Kirklees Business News 17/04/12

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees17, Apr i l , 2012

INSIDE

● Full story - Page 8

● Full story - Page 5

DARREN WHITEHEAD

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3Commercia l break?

Co lumn - Page 7

An EXAMINER publication

WastecollectionA WASTE managementcompany caught theeye of judges in amonthly awardscompetition.Mirfield-based SunersolLtd, which specialisesin recycling electricalwaste metals, includingelectrical appliancesand equipment, is thelatest winner of theBusiness of the MonthAward run byHuddersfield law firmEaton Smith.

Polar intop fiveA CAR dealership inHuddersfield has beenvoted one of the UK’s50 top garages and oneof the top five inYorkshire. Polar Ford, atSt Andrew’s Road,Bradley Mills, was oneof 14 Ford Retail outletsrecognised in theGarage of the Yearcompetition. Thecontest is organised bygovernment-backedconsumer watchdog forthe motor industry,Motor Codes, torecognise first class,honest operators.

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Huddersfield firm that’s in the driving seatA JAPANESE company has broken withits normal practices to award a three-yearcontract to a firm based in Huddersfield.

Japan Tobacco International is out-sourcing its UK vehicle incident manage-ment for the first time – and has chosenFMG Support, based at Bradley Mills.

JTI’s UK operations include a headquar-ters at Weybridge, a distribution factory inCrewe and a manufacturing plant inNorthern Ire land. Previously, i ts600-strong fleet of mainly BMWs andVauxhalls had been managed in-house.

JTI overheads and fleet manager JudyEdwards said: “A review of our internalprocesses and the introduction of a new carpolicy led to our decision to seek expert

support to realise real business benefitsfrom fleet.”

The contract was awarded at the start ofthe year, following a formal tender processwhen FMG was one of four companiesshortlisted.

She said: “We were impressed by theirprofessionalism, their genuine interest in usas a company and a commitment to cus-tomer service which runs through the coreof their business.

“The management information FMG’scomprehensive system provides will help usmake improvements in areas we are tryingto focus on.

“And, on a very practical level, ourdrivers will benefit from having a single

point of contact and speedier resolution ofincidents thanks to FMG’s excellent net-work.

“So far the handover and implementa-tion process has been seamless, and we’relooking forward to working closely withthe team to deliver service improvementsand cost-savings.”

FMG chief executive officer John Cat-ling said: “The decision to outsource ele-ments of an organ i sat ion’s f l ee tmanagement is not always an easy one.

“We hope that by working as a strategicpartner, rather than simply a supplier ofworld class incident management services,our method is changing the way companiesview fleet.”

■ STRATEGIC: FMGSupport operationsdirector John Catling

Company on trackto double turnoverA COMPANY manufacturing specialoils and lubricants for the automotiveindustry has reported strong sales.

Brighouse-based Millers Oils saw an8% increase in sales across its entirerange, including lubricants and fueladditives during the financial yearending March, 2012.

The strong results mean Millers Oilsis on track to reach its target ofdoubling revenue by 2015. It reporteda record turnover of £25m globally lastyear.

The firm said its growth was due tothe addition of new distributors anddirect partnerships totalling nearly1,000 new accounts in the year.

This was a combination of 561 newdistributors and direct partnershipsand 420 accounts returning to MillersOils in the UK alone.

While sales in all areas have beenparticularly strong, the automotiveand industrials sectors put in a partic-ularly strong performance with itsEcomax additives and Trident gradesenjoying increased sales amongcost-conscious customers.

A focus on nanotechnology has alsohelped drive the company’s success inthe motorsport and automotive sec-tors, with developments such as itsNanodrive range of engine oils at thebeginning of 2012.

The increase in sales and productdevelopment resulted in five newappointments to the sales and tech-nical teams.

Joint managing director SteveWoollven said: “This growth is testa-ment to the combined knowledge andexperience of both our technical andsales teams.

“Developing products that helpmanufacturers, drivers and engineersto perform at their best is no meanfeat, but we are committed to develop-ing state-of-the-art products that meetthe needs of modern engines andmachines.”

Millers Oils opened a new researchand development at its Brighouse sitein 2011 with 15 new products set tolaunch later this year.

The firm pumped £500,000 into itsnew research and development labor-atory, which is focusing on developingtechnology to help in the manufactureof products that reduce friction – a keygrowth area for oil and lubricant com-panies.

Mr Woollven said: “Our client ser-vice continues to improve, especiallybecause of our UK-based supportservices. This is why so many busi-nesses keep coming back to MillersOils.

“The past few years have been diffi-

cult for most industries, but we areconfident that we’ll continue togrow.”

Millers Oils, founded in 1887, makesproducts including oils manufactured

specially for the automotive, motors-port, classic car and truck sectors.

It has headquarters at Brighouseand depots in Glasgow and Abingdon,Oxfordshire.

■ CONFIDENT: Steve Woollven , joint managing director of Brighouse-basedMiller Oils, said new appointments had helped boost sales

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national

FRENCH firm GDF Suez is on thebrink of securing full control ofRugeley power station co-ownerInternational Power.

GDF has increased its offer pricefor the 30% of the business notalready in its hands to 418p a share,equivalent to £6.4bn.

The proposal has been backed byInternational Power’s independentdirectors after they rejected an offerof 390p a share earlier this month.

