Monthly Archives: August 2021

News

Meet the Hillingdon man who quit his job to sell sponges – which are now loved by celebs

A BUSINESSMAN from Hillingdon is celebrating the success of his cleaning product company.

Christopher Foster launched his business, SPH2ONGE in 2017 after struggling to find a sufficient product to help him absorb the water from defrosting his freezer.

He found the ideal material – an ultra-absorbent sponge, which wasn’t yet on the market – and after finishing up with the freezer, ordered 1,000 and set up the business to make a bit of extra cash and have fun on the side of his job as an estate agent.

After going months without making many sales, Christopher decided to start giving some away for free and went from selling one sponge a week, to shipping off six or seven black sacks full of orders weekly and by 2019 he quit his job and started working full time on the business.

Although the 36-year-old still works from his flat in Hillingdon, the business runs out of a factory in Kettering, with a second factory opening in Telford soon.

The products are stocked in stores across the country, including Robert Dyas, The Range and Matalan.

It has also expanded into the US, with a centre in California serving its American customers.

Christopher said: ‘I was earning around £2,000 a month when I decided to quit my job, which I thought at the time was a place I would stay at and be comfortable. I was sneaking off on my lunch break at work to take black sacks to the post office and I knew that it was time to do it full time. I never imagined that I’d be making the number of sales that I am now.’

The company turns over seven figures a year with lowest-priced product being £1.75 and highest being £7.99.

The products have been used and loved by many celebrities, including cleaning and household faces, Mrs Hinch and Lindsay Queen of Clean, who frequently post about the products on their Instagram, as well as The Only Way of Essex’s Amy Childs, ITV’s Sally Morgan and reality star Jake Quickenden.

Christopher hopes to inspire others to follow suit and consider starting their own brands, even on a low budget.

He said: ‘I think people are wary of starting a business because they think they need to have loads of money or qualifications behind them, but it isn’t the case. I started out on a low budget and with no qualifications at all. By no means do I have a business degree or anything – I failed my exams as a kid. I just had the drive to do it and it worked for me so it can work for anyone.’

News

Leading digital marketing tech firm announced as finalist at top industry awards

Leading digital marketing technology firm, Beacon, has been named as a finalist in the ‘Tech Company of the Year – Small’ category at this year’s UK Business Tech Awards.

The UK Business Tech Awards celebrate the UK’s finest tech businesses and reward innovative and exceptional applications of technology to transform and grow businesses.

Beacon has been recognised for its work developing its digital marketing analytics and click fraud protection platform, which can identify the presence of click bots – automated programs used to commit ad fraud and distort results.

The platform then take steps to remove click bots from clients’ marketing channels, thereby producing a stronger Return on Investment [RoI] by saving greater portions of their advertising budgets from being wasted, and delivering better quality data in which they can place their trust.

Winners of this year’s UK Business Tech Awards will be announced at a ceremony due to take place in London on Wednesday 13th October.

 

Nigel Bridges, CEO of Beacon, said: “We are hugely proud to have made the list of finalists at this year’s UK Business Tech Awards.

“The determination to innovate and disrupt has remained a central part of how we have operated since inception, and we hope our journey acts as a source of inspiration to others working in the sector.

“We remain focused on driving growth across all areas of the business, and the recognition we have already received from the judging panel will certainly give us a huge boost for achieving this.”

 

The business was co-founded by entrepreneurs Nigel Bridges, Mike Townend and Stewart Boutcher, and has experienced consistent growth over the past two years, having recently secured its first clients in North America with plans to also expand into Asia and the Far East.

Having started life as a digital marketing agency, the idea for the Beacon platform was born from the frustration the team experienced from observing the disconnect between the data their clients received from advertising networks and the numbers they saw in their own traffic monitoring.

Beacon’s work has already seen the company be awarded the Tech Nation Rising Stars 3.0 Cyber Award, which places it among the nation’s top cyber security companies.

For more information about Beacon, visit www.thisisbeacon.com.

News

AceOn serves up ace battery pack for Paralympic Tennis Star

A wheelchair tennis star will represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games later this month — wearing a lifesaving vest to keep him cool which is being powered by a custom-made AceOn battery.

Antony Cotterill needs to wear the vest in Tokyo’s searing heat because an accident has left him unable to regulate his own body temperature.

Telford-based AceOn was commissioned by pioneering cooling technology company Paxman to provide a power pack for the vest it has developed to enable Antony to compete at the games, which open on August 24.

The special battery powers a pump, which circulates a coolant through the vest which Antony will wear whilst playing his matches to prevent his body from dangerously overheating as temperatures soar into the 30s.

