Mansfield energy supplier collapses
Entice Energy, which comprises both Entice Energy Supply Limited and Simply Your Energy Limited, are to cease trading.
Based in Mansfield, Entice Energy supplies around 5,400 domestic customers.
In recent weeks there has been an unprecedented increase in global gas prices which is putting financial pressure on suppliers, seeing many go bust.
Hinckley-based Avro Energy entered administration in October, preceded by the collapse of Nottingham electricity and gas supplier, ENSTROGA.
Customers of Entice Energy will be contacted by their new supplier, which will be chosen by Ofgem.
Neil Lawrence, director of retail at Ofgem, said: “Ofgem’s number one priority is to protect customers. We know this is a worrying time for many people and news of a supplier going out of business can be unsettling.
“I want to reassure affected customers that they do not need to worry: under our safety net we’ll make sure your energy supplies continue. Ofgem will choose a new supplier for you and while we are doing this our advice is to wait until we appoint a new supplier and do not switch in the meantime. You can rely on your energy supply as normal. We will update you when we have chosen a new supplier, who will then get in touch about your tariff.
“Any customer concerned about paying their energy bill should contact their supplier to access the range of support that is available.”
Leicester wholesaler expands to new premises following rapid growth in vape and CBD
Rapid growth in the twin markets of vaping and cannabis oil has seen UK and international retailer JM Wholesale move to major new premises in Leicester.
Having outgrown its original city centre premises, the company has taken over 50,000 square foot premises in Whetstone, on the city’s fringe.
The site will include offices and warehouses, as well as a clean room, production facilities, a showroom and a conference room, in a six-figure investment by JM Wholesale on the fit-out.
Logie Rajan, CEO of JM Wholesale, said the new premises will last the company for another decade as he predicted ongoing growth for the business.
For now, the warehouse and offices will house 40 staff covering management, operations and product research and design. However the move also coincides with a recruitment drive which will see JM Wholesale take on a further 30 staff over coming months.
Logie said: “This move reflects our rapid expansion and our growth to take our position as one of the most prominent wholesalers in our industry.
“Specialists in business-to-business supplies, we are carving out a unique position in the vaping and CBD market.
“It’s an exciting time for everyone at the company and, on an individual note, I’m delighted to be able to supply employment and career development opportunities at a time when we’re all recovering from a difficult period in our professional and personal lives.”
Figures from Statista suggest that in 2019, the vape market in the United Kingdom generated a revenue of an estimated 2.8 billion US dollars, a figure which is set to rise to roughly 3.9 billion US dollars in 2023.
CBD use in the UK, meanwhile, has skyrocketed. In 2018, only around 250,000 Britons reported using CBD products. This was a time when the local market was largely unregulated, and CBD oil was all lumped under the label of “cannabis oil”.
Fast forward three short years, and the grass has grown immensely greener. The UK’s CBD market is currently the second largest in the world, surpassing other countries where CBD has been legal for longer. In 2020, 8.4 million people had consumed CBD products, or planned to.
Logie said: “We now have all the facilities necessary to become the leader in our field, with lab testing facilities and the ability to carry out cutting-edge research and development.
“So as the CBD and vape industry continues to grow, as the public loses its inhibitions about the products we serve and as CBD use in particular becomes a more accepted method of treating medical and mental health problems, we’re in a great position to expand further.”
Derbyshire Employers offering £500 Sign Up bonuses amid ‘staffing squeeze’
East Midlands employers are going above and beyond to recruit new staff – offering enticing perks including bonuses of up to £500.
Businesses are facing the most severe shortage of job candidates on record due to the post-lockdown surge in the economy and Brexit, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
But award-winning local firm, Sky Recruitment Solutions, says its clients are coming up with lucrative ways to attract the right candidates.
Sky, which has offices in Derby, Burton, Mansfield, Ripley, Huddersfield, and a sister white collar recruitment company called Capella Professional, based in Nottingham, is currently half-way through filling 200 jobs on behalf of online retailer Buy It Direct, at its new 563,000 sq ft warehouse near Castle Donington.
Buy It Direct is offering a £500 attendance bonus, with half paid after eight weeks and the remainder after a second eight-week period.
Meanwhile, another of Sky’s clients, a Burton-on-Trent-based warehouse and distribution firm which supplies the crafters industry, which is looking to fill 50 picking and packing roles with general warehouse duties, have a £250 attendance bonus on offer, if workers have less than three absences in the run-up to Christmas.
Another of Sky’s clients, TEX Plastics, in Allenton, Derby, which manufactures plastic components for life critical applications, electronic products and medical solutions, which has 20 vacancies, has a £25 weekly bonus based on attendance.
