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Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

CROWD SURFING

Students ride wave of supportto raise cash for start-up – p3

THE SOCIAL SEASON

Four pages of businesspeopleout and about – pages 8-11

APPY TALK

Come to our Business Awardsand try out our app – page 5

112014JUN

How farmers and rural businesses around Bristol areadapting and thriving in a tough climate. See pages 6 & 7

HOW DO YOU LIKETHEM APPLES?

RURAL ECONOMY

Everything you need to know about exporting, all on one day!www.businesswest.co.uk/export-fair

27 June 2014M Shed, Bristol

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2 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

� Greg Gruzecki, left, and David Graves Photo: Sammy Payne

TWO students have raised more than£52,000 for their business in just 16 daysthrough an online crowd funding cam-paign. Greg Gruzecki and David Graveslaunched a campaign to get their busi-

ness, OmniDynamics, up and running throughthe crowd funding website Kickstarter.

The entrepreneurial pair reached their ini-tial target of £20,000 in just 10 hours.

David, who stayed up all night and watched indisbelief as his business surpassed its goal,said: “I think I lost my head for a little bit. I ranaround the room being far too loud.”

Greg said he had not expected the campaignto be so successful, before adding: “I was over-whelmed by the support and became very ex-cited. So excited, I went, ‘Whoa!’.”

The instant success shows how fast businessideas can become a reality for savvy entre-preneurs who spot an opportunity.

David said: “We knew our market and hit itwith the right product at the right time. We weresolving a real problem and satisfying a genuineneed.”

David and Greg were told to find a placementat a business for the third year of their roboticsdegree when they came up with the idea ofstarting their own.

David, 22, said: “We were told to go work forsomeone else. To start our own business wasn’tpresented to us as an option, so we had to lookfor it.

“It wasn’t easy, we really had to create ourown path.”

The business, which caters to people who use3D printers, needed the £20,000 funding to bringtheir product, called Strooder, to market.

Strooder is a piece of technology that turnsplastic pellets into a single piece of solid plastic,called filament, that can be used for 3D print-ing.

David credits studying robotics at UWE for

giving him an “e m p owe re d ” and “entre pren-eurial mindset”.

Not only have the robotics students developeda product and launched a business within theirplacement year, they’ve also hired a team of sixpeople to help launch their campaign and meetdemand.

When asked about recent figures of unem-ployment, which showed nearly a fifth of youngpeople were out of work, David said startingyour own business was the way forward.

David said: “All it takes is an idea. Entre-preneurship is a self-enabling process.

“Each step enables you to do more and gofurther. From earning your own wage to chan-ging the industry landscape.”

OmniDynamics is a technology start-upbased inside the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

Bristol Robotics Lab innovation manager JillBurnett said the lab’s business incubator was a“visionary” programme there to grow tech-nology start-ups and support student entre-p re n e u r s.

Jill said: “Robotics is an emerging sector withhuge potential for the UK, identified by thegovernment as one of the eight great tech-nologies that will drive our economy.”

Jill said David and Greg made great roboticsstudents because they have shown they could“walk the talk”.

The innovative nature of the Strooder tech-nology is its eco-friendly potential.

OmniDynamics hopes to find a way to turnplastics around the home, such as empty milkbottles, into 3D printing material, enablingpeople with 3D printers to be ecological and costef fective.

So far, over 300 people have backed the busi-ness, pledging from £1 to £349.

The company is yet another technologystart-up to join Bristol’s already thrivingstart-up sector.

David and Greg have no plans to slow downthe business once they begin the final year oftheir degree.

David said: “This is something we are in forthe long haul, we have many ideas to come.Strooder is just the beginning.”

� St Vincent’s Works, which looks like a Disney castle

Available for letTe c h n o l o g y

Office where workers won’t take the Mickey� CHILDREN around the worldwould love to live in Disneyland andnow grown ups in Bristol could findthemselves working in the city’sown Disney-style castle.

St Vincent’s Works, an office closeto Temple Meads station, isavailable for let and the turretedbuilding bears a strikingresemblance to the spiritual homeof Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

James Preece of ColliersInternational, which has beenappointed to find a new tenant, saidit was an “amazing office building”.

He said: “It is in a great locationwith the bonus of exceptionalparking. Being right at the heart ofthe new creative sector what wereally need is the Bristol equivalentof The Walt Disney Corporation.”

Low carbon

Eco- friendly New office, same site- but with far greener credentials

ABUILDING contractor hasmoved into a neweco-friendly office withoutmoving offices. Instead Bed-minster-based Bray &

Slaughter simply built new premiseson the site of its old joinery mill.

The firm, which employs around 50staff, has been in the area for morethan 100 years and has been in Parson

Street since 1949, making it a realmainstay of South Bristol.

Managing director Grant Jefferiessaid the new office would coincidewith a new branding and logo.

He added the low carbon office usedthe latest sustainable technology butkept most of the structure of the oldmill building.

Grant said: “This investment willprovide a solid platform from whichthe company can continue to growand develop, creating employmentopportunities and improving pro-ductivity and staff working condi-t i o n s.

“The innovative re use of industrialbuilding stock, sensible and sympath-etic design and installation of qualitymaterials have become the hallmarkof Bray & Slaughter and it is fantasticthat our place of business reflects thisethos. We now have a home befittingour talented staff and hope it will helpus to continue to attract the best localgraduates and professionals to join usand continue the success we haveenjoyed in recent years.”

The company was formed in 1900when Sydney Slaughter joined forceswith Percy Bray, who had a smallplumbing firm.

This partnership continued until1927, when Percy died and his sonPercy John Bray took over from him.B&S then carried on until 1932, whenSydney Slaughter’s nephew SydneyRichard Slaughter joined the firm. Itbecame a limited company in 1934.

The business was originally basedat Lydstep Terrace in Bedminster, butthe buildings were badly damagedduring the war so the firm was forcedto move to a temporary site in HolyCross Church Hall.

Then, during the early 1950s, thecompany moved to its present ParsonStreet site.

All you need to know in one place

We’re exporting more than ever, let’s keep going!

Post business editorshortlisted for award� THE Bristol Post’s businesscoverage is in the running for a toppress award.

Assistant editor (business) GavinThompson has been shortlisted inthe specialist journalist of the yearcategory in the South West MediaAwards, sponsored by EDF.

The awards are the premier eventof their kind for journalism in there g i o n .

The nominated journalists coversubjects including crime, educationand rural affairs.

Of the six finalists, five work forLocal World, the owners of theBristol Post. And the Post is up for ahost of other categories includingnewspaper of the year and websiteof the year. Winners will beannounced at a ceremony at theBristol Hotel on Thursday, July 3

Firms among largestforeign employers� TWO Bristol firms were namedamong the 50 largest foreignemployers in the UK in the SundayTimes PA Consulting InwardInvestment Track 50.

The table rankso v e r s e a s - h e a d q u a r t e re dmultinationals by their UK staffnumber. The firms are Aerospacemanufacturer Airbus, which employs4,000 people in Filton, and contactcentre operator Teleperformance,which is based in Stokes Croft andspecialises in outsourcing customerservice management.

Journalism

E m p l oy m e n tPair get operation upand running through£52k crowd funding

RESEARCH shows that businesseswhich export have significantlygreater growth prospects, more dur-ability and higher profitability thancompanies who don’t.

T hat’s why Business West islaunching its 2020 by 2020 initiative,with the goal of getting 2,020 busi-nesses exporting more by 2020.

The campaign will encourage am-bitious companies to grow their busi-ness through exports.

Managing director Phil Smith,said: “Statistics show that exportingbusinesses are 11 per cent more likelyto succeed than those which onlyserve domestic markets.

“The good news is that at BusinessWest we have noticed a significantincrease in export activity amongstour customers with April and Maybeing record months for our exportdocumentation department.

“We really must get behind ourexporters if we are to stand a chance

of achieving the Prime Minister’starget of increasing exports to £1tri-lion by 2020, and help businesses toseize valuable opportunities.

“This is exactly what our #Get-Exporting campaign has been de-signed to do.”

Business West is inviting busi-nesses to join it and UK Trade &Investment at an Export Fair on June27 at the M shed. The fair is the first ofits kind in the region and will be theplace where businesses can geteverything they need to know aboutexporting in one day.

Speaker David A. Smith will dis-cuss why the birth of the digital age istransforming how goods and servicesare bought and sold. David, chiefexecutive of Global Futures andForesight (GFF), will challenge, in-form and entertain on many of thekey issues of trading internationallyduring the digital revolution.

After the speech, attendees can ex-

plore a range of support zones, withexperts on hand to discusseverything from starting to export,conducting market research, expand-ing your overseas markets, to how tofund your exporting and how to ac-

cess overseas contracts.The launch follows the release of

HMRC figures showing the region’sexports rose from £12.9 billion in theyear to March 2013 to £13.6 billion inthe year to March 2014, representingan increase of 5.4 percent.

The former Commonwealth mar-kets have been popular, with manyfirms looking to win business in Aus-tralia and New Zealand.

One industry seeking opportunit-ies Down Under is the drinks trade.The Bristol Beer Factory, Warm-ley-based Bath Ales and Sand-ford-based Thatchers’ Cider have allmoved in to the Australian market inthe past 12 months.

Machinery and transport equip-ment and manufacturing goods con-tinue to be the most exportedcommodities from the region, and theSouth West remains one of only threeregions with food and live commod-ities in their top five export goods.

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

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

Advertising RobertRodgerson

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

@b-nm.co.uk

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

Advertising ShamaAbokor, Regional

Business AccountExecutive

Call 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@

b-nm.co.uk

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

� Brewers are exporting overseas

� Managing director Grant Jefferies with fellow directors and Bray and Slaughter staff outside the firm’s new office in Parson Street, Bedminster

Sammy Paynebusiness@b-nm.co.uk

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2 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

� Greg Gruzecki, left, and David Graves Photo: Sammy Payne

TWO students have raised more than£52,000 for their business in just 16 daysthrough an online crowd funding cam-paign. Greg Gruzecki and David Graveslaunched a campaign to get their busi-

ness, OmniDynamics, up and running throughthe crowd funding website Kickstarter.

The entrepreneurial pair reached their ini-tial target of £20,000 in just 10 hours.

David, who stayed up all night and watched indisbelief as his business surpassed its goal,said: “I think I lost my head for a little bit. I ranaround the room being far too loud.”

Greg said he had not expected the campaignto be so successful, before adding: “I was over-whelmed by the support and became very ex-cited. So excited, I went, ‘Whoa!’.”

The instant success shows how fast businessideas can become a reality for savvy entre-preneurs who spot an opportunity.

David said: “We knew our market and hit itwith the right product at the right time. We weresolving a real problem and satisfying a genuineneed.”

David and Greg were told to find a placementat a business for the third year of their roboticsdegree when they came up with the idea ofstarting their own.

David, 22, said: “We were told to go work forsomeone else. To start our own business wasn’tpresented to us as an option, so we had to lookfor it.

“It wasn’t easy, we really had to create ourown path.”

The business, which caters to people who use3D printers, needed the £20,000 funding to bringtheir product, called Strooder, to market.

Strooder is a piece of technology that turnsplastic pellets into a single piece of solid plastic,called filament, that can be used for 3D print-ing.

David credits studying robotics at UWE for

giving him an “e m p owe re d ” and “entre pren-eurial mindset”.

Not only have the robotics students developeda product and launched a business within theirplacement year, they’ve also hired a team of sixpeople to help launch their campaign and meetdemand.

When asked about recent figures of unem-ployment, which showed nearly a fifth of youngpeople were out of work, David said startingyour own business was the way forward.

David said: “All it takes is an idea. Entre-preneurship is a self-enabling process.

“Each step enables you to do more and gofurther. From earning your own wage to chan-ging the industry landscape.”

OmniDynamics is a technology start-upbased inside the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

Bristol Robotics Lab innovation manager JillBurnett said the lab’s business incubator was a“visionary” programme there to grow tech-nology start-ups and support student entre-p re n e u r s.

