jenny Ardagh spoke to Tolly about his MMA background, his business and how it came about, the future and the overall importance of making time for a more fun, driven and intense form of exercise.

So, Tolly, you have a very varied CV and have done a lot in your life, including starting up a business out of something you were passionate about. When and why did you start up First Generation?

I started the business up just over 5 years ago, after realising that I wanted to create my own brand. I was in talks with other investors in other towns who saw something in me: they wanted to take me under their wing in their franchise.

I realised that I could create something myself; that I didn’t need anyone else’s brand. In actual fact, my name brought more substance than often theirs did. I think a lot of people now have that choice, and that they should be encouraged to do the same.

So, you have trained for years to get to where you are now. When was the turning point; when you realised this

could be your profession and that you could make more out of it?

In 2008, I faced a turning point – I realised that I could make a living out of doing what I loved, which was Mixed Martial Arts. I fought at the Winter Gardens, and the commission was fantastic! So, I went and bought my own mats and started teaching at a karate academy for £15 a lesson. I decided to rent the studio above the Gym, where I was then teaching part time. I began teaching from there myself as I wanted to do my own thing: along the years I had asked for a pay rise from the gym owner I was then working for, but he hadn’t granted me one.

I handed in my notice on the Friday, rung all my students over the weekend and started my first class on the Monday with my new mats. I was a bit anxious that nobody would actually come, but it was a great success and I realised that night that I would never have to really ‘work’ (what I would have previously called work) to make a living anymore. I was teaching people at £8 per class and for that first session, around 27 people turned up. I gave up my full-time scaffolding job and my business was born.

“My dentist, my car mechanic and my accountant are all my students. It’s a much better environment than some of the gyms you go to”

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Entrepreneur

Why choose to teach? Had you done any teaching training already?

Initially, I hadn’t considered teaching, but there were no places in Eastbourne for learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I had studied under my ‘Master’ (as we call it in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ), Jose “Ze” Marcello, a Brazilian national champion and Pan-American World champion, for 8 years to gain my black belt. The biggest thanks I could give him was to pass on his teachings. It was only in finding training partners in Eastbourne that I started teaching the moves that I had learned though.

In terms of training, I’ve passed my gym instructor training, and I’ve also travelled the world, teaching and learning in Brazil, Thailand, America, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and a lot up and down the UK. Much of what I know now is gained through learning about learning itself: how to successfully teach MMA. You don’t sit in a classroom and learn like you would other things. You go to demonstrations, seminars etc instead. Hands-on learning is the done way of coaching.

I have also always had a knack of motivating and coaching people, and I’ve also always enjoyed helping people.

For me, Mixed Martial Arts has always been an interest and has kept me focused and grounded, so I wanted to pass that grounding and passion onto others who also needed it.

Has that always been the case?

When you were younger, was there a need for something to keep your focus?

Yes, when I was younger, I was far from a star student. I would get into

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trouble often – nothing serious, but still stuff that may lead me on the wrong path. MMA gave me an opportunity to focus whatever was making me do these things, and gave me a different path to follow, and I’m so lucky that it did.

Training with the children is particularly important to me, because I know how easy it is to be on the other side of the tracks. It only takes a young lad to hang out with the wrong crowd or be pressured to do something they shouldn’t, and before you know it that’s who they are as well. Students at First Generation are immediately associated with positive role models, and are given a positive outlet rather than a negative outlet: exercise over crime, smoking or even drugs. Kids at that age are really impressionable – if they’re even slightly vulnerable, or get mixed up in the wrong crowds accidentally, it could lead to a sticky situation that then defines their life.

Has that focus helped you set up and run your business at its best?

Definitely! MMA is so much more than just fighting – it’s about technique, control, determination, motivation and fitness. It’s fantastic for giving people discipline in life – especially those that, like me, perhaps don’t respond as well to typical forms of discipline or teaching.

No one can succeed without qualities, such as respect and determination and you certainly can’t better yourself if you’re not dedicated and focussed, or have confidence in yourself. If you learn to have focus and motivation in one aspect of your life – exercise – more often than not, you’ll automatically have it in other aspects, such as business. What I learned from fighting pro is applied all the

Entrepreneur

time to the way I run my business, and I have MMA to thank for my success.

We can instil these skills in children from a young age. Confidence. Respect.

I didn’t really respect my teachers like I respect my BJJ instructor. As I said before, I was on a possibly negative future path at one point, and this business, and MMA itself has turned that path into a thoroughly positive one.

customers who can’t go into work with a black eye or a bloody nose. It’s not about that, but about focussed training.

It’s not necessarily for everyone, but I would encourage anyone reading and relating to this to give it a go. You don’t have to like fighting or competition, but I believe that most businesspeople are, in their nature, competitive and enjoy that sense of achievement.

You say you teach all kinds of clients.

A lot of our readers may sit behind a desk all day every day of the week, and perhaps some of them are unaware of the importance of exercising. Keeping fit clearly doesn’t have to be running on a treadmill, does it? What you offer shows that…

Exactly. I would say around 25% of my clientele are business people, or in office jobs. My dentist, my car mechanic and my accountant are all my students. It’s a much better environment than some of the gyms you go to and that’s shown within the statistics – most people join a normal gym, pay the fee, pay for a couple of months, maybe make the most out of it for that long, then give up. I guarantee that this is because they don’t have the motivation or drive, and let’s face it, people find it boring.

Some people have misconceptions of MMA. I have plenty of business

What do you do to help these people snap out of that unhealthy desk-home-wine, sedenary lifestyle?

As a business owner myself, I understand the mentality, and the stress of running a business. I can’t switch off sometimes, but I manage it through training (my positive outlet). People who perhaps can’t manage stress very well immediately resort to what I call a negative outlet: alcohol and ‘comfort’ food.

That’s fine every now and again, but not every day of the week.

It’s tough to go training after a hard day at work – I get that. But instead of cracking open that bottle of wine and watching television, you can motivate yourself to go to training and you’ll feel so much better. A lot of people don’t realise how unhealthy that lifestyle is until they face a major health scare, or suddenly can’t get

“I enjoy the challenge as a competitor and a businessman, working with and teaching a range of clients”

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 43

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Entrepreneur

that describes keeping going despite adversity. I think that should be instilled in everyone. Not just for myself but other people.

What are your goals for the future?

My overall goal is to broaden my franchise, my brand and my business, and to grow it out of Eastbourne – perhaps one day even out of the country.

That would be amazing! I already have some of my instructors going to Worthing, Peacehaven and Bexhill among other places, and we’ve just taken on another gym in Hastings. I see myself establishing the brand and all these things we’ve spoken about in other gyms across the south coast as well as inland across the country so that people can be inspired as I was by MMA.

up the stairs as easily anymore. Fitness should be preventative, not a hope for a cure when it may be too late.

Businessmen and women have told me they feel more focussed with their business meetings and day-to-day jobs after training with me. Some clients enjoy being pushed, and conquering adversity at the gym just as they do in their jobs.

It is one thing to get them in the door, and another to keep them coming back.

I try and make the work-outs as fun as possible and get them working hard.

