FEBRUARY 2025 EAST MIDLANDS LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www..co.uk WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK WWW.EASTMIDLANDSBUSINESSLINK.CO.UK £3.50 Finding new talentTravel once moreApprenticeships: the solution to the skills crisis?Armstrong house Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN31 2QE Tel: (01472) 310301 Email: s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Superb Location - - Close to the ports of Grimsby & Immingham - Great motorway links - Close to the town centre Secure off street parking High speed internet availability A range of affordable office sizes 3 3 3 3 Last remaining office suites Prime location in Grimsby Offering a prime position in Grimsby, Armstrong House on Armstrong Street is ideally located. Close to the ports of Grimsby and Immingham, motorway links and the town centre, off-street parking is also available for all staff and visitors, meaning it’s convenient too. Our spacious, welcoming offices are located on the ground floor and are both secure and CCTV-monitored, giving you the ultimate peace of mind. At Armstrong House, when it comes to affordability and with a range of office sizes there are opportunities for all types of business. If you require virtual office services, prices start from just £15 per month. For more information, or to discuss your office requirements call 01472 310301.Even though we’re far away in our own region, there’s talk of Trump’s tariffs having an effect on our economy and businesses, and even more talks of parties in the UK wanting to kowtow and align with him. Tariffs can’t benefit the UK because, no matter how Reform or so-called “patriots” like to say, the UK does not have as much trading power as it used to. We cannot provide hundreds of millions of people as prospective buyers of products, making us a required trading partner. This has been obvious since Brexit and the lack of any trade deals made. Countries need to trade with the US and the EU, but they do not need to trade with the small country that is the United Kingdom. It’s concerning for the future of our regions not only because of the risk of damage to our imports and exports, but because the UK relies heavily on foreign investment for growth – and that is likely to dry up if every country in the world is forced to take on a protectionist mindset. Already the UK’s growth (which was meant to be the fastest of the big countries in Europe) has been slashed to a predicted 0.75%, down from 1.5%, and there is little evidence that the fault is Labour’s, despite what the political scene will claim. Our regions are dependent upon the UK doing well to succeed, and the UK is not in a position to do well. Businesses need to do more to make our voices heard, and to push back against the culture war nonsense dominating the political sphere. The economy will not be solved via the cultural agenda, as it’s little more than a smokescreen to keep people’s attentions away from far greater issues. Good reading, as always. Michael Fisher Editor www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 3 EDITOR’S NOTES welcome…@BLMEastMidlands BLMEastMidlands Latest news 6 A round-up of the latest news from our region. Commercial property 16 The East Midlands continues to strengthen its reputation as a powerhouse in industrial & logistics property. Printing and packaging 19 For businesses looking to communicate brand identity and captivate customers with their packaging, they can’t afford to forgo clarity and sustainability. Engineering spotlight 22 With Brexit preventing skilled migrant workers coming to the UK, the engineering sector has been struggling to find new talent. With critically small amounts of female and BAME engineers, however, there may be a market ripe for recruitment – if old barriers can be broken down. Business travel and leisure 26 The world is opening up once more and it’s important to know how to take advantage of that. Tax30 James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, dives into the growing appeal of entrepreneurship. Training and apprenticeships 32 With recruitment and skills crises, apprenticeships are being proposed as a potential solution, while holding a key role in the levelling up agenda. Contents February 2025 19 26 32 Corporate hospitality 35 With how businesses incorporate environmental and social responsibility in their operations frequently coming under scrutiny, these initiatives must also be applied to their corporate hospitality. Public relations 38 How can you improve your relationships with journalists? Greg Simpson, founder of Press For Attention PR, shares his advice – and an example of what not to do. Meet the experts 40 Many people call themselves experts nowadays, but how much of it is marketing fluff and how does one find the real experts beyond it? AutoLink 42 It’s a good time for fans of motors, with new cars coming in all shapes and sizes. • We put the Lamborghini Temerario through its paces. Events48 A timely look at forthcoming business events around the East Midlands. And finally...50 Here’s Frazer’s collection of the