SBT issue 438

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ISSUE 438

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SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

INTRODUCING HYBRED CONSULTANCY: GETTING BRIGHTON’S BUSINESSES BACK OPEN

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS FOR BRIGHTONANDHOVEJOBS.COM

WE HEAR FROM LOVE LOCAL JOBS COMPANY FOUNDER, GARY PETERS

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SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

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SBTWelcome Welcome to our latest digital edition of Sussex Business Times.

Value Added Partners

As we kick off July and see an ease on government restrictions, with the hospitality

industry re-opening it is certainly a welcome return. We can hopefully all start to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

There is still a huge air of uncertainty but we are slowly returning to what is being

described as the ‘new normal’. It has been interesting attending online events and

forums, amongst discussions in the County Business Clubs community about how businesses will return. Will remote working continue? Will businesses reduce their office space in favour of flexible and remote working? Only time will tell.

On a positive note it is with great pleasure that we help celebrate the 10 year

anniversary of BrightonandHovejobs.com in our main cover feature this month. I

started my first business in Brighton 10 years ago and remember meeting founder Gary Peters not long after the launch of the jobs board back in 2010. His story

inspired me then and it has been amazing to see Love Local Jobs grow over the

past decade and help change so many young peoples lives, making such a positive difference to the local communities and inspiring local future generations. With the

Sponsors

launch of the SBT Recruitment section this month, how fitting to have Love Local

Jobs as our sponsors. We wish Gary and all the LLJ team a happy anniversary and continued success for the next decade. Plus the feature will also be posted via our new CBC Broadcast channel later this month, so watch this space.

We also have a feature on new business, Hybred Consultancy, who are helping to

get Brighton businesses back open and Covid -19 secure. The issue is packed full of great content and advice from our sponsors and contributors and we thank you all for your continued support.

Develdas

Luxury Chocolates & Gifts in Brighton Marina

Finally, a personal thank you from me for your support so far for County Business

Clubs. The community continues to grow and we look forward to welcoming more

Develdas imports handmade, luxury chocolates directly from Valentino Chocolatier in Belgium.

The chocolates are made to order and always very fresh.

Treat yourself or your loved-ones to the finest quality and the very best chocolates around.

We have a nice selection of chocolates in our webshop, and an even wider selection at our shop in Brighton Marina which has wheelchair access throughout.

new members and partners this month.

Discover all our delicious Chocolates online: regular, sugar-free, vegan or alcohol-free.

I hope you all enjoy this issue of SBT and I would like to wish all our readers, friends, www.develdas.co.uk 07855 214323 17 The Waterfront BN2 5WA Brighton Marina

Untitled-7 1

22/05/2020 15:33

business associates all the very best. Stay safe and well, remain positive and together we will come though this.

Sam Thomas, Managing Director

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Issue 438

06 11 Cover 438

Managing Director/Publisher Sam Thomas sam@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Production & Design Kim Butler Accounts Clare Fermor accounts@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 016 Published by The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Unit 1a Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by L&S Printing Limited Hazelwood Close Worthing BN14 8NP 01903 821005 www.ls-printing.com

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 The Business Group Sussex 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 The Business Group Sussex Ltd. 2020 ©

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News

A round up of the local business stories from across Sussex

SBT Finance

MHA Carpenter Box – Utilising tax incentives to maximise cashflow and IEP Financial provide a Lockdown Checklist

SBT Legal

Employment rights and recovery from Coronavirus – plus Broken Contracts – where do you stand?

SBT Property

Let’s talk lettings, with Stephen Chipp, Town & Country Property Services

SBT Sales & Marketing

Getting digital in a virtual world, plus Unlocking digital for businesses after lockdown

SBT Charity

A Rockinghorse special

New Business Feature

Hybred Consultancy – getting Brighton’s businesses back open

SBT Recruitment Main Feature

Celebrating the 10 year anniversary for BrightonandHoveJobs.com

SBT Lifestyle

Wines of English Wine Week 2020

SBT Motoring News

Maxus welcomes new dealership to its growing network, plus an extended MOT – How safe is your car?

SBT Networking & Events

Network My Club Partner with CBC and Yellow Fish’s guide to virtual events

SBT Ak the expert

Three at Three: James, Emma & Lisa are back with more great advice

Cibe Corner

SBT Cube Consulting round up and this month’s focus on MHA Carpenter Box

SBT Yellow Fish Think Tank

In this new feature Yellow Fish help you to think outside the tank

WE’RE ON THE MOVE We are very excited to announce that we are on the move to a brand new Studio.

From July 1st we will be based at 4 St. Georges Place, Brighton, BN1 4GA We look forward to welcoming everyone very soon!

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MO NT H LY N E WS

County Business Clubs Members Roundup It has been a great opening few Members weeks for County Roundup Business clubs. We have welcomed a variety of members from all businesses and industries, shared content, had discussions and much more in the community. We are delighted to announce our partnership

with Network My Club as events partners who continue to adapt, evolve and push boundaries with online networking, and offer CBC members a great opportunity to network and build their contacts.

We also have some very exciting news this month with the launch of our new engaging, interactive content hub and

we look forward to sharing this with our members.

Our community continues to grow and looks forward to welcoming more of you this month. It is still FREE to join – simply CLICK HERE | register | create your profile and start benefiting from being part of the County Business Clubs community.

Our new members

Your Business | Your Community | Your Platform

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MON T H LY N E WS

MAG Interactive appoints new Studio Manager Mobile gaming company MAG Interactive has appointed Tone Brennan as Studio Manager to help grow the Brighton studio’s games and raise its profile.

He will also help to manage the eventual Monthly return to the office News in central Brighton, when restrictions surrounding coronavirus are relaxed.

Brennan joins MAG Interactive from mobile game developer Outplay Entertainment in Dundee where was a Senior and Executive Producer.

Previously where he was an Executive Producer at All 4 Games for Channel 4.

Brennan said: ”I love the games that MAG Interactive makes. Before even speaking to MAG I was very familiar with Ruzzle, QuizDuel and Word Domination, so when I was contacted about the role it was an easy decision to want to talk to them. ”The decision became even easier the more I found out about the company structure, and the importance of the culture that has been created at MAG. One of the most important aspects is that I felt there would be a good match between how I like to work, and how MAG likes to work. And that match seemed really clear from the very start.”

Brennan will lead the studio from Scotland remotely for now, as the rest of the team continue to work from home in Brighton.

He said: ”That is going to be different, and will take its own special kind of effort.

Everyone has been very welcoming and MAG has adjusted well to working remotely. The company seem to be doing a great job of looking after everyone while

they’re based at home. ”There will be the more practical demands of trying to work out the best way to get the teams back working together in the studio or to see where we need to adapt or learn based on the lockdown. But even from 500 miles away, I cannot wait to get established at MAG and to get into the Brighton studio with everybody else as soon as I can!”

Brennan was attracted to MAG Tone Brennan Interactive’s flat hierarchy and studio culture where he feels that trust and open intends to bring a dose of practicality and communication are encouraged. It’s the humour to his role and added he was type of culture he has always tried to looking forward to being able to move to create in previous roles.

Brighton with his family, enjoy the warmer weather and vibrant seaside city.

He adds: ”It became clear that MAG really believe in having good people and Daniel Hasselberg, CEO at MAG providing proper team empowerment.

Interactive, said: “I am very happy to It’s common for studios to say that have Tone join our Brighton studio. He the teams have the autonomy to make brings a deep experience of production decisions about the product they’re of mobile games and shares my view working on, but it’s much harder to on the importance of building strong make it happen in practice. MAG’s core and independent teams that feel true values are based around trusting the ownership of their games. As we teams, and making sure they feel safe continue to invest in the Brighton studio and supported in making decisions. I in general and Wordzee in particular it is find this to be pretty rare, and that was great to have Tone onboard supporting what really attracted me.” the teams in their mission to build top performing games.”

Brennan is looking forward to stepping out of his core production role and For more information, please visit plans to listen and learn from the team www.maginteractive.com to enable him to champion them. He

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Sussex Cricket announces BACA as its state school partner

in programme to increase the number of state educated youngsters breaking into the top of the game Sussex Cricket is pleased to announce Monthly a new threeNews year partnership agreement between the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA), the Aldridge Foundation and Sussex Cricket.

This flagship partnership continues to see Sussex Cricket leading the way in giving children at state schools the chance to break into the top tiers of men’s and women’s cricket. For Sussex Cricket, BACA is the state school of choice for cricket in Sussex.

Lead Pathway Coach, Ashley Wright is now the official coach for BACA’s new

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Junior Cricket Pathway, which offers students in years 7-11 a personalised programme of cricket activities that fit around their academic studies at the academy.

Sussex Cricket 1st XI coaches, James Kirtley, Ian Salisbury, Jason Swift and Head of Talent Pathway, Richard Halsall will also have weekly involvement at the school from September as part of the new partnership, while Sussex coaches and players will be available for leadership workshops and 1-to-1 mentoring of students.

The partnership builds on the sixyear relationship between the three organisations that began with the

launch of the Aldridge Cricket Academy at BACA’s 6th form college, enabling students to combine high-level academic studies with an intensive cricket development programme.

Over 100 boys and girls from Brighton, Hove and across Sussex have experienced the programme to date.

Graduates include current Sussex CCC player Will Sheffield; Tara Norris, a Sussex Women, England Under-19 and Loughborough Lightning player; Ariana Dowse, who has gone on to play for Hampshire Women; and Liam O’Brien, England Physical Disability Team Player and an England PD Cricketer of the Year.

Mike Atherton described BACA as “a beacon for the sport in the state sector” and praised the partnership with Sussex

MON T H LY N E WS

Cricket. The academy is just one of four state secondary schools named by the Cricketer Magazine in its top 100 Cricketing schools 2020. The square at BACA’s Premier League standard playing facilities is maintained by Sussex Cricket ground staff.

Sussex Cricket Chief Executive, Rob Andrew said: “This is an outward statement by Sussex Cricket to be one of the first Counties to implement the recommendations of the England & Wales Cricket Board in its 5-year plan, “Inspiring Generations,” designed to address the dearth of organised cricket in state secondary schools.

“With its magnificent dedicated facilities, BACA fits the bill wonderfully and we have high hopes that it will provide an increasing number of highquality youngsters within the Sussex Cricket Pathway.”

Principal of Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, Bob Speight, said: “As Sussex Cricket’s state school of choice, we are excited to provide the same opportunities for boys and girls in local state schools to play the game and develop as those who go to independent fee-paying schools have always had open to them.”

Sir Rod Aldridge added: “The Aldridge Foundation’s aim is to encourage students to be bold, independent and confident. We believe that sport, and particularly cricket, inspires young people to fulfil their true potential and develop the social, emotional and physical skills needed to thrive later in life.

“Whether starting secondary school, working towards GCSEs or in sixth form, this partnership with Sussex Cricket means that BACA students can combine their academic studies with top class cricket coaching in exceptional facilities. For parents there’s no compromise between academic studies and sporting development; no rush to get from school to training every day; and no school fees.”

“I am delighted to be part of such a ground-breaking programme with Sussex Cricket. I look forward to seeing even more BACA students playing for Sussex men’s and women’s teams – and hopefully internationally - in future.”

