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Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

JOBS GALORE

Check out the latest job offersin our supplement - inside

252014JUN

FUNDING CONUNDRUM

Firms still foxed by fundingquestions, survey finds – p7

BACKING A WINNER

High stakes for local bookie inRoyal Ascot gamble – page 4

There is a lot more made in Bristol than aeroplanes.The city’s manufacturing sector is soaring. P8&9

SUCCESS INTHE PIPELINE

MANUFACTURING FOCUS

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2 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Above and below, the safety clothing for night workers

ROAD workers will be safer at nightthanks to a local supplier of highvisibility clothing. Fhoss, based inWeston-super-Mare, has been work-ing to develop more effective outfits

for staff working on motorways at night.The firm has developed new attire with

trunk roads operator Scotland TanServ to helpkeep its workers in the West of Scotland safer.

The company has taken a lead from therailway industry where the speed of trains andlonger braking distances mean workers needto be seen from a significant distance.

The new powered light safety wear will allowdrivers to see road workers from 300 metres,even in harsh conditions, and up to 1.5 miles inperfect conditions.

The bright strips work by using reflectivetechnology combined with a battery poweredilluminated core. This means that unlike tra-ditional high-visibility tape, Fhoss illuminateswithout the need for ambient light such asvehicle headlights or street lights.

Chief executive Andrew Kimitri said:“We ’ve been working closely with ScotlandTranServ over the last few months to developits capabilities in their field.

“Following a successful trial the trunk roadsoperator is now ready to roll out our product tokey employees. We hope other such organ-isations observe their use of this technologyand follow a similar personal safety lead.”

Russell Rennie, Scotland TraServ’s contractdirector, said: “The health and safety of ouremployees and those of our contractors is ofthe utmost importance to Scotland TranServ.

“We are looking to the latest innovationsfrom a number of related industries to makeour workers safer.

“Having trialled this product with a handfulof our employees last year, we are now pre-paring to roll it out to other significant parts ofour business.

“If motorists are able to see our workersfrom a longer distance then they have more

time to take appropriate action and this shouldhelp to keep them safer too.”

Fhoss hopes the extra safety offered willconvince more firms with staff working onroads to follow suit and place orders. It alreadysupplies a number of railway contractors.

David White, logistics manager at BalfourBeatty Rail UK, praised the Fhoss productsafter a trial last year.

He said: “The men on the ground wereinitially opposed to the idea of something new;they were happy with what they had and werereluctant to change.

“However, with some gentle persuasion,they trialled the products and subsequentlyrealised that they were comfortable, easy touse, fitted well, and more importantly, madethem stand out even when in areas of completed a rk n e s s.

“From my point of view, it is essential for ourmen to be wearing Fhoss. Before we intro-duced these products, our men wore headtorches along with traditional PPE.

“In certain conditions this combination isfine. However, it is not always ideal as it meansthat workers cannot be seen from behind,especially if there is low ambient light.

“When our men wear Fhoss, they stand outin all light conditions, at all times and from alla n g l e s. ”

� Patrick Lincoln, Solution IP; Joe Dignan, Bristol City Council; Ryan Jones, Solution IP

Ret a i l

Safety clothing

M&S creates 40 jobswith new food store� MARKS & Spencer is to openingnew Simply Food store in Bristol,creating 40 new jobs.

The 8,245 sq ft store will open atthe Imperial Park, Hartcliffe, on July9, selling almost 4,500 food anddrink lines, as well as flowers andc a rd s .

The tore will bring over 40 jobs tothe area and include a 42-seat café.

Store manager Martyn Seckersaid: “We are delighted to beopening a Simply Food store inImperial Park which will providelocal customers with a great newshopping experience.

“We look forward to welcomingcustomers through our doors.”

Te c h n o l o g y

Fibre optic Don’t miss out on £3kgrants for superfast broadband

BUSINESSES in Bristol arebeing urged not to miss outon £3,000 of free funding to-wards installing superfastfibre optic broadband.

Any city business which employsfewer than 250 employees and turnsover less than £40 million can applyfor funding from the ConnectionVouchers programme.

Bristol has £4.8 million of funds todistribute after being named last yearas one of 22 cities to benefit from aGovernment scheme called SuperConnected Cities.

Each £3,000 grant is a no-stringscapital investment, providing an op-portunity to connect businesspremises with superfast fibre broad-band.

Multiple businesses occupying thesame premises can also join forces toapply for collaborative funds of £3,000per company.

But the money is only availableuntil March next year and BristolCity Council, which is in charge ofthe funding, is planning a marketingcampaign to raise awareness of thefund after a disappointing number ofapplications since it was launchedlast year. The previous qualificationcriteria has also been slightly revisedto help more businesses qualify.

Business telecoms network special-ist Solution IP, an expert provider offibre broadband services, is partner-ing with Bristol City Council as aregistered provider of the ConnectionVouchers services.

Its sales and operations directorRyan Jones said: “Solution IP hasseen a significant uptake of enquiriessince we have assisted in generatingawareness of this great values ch e m e. ”

And he also warned that lack ofawareness of the grant could lead tocompanies missing out on valuablefree funding, which could offer theopportunity to improve productivityin the workplace.

He said: “Any business wishing toretain or become a leading player intheir chosen market will need fibrebroadband as an essential tool inorder to operate in a competitive en-v i ro n m e n t .

“Every day we see growing demandfor cloud-based services – off-site databack-ups, Windows 365, enhanced

wi-fi security, multiple wirelessdevices in the office – meaning highbandwidth is a prerequisite.

“Why would any business miss outon free cash to implement fibre broad-band over draining its own capitalre s e r ve s ?

“Business owners are aware of theimportance of fast, reliable broad-band. They just need some help un-derstanding how products canenhance profitability.”

Joe Dignan, innovation servicemanager at Bristol City Council, said:“It’s great to have ‘local hero’ com-

panies like Solution IP helping usdeliver this programme.

“Take up has not been as good as wewere hoping so far, so we are keen toget whatever help we can to push themessage out as strongly as possible.

“People assume there’s a catch butthere really isn’t. The money’s notmatch-funded, it’s genuinely free cap-ital. But it’s only available untilMarch so we have more than 1,600vouchers to give out by then. If we cando that, we’ll be delighted.”

See www.connection vouchers.co.ukfor more information.

Te c h n o l o g y

Hive of activity as first business moves in early

Developer thrilled byElectricity House deal� DEVELOPER Crest Nicholson hascompleted the purchase of theformer Electricity House, once hometo SWEB, in Colston Avenue,Bristol.

The £27 million scheme will seethe art deco building converted into85 luxury flats with a conciergeloggy and some business space onthe ground floor. Work is due to startshortly with a sales launch earlynext year. The developer hadpreviously announced plans for theproperty, designed by renownedarchitect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, buthas just confirmed the deal.Development director Ben Millersaid he was “thrilled”.

Proper ty

Seeing the light N ewilluminated kit winsover road workers

A FIBREOPTICS company has be-come the first firm to move in to theHive business development centre.

The centre, part of the J21 enter-prise area close to the motorway inWeston-super-Mare, does not offi-cially open until July.

But DM Optics didn’t want to waitso the business has already taken upre s i d e n c e.

The company, founded by DavidMadsen in 2002, specialises in opticalfibre test equipment, accessories andsupplies, providing the photonics –the use of light in information trans-mission – test and installation equip-ment to the telecoms sector as well asresearch and production companies.

David said he had long planned toexpand the firm and had been lookingfor the right premises.

He said: “When I saw the plans forThe Hive I knew this would be theideal base from which to grow.

“The close motorway links, rail net-work and airport are perfect for easyaccess to my clients based across theUnited Kingdom.”

He needed an office with space for

staff members he intends to hire laterin the year and, being early on theuptake, had plenty to choose from.

He said there were other benefits tothe centre too, such as: “The meetingand conference/training rooms onsite and the opportunity to meet and

network with other businesses is abonus and receiving one invoice eachmonth with all services includedmakes financial control easy.”

He added: “We are proud to be thefirst business to have moved into TheHive – and look forward to perhaps

being the first to expand here also.”The centre is the new home for the

North Somerset Enterprise Agency,and also a step towards the organ-isation becoming self-sustaining asthe income from rents will eventuallyfund its business support services.

Tenants get free access to thoseservices from advisers on hand, aswell as use of meeting rooms, securebroadband and reception services.

There is room for 40-60 tenants,depending in how much space eachneeds, and the purpose-built centre isflexible in terms of the size ofs p a c e s.

Rob Hicks, business developmentco-ordinator, said: “We were thrilledwhen David chose The Hive as thelocation for his business and itsgrowth simply from our plans anddelighted he signed as our first ten-ant. Already DM Optics has beenjoined by Abersea Engineering,Joyce Oliver Wealth Managementand Green Frog Connect and we arein talks with a range of other busi-nesses and organisations from NorthSomerset and beyond.”

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, Regional

Business AccountExecutive

Call 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@

b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

� David Madsen, of DM optics, receiving his door key from Rob Hicks,business development co-ordinator at The Hive

Firm gives leg-up tobusiness campaign� A BRISTOL firm that makeseducational models for the medicalindustry is backing a Governmentbusiness campaign.

Limbs & Things, based in StPhilip’s is supporting the Business isGREAT campaign, a Governmentinitiative which aims to build theconfidence of small businessesacross the country and help them togrow and export. The company is aworld-leading business in medicaleducation – designing and makinghealthcare simulation productsprofessionals use to develop theirskills.

The firm has taken advantage oftrade missions to other countries inthe early days, and now exportsacross the world.

Over the years, it has receivedsupport from UKTI and theManufacturing Advisory Service andwas recently recognised with aQueen’s Award for Enterprise.

Margot Cooper, president ofLimbs & Things, said: “We aresupporting the Business is GREATcampaign to inspire other smallbusinesses, and demonstrate whatcan be achieved with the supportavailable from the Government. It isa brilliant opportunity to take part ina scheme to help explore exportopportunities.”

Expor ts

� What the Electricity House development will look like

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2 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Above and below, the safety clothing for night workers

ROAD workers will be safer at nightthanks to a local supplier of highvisibility clothing. Fhoss, based inWeston-super-Mare, has been work-ing to develop more effective outfits

for staff working on motorways at night.The firm has developed new attire with

trunk roads operator Scotland TanServ to helpkeep its workers in the West of Scotland safer.

The company has taken a lead from therailway industry where the speed of trains andlonger braking distances mean workers needto be seen from a significant distance.

The new powered light safety wear will allowdrivers to see road workers from 300 metres,even in harsh conditions, and up to 1.5 miles inperfect conditions.

The bright strips work by using reflectivetechnology combined with a battery poweredilluminated core. This means that unlike tra-ditional high-visibility tape, Fhoss illuminateswithout the need for ambient light such asvehicle headlights or street lights.

Chief executive Andrew Kimitri said:“We ’ve been working closely with ScotlandTranServ over the last few months to developits capabilities in their field.

“Following a successful trial the trunk roadsoperator is now ready to roll out our product tokey employees. We hope other such organ-isations observe their use of this technologyand follow a similar personal safety lead.”

Russell Rennie, Scotland TraServ’s contractdirector, said: “The health and safety of ouremployees and those of our contractors is ofthe utmost importance to Scotland TranServ.

“We are looking to the latest innovationsfrom a number of related industries to makeour workers safer.

“Having trialled this product with a handfulof our employees last year, we are now pre-paring to roll it out to other significant parts ofour business.

“If motorists are able to see our workersfrom a longer distance then they have more

time to take appropriate action and this shouldhelp to keep them safer too.”

Fhoss hopes the extra safety offered willconvince more firms with staff working onroads to follow suit and place orders. It alreadysupplies a number of railway contractors.

David White, logistics manager at BalfourBeatty Rail UK, praised the Fhoss productsafter a trial last year.

He said: “The men on the ground wereinitially opposed to the idea of something new;they were happy with what they had and werereluctant to change.

“However, with some gentle persuasion,they trialled the products and subsequentlyrealised that they were comfortable, easy touse, fitted well, and more importantly, madethem stand out even when in areas of completed a rk n e s s.

“From my point of view, it is essential for ourmen to be wearing Fhoss. Before we intro-duced these products, our men wore headtorches along with traditional PPE.

“In certain conditions this combination isfine. However, it is not always ideal as it meansthat workers cannot be seen from behind,especially if there is low ambient light.

“When our men wear Fhoss, they stand outin all light conditions, at all times and from alla n g l e s. ”

� Patrick Lincoln, Solution IP; Joe Dignan, Bristol City Council; Ryan Jones, Solution IP

Ret a i l

Safety clothing

M&S creates 40 jobswith new food store� MARKS & Spencer is to openingnew Simply Food store in Bristol,creating 40 new jobs.

The 8,245 sq ft store will open atthe Imperial Park, Hartcliffe, on July9, selling almost 4,500 food anddrink lines, as well as flowers andc a rd s .

The tore will bring over 40 jobs tothe area and include a 42-seat café.

Store manager Martyn Seckersaid: “We are delighted to beopening a Simply Food store inImperial Park which will providelocal customers with a great newshopping experience.

“We look forward to welcomingcustomers through our doors.”

Te c h n o l o g y

Fibre optic Don’t miss out on £3kgrants for superfast broadband

BUSINESSES in Bristol arebeing urged not to miss outon £3,000 of free funding to-wards installing superfastfibre optic broadband.

Any city business which employsfewer than 250 employees and turnsover less than £40 million can applyfor funding from the ConnectionVouchers programme.

Bristol has £4.8 million of funds todistribute after being named last yearas one of 22 cities to benefit from aGovernment scheme called SuperConnected Cities.

Each £3,000 grant is a no-stringscapital investment, providing an op-portunity to connect businesspremises with superfast fibre broad-band.

Multiple businesses occupying thesame premises can also join forces toapply for collaborative funds of £3,000per company.

But the money is only availableuntil March next year and BristolCity Council, which is in charge ofthe funding, is planning a marketingcampaign to raise awareness of thefund after a disappointing number ofapplications since it was launchedlast year. The previous qualificationcriteria has also been slightly revisedto help more businesses qualify.

Business telecoms network special-ist Solution IP, an expert provider offibre broadband services, is partner-ing with Bristol City Council as aregistered provider of the ConnectionVouchers services.

