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2 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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 Invest Bristol and Bath stand at the MIPIM international conference in Cannes

BRISTOL is attracting morebusinesses to move here andcreate jobs, according to thebody responsible for inwardinvestment in the city.

The Invest Bristol and Bath grouphas helped 30 companies move to orexpand in the West of England area inits first year, which it hopes will leadto 530 new jobs in the next threeye a r s.

Among the businesses moving toBristol are:� Kainos, a specialist software com-pany from Belfast, which has justopened an office in the city centre andhas ambitious expansion plans thatwill create up to 80 new jobs� SITA UK, the international recyc-ling and resource management com-pany, which has begun work on theSevernside energy recovery centre,delivering 53 new full-time jobs and afurther 200 jobs during the construc-tion phase� And Sanoh, an international auto-motive industry manufacturer fromAsia, which has opened a site inBristol, bringing 40 new jobs in itsfirst six months.

The investment organisation,based at the Engine Shed in TempleMeads, is funded by the Departmentfor Business Innovation and Skills forthree years.

Professor Joe McGeehan, pic-t u re d , chair of Invest Bristoland Bath and senior gen-eral advisor at ToshibaCorporation, said:“These figures showjust what an impact In-vest Bristol and Bath ishaving on the regionale c o n o my.

“We ’re very proud tohave helped bring in excit-ing new companies to the Westof England area, delivering newskilled jobs and helping to cement ourreputation as an innovative and ex-panding tech cluster.”

Bristol has been positioning itselfas a technology hotbed of late, helpedby successes such as SecondSync,which monitors the impact of TV

shows on social media, beingbought by Twitter.

David Maher-Roberts,digital and creative sec-tor champion, said:“Bristol and Bath hasburst onto the worldstage as a rapidly grow-ing technology cluster

and the region is gainingserious momentum.“Building on its heritage

in microelectronics and media,it has become the natural home tobrilliant people building productsand businesses at the intersection ofhigh-tech and creativity. Invest Bris-

tol and Bath has played a crucial rolein bringing innovative new businessinto the region and we’re lookingforward to building on that successwith an even stronger secondye a r. ”

Brian Gannon, p i c t u re dright, director of corpor-ate development for di-gital solutions companyKainos, praise the sup-port the firm receivedin moving here.

He said: “Invest Bris-tol and Bath gave us in-valuable support in settingup our Bristol operation.

“Extremely well connected,they have been key in helping us opendoors in the region, and introducingus to the business and academic com-

� Steve Callanan and his mentor Yo! Sushi founder and former Dragons’ Den investor Simon Woodroffe

Te c h n o l o g y Inward investment

‘Z i l l i o n a i re ’ ofthe future winsD ra g o n ’s help� THE founder of a tech start-upthat produces interactive videocontent allowing views to pause andpurchase items will be gettingadvice from a high-profile mentor.

Software engineer Steve Callanan,35, will be able to tap up Yo! Sushifounder and former Dragons’ Deninvestor Simon Woodroffe for adviceand support on his firm WireWAX.

Steve said: “I know that Simon’sexperience is going to be invaluableto me. We’re at a pivotal point withWireWAX and I know that the rightdecisions are crucial now.

“Demand is there for us to expandoverseas and you only get oneshot.”

He won the support in acompetition run by VolkswagenCommercial Vehicles.

Simon said: “Of all the businesspeople in the competition, Steve isthe most likely to be a zillionaire.And who can resist a potentialz i l l i o n a i re ?

“WireWAX is a really excitingbusiness and I really respect thecourage Steve has shown in puttinghis business forward.”

Digital

Coull Bid to be a billion pound f irst

AVIDEO platform for digitalpublishers that has achieved“aggressive growth” in Bris-tol is set to expand further.Coull, which has an office in

Colston Avenue, aims to become Bris-tol’s first billion pound technologybusiness after two years building alarge video advertising network.

Its Vidlinkr technology has almostone billion video plays per month onpremium publisher sites, acrossmore than 180 markets. The businesshas increased its revenue by around500 per cent in the past six monthsand has seen staff numbers increaseby 90 per cent since January 2013.This is across the whole company,

which includes its London office andUS office in Santa Barbara.

Irfon Watkins, p i c t u re d , CEO atCoull, said: “We set really aggressivesales and growth targets for the lasttwo quarters. This growth shows thatpublishers are starting to realise theclear benefits showing more contex-tually relevant video advertising canhave on their bottom line. It’s fant-astic to see our approach to onlinevideo advertising and our technologyvalidated by such strong growth.”

Coull recently received around£2.4 million in funding from angelinvestors, meaning it has receivedabout £7.25 million in total funding todate. The new round of funding willhelp open a new office in New York.Despite only launching in the USmarket under a year ago, Coullalready sees 60 per cent of its businesscome from over the pond.

Coull has also announced two new

appointments. Ben Humphry hasjoined as head of demand for Europeand Michelle Melisaratos as globalhead of programmatic adops (advert-ising operations).

Ben has served in varioussenior roles across the di-gital media, with bothmedia owners and tech-nology vendors acrossEurope, includingmany years leading in-ternational sales oper-ations at MSN. He hasalso served on the board ofIAB Europe. Michelle hasexpertise in programmaticadops, having worked for majormedia agency groups in campaignmanagement, as well as building andleading the Xaxis AdOps function,and more recently holding the role ofdirector of program management in-ternationally at Yahoo. Michelle will

head up Coull’s global adops functionfrom New York.

Steve Brown, co-founder andformer CEO of brand Buy.at and one

of Coull’s angel investors, wasencouraged Coull was not

seeking venture capital in-vestments. He said:“Within the UK start-upscene many entrepren-eurs, especially thosereceiving early capital,are led to be too focused

on a quick exit at reas-onable multiples for the

initial investors, ratherthan building a long-term busi-

ness. This can have detrimental ef-fects on the maximum opportunity ofa business being realised. I admireIrfon for having positioned Coull withthe potential to be a billion dollar techbusiness and it is fantastic he is com-mitted to building it to just that.”

Star t-ups

New centre’s keys are handed over

THE modern business is aplace where machines,people, information andideas cross boundariesand connect. While this is

great news for productivity andcollaboration, it presents huge se-curity risks – from network anddevice security and proactive mon-itoring to anti-virus and encryp-tion. With just over 20 years in theindustry, we’ve seen securitythreats and challenges evolve andincrease in number, especiallywith Bring-Your-Own-Device pop-ular in a lot of workplaces.

We manage the full set of busi-ness communications for many ofthe companies we work with. Thiscomprises mobiles, landlines,broadband and IT. All n at u r a l lycross over into each other andpresent their own set of potentialsecurity issues. If you had an em-ployee who lost their device thatcontained sensitive information,do you have a plan to stop it fromgetting into the wrong hands?

At the very least, devices shouldbe PIN protected, but it’s far betterto have a device management serv-er that allows you to remotely wipeall or parts of the device. Similarly,if an employee leaves the businesshow can you ensure they don’t takeyour data with them, especially ifthey use their own device? Withthe right applications installed,you can shut down access.

Looking at research conductedby Symantec last year, 96 per centof lost smartphones were accessedby finders of the devices and theaverage cost of one data breach fora UK company was £2 million.These figures are hard to ignore.

Educating employees about thepotential risks and what they cando to help is a must, but yourbusiness model needs to be lookedat in-depth to identify where se-curity leaks could occur. You needto get the right advice and im-plement solutions.

As a minimum, you should havethe following elements covered toprotect your data:� Device management – if mobiles,tablets and laptops are lost orstolen you need a back-up plan.Passcodes are a minimum require-ment, but remote wiping is better.� Anti-virus protection – g u a rdagainst email threats and makesure it’s always up to date.� Anti-spam – 60 per cent of allemails are spam. One click on amalicious link is all it takes tobring down a network.� Web filtering – identifying sus-picious URLs and insecure web-sites is essential when employeesare browsing and buying online.� Backup and disaster recovery –plan for the worst so you’re alwayscovered. Mitigate risk and min-imise potential repercussions.� VPN – if employees are access-ing your network remotely, a se-cure connection is important.

Talk to Excalibur and we’ll as-sess your situation and offer afuture-proof plan to safeguardyour business data.

James PhippsChief executiveExcalibur0117 329 1002bristol@ex-c.co.ukw w w. e x - c . c o . u k

Be protected againstdigital security risks

Know how New app puts eateryoffers on the menu� A START-UP business that givesusers offers for restaurants andnights out is launching its app today.

Rob Hall, 28, swapped a career inlaw to become an entrepreneur andjoined the Webstart tech incubatorprogramme based at the EngineShed, in Temple Quarter.

The service, which sends outlast-minute offers to customers whohave signed up, hasbeen runningthrough Twitterfor a couple ofmonths.

But themodel wasalways meantto be focusedaround an app,which isreleased fordownload today atnoon.

Rob, pictur ed, said: “Wr i g g l e ’sapp will let the people of Bristol findon-the-day exclusives at reallyhigh-quality independentrestaurants and bars in Bristol.

“We know that lots of peopledon’t plan their evenings inadvance, whether they plan to eat athome or go out, so we want toprovide them with more options.Instead of heading past the Co-opafter work to buy your dinner, whynot get out to some great localplaces, save some money andsupport the local economy?

“Even great places have sparetables or quiet periods, so with theWriggle app, these establishmentscan bring in some last-minutecustomers, fill their tables and getout to a new audience.”

Te c h n o l o g y

Place to be Success for group asfirms and jobs come to the West

KEYS have been handed over to theowners of a new workspace and busi-ness development centre in Wes-t o n - s u p e r- M a re.

Contractor Pollard officiallypresented the keys for The Hive to theNorth Somerset Enterprise Agencyafter construction was completed.

The Hive will support the launch,development and success of start-upand growing local businessesthrough on-site business supportfrom a team of advisers. It will have arange of resources and services and20,000 sq ft of rentable managed officespace and communal facilities.

Based in the Business Quarter ofWeston Park, in the Junction 21 En-terprise Area of Weston-super-Mare,The Hive will provide office space for

40 to 60 tenants. It will also be a hubfor local firms to do business, benefitfrom advice, support and trainingfrom the NSEA, and be able to meet,share experiences and network withother businesses.

The development has been enabledby an investment from the EuropeanRegional Development Fund, along-side funding from the NSEA.

The NSEA has worked with SMEsin the county for more than 25 yearsand has helped 3,000 enterprises tostart up and seen 3,500 jobs created.

Alongside Pollard, the project hasbeen delivered by architectural prac-tice AWW and project managersCBRE.

Handing over the key to NSEAchief executive Angela Hicks, Mark

Smith, contracts director at Pollard,said: “Our client has an exceptionalbuilding in which they will be able tomeet their objectives of assisting andsupporting businesses to grow. Weare proud to have played a part in thatvision.”

Mrs Hicks described the handoverof the keys as a “momentous mo-ment” and said businesses had abuilding “to be proud of ”. She added:“We are grateful to our project team –which includes CBRE, AWW, Pollard,the Sweet Group, Hoare Lea and Hy-drock Structures – for the hard workthey have put into bringing our build-ing to fruition. Once we have re-located our offices this week, TheHive will be open for business, aheadof our official opening in July.”

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

munities, which has been critical forrecr uitment.”

Invest Bristol and Bath recently leda delegation to MIPIM, an interna-

tional property conference inCannes, where it showcased

the city region to potentialinvestors, holding 50

meetings and attractingaround 500 visitors to itsstand.

The region wasnamed one of Europe’s

best performing regionsfor investment in an an-

nual survey by fDi Intel-ligence, part of the Financial

Times.Bristol has also featured in a num-

ber of tech hotspot features across themedia.

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

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

� From left: Mark Smith of regionalcontractors Pollard, Angela Hicks,CEO of North Somerset EnterpriseAgency, and Hugh Dalton, ofPollard, celebrate the handover ofThe Hive business centre to theenterprise agency

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2 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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 Invest Bristol and Bath stand at the MIPIM international conference in Cannes

BRISTOL is attracting morebusinesses to move here andcreate jobs, according to thebody responsible for inwardinvestment in the city.

The Invest Bristol and Bath grouphas helped 30 companies move to orexpand in the West of England area inits first year, which it hopes will leadto 530 new jobs in the next threeye a r s.

Among the businesses moving toBristol are:� Kainos, a specialist software com-pany from Belfast, which has justopened an office in the city centre andhas ambitious expansion plans thatwill create up to 80 new jobs� SITA UK, the international recyc-ling and resource management com-pany, which has begun work on theSevernside energy recovery centre,delivering 53 new full-time jobs and afurther 200 jobs during the construc-tion phase� And Sanoh, an international auto-motive industry manufacturer fromAsia, which has opened a site inBristol, bringing 40 new jobs in itsfirst six months.

The investment organisation,based at the Engine Shed in TempleMeads, is funded by the Departmentfor Business Innovation and Skills forthree years.

Professor Joe McGeehan, pic-t u re d , chair of Invest Bristoland Bath and senior gen-eral advisor at ToshibaCorporation, said:“These figures showjust what an impact In-vest Bristol and Bath ishaving on the regionale c o n o my.

“We ’re very proud tohave helped bring in excit-ing new companies to the Westof England area, delivering newskilled jobs and helping to cement ourreputation as an innovative and ex-panding tech cluster.”

Bristol has been positioning itselfas a technology hotbed of late, helpedby successes such as SecondSync,which monitors the impact of TV

shows on social media, beingbought by Twitter.

David Maher-Roberts,digital and creative sec-tor champion, said:“Bristol and Bath hasburst onto the worldstage as a rapidly grow-ing technology cluster

and the region is gainingserious momentum.“Building on its heritage

in microelectronics and media,it has become the natural home tobrilliant people building productsand businesses at the intersection ofhigh-tech and creativity. Invest Bris-

tol and Bath has played a crucial rolein bringing innovative new businessinto the region and we’re lookingforward to building on that successwith an even stronger secondye a r. ”

Brian Gannon, p i c t u re dright, director of corpor-ate development for di-gital solutions companyKainos, praise the sup-port the firm receivedin moving here.

He said: “Invest Bris-tol and Bath gave us in-valuable support in settingup our Bristol operation.

“Extremely well connected,they have been key in helping us opendoors in the region, and introducingus to the business and academic com-

� Steve Callanan and his mentor Yo! Sushi founder and former Dragons’ Den investor Simon Woodroffe

Te c h n o l o g y Inward investment

‘Z i l l i o n a i re ’ ofthe future winsD ra g o n ’s help� THE founder of a tech start-upthat produces interactive videocontent allowing views to pause andpurchase items will be gettingadvice from a high-profile mentor.

Software engineer Steve Callanan,35, will be able to tap up Yo! Sushifounder and former Dragons’ Deninvestor Simon Woodroffe for adviceand support on his firm WireWAX.

Steve said: “I know that Simon’sexperience is going to be invaluableto me. We’re at a pivotal point withWireWAX and I know that the rightdecisions are crucial now.

“Demand is there for us to expandoverseas and you only get oneshot.”

