Tag Archives: New Business

Business, Business News, Community News, Events

Emerald Tattoo Emporium opens in Pontardawe

A new, high-end tattoo studio will open its doors for the first time this weekend in Pontardawe, offering a boost to the town. 

Emerald Tattoo Emporium will open its doors in what is a well-known building in the town at 6 James Street. The site was previously the home of West Wales Gun Co, which traded from the premises from 1969 for some 50 years.

The new studio has been launched by experienced tattooist Sam Fisher and will complement his existing studio, Emerald Tattoo Company based in Talbot Green, Pontyclun.

Emerald Tattoo Emporium will hold an open day on Saturday June 8, starting at 12 noon. Anyone is welcome to pop in and chat with Sam and other artists.

Sam Fisher said:

“We are very excited to be launching a second studio in what is a thriving town in Pontardawe. When I first moved to the area a year ago, this amazing building caught my attention as a perfect location for a tattoo studio. I was lucky that it became available, and we are delighted to be launching this weekend.

“Anyone is welcome to pop by for a chat and a drink. We are happy to discuss any concepts around tattoos or art, or simply chat about the history of the building.”

News

STADA renews global contract with CTI Digital to drive digital transformation

STADA Arzneimittel AG, the Germany based global pharmaceutical giant, has extended its relationship with CTI Digital, a leading UK technology, experience and digital marketing agency, in a multi-year global deal.

CTI has worked with STADA since 2018 and in that time has launched and now maintains over 184 websites in numerous markets. This new multi-year contract sees a continuation of the core website build and maintenance remit and also opens the door for other services from CTI to be deployed – including data analytics, SEO, PPC, digital and branding design and social comms.

Commenting on the extended global partnership, Frank Staud, Executive Vice President of Global Communications, Branding, and Sponsorships at STADA, said, “Establishing a clear brand architecture with “One Design” for all websites has been instrumental in strengthening the STADA brand and enhancing our digital global presence. Our collaboration with CTI Digital has been the foundation for global brand consistency while maintaining strong local hero brands. With their expertise and support, we are well-positioned to drive a meaningful impact and deliver exceptional digital experiences for our customers.”

Chris Woodward, CEO at CTI Digital, commented, “We are proud to partner with STADA in their digital transformation journey. Working with ambitious, high growth organisations like STADA is exactly the type of opportunity we excel at. The fact we are able to do this for a brand like STADA across multiple markets is a testament to the quality of our people and strength of the work they produce.”

News

North West business park grows occupier portfolio

Birchwood Park, the North West’s largest out-of-town business destination, is further establishing itself as a leading hub for businesses across the region after welcoming a range of new organisations to the park in the first half of 2022 – as demand for small suite space remains strong.

With the intake of small suite office space buoyant, more than 8,000 sq. ft had already been snapped up across the first six months of the year alone, making Birchwood Park the new home to 16 occupiers spanning a variety of different sectors.

In addition, 34 businesses have committed to remain part of the coveted Birchwood Park community after agreeing to lease renewals on small suites in the same time period, which equates to a combined space of over 13,500 sq. ft retained by current occupiers.

Birchwood Park continues to grow its diverse portfolio of small and medium sized enterprises. Medical communications company Simplifying Science®, school software provider October Resolutions, trade union Prospect, leading health and safety practice PM Connections and recruitment provider LivRecruit, are among the new wave of occupiers to have joined the park in 2022.

In addition to demand from the SME marketplace, Birchwood Park also secured two significant lettings for larger office space within Chadwick House, which houses more than 40 organisations.

Martin O’Rourke, Commercial Director at Birchwood Park, comments: “Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty that has followed the fallout from the pandemic, many SME organisations have re-evaluated what their office space does for them. With Birchwood Park having purpose-built facilities, services and amenities, we are thrilled that more organisations have chosen to join our thriving business community here in the heart of the North West.

“As our occupier portfolio continues to grow in 2022, we are seeing a wide variety of regional, national and international organisations relocating operations to Birchwood Park. It is evident that the hard work to accommodate the needs of businesses no matter their sector is now paying off, and Warrington is now establishing itself alongside major cities such as Liverpool and Manchester as a major business hub in the North of England.”

Work at the park is continuously ongoing to evolve the park’s office and warehouse offering, meeting with all occupier demands. In June, construction work began on a new speculative industrial development, which is set to bring 161,000 sq ft of warehouse space to the region, once completed in the first quarter of 2023.