Its sales and operations directorRyan Jones said: “Solution IP hasseen a significant uptake of enquiriessince we have assisted in generatingawareness of this great values ch e m e. ”

And he also warned that lack ofawareness of the grant could lead tocompanies missing out on valuablefree funding, which could offer theopportunity to improve productivityin the workplace.

He said: “Any business wishing toretain or become a leading player intheir chosen market will need fibrebroadband as an essential tool inorder to operate in a competitive en-v i ro n m e n t .

“Every day we see growing demandfor cloud-based services – off-site databack-ups, Windows 365, enhanced

wi-fi security, multiple wirelessdevices in the office – meaning highbandwidth is a prerequisite.

“Why would any business miss outon free cash to implement fibre broad-band over draining its own capitalre s e r ve s ?

“Business owners are aware of theimportance of fast, reliable broad-band. They just need some help un-derstanding how products canenhance profitability.”

Joe Dignan, innovation servicemanager at Bristol City Council, said:“It’s great to have ‘local hero’ com-

panies like Solution IP helping usdeliver this programme.

“Take up has not been as good as wewere hoping so far, so we are keen toget whatever help we can to push themessage out as strongly as possible.

“People assume there’s a catch butthere really isn’t. The money’s notmatch-funded, it’s genuinely free cap-ital. But it’s only available untilMarch so we have more than 1,600vouchers to give out by then. If we cando that, we’ll be delighted.”

See www.connection vouchers.co.ukfor more information.

Te c h n o l o g y

Hive of activity as first business moves in early

Developer thrilled byElectricity House deal� DEVELOPER Crest Nicholson hascompleted the purchase of theformer Electricity House, once hometo SWEB, in Colston Avenue,Bristol.

The £27 million scheme will seethe art deco building converted into85 luxury flats with a conciergeloggy and some business space onthe ground floor. Work is due to startshortly with a sales launch earlynext year. The developer hadpreviously announced plans for theproperty, designed by renownedarchitect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, buthas just confirmed the deal.Development director Ben Millersaid he was “thrilled”.

Proper ty

Seeing the light N ewilluminated kit winsover road workers

A FIBREOPTICS company has be-come the first firm to move in to theHive business development centre.

The centre, part of the J21 enter-prise area close to the motorway inWeston-super-Mare, does not offi-cially open until July.

But DM Optics didn’t want to waitso the business has already taken upre s i d e n c e.

The company, founded by DavidMadsen in 2002, specialises in opticalfibre test equipment, accessories andsupplies, providing the photonics –the use of light in information trans-mission – test and installation equip-ment to the telecoms sector as well asresearch and production companies.

David said he had long planned toexpand the firm and had been lookingfor the right premises.

He said: “When I saw the plans forThe Hive I knew this would be theideal base from which to grow.

“The close motorway links, rail net-work and airport are perfect for easyaccess to my clients based across theUnited Kingdom.”

He needed an office with space for

staff members he intends to hire laterin the year and, being early on theuptake, had plenty to choose from.

He said there were other benefits tothe centre too, such as: “The meetingand conference/training rooms onsite and the opportunity to meet and

network with other businesses is abonus and receiving one invoice eachmonth with all services includedmakes financial control easy.”

He added: “We are proud to be thefirst business to have moved into TheHive – and look forward to perhaps

being the first to expand here also.”The centre is the new home for the

North Somerset Enterprise Agency,and also a step towards the organ-isation becoming self-sustaining asthe income from rents will eventuallyfund its business support services.

Tenants get free access to thoseservices from advisers on hand, aswell as use of meeting rooms, securebroadband and reception services.

There is room for 40-60 tenants,depending in how much space eachneeds, and the purpose-built centre isflexible in terms of the size ofs p a c e s.

Rob Hicks, business developmentco-ordinator, said: “We were thrilledwhen David chose The Hive as thelocation for his business and itsgrowth simply from our plans anddelighted he signed as our first ten-ant. Already DM Optics has beenjoined by Abersea Engineering,Joyce Oliver Wealth Managementand Green Frog Connect and we arein talks with a range of other busi-nesses and organisations from NorthSomerset and beyond.”

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, Regional

Business AccountExecutive

Call 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@

b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

� David Madsen, of DM optics, receiving his door key from Rob Hicks,business development co-ordinator at The Hive

Firm gives leg-up tobusiness campaign� A BRISTOL firm that makeseducational models for the medicalindustry is backing a Governmentbusiness campaign.

Limbs & Things, based in StPhilip’s is supporting the Business isGREAT campaign, a Governmentinitiative which aims to build theconfidence of small businessesacross the country and help them togrow and export. The company is aworld-leading business in medicaleducation – designing and makinghealthcare simulation productsprofessionals use to develop theirskills.

The firm has taken advantage oftrade missions to other countries inthe early days, and now exportsacross the world.

Over the years, it has receivedsupport from UKTI and theManufacturing Advisory Service andwas recently recognised with aQueen’s Award for Enterprise.

Margot Cooper, president ofLimbs & Things, said: “We aresupporting the Business is GREATcampaign to inspire other smallbusinesses, and demonstrate whatcan be achieved with the supportavailable from the Government. It isa brilliant opportunity to take part ina scheme to help explore exportopportunities.”

Expor ts

� What the Electricity House development will look like

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4 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Book makers

AN independent Bristol book-ies has turned heads aftertaking one of the main spotsat last week’s Royal Ascotmeeting.

Winning Post, a 12-store familybookies from Bristol, was invited totake one of the main on-course bet-ting shops at the meeting.

It took the slot previously held byLadbrokes and sat alongside estab-lished firms BetFred and the Tote.

Boss Roy Holbrook, 59, took ninestaff from his branches to the meet-ing, and was on hand himself to runthe operation.

The firm took 10,000 bets in thecourse of five days.

“It was absolutely frantic but wegot through it,” he said.

“We were the first independent tobe invited so it was a bit special.”

He said the firm had a great po-sition at the event.

“We could hardly have been morecentral in the grandstand.

“We have had the experience ofrunning a shop at Bristol City’s Ash-ton Gate football ground before butnothing quite like this.”

Punters placed bets worth £252,000from the 30 races with Winning Postover the course of the meeting.

Roy said the firm did well on theresult of the three big handicap raceswith relative outsiders winning buttook at hit on heavily backed King-man winning the St James’ Pa l a c eS t a ke s.

The firm will be at Ascot for everymeeting for the rest of the season, andas for next year, Roy said: “We wouldlove to come back.”

The 59-year-old started in the busi-ness 27 years ago and still has themajority stake.

The chain now has nine storesaround Bristol, including in Chip-ping Sodbury, Shirehampton, Yate,and Clifton as well as two in Wales

and one in Gloucester.It is a family business, with Roy’s

wife Annette, sons David and Lee andother family members involved.

Roy, a former scaffolder, said hebelieved there was room in the mar-ket for competition and so far hasbeen proved right.

“Our theory is that if you accom-modate a customer, they’ll comeb a ck , ” he said. “So of we can find aprice, we’ll take the bet.”

Winning ways Family firmnets Royal Ascot success

� The team from Bristol-based Winning Post at Royal Ascot

Fo o d

We ’re lovin’ it!£13m Mcboostfor city a year

ITS Big Macs, fries and milkshakes havebeen a popular treat for families fordecades, and now fast food chain Mc-Donald’s has revealed the full extent of itsvalue to Bristol’s economy – £13 million

every year.The figure comes from a report commis-

sioned by the firm to mark its 40th an-niversary in the UK, and is made up of thevalue of goods and services provided by thebusiness and its suppliers locally.

McDonald’s opened its first Bristol outlet inBroadmead in November 1985 and there arenow eight in the city council area, employing700 people.

Most of the local restaurants are run byfranchisee Mike Guerin, abov e, who has 13 intotal around the Bristol area and in Wiltshire,and he said being part of the community was“hugely important” to the business.

“I’m thrilled to see the impact our jobscontribution in particular has made to thelocal area,” he said.

“I am a firm believer that you need to bepart of a community to be successful in thatcommunity, and as such I am passionate aboutgiving young people especially the chance toget workplace experience.

“We have a fantastic education programme

in place that we have worked hard to build,meaning that all of my people, from a crewmember starting out in their first job, to arestaurant manager have the chance to learnwhilst they earn.

“My ambition is to continue the great workthat my teams are already doing in Bristolfrom daily litter patrols to supporting grass-roots football clubs like Bradley Stoke YouthFC for many more years to come.”

McDonald’s is known for its staff trainingprogrammes as it tries to shake off the imageof a “M c Jo b ” and offer career paths for itsemployees to develop within the business.

One such employee is Heather Stroud, 31,who manages staff development in Mike’sstore. She said: “When I finished university in2009, the recession was hitting and I wasreally struggling to find a job.

“I joined McDonald’s as a crew member andwas determined to make a good impression.My hard work soon paid off and I was quicklygiven the opportunity to enrol on the man-agement programme.

“I’m overseeing 40 staff members on theapprenticeship programme and I find helpingthem develop and seeing the difference thequalification makes to them very reward-ing.”

McDonald’s UK chief executive Jill Mc-Donald said: “To mark our 40 years in the UKwe wanted to take a close look at our economicand community impact, from the jobs we havecreated to the world leading supply chain wehave built.”

THEY may make aeroplanes for aliving but the staff at Airbus in Filtonchoose a greener way to get to work.

Almost one in five of the 4,000 em-ployees at the site cycle to work,according to a commuter survey byNorth Bristol SusCom and SouthGloucestershire Council.

The number of cyclists has gone upabout 50 each year since 2012, thanksto an employee-led cyclists group, bet-ter bike park, showers and dryingfacilities which opened last year. Thecyclists group has almost 700 mem-bers, with some riding in from as faras Chepstow, Bath and Portishead.

The main goal, however, is to en-courage more cycling from shorterdistances around the northern fringeof Bristol.

Simon Tomlinson, who leads thegroup, said; “These figures are fant-astic and confirm what we have al-ways known: that cycling is the

Transpor t

Fifth of Airbus workers now cycle into work

Used book seller toshake up market� A BOOKSELLER is planning toshake-up the second hand bookmarket by paying royalties to theauthors.

Bookbarn International, basednear Paulton, is working with theAuthors’ Licensing and CollectingSociety to launch The Book AuthorResale Right – a pilot programmethat will pay authors whose booksare resold.

The firm sells hundreds ofthousands of second-hand books ay e a r.

Managing director andentrepreneur William Pryor, pictur ed,who took over the business with apartner early last year, saidpreviously authors had not benefitedfrom the second-hand sale of theirwork.

He said: “I thought it wasoutrageous that the creators of theproducts my business deals in don'treceive a penny when their booksare resold. So I’m delighted that our

collaboration withALCS will see

authors of theused bookswe sellreceive ap e rc e n t a g eof the netprofit we

make.“We hope

that others whomake money from

second-hand books will follow ourlead.”

The firm will send a list of its salesto the society every quarter and paya royalty to authors on theo rg a n i s a t i o n ’s database.

Owen Atkinson, chief executive ofthe society, said: “We are veryhappy to play our part in bringingthe Book Authors Resale Right tolife and feel this is a very positivestep in ensuring authors are dulycompensated for the ongoing use oftheir works.”

Meanwhile Bookbarn Internationalhas raised almost half its £75,000target to pay for future expansion ofthe business, by selling a six percent stake in shares throughCrowdcube. The firm is one of thebiggest used booksellers in the UK,with a wide range of antiquarian,rare and collectable books.

It is based in a warehouse 10miles south of Bristol where ithouses 800,000 books.

William, a great-great grandson ofCharles Darwin, is something of awriter himself, having pennedpoetry, prose and film scripts.

S e c to r

Accountants enjoya little horseplay� ACCOUNTANTS saddled up for alesson in leadership from anequestrian expert.

Jude Jennison, above, talkedabout learning leadership skillsthrough observing the nature ofhorses.

She was one of three speakers atBristol Golf Centre at an eventorganised by the Chartered Instituteof Management Accountants.

Other speakers were DuncanBrodie managing director of Goalsand Achievements, who talkedabout how to achieve professionalcareer success, and SteveSwientozielskyj a CIMA councilmember, who offered an insight onhow the finance function hastransformed over time.

David Johnson, South West chairfor CIMA, said: “We are working infast changing times and there is aconstant need for accountants andother finance professionals, whofunction at the core of the business,to keep up with the pace. Not onlyis it vital that they have technicalskills but they also need to applyfinancial disciplines in businessmanagement, to influence and leadpeople within and beyond theirorganisations. “

F i n a n ce

Triathlon Shop opensHarbourside outlet� THE Triathlon Shop officiallyopens its new outlet in theHarbourside this weekend.

The store moved from TempleQuay because it needed more room- the new shop is six times biggerthan the old one.

Now it fills 9,000 sq ft of retailspace in the Harbourside, hoping tobecome a destination store as wellas capturing the trend for fitnessand healthier living among Bristol’scity centre residents.

The store includes a swimmingpool, gait analysis suites, workshop,bike fitting room and treatmentroom alongside a social space forcustomers and plenty of shoppingspace.

Ret a i l

Key businesses needspaces to grow� THE so-called knowledgeeconomy will be key to Bristol’sgrowth, business leaders were told.

More than 50 business leadersgathered at an event organised bycommercial property firm GVAlooking at the knowledge economy -technology, media, telecoms, IT,medical advanced manufacturingand science - in core cities.

James Kingdom, principalresearcher at GVA, said: “In the nextfour years, the knowledge economyis set to grow faster than the rest ofthe UK economy with an estimated16 per cent growth.

“That’s why Bristol has thechance to play on its strengths inthis sector and develop the right realestate opportunities to develop theenvironment for growth.”

But to do so, the city needs theright kind of space for businessesand many of the empty offices inBristol don’t fit the bill.

More spaces are needed similar tothe Engine Shed, the centre fordeveloping businesses at TempleMeads, which is currently full.

Engine Shed director Nick Sturge,speaking at the debate, saidflexibility on lease terms, a mix ofworkshop and desk space andgood connectivity are all important,as well as being inspirational, livelyplaces to do business.

Richard Pearce, director of TCNUK Ltd, behind another successstory, nearby Temple Studios, said:“A way forward to open up newopportunities could be to tap intonew, innovative funding sources, tofacilitate brownfield development,which by its nature is high-cost.”

