Platinum Business Magazine - issue 70

THE LARGEST CIRCULATION REGIONAL BUSINESS PUBLICATION IN THE UK

ISSUE 70. APRIL 2020

When this ends - AND IT WILL END – every game will sell-out, every restaurant will have a two-hour wait, every kid will be glad to be in school, everyone will love their job, the stockmarket will skyrocket, every other house will be sold, and we’ll all embrace and shake hands. That’s gonna be a pretty good day.

Hang on in there, world.

To book, call or go online 01273 041 482 events.brighton@malmaison.com malmaison.com

CONTENTS 7/14

NEWS A round up of commercial news across Sussex

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INTERVIEW The story of Montezuma's Chocolate

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BRIGHTON CHAMBER Debating the four-day week

CARPENTER BOX When conflict can be just what your business needs

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THE BIG READ What next for society once the coronavirus has cleared?

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MOVERS & SHAKERS Who’s going where... Harvey John Recruitment tells us who is moving on in the world of regional commerce

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FACE TO FACE Jeremy Taylor of The Company Connector and Nasser Elaheebocus of Business Pulse discuss the challenges start-ups face

58-65

INFLUENCERS FORUM: RECRUITMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY The second in a series of roundtable discussions on the hot topics of the day

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KINDLING Brighton restaurant sparks a taste explosion

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DAKOTA BROOKLANDS The success story behind Weybridge's newest office block

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AVANTIS WEALTH Investment... and beyond

HURSTPIERPOINT COLLEGE Looking after pupils means looking after staff

84-89

TRAVEL Travel experts Go Bespoke search for the hidden Balearics

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FOCUS ON CRAWLEY The outlook for Crawley is to become a sustainable, diverse and high-performing town. With contributions from Altus, DNA, FastSigns, Manor Royal, Gatwick Airport, Kreston Reeves and more...

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NORWEGIAN Focussing on the airline's loyalty programme

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GATWICK AIRPORT Statement on future operations at London Gatwick

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DR ALAN WATKINS 'Keep calm and carry on'. How to deal with mental stresses during the coronavirus pandemic

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DMH STALLARD An early guide to the Chancellor's support for business

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NATWEST The bank's promise to help commerce continue wherever possible

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DMH STALLARD What coronavirus selfisolation means for employer and employee rights

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NET XP Roaring into 2020

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HAINES WATTS Routes to funding your business KEN BLANCHARD Preparing the next generation of leaders for the future of work

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MOTORING Maarten Hoffmann road tests, and loves, the McLaren 600LT

NATWEST ACCELERATOR Entrepreneur of the month, April 2020 – Simon and Candice Bullmore, Mission Drive

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NATIONAL NEWS Further round up of commercial news across the UK and abroad

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CLEANKILL A pest control vehicle is a good sign

SUSSEX INNOVATION CENTRE Delivering ‘True Impact’ in the Hot House

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...AND NOW FOR SOME GOOD NEWS Heart-warming stories of how the UK is coping with the lockdown

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ALLIED IRISH BANK Celebrating success by supporting companies committed to using only bio-degradable plastics

CRICKET Great days and nights out at Sussex County Cricket Club in Hove

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit. Platinum Business Magazine is owned and published by The Platinum Publishing Group.

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Welcome W

elcome to issue 70 of Platinum Business Magazine and welcome to these very strange dystopian times we are all living through.

The speed with which our lives have changed is dazzling and demonstrates the fragility of our society. It seems only four weeks ago that we were all ‘business as usual’ and now we are living in a world we barely recognise.

It is important to remember that this will be over one day and we will all get back to business. In the meantime we need to support our friends and colleagues who are suffering the most during these nightmare times and help where we can.

Through Platinum Business Magazine, Surrey Business Magazine and Dynamic Magazine we are trying to do our bit. We have removed all subscription charges to receive the magazine and we are offering a free press release service to any company wishing to get their message out

there, offer help or inform the region of what services are available. All publications will be digital only for the next few months and we have therefore combined our entire readership into one and this means that over 810,000 business folk will receive all magazines, direct into their inboxes, every week in an attempt to stave off ‘business isolation’.

In addition, in an effort to keep our region informed, we will be publishing a mid-month mini-mag from April 14th. If you know of anyone who would benefit from receiving the magazine, please encourage them to contact us at info@platinumpublishing.co.uk Stay safe and remember - this will be over one day soon.

Maarten Hoffmann Publisher

And while you’re here...

Platinum Publishing enjoys the largest circulation of any business magazines in the UK, reaching over 720,000 readers across the South East and this includes 468,000 online readers. If you can’t wait for the next issue then jump onto our social media platforms and join the conversation.

@platbusmag Platinum Publishing Group www.platinumpublishing.co.uk

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Great relationships Great conversations Great futures

We are an award-winning firm of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Tax Advisers, Business Consultants and Independent Financial Advisers with a reputation for innovation and excellence.

With our relationship led service, we look to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by you and your business. Our focus is always on client service, with open and honest relationships.

www.carpenterbox.com

Now, for tomorrow

Sussex

news CHRISTMAS VENUES

Healys LLP make HERstory with a sell-out international women’s day event

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nternational Women’s Day is celebrated across the globe with countless events and Brighton & Hove is no different. The Making HERstory event was a show-stopping celebration of women in business on March 5th, organised by Healys LLP.

travelled to Brighton Palace Pier to Make HERstory. Among the attendees

Over 170 women from across Sussex

Engage Health Fund opens doors to new charities

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he Engage Health Group has announced the extension of their ‘Engage Charity Health Fund’.

The Health Fund is designed to provide employees of small charities with meaningful healthcare cover, allowing team members to obtain treatment and return to work quickly, and reduce the amount of their disposable income spent on healthcare provisions.

The Engage Health Group are looking for two Sussex-based charities with less than 10 employees who would like to retain the best talent by offering this additional staff benefit free of charge.

If you are a charity and are interested in being involved in this initiative please email: enquiries@engagehealthgroup.co.uk

An acceptable level of unemployment means that the government economist to whom it is acceptable still has a job BUSINESS WISDOM

were leading comedians Zoe Lyons and Katherine Atkins who ended the day with a ‘HERlarious’ comedy show.

Funny Women, a female-led network of comedians, ran a workshop called ‘Stop Selling Yourself Short’ and hosted a panel discussion, which included some of Sussex’s leading businesswomen.

Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done BUSINESS WISDOM

Brighton Summit 2020: Unite

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righton is the most collaborative of cities, a place where businesses of all sizes believe in teaming up and helping each other out. The theme of this year’s Brighton Summit is Unite.

Now in its eighth year, Brighton Summit, hosted by Brighton Chamber, is a high-energy conference that brings together over 450 businesses and entrepreneurs from the city’s distinctive business community for a

full day of brilliant keynote speakers, inspiring workshops and networking.

The 2020 Brighton Summit will encourage you to make connections, motivate you to work together, and dare you to see what you can offer other people.

Brighton Summit is on Friday October 9th, 8:30am6:00pm at The Clarendon Centre in Brighton. Book your tickets at brightonsummit2020.eventbrite.co.uk

Rayner on the market for millions

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ayner Intraocular Lenses, based in Worthing, are global pioneers in the design and manufacture of lenses and devices used for cataract surgery. The company have seen ongoing success, winning a number of Sussex Business Awards in 2018 and 2019. The awards’ judges commented; “Rayner have grown through innovation and technolo-

gy to become a world leader,” so it comes as no surprise that current shareholders Phoenix Equity Partners have valued the business at between £300m and £400m in a strategic review of the business.

Sources said the private equity firm had decided to look at a sale after receiving several approaches for the business.

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FINANCE

Think outside...

The Chocolate Box Helen Pattinson, co-founder of Montezuma’s speaks to us about her journey into the confectionary world and how NatWest have supported this successful entrepreneur along the way husband Simon. Walking around the chocolate brand with a reputation far Tell us about the history of beautiful town of Bariloche San Carlos bigger than our actual footprint!

Montezuma’s in the Argentinian Lake District during My husband and I started Montezua year long adventure with Simon, havTell us how long you have been ma’s, our little chocolate business, in ing escaped our legal careers to disinvolved in the company 2000 with only a kitchen sink-sized cover ourselves and South America.

I’ve been involved in the company machine, huge enthusiasm, spades of naivety and most was filled with chocimportantly, a broad “What we certainly didn’t train for or Itolate shops from tiny idea to bring chocolate innovation to expect in our wildest dreams was that boutiques to a chocolate supermarket but a boring and staid a business started on a shoestring all boasting the most British chocolate chocolate, and market. would arguably become Britain’s most amazing demonstrating retail theatre like I’d nevWith the excepinnovative chocolate brand” er seen before. I was tion of that first hooked and determined to bring the from the very start. I came up with the machine, little has changed and the ideas back to the UK where the chocidea for the business along with my childish enthusiasm we shared exolate offering on our high streets was ploring South America in 1999 largely incredibly unexciting. wakes up with us every morning! Being lawyers turned self-taught chocWhat’s the state of the consumer olate makers has meant steep learnchocolate market? ing curves and often reinventing the Key trends in the consumer chocolate wheel but everything we do is carried market at the moment, which are also out with a passion for creating chocoimpacting the market, are growing delate we want to eat in an environment mands for vegan, sugar-free and gluwe enjoy. ten-free chocolate. Montezuma’s has a large range of vegan chocolate What we certainly didn’t train for or available including our 100% coexpect in our wildest dreams was coa chocolate, Absolute Black that a business started on a which is our best-selling chocshoestring would arguably beolate. We are continuing to see come Britain’s most innovative

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FINANCE a surge in sales as health-conscious Brits reach for a chocolate option that contains no added sugar – making it the perfect guilt-free snack.

We also have a milk chocolate alternative bar, which is organic called Like No Udder which is a wonderful creation of chocolate that is as close to milk chocolate as possible without ever going near a cow! It’s as smooth as regular milk chocolate but made without milk and is also suitable for vegans.

Tell us about your future expansion plans All of our packaging has just been made either recyclable, compostable or biodegradable – a first for a British chocolate company. We took on a large-scale recyclability project and the team at Montezuma’s looked at every aspect of our packaging materials.

As well as using recyclable inks, adhesives, stickers and tape, the company’s best-selling chocolate bars now come in 100% paper and card packaging, eliminating the non-recyclable metallised plastics used to wrap most products. We have even repurposed old packaging by shredding it and us-

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ing it in our gift boxes.

It didn’t make sense to us to create a completely recyclable range and then just dump the old packaging in landfill so we’re having to be very creative to repurpose it!

I am also really excited to be taking us through B Corp certification. B Corps are forming a community of businesses that believe businesses should be used as a force for good, and recognising that they shouldn’t be the best in the world but the best for the world.

Tell us about your relationship with NatWest and how they have assisted your company growth We started working with NatWest a couple of years ago as part of a

holistic a p p r o a c h to preparing the business for growth. We had very clear growth plans and we needed to bring on board a banking partner who understands these and who is equally excited about the next phase of our business growth. Starting from nothing, we have been through many growth phases but now we are set to expand our retail estate as well as our manufacturing. I feel very confident that NatWest will be there to support us during the inevitable highs and lows during this time.

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The Big Four

Friday Fatigue? Not for MRL. They’re championing the four-day working week and for them, it works.

al work. It did and it’s now the norm for MRL, who still pay employees for a five-day week.

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nticipating Brighton Chamber’s next Big Debate, originally planned for April but rescheduled for September 2020, on whether the four-day week would make Brighton more productive, Vice-President Jill Woolf interviewed David Stone, founder / CEO of global high-tech recruitment consultancy MRL at their UK offices in Hove. David and his business partner started MRL in 1997 and last year challenged staff to make a four-day working week tri-

trapolate that to a five-day week and it’s around 16 hours of work. I’m giving my people four days in which to do those 16.

Microsoft’s four-day week trial in their Tokyo office saw a 40% increase in productivity. How are your stats proving it’s working?

We did our four-day week long before Microsoft Japan did theirs! Our trial was from May to November and we rigorously checked the stats. We’re hitting our five-day sales targets in four, translating to a 20% productivity rise. ‘Sickies’ have halved and staff retention is at 96%.

Are there any downfalls?

None. Some of our people’s stories are lovely, like one guy who was able to take his new born baby swimming for the first time, or the two people in our German office now able to study for a PhD. I’m asked if they get more stressed as they’re doing more in a shorter time, but we haven’t seen it.

89% felt their mental health improved.

How have your people taken to the change?

Generally, older team members adapted quickly while some of the younger ones took a little more time as they had to up the tempo. Apparently the average worker works for three hours 12 minutes per day - frightening. Ex-

How did your Radio 4 interview go for ‘The Bottom Line’?

Broadcasting House is impressive and Evan Davis was charming. He wanted to talk about a five-day week with shorter hours, or an early retirement age so you do five days a week and retire at 55. There was nothing to argue about because we’re proving it works and we know it’s not right for everyone.

Scenes from The Big Debate at Brighton Chamber

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Chamber event photography: Vervate

Should there be more choice?

Technology was meant to set us free, but it’s the opposite. We were told by now we’d be working two or three days a week, enjoying leisure time. Technology means we’re working harder and longer. We’re on our mobiles every evening and all weekend. That’s probably where the mental health issues arise as well as FOMO (fear of missing out). It’s not healthy but I don’t know how we change that.

I don’t believe government should dictate everyone works a four-day week as some companies would go bust. If you get a few entrepreneurial companies setting the pace with a four-day week, reaping benefits, there’ll be a huge rush.

BIG DEBATE We weren’t the first recruitment company to do it but since we did, there have been at least 12 more in the UK, Ireland and Holland. What will happen is people working a five-day week will go to an employer working four and those companies will lose their best employees. Eventually the whole sector will follow.

What are your final words of wisdom for those who are considering changing to a four-day week?

Don’t ever rule anything out. Consider all options. Look at your business with fresh eyes. Don’t be stuck with preconceptions. Review what you’re trying to achieve. Can it be done another way? Rather than pocket the effects of increased productivity, share the love with your employees - they’ll stick around longer, be more loyal and

Chamber event photography: Vervate

I’m not trying to change the world. I’m just trying to give my company an advantage and my people a decent working environment.

work harder. You’ll get your profits in the long run if money is your motivator, maybe not straight away, but you will.

Finally, consider a four-and-a-half-day week trial first and dangle the carrot.

If I had to do it over, that’s what I’d do.

I’d say – have Friday afternoons off on me, but I’m going to want 105% of target. Give me that for the next year, then we’ll go four days. That would also give time to change and adapt.

David Stone is a panellist at the next Big Debate in September 2020.

The Big Debate is hosted by Brighton Chamber and open to everyone in the city. The debate is chaired by Richard Freeman from always possible, and confirmed panellists include Elena Kerrigan, Managing Director, Think Productive and Martin Ellis, Headhunter, The RSE Group.

To register for your free place, visit – www. brightonchamber.co.uk/event/the-big-debatewould-a-4-day-week-make-brighton-moreproductive Jill Woolf is Managing Director of leading PR and marketing consultancy Chimera Communications; a mentor for the Entrepreneurship Programme at the School of Business, Management and Economics at the University of Sussex; a regular member of the Dragons’ Den panel at the University of Brighton Business School; and a mentor at the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator in Brighton.

David Stone, CEO at MRL

See the full interview on www.chimeracomms.co.uk

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Sussex

news CHRISTMAS VENUES

Octopus Energy lights up Brighton Palace Pier

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ctopus Energy has launched its brand new Brighton Business Power tariff in a two-year deal with Brighton Palace Pier. Octopus Energy, which has an office in North Laine, is on

IoD Sussex International Women’s Day Lunch

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annings Heath Golf and Wine Estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, hosted the inaugural International Women’s Day Business Lunch with IoD Sussex, on Thursday March 5th 2020.

The speaker panel included Julie Kapsalis, Vice-Chair of Coast to Capital and Managing Director of Chichester College Group; Charlotte Valeur, Chair

BUSINESS WISDOM

a mission to help Brighton businesses become even greener whilst also giving back to the local community. Energy for the new Brighton Business tariff is sourced from Natewood Solar Farm in Hailsham, alongside community energy schemes in the area.

The new tariff provides 100% renewable, local power for local businesses at affordable rates. As Brighton Palace Pier’s official energy supplier, Octopus Energy will power the city’s iconic landmark until the end of 2021 and will save the equivalent CO2 emissions of 319 cars in two years.

The event at Mannings Heath included inspirational speakers who shared their business stories and advice with the Sussex business community.

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership

of the Institute of Directors; Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of the Hampton-Alexander Review (a review body which focuses on increasing the number of women on FTSE 350 boards), and Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate owner Penny Streeter, who joined by video call.

RSM appoint Natasha Lucas as a partner

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ased in Guildford, Natasha Lucas joins RSM from a London-based investment firm where she was the CFO. Natasha deals with a wide range of tax matters for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, their families and related businesses, both in the UK and overseas.

Gary Heynes, head of private client services in UK and Europe commented: "I’m delighted to welcome Natasha to the RSM team. She brings with her a great depth of experience to our expanding ultra high net worth and multinational family client base and will support our continued growth of family office services across the firm."

DMH Stallard advise Monty’s Bakehouse in multi-million pound deal

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onty’s Bakehouse has been acquired in a US$48.4 million (£26.74 million) deal with SATS Ltd, Asia’s leading provider of food solutions and gateway services. Monty’s Bakehouse is recognised as one of the leading innovators of high-quality packaged food solutions for travel markets. Jonathan Grant, Partner and Head of Corporate at DMH Stallard,

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led the team advising Matt Crane (CEO) and shareholders.

Jonathan said: “We were proud to support Matt Crane and his team in this high value deal for the sale of Monty’s Bakehouse UK Ltd. This move presents a platform for further growth and development, and Monty’s Bakehouse will doubtless continue to build

on its reputation as an innovator of high-quality packaged foods, and a pioneer in sustainable cabin packaging and recycling.”

Luck is a dividend of sweat.

The more you sweat, the luckier you get BUSINESS WISDOM

SOCIAL MEDIA

How we’ve improved productivity in the workplace

By Kerry Watkins, Founder of Social Brighton has two benefits; it makes them less likely to carry on unnecessarily and also means no one ends up checking emails or losing focus.

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ince we moved to a four-day working week last year at Social Brighton, I’ve been on a mission to find the best ways for my team to work more productively and efficiently. I’m a big believer in working smarter, rather than working longer, and striving for a healthy work/life balance.

As a small, busy company it’s imperative that we make the most of each working day and that the team is energised and focused on what’s important. We work in the social media sector which is well known as the king of distraction. And that’s on top of the multiple tabs of my calendar, Gmail, Drive, Xero, Canva, Asana, client websites… the list goes on. I used to find myself in the middle of doing several things at once and achieving nothing very quickly.

Monotasking Research shows that multitasking is actually impossible. While we may think we’re multitasking, we are actually just switching back and forth between tasks very quickly. This makes us 50% more likely to make mistakes and tires our brains out! Having a single-task mindset means we feel more in control and accomplished and less likely to feel anxiety about our work.

45-minute focus sessions Once we’ve listed out and prioritised our tasks for the week, we set aside 45-minute blocks of time for the big ones. This is a good amount of time to focus on one task and then take a break after 45-minutes and move around, grab a coffee or some fresh air. By working like this throughout the day, we have definitely noticed that we don’t have that unproductive post-

lunch or final hour of the day slump. It’s something we’re still getting used to but the team have enjoyed lunchtime dips in the sea (yes, in the winter!), gym sessions, walks outside, reading and going home to cook dinner.

Laminated animals Working in a team can mean there are many conversations and questions in the office - which is usually a lovely thing. But sometimes we just need to focus on what we’re doing. So our solution was to print out and laminate our favourite animals and if we want to focus without being interrupted by a colleague, we stick our animal to the top of our monitor! It’s the next best thing to a furry friend in the office!

I hope some of these can help your workplace productivity.

Social Brighton partner with organisations to drive results through the positive use of social media. www.socialbrighton.com @social_brighton

Over the last few months we’ve been trying different techniques to work more productively and they’ve made a massive difference.