He won the support in acompetition run by VolkswagenCommercial Vehicles.

Simon said: “Of all the businesspeople in the competition, Steve isthe most likely to be a zillionaire.And who can resist a potentialz i l l i o n a i re ?

“WireWAX is a really excitingbusiness and I really respect thecourage Steve has shown in puttinghis business forward.”

Digital

Coull Bid to be a billion pound f irst

AVIDEO platform for digitalpublishers that has achieved“aggressive growth” in Bris-tol is set to expand further.Coull, which has an office in

Colston Avenue, aims to become Bris-tol’s first billion pound technologybusiness after two years building alarge video advertising network.

Its Vidlinkr technology has almostone billion video plays per month onpremium publisher sites, acrossmore than 180 markets. The businesshas increased its revenue by around500 per cent in the past six monthsand has seen staff numbers increaseby 90 per cent since January 2013.This is across the whole company,

which includes its London office andUS office in Santa Barbara.

Irfon Watkins, p i c t u re d , CEO atCoull, said: “We set really aggressivesales and growth targets for the lasttwo quarters. This growth shows thatpublishers are starting to realise theclear benefits showing more contex-tually relevant video advertising canhave on their bottom line. It’s fant-astic to see our approach to onlinevideo advertising and our technologyvalidated by such strong growth.”

Coull recently received around£2.4 million in funding from angelinvestors, meaning it has receivedabout £7.25 million in total funding todate. The new round of funding willhelp open a new office in New York.Despite only launching in the USmarket under a year ago, Coullalready sees 60 per cent of its businesscome from over the pond.

Coull has also announced two new

appointments. Ben Humphry hasjoined as head of demand for Europeand Michelle Melisaratos as globalhead of programmatic adops (advert-ising operations).

Ben has served in varioussenior roles across the di-gital media, with bothmedia owners and tech-nology vendors acrossEurope, includingmany years leading in-ternational sales oper-ations at MSN. He hasalso served on the board ofIAB Europe. Michelle hasexpertise in programmaticadops, having worked for majormedia agency groups in campaignmanagement, as well as building andleading the Xaxis AdOps function,and more recently holding the role ofdirector of program management in-ternationally at Yahoo. Michelle will

head up Coull’s global adops functionfrom New York.

Steve Brown, co-founder andformer CEO of brand Buy.at and one

of Coull’s angel investors, wasencouraged Coull was not

seeking venture capital in-vestments. He said:“Within the UK start-upscene many entrepren-eurs, especially thosereceiving early capital,are led to be too focused

on a quick exit at reas-onable multiples for the

initial investors, ratherthan building a long-term busi-

ness. This can have detrimental ef-fects on the maximum opportunity ofa business being realised. I admireIrfon for having positioned Coull withthe potential to be a billion dollar techbusiness and it is fantastic he is com-mitted to building it to just that.”

Star t-ups

New centre’s keys are handed over

THE modern business is aplace where machines,people, information andideas cross boundariesand connect. While this is

great news for productivity andcollaboration, it presents huge se-curity risks – from network anddevice security and proactive mon-itoring to anti-virus and encryp-tion. With just over 20 years in theindustry, we’ve seen securitythreats and challenges evolve andincrease in number, especiallywith Bring-Your-Own-Device pop-ular in a lot of workplaces.

We manage the full set of busi-ness communications for many ofthe companies we work with. Thiscomprises mobiles, landlines,broadband and IT. All n at u r a l lycross over into each other andpresent their own set of potentialsecurity issues. If you had an em-ployee who lost their device thatcontained sensitive information,do you have a plan to stop it fromgetting into the wrong hands?

At the very least, devices shouldbe PIN protected, but it’s far betterto have a device management serv-er that allows you to remotely wipeall or parts of the device. Similarly,if an employee leaves the businesshow can you ensure they don’t takeyour data with them, especially ifthey use their own device? Withthe right applications installed,you can shut down access.

Looking at research conductedby Symantec last year, 96 per centof lost smartphones were accessedby finders of the devices and theaverage cost of one data breach fora UK company was £2 million.These figures are hard to ignore.

Educating employees about thepotential risks and what they cando to help is a must, but yourbusiness model needs to be lookedat in-depth to identify where se-curity leaks could occur. You needto get the right advice and im-plement solutions.

As a minimum, you should havethe following elements covered toprotect your data:� Device management – if mobiles,tablets and laptops are lost orstolen you need a back-up plan.Passcodes are a minimum require-ment, but remote wiping is better.� Anti-virus protection – g u a rdagainst email threats and makesure it’s always up to date.� Anti-spam – 60 per cent of allemails are spam. One click on amalicious link is all it takes tobring down a network.� Web filtering – identifying sus-picious URLs and insecure web-sites is essential when employeesare browsing and buying online.� Backup and disaster recovery –plan for the worst so you’re alwayscovered. Mitigate risk and min-imise potential repercussions.� VPN – if employees are access-ing your network remotely, a se-cure connection is important.

Talk to Excalibur and we’ll as-sess your situation and offer afuture-proof plan to safeguardyour business data.

James PhippsChief executiveExcalibur0117 329 1002bristol@ex-c.co.ukw w w. e x - c . c o . u k

Be protected againstdigital security risks

Know how New app puts eateryoffers on the menu� A START-UP business that givesusers offers for restaurants andnights out is launching its app today.

Rob Hall, 28, swapped a career inlaw to become an entrepreneur andjoined the Webstart tech incubatorprogramme based at the EngineShed, in Temple Quarter.

The service, which sends outlast-minute offers to customers whohave signed up, hasbeen runningthrough Twitterfor a couple ofmonths.

But themodel wasalways meantto be focusedaround an app,which isreleased fordownload today atnoon.

Rob, pictur ed, said: “Wr i g g l e ’sapp will let the people of Bristol findon-the-day exclusives at reallyhigh-quality independentrestaurants and bars in Bristol.

“We know that lots of peopledon’t plan their evenings inadvance, whether they plan to eat athome or go out, so we want toprovide them with more options.Instead of heading past the Co-opafter work to buy your dinner, whynot get out to some great localplaces, save some money andsupport the local economy?

“Even great places have sparetables or quiet periods, so with theWriggle app, these establishmentscan bring in some last-minutecustomers, fill their tables and getout to a new audience.”

Te c h n o l o g y

Place to be Success for group asfirms and jobs come to the West

KEYS have been handed over to theowners of a new workspace and busi-ness development centre in Wes-t o n - s u p e r- M a re.

Contractor Pollard officiallypresented the keys for The Hive to theNorth Somerset Enterprise Agencyafter construction was completed.

The Hive will support the launch,development and success of start-upand growing local businessesthrough on-site business supportfrom a team of advisers. It will have arange of resources and services and20,000 sq ft of rentable managed officespace and communal facilities.

Based in the Business Quarter ofWeston Park, in the Junction 21 En-terprise Area of Weston-super-Mare,The Hive will provide office space for

40 to 60 tenants. It will also be a hubfor local firms to do business, benefitfrom advice, support and trainingfrom the NSEA, and be able to meet,share experiences and network withother businesses.

The development has been enabledby an investment from the EuropeanRegional Development Fund, along-side funding from the NSEA.

The NSEA has worked with SMEsin the county for more than 25 yearsand has helped 3,000 enterprises tostart up and seen 3,500 jobs created.

Alongside Pollard, the project hasbeen delivered by architectural prac-tice AWW and project managersCBRE.

Handing over the key to NSEAchief executive Angela Hicks, Mark

Smith, contracts director at Pollard,said: “Our client has an exceptionalbuilding in which they will be able tomeet their objectives of assisting andsupporting businesses to grow. Weare proud to have played a part in thatvision.”

Mrs Hicks described the handoverof the keys as a “momentous mo-ment” and said businesses had abuilding “to be proud of ”. She added:“We are grateful to our project team –which includes CBRE, AWW, Pollard,the Sweet Group, Hoare Lea and Hy-drock Structures – for the hard workthey have put into bringing our build-ing to fruition. Once we have re-located our offices this week, TheHive will be open for business, aheadof our official opening in July.”

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

munities, which has been critical forrecr uitment.”

Invest Bristol and Bath recently leda delegation to MIPIM, an interna-

tional property conference inCannes, where it showcased

the city region to potentialinvestors, holding 50

meetings and attractingaround 500 visitors to itsstand.

The region wasnamed one of Europe’s

best performing regionsfor investment in an an-

nual survey by fDi Intel-ligence, part of the Financial

Times.Bristol has also featured in a num-

ber of tech hotspot features across themedia.

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

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

� From left: Mark Smith of regionalcontractors Pollard, Angela Hicks,CEO of North Somerset EnterpriseAgency, and Hugh Dalton, ofPollard, celebrate the handover ofThe Hive business centre to theenterprise agency

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4 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

Business awards

A UWE academic who starteda fast food delivery businessis hoping his drive will takehim all the way to the BristolPost Business Awards.

Founder Dotun Olowoporoku, 37,was working as a restaurant deliverydriver to supplement his incomewhile working towards a PhD.

During that time, he realised itcould be very difficult for an indi-vidual restaurant to run a viable de-livery service.

The result was website andapp-based service m e a l s. c o. u k , whichmatches hungry customers with localrestaurants, providing all the logist-ics for ordering and delivery. It offersthe restaurant an extra revenuesource, which the company believescould be up to an extra £200,000 aye a r.

The service aims to fill what itsowners believe is a gap in the marketfor restaurant quality food at home,with more than 34,000 UK restaurantsnot delivering.

Dotun said: “On the whole, thestandard of the average takeaway ispoor and there is little in the way of aco-ordinated delivery service at thequality end of the market.

“Our target customers are youngprofessionals and busy working fam-ilies who are time-poor and relativelycash-rich, but tired of the poor nu-tritional value and service quality ofthe typical takeaway.”

The company uses a system it hasdeveloped called Marvin to processorders. Restaurants get the order viaa tablet app and can accept and set acollection time. Marvin then selectsthe courier to deliver it, factoring inlocation and traffic conditions.

Dotun added: “We aim to match thequality of the restaurant brand withthe quality of our service.”

The service has been running suc-cessfully in Bristol and is now beingintroduced in London.

The Business Awards will behanded out at a gala dinner atBr unel’s Old Station on June 25.

The deadline for entries has passedbut to book a table, visit w w w. b r i s -tolpost.co.uk/businessaw ards.

Filling the gap Delivery service ismeeting a need for class fast food

� Dotun Olowoporoku aims to bring restaurant quality food to people’s homes

Bike repair

Cycle Shack Pete r ’s bright ideahelps him find the road to success

AS HE approached his 60s, Peter Mc-Grane’s antiques and reclamationbusiness was in decline. He was alsofinding the physical side of the workgetting tougher.

“I knew nobody was going to em-ploy me,” said Peter, pointing to hisage and his dodgy knees and backfrom a few tumbles related to hispassion for motorcycles. “And I didn’thave a pension.”

But while his body was feeling the

strain, Peter’s business brain was assharp as ever.

“I saw that cycling was becomingmore and more popular and thoughtthere might be something in it,” hesaid.

Despite having no background orparticular interest in the pastime be-forehand, Peter started hire and re-pair business Cycle Shack threeyears ago and it has been growingever since.

Tourism is a big part of this trade,particularly at weekends, withgroups as big as 30 turning up lookingto get on his bikes to see Bristol.

Peter, now 61, has 40 cycles avail-able for hire.

“It’s mostly tourists, but we also getpeople who perhaps have a friendwho doesn’t have a bike but wants tocycle with them for the day, so theyhire from us,” he said.

The biggest part of the business –about 70 per cent – is repairs, with theshop open from 8am to 6pm to catchthe commuters. On a typical day, theymight have 10 bikes in the shop beingfixed or serviced.

“We try to offer a same-day serviceso they can come in on their way towork and drop the bike in, and collectit on their way home,” said Peter.

“We also give them complimentaryhire bikes while we carry out there pair.”

HYBRID crowdfunding platformFundsurfer held its official launchevent at the Engine Shed this week.

The event attracted a number ofpeople looking at crowdfunding as analternative source of funding for theircreative and social projects.

Co-founder and CEO, Oliver Moch-izuki, gave a presentation and wasjoined by Amy Morse, a writer wholaunched her first crowdfundingcampaign on Fundsurfer to publishher novel, entitled Solomon's Secrets.

Amy said she met Oliver – andco-founder Derek Ahmedzai – at anetworking event where he gave apresentation on crowdfunding.

“I felt really inspired and thought itwould be perfect to crowdfund my

next two books on Fundsurfer,” shesaid. “I’m really excited.”

Derek, who lives in Bishopston,said: “It was wonderful to have somany people attend our launch and itwas great to hear about their interestin Fundsurfer. We want to makecrowdfunding simple while provid-ing additional support and services toour users, and I think that messagereally connected with everyone.”

Oliver, from Horfield, added: “Weare really excited about taking Fund-surfer forward in 2014.

“The level of creativity and interestbeing shown tonight proves thatcrowdfunding has changed the wayprojects, individuals and companiesraise and donate funds. I want to

thank everyone for their support – it’sbeen a brilliant evening.”

Crowdfunding involves getting lotsof people to invest or donate smallersums towards a project, rather than afew big investors, and is largely donethrough online platforms.

It is becoming a more popular wayof generating money for projects –including events such as last week-end’s water slide in Park Street.

But it is also seen by businesses asan alternative source of finance toborrowing from banks.

Fundsurfer is part of the SET-squared network of high-tech com-panies based at the Engine Shedwithin the Temple Quarter Enter-prise Zone.

F i n a n ce

Excitement as Fundsurfer launches

� Crowdfunding platform Fundsurfer holds its launch event at the EngineShed – from left, co-founder Derek Ahmedzai, Agathe Evain, Amy Morse,and co-founder Oliver Mochizuki

� Peter McGrane, right, who has moved his bike hire and repair business to Oxford Street in St Philip’s Pic: Barbara Evripidou BRBE20140501C-4

Retail specialist makesanother acquisition� A BUSINESS that helps shopsmake the most of their displays hasmade its second acquisition in sixmonths as it continues to grow.

eXPD8, based in Orchard Street,in the Centre, has bought the fieldmarketing division of TradewinsIreland, building on its presence inthe country and increasing groupturnover to over £20 million.

The firm is managed by a smallteam in Bristol but employs 1,400field staff across the UK. Itspecialises in field marketing –making sure store displays areeffective in generating sales andbrand awareness and ensuringshops comply with the demands ofsuppliers and the manufacturers.

Tradewins Ireland provides similarservices in the Republic of Ireland,employing 550 people. It works withretailers as well as grocery brands.

The Irish arm will trade under thename eXPD8@Tradewins and will beintegrated with the existing eXPD8operation in Ireland, which is basedin Dublin and employs 60-plus staff.

Mark Thurgood, a director ateXPD8, said: “The Republic ofIreland is a growing marketplaceand presents excellent growthopportunities for eXPD8 and formsan important part of our expansionplans. The acquisition is a great fitfor us as part of our strategy tobroaden our integrated retailsupport services.”

