1. business and industrial

THEBUSINESS
THE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR DORSET, WEST HANTS AND SALISBURY
No. 184 FEBRUARY 2015
Established 1994
South west firms
concerned for health
and wellbeing of
employees
HR professionals risk
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Delivering your news to business leaders for 20 years
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New chair for IoD
Ambassador
Sarah Spivey, Managing Director of
Modulift UK Ltd, will be this year’s
lady representative taking to the
board at The Lifting Equipment
Engineers Association.
Contents
Busy time for
working mother
From partner
to president
Martyn Charlwood looks back on 2014 together with his firms
house view for 2015
L-r: Nicola Hall and Jo Tout with Nigel
Smith, Managing Partner, Ellis Jones
Solicitors
Acorn MD
Chris Cave, who started his career
at Greendale Construction aged
just 16, has gained Chartered
Status as a Member of the
Chartered Institute of Building at
just 24 years old.
In order to gain the relevant
qualifications to further his career
whilst working at Greendale,
Chris attended Bournemouth &
Poole College undertaking an
HNC in Construction Management
from September 2008 to June
2010. He then completed his
degree at Southampton Solent
University studying a BSc (Hons)
in Construction Management,
graduating in June 2013.
Sustainable work
Acorn Property Group has
appointed Stuart Callaghan as the
new Managing Director to run its
Acorn South region.
Recruitment agency founder
Angela Fletcher is the new Chair of
the Dorset branch of the Institute
of Directors (IoD).
An existing committee member,
Angela established Rock
Recruitment in 2007 and now
operates from branches in
Christchurch and Poole, employing
ten staff.
Angela was named Entrepreneur
and Businesswoman of the Year
in the South West Venus Awards
in 2010 and 2011 respectively
and has been a finalist in both the
IoD Director Awards and Dorset
Business Awards.
Experienced business executive
Brian Marsh has joined an
expanding renewable energy
investor and developer in Dorset.
He has been appointed head
of sales at Renewable Energy
Investments in Ferndown as
the company continues to grow
nationally.
Exciting times lie ahead for Poole
Chamber of Trade and Commerce
as another new Director joins the
board. Joanne Tomlin, Managing
Director of Meridian Lifts, has a
wealth of experience of doing
business in Poole. A working
mother, Joanne has also become
a Governor of Winchelsea School
where she can lend her business
expertise along with her parental
skills to this worthy cause.
THEBUSINESS
Society
This new book, by Gail Thomas, highlights How Delegation Can Give
you Space to Succeed. Published by Capstone this book provides
managers and business owners with the knowledge to effectively
delegate in order to better invest our time in trying new things, being
more creative and achieving business growth.
As demonstrated in the book, the value of successful delegation is
significant. Identifying some of the key benefits, author Gail Thomas
notes: ‘Many business owners believe they could grow their company by
more than 50% if they could free up just 10% of their time. This makes
the current value of delegation to SMEs and the UK economy around
£3bn per annum.’
I am delighted to announce we have secured
the editorial services of Investment and Pension
specialist, Charlwood IFA. Martyn (the Managing
Director) is a columnist and contributor to Hampshire
Life, Dorset and other lifestyle magazines and has
agreed to provide regular and topical articles for the
benefit of our readers.
Gill Bevis, Editor
T H E I N D E P E N D E N T MAGAZINE FOR DORSET, WEST HANTS AND SALISBURY
SPECIAL FEATURES
APRIL – copy by 13th March
Office Supplies • Design Detail
Logistics, Freight & Transportation
Energy Efficient • SP Business (News from the SP postcode area)
MAY/JUNE – copy by 16th April
Stephanie Lee has joined Dorsetbased Eco Sustainable Solutions as
Compliance Manager.
Formerly an Environmental Officer
with the Environment Agency for
five years, Stephanie spent the last
decade working in the Borough
of Poole’s Environmental Health
department. Her work included
dealing with permits, air quality
and contaminated land.
Katharine Jones, Partner and
Land Law Solicitor at Dorset and
Somerset solicitors firm Humphries
Kirk, is elected as President of the
Dorset Law Society.
Katharine is the second female
to be elected president in the
Dorset Law Society’s history, the
first being former Humphries
Kirk partner Felicity Hedger who
currently works for the firm as a
consultant.
12 finance focus
14 special feature – HR resolved
17 company news – Celebrating 10 years of Darren Northeast PR
18 law lines – Obesity a disability?
20 online solutions
23 franchising – Renewed interest in franchising brands
24 special feature – Promote and display
27 Rowan White Photographic – Telling stories in pictures and
words
28 property & development
29 driving force – Quentin Willson to visit Hampshire
31 Q & A – James Bawa, Chief Executive, Teachers Building
The gift of time
MARCH – copy by 13th February
The Law and Your Business
Construction • Business Skills (Training)
Social Media at Work
Relocation & Storage Solutions
New site for Paul
MC Plan & Site Services, a firm of
independent building inspectors
in the south, has welcomed Paul
Adams as a new member of staff at
its Poole office.
South west firms affected by staff
health problems. See page 10.
2 people on the move
4 business news
8 the voice – Predictions and wishes for 2015
10 health matters
11 are your investments and pensions working for you?
Bright future
Ellis Jones has strengthened the
private client department at its
Canford Cliffs office with two new
appointments.
Keen horse rider Nicola Hall has
re-joined the firm as a Solicitor
while keep fit enthusiast Jo Tout
has been appointed as a Probate
Executive.
On the front
The Event (Hospitality & Team Building Events) • Printing Plans
Tax & Financial Advice • R & D at Work (Research & Development)
Restaurant Review • DT Business (News from the DT postcode area)
Tel: 01425 471500
Call 01425 471500 or
e-mail [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected] | Website: www.bizmag.co.uk
Published by The Business (Dorset) Ltd,
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Opinions expressed within this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily of the publisher. Every
effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of The Business, but legal responsibility cannot be accepted for
errors, omissions or misleading statements. The Business is fully protected by copyright. Nothing contained within
this magazine may be reprinted or reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher.
© The Business (Dorset) Ltd 2015 All rights reserved
ISSN 1354-3806
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business news
sponsored by:
WPR
Dorset telecoms company
receives national recognition
Daron Hutt
For the third year in succession, 4Com Plc has received national
recognition with a leading business award. Achieving the highest
accreditation of a Best Companies 3 star award, and named as one of
The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2015.
Final positions for the Sunday Times top 100 small companies will be
revealed at an awards ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London on the
evening of Wednesday 25th February 2015. The Sunday Times will then
produce and print a feature supplement, distributed nationally with the
printed edition of the newspaper on Sunday 8th March 2015.
Chairman and Managing Director, Daron Hutt said, ‘I am once again
so proud and pleased for 4Com to be recognised with this award and
accreditation. We are all looking forward to the 25th February when we
will learn our final ranking and where we place in the Sunday Times 100
Best Small Companies To Work For 2015 list.’
60 Skydivers required
Diverse Abilities is looking
for 60 daring individuals
to sign up and take part
in an exciting skydive
challenge over the Wiltshire
countryside on Sunday
14th June to celebrate
the charity’s diamond
anniversary. The charity
supports over 600 adults and
children with disabilities in
Dorset.
Participants will be
skydiving 10,000 feet and will
be attached to a professional
skydiver from the airfield’s
flight team.
The actual skydive is
free, providing a minimum
sponsorship of £395 is raised
before your jump. A deposit of £50 is payable when you sign up.
Please contact Sharon Wells via [email protected]
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Wordcaster Public Relations
Business News
The Secret of Success is not to be a Secret
Wiltshire hospice launch
Tel 01202 874079 • [email protected]
Dorset secures three Business
Women Award National Winners
Friday 23rd January, 2015 saw the second year of the Venus Business
Women Awards National Finals double in size with 124 regional winners
compete for a National Venus Award Trophy.
The Venus Awards
National Finals brings
together all the
regional winners,
a group of truly
inspirational and
influential women, to
an event where the
crème de la crème vie
for the National title
in their respective
categories. This year
23 winners from
The Dorset National Venus Awards finalists 2015
eight regions were
crowned at a lunchtime celebration held at the beautiful and stunning
Hand Picked Hotel – Audley’s Wood, Basingstoke.
The deserving National winners were chosen from a massive 13,225
nominations and applications as well as 34,066 votes. With inspirational
Speakers Jenni Steel and Dr Lynda Shaw, the day also included stories of
hardship and triumph with plenty of laughter and many tears.
Dorset Venus Awards regional winners carried off national titles for
the Marketing & PR Category which was won by Simone Thomas, owner
of MWAH and Hair Loss Bournemouth. Simone previously had a career
in TV, film and magazine modelling in her early 20s and knows all too
well the trauma of hair loss, having lost her hair twice. As a result, she
has put her empathy to great use by setting up a business creating hair
pieces and wigs for women who have lost their hair and are looking for
products that are free of any parabens and are glue and adhesive free.
Pippa Latimer-Harris won the Small Business Category, which was
sponsored in Dorset by Dutton Gregory Solicitors, for her Latimer
House business, Pippa owns and runs Latimer House in Christchurch. A
Downton Abbey style department store over three floors selling unusual
painted furniture, pianos, rocking horses, driftwood mirrors, fabrics and
local artisans art creations. In addition the Latimer House Craft school
is now open offering creative one day workshops in painted furniture,
sewing etc, as well as vintage birthday and hen parties.
Anna-Lee Kewley won the New Media Category which was sponsored
locally by Rocket Digital Media for her Baby Moos website business.
Started with just £230 in 2010 and a new baby in tow, Anna’s business
has attracted attention from all top baby media brands and such
celebrities as Kirsty Allsop and the late Peaches
Geldof and now has stockists worldwide!
Started in Dorset six years ago, Venus Awards
is looking to expand the awards to even more
regions of the country so that more women can
receive the recognition they deserve. They are
on the search for a national title sponsor.
Moustaches at Mazars
MOUSTACHES RAISE OVER £1,500
FOR MOVEMBER
Guy Ritchie and his fiancée Jacqui Ainsley with Julia’s House nurses
Picture: Shaun James Cox
Julia’s House is to build a children’s hospice in Wiltshire. The children’s
hospice charity, which already offers home-based community care in
south Wiltshire, is now looking to extend its support to other families
with life-limited children by building them a small, dedicated hospice
from which to roll out a county-wide care service.
Thanks to private fundraising by patrons, most notably the Film
Director Guy Ritchie and his fiancée Jacqui Ainsley, Julia’s House now
has nearly half of the £3m needed to build a hospice. A public appeal
will be launched in Wiltshire to raise the remaining funds.
The charity will be looking for a central location to make the new
hospice accessible to as many Wiltshire families as possible. It is hoped
to be able to open the hospice within two to three years.
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February
n e w 2015
s
Logik Copying Systems
Ltd have recently taken
delivery of a large
number of brand new
Toshiba e-STUDIO
3055CSE multifunctional copiers from
Toshiba (UK)
30 machines have
been allocated to a national account
customer. 25 machines can be supplied
at an unusually discounted price while
current stocks last.
www.logiksystems.co.uk
l www.venusawards.co.uk
w. b i z m a g . c o . u k
Normally clean-shaven accountants at the Poole office of international
accountancy and business advisory firm Mazars grew moustaches of all
shapes and sizes to raise over £1,500 for charity. Thirteen staff supported
the venture, comprising 11 ‘Mo Brothers’ and 2 ‘Mo Sistas’ with the
Mo Brothers ditching their razors in favour of facial hair throughout
November to support the Movember Foundation – a leading global
organisation committed to changing the face of men’s health.
The Movember Foundation challenges men to grow moustaches
during Movember (formerly known as November), to spark
conversation and raise awareness as well as vital funds for its men’s
health programmes. To date, 4 million moustaches have been grown
worldwide and over £300m raised to fund over 800 programmes in 21
countries.
Craig MacLean from Mazars said, ‘This is a very important issue, with
Movember supporting, in particular, programmes covering testicular
cancer, prostrate cancer and mental health. But, in addition, it has been
great fun, with support from staff, clients and friends.’
February 2015
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5
business news
Over a third of small to
medium-sized businesses
in the south west have never
changed their finance provider,
according to findings come from
the Close Brothers Business
Barometer.
Introducing
AIM Altitude
Clare Balding at last year’s awards.
Clare Balding to host
11th Annual First Women Awards
Fab Frocks of Westbourne is
now the only authorised retailer
of Mac Duggal dresses in this
area. Mac Duggal designer
dresses come from Chicago and
have a strong American celebrity
following.
The 30th birthday of the
Sinclair C5, one of the most
unusual vehicles ever to be built
in Britain, is being celebrated by
the National Motor Museum.
JR Autotechnics has everything
to celebrate in 2015 after
relocating the business from
the centre of Weymouth to Link
Park at the end of 2014, the
company will celebrate its 10th
anniversary in May 2015.
Nominations are now open for
an awards scheme to recognise
those making an outstanding
contribution to conserving the
unique landscape and traditions
of the New Forest.
l www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/awards
As part of its ‘Charity of the
Year’ partnership with regional
charity Autism Wessex, Frettens
Solicitors has donated £5,000
to fund the installation of a new
sensory room at Penny Farthing
residential home.