Jill said: “Robotics is an emerging sector withhuge potential for the UK, identified by thegovernment as one of the eight great tech-nologies that will drive our economy.”

Jill said David and Greg made great roboticsstudents because they have shown they could“walk the talk”.

The innovative nature of the Strooder tech-nology is its eco-friendly potential.

OmniDynamics hopes to find a way to turnplastics around the home, such as empty milkbottles, into 3D printing material, enablingpeople with 3D printers to be ecological and costef fective.

So far, over 300 people have backed the busi-ness, pledging from £1 to £349.

The company is yet another technologystart-up to join Bristol’s already thrivingstart-up sector.

David and Greg have no plans to slow downthe business once they begin the final year oftheir degree.

David said: “This is something we are in forthe long haul, we have many ideas to come.Strooder is just the beginning.”

� St Vincent’s Works, which looks like a Disney castle

Available for letTe c h n o l o g y

Office where workers won’t take the Mickey� CHILDREN around the worldwould love to live in Disneyland andnow grown ups in Bristol could findthemselves working in the city’sown Disney-style castle.

St Vincent’s Works, an office closeto Temple Meads station, isavailable for let and the turretedbuilding bears a strikingresemblance to the spiritual homeof Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

James Preece of ColliersInternational, which has beenappointed to find a new tenant, saidit was an “amazing office building”.

He said: “It is in a great locationwith the bonus of exceptionalparking. Being right at the heart ofthe new creative sector what wereally need is the Bristol equivalentof The Walt Disney Corporation.”

Low carbon

Eco- friendly New office, same site- but with far greener credentials

ABUILDING contractor hasmoved into a neweco-friendly office withoutmoving offices. Instead Bed-minster-based Bray &

Slaughter simply built new premiseson the site of its old joinery mill.

The firm, which employs around 50staff, has been in the area for morethan 100 years and has been in Parson

Street since 1949, making it a realmainstay of South Bristol.

Managing director Grant Jefferiessaid the new office would coincidewith a new branding and logo.

He added the low carbon office usedthe latest sustainable technology butkept most of the structure of the oldmill building.

Grant said: “This investment willprovide a solid platform from whichthe company can continue to growand develop, creating employmentopportunities and improving pro-ductivity and staff working condi-t i o n s.

“The innovative re use of industrialbuilding stock, sensible and sympath-etic design and installation of qualitymaterials have become the hallmarkof Bray & Slaughter and it is fantasticthat our place of business reflects thisethos. We now have a home befittingour talented staff and hope it will helpus to continue to attract the best localgraduates and professionals to join usand continue the success we haveenjoyed in recent years.”

The company was formed in 1900when Sydney Slaughter joined forceswith Percy Bray, who had a smallplumbing firm.

This partnership continued until1927, when Percy died and his sonPercy John Bray took over from him.B&S then carried on until 1932, whenSydney Slaughter’s nephew SydneyRichard Slaughter joined the firm. Itbecame a limited company in 1934.

The business was originally basedat Lydstep Terrace in Bedminster, butthe buildings were badly damagedduring the war so the firm was forcedto move to a temporary site in HolyCross Church Hall.

Then, during the early 1950s, thecompany moved to its present ParsonStreet site.

All you need to know in one place

We’re exporting more than ever, let’s keep going!

Post business editorshortlisted for award� THE Bristol Post’s businesscoverage is in the running for a toppress award.

Assistant editor (business) GavinThompson has been shortlisted inthe specialist journalist of the yearcategory in the South West MediaAwards, sponsored by EDF.

The awards are the premier eventof their kind for journalism in there g i o n .

The nominated journalists coversubjects including crime, educationand rural affairs.

Of the six finalists, five work forLocal World, the owners of theBristol Post. And the Post is up for ahost of other categories includingnewspaper of the year and websiteof the year. Winners will beannounced at a ceremony at theBristol Hotel on Thursday, July 3

Firms among largestforeign employers� TWO Bristol firms were namedamong the 50 largest foreignemployers in the UK in the SundayTimes PA Consulting InwardInvestment Track 50.

The table rankso v e r s e a s - h e a d q u a r t e re dmultinationals by their UK staffnumber. The firms are Aerospacemanufacturer Airbus, which employs4,000 people in Filton, and contactcentre operator Teleperformance,which is based in Stokes Croft andspecialises in outsourcing customerservice management.

Journalism

E m p l oy m e n tPair get operation upand running through£52k crowd funding

RESEARCH shows that businesseswhich export have significantlygreater growth prospects, more dur-ability and higher profitability thancompanies who don’t.

T hat’s why Business West islaunching its 2020 by 2020 initiative,with the goal of getting 2,020 busi-nesses exporting more by 2020.

The campaign will encourage am-bitious companies to grow their busi-ness through exports.

Managing director Phil Smith,said: “Statistics show that exportingbusinesses are 11 per cent more likelyto succeed than those which onlyserve domestic markets.

“The good news is that at BusinessWest we have noticed a significantincrease in export activity amongstour customers with April and Maybeing record months for our exportdocumentation department.

“We really must get behind ourexporters if we are to stand a chance

of achieving the Prime Minister’starget of increasing exports to £1tri-lion by 2020, and help businesses toseize valuable opportunities.

“This is exactly what our #Get-Exporting campaign has been de-signed to do.”

Business West is inviting busi-nesses to join it and UK Trade &Investment at an Export Fair on June27 at the M shed. The fair is the first ofits kind in the region and will be theplace where businesses can geteverything they need to know aboutexporting in one day.

Speaker David A. Smith will dis-cuss why the birth of the digital age istransforming how goods and servicesare bought and sold. David, chiefexecutive of Global Futures andForesight (GFF), will challenge, in-form and entertain on many of thekey issues of trading internationallyduring the digital revolution.

After the speech, attendees can ex-

plore a range of support zones, withexperts on hand to discusseverything from starting to export,conducting market research, expand-ing your overseas markets, to how tofund your exporting and how to ac-

cess overseas contracts.The launch follows the release of

HMRC figures showing the region’sexports rose from £12.9 billion in theyear to March 2013 to £13.6 billion inthe year to March 2014, representingan increase of 5.4 percent.

The former Commonwealth mar-kets have been popular, with manyfirms looking to win business in Aus-tralia and New Zealand.

One industry seeking opportunit-ies Down Under is the drinks trade.The Bristol Beer Factory, Warm-ley-based Bath Ales and Sand-ford-based Thatchers’ Cider have allmoved in to the Australian market inthe past 12 months.

Machinery and transport equip-ment and manufacturing goods con-tinue to be the most exportedcommodities from the region, and theSouth West remains one of only threeregions with food and live commod-ities in their top five export goods.

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

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

Advertising RobertRodgerson

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

@b-nm.co.uk

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

Advertising ShamaAbokor, Regional

Business AccountExecutive

Call 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@

b-nm.co.uk

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

� Brewers are exporting overseas

� Managing director Grant Jefferies with fellow directors and Bray and Slaughter staff outside the firm’s new office in Parson Street, Bedminster

Sammy Paynebusiness@b-nm.co.uk

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4 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

Trave l

ASHORT-HAUL carrier whichspecialises in the businessmarket plans to expand itsBristol-based team by 30 percent after a successful first

two years.Despite the long history of its name,

bmi regional has only been an inde-pendent carrier for two years aftertaking the franchise run by BritishAirways owner IAG and turning itinto an independent business.

While it had an established brand, ithad none of the business infrastruc-ture to support it meaning the first 12months were something of a rollerc o a s t e r.

But from that unusual start, a suc-cessful airline has grown, with BristolAirport becoming one of its key hubs.

Two years ago bmi regional em-ployed no one here but now has 80 staffin Bristol and has now announcedplans to expand that.

It operates direct flights to key busi-ness centres around Europe, as well ashaving a dedicated aircraft to fly Air-bus staff from Bristol to thep l a n e - m a ke r ’s Toulouse base.

Bmi regional chief executive CathalO’Connell said: “Last year was one ofsignificant development and invest-ment to establish bmi regional from asubsidiary of a group to a standalonebu s i n e s s.

“We ’ve rebuilt our infrastructureand systems and reshaped our oper-ating network to focus on profitableroutes which enables us to continueour growth into 2014.”

He said the carrier had built Bristolinto a “major new base”.

“Bmi regional is building a Bristolsuccess story, bringing investmentand employment opportunities to thecity and the region,” said Cathal.

“Bristol continues to attract busi-ness investment from around theworld and provides a gateway to thecommercially vibrant South West ofEngland.

“Our route to Aberdeen provides avital link for the oil and gas industry;our services to Frankfurt, Hamburgand Munich link Bristol to three Ger-man economic powerhouses; andMilan is the commercial hub of north-

east Italy.”The airline has a code-share agree-

ment with Lufthansa which puts Bris-tol on the destination map for thelonghaul carrier, helping promote thecity around the world.

It was recently rated most punctualairline by independent websitefl i g h t o n t i m e. i n fo.

Shaun Browne, aviation director atBristol Airport, said the airline wassupporting the city’s economic

strengths. He said: “The routes oper-ated by bmi regional from Bristol Air-port are vital for many businessesacross the South West, with the des-tinations served having strong linksto important sectors in the regionsuch as aerospace, defence, energyand financial services.

“We will continue to work with bmiregional to support further growthand enhance connectivity from Bris-tol.”

Airline to expand 30%after two years’ s u ccess

� Bmi regional chief executive Cathal O’Connell

Te c h n o l o g y

Post business awards...Th e re ’s an app for that

THE Bristol Post BusinessAwards will be an inter-active event this year afterone of our finalists de-veloped a mobile app for

guests to use on the night.Mubaloo founder Mark Mason

said the firm was excited to besupporting the event, which takesplace at Brunel’s Old Station.

He said: “The app is centeredaround what all events this yearseem to focus on; the selfie.

“We were asked to come up withan app that would make it as easy aspossible for attendees to take pic-tures and submit them for the ‘bestselfie on the night’ competition.

“The app features different cat-egories where users will be able toview entries and submit their ownp i c t u re s.

“The app will automatically in-clude the relevant social media tags,for added convenience.

“Attendees will also be able to viewother finalists and see who thesponsors are, through the app.”

Mubaloo won the Best Company(up to 100 employees) category at theawards two years ago and is thisyear a finalist in both Innovator ofthe Year and Best Creative or Tech-nology Business categories.

The firm has a strong track recordin app development, with some biglocal businesses among its custom-e r s.

Mark said: “We are proud to workclosely alongside some of Bristol’stop businesses including HargreavesLansdown and Unite Students.

“Last year, we helped HargreavesLansdown create HL Live for iPadwhich has gone onto become themost popular financial trading appon the iPad this year; winning BestFinancial Services Campaign at therecent MOMA awards by The Drummag azine.

“For Unite, Mubaloo has createdMyUnite to provide students withthe ability to log maintenance issuesand get job updates.

“This follows on from the main-tenance app created in 2011 that ledto a 30 per cent increase in theamount of jobs completed perwe e k .

“We continue to fly the flag for

Bristol, highlighting how much cre-ativity and development expertisethere is in the area.”

The Bristol Post Business Awards

ASHFORDS are delighted to supportthe Bristol Business Awards, recog-nising the business community inBristol and the surrounding areas.

Andrew Betteridge, who is judgingthe awards, leads the Venture Capitaland Private Equity Team at Ashfords.The team advises venture capital andprivate equity investment funds,management teams and growingbusinesses on all aspects of financingstrategy, fund raising and invest-ment. The team has a wealth of ex-perience in technology sectors,including social media, enterprisesoftware, telecommunications andcleantech, and combines the special-ist industry knowledge of the wider

technology group at Ashfords to de-liver technical expertise and com-mercial advice to clients. Havingcompleted over 50 deals in the2013/2014 financial year with a valuein excess of £250m the team is one ofthe most active in the UK.

