KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees18, December, 2012

INSIDE

● Full story - Page 4

● Full story - Page 6

Osborne’s mini-BudgetCo lumn - Page 5

An EXAMINER publication

ReversegearsENGINEERING expertTom Furness is goinginto reverse. Tom, 25,who completed his MScdegree in mechanicalengineering atHuddersfield Universityand hails from thetown, has landed a postas a KnowledgeTransfer Partnershipassociate withWetherby-based firmNTR Ltd, where he isworking on a project toautomate the processof repairing damagedtools – using aprocedure known asreverse engineering

KitchencompletedA HOUSING supportgroup has received akitchen for its newpremises in Dewsbury.Fusion Housing, whichalso has operations inHuddersfield, hasreceived the kitchenfrom Dewsbury-basedRixonway, a leadingmanufacturer workingin affordable and socialhousing. The kitchenwas installed prior tothe Fusion Housingemployees moving intotheir new premises.

COLIN BARRATT

exam

iner

.co.

uk Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

FTSE 100- 9 .615912.15

CLARE SIMMS

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3

Season’s greeting from Kirklees Business News. There willbe no edition next week, but we return on New Year’s Day

Clean-up firm busyin year of the floodSUMMER flooding brought miseryto households and businesses acrossthe UK.

But a Huddersfield firm has beeninstrumental in cleaning up the mess –working flat out over several monthson behalf of insurance companies tomake properties habitable again.

Now Advanced ChemDry is bracedfor a winter of burst pipes after itshectic summer.

Advanced ChemDry was amongspecialist clean-up companies draftedin to dry out houses, shops and otherbuildings which suffered flood damageover the summer months.

Owner Darrel Sykes said: “We werebusy for most of the summer in theCalder Valley, which had three separ-ate flooding events. The river Calderoverwhelmed the flood wall in HebdenBridge and Mytholmroyd while Tod-morden was affected when the canalburst its banks.”

Once the flood water retreated, Dar-rel and his team brought in equipmentto dry out premises including shopsand homes.

The biggest property they tackledwas the Valley Health Centre in Heb-den Bridge, where the baby clinic in thebasement of the building requiredcleaning and sanitising with specialchemicals.

“We were two months drying outproperties,” said Darrel. “We ended up

with 30 to 40 houses and half a dozencommercial premises, including anaccountancy firm, the Rope andAnchor pub in Todmorden as well as aspiritualist church.”

Unusually, moorland farms and cot-tages were also affected as heavy rainran off grazing land already saturatedby previous downpours.

More recently, the team – whichincludes Darrel’s stepson Jack – werecalled to St Asaph and Abergele inNorth Wales to tackle flood damage toa number of properties. One propertywas left with water four foot deep afterflash flooding turned a beck at theback of the house into a raging torrentwhich burst through the kitchendoor.

Darrel said summer flooding wasbecoming a more regular occurrence,adding: “Since 2005, we have travelledthe UK tackling flood damage. In2007, it was particularly bad and wewere working in Hull and Sheffield aswell as Warwickshire. Two years ago,we were in the north and Midlands.”

Darrel said Advanced ChemDrywas now settling into its “bread andbutter” business of dry cleaning car-pets and upholstery in the run-up toChristmas – but was also expectingcall-outs to tackle the aftermath offlooding caused by burst pipes as nighttemperatures plummet.

Darrel achieved fame in 2006 when

he and head technician David Clap-perton featured as the “Disaster Duo”on the BBC1 programme DisasterMaster.

The company, formed in 1992 has itsoffices at Dalton, but has also expan-ded to occupy a 250sq ft unit at HeathHouse Mill, Golcar.

■ DRY RUN:Jack Sykes(left), who hasjoined hisstepfatherDarrel atAdvancedChemDry, anddamage toproperties(below) in NorthWales during abusy 2012 forthe firm dryingout homes,shops andoffices for thecompany

Company shows its cool at major exhibitionA COMPANY supplying drinks dis-pense equipment aims to tap into newcontracts after a major exhibition.

Brewfitt Ltd, based at Fenay Bridge,attended the Brau Beviale Exhibitionat Nuremburg, Germany. The event isone of the biggest and most respectedexhibitions for the beverage and tech-nology industry.

This was the first year Brewfitt hadits own stand at the event. The com-pany joined about 1,350 exhibitors andan estimated 30,000 beverage special-ists from all over Europe at thethree-day exhibition..

Brewfitt exhibited its award-winningCoolTube and 4Flow product, whichenables pubs to save up to 40% on

electricity consumption comparedwith a standard dispense system.Brewfitt said use of the system couldresult in energy savings of £50m-plus ayear across the beer industry – as wellas saving the average pub between£3,000 and £5,000 a year in beer lossesthrough line cleaning.

Brewfitt managing director Curtis

Paxman said: “The Brau exhibitionwas an extremely worthwhile event asit provided us with the opportunity toshowcase our technology to a numberof key industry individuals.

“The event not only exposed us toinnovative and world class technology,but also allowed us to meet contacts wehope to work with in the future.”

Designs on a career

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

SHARE PRICES

closed at

Local shares

FTSE

5912.15Down 9.61

closed at

WEST Yorkshiremenswear specialistSkopes has appointedMike Rich to the role ofhead of retail.

Mr Rich takesresponsibility for the retaildivision with plans toconduct a full review ofthe business, strengthenits customer base andbuild on newly-enhancedproduct ranges.

He joins theLeeds-based companywith extensive experienceworking in the retaildepartments for fashionbrands such as theBurton Group. Previousroles include concessiondirector for Evans andPrinciples and retailoperations director at theBaird Group.

Said Mr Rich: “Skopesis a well established,forward thinking businesslooking to take the nextstep in developing itsretail operation. Mypassion is retailing and Iwant to use my skills andexperience to help takeSkopes to that next step.”

Skopes managingdirector Simon Copesaid: “Mike’s extensiveindustry experience andpassion for retail makeshim an excellent additionto the company.”

MAJOR projects to improve the UK’sgas and electricity networks will add anaverage £12 to bills over the next eightyears, the regulator said.

Ofgem’s final recommendations allowcompanies such as National Grid tospend a total of £24.2bn on investing innew and upgraded infrastructure – morethan the £22.7bn proposed by the regu-lator in July.

But the figure is still short of the£29.4bn originally requested by theindustry, raising the prospect of a refer-ral to the Competition Commission.

National Grid will respond toOfgem’s recommendations by March,but in the summer it accused Ofgem ofnot going far enough to incentivisecompanies to carry out the workneeded.

The cost of this investment in infra-structure projects, such as laying under-sea cables linking Scotland withEngland and Wales, will mean tariffs liftby an average of £8.50 in 2013/14 and£7.30 the following year, rising to £15.10

in 2020/21. The price rises are not cumu-lative.

The UK’s high voltage electricity grid,high pressure gas network and some ofits low pressure gas networks are run byNational Grid. The rest of the lowpressure gas network and the lowvoltage electricity network are run byother companies.

