LDP Business Magazine September 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 September 2010

From China to New York Tony Caldeira outlines his transatlantic ambitions

● Breaking barriers: Women in business ● Looking ahead: St Helens plans for the future ● Education: What’s new this year?1

INSIDE 4

LDP

NEWS

City firm’s glossy future

BUSINESS

EDITOR Bill Gleeson 0151 472 2319

17 BIG INTERVIEW

bill.gleeson@liverpool.com

Tony Caldeira, of Caldeira

DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR Tony McDonough 0151 330 4918

27 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Fears over industrial space

tony.mcdonough @liverpool.com

BUSINESS WRITERS Alistair Houghton

TRANSPORT

Smart lorries at the port

alistair.houghton @liverpool.com

Peter Elson

EDUCATION

Edge Hill looks east

9 BIG FEATURE

Women in business

peter.elson @liverpool.com

Neil Hodgson neil.hodgson @liverpool.com

Alex Turner

alex.turner@liverpool.com

HEAD OF IMAGES Barrie Mills

MARKETING EXECUTIVE Cath Reeves 0151 285 8428

PROFESSIONAL SECTORS Off to Shanghai

ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTOR Debbie McGraw

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Focus on St Helens

ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Jackie McMahon 0151 330 5077

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS? New rating for offices

28 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

‘Bench to bedside’ success

30 INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Five-star boost for company

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

39 THE LIST

42 SOCIAL DIARY

TELEPHONE 0151 227 2000

Carolyn Hughes out on the town

FAX 0151 330 4942

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Sakura, in Liverpool

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.

NETWORKER

Alistair Houghton sets sail

I HOPE you had a good summer holiday and took the opportunity to unwind. It’s all the more important to have enjoyed some respite, because we have a very tough autumn ahead of us. Many people in both the public and private sector must be returning to their desks with a huge sense of trepidation about what might happen in the coming weeks. The Government’s spending review, due in October, is almost upon us. At that point, the Coalition will tell us how and where the cuts will fall. And while the immediate impact will be felt by the public sector, it’s going to have an immediate knock-on effect on the

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

EDITOR’S LETTER private sector. We already know that the Building Schools for the Future programme has been cut, costing the local construction industry hundreds of millions of pounds in lost contracts. While our major hospital rebuilding projects locally will still proceed, other schemes will be halted. Budgets for social care, defence work, policing and many other public sector activities will be cut and, with them, various

outsourcing contracts with the private sector curtailed or cancelled. People working in or with the public sector have told me that many agencies and local authorities are sitting on their hands at the moment, behaving indecisively like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights. They don’t want to move, even though they can see the danger coming straight for them. So, while the next few weeks may well be difficult for many, at least

the uncertainty will be over soon. The public sector has, after all, been protected through the worst of the recession and the credit crunch. In contrast, the private sector has had nowhere to hide. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been shed and pay freezes implemented already. Uncertainty has been blighting the private sector for some time and will continue to do so, without respite, for many months to come. The sense of uncertainty was compounded last month

when the Bank of England downgraded its forecasts for economic growth. On the other hand, those forecasts were only downgraded a bit, from a growth forecast of 3.1% to 2.5% for the coming year. Compared to what went before, the lower forecast still seems quite chirpy. In any case, there is plenty of good news about. General Motors is floating, China is booming again, manufacturing output is rising, and mergers and acquisitions are increasing. Some might say the light is very visible at the end of the tunnel.

BILL GLEESON 3

NEWS

City accountants dig in to help Autistic Society

The PwC workers take a breather

A TEAM of volunteers from accountants Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), in Liverpool, swapped their suits for spades to give Wirral Autistic Society a Ground Force-style makeover. The community challenge was arranged through Business in the Community. The team were set the challenge of assisting the site staff in relaying a stone path for the benefit of residents. The existing stone path consisted of large pieces of rock and stone that presented a

tripping hazard. The team’s task was to remove the existing rocks and replace them with a compacted base of smaller stones and earth located elsewhere on site. It was all hands to the pump as everyone got stuck in with rakes, spades and wheelbarrows in what turned out to be backbreaking work. Jonathan Main, senior partner at PwC, said: “As members of Business in the Community, we were keen to get involved in this challenge.”

City entrepreneur is set for glossy future LIVERPOOL firm that supplies essential cosmetics through vending machines is in line for a top national business award. Entrepreneur Tracy Whittaker started 2 Love my Lips in September, 2009, after spotting a gap in the market. She was out on a date when she realised she’d forgotten her lip gloss. What women needs, she observed, is strategically placed vending machines selling such essential cosmetics. Her date agreed and suggested she should set up her own business. The idea developed further when Ms Whittaker and a girlfriend found themselves the target of some unwanted attention in a bar and fled, leaving drinks untouched on the basis that they might be spiked. She developed the 2 Love My Lips kits, which contain a lip gloss, a drink testing kit and a stay-safe guide. The company has signed agreements with major names in the retail and travel industry including Superdrug, Thomas Cook and Thomson Holidays. She is one of six finalists in the North West heat of the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards. The regional winner will go forward to the national finals in October with a top prize of £30,000 up for grabs. Head of business banking for HSBC, Huw Morgan, said: “HSBC Start-Up Stars is about demonstrating by practical example that, with the right help and support, there are still great opportunities out there for people with the dedication and drive to succeed.” The HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, now in their tenth year, recognise the UK’s most promising young businesses less than four years old. More than £50,000-worth of cash and prizes is given out to the winners of the accolades.

Tracy Whittaker, founder of 2 Love My Lips

Marketing specialist Jenny Hinds

SME networking comes to Heath NETWORKING breakfasts are now on the menu at The Heath Business & Technical Park, in Runcorn, for anyone aiming to cook up tasty new business leads and contacts. One of the country’s biggest networking organisations – 4networking – will be meeting fortnightly at The Heath for “breakfasts with a difference” that aim to provide inspiration, support and advice for small to medium-sized businesses. Marketing specialist Jenny Hinds, who is based in Stockton Heath, says: “These meetings are part social and part business and really do work. The Heath is a great venue for a 4networking breakfast because it is such a hub of enterprise. “People from a wide

variety of businesses get a chance to network together and offer mutual support. “The club is open to anyone outside of The Heath, as well as those based at the park.” After trying several other venues, the Runcorn breakfast club has decided to meet at The Heath. 4networking now has more than 30,000 members at over 200 breakfast clubs throughout the country. Members can get help and advice from others on the network via the internet and through the forums. Ms Hinds added: “They take place from 8am to 10am with the first half an hour informal time for everyone to mingle. “Then, at 8.30am, we sit down to breakfast. Everyone at the meeting gives a 40-second speech.”

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NEWS

It is vital that the new LEPs are publicly accountable

Liam Fogarty – says we should all be allowed to choose who will run the new Local Enterprise Partnerships

By LIAM FOGARTY, chair of ‘A Mayor For Liverpool’ WHEN it comes to dealing with government – central or local – business people tend to adopt the Greta Garbo principle – they want to be left alone. But even the most devoted free marketeer knows that, in areas like Merseyside, public agencies and taxpayers’ money do have a role to play in supporting enterprise and growing local businesses. The Coalition Government is scrapping the Northwest Development Agency. In its place will be Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), including one for the Liverpool

city region. Business Minister Mark Prisk told MPs the new LEPs would be “legal, formal entities” whose job would be “to encourage strong local leadership and promote economic growth”. LEPs will take the lead in areas such as employment, planning , infrastructure and even housing. In Manchester (first out of the blocks as usual ) the local partners already have their eyes on control of tourism, inward investment, business support and science and research. This is big stuff. And big sums of public money are involved. Alas, the public is not. These

changes will matter to every business and every citizen. But too few of us have been paying attention. Membership of LEPs, said Mr Prisk, “must be equal between business and civic leaders”. But, if we’re not careful, the LEP for Liverpool and its economic hinterland will end up looking like the old Merseyside County Council, minus the democracy. Liverpool doesn't need another cosy arrangement between district councillors and selfappointed business leaders. It’s vital the new body is accountable

and transparent. The LEP’s priorities should be topics for public debate. Its performance should be subject to proper scrutiny. It's called democracy and it’s powerful stuff. Of course, the LEP must be “business-driven” and strive to create a vibrant enterprise culture. But political leadership matters, too. Partnerships can do lots of things but they cannot enthuse, inspire, drive or dream. You can’t crusade by committee. And a crusade is what we need right now to create the

smarter, better-trained and better-connected Liverpool we all want. And that crusade will need a standard-bearer. The Government is already committed to having an elected mayor in Liverpool by 2012. The idea floated by, among others, city council leader Joe Anderson of a directly-elected “mayor for Merseyside/greater Liverpool” to lead the LEP deserves proper consideration. If the Liverpool LEP is to fulfil its potential then the people it serves must be on board, ideally with someone we choose at the helm.

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THE BIG FEATURE

What glass ceiling?

Medicash chief executive Sue Weir – insists it is ‘completely irrelevant’ whether you are a man or a woman when it comes to business success

▲ ▲

Can Liverpool become an international beacon for women’s enterprise? LDP Business finds out – and meets some of the most successful women in Merseyside’s business community

THE BIG FEATURE HE creators of the WICED women’s enterprise centre, in Liverpool, hope it will be more than just an office space – it will be an international beacon for women in business. Building work on the £5m Women’s International Centre for Economic Development is well under way in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. When it opens in January, it will include office space, support services and a home for international research into female entrepreneurship. As well as offering support to local women in business, it also aims to influence local and national government policy and provide a practical example to academics and researchers. Women’s enterprise agency Train 2000 has big ambitions for the centre. But that is because Merseyside needs more women to start businesses. On these pages, we talk to a selection of the region’s leading businesswomen about their experiences of starting companies or rising through the corporate ranks. Now Train 2000 hopes its new centre will help generate the role models of the future, while at the same time boosting Merseyside’s economy. Nationally, Train 2000 says women are only half as likely to be involved in business start-up activities as men. The 2008 Annual Small Business Survey showed there were 602,000 female-owned businesses in the UK, representing just 14% of all businesses. Regeneration bodies in and around Liverpool want to boost business start-up levels. For that to happen, more women will need to start businesses. Helen Millne, chief operating officer at Train 2000, said: “Business start-up rates are significantly lower among women. “There’s an economic imperative to this. As a country, we need our economy to be stronger. “We need more businesses and more jobs, and small businesses create as many or more new jobs than large enterprises. “We’ve got a double imperative. We can help the national economy and help women’s prospects.” Train 2000 looked at similar organisations around the world before creating the idea for WICED. It worked in partnership with Liverpool Vision and Liverpool City Council to develop the project. “It’s the first city in the world to have this model,” said Ms Millne. “Some of the experts we’re working with think it may be the biggest women’s-focused centre of its kind in the world. It’s a cutting-edge centre. “The message we want to get across is that Liverpool is the city for women in business. If you want to be entrepreneurial, Liverpool is the city for you. We want to be the best in the country, maybe in the world.” The centre will become a home for international researchers – who will also be able to learn from the businesses onsite. “We believe there’s a synergy between practice, research and influencing policy,” said Ms Millne. “It will be about using the very best business research and applying it so we can learn from it.

Julie Jones, left, and Kate Morris – have launched the Fashion Finds website

“We can learn from academics, or they can learn from the businesswomen here.” Ms Millne said WICED was needed because mainstream support services sometimes failed to meet the needs of women. She said: “We still live in a society where, within family units, women have the core responsibilities. “That might change in the future, but it hasn’t changed fundamentally yet. “So when women are starting businesses, they have different things to think about and juggle. “We want to make sure all those things are addressed before they start. “It’s all about helping women to see that there are opportunities there for them. “If they haven’t had role models in their own families, then maybe one role we have is to show that, yes, women can set up successful businesses. Sometimes the work we do isn’t simply business development – it’s inspiration.” Kate Morris agrees that the inspirational role of an organisation such as Train 2000 is vital. She and friend Julie set up the Fashion Finds website in April to help women find fashion inspiration. The site features photos of women around the city, with details of what they’re wearing and where they bought it. Neither had any business experience before – Ms Jones worked in schools while Ms

Morris worked in the mental health sector – but they found inspiration from Train 2000. Ms Morris, 27, said: “We didn’t have any business experience, and we didn’t have much funding. “But it was Train 2000 that said: ‘You can do this’.” When you go into the Train 2000 office, you can see these other businesses that have made it, and it is quite inspirational. We thought that, if they could do it, we could do, it too. “When you think about setting up your own business, you think of Richard Branson or Bill Gates. You think you’ll never be anywhere near people like that. “But then you visit somewhere like Train 2000 and you can see real people who have succeeded.” Another Train 2000 “graduate” is former Brookside star Rachael Lindsay, who this year set up Face 2 Face with her sister, Nikki, to provide drama therapy workshops in Merseyside. The workshops are designed to help people with low self-esteem, from the long-term unemployed to those with learning disabilities. Nikki Lindsay had run a drama school but Rachel, who is also training to be a counsellor, had never set up a business before. Now Ms Lindsay is enjoying travelling the region winning new business. “We didn’t have any issues in terms of feeling independent and having confidence, but the paperwork side of things was a learning process for me,” she said.