Mark Thompson, founder of AceOn Group, was delighted to answer the call when Huddersfield-based Paxman approached.

“We get lots of requests for custom-designed battery and power packs, but this one was very unusual. Paxman’s design team had very specific needs for the power source for Antony’s vest as it also needed to meet the demands of a wheelchair tennis player — so it had to be light, provide charge for at least 30-40 minutes (the average length of a set) and it needed to have a quick connect facility so it could be easily changed at the end of a set.

“We set our inhouse design team to work on creating a bespoke power pack solution with all those qualities and came up with a unique 200W battery configuration which Antony will be using in Japan.”

Paxman is a family business that uses pioneering cooling technology to help cancer patients keep their hair during chemotherapy. The company founder and chairman, Glenn Paxman, was approached by the manager of Antony’s tennis club two years ago to see if they could help with an innovative cooling solution.

Glenn’s brother Neil Paxman, one of the UK’s top cooling technology experts, designed the lightweight miniature cooling device which attaches to Antony’s wheelchair.

Glenn Paxman said: “Cooling innovation is firmly embedded in the Paxman family — both scalp and beer cooling — so Neil took these years of experience and research to make something bespoke that would help Antony compete safely in the Tokyo heat.”

Antony said: “The technology is incredible, and I cannot believe it has been designed specially to help keep me cool while I play. Without it, my core body temperature would reach dangerously high levels during a match, which sadly could stop me from competing. I am now looking forward to representing Team GB this summer and cannot wait to get on the court.”

Mark added: “This project was a really special one for AceOn to be part of. We’ll be cheering on Antony from Telford, and we wish him every success in Tokyo.”

The Paralympics will take place from Tuesday 24th August — Sunday 5th September, Tokyo, Japan.

AceOn Group has 30 years of experience in the battery industry and has a team of experts in battery design and manufacture. The company is one of the UK’s leading providers of lithium-ion battery systems and has a diverse team of battery specialists, including mechanical and electrical engineers.

 

News

Tap Happy: Almost Half Of Transactions To Be Contactless By The End Of 2022

Contactless spending is expected to account for almost half of all transactions by the end of 2022 (47%), as it becomes the most popular payment method for the first time, according to new research.1

The VoucherCodes.co.uk Life after Covid: Prospects for online retailing, physical stores and how we pay report, carried out by the Centre of Retail Research (CRR), examined the pandemic’s effect on the way UK shoppers pay for goods.

The study shows that pre-pandemic in 2020, chip and pin was the most popular payment method, accounting for over a third (37%) of all transactions in the UK. During the same period, only 17% of all payments made were contactless. However, between 2021-2022, chip & pin payments are forecast to decline to just 25% of all purchases and cash payments will see a sharp decline, accounting for just over a tenth (11%) of all payments by the end of 2022.

The switch, which will constitute a 30% increase in contactless payments from pre-pandemic to the end of 2022, was accelerated by changing consumer and retailer behaviour when it comes to paying for goods during Covid-19. Shoppers swapped cash for card for hygiene reasons, many retailers also stopped accepting cash altogether, and the contactless payment limit increased from £30 to £45.

Looking ahead to next year, card payments are expected to account for almost three quarters (72%) of all transactions.

 

Breakdown of preferred payment methods amongst UK shoppers 

Year Cash Chip & Pin Contactless Cheque Bank Transfer
2019 – pre-pandemic 2020 26.60% 36.50% 16.80% 3.1% 17.00%
2021-2022 forecast 10.90% 24.90% 46.70% 1.70% 15.80%

 

Anita Naik, Lifestyle Editor at VoucherCodes.co.uk, commented: “Covid-19 has forever changed the way consumers spend their money. With exponential increases in online orders during the pandemic, combined with increased contactless limits and retailers implementing cash bans, people have quickly adapted to relying on contactless payments for the bulk of purchases as a result.

“It remains to be seen whether the government will amend laws relating to legal tender, enabling retailers to permanently refuse to accept cash if they wish.

“Ultimately, only time will tell, but in the immediate future, whereby cash was once key, contactless is our future.”

For more details, the Life after Covid: Prospects for online retailing, physical stores, and how we pay report can be found here: https://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/savings-guides/guides-reports/life-after-covid-prospects#online-retailing

News

Big-hearted Scots author backs charity with the launch of the latest thriller in the DCI Steve Burt Mysteries

Crime fiction fans are in for a midsummer sizzler with the publication of this fast-paced thriller in the DCI Steve Burt Mysteries by new Scottish author John Reid.

