Northampton mechanical handling solutions provider secures £440k to fuel growth
Stantone Mechanical Handling Ltd, a provider in the hire, sale and maintenance of forklifts and access platforms, has secured £440,000 loan funding from NatWest to facilitate the purchase of additional premises. This strategic expansion will support the Northampton-based firm’s growth and create new jobs.
Established in 1961, Stantone was bought over by Director Nigel Martin and his co-Director, wife Lisa, who had been working in the business prior to the acquisition.
Under their leadership, Stantone has experienced continuous, sustainable growth, consistently meeting rising demand by expanding their team and diversifying their offerings, including the introduction of utility vehicles to their product range.
The new premises, funded by NatWest, will include electric vehicle charging stations, reflecting Stantone’s commitment to sustainability and modernising their infrastructure. This expansion aligns with Nigel’s vision for sustainable growth and enhances the company’s capability to meet and exceed its customers’ needs more effectively.
Ian Mccormack, Relationship Manager at NatWest, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Stantone with their expansion plans. This loan will enable Stantone to enhance their facilities and create new job opportunities, further solidifying their position as a leader in the mechanical handling industry.
“We are really excited to see how this investment builds on their success, driving growth for the future.”
Nigel Martin, Director of Stantone Mechanical Handling Ltd, said: “This funding package from NatWest is instrumental in helping us to achieve our growth ambitions. The new premises will not only allow us to better serve our clients but also to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability with the addition of electric vehicle charging stations.
“Working with NatWest has been great, they clearly understand our ambition and have supported us throughout this journey. We’re grateful for NatWest’s support and look forward to our bright future.”
Flint Bishop prepares for further growth with strategic appointment of new Chief Information Officer
Law firm Flint Bishop, with offices in Birmingham, Derby and Leeds, has appointed Paul Tennant as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), as it looks to make further significant investment in innovation and technology to enhance the delivery of its services, support clients’ objectives and disrupt the market in its quest to become a leading scaled provider of legal services in the UK.
Tennant has held several senior technology positions within the financial services and legal sectors, including C-suite and director roles at Simply Conveyancing Group and My Home Move Ltd (now Simplify), the UK’s largest conveyancing firm with over 1,100 employees across the UK and India. He brings over two decades of experience in driving significant growth through innovation, transformation, and the design and delivery of strategically aligned information technology solutions.
In his new role, Tennant will be responsible for developing and executing the firm’s innovation and technology strategy, ensuring the successful delivery of transformational projects across all areas of the business. He will work alongside the broader team to advance the company’s data and technology strategy, keeping it at the forefront of new tools and advancements, including AI, to support both internal processes and client services.
Qamer Ghafoor, Chief Executive of Flint Bishop, said: “I am delighted to welcome Paul to the firm. His extensive experience—particularly in designing and executing technology roadmaps, innovation, managing large-scale IT projects, and leading teams through significant growth and change, together with onboarding several legal businesses through acquisitions—makes him an exceptional addition to our leadership team.
“In today’s rapidly evolving legal landscape, law firms must embrace efficiency, innovation, and diversity to meet client demands. Flint Bishop is firmly on course to adopt client-centric, diversity-focused, and innovative solutions poised for success. I am confident that Paul’s knowledge and expertise will help us continue to innovate and strengthen our position in the market.”
The appointment follows the recent addition of a Chief Operating Officer to Flint Bishop’s senior leadership team earlier this year, further solidifying the firm’s commitment to driving innovation and excellence in the legal sector.
East Midlands Mayor names team for coming year
The Board of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is set to discuss nominations for key political leadership roles for the East Midlands region at its next meeting.
Portfolio leads at EMCCA will each be responsible for leading a number of key priority areas for the region, working with the Mayor and their Board colleagues to make the region more prosperous, sustainable and fairer, helping people and businesses to create and seize opportunities.
Mayor Claire has also selected Cllr Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, as her Deputy Mayor. Cllr Peatfield will take up the role following Board and will receive no salary for the role.