An artist’s impression of the new WICED centre, in Liverpool

“I wanted to deal with that side of things as my sister has children and she’s got her hands full. I wanted to do the books and the invoices.” Networking groups can also be a source of advice and inspiration for women. One of the largest is Women in Business for Merseyside, led by Ellen Kerr, Elaine Owen and Jan McDermott. It organises regular events and works to promote and raise awareness of women's enterprise. It also holds an annual awards ceremony – at which Kathryn Burkhill, of Liverpool Vision, was named best networker. Ms Burkill started holding networking events for women in Aintree more than two years ago. Today, the quarterly Ladies Lunchtime Group event attract as many as 80 people from

Merseyside and beyond to network and hear from inspirational speakers including Natalie Haywood, founder of Leaf Tea Shop and Bar. Ms Burkill said: “Our delegates can look and say ‘She can do it – so can I’. It’s a learning experience.” Ms Burkhill’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 29, at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, in Stanley Park. She said: “We’ve found that women are quicker to open up and speak to other women. “Someone might say ‘I’ve had a bad day’, and another might say ‘I’ve never met you before, but I’ve had this problem and this is how I’ve dealt with it. “Our members are all very supportive. The trick is to make people feel welcome.”

THE BIG FEATURE

Random ideas lead to very tasty success How deli owner made her cake and ate it

WHEN asked about her business plan, hotel and catering entrepreneur Helen Ainscough looks baffled. “Er, we’ve always done random things,” she said when summarising her business career progress, at her busy office in the Racquet Club Hotel and Ziba Bar, in Liverpool. With her brother, Martin, she is a director of Bispham Green Brewery Co, and their Ainscough portfolio has become well-known for its characterful – but high quality – offer in the hospitality and catering industry. The Ainscough company now has eight up-market hostelries and hotels, including The Wizard, at Nether Alderley; Eagle & Child, Parbold; and its crown jewel, Miller Howe, formerly celebrity chef John Tovey’s country house hotel and restaurant at Windermere, which they bought three years ago. Having trained as a surveyor, “which I hated and was appalling at”, Ms Ainscough turned to her cookery passion. “It was always my first love and I thought I’d give working for myself a try,” she said. “I bought a deli shop in Falkner Street for £5,000, when it was still the red light quarter. “I worked with chef Martin Cooper, who said things like ‘I’ve made every mistake in the book’ and ‘don’t worry, it’s unlikely anyone will rise up from their seats and murder you’! “I’m quite hyper and he was quite calming. The thing about a woman working for oneself is that there is no glass ceiling.” The No 7 Falkner Street deli and cafe was sold eight years ago to buy the Racquets, when it folded as a members’ only club. The hotel has come through being blighted by huge building works of 20 Chapel Street tower block across the road and then the recession. “We’ve held up well, especially

Angela Cruise is the Business Development Director for Rensburg Sheppards Investment Management (RSIM) in the North West.

ollowing the announc announcement earlier this year, Rensburg Sheppards are now a wholly owned subsidiary of Investec (a specialist Bank and Asset Manager) and a constituent of the FTSE 100.

Expert financial advice and management

Intuitive: Helen Ainscough, at the Racquet Club Hotel with wedding bookings, which are now much more last minute. “But I’m waiting to see if there is a downturn, from people not planning weddings in 2009. “Speaking as an ageing mother with a two-year-old daughter, the hardest thing for a woman is grafting on childcare while working and maintaining your position financially. “Having to delegate childcare is emotionally stressful and pulls

at your heart-strings. In this business, you can easily work 14hour days, but you can’t as a parent. “But there’s no real reason why women can’t get on in business. They have the same education and the same opportunities. “We’ve always done random things. My brother is the visionary, and I’m a terrier who just keeps on trying.”

Self-confidence is key to sucess CONFIDENCE is the key factor for any woman wanting to get on in the business world, says Elaine Cunningham. She has worked in the furniture and interior design business for many years and now owns the Elaine Cunningham Interiors store, in Aigburth, and the BoConcept outlet, in Liverpool city centre.

Angela Cruise

She is also set to take a 2,000 sq ft unit in Chapel Street this month with the Elaine Cunningham Home Store. Her role involves travelling all over the world on buying trips and negotiating deals. It is a sector dominated by men. She said: “Things have moved along enormously in the last five to 10 years. “Today, any woman

who knows her stuff doesn’t need special treatment. I have only ever found that my colleagues, suppliers, bank managers, landlords, etc, have treated me with the utmost of respect. “I think often women lack selfconfidence and its only when you reach a certain age that you are less critical of yourself, allowing

Elaine Cunningham you to focus on what is important. “Times have changed and, more than ever, I feel equal to any of my peers.”

Angela fervently believes that having Investec as a parent company enhances the capacity of Rensburg Sheppards to offer genuinely independent, expert financial advice and management, rooted in the values that have served the firm so well over the last 200 years. Angela works closely and develops relationships with financial advisers who are increasingly choosing to work with investment managers like Rensburg Sheppards in order that their clients are able to benefit from the investment management expertise that a business with £13 billion of client’s assets under management is able to offer. With the ongoing volatility of asset markets, the complexity and sheer number of investment products available and the imminent arrival of the Retail Distribution Review, Angela is helping many advisers make the necessary transitions to their business models thus allowing them to focus on their core strengths. In this area Angela has seen considerable success in raising awareness of the Rensburg Sheppard’s Bespoke Discretionary Management Solutions (BDMS) service. Angela has been instrumental in the development of the BDMS service groupwide and has seen interest escalate as the increasingly onerous regulatory requirements laid down by the FSA become more apparent by the day. As Business Development Director for Liverpool and the North West Angela is also responsible for the developing relationships across the broad spectrum of other professionals with whom Rensburg Sheppards have long-standing associations with. These include the legal and accountancy professions, and increasingly include entrepreneurs and business owners who are looking to appoint Rensburg Sheppards because of their financial planning, pension and investment expertise, to manage, and more importantly, to preserve and grow their wealth. Angela spends much of her time travelling nationally and is also involved in the group-wide strategic business development initiatives.

Long standing associations Angela juggles all of these responsibilities whilst being the mother of 3 beautiful children, and when she gets any spare time, has in the past run both the New York and Rome marathons and trekked Machu Picchu for charity in 2008. However, despite her challenging roles and responsibilities, Angela is a passionate believer that the business ethos of Rensburg Sheppards, which puts quality and excellence of service at the forefront of its strategy, ensures that her role always remains rewarding.

THE BIG FEATURE

Imelda O’Neill – progress should be down to your ability

Sue Weir – I was asked to sign a contract stating I would not get married; I didn’t take the job

Climbing the corporate ladder High-flying executives show gender need not be a bar to success in the boardroom

IT SEEMS that hardly a week goes by without a salacious story in the national press about sex discrimination in the City’s financial services sector. Imelda O’Neill has worked in banking for 12 years and has spent some of that time down in London. She has nothing but praise for the enlightened approach of her employer for the past four years, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). However, she says she has worked in other organisations in the past where moving up the corporate ladder is more difficult for a woman than a man. “It has been the case in previous roles that I found I wouldn’t get promotion if there was a belief that I was planning to have a family.” Ms O’Neill is director of the RBS Liverpool-based corporate banking team, based at the Plaza in the city centre. Her clients are business people across Liverpool and Wirral. Not only, she says, are women

very well represented within RBS in the North West, she has also noted a surge in female entrepreneurs in the region. She added: “It does tend to be the case in the banking industry that you will find more women working as cashiers in corporate banking departments. “However, it can vary depending on the make-up of an organisation and at RBS there is much more of a focus on diversity. “There are seven female directors in RBS in the North West and I don’t think you will find that anywhere else. “In my team, there are 19 relationship managers and eight of them are women. “Whether you get on or not should be down to your ability. Whether you are a man or a woman should not come into it. “This should really not be an issue any more.” Ms O’Neill claims the recession has led to more women taking the plunge and starting their own businesses.

“We have an initiative at RBS called ‘Women in Business’ which is aimed at start-ups or small firms with a turnover of up to £1m. “We assign them a female relationship manager and we hold regular events and facilitate access to mentoring services.” Figures from RBS/NatWest show the group opened more than 100,000 start-up business accounts between June, 2009, and June, 2010, and that a third of these accounts were opened by female entrepreneurs. During June, 2010, the group opened 3,500 start-up accounts for female entrepreneurs – 7% up on the same month last year. Natwest also does an annual study with the British Franchise Association and the latest report, published in April, showed that, in 2009, around 39% of new entrants to the franchise market in the UK were female. In 2003, the comparable figure was 21%. Ms O’Neill said: “The recession has led to more redundancies and

I have noticed an increase in the number of women using their redundancy payouts to start up their own businesses. “We have had women setting up franchises through chains like Subway or Costa Coffee, and others who have left law firms to start up their own personal injury practices. “I do like the idea of female networking groups. They can be helpful for women who perhaps have been out of the workplace for a while after bringing up a family. “They often need to build confidence and it can help to speak to other business women. “However, in terms of starting up a business, I don’t think it should matter any more whether you are a man or a woman.” ■ MEDICASH chief executive Sue Weir believes it is “completely irrelevant” whether you are a man or a woman when it comes to success in the business world. “I think these days it just comes down to people’s talent,” she said. A trained accountant, Ms Weir

oversees a business that offers cash plans to individuals and businesses that allows people to pay small, regular premiums and then claim the cost of a trip to the dentist or optician or for stays in hospital and physiotherapy. Before joining Medicash, Ms Weir was finance director at Merseyside Special Investment Fund. She said: “I didn’t find it a particular issue being a woman. What was more important was my skill-set. “I certainly have never treated anyone working around me any differently simply because they were wearing a skirt.” However, she acknowledged there was a time when things were a little less enlightened. She added: “When I started out as an accountant, I was offered a job as an articled clerk. “They asked me to sign a contract stating that I would not get married. I did not take the job. “I think the business world has definitely moved on from that kind of thing.”

THE BIG FEATURE

How your life can be better than a TV show

Construction industry no longer a male stronghold MANDI O’SHEA went into the construction industry because Auf Wiedersehen Pet was her favourite television programme. She soon realised that reality was nothing like the comedy drama series, but her personal determination ensured she made a success of a job not renowned for being female-friendly. Now working in training management, she believes working in this sector is no more difficult for a woman than a man. “Not having been a bloke, I can’t objectively judge,” laughed Ms O’Shea, who is managing director of Scientiam, Birkenhead, one of the North West’s biggest training providers. “It’s down to your personal determination and your goals. “In an industry like training, it’s no harder for a woman than a guy. I spent a long time in the construction industry and men soon got used to you in the team. “Certain people only wanted to deal with a bloke, but as a customer they get what they want. I don’t think it makes much difference if they speak to a man or a woman regarding the final outcome. “As a woman, you can’t stamp your feet to get your own way. Tears and tantrums don’t work, but understanding your industry and its value wins hearts.” Ms O’Shea left school with “average O-levels” and a first-year of YTS training at a St Helens newspaper in the 1980s. “These initial job creation schemes had a reputation of being slave labour, but I was delighted to be paid to work,” she said. “I worked in accounts/administration and picked up terrific skills. I never felt school was the right environment for me as an individual. Some people learn better in the world of work. “Having an empathy to young people who went through

Mandi O’Shea: Determination and ambition are women’s keys to success programmes which were more practical than academic made me more supportive. “My mum ran her own tools and DIY business, and I sat on her market stall in St Helens from the age of seven. I learned work is fundamental to the grown-up environment.” Ms O’Shea then worked as a sales and training co-ordinator at a Wimpey Homes division, moving to the Training and Enterprise Council funding body (later Skills Funding Agency). “I was a construction team leader, but I never became a brick-layer or joiner, but there was a great emphasis on safety and teamwork.

“These are transferable skills and invaluable to other sectors like retailing, so there are great opportunities. “While working in Manchester, I looked at the cultural and social benefits of the construction industry. “It was a new concept of combining the disparate agendas of employability and skills.” She joined Scientiam three years ago when annual turnover was £1.8m, for quality training via apprenticeship schemes based at Wirral Met College. “I felt that as a small company, based on Wirral, we needed to grow the nature of what we did. Turnover is now £5m,” she said.

Keeping the ace of clubs for the future

Positive: Pam Brown

THE issue of women being able to succeed in business is a generational matter, thinks Pam Brown. As the chief executive of the venerable Liverpool Athenaeum, she has helped turn around the fortunes of this club. Being beloved by the business elite is not enough to safeguard the club. “I’ve always

worked in maledominated worlds, but what was once a big issue about women bosses is not one that would worry my adult children. “Working women should be three parts strong and one part keeping their femininity. “You’ve got to earn your spurs and show that you can deliver. “But I think women

of my generation were some of the best risk-takers and problem-solvers. “In business, you are measured by the bottom line. This club is 213 years old and has to diversify and exploit chances to survive in today’s world, but without losing its traditions. “Any women given chances in business should grab them.”