weird and wonderful ‘news’ that came his way over the last few weeks.22 Group Editor Steve Fisher s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Editor Michael Fisher m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Journalist Tess Egginton t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk Sales Director Angela Cooper a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman accounts@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson studio@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310304 E-Mail: eastmidlands@blmgroup.co.uk Publisher Haychart Ltd, t/a Business Link Magazine Group, Huntingdon House, 278-290 Huntingdon Street, Nottingham NG1 3LY Cover photographs courtesy: • • stock.adobe.com/ChayTee • lovelyday12 • Rido • goodluz • nikkytok All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher.6 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk GENERAL NEWS Market Harborough food group gobbles up Yorkshire chocolatier Bramble Foods Group, a supplier of branded ambient foods, has acquired Whitakers Chocolates, Yorkshire’s renowned chocolatiers since 1889. This strategic move strengthens the Bramble Foods portfolio, uniting two family-owned brands. Whitakers Chocolates has been at the heart of British chocolate-making for 135 years, crafting luxurious confectionery for retail, private label, and food service markets. The acquisition builds on a trusted working relationship spanning 17 years, during which Whitakers has been a key supplier to Bramble Foods Group. Tony Foster, Managing Director of Bramble Foods, said: “We are delighted to welcome Whitakers Chocolates to the Bramble Foods Group and look forward to working with William and his team to further develop the business. “Whitakers is a well-run business with a long history of producing excellent products, this coupled with a broad customer base and dedicated team of employees attracted us to the business. As a family, Whitakers is our longest standing supplier having worked together for over 40 years.” East Midlands business confidence sees slight rise in January Business confidence in the East Midlands rose one point during January to 39%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds. Companies in the East Midlands reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 14 points at 53%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 11 points to 25%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 39% (vs. 38% in December 2024). Looking ahead to the next six months, East Midlands businesses identified their top target areas for growth as evolving their offering, for example by introducing new products or services (51%), investing in their team, for example through training (38%) and introducing new technology such as AI or automation (29%). Dave Atkinson, regional director for the East Midlands at Lloyds, said: “The resilience and ambition of businesses in the East Midlands is evident in this month’s results. And it’s particularly encouraging to see businesses prioritising steps that will support their long-term growth, such as investments in their team and technology.” Nearly £200m transport funding set for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Nearly £200m is set to come to the East Midlands for transport across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire. This significant funding – comprised of several different sources – has been given to East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) from the Department for Transport and is for the year 2025/26. It includes a new pot of money specifically for Mayoral Combined Authorities: an extra £66m, on top of last year’s commitments, which pushes the transport budget for next year to nearly £200m. This will allow EMCCA to invest in creating better connections between cities, towns and rural areas, making it easier and cheaper to travel around the whole region. It will help give people more choice on how they travel and will make networks safer and improve public spaces. It will further support major network improvement schemes and improve the reliability of bus services, making them more accessible for everyone and providing better facilities and information for passengers. It will also help to move to fully zero emission bus fleets and support the development of and connectivity to the region’s growth zones. Dave Atkinson, regional director for the East Midlands at LloydsGENERAL NEWS • Commercial • Events • Headshots • Automotive • Fashion CALL OR EMAIL FOR A QUOTE 07506 998855 STEVE@STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM STEVEEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Creating eye-catching images to help businesses build their brands and engage with clients. Nottingham tech firm expands footprint in Australia with latest acquisition Nottingham- headquartered Ideagen, a provider of software solutions to regulated and high compliance industries, has strengthened its worker safety compliance capability with the acquisition of Australian SaaS business, Beakon. Specialising in environmental health and safety (EHS) and contractor