These companies pass on fees to con-sumers and households via energy sup-pliers, which will rise under theproposals.

The majority of the money – up to£15.5bn – would be used to upgrade andrenew the high voltage electricity net-work in England and Wales and the highpressure gas network across the UK,creating some 7,000 jobs in the supplychain.

A further £7bn would be spent onmaking sure the gas networks to homesand businesses remain safe and reliableand would connect 80,000 households tothe gas network for the first time.

Countryside campaigners welcomed

news that up to £500m could be usedbetween 2013 and 2021 to pay for bury-ing existing National Grid transmissionlines that run through National Parks orAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Campaign to Protect Rural Eng-land said National Grid had also under-taken to avoid putting new 50-metrehigh pylons through precious land-scapes where possible.

But pylons and cables stretchedthrough beauty spots such as Long-dendale in the Peak District, the NewForest National Park west of Southamp-ton and towards Verwood in Dorset, theSouth Downs National Park, particu-larly around Petersfield; the Cotswoldsand the North Wessex Downs, theCPRE said.

The campaign group said the moneywould not cover the full expense ofputting all these lines underground, butwould go some way towards improvinglandscapes.

THE firm that supplied power tothe Olympics and Paralympics haswarned it will struggle to fill theLondon 2012 void next year.

Aggreko shares closed down 461pat 1664p as it admitted that it wasunlikely to “fully mitigate” againstthe £59m London 2012 contract in2013.

The fall was also a response to theloss of military revenues as UStroops withdraw from Afghanistanand the possibility that some Japan-ese clients will not renew their con-tracts.

It is the second warning from

Aggreko in as many months after itsaid in October that unfavourablecur rency movements and anincrease in bad debt provisionswould affect results for this year.

With Aggreko missing out on£100m of repeat revenues, it said itsperformance for 2013 was likely tobe slightly lower than this year.

Having been one of the fastestgrowing stocks in the FTSE 100Index, Aggreko’s shares are nowback where they started 2012.

The group expects to increase rev-enues by 12% to £1.6bn this yearwith profits 12% higher at £365m.

Energy investment‘will increase bills’

Aggreko loses Olympic spark

Richpickings

HOPES that next year’s sale of 4Gairwaves could generate a windfall forthe Government have been fuelled bysuccessful auctions elsewhere.

Mobile operators in the Nether-lands paid a total £3.1bn for thecountry’s 4G spectrum on Friday,easily surpassing expectations ofabout £366m. In Ireland, operatorsovercame a challenging economy togenerate £700m.

Brian Potterill, PwC’s director oftelecoms strategy, now expects theUK’s 4G auction will raise thehigh-end of his previous £2bn to £4bn

estimate.Despite many operators finding it

increasingly difficult to boost returnsfrom mobile data, he said demand forcapacity was showing no sign ofrelenting.

Shares in Vodafone, which bought£1.1bn worth of the Dutch spectrum,closed 2.75p lower at 158.2p as aresult of concerns it could spend morethan expected when it comes to theUK’s turn to sell mobile frequencies.

The Government’s tax and spend-ing watchdog this month estimated a£3.5bn boost to the public finances.

Hopes for a 4G bonanza

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.46 dollarsBangladesh................. 122.76 takaBrazil.............................. 3.02 realsCanada....................... 1.52 dollarsChina ............................. 9.02 yuanCzech Republic ...... 28.51 korunasDenmark....................... 8.73 kroneEuro............................... 1.17 euroHong Kong................ 11.90 dollarsHungary ................... 313.33 forintsIndia.......................... 78.05 rupeesJapan........................... 129.46 yenMexico ....................... 18.38 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.79 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.68 kronePakistan.................. 149.53 rupeesPhilippines ................. 56.88 pesosSouth Africa ................. 13.09 randSouth Korea.............. 1512.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 196.46 rupeesSweden....................... 10.31 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.42 francsTaiwan ...................... 41.07 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.71 new liraUSA ............................ 1.55 dollars

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £35.21 +0.25Gannett 1112.62 +26.54Hess Corp £32.29 +0.59Microsoft 1674.48 +20.06Motors Liquidation 46.28Wal-Mart Stores £42.76 +0.34

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 3601/4 +1/4BAE Systems 3381/2 -1/4Rolls-Royce 8591/2 -101/2

AIMBrady Plc 101

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2255/8 -21/8

BANKSBarclays 2567/8 +11/4HSBC 6411/2 -1/8Lloyds Banking Gp 467/8 +1/8Ryl Scotland 3013/4 -5/8Stan Chart 1500 +21/2

BEVERAGESDiageo 1836 +11/2SABMiller £277/8 -1/8

CHEMICALSCroda £231/2 -1/8Elementis 98 2333/4 -33/4Johnsn Mat £241/8 -1/8

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 267 -3/4Costain 2403/4 -13/8

ELECTRICITY

Drax Gp 562 +21/2SSE 1443 -1

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 2105/8 -13/8

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3791/2 +7/8

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 2363/4 -7/8Cable & WirelessComm

361/8 -3/8

Colt Group 935/8 -13/8KCOM 711/4 -3/4Talktalk Telecom 2251/4 -11/2

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 266 +13/8Sainsbury 3485/8 +1/2Tesco 3413/4 -1/4

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1530 +12Tate Lyle 7511/2 -31/2Unilever £241/4 -1/8

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 3343/4 -1National Grid 703 -5Pennon Grp 6251/2 +1Severn 1566 -1United Utils 7041/2 +11/2

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 2161/4 +13/4ICAP 3085/8 +43/4London StockExch 1070 +18Man Group 82 +11/2Provident Financial 1368 -9

Schroders 1658 +11Schroders NV 1330 +10

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 641 +21/2REXAM 4423/4 -11/4Smiths Grp 1153 +8

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 273/4 +3/4Carphone Whse 1981/2 -21/2Dixons Retail 28 +1/2Home Retail 1277/8 -13/4Inchcape 4385/8 +5/8Kingfisher 275 -11/4M & S 3913/4 -21/4Mothercare 359 -3Next £371/8 -1/4WH Smith 6711/2 +81/2

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 671 +2

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 731/4 +11/8Barrat Dev 2003/8 -11/4Persimmon 797 -41/2Reckitt Benckiser £391/4 +1/8Taylor Wimpey 631/2 +1/2

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 1066 -3

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 243 +83/4

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 2233/4 +3/4

LIFE INSURANCE

Aviva 3693/8 -1/2Lgl & Gen 1441/4 -1Old Mutual 1743/4 -1/4Prudential 880 -1Resolution 2491/2 +1/4Standard Life 3335/8 +11/4

MEDIABSkyB 766 +2D Mail Tst 5391/2 -21/2HIBU 3/8ITV 1011/4 -3/8Johnston Press 143/4Pearson 1175 -10Reed Elsevier 628 -21/2STV Group 1025/8 +1/8Trinity Mirror 94 -11/4Utd Business 719 -6UTV 125 -17/8WPP 870 -4

