Business 8 April 2015

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POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Energy firm sets sights onforgotten end of market – p3

WILDWEST PIONEERS

We find the businesses comingout of Knowle West – pages 8&9

CALL FOR SUCCESS

Payment gateway firm hopesto win big at our awards – p4

IT’S ALL ABOUTCAFE CULTUREYou can grow quickly and stay true to your values,says Loungers bar chain co-founder – pages 6&7

THE BIG INTERVIEW

082015APR

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2 Wednesday, April 8, 2015www.bristolpost.co.uk

Business rates

Two-year delaycosts Bristolfirms £220m● THE two-year delay in revaluingproperties for business rates willcost businesses in Bristol and theSouth West an extra £220 million,according to new research.The review by commercial

property advisor Bilfinger GVAcalculates what the revaluationwould have looked like if it hadtaken place when it was originallydue in April 2015 and comparesthis to what businesses willinstead have to pay over thecourse of the deferment.The findings suggest the

deferment will cost businesses inthe South West£220 million,while Londonbusinesseswill benefitby morethan£1.5billion.Business

rates is a taxon businesspremises basedon the value of theproperty, therefore the rising valueof London properties means firmsthere haven’t been paying asmuch as they should while othershave had to foot the bill.The current tax is based on

valuations from April 2008, justbefore the onset of the economicdownturn and many parts in theregion are not yet back topre-recession prices.Andrew Wellens, pictured,

director in Bilfinger GVA’sbusiness rates team in Bristol,said: “The Government hasresponded to growing calls acrossthe business community for whatit terms a ‘root and branch’ reformof the business rates system.However, it is important toremember that the Government iscommitted for any changes to befiscally neutral, so any majorreforms to the system will stillcreate winners and losers.”

Legal

Merger move Solicitors firms joinforces to form mid-sized player

TWO Bristol solicitors firmshave formally merged in abid to form a mid-sized play-er to fight for business fromthe city’s SMEs.

BarcanWoodward and Kirby Shep-pard have become Barcan+Kirby,which is made up of 135 fee-earnersand support staff in eight officesacross the city.The new firm will be led by former

BarcanWoodward managing partnerChris Miller, and former Kirby Shep-pard managing partner Bill Will-cocks.

The firm hopes it will be able tooffer its clients access to a greaterdepth of expertise across family law,wills and probate, conveyancing, em-ployment and personal injury.It also has a medical negligence

team which is hails as nationallyrespected.Chris, who becomes managing

partner, believes the firm has aunique place in the local market.“Bristol is something of an an-

omaly when you consider its legalservices and the current landscape,”he said. “From a client’s perspective,the choice is either to work with asmall, one or two-person legal firm,which may not have the expertiserequired or to work with one of thecity’s bigger players, which may notbe affordable.

“Unlike other cities across theSouth West, and indeed other re-gions, there doesn’t seem to be anymiddle ground in Bristol – the optionto work with a mid-sized firm thathas the right person with the rightexpertise to help you but at a priceyou can afford.“It’s this gap in the market that is

behind the merger of the two firmsand the formation of Barcan+Kirby.“As well as the two firms coming

together to provide a solution to thisgap, combining forces enables usinvest more in the technologies andsystems we need to keep at theforefront of client service, and ex-pands development and career op-portunities for our employees.”The firm has a high street presence

across the city, with offices in Hor-

field, Bishopston, Bedminster, Kings-wood, Thornbury, Clifton as well asthe city centre.Bill Willcocks, senior partner,

added: “I am confident that Bar-can+Kirby’s unique positioning asthe ‘go-to’ mid-sized firm in theBristol market will create some ex-citing opportunities for us in thefuture and provide a strong found-ation on which to build our busi-ness.“Both former firms have a

strong-track record in the Bristollegal market and a long-standingrelationship with the clients andcommunities which they serve.We’re committed for the long termand have ambitious plans for Bar-can+Kirby during the next fiveyears.”

Communications

Theology college develops brand for the futureEVEN having God on your side,doesn’t mean you can ignore thepower of branding. Trinity College, atheological institution specialisingin Christian ordination, decided itneeded a little help on its identity.The college, which has 130 stu-

dents, prides itself on the variety ofpersonalities within its community.Everything it does is done in light ofthe bigger picture: preparing stu-dents to live “transformed and King-dom-focused lives”.But it felt its brand did not reflect

this well enough and whilst it wasable to win people over after theyvisited an open day, it struggled to getthem to one in the first place.Beth Gaukroger, communications

development officer at the college,said: “It wasn’t simply that our imageneeded updating, it’s about develop-ing a brand and set of resources thatmore clearly communicate who weare and what we do.”The college appointed Work-

brands, a Stoke Bishop-based agency,to help. Account manager EmmaCraig said the college had a “very

clear idea” ofwhere it saw itself in thefuture.“We reflected their vision by por-

traying them as a serious and cred-ible institution whilst also being fullof life and passion,” she said.“Workingwith Beth has been a real

pleasure. Never losing sight of the

end goal, she has done an excellentjob of leading this project on behalf ofthe college.”Beth added: “The wonderful thing

about Trinity is how much life andvibrancy is brought by the variety ofpersonalities within the community.Workbrands has done an excellent

job of translating this into aneye-catching visual identity.”Nick Farrar, who founded Work-

brands in 2003 and now employs 13people, said: “It’s fantastic to be help-ing the college with a project so crit-ical to its future success.“Trinity is one of many exciting

new clients we have been workingwith in the last fewmonths andon topof that we’ve recently been recog-nised as one of the Top 20 FastestGrowing B2B Agencies. Bristol con-tinues to be a hub for the UK creativeindustry and we’re proud to be a partof that.”The newbrand includes a newweb-

site and prospectus.

Contractor chosenfor UWE building● UWE Bristol has appointed ISGPlc as the main contractor todeliver its new state-of-the artbuilding for the Faculty ofBusiness and Law.ISG is an international

construction services company.Enabling works have now been

completed on the site andconstruction work will start in May.The new building will house BristolBusiness School and Bristol LawSchool and is part of theUniversity's campus developmentplan to build a University for the21st century.The building will be at the heart

of the new developments on theUWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus,on the northern side of a newlyformed plaza.Pro Vice Chancellor and

commercial director Bill Marshallsaid: “The building will be 17,200square metres in size over sixfloors, naturally ventilated withenergy efficient lighting and controlsystems. It will contain state of theart teaching and lecturing facilitiesincluding two Harvard-style lecturetheatres, a 300-seat tiered lecturetheatre, two mock court roomsand a trading room.”The project will cost £50 million.

Construction

Assistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

● Simon Tandy, Emma Craig and Nick Farrar from Workbrands; right, theTrinity website

● The team from Barcon+Kirby a new Bristol law firm formed from the merger of two smaller companies

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3Wednesday, April 8, 2015 www.bristolpost.co.uk

AFAST-growing energy busi-ness is turning its attentionto the often ignored pre-paycustomers as it continues toshake up the market.

