Kirklees Business News 21/02/12

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees21, Febr uar y, 2012

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ROB KELLY

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3Propety fr aud aler t

Co lumn - Page 6

An EXAMINER publication

BoxingcleverA HOLME Valley firmput boxer Carl Frochthrough his paces withsome of the firefightersthe company supplieswith safety equipment.Brockholes-basedNorth Fire arranged forthe WBC world supermiddleweightchampion to try outequipment used byNottinghamshire Fireand Rescue Service tomonitor firefighterfitness levels.

CenturymakersA MIRFIELD woman iscelebrating thecentenary of aninternational businessand personaldevelopmentorganisation which hastrained more than 9mpeople worldwide.Juliette Dennett isnorth of Englandoperations managingdirector for the DaleCarnegie Training. Theorganisation wasfounded in 1912 in NewYork and offers trainingand learningprogrammes to helptransform people andorganisations.

JASON BANNISTERFTSE 100+40.18

5945.25

A VEHICLE rental companybased in Huddersfield hasinvested in a £600,000 pur-pose-built premises in NorthYorkshire.

Linthwaite-based ArrowSelf Drive, which is reputedlyYorkshire’s largest independ-ent van hire company, hasacquired an office, hire facilityand workshop complex at StJames’ Retail Park in Knares-borough as part of its expan-sion strategy.

Managing director ChrisTaylor said the aim was toprovide more services to cus-tomers.

He said: “We recognise theproblems our business cus-tomers are facing and haveresponded by not only offeringa wide range of flexible hireservices within our portfoliobut also by ensuring that ournetwork of depots are ‘on thedoorstep’ to give fast andresponsive service.”

The company has reported a15% rise in turnover for thelast year with a similarincrease in staffing as businesscustomers increasingly opt forvehicle hire rather than fixedinvestment in their own fleet inorder to maintain positivecash flow and operate flex-ibly.

The new site joins a branchn e t wo rk wh i c h a l re a dyincludes Leeds, Bradford,Barnsley, Hull, Harrogate and

Wakefield.The company has a fleet of

1,500 vehicles and customersranging from small businessest o w e l l - k n o w n Yo r k-shire-based firms, includingtea specialist Taylor’s of Har-rogate.

It has also provided vehiclesfor regional tourism body Wel-come to Yorkshire and WestYorkshire Forget Me NotChildren’s Hospice in Hud-dersfield.

Company has the drive to expand

Move heralds newera for engineersAN engineering company with aworldwide reputation is predictingeven greater things after completing amove to new premises.

Gearbox manufacturer Radiconwas part of the Lockwood-basedDavid Brown group for many yearsuntil its £21.4m purchase by Asia’sElecon Engineering Group in Novem-ber, 2010.

Now it has switched operationsfrom its long-time home at Park Worksto new premises six miles away inElland.

The custom-designed facility atLowfields Business Park is twice thesize of Radicon’s former site.

The company said it would provide“the ideal platform” for Radicon toexpand and incorporate a new engin-eered product division.

The relocation would enable thebusiness to supply a wider range ofengineering products to its growingglobal customer base.

Radicon said the move would alsobenefit the firm’s current standardproduct division, which specialises inindustrial gear box, geared motors andworn gears.

Equally, the larger factory enablesfurther expansion of the rapidly grow-ing service and repair division.

Radicon general manager ChrisRiley said: “The move is fantastic newsfor the business and has been com-pleted within budget and on time and Iwould personally like to thank every-body involved in the project.

“It is a very exciting time for theRadicon business. This move providesus with the ideal opportunity to con-centrate on aggressively growing ourbusiness.”

Alec Michael, partner of commer-cial property agency Michael Steel &Co, which helped secure the move,said: “Whilst inevitably there wassome disappointment that we wereunable to retain Radicon within theimmediate Huddersfield area, Ellandis well located for staff and customersand their new premises provide themwith a superb high quality engineeringfacility.

“We are delighted to have been ableto assist Radicon with their relocationand have little doubt they will go fromstrength to strength in their newpremises.”

Radicon, which also has operationsin Thailand and Chicago, USA, sup-

plies sectors including food and drinkproduction, material handling, min-ing, oil and gas, power generation,water and quarrying under thewidely-recognised Benzlers andRadicon brands.

Radicon owner Elecon is India’slargest manufacturer of material

handling equipment, industrial gearsand transmission products.

At the time of the takeover, Eleconsaid buying Radicon – its first overseasacquisition – would strengthen itsproduct development and engineeringcapabilities and widen its customerbase in Europe and North America.

■ MOVING MEN: Alec Michael (left), of Michael Steel & Co, and Chris Riley,of Radicon, which has moved to premises at Elland (below. left)

■ RESPONSE: Chris Taylor,of Arrow Self Drive

No escaping the law!

Higher sales boostembattled retailer

Local shares

FTSE

5945.25Up 40.18

ENGINE makerRolls-Royce’s Trent extrawide body engine hastaken to the skies for thefirst time when it helpedpower an Airbus A380 ina test flight in Toulouse,France. Rolls claims thenew engine, which willpower the new AirbusA380 XWB, is the mostefficient civil aircraft inthe world.