MININGAnglo American 18561/2 +30Antofagasta 1359 +4BHP Billiton £211/4 +1/4Eurasian NaturalRes

2705/8 +5/8

Fresnillo 1940 -10Kazakhmys 7821/2 +241/2Lonmin 2943/8 -11/4Rio Tinto £343/4 +3/4VEDANTARESOURCES

1115 +10

Xstrata 10471/2 -21/2

MOBILE TELECOM SERVICESInmarsat 600 -11/2Vodafone Group 1581/4 -23/4

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1151 +16RSA Insurance Gp 1243/4 +1/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 1032 -91/2BP 427 +1/2Cairn Energy 259 -25/8Royal Dutch Shell A £213/8Royal Dutch Shell B £22Total £313/4 -1/4Tullow Oil 1205 +6

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1014 -5Petrofac 1680Wood Gp(J) 7201/2 -131/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1258 -6

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £291/4GlaxoSmithK XD 11/2Shire 1923 -10

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 559 -2Captl Shop Cent 3561/8 +13/4Hamrsn 4835/8 -31/4Land Secs 809 -41/2SEGRO 2423/8 +21/8

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 3201/4 -41/2Sage Group 2907/8 +15/8

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 5881/2 -11/2Bunzl 1052 -13Capita 755 -71/2De La Rue 9321/2 -51/2Electrocomp 2237/8 +13/8Experian 1013 -2G4S 2501/4 -21/4Hays 821/8Homeserve 2407/8 +11/4Menzies J 615Rentokil 927/8 -1Smiths News 1521/2 -21/4Wolseley £281/8 -1/4

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 745 +2Spirent Comms 1431/2 +13/4

TOBACCO

Br Am Tob £32 -1/2Imperial Tobacco £241/4

LEISURE & HOTELS

Bwin.Party Digital 1081/4 -53/4Carnival £243/4 +1/8Compass Grp 735 -3easyJet 737 +5Enterprise Inns 941/2 -13/4FirstGroup 1905/8 +3/4Go-Ahead Gp 1262 +13Greene King 6421/2 +1/2Intercontl Htls 1646 +1Intl Cons Airl 1791/2 +53/4Ladbrokes 1945/8Mitchells & Butlers 3163/8 -15/8Natl Express 1951/2 +5Rank Org 1433/4 +2Stagecoach Group 3043/4 +1/2TUI Travel 2821/4 -1/4Whitbread £241/4 -1/8

INDEXFTSE 100 5912.15 -9.61

INDEXFTSE 250 12218.58 -25.66

Carclo 4113/4 -31/4Marshalls 100 -1/2National Grid 703 -5Weir Gp 1788 -19

Joiningthe boardSUPERMARKET chainSainsbury’s said JeanTomlin, human resourcesdirector for the London2012 OrganisingCommittee, will join thecompany as anon-executive directorfrom January followingthe retirement of formernewsreader Anna Ford.

■ SHOCK: Up to £24.2bn will bespent on infrastructure upgrades

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

ClareSimms

Webstersinteriors

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Design directorAge: 33Family: Married toMike with childrenCharlotte, five, andWilliam, threeHolidays: Devonand ski-ing in FranceCar: Volvo XC90First job: Summerholiday job at the fam-ily firmBest thing aboutjob: Space planningto help the client getthe most out of theirproperty – and seeingthe finished resultWorst thing aboutjob: I can’t think ofanything I don’t likeabout the job!Business tip:Always listen to thecustomer and alwaystry your best to lookafter them

Work: Traditional andcontemporary interiordesignEmploys: 10Site: Bradford Road,BrighousePhone: 01484715307Email: thestudio@webstersinteriors.comWeb: www.webstersinteriors.com

Clarehas aneye fordesign

CLARE Simms always haddesigns on a career callingfor a sense of creativity.

At school, Clare was tornbetween fashion designand interior design. But bythe time she was studyingA-levels at HuddersfieldNew College, her careerpath was becoming clearer– and at Leeds Universityshe undertook a BA ininterior architecture.

Perhaps Clare’s choiceof career isn’t toosurprising, given her familybackground. ParentsHeather and Ian Lister setup Websters Interiors 33years ago in Brighouse,focusing on domesticinteriors.

After graduating, Clarejoined Cardinal ProjectManagement in Shipleyand worked for Marks &Spencer, designing storelayouts for its branchesacross the country. Afterfour years at Cardinal,Clare joined the familybusiness, where she alsoworks with husband MikeSimms.

“Coming back to thefamily business was justthe way things went,” shesays. “I had been doingretail for quite a while and itwas a really goodgrounding in the industry,but it was quite nice tohave the opportunity totackle domestic projects.The two are very different,but they both involve spaceplanning skills and the useof computer-aided design. Ihad done a lot of CADwork. The main thing is tounderstand the relationshipbetween space and people– and how they interact.”

Says Clare: “When Ijoined the firm, the trendwas very much towardstraditional interiors. Themarket was 70-30traditional againstcontemporary. Mike and Ibrought in a lot moreemphasis on contemporarylooks. Although we haveintroduced contemporarydesign, traditional remainsa strong part of thebusiness – and I enjoyworking in traditionalfabrics and furniture whereit’s the right look for theright building just as muchas working incontemporary.”

Websters Interiorshandles projects ranging

from providing a new lookfor a single room such as akitchen or bathroom tocomplete refurbishments forexisting houses anddesign-and-build for newproperties.

The company, based at2-4 Bradford Road, calls ona number of establishedmanufacturers of furniture,fabrics and furnishings andemploys a team ofdegree-qualified designersto provide a bespokeservice at the “high-end” ofthe market.

And despite the generalgloom surrounding thehousing market, therecession has failed to haltthe steady growth of thefirm, Clare says. ““In somecases, people who havebeen unable to sell theirhouses because the markethas slumped are renovatingor extending their homes sothey have nice surroundingsand when the market picksup they will have a morevaluable home to sell.”

Client confidentialityprevents Clare saying toomuch about the projects,but she reveals: “We workall over the North ofEngland. We have had anumber of contracts

and see the schemethrough from initialdesign to completion.Projects can takeanything from a fewweeks to 12 monthsdepending on what’sinvolved.”

The company cappeda successful spell byundertaking a majorrebrand this autumn –including a new website,a new design studio anda showroomrefurbishment. The newlook was unveiled at alaunch event whichincluded cocktails,fashions fromLeeds-based boutiqueRoom 7 and a theatricalcooking demonstrationby chef Eric Paxman, ofEric’s Restaurant inLindley, as well as adisplay of new interiorcollections fresh fromLondon Design Week.Proceeds from the eventwill be donated to thecompany’s chosencharity, the Forget MeNot Children’s Hospice atBradley.

Although the companyhas a new look, Claresays: “The essence andvalues of Webstersremains the same.However, we recognisethat the retailenvironment haschanged over the lastfew years and with thegrowth of advancedtechnology in the sector,we felt the time was right

to invest in an increasinglyservice-led offer.