GDF’s acquisition, which is sub-ject to shareholder approval, comesa year after it took a controlling stakein a new company combining Inter-national Power’s 45 power stationswith its own non-European assets.

The new International Power busi-ness has 11 plants in the UK, includ-ing joint ownership of the giantcoal-fired station at Rugeley inStaffordshire, which powers theequivalent of half a million homes.

It also owns the gas-fired stationat Saltend, near Hull, and is a major-ity owner in the First Hydro hydro-electric plants at Dinorwig andFfestiniog in North Wales. The com-pany has about 11,000 staff withoperations in 30 countries.

GDF, which employs 218,900people worldwide and generatedrevenues of £75.5bn in 2011, said theacquisition would enable it to growin key markets, including Asia.

SET-TOP box makerPace reported anencouraging start to itsnew financial year – butsaid it continued to beaffected by problems withthe supply of hard diskdrives following floodingin Thailand.

Chairman AllanLeighton told thecompany’s annualmeeting that the financialposition of the companywas robust.

Mr Leighton said: Pacehad an encouraging startto the new financial yearwith revenue in line withour expectations.

“The business isbenefiting from astronger operationalfocus and this isdelivering tangiblebenefits in procurement,operating efficiency andcosts,” he said.

“Profitability in theperiod continues to beimpacted by HDD supplyissues, but is in line withour expectations. Cashperformance in theperiod has been strongand the financial positionof the company remainsrobust.”

“The new managementteam is tightly focused ondelivering an improvedperformance in 2012.”.

Pace ispositive

Power firm set for takeover deal

Banks bear bruntof fears over Spain

METAL production is back underway at one of the UK’s biggest steelplants – with the first usable slabs ofiron due to be produced within days.

The blast furnace at the plant inTeeside was rescued from the prospectof closure a year ago by SahaviriyaSteel Industries (SSI) of Thailand.

A gas lance was used to re-ignite thefurnace in a special ceremony yester-day.

The move will mark the resumptionof steel making on Teesside followingthe mothballing of the plant in Febru-ary, 2010.

About 1,700 workers are nowemployed on the site and the figure

will increase to 1,800, similar to thenumbers on site under the previousownership.

Win Viriyaprapaikit, president ofSSI, said: “This is a very proud day forus in SSI and for me personally.

“I believe that the investment wehave made at Teesside will result in avery successful business which willbenefit all of the stakeholdersinvolved, including the local com-munity and employees for generationsto come.”

SSI bought the Teesside CastProducts plant from Indian firm Tataa year ago for about £400m, rescuingthe site from the prospect of closure.

Steel plant up and running

GATWICK airport said ithandled 33.8mpassengers in the year toMarch 31.

That’s 3% higher thanthe previous 12 months,excluding the impact ofvolcano disruption.

Low-cost carriers inthe European scheduledsector made the biggestcontribution to theyear-on-year increase.

Taking off

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.45 dollarsBangladesh................. 122.04 takaBrazil.............................. 2.60 realsCanada....................... 1.51 dollarsChina ............................. 8.94 yuanCzech Republic ...... 27.68 korunasDenmark....................... 8.60 kroneEuro............................... 1.16 euroHong Kong................ 11.65 dollarsHungary ................... 326.07 forintsIndia.......................... 72.06 rupeesJapan........................... 121.32 yenMexico ....................... 18.60 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.80 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.79 kronePakistan.................. 135.13 rupeesPhilippines ................. 57.97 pesosSouth Africa.................. 11.88 randSouth Korea.............. 1570.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 190.87 rupeesSweden....................... 10.33 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.39 francsTaiwan ...................... 40.80 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.70 new liraUSA ............................ 1.51 dollars

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £36.23 +0.13Gannett 882.33 -65.54Hess Corp £34.51 -0.33Microsoft 1950.23 +8.46Motors Liquidation 47.27Wal-Mart Stores £38.02 +0.35

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 2781/8 -17/8BAE Systems 2951/4 +23/8Rolls-Royce 8211/2 +111/2

AIMBrady Plc 871/2Dawson Intl 13/8Man Brnze 393/4 +11/2

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2033/4 +41/2

BANKSBarclays 2103/4 -41/8HSBC 5411/4 -17/8Lloyds Banking Gp 293/4 -1Ryl Scotland 241/4 -3/4Stan Chart 1499 +11/2

BEVERAGESDiageo 15431/2 +24SABMiller £253/8

CHEMICALSCroda £217/8 +5/8Elementis 98 1971/2 -71/4Johnsn Mat £233/8 +3/8

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 2717/8 -13/4

Costain 2153/4 -12

ELECTRICITYDrax Gp 5361/2 +6Intl Power 4163/4 +127/8SSE 1358 +18

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 2177/8 -7/8

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3633/4 +7/8

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 2153/4 -11/4Cable & WirelessComm

303/4 -1/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

363/4 -1/2

Colt Group 971/2 -17/8KCOM 701/4 -21/4Talktalk Telecom 1321/2 -3/4

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 294 +13/8Sainsbury 3051/4 +31/4Tesco 3207/8 -11/8

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1203 +14Tate Lyle 6871/2 -2Unilever £203/8 +3/8

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 3183/4 +51/8National Grid 6451/2 +3Pennon Grp 723 +5Severn 1578 +21United Utils 598 +4

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 1921/8 -4ICAP 3691/4 -31/4London StockExch 1046 +11Man Group 1051/8 -47/8Provident Financial 1129 -13Schroders 1442 -13Schroders NV 1135 +3