LOUISE

FLETCHER Senior tax manager for Mazars LLP THE business arena is a challenging place for anyone with constant challenges to be faced every day. Women in the business place have come a long way since my first involvement in 1987, when women were generally not allowed to wear trousers in the workplace! I entered the financial industry as a tax junior for Touche Ross, at age 16. Academic study had not been at the top of my agenda at school, as I was lucky enough to represent England and Great Britain playing handball. Most of my evenings and weekends were taken up training, travelling around the UK competing in the national league and travelling abroad for international competition. Following my experiences as a tax junior, I moved to Rathbones in 1991 and was mentored by the tax director, Ian Taylor, who encouraged and supported my ambition for further studies. After a few years working in the finance industry, I realised I hadn’t achieved my full academic potential and, at 23, I enrolled on a BA (Hons) degree in Taxation and Revenue Law at Bournemouth University. I was later awarded a gold medal by the Chartered Institute of Tax for the highest overall mark during my final year of study. Following a year travelling around the world, I joined Chadwick LLP (now Mazars LLP) in 1999, and embarked on the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualifications. I qualified as a CTA in 2001. Studying for the CTA qualifications is generally carried out by correspondence course and is quite intense, particularly when coupled with a full-time job. This has quite an impact on your social life for a few

years, but the later rewards are worth the sacrifice. I have progressed within Chadwick/Mazars to my present role as senior tax manager, running a substantial portfolio of corporate, business and personal tax clients and a team of staff. We are in an exciting period at Mazars following the merger with Chadwick, in October, 2009. Every day is different! I enjoy regular interaction and establishing relationships with my clients. I particularly enjoy helping them to understand the complexities of the everchanging tax regime. In my role, it is vital to keep up to date with changes to tax legislation and decisions made in tax cases at the courts. It is also necessary to keep up to date with the current affairs in the business world. Communication with clients and colleagues is key to understanding the constant changes in the business world and the impact tax has on our clients’ everyday business decisions. Clients are never happy paying tax. A large part of my job is to structure individuals’ and companies’ affairs to ensure tax liabilities are kept as low as legally possible. The best advice I could give to a prospective client would be to choose your adviser based on someone you believe you can trust for the long term, and who is backed by a team who can service all your needs, not just now, but as your business grows. For women, looking to succeed in a similar role as me, I would recommend getting as much education and training as you can, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Combine that with determination and hard work and you have a real chance of success.

‘Myjobis toensure clients’tax liabilities areaslow aspossible’

THE BIG FEATURE

Can-do Fonseca branches out

Delicatessen owner bucks the trend to feed city’s appetite for high-quality eating A LIVERPOOL city centre delicatessen is bucking the trading trend and expanding to a second shop in the South Docks. Delifonseca proprietor Candice Fonseca will open a new, larger, retail outlet at Brunswick Dock on September 1. A staff of 20 has been recruited for the opening. It is a larger version of the current award-winning Delifonseca, based in Stanley Street, which employs 24 people. Above its basement delicatessen is an up-market restaurant, with acclaimed Liverpool chef Martin Cooper in charge. The Brunswick Dock property, on the Dock Road, started life as Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chip Shop, which closed in 2005. Most recently it was Il Bacino, an up-market delicatessen which had ceased trading. However, Ms Fonseca is undaunted by the failure of that business, which was a start-up. Her plan is to cash-in on commuters, business park workers, local flat-dwellers and drivers unable to park at the original Delifonseca city centre premises. She also believes that her main rivals are up-market farm shops, whose customers expect free parking. The new property’s delicatessen will be three times larger than the existing Stanley Street shop, and it will also boast a 60-seater restaurant. The complex will include Brough’s Butchers, a concession taken by the traditional, high-quality family firm, based on the Sefton coast. “This will be a soft opening, without too much fanfare,” said Ms Fonseca. “It’s been a long time in the planning and I look forward to steadily establishing the business at Brunswick Dock. “In fact, it could turn out to be bigger business than Stanley Street. “If the recession had not happened we’d be in a better position, but every business will say that. “Things like that knock you back, but the business has come through it better than expected. “Our outside catering business, which was an after-thought, has grown and now accounts for 20% of our turnover. “This has compensated for the downturn in the deli and restaurant business over the last 18 months.” She opened Delifonseca in 2006, after working for 10 years as a feature film production co-ordinator and manager. She was involved in films such as comedian Steve Coogan’s The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, of Crosby. “But, eventually, I got sick of all the travelling and wanted to put down roots,”

said Ms Fonseca. “I moved into the city centre 12 years ago with my partner, who comes from Liverpool. “I was brought up in Bury, north Manchester, and have also regularly worked in Glasgow. “I was always surprised at how poorly Liverpool was provisioned with good quality, fresh food shops compared to these other two places. “Bury has amazing markets, which you’d expect Liverpool to have, but doesn’t. “Glasgow resembles Liverpool in many ways as an old port city and one road in its West End has six delis on it, which Liverpool doesn’t. “I was working in London and Glasgow when the whole deli thing took off and realised how Liverpool was left behind. “I thought, surely Liverpool can support one and it got me thinking. “In a way, it shows how small the middle class now is in Liverpool and how latterly it wasn’t serviced. “I covered this in my thesis for my Liverpool John Moores University degree in cultural studies and film. “Interestingly, we sell more Spanish products in the deli than Italian, which indicates where people go on holiday. “My mother was born in Birkenhead, my father is Portuguese, from Shanghai, and they met in Hong Kong. “Food has always been a great passion in our family and all my part-time jobs have been food-related. “I’m interested in Portuguese and Far Eastern food and my life-long ambition was to one day own a deli. “I love working behind the deli counter and still like waiting on tables, talking to customers about the food.” As film production contracts last five or six months with a few months gaps in between, this was ideal for research and developing a business plan. The Stanley Street area was attractive, as it was sandwiched between the city shopping area and the business district. “We need both trades, as the rentals are so high in the main retail area and the business district dies at night,” she said. “It worked, as our restaurant lunch trade initially kept us afloat – usually that’s a loss leader for evening dinner trade. “I feel you only succeed in something if you really enjoy it, as you have to work so hard to be successful. “Probably my biggest mistake has been to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, but the fit-out of the Stanley Street premises was only £100,000. “Other places spend vastly more to create the same effect.”

Passionate: Candice Fonseca at her original Delifonseca, in Stanley Street

Early sacrifices were the right move to set up property company

Kate Hughes

SUCCEEDING as a woman in business is all about ability, not gender, said Kate Hughes, Merseyside Property Auctions managing director. “It’s up to what you can do. It’s down to your attitude and confidence, not what sex you are,” she said. “I began as an office junior and audio-typist and went up through

Sutton Kersh’s property and auction department. “I left to start this business in 2008. It’s been quite difficult, but I’d definitely advise any women to give it a go if they feel they’ve got the ability, but it’s better to over-estimate than under-estimate your costs. “It can get lonely as all the problems are on

your shoulders now. There’s only two of us, so we’re a tight team, but any client is going to get a personal service from the MD! “We do know everything about a property, having dealt with it from the initial call to selling it. We’re very hands-on and the business is currently performing above the national average.

“Other advice I’d give to women starting out is to know the job first and I’d recommend going the way I did, instead of starting straight into your own business. “Personally, experience counts. I always knew I wanted to be successful in business, once I started working in the auction business.

“When I was doing my diploma, there were lots of females on the technical surveying course. Not going to university didn’t hold me back. “But I was doing a correspondence course, along with full-time day and evening jobs. It was tough, but today I’m grateful I had that focus back then.”

PROFESSIONAL SECTORS LEGAL SERVICES

LEGALLY

SPEAKING

With Mark McKeating, employment solicitor at Hill Dickinson

AS AN employer, I’m aware that the Equality Act is due to come into force this October. How will the Act add to the raft of already-existing discrimination law? And will it address the gender pay gap?

THE Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Theresa May, confirmed in July, 2010, that the Equality Act will be implemented in accordance with the “planned timetable”, that is to say, in stages, starting from October 1, 2010. One of the main purposes of the act is to harmonise all the different types of discrimination law we currently have. There are nine categories that are protected: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. Looking specifically at the gender pay gap, it was intended, before the change of government, that the Act would force private and public sector employers to publish information about differences in pay between male and female employees. It is now under debate whether the private sector will, in fact, be included under this requirement. A ban on employers taking action against employees for discussing their pay or bonuses, if the purpose of the discussion is to try to establish if there is discrimination in relation to the pay structure, is still expected, however. The Act will introduce a duty to positively discriminate. The intention is that the

Equality Act will allow (but not require) employers faced with the recruitment or promotion of equally qualified candidates, to take account of whether they were from a group that was underrepresented. So, if women were under-represented in the boardroom of a business, the employer could choose a woman for a vacant post, provided she was as equally qualified as the man, to try to redress this balance. Employers do need to be aware that discrimination rules will now extend to people who are perceived to have or are associated with someone who has a protected characteristic. In practice, this means that a person subjected to homophobic or racist abuse, because she is perceived to be gay or of a particular race, would be protected. Similarly, a person who is unlawfully discriminated against because they are associated with someone from a protected group will also be protected. In the latter case, we have already seen how this level of protection can offer assistance to parents of disabled children seeking flexible working patterns. Disability rules will also be strengthened and restrictions will be placed around pre-employment health enquiries. Enquiries will be permitted in certain circumstances, for example to establish that the prospective employee is able to carry out an intrinsic function of the role, or to allow for reasonable adjustments to be made for a disabled applicant. We wait with interest to see how the term “an intrinsic function of the role” will be interpreted.

‘A person subject to racist abuse would be protected’

Professionals taking centre stage at Expo

Liverpool firms show their support at Shangai event

SEPTEMBER is “professional services month” at the Liverpool stand, at the Shanghai World Expo. Professional firms from Liverpool will travel to China to show their support for the city’s efforts, and to offer support and advice for companies who are interested in establishing Chinese operations. Accountancy firm Grant Thornton employs more than 400 people across offices in Liverpool and Manchester and already has an active and fast-growing presence in Shanghai. Grant Thornton International in the city has grown to employ more than 400 staff. As one of the official sponsors of the Expo, the firm is attending the Liverpool Pavilion during Professional Services month in September, and is hosting a number of events during this period. These include a seminar on September 12 targeting UK businesses interested in setting up Chinese operations. Neil Sturmey, office managing partner of Grant Thornton Liverpool, said: “No one would dispute the fact that globalisation is here to stay. “Its influence becomes more profound with each passing year, and the World Expo exemplifies the reality that the world is now a much smaller place in which to do business. “The Liverpool Pavilion has already attracted more than 400,000 visitors and counting – which is a wonderful endorsement of trade as a two-way street. “China is interested in doing business with us, and now is the time to capitalise on this and start building relationships. “People are bound to ask for tangible evidence of progress – inward investment, trade, jobs and visitors to the UK. “There needs to be some realism. Liverpool is already doing business with China and more will come. “The city is investing in relationships and fostering an environment for trade.

“We expect to see more local businesses following the example of companies like RS Clare & Co and EA Technology , who are reaping the benefits of successfully operating in China.” Andrew Roberts, a partner in the litigation and regulatory team at law firm DLA Piper in Liverpool, said the growing importance of international trade made it vital the firm showed its support. He added: “The focus of business in our region is becoming increasingly international. “China is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and offers massive potential for local

Neil Sturmey

Andrew Roberts

The Liverpool Pavilion at the World Expo, in Shanghai businesses to enter into lucrative new markets and also for attracting significant investment into our region from overseas. “The Liverpool Pavilion is giving the city a real opportunity to showcase itself on the world stage to decision makers in both long established and emerging markets, which is exactly why we wanted to ensure that DLA Piper was involved with the Expo. “Professional services make up a key part of Liverpool's offering, not just to those seeking to do business in or from China, but to businesses operating all over the world. “We will be one of a number of businesses from the region who will be heading out to the Expo in September for professional services month. “We have organised a series of business meetings and events whilst in Shanghai, one of which will focus upon how corporate social responsibility programmes are likely to become increasingly important to those businesses operating in China who want to enhance the value of their brands and find ways of developing stronger relationships with government.”

THE BIG INTERVIEW

How to crack China BY BILL GLEESON

Shanghai one month, New York the next: there’s no time for home comforts for cushion entrepreneur Tony Caldeira ▲ ▲ 17

THE BIG INTERVIEW TONY CALDEIRA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 ONY CALDEIRA discovered his taste for the cushions business while helping at his mother’s homemade cushion stall at Great Homer Street market, in Liverpool, as a schoolboy and through his university years. After graduating from university with a degree in Economics and Politics, he very quickly decided he wanted to run his own business and began manufacturing cushions on his own account. He does this through his company, Caldeira. He sells cushions manufactured at a factory near Kirkby to Homebase, Next, BHS and a handful of other British retailers. Mr Caldeira said: “We have a hardcore of seven or eight UK retailers. We still make more cushions in the UK than any other cushion manufacturer. Exchange rates have helped Knowsley to perform very well.” The Kirkby factory has turnover of £6.3m. In addition, Caldeira’s joint venture in China, started in 2004, has grown rapidly to achieve sales of £7.5m. Mr Caldeira first met his Chinese joint venture partner, Dai Shou Qin, at a textile industry exhibition in Shanghai. He was impressed by the quality of the products she was displaying. “The Americans all call her Lady Dai now,” he said. Mr Caldeira spent all of August in China looking after the factory there, while Dai Shou Qin was away on maternity leave. “We now supply a lot of retailers in the US, Australia and B&Q in China. “In 2008, we built and opened our own 250,000 sq ft factory. It’s been an enormous success.” The factory is about 2½ hours’ drive from Shanghai, on the outskirts of Hang Zhou, a city of 6m people located in the heart of China’s textile production region. Hang Zhou is not well known in the West, and Mr Caldeira occasionally finds himself treated as a bit of a curiosity when visiting it. “Sometimes, if I’m eating out in a restaurant there, people will stare through the window. “Kids will run up to you and touch you. It’s all good natured,” he said. As for Caldeira’s rapid growth in China, Mr Caldeira said: “It’s still growing quickly. It grew steeply in a straight line curve, though it was a bit more difficult last year because of the global situation. But the business is still solid and growing in the right direction. “The UK business is going quite well. It is helped by the weakness of the pound, a good product range and good customer service standards. We hope all of our four businesses will continue to grow organically.” Mr Caldeira admits to having to learn quickly about the different way business is done in China. “There’s a big difference in business culture. It takes time to get used to. The Chinese have a shorter-term outlook on trading than we do in the West. “There is almost a paradox – they are looking to build a long term relationship but focus on the next deal,” he said. He also points to the language barriers and differences in time zone as potential barriers to

