Associate director at Ashby property consultancy voted national deputy chair of key industry association
An associate director at a property consultancy has been voted national deputy chair of a key pipeline industry association.
Rachel Bridge, of Fisher German, has become the deputy chair of the Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG), the only association worldwide to cater directly for the needs of the pipeline industry.
The role will see her sit on the executive committee of PIG, looking at the development of the industry right across the UK, before becoming national chair in 2024 – one of only a small number of women to ever take up the position.
Rachel was first introduced to PIG during a university placement in 2007 and has since been an active member, taking on the role of Midlands chair in 2020.
She is now set to focus on driving sustainability across the sector as part of the guild’s 2025 strategy.
She also has a passion for education and has ambitions to educate young people on the importance of the sector and the varied career paths it offers.
Rachel is an associate director within Fisher German’s Infrastructure Services Division, and is based at the firm’s Ashby office.
She is responsible for business development and bidding for new infrastructure work and also has more than 10 years of experience managing infrastructure assets across the oil and fibre sectors.
Rachel said: “I am very pleased to be voted in as national deputy chair at such an exciting time for the industry.
“We are entering a green revolution which focuses on sustainability for now and the future, and PIG sees itself as being central to this.
“There are some major multimillion pound infrastructure projects set to take place across the UK, and I will be looking to drive innovation across the whole sector, exploring new technologies and encouraging the sharing of best practice.
“Education is a passion of mine and I will be ensuring that we connect with people at a young age so that we have a diverse pool of talented individuals joining the industry.
“With a number of major projects on the horizon we need to have motivated people coming into the industry to help make these happen.”
Family Law Group to transfer ownership to staff
Family law specialists, Family Law Group, has announced that 2022 will see the transfer of ownership to its staff, by becoming an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
This is the first step in empowering the firm’s lawyers to drive the business forward and to support the strategic growth plan to become the largest family law firm in the country. The aim is to grow to 15 offices, creating up to 100 new jobs, and launch a national telephone advice line, in the next five years.
75% of the group, which currently has over 130 employees across 10 offices, will now be owned by the EOT, and all staff, regardless of seniority, will receive equal annual bonuses based upon the firm’s performance. Whilst the day to day running of the firm will remain with the existing management team, as an employee-owned business, any decisions taken are now done for the benefit of all staff.
Simon Leach, director at Family Law Group, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to finalise the transfer of ownership of this firm to the most important people within it, its highly talented staff. This move is about empowering our lawyers to take ownership of the firm in respect of its direction and commitment to our core values and purpose. They will now have a greater input in to the day to day running of the firm, and the decisions that are made as we grow.
“My values align very strongly with those of the Cooperative Movement. I can think of no better application of such principles than a firm of solicitors whose product is the very people who will benefit from the EOT, namely, our lawyers and those who support them in their work.
“As a firm, we have already grown considerably over the last 4 years. We now have 10 offices and over 130 staff. It is imperative that we ensure our model is right to not only retain the lawyers who contribute to our success, but also to be able to attract the highest quality talent to our growing business.
“The move to an EOT is a way of ensuring the longevity of our firm. We really value our staff, and this was one way of demonstrating that. In the long term as we grow, we intend to become 100% employee owned.”
Deb Oxley, Chief Executive of the EOA (Employee Ownership Association), said: “We congratulate Family Law Group on its move to employee ownership – sustaining its values and independence for the longer term.
“Businesses that give employees a stake and a say, build trust and shared responsibility, therefore uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose. This leaves the business in a better position to flex and adapt – key qualities needed to help the UK Build Back Better.”
Established in 2005, Family Law Group has over 130 employees across 10 offices in Nottingham, Chesterfield, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Wellingborough, Derby, Loughborough, Peterborough, Bedford and Cambridge.
Property experts suggest market is returning to normal after boom
Experts have suggested that the property market may be returning to normal after a turbulent couple of years.
Danny Luke has been examining the number of property sales that fall through before completion, suggesting that the figures can offer an insight into the health of the property market.
Danny, from quick house sale company Quick Move Now, explains: “We usually expect between one-in-three and one-in-four property sales to fail before completion. Between July and September of this year, when people were rushing to get their sale completed before the stamp duty holiday deadline and there was a shortage of properties on the market, just 11 percent of property sales fell through.