Portfolio nominations are:
- Transport and Digital Connectivity: Cllr Ben Bradley and Cllr Anthony McKeown (deputy)
- Skills and Employment: Cllr Paul Hezelgrave and Cllr Milan Radulovic (deputy)
- Investment: Cllr Neghat Khan and Cllr Simon Spencer (deputy)
- Farming and Rural Affairs: Cllr Barry Lewis and Cllr Paul Peacock (deputy)
Deal completed to deliver 146 new homes in Wellingborough
Vistry Group, the provider of affordable mixed-tenure homes, has completed a deal to build 146 houses and apartments in Wellingborough in partnership with global investment manager Man Group’s Community Housing team.
The development at Glenvale Park is set to become a community of one and two-bedroom maisonettes, and two, three and four-bedroom homes. The 146 homes will provide a range of tenures. The first 75 homes delivered will offer social rent and shared ownership homes, supported by Homes England.
Situated to the north of Wellingborough, the 7.8-acre site forms part of the wider 3,000-home Glenvale Park sustainable urban extension scheme. This will include 675 affordable dwellings plus a 25,000m² business park which will incorporate a new local centre with retail amenities, new communal hub, two new primary schools, a nursery and extensive parkland.
The new homes have been designed to outperform current building regulation requirements and achieve a minimum rating of EPC B whilst maximising the use of sustainable timber during the manufacturing process.
Having taken over the site from Ilke, Vistry will convert the modular house designs into sustainable timber frame homes using modern methods of construction. The timber frame panels will be produced locally at the Vistry Works factory in Leicestershire and each home built using these panels will emit 14,460kg CO2e less than a traditional brick-and-block house.
Andy Reynolds, Managing Director of Vistry South East Midlands, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Man Group for the first time on this exciting project. Our use of modern methods of construction will reduce the carbon footprint of these homes whilst allowing them to be built at speed to meet the housing needs of the community.
“We’re excited to once again be a part of Wellingborough’s growth and to be entrusted with the build of these much-needed new homes which will create a thriving and sustainable community.”
Shamez Alibhai, Managing Director and Head of Community Housing at Man GPM, said: “Our aim is to help address the UK’s housing crisis by creating affordable, high-quality and sustainable homes. We are pleased to partner with Vistry to deliver on this ambition and develop 146 new homes in Wellingborough. By working together, we have the potential to deliver real social impact and provide environmentally sustainable communities.”
The site already has full planning permission and Vistry has commenced work.
Plans lodged to transform former Nottingham Central Library
Plans have been revealed to transform the former Nottingham Central Library on Angel Row.
The proposals would see the building become halls of residence for students, with the ground floor converted to provide three retail units, one of which is set to be a takeaway.
The halls of residence would offer a mix of cluster flats and one-bedroom studios, broken down to include 53 one-bedroom studios, six two-bedroom clusters, seven three-bedroom clusters, 11 four-bedroom clusters, one five-bedroom cluster, one six-bedroom cluster, and three eight-bedroom clusters.
A reception, meeting rooms, gym, spa, common room, games room, dinner party room, and cinema are also included in the plans, and a new entrace is to be formed on Mount Street.
Harington Students is behind the plans, having been awarded the purchase of the building from Nottingham City Council through a competitive tender. According to documents submitted for the application, other parties were proposing to demolish the existing building.
“Strong set of results” for Dunelm
The CEO of Dunelm has hailed a “strong set of results…in a period when consumers faced inflationary pressures and competing demands for their disposable income.”
According to preliminary results for the 52 weeks to 29 June 2024, the homewares retailer saw sales of £1.71bn, up 4.1% on the year prior (FY23: £1.64bn) despite the softer market.
Profit before tax, meanwhile, increased to £205m from £193m at the Leicestershire firm. Six new stores opened (including one relocation) during the year.Nick Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “This strong set of results is testament to the hard work of our adaptable and committed colleagues. In a period when consumers faced inflationary pressures and competing demands for their disposable income, we have continued to raise the bar on the relevance and value we offer at Dunelm.
“The continued delivery of volume-driven sales growth and further share gains in this softer market underlines this, and the strength and resilience of our business model.
“We have made good progress with our growth plans, including the expansion of our store estate, building a faster and better digital experience for customers, and advancing our tech and data capabilities.
“As we evolve our strategic thinking in this changing environment, we are now even clearer on the areas which will help us to unlock our full potential as The Home of Homes.
“Whilst we are gradually seeing improvements to economic indicators, we are yet to see a meaningful change in consumer spending habits in our markets. Against this backdrop, and compared to a strong first quarter last year, we have made a solid start to FY25.