Stand up meetings We kick the week off with a Monday morning stand up meeting to discuss the key priorities, what’s coming up and what we might need support with.

These meetings are now conducted while physically standing up. This

Laminated animal photos help Social Brighton focus without interruption

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When conflict can be just what your business needs Robin Evans, Partner at MHA Carpenter Box, looks at the effect of conflict on decision making, ideas and communication However, conflict will affect all businesses, large or small, simple or complex. And conflict may be just what your organisation needs at the board or senior management level to challenge group thinking or cultivate innovative ideas.

When we are faced with conflict, we typically experience our body’s natural fight or flight reflex, with our temperatures rising, heart pounding and palms clammy.

What is conflict?

“An active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles”. To differ, to be incompatible, to disagree – these all sound like negatives for any organisation.

Many choose flight, thus avoiding the conflict, whilst others opt to fight and confront it head on. There is a happy middle ground where a positive approach to managing conflict can be a useful catalyst for innovation and growth, and at the same time strengthening individuals and the collective group.

The state of manufacturing UK SME manufacturers and engineers continue to grow and build resilience according to this year’s MHA Manufacturing & Engineering Report

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he report also reveals that global economic conditions, Brexit/future trading tariffs and staff shortages impacted growth. However, SMEs remain buoyant and have been building resilience by increasing their assets, reducing borrowing and re-evaluating their supply chains.

To compile the report, the national Manufacturing & Engineering team at UK accountancy association MHA, with support from Lloyds Bank and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), benchmarked SMEs across the UK to paint a national picture of

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the manufacturing and engineering sector.

The methodology involved a qualitative and quantitative approach, with over 230 survey responses from businesses and an in-depth analysis of over 1,000 UK companies undertaken by our national data insights team.

Key findings • Revenue has grown year on year, although growth has decreased • Growth in Net Assets has risen from £9.97bn in 2017 to £10.49bn in 2018 • Borrowing is down 58%

How conflict can be a strength Avoid a group mindset A board or senior management team can develop a group mindset, where the decisions made are not reflective of the individual members thoughts, but represents a blander view that everyone can agree on. A lack of diversity in senior positions can make the group mindset a very real risk to the effectiveness of a business.

Develop better ideas Ideas that are subject to challenge will have been well thought out and developed. Very rarely is our first version of an idea perfect and unable to be enhanced through a robust discussion of its merits. Ideas are “road tested” before they are presented in their final form. The process can also make us more committed to an idea.

•6 1% of our clients have a Brexit strategy in place •7 8% have difficulty recruiting appropriately skilled staff • 64% invest up to 8% on R&D •1 3% stated a lack of financial backing to invest “Manufacturing is of course integral to the success of the UK economy, which is why I am encouraged to see that many manufacturers continue to deliver growth and demonstrate resilience, despite the ongoing uncertainty in the operating environment. However, the sector’s skills shortage remains one of the biggest challenges and one that it is working hard to overcome.”

Dave Atkinson, Head of Manufacturing, SME, Commerical Banking (Lloyds Bank)

BUSINESSFINANCE SURVEY

New and innovative ideas Conflict can involve a lot of dialogue back and forth, with input from a variety of sources. This process can encourage creativity and flexibility,

leading to new ideas that wouldn’t be identified any other way.

“When we are faced with conflict, we typically experience our body’s natural fight or flight reflex, with our temperatures rising, heart pounding and palms clammy”

Drive change Conflict usually leads to change and solutions being identified. This can be driven by the intense nature of conflict and challenge, which is then difficult to ignore once an expression of opposing views has taken place.

Skill development Conflict can create feelings of discomfort and anxiety. However, learning to manage it properly instils a sense of important leadership and life skills, such as listening, compromise, negotiation, influencing and accepting when you are wrong.

Understand other styles and behaviours Observing how colleagues handle conflict can teach you a lot about them, their values, their styles and patterns of behaviour. By managing

conflict, we also learn about ourselves too. Such observations can provide useful insights into colleagues, which can lead to more effective interpersonal relationships. Healthy conflict can produce positive outcomes, deepen relationships and act as a catalyst for good governance and growth.

Get in touch For more information on turning conflict into an opportunity in your business, get in touch with our friendly team of tax and business advisers by contacting Robin on 01903 234094 or visit our website: www.carpenterbox.com

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We are only a third of the way through 2020, and it is already a year unlike any other. We have seen deserted streets and shopping centres, selfless acts of bravery and dedication, ovations for our health workers, Zoom meetings, furloughed workers and self-isolation.

Will we all look back in 2021 and reminisce about that strange year when everyone was doing WhatsApp quizzes and quirky TikTok videos, and waving at each other in video conference meetings? Or will Covid-19 change our world forever?

By Ian Trevett

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THE BIG READ BUSINESS SURVEY

Where will it all end?

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hat happens in a crisis, when everything you take for granted is thrown up in the air? How do people respond when all the nothing seems to make any sense?

Our working age generations are about to be tested like never before.

Will we use the adversity to create something better, or should we fear the future? We are capable of kindness and compassion, but also cruelty and indifference.

We are in untested waters, but history can still teach us how humanity reacts to situations of stress and uncertainty. The 20th Century had more than its fair share of global shocks, and the consequences for mankind can be best described as mixed.

The Guardian’s Peter C Baker, writes, “Any glance at history reveals that crises and disasters have continually set the stage for change, often for the better. The global flu epidemic of 1918 helped create national health services in many European countries. The twinned crises of the Great Depression and the second world war set the stage for the modern welfare state.”

An alternative view is that the Great Depression was the touch-paper for the greatest bloodshed the world has ever seen. When economies fail, a scapegoat is usually found. It is no coincidence that the most horrific and murderous regimes our planet has seen had their roots in the Great Depression.

As Germans pushed their worthless banknotes around in wheelbarrows, Hitler harnessed the anger and sense of humiliation into the most virulent form of raging nationalism. Italy, Spain and Japan also turned to violent forms of extreme patriotism and racism.

Will Covid-19 trigger hate or love?

Pandemics can also have widely differing outcomes. At worst, they can trigger ugly xenophobia, food hoarding and mistrust of strangers.

The New Statesman’s Jeremy Cliffe

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posted a dire warning: “It is too early to tell what cultural impact the outbreak will have. If historical pandemics have anything to teach, it is that people rapidly search for a group to blame. The Black Death prompted witch hunts and anti-Jewish pogroms. A plague in Milan in 1629-31 saw residents turn against foreigners and particularly the city’s Spanish rulers. Captured in Alessandro Manzoni’s 1829 novel The Betrothed, this moment became a rallying point for Italian nationalism.

carry this disease home to our loved ones on our clothes and in our own lungs. How can we not be scared? I know I am not the only one plagued by insomnia.”

And yet, they still go in to work, as brave as any soldier. If one positive thing that must come out of this, it is that our NHS workers must be respected and rewarded. We rely on them more than ever before.

There have been some horrible stories in the press about NHS workers being “Today the beginnings of a coronaviabused, but the brainless idiots who rus blame game are already present: American rightists have been pointedly "Today the beginnings calling the disease 'the Wuhan virus', with Don- of a coronavirus blame ald Trump referring to it game are already present: as the 'Chinese virus' in a tweet on March 16th. American rightists have Chinese diplomats been pointedly calling the meanwhile are openly criticising the US for its disease 'the Wuhan virus', slow reaction, and Hungary’s government has with Donald Trump referring rolled out anti-Semitic to it as the 'Chinese virus'" tropes about George insult our health professionals are forSoros. One only has to imagine a new tunately a tiny, yet hideous, minority. surge of migrants on Europe’s fringes this summer, say, to realise how quickThe most moving moment came on ly the virus could acquire an ugly new March 26th, when the population of cultural dimension.” the UK was invited to step outside or lean out of their windows and clap for Yet, conversely the fight against the our carers and NHS workers. virus can bring the vast majority of us together. A crisis can generate small I live at the end of a fairly quiet street, acts of kindness and awe-inspiring and I must confess that I thought this courage. If this is a war against corowould be something that would mainly navirus, then it is the doctors, nurses take place the tightly populated towns and carers who are battling away on and cities. Feeling slightly self-conthe frontline. scious, along with my family, I stood outside and clapped at 8pm. I looked An anonymous doctor writing in The down the road and people were apGuardian confessed: “People are plauding, cheering and banging pots frightened in a way that I have not outside EVERY house. It sent a chill seen before. Senior consultants have down my spine, a genuinely emotional been in tears. Our junior doctors, desoccurrence. perate for guidance, look to a consultant body that does not have the anStraight away, the WhatsApp groups swers. Friends in other specialties and and social media channels were buzzhospitals contact me for information, ing with similar stories across the UK. wrongly hoping I may know more than One friend lives with her family in an they do. isolated farmhouse but they were still outside their door showing their ap“We are all worried about our young preciation. families, our elderly parents. We will

THE BIG READ

“Great civilisations are not murdered. Instead, they take their own lives” The city of Homs, Syria

It was the first time in my life I can think of when the entire nation showed its appreciation for the people who look after us.

And the desire to help went beyond just the current health and care workers. When the appeal went out for volunteers for the NHS, over half a million applied within 24 hours.

A better way to live The desire to help our fellow humans is not reserved to the UK and the NHS.

Solnit writes: “It began as I was researching for the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

What I found corresponded to my own experience of the 1989 earthquake.

That there had been not only an extraordinary upswelling of ordinary people reaching out to do what needed to be done to take care of each other. But in that, was an incredible sense of joy, and power and connection that was missing in everyday life.

even not just because something terrible has happened. The powerful are often scrambling to restore a status quo that worked very well for them.

The less powerful are often saying, ‘Wow, everything has changed. We're not ready to change it all back.’

“What happens in disasters demonstrates everything an anarchist ever wanted to believe about the triumph of civil society and the failure of institutional authority.”

“And one thing even the largest disasters sometimes illuminates is the ways in which everyday life can also be a kind of disaster of alienation, meaninglessness, powerlessness. A sense that people don't have the connections and meaningful work, meaningful roles that they really yearn for.

How will our world change?

The hope and belief is that the global community of scientists will discover a cure, or at very least ways to effectively control the spread of Covid-19. What is less certain is what the post-coronavirus world will look like.

She found that official responses often left a lot to be desired, by treating people as part of the problem to be managed, not an invaluable part of the solution. But the communities and local populations came into their own.

“…There is a real possibility of change.

Disasters shake things loose, and the things that we regarded as fixed and unchangeable can suddenly be changed. It's been fascinating seeing people in power suddenly say, ‘Well, actually, we can put all these homeless people up in hotels. Actually, we can change unemployment insurance and sick leave. Actually, we can find $3 trillion to throw at a problem.’

Simon Mair, a Research Fellow in Ecological Economics at the University of Surrey has outlined the range of potential outcomes: “From an economic perspective, there are four possible futures: a descent into barbarism, a robust state capitalism, a radical state socialism, and a transformation into a big society built on mutual aid. Versions of all of these futures are perfectly possible, if not equally desirable.

In fact, the disasters exposed possibilities of better ways of living.

“…It does remind us that everything can be profoundly different, maybe

“These visions are extreme scenarios, caricatures, and likely to bleed into

The American author and historian, Rebecca Solnit has studied the human responses to natural disasters and in 2009, she wrote a book entitled A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster.

Her research was based on horrific episodes including the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, the 2001 terror attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

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one another. My fear is the descent from state capitalism into barbarism.

My hope is a blend of state socialism and mutual aid: a strong, democratic state that mobilises resources to build a stronger health system, prioritises protecting the vulnerable from the whims of the market and responds to

ing down, delving deep and shifting perspectives. Well, I suppose I have nothing else to do for the next few months...

For instance, Luke Kemp, a researcher based at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, warns: “Great civilisations are not murdered. Instead, they take their own lives.”

"Many Americans already fear the threat to society.

As soon as Covid-19 hit the US, gun sales soared" and enables citizens to form mutual aid groups rather than working meaningless jobs.”

Mair’s economic analysis is well worth a read and can be found on The Conversation website.

Mair’s greatest fear is the collapse into barbarism; the scenario of nightmares. You don’t have to delve too hard to find serious thinkers who warn against economic armageddon, many of whom have been doing so for many years before the virus outbreak.

A good place to find warning about the end of civilisation is BBC Future, which is described as a home for slow-

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“…Complex technological systems regularly give way to failure. So collapse may be a normal phenomenon for civilisations, regardless of their size and stage.

“And while our scale may now be global, collapse appears to happen to both sprawling empires and fledgling kingdoms alike. There is no reason to believe that greater size is armour against societal dissolution. Our tightly-coupled, globalised economic system is, if anything, more likely to make crisis spread.” “…Think of civilisation as a poorly-built ladder. As you climb, each step that you used falls away. A fall from a height of just a few rungs is fine. Yet the higher

you climb, the larger the fall. Eventually, once you reach a sufficient height, any drop from the ladder is fatal.”

Also writing on BBC Future (or should it be BBC No Future?), Rachel Nuwer shared Kemp’s worries back in 2017: “The political economist Benjamin Friedman once compared modern Western society to a stable bicycle whose wheels are kept spinning by economic growth. Should that forward-propelling motion slow or cease, the pillars that define our society – democracy, individual liberties, social tolerance and more – would begin to teeter.

“Our world would become an increasingly ugly place, one defined by a scramble over limited resources and a rejection of anyone outside of our immediate group. Should we find no way to get the wheels back in motion, we’d eventually face total societal collapse.

“Such collapses have occurred many times in human history, and no civilisation, no matter how seemingly great, is immune to the vulnerabilities that may lead a society to its end.”

Many Americans already fear the threat to society. As soon as Covid-19 hit the US, gun sales soared. A gun shop owner in North Carolina report-

THE BIG READ ed his best-ever sales (only matched by the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut in 2012!). He explained the huge spike in sales to The Guardian: “Financial meltdown, pandemic, crime, politics… you throw it all into the pot, and you have one hell of a mess.”

What needs to be done?

Will our post-Covid society be one that has learned the value of community or one that has descended into a post-apocalyptic wasteland? The answer is, of course, almost certainly neither. The world will just muddle along as usual.

But this is an opportunity, and we’d be foolish not to take it.

There is an inherent lack of stability in our modern society needs to be addressed. The theories of academics who predict the collapse of the society identify a common weakness in civilisations which have collapsed. It is the point when inequalities in wealth and resources become impossible to sustain.

Safa Motesharrei, a systems scientist at the University of Maryland believes there are two factors that matter for civilisation survival: ecological strain and economic stratification. The ecological category is the more widely understood and recognised path to potential doom, especially in terms of depletion of natural resources, which could be worsened by climate change.

“Disaster via economic stratification comes when elites push society to-

ward instability and eventual collapse by hoarding huge quantities of wealth and resources.

It cannot continue. Our essential workers have to be respected and properly rewarded.

“… [For instance] by the 3rd Century, Rome was increasingly adding new things – an army double the size, a cavalry, subdivided provinces that each needed their own bureaucracies, courts and defences – just to maintain its status quo and keep from sliding backwards. Eventually, it could no longer afford to prop up those heightened complexities. It was fiscal weakness, not war, that did the Empire in.”

Globalisation has allowed a very small number of billionaires to amass nauseating piles of money, which they could not spend in a thousand years.

It is obscene and the richest 1% have to be held to account.

Thomas Homer-Dixon, chair of global systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Canada warns: “As poorer nations continue to disintegrate amid conflicts and natural disasters, enormous waves of migrants will stream out of failing regions, seeking refuge in more stable states. Western societies will respond with restrictions and even bans on immigration; multi-billion dollar walls and border-patrolling drones and troops; heightened security on who and what gets in; and more authoritarian, populist styles of governing.”

And above all, human kindness and co-operation has to be valued more highly.

My favourite quote of all time comes from Nelson Mandela, and it is as relevant now as ever: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

We need to change. As a society it has taken a horrific virus to remind us who we really rely on. It is the people who produce and distribute our food, the people who keep the lights on, the people who keep our streets safe, and the people who care for us when we are in need. But none of these are rewarded properly. The people who earn the most are largely doing pointless jobs, and are now sitting at home watching Netflix.

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TRANSFORMING

Crawley As a major economic force in the Gatwick Diamond, the outlook for Crawley is to become a sustainable, diverse and high-performing town

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rawley has one of the highest rates of growth in private sector jobs and some of the highest wages in the UK, according to an influential report. The Centre for Cities 2020 report, which compares economic statistics across 63 cities and large towns in the UK, underlines the town’s status as a great place to do business.

The report found that Crawley has: • The ninth highest average wage in the UK of £617 per week (£46 more than the UK average).

•T he highest proportion of private sector jobs in the UK (84,000 private sector jobs, only 11,000 public sector).

• An average gross value added (GVA) of £66,063 per worker, making it the 19th most productive city.

•T he 11th highest number of patents granted at 19.48 per 100,000 people.

It is one of the UK’s most resilient and strongest performing city economies with more than 3,400 active businesses including a diverse range of world-leading blue chips from specialist sectors including aerospace, aviation, health and life sciences and medical technology. Jobs numbers in Crawley grew from 85,000 in 2015 to 95,000 in 2017 within three key employment areas: Crawley Town Centre, Manor Royal Business District and Gatwick Airport.

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TOWN HALL REGENERATION Work on the Crawley regeneration scheme is well underway with 91 apartments, set over nine storeys currently being completed on the site of a former two-storey car park next to the Town Hall. The project, which will be completed in December 2021, involves the demolition of the existing Town Hall and the construction of a nine-storey building that will house the new Town Hall as well as 77,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space.

Once the new building is open, the

remainder of the current Town Hall will be demolished to make way for the final phase of redevelopment, a 10-storey block featuring 182 apartments with ground floor commercial space opening on to a new public square.

The redevelopment of Queensway, The Pavement and Kingsgate was completed in November 2019, under budget and on schedule, extending the redevelopment of the town’s shopping hub after Queens Square was finished in 2017.

FOCUS ON CRAWLEY

New directions to a healthier climate

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rawley Borough Council is committed to enabling healthier and more sustainable transport options, working with West Sussex County Council and other partners to help to tackle traffic congestion and make its streets safer and more attractive. The strategy proposes a vision of a walkable town along with improved sustainable public transport, car clubs and safe cycling, using a mix of innovative and integrated transport facilities to serve everyone’s needs.

Funding for transport links

Going Dutch

£

820,000 of Local Growth Funding has been approved by Coast to Capital for Phase 3 of the Crawley Growth Programme, in addition to a previous allocation of £14.6 million, to help progress the project.

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s part of a wider government campaign, more than 250 miles of new segregated cycle lanes will be built across England under government plans to reduce car dependency in towns and cities.

The government said that dozens of new “mini-Holland” projects - designed to reflect the cycling culture in the Netherlands - would be introduced as part of the programme, creating low-traffic neighbourhoods to encourage walking and cycling. This is all part of a plan to double the number of journeys made by bike by 2025.

Being mostly flat, with lots of cycle

paths and increasing facilities for bikes, cycling in Crawley is the ideal way to get around if you live or work in the borough.

Working with an independent cyclist consultant, Crawley Borough Council has identified key cycle route improvement priorities in the town centre and Manor Royal. The key priorities include: • Improved connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists • Improved crossing facilities at key locations • Public transfort infrastructure improvements

Phase 3 of the programme will improve transport connectivity by extending a proposed bus lane around Manor Royal Business District, leading to a reduction in bus journey times.

Enhancements along the cycling and walking route will also encourage more sustainable transport options in order to enrich the attractiveness of Manor Royal Business District and significantly reduce the carbon emissions of commuters.

The Crawley Growth Programme is transforming the business and living environment in Crawley town centre and Manor Royal, through the delivery of new office space, enabling new homes and new retail investment alongside transport infrastructure.

Once complete in December 2020, the scheme will unlock opportunities for the local area including further investment in housing and business space.

