Dock Solutions, the UK’s largest manufacturer of loading bay equipment, is pleased to announce the completion of a management buyout led by General Manager Joshua Hale in a deal advised on by the Cardiff-based GS Verde Group.
With a strong trading history of nearly 20 years, Dock Solutions offers bespoke manufacturing of levellers, lifts, industrial doors, and shelters, as well as product maintenance carried out by their expert team.
Joshua Hale has been an integral part of the company’s growth in recent years. Starting as an apprentice in 2016, Joshua quickly became committed to Dock Solutions’ ethos and vision, building great relationships and excelling in his role.
Joshua would eventually play a key role in growing Dock Solutions’ annual turnover from £2.6m to £4.9m in the space of four years, and the business achieving chartered status in 2020. Now, Joshua has completed an MBO of the business he first joined as an apprentice seven years ago.
Under the new ownership, Dock Solutions will remain dedicated to its commitment to go the extra mile for their customers and to upholding the history of British manufacturing and engineering with the products and services they provide.
The Management Buyout of Dock Solutions also means the business can continue its growth plans of expanding across the UK and opening a northern depot in Q1 of 2024, led by the people who know the business best.
Speaking on the MBO and his journey with Dock Solutions, Joshua said: “Back in 2016, I had a job paying £5.50 per hour, and as an apprentice I never would have thought I’d be in this position today. It is a great example of how apprenticeships work in certain industries, and I am so excited to take Dock Solutions into the future with our fantastic team at the helm.”
GS Verde Group was delighted to support Joshua and Dock Solutions in this exciting new chapter for the business, working with them throughout the deal-making process to achieve an optimal outcome for Dock Solutions’ continued success and the new management team’s ambitions for the future.
Rawlings & Son Ltd (Rawlings Group), a multi-brand packaging and drink processing specialist, has acquired Paper Bag Company, in a seven-figure deal advised on by the GS Verde Group.
The acquisition brings together the largest independent glass packaging supplier in the UK and the market-leading supplier of bespoke bags for retail and business.
Rawlings Group has a rich history dating back to 1850, starting out by washing and recycling beer bottles and selling them to breweries. Today, Rawlings Group prides itself on its collaborative approach to packaging development and experience-led service, as well as having a focus on sustainability and working towards environmentally positive options.
Paper Bag Co. has been providing alternatives to plastic bags for businesses and retail spaces since its inception 18 years ago. The business draws on expertise in both digital and traditional printing techniques to create a wide range of high-quality, tailored paper, canvas, and reusable cotton bags for their clients.
Rawlings Group and Paper Bag Co. both prioritise an ethical approach to their products and supply chain. Through their accreditations and supply chain Paper Bag Co can offer a wide range of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS organic) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified products; this level of transparency underpins a shared culture and commitment to protect the environment.
Rawlings Group CEO, Tom Wood, said of the acquisition: “The acquisition of Paper Bag Co is an exceptional opportunity for the Rawlings Group. By expanding our product offering in this space we will further develop our range of packaging services that share an ethical and sustainable focus, offering clients an end-to-end service for most packaging requirements.”
Paper Bag Co. CEO, Jon Marling added: “Rawlings Group was the perfect option to continue our journey on a larger platform. The Rawlings team’s ethos and purpose are very much aligned with ours and we are looking forward to developing our people and growing our positive impact & synergies in the future.”
The multidiscipline team at GS Verde Group advised Rawlings at every stage of the transaction, providing legal, financial and tax support for a streamlined and successful corporate transaction.
With public procurement procedures expected to change significantly following the introduction of the Procurement Bill and increased devolution spending in 2023, it is appropriate to review some key North East spending trends from local authorities over the last year. Executive Compass, leading UK providers in bid management services, analysed of 2022 spending, procurement trends over the past five years and expiring contracts in 2023 can give valuable insight to businesses looking to grow their revenue and customer base in the near future.