Caldeira being filmed in 2007 for a Channel 4 documentary – Brits Get Rich In China business: “Dai didn’t speak English to start with, but, for many Chinese, learning English is key to doing international business. “People back home don’t realise how lucky we are that English is the language of the business world. It’s taught in Chinese schools as well. It’s compulsory. “Sometimes, things do get lost in translation. It happens on a daily basis. I know a few hundred words in Chinese. I try to make myself understood. But take today,

one of my staff was saying the exhibition was difficult, but the word for difficult and dog are the very similar, and I thought she was calling me a dog for a moment. We had a good laugh about it. “If you try a few words in Chinese, they really appreciate it. It really breaks the ice. It’s easy for Westerners to hide behind their English, but you don’t have to get it right all the time. If you try, they respect it,” he said. Mr Caldeira warns that nobody

should come to China expecting to make a fortune overnight. He said: “You need to be careful. There have been horror stories about people being ripped off, but overall it’s been enjoyable and profitable and I would recommend it to people in our region to have a go at trading with China. “You have to do it step by step. You have to go carefully – it doesn’t just happen overnight. “It’s very important you find the right people to work with. You

have to build up an element of mutual trust and focus on shared goals and shared objectives. “It’s the same as in any business, but even more so in China as the personal nature of doing business is even more important in China than it is at home.” There are a number of ways of doing business in China, such as setting up a wholly owned subsidiary or trading with an existing Chinese wholesaler. Mr Caldeira decided to set up a joint

THE BIG INTERVIEW TONY CALDEIRA

Caldeira is heavily involved in local Conservative politics

The entrepreneur is looking to expand in the US venture because he thought that having a native speaker would help him deal with local laws, customs and officialdom. “If I were trying to deal with junior Chinese officials on a daily basis with their two-hour lunches, I would go spare,” he explained. “But it is worth doing because, if the local officials are on your side, they will do their best to get things done for you. “If you invest a lot in China, they will look after you. They like to see a business succeed. It’s in

their interests to make it work and they take pride in it. “In certain parts of China, there are some significant tax breaks. We got the first two years tax free, then the next three years at 50% of the standard rate. “They will give you the tax breaks if you employ local labour and build a local factory. They are very keen to get you on their side. Chinese labour costs one tenth of a British worker, so many of our high-volume customers were insisting we take production to

China or they would look elsewhere. “When I saw Dai at the exhibition, the design of her cushions was dreadful but the make-up was superb. So we thought we’d get the design done in the UK and combine British design with Chinese production. “It worked so well that we had a much bigger stand at the exhibition 12 months later. It built up very quickly. It was clear that this was a very mutually beneficial arrangement.

“It was step by step, but the steps were taken quite quickly in hindsight. “It was clear it was going to work because we had the market in the UK. We needed a good, solid, loyal business partner. “Within 50 miles of where we are in China, there is more weaving capacity than in the rest of the world put together. That cluster drives down prices and makes the operations competitive locally and globally.” Reflecting on the six years since

he established the joint venture in China, Mr Caldeira admits that he struck lucky with his timing. He explained: “We were mobbed by retailers around the world. “Britain leads the global market for home furnishings. To have British designed products made in China was a dream come true for customers. “We were in the right place at the right time with the right products. “It was exactly what a lot of the global retailers were looking for. “A lot of the retailers were looking to cut out the wholesalers to deal direct with manufacturers, because they wanted to know that the quality and ethics would be right. “Most of the customers we won in those early days we have kept and our customer base is still growing.” About 70% of Caldeira’s output is exported overseas. These Western customers in Britain, America and Australia, have become very sensitive to ethical issues, such as the misuse of child labour. Mr Caldeira said: “Our factories get audited to death. Every week, there is an auditor somewhere. And rightly so. “We find that most people we deal with are bona fide. “There are millions of factories in China and most of them abide by the rules, but inevitably there is the odd one that catches the eye for the wrong reasons and that’s the one the media go for. “Retailers do everything they can to make sure a product is made legitimately. “The consequences of not doing so are too great to want to risk it.” As well as China, Caldeira has a sales office in New York. The company is trying to build up sales momentum throughout America. Having spent August in China, Mr Caldeira will spend much of September in New York, where his business is based on Fifth Avenue. He said: “We have a great address in New York. It sounds fabulous, but it’s also where the textile area is in New York. “Buyers from around the States come to New York in September. It will be a tough week of back-toback meetings. “There have been difficult times in the US in the last 12 months, but we are now talking to the right people and we have broken into some key accounts. “Very soon, we hope Caldeira will be a significant operation in the US and we are already making waves. “It’s expensive to do business in New York, but if you can get it right the rewards are huge. “We are making good progress.” There are, however, big differences between doing business in America compared to China. “It’s the cost of everything. You have to pay New York rents and New York salaries. “The salaries are the killer. But, if you want to break into home textiles in the US, you have to pay them. “It’s ironic. We pay Chinese salaries in one part of the business and US salaries in another, when you could set up a whole production line in China for the cost of one New York

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

THE BIG INTERVIEW TONY CALDEIRA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 salesman. Sales in the US are still small, about £1m a year. “It takes time to break into the market there. “The corporations are so big. They give you little bits here and there at first, but some US customers are so big that they have more stores than all our UK customers put together, so they can give big orders and then you can make serious inroads there. “Caldeira doesn’t just sell its Chinese products in America, some are from Knowsley. “The premium range made in Knowsley has been on the front covers of US magazines. “The combination of British products at Chinese prices works well in America.” As with China, there is a bit of a language barrier to doing business in the US. “I went over there talking about cushions. They looked at me as if I were mad. “I quickly learned they call them decorative pillows. “Doing business in New York is great fun. “It’s ironic that Liverpool has good links with both Shanghai and New York. “Being British sells really well in America. A lot of American buyers will come to London to do a ‘comp shop’ – shop around all the London stores to see what they are doing. “We use the Union Jack logo in America. It goes down a treat.” But it’s not just British textile design that goes down well overseas. “In New York, everybody wants to talk about The Beatles. In Shanghai, it’s Liverpool FC. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Liverpool fell into Chinese hands. They are nuts about it over there. They can all name the team,” he said. Two years ago, Caldeira branched out into retail with the acquisition of a small chain of 14 home furnishing stores located in the south of England. Fabric Warehouse was bought out of administration just before the worst of the financial crisis hit the UK. Mr Caldeira said: “I was unlucky with the timing. “With a bit of luck, we will have a good peak season in autumn and winter, and we will be able to open some more stores, maybe even in Liverpool some day. “We lost money for the first couple of years while we turned it around. But this year we are hoping it will break even. We have taken cost out of the business and introduced better product ranges. “We are well on the way to having a very successful model that we can roll forward as the economy and housing market picks up.” Mr Caldeira has a keen interest in politics. He is chairman of the City of Liverpool Conservative Party. He was heavily involved in the recent general election. Would he consider standing as an MP? “Possibly. “A lot depends on opportunities. I have enjoyed being chairman of Liverpool Conservatives,” he said. He cites a 52% rise in the Conservative vote in Liverpool at the last election before adding: “They (Conservative voters) are starting to come back again. “With David Cameron’s

Tony Caldeira, who has become particularly well-connected in Merseyside, and is pictured here with former Minister for Merseyside Michael [now Lord] Heseltine and Downtown Liverpool in Business chairman Frank McKenna changes to the party, a lot of people in our region are giving us a second look and giving us a chance. “We have a new office, a new student wing, and at Liverpool University we attracted more students than either the Liberal Democrats or Labour. “As time progresses, I suspect the Conservative share of the vote in the city will steadily increase again. “But, for the time being, I’m enjoying being an entrepreneur.”

Referring to the last Labour government, Mr Caldeira said: “We had a government that was very anti-business. It was borrowing and spending too much money and making business over-regulated and too complicated.” As well as tackling national debt and red tape, Mr Caldeira believes that Britain should learn from China’s flourishing enterprise culture. “If we are going to invest our way out of the downturn, it’s

going to be business that will get us out of it,” he said. “Here in China, the most sought-after career is to be your own boss. That’s why China’s economy is growing at 10% a year. “We need to promote an enterprise culture as a serious option for all the people leaving school and university, and not just something you do if you can’t find a job in a big company. “If the government gets the fundamental economic conditions right and creates an enterprise

culture, the results will follow and Britain will be once again at the top of the table in terms of international trading.” Mr Caldeira gave a ringing endorsement to Liverpool’s presence at Shanghai’s World Expo and he intends to take part in the Liverpool day next month. He sees it as a huge opportunity for Liverpool to attract fresh sources of investment to the city. He said: “Ultimately, Chinese investors have a lot of dollars to spend.”

from

£249

for 4

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Paris by Eurostar

Bruges by Eurostar

South Africa

Selected departures up to November 2010

Selected departures up to November 2011

Rail to London included

Fully escorted price includes: • Return rail connections on selected dates from over thirty regional stations including Manchester and Liverpool, plus many others • Return standard class reserved seat on Eurostar from Ashford, Ebbsfleet or London St. Pancras International (short walk from Euston) • Three nights bed & breakfast in excellent quality hotels located approximately two miles from Notre Dame - the geographical centre of Paris. Four-star upgrades available at a supplement • Coach transfer from Paris, Gare du Nord rail station to your hotel, and return • Sightseeing tours of Paris 'By Day' and Paris 'By Night' • Visit to Versailles, with its beautiful Château • Visit to the artists quarter - picturesque Montmartre • The services of an experienced tour manager

Fully escorted price includes: • Return rail connections on selected dates from over thirty regional stations including Manchester and Liverpool, plus many others • Return standard class reserved seat on Eurostar from Ebbsfleet or London St. Pancras International (short walk from Euston) • Return coach transfer from Lille to your hotel (approx 1 hour) • Three nights bed & breakfast at a choice of quality three or four-star hotels in a superb location right in the heart of the old preserved town • Guided walking tour of historic Bruges • Visit to a traditional chocolatier • Visit to Ypres and tour of the First World War battlefields • The services of an experienced tour manager

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Fully escorted price includes: • Return scheduled flights from London Heathrow, with connecting regional flights available at a supplement • Quality hotels on a bed & breakfast basis, including two lunches and three dinners • Guided safari in the Kruger National Park, one of the worlds premier game reserves • Go whale watching (depending on season) • Tour the legendary Zulu war Battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift • A wonderful touring itinerary, including visits to the Cape of Good Hope, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the awe-inspiring Blyde River Canyon, Table Mountain and Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum • Three nights in Cape Town - one of the world’s most naturally beautiful cities • Stay in the heart of the Western Cape’s Winelands and experience a tour and tasting • The services by an experienced tour manager

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Dubrovnik, the Dalmatian Coast and Montenegro

Pompeii, Capri and the Bay of Naples

Oberammergau Passion Play, Salzburg & Lake Constance

Selected departures up to October 2010

Selected departures up to September 2010

Fully escorted price includes: • Return flights to Dubrovnik from Liverpool or Manchester • Seven nights three and four-star hotel accommodation with half-board • Tour of Dubrovnik, Pearl of the Adriatic • Visit to Krka National Park & its stunning waterfalls • Visit to Mostar, setting of the famous bridge • Tour to Montenegro, one of the most beautifu countries of the Mediterranean • Visit to Split and tour of the Emperor Diocletian’s monumental palace, the greatest Roman structure in eastern Europe • Visit to medieval Trogir • The services of an experienced tour manager

Fully escorted price includes: • Return flights to Naples from Manchester, other regional airports also available • Seven nights half-board accommodation in a choice of excellent quality three or four-star hotels in Sorrento • Guided tour of stunning Pompeii - a city preserved in time • Visit to the magnificent volcano of Vesuvius • Tour of the Amalfi Coast - one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world • Cruise to the stunning island of Capri • Visits to Naples and hill top Ravello • Tours and visits worth over £160 • The services of an experienced tour manager

Fully escorted price includes: • Return scheduled flights from Manchester, other regional airports also available • Six nights half-board accommodation, in quality hotels • Pre-Passion Play lunch • Category 1 ticket for the Passion Play • Visit to Neuschwanstein Castle • Sightseeing tours of Innsbruck and Salzburg • Scenic journey on the Achenseebahn steam cog railway • Tour of magnificent Lake Constance • Visit to Mainau Island • The services of an experienced tour manager

For further information and a FREE brochure

Call: 0151 227 5987

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www.livriviera.co.uk

HOLIDAY ORGANISED BY RIVIERA TRAVEL ABTA V4744 & ATOL 3430 PROTECTED. PER PERSON PRICES BASED ON TWO SHARING A TWIN ROOM. SINGLE ROOMS & OPTIONAL INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE AT A SUPPLEMENT.