“Our plans give us a clear pathway to reaching our next milestone of 10% market share in the medium term, and we remain very confident in our ability to deliver long-term sustainable growth as a result.”
Global HSE Group join the sponsor line up for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
Global HSE Group have joined the sponsor line up for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024, backing the Commercial Development of the Year category.
Global HSE Group are industry leaders in comprehensive fire safety, specialising in passive fire protection and technical fire consultancy, as well as delivering sustainability and MEP (building services), and their own in-house training academy.
Operating nationally across the UK and Ireland, clients include some of the UK’s leading student accommodation providers, hotels, universities, consultants, architects, and developers. They also support several of the UKs largest housing associations, councils, and public sector organisations.
Global HSE Group place people and compliance at the heart of everything they do and pride themselves on their highly knowledgeable and experienced, multi-disciplinary team who work seamlessly to deliver safer buildings right across the UK.
Speaking with Business Link, Andrew Cooper, Managing Director at Global HSE Group, said: “We are delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024, shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry, specifically the Commercial Development of the Year category. There are some fantastic organisations around the region who have completed some innovative development, and we look forward to seeing the shortlist, and presenting the winner with their award.
“We’re industry leaders in comprehensive fire safety and so partnering for the awards aligns well with the wealth of services we offer the property and construction sectors. We look forward to attending the awards ceremony where we can network with business leaders and recognise the excellent work within the region.”
Taking place on Thursday 3rd October (4:30pm – 7:30pm) in the Derek Randall Suite at the famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, the highly anticipated East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will celebrate the region’s property and construction industry while providing a prime opportunity to connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks.
A key event in the business calendar since 2015, the glittering awards ceremony will additionally feature Paul Southby as keynote speaker.
Paul is a partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema in Nottingham’s Lace Market, and a longstanding trustee of environmental charity Clean Rivers Trust. He is chair of Nottingham Partners, a group of businesses that supports the work of the local inward investment agency, Invest in Nottingham, and a board member and past chair of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Limited. Paul is also a former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire (2022/23).
Paul said: “The East Midlands development and property community faces an exciting time ahead with a new government in place and the advent of a new East Midlands Combined County Authority under the leadership of the first Mayor of the East Midlands. As we step into this new political and economic phase, the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 is a great opportunity to look back on our past successes, to reflect on where we are as a region, to consider what needs fixing, and – looking forward – to emphasise our region’s strengths as a strong investment location.”
East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
When: Thursday 3rd October 2024, 4:30pm – 7:30pm
Where: The Derek Randall Suite, Trent Bridge Cricket Ground
Keynote speaker: Paul Southby, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire
Dress code: Standard business attire
Tickets: Available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/east-midlands-bricks-awards-2024-tickets-902294566337?aff=oddtdtcreator
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with property and construction professionals while applauding the exceptional companies and projects in the region.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Speaking with Business Link, Andrew Cooper, Managing Director at Global HSE Group, said: “We are delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024, shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry, specifically the Commercial Development of the Year category. There are some fantastic organisations around the region who have completed some innovative development, and we look forward to seeing the shortlist, and presenting the winner with their award.
“We’re industry leaders in comprehensive fire safety and so partnering for the awards aligns well with the wealth of services we offer the property and construction sectors. We look forward to attending the awards ceremony where we can network with business leaders and recognise the excellent work within the region.”
Taking place on Thursday 3rd October (4:30pm – 7:30pm) in the Derek Randall Suite at the famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, the highly anticipated East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will celebrate the region’s property and construction industry while providing a prime opportunity to connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks.
A key event in the business calendar since 2015, the glittering awards ceremony will additionally feature Paul Southby as keynote speaker.
Paul is a partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema in Nottingham’s Lace Market, and a longstanding trustee of environmental charity Clean Rivers Trust. He is chair of Nottingham Partners, a group of businesses that supports the work of the local inward investment agency, Invest in Nottingham, and a board member and past chair of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Limited. Paul is also a former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire (2022/23).