Bristol-based Ovo Energy is the10th fastest growing private com-pany in the UK, largely thanks to itstechnology and customer servicedriven approach to the gas and elec-tricity supply market.That growth has recently seen it

move its more than 700 employees toa bigger office in Rivergate, close toTemple Meads.Now it has launched a new

product aimed at the pre-paymentmarket. These customers are oftenin rented properties or among thepoorest consumers, yet end up pay-ing the highest prices.Ovo has launched Britain’s first

full-service smart pay-as-you-go en-ergy platform – called Smart PAYG+– in a bid tomake things simpler andcheaper for Britain’s 11 million pay-as-you-go customers.The app means customers can

manage their energy supply, fromtopping up to monitoring usage ontheir mobile or computers any time,anywhere.It means customers can top up by

app, text or phone rather than hav-ing to trudge to their local shop.And they can use a smart meter to

better monitor their energy use.Justin Cockerill, managing dir-

ector of OVO Smart PAYG, said:“From being forced to make top-uptrips at themost inconvenient times,to household emergencies due toenergy suddenly running out,pre-payment energy customers haveendured a rough ride from the in-dustry.“We’re putting the power into the

customers’ hands and giving themunprecedented control and conveni-ence over the cheapest possible en-ergy supply.”Derek Lickorish, chairman of fuel

poverty campaign group NationalEnergy Action, said: “We welcomeinnovation like this that helps cus-tomers, especially those on pre-pay-

ment meters, to realise the benefitsof Smart meters and bring an end topoor service.“For too long these customers

have been forgotten, well now it’stime to forget the out-dated tech-nology and give these, often vul-nerable, customers the service and

experience they deserve.”OVOwas founded in 2009 by Steph-

en Fitzpatrick who set out to create abetter energy company.It has positioned itself as a plucky

challenger to the big six energysuppliers, becoming the onlyWhich? recommended energy pro-

EnergyFirm delighted to winM1 poles contract● A MANUFACTURER iscelebrating after securing a contractto supply roadside poles for astretch of the M1.Portishead-based Crown

International designs andmanufactures safety equipment,primarily for the transportationsector.The contract with Simulation

Systems Limited will see thecompany’s PTZ winch poles used tomount CCTV and infra-red camerasbetween junctions 39 and 42.Managing director Mark Stacey

said: “We’re delighted to have wonthe contract, which is our second aspart of the national roll-out of thesmart motorways scheme.“Not only will the cameras

installed on the poles improve safetyon the motorway network but theyhave been specially designed toimprove the safety of maintenanceworkers too.“The poles use a counterbalance

system that enables a singleoperative to lower mountedequipment to ground level forroad-side maintenance, rather thanhaving to work at height to maintainthe equipment.“As well as improving safety, this

feature also limits the need for roador lane closures to allow forequipment maintenance andreduces operating and maintenancecosts.“The system also means that the

camera equipment can be loweredwithout the need to disconnectpower and communications cables,again making it safer and easier tooperate.”

Safety

Fast-growing energy supplierOvo looks to pre-pay market

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07584 003229Email [email protected]

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

vider.The firm now has nearly 450,000

customers.Of those about 40,000 as pay as you

go customers, but the firm sees it asa big growth market is aims to raisethe figure to 100,000 by the end of2015.


Election

Balls pledges tax cut for 13,000 businessesTHE man who would be ChancellortoldBusiness he will give 13,000 Bris-tol companies a tax cut, adding hewould not jeopardise the compet-itiveness of the tax regime.Ed Balls, speaking during a recent

visit to the city, said Labour’s policyto cut business rates by reversinglast week’s cut in corporation taxwould do more for local firms.“I will do nothing which puts at

risk the competitiveness of our taxsystem,” he said.“But there are within that choices

to make.“Cutting corporation tax helps

large businesses while the rise inbusiness rates has hit small com-panies as well.

“We will cut and then freeze busi-ness rates for any company with arateable value below £50,000. In Bris-tol that is 13,000 companies gettingan average tax cut of £400 perannum.”But the pledge to keep tax com-

petitive doesn’t mean no bigchanges, should Labour come topower.“We would like to have a tax sys-

tem which is more advantageous forlong-term equity investment,” hesaid. “And we need to end the un-certainly around capital allow-ances.”The Shadow Chancellor also said

businesses across the board neededto become more productive.

“We’ve got some hugely high pro-ductivity businesses here in Bris-tol,” he said. “We were down atAirbus a few weeks ago, they arecompeting on world levels.”But he said Britain lagged behind

in terms of productivity not just inmanufacturing but in sectors suchas retail, distribution and elderlycare.“In service sectors we often have

productivity levels 30 per cent lowerthan America,” he said. “That’s an-other way of saying badly paid jobs.We need a strategy to raise invest-ment, innovation and quality acrossthe economy.”Listen to the full interview on-

line.● Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls

Important changescome into effectA RAFT of tax changes came intoforce this week, with the cut in cor-poration tax to 20 per cent perhapsthe headline-grabber.But othersmight bemore important

for entrepreneurs and small busi-nesses, including:● Employers will no longer have topay employer national insurancecontributions for employees underthe age of 21.● Class 2 national insurancecontributions for the self-employedcan now be collected throughSelf-Assessment.● Capital Gains Tax annualexemption amount has increased to£11,100.● The requirement that 70 per centof Seed Enterprise InvestmentScheme money must be spentbefore EIS or VCT funding can beraised is removed.

Tax

Managing director JustinCockerill

“We’re putting thepower into thecustomers’ hands andgiving themunprecedented controland convenience

● The new Ovo Energy offices

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A PIONEER in the fast-grow-ing field of digital paymentsis hoping its internationalsuccess will help it secure aprize at this year’s Bristol

Post Business Awards.Creditcall is a software company

that makes card payments easy fromdevices, whether attended such as ina restaurant or unattended like aparking meter.The firm’s Eurocard Mastercard

and Visa payment gateway has beendeveloped and improved over 15years and is used around theworld.Founded in 1996, it provides the

secure gateway between your card ormobile and the bank which takesyour money.Now it is used around the world,

including in all the parking metersin New York City.The firm, which employs more

than 60 people in offices near Wap-ping Wharf in Bristol, has nowformed a partnership withTableSafe, which specialises inpay-at-table technology used in res-taurants.The deal with see Creditcall’s

systems integrated into TableSafe’smobile point-of-sale device, makingit a more secure way to pay.The move follows changes in rules

in the United States putting moreburden onto the restaurant or re-tailer taking the card payment, andmeaning if they don’t comply withtougher standards they will be liablein cases of fraud.Joe Snell, chief executive of

TableSafe, said: “Involving a partnerwith years of experience in themarket is reassuring to restaurantoperators that are updating theirtechnology to embrace this new cardpayment change.“Creditcall enables our

pay-at-the-table technology to notonly meet this compliance, but alsoaccept payments methods beyondEurocard Mastercard and Visa, mak-

ing it simple for full-service res-taurants to adapt to any additionalpayment methods that mayemerge.”“Being compliant in time for the

liability shift in October 2015 iscrucial for all businesses in the US,”

said Creditcall chief technology of-ficer Jeremy Gumbley.“TableSafe has taken the poten-

tially complicated payment pro-cessing and security issue forfull-service restaurant operators andsimplified it for them by embeddingthe power of our secure paymentgateway.“We are excited to help TableSafe

usher in a new era of paymentsecurity for restaurants and theircustomers.”With such an international focus,

it’s no surprise that Creditcall won aQueen’s Award for InternationalTrade last year and the firm ishoping for more success in the Post’sBusiness Awards, which features anexporting category.The deadline for entries is April

