Post Business - 4th July 2013

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

All Saints students get to the heart of a successful business ELEVEN budding entrepreneurs from All Saints Catholic Centre for Learning in Kirkby won two of the four prizes on offer when they represented Merseyside at the Young Enterprise North West final at Manchester Airport – with the implicit support of HRH the Prince of Wales.

The team called themselves “Royal Heart Design” after Prince Charles inspired the students through his support of the school on a visit to Jaguar Land Rover, which All Saints has a partnership with.

The year nine students from All Saints are already the most successful team from Knowsley to enter the contest in the past 50 years and are also the youngest group in the Young Enterprise finals.

Last Monday they were awarded “Best Trade Stand” as well as “Best Customer Service” at the competition; the only school from Merseyside to ever win two accolades.

Students entering the competition are tasked with setting up and running a real firm for a year.

Royal Heart Design specialised in high quality personalised printing for gifts, events and corporate promotions and supplied products such as mugs, bags, key rings and hoodies.

The successful All Saints Catholic Centre for Learning team which excelled in the regional finals

Sovex expands into the Far East with new investment

by Tony McDonough POST BUSINESS STAFF

tony.mcdonough@liverpool.com

WIRRAL manufacturer Sovex is expanding after securing an investment totalling £750,000 from Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF).

The company which designs, manufactures and installs vehicle loading and parcel handling systems to clients such as DHL, DPD, Hermes, UK Mail and Yodel, has undergone “phenomenal” growth in recent the last two years.

Sovex, which is run by directors Michele Dematteis, David Lindfield and Malcolm Dooley has seen its turnover increase from £8m in 2011 to £13m in 2012. Turnover this year is expected to hit £17m.

Malcolm Jones from MSIF led the investment with support from Mark

Borzomato. The funding has been used to set up a manufacturing facility in Malaysia.

Mr Dematteis said: “The parcel handling industry has undergone huge growth in the last couple of years largely down to the increase in online shopping which has significantly boosted our business.

“We also recently set up a sales office in Holland which has enabled us to tap into European markets including a contract with Deutsche Post and this has also contributed to our recent growth.

“This latest round of funding from MSIF is being used to set up our own manufacturing facility in Malaysia.

“We currently use a sub-contractor out there but they can’t cope with the demand so we need a facility which can provide increased outputs. It will also be better for us as a business to manage our own supply chain.

“Having a base in Malaysia will also help us to tap into the Asia Pacific market and we are already speaking to some organisations in that part of the world.

“Malcolm Jones who oversaw the transaction at MSIF provided invaluable advice and support.”

Mr Jones added: “Sovex is a fantastic example of a business using investment for growth.

“The directors have not been afraid to take on continued investment to ensure that the business can deliver as its client base and outputs grow.

“We have made several investments into the business already and are very pleased that we will remain involved with Sovex and its team and also to be supporting the manufacturing sector.”

In the last two years Sovex has doubled its UK-based workforce and now employs 105 people at its base in Prenton.

RSS completes ‘robust’ year of trading CHESTER-based contractor RSS Construction Projects has reported a ‘robust year of trading’ after it undertook 32 contracts across the North West.

Headed by managing

director Grant Roxburgh, the firm specialises in the repair and rehabilitation of all types of built assets.

He said the company’s work is being driven primarily by

tender wins and from repeat business from existing clients.

Mr Roxburgh said: “It has been a strong year of trading and we are seeing steady business from core sectors,

including local authorities in the North West and North Wales, the petrochemical and engineering sectors, as well as schools, museums and commercial offices.”

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Nepal seals Airbus order

Michele Dematteis of Sovex

Fashion week THE fifth Lambrini Liverpool Fashion Week has been confirmed for October 14-19.

Lambrini, the brand belonging to Huyton drinks firm Halewood International, is backed by Liverpool Council, which sees the event as a great showcase for local talent.

NEPAL’S national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has signed a firm order for two Airbus A320 aircraft.

Madan Kharel, NAC managing director, said: “Nepal is a landlocked nation, and aviation is our window to the world.

“It welcome explorers, trekkers and pleasure seekers, cultural and ecological visitors and its importance cannot be over stated for our country.”

He added: “Our new A320s will help us to increase capacity and capitalise on the growth in tourism.”

Airbus employs more than 6,000 staff at its wing making plant situated at Broughton, near Chester.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

news

Liverpool’s airport ‘needs to market itself more’

by Helen Davies

POST BUSINESS STAFF

helen.davies01@trinitymirror.com

THE chief operating officer of Ryanair has spoken of the need for Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) to raise its profile in order to compete with Manchester Airport.

Michael Cawley, who is also deputy chief executive at the budget airline, told Post Business he “hoped” Ryanair would introduce new routes and more planes from Liverpool in the future.

He said: “I think the airport needs to be consciously putting itself forward in people’s minds for when they’re booking a holiday.

“They did well with the rebranding of it as John Lennon Airport but there’s been something of a lull since then.

“They need to regenerate that and really get it going.

“We do marketing but it’s very important they do it too. It’s not something they should be shy about.”

Mr Cawley, who spoke to Post Business following his visit to Liverpool to speak at the Accelerate business festival held in the city last week, said he believes “this region can certainly support two large airports”.

He said: “It’s a very competitive area with Manchester and to a lesser extent Birmingham and Leeds.

“By definition, Liverpool is in competition with other airports and they need to keep increasing their services and publicity.”

He added: “It’s a very user friendly airport, it’s very good from an operational point of view.”

In response to Mr Cawley’s comments, a spokesman for Liverpool John Lennon Airport said: “ We have worked hard in recent years to improve the passenger experience here at the airport and have made some great progress.

“For example, over 89% of our flights departed on time last year compared to an average of 80% at other UK airports.

“The average time taken to pass though the security screening area from entry to exit is now just nine minutes and we are achieving 96% positive feedback for overall customer satisfaction in our passenger surveys.”

He added: “Having said this we agree with Michael Cawley and our focus now is to shout louder about the great benefits of flying from here. We are working with Ryanair and locally with Liverpool Vision, on developing a campaign, to shout about the airport, raise brand awareness and make sure that Liverpool people choose to fly from Liverpool’s airport.”

Matthew Thomas took over from former chief executive Craig Richmond in March as chief executive of LJLA, stepping up from his role as commercial director for JLA parent group Vancouver Airport Services.

Mr Cawley said he felt Mr Thomas would do “very well” in the role and help take the airport forward.

He added he felt there was a need for airports in the UK to market themselves as places for people to fly to and not just to fly from.

Earlier this month, Ryanair placed an order for 175 new aircraft with Boeing at the Paris Air Show.

Asked by Post Business if any of these would be based at Liverpool, Mr Cawley said he “hoped so”.

He added: “I hope there will be new routes to Liverpool but not right now.

“We hope to be giving Liverpool airport more business in the future.

“The problem is over the next year we don’t have any more aircraft coming but after that we have.”

Of the 175 new planes, 14 are due to be delivered in the latter half of 2014, 50 over the following two years and the remainder by 2018.

Ryanair’s Michael Cawley addressing the Accelerate event im Liverpool Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY

The number of passengers carried

by Ryanair to and from Liverpool has risen from around 20,000 a year 25 years ago to almost 1.8m last year.

Matthew Thomas, chief executive at JLA, said: “We’re naturally delighted this latest Ryanair mile-

STEP INTO MY OFFICE

For News, Sport and Business on your phone ‘I found the Text LDP children’s to 67800 soft furnishings on the market quite boring and stereotypical - all pink and blue – so I started making things that were a little bit different’ Full video interview, at www. ldpbusiness. co.uk “That will provide us the opportunity to grow here,” said Mr Cawley.

Speaking about how he saw the future of Ryanair, he said they had “only begun to scratch the surface” in terms of where the company was going.

He said: “I think the future of Ryanair is marvellous.

“Creating new routes is a key part of our future.”

The deputy chief executive, who has been with Ryanair since 1997, also

spoke to Post Business about the damage he felt Air Passenger Duty (APD) was doing to Britain’s airline industry.

He said: “APD is a major problem in this country.

“When you’re in France or Italy you don’t pay these taxes. Our average fare is 40 euros so it’s like charging VAT at 50%, it’s crazy.

“Every other country which introduced it has reversed it because they’ve seen tourism and passenger numbers decline.”

Ryanair’s passenger milestone at JLA visit to the airport( to mark the airline carrying 300m passengers to and from the UK since it started in 1985.

In the 25 years low- cost Irish airline Ryanair has been flying from JLA, it has carried 20m passengers on services from and to Liverpool.

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Diana Heredia, from Leon + Coco

‘It is not something they should be shy about’

LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport (JLA) has celebrated Ryanair’s latest passenger milestone.

While in Merseyside for his speech at the Accelerate business festival, Michael Cawley, Ryanair’s deputy chief executive and chief operating officer, paid a

post business

stone has been celebrated here at Liverpool, having worked closely with them over the past 25 years and having been a part of their amazing growth and success story.”

The ceremony also featured former Atomic Kitten star, Kerry Katona.

Kerry Katona helps Ryanair celebrate

Managers not taking holidays ONLY one in two managers has booked a summer holiday and many will not take a break in the coming months because of pressure of work, according to a study.

A survey of more than 800 managers in private firms and the public and voluntary sectors found that most of those who will get away planned to do some work while they were on holiday.

The Chartered Management Institute said its survey found that workload was the main reason many managers would forego a holiday.

One in eight admitted they would check emails every day.

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post business big feature

Bill Gleeson JLR has come a long way in the years under Tata REPORTS last weekend that a stake in the company that owns Jaguar Land Rover could be sold for almost £800m should cause some pause for reflection.

You have to remember that when Tata Group acquired JLR from Ford it paid just over £1bn for the whole company.

Now it is suggested that a 5.6% stake could be sold for a sum of money that isn’t all that far removed from the full purchase price. If the sale goes ahead, it would mean someone, somewhere appreciates how far JLR has come under Tata.

The stake is currently held by another Tata Group company, Tata Steel, which is said to want to realise the value of its shareholding in order to pay down debt on its balance sheet.

While the stake is in Tata Motors, and not JLR directly, JLR is by far the biggest part of the car company, particularly when it comes to profitability. Furthermore, the Halewood made Evoque that makes the biggest contribution to profit.

The acquisition of JLR was a risk for both the brands and Tata Group.

Car owners need big resources to fund research and development to bring in the next generation of models.

The lack of such resources lay behind the problems that ultimately brought down the owners of MG Rover. The story of Tata’s acquisition has been a far happier one.

FORMER Tesco chairman Lord MacLaurin last week openly criticised the legacy left by Sir Terry Leahy after he left Tesco.

He was critical of the write-offs incurred by the supermarket group’s exit from loss making ventures in places like the United States. The suggestion was that Sir Terry, one of the most successful business leaders to come out of this city, overstretched the company as it tried to turn itself into an ever bigger and more profitable business.

It amounts to a radical revision of Sir Terry’s years as chief executive of Tesco. During those years, he was acknowledged by the likes of Forbes and others as one of

the most influential and admirable business leaders in Europe.

The fact is, however, that after many years of growth, including the creation of a dominant position in the UK supermarket sector, there were some write offs in the latter stages of his tenure.

Some of the sheen has continued to come off the Tesco gloss.

Nevertheless, it seems odd that Lord MacLaurin should be all that critical.

After all, was he not at the helm of the board that provided oversight of Sir Terry’s leadership?

His lordship is reported to have said that the current chief executive Philip Clarke, also a son of Liverpool, needed three years to revive the fortunes of the group.

But don’t all new management put through the big write offs in their early years and then claim the credit when the profits pick up?

After a decade and a half in charge, it’s a bit late to begin rewriting what is an important slice of modern day economic history.

THERE are growing signs that the Government is summoning up the resolve to tackle the thorny problem of international firms such as Google and Amazon paying very little corporation tax from trade conducted in the UK. Both have group structures that see much of the profit from UK sales channelled to lower tax regimes like Luxembourg and Ireland.

In a recent House of Commons debate, there was something approaching unanimity across the benches about the need to do something.

Yet it is not always the easiest thing to write legislation that catches all eventualities. The fact is cross border trade is difficult to tax fairly.

There are also international tax treaties that can’t be overlooked either. Any renegotiation of cross border tax arrangements are not going to be concluded quickly.

Pressure, however, is mounting as charities concerned about the effects of austerity on poverty at home and abroad take a lead in campaigning for a change to the rules.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Can biomass

Mark Keaney examines industry’s growing use of biomass as a renewable raw material

T

HE University of Liverpool is to receive a share of £1.8m of funding to develop the next generation of renewable chemicals from biomass.

These biomass-derived chemicals could find varied uses in the manufacture of materials, plastics, solvents and pharmaceuticals.

This goal is to be achieved through the development of chemicals from the sugars, fats, oils and carbohydrates produced by treating biomass.

The project is being conducted with other academic institutions and industry, including AB Foods and Unilever.

This investment marks a move towards the increasing use of renewable sources of raw materials, something that will increasingly become imperative in today’s world of decreasing fossil fuel supply, increasing oil prices, and mounting environmental concerns.