Taking tothe skies

SHARE PRICES

Local shares

closed at

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.40 dollarsBangladesh................. 122.73 takaBrazil.............................. 2.43 realsCanada....................... 1.50 dollarsChina ............................. 8.93 yuanCzech Republic ...... 27.50 korunasDenmark....................... 8.49 kroneEuro............................... 1.15 euroHong Kong................ 11.67 dollarsHungary ................... 310.47 forintsIndia.......................... 68.71 rupeesJapan........................... 119.92 yenMexico ....................... 17.92 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.76 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.60 kronePakistan.................. 135.56 rupeesPhilippines ................. 57.81 pesosSouth Africa.................. 11.43 randSouth Korea.............. 1553.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 176.38 rupeesSweden....................... 10.14 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.38 francsTaiwan ...................... 40.91 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.63 new liraUSA ............................ 1.51 dollars

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £33.35Gannett 943.10Hess Corp £41.10Microsoft 1971.36Motors Liquidation 47.31Wal-Mart Stores £39.41

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 305 -3BAE Systems 3253/8 +1Rolls-Royce 793 -5

AIMBrady Plc 811/2 -1/2Dawson Intl 15/8Man Brnze 313/4 -3/4

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2261/4 +31/8

BANKSBarclays 2507/8 +21/2HSBC 5813/4 +4Lloyds Banking Gp 363/8 +7/8Ryl Scotland 281/2 +7/8Stan Chart 1644 +8

BEVERAGESDiageo 1498 -1/2SABMiller £253/8

CHEMICALSCroda £201/4Elementis 98 1691/2 +25/8Johnsn Mat £231/2 +3/8

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 2903/4 +73/4

Costain 202 +31/4

ELECTRICITYDrax Gp 526 +101/2Intl Power 3371/8 +11/4SSE 1294 -1

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 1671/4 +21/2

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3677/8 +3/8

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 2155/8 +7/8Cable & WirelessComm

355/8 -3/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

277/8 +3/4

Colt Group 95 +15/8KCOM 71 +1Talktalk Telecom 142 -13/8

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2971/4Sainsbury 3041/4 +23/4Tesco 3211/2 +35/8

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1219 -7Tate Lyle 701 -61/2Unilever £203/4

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 2971/2 +35/8National Grid 6441/2 -1/2Pennon Grp 701 -5Severn 1540 -11United Utils 6041/2 -4

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 1981/4 +21/4ICAP 3895/8 +71/8London StockExch 950 +151/2Man Group 1361/8 +25/8Provident Financial 1049 +18Schroders 1595 +36Schroders NV 1271 +13

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 6491/2 +141/2REXAM 3851/2 +33/8Smiths Grp 1060 +5

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 211/4 -1/4Carphone Whse 171 +2Dixons Retail 147/8 +1/4Home Retail 1131/4 +41/4Inchcape 3753/8 +53/8Kingfisher 2801/2 +1/4M & S 3571/4 +45/8Mothercare 226 +6Next £273/4WH Smith 544 +21/2

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6301/2 -21/2

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 78 -1Barrat Dev 130 +51/8Persimmon 609 +21Reckitt Benckiser £357/8 -1/8Taylor Wimpey 483/4 +13/4

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 9821/2 +221/2

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 3361/8 +53/4

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 2111/4 +31/4

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 3825/8 +125/8Lgl & Gen 1227/8 +11/4Old Mutual 1593/8 -1/4Prudential 724 +3Resolution 265 +31/4Standard Life 2355/8 +13/4

MEDIABSkyB 688 +2D Mail Tst 436 +21/4ITV 78 +3/4Johnston Press 63/8 -1/8Pearson 1226 +2Reed Elsevier 5571/2 -21/2STV Group 1081/2 -1/2Trinity Mirror 49 -1/2Utd Business 5901/2 -1UTV 1201/4 +21/4WPP 8161/2 +51/2Yell Group 41/2

MININGAnglo American £267/8 +1/8Antofagasta 1333 +29BHP Billiton £203/4 +1/2Eurasian NaturalRes

722 +181/2

Fresnillo 1747 +27Kazakhmys 1147 +23Lonmin 1043 +26Rio Tinto £37 +7/8

VEDANTARESOURCES

1358 +46

Xstrata 1207 +11MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 4771/8 -51/2Vodafone Group 1753/8 +3/4

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1011 +14RSA Insurance Gp 1141/2 +7/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 1509 +261/2BP 4991/4 +101/4Cairn Energy 3541/4 +41/8Royal Dutch Shell A £227/8 -1/8Royal Dutch Shell B £231/8 -1/8

Total £351/8 +1/4Tullow Oil 1601 +35

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1108 +12Petrofac 1553 +11Wood Gp(J) 7131/2 +121/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1436 +12

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £283/8 -1/8GlaxoSmithK XD 7Shire £221/2 -1/4

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 4837/8 +31/4Captl Shop Cent 3427/8 +31/8Hamrsn 4013/4 +51/4Land Secs 6911/2 +7SEGRO 2363/4 +57/8

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 2195/8 +21/2Logica 801/4 +1/4Misys 3301/8 +201/2Sage Group 3081/4 +7/8

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 473 +23/4Bunzl 9241/2 +2Capita 6561/2 +2De La Rue 985 +31/2Electrocomp 2453/4 +37/8Experian 960 +141/2G4S 281 +7/8Hays 811/4 +11/4Homeserve 2343/8 -147/8

Menzies J 575 +1Rentokil 801/2 +31/2Smiths News 931/4 +21/2Wolseley £245/8 +5/8

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 586 +2Psion 50 +1/2Spirent Comms 1337/8 +3

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £311/8Imperial Tobacco £25 -1/4

LEISURE & HOTELSBwin.Party Digital 169 +1Carnival 1981 +42Compass Grp 6371/2 -31/2easyJet 4693/8 -51/4Enterprise Inns 511/2 +21/2FirstGroup 3021/4 -15/8Go-Ahead Gp 1319 +21Greene King 5061/2 -1Intercontl Htls 1440 +30Intl Cons AirlinesGp

1733/8 +13/4

Ladbrokes 1541/2 +31/2Mitchells & Butlers 2765/8 +3Natl Express 229 -7/8Rank Org 131 +2Stagecoach Group 2721/4 +71/2TUI Travel 2101/4 +41/4Whitbread 1726

INDEXFTSE 100 5945.25 +40.18

INDEXFTSE 250 11420.21 +108.00

Carclo 3481/2 +81/2Marshalls 101 +3/4National Grid 6441/2 -1/2Weir Gp £217/8 +13/8

New branches for mutualA BUILDING society with roots inHuddersfield has announced plans toopen 12 new branches on the highstreet over the next two years.