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• Within 45 minutes of two international airports & the UK's largest Freeport zone • Within an hour's drive of 4.3 million prospective employees & 6.8 million potential customers • A relatively low cost & cost-effective location in terms of premises, house prices, & labour *2010 Virgin Money Survey

For more information about investing in St.Helens please contact the St.Helens Business Location Team. Tel: +44 (0)1744 742 041 Email: enquiries@investinsthelens.com

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ECONOMIC

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DEVELOPMENT

Pilkington’s St Helens sites include Cowley Hill, above, and Greengate, right

Town’s clear vision for a bright future

Alex Turner reports on how St Helens is emerging from recession T HELENS still instantly brings to mind three things: glass, Rugby League and coal.Even today, those sectors are still at the heart of the town’s agenda. Pilkington, these days under Japanese ownership, has announced 130 new jobs will result from it restarting a float line in St Helens.

In its shadow is the site of the new stadium for the town’s Rugby League club where the development is, finally, under way. In less good news for the borough, plans for a strategic rail interchange in Newton-le-Willows that could have housed up to 10,000 jobs have been derailed, perhaps indefinitely. Despite that setback, St

Helens Council’s director of signs for optimism – that’s urban regeneration and where things are at the housing, Bob Hepworth, present time. believes the impact of the “The single thing that recession on the town has has given me reason to be been relatively mild. optimistic is the decision “It has been hard but not by Pilkington to reopen quite as hard as we had UK5.” anticipated,” he said. “Yes, Pilkington’s Greengate there have been job losses site is home to two float and closures, but we lines, UK5 and UK6. In 2008, expected it would have the glassmaker spent £22m been worse. CONTINUED ON PAGE 25 “There are encouraging

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ST HELENS

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£44m development under way ST HELENS Rugby League Club expects to move in to its new ground ahead of the 2012 season. Barr Construction was last month appointed to build the 17,980-capacity stadium, which is part of a £44m development alongside a 140,000 sq ft Tesco Extra store, near to the town centre. Completion of the stadium will bring to an end more than 10 years of planning, as well as a 120-year attachment to its current Knowsley Road site – which has been bought by builder Taylor Wimpey.

Barr Construction is building the new stadium in St Helens

Hotel and leisure scheme starts

The planned bowling alley at West Point

AFTER several years of uncertainty and inaction, building work has begun on the £30m West Point leisure scheme. The scheme – which first won planning permission in 2004 – is on the edge of the town centre and is being brought forward by Grantmaster Developments. The 64-room Travelodge is set to be completed by spring, by which time work on the second phase – including a bowling alley and four restaurant/bar units – will be well under way.

Interchange stopped in its tracks

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

THE long-awaited scheme to build a strategic rail freight interchange in Newton-le-Willows on the former Parkside Colliery site was finally killed off last month. The development, which faced a lot of local opposition, was meant to provide 5.5m sq ft of raillinked warehousing and office space, and house up to 10,000 jobs. Simon Jenkins, vice-president of developers ProLogis, blamed the economy for the failure of the scheme, a decade after its launch.

The former Parkside Colliery, in October, 1992

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ST HELENS

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Jon Wilkin, of St Helens, is tackled by Jason Golden, of Harlequins, during their Super League match at Knowsley Road in July CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 refurbishing UK5, which melts 250,000 tonnes of glass a year. But, by the time work was completed, the global economic downturn had begun, which hit its key building and automotive sectors, and the line was not restarted. “As recently as three months ago, they were saying there was no date for it being switched on,” he added. “It’s still the employer that is most closely associated with St Helens. For them to be taking on 130 people is fantastic – that hasn’t happened for many years.” More good job news has come from the Somerfield distribution centre at Lea Green, which is being expanded as a result of Co-operative Group’s takeover of the supermarket group. Since April, it has been taking

staff on, and an extra 600 people will be employed there when it completes its recruitment in the coming weeks. The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in St Helens is at its lowest point for nearly 18 months, although it remains about 50% higher than its prerecession level of 3,400. Similarly, the retail core in the town centre, while affected by the economy, has not been overwhelmed. Mr Hepworth said: “We have seen plenty of examples of town centres that have been decimated during the downturn. People still look at Woolworths and see it is still empty, but that site is much more complex than just finding a tenant. The Woolworths site will be occupied at some stage. “The vacancy level is around 12%, but we have got the large former Do-It-All store counted

within that and quite a lot of empty units in Ormskirk Street [on the edge of the town centre]. “We are down to very low numbers elsewhere. “We have been monitoring take-up over the last 15 months and, with one slight blip, the vacancies have been going down. “The retailers tell us that the town centre is holding up very well. The centre owners tell us from their perspective the centres are performing well, although that isn’t to say that one or two retailers haven’t been affected. “We must have been hit in some way by Liverpool One. It has been very successful, there must have been people from St Helens who are using it, but we are still retaining our shoppers here.” New retailers, including Dunelm Mill, Dreams and Smyths, have been attracted onto out-oftown parks, while the 140,000 sq ft

Tesco that is being built as part of the stadium development will sit between the existing Ravenhead and St Helens retail parks. It’s quite a compact retail area and that’s very important,” he added. “We have got the dynamics right in terms of retail.” The supermarket giant already has a store in the town centre and, although there are plans for that site, it may change. The proposals had been for a retail development to extend the town centre offer, which could attract a major department store, such as Debenhams, to the town. Mr Hepworth said: “Clearly we have a challenge with what we are going to do with the existing store. I am not sure that the scheme which has got planning permission is the right scheme now. “We will be opening up a

dialogue with the developers on how that site might move forward. “The timing is important because things are starting to clarify themselves in the retail sector.” There may also be possibilities presented by the under-developed leisure market in St Helens. The planned development at West Point, which includes a bowling alley, could be the answer, although that scheme received planning permission in 2004, yet remains largely untouched. “The West Point site was right in terms of the family offer, but we have only seen earthworks but not buildings there. I am disappointed that isn’t completed yet. “That’s a gap we have to look to plug, whether there or the Tesco site or elsewhere. Those are the sort of discussions we must have.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEST LANCASHIRE

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An artist’s impression of the Empress Park scheme, in Haydock

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Proceeding with more alacrity are various housing developments around the town. In Parr, Newtonle-Willows, Wargrave, Lea Green and Windle, developers have returned to sites or increased the pace. “Housing feeds into so many areas of business activity,” added Mr Hepworth. “It’s an important barometer. “I think that’s sending out an important message about what’s going on in St Helens at the moment. There’s lots going on in that sector which kicks on into so many areas.” There are also positive signs in the commercial property sector, as not so much the green shoots but the steel frameworks of recovery have started appearing on the brownfield sites. Work has now begun on

Empress Park and Boston Park, a £30m scheme in Haydock that it is hoped will eventually be home to 2,000 jobs. Developer Morley Estates bought the 20-acre former colliery site from government regeneration agency English Partnerships in 2006, and work will take place in two phases. The first, to be completed by the end of this year, will see the reclamation of 2.9 hectares of brownfield land, construction of 49,000 sq ft of office and industrial accommodation, and the provision of infrastructure to bring forward 2.25 hectares of brownfield land for new office development. The first phase is pre-let to three companies. Chloride Electronics, which supplies uninterruptible power supply systems and services, has taken 9,000 sq ft at Empress Park. At Boston Park, plastic bag

specialists Ardale International will occupy 25,000 sq ft, and fibreoptic network provider H20 Networks has taken 15,000 sq ft. Phase two will see the speculative development of 70,000 sq ft of high quality new office and industrial space by October, 2011. By next autumn, Mr Hepworth hopes that the economic landscape will be much clearer. “It’s too early to say how the next five years will look,” he said. “There are some very good signs at the moment. We seem to be in St Helens holding our own, but we are just at the start. “It’s too early to say what impact the changes in public spending will have to St Helens and to the North West. “I hope that, in 12 months’ time, we will be able to predict the five years ahead, but I do think we can be cautiously optimistic about how things are improving.”

The new Somerfield distribution centre, at Lea Green

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

NW industrial supply fears

Take-up of space rises – but agents bemoan lack of new development TAKE-UP of industrial space in the North West was up 52% in the second quarter of the year, bucking the national trend. However, experts are warning that a lack of current development will lead to a shortage of available space in the future. The latest DTZ Research UK Property Times Industrial market report has revealed that, across the country, the overall volume of available space of buildings over 50,000 sq ft fell in the quarter due to sustained high levels of Grade A take-up and a reduced rate of return of Grade B and C stock. Total take-up for the UK fell 15%, although the proportion of Grade A space remained elevated at 48% of the total. The report says the outlook for prime headline rents was set to remain stable. It also predicts that the availability of large volumes of Grade B space means the market will prove to be a “battleground” for landlords during 2010, with many looking to customise stock to attract smaller local occupiers.

A slowdown in the return of second-hand buildings over 50,000 sq ft back to the market means DTZ anticipates that availability will peak in 2010. Annual take-up in 2010 is set to increase by a third on 2009 volumes, driven mainly by tenants taking Grade A or goodquality Grade B space, the firm claims. Take-up in the North West reached 1.85m sq ft in the second quarter, driven by demand for well-located distribution warehouses, including Kimberley Clark taking 337,000 sq ft in Revolution Park, Chorley. Overall availability in the region fell 5%, reflecting a clutch of large Grade B deals and the lack of new development. Tony O’Keefe, industrial director at DTZ in the North West, said: “Given the large volume of secondary space available, landlords will need to continue to offer keen incentives and develop innovative packages in order to differentiate their product. “However, in the medium to

To Let/May Sell 4,550 – 9,000 sq ft

long-term, there is a distinct under-supply of land allocated for industrial uses, particularly in the Manchester area, to accommodate larger Grade A requirements. “The release and supply of suitable sites to accommodate future demand will be imperative to maintain Manchester’s reputation as a primary distribution location.” Andrew Owen, head of business premises at Liverpool agency Mason Owen, also expressed concern at the lack of new development. He said: “Given the relatively poor levels of demand across the sector, capital values for Grade A stock have fallen. “While headline rentals have remained relatively resilient, incentive packages have increased dramatically. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, due to current demand and the economic climate, there has been little newbuild development across the region for some time, and there are few signs of this changing.”

Andrew Owen, head of business premises at Mason Owen – capital values for Grade A stock have falen

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HE Liverpool Biomedical Research Centre is presiding over a “bench-to-bedside” success story in its partnership with industry. The Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a £20m centre, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, and was opened as part of the Government’s health research strategy. It focuses on four areas: hospital and community acquired infections, chest infections, sexual health and safety of antimicrobial drugs. The “bench-to-bedside” aspect derives from each of the research projects having, or needing, industry collaboration in order to get their work into hospitals and to the patients. The research areas involved are penicillin allergy, Crohn’s disease, stomach cancer, tuberculosis, sepsis and cystic fibrosis. Particularly interesting findings have come to light in the research recently for cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease. The Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a partnership between the University of Liverpool, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Primary Care Trust, Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), NHS Northwest (NW Regional Strategic Health Authority) and TrusTECH (the North West NHS innovation hub). BRC Industry collaborators include leading pharmaceutical companies such as Provexis, Novartis and Gilead. As a specialist in infection, the BRC is one of 12 in the country funded by the NIHR. The joint venture received £13.5m funding from NIHR and a further £6.4m from the NWDA, and was officially launched in 2009. When the BRC was announced in 2006, Maggie Boyle, chief executive of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, said it was an extremely significant development for the city, the Trust and patients throughout the country. She added: “It means that Liverpool will become a national centre of excellence and a world leader in the development of a series of improvements in patient care that will touch the lives of millions of people.” The project meant Liverpool was one of only eight new national research and development centres created under the previous government’s Best Research for Best Health national health research strategy. The Centre’s management is run jointly run by the University of Liverpool, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The BRC story actually started in April, 2007, when these bodies were awarded a specialist Biomedical Research Centre in Microbial Disease. This award was made following a competitive bidding process. It was in recognition of the accumulated and existing research excellence within the field in the city. The Trust was also granted £2.5m annually over the next five

The laboratory at Liverpool Biomedical Research Centre

Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, director of the Liverpool Biomedical Research Centre – the role of the BRC in Liverpool is to reduce the burden of infection on the NHS

University develops a Liverpool Biomedical Research Centre to become a pioneering base

years to develop research which focuses on microbial disease. The BRC is based in the Royal Liverpool Hospital, and researchers have access to the latest facilities, such as a new clinical research unit to trial new drug treatments and a medical microbiology facility for the identification and safe handling of bacteria. Key research projects undertaken at the BRC include work on penicillin allergy; the causes of Crohn’s disease; Helicobacter Pylori and its links to gastric cancer; diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis; drug

treatments for tuberculosis; and identification of an epidemic strain of a bacterium which causes lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Prof Cheng-Hock Toh, Liverpool BRC director, said: “The role of the BRC in Liverpool is to reduce the burden of infection on the NHS. “This requires partnership between the Hospital, the University, the School of Tropical Medicine and industry to enable observations in patients to be deciphered by scientists and translated by industry into new tests and treatments.

“This collaboration with industry will also enhance the region’s reputation as a world leader in cutting-edge microbial biotechnology. “We want to actively engage with patients and the general public to understand their concerns about infection, their priorities in what we should be focusing on, and to communicate what we are doing to improve patient care and the fight against infections.” The BRC’s achievements will have a very real effect on millions of those suffering from long-term or sometimes terminal illnesses.