management, Beakon hosts an impressive list of customers including Coca Cola, Sydney Water and Conoco Phillips, helping to manage safety, risk and compliance of workers and site visitors. Speaking about the acquisition, Ideagen CEO, Ben Dorks, said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Beakon into the Ideagen family. We’ve spent the last 12 months actively strengthening the capabilities we can offer our customers, particularly around worker and contractor safety. “Sam and the Beakon team have built a really strong product. Adding these capabilities to our portfolio means we can offer an even wider range of solutions to our global customer base. “We know this is particularly important to those industries with a high volume of transient or contracted workforces that require businesses to manage compliance obligations like permit to work and appropriate qualifications.” Rail support specialist acquired by Austrian company Harry Needle Railroad Company – the independent provider of locomotive hire, storage and maintenance – has been acquired by the Austrian rail contractor Swietelsky for an eight-figure sum. The deal will enable founder Harry Needle to realise his majority share in the business while continuing in his role as Managing Director, and allow Swietelsky to expand its operations in the UK with the addition of a 15-acre facility in Worksop that is one of the largest of its type in the country. It will also provide an exit for Harry Needle’s main funder, Frontier Development Capital (FDC), which supported the acquisition of the Worksop site five years ago and the subsequent growth of the business. Harry Needle, Managing Director at Harry Needle Railroad Company, said: “Over the past five years our business has grown to become a UK leader in rail support services. Joining forces with Swietelsky will give us the right structure and support to take it to the next level.” Marcus Mayers of specialist rail consultancy RASIC advised Harry Needle Railroad Company on the sale. © stock.adobe.com/andrea From left: Dan Ryder from Swietelsky, Jack Glonek from FDC, and rail consultant Marcus Mayers who led the deal on behalf of Harry Needle Railroad Company Ben Dorks, Ideagen CEO www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 7 APPOINTMENTS New CEO at The Generator Arts & Culture Centre, Loughborough The Generator – an ambitious restoration project in Loughborough that’s bringing a new arts and culture centre to the town – has taken another significant step forward by appointing its CEO. Loughborough native Jess Vollar Bell is taking on the role, the first person to hold the post. Jess will join the team of volunteers at The Generator CIC who have been working hard for several years to restore this sizeable 1930s building, now divided into the fully restored OAC (with the coffee shop Public and Plants) by its joint venture partner Our Neighbourhood and the partly-restored Generator Hall. The Generator is scheduled to open in Autumn 2025, creating a multi-purpose arts and cultural centre. The venue will host visual art exhibitions, music performances, workshops, and community events in its versatile spaces, including a main hall for up to 250 people and smaller studio areas. Jess attended Rawlins Academy in Quorn before pursuing training in acting at the Guildford School of Acting. After an early career as a professional actor, Jess discovered a passion for facilitating arts opportunities for others, leading her to build an impressive resume in venue management within the arts sector. Jess’s experience spans both local and metropolitan arts whilst being based in London for the past decade. New MD for IMA Architects as senior team step up IMA Architects, specialists within industrial and commercial architecture, has made three internal promotions at a senior level and welcomed two new members of staff. Ben Hall, who is celebrating 18 years with the business, has been promoted to Managing Director. Ben will lead on day-to-day operations, continue to run client projects across the UK and oversee the management of the over 20 strong team. Joe Travers has been promoted to Director and Jack Mellor to Associate Director. The pair will continue to be responsible for the successful delivery of projects for clients, managing client relationships and supporting business development. Ian McCann continues in his role as a Director of the business to share his experience in all aspects, whilst also continuing with a business development role. The new senior positions also come with the responsibility for mentoring IMA’s growing team. IMA has appointed Alanah Miles as an Architectural Technologist and Jeremiah Olatiilu joins the team as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant. Commenting on his promotion, Ben Hall said: “It’s a real privilege to take up the position of Managing Director at IMA. Since joining in 2007, I have worked in all elements of the business from being a junior to now being MD.” Dan Manley Clegg Construction names new commercial director Contractor Clegg Construction has strengthened its board with the promotion