D eve l o p m e n t

IN ANY field of human endeav-our, the most successful enter-prises have started out with aclearly defined plan. This appliesalmost universally, whether you

are a manager of a sports club facinga major tournament, a writer settingout the initial structure of a novel, anengineer laying the course of a rail-way, or an explorer embarking on avoyage of discovery.

However it is surprising how manybusinesses start out or enter a phaseof expansion based on no more thanthe notion that this would be a “goodidea”.

It is at these two points – start upand expansion – that planning is mostcrucial. It is far more than sittingdown and constructing excel spread-sheets. This does come later, but first

of all you must have a defining vision.What does success look like? Onceyou have decided what this destin-ation is, you can make plans to reachit, but equally importantly, unless you

know absolutely why you want to getthere, it is easy to get lost, or sidet r a cke d .

Any plan must be capable of flex-ibility, rather than being blindly fol-lowed when external circumstanceschang e.

If it still does not deliver the goodswhen adapted to these stresses, thenit’s time to cut your losses and moveonto the mythical plan B. There havebeen many successful enterpriseswhere the initial plan had to bechanged because it could not deliverthe vision. This did not mean thatvision was invalid.

Because of the failure rate of startups, it is key to have a written plan.There is commercially available soft-ware which will enable you to write aprofessional looking plan, and it is

There are two points when planning is crucialworth spending time and a modestamount of money on this. In all casesyour main business plan should bebacked up by a marketing plan. Youmight be able to get the operations,administration and finance near per-fect, but without a way to bring yourproducts or services to market thiswill be wasted effort. On the otherhand, if the marketing plan is soundand the sales come rolling in then anymistakes in the other fields are cap-able of rectification.

Unless yours is purely a lifestylebusiness, you will inevitably contem-plate expansion at some stage.

This is another time when plan-ning is key. You may know that awider market is out there, but yourfinancial and human resources arelikely to be limiting factors. It is

tempting when the start up and con-solidation phase has been successfulto try to expand on all fronts, es-pecially when the economy is buoy-ant, as is currently the case in theBristol area.

Instead you should target your ex-pansion to make the best use of yourresources – fight the battles you havea really good chance of winning.

Be specific in your targets – a newservice to a certain number of cus-tomers at a certain price, an existingservice to a certain number of newcustomers in a certain geographicalarea, and so forth.

To return to analogies in otherfields, a professional cricket teamneeding to increase the run rate inchasing the opposition’s total willseek to exploit particular bowlers,particular overs, particular areas ofthe field, and so forth.

If they just have a vague notion of“getting on with it” then they’ll prob-ably come up short.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

commuting method of choice for somany people. The members of thebike users group are extremely grate-ful for the investment Airbus hasmade in providing benchmark cyc-ling facilities. It goes to show whatcan be achieved when everyoneworks together.”

� Keen Airbus cyclists Jay Wheelwright, Jerry Wilson, Dave Copper and Tim Dew surrounded by the hundreds of bikes in the Airbus cycle racks at Filton

Andrew FisherExecutive directorAlanbrookes Ltd01934 863386Andr ewFisher@Alanbrookes.co.ukw w w. a l a n -brookes.co.uk

Know how

Winning Postboss Roy Holbrook

“ It was absolutelyfrantic but we gotthrough it. We were thefirst independent to beinvited so it was a bitspecial.”

Part of the Local World group

We supply a glossy setting worthy of any awardwinner. From staging and set design, to an assortmentof lighting from LED’s to gobos. We provide all thenecessary services and equipment you would needto make your awards evening the one to remember.

Staging your Awards doesn’thave to cost a fortune...

Presentation Production

Live Camera Relay

Pyrotechnics

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

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4 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Book makers

AN independent Bristol book-ies has turned heads aftertaking one of the main spotsat last week’s Royal Ascotmeeting.

Winning Post, a 12-store familybookies from Bristol, was invited totake one of the main on-course bet-ting shops at the meeting.

It took the slot previously held byLadbrokes and sat alongside estab-lished firms BetFred and the Tote.

Boss Roy Holbrook, 59, took ninestaff from his branches to the meet-ing, and was on hand himself to runthe operation.

The firm took 10,000 bets in thecourse of five days.

“It was absolutely frantic but wegot through it,” he said.

“We were the first independent tobe invited so it was a bit special.”

He said the firm had a great po-sition at the event.

“We could hardly have been morecentral in the grandstand.

“We have had the experience ofrunning a shop at Bristol City’s Ash-ton Gate football ground before butnothing quite like this.”

Punters placed bets worth £252,000from the 30 races with Winning Postover the course of the meeting.

Roy said the firm did well on theresult of the three big handicap raceswith relative outsiders winning buttook at hit on heavily backed King-man winning the St James’ Pa l a c eS t a ke s.

The firm will be at Ascot for everymeeting for the rest of the season, andas for next year, Roy said: “We wouldlove to come back.”

The 59-year-old started in the busi-ness 27 years ago and still has themajority stake.

The chain now has nine storesaround Bristol, including in Chip-ping Sodbury, Shirehampton, Yate,and Clifton as well as two in Wales

and one in Gloucester.It is a family business, with Roy’s

wife Annette, sons David and Lee andother family members involved.

Roy, a former scaffolder, said hebelieved there was room in the mar-ket for competition and so far hasbeen proved right.

“Our theory is that if you accom-modate a customer, they’ll comeb a ck , ” he said. “So of we can find aprice, we’ll take the bet.”

Winning ways Family firmnets Royal Ascot success

� The team from Bristol-based Winning Post at Royal Ascot

Fo o d

We ’re lovin’ it!£13m Mcboostfor city a year

ITS Big Macs, fries and milkshakes havebeen a popular treat for families fordecades, and now fast food chain Mc-Donald’s has revealed the full extent of itsvalue to Bristol’s economy – £13 million

every year.The figure comes from a report commis-

sioned by the firm to mark its 40th an-niversary in the UK, and is made up of thevalue of goods and services provided by thebusiness and its suppliers locally.

McDonald’s opened its first Bristol outlet inBroadmead in November 1985 and there arenow eight in the city council area, employing700 people.

Most of the local restaurants are run byfranchisee Mike Guerin, abov e, who has 13 intotal around the Bristol area and in Wiltshire,and he said being part of the community was“hugely important” to the business.

“I’m thrilled to see the impact our jobscontribution in particular has made to thelocal area,” he said.

“I am a firm believer that you need to bepart of a community to be successful in thatcommunity, and as such I am passionate aboutgiving young people especially the chance toget workplace experience.

“We have a fantastic education programme

in place that we have worked hard to build,meaning that all of my people, from a crewmember starting out in their first job, to arestaurant manager have the chance to learnwhilst they earn.

“My ambition is to continue the great workthat my teams are already doing in Bristolfrom daily litter patrols to supporting grass-roots football clubs like Bradley Stoke YouthFC for many more years to come.”

McDonald’s is known for its staff trainingprogrammes as it tries to shake off the imageof a “M c Jo b ” and offer career paths for itsemployees to develop within the business.

One such employee is Heather Stroud, 31,who manages staff development in Mike’sstore. She said: “When I finished university in2009, the recession was hitting and I wasreally struggling to find a job.

“I joined McDonald’s as a crew member andwas determined to make a good impression.My hard work soon paid off and I was quicklygiven the opportunity to enrol on the man-agement programme.

“I’m overseeing 40 staff members on theapprenticeship programme and I find helpingthem develop and seeing the difference thequalification makes to them very reward-ing.”

McDonald’s UK chief executive Jill Mc-Donald said: “To mark our 40 years in the UKwe wanted to take a close look at our economicand community impact, from the jobs we havecreated to the world leading supply chain wehave built.”

THEY may make aeroplanes for aliving but the staff at Airbus in Filtonchoose a greener way to get to work.

Almost one in five of the 4,000 em-ployees at the site cycle to work,according to a commuter survey byNorth Bristol SusCom and SouthGloucestershire Council.

The number of cyclists has gone upabout 50 each year since 2012, thanksto an employee-led cyclists group, bet-ter bike park, showers and dryingfacilities which opened last year. Thecyclists group has almost 700 mem-bers, with some riding in from as faras Chepstow, Bath and Portishead.

The main goal, however, is to en-courage more cycling from shorterdistances around the northern fringeof Bristol.

Simon Tomlinson, who leads thegroup, said; “These figures are fant-astic and confirm what we have al-ways known: that cycling is the

Transpor t

Fifth of Airbus workers now cycle into work

Used book seller toshake up market� A BOOKSELLER is planning toshake-up the second hand bookmarket by paying royalties to theauthors.

Bookbarn International, basednear Paulton, is working with theAuthors’ Licensing and CollectingSociety to launch The Book AuthorResale Right – a pilot programmethat will pay authors whose booksare resold.

The firm sells hundreds ofthousands of second-hand books ay e a r.

Managing director andentrepreneur William Pryor, pictur ed,who took over the business with apartner early last year, saidpreviously authors had not benefitedfrom the second-hand sale of theirwork.

He said: “I thought it wasoutrageous that the creators of theproducts my business deals in don'treceive a penny when their booksare resold. So I’m delighted that our

collaboration withALCS will see

authors of theused bookswe sellreceive ap e rc e n t a g eof the netprofit we

make.“We hope

that others whomake money from

second-hand books will follow ourlead.”

The firm will send a list of its salesto the society every quarter and paya royalty to authors on theo rg a n i s a t i o n ’s database.

Owen Atkinson, chief executive ofthe society, said: “We are veryhappy to play our part in bringingthe Book Authors Resale Right tolife and feel this is a very positivestep in ensuring authors are dulycompensated for the ongoing use oftheir works.”

Meanwhile Bookbarn Internationalhas raised almost half its £75,000target to pay for future expansion ofthe business, by selling a six percent stake in shares throughCrowdcube. The firm is one of thebiggest used booksellers in the UK,with a wide range of antiquarian,rare and collectable books.

It is based in a warehouse 10miles south of Bristol where ithouses 800,000 books.

William, a great-great grandson ofCharles Darwin, is something of awriter himself, having pennedpoetry, prose and film scripts.

S e c to r

Accountants enjoya little horseplay� ACCOUNTANTS saddled up for alesson in leadership from anequestrian expert.

Jude Jennison, above, talkedabout learning leadership skillsthrough observing the nature ofhorses.

She was one of three speakers atBristol Golf Centre at an eventorganised by the Chartered Instituteof Management Accountants.

Other speakers were DuncanBrodie managing director of Goalsand Achievements, who talkedabout how to achieve professionalcareer success, and SteveSwientozielskyj a CIMA councilmember, who offered an insight onhow the finance function hastransformed over time.

David Johnson, South West chairfor CIMA, said: “We are working infast changing times and there is aconstant need for accountants andother finance professionals, whofunction at the core of the business,to keep up with the pace. Not onlyis it vital that they have technicalskills but they also need to applyfinancial disciplines in businessmanagement, to influence and leadpeople within and beyond theirorganisations. “

F i n a n ce

Triathlon Shop opensHarbourside outlet� THE Triathlon Shop officiallyopens its new outlet in theHarbourside this weekend.

The store moved from TempleQuay because it needed more room- the new shop is six times biggerthan the old one.

Now it fills 9,000 sq ft of retailspace in the Harbourside, hoping tobecome a destination store as wellas capturing the trend for fitnessand healthier living among Bristol’scity centre residents.

The store includes a swimmingpool, gait analysis suites, workshop,bike fitting room and treatmentroom alongside a social space forcustomers and plenty of shoppingspace.

Ret a i l

Key businesses needspaces to grow� THE so-called knowledgeeconomy will be key to Bristol’sgrowth, business leaders were told.

More than 50 business leadersgathered at an event organised bycommercial property firm GVAlooking at the knowledge economy -technology, media, telecoms, IT,medical advanced manufacturingand science - in core cities.

James Kingdom, principalresearcher at GVA, said: “In the nextfour years, the knowledge economyis set to grow faster than the rest ofthe UK economy with an estimated16 per cent growth.

“That’s why Bristol has thechance to play on its strengths inthis sector and develop the right realestate opportunities to develop theenvironment for growth.”

But to do so, the city needs theright kind of space for businessesand many of the empty offices inBristol don’t fit the bill.

More spaces are needed similar tothe Engine Shed, the centre fordeveloping businesses at TempleMeads, which is currently full.

Engine Shed director Nick Sturge,speaking at the debate, saidflexibility on lease terms, a mix ofworkshop and desk space andgood connectivity are all important,as well as being inspirational, livelyplaces to do business.

Richard Pearce, director of TCNUK Ltd, behind another successstory, nearby Temple Studios, said:“A way forward to open up newopportunities could be to tap intonew, innovative funding sources, tofacilitate brownfield development,which by its nature is high-cost.”

D eve l o p m e n t

IN ANY field of human endeav-our, the most successful enter-prises have started out with aclearly defined plan. This appliesalmost universally, whether you

are a manager of a sports club facinga major tournament, a writer settingout the initial structure of a novel, anengineer laying the course of a rail-way, or an explorer embarking on avoyage of discovery.

However it is surprising how manybusinesses start out or enter a phaseof expansion based on no more thanthe notion that this would be a “goodidea”.

It is at these two points – start upand expansion – that planning is mostcrucial. It is far more than sittingdown and constructing excel spread-sheets. This does come later, but first

of all you must have a defining vision.What does success look like? Onceyou have decided what this destin-ation is, you can make plans to reachit, but equally importantly, unless you

know absolutely why you want to getthere, it is easy to get lost, or sidet r a cke d .

Any plan must be capable of flex-ibility, rather than being blindly fol-lowed when external circumstanceschang e.

If it still does not deliver the goodswhen adapted to these stresses, thenit’s time to cut your losses and moveonto the mythical plan B. There havebeen many successful enterpriseswhere the initial plan had to bechanged because it could not deliverthe vision. This did not mean thatvision was invalid.

Because of the failure rate of startups, it is key to have a written plan.There is commercially available soft-ware which will enable you to write aprofessional looking plan, and it is

There are two points when planning is crucialworth spending time and a modestamount of money on this. In all casesyour main business plan should bebacked up by a marketing plan. Youmight be able to get the operations,administration and finance near per-fect, but without a way to bring yourproducts or services to market thiswill be wasted effort. On the otherhand, if the marketing plan is soundand the sales come rolling in then anymistakes in the other fields are cap-able of rectification.

Unless yours is purely a lifestylebusiness, you will inevitably contem-plate expansion at some stage.

