Derbyshire childcare group adds to portfolio with nursery acquisition
A Derbyshire childcare business has added to its portfolio with the acquisition of a day nursery in the village of Shirland.
The White House Nursery group has purchased the former Nursery Rhymes Day Nursery from its previous owner Lin Yin in a deal arranged by Abacus Day Nursery Sales, and has refurbished and rebranded the business.
The property on Main Road in Shirland has housed a day nursery since 1992 and was acquired by Mrs Yin in 2012, from which point it traded as Nursery Rhymes. Mrs Yin recently appointed Abacus Day Nursery Sales to find a new owner, with a guide price of £299,950 to take over the business and the freehold property.
The nursery, which was rated “Good” by the regulator Ofsted at its most recent inspection, is run by a team of 12 staff, led by manager Fiona Keohane-Gaskell, all of whom have stayed on following the change in ownership. It is registered to provide 50 full-time childcare places and, in its last full financial year, turned over more than £170,000.
The new owner, The White House Nursery group, is a family-run Derbyshire childcare business established more than 34 years ago. The former Nursery Rhymes site is its sixth childcare setting, joining existing nurseries in Alvaston, Alfreton, Borrowash and Oakwood, as well as a Kids Club in Spondon which provides wraparound care for older children. All of its sites are rated “Good” by Ofsted.
Mike Morgan, director of The White House Nursery group, said the business was particularly attracted to the Shirland site by its strong local reputation and its links to schools and community organisations, as well as its spacious garden and onsite carpark.
Mr Morgan said: “I would like to thank all our parents and staff for their patience during the building work. I hope they will agree that the disruption was well worth it, and that our renovated nursery provides a fantastic, safe and enriching nursery experience for all of our children and their families.”
Although the business has no immediate plans to add to its team at Shirland, The White House Nursery does intend to begin taking on both qualified nursery practitioners and apprentices as necessary when the number of children on its rolls increases. The group is also on the lookout for other properties with potential for development.
Chelsea Melnyk, sales negotiator at Abacus Day Nursery Sales, said: “I am really pleased to have been able to find a new owner for the Nursery Rhymes business, to enable our client to move on. It is also great to see the investment being put into the site by The White House Day Nursery.
“This is part of a pattern we are seeing at the moment. While a number of founders are finding that this feels like the right time to sell and retire or move on, there are also a lot of childcare entrepreneurs who are now deciding to build their businesses by acquisition and take them to the next level.
“We have noticed these trends across the board, but demand from buyers is particularly strong for premises with a good amount of outside space, which is perhaps a reflection of the appreciation of the great outdoors many of us have gained during the pandemic. The East Midlands, too, is a region in which the market for childcare premises seems to be particularly buoyant.”
In addition to Abacus Day Nursery Sales, The White House Day Nursery received advice on the transaction from Flint Bishop Solicitors.
Business Gateway offers big ideas to support microbusinesses
The Business Gateway this week launched a new series of webinars designed specifically to support Leicestershire’s many microbusinesses to grow and thrive using new ideas.
The webinars start in early November and run weekly until mid-December. Like all Business Gateway support, they are fully Government-funded so free of charge to the microbusinesses.
At least 30 microbusinesses can take part in each webinar and the Business Gateway recommends that interested businesses sign up for all seven sessions so that they can become experts in thinking differently, developing new ideas and using customer feedback to test them before launching.
The seven webinars – each of which lasts just 90 minutes – will be delivered by local company Solvers Studio and led by founder, Carl Quinn.
Carl said: “I’m passionate about helping Leicestershire’s microbusinesses develop the skills they need to get a new perspective on business challenges; by doing this and using some simple techniques which we’ll share, a microbusiness owner can generate ideas for new products or services, test them to see which ones are viable and then launch them with a much higher chance of success.”
Carl will be supported by Lindsey Newman-Wood.
Sonia Baigent, chair of the Business Gateway Board, added: “Leicestershire’s economy is fortunate in being so varied and a massive 90% of businesses here are microbusinesses – that means they have fewer than five employees.
“With so many small businesses, it’s vital that they get the support they need to get through these difficult times and have the chance to thrive in the future.
“By helping them to learn how to generate and test new ideas, we’re giving them skills that will be useful for years to come. It’s that kind of thinking that can make the difference between surviving and not.”
The full programme of webinars is:
- ‘Problems and Priorities’ – 02/11/21 (14:00-15:30)
- ‘The Idea Generation Game’ – 09/11/21 (14:00-15:30)
- ‘Rapid Prototyping’ – 17/11/21 (10:00-11:30)
- ‘Developing products and services with users’ – 23/11/21 (14:00-15:30)
- ‘Winning at failing’ – 30/11/21 (14:00-15:30)
- ‘Implementing new ideas’ – 07/12/21 (10:00-11:30)
- ‘How to Sprint’ – 15/12/21 (10:00-11:30)
Corby warehouse complex snapped up in £21m deal
A substantial warehouse complex at Darwin Road in Corby, Northamptonshire has been acquired by a global investment and asset management company.