Yorkshire Building Society said themove was an example of its “ongoingcommitment to providing face to faceservice to customers in their owncommunity”.

The Bradford-based society is alsocontinuing the expansion of its agencynetwork, with 15 new agencies openedin 2011 and more planned for thisyear.

Chief executive Chris Piling said:“We are committed to retaining astrong presence on our high streets,

providing our customers with accessto a wide range of good value finan-cial service products backed up withthe exceptional personal service theyvalue.”

The mutual has strengthened itsposition as the UK’s second-largestbuilding society by mergers with theBarnsley, Chelsea and Norwich &Peterborough building societies.

It also acquired the Egg mortgageand savings book and the Egg brandlast October.

Said Mr Pilling: “These mergershave seen the society grow its branchnetwork by 65% from 135 to 224 inthree years.”

THE survival hopes of ai l ingsportswear chain JJB Sports have beenlifted – despite another batch of negat-ive trading figures.

The group reported like-for-like salesdown by 7.6% in the 26 weeks toJanuary 29. However, this was betterthan the 17.9% decline over the previ-ous half-year.

Analysts said JJB still has a moun-tain to climb, with losses of £60m forthe year just completed.

But shares closed up 1.5p or 15%higher at 11.5p on hopes that thefigures signal the start of improvedtrading fortunes.

Freddie George, a retail analyst atSeymour Pierce stockbrokers, hasmaintained his sell recommendationand expects another two years oflosses.

“We are, however, becoming moreconfident on the outlook,” he added.

Last year, JJB was forced to secure£96.5m in funds from major sharehold-ers as well as announce plans to close43 unprofitable stores and place a fur-ther 46 on review in a bid to stave offadministration.

Its problems stemmed from stocksupply issues and intense competition,including from rival Sports DirectInternational.

As well as slowing the decline inlike-for-like revenues – albeit againstweak comparisons – the company hasbeen encouraged by an improvement inmargins, which were up 32.1% in thefive weeks to January 29.

Chief executive Keith Jones said theperformance was broadly in line withexpectations. He said: “As we commen-ted last month, weaker UK employ-ment numbers and the ongoing creditsqueeze on consumers create a toughenvironment.

“However, we are continuing toimplement our turnaround aware ofthe importance of the key tradingopportunit ies afforded by theEuropean football championships andLondon Olympics.”

The group’s turnaround schemeinvolves cutting costs and increasingsales through investing in staff training,upgrading some of its 160 viable storesand improving its ranges.

It has devised plans for three types ofstores which will help to tailor itsoutlets to suit their location and willstock more exclusive ranges such asSlazenger Golf and Run 365.

Mr George said he still needed con-vincing that the company has a clearstrategy to turn around the business.

He said: “The company needs to finda niche and a format, which is differen-tiated from its competitors, to takeadvantage of the forthcoming sportingevents.

“In the meantime, competition isintensifying, the cash position is aconcern and the economic outlookdoes not look any better for the com-pany’s core customers.”

LLOYDS Banking Group stripped 13executives of some of their bonusesfor 2010 in the wake of the scandalover payment protection insurance.

Former chief executive EricDaniels will lose 40% or £580,000 ofhis £1.45m award while four othercurrent and former directors willlose sums of up to £262,500.

A further eight executives, belowboard level, will be stripped of 5% oft h e i r b o n u s a w a r d s , t h estate-backed bank added.

it is the first time a bank has used aclaw-back option on executive paypackages since the financial crisis.

The impact of the mis-sellingscandal, which involved the sale of

insurance alongside loans to coverrepayments if borrowers fell ill orlost their jobs, cost the bank £3.2bnin 2011, prompting the claw backdecision.

Lloyds said its bonus pool andindividual awards for 2010 perform-ance would have been lower had lastApril’s High Court victory for con-sumers in securing rights to PPIcompensation been known about atthe time.

The bonus pool for 2011 willinclude a further reduction to takeinto account the PPI compensationbill, which is expected to drive a lossof £3.5bn when the company reportsresults on Friday.

Lloyds slashes bonuses for 13

TRANSPORT groupStagecoach said it willinvest about £60m innearly 400 “greener”vehicles for its bus andcoach fleet.

The first of the newvehicles, which meetEuropean emissionstandards, will bedelivered in May andinclude a new coachmodel for its megabusbudget service.

All but 24 of thevehicles will be built byFalkirk, Guildford andScarborough-basedAlexander Dennis and itsPlaxton coach buildingsubsidiary.

Volvo, Optare,Wrightbus and Van Hoolwill supply the rest of thenew fleet, which includes95 double-decker buses,87 single-deckers and 37coaches

Stagecoach said it hadinvested £370m in newvehicles for its regionalbus operations over thepast five years.

Stagecoach carriesabout 2.5m passengerson 8,000 buses everyday. Its network includesoperations in London,Liverpool, Newcastle,Hull, Manchester, Oxford,Sheffield and Cambridge.

‘Greener’buses

■ SPORTING CHANCE: Hopeshave improved for JJB Sports

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile

Rob Kelly

ArmitageSykesSolicitors

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Associate in thecompany commercialdepartmentAge: 50Family: Married to Elainewith daughters Lauren, 23,Olivia, 18 and Niamh, nineHolidays: Galway in Ire-land and the sports com-plex at La Manga, SpainCar: Nissan NovaraFirst job: Plasterer’slabourer in my uncle’sbuilding business inMarsdenBest thing about job:Varied workloadWorst thing about job:Red tape, rules and regu-lationsBusiness tip: If a job’sworth doing, it’s worthdoing well

Work: Legal servicesSite: Huddersfield andBrighouseEmployees: 65Phone: 01484 550443Email: [email protected]: www.armitagesykes.co.uk

It’snevertoolate!

ROB Kelly’s career seems tohave come full circle.

The Kirkheaton man gained alaw degree at Oxford University,but only became a lawyer in his40s – after a successful careeras a chartered accountant,financial director and a spellrunning his own smallconstruction business.

