The UK Knack Group Reviews Today’s Events ……

London legal publishing company investing in NI, creating 8 new jobs Justis Publishing Limited, a London-based legal publishing company, is establishing a base in Northern Ireland, creating 8 new jobs with £32k of funding from invest Northern Ireland. The company, are investing £270k into the area.

BAE Systems’ Bridgwater energy park means 5,021 jobs BAE Systems, manufacturers of weapons and ammunition, are planning a 231-acre Energy Park near Bridgwater, creating 5,021 jobs. The project will create 135 acres of commercial space as well as 96 acres for energy generation. The company have a turnover of £831m and employ over 20,000 people.

Opens new office - strong business growth - creating jobs Clean Earth Energy, a Wadebridge, Cornwall-based renewable energy company has opened a second office in Exeter, Devon, following growth in demand from Devon and Somerset. Tristan Grimes, is heading up the new, two-strong Exeter team. Further recruitment is planned at both offices. 30 employees.

New jobs at County Durham based HPM Group County Durham based HPM Group, who design football programmes for Sunderland and Middlesbrough, has revealed plans to create five Northeast new jobs. The company wants to expand its 45 strong workforce as it looks to build on its marketing and digital products.

New hotel opens at Exeter Airport bringing 55 new jobs Hilton Hotels have opened Hampton by Hilton Exeter Airport.  This 120-bedroom hotel has created 55 new jobs and is the 2nd Hampton by Hilton in the UK; the company is planning 3rd UK Hampton by Hilton in Sheffield.  Turnover £6.4m employing 458 staff.

550 new jobs at Middlesex based BSkyB Middlesex based BSkyB is creating 550 new jobs due to strong demand for its products and services.  The company reported pre tax profits of £966m for the 9 months to 31 March 2013, up from £899m in 2012.  Revenue has also seen an increase of 6% to £5.4b beating forecasts.

30 new jobs at Newton Aycliffe based Tekmar Newton Aycliffe based Tekmar, the subsea technology company, is investing £1m which will more than treble the size of its North East facility and create 30 jobs. The expansion includes adding a further 75,000 sq. ft. to its current 27,000 sq. ft. facility in Newton Aycliffe.  The investment will help to turn the facility into a research and development centre, whilst existing operations will operate out of a larger additional building.

100 new jobs at renewable energy facility in Wheldrake, North Yorkshire Peel Environmental is to build a £23.5m anaerobic digestion and horticultural glasshouse facility in Wheldrake, North Yorkshire.  It will generate enough renewable electricity to power 3,500 homes. 256 jobs will be created during construction and the facility will provide 56 full time positions and 50 seasonal positions during operation.

Reading Plaza West contract secured Morgan Sindall Reading Borough Council has appointed Morgan Sindall as contractors to fit out the Plaza West facility, the council's brand new civic centre. Morgan Sindall, headed by Chief Executive John Morgan, have a turnover of £2.2bn, and employ 6744 people.

25 new jobs at new Mini Monsterz Scarborough site Ruswarp, near Whitby based Mini Monsterz will be creating 25 new jobs when they open the facility in Eastfield, Scarborough.  The facility is opening after a 6-figure investment in play equipment, new jobs and a 20-year lease.  The 9,000 sq. ft. unit will feature the latest in soft play technology and also a pottery painting studio, party hosting facilities and a cafe.

£200m recycling centre brings 253 new jobs to Bristol SITA UK is to build a £200m Energy Recovery Centre near Bristol after winning a contract with the West London Waste Authority to burn waste after shipping it by train. The company, CEO David Palmer-Jones, will create 53 permanent jobs and 200 during construction. Turnover £279m, employees 3378.

New jobs in The Midland Hotel, Bradford The Midland Hotel in Bradford, owned by Peel Hotels PLC, are expanding their sales and marketing, creating three jobs and two apprenticeships. The expansion comes after the company, turnover £14.6m, secured funding from the Bradford City Centre Growth Zone.

Company sites merger brings 10 new jobs to Wolverhampton Trac Group Limited, precision engineers, will create up to 10 new jobs in Wolverhampton when they merge two of its businesses on one site in a £500k investment. The group, turnover £21.8m will increase their workshop area to 22,000 sq. ft.