For me, exercise is a way of life – it’s like brushing my teeth. That’s not a natural way of thinking for most, but it’s my job to kick-start it.

As a business owner you have to be at least in part motivated by money,

44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

but it doesn’t seem to be all about that for you?

I am not money oriented, no, but it happens to be a great by-product of what I do, which is a great way of living. I enjoy the challenge as a competitor and a businessman, working with and teaching a range of clients. Making a natural athlete a top competitor isn’t too difficult, but helping a young lad with ADHD or a physical disability to overcome that to become a pro fighter – that is a challenge, and one that gives me huge satisfaction in conquering.

I’ve helped people rehabilitate, mentally and physically and believe in working hard to get what you want.

I have a tattoo that says, ‘Fight to Live’ – it’s an old Brazilian saying

Do you promote healthy eating also?

I try and make healthy suggestions, of course, but I don’t push it too hard if the client is resistant. If clients come to me with that in their list of goals, I do help with that but maintain the message that there’s no quick fix. An overall healthy lifestyle includes getting all the right nutrients, exercising and not overeating.

Having had to fit into weight categories and constantly watching what I eat as a pro, I completely empathise with people who perhaps don’t want to do that – it’s sometimes not worth it for happiness’ sake.

Having said that, a healthy lifestyle is 85% nutrition – you could train every day of the week and not look any different.

You are what you eat: that is so true!

Eating small and often, every 3 hours with at least 3 litres of water every day is the ideal way of eating. Except, there’s a lot of prep time in this and it takes a lot of effort and dedication. Business people have to keep that in mind – they will need to be very prepared and dedicated to change their lifestyle to this ‘ideal’ way of eating and exercising. Time is of the essence when you run a business, and have a family. You have to make time for your health. Watching that half an hour of television could be spent preparing your next day or week’s meals, or training.

B

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You can contact Tolly at First Generation MMA on 07707541535 or tollybjj@aol.com 38-40 Leslie Street, Eastbourne, BN22 8JB

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Whether you’re an established company ready to grow or a start-up ready to go, there is support available to help you make it happen. Our business navigators are here to guide you to the support you need to achieve your goals. www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45 Visit us on stand 47 and find out how we can help your business grow.

Health & Wellbeing

Sticking To Your New Year’s Resolution

Arron Hopkinson lets SBT readers into the secret of New Year’s resolution success: a new year, a new start and a new you takes a lot of motivation and dedication. Here’s how to keep that health plan up!

New Year, new start: we hear this a lot from people when January Health comes around. But, however good you are at achieving your goals in your business, the chances are at some point in your personal life you’ve made a New Year’s resolution and broken it soon after – especially when it comes to eating healthily and exercise! Here are some tips to help you see through the promises you’re making: 1. Be Realistic The inevitable way to fall short of your resolution is to make your goal unattainable and unrealistic. Never say ‘never’ or ‘always’: this is setting you up to fail. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable: exercise ‘more’ or eat ‘less’ are more attainable goals.

2. Plan Ahead Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve or on the first of January! It should be planned well in advance, then it’s not an idea based on that particular day’s mindset, but something that you feel you can keep to!

3. Outline Your Plan Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have that piece of cake. This could include calling on a friend for help or practicing positive thinking and self-talk.

4. Focus on one change at a time.

Rather than trying to have several large changes underway at once, break the changes down into smaller goals and focus on one single resolution at a time – so you don’t spread yourself too thinly and will be more likely to achieve more!

46 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

5. Talk about It Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support you and, even better, find a friend who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

6. Reward Yourself This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates after cutting down on sugar, but it’s a good idea to celebrate the small success by treating yourself to something you enjoy. For example, if you’ve been perfectly sticking to your resolution of eating less chocolate, reward yourself perhaps with new fitness clothing.

7. Track Your Progress Short-term goals are easier to keep track of. Keep a journal and note your small progressions (e.g ‘lost 5 pounds’, instead of waiting till you lose 2 stone then noting that down). This will help with rewards too.

8. Don’t be too hard on yourself Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal – you can only do your best!

9. Gradually change A resolution is unlikely to be enduring if you implement it in its full capacity within the first day, for example never eating your favourite treat again. Instead, slowly ease yourself off the treats until they’re no longer part of your diet. Research suggests that it takes at least 21 days of pursuing a new habit to break the old habit. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

10. Keep Trying If you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t give up. Start over again! Recommit in 24-hour increments: it will soon build up to lead you back on track.

If you would like to contact Arron personally regarding any information you have read or would like help kick starting your resolutions then please contact me via email at arron.hopkinson@ yahoo.com or via www. precisionmassage. co.uk

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48 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Tried and Tested in Sussex

Working Lunch:

Bill’s Restaurant

With its roots firmly placed in Sussex, where the brand launched, the original store in Lewes has become something of a pilgrimage for many a Bill’s-lover.

We head to their Eastbourne branch for dinner So far as heritage in Lewes goes, Bills is in good company.

Review Across the street is the high street entrance-comesouvenir-gift-shop of the vast Harvey’s empire, which has a huge presence in the town. One of their pubs shares a wall with the Bill’s restaurant too (which has grown into the shop next door—presumably to house the Bill’s cook book, making up additional retail stock), sitting just behind the establishment, on the water.

Anyway, a lot has happened within the (now significantly larger) Bill’s empire, and not just in the shape of a recipe book. The chain has grown beyond its original Sussex footprint and you can now find almost 20 of them across London; 23 in the South East and another 30 across the rest of the UK. That’s significant growth by any standard and, by the team’s own admission, after a slow expansion initially: “We had to consider what would scale and what wouldn’t to start with.”

They’ve certainly made up for lost time since.

Having visited Bill’s a number of times in its earlier years, I’ve been— some might say—privileged to have experience of where all the buzz came from in the first place. So, having booked a table for two in one of the more recently opened venues in sunny Eastbourne, I hoped to find out where the chain had arrived after all those

years of independence and refinement along the way.

This branch of Bill’s opened its doors back on the 28th April 2015 and took the place of the old Terminus pub - a huge footprint of a building - and was previously owned by none other than the aforementioned Harvey’s. The pub game had diminished to a point where such a large boozer just wasn’t necessary anymore. At least, that’s how it appeared when we learned of the takeover and subsequent refurbishment, which saw the old bar disappear (to be fair, it did used to occupy most of the ground floor), and a complete re-dress.

My fiancée and I arrived early, at 6:30— to give us time ahead of our booking to watch the new Bond film, Spectre, just around the corner in the small-yetcharacterful Curzon cinema. As we expected, the place was fairly quiet. We were shown to a table and quickly served a glass of lightly sparkling white (for her) and a generous (not to mention, rather strong) bottle of Merrydown cider for me. Merrydown Cider, of course, being another brand originating in Sussex.

So far as the food order is concerned, it was really quite good. I mean, it wasn’t fine dining by any stretch, but if you were to compare it to ‘other’ high street mainstays, such as Zizzi, Pizza Express, Nando’s etc., it fairs well. Taking the swift service and standardised look and feel of the menu items that you would expect from a chain establishment, and improving the quality of the ingredients somewhat, seems to be the key to the

success of the Bill’s ‘new-co’ venture.