17. Find out more atwww.bristolpost.co.uk/businessawards.

Digital payment pioneera credit to its profession

RENISHAW, the West Country-basedFTSE250 listed engineeringbusiness,continues to grow and now employs3,800 people globally of whom morethan 2,000 are located at its five sitesin Gloucestershire.Last July the company reported

record turnover of £356million for itsfinancial year ended June 2014, ofwhich 93 per cent was due to ex-ports.A world leader in engineering and

science based technologies, Ren-ishaw supplies products used for ap-plications as diverse as jet engine andwind turbine manufacture, throughto dentistry and brain surgery.It is also a world leader in the field

of additive manufacturing (also re-

ferred to as 3D printing), where it isthe only UK company that manu-factures industrial machines which‘print’ parts from metal powder.Renishaw has won multiple inter-

national awards, including 17Queen’s Awards, the latest of whichwas awarded for innovation in April2014 for its inVia Raman micro-scope.The company is also recognised for

its manufacturing excellence and inSeptember 2012 its Woodchester as-

sembly site near Stroud, was namedtheUK’sBest Electronics&ElectricalPlant.In May last year Renishaw hosted

the Prime Minister David Cameron,

World leader employsthousands round world

who praised staff for their contri-bution to the re-balancing of the UKeconomy: “Thank you for all that youare doing here at Renishaw to drive agreat industrial revolution and a

British revival of manufacturing,technology and exports.”To continue its success Renishaw is

highly committed to developing itsown skilled staff and this year isrecruiting a record 70 graduates, andhas around 110 apprentices in train-ing.In December, Lucy Ackland, who

joined the company as an apprenticeaged just 16 and went on to achieve a1st Class Engineering Honours De-gree, won the national Women’s En-gineering Society Prize for her workto inspire young students to followSTEM-based careers.Throughout its history the com-

pany, which has around 500 staff liv-ing in aBS post code, has been keen tomake a positive contribution to itslocal communities, whether throughgrants awarded by its charities com-mittee, through sponsorship of re-gional events, its support for schools,or by releasing staff to supportnot-for-profit organisations.This year the companywill be spon-

soring thePost’s YoungEntrepreneurof the Year award.

Business Awards

Sponsor profile


THE CATEGORIES

● Innovator of the Year,sponsored by Aon● Export Award, sponsoredby Mazars● Marketing Campaign ofthe Year, sponsored by JeffWay Electrical Services● Best Creative orTechnological Business,sponsored by NextGeneration Data● Young Entrepreneur of theYear, sponsored byRenishaw● Lifetime achievementaward, sponsored by PunterSouthall● Retailer of the Year,sponsored by BroadmeadBristol BID● Family Business of theYear, sponsored by BOMGroup● Large Business of theYear, sponsored by Smith &Williamson● Small Business of theYear, sponsored by LloydsBank● Start-up Business of theYear, sponsored by Jordans● Environmental BusinessAward, sponsored byNuffield Health● Contribution to theCommunity, sponsored byFirst Great Western● Customer Service Award,sponsored by DestinationBristol● Leisure and TourismBusiness of the Year,sponsored by QBE

● Lucy Ackland, who joined Renishaw as an apprentice at 16, gained a 1stclass degree and won the national Women’s Engineering Society Prize

● Creditcall chiefexecutive PeterTurner receives theQueen’s Award forInternational Tradefrom LordLieutenantMary Prior

Creditcall chief technologyofficer Jeremy Gumbley

“We are excited tohelp TableSafe usherin a new era ofpayment security forrestaurants and theircustomers

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Don’t miss out Tickets runningout for popular networking event

TICKETS are fast running outfor the next Bristol Connec-ted event, which takes placeat the Colston Hall later thismonth.

The Bristol Post-run business net-working event takes place every othermonth and is always popular.This time, the event is being hosted

by strategic communications con-sultancy JBP at the Top Bar in theColston Hall.JBP’s director of public policy

James Turgoose will share some in-sights into what the upcoming gen-eral election will mean.And Colston Hall chief executive

Louise Mitchell will give an updateon the venue’s campaign to raisemoney for its ongoing refurbishmentplans.The final speaker will be Jim

Hutchinson of Bristol-based SME Fu-sion Processing. The innovative firmdeveloped CycleEye, a sensor systemthat alerts drivers of large vehicles tocyclists in their blind spot.Jim will share how successful the

BUSINESSES are finding out how tosave money, attract quality staff andboost their brand by being more so-cially responsible.Sustain-Live, a sustainability de-

velopment consultancy, is runningfree training sessions for BlueOrchidas part of Bristol City Council’s Bris-tol Enterprise Support Service.The second Introduction to Sus-

tainability and Corporate Social Re-sponsibility workshop takes place atthe Engine Shed, near Temple Meadsstation in Bristol, on Wednesday,April 22 following the success of the

first one last month. They are part ofa series of activities and supportgiven to businesses in Bristol duringthe city’s European Green Capitalyear.Traci Lewis, director of Sustain-

Live, said: “Thisworkshop is for busi-nesspeople at the start of their sus-tainability journey, or have recentlyengaged is corporate social respons-ibility.“It demonstrates there is real busi-

ness value in developing an innov-ative organisation-wide vision andstrategy, which is implemented and

communicated across the business.”She added: “There are three main

business reasons for adopting sus-tainability and corporate social re-sponsibility – it saves money,improves staff satisfaction and offersbrand differentiation.”Gary Chatwin, Bristol area man-

ager for Blue Orchid, one of the UK’slargest providers of business support,said: “Many businesses are realisingthat through corporate social re-sponsibility they can make a realdifference to their local environment,whilst gaining business value.”

How to bemore socially responsible

CampaignfornewM4junction wins backing● BUSINESS voices are backing acampaign for a new junction onthe M4 had a boost at EmersonsGreen.The campaign is being raised

now by the area’s MP for the pastfive years, Tory Chris Skidmore,but is an issue that has hadcross-party backing locally forsome time.James Durie, pictured, executive

director of Bristol Chamber andInitiative at Business West, said:“Getting transport infrastructureright is vitally important to the longterm prosperity and health of theBristol, Bath and West of EnglandEconomy.“Whilst

technologyand theneedsandchoicesofbusinessandindividualsare fastchanging the18,000 membersof Business West have longrecognised the need for a newjunction on the M4 catering for afast growing residential andcommercial population locally andacross the city region.“We therefore strongly support

the creation of a new M4 junctionat this point at the earliestopportunity as an importantcomponent of our transportsystem”.Last week Transport Secretary

Patrick McLoughlin came to theBristol and Bath Science Park tohear about the potential benefits ofthe junction 18a scheme.The Gateway2Growth

campaigners say it would boostthe economy and support a boomin commercial development andhouse building in the area onBristol’s northern fringe.It would reduce journey times to

Emersons Greens and northBristol, avoiding travel on the M32and a heavily congested ring road.