Now he is associate in thecompany commercialdepartment at Huddersfield lawfirm Armitage Sykes – andcouldn’t be happier in his work.

Rob was born in CroslandMoor and attended CroslandMoor Junior School andHuddersfield New College in itslast year as a grammar school.

At that stage, his careeraspirations remained somewhatvague. “I did a law degree atOxford University, but decidednot to become a lawyer,” herecalls.

“I was never sure that life in anoffice would suit me, but I alwayswanted to do something thatadded real value.

“As a law student at Oxford,most of my contemporaries wentto work for big law firms inLondon. I was 100% sure I didn’twant to do that.

“Instead, I became a charteredaccountant. When I did decide Iquite liked the idea of becominga lawyer I had to go back touniversity because my degreewas out of date.

“University the first time roundwas hard work. The second timeround, it seemed easy. Mind you,the second time round you aren’tspending so much time nursing ahangover!”

Rob began his career withPricewaterhouseCoopers in1984, advising high-calibrecompanies including Ciba Geigy,Kunick plc and ProvidentFinancial Group.

After qualifying as a charteredaccountant, he joined Kunick plc,a leisure-based company withinterests ranging from theLondon Dungeon to nightclubsand pool halls.

As financial director, he wasinvolved in deals, disputes andsupply contract negotiations. Healso set up and retainedresponsibility for the group'soffshore companies in the Isle ofMan.

Rob later held director levelpositions at CaudwellCommunications andMinorplanet Systems plc. He hasmanaged rights issues, movedcompanies from AIM to full listingon the Stock Exchange and dealtwith several company disposalsand acquisitions both in the UKand overseas.

Rob worked in Dusseldorf for ayear in a financial role for amobile telecoms company andwas financial director for avehicle tracking specialist inLeeds. He also ran his ownbuilding company.

But he says: “Even when I wasat Kunick, I decided I would havefancied becoming a lawyer afterall. It was a friend at Evershedsin Leeds who said that if Iwanted to be a lawyer, why didn’tI do something about it?”

Rob completed his legaltraining with Eversheds in Leeds.“That was a bigger challengethan going back to university,” hesays. “From being a financialdirector I was back to being atrainee. I found that hard, butonce I got a few years under mybelt was quickly into the groove.

“I had no problems with‘transferable’ skills like peoplemanagement, financialmanagement, negotiating skills

and meeting skills. But instead ofhaving a secretary writeeverything up for me, I had to doit myself! The real challengeswere to do with law and I had towork pretty hard at that.”

Later, he was approached byRobert Turner, senior partner atArmitage Sykes and a long-timefriend, about the prospect ofjoining the firm in Huddersfield.Rob happily agreed.

He says: “Although I am aHuddersfield man and havealways had a house with an HDpostcode, it is the first time I’veworked in Huddersfield. I haven’tregretted the move.

“The deals you do with a bigfirm in Leeds are bigger than thedeals you do in Huddersfield, butyou get pigeon-holed in a biggerfirm. At Armitage Sykes, I getlots of varied work and peopleexpect you to be knowledge on awider range of matters.

“I fancied the idea of workingin Huddersfield. Being a big fishin a smaller pond and being ageneralist suits me very well.

“Huddersfield is also a friendlyplace. The professionalcommunity is incredibly friendlyand you tend to be friendly withrival firms of lawyers as well as

the accountants, financialadvisers and so on.

“There’s also the fact thatwhen I worked in Leeds I had tocatch the 7.08 train everymorning. Now at 7.08 I’m justgetting out of bed!”

Says Rob: “I had been a clientof Armitage Sykes on thecommercial property side and Ithought they were pretty goodlawyers. Armitage Sykes is a firmwhich doesn’t shout about itselfvery much, but we are movingtowards promoting ourselves abit more.”

Rob says there are bigdifferences in how businessoperates in Huddersfield andLeeds.

“Eversheds is a big firm with4,000 employees while ArmitageSykes has about 65,” he says.“There is also huge difference inthe kind of clients you get. Here,you tend to deal with thebusiness owner – the chap whois paying for your services out ofhis own pocket. In the city, youare dealing with someone whomay be a director, but who isspending the shareholders’money. There is a completelydifference mindset.”

At Armitage Sykes, Rob isinvolved in a full range ofcompany commercial work,including the sale and purchaseof companies and businesses,commercial contracts andcommercial disputes. He alsoacts for insolvency practitionersin dealing with such matters assales of businesses byadministrators and undertakes asignificant amount ofemployment work – having hadexperience of acting for bothemployer and employee.

The firm’s full range ofservices covers commercial,commercial property, residentialproperty. insolvency,employment, litigation, disputeresolution, matrimonial, debtcollection, probate and wills andtrusts.

In the current climate, Robsees fewer merger andacquisition deals betweenbusinesses – and fewer dealsachieved with external finance.

He says: “The banks insistthey are open for business andwhere companies have athree-year track record of goodprofits, that is certainly the case.But it is still incredibly hard forSMEs to get bank finance.

“We are doing more deals onthe basis of deferredcontributions where the buyer istaking longer to pay and theseller has to wait longer to bepaid. Everyone is having to workharder for their money.

“But things are still moving.Companies still have to expandand business owners still have toretire.

“We are dealing with moreinsolvency-related work withsales from administration andliquidators, but on the other handwe have some clients who areexpanding. There are someareas of business doing well.”

Work can mean long hours forRob, who can find himselfcompleting paperwork on aweekend to meet a tightdeadline. But he says: “It’s thenature of being a corporate layerand if you don’t want to do that,you are in the wrong job. I quitelike it!”

In his spare time, Rob is keenon sport. A Huddersfield Townseason ticker holder since hewas nine, he took part in theclub’s charity bike ride toBrighton and will be back in thesaddle for the next epic cycleride from Yeovil in May.