For example, Crohn's disease affects one in 800 people in the UK and causes chronic intestinal inflammation, leading to pain, bleeding and diarrhoea. Research has shown that people with Crohn’s disease have more than usual amounts of E coli (bacteria found in faeces) stuck to the lining of the gut, and it is thought that this contributes to the inflammation. Scientists at the BRC have found that soluble fibre from the plantain plant (similar to a banana) can stop E coli sticking to the gut lining. The team are currently working

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

winning bedside manner for the treatment and management of some of the most serious illnesses

with biotechnology company, Provexis, in conducting tests to see whether plantain fibre helps people with Crohn’s disease. Another example of the Centre’s work concerns cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis affects the internal organs, particularly the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with sticky mucus. This makes it difficult for a patient to breathe and digest food. The condition, which is an inherited disease, affects more than 8,000 people in the UK, and more than 2m carry the cystic fibrosis gene. Around half of the

cystic fibrosis population live for an average of 35 years. Scientists at the Biomedical Research Centre are developing a new test to help hospital workers identify an epidemic strain of a bacterium that commonly causes lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. The bacterium, called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is the most common cause of persistent and fatal lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Scientists at Liverpool identified a particular virulent strain of the bacteria that is transmissible between patients.

The Liverpool Epidemic Strain (LES), referred to as a cystic fibrosis “superbug”, can cause aggressive infection and results in progressive lung decline. Patients with LES need to be separated from others in hospitals, so that infection does not spread between cystic fibrosis patients on wards. The strain, however, is difficult to detect and currently scientists have to culture the bacteria in a lab over one or two days to identify it. Researchers at Liverpool are now working to develop a test, based on DNA from patient

sputum and cough swab samples, to allow doctors to identify the infection in hospital labs within hours. The test will also allow medics to monitor the number of bacteria in the body so that they can determine if treatment is working effectively. Professor of clinical pharmacology and consultant physician at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Peter Winstanley, was the mastermind behind the plans to develop the BRC. He led the team which was successful in winning the funding from the Department of Health.

Prof Winstanley said: “This is a hugely significant development, as it secures the city as the UK’s leading centre of excellence in microbial diseases. “But, most importantly, the results of our work will benefit millions of people in the UK and untold numbers throughout the rest of the world. “The city will literally become a pioneering base for the treatment and management of some of the most serious illnesses. “It will also become a focus for the development of new techniques for detecting infections and illnesses.”

INTERNATIONAL TRADE Cheshire company Agilysys has sold its software to the five-star Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme hotel, in Paris

Five-star deal for Agilysys

Luxury hotel in heart of Paris recruits Cheshire hospitality software specialist CHESHIRE hospitality software provider Agilysys has secured the first client in France for its ResPAK system, as it bids to continue its overseas expansion. Warrington-based Agilysys has sold the restaurant and dining management software to the five-star hotel Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. The hotel, which is in the heart of Paris, near the beautiful Place Vendôme and the Paris Opera, is the showcase property of the Hyatt Group in France. Tina Stehle, senior vicepresident and general manager of

Agilysys Hospitality Solutions Group, said: “We are delighted that ResPAK has been chosen to enhance the already high standards of service at one of the world’s great hotels. “This new contract is further evidence of the Agilysys focus on the French hotel, attractions, food service and stadia sectors.” ResPAK is now installed in three areas within the hotel: Le Bar, the Pur restaurant and Les Orchidées restaurant. The hotel’s assistant food & beverage manager, Thibault de Vries, had previously worked

with the ResPAK system at Grand Hyatt Singapore. Mr de Vries said the hotel could use the system to research guests’ spending habits so it could personalise its marketing and PR offering. He said: “The ability to deliver truly personalised service is critical to us. “We will use ResPAK to further customise our offer to the needs and tastes of our guests.” As an example, Mr de Vries said the hotel would be able to research sales of its gourmet Wagyu beef.

He said: “Thanks to ResPAK, we will be able to record who chooses our Wagyu beef, how they like it cooked and their preferred wines to accompany it. Not only will we be better able to serve them next time they select this dish, but we can also invite them to special Wagyu beef evenings, for example. “In Les Orchidées, where we serve up to 60 covers at lunchtime, ResPAK may help us to optimise table utilisation by analysing how far in advance people book and how many covers they reserve.

“In Le Bar, we will use ResPAK to track the spend of our many regular guests.” Mr de Vries also plans to use the Agilysys system to help with promotions. “In October, we are running our Masters of Food & Wine Tour of the World event,” he said. “Our head chef has invited five internationally famous chefs to cook dinner, to showcase their region’s cuisine. We will retrieve customer data from ResPAK to pinpoint our ‘regulars,’ then make personal contact to invite them to this gastronomic event.”

Asian visitors discover creative and port sectors

A DELEGATION from the Indonesian Embassy in London has visited Liverpool to learn about investment opportunities in the creative and ports sectors. The delegation visited economic development agency Liverpool Vision to find out about the

city’s port and its many maritime businesses. The Indonesian visitors also met Kevin McManus, director of Liverpool Vision’s creative industries support agency, Merseyside ACME. Andy Green, Head of Investor Development at Liverpool Vision, said:

“It was an excellent and interesting meeting and is actually a good reflection of the city’s reputation overseas. “Indonesia is South East Asia’s third fastest growing economy, and they are looking for expertise and partners in certain sectors, two of which we excel at.

“Our creative industries and our port expertise is well-known and more advanced than in Indonesia. “We were happy to meet with the delegation and pass on our knowledge, and hopefully there will be further meetings in the future.”

The Indonesian delegation at Liverpool Vision

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?

Gavin King – says it has been more important than ever to realise the low-carbon potential of a building

System to transform office design

GAVIN KING, associate at ID:SR, part of Sheppard Robson, on a new environmental rating

SINCE it came to the fore 20 years ago, the BREEAM rating system has become a key consideration for developers in the UK, their clients and for occupiers. Never before has it been more important to realise the low-carbon potential of a building – not only in terms of reducing its impact on the environment, but also in terms of achieving the clear cost-saving benefits. While systems such as BREEAM and LEED have proved effective standards for base-build construction, there has been no reason for developers to look beyond to the fit-out of the office space itself. Now, however, Skansen Group, an interior construction company, has developed a new system that could have a real impact on the

way office fit-out is designed, built and managed in the UK. The Ska Rating system was intended from the start to be open access and free to use (a rare piece of altruism) and was formally adopted by the RICS in November. It aims to be the standard measure of sustainability of office fit-out in the UK. The system comprises 99 best practice measures across energy and carbon, waste, water, pollution, transport, materials and wellbeing – even office furniture is taken into consideration – and delivers ratings of gold, silver or bronze. Future development proposed includes the addition of post-occupancy measures which would require modification of the

rating achieved based on the occupiers management of the fit-out during the 12 months after occupation. There is clear reasoning behind assigning such a certification to fit-outs. Most fit-outs are altered or refitted on a seven-year cycle, whereas new buildings are less frequently created, so there is an obvious gap in the market and in the measurement of sustainability in the construction industry. Since the scheme was adopted, only a few projects have applied for and been awarded a Ska classification. This presents a real opportunity for landlords – a Ska certification can set your offering above its competitors by enabling tenants to demonstrate their green credentials.

This is particularly true of refurbished space, which may not be able to compete with new builds when it comes to environmental sustainability in terms of construction. A Ska Rating is a great deal more accessible – and less expensive – than undertaking major construction work to bring an older building up to a BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding rating – and, in the absence of new-build space and a dearth of development activity, competition in the market of second-hand space will be tough. Ska also works well for out-of-town locations, since those would likely fail to satisfy BREEAM requirements due to public transport limitations. The process itself is relatively

quick. Once the handover stage has been considered by an accredited assessor and the supporting information has been added to an online tool, the certificate is automatically produced and the standard noted at the RICS. The assessors have already been trained – it is now time for developers to take the plunge. As Ska becomes more widely adopted, developers and landlords may come under more pressure to go for Gold. For the vast majority of tenants, environmental sustainability is still at the heart of CSR – and they want the certificate to prove it. Ska looks set to be the next big thing in office design, and early adopters will reap the rewards.

Mills Media produces green DVD for youngsters MERSEYSIDE creative production house Mills Media has completed the production of a promotional programme highlighting a green environment for Isle of Anglesey County Council. Wirral-based Mills Media’s business TV department produced the film to be used as an educational DVD. The Let’s Be Clean and Green DVD will be shown at schools,

colleges and community groups to promote waste reduction, recycling and how to keep the island clean. The film, commissioned by Acer Marketing Communications for the Isle of Anglesey Council, was produced in both Welsh and English with local radio celebrity Owain Llyr providing the voice-over. Barrie Farrell, head of production, said the

involvement of young people from the area made the project a real success. He added: “We have won three international awards for previous programmes created specifically for young people and have high hopes for this production. “The film has been 12 months in the making and has a real community feel. “We worked with Acer Marketing Communications

who organised ‘search for a star’ auditions with a local media partner. “This gave us a good choice of young people from the region to appear in the film. We were able to bring in a vast range of shooting styles, animation sequences and pastiches that really helped to deliver the message of the film. It’s informative, yet entertaining.”

The Mills Media team filming the DVD

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?

Sun shines on new venture

Demand for solar panels soaring as customers take advantage of government incentives

MERSEYSIDE businessman Peter Bladen is celebrating after a successful five months since he launched his new company. Mr Bladen, of established renewable energy specialists Bladen Consulting, launched solar panel firm BSOLAR in April. He has says he has been overwhelmed by the response to the business. Since starting the firm in Halsall, he has been carrying out an average of eight to 10 solar panel installations per month, more than triple what he was expecting in the first six months of the business. National figures also support the growth in popularity of solar panels, as 3,700 have been installed in the UK since April, compared to 350 last year. The increase in installations is mainly due to government incentives. The Clean Energy Cash Back scheme is incentivising people to have solar panels installed in their home. The scheme applies to anyone who has or is having panels installed between July 15, 2009, and March 31, 2012. Energy providers pay homeowners 41.3p per kWh (kilowatt-hour) of electricity they generate from renewable sources, which is about four times the market cost of electricity. This means homeowners are getting a guaranteed income every year from the solar panels, in addition to getting free electricity during the day when the solar panels are generating power. Mr Bladen said: “I am over the moon with the progress the company has made. “Business has been so good that we are looking to expand into other areas across the country and bring on new staff.” He said the government incentives had been a real boost, as people were financially encouraged to install solar panels on their properties. “More and more people are also more aware of being environmentally friendly, and installing solar panels is a great way of being green,” he added. “I can only envisage continued growth as word spreads. It just makes sound financial sense to be more green.”

Peter Bladen – says business has taken off since he launched BSOLAR in April

Windtex secures NW Small Loans investment

A MERSEYSIDE company which specialises in the service and maintenance of wind turbines has been set up with a £42,000 investment through the Northwest Small Loans for Business Investment Fund. Windtex, which is

based in Kirkby, was set up by Bradley Hickman and Phil Turner. The company has been secured as preferred contractor to Nordex, a leading international developer of wind turbines. The business employs six staff, all of

whom have engineering backgrounds. Windtex is currently working on a number of jobs throughout the UK including the wind turbines at the Nordex site at Liverpool docks. Bradley Hickman said: “Wind energy is one of the largest sources of renewable

energy in the UK, and there are an ever-growing number of wind farms being developed.” ■ SMALL Loans for Business is being managed by Alliance Fund Managers (AFM) in Merseyside, and is supported by the ERDF and the NWDA.

Phil Turner and Bradley Hickman

TRANSPORT

Can the train take the future strain?

Huge growth predicted for passenger and freight train loads in the next quarter-century A DOUBLING of train passengers and freight usage by 2035 is the prediction in a new document, Planning Ahead, looking at long-term planning for the rail industry. The demand for passenger and rail transport will grow as roads get more congested and Britain increases moves to stimulate a “carbon- friendly” economy, said rail chief Paul Plummer. “In spite of the tough economic times, we must continue to plan and look to how we affordably expand the railway to meet big increases in passengers and freight,” said Mr Plummer, Network Rail's director of planning and development. “The railway is presently too expensive and must reduce costs to ensure the money it invests delivers best value for Britain." Over the next 25 years, the London commuter market, already very well served by rail, is likely to see growth of up to 35%. In contrast, regional urban commuting, to cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow, is expected to see growth of over 100%. Some routes could grow in excess of 115%. Rail freight is similarly predicted to double demand to 45bn tonnes kilometres of goods moved by 2030. Alec McTavish, the Association of Train Operating Companies’ director of policy and operations, said: “Rail makes a vital contribution to the UK economy, supporting jobs and businesses and helping millions of people to get round the country quickly and easily every day. “Train operators and Network Rail are working increasingly closely together to help plan the railway and identify ways to improve cost effectiveness. “Allowing Network Rail and operators greater freedom to determine the most efficient way of delivering for passengers and making Britain’s railway more financially self-sufficient would be to the benefit of the nation as a whole.” Lindsay Durham, chair of the Rail Freight Operators' Association, said: “Rail freight contributes to the success of the UK economy by reliably and sustainably moving goods for consumers and industry within the UK and as a conduit for imports and exports. Freight trains are part of the logistics chain that stocks our shops, keeps the lights on and moves materials to build our infrastructure.”

Will rail traffic rise in a switch from road transport over the next 25 years?