Under 18% of undergraduates
studying computing are women,
according to research recently
released by Information Age.
Cotswold-based clothing
brand Weird Fish has appointed
Dorset PR agency Liz Lean PR
to develop its public relations
strategy and brand identity, as it
embarks on an exciting period of
growth, both within the UK and
globally.
Critical power specialist,
Powertecnique, has been
shortlisted in The News Business
Excellence Awards 2015.
6
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Changing face
of technology
Mark Edwards
AIM Altitude has been officially
launched, following the recent
acquisition of Altitude Aerospace
Interiors by AIM Aviation. The
launch of the new trading name
signifies the merger of the two
companies.
AIM Altitude will use the
expertise of its teams across the
UK and Europe, New Zealand, the
Middle East and North America
together to provide leading-edge
solutions for aircraft interiors.
Mark Edwards, CEO of AIM
Altitude, said, ‘As AIM Altitude
we are offering our combined
strengths to the airlines and
OEMs. We plan to further enhance
our reputation, making the name
AIM Altitude synonymous with
the provision of inspirational
design, meticulous engineering
and quality craftsmanship.’
Along with the new name, AIM
Altitude is also unveiling a newlook website.
Nominations are now open for the 11th annual First Women Awards,
created by Real Business and supported by the CBI. The 2015 awards
ceremony will be hosted by presenter, writer and BAFTA-winning
broadcaster Clare Balding.
The awards are central to the First Women Programme, which was
created to bring together and celebrate the success of senior-level
businesswomen and professionals from a wide variety of often maledominated sectors.
The First Women Awards feature 12 categories ranging from Public
Service and Finance to Science & Technology. This year, two new
categories have been introduced - First Woman in Entrepreneurship and
Young Achiever of the Year, which celebrates successful women under
35.
Entries close on 10th April. Winners will be announced at the annual
awards ceremony, taking place at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor
Square on Thursday 11th June, 2015.
l http://firstwomen.co.uk/awards
MANUFACTURERS PRESS AHEAD
WITH FURTHER GROWTH IN ORDERS
According to a YouGov survey
conducted for the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers
announced recently, digital music
devices – such as MP3 players –
digital cameras and wearables were
considered the three technologies
most likely to be redundant or
unnecessary this year. On the
other hand smart phones, tablets
and 3D printers, will be the most
influential. The online survey,
conducted in late December
2014, questioned over two
thousand adults of Great Britain
to understand their perception
of influential and redundant
technologies in 2015.
£21,000 for local charities
FJB Hotels raised the bar for local charities, working alongside Wave
105 Cash for Kids to raise £21,000 for distribution amongst children’s
projects in the area.
The FJB group, which comprises of the Sandbanks, Haven, Harbour
Heights and Chine hotels, nominated Wave 105 Cash for Kids as its
charity partner of the year for 2014. As well as hosting a series of
fundraising events throughout the year, guests have been invited to
donate £1 from their room bill towards the charity. Achieving a superb
total of £21,000.
Special guest Bournemouth Mayor Chris Mayne, hotel staff and
suppliers were invited to the prestigious Harbour Heights Hotel to
witness the announcements of where this money will be distributed.
FJB Hotels Managing Director, John Butterworth presented the
cheques to Wave 105’s Managing Director Martin Ball and Commercial
Director Jon Brooks who are representatives for the charity.
FJB Hotels is set to continue fundraising for Wave 105 Cash for Kids
in 2015 with an exciting schedule of events as well as further guest
donations.
Retail sales figures rally
The UK sales figures announced recently show a sign of relief for the retail sector. Following an extended
period of poor performance, during which big high street names seemed to be struggling to get to grips
with the falling footfall, numbers show that December saw the revival of the sector.
Sales in December increased by 4.3% compared with December 2013. In addition, consumers have once
again spoken loud and clear. Online sales in the UK grew by 8% in December compared to a year earlier.*
DW * 2014
123 X 185 29/4/14 11:02 Page 1
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rsi/retail-sales/december-2014/index.html
The Bournemouth & Poole
College and Borough of Poole
have reached agreement over
the sale of the college’s site at
Lower Constitution Hill, Poole.
The agreement, worth £1.9m
to the college, means the final
piece of funding for a new £11m
college complex is now in place.
House prices and the number
of potential new buyers in the
south west rose in December,
bucking the general trend
across most other parts of the
UK, according to the latest RICS
Residential Market Survey.
An appeal for donations
of bird food to support the
wild fowl living on the lake
enjoyed by patients and
staff at Royal Bournemouth
Hospital has been answered
by Verwood based retail group
PamPurredPets. The company
has pledged a long term supply
of food to support the work of
Paul Fox, who is the full time
carpenter and voluntary wildlife
conservationist.
New orders continued to expand for British manufacturers in the
three months to January, but firms expect their export orders to
tail-off in the coming quarter, according to the latest CBI Quarterly
Industrial Trends Survey.
Local company scoops gold
l www.aimaltitude.com
Planning a
world-class
golf resort
Award-winning planning and
design consultancy Terence
O’Rourke has helped St. Mellion
International Golf Resort gain
planning permission for 199 golf
homes, bringing its vision of
hosting world-class tournaments
in the south west a step closer.
The team at Janine Pattison Studios
Janine Pattison Studios, a garden and landscape design practice based
in Bournemouth, has won Gold and Best Landscape of the Year in the
National Express Newspapers New Homes Gardens Awards 2014.
The winning project is a stunning new contemporary property
overlooking the sylvan Parkstone Golf Course and historic natural
harbour of Poole Bay.
February 2015
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7
business news
the voice
Predictions and
wishes for 2015
Mark Constantine cites good
management as key to success
Retail on the upswing...
nVirgin Media Business has found 77% of
business is from referrals and 66%, and
destined to climb, from NETWORKING/
personal contacts.
My wish for 2015?
More face-to-face enthusiasm through
networking in real time!
L-r: Richard Thwaites, Clydesdale Bank; Tracey Bridgewater, Tozers
Solicitors (solictors for John Romans); John Romans, Owner/MD of John
Romans Park Homes Ltd and Nick Davis, Clydesdale Bank
Park operator homes in on
£3m expansion plan
Nigel P. Hedges
n
People will start taking notice of the importance and perils of
their social media presence - you can destroy your business in two
tweets.
My prediction for 2015?
2015 is the time to take advice from social media experts!
n
1 in 5 shops are still not Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
compliant. Do restaurants have large print menus?
My prediction is…
the government will ensure they DO.
n
Clothes shops - are the changing rooms down STAIRS?
My wish for 2015?
Make sure you can cater for ALL your customers. The DDA will be
enforced in 2015.
n The curse of the ‘never ending sale’. Price manipulation, creative
claims of the levels of discount – all retail tricks that leave a bitter
taste in the mouth of the shopper, especially when THEY showed
good faith only days or hours before prices tumble again but only
after they were hiked when you really needed it.
My wish for 2015?
Honest autumn sales, prices set for ‘the golden quarter’ (Christmas),
then genuine January sales.
n Amazon opened a ‘sarcastic store’ but found it really worked and is
opening the first one for real. Could 2015 be the year when cyber
retailing started occupying bricks and mortar?
For people to come back to the High Street to shop in real time
with real people – as long as the shops are still open and are staffed
at levels where they can serve them with a smile!
That’s MY wish for 2015.
Nigel P. Hedges, the small voice in Business
Eurozone in crisis/EU quantitative
easing: expert comment from
Institute of Export
As the Eurozone hurtles towards a potential crisis following the
Syriza victory - and as the European Central Bank goes ahead with
EU quantitative easing, Lesley Batchelor, Director General of the
Institute of Export says, the ongoing developments may provide an
opportunity to pull Greece out of its downward spiral.
With regards to quantitative easing, Lesley says it’s vital British
exporters are prepared to harness the potential wealth of trade
opportunities if the European Central Bank goes ahead with
quantitative easing which will pump €50bn ($58bn) a month into the
European economy for the next year.
Batchelor, says, ‘Although the quantitative easing would not come
into effect until March, British exporters should take action now and
start planning by revisiting former clients to reopen doors to new
opportunities.’
8
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L-r: Tracey Wood, Mark Constantine and Frances Miles
Lush founder, Mark Constantine, took to the stand for the last Poole
Business Lunch Club of 2014, where he yet again captured the audience
with his compelling and engaging mix of story-telling and business
insight.
Touching on an array of subjects, Mark focused the presentation
on asking whether the economic climate really did affect business?
Drawing from his own experience with the hugely successful
Lush Cosmetics brand, Mark concluded that he firmly believes a
business’s success is fundamentally down to successful and inspiring
management.
Discussing what makes a successful entrepreneur, Mark looked at
how, like himself, many have had to overcome obstacles in their early
life which gave them the drive to succeed. Talking of his own personal
experience of the emotional consequences of growing up without a
father figure and how early memories had not only given him the strong
desire to succeed but also shaped his creative input when developing
products, Mark spoke of how he became briefly re-acquainted with his
father shortly before his death, and how the Lush product, ‘Dear John,’
had been inspired by him.
Founded by Jobshop UK Directors, Tracey Wood and Frances Miles, the
Poole Business Lunch Club has been running for fourteen years, during
which, Mark’s talks have become something of an exclusive annual
‘tradition.’
Frances said, ‘As we move into 2015, the Poole Business Lunch Club
will continue to evolve. We have always received fantastic feedback for
our business lunches and events, and will continue to bring the most
topical, inspiring and thought provoking speakers to events planned for
2015.’
Sponsors required for fundraising
Fashion Show
The Hadland Foundation has requested support from local
businesses for their project funding emergency child care when
mothers’ are in Court with domestic abuse cases.
The next fundraising event is a fashion show to be held on
Friday 27th March in Boscombe. The charity is looking for a local
business to sponsor the event.
E-mail [email protected]
February 2015
One of the UK’s leading operators of residential parks has announced
further expansion following the completion of a £3m funding package
with Clydesdale Bank.
John Romans Park Homes, which already owns 12 residential parks at
sites across Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset, has acquired The Lookout
Holiday Park in Wareham, Dorset.
The 12-acre site houses a variety of two and three-bedroom homes
available for rental and is the latest addition to a portfolio which
includes six existing parks in Dorset, five in Hampshire and one in
Somerset.
The deal was delivered by Nick Davis, Relationship Manager, and
Richard Thwaites, Business Development Manager, at Clydesdale Bank’s
Business and Private Banking Centre in Reading.
John Romans Park Homes has an annual turnover of approximately
£5m and employs 12 full and part-time staff across all its sites.
Abbotsbury gardens to
invent anniversary ale
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens is working with the Dorset
microbrewery Gyle 59 to produce a special ale for its 250th anniversary
this year.
The beer will be flavoured with Drimys lanceolata, also known as
mountain pepper, an Australian rainforest shrub that grows in the
gardens. Mountain pepper is used today as a bushfood condiment
to spice curries. It is high in antioxidants and was once used to treat
scurvy in sailors.
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens were established in 1765 by
Elizabeth, the first Countess of Ilchester, as a kitchen garden for her
nearby castle.
Christchurch’s 40 year success story
If you are considering where would be the ideal restaurant for that
special business meeting / lunch or evening out in Christchurch, then
look no further than La Mamma pizzeria & trattoria Italian restaurant.
Since being established in 1974 this friendly, family and relaxed
atmosphere restaurant, has gained recognition for its superbly cooked
cuisine and has been a Daily Echo Newspaper ‘Best of the Best Awards
Winner’ five times.
The staff at La Mamma are extremely welcoming which accounts for
why the restaurant is always busy and is an excellent choice for both
business and social occasions.
La Mamma is a traditional Italian restaurant where light lunches are
just £6.95, and parking is only a few paces away.
Choose from the wide selection of typical Italian cuisine and discover
for yourself why La Mamma has been in
business for 40 years.
For reservations call 01202 471608.
February 2015
Technology licensing –
things to consider
If you are considering licensing your technology here are
some things to be thinking about:
Exclusivity – your licensee is likely to want exclusivity as he will be
investing in production and selling. In which countries will you give
him exclusivity and are there customers in those markets you would
still want to be able to sell to?
Duration – your licensee is probably going to want a three or five
year minimum. In return you may want minimum royalty
requirements to make sure he exploits the technology. You should
also consider milestones he needs to achieve along the way. Your
licensee may say it’s going to take a few years to get sales. If that’s
so, what do you expect him to do before then; for example, when
does he need to have geared up with tooling? You don’t want to wait
a few years and find he’s not ready to start selling, especially if he
has exclusivity.
Field of use – will you restrict your licensee to using the technology
to a particular field of use if it has applications in different areas?
Technical assistance– what help will you give your licensee and at
what cost?
Royalties – can you negotiate an advance on royalties? When will
royalties get paid? You’ll want the licensee’s auditors to confirm
sales and/or a right to inspect his records to make sure you’re
getting what is due. Sales should be on arms’ length terms so he
doesn’t sell at low prices to associated parties to reduce your royalty.
Standards – you’ll want to be able to control quality and inspect
production to maintain your reputation.