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Delivering Commercial Property Solutions

Throughout the Gatwick Diamond Region Commercial Property Agency Croydon

Rent Reviews Lease Renewals M25

Acquisitions

M25

M25

Business Rates

M23

Investment

A24

Development Leatherhead

M25 South Gatwick Tunbridge Wells

Crawley

A23

Brighton

Altus Group M25 South, Reigate - 01737 243328 robert.bradley-smith@altusgroup.com

tim.hodges@altusgroup.com

toby.brooks@altusgroup.com

www.altusgroup.com/property M25 Regional offices at Heathrow, Dartford, Hertford and Central London.

FOCUS ON CRAWLEY

Crawley office market continues to soar Tim Hodges, Senior Director of Altus Group, on the rise of world-class office space in the Gatwick Diamond region for employers to secure and retain key staff. The increasing investment in Manor Royal and the new town centre regeneration projects, together with having the world’s busiest single runway airport on the doorstep, will only strengthen the position of Crawley and Manor Royal as the heart of the Gatwick Diamond Region.

ith the uncertainty of the General Election behind us, and a window of Brexit stability, 2020 has started well for the commercial office market. However, despite these underlying political and economic factors affecting business confidence in 2019, Crawley and Manor Royal out-performed many of the competing regional M25/M23 commercial centres.

Advised by Altus Group, this has resulted in many institutional and property company landlords investing in the refurbishment and repositioning of key office buildings in the town centre, Manor Royal and Gatwick to provide class-leading Grade A office accommodation to meet the market demands of quality and sustainability. Examples of such successes include the 22,661 sq ft Origin One building in Crawley town centre, refurbished by Aberdeen Standard and now fully let with Spirent Communications Plc taking the 7,602 sq ft last available floor.

This confidence in the town and Manor Royal underpins its ever increasing appeal which retains and attracts new businesses from multinational occupiers to SMEs. The fundamentals of the location with unrivalled road, air and rail connectivity provide a foundation on which businesses can thrive, and this also provides the talent pool

Other examples include McKay Securities Plc refurbishment of Pegasus 2 on Manor Royal totalling 12,421 sq ft with the ground floor already let to Aeromobile Communications Limited who relocated from within Pegasus Place and were keen to stay put on Manor Royal. At Pegasus 2, McKay have also taken the opportunity to in-

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City Place

stall a brand new state of the art facility to promote green travel and cycle commuting including showers, lockers and a changing room together with bike storage facilities.

At Gatwick, Shearwater Geoservices choosing to relocate to 2 City Place, opposite Nestlé and in the company of Air Partner Plc and Lloyds, also further reinforces this trend with a total of 10 new office lettings across the Crawley market in 2019. Examples of such continuing investor confidence in the area also includes the current refurbishment and rebranding of the 29,500 sq ft The Manor office building on Manor Royal which includes the benefit of a central external courtyard amenity area on the first floor.

The comprehensive specification of works to new Grade A offices is scheduled for completion this spring with Altus Group offering the building to the market for letting as a whole or in suites.

With the fundamentals of the location only set to strengthen the outlook remains strong for this sector of the Crawley and Gatwick market.

www.altusgroup.com/property

Pegasus 2

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On the road DNA operate throughout the UK and Europe. Group Managing Director, Tony Bunn, explains how the industry is evolving

Going over and above has been the key to our success in this side of the business and it’s what sets us apart from many other operators.

Palletised storage has also been a growth area for us, and we see that this will be a core focus with further space becoming available to us. This will enable DNA to increase its offering to new clients as well as satisfying increased demand from its existing client base.

Which countries does DNA currently operate in?

DNA operates from four sites in the UK. Our head office is at Gatwick Airport where we carry out our same day operations as well as pallet network and storage. We also operate from a client’s premises in Crawley and in Milton, Oxfordshire where we have 46 staff and 42 vehicles across the two sites. Additionally, we have a small team in Westminster looking after government related business.

Whilst the majority of our work is within the UK we have seen significant increases of traffic into and out of Europe particularly on the pallet network and full and part load requests.

Through our pallet network membership, we offer services to 37 countries in Europe and also have global access should there be a requirement.

Which area of business is your main activity?

Our key supplier activity within a major international logistics operator as well as our Pallet Network membership within Palletforce has to be the main areas of increased growth. We have always had a strong same day express business which is quite specialist.

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Why is Crawley a good place for business?

It’s surprising the amount of industry that Crawley has and despite its changing landscape there is still a lot of manufacturing and assembly that

takes place in Crawley’s industrial areas. The surrounding towns are also very busy with various businesses supporting the airport and its infrastructure as well as producing goods that move both nationally and internationally.

What is the current state of the delivery industry?

The delivery industry remains challenging in so many areas. Recruitment remains a challenge and to this end we invested in a driver training business just over a year ago. This enables us to identify talent as they take their vocational training and likewise it enables us to up skill our existing workforce giving them greater qualifications and overall a better future.

FOCUS ON CRAWLEY In other areas such as the introduction of ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) in London we have had to invest heavily in compliant vehicles to ensure we meet the necessary standards.

What is your rate of growth?

Over the last few years we have seen significant growth in several areas of our business in fact around 200% in terms of revenue and a significant growth in head count. We now currently employ 72 staff and boast a fleet of 65 vehicles.

new warehouse management system (WMS) into our business and are becoming more heavily reliant on systems to keep control of the business as the increases we have seen would now be impossible based on a manual system.

What are DNA doing about the carbon footprint of their vehicles?

With all of our fleet now meeting Euro IV standards, they are all tracked and monitored for unnecessary idling and running needlessly, we are doing our level best to reduce our carbon footprint. There are government incentives in place to steer us toward electric vehicles however the technology isn’t there yet in respect of our business. We simply cannot get the battery range required for the work we carry out however I am sure that this will change and when it does, we will be delighted in further investment in this area.

“We put this growth down to us being agile enough to be able to adapt ourselves within a very changing industry”

We put this growth down to us being agile enough to be able to adapt ourselves within a very changing industry and meeting the ever-increasing demands placed upon us both operationally and financially.

Have you introduced any new technology?

We have seen significant changes in our IT infrastructure most of which has been as the result of our Pallet Network membership as well as different platforms introduced by our clients. We have also introduced a

How do you promote sustainability?

DNA is very proud to have attained our ISO14001 accreditation last year underpinning our approach to sustainability. We are also FORS accredited which also involves continuous reviews of our working practices around how we operate our fleet and how we train our drivers and staff.

Our new workspace has also been fitted out with energy efficient equipment such as lighting, heating and insulation as we naturally appreciate how our type of business impacts the environment.

For further information visit www. dna2b.com or call 0333 335 8585

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Manor Royal: As one of the south east’s leading employment hubs, we hear about Manor Royal’s current developments and its vision for the future exciting pilot training venture between Avion and IAGO launched as well as a new multi-million pound investment made by CAE to turn Diamond Point into a pilot training centre with 13 full flight simulators with seven dedicated to training Easyjet pilots.

We were also pleased to see Gatwick 33 completed - a new 33,000 sq ft industrial scheme - and planning consent granted for a new unit at Jersey Farm.

Equally satisfying is to see a host of local companies set down roots, including Creative Pod who took up new offices in Amberley Court, Rapidcare who are moving into Lloyds Court, and Bruno’s Dinner, a specialist dog food business who have opened at Bank Precinct.

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ost people already know that Manor Royal is the Gatwick Diamond’s largest business park. It is also incredibly diverse and this year marks 70 years since it was officially named by the young Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II). In this article we speak to Steve Sawyer, Executive Director of the Manor Royal BID, to find out about the area’s latest developments.

How has Manor Royal changed?

It’s bigger and there are more businesses here, there are also many different kinds of businesses too. Initially Manor Royal was mostly about light engineering and traditional manufacturing and it is still a place where things are made, but now you will also find logistics, professional services and office based work, retail, car servicing and sales. It truly is a rich mix with everything from people making fresh pies to training the world’s pilots, to the design and manufacture of lifesaving machines.

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Any new investments you can tell us about?

Over the past year or so we have seen Amazon take up a 37,000 sq ft unit at Spaces Gatwick and Oak Furnitureland have moved into the hugely popular County Oak Retail Park. Last month an

What’s the latest on growth and development at Manor Royal?

There is a lot planned to support the continued success and evolution of Manor Royal. In particular through the Crawley Growth Programme – a £60m town-wide investment by various part-

FOCUS ON CRAWLEY

a growth story ners including the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council and, of course, the Manor Royal BID itself.

Royal’s busiest entry point) have been completed and we’ve established two new bespoke services (one with Biffa to support improved waste and recycling and the other, the first of its kind in the country to support businesses through free access to the Natwest MentorLIVE service for every Man-

to provide improved super hub bus stops at key locations (manorroyal. org/mystory).

Last April we also finished the instalment of four double-sided digital adDetailed plans are being worked up vertising screens, managed by local and we hope to see work start on site firm Avensys on behalf of the BID, to in the next year or provide new opso. We were also portunities for “It truly is a rich mix with everything delighted that the companies to proLEP allocated a from people making fresh pies to training mote themselves further £820,000 to over 24 million the world’s pilots, to the design and for an extended vehicles that move manufacture of lifesaving machines” bus lane along about Manor Royal Manor Royal to imevery year. or Royal company), all in addition to prove the reliability of services into, those services we already deliver around, and through the business disManor Royal Business District continsuch as free events, free jobs board, trict, complementing the impressive ues to be a very lively and ever changfree easit travel discounts, heavily disinvestments already being made by ing business location at the heart of the counted training and free membership Metrobus - the new Route 11 connectGatwick Diamond, with a well-connectof business watch. ing Maidenbower and Three Bridges ed business community who are ambito the centre of Manor Royal in peak tious about working in partnership to We were pleased to have gained suptimes being one example. ensure the place continues to thrive. port from the Arts Council of England who part-funded a project to capture What has the Manor Royal BID been the history and stories of the busiup to? nesses and people of Manor Royal, Since the businesses voted to keep past and present. We will be using this the Manor Royal BID going for anothinformation to inspire the creation of a er five years until 2023, we’ve been network of micro-park areas to form a busy delivering on that promise. The connected trail alongside investment improvements to Gateway 1 (Manor www.manorroyal.org

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The young fly high 42,000 school children tuned in to ‘Aviation Live’ – a broadcast designed to inspire the aviation apprentices of the future. Paula Aldridge, Community Engagement Manager at Gatwick Airport tells us more

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e’ve written here before about how important it is to develop young talent across the region to come and work in our businesses. At Gatwick, we have made it our mission to help the next generation by offering a series of opportunities for young people so that they can develop new skills, no matter what their background.

One aspect of our programme is to ‘Inform’ students about the wide range of careers available to them by giving them the information they need and by raising their aspirations.

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Our Learn Live broadcasts, for example, focus on careers at the airport and let local students tune in to online broadcasts where they can hear from and put questions to our technical experts, including air traffic controllers, meteorologists and airfield specialists.

Recently we applied rocket boosters to the Learn Live concept and took it one step further by presenting in a live ‘Top Gear-style’ studio Q&A with past and former apprentices from the aviation industry. The take up was extraordinary and over 42,000 school children ‘patched in’ from over 460

FOCUS ON CRAWLEY

schools across the UK, including large numbers from across the South East.

Like the smaller scale Learn Live events, this real-time broadcast was designed to inspire young people to consider a career in aviation and was timed to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week.

Oakwood School, in Horley, were kind enough to host the event and questions from both the studio audience and from classrooms across the country were put to easyJet’s first apprentice cabin crew member and a Border Force employee who completed an apprenticeship.

The live broadcast also ‘patched in’ to two Gatwick engineering apprentices standing beside the runway, while telling the viewers about what inspired them to become an apprentice at the world’s most efficient single runway airport. Apprenticeships, and the process of applying for them, was a common theme of questioning from the young people taking part.

Tim Rose, Teacher at Oakwood School, Horley, said: “The recording of Aviation Live was a great success and we had 100 Year 7 and Year 8 students participate as a live audience during the broadcast – watching with enthusiasm – and just a little bit of envy, as four of the Oakwood Year 11 students stood and asked questions from the runway at Gatwick Airport. The students were really excited and keen to get involved in the programme and were impeccably behaved throughout the live recording!”

Lisa Mobbs, Enterprise Coordinator Team Leader for Coast to Capital LEP; “The broadcast itself was professionally delivered and the employer speakers from Gatwick Airport were engaging, providing relevant and interesting information. This was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to find out more about opportunities at Gatwick.”

“Apprenticeships and the process for applying for them was a common theme of questioning from the young people taking part”

As an airport, our ability to make a real difference to the lives of young people is greatly enhanced by working closely with a wide range of partners, including local schools, colleges, local authorities, charities and a host of other community-based projects.

The Aviation Live event was organised in partnership with Learn Live – an organisation that brings live learning into the classroom – in a partnership specifically designed to encourage young people to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related-careers.

The event is only one part of Gatwick’s Education Employment and Skills programme, which also includes airport roadshows and specialist training for teachers designed to encourage local children to take STEM subjects by demonstrating their relevance to a wide range of careers at the airport and further afield.

Our broader community engagement programme has a range of other elements, including the Gatwick Foundation Fund which has so far provided over £1 million of grants to projects that generate meaningful and lasting impacts on the young, elderly and other local vulnerable groups.

the region’s single biggest driver of economic growth and sharing these benefits as widely as possible across our local communities is the right thing to do.

The airport supports one in twelve jobs across the Gatwick Diamond area, but this success cannot be taken for granted. We know that every effort must be made to create the right environment and opportunities for growth, on the airport and across wider region, and that includes developing the education and skills needed by the next generation.

By delivering £2.7 billion of economic activity and 71,000 jobs, Gatwick is

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A POSITIVE SIGN

Murat Kalan, Jose and Melanie Martinez, and Alan White

Fifteen months after their management buyout of Fastsigns Crawley, Melanie Martinez speaks to us about their exciting first year as owners

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Along with the support we had from aking on the business was few months it was essential that it was FASTSIGNS International we also always the long-term goal for business as usual with production tapped into the local business conthe three work colleagues and running smoothly whilst in the backnections we had built up. friends, Alan White, Jose and Melanie ground we went back to basics on Martinez. With over 75 years’ expeevery aspect of the business putting Using the contacts we have made over rience in the sign industry between in place the foundations needed to many years of networking them, finally being able to take hold of the reins “The power of being in a town with locally has been invaluable, there was always for themselves was an such strong connections in the a friendly face willing to amazing feeling as Melanie explains. business community is something give advice and guidance for any question we had. we are extremely grateful for” “We have always loved Logistically we are blesswhat we do and it was ed and being positioned on Manor never in question that when the time ensure we had a successful first year Royal in the heart of the Gatwick Diawas right, we would take the business with a structured plan in place. mond has certainly been a huge benon for ourselves. Although we know efit to us. Crawley is a fantastic place this business inside out, we were unThis was the ideal time to utilise the to have a business, the support and der no illusion that the transition from resources at hand and wealth of encouragement we have received employees to owners would involve a knowledge that comes with being part over the past year has been quite oversteep learning curve and one which of such an internationally successful whelming. The power of being in a must be taken seriously. Over the first organisation such as FASTSIGNS.

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FOCUS ON CRAWLEY

town with such strong connections in the business community is something we are extremely grateful for.

Another huge benefit to us has been that as an established business we are lucky to have longevity within our team and our customer database. As well as Jose, Alan and myself having worked within Fastsigns for over 22 years, Murat our sign writer has been with us for 21 years and has been a superstar with the wealth of knowledge he brings to the business.

We also have extremely loyal customers too, some of whom have been with us our full 25 years trading and many more clocking up a couple of decades.

This level of commitment from our team and customers speaks volumes about who we are as a business and that loyalty is something we would never take for granted.

When we put our business plan together we had some very clear objectives in mind. At the top of this was to grow the business by 50% over the first two years, invest in new equipment, to take on a new member of staff and increase new business by 20%.

A year in we could not be prouder of our achievements. We took on Isobel who is a welcome addition to the team as

key account manager and has proved a huge asset to us already excelling in her role. We have invested in a new wide format printer which has increased output and efficiency as well as streamlining production, and new business has grown by 35%. However the highlight of our year has to be winning an award at the FASTSIGNS UK convention for ‘Sales Improvement of the Year’. This recognition of a 40% growth was the icing on the cake for us.

We consider ourselves extremely lucky to be able to do a job we love and are grateful for all the support we have received from our customers, friends and family over the last year. We are feeling positive having exceeded our expectations in our first year and are excited to

see what 2020 has in store for us.

As well as their core signage such as Facias, Banners, Exhibition Graphics, Illuminated Signs and Vehicle Graphics, Fastsigns provide many other products such as Digital Signage, Stationery, Bespoke Items, Wall Graphics, Totems and much more.

For anyone wishing to know more about what Fastsigns can offer please pop in at Unit 2 Bank Precinct, Gatwick Road, Crawley, RH10 9RF, call them on 01293 520776 or visit www.fastsigns.com/854

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Sharing growth Richard Heasman, Partner and Head of Forensic Accounting at Kreston Reeves, on how growth shares can incentivise staff and business owners Growth shares are a unique way of incentivising and retaining key members of staff by enabling them to share in the future growth of a business. They also protect the efforts and value that business owners will have made in growing a business.

of TopTech Ltd. TopTech was established by Matt and Fiona 10 years ago and now has a turnover of £5m. The business is projected to continue to grow further with Matt and Fiona looking to hire a number of senior people.

Its owners believe they will exit the business in eight to 10 years’ time via a sale to one of the global tech giants.

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here are many classes of shares, but perhaps the least understood are growth

TopTech is not in a position to pay top of the salary range for these new appointments, wishing to match salaries of existing staff. Matt and Fiona also wish to ring fence the value they have created in the business today.

shares.

At their most basic, growth shares are a separate class of incentive share that entitles members of staff to benefit in the future growth of a business from the date of issue. Usefully, they can also be used to incentivise individuals who are not employees in a business, such as consultants or non-executive directors.

Growth shares, they believe, will give them the flexibility for new and existing members of staff to benefit from that future growth and exit without

must grow beyond before employees are entitled to receive the value of their share. The current value of the business is often key in determining this value.

“They can be set up tax efficiently so there are no tax consequences for the current shareholders.”

The key difference between growth shares and other incentive shares is that the recipient only benefits in the future growth in value of a business beyond a set hurdle level rather than in the business value as a whole. Growth shares are flexible, tailored, and can be set up as part of a tax efficient EMI scheme.

Growth shares are perhaps best illustrated in the (fictitious) example

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devaluing their hard work over the previous decade. An added benefit compared to ordinary shares is any tax due by the employee on the receipt of growth shares would be lower than ordinary shares, as the growth shares would be worth less on receipt due to the ‘freezer value'.

Before a business issues growth shares it will need to establish what is called a ‘freezer value’. This freezer value is a level at which the company

Valuing a business with a view to issuing growth shares is a very different exercise than, for example, valuing a business for sale. The business valuation is based around a hypothetical transaction between a willing seller and buyer. The valuation needs to be tax efficient whilst also recognising the true value and hard work that the current shareholders have provided to the business.

The valuation of growth shares also needs to be calculated which is complex, having to examine the probability of predicted growth. This can be particularly challenging where forecasts are aspirational or not available. We at Kreston Reeves have developed a

BUSINESSFINANCE SURVEY

set of modelling tools to value growth shares that satisfy HMRC’s requirements where necessary (in the case of approved schemes).

Growth shares and EMI schemes Where EMI options (or other approved schemes) are issued over growth shares the value needs to be agreed with HMRC. Businesses are often tempted to value growth shares on issue with no value at all, believing the value comes only as the business grows. HMRC is likely to challenge any business that attempts to value growth shares at nil.

Growth shares are an increasingly popular and effective way for businesses to incentivise and retain staff enabling them to benefit financially from future growth in a tax efficient way whilst protecting the efforts and value that business owners have already invested. They can be set up tax efficiently so there are no tax consequences for the current shareholders.

Careful planning and preparation are key to keeping HMRC onside.

