“Now that we have successfully established a presence in multiple countries, this export loan facility is pivotal. It will enable us to maintain stock in each export market, enhancing our ability to provide an improved local service, which will significantly accelerate our global expansion strategy and ultimately contribute to creating more employment opportunities in our area.”
Dewsbury furniture firm has £2.5m funding package guaranteed by export credit agency
UK government’s export credit agency has issued a guarantee allowing Dewsbury furniture firm Jay-Be to access a £2.5m funding package from Santander UK, which will allow it to boost sales of UK-made products to more than a dozen overseas markets including USA, Canada and the UAE.
Already a supplier to high street names like John Lewis, Bensons for Beds and Next, Jay-Be began exporting in 2012 and now serves customers in more than 15 countries. With this foothold, it will now be able to use UKEF support to ramp up its international sales and bring a Yorkshire export to more people than ever.
Based in Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Jay-Be designs and makes all of its products in the UK. Further expansion overseas will help to support jobs within the UK manufacturing sector.
The newly announced UK government guarantee means that Jay-Be can continue its export growth by extending its next-day delivery service to overseas regions where it operates. The extra £2.5m will allow it to invest in overseas facilities where it can keep local stocks, making it possible for the Dewsbury firm to deliver to customers all over the world within a single day.
This is the latest instance of UKEF helping small and medium-sized enterprises across the country access trade funding from the private sector. Four in every five companies which the export credit agency supported in the last year were small-to-medium-sized companies and based outside London.
This deal is also a step forwards for sustainable UK manufacturing, which will help this country’s innovative exports reach a wider international audience than ever. Jay-Be uses materials like sustainably sourced wood and recycled plastic. In 2023, it won the British Furniture Manufacturers ‘Future of Furniture Excellence in Sustainability Award’.
Roger Durrans, CEO of Jay-Be, said: “We are extremely appreciative of Santander UK and UK Export Finance for this support. Our journey into international markets over the past few years has presented its share of challenges, but achieving the export of our beds and mattresses overseas is an accomplishment of which we are very proud.
New £5.5m training centre welcomes first young engineers
A new £5.5m training centre will launch the engineering careers of more than 60 young learners now it is open for business.
The new arrivals at the building at Pioneer Business Park in Stallingborough are among 250 taking up courses at three sites owned and operated by Humberside Engineering and Training Association (HETA).
The new centre is purpose-built and provides facilities for electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and fabrication and welding, with an IT suite, classrooms and meeting rooms.
It sits at the heart of North East Lincolnshire Council’s £42m South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP) area, which is being promoted as a major industrial development opportunity.
Iain Elliott, HETA’s Chief Executive, said: “This is the culmination of about nine years of thought, discussion and planning – and more than a few sleepless nights. We couldn’t have picked a worse time to build it. We exited Covid, the war started in Ukraine, material costs were soaring and supply of materials and labour were an issue. But we were only two weeks late and we were on budget.”
The total investment is £5.5m, broken down into a build cost of about £4.2m with land purchase, fees and VAT making up the rest.
Iain added: “It’s a £5.5m investment in the future of engineering training in North East Lincolnshire and beyond. It’s for those people who are coming out of school and want to take engineering as a career and for employers who need that skilled labour coming through. We know young people are now seeing apprenticeships and engineering and other technical trades as a viable alternative to university.”
New Sheffield BTR development fully let
Iron Yard, Sheffield’s latest Build-to-Rent (BTR) offering, is 100% let just 14 weeks after it was launched to the public.
More than 30% of the 95 one and two-bedroom boutique apartments were let to tenants on the first day of the launch, and a recent open day attracted more than 100 potential tenants, demonstrating the strong demand for high quality BTR living in the city.
Situated in the heart of the city centre, Iron Yard features a gym, concierge service, residents’ lounge, co-working space and communal garden, as well as extensive private parking with EV chargers available.
Oblix Living CEO Rishi Passi said: “Iron Yard was designed to meet the needs of Sheffield’s rising community of young professionals. Everything from the communal amenity spaces to the on-site team and of course the design and finish of the apartments themselves.
“I’m delighted that the development is 100% let in such a short space of time. The demand has been so strong and the response overwhelmingly positive. It’s a real testament to the city and to the partnership with Centrick that Iron Yard has attracted such a diverse range of residents so quickly.”
Residential property management specialist Centrick has been appointed to manage Iron Yard, providing its BTR services, through its new VICI platform.
VICI director Clare Johnson said: “Iron Yard is a fantastic development and we are looking forward to working alongside Oblix Living to deliver outstanding consulting and operational BTR services, which we have continued to grow over many years of experience and expertise in this key growth sector.
“We are going to work together with tenants to create a thriving, sustainable community within this fabulous new development and are already planning the next unmissable community events.”