BACA is rated Good by Ofsted and holds the prestigious MCC Hub status.

Founder of The Aldridge Foundation,

To find out more about BACA and how they can fulfil your cricketing and academic aspirations please click here to view their current prospectus.

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MO NT H LY N E WS

Acupuncturists in Brighton and Hove open specialist clinic to support NHS workers

A volunteer group of 8 very experienced local acupuncturists have created a clinic offering 40 appointments a week to support the NHS staff with stress, exhaustion and pain caused by their extraordinary workload due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A call to assist the NHS went out in early Monthly April to acupuncturists News and an initiative called ‘Acupuncture for NHS’ was formed, which consisted of a number of volunteer acupuncturists. The collective of acupuncturists from all over the country fought for specialist insurance for the project and have developed first class safe practices and integrated a research project to run alongside the programme.

The very first clinic of the kind was setup in Brighton & Hove with a team of acupuncturists brought together by Cara Beckinsale & Soreh Levy.

Coincidentally acupuncturist Cara Beckinsale was awarded a scholarship by the British Acupuncture Council to Heilongjiang University in China in September. Her submission was based on the idea of integrating acupuncture into

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the NHS by working with trauma doctors and nurses to reduce stress levels.

Cara Beckinsale said: “It has been a long time passion of mine to integrate Chinese Medicine and the NHS, so when this opportunity presented itself I contacted likeminded colleagues in Brighton & Hove who already worked together and we quickly formed a clinical team.”

One of Cara’s clinics is The Float Spa in Hove where owner Camille Pierson offered immediate support to the project. Camille sponsored the project by converting The Float Spa, which is currently closed due to coronavirus, into the clinic space for the project completely free of charge.

The uptake from NHS staff has been incredible - the first two weeks were fully booked within three days. The demand for the service has been proven in the

uptake alone and the patient feedback is overwhelmingly positive. The need for this kind of service will continue long after lockdown and the realistic reverberating effects of Covid effect on the NHS. The project was set up on goodwill and small donations. We are currently seeking individuals or an organisation to fund costs for at least a year.

Camille Pierson said: “When Cara approached me with the idea, I jumped at the chance to be able to support the NHS team who have worked so very hard throughout the current pandemic. The Float Spa is closed, so what better way to utilise the space until we are permitted to reopen. The Float Spa is a hub for wellness in the community, so this is an incredible way to give back.” https://acupuncture4nhsbrightonhove. as.me/schedule.php

SBT FINANCE

UTILISING TAX INCENTIVES

BY MHA CARPENTER BOX

LOCKDOWN CHECKLIST

BY IEP FINANCIAL

SBT FINANCE SPONSORED BY:

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Utilising tax incentives to maximise cash flow Given the impact of the COVID-19 Finance pandemic and the associated lockdown, it is more vital than ever for businesses to ensure they are maximising their reliefs and take full advantage of the Government’s offering. These incentives and reliefs can reduce tax payments owed to HMRC to retain cash or potentially generate cash repayments from HMRC. There are a range of valuable options available. They provide generous tax deductions that reduce profits or increase taxable losses, some of which can be converted into cash payments.

Many businesses will have accrued tax debts during the second quarter of 2020

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simply due to the automatic deferral of VAT payments between 23rd March and 30th June 2020 which HMRC have implemented. Many businesses will also use Time to Pay arrangements for PAYE and NIC, and potentially Corporate Tax, and so other tax debts may have accrued.

The methods of potential relief include:

Accelerating tax claims to reduce payments due to HMRC Accelerating the work needed to claim the tax relief means that less tax will be payable to HMRC when this becomes due, and future payments may also be reduced because of this.

Companies with profits below £1.5 million pay corporation tax 9 months and 1 day after the end of their accounting

period. Companies with profits in excess of this pay in four instalments and are therefore only ever a few months away from their next payment date.

Partnerships and individuals generally make payments on account on 31st January (within the tax year), and 31st July (following the end of the tax year).

A potential method of accelerating the relief available would be to shorten an accounting period. If a company shortens their accounting period, they are able to crystallise the relief at an earlier point and could significantly improve their cash flow. For example: •A company with a 30 September 2020 year end might choose to shorten an accounting period to 31 March 2020 so that a claim for

FI NA NCE

(eg) R&D tax relief was possible for activities prior to the lockdown. • A company with a 31 March 2020 year end might choose to prepare the next accounts to 31 December 2020 so that a claim was prepared before the 31 March 2021 payment deadline for VAT deferred between 23rd March 2020 and 30 June 2020.

However, a key action with such a step is that the accounts need to be prepared to support a claim. Whilst Companies House have put forward the option of extending filing deadlines for accounts, companies who want to accelerate tax claims may find it more beneficial to prepare accounts so that they are able to support tax claims (rather than deferring preparation).

Also, there are rules regarding how often accounting periods can be changed and in which circumstances (and which govern when such a change has to be notified to Companies House). The Companies House rules should therefore be checked before committing to amending an accounting period.

Amending prior year returns to claim repayments If a claim for relief was overlooked in a recently filed prior year, a business may be able to file an amended return to claim the relief. In this instance, following the inclusion of the relief in the return, tax will have been overpaid so a cash tax repayment can be claimed from HMRC and future tax liabilities may also be reduced because of this work.

Capital Allowances (CAs) Capital Allowances are available to both companies and unincorporated businesses for capital expenditure. This form of relief can be extremely valuable for commercial property, whether in respect of the acquisition of a freehold or leasehold of a building, or substantial construction works.

By carrying out a retrospective review of expenditure by a capital allowance specialist they will identify significant additional spend that is eligible for tax relief. For any construction works, the claim can go back indefinitely as long as the assets which are included in the claim are still owned and utilised in the business. For an acquisition, this is generally more complex as there is a two-year window in which a claim can be made, however with specialist help it may still be possible to make retrospective claims for expenditure which the previous owner was not entitled to claim on.

Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) Enhanced Capital Allowances are a sub group of Capital Allowances and are entitled to a full 100% first year allowance on items which feature on the Energy Technology List, Water Technology List or satisfy the criteria for those categories of expenditure which do not directly feature.

This relief ended on 31st March 2020.

However it is still possible to amend returns for any recently filed earlier year or also if expenditure was incurred in the current accounting period but before 31 March 2020. Where a company is loss making, this can be surrendered for a cash repayment from HMRC worth 16% of the loss surrendered, up to a cap of ÂŁ250,000.

Structures and Buildings Allowances (SBA) Structures and Buildings Allowances are available at 3% of costs which do not qualify for allowances under the Capital Allowances or ECA regime. This relief is available where contracts for construction work were entered into after October 2018 and are available on a straight line basis.

This relief reduces the base cost of the asset for capital gains tax purposes but is a welcome relief in the current

economic climate and can significantly improve short term cash flow.

Research and Development (R&D) relief and tax credits R&D relief is a particularly generous tax relief for companies who incur expenditure in carrying out R&D. R&D is essentially any work that a company is carrying out (or paying somebody else to carry out) to resolve a scientific or technological problem which could not have readily been solved by a professional in the relevant field without carrying out a detailed and systematic project.

Many SME companies are able to claim a deduction totalling 230%, or if loss making for tax purposes can be surrendered for a cash repayment from HMRC which can be worth up to approximately 33% of losses surrendered.

For larger companies, or grant funded R&D projects, an alternative mechanism called the R&D Expenditure Credit can provide a taxable credit worth up to 13% of the qualifying expenditure.

In a small number of cases, companies using COVID-19 support measures could limit their ability to claim R&D tax relief, so it is essential you speak to an adviser.

Supporting you There are a broad range of tax opportunities which can arise during an economic slowdown. These actions can assist with cash flow, including a reduction to taxes payable and the payment of tax credits.

The tax team at MHA Carpenter Box can provide the guidance to help review your business, provide advice on accessing support and assist with identifying additional options for cash flow needs. www.carpenterbox.com

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FI NAN C E

Lockdown Checklist

7. W rite a Will. Recent research indicates that 54% of adults in the UK do not have a will and six out of ten parents do not have one, nor do they have guardians in place who would look after their children.

8. Budgeting. With any extra time on your hands, go through the exercise of seeing what you normally spend.

Check your direct debits, review your mortgage with one of our brokers, maybe consider a mortgage payment holiday and check what you pay on energy bills with the latest falls in oil reducing tariffs.

Sarah Crowley

2020 has certainly been a year like no Finance other. Most of us have been at home a lot more than usual and many businesses and individuals have faced unprecedented financial insecurity and concern. With this in mind, IEP Financial, an independent financial advice firm in Hove, have been on hand to assist existing and new clients. We have also produced a guide with some ideas to ensure you retain some control over your finances. These include: 1. Consolidate old pensions. We can track them down for you. Any pension funds which you have accumulated in your working life could make a real difference to your overall pension savings and could be accessed from age 55.

2. Update your pension beneficiary form. Pensions don’t normally form part of your estate for inheritance tax purposes and therefore are not covered by your Will. Nominating beneficiaries wisely could also help

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with inter-generational tax planning.

3. Check your State Pension. The majority of individuals are unaware of how much they may be eligible to receive as their State Pension, or at what age they will qualify for it. Check yours at https://www.gov.uk/checkstate-pension.

4. Review old life insurance policies and set up new. Check your direct debits – what are you really paying for? We can check what policies you have in place and advise on their suitability and value for money by comparing to the whole of market.

5. Review your investments. 2020 has been a true test for investments and stockmarkets have behaved differently than expected and previously seen. We can analyse the performance and risk of your investments.

6. Establish a Power of Attorney which allows someone to make welfare and/ or financial decisions for you, or act on your behalf should you no longer be able to, or if you no longer want to.

9. G overnment Schemes to deal with impact of COVID-19. Keep up to speed with the financial assistance available to you. Get in touch if you’d like more information.

We hope the above overview has been a useful guide, and if you’d like to speak to one of the team at IEP about any of these points, we can be contacted on 01273 208813 or by email to info@iepfinancial.co.uk.

For further information, see our website www.iepfinancial.co.uk and we are present on the following platforms: @iepfinancial @IEPFinancial IEP Financial Ltd @iepfinancialltd IEP Financial Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

SBT LEGAL

BROKEN CONTRACTS

BY JAMES O’CONNELL, MAYO WYNNE BAXTER LLP

SBT LEGAL SPONSORED BY:

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Employment Rights and the recovery from Coronavirus: How do employers plan for the next stage?

By Alex Jones, Managing Director, 365 Employment Law I have specialised in advising employers Legal on employment law for nearly 20 years, and all businesses face periods where they need to make tough decisions. There is a general misperception among a lot of small businesses that it is difficult to dismiss staff in tough economic times.

That is not the case. As a simple starting position, provided an employee is not being dismissed for a protected reason (eg a discriminatory one or whistleblowing),

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an employee must have at least 2 years continuous service in order to be able to raise most claims, including unfair dismissal. Even then, if the business has a genuine structural or economic reason to reduce their headcount, redundancy is a process that is, in most circumstances, relatively uncomplicated. If however, the employer gets the process wrong, either procedurally or on any justification, it can lead to claims.

is justification and a fair process), can allow an employer to reduce their headcount quickly and effectively, but also provide employees with a payment based on their length of service. Alternative methods on reducing costs, such as changes to working hours, changes to working days, or reduced pay, are fraught with difficulty, risk claims, and almost always require consent.