30 to 40 new jobs at 4 new Yorkshire pubs West Yorkshire based, Ossett Brewing Company plans to open four new pubs in Yorkshire this year, with 30 to 40 new jobs set to be created, as the business benefits from the growing popularity of cask ale.  The £10m turnover business, which has an estate of 19 pubs, has pledged to invest further in community and live music themed pubs.  The 4 planned pubs will be in Bradford, York and 2 in Leeds area. Penny Winter – The UK Knack Group www.theukknackgroup.co.uk

The UK Knack Group Reviews Today’s Events ……

Management Moves: Aberdeen based BusinessPost makes senior appointments Aberdeen based BusinessPost who specialise in business management systems in safety critical sectors has made several key appointments to help with its continued growth. They have taken on 3 new staff, Andrew Hall has been made Operations Director, Mirielle Taylor as Marketing Manager and Colin Brown is Operations Coordinator.

Management Moves: Management restructured at Cardiff-based PR company Working Word Cardiff-based PR company Working Word has created a team of executive directors to lead an expansion strategy, including service innovations, increasing market share in Wales and building its client base across the UK.  The company achieved a record profit of £150,000 in 2012 on turnover up 10% to £800,000. 17 employees.

Management Moves: Change of Ownership at Devon Waste Management Devon Waste Management has secured a £5.5 million finance package to support its continued expansion.  Steve Hadley, previously commercial director, has also taken over ownership and management of the Exeter-based business from Collin Hickling, who has left to pursue other interests.

New Swadlincote Head Office for Keystone Lintels brings 20 new jobs Keystone Lintels that makes and supplies steel lintels and roof windows has opened its new headquarters in Swadlincote creating 20 new jobs bringing its workforce up to 130.  The group, which is made up of companies including Keystone Lintels, Keylite Roof Windows, IG-GRP and Smartroof, supplies its products to the UK and Ireland construction markets.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: National Enterprise Award for Leicestershire-based Asap Leicestershire-based Asap, which makes watercraft for beach lifeguards, has secured a national enterprise award from Lloyds TSB, including £10,000 to invest in the business, and business mentoring. Asap was named Best Start-Up in recognition of its potential and the international appeal of its one-person watercraft.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: Made in the Midlands Partnership beats £1bn lending target Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking has partnered with manufacturing support group Made In The Midlands to support the growth of the Midlands manufacturing industry. The bank expects to beat its target of lending £1bn to manufacturers.

Venture Capita: £150K Funding secured by MabLyte, a UK-based life science diagnostics company MabLyte, a UK-based life science diagnostics company, raised £150k in funding from venture capital fund manager Mercia Fund Management that made the investment via its Mercia Growth Fund 1.  The company intends to use the capital to complete the development of their first kit.  Geoff Hale and Alice Harrison MabLyte Founders

Private Equity / Bank Funding: Made In The Midlands partnership with Lloyds TSB Made In The Midlands, a manufacturing support group, has partnered with Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking to support the growth of the Midlands manufacturing industry. The partnership will support the 250 Made In The Midlands members in areas such as access to funding, international trade advice and financial news bulletins.

2 New Training Centres and New Head Office bring new jobs to Sunderland North East based training company, Resources (NE) Ltd has invested a six-figure sum in acquiring two training centres and a head office.  The company has opened a new construction training centre in Jarrow and an IT training facility and new head office in Sunderland.  The expansion has created 6 new jobs.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: North Yorkshire-based R&R Ice Cream takeover by PAI Partners North Yorkshire-based R&R Ice Cream is to be acquired by France-based private equity firm PAI Partners. PAI will buy the company from Oaktree Capital in a £718.2m contract.  R&R recorded revenues of 600m euros in 2012, 2,330 employees.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: Flexitallic Group acquired by Bridgepoint Private equity house Bridgepoint has bought energy sealing product maker The Flexitallic Group for £379m from Eurazeo PME.

100 new jobs at new Primark West Bromwich store Reading based budget-clothing store Primark has started recruiting for staff at its new store, which opens at the £200m New Square development in West Bromwich later this year.  The company, which is showing a sales increase of 24% in its first half of its trading year has 139 stores.  Turnover £2.09b employing 25,575 staff.

New jobs at RENE training centres and head office in the North East RENE have opened a new construction training centre in Jarrow, and an IT training facility and head office in Sunderland, totalling 14,000 sq. ft. of space, as well as taking on 6 new employees. The company, headed by MD Tom Doyle, hope to train 200 new apprentices each year.

New UK datacentre for Slough to open in 2014 Salesforce.com plans to build its first UK datacentre in Slough.  the Hub is to open in 2014 and will join Salesforce.com's existing datacentre family located in Asia and the US.