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 7161/2 +3REXAM 4261/4 +63/4Smiths Grp 1037 +6

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 231/2Carphone Whse 1231/2 -33/4Dixons Retail 163/4 -3/4Home Retail 1043/4 -3/4Inchcape 3591/4 -21/4Kingfisher 3013/8 +33/4M & S 3673/4 -21/8Mothercare 162 -11Next £293/8 -1/8WH Smith 5331/2 -1

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6051/2

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 841/2 +1/4Barrat Dev 1331/4 -13/4Persimmon 626 -131/2Reckitt Benckiser £355/8 +1/2Taylor Wimpey 493/4 -1/2

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 9321/2 +51/2

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 2861/4 -83/8

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 210 -35/8

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 2981/4 -73/8Lgl & Gen 1203/4 -13/4Old Mutual 1521/4 -21/4Prudential 722 -41/2Resolution 2381/8 -41/4Standard Life 2201/4 -5/8

MEDIABSkyB 6471/2 +1/2D Mail Tst 4445/8 -25/8ITV 843/4Johnston Press 6 -3/8Pearson 1124 +9Reed Elsevier 527 +11/2STV Group 1131/8 +1/4Trinity Mirror 333/4 -2Utd Business 6031/2 +31/2UTV 1497/8 -1/8WPP 8431/2 +21/2Yell Group 31/2 -1/8

MININGAnglo American £221/4 -3/8Antofagasta 1120 -4BHP Billiton 18921/2 +31/2Eurasian NaturalRes

5591/2 -101/2

Fresnillo 1560 -18Kazakhmys 874 -6Lonmin 9821/2 -14Rio Tinto £343/8

VEDANTARESOURCES

1162 -24

Xstrata 1100 -21/2MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 4213/4 -1/2Vodafone Group 170 +1/2

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1174 -9RSA Insurance Gp 102 -11/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 1400 +131/2BP 443 +11/8Cairn Energy 327 +7Royal Dutch Shell A £211/4Royal Dutch Shell B £213/4

Total £301/2 +1/2Tullow Oil 1451 +8

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1071 -8Petrofac 1710 +17Wood Gp(J) 6931/2 +31/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1586 +21

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £28 +1/8GlaxoSmithK XD 251/2Shire 1980 +21

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 4701/8 -2Captl Shop Cent 3163/4 -1Hamrsn 4041/2 -31/2Land Secs 7071/2 -61/2SEGRO 227 -53/4

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 1891/4 -15/8Logica 785/8 -21/4Misys 3483/8 -1/2Sage Group 2863/8 -11/4

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 522 +31/2Bunzl 1007 +9Capita 7351/2 +7De La Rue 898 -11/2Electrocomp 2337/8 -37/8Experian 975 -3G4S 2877/8 +43/8Hays 881/8 -1/8Homeserve 224 -11/2

Menzies J 606 -21/2Rentokil 861/8 -3/8Smiths News 903/4Wolseley £231/2

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 599 +101/2Psion 563/4 +1/2Spirent Comms 1671/8 -53/4

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £313/8Imperial Tobacco £243/4 +1/4

LEISURE & HOTELSBwin.Party Digital 1561/4 -1/8Carnival 1942Compass Grp 6421/2 +41/2easyJet 4801/8 -3/4Enterprise Inns 601/2 -1/4FirstGroup 1971/2 -31/2Go-Ahead Gp 1125 -13Greene King 512Intercontl Htls 1446 +5Intl Cons AirlinesGp

1713/8 -33/4

Ladbrokes 1627/8 +3/4Mitchells & Butlers 2577/8 -3/4Natl Express 225 -21/4Rank Org 121 -11/2Stagecoach Group 2401/2 -3TUI Travel 194 -21/8Whitbread 1841 +14

INDEXFTSE 100 5666.28 +14.49

INDEXFTSE 250 11255.40 -55.65

Carclo 399 +19Marshalls 943/4 -1/2National Grid 6451/2 +3Weir Gp 1663 -26

BRITAIN’S biggest banks lost £2bnfrom their combined market value – asfears over Spain’s creaking finances sawinvestors dump financial stocks.

Lloyds closed down by almost 4% or1p at 29.7p while Royal Bank of Scot-land fell by 0.8p to 24.3p and Barclaysdropped 4.1p to 210.8p – even though anote from Investec Securities rein-forced its buy rating on the stock.

Traders were troubled by develop-ments in Spain, where the Govern-ment’s implied cost of borrowing iscreeping higher towards unsustainablelevels amid fears the struggling countrywill require a bailout from theEuropean Union and its partners.

Banks also fell out of favour afterequity analysts at JP Morgan Cazenovedowngraded the sector amid concernsover the impact rising funding costswill have on profits.

Rupert Osbourne, futures dealer atIG Index, said: “Spain remains very

much front and centre for global mar-kets, as its borrowing costs remain nearwhat many would consider unsustain-able levels.

“If there is one thing that we havelearnt from the past couple of years ofEuropean debt, it is that these problemstend not to be resolved quickly andpainlessly – and it does set the stage forpotentially more volatility in the weeksahead.”

The yield on Spain’s 10-year govern-

ment bonds hit 6.1%, moving closer tothe 7% which forced Greece, Irelandand Portugal to seek financial helpfrom the EU.