Andrew is joined on the judgingpanel by Stephen Moore, who heads

A s h fo rd s ’ Employment Group.Stephen noted: “It’s great for Bris-

tol to have so many companies in therunning for the Best Creative andTechnology category, it certainlygave the judging panel a tough de-cision to make.

“Ashfords is recognised nationallyas a leading provider of legal andrelated professional services. As wellas our strength in the technologysector, we have specialist expertise inCorporate and Commercial, Employ-ment & HR, Real Estate, Dispute Res-olution, and Business Risk andRegulation. Our aim is straightfor-ward – to help our clients get theresults they want.”

Sponsors profile

Creative Tech Award sponsorship

� Andrew Betteridge

� Sarah Weller, Mark Mason and Gemma Coles of Mubaloo who havedesigned an app for the Bristol Post Business Awards Photo: Dan Regan

Start Up & Grow withinitial loan of £5,000� A NEW private initiative has beenlaunched to help entrepreneurs inBristol launch and accelerate growthin their businesses and to helpcreate jobs and wealth in the region.

Bristol Start Up & Grow is offeringfive innovative local entrepreneursthe chance to receive an initialbusiness loan of up to £5,000, freelegal and accountancy services for ayear, mentoring and access to highprofile business leaders andcorporate connections. Thepackage could be worth up to£100,000 per company.

The project is being launched andbacked by prominent Bristolsolicitor CharlesCook, right.

Charles ishimself ane n t re p re n e u rand isexperiencedin start-ups.

He lefta big citypractice andfounded theboutique corporatelaw firm, Cook & Co, in 2008.

The firm now has 17 staff, anenviable client portfolio, a highprofile chairman in Colin Sexstoneand offices in both Clifton andPortishead.

“Bristol is a hotbed fore n t re p re n e u r i a l i s m , ” said Charles.“From the merchant traders toBrunel, Concorde, Wallace andGromit and Trunkis, Bristol hasalways produced innovation. Wewant to offer support to localentrepreneurs with innovativebusiness ideas to help them launchand grow their businesses.

“We firmly believe that mostpeople only need a small amount ofmoney to kick start their businessidea and can really benefit fromhaving early stage good quality legaland accountancy advice.”

Charles’ project is being backedby entrepreneur Rob Law, who isthe founder of Bristol-based Trunki.

Rob founded Trunki with a loanfrom the Princes Trust of £5,000.

He said: “The entire £5,000 wenton initial legal fees.

“There is tremendous value inhaving a quality team of lawyers,accountants and mentors aroundyou when starting and growing abusiness.”

Decisions for support will bemade by August 1, 2014, andapplications should be submitted toBristol Start Up & Grow by July 1,2014. For more details please seew w w. b r i s t o l s t a r t u p . c o m .

I n n ova t i o nBristol among UK bestfor foreign investment� BRISTOL is the sixth best UK cityfor attracting foreign directinvestment, according to a study byaccounts EY.

Bristol is unsurprisingly theleading centre in the South Westwith 12 such big investments madein 2013. Nationally it was behindManchester, with 15, but ahead ofBirmingham, with 11.

The South West as a whole sawthe number of projects rise from 15in 2012 to 27 in 2013. Investmentsmade in Bristol included three inconstruction – Vento Ludens Ltd,Continental Datagraphics and GEOil & Gas; three in businessservices, Areva Risk ManagementConsulting, MDE Consultants andDeloitte LLP; and two in software byCray and Culina Logistics Ltd.

Richard Jones, EY’s senior partnerin the region, said: “The South Westis performing well against fiercecompetition for investment betweenthe rest of the UK and wider Europe,and the region continues to proveitself as an attractive destination forforeign investors.

“Being one of the few UK regionsnot to see a decline in projects, theregion continues to prove itself asan attractive destination for foreigninvestors and it is encouraging tosee Bristol positioned as the sixthmost important UK city for FDI.”

The top 10 cities were London(380 projects), Glasgow (24), Belfast(18), Edinburgh (16), Manchester(15), Bristol (12), Birmingham (11),Cambridge (8), Aberdeen (7) andLivinston (6).

I nvest m e n t

Chance to apply fordevelopment funds� BUSINESSES are being urged toapply for funding to developproducts and services that helppatients get the most from theirprescribed treatments.

The West of England AcademicHealth Science Network is workingwith NHS-funded programme SBRIHealthcare on the national contest.

Dr Elizabeth Dymond, deputydirector, enterprise and translationat West of England network said:“We are really encouragingorganisations to get involved as thisis a fully-funded opportunity forbusinesses to access support tobring their innovative products andservices to new markets.”

To find out more, visitwww.sbrihealthcar e.co.uk.

H ea l t h c a re

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

A FORMER Somerfield manager hasopened a new apprenticeship academyin the city to train young people towork in the technology, social mediaand digital marketing industry.

Alan Rowlands is academy man-ager at the new 3AAA centre inPrince Street, Bristol, where the firstcohort of 14 apprentices have startedthis week, with a second group set toget under way in July.

“We are hoping that will be a biggercohor t,” said Alan. “We have twotraining rooms with a capacity forabout 28 people in each so we will look

to get up to 56 learners on the go.“In the longer run, Bristol’s a big

technology city so there could bepotential to expand further.”

Alan, 38, has a small team includ-ing an IT trainer, assessor, and arecruitment specialist who will bebuilding relationships with employ-ers. So far they have up to a dozeninterested in signing up.

Apprentices can start without anemployer on board as part of thecourse is based in the centre, but Alansays they will be encouraged to beproactive about finding one rather

Tra i n i n g

From stores to stars,Alan sets up academy

� Alan Rowlands and his team inside a classroom BRML20140606D-001_C

than leave it to the academy.The academy’s work is govern-

ment-funded and aimed at 16-23 yearolds, from those straight out of schoolto young people who have gone intofurther education but decided it’s notfor them or those out of work.

Alan, who went into recruitmentafter ten years at Somerfield, adds:“Ideally they should have at leastEnglish and maths at grade C as theyneed to be at the right level.”

The apprenticeships last 12 monthsand will be just below a Level 4, whichis a Higher National Diploma equi-va l e n t .

Nationally, 3AAA – which standsfor Aspire, Achieve, Advance – wasfounded in 2008 and works with anumber of employers and collegesaround the country.

Its move into Bristol is focusing onthe city’s creative and digital market,one of the fastest growing sectorsl o c a l ly.

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

S p o n so rs

The categories

� Stephen Moore

� 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

is the premier event of its kind in thecity. Last year more than 400 busi-nesspeople attended the celebrationof local business.

Be there!� The Bristol Post BusinessAwards is not just for the finalists,it’s a fantastic networkingopportunity and a great place toentertain your clients. For tickets,go to w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /b u s i n e s s a w a rd s

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4 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

Trave l

ASHORT-HAUL carrier whichspecialises in the businessmarket plans to expand itsBristol-based team by 30 percent after a successful first

two years.Despite the long history of its name,

bmi regional has only been an inde-pendent carrier for two years aftertaking the franchise run by BritishAirways owner IAG and turning itinto an independent business.

While it had an established brand, ithad none of the business infrastruc-ture to support it meaning the first 12months were something of a rollerc o a s t e r.

But from that unusual start, a suc-cessful airline has grown, with BristolAirport becoming one of its key hubs.

Two years ago bmi regional em-ployed no one here but now has 80 staffin Bristol and has now announcedplans to expand that.

It operates direct flights to key busi-ness centres around Europe, as well ashaving a dedicated aircraft to fly Air-bus staff from Bristol to thep l a n e - m a ke r ’s Toulouse base.

Bmi regional chief executive CathalO’Connell said: “Last year was one ofsignificant development and invest-ment to establish bmi regional from asubsidiary of a group to a standalonebu s i n e s s.

“We ’ve rebuilt our infrastructureand systems and reshaped our oper-ating network to focus on profitableroutes which enables us to continueour growth into 2014.”

He said the carrier had built Bristolinto a “major new base”.

“Bmi regional is building a Bristolsuccess story, bringing investmentand employment opportunities to thecity and the region,” said Cathal.

“Bristol continues to attract busi-ness investment from around theworld and provides a gateway to thecommercially vibrant South West ofEngland.

“Our route to Aberdeen provides avital link for the oil and gas industry;our services to Frankfurt, Hamburgand Munich link Bristol to three Ger-man economic powerhouses; andMilan is the commercial hub of north-

east Italy.”The airline has a code-share agree-

ment with Lufthansa which puts Bris-tol on the destination map for thelonghaul carrier, helping promote thecity around the world.

It was recently rated most punctualairline by independent websitefl i g h t o n t i m e. i n fo.

Shaun Browne, aviation director atBristol Airport, said the airline wassupporting the city’s economic

strengths. He said: “The routes oper-ated by bmi regional from Bristol Air-port are vital for many businessesacross the South West, with the des-tinations served having strong linksto important sectors in the regionsuch as aerospace, defence, energyand financial services.

“We will continue to work with bmiregional to support further growthand enhance connectivity from Bris-tol.”

Airline to expand 30%after two years’ s u ccess

� Bmi regional chief executive Cathal O’Connell

Te c h n o l o g y

Post business awards...Th e re ’s an app for that

THE Bristol Post BusinessAwards will be an inter-active event this year afterone of our finalists de-veloped a mobile app for

guests to use on the night.Mubaloo founder Mark Mason

said the firm was excited to besupporting the event, which takesplace at Brunel’s Old Station.

He said: “The app is centeredaround what all events this yearseem to focus on; the selfie.

“We were asked to come up withan app that would make it as easy aspossible for attendees to take pic-tures and submit them for the ‘bestselfie on the night’ competition.

“The app features different cat-egories where users will be able toview entries and submit their ownp i c t u re s.

“The app will automatically in-clude the relevant social media tags,for added convenience.

“Attendees will also be able to viewother finalists and see who thesponsors are, through the app.”

Mubaloo won the Best Company(up to 100 employees) category at theawards two years ago and is thisyear a finalist in both Innovator ofthe Year and Best Creative or Tech-nology Business categories.

The firm has a strong track recordin app development, with some biglocal businesses among its custom-e r s.

Mark said: “We are proud to workclosely alongside some of Bristol’stop businesses including HargreavesLansdown and Unite Students.

“Last year, we helped HargreavesLansdown create HL Live for iPadwhich has gone onto become themost popular financial trading appon the iPad this year; winning BestFinancial Services Campaign at therecent MOMA awards by The Drummag azine.

“For Unite, Mubaloo has createdMyUnite to provide students withthe ability to log maintenance issuesand get job updates.

“This follows on from the main-tenance app created in 2011 that ledto a 30 per cent increase in theamount of jobs completed perwe e k .

“We continue to fly the flag for

Bristol, highlighting how much cre-ativity and development expertisethere is in the area.”

The Bristol Post Business Awards

ASHFORDS are delighted to supportthe Bristol Business Awards, recog-nising the business community inBristol and the surrounding areas.

Andrew Betteridge, who is judgingthe awards, leads the Venture Capitaland Private Equity Team at Ashfords.The team advises venture capital andprivate equity investment funds,management teams and growingbusinesses on all aspects of financingstrategy, fund raising and invest-ment. The team has a wealth of ex-perience in technology sectors,including social media, enterprisesoftware, telecommunications andcleantech, and combines the special-ist industry knowledge of the wider

technology group at Ashfords to de-liver technical expertise and com-mercial advice to clients. Havingcompleted over 50 deals in the2013/2014 financial year with a valuein excess of £250m the team is one ofthe most active in the UK.

Andrew is joined on the judgingpanel by Stephen Moore, who heads

A s h fo rd s ’ Employment Group.Stephen noted: “It’s great for Bris-

tol to have so many companies in therunning for the Best Creative andTechnology category, it certainlygave the judging panel a tough de-cision to make.