This is another time when plan-ning is key. You may know that awider market is out there, but yourfinancial and human resources arelikely to be limiting factors. It is

tempting when the start up and con-solidation phase has been successfulto try to expand on all fronts, es-pecially when the economy is buoy-ant, as is currently the case in theBristol area.

Instead you should target your ex-pansion to make the best use of yourresources – fight the battles you havea really good chance of winning.

Be specific in your targets – a newservice to a certain number of cus-tomers at a certain price, an existingservice to a certain number of newcustomers in a certain geographicalarea, and so forth.

To return to analogies in otherfields, a professional cricket teamneeding to increase the run rate inchasing the opposition’s total willseek to exploit particular bowlers,particular overs, particular areas ofthe field, and so forth.

If they just have a vague notion of“getting on with it” then they’ll prob-ably come up short.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

commuting method of choice for somany people. The members of thebike users group are extremely grate-ful for the investment Airbus hasmade in providing benchmark cyc-ling facilities. It goes to show whatcan be achieved when everyoneworks together.”

� Keen Airbus cyclists Jay Wheelwright, Jerry Wilson, Dave Copper and Tim Dew surrounded by the hundreds of bikes in the Airbus cycle racks at Filton

Andrew FisherExecutive directorAlanbrookes Ltd01934 863386Andr ewFisher@Alanbrookes.co.ukw w w. a l a n -brookes.co.uk

Know how

Winning Postboss Roy Holbrook

“ It was absolutelyfrantic but we gotthrough it. We were thefirst independent to beinvited so it was a bitspecial.”

Part of the Local World group

We supply a glossy setting worthy of any awardwinner. From staging and set design, to an assortmentof lighting from LED’s to gobos. We provide all thenecessary services and equipment you would needto make your awards evening the one to remember.

Staging your Awards doesn’thave to cost a fortune...

Presentation Production

Live Camera Relay

Pyrotechnics

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

6 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE second Business Pulsespecial report publishedtoday by accountancy andbusiness advisory firm BDOLLP, in partnership with the

Bristol Post, takes a close look at oneof the most important issues affect-ing the business community – accessto funding.

While there is little doubt that theeconomy is well on the way to re-covery, the issue of lending remains aserious concern.

Recent reports suggest that theamount of borrowing has actuallyfallen in the last quarter despite theGover nment’s repeated efforts toboost bank lending for businesses.

The second Business Pulse reportin a series of three takes a closer lookat how business operating in andaround the Bristol area feel about theissue and to what extent it affectstheir ability to grow and expand.

Some of the leading businessmenand women from the area agreed totake part in our survey and gave theirview on a variety of issues.

The Business Pulse Steering Groupincluded the Bristol Mayor, GeorgeFerguson, West of England Local En-terprise Partnership chairman,Colin Skellett, and James Durie, ex-ecutive director of Business West,together with a cross section of lead-ers of local firms.

When asked How does your com-pany plan to raise funds over thecoming year? the biggest number byfar, 30 per cent, said they would preferto raise money from within the busi-ness itself, while 15 per cent of com-panies also stated that they have noplans to raise any cash over the com-ing 12 months.

There also appears to be reticenceamong businesses to go down routeswhich may be considered high riskfunding, with just a handful sayingthat they would consider privateequity or angel investors (both fourper cent).

The most popular choice amongthose looking for sources of fundingwas going to the bank for a loan,highlighted by just under a third (31per cent) of respondents.

All of this appears to point to amarket place which is still predom-inantly cautious in the wake of therecession, although it also seems thatrespondents have concerns over howeasy it is to access funding.

Only 29 per cent of companies an-ticipated that it would be “very easy”or “easy” to access the funding theyrequired. When it comes to the reas-on behind choosing which route totake in terms of access to funds,business leaders in Bristol appear totake a very practical approach.

The highest number (18 per cent)opted to take the approach that theydid in order to maintain as much

The Bristol Post andBDO launched theBusiness Pulse surveyto get to the heart of theissues that matter to thecity’s SMEs. Today wereveal results of thesecond subject– access to finance.

L aw

Merging legal firms will target ‘gap in market’

� Bill Willcocks of Kirby Sheppardand Chris Miller of BarcanWo o d w a rd

Grant funding

Renewable energy firm to createeco show house after £59k grant

C o n st r u c t i o n‘Act now to makemost of £500m pot’� A BUILDING company is advisingsmall and medium-sized housingdevelopers to make the most ofmoney announced in the lastBudget to unlock sites stalled duringthe downturn.

The Builder’s Finance Fund waspart of a package to help stimulatethe construction sector.

Paul Evans, pictured below,managing director of Pilning-basedHelm Construction is urgingdevelopers to act now to make themost of the £500 million pot.

The firm works on numerous smallto medium-sized build projectsacross the region and Paul has seenfirst-hand the impact the economicdownturn had on the sector.

The scheme offers loans to SMEdevelopers and helps sites of up to250 homes that have been put onice due to difficulty in accessingfunds. With the number of homesbeing built running at about half thenumber required in the UK theinitiative is aimed at easing thegrowing housing crisis in Britain.

Paul said: “With banks still actingcautiously when lending for smallresidential developments, thisfunding could help unlock housingunits stalled due to difficulty inaccessing finance. My fear is thatnot enough build firms are fullyaware of this new source of fundingand should look into it further beforeit’s too late. Our advice to anysmall-scale developer is to act nowand to see if theycould make themost of thislatest trancheof fundingfor the builds e c t o r. ”

Paul isoptimistic asthe numberof contractsHelmConstruction istendering for increases andconfidence returns to the market butis also keen to stress the need tomake it easier for SME builders toattain land in the first place. Headded: “SME house buildersaccounted for the majority ofnew-build properties so it’s vital theyare given access to the right sort offinance in order to not only grow butto provide much needed housingstock.”

CommutingStill time to sign upfor the Big Challenge� MORE than 2,000 people havesigned up for the Big CommutingChallenge just over a week since itwas launched,

The team behind the initiative hasintroduced a series of challenges forthose taking part.

The first is asking people to takephotos of the most scenic part oftheir route to or from work using the#capturemycommute hashtag, withprizes for the best one.

The challenge, launched byTravelwest last week, encouragespeople to walk, cycle, lift-share oruse public transport as part of theirdaily commute.

The scheme runs until Friday,August 1 and people can register totake part throughout the duration.

Abigail Smith, of Travelwest, said:“Week one might be over but thereis still time to sign up to the BigCommuting Challenge.”

Business West, charity Sustransand North Bristol SusCom are alsobacking the scheme.

TWO local businesses havebeen awarded grants to helpthem grow and train the fu-ture of their respective in-d u s t r i e s.

Renewable energy firm Solarsensehas secured £59,000 to develop a zerocarbon hub and training centre.

Meanwhile Cotham salon Hair At58 has been awarded £16,000 to set upa training academy.

Both grants were channelled fromthe Regional Growth Fund throughthe West of England Local EnterprisePar tnership.

Solarsense, based in Backwell, willbe creating a purpose-built showhome to demonstrate how the latestrenewable technology can be integ-rated into a family home.

The eco-house will also be a placefor architects and consultants to seehow easy it is to incorporate renew-able energy into their designs. It willfeature tours and a space for sem-inars and workshops on renewabletechnologies and energy efficiency.

Electricity will be generated byroof mounted solar PV while heatingwill be supplied by a heat pump.

The building will also showcaseunderfloor heating, energy storage,low-energy lighting and other en-ergy-efficient technologies.

Solarsense director Stephen Bar-rett said: “With the Government en-

couraging the move towards zero-carbon homes there was a need for aregional centre with working ex-amples of renewable energy systems.As well as providing a unique loc-ation to see and learn about greentechnologies, the project will also cre-ate local jobs and hopefully become afocal point for all things sustain-abl e. ”

Andrew Youl, project manager forthe West of England LEP, which man-ages the West of England GrowthFund, said: “Supporting companiessuch as Solarsense, who are cham-pions of low-carbon technologies,which we have identified as a sig-nificant area of growth for the West ofEngland, is key for us.”

Also benefiting from LEP supportis Hair At 58, which will take on 12

apprentices over the next threeye a r s.

Owner Sam Bell said: “The grantwill help us buy all the resources thatwe need to train the apprentices. Weshall be using the latest interactivetechnology including iPads andwh i t e b o a rd s.

Ms Bell, who has been in the in-dustry for 17 years, set up on CothamHill five years ago with a staff of fourand now employs 15.

She has now bought the entirefour-storey building – once a house –to expand her business.

Improvements include a balconyfloor and plans for a day spa. Thereare also plans for a sensory garden atthe rear of the salon where plants likerosemary, mint and lavender will beg rown.

TWO Bristol law firms have an-nounced their intention to mergeinto one combined practice. BarcanWoodward and Kirby Sheppard willform a new firm, whose name will beannounced later this year. They be-lieve it will fill a significant gap in themarketplace between small and largelaw practices in the city.

Barcan Woodward was establishedin 1992 and is a four partner firm ofsolicitors, with city centre offices inKing Street and also in Bedminster,Horfield and Gloucester Road.

Kirby Sheppard was established inthe 1960s and has offices in QueenSquare, Clifton, Kingswood andThor nbury.

In addition to their shared spe-cialisms, which include family law,probate, conveyancing and personalinjury, Kirby Sheppard has partic-ular expertise in employment law.Barcan Woodward brings a respected

and medical negligence division.The union between the two estab-

lished firms will also broaden andstrengthen the range and depth oflegal services available to their ex-isting clients, who are based aroundBristol, the South West and nation-a l ly.

Chris Miller, managing partner atBarcan Woodward, said: “There is anatural synergy between us andKirby Sheppard. We are both wellestablished, share a common ethosand have built strong reputations onour personal approach to client ser-v i c e.

“I believe this a perfect integrationof two organisations. Combining ourpractice areas will enable us to bal-ance and strengthen our teams,whilst offering further benefits andservices through our additional ex-pertise in medical negligence andemployment law. I see Kirby Shep-

pard as the obvious partner withwhich to build upon our previouss u c c e s s e s. ”

Bill Willcocks, Kirby Sheppard’smanaging partner, said: “We are de-lighted to be announcing this mergerwith Barcan Woodward.

“Both of our firms have a solidtrack record in delivering excellentclient service and the added depth ofexperience that comes with this mer-ger will be a tremendous asset, bothto us and our clients.

“I am genuinely excited aboutgrowing our practice areas and in-creasing our knowledge bank, fur-ther expanding our ability to fullysupport our clients’ ever changinglegal needs.”

The new firm will be characterisedby a focus on high quality, accessiblelegal advice and will have a strongcommunity presence, with a networkof branches in and around Bristol.

“The merger will build upon dec-ades of collective experience and willalso provide a strong foundation onwhich to develop new practice areas.

The merger is expected to be con-firmed later this year and the newfirm will launch in April 2015.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Staff at green energy firm Solarsense, which has secured £59,000 to develop a zero carbon hub and training centre

control over their business as pos-sible. The second most popular reas-on was simply because it was themost straightforward option avail-able to them.

Meanwhile a total of 15 per centbased their decision on thestrength and the quality oftheir existing relation-ship with the financialinstitution offeringfunding. A further 11per cent said itseemed to be the mostobvious and naturalchoice to make takinginto account the size oftheir business.

The West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership(LEP) has been leading the way whenit comes to providing funding to busi-nesses looking to expand but it ap-pears that the message has notalways got through. 27 per cent saidthey were unaware of the fundingscheme and over half (54 per cent)

said they had no experience of work-ing with the LEP.

Laura Shaw, below, corporate fin-ance partner at BDO in Bristol com-mented: “The challenge forbusinesses is to understand whattype of funding is the best fit for them.

Funding is available, there is aswide a range of sources today

as ever before; it is just acase of knowing whetheror not it is right for yourbusiness. There are a lotof very good advisers inBristol who can helppeople find the right path

so seeking advice is veryimpor tant.“When it comes to private

equity, it appears that there areperhaps some misconceptions aboutwhat such an external investmentwill mean for the business. Compan-ies should familiarise themselveswith the options available and care-fully consider the choice of what thebusiness will look like without such

an investment versus what it will belike with the support as well as whereit could potentially be in a few yearst i m e. ”

Laura believes that the fact that somany businesses are looking to fundgrowth from within is quite surpris-ing. She added: “Businessesshould look wherever pos-sible to grow and develop,in both domestic and in-ternational markets;standing still is not anoption when competit-ors may be aggress-ively looking to grow inthe current market asthe economy is starting tomove forward.

“While we welcome cautiousbehaviour as many businesses arestill feeling their way out of recessionand confidence may still be relativelyfragile; businesses need to considerwhether or not they can realisticallyfind enough working capital fromtheir own cash reserves to fully em-

brace their growth potential.”Graham Randall, below, partner

and head of BDO in Bristol, added:“The LEP has been one of the keyplayers in terms of trying to encour-age growth and create wealth andnew jobs in Bristol and the greater

city region.“It appears that this mes-sage has not got through to

every business but wewould expect that tochange in the yearsahead. I expect the LEPto be a key driver for thelocal economy particu-

larly when the Enter-prise Zones start to gain

traction and momentum.”� The third Business Pulse Re-

port, covering the issue of interna-tional trade, will be published inAugust. Businesses wanting to takepart in future Business Pulse surveyscan register interest by contactingIsabel Duckworth via i s ab e l . d u ck -w o r t h @ b d o. c o. u k .

Survey Lending remains a serious concernBusiness Pulse

� We are looking towork with fastgrowing SMEs whohave ambitions toachieve their growthpotential in anexpanding market.

“Of course notevery business fallsinto this category andso private equity willnot always be an appropriateoption.

“The most important thing isthe aspirations of the businessowner; a firm seeking to buy acompetitor is more likely to tryand secure a bank loanbecause it will be less

expensive and theydon’t have to give partof their business away.

“Private equity worksvery well in buy andbuild strategies, wherethere are ownershipchanges and buyouts.

“It is also worthhighlighting thatbusinesses go in life

cycles so a company notinterested in private equity rightnow could well be in a fewyears time.”

Guy Davies,managing partner,

WestBridge Capital

� In order to attracthigh calibreemployees you needto offer a competitivesalary that reflectstheir skill set; this isan area that many ofthe companies wehave invested in havebeen able to dothanks to the injectionof capital.

“While I am not surprised tosee that most businessessurveyed indicated they wouldraise funds from within movingforward, I would ask them toconsider if they are constrainingtheir real growth potential withthis approach.

