The UK Knack Group Reviews Today’s Events ……

Kent school contract secured by Morgan Sindall. Bringing 50 construction jobs A £3.2m contract to expand a Kent school has been awarded to Morgan Sindall.  Work has already begun on the project and they plan to recruit extensively from the surrounding area, with up to 50 people involved at the peak of development.  It is predicted that the project will be completed in December 2013, and the new block will be officially opened to staff and pupils in January 2014

430 new jobs at energy-from-waste facility in Teesside A consortium led by Berkshire based SITA UK has been selected as preferred bidder for a billion-pound resource recovery contract which will lead to the development of a new energy-from-waste facility in Teesside. The contract is worth £1.7b over 30 years and will manage 430,000 tonnes of household waste each year from Merseyside and Halton.  Turnover £279.4m employing 3378 staff

BCBG Max Azria opening London outlets - new jobs expected BCBG Max Azria, the US-based fashion label, is to expand in London over the two years to 2015.  The label and sister brand Herve Leger plan to open standalone stores and department store concessions in London, creating employment opportunities. The group may also open outlet stores with designer outlet operator McArthur Glen.

Management Moves: Senior management appointments in Channel 4 Channel 4 has made a number of Senior Management Appointments. Glyn Isherwood, currently Finance Director, has been appointed as Group Finance Director.  Martin Baker, Director of Commercial Affairs and Keith Underwood, Director of Strategy, will take on additional responsibilities. The changes follow the introduction of a management development programme.

Management Moves: Communications agency Zeno Group expands senior team Communications agency Zeno Group has expanded its senior team in London with the appointment of Rachel Vrettos to lead its healthcare division. The US-based firm opened the London office in 2012.  It is owned by Edelman and specialises in the consumer, healthcare and technology sectors.

Management Moves: Creative Director appointed by Cake London Creative agency Cake London has appointed Leroyson Figueira as creative director, replacing Simon Moore. Cake is expanding its digital services with a particular focus on creating shareable creative content, an area that is becoming increasingly critical to the business. Turnover £13.6m, 50 employees.

1400 new jobs and 40 new stores in Iceland Deeside based Iceland, the supermarket chain, is to create 1,400 new jobs by opening 40 more stores this year. Profits have risen by 18.5% to £184m in the year to March 2012.  Turnover £2.6b employing nearly 24,000 staff.

Management Moves: Senior management restructuring at Innocent Food company Innocent has promoted Group Marketing and Innovation Director Douglas Lamont to the CEO position after Coca-Cola increased its stake in the business to near 100%. Innocent co-founders Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright are to step away from the day-to-day management of the business. Sales increased 36.3% to £213.5m in 2012.

HCB Solicitors opens London office with potential new jobs HCB Solicitors, a rapidly expanding Solihull-based law firm, has opened an office in central London to meet client demand.  The firm has a network to 8 offices in the West Midlands and an increasing number of corporate clients based in London. The expansion of the firm could create employment opportunities. Turnover £2.9m, 80 employees.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: £43m refinance at Willerby Holiday Homes Hull-headquartered holiday home and lodge manufacturer Willerby Holiday Homes has completed a £43m refinancing with support from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.  The refinancing is designed to strengthen Willerby's balance sheet in order to provide the business with additional capacity to support new product development and market expansion.

Mascotte expands into UK - London store opened and new jobs expected International footwear and accessories brand Mascotte has expanded into the UK with the opening of a new store at the Westfield London shopping centre, creating jobs. Mascotte is owned by Austrian company Markenmanagement MS GmbH and operates more than 140 stores across the globe.

Management Moves: Senior manager appointed in Jupiter Asset Management Jupiter Asset Management has appointed Damian Cocking as head of business development.  The appointment is part of the expansion of the private clients & charities division, which has £1.9bn of assets. Turnover £147.5m.

£9.6m processing site brings 100 new jobs to Park Royal, West London Kolak Snack Foods is to open a £9.6m processing site in Park Royal, West London in June.  The 45,000 sq. ft. facility would be dedicated to extruded snack products and ready-to-eat popcorn, and would create 100 jobs, said Kolak.   Kolak had turnover of £61m in 2012 and expects to achieve £72m in 2013.

40 new jobs at Home Bargains flagship store in Bury Liverpool based Home Bargains is creating up to 40 new jobs with the opening of a 500,000-flagship store in Bury this weekend. This will be the 3rd store to open in this area making the number of stores 300 in the UK.

Pret A Manger plans 500 new jobs London based Pret A Manger plans to create 500 new jobs this year after a huge rise in profits.  Pret has been controlled by private equity group Bridgepoint since 2008 when they bought a majority stake as part of a management buy out.  Revenues rose 17% to £443.1m in the year to December 2012.

Management Moves: New chairman appointed by Manchester Building Society Manchester Building Society has appointed David Harding as its new chairman.  Mr Harding was previously chairman of Coventry Building Society. He replaces Michael Prior who has stepped down after four years in the role.

Management Moves: Midven expands investment management team Midven, the Birmingham-headquartered venture capital specialist, has strengthened its team of investment managers with the appointment of Tim Grasby.  Turnover £1.6m, 17 employees.

New wind farm scheme brings potential new jobs to Easter Ross, Scotland RockBySea Scotland is planning to build a new wind farm in Easter Ross, Scotland, comprising 13 turbines up to 99.5 metres high. The development could create employment opportunities.

Management Moves: Head of research appointed by social network, Twitter Social network Twitter has appointed Jake Steadman as head of research.  Mr Steadman joins from O2.  The social network is expected to launch a new advertising product in April 2013, which could include a partnership with an analytics company.  The launch of a music service is also believed to be imminent.

Management Moves: Senior management changes at the BBC The BBC has appointed James Harding as director of BBC News and Current Affairs with effect from August 2013.  Mr Harding replaces Helen Boaden, who has taken up the role of Director at BBC Radio.  BBC News is the largest broadcast news operation in the world, with 8,000 staff.

£7m Satrosphere science centre expansion means potential new jobs The Satrosphere Science Centre is to undergo a £7m expansion, with visitor numbers expected to rise from 55,000 to 70,000. A fundraising campaign to finance the expansion has been launched and is expected to take two years to complete.  The planned investment could create new jobs at the centre.

New jobs at new Perfect Homes store in Burnley West Midlands based Perfect Homes have opened a new store in Burnley creating 8 new jobs. Perfect Home is a UK-wide household goods retailer offering products to customers through weekly, fortnightly or monthly payment options.  Turnover £57.3m employing 431 staff. Penny Winter – The UK Knack Group www.theukknackgroup.co.uk