“Ashfords is recognised nationallyas a leading provider of legal andrelated professional services. As wellas our strength in the technologysector, we have specialist expertise inCorporate and Commercial, Employ-ment & HR, Real Estate, Dispute Res-olution, and Business Risk andRegulation. Our aim is straightfor-ward – to help our clients get theresults they want.”

Sponsors profile

Creative Tech Award sponsorship

� Andrew Betteridge

� Sarah Weller, Mark Mason and Gemma Coles of Mubaloo who havedesigned an app for the Bristol Post Business Awards Photo: Dan Regan

Start Up & Grow withinitial loan of £5,000� A NEW private initiative has beenlaunched to help entrepreneurs inBristol launch and accelerate growthin their businesses and to helpcreate jobs and wealth in the region.

Bristol Start Up & Grow is offeringfive innovative local entrepreneursthe chance to receive an initialbusiness loan of up to £5,000, freelegal and accountancy services for ayear, mentoring and access to highprofile business leaders andcorporate connections. Thepackage could be worth up to£100,000 per company.

The project is being launched andbacked by prominent Bristolsolicitor CharlesCook, right.

Charles ishimself ane n t re p re n e u rand isexperiencedin start-ups.

He lefta big citypractice andfounded theboutique corporatelaw firm, Cook & Co, in 2008.

The firm now has 17 staff, anenviable client portfolio, a highprofile chairman in Colin Sexstoneand offices in both Clifton andPortishead.

“Bristol is a hotbed fore n t re p re n e u r i a l i s m , ” said Charles.“From the merchant traders toBrunel, Concorde, Wallace andGromit and Trunkis, Bristol hasalways produced innovation. Wewant to offer support to localentrepreneurs with innovativebusiness ideas to help them launchand grow their businesses.

“We firmly believe that mostpeople only need a small amount ofmoney to kick start their businessidea and can really benefit fromhaving early stage good quality legaland accountancy advice.”

Charles’ project is being backedby entrepreneur Rob Law, who isthe founder of Bristol-based Trunki.

Rob founded Trunki with a loanfrom the Princes Trust of £5,000.

He said: “The entire £5,000 wenton initial legal fees.

“There is tremendous value inhaving a quality team of lawyers,accountants and mentors aroundyou when starting and growing abusiness.”

Decisions for support will bemade by August 1, 2014, andapplications should be submitted toBristol Start Up & Grow by July 1,2014. For more details please seew w w. b r i s t o l s t a r t u p . c o m .

I n n ova t i o nBristol among UK bestfor foreign investment� BRISTOL is the sixth best UK cityfor attracting foreign directinvestment, according to a study byaccounts EY.

Bristol is unsurprisingly theleading centre in the South Westwith 12 such big investments madein 2013. Nationally it was behindManchester, with 15, but ahead ofBirmingham, with 11.

The South West as a whole sawthe number of projects rise from 15in 2012 to 27 in 2013. Investmentsmade in Bristol included three inconstruction – Vento Ludens Ltd,Continental Datagraphics and GEOil & Gas; three in businessservices, Areva Risk ManagementConsulting, MDE Consultants andDeloitte LLP; and two in software byCray and Culina Logistics Ltd.

Richard Jones, EY’s senior partnerin the region, said: “The South Westis performing well against fiercecompetition for investment betweenthe rest of the UK and wider Europe,and the region continues to proveitself as an attractive destination forforeign investors.

“Being one of the few UK regionsnot to see a decline in projects, theregion continues to prove itself asan attractive destination for foreigninvestors and it is encouraging tosee Bristol positioned as the sixthmost important UK city for FDI.”

The top 10 cities were London(380 projects), Glasgow (24), Belfast(18), Edinburgh (16), Manchester(15), Bristol (12), Birmingham (11),Cambridge (8), Aberdeen (7) andLivinston (6).

I nvest m e n t

Chance to apply fordevelopment funds� BUSINESSES are being urged toapply for funding to developproducts and services that helppatients get the most from theirprescribed treatments.

The West of England AcademicHealth Science Network is workingwith NHS-funded programme SBRIHealthcare on the national contest.

Dr Elizabeth Dymond, deputydirector, enterprise and translationat West of England network said:“We are really encouragingorganisations to get involved as thisis a fully-funded opportunity forbusinesses to access support tobring their innovative products andservices to new markets.”

To find out more, visitwww.sbrihealthcar e.co.uk.

H ea l t h c a re

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

A FORMER Somerfield manager hasopened a new apprenticeship academyin the city to train young people towork in the technology, social mediaand digital marketing industry.

Alan Rowlands is academy man-ager at the new 3AAA centre inPrince Street, Bristol, where the firstcohort of 14 apprentices have startedthis week, with a second group set toget under way in July.

“We are hoping that will be a biggercohor t,” said Alan. “We have twotraining rooms with a capacity forabout 28 people in each so we will look

to get up to 56 learners on the go.“In the longer run, Bristol’s a big

technology city so there could bepotential to expand further.”

Alan, 38, has a small team includ-ing an IT trainer, assessor, and arecruitment specialist who will bebuilding relationships with employ-ers. So far they have up to a dozeninterested in signing up.

Apprentices can start without anemployer on board as part of thecourse is based in the centre, but Alansays they will be encouraged to beproactive about finding one rather

Tra i n i n g

From stores to stars,Alan sets up academy

� Alan Rowlands and his team inside a classroom BRML20140606D-001_C

than leave it to the academy.The academy’s work is govern-

ment-funded and aimed at 16-23 yearolds, from those straight out of schoolto young people who have gone intofurther education but decided it’s notfor them or those out of work.

Alan, who went into recruitmentafter ten years at Somerfield, adds:“Ideally they should have at leastEnglish and maths at grade C as theyneed to be at the right level.”

The apprenticeships last 12 monthsand will be just below a Level 4, whichis a Higher National Diploma equi-va l e n t .

Nationally, 3AAA – which standsfor Aspire, Achieve, Advance – wasfounded in 2008 and works with anumber of employers and collegesaround the country.

Its move into Bristol is focusing onthe city’s creative and digital market,one of the fastest growing sectorsl o c a l ly.

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

S p o n so rs

The categories

� Stephen Moore

� 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

is the premier event of its kind in thecity. Last year more than 400 busi-nesspeople attended the celebrationof local business.

Be there!� The Bristol Post BusinessAwards is not just for the finalists,it’s a fantastic networkingopportunity and a great place toentertain your clients. For tickets,go to w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /b u s i n e s s a w a rd s

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6 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

WE all complain aboutthe weather. It’s a na-tional pastime. But ifyour business involvesplanting things in the

ground, then harvesting and sellingthem, the weather matters more toyou than most.

It’s not just crop farmers who areaffected. Livestock farmers facehigher costs when feed costs go up.Indeed the whole rural economyseems to be at the vagaries of eitherthe weather or other external factorsranging from heavy-handed retailersto funding for bus routes.

Yet there are thriving rural andfarming businesses here in the coun-tryside around Bristol. And there ispotential for others to follow theirsuccess, if they can find their ownwinning formula.

Melanie Squires, the NFU regionaldirector for the South West, saidagriculture was a key part of theSouth West economy, with busi-nesses all along the supply chainfrom the farmers, processors, dis-tributors and wholesalers to retail-e r s.

She spelled out some of the chal-lenges faced by the sector, not least ofthem being the weather.

“The deviation from seasonalnorms have become more pro-nounced and climate change clearlyhas a part to play in that,” she said.

The last few years have seendrought, flood, heat waves and coldsnaps. That creates volatility in com-modity prices such as cereal priceswhich affect every other sector in thesupply chain.

But there are things businessescan do.

Melanie said: “We help our mem-bers understand the process alongthe supply chain. The better theyunderstand that, the more oppor-tunities there are.”

Businesses can purchase forwardon the futures market to help smoothout the ups and downs of prices, fore x a m p l e.

Developing their own brands forproduce and promoting British ori-gins of food is another strategy thathas been successful.

Melanie said: “Consumers wantBritish. A recent NFU survey found86 per cent of shoppers want to buymore traceable food produce; 78 percent think supermarkets should sup-ply more British organic food.”

She admitted that what people sayand what they are prepared to do isnot always the same, particularlywhen it comes to pricing, but saidthere was strong evidence thatpeople were influenced by the NFU’sRed Tractor logo.

Meanwhile, diversification of abusiness can help to spread the risk,which has seen many farmers at-tracted by the lure of windfarms asan additional income stream.

Working together can make busi-nesses more able to weather thestorms too.

One example is the OMSCo, theorganic milk producers co-operativebased in Weston-super-Mare.

Sales and marking directorRichard Hampton said the organicmilk market could be turbulent withprices having risen then crashed,risen then crashed in the past 20years. But he said by acting as aco-operative, Omsco could smoothout the impact for members.

“Organic milk is a supermarketbusiness so small changes by re-

tailers can make a big difference,” hesaid. He cited the recent recessionwhen many retailers savagely cutback on organic milk in a bid to keephousehold shopping bills down. Hesaid: “It wasn’t about consumerchoice, it was a choice made for theconsumer by the retailer.”

At that time Omsco had to findother buyers and actually exportedmuch of the milk overseas to get thebest prices, something the lone farm-er would struggle to do.

Challenges remain across therural economy, however, particularlyaround cash flow and borrowing.

MANY of the WestCountry’s food anddrink businesses arefamily-owned. If youare one of them,

yo u ’ll understand the chal-lenges. Succession is almost al-ways a major concern whetherit’s openly talked about or not.

It’s difficult enough trying torun a business without havingthe added pressure of balancingcommercial considerations withpersonal ideals and family dy-namics. Introducing new familymembers into the business isjust one of a raft of scenarioswhich can threaten thelong-term future of the businessas well as family life, if not dealtwith effectively.

Whether yours is a farmingbusiness which places greatemotional value on the land it-self or a third generation, fam-ily-owned company, which maybe more concerned with itsbrand, intellectual property andreputation, the fundamentals re-main the same.

Every business is different,but they all need a structuredplan and clear communication.Perhaps surprisingly, many own-ers haven’t set out their inten-tions regarding the futuredirection and management ofthe business and even wherethey have, it isn’t always com-municated effectively. Moreoften than not, the plans remainin someone’s head and expect-ations among first, second andeven third generation familymembers are not always prop-erly managed.

There are lots of ways to ap-proach this – for example, bysetting up a Discretionary Trustwhich can separate ownershipand control. As your businessgrows and prospers, you willalmost certainly reach a pointwhere you need to buy in ex-pertise and this may include in-vesting in top level people forsenior management roles. Whileattracting and retaining keypeople is vital, you do not ne-cessarily have to give ownershipto those in authority. There aremany ways of rewarding andincentivising senior staff and wecan help you with this.

Who rules the roostin a family business?

Know how

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

Farmers and rural businessowners don’t just have tocope with the ups and downsof the economy, their tradeis also affected by a host ofexternal factors, from theweather to bus routes.Gavin Thompson reports.

For example, recently the beefprice has plummeted as supermar-kets compete to keep prices down forcustomers, leaving the average an-nual income for a livestock farmerunder £20,000. That leaves the farmershort and possibly needing to bor-row. But in this region, many farm-ers are tenants which means theyown fewer assets to borrow against.

Jerry Barnes, a partner at Smith &Williamson, and a member of thefir m’s landed estates team special-ising in the food and drink sector,said it was certainly easier for thosewith their own land.

� RECRUITMENT can be achallenge for rural businesses.Unlike a city-based firm, thereisn’t a large potential workforceliving nearby.

It’s one of the many challengesMarshfield Bakery has had toovercome since it was founded in1984 by Lynne and Paul White.

The business began in Lynne’skitchen and still uses many of herfamily recipes.

It was based in the High Streetin Marshfield, a village betweenBristol and Bath, but after 20years moved to nearby Tolldown.

It now employs 45 people andproduces 100 different baked-traygoods such as shortbread,brownies and flapjacks, which itsupplies to wholesalers whodistribute it to retailers across theUK. With that growth comes the

issues of recruiting,training and retainings t a ff .