In times of recession, the ability to make staff redundant (provided there

A number of businesses have relied on the Coronavirus Job Interruption

LEGA L

Alex Jones

60%. Negotiate with employees to reduce on that basis and/or part pay wages; 2) C onsider their structure for when the CJRS support ends. Who might they need to make redundant both financially and from an organisational perspective; 3) C onsider the timings of any redundancy process and start it in good time.

Scheme (CJRS), to avoid making those necessary but difficult decisions. The CJRS, which was announced in March, and is still running, allowed employers to furlough staff, and recover the lower of up to 80% or £2,500 for the employees wages through HMRC. During the initial period, which ended on 30th June 2020, employees had to be furloughed from their full contract, and were unable to carry out work for their employer. From 1st July, “flexible furlough” applies, were employers can use the scheme for part of the normal working week, and the employee works for the other part. For example, a 5 day per week employee could be furloughed (at the CJRS rates) for 3 days, but come into work for the other two days, on their normal contracted amount. As with the start of furlough, any variation should be dealt with by consent with the employee.

In any event, the government has made clear, the scheme will end in all formats by the end of October 2020. After the end of September, employers will only be able to claim back 60% of wages so a whole new set of negotiations with employees will need to occur.

As the scheme evolves towards an inevitable end, I am being contacted by a number of employers who are being proactive about how to deal with issues.

Some businesses have effectively been in hibernation, such as those in hospitality. Others have been affected on a short term basis. Either way, these are the steps employers should be taking to deal with the fact they will not have the financial support in the medium term: 1) W ork out how they think the business will be affected when the wages contribution is reduced to

Employers should also remember that if they do have to make staff redundant, they need to fund the redundancy payments, but that the CJRS can be used for a notice period, provided that: 1) T he notice is not paid in lieu ie employment continues; 2) T hey either top up the notice pay to the full entitlement, or reach an agreement with the employee to only pay the furlough amount.

Employers should also always remember, that any termination, needs to also be for a fair reason (such as redundancy) and follow a fair process.

Please always take advice.

Alex Jones 365 Employment Law Solicitors Tel: 01903 863284 ajones@365employmentlaw.co.uk www.365employmentlaw.co.uk

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Broken Contracts where Do You Stand?

By James O’Connell - Associate Solicitor, Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP COVID-19 has not

Legal

changed contract

law. The same rules apply now as have always applied.

In a very small number of special situations, the existing rights of

enforcement have been temporarily

suspended. For example, landlords are not currently allowed to begin eviction proceedings for tenants who are up

to 3 months behind in their rent. But the underlying obligation to pay rent

has not gone away. Other than those

special situations, the law is applied in the usual way.

So, you have not performed your

contractual obligations, or a customer

has not performed theirs: what are your next steps?

Contract law has never been a fan of the Old Testament principle of “an eye for

an eye”. If the other side from you on a contract has not met their obligations,

that does not allow you to ignore yours.

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Just because the other party has

breached their contractual obligations, it does not allow you to automatically ignore or breach yours. What you can do depends on how serious

the breach is. If it is a major breach

(they have not paid) then the default

position is that you are entitled to end the contract immediately and claim

damages. If it is a minor breach (you

promised to deliver 10,000 cups, but actually delivered 9,998) then the

law says you must either continue

the contract and claim damages (if

you have suffered any loss from the breach) or just carry on and ignore

the breach. If it is a major breach and damages would not be a sufficient

remedy (e.g. the funeral home will not return mum’s ashes) you can ask the court to force the other party to do

what they promised to do - which is

called seeking specific performance.

People often conflate bad,

dishonourable, or immoral behaviour with a breach of contract. The two are not usually connected. On the

other side

of that same coin, being

right is not a bullet-proof

vest. You can be totally in

the right but

legally in the

James O’Connell

wrong. What contract

law does is force you to honour the

terms of your agreement, regardless of whether it is stupid, distasteful,

economically ruinous for you or just the worst deal ever.

So, identify the actual breach by

reading the contract very, very carefully.

The precise meaning of every word

potentially counts. People who skim

read contracts clearly like taking risks.

I am a commercial lawyer and when I am involved in contract disputes it is usually with the hope of avoiding litigation.

Those are the cases I like!

SBT PROPERTY

LET’S TALK LETTINGS

BY STEPHEN CHIPP, TOWN & COUNTRY

SBT PROPERTY SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19

‘Its lettings Jim but not as we know it’ Well having gladly returned to work Property – albeit with some trepidation (its nice sitting looking at my emails in a garden with a cold beer and my family surrounding me) – I can now start dissecting what the global pandemic is really going to mean in terms of the economy and the letting industry specifically.

I can tell my staff are happy to be out of their homes (sadly their routers were located in bedrooms in the main so did not have the luxury of being able to be in the garden!) and we have sufficient

20 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

space to social distance. It has not been without its challenges and, like the beginning of the lockdown, we are having to come up with procedures as situations arise. I am sure every industry is the same; in fact I cannot think of any aspect of life that will not be affected by this pandemic.

In the month we have been back to work we have most certainly let properties but the market is reasonably static in terms of demand – as you would perhaps expect. I do not sugar coat the market and I am aware of attempts within the industry to ‘talk it up’ – I would rather be straight and tell it how it is to my clients.

It seems very odd to be letting properties to people who have not even stepped foot into the property but this is what has happened on at least 4 occasions since we returned. So, things are moving but it is the landlord that understands the market limitations, and is being realistic with price, who is getting his/her property tenanted.

In reality this is normally the case in a good market but of course landlords have been spoilt in Brighton and Hove and surrounding areas for some years now with an undersupply or property and strong demand. The simple fact is that with peoples incomes

P RO PE RTY

to ensure you are protected re this and the myriad of legislation that affects the sector.

•M ore tenants will be in receipt of Government financial assistance meaning that landlords will be less likely to refuse an applicant that is not in full time employment. In fact you may have more guarantees from tenants receiving local authority assistance – you cannot now advertise a property with the strap line of ‘No DSS’ but you can still decide as to whether you would let to someone who is.

• I think collaboration between a good landlord/letting agent and tenant is vital and Covid-19 and the UK Government has really emphasised this over guidance for rent arrears during this crisis. Good communication ensures happy tenants paying their rent, without void periods, and who respect and look after your asset.

So to summarise; whilst there are clearly uncertain times ahead people need homes and will continue to need to let.

Be realistic and reasonable to ensure your property is tenanted with good quality tenants to minimise any voids whilst protecting your asset. being severely cut, and the economy contracting, we have to be realistic with price and may have to be for some time to come.

This brings me on to the quality of tenant within a property. Landlords should be doing everything they can to retain good quality tenants currently – they really are worth their weight in gold! With the potential to have to wait for months for a Court date for possession proceedings; is it really worth issuing notice to a tenant because they are a few hundred £’s in arrears? I would argue not.

Now of course, there are those tenants that cause an issue in normal times and have attempted to use covid-19 to their advantage and I am certainly not suggesting tenants are somehow

placated when they are in breach of their tenancies. Notice can and still should be given where appropriate.

However those that are struggling, and

can be helped, will most likely clear any arrears accrued. They will also then

be long term thankful tenants who look

If you need any assistance at all please do not hesitate to contact me.

Stephen Chipp

81 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2BB 01273 771977

www.brightonlettings.co.uk

after your asset.

So what do I think will be the long term implications/trends in the rental market?

• I personally feel that a contraction of house prices is inevitable later in the year so, if you have finances, it will be a good time to invest in property.

• T he government may make more changes to possession legislation meaning a good letting agent is vital

Stephen Chipp

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 21

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SBT SALES & MARKETING

GETTING DIGITAL IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

BY LARA SQUIRES, CONSORTIUM

UNLOCKING DIGITAL FOR BUISINESSES

BY JOHN SHEPHERD, ROCKETMILL

SBT SALES & MARKETING SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 23

SA L E S & MARK E T I N G

Getting Digital in a Virtual World

This has been the topic for a series of talks that I have done recently and is pretty relevant right now.

Sales & Marketing

Why?

My agency works in the professional

United Kingdom (UK), as of April 2020.

by 19.7% between

than many industries in getting relevant

smallest group, with 4.5 percent of

Research by

some of the social media platforms. For

Web usage increased

service sector which has a harder time

Those aged 13 to 17 made up the

January and March*.

and ‘fun’ content that will engage on

users falling under that classification

GlobalWebIndex found a 27% increase

many of our clients the most relevant

Twitter - The total number of Twitter

among Millennials, 29% among Gen X and

Having a comprehensive digital strategy

Twitter users are between the ages of 18

a 70% increase in usage across its family

up wasting your time. Social media can

34% of Twitter users are females and

in social media use among Gen Z, 30%

platform for that reason will be LinkedIn.

users in the UK is 13.7 million. 38% of

15% among Boomers. Facebook reported

is key to making sure that you don’t end

and 29, 26% users are 30-49 years old.

of apps since the crisis has started.

become a rabbit hole and hours can be

66% are males.

This all leads marketers to believe that

have profiled your ideal client which will

LinkedIn - 23% of all workers in the UK

think that most businesses have been

are worth your time.

age demographic is the 35 to 54 age

years anyway (rightly or wrongly). The

The key thing to remember, whatever

what to say digitally! The same rules

king – anyone can broadcast (post)

you are posting to Facebook, you need

connections). By creating engagement

sits right with pictures of babies, animals

to achieving ‘know, trust and like’ which

digital is where its at! To be honest, I focusing on digital for the last few

lost once you get stuck in. You need to

then enable you to see which platforms

are on LinkedIn. LinkedIn’s largest UK bracket, closely followed by the 25-

34, with less than 750,000 users either

challenge comes when thinking about

the platform, is that engagement is

under 24 or over 55.

apply as pre-Covid in the sense that, if

or connect (grow your followers/

What can I do?

to think about whether your messaging

with an audience you are getting closer

yourself, if you have an in house

and funny memes/gifs.

is where our prospects need to be to buy from us. This is

achieved by creating content that will

resonate with your

audience so they will want to engage.

Platform

demographics

Facebook - users by

age 2020. Individuals

24 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

marketing person or an agency, great.

Let them do what they do, but do pay

attention to the stats you are provided with on what posts work, where your website traffic is driven from etc.

If you are on your own (no agency or in house support) I think it’s key to

operate on the basis of less is more.

Do little – well. Think about investing

in some training, and tools that make your life easier. Like Hootsuite which

can schedule your posts for you. Most

marketing experts are happy to share a

aged 25 to 34 years

bit of free advice so ask away…

group of Facebook

Digital isn’t just social media

made up the largest Lara Squires

There is so much that you can do

users by age in the

Think about your digital activity across

SAL ES & MARKE TI NG Network My Club – they use an excellent piece of software called Remo which is

the most like physical networking I have

come across. They are also offering a 14 day free trial right now.

Ladies Lunch Clubs – now I am of

course biased as I run these. They have

been going for 15 years though so must be getting something right. The events

are all virtual now and as a not for profit group, very affordable.