The deal follows the acquisition ofWorthing-based MerchandisingSales Force (MSF) Ltd in October.

M a r ket i n g

The shop employs two full-timemechanics, both in his experiencedage bracket, as well as a ‘S at u rd ayb oy ’, who has been with Peter for twoyears and was the son of a customer.

The business has just moved to newpremises in Oxford Street in StPhilip’s as its previous base in an oldchurch hall was showing its age.

Peter has even found himself get-ting on his bikes, too.

“I was a motorcyclist really, but hadso many accidents,” he said. “Ismashed both my knees, my elbowwas pinned up and my back’s bad.

“Cycling is lower impact, so it’sbetter for my knees. It keeps me offthe motorbike.”

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

QBE is pleased to sponsor theleisure and tourism cat-egory for the second yearrunning. As a business in-surance specialist, support-

ing companies in the South West formore than 25 years, we understandwhat local businesses need to helpthem succeed and are delighted tohave the opportunity to celebrate thiss u c c e s s.

We provide bespoke insurancesolutions across a range of sectorsthat are tailored to individual clients’needs. A critical part of our offeringis our risk management support. Welook to work in partnership withthose businesses we insure to makesure their risk management pro-

cesses are solid and the health of theiroperation is as robust as possible.

Of course, claims can and do ariseand our team of experts actively sup-port our clients throughout theclaims process to ensure cases areresolved fairly and efficiently andthat the impact on business operationis minimised.

We aim to build long-term rela-tionships with our clients and ap-preciate that this can only beachieved by consistently providingthe support they need and deliveringon our promises. Our success in thisrespect is proven by the number ofbusinesses in the South West thathave continued to place their insur-ance with us year after year.

S p o n so r

‘It’s heartening to celebrate success in leisure and tourism’While our team in Bristol are very

focused on the needs of businesses inthe local region and have awealth of experience todrawn upon in this regard,they can also tap into theexpertise and resourcesfrom QBE’s global op-eration, ensuring thatlocal businesses benefitfrom the very best inadvice and support. QBEInsurance Group is one ofthe world’s leading in-surers and reinsurers, withoperations throughout the worldand a firm financial rating.

Chris Bevan, p i c t u re d , commercialmanager of QBE’s Bristol office, said:

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

S p o n so rs

C a te g o r i es

“This has been another difficult yearfor the region and households and

businesses alike are still dealingwith the after-effects of flood-

ing. The leisure and tour-ism sector always bearsthe brunt of inclementweather, so it is partic-ularly heartening to beable to celebrate successin this sector. Good luck

to all those who enter.”For more information

about our product range –covering liability, motor, prop-

erty and professional indemnity –and the added services we provide,please visit out website atw w w. Q B E e u ro p e . c o m / B r i s t o l .

� Business of the Year Bristol,sponsored by UWE Bristol� Young Entrepreneur of the Year� Lifetime Achievement Award,sponsored by Punter Southall� Retailer of the Year, sponsoredby Broadmead Bristol BID� Customer Service Award,sponsored by Broadmead BristolBID� Family Business of the Year,

sponsored by BOM Group� Innovator of the Year� Export Award, sponsored byLloyds Banking Group� Marketing Campaign of the Year� Large Business of the Year,sponsored by Smith &Williamson� Best Creative/TechnologicalAward, sponsored by A s h f o rd sSolicitors

� Leisure & Tourism Business ofthe Year, sponsored by QBE� Small Business of the Year,sponsored by First GreatWester n� Start-Up Business of the Year,sponsored by J o rd a n s� Environmental Business Award� Contribution to the CommunityAward, sponsored by Renishaw

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

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4 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

Business awards

A UWE academic who starteda fast food delivery businessis hoping his drive will takehim all the way to the BristolPost Business Awards.

Founder Dotun Olowoporoku, 37,was working as a restaurant deliverydriver to supplement his incomewhile working towards a PhD.

During that time, he realised itcould be very difficult for an indi-vidual restaurant to run a viable de-livery service.

The result was website andapp-based service m e a l s. c o. u k , whichmatches hungry customers with localrestaurants, providing all the logist-ics for ordering and delivery. It offersthe restaurant an extra revenuesource, which the company believescould be up to an extra £200,000 aye a r.

The service aims to fill what itsowners believe is a gap in the marketfor restaurant quality food at home,with more than 34,000 UK restaurantsnot delivering.

Dotun said: “On the whole, thestandard of the average takeaway ispoor and there is little in the way of aco-ordinated delivery service at thequality end of the market.

“Our target customers are youngprofessionals and busy working fam-ilies who are time-poor and relativelycash-rich, but tired of the poor nu-tritional value and service quality ofthe typical takeaway.”

The company uses a system it hasdeveloped called Marvin to processorders. Restaurants get the order viaa tablet app and can accept and set acollection time. Marvin then selectsthe courier to deliver it, factoring inlocation and traffic conditions.

Dotun added: “We aim to match thequality of the restaurant brand withthe quality of our service.”

The service has been running suc-cessfully in Bristol and is now beingintroduced in London.

The Business Awards will behanded out at a gala dinner atBr unel’s Old Station on June 25.

The deadline for entries has passedbut to book a table, visit w w w. b r i s -tolpost.co.uk/businessaw ards.

Filling the gap Delivery service ismeeting a need for class fast food

� Dotun Olowoporoku aims to bring restaurant quality food to people’s homes

Bike repair

Cycle Shack Pete r ’s bright ideahelps him find the road to success

AS HE approached his 60s, Peter Mc-Grane’s antiques and reclamationbusiness was in decline. He was alsofinding the physical side of the workgetting tougher.

“I knew nobody was going to em-ploy me,” said Peter, pointing to hisage and his dodgy knees and backfrom a few tumbles related to hispassion for motorcycles. “And I didn’thave a pension.”

But while his body was feeling the

strain, Peter’s business brain was assharp as ever.

“I saw that cycling was becomingmore and more popular and thoughtthere might be something in it,” hesaid.

Despite having no background orparticular interest in the pastime be-forehand, Peter started hire and re-pair business Cycle Shack threeyears ago and it has been growingever since.

Tourism is a big part of this trade,particularly at weekends, withgroups as big as 30 turning up lookingto get on his bikes to see Bristol.

Peter, now 61, has 40 cycles avail-able for hire.

“It’s mostly tourists, but we also getpeople who perhaps have a friendwho doesn’t have a bike but wants tocycle with them for the day, so theyhire from us,” he said.

The biggest part of the business –about 70 per cent – is repairs, with theshop open from 8am to 6pm to catchthe commuters. On a typical day, theymight have 10 bikes in the shop beingfixed or serviced.

“We try to offer a same-day serviceso they can come in on their way towork and drop the bike in, and collectit on their way home,” said Peter.

“We also give them complimentaryhire bikes while we carry out there pair.”

HYBRID crowdfunding platformFundsurfer held its official launchevent at the Engine Shed this week.

The event attracted a number ofpeople looking at crowdfunding as analternative source of funding for theircreative and social projects.

Co-founder and CEO, Oliver Moch-izuki, gave a presentation and wasjoined by Amy Morse, a writer wholaunched her first crowdfundingcampaign on Fundsurfer to publishher novel, entitled Solomon's Secrets.

Amy said she met Oliver – andco-founder Derek Ahmedzai – at anetworking event where he gave apresentation on crowdfunding.

“I felt really inspired and thought itwould be perfect to crowdfund my

next two books on Fundsurfer,” shesaid. “I’m really excited.”

Derek, who lives in Bishopston,said: “It was wonderful to have somany people attend our launch and itwas great to hear about their interestin Fundsurfer. We want to makecrowdfunding simple while provid-ing additional support and services toour users, and I think that messagereally connected with everyone.”

Oliver, from Horfield, added: “Weare really excited about taking Fund-surfer forward in 2014.

“The level of creativity and interestbeing shown tonight proves thatcrowdfunding has changed the wayprojects, individuals and companiesraise and donate funds. I want to

thank everyone for their support – it’sbeen a brilliant evening.”

Crowdfunding involves getting lotsof people to invest or donate smallersums towards a project, rather than afew big investors, and is largely donethrough online platforms.

It is becoming a more popular wayof generating money for projects –including events such as last week-end’s water slide in Park Street.

But it is also seen by businesses asan alternative source of finance toborrowing from banks.

Fundsurfer is part of the SET-squared network of high-tech com-panies based at the Engine Shedwithin the Temple Quarter Enter-prise Zone.

F i n a n ce

Excitement as Fundsurfer launches

� Crowdfunding platform Fundsurfer holds its launch event at the EngineShed – from left, co-founder Derek Ahmedzai, Agathe Evain, Amy Morse,and co-founder Oliver Mochizuki

� Peter McGrane, right, who has moved his bike hire and repair business to Oxford Street in St Philip’s Pic: Barbara Evripidou BRBE20140501C-4

Retail specialist makesanother acquisition� A BUSINESS that helps shopsmake the most of their displays hasmade its second acquisition in sixmonths as it continues to grow.

eXPD8, based in Orchard Street,in the Centre, has bought the fieldmarketing division of TradewinsIreland, building on its presence inthe country and increasing groupturnover to over £20 million.

The firm is managed by a smallteam in Bristol but employs 1,400field staff across the UK. Itspecialises in field marketing –making sure store displays areeffective in generating sales andbrand awareness and ensuringshops comply with the demands ofsuppliers and the manufacturers.

Tradewins Ireland provides similarservices in the Republic of Ireland,employing 550 people. It works withretailers as well as grocery brands.

The Irish arm will trade under thename eXPD8@Tradewins and will beintegrated with the existing eXPD8operation in Ireland, which is basedin Dublin and employs 60-plus staff.

Mark Thurgood, a director ateXPD8, said: “The Republic ofIreland is a growing marketplaceand presents excellent growthopportunities for eXPD8 and formsan important part of our expansionplans. The acquisition is a great fitfor us as part of our strategy tobroaden our integrated retailsupport services.”

The deal follows the acquisition ofWorthing-based MerchandisingSales Force (MSF) Ltd in October.

M a r ket i n g

The shop employs two full-timemechanics, both in his experiencedage bracket, as well as a ‘S at u rd ayb oy ’, who has been with Peter for twoyears and was the son of a customer.

The business has just moved to newpremises in Oxford Street in StPhilip’s as its previous base in an oldchurch hall was showing its age.

Peter has even found himself get-ting on his bikes, too.

“I was a motorcyclist really, but hadso many accidents,” he said. “Ismashed both my knees, my elbowwas pinned up and my back’s bad.

“Cycling is lower impact, so it’sbetter for my knees. It keeps me offthe motorbike.”

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

QBE is pleased to sponsor theleisure and tourism cat-egory for the second yearrunning. As a business in-surance specialist, support-

ing companies in the South West formore than 25 years, we understandwhat local businesses need to helpthem succeed and are delighted tohave the opportunity to celebrate thiss u c c e s s.

We provide bespoke insurancesolutions across a range of sectorsthat are tailored to individual clients’needs. A critical part of our offeringis our risk management support. Welook to work in partnership withthose businesses we insure to makesure their risk management pro-

cesses are solid and the health of theiroperation is as robust as possible.

Of course, claims can and do ariseand our team of experts actively sup-port our clients throughout theclaims process to ensure cases areresolved fairly and efficiently andthat the impact on business operationis minimised.

We aim to build long-term rela-tionships with our clients and ap-preciate that this can only beachieved by consistently providingthe support they need and deliveringon our promises. Our success in thisrespect is proven by the number ofbusinesses in the South West thathave continued to place their insur-ance with us year after year.

S p o n so r

‘It’s heartening to celebrate success in leisure and tourism’While our team in Bristol are very

focused on the needs of businesses inthe local region and have awealth of experience todrawn upon in this regard,they can also tap into theexpertise and resourcesfrom QBE’s global op-eration, ensuring thatlocal businesses benefitfrom the very best inadvice and support. QBEInsurance Group is one ofthe world’s leading in-surers and reinsurers, withoperations throughout the worldand a firm financial rating.

Chris Bevan, p i c t u re d , commercialmanager of QBE’s Bristol office, said:

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

S p o n so rs

C a te g o r i es

“This has been another difficult yearfor the region and households and

businesses alike are still dealingwith the after-effects of flood-

ing. The leisure and tour-ism sector always bearsthe brunt of inclementweather, so it is partic-ularly heartening to beable to celebrate successin this sector. Good luck

to all those who enter.”For more information

about our product range –covering liability, motor, prop-

erty and professional indemnity –and the added services we provide,please visit out website atw w w. Q B E e u ro p e . c o m / B r i s t o l .

� Business of the Year Bristol,sponsored by UWE Bristol� Young Entrepreneur of the Year� Lifetime Achievement Award,sponsored by Punter Southall� Retailer of the Year, sponsoredby Broadmead Bristol BID� Customer Service Award,sponsored by Broadmead BristolBID� Family Business of the Year,

sponsored by BOM Group� Innovator of the Year� Export Award, sponsored byLloyds Banking Group� Marketing Campaign of the Year� Large Business of the Year,sponsored by Smith &Williamson� Best Creative/TechnologicalAward, sponsored by A s h f o rd sSolicitors

� Leisure & Tourism Business ofthe Year, sponsored by QBE� Small Business of the Year,sponsored by First GreatWester n� Start-Up Business of the Year,sponsored by J o rd a n s� Environmental Business Award� Contribution to the CommunityAward, sponsored by Renishaw

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

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6 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

In the first of a monthlyfocus on commercialproperty matters ChrisCampbell looks at howa tweak in rules onconverting buildingsinto flats is changingthe landscape of Bris-tol’s office market

Property matters

MANY businesses believe thatthe current business ratessystem needs to be changed.At the very least, a fasterappeals system is needed for

businesses that believe they are payingtoo much in rates if the recovery in thecommercial property market is to con-t i nu e.

Now there is a chance for everyone tohave their say and it is vital that busi-nesses respond to a Government dis-cussion paper that has just been issuedso that the right reforms are introducedwhen it carries out its promised ‘root andb r a n ch ’ review of the system.

People have until June 6 to make theirviews known on the rating system andrespond to the discussion paper, which iscalled ‘Administration of business ratesin England’.

There is no doubt that changes areneeded and at Bruton Knowles we havestarted collating responses from busi-nesses in the South West that have beenaffected by the current faults in therating appeals system.

We will be lobbying for a faster appealsprocess, with more frequent revalu-ations. If tax is to be based on propertyvalues it is logical that these valuesshould be rebased as often as possible.We need a fair system that reflects bothrental trends and business viability.

The recession sparked real politicalpressure on the Government and thepublication of this discussion documentis a step forward that admits businessrates are a significant cost for businessand that the current system may not befit for purpose any more.

Successive Governments have fa-voured property taxes because they arerelatively easy to collect and the tax yieldis predictable. But the adverse impact onratepayers of the current slow, adversari-al mechanism for appealing rateable val-ues, the administration of temporaryreliefs and the burdensome empty prop-erty rates has been amplified during there c e s s i o n .