Director ChrisSmith (pictur edright), who joined thefirm as anexperienced businesshead to support thefamily owners, said thatcould be challenging.

“We are a rural business,” hesaid. “We are not on a bus route.”

The business had beensuccessful but a few years agogot to the stage where it wasdifficult to grow further and take itto the next level.

So the Whites made a bold stepto bring in outside experience to

support them. Chris said hehelped the Whites to “take

a step back and createa plan”. Together theymade some changes,including a “hugeoperationaldecision” to moveto shift productionto increase the

volumes.At the same time

the family kept thefocus on the business’

focus on customer service.The plan seems to be working

with sales rising fast.Like many family-owned firms,

succession planning is important.But while Lynne and Paul aregradually stepping back, Chrisand the Whites’ son Ben aretaking the business forward.

We ’re a rural business – we ’re not on a bus routeCase study � FOR rural and farming

businesses, sustainability is vital. Asbusinesses that live off the land, theprotection of the environment iscrucial. But sustainability is not justabout being green, it’s aboutsustainable profits too.

Thatchers, the Sandford-basedcider producer, has put thatsustainability at the core of itsbusiness model.

This week, the Earl and Countessof Wessex visited the firm’s newpackaging and warehouse facility.The £3 million Jubilee Building hasbeen designed with sustainability inmind. It has a curved green roof toemulate the landscape, featuresrainwater collection, insulation andnatural ventilation. It is powered bya biomass boiler, fuelled bymiscanthus crop grown on eightacres of land on the farm.

‘Virtuous circle’ of profits and reinvestmentCase study

� TheCountess ofWessex atthe wheel ofa Thatcherslorry duringher visit toMyrtle Farmto open thecompany’s£3millionJubileeBuilding,above

Sales director Chris Milton said:“Every business should beconcerned with the bottom righthand corner of their managementaccounts, but you can do that andbe sustainable.”

He said the business was trying tocreate a “virtuous circle” growing itsprofits and reinvesting in thecommunity and its processes.

“The fact we have grown is noaccident,” he said. “It was planned –it’s just running a bit quicker thanexpected.”

But he said the business stayedtrue to its ethos and traditions.

“We call it the Thatchers’ w a y.Essentially the business is based onfarming – we are farmers. Webelieve we have craft and expertise

and passion and on that platformwe believe we can build asustainable future.”

The business has been familyowned since 1904, starting withWilliam Thatcher, then, Stan, Johnand now Martin.

Chris said the future of thebusiness was Martin’s childrenEleanor and Peter, and that drovethe firm’s focus on sustainability.

Thatchers certainly plans for thelong term. It farm 360 acres inSomerset has another 800 acresunder long-term contract inSomerset, Herefordshire, Wiltshireand Kent.

While much of the rural economyrides the ups and downs of theclimate, prices and other externalfactors, Thatchers is signing farmersup to 25-year contacts, guarantee-ing to buy their apples as well as

Focus: Farming and the rural economy

IT’S good to see rural propertyand land auctions comingback into favour as the ruralproperty market continues toperform strongly.

Auctions were once a corner-stone of the agricultural calendar –and community – but it’s fair to saythey rather fell out of favour dur-ing recent years. Well, businessesacross the farming sector are cer-tainly making hay while the sunshines now!

T hat’s hardly surprising asfarmers and landowners are al-ways on the lookout for a good deal– to add long coveted parcels of landto their estate or to dispose of thoseawkward corners that don’t quitefit their portfolio.

The auction process itself is verymuch the fast track as far as buy-ing property is concerned – but canbe something of a danger point forthe unwary and there are a fewthings to bear in mind if you aregoing to bid at auction. The mostimportant thing is to do your re-search in advance and take offthose rose-tinted spectacles whileyou do it.

Be sure to know precisely whatyou are bidding on. What is in-cluded and what is excluded fromthe sale. Request a catalogue andany property details and gothrough it with a fine-tooth comb.It is vital to get the opinion of aprofessional surveyor or valuerthe same as if you were buying inthe traditional way.

View the property as many timesas you can and let your profes-sional adviser view it as well. Ifthings are in a poor state consultbuilders and other professionals tocheck costs of likely repairs. Youmay have grand plans for the prop-erty but is it subject to planningrestraints? Are there any otherhidden caveats and conditions youwill have to adhere to?

On the day itself, stay calm andd o n’t get swept along with the ex-citement of the auction. It is farbetter to let the property go tosomeone else than to pay morethan you bargained for. Keep with-in the bracket of spending you setyourself. If necessary get a pro-fessional to bid on your behalf –they will be less emotionally in-vo l ve d .

Buying at auction is not for thefaint-hearted. It can be excitingand fun but can also be frustratingand time-consuming.

But preparation is the key; get-ting quality experts on your teamand having an eye for a bargain canmake commercial property buyingat auction a very profitable activityindeed.

Matthew PetersPartnerBruton Knowles0117 287 2101m a t t h e w. p e t e r s @brutonknowles.co.uk

Auctions backin favour

Expert eye RURAL FIRMS FIND THEIR OWN WINNING FORMULAS

“Access to funding for further in-vestment continues to be an issue form a ny, ” he said. “But for those withlanded assets, the picture is moreupbeat with banks often more will-ing to lend against farmland asvalues have continued to appreci-at e.

He added: “The recent change tocapital allowances means purchasesof machinery and other equipmentup to the value of £500,000 can po-tentially be written off for tax pur-poses in the year of purchase,providing opportunities for largeone-off tax savings, potentially

providing further funds for invest-ment. Of course it is important toreview the structure of the businessregularly to ensure longer term taxef ficiency.”

Jerry and his firm recently hosteda Future in Food Conference at YeoValley in Blagdon, which gave aninsight into such challenges but alsopainted an upbeat picture.

He said: “The West of England hasa rich and diverse agricultural her-itage with a large community offarmers and food and drink pro-cessors. We heard first-hand ac-counts of some of the innovative

approaches to business developmentbeing taken by companies such asThatchers, Lye Cross Farm andMarshfield Bakery, who continue towork hard to differentiate theirproducts and extend their reach.

“Many of the West’s food and drinkbrands have a very strong identity athome as well as abroad.

“Those who have not managed toestablish or differentiate themselvesquite so well are being urged tocollaborate with others in their sup-ply chain to help strengthen theiroffering and better exploit the op-portunities. Organisations such as

the NFU and the West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership areamong those actively encouragingthis approach.”

But he warned while things weregenerally positive, there was a “cl o u don the horizon”.

“As Sterling continues tostrengthen against the Euro, theimpact on the Basic Payment Scheme(BPS) – formerly Single Farm Pay-ment – is likely to be felt withfarmers facing the prospect of lowersupport payments. The next fewmonths will be critical in terms ofsetting the level of new payments.”

providing the expertise needed.The new facilities give the

business room to treble in size overthe next seven years.

Thatchers’ recipe is a successfulone. In the last six years, thebusiness has grown by nearly 600per cent. Export sales have tripled inthe last year, and Thatchers is oneof the fastest growing brands in UKoff-licence trade throughsupermarkets. It is sold in 20countries, the most recent additionwas Australia where it has linked upwith Coppers Brewery, a fifthgeneration family firm.

Every part of every batch of ciderproduced is tasted by John orMartin Thatcher before it is allowedto leave the site. With 150,000 litresof cider produced this year, that’sone tradition that might not be sosustainable.

Jerry BarnesPartner and Head of FamilyOffice and Landed Estatesat the Bristol officeSmith & Williamson0117 376 2000jerr y.barnes@smith.williamson.co.ukw w w. s m i t h .williamson.co.uk

� Pies in production at Marshfield Bakery

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6 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

WE all complain aboutthe weather. It’s a na-tional pastime. But ifyour business involvesplanting things in the

ground, then harvesting and sellingthem, the weather matters more toyou than most.

It’s not just crop farmers who areaffected. Livestock farmers facehigher costs when feed costs go up.Indeed the whole rural economyseems to be at the vagaries of eitherthe weather or other external factorsranging from heavy-handed retailersto funding for bus routes.

Yet there are thriving rural andfarming businesses here in the coun-tryside around Bristol. And there ispotential for others to follow theirsuccess, if they can find their ownwinning formula.

Melanie Squires, the NFU regionaldirector for the South West, saidagriculture was a key part of theSouth West economy, with busi-nesses all along the supply chainfrom the farmers, processors, dis-tributors and wholesalers to retail-e r s.

She spelled out some of the chal-lenges faced by the sector, not least ofthem being the weather.

“The deviation from seasonalnorms have become more pro-nounced and climate change clearlyhas a part to play in that,” she said.

The last few years have seendrought, flood, heat waves and coldsnaps. That creates volatility in com-modity prices such as cereal priceswhich affect every other sector in thesupply chain.

But there are things businessescan do.

Melanie said: “We help our mem-bers understand the process alongthe supply chain. The better theyunderstand that, the more oppor-tunities there are.”

Businesses can purchase forwardon the futures market to help smoothout the ups and downs of prices, fore x a m p l e.

Developing their own brands forproduce and promoting British ori-gins of food is another strategy thathas been successful.

Melanie said: “Consumers wantBritish. A recent NFU survey found86 per cent of shoppers want to buymore traceable food produce; 78 percent think supermarkets should sup-ply more British organic food.”

She admitted that what people sayand what they are prepared to do isnot always the same, particularlywhen it comes to pricing, but saidthere was strong evidence thatpeople were influenced by the NFU’sRed Tractor logo.

Meanwhile, diversification of abusiness can help to spread the risk,which has seen many farmers at-tracted by the lure of windfarms asan additional income stream.

Working together can make busi-nesses more able to weather thestorms too.

One example is the OMSCo, theorganic milk producers co-operativebased in Weston-super-Mare.

Sales and marking directorRichard Hampton said the organicmilk market could be turbulent withprices having risen then crashed,risen then crashed in the past 20years. But he said by acting as aco-operative, Omsco could smoothout the impact for members.

“Organic milk is a supermarketbusiness so small changes by re-

tailers can make a big difference,” hesaid. He cited the recent recessionwhen many retailers savagely cutback on organic milk in a bid to keephousehold shopping bills down. Hesaid: “It wasn’t about consumerchoice, it was a choice made for theconsumer by the retailer.”

At that time Omsco had to findother buyers and actually exportedmuch of the milk overseas to get thebest prices, something the lone farm-er would struggle to do.

Challenges remain across therural economy, however, particularlyaround cash flow and borrowing.

MANY of the WestCountry’s food anddrink businesses arefamily-owned. If youare one of them,

yo u ’ll understand the chal-lenges. Succession is almost al-ways a major concern whetherit’s openly talked about or not.

It’s difficult enough trying torun a business without havingthe added pressure of balancingcommercial considerations withpersonal ideals and family dy-namics. Introducing new familymembers into the business isjust one of a raft of scenarioswhich can threaten thelong-term future of the businessas well as family life, if not dealtwith effectively.

Whether yours is a farmingbusiness which places greatemotional value on the land it-self or a third generation, fam-ily-owned company, which maybe more concerned with itsbrand, intellectual property andreputation, the fundamentals re-main the same.

Every business is different,but they all need a structuredplan and clear communication.Perhaps surprisingly, many own-ers haven’t set out their inten-tions regarding the futuredirection and management ofthe business and even wherethey have, it isn’t always com-municated effectively. Moreoften than not, the plans remainin someone’s head and expect-ations among first, second andeven third generation familymembers are not always prop-erly managed.

There are lots of ways to ap-proach this – for example, bysetting up a Discretionary Trustwhich can separate ownershipand control. As your businessgrows and prospers, you willalmost certainly reach a pointwhere you need to buy in ex-pertise and this may include in-vesting in top level people forsenior management roles. Whileattracting and retaining keypeople is vital, you do not ne-cessarily have to give ownershipto those in authority. There aremany ways of rewarding andincentivising senior staff and wecan help you with this.