“Although, on the face of it, a low sale fall through rate would appear to be good news for the property market, the usually low figures made it clear that the market was not operating under usual circumstances and was experiencing an imbalance.
“By the end of 2021, the fall through rate had returned to a more expected level, with 34 percent of sales failing to complete. This indicates that the market is beginning to return to more normal conditions.
“If we want to understand what’s happening to the market, it’s important that we also study the reasons for failed sales. Although fall through rates have returned to more normal levels, the reasons for the failed sales give us an insight into the psychology of home buyer and sellers. Of the sales that fell through in the last three months of 2021, 50 percent were the result of the buyer changing their mind or attempting to renegotiate their offer. This would indicate that buyers are feeling under pressure to make high offers and then reconsidering how much they’re happy to pay when the sale is in progress and the pressure eases a little.
“A further 28 percent of fall throughs were due to gazumping or because the seller felt the sale wasn’t progressing quickly enough, so it seems buyers are right to feel the pressure when it comes to price and speed.”
Manufacturing giants back city’s efforts to save Derby County
Derby’s major employers have given their backing to efforts by the city to ensure the survival of Derby County.
Its three manufacturing giants – Alstom, Rolls-Royce and Toyota – all of whom employ several thousand Rams fans – have added their support to those battling to save the club.
Last week, Team Derby, which includes Marketing Derby, Derby City Council and local MPs, was established with the aim of working with Quantuma – the club’s administrators – and the English Football League (EFL) to find a solution to the Rams crisis. There are now just days left before the club faces expulsion from the league if it cannot prove to the EFL it has the funds to complete the season. Team Derby have been in contact with the EFL and Quantuma today to discuss this and other issues. In the meantime, Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of the city council, has welcomed the messages of support from the city’s employers. He said: “It’s just as unthinkable to imagine our city without Derby County as it would to be without our major companies – they are all massive contributors to the heartbeat of the city and our communities. It’s so great to see that our iconic employers are supporting the campaign to save the Rams.” Efforts to save the club have so far received overwhelming support, both locally and nationally, with a petition calling on the Sports Minister to intervene recently exceeding 60,000 signatures. Backing those efforts, in a statement, Rolls-Royce said: “Rolls-Royce has been based in Derby for more than a century and generations of our employees have passionately supported Derby County Football Club. “Today, we share the concern of all fans over the fate of Derby County and support efforts to ensure its survival. We are continuing to follow developments and Team Derby’s work to ensure the club can continue to be a cornerstone of our community.” In its statement, Alstom, which has its train-building site in Litchurch Lane, said: “Derby County is of huge importance to the city and to many of us personally at Alstom. We support all efforts to ensure the club has a bright future.” And in a statement, Toyota said: “Toyota has been proud to be a Derby County sponsor over the past 30 years. We are incredibly supportive of the team and all the personnel that work there to make each match a fantastic event. “We realise that Derby County is extremely important to our members and the city as a whole and that they are a keystone within the local community, not only through the club but also through the community work that they carry out. “We sincerely hope that the current situation can be resolved quickly and that their focus can get back onto the field.” These messages join a chorus of support, which also includes famous fans, such as One Direction star Niall Horan and actors Robert Lindsay and Jack O’Connell. Big names in the world of football have also called for Derby County to be saved, including high-profile pundits such as Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Gary Neville. The campaign to save the club has also received support from politicians – and not just local MPs. The matter was raised in Parliament last week and the political momentum could be set to continue this week in the House of Lords, with Lord Ravensdale seeking to raise a question about Derby’s plight. This week is a critical week in terms of the future of the club and progress needs to be made on the preferred bidder in the next few days. Administrators have been set a deadline of 1 February to prove it has the funds in place to complete the season. The club is up for sale, with three serious bids on the table. The EFL has called for “urgent clarification” from the administrators as to the identity of its preferred bidder. And the EFL also wants to know how the Rams intend to deal with claims made against the club by Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers, which is one of the factors holding up the takeover. Last week, Team Derby had separate meetings with Quantuma and the EFL to establish their positions – and how the city could help bring about a solution. Today, the group will discuss with Quantuma how it intends to respond to the EFL’s demands. John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, said: “Since the campaign was launched last week, the future of Derby County has become a national story attracting tremendous support from across the UK. “This week, we focus on the solutions. Team Derby will continue to put pressure on all the key players, including the administrators and the EFL, to find a solution and we will hope to meet the preferred bidders to give them confidence that investing in the club and in the wider community will be one of the most exciting deals they will ever have done.”National Awards the Next Stop for High-Flying Grantham Business
Staff at leading Lincolnshire sign manufacturer Viking Signs will find out on January 27 if theirs is the UK’s best small manufacturing business.
