New £1.8m Louth HQ for accounting and business adviser completes

Tess Egginton
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New £1.8m Louth HQ for accounting and business adviser completes

Lincoln-based Stirlin Construction, part of Stirlin Group, has completed a new £1.8 million headquarters in Louth, Lincolnshire, for accounting and business adviser Duncan & Toplis. 

Oxley House is located on the Fairfield Industrial Estate on Lincoln Way and brings 10,000 sq ft of premium office space to the town. 

The two-storey building includes open-plan office spaces, meeting rooms, kitchen facilities and a reception area. Sustainable elements of the project include EV charging points and a renewable energy solar system to the roof. 

The ground floor is now the home of the Louth team of Duncan & Toplis and the first floor is occupied by Wilkin Chapman Solicitors. 

After reaching capacity at its previous office, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire-based Duncan & Toplis appointed Stirlin as principal contractor, to develop a contemporary headquarters with sustainability and accessibility at the forefront of its design. 

Howard Griffith, head of construction at Stirlin, said: “Oxley House is a fantastic example of Stirlin Construction delivering the design, and build, of a fit-for-purpose new facility, on time and on budget – and we are thrilled with the result. 

“We worked closely with our long-standing client at Duncan & Toplis to design a premises that would provide a contemporary workspace to accommodate its growing team.  

“This project was a pleasure to deliver alongside local construction delivery partners, and we’re really pleased to see the building complete and now being enjoyed by two flourishing businesses.  

“Thank you to all involved who worked hard to deliver this brilliant facility.” 

Speaking upon completion of the project, Duncan & Toplis Managing Director, Adrian Reynolds said: “The opening of our new premises in Louth is a landmark moment for Duncan & Toplis.  

“The new office is a major investment, underlining our dedication to the region, adding real, lasting value to our communities, by creating a future-fit working environment designed in collaboration with and for our team members.  

“I am absolutely delighted with how the office is looking and we can’t wait to welcome colleagues and clients.”  

Other partners on the project include Lincoln-based CRM advisors Hunt & Sykes, John Roberts Architects and structural engineer Steve Gilman Design, and Newark-based civil engineer William Saunders. 

BEUMER Group UK opens new head office in Leicestershire

Tess Egginton
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BEUMER Group UK opens new head office in Leicestershire
BEUMER Group, a global supplier of intralogistics and materials handling systems and solutions, is opening a new UK head office in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. The ribbon cutting event that will officially open the new office in Ivanhoe Business Park, will be attended by the mayor of Ashby, councillor John Deakin. BEUMER Group has had an office near Heathrow Airport for a number of years and is opening the new facility to cement its relationship with the UK and act as a hub from which the company’s skilled sales, engineering and project experts can advise on, manage and maintain its material handling and airport baggage handling systems. The Heathrow premises will remain active as a satellite office. BEUMER Group has served the UK with material handling solutions since the early 1980s. Its most recent projects have been the design and installation of the parcel processing technology for Royal Mail’s two new fully automated parcel super hubs in Daventry and Warrington, a sortation system for the new Evri eco-friendly hub in Barnsley, and the new baggage handling system for London Stansted Airport. David McGarry, CEO, BEUMER Group UK, said: “The opening of the new UK head office reinforces our strong partnership and commitment to our customers in the UK and Ireland, this will enable us to provide an even more seamless service to support them in their continued growth investing in local expertise in the long term.”

“Strong” first quarter for Pendragon

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“Strong” first quarter for Pendragon
Car retailer Pendragon has delivered “a very strong performance across all divisions” in its first quarter, resulting in underlying profit before tax of £23m, an increase of £4.3m or 23% compared to the prior year. A 32.2% increase in operating profit, meanwhile, more than offset the £4.6m impact of interest cost increases, resulting in the improved underlying profit before tax. Looking ahead, while the Nottingham-based company says it remains mindful of macro-economic headwinds, including the potential for further interest rate rises and continued inflationary cost pressures, as a result of the performance in Q1 it expects to “comfortably outperform the Board’s previous expectations for FY23.” Bill Berman, Chief Executive of Pendragon PLC, said: “I am delighted to report a very strong performance in the first quarter, which builds on the momentum we generated last year from the progress with our strategic and operational initiatives. “We continued to trade strongly in UK Motor, across both new and used markets, and our performance shows the benefits of the strategy we have been pursuing in recent years. It is really encouraging to see all of the Group’s divisions in growth, particularly when considering the ongoing challenges in the external operating environment. “We are seeing improving signs in the production and supply of new cars and we are focused on continuing to deliver for our customers and OEM partners in the months ahead.”

