Monthly Archives: December 2021

Charity & CSR, FInance

Swansea Building Society gives boost to kidney charity’s Christmas appeal

Swansea Building Society has donated £1,000 to help Swansea-based kidney charity, The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales, fund its annual Christmas Day Out appeal.

This year, The Paul Popham Fund’s Christmas Day Out will offer young people with kidney disease – cared for at the Children’s Kidney Centre – and their families, complimentary tickets to see Beauty and The Beast in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

The charity’s goal is to purchase 85 tickets to the spectacular event – one which many of the kidney patients’ families wouldn’t ordinarily be able to access.

The Christmas Day Out event aims to lift spirits and encourage social interaction with other patients going through similar experiences of kidney disease. The charity hopes that it will help them to feel reassured that they’re not alone, whilst building their self-esteem and confidence.

Swansea Building Society’s sizable donation has come as a substantial boost to the charity’s fundraising for the event, and will go some considerable way to making attending it a reality for a number of families.

Jo Popham, CEO at The Paul Popham Fund, said:

“We’re overjoyed to have received this extremely generous pledge of £1,000 from our friends at the wonderful Swansea Building Society, to help towards our Christmas Day Out appeal.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, our community of paediatric kidney patients have been classified as extremely vulnerable and had to spend lengthy periods of time shielding – on top of an already disabling illness. This, undoubtedly, has added to a feeling of loneliness and anxiety for many of them.

“We hope the Christmas Day Out will give them the opportunity to make friends, talk with people going through similar experiences and most of all have some much-needed fun! Swansea Building Society’s donation has really helped to make this happen.”

Alun Williams, Chief Executive at Swansea Building Society, said:

“At Swansea Building Society, it’s wonderful to be in a position to help local communities and charities whenever we can. The Paul Popham Fund’s work makes a huge difference to those living with kidney disease and their families. This Christmas Day Out should put a big

smile on many of their faces – very well deserved at this time of year. We wish them all a very merry Christmas and hope they enjoy what we’re sure will be a magical experience of attending the production of Beauty and The Beast.”

Construction, Manufacturing

AB Glass unveils leadership succession plan

AB Glass, the Swansea based award-winning architectural aluminium specialist, has unveiled a leadership succession plan that will see its founder and managing director Alan Brayley take a step back and become chairman – in the company’s 30th year in business.

 

Nigel Harvey, the company’s operations director, will take the reins as the new managing director of the company, which employs some 40 local people, supports a further 25 sub-contractors and has a turnover of approximately £6 million.

 

Harvey has a plethora of experience within the sector. He joined AB Glass in 2005 and spearheaded the implementation of Lean Manufacturing into the business while also improving project management and customer care. In his new role, Harvey will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the entire company.

 

Brayley, who founded the business 30 years ago, has assumed the role of chairman. He will focus on holding the board responsible for its overall performance while also ensuring its unique ethos and culture created over many years is retained and enhanced in its future.

 

The change in leadership follows a successful year for the business during which it continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and made several key investments. These included making a six-figure investment in increasing its production capacity by 35% by developing a new 3000 sq ft storage unit, while investing in talent including new designers.

 

Additionally, AB Glass demonstrated committed support to veteran charities and organisations again this year, including through sponsorship of the Welsh Veterans Awards, Royal Welsh Regiment and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

 

Alan Brayley, chairman of AB Glass, said:

 

“I’d like to give my congratulations to Nigel on his appointment, which is fully deserved. Nigel has been an immensely valuable asset to this company for over 15 years, and I have full faith that he will continue to drive AB Glass forward.

 

“This allows me to take something of a step back and spend more time working on the business than in the business, while supporting Nigel in every way I can. I am immensely proud of what

we have achieved in the past three decades and I believe now is the right time to hand the reins to someone else who I am convinced can take the business to the next level.”

 

Managing director Nigel Harvey added:

 

“I am extremely eager and thrilled about the new role. I am grateful for the opportunity ahead and hope to continue the great work Alan has achieved during his time as managing director. It’s a particularly exciting time for the company due to the volume of orders we have seen, and the future looks very bright for us.”