In The Auction, published by Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, Steve Burt is an ex-Parachute Regiment officer turned Metropolitan Policeman.  The character of Steve Burt is a complex one, and we meet a man who has overcome his personal demons and flawed character to become one of the Metropolitan Police’s most successfully detectives. His flawed character raises its head on occasions as the DCI doesn’t always follow the rules in pursuit of criminals.

In his second outing, the DCI faces his toughest challenge so far. Having gotten his career back on track, and now having his own small specialist investigative unit, he is called upon to solve an impossible double murder that no other detective in the Met wants to investigate. The case leads Steve into the dangerous world of murder, corruption, fraud and money-laundering.

Reid, a Dundee-born former fund manager who now lives in both Scotland and Portugal, has won a legion of fans with a new twist on an established genre and inventive plots which keep readers on the edge of their seats. He is currently working on his eighth novel in the series so readers will be well supplied with DCI Steve Burt Mystery novels over the coming years.

To mark the launch of the latest DCI Burt page turner, the big-hearted author has teamed up with the national disability charity Sense, which supports people living with complex disabilities. The charity will receive a percentage of the royalties of all sales from the entire DCI Burt series and wider activities to raise awareness of the charity and their work.

Like the fictional hero, John Reid served in the Army in Northern Ireland and the Middle East before embarking on a career in industry. He held senior roles in several industrial sectors, before retiring to become a full time author.

John said “I wanted to help others share in the success of the DCI Burt series, by supporting Sense, since, like them, I believe that no one should be left out, no matter how complex their disabilities.”

Carl Williams, Community Fundraising Manager for Sense, said: “We are very grateful for John Reid’s generous gesture which will support our work to ensure that no one should be isolated or unable to fulfil their potential simply because of their disability.”

Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers is an independent publishing house based in the UK with talented authors from around the world. Having published books from numerous genres and with award-winning titles, Pegasus has established itself as one of the leading publishers for both new and previously published authors.

For further information, please visit www.steve-burt.com.

News, South West

Business communications provider expands into the Southwest after experiencing surge in demand

Business communications provider, Fusion Communications, has expanded into the Southwest as part of its ambitious growth plans, after experiencing a surge in demand.

The business, which is based in Staffordshire and manages the communications for  small to medium businesses, is setting up an operation in Liskeard, Cornwall, where its director of sales’, Aaron Spry, will be relocating to after spending 15 years in the Midlands.

Born and raised in Looe, Aaron has worked for Fusion Communications since 2014 and is returning to the area to help cater for a sharp increase in demand for the business’ services due to the pandemic, which resulted in a 35% increase in turnover.

The expansion will also initiate a recruitment drive in the region, with a focus on creating new sales and demand generation roles.

Aaron said: “I am really excited about my move back to Cornwall and I am grateful for the opportunity to help grow Fusion Communications’ presence in the Southwest region.

“The move will open up a host of opportunities for the business and our clients, and I am looking forward to building a new team to continue delivering the outstanding support Fusion Communications is known for.”

 

Oliver Rowe, founder and CEO of Fusion Communications, said: “With the increased demand we have experienced in the Southwest, it makes sense that this expansion is the next step for the business.

“Having a local presence is key to ensure we deliver the best service for our customers. This is the first of many regional locations we plan to expand into in the next 12 months.

“Throughout the pandemic, far more businesses have adopted a hybrid working model with time split between the office and remote working, and there is no doubt that connectivity has become more important than ever and will continue to be fundamental in keeping the mobile workforce in constant communication.

“This is why we think, now more than ever, it is vital that we expand across the UK and ensure we have staff on the ground in all areas to provide support to our clients.”

 

Established in 2013, Fusion Communications manages the communications for 250 businesses, including Connaught Vets and Westland Horticulture LTD.

The business offers a variety of communications solutions, including business mobiles, hosted and unified communications, fixed line and secure device management.

News

Nearly one-third of employees are willing to leave their jobs due to poor workplace culture

Toxic workplace culture can cost businesses serious money, raising turnover rates and a damaging reputation.

More employees are speaking out about toxic or hostile workplace environments, and the act of ‘outing’ companies has become far more common.

A recent report by BreatheHR revealed that more employees are leaving their jobs at SMEs due to poor workplace culture. This has risen from 21% in 2020 to 27% (nearly one-third) in 2021.

Collecting data and insights, Lucinda Pullinger, Global Head of HR & Talent at Instant Offices discusses why it is crucial than ever for businesses to create an inclusive and empowering workplace environment for their employees.

Biggest Signs of a Toxic Workplace

Here are some tell-tale signs to watch out for in the workplace – these could be symptoms of a deeper problem with the company culture as a whole.

