LDP Business August 2010 by Liverpool Post & Echo

M O N T H LY R E G I O N A L B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E

LDP

BUSINESS w w w . l d p b u s i n e s s . c o . u k August 2010

End of an era as Gill departs Liverpool Vision CEO leaves behind a strong legacy

●Hungry for growth: Food & drink focus ●Green dream: Eco firm gets energised ●Expansion drive: Suttons’ big investment 1

THE MANAGEMENT CENTRE, BANGOR BUSINESS SCHOOL

A unique space, A unique place. The Management Centre, Bangor Business School is a premier, dedicated conference and training centre, with 4* Visit Wales graded guest accommodation. Overlooking the picturesque Menai Strait and Isle of Anglesey, The Management Centre provides the perfect venue for your conference, meeting or event. Unique Conference and Events Venue

Residential Training Centre

4* Overnight Guest Accommodation

01248 365900 www.themanagementcentre.co.uk 2

INSIDE 4

LDP BUSINESS

NEWS

Green conference returns

EDITOR Bill Gleeson 0151 472 2319

9 BIG FEATURE

bill.gleeson@liverpool.com

A taste of the food and drink sector

DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR Tony McDonough 0151 330 4918

16 PROFESSIONAL SECTORS Business leaders back petition

tony.mcdonough @liverpool.com

17 Jim Gill, Liverpool Vision

BUSINESS WRITERS Alistair Houghton

Peter Elson

BIG INTERVIEW

alistair.houghton @liverpool.com

Focus on Halton

27 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY How retail sector is shaping up

peter.elson @liverpool.com

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Neil Hodgson neil.hodgson @liverpool.com

Alex Turner

alex.turner@liverpool.com

HEAD OF IMAGES Barrie Mills

MARKETING EXECUTIVE Cath Reeves 0151 285 8428

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JMU students racing ahead

ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTOR Debbie McGraw

TRANSPORT

Suttons invests in tankers

ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Jackie McMahon 0151 330 5077

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS? Eco boss and the banker

35 INTERNATIONAL TRADE Doing business in Asia

36 EDUCATION

Edge Hill looks East

PHOTOGRAPHY Trinity Mirror PUBLISHED BY Trinity Mirror NW2, PO Box 48, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L69 3EB.

38 RESTAURANT REVIEW Matou, in Liverpool

TELEPHONE 0151 227 2000

THE LIST

FAX 0151 330 4942

NETWORKER

Alistair Houghton lives the high life

LDP Business is printed monthly and distributed with the Liverpool Daily Post. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

SOCIAL DIARY

Carolyn Hughes out on the town

GEORGE OSBORNE’S big axe is currently casting a shadow over us all. In his emergency Budget, the Chancellor proposed a level of cuts to the public sector not seen in decades. The implications for the Liverpool city region are huge. Over the last 15 years, Merseyside has emerged blinking from a long period of economic decline. Thanks to a massive injection of cash from European Objective 1, we have been able to lay the foundations for a brighter future. However, the region is still much more dependent on the public sector than most other parts of the UK.

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Julie Cowley 0151 472 2311 Neil Johnson 0151 472 2705

EDITOR’S LETTER During previous recessions, this has actually been to our advantage. In times when we have seen an alarming shrinkage of the private sector, the large public sector presence in the region has ensured employment for many. Now that has all changed. This time, it is the public sector, too, that is to bear the brunt – and that is worrying for the city region.

However, there is reason for optimism. The investment that has come in over the last decade or so has given Merseyside’s private sector renewed confidence. Commentators like Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jack Stopforth and leading local economist, Peter Stoney, both believe the private sector is ready and willing to fill the gaps left by a shrinking public sector. Let’s hope they’re right. A big part of the shake-up could see an end to the

generous grant culture we have enjoyed during the past few years. There will still clearly be some element of business support, but the pot will almost certainly be much smaller in the future. And the question remains about who or what will oversee that process. The Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) is doomed and in its place we will see Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). Existing agencies are vying to reinvent themselves as LEPs. No doubt, in

Merseyside, both The Mersey Partnership and Liverpool Vision would see themselves as the ideal candidates. It is unlikely both organisations will survive. NWDA chief executive Steven Broomhead is no doubt looking upon the whole process with some dismay. He has always strongly believed that decisions about public sector support for major projects should be made at a regional, and not a sub-regional, level. He feels there is a risk that decisions become too politicised. A whole new era beckons – and, with it, a real test for Liverpool.

TONY MCDONOUGH 3

NEWS

Knowsley business alert scheme helps firm

From left: Carl Woods, from KHT; Paul Roberts; from Oldham Brothers; and Barry Fawcett, from Knowsley Council

A KNOWSLEY business scooped a lucrative contract thanks to a scheme to alert local firms to possible work. Kirkby-based Oldham Brothers secured a deal to handle all the recycling needs of Knowsley Housing Trust at its Huyton depot. It was told of the work by a “tender alert sent out by Knowsley Council’s business liaison and investment team”. The team let local businesses know about opportunities they might want to bid, or tender, for.

They can also provide grants, property searches and other support. “The tender alert worked out brilliantly for us,” said Paul Roberts, business development manager for Oldham Brothers. “We wouldn’t have known that KHT were looking for someone, so we want to say a big thank you to the business liaison team. “This contract is really valuable to us and has secured several jobs. Almost everyone we employ is from Knowsley.”

Conference on green energy comes to city OME of the biggest players in the UK green energy market will come to Liverpool for a major conference for the second year running. The Green Power Forum (GPF) was held at the BT Convention Centre last year and on October 14 it will return to the city, this time to take place at the LJMU Art and Design Centre. The 2010 GPF programme includes speakers from The British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) and is sponsored by Groundwork Merseyside and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. Presentations will be held on government initiatives and funding, training and innovations, heat pumps, solar PV, smart grid and private and public sector case studies. A meet the buyer section will also be held. GPF chairman Mark McManus told LDP Business the conference would offer a comprehensive guide on the business case for going green. He said: “The Government is setting tough targets to ensure that we reach our target of producing 20% of our energy from renewable sources by 2010. “Drilling that down, 12% of heat production must come from renewable sources and all new properties must be built to zero carbon standards by 2016. These are extremely ambitious targets when you consider that just 1.5% of energy is generated by renewable sources today. “GPF will fully explain the government targets and offer an introduction to the technologies which are available to businesses. “Crucially, the programme will include advice on the new financial schemes.”

Mark McManus, chairman of the Green Power Forum

Voodou founder and MD, Rob Webb

Voodou training centre to open LIVERPOOL hair salon chain Voodou is just weeks away from opening its first “superstylist academy”. The academy, in Stanley Street, in the city centre, will offer trainees the opportunity to gain NVQ qualifications in both hairdressing and barbering at the same time, rather than following the traditional route of specialising in just one area. It will open on September 6, and candidates from hairdressers and barbers across the city are being invited to apply for places. Mixing a classroom and salon environment, the centre will offer students training with classes taken by some of Liverpool’s leading stylists. Voodou founder and managing director

Rob Webb believes the company has identified a gap in the market, as most training centres do not offer the skills required for working as both male and female hairdressers. He said: ”Voodou Training is about providing the most relevant and modern training in the city, and ensuring Liverpool’s growing status as a leader in the style stakes. “Working at Voodou has always been about living, breathing and sleeping training, and this new centre of excellence is about teaching a more rounded skill-set that graduates can take back to their own salons or barbers. “In addition to classes from our top stylists, we will also offer training from some of the industry’s top suppliers.”

THE PEEL GROUP INVITE YOU TO THE

FINAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR WIRRAL WATERS PRESENTATION BY PEEL DIRECTOR LINDSEY ASHWORTH WILL START AT 7PM THURSDAY 29TH JULY 2010 AT THE WILLIAMSON ART GALLERY, BIRKENHEAD

THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE TO HELP SUPPORT REGENERATION IN WIRRAL WIRRAL WATERS WILL BE CONSIDERED BY WIRRAL COUNCIL FOR PLANNING PERMISSION 3RD AUGUST 2010

Please come and fill in a questionnaire! Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Slatey Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH43 4UE, Tel: 0151 652 4177 For information please contact npeck@peel.co.uk www.wirralwaters.co.uk WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

NEWS

Tailoring the right solution

Cath Rogan, founder of Smart Garment People, with her Business Link Northwest adviser, Phil Anders

Smart Garment People finds ways to reach a global audience with pioneering technology A LIVERPOOL-BASED firm is cutting a swathe through the clothing industry by utilising nanotechnology. Smart Garment People, which is based at Liverpool Science Park, was founded in 2006 by Cath Rogan. The company works with businesses that produce protective and performance clothing for police, military and sportswear markets. This means, for example, biocidal finishes, which attack and destroy microorganisms such as those found in blood, or heat protection clothing. Ms Rogan initially sought

help from Business Link Northwest in 2008 for general business support and advice about funding to create a website – which she was eligible for. She said: “As a direct result of the website, my business attracted the attention of a number of international companies, including a major American client. “The new website has successfully boosted the profile and credibility of the business and has generated some exciting new sales leads.” With a large part of her business being in export

markets, Business Link put her in touch with UK Trade and Investment, and helped her to secure support for a visit to Miami earlier this year, to address an international conference on smart fabrics. The trip resulted in new contacts, including an approach from Nasa about a programme requiring smart fabrics. Business Link Northwest adviser Phil Anders also recommended that the company should apply for the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s innovation vouchers

scheme, which is designed to help business owners, entrepreneurs and social enterprises purchase a knowledge provider’s expertise to help enhance their business. He said: “Smart Garment People is a great example of an innovative and creative company with massive potential, but one that needs careful guidance in order to grow at a manageable rate and not expand too fast for Cath to be able to cope with.” ■ BUSINESS Link’s service can be accessed by telephone and email from

8am-8pm, Monday to Friday, as well as from 8am-2pm at weekends and Bank Holidays. Businesses can access face-to-face support from a Business Link broker with specialist industry expertise. Call Business Link on 0845 00 66 888 or e-mail advisers at info@businesslinknw.co.uk Firms can also find information at www.businesslink.gov.uk/ northwest from tools to create employment contracts to guides on sales, marketing and finance.

THE BIG FEATURE

Merseyside menu

Crowds watch local chef Emma Wombwell giving a cookery demonstration at last year’s Wirral Food and Drink Festival

BY PETER ELSON

▲ ▲

Merseyside and Cheshire’s food and drink industry plays a massive part in the regional and national economy, with a host of companies big andsmall.Howisitcopinginthesetoughtimes?

THE BIG FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 HATEVER the state of the economy, food and drink remains the stuff of life. And if they don’t grow it, ferment it or distil it, the populace has to buy it - which is to our ultimate economic benefit. North West England is not only the country’s largest food and drink producing region, but also has the highest concentration of our food and drink manufacturing. In Merseyside itself, the industry has a £10bn annual turnover and employs 10,000 people. Historically, the industry is based on the confluence at the Port of Liverpool of a huge farming area for export and the import of raw foodstuffs. Such is its continuing importance to the area that the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) are injecting £8m to stimulate and develop the top-end, niche food producers, to help maintain their market edge (see panel). Steven Broomhead, NWDA chief executive, said: “The North West is not only the country’s largest food and drink-producing region, it is also home to the UK’s highest concentration of food and drink manufacturing businesses. “This programme will help the region’s food and drink sector to continue to grow and make the most out of high-growth markets.” David Malpass, NWDA European Programme director, said: “The ERDF funding will help the North West food and drink sector to grow, improving the performance of over 750 businesses and creating or safeguarding nearly a 1,000 jobs.” The programme will be managed by Food Northwest, the quango set up to promote the region’s profitable and sustainable food and drink industry, and to improve its competitiveness. Pat Foreman, Food Northwest chief executive, said: “This a highly dynamic industry which is reshaping all the time. “Within this one sector, Merseyside is home to the full range of food and drink, from global players to small companies employing a handful of people. “Once you understand its importance, you realise why we ensure all aspects are maximised. “We promote and help in any way we can, in mentoring, training, holding workshops and networking seminars. “Most of our staff have a background in food and drink, and it’s that connectivity which we utilise.” Merseyside has a highly impressive roll-call of multi-national corporations, most of which have bought into nationally-known, locally-based food and drink companies. International giant Pepsico’s UK plant at Skelmersdale is a multi-functional site making products from crisps to snacks to baked savouries, such as Monster Munch, Baked Walkers, Walkers Crisps and Snack-a-Jacks brands. Then there are specialists like Renshaw Napier, providing almond paste and other products, Heathcotes Outside, the top restaurant group which has now diversified into catering. Tangerine Confectioners, which makes mallows at Edge Lane, Liverpool; Trigon Foods with its

Tea taster for Typhoo, Peter Megson, at the factory in Moreton, Wirral

nut brands like Big D and Planters; major peanut and snacks producer Sun Valley, of Bromborough, and Dairy Crest at Kirkby, which makes Utterly Butterly and Vitalite. Urens, at Neston, makes frozen concentrates and fruit pulps. Tranfoods of Birkenhead is a big cooked and sliced meat processing business for supermarkets and deli counters and part of Parkam Foods Group. “We still have old-established brands like Princes Foods, with its global headquarters in Liverpool,” said Ms Foreman. “It’s been going a long time, is internationally well-respected and real pleasure to work with.

“Likewise, United Biscuits’ Jacobs plant in Aintree, which has had recent investment and support from the NWDA. “UB is striving to do well for the workforce and has brought in products from other countries to add to established Jacobs lines.” Vimto Drinks Group, at Newton-le-Willows, is making the successful transition from a regional to national brand. Cereal Partners UK has a joint venture with Nestlé and General Mills to make Cheerios at Bromborough: “This is a very efficient and modern factory,” said Ms Foreman. “It’s had some NWDA help mixed with its own investment.