Gone are the flourishes of uniqueness that defined the small business that created the buzz all those years ago; replaced with quirky platters, branded everything and shabby-chic dressing throughout.

I had a plate of ribs—way too much and very tasty—whilst my partner had the butter chicken dish—a coated chicken breast, served in a brioche bun and served with sweet potato fries.

None of this is particularly negative. I realise that to grow to 73 branches, you have to standardise the process, and to retain any soul whatsoever is a tough call.

In actual fact, they seem to have done well.

Frankly, if I’m looking to visit a chain restaurant for the convenience, speed and to know what I’m going to get each time, I’d rather Bill’s than most (if not all) of the other options on the high street.

Star rating: 3.5 out of 5

Bill’s Restaurant

Eastbourne

Address: 153 Terminus Rd, Eastbourne Telephone: 01323 739963 Web: https://bills-website.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

Hotel Review:

The View Hotel SBT’s Editor, Jenny Ardagh reviews The View Hotel in Eastbourne, as a business meeting venue and for those much-needed short coastal breaks

The View Hotel Eastbourne

Address: Grand Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4DN Telephone: 01323 433900 Email: Info@theviewhoteleastbourne.com Web: www.theviewhoteleastbourne.com

50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

The Sussex coast is indeed something to be marveled at, and Review a great talking point for visiting guests.

The View Hotel – as the name suggests – has spectacular views over Eastbourne’s seafront, lined with stony beach with the waves of the English Channel crashing against them, and greenery set back upon the coastal road. Unfortunately for me, on the day I reviewed the hotel, this asset was somewhat lost to the horrendous English weather, but I appreciated what a fantastic sight it could be from my large south-facing windows, set with a balcony (which I didn’t venture onto in the wind and rain).

So, I checked in after parking with ease

directly opposite the hotel entrance itself, paying my £1 for a parking permit, and made my way up to my room. It would also be very easy to make your way from the train station in the centre of town – which has very easy connections to Lewes, Brighton, London or Gatwick.

The door opened to a very fresh feeling, clean, spacious and modern room set with 2 sofas, a television, good storage space and wardrobe. The décor was well-presented and aesthetically pleasing.

My first test was the bed. I was a little disappointed at how hard the mattress was, and also that it was in fact two singles pushed together and not one very large double, which I was hoping it would be from the look of it! However, this wasn’t much of a problem, and the room as a whole made up for it, feeling much

Tried and Tested in Sussex

more like a 4-star bedroom than the 3 stars that the hotel holds.

The bathroom was light, spacious and again very well laid out. Some hotels make it fairly difficult to work your way from facility to facility in the bathroom, but there was ample space here. There was even the choice for reception to provide any amenities which the guest had forgotten: toothbrushes and razors were all available upon request. This certainly made me feel well looked-after and reassured.

The room was, at first very cold, but this was soon remedied by the in-room temperature controls, acting as a heater and air conditioning.

At around 7pm, I made my way down to dinner with my guest, which was on the Mezzanine floor. The floors were easily navigable and accessible with three lifts always available. The whole hotel was fairly quiet for the duration of my stay, but it didn’t feel too empty at all: just calm and organised.

We were seated at our table in the restaurant, next to the window – this would be a lovely place to sit for a late lunch or early dinner, with the view of the seafront. My friend and I decided to go for a glass of white wine each: one Pinot Grigio and one dry South African wine, vanilla and fruit infused. They were both lovely and chilled, and we were served very quickly too. We were given the December menu, which was fairly limited but choice-filled enough for us to spend a good ten minutes deciding, ogling each dish as we read. I had the calamari for starter, and my friend had the soup of the day: tomato and mushroom.

Moving onto main course, respectively we had breaded chicken stuffed with chorizo and cream cheese, with buttered potatoes, and a sirloin steak with chips and mushrooms. And, finally, even though we were quite full, we got through our salted caramel cheesecake and white and dark chocolate torte.

I had a very large plateful of food (almost too big) – the waiter even commented on how many chips I had, and wished me good luck! I couldn’t complain, as the food-lover I am. The

staff, in particular our waiter on the night, were delightful: smiley, well-mannered, attentive and helpful. The overall atmosphere too was pleasant, although a little quiet for private conversation.

I took the time to explore the hotel, and got to know its facilities. The View prides itself on its meeting and events facilities, which included the Central Hall, Pier Suite 1, 2 and 3, three Seminar rooms and the Horizon Suite (the Mezzanine) next to the restaurant itself.

Packages are fairly flexible, but they have two main options: the Day Delegate Meeting Package and the 24hr Meeting Package. These include things such as meeting room use, dinner and/or lunch, Wi-Fi access, air conditioning, flip charts, projectors etc.

In conclusion, the hotel was lovely inside, with a luxury feel to its interior

“The whole hotel was fairly quiet for the duration of my stay, but it didn’t feel too empty at all: just calm and organized”

design, and a business-like atmosphere, whilst not feeling overly corporate.

It was a strong 3-star even pushing on 4 for the quality of the room, so as a meeting venue, and quick-stop accommodation, it would more than suit most people’s needs. It is ideal in terms of location (perhaps more so in the summer than winter though) and, with a few improvements to the mattress for a slightly more comfortable night, I believe it would accommodate guests well for any type of stay.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

Chamber News

The Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex ACES represents 4,000 members across the County and you are automatically a member of ACES if you are a member of one of the Chambers listed overleaf. This entitles you to share your news stories in these SBT Business pages without charge

LEAP into the New Year According to research done by Natwest Bank, over 8 out of 10 businesses fail in their first year of trading.

But – this statistic swings the other way when a new business works with Edeal Enterprise Agency at their start up stage with a success rate of 9 out of 10 continuing to trade past that critical first 12 month period.

Due, in part to this record of success, Lewes District Council has selected Edeal to deliver the LEAP Entrepreneur of the Year programme for 2016.

Set up by Lewes District Council in 2013, LEAP (Local Enterprise & Apprenticeship Platform) is dedicated to championing new enterprise within the Lewes District and has so far supported 45 local people through an intensive training programme to help them with their plans to start new businesses.

Councillor Andy Smith, Leader of Lewes District Council, said: “Following a competitive tender process, we are pleased that LEAP will be working with Edeal during 2016 to create new opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

This is an exciting opportunity to benefit from expert training and mentoring to make your business dreams a reality.”

Christina Ewbank, Chief Executive at Edeal, said: “We are delighted to work with Lewes District Council to provide fully funded business support to startups on the LEAP Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 programme. It is a pleasure to work with such an enlightened

52 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Council who are investing in new business.”

Christina added: “It just so happens that 2016 is a leap year. So if you are thinking of starting a new business in Lewes, why not LEAP forward with us?”

If you have a business idea and are interested in taking part in the LEAP Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 programme, please contact Sandra Walker at Edeal on 01323 641144 or email info@edeal.org.uk to register your interest.

The LEAP Programme includes a one day start-up workshop and then shorter, dedicated workshops to focus on

finance and cash flow, marketing and PR, how to use social media and the legal requirements for starting your new business. Basically – everything you need to know to run a new business in the Lewes District of East Sussex.

