< Previous10 Business Link www.blmforum.net BUSINESS LINK MAGAZINE GROUP The Business Link Magazine goes green The Business Link Magazine is proud to announce that its offices have gone green, with the installation of new solar panels and energy-saving installations. www.blmforum.net Business Link 11 BUSINESS LINK MAGAZINE GROUP I n today's world, with soaring energy prices, sustainable ventures and now the shocking – and worrying – news of flowers growing in the Antarctic, it is more important than ever for businesses to lead the way in going green. Not only for the sake of their own bottom line and to reduce costs, but also to protect the environment so that we can leave a world worth living in to those who come after us. Those concerns were at the forefront of our minds when we decided that, as a news group who often tout the importance of sustainable measures, we ourselves needed to lead by example. Of course, making the decision to go green is easy, but the particulars are complicated, and it's often that complexity which scares people away from making the decision. How expensive will it be? What will be the ROI? How much work is going to be involved? It is easy to catastrophise and put measures like this off, especially when you're closing deadlines for magazines every month and organising our own awards ceremony that took place this very month. Still, there comes a time when you have to take the plunge and seek the advice of an expert, and that is what we did with River Energy & Renewables. Hiring an expert to come in and discuss a project is always the best way to alleviate some of those earlier concerns, and we were very impressed with the professionalism shown, and the benefits offered, and soon after commissioned the installation of solar panels on the roof of our HQ office in Lincolnshire, Armstrong House. These installations will work alongside other energy-saving measures including fresh installations of LED lighting in every office, and internal lights in common areas such as hallways and restrooms set to turn on and off via motion sensors and timers. All combined, the measures will see much of the electrical usage and cost of the offices turned green. "We've always been looking for ways to both cut down on our costs and on the impact we have on the environment," says Director Steve Fisher. "Our major push towards free, online digital magazines and news uploads was a measure to ease the paper burden and give our customers and readers a place where they could read the magazine for free, without any need for logging in or making an account. Investing in solar panels and other environmentally friendly practices for our office was the obvious next step. River Group made the transition as simple as it could be, and the panels were installed and functional with no downtime to the running of the business." This marks only the beginning of longer plans to push the group, and the magazines, toward being more sustainable and more environmentally friendly. In the long run, our aim is to be carbon and energy neutral, which we believe is not only our responsibility toward the region and the people who work for us and who will come after us, but also the best financial decision given the soaring cost of energy felt across the entire country. The future is green, and those who don't adapt to it and adopt measures around it will be left in the dust by those who do. 12 Business Link www.blmforum.net RIVER BUSINESS GROUP Q&A Can you tell us a little about River and what you do? The broader River Business Group is a service provider of essential business products and services including a telecommunications division, an energy and renewables arm and more recently a managed print & workflow software business. Set up in 2017 by brothers Ashley & Guy Hunter with offices in Hull and Birmingham we have grown into a multi- million pound business by offering a unique proposition across our different product verticals. Partnering with best of breed vendors across all our offerings our main aim is to help businesses reduce costs, improve their effectiveness through technology and become greener and cleaner organisations. Sustainability runs right through the business and is essential when we choose our supply partners. All our products and services represent the most sustainable suppliers in the market and we can help businesses achieve their own sustainability goals. What services do you offer to businesses, and how do you help them with their energy needs? Our energy division specialises in cost management and usage reduction. We take a 2-part approach when working with business customers. Firstly, we look to reduce their current energy costs. We have an award-winning platform that allows us to procure from over 25 suppliers, including the big 6, some wholesale only and green providers. This process allows us to manage the cost of their grid generated power. Subsequently we assess the customer’s built environment and make recommendations on how they can deploy renewable technology to reduce their usage of grid power and meet sustainability goals, reduce their carbon and become greener. Some of our renewable’s solutions include LED lighting, solar PV & battery storage, electric vehicle charging, voltage optimisation, biofuel & wind turbines. We have also recently added a water switching service to our portfolio as well as historic water audits. We look to design a long term eco system of technology for clients which might include solar PV, battery storage and EV chargers for example. All tech is integrated and designed on a bespoke basis to suit the client’s individual needs. How much can clients expect to benefit, and what considerations are there to keep in mind? We take a very collaborative approach working with clients with different needs and different budgets. The benefits are usually focused around cost management and usage reduction however there are several benefits businesses can achieve. Q&A Going Green with River Business Group We sit down with River Business Group to discuss how businesses can make the steps toward going green, and what they should keep in mind. Guy Hunter (Commercial Director) Ashley Hunter (Managing Director)www.blmforum.net Business Link 