“The new showroom andwebsite will provide clientswith a more interactive,technology-focusedservice to highlight theexceptional results that ourexperienced design teamcan achieve. It alsoprovides the perfectstudio-based platform tocomplement the designers’visits to client’s homes.”

Clare admits that worktakes up much of her time.Clare, Mike and theirchildren Charlotte andWilliam live at Ilkley, sowhen they’re not at work,they enjoy walks on IlkleyMoor. They also have aholiday home in SouthDevon, which provides asummer retreat.

Clare’s professionalskills have also been put touse at Ilkley Rugby UnionClub, where Mike playsand coaches the juniors.When the club wasbuilding a stunning newclubhouse, Clare was theobvious choice to help out.

“I get pleasure fromhelping out and I get a bitpossessive about it all,”she says. “I didn’t want tolet anyone else do thedecorating! Interior designmay be my job, but if youlove your job it should beyour hobby as well!”

■ PUTTING ON THE STYLE: Clare Simms, design director atWebsters Interiors, Bradford Road, Brighouse

recently in Liverpool,Cheshire and The Wirral.We also do a lot of work inLondon and we haveworked in France, Majorca,Jersey, the Isle of Man –even Mustique. We havebeen really lucky over thepast three years andturnover has grownsubstantially.”

Traditional orcontemporary, there arediscernible trends, saysClare. “The main trend wesee is that the way peoplelive and use space haschanged. People favouropen spaces. The diningarea opens onto the kitchenand the sitting room. It’s‘casual’ living for peoplewho want their homes tolook nice, but want tointeract. For instance,traditionally, you would builda playroom at one end ofthe house – and it wouldnever be used because thechildren want to be neartheir parents who are in thekitchen or living room.”

Clare, who has worked forthe family business for thepast 11 years, enjoys herwork, but says: “There is notypical day for me. I spend60% to 70% of my time outvisiting clients on-site or in

their homes andthe rest doing CADwork and creatingspecificationsheets. The designteam spends a lotof time on-site. Weall project-manageour own contracts

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

Group recruits2,000th workerA GROUP headed by Batycoon Lawrence Tomlinson hasachieved a landmark – taking on its2,000th employee.LNT Group has hit the milestonefigure with he opening of twcare homes in Newand the recruitment of morconstruction staff.Mr Tomlinson said he wthat the LNT Groupinterests in care homesconstruction, softwmanufacture, had genermany job opportunities in a difeconomic market.“Each new residence thaHomes opens creates ajobs locally,” he said. “It isparticularly pleasing gitough economic climathat Ideal Care Homes is sucrelatively young business

Karen Wynard is head of corporate services at Eastwood &Partners (Financial Services) Ltd

FINANCIALFOCUSKaren Wynard

A buyer in your business?BOSSES seeking potentialbuyers for their businessshould look for a “hiddenasset” in their ownmanagement team, says aDenby Dale-basedbusinesswoman.

Serial entrepreneur JoHaigh (pictured) said: “Whenyou start grooming to sellyour business, you may wellbe thinking that profit wouldbe a desirable commodity toenhance value.

“In fact although it can beimportant, lots of companiesthat make losses sell for

millions of pounds. In otherwords, profit is in no way thesole reason for maximisingsale value.

“Within every company,there are numerous hiddenassets – some morevaluable than others, but forthe most part the mostimportant asset lies in themanagement team that willremain with the businesspost-deal.”

Said Ms Haigh: “As anowner-manager, I knowfirst-hand how difficult it is totrust and delegate and how

very disappointing it is whenyou are let down.

“The problem is that if youdo not build this team ofcompetence around you, itbecomes much more difficultto realise value in yourbusiness when it’s time toexit.

“The other hugely validreason for having a greatmanagement team is theymay potentially be your buyerof the future and the moreexit options you have clearlythe better.”

Banks ‘have tobridge the gap’BANK managers must bridge thecommunications gaYorkshire’s small firHuddersfield businessman.Nick Brook, of TaxAssistAccountants in Lockwcommenting during a small bforum hosted by the company inHarrogate. The event ftraders and business owneradvisers and bank rDelegates heard how one Yretailer needed bank lending to bstock at discount prices in orremain profitable – bproverbial brick wall”. Many smallbusinesses felt therhoops to jump through to securfunding they needed.Andy Tunnicliffe, of HSBCforum: “We’ve increased newlending to UK businesses by 5% onlast year and we awsmall and medium-siz– a 10% rise.”Mr Brook said: “The banks haunderstand that local smallbusinesses simply donthey’re lending. Local rmanagers need to get under the skinof the small businesses in theirregion and give them advice andsupport on their business plans

Festive FridayTHERE’S a festive fnetworking event for Kirklees andCalderdale businesses this wThe Last Friday Club holds its finalget-together of 2012 fr1.30pm at Bar Eleven in Halifax.The group, which is supporthe Lockwood-based Mid YChamber of CommerSolicitors, Begbies TBarclays promises netw“no fees, no pressurdelegates to bring their collea

Any last requests?Get your Will right!ACCORDING to a recent report

in the Financial Times, 663Wills were disputed last year,which was around twice as manyas in 2006.

The major causes is believed to be theincreased financial hardship that manypeople are currently suffering due tothe economic downturn, more complexfamily structures (as the number ofpeople getting divorced continues torise) and the increasing number ofadult children acting as carers who feelthat they should be better provided foron the death of the person for whomthey were caring.

When can a Will be challenged? Tworeasons for challenging a Will are ifeither the Will is invalid or someonefeels that they have not been adequatelyprovided for

The main circumstances when a Willwon’t be valid are if it was not executedproperly (e.g. not signed and wit-nessed), the testator (the person mak-ing the Will) was mentally incapable orit was made under undue pressure fromanother person.

Even if a Will was valid when it waswritten, it will be automaticallyrevoked if the testator gets married,destroys their Will or makes anotherWill. Getting divorced also cancels anybenefits to a former spouse unless thewording clearly states that divorceshould not affect the former spouse’sentitlement.

As a general rule a testator is entitledto leave their estate to whomever theywish, but if the Will fails to make“reasonable financial provision” forcertain classes of people, the Court hasthe power, under the Inheritance (Pro-vision for Family and Dependants) Act1975, to ensure that they are providedfor.

There are essentially six categories ofpeople who can contest a Will underthe Act – a wife or husband of thedeceased, a former wife or husband ofthe deceased who hasn’t remarried,children of the deceased, step-childrenof the deceased, a partner who lived

with the deceased for at least the lasttwo years immediately prior to theirdeath and any other person who imme-diately before death was being main-tained, either wholly or partly, by thedeceased.

If you think you have grounds forcomplaint, then it is important to movequickly, preferably before probate isgranted (which is the point from whichthe estate can start to be distributedunless a caveat is granted which stopsthe assets from being distributed), andin any event normally no later than sixmonths after grant of probate.

