BUSINESS
ECHO
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Boss with the keys to success PAGES2&3
Start Survive Thrive
Florists who are aiming to blossom PAGES6&7
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LIVERPOOL Chamber of Commerce is hosting the next presentation of the Sixty Really Useful Minutes programme this Friday, this week looking at how to protect your business. The free morning event, starting from 9am, will feature tips from Smith Law and Shepherd IFA. The following Friday, April 8, looks at The Naked Truth of Marketing 2011, with Quay Marketing freelance marketing manager and strategist Elizabeth Wheeler. This event includes a £5 fee for non-members. Book online at Liverpool chamber.org.uk
Miliband backing for pupils LABOUR leader Ed Miliband acknowledged the enterprise skills of two Liverpool pupils at the recent Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) conference in the city. Last year the FSB commissioned two Archbishop Blanch High School pupils, Hannah Ramsay and Katie Johnson through their Young Enterprise company Elephant Enterprises, to make Liver Bird key rings to promote the city at its 2010 Aberdeen conference – Business Secretary Lord Mandelson being among the recipients. The FSB arranged for the girls to meet Mr Miliband after his speech to the small firms’ lobby group members at the event at the BT Convention Centre.
AFTER a successful ● Employment Law course held in February,
TALKING BUSINESS: Archbishop Blanch pupils Hannah Ramsay and Katie Johnson meet Labour leader Ed Miliband
SMALL FIRMS PASS ON THEIR VAT RISE by NEIL HODGSON
Industry Reporter
MORE than half small business owners across Merseyside and the north west have passed on the January VAT increase to their customers. Only two other regions – East Anglia (61.2%) and the south east of England (60.4%) – were higher than the north west’s 55.3% of small firms passing on the extra tax burden. In Northern Ireland, 70% of small business owners were prepared to absorb the VAT rise themselves, rather than pass it on, according to the latest Business Barometer released by Close Invoice Finance.
North West in UK top three regions for price hikes
The survey also found that, despite predictions of doom and gloom surrounding the VAT rise, it seems many firms are taking it in their stride, with 42.6% of north west companies saying it has had no impact, while 51.1% admitted to the hike resulting in “a small impact.” Referring to businesses passing on
the increase, Close Invoice Finance regional head, Ian Stewart, said: “It remains to be seen whether this will discourage consumer spending, meaning a decrease in sales. “So, although there’s reason to feel optimism at the moment, small firms need to keep a close eye on their order books and should perhaps be looking at their cash flow to find a way to absorb some of the increase themselves.” He added: “It’s heartening to discover that the majority of businesses polled aren’t experiencing any major adverse effects of the recent VAT hike, particularly given the fact that the findings of our survey in 2010 showed that 46% of SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises) in the north
west were expecting to find it difficult to cope. “It seems, for many, those fears haven’t materialised.” He said that one in 10 SMEs in the UK previously stated that they believed the increase would put them out of business in early 2011, compared with one in 100 now. “It’s reassuring to learn that these businesses, who are undoubtedly vital to our economic recovery, have been able to deal with the change.” The Close Invoice Finance Business Barometer is a quarterly survey of more than 500 companies from across the UK, designed to gauge SME owner/manager sentiment on a range of issues affecting their business.
Wirral H&S Centre, in St Anne Street, Birkenhead, is holding a second free employment law course comprising five one day Friday sessions from 10am-2pm starting on Friday, June 17, covering basic employment rights, dismissal and redundancy, contracts, discrimination and tribunals. To register ring 0151-666 1999 or email merseyadvice@ btconnect.com
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THE shortlist for this year’s North West Regional Construction Awards has been released. Featured among 10 categories are Liverpool John Moores University; Builderscrap, the Bromborough recycling firm, Liverpool’s Nobles Construction, Bramall Construction in Speke, Kier Northern and Faith Primary School in Everton in the Project of the Year Award category. The final takes place on May 26, in Chester.
APPLIED Intelligent ● Marketing, previously known as AIM Solutions, the Chester-based loyalty and customer acquisition agency, has opened an office in Dublin’s Clontarf Road as part of its bid to offer in business-tocustomerretention and acquisition to the market in Ireland.