Paul said: “The East Midlands development and property community faces an exciting time ahead with a new government in place and the advent of a new East Midlands Combined County Authority under the leadership of the first Mayor of the East Midlands. As we step into this new political and economic phase, the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 is a great opportunity to look back on our past successes, to reflect on where we are as a region, to consider what needs fixing, and – looking forward – to emphasise our region’s strengths as a strong investment location.”
Tickets can now be booked for the event – click here to secure yours.
Attend to forge new contacts and see who takes home Most Active Estate Agent, Commercial Development of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Residential Development of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, Sustainable Development of the Year, Contractor of the Year, and Overall Winner. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024, sponsored by Blueprint Interiors, will also be awarded a grand prize – a year of marketing/publicity with Business Link worth £20,000.
To be held at:
Automotive business makes Markham Vale move
A Chesterfield automotive business has expanded with a move to Markham Vale, off the M1 at junction 29a.
VEGE is one of the world’s largest independent aftermarket suppliers of remanufactured petrol and diesel engines. The company offers remanufactured cylinder heads, turbochargers, manual gearboxes, brake calipers, diesel injection pumps, common rail pumps & injectors and brake callipers on an exchange basis.
The company has expanded following 21 years of growth in Chesterfield. It is a specialised department owned by the US automotive giant LKQ Corporation.
VEGE’s new base on Greaves Close will also offer space for training with a purpose-built conference facility.
A Markham Vale spokesperson said: “Staff at the company are reported to be very pleased with the move to Markham Vale as the new location provides easy access to the M1 motorway and lots of green space all around…the commute to work just got easier!
We wish Tony Lynn, the Chief Operating Officer, and his colleagues a warm welcome to Markham Vale.”
Development at Markham Vale continues, with property developer HBD bringing forward a new 31,264 sq ft commercial scheme, Markham Vale Trade Park, which could create more than 100 new jobs. Occupiers will also benefit from Gridserve’s new Electric Forecourt being developed on the adjacent plot.
UK economy stands still in July
The UK economy failed to grow in June – the second month in a row, in contrast to an expected rise by 0.2% month-on-month.
According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), GDP (gross domestic product), a key measure of economy growth, showed no growth in July.
It reflects a modest rise in services output which was offset by drops in both production and construction: services output grew by 0.1% month-on-month, construction output fell by 0.4% month-on-month, and production decreased by 0.8% month-on-month.
Ben Jones, CBI Lead Economist, said: “The figures suggest the UK’s recovery remains on track, though sector performance remains mixed and growth over the second half of the year will probably be a bit slower than in recent quarters.
“Ahead of what promises to be a difficult budget next month, the government is treading a narrow path to put the public finances on a sustainable footing while maintaining the confidence of business and investors in the recovery.
“The government must remain focussed on its agenda for long-term growth. This means avoiding further pressures on business costs and providing firms with the certainty and long-term commitments over tax, regulation and infrastructure that will give them confidence to invest.
“By doubling down on the recently announced planning reforms, introducing a Net Zero Investment Plan and implementing a clearer, fairer and more competitive business rates system, government has an opportunity to supercharge investment and UK growth over the next Budget period and beyond.”
Lincolnshire County Council sells land at Kirton to grow local economy
Lincolnshire County Council has sold 10.16 acres of development land to expand Kirton Distribution Park.
The purchasers – Melbourne Holdings – will initially be constructing ‘Stonebridge Business Park’, a 25,000 sq ft space comprising 9 new industrial units, on the land.
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy at the county council, said: “This sale marks an important development for the well-established Kirton Distribution Park, paving the way for the phased development that will significantly enhance the area’s economic landscape.
“As a council we have responded to a growing demand for more industrial space in the county. We’re committed to supporting businesses to start up, grow and re-locate in Lincolnshire, creating jobs, supporting local supply chains and enhancing the local economy.”
Lucie Bryant, Director at Melbourne Holdings, said: “We are delighted to further our commitment to supporting employment and industrial growth in Lincolnshire with our recent acquisition and proposed development at Kirton Distribution Park.
“The purchase comes after recently securing planning permission to deliver a diverse range of warehousing that will support start-ups, growing businesses, large companies and international trade in this key strategic position, reinforced by Lincolnshire County Council and Boston Borough Council.
“The units will be available off plan via our appointed agents Pygott and Crone, and we look forward to working with current and prospective requirements with design and builds opportunities being considered.”