Brighton Chamber of Commerce –

such a wide range of events, from Q&As with industry experts to well attended networking meetings on Zoom.

Make sure you have a polished 60

seconds and you still do your prep and follow up! Read our guide on virtual networking here for more tips.

Business Development

It is still possible…utilise LinkedIn to

find new connections and prospective customers. Manage your customer

database to sell new services or products to existing and past customers. Make it easy for people to buy from you. I love

this new tool I have found called Calendly, it manages my diary so people can book

straight in without all the toing and froing! numerous channels, do you have a blog

calendar, an email campaign, do you do any SEO or paid advertising?

Again, it is vital to consider your

audience and your budget. As an example, I was speaking with a

business this week whose target

audience is law firms. They wanted a

digital strategy and had included SEO and PPC. These both absolutely have a place in a strategy but they are not right for all businesses. Due to this

business’s target audience not being

big search users my recommendation

would be to focus on virtual events and email communications along with third party collaborations who are targeting the same audience.

Data and communication are king Most businesses have data on their

Review, adjust and repeat

You are 80% more likely to get repeat

mean you can file it away to review next

business from marketing activity. Are

be agile and responsive to change. No

base regularly. Do you use an email

months hold so review, adjust if needed

existing and past customers – use it!

Just because you have a plan, it doesn’t

business vs 20% likely to generate new

year. Now more than ever we need to

you communicating with your customer

one knows what the next days, weeks or

platform (such as Mailchimp)? If you do,

and repeat.

it is important to review the statistics on open rates and click throughs, as

well as managing unsubscribes – super important to comply with GDPR. Networking

Sources https://www.brainlabsdigital.com/marketingstrategy/covid-19-digital-marketing-insightsand-strategies-for-the-new-normal/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/ https://www.omnicoreagency.com/twitterstatistics/

It’s happening virtually, so join in. There are some great groups to get involved with. A few of my favourites are:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 25

Unlocking digital for businesses after lockdown As some semblance of normal returns to business, those of us privileged enough to now be considering how to build it back up again have a considerable challenge.

With an unprecedented 20% Sales & Marketing wiped off the UK GDP in April 2020, economic recovery is a nationwide challenge across sectors.

The size of the task is made bigger because of a fundamentally altered consumer landscape.

Through the pandemic, consumers have changed how they use media and how they convert from being prospects to customers. In both instances, there has been a flight to digital and this will be amongst the things that will not revert to a preCovid normality. The marketing epoch of lockdown will always be when TikTok went mainstream, increasing its reach among adults in the UK from 5.4 million to 12.9 million. Houseparty

26 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

from 175,000 to 4 million. Zoom reached 13 million adult internet users in April, up from 659,000 in January according to Ofcom’s Online Nation 2020 Report. If my household experience is anything to go by, I would wager that the key stat from eMarketer’s latest eCommerce study that “UK retail ecommerce sales will account for 27.5% of total retail sales this year, and that proportion will approach one-third by 2024. The postpandemic hit to physical retail will be felt far into the future” proves to be an understatement.

As marketers look to piece together their marketing plans for 2020/21 and beyond, a strategy of maximising the utility of their digital touchpoints with consumers should be the tie that binds them. ‘Project Restart’ does offer an

unprecedented opportunity to get match fit and is available to local SMEs as much as the biggest brands. There is an old marketing adage that businesses should spend through a recession, the focus of that investment in 2020 should be on optimising their digital estate.

Some sectors felt the implications immediately, travel being the obvious example. Working with our travel clients on how best to support them in the short term while forming a medium to long term strategy, has been some of our most vital work in lockdown. On the other hand, anything that provides entertainment direct to the home has seen huge growth in consumer demand.

We will soon publish some of the work we have been involved with to respond to that demand, in publisher subscriptions, gifting, gardening and gaming.

SAL ES & MARKE TI NG

John Shepherd

So what are the key questions that marketers should be considering to get ‘match fit’ for the new consumer trends?

At RocketMill we put People First, we consider our clients’ customers as the most important people we serve. The four questions all marketers should be asking themselves to see if they can put People First in a world of digital consumption are: • How quickly can you mobilise? - it’s essential to understand demand for your product or service, or how to create it. Prepare the right strategy and be ready to test against it.

• Do you consider media costs separately to service costs? - the people you trust to manage your investment should not be incentivised to spend more than is needed to drive a closely tracked effect. Indeed, they should be incentivised to tell you when to pull back because performance is exceeding your ability to deliver your product or service or, heaven forbid, not working. The service you need is understanding digital platforms, what audiences do on them, what to put in front of them, what levers to pull and sophisticated

tracking of them within and across consumer touchpoints.

• Can you respond? - insight should not be delivered in a wrap-up, you must be able to respond to consumer signals through your campaigns while they are live. You must have a framework to test, learn and iterate for audiences in the specific context you meet them in.

This demands an integrated strategy across creative and activation with a digital first skillset.

•A re you considering Total Performance? - whether you’re buying reach or a result, getting what you pay for shouldn’t be what is heralded most. We understand that every connection with a consumer is an opportunity to raise awareness, build preference, increase consideration and drive conversion.

We understand that this journey is just the start in the relationship with your customer. We bring the discipline of our background in performance to all digital marketing because we consider the totality of your customer experience across all channels.

The events of the last quarter have changed our world. It represents a transformational opportunity for all

businesses. Some things are not going back to the way they were, so get yourself match fit.

John Shepherd is a Client Partner at RocketMill John.Shepherd@RocketMill.co.uk RocketMill is one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing independent digital marketing agencies. We have successfully united old world craft with our digital heritage to provide brands with a full funnel service, using a strategy we call Total Performance. Our services fall into four key areas; analytics, strategy, media and creative.

We have been the top ranked marketing services business for the past two years in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, which evidences our strategy to put people first. We believe in radical transparency with our team, sharing the spoils with them along the way, and believing that if we put our people first, that they will do the finest work of their careers for you. www.rocketmill.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 27

SPONSORED BY:

MEDIA SPONSOR:

CHARIT Y GOLF DAY FRIDAY

11 SEPT 2020 TH

7.45am 9.00am 2.30pm 4.00pm

AT MID SUSSEX GOLF CLUB, SPATHAM LANE, DITCHLING

Registration; Coffee & Bacon Rolls Shotgun Start Two-Course Meal Presentations, Prizes & Raffle

Prizes for:

PER TEAM OF 4 PLAYERS

• Nearest the Pin • Longest Drive • Nearest the Line • Winning Teams

For more details or to register your team, please email Stella at events@rockinghorse.org.uk

28 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

£280

SBT CHARITY

A HERO IS FOR LIFE

BY ROCKINGHORSE CHILDRENS CHARITY

COVID-19 RESEARCH PROJECT

BY ROCKINGHORSE CHILDRENS CHARITY

CHOSEN CHARITY PARTNER:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29

C HA RI T Y

Rockinghorse Funds Covid-19 Research Project Rockinghorse is helping to fund vital research into how teenagers and young people transmit the Covid-19 virus.

Rockinghorse has

Charity

pledged to help fund a unique research

project which aims to evaluate the

prevalence of the COVID-19 infection in young people.

There continues to be a great deal

of uncertainty about how the virus is

transmitted in educational environments which impacts on the decisions about

30 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

when the appropriate time is to fully reopen schools and colleges.

A large part of this uncertainty

stems from the lack of data around the numbers of healthy teenagers

carrying the virus which they could the unwittingly pass on to other people in their community.

This research project is a collaboration between Dr Katy Fidler, Consultant

Paediatrician in Infectious Diseases at

the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, Dr Matthew Snape, Associate Professor of Paediatrics and Vaccinology in

Oxford and Professor Adam Finn, Professor of Infectious Diseases

in Bristol and the ‘Be on the Team’ meningitis vaccination study.

Prof Finn explains how the samples being used were initially collected:

“Researchers throughout the country,

CHA RITY

Dr Katy Fidler

of these students who were well and

showing no symptoms but were carrying the virus. However, swabs are tested

anonymously, and positive results are

not be fed back to individual participant.

They will then be able to use these

figures to compare the carriage rates to

the disease rates in the wider community in Brighton compared to other cities.

This research could have a great

impact on the decisions made in the including Brighton, were collecting throat swabs from 6th form school students in February and March

2020 as part of a research study

of meningitis vaccines led by the University of Oxford.

This set of samples now provides a

unique opportunity to study the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic during

this critical period. Laboratories at

the University of Bristol have set up a highly accurate test for the virus

which will now be used to analyse this important sample set.”

Ethical approval is in place for these samples to be used in subsequent research related to infectious

diseases, enabling the swabs to be

used to test for the virus (SARS CoV-

coming months around the re-opening

2) causing COVID-19.

of schools and colleges and help

This research could be of great benefit

most vulnerable.

was the city with the first known UK

It will also provide crucially important

has been relatively unaffected so far by

spreads which will be important

may be for a number of reasons, but

COVID-19 or for future pandemics

in the future says Dr Fidler: “Brighton

understand how best to protect the

‘COVID-19 super spreader’ but luckily

knowledge about how the virus

COVID-19, compared to London. This

to help plan for a second wave of

further knowledge of the percentage of

with similar viruses.

asymptomatic infections in teenagers in school pre lockdown would aid further understanding into how this pandemic may evolve post lockdown.”

In total the research team have 1406 throat swabs taken from students in

the UK at the time and the research will be able to determine the percentage

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 31

A hero is for life, not just for lockdown

Since launching their ‘Be a Rockinghorse Hero’ campaign in March, Rockinghorse Children’s Charity have had some wonderful support but it’s important to remember that a hero is for life, not just for lockdown!

The last few months have seen the world go through a health Charity crisis that most of us have never experienced before.

Our world has changed beyond measure and the need for charities to support our local communities is now even more important than ever.

and little bones continue to be broken.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected all aspects of our lives but especially the NHS and the services they are able to provide, with the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital being no exception.

“During the past year Rockinghorse has given funding towards the provision of a music therapist, provided new seating in one of our waiting areas and new equipment to help us take children’s observations along with many other things. They really are a charity that goes above and beyond to continue to improve the hospital experience for all.”

The Rockinghorse team have been working hard to continue their support of the Alex, the Trevor Mann Baby Unit, and other services for sick children in Sussex. But having lost around £50k in funding from the cancellation or rescheduling of marathons and events, trying to recoup some of that lost income has become the charity’s focus.

Their supporters haven’t let them down, with young and old raising money by undertaking a range of fundraising activities. They’ve had Matt, the YouTuber, with his Pokémon competitions, Bobbi and Liberty challenging their netball club to score as many goals as they could, Molly and Lauren selling their beautiful creations and Craig’s amazing 12-hour burpee marathon.

But it can’t stop there. Despite the amazing support, the health crisis is continuing to have an effect on their ability to fundraise in the usual ways. Many events planned for later in the year are still uncertain, but children continue to fall ill, babies continue to be born prematurely

32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Lynne Mould, Matron at the Alex, explains why the charity is so important to the team: “The continued support of Rockinghorse has been vital in ensuring we can continue to provide children and their families with those added extras to make their visit to hospital as nice as it can be.