A team from across the Treasury, theDepartment for Communities and LocalGovernment and the Valuation OfficeAgency will consider written submis-sions and research provided by respond-ents to the discussion paper.

The origins of the current businessrates system can be traced back morethan 400 years. It is one of the main wayslocal government is financed, so is vitalfor local services. It is also a major cost tobusinesses, which have called for a lowertax burden to enable them to competedomestically and on the world stage.

Paul MatthewsPartner0117 287 2101paul.matthews@brutonknowles.co.uk

Chance to have your sayon rating system reform

Expert eye

NEW PLANNING RULES WILL BRING FLATS REVOLUTIONFOR tenants of commercial prop-

erty a schedule of dilapidationscan appear daunting. The sched-ule, usually served by the land-lord six months before the end of

the lease, will detail defects found andlist works required to rectify problems,and estimated repair costs.

Additional costs will be added fo rsolicitors and surveyors’ fees, plusother relevant sums.

So what can you do about it?If you’re leaving the property when

the lease ends consider what worksneed doing and budget for these. It isalways advisable to carry out these tominimise a potential claim from thelandlord for costs.

In a good or rising market, if thelandlord has a new tenant willing totake the building, then he can claim forloss of rent to put the property in repairif you have not taken any action to keepit in the condition expected.

Mechanical and electrical works canbe expensive, so ensure you have keptthe services well maintained and ser-viced and are able to provide docu-m e n t at i o n .

Any alterations a tenant has made toa property will have to be removed,although some may benefit a new ten-ant, such as air conditioning, and it canbe argued that it would also benefit thelandlord in re-letting.

Repairs, redecoration, and reinstate-ment of alterations, if not undertaken,will be subject to an agreed monetarysettlement at lease end.

There are other factors that can betaken into account when negotiatingrepairs and costs, such as diminution invalue and supersession.

If the property is unlikely to let,whether in a good or bad condition, thecost of repairs needed may well be lessthan the effect on value, which means arental valuation should be obtained.

Moreover, if you are aware that yourlandlord intends to undertake substan-tial improvements to the property whenyou have vacated, many of the expectedrepairs can be superseded by the land-l o rd ’s proposed works.

An example is where redecoration oftimber windows is a lease obligationbut would be a waste of time if thelandlord intends to replace them withplastic double glazed units.

Finally, when considering taking acommercial lease I always recommendi nve s t i n gin a sched-ule of con-dition torecord theconditionof the prop-erty to min-imisef u t u reclaims forre pair.

Cathy KnutsenLSH0117 9142020email cknutsen@lsh.co.uk

Budget for repair costsas tenancy nears its end

Expert eye In association with

BR I S T O L’S office landscapeis undergoing a revolutionthat could see half of alloffice stock converted intohomes in the coming years

– driving up rental values in centralBristol’s office market.

The revolution has been un-leashed by a relaxation of planningrules making it easier to turn officesinto flats.

This, combined with the high de-mand for homes in Bristol – theresidential property market isbooming – has seen a number ofconversions get under way already.

Richard Kidd, director of officeagency at commercial property con-sultant GVA in Bristol, said he ex-pected one million sq ft of availableoffice stock in the city centre to beconverted into homes over the nexttwo years.

It follows changes to permitteddevelopment rights (PDRs), whichallow alterations to a buildingwithout the need to apply for plan-ning permission.

Landlords and developers can be-nefit from relaxed planning regu-lations if they are putting emptycommercial properties back intoproductive use as homes. Thethree-year scheme came into forcein May last year, with further re-laxation to permitted developmentput into effect earlier this month.

Mr Kidd, below right, said: “Wi t haround 50 per cent of the existingavailable stock possibly being takenout of the market for residential usefollowing the introduction ofchanges to permitted developmentrights, office rental values couldrise as the available supplys h r i n k s.

“While a fair proportion of theproperties that have had planningconsent already applied for are cur-rently vacant, and in some in-stances are far better suited toresidential than they are to officeuse, some buildings are being takenout of the market that have existingtenants and, with the right invest-ment, might otherwise be an asset tothe office market in the city.

“As confidence begins to return to

the market, we could be facinga potential shortage ofsecond-hand offices t o ck . ”

A total of 45 propos-als have been made toBristol City Council toconvert offices to res-idential, more than inany other city in theWest. Older office prop-erties in the city are alsobeing converted into studentaccommodation, such as Frooms-

gate House, but these fall out-side of the PDR scheme.

Richard added therewas “renewed confid-ence” in the Bristol of-fice market anddemand may increasefor premises at thetop-end of the market,

where demand hadbeen lower.“Bristol is the only town

or city in the West where thisis happening on such a scale,” he

added. “From both investor senti-ment and signs of the return ofoccupier demand, we are seeing arenewed confidence in the market.

“With two speculative develop-ments under construction in thecity, there’s still limited demand forgrade A space at the top end of themarket, however, the dramatic re-duction in supply of second-handspace through the PDR scheme willsoon begin to have an effect, par-ticularly when tenants in affectedproperties need to relocate.”

Paul Williams, head of com-mercial agency at BrutonKnowles, and based in thefir m’s Bristol office,said the change had in-deed had a big impact.

“It has driven up de-mand for vacant officebuildings where therew a s n’t demand before,”he said.

“We ’ve got clients thatwant to buy office space touse as an office who are finding it

difficult to compete with de-velopers wanting to turn it

into residential use.“Undoubtedly the

PDR scheme will have alasting impact on thecity centre. It is bring-ing life back.”

Peter Musgrove, left,office agency director

at commercial propertyconsultants Lambert

Smith Hampton (LSH), saidPDR in Bristol was a good thing

for the office market, residentialmarket and investment into the city.He added Bristol had a shortage ofstudent accommodation and there-fore demand for a change of usecontinued to remain high.

“Bristol also has an over-supply ofsecondary office stock due tochanges and location of the tradi-tional office stock,” he said. “This ismainly due to the Temple Quay de-velopment in the last 15 years andthe subsequent developments alongVictoria Street as well as the Broad-

mead and Cabot Circus develop-m e n t s.

“These have led to a movementaway from the traditional centreand Lewin’s Mead to Queen Squareand Park Street/Harbourside, leav-ing a lot of redundant buildings inthe previous heartland. PDR havegiven developers the opportunity tomake use of these buildings andconvert them.”

The average development pur-chases or office buildings taken offthe market in the five years from2008 to 2012 was 46,434 sq ft perannum, according to LSH. In 2013alone, 315,292 sq ft of offices wastaken off the market with the vastmajority being converted to resid-ential.

The largest of these was Lewin’sPlace, a 106,000 sq ft building whichLSH sold to Redfield-based propertycompany PG Group. LSH also sold40,000 sq ft at two spots on CornStreet towards the end of last year,both of which were converted tore s i d e n t i a l .

Mr Musgrove added this year wasset to experience the largest take-upof development buys on record.

“The demand continues to riseand with 2016 marking the end ofPDR we are seeing significantchunks disappear from the officelandscape, including buildings suchas Froomsgate House, WestgateBuildings and Crown House,” hesaid. “We expect 2014 to see thehighest ever recorded take-up of de-velopment purchases, anticipatingit to reach the 750,000 sq ft mark.”

PDR is expected to take out asignificant proportion of redundantpoorer stock from the market, mean-ing the standard of office space leftis higher. Mr Musgrove said hehoped this would last far into thef u t u re.

“PDR use will take a large chunkof obsolete offices out of the market,therefore creating a sensible bal-ance between demand and take-upgoing forward,” he said. “It will alsohave the impact of re-defining theoffice stock and locations, givingBristol a defined office centreag ain.

“It will also mean that office oc-cupiers will start to occupy betteraccommodation and will ensurethat it is more suited to their re-quirements as the poorer stock willgradually be removed from the sup-ply chain.

“However, we must rememberthat this is a temporary solution andas with all temporary solutions weneed to make sure we are heading inthe right direction to ensure it hasbest impact on Bristol city centre forboth its short and long term fu-t u re. ”

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

For Sale - Development LandThe Old Mill, Congresbury,Bristol BS49 5HZ

• Development site of 0.69 acres (0.969 ha)• Consent for offices• Up to 878.6 sq m (9,458 sq ft) plus 27 car

spaces

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.ukBK code:2488

� Froomsgate House

C r i te r i a� Buildings will havehad to be used as anoffice before May 30last year or if vacant,last used as an office.� Only B1 offices canbe converted, notoffice units within A2f i n a n c i a l / p ro f e s s i o n a lservices.� Any externalphysicaldevelopments maystill require planningpermission andapproval from thelocal planningauthority in terms offlooding, highwaysand contaminationmatters.� Once received thelocal planningauthority has 56 daysfrom receipt of theapplication to confirmwhether further detailsin relation to thesematters are required.� Permitteddevelopment rightswill only be allowed upto May 30, 2016.

P D Rs� They allow a changeof use of buildingsfrom B1a offices to C3(dwelling houses)subject to priorapproval processes bythe local planninga u t h o r i t y.

It avoids the needfor express planningpermission andassociated costs.

� Lewin’s Place

� Temple Quay

� Queen Square

Property of the Month

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

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6 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

In the first of a monthlyfocus on commercialproperty matters ChrisCampbell looks at howa tweak in rules onconverting buildingsinto flats is changingthe landscape of Bris-tol’s office market

Property matters

MANY businesses believe thatthe current business ratessystem needs to be changed.At the very least, a fasterappeals system is needed for

businesses that believe they are payingtoo much in rates if the recovery in thecommercial property market is to con-t i nu e.

Now there is a chance for everyone tohave their say and it is vital that busi-nesses respond to a Government dis-cussion paper that has just been issuedso that the right reforms are introducedwhen it carries out its promised ‘root andb r a n ch ’ review of the system.

People have until June 6 to make theirviews known on the rating system andrespond to the discussion paper, which iscalled ‘Administration of business ratesin England’.

There is no doubt that changes areneeded and at Bruton Knowles we havestarted collating responses from busi-nesses in the South West that have beenaffected by the current faults in therating appeals system.

We will be lobbying for a faster appealsprocess, with more frequent revalu-ations. If tax is to be based on propertyvalues it is logical that these valuesshould be rebased as often as possible.We need a fair system that reflects bothrental trends and business viability.

The recession sparked real politicalpressure on the Government and thepublication of this discussion documentis a step forward that admits businessrates are a significant cost for businessand that the current system may not befit for purpose any more.

Successive Governments have fa-voured property taxes because they arerelatively easy to collect and the tax yieldis predictable. But the adverse impact onratepayers of the current slow, adversari-al mechanism for appealing rateable val-ues, the administration of temporaryreliefs and the burdensome empty prop-erty rates has been amplified during there c e s s i o n .

A team from across the Treasury, theDepartment for Communities and LocalGovernment and the Valuation OfficeAgency will consider written submis-sions and research provided by respond-ents to the discussion paper.

The origins of the current businessrates system can be traced back morethan 400 years. It is one of the main wayslocal government is financed, so is vitalfor local services. It is also a major cost tobusinesses, which have called for a lowertax burden to enable them to competedomestically and on the world stage.

Paul MatthewsPartner0117 287 2101paul.matthews@brutonknowles.co.uk

Chance to have your sayon rating system reform

Expert eye

NEW PLANNING RULES WILL BRING FLATS REVOLUTIONFOR tenants of commercial prop-

erty a schedule of dilapidationscan appear daunting. The sched-ule, usually served by the land-lord six months before the end of

the lease, will detail defects found andlist works required to rectify problems,and estimated repair costs.

Additional costs will be added fo rsolicitors and surveyors’ fees, plusother relevant sums.

So what can you do about it?If you’re leaving the property when

the lease ends consider what worksneed doing and budget for these. It isalways advisable to carry out these tominimise a potential claim from thelandlord for costs.

In a good or rising market, if thelandlord has a new tenant willing totake the building, then he can claim forloss of rent to put the property in repairif you have not taken any action to keepit in the condition expected.

Mechanical and electrical works canbe expensive, so ensure you have keptthe services well maintained and ser-viced and are able to provide docu-m e n t at i o n .

Any alterations a tenant has made toa property will have to be removed,although some may benefit a new ten-ant, such as air conditioning, and it canbe argued that it would also benefit thelandlord in re-letting.

Repairs, redecoration, and reinstate-ment of alterations, if not undertaken,will be subject to an agreed monetarysettlement at lease end.

There are other factors that can betaken into account when negotiatingrepairs and costs, such as diminution invalue and supersession.

If the property is unlikely to let,whether in a good or bad condition, thecost of repairs needed may well be lessthan the effect on value, which means arental valuation should be obtained.

Moreover, if you are aware that yourlandlord intends to undertake substan-tial improvements to the property whenyou have vacated, many of the expectedrepairs can be superseded by the land-l o rd ’s proposed works.

An example is where redecoration oftimber windows is a lease obligationbut would be a waste of time if thelandlord intends to replace them withplastic double glazed units.

Finally, when considering taking acommercial lease I always recommendi nve s t i n gin a sched-ule of con-dition torecord theconditionof the prop-erty to min-imisef u t u reclaims forre pair.

Cathy KnutsenLSH0117 9142020email cknutsen@lsh.co.uk

Budget for repair costsas tenancy nears its end

Expert eye In association with

BR I S T O L’S office landscapeis undergoing a revolutionthat could see half of alloffice stock converted intohomes in the coming years

– driving up rental values in centralBristol’s office market.

The revolution has been un-leashed by a relaxation of planningrules making it easier to turn officesinto flats.

This, combined with the high de-mand for homes in Bristol – theresidential property market isbooming – has seen a number ofconversions get under way already.

Richard Kidd, director of officeagency at commercial property con-sultant GVA in Bristol, said he ex-pected one million sq ft of availableoffice stock in the city centre to beconverted into homes over the nexttwo years.

It follows changes to permitteddevelopment rights (PDRs), whichallow alterations to a buildingwithout the need to apply for plan-ning permission.

Landlords and developers can be-nefit from relaxed planning regu-lations if they are putting emptycommercial properties back intoproductive use as homes. Thethree-year scheme came into forcein May last year, with further re-laxation to permitted developmentput into effect earlier this month.

Mr Kidd, below right, said: “Wi t haround 50 per cent of the existingavailable stock possibly being takenout of the market for residential usefollowing the introduction ofchanges to permitted developmentrights, office rental values couldrise as the available supplys h r i n k s.

“While a fair proportion of theproperties that have had planningconsent already applied for are cur-rently vacant, and in some in-stances are far better suited toresidential than they are to officeuse, some buildings are being takenout of the market that have existingtenants and, with the right invest-ment, might otherwise be an asset tothe office market in the city.

“As confidence begins to return to

the market, we could be facinga potential shortage ofsecond-hand offices t o ck . ”

A total of 45 propos-als have been made toBristol City Council toconvert offices to res-idential, more than inany other city in theWest. Older office prop-erties in the city are alsobeing converted into studentaccommodation, such as Frooms-

gate House, but these fall out-side of the PDR scheme.