And a car manufacturer on Sky’s books, based in Foston, South Derbyshire, has increased its rates, with a bonus that is paid once workers go permanent. Ten to 15 production operatives are needed at the site.
David Torrington, Managing Director at Sky Recruitment Solutions said: “In 20 years, I have never seen anything like this in the sector, it is unparalleled. Never before have employers been offering such high incentives to encourage staff to join them. My concern is how businesses maintain this going forward. With higher rates of pay, there is a danger that these extra costs will be passed onto consumers.”
Beckie Elliott, Sky Recruitment Solutions’ business manager, said: “Most companies are now paying whatever they can to incentivise workers and motivate them to be able to stay.
“Obviously retention is important for them, but the turnover of staff is ridiculously high at the moment.”
Giving reasons for low retention rates, Beckie added: “Workers have more of a choice now of where they are going to work, rather than how it used to be.
“They could start a job and the next day, they could be offered a different job for £2 more an hour.
“Clients are doing what they can – it’s really competitive, our role is to partner our clients to attract and retain the right staff. We are trying to advise clients on the best approach to getting people through the door.”
To find out more, or for more information about any of the above vacancies, visit www.skyrecruitmentsolutions.co.uk
Green glory for Cawarden
Derby-based Specialist Contractor, Cawarden, has claimed two new awards to add to its 2021 collection of prizes – receiving gold and silver recognition from the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice delivered at the former Summit Colliery site in Nottinghamshire.
They competed against more than 800 other nominations and were presented with their trophies and certificates at a glittering presentation ceremony hosted by Liz Kendall MP at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London on November 15th, 2021.
Cawarden was awarded the accolades for the remediation and conservation work it carried out at the former colliery site on behalf of Bolsover Properties Ltd. Their work enabled the site to be re-developed for commercial/industrial use – all whilst providing a long-term sustainable solution to protect the existing botanical diversity that had flourished, including the Common Spotted-Orchid and Bee Orchid, and maintain the conservation status of Dingy Skipper butterflies.
The vision for the site was brought to life through the creation of new habitats and the relocation of rare species from their current locations on the site to the periphery of the development.
The project succeeded beyond expectations and has provided the population with a long-term future in the area. Numbers are such that expansion into new habitats – beyond the existing range – will likely occur in the future.
William Crooks, Cawarden Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to have won gold and silver in the International Green Apple Environment Awards. These prestigious award wins have shone a light on our unwavering commitment and passion for the environment. Also, the partnership approach we take to supporting our clients to achieve their sustainable development goals.
“We hope our work at Summit Colliery helps others around the world to learn from our achievements. These awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams who continue to raise the bar in the delivery of our works through industry and environmental best practices.”
Darren Rideout, Head of Land Regeneration & Planning at Bolsover Properties Ltd, congratulated Cawarden on their success: “Congratulations to Cawarden on winning gold and silver at the Green Apple Awards. I am incredibly proud that Summit Colliery has received this international award recognition.”
As a result of Cawarden’s Green Apple Award success, they have been invited to have their winning paper published in The Green Book, the leading international work of reference on environmental best practice, so that others around the world can follow their example and learn from their achievement. They could also progress to represent the United Kingdom in the Green World Awards 2022 and have 100 trees planted in their name as part of the United Nations Billion Trees initiative.
The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the country’s major recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.
The awards are organised by The Green Organisation – an international, independent, non-political, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.
The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management, REHIS and other independent bodies.
University of Derby is launching a new Business School and inviting the community to be involved in the planning process
Thoughts invited on plans for Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station site
Residents and interested parties have been invited to have their say on plans for the Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station site and a Local Development Order (LDO) that could give the green light to new industry and business projects and the potential of thousands of permanent highly-skilled jobs.
The power station, owned by international energy company Uniper, will close at the end of September 2024 in line with government policy to end coal-fired power generation.
Rushcliffe Borough Council want to hear views at rushcliffe.ratcliffeLDO.com from Monday November 29 and at two local events on helping secure its long-term future with a site of local, regional and national importance after its closure.
If taken forward, the LDO would grant planning permission for a range of modern industrial uses on the redeveloped site, including advanced manufacturing, low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, logistics, and research and development.
A masterplan for the site is currently being prepared to support the redevelopment, which will guide growth and development over the coming years including the proposals linked to the previously announced East Midlands Freeport and the Development Corporation that could create further jobs and significant investment.
The emerging vision for the site sets out the guiding principles by which the development would be brought forward, and seeks to deliver:
- A zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands
- Highly skilled jobs
- Modern industry and business uses, served by on-site sustainable energy generation and storage
- Advanced manufacturing, for example to produce electric car batteries
- A hub for research, development, and innovation, through links with universities, business support organisations and established industry.