The Grantham-based firm won a place at the national Make UK Manufacturing Awards when it was named Make UK Midlands & East SME of the Year in October last year.
Managing Director Darren Joint will be at the awards dinner at East Wintergarden, London on Thursday to find out if Viking Signs has won the national award, along with his parents and company founders Simon and Michele Joint.
“Winning the Midlands and East Manufacturing SME of the Year was a fantastic achievement for the whole Viking Signs team,” he said.
“To be considered as a national winner of this prestigious Make UK award is a huge endorsement of all the hard work my team has put in over the last few years and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them!
“We believe that our manufacturing on demand model offers huge advantages in terms of speed, service, choice and contribution to achieving net zero. If being shortlisted and maybe even winning this award gives us a platform to share these advantages with our UK manufacturing peers then it’s a double win for us.”
Since he became MD in 2007 Darren has grown Viking Signs 20-fold and the business now offers the UK’s largest range of safety signs, manufacturing more than 50,000 signs and labels every month on demand, for free next day delivery.
Viking Signs, a pioneer in lean, on-demand manufacturing, is also a supplier of sign, label and engraved components to many other local Lincolnshire and national manufacturers with a website specifically designed for these customers: https://www.vikingmanufacturing.co.uk/
Make UK is the manufacturers’ organisation for the UK. To find out more about the national awards visit https://www.makeuk.org/news-and-events/awards-and-competitions/manufacturing-awards.
Watch the video here and follow the awards on social media using the hashtag #MakeUKAwards.
Pandemic has cost some East Midlands cities more than half a year’s worth of high street sales
Covid-19 has cost some city and large town centres in the East Midlands more than half a year’s worth of potential takings since March 2020. This is according to Cities Outlook 2022 – Centre for Cities’ annual economic assessment of the UK’s largest urban areas.
Central Nottingham is worst affected, losing 40 weeks of sales between the first lockdown and Omicron’s onset. Businesses in Leicester and Derby city centres are also among the worst hit.
Northampton city centre lost the fewest weeks of sales (12 weeks) in the East Midlands during the pandemic.
Nationally, Covid-19 has cost businesses in city and large town centres more than a third (35%) of their potential takings since March 2020, with central London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Cardiff worst affected. Across the 52 city and town centres studied, 2,426 commercial units have become vacant during the pandemic, against 1,374 between 2018 and 2020.
High streets in economically weaker places have been less impacted by Covid-19. Meanwhile in economically stronger places, business closures increased during the pandemic.
This suggests that the Government’s Covid-19 support successfully stalled the decline of many struggling high streets but was less effective in economically stronger places due to higher rents and a lack of custom from office workers.
That said, while stronger city centres have borne the economic brunt of the pandemic, their higher levels of affluence mean that, if restrictions end and office workers return, they will likely recover quickly.
Meanwhile, while government support has sheltered weaker places, it may have simply stored up pain for the future. The report warns that many less prosperous places in the East Midlands face a wave of new business closures this year.
To avoid permanently levelling down prosperous places, policy makers should run campaigns to encourage leisure visitors back when safe to do so and provide part-time season tickets to encourage workers back to the office.
For struggling places, policy makers drafting the Levelling Up White Paper should focus on dealing with struggling places’ fundamental economic problems to address high street decline. This means investing in skills and ways to strengthen the wider local economy to increase money in shoppers’ pockets, rather than on ‘cosmetic’ quick fixes such as hanging baskets and painting shop fronts.
Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said: “While the pandemic has been a tough time for all high streets it has levelled down more prosperous cities and towns in the East Midlands. Despite this, the strength of their wider local economies means they are well placed to recover quickly from the past two years.
“The bigger concern is for economically weaker places – primarily in the North and Midlands – where Covid-19 has actually paused their long-term decline. To help them avoid a wave of high street closures this year the Government must set out how it plans to increase peoples’ skills and pay to give them the income needed to sustain a thriving high street. Many of these places are in the so-called Red Wall so there is a political imperative for the Government to act fast, as well as an economic one.”
| Where have city and town centre businesses lost the most potential sales during the pandemic? | |||
| Rank (Regional) | Rank (National – out of 62) | Place | Weeks of lost sales |
| 1 | 9 | Nottingham | -40 |
| 2 | 18 | Leicester | -36 |
| 3 | 23 | Derby | -32 |
| 4 | 57 | Mansfield | -13 |
| 5 | 58 | Northampton | -12 |
| Where have city and town centre vacancy rates changed the most during the pandemic? | |||
| Rank (Regional) | Rank (National – out of 52) | Place | Percentage point change |
| 1 | 4 | Northampton | 6.2 |
| 2 | 16 | Leicester | 4.0 |
| 3 | 17 | Derby | 3.9 |
| 4 | 23 | Nottingham | 3.2 |
| 5 | 42 | Mansfield | 1.0 |
| Where had the highest and lowest shares of vacant city centre units after June 2021 | |||
| Rank (Regional) | Rank (National – out of 52) | Place | Percentage of city centre units vacant |
| 1 | 8 | Northampton | 24.5 |
| 2 | 11 | Derby | 23.3 |
| 3 | 17 | Leicester | 21.6 |
| 4 | 26 | Mansfield | 18.8 |
| 5 | 33 | Nottingham | 17.4 |
Land secured to deliver new Daventry neighbourhood with more than 1,000 homes
A major new neighbourhood of up to 1,100 homes, a primary school and community & retail space is coming to Daventry, after the site was acquired by Spitfire Homes in partnership with Crest Nicholson.
Located on the western edge of Daventry, the 50-hectare development already has outline planning permission for up to 1,100 new homes, a quarter of which will be affordable. The scheme will also incorporate more than 20 hectares of public open space, a new primary school, nursery and community centre, alongside food and retail units.
Spitfire Homes will partner with Crest Nicholson to deliver these new homes and bring the vision of this new community to life once detailed planning permission has been secured.
Ben Leather, Managing Director at Spitfire Homes, said: “This is a significant acquisition for Spitfire Homes, one that further supports our vision for expansion into new markets across the Midlands.
“Daventry is a growing market with high demand for new homes as strong transport links and employment opportunities make the area particularly attractive to new home buyers. Our vision for this scheme is to create a new address of choice within Daventry – a varied and vibrant community that people will be proud to call home.
“Partnering with Crest Nicholson will enable us to realise this vision and we look forward to working together to develop this exciting new community.”
Mike Little, Director in Charge at Crest Nicholson, Midlands, said: “This latest acquisition builds upon our already strong portfolio of homes in Daventry and our continued growth within the Midlands division.
“We are proud to be working alongside Spitfire Homes to deliver this brand-new community, which will provide high quality homes and a host of local amenities on the doorstep. The new partnership reinforces our commitment to create future-proof, sustainable communities that will benefit residents and the local area for decades to come.”
Notts PR firm boosts digital credentials
Former journalist Simon Ford has joined Nottinghamshire public relations agency Arch Communications – becoming the third ex-BBC man at the award-winning company.
Simon’s arrival signals a further strengthening of the Arch team – raising its combined experienced across journalism and PR to more than 120 years.
Based in the Rushcliffe village of East Leake, the company was set up in 2011 by Matt Youdale, himself a former BBC correspondent. Matt said: “Simon has a fantastic track record in journalism, digital technology and training. We’re excited about seeing those skills benefit both our clients and Arch Communications.”
Simon Ford is a specialist in creating text, video and audio for the web and social media. After working for BBC local radio news in Leeds, Nottingham and Leicester, he helped to train a new generation of digital journalists at the BBC College of Journalism and BBC Academy.