Improvements – who will be able to use improvements made to
the technology?
If your agreement covers countries in the EU, complex rules apply
to technology transfer agreements which we can help you with.
For further information please contact:
David Ashplant, Partner
01202 786165
[email protected]
www.lesteraldridge.com
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9
health matters
Billionaire boss does
75 press-ups on his
75th birthday for staff
South west firms
affected by staff
health problems
Almost a fifth (19%) of small to mediumsized businesses in the south west have
suffered negative impacts caused by
staff health and wellbeing issues, a
survey has revealed. Of that number,
63% have reported a rise in absenteeism,
while 19% have experienced a drop in
productivity and a further 13% have seen
an increase in staff turnover.
Jim Thompson
How would your boss celebrate his 75th
birthday? Well, if you are an employee at
Crown Worldwide it’s by doing one press-up
for every year of his life in front of cheering
office staff!
Entrepreneur Jim Thompson is the founder
and chairman of logistics giant Crown
Worldwide, which he started in 1965 and
now has a turnover in excess of 800m USD as
it approaches its 50th anniversary in the next
few weeks.
The American-born businessman could
easily be forgiven for taking it easy and
enjoying the kind of lifestyle you would
expect of the owner of a company with
offices in some 60 countries around the
globe.
But instead he continues to lead the
business with vigour – and demonstrates his
fitness each year with an unusual birthday
ritual that is tipped to become an internet hit.
So, on 14th January he dropped to the floor
in front of colleagues at Crown Worldwide’s
headquarters in Hong Kong to push out 75
press-ups – in just 47 seconds.
‘It’s become a tradition and creates quite
a stir,’ said Jim, who hails from New Jersey
in the United States but has homes in Hong
Kong, London and Ireland. ‘I think they had
a few bets going on about whether I could
do it or not - but I did, and it became a ritual
that every year on my birthday I had to do a
press-up for every year of my life. Now it’s like
a trademark.’
The findings come from the Close Brothers
Business Barometer, a quarterly survey that
canvasses the opinion of SME owners and
senior management across the UK.
Robin Goddard, Regional Director for
Close Brothers Invoice Finance in the south
west said, ‘Anything that has a negative
impact on an employee’s wellbeing will
likely be reflected in their performance and
consequently, that of the overall business.
‘Figures from the government estimate
that almost 130 million working days are lost
every year to sickness in the UK and that ill
health among employees costs the national
economy approximately £100bn*.
Medical negligence
Robin Goddard
‘Whether it is mental or physical, any form
of stress or illness can be detrimental to
productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
It can reduce the power and morale of the
workforce and become a significant drain on
resources.’
The Business Barometer also revealed that
maintaining the health and wellbeing of
employees is a priority for the majority (81%)
of firms in the south west.
‘It’s encouraging to see that businesses are
taking steps to both support their workforce
and counter the negative impact of employee
health concerns. We found that over a third
of firms polled in the region have introduced
perks and benefits for employees such as
health insurance, gym membership and
company cars, and 26% say they do so to
support the wellbeing of their staff.
‘For some SMEs, managing health in the
workplace may seem like a challenging and
costly task, but it is an important issue and
one that shouldn’t be avoided. Especially
when it can bring such clear benefits to your
business,’ added Mr Goddard.
* Department of Work and Pensions, 2014
Cosmetic surgery
Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital
is holding a complimentary educational
cosmetic event with the opportunity to
speak one-to-one to a consultant plastic
surgeon, on Monday 23rd February, with
refreshments at 6.30pm and a lecture
starting at 7pm. The event will be held at
Compton Acres Italian Villa, Poole.
Penny Skertchly
Coles Miller has expanded its UK team of
specialist medical negligence solicitors with
the appointment of Penny Skertchly.
Penny said, ‘Instances of clinical negligence
are increasing because of the limitations on
resources being placed on the NHS.
‘Also, because of the internet, people are
becoming better informed about medical
conditions and are more likely to question the
advice they receive from their GP or hospital.’
Are your investments and pensions
working for you?…
…Allow us to propose an alternative
Our Investment and Pension specialist, Martyn Charlwood, looks back on 2014
together with his firms house view for 2015.
2014 held more surprises than a
Hitchcock movie with possibly the
biggest twist being retained for the
autumn. Expectations had centred
on markets being valued on fundamentals as the US
Federal Reserve’s monetary stimulus came to an end. It
was anticipated that there would be a gradual increase
in economic growth prompting a rotation out of fixed
interest bonds into equities. The big unknown was the
extent to which the colossal increase in money supply
would cause inflation to rise.
Over the course of 2014 investors took a stream of geopolitical unrest
and contrasting economic data in their stride, supported by central
bank buying. The only noteworthy market correction came in October
as the Federal Reserve signalled an end to Quantitative Easing.
The Bank of Japan then picked up the baton and boosted its own
stimulus package to include purchases of domestic and overseas
equities. As deflation threatened the Eurozone, President Draghi of
the European Central Bank finally presented plans for a monetary
easing package. Investors realised that the game hadn’t changed,
just the players and they returned to buying mode. The only inflation
problem was a lack of it - helping bonds to outperform all developed
stockmarkets with the exception of the US.
So what is expected for 2015…
We entered the new year needing a period of consolidation to allow
company earnings to catch up with market valuations. At the time
of writing, shares in the UK looked to be on a firmer footing with
positive growth and less stretched valuations. We feel there is likely to
be a period of uncertainty ahead of May’s general election with the
possibility of a hung parliament which will dictate whether or not the
UK remains in the EU. This uncertainty risks dampening consumer and
business confidence and possibly deterring investment in the UK.
The US stockmarket is arguably already fully valued but the economic
positioning compares well to the rest of the world. Europe is in more of
a mess than a toddlers placemat but will be supported by central bank
money, as will Japan. Fixed interest bonds look expensive but could get
more so if the threat of deflation persists, and property will remain a low
volatility option with a reasonable yield.
To some, this may seem to paint a rather bleak picture yet
circumstances such as these are where the experience and expertise of
Discretionary Investment Managers such as ourselves can turn things
on their head and really add value. So long as interest rates remain at
historically low levels, in many cases offering negative returns after
adjusting for inflation, then other asset classes will offer attractive
alternatives.
Yes, we do see another year of volatile markets but
we will look to exploit these buying opportunities
within what we believe will be an overall future
trend of rising markets.
Top Tips for Savvy Investors
About Martyn Charlwood
Always seek advice from an independent
Financial Adviser
Martyn is the Managing Director of
Charlwood IFA, one of the region’s
most respected and astute Wealth
Managers who look after those
investable assets of £250,000 plus.
Select an Adviser experienced and qualified to
maximise returns and add value, not just a cost
Seek a transparent and competitive charging
structure
Remember! ‘Good advice is a great investment’
Contact Charlwood IFA
on 01202 768512 or
visitwww.charlwoodifa.com
charlwoodifa.com
l www.crownworldwide.com
10
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February 2015
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11
finance focus
The message, from The Pensions Regulator,
comes as staff at medium-sized companies,
employing less than 60 workers, become
the latest to be automatically enrolled. The
reforms are considered the biggest change to
saving for retirement for over a century. The
first small and micro employers will need to be
ready this summer.
The law means both employers and their
staff will pay in to the workplace pensions. It is
aimed at encouraging millions of individuals
aged 16 to 74 to save more - or save for the
first time - for their retirement. According to
latest figures, only one in three private sector
workers were in a pension scheme in 2012 and
the trend has been downwards for the last 40
years. Automatic enrolment aims to change
that trend.
A seminar in Poole, staged by PW Payroll
Solutions, heard the importance of employers
giving themselves plenty of time to put plans
in place for auto enrolment. All employers
have a staging date which is set in law and
is when the duties come into force for their
business. It is the date from when automatic
enrolment activities must become ‘business as
usual’, like real-time PAYE.
Large firms employing more than 120,000
people started auto enrolment three years
ago and the majority of larger size medium
employers had their staging date in 2014. Now
it’s the turn for smaller companies to approach
their staging dates with the next two years to
act.
Bryan McDaniel, Industry Liaison Manager
with The Pensions Regulator, said it was
FURTHER EXPANSION FOR ALAN & THOMAS
Julian Boughton with Carole Lowe
Local insurance specialist Alan & Thomas has
started 2015 in positive mood by acquiring
another new office. Hot on the heels of two
broker acquisitions in Dorchester during the
second half of 2014, the Poole-based broker
has now acquired Bennetts Commercial Ltd
based in Basingstoke.
This acquisition takes the broker to five
offices across the south of England and will see
them now manage in excess of £30m in gross
written insurance premium for businesses and
private individuals across the UK.
Bennetts will continue to trade in their
own name initially and their existing team
of ten staff will all be retained and led by
Director Carole Lowe, who has been with the
Basingstoke broker for five years.
Founded in 2002 by Phil Casement following
a management buyout of the commercial
12
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division of Bennetts GB Ltd, Bennetts
Commercial provides risk management advice
and bespoke insurance solutions for a wide
range of businesses throughout Hampshire
and beyond.
‘As a team, we are delighted to become
part of the Alan & Thomas Group. We have
witnessed over recent years how they have
grown their business and profile, and we are
looking forward to working with them to build
an even more successful office in our region,’
said Carole.
Chief Executive Officer of Alan & Thomas,
Julian Boughton, is equally thrilled with the
news, ‘To begin 2015 by adding Bennetts to
the A&T Group is a great coup for us. We were
well aware of the solid business that they had
built since 2002 and we are looking forward to
working with the team in Basingstoke to grow
the business even further.
‘By expanding into Hampshire, we can now
offer our products and services to businesses
and private individuals in the Hampshire and
M3/M4 corridor area in a more focussed way.
This is another step in our plan to create an
even larger hub office footprint in the south of
England.’
The Poole-based broker, the only
independent to have achieved Chartered
Insurance Broker status in Dorset, was advised
on the acquisition by Princecroft Willis
Accountants and Frettens Solicitors.
L-r: Mandy Gardiner, PW Payroll Solutions;
Bryan McDaniel, The Pensions Regulator and
Bill Law, Princecroft Willis
vital that employers began planning well in
advance of their staging date.
He told the seminar, ‘Our advice is don’t
leave it until the last minute but, instead, start
planning 12 months before your staging date.
‘You’ll need to develop your initial plans, find
out who to enrol, choose your software, check
records and choose a pension scheme.
‘The role of The Pensions Regulator is to
educate and enable employers to comply
with their duties but we do have enforcement
powers. Employers who fail to act risk a fine.
‘We’d urge employers to visit our website at
www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk and see
what needs to be done,’ added Mr McDaniel.
Mandy Gardiner, Head of Payroll Services at
PW Payroll Solutions, said , ‘We will be holding
further seminars on auto enrolment so if
anyone is interested in attending they should
contact us on 01202 663700.’
Ward Goodman lend
community groups a
helping hand
The audit and accounts team at Ward
Goodman has voluntarily helped to
manage the accounts of two Wimborne
based community groups; Wimborne
Minster Chamber of Trade and Commerce
and Wimborne and District Community
Association.
The accounts of Wimborne Chamber of
Trade and Commerce had been in need of
attention before Ward Goodman Audit and
Accounts Manager, Jen Richardson, offered to
step in as the chamber’s treasurer, following
the retirement of the previous accountant.
Since becoming the chamber’s treasurer,
Jen has literally transformed their accounts
and committee members now receive
complete management accounts each month
for discussion at the chamber committee
meetings.
Jen and her team have also voluntarily taken
on the accounts at the Wimborne and District
Community Association, an organisation
which runs the Allendale Community Centre
providing a hub for community groups and
individuals to meet.
February 2015
New research* from small business insurer, Direct Line for
Business and Enterprise Nation, reveals 145,000 home-based
business owners have rejected business insurance on the basis
that they believe their commercial activities are covered under
their home insurance policy.
Home contents insurance can often cover office equipment but it
does not offer the full cover home business owners need. By relying
on their home insurance alone, many ‘homepreneurs’ are putting their
businesses and livelihoods at risk.
The research also highlights that two in every five home businesses
are not insured at all. This lack of insurance puts home businesses
at significant financial risk. Operators of these businesses may not
recognise the potential liabilities they face. Standard home insurance
will not necessarily cover stock stored at home and neither will it cover
public liability, or loss of earnings due to an insurable event, such as a
flood or a fire.
One in seven (14%) home businesses have clients visit their home. If a
customer is injured, or has their property damaged during a visit, a lack
of public liability insurance could lead to financial and legal obligations
that could bankrupt a business.
Jazz Gakhal, Head of Direct Line for Business commented, ‘Home
businesses are booming at the moment; they are creating jobs and local
wealth, as well as boosting the national economy by around £300bn**.
With that in mind it’s worrying to see that a significant proportion of
them have not taken out business insurance to protect their assets.
‘Home business insurance can be purchased in addition to home
insurance and provides essential business cover for a wide range
of businesses operating from home. With Direct Line for Business
insurance, this costs as little as £53*** a year. That’s less than £5 a month
to cover you against the potential emotional and financial loss caused
by an accident or theft.’