The company has a really good reputation as an employer, and a workforce who are very loyal and like to stay there. “Manor Bakeries, on Wirral, is very well respected and I’d say it’s one of our jewels in the crown. “The biscuit maker Burton’s Foods has shed jobs at Moreton, but is still on site. While there’s a presence, there’s still hope. “Its history has been chequered through the company trying to become more efficient. “Typhoo Tea does a good job, but needs to expand.” Typhoo and its associated brands (including Harrods Tea), based at Moreton, Wirral, was bought by Apeejay Surrendra

Group, one of India’s largest tea producers, in 2005. “This is a good operation with a fantastic product,” said Ms Foreman, “but, like everyone else, it’s looking to see how to expand so the competition is very tough.” Tulip International Foods, at Bromborough, had a £12m private investment to transform it into a “sausage production facility” which will create 270 new jobs. Yet, only a year ago, Tulip said the Bromborough site did not have a future, closed it and made 303 people redundant. Before it shut, the factory sliced and packaged cooked meats for Marks & Spencer and the Co-op. Drinks company Halewood

THE BIG FEATURE

Prince of foods set on Eastern crown Liverpool food giant forges European alliance

LEADING Liverpool food and drink group Princes has set up its first new Eastern European joint-venture with established partner ADM. The announcement comes hot on the heels of Princes establishing a new Polish office to accelerate expansion onto the continent. Princes Polska, based in Warsaw, will cover sales, marketing and category management expertise. This is to strengthen Princes’ support for retail and wholesale customers in central and eastern Europe. This is unusually visible activity for Princes, based in Royal Liver Building, which is well-known for shunning publicity, in line with the culture of its owners, Mitsubishi Corporation, which is Japan's largest general trading company. In 2005, Princes and ADM formed a joint venture for two UK vegetable and olive oil bottling sites, Edible Oils Limited (EOL). The Polish joint venture will follow the same business model as EOL. The concept is to combine Princes’ sales and marketing expertise with ADM’s supply chain strengths. The two companies also signed an agreement to expand distribution of bottled edible oil in Poland. Ken Critchley, Princes managing director, said: “Part of our forward strategy is to further expand into mainland European markets. “Poland represents a particularly strong market for us and we plan further expansion in the country. “ADM is an established partner bringing significant strength to our retail proposition and we have exciting plans with them.” Brent Fenton, ADM

International, confusingly based at Huyton (not Halewood), has weathered a tough recession. Bob Rishworth, Halewood International director, said: “Any business which innovates should be able to grow and develop. “It won’t be easy as the Government needs taxes to pay off debt and taxes to depress sales to combat binge drinking. “We’ve seen over a period people moving from drinking in pubs and now 70% of alcohol is bought through supermarkets, up from 53% 10 years ago. “I’m sceptical supermarkets use it as loss leaders when we see the margins they want us to match. “The cider factor is performing

very well and Lambrini technically falls into that category as a pear and apple-based drink. “But all other areas are showing decline over the last 10 years. One of the most accurate is to look at Customs’ clearances, as in what has had duty paid on it. “Overall, alcohol consumption is generally down. “Over the last 12 months, cider was up 12%, light wine/spirits down 4% and beer down 8%. “People don’t session drink like they used to due to health and changing social factors. There’s always a price point at which people will stop buying.” For Merseyside’s sake, let us hope that point is never reached.

Princes’ products – set an for Eastern European push European Oilseeds managing director, said: “With Princes, and experience in brand and category management, we are ideally positioned to maximise opportunities in the Polish market.” Princes and ADM expect their new partnership in Poland to help retailers and wholesalers develop edible oils and drive volume and value in eastern Europe. It will also create new opportunities for branded and private label sales. Princes, which has an annual turnover of more than £1bn, also plans eastern European acquisitions and other local partnerships. The new Princes Polska office will report to Princes BV, the group’s continental European headquarters in

Rotterdam, opened in 1989. Princes started in 1880 and its brands include Crisp 'n Dry, Mazola cooking oil, Flora margarine, Shippam’s spreads, Jucee squash, Ocean Spray and Aqua-Pura. Rival company John West, of Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, is canned fish brand leader in the UK, Holland and Ireland. It has just signed TV chef James Martin in a six-figure deal to be brand ambassador for the firm's products. Jeremy Coles, John West marketing director, said: “This is to inspire consumers to do more with our canned fish range, using a chef they know to show them how.” It is part of John West’s biggest spend on marketing, announced in February.

Food and drink gets a financial tonic MERSEYSIDE is sharing in an £8m boost to its food and drinks industry from public funds. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), in tandem with private sector partners and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), have

approved £4m each to stimulate and develop the higher-value areas of the food and drink economy. The programme will be run by Food Northwest, the food and drink organisation, and it is estimated the project will create or safeguard 940 jobs, create at least 50 businesses, and

provide support and management skills to over 3,000 businesses. The programme will be delivered through four main divisions. These include: funding and specialist technical support to food and drink small to mediumsized enterprises (SMEs); support for the central co-ordination of

speciality food and drink via market intelligence and trade shows’ information; health and safety, food hygiene, business continuity planning and legal advice; organic/ethnic support so producers can take advantage of this high growth sector.

THE BIG FEATURE

Bob Rishworth, head of Chalié Richards and Halewood director – seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses of wine

Booming wine firm matures Halewood International breathes new life into Britain’s oldest wine merchants to meet

WHILE the success of the drinks industry is clearly a great boost to the local economy, not everyone views it that way. “We always seem to be under attack from the health lobby, the medical profession or from government,” said Bob Rishworth, Chalié Richards chairman and Halewood International director, Chalié Richards, owned by Halewood International, is based in Huyton and is the UK’s oldest wine merchants, founded in 1700. Mr Rishworth moved the firm from Horsham, Sussex, about five years ago, when he became managing director. It was easier to run the firm sharing the parent company’s new back-office technology on the same site. Chalié Richards’s portfolio includes wines from France,

Spain, Portugal, Argentina, South Africa, California, Chile, New Zealand and Australia. It has been appointed the new distributor for Sir Cliff Richard’s wines, Vida Nova and Onda Nova. The wine is made at the singer’s Algarve vineyard and the agreement covers the UK and some international markets. Part of Mr Rishworth’s role as chairman is to focus on corporate and industry issues, representing Halewood International Holdings on the boards of the Gin and Vodka Association and the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. Halewood International owns and manufactures some of the UK’s best-known drink brands ranging from Lamb’s Navy Rum, Red Square Vodka, Reloaded and Lambrini. The company makes Tsingtao Chinese beer under licence in the UK.

Its annual turnover is around £250m, employing 400 people at Huyton and 2,000 internationally. Subsidiary businesses in South Africa and Romania are doing extremely well producing and selling wine locally. A joint-venture in China with a licensed production company has also been a sound investment. “We’ve got a good, enthusiastic team, headed by an innovative, dynamic entrepreneur, Tony Halewood, who believes in driving hard,” said Mr Rishworth. He has been with Halewood for 20 years and came from managing Morrison’s supermarket wine division to develop accounts in southern England. “Chalié Richards is essentially a sales operation. We produce and ship wine products and bottle wine under our own label.” Following a very good 2008

which saw its volume grow by 25%, Chalié Richards had an indifferent year in 2009. However, its new Crabbies alcoholic ginger beer took off and shifted a million cases in the first year, he said, “which is very good business. “But we’re being attacked on all quarters from government regulation, the medical profession and social culture. “Our concern is about how people handle drink. There’s no such thing as bad drink, only bad drinkers. “If the objective is to reduce alcohol consumption then it’s about education, not pricing. “We’ve grown our wine business in volume, but margins are very tight due to the retail and wholesale trade’s nature. “Any business has to innovate and bring in new products.

“You have to know what consumers are looking for and drinking. “A few years ago, it was Chardonnay, and now it’s Pinot Grigiot – which doesn’t have a lot of varietal character, but is an easy unchallenging wine. “We bought Iceberg de-alcoholic wine and felt there was more opportunity and this proved the case. “It’s a proper wine-style drink, appealing, for example, to pregnant women, or drivers, who don’t want to drink cocoa or orange juice. “Pink, or rosé wine, has now outpaced everything, through improved vinification. “It’s a development from alcopops, which have died a death. “People will move from sweet spirits to sweet and then dry wine. “Wine is basically pressing

THE BIG FEATURE

How Big D went back to the future for a full nutty effect

Aintree nut processor not frightened to reinstate good old girl power

nicely changing tastes fermented grapes and there’s a limit to what you can do. “However, there’s a whole host of presentation you can do with packaging and bottling. “We made Iceberg look more fresh, less Germanic and fussy.” One World wines met a need for a generic brand to umbrella subbrands from many countries. These include Ocean Point from Australia, Orange Street from South Africa and Orchid Boulevard, from California. “Unlike, say, colas, the market share for any one wine brand is not that significant. “Rather than spending money marketing just Orange Street, we can spend the same amount to market a range of countries. “This offers retailers’ buyers a range of wines at one price, and restaurants can use them as house wines.”

CRITICS said it was a tired-out old idea which couldn’t be revived. But when Brian Cardy took a third shareholding in Trigon Foods, of Aintree, and became managing director of its Big D Nuts brand, he didn’t hesitate to reinstate the BigDBabe. “Big D Nuts is really focused on pub trade which is up for cheeky laddish fun, with a pretty girl pictured on promotion cards. “The BigDBabe promotion existed in the late 70s, but by the 1990s it was deemed politically incorrect. “I bought into the company in 2001 and first thing I did was put the girl back. “I knew it would get a lot of attention. People are nostalgic and warmly remember these girls.” In other words, busty girls sell nuts to blokes? “Well, it re-energised the brand with the babe and new packaging as a point of difference. “We’re growing the brands through pubs. It’s an excellent product, and we’re not looking to cheapen it by cost-reduction. This applies to all our products.” Besides Big D Nuts, the company makes Planters and Passion Shed brands. Independent since 1996, Trigon Foods has an annual turnover of £20m, with 130 employees at its Aintree plant. A heavily seasonal trade, business rises from September to December for Christmas, when staff numbers increase to 150 employees. Trigon licenses Planters from Kraft in the US, and this is more focused as a grocery retail brand. Passion Shed is Trigon’s premium brand for delis, hotels and top grocery stores such as Sainsbury and Waitrose. Trigon also makes retailers’ own-brands for Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose. “They all have their individual products, which we make bespoke,” said Mr Cardy. “It’s not simply the same nut packages with different labels. “The last 18 months has been a serious economic situation, but luckily we’re in the quality end of the market place. “We’ve grown our sales base as a quality producer, processor and packer of nut products. “Our main concern is the huge increase

Rosie Jones, the new BigDBabe, shows off her brand value in the cost of raw materials due to sterling’s depressed state against the dollar.” Nuts types are sourced worldwide – US, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, Vietnam, China, South Africa and Australia. Fruit is also globally sourced with much coming from Chile, but interestingly this is mainly imported through Felixstowe, not Liverpool. One of Peel Ports’ major grouses is how the Port of Liverpool loses out to Felixstowe. “The nut type costs vary hugely, from the cheapest, like peanuts, to the very expensive, like macadamia,” said Mr Cardy. “With Planters, it’s up to us to create products and we plan new packaging for a launch early in 2011. “We launched Passion Shed two years ago and it’s growing very slowly.

“We have a lab in Aintree, with three staff coming up with new mixes like pecan and cashew with balsamic and oregano. “One of the first hotels to use Passion Shed was Malmaison Hotel, in Liverpool. “I went to see them myself and got the brand in there. “This is the kind of personal effort which is crucial if you’re running a smaller company and want to make a good impression. “Nothing beats the personal contact to build up trust in your brand. “As a result, the company then put them into other Malmaisons and its Hotel Du Vin brand chain.” Passion Shed is also being stocked by London-based Firmdale Hotels, whose swanky boutique properties include the Soho Hotel and New York’s Crosby Street Hotel.

Food festival quality is recession-beating recipe THE Wirral Food & Drink Festival has bloomed as the alternative to the big business domination. It is held at Claremont Fruit and Vegetable Farm, off the M53 at Bebington, on August 29-30. During its five years of existence, visitor numbers have risen from 14,000 to 20,000 at the 15-acre site. Andrew Pimbley, of Claremont Farm and one of the founders, said: “We knew we were onto

something big from the start. We’re at the heart of supplying to about 30 top restaurants such as 60 Hope Street, Puschka and London Carriage Works, in Liverpool. “We felt more people would enjoy knowing about this food and as there was nothing like this in Wirral or Merseyside we joined forces with Anne Benson, who runs Wirral Farmers’ Market.” The festival has an

international food court with over 100 individual stalls for products including ostrich, buffalo, cheeses, liqueurs, chutneys and desserts. “We have chefs on a main demonstration stage and the Dig a Little Deeper stage, with more in-depth shows about butchery, chocolate making and bee-keeping,” he said. “This year we’ve taken an interactive theme with chefs adopting a schools.

“The Can Cook inflatable domes will be here offering with 10 work-stations for 30minute cookery sessions. “It’s important to keep the farming element to show food’s origins. “The big appeal is there’s something for everyone. It’s outdoors on a real farm and sourcing local food is very much in vogue. “The festival appears to be recession-proof; even last year, producers said they had great sales.”