Venture Capital: Sifa growth brings new jobs Sifa has outlined plans to form closer links with its parent company, SimplyBiz, and hopes to continue a recent upturn in adviser numbers.  The professional body has seen 15 new firms join over the past four months, and expects to maintain this momentum now it has fully integrated with support services provider SimplyBiz, which acquired it in August 2011.  SimplyBizs size and financial strength will allow Sifa to take on more staff.  David Seager Development Director

Management Moves: Senior executive appointed at Travelzoo Travelzoo, an Internet media company and publisher of travel, entertainment and local deals, has appointed Simon Talling-Smith as products and emerging businesses president from August 2013.  Mr Talling-Smith joins from British Airways. He will lead Travelzoo emerging businesses, including Fly.com, a new hotel booking platform and mobile apps.

Ellesmere relocation for Trinity Research Limited brings 16 new jobs Trinity Research Limited, a natural sciences research and development company, are relocating from Cheshire to Ellesmere Port, creating 16 new jobs, with more during construction.

200 Call Centre jobs for Derby Web Help TSC, a telecommunications company who operate a contact centre in Pride Park, have created 50 new customer-service jobs. The company, headed by Chief Executive David Turner, may create up to 200 jobs if they achieve success in their plans to use technologies such as e-mail and social media.

Eastleigh, Hampshire complex brings new jobs Willmott Dixon have secured a £22m contract to construct a retirement village in Eastleigh, Hampshire. The complex will house 170 properties, a health centre and a number of leisure facilities, bringing new jobs to the area. The company, turnover £1.05bn, employ 2845 people.

Private Equity / Bank Funding: Funding secured by Wiltshire manufacturer Dynamatic Limited UK Wiltshire manufacturer Dynamatic Limited UK has refinanced to support its future growth.  The Swindon-based company, which is part of Indian-headquartered Dynamatic Technologies, has completed an agreement comprising of a £4.98m asset-based lending facility and a £500,000 loan from RBS Invoice Finance and RBS Corporate & Institutional Banking.  Dynamatic Limited UK has a turnover of about £27m between its hydraulics and aerospace businesses in the UK, and employs about 240 employees in Bristol and Swindon. Penny Winter – The UK Knack Group www.theukknackgroup.co.uk

The UK Knack Group Reviews Today’s Events ……

Sadly there is no news to review today because of the May Day Bank Holiday! Normality returns tomorrow! Penny Winter – The UK Knack Group www.theukknackgroup.co.uk

The UK Knack Group Reviews Today’s Events ……

Whitbread Plc. business expansion brings 12,000 new jobs  Whitbread Plc. have set out expansion plans for their Costa Coffee and Premier Inn chains, creating 12,000 jobs over the next 5 years. The company, headed by Chairman Antony Habgood, have seen revenues increase by 14.2% since 2012.

30 new jobs in Wigan at Arrow XL Arrow XL formerly Yodel XL has refurbished it Martland Park site in Wigan, the new facility will provide an additional 200,000sq ft. for its state of the art logistics and distribution centre.  They have taken on 30 additional staff with the possibility of more to follow.  Turnover £5.5m employing 500 staff.

Venture Capital: £4.5M Investment in ATG Media ATG Media, a London, UK-based operator of auction portals and live and timed online auctions, received a £4.5m investment from existing investor Mobeus Equity Partners. The investment aims to finance the acquisition of BidSpotter Inc., a US-based leader in industrial and commercial online auctions. The acquisition will broaden ATG Medias existing portfolio of auction platforms.

New jobs at Burslem based Autonet Insurance Burslem based Autonet Insurance is holding a recruitment open evening to fill the dozens of vacancies that they have in their call centre.  The company has just unveiled a £250,000 expansion plan to set up a training centre which will create a further 130 new jobs.  Turnover £25.3m employing 467 staff.

50 new jobs at Dummer based Southern Communications Dummer based Southern Communications is to create 50 new jobs thanks to securing a finance package from the Breakthrough programme provided by Santander Corporate & Commercial Banking.  The funding is to be used as a capital growth investment to accelerate the expansion of its sales force.  Revenue £18m employing 160 staff.

Eden Business Park expansion brings jobs Eden Business Park, owned by Eden Council in Penrith, has received enquiries from 5 firms regarding setting up operations at the business park.  There is a mixture of those companies wishing to set up new sites and extending existing operations.  It is hoped that this will create new jobs for the area.

Farr UK head office relocation to Sutton Coldfield brings potential new jobs Farr UK, which sells all-terrain vehicles, has relocated its head office from Exeter to a 7,782 sq. ft. unit at Minworth Business Park in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, to support future expansion. Since relocating, Farr has already secured a number of new dealers. The expansion could create employment opportunities.

Birmingham funding body creates new jobs  Finance Birmingham, the funding arm of Birmingham City Council, has recruited 5 new members of staff to cope with their workload. The organisation grew from a scheme suggested by 4 local enterprise partnerships. The Council is led by Sir Albert Bore.