Merseytravel kicks off new season of football match bus link services THE Merseytravel football season, congestion-busting Soccerbus service – the match-day direct bus link from Sandhills Station to Goodison Park and Anfield - is once again operating. The sport special bus service will run throughout the 2010/11 season, linking Merseyrail passengers from Sandhills Station,

on a dedicated shuttle bus to Everton and Liverpool’s home Premier League, domestic and European Cup matches. Cllr Mark Dowd, Merseytravel chairman and a lifelong Everton fan, said: “In the past Soccerbus proved a real winner with fans.” Merseytravel claims Soccerbus helps to make life a little easier

for those residents living around the stadiums, as well as the fans going to the games. Cllr Dowd added: “Fans see it as one of the best options to get to the grounds and we want people to make full use of the service.” The Soccerbus service runs for two hours before each Liverpool and Everton

match up to 15 minutes before kick-off and for 50 minutes after the final whistle. A Soccerbus ticket costs £1 when booked in advance with a train ticket or £1.50 single or return on the bus and is free with Merseytravel Trio, Solo and Saveaway tickets or for English national concessionary travel pass holders.

The Soccerbus ink service to Anfield and Goodison Park, from Sandhills station, has begun again this season

TRANSPORT

The Port of Liverpool’s new SMART computer programme will help speed lorry turnarounds and move containers more quickly

Port’s smarter turnaround Liverpool’s Peel Ports in-house IT team rolls out first phase of vehicle booking system

A NEW vehicle booking system (VBS), developed in-house by the Port of Liverpool, is reducing the turnaround times of hauliers visiting the port’s container terminal operations. The Port of Liverpool claims its vehicle turnaround times are the UK’s best, with 95% of hauliers serviced in less than 60 minutes and 65% less than 30 minutes. SMART VBS, designed by the Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group IT team, is being rolled out across operations in two phases during 2010. Phase one, which began in July, covers haulier demand requirements notification, while the second phase will be haulier nomination of containers for delivery and collection. The new system is already reducing booking rejections and delivering a consistent turnaround time at the terminal, allowing hauliers to plan their deliveries more accurately. David Huck, Peel Ports’ Mersey head of port operations, said:

“The coming months will see the port implementing the two phases of its SMART VBS which was developed thanks to the expertise of our in-house IT team. “It’s SMART because it focuses upon the voice of the customer from booking, to arrival and all the way through to departure from the terminal. “Right from the system’s concept, we wanted to differentiate our service within the industry and not become a ‘me too’, by capping slots to stabilise demand like other terminals. “We knew that a ‘me too’ solution wouldn’t work for the Port of Liverpool’s growing customer base, so we designed the system to flex capacity with demand, and thus only in extreme demand circumstances would any capping be undertaken. “The more timely the booking information, the smarter we can align the yard and resources to that demand, in essence giving our customers a more predictable, repeatable and stable level of

service. We spent considerable time talking to the shipping lines and haulage community to achieve a system which offered something unique within the industry.” The investment complements the Port’s recent introduction of a new £1.1m Terminal Operating System (TOS), which has led to immediate improvements in customer service since its launch, which the Mersey port says surpasses the performance of other major UK ports. Also this year, Peel Ports increased capacity on the barge service provided along the Manchester Ship Canal, with additional services into the Port of Liverpool’s container terminal. This has integrated Liverpool and Manchester’s offer, creating a 44-mile working waterway. This combined operation now handles more than 40m tonnes of cargo and 16,500 ship movements a year, making the Mersey the third busiest estuary in the country.

The new port booking system will cut transit times

EDUCATION IGHER education providers across Merseyside are all too aware of shifting requirements in this new era of austerity, and are tailoring their programmes accordingly. George Osborne’s emergency Budget laid the groundwork, and the forthcoming October spending review will confirm the changing landscape for education and businesses alike. But Merseyside’s four universities have responded swiftly and will offer students, businesses and post-graduates a prospectus aimed at addressing the needs of post-downturn Britain in the new academic year. Liverpool Hope University has already felt the chill wind of cuts after regeneration organisation the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) withdrew funding earlier than anticipated for special leadership and mentoring training. The university ran four business recovery programmes last year, including two for black and ethnic minority communities. But those courses have been impacted by the early withdrawal of NWDA funding that was supposed to be in place until next March, said Hope spokeswoman Jane Davies. She said: “We are seeing a significant reduction in funding for business owners to come on programmes. Last year it was free, but this year people will have to pay for it, but we will try and offer it again this year.” The funding cut could affect fledgling businesses which the Government hopes will drive a private sector jobs recovery, and she said it is vital to help them through the difficult first few years: “We don’t know what effect that will have, but the message is, if you work on your own you can be isolated, so the business recovery programme is where we can get business owners together and help form ‘buddying’ networks and help them to help each other on an ongoing basis.” Ironically, as people’s concerns grow about the economic situation, demand has increased: “We’re not seeing a decline in people taking programmes. “People in uncertain job circumstances are taking training because they are worried they might be out of work and they want qualifications.” This year, Hope is offering a varied programme, including part-time courses at evenings or weekends in management and leadership skills accredited by the Chartered Management Institute. Training and consultancy services include tailored bespoke courses covering personal development skills, leadership and management, IT, human resource management and health and safety. Health and safety is also a strong feature of Hope’s coaching and mentoring courses, which can be tailored for individual companies. Jane Davies explains: “We run programmes for companies to help with expansion. “If someone opens a new warehouse or is expanding, companies want something specifically tailored, for example, to achieve ‘behavioural modifications’ in terms of health

Prof Murray Dalziel, left, pictured welcoming former FA chief executive Brian Barwick to the University of Liverpool’s Management School

Universities prepare

Public spending cuts and business cutbacks are to the fore this and safety, so companies aren’t in a reactive situation when something goes wrong.” She added: “People’s needs are diverse, but sometimes businesses don’t realise what they need. We talk to some companies about what they want and it turns out they need something completely different.” Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, is developing a pioneering course offering a new MSc in Information Security and IT Management as part of its work-relevant programmes. The university has established several partnerships in China and India and business school associate director Chris Beaumont said: “We conducted market analysis to identify potential demand in the UK and India after several visits to India for promotional purposes attracted a large level of interest

in an MSc that incorporates information security.” Research in India found an “acute shortage of information security personnel” and worldwide market growth of 24% in information security systems during 2006. “Other research has indicated that the market for information security consulting in China and India will grow 23% annually through to 2012.” UK statistics also showed the average salary rate of growth for information security jobs to be 12.5%, with job prospects improving in relation to other IT positions. The business school has now developed a new postgraduate course, and it is anticipated that demand will be high because of the shortage of trained people in this area and its increasing importance to society.

The course is aimed primarily at IT managers and aspiring security and IT management professionals at home and abroad. Mr Beaumont said: “We have designed the course around small groups so that students can be sure of plenty of individual discussion and support by their tutors. “Also, every student is allocated a personal tutor to make sure they receive a high level of individual guidance.” The business school describes the MSc as a “world leader in its field”, but is also confident that its part-time undergraduate business degree and its part- and full-time Masters in business and in computing courses will prove extremely popular with students. Liverpool John Moores University is continuing to develop its unique WoW – World of Work – package which aims to

offer students workplace experience through programmes developed with business partners to make them much more employable in the eyes of prospective employers. It seeks to impart the essential skills of self-awareness and emotional intelligence, business understanding and the ability to get things done, and more than 3,000 students are now working towards their WoW certificate. An international Doctorate in Business Administration is aimed at key corporate figures in the Middle East, heads of banks, major corporations and government figures, and the university is establishing a Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management with St Helens Chamber of Commerce which will be competence based, starting in January. But JMU has also introduced

EDUCATION

The legislation which is already in place is pretty onerous – Larry Wilkinson, senior lecturer at Liverpool JMU’s School of the Built Environment

for a new era of austerity

autumn. Neil Hodgson reports on how higher education in the region intends to respond several new programmes to meet current and developing needs, including a focus on governance, growth, social capital and sustainability in the third sector. A recent development includes a Masters in Social Enterprise, a new post-graduate certificate in Third Sector Management in partnership with Liverpool Community and Voluntary Services (LCVS) due to go live next April. The qualification is in response to a call from the sector for a need to develop management skills. JMU sees the third sector as a growing area, and one that is very active in the Merseyside and North West region, and says the pressures of public sector cuts and the Government’s Big Society initiative has increased the importance of supporting the development and sustainability of these businesses and encouraging

new social enterprise. Another recent initiative is a modular Sustainable Built Environment MSc, believed to be the only one of its kind delivered over the internet, which targets professionals in the construction industry. It will be delivered by senior lecturer Larry Wilkinson, former managing director at construction company Kier Northwest, and Dr Andy Ross, head of post-graduate and collaborative programmes at JMU’s School of the Built Environment. Mr Wilkinson explained the course has been developed against a backdrop of a growing raft of new environmental laws backed by hefty fines that are making all companies think about their sustainability credentials. “The legislation which is already in place is pretty onerous and I do not expect that to change

– if anything, it is going to get tougher. “Whether the industry as a whole will get there or not, I am not sure, but there is a commercial edge to thinking sustainably, it is not just a case of doing it purely for environmental reasons. “If you can demonstrate to a client that you can include sustainable measures in your design, that is going to give you one-up over a rival bidder.” The University of Liverpool launches the first UK online Doctorate in Business Administration this September, as revealed in July’s LDP Business. It marks 10 years of online degrees at the university and will build on the success of its online Masters in Business Administration (MBA) which has graduated 1,500 students around the globe since its 2000 launch.

Another key facet of the university’s Management School is its LEAD leadership programme, catering for owners of small firms with up to 50 staff, which aims to improve productivity and business processes by addressing the personal development of the owner-manager. A women in leadership “taster” will run on September 7, followed by a LEAD preview on September 16 (phone Richard Holloway on 0151-795 3333 for details). Perhaps more pertinent to the forthcoming upheaval in the public sector is a Liverpool Masters in Public Administration (Public Management) programme. Working in partnership with transport authority Merseytravel, Liverpool City Council Community Services and health body Liverpool PCT, the course is an in-company programme to

help organisations and individuals address the changes taking place in the public and voluntary sectors. Graduates of the programme will be “more effective leaders and managers in a changing and increasingly complex environment”, says the university’s Management School. It said the MPA (PM) will draw on the strengths and reputation of the Liverpool Masters in Public Administration, which is the longest running MPA in the UK. Management School director, Prof Murray Dalziel, said: “This is central to our approach to executive education. The executive role is broad, often operating on varied time horizons within complex and changing situations. “We aim to make a difference in these unprecedented times for both global and local economies.”

THE NETWORKER

BUSINESS LUNCH Bill Gleeson finds a convenient venue to meet Edward Billington & Son boss Lloyd Whitely for lunch ASSING through Exchange Flags recently, I became very impressed by how the area has been brought back to life. Ever since the office complex was bought by Simon Parker’s UK Land & Property, it has made great strides. A law firm and Ministry of Defence civil servants occupy much of the office space, while the ground floor now has coffee and sandwich shops, as well as a newsagents. UK Land harbours an ambition to fill the remaining ground floor space with several restaurants, and last April the developer secured its first restaurant tenant. Sakura Restaurant and Bar describes itself as an authentic Japanese restaurant and, when we ate there recently, diners included half a dozen Japanese people, which is a good sign. Given its location in the heart of the city’s business district, Sakura is a convenient place for accountants, lawyers, bankers and the likes to visit for lunch. I met Lloyd Whitely, chairman of Edward Billington & Son, the Cunard Building headquartered firm that trades in agricultural commodities and food ingredients such as spices. Billington brands include the English Provender Company range of condiments sold through British supermarkets. It also owns a sugar business in the United States. Sakura offers a Lunch Express menu served between 12 noon and 3pm. The same menu is also offered as its Early Bird Dinner, from 5pm to 7pm throughout the week. Offering a broad choice for a fixed-price menu, it seemed good value at £7.95 for two courses or £10.95 for three. We chose to be seated in one of the booths, which offer a quieter, more private venue for talking business undisturbed, but guests may also choose to experience the theatre of the Teppanyaki seating, where dishes are prepared by the table on a sizzling hot-plate. On sunny days, there are also plentiful, covered, outdoor tables on Exchange Flags. There is an extensive and mouthwatering a la carte menu for those who want a bigger meal, but we stuck to the Express menu. For his starter, Lloyd opted for Shime Saba No Sarada, which was

helpfully translated as marinated mackerel salad. I chose the Ika No Chiri Maki, spicy squid rolls, while my wife and sighted guide, Frances, selected the Hirame No Tempura, white fish tempura, schichimi and ponzu. While we ate, Lloyd offered us his outlook on the state of the world economy. That morning, the financial press was full of the usual doom and gloom about double dip recessions and stuttering recoveries, and the Bank of England had published its quarterly inflation report, which contained forecasts for UK economic growth, saying it had been revised downwards. Lloyd said: "I am pessimistic by nature. "I can see the economy dipping again. It's all the public sector jobs cuts – it's going to have a big impact. If it does dip again, it will grow back slowly." However, Lloyd was less pessimistic about the prospects for his own company, Billington, which he said was not so badly affected by the vagaries of the economic cycle. "We're in food, and everybody needs to eat. Our main customers are the food retailers and the big food manufacturers. World demand for food is growing fast, particularly as places like China and India grow. "We are in agriculture and I think farming has a great future. We have very high labour costs in UK farming, but we're also very efficient in terms of utilising machinery and land," he said. Lloyd also pointed out that agricultural products are now increasingly being used as biofuels, as well as for food. Indeed, Billington has recently diversified into biofuels, distributing wood pellets used in large boilers found in hospitals, factories and offices. "Land is being used to make

Sakura has brought al fresco dining to Exchange Flags, in Liverpool city centre both food and fuel, so there will be big demand for land," he added. About his mackerel salad, Lloyd said: "I enjoyed it. It was not too spicy. It's quite dry for mackerel, not too oily.” Frances's white fish tempura was served hot, and it was a generous portion, so she shared some with Lloyd and me. The fish had a very light, non-greasy batter and it went together very well with the spices, which were a special Japanese mixture containing seven ingredients including chilli, hemp, ginger and roasted orange peel. I liked my raw squid rolls, which were very flavoursome and nicely spiced. For his main course, Lloyd chose Natsu ryori – beef sukiyaki and prawn yaki. I had Ebi no Yaki soba – teppan fried egg noodles with prawns, garlic and green onion, while Frances chose Haruryori – teriyaki chicken fillet and salmon teriyaki. While I was attempting to wrap some noodles around a chop stick, Lloyd commented on how Russia's devastating

Lloyd Whitely

heatwave and widespread fires have been affecting business in the agricultural sector. He explained that grain yields would be 20m to 30m tonnes lower this year. As a result, the country's government has banned the export of grain overseas, leaving some countries, including Egypt, short. "Next year's crop could also suffer because the land is too dry for them to plant fresh seeds. So I'm bullish about food prices, which will go up as a result. "Grains have already jumped from about £100 per tonne to £150 in the last six to eight weeks. It's the biggest jump I can remember in so short a space of time. Grain goes into everything – biscuits, bread, starch, pasta – and all the world's commodities have gone up in price. All you need is a few scary stories and the markets jump, creating massive volatility. "Volatility is good for our business because it gives us a trading opportunity to buy and sell," he said. Lloyd said that his main course was very good. "It makes you feel it is healthy to eat. It's satisfying, but not over

filling, and I like the sauce," he said. My noodles were nicely spiced and the mushrooms, in particular, were excellently flavoured. Frances said her Teriyaki chicken was delicious, with a good balance of sweetness and spice in the sauce. The service was prompt and friendly. Our waiter was very willing to explain the dishes to us. A busy banker, eating from the Express menu, would have no trouble getting back in time for an early afternoon meeting. Our bill came to £32.29, which included soft drinks and mineral water and service charge. As I left, I felt converted to Japanese food. Sakura brings an interesting dimension to the city centre’s lunchtime offering.