The rate is at its highest level sincethe new conservative government tookoffice in December.

The government has implemented atough austerity package of spendingcuts, as well as labour and financialreforms, but investors are concerned bySpain’s banks, which are battling with

bad loans from a collapsed propertymarket.

The troubles in Spain were flaggedby JP Morgan Cazenove as it down-graded the European banking sectorfrom overweight to neutral.

Mislav Matejka, analyst withEuropean equity strategy at JP MorganCazenove, said Spanish deposits fell by£4.9bn in February and continue toshow a negative trend.

Mr Matejka said: “This is particu-larly worrying and shows that Spanishbanks are becoming more and morevulnerable.”

He said the bank started the yearwith a bullish stance at the start of theyear, encouraged by the liquidity injec-tion provided by the European CentralBank.

But he added: “However, mostrecently the costs have increased again,hurting the profitability outlook for thesector.”

■ BANK ROLL:Barclays, RBS andLloyds are amongUK bank stocks tosuffer as investorsreacted to growingfears that theSpanish economycould be the next toseek a bailout fromits EU partners

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile

DarrenWhitehead

The RealLockCompany

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Co-ownerAge: 37Family: Married toDebra with childrenTom, 20, Jack 18, Tilly,seven, and Anna, fourHolidays: CapeVerde in the centralAtlantic OceanCar: Land RoverFirst job: Working inmy dad’s video shopBest thing aboutjob: Working fromhome is greatWorst thing aboutjob: Call-outs at oddhours!Business tip: Cus-tomer satisfaction isthe key

Work: Fitting the bestproductsSite: SlaithwaitePhone: 01484846849Email: [email protected]: www.thereallockcompany.com

Familyties arekey forDarren

FAMILY is everything toColne Valley businessmanDarren Whitehead.

The co-owner of The RealLock Company is happiestsurrounded by his nearestand dearest.

And that’s the usual stateof things as the business heruns with co-owner Stephenand lifelong friend StephenAllen is based at Darren’sSlaithwaite home.

Darren, 37, who workedas a joiner and aconstruction site managerbefore setting up his ownbusiness, built the house helives in four years ago. Heshares the property, whichcommands fine views of thevalley, with his wife Debraand four children as well ashis mother-in-law. The familyalso have several dogs. AsDarren says: “It’s generally avery busy house!”

The property is also nextdoor to Meadow Court carehome, which is owned by hisparents and uncle. Whenthey acquired the home fromKirklees Council, Darrencarried out the necessaryimprovements. He remainsinvolved in the business.

Darren grew up at HillTop, Slaithwaite, just threestreets away from hispresent home. He attendedColne Valley High School,but admits: “I was not veryacademically-minded. Istruggled to learn things thatdid not grip me.

“I left school and workedfor Gill Joinery in Golcar. Itwas a very goodapprenticeship. Working withthe boss all the time, youdon’t get away with a greatdeal!”

Darren went on to workfor joinery firms atLinthwaite and New Millbefore the chance came tostep up to constructionmanager, working in Londonfor five years. “It was atremendous opportunity togain more experience,” hesays. “It’s an opportunity Iwould never have got uphere.”

Darren worked for aconstruction company inWelwyn Garden City. Hewas involved in severalcommercial developments,including the building of bigindustrial units at Croydonand the provision of aholding area for Customs &Excise at Heathrow Airport.

However, Darren says: “Iwas always going to comeback. it was big decision togo there in the first place. Iwas supposed to be goingfor a month, but it turned out

to be a lot longer. I leftLondon in 2000 and cameback up here to see if Icould get a job atmanagement level.”

Back home, Darrenworked on several majorschemes, including therefurbishment of the visitorcentre at Tunnel End,Marsden, and a £1.2mcontract for a specialist oldpeople’s unit at Harrogate.

Although his employerssent him to London for 12months, Darren was soonback – helping with theMeadow Courtrefurbishment. “The homehad been closed for four orfive years and neededbringing up to regulations,”he says.

Darren later worked for aHalifax construction firm onschemes including therefurbishment of retail unitsin Deansgate, Manchester;

a £3.4m extension for LeedsCollege of Art and Design;new minor surgery theatresat Holme Valley MemorialHospital in Holmfirth; andthe conversion into officesof part of historic HoptonMills at Mirfield.

However, Darren foresawthe downturn looming forthe construction industryand decided to go back tohis roots in joinery and workfor himself.

“I had just passed theentrance exam to be apart-time fireman atSlaithwaite,” he says. “Withthat, my role handling healthand safety and maintenanceat Meadow Court and myown business, I thought Iwould be all right. But twoweeks before I wassupposed to start with thefire service, the cuts cameand there was a freeze onrecruitment.”

A fresh opportunity arosewhen friend Stephen Allenhad his house broken into –and they began looking for agood lock to replace the onedamaged in the burglary. “Itried to find the best one onthe market and everyonewas giving me contradictoryadvice,” says Darren.

“While we were lookinginto this, another friend hadhis house broken into. Hehad four locks replaced –and was charged £350 bythe company doing it. Ineffect, he’d been robbedtwice! We wondered if wecould make a little business– find a good lock thatworks, keep the price downas far as we can, pass onthe savings to the customerand offer an efficient

■ OPPORTUNITIES: Darren Whitehead, of The Real LockCompany, based at Slaithwaite

service.”The threat of burglars

breaking into houses quicklyand easily by “bumping” or“snapping” the locks fitted tomany domestic plastic doorswas graphically illustrated ina BBC TV programme –raising awareness of theneed to fit locks which couldnot be so easily unpicked.