News

Swansea Building Society to increase interest rate on savings

Swansea Building Society is increasing the interest rate payable on all its savings accounts, with the change coming into effect on January 1, 2022.

 

The building society’s decision was taken prior to the recent rate change announced in the Bank of England’s (BOE) base rate, and all its savings account interest rates will be increased by 0.15%.

 

The Society is also making additional changes to its range of savings accounts. With immediate effect, it is now accepting Cash ISA transfer in requests, and the maximum amount that can be held across all Society savings accounts per customer has been increased to £1m.

 

Furthermore, its business instant and 90-day notice accounts are now available for new account openings.

 

From January 1, 2022, the Society’s Personal Premier Account and Business Premier Accounts will be renamed Instant Access Saver Account and Business Instant Access Saver Account respectively – with no changes to the current terms and conditions.

 

The Society is also relaunching its Regular Saver Account for new account applications, which will now be called Regular Monthly Saver Account.

 

Lastly, the Society’s savings account aimed at helping young adults save, titled the First Adult Saver Account, will see the maximum age for new and existing account holders increase to 40 years of age (currently 30) and the maximum that can be saved in the account rise to £40k, with no restrictions on the number of withdrawals that can be made, subject to providing 7 days’ notice.

 

Alun Williams, Chief Executive at Swansea Building Society, said:

 

“The Society has enjoyed an excellent year, and while the Society’s Board is mindful of the challenges that lie ahead during these difficult times, we believe that the Society is now able to increase the interest rates paid on our savings accounts. This reflects our belief that the Society is in a good position to effectively operate both now, and in the future, ensuring we build on the foundations successfully laid down over the last 99 years of operations.

 

“We are also making some changes to our range of savings accounts, which are aimed at making things more straightforward and flexible for savers as we move towards our centenary year.”

News

Roann Limited secures contracts for two London-based projects worth over £1 million with Formation Group PLC

Granite and quartz worktop supplier, Roann Limited, has been appointed by Formation Group PLC to provide the worktop materials for two high profile projects in Tottenham.

Comprising of an apartment block in Tottenham Hale’s Berol Yard and phase two housing for Ashley Gardens in the London Borough of Haringey, the constructions by Berkley Square Developments have provided more than £1 million worth of work to Roann Limited to supply and fit high-quality, durable worktops.

The team specified 166 units of Cosentino Silestone Lusso worktops with splashbacks for Berol Yard to complete the high-level finish seen throughout the build, and 310 units to Ashley Gardens.

Commercial Manager of Formation Group, Mark Gordon, said: “We have always found the Roann team to be professional, pro-active and an efficient organisation. Both projects at Wembley and Berol Yard, Tottenham have been handled superbly and delivered as per our schedules. Roann Limited is a pleasure to work with and we would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.”

With the projects on track to begin in January 2022, the new homes will be populated by Winter 2023.

Scott Wharton, Sales Director at Roann Limited, says: “Working with Formation Group and providing the new developments with worktops is a great way to kickstart the New Year and continue our business growth into 2022. Providing housing with durable, attractive and long-lasting materials is what we’re passionate about so being selected for this prestigious project is an exciting step for us as a company.”

News

Secrets to achieving authentic leadership are laid bare in new book by Paulina Tenner

Unprecedented global events of the past two years have led many organisations to reflect on whether there are better ways to operate, to seek out a new path that is profitable, yet wholesome. One discussion gaining popularity is how feminine and masculine principles in leadership can be integrated together and who better to lead this discussion than a successful business leader who also happens to be a former Stripper?

In Laid Bare: What the Business Leader Learnt from the Stripper, Paulina Tenner presents a unique perspective on emergent social change in the world of work. A true trailblazer, Paulina challenges the status quo of how companies are set up and scaled and proposes a truly radical alternative of financial transparency and self-set pay. Practicing this approach in her own company, GrantTree, over the last decade, Paulina has built a team of 50 and raised over £200m for more than 600 technology start-ups and bigger companies.

“Being a stripper taught me more lessons than I could possibly imagine, a lot of which I’ve been able to apply to my business life. It also fed into my development as a leader. It helped me reclaim a different way of relating with my feminine part and therefore a different way of being and acting in the world. I became more open-minded and, at the same time, more whole as an individual,” explains Paulina.