A playing member ofHuddersfield Lawn Tennis Club,Rob also works out regularly atthe gym and enjoys ski-ingholidays.

Rob is also back in theconstruction business. He iscurrently building aworkshop/studio for his eldestdaughter Lauren, 23, who is asculptor. “I had half a dozenpeople working for me when Ihad the building company,” hesays. “This is just me! It’s alabour of love – a combination ofwork and pleasure.”

■ HOME WIN: Rob Kelly is happyto be working in his home town

Still going strongafter all this time

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal

Online exchangeA NEW website has been launched tohelp small firms and start-ups withspare capacity or surplus stock toexchange their services and productswith like-minded business owners.The website allows businesses to “post”their requirement to the category ofbusiness that they require and thenreceive back offers of an “exchange”.The website has been launched afterbeing piloted to a limited audience for 18months.Yorkshire businessman Paul Norton firsthad the “light bulb moment” in August,2008, when locals at a village pub inNorfolk hit the headlines by barteringhome-grown products for pints.The website – www.swapswap.biz – hasbeen developed by Mr Norton’s webdevelopment company, Go Media Ltd.

Leap to it onFebruary 29!BOSSES atKirklees firmsare being urgedto give theirstaff time off onFebruary 29 tohelp a goodcause.Charityshoppingwebsiteeasyfundraising.org.uk wants companies to jointhe “Give Away Your Leap Day”campaign and free up theirworkers for anything from a coupleof hours to the whole day. Staffwill be asked to give their time to acharity, raise funds for goodcauses – or just run an errand fora neighbour.Gary Thompson (pictured),managing director ofeasyfundraising.org.uk, said:“Leap Day gives British bosses anextra day for free from their staff –so why not gift that day back totheir staff and help a good cause?Giving something back is great forstaff morale.“Times are tough for businessesand charities, but if businessescan inspire their workers to carryout a charity act, then everyonewins. Even if businesses can onlyspare an hour, that could make adifference to a lonely pensioner ora charity struggling to survive.”The easyfundraising.org.ukwebsite gives an average 5% ofeach sale to the charity of theshopper’s choice. So far,easyfundraising.org.uk has givenaway more than £3m to goodcauses and aims to top £1m thisyear.Go to www.leapday.co.uk

Swift answer tofirm’s IT issuesA FIRM making and selling blindsand curtains has turned to anear-neighbour to pull its ITsystems together!Swift Blinds, based at LockwoodRoad, Lockwood, engaged P2Technologies, based at nearbyLockwood Park, to increaseefficiencies and provide ongoing ITsupport and guidance.Swift Blinds has beenmanufacturing, supplying andinstalling all types of quality blindsand curtains from its showroom,offices, and factories inHuddersfield since 1969.Before employing P2, Swift Blindshad a number of internal staff andcontractors responsible formanaging different areas of its ITsystem, which was inefficient andcaused additional cost and hasslefor their business.P2 has provided Swift Blinds with apackage of support that includes24/7 monitoring, helpdeskresponse, on-site service andstrategic advice.

AN international business andpersonal development organisa-tion which has trained more than9m people worldwide is celebrat-ing its centenary in 2012.

And that’s cause for celebra-tions in Mirfield.

Dale Carnegie Training, foun-ded in New York City in 1912,offers open programmes as well ascustomised in-house training,workshops, assessments andonline learning all aimed at trans-forming people and organisa-tions.

The managing director of itsNorth of England operation isMirfield woman Juliette Dennett,who is based at its head office inLeeds.

She said the organisationfocused on giving people in busi-ness the opportunity to sharpentheir skills and improve their per-formance in order to build posit-ive, steady and profitable results.

Today, the focus was on issuessuch as developing strongeremployee engagement, develop-ing talent and creating transform-ational leadership across allsectors.

Said Juliette: “It’s amazing tothink how much times havechanged in the last 100 years – andyet many fundamental principlesremain as true today as backthen.

“Here in Yorkshire and acrossthe North of England, we arelooking forward to continuingour success story with individuals

and companies from across theregion.”

Dale Carnegie has grown froma public speaking course in 1912to an organisation represented inmore than 86 countries world-wide.

A new version of its flagshippublication, How to Win Friendsand Influence People, first pub-lished in 1936, was released lastyear as How to Win Friends andInfluence People in the DigitalAge. In 2010, the first Dale Carne-gie App for the iPhone, iTouch,i Pa d a n d B l a c k b e r r y wa slaunched.

■ INFLUENCE: JulietteDennett, of Dale Carnegie and(right) the cover of the founder’sfamous book

Ask Insight hasanswers for 2012A MARKET research agency inHuddersfield has reported a strong startto 2012.Ask Insight, based at the Media Centre,Northumberland Street, has secured aseries of new client wins, including careservice provider Optimo Care Group andNorth Warwickshire & Hinckley College.In addition, Kirklees College hasrenewed its research contract for afurther year and London-based AAR,which specialise in client and agencyrelationships, is continuing to use Ask’sonline research technology to monitorrelationship satisfaction levels.The agency has recently completed abrand perception research project forTotal Food Service and the follow upproject is currently under discussion.Ask Insight has also strengthened linkswith Huddersfield Town as the club’sofficial research partner, which willinclude conducting a customersatisfaction benchmarking programmeand a similar review involving Town’spartner organisations.Susan Kenyon, Ask director, said: “Wework as ‘thought partners’ to identify,develop and deliver effective strategicmarketing and research solutions whichdeliver a healthy return on clientinvestments,Sectors covered include education andtraining, food and drink, governmentand local authority, healthcare, retail,tourism and leisure.

Apprenticeships boostA TRAINING company haswelcomed new moves toencourage employers to take onapprentices.

YH Training Services, based atJohn William Street inHuddersfield, said theintroduction of employer grantsfor the recruitment of newapprentices would be “a fantasticbonus” for small businesses andlocal young people.

The £1,500 grant has beenlaunched to encouragebusinesses with fewer than 250staff to employ an apprentice.

