Tag Archives: business success

Charity & CSR, Midlands News, News

‘Reech for the Balls’ charity bowling event returns to Shropshire for a second year to support Lingen Davies Cancer Fund

Reech, a leading full-service marketing agency in Shropshire, has announced the return of its highly anticipated charity fundraiser event, ‘Reech for the Balls’.

Following the success of its inaugural year in 2022, the event is back, aiming to raise vital funds for the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, a local charity dedicated to enhancing cancer services and improving lives in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid-Wales.

Taking place on Thursday 2nd May between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM, Reech for the Balls invites Shropshire businesses to participate in an exciting bowling competition at the newly renovated Telford Tenpin. The event not only fosters friendly competition between Shropshire businesses but also raises awareness about testicular and prostate cancer, highlighting the importance of early detection and treatment.

Teams of between four and six people can register to compete in the bowling tournament, offering businesses the opportunity for team-building, networking and fundraising in one night. The top five teams will advance to a final round to compete for the iconic first-place trophy, aiming to claim the title from last year’s champions, Salop Leisure.

Helen Knight, head of fundraising for Lingen Davies, said: “Thank you to Reech for organising this fun and novel fundraising initiative.

“People often think you have to take on really physical challenges to fundraise. An event like this is brilliant because anyone can take part.

“Groups of friends or colleagues can enjoy an evening out together, have a great time, and help raise funds for those impacted by cancer in our region.

 “Thanks to the team at Reech and those taking part for supporting Lingen Davies in this way.”

 

Faye Hudson, growth strategist at Reech, said: “We are delighted to bring back Reech for the Balls for a second year,

“This event not only promotes connections and community spirit among Shropshire businesses but also contributes to the invaluable work of Lingen Davies Cancer Fund in our local community.”

Individuals and businesses interested in participating can sign up on the Reech website www.reech.agency/reech-for-the-balls. Registration is open now, and spaces are limited to 24 teams, so early sign-up is encouraged to secure a spot.

News

Meet the Leader: Pulsant Manchester Manager, Hakan Yalcin, data centre Manager

A data centre leader through the day, one part author and one part basketball player at night, Hakan Yalcin embodies the diversity, competition and collaboration that makes him a unique Mancunian local hero.

Manchester has experienced an evolution in becoming a technological hub that rivals London and the South. It has become a true Northern Digital Powerhouse.

 

A Greater Manchester survey, Adoption of Digital Technologies (ADiTS), found that 78% of firms there use advanced digital tech, with knowledge and high-tech sectors leading the way. Cloud, Big Data, and AI are the most popular, highlighting the varying adoption rates of different digital technologies.

Yalcin, looks to explore different possibilities and combining alternative perspectives to think outside the box. Yalcin says: “I get the most satisfaction from solving complex problems and finding solutions for internal or external clients. This is done by supporting the growth and development of my team members and fostering a collaborative work culture.”

Since Pulsant had acquired the M247 Manchester site in 2022, Yalcin cites the success down to the unification of the team as being the most impactful change he’s made over the past year. In true Manchester spirit, Yalcin avoided corporate days and brought the team together by building a bug hotel on the site!

Establishing better relationships

Applying this unique approach, to delivering optimal customer service, Yalcin cites the devoted, face to face time to build close connection. Yalcin says: We make sure there are both formal and informal conversations and opportunities to put our knowledge and expertise for customers in the most efficient way.”

“We love engaging with clients that can share future projects, so we can bring this experience to bear from day one – regardless of if this issue arises within the Manchester data centre site or not.  I see any challenges as opportunities to co-operate and broaden our knowledge.”

This focus on collaboration has fostered supplier partnerships, enabling development of custom racks to house unique equipment. It has also motivated Yalcin to ensure his team establish a face-to-face relationship with their clients, which they see frequently to ensure customer experience meets expectations. These site visits are ideal opportunities to take on board new requests and assess any opportunities to improve.

Outside his managerial role, Yalcin is no less inventive. “I played semi-professional basketball in the past and I am looking at coaching a small team, once I have published a collection of the short stories I write.”