2 NEWS
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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BUSINESS HIGH COST OF FAILING TO MONITOR CONTRACTS
SMALL firms across Merseyside and the north west are overpaying for their energy by up to £500m a year, according to new data from Liverpool-based analysts Saturn Energy. The report comes as the crisis in Libya and the Middle East threatens to send UK power bills soaring even higher. Saturn Energy, in the city’s Corn Exchange, provides analysis and advice on the energy markets to more than 450 businesses in the region. It said that 70% of the region’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are over-paying because they don’t keep track of basic information such as their contract renewal date or even who their supplier is. Managing director John McShane said in many cases this meant contracts rolling over from a discounted rate onto standard rates of up to 35% higher or even ‘out of contract’ rates, which can be up to 200% higher. He explained: “The figure of £500m is based on a 35% increase in charges on a moderate annual energy bill of £2,000, across 70% of SMEs, but this is a conservative estimate and the true figure could potentially be even higher.” He said the ultimate cost to businesses could mean job losses or even closure.
LANDLORD IN SAVINGS SHARE
LIVERPOOL-based housing group Plus Dane is sharing £600,000 from a recent review to achieve savings. In agreement with the group’s Tenants Together Forum and trades unions, the cash is being split equally three ways. One third has gone to staff, one to the Merseyside and Cheshire housing association’s reserves, and a third to fund more neighbourhood investment activity this year.
SMALL
BUSINESS of the Week
F
ATE plays a big part in shaping the life of Helen Griffin-Booth, and the lettings firm boss admits she is happy with the hand it has dealt her. “My life seems to be not much planned but everything falls into place,” she said. Fourteen years after leaving school at 18 she has seen highs and lows around the world before settling back on Merseyside and establishing her own firm Bluerow Lettings which has seen turnover soar by 40% since its launch nearly three years ago. Her “self-made” parents encouraged Helen and her three sisters to forge their own way. All now have their own businesses. “The way we were brought up was if you want something you go out and get it. It doesn’t come on a plate,” she said. Helen admits her early life was very much guided by impulse. After reading an advert in the Big Issue for volunteers to work abroad she phoned immediately. “They wanted people to go to Vietnam, but said there were problems there and asked, ‘can you go to La Paz this week’?” Within days she had swapped her Blundellsands family home for an orphanage in Bolivia. “I tend to be like that. If I think about something I will never do it.” Helen spent just over a year working in the orphanage and teaching English at night. She was home for just four months before wanderlust struck again. She wanted to study economics and politics at Salamanca University, Spain’s ‘Oxbridge’. But she felt she had to get her Spanish up to scratch so first went to college in Malaga. The day she was due to fly home from Malaga, Salamanca phoned to say she had been accepted, so she cancelled her flight and headed to northern Spain for a year. Two days after her return to Liverpool she decided it was time to build a career and told her parents that the next day she would visit the Jobcentre to find work. “What are you going to do?” they asked. Helen said: “I told them I wanted to go into property and they sat back and clapped. “I asked why, and they said, ‘if we had told you to do that two years ago you would have told us where to go’.” The job that took Helen’s eye the next day was as a viewer for an estate agent’s in Leigh, near Wigan. An interview was arranged for the following day, so she called Crosby estate agent Berkeley Shaw for advice. “They offered me a job. We shook on
Helen finds room for impulse in hurly burly of business Neil Hodgson talks to property lettings agency chief Helen Griffin-Booth it but I still went to Leigh the next day. “They said I wasn’t what they were expecting. They were expecting someone elderly, but they said they were looking for someone to set up an operation in Portugal, was I interested?” Tempting as the offer was, Helen honoured her handshake with Berkeley Shaw and stayed with them for three years before being headhunted by city residential specialist Dears Brack.