The site comprises five modern units of 263,586 sq ft which are predominately let to Rhenus Logistics, one of the UK’s leading freight forwarding companies with specialities including transporting groupage freight, express consignments, hazardous goods and providing warehouse services.
Other tenants include Truckeast Ltd, which is a main Scania dealership.
Acting on behalf of Longmead Capital, commercial property agent Prop-Search sold the investment for £21,000,000. The purchaser was represented by CBRE.
Prop-Search’s director, Richard Baker, said: “We are pleased to have completed the sale of this substantial investment. Rhenus Logistics occupies approximately 95% of the site and has proved to be a robust tenant for a significant number of years.
“Its long-term position and the potential for significant rental growth was very attractive to the purchasers, which was reflected in the price achieved.”
Business pledges to offset COVID impact on local environments with ambitious litter pick challenge
Midlands-based SF Recruitment has set an ambitious challenge for its employees to pick up a minimum of 20,000 pieces of litter from the local area throughout October and November.
The activity aims to clean up local parks, streets and waterways, such as Birmingham’s Lickey Hills and canal network, Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest and River Trent and Leicester’s River Soar in support of the local environment and community.
Each employee is being encouraged to take time out of their working week to collect their share of the litter and will be recycling all items, where appropriate. SF Recruitment hopes to take almost one tonne of plastic and litter out of the local environments with this activity.
Team SF will don high-vis jackets, protective gloves and biodegradable bin bags as and when they take their litter pickers to the streets. Eager to exceed the set target of collecting 20,000 pieces of litter, the company is also inviting other local businesses to get involved with similar pledges to help clean up the local areas.
CEO, Saira Demmer, said: “As an organisation, we have been pioneering environmentally friendly policies for some time now as it is a cause close to our hearts. We were disappointed to see that one of the side-effects of the pandemic has been an increase in litter in the form of disposable masks and gloves.
“This got us thinking about what we could do to help and so we decided on a company-wide clean-up to show our appreciation of the cities we work in and places we call home. With our staff working flexibly between our offices and home, we felt this was an ideal way to bring everyone together whilst covering more ground.”
Lincolnshire food manufacturer fined £130k after employee crushed in cooking machine
A Lincolnshire-based food manufacturer has been fined after one of its employees sustained two broken ribs having been crushed within an industrial cooking machine whilst working to clear a blocked water inlet.
Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard how the employee was crushed in the machine after its safety systems were over-ridden and the machine worked on whilst it was live. It should have been isolated before work on it began.
An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the task was carried out by the employees in this fashion on a regular basis and that the company should have been aware. No risk assessment of the task had been completed and employees had not been provided with a safe system of work to carry it out.
The lack of a safe system of work for the task and the company’s failure to monitor how the work was done, led employees to devise their own way of conducting the procedure which included over-riding the safety systems and using unsafe working practices.
Bakkavor Fresh Cook Ltd of Sluice Road, Holbeach St Marks Spalding pleaded guilty of one breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £130,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2607.10.
At the end of the trial HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers.
“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to this incident, alongside good monitoring of the way the work was done, the injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”
Leicester graphic design firm transfers ownership to employees
Leicester-based STB Graphic Designers has become an Employee Ownership Trust, joining a fast-growing movement of UK businesses looking to maximise their potential by empowering their staff to drive the company forward.
STB Graphic Designers began in 1988 as Stocks Taylor Benson. The business has worked with national and international brands over the years including Avon, Aldi, Next, Black & Decker, Virgin Trains, Majid Al Futtaim, Morrisons, Avanti West Coast, Baker Hughes, British Airways, Canon, Metro Bank, Centrica and Experian.
For this next stage in STB’s evolution, Glenn Taylor – currently the sole owner – is passing on a three-decade legacy by transferring 90 per cent ownership to its employees. Glenn will continue as CEO supported by the existing executive management team.
Glenn. W. Taylor MISD, FCSD, CEO and founder of STB Graphic Designers, says: “Over the years, I’ve been proud to work with some of the best graphic designers in the business. Our job is to help our clients make more money by selling more stuff – whether cornflakes or cars. Simple as that. It’s about solving the brief, beautifully, and putting our clients’ needs first.
“Becoming an Employee Ownership Trust will secure the future of STB. We are placing it in the hands of the people who have helped it grow over the last 33 years and enabling them to share in its success.”