THE BIG FEATURE

Vimto – a seriously unstoppable hit

Newton-le-Willows soft drinks firm keen to stay true to its roots while taking on the world HOW much bigger can Vimto get? For 102 years, it has been a popular drink in its traditional North West home, but now some smart marketing has seen a colossal increase in sales in a sector seemingly dominated by multi-nationals. Based at Newton-le-Willows, just off Junction 23 of the M6, Vimto Soft Drinks is a subsidiary of Nichols plc. The founding family members are still major shareholders, and John Nichols is non-executive chairman. The brand, now worth a staggering £49.7m, saw sales grow by 32% in the last year, when the overall soft drinks market only grew 5%. It is already huge in Africa, India and the Middle East, where its sweet, fruity flavour with a distinctive “kick” makes it popular with Muslims during Ramadan. Jonathan Bye, Vimto Soft Drinks managing director, said: “Our sales grew by 22% the year before and we never imagined we’d match that figure last year, never mind increase to 32%.” Apart from his “highly committed” staff of just 40, he also modestly attributes this rocketing sales rise to Vimto’s new marketing agency, Driven, of Wilmslow. “One of the key factors was totally moving the brand to appeal to teenagers, instead of eight-to-12 year-olds. “We’ve also built a new creative advertising campaign which embraces TV, radio, website and the digital-age media like Facebook and Spotify. “I’m a bit of a Luddite, but I understand the power of this new communication. “While the drink is famous in the North West, we realised the rest of the country was an untapped market. “People vaguely knew Vimto was a blackcurrant cordial. “We wanted to get the message across it wasn’t just another Ribena, but also had blackberries, grapes and a secret mix of herbs and spices. “That’s why we created the award-winning Seriously Mixed-Up Fruits campaign, built around the set of fruit characters and promoted across all media.” The company also produces Sunkist fruit soft drinks under licence from its Californian owner, and Panda, an additivefree drinks range for five-to eight-yearolds. The manufacture of Vimto ceased at its old Haydock plant in 2003, and the drink is now made in three factories around the UK. “This is a very cost-conscious business where overheads are very tight,” said Mr Bye. “We’ve cut back the eight manufacturers

to three, as we must have the lowest cost production. “There must be efficiency in volume to get costs down to free money to invest in the brand to drive growth.” He was formerly general manager at Patak Indian foods, of Wigan, until its sale to Associated British Foods three years ago for £100m. “Vimto Soft Drinks and Patak are both similar-sized small brands offering good quality products which people like as soon as they try them,” he said. “We’re genuinely in a David and Goliath situation with the big boys. “What is a blip on their balance sheet is a massive gain or loss for us. “That’s why we’re always looking for new ideas and proposals. “For example, we realised anything with cherry sells in the South East, so we introduced Cherry Vimto, which has taken off since launch in January. “The brand is already worth £2m, which will rise to £4m by year-end,” he said. “None of these things just happen – we put in a lot of effort behind the scenes to make sure we get it right. “It’s absolutely crucial to make sure it’s crystal clear to the staff what the company is trying to achieve.” His role representing small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) on the Food & Drink Federation executive committee is, he said, “a fantastic way to profile Nichols Vimto” to his big rivals. Part of Vimto Soft Drink’s success is Mr Bye’s strategy to ensure his staff personally meet their retail contacts. This has gained the confidence of the leading supermarket chains. “We’ve worked very hard at increasing our distribution through retailers like Tesco, where we were under-trading in proportion to their market size. “It’s not just about having Vimto in the supermarkets. It’s got to be everywhere to increase brand awareness. “Wherever you go, there will be a soft drinks cabinet – and we’ve managed to get Vimto into a lot more of those: Boots, Blockbusters, Sayers, Moto Service Stations and National Trust shops.” The Vimto brand is also licensed to other manufacturers for ice lollies and sweets. Mr Bye says he has increased marketing support for Vimto Soft Drinks by 20% as others have cut back. “We’ve doubled Sunkist sales over the last few months after a package redesign, but this is off a very small base,” he said. “We’re looking at licensing a couple of other brands to launch into the UK, as this acts as new growth.”

Vimto chief Jonathan Bye – making inroads in the US and China

Reading the Lancashire tea leaves tells a typical tale of the recession

Paul Needham

THE tea market has “gone through the roof”, says Lancashire Tea founder and boss Paul Needham, and his revived trade has exceeded all predictions. This is all the more gratifying as his firm survived near-collapse last November by going into administration after severe cashflow problems. Coming out of

administration last December and now backed by developer Greshams, the Newton-le-Willows company is in a market where demand is outstripping supply. “We’ve now got the financial support for expansion and do not have a cashflow problem, which frees funds for growth,” said Mr Needham, who

employs eight staff. “Prior to our troubles last year, we sold 36,000 boxes of tea a month. Now it’s 55,000 boxes and we expect to sell 105,000 within about four weeks.” Lancashire Tea shows how small businesses, seen as post-recession hopes, can fall foul of banking decisions out of their control, which bigger

rivals can survive. “The tea trade should be recession-proof. If people don’t go out, they stay in and drink tea,” said Mr Needham. “People criticise supermarkets for not being supportive, but they’ve been fantastic and very loyal to us. “Our existing clients like Tesco, Morrison’s, Asda and Home Bargains came back. I

didn’t go begging for their return.” Lancashire Tea delivers to a wide range of businesses, and is inevitably compared to the much bigger Yorkshire Tea. The latter, taken over by Betty’s of Harrogate, went from being a regional favourite to an 8% UK market share. Can Lancashire Tea follow such success?

Bigger than

ever

y Sponsored b

A celebration of all things ‘Home Grown’ Over 100 Producers and Stalls Live Chef Demonstrations ~ including Great British Menu Finalist Aiden Byrne Dig-a-Little-Deeper Stage Brimstage Beer and Cider Tent Papakata Teepees Kids’ Cooking Live Music and Entertainment

New for 2010 Can Cook Domes Wirral Farmers’ Mini Market The Award Winning Mini Sheep Show

and much, much more…

International Food Court Food and Farming Marquee Children’s ‘Big Top’ Village

Free shuttle bus to & from Spital station

www.wirralfoodfestival.co.uk

PROFESSIONAL SECTORS LEGAL SERVICES

LEGALLY

SPEAKING

With Donna King, associate in private client at Hill Dickinson

I AM very disappointed that the Conservatives have not implemented their pre-election pledge to raise the inheritance tax allowance to £1m per person. I have worked extremely hard to build my business and my personal wealth and I want to pass it to my children rather than to the Government. Now that the Conservatives have broken their pre-election promise, is there anything else I can do to reduce my exposure to inheritance tax?

YOU are not alone in your frustration at the Conservatives reneging on their promise. The initial pledge had the potential to save families more than half a million pounds each. Instead, the inheritance tax allowance has been frozen at £325,000. The good news is that, with careful planning, there are ways in which your inheritance tax exposure can be reduced. Firstly, you should have in place a professionally drafted will to ensure that full use of any available tax exemptions is made. You should also check any life assurance policies and pension death benefits that you have. If you place these benefits in a trust during your lifetime, they can be entirely inheritance tax free on your death. Aside from these measures, the ruling maxim is “live rich and die poor”! To reduce your inheritance tax exposure, you must reduce your estate. As your objective is to preserve your wealth for your family, you should start to give your assets to your children now (providing you keep enough to live on yourself).

There’s another catch, however. If you die within seven years of the gifts, they will still count towards your inheritance tax bill. Luckily, there are a number of exceptions to this seven-year rule. For example, everyone has an annual exempt amount of £3,000 and regular gifts out of surplus income can also be exempt. You may be nervous about making substantial gifts to your children now. Perhaps they’re not mature or settled enough, or you are not fond of their partner? You can still make gifts now to start the seven-year clock ticking, but retain control by making the gift into a trust fund. None of your children need get a penny until you feel they are ready for it – a trust can last up to 125 years! You say that you have built up a business. It is possible that your business assets will be free from inheritance tax. Subject to conditions, business assets can attract 100% or 50% relief from the tax. On the downside, this relief only applies if you die while still owning the business assets. As soon as you sell the assets, the sale proceeds no longer qualify and will count towards the tax. With careful planning, it is possible to “lock in” the relief using a trust, but there is a minimum period of ownership that applies to a trust, so forward planning is crucial. So, depending on your circumstances, there is still plenty of scope to reduce your exposure to the tax. You should have a thorough assessment of your financial affairs with your advisors now to put your strategy in place, and keep it under review to ensure the fruits of your labour are enjoyed by your family.

‘There are ways your tax exposure can be reduced’

Widespread support for city lobby group Professional Liverpool receives strong backing

Mark Chadwick, chief executive of Professional Liverpool, who has started the petition LIVERPOOL professionals have rallied around the sector’s support group in the city, Professional Liverpool, which is lobbying to have its funding reinstated. The group has been told by the Northwest Development Agency that it would not receive a previously-agreed £200,000 grant – which is about 80% of its funding. Professional Liverpool’s lobbying efforts include an online petition, started by chief executive Mark Chadwick – http://pl. epetitions.net – which has quickly garnered support from across the city. Philip Rooney, DLA Piper’s managing partner in Liverpool, said: “It has performed an invaluable role in raising awareness of the importance of the professional and financial services sector to the Liverpool city region. “There is more still to be done to capitalise on that by attracting new business to the region.” Ian Evans, senior partner at Weightmans, said: “We support this petition and ask that Professional Liverpool be allowed to continue the good work it undertakes on behalf of the professional services community here in Liverpool.” Ann Thorne, operations director at Liverpool JMU’s faculty of business and law, argues that the organisation’s influence stretches outside the city’s commercial district. She said: “It has done an excellent job in supporting Liverpool, for example by creating high-level business opportunities and networks and supporting higher education by enabling us to interact with the professions.”

Philip Rooney, managing partner of DLA’s Liverpool office

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Three decades of progress BY BILL GLEESON

▲ ▲

From the Toxteth riots to Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, Jim Gill’s career in regeneration has not lacked for drama

THE BIG INTERVIEW JIM GILL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 servants to put aside their normal IM GILL has stepped down as chief executive of Liverpool Vision, having completed three decades working in economic regeneration in the city. Whether as a director of English Partnerships or more recently as chief executive of both incarnations of Liverpool Vision, Mr Gill has been at the vanguard of the city’s regeneration since 1994. Even in his earlier career, he was closely involved with the city’s fight back against decline. Mr Gill took over as chief executive of Liverpool Vision in 2001 and remained in the top job when the urban regeneration company was merged with two other economic development quangos, Liverpool Land Development Company and business support agency Business Liverpool. At Liverpool Vision, he was responsible for overseeing the city’s “Big Dig” which included upgrading and redesigning the city centre streets and pavements – the construction of Liverpool One and the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre at Kings Dock. Prior to joining Liverpool Vision, Mr Gill was regional director, and then commercial director, of English Partnerships from 1994, based at Mercury Court, on Tithebarn Street. Prior to that, he spent four years in the private sector with Amec Developments. While he saw much progress in the city in the latter part of his career, things were very different when, as a young economist, he joined the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) in 1971. He rose to the civil service rank of assistant secretary before moving to Amec. Mr Gill recalls how there seemed to be a major announcement about factory closures and job losses in Liverpool every Friday evening. As everybody knows, matters reached a low point with the Toxteth riots of 1981. In the aftermath of the riots, a number of government departments, including the DTI, formed task-forces under the leadership of then cabinet minister Michael Heseltine, to tackle Merseyside’s social and economic problems. “We used to have one man in Liverpool,” Mr Gill said. “But after Toxteth, we set up an office in Derby Square. Heseltine wanted to give more focus to regeneration. “It was a pretty awful time. “The same areas of Liverpool that were suffering in the 1980s are the same ones that are suffering today. We have not made significant shifts in economic prosperity in those places. “I remember going into a shop on Church Street in the early 1980s, thinking the stock here hasn’t moved for ages. “Activity in the city centre has visibly changed since, but other parts of the city, which were suffering most then, are still suffering today. “Confidence is way higher than it was, but it takes a longer time to turn around communities than it does to change the physical look of the city centre. “The city went through a long, slow decline in the 20th century, which accelerated in the 1980s and we’re still recovering from the 1980s. “It felt daunting.” Mr Gill explained that the task-force allowed the civil

practices and replace them with more innovative methods. “They threw the rule book away and, as a result, things got done quicker. Mercury Court and Wavertree Technology Park got going. “There was a sense of excitement working with ministers like Heseltine. “He was an active player, asking people what had been achieved since the last meeting. “When you get commitment of the nature he put into it, you get a sense of ‘can do’. “But, unless you get that commitment, government reverts to type. It becomes rule-bound. “It’s when you can break the rules that you get things happening.” One key initiative at the time was the creation of the Merseyside Development Corporation (MDC). “It was not very democratic, it was almost imposed on the local authorities,” said Mr Gill. “But you can look at the things they did achieve, and while they might not have had the qualities of today, they were desperate days and getting any kind of investment was an achievement.” Mr Gill points to the Eldonian village as an example of the sort of project that can make a huge difference to communities. “They built on something that was reasonably strong and tried to extend it to the community around it,” he said. “It’s probably more valuable because it came from within the community, rather than being imposed from outside.” Indeed, Mr Gill thinks the Eldonian village is an example of how much of the rest of north Liverpool could have been developed. The fact resources haven’t been directed that way, he believes, represents a missed opportunity. “Vauxhall, Kirkdale and much of north Liverpool doesn't have a major employment base. If you addressed that area in the way we addressed Speke-Garston, you would have got more value. It could have been linked to the community-based schemes in the north of Liverpool. “Things that are embedded in the community have more chance of succeeding than things brought in from outside. “Most people would say the city centre has been regenerated successfully. But what it hasn’t done is translate physical change into local benefits. “There are people in some communities that don't see the benefit of the changes in the city centre.” By way of example, Mr Gill recalls a visit to a school in Speke. “A lot of resources had been put into Speke. We had the Estuary Commerce Park, the Boulevard Industrial Park and new school buildings in Speke. “Everybody was feeling good about it, including me. “We met seven or eight pupils aged 10 or 11 years – bright kids, longing to talk to us. The school’s specialism was performing arts, so these kids were very outgoing. “I was interested to find out whether the kids thought there was a better future for them as a result of all of the changes. “One girl recognised that the new school was great and that it would offer facilities outside school hours that the whole

Jim Gill in St Paul’s Square, Liverpool

community could use. She was enthusiastic. “Her mother was going to do a course there. “I asked her about the city centre. “She said she never went there ‘Because it’s dirty and smelly’. “She had no perception that what was going on in the city centre was relevant to her and her family. “It does make you think about the real value of the things we are involved in.” Notwithstanding what is a widely-held scepticism about the broader benefits of city centre regeneration, Mr Gill believes it

was crucial to the city as a whole: “It’s a feeling. “I do think that, since the 1980s and even the mid 90s, there’s a sense in communities that you can make a difference by encouraging people to take control of their own lives. “I get much more of a sense of real activity, enthusiasm and optimism about the future now than I ever did in the 1980s. “The major improvement in kids’ performance at GCSE level is another reason to be optimistic about the future. If it means kids think there is a point to studying, then that is very different. “The despondency of the 1980s –

all that is largely gone now. People are more optimistic. “But we have a big test coming. “It feels a little like the 1980s all over again. The drastic restructuring of the public sector will pose challenges to that sense of confidence. “It feels a bit like we are entering into a period when the daily news will be bad news, not good, once more. “And that has the potential to feed despondency.” The recession of the past two years and the forthcoming public sector spending cuts, combined with the ending of European Union funded Objective 1

THE BIG INTERVIEW JIM GILL

The Arena and Convention Centre complex transformed Liverpool’s waterfront

economic development support for Merseyside, have all come together to create a real sense of hiatus in the city. The outlook for the next few years contrasts sharply with the pace and scale of development enjoyed over the past decade or longer. Mr Gill said: “At the back end of the 1990s, there was steady economic growth. There were no external shocks. That, together with the level of funding available through Europe and the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) and local political stability allowed Liverpool to take advantage and change. “But that has now run into a

brick wall or fallen off a cliff in terms of public resources. “The good thing is Liverpool did take advantage. Its politicians had good sense.” Mr Gill is, of course, referring to politicians like former city council leaders Mike Storey and Warren Bradley, who came to power in Liverpool in 1998. He also says that Labour, under the leadership of Frank Prendergast, had become more approachable. “This sense of working with people rather than battling against them is something that has paid off,” he added. “Speke-Garston was a joint venture between the city council and English Partnerships (EP) and it was a Labour council that did the deal, led by Frank Prendergast. “Some lessons were learned. By joining with the NWDA and EP, you could secure more resources. “You risk losing democratic control, but it has worked. “City councils of whatever persuasion deserve a lot of credit for working that way. “Without the city council, the other agencies couldn’t make that much of a difference.” Merseyside received two tranches of European Objective 1 money during the 1990s. It is widely thought that the second programme was better managed than the first.