13 RIVER BUSINESS GROUP Q&A Cost reduction is usually the primary requirement and for example by deploying solar PV given the right roof space a business can expect to generate anywhere between 40% - 70% of their energy demand. Once the Return On Investment, which is usually between 3 – 5 years, has been met then the client essentially benefits from free, green energy. Additional benefits include reducing carbon which has multiple benefits. Not only do you improve your own organisations position but a carbon reduction program is often now a requirement to meet supply chain demand both up and down the chain. Customer choices are also being driven by an organisation’s green credentials more and more, meaning if you want to retain your existing clients and engage with new ones, having a progressive and dynamic sustainability strategy will help grow your client demographic. In addition one of the biggest benefits is energy security! The power market can be very volatile and the recent energy crisis has exposed how fragile the supply is and how much a global incident can affect costs. Electricity costs peaked at nearly £1 per unit last year, 8 times higher than pre-Ukraine invasion prices which was unprecedented. This saw many businesses faced with incredible cost pressures and indeed many well- established businesses had to close their doors. This was all set against a back drop of energy companies making record profits. So, a key benefit of renewable tech is becoming less reliant on that volatile and often expensive grid power and generating your own, providing a long term clean, green energy supply. What advice do you have for businesses looking to cut down on their energy expenditure, or go green? There are dozens of existing technologies that help businesses improve their green credentials and lots of new and exciting emerging technologies. If a business is looking to cut down on their energy expenditure then the two main things to do are focus on supply contract procurement and usage reduction. The cheapest unit of electricity is the one you never use. Engage with an experienced broker to help you navigate the complexities of the energy market. Renewing with your current supplier is unlikely to yield the best result but shopping the market is tiresome and time consuming. Let a broker, like River do that for you and present the results. Explore renewable technologies. LED lighting can save you 40% on the costs of your lighting. Bulb technology means they last longer (up to 10 years or 50,000 hours of service) so fewer replacements are needed. Solar will generate around 50% of your power demand. If you have a large roof in good condition use it! Look at electrifying your fleet whether it’s cars, vans, trucks or even warehouse equipment like forklifts. Use the solar generated power to fuel your fleet via electric charging solutions. Change your behaviour. So much energy reduction can be achieved by doing the simplest of things. Keep doors closed when the heating is on. Keep windows closed when the air conditioning is on. Turn lights and electrical equipment off when not in use. River have experience in deploying a variety of solutions across almost every sector as well as providing consultancy support to businesses to help them with their ESG reporting. We also provide long term support and maintenance contracts on all our solutions to ensure whatever tech you deploy is working to its maximum. For more information visit www.riveruk.co.uk or call 01482 272 728 or email enquiries@riveruk.co.uk14 Business Link www.blmforum.net COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Robust appetite remains for industrial and logistics properties www.blmforum.net Business Link 15 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY F ollowing a boom in demand for industrial and logistics space over recent years, the market is starting to normalise to pre-pandemic levels. Mirroring most of the UK, activity in Yorkshire has therefore witnessed a decline, driven particularly by economic challenges, as reported by research from Savills. Yet there are expectations that activity will rebound in the near future, as a result of growing occupier requirements, and in the meantime the desire for space across Yorkshire continues to be robust, attracting a mix of 3PLs, grocery retailers, manufacturers and more. The past couple of months have seen a number of new deals sealed and novel industrial and logistics projects make progress in Yorkshire. In September specialist investment firm Leftfield acquired two brand new, mid-box speculative industrial properties on Thornbury Industrial Park in Bradford. The units, totalling 94,674 sq ft, were bought from property developer Marshall CDP. Unit A comprises a 39,435 sq ft warehouse with 2,667 sq ft ground and first floor office accommodation whilst Unit C, housed on a 3.62 acre area, comprises a 49,357 sq ft warehouse with 3,215 sq ft of office space to the ground and first floors. Thornbury Industrial Park on Gain Lane is Bradford’s newest industrial location with the final phase of development providing three units. Tenants on the estate include Astonish, Marsylka Manufacturing, Optimum Medical, Woodlands and Candy Hero. Nico Fourie, CEO of Leftfield, said: “Demand for well located, high specification properties remains high in this underserved sector. We are excited to add these two excellent units to Leftfield’s Fund III, which continues to expand in key strategic locations.” As the market starts to calm post-pandemic, appetite remains robust for Yorkshire industrial and logistics properties. 