DETAILS Sakura Unit 8, Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3YL Tel: 0151 236 2113 sakuraliverpool.com

THE NETWORKER

THE BUSINESS LIST

Wednesday, 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.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2/ THE MARY PORTAS GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL RETAILING

Monday, September 20 Business Secretary Vince Cable will be joining Liverpool Chamber of Commerce members for a breakfast meeting to discuss the Government’s economic policies. His visit coincides with the Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference in Liverpool. The meeting starts at 10am. To book a place at the free event, visit www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Monday, September 20 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is hoping business leaders will be inspired by a networking event in the Lady Chapel at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. The Inspirational Networking session, organised by the FSB’s Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan region, will include a presentation by business thinker and “corporate soul woman” Molly Harvey. The British Gas-sponsored event is open to non-members and is free to attend. For information, visit www.fsb.org.uk/inspirational

Thursday, September 23 Knowsley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a workshop on the implications of social media in the workplace. The event will discuss the benefits that companies can gain from using sites such as Facebook and Twitter – and will also look at the problems that can result from unsuccessful social media policies. The event

Mary Portas, star of BBC TV show Mary Queen of Shops, has created a series of retail masterclasses TRAINING body Academy ONE is holding a series of retail masterclasses in Liverpool for independent retailers who want to learn some of the secrets from hit TV show Mary Queen of Shops. Academy ONE – a

retail training partnership between Liverpool One, Birkenhead training firm Scientiam, and the National Skills Academy for Retail – has organised seven “Mary Portas Guide to Successful Retailing” masterclasses, with

starts at 4pm at the Suites Hotel Conference Centre, in Ribblers Lane, Knowsley. For more information, visit www. knowsleychamber.org.uk

the first being held on September 2 in the conference suite at Liverpool restaurant 60 Hope Street. The sessions will cover issues including finance, marketing, visual merchandising and customer service. The masterclasses

working with the retailers to give them a better understanding of the way their customers think.” Each masterclass costs £200+VAT. To book, visit www.nsaforretail.com or e-mail john.watts@ scientiam.co.uk

Wednesday, September 29 West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce is holding its next Ellesmere Port Business breakfast at the Inglewood Manor, in nearby Ledsham. The Chamber’s breakfast meetings are designed to allow business owners and managers to meet each other and forge business connections. The event starts at 7.30am. To book, call (01244) 669988.

Tuesday, October 12

Business Secretary Vince Cable

were created by Ms Portas and will be hosted by retail consultant Shalina Alabaksh. She said: “I am looking forward to working in Liverpool – where shopping is such a massive part of people’s lives – and

Creative industries support agency Vision + Media is holding a business support surgery to help people who want to hold film festivals.

Inglewood Manor, Ledsham, which will host a West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Deborah Parker, the agency’s head of audience development, will host the event at the Bluecoat from 10.30am to

1.15pm. Anyone interested in signing up for a 45-minute meeting with her should e-mail deborahp@visionandmedia.co.uk

THE NETWORKER

ALISTAIR HOUGHTON . . . in which we set sail on the river of networking before searching for the secrets of the spirit world AVING got my holidays out of the way early, I’ve tried to infuse my recent “business engagements” with the holiday spirit. I returned from the US in early June for a summer of work, only to see the office regularly denuded of staff as they flew off to various exotic destinations – or, in one case, wet Wales. But there’s no need to go on holiday when business reporting can send you on a cruise or on an exploration of the mysteries of the spirit world. First up, it was time for the annual Rensburg Sheppards river cruise. Setting sail on one of the world’s most famous waterways with a glass of Champers or bottle of beer always to hand? Sounds like holidays to me. Admittedly, my dream holiday probably wouldn’t boast quite as many bankers and lawyers, but why be picky when there’s a free bar? The night started at the new Mersey Ferries terminal, so handy for the city’s Suit Quarter – sorry, “commercial district.” The city’s best, in their workday finest, swamped the bar before the Rensburg team politely circulated to take us to the boat. The partygoers ambled to the boat in polite and orderly fashion, almost like a school party.

Though real schoolkids wouldn’t be necking beer and Champagne, of course. They’d be on the vodka jellies. It reminded me briefly of my one visit to the School Disco night at the Hammersmith Palais. Up close, everyone was dressed in white shirts and wonky school ties in that now-traditional and oh-so-tired “wacky schoolkid” look. But, from above, all those ageing adults, who were after all dressed in shirts and ties, merely resembled the delegates at an accountancy convention living it up at the mobile disco. And the London drinks prices would have given any accountants a useful and impromptu lesson in profit margins. ACK at the Rensburg do, the networking began in earnest, even before the boat slipped off the pontoon and began its leisurely journey up and down the Mersey. Being on a boat presents its own challenges. You can’t leave early, of course, unless you have a Bond villainstyle folding submarine beneath your toupee. And woe betide anyone who suffers motion sickness. It’s hard to imagine anyone wrapping up a multimillionpound contract in dignity while leaning over the side of the boat with dinner dribbling down their chin. I also found myself distracted from conversations by the perpetually

changing views from the boat – not, it’s fair to say, a problem you’d have in the meeting room of a chain hotel. Many locals think the very idea of getting a ferry is too cheesy for words. And, yes, some of the frippery around the journey – particularly the incessant use of That Song – is annoying. But the views from the ferry remain wonderful. Yes, the view from the Pier Head up to the cathedrals remains the high point, whatever you might think of the new buildings that have popped up around the Three Graces. But there are other highlights – the view over New Brighton and out to sea, say, or the views into the derelict and brooding Stanley Dock warehouse. Or the view back to the new towers of Liverpool city centre, a futuristic and unfamiliar skyline. Taking to the water is also the only way to grasp the scale of the scrap mountains at Langton Dock. Blots on the landscape? Perhaps. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t want your cruise liner terminal there so the scrap mountains were the first things seen by wealthy foreign tourists – oops – but they are strangely impressive and a must-see part of Liverpool’s still-bustling dockscape. I always take visitors on the ferry when they visit – fitted with a Gerry Marsden filter first, of course. Rensburg uses its cruise to showcase the city to staff from elsewhere in the country. It’s a boozy office night out, of course, but it’s also a shop window for the city. Long may it continue. ND the spirits? Well, last month I found myself passing judgment on the skills of some of Britain’s best bartenders as a judge at a rum tasting competition. I’d been invited by Halewood International to the event at Alma de Cuba – another Liverpool venue beloved of visitors. It would be a stretch to call it networking, if I’m honest. But I did get to meet one new “contact” – the UK’s “rum ambassador”, Ian Burrell. Ian gets to travel the UK and beyond extolling the virtues of rum. In his spare time, he organises London’s annual Rumfest. Between rounds – the first a test of 11 cocktails, the second a series of potent rum blends – we talked about rum. Golden rums are making a comeback, he enthusiastically insisted, while Britons are more knowledgeable than ever about their drinks. Touring the world, sharing your passion with all and sundry, in glamorous venues with a drink almost to hand? Now there’s a job that’s almost a holiday in itself. So, if anybody wants a “real ale, The Smiths and Wimpy ambassador”, call me.

Gerry Marsden found ‘Networking ’Cross The Mersey’ just didn’t scan. Luckily, he soon found an alternative title

SOCIAL DIARY THE NETWORKER

Neil Byrne, BTG Tax; Catherine Pye, Smart Storage; John Haynes, International Coaching Academy; and Jenny Stewart, Liverpool Chamber, at the Novotel platform lunch

Paul Quinn (Living Room), Emmallene McGloughlin, Julie Duffy and Bryan Foy at the Mosquito preview evening

CAROLYN HUGHES Geraldine Lawler, Elizabeth Nelson, Jane Joseph and Christine Fitzsimmons at the Ladies’ lunch

ONE of Liverpool’s premiere night spots has undergone a substantial make-over over the past couple of weeks. Orchid-owned Mosquito, underneath the Living Room, hosted a preview evening for clients to showcase the newly designed popular club. Guests enjoyed a fabulous burlesque routine while sampling some exquisite canapés and superb cocktails. The preview evening was a chance for regular customers to enjoy the changes that Orchid have made to one of Liverpool’s most popular venues. ■ August’s platform

lunch at Novotel served up an excellent lunch and networking opportunity. Guests enjoyed herb brioche coated salmon fillet followed by a truly bar raising three-part chocolate pudding, based on a best seller from the hotel’s restaurant. ■ The stylish Restaurant Bar and Grill, in Brunswick Street, held their latest Ladies Networking Lunch last week. A fabulous threecourse lunch and delicious wines were enjoyed by some of Liverpool’s most glamorous ladies, topped off by some stunning cocktails.

Rachel Guy Jones, Irivine Larrier and Helen Raghu, enjoying their night at the Mosquito

Chantelle Nolan (St Helens Theatre Royal) and Louise Darcey-Kemp (Kangaroo Media), at the Ladies Networking Lunch

Geraldine Lawler, Andy Wigger (general manager, Restaurant Bar and Grill) and Jane Joseph (Crown Productions) at the Restaurant Bar and Grill event

Louise Doran, Andy Duckworth (general manager, Mosquito) and Kayleigh Winters, at the preview evening

Khalid Khan and Sandra Khan, among the guests at the Mosquito preview evening

APPLY NOW FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDY AT LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY At Liverpool Hope University we believe that studying at Postgraduate level should be both stimulating and rewarding. Our Postgraduate programmes offer the opportunity for advanced, often research-focused, study in an expanding number of areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both for career development and for purely personal interest. Much of our Postgraduate provision is available to study on a full-time and part-time basis (and some teaching is done in the evening and at weekends). Liverpool Hope University hosts a number of Postgraduate Open Evenings throughout the year.

Our next Open Evening is taking place on Thursday 2nd September. Open Evenings run from 4pm to 7pm and take place at our Hope Park campus in Childwall. They are a great opportunity to meet with individual course directors and ďŹ nd out more about the study options available to you.

You can book your place online now, alternatively contact us on: tel: 0151 291 3389 email: postgraduate@hope.ac.uk www.hope.ac.uk/postgraduate Liverpool Hope University Hope Park Taggart Avenue Childwall Liverpool L16 9JD

Taught Doctorate Education EdD Taught Masters Programmes Academic Practice MA/PG Cert Art History & Curating MA Business & Management MSc Chaplaincy in Education PG Cert Christian Educational Leadership PG Cert Christian Theology MA Computer Science MSc Contemporary Muslim Studies* MA Contemporary Popular Theatres MA Creative Practice MA Criminal Justice MA Education MA Education (Children & Young People) MA Education (Early Childhood) MA Education (International Perspectives) MA Education (Leadership and Management) MA Education (Mentoring and Coaching) MA Educational Research MSc Environmental Management MSc Global Culture MA Global Politics (Peace Building) MA Health, Exercise & Nutrition MSc Humanities MA Human Resource Management & Development MSc Information Technology* MBA Management in Healthcare PG Cert Marketing Management MSc Maritime & Colonial History MA Masters of Business Administration (International) IMBA Mathematics Education PG Cert Museum & Heritage Studies* PG Cert Music in Cultural History* MA Music since 1900 MA Popular Literatures MA Psychology MSc Radio and Online Journalism* PG Dip Religion & Society MA Research Methods MSc Social Work* MA/MSW Teaching & Learning* (Masters) Therapeutic Childcare (Play Therapy) MA Therapeutic Childcare (Life Story) MA The Beatles, Popular Music & Society MA Transatlantic Studies MA Research Degrees MPhil and PhD *subject to validation