The longer you take to lodge achallenge the weaker your case is likelyto be, although if a caveat has beengiven, this lasts for six months andoften leads to disputes being resolvedbetween the affected parties before thecourt stage is reached and before anyassets have been distributed.

However, it is important to note thatlegal action can slow down any inherit-ance and can be costly for all sides.

Once it has been determined that theapplicant is entitled to bring an applic-ation, the key issue will be to determinewhat is deemed to be “reasonable fin-ancial provision” for that person basedon the facts of the case, taking intoaccount the size and nature of the estateand the relationship between theapplicant and the deceased.

For example, if the applicant is aspouse of the deceased “reasonablefinancial provision” means such finan-cial provision as would be reasonable inall the circumstances of the case for ahusband or wife to receive, whether ornot that provision is required for their

maintenance.For any other applicant, (including a

former spouse or someone else whowas financially dependent on thedeceased when they died), ‘reasonablefinancial provision’ means such finan-cial provision as would be reasonable inall the circumstances of the case toreceive for their maintenance. In thecase of a successful non-spouseclaimant, therefore, and especially ifthe claimant is a financially dependentrelative, it is more likely that the courtwould award maintenance payments,rather than a one-off lump sum.

In summary, it remains as importantas ever to ensure you have a valid Will –and that you review it regularly to makesure it is up-to-date – because withoutone, the intestacy rules apply, which islikely to result in the estate not beingdistributed as you would have wantedand in some cases people you wouldhave liked to benefit may not be entitledto receive anything at all.

It is also worth mentioning that, incertain circumstances, a suitably draf-ted Will can also help minimise anyInheritance Tax that may otherwise becharged on your estate. This doesn’tmean that your Will won’t be subject tochallenge of course, but by ensuring it isproperly executed and is updated asappropriate to reflect changing per-sonal and family circumstances, therisk of this occurring should at least beminimised.

Please note that the Financial Ser-vices Authority does not regulate Willwriting and taxation and trust advice.

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

TAXTALKColin Barratt

Colin Barratt is tax partner at Wheawill and Sudworth charteredaccountants, Huddersfield

Group recruits2,000th worker

OUP headed by Batley-bornence Tomlinson has

ed a landmark – taking on its

oup has hit the milestonee with he opening of two new

e homes in Newark and Leicesterecruitment of more

omlinson said he was delightedoup, which hase homes,

construction, software and car, had generated so

tunities in a difficult

esidence that Ideal Caretes about 60 new

,” he said. “It isticularly pleasing given the

limate and the facte Homes is such a

usiness.”

Banks ‘have tobridge the gap’

s must bridge theap with

s small firms, says ausinessman.

axAssistAccountants in Lockwood, wascommenting during a small businessorum hosted by the company in

ent featured soleusiness owners,

s and bank representatives.d how one Yorkshire

etailer needed bank lending to buyt discount prices in order to

ble – but had hit “theall”. Many small

elt there were too manyough to secure the

y needed., of HSBC, told the

eased newusinesses by 5% on

warded £9.5bn tosmall and medium-sized enterprises

ook said: “The banks have tot local small

usinesses simply don’t believe that. Local relationship

s need to get under the skinusinesses in theire them advice and

usiness plans.”

Lacking spirit!

Festive Fridaye feel to a

or Kirklees andusinesses this week.

y Club holds its finalget-together of 2012 from 12.30pm to

en in Halifax.h is supported by

ood-based Mid YorkshireChamber of Commerce, Ramsdens

gbies Traynor andomises networking with

essure” – and invitestes to bring their colleagues.

More on themini-BudgetTHE Chancellor delivered a

mini-Budget against a tide ofcontinuing economic woe withthe intention of stimulating sus-tained growth.

For those aged under 65, theamount they can receive tax-free willincrease as the personal allowance isto rise from £8,105 to £9,440 fromApril, 2013.

This increase is greater than previ-ously announced and is part of theCoalition Government’s plan toraise the allowance to £10,000.

As previously announced, thehigher age-related personal allow-ance will not be increased and itsavailability will be restricted topeople who were born before April 6,1948, leading to accusations of a socalled “Granny Tax”.

The gradual withdrawal of thepersonal allowance for those withincome above £100,000 will continueand from April, 2013, the allowancewill be lost where income exceeds£118,880.

The marginal rate of tax for thosewith income in this band can be ashigh as 60%.

The basic rate of tax remains at20% although the band of incometaxed at this rate will fall from£34,370 to £32,010, which is likely tomean many more individuals payingtax at 40%.

The rate of tax on income above£150,000 is being reduced fromApril, 2013, from 50% to 45%(42.5% to 37.5% on dividendincome).

Tax-savings will be available if an

individual is able to defer incomeuntil after April 5, 2013.

The maximum amount of taxrelievable savings an individual canmake towards their pension is to bereduced from April, 2013, from£50,000 to £40,000 per annum while,at the same time, the lifetime allow-ance is to be reduced from £1.5m to£1.25m. Although these reductionswill not affect the majority, it may beuseful to review one’s pension contri-butions in light of the above men-tioned tax changes to ensurepayments are timed to obtain thehighest relief available.

Indeed, the use of pension contri-butions may play an important rolefrom January, 2013, for those withchildren who face a loss of the ChildBenefit where their income exceeds£50,000.

Since the Coalition Governmentcame to power, there has been agradual reduction in the main rate ofCorporation Tax for companies withtaxable profits in excess of £1.5m.

Successive reductions have seenthe rate fall from 28% to what will be23% from April 1, 2013.

The proposed rate reduction to22% from April, 2014, will nowinstead be 21%.

The tax rate for companies withtaxable profits below £300,000 will

continue to be 20%.For shareholders in private limited

c o m p a n i e s, t h e p ay m e n t o fdividends instead of bonuses will bemore attractive than ever.

In a surprising but welcomeannouncement, the amount a busi-ness can immediately write-offagainst profits by investing in plantand machinery is to be increasedfrom £25,000 to £250,000 from Janu-ary 1, 2013. The increase will be for atwo-year period.

Those businesses planning signi-ficant capital outlay over the nextfew months should carefully con-sider the timing of their expenditureso as to maximise the tax reliefavailable, particularly where theiraccounting period straddles January1.

Industry leaderwins recognition

ALMOST a third of owner-managersin Yorkshire have broken the newsto staff that there is no budget forChristmas festivities this year,according to a survey.

The latest Close BrothersBusiness Barometer shows that32% of respondents in the regionsaid they planned to axe theircompany’s Christmas party, with afurther 28% saying that they wouldgo ahead with their party but that itwould be on a smaller scale thanusual.

Lee Hayes, regional sales directorfor Close Brothers Invoice Financein Yorkshire, said: “It would appearthat many businesses are still inausterity mode.

“While it’s good news that they’restill trading, it’s not so great for staffwho are working harder than everand had been looking forward to

celebrating with a few drinks and anice meal at the expense of theiremployer this Christmas.

“As for those who are goingahead with their party, two-fifthsstated that staff would have tocontribute to the cost.”