16 Á Leftfield has acquired two new, mid-box speculative industrial properties on Thornbury Industrial Park in Bradford 16 Business Link www.blmforum.net COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Meanwhile, Glenbrook Investments recently completed the off-market purchase of two industrial properties close to the M1 on Platts Common Industrial Estate in Hoyland, near Barnsley. The deal was struck with manufacturer Metalliform, in a £4m sale and lease back of its two premises on Chambers Road. Metalliform, which has been established in Barnsley for over 75 years, has signed a 20-year lease of each property, which provide a total of 125,000 sq ft across two sites of 5.5 acres. The transaction comes after Glenbrook Investments, earlier this year, completed the purchase of the nearby Fall Bank Industrial Estate in a £4.65m deal. Moreover, a significant letting has been secured with Cartonplast UK Ltd, the reusable transport packaging company for the food and drink industry, expanding into a brand new, speculatively built warehouse on Centurion Business Park in Rotherham. The 31,090 sq ft last mile distribution unit, which has an EPC A rating, was completed in May this year and includes ground floor office space, 8.87m eaves height, as well as 39 parking spaces, with 2 EV charging points. James Perryer, Managing Director, Cartonplast UK Ltd, said: “As we continue to expand our business, we are delighted to secure this new warehouse in such a strategic location in Rotherham. It’s ideally placed to support our growing orderbook alongside our Doncaster facility. We are pleased to create more employment for the South Yorkshire region as part of our growth strategy.” Dani Raunjak, associate director, CBRE’s Industrial team, added: “Despite wider economic headwinds, occupier demand for industrial/warehouse mid-box units within South Yorkshire remains buoyant. This unit is typically one of the most sought-after types, given its quality and specification, and demonstrates the demand for well located, Grade A speculative development across the www.blmforum.net Business Link 17 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY region.” While deals are being done at existing sites, new developments are on the way. Marshall CDP, for example, has started construction at phase two of its business park in Doncaster. After developing three warehouse units totalling 48,000 sq ft at Kestrel Court in 2020, now two new units, offering 21,000 sq ft and 17,000 sq ft, are under construction at phase two, named Peregrine Court, and are due to reach practical completion in December 2023. Cllr Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor and Portfolio Holder for Housing & Business at the City of Doncaster Council, said: “We are delighted to see the incredible amount of progress being made on Peregrine Court. It is excellent to see Marshall CDP once again show great confidence in the Doncaster economy by building this major speculative industrial development scheme. Our Business Doncaster team is working closely with the letting agents, Knight Frank, to market the development and help find tenants for the two units, which will bring further quality investment and employment opportunities into Doncaster.” At an earlier stage of development, Waystone Hargreaves Land has been given planning permission for a major new phase of industrial development at Unity Yorkshire, close to Junction 5 of the M18. Unit A, designed to meet modern occupier requirements, will provide 375,000 sq ft of industrial accommodation on a 20-acre plot. Unity Connect forms part of the Unity Yorkshire scheme covering 618 acres. The development has opportunities for commercial and industrial business, residential, retail and leisure. When completed the site will accommodate industrial and warehousing units from about 20,000 to 400,000 sq ft. These deals and schemes represent just a handful of those taking place across Yorkshire as it remains a key destination for industrial and logistics property. Cartonplast UK Ltd has expanded into a new, speculatively built warehouse on Centurion Business Park in Rotherham Marshall CDP has started construction at phase two of its new business park in Doncaster 18 Business Link www.blmforum.net SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH It used to be that money was the sole limiter on business growth, but filling the spaces that open up when a company grows may be much harder in today’s economic climate. G rowing a business is no small challenge in today’s economy. As if the financial situation in the region – and the entire country – wasn’t bad enough, companies must also contend with difficult recruitment, with the staggering cost of living forcing wage demands higher, and the shrinking pool of candidates making the job harder still. A year ago, the region faced what many termed the Great Resignation, which, for all its doomsday language, at least put new recruits in the pool and gave businesses candidates to work with. Now, finding skilled workers is a challenge in itself, and many companies are competing over a small pool, forcing wages higher and meaning that smaller companies looking to expand may have limited options. The Government have often touted the importance of “ambition” and attacked other parties for being enemies of it, and yet the situation they have created has left many ambitious business www.blmforum.net Business Link 19 SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH owners in a position where they cannot capitalise on their success to grow their company. While there is unlikely to be any swift resolution to the cost of living, and with many economists expecting the UK tax burden will rise to its highest rate since after WW2, the onus is yet again on businesses themselves to find ways around these issues. One route which many prepared to take a more long-term approach with is to target university graduates, and perhaps even to sponsor some through university itself. It is, as said, a long-term approach, and does require more work than traditional recruitment, but universities typically have departments which work with local businesses to try and push them in the way of good candidates. Attending job fairs at university and talking to soon-to-be graduates can put your name and brand at the forefronts of their minds, vastly increasing the odds they will consider applying for your company upon graduation. A poor attitude to have (and one unfortunately common among more old- fashioned types) is that business owners should not have to put this much effort into reaching out to recruits. That their role is to provide the job, with competitive pay, and that applicants should come to them and be glad for the chance to work. This may have been a fine method in the past where the labour market was large and competition for 20 Á © stock.adobe.com/Studio RomanticNext >