Who rules the roostin a family business?

Know how

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

Farmers and rural businessowners don’t just have tocope with the ups and downsof the economy, their tradeis also affected by a host ofexternal factors, from theweather to bus routes.Gavin Thompson reports.

For example, recently the beefprice has plummeted as supermar-kets compete to keep prices down forcustomers, leaving the average an-nual income for a livestock farmerunder £20,000. That leaves the farmershort and possibly needing to bor-row. But in this region, many farm-ers are tenants which means theyown fewer assets to borrow against.

Jerry Barnes, a partner at Smith &Williamson, and a member of thefir m’s landed estates team special-ising in the food and drink sector,said it was certainly easier for thosewith their own land.

� RECRUITMENT can be achallenge for rural businesses.Unlike a city-based firm, thereisn’t a large potential workforceliving nearby.

It’s one of the many challengesMarshfield Bakery has had toovercome since it was founded in1984 by Lynne and Paul White.

The business began in Lynne’skitchen and still uses many of herfamily recipes.

It was based in the High Streetin Marshfield, a village betweenBristol and Bath, but after 20years moved to nearby Tolldown.

It now employs 45 people andproduces 100 different baked-traygoods such as shortbread,brownies and flapjacks, which itsupplies to wholesalers whodistribute it to retailers across theUK. With that growth comes the

issues of recruiting,training and retainings t a ff .

Director ChrisSmith (pictur edright), who joined thefirm as anexperienced businesshead to support thefamily owners, said thatcould be challenging.

“We are a rural business,” hesaid. “We are not on a bus route.”

The business had beensuccessful but a few years agogot to the stage where it wasdifficult to grow further and take itto the next level.

So the Whites made a bold stepto bring in outside experience to

support them. Chris said hehelped the Whites to “take

a step back and createa plan”. Together theymade some changes,including a “hugeoperationaldecision” to moveto shift productionto increase the

volumes.At the same time

the family kept thefocus on the business’

focus on customer service.The plan seems to be working

with sales rising fast.Like many family-owned firms,

succession planning is important.But while Lynne and Paul aregradually stepping back, Chrisand the Whites’ son Ben aretaking the business forward.

We ’re a rural business – we ’re not on a bus routeCase study � FOR rural and farming

businesses, sustainability is vital. Asbusinesses that live off the land, theprotection of the environment iscrucial. But sustainability is not justabout being green, it’s aboutsustainable profits too.

Thatchers, the Sandford-basedcider producer, has put thatsustainability at the core of itsbusiness model.

This week, the Earl and Countessof Wessex visited the firm’s newpackaging and warehouse facility.The £3 million Jubilee Building hasbeen designed with sustainability inmind. It has a curved green roof toemulate the landscape, featuresrainwater collection, insulation andnatural ventilation. It is powered bya biomass boiler, fuelled bymiscanthus crop grown on eightacres of land on the farm.

‘Virtuous circle’ of profits and reinvestmentCase study

� TheCountess ofWessex atthe wheel ofa Thatcherslorry duringher visit toMyrtle Farmto open thecompany’s£3millionJubileeBuilding,above

Sales director Chris Milton said:“Every business should beconcerned with the bottom righthand corner of their managementaccounts, but you can do that andbe sustainable.”

He said the business was trying tocreate a “virtuous circle” growing itsprofits and reinvesting in thecommunity and its processes.

“The fact we have grown is noaccident,” he said. “It was planned –it’s just running a bit quicker thanexpected.”

But he said the business stayedtrue to its ethos and traditions.

“We call it the Thatchers’ w a y.Essentially the business is based onfarming – we are farmers. Webelieve we have craft and expertise

and passion and on that platformwe believe we can build asustainable future.”

The business has been familyowned since 1904, starting withWilliam Thatcher, then, Stan, Johnand now Martin.

Chris said the future of thebusiness was Martin’s childrenEleanor and Peter, and that drovethe firm’s focus on sustainability.

Thatchers certainly plans for thelong term. It farm 360 acres inSomerset has another 800 acresunder long-term contract inSomerset, Herefordshire, Wiltshireand Kent.

While much of the rural economyrides the ups and downs of theclimate, prices and other externalfactors, Thatchers is signing farmersup to 25-year contacts, guarantee-ing to buy their apples as well as

Focus: Farming and the rural economy

IT’S good to see rural propertyand land auctions comingback into favour as the ruralproperty market continues toperform strongly.

Auctions were once a corner-stone of the agricultural calendar –and community – but it’s fair to saythey rather fell out of favour dur-ing recent years. Well, businessesacross the farming sector are cer-tainly making hay while the sunshines now!

T hat’s hardly surprising asfarmers and landowners are al-ways on the lookout for a good deal– to add long coveted parcels of landto their estate or to dispose of thoseawkward corners that don’t quitefit their portfolio.

The auction process itself is verymuch the fast track as far as buy-ing property is concerned – but canbe something of a danger point forthe unwary and there are a fewthings to bear in mind if you aregoing to bid at auction. The mostimportant thing is to do your re-search in advance and take offthose rose-tinted spectacles whileyou do it.

Be sure to know precisely whatyou are bidding on. What is in-cluded and what is excluded fromthe sale. Request a catalogue andany property details and gothrough it with a fine-tooth comb.It is vital to get the opinion of aprofessional surveyor or valuerthe same as if you were buying inthe traditional way.

View the property as many timesas you can and let your profes-sional adviser view it as well. Ifthings are in a poor state consultbuilders and other professionals tocheck costs of likely repairs. Youmay have grand plans for the prop-erty but is it subject to planningrestraints? Are there any otherhidden caveats and conditions youwill have to adhere to?

On the day itself, stay calm andd o n’t get swept along with the ex-citement of the auction. It is farbetter to let the property go tosomeone else than to pay morethan you bargained for. Keep with-in the bracket of spending you setyourself. If necessary get a pro-fessional to bid on your behalf –they will be less emotionally in-vo l ve d .

Buying at auction is not for thefaint-hearted. It can be excitingand fun but can also be frustratingand time-consuming.

But preparation is the key; get-ting quality experts on your teamand having an eye for a bargain canmake commercial property buyingat auction a very profitable activityindeed.

Matthew PetersPartnerBruton Knowles0117 287 2101m a t t h e w. p e t e r s @brutonknowles.co.uk

Auctions backin favour

Expert eye RURAL FIRMS FIND THEIR OWN WINNING FORMULAS

“Access to funding for further in-vestment continues to be an issue form a ny, ” he said. “But for those withlanded assets, the picture is moreupbeat with banks often more will-ing to lend against farmland asvalues have continued to appreci-at e.

He added: “The recent change tocapital allowances means purchasesof machinery and other equipmentup to the value of £500,000 can po-tentially be written off for tax pur-poses in the year of purchase,providing opportunities for largeone-off tax savings, potentially

providing further funds for invest-ment. Of course it is important toreview the structure of the businessregularly to ensure longer term taxef ficiency.”

Jerry and his firm recently hosteda Future in Food Conference at YeoValley in Blagdon, which gave aninsight into such challenges but alsopainted an upbeat picture.

He said: “The West of England hasa rich and diverse agricultural her-itage with a large community offarmers and food and drink pro-cessors. We heard first-hand ac-counts of some of the innovative

approaches to business developmentbeing taken by companies such asThatchers, Lye Cross Farm andMarshfield Bakery, who continue towork hard to differentiate theirproducts and extend their reach.

“Many of the West’s food and drinkbrands have a very strong identity athome as well as abroad.

“Those who have not managed toestablish or differentiate themselvesquite so well are being urged tocollaborate with others in their sup-ply chain to help strengthen theiroffering and better exploit the op-portunities. Organisations such as

the NFU and the West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership areamong those actively encouragingthis approach.”

But he warned while things weregenerally positive, there was a “cl o u don the horizon”.

“As Sterling continues tostrengthen against the Euro, theimpact on the Basic Payment Scheme(BPS) – formerly Single Farm Pay-ment – is likely to be felt withfarmers facing the prospect of lowersupport payments. The next fewmonths will be critical in terms ofsetting the level of new payments.”

providing the expertise needed.The new facilities give the

business room to treble in size overthe next seven years.

Thatchers’ recipe is a successfulone. In the last six years, thebusiness has grown by nearly 600per cent. Export sales have tripled inthe last year, and Thatchers is oneof the fastest growing brands in UKoff-licence trade throughsupermarkets. It is sold in 20countries, the most recent additionwas Australia where it has linked upwith Coppers Brewery, a fifthgeneration family firm.

Every part of every batch of ciderproduced is tasted by John orMartin Thatcher before it is allowedto leave the site. With 150,000 litresof cider produced this year, that’sone tradition that might not be sosustainable.

Jerry BarnesPartner and Head of FamilyOffice and Landed Estatesat the Bristol officeSmith & Williamson0117 376 2000jerr y.barnes@smith.williamson.co.ukw w w. s m i t h .williamson.co.uk

� Pies in production at Marshfield Bakery

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8 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

� BRDR2014 0605D-005_C

Business diary

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

Institute of Directors regionaldinner and director awards:With IoD chief economist JamesSproule at Paintworks onThursday, June 12. To book, call0117 3707785 or visitw w w. i o d . c o m / s w e s t e v e n t s .

Bloodhound SCC CockpitLaunch: The unveiling of theBloodhound Supersonic Car’scockpit, aka Driver Andy Green’s1,000mph office, at theBloodhound Technical Centre,Avonmouth,10:45am on Friday,June 13.

Cider Trends Summit:Aone-day conference that willprovide insight into theinnovative world of cider and thetrends currently driving thisvibrant category. Tuesday, June17, At-Bristol, 10am to 4.30pm.Vi s i t www.cidertr endssummit.co.uk for details.

CBI: The Annual BollandL e c t u re : John Cridland CBE,Director General, CBI, gives theAnnual Bolland Lecture 2014, onWednesday, June 18 at UWEExhibition and ConferenceC e n t re .

What’s Your Digital Strategy?Institute of Directors and 02 hostseminar on how businesses areusing digital with speakersincluding Ho Wade, head ofdirect sales at 02. From 7.30amto 10am at the Engine Shed,Wednesday, June 18.

Somerset in BusinessShowcase: Businesses from allover Somerset, and beyond, willbe at The Winter Gardens,Weston-super-Mare,for thefourth annual showcase in theresort. The event takes placefrom 11am to 4pm onWednesday, June 18. To registervisit w w w w. s i b . t o d a y .

Outset Bristol Start Up Loanworkshop: How to apply for aStart Up Loan and use it to helpgrow your business - thisworkshop is open to anyone inBristol who is about to launch anew business or has beentrading for less than 12 months.Thursday, June 19, 2-5pm atRoyal Oak House, Prince St,Bristol. Register atw w w. o u t s e t b r i s t o l . c o . u k or call0800 032 2903.

A masterclass in leadershipfrom the Masai people: ChrisHowe explores the wisdom ofleadership from the Masaipeople and its relevance tobusiness in the West. The CliftonPavilion, Bristol Zoo, 6pm, FridayJune 20. To book visithttps://www.for mstack.com/for ms/uwe-masterclass_in_masai_leadership.

The Bristol Post BusinessAw a rd s : A celebration of allthat’s great about Bristolbusiness run by the Bristol Post.A great chance to network andentertain clients. From 7pm onWednesday, June 25 at thePassenger Shed, Temple Meads.Book tickets online atw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /businessawards.

The Bristol Connected event at Bristol Zoo

WHO knew pensionscould be so much fun?That was the feedbackafter the recent BristolConnected: Auto-enrol-

ment - Are You Ready? event atBristol Zoo.

The event was held by the BristolPost in association with CliftonAsset Management and gave busi-ness owners an insight into theissues they face as the laws onworkplace pensions roll around tosmaller and medium sized firms.