Mr Gill explains: “Big lessons were learned from the first tranche of European money. “The first day I joined EP, in 1994, I went to a meeting with Peter Bounds (city council chief executive) and John Flamson (running City Challenge). There was a guy from government office telling us how they were going to implement the first round of European money. “He took us through a presentation. It started with seeking bids to run the whole programme and ended 11 months later with a decision. “He was planning on having a single competitive bid to manage the whole programme, and out of that they would get the right result. “I asked him if he was serious about taking 11 months to make a decision. He said ‘Yes’. “I thought that was complete nonsense. “The lesson from the first programme was that you must have some focus. You must do the things that make a difference and you can't rely on a competitive process to make it happen. “Let’s focus on an area and make a difference there, such as Speke-Garston, Ropewalks. “It has made a difference there. But why not north Liverpool? I couldn’t tell you. “When we moved into the

second programme, John Flamson was running it. He realised how important the city centre was. “It was easy to get European money for the city centre. European money has made a really big difference and the city centre has made a big difference to the city region. “We have been able to marshal the funding against a small number of focused big projects. “Having a plan and vision makes a big difference.” Big projects funded by the second tranche of European money include the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre, but the project that made the biggest single contribution to the physical regeneration of Liverpool city centre didn’t take a penny of public grant. Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One shopping development was identified by Liverpool Vision as one of the big opportunities for progress. “Grosvenor identified Liverpool as under-retailed, and therefore a good commercial opportunity.” But Mr Gill insists that European funding for other city centre developments encouraged the Duke of Westminster’s company to put its own money into the city. “It was a better plan because of those other developments. It was a

better bet for investors. It was a massive expansion in the city alongside real efforts to revitalise the commercial district and the waterfront. “Grosvenor was the right choice because they take a longterm commercial view. “The fact there was a plan there for the rest of the city centre was a big encouragement to Grosvenor. “Grosvenor stuck with it and moved at a pace that others wouldn't have done and, in doing so, suffered increased costs. Others would have pulled out,” he said. Nor was the Duke the only source of big institutional investment in the city. Others, such as Standard Life, have invested their money in city centre office developments in recent years. Mr Gill says: “Liverpool is back on the map. “In the 80s, it was the last place people wanted to invest. “The German investment fund that bought the office development at Mann Island bought in at a time when the market in general was bad and others wouldn’t have done. “In the last 10 years, the property market got very hot. Money was pouring in. Yields on St Paul’s Square went down to low levels.” For many years, commercial office property development in Liverpool city centre only ever got off the ground with the assistance of government grants, known as “gap funding”. The subsidy was necessary because the value of completed buildings, even those full with tenants, was less than the cost of constructing them. However, at the height of the property boom, when both rents were rising and yields falling, the public money was no longer necessary to make schemes viable. Examples of developments that did not use public sector gap funding include City Square and St Paul’s Square. “Before any grant was drawn, City Square was sold. “So the developers ended up paying money to the RDA,” said Mr Gill. “Each time we were trying to make a scheme happen, we were pushing up rental values and pushing down yields.” However, those benign conditions are now a thing of the past. “The last scheme was St Paul's Square, which attracted a rent of £21.50 per sq ft, but because the market has gone so cold those assumptions have to be changed. “When yields were in the 5-6% range, you could demonstrate a development was viable. “But now that the market has just crashed, it feels like we are back near the bottom of the hill again.” Nevertheless, Mr Gill insists that the commercial office market remains crucial to the future development of the city centre. He cites the example of Legal & General, which, through the English Cities Fund, was one of the original investors in St Paul’s Square. “In the past, Legal & General’s view was that there was a limit to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

THE BIG INTERVIEW JIM GILL CONTINUED FROM CONTINUED FROMPAGE PAGE1819 what they would put into the city because of their perception of it, but Legal & General now have a very different view about Liverpool as an investment location because it’s worked for them,” Mr Gill said. Mr Gill says some people have observed that he is leaving at the optimum time – after the good work of the last 10 years has come to fruition, but just before the adverse effects of the spending cuts set in. After all, when the big decisions are unveiled in the autumn spending round, economic development and business support budgets could prove to represent an easy target. And while Brussels has given the North West Objective 2 money, it is small change compared to the Objective 1 cash Merseyside used to receive. “Jessica (an Objective 2 innercity regeneration programme) won't make much of a difference. It’s not big money compared to the past. “The regional growth fund (a British government initiative) is £1bn for the whole UK. It’s nowhere near as much as has been available. “I get the sense it will be available for those programmes that link economic opportunity to communities. “Areas like north Liverpool and the north shore, enterprise and small business development in local areas that get local people engaged in new business and job opportunities are the sorts of projects that will get support. The big projects like the Arena and Convention Centre, museum and canal won't come through as the sorts of projects that will get supported. “Transforming north Liverpool will fit very neatly into the fund.” On the subject of north Liverpool, does Mr Gill really think that Peel’s huge Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters will ever become a reality? “There is an economic reality that has got to plug in before you get there. “John Whitaker will tell you it's a long-term plan, 30 to 40 years. “But building skyscrapers is more difficult than lower-rise units. “It will be quite a while before another skyscraper will come along. “Peel in China is potentially a really big plus. “It is not totally pie in the sky to create a relationship with Chinese financial institutions to fund developments on the waterfront and with that comes some occupancy from Chinese organisations. “That strategy has some legs. “But building that density requires the right economic conditions, and we are some way from that at the moment.” “Future growth has got to come out of occupier demand. “What we have been doing in St Paul’s Square was supply led. It drew out demand. “In the city, the level of demand is weak. “Look at Halliwell’s problems. It comes out of people getting their confidence back. “There is a huge opportunity in London to present ourselves as not just a low-cost centre, but an efficient business decision.

Rathbones did it. They now have a big back-office function in Liverpool. “We can demonstrate that backoffice labour supply in the financial services sector here, labour costs, labour stability – people staying in one job longer – are better here. “We can secure some of that investment if we can manage to sell Liverpool more efficiently. “What Expo represents is a statement that says we want to create relationships with

economies that are going to grow in the future – China, India, Brazil. “You have to create new sorts of relationships at a business level that enable people to think of this place as a natural choice to think of first.” Mr Gill believes that traditional models of attracting inward investment to a region are less relevant these days. He says that, instead of relying on UK Trade & Investment and regional development agencies to

filter foreign investors down to city regions, the city regions now need to forge their own relationships overseas. This is exactly what Liverpool is currently doing at the World Expo in Shanghai, “Civic relationships are as important as commercial ones,” he says. “The city has got its confidence back. It’s selling itself again.” Another area that it is hoped could produce strong growth in the future is the knowledge sector. Mr Gill points to the number of

science and biomedical institutions in the city. He said: “Universities and the hospital, and the fact that the Royal funding been confirmed, is hugely important, as is what happens to higher education funding in the next few years. The universities make an enormous contribution to the city’s economy.” On a related theme, Mr Gill foresees both competition and opportunity from Salford’s Media City development, which has

THE BIG INTERVIEW JIM GILL Jim Gill in his office overlooking the Pier Head

Former Minister for Merseyside Michael [now Lord] Heseltine, above, kick-started regeneration in Liverpool after the Toxteth riots in 1981; and former city council leader, Cllr Mike Storey, below, who was also instrumental in later projects

benefited from considerable investment in digital infrastructure. He said: “Yes, it is a threat, but it’s also a very big opportunity. “The ability of smaller businesses to show agility is important. They have got to relate to Media City. “Things like facilitating business to get together to meet requirements is just as important as where the decisions are taken. There will be big opportunities coming out of the BBC.”

During the past three decades, Mr Gill has seen some great successes and the odd failure. While the successes include the Echo Arena and Liverpool One, among others, the highest-profile failure was the cancellation of the Fourth Grace. Mr Gill said: “When you do the sort of development-related job I have done at EP and Liverpool Vision, you always get a feeing of satisfaction out of seeing changes. “I went past Lime Street the other night and I thought it

looked fantastic and the taxi driver, unprompted, said how good it was. “The waterfront is turning out how we wanted it – Kings Dock is linked up with the Albert Dock and the rest of the waterfront. “The new museum and nearby residential developments are fantastic. The commercial district and the public realm around Hope Street are things I am very proud of. “The thing I get most satisfaction out of is the way the

team at Liverpool Vision has delivered. “We have had a real sense of purpose. “The biggest change has been the way the city has worked with other partners. “Take it from me – I have been on the inside – it is a million miles away from where it was 15 years ago. “Some private developments – Hugh Frost, Steve Parry, Peter Hind, Urban Splash, Bruntwood, English Cities Fund, UK Land &

Property, Iliad and Downing – have all taken advantage of public money, but have all done things of quality that have made a huge contribution. “You look at the investment George Downing has got in Liverpool, in relative terms it is a bigger proportion of his assets. The fact he has more investment in Liverpool is a statement of his confidence. “It came together in a way it hadn't done in Liverpool for a very long time. “There’s still an awful lot to do, but the city has made a mighty bound in 10 or 15 years.” Eight years ago, it had been hoped that architect Will Alsop’s Cloud building would form the centrepiece for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, but, after considerable dispute about its content and sharply rising costs, it never got off the drawing board. Mr Gill said: “I just wish people would move on. “I liked it as a concept, but mine was a very different view to others. “It was a pity it collapsed. It collapsed because, ultimately, it wasn't a commercial scheme that could be delivered. “I have some regrets about the way it was announced, but it was the right one at the time. “Put nine architects in a room, you get nine different views.” Another regret was the decision to close the Speke-Garston Development Company, which was responsible for the redevelopment of the former Liverpool Airport into a business park. “Speke-Garston was a great model, an independent company. “It had a business plan and committed resources. “It was able to get on and do things for itself. “That sort of approach to physical regeneration is the best model I worked with. “I don’t know why they closed Speke-Garston down.” Throughout his years in regeneration in the city, Mr Gill has encountered considerable sensitivity towards Liverpool’s legacy of great buildings, whether they be the Three Graces at the waterfront or Victorian warehouses in the docks. The heritage lobby has been a very vocal opponent to some aspects of development. Mr Gill said: “The heritage argument that says don’t do anything new is misplaced. “We will preserve the docks and city, but we’ll do it with commercial developments that produce value. “The docks north of Princes Dock are rotting away, for example. “It has to be done, but in a way that allows people to make use of it. “It’s a fundamental truth that places either go back and decay or they go forward. They don’t stand still.” Mr Gill believes that the city’s image has improved hugely in recent years. While the 1980s represented a deep low, Capital of Culture year went a long way to repair the image. “In terms of worldwide PR, Capital of Culture was very good for the city,” said Mr Gill. “I remember how good I felt on the day it was announced.”

DESIRABLE DEVELOPMENTS

A new environment for business

STUNNING RIVERSIDE SETTING

With a range of brand new high speciďŹ cation ofďŹ ce, hybrid and light industrial units available for sale or lease from 100ft2 to14,000ft2 and an unrivalled location at the heart of the Northwest communication network Widnes Waterfront is the right location for your business. Sited on the Mersey Estuary, a location of outstanding natural beauty, within a landscaped business park of the highest environmental standards Widnes Waterfront is minutes from the M62 and M56 and within easy reach of Manchester International and Liverpool John Lennon Airports. For further information about commercial property at Widnes Waterfront please call Diane Robinson on 0151 906 3791 or email diane.robinson@halton.gov.uk www.widneswaterfront.co.uk www.runcorn-widnes.com

ECONOMIC

in association with

DEVELOPMENT Staff celebrate the opening of Marks & Spencer’s new Widnes store

Plans in store in Halton

Widnes Shopping Park has been completed – but other schemes in the borough are on ice BY ALEX TURNER HALTON has two major opportunities for its long-term economic development – one to its west and one to its east. But the small borough of 120,000 residents is not overly-dependent on the North West economic engines of Liverpool and Manchester. Instead, it is the logistics hub at the Mersey Multimodal Gateway (3MG) and the scientific campus at Daresbury which are of major significance to Halton’s economy, and perhaps of even more importance to its long-term growth. Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus is home to that often sought-after but less commonly found economic golden goose of “knowledge economy jobs”. It was one of two sites, along with Harwell, Oxfordshire, that was identified in 2006 as the focus of government science research and innovation investment. Over £50m of investment, through the Northwest Regional

Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund, brought about two new buildings next to the Daresbury Laboratory – the Daresbury Innovation Centre, a home to technology-focused small firms, and the Cockcroft Institute, which is the National Centre for Accelerator Science. But it is hoped that even these major investments and the resulting developments will prove to be just the foundation stones of a much more significant project. There are huge plans for a joint venture are moving forward which set out plans to create 6,000 jobs over the next 20 years. The plan is to create a company which will lead the development of 1m sq ft of science and innovation facilities, buildings and infrastructure. Going into a 20-year 50:50 partnership will allow the cost of the campus development to be shared with a private sector company, while benefiting from their experience and expertise.