“Berkeley Shaw offered me a partnership. I loved working for them, but I just wanted to try the city while I was young,” she said. She added to her experience in the two years she spent at Dears Brack before Liverpool property consultants Keppie Massie came knocking. After another three years she felt it was time to strike out on her own and set up Bluerow in Royal Quay apartments next to the Albert Dock with two staff who followed her from
Keppie Massie. After a year they moved to Duke Street where they now manage a portfolio of more than 400 residential properties around the city, and in Crosby and Formby. “My aim was 20% growth each year and we have been hitting that target. In a recession that’s not bad, but being honest, the industry we’re in, it will still do well in a recession,” she said “People can’t afford to buy but they still need to live somewhere.” Properties under management range from one bed flats to five bed properties in the Georgian quarter.” Property owners vary from developers to couples and individuals in the buy-to-let market who have built up their own portfolio of properties: “Our average client is over 40 and professional who have an average portfolio of 10 to 20 properties. It is their pension.”
Neutral Budget will have little impact on small firms A SNAP poll of more than 800 members of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has shown that Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget last week will have no real impact on the day-to-day running of their companies. The national poll, conducted the day after Mr Osborne’s second Budget,
asked members what impact the Budget would have on their firm, with 45% saying it would have no impact at all, while 31% thought it would have a positive impact. Furthermore, 42% said they would be no worse off – but crucially no better off – as a result of the actions taken by the Chancellor. And, of the
third of members that think they will be better off 54% claim they will get a £1 to £1,000 boost to cash-flow in the next year. John Allan, regional chairman of the small business lobby group, said: “The Budget was pro-business and we are pleased that the government has listened to
some of our concerns and has extended small business rate relief and scrapped the planned 1p rise in fuel duty. “But, as the results from the poll show, while the Budget has not hurt small businesses, it won’t help them to grow either.” Mr Allan added: “While we welcome the introduction of
Enterprise Zones across parts of the UK, the missing link in the Budget was measures to help all UK businesses to take on staff and grow their business. “This could have been done easily through extending the National Insurance Contributions holiday to micro-businesses.”
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
KEY STRATEGY: Helen Griffin-Booth travelled the world before setting up Bluerow Lettings Picture: GAVIN TRAFFORD
Do you want to be our Business of the Week? Contact Neil Hodgson 0151 472 2451 or email neil.hodgson @liverpool.com
However, Helen has noticed the emergence of a new type of property owner: “We have had young people wanting to buy a property, with their parents’ help, but it might not be where they want to live, so they rent them out and still live at home.” Average tenants range from professional couples, or friends, in their mid- to late-20s, as well as a sprinkling of actors, footballers and TV producers. She added: “We are also seeing an influx of older people who have been home owners but have downsized after the kids have gone to university.” Helen and all her staff have their own property portfolios, which she said helps their decision processes. With its third anniversary approaching Bluerow is set to expand through diversification in the next six months, consolidating its spot in the top three city lettings agencies. Helen admitted: “We see ourselves as the silent assassins. We don’t say much, but we do a lot of business.”
HARD AT WORK: Helen says her parents’ attitude spurred her on to success
Picture: GAVIN TRAFFORD
NEWS 3
DEAL CLOSE ON MERGER OF HOUSING GROUPS LIVERPOOL housing group Vicinity is to merge with Salford counterpart Contour to form the biggest operation of its kind in the north west. A deal to create the new Symphony Housing Group, a £140m turnover company, is expected to be concluded this Friday. Phil Gandy, former Vicinity chief executive, will take up the reins of the new organisation. He said: “Symphony will focus on the provision of high quality, affordable housing and the delivery of excellent services to tenants. “The demands upon social landlords are increasing and our roles extending. This creates new challenges and opportunities that the Symphony Group will be well positioned to grasp.” Chris Jeffries, past chair of Contour Housing Group and now chair of Symphony, added: “Throughout the process of amalgamation the compatibilities between the two organisations have strengthened and it has been made more apparent that by uniting as Symphony Housing Group we will be in an even stronger position for the future to do more for more people.” Bill Tubey, past chair of Vicinity and current deputy chair for Symphony said: “As the housing sector faces new and as yet not fully determined challenges, the stability that has been created through the union of our two organisations will stand us in good stead for the future.” Symphony will own and manage more than 40,000 homes. All local offices and services remain unchanged after this Friday’s planned amalgamation.