Dr Oli Rahman, Consultant Paediatrician at the Alex added: “The delivery of our new ventilators (purchased by Rockinghorse) on HDU has been really good. It means that we will be much better prepared this winter with the increasing demands and a lack of equipment, which has been a problem in previous years, will hopefully not be an issue.

“The generous donations of food for staff at the hospital, throughout the lockdown, has also been really welcome for those of us on the frontline.”

So, the charity is reminding supporters, old and new, that a Hero is for Life, not just for Lockdown. They still need all your help during the next few months to help them continue their vital work so whatever you can do, it all helps.

There are lots of ways to get involved: •S ign up for their Run, Ride or Ramble

for Rockinghorse and help them collate enough kilometers to get around the world.

• Get your sports team together and set yourself a challenge in their Go for Goals campaign.

• Recycle your unwanted books, CDs or DVDs on Ziffit and give the proceeds to Rockinghorse.

• Or use your creative skills to make and sell things, giving the proceeds to Rockinghorse.

Rockinghorse CEO, Ryan Heal, wants to encourage people to think about how they can help: “It’s really important for everyone to understand that every single pound raised helps us continue to provide vital services and equipment to poorly babies and children in our communities. You may think that one person can’t make that much of a difference, but nothing could be further from the truth!

“Each donation, however small, goes towards specific projects or equipment and your donations can help that continue. Even during this current crisis, our supporter’s donations have been used to fund several COVID-19 specific projects showing that we are able to provide help quickly and where it’s needed most.”

Here to help Everyone in the Rockinghorse Fundraising team would be happy to discuss any fundraising ideas you have – big or small. They can help you set up your fundraising page or support with any other organizing you may need, just email them at: enquiries@ rockinghorse.org.uk

SBT NEW BUSINESS FEATURE

GETTING BRIGHTON’S BUSINESSES BACK OPEN

BY HYBRED CONSULTANCY

SBT NEW BUSINESS FEATURE SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33

Hybred Consultancy: Getting Brighton’s businesses back open Are you confident your business is COVID-19 Secure? Do you have the time or headspace to really think about how to achieve and maintain the government’s required health and safety standard?

Feature

The cross-sector

the region and beyond, like digital

Guidance for businesses looking to

Consultancy do, and

engineers, Bild Studios; and, the latest

do you have for companies looking to

experts at Hybred

with specialists in health and safety,

HR, entertainment and events, the Brighton-based team has come

together to enable organisations of all sizes to trade safely and

confidently in the wake of COVID-19.

From major theatre companies to local beauty salons, already the team has

been working with businesses across

34 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

media agency, Propellernet; visual

in COVID-19 Secure entertainment,

Drive-In Cinema with Luna Cinema and @TheDriveIn.

So, this month, we’ve been speaking to Becky Stevens, Hybred Consultancy’s Managing Director and Senior Health

and Safety Consultant, to find out what steps businesses should be taking as

lockdown continues to ease, and where Hybred comes in.

operate keeps changing. What advice re-open premises?

Carry out a risk assessment and ensure it’s kept up-to-date. While government

advice keeps changing and sometimes has felt unclear, the Health and Safety Executive has been completely

consistent regarding the assessments —

every business intending to re-open postlockdown needs one. We can complete a detailed risk assessment with you,

Becky Stevens

Jo Prior

and a number of our health and safety

These all sound like expensive issues

as event & project management, supply

that document as guidance changes, so

Every business is different, but

managers and staff training. We’ve also

solutions don’t necessarily need to

service to help new ventures looking to

employees and being open to their

design, marketing, PR, social media and

health and safety are new areas for

message out quickly and effectively.

never even have carried out a risk

And how’s business for you?

costs involved which may feel difficult

Like so many people in events, the

it’s important for the safety of your

work was drying up, with festival

reasonably practicable to keep them

the future for the industry. I’m so

required by your insurance policy. And

all my health and safety experience

on your own, we have a whole range

able to see companies re-opening their

support different businesses, budgets

team — have worked with.

packages include automatic updates to

you can stop worrying about every single Downing Street briefing.

Many businesses are facing reduced demand and are uncertain about

bringing staff back from furlough.

What are the options?

From reduced hours, to redundancies, to maximising your company’s use of

the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme through flexible furlough, there are

so many options. And timing is key, as the decisions you make now will

have major cash flow implications in

the coming months. That’s why we’ve developed a number of dedicated HR packages, delivered by Hybred’s HR

consultant, Jo Prior, with 14 years of

experience in employment law and HR. You’re speaking to businesses of all

to manage.

of onsite COVID-19 secure safety

communication can be key and

introduced a complementary creative

cost a lot — checking in with your

launch — we have specialists in web

concerns is often step one. HR and

film who can help companies get their

many small businesses, who may

assessment. There will be additional to justify when budgets are tight but

Hybred team was in a position where

staff and customers to do everything

cancellations and little certainty about

safe — it can even be an obligation

pleased to have found an outlet for

if that feels like too much to handle

in these challenging times and to be

of H&S and HR packages available to

doors that I — and the wider Hybred

and requirements.

How can companies find out more

sizes and across all sectors right now,

Your background is in major events,

companies should be thinking about?

World Cup. What is Hybred doing for

We’ve got lots of information on our

industries?

or you can give us a call on 01273

are there any common themes other

Absolutely. As well as thinking about how best to retain their workforce financially, many companies are unsure of their

health and safety obligations for those

staff continuing to work from home. There are also considerations around building

resilience within the team and supporting staff who are nervous about returning

to the workplace while the pandemic is

ongoing and are unable to work remotely.

like Brighton Pride and the Rugby

the events, entertainment and leisure

about the services Hybred offers?

website hybredconsultancy.com,

053533. We’ve also launched a series

With the continuing relaxation of social

of free health, safety and HR webinars,

to do things, we’re getting lots of

want to be COVID-19 Secure. Our next

corporate conferencing, to nationwide

& safety will play in a COVID-19 secure

with everything from detailed risk

sign up for free right here.

distancing and people desperate

to inform and educate businesses who

enquiries. From one-off events, to

live session will focus on the role health

tours, we can support these industries

event. Taking place on July 22, you can

assessments to bolt-on services such

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35

www.parasma-recruitment.com T: 01903 950541 E: dan@parasma-recruitment.com

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We are industry specialists placing the very best candidates in each and every role.

Parasma Recruitment supply staff throughout the construction industry. Our vast experience in the industry along with our expansive network and bespoke credit lines allow us to provide the perfect candidates for every role.

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Construction Mechanical & Electrical Civil Engineering Interior Fit Out Professional & Technical Demolition Register with us today: www.parasma-recruitment.com

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36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk Registered company number: 9998436

SBT RECRUITMENT FEATURE

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR BRIGHTONANDHOVEJOBS.COM

BY GARY PETERS, LOVE LOCAL JOBS

SBT RECRUITMENT FEATURE SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37

Watch the big interview here

10 year anniversary for brightonandhovejobs.com

In honour of the 10 year anniversary of BrightonandHoveJobs.com and for this month’s cover feature, Sussex Business Times delves deeper into the inspiration behind the award-winning company committed to providing solutions to finding the best jobs locally. We hear from Love Local Jobs company Founder, Gary Peters.

Recruitment Feature

Can you tell

market and more importantly, we wanted

inspiration behind

communities, particularly focussing on

us your initial

BrightonandHoveJobs.com

to make a positive difference to our local inspiring local future generations.

This goes back to 2009/2010 during

I really can’t believe it’s been ten years

the last recession; a pretty bad one at

inspiration behind it was simple, we had

Who knows, but there was an exciting

already. Where does the time go? The

the time. Will it compete with today?

an opportunity to fill a big gap in the

opportunity to start something new and I

38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

was set on giving something back to the local community I had grown up in.

I was very lucky after I left school. I didn’t leave with much and I was unexpectedly given a job in recruitment many years

ago now, an opportunity for which I am

very thankful for now as I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the opportunity that somebody gave me all those moons ago.

We developed a local job advertising platform that advertised local job opportunities but also worked in

partnership with the region’s best

employers, coming together to raise the career and life aspirations of our local

communities with a particular focus on our next generations.

Guys like American Express, Bupa,

Domestic & General, Legal & General,

City College and EDF loved the idea and committed to supporting us. Although

we have advertised thousands of jobs in those years and we have placed

thousands people into employment; but what I’m most proud of is the work that we have done with schools – all of this

work has and will continue to positively

change the lives of future generations for years to come.

Our inspiration was to make a

difference to the local communities we live in and we’ve definitely done that!

they weren’t hiring much at the time

What are the core values of the

keen to remain visible in the market –

the past 10 years?

because of the recession, they were very particularly the local market – and help do whatever they could with us at the

time to help inspire next generations to

be strong, dig deep and realise their full potential, despite all of the doom and gloom surrounding them.

So 10 years on, we have more than

achieved our goal. We have grown our

reach and become LoveLocalJobs.com,

business and has that changed over

Our core values have always been very important to us, particularly

with the work we do with schools.

Hope, resilience, determination, grit,

as all of those; having fun. This is

always very important to us and has in fact helped us through many a tough

time with the business and the setting up of our Foundation; they work on both a personal and a professional

level. They are values that we take very seriously and they are a part of our

pitch, our solutions, our every day work and particularly through the tough time that we’re all going through currently, we need them now more than ever.

They are integral to every one of the programmes that we deliver and we

take very seriously. I would encourage any business to revisit their values

occasionally, but always have some that you stick to through the tough

times and the good because they will help see you through.

trying your

absolute best, excellence,

integrity, and as important

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 39

REC R UI T M E N T F E ATU R E

How do you differentiate from other

Can you tell us about the Love Local

job boards or recruiters?

Jobs Foundation?

Simply speaking what separates us

We officially launched the Love Local

from our competitors is the fact that 1) we’re local 2) we work in partnership with our partners to help strengthen

their recruitment pipelines 3) we help

them to considerably strengthen their

local CSR commitments, helping them to raise their company profile and

involve staff in everything we do and

4) something that you don’t often see

often with many online platforms is that

we have a mostly face-to-face presence with almost all of the work that we do.

All of the employers we work with are local businesses that are committed

to raising the profile of their business, recruiting the best talent they can

locally and all are committed to making a positive difference to their local

communities and future generations.

40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

conferences, events and trips away that really do challenge young people to

become the best version of themselves.

Jobs Foundation about two years ago

We are all surrounded with very negative

which was fantastic but really it’s been

access to so much social media – so

work that has been spun out into a pure

surprisingly very low. When you are

near future, a full blown charity. That is

of activities that look so perfect and

next year or so to ensure we can change

awfully shallow, young people are very

now. Harry Redknapp launched it for us

media these days – especially with

a build up of the last ten years’ worth of

the confidence of young people is not

social enterprise or, hopefully in the very

surrounded by people, images and news

certainly what we’re aiming for over the

wonderful but are, in reality, so fake and

the lives of as many people as possible.

easily guided into thinking that is how

The Foundation is essentially the

sorts of issues; depression, low self-

purely concentrates on working

started to impact on adults as well. We

the aspirations of our local next

looks so perfect and it makes us feel like

across Sussex, bringing employers

are living a life of trying to be something

facilitating informative and inspirational

sad, really sad.

they have to be. Sadly that leads to all

“arm” of the business that now

esteem etc and actually this has really

with schools and employers to raise

appear to be surrounded by a world that

generation. We work with many schools

ours really isn’t. Far too many people

of all shapes and sizes to them and

they’re not, seeking ‘perfection’ and it’s

Our programmes are particularly

focused on finding your inner self and

learning to love who you are, no matter your size, hair colour or skin colour for example. Particularly now, it’s hugely

to other people in your local area –

people like you, people like you once

were who just need that first break or a flash of inspiration.

important to realise that you really are

How has Covid-19 and the past few

a growth mindset, you can achieve

how have you adapted?

incredible and if you learn to adopt

amazing things by being true to yourself and just trying your absolute best.

