Northamptonshire company wins top accolade at the 2024 UK Employee Ownership awards
Northamptonshire based The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan are proud to announce that Tracey Calderwood has won Employee Owner of the Year in the prestigious UK Employee Ownership Awards (eoa).
These national awards recognise excellence within businesses and individuals who drive effective employee ownership practices and empower employee owners to unlock great impacts.
The Employee Owner of the Year award celebrates an individual within the company, irrespective of their seniority or role in the business, who is a true champion of employee ownership and has done the most to develop and promote employee ownership inside their business and beyond.
The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan, the Corby based food manufacturer and direct sales company, employs over 190 and 2024 has seen them celebrate their 40th year. The 1:1 Diet plan is sold exclusively through a network of over 6000 consultants based not only in the UK but also across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Tracey Calderwood, who is employed as Manufacturing Manager, has been a dedicated Stakeholder Trustee for seven years, championing employee ownership and company culture by keeping her team of 90 employee Stakeholders engaged through initiatives like morning energisers, weekly reflections, and the first-ever factory tour for all employee Stakeholders’ families. As Chair of the Charity Committee, Tracey leads fundraising and health and safety projects, embodying core values with creativity and commitment.
Chris McDermott, Chief Executive Officer of The 1:1 Diet, said: “It is a fantastic achievement for Tracey to win this award. Her dedication to the business, to employee ownership, but most importantly to her colleagues, is second to none, and for that to have been recognised through these award makes me very proud. These were the most competitive eoa awards ever, so for Tracey to win it shows just how significant her contribution to the business has been. We are all very proud of her.”
Amanda Hack MP visits Nestlé distribution centre at East Midlands Gateway
Amanda Hack MP, the newly elected Member of Parliament representing North West Leicestershire, visited the Nestlé Distribution Centre operated by GXO at the East Midlands Gateway logistics park on Friday 22 November 2024. The visit marks Ms Hack’s first engagement with the site since her election in July 2024.
During her visit, Ms Hack met with representatives from Nestlé’s Physical Logistics team, as well as members of the on-site GXO team. She was briefed on the vital role that the distribution centre plays in supporting the logistics of Nestlé products, facilitating distribution to locations across the UK and internationally, and its connection to Nestlé’s UK factories. On a guided tour of the facility, the MP witnessed first-hand the scale of operations and the highly advanced technologies and automated equipment deployed at the site. She also learned about Nestlé’s ongoing efforts to decarbonise its logistics and transport operations in the UK. This includes initiatives, such as the adoption of bioLNG and electric HGVs for its fleet, as well as ambitions to utilize rail freight to reduce road miles. The East Midlands Gateway distribution centre employs over 200 people, including one graduate placement annually and several apprentices, showcasing Nestlé’s commitment to employee development and community engagement. During her visit, Ms Hack was accompanied by representatives from the UK Food & Drink Federation, of which Nestlé is a proud member. Amanda Hack MP said: “As Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Food and Drink, it was great to visit the Nestlé Distribution Centre at the East Midlands Gateway to understand their logistics operation in the constituency and how this connects with the rest of the supply chain across the UK. “It was insightful to see first-hand the scale of the operation and the advanced technologies being utilised onsite. As part of my work on the APPG, I look forward to continuing engagement with Nestlé, the Food and Drink Federation and other food businesses locally.”Lincolnshire business shines on the international stage with net zero goals
The ambitious net-zero goals of leading potato supplier Branston have been recognised by a pioneering organisation that supports businesses around the world to tackle the climate crisis.
The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a corporate climate action strategy that enables companies and financial institutions to develop standards, tools and guidance in leading the way to a net-zero economy
This week, it has approved Branston’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, which encompasses the company’s near-term within the next 5-10 years, net-zero, and forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) targets. This showcases Branston’s alignment with SBTi’s rigorous net-zero standard criteria and near-term target criteria and recommendations.
Jim Windle, CEO of Branston, said: “As a leading produce and added value food business in the UK it is important to us that our ambitious climate targets have been validated by the SBTi. This ensures that our approach is robust, credible, transparent and aligned with acknowledged climate science. These targets represent a key step to developing a thorough climate strategy across all business sectors.”
Branston has committed to reaching overall net zero emissions across the value chain by 2050, with a near term target of 60% in Scope 1 & 2 emissions and 58.8% in scope 3 by 2033. Branston has also committed to an accelerated ambition target of 90% by 2035 for Scope 1 & 2 and for 90% for Scope 3 by 2050, all from a base year of 2021.