“Obviously externalinvestment is notappropriate for everyfirm, but we wouldencourage companies togive seriousconsideration to thedifference it could make.Most of the businesseswe have invested inhave used our funding

to increase the scale andquality of their teams and thishas been a major factor insupporting their growth.”

Paul Oldham, BusinessGrowth Fund regional

director, South West andSouth Wales

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6 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE second Business Pulsespecial report publishedtoday by accountancy andbusiness advisory firm BDOLLP, in partnership with the

Bristol Post, takes a close look at oneof the most important issues affect-ing the business community – accessto funding.

While there is little doubt that theeconomy is well on the way to re-covery, the issue of lending remains aserious concern.

Recent reports suggest that theamount of borrowing has actuallyfallen in the last quarter despite theGover nment’s repeated efforts toboost bank lending for businesses.

The second Business Pulse reportin a series of three takes a closer lookat how business operating in andaround the Bristol area feel about theissue and to what extent it affectstheir ability to grow and expand.

Some of the leading businessmenand women from the area agreed totake part in our survey and gave theirview on a variety of issues.

The Business Pulse Steering Groupincluded the Bristol Mayor, GeorgeFerguson, West of England Local En-terprise Partnership chairman,Colin Skellett, and James Durie, ex-ecutive director of Business West,together with a cross section of lead-ers of local firms.

When asked How does your com-pany plan to raise funds over thecoming year? the biggest number byfar, 30 per cent, said they would preferto raise money from within the busi-ness itself, while 15 per cent of com-panies also stated that they have noplans to raise any cash over the com-ing 12 months.

There also appears to be reticenceamong businesses to go down routeswhich may be considered high riskfunding, with just a handful sayingthat they would consider privateequity or angel investors (both fourper cent).

The most popular choice amongthose looking for sources of fundingwas going to the bank for a loan,highlighted by just under a third (31per cent) of respondents.

All of this appears to point to amarket place which is still predom-inantly cautious in the wake of therecession, although it also seems thatrespondents have concerns over howeasy it is to access funding.

Only 29 per cent of companies an-ticipated that it would be “very easy”or “easy” to access the funding theyrequired. When it comes to the reas-on behind choosing which route totake in terms of access to funds,business leaders in Bristol appear totake a very practical approach.

The highest number (18 per cent)opted to take the approach that theydid in order to maintain as much

The Bristol Post andBDO launched theBusiness Pulse surveyto get to the heart of theissues that matter to thecity’s SMEs. Today wereveal results of thesecond subject– access to finance.

L aw

Merging legal firms will target ‘gap in market’

� Bill Willcocks of Kirby Sheppardand Chris Miller of BarcanWo o d w a rd

Grant funding

Renewable energy firm to createeco show house after £59k grant

C o n st r u c t i o n‘Act now to makemost of £500m pot’� A BUILDING company is advisingsmall and medium-sized housingdevelopers to make the most ofmoney announced in the lastBudget to unlock sites stalled duringthe downturn.

The Builder’s Finance Fund waspart of a package to help stimulatethe construction sector.

Paul Evans, pictured below,managing director of Pilning-basedHelm Construction is urgingdevelopers to act now to make themost of the £500 million pot.

The firm works on numerous smallto medium-sized build projectsacross the region and Paul has seenfirst-hand the impact the economicdownturn had on the sector.

The scheme offers loans to SMEdevelopers and helps sites of up to250 homes that have been put onice due to difficulty in accessingfunds. With the number of homesbeing built running at about half thenumber required in the UK theinitiative is aimed at easing thegrowing housing crisis in Britain.

Paul said: “With banks still actingcautiously when lending for smallresidential developments, thisfunding could help unlock housingunits stalled due to difficulty inaccessing finance. My fear is thatnot enough build firms are fullyaware of this new source of fundingand should look into it further beforeit’s too late. Our advice to anysmall-scale developer is to act nowand to see if theycould make themost of thislatest trancheof fundingfor the builds e c t o r. ”

Paul isoptimistic asthe numberof contractsHelmConstruction istendering for increases andconfidence returns to the market butis also keen to stress the need tomake it easier for SME builders toattain land in the first place. Headded: “SME house buildersaccounted for the majority ofnew-build properties so it’s vital theyare given access to the right sort offinance in order to not only grow butto provide much needed housingstock.”

CommutingStill time to sign upfor the Big Challenge� MORE than 2,000 people havesigned up for the Big CommutingChallenge just over a week since itwas launched,

The team behind the initiative hasintroduced a series of challenges forthose taking part.

The first is asking people to takephotos of the most scenic part oftheir route to or from work using the#capturemycommute hashtag, withprizes for the best one.

The challenge, launched byTravelwest last week, encouragespeople to walk, cycle, lift-share oruse public transport as part of theirdaily commute.

The scheme runs until Friday,August 1 and people can register totake part throughout the duration.

Abigail Smith, of Travelwest, said:“Week one might be over but thereis still time to sign up to the BigCommuting Challenge.”

Business West, charity Sustransand North Bristol SusCom are alsobacking the scheme.

TWO local businesses havebeen awarded grants to helpthem grow and train the fu-ture of their respective in-d u s t r i e s.

Renewable energy firm Solarsensehas secured £59,000 to develop a zerocarbon hub and training centre.

Meanwhile Cotham salon Hair At58 has been awarded £16,000 to set upa training academy.

Both grants were channelled fromthe Regional Growth Fund throughthe West of England Local EnterprisePar tnership.

Solarsense, based in Backwell, willbe creating a purpose-built showhome to demonstrate how the latestrenewable technology can be integ-rated into a family home.

The eco-house will also be a placefor architects and consultants to seehow easy it is to incorporate renew-able energy into their designs. It willfeature tours and a space for sem-inars and workshops on renewabletechnologies and energy efficiency.

Electricity will be generated byroof mounted solar PV while heatingwill be supplied by a heat pump.

The building will also showcaseunderfloor heating, energy storage,low-energy lighting and other en-ergy-efficient technologies.

Solarsense director Stephen Bar-rett said: “With the Government en-

couraging the move towards zero-carbon homes there was a need for aregional centre with working ex-amples of renewable energy systems.As well as providing a unique loc-ation to see and learn about greentechnologies, the project will also cre-ate local jobs and hopefully become afocal point for all things sustain-abl e. ”

Andrew Youl, project manager forthe West of England LEP, which man-ages the West of England GrowthFund, said: “Supporting companiessuch as Solarsense, who are cham-pions of low-carbon technologies,which we have identified as a sig-nificant area of growth for the West ofEngland, is key for us.”

Also benefiting from LEP supportis Hair At 58, which will take on 12

apprentices over the next threeye a r s.

Owner Sam Bell said: “The grantwill help us buy all the resources thatwe need to train the apprentices. Weshall be using the latest interactivetechnology including iPads andwh i t e b o a rd s.

Ms Bell, who has been in the in-dustry for 17 years, set up on CothamHill five years ago with a staff of fourand now employs 15.

She has now bought the entirefour-storey building – once a house –to expand her business.

Improvements include a balconyfloor and plans for a day spa. Thereare also plans for a sensory garden atthe rear of the salon where plants likerosemary, mint and lavender will beg rown.

TWO Bristol law firms have an-nounced their intention to mergeinto one combined practice. BarcanWoodward and Kirby Sheppard willform a new firm, whose name will beannounced later this year. They be-lieve it will fill a significant gap in themarketplace between small and largelaw practices in the city.

Barcan Woodward was establishedin 1992 and is a four partner firm ofsolicitors, with city centre offices inKing Street and also in Bedminster,Horfield and Gloucester Road.

Kirby Sheppard was established inthe 1960s and has offices in QueenSquare, Clifton, Kingswood andThor nbury.

In addition to their shared spe-cialisms, which include family law,probate, conveyancing and personalinjury, Kirby Sheppard has partic-ular expertise in employment law.Barcan Woodward brings a respected

and medical negligence division.The union between the two estab-

lished firms will also broaden andstrengthen the range and depth oflegal services available to their ex-isting clients, who are based aroundBristol, the South West and nation-a l ly.

Chris Miller, managing partner atBarcan Woodward, said: “There is anatural synergy between us andKirby Sheppard. We are both wellestablished, share a common ethosand have built strong reputations onour personal approach to client ser-v i c e.

“I believe this a perfect integrationof two organisations. Combining ourpractice areas will enable us to bal-ance and strengthen our teams,whilst offering further benefits andservices through our additional ex-pertise in medical negligence andemployment law. I see Kirby Shep-

pard as the obvious partner withwhich to build upon our previouss u c c e s s e s. ”

Bill Willcocks, Kirby Sheppard’smanaging partner, said: “We are de-lighted to be announcing this mergerwith Barcan Woodward.

“Both of our firms have a solidtrack record in delivering excellentclient service and the added depth ofexperience that comes with this mer-ger will be a tremendous asset, bothto us and our clients.

“I am genuinely excited aboutgrowing our practice areas and in-creasing our knowledge bank, fur-ther expanding our ability to fullysupport our clients’ ever changinglegal needs.”

The new firm will be characterisedby a focus on high quality, accessiblelegal advice and will have a strongcommunity presence, with a networkof branches in and around Bristol.

“The merger will build upon dec-ades of collective experience and willalso provide a strong foundation onwhich to develop new practice areas.

The merger is expected to be con-firmed later this year and the newfirm will launch in April 2015.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Staff at green energy firm Solarsense, which has secured £59,000 to develop a zero carbon hub and training centre

control over their business as pos-sible. The second most popular reas-on was simply because it was themost straightforward option avail-able to them.

Meanwhile a total of 15 per centbased their decision on thestrength and the quality oftheir existing relation-ship with the financialinstitution offeringfunding. A further 11per cent said itseemed to be the mostobvious and naturalchoice to make takinginto account the size oftheir business.

The West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership(LEP) has been leading the way whenit comes to providing funding to busi-nesses looking to expand but it ap-pears that the message has notalways got through. 27 per cent saidthey were unaware of the fundingscheme and over half (54 per cent)

said they had no experience of work-ing with the LEP.

Laura Shaw, below, corporate fin-ance partner at BDO in Bristol com-mented: “The challenge forbusinesses is to understand whattype of funding is the best fit for them.

Funding is available, there is aswide a range of sources today

as ever before; it is just acase of knowing whetheror not it is right for yourbusiness. There are a lotof very good advisers inBristol who can helppeople find the right path

so seeking advice is veryimpor tant.“When it comes to private

equity, it appears that there areperhaps some misconceptions aboutwhat such an external investmentwill mean for the business. Compan-ies should familiarise themselveswith the options available and care-fully consider the choice of what thebusiness will look like without such

an investment versus what it will belike with the support as well as whereit could potentially be in a few yearst i m e. ”

Laura believes that the fact that somany businesses are looking to fundgrowth from within is quite surpris-ing. She added: “Businessesshould look wherever pos-sible to grow and develop,in both domestic and in-ternational markets;standing still is not anoption when competit-ors may be aggress-ively looking to grow inthe current market asthe economy is starting tomove forward.

“While we welcome cautiousbehaviour as many businesses arestill feeling their way out of recessionand confidence may still be relativelyfragile; businesses need to considerwhether or not they can realisticallyfind enough working capital fromtheir own cash reserves to fully em-

brace their growth potential.”Graham Randall, below, partner

and head of BDO in Bristol, added:“The LEP has been one of the keyplayers in terms of trying to encour-age growth and create wealth andnew jobs in Bristol and the greater

city region.“It appears that this mes-sage has not got through to

every business but wewould expect that tochange in the yearsahead. I expect the LEPto be a key driver for thelocal economy particu-

larly when the Enter-prise Zones start to gain

traction and momentum.”� The third Business Pulse Re-

port, covering the issue of interna-tional trade, will be published inAugust. Businesses wanting to takepart in future Business Pulse surveyscan register interest by contactingIsabel Duckworth via i s ab e l . d u ck -w o r t h @ b d o. c o. u k .

Survey Lending remains a serious concernBusiness Pulse

� We are looking towork with fastgrowing SMEs whohave ambitions toachieve their growthpotential in anexpanding market.

“Of course notevery business fallsinto this category andso private equity willnot always be an appropriateoption.

“The most important thing isthe aspirations of the businessowner; a firm seeking to buy acompetitor is more likely to tryand secure a bank loanbecause it will be less

expensive and theydon’t have to give partof their business away.

“Private equity worksvery well in buy andbuild strategies, wherethere are ownershipchanges and buyouts.

“It is also worthhighlighting thatbusinesses go in life

cycles so a company notinterested in private equity rightnow could well be in a fewyears time.”

Guy Davies,managing partner,

WestBridge Capital

� In order to attracthigh calibreemployees you needto offer a competitivesalary that reflectstheir skill set; this isan area that many ofthe companies wehave invested in havebeen able to dothanks to the injectionof capital.

“While I am not surprised tosee that most businessessurveyed indicated they wouldraise funds from within movingforward, I would ask them toconsider if they are constrainingtheir real growth potential withthis approach.

“Obviously externalinvestment is notappropriate for everyfirm, but we wouldencourage companies togive seriousconsideration to thedifference it could make.Most of the businesseswe have invested inhave used our funding

to increase the scale andquality of their teams and thishas been a major factor insupporting their growth.”

Paul Oldham, BusinessGrowth Fund regional

director, South West andSouth Wales

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8 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

MANUFACTURING con-jures up images of steel-works, or big roboticfactories making partsfor the aerospace or auto-

motive industries.And while these make major con-

tributions to the UK manufacturingsector, the term also takes in a diverserange of industries, from food anddrink and textiles to electronics,chemicals and plastics.

Put them all together and the sectoris growing. In the South West, growthis consistent with the country as awh o l e.

We are good at making stuff in thiscountry. Back in the 1970s, manu-facturing contributed a quarter of UKGDP. Today, it’s more like 10 per cent –just one of a number of sectors whichneed to grow to continue our eco-nomic recovery.

positive and the noises coming fromthose in the know are too.

Simon Howes, regional director forthe Manufacturing Advisory Service(MAS) said: “We are increasinglyconfident that improving economicconditions are heralding a new era ofgrowth for manufacturers and this issupported by a number of recent sur-veys, including our latest Manufac-turing Barometer. These havepointed towards an upward turn ingrowth and increased investment in-

tentions among the UK and SouthWest manufacturing community.