“My approach has shown that it is indeed possible to create a workplace which combines focus on wellbeing of staff with profitability, where you are able to increase retention of staff and attract top candidates to your company because of outstanding culture. Workplaces are changing forever as Gen Z workforce demands more benefits to do with a wholesome company culture, so don’t be left behind!” adds Paulina.

Laid Bare : What the Business Leader Learnt from the Stripper (£12.99, John Hunt Publishing) is written by Paulina Tenner. The ebook is available to buy now on Amazon with print copies available from 31st January 2022

News

Keywords Studios acquires Waste Creative

The international technical and creative services provider to the global video games industry, today announces that it has acquired independent creative agency Waste Creative.

 

Based in London and founded by Visar Statovci and Mike Petricevic in 2006, Waste Creative’s talented team of 70 people provides strategy and creative production services, including player community management, for mobile video game creators, including Supercell, Nintendo and Riot Games. In addition, the studio provides advice on the go-to-market strategy for new games and content as well as delivering high-speed, high-quality digital asset creation. Visar Statovci, Mike Petricevic and the entire team will remain with the business. 

 

The acquisition will help to address the increasing demand from the Group’s client base for games as a service support covering the full marketing lifespan of games, from pre-launch support to post launch ongoing support, with a focus on community engagement and retention.

 

Keywords Studios has also announced the acquisition of Wicked Witch Software, a 73-person video game development studio in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Bertrand Bodson, CEO of Keywords Studios, commented: “We are delighted to have further strengthened the Keywords group by adding such talented teams in London and Melbourne.

 

“I am delighted to welcome Visar, Mike and the talented Waste Creative team to Keywords. We are really looking forward to working with Waste Creative’s highly skilled and experienced team. Games as a service marketing support with a focus on community growth and fan retention are areas of increasing importance to our clients and Waste Creative will help us meet that growing demand and provide them with extensive and more integrated marketing solutions.”

 

Visar Statovci, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Waste Creative, commented: “We are thrilled to join Keywords and by the opportunities that being part of this industry leading global business will present for our clients and team. By working with Keywords, we will be able to expand our services to meet our clients’ full marketing needs from early access / beta launch stage to the ongoing growth, retention and management of their player and fan communities.”  

News

Experts reveal the rise in SMEs being launched during the festive season

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and many retailers are preparing to get their orders dispatched before Christmas Eve. alldayPA has looked at what SMEs need to do in order to continue their success during the retail industry’s busiest time of the year.

According to stats provided by the “on demand” customer service provider alldayPA, over 80,000 (85,707) retail businesses launched ahead of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas in 2020. The data analysts revealed that weeks 47-52 were the most popular time to launch an SME. To help pinpoint why the UK is starting to see a rise in small businesses launching towards the end of the year, the Manchester-based customer service company spoke to the sustainable fashion brand PrimaBerry about their experience with launching a business ahead of the festive season.

Co-Founder of PrimaBerry, Susana Tiexeira, from Sheffield commented on why she and her husband Amin launched their sustainable fashion brand before Christmas and the challenges they faced while running a small retail business online: 

“Our main goal was to create a brand where we could bring together what we love the most: fashion, travelling and people. PrimaBerry is a UK-based sustainable online clothing and accessories store for men, women and children, featuring collections inspired by the diversity and culture of multiple countries from around the globe.

“We put together a project plan of when we wanted to launch PrimaBerry, and we decided to have our website and products ready to buy ahead of December. We decided that weeks 47-49 were likely to be the most lucrative period for us, taking into consideration when people would most likely be looking to buy gifts online for friends, family and loved ones. We also considered other factors such as postal delays, which turned out to be key with the Royal Mail being overwhelmed in 2020 due to the pandemic. It was important for us that our customers got their items on time ahead of Christmas Day without any parcel issues.”

PrimaBerry spoke about the issues they had when it came to launching online without any technical assistance:

“We had several issues with our website and we started to get really worried as we didn’t want to miss this opportunity to introduce our brand to the market, especially for consumers who are becoming more aware of sustainable fashion and trying to buy ethically. We know that customers prefer to shop online, so having a functional website that answered our customers’ enquiries was essential for us along with making sure that stock and delivery information was updated frequently. We have a shop listing on Etsy and that has been great for SMEs like us to reach a broader customer base – one reason why is because Etsy not only lets you sell direct but also helps to bring greater traffic to your own website.