The project is to be headed by Dr Jose Lopez-Sanchez, a lecturer in Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis at the University's Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy.

Dr Lopez-Sanchez said: “The use of biomass-derived chemicals and products in manufacturing is a priority as the need for industry to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels increases.

“The use of renewables in the production of bio-energy and chemicals also represents one of the necessary steps required to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the near future and therefore reduce the detrimental impact of human activity in our environment.

“The combined expertise of the University of Liverpool in the discovery and development of new advanced materials for catalytic transformations of biomass with expertise from the University of York in biomass transformations will be paramount to the success and applicability of this project.”

The project will also delve into bio-refinery processes in an attempt to streamline them and make the overall process more efficient, along with making its cost more feasible for users.

The project's funding is being provided by a number of partners including Unilever and Croda International, a chemicals company. It is also receiving support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Both fossil fuels and biomass release carbon upon combustion, thereby forming heat energy as they are burnt. This is what makes them both fuels.

The carbon used to create the biomass is absorbed from the atmosphere by plant life in the form of carbon dioxide. This is another added benefit of biofuel.

Carbon neutrality can be achieved through its use. The carbon dioxide formed by the fuel when it is burnt can then be taken up again by the new plant material used to take its place, more biomass is created and a cycle of use and renewal is formed. This is the very reason it is considered a renewable source of energy. The biomass materials are easily replaced.

Plant material can be renewed endlessly. In this way carbon dioxide emissions may be curbed as we plant more biomass material able to use the gas.

On the other hand, fossil fuels are not renewable. They were formed from the

remains of living organisms over hundreds of millions of years. The supply of these fossil fuels is being used up and they cannot be replaced. This means there is an increasing fossil fuel deficit which must be taken on before all of our supply is depleted. This is what drives the price of oil and petrol up.

Seeking to benefit from biomass is the logistics group, Stobart. The company is currently in the process of planning and building a biomass power plant in Widnes' 3MG park, bringing to the town over 100 jobs with it, including construction and engineering positions along with 20 permanent operational roles.

The new facility is said to be able to burn 147,000 tons of wood a year, enough to generate at least 20 megawatts of energy. Twenty megawatts would be able to provide power for 20,000 homes for a year. This is already being considered for local homes, with Halton Housing Trust holding discussions with Stobart on the matter.

However, local concerns have been raised over the possible smell caused by the prospective biomass plant and the

A step to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

potential increase in industry it may cause to an already heavily industrialised area.

The project has been given the go ahead by council chiefs as a result of a report shown to them, assuring them that the planned scheme is an “environmentally friendly way to create energy with no overall greenhouse gas emissions”.

The report concluded that: "Utilising wood in this way provides a carbon neutral substitute for fossil fuels while recovering energy from wood, which would otherwise be landfilled, and avoids methane emissions that would be generated from its decay in landfill and, therefore, results in significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions in line with national and local policy.”

Other examples of biomass power plants in the area include one at the Port of Liverpool and another at a paper mill in Shotton. Peel Ports is also expected to create a biomass handling facility at the Port of Liverpool which will be able to keep the wood for fuel dry.

The Mersey Forest, which both plants and tends trees across six Merseyside local authorities, runs a biomass advisory service.

Mersey Forest has stated on its web-

Thursday, July 4, 2013

big feature post business

be fuel of the future?

A two ton biomass boiler being installed in a Cheshire school

Dr Jose Lopez-Sanchez and his research team at the University of Liverpool’s Sustainable Chemistry department site, that the use of waste wood as biomass has “opened up a whole new market for this material and stimulated a lot of employment as well”.

It added: “As well as providing a place for wildlife and recreation, woods can provide tangible and renewable products.

These in turn can generate employment and help the local economy. We are exploring ways to make the most from our wooden forest resource, whether it be a piece of fine furniture or a fuel.

“Wood as a fuel is seeing a renaissance with increasing fossil fuel prices.”

Another big user of biomass is Fiddlers Ferry power station. owned by Scottish and Southern Energy, which has been co-fired for many years now.

Local small business is also joining the emerging biomass driven market, with boiler firms such Fletchrose of Aintree, proposing a move towards renewable biomass boilers for industry in an effort to capitalise on the emerging market of green energy.

The coalition government's UK Bio-energy Strategy has set a clear direction for the reduction of greenhouse

gas emissions, specifically carbon dioxide. To achieve lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the government has decided to subsidise industrial biomass plants in an attempt to stimulate business to take interest in renewable energy.

However, not everybody is convinced.

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace, in association with the RSPB and Friends of the Earth have released a report criticising aspects of the Government’s biomass strategy.

Although the reduction of coal use has been a long-standing objective of many environmentalists, the report said biomass, under current conditions, may prove more environmentally damaging than coal. Reasons include the fact that biomass materials require more transport relative to coal because coal is more energy-dense so less is needed relative to biomass. The idea that planting new trees offsets the carbon formed by burning the wood is also confronted, as multiple studies have illustrated that it can take decades for a tree to repay the “carbon debt” of biomass.

It can take years to replace carbon debt

Billington invests £1m in buying and selling biomass but the firm has yet to make a profit LIVERPOOL-based agricultural commodities firm Edward Billington & Son has invested over £1m in a biomass operation.

The firm sources the fuel to sell on to end users such as schools and hospitals that have installed biomass heating and hot water boilers to replace the traditional oil burning systems.

Company director Edward Billington said: "The vast majority of biomass is currently used to generate electricity, but another part of the equation is burning timber for heating and hot water. That's the bit we are interested in.

"We buy pelletised timber from within the UK. We have two storage depots and we are aiming at customers like schools or hospitals or commercial buildings or domestic property."

It is a market with huge potential. About 50% of UK energy consumption is used to heat buildings and water. Virtually all of that 50% uses fossil fuels.

Mr Billington believes part

of the reason for the low take up of sustainable forms of heating energy is down to the shortcomings of a government scheme that was originally intended to stimulate demand.

He said: "There is the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme to replace fossil fuel systems with things like ground heat pumps and biomass. Most of the uptake has been biomass."

Over the past 18 months, the incentive scheme has convinced just 1,500 sites to switch.

Mr Billington added: "There is a real problem at the moment. Ourselves and a dozen other companies have developed the logistics and resources to support this area, but the uptake is down on what we were expecting and as a result there is not a single business that is profitable.

"Government policy has been very poorly led. They have tinkered and changed the rules on many occasions and made it very complex and many customers don't trust the government to stick to the

plans they outlined.

"It's frustrating."

Under the RHI, a hospital or school that has converted to biomass boilers gets a rebate based on heat output. The rebate goes a long way towards paying for the running costs of heating their buildings. However, the government doesn't commit to paying the rebate until the new boiler is installed. so end-users have to have a leap of faith that government doesn't change the rules again.

The suspicion is the cost of the rebate to the Treasury will be high in a time of austerity.

Mr Billington said: "They are so scared of it getting out of control that they are prepared to let the scheme fail rather than letting the costs get out of control, but it makes it difficult to operate a business.

"We are growing relatively well. I have piggy-backed our biomass business on the fact we are an animal feed distributor with transport and storage facilities, but we are still to make a profit.”

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

post business wealth management IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Winding down of Fed’s QE spooks the global markets market analysis

by Anjali Roberts

LIVERPOOL OFFICE OF CHARLES STANLEY THERE has been a perceptible change in the mood of global equity markets since the first three months of 2013.

Some of this change in mood can be put down to the US Federal Reserve’s public discussions of the pros and cons of tapering quantitative easing (QE).

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed at the June Open Markets Committee meeting that the $85bn-permonth bond purchases would be scaled back at some point in the coming months.

In order to start this process the Fed must believe that the US economy specifically, and the Western developed economy more generally, is entering an unequivocal upturn.

Financial markets had been expecting tapering of the QE programme to start in the US in September or December, but the confirmation still came as a shock.

The World Bank has cut its global growth forecast for this year from 2.4% to 2.2%.

Prior to the economic downswing of 2008-09 an annual rate of increase of global gross domestic product (GDP) of 3% used to be regarded as weak, whilst 4% was assumed to be the norm.

In recent years the World Bank has declared that 2.2% growth in GDP represents the new norm.

Anjali Roberts

As a result, investors are fearful that if the Fed starts slowing its asset purchases too quickly this will have a negative effect on financial markets.

However, while Fed officials have indicated that they may start to taper bond purchases, they have left the door open to re-accelerate the pace of purchases again if the real economy gains no traction.

In addition, critics of QE say that the Fed’s asset-buying programme has had negative consequences for emerging markets.

These markets have been experiencing high inflows of funds as investors have been directing their cash away from the US capital markets which have been artificially depressed by the QE programme.

If the Fed ends QE too abruptly, this capital could leave these markets as quickly as it arrived.

To some, the current situation is reminiscent of that which preceded the Asian financial crisis of 1998.

Since then the countries that were affected have built up their defences, mainly foreign exchange reserves, to protect against a repetition of the crisis.

However, a significant outflow of cash would still be disruptive – the knock-on effects of currency weakness in emerging market currencies could prompt their central banks to tighten their monetary policies which could weigh on global growth.

The Fed will have to take any potential repercussions into account, although it will base its decisions first and foremost on the strength of the domestic US economy.

Supporters of equities continue to argue that valuations are far from stretched in a historical context.

Attention will now focus more closely on any macroeconomic data releases over the coming months.

Depending on how positive or negative the data is, this could give an indication as to when the Fed might start to taper its asset purchases.

In recent times good data is fine, but bad data is better as that means deferring the start of the tapering process.

At the time of writing, financial markets have stabilised following a sharp sell-off.

However, investor sentiment remains nervous and the removal of the liquidity cushion that has been supporting financial assets is a big event, the significance of which should not be underestimated.

The OFT decision is the culmination of a large-scale investigation into the £2bn payday sector, including spot checks on household names such as Wonga.

The OFT said it is concerned that lenders are mainly competing on the availability and speed of loan approval, rather than how much it will cost the borrower.

It said: “The competitive pressure to approve loans quickly may give firms an incentive to skimp on the affordability assessment which is designed to prevent irresponsible lending and protect consumers.

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CREDIT card customers are being given a helping hand to balance their budgets and pick the best deal for their needs with the launch of a new website by the industry.

The UK Cards Association said that the site allows consumers to calculate, for example, how much they can save in interest and charges by increasing their regular repayments.

The CardCosts website can also help them to work out how long it would take for them to pay off their card if they carried on as normal and how much they would need to pay regularly if they wanted to clear their balance in a year.

The launch of the website follows research from the University of Bristol.

The study suggested that many consumers struggle to understand how the APR (annual percentage rate), as the traditional measure of working out how expensive it is to borrow, related to their own financial circumstances.The website can be found at cardcosts.org.uk.

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The US Federal Reserve is winding down its QE programme

Watchdog launches payday lender probe PAYDAY lenders have been referred for a full-blown investigation by the Competition Commission after the trading watchdog uncovered “deep-rooted” problems with the industry.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it decided to make the referral because it continues to suspect that features of the market “prevent, restrict or distort competition”.

The “fundamental” problems it has found, such as loans becoming far more expensive than expected, cannot be tackled by existing laws and guidance, it said.

notes

“The OFT is also concerned about business models that appear predicated on making loans which are unaffordable, leading to borrowers paying far more than expected through rollovers, additional interest and other charges.”

Clive Maxwell, OFT chief executive, said: “Competition appears not to be working properly in the payday lending market, allowing firms to profit from making loans that cannot be paid back on time.

“We have seen evidence of financial loss and personal distress to many people.”

NEARLY 78,000 more home owners have become “property millionaires” over the last year, according to a house price rich list.

An estimated 323,684 homes across Britain are now worth more than £1m, marking an increase of one third or 77,894 more properties compared with 12 months ago, according to Zoopla.co.uk.

Zoopla also named Kensington Palace Gardens in London as the country’s most expensive street.

The road has previously been nicknamed the “boulevard of billionaires”.

Private rents on the rise RENTS in London have increased at double the pace of those in the North East, the North West and the East Midlands in recent years, an official report has shown.

Private rents have risen by 11% since 2005 in the capital, with the East of England seeing the second biggest jump at 8.3%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The North East has seen the slowest pace of rent increases in England, with a 5.2% upturn over the last eight years, followed by the East Midlands, which recorded

a 5.3% rise and the North West with a 5.5% increase.

The index is the first of its kind to be produced by the ONS, to shed more light on how the private rental market is evolving across Britain.

The report has been compiled as a “test”, with a view to producing rental market studies on a more regular basis, initially four times a year.

It found that over the year to May 2013 the cost of renting increased by 1.3% in England.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

news

Trust celebrates helping set up 29 fledgling entrepreneurs

by Neil Hodgson

POST BUSINESS STAFF

neil.hodgson@liverpool.com

A BOOTLE-based business support organisation has helped almost 30 new companies set up in the past six months.

South Sefton Development Trust has helped 29 entrepreneurs and says this reflects the fact that more people are considering self-employment in the current uncertain jobs market.