Linda Welsby, Leasing Manager at Birchwood Park who specialises in small suites lettings, commented: “Following on from the continued growth of Birchwood Park over the past six months, it is clear that our commitment to creating a culture and community to support small businesses is paying off.

“The park’s future is underpinned by our ability to continue to create innovative, flexible and productive office spaces capable to change size and scale for smaller businesses to thrive and grow. No matter the sector, industry or size, Birchwood Park has the expertise, facilities, and services to meet with the requirements of any ambitious SME.

“With continual interest for flexible contracts and the ready-to-let space, going forward we anticipate seeing organisations of all sizes look to relocate and take full advantage of everything Birchwood Park has to offer.”

Education, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Loughborough University appoints Firehaus to lead brand ignition

Firehaus is delighted to announce an exciting new project with Loughborough University. The brand consultancy will be working with the leadership team of the School of Business and Economics to position and rebrand the school in preparation for its next stage of growth. 

The University currently ranks in the top 10 in all UK league tables and is No.1 in the UK for employer-student connections. It is one of only a handful of universities globally to hold prestigious triple-accreditation for its business school. 

The School of Business and Economics has an enviable reputation for merging business theory with practical experience. However the leadership team have set themselves the ambition of staying ahead of the curve in this dynamic and highly competitive sector. A more distinct brand position, underpinned by an inspiring vision and mission, is the first step in creating the momentum needed to enable the School to bolster their undergraduate core, scale their international postgraduate profile and innovate their relationships with industry. 

The new brand position will align with the three themes identified in the University’s 2030 strategy; Climate Change & Net Zero, Vibrant & Inclusive Communities and Health & Wellbeing. 

Firehaus will be using its Brand Ignition framework to set the foundations in place to bring the School to the attention of a wider international audience, mapping a future for the brand that challenges, informs and inspires a new generation of business people for the world stage. It will work closely with the University’s in-house design team to capture and bring to life the new brand position. 

The appointment adds to Firehaus’ increasing body of work around innovation and enterprise in the higher education sector, including projects for UKRI and the University of Bristol. 

Professor Janet Godsell, Dean of the School of Business and Economics said “We knew the importance that brand would play in the future growth of the School. We concluded we needed an outsider perspective to make the transition required as we’d only get one bite of the cherry to get it right for launch. Firehaus are specialists and there is a cultural fit in their collaborative approach that builds trust with wider stakeholders.” 

“It’s been a real pleasure to work with the forward-thinking team at Loughborough. They intuitively understand the role a distinct and inspiring brand has in motivating staff and students as well as creating stand out in a competitive market.” Nick Barthram, Strategy Partner. 

Bristol, News, South West

Firehaus Bring Academia & Industry Together – Increasing Impact & Informing the Future

Firehaus, the Bristol-based brand consultancy, is bringing Academia and Industry together with the launch of The University of Bristol’s The Enterprise Sessions and Interact. 

Interact is a newly-funded initiative through Made Smarter Innovation, part of UKRI.  Many of the barriers to digital innovation in manufacturing are not actually technological, but economic and behavioural. Social science, with its focus on human behaviour, has much to contribute to help industry overcome these challenges. Yet many social scientists are unaware of the opportunities manufacturing provides as a platform for their expertise.  

Interact has been launched to bring pioneering human insight to the industry and accelerate the adoption of industrial digital technologies in the UK manufacturing sector. Firehaus worked with Made Smarter Innovation and academics from the Universities of Loughborough and Strathclyde to create the positioning, name, branding and manifesto film for Interact.  

The brand will offer expertise in social and economic sciences to initiate research and improve access to insights to inform the future of a net-zero economy and make an important contribution to how the UK realises its ambition to become a global leader in industrial digitalisation by 2030. 

Professor Jill MacBryde, University of Strathclyde, Co-Director of Interact comments: “Our long-term vision is to build a strong, vibrant, interdisciplinary community to support UK manufacturing in the adoption and development of digital technologies that will result in a stronger, more resilient, manufacturing base. We know that technology alone is not enough. We need to harness the knowledge of people and society to really reap the full benefits that technology can bring.” 

Jill MacBryde, University of Strathclyde, Co-Director of Interact adds: “Firehaus were great to work with. They explained everything and discussed our choices. They listened to our multiple stakeholders and were very flexible. We ended up with something we are delighted with – but would never have been able to do ourselves!” 