“It is particularly encouraging tonote that over half (59 per cent) of theSME manufacturers that respondedto our latest Barometer report salesgrowth in the last six months, whichis a rise of five per cent from the sametime last year.

“This looks to have had a positiveinfluence on recruitment plans, asalmost half (49 per cent) of respond-ents indicate that they plan to engage

more staff. There also appears to be agrowing appetite for investment,with 44 per cent of the companiesquestioned stating they intend to in-vest in developing new technologies.This is the highest number recordedwhen measured against the sameperiod in previous years.

“Clearly there are still barriers toovercome as businesses strive toprovide enhanced value while man-aging an increasing cost base, butsuch positive results suggest that the

MA N U FAC T U R E R Sacross the South Westhave reported a greatstart to the year, withoutput, orders and

employment intentions all on theu p.

Our most recent BusinessTrends report highlighted thatmanuf acturers’ growth prospectsfor the rest of 2014 has alsostrengthened, with confidence inthe sector rising to an all-timehigh.

However, manufacturers arestill facing many challenges. Atthe risk of oversimplifying, thereare three key priorities: turningconfidence into investment, ex-panding international opera-tions and exports, and addressingthe skills gap that’s adorned thesector for far too long.

As we gear up for next year’sGeneral Election, we can expectmanufacturing to be at the centreof many a manifesto. With theeconomy now showing real signsof growth, the Government mustnot miss this chance to put theright framework in place for man-ufacturers to make the most ofthe recovery. It has already madeprogress. According to our En-gin-eered inBritainre port,41% ofbu s i -nessesbelieve the current Govern-ment’s policies have helped themanufacturing sector (up from26% last year). However, they areless convinced they are perform-ing well on manufacturing-spe-cific policy.

The Government must nowwork to gain cross-party supportand agreement on a long term,strategic framework that goesbeyond the term of a single par-liament to help provide a clearstructure for the many manu-facturing initiatives.

This strategy must encouragelong-term investment within thesector, tackle the inherent skillsshortage and provide greater ac-cess to international markets.

All the statistics point to a pos-itive future. The fact that they areunderpinned by a strengtheningof exports adds further stabilityto the foundations of growth.

This should give confidence tothe Government that its supportto the sector is starting to achieveresults and if implemented in atargeted fashion we will continueto reap the rewards. If we can facethese challenges head on, man-ufacturers will thrive.

Flying start for ourmanufacturers

Know how

Manufacturing is a significantpart of the nation’s economyand is staging a recovery.Rupert Janisch takes a lookat how it is represented inBristol.

According to the most recent fig-ures from the Office for NationalStatistics (ONS), there are 12,525manufacturing companies across theSouth West. These businesses employ234,000 people, which equates to 8.5per cent of the region’s total em-p l oy m e n t .

A recent Manufacturing Outlooksurvey by EEF and accountancy andbusiness advisory firm BDO, showsthat 33 per cent of the region’s man-ufacturers expect to increase outputin the second half of the year.

Almost half of manufacturers (45per cent) have recruited in the pastquarter – t h at ’s a country-leadingfigure – while more than a quarterare expecting order numbers to picku p.

Exports, however, remain an issue,with just a handful (six per cent)expecting to growth in this side oftheir business over the next quarter.

Generally though, the signs are all

� A SUPPLIER and producer ofplumbing equipment based in Yatehas identified key opportunities forreshoring – bringing manufacturingback from China and the Far Eastto the EU.

Reshoring is being driven fromthe US by automotive componentsuppliers who are winning backorders for equipment that wasoutsourced to the low-costeconomies overseas.

Giacomini UK, from Yate in SouthGloucestershire, sees a similaropportunity in the British plumbings e c t o r.

Giacomini sells Italian-designedplumbing equipment, valves andfittings, as well as providingunderfloor heating design and

installation service and heatinterface units. The company is theUK marketing arm of the giantItalian Giacomini group, which hasone of the most sophisticatedmanufacturing facilities for this typeof equipment in the EuropeanUnion – the perfect ingredients forreshoring production back.

Matt Lowe, managing director ofGiacomini UK, said installers andspecifiers are increasingly movingtheir allegiances away from FarEast and Asian producedequipment back to EU suppliers.

He said: “A whole series offactors are driving the reshoringmove back towards EU-produced

equipment. Lead times from Asianand Far Eastern-producedequipment has to factor in severalweeks at sea. Labour costs inplaces like China are increasingdramatically as are transportcharges. But the main message weare picking up from our customersis that EU-produced brassware andfittings are higher quality. They aremade using top-quality rawmaterials and are produced tohigher and better specificationsand tolerances.

“The challenge we now face isbeing able to produce these betterquality products, at equivalentprices and be able to meetjust-in-time or short deliverydemands.”

Plumbing supplier bringing business back homeCase study

� IF you’re tapping into a nichemarket, you may as well make it abig niche.

So while making wallets for bluebadges in vehicles is a fairly specificproduct, when there are almostthree million holders in the UKt h e re ’s great business potential.

The Blue Badge Company has aworkshop in Montpelier and officesin St Andrew’s. Set up by managingdirector Ellen Green in 2011, thecompany attracted the interest ofBoots at a trade show and is nowtargeting turnover of £400,000 thisyear – double what it produced lasty e a r.

Alongside other outlets, thewallets are stocked in all of Boots’2,500 UK stores and Ellen and herteam are currently making 1,300units per week.

Ms Green said: “A year ago I was

Wallet makeraiming todouble turnoverCase study

� Ellen Green, managing director of the Blue Badge Company

distributed product.“Meeting Boots has increased our

brand awareness and enabled us tomaintain and develop our UKmanufacturing. Our skilled team of

still making the wallets in my backbedroom and in the last 12 monthsthe business has transformed from atiny operation selling about fivewallets a day to nationally

Sector focus: Manufacturing

RATHER than decliningBritish manufacturing isthriving, due to innovat-ive strategies by compan-ies, many of which were

forged in the adversity of the re-cent recession.

But the sector is at risk of col-lapse due to a severe shortage ofskills. Britain is now producingmore manufactured product thanin 1966, when manufacturing em-ployment was at its peak.

The profile of the industry isvery different to those daysthough. The companies that arenow the bedrock of British in-dustry have transformed theirbusinesses in order to mitigate theeffects of globalisation and suc-cessful manufacturers based inlow-cost economies, and have be-come producers of design-intens-ive and high-value products.

However many successful firmsare now concerned about the lackof high-tech skillsin the la-bour mar-ket andsome areeven worried that their businessesmay not be able to compete andsurvive in future due to their in-ability to recruit employees withthe right expertise. Improving pro-ductivity and bolder forecastswhich make the news today cannotmask the skills timebomb whichhas to be addressed.

The challenge is to be braveenough to get ahead of the game.Skilled staff cannot be manufac-tured and experience takes timeachieve. Obvious, of course, but notso often reflected in the recruit-ment policies of so many busi-nesses.From to time employers areable to recruit staff with all theskills they require but more oftenthan not this is a wish-list and thevacancy remains unfulfilled.

These companies must havelonger-term organic strategies.The recent resurgence of appren-ticeships cannot be heraldedenough. But there must be a great-er will to look at transferableskills; adapting and developingcore capabilities to suit new ap-plications and requirements.

Recognising the traits of success-ful staff and building upon these,rather than just looking for a‘quick fix’ employee who has donethe job before, must give a businessgreater flexibility in the long run.The shortage of skilled staff cannotbe resolved overnight. It can onlybe resolved by a mix of for-ward-looking strategies and grass-roots skill development.

Russell SmithManaging directorHunter Selection01275 371981russell@hunterselection.co.uk

Time to act to solveUK skills shortage

Expert eye

FROM PLASTIC TO PLANES, MAKERS ON THE UP AGAIN

re gion’s SME manufacturers aremore than playing their part in help-ing to create a strong base for thecountry’s economic recovery.

“While well known for its strengthin aerospace, Bristol is also home toan array of other thriving manufac-turing sectors including medical,rail, electronics, printing and pack-aging and food and drink. MAS hassupported many innovative compan-ies including Pulse Roll LabelProducts, which specialises in the

production of inks for the label print-ing industry.

“I have a great deal of confidence inour manufacturers, many of whichare highly sophisticated and creativeoperations. We will continue to seizeevery opportunity to promote andsupport the development and growthof their products and services and toacknowledge the outstanding peopleworking in this important sector ofthe economy.”

The national manufacturing

growth forecast is now 3.6 per cent, arise from the 2.7 per cent forecast atthe beginning of the year.

The Government has put a lot ofeffort into boosting the manufactur-ing sector and according to John Tal-bot from BDO in Bristol, it’swo rk i n g .

He said: “Government manufactur-ing policy is clearly paying dividendsand is creating an environment inwhich South West manufacturers arecomfortable enough to commit to fu-

ture investment. This is a very pos-itive indicator for the rest of theye a r. ”

Phil Brownsord, EEF South Westregion director, added: “The continu-ing trend for strong positives is afurther boost for businesses emer-ging from the shadow of the recessionand a further boost to the local eco-nomy. Manufacturers in this regionwill also have an important role toplay in helping to sustain broad basedgrowth across the UK.”

makers vary from mums doingpiecework at home to textilesstudents creating fabric designs.We ’ve not only created jobs andtraining, but also a wonderful andaffordable everyday product thatoffers choice and allows people toshow a little of their individuality andstyle.”

A big challenge Blue BadgeCompany has faced as a UKmanufacturer is cash-flow. Workingwith a large retailer like Boots hasbeen great for volume and statusbut payment terms can beunfavourable, with stock and staffneeding to be paid for well inadvance.

Still the company’s bank has beenhelpful with overdrafts and loans,allowing the Blue Badge Companyto meet demand and grows u s t a i n a b l y.

Ms Green said: “We have alow-cost product to produce, with ahigh margin.

“Production costs are still higherthan they would be if it was madeoverseas, but our brand is about UKquality and we wouldn’t evenconsider having it made anywhereelse.”

John TalbotBDO LLP in Bristol0117 930 1500john.talbot@bdo.co.ukw w w. b d o . c o . u k

� PERHAPS the best opportunityfor Bristol’s manufacturers to growis through exporting.

On Friday the city hosts theUK’s first export fair, in support ofthe International Festival ofBusiness.

Organised by UK Trade andInvestment (UKTI) and BusinessWest, the export fair takes place atthe M shed.

A selection of the region’sinnovative companies will beshowcasing their products andservices.

Stephen Williams, MP for BristolWest, will also speak about thecontinuing importance of exports.

Following the morning’spresentations, the fair will be open

for visitors to explore differentzones where international tradeexperts will be on hand to offeradvice for both novice andexperienced exporters.

Russell Jones, UKTI regionaldirector for the South West said:“Our role at UKTI is to ensureSouth West companies continueto export and make the most ofany opportunities available.

“The Export Fair is the idealplatform for the region’sbusinesses to explore how to takeadvantage of overseascommercial opportunities andshowcase what the region has tooffer the rest of the world.”

Phil Smith, pictur ed, BusinessWe s t ’s managing director said:

“Exporting is crucial to the growthof our regional economy and thisweek of international events isdesigned to inspirebusinesses to exploreoverseas markets. I amdelighted to see that150 businesses havebooked to attend thefair so far and I wouldencourage manymore businesses tocome along andconsider their exportingpotential.

“No matter what size yourbusiness is, if you are successfullyselling in this country, you can sellabroad with endless opportunities.

“You just need to make sure you

take advantage of all the helpavailable to you. From researchingmarkets, finding partners abroad,

going on trade missions toensuring your

documentation iscorrect so that you getpaid on time,Business West andUKTI can help. Andthe beauty of theExport Fair is that you

get access to all thehelp you need, all in one

place, all on one day.”For more information on

market-specific events takingplace during the InternationalFestival of Business visitw w w. i f b 2 0 1 4 . c o m

Exporting offers the best chance for Bristol businesses to grow

Simon Howes

“We are increasinglyconfident that improvingeconomic conditions areheralding a new era ofgrowth for ourm a n u f a c t u re r s

� Matt Lowe, MD of Giacomini UK Pic: Jon Kent BRJK20140623B-002

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8 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

MANUFACTURING con-jures up images of steel-works, or big roboticfactories making partsfor the aerospace or auto-

motive industries.And while these make major con-

tributions to the UK manufacturingsector, the term also takes in a diverserange of industries, from food anddrink and textiles to electronics,chemicals and plastics.

Put them all together and the sectoris growing. In the South West, growthis consistent with the country as awh o l e.

We are good at making stuff in thiscountry. Back in the 1970s, manu-facturing contributed a quarter of UKGDP. Today, it’s more like 10 per cent –just one of a number of sectors whichneed to grow to continue our eco-nomic recovery.

positive and the noises coming fromthose in the know are too.

Simon Howes, regional director forthe Manufacturing Advisory Service(MAS) said: “We are increasinglyconfident that improving economicconditions are heralding a new era ofgrowth for manufacturers and this issupported by a number of recent sur-veys, including our latest Manufac-turing Barometer. These havepointed towards an upward turn ingrowth and increased investment in-

tentions among the UK and SouthWest manufacturing community.

“It is particularly encouraging tonote that over half (59 per cent) of theSME manufacturers that respondedto our latest Barometer report salesgrowth in the last six months, whichis a rise of five per cent from the sametime last year.

“This looks to have had a positiveinfluence on recruitment plans, asalmost half (49 per cent) of respond-ents indicate that they plan to engage

more staff. There also appears to be agrowing appetite for investment,with 44 per cent of the companiesquestioned stating they intend to in-vest in developing new technologies.This is the highest number recordedwhen measured against the sameperiod in previous years.

“Clearly there are still barriers toovercome as businesses strive toprovide enhanced value while man-aging an increasing cost base, butsuch positive results suggest that the

MA N U FAC T U R E R Sacross the South Westhave reported a greatstart to the year, withoutput, orders and

employment intentions all on theu p.

Our most recent BusinessTrends report highlighted thatmanuf acturers’ growth prospectsfor the rest of 2014 has alsostrengthened, with confidence inthe sector rising to an all-timehigh.

However, manufacturers arestill facing many challenges. Atthe risk of oversimplifying, thereare three key priorities: turningconfidence into investment, ex-panding international opera-tions and exports, and addressingthe skills gap that’s adorned thesector for far too long.