The employers we work with are varied

in size and are all absolutely committed

to changing the lives and the outlook for our local young people, and it’s an area

that I absolutely love. It’s key to me and

as we mentioned our core values before – this work supports the core values

we have always had as an organisation and we are determined to use them to keep helping people achieve the most amazing things locally.

We were all given a break at some time in our career, and the feeling that you

get when you are given an opportunity

is special. You never forget it. It’s great

to be able to give that opportunity back

months affected the business and

It’s fair to say that Covid has hit us

very hard. A lot of the team have had

to be placed on furlough but they have remained so incredibly positive and I am so thankful for that.

Schools have been shut and employers have had the heart ripped out of them, so their absolute focus right now has to be survival. This again links to our

core values, for those guys and for us.

We are having to dig very deep in order to survive. Fortunately before furlough started the team were able to create some online content in the way of

The reality is that we are working

incredibly hard to find businesses that are able to thrive through this very tough time and can find a way to support us. I’m

delighted to say we do have businesses

that are doing well and are committed to our long-term success within both Love

Local Jobs and The Foundation. For me personally it reignites why we do this in

the first place; we do this to help our local communities and while it’s tough for us, there are people fighting much harder battles than we are right now.

Even with everything that is going on

right now, there are still opportunities to change, evolve and adapt to what

will be a very different world in months

to come. Remote working is becoming

pretty much the norm now and there will

be a lot more changes, but we are under no illusion that the next few months in particular are going to be very tough.

video and resources that schools have been using really positively.

The feedback from those has been incredible.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 41

REC R UI T M E N T F E ATU R E

Companies are planning for

redundancies, furlough will stop and

there is a huge amount of uncertainty

out there. Despite all of that we are going to carry on doing everything we can to

ensure that our clients and our younger

generations have the tools and inspiration they need to come out of this stronger.

What does the future hold for LLJ? Well firstly we are still 100% committed to doing what we already do but even

better. That will always be our main focus.

We have so much more to offer through both the job board and foundation and

I’m really looking forwards to taking that forwards with our amazing team.

There is also an opportunity for us to

work more proactively with partners of

ours who are still recruiting, or planning

to recruit very soon. Over recent months several have asked us to provide more

traditional recruitment services on their behalf and it’s an opportunity I’m really interested to explore.

The job board can of course be a cost

effective form of recruitment. If there are

42 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

job seekers looking for the opportunities

A Final word from Gary

very cheap and cost effective way of

I’d really like to thank every single person,

that you post at the time then it is a

recruiting. It absolutely should be the first port of call for any employer out

there. That said, there is also a race to recruit the absolute best talent now, maybe talent that isn’t proactively

looking for work right now, especially

within areas with skill shortages and at the mid-senior levels. Companies are

using this time to considerably reduce

costs and boost profit and they will need the very best talent to help them do this.

It’s not just about survival right now, it’s

about being strategic and recruiting the best staff to ensure you come out of

this stronger. Consequently I am being

asked more and more to support senior end recruitment solutions and this is

something will start supporting over the next few months.

This approach gives us an exciting

opportunity to become a more holistic recruitment partner across the region

and with the expertise that we have built up over the last 20 years with various

different organisations, I am certainly up for that challenge.

business and organisation that has played their part in making LoveLocalJobs.

com such a huge success. Your passion, energy and commitment to wanting to make our community a better place is

both humbling and inspiring, I can’t thank you enough.

Equally, if you or anyone out there

has any recruitment concerns, growth opportunities to plan for and/or you

would like to explore supporting the work we do with schools, we would love to speak with you.

Good luck to everyone out there, stay

safe and thank you again for all of your amazing support.

SBT LIFESTYLE

WINES OF ENGLISH WINE WEEK

BY BRIAN LOCKIE, BOUQUET LTD.

SBT LIFESTYLE SPONSORED BY:

Develdas

Luxury Chocolates & Gifts in Brighton Marina

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 43 Develdas imports handmade, luxury chocolates directly from Valentino Chocolatier in Belgium.

The chocolates are made to order and always very fresh.

Treat yourself or your loved-ones to the finest quality and the very best chocolates around.

We have a nice selection of chocolates in our

WINES OF ENGLISH WINE WEEK 2020

Coch from around 1870 till 1920 which

during that time was believed to be the

only commercial vineyard anywhere in the

British Isles. It came to an ignominious end though in 1920 being ultimately uprooted in favour of a pitch and putt course!

But it’s to Sussex that we turn our

attention to for this month’s recommended wines. Our county has been the heartland for much of England’s wine production for many years. It has the largest area

of vineyards defined by WineGB’s south

east region, which in turn is home to three quarters of England’s 8,600 acres of vines Without doubt, this has

Lifestyle

been a sad, sombre

and unforgettable year

for many folk which has seen so many changes

to our normal routines of life and sharing

wine with friends and the cycle of activity in the wine industry has not escaped the enforced changes to our lifestyle.

However, here in England and the other

Home Nation wine producer Wales, one event which did not to stop was English Wine Week! An established part of the

calendar for so many years now, English Wine Week organised by the trade body

WineGB ran between the 20th/28th June

this year and like so many other activities became a virtual event.

Currently overseen by the highly

capable Peter Gladwin who, as well as being Vice Chair of WineGB and also the current Acting Managing

Director, Peter and his wife Bridget and their family are the team behind the esteemed Nutbourne Vineyard here

in Sussex and under his leadership,

English Wine Week has successfully run a comprehensive social media

campaign highlighting the amazing developments in English Wine

alongside celebrity and expert on-line tastings, video tours of some of our

44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

most prestigious vineyards and great

offers from Vineyards and Producers.

Wine Grapes have been grown in England and in Sussex since the arrival of the

Romans and from their legacy we have seen the influence of the Normans, the

religious orders of monks during medieval times and the planting of vineyards in

the grounds of many of the great stately homes in England. This prompted

John Rose, gardener to King Charles

the second, to write a book called the “English Vineyard Vindicated” in 1666

and a year later in 1667, the renowned diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about his enthusiasm for a particular English

wine. On a visit which I was personally

privileged to enjoy to Nutbourne Vineyard, it was pointed out to me by Bridget that somewhere among the current fields

of vines was believed to be a Roman vineyard and it was quite a special feeling to realise

that here was our ancient wine history and our

present and future history

in symbiotic harmony with each other.

Not forgetting our Welsh friends of course, where the Marquis of Bute ran

the wine estate of Castle

and although there are so many fantastic wines here in Sussex, we only have four

to showcase and have selected what we hope will be an interesting and varied

selection of some of the best wines the county has to offer.

Firstly, we’re off to Ditchling, not just the home of the late and lamented

Dame Vera Lynn but also home to Court Garden Vineyard whose sparkling wines have regularly graced the House of

Lords. Also in the village we find Black Dog Hill vineyard, where under the

management of owners Jim and Anya Nolan their crisp, zesty, citrus and

technically so pure sparkling wines, are winning more awards than they can

find a shelf to stick them on and a little further up the road we find Ridgeview

where we pay homage to the late Mike Roberts the founder, with one of the vineyard’s signature blends:

Bloomsbury:

vintages. This is a unique and high-

Our final selection for this months SBT

Pinot Meunier: Price

the traditional method. The aromas

the village of Winchelsea near Rye and

This is a favourite

especially red cherry, redcurrants and

met Charles around 2009/10 when he

I first came across

wine displays a wonderful creamy

sparkling wine. It was a revelation and

packed full of ripe summer fruits, with a

have since one many awards, but it is to

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir,

quality red sparkling wine made using

is towards the edge of East Sussex in

are reminiscent of red stone fruits,

to the vineyard of Charles Palmer. I first

of mine ever since

sweet blueberries. On the palate this

asked if I would like to try his first vintage

it in early 2006 and

richness and full-bodied mousse,

I am a devotee and his sparkling wines

consistent quality over successive

hint of sweet spice on the finish.

a recent release we turn to for our final

both Decanter World Wine Awards

It’s always good to meet some “New

Competition 2018, this wine is light

great to be able to introduce Beacon

without doubt this is the best English

mousse. Citrus fruit aromas with hints

planted five years ago in an area of

777 Burgundy clone Pinot Noir grapes,

the 60% Chardonnay dominance brings

acres of High Weald near Heathfield.

a high-quality Pinot with a short growth

The 30% addition of Pinots add depth

running with a silver award for their

maturity) which is ideal for the English

balanced finish. Will age gracefully over

awards and have received rave reviews

metres above sea level and above a bed

many people associate sparkling wine

But it is to their “piece de resistance”

the terroir of the Grand Crus of Burgundy.

with food. For pure decadence you

they are the first English vineyard to

weak acidity and a good performance

salmon and for recommendation you

ripen Riesling in the UK’s cool climate

from the harvest enable it to produce an

official wine served for the Queen’s

balance is a real challenge and a great

£32.50

it has maintained an extraordinary

vintages. An award-winning wine at

English Wine Week choice.

2018 and International Wine and Spirit

Kids on the Block” and to do this it’s

Charles Palmer’s Pinot Noir. For me,

golden in colour with a fine, persistent

Down Vineyard. This vineyard was only

Red wine I have tasted. Made using

of melon, peach and honey abound and

outstanding natural beauty across 18

the clone variety is important as this is

finesse, along with crisp freshness.

Paul and Ali have really hit the ground

cycle (quite late bud burst and early

and character leading to a beautifully

sparkling wine at this year’s Sommelier

climate. The vineyard sits a mere 5

time as the Chardonnay matures. While

for their Bacchus/Pinot Gris blend.

of Kimmeridgian clay which is similar to

as an aperitif or reception drink, try it

that we turn to where it’s believed that

With a higher degree of sugar content,

cannot beat lobster, crab and smoked

successfully grow the Riesling grape. To

against Botrytis, even modest returns

can’t beat the accolade of being the

and to produce a still wine with acids in

excellent quality wine to be kept.

Diamond Jubilee.

success. The grapes carefully, pressed

Charles Palmer Pinot

Next we head off to Bolney a vineyard

bottled by hand in January 2018. Since

£21.50

the centre of striving to produce high

in temperature-controlled storage.

fermented on the skins

with a fifty year history and always at

quality wines, where without doubt, we

gently, fermented in stainless steel and

Noir: Pinot Noir: Price:

then it has been left to soften in bottle

This Red wine is fully

in order to extract the

find a wine which is always a talking

Beacon Down: Riesling:

events. For those souls that find it hard

A unique English wine,

wine displays deep red cherry flavours

then this is definitely one to try.

