- Output volumes were broadly unchanged in the three months to June after rising in the quarter to May (weighted balance of +3%, from +14% in the three months to May) and were equivalent to the long-run average. Output is expected to rise modestly in the three months to September (+13%).
- Output increased in only 4 out of 17 sub-sectors, in the three months to June, with growth in the food, drink & tobacco, motor vehicle & transport sector, and plastics and furniture & upholstery sub-sectors broadly offset by falls elsewhere.
- Total order books were reported as below “normal” in June but improved sharply relative to last month (-18% from -33%). The level of order books remained slightly below the long-run average (-13%).
- Export order books were also seen as below normal and deteriorated relative to last month (-39% from -27%). This was also below the long-run average (-18%) and was the weakest outturn since February 2021.
- Expectations for average selling price inflation accelerated in June (+20%, from +15% in May) – well above the long-run average (+7%).
- Stock adequacy for finished goods were unchanged from June, with a net balance of manufacturers reporting that stocks were “more than adequate” standing at +14%, broadly in line with the long-run average.
Output volumes unchanged but expectations remain positive amongst manufacturers
Manufacturers reported that output volumes were broadly unchanged in the three months to June, after rising for the first time in a year and a half in the quarter to May, according to the CBI’s latest Industrial Trends Survey (ITS). Manufacturers expect output to rise modestly in the three months to September.
Total order books improved in May, despite a sharp deterioration in the volume of export orders. Both total and export orders were reported below “normal” and below their long-run averages. Manufacturers reported that stocks of finished goods were more than adequate to meet expected demand, and to the same extent as last month. Meanwhile, expectations for selling price inflation picked up, with prices expected to rise at an above-average pace over the three months to September.
The survey, based on the responses of 248 manufacturers, found:
Paint recycling firm relocates to new premises in Leeds
Paint reprocessing specialist Seagulls Reuse has relocated to Water Lane within the heart of the Temple district of Leeds where it recycles about 400 tonnes of household paint every year.
Seagulls will recycle, mix and sell paint as well as running a series of creative workshops close to the city centre in its new 31,150 sq ft warehouse.
Cat Hyde, co-founder of Seagulls, said: “We’d love to have the capacity to collect leftover trade paint but, at the moment, we have enough paint from Leeds households to meet our customers’ needs. But we are hopeful that this new city centre location in the fast-growing Temple district will hopefully entice new painters through the door enabling further expansion.
“So this is a plea to people across the city to pop in and see significant savings on quality paint, varnish and timber care. Whether painting your home, office, community centre, shed or garden furniture – we have something for everyone no matter the colour.
“The new space will also enable us to expand the range of workshops we run, from beginners decorating courses, to mosaics, murals and terrazzo, we will also have decorating pods available for hire.”
Seagulls Reuse launched in 2005. It is the brainchild of Cat Hyde and her co- founder. Keen to find new pathways into employment, with a shared passion for environmental sustainability they wanted to create a social enterprise that would benefit their community. They engaged with Leeds City Council and agreed to collect and reuse paint disposed at the nine Household Waste Recycling Centres across the city.
They now divert almost 400 tonnes of reusable paint each year, checking and reprocessing it for resale. Bespoke colours are mixed and matched by the team and its helpful volunteers before being resold from as little as £1 per tin.
The process is labour intensive and has provided an opportunity for employment, volunteering and training. Ruksar Ajmal started as a volunteer with Seagulls Reuse when leaving prison in 2007. A colour-blind paint mixer, he now works full-time helping to train other volunteers and decorators, assisting customers and managing the bespoke paint-mixing service.
Ruksar said: “Seagulls Reuse is a vibrant and vital environmental social enterprise. It has been life changing for me, and many others. In the last 17 years, I’ve learnt many skills and am now expert at creating bespoke paint colours by and using a spatula and paddle drill along with a splash of intuition and creativity!
“I love training our new volunteers from all walks of life. Many have been through struggles similar to mine and I’m keen to pass the support I’ve been given onto others who need it. We offer a fantastic community service and look forward to welcoming many more happy customers through our doors as we make the exciting move to Temple.”