While the turnout was affected bya combination of traffic, torrentialrain and Bristol Rugby’s final gameat the Mem, dozens of businessowners and managers attended.

They were treated to engage talksf ro m :

* Seven Investment Managementfounder Justin Urquhart Stewart,who is a regular expert on televisionand radio, and gave a bombastic talkon the state of the economy and riseof the entrepreneur.

* Pensions Guru Steve Bee, whoentertained with his dry wit but alsoexplained how automatic enrolmentwill work for employers and whatthey need to do.

* And finally Morten Nilsson, chiefexecutive of pensions provider NowPensions talked through some of thebenefits and pitfalls.

Clifton Asset Management groupfinance planning director AnthonyCarty urged business to start plan-ning now.

He said: “It is difficult to un-derstate the amount of heavy liftingthat is required for this project.

“The Pensions Regulator says youshould be planning for at least 18m o n t h s. ”

Bristol Post assistant editor (busi-ness) Gavin Thompson added:“We ’re very grateful to Clifton AssetManagement and our speakers formaking this excellent event pos-s i bl e.

“The key message to business own-ers and managers was to act now.Find out what your staging date forauto-enrolment is and then seek outthe expert advice you will need.

“But don’t leave it too late if youwant to get it right.”

The next Bristol Connected eventwill be on Thursday, August 14, from6pm. Details and ticket informationwill be announced nearer the time.

� Steve Bee talks duringthe Bristol Connected eventBRDR2014 0604C-003_C

� Morten Nilsson during the BristolConnected eventBRDR2014 0604C-002_C � Duncan

Reevesand SteveBriceBRDR20140604C-011_C

� Above, Justin Urquhart Stewart during the Bristol Connected event at Bristol Zoo Pavilion BRDR2014 0604C-004_C

� EmmaHall andYa r k aKrajickovaBRDR20140604C-012_C

� Justin Urquhart Stewart, Morten Nilsson, Anthony Carty and Steve Bee during the Bristol Connected event atBristol Zoo Pavilion BRDR20140604C-010_C

� Lacey Tucker and Chintal Patel BRDR20140604C-013_C

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

MEMBERS of the Bristol In-ternational BalloonFiesta 100 Club weretreated to dinner in anunusual venue when the

draw was made for this year’s titles p o n s o r.

Club members, who all support thefree event, are put into a draw withone chosen as the headline sponsor.This year Accolade Wines, based inAvonmouth, was the lucky winner,which will use the event to promoteits Hardys wine brand.

The announcement was made at ablack-tie dinner and rather than optfor a traditional venue, the event wasstaged at Cameron Balloons in Bed-m i n s t e r.

The firm was founded by DonCameron and it was after he gave atalk to the Bristol Junior Chamber onhis attempt to cross the Atlantic in aballoon back in 1978 that the idea ofthe fiesta was born.

The event has since become a majorpart of the calendar in Bristol. Thisyear it takes place at Ashton Courtfrom August 7-10.

Simon Williams from Hardys said:“We ’re really excited to be namedtitle sponsor for the Bristol Inter-national Balloon Fiesta in 2014. Allour wines destined for the UK andEurope are bottled at a state of the artfacility in Bristol, so we feel part ofthe region and have been proud spon-sors of this fantastic national eventfor four years.”

BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY OUT AND ABOUTPav i l i o n Pictures by Dan ReganBalloon Fiesta 100 Club at Cameron Balloons

� The sceneat theBalloonFiestasponsors’dinner held atC a m e ro nBalloons inBedminsterBRDR20140605D-006_C

� BRDR2014 0605D-004_C

� BRDR2014 0605D-002_C � BRDR2014 0605D-003_C � BRDR20140604C-009_C

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

8 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

� BRDR2014 0605D-005_C

Business diary

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

Institute of Directors regionaldinner and director awards:With IoD chief economist JamesSproule at Paintworks onThursday, June 12. To book, call0117 3707785 or visitw w w. i o d . c o m / s w e s t e v e n t s .

Bloodhound SCC CockpitLaunch: The unveiling of theBloodhound Supersonic Car’scockpit, aka Driver Andy Green’s1,000mph office, at theBloodhound Technical Centre,Avonmouth,10:45am on Friday,June 13.

Cider Trends Summit:Aone-day conference that willprovide insight into theinnovative world of cider and thetrends currently driving thisvibrant category. Tuesday, June17, At-Bristol, 10am to 4.30pm.Vi s i t www.cidertr endssummit.co.uk for details.

CBI: The Annual BollandL e c t u re : John Cridland CBE,Director General, CBI, gives theAnnual Bolland Lecture 2014, onWednesday, June 18 at UWEExhibition and ConferenceC e n t re .

What’s Your Digital Strategy?Institute of Directors and 02 hostseminar on how businesses areusing digital with speakersincluding Ho Wade, head ofdirect sales at 02. From 7.30amto 10am at the Engine Shed,Wednesday, June 18.

Somerset in BusinessShowcase: Businesses from allover Somerset, and beyond, willbe at The Winter Gardens,Weston-super-Mare,for thefourth annual showcase in theresort. The event takes placefrom 11am to 4pm onWednesday, June 18. To registervisit w w w w. s i b . t o d a y .

Outset Bristol Start Up Loanworkshop: How to apply for aStart Up Loan and use it to helpgrow your business - thisworkshop is open to anyone inBristol who is about to launch anew business or has beentrading for less than 12 months.Thursday, June 19, 2-5pm atRoyal Oak House, Prince St,Bristol. Register atw w w. o u t s e t b r i s t o l . c o . u k or call0800 032 2903.

A masterclass in leadershipfrom the Masai people: ChrisHowe explores the wisdom ofleadership from the Masaipeople and its relevance tobusiness in the West. The CliftonPavilion, Bristol Zoo, 6pm, FridayJune 20. To book visithttps://www.for mstack.com/for ms/uwe-masterclass_in_masai_leadership.

The Bristol Post BusinessAw a rd s : A celebration of allthat’s great about Bristolbusiness run by the Bristol Post.A great chance to network andentertain clients. From 7pm onWednesday, June 25 at thePassenger Shed, Temple Meads.Book tickets online atw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k /businessawards.

The Bristol Connected event at Bristol Zoo

WHO knew pensionscould be so much fun?That was the feedbackafter the recent BristolConnected: Auto-enrol-

ment - Are You Ready? event atBristol Zoo.

The event was held by the BristolPost in association with CliftonAsset Management and gave busi-ness owners an insight into theissues they face as the laws onworkplace pensions roll around tosmaller and medium sized firms.

While the turnout was affected bya combination of traffic, torrentialrain and Bristol Rugby’s final gameat the Mem, dozens of businessowners and managers attended.

They were treated to engage talksf ro m :

* Seven Investment Managementfounder Justin Urquhart Stewart,who is a regular expert on televisionand radio, and gave a bombastic talkon the state of the economy and riseof the entrepreneur.

* Pensions Guru Steve Bee, whoentertained with his dry wit but alsoexplained how automatic enrolmentwill work for employers and whatthey need to do.

* And finally Morten Nilsson, chiefexecutive of pensions provider NowPensions talked through some of thebenefits and pitfalls.

Clifton Asset Management groupfinance planning director AnthonyCarty urged business to start plan-ning now.

He said: “It is difficult to un-derstate the amount of heavy liftingthat is required for this project.

“The Pensions Regulator says youshould be planning for at least 18m o n t h s. ”

Bristol Post assistant editor (busi-ness) Gavin Thompson added:“We ’re very grateful to Clifton AssetManagement and our speakers formaking this excellent event pos-s i bl e.

“The key message to business own-ers and managers was to act now.Find out what your staging date forauto-enrolment is and then seek outthe expert advice you will need.

“But don’t leave it too late if youwant to get it right.”

The next Bristol Connected eventwill be on Thursday, August 14, from6pm. Details and ticket informationwill be announced nearer the time.

� Steve Bee talks duringthe Bristol Connected eventBRDR2014 0604C-003_C

� Morten Nilsson during the BristolConnected eventBRDR2014 0604C-002_C � Duncan

Reevesand SteveBriceBRDR20140604C-011_C

� Above, Justin Urquhart Stewart during the Bristol Connected event at Bristol Zoo Pavilion BRDR2014 0604C-004_C

� EmmaHall andYa r k aKrajickovaBRDR20140604C-012_C

� Justin Urquhart Stewart, Morten Nilsson, Anthony Carty and Steve Bee during the Bristol Connected event atBristol Zoo Pavilion BRDR20140604C-010_C

� Lacey Tucker and Chintal Patel BRDR20140604C-013_C

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

MEMBERS of the Bristol In-ternational BalloonFiesta 100 Club weretreated to dinner in anunusual venue when the

draw was made for this year’s titles p o n s o r.

Club members, who all support thefree event, are put into a draw withone chosen as the headline sponsor.This year Accolade Wines, based inAvonmouth, was the lucky winner,which will use the event to promoteits Hardys wine brand.

The announcement was made at ablack-tie dinner and rather than optfor a traditional venue, the event wasstaged at Cameron Balloons in Bed-m i n s t e r.

The firm was founded by DonCameron and it was after he gave atalk to the Bristol Junior Chamber onhis attempt to cross the Atlantic in aballoon back in 1978 that the idea ofthe fiesta was born.

The event has since become a majorpart of the calendar in Bristol. Thisyear it takes place at Ashton Courtfrom August 7-10.

Simon Williams from Hardys said:“We ’re really excited to be namedtitle sponsor for the Bristol Inter-national Balloon Fiesta in 2014. Allour wines destined for the UK andEurope are bottled at a state of the artfacility in Bristol, so we feel part ofthe region and have been proud spon-sors of this fantastic national eventfor four years.”

BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY OUT AND ABOUTPav i l i o n Pictures by Dan ReganBalloon Fiesta 100 Club at Cameron Balloons

� The sceneat theBalloonFiestasponsors’dinner held atC a m e ro nBalloons inBedminsterBRDR20140605D-006_C

� BRDR2014 0605D-004_C

� BRDR2014 0605D-002_C � BRDR2014 0605D-003_C � BRDR20140604C-009_C

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10 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY OUT AND ABOUT 2South Gloucestershire branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSBs) – ‘It costs how much?’ Held at Aztec West Hotel

Regular fortnightly meeting of the Bristol branch of the Institute of Directors - held at the Radisson Blu

THE difficult task for smallbusinesses of making surethe price is right was thesubject of the latest seminarheld by the South Gloucester-

shire branch of the Federation ofSmall Businesses (FSB).

Under the title of “It costs howm u ch ? ”, Terry Lever, a Somer-set-based sales and marketing expert,entertained the audience at the AztecWest Hotel by looking at every aspectof pricing to customers.

The FSB team hold a free-to-attendseminar on the last Wednesday ofevery month open to members andnon-members. The next seminars areon how to network (June 25) and an‘ask the politician’ event with SteveWebb, the Pensions Minister on July30.

“These seminars are an excellentway of encouraging local businessesto meet together and learn thingswhich can help them grow and de-ve l o p, ” said Paul Neck, the chairmanof the FSB’s South Glos branch.

For more info go to http://w w w. f s b. o rg. u k / gl o sw e s t o fe n gl a n d /b ra n ch e s / s o u t h gl o u c e s t e rs h i re .

BUSINESS leaders fromaround Bristol and Bath en-joyed an evening of informalnetworking at the Bristolbranch of the Institute of

D i re c t o r s ’ regular fortnightly meet-ing at Radisson Blu in the city.

The speaker was surveyor and IoDmember Robert Chapman, whotalked about the economic impact oftaking professional property advicewhen purchasing or leasing commer-cial property, as well as legal and

a c c o u n t a n cy.The Bristol branch is the largest in

the South West with a membership of500, including student representat-ives from the University of the West ofEngland.

As well as informal networking,the branch holds a number of keynoteevents through the year, the nexton June 25 with Tastetech founderJanis Sinton and her team demon-strating taste encapsulation at Ex-p l o re @ B r i s t o l .