4 NEWS
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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BUSINESS
BIG Motor man Mark adds F colour and passion on the road to success INTERVIEW Neil Hodgson talks to Mark Mitchell, founder of the Mitchell Group car dealership
AITH is a fantastic quality that can inspire the soul and provide the inner confidence to stand up for your beliefs, even in the face of popular opinion. And it has provided the moral compass for Mark Mitchell on his way to creating a £35m motor dealership employing 104 staff at Cheshire Oaks. Mark, 48, refers to them as his “team” and his Christian faith was at the heart of a decision to relinquish a Mitsubishi dealership in 2004 when the manufacturer insisted they opened on a Sunday. The site’s opening hours plaque details all their hours of business, but states: “Sunday: At home with the family.” He explained: “I want my team to achieve success at home as well as at work. “We have probably lost business, and I know we are swimming against the tide, but I believe people like to deal with organisations that have got very clear boundaries. “There’s a lot of greyness in business and for me things can be black and white and, if anything, our customers appreciate the fact that we take care of our staff first, even before them.” He added: “My Christian faith has helped with running the business. “A book written about 2,000 years ago talks about knowing the secret of being content. I don’t want to rule the world, I am quite happy where we are now.” Where he is now is managing director of The Mitchell Group which includes Lexus, Skoda and Mazda dealerships and a fourth “previously enjoyed” car dealership, Mitchell Select. The latest accounts to December 31 show turnover of £35.7m compared with £34.4m and a pre-tax profit of £1.42m against £1.45m. In keeping with his beliefs, every year Mark donates 10% of profits to charity, particularly young causes and poverty relief. Last year the dealership sold 2,430 cars, much the same as 2009, but the first quarter this year is already showing improvement, he said. Hopefully that continues, because he revealed a treat in store for the serious “petrolheads” among his 14,200 customers early this autumn with the delivery of the Lexus LFA supercar which retails for £350,000 and is one of only four, out of a global total of 500, built as a right hand drive for the UK market. It embodies an industry he knew he wanted to be part of as soon as he began a graduate traineeship with Austin Rover in the Midlands as a 21-year-old after leaving Leeds
DRIVEN: Mark Mitchell says his Christian faith is integral to his business and personal life University with an economics degree. The former Birkenhead School pupil always had a bent for sales. He revealed that, just as the global Disney Corporation started with a mouse, his business empire started with a hamster. “When I was eight, before I realised the facts of life, I put two hamsters together, turned the lights down low, put some Barry White on and 16 days later there were 10 running around in the cage.
“I am no animal lover, but realised I could take them to school in my pockets and sell them.” He jokes that he had the schoolyard monopoly in hamsters: “I must have sold about 40, all good quality.” A year or two later he moved into pushbikes on his next step to business success. After leaving Austin Rover he became Greater Manchester sales manager for Ford before joining motor dealer Inchcape to run a
‘My big phrase to all of the staff is – retail is detail’
Jaguar franchise in the Cotswolds and then becoming operations director over 10 dealerships for Yorkshire-based Dixon Motor Group. But he always yearned to return to Merseyside and in 1990 set up a petrol stations business on the Wirral with his new bride, Anita, with £100 of share capital and a £10,000 overdraft from Barclays on Water Street. Within three years Mitchell North West had grown to four filling stations. But in 1996 Mark was back on the forecourt with a Mitsubishi dealership in Eastham. Luxury marque Lexus was added in 1999, followed by Skoda in 2001, when the business relocated to its current site at junction 10 on the M53.
A natural salesman Mark is happy to acknowledge such qualities in others. He confided: “I bought the land in a pub from a man called Don Evans who was a hard negotiator. “As we agreed on the final figure he asked if he could shake my hand. He wouldn’t let go. He said, ‘you have got a deal, but you’ll throw a Lexus in for the missus, won’t you?’” Back in 2001 a Skoda franchise next to a Lexus dealership may have raised the odd eyebrow or two, but Mark said: “I saw a very clear and distinctive future for Skoda and the opportunity to be included in transforming a brand on Merseyside was a great opportunity. “We all know the jokes about Skoda, but who would have thought they would have won the Which?