Two in the running for housing sector achievement awards
Two team members at the Lincolnshire Housing Partnership have been shortlisted in the Women in Housing and Housing Hero Awards.
Danielle Toyne, Neighbourhoods and Allocations Manager at LHP in Grimsby, is one of only 10 women nationally shortlisted for Woman of the Year (Housing Association/Council).
Danielle has worked at LHP for 10 years and is responsible for the Neighbourhoods and Allocation teams which provide support to customers in 12,500 homes across the east coast of Lincolnshire ensuring a ‘customer first’ approach is at the forefront of what they do.
She said: “Being a finalist for Woman of the Year is absolutely the pinnacle of my career so far, so much so that I don’t think I will ever be able to top this, but what is especially special to me is being nominated by my colleagues.
“To know they think so highly of me means the absolute world, and I’m so grateful that I work with such a wonderful, passionate and inspiring group of people! A huge thank-you to my wonderful team, working with every one of you is the best part of my day!
“I am really looking forward to the awards ceremony and I am so proud to be one of the 10 finalists.”
Neighbourhood Officer at LHP, Mel Cheuk is a finalist in the Outstanding Achievement by an Apprentice category.
Based in the Grimsby office, Mel joined LHP in 2022 as a Housing Apprentice which involved working with its Neighbourhood Officers who have an active presence in the local communities. Mel was successful in gaining a full-time position in May 2023 as Neighbourhood Officer and has recently completed the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Level 3 in Housing Management.
She said: “I was completely overwhelmed and humbled after being told I had been nominated for the award and was a finalist.
“I honestly just do my job which I love, and I am so passionate about our organisation and the difference we make, I just didn’t think I did anything special or different to deserve the nomination.
“I have always wanted to support people and work within an organisation that has strong moral compass and I have found it at LHP. I finally feel I fit and can make that difference.”
John O’Hanrahan, Corporate Head of Customers at LHP, said: “There really is no better way to reward those individuals making a real difference at LHP than to recognise their immense contribution at Women in Housing 2024 which is the only place the whole UK housing sector comes together each year.
“We are extremely proud of both Danielle and Mel for their well-deserved recognition. Their hard work, dedication, and continuous improvement have not only contributed to our organisation’s success but have also set an example of leadership and commitment for everyone at LHP.
“They embody our values by putting our customers first and working together collaboratively across the organisation, ensuring our services are delivered in the LHP Way – with commitment, empathy, and excellence.”
Gainsborough cinema on track for 2025 opening
Building of Gainsborough’s new cinema is said to be well under way by Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co who are managing the project on behalf of client Savoy Cinemas.
Scheduled to open in the summer of 2025, the four-screen cinema complex and attendant leisure and retail development are the anchor properties at the heart of the multi-million pound initiative by West Lindsey District Council to regenerate Gainsborough’s historic town centre.
Gainsborough is the third Lincolnshire location – alongside Grantham and Boston – for Savoy Cinemas Ltd, a growing regional chain whose other locations include two in Nottinghamshire, one in Northamptonshire and another in South Yorkshire.
Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co was appointed last year as the project manager and quantity surveyor by the cinema chain, and work on the new cinema building follows the demolition of old buildings and the clearing of the site.
The firm has worked on a number of cinema, leisure and retail projects before, most recently in Lincoln as part of the ongoing Cornhill regeneration project.
Eddison’s’ director Daniel Garfoot is leading the project management team. He said: “The site is in the town’s conservation area and has rightly been of archaeological interest given the site’s previous uses down the century.
“We are also mindful of the Listed status of neighbouring buildings, as well as the operational requirements of their current traders and occupiers. But it’s our job to steer the project through to deliver the new cinema building in a way that reconciles local sensitivities with our client’s commercial imperative. That’s something all parties are on track to achieve.”
James Collington, Savoy Cinemas’ MD said: “We’re glad to be adding Gainsborough as the newest location to our growing portfolio of cinemas across this part of the country. The fact that our new complex gives new life to a derelict site and is at the heart of the revival of the town centre gives the project extra significance for all involved.”
Charity walks raise more than £4,000 for good causes
Teams from Breckenholme, including representatives from Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, Charlie & Ivy’s, and The Honest Bean Co, and Wold Top Brewery met at Breckenholme Farm in Thixendale to walk 31 miles across the Yorkshire Wolds to Hunmanby Grange, home to Wold Top.