Midlands News, News

Custom Heat Celebrates Most Successful Year to Date, Achieving 56% Growth

30 Jobs Created So Far This Year this with Further 60 on Offer Through 2022

Custom Heat, a plumbing and heating specialist that provides services across the Midlands has increased its turnover by 56 per cent during its last financial year. Established in 1980 in Rugby, Warwickshire where its head office remains, Custom Heat has expanded significantly over the last five years, but 2021/2022 is being celebrated as its most successful business year.

In the last 12-months, Custom Heat has expanded its service area to include central and north Birmingham, south Staffordshire, and has also branched out south into the Cotswolds. It has also strengthened its three-year-old partnership with Worcester Bosch as one of the boiler manufacturer’s UK Accredited Service Partners – a move that follows a similar affiliation with British Gas made earlier this year.

Lincoln Smith, Managing Director of Custom Heat commented: “56 per cent growth during 12-months is a wonderful achievement for us. We have worked hard to grow at a steady and sustainable pace, moving into new counties and areas as well as concentrating on building great business relationships with the likes of Worcester Bosch and British Gas. I have to say a huge thank you to our team members, who truly look after our customers, and also to our customers who recommend Custom Heat’s services to others.”

In 2016/2017 the company’s turnover was £843,000, growing by 491 per cent in five years to almost £5 million.

In 2017 the firm employed 40 people while today the Custom Heat workforce stands at 140, with 10 per cent apprentices. 30 new people have been welcomed to the team since January and the company forecasts that 50 more engineer roles and 10 office jobs will be created before 2023.

Smith – who took over the family business twelve years ago – puts Custom Heat’s achievements down to his focus on customer needs, helping his team members to do their jobs better and utilising the latest, integrated technologies meet – and exceed – expectations. He explains: “I have always been interested in what the cloud can do as well as how technology can create efficiencies that manual processes never could, so when it was time for the business to push forward with its long-term growth plans in 2016, we strategically centred on such solutions. I hate the idea of a customer or staff member not being happy so I asked myself, ‘how can tech help with that?’.”

In 2016, as Custom Heat migrated to integrated financials and operations cloud-software they were servicing approximately 400 customers in Warwickshire a month with 27 vehicles. Today, as the firm services a wide geographical area across the Midlands and occasionally beyond – for customers such as Windsor Castle – the figure is circa 7,000 and 92 Custom Heat vans can be found on the roads travelling to and from homes and businesses.

Smith was also very aware of the shift in customer demand starting to take place, where customers wanted a modern approach to booking appointments, making purchases or receiving deliveries at a time convenient to them. This demand has since only been strengthened by the pandemic. Therefore, a website appointment system was also linked to the engineers’ job bookings, parts and billing systems.

“We can sometimes get over eighty bookings via our website during a weekend, because people just don’t want to wait until Monday morning to have some peace of mind. If your boiler breaks down during Sunday dinner, pop online and you’ll get an appointment with Custom Heat for Monday. This isn’t possible with individuals or many very large companies, even if you have a care plan with them. I’m proud that our customer’s end-to-end experience is seamless thanks to clever integration and automation, and our growth throughout the Midlands shows our customers think we’re doing something right,” Smith added.

Showcasing its loyal customers and advocates has also been part of Custom Heat’s strategy – the firm has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot and 4.8 out of 5 on Google reviews. The company also works hard to optimise its website for searches, ensuring homeowners or businesses in need of heating or plumbing services will be able to find Custom Heat whether in a crisis or to plan an installation.

To learn more or to book an appointment online, please visit customheat.co.uk

News

Further Success for Fabulosa

Fabulosa, the fragrance-led home and lifestyle brand is celebrating yet another monumental  milestone, as the latest Kantar data* reports that the brand has achieved a larger volume** market share of the household disinfectant market than mature household cleaning brands Zoflora and Dettol.