As we gear up for next year’sGeneral Election, we can expectmanufacturing to be at the centreof many a manifesto. With theeconomy now showing real signsof growth, the Government mustnot miss this chance to put theright framework in place for man-ufacturers to make the most ofthe recovery. It has already madeprogress. According to our En-gin-eered inBritainre port,41% ofbu s i -nessesbelieve the current Govern-ment’s policies have helped themanufacturing sector (up from26% last year). However, they areless convinced they are perform-ing well on manufacturing-spe-cific policy.

The Government must nowwork to gain cross-party supportand agreement on a long term,strategic framework that goesbeyond the term of a single par-liament to help provide a clearstructure for the many manu-facturing initiatives.

This strategy must encouragelong-term investment within thesector, tackle the inherent skillsshortage and provide greater ac-cess to international markets.

All the statistics point to a pos-itive future. The fact that they areunderpinned by a strengtheningof exports adds further stabilityto the foundations of growth.

This should give confidence tothe Government that its supportto the sector is starting to achieveresults and if implemented in atargeted fashion we will continueto reap the rewards. If we can facethese challenges head on, man-ufacturers will thrive.

Flying start for ourmanufacturers

Know how

Manufacturing is a significantpart of the nation’s economyand is staging a recovery.Rupert Janisch takes a lookat how it is represented inBristol.

According to the most recent fig-ures from the Office for NationalStatistics (ONS), there are 12,525manufacturing companies across theSouth West. These businesses employ234,000 people, which equates to 8.5per cent of the region’s total em-p l oy m e n t .

A recent Manufacturing Outlooksurvey by EEF and accountancy andbusiness advisory firm BDO, showsthat 33 per cent of the region’s man-ufacturers expect to increase outputin the second half of the year.

Almost half of manufacturers (45per cent) have recruited in the pastquarter – t h at ’s a country-leadingfigure – while more than a quarterare expecting order numbers to picku p.

Exports, however, remain an issue,with just a handful (six per cent)expecting to growth in this side oftheir business over the next quarter.

Generally though, the signs are all

� A SUPPLIER and producer ofplumbing equipment based in Yatehas identified key opportunities forreshoring – bringing manufacturingback from China and the Far Eastto the EU.

Reshoring is being driven fromthe US by automotive componentsuppliers who are winning backorders for equipment that wasoutsourced to the low-costeconomies overseas.

Giacomini UK, from Yate in SouthGloucestershire, sees a similaropportunity in the British plumbings e c t o r.

Giacomini sells Italian-designedplumbing equipment, valves andfittings, as well as providingunderfloor heating design and

installation service and heatinterface units. The company is theUK marketing arm of the giantItalian Giacomini group, which hasone of the most sophisticatedmanufacturing facilities for this typeof equipment in the EuropeanUnion – the perfect ingredients forreshoring production back.

Matt Lowe, managing director ofGiacomini UK, said installers andspecifiers are increasingly movingtheir allegiances away from FarEast and Asian producedequipment back to EU suppliers.

He said: “A whole series offactors are driving the reshoringmove back towards EU-produced

equipment. Lead times from Asianand Far Eastern-producedequipment has to factor in severalweeks at sea. Labour costs inplaces like China are increasingdramatically as are transportcharges. But the main message weare picking up from our customersis that EU-produced brassware andfittings are higher quality. They aremade using top-quality rawmaterials and are produced tohigher and better specificationsand tolerances.

“The challenge we now face isbeing able to produce these betterquality products, at equivalentprices and be able to meetjust-in-time or short deliverydemands.”

Plumbing supplier bringing business back homeCase study

� IF you’re tapping into a nichemarket, you may as well make it abig niche.

So while making wallets for bluebadges in vehicles is a fairly specificproduct, when there are almostthree million holders in the UKt h e re ’s great business potential.

The Blue Badge Company has aworkshop in Montpelier and officesin St Andrew’s. Set up by managingdirector Ellen Green in 2011, thecompany attracted the interest ofBoots at a trade show and is nowtargeting turnover of £400,000 thisyear – double what it produced lasty e a r.

Alongside other outlets, thewallets are stocked in all of Boots’2,500 UK stores and Ellen and herteam are currently making 1,300units per week.

Ms Green said: “A year ago I was

Wallet makeraiming todouble turnoverCase study

� Ellen Green, managing director of the Blue Badge Company

distributed product.“Meeting Boots has increased our

brand awareness and enabled us tomaintain and develop our UKmanufacturing. Our skilled team of

still making the wallets in my backbedroom and in the last 12 monthsthe business has transformed from atiny operation selling about fivewallets a day to nationally

Sector focus: Manufacturing

RATHER than decliningBritish manufacturing isthriving, due to innovat-ive strategies by compan-ies, many of which were

forged in the adversity of the re-cent recession.

But the sector is at risk of col-lapse due to a severe shortage ofskills. Britain is now producingmore manufactured product thanin 1966, when manufacturing em-ployment was at its peak.

The profile of the industry isvery different to those daysthough. The companies that arenow the bedrock of British in-dustry have transformed theirbusinesses in order to mitigate theeffects of globalisation and suc-cessful manufacturers based inlow-cost economies, and have be-come producers of design-intens-ive and high-value products.

However many successful firmsare now concerned about the lackof high-tech skillsin the la-bour mar-ket andsome areeven worried that their businessesmay not be able to compete andsurvive in future due to their in-ability to recruit employees withthe right expertise. Improving pro-ductivity and bolder forecastswhich make the news today cannotmask the skills timebomb whichhas to be addressed.

The challenge is to be braveenough to get ahead of the game.Skilled staff cannot be manufac-tured and experience takes timeachieve. Obvious, of course, but notso often reflected in the recruit-ment policies of so many busi-nesses.From to time employers areable to recruit staff with all theskills they require but more oftenthan not this is a wish-list and thevacancy remains unfulfilled.

These companies must havelonger-term organic strategies.The recent resurgence of appren-ticeships cannot be heraldedenough. But there must be a great-er will to look at transferableskills; adapting and developingcore capabilities to suit new ap-plications and requirements.

Recognising the traits of success-ful staff and building upon these,rather than just looking for a‘quick fix’ employee who has donethe job before, must give a businessgreater flexibility in the long run.The shortage of skilled staff cannotbe resolved overnight. It can onlybe resolved by a mix of for-ward-looking strategies and grass-roots skill development.

Russell SmithManaging directorHunter Selection01275 371981russell@hunterselection.co.uk

Time to act to solveUK skills shortage

Expert eye

FROM PLASTIC TO PLANES, MAKERS ON THE UP AGAIN

re gion’s SME manufacturers aremore than playing their part in help-ing to create a strong base for thecountry’s economic recovery.

“While well known for its strengthin aerospace, Bristol is also home toan array of other thriving manufac-turing sectors including medical,rail, electronics, printing and pack-aging and food and drink. MAS hassupported many innovative compan-ies including Pulse Roll LabelProducts, which specialises in the

production of inks for the label print-ing industry.

“I have a great deal of confidence inour manufacturers, many of whichare highly sophisticated and creativeoperations. We will continue to seizeevery opportunity to promote andsupport the development and growthof their products and services and toacknowledge the outstanding peopleworking in this important sector ofthe economy.”

The national manufacturing

growth forecast is now 3.6 per cent, arise from the 2.7 per cent forecast atthe beginning of the year.

The Government has put a lot ofeffort into boosting the manufactur-ing sector and according to John Tal-bot from BDO in Bristol, it’swo rk i n g .

He said: “Government manufactur-ing policy is clearly paying dividendsand is creating an environment inwhich South West manufacturers arecomfortable enough to commit to fu-

ture investment. This is a very pos-itive indicator for the rest of theye a r. ”

Phil Brownsord, EEF South Westregion director, added: “The continu-ing trend for strong positives is afurther boost for businesses emer-ging from the shadow of the recessionand a further boost to the local eco-nomy. Manufacturers in this regionwill also have an important role toplay in helping to sustain broad basedgrowth across the UK.”

makers vary from mums doingpiecework at home to textilesstudents creating fabric designs.We ’ve not only created jobs andtraining, but also a wonderful andaffordable everyday product thatoffers choice and allows people toshow a little of their individuality andstyle.”

A big challenge Blue BadgeCompany has faced as a UKmanufacturer is cash-flow. Workingwith a large retailer like Boots hasbeen great for volume and statusbut payment terms can beunfavourable, with stock and staffneeding to be paid for well inadvance.

Still the company’s bank has beenhelpful with overdrafts and loans,allowing the Blue Badge Companyto meet demand and grows u s t a i n a b l y.

Ms Green said: “We have alow-cost product to produce, with ahigh margin.

“Production costs are still higherthan they would be if it was madeoverseas, but our brand is about UKquality and we wouldn’t evenconsider having it made anywhereelse.”

John TalbotBDO LLP in Bristol0117 930 1500john.talbot@bdo.co.ukw w w. b d o . c o . u k

� PERHAPS the best opportunityfor Bristol’s manufacturers to growis through exporting.

On Friday the city hosts theUK’s first export fair, in support ofthe International Festival ofBusiness.

Organised by UK Trade andInvestment (UKTI) and BusinessWest, the export fair takes place atthe M shed.

A selection of the region’sinnovative companies will beshowcasing their products andservices.

Stephen Williams, MP for BristolWest, will also speak about thecontinuing importance of exports.

Following the morning’spresentations, the fair will be open

for visitors to explore differentzones where international tradeexperts will be on hand to offeradvice for both novice andexperienced exporters.

Russell Jones, UKTI regionaldirector for the South West said:“Our role at UKTI is to ensureSouth West companies continueto export and make the most ofany opportunities available.

“The Export Fair is the idealplatform for the region’sbusinesses to explore how to takeadvantage of overseascommercial opportunities andshowcase what the region has tooffer the rest of the world.”

Phil Smith, pictur ed, BusinessWe s t ’s managing director said:

“Exporting is crucial to the growthof our regional economy and thisweek of international events isdesigned to inspirebusinesses to exploreoverseas markets. I amdelighted to see that150 businesses havebooked to attend thefair so far and I wouldencourage manymore businesses tocome along andconsider their exportingpotential.

“No matter what size yourbusiness is, if you are successfullyselling in this country, you can sellabroad with endless opportunities.

“You just need to make sure you

take advantage of all the helpavailable to you. From researchingmarkets, finding partners abroad,

going on trade missions toensuring your

documentation iscorrect so that you getpaid on time,Business West andUKTI can help. Andthe beauty of theExport Fair is that you

get access to all thehelp you need, all in one

place, all on one day.”For more information on

market-specific events takingplace during the InternationalFestival of Business visitw w w. i f b 2 0 1 4 . c o m

Exporting offers the best chance for Bristol businesses to grow

Simon Howes

“We are increasinglyconfident that improvingeconomic conditions areheralding a new era ofgrowth for ourm a n u f a c t u re r s

� Matt Lowe, MD of Giacomini UK Pic: Jon Kent BRJK20140623B-002

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10 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

OUT AND ABOUT WITH BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITYBig Green Week VIP reception at Smith & Williamson Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Awards

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

The Bristol Post BusinessAw a rd s : A celebration of allthat’s great about Bristolbusiness run by the Bristol Post.A great chance to network andentertain clients. From 7pmtoday, Wednesday, at thePassenger Shed, Temple Meads.Book tickets online atw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /businessawards.

Preview of Tastetech’s newinstallation at Explore@Bristol:Find out how tasteencapsulation actually works,with founder Janis Sinton, today,Wednesday, 6-8.30pm. Call 01173707785 or visit w w w. i o d . c o m /swestevents to book.

Women in Renewables:Celebrating the contribution ofentrepreneurial women to thegrowth of renewable energy.Speakers include Dr NinaSkorupska, CEO, RenewablesEnergy Association. To be held inat TLT’s Redcliff Street offices,4.30-6pm, tomorrow, Thursday.

L a n d l o rd s ’ seminar: Andrews isholding a free landlord seminartomorrow, Thursday, from 7 to8pm at the Andrews branch, 12Badminton Road, Downend. Theevent is aimed at helpinglandlords to make the most oftheir buy-to-let investment. Booka place online atwww.andr ewsonline.co.uk/property-sessions.

Exporting Fair: Firms fromaround the region showcasetheir products and services withadvisers and speakers on hand.Organised by Business West andUKTI, at the M shed. Speakersstart at 9.45am and the fairopens from 11.30am on Friday,June 27.

Creative crowdfundingworkshop: Can Bristol & Bathget at least 100 new creativeideas off the ground before theend of 2014?GoCrowdfundBritain wants tohelp 100 firms each raise at least£1,000 and is holding a freeworkshop at the Engine Shed onFriday, June 27, from 6pm-9pm.Register for tickets at eventbrite.

Bristol SetSquared InnovationShowcase: Networking andpitching competition for BristolSetSquared businesses at theEngine Shed, Wednesday, July 2from 6pm.

Mazars Summer Drinks Party:To be held at the Merchants’Hall, Thursday, July 3, 6-8.30pm.

Metcalfes Solicitor summerparty: Early evening get togetherfor clients and friends withchampagne, canapes and musicat 46 Queen Square, from5.30pm on Thursday, July 3.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business at LeighCourt, Abbots Leigh, BS8 3RA,10am-4pm, Tuesday, July 8.Contact r eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

THE sunny courtyard andRocket Caravans on the roofof the Brooks Guest House, inthe heart of St Nicholas Mar-ket, hosted the recent West

Country Travel Collective.The event brings together locally

based tour operators, travel writersand bloggers, travel agents, hoteliersand travel PR, representing the tal-ented travel trade in the West Coun-t r y.

“There are so many travel pressevents that take place in London, butthere is so much travel trade based inand around Bristol, Bath and beyondin the West Country,” said InsideAsiaTo u r s ’ James Mundy.

The West Country Travel meet-upshave been quite informal for someyears, meeting at small venues acrossBristol, but the event now attractsaround 60 people each time with

West Country Travel Collective at Brooks Guest House, St Nicholas Market

SUPPORTERS and sponsors ofthe Big Green Week gatheredat the Bristol offices of ac-countancy and investmentmanagement group, Smith &

Williamson, for a VIP reception onFriday, following a ‘green facts’ bu stour of the city sponsored by BristolSightseeing.

The reception was attended by over50 people including environmentalistJonathon Porritt who had given atalk earlier in the day on his latestbook, The World We Made, providingan insight into his vision of the worldin 2050 – a world which is connected,collaborative and truly sustainable.