A team of 18 from Breckenholme participated in the walk, with six walking all 31 miles and the rest walking between eight and 23 miles to raise money for HOPING York Street Kitchen. Wold Top’s team included one member, Alex Balchin who did all 31 miles and five walkers who completed between eight and 20 miles to raise money for St. Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough..
Breckenholme’s co-founder Adam Palmer was one of the walkers who completed all 31 miles: “It was a great team effort from both businesses that raised an incredible amount for the respective charities. It was a fantastic day: good weather made for amazing views and it was very rewarding to see the money rolling in and to have a well-deserved pint of Wold Top at the end!” The team exceeded their £3,000 target and have raised £4,157 to date.
Wold Top’s brewery director Alex Balchin added: “St. Catherine’s is a charity very close to our heart at Wold Top as they helped to care for our co-founder Gill at home in her last few months battling cancer. There was great camaraderie en route and we all enjoyed the food and beer at the end. We were delighted to exceed our fundraising target of £500 and have raised £845 to date, with some monies still to come in. Thanks to the team at Breckenholme for organising it: it was a great success.”
Yorkshire digital marketing firm acquires web development agency
Accelerant has acquired web development agency Burrwalk, transitioning more than 50 of Burrwalk’s clients into its own portfolio.
The acquisition sees the agency more than double its own client base, taking the overall tally to more than 90.
Established in November 2023 by Tom Coates, Accelerant is a digital marketing agency based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, offering marketing services including website development, SEO, branding, social media and digital design.
The agency will initially deliver website management and hosting services for its new clients, prioritising a seamless and interruption-free transition.
Coates believes that the integration of Burrwalk’s client base, which includes small to medium-sized businesses from throughout the UK, aligns perfectly with Accelerant’s ambitions for growth.
Accelerant Managing Director Tom Coates said: “We are excited to welcome Burrwalk’s clients into the Accelerant family and look forward to managing their online presences moving forward, as well as driving their own growth through our marketing offering.
“Adding to our existing base of close to 40 active clients, this is a major early milestone for Accelerant, underpinning significant expansion and entrenching additional stability for the business following a successful first six months.
“Our priority is to ensure business as usual for Burrwalk’s clients during this transition, although we are also relishing the opportunity to explore additional marketing potential that can further benefit these businesses.”
Burrwalk was a specialist website development and management agency, based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, owned and operated by Lee Burrett, an experienced IT specialist and web developer.
He said: “After many successful years of building Burrwalk into a specialist web development agency, I am thrilled to see our clients in the capable hands of Accelerant.”
Lee now intends to focus on business interests outside of the sector following the completion of the sale to Accelerant.
The acquisition was facilitated with the advisory support of Accelerant consultants Phil Taylor-Guck, Adam Matich and Mindaugas Bendikas, and Bruce McLeod of Ad:Ventue.
Lincoln emerges as promising location for successful AI enterprises
Lincoln ranks fourth in newly-published research about the best UK locations for AI enterprises, with the region’s other major cities not even making the top 20.
The report is by BusinessFinanced.co.uk. Called AI Business Rankings 2024, it identifies the 59 leading towns and cities in the UK for artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises.
Evaluating key factors that contribute to a thriving AI ecosystem, the report is said to be invaluable for a variety of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs and start-up founders looking to establish AI businesses, investors and venture capitalists seeking lucrative opportunities, policymakers and government officials aiming to foster AI development, and educational institutions preparing the future AI workforce.
The report ranks 59 locations across the UK, identifying Cambridge as the top location for AI businesses. The rankings are based on a detailed evaluation of AI-related job vacancies, the number of AI-related businesses, online search volume for AI-related terms, and the 5-year business survival rate.
It sais smaller locations like Lincoln and Gloucester are emerging as promising locations, offering high business survival rates and growing interest in AI technologies.