Planners say National Stone Centre scheme can go ahead

Stuart Pearcey
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Planners say National Stone Centre scheme can go ahead
The £6.5m plan to transform Derbyshire’s National Stone Centre has been given the green light. A detailed planning application jointly submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council last year by the National Stone Centre and the Institute of Quarrying plans to turn the site, near Wirksworth, into a centre of excellence for the industry – and a place to inspire the next generation. The first phase of the project includes a 100-seater café/restaurant, four classrooms with a combined capacity for 120 learners, museum/exhibition space, souvenir shop, playground and open-air circular piazza for community events. The National Stone Centre officially opened in 1990 to inspire people to engage with the origin, industry and the history of stone. It is set within six former limestone quarries on a 40-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest. The design of the new centre draws on influences from local rock formations, including the overhanging rock formations found in local gritstone outcrops, such as Black Rocks and Stanage Edge.

“Each year the awards get better and better” – Ward snaps up sponsor spot at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023

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“Each year the awards get better and better” – Ward snaps up sponsor spot at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023
Ward has joined the sponsor line up for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023, backing the Developer of the Year category for another year. Speaking with Business Link, Donald Ward, Operations Director at Ward, said: “Each year the Bricks Awards get better and better. The quality of entries gets even tougher to judge. It’s a real celebration of the achievements of businesses in the building and construction sector across the East Midlands. We’re pleased to be sponsoring the Developer of the Year award again this year and look forward to getting involved.” The awards, which will take place on Thursday 28 September at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, celebrate the outstanding work of those shaping the landscape of our region, recognising development projects and people in commercial and public building across the East Midlands – from offices, industrial and residential, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools. Nominations are now OPEN for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards. To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
Award categories include: Nominations end Thursday 31 August. Find out who last year’s winners were here.

Book your tickets now

Tickets can now be booked for the awards event – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, our keynote speaker. Dress code is standard business attire. Thanks to our sponsors:                                                             To be held at:

Nottingham company to collaborate on research with global healthcare group

Stuart Pearcey
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Nottingham company to collaborate on research with global healthcare group
Nottingham-based Sygnature Discovery has agreed to collaborate on research with global healthcare group Daewoong Pharmaceutical to accelerate the discovery of a novel small molecule to target autoimmune disease. Sygnature Discovery will provide integrated drug discovery support using specialist fragment-based drug discovery and virtual high throughput screening expertise from its medicinal chemistry, biology, and computational science teams. The company will also support protein science and crystallography to accelerate novel drug discovery for Daewoong’s project. Joon Seok Park, Head of Daewoong’s Discovery Centre, said: “Daewoong is actively pursuing open collaboration for various innovative platform technologies to advance global drug discovery. We believe the collaboration with Sygnature will set a new milestone in expanding Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s new drug pipeline.” Dr Simon Hirst, CEO of Sygnature Discovery, said: “We are delighted to be working with the talented team of scientists at Daewoong on this integrated drug discovery collaboration. Here at Sygnature, we have built an FBDD platform which combines a proprietary fragment collection with high throughput biophysical screening technologies to rapidly identify and characterise fragment hits. “We look forward to applying this technology along with our specialist in silico-based virtual high-throughput screening techniques to identify high-value hits and leads and accelerate the novel small molecule discovery process for Daewoong.” Sygnature Discovery provides intellectual input and drug discovery expertise to accelerate target validation, hit identification, hit-to-lead, lead optimisation and drug discovery programmes.

HBD and Oxenwood complete £54m Power Park

Tess Egginton
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HBD and Oxenwood complete £54m Power Park
Property developer HBD has completed Power Park in Nottingham, providing 426,000 sq ft of sustainable industrial and logistics space. Construction began in May 2022 following a £53.8m forward-funding deal with Oxenwood Logistics Fund 1 SLP, a discretionary fund managed by Oxenwood Real Estate. The project transformed the former home of Imperial Tobacco, one of the city’s best-known sites, with seven sustainable new buildings taking shape across the 28-acre development. Sustainability has been a major focus, both throughout the construction process and within the completed development. Each of the seven units meet BREEAM “Very Good” standards, which will help occupiers to keep running costs low and limit the scheme’s environmental impact.  Justin Sheldon, Director and Head of Region at HBD, said: “It’s fantastic to see the regeneration of the site now complete. Power Park provides sustainable Grade A space in a prime industrial location. Supply remains constrained throughout the region and our decision to develop Power Park demonstrates our confidence both in the scheme and established demand.”  Jeremy Bishop, co-founder of Oxenwood, said: “Power Park is a high-quality development for Nottingham and for our fund. The variety of unit sizes and their specification are designed to address the regional demand in a market with an acute undersupply of 30,000 – 150,000 sq ft units.”  The agents for Power Park are M1 Agency and Knight Frank.