The teams have helped businesses across Kent, Sussex and London introduce growth share schemes and keep businesses growing.

The tax and valuation teams at Kreston Reeves work together to assist you with tailored tax efficient schemes.

For more information please contact Sam Jones or Richard Heasman on +44 (0)330 124 1399.

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Norwegian REWARD With an award-winning member loyalty scheme, flying with Norwegian will take you miles and more

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TRAVEL

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here are many airline loyalty and reward schemes to choose from, however, a common customer complaint is how to effectively use the ‘points’ that are accumulated.

Norwegian Reward is different and allows our customers to choose the benefits that suit their travel needs by using an easy to navigate and intuitive platform. With more than 10.6 million members worldwide and over 1.5 million in the UK alone, more and more customers are taking advantage of the flexibility and choice that being a loyalty member with Norwegian gives them.

The Norwegian loyalty programme has been awarded nine prestigious accolades since it launched in 2007, including ‘Programme of the Year Europe & Africa’ at the Freddie Awards for three consecutive years.

dered meals and even making changes to their tickets. CashPoints are just like any other currency and the value is approximately £1 for every 10 cashpoints.

Members can also claim a “Reward” after every sixth flight which can be used an unlimited amount of times within 12 months.

These “Rewards” include the choice of free seat reservation, free baggage, free Fast Track and CashPoint boosts.

Members can earn 2% CashPoints on all LowFare tickets and 10% CashPoints on Flex tickets. Accumulating Cashpoints is quick and easy with Norwegian, the number of CashPoints earned may increase by up to 10% if a customer has CashPoint boost Rewards and customers can claim CashPoints up to 30 days after departure. Unlike some other loyalty schemes, Norwegian Reward customers can use CashPoints on all flights and to any destination, there are no black out dates and no minimum spend.

“The Norwegian loyalty programme has been awarded nine prestigious accolades since it launched in 2007”

Members of Norwegian Reward earn CashPoints when booking Norwegian flights and through external partners, for instance when booking hotel rooms, car rental or airport lounges. Members can also earn CashPoints through the Reward eShop on everyday purchases, helping them to reduce the cost of their next flight with Norwegian.

Norwegian Reward members can make online purchases and earn rewards through the Reward eShop on desktop, mobile or tablet 24/7. Over a 1,000 retailers are available in the UK including Tesco, John Lewis, Argos, Marks and Spencer, Sky, ASOS, Apple and EE.

Norwegian customers can also take advantage of setting up a family account to earn CashPoints together with their family and friends. Members can pool all family members’ CashPoints into one account and also choose which family members can redeem them. A Family Account can consist of up to seven Norwegian Reward members, one of whom must be an adult aged eighteen years or older. Norwegian Reward also offers a ‘child’ account as part of the family package, members can create a profile for a child and administer it directly from their own account.

Members won’t spend any more on their purchases by using the Reward eShop, and they’ll get the benefit of earning CashPoints. It’s always the same price as shopping directly with the retailers, so members won’t miss out on any special offers. By using the Reward eShop customers can earn CashPoints on every purchase.

Reward members can also purchase Norwegian Cashpoints as a gift card for friends and family. Gift cards can be used to buy tickets to any destination on the Norwegian network, they can even be used on services like seat reservations, checked baggage, and pre-ordered meals on board.

Reward members can then use their CashPoints as full or partial payment on all Norwegian flights and on other Norwegian products such as checked baggage, fast track security, seat reservation, pre-or-

For more information and to join Norwegian reward go to www.reward.norwegian.com

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TRAVEL

Gatwick to run operations from South Terminal Gatwick Airport will consolidate operations into the South Terminal from April 1st and limit runway opening hours to protect staff, passengers and the business from the impact of COVID-19

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive, Gatwick Airport, said:

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he severe and unparalleled impact of COVID-19 on the global aviation sector has led Gatwick to make the difficult decision to consolidate passenger processing and facilities into the airport’s South Terminal and to limit scheduled flights on its runway to between 1400 and 2200, with effect from April 1st 2020.

As a responsible business, the airport has made this decision to protect the health and safety of passengers and staff, and to shield the business following a dramatic fall in airline traffic.

The airport’s operations will be consolidated into the South Terminal and the runway will remain open for emergency landings and diversions only outside these hours.

The temporary closure of the North Terminal will last a minimum of one month and the situation will be kept under regular review. A decision taken on reopening the North Terminal when airline traffic increases and Government public health advice – including on social distancing – is relaxed.

The decision to scale back the airport’s operations has been discussed with the airport’s airline partners and any passengers booked on flights due to depart or arrive at Gatwick during this period are advised to contact their airline.

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“Gatwick is a resilient but also responsible business and during these extraordinary times we need to take unprecedented measures to protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and passengers, while also shielding the business from the impact of Coronavirus.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my staff for their continuing hard work through this difficult time and to reassure them that we are taking these difficult decisions now, so that we are in a position to recover quickly and get back to generating jobs and economic benefits for the region and wider economy well into the future.

“During these extraordinary times, we have also seen remarkable acts of kindness and community spirit in support of people who may need some additional help. To add to this, we will also be providing some opportunities so that any of our staff, who have time during this period of reduced operations, that choose to, can help support people in our local communities.”

BUSINESS SURVEY

PLATINUM

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KEEP CALM AND

CARRY ON Physician, neuroscientist and an international expert on leadership and human performance, Dr Alan Watkins believes helping your workforce deal with the fear and anxiety around Covid-19 is essential

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BUSINESS WELLBEING

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s a medical doctor, with a degree in psychology and a PhD in immunology, I know that helping staff manage their fear and anxiety will be essential as we move through the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s going to take more than working from home.

Most organisations have recognised their legal and moral responsibility towards their employees. Most have directed employees towards practical advice – hopefully from reputable sources, such as those provided by the NHS and WHO.

fear and anxiety for employees must be a top priority for all organisations.

Employees are being bombarded by scary stories on mainstream and social media. Their anxieties are being fed by this stream of news, rumour and speculation. While there is little control organisations can exert over the news reaching their employees from outside, they should take care not to amplify employee fears in their own internal communications.

The focus has been on physical measures including hand washing, social distancing and making plans to work from home where possible. But given the profound interaction between a human being’s psychology and immunology, such guidance is not enough.

In fact, organisations should do much more if they care seriously for their employees.

Fear damages immunity The thing that impairs human immunity more than anything else is the stress hormone cortisol. And what determines the level of cortisol we have flowing around our body is the level of fear and anxiety we experience. The more we panic the worse our immune system becomes and the more likely we are to become infected if we are exposed to the virus. In addition, how well we cope with the virus if we do become infected is also significantly influenced by our cortisol levels. The more anxious we feel the more likely the virus will replicate and the more likely we could experience complications such as pneumonia, which is the thing that is killing people. Furthermore, the more anxious we are the more likely the virus will linger and replicate in our bodies and this may actually make us more contagious to others.

Don’t fuel worry Responsible organisations need to not only offer practical guidance but they need to offer emotional guidance too.

They have a responsibility not to fuel the panic and anxiety. In fact, reducing

“Effectively embrace the classically British mantra ‘keep calm and carry on’ – panic will not help you” Social distancing and mental health The right information helps reduce anxieties, and good internal communication is a start when it comes to addressing this emotional aspect of the current pandemic.

It’s worth remembering that some of the practical advice might even directly increase fears and anxieties. Where they are able, many employees are being encouraged to work from home.

They might also be asked to self-iso-

late if they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19. While absolutely necessary from a physical health perspective, social distancing is likely to affect our mental health too. It can create feelings of isolation which can increase anxiety levels. Without those social support networks in your office, you may feel less able to deal with the anxieties you face.

All of this means that the best advice for organisations right now to help them reduce the fear and anxieties of their employees is for them to help their workforce to emotionally self-regulate. In other words, to help them move away from a state of fear and anxiety towards a state of resolve. Effectively embrace the classically British mantra “keep calm and carry on”. Panic will not help you. It will reduce your immunity and make you more likely to make the wrong choices for your situation.

How to FEEL positive Effective emotional regulation starts with stabilising your breathing breathing rhythmically and evenly through the heart area. Not deep breathing and not abdominal breathing. Such a breathing pattern stabilises your biology. Then try and deliberately experience a state of optimism, resolve or patience. Really try and feel this emotion in your body rather than just thinking it. Positive thinking won’t cut it. Positive feelings will increase the levels of the vitality hormone DHEA in your system, the body’s main antidote to cortisol.

Enabling employees to become masters of their own emotional state is critical to reducing fear and anxiety. It’s my strongest piece of advice for organisations right now, but it’s something that will soon be seen as central to any effective employee wellbeing programme once this present crisis has passed.

Dr Alan Watkins is the CEO and co-founder of Complete and co-author of HR (R)Evolution: Change The Workplace, Change The World.

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In extremis a radical Scheme for challenging times

The Chancellor’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme announced on March 20th was every bit as radical as we had been led to believe. DMH Stallard’s Head of Employment Law, Rustom Tata, presents an initial guide to the Scheme pending the release of further details genuine assessment by the employer will be sufficient.

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he headlines of the Scheme are summarised below:

• It will be for the employer to claim payment under the Scheme.

• Every employer is eligible – it is not clear, but is assumed that this will apply to public sector employees (eg. local and central government).

• The worker must be one who would otherwise be ‘laid off’ (see below).

It would appear that this is to cover employees who would be sent home without pay, as well as those who might otherwise be dismissed due to redundancy arising from a lack of work. All workers under the

early as May 31st 2020. However, the Chancellor also made clear that it might be extended.

The application of the Scheme raises many issues; some of the key questions are anticipated below: What is the 80% figure to be based on?

The reference to ‘wage costs’ would appear to cover more than base pay, but it is not clear whether it will include the cost of benefits and employer NI contributions, both of which are part of the cost of employment.

“The initial information simply states that the payment will be of 80% of wage costs up to £2,500 per month. It does not refer to up to 80%”

• It appears that it will apply to ‘workers’ and not just employees, provided they are on the PAYE payroll; if they are not on the payroll, they are excluded.

• The Scheme will provide for reimbursement to the employer of 80% of the worker’s ‘wage costs’.

• The worker must have been on the payroll as at the end of February.

• The Scheme is to support those ‘who the employer cannot afford to pay’. It is not clear how stringently this test will be applied, and to what extent a

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Scheme who are so designated by their employer, will be referred to as ‘furloughed workers’.

• The Scheme is due to be up and running by the end of April 2020.

• The Scheme is to last for an initial period of three months – backdated to March 1st 2020, so it may end as

Will the employer need to make up the difference on top of the 80% to be eligible for the grant?

No. It is the employer’s option whether to do this, confirmed in the employee’s guide to the Retention Scheme. However, placing the worker on furlough will give rise to a reduction in pay (and of course in some cases £2,500 will be less than 80% of their normal pay), and it will need to be agreed with the individual; there may be some element of negotiation.

LEGAL BUSINESS SURVEY

How should an employer decide which employees to place on furlough?

There is no guidance beyond the fact that this must be done in accordance with existing employment law. That would suggest that apart from those on the statutory scheme with express lay-off provisions, the employer will either have to agree the furlough status with individual employees, or will have to impose such designation.

What if the employer only wants to designate certain individuals as furlough workers?

This needs care. Selecting individuals for furlough is likely to give rise to potential appeals and claims just as if selecting them for redundancy, particularly if the financial impact will be substantial. In those cases, it is likely that the employer will only arrive at the designation after completing a redundancy-type exercise.

What happens if an employee objects to being designated as a furlough worker?

Employers will want to consider whether to provide any appeal mechanism, but once satisfied that the correct decision was taken, where the employee objects the employer is likely to terminate the employment by reason of redundancy. In this case it would seem that the notice and any statutory redundancy payment costs will not be recoverable under the Scheme.

Can the employee declare themselves to furlough status?

No. It will be for the employer to declare this.

Can an employer seek volunteers for furlough status?

Yes, it appears so, provided the worker would be one who would otherwise be laid off. In a redundancy selection scenario (when some individuals in

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LEGAL

a team would be retained and others terminated), it will hopefully not be necessary to prove that the specific individual would have been selected for lay off (or more likely dismissal on the grounds of redundancy). However, it probably will be necessary to show that at least a number of those in the team (equivalent to the number designated as furlough workers) would have been laid off due to the fact that the employer cannot afford to pay them.

What is the affordability test?

We don’t yet know what evidence the employer will have to put forward. It is pretty certain that the directors of a company, or other responsible officer, such as trustee in the case of a charity, will have to certify the accuracy of the facts submitted. There will no doubt be new criminal offences created to cover where a fraudulent claim is made to the Scheme.

What if an employee’s employment was terminated earlier in March before the Chancellor’s announcement?

The Scheme would seem to apply to them given the explicit reference to backdating. However, there does not appear to be any compulsion on the employer to ‘call back’ those already dismissed. It is also unclear whether there will be a distinction between those who were given notice prior to

48

March 1st 2020, and those whose notice only started on or after that date.

On a literal reading, an employee terminated in February and paid in lieu of notice (PILON) would appear not to be covered, but query the position if they were still on the payroll as at March 1st 2020 and only received their PILON payment after that date.

How does this arrangement affect the statutory rules relating to lay off and short time working?

It is a universal scheme, so it would not appear to exclude that minority of employees who are subject to the formal Lay Off and Short Time working rules. It is slightly unhelpful that the term ‘laid off’ is being used in relation to those who will be covered by the Scheme, when there is a separate statutory arrangement where an employee who is laid off or on short time working can require the employer to either pay them redundancy or bring them back to work. It is perhaps for this reason that the Scheme refers to ‘furloughed workers’.

Can an employer seek payment in respect of part of an employee’s wages, say for two days a week out of five, and then pay them as normal for the other days?

Probably not. The initial information simply states that the payment will be of 80% of wage costs up to £2,500

per month. It does not refer to up to 80%. Together with the guidance page to employees stating that they should not work for their employer while on furlough, it would seem that this is to be an ‘all or nothing’ arrangement.

Can a ‘furloughed worker’ work elsewhere?

It is not clear whether the worker will need to make any form of declaration as part of the process of claim. Clearly, it would be contrary to the spirit of the Scheme for a worker to use the time when they would normally work for an employer to be paid under the Scheme, and be able to work elsewhere during those same hours and be paid for that in addition. From the worker’s point of view, they may argue it is legitimate to do so in order to maintain their income levels.

The guide above is based on the initial information available. In the circumstances it cannot be a definitive statement of the legal position.

Rustom Tata is the Head of Employment Law at DMH Stallard.

You can contact him at Rustom.Tata@ dmhstallard.com or by calling 03333 231 580

FINANCE

We want to help Every single one of us is here to support you has been set up so we can help those most in need and is open from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week. Those who need it can call us on NatWest: 0800 051 4176.

The current situation has made everyone fully appreciate the impact and pressure our NHS staff are experiencing. To help them help the most vulnerable in our society at this time, we have also introduced a dedicated customer care line for NHS and critical workers to help with emergency banking support such as lending assistance and lost and stolen cards. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and NHS and critical workers can reach it on 0800 046 2418.

O

ur community is experiencing one of the most challenging periods in recent history.

After London, the South East is one of the regions most affected by the spread of coronavirus.

To those reading this letter, our colleagues and customers may well be your neighbours, friends and family, and we want to make sure we are doing all we can to help make banking as straightforward and as supportive as possible to everyone in these difficult times. That means whether you’re young or old, hold a personal or a business account with us, that you can be sure we are working with local authorities, governments, regulators and other banks to ensure we are doing everything we can to help you.

As part of our efforts, NatWest customers who are over the age of 70 and those in isolation can now access a new dedicated support line. This

We understand the challenges those affected by coronavirus might face and these could potentially include financial difficulty. As such, we want any customers who are affected to get in contact with us, to allow us to understand your individual situation and to see what we can do to help you.

We want to help. Every single one of us is here to support you.

We’re doing everything we can to keep our services running for customers.

Our branch network remains open but following relevant public health guidance, we have reviewed our opening hours and are prioritising core opening hours from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 1pm. Our colleagues in branches are working incredibly hard in difficult circumstances and we’re encouraging customers not to visit their local branch unless it’s critical and if they do, to practice safe social distancing.

This same guidance has forced us to make the difficult decision to pause our mobile fleet with immediate effect. But customers can continue to access their banking services through our other channels including digital, mobile, ATMs, video banker, telephony and Post Office – and we are proactively keeping customers aware of any changes that affect their local service through our website.

Local businesses lie at the heart of our community and many readers face the responsibility of looking after their company as well as their colleagues.

To assist we have set aside a support fund of £5 billion of working capital support. We’re able to offer emergency fee free loans and overdrafts to relieve some of the pressure and through our consultants and relationship managers help offer advice and facilitate the support channels being offered by the Government and the Bank of England.

This is a rapidly changing situation and we are continuously reviewing the measures we have in place to make sure they are having the right impact.

We will also look for new ways of supporting our customers and will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments and local authorities, to find solutions to the problems we all face and to plan for a positive and proactive future.

Rachel Blackamore Chair, NatWest London and South East Regional Board

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Can your business take the strain?

The economic impact of coronavirus has disrupted businesses around the globe; the impact on distribution and supply chains will be felt for a significant time to come. Commercial expert Rebecca Leeves shares some thoughts on what to expect and how to protect your business

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s the UK moves into the ‘delay’ phase of the war against coronavirus Covid-19, the government has taken steps to implement social distancing measures, including the banning on all non-essential travel, the shut down of social activities and extensive rules around self-isolation.

Whilst these measures aim to delay the “worst public health crisis for a generation”, the economic impact of coronavirus and such preventative measures has seen businesses disrupted around the globe, and the impact on distribution and supply chains will be felt for some time to come. So how is/might your business be affected, and what contractual risks might you face in the event that coronavirus starts to impact your business directly?

The effect it has on your business will depend on a number of factors: • The nature of your business – are you supplying products? How and where are these manufactured and

50

transported? Does any component rely on manufacturing in China? Does your business relate to the provision of leisure or social activities? Is your business multi-faceted or does it rely on one main source of supply?

• Where your business is conducted - what geographical locations is your business provided in? Where are your customers based? How is your business as a result of restrictions on trade and movement? Are your customers likely to hold off or be prevented from purchasing your products or services?

• Your position in the supply chain what is your exposure to customers in the event you cannot perform your contract? Is there a risk that your suppliers will be unable to perform their obligations? Can your suppliers be easily replaced? Do you have back up stock? Are there controls around your ability to provide your services?

• Provisions - what provisions do you have in place in the event staff cannot attend their workplace? Can you close certain elements of your business? Can staff work from home? Do you have multiple locations? Can you appoint temporary staff?

Key contractual provisions Given the projected scale of the outbreak, coronavirus is likely to have some impact on your business. It may prevent the performance of obligations under a contract, resulting in rights to terminate, postpone obligations or bring an indemnity or breach of contract claim. You should take a close look at the key terms of your contracts from two perspectives: as the party in breach, and as the par-

ty whose supplier or customer is in breach.

‘Force Majeure’ A ‘force majeure’ clause enables a party to limit its obligations of performance under a contract where an event beyond its reasonable control occurs. The indirect effects of coronavirus could constitute a force majeure event given that they would be outside the control of either party.

LEGAL Under UK law there is no default force majeure provision, and therefore the rights a party shall have in the instance of a force majeure event will depend entirely upon the wording within the applicable contract.

The courts generally interpret force majeure clauses strictly, and as such they may be difficult to enforce if they don’t include wording such as ‘pandemic’, ‘disease’ or ‘government action’. If your contract includes a force majeure clause, think about:

Frustration If force majeure cannot be relied on, you could turn to the common law doctrine of frustration. A contract will be considered frustrated where it becomes impossible to perform (and not just inconvenient or no longer profit-

Can a party terminate the contract: • For cause (ie. breach as a result of the non-compliance)?

• For convenience – can a party exit the contract on notice? What would the consequences of this be?

• Do notice periods or remediation grace periods exist as a condition of such termination rights?