The shortlist was narrowed down to three companies – British Land, Igloo Regeneration Consortium and Langtree – earlier this year with a decision expected imminently. Prof Colin Whitehouse, deputy chief executive of the Science & Technology Facilities Council, said: “We already have a lot to be proud of at Daresbury. We are the home of the prototype for new particle accelerators ALICE, the national centre for accelerator science the Cockcroft Institute, and the Daresbury Innovation Centre – which currently houses over 90 technology-focused organisations. “We are also about to start the construction of the new 35,000 sq ft Vanguard House, a grow-on facility for the small innovation companies based at the Innovation Centre to expand into larger accommodation, and we are also actively progressing exciting plans to develop two multi-million pound Science & Technology Gateway Centres

made possible thanks to £65m of Government funding being ear-marked.” The plans for the campus form part of a wider framework proposal for the creation of a technology village employing up to 10,000 people which would more closely integrate the scientific research with the business community. In addition to the 1m sq ft of science space, the plans would see the development of 1.1m sq ft of business space, 350,000 sq ft of mixed use and 900 residential units. Prof Whitehouse added: “Daresbury has a long heritage of providing cutting-edge and innovative science that is known the world over, and the development of the campus will ensure that this proud tradition continues for many years to come. “The investment being made by the joint venture partners into developing the campus will not only have a significant and positive influence on science and

technology in the UK, but importantly it will demonstrate the impact that investment in science-related sectors can have on the local, regional and national economy.” At the western edge of Halton on the Widnes side of the River Mersey, 3MG is also making a hugely-significant impact on the regional economy. O’Connor Group, which became part of Stobart in 2007, has been behind the development of the site, along with Halton Borough Council, NWDA and the Environment Agency. Stobart already handles 1,000 lorries and six trains every day in Widnes, utilising its location near to the M6, M62 and M56 motorways, and alongside the West Coast Main Line. The first phase of development was successfully completed earlier this year. That saw Tesco create 750 jobs

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON

Top, the Mersey Multimodal Gateway (3MG) site, in Widnes; centre, the Duke of York is shown around the 3MG site; above, a Tesco lorry at 3MG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 at a 528,000 sq ft chilled distribution centre, while, a couple of miles down the road, the supermarket giant also has planning permission for a town centre supermarket on the site of a closed Comet store. Back at 3MG, there are plans by Stobart to continue development on the site, which will house 5,000 jobs when it is completed. However, crossing the River Mersey by road has become increasingly difficulty with constant congestion troubles on the Silver Jubilee Bridge. Earlier this month, Halton Borough Council released figures which showed the region is left footing a £160,000-an-hour bill every time the bridge is closed. Steve O’Connor, managing director of Stobart Ports, and the 2010 Liverpool Daily Post Business

Cranes in action at the Mersey Multimodal Gateway, in Widnes

Person of the Year, is a major player in the region’s logistics sector and a keen advocate of the importance of the Mersey Gateway project. “Stobart probably crosses that bridge around 1,500 times a day,” he said. “Even when we see short-term lane closures when they do some of the repairs, it can be really damaging in terms of the North West economy.” “This figure shows the importance of this vital river crossing in Halton to businesses right across our region. “The Silver Jubilee Bridge is a critical infrastructure link for the North West, but it is out-dated and under immense pressure on a daily basis. “We badly need a new crossing and I would urge every business to write to government and show how crucial this new bridge is to our region.” The Silver Jubilee Bridge opened in 1961 – it was renamed in 1977 – and was originally designed to

carry less than 10,000 vehicles a day. but now carries more than 80,000 vehicles a day and essential maintenance is only possible during overnight and off-peak periods. Plans for the bridge took 10 years to move from the Ministry of Transport agreeing that there was a need, to five years of construction work beginning in 1956. Similarly, serious discussions about a second crossing have been taking place for a decade and, following a public inquiry late last year, a decision was hoped for at the start of 2010. Now the project is one of 69 put on hold by the Department for Transport subject to the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, to be announced on October 20. Steve Nicholson, Mersey Gateway project director, said: “The Government is looking to alternative funding sources to help relieve

the deficit and maintain the level of investment in infrastructure vital to support economic recovery. “Mersey Gateway could lead the way as it offers exceptional value for money, would be delivered with over two-thirds of the funding provided through tolling, and can be the catalyst for thousands of new jobs and vital future investment across Cheshire, Merseyside and the North West.” A 2009 report by consultants MDS Transmodal for The Mersey Partnership estimated that the Mersey Gateway would be responsible for an additional 4,640 jobs, with two out of every five jobs in high and medium-skilled occupations.

Three identified benefits from the Mersey Gateway were employment sites being opened up for development, productivity improvements through time-savings to existing businesses, and inward investing companies attracted to the Halton area. MDS forecast an increase in the gross value added – a measure of economic output – of £155m a year if the bridge was built. The Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News – a sister paper of the Liverpool Daily Post – launched a Back the

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON

Alice, a particle accelerator at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus Bridge campaign in response to the uncertainty caused by the Government’s announcement. Mike Brennan, editor of the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News, said: “Not all aspects of the proposed bridge are popular. The route and proposals to inflict tolls on traffic are both contentious. “But what cannot be denied is the need. Anyone who travels regularly across the Mersey will testify to that. “It is understandable that a new Government, especially one

introducing the level of cutbacks we are currently seeing, should take time to assess the situation before making a decision. “And the Mersey Gateway project, funded largely privately, surely represents an investment which is likely to provide a rich return.” He is convinced of the need for the second crossing to allow Halton to remain competitive in the future. “Our Back the Bridge stance comes after a lot of careful thought about the pros and cons of the proposed Mersey Gateway,” he said.

“The recent decision by the Government to shelve the project until autumn brought into sharp focus the problems of congestion that already exist on the nowoutdated Silver Jubilee Bridge – problems that can only get worse. “If industry is to thrive, and bring with it prosperity, then Halton needs to promote itself as an attractive proposition – and that is going to be increasingly difficult to do while the borough is effectively divided. “Transport is such an important factor in business decisions that attempts to attract inward investment are in danger of becoming hamstrung.” One major investment project that was started before the recession was the £25m redevelopment of the

Top, Daresbury Laboratory; centre, the then Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Theresa May (now Home Secretary) visits Daresbury; above, Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus

Windmill Centre into Widnes Shopping Park. The scheme was launched at the end of 2006 and more than 150,000 sq ft of new retail space opened in March this year. Marks & Spencer, River Island and Next are among the retailers on the site, which has created 650 jobs. Dick Tregea, Halton Borough Council’s strategic director for the environment, said: “I have been here for a number of years, in all that time I have been asked why can’t we have a Marks & Spencer and a Next – and we have achieved that. “It’s a demonstration of good partnership working. It was all private sector investment, but with a lot of encouragement from ourselves. “Stadium Developments have done a fantastic job and I hear nothing but praise for what they have built, they should be very proud.”

He is keen that this development is not the end of the changes to the town’s shopping offer. “What we need to do is use that as a stepping stone for another phase of change in the town centre. There are areas of the town centre that are looking tired,” he said. “It took a number of years for the Stadium Developments scheme to be drawn up and implemented, and I suspect we are looking quite far ahead now – but we think it would further consolidate Widnes’s shopping offer. “That’s why we are looking at a further phase. We believe there’s capacity. “But we do recognise that some parts of the town centre do need to be taken forward and we will be looking at that.” Retailers in the town centre

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Regional congestion blackspot The Silver Jubilee Bridge – but the second bridge that could have brought relief has now been put on hold

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON CONTINUED FROM CONTINUED FROMPAGE PAGE2425 were already under pressure, but since March’s opening they have seen a noticeable fall-off in trade – one retailer said year-on-year figures were down by as much as 25% some weeks. The relocation of Boots to Widnes Shopping Park has left a hole just two doors away from where Woolworths once was on the main street, while the economic slowdown has also caused the slow emptying of stores in the town centre. For example, the Albert Square shopping area is seeing an increasing number of vacant units. Despite including major retailers WH Smith and Argos, as well as Santander, Lloyds TSB and the post office, seven of the 31 stores are currently empty. It is not just on the north side of the River Mersey where retailers are struggling. A campaign group, Open Up Runcorn (OUR), which began as a Facebook group before establishing a formal structure in May, has been set up to lobby politicians and civil servants about the need to revitalise the town. OUR founder Conn O’Dwyer said: “We are demanding that Halton Borough Council open up Runcorn by intervening, stopping the deterioration of Runcorn old town and Halton Lea shopping centre, which is proving to be detrimental on the quality of life of the community as a whole. “We have family housing issues. While flats and apartments are being built, they are priced too highly to be affordable for the people who used to live in these areas. “The town’s regeneration needs a radical intervention requiring substantial economic contribution from both the public and private sector. “Experiences of successful regeneration demonstrated that urban regeneration is most effective when it is delivered in partnership with those groups and organisations best placed to influence the success of urban regeneration projects. “This means that local authorities deliver urban regeneration in partnerships which can include central government, construction companies, other private sector organisations and, perhaps most importantly, local communities.” A planned development by Urban Splash around Runcorn’s canal quarter has been withdrawn, and Halton Council is now looking to see what can be done alongside the Bridgewater Canal. At a meeting with Halton MP Derek Twigg and Halton Borough Council leader Rob Polhill, OUR campaigners warned that failure to develop town centre trade would “rip the heart out of Runcorn”. Mr O’Dwyer was critical of the council’s development plans, which he believes favour residential rather than retail regeneration. “Such a development scheme would rip the heart out of our town centres, kill off the local economy and increase unemployment levels,” he said. Halton has been badly affected by the rise in unemployment in the last two years. From July, 2008, to its peak in February, 2010, the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) in the borough

Phase 1 of Heron Business Park, developed by Widnes Regeneration exactly doubled to 4,870 people. During the same period, the average for the six authorities in Liverpool city region was 63%. However, it has eased significantly since February with nearly 1,000 fewer JSA claimants last month. Despite that, the picture remains far from clear. In June, DIY giant B&Q announced plans to transfer its distribution operation to Swindon, meaning it will no longer use the DHL supply depot in Preston Brook, Runcorn. The announcement puts 639 jobs at the site at risk, 615 at DHL and 24 at logistics group Kuehne and Nagel. Halton Council’s Mr Tregea said: “We have had some success stories, such as Tesco at 3MG and Widnes Shopping Park, but we have had some knock-backs, like B&Q. “Unemployment remains too high and remains a big priority for us. “We are not resting on our laurels. What goes up can come down. “We recognise a vulnerability

in the market at the moment.” Halton Council is involved in a joint venture with developers St Modwen, called Widnes Regeneration, which was set up in 1999. The partnership has delivered four major developments, with a fifth potentially on site by the end of this year. The completed projects are a mixed-use scheme anchored by an Asda supermarket, a retail and leisure development let to JJB Sports (now DW Sports), 158 houses in Halebank, and the speculative development of 123,000 sq ft of space at Heron Business Park. Built in two phases, the first phase is fully let and sold, while the second phase announced its first wave of tenants in June. Michelle Taylor, regional director of St Modwen, said: “We are very pleased considering we have been in very difficult economic times. It has let up very, very well. “We took the view that, as the property market started to decline, we had to make sure it

was competitive, so we are offering it at lower rents and prices, but that’s life. “We have always attracted a good level of interest, which continues to be mostly from companies from Halton and St Helens.” Heron Business Park is now complete, but Widnes Regeneration owns other land within the Widnes Waterfront economic development zone. She added: “We will be looking to come forward with plans for more development, although not immediately.” Nearby, a long-planned leisure development at Venture Fields, known as The Hive, could soon come to fruition. “It has been a long time coming,” said Ms Taylor. “We are quite optimistic about it. “We have exchanged with three occupiers – Reel Cinema, ice rink operators Planet Ice and restaurant Frankie & Benny’s – we are in solicitors with two other occupiers, a hotel and a bowling alley. “If we get to the end of the legal

process with those two, we hope we will be on site by the end of the year, with building to take about a year.” The joint venture has reached its tenth birthday and, although that was originally its expected lifespan, it will now continue “until the two parties felt it had done what it could do”. There are already a number of signs that it is meeting its wider ambitions. Ms Taylor said: “The satisfaction from the developments is that they have started having a transformational effect – there’s Stadium Developments and Widnes Shopping Park, while B&Q took a new warehouse next to Venture Fields, and Priority Sites developed Turnstone Business Park next to that. It’s great to see that happen.” There are definite signs of progress in Halton, although it hasn’t always happened as quickly as hoped. But, as more than one person remarked, imagine what could be achieved with the second bridge.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Grosvenor’s Liverpool One complex, which Peter Burke says has pushed up footfall for the whole of the city centre

City thrives in tough times Liverpool’s retail sector remains ‘robust’ despite the recession, says leading agent EVERY month there is a selection of data put out by British Retail Consortium about what is happening in the UK retail sector. It’s a useful snapshot but, as Peter Burke will testify, it is little more than that. Britain’s retail sector can be split into sub-sectors such as high street, indoor shopping centres, out-of town, city, town village and, depending upon which one you focus, you can get a very different picture. Mr Burke is head of retail at Liverpool-based commercial property agency, Mason Owen. The agency has established a reputation across the UK for its retail property expertise.

Clients down the years have included household names such as Kwik-Save, Somerfield, MFI, Iceland and bakery chain Greggs. He has worked in the retail property sector for more than 20 years as is as well-placed as anyone to assess the current climate. He said: “At the moment, the market is very polarised. “If you look at the high street, then certainly over the past couple of years rental levels have dropped 25-40%. “But at least landlords have the flexibility to adapt to the new levels and they are still managing to attract tenants. “It is the indoor shopping

centres that have more of a problem. And what I am talking about, in particular, is the secondary centres in smaller towns or on the edges of cities. “In the few years before the recession they were changing hands quite frequently and are therefore often heavily mortgaged. “This means their bankers often won’t let them be flexible with rental levels in order to attract tenants because it would affect the overall capital value.” Mr Burke said that, although Liverpool had been hit by the downturn like the rest of the country, the city centre had remained “robust”.

He added: “Around the periphery, rental levels have fallen but that is in line with what has happened nationally. “Liverpool One has increased footfall into the whole of the city centre. It is now an integral part of the city and it feels like it has been here for years. “I am very proud that we have it here. Church Street is also doing well and we have seen how successful the Primark store is. “There has been some churn on Church Street, but it has all been positive. “Overall, I don’t think rents will be picking up anytime soon, but I think things have flattened out.”