Training

TransportCommunications


● TraciLewis,director ofSustain-Live,pictured withGaryChatwin,Bristol areamanager forBlue Orchid,at TheEngine Shed– the venuefor the freeworkshop

Sarah Pullen

“We’ve got somegreat speakers at thenext event and it’s alsoa good opportunity toget to know ourbusiness team

device has been during trials withFirst Bus in Bristol and his futureplans.The Post launched Bristol Connec-

ted in February last year to givebusinesses in the city somewhere tomeet and network in a relaxed set-ting.The free event takes place every

other month at a different venue andis almost always oversubscribed.Sarah Pullen, managing director of

Post publisher Local World Bristol,said: “Bristol Connected has been abig hitwith local businesses fromday

one. We’re delighted that we’ve beenable to meet what was clearly a de-mand for this kind of informal net-working event.“We’ve got some great speakers at

the next event and it’s also a goodopportunity to get to know our busi-ness team.“But there’s only a handful of tick-

ets left so be quick if you want to joinus at the Colston Hall.”Bristol Connected takes place on

April 23 from noon to 2pm in the TopBar at the Colston Hall. Search “Bris-tol Connected” on eventbrite.

● Colston Hall chief executiveLouise Mitchell will give an

update on fundraising for thevenue’s refurbishment

● JBP’sdirectorof publicpolicyJamesTurgoose

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP SHAPETHE FUTURE OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND?

The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is looking to recruitnew business members onto its Board – for more information go to

www.westofenglandlep.co.uk©LW

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The Big Interview

ANYONEwho has travelled onthe morning commuter busfrom Clevedon to Bristol willknow you find all sorts. Butyou might be surprised to

learn the co-founder of one of thecity’s fastest growing businesses is aregular on the X6.AlexReilley doesn’t drive, so public

transport is how he gets around. He’sgot plenty of miles under his belt ashis Loungers cafe bar chain is grow-ing fast. It now has 60 outlets, in-cluding eight under the Cosy Clubbrand and 52 Lounges around thecountry.After starting in North Street, Bed-

minster, in 2002, Loungers has been arunaway success. The firm expandedaggressively in the recession, snap-

ping up sites at knock-down prices,but the recipe for success has beenthe way it turned a bar business intoan all-day revenue stream.Pop into aLounge between 9amand

11pm you’ll see people spendingmoney, from thebreakfast trade to theyoung mums, students and businessmeetings in the day to the after-worksocial or friends and families diningout in the evening.Alex admits that when they started

the business, it wasn’t all planned.“A lot of what we did was happy

accident,” he said. “We set out to dosomewhere without food but endedup taking North Street premises thathad a kitchen.We just wanted to opensomewhere we could go to drinkourselves, it was very selfishly mo-tivated.“But that rolling customer base,

doing business all day,was somethingwe set out our stall to do from dayone.“Dave (Reid, co-founder) had seen

the cafe bar culture in Australia andsaw it wasn’t just about offering cof-fee but really good quality coffee, notjust food but good food. People look atwhat we do and it looks so simple butit’s operationally complicated, that’s

LOUNGE WIZARD ‘MUCH OF IT WAS HWith plans to top 75Lounge and Cosy Clubbars by the end of 2015,Alex Reilley and hispartners are leading avery successful busi-ness. He tells GavinThompson why cultureis more important forsuccess than margins

Name: Alex ReilleyAge: 41Born: LeicesterLive: Clevedon, having movedto Bristol in 1996Education: A-levels (twice afterre-sits) then studied atNorthampton University for fiveweeks before realising it was thewrong thing for me, and goingback home to get a job in arestaurant.First job: The Case, restaurantin an old suitcase factory inLeicester. It’s still one of the bestrestaurants in the city.

Vital statistics

see your brand more often.“We’ve seen it happen to brands

where people think the coffee doesn’ttaste as nice, the cakes have got smal-ler or their comfy sofa has beenchanged for a hard chair.“When businesses grow and grow

aggressively as we have done thereare lots of easy wins and potentialshort cuts you can take. Tous theyarecompromise and they are a trap.“Our decision making will always

● Top, Alex Reilley; left, Alex with fellow Lounge directors,back, Jake Bishop, and Dave Reid; above, the Lounge cafebar in North Street, Bedminster, which opened in 2002

where our experience came in.”Alex said the business evolves

through the day, but it’s notsomething they have to create.“We do very little to manipulate

that other than light a few candles,dim the lights and perhaps the musicis a little more upbeat,” he said.“It just naturally happens. We have

this chameleon operation where youdon’t just have a lunch anddinner hit,youhavepeople using the business all

day, not necessarily spending hugeamounts of money but active revenuestreams. That’s the trick of ourmodel.”A big part of the success is the

culture and feel of the business.Rather like Waitrose, people ac-

tually demand Lounge bars in theirtowns rather than chase themout. It’sa good place to be. But then, onceupon a time Starbucks was the coolnew coffee shop from Seattle. Long

before world domination and rowsover tax.So as Loungers grows – it plans to

open 25 more sites next year – whendoes it stop being the friendly localupstart and become the big corporatemonster?“Hopefully it never happens,” says

Alex. “We don’t believe you have to gothrough that loss of culture and iden-tity. It’s very hard to keep as you getbigger, you get more scale and people

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HAPPY ACCIDENT’ ONE in six small business owners are con-cerned about the impact of new rules regardingshared parental leave, which came into effecton Sunday.Over a quarter (27 per cent) say they are

aware of the new rules but unsure about howthey will handle them, while only half are bothaware of the implications of the new legislationand unconcerned about the impact it willhave.Those are the findings of a survey by

Bristol-based firm the HR Dept,which has a network of licenseesoperating independent HR con-sultancies in 66 territories acrossthe UK.The company’s survey of al-

most 400 small businesses hasshown that more than a sixth (17per cent) are concerned about thenegative impact shared parentalleave will have, with some admittingthe new rules may affect their recruit-ment policy.The regulations that came into effect on

April 5 mean that anyone who was due to givebirth or adopt after Easter Sunday is entitled tosplit their leave with their partner.Under the rules, after an initial two weeks of

compulsory leave for the mother or adopter, upto 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay can beshared, as long as employers agree.Factory workers are subject to four weeks

compulsory leave and therefore 48 weeks ofleave and 35 weeks of pay can be shared.Parents can divide the time between themhowever they like and can also take time off atthe same time as each other.Feedback on the issue has been gathered as

part of the HR Dept’s annual customer survey

and 384 responses have already been col-lected.Comments on the issue range show that the

main concerns are from the smallest com-panies, where the temporary loss of key skillscould have a significant impact.Some respondents said the new rules would

affect their recruitment policies, with onesaying they would “move towards employingolder people”.

Anna Pepler (pictured), director at theHR Dept in Bristol, said the new ruleswere good in principle but that busi-nesses and employees needed toestablish clarity over eligibility.She said: “It is worth making the

point that this is such complicatedlegislation that, despite our com-munications with them, only 50 percent of our clients are aware andunconcerned. The true figure across

the SME community is likely to bemuch lower.

“The difficulty comes when we start lookingat people’s eligibility, because there are certainqualifying rules, such as length of service,employment status and earnings. All em-ployers need to develop a clearly wordedpolicy.“Much of the administrative burden will

actually fall on the employees: requesting leavewithin required timescales and co-ordinatingbetween employers. Employers will be entitledto see the birth certificate and details of thepartner’s employer and NI Number.“Communication between businesses and

their employees and workplace planning willbe key, as potentially anyone in an organisationcould be off for up to 50 weeks and employerswill have to prepare for that.”