The Trust’s service provides training and one-to-one business support, as well as a £250 revenue grant.

The new crop of fledgling businesses include a cake designer, a training firm, several fashion designers, a bespoke handbag designer, an acting workshop and educational and careers service providers.

Other new businesses include a jewelry designer, a picture framing business, a social enterprise providing support to disadvantaged young people, a dog groomer and a fitness and diet consultant.

A particular highlight has been the creation of a new social enterprise offering a range of sewing-related services by 10 local residents who successfully completed the Trust’s Sew Good training course.

Other new entrepreneurs include fashion designer Emma Moogan, who has set up her own stylish evening wear business, Nova Vestium.

She graduated from Manchester University with first class honours in clothing design and technology and went on to work as an intern with designer Anna Sui in New York.

Now she is promoting Nova Vestium as her own high-end label offering bespoke dresses and a ready-to-wear range.

Her work has already received national recognition after she created a one-off dress for Emmerdale star Samantha Giles which the actress wore at the recent British Soap Awards in London.

Over the past six months the Trust has also helped Catherine Cook to turn her passion for baking into a success-

Catherine Cook was helped in setting up her venture by South Sefton Development Trust ful new business, Patti Cakes Studio.

Ms Cook has won many plaudits for her cupcakes and larger celebration cakes for all occasions.

Now she is opening her own studio as a showcase for her products and a venue for baking-related activity birth-

BA business class customers to get a taste of Mammy Jamia’s A MERSEYSIDE family firm behind a premium range of fruit preserves is to supply its products to British Airways Business Class customers.

Mammy Jamia’s was launched by Eastham-based husband and wife Andrew and Sajmira Cairns in 2011 and they supply Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado.

Now, Mammy Jamia’s Pear Preserve has been added to the in-flight menu as a side to the cheeseboard.

Mr Cairns said: “The airline catering company supplying British Airways with our Pear Preserve did a product trial of jams and preserves currently on the market.

Andrew and Sajmira “They were looking for a unique, luxurious and tasty alternative to what they have usually supplied and our jam came

out top,” he added.

“The company is trying other flavours in our range and, as they supply airlines such as Emirates and China Airways, the opportunities in this market are very exciting.”

There are currently eight jams in the range – fig, pear, rhubarb, apple, plum, greengage, ginger and quince.

All of the jams are based on an original recipe passed down through Sajmira’s family, hence the name Mammy Jamia.

The jams are manufactured and distributed by Kent-based Opies, one of the UK’s oldest private family-owned food companies.

day parties for children and teambuilding workshops for adults.

Trust senior business adviser Eve Mone said: “It’s been a real pleasure to help talented people like Emma and Catherine, and I’m sure they will make great successes of their new ventures.

“Overall, it’s been a busy six months for us, but in an uncertain jobs market it’s been very rewarding to be able to support so many new entrepreneurs who are determined to turn their skills and passions into self-employment.”

UK house prices are on the rise HOUSE prices increased across almost one third of the country last month in the biggest uplift seen in almost six years.

Prices grew in 31% of postcodes in England and Wales, marking the highest proportion recorded since September 2007 as improved market activity spread beyond London, property analysts at Hometrack found.

House prices increased by 0.4% in June, matching the growth seen in May, which was the highest increase seen in a single month since June 2007.

Just 3.1% of postcodes saw house prices fall, representing the smallest share seen for three years.

Hometrack expects the upswing in prices to continue in the coming months, although the rate of increase is likely to slow as demand drifts off over the summer holiday period.

London recorded the strongest growth in June, with prices rising by 0.9%. Prices were unchanged in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and Humberside.

post business

7

Banks are ordered to backtrack on CPAs CONSUMERS whose banks and building societies fobbed them off when they tried to cancel recurring payments are in line for compensation payouts.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reached an agreement with major high street banks and mutuals that they must trawl through their records going back to 2009 to look again at complaints they have had after a customer asked for a payment to be cancelled, only to find this did not happen.

The agreement relates to a type of payment called a continuous payment authority (CPA), which are often used when people sign up to use the services of gyms, payday lenders, insurance companies and internet firms.

More than £7.5bn-worth of payments are made through CPAs each year.

They are automatic payments which work in a similar way to a direct debit, with consumers giving a supplier or retailer permission to take payments on their card.

The FCA has moved to act following concerns that, particularly in relation to payday loans, some banks and mutuals were not cancelling CPAs when asked to do so by their customers.

Several charities have highlighted problems with payday loan firms using CPAs.

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8

Thursday, July 4, 2013

post business the bottom line

Bakery firm reports strong profits despite tough times

by Bill Gleeson

POST BUSINESS STAFF

bill.gleeson@liverpool.com

CROWN Street based Real Good Food Company reported a strong rise in profits and earnings per share on the back of cost cutting and the implementation of a new management structure.

Reporting its full year results last week, RGFC remained optimistic about its longterm future as it managed to cut back on its debt levels.

The company also undertaken a reviews of its brands, saying it believes it can better exploit some of its more established products.

The group’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ending March 2013 showed turnover at £265m compared to the £305m recorded for the 15 months to March 2012.

Gross profit came in at £37.2m, slightly down on the £39.6m for the previous 15-month period. Once distribution costs of £11.6m and administrative expenses of £17.8m are taken into account, the company reported operating profit of £7.7m, higher than the £6m seen in 2012. Finance costs of £1.5m resulted in a profit before tax £6.2m, higher than the £4.3m in 2012.

The statement shows an income tax charge of £1.3m versus £746,000 in 2012.

RGFC’s balance sheet shows goodwill of £75.7m, unchanged on last year. Property, plant and equipment was booked at £17.6m, up slightly on the £17m shown at March 2012.

Cash at bank was £7.1m, a significant improvement on £2.5m in 2012. Short-term borrowings were £23m versus £24.3m, while long-term borrowings were £9m, higher than the £6.7m the year before.

The group owns a range of food brands including Napier Brown, Europe’s biggest non-refining sugar distributor, and marzipan maker Renshaw. Other brands in the group include R&W Scott, ingredients supplier Garretts and Hayden’s bakery, which makes patisserie and desserts.

In its preliminary statement, the company said it had seen further improvement on last year’s strong performance, which it put down to operational improvements at Haydens and R&W Scott.

EBITDA was up 24% to £10.5m versus £8.5m in the 12 months to March 2012. All trading divisions now have positive EBITDA. There was also a significant improvement in earnings per share to 7.2p, up 50% on 4.9p for the 12 months to March 2012.

The EBITDA improvement also

■

EUROPE’S biggest tour operator TUI Travel hailed the “continued strong support” of its banks this week after signing a new £300m credit facility.

The group, which owns brands including Thomson, First Choice and Gulliver Travel, said the three-year deal will improve its flexibility and strength.

Royal Bank of Scotland co-ordinated the debt deal, which involved a syndicate of the company’s banks.

TUI’s chief financial officer Will Waggott said: “This new credit facility will improve the flexibility and strength within our capital structure and demonstrates the continued strong support for the group from our banks.”

■

ONLINE personal asset lender borro has reached a milestone of £50m in funded loans to individuals and small businesses.

Launched in the UK in 2008 and in the US in 2012, borro offers loans of up to £1m secured against high end personal assets including fine art, antiques and jewellery

Executive chairman Pieter Totte and, inset, the firm picks up a Liverpool Post export award

means there was a significant improvement in “debt serviceability” with the net debt to EBITDA ratio down from 3.3 to 2.4.

Net borrowings were £25m at the year end, down £3.7m from £28.7m.

Pieter Totte, executive chairman, said: “I am delighted to report a year of steady progress when we achieved a significant increase in earnings despite recording only a modest increase in overall revenue.

“We continued to invest in the development of our five businesses, but we were still able to reduce total borrowings and secure new financing facilities for future expansion.

“While the outlook for the economy and consumers’ disposable income is likely only to improve gradually, I am confident we have a strong platform for long-term sustainable growth based on sound plans.

“We have fully implemented our

management structure which we have been working towards and which now reflects our targeted business model.

“We have managing directors and full management teams in all five businesses, which enables each one to operate as a standalone unit.

“We have undertaken strategic reviews across each of the divisions and agreed three-year business plans.

We have re-oriented each business to become commercially led and market driven, which is a significant change from three years ago.

“We have invested in marketing resources across the group and also retail category management functions where we had historically little or no expertise.

“We are fortunate to operate mainly in growth markets, while in some businesses, Renshaw in particular, export represents a significant opportunity.”

The firm says it is seeing returns from investment in marketing its established brands like Renshaw.

Bibby says decrease in profits is prelude to stronger future INVESTMENT in long-term growth and difficult trading conditions were behind a fall in operating profits at Liverpool-based Bibby Line Group when it published its results earlier this week.

Annual revenues for 2012 increased by 8.7% to £1.4bn, but operating profits slid from £63.8m in 2011 to £46.4m at the family owned group.

However, managing director Sir Michael Bibby said he expects to see

notes

an improved performance in the current year.

Bibby comprises shipping, marine services, retail, logistics and financial services interests.

Its North Sea diving support vessels division Bibby Offshore reported turnover growth of 39% to £210m and pre-tax profits more than tripled to £17.3m.

Bibby Distribution grew its sales by 3% to £255m having renewed nine key

contracts and recording a major new deal with a supermarket chain in the final quarter.

Retail, which includes the Costcutter chain of 1,700 convenience stores and off licences, saw sales grow by 3% to £674m. It added 45 Rhythm & Booze off-licences and recruited 233 more franchisee-operated stores.

And Bibby Financial Services, which provides debt factoring to small firms around the world, increased rev-

enues by 5% to £169m, financing debts and transactions to a total value of £7.89bn.

Having invested more than £100m in its assets and businesses, Sir Michael Bibby said 2012 was “a stepping stone to greater things”.

He said: “Although 2012 was a difficult year with reduced profitability, in part due to market conditions and our investment in long term value, the hard work is already bearing fruit.”

■

AVIVA Investors has acquired a portfolio of residential solar panel systems built on 4,000 houses from Ecovision Renewable Energy.

The move by Aviva’s REaLM Infrastructure Fund should result in predictable, index-linked returns as each system is eligible for OFGEM-regulated Feed-in Tariffs for every unit of electricity generated for 25 years.

■

TOOL and equipment supplier Hire Services Group has acquired powered access specialist UK Platforms, whose products, include scissor lifts, boom lifts and telehandlers.

The deal with Haulotte Group will make HSS the second-largest provider in the powered access market in the UK and Ireland.

■

HOUSEBUILDER CALA, which was recently sold to insurer Legal & General and private equity firm Patron for £210m, said it expects to announce record full-year profits in September, driven by an improved housebuilding margin of around 19%.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

small business post business

notes

small

business of the week

■

A CUT in VAT to 5% on energy efficiency improvement work would help more households than Green Deal finance can, said the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the latest statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

So far, 38,259 Green Deal assessments have been carried out, but only four Green Deal plans have been signed.

Research by the FMB shows that cutting VAT to 5% on energy-efficient glazing and boiler replacements could result in an additional 57,668 households with both measures installed by 2020.

FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: “These latest Green Deal statistics show the scheme is attracting some interest.

However, there are disappointingly few households actually using Green Deal finance to pay for the work.

“Government is doing its best to portray the Green Deal as a success, but it’s now time for honest debate on how to inspire greater uptake of energy-efficiency improvement work to cut carbon emissions and protect households against rising energy prices.

“We need to see a range of fiscal incentives to stimulate a long-term increase in demand for this type of work, including a targeted VAT cut and a reduction in Stamp Duty Land Tax for the most energy-efficient properties.”

by Neil Hodgson

POST BUSINESS STAFF

neil.hodgson@liverpool.com

A

PROPERTY deal caused partners Adam and Emma Mitchell to wake up and smell the coffee and take their business in a whole new direction.

The Parkgate couple had set up Adem Developments in 2004 and specialised in buying, renovating and selling properties.

Ms Mitchell explained: “I did a degree in international business and Spanish, and Adam did a degree in building services engineering. I left university and fell into property, renovating our own place.”

But she said they stumbled on a property in Neston’s High Street which they recognised as ideal for an independent coffee shop.

They acquired the site and last June Elephant Coffee opened its doors, creating 15 new jobs and setting a new standard for high street coffee shops.

Ms Mitchell said: “We are independent and like to think we are offering something a bit more special than the high street chains, which we call the ‘McDonalds of coffee shops’.

“Something a bit more unique, with a higher level of customer service and the standard of coffee.”

That includes cakes, pastries and breads that are all freshly baked and prepared on site every morning from 5.30am.

“Our paninis, home-made soups and hand-made cupcakes have become renowned.”

The business and customer offer has already achieved a major impact within the sector in the shape of a prestigious Gold Award for Best Independent Cafe/Coffee Bar at The Cafe Society Awards 2013 in London’s Kensington last month.

Ms Mitchell said: “Our business has taken a different tangent and the coffee shop has taken over our lives and is my main business now.”