Branston’s progress towards net zero includes enhanced energy efficiency and greater use of renewable energy. It has nine photovoltaic (PV) systems across its three sites, which generate around 1.3 GWh energy annually as well as an anaerobic digestion plant that supplies 20% of the Lincoln site’s energy from waste potatoes unfit for human consumption.
Jim added: “Our team has already stepped up to the climate challenge and shown fantastic ingenuity when it comes to making the entire potato supply chain more environmentally friendly – from the field to shop shelves. By closely monitoring our outputs and consistently researching new opportunities for us to integrate better practices, we’re making great progress. There is of course plenty more to be done but with the backing of the SBTi and a clear pathway to get there, we look forward to working with our customers and suppliers in achieving these goals.”
Most recently, Branston has reviewed the opportunities for alternative fuels and is trialling an electric truck within its Scotland fleet and installing electric vehicle charges for staff at all sites. Extensive smart energy monitoring systems are also used to monitor electricity use on all major pieces of equipment to better understand and observe their energy use.
In Scope 3, Branston has been working with growers, the agri-tech community and universities to take carbon out of potato production. This includes low carbon fertilisers, reduced cultivations, alternative farm fuels and novel cold store design – part of a trial that is entering its third year. They’ve been working closely with B-hive Innovations, an agri-tech company which is dedicated to developing high-tech solutions to some of the fresh produce industry’s more complex problems, with a major focus on carbon reduction throughout the supply chain.
esbs appoints new BDM
Leicestershire-based Earl Shilton Building Society (esbs) has appointed Lee Nicholls as its new Business Development Manager (BDM). With a wealth of experience in the financial services sector, Lee brings an impressive background and a hands-on approach that aligns perfectly with esbs’ commitment to supporting brokers and members.
Lee has spent the last eight years working across various roles in the financial services industry. His career journey has taken him through customer service positions, mortgage advising, and brokering, culminating in his recent role as a Telephone BDM with another building society.
Reflecting on his decision to join esbs, Lee said: “The opportunity to work for another mutual organisation that prioritises its members and places common sense at the core of every decision was incredibly appealing to me. What I value most is the chance to work closely with brokers, especially on complex cases, helping them find solutions so they can grow their business alongside ours.”
Lee’s enthusiasm for his new role is evident in his appreciation for the Society’s collaborative environment.
“What I enjoy most about working here is the people and the fact that no two days are the same. Everyone is focused on achieving the same goal, creating a strong sense of team spirit. Plus, having all key decision-makers under one roof means we can quickly respond to enquiries and provide brokers with timely decisions on cases.”
Nottingham Venues reach final of Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards
Nottingham Venues has been named as a finalist in two categories at the 2024/25 Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards. The company has been shortlisted in the Business Events Venue of the Year category and its 4* hotel, The Orchard Hotel and Restaurant, is a finalist in the Hotel of the Year category.
Organised by Visit Nottinghamshire, The Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards 2024/25, celebrate excellence across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s tourism, leisure, culture, and hospitality sectors.
The awards serve as a platform to showcase best practices and acknowledge the organisations and individuals making significant contributions to the region’s tourism industry. From B&Bs and major tourist attractions to city centre hotels and business event venues, the diverse award categories reflect the breadth of Nottinghamshire’s tourism landscape.
Nottingham Venues locations, which include The Orchard Hotel and Restaurant, the East Midlands Conference Centre, the Jubilee Hotel and Conferences and Campus Venues are all located within the grounds of the University of Nottingham campus and welcome tens of thousands of business and leisure guests each year.
The company has invested significantly into all venues over recent years to ensure they continue to provide an excellent guest experience, which is one of the reasons it has been shortlisted in the Business Events Venue of the Year category.
Stephanie Moss-Pearce, Director of Marketing at Nottingham Venues, said: “We have focussed on enhancing the guest experience at all venues over recent years, both in terms of refurbishing areas of all venues and investing in our staff teams. This has led to improvements in levels of customer satisfaction, staff engagement and, in turn, repeat bookings which we are all thrilled with.
“Being shortlisted in two categories is amazing recognition of our hard work and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that we are successful on the night.”