Concerns over impact ofnew rules on parental leave

My downtimeDowntime: I’ve got a young family, a seven year olddaughter and four year old son so that keeps me verybusy. We’re really busy with work so it’s socialising withfriends or downtime with the family. I like eating anddrinking outside of work and I play a bit of badminton.I’m happy to go to a Lounge or Cosy Club. It’s good toexperience what other people are doing.TV: I watch TV to relax. I liked Broadchurch andDownton Abbey but my favourite of all time is TwinPeaks, pictured, which is coming back next year. Myfavourite film is Heat.

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bebasedaround ifwehadone site andone Lounge only would we bemakingthese decisions?We’re not looking forthe next trick to grow our margins.“To protect and nurture the culture

is a big challenge. It’s our biggestchallenge.”Alex thinks the firm’s Bristol roots

help.“When we go to other locations we

are very different, perhaps becausewe are fromBristol,” he says. “Bristoldoes drum to its own beat so when weexport that to other cities we aredifferent to anything else alreadythere. The SouthWest has had a hugeappetite for Lounges.“We opened in Keynsham last year

after a campaign from people on so-cial media saying please open hereand it’s been one of the busiest siteswe’ve had. People tell us Keynshamhas got better because we are there. Ifwe were soulless I don’t think theywould feel like that.“We had lots of West Country sup-

pliers in the early days and we’vebeen able to take them with us. Theygrown with us, the likes of BristolBeer Factory, Orchard Pig, WestonCider, Clifton Coffee.“We still use Bristol andGloucester

based build contractors. We believepartnerships in business are import-ant at every level. We’ve been able tomaintain a real West Country-nessabout what we do.“We’ll get people in Lincolnshire

moan why our products aren’t fromLincolnshire but the West Country isat the heart of what we do.”Another part of keeping that cul-

ture is employing the right people. Inan industrywhich suffers fromaveryhigh churn of staff, Alex says Loun-gers does that by focusing on in itsmanagers.“We invest very heavily at general

manager level,” he says, explainingthe firm currently spends around£300,000 training managers.“It’s about them being better man-

agers. That has massively improvedour staff retention at that level andthat trickles down. If you’ve got sta-bility in that role it encourages great-er stability at a lower level.”The firm, which now employs 1,500

people, takes what Alex calls a “backto the future” approach to planning.He says: “We determine where we

want to be on a certain time horizon,such as a number of sites by a certaintime, and work our way back fromthat, identifying where the stepchanges are going to come.“If you don’t set those goals, you

won’t get to where you want to go. Weflag up areas where we think we willneed investment, such as creating anew position or another level of man-agement.“It means while we are growing it

feels very natural.”

Working dayI get the bus out of Clevedon atabout 7am. Our head office is inLower Park Row, Bristol. Iprobably spend about 20-30 percent of my week there and therest on the road (or rail) inexisting premises or looking atnew sites. I don’t drive so Itravel a lot by train. We’reopening in Frome so I’ll spend afew days there. When we open anew site it’s still as exciting forus as the first one.

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LAST week a council estate inSouth Bristol made the Bris-tol Post pages more than fourtimes with stories detailingserious crime and anti-social

behaviour.The estate in question is notorious

Knowle West, a place often asso-ciated with unemployment, benefits,poor education, and cultural andfinancial poverty.But this area, renowned as one of

the most ‘deprived’ and socially isol-ated estates in the UK, has beenfighting back.Local residents have turned to

business to strengthen their com-munity. Over the past two years localcharities have provided more than 60residents with business advice andtraining under a project named ‘DoWhat You Love’.

life expectancy in the area but if yougo a few miles up the road, the lifeexpectancy shoots up five years.“People in Knowle West have loads

of creative ideas and it is a growingcommunity of entrepreneurs. Therejust needs to be more permanentsupport here.”Hazel hopes to establish a ‘Maker

Lab’ in Knowle West, a creative hubwhere residents across Bristol canaccess manufacturing tools and tech-nologies that will help grow newbusinesses.Justin Ricks, the business man-

ager at KWMC, said: “We believethat lively, profitable communitiesare created by people making aliving doing what they love.“All of the enterprises we’ve sup-

ported are making the most of newtechnologies or sustainable prac-tices to bring positive social andeconomic development to the area –and do something they enjoy in theprocess.“The Do What You Love approach

has been to match local needs topeople’s passions and interests – andits legacy is in these fantastic en-

terprises.”Karin Smyth, South Bristol’s La-

bour parliamentary candidate, re-cently toured the pop-up furniturefactory where local people have beenemployed to use CNC machines tocreate sustainable furniture for thenewly built Filwood Green BusinessPark.Karin described herself as “very

impressed” and said: “South Bristolis full of people with great newbusiness ideas some of which needsupport to become successful. Ac-cess to new technology can really

| ’

Sammy Payne reports fromBristol’s answer to ‘the wildwest’, and finds entrepren-eurs rising from adversityin one of the city’s mostdeprived areas

This support has seen a rise inself-employment in the area and ahandful of innovative new busi-nesses crop-up, including a pop-upfurniture factory based inside a dis-used youth centre on NewquayRoad.Vicky Beckwith, the chief exec-

utive of the Re:Work charity based inFilwood, co-ran the ‘Do What YouLove’ project with arts organisationand charity, Knowle West MediaCentre (KWMC).Vicky said: “Setting up new busi-

nesses and projects has been greatfor the area. It has been fun tryingnew ideas and using new techno-logies to help create employment.”“We have seen a lot of people come

forward with ideas for businessesthat are fantastic, like a resident hadthe idea to turn their allotmentgrowing fresh veg into a deliveryservice.“There’s even someone who was

made redundant from their job thathas now registered their own busi-ness making leather bull whips froma workshop in their garden – youcan’t beat that.“It has taken people a lot of

bravery to jump from being on be-

● MEET 26-year-old FionaDowling, the founder of The LaserHouse, whose laser-cuttingbusiness is thriving in the heart ofKnowle West.Fiona is currently selling laser-cut

jewellery, keyrings, and greetingcards through her online shop onEtsy and providing customlaser-cutting services andworkshops for clients acrossBristol.The keen designer who set-up

her business in April last year said:“It's early days for me and a lot ofit is trial and error but I'm reallyenjoying being my own boss. Youget to feel a lot of freedom and Ilike not having to answer toanyone else. I have flexibility andthe ability to make my owndecisions, it's brilliant.At the moment I'm concentrating

on selling my own products thatare quick and cheap to producebecause I'm building up myportfolio. What I want to do isdevelop my own product collectionand establish my brand.”The idea for The Laser House

was born out of a love of workingwith acrylic materials andexperimenting with laser-cuttingwhile Fiona studied graphic designat university.But Fiona said she didn't have

enough support to start herbusiness until she found the 'DoWhat You Love' project years later.“My business wouldn't be here

at all if it wasn't for the help thatI've had. So far, I've been givenfree work space, access to alaser-cutter, and support withsetting up the legal side of thebusiness. I've also been throwninto the path of new networks andpotential clients.”The Laser House is situated