Work starts on mixed use refurbishment project in Wakefield
Main construction contractor, Priestley Construction, has started work on a £2.5 million mixed use refurbishment project on Marygate in the heart of Wakefield city centre.
The design and build project will see Marygate House, which was originally built as an office building in the 1970s, transformed into 26 apartments over three floors.
In addition, the existing ground-floor retail units will be upgraded with new shop fronts and canopies, to create an impressive and rejuvenated streetscape, on behalf of developer, IP Marygate House.
The development will offer a selection of smart studio apartments, as well as one and two bedroom homes.
The scheme has been designed by Leeds-based PDG Architects and Bingley-based Holdgate Consulting Engineers is providing structural engineering services.
Nathan Priestley, CEO of the Priestley Group, said: “As a Yorkshire-based business, we continue to see the huge potential in the region’s smaller towns and cities, such as Wakefield, which is a city on the up, driven by a council that is committed to bringing its ambitious regeneration plans to life.
“We are thrilled to start work giving Marygate House a new lease of life, as well as significantly enhancing the local street scene in a sought-after part of the city centre, within the main retail centre and close to the historic Civic Quarter.
“Our experience in delivering high quality residential developments in key city centre locations has enabled us to create a vision for a scheme that will be a fantastic place to live, as well as being a valuable asset for both Marygate and Wakefield as a whole.”
Yorkshire business confidence dips but remains upbeat
Business confidence in Yorkshire fell six points during August to 32%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Companies in Yorkshire reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down four points at 32%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down seven points to 32%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 32%.
Yorkshire businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in sustainability (35%), investing in their teams (32%) and introducing new technology (25%)
The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. A net balance of 21% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, the same reading as last month.
Overall UK business confidence increased to its highest level since February last year, jumping 10 points to 41% in August. All 11 regions and nations reported a positive business confidence reading in August, with nine regions and nations reporting a higher confidence reading month-on-month.
Optimism in the UK economy also increased in August by 16 points to 37%, and the number of businesses expecting an increase in their trading prospects rose by three points to 46%.
Businesses in London reported the highest levels of business confidence at 52% (up 20 points month-on-month), its strongest reading in 14 months. Firms in the South East reported the second highest reading at 47% (up 17 points month-on-month), followed by those in the South West at 46% (up 12 points month on month).
The construction, retail and service sectors all saw a rise in business confidence in August. Services gained 12 points to reach a 22-month high of 42%, while retail firms were up nine points to 44%, an 18-month high. Construction firms’ confidence also increased by 11 points to a four-month high of 42%. In contrast, manufacturing confidence fell for a second consecutive month with a 4-point decline to 30%, taking it to the lowest level since April 2023.
Steve Harris, regional director for Yorkshire at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Despite a small dip in confidence this month, it is encouraging to see that businesses remain resilient in their efforts to grow. It’s especially positive that sustainability is a big priority as this is not only critical to support the transition to Net Zero but we also know it can present significant financial opportunities for businesses.
“Firms looking to invest in improving their sustainability should take advantage of the discounted lending available for these projects and seek support where they need it to identify new avenues for green growth. As always, we’ll remain on hand to provide businesses with practical tools and support as they achieve their ambitions.”
Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The bounce in economic optimism this month is the standout point. Our analysis shows that businesses felt relief that interest rates may be reaching their peak, alongside hopes that measures to tackle inflation are having an impact.
“With trading prospects remaining stable, and hiring and wage intentions also rising, the macro environment for small businesses and those outside the manufacturing sector is more upbeat.
“From the data, large firms and manufacturers are experiencing some degree of caution, which is likely to reflect the wider global economic environment and, for manufacturing, the rotation of spending towards services.”
Biomass business snapped up in multi-million pound acquisition
Flush Energy Limited has looked to Lincolnshire for its first acquisition, as the start-up business seeks growth opportunities in the biomass sector.
Flush Energy has secured a multi-million pound funding package comprising private equity investment as well as debt finance to assist with its growth plans, following its acquisition of the business and assets of 3F Pellets Limited (in administration), a manufacturer and supplier of wood-based pellet products including biomass heating pellets.
Flush Energy is now focussed on returning the Lincolnshire-based plant to production and targeting further acquisition opportunities.
Led by corporate partner, Philip Ashworth, a multi-disciplinary team at Andrew Jackson Solicitors LLP comprising Nicole Waldron (corporate), Samuel Peake (property), Nick Wilson (employment) and Fiona Phillips (tax), advised Flush Energy on the acquisition from joint administrators, Andy Pear and Milan Vuceljic of Moorfields Advisory.
Andrew Jackson also advised Flush Energy on the private equity investment and debt finance package.
The insolvency and reorganisation team at international law firm Clyde & Co LLP, led by partner Andrew Foster and assisted by Tristan Cox-Chung (legal director), Andrew Robertson (senior associate) and Lily Pidge (associate), were instructed by the joint administrators on the acquisition.