They have clearly been seduced by the experience: “We love the ‘theatre’ involved in making espresso-based drinks: the sounds of a traditional espresso machine, the aroma of the coffee, the hustle and bustle of the morning rush and the sweet smell of freshly-baked pastries.”

And the couple have big plans to develop the Elephant Coffee brand.

Last Friday they completed a deal for a property in The Parade, Parkgate, and they have identified a potential site in Oxton that could take the number of outlets to three by next year.

Mr Mitchell revealed: “Parkgate will be very similar to Neston, but because of the location we are planning on opening later hours and becoming a bit of a wine bar in the evening.”

The site is three times the size of Neston, so will become the Elephant Coffee HQ. About 20 jobs will be created with the Parkgate opening.

She added: “We own a building in Oxton Village which has been let for several years that is ideal as a third location for us. We will more than likely to do something next year.”

Their financial projections make impressive reading.

Neston turned over £156,000 in their first financial year, ending February 28: “We did well in our first year and exceeded expectations.”

The predicted turnover for the current financial year, to next February, is £234,000. But this is, again, just for Neston, as the Parkgate facility is not

9

■

Elephant Coffee founders Emma and Adam Mitchell pictured outside their Neston outlet

Elephant Coffee brand proving unforgettable due to open until March 1, 2014.

Projected revenues for the year to 2015, for Neston and Parkgate, are £624,000, and, on the assumption that the Oxton Village outlet opens by March 1, 2015, turnover for the year ended February 2016, is in the region of £780,000.

Ms Mitchell said they chose Elephant as a brand as it lent itself perfectly as a logo, with the intention of creating an independent chain.

“The name Elephant was all about creating something memorable – a name people would not easily forget.”

Judging by the success of the Neston shop they are well on their way to achieving that: “Although we started with high hopes and dreams for Elephant Coffee, we had not anticipated the level of demand.”

Some of the Elephant team that helped win the recent Gold Award

The UK economy is showing some signs of life, with recent economic data surprising to the upside, said a report by bank group Coutts, which has a Liverpool office on Princes Dock.

It said among the reasons to believe in brighter times ahead for the UK economy are signs of improvement in the UK housing market, falling borrowing costs for small businesses and a declining trend in jobless claims.

With central banks across the developed world committed to supporting growth, this combination bodes well for equities in particular.

Key opportunities and risks are identified as: Equities still supported by central banks’ commitment to global growth; Improvement in housing, small-businesses lending and job market signal growth – though indebted households and Government austerity will limit the pace; UK corporate bonds supported by robust finances and governance; Sterling to drift lower against a broadly rising dollar.

10 post business creative & digital

Thursday, July 4, 2013 IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Ben Hatton

Video sites preparing for battle SOCIAL MEDIA is a fickle thing. No sooner had video sharing platform Vine announced a doubling of the number of tweets referencing it up to June, than Instagram took the crown by launching its own video sharing service.

Vine video links fell dramatically the day after Instagram added the video recording feature to its popular app.

According to analytics tool Topsy, Vine shares fell to 1.5m from 2.5m – almost 40% – in just one day.

This drop in links has continued to just over 935,000 – a fall of almost 70% from the 3m Vine links shared in mid-June.

Historically, there is very little room for competition in social media platforms – it is almost a “one in, one out” affair.

Instagram’s initial success as a photo-sharing app was down to its filter allowing its users to create pictures with a stylish and retro feel to them.

The video recording service seemed like a natural step.

These platforms have transformed social video sharing, of which consumption tripled in the past year.

This has not escaped the attention of brands, and video sharing is now the fastest growing advertising format in the world. It allows brands to increase their social media presence with direct, engaging contact with target markets.

Since its video launch, twice as many top brands, including Ford, MTV, Nike and Starbucks, have posted videos on Instagram according to news website Mashable.

Vine may win back shares yet. The Twitter-owned video app announced “exciting new parts of Vine” coming soon. Whether they are able to keep up users to produce this remains to be seen.

■ INTERNET entrepreneur Ben Hatton is founder and managing director of digital agency Rippleffect. Follow Rippleffect on Twitter @rippleffected

Uniform staff with their Big Chip Awards

Big Chips and microchips fuel success of the Postcard Player

by Alistair Houghton

POST BUSINESS STAFF

alistair.houghton@liverpool.com

DESIGN agency Uniform says the pioneering musical postcard technology that won it a Big Chip Award is winning interest from potential business users.

Uniform won the Big Chip Imagination Award and the Anthony Wilson Original Modern award for its work on the Postcard Player device.

The Postcard Player plays music which has been “printed” onto cards using ink that conducts electricity.

Uniform has been pioneering the use of such “printed electronics”, and its player was honoured for the way it could “enable people to experience and interact with digital music in a more engaging way”.

Pete Thomas, Uniform’s futures director and leader of the Postcard Player project, said: “I’m delighted with the award. And to be honest, it was a bit unexpected.

“It’s not an award we’ve entered before. It’s an area we’ve only started developing our skills and expertise in, and it’s really exciting.”

The Big Chip judges praised the Postcard Player for still being a “work in progress”, with Uniform unafraid to showcase the technology even while it is still in development.

The player was exhibited at London’s Design Museum this year as part of its Designs of the Year show.

Mr Thomas said: “The important thing for us is experimentation. It’s about asking questions and giving answers.

“It’s quite different from what Uniform did previously, which was about being a very polished agency. This is about putting stuff out there that might get a reaction from people.

“The Postcard Player is never going to be a commercial project in its own right. But people really like it. Children, in particular, go mad over it – they’re so excited by it.

“There are commercial projects, that we cannot talk about yet, coming off the back of it which use similar technology.

“But we don’t just want to be the people that make ‘paper things.’ We’re working on projects for the studio with really fascinating ways of making data physical. They use a screen, but not a normal screen.”

Liverpool, is the home of several pioneers in the “internet of things” – finding ways to link the web to everyday objects.

Mr Thomas and Martin Skelly, Uniform’s creative technologist, say they hope their work will help develop new ways of using data and information from the web.

Mr Thomas said: “The critical learning is not about whether the postcards will play music. It’s the sense that people want more from data and information.

“Even though people all have touchscreens, they’re still fascinated by different interactions and tangible actions.

“We’ve reached a tipping point where we’re going to see digital and data leap off the screen. That creates a real platform for non-digital designers – such as product designers and graphic designers – to create experiences that go beyond the screen.”

Michael Nutley, former editor-inchief of New Media Age and chairman of the Big Chip judging committee, chose the Postcard Player as winner of the Original Modern title. The award is named after Manchester broadcaster and music guru Wilson.

Mr Nutley said: “The entry I’ve chosen to win this award taps into a

‘Brilliant results’ seal award win

Uniform’s Postcard Player growing conversation about the relationship between the physical and the digital.

“It asks important questions about what we might have lost in the transition from physical artefacts to intangible data, about how we might interact with data beyond the keyboard or touchscreen, and about the importance of metadata – such as lyric sheets, cover artwork and lists of musicians – to how we appreciate music.

“I love the winner’s simplicity and elegance. As a long-time print journalist and a vinyl junkie I love the physicality of the thing itself.

“But what I like most of all is that it’s a work-in-progress and that what it’s really about, is the continuing discussion of the interaction of humans and machines.”

The Post is a partner of the Big Chip Awards, which celebrate digital innovation across the North of England in areas including web and app development, video gaming, design and social media.

CHESTER banking giant MBNA was also honoured at the Big Chip Awards, winning the Best Digital Marketing Campaign title for its system that delivers account updates straight to customers’ inboxes.

Chairman of judges Michael Nutley said: “This entry stood out in the category simply by delivering brilliant results.”

Michael Donald, business development and marketing executive for MBNA, said: “We’ve spent a huge amount of time looking through the eyes of our customers, and that has resulted in a range of improvements to the way we deliver services.”

Warrington’s Space 48 won the Best E-business Project title for its development of a website for bathroom products supplier Taps.

Mr Nutley said: “The judges thought this was an excellent website, well designed, easy to navigate, and most importantly, easy to buy from. And clearly the customers agreed – the redevelopment saw page views, dwell time, average order value and revenue all increase dramatically year-on-year.”

creative & digital post business 11

Thursday, July 4, 2013

www.ldpcreative.co.uk

Course gets students set for careers behind the curtain

A student lighting designer and programmer during a technical rehearsal in LIPA’s Paul McCartney Auditorium

by Alistair Houghton

POST BUSINESS STAFF

alistair.houghton@liverpool.com

A LIVERPOOL course that prepares students for work behind the scenes in Britain’s theatres has won national accreditation.

The Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) says that while onstage roles attract more attention, there are still many jobs available in technical roles in the theatre, despite the tough economic climate.

Now its BA (Hons) in Theatre and Performance Technology has been commended by industry training body Drama UK for the way it prepares students for life in the industry after graduation.

Joe Stathers-Tracey, head of the programme at LIPA, said: “It’s a great benchmark that takes into account not only the quality of our training and

facilities, but also the fact that our graduates are proving very employable.

“We had to meet a lot of criteria and the people putting us under the spotlight know this industry inside out.

I’m proud of the programme and, especially, the students, some of whom were interviewed by the panel as part of the accreditation process.”

Technical theatre students focus on subjects including live sound, lighting, technical drawing, stage management, pyrotechnics and production management.

Mr Stathers-Tracey said they work “in a collaborative environment which mirrors that of the world of work”.

And he said there was strong demand in theatre for stage managers and technology-savvy staff.

He added: “Technical theatre certainly seems healthy in terms of job opportunities, and you can build a

solid and sustained career in the area.

“There are many actors and dancers out there to supply that side of the industry. There are, however, not enough people to meet the staffing demands of the production side, despite the tough economic times we’re in.”

Drama UK, formed from the merger of the National Council for Drama Training and the Conference of Drama Schools (CDS), has 21 member schools including LIPA. Its team spent two days at LIPA in May examining the technical theatre programme.

LIPA, located in Sir Paul McCartney’s old school, was founded by Sir Paul and Mark Featherstone-Witty and was opened in 1995. It is best-known for its work with performers, but also aims to help grow Merseyside’s creative sector by teaching “those who make performance possible”.

RGF cash welcomed by agency SUPPORT agency Creative England has welcomed last week’s Treasury announcement that it will pump another £600m into the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) in England from 2015.

Last year, Creative England won £5m from the RGF to support small digital and creative firms. In January it split £1m in funding between 13 “Digital Champions”, including Liverpool video game developer Atomicom.

This year, Creative England launched a £250,000 RGF-backed fund to help digital developers to create healthcare apps.

Caroline Norbury, Creative England’s chief executive, said:”Creative businesses bring energy, enterprise and innovation to cities and regions across England.

“Creative England has helped over 70 SMEs from Newcastle to Newquay through the RGF, directly supporting the Government’s aim to rebalance the economy.

“The UK must continue to support businesses outside of London whose creativity and ingenuity help to drive economic growth and create sustainable employment.”

A free 2-day workshop designed to help you prepare for success when developing business ideas and starting a new enterprise.

When:Tue 16th& Wed 17th July June Where:FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ

Production company hails medical contracts CREATIVE production house Mills Media has won three contracts in the medical sector.

The Wirral company directed and produced films for the Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network and for DNA testing company, AlphaBiolabs.

Its film for the Cancer Network aimed to educate patients on what to expect when being admitted to hospital for chemotherapy and radiotherapy

treatment. The film will be distributed by Macmillan Cancer Support.

Barrie Farrell, head of Business TV at Mills Media, said: “By creating real-life situations in film, patients can identify with scenarios more easily and will remember important information as they move forward with their treatment.”

Warrington-based Alpha works for courts, lawyers, councils and

members of the public – and even works with the Jeremy Kyle Show.

Mills Media created a film, including interviews with Alpha staff to explain the DNA testing process.

Mills Media’s conference team also worked on the Patient and Family Care Conference, held by the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in partnership with the Institute for Patient and Family

Centred Care.

Mr Farrell said: “Organisations in the medical sector are increasingly recognising the importance of promoting the services they offer, to help patients and their families develop a better understanding of the processes they will go through.

“This improves the patients’ overall experience and results in a better level of care.”

Facilitators:Jerry Goldman (Ex-CEO of Beatles Story) & Lynne Harrison (LIPA) Guest speaker:Nickie Smith (Dream High) Main themes include: ! How to sell yourself ! How to sell your ideas ! Ideas for successful partnerships ! Cashflow - the essence of business success ! Finding financial advice and moral support.

This event is fully catered.

This activity is part of the NW HE Enterprise Champions ERDF project To attend this event you must meet all of the following criteria: • resident in greater Merseyside • student/graduate of Higher Education • nationality of a country within the EU (or with visa permissions to set up in business in the UK) • Interested in setting up a business in greater Merseyside…which isn’t already trading.

Register: To register for your place at this event or for a more detailed agenda just email enterprise. champion@liverpool.ac.uk You can also contact us this way with queries regarding the event, your eligibility, or with special requirements.

12 post business big feature

Neil Hodgson meets RICHARD ELSE, operations director Jaguar Land Rover Halewood

S

ITTING in traffic in Liverpool’s Hall Lane we couldn’t figure out just who the cyclist was waving at so frantically.