★★★★
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
NEWS 5
ARQ OPENS INTELLIGENT BUILDING
REFLECTIVE: Mark likes to look after both staff and customers Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY
BURSCOUGH-based ARQ Technologies is marking the launch of its “fully intelligent building demonstration centre” with a series of open days. The facility will open its doors from April 26-28 to explain new systems that comply with the worldwide standard KNX intelligent building technology. KNX, compared with traditional electrical systems, is an intelligent building control system for lighting, heating/ ventilation, blinds, alarms and energy management through a single, more economic and energy efficient, system. ARQ’s new centre is controlled by KNX technology and the company says it is the only showroom of its kind in the UK. Its open days are aimed at architects, maintenance and electrical engineers, contractors, potential users, from home owners to building managers, as well as facilities managers. ARQ managing director Graham Dorward said: “Our aim is to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.” To attend email info @arqtechnologies.co. uk or call 01704 892641.
SANTANDER IN AWARDS JOY
Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY
Car Manufacturer award last year?” Since opening, his Skoda dealership has been among the best in the worldwide Skoda family. Recently it was crowned top UK retailer, named best in the UK for marketing and PR, and service advisor Dave Woodcock was named best in the UK, securing a place in the upcoming global final against his international counterparts. Excelling in service is at the heart of the Mitchell Group. Its Lexus dealership is a UK star and customer care awards have followed every year since Mark opened his Mazda dealership in 2004, replacing the Mitsubishi franchise. Mark said: “My big phrase to all the staff is ‘retail is detail’.” And the detail at the Mitchell Group is precise. All 104 staff, some with 15 years’ service, were
recruited by Mark: “There’s no HR manager, it’s me.” He even interviews the parents of prospective apprentices for their state-of-the-art workshop: “The guys in the workshop earn the same as the sales staff. They are all outstanding technicians, not kids who have failed their O levels.” The public face of the business is equally as impressive. The Lexus reception boasts £150-each Italian tiles, an £8,000 TV and a £15,000 reception desk: “You have to have that to have a Lexus dealership. It is not flash or ostentatious. We just really appreciate people’s business and want to do our best for them.” The service includes the personal touch, including a bouquet of flowers with each new car – the florist bill last year was £50,000 – and even leaving new cars outside
restaurants or on the top of mountains as a surprise for new owners. The other ‘little things’ that make the business unique are an annual drive and lunch for Mazda customers; a servicing waiting area on a par with a BA executive lounge – last year the company spent £30,000 on refreshments; free Saturday car washes for customers; and an annual family canal trip and lunch for staff and their families, as well as a full-blown staff Christmas dinner and party in the workshop. The personal touch also includes a home visit by Mark and wife Anita to all new parents on the staff, complete with a gift of distinctive baby wellingtons. He said: “I am trying to bring some passion and colour to the motor industry.”
GOOD SIGN: Mark believes in a work-life balance Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY
SANTANDER was named Business Bank of the Year at the latest annual Business Moneyfacts Awards. The bank, which has its commercial headquarters in Bootle, said it supports its strategy to become the ‘SME bank of choice’ and was among four awards it picked up. It was the third consecutive year Santander has won the award for ‘Business Bank of the Year’. Santander also clinched the Best Business Current Account Provider for the ninth time, Best No Notice Business Deposit Account Provider and Best Service from a Commercial Mortgage Provider categories.
6 NEWS
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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BUSINESS
ABLOOMING
Tony McDonough looks at how the flower business is coping in tough times
FOCUS M . . . on FLORISTS
OTHER’S DAY is just a few days away and this week is traditionally a good time to be in the floristry business. Such periods have become particularly important in the past couple of years as the sector has been hit badly by the recession, according to Liverpool florist, Lorraine Whittle. For the past 31 years Lorraine has owned and ran the Dutch Flower Shop in Wavertree. The Woolton Road shop’s speciality is the importation of flowers from specialist suppliers in Holland. “As long as a customer places their order before lunchtime we can usually have it brought over from Holland the following day,” said Lorraine. The Dutch Flower Shop has established itself as one of the city’s best-known florists. Business customers include Liverpool Football Club, for whom they supply matchday flowers, hotels including the Hilton, Novotel and Atlantic Tower, as well as two of Merseyside’s best known hair salons, Herbert and Barbara Daley. The shop also has also supplied bouquets three times when the Queen has visited Liverpool and for the visit of Pope John Paul II to the city in 1981. Lorraine says it is their reputation for providing such a specialist service that has allowed the business to keep going during the recent slump. “Had we not been established for so long I don’t know how it would have been,” she said. “I’m not sure how a lot of florists out there have managed to keep going. “In the early days of the recession a lot of businesses were cutting back and we lost quite a few customers.” The shop’s speciality in importation came about shortly after it first opened. Lorraine added: “When we first started we just used to get stock from the Liverpool market but we were finding there were quite a few things, particularly plants, that they did not stock. “So we got on a plane to Holland and went to a place called Aalsmeer where we found a supplier who would deal direct with England – hardly anyone was doing that then.