Built in 2012, The Orchard Hotel and Restaurant features 203 en-suite rooms, 4 state-of-the-art meeting rooms, fitness facilities and a contemporary brasserie. The hotel was built to exceptional sustainability standards and has achieved the ECOSmart Silver Award and is rated BREEAM Excellent.
The hotel is located adjacent to the East Midlands Conference Centre and both venues work in partnership to provide an unrivalled guest experience for a range of events including corporate meetings, conferences, exhibitions, team-building events, training workshops and weddings.
The partnership between all locations that make up Nottingham Venues also supports the University of Nottingham Sport, enabling large scale international sports events to take place at the University, such as this year’s Touch Rugby World Cup. This is building The University of Nottingham’s reputation as a destination for major sports events which brings thousands of tourists to Nottingham each year.
Christine Bailey, Assistant Director of Sport at The University of Nottingham, said: “We have worked closely in partnership with Nottingham Venues to establish and embed University of Nottingham’s reputation as a destination for major sports events and we are really proud to see this culminate in hosting the Touch World Cup 2024 – the largest sports event to come to the city of Nottingham.
“Together with England Touch and the Federation of International Touch, we had over 10,000 visitors to the city, generating in excess of £5m economic impact locally as well as raising the profile of the sport to encourage future generations to take part. We’re delighted to see all of this recognised in the upcoming Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards.”
The winners of The Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards will be revealed at the Awards Dinner taking place on 20th March 2025 at The East Midlands Conference Centre.
Frontier Software named as supplier on G-Cloud 14 Framework
Frontier Software have been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s G-Cloud 14 Framework, Lot 2: Cloud software, for applications that are accessed over the internet or private network and hosted in the cloud.
G-Cloud 14 is an online catalogue hosted on the Digital Marketplace. It offers a quick and easy way for the UK public sector to procure and organisations using the frameworks can make purchases without a lengthy procurement or tender process.
Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2023/24, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £4.9 billion – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
Frontier Software has 40 years of experience in the provision of HR & Payroll software/services and is pleased to be a named as a supplier on the framework.
The Frontier Software ichris software (International Comprehensive Human Resource Integrated Software) is a functionally rich, highly configurable, and fully integrated system for cloud or on-premise.
The company has offices across the UK, including one in Nottingham providing outsourced payroll services to a wide range of organisations across all market sectors.
Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2023/24, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £4.9 billion – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
Frontier Software has 40 years of experience in the provision of HR & Payroll software/services and is pleased to be a named as a supplier on the framework.
The Frontier Software ichris software (International Comprehensive Human Resource Integrated Software) is a functionally rich, highly configurable, and fully integrated system for cloud or on-premise.
The company has offices across the UK, including one in Nottingham providing outsourced payroll services to a wide range of organisations across all market sectors. Nottinghamshire County Council to go out to tender for electric vehicle charging project
A project to install more public electric vehicle chargepoints on residential streets in Nottinghamshire has reached a key milestone as the county council prepares to go out to tender for infrastructure suppliers.
Nottinghamshire County Council will now lead the 10-week tender on behalf of a consortium of four other councils across the region as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Project, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The consortium, which has a LEVI funding allocation of more than £17 million, includes Nottingham City Council, Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, and Staffordshire County Council. Each council will be responsible for managing their own contract with the chosen suppliers.
Nottinghamshire has been allocated £5.5m from the LEVI fund for the countywide installation of public chargepoints in areas where residents don’t have access to off-street parking, such as driveways and garages.
The tender will seek to appoint two separate suppliers, one for standard chargepoints, which will make up the majority of the offering, and another for rapid chargepoints.
The county council has been working closely with Midlands Connect, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and the Energy Saving Trust as part of the project, with chargepoint installations projected to begin in spring 2026.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “This is great news for residents across Nottinghamshire who may not have access to off-street parking but would like to make more sustainable transport choices in the future.
“It is our ambition to improve local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure across Nottinghamshire and we are delighted to be leading a consortium of local authorities to achieve this ambition with support from Midlands Connect.
“We will be out to tender in the new year, and I look forward to seeing how this project develops.”
Councillor Neghat Khan, Nottingham City Council Leader and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Transport and Communications, said: “This is a significant step towards making Nottingham and its surrounding towns and villages cleaner and greener. By providing more accessible charging infrastructure for residents without off-street parking, we’re making sustainable transport a viable choice for everyone.”
Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, Mark Deaville, said: “We look forward to the LEVI project progressing with our partners as the tender process for infrastructure suppliers begins. By working with Nottinghamshire County Council and other local authorities, we will be in the strongest position to attract the best commercial providers to install the infrastructure across our counties and cities.
“We’ve identified the most appropriate places for charging points and will continue to work with our residents and businesses to support the transition to more sustainable transport.”
Iconic shoe brand slips to a loss in first half as revenue dips
Northamptonshire shoe brand Dr. Martens has slipped to a pre-tax loss in the first half of its financial year, as revenue dropped.
Results for the 26 weeks ended 29 September 2024 highlight a pre-tax loss of £28.7m, in comparison to a £25.8m pre-tax profit in same period last year.
Dr. Martens noted that this was impacted by reduced revenue, which saw an 18% decline to £324.6m, together with exceptional charges of £9.2m, largely related to its cost savings plan.
The cost savings plan is set to deliver £25m in FY26.
Kenny Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our first half performance was in line with expectations and we remain confident in our ability to deliver on our plans and the targets we set for FY25.
“As we shared in May, this is a year of transition and we have made good progress with our four main objectives: pivot our marketing to a relentless focus on our product, turn around our USA DTC performance, reduce our operating cost base and strengthen the balance sheet.
“Our new marketing campaigns are showing encouraging early signs, with strong sales of new product, giving us confidence that we will return USA DTC to positive growth in the second half.
“We took swift action to implement cost savings and now anticipate the benefit of this in FY26 to be at the top of the previous guidance range of £20-£25m, alongside an ongoing focus on tight cost control throughout the business.
“We have delivered a significant reduction in both inventory and net debt, together with successfully refinancing our debt facilities. The early success of our new product ranges provides a strong foundation as we enter the important peak trading period and as I prepare to hand over the reins to Ije in the new year.”
Willshee’s Waste & Recycling expands in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire with acquisition
Willshee’s Waste & Recycling has acquired Stanton Recycling, an established waste and recycling service provider.
The acquisition marks a strategic expansion for Willshee’s throughout Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, enhancing both its regional presence and service capabilities.
Founded in 2004, Stanton Recycling has provided extensive municipal waste, mixed recycling and organic waste services across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The acquisition of the company will increase Willshee’s Waste & Recycling’s employee numbers to in excess of 160.
The existing Stanton Recycling employees will continue in their roles under Willshee’s leadership.
Stanton Recycling’s Ilkeston site becomes Willshee’s Waste & Recycling’s fifth site – joining sites in Burton-On-Trent and Swadlincote.
Dean Willshee, Managing Director of Willshee’s, said: “Acquiring Stanton Recycling enables us to expand our reach across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire along with bringing new organic waste capabilities to our existing clients.
“Looking ahead, we’re aiming to further strengthen our business, create more local jobs and drive positive environmental change across the region.”
Marktlink were the lead M&A advisor for Willshee’s Waste & Recycling with Shoosmiths providing legal advice. Stanton Recycling received financial advice from their accountant Ashgates and legal advice from Gateley.
Government makes £3bn available for housebuilders in new support package
A new £3bn support package for housebuilders has been launched by the government to help builders apply for more accessible loans, reducing the risk for lenders and encouraging them to increase the supply of credit for housebuilders.
It’s hoped that housands of new homes will be delivered across the country as a result, supporting the ambition to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years.
This includes doubling the ENABLE Build scheme to £2 billion so smaller housebuilders and firms can support the delivery of over 10,000 new homes, including more student accommodation and specialised housing for older people, in areas most in need.
Build-to-Rent developers will also see the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme reopen at the end of the year, with nearly £2 billion available to ramp up housebuilding. A broader variety of projects will be eligible to access additional lending, so more housing projects can be completed without unnecessary delays.
Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said: “SME housebuilders and Build to Rent operators have a crucial role to play in delivering the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.
“The significant additional support provided by our housing guarantee schemes will enable them to access low-cost loans and support the building of thousands of new homes across the country”.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “SME house builders have a crucial role to play in helping to deliver the Government’s ambitious target to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. In recent years, small house builders have faced a particularly difficult set of financial challenges. Diversification of the UK’s housing market is essential to deliver the number of homes needed.
“The Government’s announcement providing greater support for small housebuilders is welcome news. For the Government’s plans to succeed, it will be crucial that this lending is available for those small house builders who need it most and can build the homes this country needs.”