of Dan Manley to commercial director. Dan, who joined the business in July 2021, had been internally responsible for managing the commercial department, and now formally takes over the board-level commercial and risk management duties within the business. Working alongside pre-construction director, Ross Crowcroft, and operations director, Darren Chapman, and reporting to managing director, Michael Sims, Dan will provide key input into business strategy and oversee system changes and improvements. His role includes managing the surveying teams and resources – ensuring the Clegg Construction surveying team provides fair, accurate and real-time cost information to clients, and maintaining good relations with the company’s supply chain. Dan has wide experience in main contracting, having worked in the past with the likes of GF Tomlinson and McLaren before joining Clegg Construction three and a half years ago. Ian McCann, Ben Hall and Joe Travers outside the IMA Digital Pods Photo courtesy of Jason Harris Photography Jess Vollar Bell 8 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukBGF makes partner appointment in the Midlands BGF investor Seb Saywood has been promoted to partner, as part of BGF’s transition to partner titles. Seb has played a crucial role in BGF’s investments across a wide range of sectors, building strong relationships with entrepreneurs and management teams. He will lead BGF’s investment teams in the Midlands, located in Nottingham and Birmingham. Seb joined BGF in 2018 and has led several high-profile investments in the Midlands region including Jola Cloud Solutions, Metpro and Blue Light Card. Jon Earl, who leads portfolio team activity in Midlands, has also transitioned to partner title. Jon has played a key role in supporting portfolio companies and their growth strategies across the region. The transition to partner titles is an evolution for BGF’s Investment and Portfolio teams, aimed at providing greater transparency around career progression and fostering further collaboration. Seb Saywood said: “I am pleased to take on this expanded role and continue working with an exceptional team that is dedicated to fostering growth and innovation in the Midlands. The transition to Partner titles is a testament to BGF’s commitment to investing in its people and strengthening our collaborative approach.” New head of traffic and transportation at BSP Consulting Jason Davenport has been promoted to director of traffic and transportation at East Midlands-based civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting. He takes over from one of the founding directors of BSP Consulting, Mark Rayers, who is stepping back to become a part-time consultant to the business. Jason, who was previously associate director of transportation at BSP Consulting, joined the company as a transport engineer just a month after it was founded in 1999 and has been a key member of the team ever since. His expertise includes transport planning, travel plans, transport assessment, access strategy, noise assessments and safety audits. Jason’s experience ranges across all sectors, having worked on schemes at airports and universities through to supermarkets and housing developments. BSP MD Carl Hilton said: “We are very pleased to announce the promotion of Jason Davenport to director of traffic and transportation at BSP Consulting. “Our ethos is to promote from within wherever possible, which provides our team with opportunities to progress their careers and also enables smooth succession planning for the business. “Jason has been a loyal, experienced, and valued part of the team at BSP right from the start and his promotion is very well deserved.” APPOINTMENTS Clowes Developments adds to Board of Directors Kevin McFarlane has been appointed as a member of Clowes Developments’ Board of Directors. Kevin started his career at Clowes as a trainee in 2007. After initially leaving to widen his experience elsewhere, Kevin re-joined the Group in 2017. Since 2020, he has led the company’s Asset Management department based at Ednaston Park, overseeing the day to day and strategic management of the Group’s diverse land and property portfolio, with responsibility for identifying and maximising opportunities, whilst minimising exposure to risk. Commenting on his promotion, Kevin McFarlane said: “I feel honoured to join the Board of Directors. “Having worked for the company for nearly a decade, I realise that opportunities such as this don’t come around too often, and I am extremely grateful for the trust that David, Tom and the other Board Directors have placed in me. “I am excited about what the future holds, and I will endeavour to make a positive contribution as the business continues to evolve and move forward.” Managing Director of Clowes Developments, Thomas Clowes added: “This is my first appointment to the Board in my role as Managing Director and I couldn’t think of anyone better.” Kevin McFarlane and Thomas Clowes of Clowes Developments Jason Davenport Seb Saywood Photo courtesy of Sam Bagnall www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 9 Next >