The move is also payingdividends for one accountancyfirm, which has recruited anapprentice to train while studyingaccountancy on day-release.

Peter Sleigh, ofBrighouse-based Sleigh andStorey, said: “Here at Sleigh andStorey, we feel that apprenticescome with enthusiasm, awillingness to learn and add the

vibrancy of youth to a business.“We also find that apprentices

don’t come with preconceivedideas about accountancy, whichis why they fit so well into theculture of our organisation.”

Heather Poole, manager forWest Yorkshire at YH TrainingServices, said: “YH wants to helpas many local businesses aspossible to take advantage of thegrants by employing anapprentice as it is an ideal wayfor them to increase their staffinglevels and allow for expansionwithout a large financial outlay.

“YH provides a free ‘Recruitand Match Service’ for anyemployer to assist them inrecruiting their ideal apprentice ina variety of different vocationalareas.”

But she added: “The number ofgrants available are limited andwill be allocated on a ‘first comefirst served’ basis.”

■ SKILLS: Peter Sleigh, apartner in the firm of Sleigh andStorey, with trainee accountantAntonia Awogboro

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local

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Helping firms find fundingACCESSING finance forbusiness growth will bethe hot topic at a series ofroad shows acrossYorkshire in the comingweeks.Representatives fromFinance Yorkshire, a £90mventure capital and loanfund, will take part in theroadshows which will takeplace in several locationsduring March to raiseawareness of the financeavailable to businesses.Seedcorn, loan and equitylinked investments,ranging from £15,000 to£2m, are available throughFinance Yorkshire to helpsmall and medium sizedbusinesses achieve theirlong-term developmentplans.The roadshows will takeplace on March 6 inSheffield, March 8 in York,March 13 at Hull and March15 in Leeds. Furtherevening events will be heldin other areas during theyear.Delegates, includingbusiness owners, businesssupport organisations andprofessionalintermediaries, will be ableto hear more aboutFinance Yorkshire as wellas speak to companieswhich have alreadybenefited from investment

from the Fund.Finance Yorkshire hasprovided more than £15mthrough 160 investmentsacross the region since itbegan investing in August,2010.Alex McWhirter, chiefexecutive of FinanceYorkshire, said: “The fundhas gathered momentumsince it was launched andwe are encouraged by thenumber of investmentscompleted.“We are keen to drive theprovision of our fundingfurther and significantlyincrease the numberbusinesses we help togrow.”He said: “In thischallenging economicclimate, businesses are

more vigilant and areunderstandably cautiousregarding businessexpansion plans.“However, many realisethat inaction is not aremedy and are thereforekeen to explore ways inwhich they can be assistedto achieve their growthplans.“We have seen a manycompanies that have takenthat leap forward and arenow experiencingsignificant growth. FinanceYorkshire can provide thenecessary tools to helpmake that step easier forbusinesses.”Go towww.finance-yorkshire.com or ring 0845 649 0000.

■ MOMENTUM: Alex McWhirter, of Finance Yorkshire

Hat-trick of prizesfor financial team

■ TROPHY TIME: ken Davy (front), chairman of SimplyBiz, with staff and the threeProfessional Adviser Awards won by the company

A FINANCIAL and business support pro-vider in Huddersfield has completed ahat-trick of awards.

SimplyBiz PLC has won the ProfessionalAdviser Best Network / Service CompanyAward for the third time in five years. Thecompany, which celebrates its 10thanniversary in November, won the sameaward in 2008 and 2009.

SimplyBiz, which employs 150 staff, waspresented with the award at a gala dinner inLondon. The company is chaired by KenDavy, who is also chairman of Hudders-field Giants.

Said Mr Davy: “As a Huddersfield com-pany, winning this important nationalaward is a tremendous achievement.

“SimplyBiz have received numerousaccolades and awards since we launchedthe company in 2002.

“However, the Professional AdviserAwards are among the most coveted in oursector as they are based on the quality ofservice and support delivered to firmsthroughout the UK.

“The whole of the SimplyBiz team arededicated to providing the best possibleservice for independent financial advisersand it is a superb accolade to all our staffthat we have won this prestigious award notjust once, but consistently since 2008, res-ulting in a hat trick of awards.”

SimplyBiz, which is based at the Gal-pharm Stadium, has grown to become thelargest independent company in its field.Other awards include being named Busi-ness of the Year in the Examiner BusinessAwards 2010 and appearances in the LDCHot 100 and Sunday Times Fast Track 100lists.

The SimplyBiz Group provide compli-ance and other business support services tomore than 2,000 financial services firmsand 5,000 individual advisers nationwide.In addition to SimplyBiz, the group alsoincludes Compliance First, Verbatim AssetManagement, SimplyBiz Mortgages andthe not-for-profit New Model BusinessAcademy.

Slice of the actionA CAKE company in Huddersfield isamong nine businesses shortlisted for aregional award.

Lindley-based ProperMaid Ltd is amongthe finalists in the Lloyds TSB EnterpriseAwards – a search to find Britain’s bestuniversity and graduate businesses.

The nine businesses are also one stepcloser to scooping a national prize of£50,000 to invest in their business and acomprehensive business mentoringprogramme.

The award has two categories. Theprize for best start-up will go to a businessin its early stages while the prize for bestenterprise will be awarded to the businessjudged to show real potential to grow overthe next five years.

The heat for Yorkshire and North Easttakes place a week on Wednesday inLeeds. The winner of the best start-upcategory will scoop £1,000 while the bestenterprise winner will take home £5,000.Both will also get two years’ mentoringfrom senior Lloyds representatives.

They will go on to compete in a grandfinal in March in Liverpool. The national

event will coincide with the GlobalEntrepreneurship Congress, an annualconvention designed to bring togetherentrepreneurs from across the globe.

The overall winner of the awards will get£50,000 to invest in their business,together with a comprehensive two-yearmentoring programme, involving seniorexecutives from Lloyds Banking Group, toprovide coaching and support on issuessuch as planning, finance and marketing.