Myself and the press officer from Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) Halewood plant, kindly driving me back to the city in a company Evoque, were both perplexed, until it dawned on us that the cyclist, by now offering vigorous thumbs up signs, was gesticulating at us.

But that is the effect the Range Rover Evoque still has, even two years to the day that the first production model rolled off Halewood’s production line.

Since then, the top-selling four-byfour has helped transform the Knowsley plant into a 24-hour production unit, and the company into one of the UK’s biggest export successes of recent years.

Halewood operations director Richard Else openly admits: “Even looking back two years I didn’t feel it was going to be as successful as it was.

“But we realised that the volumes we were making failed to meet customer demand and it has really exceeded all expectations.

“The bit we feel proud of is the way the Halewood team has responded to the customer demand and been able to meet that customer demand.”

Evoque’s success has benefited both the plant and local firms in the automotive supply chain.

As part of the Evoque programme, parent company Tata has invested £230m in Halewood’s infrastructure and a staggering £2bn in the UK supply chain, which rose to £3bn last year when the site started the first 24-hour shifts in its 50 year history.

The shift to 24-hour working was helped by a Halewood employee with 41 years’ service who came up with his “kipper” design to store enough “under body” sections for the car to maintain production line supplies.

An outside agency said 500 was the most the under bodies the plant could store, but the staffer found room for 300 more by stacking them vertically instead of horizontally “We now store them upright so they look like kippers in a kipper rack,” said Mr Else.

Staffing at Halewood has soared in relation to the success of the Evoque and the plant’s other model, the Land Rover Freelander 2.

From a headcount of around 1,500 when Mr Else joined the plant in February 2011, Halewood now employs 4,500, with another 1,500 agency workers also on site.

He said: “For every job we create here, we create four or five jobs in the supply chain.

“IAC, on the supply park next door, have five times their workforce from two years ago.

“They are mirroring our shift patterns and working three shifts a day.”

The Evoque has been universally acclaimed in domestic and overseas markets, and Else said: “I believe the Evoque has gone into a new space that didn’t exist within the automotive industry.

“I think it is the first time any car company has made a production car that is identical to the concept car.

“The concept car will show where we think we are going and new features and designs, but sometimes some features aren’t legal for crash regulations.

“But with this we made the concept car and said ‘we have to turn

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Two years on and Halewood’s Evoque is still driving JLR

Richard Else, left, and TV presenter George Lamb pictured at the launch of the new Range Rover Evoque two years ago today this into reality’ after getting such a reaction.”

Liverpool JLR dealership Hatfields invested £4m in a dedicated Evoque showroom which opened last year and Else said: “I went to the opening and they said 80% of customers they sold to they had never met before.

“They were coming from Audi and

BMW, so it was growth for them as well as JLR.” With an eight-to-10 year life cycle the Evoque still has plenty of potential, but the car maker is constantly looking to update and improve the model.

Customers can specify colour schemes or any of a vast range of

q&a Age: 45 Highest educational qualification: Masters in Business Management Biggest achievement in business: Growing the Halewood base

and trebling the workforce, and 24-hour working Biggest regret: I don’t have regrets Best advice received: Never say no to an opportunity

different trims or designs.

Mr Else said there are 380,000 different configurations for the Evoque and he added that no car going down the production line – one every 82 seconds – is exactly the same.

One of the first limited editions, designed with “Posh Spice” Victoria Beckham, was a huge seller in the important Chinese market, and one of the latest models next year will be the first in the world to feature a nine-speed gear box.

Else said: “Hopefully it will get more people into the product.”

He added: “People are buying the car first on a heart decision to go into the showroom, but you have to make a rational decision to buy the car, and we have to make sure those two things go in harmony with one another.”

Even with 24-hour production Else

said the plant is still “maxed out”, so, with no physical room to expand further, JLR signed a £1bn joint venture deal to build a plant near Shanghai with Chinese car manufacturer Chery, which should be up and running by 2015.

He said: “JLR needs to have a stronger presence in that market. It is a growth opportunity for us and it is what our competitors are doing.”

And although JLR has not announced what models it will build in China, he said the new plant will not affect Halewood: “Some Chinese cars will still be made in the UK.” In August the first 50 staff hired for the Chinese plant will arrive at Halewood on a three month programme.

They will learn the site’s worldrenowned methods that make it the envy of competitors.

big feature post business 13

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Victoria Beckham helped design a limited edition Range Rover Evoque

Alex

Turner Being ready to respond to change IT WAS described, in one of the more polite editorials in British newspapers, as the “first wholly satisfactory act of nationhood”.

President Kennedy’s visit to his ancestral Ireland home 50 years ago this week has been overshadowed in the history books by the speech he made in Berlin before he flew on to Dublin.

The Kennedy familial journey, from leaving Ireland bound for Boston in 1848 to the return of the great-grandson as President of the United States little more than a century later, has been said to embody the history of the country.

But it is worth reflecting on the pace of change of the world post-Kennedy, how a President who was the first of the modern-day era (after all, he was born six years after Reagan) seems to now belong to a different world.

The reunification of Berlin is already a generation old while Ireland is no longer a young country, not even by Europe’s glacial rate of changing states.

It acts as a reminder that change is inevitable (although, as Max McKeown added, “progress is not”) although its nature and direction will always remain volatile and unpredictable.

Responding to change demands flexibility and also level-headedness.

It does not mean that we should all be drafting job advertisements which start “Do you like to innovate?”, as one I read last week from a FTSE-listed company did.

Innovation should be a function of lots of job roles and not the responsibility of just one.

Couched in such terms, it also suggests that the act of innovation is more important than the outcome – the wackier the better.

Change is much harder to sustain and it is of course precisely because it is difficult to control and cajole that makes it so precious.

That requires the culture in an organisation to be able to respond to change and ride its wave.

President Kennedy, in that famous Berlin speech, said: “Democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put up a wall to keep our people in.”

But companies build walls, usually with the aim of preventing mistakes, and instead they succeed only in preventing innovation, stifling change that could otherwise drive progress.

‘Change is difficult to control and cajole’

Else said: “This is an exciting time for us. This is going to be a great story for Liverpool and for Halewood.”

O

riginally from Derbyshire, Else joined the company as a graduate trainee in 1989 and has worked at all its facilities: “Halewood was the only one missing from that accolade.”

He admitted: “I am a bit of a petrolhead, so the motor industry was always going to be first choice.

“I couldn’t get excited about building washing machines.”

He has held positions in production operations, manufacturing engineering, launch and quality, and prior to joining Halewood was operations director at the JLR Castle Bromwich plant in the West Midlands.

It was there where he oversaw the successful launches of the XK, XF and XJ Jaguar models.

He said: “I have done most things, but this is still the best job I have ever had.

“It’s great to feel you can make a difference every day you come to work, not just for our customers but the people of Merseyside as well.

“I’m very proud we have been able to bring people into this industry and to make a difference to peoples’ lives.”

He added: “I remember just as I arrived here we took on 120 people under the Future Jobs Fund scheme, who had been out of work for more than 12 months.

“Our only commitment was to give them an interview after six months – and we took on 102 as agency workers. They had been given an oppor-

tunity and were grabbing it with both hands.

“Many had left school with limited qualifications, but with the right support they can do it.

“And it will hold them in good stead for their career.”

And despite fears of increasing competition from low-cost economies throughout Asia and Eastern Europe, he sees plenty of opportunities for the UK automotive industry: “Our future is very bright.

“We have a huge amount of positive history, certainly in the past 15 years in the way the UK car industry has turned around.

“We have Honda, Toyota and Nissan deciding to put their big car plants in the UK. “Car production in the UK is probably at its highest in 20 years.”

And he attributes that to the skills

of the British automotive industry workforce which he views as invaluable. We made some difficult decisions five years ago during the downturn.

“We had 1,200 people we had to exit from our plants, but we made the decision that we had to protect those skills and keep them in the business and we found savings elsewhere.

“Sitting here now that was absolutely the right thing to do. That was another 1,200 people we would have had to have found and trained.

“The skills of the UK workforce, at white collar and blue collar level, is the best in the world.

“Our innovation and creativity and building skills are some of the best in the world. Manufacturing has got a very positive future in the UK, and automotive manufacturing in the UK has a very positive future.”

■ Alex Turner is the general manager of financial training firm Ambitious Minds

14 post business legal

Thursday, July 4, 2013

www.ldplegal.co.uk

Legal firm asks: when is it right to sue healthcare staff?

Ed Fletcher, chief executive of Fletchers Solicitors

Liverpool solicitor adds to skill set FAMILY law expert Carole Brennan admits she may need larger business cards after being appointed to her fourth professional role.

Ms Brennan, a partner at Morecrofts Solicitors in Liverpool, recently qualified as a family arbitrator, a position which involves a similar decision-making process to a judge when dealing with financial matters in family law disputes.

Her entry into the Institute of Arbitrators adds to existing roles both as a mediator and collaborative lawyer, two specialist forms of

Carole Brennan

by Joshua Taylor

POST BUSINESS STAFF

joshua.taylor@trinitymirror.com

A LEGAL firm based in Southport is planning to recruit five new solicitors to deal with a huge rise in the number of medical negligence cases.

Ed Fletcher, chief executive of serious injury specialists Fletchers Solicitors, said his company had dealt with 15% more legal claims against medical professionals and healthcare bodies so far in 2013 than last year.

He blamed the rise on a deteriorating quality of service in the NHS, caused by a “lack of funding and a focus on targets and box-ticking at the expense of compassion for the patient”.

In an interview with Post Business, Mr Fletcher told how he was left paralysed after a motorcycle accident in 1999. He said his own subsequent medical treatment had been “excellent”

and “showed how good the NHS can be when it’s firing on all cylinders”.

However, he said there had been a recent slide in standards: “The vast majority of the NHS provides good service, but there’s a section of it that, unfortunately, is dysfunctional and people can end up being very seriously injured or even killed as a result of negligent treatment.”

Mr Fletcher cited the Stafford Hospital scandal and the alleged cover-up at the Care Quality Commission following a spate of baby deaths as examples of how aspects of the NHS have gone wrong.

He said: “You can’t always rely on doctors to hold their hands up when things go wrong, Stafford Hospital has shown us you can’t always trust the hospital trusts, and there have even been stories that show we might not be able to trust the Government-appointed regulator.

“Lawyers really are the independent regulators now. We are the only ones the public can trust to hold negligent doctors to account for their blunders.”

Mr Fletcher, however, also offered some criticism of his own industry, describing some solicitors – particularly those operating in the road traffic collision compensation sector – as “ambulance chasers”. But he insisted that, while spurious compensation claims are sometimes made based on little evidence, there remained a need to be able to sue the NHS and other healthcare providers to secure compensation for victims and ensure mistakes are not repeated.

As part of the growing national debate about standards in healthcare, Fletchers Solicitors has launched a social media campaign in an attempt to gauge public opinion on the matter.

It has so far elicited more than 7,000

‘Doctors will not always hold their hands up’

Guardianship proposal welcomed PROPOSALS to create a new power of guardianship for relatives of missing people have been welcomed by a Merseyside solicitor.

Claire Currie from Kirwans said that the plans, which will allow families to make alternative arrangements for the legal and financial affairs of the missing person, would be

of huge assistance to those already going through “hell”.

The new legislation would mean that families of the 250,000 people who go missing each year would be given the power to suspend direct debits for services they are not using.

Mrs Currie said: “When someone disappears, it can

send their family and close friends into turmoil.

“And as the weeks go on, their nightmare only gets worse as they realise that they have no power to stop, for example, mobile phone and utility providers from taking their regular payments.”

Claire Currie of Kirwans

votes in an online poll, plus another 750 comments from members of the public. Mr Fletcher said: “We are collating this data and will use it to better tailor our services to the needs of those people who have been injured as a result of negligence at the hands of healthcare professionals.

“Doctors and nurses themselves have been contributing to our debate online. Some have told us they have been working with the NHS system for 30 or 40 years, but it has now become so impaired they cannot service the needs of patients.

“The NHS has seen a reduction in funding that has impacted on the front-line. There’s also been a shift in focus so patients are no longer at the heart of everything the NHS does. The focus has, instead, been on form-filling and box-ticking.

“Since the turn of the year we have seen a 15% increase in the number of medical negligence claims. I am now actively recruiting clinical negligence solicitors. We looking for around five.”

dispute resolution, as well as a solicitor with the firm, which has offices across Merseyside.

Arbitration is an increasingly popular form of resolution in family law matters, especially among more wealthy parties, as it typically allows people to settle their financial affairs with greater speed and privacy than through the traditional court route.

Ms Brennan explained: “Although demand for arbitration services remains in its infancy in comparison to other forms of dispute resolution, we expect to see it follow a similar tangent to mediation, which was little-known a decade ago but has now become a central feature of family law resolution.”

Documents warning RECENT reforms highlight the need for businesses to re-evaluate their document retention policies, says Glyn Lancefield, litigation solicitor at Brabners.

The disclosure of documents is often the most costly stage in commercial litigation.