Riesling. Ripened in

with English Pinot Noirs. The finish is long

2018 and picked late in

Because this wine is not aged in oak but

delicate flavours of bright

point when we introduce it at our tasting

Price: £15.00

to grapple with a sparkling red wine,

a medium-sweet still

and a medium body rarely associated

the glorious Summer of

and satisfying with a smooth silky finish.

October it is soft and

fermented and stored in stainless steel

Bolney Estate Cuvee

Noir: Dornfelder: Price: £28.00

opulent. There are flavours of peach

now boss of The Bolney

and a hint of creaminess. It is bright

wine has consistently

desserts and cheese. Please note this

red and black fruits, The

before bottling this allows the wine to

Originally made by the

and mango, with lightly honeyed notes

display fantastic purity of fruit.

Estate, Sam Linter, this

in the glass, and pairs beautifully with

produced some excellent

is a half size bottle: 375ml.

Brian Lockie, Bouquet Ltd. Bouquet.winesltd@gmail.com, 07528 550574 or 07787 553262

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45

Develdas

Luxury Chocolates & Gifts in Brighton Marina

Develdas imports handmade, luxury chocolates directly from Valentino Chocolatier in Belgium.

The chocolates are made to order and always very fresh.

Treat yourself or your loved-ones to the finest quality and the very best chocolates around.

We have a nice selection of chocolates in our webshop, and an even wider selection at our shop in Brighton Marina which has wheelchair access throughout.

Discover all our delicious Chocolates online: regular, sugar-free, vegan or alcohol-free.

46 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

www.develdas.co.uk 07855 214323 17 The Waterfront BN2 5WA Brighton Marina

SBT MOTORING NEWS

MAXUS WELCOMES NEW DEALERSHIP

TO IT’S GROWING UK NETWORK

AN EXTENDED MOT HOW SAFE IS YOUR CAR?

SBT MOTORING NEWS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 47

Maxus welcomes new dealership to its growing network The Harris Group appoints Brighton-based Rivervale Cars Ltd to its expanding dealer network June 2020: MAXUS UK & Ireland Motoring has announced the addition of Rivervale Cars Ltd to its network of dealerships as part of the company’s expansion plans for 2020 and beyond.

48 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Rivervale Cars Ltd, a well-respected name in both the passenger car and commercial vehicle industry, is a family-run company with over three decades of experience in the dealer space who opened the first leasing dealership in the UK at the back end of 2016.

As well as leasing, the company has specialised in used vehicle sales and aftersales through a state-of-the-art Bosch branded on-site service centre. Now, through its partnership with MAXUS, and trading as Rivervale MAXUS, the company will specialise in brand-new commercial vehicle sales, including eLCVs.

MOTOR I NG N E WS

two brand-new platform vehicles this month; the MAXUS DELIVER 9, the brand’s new flagship LCV, and the e DELIVER 3 - a fully electric medium-size van which clocks 200 miles in a single charge.

Based on the outskirts of Brighton, Rivervale will bring the MAXUS brand to customers in the surrounding areas of Sussex, Kent and parts of Hampshire. The company has appointed LCV specialist Rob Semple to head up MAXUS sales for the region. With over 25 years’ experience in the industry, Rob will be on hand to ensure professional advice and recommendations to all MAXUS customers at the Rivervale dealership.

Big year for Maxus Distributed in the UK and Ireland by Dublin-based The Harris Group, 2020 has already been an historic year for MAXUS, having rebranded from its original LDV moniker in April. MAXUS also launched

Speaking about the partnership with MAXUS, Neil Chapman, CEO of Rivervale Cars Ltd group, said: “We are joining this exciting brand at a pivotal moment when the demand for electric powered LCVs is on a steep upward trajectory and interest in EV automotive is huge”.

Vince Pemberton, COO of the group added: “Through Rivervale Leasing we have seen the demand for electric vans increase.

This year alone, we know that over 20% of our LCV leasing enquiries have been on electric vans And now, following the launch of the new platform e DELIVER 3, we anticipate this to be the EV that will really drive further demand.”

Mark Barrett, GM of Harris Automotive Distributors UC (MAXUS/LDV), commented: “2020 has been a huge year for MAXUS, not only can we offer customers even more variety with the launch of our DELIVER 9 and e DELIVER 3, but we are also expanding our network of dealers, ensuring greater nationwide coverage and easy access to a MAXUS van. Each of our dealers has an impressive track record and none more so than Rivervale Cars Ltd. We

extend a warm welcome to Neil, Vince, Rob and the entire team at Rivervale MAXUS and look forward to what I’m sure will be a successful future ahead as our partnership gets underway.”

MAXUS Dealerships • Today, the Harris Group represents the MAXUS brand in a total of seven territories, including the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Malta and Cyprus.

• There are almost 30 dealers in the UK (including Rivervale Cars Ltd) with 24 in the Republic of Ireland (exclusive of service-only dealers).

• Contact Rivervale MAXUS at www.rivervalemaxus.co.uk The name behind MAXUS Innovative, thought-leading and future-focused, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) is the name behind MAXUS and is the largest automotive company in China.

Based in Shanghai, SAIC produces almost seven million vehicles each year for both domestic and international markets and is a Fortune Global 500 listed company of almost 100,000 employees.

The Harris Group acts as the sole distributor for SAIC in the UK, Ireland and across right-hand drive Europe.

SAIC has a number of well-known

brands within its portfolio including, since 2010, the acclaimed MAXUS (formerly

LDV) range of LCVs. SAIC has invested

more than €2 billion in this brand, with a strong focus on safety, innovation and

the introduction of new products to the range, including a suite of EVs that are

already setting the standard for the future of eco-fuelled commercial motoring.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

MOTO RI N G N E WS

An Extended MOT - How Safe is Your Car?

At the height of the UK’s fight against Motoring coronavirus The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) issued guidance that a car, van or motorcycle’s MOT expiry date could be extended by six months if it was due on or after March 30. In contrast, the Government also allowed garages and MOT testing centres to remain open under the exception it provided an essential service. For many the opportunity to delay their MOT by a few weeks was exactly the ruling they needed to continue to use their vehicles and be able to perform their roles during the pandemic, however as we move into more relaxed guidance around COVID-19 many motor trade professionals are predicting some issues that may arise.

Firstly is the majority of people decide to take the full six month extension the UK’s MOT testing system could become overloaded later this year. That could happen more than just once, firstly once the country comes out of lockdown testing centres could see a flurry of bookings that they cannot cope with. Most MOT stations have a small number of technicians who are qualified to carry out.

50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

If most people decide to take advantage of the six-month extension, the concern is that the UK’s MOT testing system could become overloaded. When the six-months is up the vehicle will then need to take a “test”. At this point vehicles that are ordinarily due for their test to be carried out will also need to be done. Most MOT stations have a small number of technicians who are qualified to carry out MOT’s and they can only do so many in any given day.

The DVSA carries out around 30 million MOT’s a year through 23,000 test centres. If all this summer’s MOT’s are being pushed back into the autumn/winter period, that could put immense pressure on the system and leave drivers struggling to find MOT booking slot.

Another concern is how roadworthy the vehicle is during the six-month extension period? Would you have been driving a vehicle not knowing whether it is safe or not?

When the MOT finally gets carried out there is a good chance that it may require additional work. On average

34% of vehicles fail the MOT test and require rectification work to pass. This can be something as simple as replacing a tyre or at times can be mechanical faults that make the vehicle unsafe to drive.

Now let’s be fair to the British public and assume that neither of the above scenarios take place, the one piece of advice that all motor trade professionals are screaming for now is to get your MOT booked sooner than later. The onus remains on the driver to keep the vehicle safe to drive and in a roadworthy condition and while there are certainly drivers out there capable of making and addressing some issues for the vast majority of us we need to leave it to the professionals to diagnose and repair any problems. Drivers who drive a defective or dangerous vehicle even if it is while carrying out essential work or going food shopping, could still be prosecuted for the offence, despite the six-month MOT extension.

Here at Rivervale we are open for MOT’s, service bookings and repairs.

To book call 01273 433480

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS

ONLINE BUSINESS NETWORKING

BY NETWORK MY CLUB

YOUR GUIDE TO VIRTUAL EVENTS

BY YELLOW FISH

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

N ETWORK I N G & E V E NTS

County Business Clubs is delighted to partner with NMC as events partners.

During this time Network My Club have adapted, evolved and continue to push the boundaries for online networking. That’s why we are delighted to have them as event partners and offer CBC members a variety of great networking opportunities, but don’t take our word for it, hear what their members say:

“I was nervous about how it would go as I usually like the flexibility of Network My Club’s informal events. But the team chaired proceedings expertly and I got as much from the online networking as I do from their usual live events.”

Ally & Mo Media

“Credit where credit is due to Network My Club for turning their great face-to-face events into equally as engaging and interactive sessions digitally.”

“Network My Club online meetups are the best online networking I have done.

As good as the real thing but without the travel!”

Virgin Experience Days

n8

“The team have been great at staying in touch with members, encouraging participation and offering a great meeting experience. As a member of several other Networking groups, I’m impressed with the team’s attention to detail and ability to pivot.”

Steven Townsend Wealth Management

52 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

14 DAY FREE ONLINE BUSINESS NETWORKING TRIAL ALL ONLINE MEMBERSHIPS INCLUDE: REGULAR MEETUPS Weekly meetups on Zoom.

Weekly meetups on Remo.

You won’t be short of networking opportunities.

GUEST SPEAKERS Meetups on Remo always include a guest speaker. Olympians, entrepreneurs, and many more.

FACILITATED INTRODUCTIONS Want to meet someone? If we can, our team will help connect you with someone from within or outside the NMC group.

EXPAND INTO NEW REGIONS Meet businesses from across the South, South East, London and neighbouring regions.

REACH DECISION MAKERS We attract business owners, directors and senior level delegates. These value building long term beneficial relationships.

COMPANY MEMBERSHIP Anyone from your business can attend events, or be shared amongst multiple colleagues.

NO JOINING FEE OR HIDDEN EXTRA COSTS

NETWORK WITH 100S OF BUSINESSES

COMPANYWIDE MEMBERSHIP

TIME EFFECTIVE NETWORKING

CANCEL/PAUSE ANYTIME

NO GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES

HOW MANY NEW CONTACTS CAN YOU MAKE IN 14 DAYS? TRY OUR FREE MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE.... www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 53

VISIT WWW.NETWORKMYCLUB.CO.UK

N ETWORK I N G & E V E NTS

Your Yellow Fish guide to virtual events Now is the time to evolve and think outside the tank to explore virtual alternatives to live experiences.

The is no denying the impact the situation Networking is having on global & Events events, but now is the time to evolve and think outside the tank to explore alternative engagement strategies if live events are not viable.

The award winning Yellow Fish creative and digital team are committed to helping our clients find tech driven solutions. Therefore, if you’re feeling the strain to deliver alternative solutions, check out these easy to digest digital alternatives we can provide.

Virtual Conferences - transforming your physical events into virtual experiences Nothing will ever replace the real life event experience but whilst meeting in person isn’t currently an option,

54 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

you can transform your physical conferences and events into virtual ones using our bespoke platform.