Deb Oxley OBE, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association, says: “Congratulations to STB Graphic Designers on its transition to employee ownership securing the values, ethos and culture of the business for future generations.
“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 as the economy looks to recover and renew.”
Greg Jolley, executive client director of STB Graphic Designers, says: “We are hugely excited that STB is becoming an employee-owned business. This is the perfect opportunity to come together as a team and redefine our positioning and proposition.
“Glenn has built this thriving business from scratch. Passing his legacy on to the team will enable us to attract top talent, to work with more of the world’s leading brands and businesses, and ultimately to accelerate growth.”
Perfect storm of supply chain issues threatens a winter of discontent, says UK mid-market
As major disruption to supply chains continues across the country, Grant Thornton UK LLP’s latest Business Outlook Tracker finds that a perfect storm of temporary and structural supply chain challenges, from changing Brexit regulations to production delays, are threatening to create a winter of discontent for UK businesses and consumers alike.
Over the last few months, the UK has been facing severe supply chain disruption resulting in delayed deliveries and increased prices. One in five of the 605 mid-sized businesses surveyed said they are finding it harder to move products around the UK and across the world because of the ongoing issues.
The research finds that there are a range of problems contributing to the disruption, but the main issues cited by respondents who said they have been negatively affected were found to be: Delays from source production facilities (23%), Changing rules and regulations from Brexit (21%) and International delays in shipping (21%).
While not ranked individually within the top issues, collectively, over half of respondents who said they have been negatively affected said problems relating to a lack of available workers was a major blocker. Including shortages in skilled (18%) and unskilled (19%) operators, and shortages in transport workers, including heavy/large goods vehicle drivers (19%), and specialist transport workers (18%).
Dave Hillan, partner and practice leader at Grant Thornton UK LLP in the Midlands, said: “The Midlands has always been famed for its productive capabilities, in fact much of the UK relies on this region’s ability to manufacture, store and move products. As the supply chain issues bite however, many of the businesses that rely on this easy flow of goods, materials, ideas and innovations will increasingly struggle.
“It’s clear that there is not just one problem behind the current supply chain disruption, rather an amalgamation of problems, including structural issues such as Brexit related uncertainties, skills shortages, shipping bottlenecks, pandemic pressures and production delays. It really is creating a perfect storm and the combination of these factors are having substantial knock-on effects further down the supply chain.
“There is also the potential for things to get worse for businesses before they get better. Many businesses may not be aware that they are currently benefitting from a range of phased Brexit implementations measures, including grace periods around rules of origin. With this set to change from 2022, when further border measures come into force, businesses need to ensure that they are prepared and ready, to avoid a shock and even further disruption.”
Ongoing supply chain issues are also found to be impacting profit levels across the mid-market. Over one third (39%) cited that they are facing reduced profits due to the continued disruption. Profit expectations over the next six months across the mid-market have also dropped -18pp compared to Grant Thornton’s last Business Outlook Tracker survey in August.
As businesses continue to build their recovery from the pandemic, one quarter of businesses (26%) also cited supply chain disruption as a top threat to their growth in 2022.
Dave Hillan added: “We are enduring a tough period where the panic buying of fuel, food and even Christmas toys has become part of our national dialogue, along with concerns about the rising costs of energy and consumer goods. Business confidence is clearly fragile, as they continue to try to recover from the pandemic but face an accumulation of challenges.
“Businesses are likely to be looking for reassurance that the issues disrupting their supply chains can be resolved, and swiftly. As we look ahead to the Autumn Budget next week, we need to see affirmative action from government to help businesses navigate through these challenges. And businesses will need to continue to draw on the agility and resilience they have already demonstrated so well over the past 18 months to safeguard their business through the winter and into 2022.”
James and James appoints new Chief Executive Officer
James and James Fulfilment, a Northampton-headquartered provider of outsourced fulfilment services to online retailers, has named Emma Dempsey, a leader with more than 25 years of experience in supply chain and logistics, as Chief Executive Officer.
Emma Dempsey succeeds James Hyde, founder of James and James, and will be responsible for running operations and growing the UK business. James Hyde, as founder, will focus on driving tech innovation, international expansion and driving growth of the company’s eCommerce business clients.
Prior to James and James, Emma Dempsey held leadership roles at the third party logistics providers: Clipper Logistics plc (Chief Operating Officer) and UTL – a Unipart Group Company (commercial director). Before that, she worked client side as head of supply chain development at Marks and Spencer after having spent several years with Accenture in a consulting role.
James Hyde, founder of James and James Fulfilment, says: “The continued growth of the business over the past decade means it has now reached a size where we need to take even more of a strategic and considered approach to manage our growth, as we continue to delight our clients.