Even low-value claims can

involve a large volume of relevant documents, in various forms and going back a number of years. A case can often turn on the content of a single document.

Mr Lancefield said: “It is therefore important for businesses to implement suitable document management processes.”

women in business post business 15

Thursday, July 4, 2013

City region’s businesswomen seek shift in cultural attitudes Judith Greensmith, chair of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, left, and Cath Daley, a business coach/consultant

by Helen Davies

POST BUSINESS STAFF

helen.davies01@trinitymirror.com

MORE needs to be done in schools to show females they can be successful in business.

That was the view from women who gathered last week for a debate titled “How do we get more women in the boardroom?”.

The discussion, which featured a panel of top career women from the region, was held as a fringe event to the Accelerate 2013 business festival which tool place last Thursday.

Liverpool business coach Cath Daley, who hosted the debate, opened by saying: “The blunt truth is that men still run the world.

“Only seven per cent of executive directorships are held by women.”

The panel discussed reasons why efforts to increase the number of women in the top tier of business seems to be floundering, following a report which found there are just three female chief executives of FTSE 100 companies – down from five two years ago.

Maggie O'Carroll, CEO of Liverpool-based The Women's Organisation, said: “The stall is simply because we haven’t tackled the problem.

“I don’t think that’s women’s fault.

“Women aren’t the problem they are the solution and I think we need to turn the argument around slightly.”

The women agreed there needed to be a shift in cultural attitude to the tasks outside work men and women are expected to complete.

Maggie Mullan, a partner at Liverpool architectural practice Austin-Smith:Lord said: “There’s an expectation in our profession that you

will be available at 8am for a site visit and forget the school run and that you’ll be around out of hours for dinners.”

Lesley Dixon, chief executive of social enterprise PSS, said: “I think one of the things holding women back is having all the extra responsibility in terms of home life.

“Until it’s the cultural expectation that things are genuinely shared it will continue to be an issue.”

Pamela Ball, chief executive of Knowsley CVS, an organisation which works to support voluntary and community groups, said she felt it is men who need to change.

She said: “We need to have the right conversations.

“It’s not about us changing who we are going into the boardroom.

“Do you have to work 50 hours a week in case all the guys think you’re not working hard enough?

“Men should be going home early to pick their children up from school and should take paternity leave.

“We’re taking about women adapting to the system but things aren’t going to change unless we change it so everyone works the same.

“I think part of the reason women don’t reach the top is because along the way they burn out.”

Ms O’Carroll urged the audience, made up of more than 20 women from a range of professions, to work together to speak to male colleagues in the Liverpool city region about gender balance.

Ms Mullan said she felt a lack of role models was partly to blame for women not getting to the top.

“I worked part time until I was made partner which shows these

‘Women are the solution not the problem’

things are achievable,” she said.

“I think it’s someone saying it isn’t going to be easy but it is do-able.”

Carol Atkinson, a lawyer from Weightmans, agreed.

She said: “It’s all about where girls are coming from a very early age.

“I agree girls shouldn’t be told that it’s easy to have it all but I think we need better roles than the ones we see in magazines. A lot of girls don’t think they can become great scientists.

“Marie Curie was held up as a great scientist but who have we really had since then?”

Prior to the start of the debate, a networking event was held, when Lisa Greenhalgh, chief operating officer of Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF), told Post Business she felt more needed to be done in schools to encourage girls to aim for the top in business.

She said: “I don’t know how we engage girls, I think we need to start when they’re young to encourage them to want to do things.

“Maybe we need to start at school

age and show women can achieve.”

Working to inspire girls to aim high in business is the concept behind a new business being set up by Stephanie Wright, who was in the audience at the debate.

She told Post Business: “In September I’m going into schools working and delivering classes aimed at alerting them to the possibility of self employment and running their own business.

“Schools aren’t getting young girls thinking about high profile careers.”

Ms Wright’s business will also build in education about domestic violence and aims to establish a network of women in business to support those who do become self-employed.

She is currently looking into funding options for the courses but told Post Business: “I would love to get some businesses in the city to sponsor the courses and they could send a representative to deliver a talk in schools as part of the programme.”

If your business can help Ms Wright with her new venture email sacwright74@gmail.com

Women ‘in the dark’ on maternity AS MANY as 40% of working women in the North West are uneasy about their employer’s reaction when they tell them they are pregnant, according to a survey

by OnePoll commissioned by QualitySolicitors.

Even more women in the region are unclear about their maternity rights, with 78% not asking about their company’s maternity policy having accepted a job.

The results also show that concerns around broaching the subject of motherhood in the workplace mean that only half of women in the North West ask about their maternity rights within their first year of employment.

This suggests, says QualitySolicitors, that there is a need for companies to make their maternity and paternity policies more openly available to employees.

In response to the findings from this research, QualitySolicitors employment lawyers have written guides to maternity and paternity rights for employers as well as employees.

The guides will contain current and relevant information regarding rights and responsibilities in the workplace, helping both employers and employees alike to “see clearly, by cutting through any legal jargon”.

Craig Holt, founder of QualitySolicitors, said: “We are delighted to be offering both local people and local businesses, who might be unclear about where they stand regarding maternity and paternity leave, with our guidance on this issue.

“Despite strong legal regulation to assist the employer and employee, a culture of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ has been allowed to develop.

Women are not asking about their rights.”

Lisa Greenhalgh of MSIF

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16 post business location

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Urgent action is needed to breathe life back into our local high streets

view point

by Tom Cullen, director of retail agency, Colliers International THE ongoing woes of Britain’s retailers prove the need for the Government to reverse its inexplicable decision to postpone a revaluation of business rates from 2015 to 2017.

Our latest definitive research – the

London second for costs HONG KONG has most expensive office space in the world, according to a survey by CBRE. Overall occupancy costs in the Chinese-owned territory total £154 per sq ft per year. London’s West End is second in the table with annual occupancy costs of £145.

London City is ninth.

Globally, occupancy costs rose by a “scant” 1.4% on a year-overyear basis as modest growth in the Americas and Asia Pacific was partly offset by a slight decrease in recessionary Europe.

However, the modest global average rise masked significant increases in markets like Jakarta, Indonesia and suburban Houston, Texas, which posted increases of 38.9% and 21.2%, respectively.

Midsummer Retail Report (MSRR) – published this week highlights the disastrous effects of the postponement as retailers and other businesses continue to pay rates based on pre-recession property values.

The decision to delay imposed a massive burden on high streets where decline has been the greatest – those mid-sized, regional centres that we describe as “terminal towns” – and we call on the Government to introduce a revaluation now.

We’re in a position where central London shops are effectively being subsidised by those in parts of England and Wales. Albeit not among our terminal towns, the MSRR iden-

tified the need for action from Government to address decline in town centres such as Southport, Bootle and Birkenhead, which all suffered significant falls in retail rents over the past few years.

Although Liverpool One continues to perform strongly, Liverpool as a whole saw a 17%-plus decline in rents since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008.

As an advisor to the town centre property taskforce created as part of the Government response to the Mary Portas review of UK high

streets, Colliers International has analysed and identified the property-related barriers to vibrant retail centres.

The key reasons for failing retail centres are the reluctance of consumers to loosen their belts because of reduced household income in the economic downturn, excessive competition and retail over-development.

The Government has failed to control retail development and provide flexible “change of use” legislation and local government should reduce car park-

‘Liverpool as a whole saw a 17% decline in rents’

ing charges in failing centres, be more flexible in the change of use of shops and bring retail stakeholders together.

In the MSRR, we propose a rating revaluation, rates relief in centres where the shop vacancy rate is above the average of 12%, reduced parking charges, town centre managers, a five-year business plan, compulsory purchase powers for the demolition of shops and the acquisition of retail units to let on flexible terms and recreating retail centres as “destinations” with crowd-pulling events.

While there’s still life in high streets, many are fatally wounded and in need of intensive care.

£3m enterprise village for college

Hugh Baird Principal Yana Williams outside Balliol Building

by Tony McDonough

BUSINESS to BUSINESS

POST BUSINESS STAFF

tony.mcdonough@liverpool.com

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SOUTH Sefton further education college, Hugh Baird, is to invest more than £3m in an enterprise centre on its campus.

The Bootle-based college will transform its Balliol Centre ground floor into a “bustling mini-high street”.

It will see private businesses including a florist, hair salon, barbers, nail salon, cafes and gym opening on site.

Principal Yana Williams said the college is investing the money to create a “vibrant and energetic business-focused entrance hall”.

The layout will be designed around a series of “enterprise units” providing a hot house environment to train students and apprentices alongside community businesses.

It will also see a complete centralisation of student support so that all student needs from finance to the chaplaincy can be provided in one place.

The development is expected to forge partnerships with local small firms with the creation of around 20 apprenticeship roles in its first two years.

“This multi-million pound transformation will breathe fresh

life into the campus,” said Ms Williams. “We are aiming to create a business buzz throughout the college.

“The layout is built around a series of enterprise units bringing energy and vitality to the site.

“We want the new entrance hall to set an aspirational tone.

“We also want it to project the core values of Hugh Baird College, which are focused on passion and enthusiasm for learning.

“Hugh Baird is one of the leading colleges in the Merseyside region with a strong track record of converting student leavers into employment.

“The enterprise village helps to emphasise our mission to provide each and every student with the best possible opportunity of securing work on leaving college.”

Ms Williams said most enterprise units will follow a similar model which will see local businesses invited to adopt a “rent a chair” policy.

In return businesses will support work experience students and apprentices.

Further space is being earmarked for a commercial gym facility for wider community use.

Staff and students are expected to receive discounted rates.

Plans are also in place to launch a social enterprise café entirely run and managed by students.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Quarter day puts retailers at risk – R3 RETAIL jobs are at risk because of the rules on the payment of rent in administrations, according to the insolvency trade body R3.

The organisation is calling for a change in the law to give hardpressed retailers a better chance of survival.

Fashion chains Internacionale and Ark, and toy retailer ModelZone, are amongst the latest retail failures.

All three have announced their intention to appoint administrators following Monday’s rent quarter day, when the next three months’ rent fell due.

Jeremy Oddie, who is North West chair of R3 and also head of recoveries at accountants Mitchell Charlesworth, said the current rules were a bad deal for both retailers and landlords.

“Retail administrations spike after every rent quarter day, which is hardly surprising given the current law.”

post business 17

location

Sweet retailer goes Ape for its new Liverpool city centre site

by Tony McDonough POST BUSINESS STAFF

tony.mcdonough@liverpool.com

SPECIALIST sweets and drinks retailer American Ape has opened a new outlet at the Queen Insurance Buildings in Liverpool city centre.

The business, which has an existing outlet in Manchester, is owned by Damien Greenwood and Rachel Heraghty.

They launched American Ape more than two years ago after seeing the popularity of their original business, Chocolate Ape, flourish.

They have now struck a deal with property firm, Bruntwood, to take a retail unit at the Dale Street site.

The business specialises in classic confectionery from the US. Ms Heraghty said: “When we were looking at expanding the American Ape business, we knew the importance of selecting the right location and property but similarly understood the risks that come with moving into a new city.

“We have worked closely with the Bruntwood team in the last few years and know they have vast amounts of experience working with new start-ups and independent businesses across four regional cities.

“They provided us with the knowledge, flexibility and high levels of customer service that gave us the confidence to build the on the relationship.”

Bruntwood’s Toby Sproll added: “American Ape is a fantastic success story .”

American Ape specialises in selling classic confectionery from the US

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18 post business economic development

Thursday, July 4, 2013

‘Take on the world’ NW EXPORT Challenge

1000

B

USINESSES across the region are this week being challenged to go global and increase how much they export.

Post Business has this week launched a special campaign to get 1,000 firms sending their goods and services overseas over the next year.

The Export Challenge has been kicked-off in partnership with UK Trade & Investment, the body charged with boosting trade in and out of the country.

In conjunction with our sister title, Greater Manchester Business Week, we want to help as many companies as possible start selling abroad for the first time.

Over the next 12 months we will carry a series of features, case studies and advice articles to give you the help you need to start targeting overseas markets.

From Ireland to Indonesia and Denmark to Dubai, there are huge opportunities for businesses of all sizes and operating across a host of sectors to grow their sales internationally.

And with domestic trading remaining tough for many, the importance of trading overseas has arguably never been greater.

At the end of our campaign we will select a handful of companies that have begun their export journey during the year for special recognition.

Further details of this will emerge in the coming months.

Clive Drinkwater, UKTI’s North West regional director, explained why the Export Challenge campaign is so vital.

He said: “Why does exporting matter so much?

“Classically, economies only have four drivers of growth – Government spending, consumer spending, trade (or exporting) and investment.

“With both Government and consumer spending not about to rise, the importance of getting more firms to export and to invest in their technologies, their plant and equipment or general assets is the only way the UK can pursue the growth that it needs for the coming years.

“Research has been carried out into the benefits brought to businesses that engage in international trade.

“The most striking statistic is that businesses starting their exporting journey achieve, on average, a 34% boost to their productivity in the first year.