Clyde & Co’s corporate team, led by partners Simon Gamblin and Rob Lowe, provided legal advice to the debt funders.
Grant Lodge, CEO of Flush Energy, said: “We are delighted to have concluded the acquisition of the Lincoln pellet plant and are making swift progress with getting it back into production and yielding RHI income.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Philip Ashworth and his excellent team at Andrew Jackson Solicitors, who we expect to be a key part of our team, helping us with our growth plans in the coming years.”
Philip Ashworth said: “We are absolutely delighted to have assisted the team at Flush Energy on its first acquisition. It has been a complex transaction involving various regulatory issues, raising private equity and debt funding. Flush Energy is now well placed to grow the business, which offers a solid customer base from a fantastic location.
“It has been a pleasure to act for Grant and his team and we are confident that they will make significant in-roads into the biomass sector over the coming months.”
Digital Innovation Grant support helps psychologist take the stress out of driving business growth
A Sheffield-based psychologist, who uses his knowledge of neuroscience to help his clients make better decisions has seen demand for his services boom after securing help from the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme to move his burgeoning business online.
Glenn Mead launched his business Face Value Performance in 2017 after calling on help from the Launchpad business support programme. Since launching his own company, the Sheffield-based entrepreneur has kept himself busy helping a wide range of senior business executives to learn how to improve decision making and their communications skills.
Glenn is no stranger to dealing with stressful situations. He served as an officer in the British Army for nine years, before going to forge a successful career in leadership and management where he worked across Europe. In recent years, Glenn developed a particular interest in understanding how being placed in stressful situations can impair judgement.
Drawing on his background in occupational psychology, over the past six years Glenn’s coaching businesses has successfully built a loyal client base, where he has supported lawyers, self-employed workers and senior executives. His business even counts the NHS and MOD amongst his growing client base.
With plans to scale and develop his business further, the experience of delivering his training sessions remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic inspired Glenn to expand his online support services. He recognised that the key to unlocking a digital training package was being able to help his clients enjoy a similar experience offered in a face-to-face setting, and to achieve that he needed to invest in new technology to improve the way his presentations were delivered.
To help him achieve his goals, Glenn decided to apply to the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme, a match-funded ERDF funded initiative designed to help businesses across the region to improve productivity by embracing new forms of technology. He decided to apply to the programme to help him fund the vital presentation equipment he needed to move more parts of his business online.
Glenn’s successful application helped him to invest in the vital new camera equipment needed to grow and develop his business. Unlike the web camera which he had relied upon previously, the new technology enabled him to improve the way in which his presentations were delivered. The new camera allowed Glenn to zoom in on specific areas, allowing him to display a digital screen, but crucially keep other areas of his workplace out of view.
Since implementing the technology, Glenn has been able to expand his online offering, helping him to secure a number of new contracts, which he would not have previously been able to support.
Glenn Mead, Founder, Face Value Performance Psychology, said: “Our body language can be just as important as the words we are speaking. Research has consistently shown that when a presentation is delivered in person, more information is retained. I realised that to expand my digital offering, I needed to invest in a system that could allow me to share the information I wanted to communicate in the presentation slides, but also show my face at the same time.
The funds I received from the Digital Innovation Grant scheme have been a genuine game-changer for my business. The technology I invested in has not only helped me to achieve greater flexibility when it comes to presenting information, but it has also given me the opportunity to record content and training sessions, allowing my clients to revisit the themes discussed outside of the sessions. It has helped me to secure and deliver work to businesses across the UK, something that would not have been possible previously. I am now hoping to grow the business further and gearing up to recruiting my first employee in the not-too-distant future.”
Christina Lima-Trindade, Business Growth Adviser, Business Sheffield said: “I’ve been working with Glenn since he first decided to launch his business and it’s been great to see how his business developed during that time. Like many businesses, Glenn was forced to adapt to a different way of working during the Covid-19 pandemic; however, he recognised that the technology that had helped him to navigate that difficult time could also provide a golden opportunity to open up new markets for the business.
The Digital Innovation Grant scheme was created specifically to help businesses harness new forms of technology to increase productivity and drive growth, and in Glenn’s case this has enabled him to service work that would have previously meant long journeys and lost working hours. Overcoming those challenges has enabled Glenn to maximise his working day, as well as using the technology to record new videos, and has generated additional sources of income for his business.”
The Digital Innovation Grant scheme was launched in July 2021 and helps SME businesses across South Yorkshire to access match-funded grants to help them embrace new ways of working to improve productivity and growth and enter new markets. The scheme is now closed to new applications.