Almost a third (29%) of home business operators believe they do not
need insurance because they are not big enough. However, the size
of the business does not reduce their liabilities if something does go
wrong. Even a small scale operation could face significant liabilities
potentially running into hundreds and thousands of pounds were they
to be found responsible for a customer being injured.
Beatriz Garcia-Martinez, who runs SecurelyBe from home, commented,
‘The insurance world can be difficult to navigate for a start-up business.
Depending on your type of business and sector it can require extensive
research in to the legalities of business. This is difficult task for small
operation to undertake because it can take lots of time and often
certain expertise that home businesses may lack.
‘Small business owners need insurers to partner with them from the
beginning, to help us understand the essentials we need now and
might need in the future.’
Direct Line for Business offers a simple online tool that can help
small businesses begin to understand what insurance is right for their
operation.
l www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/business-insurance
* Research conducted by Enterprise Nation in association with Direct Line for Business
among a representative sample of 600 UK home based businesses between 12th
August 2014 and 3rd October 2014
** www.gov.uk/government/news/backing-for-home-based-business-boom
*** 44% of customers achieved £53 including Insurance Premium Tax Jan to Jun 2014
February 2015
chartered accountants & chartered tax advisers
we go further
Salary or dividends?
Can a business reduce its tax liabilities by paying dividends as opposed
to salary? The answer is not always obvious, and only a thorough review
of the business by an expert can determine the right response. Deciding
what’s right for you very much depends on circumstances. The following
table outlines some of the initial considerations:
PAYE
Employers should start planning now for new workplace pension duties as they roll out
to medium and small businesses over the coming months.
145,000 ‘homepreneurs’
mistakenly believe home
contents insurance will cover
their business
PROS
CONS
Lots of free help available from
the Revenue
Can be expensive in
National Insurance for
smaller companies
Tax and National Insurance
liabilities are easy to calculate and
are paid at source
Can be used only to pay
employees of the company
PAYE lets you utilise your personal
allowance and starting rate of tax
where applicable
Payroll expenses are deductible
from the profit chargeable to
Corporation Tax
No National Insurance
Dividends
Start planning now for pensions
auto enrolment seminar told
More tax efficient in most
circumstances
Can be paid to individuals
who are not employees of
the company (they must be
shareholders)
Can usually only be paid
from accrued profits of the
company (although we have
been able to overcome this
in some circumstances)
Taylorcocks’ specialist tax advisers are able to provide a review service that
enables businesses to see which method would work best for their company
and ultimately the amount of money they could save.
The review includes:
1. A review of the remuneration for each shareholder taking into account
any other income they have.
2. Identification of the savings available depending upon whether these are
received by the shareholders, retained by the company or split between
them.
3.Guidance on the correct dividend procedures to ensure that they
comply with company law so that the legality of the dividends cannot
be challenged by HM Revenue and Customs.
4. A review of the effect of the new policy on the company’s corporation
tax.
5.An analysis of the effect of the new policy on the shareholders’ self
assessment and their tax payments.
6. A review of other considerations such as properly waiving salaries, impact
on life policies, impact on pension arrangements etc
For more information, please contact
Steve Beaumont on 0370 770 8111 or
email [email protected]
Taylorcocks, 4 St Stephen’s Court,
15-17 St Stephen’s Road, Bournemouth BH2 6LA
www.taylorcocks.co.uk
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
13
Demand for professional talent
up 29% as one in three UK
workers plan to move jobs
Bournemouth driving
national economic growth
A new report finds Bournemouth has experienced
the fifth largest growth in the country in the
number of new jobs created in the area over the
past decade.
Bournemouth is the only town in the south west
where jobs have not fallen behind the UK average
and in fact the town has seen a 10% increase with
15,500 jobs created.
The Centre for Cities report, entitled ‘Outlook
2015’, reveals that national growth between 2004
and 2013 was largely driven by only a handful of
towns and cities, including Bournemouth, thanks
to increasing populations, growth in the number
of businesses, and the creation of thousands of
new jobs.
The Leader of Bournemouth Council, Councillor
John Beesley, said, ‘More jobs and growth in
the local economy is welcome news. We have
big ambitions for Bournemouth’s future and we
strongly believe that we need to take the lead in
building a better Bournemouth.
‘Despite the considerable challenges of the
recession we have been strategically investing
in regeneration projects to attract inward
investment, improving our transport network,
supporting business start-ups and striving to
retain graduate talent in the town to increase our
skills base.’
HR professionals risk losing the war for talent
HR teams are at risk of losing the talent
attraction war unless they work more
closely with PR and marketing teams
to create an engaging employee value
proposition, according to global RPO
and talent management firm, Cielo.
At a time when the competition for
global talent is increasing, results from the
recent Cielo Talent Activation Index have
revealed that just 13% of poor performing
organisations rated the quality of the
company Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
as very effective in attracting talent. This is
compared to 86% of leading businesses.
This suggests that HR teams need to create
a compelling and engaging EVP through
more effective communication strategies
or risk losing the war for talent. According
to Cielo, this can be achieved through
collaborating with PR and marketing
experts, as Sue Brooks, Cielo’s Chief
Innovation Officer explains:
HR professionals are great at the people
management element expected of the
function, but communication in this digital
world is perhaps out of the comfort zone
of many such individuals. However, given
that a company’s PR or marketing team will
have the expert skills to create compelling
communications strategies that truly
engage with the target audience, HR must
collaborate more with these teams.’
‘Human resources professionals have a
lot on their shoulders at the moment –
particularly given the growing competition
for staff and the ever-changing needs of
talent. But it can’t be overlooked that these
experts don’t need to manage all people
related issues on their own. Utilising the likes
of communications experts will only aid the
success of a corporate EVP.
Professional recruitment firms now have 29% more vacancies on their
books than this time last year according to new survey data from the
Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). This increase
in opportunities coincides with the latest research from the Institute of
Leadership & Management which has announced that 37% of workers
are planning to leave their current jobs in 2015 - a dramatic increase
from 2014 (19%) and 2013 (13%).
Growth across the board but engineering continues to
lead the way
Beneath this headline figure, the latest data from APSCo reveals that
growth in the professional staffing market continues to climb across
all of the trade association’s core sector groups. Permanent vacancies
across finance & accounting, IT, engineering and media & marketing are
all up year-on-year (16%, 31%, 53% and 15% respectively). This positive
sentiment is in line with recent figures released by the CBI, which
reported that half of British businesses are planning to expand their
workforce in 2015.
Uncertainty surrounding upcoming election may
impact hiring
Despite this positivity, however, APSCo warns that it remains to be
seen what impact the General Election will have on the professional
recruitment market. The latest Deloitte CFO Survey, for example, reveals
that the May’s General Election is of major concern to organisations. In
fact, when asked to rate the level of risk posed on a scale of 0 to 100,
CFOs attached a 63 rating to the General Election – significantly higher
than the 56 attached to deflation of the Euro or the 39 points awarded
to further cuts in spending. This may be because many analysts have
predicted that, given the surge in support for smaller parties such as
Ukip, the SNP and the Greens, a hung parliament is a real possibility.
For this reason, companies are likely to remain cautious surrounding
hiring in early 2015 as CFOs resist investing in talent until the political
landscape is less volatile.
Award winning HR stars
All successful relationships start with a conversation...let’s talk.
You deserve to work with a firm that values your long-term success as much as its own. Many
individuals and businesses across Dorset put their trust in us to be their Chartered Accountant
or Financial Adviser, so contact us and let’s get the conversation started.
For more information or to discuss your own circumstances
call us on 01202 875 900 or visit www.wardgoodman.co.uk
14
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February 2015
The team at Merlin Entertainment
The winners of the ACAS Dorset and Hampshire HR Awards supported
by Bond Williams Professional Recruitment have been announced.
Merlin Entertainment scoops the HR Team Award.
Tea Colaianni, who nominated the team, said staff development and
training, as well as incentives, are key to the company’s continued global
success.
The winner of the HR Professional Award is Rebecca Spain, from BCHA.
Her colleagues nominated her for her outstanding commitment and
ethical practice.
Bond Williams Professional Recruitment Director Claire Bond said, ‘We
truly believe HR staff in our region do not get their time to shine - and,
more importantly, companies rarely get the chance to show off those
stars who work so hard recruiting, managing, engaging and retaining
the right team to move the company forward. We are so pleased to give
them that platform to shine and recognise at least some of the fantastic
HR professionals we have in the region. This is our second year of the
Bond Williams HR Awards and we were thrilled with the applications
and level of detail, they really were exceptional and very well deserved.’
February 2015
Resolving HR through
executive recruitment solutions
Resolving the challenges that
recruiting within the HR sector
brings, Executive Recruitment
Director for Engage Executive
Jobs, Sally Bennett, draws upon
her 12 years of recruitment
experience and in-depth
knowledge of HR; its function
within an organisation and its
challenges, to match the ideal
candidate to the organisation.
Engage Executive Jobs Director,
Sally Bennett
CIPD qualified, Sally’s experience as a global recruiter and her
specialism in HR recruitment for both agency and corporate
organisations, enables Engage to offer a tailor-made and holistic
executive search service honed to the precise requirements of its
client.
Being keenly aware that people are key to the success of a business,
and recruitment of the right people in a timely manner essential,
Sally’s previous role as Business Partner at Farrow and Ball has given
her a broad range of relevant experience with first-hand knowledge
of direct campaigns, working in partnership with different functions
across the organisation, and offering advice on additional areas of
people management.
Locally, Engage will be organising HR forums offering the
opportunity to discuss hot topics in a confidential arena of shared
experiences where subjects discussed include addressing change,
employee engagement, and employer of choice.
Under Sally’s expert leadership, Engage works in partnership with
its clients, as an extension of the team, in order to really understand
the culture within the company it is recruiting for; an essential
practice in successful recruitment.
Approaching every project individually, each brief is taken
personally, followed by an in-depth search process, involving an
accurate selection of candidates, for face to face interviews before
the final shortlist is presented to the client and supported with a
concise profile overview.
Engage’s comprehensive approach to recruitment, encompassing
all aspects of its client’s business ensure all candidates presented for
interview are not just fully qualified and experienced for the role but
also fully briefed on the organisation and motivated at interview.
Sally said, ‘In this challenging marketplace which is short of
available talent, people are the foundation of any organisation.
Engage prides itself on implementing a range of techniques in
order to find the right match. With my background in Recruitment
and Human Resource Management for a global organisation I am
transferring my own skills to help develop strong partnerships with
organisations. Over time I plan to add value and build a trust in our
client partnerships in order that they view Engage as an extension of
the Human Resource Department.’
1 The Triangle,
Bournemouth BH2 5RY
Tel: 01202 674488
www.engageexecutivejobs.com
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15
CRAVE A
WORK/LIFE
BALANCE?
L-r: Justin Cohen,
Darren Northeast
and Matt Jenkins
Celebrating 10 years of Darren Northeast PR
Then talk to SOS recruitment about your
dream job today
Bournemouth PR Agency, Darren Northeast PR (DNPR) hits a significant milestone this month marking
10 years of business. The story of Darren Northeast PR is one of tenacity, determination and hard work;
surviving one of the UK’s greatest recessions at a time when PR agencies were deemed surplus, to
become a thriving Dorset business.
We specialise in Temporary, Permanent and Contract
recruitment at all levels, including:
Administration, Banking, Business Development, Customer
Service, Engineering, Finance, HR, Industrial, Insurance, IT,
Legal, Management, Marketing, PR, Property, Sales and
Technical amongst others.
Contact an experienced member of the SOS team:
Call: 01202 292888 | Click: [email protected]
Come in: 181-183 Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1 1JU
www.sosrecruitment.co.uk
s
Darren Northeast PR was first founded
in February 2005. The first client of Darren
Northeast PR was a mortgage company who
had specifically requested the services of
Darren Northeast PR, having known Darren
from a previous working relationship. From
there, Darren Northeast PR worked hard on a
day to day basis, never taking the foot off the
accelerator to ensure new business continually
came in. Alongside this, business networking
played a crucial part in the development and
growth of Darren Northeast PR as Darren is
keen to highlight:
‘Networking is such a powerful resource and
it is a great way of going out and meeting
people. If you are willing to listen, people will
get to know you and trust you and if they like
you as a person they will want to work with
you. There is nothing more complicated to it
than that. We have met the majority of our
clients through networking and it has played
such a pivotal part in the success of DNPR.’
For the first three years Darren Northeast PR
steadily grew until the recession hit in 2008.
Despite being a particularly tough time for
Darren Northeast PR, this only pushed them
to work with an even more focused attitude.
s
With great passion and persistence, Darren
Northeast PR threw all their efforts into the
business and continued to look forward and
were able to survive through one of the worst
recessions in decades.
‘PR and training agencies were among the
first things to be cut by businesses during the
recession. However, this helped us discover
how important it is to keep going, through
even the toughest times. Business is never
easy and never should be. The important
thing is to always push for more.’
In the last few years, Darren Northeast
PR has gone from strength to strength,
welcoming in new members of staff
including Director of Operations, Justin
Cohen, who joined DNPR after the recession.