“They also are 12% more likely to survive through difficult economic times, while exporting firms increase their levels of innovation.

“That is because when you export to a range of countries, you need to be aware of the different needs, tastes, fashions, cultures and foibles of each market and you learn from the process, putting those lessons into practice by adapting and innovating your products or services.

“And almost every firm that starts to export also sees an increase in their domestic sales as a result of the learning process they are forced to

UKTI’s Clive Drinkwater says the EU is a key market but adds firms need to look further afield as well go through as a result of being exposed to international competition.”

As part of our challenge, we will provide monthly updates on the number of firms exporting for the first time since the campaign kicked-off.

During the course of the campaign, we will also profile the key markets your business could tap into.

That will range from Europe and America – typically the parts of the world that buy the most North West goods and services – to emerging economies. Mr Drinkwater added: “The UK currently exports 50% of its goods and services to the other 27 countries of the European Union.

“That’s great but, looked at more closely, I think it’s a matter of concern that this 50% of our exports go to a group of nations that together represent only 7% of world population and around 18% of world GDP. “It is not that I want us to reduce our exports to the EU. Far from it.

Given tariff and quota free access with reduced levels of bureaucracy it would be mad not to look to the EU first, especially if you’re a new exporter.

“However, if we are to maintain our position as a major trading nation we have to have strategies that look to take advantage of where growth is going to come from.”

In terms of emerging markets North West firms could look to target, Mr Drinkwater said: “Everybody has heard the acronym BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India and China. These are all powerful economies in their own right and growing at some considerable speed, and then there are countries like Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey, which you could call the MIST nations.

“If you put the BRIC countries and the MIST countries together, they represent an astonishing 50% of world population and 33% of world GDP and they are all seeing high

‘We have to have strategies that look at growth’

levels of growth. For the UK though, we only export 17% of our goods and services to these countries.

“So 17% to 33% of GDP compared to 50% to 18% of GDP.” Liverpool Post editor Mark Thomas said: “We are delighted to be teaming-up with UKTI for this important campaign.

“There is no denying the importance of getting as many businesses as possible to start exporting their goods and services.

“We have every confidence we will be able to achieve our goal of getting 1,000 businesses exporting for the first time. There are already so many great examples of companies producing things here in the North West, then enjoying success by selling them overseas.

“We hope their successes will inspire others to start trading abroad and it is our aim that this campaign will provide valuable advice and information for those looking beyond our shores for the first time.”

As well as the advice that will be supplied on these pages during the campaign, you can also do your bit to help the Export Challenge.

Mr Drinkwater said: “One of the best ways of spreading this message is through word of mouth.

“So if every one of you that reads this looks at a company next door or down the road that isn’t exporting and encourages them to take a look at the opportunities they can go for in export markets, you will be doing them a favour by setting them on the road to increased profits but also helping increase the wealth and prosperity of us all in the UK. “There is plenty of help, from UKTI of course, but each business has a bank, an accountant and a lawyer. Many businesses are members of Trade Associations, Chambers of Commerce, and business support organisations such as the IOD, CBI, FSB and many more.

“All of these organisations have pledged to help members with support to get started in exporting. It’s a challenge we all need to step up to.”

■ To find out how you can start exporting, calling UKTI’s North West International Trade Team on 0845 603 7053 or email info@uktinorthwest.co.uk and quote reference UKTI201301

Thursday, July 4, 2013

firms are told

North West exports to the Netherlands rose more than 10% to £1.3bn in 2012

economic development post business 19

diary of an entrepreneur MY CAREER path has taken me down many different roads, but I have learned something new every step of the way.

After leaving school at 16 with few qualifications, I joined a plumber’s merchants, learning various jobs and about business in general.

I went to college and gained a diploma in Business Studies – this helped to give me a solid grounding of what it takes to run a business, which fired my desire to one day be my own boss.

After a good few years working for different companies, I developed an interest in buying and renovating property.

Starting as a hobby to supplement my income, I realised it was a good way to make money.

I married my wife Marion at the age of 23, we had three children and life was going well until the property recession hit in the 1990s.

Despite our best efforts, my business became unsustainable due to market conditions, and I took the decision to go back working for a company.

I viewed this as a learning curve and was determined to come back stronger.

After seven years of employment, I was made redundant at the age of 47 and at the same time lost my dad, my best friend – this would become the real turning point in my professional life and a time to make some serious decisions.

In 2009 I launched Heightsafe Systems, starting out in a small two-man office and progressing to buy a freehold commercial modern office/warehouse facility at the Wirral International Business Park.

Buying our own business premises was a vision that I had, and achieving that goal was a massive step forward for Heightsafe.

We are growing to become one of the UK’s industry leaders in the

supply and installation of work at height safety systems, as well as ancillary services. Our projects are nationwide, from installation of Guardrail and fall protection systems to annual compliance testing and training.

In June Heightsafe, was chosen for the award as Judges’ Choice winner at the Liverpool Post Regional Business Awards.

Winning this award was an incredibly proud moment for me and the team, after all the tough times.

It was great to be honoured by a prestigious local newspaper being born in Liverpool and a proud Liverpudlian.

The city is full of people who have overcome adversity, no more so than the Hillsborough justice campaigners who were, and remain to be a real inspiration to me.

The award was also recognition of every single member of staff at Heightsafe.

A business is only as good as its employees and I have a great team behind me.

My two sons have been instrumental in my success, with Craig the first to join me, followed by Carl and Mark Weaver – who now runs the operations side of the business – and they are here on merit alone.

We have steadily built up an enviable portfolio of clients across the public and private sectors.

We are looking to expand the team to 16 over the next six months with the latest investment being a talented and experienced IT director, who will help to drive our e-commerce, software systems and client support processes.

We are designing and developing our own products for the work at height and transport safety markets and have a patent pending for a revolutionary product for HGVs and commercial vehicles.

Ken Diable, managing director, Heightsafe Systems

The region also saw a surge in sales to China in 2012, up 9% to £1.6bn

EU exports down but emerging markets are positive IN 2012, £64.2bn-worth of goods were exported out of the North West.

That was down slightly from 2011, when the figure stood at £66.4bn.

Overall sales to the EU fell by £1bn to £12.7bn, and exports to the USA, although still the region’s biggest market, also fell by 9% to £4.2bn.

Interestingly, though, the biggest success story for the region was the Netherlands, which saw exports rise more than 10% to £1.3bn, despite wider eurozone gloom.

Exports to the high-growth markets of China, India, Brazil, the Middle East and North Africa all rose.

Sales to China rocketed by 9% to £1.6bn, making it the North West's biggest market behind the EU and US. When taking into account exports to Greater China – which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong – the figure rose to more than £2bn for the first time.

In terms of commodities, pharmaceuticals led the way, with £5.2bn of such products exported during 2012.

That was followed by organic chemicals, at £2.6bn, inorganic chemicals, at £2.1bn and road vehicles, at £1.8bn, underlining the region’s traditional strengths.

Ken Diable, right, receives his award from Bill Gleeson

20 post business professional

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Valuation firm looks to expand its reach CHESTER specialist valuation firm Bridge Houghton has reached its first anniversary and announced expansion plans for the next 12 months.

The practice provides corporate valuation services to accountancy, legal and private equity firms as well as family businesses and large FTSE 250 companies.

Founder David Houghton – previously head of corporate finance at law firm Brabners – launched the firm a year ago alongside former Alliance Fund Managers chief executive Mark Fuller.

Ben Blackwood, managing director of Hobs Exchange, at the company’s new base in Brunswick Business Park

Picture: COLIN LANE

Hobs opens ‘digital mailroom’ to target professional sectors

by Alistair Houghton POST BUSINESS STAFF

alistair.houghton@liverpool.com

DOCUMENT management and scanning company Hobs Exchange is hoping for more growth after launching a “digital mailroom” service focused on the legal and professional services sectors.

Hobs Exchange was launched in 2010 as an archive scanning bureau, scanning in confidential paper records so they can be stored and searched digitally. Its clients include HM Revenue and Customs and the NHS. The company started with just five staff but today employs more than 40.

This year it moved from the Ropewalks into a 8,500 sq ft production space and offices at Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool.

Now Ben Blackwood, managing director at Hobs Exchange, says the firm is targeting the professional sector

with its new services. Its digital mailroom service has already won one unnamed large legal client, which was handling thousands of emails a day.

By becoming that company’s virtual postroom, scanning in the mail rather than forwarding it unopened to staff, Hobs says it has helped the company save £100,000 in mailroom costs.

Mr Blackwood said the “quite sizeable” firm had been able to refit the former mailroom as office space for 16 staff.

He said: “We receive their in-coming mail, open it, separate cheques, scan it and provide them with a full delivery service.

“Rather than having a mail team delivering to fee-earners, the fee-earners get a message on screen telling them their mail has come in.

They can access their documents from their desk.”

Mr Blackwood said the company had looked to diversify after completing some key NHS contracts that had kept staff busy for many months.

He said: “We took a step back to have a look at the direction in which the business was travelling.

“We want to build our sales and profitability, and also get more jobs in the business.

“Now we’re dipping our toe into the legal market, talking to these customers who have 4,000 or 5,000 items of post landing every morning and offering a full digital solution.

“It’s just adding some strings to our bow.”

Hobs Exchange, part of the wider Hobs Reprographics group founded by Kieran O’Brien in 1969, is benefiting from the general drive towards paperless offices.

Mr Blackwood said: “We outsource

‘It’s about bums on seats rather than filing cabinets’

business processes. We provide a digital capture service for businesses to give them the ability go paper-light or paperless.

“It’s a big drive for a lot of organisations now. It’s more about bums on seats rather than having filing cabinets taking up space in offices.

“It’s about driving efficiency, rather than having people spend a day running through filing cabinets to find information.

“It’s about having that information at the touch of a button.”

At the peak of its NHS work, Hobs Exchange had some 70 people working for it. The number has since fallen, but Mr Blackwood says he hopes the company’s workforce will grow again as its digital mailroom service wins more clients across the North West.

The company also plans to create apprenticeships in its telesales arm.

He added: “We have appointed a new business manager. We have increased our sales function by three people.”

David Houghton Mr Houghton said: “Over the last 12 months we have been appointed to advise on some major cases by some of the UK’s leading professional firms.

“We are working on an increasing number of complex commercial litigation cases and contentious shareholder valuation disputes. Our ability to provide independent specialist valuations that are based on the trusted in-depth expertise of a highly respected team means we can complement, rather than compete with, existing advisory firms.”

Over the next 18 months Bridge Houghton intends to take on more staff and open new offices.

on the move ■

ACCOUNTANCY firm Deloitte has appointed a new partner and six new directors who will operate across the North West.

Aziz Ul-Haq, who works in the firm’s corporate finance advisory section, has been promoted to partner.

Meanwhile, Dan Wright (transaction services), Tim Grogan and Giles Murphy (both audit), Callum Robertson

(Deloitte real estate) and Kelly Sutton and Ed Gibson (both corporate tax) have become directors.

■

LIVERPOOL wealth management firm Investec has promoted two investment directors.

Carl Cross and Simon Fontes will become senior investment directors, specialising in portfolio management for private clients, pensions, charities and trusts.

Invested has also made Richard France, Angela Taylor and Aled Jones investment directors, while Greg Sinnott has been named as an associated investment director.

■

LAW firm Gregory Abrams Davidson has appointed a new practice director in Tracey Parry.

She will be based at the firm’s Mathew Street

head office in Liverpool city centre.

The practice says Ms Parry brings a wealth of experience in law firm management, having previously worked at niche employment law firm Mackintosh Solicitors and more recently at Hattons Solicitors in St Helens.

Among her duties Ms Parry will have responsibility for risk management and compliance.

Aziz Ul-Haq – Deloitte new partner

Carl Cross – senior investment director

Tracey Parry – GAD’s practice director

style post business 21

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Golf: is the game’s influence waning or as strong as ever?

JOSHUA TAYLOR speaks to American Golf about the sport’s hold on the world of business

T

HE notion of groups of businessmen enjoying a round of golf before retiring to the clubhouse to discuss contracts, terms and conditions is well cemented in our collective consciousness.

But how accurate is this stereotype or is it nothing more than a widely held misconception?

According to a 2010 study, more than half (54%) of professionals see golf as the sport of business – six times more than voted for motor sport. The same study found 48% of company executives believe the golf course is the “ideal business environment”, nearly a third say playing the sport is vital for career enhancement and a fifth of all FTSE 100 chairmen reportedly belong to the same golf club.

However, in today’s climate of corporate cutbacks, does the golf course still hold the same sway over business?

“Yes, a lot of business is still done on the golf course,” said Daniel Gathercole, head of marketing at Warrington-based American Golf. “People still say to each other ‘let’s go and have a game of golf to discuss a contract’.

“People feel more relaxed in that environment. You can be more open there than you can in a meeting room.

“If there are lots of people involved, it’s easy to have a private word about a contract or terms.

“Although it’s bigger in the summer, golf can be played all year round so there are plenty of opportunities to get out for a game.”