Each of the winners will also receivefree legal advice from an independentspecialist law firm.

Allison Whitmarsh, of ProperMaid Ltd,said: “We are extremely proud to beshortlisted for such a prestigious awardsscheme, particularly with such fiercecompetition not just from across Yorkshirebut outside the region as well.

“The award of a cash grant to invest innew plant and equipment for our businesswill give us much needed impetus –having recently had the expense ofrelocating to bigger manufacturingpremises and successfully tendered forsignificant new customer contracts.”

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property KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

INFORMEDDEVELOPMENTJason Bannister

Jason Bannister is a solicitor with Armitage Sykes in Huddersfield

Ambitious housebuilder’spositive start to the yearHOUSEBUILDER TaylorWimpey has unveiled plans forseveral new developmentsacross Yorkshire.The firm is set to open up tonine new housing schemesduring 2012, including a rangeof properties fromtwo-bedroom apartments tofour-bedroom detachedhouses.The properties will be aimed at

house hunters ranging fromfirst-time buyers to families.Anne Bagshaw, sales andmarketing director for TaylorWimpey Yorkshire, said: “Thisis an extremely positive startto the year.“We are pleased to be able tocontinue our success inYorkshire and to be meetingthe needs of homebuyersacross the region.”

Modern takeon ‘land grabs’

Theft covers a multitude ofsins.

From shoplifting to pick-pocketing,armed robberies to complicated finan-cial scams. Usually, theft involvesstealing money or some other move-able property such as cars or gold.

However, in the “digital age” thecriminal fraternity have now foundways to steal land.

Like all “good frauds” the stealingof land is relatively simple in its execu-tion. Central to the fraudster’s plot isthe identification of a “suitable prop-erty”.

A “suitable property” would be onewhich is registered with the LandRegistry, is empty or is bought to letor one in which the owner does notpermanently reside either because theowner uses it as a second home,spends a lot of time out of the country

or is residing in a care home.Commercial properties that are not

mortgaged and permanently occupiedby a third party or vacant may also bedeemed as “suitable properties”.

On February 1, 2012, the LandRegistry introduced a new systemaimed at combating property fraud.The system works by the owner of aproperty applying to the LandRegistry to place a “restriction” onthe property stating that the propertycannot be sold or mortgaged unless asolicitor certifies that they are satis-fied that the person selling or mortga-ging the property is the true owner.

As such, the scheme creates anadditional barrier that a fraudstermust overcome before being able to

carry out a fraudulent transaction.The Land Registry will not charge a

fee for processing the application for“home owners who do not live at theproperty”.

In all other cases the Land Registrywill charge a £50 administration fee.

Whilst, in theory, any propertycould be the subject of fraud it is“suitable properties” that are at mostrisk.

The Land Registry has beenpro-active in their approach to com-bating property fraud and if you arethe owner of a “suitable property” youshould do the same!

If you require any clarification onany of the above or any related matteryou should consult your solicitor.

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Rixonway investsin new machinesA KIRKLEES company has investeda six-figure sum in new machinery.

Dewsbury-based RixonwayKitchens has pumped £450,000 intothe new equipment at its 175,000sq ftfactory, which aims to furtherstrengthen its position in theaffordable and social housing marketand improve its efficiency.

The firm has become the first in theUK to install a specialist Fusionmachine produced by Italiancompany Essetre.

The machine allows Rixonway tocut and edge its kitchen work tops ina single process – halving the timetaken and improving safety forworkers.

The installation has allowedRixonway to streamline itsmanufacturing procedures as theedging process is now completed byone machine rather than two as waspreviously the case.

Operations director Nick Greenallsaid: “We manufacture over 12,000rigid kitchen units a week and we areconstantly looking for ways toimprove the efficiency of theproduction process.

“The new system has broughtimprovements in productivity andenergy consumption as well aslowering transportation and handling

requirements for staff, creating asafer working environment.”

The new system was installed byEssetre technicians who travelledfrom Italy to spend five days with the

Rixonway team training them to usethe equipment correctly.

Rixonway Kitchens is a leadingkitchen manufacturer working inaffordable and social housing.

■ MACHINE TEAM: Rixonway project manager Dave Beanland (left) andoperations director Nick Greenall (centre) with Kevin Scott, of GWMMachinery

Marketing agency helpcompany get a new lookBIRSTALL-based marketingagency Fantastic Media hashelped create an eye-catchinglook for a West Yorkshirecompany.Fantastic worked withBradford-based LW Graphicsto come up with the visualsfor a major refurbishment atthe new offices of financespecialist Bridford in Ilkley.Having recently movedoffices, Bridford wanted tocreate an office setting whichwould reflect the company’spersonality and generate apositive working environment– while also appealing topotential clients.Bridford commissioned LW

for the project on the back ofits reputation in the industryand strong relationship withBridford’s marketing partnerFantastic Media.LW initially visited Bridford’spremises before puttingtogether a proposal whichwould use every bit of officespace. The project includedfitting internal wall graphicsand window graphics in theboardroom. The offices werefinished with bespokesignage.Bridford founder Tim Marlowsaid: “We are delighted withour new offices. The newgraphics have brought ournew office to life.”

■ NEW LOOK: Birstall-based Fantastic Media helped to createvisuals for the Ilkley offices of finance specialist Bridford

property KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

For more information contact Alec Michaelon 07717 870 320 or email [email protected]

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers

Adrian Davies & Richard Sherrard

Project:SearchTWO respected headhunters have joinedforces with Cleckheaton-based charteredaccountancy firm Clough & Company tolaunch a new company specialising inexecutive search and selection across manysectors.

Adrian Davies (above left) and RichardSherrard (right) bring a wealth of experienceto the new company, Project:Search, afterpreviously holding senior positions atwell-known executive search firms.