Consequently, this review will examine SME-suitable procurement opportunities in three separate North East authorities; Durham County Council, Newcastle City Council and Sunderland City Council. All data is provided courtesy of Tussell.
2022 in review
Durham County Council
During 2022, Durham County Council posted a total of 98 notices for a total of £568 million judged as suitable for small- and medium-sized businesses across the entire administrative region. This included the following:
Opportunity title
Total value
Municipal waste haulage service
£25 million
Community learning provision
£700k – 1.4 million
Collection, treatment and disposal of clinical/offensive waste
£175k – 200k
Framework agreement for the supply, delivery and commission of natural gas-fired condensing boilers
£600k
Provision of manned security guard services
£2 million
Provision of domiciliary care services (extra care – dementia)
£900k – 1.5 million
Framework agreement for highway grass verge and hedge cutting within County Durham
£360k
Provision of substance misuse recovery and treatment services
£2 million
Based on Tussell’s data on awarded suppliers for SME-suitable contracts in Durham, only three of the top ten suppliers were local SMEs. They included a home care service for the elderly and disabled, a road marking and construction services company and a traffic management firm.
Newcastle City Council
35 contract notices for a total value of £390 million were posted by Newcastle City Council during 2022 – meaning that nearly 90% of contract notices were suitable for SMEs, a higher percentage than Durham and Sunderland. Tenders covered a broad range of industries, and included:
Opportunity title
Total value
Framework agreement for home care
£14 million
Damp proofing framework
£4 – 6 million
Provision of carer support services
£2.12 million
South Gosforth first school roofing works
£400k
Life refurbishment for Wansbeck House
£25k – 100k
Supply and fit of timber fencing
£2 – 4 million
Works to Cat A at commercial units
£400k
Hire of operated and non-operated plant
£6.8 million
Of the publicly announced supplier awards for 2022, six of the top ten suppliers with the highest contract awards were local SMEs. This included a roof works company, a family charity organisation and a Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) software firm.
Sunderland City Council
In comparison with County Durham and Newcastle, SME-suitable public spending from Sunderland was significantly lower, totalling just 48 notices with a value of £50.3 million. Tendering opportunities included the following:
Opportunity title
Total value
Legionella monitoring and maintenance of water supplies
£400k
Framework agreement for minor works (Category 1 and 2)
Cat 1 – £16 million
Cat 2 – £2.5 million
Framework agreement for off-road surfacing
£200k
Planting, maintenance and supply of trees
£350k
Care and support with extra care schemes
£3.2 million
Framework agreement for hard and soft landscaping for Thompson Park and Downhill Bridleways refurbishment works
£4 million
Based on publicly announced contract awards, five of the top ten suppliers for SME-suitable tenders were small- and medium-sized businesses based in the North East. A home care company, landscaping firm and construction business were some of the highest-performing local suppliers.
Tendering trends in recent years
To further contextualise the amount, proportion and percentage of local spend in the North East, it is important to compare 2022 spend to previous amounts over the last few years.
Local spend for Sunderland County Council saw a dramatic decrease over 2020 and 2021, before recovering slightly in 2022 – however, the annual spend was still less than 30% of the 2019 total. Unlike Newcastle and County Durham, Sunderland did not benefit from large framework agreements for care and leasing facilities, which may explain the dramatic difference to the other local authorities. However, as outlined in the next section, authority spend is due to increase by over 600% during 2023, an excellent sign for prospective bidders.
Newcastle saw a large boost in public spend during 2022, driven by a £200 million framework for supported living for people with learning disabilities and autism spectrum conditions – a five-year agreement that was suitable for SMEs. Frameworks also constituted a large proportion of authority spending in 2018 and 2019, including £60 million for legal services and £12.6 million for housing with care for over-55s.
Durham County Council is the only local authority to maintain at least £100 million worth of opportunities each year, peaking in 2021 and 2022 with £444 million and £563 million in total contract value respectively. Like others, it saw a significant decrease in total spend during 2020. During 2022, the largest available framework for SMEs in County Durham was a contract for the provision of municipal waste haulage, valued at £25 million.