- Tuesday November 30, 3pm-7pm at Thrumpton Village Hall, Church Lane, Thrumpton, NG11 0AX
- Tuesday December 7, 3pm-7pm at Gotham Memorial Hall, Nottingham Road, Gotham, NG11 0HE
County council approves 10-year vision for Nottinghamshire
A new plan which sets out Nottinghamshire County Council’s 10-year vision to deliver a “healthy, prosperous, and greener future” for communities has been approved.
The Nottinghamshire Plan is a nine-point blueprint shaped by the responses to the Big Notts Survey, which was conducted earlier this year and led to more than 12,000 residents having their say on their hopes and aspirations for the county.
County council leaders say the plan will address residents’ hopes and concerns as Nottinghamshire and the country continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and look to the next 10 years and beyond.
Levelling up life opportunities are at the heart of the wide-ranging plan by investing in priority communities, improving Nottinghamshire’s roads and pavements, and making core council services such as adults and children’s social care fit for the future.
The aspirational plan also outlines how securing greater investment by bringing more powers and funding from London to Nottinghamshire would support the delivery of major infrastructure projects like HS2 and the East Midlands Freeport.
Responding to residents’ concerns about climate change, the county council has also set itself a bold target of making all its activity net carbon neutral by 2030 – as well as planting more than 250,000 trees to support local biodiversity.
Set out in nine ambitions, the Nottinghamshire Plan details actions the council will fulfil over the next four years, including:
- piloting Family Hubs which give access to all family support services under one roof;
- providing sufficient school places in good schools so that parents have greater choice;
- creating the world’s first 5G Connected Forest within the historic Sherwood Forest area.
Council purchases shopping centre for £9.9m
Leicester City Council is the new owner of Leicester’s Haymarket Centre. The council has purchased the landmark shopping centre for £9.9m after securing a deal before the property went to market.
Funding for the purchase comes from a pot of £10m set aside for capital investment within the council’s overall capital programme. This funding can only be spent on buying or improving buildings or highways, and not on running services.
Before purchasing the property, the council was a major tenant of the previous owners, contributing 19 percent of all revenues paid to them. It paid rent for the Haymarket car park, Haymarket Theatre, Haymarket House (sub-let to Travelodge) and Haymarket Health (sexual health clinic).
Savings from rent payments and the income generated from rent paid by other tenants will give the council an income to continue to support critical services.
The shopping centre will be a major addition to the council’s Corporate Estate portfolio, which is worth more than £112m and includes buildings such as the Corn Exchange and Loseby Lane properties, but also 400 industrial units and 263 retail units, more than half of which are in neighbourhoods.
It also supports small businesses and start-ups by letting workspace at a low rent. However, the entire estate generates an annual income of more than £7m which the council uses to support services.
Leicester City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said: “This council has invested in property in Leicester for many generations. Unlike many other councils, we are continuing to invest in our own city, and these assets make a huge contribution to its economic prosperity.
“The Haymarket Centre is a significant and important addition to our holdings. It also fits in with our wider regeneration of this area, where we have already invested in a new bus station, the pedestrianisation of surrounding streets, and a new link road to St Margaret’s bus station.
“Government cuts to our revenue budget mean that like all councils we face very difficult spending decisions in the coming months. Using our capital budget in this way will generate much-needed income that we can spend on jobs and services, and will also give us the opportunity to have a positive impact on the city centre and the many businesses and jobs it provides.”
Built in the early 1970s, the Haymarket Centre is currently home to 65 shopping outlets. Major tenants include Matalan and B&M. The units leased by Primark, TK Maxx and Metro Bank are owned by another local authority outside the East Midlands.
The council will work with the current, experienced managing agents to operate the centre, whilst working on a medium to long-term plan looking at how its performance could be improved.
Focus to help decarbonise homes after Community Renewal Fund grant announced for Nottingham
Focus has welcomed the news that Nottingham City Council has been awarded £3m funding from the Government’s UK Community Renewal Fund (UK CRF), which will help accelerate the city’s 2028 net zero carbon ambition.
The city council will use the grant to deliver four key projects, including a £384,000 Nottingham Carbon Neutral Housing scheme which Focus has been appointed to advise on. The Cost vs Carbon Retrofit Roadmap seeks to transform the city’s existing housing stock of nearly 153,500 dwellings – 61.4% of which have an energy performance certificate of band D or lower – into carbon neutral homes using advanced retrofit strategies, fabric improvements and integration of solar photovoltaics and air-source heat pumps.