His expertise in bitesize learning then led to roles at BP, NHS England, and National Geographic. Simon also lectures part-time in digital media and journalism and writes and presents a series of true-crime podcasts.
Simon said: “Words and pictures are my passion. I’ve been fascinated by wordcraft and storytelling for as long as I can remember.
“Arch Communications has a powerful reputation for quality, creativity and integrity. I know I’m joining a great team and I look forward to playing my part in the company’s continuing success.”
Simon and Matt both worked for the BBC in Nottingham alongside Marcus Alton, who joined Arch as Head of PR last year.
Arch, which works across the public, private and charitable sectors, has won a number of top awards – most recently for delivering the best education PR campaign in the Midlands over the past two years.
The business operates on social enterprise principles, investing profit for community benefit. In a decade of trading, the agency has contributed more than £150,000 to local good causes through donations and pro bono work.
Services include publicity, copywriting, communications strategy, social media activity, crisis handling, media training and marketing support.
Mather Jamie strengthens commercial property and rural estates team
Loughborough-based specialist land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie has strengthened its commercial property and rural estates team following the appointment of Amber Forster as a rural estates assistant and Oriel Sufrini as a commercial management surveyor.
Amber, who lives in Shepshed, Leicestershire has a BA(Hons) History from Manchester Metropolitan University and previously worked as an office/accommodation manager in student accommodation in Loughborough. Prior to this she was a pensions administrator. In her new role she will be helping with the day-to-day management of residential and agricultural properties across a number of rural estates in the East Midlands.
Oriel Sufrini, who lives in Ruddington, Nottingham previously worked as a facilities and health and safety manager for a global aerospace company. She holds a LLB (Hons) law degree from Nottingham Trent University and Diploma in Occupational Safety, Health (DipOSH).
In her new role, Oriel will assist with the day-to-day management of Mather Jamie’s commercial management portfolio. She said: “The commercial management role at MJ really appealed to me as I really enjoy facilities management and liaising with clients, tenants and contractors.”
Commenting on her new role, Amber said: “Working in the rural estates team looked really interesting as I grew up locally so I am familiar with the area and some of the estates already. I really enjoy face to face interactions with customers and I am looking forward to building relationships with landlords and tenants. I also enjoy constantly learning new things and the role offers lots of variety.”
MHA MacIntyre Hudson becomes new patron of East Midlands Chamber
MHA MacIntyre Hudson has strengthened its relationship with East Midlands Chamber by becoming a new patron.
As well as its patronage, MHA MacIntyre Hudson becomes the latest partner of Generation Next, the Chamber’s network for young professionals and future business leaders in the East Midlands.
Neil Berry¸ Tax Partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s Leicester office said: “East Midlands Chamber works actively in our region to support the wide range of growing businesses and entrepreneurs, representing members and the wider business community on local, regional, national and international issues.
“MHA MacIntyre Hudson echoes this throughout its own organisation. We recognise the value this brings in truly connecting with our clients and influencing their business growth.
“We became a patron of the Chamber to increase the contribution we are able to make to other Chamber members and the East Midlands business community by providing greater access to our business services.”
MHA MacIntyre Hudson prides itself in working in partnership with clients ranging from solo entrepreneurs to multinational corporations.
The pandemic has created new opportunities for it to work with clients virtually, which the firm says has enabled it to devote care and attention to their needs while saving time and resources.
Neil added: “Our primary concern is our clients’ satisfaction. To achieve this, our culture is one of listening and responding to their needs, and seeking to exceed expectations. Looking after their interests involves combining our knowledge of your business with our professional skills and abilities.”
MHA MacIntyre Hudson has also supported its employees over the past couple of years while working from home by deploying a team of mental health first aiders, who aim to spot the signs of mental ill-health. Staff are offered free counselling and virtual GP services via an app.
All new employees to the firm can take part in a unique tree-planting programme that acts as a symbol of growth for their wellbeing and development.
East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “Bringing on board a firm with the heritage and stature of MHA MacIntyre Hudson as a patron is a fantastic coup for the Chamber.
We believe members of both the Chamber and our Generation Next network, which continues to go from strength to strength, will greatly benefit from the accountancy and business advisory expertise it has to offer.”