The top 20 towns and cities are:
1. Cambridge
2. Bristol
3. Reading
4. Lincoln
5. Newcastle upon Tyne
6. Southampton
7. Gloucester
8. Slough
9. Oxford
10. London
11. Bournemouth
12. Milton Keynes
13. Chelmsford
14. Warrington
15. Cardiff
16. Exeter
17. Cheltenham
18. Belfast
19. Glasgow
20. Manchester
North Lincolnshire businesses sign up to Safer Nights charter
Businesses and workers from Brigg’s Pubwatch have signed up to the Safer Nights NL charter.
Many night time economy venues are part of Pubwatch and have signed the Safety at Night Charter, pledging to take the safety of everyone seriously. It shows venues are being proactive in improving safety of those working in the night time economy and members of the public who want to enjoy socialising safely.
This follows on from the Safer Nights NL being successfully launched in Scunthorpe.
The campaign sees venues being trained in bystander training, how to use bleed kits and First Aid training, and given details on Ask Angela and spiking and ‘One Punch’ awareness.
The charter was created by the North Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership, which includes North Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, Ongo, the National Probation Service, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB and the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner.
North Lincolnshire CSP has also teamed up with WalkSafe, the UK’s most downloaded personal safety app. It features a safety map that will show the safe space venues in Scunthorpe and Brigg venues. The app has local safety information on the map’s menu button in addition to WalkSafe’s personal safety tools like WalkSafe Journey Sharing, Follow Me and HomeSafe.
Chief Superintendent Paul French of Humberside Police, said: “As part of our local Safer Nights North Lincolnshire partnership, we are delighted to support the launch of Pubwatch in Brigg and the initiative of the Walk Safe App extending its coverage across our local communities.
Eddisons secures new tenant for Lincoln’s Carlton Centre
The Carlton Centre in Lincoln is the location chosen by soft play leisure business, Bounce Central for its first venue in the East of England, confirms Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co who acted on behalf of the landlord in the letting of the premises.
Unit 20 at the Carlton Centre, two miles north of Lincoln city centre, gives Bounce Central more than 8,500 sq ft in which to host its trampoline and soft play equipment open sessions, scheduled classes, parties and events.
Established in 2016, the family-run business already has two successful venues in the North West – Salford and Oldham – and, in looking to branch out to the East of England, had been seeking a suitable location for a number of years.
Bounce Central MD James Fearn said the business landed on Lincoln for a number of reasons. “Having grown up in the area, I know Lincoln very well and opening up a Bounce Central branch in the East of the country has been part of our business growth plan.
“Lincoln has changed a lot since my childhood. Recent regeneration and investment in the city centre, in particular, sees the area raising its game in responding to changing habits and expectations of a young and vibrant demographic. It’s a market and a vibe we want to tap in to.”
Bounce Central’s new venue at the Carlton Centre is currently being fitted out and is scheduled to open on 20 July. The new Lincoln operation will take the company’s total headcount to 75 staff, adding to its current number of 53 across its North West venues.
James Butcher of Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co, who led the agency deal in the letting of the premises to Bounce Central, said: “The Carlton Centre is the largest retail park in the immediate Lincoln area and is a popular neighbourhood centre.
“There are over 10,000 people living within easy walking distance of the centre and it has over 450 parking spaces. It’s an ideal location for an operator looking to bring a leisure offer to add to that of established high profile retailers at the centre.
“We’re happy to have played our part in securing Bounce Central as the new occupier and, in doing so, providing a warm welcome home to a Lincolnshire lad.”
Businesses get new guidance from Security Industry Authority
The Security Industry Authority has published new guidance videos for business users, licence holders and licence applicants.
Six new videos on the Authority’s YouTube channel provide helpful guidance to business users, licence holders and licence applicants in an easy-to-understand format.
The new videos are:
- Guide to the SIA’s business services
- Setting up an SIA business account
- Using the SIA’s Licence Status Checker or Licence Pay Only services
- Keeping your SIA online account up to date
- Telling the SIA when something changes
- Overview of the Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licence
“We’ve been reviewing the advice and guidance we make available to customers to identify what more we can do to make the information more visual and easily understood. The new videos were developed as part of a wider review by our licensing team, keeping the customer experience at the forefront throughout.
“We will continue to monitor our contact strategy and continuously improve the advice and guidance we publish to help make the application process as straightforward as possible for new and returning customers.”
The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.