Justin, who started working freelance, was
eventually brought on board as it was clear
he had a great talent for managing day-today operations and was able to develop
operational systems which worked well
for Darren Northeast PR. Alongside Justin,
Darren stresses how important it is to have
proper systems in place for every side of the
businesses, believing professionalism in all
aspects of a business is key.
2014 was DNPR’s most successful year yet as
the company had both its best financial year
to date and also reached a record number of
clients. Due to this, the company also became
incorporated. Darren marks this as a massive
turning point for the business and feels the
company has now gone well beyond himself
as an individual and is an entire entity of its
own.
‘We feel so fortunate to be in the position
we are today. DNPR has allowed us to travel
all over the world and work with clients from
a plethora of sectors and industries, so there
is never a dull moment! If we could stress one
thing it would be to always treat people with
respect and in return they’ll help you. Also
ignore the detractors, not everyone can like
you but don’t let that affect who you are as a
professional or your business.’
This year marks the 10th anniversary of
Darren Northeast PR, a massive achievement
for any company and one Mr Northeast, along
with all those who have been involved with
the company are extremely proud of.
For more information visit
www.darrennortheast.co.uk
Office 62, Drewitt House, 865 Ringwood Road, Bournemouth, BH11 8LW
Telephone: 01202 676762 | Mobile: 07736 643138 | Email: [email protected]
Website: www.darrennortheast.co.uk
recruitment
February 2015
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
17
law lines
sponsored by:
Taking Care of Business
By Rachel Fleet, Partner, Dibbens
Jenni Russell wrote an article in The Times recently
entitled ‘Where There’s No Will, There’s A Hellish
Legacy’ wondering why the British are so careless
about protecting the people that they love and
suggesting that we should all be forced to write Wills.
She cited an example of a friend who was married and separated,
but not divorced, and who had lived with a partner for some time but
had not made a Will. On his death, his estranged wife ‘… a woman he
no longer cared for and who was equally indifferent to him… is in line
for a glorious windfall but his partner doesn’t have enough money
coming in to pay the bills’. The estranged wife inherited everything.
She goes on to comment, ‘My friend would have been horrified if he
had understood that he was creating this nightmarish situation. He
simply never stopped to think about the consequences. He knew he
ought to have an up to date Will but he couldn’t take it seriously just
as most of us don’t.’
She feels that we are unbelievably casual about making Wills. Almost
two-thirds of adults in this country do not have a Will at all, while more
than a tenth of those who do have a Will need to update it.
Jenni Russell consulted a random sample of six of her friends, all
house earning professionals with children. Five of them had no
Wills. All of them assumed that they did not need one, and assumed
that everything would be sorted out as they wanted it to be done
and none had made plans for underage children. Not one of them
understood the consequences of intestacy and the unmarried couples
did not understand that they have little or no status in English Law in
terms of inheritance at this point in time.
She goes on, in the article, to comment that ignorance of the
rules forces terrible distress, that people can be left embittered,
impoverished or even homeless and that this is an indication of a
broken system. She says, ‘Britons couple an absolute belief in the right
to leave their money as they please with a profound reluctance to get
on with making that decision. The State leaves people to make a Will
or not as they please, but that laissez-faire approach is indefensible
when lives can be so damaged as a result.’
However, she points out that the law insists that everyone wears
a seatbelt, pays for pensions and prohibits smoking in public but in
her view it is much more important that people are made to think
responsibly about inheritance and that it should be socially as well as
legally unacceptable to avoid it.
Her closing remark sums it all up quite nicely, ‘Refusing to think
about others, averting our eyes from our own mortality isn’t cool.
It is as my bereaved friend bitterly observes, supremely selfish. The
one person it doesn’t affect is the person who dies, but it can leave
everyone else’s spirit tangled in hell.’
You should review an existing Will that was made more than
five years ago and if you have no Will then you should make one
– NOW!
3 West Borough Wimborne
Dorset BH21 1LU
Tel: 01202 882456
We’re here to help you
18
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
Commercial Litigation
and Dispute Resolution
Company and
Commercial Law
Commercial Property
Employment Law
T: 01202 525333 E: [email protected] www.ellisjones.co.uk
Obesity a disability?
This question was put to the
European Court of Justice
recently as the Danish case
of Mr Kaltoft was brought. Mr
Kaltoft was dismissed after 15
years employment as a childminder for Billund local authority,
and he argued that his obesity
was a factor in his dismissal.
Gina McCadden, Paralegal for
Hampshire-based law firm Warner
Goodman LLP here reviews the
case and the implications this has
for employers.
STEELE RAYMOND
ADVISES ON SALE
OF THE GOLDEN
ACRES GROUP
Dorset commercial law firm Steele Raymond LLP
has advised local family run firm, Golden Acres
Group on its sale to Wyevale Garden Centres, a
long standing and well established UK chain.
Gina McCadden
At the time of Mr Kaltoft’s dismissal four years ago, Billund local
authority claimed that there was a decline in the number of children in
the area, and so Mr Kaltoft was no longer needed. Mr Kaltoft brought a
discrimination claim against his former employers. He argued that he
was dismissed due to his weight following rumours amongst former
colleagues that he was too obese to bend down to tie children’s shoes
and play with them, a claim Mr Kaltoft denies was true.
In order to come to a decision, the Danish Courts referred the case
to the European Court of Justice to clarify whether obesity could be
classed as a disability and therefore protected against discrimination.
The Court held that there is no part of EU discrimination law which
expressly protects against obesity but if obesity results from a long term
physical, mental or psychological impairment which hinders ‘full and
effective participation in professional life on an equal basis with other
workers’ then it could constitute a disability. The origin or contribution
a person has towards the disability was held to be irrelevant so obesity
itself may constitute a disability.
‘The outcome of this case could have a significant impact on
employers,’ begins Gina. ‘As the decision is binding across all EU
members the UK are under an obligation to incorporate this decision
into National Law. The Equality Act 2010 places a duty upon UK
employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees in order to
counter the effects of a disability. This means that employers may now
be under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for obese employees,
if their obesity has a negative impact upon their working life.’
The question will then become what is classed as reasonable.
‘Reasonable adjustments may be providing larger chairs or special car
parking, and there must also be protection for these employees from
verbal harassment. A suitable adjustment will be made on a case by
case basis, and this could lead to further complications for employers as
there may be differences in certain industries, for example, as to how a
person’s weight could affect their daily work.’
Gina concludes, ‘With one in four people in the UK classified as obese
this may place a great burden upon employers to adjust working
conditions and patterns for many employees and may even open the
floodgates to more discrimination claims.’
February 2015
The transaction completed in December 2014, with the acquired
centres including John Brown’s Garden Centre and West Parley Garden
Centre in Dorset, Landford Garden Centre in Salisbury and Cadnam
Garden Centre in Hampshire.
Steele Raymond’s top tier commercial team acted on behalf of the
seller, owner Paul Richards. The transaction was led by Corporate
Partner Nick Davies and Commercial Property Partner Chris Twaits, who
between them have considerable experience in acting for a wide range
of business clients across a variety of sectors.
Nick Davies commented, ‘The transaction involved a variety of
complex corporate and commercial property aspects, which our leading
team at Steele Raymond is well equipped to deal with. We have acted
for Golden Acres Group and owner Paul Richards for a number of years
and seen it grow into a highly successful chain of garden centres across
the south. It was great to be able to help Paul achieve his ambitions, and
we wish the new owners well.’
Paul Richards added, ‘I was very pleased to have Steele Raymond’s
advice and assistance in relation to the sale of my company, which I
have grown over many years. The team worked tirelessly to ensure
that my commercial objectives were met. I would recommend
anyone buying or selling a company to use Steele Raymond’s top tier
commercial team.’
Steele Raymond LLP has recently completed the refurbishment of its
offices at Richmond Point in Bournemouth. The refurbishment work
creates a totally new fresh office environment for the firm’s employees
and clients, and follows hot on the heels of its new branding and
website www.steeleraymond.co.uk.
Chairman Tim Stone commented, ‘As Steele Raymond continues to
be at the heart of commercial law in Dorset, this is an exciting time
for us with lots of positive changes taking place within the business.
Following the unveiling of our new website, rebrand and refurbishment
in recent weeks, we’re delighted to see the new office structure starting
to take shape. We’re looking forward to welcoming clients into a fresh,
February 2015
Nick Davies
more inviting and dynamic environment that more closely reflects our
position as one of Dorset and the south west’s leading law firms.’
For more information on the trusted legal advice Steele Raymond
offers businesses and individuals, visit: www.steeleraymond.co.uk
“
My business has
gone from strength
to strength whilst
working with
Steele Raymond.
They always deliver
a professional
service and make
a big difference
for us.
“
WHERE THERE’S NO WILL,
THERE’S A HELLISH LEGACY
Our Business Legal Services:
Mark Bennett,
founder,
Patisserie Mark
Bennett Ltd
The Steele
Raymond
difference...
At the heart of
commercial law
in Dorset
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
19
online solutions
Blue Chip achieves
record year via
investment in
infrastructure,
people and process
IT specialist Blue Chip has announced
its eighth consecutive year of growth,
with turnover for 2013/2014 at £22m
and staff numbers increasing to over
175, attributing the year-on-year
performance to a long-term business
strategy which embraces the future.
Blue Chip Managing Director, Richard
Cook said, ‘We have worked hard
in recent years to take the business
forward, investing in infrastructure
for a new generation of IT services
and expanding our business services
further. By default this has led to the
formalisation of business processes to
provide consistency and efficiency at an
even higher level, with both customers
and staff clearly understanding the
above-industry expectations and
standards of our award-winning service
and delivery.’
Underpinning this has been the
investment of a further £1m in the
best available datacentre capacity
and infrastructure at Vodafone’s Tier
3 datacentres in Leeds and Uxbridge,
expansion of its Leeds operation and a
restructure of the account management
team to provide dedicated, specialist
support to SME, corporate and
enterprise customers, relevant to their
size.
Blue Chip customer, Stuart Thomas,
Client Services Director at First Choice
said, ‘Over the last couple of years we
have found Blue Chip to be responsive
and technically competent which, in
today’s market, is high praise indeed.
They have worked hard to ensure that
we remain a satisfied customer and can
be relied on to provide considered and
skilled responses to challenging and
changing technical requirements.’
l www.bluechip.uk.com
20
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
Our IT solutions will ensure
the cogs of your business
are running smoothly.
Cloud is not a golden chalice
By Rob Rutherford, QuoStar
Many IT service providers are pumping cloud services as an end-toend IT solution within businesses. This is simply negligent; cloud
isn’t always the best solution. There aren’t many businesses where
some type of cloud service won’t deliver any business gain - but that
doesn’t mean you should be throwing everything into the cloud
without consideration.
Cloud is just a tool,
no different from a
new server or piece
Rob Rutherford
of software. Just
because it provides clear benefits in one area of
your business, does not suggest that it should be
applied to every possible area.
It’s important to remember that cloud isn’t a
new technology, what’s new is the hype. Hype
clouds judgement, it creates a herd mentality,
creates a sense of urgency and a fear of missing
out.
Because of this hype, we have every man
and his dog trying to provide and resell cloud
services to fill a demand. IT isn’t simple - true
business enhancement comes from careful
analysis, effective tailoring and solid integration
of numerous different technologies and systems.
When going into the cloud, consider
these questions:Questions to ask yourself:
„„ Has our business and its operation been
analysed in suitable depth by the provider,
and a clear business case made?
„„ Are there any changes to the business in the
foreseeable future that could impact our
chosen solution?
„„ Do we have options, both in and out of the
cloud?
„„ Do we clearly understand the benefits and
drawbacks of the different options?
„„ What are the true costs of the options over the
term of the contract or life of the solution?
„„ What other costs need to be factored in to
the project, ie do we need additional network
connections, to allocation internal resource,
etc?
„„ If this doesn’t work - how are we going to
fail-back?
Questions to ask the provider:
„„ What is the financial status of the provider?
„„ How long have they been delivering cloud
services?
„„ What certifications and accreditations do they
hold?
„„ What are their service level agreements and
what happens if they don’t meet them?
„„ How will you exit the cloud service should you
wish to or need to?
„„ Do they have control of their infrastructure and
services, or are they reselling someone else’s?
„„ How can they assist with your migration into
the cloud - and vice versa?
„„ What can impact the service they are
delivering to you, and how can those risks/
effectors be mitigated?
„„ What levels of resilience have you built in to
your infrastructure? What happens when a
server fails? A network connection? A disk
storage system?
„„ How are you securing our data from external
threats?
Don’t steer away from cloud. As with any IT
system, when it’s been chosen through careful
analysis and tailored to a business’s operations
the results can be impressive and game
changing.
Responsive websites boost business sales
It seems the best approach for your business this New Year is to make your website ‘responsive’. Have
you looked at your site on a tablet and different smart phones? If your site is correctly sized, and
provides an optimal viewing experience with minimum scrolling, more customers will engage with
your content. With a distinct audience shift to mobile browsing, search engines are placing responsive
sites higher.
Radikls’ client, weathervanes-direct.co.uk, has reported an increase in customer activity with statistics
revealing that 48% of enquiries came through its new responsive website design.