“The size of our UK, US and EU operations is such that it is best run by someone with extensive experience in multi-site logistics. This experience is something Emma brings to the business in spades – our team, clients, existing and new, are already benefiting from her expertise and know-how. We’re very much excited about what the future holds at James and James.”
Emma Dempsey, CEO, James and James Fulfilment, adds: “As we emerge from COVID, and as more ‘young’ retailers become eCommerce savvy, it will be important to provide them – and other midmarket pure play retailers – with the vital capabilities to drive their growth locally in the UK – and to enable them to scale into international markets with identical, reliable, scalable fulfilment services. The blueprint that we are laying down at James and James, with our effective processes and technology, is enabling us to achieve this vision.”
Scrap metal firm fined after operating without a licence
A scrap metal firm and its director have been fined a total of more than £16,000 after trading from a site without a licence.
Attock Metals and LPG Ltd was prosecuted following an investigation by Leicester City Council’s licensing enforcement team into illegal activities at the site which traded metal worth nearly £14,000 before it was shut down.
The firm had been based at Humberstone Road since 2013, but in 2019 it moved and began trading from a new site at Kent Street in Spinney Hills, discovered by city council licensing enforcement officers. The new site was unlicensed and therefore all activities were illegal under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
Both the company and its director, Mohammed Ibrahim Hanif, were issued with a formal closure notice under the Scrap Metal Act, meaning that by law they had to stop trading with immediate effect, including advertising for metal online and on signs at their premises.
However, officers monitoring of the company’s work over the following months found it was continuing to trade in breach of the closure notice, selling scrap metal totalling over £13,925 between February 2020 and February 2021, despite having been legally instructed not to do so. The metal was all sold locally to a larger dealer.
The matter came before Leicester Magistrates’ Court on October 13, after both the company and its sole director pleaded guilty to offences under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
Attock Metals and LPG Ltd was fined £15,000 and was ordered to pay costs of £530.75 along with a victim surcharge of £190.
Company director Hanif was fined £1,500, together with costs of £530.75 and a victim surcharge of £150.
Leicester deputy city mayor responsible for regulatory services, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: “It is the first prosecution of its type for a scrap metal site by the city council, and I am pleased that the courts have taken this action.
“As always in these cases, we only pursue enforcement action when all other efforts to put the situation right have failed. In this instance, the company ignored the notice ordering them to cease trading without a licence, and in doing so has found itself being prosecuted.
“The investigation took place under Covid-19 restrictions which made it a difficult case for the investigating officers involved.
“Legislation around licensing exists to ensure work like this is carried out safely and lawfully, and bringing this case to court shows that we will take action against companies choosing to ignore that.”
Nottinghamshire manufacturer provides furniture & fitout for award-winning primary school and community campus
Deanestor designed, manufactured and installed a range of furniture solutions for the primary school and early years centre including benching, storage units, adjustable shelving, shoebox units, cloakroom benches, as well as loose furniture such as seating and tables. Deanestor also provided bespoke metal and wood shelving, solid surface worktops, and storage cabinets for the adjacent archive centre and registry.
All the furniture reflects the neutral colour palette for the scheme’s interior, using light grey and wood-effect finishes. This would allow colours to be expressed in children’s artwork.
Ayr Grammar and Archive Centre accommodates a primary school, early years centre, community arts centre, and is the new home for Ayrshire Archives and Registry which houses repositories for historical records and the Ayrshire fine art collection.
The £16m riverside project for South Ayrshire Council was delivered by hub South West Scotland, and main contractor Morrison Construction.
According to Allan Cunningham, Operations Director at Morrison Construction, “Ayr Grammar follows Deanestor’s successful delivery of furniture and fitout contracts on other award-winning education projects for Morrison, including Barony Campus, and we are working with them on a number of new school schemes. Their team performed well, and we are very pleased with the finished building.”
Lindsey Mitchell, Architect Director at architects BDP said, “This project is an exemplar of how the re-use of historic buildings is relevant to contemporary education. It is a fantastic refurbishment, and we hope it will be a catalyst for further regeneration of this historic area in the town of Ayr.”
The historically rich site has been the location of a school for over 400 years and the current building has been a local landmark since the 1800s. The 5000sqm regeneration project has created a modern learning environment with capacity for more than 430 children and includes innovative indoor and outdoor spaces, and a multi-use games facility.
Deanestor manufactures and installs bespoke, robust and flexible loose and fixed furniture solutions for early years, primary, SEN, and secondary education, fitting out areas such as classrooms, science laboratories, ICT, design and technology, atria, social dining spaces, break-out areas, sports facilities and changing rooms. Its experienced designers and project managers work with architects, contractors and directly with schools and local authorities, advising on specification of furniture and equipment to help deliver inspirational learning environments.