2023 and beyond
Beginning in 2023, local North East businesses will benefit from a phased launch of Open, a new and streamlined e-procurement platform which will host tendering opportunities across a range of industries in the region. Overseen by NEPO, Open will replace the former ProContract-based NEPO portal as the official platform for bidding and tendering opportunities.
Over the next 12 months, the following opportunities will become available for tendering on Open:
Newcastle City Council has 174 contracts due to expire, worth a total of £117 million
Durham County Council has 165 contracts due to expire, worth a total of £128 million
Sunderland City Council has 78 contracts due to expire, worth a total of £315 million.
Further good news for local businesses includes a proposed devolution deal from the central government, agreed in principle by local authority leaders of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, Sunderland and North/South Tyneside. This includes a £1.4 billion investment fund (released over 30 years) to support ‘inclusive economic growth’ in the region, signed into law by the Levelling Up Secretary on 27 January.
Overall, the results of the review demonstrate the considerable number and value of opportunities available for micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses via local authorities. This is not inclusive of other public buyers, such as NHS North of England CSU, Newcastle University and Home Group, who offered a combined £733.5 million worth of opportunities across 96 contracts or frameworks suitable for SME bidders in 2022. Local authorities such as the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, North Tyneside Council and Northumberland County Council also provide a valuable resource for SMEs looking to enter the public procurement arena.
Building upon the recent expansion of their Cardiff headquarters, dealmaking business GS Verde Group has increased capacity in Bristol city centre by more than double, signing a significant lease at the Generator Building, accommodating over 30 staff with capacity to expand further as the business continues to enjoy rapid growth across its multiple disciplines.
The new offices, situated in the contemporary and centrally located Generator Building at Finzels Reach, will support the increased staff count across the businesses’ multiple disciplines. The business has made several appointments already in 2022 with more vacancies available following a year of significant growth, as demand for the M&A and business sale specialists’ multidisciplinary approach has soared.
Having only recently doubled their Welsh office space, the new Bristol premises underpin the Group’s growing presence across England, Wales and Ireland furthering the team’s reach.
This substantial expansion also follows recent success for GS Verde in the Experian Market IQ reports on deal-making in 2021, achieving a unique feat by being the only firm to rank in both the corporate financial and legal rankings in Wales, in first and second place respectively.
GS Verde advised on over 100 deals across the UK and Ireland last year, in the business’ best year of trading to date, and expects to see their activity increase even further through 2022.
With GS Verde’s complete advisory team across corporate law, finance, tax and communications, these new offices are more than double the Group’s previous space in Bristol, a significant increase that accommodates the fast growth of the business.
Speaking of their expansion, GS Verde Group CEO, Nigel Greenaway said: “We are thrilled to be expanding our Bristol office and operations across the South West, augmenting the scope of our offering of unique M&A advisory services throughout the UK and beyond.
“Just a few months into 2022, GS Verde has already seen rapid growth in multiple locations, reflecting the value of our multidiscipline approach, and the appetite for corporate transactions.”
As GS Verde also progresses plans to expand their EU location in Dublin and expects to continue to acquire as part of its own buy and build strategy, there are still more exciting developments to come this year.
Navenio strengthens senior team with the appointment of a new CEO to build out its global offering, after securing first two sites in the US
Follows December’s £9.5m series A top-up, £1.5m NHSX AI in Health and Care Award and new partnerships with platforms such as HERE Technologies
Oxford, UK; 3rd February 2022: Navenio, the UK health & location tech scale up, today announced plans for its next chapter of growth and expansion into the US, following a £9.5 million investment awarded last month. The company has appointed Connie Moser as CEO, who joins Navenio with more than 30 years of experience in healthcare strategy, sales and operations, including building large-scale businesses across global markets.
Navenio, which saw a 153% increase in revenue in 2021, has also appointed geospatial expert Andrew Loveless to drive innovation outside of healthcare in his role as VP of Business Development. The appointment comes after Navenio recently partnered with HERE Technologies, to power the Indoor Positioning element of its Indoor Map as a service: a one-stop shop for indoor mapping solutions.