Richard added therewas “renewed confid-ence” in the Bristol of-fice market anddemand may increasefor premises at thetop-end of the market,

where demand hadbeen lower.“Bristol is the only town

or city in the West where thisis happening on such a scale,” he

added. “From both investor senti-ment and signs of the return ofoccupier demand, we are seeing arenewed confidence in the market.

“With two speculative develop-ments under construction in thecity, there’s still limited demand forgrade A space at the top end of themarket, however, the dramatic re-duction in supply of second-handspace through the PDR scheme willsoon begin to have an effect, par-ticularly when tenants in affectedproperties need to relocate.”

Paul Williams, head of com-mercial agency at BrutonKnowles, and based in thefir m’s Bristol office,said the change had in-deed had a big impact.

“It has driven up de-mand for vacant officebuildings where therew a s n’t demand before,”he said.

“We ’ve got clients thatwant to buy office space touse as an office who are finding it

difficult to compete with de-velopers wanting to turn it

into residential use.“Undoubtedly the

PDR scheme will have alasting impact on thecity centre. It is bring-ing life back.”

Peter Musgrove, left,office agency director

at commercial propertyconsultants Lambert

Smith Hampton (LSH), saidPDR in Bristol was a good thing

for the office market, residentialmarket and investment into the city.He added Bristol had a shortage ofstudent accommodation and there-fore demand for a change of usecontinued to remain high.

“Bristol also has an over-supply ofsecondary office stock due tochanges and location of the tradi-tional office stock,” he said. “This ismainly due to the Temple Quay de-velopment in the last 15 years andthe subsequent developments alongVictoria Street as well as the Broad-

mead and Cabot Circus develop-m e n t s.

“These have led to a movementaway from the traditional centreand Lewin’s Mead to Queen Squareand Park Street/Harbourside, leav-ing a lot of redundant buildings inthe previous heartland. PDR havegiven developers the opportunity tomake use of these buildings andconvert them.”

The average development pur-chases or office buildings taken offthe market in the five years from2008 to 2012 was 46,434 sq ft perannum, according to LSH. In 2013alone, 315,292 sq ft of offices wastaken off the market with the vastmajority being converted to resid-ential.

The largest of these was Lewin’sPlace, a 106,000 sq ft building whichLSH sold to Redfield-based propertycompany PG Group. LSH also sold40,000 sq ft at two spots on CornStreet towards the end of last year,both of which were converted tore s i d e n t i a l .

Mr Musgrove added this year wasset to experience the largest take-upof development buys on record.

“The demand continues to riseand with 2016 marking the end ofPDR we are seeing significantchunks disappear from the officelandscape, including buildings suchas Froomsgate House, WestgateBuildings and Crown House,” hesaid. “We expect 2014 to see thehighest ever recorded take-up of de-velopment purchases, anticipatingit to reach the 750,000 sq ft mark.”

PDR is expected to take out asignificant proportion of redundantpoorer stock from the market, mean-ing the standard of office space leftis higher. Mr Musgrove said hehoped this would last far into thef u t u re.

“PDR use will take a large chunkof obsolete offices out of the market,therefore creating a sensible bal-ance between demand and take-upgoing forward,” he said. “It will alsohave the impact of re-defining theoffice stock and locations, givingBristol a defined office centreag ain.

“It will also mean that office oc-cupiers will start to occupy betteraccommodation and will ensurethat it is more suited to their re-quirements as the poorer stock willgradually be removed from the sup-ply chain.

“However, we must rememberthat this is a temporary solution andas with all temporary solutions weneed to make sure we are heading inthe right direction to ensure it hasbest impact on Bristol city centre forboth its short and long term fu-t u re. ”

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

For Sale - Development LandThe Old Mill, Congresbury,Bristol BS49 5HZ

• Development site of 0.69 acres (0.969 ha)• Consent for offices• Up to 878.6 sq m (9,458 sq ft) plus 27 car

spaces

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.ukBK code:2488

� Froomsgate House

C r i te r i a� Buildings will havehad to be used as anoffice before May 30last year or if vacant,last used as an office.� Only B1 offices canbe converted, notoffice units within A2f i n a n c i a l / p ro f e s s i o n a lservices.� Any externalphysicaldevelopments maystill require planningpermission andapproval from thelocal planningauthority in terms offlooding, highwaysand contaminationmatters.� Once received thelocal planningauthority has 56 daysfrom receipt of theapplication to confirmwhether further detailsin relation to thesematters are required.� Permitteddevelopment rightswill only be allowed upto May 30, 2016.

P D Rs� They allow a changeof use of buildingsfrom B1a offices to C3(dwelling houses)subject to priorapproval processes bythe local planninga u t h o r i t y.

It avoids the needfor express planningpermission andassociated costs.

� Lewin’s Place

� Temple Quay

� Queen Square

Property of the Month

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

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8 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

YOU often hear the mantrathat the most valuable assetof a business is its people. Itsuggests that they’re worthlooking after.

Health and safety is relevant to anybusiness with premises (watch outfor that trip hazard!), but it’s par-ticularly important in high-risk in-d u s t r i e s.

Figures from the Health and SafetyExecutive show that the constructionindustry sits at the top of the pile interms of the riskiest industries, with39 deaths in the UK in 2012/13.

It is followed by manufacturing,agriculture and recycling, and to-gether these four make up two-thirdsof all industrial deaths in the UK eachye a r.

In the West Country, there wereonly five recorded deaths in 2012/13,down from nine in 2011/12, withfewer than 21,000 major injuries,marking a drop from more than23,000 the previous year.

Safety is clearly improving andwhile some might say the burden ofhealth and safety paperwork is ahindrance to doing business, the stat-istics speak for themselves about thepositive impact our new culture ish av i n g .

Still, there is an acknowledgementthat the perception of health andsafety being trivial, shackling theprogress towards prosperity, needst a ck l i n g .

Samantha Peace, HSE regional dir-ector for the South West, said re-cently: “Whilst the number ofworkplace deaths and major injurieshas decreased nationally, these stat-istics highlight why we still needgood health and safety in workplaces.I therefore urge employers to spendtheir time tackling the real dangersthat workers face and stop worryingabout trivial matters or pointless pa-p e r wo rk . ”

So how does this effort to changeour culture of health and safety trep-idation actually manifest itself ? Ifyou look at the construction industry,for example, there is currently a con-sultation document out on construc-tion design andmanagement regula-tions, commonlyknown as CDM.The last versionof these cameout from theHSE in 2007, soit’s time for anu p d at e.

Within the doc-ument are recom-mendations that,following the Govern-ment’s request for views on red tape,the role of CDM co-ordinator is to beabolished and responsibility for plan-ning, monitoring and reviewing thehealth and safety aspects of the pro-ject will instead fall on the job’s leadd e s i g n e r.

Also, many SMEs will be affected

by new requirements that anyproject involving more than

one contractor – a builder and aplumber working domestically,

for example – will be required tomeet the same legislation.

But this doesn’t necessarily involvepaperwork. The requirement is pro-portional, so that for smaller jobs thepreparation required may simply bea discussion over a cup of tea. Forbigger jobs, it’s likely to involvesomething written down.

Kevin Fear, head of environment,health and safety at the Construction

Industry Training Board, has wel-comed the recommendations.

W h at ’s important, he said, is thatall contractors, large or small, behaveprofessionally, responsibly and withcare for their staff and the people theyare working with.

“Focusing on the smaller busi-nesses and trying to bring them up tospeed is certainly a key aim of thele gislation,” he said.

“So what we are trying to do isprovide training courses for smallercompanies and let people knowwh at ’s required by these rules re-

garding planning and monitoring.“Health and safety can come over

as a very negative thing – like thereason it’s there is to stop things fromh ap p e n i n g .

“But proper health and safety pro-fessionals are there to enable busi-nesses to do their jobs effectively, buthave reasonable appreciation ofdoing it safely.

“When you see contractors withworkers in flip-flops and shorts,against another one whose staff arein uniforms, it gives a completelydifferent feel. And actually, if you do

THE subject of health and safety has atendency to cause groaning or ‘k n ow -ing’ jokes when mentioned. It is upthere with ‘political correctness’ as abugbear of certain politicians and sec-

tions of the press.Health and safety is often blamed for pro-

moting a compensation culture or risk-aversesociety where, for example, children are beingstripped of their freedom to get themselveskilled on farms, school trips, construction sitese t c.

Sorry, that last sentence is totally uncalledfor – just designed to stimulate a more roundeddiscussion on health and safety in society.

Although I am now a defence lawyer, inprevious lives I have been an HSE inspector andknow from working on both sides of the fencethe tragic consequences of things going wrongat work. Therefore, I strongly believe that thoseemployers, organisations and regulators whowork hard to improve health and safety deservea better press.

A newspaper on one page will be decrying theterrible consequences of poor working con-ditions in the developing world, while on thenext page will complain about health and safety‘red tape’ in this country. Unfortunately, theGovernment is not immune from making cheapcapital out of this.

It is only in recent years that the figures fordeaths in the workplace in the UK have droppedbelow nearly one per every working day – thisdoes not include those people who are killedwhile driving at work, and those thousandswho die from work-related illnesses.

The economic recovery may reverse thistrend because new enterprises will develop inan atmosphere of negativity towards workplaceand public safety. I am worried that the messagethat health and safety is too difficult to achievewill affect the new generation of entrepreneurs.Undoubtedly there is a lot of regulation andguidance in this area, and there are also a lot of‘exper ts’ providing opinion.

However, the essence of the law on health andsafety is simple, whether in a nuclear powerstation or a lawyer’s office. Basically, thosepeople who create a risk by work activity have aduty to identify the risk and then control it sofar as is reas-onably prac-ticable. Oncethis is recog-nised we areall on our wayto becominglegal experts.

Work to improve health andsafety deserves better press

Know how

Health and safety may beused as a byword for redtape by some but, as RupertJanisch finds out, it is a vitaltool for businesses tomaintain strong productivityand retain talented staff

� ASHTON-BASED firm RivendellCarpets and Flooring works withdomestic and commercial clientsranging from homes to buildingcompanies and venues such as theColston Hall.

The company has providedhigh-quality commercial flooringand carpet services to businessesin Bristol, Bath and Cardiff since1988.

Director Mandy Risso says healthand safety is an increasinglyimportant part of the company, notonly in the office but also out on

site when her team of fitters areworking.

However as an expert in flooring,health and safety is not her field ofexpertise and she used theservices of Tetbury-basedconsultancy and trainer Sureteamto help ensure her employees aresafe and that legislation is adheredto.

Mrs Risso said: “I’ve been inbusiness for 20 years and in that

time health and safety has changeddramatically. I know a lot aboutflooring but I’m no expert on healthand safety.

“So if I can have somebodysitting next to me as part of myteam, which is exactly whatSureteam does, telling me andadvising me what I should bedoing, it makes things so mucheasier to run my businesseffectively, so that I can get on withdoing what I’m good at.

“The last thing I want to be doingis worrying and understanding theexpertise that needs to go onbehind that sort of process.”

‘Expert advice on hand has helped me so much’

Case study:Mandy Risso, directorof Rivendell Carpetsand Flooring

‘We ’re alwayspushing forbest practice’Case study:Brian Smith ofMidas Group

Health and safety special

FOR many businesses, thedemanding economic en-vironment of recent yearshas placed an increasingonus on careful control of

costs, operational efficiency andimproving overall competitive-ness. However, it has also raisedthe stakes in relation to the ef-fective management of the risksthat businesses face.

According to Health andSafety Executive statistics, 27million working days were lostin the UK in 2011/2012 due tohealth and safety incidents.Even in challenging economiccircumstances there is stillmuch a business can and shoulddo to identify, assess and mit-igate risks to employees and oth-ers affected by its operations.

The quality and vigour of riskmanagement practices dependlargely on a business’s attitudeto safety, which in turn is almostentirely driven by the mind-set ofits leaders. While risk-taking is anecessary part of doing business,leaders need to consider the fol-lowing questions to ensure thatthey are doing all that they can toprotect their interests:� Am I owning the problem andputting risk management highup on the corporate agenda? Bestpractice companies are thosewhose leaders facilitate andpro-actively engage in the pro-cesses of risk management.� Do I understand the return oninvestment of implementing bestpractice risk management pro-cedures –better pro-d u c t iv i t y,o p e r at i o n -al cost sav-i n g s,infor meddecision-making?� Am I ef-f e c t ive lyexploitingthe resource and expertise of myinsurer to help me assess, man-age and mitigate risk in my busi-ness?� Is the business as protected asit could be? How often do wereview our insurance covers toensure that emerging threats arecontained? As business contextschange, so do insurance needs.

Effective risk managementprovides a platform for betterdecision-making, sustainablegrowth and solid development.Best practice companies arethose whose leaders facilitateand pro-actively engage in theprocesses of risk managementand will be those best placed tomeet the challenges these pre-carious times present. As the UKemerges from the most seriousfinancial crisis in 80 years, thespeed of progress will be greatlyinfluenced by one factor – riskand the ability to manage it.

Managing risk willbe key to progress

Expert eye

LOOKING AFTER YOUR STAFF ‘MAKES BUSINESS SENSE’Richard VokeAshfordsr. v o k e @ a s h f o r d s . c o . u k0117 3218098

things safely, you often do themmore quickly and the quality ofthe work is usually better.

“So the industry wants to driveout those who are in it for a quickbuck – the cowboys – because veryoften that’s where the problems lieand the accidents happen.”

Proportion is a word whichcomes up a lot in discussions onhealth and safety. In this context,it relates to the management ofrisk – so measures taken de-pend on the risk in-vo l ve d .

Mr Fear uses lad-ders as an example.Would it be propor-tionate mitigationof risk for a handy-man changing alightbulb in his eld-erly neighbour’s kit-chen to use a hydraulicplatform? Of course not.

At the other extreme,neither is it appropriatelyrisk-conscious for a windowcleaner who is spending a weekcleaning the outside of athree-storey building to use anextendable ladder. Common senseneeds to be applied.

Health and safety can also bringsignificant benefits to the bottomline of a business. Mr Fear said:“In terms of productivity, the dis-ruption is significant when keymembers of staff are off sick be-cause they’ve injured theirb a ck s.

“You might have to replace

them, there’s potential for com-pensation claims – from a busi-ness point of view it makes senseto look after your staff.”

So there are many business be-nefits to running a companywhich meets standards laid downby health and safety legislation –such as efficiency, reputation andhaving staff who feel valued.

And at the extreme end of thescale, the risk of neglecting staff

safety is punitive fines result-ing from convictions for

corporate manslaughter,which since 2007 hasbeen a criminal act.

Paul Hardman, left,managing partner ofQueen Square solicit-ors’ firm Gregg

Latchams, said:“Health and safety is

one of the few areas inbusiness where if you’re a

director you can be made per-sonally liable. If you really get itwrong you have the threat of cor-porate manslaughter and therehave been some horrific cases,such as the case against CotswoldGeotechnical Holdings.”