Edeal is a not for profit enterprise agency, established in 1983 and offering a range of practical and cost-effective business advice to small and mediumsized enterprises. Edeal also manages ACES, the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex, the Best4Biz Annual Conference and Eastbourne Town Centre. All Edeal activity is designed to promote business in East Sussex.

Chamber News

Accountants With Balls Described as an ‘unknown quantity’ in table tennis leagues, the brand new McPhersons table tennis team have held their own for the first few games of the season with a strong team including Directors, Associate Directors, Accounts Seniors and Tax Trainees.

Says Peter Watters, the Director who put the team together: “The Team of Directors place great importance on activities outside of work and encourage staff to keep fit and healthy as well as have fun in and outside the office. Hopefully our team will enjoy this season and many more to come without humiliating ourselves!”

Indeed, two weekly deliveries of

fresh fruit for the staff is a good start for keeping fit and healthy. The annual summer party, whether it’s a visit to the greyhound stadium or a game of mini golf always helps with team bonding. Not to mention other activities that the team have been involved in such as Lashings Cricket and It’s a Knockout. Of course, it also helps that the firm operates a flexi-day which enables staff to start later or finish earlier in order to make time for themselves.

So watch your backs, Division three, this go-getting team is determined to put their stamp on the league. Talking of backs, let’s hope the new kit doesn’t cause any distraction!

Confidence, Power and Beauty - Restored When you go through a major operation, get divorced or lose your job, you can go through a crisis of confidence; it can take many months or even years to rebuild your self-esteem.

To rebuild the confidence of a close friend after a life threatening illness, East Sussex photographer, Sarah WalkerBennett arranged a special pamper session and photoshoot to make her feel amazing and special again. It was so successful that Sarah decided to brand it as “Boutique” and promote the photo shoot to celebrate real women of all shapes and sizes.

The session starts with hair and make-

up and then some gentle guidance on poses. “People leave the shoot walking on air”, said Sarah, “and when they come back for the Reveal Session they simply can’t believe it’s them in the images!”

Every woman is beautiful in different ways and every woman deserves a special portrait of herself. Book a Boutique session and allow your beauty to shine through!

Book your photo-shoot from just £250 with sarah@ artemiphotography.com or at www. artemiphotography.com

Rise of the UK Staycation Economy • The nation spends £22.5bn on average on UK staycations • UK SMEs in accommodation and food services have seen a 17% rise in turnover since 2009 According to Barclays Bank Business Survey, a thriving staycation economy has boosted small businesses around the country, with more than three quarters of UK adults (77%) that have been on, or are planning a UK staycation.

Barclays business data reveals turnover for SMEs in the accommodation and food services sector is up 17% since 2009, the highest since its peak in 2006.

Furthermore, the sector is the most volatile to seasonality, experiencing the highest turnover growth of any other sector during the months of July to September, 7.3% above its annual average.

New Barclays research reveals £22.5 billion is spent on UK staycations every

year, with Brits spending £575 per party on average. Men spend over 5% more than women, while those over 55 budget £619 on average and are most likely to go away in September than any other month. In the last five years the overall number of businesses in accommodation and food services in the UK has risen by 17%.

The seaside is the most popular type of staycation with 20 million or 52% heading to be beside the sea, followed

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 53

Advert Nov_Layout 1 14/10/2014 12:38 Page 2

Chamber News

in East Sussex TR Fastenings - Best Profits for 10 Years

Battle Chamber of Commerce

(A Trifast Company)

www.battlechamber.org.uk

F

ounded in a small rented office at the top of Uckfield High Street in 1973, Mike Timms and Mike Roberts established their business after becoming disenchanted working for a large industrial group in Birmingham that restricted their creativity and individualism.

However, the DotCom crash in 2001 devastated sales and profits in just a few short months, and the two Midlands factories had to be closed as the focus was intensified into Asia.

A change of senior management in 2007 and the 2008 recession resulted in the near collapse of the Company, with 2008 revenues down to £84m with substantial losses, and in March 2009 the two previous retired CEOs (Malcolm Diamond and Jim Barker) were invited back by the shareholders to rescue the business.

They focused on sourcing and selling industrial fastenings to light assembly industries in the South East at a time when ex stock deliveries could take as long as three weeks from the larger industry market leaders. Their core values were “look By 2010 profitability started to recover, as did tourism industry with an opportunity by countryprofessional, breaks (45%).

A city break be professional, provide the share price. outstanding service, sell on value rather than to plan ahead to make the most of the is chosen by one in three (37%) while In 2011 a major automotive bolt the cheapest price, maintain dynamic cash in domestic tourism. have seen 27% wantmanagement to spend holidays staying was acquired We in Malaysia, and and motivate and take care risemanufacturer in May 2014 leading domestic appliance a number of abusinesses adapt and with friends andstaff”. family. Caravanning is a of your

diversify to make the most of seasonal popular UK holiday activity for one in five tourism particularly during summer staycationers (17%) and is most popular months. Great British landmarks hold with 18-34 year olds (20%) compared pride of place in the nation’s heart to 13% aged 55 and over. Furthermore, as drivers of regional tourism, while 13% of Brits have a penchant to be many accommodation businesses are pampered on a UK spa break – including catering for the nation’s appetite for one in twelve men (8%). more unusual places to rest their head, When choosing where to go, famous such as a yurt or camper van.” landmarks and attractions (41%) are The average spend in the South the main draw for domestic tourists, East is higher than the national followed by finding the best deal (39%) average at £587 although growth – despite having a bigger budget, men in the South East is slower than the are more likely to hunt for a bargain national average. than women. Other key factors when With alternative accommodation on selecting UK holiday accommodation are the rise, the findings also reveal three recommendation from friends or family Malcolm Diamond MBE and Jim Barker (38%), online reviews (36%) and transport in five (64%) enjoy staying somewhere more unusual a traditional links (33%).

In 1978, manufacturing of specialist fasteners a bit into screw business in Italythan was brought was started in Uckfield, with subsequent bedthe&Group. breakfast or hotel. The most Martin Bonner, Barclays Head of factories established in Northampton and TR’s major sectors popular is acustomer caravan or a include tent, followed Business and in the 80’s. in Sussex said: TelfordCorporate Automotive, Domestic Appliances, by a cabin and a canal boat; while “The staycation economy is a huge driver In the late 80’s, IBM selected TR as their most Electronics and Distributors – all of which are van also appeared in the for businesses thesupplier UK and with eligibleacross component to be trained in a camper enjoying organic growth. zero defect/on time deliveries to ayear, new topInfive.

More quirky stays include a £22.5billion spent on average every June 2014, TR announced the best sales, assembly facility that relied on “Just In Time” floating hotel or tree this presents business owners and the profits and share price house. for a decade, now deliveries straight to their production line.

Successful compliance led to TR being a single source supplier with IBM, which then attracted other major telecoms manufacturers to TR. The massive 1990’s surge in the electronics sector carried it to a full LSE listing as a PLC in 1994 named Trifast.

Preference 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

ACES

with 1,150 staff spread across 17 countries.

Trifast Plc is based in Uckfield and along with TR’s sales, distribution and manufacturing facilities employs over 150 staff on site. As the largest local employer, the Company maintains close links with both the Uckfield Chamber of Commerce a founder member of the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex (ACES) and the local Community College.