“The indirect effects of coronavirus could constitute a force majeure event given that they would be outside the control of either party”

• The wording and whether coronavirus may be caught under the drafting • What consequences such clause may provision for (eg. termination, extension, limitation of liability or an obligation to re-negotiate terms) • What notice requirements are included to enable reliance on such a clause.

able). Whilst it’s difficult to demonstrate, if applicable it will by way of the operation of law automatically terminate the contract. Which (if any) of your contracts could be frustrated?

Termination If frustration or force majeure aren’t appropriate, look at the other termination provisions within the contract.

Notice Notice may be required for reliance on a force majeure clause or termination provision, and it’s important to be prepared by familiarising yourself with the way in which notice is to be served/received, and to where.

Liability Are caps on liability or indemnities included within the agreement which could limit or increase exposure as to risk in the event that obligations are not performed?

Insurance What insurance provisions are detailed in the contract? Would loss be recoverable under the insurance provisions if non-compliance due to coronavirus resulted in a breach? Do you need to provide evidence of loss?

If so, keep an audit trail and record of losses. Similarly, if you are the supplier and could be exposed, it is important to check your insurance policies to see what is in scope to manage risk.

Considering the impact of the virus on your business is a useful step in minimising your business’s exposure.

Hopefully your contracts will not need to be tested, but regardless of coronavirus, taking the precaution of reviewing your business’s vulnerabilities is a useful exercise in itself.

Rebecca Leeves is a Senior Associate in DMH Stallard’s Commercial team.

Contact her at Rebecca.Leeves@ dmhstallard.com, or call 01273 744246

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CONFERENCES, MEETINGS AND EVENTS FOR BUSINESSES WITH GRAND AMBITIONS AN ICONIC VENUE JUST 10 MINUTES AWAY FROM BRIGHTON STATION

201 BEDROOMS • 13 MEETING SPACES • UP TO 900 CAPACITY • FREE WIFI • 740MB DOWNLOAD SPEED WWW.GRANDBRIGHTON.CO.UK/MEETINGS

NETWORKING

Roaring into 2020 Network Xpress is poised to pounce on the South East Thus far, The Tiger’s Pen has helped six businesses flourish to meet their full capacity. This year, investment is increasing with up to a staggering capital of £5,000 available for startups who pitch their ideas. This opportunity is for energetic entrepreneurs to take the reins of their business.

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ussex-based Network Xpress has grown into a well known innovator and disruptor for businesses in the South, bringing new ideas and concepts to tradeshows and events. The company offers game-focused business expos with a range of themes such as golf, tennis and football. Net XP creates new innovative ideas and additions to its already successful brand to help, support and inspire both start-ups to larger scale organisations. Going from strength to strength, Net XP now offer businesses the opportunity to pitch for investment capital, gain invaluable business mentoring and be entered into the wild card for ‘Best Pitch of the Day’ at their Tiger’s Pen event.

A brand new website is also under development with the process slightly changing next year to allow start-ups to access business resources preevent with a training and pre-pitch opportunity. The jungle is alive with fresh prospects and with new investor Tigers requesting to join the pack, so keep your ears peeled for their roars…!

A few investors that have joined Net XP for 2020 include Nassar of Business Pulse, Julia Haviland of Brittain Marketing, Simon Rand of Kuuleats, Emma Pearce of Pearce Marketing, Matt Turner of the Creative Group and Kevin Byrne, founder of Checkatrade.

With everything falling into place for the Tiger’s Pen in early 2020, more good news followed with the announcement of Net XP being accepted by the IPO (Intellectual Property

Office) which means the brand is now registered and protected. Basepoint Business Centres is the exclusive sponsor for 2020 giving Net XP a huge boost for the rip-roaring year ahead! Basepoint offers free business support and flexible workspaces with the latest technology for all sizes and budgets.

For your chance to enter the Tiger’s Pen contact Sonny Cutting, Events Director at Network Xpress via his website: www.netxp.co.uk

The Tiger’s Pen The founder of Net XP, Sonny Cutting, was always intrigued by the BBC programme Dragons’ Den, watching in anticipation to see how the process unfolded for its participants. Sonny was thrilled to be invited by Pete Jenkins, creator of Gamification+, to be a ‘Dragon’ alongside several other business individuals at Brighton University where graduates would pitch business plans in the hope for investment and guidance from some individuals with experience to share. Inspired by this, Sonny created the Tiger’s Pen for start-ups looking for investment, with ‘Tigers’ on hand to guide, advise and invest.

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Harvey John’s placed candidates are ‘movers and shakers’... but they don’t move on!

The team of specialist recruitment consultants at Harvey John have an impressive track record of retaining placed candidates in new roles for the long run. We decided to find out how many of our candidates, from the past 24 months, chose to stay in their new jobs.

94%

of our candidates choose to stay.

Can you say the same for your staff?

Contact the Harvey John team for your recruitment needs:

Start your search with total clarity

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+44 1273 820808 info@harveyjohn.com www.harveyjohn.com

BUSINESS SURVEY

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Business start-ups: Jeremy Taylor of The Company Connector and Nasser Elaheebocus of Business Pulse discuss the challenges start-ups face

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tarting a business can be a tortuous process fraught with difficulties. Nasser Elaheebocus of Business Pulse has worked with hundreds of businesses in their early years and has outlined the three most common challenges start-ups face: 1. They do not assess their strengths and weaknesses correctly. Business owners must listen not only to themselves but to others.

2. The product or offering is not ready to go to market, or the market is not ready for the offering.

3. Inadequate finance to cover any shortfall in working capital. This is particularly important in the early days of the business.

With these three causes in mind, Nasser Elaheebocus sat down with Jeremy Taylor, who launched The Company Connector a little over 18 months ago, to discuss his approach to starting a business.

Nasser Elaheebocus: Tell me about yourself and what you do?

Jeremy Taylor: After 14 years as Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business (gdb), a strategic leadership role in the nationally significant Gatwick Diamond region, I set up The Company Connector Ltd in August 2018.

We help businesses connect and work effectively to achieve their commer-

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cial aims by using my contacts at a local, regional, national and international level along with my knowledge of the Gatwick Diamond Economy and its relevance to the UK National Economy.

NE: When you set up your business, you said that you had a number of potential income streams so how did you know there was a market for each of these, and what research did you carry out?

We are also building an international network to assist businesses in the region and beyond in exploring export markets and will support overseas businesses looking to land into the UK, through Gatwick.

JT: During my time with gdb I realised that there was a role for someone to provide engagement services for public sector or major infrastructure project providers. I’d also been aware of some of the regeneration projects that had taken place and seen the positive impact from those projects.

I was convinced that there would be opportunities to support businesses with international trade services in a post-Brexit environment. And, finally, as an experienced public speaker and

NE: When you set up your business, how did you estimate your sales and how long it would take to achieve these? Overestimating is a common mistake and can have a huge impact on cash flow.

JT: Loosely speaking, I had an idea of what we needed to earn and an understanding of the scale of charges we could make. We then evaluated how many days we would need to work along with the types of projects we could deliver.

However, this wasn’t a complete leap into the unknown as I had secured some consulting work before I left my old job, so I knew that there would be an income from day one.

We also clearly stated payment terms so that clients knew what to expect and I am delighted to say, we have achieved an average of around 25 days invoice payment period. Cashflow is good!

Nasser Elaheebocus

BUSINESS BUSINESSGROWTH SURVEY

a conversation... event host/facilitator, I was sure that I would find work in this space.

The research I carried out was in talking to prospective clients and other influencers to test my theories. The majority came back with positivity and in some cases, the offer of work.

NE: What changes have you seen in your market(s) and how have you adapted your offer?

JT: One of the key issues to affect the business was the speed of Brexit. I felt sure that Brexit could create opportunities and so we worked towards the original March 31st 2019 deadline – remember that one?

When there were delays to Brexit that caused uncertainty in the marketplace, a lot of our conversations with prospective clients were vague.

It’s interesting to note that, since the General Election at the end of 2019, the conversations have become a lot more definite and we are starting to see some real traction with international trading clients.

With respect to other work in the regeneration and stakeholder engagement space, we have yet to see any significant changes. However, we do keep an eye on Government Policy as that can have an impact on these types of projects.

NE: Many business owners start a business based on a solitary idea, product or service, but they often lack the other skills needed. What do you do to keep current and effective in marketing, finance, administration, etc?

JT: Having had total commercial responsibility for Gatwick Diamond Business, I believe that I have good overall understanding of the various business functions that we would need to undertake. Some of those functions are more interesting than others and it is sometimes difficult to knuckle down to the less glamorous tasks, but good discipline and time management help.

In terms of business skills, we regularly attend learning and networking events to add to the knowledge base, we read widely and have a great relationship with our accountants so we can keep on top of administrative functions such as Making Tax Digital.

NE: If you had to start again, what would you do differently, if anything?

JT: Two things.

1. On reflection (possibly like many

Jeremy Taylor

businesses) we may have set our starting rates lower than we needed to. It can take a while to establish any new business with a commercial rate that is acceptable to clients. To compensate for this, discussions have been held with clients across the first 20 months and we have been able to increase the daily rate in line with the plan.

2. In order to generate more income from speaking and events, we could have taken some opportunities to host events for free, in return for capturing video footage of those presentations to build a ‘showreel’ to give to potential clients and booking agents. This is an action that will be taken forward in 2020 to ensure we have a clear offer for event clients.

NE: Any final thoughts or recommendations?

JT: I can happily say that the decision to set up The Company Connector Ltd was the right decision for us and came at just the right time. There is no question that we are still in uncertain times for the economy and the country, but we are ready and flexible enough to react positively and sustain the business.

Nasser: Business Pulse. www.businesspulse.org.uk Tel: 07946 284256 Jeremy: The Company Connector. www.TheCompanyConnector.com Tel: 07831 148064

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his year, The Platinum Group is hosting a series of forums with some of the leading business people in the region, discussing the issues affecting commerce, industry, technology and a range of other fascinating topics. For the second in the series, we gathered six

of the most influential business people in the recruitment sector to discuss ‘Recruitment in the 21st Century’. Platinum CEO Maarten Hoffmann took the role of chair and facilitator, and the panel comprised of the following...

ALAN HARBER Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Alan Harber, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Group’s Area Director leads a team of experienced Relationship Managers, with a focus on supporting businesses within the £3m to £25m turnover bracket throughout Sussex and the surrounding area. The team has a wealth of knowledge in helping clients via a face-to-face offering, ensuring they reach shared business objectives via innovative banking product support.

AMANDA MENAHEM Consultant An award-winning seasoned business and HR professional, Amanda has worked in a number of different industries ranging from pharmaceuticals, insurance, retail and hospitality.

Amanda is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has various qualifications in Executive Coaching (ILM), psychometrics building including the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Insights, and NLP at Master level.

CHAY TOOK Kreston Reeves Chay is a staff Partner at award-winning Chartered Accountants and Financial Advisers Kreston Reeves. Based in the company’s Worthing office, he looks after ownermanaged businesses of all sizes and manages the firm’s payroll team. Chay is also President of the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest and most prestigious business groups in the region.

LEON DEAKIN Coffin Mew Leon is head of the employment team at Coffin Mew and specialises in contentious and non-contentious matters. He leads the firm’s technology sector helping start-up, scale-up businesses and large companies who are creating, or adapting to, new and emerging technology. He is particularly interested in how businesses become workplaces of the future to ensure they recruit and retain the best talent.

NICI JUPP Talent Gateway Nici Jupp is Founder and Managing Director of Talent Gateway, established in 2012.

Talent Gateway specialises in recruiting marketing talent for dynamic B2B and B2C businesses in the south east. They are adept at recruiting single roles through to full teams, and understand the intricacies of the world of marketing, to help connect organisations with the best cutting-edge, strategic marketers.

JOE BROWN Peopleforce Technical Recruitment Joe Brown is the Co-Founder and Director of Peopleforce Technical Recruitment – an award-winning consultancy providing skilled candidates to a number of technical industries. The business has grown significantly since its formation in 2013 with a staff of 12 people and an annual turnover in excess of £15m. Joe has particular expertise within the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sectors.

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ROUND TABLE BUSINESS SURVEY RECRUITMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY

How has technology changed recruitment?

Nici Technology has fundamentally changed the landscape, but it always comes down to what the client needs, so my personal view is you don’t use technology for technology’s sake, you use it if appropriate. AI has been successful for us to help assess personality types which allows us to communicate in a way that the potential candidate would prefer to receive that information.

Joe From an employer’s perspective, a big advance has been Applicant Tracking Systems. Any big employer will have all the applicant’s data in a database which they can store or apply algorithms to match the applicant to suitable roles. The company can start to build a pool of talent. Candidates do benefit from sites or apps such as Glassdoor which collate information about companies.

In the past, companies might have been able to control the image of themselves, now you can read the real opinions of those working at the company.

Chay We use a lot of the same tools that the recruiters use, but for certain jobs at more senior levels you can’t beat a decent human consultant who can match people and get the best outcomes.

What will the future of work look like?

Amanda I wonder whether in the future we will see an increase in the gig economy. Are we going to be recruiting for traditional jobs or for piece work that needs doing?

Nici My sense is you’ll end up with a blend. Some people have an appetite for working flexibly but others value certainty.

Joe Smaller companies will be more able to tap into talent pools for a certain period or a specific project. We will see a growth of the gig economy within sectors it has so far not affected.

As an employer, moving totally towards a flexible working pattern is very difficult, not knowing who’s doing what job, not knowing who’s going to be dealing with a client day to day.

Leon One of the continual struggles is that law is always behind technology.

An example is the gig economy where

the law has been so far behind. We’ve seen this with Uber and Pimlico Plumbers - trying to fit the market into law that was written when people went to work for employers nine-tofive. The government hasn’t properly legislated for the the issues that have arisen from the gig economy. They need to look at how we assess who is an employee or who is self-employed.

Alan We have to keep adapting as we will see jobs come in that didn’t exist two or three years ago. At Lloyds, we up-skill our current colleagues and give them the tools and the opportunities. There has been an awful lot of internal investment in helping bring colleagues into the new way of working. You need really great people to develop and bring on new talent. Whilst recruiting from external market is great, there is a cost to bringing new people in, and it is often best to invest in the people you have.

Amanda There’s a temptation to use technology to replace the human element, but recruiting is all about people at the end of the day.

Technology is really efficient for the administrative side and speeding up the process of recruitment. It is especially useful in the marketing of positions and promoting the company to potential candidates.

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Should applicants be judged by their social media posts?

Nici We don’t check social media as a recruiter, but we know many clients will investigate people who are going to work for them. If you’re posting on social media, be prepared that it may be used against you. I’m pleased that my teenage children are taught at school that once you post something, it is out there for all to see whether you like it or not.

Leon I would highly caution against employers checking through social media, unless you are recruiting for a high profile role where the newspapers are going to be trawling back through people’s social media. The problem, legally, is we don’t ask people about their sexual orientation, if are they disabled, if are they married or do they have children. The second you trawl through someone’s social media account, you now potentially have this knowledge. And if the person finds out you’ve checked them out, they could ask why they didn’t get the job. You have rights as an individual to access what information a business has about you by which you can obtain with a Subject Access Request. Do you want to run that risk? Probably not for information that may be of limited value.

Joe There’s no reason to assume an applicant’s social media activity would impact on their ability to do the job, but it’s a fine line to tread if it is a high profile position.

Chay I think its okay if you use social media to find what makes them tick, but not to try and catch someone out. Ultimately you are looking for people who can deal with people and build relationships. In life you have to start off by trusting people and presuming they’re not bad, rather than seeing the worst in people. The other challenge with LinkedIn is that our people are getting bombarded by 10 or 15 job offers every week. It only takes someone to have a bad day and then see a job offer ping up on their LinkedIn… I worry that short term snap decisions can really map out people’s lives.

Amanda If you want to find out what a person is truly like, there are better ways. At Hastings Direct, we would hire business psychologists to go through executive assessments. They do a whole person analysis. You can’t hide from that sort of thing in a recruitment process.

Nici There’s a technique called whole person interviewing, which line managers can be trained how to do, that really does glean a lot of information about the actual person, which is what we’re trying to find when we trawl their Facebook pages.

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BUSINESS ROUND SURVEY TABLE Can AI really replace recruiters?

Amanda AI does guard against a human tendency to want to recruit in your own image; it can be very subconscious but leads to indirect discrimination. By being very rigorous and using very skilfully designed psychometric AI processes, you can guard against that inherent subconscious bias.

Nici There are some great tools that help with the recruitment process.

People write in a certain way and it’s surprising how many words are favoured by one gender, and not another. By using some of these tools you can ensure that you are openly recruiting to attract the widest in the pool.

Leon There was an experiment in the US which used AI to pronounce judgements for criminal convictions, but as it was based on data fed into it

from previous cases, it discriminated against ethnic minorities. They got harsher sentences because it reflected trends in the data that had been put in. There have been plenty of examples of AI programmes being embedded with the prejudices of the programmers. But humans have also made arbitrary decisions in the past.

If you had thousands of CVs, you had to apply some arbitrary way of getting down to the best ones.

Alan The key is good leadership. If you sit people around the board table who are exactly the same as you, you can’t expect different outcomes. We need a mix of all types of people from all types of backgrounds in order to give us balance in our decision making and also to give us a little bit of healthy tension. Clients often say LinkedIn is really useful to see more potential candidates, but there is

still the danger of unconscious bias.

AI is another tool for your kit bag when you’re making a decision on recruiting. Recruitment is one of the biggest challenges. We are constantly searching for the next person. Some of this can be built-in algorithms, but an awful lot is built on seeing what the applicant can do and their aptitude to learn.

Nici Recruitment is based on trust.

Employers trust the fact that we understand the right technology to use, but technology will only take you so far. It’s your job as a recruiter to go one step further to uncover the people that technology might not pick up. The answer is technology, combined with human interaction.

Joe People often look for the quick fix but it’s very hard to roll out any change without cracks emerging. A line manager will often go back to the way it was done in the past. It’s very hard for an employer to put in place a new process that will be totally seamless and that will never have any kind of weaknesses in it.

Amanda Leaders should see attracting and managing talent as being an absolutely crucial and ongoing part of their role. When a senior leader goes to a conference or industry event, they should have their talent-spotting head on. Leaders see it as somebody else’s job to recruit people but they need to be focusing on this all the time, always be recruiting.

“...legally, we don’t ask people about their sexual orientation, if are they disabled, if are they married or do they have children. The second you trawl through someone’s social media account, you now potentially have this knowledge”

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Do employees now demand flexible working?

Nici We don’t necessarily get people demanding flexible working but we will always have the conversation about flexible working. A company’s attitude towards flexible working paints a picture about them as a potential employer. It suggests whether or not they are forwardthinking.

Alan I don’t think you can afford not to embrace flexible working. Doing the right thing retains great talent and attracts talent. Keep investing in people and you will get the right outcomes. We’re client-facing which

Are employees equipped for the changing workplace?

Chay I would recommend a series of short films called Shift Happens which talks about how the world is changing. We know that people who start university are already out of date by the time they finish their three-year course. We’ve just got to be open to change.

Joe When the coal mines closed in the 1980s, it caused devastation to many communities because the work wasn’t there and the miners didn’t get any training in new skills.

As a country we mustn’t allow that kind of thing to happen again. Where there are big manufacturing bases,

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makes it more complicated, but things have changed. Clients often want to see you at 7am or 7pm.

This means we can choose to start and finish early, or start and finish late. We are aware that attracting different people means you need to create different environments, including flexible working. Lloyds have a successful back-to-work programme to help those people who feel they can’t return to work because maybe the job doesn’t now fit. We encourage finding ways for the job to work because we know they’re great people and we value what they do.

“We don’t necessarily get people demanding flexible working but we will always have the conversation about flexible working” Joe Employers lose out on people if they don’t offer a bit of flexibility.

But flexibility must be both ways. If employees aren’t flexible as well, it can really put pressure on others within the team who have to pick up the slack when they finish early. If you work from home, you have to be contactable or it can really put a lot of pressure on others within the business.

miles each way to work? I don’t need to be in the office. I can work from home all day.” The green issue is often a reason for people to change their working patterns.