The case to which Mr Hardmanrefers involved an incident in2008, when 27-year-old AlexWright, who was taking soilsamples to prepare for a housingdevelopment near Stroud, diedafter the trench he was working inc o l l ap s e d .

Cotswold Geotechnical Hold-ings became the first UK company

to be convicted of the criminaloffence of corporate man-slaughter in 2011, receiving a fineof £385,000.

Although sentencing guidelinessuggest that companies convictedof this offence should be finedat least £500,000, the sameguidelines also state the perpet-rator should not be put out of

business by the fine. So if you are abusiness owner with one or twostaff and a five-figure turnover,yo u ’re unlikely to receive a fineof £½ million. Punishmentsare likely to be proportionate tothe size of the company in ques-tion.

Still, no matter how big thefirm, fines for corporate man-slaughter are bound to be sig-nificant and reflect the fact that allbusinesses should be aware of theresponsibilities they have to theirwo rke r s.

Gregg Latchams is hosting aseminar on Wednesday, May 15 todemonstrate how new technologycan help staff know where theirstaff are and what they are doing,to help keep them safe withoutplacing too much of a burden uponthe business.

“As a society, we expect busi-nesses to provide a safe envir-onment in which people willwo rk , ” said Mr Hardman. “Just as150 years ago child labour in cot-ton mills was regarded as beingone of those things, today youwould find that completely intol-e r abl e.

“There was news recently aboutthe number of deaths on construc-tion sites. The sad thing is thatthere are still too many deaths andmost are easily avoidable.

“Deaths in the workplace areterrible personal tragedies andit’s understandable that as a so-ciety we are saying that we don’tthink this is acceptable.”

� Midas Group is currentlymanaging several constructionsites in Bristol, with an office inWinterstoke road alongsideseveral others across the SouthWest. Among its projects are anew block of 133 rooms ofstudent flats at Anchor Road.

The group has a good healthand safety record, with nofatalities and only four reportableaccidents in 3.5 million manhours of work – accidents haveincluded a fall from a ladder, astep from a small podium and abroken foot from a falling block.

To mitigate risk, the grouptakes care over appointing itscontractors, then constantlymonitors the site to ensurestandards are being met.

Group health and safetydirector Brian Smith said: “Wehave our policy and proceduresin place and it’s all aboutco-ordination, co-operation andcommunication, making sure thewhole team work together for acommon goal.

“We also have an open doorpolicy so that if anyone has anyconcerns they can raise themstraight away.

“As legislation changes wereview our procedures but we’remore interested in pushing forbest practice, aiming to be anindustry leader and exceedregulatory requirement whereverwe can.

“The new rules, with theCDMC role changing, will beinteresting. By bringing aprincipal designer in there will bebetter communication but havingsaid that many of the principaldesigners won’t have the safety

experience and knowledge.There will be a degree ofretraining for them and itdepends which camp you sit inas to whether that’s welcome ornot. There’s been a bit of a mixedre s p o n s e . ”

Chris BevanCommercial ManagerQBEchris.bevan@uk.qbe.com

Samantha Peace, HSEregional director for

the South West

“Whilst the number ofworkplace deaths andmajor injuries hasdecreased nationally,these statisticshighlight why we stillneed good health andsafety in workplaces. Itherefore urgeemployers to spendtheir time tackling thereal dangers thatworkers face and stopworrying about trivialmatters or pointlesspaperwork.”

� Mandy Risso, of Rivendell, with Sian MacGowan, of Sureteam. Pic: Michael Lloyd

� Brian Smith, health and safety manager for Midas, on the site where the firm is building a new block ofstudent flats at Anchor Road in Bristol Picture: Michael Lloyd BRML20140501D-002

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8 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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

YOU often hear the mantrathat the most valuable assetof a business is its people. Itsuggests that they’re worthlooking after.

Health and safety is relevant to anybusiness with premises (watch outfor that trip hazard!), but it’s par-ticularly important in high-risk in-d u s t r i e s.

Figures from the Health and SafetyExecutive show that the constructionindustry sits at the top of the pile interms of the riskiest industries, with39 deaths in the UK in 2012/13.

It is followed by manufacturing,agriculture and recycling, and to-gether these four make up two-thirdsof all industrial deaths in the UK eachye a r.

In the West Country, there wereonly five recorded deaths in 2012/13,down from nine in 2011/12, withfewer than 21,000 major injuries,marking a drop from more than23,000 the previous year.

Safety is clearly improving andwhile some might say the burden ofhealth and safety paperwork is ahindrance to doing business, the stat-istics speak for themselves about thepositive impact our new culture ish av i n g .

Still, there is an acknowledgementthat the perception of health andsafety being trivial, shackling theprogress towards prosperity, needst a ck l i n g .

Samantha Peace, HSE regional dir-ector for the South West, said re-cently: “Whilst the number ofworkplace deaths and major injurieshas decreased nationally, these stat-istics highlight why we still needgood health and safety in workplaces.I therefore urge employers to spendtheir time tackling the real dangersthat workers face and stop worryingabout trivial matters or pointless pa-p e r wo rk . ”

So how does this effort to changeour culture of health and safety trep-idation actually manifest itself ? Ifyou look at the construction industry,for example, there is currently a con-sultation document out on construc-tion design andmanagement regula-tions, commonlyknown as CDM.The last versionof these cameout from theHSE in 2007, soit’s time for anu p d at e.

Within the doc-ument are recom-mendations that,following the Govern-ment’s request for views on red tape,the role of CDM co-ordinator is to beabolished and responsibility for plan-ning, monitoring and reviewing thehealth and safety aspects of the pro-ject will instead fall on the job’s leadd e s i g n e r.

Also, many SMEs will be affected

by new requirements that anyproject involving more than

one contractor – a builder and aplumber working domestically,

for example – will be required tomeet the same legislation.

But this doesn’t necessarily involvepaperwork. The requirement is pro-portional, so that for smaller jobs thepreparation required may simply bea discussion over a cup of tea. Forbigger jobs, it’s likely to involvesomething written down.

Kevin Fear, head of environment,health and safety at the Construction

Industry Training Board, has wel-comed the recommendations.

W h at ’s important, he said, is thatall contractors, large or small, behaveprofessionally, responsibly and withcare for their staff and the people theyare working with.

“Focusing on the smaller busi-nesses and trying to bring them up tospeed is certainly a key aim of thele gislation,” he said.

“So what we are trying to do isprovide training courses for smallercompanies and let people knowwh at ’s required by these rules re-

garding planning and monitoring.“Health and safety can come over

as a very negative thing – like thereason it’s there is to stop things fromh ap p e n i n g .

“But proper health and safety pro-fessionals are there to enable busi-nesses to do their jobs effectively, buthave reasonable appreciation ofdoing it safely.

“When you see contractors withworkers in flip-flops and shorts,against another one whose staff arein uniforms, it gives a completelydifferent feel. And actually, if you do

THE subject of health and safety has atendency to cause groaning or ‘k n ow -ing’ jokes when mentioned. It is upthere with ‘political correctness’ as abugbear of certain politicians and sec-

tions of the press.Health and safety is often blamed for pro-

moting a compensation culture or risk-aversesociety where, for example, children are beingstripped of their freedom to get themselveskilled on farms, school trips, construction sitese t c.

Sorry, that last sentence is totally uncalledfor – just designed to stimulate a more roundeddiscussion on health and safety in society.

Although I am now a defence lawyer, inprevious lives I have been an HSE inspector andknow from working on both sides of the fencethe tragic consequences of things going wrongat work. Therefore, I strongly believe that thoseemployers, organisations and regulators whowork hard to improve health and safety deservea better press.

A newspaper on one page will be decrying theterrible consequences of poor working con-ditions in the developing world, while on thenext page will complain about health and safety‘red tape’ in this country. Unfortunately, theGovernment is not immune from making cheapcapital out of this.

It is only in recent years that the figures fordeaths in the workplace in the UK have droppedbelow nearly one per every working day – thisdoes not include those people who are killedwhile driving at work, and those thousandswho die from work-related illnesses.

The economic recovery may reverse thistrend because new enterprises will develop inan atmosphere of negativity towards workplaceand public safety. I am worried that the messagethat health and safety is too difficult to achievewill affect the new generation of entrepreneurs.Undoubtedly there is a lot of regulation andguidance in this area, and there are also a lot of‘exper ts’ providing opinion.

However, the essence of the law on health andsafety is simple, whether in a nuclear powerstation or a lawyer’s office. Basically, thosepeople who create a risk by work activity have aduty to identify the risk and then control it sofar as is reas-onably prac-ticable. Oncethis is recog-nised we areall on our wayto becominglegal experts.

Work to improve health andsafety deserves better press

Know how

Health and safety may beused as a byword for redtape by some but, as RupertJanisch finds out, it is a vitaltool for businesses tomaintain strong productivityand retain talented staff

� ASHTON-BASED firm RivendellCarpets and Flooring works withdomestic and commercial clientsranging from homes to buildingcompanies and venues such as theColston Hall.

The company has providedhigh-quality commercial flooringand carpet services to businessesin Bristol, Bath and Cardiff since1988.

Director Mandy Risso says healthand safety is an increasinglyimportant part of the company, notonly in the office but also out on

site when her team of fitters areworking.

However as an expert in flooring,health and safety is not her field ofexpertise and she used theservices of Tetbury-basedconsultancy and trainer Sureteamto help ensure her employees aresafe and that legislation is adheredto.

Mrs Risso said: “I’ve been inbusiness for 20 years and in that

time health and safety has changeddramatically. I know a lot aboutflooring but I’m no expert on healthand safety.

“So if I can have somebodysitting next to me as part of myteam, which is exactly whatSureteam does, telling me andadvising me what I should bedoing, it makes things so mucheasier to run my businesseffectively, so that I can get on withdoing what I’m good at.

“The last thing I want to be doingis worrying and understanding theexpertise that needs to go onbehind that sort of process.”

‘Expert advice on hand has helped me so much’

Case study:Mandy Risso, directorof Rivendell Carpetsand Flooring

‘We ’re alwayspushing forbest practice’Case study:Brian Smith ofMidas Group

Health and safety special

FOR many businesses, thedemanding economic en-vironment of recent yearshas placed an increasingonus on careful control of

costs, operational efficiency andimproving overall competitive-ness. However, it has also raisedthe stakes in relation to the ef-fective management of the risksthat businesses face.

According to Health andSafety Executive statistics, 27million working days were lostin the UK in 2011/2012 due tohealth and safety incidents.Even in challenging economiccircumstances there is stillmuch a business can and shoulddo to identify, assess and mit-igate risks to employees and oth-ers affected by its operations.

The quality and vigour of riskmanagement practices dependlargely on a business’s attitudeto safety, which in turn is almostentirely driven by the mind-set ofits leaders. While risk-taking is anecessary part of doing business,leaders need to consider the fol-lowing questions to ensure thatthey are doing all that they can toprotect their interests:� Am I owning the problem andputting risk management highup on the corporate agenda? Bestpractice companies are thosewhose leaders facilitate andpro-actively engage in the pro-cesses of risk management.� Do I understand the return oninvestment of implementing bestpractice risk management pro-cedures –better pro-d u c t iv i t y,o p e r at i o n -al cost sav-i n g s,infor meddecision-making?� Am I ef-f e c t ive lyexploitingthe resource and expertise of myinsurer to help me assess, man-age and mitigate risk in my busi-ness?� Is the business as protected asit could be? How often do wereview our insurance covers toensure that emerging threats arecontained? As business contextschange, so do insurance needs.

Effective risk managementprovides a platform for betterdecision-making, sustainablegrowth and solid development.Best practice companies arethose whose leaders facilitateand pro-actively engage in theprocesses of risk managementand will be those best placed tomeet the challenges these pre-carious times present. As the UKemerges from the most seriousfinancial crisis in 80 years, thespeed of progress will be greatlyinfluenced by one factor – riskand the ability to manage it.

Managing risk willbe key to progress

Expert eye

LOOKING AFTER YOUR STAFF ‘MAKES BUSINESS SENSE’Richard VokeAshfordsr. v o k e @ a s h f o r d s . c o . u k0117 3218098

things safely, you often do themmore quickly and the quality ofthe work is usually better.

“So the industry wants to driveout those who are in it for a quickbuck – the cowboys – because veryoften that’s where the problems lieand the accidents happen.”

Proportion is a word whichcomes up a lot in discussions onhealth and safety. In this context,it relates to the management ofrisk – so measures taken de-pend on the risk in-vo l ve d .

Mr Fear uses lad-ders as an example.Would it be propor-tionate mitigationof risk for a handy-man changing alightbulb in his eld-erly neighbour’s kit-chen to use a hydraulicplatform? Of course not.

At the other extreme,neither is it appropriatelyrisk-conscious for a windowcleaner who is spending a weekcleaning the outside of athree-storey building to use anextendable ladder. Common senseneeds to be applied.

Health and safety can also bringsignificant benefits to the bottomline of a business. Mr Fear said:“In terms of productivity, the dis-ruption is significant when keymembers of staff are off sick be-cause they’ve injured theirb a ck s.

“You might have to replace

them, there’s potential for com-pensation claims – from a busi-ness point of view it makes senseto look after your staff.”

So there are many business be-nefits to running a companywhich meets standards laid downby health and safety legislation –such as efficiency, reputation andhaving staff who feel valued.

And at the extreme end of thescale, the risk of neglecting staff

safety is punitive fines result-ing from convictions for

corporate manslaughter,which since 2007 hasbeen a criminal act.

Paul Hardman, left,managing partner ofQueen Square solicit-ors’ firm Gregg

Latchams, said:“Health and safety is

one of the few areas inbusiness where if you’re a

director you can be made per-sonally liable. If you really get itwrong you have the threat of cor-porate manslaughter and therehave been some horrific cases,such as the case against CotswoldGeotechnical Holdings.”

The case to which Mr Hardmanrefers involved an incident in2008, when 27-year-old AlexWright, who was taking soilsamples to prepare for a housingdevelopment near Stroud, diedafter the trench he was working inc o l l ap s e d .

Cotswold Geotechnical Hold-ings became the first UK company

to be convicted of the criminaloffence of corporate man-slaughter in 2011, receiving a fineof £385,000.

Although sentencing guidelinessuggest that companies convictedof this offence should be finedat least £500,000, the sameguidelines also state the perpet-rator should not be put out of

business by the fine. So if you are abusiness owner with one or twostaff and a five-figure turnover,yo u ’re unlikely to receive a fineof £½ million. Punishmentsare likely to be proportionate tothe size of the company in ques-tion.

Still, no matter how big thefirm, fines for corporate man-slaughter are bound to be sig-nificant and reflect the fact that allbusinesses should be aware of theresponsibilities they have to theirwo rke r s.

Gregg Latchams is hosting aseminar on Wednesday, May 15 todemonstrate how new technologycan help staff know where theirstaff are and what they are doing,to help keep them safe withoutplacing too much of a burden uponthe business.