While Darren questions thewisdom of showing thetechniques used by burglarson television, he says:“People need to be madeaware of the dangers. It is nota case of trying to frightenpeople, but explaining thatpeople have to make theirhouse as secure as possible– without fitting bars andshutters. It’s also abouttaking sensible precautionsto prevent crime, such as notleaving the family silver onshow in the window.”

The Real Lock Companyfound its supplier inBrighouse-based AvocetABS, which supplies the firmwith the ABS Lock – onewhich has been awarded theBritish Standard KitemarkPAS024 and which isdesigned to prevent easyaccess into the home.

Darren and Stephen havedemonstrated their locks atNeighbourhood Watchmeetings as well as receivingglowing references fromsatisfied customers onFacebook and the AgeConcern UK website. Thecompany is also approachinginsurance companies to winendorsement for its products.

Running his own businesscouldn’t suit Darren better –despite the odd 2am call-outto replace busted locks! And

the lessons he learned inmanagement still hold him ingood stead.

“I have a good manner withpeople, I think,” he says. “I canget people on-side and getthings done. There are twomethods of management –shout and bawl or try andcoerce people into doing whatyou want them to do. Peoplewill always try to help if you areright and reasonable about it.”

He says: “I always thought Iwould end up in joinerymanagement somewhere andwhen the opportunity arose tobe a site manager I took it. Ithoroughly enjoyed it, but Ihave done my fair share oftravelling to sites and beingaway from 6am to 6pm.

“Family is a massive part ofmy life. Now I can work fromhome and when I’m notworking we go walking thedogs or have big familydinners. We watchHuddersfield Town and enjoyfamily things. Even during theholidays, the youngest kidshave been helping makeEaster bonnets with theresidents at Meadow Court.

“Home life is vital for us andthe children. If you can find theright work-life balance, you arevery lucky. At the moment, Ifeel really blessed.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local

Healthy outlookA BRAND marketing consultancy in Mirfieldhas developed a new public health campaign toreduce smoking rates.

Purebrand, based at The 1812 Building,Wheatley Park, was appointed by NHS Peter-borough to help encourage the city’s one in foursmokers to quit.

Purebrand Public Sector, the agency’s publicsector arm, developed a social media campaignusing Facebook to bring together smokers whowanted to kick the habit and enable them toencourage each other to quit.

The central premise of the campaign is thatsmokers are more likely to quit if they getsupport and encouragement from other people.The specially-created pages invite smokers tomake a public pledge and share their story.

A unique association with the British HeartFoundation also means that smokers can raisemoney for the charity by asking Facebookfriends to sponsor them to give up.

Online tools are also available, such as asmoking calculator – which calculates thepotential savings people could make when theyquit and what this money could buy - and linksto download the NHS Smokefree iPhone appand desktop widget for PC, which gives dailymessages of support direct to the user’sdesktop.

A range of other tools designed and imple-mented by Purebrand to create awareness of thecampaign and drive people to the Facebookpages, include advertising on local radio, busesand Peterborough City Council outdoor postersites.

Purebrand managing director Simon Ryansaid: “The intention is that the campaign willcontinue to grow organically through the powerof social media and word-of-mouth. Within justsix weeks of its launch, there has been more than1,000 hits on the Facebook pages.

■ EXCELLENT RESPONSE: Simon Ryan, of Purebrand, based at Wheatley Park,Mirfield

Dealership votedone of UK’s bestA CAR dealership in Huddersfield hasbeen voted one of the UK’s 50 topgarages and one of top five in Yorkshire.Polar Ford, at St Andrew’s Road, BradleyMills, was recognised in the Garage ofthe Year competition, organised by thegovernment-backed consumerwatchdog for the motor industry, MotorCodes, to recognise first class, honestoperators.Polar Ford and parent company FordRetail garages occupy 52% of the 25nomination slots for which they wereeligible. In total, 14 Ford Retail garageswere nominated for the‘Garage of theYear award across six UK regions.The accolade follows Ford Retail’sMoments of Truth 24 programme whichlooks to engage customers and find outjust how satisfied they are with their carservice.

Manufacturing firm shows itsbacking for apprenticeshipsA HUDDERSFIELD manufacturing firm hasunderlined its commitment toapprenticeships.

Bradley-based Extract Technology hasrecruited three new apprentices as well asproviding a work experience placement at itsLeeds Road site.

The company, which was establishedmore than 30 years ago, has been involvedin young apprenticeship initiatives andschool work placements for more than 15years.

Paul Hudson, technical and operationsmanager, said: “Having benefited from

serving an engineering apprenticeshipmyself, I feel very proud to be part of anorganisation which actively supports youngadults at the outset of their chosen careerpath.

“The current group of apprentices, arelearning key skills across all areas of thebusiness, including, IT, sheet metal work,internal sales and administration.”

Extract Technology is a leading supplier ofcontainment and aseptic systems for thepharmaceutical, healthcare, biotech andchemical markets and has completedprojects for major companies worldwide.