The College is the main annual provider of ‘A’ Level candidates for TR’s 2 year NVQ Business Studies Apprenticeship scheme.

Accommodation type

% of people that have stayed here

42% In a caravan 32% In a tent 14% In a cabin, i.e. in the woods 12% On a canal boat Despite global uncertainty there is clearly 9% In a camper van a feeling amongst TR management and 5%grounds for cautious The Company had global by staff that there are Inbecome a beach hut following its former UK based multinational optimism for the future continuing growth 5% On a sailing boat key customers to lower cost economies of their business as sales for year ended March 2015 are 5% forecast to reach overseas – mainlyIn Asia Central/ aand castle or fort £150 million.

Eastern Europe.

3% In a yurt 2% In a floating hotel 2% In a tree house By 2000, sales turnover peaked at £120m sales, and by 2001 three component factories had been established in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, with sales and distribution facilities in Southern Ireland, Norway, Sweden, USA, Holland, Hungary and China, plus eight around the UK.

www.acesalliance.org

54 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Bexhill Chamber of Commerce 01424 842892 www.bexhillchamber.co.uk Crowborough Chamber of Commerce www.crowboroughchamber.co.uk Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce 01323 641144 www.eastbournechamber.co.uk East Sussex County Council 01273 481570 www.eastsussex.gov.uk Federation of Small Businesses 01424 754686 and Regional Office 01323 482018 www.fsb.org.uk/eastsussex Hailsham Chamber of Commerce 01323 310531 www.hailshamchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Hastings Chamber of Commerce 01424 205500 www.hastingschamber.co.uk Heathfield Chamber of Commerce 01435 865858 www.heathfieldchamber.co.uk The Institute of Directors 020 7766 8866 www.iod.com Lewes Chamber of Commerce 07917 382316 www.leweschamber.org.uk Locate East Sussex 0844 4159255 www.locateeastsussex.org.uk Newhaven Chamber of Commerce 0800 107 0709 www.newhavenchamber.co.uk Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce 01273 586222 www.peacehavenchamber.co.uk Seaford Chamber of Commerce 0800 881 5331 www.seafordchamber.co.uk South East Local Enterprise Partnership 01245 431469 www.southeastlep.com Uckfield Chamber of Commerce 01825 722607 www.uckfieldchamber.co.uk Wealden District Council 01323 443322 www.wealden.gov.uk

Bespoke Training

Leadership, Responsibility And Blame: What’s The Connection?

Rachel Stone of Bespoke Training asks the question, how well do you understand the significance of responsibility as a leader?

You may be familiar with this story in your organisation: Training the ‘Whose job was it?’ story about four people named ‘Everybody’, ‘Somebody’, ‘Anybody’ and ‘Nobody’.

It goes a bit like this. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody though Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

This is a common story in organisations where leaders need more training. The fact that being a leader is all about taking responsibility is often misunderstood.

Some leaders feel that taking responsibility is about doing everything themselves and not delegating much: “I can do it better and more quickly if I do it myself”. This is often the justification I hear when challenging leaders on this.

The other misunderstanding about responsibility is that some leaders swing into blaming mode and mistake raising awareness of responsibility as creating a blame culture.

Let’s start by taking a long look at responsibility. What does it mean?

Here’s the dictionary definition: The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. There is undoubtedly a clear link between success and responsibility.

For example, it is the Flight Captain’s responsibility to ensure all the relevant safety checks are carried out correctly before take-off. It is the teacher’s responsibility to take an accurate register at the beginning of class. It is the waiter’s responsibility to accurately record what the customer choses from the menu.

Have you ever stopped to check your understanding of responsibility in your leadership role? Have you ever asked your team what it means to them? Have you ever checked that you

have a clear understanding throughout your organisation? What does ‘taking responsibility’ actually mean to you?

It’s a great activity to undertake. Try this: 1) Ask your team to agree a definition of what responsibility means. You may be surprised at how this varies across the team members.

2) Ask the team to each give examples of the type of behaviour that you can see in your organisation which demonstrates a person is willing to take responsibility.

What does it look like? What does it sound like? Where do you see this behaviour? Get them to be very specific.

3) Ask them also to do this for when someone is able to take responsibility as above. There may a slight difference.

After all someone can be willing, but not able and vice versus. (A motivated fool can do a lot of damage!)

4) Hopefully they will provide answers such as, being proactive, positive, volunteering, asking questions, looking after other employees’ needs (e.g. new staff) learning new skills, asking to learn new skills, finding solutions, feeding back useful information, to name a few.

5) Next ask them to repeat this activity of identifying a person’s behaviours when they are not willing or not able to take responsibility. What does this look like, feel like, sound like?

6) Answers will hopefully include: negativity, remaining isolated, hiding information, being reluctant, struggling

www.bespoketrainingeastbourne.com

and not asking for help, moaning, feeling powerless, blaming, etc 7) Next ask the team to dwell on the consequences of the behaviours of not being willing or able to take responsibility In essence this activity may throw up some useful insights and could teach the team that failing to understand the significance of taking responsibility could cost the organisation dearly.

Ultimately though, nothing is more important for a leader than to role model this key piece of behaviour. Leadership is about taking personal responsibility for your actions in the first instance so that you have the credibility to teach others to do the same.

Michael Korda, English Novelist, once said: “Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take responsibility.”

Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Coaching, Brian Koslow advises: “There is a clear link between expertise in leadership and the ability to take responsibility. The more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility you will have.”

Remarkable managers are obsessed with accountability. They realise that the success of their direct reports is their success: if I help you to have success I help myself to have success. On the flipside, they share in failures and mistakes. They hold regular one-on-one meetings with their direct reports and reinforce the outcomes they and the team are responsible for. They are vested in driving solution-based cultures and strive to build an environment of continued learning (versus finger pointing).

Also, to keep staff focused, they make sure to handle and manage accountability conflicts as they come up (instead of letting things fester).

If you would like to find out more about leadership skills then please do get in touch. I’d love to talk to you. Please contact Rachel@ bespoketrainingeastbourne.com or call my reception team on 01323 332316

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 55

Motoring

Test Drive

ŠKODA – Octavia Scout Estate 2.0 TDI PS 4X4 OK, so straight off somewhat of a revolution with regards the bat, I have to to its perception; build quality, reliability say that I really like and value.

Luxury this car, so all of These factors are all present here you ‘Skoda-haters’ in the Octavia Scout model that I back off now. Is have for the week. The Scout estate there such a thing is very much like the regular Octavia as a Skoda hater nowadays? I should estate, only a little taller from the road hope not. The days (approx. 30mm) and when the brand hosted with some SUV style “It’s a great all it’s own sub-genre of added extras, such rounder and has jokes; mainly about as greater protection value, performance or oodles of space in underneath the general quality are, or and a generally the cavernous boot. car at least should be, long greater robustness It’s well built with a throughout. behind us.

It’s true to say that The interior is good finish” the company has a reassuring and come a long way since comfortable place those dark days and, in reality it kind of to be, with decent quality upholstering had to if it was to stand any chance of throughout, plenty of gadgets (the surviving in any capacity.