Designed to create an engaging and interactive user experience tailored to your brand, alternatively utilise platforms such as Zoom.

Virtual Expo – building a virtual 3D environment Turn a physical event into a virtual, 3D experience so that conference or event attendees can explore and watch content within the virtual space. Delegates can watch virtual presentations and delve deeper with one to one Q&As to receive more tailored information. They can take part in ‘Meet the Expert’ breakout sessions and view key notes within the virtual expo.

Broadcasts & Podcasts – broadcasts to the world

Now is the time to keep the human presence alive in the virtual space. Taking the idea of the virtual conference one step further, YF can create broadcasts, podcasts or TED talks that your internal or external stakeholders can tune into.

Speaker Link Ups and Pre-Records – bringing your global audience together Using existing technology our team can work with you to create virtual speaker link ups from different corners of the globe allowing live polling and conversations to take place in front of event attendees eyes.

It’s never been more important to keep talking and sharing so don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can help you take an event online. www.yfish.co.uk

l a u t r i V x Susse 0 2 0 2 o p x E s s e n i s Bu

For more info contact mike@monkmarketing.com

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SBT ASK THE EXPERT

THREE AT THREE

WITH EMMA, JAMES & LISA

9 GOLDREN RULES

BY JAMES JOHNSON, PICTURE BOOK FILMS

SBT ASK THE EXPERT SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 57

AS K T H E E X PE RT

Emma Mills-Sheffield Mindsetup Ltd T: 07775 947 818 E: emma@mindsetup.co.uk

James Dempster, Managing Director Cobb Digital T: 01273 208 913 E: James@cobbdigital.com

Ask the expert As the expert

Lisa on Branding -

Do you understand your audience and

their emotional needs?

We all make connections and

assumptions based on associations we have with certain things. Brands use colour, shape, and texture that have common connotations to influence how people feel. They advertise in

certain places to build an association with that brand and that place or

event. These associations build up

over time to give us an unconscious

good or bad feeling about a brand so when we see that brand, regardless

of the product, that unconscious part of the brain makes us feel attracted

to or repelled from it. Similarly, long-

standing consistent brands can create a feeling of familiarity, which creates a sense of trust, so people feel safe when buying that familiar brand.

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A significant change in environment, moving house, having a baby, a global pandemic, allows new brands to enter the market. Life-changing moments interrupt old habits and make room for new ones. So take advantage, there has never been a better time to communicate with your audience.

Because the unconscious part of our brain makes the decisions, emotion is the driver, not logic; brands often tap into emotional needs rather than practical ones. Marketers design campaigns to make us feel, brands know that there are lots of similar products which will fulfil the same primary function as theirs, so they need to affect how we think to motivate us to choose their brand.

Now more than ever, brands need to look at the emotional connection they make with their audience. These audiences are under pressure, which can make them easily alienated, but they are equally receptive to new experiences and new offerings.

Lisa Seymour, Managing Director Made By Spoken T: 01273 964044 E: lisa@madebyspoken.co.uk

Emma - How can emotion, empathy and humility make better business leaders?

What does good leadership look like and why it is so jarring when we experience bad leadership? At the very heart of good leadership is acknowledging emotion, having empathy, humility and vulnerability.

Building trust is a two-way relationship and leaders need to listen. To sit alongside someone who is struggling and listen to them without judgement, recognise emotion and feel with them is open, honest and empathetic.

Active listening and understanding more than what is just being said to you during an appraisal is really important for someone to feel valued.

It’s a skill but one which doesn’t always come easily – there has to be a human connection.

ASK T H E E XPE RT

As we emerge from working through a pandemic, leadership styles may flex. This is perfectly normal as a more directive style is often needed during a crisis. However once we settle on the other side of the crisis curve, leading with calmness, using open communication and working as a human-to-human will stand leaders in good stead.

James Dempster How can the private sector help the NHS? So you might ask, what has this got to do with marketing?

Well, a lot. With headlines such as “now wait a year for your hip op” in general circulation, there is a chance

for private healthcare to relieve some of the burden and help patients that can afford it.

I love the NHS. It’s part of the reason that I’m proud to be British and it’s been highlighted just how much we need them over the last few months.

There is sometimes some negative feeling towards private healthcare.

Often there have been some accusations that it doesn’t help the NHS and creates a tiered healthcare system, but there is room for both, and, more than that, a huge need for both.

Over the 12 years that I’ve been involved in healthcare marketing, there has been a seismic shift from people buying private insurance to the self-pay market. Those people that

have saved money are now presented with a number of finance options to bypass the need for waiting up to a year, plus choosing the clinician of their choice on a day that works for them. Which will obviously reduce the burden on the NHS, saving it for those people that cannot afford other options.

Understanding and promoting the services to the right people is paramount in getting this messaging right.

For private hospitals, dental practices, physios and beyond, now is the time to promote your services. It all starts with targeting the right people. Know your audience, understand their motives and show why your organisation is the answer to their problems.

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C U B E C ORN E R

Cube Corner - July 20

My Cube Corner feature this month is from Stuart Noakes and the team at Carpenter Box, I have been working with Staurt for the last 2 ½ years, the accountancy firm based in Worthing, Crawley and have recently taken an office in Brighton.

I hope you are all keeping well. June Cube has seen a number of Corner my clients businesses opening under certain restrictions and finding their way in what may become our new normal way of meeting and networking. It has certainly helped towards my daily step target with many of these becoming outdoor walking meetings.

I met with Vince Pemberton COO of Rivervale at the start of the month and with the resumption of car deliveries from Dealers, they are now fully operational with the workshop and showroom now open. The office has been re-configured to comply with the new regulations so the sales team are slowly getting back together with a hybrid solution of home and office-based staff.

With the announcement of MOT’s no longer being deferred until November the MOT slots are filling fast.

Jason Young and the team at Overline have been busy with the demand of ‘home office’ installations during the past couple of months, the guys are re-locating to new offices in the centre of Worthing, if any of you are in the area at any time please let me know and we can arrange a meeting.

Stuart Noakes and I met at Preston Park for a walking meeting, we were

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looking forward to a long awaited game of golf until he managed to jam his finger in his garage door... Ouch! NHS to the rescue again!

It was good to catch up in the sunshine at Eastbourne Seafront last week with Bruce Hayter and Victoria Regan from Rix and Kay and Milly Stone from Whitespace to touch base and discuss a small event in Eastbourne for the end of July when hopefully people are more comfortable with face to face meetings.

This event will be outdoors so all boxes ticked regarding social distancing. We stopped off at Seaford on the way back to Brighton, again in the sunshine to catch up with James Johnson at Picture Book films. We have been working together for the last couple of months - great timing I know! We have a couple of projects on the go at present for drone and time-lapse

photography in Portslade for a Commercial / Residential project. The drone photography is incredible and perfect to add to the website we are working on with Milly Stone at Whitespace.

Finally we had our long awaited game of golf at Hill Barn with Sam Thomas, Bud Johnston Group Marketing Manager at Rivervale and Carl Turner who has recently joined Carnabys Estate Agents up in Haywards Heath.

It was a tight game but luckily I partnered Carl who was playing off 23, his run of par, par, par and birdie saw us over the line.

CUBE CO RN E R

Services Corporate Services

• Assurance • Audit • Corporate finance • Corporate tax advice • Due diligence • Group accounts • Trusted adviser

About MHA Carpenter Box

Business Services

• Business Services • Bookkeeping • Business tax advice • Company management • Management accounts • Outsourcing • Payroll • Start-ups • Tax Enquiry Service • VAT Private Client Services

• Capital gains tax • Employment tax • Estate planning • Inheritance tax planning • Personal tax advice • Property tax • Trusts and estates • Wealth management

www.carpenterbox.com

Who we are?

MHA Carpenter Box Cube is one of the largest Corner and most respected accountancy practices in the South East, with offices in Worthing, Gatwick and Brighton. We offer a breadth and depth of service that covers almost every aspect of business, with over 170 trained staff including accountants, tax specialists, business consultants and independent financial advisers.

them to provide a value-added service rather than simple compliance. Our focus is always on client service, with open and honest relationships.

As members of national accounting association MHA, we can deliver business consultancy services to large businesses with interests across the UK and, through Baker Tilly International, abroad.

Our tax team were finalists in the 2019 Tolley’s Taxation Awards for Best Tax Practice in a Regional Firm. We have also been named in the top 5 for both Large Firm and Innovative Firm in the 2019 Accounting Excellence Awards and shortlisted for Company of the Year at the 2019 Sussex Business Awards. In 2018, we won the Large Business of the Year award at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards.

How we can help?

An accountant should do a lot more than just report on how your business is doing – they should help you identify opportunities to improve your profit levels and then support you in trying to achieve those improvements.

We take a collaborative and proactive approach with our clients – working with

Award winning firm We were delighted to be named MidTier Innovation Firm of the Year at the prestigious British Accountancy Awards in 2019. This award recognised our firm’s dedication to finding the most innovative approach to business strategy and client service.

That’s why MHA Carpenter Box clients and professional contacts continue to recommend us every day.

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T H I N K TAN K

Think Tank

In this new feature the Yellow Fish team offer some insights, tips and advice to help you think outside the tank.

Think Tank

Five easy digital win’s to keep your people motivated and inspired while working remotely.

Maintaining a sense of unity while driving productivity is no easy task when working from home. As organisations adapt to managing large teams remotely, we look at how you can maintain your organisational values and processes in the most immediate and cost effective ways during these unprecedented times.

With over a decade of experience working with companies on employee engagement and recognition we know consistency is key. Keeping your people informed and inspired with engaging and personal communication during a period of change is key to maintaining a strong team with a shared goal.

Tank Tip 1 - Leadership content is king (or queen) Working from home can create real distance or divide between management and their teams at a time when team spirit is key. Maximise internal comms and intranet platforms to reach your people with quality and consistent messaging.

Address the disconnect with personal video content from the CEO or management team. Weekly updates, motivational themes, shout outs and recognition to those going above and

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beyond can all help to boost morale and maintain the feeling of togetherness.

Working from home doesn’t mean the quality of your communications should suffer. Ensuring a slick delivery will go along way to reassure and convey control.

Provide presenter packs.

Send managers a simple presenter pack consisting of a ‘best practise’ guide from how to set up a branded digital backdrop to using devises effectively when recording content.

Recognition, from the top.

A simple thankyou from the top can hugely boost morale. Senior management shout out videos shared via internal comms is a great way to thank those who have gone above and beyond.

Share the love across the business.

Share company and departmental

roundup’s updating the wider estate.

A great way to maintain a sense of community and ensure everyone remains informed while working towards a shared goal.

A seat at the virtual table.

Open dialogue between management and employees encouraging virtual idea sharing. Tools such as Slido are an easy way to facilitate and moderate the conversation to ensure your people feel part of the future.

Beyond lockdown.

Maintain the focus on communication with monthly podcasts, focus groups and round table style meetings with the CEO/senior management and employees. Creating conversation via podcasts led by management breaks down divides and adds to a sense of community. www.yfish.co.uk

Contract issues?

Call us to discuss your options 0800 84 94 101

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