inside Eagle House, the samedisused youth centre where thepop-up furniture factory is basedon Newquay Road.Fiona explained: “It's a creative

hub here and couldn't be differentfrom my last job. When I was agraphic designer I was sat at mycomputer all day in a tiny office, I

barely moved. In this spaceeverything is hands-on and it'salways buzzing.”Despite the 'Do What You Love'

project having finished, Fiona isunfazed and determined to makeher business a sustainablesuccess.She said: “There's no going back

now. I wouldn't give it up, even if I

had to get a part-time job tosupport myself financially, if thebusiness didn't make enoughmoney initially. I'm doingsomething I love. I lovelaser-cutting because I'm a bit of aperfectionist, I love the cleanlines.”Vicky Beckwith, Re:work CEO,

said she admired Fiona's

Founder is setting a shining exampleCase study 1

Focus: Knowle West

SUPPORT HELPING DEPRIVED AREA

Vicky Beckwith

“There’sevensomeonewho wasmaderedundantthat has nowregistered theirown business makingleather bull whips from aworkshop in their garden– you can’t beat that

nefits to being their own boss, it’s ahuge gamble and some of thesebusiness owners are very impress-ive.”Hazel Grain, Creative Ideas De-

veloper at KWMC, said residents inKnowle West had a lot more to dealwith than residents living anywhereelse in the city. Hazel said: “In theFilwood Ward there is the highestrates of child poverty across Bristol,the highest rates of ill-health, lack ofemployment, and lack of jobs andopportunities. There aren’t enoughresources here, there’s even a lower

entrepreneurial spirit, saying:“Going from a freelance graphicdesigner to a manufacturing tradeis a huge gamble. It's reallyimpressive.”Justin Ricks, who worked with

Fiona to register The Laser House,said he was delighted to see herbusiness thrive and make adifference in Knowle West.

● Knowle West entrepreneur Fiona Dowling showcasing her laser-cut designs

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TO FIGHT BACK

help.”Along with the leather craft busi-

ness, a sewing group, a bread maker,and a young TV production companyhave set-out to monetising their pas-sions with the help of the “Do WhatYou Love” project.Not bad for an area that was

described by Bristol City Council in2013 as one of the areas in Bristolwith persistent ‘worklessness’.Could it be that in the future

Knowle West will be notorious forgreat local business and a stronglocal economy?

Fear Group

Start-up advice

● IN January 2013 three work colleaguesfrom The Park on Daventry Road gottogether and formed the social enterprise,A Ride in The Park.Cycling enthusiasts John Bennett, 50;

Stephen Winstanley, 46; and Rob Dyer, 60,wanted to create an inclusive businesswhere everyone had the opportunity toenjoy Bristol’s scenic cycle paths.A Ride in The Park is an all-ability,

all-ages friendly cycling hub that offerstraining, road skills, cycle tours, andteam-bonding workshops.The business got off to an interesting

start when John and Stephen set out tofund their venture by cycling from Land’sEnd to John O‘Groats.John said: “It was a challenge but we

were always keen to get started in themornings, we found the last few miles ofeach day the hardest. Rob drove along in avan and helped motivate us. We managedto raise over £2,500 and used that moneyto buy our first bikes.”The cycling enterprise provides a safe

learning environment for people withphysical and mental disabilities. As well asoffering cycling lessons on Wednesdayevenings at The Park, John, Stephen, andRob, take groups out riding across Bristolon Saturdays.Stephen explained: “We encourage riders

of all abilities to come along. You pay £5 tohire the bike from us and we take you onone of Bristol’s many cycle trails. It’ssurprising how many people don’t knowabout Bristol’s cycle routes. We love takinga group through Ashton Court’s trails.”Stephen thought up the idea for a cycling

business when he was riding with a groupone day and realised he would love a jobwhere he could teach people how to cycle.

The fledgling enterprise now owns anumber of bikes, including mountain bikes,road bikes, trikes, tandems, and specialisedbikes for people with physical disabilities.Stephen added: “We’re saving up to buy

a bike where you can wheel a wheelchaironto the front of it, a bit like a fork-liftbecause at the moment it’s too difficult forpeople in wheelchairs to come along.”The oldest member of A Ride In The

Park’s cycling group is 79 and the youngestmember is 12. The biggest group ridethey’ve put on was for 20 people.The business is not yet making profits,

instead the startup uses the moneymembers pay for their rides-out to buy newbikes, pay for trailer maintenance, andspecialist equipment.John said: “It would be ideal if we could

take this from a part-time business to afull-time one. We’re hoping in the futurewe’ll be able to do that.“It’s not just about offering a cycling

service. This is a social group and we allenjoy getting together for our cycle rides.We often stop at the pub on the way home,or a cafe. It never feels like work.“The next step is to grow more. To do that

we need more funding which we’re workingon now, and to get working on this full-time.We’re feeling very positive because we’vebeen growing steadily.“We’ve had so much support. We were a

bit uneasy at first about setting-up our ownbusiness because we’ve been involved withfailed businesses in the past, but the helpfrom Justin and Knowle West Media Centrehas been incredible. They designed ourlogo for us free of charge, printed us ourfirst flyers, and they helped us to registerour business and sort out the legal side ofthings. The support has been invaluable.”

A TALE of Two Cities: Charles Dickenswas referring to Paris and Londonwhen he wrote his famous book, butin a regional context he might wellhave applied the term to Bristol and

Bath!These two quintessentially British Cities are

divided by only nine miles and yet in manyways they are light years apart.Growing up on a council estate in Bristol,

Bathwasn’t somewhere I gave any thought to! Itfirst came ontomy radarwhen I startedmy firstbusiness. I owned a revolutionary new cleaningfluid and Bath had plenty of places that neededcleaning!So with samples in hand I headed over to this

beautiful city in my friend Paul’s van. I was 16,so couldn’t drive.We parked in Milsom Street and if I re-

member rightly there were no restrictions,which was just as well because we left Paul’svan there for ten hours!I was gobsmacked at the gorgeous Georgian

terraces and ‘London’ like feel of the place. Itwas buzzing in a way Bristol at that timewasn’t.Bristol had been an economic powerhouse

during its long history and had many beautifulareas, including, Clifton and The Downs, one ofthe largest protected green spaces of anyCity intheworld. Since the SecondWorldWar howeverit had suffered from poor management andsporadic development.Bath at that time seemed more vibrant and

dashing. Today of course, Bristol has regainedits position as ‘the place’ to be, winning The

Times “Best city in which to live in Britain” in2014.Bristol seems to be on everyone’s lips these

days. My American friends talk about it beingthe Boston of Europe, especially given itsaward-winning waterfront. Watching the ferrydelivering people to the city centre certainlygives the city a ‘Boston’ feel!Bath and Bristol both have beautiful archi-

tecture, but Bristol as a business location winsin my view due to its ease of access to themotorway network and closer proximity toBristol International airport.These beautiful cities are nowworking closer

than ever to promote the region generally.Together they offer pretty much everything abusiness couldwant. Great international trans-port links, fast broadband, skilled workers,good education offers at Bath University, Bris-tol University and of course, the University oftheWest of England,whose celebrity is growingdaily around the world. A brilliant new Facultyof Business & Law is being built at UWE shortlywhich will only enhance that department’shuge existing global reputation.If you are young and growing up in Bristol or

Bath and want to become an entrepreneur, myadvice would be to check out the businesscourses on offer at Bristol Metropolitan Col-lege, or any of the educational establishmentsmentioned above. They are all superb.I travel extensively and spend a lot of time in

London and abroad but Bristol & Bath have aspecial feel that says “home”. Home is alwayswhere the heart is, and mine remains in Bris-tol.