A quarter of those surveyed inYorkshire said that tradingconditions for their business haveworsened over the past 12 months.

Said Mr Hayes: “If money is tight,then of course you need to lookclosely at your expenditure.However, if businesses do away withthis type of reward for staff, it couldaffect morale and productivity.

“It’s important to find analternative way to recognise theircontribution and therefore maintainmotivation coming into 2013, whichlooks set to be another tough year.”

A FLEET incidentmanagement andaccident reductionspecialist has beenrecognised for itsindustry leadingapproach of focusing onprevention rather thancure.Huddersfield-based FMGwon the Safety Initiativeof the Year Award at theannual industry FleetVan ceremony in recognition of its driverbehaviour technology, Ingenium Dynamics. Theinnovative device reduces accidents incommercial vehicles and business fleets.The company offers a range of services tomake business fleets safer. The smarttechnology was singled out for its immediateimpact on driving up standards. The systemmonitors the way an individual drives, identifiesareas for improvement and incentivisesbusiness drivers to change their driving style.Companies using the technology have seeninsurance premiums drop, fuel spend fall and insome cases accident rates almost halved. Thesystem is adaptable to rank drivers in terms oftheir percentage scores and manyorganisations use this to reward better driving.FMG chief executive John Catling (pictured)said: “Safer driving makes good businesssense. Accidents cost a company money, not tomention the potential emotional costs, whichare often not taken into account.“Our smarter ways of working mean that we areable to identify where problems exist and put ina range of solutions to minimise driver risk.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 6

FDs still concernedabout bank lendingCOMPANY finance directorsin Yorkshire remainedconcerned about the effectsof bank lending policies, asurvey has revealed.Research by businessservices firm Grant Thorntonshowed that 54% of FDs inthe region thought thatlending policies were drivingup debtor days for SMEs, anincrease of 12% on a yearago when a similar surveyposed the same question.In 2011, some 83% ofrespondents said that banklending policies wereencouraging businesses tohold onto cash reserves atthe expense of the generaleconomy. This time, thefigure stands at 77% – butstill shows a lack of

confidence in liquidity in thecommercial lending market.Jonathan Riley, seniorpartner at Grant Thornton inWest Yorkshire, said therehad been a slightimprovement in the tendencyof firms to spend cashreserves.But SMEs were seen to befunding growth by bearingthe cost of additional debtordays.The survey showed that athird of finance directorsconsidered changing banksin the past year, just half thenumber when the 2011survey was carried out and awelcome sign for lenderswho had seen a great deal ofturnover in recent years.

Hard work key tostart-up successA WILLINGNESS to workhard is the most importantattribute when starting up abusiness, according to asurvey among graduateentrepreneurs.Almost two-thirds ofgraduates in Yorkshire whohave gone on to launch theirown enterprise said thathard work is the mostimportant attribute whenstarting a business This wasfollowed by determination(52%) and drive and energy(44%).The study by Lloyds TSBCommercial canvassed theopinions of recent graduatesand university studentstowards enterprise andincluded some who havealready started their ownbusiness.The research wascommissioned as part of thelaunch of the annual LloydsTSB Commercial EnterpriseAwards, which scours thenation for Britain’s bestuniversity and graduatebusinesses.When graduates in Yorkshirewho have already set up abusiness were asked aboutthe practical steps theyconsidered the mostimportant for getting theirstart up off the ground, themost commonly ranked as“extremely important” wasfinancial planning (41%).That was followed byfunding or investment tostart up; getting theknowledge on how to run abusiness; and marketing thebusiness, each with 32%.All entrants to the EnterpriseAwards will be consideredfor two titles – Best Start Up,which will be awarded to abusiness in its early stages;and Best Enterprise. whichwill be awarded to thebusiness judged to show themost potential to grow overthe next five years to become

a successful SME within itsrespective sector.The study revealed that eightout of 10 students andgraduates (83%) would liketo see more advice availableat university on how to setup a business. When askedabout the help and guidanceavailable to youngentrepreneurs, nearlytwo-thirds (62%) of youngstudent and graduatebusiness owners felt thatthere wasn’t sufficientsupport or didn’t know aboutthe level of support availablein their local area.The research found that themost popular sector for UKgraduates who have gone onto establish their ownbusiness is the design andcreative industry.Almost a quarter of allrespondents have set uptheir enterprise in this field.IT services (15%) andpublishing, media, marketingand advertising (10%) are thenext most popular sectors.Martyn Kendrick, areadirector for Lloyds TSBCommercial in Yorkshire,said: “There are a lot ofsavvy young entrepreneursin the region who recognisethe qualities that are vital tosetting up a sustainablebusiness.“This needs to be matchedby the support and guidanceavailable to them as theystart their enterprises toensure their future success.“Through the launch of oursecond annual EnterpriseAwards, we are helpingaspiring businessmen andwomen across Yorkshire toachieve their ambitions bygiving them the support theyneed and showcasing thework done by some of theUK’s brightestentrepreneurs.”

Reverse gear isthe way forwardREVERSE engineering is the way for-wards for Tom Furness.

After completing is MSc degree inmechanical engineering at Hudders-field University, the 25-year-old landeda post as a Knowledge Transfer Part-nership associate with Wetherby-basedfirm NTR Ltd – Europe’s leading spe-cialist in the repair of cutting tools usedfor turning, boring, milling anddrilling.

Under the terms of a KTP, a firmcollaborates with university expertsand an associate is appointed to carryout research in the ground and act as alink.

Tom, who hails from Huddersfield,pays frequent return visits to the uni-versity, where his KTP supervisor is DrSimon Fletcher.

But he is principally based at NTR,working on a project to automate theprocess of repairing damaged tools –using a procedure known as reverseengineering to learn as much about theexisting, manual processes and thenusing the knowledge gained to createcomputer numerical control pro-grams.

Tom said companies already makebig savings by coming to NTR to buyreconditioned tools.

The new automated techniques he isworking on will cut costs further byincreasing volumes and reducing turn-around times.

Tom began work at NTR while hewas still completing his masters degree.Now he is concentrating on his work

with the two-year KTP and hasrecently been helping to integrate a newCNC machine into the Wetherby fact-ory.

He said the experience of being aKTP associate was an excellent start tohis engineering career: “It bridges thegap between university and working

life,” said Tom.“I am based at the company but still

in contact with the university and getall the support I need.”

As for the future, he is keeping hisoptions open but one of his goals is totravel and work in Europe.

■ REVERSE GEAR: Tom Furness, of Huddersfield, who has landed a post asa Knowledge Transfer Partnership associate

Yorkshire funding groupachieves £30m landmarkA VENTURE capital and loan fundoperating across Yorkshire hasinvested almost £30m in more than200 small and medium-sizedenterprises over the pasttwo-and-a-half years.

Finance Yorkshire has completed280 investments, ranging from £15,000to more than £1.2m, in Yorkshire, theHumber and North and North EastLincolnshire.

Its investments have created andsafeguarded more than 5,190 jobs andgenerated a private sector leverage ofmore than £56m, which equates to£2.06 for every pound invested.