But did golf become an unaffordable luxury rather than a commercial

A lot of business is still done over a round of gold, claims American Golf’s Daniel Gathercole necessity once the recession took hold?

“Holding golf days has become more expensive and fewer companies are doing that,” Mr Gathercole said. “But I’m very much of the view that people are still getting out there and doing business on the course.

“It’s just the actual golf day involving 100 or 150 people that’s reduced in number, which is a sign of the times and the economic climate.

“However, there is a good fit between people in business in golf, so I expect it to pick up again eventually.

“A lot of people like golf and it’s one of the most popular sports to play.

Even those who don’t play particularly well can come and enjoy a game.”

Time will tell whether golf ’s influence on business is waning, but the signs are it still has a very strong grip.

Sales up after win ■

WARRINGTON-based American Golf, Europe’s largest retailer of golfing equipment and accessories, has seen its sales surge on the back of Justin Rose’s dramatic victory in the US Open.

In the week following the US Open, American Golf recorded a 16.4% increase in total sales across its store network, compared to the week after the 2012 tournament.

Traffic to the firm’s website has also flourished, up 57% compared to the same period last year.

American Golf said the landmark victory, Rose’s first major title and the first by any Englishman in the US Open for more than 40 years, had sparked a flurry of interest from amateur golfers across the country.

Kevin Styles, American Golf ’s chief executive Officer, said; “Justin’s triumph in the US Open is good for golf and good for business. It was a perfectly timed victory, coming at the start of the peak golf season and will help to generate interest in the game.

“It’s not only existing golfers that have been snapping up equipment.

We have had a lot of enquiries from people keen to take up the game for the first time. We pride ourselves on helping golfers improve their game – whether it’s a beginner who receives advice from one of our in store PGA Professionals or more experienced players who benefit from custom club fitting and video swing analysis. Our aim is to save them shots when they are out on the course.”

past business – nostalgia

Liverpool’s own House of Windsor gets set for Buckingham Palace trip

Baker Ruth Bessell cooks macaroons at Allmey and Layfield

SWEET-TOOTHED firm Renshaw will be heading to Buckingham Palace this month – and a Post supplement from 33 years ago reveals that the Liverpool firm has always been a house of Windsor.

Renshaw is one of more than 200 firm attending the Coronation festival, an event to mark the successes of the UK’s Royal Warrant Holders.

Its Liverpool site, still one of the world’s leading producers of icing and baking ingredients, traces its history back to 1885, when John Allmey and Preston Layfield joined forces to form a “provision dealers”.

Allmey & Layfield grew into a leading supplier of confectionery and nuts and its base in Holden Street, behind what’s now Liverpool Women’s hospital, grew with it.

By the 1970s the firm decided it needed more space. And, on July 31, 1980, the Post produced a souvenir supplement to mark the opening of Allmey and Layfield’s new warehouse.

Both the front and back pages were emblazoned with adverts for the company’s biggest brand: “Windsor– the

local name you can trust”.

Windsor’s range included marzipan, macaroon paste, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews, as well as white fondant and icing sugar.

Inside the supplement, chairman and managing director, Robert Allmey, struck an optimistic note amid the economic gloom.

The Post noted: “No matter what the economic climate, people have got to eat. While other less fortunate businesses are having to contract, or at least stand still, his is thinking about expansion.”

Mr Allmey said there was “considerable room for growth” in the export trade. He has since been proved right – the plant is now a major supplier of brightly-coloured icing to the US market.

The business would indeed continue to grow at home and abroad, but under a different name. It was taken over by Renshaw just three months after the Post supplement came out – and its new owners soon brought more staff and jobs to their Liverpool David Bedford, essence supervisor site.

ALISTAIR HOUGHTON at Allmey and Layfield in 1980

22 post business end piece

Thursday, July 4, 2013

trading gossip

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■

TRADING GOSSIP has long been sceptical about the concept of the “business guru” and new research shows our instincts might be right.

A study by pensionledfunding.com claims almost

two thirds of firms that appeared on BBC’s Dragons’ Den failed to get funding.

It reveals 94% of the firms say taking part in the show raised their profile, most said it did not help them source further funding.

Little more than a TV game show then.

At least those going on the programme will get a lesson in pompous self-importance.

The Dragons may not be very useful after all

Old school is a strong tie for company boss myday off John Taylor is director of National Tyres and Autocare and his spare time he helps out his former school

A

S A former pupil of St Mary’s College in Crosby I still have a strong passion for the school and its activities within the community.

But as a director of National Tyres and Autocare it can sometimes be hard to find the time to indulge in hobbies or activities outside of work.

I still live in Crosby with my wife Julie and three daughters, and have always been keen to give something back to the school that taught me so much.

My eldest daughter, who is now 19 and studying at Durham University, attended St Mary’s, and I still have two daughters aged 12 and 17 who go to the school.

St Mary’s has an extremely strong academic background, but the teachers also place great emphasis on extra-curricular activities for pupils – particularly in the field of music.

For a number of years, St Mary’s would end the academic year with its own Last Night of the Proms concert held in the school hall.

However, every concert would sell out leaving hundreds of promenaders without a ticket. It was for this reason that the school’s director of music, Andrew Byers, came up with the idea of a classical music extravaganza with the vision of Proms in the Park and a firework display to end the concert.

This was back in 2010 and after a lot of hard work, Mr Byers’ vision was realised in 2011 with the first event.

During this time a small but dedicated committee of school staff and local business people, led by Andrew, wanted to develop the festival and we had a fantastic response from the community and businesses in the area.

It was at this time that I was asked to sponsor the event through National

John Taylor, right, with Andrew Byers at St Mary’s College Tyres and Autocare. I was delighted to support the Proms in the Park and the concert has gone from strength to strength.

We are now in our third year, with the next Proms in the Park Firework Concert taking place this Saturday, July 6.

Following on from last year’s success, we will again be incorporating an amazing fireworks display to accompany the music.

The concert marks the end of the St Mary’s academic year and will be held at the school’s Blundell Park games field on Little Crosby Road.

More than 250 talented young musicians from the college and its preparatory school The Mount will entertain the crowd with a diverse and inspiring programme. They will be joined on stage by Great Crosby Primary School .

Last year we had more than 1,500 people attend, and this year is going to be even bigger and better.

Proms in the Park will feature traditional favourites such as Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March, No 1 (Land of Hope and Glory), the Fantasia on British Sea Songs written by Proms founder Henry Wood, Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks and, to finish the concert, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which will be crowned with a spectacular firework display.

Last year we were blessed with balmy summer weather and we are

hoping for the same again. As ever guests will be treated to first-class food outlets and a champagne bar for those who want to indulge a little.

This is a real highlight of the school calendar and holding the event outdoors makes it that little bit more special – we’ve even pushed the boat out to hoist large projection screens next to the stage this year.

My children have gained so much from all the experiences they have been given.

All my daughters have performed in at least one of the many ensembles at St Mary’s.

Learning to play music is about concentration, discipline an,d more than anything, hard work – however you can see the joy young people get from playing music and a real sense of pride.

This is a great event with so many talented young musicians, who also perform in venues such as the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

They also undertake foreign tours every year; in recent years the senior ensembles have toured Australia and Hong Kong, Canada, Italy and Austria.

Proms in the Park is not just for parents or people connected to the school – it is a family event for the whole community and I would encourage anyone with a love of music to go along to enjoy both the fantastic music and the vibrant atmosphere on the night.

‘Last year we had more than 1,500 at the event’

Thursday, July 4, 2013

end piece

post business

23

networking From left, Amy Hart, Helen Cardinal, Rebecca Harrison and Natalie Thistlewaite

Elif in Childwall Fiveways, Liverpool

my favourite lunch

Book lovers gather THE House Beauty Spa hosted its latest Book Club event, this time at the Holdi Liverpool Indian restaurant in Woolton Village.

The event featured

author Ivor Peters and his latest book, The Urban Rajah's Curry Memoirs.

Pictured, left, is Ivor Peters with Rukon from the restaurant.

Argos superheroes ARGOS staff will transform into superheroes to raise cash for a charity which is very close to one of their colleague’s hearts.

Customer advisor Neil Wilson nursed his elderly mum Betty after she fell vic-

tim to Alzheimer’s.

He and colleagues will use the launch of the new Argos catalogue on July 27 at The Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre in Birkenhead to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Neil Wilson, centre, with Mark Edge and Sophie Houghton

Hotel unites nations

LIVERPOOL’S new Signature Hotel was the venue for the latest Internations networking event.

Internations is a global body that organises events for people who are living and

business diary TUESDAY, JULY 9

ONE of the country’s foremost experts on child welfare is to speak at the next City Leaders’ Breakfast Event in Liverpool. Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, will speak at the Athenaeum during the event, from 7.30am to 9am, on 'Suffer the Little Children?' - The Scandal of Child Poverty.’ The City Leaders Breakfast is hosted by River in the City, in association with the Diocese of Liverpool, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and

Liverpool Parish Church – Our Lady and St Nicholas.

Rev Keith Hitchman from River in the City said: “In 2012 the Campaign to End Child Poverty (CECP) cited Liverpool as having one the highest incidences of child poverty in the UK, with an estimated 34% of youngsters in families surviving on less than 60% of median household income. This event is an opportunity for city leaders to come together to consider what this means for our region and what can be done in response.”

Tickets are priced at £17.

You can book your place

via eventbrite at https:// www.eventbrite.co.uk/ event/6155913503?ref= ebtnebtckt# or visit www. liverpool.anglican.org – bookings close on July 5.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

PEEL Ports is hosting a morning event for InvestSefton aimed at tenants based in the port operator’s dock estate. The meeting is free and will take place in Peel’s Seaforth Maritime Centre headquarters. The event will hear an update from Peel Ports and information on next year’s International Festival for Business.

InvestSefton will also explain how it can support businesses with functions

working outside of their home countries.

Pictured at the event at the hotel in Stanley Street are organisers Ciiku Sondergaard, left, and Michela Insenga

such as tendering, HR and recruitment support and business rates relief, and there will be guidance on how to access grants and finance, including the Regional Growth Fund, and more.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

BRAND Ubiquity is staging its latest networking event at Blankstone Opticians, in Derby Square, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm featuring style guru and Liverpool Post columnist Joanne Watkinson, and Lee Hagan, founder and global fashion advisor of The Collective.

MONDAY, JULY 15

AS part of Liverpool Business Week Everton FC chief

Jaf Saddiqi, owner of City Wines in Old Hall Street Q What is your favourite lunch venue?

A I have a few different favourites for different purposes, but high up there is Elif in Childwall Fiveways. It’s a Turkish Barbecue restaurant so suits me down to the ground as I’m a big meat eater.

Q Why is this your favourite venue?

A The service is always speedy and personal with a smile (I don’t actually have to order anymore), and the food is consistently great and authentic. I always choose a restaurant due to the food and service, never the aesthetics.

Q What is your favourite dish and why?

A I always have the karisik, which is a Turkish mixed grill.

It’s a huge dish full of meat, with rice, salads and a special hot chilli and tomato sauce to go on the side. The meats are marinated, cooked perfectly over charcoal and are full of flavour.

Q What is the best bit of business you have done over lunch?

executive Robert Elstone and his Liverpool counterpart Ian Ayre join Downtown Liverpool in Business head Frank McKenna to discuss the new season ahead and the impact that the beautiful game has on the economy of the city.

The venue is Novotel Liverpool, 8.30am-10.30am.

To book call 0151-227 1633 or email chris.mckenna@ downtowninbusiness.com

THURSDAY, JULY 18

LIVERPOOL Professionals Dinner Club is hosting one of its informal and professional networking social occasions at the Pier Head’s Matou Pan Asian Restaurant, from 6pm, with dinner served at 7pm. Tickets are

Jaf Saddiqi A I once secured a £500,000 investment over a four-hour coffee in Costa – which I was quite chuffed with.

Q Who would you most like to have lunch with?

A Difficult question. I think it would have to be Richard Branson as he’s a hugely influential and inspirational business figure, of whom I am a great fan.

Q Where else do you like to go for lunch?

A I usually skip lunch, but whenever I go over to meet my accountant in Grappenhall, we usually do so over a Chinese banquet.

priced at £38+VAT. The events are billed as “no catch, no boring speeches, just great food, great people and great venues and a bit of fund with a free prize draw. This club provides a social platform to build, create and maintain professional business relationships in premier locations in the city of Liverpool”. To book, please visit: http://www.document direct.co.uk/about-us/ liverpool-professionalsdinner-club/

MONDAY, JULY 22

THE Employability and Skills Group (ESG) of companies is holding a series of open days at its Liverpool operation in Bold Street. It

invites schools and pupils, parents, teachers, heads of departments and careers advisors, training providers, job centres, community agencies, and employers to its informal events, from 10am to 4pm, on the second floor of Link 19 in Bold Street’s Central Village. Refreshments are included. It says the open days provide a chance to find out how ESG staff can help individuals to obtain full time jobs via the apprenticeship programme. For further details Contact Jules Westbrook or Pauline O’Brien on 0151-702 6111.

■ Send your diary events to neil.hodgson @liverpool.com

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

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