Meanwhile, The Enterprise Sessions is a series of films led by Prof. Michele Barbour Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor: Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Bristol. She speaks with founders, researchers and academics from different disciplines and career stages who’ve been part of its Enterprise ecosystem. Guests include Konstantina Psoma, Professor Wuge Briscoe and Professor Roberta Guerrina and will cover a range of topics from funding, licensing and IP, consultancy, contract research and business incubation. The series aims to inspire others to consider how they can realise impact from their ideas.  Jones Millbank were responsible for all of the video production for the project. 

The University of Bristol now tops the list of UK universities for the return on investment achieved by spinouts and is ranked in the top 3 for equity investment. [Govgrant: University Spinout Report – Parkwalk and Beauhurst: Equity Investment into UK Spin outs 2022] 

Prof. Michele Barbour says: “The University of Bristol has an impressive track record of enterprise and innovation and we’re keen to share that knowledge within our community as well as with a wider audience. The Enterprise Sessions is a new content series that brings to life the personal stories of spinout Founders and how our enterprise ecosystem has them.” 

“Firehaus took our idea and created a branded content series, introducing the broadcast-style interview approach, as well as the name and look and feel. The approach has allowed me to develop rich conversations with our interviewees and showcase their experience of our ecosystem which will be of huge benefit for anyone involved in research, innovation and enterprise.” 

Nick Barthram, Strategy Partner at Firehaus adds, “Firehaus have worked with a range of organisations in the Research, Innovation and Enterprise space, including UKRI, Made Smarter Innovation and The University of Bristol. Consequently we’ve developed a clear understanding and methodology to ignite opportunities at the intersection of academia and industry”.  

Commercial Property, News, North of England

North west business park welcomes flurry of new businesses

The North West’s largest out-of-town business destination, Birchwood Park, has welcomed five new small businesses to the park, taking up six small suite office spaces between them.

This latest wave of new lettings comes following an uplift in enquiries from small and medium sized enterprises looking for ready-to-let space at Birchwood Park.

As well as the positive business outlook on bouncing back post-pandemic, another driving factor in the taking-up of small suite spaces is the Park’s flexible leasing offer. Small suites at Birchwood Park are given the freedom to move quickly to suit the business, as they are not immediately tied in with a long lease.

Birchwood Park’s all-inclusive suites offers businesses a range of small office spaces for up to 20 people. The quick and easy leasing process, as well as the ability to upgrade office spaces, allows organisations to either expand or scale down in line with business requirements and is a key factor within the small suites model.  Having the flex to move around particularly before agreements have expired, gives Birchwood Park’s small suite occupiers continuity and ease to grow their business.

The latest small businesses set to join Birchwood Park over the coming weeks span a variety of sectors; they include medical communications company Simplifying Science®, school software provider October Resolutions, trade union Prospect, leading health and safety practice PM Connections and recruitment provider LivRecruit.

One of the new occupiers, Simplifying Science®, works with international pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations to translate complex medical and scientific documents into every-day language.

The company believes the excellent transport links to Manchester, Liverpool and the rest of the North West will put the business within reach of a larger geographic population, giving access to a wide range of customers and possibilities for new recruits.

New occupier October Resolutions is a developer of timetabling software for schools, both in the UK and in 90 countries around the world. It has chosen to move to Birchwood Park for its various amenities, such as the on-site cafés, restaurants and gym, as well as the green open-spaces surrounding the park grounds.

Linda Welsby, Leasing Manager at Birchwood Park who specialising in small suites lettings, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome a batch of new smaller businesses to Birchwood Park. It’s clear that North West businesses are looking forward with positivity, given the influx of enquiries we’ve experienced on the Park, but that flexibility is key when it comes to matching the office space requirements of these businesses.

“At Birchwood Park, we offer exactly that; flexible contracts and office spaces perfect for small businesses looking to grow, as well as take advantage of the various on-site services and events available exclusively to employees as perks of the park.

“We hope by joining us, businesses can take full advantage of Birchwood Park’s location – right in the heart of the North-West and perfect for accessing local talent pools in Manchester and Liverpool”.

Birchwood Park’s on-site amenities have certainly been proven to be a pull-factor for many outside businesses seeking occupancy at the Park. These include the green open spaces, numerous cafés and restaurants, as well as the Park’s gym, Alive & Well being made available to occupiers for a discounted rate. Additionally, the unique wellbeing event and amenities offer provide a bank of ready-made wellbeing services for occupiers to take advantage of upon immediately joining Birchwood Park.