STILL GOING STRONG: Lorraine Whittle, owner of the Dutch Flower Shop in Wavertree, has been trading for 31 years and says business has been tough across the sector during the recent recession Picture: JAMES MALONEY “Now we have Easyjet, getting over there is even easier and we go over there every couple of months.” The Dutch Flower Shop’s location means it gets a lot of business from Liverpool’s Jewish community – for new year and passover celebrations. Weddings are also a major part of the business, particularly during the spring and summer months. “Once the spring comes we aim for around two weddings every weekend,” said Lorraine “Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas are definitely the busiest times of year in this business – in fact we depend on them. “We try to provide something a bit different for our customers and I hope now the recession is over, people will start spending a little more money again.” The prospect of starting during an economic downturn did not put Hazel Ellis off. London-born Hazel, 25, runs Flowery Hazel in the atrium entrance of The Capital office building in Old Hall Street in Liverpool city centre.
She spent two years training to be a florist in central London after leaving school at 16. She said: “My mum is a headteacher and she doesn’t necessarily believe staying on into sixth form is the best option for everyone. “She encouraged me to learn a trade that could earn me a living. “I originally wanted to become an air hostess and when I was still at school I did two periods of work experience – at an airline and in a florists.” Hazel enjoyed working with flowers so much that she decided that was the career for her. She worked in the shop four days a week and went to college for one day a week. “I found that was the best way of doing it,” she said. “Learning on the job. “I trained with people who were at college all week and I found I was much quicker than them.” While still a teenager, Hazel decided she wanted to get some other work experience so she left floristry and spent some time office
temping and eventually landed a job with an engineering company. She added: “They then moved up to Skelmersdale and I came too and I loved it up here.” Eventually Hazel, who now lives in Ormskirk, decided she wanted to get back into the flower business and after doing extensive research, set up Flowery Hazel in October last year. She added: “I think things have gone well since I started. “I wasn’t so happy with the way Valentine’s Day went so I have tweaked a few things. “I decided my prices were maybe a little too high so I have lowered them a bit and I now find I’m selling more. “If I buy stock for the week I aim to have it sold by Wednesday and now I am also going to the market on a daily basis so I’m not buying much stock in advance. “I love it here and don’t intend to go back to London. “I love the quality of life here and I love the fact that every day people passing say hello to me – you just wouldn’t get that in London.”
ROYALTY: The Dutch Flower shop has supplied bouquets for The Queen on several occasions when she has visited Liverpool
TRADE
STAYING PUT: City centre florist Hazel Ellis is a big fan of Liverpool after moving up from London
NEWS 7
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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MONEYMATTERS MILLIONS of consumers with tax-free ISAs could be missing out on the best returns available by failing to switch accounts when introductory bonuses come to an end, according to a consumer group. Research carried out for Consumer Focus found that two-thirds of people who opened an ISA that had an introductory bonus did not move to a new account once the higher interest rate ended. One in four ISA savers did not know if their account included an introductory bonus and a third said they did not know when it expired. The group also found that one in three of all ISA savers had had their account for more than five years, suggesting they could get a more competitive rate by switching. There are several cash ISAs currently available that pay returns of more than 3%, with Santander leading the field with a rate of 3.5% for existing customers, but the average rate on one of the accounts is just 0.43%. Oliver Morgans, financial services expert at Consumer
Focus, said: “Around one in three of us has a cash ISA so millions of people are likely to be losing money by not switching when their bonus rate ends. “Unfortunately, it seems that banks use higher interest rates to lure customers in and then aim to cash in on their customer’s inertia. “Sadly, ISA customers have to watch banks like a hawk if they are to get the best deals.