Scout models all come with sat nav With a little help from the Volkswagen display as standard) and good, overall (VAG) Group initially back in 1991, ergonomics inside the cabin. making it a wholly owned subsidiary in The ride is forgiving and responsive, 2000, the Skoda company has seen thanks to the suspension’s extra few

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millimetres and 50-profile rubber on the 17-inch wheels, but handling remains composed and secure. It’s not as perky as the regular estate, but that can be forgiven as there is still plenty of power under the bonnet. It just doesn’t all come at once.

The latest-generation 4WD system doesn’t necessitate the front wheels completely losing grip before power is diverted rearwards, so traction is strong, even on lock out of junctions from a standing start.

All this makes the Octavia Scout a more rewarding option than most fullsize SUVs, in a slightly old-fashioned way. You can make a big SUV more keen to drive than this, but usually that involves ruining the ride. The Scout strikes a good compromise.

So would you buy one? Well, I think so. It’s a great all-rounder and has oodles of space in the cavernous

boot. It’s well built with a good finish, powerful enough and with a good amount of gadgetery to satisfy most modern drivers.

It’s great value too. Cars like this are still niche in a market where the perceived qualities of a fullyfledged SUV win through, but truth be told, unless I was desperate for the increased towing limit of the model, this is where I’d rather put my money. It undercuts most rivals on price too.

Engine: 2.0 TDI 150PS 4x4 Transmission: 6 spd manual Combined mpg: 58.9 CO2: 125g/km Max speed: 127mph 0–62 mph: 9.1 secs Total inc. VAT and extras: £28,325

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 57

SBTMotoring News The Ultimate Airfix Model?

British sportscar maker, Caterham Cars, has launched a new approved finance scheme which offers customers the chance to fund a Seven in self-assembly form for the first time ever.

Previously only available for new, fully built and pre-owned Sevens, the new Caterham Finance scheme provides an accessible ownership proposition for Caterham fans wishing to build a Seven themselves.

Caterham Finance enables customers to fund the cost of a Seven over 48 months. For example, a self-assembly Seven 160 is available with a deposit of £3,099 and monthly payments of £279 at 19.5% APR Representative, equating to £65 per week, with a final payment of £6,399*.

David Ridley, Caterham Cars Chief Commercial Officer, said: “There has been an increase in customers wishing to build their own Seven in

recent years. We are delighted to be able to provide a finance facility to these customers, making owning and building a new Caterham even more attainable.”

Thanks to the introduction of Caterham Finance and enduring residual values, a Seven is now an even more appealing finance purchase.”

The Seven 160, 270, 360 and 420 models are all available in self-assembly form, with factory built models costing

an additional £3,000. It can take anywhere between 80 –100 hours to build your own Caterham and upon competition the car requires an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test to enable the car to be registered with the DVLA. For more information about Caterham Cars, please visit www.caterham.com or call the Caterham South showroom on +44 1293 312300.

active apprenticeships at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex and the remainder now employed by the company.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “I am delighted to announce the 10th anniversary of our Apprenticeship Programme, which represents a significant milestone in the history of our company. We are committed to developing future talent at Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars and I am especially pleased that we will welcome a record number of new apprentices to the business in 2016.”

In addition to the Apprenticeship Programme, more than 50 university students were employed with the company in 2015 on industrial placements ranging in duration from six to 12 months, and positions for 2016 are currently being recruited for.

The company also runs a successful graduate programme, with new positions made available each year.

Potential candidates for all Rolls-Royce Motor Cars positions should apply online at: www.rollsroycemotorcars.com/careers.

The closing date for apprentice applications is 29 February 2016.

On A Roll

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that the company is seeking a record number of candidates for its 2016 Apprenticeship Programme.

Seventeen places are available in total: the highest number of annual apprenticeships since the programme launched in 2006.

The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apprenticeship Programme provides people aged 16-24 with the opportunity to train with the Goodwood-based manufacturer of the world’s best-selling super-luxury cars. The apprenticeships last up to four years and combine on-thejob training with class room based studying for nationally recognised qualifications.

The successful applicants will join the programme in August 2016, working alongside skilled craftspeople in leather, wood, paint, engineering and assembly roles.

Over 100 people have joined the Apprenticeship Programme since its inception, with half currently in

58 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBTMotoring News Chris Evans Makes a Pilgrimage From London to Brighton

The new Top Gear, Radio 2 Breakfast Show and TFI Friday host joins hundreds of machines in the magical pilgrimage from London to Brighton More than 380 pioneering veteran cars dating back to very the dawn of motoring enjoyed unseasonably mild conditions to take part in this year’s Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. As tradition dictates, the 119th Anniversary Run set out from Hyde Park at day break and headed 60-miles south through a misty London and onto a sunny Sussex seafront. For only the third time in more than half a century, this year’s route took the intrepid participants – all driving pioneering cars from the pre-1905 era –­ past Buckingham Palace and down The Mall before heading past Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge..

The first few cars began to arrive on Madeira Drive shortly after 10am – the 1903 Berliet driven by John Bentley just pipping the 1904 Fiat of Dutchman, Jan Bruijn to the honour of being first past the finishing post.

Among the others turning back the clock were Pink Floyd drummer, Nick Mason, renowned Formula 1 team principal Ross Brawn and multiple Le Mans winner Jochen Mass. They were joined en route to Brighton by three classic coaches driven by BBC Radio broadcasters Chris Evans, Alex Jones and Ken Bruce, raising nearly £350,000 for BBC Children in Need thanks to the generosity of their 40 passengers.

Before the start, Evans, Jones and Bruce were joined by Natalie Lowe

from Strictly Come Dancing and Robert Brooks, Chairman of Bonhams, for the ceremonial tearing up of the red flag.

The symbolic ritual harks back to the original Emancipation Run, held on 14 November 1896, which marked the milestone Locomotives on the Highway Act and raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14mph, abolishing the need for a man walking ahead of the cars waving a red flag.

The annual Run is now the only event anywhere on Earth where so many veteran cars parade in such numbers.

Evans enthused after crossing the line: “I had absolutely no idea

it was such a fantastic event – so wonderfully, wonderfully joyous. It’s like the London Marathon, with so many smiling faces, often ten deep on the roadside cheering you on all the way to Brighton. What’s more, thanks to the generosity of our passengers, we have raised a mega amount of money for BBC Children in Need. It was just an incredible day and one we must do again and again.”

The Bonhams Veteran Car Run is an integral part of the Royal Automobile Club’s London Motor Week, which in 2015 incorporates the following events: • Monday 26 October to 2 November – The Art of Motoring Exhibition • Monday 26 October – Royal College of Art-Design Presentation Evening • Tuesday 27 October – The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Lectures • Wednesday 28 October – Dewar Trophy Presentation Lunch / Motoring Book of the Year Awards • Thursday 29 October – Royal

Automobile Club Motoring Forum • Friday 30 October – Bonhams Veteran Car Run Auction • Saturday 31 October – Regent Street Motor Show

• Sunday 1 November – Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

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Berforts

Berforts’ Up and Running Solution

The UK’s first Komori Lithrone A37 is up and running at Berforts, benefiting all its clients

Berforts recently became the first UK printing company to Advertorial become equipped with the four colour offset press at their offices in Burgess Road, Hastings, with Komori’s H-UV curing system: a new approach to efficient press operation.