Speaking on behalf of Simplifying Science®, Director Chris Birchall added: “We’re thrilled to be relocating our office to Birchwood Park. We understand that the park cares very much about promoting employee wellness and workplace wellbeing, as do we.” Company Founder, Danielle Birchall, remarked “That is one of the reasons why we moved to Birchwood Park, as our staff will be able to take full advantage of the great facilities available here, such as the EngineRooms and the on-site nursery”.

Chris Johnson, Director at October Resolutions, also commented on the move: “The location was a driving factor in our move to Birchwood Park. Situated right in the heart of the North West, the Park will open up recruitment opportunities by giving us access to talent pools across the region.

“As well as the location – our staff look forward to taking full advantage of the green, open spaces and excellent facilities available at the Park. Given that we do a lot of posting this time of the year, having a mail-room on-site is ideal for us”.

To find out about the diverse range of office spaces available at Birchwood Park, please head to https://www.birchwoodpark.co.uk/space-to-let/ or call the team on 01925 851536.

News, Wales News

Firehaus wrap up first quarter with duo of new business wins

Firehaus, the Bristol-based brand consultancy, is wrapping up the first quarter of 2022 with a duo of new business wins in the form of Vivo Life and the University of Bristol. Firehaus will be working with Vivo Life on brand positioning and will aid the University of Bristol in development of commercial Quantum offering. 

Vivo Life makes 100% plant-based health and fitness supplements. They have an enviable range of top-quality products which are not only great for people using them, but for the environment and world around them. Their growth has been fuelled by growing awareness and desire for plant-based, cruelty-free nutrition, and is underpinned by a strong sense of purpose as a business-for-good.  

With a loyal following in the UK, US and Germany in particular, the business is looking to remain top-of-mind in an increasingly competitive environment, expand awareness to wider audiences within those core markets, as well as access new international markets.  

 Based in Somerset, Vivo Life is the latest purpose-driven organisation based in the region to work with Firehaus on how they scale for growth. 

Firehaus have been appointed to take the Vivo Life team through its Brand Ignition framework, beginning with defining a new Brand Position. Firehaus will also be carrying out its proprietary Spark survey with employees to understand how the brand currently shapes their internal purpose, culture and environment to set the business up for growth.  

Salvatore Notaro, co-founder and Managing Director at Vivo Life comments, “With big change in the competitor landscape since our launch seven years ago along with rising marketing costs, we recognised that we need a new approach to be able to achieve sustainable growth. So, I’m delighted to be working with Firehaus and their Brand Ignition framework to get us to that next stage.” 

 The consultancy will also be working alongside the University of Bristol to develop its commercial quantum offering and brand positioning. The focus will be on Bristol bringing quantum technology out of the lab and into the world to help tackle the challenges of the future. 

Nick Barthram, Founder and Strategy Partner adds, “We’ve been working behind-the-scenes with the Bristol quantum community for a year now and it still remains exhilarating to be part of something which could so fundamentally change the world we live in.” 

News

Cloudapps selects Neo PR to support thought leadership campaigns 

Neo PR, a business-to-business (B2B) technology public relations (PR) agency, announced it has been appointed as UK PR agency for Cloudapps, the leading provider of Artificial Intelligence (AI) sales effectiveness and accuracy technology in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) sector.

Headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, the Cloudapps ‘Sales Effectiveness & Accuracy Platform’ is the first and currently only AI platform to integrate advanced deep-learning and time-sequenced data with CRM. This solution provides highly accurate sales forecasting, deep insights into deal health, guided selling, gamification, and data-driven sales coaching for some of the world’s most successful companies, including SUSE, Vodafone, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

Cloudapps recognised that traditional marketing wasn’t working to its full potential and investigated incorporating PR into the marketing mix, with the help of Neo PR. With this partnership, Cloudapps will grow its footprint in the United Kingdom through thought leadership to create brand awareness and drive inbound sales activity. Furthermore, to support the campaign, Neo PR has enabled Cloudapps to utilise its social media channels, producing a range of content to engage key prospects and stakeholders, have an authoritative voice on key issues and maximise the reach of media coverage.