Leon Employers are now starting from a position of “How can we make this work?” rather than “How can we justify saying no?”. It is driven by the desire to attract and keep the best people. The aim is to treat people like responsible, grown up adults, and not expect them to feel they need to justify flexible hours. You often hear people explain in detail what they had done when working at home. We know! We trust you!

Joe Fewer and fewer people seem to be learning to drive and many don’t have the desire to sit in traffic for an hour each morning. They would much rather be able to work closer to home or more flexibly.

Chay Another argument you hear for working at home is the carbon footprint: “Why am I travelling 20

we’ve got to start thinking about what can replace those at an early stage and getting people interested in pursuing other things, so that we haven’t got a cliff edge where a car factory closes and there’s another 1,500 people out of work.

Amanda The millennial generation in particular value the work/life balance; it is more important to them than it was with Generation X.

Alan There are more opportunities to work remotely now. We meet via Webex which is basically a video call, and it took a bit of time to get used to it. The new generation of people coming through have been FaceTiming each other since they were very young, so a video call is normal for them.

from a technical background. As a recruiter, it’s my job to make sure that the employer sees the benefit in that candidate.

Nici It’s not necessarily about teaching a skill. It’s about a mindset. We now have access to constant learning and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, which is key for some people. It’s about remaining curious, inquisitive and wanting to learn.

Individuals must want to constantly learn and develop. Employers must be open minded when recruiting. We have to take responsibility for ourselves to embrace what is out there, and move forward.

Joe I’ve seen examples where people successfully move into a new sector and bring different ways of thinking into a role.

It might be, for example, within a sales position where someone’s actually come

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Is our education system producing candidates ready for work?

Amanda I am going to be controversial and say it’s getting worse in universities. A few years ago we were talking about life skills, and I think that’s a big issue today. University educators should be focusing on teaching students life skills including taking individual responsibility, being self-reliant, being resourceful, creating their own opportunities and getting what they want. What I’m seeing now, having employed millennials quite recently, is that we’ve almost gone backwards. People come out of education institutions feeling that they should be handed things on a plate.

Chay In employing a young person from school or college, l look for someone who shows some passion for work, such as a Saturday job or Duke of Edinburgh Award. Anything that indicates their willingness to put themselves forward and learn. We can’t do those one-week work experiences that we used to do for the kids at school. In the past we used to give someone a bag of receipts to add up. It’s all done by software now.

Nici One of the things that is lacking in the education system is a mindset to take a risk and possibly fail. Risk is something that you need to embrace. I still don’t see it being encouraged in school. There is nothing to stop children leaving school and setting up a business, but they have got to be comfortable taking risk.

Amanda Society doesn’t encourage it either. Employers often talk about wanting entrepreneurial spirit within an organisation and yet they have appraisal systems and performance management systems which punish failure. So, it doesn’t work.

Alan Employers hope that the universities and colleges are going to create people ready to hit the ground running, with a core set of skills.

You can come out with any kind of degree and move into a business but once you arrive, that business needs to have a really great internal development programme to get the very best out of you. I’ve been lucky as I have been able to continue my learning from day one. I did a sustainability course last month which was supported by Cambridge University.

I never thought I’d be doing a qualification for sustainability if I go back 10 years. In another 10 years’ time, I’ll probably have to learn something new. My niece and nephew have hit 17 and are going out in the world. They’re just learning new skills the whole time, and I think it’s really exciting as long as you’ve got a forward-thinking company supporting you.

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“One of the things that is lacking in the education system is a mindset to take a risk and possibly fail.

Risk is something that you need to embrace.”

Are recruiters spending more time these days actively searching for candidates rather than waiting for them to come to them?

Nici I can't remember the exact stat but it's something like two-thirds of the people that get jobs aren't proactively looking, which means that you've got to go and seek them out. My job is to get someone to feel alive when they go to work. We certainly chase the candidate.

Chay Recently I was interviewing for

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INFLUENCERS F O R U M™

p odcast

our student intake and they are very interested in our corporate social responsibility and the charity page on our website. I also interviewed for a very senior director role and the page that was most interest to that person was about our culture and values.

Joe People are much more perceptive about who they want to

LISTEN IN FULL

work for these days, and companies have to attract people. It's a lot harder than just putting out an advert. As a recruiter, maybe 8090% of the conversations that we have with people are with those who aren't actively looking for work, and they don't know that there's a good opportunity out there for them.

You can hear all of the conversation by streaming the exclusive podcast at www.buzzsprout.com/887299. You can also download it via the usual podcast apps and searching for ‘Influencers Forum’.

With many thanks to the Grand Brighton for hosting this event

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FINANCE

Routes to funding your business

By Dan Morgan, Managing Partner at Haines Watts Esher quicker than the high street alternative. These banks can be more time efficient as without physical branches you can access all of their services from anywhere.

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t is likely that at some point you will need to raise funds either to grow your business, bridge a short-term cash flow concern or fund unexpected costs. Finding the right type of funding can be challenging and knowing where to start can seem impossible. Below are just a few options that SMEs can consider.

Traditional vs challenger banks

It is well known that banks have become stricter of late about their lending and getting approved through a traditional bank is becoming difficult.

There has been a definite shift with banks preferring to extend loans to larger businesses while increasingly cutting back on SME loans.

However, there are now ‘challenger banks’ disrupting the market and offering alternatives for SMEs seeking funding. Whilst traditional banks may come with systems and processes that feel slow and behind the times, challenger banks tend to be smaller and can therefore be more adaptive, utilising the latest technology to service their customers. This often means that decisions on finance and the release of funds can be much

Business loans are a good option for both short-term and long-term lending, and can be an effective option for business expansion or rolling out a five year plan. The main advantage of a bank loan is whilst you will pay interest on the loan, you will not sacrifice shares in the company or a percentage of the profits. Finance for the purchase of equipment is always worth considering, as lenders are keen on this type of lending, with plenty of lenders available with often appealing rates.

Utilising your business’ cash flow

If your business is growing rapidly, releasing cash into your business can be an effective way to fund upcoming projects. You could consider invoice financing to free up cash flow. Invoice financing involves borrowing money against the amounts due from your customers. Doing this can allow you to reinvest in the company far sooner than if you’d had to wait for your customers to pay. This type of funding is very popular, as the funding goes up and down in line with your sales activity, therefore lenders prefer this to more typical overdrafts. This area also has lots of “challengers” in the market, offering tech solutions.

However, borrowing money and increasing the company debt can be risky if you haven’t done proper financial forecasting. Plan for what would happen if your growth were to slow to ensure that the loan remains affordable in the long-term.

Government initiatives

If your business is involved with anything that could be deemed research and development (R&D) then you will be able to reduce your tax bill and you may be able to receive a refund for any prior tax payments made.

It is important to consider how attractive funding your business may be to investors. The government runs venture capital schemes to help small and medium sized businesses grow by attracting investment. These schemes offer tax reliefs to those who buy new shares, bonds or assets in your business for a specific amount of time.

However, while this is an option for businesses in most industries there are exclusions. There are also limits on the amount of money you can raise depending on which scheme you qualify for. This can be a particularly useful scheme for tech companies as higher limits can be implemented for those who carry out R&D or innovation in their business.

Working with your business advisors before seeking funding can help with running clear forecasting and gaining advice on which method of financing can work best for you and your business.

T: 020 8549 5137 E: esher@hwca.com www.hwca.com/accountants-esher

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Leading the way Preparing the next generation of leaders for the future of work.

By Scott Blanchard, President, The Ken Blanchard Companies thing they must struggle through. This lack of understanding extends and deepens the resistance that comes with any change they attempt. As a result, people in the organisation see each change as a negative disturbance rather than a positive opportunity.

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hat are the top issues that human resource (HR) and leadership, learning, and talent development (L&D) professionals are focusing on as they look to train the next generation of leaders?

The findings of our 2020 HR L&D Trend Report reveal some useful answers.

According to the report, the most important business challenges include managing change, engaging employees, and attracting great talent.

Improving change readiness The biggest business challenge HR and L&D professionals are hoping to address in 2020 is change readiness.

They want to know how to create a more change-ready organisation.

That’s not surprising. The business environment continues to change at an increasing rate. Leaders who can effectively support people through change can minimise the negative effect change has on both individuals and the organisation.

Unfortunately, a lot of organisational leaders don't take advantage of the research-based tools for change management that are widely available today. They still view change as some-

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The best companies we've worked with have a “change happens constantly” mindset. They see change as something that helps them get to where they need to go. It’s critically important that leaders of organisations find ways to be comfortable with change. Every single business in every single market is experiencing fundamental change.

The ability to manage through change is imperative.

Developing leadership skills The 2020 survey asked which skills are most crucial for leaders. The top three answers were listening, coaching, and building trust.

When asked a follow-up question about the key leadership development areas they would be focusing on, HR and L&D professionals identified coaching skills, emotional intelligence, and performance management as their top priorities.

The respondents stressed that it was important for leaders to create trusting, positive relationships with their people.

They agreed that leaders must know how to achieve clarity, manage relationships, have good conversations, and build trust. Although these are often considered soft skills in the business community, they are essential for effective management, particularly during times of change and uncertainty.

Strengthening soft skills with coaching Business leaders are often sceptical of soft skills training. We disagree. Our re-

search has shown that people trained in a core set of skills can become the type of leader people want to follow.

Our Coaching Essentials programme teaches the LITE model — four important skills that build trust and emotional intelligence. Madeleine Homan Blanchard, head of Blanchard’s coaching division, suggests that leaders use the four-step LITE model to bring coaching skills into their management repertoire.

The L in the LITE model stands for Listen to Learn. As Madeleine explains, “Listening is one of the most essential skills any manager can have. Good listeners focus on what the other person is saying and respond in ways that make others feel heard and valued.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP The I in the LITE model stands for Inquire for Insight. “Great managers draw their people out,” Madeleine says. “They ask questions that allow employees to share insights and ideas that can benefit projects, tasks, and the team. Asking questions helps the manager to understand underlying motivations and what’s driving people’s behaviour.”

encouraging a strong coaching culture within an organisation deepens its leadership bench strength and prepares it for disruptive change.

build staff capacity for change.

attracting great talent, the HR and L&D professionals indicated that they would focus on digital learning, curriculum design, and agile change management.

2020 promises to be a year where change continues to accelerate. As the work environment becomes increasingly complex, leaders must find new ways to leverage and scale the productivity of their workforces. The results of this year’s survey show that HR and L&D professionals are adapting to meet this challenge.

These are good places to start, but it is important to remember that simply granting people access to learning content doesn’t mean they’ll graviAddressing the challenges tate toward consuming it. The best When asked how they were going to organisations create experiences that address the challenges of managing encourage people to actually use the change, engaging employees, and content they've been given ac“The best companies we’ve cess to. Technology offers the means, but it is important to worked with have a ‘change create a strategy that makes happens constantly’ mindset” learning enticing.

The T in the LITE model stands for Tell Your Truth.

“Being honest builds trust and authenticity; it allows managers to share information that’s needed to help their employee move forward,” Madeleine explains. “Many managers are afraid that being honest will hurt others’ feelings, but in all actuality, a truthful exchange can empower others.”

The E in the LITE model stands for Express Confidence. “When managers express confidence in their people,” says Madeleine, “it builds employees’ self-assurance and enthusiasm.”

Teaching coaching techniques and

HR and L&D professionals want to make learning more accessible and “bite-sized” by using digital learning tools. They want to redesign curriculums for more personalised training, with greater focus on learning journeys. To develop agile change management, they want to encourage a growth mindset about change and

Training the World’s Best Managers

www.kenblanchard.com

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BUSINESS GROWTH

NatWest Accelerator

Entrepreneur of the Month – April 2020 Simon and Candice Bullmore, Mission Drive

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feedback and ideas.

ission Drive’s team of business psychologists, educators, writers and designers are finding creative new ways to get more people inspired by the world of data. We use games to help businesses get people involved in learning about data, and create content like quizzes and videos to educate people.

We use digital marketing techniques to help new businesses engage people who might not yet understand how a new data product can help them.

We’re not about dry tech and abstract concepts. We’re helping people bring their humanity and their values to the world of data technology so that data works for us all.

What traction and achievements has your business seen so far?

• Playing data games with thousands of people!

• Data content strategy for Rolls-Royce • Data ethics, education and engagement campaign for the Open Data Institute • Development of bespoke content and courses for Lloyds and Deutsche Bank • Data skills analysis for The Coop How do you feel the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator has helped you and your business?

Being in a co-working environment with other entrepreneurs has been a huge benefit for us - there’s a great sense of community and we feel part of something important. The coaching provided has been a great way to “hold us to account” and keep us focussed on our vision and goals. Being part of the Accelerator has opened doors for us, helping find leads and growing our network. We’ve been invited to speak at events and get feedback on how we present ourselves. We also have the

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Practice pitching often - it helps you get to the heart of what you’re about, why you’re the right team and how you make a difference.

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A growth mindset will power you forward. There are opportunities to learn everywhere - successes, failures, podcasts, books, peers, coaches and mentors. Take them.

opportunity to pitch in front of an audience of external mentors and experts in order to get valuable experience and get feedback on both pitching our business and raising investment.

During your time on the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator what have been the key learnings for you and your business?

Honing in on your message and how your business solves a problem is a question we ask ourselves daily. Working on the big picture, not just little details to move us forward. Getting on top of our finances and business planning, and figuring out the best places to raise funding.

If you could give three tips to a budding entrepreneur what would they be?

Things are never going to be perfect – engaging customers and partners early will give you valuable

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Would you encourage others to join the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator?

Most definitely. It’s a great way to learn and accelerate your growth in a supportive environment. We get so much positive energy and support from our coaches and fellow entrepreneurs. As well as helping us grow, it’s helped us get more pleasure out of our business. It’s still hard work but it feels more joyful.

Twitter: @mymissiondrive Email: simonb@missiondrive.io candice@missiondrive.io

Each month the leadership team at Brighton’s NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator select a founder of the month to recognise the individuals that have demonstrated a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to overcome challenges and accelerate the growth of their business in a short space of time.

To find out more about the Accelerator hub, email BrightonAccelerator@natwest.com

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national

news

Classic motors make money

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lassic cars, coins and fine wines have been the best investments in the last five years. The latest research by peer to peer lending platform, Sourced Capital, shows that classic cars have been the best investment with an average annual rate of return hitting 16% - meaning a £1,000 investment would see a return of £1,136 in addition to your original

investment. Investing in rare coins has returned an additional £1,033 on a £1,000 investment with the average annual rate of return sitting at 15%. Fine wines rank as the third most lucrative investment returning an average of 13% each year or £859 on your investment. Vintage watches (8%) jewellery (7%) and stamps (7%) have all proved the next safest bet.

Bacteriabusting robots

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he Danish company Blue Ocean Robotics are one of the lucky few benefitting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Their UV disinfectant robot was launched in early 2019, following six years of development. The self-driving machine navigates rooms where it kills microbes with an ultraviolet light. Production has been accelerated and it now takes less than a day to make one robot retailing at $67,000 (£53,370) each. Eight bulbs emit concentrated UV-C ultraviolet light destroying bacteria, viruses and other harmful microbes. While there has been no testing to prove the robot’s effectiveness against coronavirus, it is proved to work on similar strains.

The future of fish The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man, and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment BUSINESS WISDOM

Plants that purify

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ith more of us sitting indoors research suggests that keeping the air in your home purified is proven to help stop the spread of viruses. According to scientists at NASA, plant roots and their associated microorganisms will destroy pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and the organic chemicals, eventually converting all of these air pollutants into new plant tissue - and the bigger and leafier the plant, the better.

To determine popularity, online plant sellers OnBuy.com looked up

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how many times each plant (19 in total) were Googled a month. The results show that Aloe Vera is the most sough-after plant that purifies indoor air as well as having antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Chrysanthemums ranked second as NASA’s study revealed that chrysanthemums are able to absorb 53% of chemicals like benzene – a carcinogenic substance found in products like paint, detergents and varnish removers.

The Ficus tree and Peace Lily followed with both plants getting over 74,000 searches a month.

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enturies of overfishing has depleted the number of fish in the wild, however a number of start-ups think they might have the answer.

These businesses have developed techniques to extract fish stem cells and grow them into edible minced fish meat.

Simon Somogyi, a specialist from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada thinks lab-grown fish is an extremely promising product. He said; “Much of the volume of finned fish is turned into minced fish, and put into food such as fish fingers and fish burgers.

Cell-based fish fits perfectly into that category.”

Lab grown fish is yet to be commercialised but is expected to become available in two or three years.

The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back BUSINESS WISDOM

The value of storytelling

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toryTerrace is a company that matches everyday people with professional ghost-writers so that they can document their life stories.

They have commissioned nationally representative research which reveals over 37% of people in the UK learn more about their parents from pictures, family possessions and

overhearing conversations, rather than directly from parents themselves. At this time of self-isolation Rutger Bruining, CEO and Founder of StoryTerrace urges people to be more mindful of making an effort to show you care through the simple outlet of exchanging stories with loved ones.

Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t BUSINESS WISDOM

Music agent predicts surge

Virtual networks rise during crisis

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or many businesses, a virtual private network (VPN) will be an integral part of their work from home set-up. Statics from NordVPN Teams show that the UK has experienced a 48.1% growth in the use of business VPNs since March 11th 2020. Globally, NordVPN teams has seen an astonishing 165% spike in

the use of business VPNs and overall sales have almost increased by 600%. A business VPN is a network of computers that are virtually linked together to enable those granted access the ability to securely send as well as receive files, data and applications.

The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few, but information in the hands of many BUSINESS WISDOM

All steam ahead for space exploration

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ast month NASA was on the search for the next generation of Buzz Aldrins through their Artemis Generation astronaut recruitment drive. With plans to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) and Moon by 2024, the ambitious project

is still moving ahead. Whilst astronauts travelling to the ISS have had traditional ceremonies cancelled and have faced disruption, the appetite for space exploration has not been dented by ongoing global crises.

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he global touring trade has been hit hard by travel bans and advice to stay at home amid the coronavirus crisis. Emma Banks (above), co-head of agency giant Creative Artists Agency, hopes that there might be an improvement later in the year. She said: “The end of the year is always busy for live music so this year will be very busy. I think people will have a real appetite to go to gigs, see comedians and visit the theatre. My message is: please, please go out and see live entertainment. Once it is deemed safe for everyone to start going out”.

Go greener at the pumps

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K fuel pumps are due for a new greener, eco-friendly petrol to be introduced to forecourts across the country next year. E10 is a traditional petrol blend alongside 10% bio-ethanol which is made from crops. Hopes are that the use of this product will reduce the demand for pure fossil fuels by introducing a renewable energy source into fuel tanks. E10 fuel is currently used alongside regular alternatives around Germany, France and Finland and will be introduced to the UK in 2021.

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SUSSEX INNOVATION

Delivering ‘True Impact’ in the Hot House Sussex Innovation introduce their Hot House events, an intensive bootcamp series designed to help startups address their toughest market issues

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n the weekend of March 7th8th, 25 mission-led entrepreneurs gathered at The Lighthouse in central Brighton for the first in a new series of Hot House events.

The intensive bootcamp series will be delivered every two months by a team of mentors and coaches from Sussex Innovation, along with specially invited guest speakers.

The launch event, dubbed the ‘True Impact’ Weekend, was designed to help purpose-led start-ups address their toughest “go to market issues” with maximum effect, based on all the insights and experience gained over Sussex Innovation’s 24 years of making ideas happen.

Over two days, a panel of expert speakers led the group into specially

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tailored workshop sessions, helping the gathered businesses to define their value propositions, the impact they look to have in the world and how to measure it, and how to identify early customers.

Day One: finding the right commercial model After an introductory ice breaker over coffee and pastries, the first cohort of Hot House entrepreneurs shared why they had come and what they were hoping to get out of the weekend. For some pre-revenue ideas, it was about becoming financially sustainable in order to match their ambition to address the big challenges facing society. Other owners of more established businesses were keen to create more social impact through their work; supporting their staff, local communities or environment.