Peter Burke

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The LJMU Student Racing Team, at Silverstone

Students rev up for big race

Engineering school members design their own racing car to take part in Silverstone event

IT WASN’T the winning but the taking part that mattered at the home of British F1 for Liverpool engineering students who designed their own racing car. Liverpool John Moores University Formula Student Racing Team gained 21st place with their first Class 1 entry in the International Formula Student 2010 competition involving over 70 teams at Silverstone in July. Having won the Class 2 design categories at Silverstone last year, the LJMU Formula Student Racing Team was ready for a Class 1 entry this year, after successfully passing the application process judged by the

Formula Student Steering Committee. In addition to the production work and technical skills, the students also develop business and marketing strategy experience, particularly through the corporate sponsorship campaign. Recent LJMU Corporate Award winners, Aintree Racecourse, played its part by allowing the LJMU Formula Student Racing Team to test the car at the race track – once also famous for hosting the British Grand Prix, This enabled them to get to the right standard to race at Silverstone and enter this 2010 Formula Student event.

Jack Clisby, LJMU Formula Student Team Manager, said: “We are proud that all our efforts have led to this excellent Class 1 result at Silverstone 2010. “The LJMU team consists of members from all levels of engineering students, which has increased productivity. “It also allows even the younger students to be involved in all aspects of the car from building to design. “We have also gained some very important experience in building corporate relationships.” Prof Michael Brown, Vice-Chancellor of LJMU, said: “This is a fabulous result at their first attempt against major

international competition – beating all other regional university competition. “Most importantly, it was impressive to see the impact of this project on the student team – developing engineering and project management skills in a real situation.” Prof Ian Jenkinson, LJMU School of Engineering, Technology and Maritime Operations director, said: “I would like to congratulate the team on this fantastic achievement. “Many companies have been involved in the sponsorship strategy, with new additions in 2010 alone being Aintree, SamcoSport and Fuchs.

“Businesses involved in the sponsorship deals bring valuable technical assistance and components, but they also gain access to future engineers through interaction with students.” Formula Student is the biggest and most important of its kind in Europe. It is run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), in partnership with various wellknown companies in the industry. The aim is to promote careers and excellence in engineering, by challenging university students to design, build, develop, market and compete as a team with a small, single-seater racing car.

Space race to keep vital satellites working in close celestial harmony THE problems of controlling fleets of satellites in space are being addressed by Liverpool computer scientists. Although individual satellites have been deployed in space for more than 50 years, there are still inherent design problems which limit their size. Single, large satellites are impractical and inefficient as they are heavy and prone to failure. To circumvent this problem,

an alternative approach is to deploy several much smaller satellites in formation. These work together to carry out data collection and transmission tasks. But these satellites cannot easily be controlled directly from Earth, as they are essentially autonomous. The problem remains with regard to ensuring that they will work together, as required. And if a satellite should fail,

there is a further conundrum on how the controllers can rely on the other satellites to self-organise, reform and compensate for such an unexpected outcome. Computer scientists at the University of Liverpool are developing new programming languages for controlling such formationflying satellites. The project is being done in collaboration with aerospace engineers at the

University of Southampton. The computer language being developed mixes high-level agent decisionmaking with traditional control systems currently used by aerospace engineers. This approach gives the system more transparent and flexible mechanisms for the satellites to select autonomous behaviour and supporting co-operation. These languages have a

strong logical and mathematical basis. They are being developed within the University’s flexible software verification framework. This means there is potential to carry out deep formal analysis of the programmed behaviours by the satellites, in order to ensure that the required behaviour which they exhibit is appropriate in all operational scenarios.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The virtually new aerospace centre

The European helicopter-aeroplane hybrid ERICA vertical take-off concept

Full testing of concept prototypes will be at Daresbury THE future of the aerospace industry could be determined by the launch of a new centre for virtual engineering in Cheshire. The University of Liverpool is to lead a new centre for virtual engineering at Daresbury Laboratory, following the confirmation of a £5.3m investment. It will be named, unsurprisingly, The Virtual Engineering Centre. Virtual Engineering (VE) involves integrated product and process modelling and the creation of virtual prototypes. It will form a critical foundation for all future business in the aerospace sector and beyond. Major aerospace companies are committed to VE because it provides a cost-effective method of presenting future options to the customer and capturing their requirements. In spite of this and the associated VE developments, integrated VE tools and techniques have not been successfully implemented across the whole development process and

throughout the supply chain. This presents a major barrier to organisations adopting the technology. The Virtual Engineering Centre aims to address this through a public-private sector partnership bringing together the University of Liverpool, the Science and Technology Facilities Council at Daresbury, the Northwest Aerospace Alliance and its members, and crucially the prime contractors who see the development of the Centre as critical to the survival of the region’s aerospace cluster. The Centre will also explore solutions to many important engineering issues like meeting future EU requirements to cut airliner fuel consumption by 50%, by exploring improvements to aeroplane design and their engines. The Virtual Engineering Centre will act in various principal ways. It will be a physical virtual engineering centre which will contain “best practice” facilities that

display integrated, interactive simulation and modelling software across the full range of virtual capabilities. Additionally, it will be a research partnership which will add value to existing research activities within the region by providing a commercially relevant focus. It will act as a knowledge exchange centre to increase awareness and give potential users an opportunity to “try before they buy”, so that they can become more confident of the business advantages that can accrue from using VE tools. Finally, it will be an educational centre to help meet the current skills shortages in VE in the UK. The Centre is part-funded by the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). Project partners include the Science and Technology Facilities Council at Daresbury, the Northwest Aerospace Alliance, Airbus, Morsons and BAE Systems.

To advertise here contact Julie Cowley. Telephone 0151 472 2311 or email julie.cowley@liverpool.com or Neil Johnson, Telephone 0151 472 2705 or email neil.johnshon@liverpool.com

TRANSPORT

Suttons invests £7.2m in tankers Logistics group continues with ambitious transport fleet expansion programme

CHESHIRE logistics giant Suttons is investing £7.2m in its UK bulk tanker fleet. The delivery of 85 new tractor units and 12 food grade bulk tipping tanks has started over the past few days. The order includes 33 DAF units to operate with bulk tipping trailers and 12 new Feldbinder tanks. The other 52 tractors will be Volvos, including 15 lightweight day cab units specified for fuel delivery operations. Andrew Palmer, group managing director of Suttons, said: “This major investment is focused on supporting both our existing UK customers in the bulk food, gas, chemical and fuel sectors and equipping us for recently won new business. “It underlines Suttons’ commitment to developing our UK-based activities as an integral part of our strategic plans to develop all our logistics activities globally.” Suttons is based in Widnes and operates globally with key business centres in Antwerp, Essen, Houston, Kuantan, Le Havre, New Jersey, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. In the last few weeks, the company has won a three-year contract with international construction products group Grace Construction. Suttons’ tanker division will distribute bulk liquids and store consignments through its distribution and warehousing division. The firm will provide five contract tankers and flexible support from its national fleet network . In June, Suttons appointed a new group finance director. Ian Atkinson, 47, joined the company from US chemical company SI Group, where he was European finance director, having previously been managing director for the UK operation. Prior to this, Mr Atkinson held senior finance roles at Zeneca, Jewson and Appleyard. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Managing director Andrew Palmer said of his appointment: “Ian is an extremely experienced finance director and his skills will be key to the group as we look to further expand. He has over 20 years’ experience and is used to working within companies with a similar structure.”

A bulk tanker owned by Widnes-based logistics firm, Suttons – part of a £7.2m investment

Two Liverpool shipping giants come together in new agreement A SUBSIDIARY of Liverpool’s last familyowned shipping line, Bibby Ship Management, has been appointed by fellow city maritime giant Atlantic Container Line (ACL) to provide full service ship management for its container vessel fleet. The agreement will see the third-party ship management division of Bibby Line Group,

based at Duke Street, Liverpool, supply crew and technical management support to ACL’S five container vessels, which are some of the world’s largest roll-on/roll-off and container ships. ACL operates weekly services between Liverpool, Gothenburg, Hamburg and Antwerp and eastern Canada and the US.

Bibby was awarded the contract following a lengthy tender and audit process. Martin Kent, Bibby UK managing director, said: “ACL has a fine pedigree and long history in Liverpool, so we are delighted to be selected as its full service ship management agency.” Ian Higby, ACL (UK) managing director,

said: “From an early stage, we identified a number of shared commitments between ourselves and Bibby Ship Management. “Both businesses have strong values such as quality, integrity, safety and service. No doubt that these values will be reflected in our relationship going forward.”

Ian Higby, ACL managing director

TRANSPORT

An Airbus A380 superjumbo takes to the skies above the Farnborough International Air Show, in Hampshire, last week

Aviation sector soars again A good Farnborough Air Show for Airbus as orders start to flow AIRCRAFT manufacturer Airbus has come away from the Farnborough Air Show with the clear impression that the aviation sector was emerging from the global recession. A year ago, it all looked so different. Airlines were reporting steep falls in passenger numbers and expansion plans were put on hold across the board. This was bad news for the likes of Airbus and its US rival Boeing. And what is bad news for Airbus is bad news for Deeside. Its huge wing-making plant employs around 7,000 people from across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. Many more are employed in the supply chain across the North West. However, Farnborough may prove to have been the turning point for the sector. On the last day of the show, Airbus announced that Virgin America planned to buy 40 new Airbus A320 aircraft. Airbus notched up orders

worth more than $(US)28bn at the show, even though government budget cuts are keeping the defence sector in the doldrums. Orders at the show were well off the record-breaking $88.7bn worth of deals announced at Farnborough in 2008, but the gathering has already exceeded the slow orders for commercial planes of around $7bn at the Paris show last year. Virgin signed a memorandum of understanding – not yet a firm order – with Airbus. The 40 new planes would be delivered from 2013. John Leahy, chief operating officer, said: “Before the Farnborough Air Show, we already had 131 orders, and we predicted by the end of the week we’d double that. “Indeed, the commitments which we have already received here bring our total firm orders this year already to over 260 aircraft. “This clearly proves that the market is back, and that our new

end-of-year target for over 400 orders is within reach.” Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said during the show: “There can be no denying things have been difficult for the business as a result of the downturn, but we believe the economy is starting to improve. “There is a new level of interest and we are now getting back to where we were three years ago. We are now starting to look forward and we are looking at increasing our production rates in November. “We are starting to see our customers returning, but there is still a big question mark in terms of finance.” Airbus signed a deal at the show with Chilean carrier LAN for 50 planes worth an estimated £3bn. The deal, the largest single airline order for Airbus in Latin America, includes 10 A321s and the aircraft will serve as new and replacement aircraft for existing and new routes.

John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

An artist’s impression of the final phase of St Paul’s Square, in LIverpool city centre’s commercial district – the scheme was built with energy efficiency in mind

Sustainability needs a higher priority RICS says more effort is needed to meet government green targets THE Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the North West says the property industry needs to take energy consumption more seriously. RICS North West construction spokesman Steve Gillingham says that, while there are some good examples in the region of sustainable building, a lot more needs to be done. Mr Gillingham, himself a chartered surveyor, said: “The way in which we light, heat and use buildings all contributes to the amount of energy we consume

and the emissions we produce. So in order for us to reduce the current energy waste trend, we need to change the way we use our buildings and improve their energy performance. “Our region does have many innovative, sustainable buildings, which set the standard for what we should expect to see in the near future.” As from October, 2008, all properties, including homes, commercial and public buildings when bought, sold, built or rented need an Energy Performance

Certificate (EPC) which rate their energy efficiency, giving them a rank from A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. Mr Gillingham added: “For a building to achieve a high EPC ranking, it needs to be utilising the most effective solutions to conserve energy. “One such solution is a condensing boiler, as they are far more energy-efficient than the more traditional boilers. “The energy used to provide heating and hot water in a

building can amount to more than 50% of its total energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, so the efficiency of a boiler is imperative. “The insulation of solid walls and having double glazing fitted are also highly cost-effective methods that will improve a building’s energy efficiency, as are photovoltaics, which are becoming increasingly popular as they convert solar radiation into direct current electricity. “Eco-friendly air-conditioning systems are worth investing in,

too, rather than the older models which use more energy and can give out harmful gasses.” Liverpool can boast one of the best examples in recent times of a development that has put sustainability at the top of its agenda. St Paul’s Square, a mixed-use scheme in the heart of the city’s central business district, was constructed to be highly energy-efficient. ■ THE RICS has produced reports and professional guidance on the value of sustainable measures. Log onto www.rics.org

Southport firm lightens city hospital’s energy load A SOUTHPORT lighting specialist has been called in by the Royal Liverpool University Hospital to help it become more energyefficient. Morgan Hope is working with the hospital to install the latest lighting technology, which will help reduce the building’s carbon footprint and cut lighting energy costs by up to 90%. The firm has started the

first phase of work installing almost 700 bespoke lights through the building. These use the latest lumen technology and a movement detection system, which switches the lights to a hibernation state when no one is there. The original lighting in the building was the traditional switch start fluorescent lighting, which can be hugely inefficient.

Morgan Hope sales director John Murray said: “Traditional switch start fluorescent lighting is what we typically find in older buildings, but it is very wasteful in terms of energy. “The existing lights in the hospital use more than 100 watts of power per light fitting. In addition to this, many of the lights are in the corridors and wards, and have to be left on 24/7 for

health and safety reasons, increasing the cost of lighting for the building.” The old lights are being replaced with highfrequency T5 lamps, which are brighter than the existing lighting and more economical, with each light fitting only needing 56 watts of power. Morgan Hope is also installing its latest movement technology.

Morgan Hope’s John Murray, left, with the Royal Hospital’s Andy Johnson

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?