As part of its plans for growth, Navenio’s US-based leadership will lead the charge from the largest health economy in the world, bringing the benefits of indoor location services to everyone, everywhere. Connie Moser, new CEO of Navenio, added: “I am joining at a pivotal time for Navenio and am delighted to drive our expansion in the US and beyond. I look forward to building strong global partnerships and believe passionately in the vast potential that Navenio can bring by ensuring ‘right person, right place, right time’ in healthcare settings. Artificial intelligence is one of many technologies making a real world impact in the healthcare sector, and I’m proud to lead a company spearheading digital transformation.”
Navenio is tackling the rising cost of healthcare with a tool that can increase workplace productivity by up to 100%, freeing up clinical resources for other high value tasks. The company’s mission is to get teams back to capacity post-pandemic by maximising patient flow in key departments such as imaging and logistics, a key issue limiting the ability of hospitals to improve both clinician and staff productivity, and patient throughput.
Martin Moran, Chairman at Navenio commented: “I’m delighted to announce our plans for growth and welcome both Connie and Andrew to the Navenio team. The possibility of indoor location technology is vast and we’re excited to be expanding into the US, providing the benefits of our technology to everyone, everywhere.”
Following recent funding from NHSX, as part of an AI in Health and Care Award, Navenio is also currently developing a proven and nationally scalable evidence based solution to further support improved patient flow across the NHS. The first live sites, as part of the 13 hospital Award programme, have already delivered a positive impact to Trusts, staff and patients, with the full results due to be published later in 2022.
Move signals renewed focus on Partner Success for the security, networking and hybrid cloud distributor
LONDON, UK – 1 February 2022 – Westcon-Comstor, the global technology provider and specialist distributor, today announced it has appointed Patrick Aronson as Chief Marketing Officer. In this position, Patrick will be responsible for driving growth, and building a modern marketing organisation that will ensure Westcon-Comstor’s continued leadership in a world increasingly driven by subscription and as-a-service business models. He takes on this new role, in addition to his current role as Executive Vice President in Asia Pacific, which sees him responsible for business performance across Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Westcon-Comstor continues to see accelerated market demand across global markets – and continued customer growth from the channel community. This new appointment signals a renewed focus and investment into partner success and a commitment to delivering channel customers with solutions and technology that will help them adapt and prosper in an environment pivoting quickly to software and hybrid cloud.
Patrick will lead Westcon-Comstor’s global marketing strategy and drive the evolution of the company’s 130-person strong global marketing team with a focus on analytics, marketing automation and Partner Success.
In a move which heralds a truly international leadership team for Westcon-Comstor, Patrick joins fellow C-suite members – David Grant, CEO, in London, Rakesh Parbhoo, CTO, in Johannesburg and Callum McGregor, CFO, in New York.
“I’m thrilled to take on this new responsibility as CMO as we continue to build and grow the business,” said Patrick Aronson, Chief Marketing Officer, global and Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific, Westcon-Comstor. “I know first-hand from our partners that they’re looking to us to provide the right tools, process and structure at scale so they can adapt their business models to deliver recurring value to each one of their customers. Westcon-Comstor is already a trusted brand by the world’s leading technology vendors. As these vendors pivot to subscription and annuity models, they too are keen leverage our focus on Partner Success.
“As an inspirational leader who has been part of this business for the past seven years, Patrick is the ideal person to join the C-suite and to drive partner success”, said David Grant, CEO, Westcon-Comstor. “Patrick’s been instrumental in spearheading our success in the Asia Pacific region, having launched and led initiatives like our APAC Partner Success Centre and developing our cloud business with AWS and Microsoft. He’ll bring that experience, leverage the work and make it global. The future is bright – and I’m excited to work more closely with Patrick.”