“As a society, we expect busi-nesses to provide a safe envir-onment in which people willwo rk , ” said Mr Hardman. “Just as150 years ago child labour in cot-ton mills was regarded as beingone of those things, today youwould find that completely intol-e r abl e.

“There was news recently aboutthe number of deaths on construc-tion sites. The sad thing is thatthere are still too many deaths andmost are easily avoidable.

“Deaths in the workplace areterrible personal tragedies andit’s understandable that as a so-ciety we are saying that we don’tthink this is acceptable.”

� Midas Group is currentlymanaging several constructionsites in Bristol, with an office inWinterstoke road alongsideseveral others across the SouthWest. Among its projects are anew block of 133 rooms ofstudent flats at Anchor Road.

The group has a good healthand safety record, with nofatalities and only four reportableaccidents in 3.5 million manhours of work – accidents haveincluded a fall from a ladder, astep from a small podium and abroken foot from a falling block.

To mitigate risk, the grouptakes care over appointing itscontractors, then constantlymonitors the site to ensurestandards are being met.

Group health and safetydirector Brian Smith said: “Wehave our policy and proceduresin place and it’s all aboutco-ordination, co-operation andcommunication, making sure thewhole team work together for acommon goal.

“We also have an open doorpolicy so that if anyone has anyconcerns they can raise themstraight away.

“As legislation changes wereview our procedures but we’remore interested in pushing forbest practice, aiming to be anindustry leader and exceedregulatory requirement whereverwe can.

“The new rules, with theCDMC role changing, will beinteresting. By bringing aprincipal designer in there will bebetter communication but havingsaid that many of the principaldesigners won’t have the safety

experience and knowledge.There will be a degree ofretraining for them and itdepends which camp you sit inas to whether that’s welcome ornot. There’s been a bit of a mixedre s p o n s e . ”

Chris BevanCommercial ManagerQBEchris.bevan@uk.qbe.com

Samantha Peace, HSEregional director for

the South West

“Whilst the number ofworkplace deaths andmajor injuries hasdecreased nationally,these statisticshighlight why we stillneed good health andsafety in workplaces. Itherefore urgeemployers to spendtheir time tackling thereal dangers thatworkers face and stopworrying about trivialmatters or pointlesspaperwork.”

� Mandy Risso, of Rivendell, with Sian MacGowan, of Sureteam. Pic: Michael Lloyd

� Brian Smith, health and safety manager for Midas, on the site where the firm is building a new block ofstudent flats at Anchor Road in Bristol Picture: Michael Lloyd BRML20140501D-002

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10 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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 Bristol businessesThe Institute of Directors, Wednesday@6 – speaker Pacific rower Elsa Hammond

Business diary

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

CBI South West Annual Lunch:At-Bristol, Harbourside, onFriday, May 9, sponsored byRBS. Tickets via Eventbrite.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,today, 1 Friay Temple Quay, BS16EA. Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

The Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series:Networking event andopportunity to hear from aleading business voice, XavierRolet, chief executive, LondonStock Exchange Group. Today,Brunel’s Old Station, ThePassenger Shed, 6pm.

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, May 13.Contact readyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Achieve Faster Growth: F re eevent aimed at high-growthpotential companies. Meetlike-minded people and find outabout the Growth Acceleratorscheme. 8am-10am, May 15, atGrant Thornton, Victoria Street.

Meeting the Challenges charityseminar: For charity trustees,officers and key volunteersinvolved in charity managementand administration. BurtonSweet event takes place at theM shed on May 15 from8.45am-2pm. Emailk a re n . c h e l t o n @ b u r t o n - s w e e t . c o . u k

RICS South West Awards:Showcasing the most inspirationregional initiatives anddevelopments in land, property,construction and theenvironment. May 15, GrandThistle Hotel, Bristol, from 7pm.

Bristol Junior Chamber SpringDrinks: The Bristol JuniorChamber’s summer social, at theRWA, Queen’s Road, Clifton,May 15, 6.30pm-8.30pm.

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: Wednesday, May 28,6.45pm-9.45pm, Azec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Wednesday @ 6:Informal networking from6pm-8pm at Radisson Blu Hotel,Wednesday, May 14. Free andopen to non members butregister by calling 0117 3707785.

IoD Bristol and Bath YoungBusiness Forum dinner:Thursday, May 22, 6pm-8.30pmat Waterhouse, Bath, withspeaker Lindsay Haselhurst,head of business developmentat Wincanton. Call 07771772223 or email roger.plahay@sandler.com to book.

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Wednesday @ 6:Networking from 6pm-8pm atRadisson Blu Hotel, Wednesday,May 28. Free and open to nonmembers. Call 0117 370 7785.

The Big Interview

PATIENT focus is at the heartof the private healthcare in-dustry, according to SuzanneDavies. If you were going infor surgery, you would expect

that to be the case. But substitute theword “p at i e n t ” for “customer” h owmany other businesses can honestlysay their organisation really puts thecustomer at the centre to the sameextent?

Suzanne said: “W h at ’s really im-portant is that customer loyaltycomes from patient satisfaction withthe services we provide.

“If you listen to your patients, re-spond to their needs and give them areally positive experience then youbuild that loyalty.

“T hat’s why the more high endsupermarkets have done really wellduring the recession and managed toretain customer loyalty by focusingon customer needs.”

That customer focus is somethingthe 46-year-old has enjoyed sincemoving from the NHS in Wales,where she worked as a podiatrist andlater as a member of the local healthboard, into the private sector.

“The biggest change in culture(from NHS to private) was that therewas a much greater focus around theconsumer and responding directly tothe patient,” said Suzanne, who wasdirector of Nuffield’s Hereford hos-pital for seven years until taking overthe newly-rebuilt Chesterfield Hos-pital in Clifton earlier this year.

“In the NHS it is more paternal-istic, you decide what you think isbest for the patient whereas in privatesector much more consumer driven.We respond more on an individualbasis to what the individual wantsand how they want to be treated.”

Despite the change, she considersher NHS background a “massive ad-vanta g e” in the private sector. Unlikepeers who have come from retail, forexample, Suzanne has had get togrips with new areas such as mar-keting and develop a more commer-cial mindset.

“But having that clinical under-standing helps from a clinical gov-ernance perspective as well as acommercial perspective,” she said.

“A lot of people from a commercialbackground are very commerciallydriven but fail to understand the hier-archy and behaviour that is presentwithin a healthcare setting.”

Consultants tend to be “inde pend-ent thinkers”, she says diplomatic-ally. And while the hospital is private,all the clinical staff have comethrough the NHS, and bring withthem a culture and ways of workingor structures that can be challengingfor an outsider.

Suzanne added: “I think we need toremember we are only successful ifthe patients want to use our services,and the same applies with our con-sultants. We won’t have a business ifwe don’t have consultants who enjoyworking in our hospital.”

Healthcare is unusual in that thesame consultants will work acrossthe NHS and several private pro-

viders. So how do they compete?“We differentiate with the offering

around that, the support, how wetreat our patients, how well we car forthem,” said Suzanne. “Patient exper-ience is our competitive opportun-i t y. ”

Suzanne says the health industry iscompetitive, but they all want thesame thing the right outcome forp at i e n t s.

“It’s not competition as you wouldsee within a supermarket environ-ment. There’s a huge professionalism

around healthcare, we are all sup-porting each other so at the end of theday the patient is at the centre.

“It is more about making sure youand your organisation are deliveringwhat you are promising.”

But the competition so it is im-portant to have points of difference.For Nuffield, one is its fitness andwellbeing centre (or gym) close to thehospital in Queen’s Road

“That allows us to offer somethingdif ferent,” said Suzanne. “We canoffer a more holistic service. People

PATIENTS AT THE HEART OF IT ALLGavin Thompson meetsSuzanne Davies, boss at thenew Nuffield Hospital inClifton, and asks whether theindustry can offer anyprescriptions to improve thehealth of other businesses

My working dayWake up: 6amBreakfast: PorridgeStart work: 8amTypical working day? I start my day bychecking through my emails and then therest of the day is taken up with meetings withconsultants, my team, business leads. I try toensure I get to walk around the hospitaltalking to staff and patients. I am usually outof the hospital 1 or 2 days working onnational projects within the Nuffield GroupGo home: 7pmDo you take work home: Often consultants’meetings are arranged in the evening as theyare tied up with clinical commitments duringthe working day. As a national company wedo have to travel and probably spend a fewdays a week away.

My downtimePerfect weekend I love a busy Saturday with lotsplanned with my daughters and familyand then dinner with friends.However, I love quiet Sundayswith my partner, helping withthe animals and being outsidein the garden.Favourite book, film or TVshow: I really enjoy historicalnovels. My favourite author isSharon Penman. I likelight-hearted films and in mytop 5 would be Disney’s LionKing and Kenneth Branagh’sinterpretation of Shakespeare’sMuch Ado About Nothing.Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends. I usedto play golf. which I would like to do again, gardening.

Name: Suzanne DaviesAge: 46Place of birth: Bridgend,South WalesSchool: King Henry VIIISchool, Abergavenny.First job: Podiatrist in NHSHero or inspiration: I takemy inspiration from lots ofplaces. My daughters are mygreatest inspiration andcontinually inspire me. Fromhistory my heroine is QueenEleanor of Aquitaine, whowas mother of Richard theLion Heart and King John inthe 12thcentury. Thequote Imostvalue isf ro mGandhi“Yo umustbe thechangeyou wish tosee in theworld”.

Vital statistics

use our wellbeing services and thenwhen they need treatment they cancome to the hospital then continue inthe wellbeing environment.”

An example is a recent project forprivate patients who needed medicalskeletal procedures (hip, shoulder,back, etc). They were able to havetheir operation then go through re-habilitation back at the fitness andwellbeing centre under supervisionof a physiotherapist and then a healthand fitness adviser who would write apersonal programme for rehab, all

paid for as part of the package.“It appeals to me that we are able to

influence health and wellbeing now,not just fix things,” said Suzanne.

Being a charity is another sellingpoint. “As a charity we have madestrong stance around certain issues,”said Suzanne. “For example, we werethe first group to offer our patientsremoval of PIP implants free ofcharg e.”

The new Chesterfield Hospital,which Suzanne describes as a “beau-tiful environment” employs about100 people, both in clinical and adminareas, not including consultants. Ithas state of the art operating theatresand diagnostic facilities such as forMRI and CT scans.

Once it is up to speed it will becarrying out 100-plus operations aweek. That’s far fewer than a typicalNHS hospital, but that’s part of thepoint. Suzanne said: “Private health-care allows consultants to have pa-tient relationships as they envisage itshould be. They see the patientthrough the process whereas in NHSa lot of the work is done by juniorsand registrars. They find it reward-ing and that patient relationship sitswith them. Also they have the time tospend with the patient. They buildthe relationship. Increasingly, staffand consultants are coming to us toask if they can bring their servicesand practices to us.”

The customers base is changingtoo. While the majority are stillprivate customers insured by theircorporate employer, there are indi-viduals with insurance and evenNHS patients.

“Patients needing some operationson the NHS can choose us through theNHS Choices programme,” said Su-zanne. “We actually find they aresome of our most demanding cus-tomers because their expectations ofprivate healthcare are so high.

“But we find that often if they needanother operation that is not coveredby the NHS Choices scheme, theychoose to pay to go with us because ofthe care they have had.”

And that’s the lesson for business.Customer focus works.

IN just over one month’s time ,adventurer Elsa Hammond willrow 2,400 miles across the PacificOcean as one of only two womentaking part in the Great Pacific

R a c e.A student at Bristol University,

Elsa is dedicating her challenge toinspirational women around theworld, making them part of her jour-ney and celebrating them as sherows. Business leaders heard moreabout the adventure when Elsa joinedthe Bristol branch of the Institute ofDirectors at Radisson Blu to explainhow she has been preparing and howbusinesses and individuals can sup-port her by sponsoring a mile or evenjust an oar stroke. Dedications so farinclude mothers, grandmothers,friends, colleagues, celebrities, fic-

tional characters, and women whopeople wish to commemorate. Duringthe race, Elsa and her shore team willbe using the publicity that her rowgenerates to support and raise fundsfor two charities: the GREAT Ini-tiative, which works to addressgender equality, and the PlasticOceans Foundation, which combatspollution in our seas.

IoD Bristol branch chairman Re-becca Tregarthen said: “Elsa’spresentation was very popular. Thereare many parallels between thisamazing undertaking and the dailychallenges of successful business:being well prepared, fit and healthy,focused and the importance of astrong support team around you.”

To sponsor Elsa visit her website atw w w. e l s a h a m m o n d . c o m .

� Right, Pacificrower ElsaHammond, whowas the guestspeaker; left,Sam Green,Chris Hoggarthand Ken AbbottPics: Jon KentBRJK20140430C-003/BRJK20140430C-026

� Kevin Byrne and Mario LaafBRJK20140430C-023

� Trevor Bamford and Lynda FarmerBRJK20140430C-022

� Richard Lowe and Karl BrownBRJK20140430C-028

� David Pinchard BRJK20140430C-012

� Guests at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Broad Quay BRJK20140430C-024/BRJK20140430C-008

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10 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, May 7, 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 Bristol businessesThe Institute of Directors, Wednesday@6 – speaker Pacific rower Elsa Hammond

Business diary

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

CBI South West Annual Lunch:At-Bristol, Harbourside, onFriday, May 9, sponsored byRBS. Tickets via Eventbrite.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,today, 1 Friay Temple Quay, BS16EA. Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

The Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series:Networking event andopportunity to hear from aleading business voice, XavierRolet, chief executive, LondonStock Exchange Group. Today,Brunel’s Old Station, ThePassenger Shed, 6pm.

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, May 13.Contact readyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Achieve Faster Growth: F re eevent aimed at high-growthpotential companies. Meetlike-minded people and find outabout the Growth Acceleratorscheme. 8am-10am, May 15, atGrant Thornton, Victoria Street.

Meeting the Challenges charityseminar: For charity trustees,officers and key volunteersinvolved in charity managementand administration. BurtonSweet event takes place at theM shed on May 15 from8.45am-2pm. Emailk a re n . c h e l t o n @ b u r t o n - s w e e t . c o . u k

RICS South West Awards:Showcasing the most inspirationregional initiatives anddevelopments in land, property,construction and theenvironment. May 15, GrandThistle Hotel, Bristol, from 7pm.

Bristol Junior Chamber SpringDrinks: The Bristol JuniorChamber’s summer social, at theRWA, Queen’s Road, Clifton,May 15, 6.30pm-8.30pm.

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: Wednesday, May 28,6.45pm-9.45pm, Azec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Wednesday @ 6:Informal networking from6pm-8pm at Radisson Blu Hotel,Wednesday, May 14. Free andopen to non members butregister by calling 0117 3707785.

IoD Bristol and Bath YoungBusiness Forum dinner:Thursday, May 22, 6pm-8.30pmat Waterhouse, Bath, withspeaker Lindsay Haselhurst,head of business developmentat Wincanton. Call 07771772223 or email roger.plahay@sandler.com to book.