The project will enable the city council and stakeholders to introduce a programme of works in a logical manner with an increased level of engagement and understanding amongst citizens that will ease the way towards carbon neutral housing. It will develop the framework to deliver change at the pace and scale needed to effectively address the UK Government’s 2050 target and need to decarbonise existing homes.
Benefits include:
- Bridging the current knowledge gap between retrofit theory (what we think we can achieve) and retrofit practice (what is actually feasible).
- Identifying the most cost-effective retrofit strategies.
- A unified digital approach to retrofit evaluation to enable the gathering of large scale evidenced insights to support policy, industry and academia in the route to decarbonisation.
- Engaging the community and the workforce to make the implementation of the retrofit strategies more attractive and feasible.
- Training opportunities that can lead to new products, services, the creation of jobs, and an opportunity to gain further qualifications.
Food and gift fair to showcase Lincoln’s newest shoppable superstars
Visitors will be able to fill their boots full of Lincolnshire’s best produce, from unique gins that pack a punch of balanced and bold flavours to a curated array of retro hand-picked designer clothing at this year’s Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 November.
Lots of new, local and exciting exhibitors will be taking stands at the Lincolnshire Showground, including popular Anelise Home and Crowstick Interiors, which are both exhibiting at the event for the first time.
Anelise Home, offers stylish interiors with a personal touch. Liz Milns, owner of Anelise Home, said: “Our team is honoured to be exhibiting for the first time at the Food and Gift Fair. It’s such a great opportunity to meet people from all over the country, as well as some familiar local faces, and, of course, to get into the Christmas spirit.
“Attendees can expect to shop for beautiful Christmas decorations, handmade bespoke cushions, home accessories and gifts. They can take their time browsing our collections and ask us any questions to help get those Christmas lists ticked off.”
Another exciting exhibitor is Crowstick Interiors, which is all about colour and focused on brightening any settee, chair, or corner of a room with cheery, high-quality colourful handmade items.
Sophie Crosbie, owner of Crowstick Interiors, said: “This is our first time at the Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair – although we have attended every year as guests – and we can’t wait to get involved and help visitors find their perfect gifts across the weekend.
“We’re hugely looking forward to seeing some of our favourite stalls, plus all the newcomers. It really feels like the start of the festive period when the Food and Gift Fair comes around and here at Crowstick we wish all stall holders the very best of luck.”
With more than 30 new exhibitors this year, it’s promising to be an exciting fair for all. Foodies should lookout for Tiffin & Co Bakehouse, Fudged Up, and The Oink Company, to grab some of the most scrumptious and handmade treats around. For those after something a bit different, be sure to check out what artistic and creative gifts and treats you can find at Art Monster Studios, The March Hare and Vivified Ceramics.
The ever-popular cookery workshops in the Lincolnshire Kitchen are introducing two new hosts this year: Fiona Lucas from Lincolnshire Cookery School and Ruchita Green from Masala Masters. Alongside this, there will be plenty of activities to keep little ones busy at one of the biggest festive fairs in the county. The famous Santa’s Workshop area will be ready to provide hours of free entertainment, including two new additions, festive imp painting provided by St Barnabas Hospice and cake decorating hosted by Back Garden Bakery.
Lincolnshire’s Food and Gift Fair’s Toy Appeal will also be returning after its success in 2019. Visitors are asked to bring an unwrapped toy or gift and place it in the provided Santa’s sack. All contributions will be donated to the Bridge Church.
Sian Wade, senior leader at Bridge Church, said: “The project is quite simple. We receive referrals from social workers, family support workers, other professionals who work with people who will be struggling financially to provide for themselves and/or their families this Christmas. We then arrange for the workers or the families to come and choose some items for themselves and their children on a week in December, which will be managed carefully from a health and safety perspective with Covid-19 in mind.
“We are so pleased to be partnering with Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair again this year. Last year, we were able to help more than 500 families and individuals with gifts and food for Christmas, showing them that their local community really cares. Many will be struggling this year so working with the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and the generous visitors to this year’s Food and Gift Fair is incredibly valued.”
Jayne Southall, CEO at the Lincolnshire Showground, said: “Anelise Home and Crowstick Interiors have all made their mark on the Lincolnshire community, so we’re thrilled they will be joining us this year. They – along with hundreds of other exhibitors – will provide visitors with the biggest celebration of Lincolnshire produce this winter, and the perfect opportunity for some festive shopping too.”
The Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair is open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 27 November and from 9am to 4pm on Sunday 28 November 2021. Visitors will have access to free parking. Tickets for the Fair can be bought online at £5 each (plus booking fees) in advance and will be £6 on the day, with under 5s going free.
Please visit lincolnshireshowground.co.uk/food-gift or call 01522 522900 for further details.