Business services, advancedengineering and manufacturing, ICTsoftware, telecoms, healthcare andbioscience are some of the keyindustry sectors Finance Yorkshire hasinvested in over the last two years.

Chief executive Alex McWhirter said:“EResults so far show that we aremaking a real impact in Yorkshire andHumber.

“We are completing an average often investments each month.

”However, there is still a lot of hard

work to be done and we will continueto speak to financial intermediariesand businesses about investmentopportunities.

“We are fortunate to have so manyexcellent SMEs in a wide range ofindustry sectors across Yorkshire andHumber and the challenge for us is tomake sure that we bring together themost appropriate finance package tosupport those growing companies thatare pursuing investable and wellmanaged business ideas.

“By bringing together the great ideasand a desire to grow with the rightfinancial backing we can help to createa significant impact on the region’seconomy.”

Finance Yorkshire providesseedcorn, loan and equity linkedinvestments, ranging from £15,000 to£2m to help a range of small andmedium sized businesses to meet theirfunding requirements for growth anddevelopment.

Finance Yorkshire, which issupported financially by the EuropeanUnion, has attracted £30m investmentfrom the European Regional

Development Fund, £15m fromYorkshire Forward’s Single Programmeand £45m match funding from theEuropean Investment Bank.

■ EXCELLENT: Alex McWhirter, chiefexecutive of Finance Yorkshire

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7

Tenant demand remains strong

Kitchen firm intimely donationA HOUSING support group has received akitchen for its new premises in Dewsbury.

Fusion Housing, which also has operationsin Huddersfield, is a voluntary sectororganisation providing specialist housing anddebt advice, housing support, learningopportunities, employment support and theprovision of recycled furniture and whitegoods to people in need throughout Kirklees.

The group was formed with the recentmerger of the Single HomelessAccommodation Project and CHAS HousingAdvice.

Both organisations have been serving thepeople of Kirklees for more than 35 years.

Fusion was previously based across foursites, but has secured new premises atEmpire House in Dewsbury and PearlAssurance House in Huddersfield.

Dewsbury-based Rixonway Kitchens, oneof the leading manufacturers working inaffordable and social housing, donated akitchen in beech from its Trieste range, whichwas installed prior to the Fusion Housingemployees moving into their new premises.

Paul Rose, chief executive of RixonwayKitchens, said: “We are always happy toprovide support in communities where wework and we’re delighted our donations willallow Fusion Housing’s budget to be spent onits front line services.”

Mike Greaves, small business and financemanager of Fusion Employment – a socialenterprise subsidiary of Fusion Housing –said: “Moving premises is a very costlyexercise and the donation from RixonwayKitchens has helped us greatly. Rixonway is awell known and respected employer in thelocal area and we are very pleased to haveforged this link.”

Fusion Housing primarily offers housingadvice and support to homeless people andpeople in danger of losing their homes,learning opportunities, preparation foremployment and is the only charity to offerrecycled white goods and furniture free at thepoint of delivery.

This kitchen donation is the latest example

of Rixonway’s involvement with communitybased projects.

Recently the company donated kitchens toRonald Ross School in Wandsworth, thePontefract Collieries Football Club in SouthYorkshire, The Burnt Oak Community Centrein Barnet and The Harrogate HomelessProject in Harrogate.

■ KITCHEN CREW: Zena Luck (left), housing support worker at Fusion Housing in the newkitchen with collagues (from left) housing support worker David Ryder, advice servicemanager Adrain Wilkinson, service manager Heather Pollard and team leader Zuber Daji

New office opensA LAW firm with offices in Huddersfieldhas opened a new office in WestYorkshire.Leading northern fraud crime andregulatory practice ABR Solicitors, whichhas offices at Market Street inHuddersfield and at Leeds, Liverpool andHarrogate, has opened a fifth office inKeighley.The entire team from John Holden &Jamieson Fitzpatrick has joined ABR andcontinues to operate from Holden Housein Henry Street.Nigel Jamieson commented: “ABRSolicitors is well-known as a leadingpractice in the region, consistentlyproviding high quality representationfrom all of its offices. Being part of alarger, specialist criminal practice is avery positive move for us.”Agency chips in to help Barrie

A FORMER marketing director is running athriving takeaway business – thanks to helpfrom a West Yorkshire business transferagent and commercial bankers based inHuddersfield.

Former marketing director Barrie Richards,who was made redundant, launched his firstfish and chip shop in Pudsey after talking tostaff at business transfer agent Ernest Wilsonabout buying a business and securing financefrom Lloyds TSB Commercial in Huddersfield.

Now his Richards Family Fisheries brand iswining plaudits on visitor recommendationwebsites.

Fish and chips remain the number onetakeaway food in the UK – with more than10,000 fish and chip shops selling more than300m portions each year, The industry isworth about £1.2bn – meaning that £1 out ofevery £100 spent on food is spent in a

chippie.Mr Richards purchased his first fish and

chip shop in Pudsey with the assistance ofLloyds TSB Commercial.

Wendy Hallas, of the bank’s HuddersfieldBusiness Centre, said “We are always on thelookout for opportunities to support Iocalbusinessmen and women and I was in nodoubt that Barrie was an ideal prospect tosupport. We were delighted to able to backhim with his new venture and way of life.”

To help ensure success in his new venture,Mr Richards followed Ernest Wilson’s adviceand enrolled on a training course with theNational Federation of Fish Friers.

His business performed very well andturnover increased. Having established hisfirst shop, Mr Richards sold it a year laterthrough Ernest Wilson and bought anotherchippie that they had for sale. He increased

turnover at that store by four times and wenton to sell it for a substantial profit.

This time, he opened up an empty unit as afish and chip shop – growing turnover from astanding start to more than £3,000 a weekbefore selling again through Ernest Wilson.

Richards Family Fisheries is now runningits fourth shop at Bradford Road,Cleckheaton, having had an amazing openingday on November 5.

Said Mr Richards: “There is life afterredundancy! I am so glad that I walked intoErnest Wilson’s that day and with theirsupport and that of the NFFF and Lloyds TSBCommercial I have established a new careerwith new skills which I find fulfilling andchallenging at the same time.

“There is never a dull moment and I find theability I now have to make, back andimplement my own decisions thrilling.”

DEMAND for rental property in Yorkshire hascontinued to rise, according to figures fromthe Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The latest RICS residential lettings surveyshowed interest from would-be renters in theregion came in at a net balance of plus 12%during the three months to October –suggesting that the booming rental market is

showing no signs of slowing down.This comes at a time when fears have been

raised over the lack of agent regulation in thelettings sector. Almost 90% of tenants whoresponded to a separate RICS survey calledfor compulsory regulation for lettings agentson order to protect consumers.

The number of landlords placing their

properties on the region’s market held firmduring the last quarter.

With the lettings market still buoyant, thecost of renting a home continued to rise. Withsome 24% more respondents reported risesrather than falls in rental values. Rents havenow consistently been on the rise since theearly part of the year.