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Wednesday @ 6:Networking from 6pm-8pm atRadisson Blu Hotel, Wednesday,May 28. Free and open to nonmembers. Call 0117 370 7785.

The Big Interview

PATIENT focus is at the heartof the private healthcare in-dustry, according to SuzanneDavies. If you were going infor surgery, you would expect

that to be the case. But substitute theword “p at i e n t ” for “customer” h owmany other businesses can honestlysay their organisation really puts thecustomer at the centre to the sameextent?

Suzanne said: “W h at ’s really im-portant is that customer loyaltycomes from patient satisfaction withthe services we provide.

“If you listen to your patients, re-spond to their needs and give them areally positive experience then youbuild that loyalty.

“T hat’s why the more high endsupermarkets have done really wellduring the recession and managed toretain customer loyalty by focusingon customer needs.”

That customer focus is somethingthe 46-year-old has enjoyed sincemoving from the NHS in Wales,where she worked as a podiatrist andlater as a member of the local healthboard, into the private sector.

“The biggest change in culture(from NHS to private) was that therewas a much greater focus around theconsumer and responding directly tothe patient,” said Suzanne, who wasdirector of Nuffield’s Hereford hos-pital for seven years until taking overthe newly-rebuilt Chesterfield Hos-pital in Clifton earlier this year.

“In the NHS it is more paternal-istic, you decide what you think isbest for the patient whereas in privatesector much more consumer driven.We respond more on an individualbasis to what the individual wantsand how they want to be treated.”

Despite the change, she considersher NHS background a “massive ad-vanta g e” in the private sector. Unlikepeers who have come from retail, forexample, Suzanne has had get togrips with new areas such as mar-keting and develop a more commer-cial mindset.

“But having that clinical under-standing helps from a clinical gov-ernance perspective as well as acommercial perspective,” she said.

“A lot of people from a commercialbackground are very commerciallydriven but fail to understand the hier-archy and behaviour that is presentwithin a healthcare setting.”

Consultants tend to be “inde pend-ent thinkers”, she says diplomatic-ally. And while the hospital is private,all the clinical staff have comethrough the NHS, and bring withthem a culture and ways of workingor structures that can be challengingfor an outsider.

Suzanne added: “I think we need toremember we are only successful ifthe patients want to use our services,and the same applies with our con-sultants. We won’t have a business ifwe don’t have consultants who enjoyworking in our hospital.”

Healthcare is unusual in that thesame consultants will work acrossthe NHS and several private pro-

viders. So how do they compete?“We differentiate with the offering

around that, the support, how wetreat our patients, how well we car forthem,” said Suzanne. “Patient exper-ience is our competitive opportun-i t y. ”

Suzanne says the health industry iscompetitive, but they all want thesame thing the right outcome forp at i e n t s.

“It’s not competition as you wouldsee within a supermarket environ-ment. There’s a huge professionalism

around healthcare, we are all sup-porting each other so at the end of theday the patient is at the centre.

“It is more about making sure youand your organisation are deliveringwhat you are promising.”

But the competition so it is im-portant to have points of difference.For Nuffield, one is its fitness andwellbeing centre (or gym) close to thehospital in Queen’s Road

“That allows us to offer somethingdif ferent,” said Suzanne. “We canoffer a more holistic service. People

PATIENTS AT THE HEART OF IT ALLGavin Thompson meetsSuzanne Davies, boss at thenew Nuffield Hospital inClifton, and asks whether theindustry can offer anyprescriptions to improve thehealth of other businesses

My working dayWake up: 6amBreakfast: PorridgeStart work: 8amTypical working day? I start my day bychecking through my emails and then therest of the day is taken up with meetings withconsultants, my team, business leads. I try toensure I get to walk around the hospitaltalking to staff and patients. I am usually outof the hospital 1 or 2 days working onnational projects within the Nuffield GroupGo home: 7pmDo you take work home: Often consultants’meetings are arranged in the evening as theyare tied up with clinical commitments duringthe working day. As a national company wedo have to travel and probably spend a fewdays a week away.

My downtimePerfect weekend I love a busy Saturday with lotsplanned with my daughters and familyand then dinner with friends.However, I love quiet Sundayswith my partner, helping withthe animals and being outsidein the garden.Favourite book, film or TVshow: I really enjoy historicalnovels. My favourite author isSharon Penman. I likelight-hearted films and in mytop 5 would be Disney’s LionKing and Kenneth Branagh’sinterpretation of Shakespeare’sMuch Ado About Nothing.Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends. I usedto play golf. which I would like to do again, gardening.

Name: Suzanne DaviesAge: 46Place of birth: Bridgend,South WalesSchool: King Henry VIIISchool, Abergavenny.First job: Podiatrist in NHSHero or inspiration: I takemy inspiration from lots ofplaces. My daughters are mygreatest inspiration andcontinually inspire me. Fromhistory my heroine is QueenEleanor of Aquitaine, whowas mother of Richard theLion Heart and King John inthe 12thcentury. Thequote Imostvalue isf ro mGandhi“Yo umustbe thechangeyou wish tosee in theworld”.

Vital statistics

use our wellbeing services and thenwhen they need treatment they cancome to the hospital then continue inthe wellbeing environment.”

An example is a recent project forprivate patients who needed medicalskeletal procedures (hip, shoulder,back, etc). They were able to havetheir operation then go through re-habilitation back at the fitness andwellbeing centre under supervisionof a physiotherapist and then a healthand fitness adviser who would write apersonal programme for rehab, all

paid for as part of the package.“It appeals to me that we are able to

influence health and wellbeing now,not just fix things,” said Suzanne.

Being a charity is another sellingpoint. “As a charity we have madestrong stance around certain issues,”said Suzanne. “For example, we werethe first group to offer our patientsremoval of PIP implants free ofcharg e.”

The new Chesterfield Hospital,which Suzanne describes as a “beau-tiful environment” employs about100 people, both in clinical and adminareas, not including consultants. Ithas state of the art operating theatresand diagnostic facilities such as forMRI and CT scans.

Once it is up to speed it will becarrying out 100-plus operations aweek. That’s far fewer than a typicalNHS hospital, but that’s part of thepoint. Suzanne said: “Private health-care allows consultants to have pa-tient relationships as they envisage itshould be. They see the patientthrough the process whereas in NHSa lot of the work is done by juniorsand registrars. They find it reward-ing and that patient relationship sitswith them. Also they have the time tospend with the patient. They buildthe relationship. Increasingly, staffand consultants are coming to us toask if they can bring their servicesand practices to us.”

The customers base is changingtoo. While the majority are stillprivate customers insured by theircorporate employer, there are indi-viduals with insurance and evenNHS patients.

“Patients needing some operationson the NHS can choose us through theNHS Choices programme,” said Su-zanne. “We actually find they aresome of our most demanding cus-tomers because their expectations ofprivate healthcare are so high.

“But we find that often if they needanother operation that is not coveredby the NHS Choices scheme, theychoose to pay to go with us because ofthe care they have had.”

And that’s the lesson for business.Customer focus works.

IN just over one month’s time ,adventurer Elsa Hammond willrow 2,400 miles across the PacificOcean as one of only two womentaking part in the Great Pacific

R a c e.A student at Bristol University,

Elsa is dedicating her challenge toinspirational women around theworld, making them part of her jour-ney and celebrating them as sherows. Business leaders heard moreabout the adventure when Elsa joinedthe Bristol branch of the Institute ofDirectors at Radisson Blu to explainhow she has been preparing and howbusinesses and individuals can sup-port her by sponsoring a mile or evenjust an oar stroke. Dedications so farinclude mothers, grandmothers,friends, colleagues, celebrities, fic-

tional characters, and women whopeople wish to commemorate. Duringthe race, Elsa and her shore team willbe using the publicity that her rowgenerates to support and raise fundsfor two charities: the GREAT Ini-tiative, which works to addressgender equality, and the PlasticOceans Foundation, which combatspollution in our seas.

IoD Bristol branch chairman Re-becca Tregarthen said: “Elsa’spresentation was very popular. Thereare many parallels between thisamazing undertaking and the dailychallenges of successful business:being well prepared, fit and healthy,focused and the importance of astrong support team around you.”

To sponsor Elsa visit her website atw w w. e l s a h a m m o n d . c o m .

� Right, Pacificrower ElsaHammond, whowas the guestspeaker; left,Sam Green,Chris Hoggarthand Ken AbbottPics: Jon KentBRJK20140430C-003/BRJK20140430C-026

� Kevin Byrne and Mario LaafBRJK20140430C-023

� Trevor Bamford and Lynda FarmerBRJK20140430C-022

� Richard Lowe and Karl BrownBRJK20140430C-028

� David Pinchard BRJK20140430C-012

� Guests at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Broad Quay BRJK20140430C-024/BRJK20140430C-008

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12 We d n e s d a y, May 7, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back page� CORPORATE and commerciallawyer Neville Catton, pictured withchief executive Michael Burne, hasbecome a partner with Carbon LawPartners, a new legal servicesplatform.

Neville has worked for a numberof Bristol-based law firms and mostrecently was with Cook & Co.

Carbon Law Partners wasfounded last month and aims toattract partners and associates fromthe top 100 law firms.

Neville, who will remainBristol-based, said: “The Carbonproposition is simple, yet effective,and is highly attractive. This is afantastic opportunity to develop myown practice, but with the supportof top-class practice managementsoftware, a library, precedent andresearch services, a range ofconcierge services and a network oflike-minded UK leading corporateand commercial lawyers.”

� Commercial flooring contractorAvonline Flooring has appointedVince Marklove, below right, to headits recently-formed screedingdivision.

He joins the company asoperations manager forscreeding (levellingfloors) and under-floorheating, and bringsalmost 30 years’experience in thes e c t o r.

Avonline Flooring hasexpanded rapidly in thepast two years and theaddition of screeding andunderfloor heating capabilities isthe latest step in a programme toprovide a one-stop service to theconstruction industry.

Vince said: “It’s clear that AvonlineFlooring is going places and I amdelighted to be able to bring mytechnical and project managementknowledge to the company.”

D ea l s� Law firm Ashfords has beenappointed as adviser to NHSProperty Services, which has takenover responsibility for some 4,000properties nationally following a

restructuring of the NHS.Ashfords will siton a panel of

which will beasked toadvise onlocalp ro p e r t ymatters.

ChrisG re g s o n ,

partner inA s h f o rd s ’ c o m m e rc i a l

property team, said: “We aredelighted to have been selected. Inorder to secure the appointment wehad to demonstrate ourcommitment to quality, innovationand value for money against stiffcompetition nationally.”

� A team from Burges Salmon has

Street food vendors need opportunities to thrive

THE StrEAT Food Collectivewas established in 2011 tobring together the best streetfood vendors in the SouthWest. StrEAT thrived be-

cause each vendor knew food qualitywas paramount. For two years wewere ‘off the radar’, a renegade move-ment attracting foodies via Twitter.

Our night market at Arnos ValeCemetery thrust us into the limelightand Bristol City Council asked me toset up a street food night market. Isent them a three-year business casedetailing how we could slowly build asustainable and profitable weekly op-eration. It was essential for us tocreate an attraction with atmo-sphere, a destination.

These types of events must havefree entry and be run on a weeklybasis. Curating vendors, keeping theline-up varied and quality control arevital. I taste-tested dishes from everysingle one of my vendors, so I could besure that my customers would get thebest. I wasn’t willing to compromise –each vendor had to be as good as therest. Everyone cooked street fooddishes right there on the spot.

StrEAT hosted three popularevents last summer – our partnership

� Michael Burne and Neville Catton Pic: Huw John

The op-ed column

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

130 .1 1 pUnleaded

136 .29pDiesel

138 .81pSuperunleaded

70 .0 5 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.25%£1,000 deposit

1.36%£1,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus UK

Inflation (CPI)

1.7 %

Weekly earnings

1.6 %Base interest rate

0.5 %

S o u rc e :

NationalCounties BS

with Bristol City Council trans-formed Corn Street, with local busi-nesses, Visit Bristol and the BristolJunior Chamber praising the initi-ative. My independent street foodvendors were positive about havingweekly trading opportunities in cent-ral Bristol.

But it was not to be, as the councildecided to run its own monthly nightmarket instead.

Unless there are more regular trad-ing opportunities in Bristol, streetfood cannot thrive.

Street food can be a journey thatleads to product manufacturing, suchas Coconut Chilli, or to bricks andmortar. Think of success stories likeBagel Boy, who opened on St Nicholas

Street, or Chilli Daddy, who recentlyreceived national acclaim at the BBCFood and Farming Awards and areset to open a restaurant near theBRI.

My words to Bristol City Councilare, ‘please support, don’t hamper’.There is a big appetite for street food.Bristol Food Connections has provedthat street food can enrich a city bothculturally and economically, drawingcrowds from outside the Bristola re a .

The West and Wales Heat of theBritish Street Food Awards is takingplace on May 10 in the Lloyds Am-phitheatre, Harbourside.� Send your submissions for thiscolumn to business@b-nm.co.uk.

Navina BartlettBoss Lady, Coconut Chilli &founder StrEAT Food Collective

been appointed to the legal panelfor specialist Insurance firmEcclesiastical.

Ecclesiastical is a specialistinsurer of the faith, charity andeducation sectors, heritagebuildings and fine art.

Burges Salmon is one offour law firms on

the insurer's tierone panel.

KariMcCormick,left, headof the lawfirm’s

insurancesector team,

said:“Ecclesiastical's

business ethos and approach verymuch reflect our own and we lookforward to building a long-lastingre l a t i o n s h i p .”

Awa rd s� Bristol Airport has been givenInvestors in People bronze standard

for its commitment to its staff.Among the ideas praised were

treat cards used by managers togive staff on-the-spot rewards.

Sarah Tompsett, head of peopleand performance at the airport, said:“The Bristol Airport brand is built onexceptional people who take pridein providing great customer servicein a relaxed and friendly style.”

� Susie Hewson,right, boss offeminine hygienecompanyBodywise UK,is in therunning for theFirst Woman inManufacturingaward, followingher pioneeringwork in thedevelopment and launchof the organic sanitary product,N a t r a c a re .

Susie, pictured, who recently tookthe outstanding contribution awardat the Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards, studied atRavensbourne College of Art andDesign before working as a

schoolteacher and fitnessinstructor. She launched

Natracare in 1989.

� Opus RecruitmentSolutions is a finalist inthe 2014 RecruiterAwards for Excellenceand has been

shortlisted in the Best ITRecruitment Agency

c a t e g o r y.Opus, based in Castlemead

in the city centre and sponsors ofBristol Rovers’ home shirt, is theonly South West firm nominated.

Chief executive, Darren Ryemill,above left, said: “It is a privilege tobe recognised on a par with many ofthe very companies we set out toemulate when we started thebusiness.”

Pe o p l e

Inflation (RPI)

1.7 %

Your digest of the week in business