The programme funded up to 50% of projects with costs totalling £2,000-£10,000. It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is delivered across South Yorkshire by Enterprising Barnsley, part of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
International rugby star turned commercial pilot tackles recruitment head on
Former international rugby player turned Emirates airline pilot Tony Underwood is to be the keynote speaker at an event in the city in October.
The event, organised by City of York Council’s Economic Growth Team, is called Recruitment and Retention Reimagined, and takes place in York’s Priory Street Centre on the morning of Thursday 5 October.
Tony now supports leaders seeking to nurture high-performing teams and will draw on his many experiences of teamwork and leadership to share his lessons with York’s businesses.
He said: “Recruitment and retention entail working hard to cultivate a culture where no-one wants to leave; an environment where you’ve earned commitment from your team, not just compliance – where you’ve engaged with them by talking to the heart not just the head.”
HR experts from across the region will join Tony to explore how York’s businesses of all shapes and sizes can improve their staff recruitment and retention processes in cost-effective and innovative ways.
Attendees will hear first-hand from local businesses, including the Grand Hotel, about the benefits of being inclusive employers, while Jenny Herrera, CEO of the Good Business Charter, will discuss how becoming a GBC-accredited business can help you attract and keep great staff.
Law firm’s sustainability initiatives – steps towards a greener future?
Climate conscious law firm Sills & Betteridge LLP are delighted to announce the introduction of a range of energy saving, carbon emission reducing initiatives.
Its largest undertaking is the recent installation of 79 solar panels to its central Lincoln Head Office with the aim of generating 1/3 of the site’s total energy usage – for 4 months of the year, solar energy will fully power the 4 floor office.
Derrick Denton, Director of UK Alternative Energy of North Hykeham in the city who managed the project said of the install “With Sills and Betteridge now occupying the whole of Aquis House, the challenge was to find a solar solution to help reduce the energy use within the building. A total of 79 x 405 W Canadian solar panels giving a system size 30.37kw, 3 x 10kw Solis inverters have been installed using a flat roof mounting system. This system has been equally split throughout the building and connected to the consumer units within the plant room. This system should see 25,000kwh of electricity generated each year and should see a saving of around six tons of CO2 every year. All the inverters are online, and the system can be displayed and monitored from anywhere in the world”.
Another investment has been the purchase of a new MG ZS Electric Hatchback car, bought to replace one of the firm’s diesel vehicles. It will be used by members of the firm to attend client appointments, external meetings and events. A charging point has been installed at Aquis House which clients are welcome to use when they are when visiting for appointments. The firm aspires to have a fully electric fleet by 2025.
Remote working and online video meetings are encouraged to help reduce avoidable travel across the region. Such methods became very popular with both clients and employees, further to their introduction during lockdown.
Digital and paper-light file management and document storage are another efficiency that the firm is embracing, to cut down on paper consumption and the cost of print and archiving. Document management system iManage is being rolled out across the firm to support its main practice management system.
Even the firm’s website www.sillslegal.co.uk is green, as verified by The Green Web Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation which tracks how much of the internet runs on green energy. Developed by DBS Internet Marketing, the site minimises the use of resources (and therefore energy) through quick download speeds and user-friendly navigation on all classes of device – and their hosting partner OVH used either renewable or low-carbon energy for 77% of its power last year with plans to increase it to 100%.
Chief Executive Officer of Sills & Betteridge, Martyn Hall said “Like many law firms, we are working hard to understand the impact of our operations and working methods on the environment and are actively seeking to reduce our overall carbon footprint with the initiatives and best practices outlined above. Our team have welcomed the new projects and we look forward to introducing more across the wider firm.”
Wykeland continues support for Hull’s Freedom Festival
Hull-based regeneration specialist Wykeland Group has again committed to being a major partner for the city’s Freedom Festival, which begins today and runs until September 3rd.
Freedom Festival Arts Trust brings other innovative arts projects, such as The Awakening and The Hull Vigil, to the city. As a charitable organisation, the Trust relies on backing from local businesses and generous individuals who contribute through in-kind support, partnerships and sponsorship.
As well as being a Freedom Festival Major Partner for many years, Wykeland’s commitment to the arts has extended to dozens of cultural organisations and events, including Humber Street Sesh, Pride in Hull, Hull Truck Theatre, the Amy Johnson Festival, Middle Child theatre company, Feral Art School, Beverley Puppet Festival and many more.
Wykeland MD Dominic Gibbons said: “Our support for culture and the arts in Hull and the wider region is something we’re wholeheartedly committed to and incredibly proud of.
“We believe passionately that physical, social and cultural regeneration are inextricably linked and that’s a key reason why we support cultural and arts organisations and events in so many ways.
“Freedom Festival is Hull’s premier cultural event and we have supported the festival and the organisation behind it since its earliest days. It’s one of the most significant ways in which we support cultural creativity, especially in Hull city centre and the Fruit Market where our business is based.”