■ LEARNINGTHE DRILL:John Crossley(left), seniordesignengineer atExtractTechnology,with (back,from left) SamEdwards,Shane Brook,Brad Thomasand (front)Chris Hudsonand HannahDickinson, thefirm's fourapprenticesand workexperienceplacementstudent

“The use of social media in public healthcampaigning is still a relatively new approachfor the NHS, although it is gatheringmomentum. The excellent response to thiscampaign so far has been very encour-aging.”

Mr Ryan said: “As so much of our dailyconversation with friends and family happensvia social media, it made sense to find a way to

involve them in the quitting process so theycould regularly offer messages of support tofriends and loved-ones trying to kick thehabit. It’s a unique and highly personalisedtool for people wanting to stop smoking.”

Facebook advertising has also enabled thecampaign to direct highly targeted messagingat very specific audiences, including Polish,Portuguese and Asian communities.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property

It’s all downto teamworkA LAW firm in Huddersfield haslaunched a new team to tackle con-struction law issues.

The team at Armitage Sykes Solicit-ors in Huddersfield aims to help andadvise developers, contractors andsub-contractors, professional consult-ants and the finance sector onnon-contentious issues such as pro-curement, construction contracts,commercial agreements and develop-ment agreements.

It also has the full armoury ofprocedures to pursue construction dis-putes, including those in relation torecovery of construction contractdebts.

The firm, based at New NorthRoad, decided to launch the new teamnow given the changes to the Con-struction Act 1996 and the generalpending impacts of the Localism Billand Local Planning Frameworkreviews.

It has also recruited Adele Dethick,a highly experienced construction lawlitigation specialist, who has acted forboth RIBA and for a number ofindividual architects of world

renown.Partner Martin Thompson said:

“The firm can now compete withLeeds and Manchester-based firms inconstruction law, but with the advant-ages of a more locally-based solicitor’s

service which clients like.“The addition of Adele plus the

recruitment of Louise Sykes to thedebt recovery team last year gives usthe right experience to launch into thismarket. “

■ HOME GROUND: Basharat Ali (left) and Martin Thompson, of ArmitageSykes, welcome Adele Dethick to the firm's new construction law team

Development completedA PROPERTY firm iscelebrating after completing a10-year development in WestYorkshire.The third phase of a 100,000sqft warehousing anddistribution hub atFeatherstone is now fullyoccupied – marking thesuccessful end of the phaseddevelopment by Priority Sites.The firm acquired more thansix-and-a-half acres of formercolliery land at Green Lane.

The first two phases ofdevelopment provided about60,000sq ft of industrial units,which were built on aspeculative basis and sold tovarious owner occupiersshortly after completion.A further 42,95 sq ft wasspeculatively developed over10 buildings in phase three.Agent Gent Visick had nowsecured the final letting for theflagship 10,000sq ft Unit 1 toRoute One Highways Ltd.

LAND

OFFICES

INDUSTRIAL

INVESTMENT

RETAIL

T. 01484 530361 www.bramleys.com

4 RANGE LANEHalifax, HX3 6DLFORMER HOSTEL PREMISES395m2 (4,250ft2)Site Area 0.13 Hectares (0.33 Acres)■ Vacant possession■ Suitable for refurbishment foralternative occupational residentialuses or possible completeredevelopment, subject toplanning consent












■ industrial

■ offices

■ retail

■ investment

■ land

4, 6 & 6A Greenhead Road, Huddersfield,HD1 4EN

£22,500 p/a● 2 Storey Office Building with Car parking

● 317.8sqm (3,420sqft) NIA

● Outskirts of Huddersfield town centre

● Security alarm and CCTV system

● DDA compliant

Office Building

MARKET STREET, HUDERSFIELD,HD1 2EW

£15,000 p/a● 83.02sqm (894sqft) Plus Stores and Staff Areas

● Prominent town centre position

● Close to prime shopping area

● Suitable for retail or financial and professional services

Retail / Offices

ST GEORGES SQUARE, HUDDERSFIELD,HD1 1LA

£6,000 p/a● Ground floor offices within Grade II listed

building● 49.33sqm (531sqft)● Prominent town centre location● Opposite railway station● Attractive Grade II listed building

Retail Premises / Offices

CROSS CHURCH STREET, HUDDERSFIELD,HD1 2PY

£25,000 p/a● Double fronted retail unit 922 sqft

● Ancillary accommodation 3,022 sqft

● Finished to a high quality

● Excellent display frontage

Prominent Retail Shop

Sergeantson Street, Huddersfield,HD1 2JF

£13,500 p/a● Sales Area 116.6sqm (1,255sqft)

● Excellent display frontage

● Rateable Value £12,750

● Close to Bus Station and Multi-storey car park

● and Sainsburys Supermarket

Retail

MARKET STREET/DUNDAS ST, HUDDERSFIELD,HD1 2HG

From £7 PSF● Open plan offices● 140sqm (1,509sqft)● Town centre location● Newly Refurbished● Air conditioned● DDA friendly lift and central stairwell

Open Plan Offices

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • AGENTS • CONSULTANT • ADVISOR

TRAFALGAR MILLS • LEEDS ROAD • HUDDERSFIELD • HD2 1YY

Huddersfield Road, BrighouseAvailable to let 1,117 sq ft.

Situated in a busy town centrewith a main road location.