The first guest speaker, Kevin Arthur shared the story of building and exiting his solar energy business Oxford PV during a volatile time in the renewable industry. His story of success through adversity was intended to inspire ambition in other founders working with emerging technologies.

Emma Mills-Sheffield followed with a talk on ‘getting mentally fit to complete your mission’, offering advice on how to cope with the inevitable setbacks of growing a business, from becoming more productive at work to building internal resilience.

Throughout the day, Stuart Paviour led the group in bitesize confidence-building exercises, explaining the neuro-

BUSINESS SURVEY

chemistry behind how certain posture changes and physical movements can affect your mindset.

After lunch, impact consultant Anton Simanowitz shared case studies of his work with social enterprises, and tips on how to embed impact within a business model by analysing what customers want, what beneficiaries need, and how it is delivered.

Finally, Simon Chuter demonstrated how to use the social business model canvas to work on the key elements of a business plan, before the Sussex Innovation mentors worked with small groups of business owners to map out their commercial models.

Day Two: research and insight with the LIVELAB Sunday picked up where Saturday left off, focusing on how to use market research tools to stress test a business model. Eva Poliszczuk celebrated International Women’s Day by presenting the story of NASA engineer Katherine Johnson, illustrating why preparedness and good research

paves the way to success. Throughout the day a team of Sussex graduates were on hand with access to market research resources, answering business owners’ key questions in the ‘LIVELAB’.

The entrepreneurs reviewed their social business model canvases with a mentor, identifying which areas of their model were already proven and which still needed to be researched.

Anne-Fay Townsend presented some of the best free desk research tools that would be used to help to uncover essential business intelligence throughout the remainder of the day.

Anne-Fay then led a live exercise to show how to carry out a detailed competitive review, before technologist Darrell Berry demonstrated a cash-saving approach to building a simple web presence, that could be used to capture data and interpret it to inform business strategy.

The final afternoon was about recognising ‘unknown unknowns’; the hidden insights and trends that can pro-

vide a step change in the growth of a business. Anne-Fay and journalist Ceri Roberts led two further live exercises, designed to identify the ‘founding insight’ that would enable the start-ups to deliver true impact, and the market trends that could be leveraged and learnt from.

Join in at the next Hot House In light of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, Sussex Innovation is restructuring its next set of Hot House events to take place in a virtual conference environment and offer targeted support for businesses affected by these challenging circumstances.

A limited number of places at the Hot House (RRP £1499) are available on a fully-funded basis, thanks to support from the European Regional Development Fund. If you’re a registered business or CIC with the ambition to deliver real social impact, Sussex Innovation wants to hear from you!

Register your interest by visiting info. sinc.co.uk/hothouse

The Hot House has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the ERDF. Established by the European Union, the ERDF helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation and businesses, create jobs and regenerate local communities.

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❤ ... and now for some good news

With so much doom and gloom around at the moment, we thought we would give you a few highlights of the brighter side of human nature that tends to bubble to the surface at times of national crisis - enough to lift your heart

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he UK government asked for 170,000 volunteers to come forward to assist the NHS.

750,000

By March 30th, over had stepped up and volunteered their time despite the fact that it would put them at greater risk.

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hildren are battling to understand what is going on and some are rightfully traumatised by what they see and hear. To boot, they cannot go to school or see their friends and this is very disconnecting for younger kids. Therefore, a scheme that started in the US has made its way here and that is for kids to take an exercise walk during which they have to spot as many teddy bears in house windows as possible and log

all the ones they spot, and the world is responding with millions of people putting teddies in their windows to brighten the children's day.

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other Nature breathes a sigh of relief as carbon emissions drop to virtually zero across the world, rivers and inland waters start to clear, dolphins arrive in the Venice Canal for the first time and the entire planet get s break from the most polluting and harmful creatures in the earth - us.

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ith the NHS under extreme pressure and little we can do to help except staying at home, a Dutch yoga teacher from South London started the ‘Clap for the NHS’ campaign that saw millions of people across the country explode onto their balconies, front gardens and onto the streets to applaud our doctors and nurses - the frontline soldiers who are at war with the virus.

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actories such as Dyson, MercedesBenz and Louis Vuitton have re-tooled their assembly lines to manufacture ventilators, face masks, hand gel and all other forms of PPE to help the country.

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inally – in WW2, millions were asked to go to war, and risk death, in a foreign country.

In 2020, we are being called upon to fight the war by staying home on the sofa.

❤

BUSINESS PROFILE

Celebrating success Committed to using biodegradable plastic in their products, Sussex-based Paladone is an inspirational growth story. Emma Lane, Area Director for Allied Irish Bank (GB) tells us more committee’ formed in 2017, and in early 2018 we became the first company in the gift trade (and one of the first companies in the world, regardless of trade) to use biodegradable plastic (BDP) in our products.

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mma Lane is the Area Director for Allied Irish Bank (GB) for the Brighton and South East region. As one of the judges in last year’s Sussex Business Awards there is one business that caught her eye as a shining example of innovation, and who are leading the way in investing in their business and people.

Emma explains: “I was really impressed with Shoreham-based gift firm, Paladone, who won the Large Business of the Year Award, due to their impressive growth and eco policy. Their investment in their people and commitment to ‘Breakdown Plastic’ is impressive and the firm has ambitious plans to leverage further on their success and double digit growth rates.

We started small, using the BDP additive in just five products, gauging retailer and consumer reaction while running our own tests at the same time. Three years later we’re able to add our own test results to that of the company that developed BDP, proving that our BDP plastic products will biodegrade in landfill in just a few years, where our previous standard plastic would take thousands of years. We now use BDP at every opportunity and are addressing the products and factories that can’t work with BDP, to find other options – in a couple more years EVERY plastic product we manufacture will be made using BDP.

and continued focus on opening up new accounts in the US and Europe.

“We are expanding our team but continue to drive growth through our existing staff as they take on new challenges and progress their careers at Paladone.

We’re very proud of our growth which has been recognised for the last three consecutive years by the Sunday Times International Track schemes and winning the coveted Gift of The Year award four times in the last six years.

“Probably the most prevalent example of success for Paladone is the growth and development of our staff. Since 2014 our team has grown from 36 to just over 150! We’ve loved being able to develop, promote and recruit from within the existing team, whilst attracting the best talent the industry has to offer.”

www.paladone.com “Achieving recognition for the work the Paladone team does every day is amazing. The Sussex Business Awards judges’ enthusiasm for our eco efforts has reinforced that we are heading in the right direction. Our growth strategy centres around broadening our product offering including the launch of a new beauty category

Emma Lane Tel: 07799 888057 Email: Emma.L.Lane@aib.ie

“Paladone is riding high after a successful start to the first quarter of 2020 and are a great contributor to the local and UK economy because all their products are designed in Sussex.

They strive to create the best gifts in the world whilst also minimising the impact on the environment. This includes using biodegradable plastics (BDP) in the majority of their plastic products and reducing packaging waste on all of their products.”

Yann Le Bouedec, Commercial Director at Paladone explains: “Our ‘eco *The AIB logo, Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trade marks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. incorporated in Northern Ireland. Registered Offi ce 92 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH. Registered Number NI018800. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

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FOOD & DRINK

Kindling sparks a taste explosion

By Ian Trevett

is at the heart of everything they do. Tasty sharing plates, super local, seasonal, ethically farmed and sustainable ingredients, enhanced by fire, and served with warm hospitality.

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ating out is an enjoyable experience and an opportunity to experience intricate flavours and beautifully presented cuisine. But is it actually good for you? It’s safe to say that good food is a key priority at Brighton’s new Kindling restaurant.

Husband and wife team Ramin and Jane Mostowfi were studying at The College of Naturopathic Medicine in London when they became friends with one of the lecturers, the chef and nutritionist Holly Taylor, and the concept of Kindling was born.

Ramin and Jane were already well-respected members of the Brighton foodie community, having managed the legendary vegetarian restaurant, Food for Friends.

Add in chef Toby Geneen who previously worked at London’s Plate Restaurant and front of house manager Phillip Scott, formally of London’s esteemed St John Restaurant, and you pretty much have a dream team!

Kindling’s ethos is all about the thoughtful details and the stories behind our food and local producers. Sustainability and care for the environment

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Kindling isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, but it does offer delicious plant-based dishes, complemented with ethical meat and sustainable fish, cooked over an open charcoal fire to enhance flavour.

On my visit with Julia, we decided to let the restaurant impress us, by choosing the Tasting Menu (£49/person). The menu was actually a bit misleading.

With the way the menu was designed, I was expecting five plates of food, but the dishes just kept arriving along with a wonderful selection of paired wines (The Kindling Selection - four glasses £30).

Julia was clearly regretting her decision to have a dry January. I don’t understand this self-imposed torture at the best of times, but if a sommelier is going to the effort to choose the perfect accompaniments for your food, then it is madness!

There are too many dishes to describe, but my favourite was not a dish I would have expected. The ember-baked leek, smoked plaice roe and buckwheat was delightful. Earthy and rustic, the under-

Our tasting menu Panisse, tomato and fennel ketchup Cauliflower cheese croquettes Parsnip and Russet soup, truffle Kindling cultured butter, honey oat soda bread Ember baked leek, smoked plaice roe, buckwheat Pickled sand carrot, anise, kraut, chive, jus Grilled bass, roast cauliflower leaves, green elderberry caper dressing Saddlescombe lamb rump, caramelised swede, purple sprouting broccoli Pink Glow Sorbet Bergamot cake, dark chocolate sorbet, sesame tuile rated vegetable was packed with flavour.

The slight worry was that after the multiple starters, soup and a snack of fried pig ears, Julia was now starting to feel full - with bass, lamb and desserts still to come. Heroically she soldiered on! She is now on a mission to tell the world about Kindling.

Every dish was beautifully presented and exquisite, and I can honestly declare that this is the finest foodie experience I have enjoyed in Brighton for a very long time. www.kindlingrestaurant.com

PROPERTY

Mindful workplace What a difference a year can make at Dakota Weybridge

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ust over a year ago Dakota Weybridge was celebrating its Fitwel accreditation for healthier building design. Dakota was designed with the health and wellbeing of its occupants in mind and was one of the first multi-tenanted buildings in Europe to achieve this standard.

YoooServ is a premium office space company offering virtual, serviced or co-working spaces, desk hire and

Fast forward 12 months and they have welcomed two highly regarded companies to this Grade A office space at the heart of Brooklands.

Robert Half is the world’s second largest recruitment company and has taken the entire third floor at Dakota.

Robert Half specialises in helping companies hire accounting, finance, banking, technology, marketing and administrative professionals.

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G WO ININ T LY E M A N O SR R OO

meeting rooms. A variety of customers are benefiting from its flexible serviced office space.

In keeping with the Fitwel ethos Dakota offers a communal business lounge for employees to greet visi-

Dakota_SurreyChambersAd_03.2020.indd 1

David Kershaw, RO Group Real Estate Director, commented: “The impressive building and Fitwel standards at Dakota have resulted in an environment that can positively contribute to the employee feel good factor, lift productivity and aid staff retention. Robert Half and YoooServ were attracted by this and we are delighted to welcome such high-quality tenants to our building.”

www.dakota-weybridge.com

B RO O K L A N D S WEYBRIDGE

KT13 0YP

STUNNING GRADE A OFFICE ACCOMMODATION 2,691 - 22,032 SQ FT REMAINING W W W. D A KOTA - W E Y B R I D G E . C O M

tors, collaborate or relax when taking a break. Access to outdoor space and nature is always close to hand with attractive terraces and landscaped borders, Dakota is also directly opposite Brooklands Park for walking, running or just unwinding.

020 7629 8171 KnightFrank.co.uk

01483 446 800 vailwilliams.com 11/03/2020 12:03:33

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Investment Robert Carroll, CMO of Avantis Wealth explains how financial investment can drive business for the future fits of Loanership, at least how Avantis Wealth practices it, are fivefold: Fixed income: Your income is fixed in advance so you know what it will be.

Rewarding returns: Typically 8%15% annually, something difficult to achieve elsewhere.

Exit strategy in place: You know when your investment matures and how the money will be repaid.

Security is paramount: Often legal charges over property.

Hands off: There is no need for your involvement.

Who are Avantis Wealth?

Avantis Wealth are a specialist investment broker, offering high return, secured, fixed income investments.

Please tell us about the sector that Avantis is involved in?

Avantis offers alternative investments, primarily bonds and loan notes with property-backed security. This is a sector that has grown substantially in popularity since annual returns of 8% to 15% are achievable and this is extremely difficult to attain with mainstream stocks and shares.

What is ‘Loanership’ and what are the benefits?

Investments are divided into two types. ‘Ownership’ of an asset (an example would be buy-to-let property) and ‘Loanership’, where your funds are lent to a business to enable them to grow and finance projects. The bene-

We call the investment approach that includes all five of these benefits the F.R.E.S.H investment strategy. To this we would add most of the investments are short-term, typically 12-24 months.

The benefit is that your funds are not locked up for a long period and you are not dependent on a buoyant stock or the housing market at the time you wish to sell.

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Serious depth of due diligence, available for inspection to all potential investors. In 2019 we investigated 105 investments and selected seven to present to our clients.

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In depth reach into the marketplace means we have access to the best investments.

3

A focus on delivering rewarding returns but at modest risk – swings the advantage in favour of the investor.

Has Brexit had any affect on the business?

Brexit impacted the market negatively in 2019, right up to the election. Many investors were uncertain what the future would hold, and therefore understandably decided to wait it out. We’ve

What are Private Debt Investments?

This is a name for our fixed income bonds and loans, but with a wider spectrum that may include longer term bonds, debt that is not secured and with other characteristics that are not so advantageous to investors.

How does Avantis differ from others offering the same type of investments?

Avantis Wealth delivers three distinct advantages:

“The future lies in ‘sticking to our knitting’ and doing more of the same”

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BUSINESSFINANCE SURVEY

and beyond... seen a massive sea-change in sentiment since November. Investors are counting the cost of having money on deposit earning them maybe 1% pa or less, when they could be receiving 12% pa or more! On a £100,000 investment that’s the difference between earning £1,000 a year, or £1,000 a month!

What is the future of the business?

The future lies in ‘sticking to our knitting’ and doing more of the same. Selecting the best investments, subjecting them to extensive due diligence, thus ensuring that investors benefit substantially through earning up to around 15% annually, year in and year out.

For further information please contact: Tel: 01273 447299 Email: invest@avantiswealth.com Visit: www.avantiswealth.com

“We call the investment approach that includes all five of these benefits the F.R.E.S.H investment strategy”

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We are Hurst At Hurst, we believe that by challenging our students every day, we can help them develop the skills and values they need to ensure their future is as bright as they are.

We warmly invite you to visit us at our next Open Morning on Saturday 2 May 2020 Book your place now www.hppc.co.uk • Day, flexi and weekly boarding • Extensive bus routes across Sussex, Surrey and Kent

EDUCATION

Looking after pupils means looking after staff

By Mike Lamb, Director of Staff and Pupil Wellbeing, Hurst College and often provides simple and effective suggestions as to how to improve working practices. Schools listening to their staff are likely to be more reflective and effective at delivering successful outcomes.

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upil wellbeing should be at the top of the education agenda and staff wellbeing should follow close behind. In a similar manner to other industries, research published over the past few years has supported the suggestion that happy and contented staff produces positive outcomes, which in schools should mean happy and contented pupils. The ideal situation should lead to optimum outcomes for all, from mental health to exam results. It is for this reason that schools must prioritise staff wellbeing and develop cultures that explicitly value and support staff where resources allow.

Promoting genuine staff voice allows for individuals to feel they are really being heard. Such listening exercises can provide insightful perspectives on an organisation from the chalk-face

Getting everyone on board is key for driving every organisation forward and staff wellbeing can be a way to bring people together to achieve the common goal of improving the working lives for all. Ensuring you reach all employees from cleaners and kitchen staff to management is key to the success of delivering change and the sign of effective leadership as everyone works towards a common goal.

Support from the highest level of management is also key to the success of improving staff wellbeing.

In the same way that schools value challenging, supporting and developing pupils they should want to do the same for staff. Creating a working environment that is high challenge but low threat helps develop staff. Having clear and visible support networks allows individuals to ‘fall back’ on others and ask for help when they need it. A supportive and developmental approach to staff performance reviews helps create a culture of improvement

and progress that empowers staff to take control of their careers and reach their goals.

Teachers have a reputation for being more sceptical than most about new initiatives and schools who add a ‘cake day’ or a one-off yoga session are unlikely to impress staff who feel overworked and undervalued. Therefore, adopting a positive approach to staff wellbeing that leads to a culture of wellbeing rather than a few bolt-on evening class initiatives is key. Addressing the big issues raised by staff are essential or they will quickly lose their enthusiasm if only lip-service is being paid to the idea.

Hence it is with consideration of the above, alongside the latest research, that we need to value and support our staff so they can do the same for our children.

hppc.co.uk

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HIDDEN

BALEARICS Go Bespoke gives us the inside scoop on a few of their favourite hidden gems in the Balearics, and there’s not even a mention of the decadent party scene

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ccording to a CEIC Report in December 2019, Spain heralded a total of 12,559 hotels so it comes as no surprise that the choice can be overwhelming when booking a business or leisure trip there. The Balearics, a scattering of islands off the east coast of Spain, are still the main destination for

MALLORCA: HOTEL SANT FRANCESC A former Mallorcan mansion built in 1860, this luxury 5-star hotel is located on one of Palma’s most iconic squares, just a few metres from the beautiful Cathedral and Plaza Mayor. The perfect base for exploring Palma! If you book the La Torre Studio, you can enjoy sundowners on the exclusive panoramic terrace. Superior Rooms from £300 per night.

Inside scoop: The team is opening another boutique hotel in Spring 2020 - Can Ferrereta is a meticulously renovated 17th century house in the rural Mallorcan town of Santanyí.

Expect stylish interiors and a beautiful spa.

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foreigners, with the highest hotel occupancy at 80.73% in the first nine months of 2019. Lush mountains, hidden coves, culinary experiences and golden sandy beaches – this hippy haven from the 1960s has remained a firm favourite for travellers from all around the world. Summer stretches from mid-May to October,

and even the winter months on the archipelago are perfect for a retreat, with less crowds and an incredibly pleasant daily climate. The big resorts and vibrant nightlife are still very much in play, but the rich combination of cultures and charming hotels mean it is not hard to get off the beaten track.

TRAVEL

MALLORCA: CAP ROCAT Tucked away in a quiet area of Palma Bay, Cap Rocat was once a 19th century fortress which has been beautifully restored into this luxury 5 star hotel. Understated, chic bedrooms and tranquil spaces make this the perfect Mallorcan bolthole. Facilities include a sumptuous spa, two pools and two restaurants. Close to rugged coastline and woodlands overlooking Palma Bay, it offers complete privacy. With 24 rooms including 22 suites, this is a dramatic setting in a peaceful pocket of Palma bay. Prices from £252 per night.

We love: The Suite del Mar sits exclusively aside from the hotel’s other rooms with its own private pool and is just steps away from the private beach, surrounded by a fragrant herbal garden. You couldn’t hide away much more than that!

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MALLORCA: CASTELL SON CLARET Only 30 minutes from Palma city centre, this ‘Leading Hotel of the World’ is located within 326 acres of unspoiled countryside at the foot of the UNESCO-protected Tramuntana mountains. The former 19th century castle was meticulously renovated in

2013, and now offers 41 contemporary rooms and suites, many with terraces, a garden or private pool. The hotel is also home to Zaranda, the only two-star Michelin restaurant in the Balearics, where diners have a direct view into the kitchen of the chefs at

work. Prices from £252 per night in a Standard Double.

Not to be missed: It’s recommended you try the famous ‘Black Egg’ at Zaranda, a creation which has a reputation way beyond the island.