Mayor George Ferguson officiallyopened the reception and AlastairSawday, Chair of the Big Green Week,provided the welcoming address.

“It was great to be able to show oursupport for the Big Green Weekwhich has laid the foundations forBristol as it looks ahead to 2015 andthe opportunities and responsibilit-ies associated with being EuropeanGreen Capital,” said Dave Mouncey, apartner at Smith & Williamson. “Itwas good to see so many familiarfaces and to reflect on the role busi-nesses should play in creating a sus-tainable future for everyone.”

Smith & Williamson played its partin marking Big Green Week by ral-lying staff to take part in a Big GreenBike Ride after work and staging aBig Green Breakfast for all staff whofound a green way to get to work oneday. The firm has also redesigned therecycling points throughout its of-fices to encourage people to recyclem o re.

“This occasion is a reminder ofquite how much is happening here,how much we depend on each other's

commitment and trust, and how vitalit is to maintain momentum within –and beyond – the Green community,”said Alastair Sawday. “B e h av i o u r a land policy changes are not a luxury;they are vital. Bristol is already aleading city in the UK for the greenjobs sector, and we want a lot more ofthem. As the Green City showcase for

the whole of Europe in 2015, the placeto come and see new environmentaltechnologies and to do green busi-ness, we have to deliver on our prom-ises. That’s why we are delightedthat our sponsors continue to investin us and make sure that Big GreenWeek will still be there in 2015 andb e yo n d . ”

� Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, Smith & Williamson partner DaveMouncey, Big Green Week chair Alastair Sawday, and environmentalistJonathon Porritt � Carmel McQuaid of M&S and Elsie Bryant of Big Green Week

� Shankari Raj Edgar of Nudge andIan Roderick of Green Capital

� Environmentalist Jonathon Porrittand Ciaran Mundy of Bristol Pound

� Dan Raffety of Shambala Festival, Robin Maynard of Avon Wildlife Trustand Ian Barrett of Green Capital

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

other recent meetings taking place atvenues including Double Tree Hiltonand the Bristol Hotel.

“We aim to hold at least four WestCountry Travel meet-ups a year.” saidGoogle Travel editor Fiona Quinn,“This is a great opportunity for uslocally based travel writers to find outwhat is happening in the world and agreat opportunity for local hotels andvenues to publicise themselves bygetting involved”.

The Brooks Guest House event waslimited to 30 people who snubbed theWorld Cup to attend.

Fiona added: “The venue providedan almost continental feel in the Bris-tol evening sun with a good turnoutfrom Bristol-based travel including,Japan specialists InsideJapan Tours,Latin American specialists Senderosand Bristol-based charity The TravelFo u n d at i o n . ”

BUSINESSES were looking tothe future as they celebratedthe achievements of theirtalented young staff in theBristol Post and Bath Chron-

icle Apprenticeship Awards.The awards saw hundreds of em-

ployers and apprentices gather at theBristol City Centre Marriott hotel.

Luke Naish, an apprentice car-penter with the Merlin Housing So-ciety, was named overall winner. The18-year-old lives in Frampton Cot-terell, and was also named Outstand-ing Apprentice of the Year in theconstruction category.

Bristol News & Media managingdirector Sarah Pullen told the audi-ence: “We should be proud of ouryoung people. They are a real credit toour cities, and it is great that ourbusinesses support this.”

Awards were handed out across ahost of key sectors including health-care, service industries, financialand business services, public ser-vices and engineering and manufac-turing.

Sarah also thanked the sponsors ofthe awards, without whom the cel-ebration of young people’s achieve-ments would not be possible.

� Guest Speaker Tom Herbert Pics: Michael Lloyd

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10 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

OUT AND ABOUT WITH BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITYBig Green Week VIP reception at Smith & Williamson Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Awards

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

The Bristol Post BusinessAw a rd s : A celebration of allthat’s great about Bristolbusiness run by the Bristol Post.A great chance to network andentertain clients. From 7pmtoday, Wednesday, at thePassenger Shed, Temple Meads.Book tickets online atw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /businessawards.

Preview of Tastetech’s newinstallation at Explore@Bristol:Find out how tasteencapsulation actually works,with founder Janis Sinton, today,Wednesday, 6-8.30pm. Call 01173707785 or visit w w w. i o d . c o m /swestevents to book.

Women in Renewables:Celebrating the contribution ofentrepreneurial women to thegrowth of renewable energy.Speakers include Dr NinaSkorupska, CEO, RenewablesEnergy Association. To be held inat TLT’s Redcliff Street offices,4.30-6pm, tomorrow, Thursday.

L a n d l o rd s ’ seminar: Andrews isholding a free landlord seminartomorrow, Thursday, from 7 to8pm at the Andrews branch, 12Badminton Road, Downend. Theevent is aimed at helpinglandlords to make the most oftheir buy-to-let investment. Booka place online atwww.andr ewsonline.co.uk/property-sessions.

Exporting Fair: Firms fromaround the region showcasetheir products and services withadvisers and speakers on hand.Organised by Business West andUKTI, at the M shed. Speakersstart at 9.45am and the fairopens from 11.30am on Friday,June 27.

Creative crowdfundingworkshop: Can Bristol & Bathget at least 100 new creativeideas off the ground before theend of 2014?GoCrowdfundBritain wants tohelp 100 firms each raise at least£1,000 and is holding a freeworkshop at the Engine Shed onFriday, June 27, from 6pm-9pm.Register for tickets at eventbrite.

Bristol SetSquared InnovationShowcase: Networking andpitching competition for BristolSetSquared businesses at theEngine Shed, Wednesday, July 2from 6pm.

Mazars Summer Drinks Party:To be held at the Merchants’Hall, Thursday, July 3, 6-8.30pm.

Metcalfes Solicitor summerparty: Early evening get togetherfor clients and friends withchampagne, canapes and musicat 46 Queen Square, from5.30pm on Thursday, July 3.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business at LeighCourt, Abbots Leigh, BS8 3RA,10am-4pm, Tuesday, July 8.Contact r eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

THE sunny courtyard andRocket Caravans on the roofof the Brooks Guest House, inthe heart of St Nicholas Mar-ket, hosted the recent West

Country Travel Collective.The event brings together locally

based tour operators, travel writersand bloggers, travel agents, hoteliersand travel PR, representing the tal-ented travel trade in the West Coun-t r y.

“There are so many travel pressevents that take place in London, butthere is so much travel trade based inand around Bristol, Bath and beyondin the West Country,” said InsideAsiaTo u r s ’ James Mundy.

The West Country Travel meet-upshave been quite informal for someyears, meeting at small venues acrossBristol, but the event now attractsaround 60 people each time with

West Country Travel Collective at Brooks Guest House, St Nicholas Market

SUPPORTERS and sponsors ofthe Big Green Week gatheredat the Bristol offices of ac-countancy and investmentmanagement group, Smith &

Williamson, for a VIP reception onFriday, following a ‘green facts’ bu stour of the city sponsored by BristolSightseeing.

The reception was attended by over50 people including environmentalistJonathon Porritt who had given atalk earlier in the day on his latestbook, The World We Made, providingan insight into his vision of the worldin 2050 – a world which is connected,collaborative and truly sustainable.

Mayor George Ferguson officiallyopened the reception and AlastairSawday, Chair of the Big Green Week,provided the welcoming address.

“It was great to be able to show oursupport for the Big Green Weekwhich has laid the foundations forBristol as it looks ahead to 2015 andthe opportunities and responsibilit-ies associated with being EuropeanGreen Capital,” said Dave Mouncey, apartner at Smith & Williamson. “Itwas good to see so many familiarfaces and to reflect on the role busi-nesses should play in creating a sus-tainable future for everyone.”

Smith & Williamson played its partin marking Big Green Week by ral-lying staff to take part in a Big GreenBike Ride after work and staging aBig Green Breakfast for all staff whofound a green way to get to work oneday. The firm has also redesigned therecycling points throughout its of-fices to encourage people to recyclem o re.

“This occasion is a reminder ofquite how much is happening here,how much we depend on each other's

commitment and trust, and how vitalit is to maintain momentum within –and beyond – the Green community,”said Alastair Sawday. “B e h av i o u r a land policy changes are not a luxury;they are vital. Bristol is already aleading city in the UK for the greenjobs sector, and we want a lot more ofthem. As the Green City showcase for

the whole of Europe in 2015, the placeto come and see new environmentaltechnologies and to do green busi-ness, we have to deliver on our prom-ises. That’s why we are delightedthat our sponsors continue to investin us and make sure that Big GreenWeek will still be there in 2015 andb e yo n d . ”

� Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, Smith & Williamson partner DaveMouncey, Big Green Week chair Alastair Sawday, and environmentalistJonathon Porritt � Carmel McQuaid of M&S and Elsie Bryant of Big Green Week

� Shankari Raj Edgar of Nudge andIan Roderick of Green Capital

� Environmentalist Jonathon Porrittand Ciaran Mundy of Bristol Pound

� Dan Raffety of Shambala Festival, Robin Maynard of Avon Wildlife Trustand Ian Barrett of Green Capital

GALLERIESGALORE

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other recent meetings taking place atvenues including Double Tree Hiltonand the Bristol Hotel.

“We aim to hold at least four WestCountry Travel meet-ups a year.” saidGoogle Travel editor Fiona Quinn,“This is a great opportunity for uslocally based travel writers to find outwhat is happening in the world and agreat opportunity for local hotels andvenues to publicise themselves bygetting involved”.

The Brooks Guest House event waslimited to 30 people who snubbed theWorld Cup to attend.

Fiona added: “The venue providedan almost continental feel in the Bris-tol evening sun with a good turnoutfrom Bristol-based travel including,Japan specialists InsideJapan Tours,Latin American specialists Senderosand Bristol-based charity The TravelFo u n d at i o n . ”

BUSINESSES were looking tothe future as they celebratedthe achievements of theirtalented young staff in theBristol Post and Bath Chron-

icle Apprenticeship Awards.The awards saw hundreds of em-

ployers and apprentices gather at theBristol City Centre Marriott hotel.

Luke Naish, an apprentice car-penter with the Merlin Housing So-ciety, was named overall winner. The18-year-old lives in Frampton Cot-terell, and was also named Outstand-ing Apprentice of the Year in theconstruction category.

Bristol News & Media managingdirector Sarah Pullen told the audi-ence: “We should be proud of ouryoung people. They are a real credit toour cities, and it is great that ourbusinesses support this.”

Awards were handed out across ahost of key sectors including health-care, service industries, financialand business services, public ser-vices and engineering and manufac-turing.

Sarah also thanked the sponsors ofthe awards, without whom the cel-ebration of young people’s achieve-ments would not be possible.

� Guest Speaker Tom Herbert Pics: Michael Lloyd

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12 We d n e s d a y, June 25, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back page� B R I S T O L’S women engineerscelebrated their achievements thisweek.

The Bristol office of Atikins, thedesign, engineering and projectmanagement firm, marked NationalWomen in Engineering Day with anevent attended by 100 of thecompany’s clients and staff, andsome local schoolchildren.

Sarah Long, a principal engineerat Atkins, said: “The event providedan excellent opportunity to discusssome of the challenges andopportunities that exist for women inengineering with representativesfrom a number of prominent localengineering businesses.

“It is clear that we need to findnew ways to encourage women intoengineering roles. According to theIET 2013 Skills Survey, womenmake up only seven per cent of theUK engineering workforce,representing the lowest percentagein Europe. Given that the UK iscurrently facing an engineering skillsdeficit, finding ways to increase thenumber of women in engineeringroles would certainly go a long waytoward meeting that demand.”

� Wealth manager Brewin Dolphinhas appointed Alex Barrell as thenew head of the Bristol office.

Alex, right, currentlymanages discretionaryportfolios for privateclients, trusts, charitiesand pension funds.

He said: “I amdelighted to take onthis position and I amconfident that theteam here willcontinue to build uponthe excellent workachieved over recent years.

“I’m very much lookingforward to taking up the challengeof my new role and to focus on thetremendous opportunities thatBristol has to offer. My familyoriginates from Bristol and I amdelighted to be back!”

� Accountants Bishop Fleming hasappointed a new corporate financedirector for the West of England.

David Abbott joins Bishop Flemingfrom a similar role at BDO in Bristol.

Robert Davey, head of BishopFleming’s corporate finance team,

said: “David joins us tostrengthen our senior team

in the West.“His arrival coincides

with the launch of ournew quarterly index ofcorporate finance dealsfor our expanded region,spanning Worcester to

Cornwall. That indexreveals that this region

out-performs the nationalaverage for company sales,

acquisitions and investmentfinancing. This revelation underlinedour need to secure a senior dealsspecialist for our Bristol office.”

� Bristol-based Jonathan Miles whoworks for OCS Facilities at CabotCircus shopping centre has beenrecognised by HRH The Prince ofWa l e s ’ national charity, Business inthe Community’s (BITC) annualResponsible Business Awards.

� Dr Sarah Peers, Kate Warren, Geoff Robins, Anne Kemp, Elspeth Finch and Sarah Long

He has been named South WestEmployee Volunteer of the Year forhis exceptional work helpingunemployed people back into workthrough organising events andproviding buddying support, whichhas strengthened relationshipsbetween his employer and other keyo rg a n i s a t i o n s .

Jon’s employer OCS Facilitiessupports BITC by giving candidateswork placements in security,cleaning, customer services, carpark and reception at Cabot Circus.

Jon has been supportingcandidates, who are long termunemployed or homeless people, inhis own time.

He has been involved in site visitsfor potential candidates, workgroups, presentations, placingcandidates in work at Cabot Circusand supporting them through thep ro c e s s .

Tracy Reed, head of communityimpact at Business in theCommunity, said: “Jon’s

commitment to helping vulnerablepeople through his work is aninspiration to us all.”

Pe o p l e

Your digest of the week in business

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

21 %20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

131 .02 pUnleaded

135 .93 pDiesel

140 .1 0 pSuperunleaded

70 .28pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.40%£5,000 deposit

1.85%£1,000 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

Inflation (CPI)

1.5 %

Weekly earnings

-1.5 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

S o u rc e :

Secure TrustBank

Inflation (RPI)

2.4 %

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� South West Employee Volunteerof the Year Jonathan Miles with TVpresenter Alex Lovell