Tale of two cities with a special feel

Case study 2

Riding high at cycling hub

Hazel Grain

“People inKnowle Westhave loads ofcreative ideas andit is a growingcommunity ofentrepreneurs. Therejust needs to be more permanentsupport here.

● JohnBennett(left) andStephenWinstanleyformed ARide inThe Parksocialenterprisein KnowleWest

10 Wednesday, April 8, 2015

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www. .co.uk

In pictures Bristol Distinguished Address Series

Ex-minister says rethink neededon funding for new power stations

Business diary

Email your business events [email protected] are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Export Advice Clinic:One-to-one advice clinics fromBusinessWest andNSEA to helplocal businesses develop anexport strategy and theconfidence and knowledge toexplore or expand in overseasmarkets. At The Hive,Weston-super-Mare on April 7.Free to eligible businesses. Bookatwww.northsomersetenterpriseagency.co.uk.

Financial PlanningClinic:One-to-one advice on financialissues and questions fromchartered accountant Tony Jamesat The Hive,Weston- super-Mare.Free to pre-start businesses andthose trading less than a year or£40. April 9, 16, 23 and 30 . Bookatwww.northsomersetenterpriseagency.co.uk.

Helping tech firms protect theirintellectual property:NatwestandMicrosoft host free workshoprunwith asset finance specialistsLombard and IP experts Inngot.April 16 at the Engine Shed. Firstslot 9am-noon then 1-4pm. Bookvia Eventbrite.

Digital Challenge Final andAwards: Finalists from the hackweekend in February willcompete for a £50,000 cash prizeto develop a software applicationor game addressing one of fiveenvironmental challenges,energy, transport, food, resourcesand nature. Colston Hall, April 20.www.bristol2015.co.uk.

Finance and business briefing:The Bristol office of accountancyand investmentmanagementgroup, Smith &Williamson, ishosting a briefing to help SMEsget to grips with the latestchanges to accounting practices,tax, regulations and companycompliance procedures at thefirm’s offices in Portwall Lane onApril 21 from 8.30am to 11am.Email [email protected]

Starting in Businessworkshop:Business growth consultancyCool Ventures and Bath andNorthEast Somerset Council host freeworkshop at KeynshamCivicCentre from 6pm-9pm . Bookonline atcoolventures.eventbrite.co.uk.

20Ways toGrowYourBusiness:Seminar on how tostructure a business forsustainable and profitable growth.Ashton Court Mansion, BS419JN, 7.45am on April 22. ContactMazars.

Bristol PANetwork:Communicate with clarity with PAtrainer Lindsay Taylor at theBristol Hotel, 5.30-8pm,Wednesday, April 22. Tickets viaEventbrite.

The LordMayor’s CharityDinner:Black tie dinner in aid ofThe LordMayor of Bristol’sChildren Appeal, on April 30. Addyour name to the waiting list athttps://galadinner2015.eventbrite.co.uk and [email protected] forsponsorship opportunities or todonate auction and raffle prizes.

£70k raised for trust’s work with young joblessTHE Prince’s Trust held its annualRed Dinner fundraising event at Clif-ton College to help support unem-ployed young people in the SouthWest.

It raised £70,000 for the trust, whichlast year worked with 3,552 disad-vantaged young people in the re-gion.

Guests were welcomed with achampagne and canapé reception,followed by a four-course meal and aperformance by The Overtones.

Chris Hollins, Prince’s Trustcelebrity ambassador and BBCpresenter, best known for presentingWatchdog and winning Strictly ComeDancing in 2009, hosted the evening.

He said: “It’s been a fantastic even-ing in a wonderful venue and we’veraised a lot of money for a verydeserving cause. We’ve heard someinspiring stories from young peoplewho’ve turned their lives around,thanks to support from the Prince’sTrust. That’s what the Trust does – itbelieves in young people.”

From October 2013 to September

2014, it was estimated that around60,000 young people aged 16 to 24 inthe South West were unemployed.

Santander Corporate and Commer-cial Banking, Suttons & Robertsonsand Bond Dickinson sponsored theevent and Veale Wasbrough Vizardssponsored the drinks reception.

Craig Steward, branch manager atSuttons & Robertsons, said: “We areproud to support the outstandingwork delivered by The Prince’s Trust.We believe, as a company, we have a

duty to support our communities.The trust’s work with young people istruly inspirational. The Red Dinneris always a successful event whichraises awareness and funds to con-tinue this great work.”

William Robertson, commercialpartner at Bond Dickinson, said: “Assupporters of the Prince’s Trust fornumerous years, we were delighted tosponsor the Red Dinner in Bristol.Investing in young people is a corevalue of Bond Dickinson and we areproud of our connection with thePrinces’ Trust who carry out fant-astic work with young people here inthe South West.”

A FORMER spokesperson forthe energy industry believesgovernment needs to rethinkhow power stations are fun-ded. Angela Knight, the

former head of industry body EnergyUK, said the model used for HinkleyPoint relying on private capital fund-ing might not be the best way for-ward.

She said: “One of the biggest riskswhen building a nuclear plant is thebig construction project. You don’tearn anything for several years afteryou start digging holes in the ground,so if you want to move the risk down,instead of going out for private cap-ital you build it off the governmentbalance sheet, then you sell it to theinsurance companies once you’ve gotpast that initial risk and give op-erating contracts to operators.”

Angela, a Bristol chemistry gradu-ate as well as a former Treasuryminister, was speaking ahead of theBristol Distinguished AddressSeries, organised by the University ofthe West of England and supported byorganisations including the BristolPost. She said the country neededmore than just Hinkley Point to re-place the aging plants.

“They are old ladies,” she said.“They’ve done a wonderful job. Like alot of old ladies, you don’t make themrun. If you leave them walking stead-ily it’s amazing the distance theycover. But we do need to replacethem.”

Angela also addressed the generaldiscontent among consumers withenergy companies.

“I think we’ve got into a situationwhich is very muddled and con-fused,” she said. “That stems fromtwo areas – the first is everyone talksabout energy but some people meanelectricity, some people mean gas andthey are two different things. Theyneed different policies for both. Gas is

most important for households –that’s what keeps them warm. Forindustry, the most important is elec-tricity.

“Second, when the current energypolicy was created about 2006/7,nobody explained to the electoratethe huge cost of changing the way wegenerate electricity or what it would

look like. We have a whole series ofthings never explained and peopleare saying, ‘What am I paying for?’We need to talk about who pays andfor what.”

She also refuted the claim that notmany people were switching suppli-ers, saying: “About four millionswitched last year. There is lots more

choice now, but you can’t run awayfrom the world price of gas or the bigadditions on your bill for energypolicy, for the networks and for howmuch you and I like to use.”● Arts Council of England chair, SirPeter Bazalgette, gives the next talkin the series at the Arnolfini on April15, from 6pm.