The premises are ideal for varioususes (subject to planning)

Terms available on applicationContact: Paul Andrew Walker Singleton 01484 477600

Christine Eccleston MB Services 01484 557102

Caldervale Works, BrighouseSelf contained industrial unitwith offices and toilets.Available for immediate occupation.Large secure yard and loading area.Size 13,195 sq ft.Terms available on application.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property

INFORMEDDEVELOPMENTJason Bannister

Jason Bannister is a solicitor with Armitage Sykes inHuddersfield

Learning lessonsabout lease lawsIT is usual for businesses to

lease premises rather thanbuy them.

In these hard pressed times,both landlords and tenants willend up scurrying to their topdrawers to pull out and “dust off”their lease documents to checktheir legal rights and obligations.

However, seeking to enforcestrict legal rights may not helpeither party where the tenant isshort of money and the landlorddoes not want an empty prop-erty.

In such circumstances theparties need to work together tokeep the business afloat.

So what can be done? Theparties need to be creative. Theywill need to consider whether anychanges to the lease can tide thetenant over during a period ofdifficult trading.

Firstly, the parties can look atthe intervals at which the tenantpays rent.

Commercial leases usuallyrequire the tenant to pay rent in

advance on a quarterly basis. Thiscan be quite demanding on cashflow.

On that basis, the parties needto ask whether it would be helpfulif the rent payment clause wasvaried so that rent is paid on amonthly basis.

Furthermore, the tenant couldrequest a “rent holiday”. This canbe a useful short term measure inthat the rent is merely suspendedfor a period of time and then paidback later.

Most commerc ia l l easesinclude provisions for a rentreview at certain specified inter-

vals. A point of negotiation forthe tenant could be either sus-pending the review or initiatingthe review and introducing therevised rent in stages.

Leases usually do not allow thetenant to share occupation withanother party.

If the tenant has surplus space,perhaps someone could be foundto share occupation of the prop-erty and contribute to the costs ofrent, overheads, etc.

Landlords should take seri-ously any request by a tenant toeither sub-let or share occupationof part of the property.

However, landlords will need tobe very careful that, in these cir-cumstances, their interests areproperly protected.

In all cases, what both partiesneed to realise is that even thougha lease is a contract the terms arenot “set in stone”.

They can be changed withmutual agreement. A word ofcaution. Any changes to a leasemust be properly documented toavoid unwanted consequences.

Legal advice and possiblyadvice from a surveyor should besought before any changes areimplemented. Some changes to alease can result in a deemed sur-render of the existing lease andthe creation of a new one. Thiscould have disastrous con-sequences!

New lettings forMirfield locationTWO new lettings have been confirmed atWheatley Park, the rural office park on theoutskirts of Mirfield.Commercial property developer St JamesSecurities has let 1,852sq ft of officespace to branding agency 10 Associates,formerly based at Bradley, and 1,189sq ftto Alandale Logistics (Northern) Ltd.Both lettings are for office suites at thebeautifully-restored 18th centuryWatermill at Wheatley Park.Oliver Quarmby, of St James Securities,said: “These two lettings in a challengingproperty market are a testament to thequality and location of Wheatley Park.“Well over half of the 25,000sq ft space atthe Watermill has now been let, with only9,000sq ft left. The remaining space isavailable in suites from 900sq ft upwardsto the whole 9,000sq ft.”Meanwhile the 5,800sq ft 1812 Building,next door to the Watermill, has provedpopular with only 1,000sq ft left availableto lease.David Worthington, managing director of10 Associates, said: “Wheatley Park is theperfect base for our growing business anda contrast to Bradley Business Park,where we had been for the past six years.It has a fantastically creative environmentand a wonderful ambience, which willbenefit our staff and our clients alike. It isa stunning place in which to work.”Kieran Farrell, director at constructionlogistics firm Alandale Logistics(Northern), which has relocated fromserviced offices in Wakefield, said: “Thisis a great move for us.”

All enquiries to Alec Michael at Michael Steel & Coon 0113 32489999 or email [email protected]

Offices

Offices

Offices

TO LET

FOr SALE

FOr SALE

re-available following abortive negotiations

Seeking offers in the region of £350,000

Seeking offers in the region of £350,000

Fieldhead LaneBirstall/Drighlington

Chequers,Woodsome Park, Fenay Bridge

High quality factory and offices on securesite being strategically located less than 1mile from Junction 27 of the M62/M621Joint agents

Part let part vacant office complex just offRowley Lane. Also benefiting from consentfor demolition and erection of 3 detacheddwellings.

3,676 m2 (39,564 sq ft)

228 m2 (2,449 sq ft)

291 Wakefield Road, LeptonGross income £33,600 pax

Fully occupied commercial property(on inclusive agreements) immediatelyadjacent A642 Wakefield Road

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers

Keegan stillon his gameMORE than 300 businesses were represented at theannual Yorkshire Business Forum – when footballing heroKevin Keegan took centre stage.

The forum, which is sponsored by law firm ChadwickLawrence, took place at the Galpharm Stadium inHuddersfield and saw many of Huddersfield Town’sbusiness partners come together to enjoy an afternoon ofhigh quality speakers.

Club partners such as Kirklees College, Pink Link andWilby Ltd heard about the business and communityactivities of the club over the past 12 months.

ITV's John Shires hosted the forum and introducedspeakers Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome toYorkshire; Town manager Simon Grayson and KevinKeegan.

The former England star took guests through a timelineof his life – from his hometown of Doncaster to his times inHamburg, Marbella and Newcastle, where he enjoyedarguably his best spell in football management.

Nosheen Bukhari & Rebecca Chapman

Ridley & HallLAW firm Ridley & Hall has announced two keyappointments.