Eco boss grills top banker Merseyside entrepreneur takes RBS chief executive to task DAVID HUNT has found dealing with the banks to be a frustrating experience over the past year. So, when the founder of Merseyside-based Eco Environments got the chance to question the chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, he didn’t pull his punches. Mr Hunt’s Bootle firm installs renewable energy systems – like solar panels and wind turbines – in homes and businesses across the north of England. Green issues and the creation of a low-carbon economy have been high on the political agenda for some time and the company has benefited from that. It had a big boost earlier this year when the long-awaited system of feed-in tariffs came into force. This means anyone with a solar PV or wind turbine system can claim money annually back from the government and sell excess power to the National Grid. This has led to an upsurge in business for Eco Environments. However, it costs the firm a significant amount of money to buy the kit in the first place, which is why it has sought assistance from banks. But it seems some of the big names have not yet caught on to the idea of a green economy. Mr Hunt said: “We have been to a few of the banks over the past year. We went to the Co-op because we know they sell themselves as an ethical bank. “However, they were not willing to help us. It was the same story with RBS. We have now finally managed to get a facility from HSBC.” At a recent Liverpool Chamber of Commerce breakfast event, the guest speaker was RBS chief executive, Stephen Hester. Mr Hester invited questions at the end, and Mr Hunt was quick to take him to task over what he perceives to be a lack of enthusiasm by the banks for firms in the green economy. “Working capital is important to us because what we do is expensive,” added Mr Hunt. “Now the feed-in tariffs have been introduced, we think things will become easier – hopefully now they will become a real focal point for the green economy.” Eco Environments currently

David Hunt – took the opportunity of a Chamber of Commerce breakfast event to take the RBS chief executive to task employs 12 people and it has just opened another office in Cumbria. This year, Mr Hunt says turnover could reach £1.5m. “At the moment, most of our customers are from the domestic side of the market,” he said. “However, we are now starting to see some commercial projects come out of mothballs as the

economy improves. Projects with companies normally take a bit longer to come through. “Funding has to be approved by directors. “But private householders usually have the money there and then to give us the go-ahead.” He said that, at the moment, 90% of the projects are for solar

panels rather than wind turbines. In a direct comparison, wind turbines are better than solar panels, but Mr Hunt says that, in an urban environment, solar is the better choice. “A turbine in the middle of a field is fine, but in urban areas they are affected by a lot of turbulence and there are also

planning issues. At the moment, 90% of our installations are for solar panels but enquiries are split 50:50 between the two.” Mr Hunt hopes the Government will come through with its idea to create a “green bank”. “We would like to see that happen, but we have seen little detail so far,” he said.

Systems that offer up to a 448% return on investment FROM April this year, the Government introduced its incentive scheme for the installation of solar PV and wind turbine projects. Under the scheme, both domestic dwellings and businesses are paid for every kilowatt hour (kwh) of electricity they generate, whether they use it or not. They will also be paid for

any electricity you export to the grid. Eco Environments estimates that on a typical domestic solar PV installation, the householder could register an income/saving of between £800 and £1,300 every year. The rate is fixed for 25 year, is index-linked and tax-free.

The firm says that for a system under 4kwp (almost all domestic systems are), the householder will be paid 41.3p for every kwh generated. So a 3.22kwp system generating 2,666kwhs a year, giving an income/ saving of £1,309. Over 25 years, that equates to a 246% return on investment.

A 10kw wind turbine installation could yield £8,527 a year, giving a return on investment over 20 years of 448%. A 10kw turbine is reasonably large and is ideal for schools, farms, industrial units and large houses. Eco says a 6kw turbine will also offer good returns.

A wind turbine can offer big savings

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Asian strategy ‘imperative’ Business minister encourages region’s firms to seize opportunities in the East

A GREATER focus is to be put on the opportunities within the major Asian economies by the Government to help to stimulate British trade overseas. At a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) event, the Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk told firms from across the region that the Government planned to “turn the UK more towards these key Asian economies”. He said: “Economic power and opportunity is shifting in the world to the emerging powers of India, China and other parts of Asia, and to increasingly significant economies such as Indonesia. It is estimated that, by 2050, emerging economies will be up to 50% larger than those of the current G7, including the United Kingdom. “The UK’s past prosperity does not guarantee a prosperous future. This new government has an opportunity to refocus our trade and our diplomatic efforts to turn the UK more towards these key Asian economies.” He was speaking to 200 firms from across the region at a “Doing Business in Asia” event where experts, including British Ambassadors and High Commissioners, discussed opportunities in their markets. The seminar was attended by UK experts from the markets covered by the Asia Task Force, which include China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. They gave advice to companies and offered help to get them access to these markets. Clive Drinkwater, UKTI North West’s international trade director, said: “The nineteenth century was arguably Britain’s century, the twentieth century America’s, but you will find few people who would disagree that the twenty-first century will be Asia’s. “Asia accounts for 60% of world population – India and China alone account for 40% – and Asia accounts

UKTI’s Clive Drinkwater with Mark Prisk for 35% of world GDP, but accounts for more than 50% of its growth. “Firms need to look at how they’re going to position themselves in relation to this huge and growing market. It will be imperative to have a proper Asia strategy. “Asia is the part of the world where I cut my teeth in a business sense, and I lived and worked there for a decade. It was exciting and rewarding and I constantly look forward to going back. If you get involved in business in Asia, I know you’ll feel Mark Prisk speaking to North West exporters the same way.”

The Singapore skyline

SMEs must ‘up their game’ when it comes to currency management CURRENCY fluctuations are “threatening the ability” of SMEs to trade overseas, according to a new study. Cheshire-based business support group, the Forum of Private Business, and foreign exchange trading platform Smart FX surveyed SMEs about the problems they faced working in international markets. The last 12 months has seen volatility between the pound and key global currencies, with movements of 15% and greater since last summer. In August, 2009, it was $1.70 but fell to $1.43 in June – before then gaining 10 cents within a month. Against the euro, its

improvement began much earlier, strengthening from 1.07 euros last October to reach a 19-month high in June, above 1.23 euros. The yen fell from 162.7 yen in August, 2009, to below 130 yen in May, with it staying just above that level. Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business, believes that firms need to look at this aspect of their business in greater detail in order to trade successfully overseas. He said: “The importance of global trade to the North West’s small firms is clear. We are in a new economic era where small businesses have to work even smarter in order to gain a competitive

advantage. It is important that smaller importers and exporters up their game when it comes to managing their finances, including the area of foreign currency risk management. “Proper financial planning is essential to create the cash flow certainty and clarity that small businesses crave, particularly when trading on the international stage.” The study found that currency fluctuations have adversely affected the profitability of 44% of SMEs across the UK – against 26% that believe they have benefited – while more than one-third of businesses believe that uncertainty in the foreign exchange market is

hampering their ability to plan for the future. Stewart Blake, chief executive of Smart FX group Global Reach Partners, said: “Business owners are busy people, but with almost half of UK small firms trading overseas being affected negatively by currency fluctuations, the need for foreign exchange risk management to become central to everyday risk management has never been greater.” “With international currency trading conditions remaining incredibly volatile, managing currency risks effectively can have a considerable impact on profitability. “It’s therefore worrying to

Phil Orford see that this has not yet become a standard part of the strategic risk management process for many companies.”

EDUCATION

Edge Hill University Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr David Law

Edge Hill turning to the East

China’s higher education sector and rapidly expanding economy offer untold opportunities DGE Hill University is looking East for future growth – but also, in these straitened times, to enhance the life opportunities of its students. The Ormskirk-based university has cultivated links with more than 10 peers in China aimed at establishing reciprocal trading and training opportunities for its business management and teaching students, as well as academics. The latest contact Edge Hill is developing followed a June visit by Liverpool Chinese Business Association to the city of Linyi. The university’s Alan Seatwo was part of the delegation, and discussed the possibility of student exchanges with Linyi Normal University. Edge Hill pro vice-chancellor Dr David Law said: “It’s a bit early to talk about proposals with

Linyi, but we will be carrying on and developing our conversation. “We want to be multi-faceted in the way we conduct our relationships with our Chinese partners, but with Linyi the link with education is going to be important because they grew out of being an education provider. “They are still very strong in teacher education, and that is the historic strength of Edge Hill – we are still the major provider of professional development programmes for schools in England.” Edge Hill only entered the Chinese market two years ago – in comparison, the University of Liverpool established a joint venture campus near Shanghai in 2006 with Xi’an Jiaotong, one of China’s top 10 universities – but Dr Law is confident Edge Hill can learn from the experiences of organisations like Liverpool to

develop lasting and valuable links in the years to come. “There are universities with much more long-standing links and we’re trying to learn the lessons from experience elsewhere to make some very rapid interventions into Chinese links.” He believes the way forward is through mutual benefit to Edge Hill and its students, and its Chinese partners: “There always needs to be mutual benefit. “There needs to be reciprocity, so we want to give opportunities for Chinese academics to come and work with our academics, we want to give our students a chance to go to China to learn some Chinese. “We offer degree programmes in Chinese and business and English, and still have a few places for those programmes.” Dr Law admitted that student

mobility in both directions is currently only in double figures, but he is confident it will grow very quickly: “One of the reasons it will grow is because of the comparison between the Chinese economy and the British economy. “We’re struggling to get out of recession while the Chinese economy is really booming. Its growth rates are close to double figures, so there’s enormous opportunity in China, and young people from Liverpool and the North West really need to recognise that. “For example, we know that at the moment it is difficult for graduates to get jobs. “One of the things our Chinese links give us is the opportunity for people to go and work for several months in China straight after graduation to teach English, for example. And in that way they can enhance their own CVs and

skills and return with better prospects for employment.” Dr Law added: “Edge Hill has a really good employment rate for its graduates. About 96% get employment or further training within the first six months of graduation, which is very high. “But even Edge Hill is going to find it more difficult for students to get jobs, so if we’re offering the opportunity to go abroad to get a job for a while, then that is a big plus for our students. “That is an example, I think, of mutual benefit. “It is our job to educate students and help them find jobs, but it’s not just about education, it’s also about their life chances, and we are enhancing their life chances by helping them, with our Chinese partners, to get jobs. “Of course, it helps our Chinese partners because they are getting people trained as teachers who

EDUCATION

Alan Seatwo, centre, with fellow Liverpool Chinese Business Association delegates and Linyi Normal University staff, including Prof Zhaoming Liu, second from right

for ‘win-win’ partnerships for Ormskirk’s university, pro vice-chancellor Dr David Law explains to Neil Hodgson

can go and teach English, and that’s good for China. “So we’re always looking for win-win partnerships.” Dr Law also stressed that the drive to add value for students can sometimes override the business argument. “Obviously, there’s a financial dimension to this. None of what we do can be done as a charity, it all has to cover its costs and we hope to make a good return. “But I really want to stress that our reasons for engaging with China and, indeed, other countries – we have a big programme in the US – is all these external links are making the university stronger, making it a university that does look outwards, making it a university where our students see the opportunities that the world can give them, not just Liverpool and West Lancs, but the world beyond

Europe. So the financial driver is not the most important driver.” And Dr Law revealed that, given the chance, students are more than eager to expand their horizons. “Sometimes we hear about the population in this part of the world being too focused inwards. “I have been at Edge Hill now for a couple of years, and I have been really impressed by the willingness of people to look outwards. “This year we have 25 students over the summer going to various destinations in China to learn some Chinese and to do some language teaching and these students are really committed. “There was no problem at all in recruiting students. They’re helping to meet their own costs and are paying their own air fares, so they are prepared to invest in getting some new

experiences. It’s our job to make sure those experiences are of a very high quality.” The university’s business and management courses are likely to be the most popular with Chinese partners, but Dr Law says other areas offer just as much potential. “The MBA programme is always going to be important, but in addition to that I would say more focused programmes are going to be of interest. “We have, for example, a Masters programme in international higher education. We’re the only university in the country that studies international higher education for a Master’s degree and that is going to interest Chinese universities.” He also believes IT and how the West addresses issues of internet security will be pertinent. “Another interesting programme we have agreed is

teaching Chinese as a foreign language. “We’re working with one of the universities in South China who are doing a Masters course where they recruit internationally people who want to teach Chinese as a foreign language. “We hear a lot about English being the global language, and of course it is, but there are an awful lot of people who speak Chinese and it will be very helpful for people who are engaged in a global business to have some understanding of China and some understanding of the Chinese language. “So this university is going to partner with us so their students will come to England and teach Chinese to our students and to school students in Lancashire.” Dr Law said he sees a significant strengthening of links with Chinese partners over the next decade: “I think China will

be the most important country that we partner with. China has had a one child policy and there will be a small number of students leaving China. “At the moment across the world there’s about 3m people who study for degrees outside their own country. Of those, there’s something like 600,000 Chinese studying outside the People’s Republic for a degree in another country. The UK maybe has one tenth of those 600,000. “I suspect the number of Chinese studying outside their own country will go down a bit, but it will still be very large and because we’re developing good bilateral links with Chinese universities I think we will find at Edge Hill our numbers will continue to go up, even though the total market might go down. So China is a key country for our internationalisation strategy.”