Patrick has been responsible for growing and leading Westcon-Comstor’s business in Asia Pacific. Prior to joining, Patrick spent a decade leading Motorola’s mobile business in south-east Asia. He spent five years as Managing Director at Brightstar where he developed its engagement strategy and mobility business. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Asian Studies from Hobart College, New York, and is fluent in Vietnamese and Thai.
The innovative European company serves more than 7,000 partners with leading-edge solutions enabling security, agility and manageability in Hybrid IT and unified communications.
Woking, UK — February 1st 2022 — The world’s leading consortium of technology distributors – the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) – announced today the addition of the Nuvias Group to its membership, furthering its mission to drive channel success and strengthen the value of technology distribution.
Founded in 2015 by Rigby Private Equity, the Nuvias Group is now a $750M company with offices across Europe. The company’s highly skilled and experienced teams – in addition to its well-established relationships with world-class vendors – position the IT distributor to make a unique impact in 2022 and beyond.
“Nuvias Group is a model for what successful technology distribution will look like today and into the future,” said GTDC CEO Frank Vitagliano. “Their ability to flex and adapt to the changing needs of the channel will also help our organization to better meet the evolving requirements of today’s technology vendors, resellers and solution providers— as the world continues to shapeshift around us every day.”
The Nuvias Group’s focus areas include unified communications, cybersecurity and intelligent networks, with specialised solutions offered via an ecosystem of more than 40 highly skilled vendor partners in 16 European countries.
“We’re dedicated to providing ever-greater value to the IT channel our vendors and customers,” said CEO Simon England, who brings an extensive background in value added distribution, with previous leadership positions at Westcon Group, Azlan and Tech Data. “Joining forces with the GTDC only helps us to further that mission.”
The Nuvias Group has continued its organic and acquisitive growth over the past year, posting double-digit growth and acquiring highly specialized distributors to strengthen its presence and service in the UK, Benelux and the DACH region.
Global pipe manufacturer, Wavin, is celebrating 10 years of no lost-time incidents at its Hazlehead manufacturing site in Sheffield. This is a huge achievement for all 100 employees working at the clay drainage factory which makes the majority of products for Wavin’s renowned Hepworth Clay brand.
Any onsite situation that results in an injury causing time off from work, classes as a lost-time incident (LTI), and the term is widely used as a benchmark for health and safety success across the manufacturing industry.
Ten years without any LTIs at the Hazlehead site is an incredible milestone, demonstrating the high health and safety standards at play across the busy facility. As the site manufactures clay piping for below-ground drainage, the products themselves can be very heavy once made, and require firing in a high-temperature kiln, which means stringent safety measures must be continually upheld and scrutinised.
To support its employees, Wavin has invested in better technology and health and safety education, creating a safety-first working culture over the last ten years. From robotic manufacturing tools, to ongoing improvements in the general structural health of the factory, the company has spent millions of pounds on the site, so it can maximise both safety and efficiency.
Mike Ward, Managing Director of Wavin UK, said: “It’s fantastic to see how our Hazlehead site has been able to build a safety-first culture. At Wavin, we pride ourselves on our health and safety practices, while also making sure that our high-quality clay products get to the customers who need them. Every single member of the Hazlehead team has played a part in this achievement, and should be immensely proud.”
The occasion was marked with official celebration ceremonies at the factory on July 1st and 2nd, in which all Hazlehead employees were presented with a gift to mark the occasion.
After an unprecedented rush in bookings for staycations across July and August, UK campsites and self-catering accommodation owners have experienced some of the biggest highs and lows ever this year, losing all their income from spring breaks due to the lockdown, then a complete reversal of fortunes since accommodation re-opened with owners now having to turn away bookings and some campsites charging as much per night as holiday cottages for a patch of grass with hookups.