  • Constant interpersonal conflicts
  • Lack of teamwork and camaraderie
  • Pointing fingers and blaming others when something goes wrong
  • Poor problem-solving as a team
  • Exclusive cliques or social groups
  • Office gossip
  • Work awarded based on personal connections rather than skill
  • Poor communication and lack of clarity around projects
  • Inconsistent communication and mixed messages
  • Unhappy, demotivated workers
  • High turnover rate
  • Stifled/ stagnated career progression
  • Lack of work-life balance

Jobseekers can research a brand’s track record and get a feel for the type of culture they foster:

  1. Look at company reviews from present and past employees on reputable platforms like Glassdoor.
  2. Monitor their turnover rate over a period of several months and see how it compares to the industry average.
  3. Research how diverse the company is. Find out how many people in senior positions are women or from a BAME background.
  4. Pay attention to how they communicate with you and with each other.

Keeping Toxicity Out of your Company’s Culture

Even a small pocket of negativity or toxicity can spread far enough to “infect” an entire company. Once a toxic trend is spotted, it’s important to address it as soon as possible, so it can be stopped. The team at Instant Offices provided these tips below:

  1. Lead by example – behave the way you want to see your employees behave. That includes maintaining a positive attitude, and holding yourself accountable for mistakes the same as you would a subordinate.
  1. Treat every employee with dignity and respect, regardless of their position or seniority.
  1. Don’t play favourites, and don’t scapegoat or alienate any employee or group of employees.
  1. Make sure all management is properly trained on what makes a diverse and inclusive workplace.
  1. Ensure that all employees are properly trained on what constitutes bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
  1. Provide training that empowers managers to handle internal conflicts.
  1. Keep communication channels open for mutual feedback between employees and management.
  1. Encourage constructive feedback and create an environment where criticism can be shared without fear of “punishment”.
  1. Make sure your employees know that it’s safe to speak up.
  1. Recognise and reward your employees’ efforts.
  1. Promote employees based on skill, not just on likeability.
  1. Foster an environment of open, constructive communication.

 

 

 

 

News

Independent evidence SLT on road to recovery after weathering COVID storm

Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) is heralding its latest independently verified success story of generating and delivering £16.5 million of social value* back to the borough.  

In the last full operational year prior to the impact of COVID-19, the Black Country-based charity (which runs nine leisure facilities for Sandwell Council across the borough) achieved 16.1% local resident attendance figures – the national average is 15.9% – but with seven of its centres sitting in the top 50% of sites it places them all well above standard for the industry.

The Social Value report measures and benchmarks the contribution services make on improved health, improved subjective well-being, increased educational attainment and reduced crime – and is a key measure of how charitable and leisure operators contribute back to their local areas.

This positive news comes with SLT retaining all frontline staff as all nine centres have re-opened successfully following pandemic restrictions lifting, plus the Trust being given a clean bill of health by an independent Health & Safety advisor following no less than 46 separate inspections of their COVID-secure procedures prior to and during lockdown re-openings.

SLT has also recently celebrated being the only leisure operator to achieve RoSPA’a President’s Award for achieving the highest Gold Safety Standard for 15 consecutive years; one of the few nationwide to maintain Investors in People Silver Standard for leading the way in people management skills; as well as being awarded the highest possible Quest Prime Excellent Status at two of its oldest premises no less for superior facility management and COVID-secure standards.

What’s more, the recently completed Reach Project, funded by the National Lottery’s Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF), sought to increase the confidence and self-esteem of some 120 individuals by re-introducing them into SLT centres and back towards a healthy and active lifestyle. Nearly 90% said it had a positive impact on their mental health, 89% were motivated to improve their activity levels, 74% felt it has improved their sleep and 68% their general eating habits.

SLT CEO, Ash Rai, says: “We have managed to navigate one of the worst crises to hit the leisure industry in our lifetime, whilst maintaining national award winning and safe services. Some others have unfortunately not re-opened, handed services back and made large redundancies, but we want our positive example to give hope to other operators.

“Ours is a confident but cautious approach and we’re encouraged to see an enthusiastic return by our customers, even though it may take some time to get attendances back to pre-COVID levels again. The signs are certainly promising and we are actively recruiting again – with, for example, over 60 applicants applying for a part time receptionist post.”

SLT’s Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury and Tipton Sports Academy have also played a major role in the borough’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, with both the facilities being part converted to approved vaccination centres and responsible for nearly 150,000 jabs as at early August ’21.

*Benchmarks and comparisons are from the DataHub, which is the largest database of physical activity data in the UK, with automated membership and participation data feeds from over 2500 leisure facilities. It values and measures the social impacts of participation in sport nationwide.