Agents complete£1.1m-plus dealsPROPERTY agency Eddisons hasannounced the completion of three dealsin Kirklees together worth more than£1.1m.The Huddersfield office of Eddisons hassold land extending to 1.36 acres atColne Road, Huddersfield. The site,which has had planning consentpreviously granted for residential andstudent development, was bought byCarbon Investments Ltd on behalf ofretained clients, for a price exceeding theguide of £550,000.Meanwhile, an 8,000sq ft unit at PennineBusiness Park on Bradley Road inHuddersfield has been sold to a privateindividual off a guide price of £600,000.Eddisons acted as joint agent withWalker Singleton, who concluded thesale on behalf of CommercialDevelopment Projects Ltd.Elsewhere, the former BroomfieldMethodist Church in Cleckheaton hasbeen sold to City Developments Ltd, offa guide price of £220,000. Thesingle-storey detached property on ShawStreet extends to over 1,500sq ft andmay suit a variety of uses, subject toplanning.

walkersingleton.co.uk01484 477600

FOR SALE33-41 Bethel StreetBrighouse, HD6 1JR1 Prominent town centre retail investment1 Rental income of £21,475 per annum1Additional rental potential1 Best and final offers by 12 Noon 20 Dec 2012

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Stadium to hostmajor conferenceHUDDERSFIELDwill host a majorevent formanufacturers in2013, it has beenannounced.

ManufacturedYorkshire – MY13 –will take place at theJohn Smith’sStadium on May 9 tobring together theregion’smanufacturers andtheir supply chainsfor a day of learning,collaboration and networking to strengthentheir links.

Organiser Danny Matharu (pictured) saidthe event was aimed at “plugging a massivehole in the Yorkshire conference calendar”.

All delegate places are free, but as thefocus of MY13 is specifically onmanufacturers and their supply chains,availability for exhibitors and delegates fromservice sector businesses will be strictlylimited.

Danny, who organises the popular annualKirklees Business Conference at thestadium, said several seminars were beinglined up for MY13, including ones onemployment and skills and the future ofmanufacturing. There would also be Q&Asessions with expert panels on exporting andbecoming supply chain-ready.

Said Danny: “We are already on track for500 delegates from the manufacturing sectorto be present on the day.”

Go to www.manufacturedyorkshire.com

Flying colours!A BUSINESS helping older people stay in theirown homes has passed a Care QualityCommission inspection with flying colours.

A CQC report said the Kirklees team atHome Instead Senior Care met all the requiredstandards of care set by the watchdog bodyand received high praise from feedback collatedfrom clients and staff.

James Little and Catherine Halliday, who runthe Armitage Bridge-based business, said theresults were extremely important as theyprovided a clear indication that a care companyis operating as it should and gives clients andtheir families confidence that they are choosinga care service with high standards.

They said: “We are pleased to have receivedthe stamp of approval from the CQC just in timefor Christmas.

“Amidst reports in the media that careorganisations are lacking in crucial areas ofcare, it is really important that people are ableto access information about quality providers intheir area to give them peace of mind,especially over the festive period.”

Mr Little said: “Unannounced inspections arean effective method of gauging the standard ofa service. The essential standards span 16areas from respect and involvement through torecord keeping and staff support.

“At Home Instead we see these standards asa bare minimum. For us it is about thecomments that clients and staff members makewhich evidences that we are at the forefront ofthe quality care sector.

Home Instead Senior Care provides servicesranging from offering companionship andconversation, help with travel arrangements,monitoring diet and eating and home helpservices such as light housekeeping, preparingmeals, caring for house plants and pets andhelp with shopping.

Firms get more timeto enter competitionKIRKLEES firms have been given more time toenter the National Council for Work ExperienceAwards.

The deadline for entries has been extended by afew weeks to give companies across Yorkshire moretime to enter over the busy festive period.

Companies offering internships to students orgraduates now have until Friday, January 11, 2013,to enter or to be nominated by a student or careersadviser. All UK organisations are eligible to enter atwww.work-experience.org/awards.

Thirteen award categories cover the full spectrumof organisations from large and small operations tothose in the public and charitable sectors. Bothshort and long-term internships are eligible for anaward as well as those that have been recently setup.

Mike Hill, chief executive of the Higher EducationCareers Services Unit that runs the NCWE Awardssaid: “This year marks the 10th anniversary of theNCWE Awards and they have grown to become themost established and prestigious awards in theirfield.

“Businesses boasting an NCWE Award have usedit to validate the quality of their scheme, helpingthem to attract more high calibre interns. If youwould like to be recognised for the quality of yourplacement opportunities I urge you to enter.”

Finalists will be notified in January, 2013, whenthey will be invited to the awards ceremony incentral London in March, 2013.

■ STANDARDS: James Little and Catherine Halliday

Donna Sheldon

The AthenaProgrammeA HOLFMFIRTH-basedtrainer with extensiveexperience in childprotection andsafeguarding has beenhand-picked to take up anew role with safeguardingspecialists The AthenaProgramme.

Donna Sheldon(pictured) is one of fivenew specialists recruitedby the Lancashire-basedsafeguarding specialist, which was founded in2007 and has trained more than 4,000 people insafeguarding skills..

Ms Sheldon runs her own business, DMSConsulting, where she has written and deliveredtraining materials for a number of localauthorities, primary care trusts and childcareorganisations.

She said: “I’m delighted to be working withThe Athena Programme, which is well known forits expertise in this area. I’m looking forward tosome new challenges and to putting my ownexperience to good use.”

Donna’s appointment, together with that offour other specialists, effectively doubles thestaff of The Athena Programme. The new teamhas 94 years’ experience in the sector andenables the company to expand its safeguardingconsultancy and training programmes across theUK.

Managing director Sarah Goodall said, “Wehave hand-picked the best talent from aroundthe country to expand our geographic reach andprovide another layer of expertise to support theexisting Athena team.

“Safeguarding is an issue that is on the radar,with daily headlines highlighting organisationsthat fail to provide appropriate protection forchildren and young people.

“We are operating in many different businesssectors and are winning new contracts throughrecommendation and the reputation forexcellence we have built up.

“The new associates will enable the businessto further expand whilst maintaining the qualityof service we offer.”

Upholding relative valuesIT’S certainly a family affair at oneHuddersfield company.BM Packaging, based at HealyHouse, Netherton, has three siblingson the books – and they have allcelebrated 20 years service.Mark and Louise Bullett work assenior operators at the firm whilebrother David is warehouseman withthe company.All three received a thank-you in their

wage packets for notching up twodecades at the company.Director Tony Latham said: “Davidwas probably our first employeewhen we started in Elland in 1990and he was followed by Mark andLouise. We moved to Healey House in1993.”Louise, 49, and David, 48, both live inMeltham while Mark, 46, lives inHuddersfield.

■ BOXING CLEVER: Siblings (from left) David, Louise and Mark Bullett have allnotched up 20 years service at BM Packaging