FORMENTERA: PARADISO DE LOS PINOS The laid-back, secret little sister of Ibiza, Formentera is a short ferry-ride from Ibiza Town and is well worth the trip. The island is surrounded by beautiful sandy stretches of beach and if you’re feeling active, there’s plenty of options including trekking, windsurfing and kayaking. Stay at Paradiso de los Pinos, beautiful white-washed one and two bedroom apartments and bungalows in a quiet area in Es Migjorn. Prices from £175 per night.

Top tip: If you’re after the jet set crowd on this quiet island, head to Juan y Andrea, a lunch spot which is an institution on the island so book your table in advance.

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TRAVEL MENORCA: TORRALBENC Torralbenc offers a restorative wine and Balearic culinary experience, set within 70 acres of farmland and vineyards.

Take advantage of the hotel’s Spring Detox offer including a two-night stay with breakfast and dinner, wellness treatments, evenings among the vineyards and healthy menus if you book before May 29th 2020. Prices from £195 per night.

MENORCA: MENORCA EXPERIMENTAL Opened in August 2019, this boutique hotel and agroturismo has 34 rooms and nine private villas. Reborn from a 19th century finca on 30 hectares of land, enjoy access to a secluded pebble beach and activities including hiking, horse-riding, pottery, painting and yoga. On-site dining emphasises the abundant fresh and seasonal produce from the area, much of it

from the hotel’s own garden. Playa Son Bou is only ten minutes away if you can bear to leave this tranquil getaway. Prices from £180 per night with a special 20% spring discount.

Inside tip: Embrace dining with other guests at the 30-person communal table - perfect for sociable, lazy evenings.

If you are interested in booking any of these hotels, or would like to find out more about our holidays in the Balearics, call Go Bespoke on 020 8935 5779 Go Bespoke is delighted to offer Platinum readers £500 off their first booking*. Quote ‘Platinum’ when making your enquiry. *T&Cs apply offer valid on bookings over £5,000.

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BUSINESS SURVEY LEGAL

Travel SNIPPETS London hotspot

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n oasis on Langham Place in the heart of Marylebone, the Treehouse Hotel opened in December 2019 and was founded on the concept of a ‘special place that feels more home than hotel’. Enjoy 360 degrees views from the wraparound terrace at The Nest on the 16th floor, eat modern Mexican cuisine in the beautifullydesigned Madera restaurant and play vinyl records in your room. Plus the indoor-outdoor rooftop space is perfect for a special gathering or a corporate event. Doubles from £195 per night, including a 30% opening offer saving.

New honeymoon retreat

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anoptis Escape is an extraordinary new ensemble of boutique villas on the serene southern coast of Mykonos. From its exclusive hilltop position, this island sanctuary promises absolute serenity in every sense. Think soul-affirming views, mesmerising sunsets and exceptional

service. Bound by imaginative contemporary architecture, minimalist styling and artisan craftsmanship, everything about Panoptis Escape is the definition of “less is more”.

Prices from £282pp per night in the Honeymoon Retreat.

Innovative trials at British Airways

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viation is experiencing an ‘Innovation Renaissance’ – and British Airways is leading the way by experimenting with 3D-printed aircraft parts, virtual reality entertainment and robots that can make cocktails. Tech experts working with British Airways believe 3D printing could transform the aviation industry, especially when it comes to replacement aircraft parts that could be made quickly on-

demand, such as cutlery, tray tables, in-flight screens and aircraft windows.

BA has also been trialling a robotic cocktail maker in its San Francisco and Newark airport lounges created by mix-master Barsys, whereby customisable cocktails and drinks are dispensed in under 45 seconds via an app. The initiative ties in with British Airways’ commitment to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050.

Six Senses expands into Israel

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ranslated as ‘moments just before dawn’, Six Senses Shaharut makes for an enchanting escape in the Arava Valley within the mesmerising Negev Desert, just a 45-minute drive from Ramon International Airport. Designed to preserve and reflect the natural landscapes, the luxury hotel is nestled into a dramatic cliff face from where you’ll witness panoramic views of burnt orange sunsets over the mighty dunes from each of the stunning 60 villas and suites. The location is at once idyllic and intrepid, perfect for those looking to venture out and explore Israel’s natural and archaeological sites or get their adrenaline pumping with mountain biking and rock climbing.

Further afield, Petra, Masada and the Dead Sea all await discovery. Opens June 2020.

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McLaren 600LT

By Maarten Hoffmann

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his is the new pinnacle of the McLaren Sport Series range and follows in the tyre tracks of the superb 675LT. The 600LT (long tail) benefits from a range of spanking new elements such as new camshafts, recalibrated dampers, a lower ride height, and new ECU that delivers an extra 30bhp. Plus they have shaved 30kg from its weight, as weight has always been the sworn enemy of performance. The result – well, pretty mind-blowing it has to be said.

You don’t get any of the really fancy aero stuff as that is reserved for the ‘expensive’ models.

Although you do get an extended front splitter and rear diffuser that enhances downforce, this is not all about downforce. It’s about speed, agility and handling – and the handling is truly remarkable. The slightest twitch and you have changed direction. It reminds me of the go-karts l used to race as a kid but this, l can assure you, is no go-kart.

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Try 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, 8.2 seconds to 124mph, a 201mph top speed and the standing quarter-mile polished off in 10.4 seconds. There is no doubt this car is quick but it is the way it does it that is most impressive. The solidity of the ride is superb and ensures you feel totally connected to the

“It’s about speed, agility and handling – and the handling is truly remarkable” tarmac – not in the teeth-rattling way but just total connection from your hands and bum to the surface.

The accuracy and precision it offers allows you to push the limits and brake and turn at the same time with total confidence, and its ability to change direction quite defies belief. If you feel that dab of oversteer, it takes nothing more than a twitch of your hands and everything comes back into line, almost magically.

It’s not magic of course but it is damn good British engineering. After all, McLaren is a company with a long and illustrious history in Formula 1, as the second-oldest team (after Ferrari) and the second most successful team having won 182 races, 12 World Championships and eight Constructors Championships. So they should know a bit about making fast cars! And in lil’ old Woking in Surrey.

Inside, you have a fabulous seating position in this track-focussed car. You sit pretty low but not uncomfortably so, and the steering wheel feels great in your hands and, refreshingly, without a single control button to be seen – it really is just a steering wheel. And from what l hear, stick to the standard seats – you can select the lightweight seats from the Senna and save 24.6kg but don’t if you enjoy your internal organs. I had the original seats and they did the job admirably.

MOTORING BUSINESS SURVEY

Everything is laid out pretty well although l felt l couldn’t rely on the SatNav but all in all, it is sparse enough not to annoy and kitted out well enough that you don’t feel you are missing anything. Of course, the signature scissor doors are a hoot and really do allow you to park closer to another car than you could with conventional doors. But more than that, they are a bit of theatre, and why not?

As for the sonorous noise emanating from the exhaust pipes, it is sublime.

As this is the Spider, drop the roof and hit a tunnel at full chat and heaven awaits.

Comparisons are tough at this level.

Everything is so individual but it sits well with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Lamborghini Huracan Performante and the Ferrari GTB. I would take it over the Lambo and the Ferrari but the Porsche would give it a run for its money. Then it would come down to personal choice and therefore l would exclude the Porsche, and the 600LT would be my pick – l would never not look forward to driving it.

Once that theatrical door slams shut, you are cut off from the world with just you and your monster of a car. I have rarely been happier.

TECH STUFF Model tested:

McLaren 600LT Spider Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 Power: 592bhp Speed: 0-60 2.8 seconds Top: 201mph Economy: 23.2 mpg combined Price from: £201,500 (inc VAT) As tested: £235,680

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£ nly

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The C-Class Saloon From £299* per month

Representative Example

C 180 SE Saloon Manual

Monthly Payments of1

£299.00

Customer Deposit

£3,999.00

On the Road Price

The epitome of sophistication; the C-Class looks every part the executive saloon while encompassing some of the most cutting-edge technology. For ultimate driving pleasure, the C-Class Saloon offers systems including a reversing camera and DYNAMIC SELECT, allowing you to choose between 5 individual driving modes from ranging from Comfort to Sport +. ARTICO man-made leather and high gloss-black trims ensure the luxury and style associated with the C-Class Saloon is maintained throughout the interior too.

£24,288.86

Optional Purchase Payment

2

£9,450.00

Amount of Credit

£20,289.86

Duration of Agreement

48 months

Total Amount Payable3

£27,811.00

Purchase Activation Fee

£10.00

Representative APR

6.0% APR

Fixed Interest Rate

5.78%

Excess Mileage excl. VAT

9p per mile

2

For more information please contact our Sales Team at Mercedes-Benz of Guildford on 01483 916292.

01483 916292

www.sandown-group.co.uk

Mercedes-Benz of Guildford Moorfield Road, Guildford, GU1 1RU 1. Finance offer based on a Mercedes-Benz Agility agreement. Vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may be payable. 2. Payable if you exercise the option to purchase the car. 3. Includes optional purchase payment, purchase activation fee and retailer deposit contribution (where applicable). *Orders/credit approvals on selected models between 1 January and 31 March 2020, registered and delivered by 30 June 2020, excluding Mercedes-AMG models, 10,000 miles per annum. Guarantees may be required. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Subject to availability. Over 18s only. Finance is subject to status and provided by Mercedes-Benz Finance, MK15 8BA. Sandown Group is a credit broker and not a lender. Sandown Surrey and Hampshire and Sandown Dorset and Wiltshire Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for Consumer Credit activity and our Firm Reference Numbers are 679326 and 684382 respectively. Sandown Surrey and Hampshire and Sandown Dorset and Wiltshire Limited are Appointed Representatives of FISC Limited Trading As TRACS, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for General Insurance; FISC Limited’s Firm Reference Number is 773446. All New and Approved Used cars sold by any Sandown Mercedes-Benz Retailer is subject to a purchase fee of £129 inc VAT. Mercedes-Benz Cars UK Limited reserves the right to amend or remove this offer at any time. Prices correct at time of going to press 03/2020. Images for illustrative purposes.

Mercedes-Benz Hybrid Mercedes-Benz are as committed as ever to producing alternatively-fuelled vehicles and thus the range of vehicles available under the ‘EQ Power’ brand is always increasing. Offering the ultimate combination of traditional and future-proofed driving, the Mercedes-Benz hybrid range feature a diesel or petrol engine as well as a lithium-ion high voltage battery and electric motor.

The highly anticipated A 250 e - the first orders of which are expected to arrive imminently - features a 1.3-litre petrol engine as well as the electric motor. An on-board 4 kw Alternating Current charger facilitates charge from 0-100% in around 1 hour 30 minutes. Mercedes-Benz have just announced details of 3 additional hybrid vehicles which they are adding to their EQ-Powered range; the CLA 250 e CoupĂŠ and CLA 250 e Shooting Brake will be released for sale in April, and the GLA 250 e is scheduled for sale in May. In a continued bid to make hybrid vehicle ownership as accessible as possible, these newer hybrid models - when charging via a Direct Current at 24kW - can go from 10%-80% charged in just 25 minutes. On-board technology such as the MBUX infotainment system, as well as a route-based operating strategy which calculates when the electric driving mode will be most effective throughout a journey, enables the driver to achieve optimum performance from their hybrid vehicle.

For more information please contact our Sales Team at Mercedes-Benz of Guildford on 01483 916292.

01483 916292 Mercedes-Benz of Guildford Moorfield Road, Guildford, GU1 1RU

www.sandown-group.co.uk

Nothing beats a day (or night) out at the cricket!

Looking to organise a trip to the cricket in 2020?

Here's a choice of hospitality packages that will suit all clients and budgets

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ith its three formats, cricket is unique among professional sports. That means when it comes to hospitality, there’s always an option regardless of who you are looking to impress, reward or look after. Matches are played from early April until the end of September, and hospitality packages are available to suit all budgets.

What are the three different formats?

VITALITY BLAST (T20) The first professional T20 competition in the world and still regarded as one of the best, alongside the likes of Australia’s Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League. Fast-paced, colourful and loud!

• 20 overs per side in matches lasting no longer than three hours • Matches usually on Thursday or Friday evenings from late May to mid July • The biggest names in English and world cricket on show. Huge hitting, lightning-quick bowling and incredible catching • Sussex Sharks are one of the most exciting teams in the country featuring

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a host of players with experience at international level and in the biggest leagues in the world. The team have reached the knock-out stages in both of the last two seasons.

Two hospitality packages are available for Sussex Sharks’ matches.

All Inclusive •E njoy the action from the Cow Corner hospitality area’s outside decked viewing area on the boundary edge • Private inclusive bar - draught beer, lager, cider, wine and soft drinks • Three course dinner served before the match begins • Cheese board served in the interval between innings £125 +VAT per person £5,750 +VAT for a private room for 50 people Curry & Cricket •E njoy the action from the Spen Cama Pavilion; allocated seat within the upper pavilion to watch the action • Private cash bar located behind your seats • Two course dinner: curry, rice, naan,

poppadum and chutney followed by dessert, served before the match begins £65 +VAT per person £3,000 +VAT for a private booking of 50 places

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP The original form of the professional game with a rich history spanning 130 years.

• Each day’s play runs from late morning to early evening, with intervals for lunch and tea • Most matches take place at the start and the end of the summer, although there are matches in July and August as well •A refined atmosphere with plenty of time and space to dip in and out of cricket, conversation and conviviality Whether clients are from overseas or nearby, why not indulge them with this most British of pastimes at one of the country’s most idyllic grounds?

All Inclusive •E njoy the action from the Cow Corner hospitality area’s outside decked viewing area on boundary edge • Private inclusive bar - draught beer, lager, cider, wine and soft drinks •T wo course lunch • Afternoon tea including cake / scones

SUSSEX CRICKET £100 +VAT per person £4,600 +VAT for a private room for 50 people Wine & Cash Bar • Enjoy the action from the Cow Corner hospitality area’s outside decked viewing terrace on the boundary edge •T wo course lunch • Afternoon tea including cake / scones • Half bottle of wine per person and a private cash bar £70 + VAT per person £3,200 + VAT for a private room for 50 people

• Private inclusive bar - draught beer, lager, cider, wine and soft drinks • Pastries and fruit before the match begins •T wo course lunch • Afternoon tea including cake / scones £100 +VAT per person £4,600 +VAT for a private room for 50 people Wine & Cash Bar • Enjoy the action from the Cow Corner hospitality area’s outside decked viewing terrace on the boundary edge •T wo course lunch • Afternoon tea including cake / scones

ROYAL LONDON CUP The one-day cricket competition. At international level England are the reigning World Champions. It was Sussex’s Jofra Archer who bowled the over to secure England their incredible victory in the World Cup final last summer.

• A full game of cricket completed in one day; short and sharp with plenty of high-summer sunshine, the RLC takes place at the end of July and beginning of August • Matches take place across the county grounds - Hove, Eastbourne and Horsham • A relaxed atmosphere and plenty of time to catch up with your guests while enjoying the action out in the middle • After the scene is set early in the day, matches build to an exciting finale with the outcome often still unclear with just a few overs remaining With the tournament taking place at the height of summer, you need only be a sun worshipper to enjoy these packages.

All Inclusive •E njoy the action from the Cow Corner hospitality area's outside decked viewing terrace on boundary edge

• Half bottle of wine per person and a private cash bar £70 +VAT per person £3,200 +VAT for a private room for 50 people

Are there hospitality opportunities for the women’s matches?

Yup. The 1st Central County Ground is regarded as the home of women’s cricket in England & Wales. That’s reflected in the fact that there are five major matches in Hove this summer;

two England internationals, two Southern Brave home games in The Hundred, and The Hundred finals day.

If you’d like to receive further information please contact Sussex Cricket.

What about elsewhere in the county?

Sussex will play matches at three other venues around the county – Arundel, Eastbourne and Horsham.

Arundel Sussex play Derbyshire in the County Championship at the iconic Arundel Castle ground from Sunday June 28th to Wednesday July 1st. The Rathbones Arundel Festival sits alongside Wimbledon and Royal Ascot as one of the landmark sporting events of the English summer.

All inclusive •E njoy the action from the hospitality marquee’s outside viewing area on boundary edge • Private inclusive bar draught beer, lager, cider, wine and soft drinks • Three course lunch • Afternoon tea including cake / scones • Complimentary parking £125 +VAT per person Eastbourne / Horsham Sussex Sharks play Royal London Cup Matches against Kent Spitfires at The Saffrons, Eastbourne on Friday July 24th, and against Gloucestershire at Cricketfield Road, Horsham on Sunday August 9th.

For details, please contact Eastbourne or Horsham directly: •E astbourne – Ian Fletcher-Price fletch@posturite.co.uk •H orsham – Chris Shambrook chrisshambrook@btconnect.com

How do I book?

To start planning your day out at the cricket in 2020 head over to www.sussexcricket.co.uk and visit the hospitality page.

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PEST CONTROL

A pest control vehicle is a good sign

By Paul Bates, Managing Director Cleankill Pest Control Pest control can be compared with going into battle – technicians have to work strategically to predict the worse-case scenarios and try to be one step ahead of the enemy. Unfortunately they can’t control everything – pests like fleas and cockroaches are excellent travellers. Cockroaches can hitch a lift in cardboard packaging and fleas and other biting insects can attach themselves to employees’ clothing if they are using public transport.

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n the UK, the sight of a pest control van outside a premises will make most people think there is a problem or emergency. In the United States, the attitude is different as people understand that preventative pest control is positive, extremely important and a necessity. So, if they see a pest control vehicle, it’s a good sign.

No establishment can ever be guaranteed pest free. Modern building features like stud partitioning, breeze blocks, false flooring and service voids often create the perfect harbourages for pests Rats and mice are particularly good at finding their way into buildings and a mouse can get in through a gap the width of a pencil. The presence of rats around a premises poses an immediate risk of people contracting Leptospirosis. Left unchecked, an infestation will increase in size and extent and, once established, rats will explore their surroundings with enhanced confidence.

Rats go into property usually by mistake. Mice on the other hand want to be there and will often have been there some time before you see them and the first signs will be their droppings.

On average a mouse will do 80 droppings a day.

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What should a pest control contract include?

Normal pest control contracts for standard premises will include a minimum of eight inspections a year.

Factories producing high-risk food or manufacturing pharmaceuticals will require more frequent visits. The inspections should include all common areas such as: plant rooms, basements, riser cupboards, car parks and landscaped areas – all of the areas where pests could harbour and reproduce undisturbed.

Award-winning Cleankill has been solving pest problems for commercial and domestic customers since 2005.

Using the most up-to-date pest-control techniques and technology, the

company keeps its customers pest free and makes sure it is at the forefront of the industry when it comes to the use of pesticides and non-toxic pest control methodology. The company has won many awards for being ‘green’ and for outstanding customer service.

As an Investor in People, all Cleankill’s staff are highly trained and offer an exceptionally fast and efficient level of service. The company is a proud member of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), as well as being approved to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Cleankill is also fully accredited to the Altius Vendor Assessment, Safecontractor, Exor, Constructionline and Achilles Health and Safety accreditation schemes and aims to be recognised as a market leader for innovation and new pest control techniques.

Go to www.cleankill.co.uk or call 0800 056 5477

Lease, don’t buy. It’s the LOGICAR solution.

Logicar offers Business and Personal leasing with a big-brand experience the customer deserves. Our team offer years of industry knowledge, that helps provide an enjoyable, open, honest and transparent customer journey, which will lead to a new car on your driveway.

Why lease with LOGICAR?

1 Order a brand new car today - no need to save a big deposit!

2 Typically lower monthly payments than PCP finance or Bank loans.

3 Road tax is included, you can even add servicing cover!

4 New car safety features and no depreciation worries.

5 Hand the car back at the end of the term or start a new lease.

Find your new car with LOGICAR, contact us today at hello@logicar.co.uk or call us on 01483 654591.

Registered office: Unit 4, Cobbett Park, Slyfield industrial estate, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1RU

Thinkers Challengers Innovators Leaders DISCOVER THE SUS SE X MBA FIND OUT MORE

www.sussexmba.com