Steve Randall, of fencingcentre.co.uk, also says, ‘Our sales of log cabins and other products have
increased by 25% since we became responsive and developed our search engine marketing.’
Tony Raybould of Radikls says, ‘We have seen very quickly that a responsive website is essential in
today’s consumer market.’
February 2015
New Markets
Effective
Marketing
Existing
Customers
Innovation
Profit
New
Customers
IT
Product
Development
Increased
Efficiency
Effective
Communication
New Sales
Channels
Online
Growth
Productivity
We understand our clients, their businesses and ambitions in order to
recommend tailored solutions and provide award winning support. Our
personalised service will ensure that your IT works for you. We will oil
the wheels and fine tune your system to make sure it’s always running
smoothly, giving you peace of mind for the journey ahead.
Personal, professional,
award winning IT support
For more information or to discuss your IT
requirements, telephone 01202 308000
or visit www.enhanced.co.uk
Enhanced work with companies who believe that
IT is at the core of their business growth
Accounting & ERP | CRM | eCommerce | Consultancy
Development & Integration Web | Infrastructure | Support
online solutions
franchising
FSB uncovers ‘two–speed digital economy’
in the south west
Dom Yeadon is the
Managing Director of Data
Harvesting’s Student CRM,
the UK’s most loved student
recruitment solution for
universities and colleges.
Buy or build?
6 reasons to buy an online solution
from the experts instead of tackling
a big DIY build in-house.
Many companies battle with buy or
build - do you buy in an existing online
solution (such as a CRM, extranet or
microsite) or do you build it yourself,
using your own team in-house?
Being experts in the higher education
industry, we regularly come across
universities and colleges who believe
it’s better to build their own CRM
solution in-house rather than buying an
existing product.
Here’s why we believe it’s best to leave
it to the experts.
1. Years of experience
These companies have been working
on similar projects for years and know
what works and what doesn’t, giving
you valuable insight and cutting edge
features which are at the forefront of
technological advancements.
New research from the
Federation of Small
Businesses (FSB) has 41% of
rural small businesses in the
south west are dissatisfied
with the quality of their
broadband provision. The data
showed significantly more
dissatisfaction compared to
urban small businesses (28%
dissatisfied).
This issue is predicted to
become even more significant
over the next two years, as
small firms become more reliant
on a high quality broadband
connection to do business. 73%
of businesses in the south west
said that e-mail will be critical to
their business, while just under
half (47%) said broadband will be
essential to engaging with their
customers in the next two years.
The current lack of broadband
infrastructure serving small
firms threatens the expansion of
the £400bn rural economy. The
business opportunity includes
28% of all UK firms and over one
million small businesses.
The FSB research uncovered
rural businesses’ dissatisfaction
across a number of areas,
including reliability (38%
dissatisfied), upload speed (50%
dissatisfied) and download speed
(48% dissatisfied).
Neil Eames, Development
Manager for the Federation
of Small Businesses, said, ‘This
research paints a worrying
Telecommunications firm
VoIP Unlimited ‘sales’ into 2015
2. People power
These people are experts in their
field, who know everything there is to
know about data, security, coding and
everything in between.
3. Timeframes
Managing the project externally means
there’s less chance of scope creep
and more chance the project will run
smoothly and meet the deadline.
4. Ongoing support
You’ve got access to the technical
experts. They’ll help you to set it
up and get it working efficiently for
your business, resulting in a healthy
ROI. They’ll be in it for the long term,
providing support as you need it.
5. The future
In the ever-changing technology
industry, it’s good to keep up to date
with the latest legislation. A dedicated
partner for your online solution will keep
you fully updated and ahead of the
competition.
6. The final product
The final product will be sustainable,
flexible and have an all-round better
user experience.
L-r: VoIP Unlimited’s new sales recruits Matthew Darkins, Jess Loce and
Jamie Shergold.
Poole-based telecommunications firm VoIP Unlimited has appointed
three new recruits to join its growing sales team. The new starters will
liaise with customers and engage with new prospects, as part of the
company’s rapid growth and development.
Jess Loce joins as a Sales Executive and is well versed in
communicating new ideas and concepts to high level IT management.
With experience in office and field based sales and customer services,
Matthew Darkins also joins the company as a Sales Executive. Jamie
Shergold has been appointed as an Account Manager, boasting nine
years’ experience working in IT sales roles he brings with him a wealth of
knowledge in targeted sales.
In addition to the three new sales recruits, Coral Winters has joined
the provisioning department, where she will manage the end-to-end
delivery of services and solutions provided by the sales team and take
responsibility for tracking and managing service delivery activities.
picture of a divided business
broadband landscape in the UK,
and unless addressed highlights
a clear obstacle to growth in the
coming years. We risk seeing the
emergence of a two-speed online
economy resulting from poor
rural broadband infrastructure.
It’s worrying that as many as
14% of UK small firms still view
the lack of a reliable broadband
connection as being the primary
barrier to their growth. A reliable
connection is now viewed as
a key business requirement by
94% of small UK businesses, yet
continued poor connectivity
in rural areas represents a
huge missed opportunity for
economic growth in many parts
of the country. These gaps and
weaknesses need to be addressed
as a matter of priority with the
minimum of 10 Mbps to all
business premises by 2018/19,
and a pledge to deliver minimum
speeds of 100Mbs to all by 2030.’
Improvements to the UK’s
broadband provision have been
made in recent years, with 16%
of rural businesses now having
access to super-fast broadband
and more packages targeted at
the needs of business, but the
FSB believes that more could be
done. The government’s strategy
to deliver 24Mbps broadband
to 95% of all users by 2017
is not sufficiently ambitious,
especially for the 5% of mainly
rural businesses left receiving just
2Mbps, which is barely sufficient
for even basic tasks like sending
commercial e-mails.
As a result of the findings laid
out in its ‘Fourth Utility’ report,
the FSB is calling for government
to conduct a comprehensive
review of broadband policy.
This includes measures to
encourage more competition
for better packages in the
business broadband market, a
commitment to accelerate the
roll-out of 4G mobile services
and prioritisation of fibre-optic
provision to business parks and
enterprise zones.
Find a franchise
to suit you
L-r: Kriss Akabusi
and Steve Bolton
Athletics gold medallist Kriss Akabusi joins
Bournemouth-based property franchise
Legendary runner Kriss Akabusi
has joined Bournemouth-based
franchise, Platinum Property
Partners (PPP).
The specialist buy-to-let
business helps both novice and
seasoned property investors
to build their own portfolios of
high quality, high performing
Houses in Multiple Occupation for
professional tenants.
After being commissioned
to give a motivational talk at
the PPP National Workshop in
April, Kriss was impressed by
the camaraderie of the network
and strength of the property
investment model that the
partners all followed.
Kriss, who is most famous for
his worldwide athletics triumphs,
will begin building his buy-to-let
portfolio with the support of PPP
in the next few months, when
he finishes his MBA at Ashridge
Business School. This will be
alongside the great work he does
through The Akabusi Charitable
Trust and The Akabusi Company,
which helps businesses to
leverage key messages in exciting
and thought-provoking ways.
Founder and Chairman of PPP,
Steve Bolton, added, ‘Just like all
of our other partners, Kriss joined
PPP so that he can build his own
high-profit, low-risk property
portfolio. His goal is to increase
his income, provide greater
pension security and leave a
lasting legacy for his children
and grandchildren. Our job is to
mentor and support Kriss every
step of the way and we look
forward to building a long term
win-win partnership together.’
l www.platinumpropertypartners.co.uk
Total Website Management
Renewed interest in
franchising brands
The UK Franchise Directory
(UKFD), published by Franchise
Development Services, has seen
a sharp increase in website traffic.
The market leading publication
has been established in print
since 1981, and serves as the
UK’s number one destination for
franchise business listings across
sectors.
The Publishing Group launched
a new website for the UK
Franchise Directory in June, with
increased focus on its online
offering including social, mobile,
and video content.
However, while the new
technology has helped facilitate
growth, Professor Roy Seaman,
Founder and Managing Director
of the UK Franchise Directory,
4Networking is supporting the
Franchise Show at ExCel, London
20th–21st February 2015. Once
again, there is a fantastic line up
of more than 150 of the world’s
best franchise brands exhibiting
at the show. Now in its fourth year,
the Spring National Franchise
Exhibition has become a firm date
in the franchise industry’s diary.
The two day Franchise Show
will host over 60 free seminars
and workshops, demonstrating,
displaying and answering questions
about franchising. The expert
speakers will offer information and
advice on legal, financial, business
and administrative support in order
for you to succeed in franchising.
The Franchise Show is completely
free to attend, so whether you are
new or experienced to the world
of franchising, you are invited to
explore the brands, enjoy the free
seminars and take advantage of all
of the on-site expertise available.
said that this level of new
interest spells good news for the
Franchising industry at large:
‘The UK Franchise Directory
has been established in some
form for more than 30 years,’
said Professor Seaman. ‘It has
long-since provided a barometer
for the volume of franchise
opportunities on the market
across different sectors, as well as
the level of interest from potential
new franchise owners. The last 12
months has seen strong growth
throughout the Franchise sector
more generally. Such a steep
rise in visits to the UKFD website
implies a renewed interest in
franchising brands amongst
potential franchise owners.’
l www.theukfranchisedirectory.net
Work Made Simple
QUAYSTONE: THE POWER BEHIND
www.bizmag.co.uk
www.quaystonesoftware.com
Homegrown in Poole, UK
www.student-crm.co.uk
22
01202
477855
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February 2015
February 2015
20/04/2011 18:24:59
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23
PROMOTE AND DISPLAY
Raise money and support with
custom T-Shirts and donations...
Salisbury Big
Business Event
The next Big Business Event in
Salisbury will run from
21st–23rd April.
l www.salisburybigbusiness.co.uk
Get involved with
Bournemouth 7s
Nearly half of trade show exhibitors don’t measure ROI
Almost half of businesses at trade shows don’t
know if the exhibition activity is profitable,
according to a recent survey by Display Wizard.
When asked if they saw a
positive return on investment
(ROI) from their recent trade
show activity, 44% said they
either didn’t know or they didn’t
measure the results.
In a survey of 100 business
owners and marketing managers,
77% said they had exhibited
at one or more conferences in
the last year, but despite 45%
saying they used industry events
regularly (two or more in the last
year) it seems most are in the dark
when it comes to the profitability
of this type of marketing.
Diarmuid Beary, Owner of
Display Wizard, expressed
surprise at the findings: ‘It’s crucial
for businesses to have a good
understanding of the return on
their marketing spend in order to
sensibly assign budgets for the
following year.
‘The fact that so many
companies are unable to measure
the ROI of a huge opportunity like
trade show marketing could lead
to marketing spend being placed
in the wrong areas, which directly
impacts the performance of the
business as a whole.’
Others were more careful
about measurement. 39% of
those surveyed claimed that
trade shows were a profitable
way to market their business.
Happy exhibitors cited reasons
such as being able to reach out
to many potential customers in
a short space of time and giving
consumers the opportunity to
see the real people behind the
company. Just 17% claimed trade
shows were not profitable, with
arguments ranging from the cost
of exhibition stands to a need to
underprice products to appeal to
customers.
Display Wizard recently released
an online guide to trade show
success.
l www.displaywizard.co.uk/
display-hub/trade-show-guide/
Hotel’s first networking session
Ollie Galpin
Local company Hotline.co.uk has developed a new crowdfunding
website to help anyone raise funds online for anything they are
passionate about.
Founder Ollie Galpin comments, ‘Having supplied printed T-Shirts
for the past 25 years to a multitude of good causes and events, we
know they are a great way to raise funds and awareness, however, up
until now it’s always been a costly and time consuming affair having
to purchase the inventory and guess how many you can sell’.
tboom.co.uk is a free and easy solution that can help you finance
a community project, support a loved one or charity, or raise money
for a school or team. Now there’s no need to spend hours shaking
a tin in the rain, running marathons in bad weather and baking
endless trays of cakes to raise funds for your cause or someone you
love. Watch the video at tboom.co.uk!
l www.tboom.co.uk
The Hotel & Catering Show
opens at the BIC, Bournemouth
17th–18th March 2015.
l http://hotel-expo.co.uk/
L-r: Rosie Wallace, Dee Clayton and Jane Swift
new
roomshow
O now
PEN
Uniform Management
& Branded Products
01202 473311
taylormadedesigns.co.uk
24
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
The Days Hotel Marsham Court
Hotel’s first networking session
for new businesses attracted over
60 people.
New2Business Networking
began at the hotel in Russell
Cotes Road, Bournemouth, on
Wednesday 14th January, to
help new starters make valuable
business connections.
Attendees at the free event
ranged from accountants and
marketers to photographers, a
hair salon owner and a dating
consultant.
The hotel’s Director, Rosie
Wallace said, ‘The evening was
a great success and proved
that there is a real need for
networking tailored to new
businesses in Bournemouth and
Poole.’
Breaking the ice at New2Business
was the author and public speaking
trainer Dee Clayton, who gave
a presentation entitled: Newbie
Networking – Addressing the Fear
Factor.