with NICKY BURRIDGE, personal finance correspondent
With consumers getting a paltry return as low as 0.1% on some accounts, our advice to savers is to check your rate and if you are not happy, vote with your feet and switch to an ISA that pays more.” The group lodged a super-complaint with the Office of Fair Trading about the cash ISA market last year, calling for the process of switching an ISA to be made quicker and easier, as well as for pricing structures to be more transparent. Following the complaint, banks have agreed to start printing interest rates on customers’ statements and to complete ISA transfers within 15 working days. People have just seven days left in which to use their annual ISA allowance of £10,200, up to £5,100 of which can be paid into a cash ISA, for the current tax year. The British Bankers’ Association said: “Banks automatically notify customers if there are changes resulting in materially lower rates specifically so they can switch their funds.”
8 NEWS
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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Business to Business
BUSINESS
TRAINER GROWS THANKS TO FUND
Financial
Industrial Property
3 X OFFICES TO LET South Road, Waterloo, L22, within Sales & Lettings Office. Ideal for Residential and Commercial Mortgage Broker. Call Stuart for details on 0151 920 9999 or 07900 424 441
UNITS TO LET Bootle Area 5,000−15,000 sqft. Flexible terms 0151 486 0004
Accountancy / Bookkeeping
BOOKS IN A MESS? GIVE US A RING
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Call 07778 270 818
Commercial Premises FOR SALE FREEHOLD BLOCK OF 4 TWO STOREY SHOPS In 1 unit. Situated the busy end of Walton Vale, owner currently operating one shop as a cafe, would be of interest to the food industry or suitable for development. Price £180,000. Tel 0781 806 4321 or 0151 5311886
INDUSTRIAL UNITS To Let. South L’pool 500 to 4000 sqft, monthly tenancy, competitive rents. From £50pw Tel: 0151 427 5051
OFFICE/INDUSTRIAL UNITS TO LET AINTREE 24 hr access. Security provided. Excellent Rates. Call Kenny 0151 524 0033
INDUSTRIAL UNIT / YARD TO LET Strand Road Ind Est. L20 Approx 4000sq ft + large yard Call 0151 920 9999 or 07900 424441
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Industry Reporter A LIVERPOOL construction training company is expanding and creating more jobs after a funding package. Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) has invested £50,000 in Mortimore Enterprises, through the Northwest Development Agency’s Small Loan for Business scheme. Mortimore offers a range of programmes, including preemployment courses, apprenticeships, approved construction qualifications and short courses. They are aimed at people of all skill levels to obtain or sustain employment and focus on a range
MSIF backs expansion of Liverpool firm of traditional construction trades, including painting and decorating, tiling, joinery and plastering and specialist construction trades such as dry lining, fitted interiors and steel frame systems. As a result of the cash injection, Mortimore has identified new premises to support training for 30 apprentices and more staff have been recruited, from tutor assistants to administration and sales and marketing personnel.
The company was set up in 2001 by director Jonathan Mortimore. He now runs the company with fellow shareholders Karen Cushion and Jan Garner. Mr Mortimore said: “In the current economic climate companies are sometimes reluctant to take on apprentices as they can present a drain on essential resources that are needed for companies to remain competitive.” He said some firms are also unable to employ apprentices for the usual term to achieve their qualifications: “At Mortimore, we have revisited the traditional apprenticeship model. “We work very closely with our clients to ensure that training programmes and the delivery of them are responsive to individual
Bid to develop closer Chinese trade links A CONFERENCE to strengthen trade links between Liverpool and China is taking place at the Hilton Hotel today. Beyond Shanghai is designed to build on the city’s six month participation at last year’s World Expo staged by Liverpool’s twin city of Shanghai.