The LA37, maximum sheet size 640 x 940mm, is the right configuration for the company’s core business, both in terms of its sheet size and economical footprint.

With the addition of Komori H-UV curing, which the Berforts’ management team have been monitoring over the last twelve months. Since its implementation, it has added considerably to their high quality four colour printing firepower.

The Komori H-UV has already been proven around the world to dry almost immediately on all substrates, including typically difficult materials such as uncoated stocks and plastics, and that’s precisely what it’s doing in the Hastings office now.

The Komori H-UV System is an innovative UV curing system that uses a

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UV lamp developed with high-sensitivity UV ink. With just one lamp mounted in the delivery, this system offers high print quality and reliability as well as excellent economic and eco-friendly performance.

A single H-UV lamp (one bulb) can cure up to 400% ink coverage plus coating at maximum press speed. This dramatically reduces the amount of energy required for curing compared to either IR or UV. Richard Woolmer commented on how service at the Hastings branch has been with its new addition: “The Komori Lithrone A37 is from the latest generation of UV presses allowing us to print on many substrates, with the work coming off the press dry and ready to finish.

Investment in the press together with a new finishing equipment is an indication of our commitment and confidence in the services we offer here in Hastings.”

With the company’s commercial print and publishing run lengths being anywhere from 25 copies up to tens of thousands, most of it working around A sizes, they concluded that the compact, energy and environmentally-efficient LA37 makes an ideal mix with their digital output machines and Litho capabilities.

www.berforts.co.uk

It offers exceptionally fast drying through the H-UV process and Berforts see it also helping out on the longer run and higher pagination commercial jobs coming in to the Hastings plant, where they installed a five colour B2 Komori Enthrone perfector in 2012.

Komori UK’s Director of Sheetfed sales, Steve Turner says: “The Lithrone A37 was initially introduced into the Japanese market, where smaller footprint machines are especially welcome and, as its sheet size also suits the American letter-size impositions and its stock thickness range of 0.04 to 0.6mm covers almost all materials within its target market, it’s attracted several customers in the US and is also starting to make an impact in Europe. A massive volume of UK commercial print is finished to A sizes and requires sheets no larger than SRA1, which the LA37 takes, so now Berforts have taken the lead with the first in the UK, we’d anticipate that more printers in our territory will follow!”

Berforts 17 Burgess Rd, Hastings TN35 4NR 01424 722733.

Berforts Ltd if you’re buying print, please make sure you talk to us

Lithographic printing Sheet-fed digital printing

Please mention the Sussex Business Times magazine when contacting us

B&W digital web printing Print on demand Variable data printing Print finishing Mailing and fulfilment Worldwide distribution

berforts a world of print

ltd

17 Burgess Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN35 4NR. Tel: 01424 722733.

Fax: 01424 721777 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 61 Email: sales@berfort.co.uk · www.berforts.co.uk

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WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

Paul Statham, founder and CEO of Condeco, advises companies to investigate other options before undertaking property investment South East are still expanding their floor space, in what is an increasingly risky strategy.

What is the commercial property sector looking like in the South East?

There are growing fears of a regional property bubble in the South East.

Key cities across the region, including Oxford and Brighton, have seen rapidly increasing commercial rents, presenting businesses in the area with a challenging landscape to navigate. Yet despite warning signs, companies based in the

EXPERT Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most popular and talked about cloud solutions for businesses. However, with the cloud being a new platform, most business owners still find themselves with more questions than answers when trying decide if Office 365 is right for them.

Is Office 365 secure?

Microsoft has been working hard to reassure businesses about data security in its cloud products. It now operates under the US-EU Safe Harbour Framework to ensure your data remains protected at all times.

info@checkaprofessional.com 62 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

What can businesses do to tackle this rise?

Despite the rising cost of property, companies continue to engage in risky office expansion. Not only is this costly in the short-term, but businesses could incur significant losses if the property bubble bursts.

Businesses must look instead to smarter ways of using their existing property. With a lot of companies now embracing flexible working, the question is whether businesses are utilising their existing space effectively.

Our research has found that companies can be using as little as 38% of their office space, meaning that there is

tremendous potential for efficiency savings in workplaces across the region.

Technological advances enable teams based in different locations to work collaboratively, and can reduce the need for offices in city centres.

Before they make the decision to invest in new or larger offices, business leaders should be aware of how their current space is being used, and ensure that their costly investment is entirely necessary before they make it. Now is the time to maximise the potential of existing property, to avoid being left high and dry in the event of a property crash. Moreover, reconfiguring the use of existing workspace, embracing technology and improving in-house collaboration will lead to a more connected workforce and boost productivity.

Ragnar Barnsby, Director at Fitsystems IT support Is Office 365 reliable?

Microsoft now publishes Office 365 uptime in its ‘trust centre’ to show off how reliable its services are. For the first three quarters of 2015 the uptime was over 99.97%.

Additionally, if your office with a traditional in-house email server loses its broadband connection then you’re offline.

With a cloud based service you can still get your emails on your phone or at another location with internet.

Do I have to use the browser based apps (Word, Excel, Outlook)?

No. The standard versions of Office 365 come with both the desktop app and the browser based option.

Does Office 365 cost more?

I would expect most businesses to see an overall cost saving by moving to Office 365. However as the costs are saved in things like licences when buying new

machines, or reducing backup costs, it’s not always obvious to see the savings.

Is there any downtime when migrating to Office 365?

Very little, and this can be managed to be out of hours to remove any impact on business operations.

Is Office 365 right for my business?

Now Microsoft has removed the Small Business Server in-house option, Office 365 is becoming the default choice for many businesses renewing their infrastructure.

There is a lot more to Office 365 than just email and the Office apps (Delve, Sway, Skype for Business, SharePoint) so if you’re considering moving then talk to a specialist.

Contact Fitsystems today to find out more on 01273 773302 or fitsystems.co.uk

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EXPERT EXPERT Ben Copper, Managing Director of Nutshell Construction Ltd

How do I control my budget on a renovation project?

One of the best ways to add extra value to an existing property is to renovate. We understand that overseeing a project from its nutsand-bolts inception to an end finish is often very satisfying in your own home. However, renovation is reliant on expert Project Management to get the job done. One of the most common queries we get asked is ‘How do I control my budget?’ which is basically the same as ‘How much do you think this will realistically cost?’

The first point we raise is that the client should never underestimate the length of time needed to effectively plan the project – this can take months rather than weeks. This planning then feeds into critical path management (defining critical and non-critical tasks), which is required to manage your time and budget.

All project members must also sustain good communication to maintain a clear vision and complete transparency over cost at every stage.

Finally delegation to specialists who will be able to assess what the project needs to keep costs under control will get your project delivered on time and within budget.

info@checkaprofessional.com

Chris Dale, Managing Director of Structured Communications dramatically in numbers and cost, as businesses do not have strong enough preventative security systems in place.