Despite only recently re-opening, some owners are reporting that Autumn is looking almost as busy as August for bookings. However, it isn’t only lockdown and a lack of availability that is seeing the Autumn months in demand – some tourists prefer to come when things are quieter. We spoke to some UK accommodation providers to see how things are looking for them after the slow start to the traditional Summer season:
“For those not tied to the school holidays, there are so many benefits to enjoying a holiday this Autumn in the UK. The months of September and October offer much more choice of accommodation, you can avoid the crowds, it is often cheaper outside of the peak summer months, and the weather and sea temperatures can often be as good as July and August. These months are also great for wildlife spotting with migratory birds and butterflies more prominent at this time of year.”
New this season, Porthcothan Mill Cottage is a perfect example of a location that is likely to prove popular all year round. The 16th century mill cottage is just a 5 minute walk across a field to Porthcothan Bay, a dog friendly beach – and the cottage is already booked until mid-September.
Porthcothan Bay, Cornwall
Located at the end of a private road in a tranquil valley, the cottage, is a 10/15 minute drive to many of north Cornwall’s popular locations including Padstow and Watergate Bay. The cottage has a range of original character features, and has been thoughtfully renovated and furnished with a mix of new, vintage and recycled furniture including vintage items such as a Paul Metalcraft kitchen with reclaimed iroko worktops. Some of the items in the cottage have been sourced from local vintage shops, and artists. Designed to be comfortable throughout the year, the cottage is gas centrally heated, has a log burning stove, and a kadai – perfect for an evening bbq or for huddling up during those cooler evenings.
Pembrokeshire campsite owner, Geraint Jenkins, still under Welsh lockdown restrictions until 25 July, says despite not opening for campers yet, both Summer and Autumn bookings at his campsite, Dunston Hill, are filling fast – but unlike some, he hasn’t inflated his prices this year:
Dunston Hill Caravan and Camping
Geraint says:
“We are well established and many of our clients are seasonal caravan owners – but I had guests provisionally enquiring about camping bookings for August, September and October long before the Welsh Government officially announced we would be able to open next week, many of whom have not stayed with us before. It isn’t surprising – I’ve heard reports of some campsites in England charging up to £60 per night for a basic pitch (with extra fees for electric, children over 10, dogs, awnings and so on), fees for these sites mount up and can easily exceed the cost for staying in a motel room or holiday cottage. Many are trying Wales for the first time, it seems many aren’t prepared to pay the increases from campsite owners taking advantage.
Newgale Beach
“We are minutes from Newgale Beach and our prices remain extremely competitive, and we tend to be popular across the season anyway. I’m just looking forward to welcoming our regulars and some new faces, it’s a bit of a labour of love for us.”
Gower holiday cottage owner/operator, Jon Dickson, who runs Hael Farm Cottages with his wife Julie, says since re-opening earlier this month, their five star equipped holiday cottages are now almost full until October – with bookings through December and into next year:
Three Cliffs Bay
“Our cottages are open all year round, and we were full up until October back in March! It was heartbreaking to see a flood of cancellations and postponements after lockdown, but we were able to support some keyworkers with accommodation. Literally within minutes of Mark Drakeford’s re-opening announcements, our guests began re-booking. We now only have a handful of short break dates left in September, with some bookings already for November and December, priced from £90 per night and sleeping from 5-14 people. Our Port Eynon cottages are 100m from a blue flag beach and Hael Farm Cottage is simply idyllic, approached down a long winding drive which opens into a beautiful clearing. It’s only 5 minutes drive from Three Cliffs Bay and Pennard Golf course, with all Gower’s other attractions within easy reach.
Port Eynon Beach
Both Geraint and Jon experience regular visitors who come year after year, something they expect Kate to also experience. Jon says:
“We couldn’t give this business up if we wanted to, our guests have become our friends and extended family, we see their children grow up, we send each other Christmas cards, running holiday accommodation is hard work, but it’s also a lifestyle, not a job – in fact we spent lockdown creating a pond for our guests to enjoy and our dog, Alfie, loves visitors as much as we do!”
With the UK holiday season this year set to run through September and October – and possibly even November for holiday cottage owners, could lockdown extend the UK holiday season permanently? For these commiteed operators, who lost so much at the start of the season, we certainly hope so!
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