● Chris Hollins

● The Overtones perform; left,guests play ‘heads and tails’

● Angela Knight speaks at the Bristol Distinguished Address Series event run UWE

In pictures Prince’s Trust Red Dinner

11EPB-E01-S3

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The back pagePeople● Property litigator Kevin Morgan hasjoined Carbon Law as a partner in theBristol office.He joins from Lyons Davidson

where he was a head of the civillitigation department.Chief executive Michael Burne

said: “We are all delighted towelcome Kevin. We continue to buildour full service practice with lawyersthat have significant experience andwho really understand what clientswant.”The firm, founded last year,

specialises in corporate, commercial,property and private client law.

● Parvaneh Naseriyan has joinedJordans Corporate Law as acommercial lawyer in theBristol-based national team.She will be advising within their

growing automotive sector team.Parvaneh joins as a newly qualified

solicitor.Head of commercial Simon Bates

said: “We are delighted to haveParvaneh join us and to help expandour specialist automotive andcommercial offering. Like our clients,at Jordans we place high value oninnovation and Parvaneh will furtherstrengthen our unique approach tocommercial law practice.”

● Legal expenses insurer TempleLegal Protection has appointed AndyParkinson as head of corporatepartnerships.Andy will be based at the

company’s Bristol office under PhilBellamy, underwriting director.Andy has worked in the legal

expenses Insurance industry since1986, and held a number of seniorpositions at DAS.He said: “Having spent a short time

away from Legal Expenses Insuranceto fulfil some personal ambitions, thetime is now absolutely right to comeback to this specialist industry.“I am very excited about the

prospect of working with such areputable company as Temple.”

●Recruitment professional EmmaTolley has joined Bristol-based ThornBaker to lead the company’s strategyof increasing staff numbers acrossover the next five years.Emma joins the recruitment firm as

talent attraction manager with thetask of building Thorn Baker’snationwide teamwith talented staff

andmanagers to lead thecompany into its next period ofgrowth.Emma has previously worked at

two of the big global recruitmentfirms, Randstad and Office Angels.She said: “My role is to ensure we

are attracting the best talent outthere, ensuring we are nurturingrecruiters and building their expertisefor them to go into senior recruitmentroles within Thorn Baker.”

●Greg Csikos has joined the team atDoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol CityCentre on Redcliffe Way where he willoversee the day-to-day operation ofthe venue.Originally from Budapest in

Don’t be among 80% of small businesses who fail

SMALL businesses represent asignificant proportion of theUK’s economy – more than onein every three pounds gener-ated.

Estimates vary, but there arebetween 560,000 and 700,000 UKstart-ups every year.

Many dream of setting up their owncompany, and of working for them-selves.

They take the plunge aiming toachieve a better work-life balance, ordeveloping a ‘portfolio’ approachwith a number of interests whichgenerate money and longer-term se-curity.

Some are forced into setting up abusiness through redundancy orchild and family care commitments.According to research from Ros Alt-

mann, the Government’s BusinessChampion for Older Workers, awoman’s career is over at 45 and aman’s at 55. Generally, the populationis getting older and self-employmentfulfils the need to enjoy working laterin life as well as providing extraincome to supplement diminishingpensions.

For those working for themselves,rewards can be great, with increasedincome, improved wellbeing andgreater control.

However, the stark truth is that the

● Kevin Morgan has joined Carbon Law as a partner in the Bristol office

Opinion

attrition rate for small businesses is80 per cent by the end of the third yearof operating.

Too many fail, not because therewas anything wrong with their busi-ness idea, their ability to do the work,or their commitment to the busi-ness.

They fail because they have ignoredbasic business principles – there isinsufficient pipeline of work or or-ders and poor cash flow. Also, theyhave not known where to turn to foradvice.

There is advice out there, and someof it is free. At Blue Orchid, we havebeen delivering free one-to-one ad-vice, running courses and drop-insessions as part of the Bristol Busi-ness Support Service on behalf ofBristol City Council. Part-funded by

the South West European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF), the ser-vice is linked to the Filwood GreenBusiness Park.

Through this initiative, we havesupported several hundred peoplewith training in finance and book-keeping, sales, marketing and socialmedia, as well as pitch and present-ation skills. But, as they say, all goodthings must come to an end and fund-ing runs out before May.

Please do not become one of the 80per cent who fail. Take full advantageof the free support, training, adviceand courses, currently available forbusinesspeople in Bristol.

● For more details of free coursesplease search online for Blue OrchidBristol events.

Bristol Area ManagerBlue Orchid managementconsultancy

Hungary, Gregmoved to the UK in2006 having worked at theMarriott inthe Hungarian capital. On a holiday inBristol, Greg liked the ambience ofthe city somuch he decided to movehere.He said: “It’s great to be part of a

team and venue that has seriousambitions about its future. The hotel’slocation is going to be key for visitorsto the arena and those travelling in toTemple Meads.“Meanwhile, we’ll look to

consolidate our position as one of theleading four-star venues in Bristoland supporting Bristol’s reputation asamajor player in terms of businessand tourism.”

Deals●Bristol law firm TLT has advisedenergy firm Ecotricity on a refinancingof its wind and solar project, raisingclose to £70million to speed up itspipeline of new developments.The complex deal involved the

refinancing of 19 operational windand solar energy sites of varying agesand saw the firm secure new fundingfrom institutional investor Aviva.TLT, led by partner and head of

energy and renewables MariaConnolly and associate StuartUrquhart, advised Ecotricity whileWragges Lawrence Graham, led byhead of International Energy partnerKieron Dwyer.Maria said: “This deal marks an

exciting time for Ecotricity and thewider UK renewables industry. It wascomplex but working closely with ourlong-standing client and a number ofthird parties, we were able to giveexpert commercial advice at everystep of the way.”

Places● Artplex, a manufacturer ofpoint-of-sale display stands, hasopened an office at the NewWorldBusiness Centre inWarmley.Manager Elwira Kuligowska said:

“We have a very successful businessin Poland which has grownsubstantially over the last 10 years.“We feel confident we can

duplicate our business model here inthe UK and will be hiring local talentto help us grow.”

● A Bristol business which startedoperating in the city 40 years ago hasopened its first office in Munich aspart of a European-wide expansionprogramme.Resource Solutions Group (RSG) is

headquartered in Clifton Down,where it employs nearly 180 people.Last year saw the firm’s turnover

passed £230million. Theorganisation is now targeting growthin the wider EU and has opened inMunich under the group’s Sandersonbrand.Mike Beesley, chief executive of

RSG, said: “We are very proud ofwhat the business has achieved overthe past few years as we haveopened offices in Edinburgh,Manchester, London and Cardiff.“However, our roots will always

remain in Bristol, as this is where ourheart is.”

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

Main rate

Unleaded

Diesel

Superunleaded

LPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.75%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

Inflation (CPI)

Weekly earnings

Base interest rate

Ave mortgage rate

Source:

Cambridge &CountiesBank

Inflation (RPI)

● ParvanehNaseriyan

● AndyParkinson

● EmmaTolley

● GregCsikos

Documents

Business 8 April 2015