Adam Burnett, Marketing Director comments: “This is something we are incredibly proud of after only 2.5 years in existence. Our two main cleaning brand competitors have an enormous amount of history behind them, however our meteoric growth has proved that consumers are hungry for new fragrances and choice, looking for their cleaning products to lift more than dirt alone. They want their spirits to be lifted, so they can feel invigorated and be proud of the finish they have achieved, delivering a grime / germ-free result, and a wonderfully fragranced home to be proud of. They want excitement. With every product launch, we have delivered this over and above for our customers, and now the figures speak for themselves.”

Moreover, Fabulosa states that over the next 12 months and beyond, the brand has no plans to rest on their laurels and slow down.

Adam continues: “We will continue to be fanatical about fragrance and continue to revitalise our core proposition via new scents – but that’s not all. We have some exciting plans within totally new categories which will truly complete our transformation from cleaning brand to lifestyle fragrance brand. We already have some exciting plans in place for 2022 with a clear focus on even more Seasonal-led Collections, Calendar-led Collections, Trend-led Collections and Charity-led Collections.

“Our ethos is simple – we want to smell good, look good and do good and will continue to wholeheartedly focus on being the best versions of ourselves via fantastic fragrance, fantastic products and design – as well as entertaining, empowering and motivating our amazing community of loyal fans – which continues to grow by thousands and thousands each month.”

Launching only the previous year, Fabulosa achieved sales of £30 million in 2020 and a substantial EBITDA of £5 million.

References

*Kantar – Worldpanel FMCG – w/e 11th July 2021

**Volume defined by number of litres sold

For more information, visit: www.myfabulosa.co.uk

Case Studies and Partnerships, News

Alfreton Town FC kicks off streaming success with Purpose Media

Vanarama National League North side, Alfreton Town, aren’t letting lockdown and this year’s social distancing restrictions stop fans from getting in on the action.

Whilst Premier League and Championship clubs have still been able to maintain huge revenues from TV coverage this year, lockdown has meant smaller clubs have struggled to keep connected with their fans, and make money through ticket sales.

Some clubs have been using technology to help fans access games, and Derbyshire club Alfreton Town has worked with local full service marketing agency Purpose Media, to develop a custom live stream channel ATFCTV so fans can watch games from the comfort of home.

The first stream was launched on November 3rd where fans watched their club draw against top of the league AFC Fylde. Over 100 supporters watched the game streamed live, supported by expert commentary.

Live streaming gives the club an opportunity to generate income through subscriptions and sponsorship, and can potentially offer a lifeline to smaller teams throughout the 20/21 season.

Purpose Media is delighted to be able to help football clubs embrace digital to overcome covid challenges this year. Its technical director Tim Lenton said: “We’ve worked successfully with clubs like Derby County and Leyton Orient to set up live feeds and streaming over their websites so fans can still watch games live. We saw no reason why we couldn’t offer the same to smaller clubs, so we worked to research the right kit and tools to set it up for Alfreton Town. The first game went down really well, feedback from fans was positive, and I believe it’s definitely something other clubs could easily adopt.”

Following the match on twitter one fan said: “Well done to all, thought we played really well against a very good side, streaming was brilliant, better than most I’ve watched this season.”

Another fan emailed to commend the club for the streaming quality: “Just wanted to say thank you for providing the link to the live stream of last night’s fixture against AFC Fylde. I thought the coverage was excellent, easy to access and very professional throughout. The idea of acquiring match sponsorship and the way it was regularly displayed was well thought out and will hopefully become something more local companies would be willing to sign up to moving forward.”

Alfreton Town’s CEO Michael Bradley comments: “Streaming games online means our fans don’t have to miss out, and their support is a huge boost to the club and our players. Purpose Media has been great helping us to set up the right kit, and a stream that works well and is branded as ATFCTV. We’re small but mighty and we want our stream to look just as good as the big players.”

After the success of the first stream, Alfreton plan to make the service a regular fixture, with a view to expanding the videos available to go behind the scenes at the Impact Arena, thus increasing revenue through stream subscriptions which will go a long way to ensuring the club can survive the season ahead.

To learn more visit https://www.purposemedia.co.uk/