Jane Swift, Business Development
Manager at the Days Hotel
Marsham Court added, ‘We
welcomed brand new businesses,
those starting with the help of the
Prince’s Trust and a small number of
established business owners there
to offer advice. We hope to grow
and help more new businesses in
the coming months.’
The next New2Business will take
place from 5pm–7pm at the Days
Hotel Marsham Court, 3 Russell
Cotes Road, Bournemouth on
Wednesday 11th March.
l http://bit.ly/14HyehS
February 2015
After two successive sell-out
events, Bournemouth 7s Festival
2015 returns on 22nd–24th May
and will again host a massive
30,000 people across the Bank
Holiday weekend. Aside from the
sport, some of the best local and
national live bands and DJs will be
on stage across many live arenas
including the Tuborg Beer Tent
and Kopparberg’s Big Top Dance
Tent.
l www.bournemouth7s.com
Mini fest –
Party in the Park
This year’s Party in the Park is
returning for another year over
the August bank holiday weekend
on 29th and 30th August.
The mini fest in the village of
Ashley Cross has continued to
grow over 15 years. Enquiries to
[email protected]
Get noticed with an A3 desktop banner
Ringwood-based Letters and
Logos claims signs are one of
the most cost effective ways of
advertising. You could call them
visual marketing.
In an exhibition or trade show
most exhibitors will have a
printed back drop to their stand
or pitch. The larger roll up or pop
up banners all need to go to the
rear of the stand. This means that
any representative on the stand,
particularly if it is quite a confined
space, is stood in front of the
graphics. Also, as the displays are
at the back of the area, attendees
cannot see the display until they
are right in front of the stand.
Being more compact, the
A3 roller banner has several
February 2015
advantages over its larger
counterparts. It can be placed
in front of the representatives,
therefore the message is not
obscured by them. This could be
on a podium or a table etc. It can
also be used as a reference point
for sales, depending to what is
printed on the banner; a picture
speaks a thousand words. Placed
at the front of the stands or on
a table, they can be visible from
further away. The A3 desktop
banner is easily transported
and quick to erect. So if time is
short, these are a very effective
communication tool.
Whilst the A3 banner will never
replace its larger counterparts,
or pop ups, it is a useful addition
to the advertising and marketing
mix.
Call 01425 477281.
l www.lettersandlogos.co.uk
Poole Quay Boat Haven
Poole Harbour
Boat Show
Poole will host its own
dedicated boat show on the
weekend of 9th and 10th May,
organised and operated by
Poole Harbour Commissioners
(PHC).
The free public event will
take place on Poole Quay, and
at PHC’s award-wining marina
Poole Quay Boat Haven, and
will incorporate a variety of
marine-related businesses,
family focused entertainment
and other elements associated
with a regional boat show.
Inspired by other boat shows in
areas such as Jersey, PHC believe
Poole is a perfect location for
an all-encompassing boat show
celebrating the rich and varied
boating business present in the
town.
Businesses in the marine
sector are invited to take stands
at the show, which has the full
support and backing of the
British Marine Federation and
organisations such as the RNLI
will be playing a key role across
the weekend. The event is also
supported by Poole Tourism
which will include the show in
its annual events programme
and has scheduled the dates
in May to co-ordinate around
other summer events.
For information regarding
stand space and opportunities
to get involved with the
inaugural show, please contact
John Binder at Poole Quay Boat
Haven on 01202 649488.
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
25
A one-stop shop...
for press releases and photography guaranteed to get you noticed
Rowan White Photographic telling stories in pictures and words for 29 years
For all your photographic requirements from Architecture to Web, from Conference to PR
A coffee and a chat will cost you nothing... ‘One call to me and I’ll come to you.’
Contact Noel White on 01202 518618 or e-mail: [email protected]
More in the pipeline...
As reported in the December issue of The Business, 2015 sees the
expansion of UKh2o, the Westbourne-based specialist supplier of
Kinetico water softening systems, both in the breadth of services
offered as well as staff numbers.
To date, the supply and fitting of water softeners has been the
mainstay of UKh2o. Now, joining Mike Lombard, Managing Director, is
Danny Wills, a ‘Gas Safe’ registered plumber who will broaden UKh2o’s
offering. This will include the design and installation of central heating
systems, repairing or replacing gas boilers, and all other aspects of
plumbing associated with both gas and water.
Also joining the team is Chris Kyriacou who will oversee the day to day
running of the company, as well as generate sales leads. For the last 10
years he has worked in sales, advertising and marketing, most recently
with a local publication. Chris remarked, ‘Last year Kinetico ran a
national sales campaign resulting in a 4-fold increase in enquiries which,
as a consequence, has led to an increased workload for UKh2o. I will be
able to ease the load on Mike and further develop the business while
Mike and Danny are busy on site’.
Another ‘string to the bow’ of UKh2o is that its water softeners can
now be supplied to other independent plumbers, a service that was
not previously possible. There are three models available, the SuperSoft
HE, SuperSoft HF and the SuperSoft +, all come with a 5 year parts
guarantee. This will further increase the business opportunities for
Ukh2o, and is a completely new market for Chris to develop.
The majority of Dorset suffers from the supply of hard water, this
equates, in technical terms, to
270 mg/ltr as Calcium Carbonate
(CaCO3). The water supplied in
some Dorset postcode areas is as
high as 289 mg/ltr as CaCO3, and
water systems, washing machines,
boilers etc are prone to more
damage and therefore a shorter
life.
With soft water, up to 75% less
detergent, washing powder, soap
and shampoo is used, and a family
of four could save up to £400 a
Mike Lombard
year on these products alone.
Fitting a UKh2o Kinetico water softener prevents the build-up of
lime-scale by removing magnesium and calcium dissolved in the water,
thereby reducing heating costs by maintaining the efficiency of water
heating appliances.
For readers of The Business, UKh2o is offering £100 inc. VAT off
the normal water softener installation cost of £350 inc. VAT. Offer
valid until March 31st 2015.
If you would like to contact Mike for a no obligation
consultation, call 01202 653006 by e-mail [email protected] or
to find out more you can visit www.ukh2o.com
You can see customer testimonials at www.reviewcentre.com
Metamorphosis...
After over 30 years with IBM, the
last five as Project Manager, Shirley
Thompson decided to start her own
business, and since 2009 has traded as
‘The Desk Coach’.
Now, as her company and the services
she provides have evolved, Shirley has
decided that it’s time for a rebrand. She
commented, ‘From the end of February
2015 I’ll be using my own name as a
Shirley Thompson
trading title, as I feel it better expresses
the personal association I have with, and feel for, my clients’.
As a person who practises what she preaches, and having an ethos
of ‘giving back’, Shirley is currently in year four of five studying for her
Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring, the benefit of which will be
shared with those she mentors, and through her voluntary work with
the Project Management Institute UK.
Shirley provides coaching and mentoring to individuals, whether
employees, contractors or business owners, particularly for the
development of individual soft skills and to help facilitate teamwork for
those who’ve experienced her coaching.
‘The Four Basics of Powerful Time Management’ is a workshop
being run by Shirley on the 13th February, 3.30pm-5.30pm at
the Ferndown Forest Golf Club, more information is available
on this and the other services offered by visiting
www.shirleythompson.biz
Shirley can be contacted on 01425 480631 or 07793 745450.
If you have an event to be covered, a story to be told, or would like to be featured
on these pages call Noel White on 01202 518618 or e-mail [email protected]
Rowan White Photographic is a one-stop shop for press releases and photography.
Noel White and his team are recognised for their creative flair and professional
approach. They are the preferred choice of many hotels, restaurants, manufacturers,
architects, interior designers, retail shops, PR companies, advertising agencies
and cosmetics brands throughout the UK and especially within Dorset, Wiltshire &
Hampshire.
Get your company noticed with corporate and PR photography.
26
Rest assured you’re insured
In recent years it would appear that the insurance industry has
gradually moved further and further away from providing a personal
service.
To counter this trend John Palmer has just launched his own insurance
business, Coversure Insurance Services (Poole), operating from premises
in Upper Parkstone. With 12 years experience working for a well known
insurance company, four of them as manager at a branch that he
established and then developed into a thriving business in its own right,
he is well placed to do it all again, but for himself this time.
John commented, ‘Recent research reveals that a large proportion of
individuals and businesses are either under-insured, or not insured at
all for the purpose they thought they were covered for’. He continued, ‘A
good example of this is the rise in self-employed people who work from
home believing that their domestic home policy will cover them for use
of home as a business. This is not the case with the majority of policies,
especially in respect of public liability, and I would advise everyone to
check the level of their cover’.
Chris, a local business owner thought he was covered for the
installation, in multi million pound homes, of the showers/baths he
supplies, until he checked with Coversure. He remarked, ‘It transpired
that I was only covered for public liability on my own premises, so if I had
caused any kind of problem or accident on-site I would have been liable.
Not having the right cover could have cost me my business so I can’t
thank John enough for his thoroughness and professionalism’.
As well as the problem with under-insurance it has also recently come
to light that the well known insurance comparison sites, as advertised on
television, are not all as competitive as they claim to be, and therefore
the customer has not been
getting a full range of likefor-like quotes.
Coversure, as the name
suggests, ensures that the
cover supplied matches
exactly, or betters, that
requested by the client, and
at the best price possible.
This applies to all cover, from John Palmer
Motor/Van/Fleet Insurance
to Home and Contents/Buildings Insurance and from Public Liability to
Landlords Insurance, in fact you name it and Coversure will be able to
assist.
It is the intention to build long term relationships with clients and to
this end John will be getting back on the networking trail, where to
many he is already well known. Coversure is different from other brokers
in the sense that a face-to-face service is offered, both in respect of
insurance offered and claims made, with, thankfully, no distant callcentres and their inherent problems.
John is currently offering a FREE without obligation INSURANCE
HEALTHCHECK, when quoting The Business.
If you would like more information about the services provided
by Coversure you can call John on 01202 929141, by e-mail at
[email protected] or you can visit
www.coversure.co.uk/office/poole
To the door...
Howard Woodward, Managing
Director of Mail Boxes Etc., the
local business services provider,
had an unusual event to deal
with just before Christmas.
A passing van veered off the
road and crashed into the front
of the Lansdowne store, luckily
no-one was injured.
Howard commented, ‘This
clearly wasn’t a Mail Boxes Etc.
delivery as we pride ourselves on
the quality of our service and all
our drivers are “encouraged” to
get out of their vehicle before making a delivery. “To the door” has a very
different connotation to “through the door” and I’m sure that’s the way
our customers prefer it!’
One of the specialist offerings provided by Mail Boxes Etc. is the
packaging and guaranteed safe delivery of parcels worldwide, ‘to the
door’, whatever their shape or size. The company has built an enviable
reputation, and customer loyalty, based on the quality and attention to
detail of this, and all the other services it provides.
For more information about all the services that Mail Boxes Etc.
has to offer visit www.mbebh1.co.uk, e-mail [email protected]
or ring 01202 299151.
R owan W hite P hotographic t e l l i n g s t o r i e s i n p i c t u r e s a n d w o r d s
27
Mercedes | BMW | MINI | Smart Independent Service Centre
property & devlopment
Your vehicle deserves the Star Treatment. Call us on 01202 694758 or visit star-tech.co.uk
Quality technicians you can trust
Investment in Poundbury
Mey House
Flooding hints and tips
As winter sets in and the weather takes a turn for the worse insurers
gear up to deal with increased claims. What can you do to prevent or
minimise the effects?
Let’s start with flooding. Last year saw extensive flooding affecting
homes and businesses across the UK. What can you do if you are
concerned about flooding, how can you prevent or minimise losses,
and what can you do should it happen.
If you are concerned..
Goadsby has recently taken instructions to market Mey House in
Poundbury which is an attractive multi let office investment which is
100% let. Mey House is an award winning landmark office building
providing modern office accommodation along with a good level of
parking. Goadsby is seeking offers in excess of £3.35m which reflects a
net initial yield of 8.07% after purchaser’s costs of 5.8%.
For further information contact Tom Chapman on 01202 550121.
Call your insurers as soon as you are able to do safely do so. Most have
emergency and out of hours numbers they can talk you through what
to do next. Be careful when returning to a property, it may be damaged
or have hidden dangers, especially if there is still flood water in it. Do not
drink the water or use the gas or electricity until you have been advised
by an expert that it is safe to do so. Take pictures of the damage to
property. Remember it can take weeks to dry out a property following
a flood, your insurers may find you alternative accommodation, check
your policy for this cover.
This really is a very brief overview, for further information feel free to
contact the office on 0845 270 6720 or e-mail
[email protected]
For more information regarding the products
offered by Aspire Insurance Services, or to see
how Tristan may assist you to find the correct
level of cover, telephone 01202 851165 or visit
the website at www.aspireinsure.co.uk
28
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
Road test: Peugeot 308 By Tim Saunders
It takes something
pretty special to
become the Car of
the Year.
And this is what
the Peugeot 308
achieved in 2014.
A new housing scheme worth £10.4m has been proposed for the
9-11 St Stephen’s Road car park site, near Bournemouth Square, to
encourage more families to live in the town centre. The plan is to build
up to 56 new homes, made up of eight town houses and 48 apartments
along with residential car parking.