Newly-qualified solicitors Nosheen Bukhari(right) and Rebecca Chapman have joined thewills and probate and community care teamsrespectively. They are pictured with managingpartner Adam Fletcher.

Their promotion has come in part due to thesuccess of two recent services launched byHuddersfield-based Ridley & Hall. Elderflower isa collaborative service providing specialist legal,financial and bereavement advice to those at orapproaching retirement age. The GrandparentsLegal Centre provides services across Englandand Wales, working closely with variousgrandparents’ support groups on issues suchas kinship care, contact with grandchildren andresidence orders.

Managing partner Adam Fletcher said:“Ridley & Hall acknowledge the importance ofrecruiting the right calibre of solicitors and itbecame clear during Nosheen and Rebecca’straining contracts that they had a clear focus onclient service and would complement theexperienced teams which they are joining.”

Steve Dibb, Razia Jogi, Alison Kaye,Clare Peckett & Lisa Phillips

SwitalskisA LAW firm with offices in Huddersfield andDewsbury has announced five new partners.

Steve Dibb, Razia Jogi, Alison Kaye, ClarePeckett and Lisa Phillips (pictured) joined thepartnership at Switalskis, which has six offices inWest Yorkshire and specialises in legal aid work.The firm already has six partners.

Managing partner John Durkan said: “Our newpartners will bring the additional drive, energyand determination necessary to ensureSwitalskis is best placed to meet the futurechallenges awaiting us in an increasinglycomplex legal marketplace.

“We have had a tight, unified team of sixpartners for some time, but the market haschanged and our firm has grown significantlyover the past few years.”

Steve Dibb is a solicitor specialising in childcare law and is based at Bond Street inDewsbury while Alison Kaye is a solicitoradvocate specialising in child care law and isbased at New Street, Huddersfield.

Make the gradeKIRKLEES firms have been urged to join the search for theUK’s best manufacturers.

Yorkshire businesses of all sizes and talentedapprentices are invited to show how they've made it byentering the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards atwww.eef.org.uk/awards.

The EEF awards are free to enter and provide manyopportunities to win across 10 categories and at bothregional and national finals.

The awards will be judged in five UK regions. Regionalwinners will be announced in November and the nationalawards at a ceremony next January in London.

Firm praised forits waste line!A WASTE management company hascaught the eye of judges in a monthlyawards competition.

Mirfield-based Sunersol Ltd, which spe-cialises in recycling electrical waste metals,including electrical appliances and equip-ment, is the latest winner of the Business ofthe Month Award run by Huddersfield lawfirm Eaton Smith.

Sunersol specialises in collecting andpre-treating electrical waste ranging fromsmall electrical appliances to TVs frombusinesses, waste management companiesand councils.

The company carries out pre-treatmentat its registered recycling site in West York-shire before baling for export to re-pro-cessors of ferrous, non-ferrous, plastics andcircuit boards – with 90% of the productgoing to China.

Sunersol, which has 52 full-time staff, istargeting further expansion during 2012and coming years.

It has applied for planning permissionfor an additional 35,000sqft of warehous-ing to greatly expand the existing recyclingcentre. If successful, the development willcreate another 40 jobs.

The judges commended Sunersol for itshard work and determination to create anew business that has grown over the lastyear from starting up to a £3m turnover.

With ambitious expansion plans includ-ing collecting and recycling large house-

hold electrical appliances such as washingmachines, dishwashers, dryers and ovensand with the help of the UKTI the com-pany is also targeting a number of newexport markets.

The award is run in association with theMid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce andUKTI. It is open to firms in Calderdale,Kirklees and Wakefield. Contact IanGreenwood on 01484 821389

■ NO WASTE: Deborah Melluish (centre), of Eaton Smith, presents the award toCraig Thompson (third right) and Vikki Taylor (second right), of Sunersol Ltd, watchedby (from left) Heather Guile, of UKTI; Kathryn Shuttleworth, of the Mid YorkshireChamber of Commerce; Examiner business reporter Henryk Zientek; and RichardHetherington, of YIBP (UK) Ltd

Tips for a better business - from BalanceAccountants

There is a well known principle called the 80/20 rule which is the subjectof a whole book written by someone called Richard Koch. Essentially therule states that 80% of what you achieve comes from 20 % of the effortthat you put in. In other words, a few things are important but manyother things are not.

For example—20% of customers,markets and products/servicesgenerate 80% of profits.

It makes sense to use the 80/20 rule in your own business by identifyingthe 20% of your customers,markets, products and services that generate80% of your profits and then explore what you can do to get moreof your 20% customers, sell more of your 20% products/services andpenetrate more of your 20% markets and channels.Also explore how youcan make your 80% customers, products, services,markets and channelsmore profitable.And if that isn’t possible, consider scaling down or evenwithdrawing from these areas.

Balance Accountants specialise in helping business owners tohave better,more profitable and more enjoyable businesses. If yourbusiness is not performing as well as you want it to then you shouldcontact us now.

2.Concentrate on the partsof the business that givethe greatest return.

Balance Accountants,Victoria Court, 91 Huddersfield Road,Holmfirth HD9 3JA Tel: 01484 685 413 Fax: 01484 682206www.balanceonline.co.uk [email protected]

Kirklees Business News 17/04/12

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Transcript of Kirklees Business News 17/04/12