22 new jobs at Glacier Energy Services Glasgow based oilfield specialist Glacier Energy Services has formally opened the North East base of its Wellclad business in Boldon creating up to 22 jobs in an investment worth more than 325,000.  The 15,000 sq. ft. site will now house office and workshop space for Wellclads engineering division.

20 new jobs in Vets4Pets new store Guernsey based Vets4Pets who was bought by shop chain Pets at Home earlier this month, will lose 35 jobs at its headquarters, but the company is planning to open a new store which will create 20 new jobs.

50 new jobs at Hampshire based IT firm, Switch Concepts Hampshire based IT firm, Switch Concepts is planning to double its workforce to cope with its exploding workload.  They are creating 50 new jobs in the coming year at their Salisbury Road base.  Switch has seen its profits rise by 600% in the past year.

Hotel expansion in Simonstone, Lancashire creates new jobs Lavender Hotels is adding another 21 beds to its Higher Trapp Hotel in Simonstone, Lancashire, in a £1.25m investment. The extension follows strong local demand for rooms at the hotel.  Three new posts will be created in order to maintain the new rooms.

240 new jobs at London Ambulance Service (LAS) London Ambulance Service (LAS) will receive an additional £7.1 million funding this year, which will be used to recruit 240 new staff. The funding should bring LAS closer to its goal of having a paramedic, who would work in conjunction with accident and emergency staff, on board every ambulance.

250 new jobs at new Severnside plant Maidenhead based Sita Uk is to build a new waste plant in Severnside, which is part of the £900m West London Waste Authority contract that Sita won. The site in Gloucestershire would create 200 construction jobs and 53 permanent engineering jobs to man the EfW plant.  The total capital investment in the facility is more than £240m.

Larger premises in the North East for Manchester based digital company Manchester based MymCart a digital company which specialises in mobile websites and transactional mobile apps is expanding its presence in the North East by moving its production centre into larger premises and recruiting up to four new staff.  The company is working with University of Teesside’s Graduates for Business initiative, aimed at helping graduates find employment with locally based businesses.

Morrells Woodfinishes opens new trade counter means potential new jobs for Preston Morrells Woodfinishes, which manufactures varnishes and coatings, has leased a 1,250 sq. ft. unit at Red Scar Business Park in Preston, Lancashire, to open a trade counter.  The expansion could create employment opportunities. It is Morrells fourth site in the North West including its head office in Stockport, Cheshire. Turnover £16.7m, 135 employees.

Northumberland-based AMS Asbestos Management Services secures local authority contract meaning potential new jobs Northumberland-based AMS Asbestos Management Services has secured a place on a Sunderland City Council framework. The company expects the contract to help it secure more local jobs and further establish its position as a leading asbestos management solutions providers in the north of England.

Management Moves: Business Development Manager appointed by Novus Property Solutions Property maintenance specialist Novus Property Solutions has appointed Stuart Ridsdale as business development manager, to help secure refurbishment and maintenance opportunities in the hotel and leisure sector.  Novus, previously called Seddon Property Services, has rebranded and is now able to offer a wider range of specialised services.  1,000 employees, £91m turnover.

New premises for RadshapeRC means potential new jobs RadshapeRC, which manufactures and sells radio controlled models, has leased a 7,747 sq. ft. unit at Minworth Trade Park, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, as part of its on-going business development and expansion strategy. The move could create employment opportunities.

Management Moves: Stadium Group Chief Executive joins Civil Service Stadium Group chief executive Stephen Phipson is to leave the electronics manufacturer to take up a senior role in the Civil Service.  He will be replaced by Charles Peppiatt who is currently group operations director.  Turnover £44.9m employing 881 staff.

Tekmar investment programme means 30 job gains for the North East Tekmar, the subsea technology company, has unveiled a £1m investment programme, which will more than treble the size of its North East facility and create in excess of 30 jobs.  This investment will help turn its current facility into a research and development centre while its existing operations will be expanded to meet the demands of the sector by operating out of the additional larger building.

Wrekin Products relocates to Lichfield premises bringing new jobs Wrekin Products has relocated from its base in Burton-on-Trent to larger commercial premises in Lichfield to help support its growth.  The business secured £680,000 from HSBC's Derbyshire and East Staffordshire commercial team to fund the move.  The move will allow them to consolidate its stock holding at one site, expand its product range and service new market sectors, as well as giving the company space to accommodate further growth.  All 35 employees have moved and three staff additional staff have been employed as a result of the expansion, with a further two to follow. Penny Winter – The UK Knack Group www.theukknackgroup.co.uk