From Clough & Company’s head office, MrDavies, Mr Sherrard and their team will offera full range of board level and executiverecruitment services to clients ranging fromSMEs to PLCs throughout the UK.

Mr Davies said: “Recruiting the rightpeople at the senior end of the market hasalways been business critical, but in thecurrent economic climate it’s more importantthan ever to find the right person as quicklyand efficiently as possible.

“As a result, we felt there was a gap in themarket for a firm that can combine in-depthexperience with the flexibility to completelytailor its services towards every individualclient regardless of what industry they workin or where they are based.”

Steven Gash, practice chairman of Clough& Company, said: “We’ve worked with Adrianand Richard in the past and they have anexcellent track-record in the recruitmentindustry so we are delighted to launchProject:Search under the Clough & Companyumbrella.”

Chris Petts

GrantThorntonBUSINESS adviser GrantThornton has promotedChris Petts to director inits Yorkshire and NorthEast advisory team.

Mr Petts (pictured)works closely withbusinesses throughoutthe region, providingassistance on financialand operationalrestructuring, due diligence assignments,and pre-lending reviews.

He also undertook a secondment to HSBCBank plc in 2009-10, working in its officesacross Yorkshire and the North East,performing financial due diligence on newfunding applications and providingcommercial advice to customers.

In his new role as director, he will focus ondelivering Grant Thornton's advisory servicesthroughout Yorkshire and the North East,working in collaboration with businesses andtheir stakeholders to help them implementturnaround plans, in addition to performingbusiness reviews and pre lending reviews forbanks.

Fitness test areal knockout!A FIRM in the Holme Valley is packing apunch with boxer Carl Froch – by puttinghim through his paces with some of thefirefighters the company supplies withsafety equipment.

Brockholes-based North Fire arrangedfor the WBC world super middleweightchampion to try out the latest piece ofequipment used by Nottinghamshire Fireand Rescue Service to monitor firefighterfitness levels.

Carl worked out on the exercise bikewhile hooked up to a gas analyser – aportable unit that measures aerobic capa-city. The analyser is used to ensure fire-fighters are fit enough for operationalduties, whether they are new to the service,returning from illness or injury or as partof routine annual fitness tests.

The gas analyser has been introducedbecause of its extremely high level ofaccuracy when assessing aerobic capacity.

The fire service’s fitness advisor, TugDavies, said: “Firefighter fitness isextremely important, both to the firefight-ers themselves and to us as an organisa-tion.

“In the past, we have used various differ-ent methods for testing aerobic capacitybut they can have a standard deviation ofup to 15% with regard to accuracy.

“The gas analyser has a standard devi-ation of just 1% making it much moreaccurate and this is particularly importantwhere personnel are borderline pass or fail.It means that those who are fit enough foroperational duties are not taken ‘off therun’ unnecessarily, while those who need toimprove can be identified and given thesupport to get them back to full opera-tional fitness as soon as possible.”

Carl’s visit to his local fire station hasbeen made possible by North Fire, one of

his sponsors. The firm has supplied fire-fighter helmets and other equipment toNottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Servicefor the past three years.

Managing director Oliver North said:“Carl really enjoyed putting his own

personal fitness to the test while giving theNottinghamshire firefighters some tips on

how they can stay fighting fit and at the topof their game.”

North Fire was set up in 2008 to promoteand support aerial appliances and firefighting equipment manufactured and sup-plied by Rosenbauer International AGamongst municipal, industrial and airportfire and rescue services.

■ FIRE DRILL: Boxer Carl Froch (centre) with Nottinghamshire Fire and RescueService fitness Tug Davies (left) and North Fire managing director Oliver North

Weighting roomA COMPANY providing medicalequipment to the emergency servicesis set for a starring role on TVtomorrow.

Cleckheaton-based Ferno hasdeveloped a range of specialistequipment, including ambulancetrolleys, wheel chairs, evacuationchairs and hospital trolleys which willappear in Channel 5’s newfly-on-the-wall documentary Big BodySquad. The series starts tomorrow.

The programme follows the menand women whose job it is to lookafter the nation and its “growingneeds”. With nearly a million morbidlyobese people in England, ambulanceteams, fire crews, carers and othersare having to adapt to be able toprovide a service for Britain’s “BigSociety”.

Ferno managing director Jon Ellissaid: “The number of morbidly obesepeople in England has doubled since2000 and in the next 10 years it ispredicted that more than a third ofpeople in England will be obese.

“As a result, over the past 10 yearswe have developed a range ofbariatric equipment to help hospitals

and the emergency services safelydeal with larger patients, as well asallowing for a more dignifiedapproach.

“The success of our equipmentmeans Ferno products featureprominently in several medicaldramas and documentaries – BigBody Squad is just our latest starringrole.”

Big Body Squad will follow thesuper-sized ambulance teams, firecrews, equipment specialists andcarers across the UK as they dealwith the associated complications andrisks that come with mobilising anobese nation.

The show will follow the specialistambulance teams who take to theroad in their £90,000 adaptedambulances designed to transportplus-size people, meet the crews andtheir patients, and learn about life onboth sides of the stretcher.

The show will also explore what it islike to be so large that for somepeople even simple everyday tasksbecome impossible and so requirecarers to assist them.

Julie Gokce

NorwoodInteriorsAWARD-WINNINGkitchen, bedroom andbathroom retailerNorwood Interiorshas promoted salesmanager Julie Gokceto become its firstever sales andmarketing director.

Ms Gokce(pictured) began her career at ClassicKitchens in 1985, working with a varietyof well-known brands. She has been atNorwood for almost 20 years, designingkitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms inhomes across Yorkshire. She was alsoresponsible for the interior designinspiration for the Norwood’s ownshowrooms.

Norwood, which was formed 25 yearsago and was named Master KitchenRetailer of the Year in 2005 and 2006, ,was bought last year by the £100m-plusMy House Group.

Kirklees Business News 21/02/12

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Transcript of Kirklees Business News 21/02/12