Voicemail is typically a common and vulnerable target but business owners won’t be aware of this fraud until they receive their monthly bill, at which point it’s too late as they will be legally obligated to pay the additional costs.

What is ‘Business Phone Hacking’?

A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a computerised system that manages an internal telephone network. It is a highly flexible system in that it can provide a simple dial tone all the way to complex call routing and logging.

A growing number of businesses around the world are being subject to PBX/fraud/hacking. This type of fraud has been around since PBX systems were first introduced, however it’s only hit the media recently due to increases in PBX systems such as IP VoIP systems.

Not dissimilar to computer hackers probe for a weak point in the system, phone-lines can be easily accessed and exploited. Criminals know this, which is why they’re taking advantage of unsuspecting business owners.

What are the implications of this?

PBX fraud/hacking typically involves a third party making long duration / multiple international or premium rate call at the expense of a business. Hackers gain authorised access to the business’s PBX phone system and generate profit from the calls that they make to international and/ or premium rate numbers, leaving the business who owns the phone system liable for bill.

These types of attacks are increasing

What steps can I take to prevent this from happening to my business?

There are a couple of simple steps to start with, the first ensuring that your devices and voicemail are set up with strong passwords or pins and that they are changed regularly. It is important not to publish any direct dial numbers on the internet, and ensure that you check your call logs frequently for any strange looking activity if you can.

Whilst these steps will prevent novice attacks, they will not prevent more sophisticated attacks from malware or autodiallers. Choosing a trusted phone systems provider who can offer fraud monitoring, firewall configuration and automated blocking/banning on login attempts for your systems is an important step in protecting your business from all phone hackers and PBX Fraud.

To find out how Structured Communications can help you with telephone lines, VoIP systems and business broadband call us on 0203 301 4000 or email us at hello@ structuredcomunications.co.uk

0808 901 9042 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 63

Social

SBT

Society

Review The Duke of Kent Presents Varilight with the Queen’s Award for Innovation

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent has presented British manufacturer of VARILIGHT switches, sockets and dimmers, Doyle & Tratt Products Ltd, with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The ceremony took place on 7th December at the company’s head office in Faygate, near Horsham, in West Sussex.

The Queen’s Award was awarded to VARILIGHT in the category of Continuous Innovation in recognition of its success in bringing innovation to the electrical wiring accessories market and, in particular, for its technological development in designing dimmer switches for LED lighting.

With the rapid growth of LED lighting in homes and commercial premises, VARILIGHT’s ground-breaking V-Pro LED dimmer technology has brought significant growth to its business over the past two years. This is a trend that looks set to continue with the launch of the larger-capacity V-Com LED dimmer series earlier this year.

Photography by Graham Franks ©

Mr Colin Field, JP, DL reads the citation before the presentation of the Queen’s award

HRH The Duke of Kent in conversation with The Earl of Lytton – Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex and Tony Doyle

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The prestigious award

From back (left to right) Mr Jeremy Quinn, MP, Mr Colin Field, JP, DL The Earl of Lytton – Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex, Cllr Tricia Youtan – Chairman, Horsham District Council, Mr Tom Crowley – Chief Executive, Horsham District Council, John Doyle, Dr Tony Doyle, Cllr Liz Kitchen, Horsham District Council / West Sussex County Council (TBC), Paul Doyle, Carole Doyle

A full staff picture after the presentation

John Doyle Pouring a toast!

Tony Doyle reads a few reflective words at the presentation

The presentation to Tony Doyle

Social

Review Chestnut Tree House Snow Ball 2015 Chestnut Tree House’s Snowman Spectacular Ball on Saturday 5 December – highlight of the Brighton social calendar and one of the leading charity events outside London – celebrated another fundraising success for the Sussex children’s hospice, with an incredible total of £455,011 on the night.

Guests were wowed by an exclusive live performance from five-piece harmony group, The Overtones, currently on tour with their new show, Christmas Party with The Overtones, who got the audience on their feet dancing and singing along to their stylish mix of R & B, soul and pop music.

When The Overtones – Timmy, Mark, Lachie, Mike and Darren - heard about the hospice, they were delighted to perform and said: “We are delighted to be performing at the Snowman Spectacular Ball and helping to raise vital funds and awareness for Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice. They provide amazing care for children and families in Sussex and it’s a privilege to be part of the evening and to help this worthwhile cause.”

Sally Gunnell & Marcella Whittingdale drawing raffle

The Overtones with Helen Cookson & Linda Perry

Polar bear auction lot The Overtones performing

ILG Christmas Gift Tree Volunteers

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Photography by Graham Franks ©

Chestnut Tree House Volunteers

Made In Sussex

Made In Sussex: OSV LTD

OSV Ltd are independent vehicle supply professionals based in West Sussex, supplying all makes and models and providing every funding method imaginable

What service does OSV Ltd provide?

Brand We are able to cater for a variety of vehicle Focus requirements as we supply all makes and models. So regardless if the customer is a private individual or a business looking to source multiple company cars, we can tailor our approach accordingly.

We are proud members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (the voluntary body of the motor industry) and strive for every customer to receive an exceptional experience.

How is OSV Ltd different from other companies in the vehicle supply industry?

We can supply all makes and models and, therefore, we add value by gaining trust from our customers and saving them time, as they can rely on us to source the best solution for them without limitations.

The industry can be competitive and staff turnover can be high. We are very proud to have retained and developed excellent talent within our team and they are our biggest asset. It is undoubtedly their efforts, drive and commitment to achieve customer satisfaction that has kept customers returning to us time and time again.

What’s your start-up story?

The company was founded in 1997 and started with only 2 people. We have since worked hard on developing the business and now have just under 20 employees, with 3 live vacancies and a number of new positions arising in 2016.

When we started the company, we decided that our strategy should be built on exceptional customer service.

With this in mind; it was never our intention to be the largest, our vision is ‘to be the most highly-recommended independent supplier of vehicles’. We believe that having this vision at the heart of the business will lead to expansion and success, which has already been reflected in our significant growth.

Are the Sussex roots of the business important to you?

We have traded in Sussex since the company was founded in 1997 and our Sussex roots are very important to us. We have been delighted to provide services to Sussex-based companies and individuals over the years, and due to our ability to supply nationally, we have helped local companies with national requirements.

The majority of our team has lived and worked in Sussex for years, and we are all proud of our Sussex roots and are delighted to have expanded and moved into larger premises in Sussex to accommodate our growth.

What’s your company ethos?

Our Company Culture Statement includes

all the things necessary for a good business: Fun, Openness, Respect, Trust, Commitment, Education, Professionalism, Value, Gratitude, Team Work, Process, and Customer Recommendation. We work around the fact that choosing a new car should be an enjoyable experience and there are so many choices available in today’s market. We supply all makes and models of cars, so our team of experts can provide a consultative service, and we are very proud to say that our team are all genuinely committed to understanding the needs of our customers and sourcing the most beneficial solutions for them.

OSV Ltd has a contact page on their website, along with other information about their team and services www.osv.ltd.uk The team encourages anyone who wants to find out more to call and speak to one of the Account Managers, their telephone number is 01903 538835.

OSV Ltd, D1, Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3QZ.

66 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

em design

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05/01/2016 13:54:19

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