� Helen Eyre, speaker Trevor Lever and Brian Bingham BRJK20140528E-013_C � Members at the seminar at Aztec West Hotel Pictures by Jon Kent

� Andrew Forbes, Neil Munns, Paul Sampson, Martin Greaney, Ray Turner BRJK20140528E-010_C

� Roger Plahay, Richard Graves and Karen White Pictures: Jon Kent BRJK20140528D-001_C

FAIR prices, sustainability andbrand identity were among thetopics debated at the Future inFood Conference run by theBristol office of accountancy

and investment management group,Smith & Williamson.

Melanie Squires of the NFU said:“Together we must promote Britishproduce – which the NFU is doingthrough its Back British Farmingcampaign – label food in a way that is � Melanie Squires, regional director, NFU in the South West

Future in Food Conference at Yeo Valley

practical and easy to understand, andwork towards introducing long-termsupply contracts”

Tim Harrap, head of collaborationat Lye Cross Farm, told the eventabout the importance of brand au-thenticity. He challenged businessesto think about how they communicatethe stories behind their products anddevelop a memorable brand which re-flects their key selling points.

Jerry Barnes, head of private client

tax at Smith & Williamson’s Bristoloffice, which has a dedicated landedestates team, said: “We enjoyed alively debate and locally-sourcedlunch at the impressive Somersetheadquarters of Yeo Valley.

“This is the second year we haverun this event and we are grateful toour speakers for highlighting some ofthe major issues facing the sector aswell as sharing their success storieswith us.”

Part of the Local World group

Whether your conference is on a small or large scaleour expert knowledge will give you a professionaland stress free event by providing you with theright presentation equipment, lighting and sound.

Audience Response

Presentation Production

Video Presentation

Staging your Conferencedoesn’t have to cost a fortune...

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

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10 We d n e s d a y, June 11, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, June 11, 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

BRISTOL’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY OUT AND ABOUT 2South Gloucestershire branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSBs) – ‘It costs how much?’ Held at Aztec West Hotel

Regular fortnightly meeting of the Bristol branch of the Institute of Directors - held at the Radisson Blu

THE difficult task for smallbusinesses of making surethe price is right was thesubject of the latest seminarheld by the South Gloucester-

shire branch of the Federation ofSmall Businesses (FSB).

Under the title of “It costs howm u ch ? ”, Terry Lever, a Somer-set-based sales and marketing expert,entertained the audience at the AztecWest Hotel by looking at every aspectof pricing to customers.

The FSB team hold a free-to-attendseminar on the last Wednesday ofevery month open to members andnon-members. The next seminars areon how to network (June 25) and an‘ask the politician’ event with SteveWebb, the Pensions Minister on July30.

“These seminars are an excellentway of encouraging local businessesto meet together and learn thingswhich can help them grow and de-ve l o p, ” said Paul Neck, the chairmanof the FSB’s South Glos branch.

For more info go to http://w w w. f s b. o rg. u k / gl o sw e s t o fe n gl a n d /b ra n ch e s / s o u t h gl o u c e s t e rs h i re .

BUSINESS leaders fromaround Bristol and Bath en-joyed an evening of informalnetworking at the Bristolbranch of the Institute of

D i re c t o r s ’ regular fortnightly meet-ing at Radisson Blu in the city.

The speaker was surveyor and IoDmember Robert Chapman, whotalked about the economic impact oftaking professional property advicewhen purchasing or leasing commer-cial property, as well as legal and

a c c o u n t a n cy.The Bristol branch is the largest in

the South West with a membership of500, including student representat-ives from the University of the West ofEngland.

As well as informal networking,the branch holds a number of keynoteevents through the year, the nexton June 25 with Tastetech founderJanis Sinton and her team demon-strating taste encapsulation at Ex-p l o re @ B r i s t o l .

� Helen Eyre, speaker Trevor Lever and Brian Bingham BRJK20140528E-013_C � Members at the seminar at Aztec West Hotel Pictures by Jon Kent

� Andrew Forbes, Neil Munns, Paul Sampson, Martin Greaney, Ray Turner BRJK20140528E-010_C

� Roger Plahay, Richard Graves and Karen White Pictures: Jon Kent BRJK20140528D-001_C

FAIR prices, sustainability andbrand identity were among thetopics debated at the Future inFood Conference run by theBristol office of accountancy

and investment management group,Smith & Williamson.

Melanie Squires of the NFU said:“Together we must promote Britishproduce – which the NFU is doingthrough its Back British Farmingcampaign – label food in a way that is � Melanie Squires, regional director, NFU in the South West

Future in Food Conference at Yeo Valley

practical and easy to understand, andwork towards introducing long-termsupply contracts”

Tim Harrap, head of collaborationat Lye Cross Farm, told the eventabout the importance of brand au-thenticity. He challenged businessesto think about how they communicatethe stories behind their products anddevelop a memorable brand which re-flects their key selling points.

Jerry Barnes, head of private client

tax at Smith & Williamson’s Bristoloffice, which has a dedicated landedestates team, said: “We enjoyed alively debate and locally-sourcedlunch at the impressive Somersetheadquarters of Yeo Valley.

“This is the second year we haverun this event and we are grateful toour speakers for highlighting some ofthe major issues facing the sector aswell as sharing their success storieswith us.”

Part of the Local World group

Whether your conference is on a small or large scaleour expert knowledge will give you a professionaland stress free event by providing you with theright presentation equipment, lighting and sound.

Audience Response

Presentation Production

Video Presentation

Staging your Conferencedoesn’t have to cost a fortune...

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

EPB-

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

impressive £1,000 more than lastyear for their chosen charity,Children's Hospice South West.

Solicitor Robyn Palmer, whohelped organise the event, said: "Iwas so pleased with the turn out atthe event and the amount of moneywe managed to raise. The mostpopular auction items of the nightwere glider lessons, a VIP tour of theHouses of Parliament and ourprevious resident, Rudolf TheReindeer, which is already gainingfame on Twitter.”

� Comedian Barry Cryer entertained105 guests at the annual dinner ofthe Bristol & Bath branch of theChartered Institute for Securities &Investment.

The event atBristol Zooraised £1,000for TalkingMoney(formerlyBristol DebtAdvice Centre).

OsmanYu k s e l t u r k ,director of the MScfinance programme atUWE, and Helena Thompson, chiefexecutive of Talking Money, wereamong guests.

� A six-a-side charity crickettournament is taking place in Bristolon Friday, June 20, to raise moneyfor the Avon Bristol Law Centre andMarie Curie Cancer Care.

The Anthony Barker QC MemorialShield, organised by No5 Chambersbased in Queen Square, will beawarded to the team that triumphsat Brislington Cricket Club inIronmould Lane.

The tournament is a tribute to MrBarker, a former head of chambers,who died in 2012 after a long battleagainst cancer.

� Staff at Clarke Willmott LLPhosted their first charity ball on May9 at Woodlands Castle. The black tieevent, which included a 17-pieceband, a charity auction and raffle,raised over £3,400 for St Margaret’sHospice and The Albemarle Centre.Since 2012, the firm has raised over£8,000 for both the charities

The back page� A GROUP of Bristol’s leading techsector entrepreneurs went toBuckingham Palace this week for aspecial reception by the Queen andthe Duke of Edinburgh.

The event recognised andcelebrated the growing contributionof the technology sector to the UKeconomy and the country’s proudtradition of innovation.

The Queen and The Duke ofEdinburgh were joined by the Dukeof Cambridge, the Duke ofGloucester, the Duke of Kent andthe Duke of York, who is a long-timesupporter of SMEs and thetechnology sector and haspreviously visited Bristol’s EngineShed tech hub.

� As the economy picks up,recruitment follows. Propertyconsultancy JLL has made a raft ofnew graduate appointments to itsBristol office.

Four new recruits have joined theoffice with a fifth graduate due tostart in September. That’s thehighest number of graduateappointments since 2007.

Jeremy Richards, head of JLL’soffice, said: “They were all originallydue to start in September but we’vebeen able to take on four of themalready, which is another reflectionof the improving market conditions.”

The graduates are Lucy Warrenand Chris Quaile, who will join thebuilding and construction team;Kathryn Hollick, joining healthcarevaluation and Ross Wigley, who willjoin the office agency team. DeborahBryant Pearson, will be joining thecompany in September.

Awa rd s� Stride Treglown, which has a bigpresence in Bristol, has maintainedits No.10 ranking in the prestigiousArchitects Journal 100 list of top UKarchitectural practices.

The survey gathers data on keyelements such as company ethos,clients, projects, income andlocation in order to build up adetailed picture of the industry.

David Hunter, chairman of StrideTreglown, said: “We were thrilled tohold on to the number 10 slot foranother year. It reinforces our

position as a serious national, andincreasingly, international player.”

Good work� A number of Bristol firms havebeen doing their bit for goodcauses. Law firm VWV has chosenBrace and St Mungo's Broadway(London) as its charities this year.

Sometimes doing nothing is not a bad thing

WHEN in a position ofpower or manage-ment, people feel theneed to do some-thing... anything.

We see it with companies, abrand is still bedding in but theboss announces it is time for achange. I’ve seen it in my ownindustry over the years.

It is understandable, of course.The people in charge are usuallypaid the most money. Those on theground doing the day-to-day worklook up and think “what are theyactually doing?” So the bossthinks he’d better earn his salaryby having some big ideas.

T hat’s great when there aregood big new ideas. Every in-dustry and every business needsi n n ovat i o n .

But change for change’s sake

and new strategies coming in andgoing out through a constantlyrevolving door helps no one.

And what we see in the office ismagnified in the corridors ofpower. The coalition Governmentwas criticised for a relatively lightQ u e e n’s Speech last week, inwhich it set out its legislativeprogramme for the coming Par-liamentary session. Some accusedit of being a “zombie” gover nmentthat had “run out of ideas”.

It might be true.But let’s turn that on its head.

How many people are right nowthinking, “what we need in this

� Palace visit: From left, Nigel Austin of Cayder; Tom Griffin of Ripjar; NicolaRay of Modern Media; Glenn Smith of Maplebird; Bonnie Dean of Bristol &Bath Science Park; and Steve O’Brien of Newicon at the Science Park inEmersons Green

The op-ed column

country is some new laws”. Or“we simply must have some morered tape and bureaucracy to makeour days more interesting”.

Because that’s what the Queen’sSpeech entails. The new laws theGovernment wants to introducein the coming year.

And those new laws all require

someone to do something differ-ent. To start doing something,stop doing something or recordwhat they are doing, aren’t doingor are no longer doing.

The single most important taskthis Government was faced withon coming to power was steeringthrough the economic crisis to-wards more prosperous shores.

Business needs a stable envir-onment in which to prosper.

There is already plenty ofchange under way, automatic en-rolment for workplace pensions,for example.

Business has enough on itsplate. Sometimes strong leader-ship means to choose to do noth-ing.� To write for this column emailyour 350-word submission and aphoto to business@b-nm.co.uk.

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

Managing partner Simon Healdsaid: “We take our responsibilitytowards the community in which welive and work, seriously and it isimportant for our staff and firm toplay an active role, not only inbusiness but also in community life.”

� Ashfords staff raised £4,586 attheir Bristol charity quiz, an

Pe o p l e

Your digest of the week in business

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

21 %20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

Business savingsaccounts

1.40%£5,000 deposit

1.85%£1,000 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

Inflation(CPI) 1.8 %

Weeklyearnings 1.7 %Baseinterestrate

0.5 %Averagemortgagerate

S o u rc e :

Secure TrustBank

Inflation(RPI) 2.5 %

“Change forchange’s sake andnew strategiescoming in and goingout through aconstantly revolvingdoor helps no one.

� Cricket tournament: From left, Abdul Hafeez, James Parks, Craig Wain, allof No5 Chambers, and Paul Bleasdale

3.9 9 %