During the Expo more than 770,000 people visited the Liverpool Pavilion promoting the city as a gateway to business development in the north west. Organised by the University of Liverpool, Liverpool Vision, the Chinese state-backed Confucius Centre and the
Liverpool Chinese Business Association, today’s event aims to widen opportunities for Merseyside firms beyond the established cities of Shanghai and Beijing to so-called second tier cities which can still have a population of more than 10m people. After today’s launch the
Liverpool Confucius Institute will host a forum to provide network support, knowledge transfer and development assistance to businesses looking to work, or already working in China. Speakers at today’s event include Prof Michael Hoey, director of Liverpool Confucius and
pro-vice chancellor for internationalisation at the University of Liverpool, city council leader Cllr Joe Anderson, Andy Lam, Hong Kong Economic Trade Office deputy director general and Jian Ni, consul general of the Peoples’ Republic of China. Visit www. beyondshanghai.co.uk
BARBERS SHOPS TO LET St Johns Road, Waterloo, L22. Equipped with barbers chairs/ Mirrors/Stations etc. Possible No Business Rates. Rent reduced £550pcm Call: 0151 920 9999 or 07900 424 441
F U L L Y E Q U I P Take away/ restaurant. Business £35k, rental £1300pcm. On main Princess Road, Manchester. Great potential 07980 673631 or 07702 190009
Taxis/Cab & Plate ACORN CARS LIVERPOOL New drivers wanted. Low settles, incentives, company cars. Tel 0151 546 2701
P R I V A T E H I R E Drivers required, busy system, weekly insurance. 0151 260 1010 LIVERPOOL DAY/NIGHT Collars available 0151 922 3626 BLUE LINE TAXISNew drivers wanted urgently. Earn £500 − £800pw. Tel 0151 709 0101 LIVERPOOL CABS & PLATES for sale 0151 922 3626 N I G H T C O L L A R TX4 C/O Vauxhall 07539 731854 BLACKCABSALES.COM City Day/Night/Lng 07500 444600 CITY TXI days with c/o. Nights & L/C 077151 72487 BOTANIC CARS Requires owner drivers 0151 220 2020 DAY/NIGHT COLLAR cmptitive rates 07873 200893 KNOTTY ASH TAXIS Owner drivers req’d 0151 259 2000
L 3 R O D N E Y S T S/c Office/Retail £400pcm 0151 708 0339 or 07572 956272
Building Trade
TO LET Industrial Units L’pool City Centre 0151 227 9191
business needs. This has proven vital for companies to commit to employing apprentices. “We are also keen to ensure our company has a positive impact on the local community. In addition to helping young people into employment, we purchase residential properties in need of renovation for apprentices to work in a real site situation. Apprentices develop valuable skills to promote and sustain their employment, while improving the community and generating properties that will raise capital to fund further projects.” MSIF investment manager Chris Walters said: “We are delighted to be supporting a business which makes such an important social impact on Merseyside.”
Business Opportunities
CITY NIGHT COLLAR Low settle. 0151 526 0817
WELLINGTON RD L15 Variety of Industrial units available now 0151 227 2875
by NEIL HODGSON
LAND WITH PLANNING FOR SALE 100% Finance available (1% interest pcm) Stillington Road, L8. Planning for 7 x Apartments. Price £185,000 Call 0151 9209999 OR 07900 424441
COMMERCIAL UNIT/WORKSHOP Rainhill to let £75pw, £750sq ft 0161 980 1912
PRESCOT YARD/CELLAR OFFICE For rent. Ideal for small builder £50pw. 07710 815649
FUNDING BOOST: Chris Walters (left) from MSIF with Jonathan Mortimore of Mortimore Enterprises
Development Opportunities
L21, L4 Secure Units/offices fr £40pw 0792O 461551
Business For Sale
FRAMELINE TRADE SUPPLY COMPOSITE DOORS UPVC
WINDOWS, DOORS, CONSERVATORIES. 5 Day Turnaround Tel 0151 546 5577 Fax 0151 546 5588 ACCREDITED WITH BS7412 & BS7950
BABY SHOP Breck Rd L5. Fully stocked, 2 floors, everything from prams to clothes. Offers 07553 064924
KITCHEN & BEDROOM FITTINGS from a hinge to a full kitchen/bedroom. 3D plans now available. Showroom & Trade Counter at 3 Rockley Street, Kirkdale, L4 0151−207 0008. www.brosna.co.uk
HAIR & BEAUTY SALON Eqpd & 2 bed flat above. Freehold, Walton. 07551 608925
STAIRCASES Made to order 0151 933 3191/8181 www.ehjoinery.com