FI Real Estate Management completes HQ refurb project

Stuart Pearcey
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FI Real Estate Management completes HQ refurb project
Property and asset management specialists FI Real Estate Management has completed all phases of a full refurbishment of The HQ, Rowland Hill House to reveal 44,000 sq ft of modern open-plan office space. The £1.2m project has seen FIREM upgrade the former Royal Mail building to Grade A office space specifically designed for flexible working, offering bespoke and turnkey packages tailored to meet specific business needs and requirements. The rise of hybrid working has created a shift in office requirements for businesses across the region, with The HQ pioneering a new approach in the Chesterfield business community. Commercial vehicle hire company Northgate has recently signed a lease of 8,000 sq ft, alongside other tenants, Derbyshire Police and Reed in Partnership, demonstrating the diversified offering of the office facilities to suit a range of businesses. Tim Knowles, founder and Managing Director of FIREM said: “The HQ’s office concept has never been seen before in Chesterfield and reflects the work we are doing to progress Chesterfield’s business offering in line with nearby cities. “It is arguably the most competitive office product in the Chesterfield market, offering businesses a bespoke turnkey service from day one that can be modified to suit their changing needs and requirements.” Modern, well connected office spaces are now available across Chesterfield. Regardless of your workspace requirements, from co-working and hotdesking to spacious offices for a large team, our aim is to make you as productive as possible.

String of deals completed at Nottingham’s Teal Trade Park scheme

Tess Egginton
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String of deals completed at Nottingham’s Teal Trade Park scheme
Agents FHP and Phillips Sutton, acting on behalf of Northwood Urban Logistics, have concluded a string of deals at the Teal Park Trade & Industrial Scheme in Nottingham. It sees an established line up of trade occupiers now in place with just 1 of the 14 trade units remaining. The latest occupiers to sign up on the trade scheme include ETB Tyres, a brand owned by Bridgestone, Clifton Trade Bathrooms, and Octopus Energy, who join an already established trade line up including PaintWell, Screwfix, Howdens, Toolstation and Karcher. The scheme also includes a 155,000 sq ft industrial scheme with individual units from 9,606 sq ft up to 31,553 sq ft. The recent letting of Unit 1 and Unit 2 to Yellow Octopus UK and Upcycle Labs leaves remaining availability from 17,785 – 31,553 sq ft. Anthony Barrowcliffe of FHP said: “This scheme has proven very popular and we are delighted to have secured such a high quality tenant line up for our clients. “The scheme is located on a busy arterial route to the east of Nottingham surrounded by a lot of new housing development taking place which makes it a perfect new location for new trade occupiers, last mile logistics companies and also production occupiers who can take advantage of the emerging population in this location. “There are ongoing discussions on the remaining units and we hope to announce further occupiers in the near future.” Brodie Faint of Phillips Sutton said: “It is great to see this development fulfil its potential as a new location for both trade and industrial occupiers. The strength of the trade counter scheme has been further enhanced with the most recent lettings to Clifton Tiles & Bathrooms and Octopus Energy. “With continuing demand and limited remaining availability, the goal of securing 100% occupation across the estate is now within reach.” Iain Taylor at Northwood said: “We are very pleased to welcome our latest occupiers to Teal Park demonstrating that it is appealing to a wide range of occupiers who will be able to adapt the units for a variety of uses.”

Plenty more to do to tackle rising economic inactivity, says East Midlands Chamber as latest labour market data released

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Plenty more to do to tackle rising economic inactivity, says East Midlands Chamber as latest labour market data released
The unemployment rate in the East Midlands was 3.5% in the three months to February, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest regional labour market figures published today (18 April). This was unchanged from last month’s data, with the region still below the UK average of 3.8%. There was a slight decline in the region’s economic inactivity rate – which measures the number of working-age people who have dropped out of the labour market for reasons such as retirement, caring duties, long-term ill health or studying – which was down four-tenths of a percentage point to 21.9%. However, this remains 0.8% above the UK average and above pre-Covid levels, having been 18.7% in the three months to March 2020. East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “The consistently low unemployment rate, like the recent ONS analysis showing the UK economy is heading off a widely-forecast recession, demonstrate the resilience of the East Midlands business community in protecting jobs despite the upheaval and cost pressures of the past year. “The Chamber’s latest research suggests there is further optimism for what lies ahead, with our Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2023 showing a 7% net increase in the proportion of our region’s firms that have grown their workforce in the past three months, along with a 14% net increase in those that expect to add to headcount in the next three months. “However, there is still a long way to go and this must start with tackling the economic inactivity problem that, despite a very slight decline in the latest data, continues to be a thorn in the sides of many employers. “There are many reasons for this, including long-term sickness, increased caring responsibilities and early retirement. “While the Chancellor rightly identified rising economic inactivity as an economic priority in last month’s Spring Budget, the measures could have gone further and quicker. It is never too late to make significant interventions, though, and in our Business Manifesto for Growth, we have set out a list of policies we believe will make the required difference. “These include introducing flexible incentives for businesses that invest in staff training and bringing forward the introduction of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement to support retraining and the retainment of an older workforce. “We must also tailor policies to recognise the diversity of people who are out of work and avoid a one-size-fits-all solution, while we would also like to see Government work with businesses to offer support and share best practice on what a flexible and inclusive workplace looks like as this is another vital ingredient in enticing people back to work.”
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