THE NETWORKER

BUSINESS LUNCH Alistair Houghton dines with ANDY TEAGE, planning director with BDP, in Liverpool HERE can’t be many restaurants in the UK – the world, even – with a location as beautiful as new pan-Asian eaterie Matou. It sits on the top floor of the new Mersey ferries terminal at the Pier Head, in a prime position to attract trade not just from tourists but also from the nearby commercial district. The terminal building has received mixed reviews – to put it politely – with many feeling its angular modern style jars with the Three Graces it sits next to. But, of course, you can’t see the building when you’re sitting inside it – detractors should perhaps imitate author Guy de Maupassant, who regularly ate lunch at the Eiffel Tower restaurant just so he could avoid seeing the tower whose profile he detested. But what you can see from Matou is a magnificent view of the Mersey, through angled floorto-ceiling windows that leave you feeling as though you are soaring above the water, all set to swoop on Birkenhead opposite. I shared that view with Andy Teage, planning director at architecture and urban planning specialist BDP and head of the practice’s Liverpool office. BDP built its reputation on architecture, but the enthusiastic Teage is not an architect. Instead, he is a planning and regeneration specialist, focusing on creating masterplans to transform and revitalise towns and cities. He leads BDP’s town planning team across the north, as well as being head of its Liverpool studio. BDP was behind the masterplan for Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One development – a plan that was nominated for last year’s Stirling Prize. Earlier this year, BDP moved from the Ropewalks to One Park West in Liverpool One. Andy enjoys working within a scheme that BDP played a key role in designing. “It’s amazing to see the activity,” he said. “It’s activity that goes on beyond nine to five. “We can see people enjoying the public space, using the park, taking part in events or eating in the restaurants on the terrace. “It’s an environment where people want to be.” We decided we would eat from Matou’s lunch menu, which offers two courses and a drink for £8.95. While we waited, Andy told me more about BDP, a firm that operates internationally but

has its roots firmly in the North. It grew out of the architecture practice founded by Preston architect Professor Sir George Grenfell Baines – known as GG – in 1937. BDP has had an office in Liverpool for 10 years and has worked on many projects in Merseyside and Cheshire in that time, including work for Chester Renaissance and on the Widnes Waterfront project. BDP, which also designed Liverpool’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, last year held an exhibition at the Milk & Sugar gallery, in the Ropewalks, to celebrate its work on Liverpool One. “Our urbanism team is a fusion of talents,” he said. “It’s about urban planning, and understanding how towns and cities work, and looking at the interaction of people with spaces and places. “We create strategic spatial masterplans whether for a city, for a town, for an urban district or even a housing estate. “That creates a framework for change that clients, or local authorities, can direct investment into. “Liverpool One is a great example of that. We did the masterplan for that, and that enabled Grosvenor to deliver the scheme on the ground.” Teage and his team were understandably proud of the Liverpool One masterplan’s Stirling Prize nomination. It was the only time a masterplan had made the shortlist for the prize, the most prestigious honour in world architecture. Soon it was time to tuck into our starters. My crispy spring rolls came with a sweet chilli sauce that was very tasty, though hotter than I expected. Andy’s chargrilled lamb kebabs came with a separate dipping bowl of satay sauce, which he said was zingy without the excess sweetness that sometimes afflicts such

Pan-Asian restaurant Matou, at the Pier Head, in Liverpool sauces. Plates cleared, we discussed BDP’s masterplanning work. It has been working with Liverpool Vision on a masterplan for the International Gateway in south Liverpool. The practice has, says Teage, been trying to answer the question: “What is it that in this area is needed to create a sustainable future over the next 15/25 years?” Among BDP’s other projects is a masterplan for Chester city centre and a vision for the future of the Woodside area of Birkenhead. Farther afield, Andy also hopes the urbanism team will expand its international work and win more business in China and the Middle East. Andy, who hails from north Norfolk, fed his passion for urban planning by studying geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. “What really enthused me was when I did my dissertation on the growth of the colonial city,” he said. “I focused on Bridgetown in Barbados, really understanding how this city

Andy Teage

grew from a small fishing port to a hugely successful city. I loved looking at how places grow and evolve.” Andy took a masters degree at the University of Liverpool and “fell in love with the city”. Next he worked as a planner at Sefton Council before he joined BDP’s Manchester office in 2002. In 2004, he worked on BDP’s plans to regenerate Hoylake and West Kirby for the 2006 Open. Andy moved to the Liverpool office five years ago and became head of the Liverpool studio last year when Terry Davenport, the man behind the Liverpool One project, became northern head of BDP’s retail arm. Today he lives in Crosby with his wife, Zoe, and their children Elliott, four, and Isaac, aged 18 months. He plays football in Formby most Saturdays, and enjoys going to restaurants – though this was his first time at Matou. It may not be his last, judging by his enthusiasm for his main course, stir-fried rib-eye steak in black bean sauce. Andy was particularly pleased with his sauce, which he said was subtly flavoured and not too dominated by soy – a perfect partner for the beef. My crispy chicken in light batter in sweet and sour sauce also hit the spot. The sweet and sour sauce was sticky and bright red, in the best traditions of the sauce. But while so many similar attempts are far too gloopy, this

was a tasty and fruity effort that made for a fine lunch. They were, we concluded, perfectly-sized portions for lunch, leaving us full but not stuffed. So we chose not to have a dessert – although we could have opted for the “£10.95 for three courses” offer – and wandered outside. As we left, we checked out the roof terrace on the Three Graces side of the building. The grey skies had put us off sitting outside, but in sunny weather this would be a magnificent place to sit and drink in both the views and a selection from Matou’s drinks menu. Government spending cuts will take their toll on infrastructure projects, but Andy is confident in the prospects both for BDP and for his adopted home. “We are creating the conditions for investment,” he said. “The basis for our strategy here is that Liverpool as a region is creating the conditions for the next wave of investment and growth.”

DETAILS Matou Mersey Ferry Terminal Pier Head Tel: (0151) 236 2928 www.matou.co.uk Cost: £17.90

THE NETWORKER

THE BUSINESS LIST Thursday, July 29

Knowsley Women in Business is holding a workshop on managing stress. Guest speaker Denise Chilton, of Barceidillo, will be asking the question “are you stressed or just busy?” and providing tips to combat stress. It is at Lime Bar and Grill, Kings Business Park, from 6pm-8pm. It costs £15+VAT for members and £20+VAT for non-members. To book, visit http://tinyurl. com/stress2907

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26/ BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT CAN COOK STUDIOS

Wednesday, August 4 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services is hosting a networking event for fundraisers and marketers at charitable organisations as well as businesses wanting to work with charities. There will be presentations from Carol Clare, of Cash for Kids, and Ben O'Brien, from Kenyon Fraser. The free event is at Radio City Tower from 5.30pm-7.30pm. To book, visit http://tinyurl.com/charity0408

Thursday, August 5 Sefton Chamber is holding its monthly networking event at The Park Hotel, Netherton, from 12pm-2pm. For details, call 01704 531710.

Tuesday, August 17 A business breakfast is being held at Inglewood Manor, Ellesmere Port, from 7.30am. After breakfast, there is a short presentation from a member company on the topic of business growth, followed by structured networking. It is being hosted by West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber and costs £10+VAT for members and £15+VAT for non-members. To book, call 01244 669988.

A practical demonstration of the idea that you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs THOSE people who think they can stand the heat are being invited to get into the kitchen at the latest Business After Hours networking event.

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is holding the event at Speke-based cookery school, Can Cook Studios. The evening of food-based networking

gets under way at 5.30pm and will finish at 7.30pm. Can Cook Studios founder Robbie Davison will give a tour of the facility before everyone moves into

the demonstration area. Then people will team up and go to the cooking stations, where the cooking will commence. Can Cook Studios is at The Matchworks

complex, in Speke. The session costs £10 for Liverpool Chamber of Commerce members and £15 for non-members. To book, visit tinyurl.com/cancook

Tuesday, August 17 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce’s August platform lunch will see presentations from John Haynes, Liverpool Coaching Academy, BTG Tax

and Heatons Stationery. It is at Novotel Liverpool, Hanover Street, from 12.15pm-2.30pm and costs £25 for members and

John Haynes

£30 for non-members. To book, visit http://tinyurl. com/platform1708

Wed, September 8 Safely dealing with the nuclear legacy is the subject of a Cheshire, Warrington & Wirral Construction Best Practice event. John Vieth, the supply chain relationship manager at Magnox, will share details of projects under way and future Magnox plans. It is free to Constructing Excellence Members and £10 for others. It is at Lymm Services, Poplar 2000, WA13 0SP. For more information, e-mail Jan Daniel on t_junction@btinternet.com.

Inglewood Manor

THE NETWORKER

ALISTAIR HOUGHTON . . . in which Posh Spice and a gaggle of celebrities try to save manufacturing through the power of Champagne AST month, my colleague Neil reported from China, with tales of wonder and intrigue from a distant land. This month, I return with dispatches from a place still more bizarre, alien, and foreign. I refer, of course, to west London. For last month I was, for the first and probably only time in my life, invited to an event by the editor of Vogue. The style bible had teamed up with Range Rover for a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the luxury 4x4 brand. The glitzy bash also served as the launch party for the new baby Range Rover – a vehicle which, as all you loyal LDP Business readers will know, is being built at Halewood. So parent company Jaguar Land Rover invited LDP Business to London, to join the celebrations in the grounds of Kensington Palace. And there was quite a guest list. We had Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; fellow Royal and equestrian star Zara Phillips; explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes; survival expert Ray Mears; TV presenter Gabby Logan; Blur bassist turned cheesemaker Alex James; and Dragon’s Den dragon James Caan. It felt as though I was ticking off pages in a celebrity I-Spy book. And I’m sure Big Chief I-Spy would have been proud of my top spot – a man in somewhat vivid yellow-green trousers, who turned out to be Hot Chip head honcho Alexis Taylor. It all led me to wonder whether there is such a thing as a “celebrity

wrangler”, charged with making sure their flashbulb-blasted charges stay on-brand. I found myself scanning the crowd, wondering whether one of the overdressed women was discreetly brandishing an electric cattle prod under the paparazzi radar, warning celebs against inappropriate mingling. “Oi! Mears!” I pictured her shouting. “No photo with those Vogue journos – wrong demographic!” LL night, the Champagne flowed freely into the flutes. No sooner had a glass touched my lips than a waiter appeared from the crowd, insisting it be filled to brimming once again. I was tempted to ask for a pint of bitter. But I dismissed the thought, not only fearing the ripples of horror that would have surged through the crowd at the request, but also concerned that a flunky would probably have been sent to the nearest brewery to get me one. There were, of course, canapés. My favourite was the mini shepherds’ pies in mini copper pans – no paper plates for these stars. Then came rumours that Victoria Beckham had arrived. At first, I couldn’t see her. But then I started to see the pops of flashbulbs directed at a point in the crowd just in front of me and to the left. I could just spot a flash of tattooed neck before it disappeared again as Land Rover’s Phil Popham began speaking. He unveiled the new vehicle, the Evoque, and the car emerged from a crate amid a cloud of dry ice.

Yes, she really is that small . . . this picture of Victoria Beckham, with the Range Rover Evoque, was printed around the world

And the reason for Beckham’s attendance became clear when Popham named her as Range Rover’s new “creative design executive”. She said a few words before the speeches ended and the photographers descended, leaving Beckham posing furiously with the Evoque in a flurry of flashbulbs. I put on my best sweet smile, turned to my Range Rover minder and asked if Mrs Beckham might grant me an interview. In retrospect, I might have had more success had I asked for a free gold-plated car. Once the official launch was over, more Range Rover minions – and, perhaps, celebrity wranglers – scuttled around the Evoque, ensuring as many famous faces as possible were pictured with the vehicle. I had to slip off to the nearby media truck to file my story on the launch, and – of course – to phone newsdesk to namedrop. Soon I returned to the terrace where, though the celebs had vanished, the Champagne was very much still flowing. But then I was tipped off about another, yet more exclusive, party still to come. There was, I discovered, a post-party party at trendy venue Chinawhite – a celebrity hangout that, I have since discovered, calls itself “London’s most prolific luxury nightclub”. I was slipped an invitation in the form of a business card and, after being dropped off at our hotel by one of the party shuttlebuses, I walked through an empty London night to a small road off Oxford Street where a discreet door marked the portal to party central. I skipped past the queue, was briefly appraised by a doorman who didn’t seem to want to let the likes of me in, and then, to his clear and pleasing reluctance, was allowed in. It was, it turned out, much like a swanky basement club in Liverpool, except – and I’m just guessing here – much more expensive. And, so, after a quick tour of the club to see if I could tick off any more pages in my celebrity I-Spy, I headed out into Fitzrovia. As I wandered to my hotel, I pondered the purpose of the night’s festivities. JLR has always disliked having its vehicles seen as “Chelsea tractors”, so holding a celeb-studded event in west London may seem odd. But, in fact, those stars – and Vogue readers – are the kind of people that Range Rover want to buy the Evoque. And the more people that buy the Evoque, the better for Halewood, and the better for Merseyside. Who’d have thought it – swanky London networking with Posh Spice could save jobs. Pass the bubbly . . .

SOCIAL DIARY THE NETWORKER

Melissa Bush, Jo Mills and Jenny Stewart, at the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 160th anniversary celebrations

Conor O’Donovan, of A2Z Rooms; and Victoria Brown, of High Performance Consultancy, at the GUSTO chairman’s dinner

CAROLYN HUGHES Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jack Stopforth makes a presentation to outgoing Chair Ed Oliver, at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory

STANLEY Park’s beautifully restored Isla Gladstone Conservatory provided an elegant venue for the Chamber’s 160th Anniversary celebration, with 180 guests enjoying Pimms and a birthday barbecue, creating the perfect summer event. Jack Stopforth, Chamber Chief Executive, opened the celebrations, giving a rallying call to business stating that the Liverpool business community now needed to rise to the challenge of filling the gap left by the public sector. ■ THE stylish, newlyopened Liverpool Dental

Spa, in Brunswick Street, winners of the Best Dental Team in the UK at the prestigious National Dentistry Awards, have hosted a series of Champagne Thursdays, where their clinical consultations are free if you are considering dental implants, smile makeovers or adult orthodontics. ■ STYLISH dockside restaurant and bar GUSTO hosted the latest DLIB Chairman’s Dinner last week. New and existing DLIB members enjoyed the private dining area at GUSTO while sampling the delicious menu.

Caroline Swales wins the Chamber of Commerce’s Longest Standing Member award, presented by outgoing Chair Ed Oliver

Debbie McGovern and Lisa Cutler, of Liverpool Dental Spa, relax at one of the practice’s Champagne Thursdays

Stuart McBride, of Impact Security Solutions; and Adrian Kermode, of Porsche Chester, at the GUSTO dinner

Conor O’Donovan, of A2Z Rooms, with Victoria Brown, of High Performance Consultancy, and Downtown Liverpool chairman Frank McKenna, at the GUSTO dinner

Marius McGovern and Katherine Atkinson, of Liverpool Dental Spa, at a Champagne Thursday

Catherine Price, Nic Smith and Elizabeth Nelson at the Dental Spa’s recent Champagne Thursday

for those who mean business Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) Launch Liverpool Business School (LBS) is proud to announce the launch of the first home DBA programme in September 2010. The DBA programme is designed to validate the competence in professional practice of people working in business and management related areas at the highest academic level.

Master in Business Administration (MBA) Executive Leadership LBS is working in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for its (MBA) in Executive Leadership. This prestigious programme will give you the power to transform yourself and your workplace and the knowledge and skills to lead change.

LBS also offers a wide range of other professional and postgraduate part time programmes in: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Accounting and Financial Management Corporate Governance Human Resource Management Information and Library Management Marketing

For further details please contact the BLW Admissions Team on tel: 0151 231 3999 or email: BLWadmissions@ljmu.ac.uk quoting reference LXM38 43

Relationships The insight to care

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s property market, we know the value of personal attention. At King Sturge, we place huge importance on the ties we build with our clients, suppliers, community and the environment. We provide commercial and residential agency, valuation services and consultancy to clients in Merseyside Cheshire & North Wales. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more than just a great company to work for, but also to work with. To get a greater insight call 0151 236 7336 or visit 42 Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 7LA