News

One of the UK’s fastest growing suit retailers expands to Lakeside, Essex

  • SD by Suit Direct introduces a range of suits, accessories and casualwear from leading brands to Lakeside Shopping Centre
  • The lakeside store will be the 11th store opening for Suit Direct

SD Home of Menswear by Suit Direct has cemented its commitment to investing in the high-street, with a brand new 1539 sq ft. store in Lakeside Shopping Centre, creating seven new jobs and welcoming some of the UK’s leading designer menswear brands.

The new store located, adds to the SD by Suit Direct’s ever-growing portfolio of stores across the UK including Milton Keynes, Leicester, Reading, Sheffield and Southampton with plans to open a further eight stores during 2021.

The past two years have seen SD become one of the fastest growing menswear retailers in the UK, offering a fantastic range of suiting, accessories and casualwear from leading brands including Ted Baker, Selected Homme, Marc Darcy, Ben Sherman, Jack and Jones, Racing Green, Limehaus, Gibson London and Jeff Banks.

Mark Cotter, CEO of Baird Group, owners of SD by Suit Direct, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our new Lakeside store – it was an ideal location for us and an important part of our major UK store roll out planned for the next 12 months. Our vision is to be the go-to destination for contemporary and inspiring menswear brands. With this new store, SD by Suit Direct is aiming to help fill the void in affordable and stylish menswear left by the unfortunate closure of other high street and shopping centre stores over the past 12 months and we are extremely excited for the future of the brand.

“At Baird Group we are incredibly proud of our rich history of more than 100 years across manufacturing, wholesale and retail and this new Lakeside store offers a one-stop-shop for all things men’s fashion – from three-piece suits, to casual spring essentials, plus a wide range of accessories. We provide affordable suits for all occasions including weddings, workwear and proms, plus a range of casual polo shirts, jackets and jumpers and accessorises.

Ali Ummanel, SD by Suit Direct Lakeside store manager, adds: “The team in Lakeside is delighted to open our doors and welcome new customers after a year of such uncertainty. We offer one-to-one suiting appointments for those after a little more assistance and the team are always on hand to offer style advice and assistance wherever possible.”

To find out more visit https://www.suitdirect.co.uk/

Marketing, PR and SEO

Creative agency Fluid Ideas adds six staff as expansion continues

Creative agency Fluid Ideas has recruited six staff as its expansion continues.

The Derbyshire agency has welcomed Rosie Blackwall and Kate Barton as account managers.

They each have more than 10 years’ experience in the sector. Rosie has joined Fluid from HRG (UK), a marketing agency based in Northampton, while Kate has moved from Diversity Creative Marketing, based in Nottingham.

Fluid has strengthened its search and social team with the appointment of Hope Crosby and Lauren Brewell.

Hope, who also runs a food blog focused on healthy living, has joined after graduating from the University of Derby.

Lauren, an experienced marketing executive and a lifestyle blogger and author, has joined Fluid from Keylink, a supplier of chocolate, ingredients and equipment to the chocolate industry.

Fluid’s design and artwork team has been bolstered by the arrival of creative art workers Jessica Johnson and Rob Morton.

Jessica has joined from Nottinghamshire marketing agency One Product, while Rob has moved from Leicester-based Unsworth Sugden Group

Fluid Ideas is a full-service agency whose operations cover branding and campaigns, graphic and website design, computer-generated imagery, 3D animation and video, photography, copywriting, digital marketing, content management and social media.

Its client base spans sectors including healthcare, retirement living, property, professional services, education, finance, leisure and hospitality. The agency is based at Darley Abbey Mills, near Derby.

Joint managing director Phil Harvey said: “As our client base continues to expand, we are delighted to welcome six newcomers to our team to help us to meet the growth in demand for our services.

“They are all highly creative and committed professionals with a passion for their specialisms and are great additions to our team.

“Search and social is expanding rapidly as clients shift to a greater reliance on more instant and measurable digital marketing tactics. Growth for our design and artwork team shows that traditional design still has a place as part of the brand and marketing toolkit for clients.

“Investing in our account management team means we are better-placed to help our clients meet the increased demand they are seeing themselves as the economy bounces back.

“Our clients tell us Fluid is like an extension of their business, and these additions will help to further strengthen the support we can provide.”

The latest appointments follow on the heels of a recruitment drive which saw seven new arrivals at Fluid Ideas earlier in the year.

The photograph shows, top row left to right: Jess Johnson, Lauren Brewell and Rob Morton. Bottom row L-R: Hope Crosby, Rosie Blackwall and Kate Barton.