“The orders that we received so far vary from as little as £4.50 to £100, which means that customers are choosing more selectively when it comes to purchasing online. Ultimately, it was important to us and the brand we aimed to build that we had quality items available that matched everyone’s budget, knowing full well, especially last year, that people may not have had as much disposable income to indulge as they usually would during Christmas.”

Susana Tiexeira also commented on the importance of customer service during the Christmas period : “Customers like to feel special, which is why we always try to do something extra for ours to ensure that, when shopping for our products, they leave with an experience worth coming back for. When it comes to customer service, the competition is really high, so simple things like not taking days to answer customer emails or social media messages are key, as losing a customer is far easier than gaining one.”

Experts reveal the rise in SMEs being launched during the festive seasonFounder of alldayPA, Reuben Singh, comments on how alldayPA is on hand to help support small businesses during the Christmas and into the new year:

”Small businesses are the backbone of the British economy, with the UK being home to over 5.5 million SMEs providing around 16 million jobs. As we approach our second Covid Christmas, entrepreneurs are showing the way when it comes to innovation, flexibility and resilience in terms of looking after their customers. Moving online, businesses are more accessible than ever, embracing digital and social media channels to promote their brand and provide quality customer service.

“When it comes to Christmas and New Year, many people will be looking forward to taking a well-earned break. It’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance, switch off the phone and spend time with family and friends, even if plans are being reined in again as a result of Omicron. Switching off doesn’t mean being out of touch – at alldayPA we’re open 24/7, ensuring that businesses have that around-the-clock support that their customers need. With us, there’s always a friendly voice to handle calls professionally, no matter the time of day and regardless of whether it’s a busier period. Staffing and recruitment are big problems generally and more so during the festive period, with this year particularly being no exception, so it’s important to have a flexible, reliable back-up plan if your ‘Plan A’ fails.

“Going forward, whatever happens in 2022, customers aren’t going to lower their expectations so it would be a dire mistake for businesses to drop the ball when it comes to ensuring their customer support isn’t lacking. If you can’t provide the service, then all you’re left with is the price and that can be the road to ruin.”

Susana Tiexira, agrees with Reuben, sharing that people interested in launching a business should take a leap of faith: “Do not give up. If this is something you really want you will make it. Don’t compare yourself with someone who has already been in the business for several years. Networking is really important and necessary if you want to engage with customers online about your products and services.”

 

News

Engineering design consultancy firm shares exciting apprenticeship scheme opportunities ahead of the New Year

Engineering design consultancy firm, Independent Design House, (IDH) (https://www.idh-design.co.uk) which has bases in the UK, Poland and Bahrain, shares exciting apprenticeship scheme opportunities ahead of the New Year.

IDH is currently on the lookout for two energetic apprentices to join its team in Chorley, Lancashire.

The successful candidates will be offered an opportunity to gain professional experience, get invaluable training, meet new people, and earn a salary within temporary works, formwork, scaffolding and permanent works design. The candidates will gain the skills and training to be part of a recognised professional role, whilst receiving guidance and career support every step of the way.

The vole is varied, and the candidates will be given the chance to make it their own, whilst IDH will provide all the knowledge and training needed to be successful. The work the candidates do will reinforce their learning, providing evidence-based experiences to support the qualification.

To be considered for shortlisting, the ideal candidates should be able to evidence the following within the application:

  • Excellent communication skills and strong attention to detail with a great attitude, commitment and willingness to learn.
  • The ability to organise and prioritise time and workload whilst making great relationships with customers suppliers and team.
  • That they are logical and are a keen problem solver with strong written and verbal communication skills along with basic IT skills.
  • Desired qualities: AutoCAD, Analytical and number skills.

What training qualifications will they receive?

Here’s what IDH will provide in the way of training:

  • Level 3 Civil Engineering Technician.
  • Training will be provided one day a week (from the employer’s office or remote learning) with block release grading.
  • Training will be provided by Learning Skills Partnership Ltd.
  • As part of the training programme, the candidate will become a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. IDH offers further opportunities to develop within the ICE.