It’s certainly a striking family hatchback
and its side profile reminds me a little of
the Mercedes A-Class, which can only be
good. However, it’s obviously far better than
that and during my time with it I have been
surprised on many fronts.
Highly commended for
Henderson Green design team
Dave Wolfenden
Preventing or minimising..
What if you are flooded..
SUCCESSFUL YEAR
19/08/2014 07:54
New family homes for Bournemouth
You can check with the Environment Agency who can advise if you
are in an area prone to flooding, also on the latest flood information in
your area. Gather all your insurance details including the out of hours
contact details for insurers, together with emergency contacts for staff,
customers and suppliers should you require to notify them. Place this
in a waterproof wallet. Make a pack if you feel you are at risk of being
stranded in the workplace, torch, phone charger, warm clothing. You
can install measure to protect property, lots of information can be
found at The National Flood Forum.
What can you do when you feel flooding is inevitable? Keep safe, your
own safety is most important. The safety of those around you. You may
have to plan for children, elderly or disabled. Check with neighbours;
consider how to look after pets. To minimise damage can you safely
move more expensive, electrical or sentimental items upstairs or higher
in the property. If there is time, move your home or fleet vehicles
safely to higher ground. Turn off gas and electricity supplies and water
supplies before you leave a property.
sponsors of driving force
ST_Masthead ad_210x22.5_aw.indd 1
Henderson Green, a south coast building services consultancy, has
received a Highly Commended award at the Building Better Healthcare
Awards 2014. The consultancy was proud to be part of the design team
for the recognised Teenage Young Adult Unit at Southampton General
Hospital.
Henderson Green was responsible for the design and implementation
of all the electrical and mechanical services to the six in-patient beds
and day care facilities, and worked in close collaboration with principle
contractor Kier, Studio Four Architects and structural engineers, White
Structures.
2014 saw turnover increase by 12% for
Ferndown and Andover based Abacus Vehicle
Hire, with trade increasing at its hire centre
in Andover which opened in 2011, and the
welcome return of many corporate clients
who have seen their own businesses increase
and so require additional transport. The
diverse choice of vehicles on the 600 strong
Abacus fleet received a £1.2m investment in
2014 to ensure that the average age of cars,
vans, trucks, minibuses and motorhomes is
maintained at 2.5 years.
‘I’m delighted with the results as it’s a
very real barometer as to how many of our
customers are returning to a more confident
level,’ said Dave Wolfenden, Managing
Director and founder of Abacus.
In the spring, Abacus will complete a
£500,000 extension to its Andover Hire Centre
with undercover vehicle check in/out area and
will offer employment to an additional three
people. There will also be a delivery of 20 new
motorhomes following a £810,000 order now
placed in time for the new season.
Resilient economy drives firm
real estate outlook in the south
„„ Tenant demand in the south rises for the ninth consecutive quarter
across each market sector
„„ Sharp fall in availability of space compounded further by Permitted
Development Rights
„„ Strength of investment enquiries points to further material gains in
capital values
Tenant demand for commercial property continues to rise, at the allsector level in the south, for the ninth consecutive quarter according
to the latest RICS Commercial Market Survey, with 31% more chartered
surveyors across the region also reporting greater investment interest.
February 2015
Firstly, you would be forgiven for thinking
that you were driving a sporty 1.8-litre or
2-litre but it is only powered by a 1.2-litre
petrol engine. The engineers at Peugeot have
worked overtime getting as much as they
possibly can from this tiddly little unit, which
produces a sporty 130bhp. Needless to say
it’s a joy to drive and the smooth six speed
automatic gearbox can even be driven like a
manual should the mood allow. This is a feel
good car; one in which the driver is equipped
to tackle any challenges the open road
throws at him. If extra oomph is required
simply press the sports mode located to the
left of the gearbox. While it doesn’t provide
lightning performance it does increase the
revs and a little ‘s’ appears on the dash. If
conditions become icy there’s an ice mode
to the right of the gearbox giving the driver
extra security that the vehicle isn’t going to
slide down the road.
With its comfy seats and bags of technology
this is certainly a driver’s car. Many of the
controls can be found on the centre console,
home to the sat nav and the reversing
camera. The heating controls for instance are
operated from here. This is all very well but it
is actually slower than the traditional manual
dial I find. I still find that there is a delay when
engaging the auto box and the electronic
parking brake, which while easy to use, is not
as attractive to me as a traditional handbrake.
The panoramic glass roof, a £500 option on
the test model, is a fantastic addition because
it makes the cabin light and airy. There’s an
electric cover, too. We all agree that this roof
should also be a sunroof because sometimes
you want the option of being able to open
the roof up.
As cars become wider some speed bumps
that are meant to be the width of a car
forcing drivers to slow down are actually not
wide enough for the 308, which for the driver
is a joy but defeats the object of sleeping
policemen.
The Pug is a versatile car looking the part no
matter what the plan; family or business. It
will transport a dishwasher to the tip, collect
a load of logs and swallow enough luggage
for a family get away.
‘If you’re on the hunt for a family hatchback
then the new Peugeot 308 needs to be on your
list,’ writes Parkers, the car experts. ‘There isn’t
one particular stand-out reason for this but
a host of smaller reasons that add up to a
compelling case for the new 308 as your next
new car. As any family knows you need great
practicality, low running costs and a real value
for money price tag. The 308 is claimed to have
the biggest boot in its class, and it can stow
significantly more luggage than the popular
Ford Focus and company car favourite, the VW
Golf.
‘Running costs are kept low thanks to frugal
and low-emission diesel and petrol engines,
with the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel
particularly kind to wallets. The 92bhp diesel
has an official average figure of over 78mpg so
high 60s should be possible in everyday driving.’
Watch the video at www.testdrives.biz
Facts at a glance
New price range: £14,995 - £25,945
Top speed: 124mph Power: 130bhp
0-60mph: 9.8secs
Economy: 54mpg
Visitor registration goes live
CV Show 2015 visitor registration has gone live
at www.cvshow.com and the organisers are
confident that this year’s show at Birmingham’s
NEC from 14th–16th April has everything it
needs to make the event another runaway
success.
February 2015
29
Q&A
driving force
From the BBC
to the
Blue Lamp Trust
Quentin Willson
Motoring expert and former Top
Gear presenter Quentin Willson
is to visit Hampshire later
this year in a bid to make the
county’s roads a safer place.
Hampshire charity The Blue
Lamp Trust has unveiled the
presenter and writer as its guest
speaker for this year’s annual
conference.
Quentin Willson will provide
the keynote speech at this
year’s event, to be held at the
Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service
Headquarters in Eastleigh on
15th May.
The Blue Lamp Trust, which
provides driver training for
businesses and puts all of
its profits into a scheme to
help victims of crime, runs
its conference every year to
hammer home the importance
of safe driving for Hampshire
businesses.
The conference is free and
aimed at employers, directors,
HR managers, fleet managers
and health & safety managers.
To reserve a free place at the
event, e-mail
[email protected]
30
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
UK car
manufacturing
defies export
challenges with
year of growth
„„1,528,148 cars manufactured
in the UK in 2014 – a 1.2%
increase on the previous year
and the best year since 2007.
„„Strongest December in a
decade saw 108,721 cars
produced, up 27.1% on
December 2013.
„„Growth comes despite
challenges in some export
markets.
„„Output for the UK market
matched the growth in overall
UK registrations, rising 8.0%.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief
Executive, said, ‘Placed in
context, a 1.2% growth in UK
car manufacturing in 2014
represents a very successful
year. The industry has overcome
various challenges, including
slower than expected EU recovery
and weakness in some global
markets.‘
L-r: Callum Holland, Tyrone Wright, Gene Garrett-Sadler, James Butler,
Jamie Speed, James Smith, Kevin Davies and Jack Simpson
NEW TEAM AT WESTOVER RENAULT
BLAST 2014 TARGETS
The team at Westover Renault
smashed the 2014 targets set by
the manufacturer, thanks to a
consolidated team, an appealing
product range and some
strong offers throughout 2014.
December sales were up 165%
on 2013 and September 2014
saw the highest number of sales
of one model ever for Westover
Renault, with no less than 101
Clios ordered in those few weeks
alone.
‘This is a real sign that Dorset
has got its mojo back!’ says Chris
Swain, Westover Renault Brand
Manager. ‘We’ve definitely seen
a boost in confidence in the
region over the last few months,
with buyers increasingly eager to
consider upgrading their car to a
new model.
Safety first
Thatcham Research has named the Land Rover Discovery Sport as
the winner of the What Car? Car of the Year Safety Award.
‘The smaller vehicles are
our most popular ones at the
moment because people still
have a keen eye on day to
day running costs, hence the
runaway success of the Clio
and the surge in enquiries for
the Captur crossover and the
Zoe electric car. Encouragingly,
62% and 68% of our Clio and
Captur sales respectively are to
people who have never owned
a Renault before, which really
says something about the level
of interest in the brand at the
moment.
‘We’ve got a superb team on
board here now, led by our Sales
Manager, Jamie Speed. They’re
all young and there’s a great
relationship between them –
plenty of banter and enthusiasm,
coupled with a real desire to
deliver top quality customer
service.’
Prices for a new Renault start
from just £9,489.
l www.westovergroup.co.uk
Monte Carlo or Bust!
Bournemouth-based Red Dragon
Motorsport (UK) has put together
another Helluvit Sports Car Tour,
scheduled to set off as dawn is
breaking on 12th April, 2015 to
travel down to Monaco to arrive
in time for the opening of a very
special motor show.
The organisers have planned the
run to mark the 10th Anniversary
of the foundation of the freeto-join Helluvit Sports Car Club.
The run is dedicated to Helluvit
member Colin Jones, also known
as ‘CJ’, a lifelong Aston Martin,
Jaguar and British motorbike fan,
who sadly passed away on 26th
November after a short illness.
The run is designed to arrive
in time for participants to attend
the Top Marques Monaco Luxury
and Supercar Show on 16th April.
James Bawa, Chief Executive, Teachers Building Society
James Bawa joined Teachers Building Society in 2002 and he has overseen the Society’s transformation
into a specialist lender in the education sector and Wessex region. As the UK recovers from the most
significant economic downturn in recent times, Teachers Building Society has just announced a second
consecutive record-breaking year for lending. In 2015 James is determined to keep the success going.
Q What was your first job?
Working as a porter at the Manchester Hotel –
it taught me a lot about work ethic and good
and bad management.
Q How did you first get started with
Teachers Building Society?
I was working in Scotland commuting each
week and I spotted the job advert in The
Times.
Q What has been your greatest business
achievement to date?
Probably last year – Teachers Building Society
yet again surpassed all its lending records
since it was founded in 1966 – and keeps
going from strength to strength.
Q Where do you see growth
opportunities for TBS?
We are just launching a range of specialist
mortgage products for education
professionals. This will ensure we are able to
cater for teachers from their first mortgage
right through into retirement. We hope to
bring out a specialist local product range in
the next few years too.
lucky I am to live in this part of the world.
management style?
Determined.
Q How would you describe your
Determined and a tad unorthodox. Through
the years I’ve learnt to laugh at myself and
recognise my weaknesses.
Q What has been you biggest challenge
during the past few years?
Q How would you like your staff to
describe you?
Q Whom do admire most in business
and why?
The late Sir Harvey Jones (ICI) – he could walk
into a business and immediately ‘smell’ what
wasn’t right and what needed fixing.
Getting through the financial crisis post 2008.
Had the government not rescued the big
banks who knows what life would have been
like for all of us.
Q What’s the most satisfying part of
graduate entering the business world?
Q What keeps you motivated in the
Q What advice would you give a
Work hard, always go the extra mile – and
don’t be too quick to write off the wise old
grey haired person in the office – his/her
counsel may one day be invaluable to you!
Q How do you relax after a busy day?
Going for a run along the beach looking out
towards the Purbecks and recognising how
your job?
Making people’s dreams come true – from
owning that first house to helping them move
into their dream home!
work environment?
Success – whether it’s seeing staff grow or
watching Teachers beat another target.
Q What is your favourite book and why?
Maverick! by Ricardo Semler – it personifies
that management doesn’t have to be
conventional.
Thinking of moving
home in the new year?
We’ve got mortgages wrapped up
Teachers Building Society is committed to providing a
personal, professional and efficient service alongside a
variety of mortgage products for Wessex* residents.
Our in-house underwriters assess each case individually
and on its own merits.
92% of new mortgage customers who completed our
survey rated our services as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in 2014.
*Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Copyright: David Jones, Red Dragon Motorsport (UK)
In previous years, the show has
been opened by James Bond film
star Roger Moore and HRH Prince
Albert of Monaco, but this year
the identity of the celebrity doing
the honours remains a closely-
guarded secret.
The dates of the run are: Sunday
12th April - Sunday 19th April
2015 (8 days, inclusive of travel).
l www.helluvit.co.uk
February 2015
Teachers Building Society, Allenview House, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1AG.
Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Register no. 156580).
February 2015
Visit teachersbs.co.uk or
call 0800 378 669 to speak to an advisor
Visit www.bizmag.co.uk
31
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