Why join IDH as an apprentice?

Typically, the apprentice will progress into a design role in temporary works, formwork, scaffolding or permanent works design. There will also be opportunity to progress into business development and management.

In the words of Anthony Kenmare, Director of IDH North:

“It’s getting harder and harder to find and retain good engineering staff. A good long-term solution is to ‘grow our own’ and secure the best local new talent. My past experiences have shown that apprentices that have developed through a business like IDH behave in a professional manner, learn the skills required to achieve their objectives and consequently have a personal ‘buy in’ to the business. We future-proof our industry by bringing new people into a line of work they may not have considered. Overall, I believe that bringing in apprenticeships gives IDH improved productivity, better quality of service and higher staff morale.”

IDH asks applicants to start a career you can be proud of, within a company which values its staff and is committed to ensuring each individual reaches their full potential.

If you would like to find out more about this exciting opportunity, please do get in touch on vacancies@idh-design.co.uk

News

Harrison Bathrooms invests in new warehouse to reach £40 million turnover in 2022

Following a period of extensive growth, Harrison Bathrooms, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of bathroom products to retailers and distributors, has attained a new warehouse to support business expansion in 2022.

The Yorkshire-based business has acquired the warehouse space in North Leeds to increase storage capacity, to hold an additional 5,000 pallets, to better service its customers around the UK.

The new facility will allow the business to react to market demand as quickly and efficiently as possible, whilst further supporting innovation and product development. It will also create eight new jobs in the local area, with the potential to increase this number as business continues to flourish.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Harrison Bathrooms remains on track to hit its ambitious target of £40 million turnover by 2022.

This is the second warehouse move and expansion for the business in just three years, further strengthening the businesses position as a leading supplier in the industry.

James Harrison, CEO at Harrison Bathrooms, says “We’re really excited about this new warehouse at Harrison Bathrooms. Since launch in 2013, the business has experienced significant growth year on year and in the past few years alone, turnover has more than doubled. We’re consistently looking at new ways to further develop our services and enhance our customer experience and this new factory is definitely a big step forward in this.”

For more information on Harrison Bathrooms, visit: www.harrisonbathrooms.com.

News

hubb aims to shake up insurance broker market with Yoello partnership

UK-based challenger broker, hubb, has partnered with Yoello, an award-winning mobile order and pay solution, to become its recommended insurance broker of choice and to offer an exclusive, guaranteed discount for its members.

The partnership with the FinTech firm, which provides technology for the hospitality industry to simplify ordering food and drinks both in-situ and via takeaway, will give hubb the opportunity to shake up the insurance market by delivering a menu-like approach to insurance broking.

This will enable Yoello users to make considerable savings on the services and coverage that they may be overpaying their existing brokers for – a notion supported by a recent study conducted by hubb that revealed 76% of business owners were unaware of what commission they were paying to their broker.

To address the issue, hubb is guaranteeing all Yoello customers a saving of 10% or more on their renewal price.

John Costello, Chief Revenue Officer at hubb, said: “We are thrilled that Yoello have selected us as their recommended broker of choice, and are excited to be offering this exclusive discount to its members.

“Usage-based/service-based is becoming increasingly normalised across all areas of commerce, and we at hubb believe that business owners should pay only for the services that they consume and that those costs should be agreed and disclosed upfront.

“Therefore, we feel that now is the right time to present a new way to buy business insurance, and our partnership with Yoello will help enable us to achieve this.”

Anton Manley, Chief Commercial Officer at Yoello, said: “At Yoello we’ve been working hard to shake up the outdated systems surrounding payments and make transactions more transparent and cheaper for hospitality businesses.

hubb have a similar vision for usage-based, affordable insurance for businesses, so we’re excited to be entering a partnership which I believe can collectively alleviate some of the pain points for hospitality businesses and offer much-needed support to an industry that’s faced some of its toughest challenges in recent times.”

To take advantage of the hubb discount, Yoello customers should email a copy of their latest policy schedule to yoello@hubbinsure.com.

For more information on Yoello, go to https://www.yoello.com/.

To find out more about hubb, visit https://www.hubbinsure.com/.