Additionally, Spinks Creative, a boutique marketing agency based in Milton Keynes and long-standing partner of Neo PR, will work with Cloudapps to develop a multi-platform marketing strategy, employing web design, SEO, proactive email campaigning and graphic design to ensure success. Utilising both Neo PR and Spinks Creative, Cloudapps has effectively created an outsourced marketing team delivering brand awareness and sales traction.

Ashley Carr, Managing Director and Founder of Neo PR commented, “Cloudapps is innovating at the leading edge of its industry and with the combination of proactive thought leadership & customer success media outreach, we are helping to position the Cloudapps proposition to its target prospects. Neo PR‘s unique delivery-based engagement ensures Cloudapps gets great results consistently throughout the campaign.”

“In partnership with Spinks Creative, Neo PR integrated themselves seamlessly into our business”, Andy McDonald, CEO, Cloudapps, commented. “With a concerted campaign, we will further amplify our presence in the UK and elevate our key messaging as we work in sync together to deliver an effective ‘go-to-market’ combination of PR and marketing.

Appointments, News

BD Matters appoints Anne Harlow as Managing Director ahead of launch

BD Matters has appointed Anne Harlow as Managing Director ahead of its formal launch on April 1st 2022.

BD Matters is a new business development community that was launched informally by Adam Graham during the first lockdown, when he recognised there were very few communities designed around the business development function.

Harlow joins BD Matters from The Agency Collective where she spent four years steering and growing the community and onboarding over 400 members. She also increased partnership revenue and developed a new member referral scheme. Prior to that she grew the sales development team at Pure360 from five to 12 people and increased revenue by 40%.

BD Matters is a like-minded community that gives its members the confidence to grow. The community is welcome to business owners and anyone who contributes to business growth from the top to the bottom of the funnel. For BD Matters, the term “business development” encompasses the cold face of sales and acquisition, through to marketing, nurturing and closing.

Over the past two years the BD Matters community has welcomed over 300 members, creating a new space to empower business developers and give them the confidence to grow. Now with Harlow coming on board, there are plans to scale the business and enhance the offering to members with access to experts, exclusive content, discussion boards, events and away days, guides and templates, plus savings on business development martech.

To date, the community has been free. It will launch its commercial offer on April 1st and anyone who signs up before that date will benefit from 50% off for 12 months.

As part of the original sign-up, members were invited to take part on a study into the perception of business development. 50 business development professionals responded, and these were the findings:

 

  • 50% have a new business team of one person
  • Only 17% could say their pride was ”10/10” to tell people they were a salesperson
  • 62% shared feelings of isolation or not being fully supported
  • 45% believe salespeople are perceived to be untrustworthy
  • 62% have changed their job title to make themselves appear less ‘salesy’
  • 35% believe a sales career has lost its allure (or never had it!)
  • 82% believe it’s possible to change the perception of salespeople for the better

 

To address these findings, part of the BD Matters manifesto is to improve the way sales is perceived, so it’s not seen as a “dirty word”, recognising the mental health impacts of the role, and supporting ‘grassroots’ talent to help them see business development as an exciting career path.

 

BD Matters has also appointed a new advisory board of experts to provide monthly surgeries to help members. Experts include:

 

  • Katy Howell, CEO, immediate future
  • Zoe Mitchell, Global New Business Lead, Wunderman Thompson
  • Oli Richards, Chief Marketing Officer, The Beyond Collective
  • Ellie Ring, New Business Director & Partner, BBH
  • Kim French, Head of Marketing, Preen
  • Anna Stone, Global New Business & Marketing Director, Ogilvy
  • Nathan Anibaba, host of Agency Dealmasters Podcast

 

Adam Graham is the Founder of Gray Matters, a business development consultancy teaching agencies how to attract and win new business, so they can achieve long-lasting growth. He also sits as an Expert Advisor for the DBA Experts and is the New Business Community Lead for BIMA.

 

Anne Harlow, new Managing Director, BD Matters, said: “I have gained a real passion for helping people thrive and have seen first-hand the impact a vibrant community can have on its members and what that means for both professional and personal growth.”

 

Adam Graham, Founder, BD Matters, added: “Growing up in business development at big global network agencies and independents, there was always a lack of community, a lack of learning, muddled career paths, few leaders to look up to, and a general lack of appreciation and understanding of the role. Since then, not much has changed, and perceptions and investment in the discipline are disappointing, so we’re proud to offer something we never had growing up and to provide a voice for the industry.”

https://bdmatters.co/

Midlands News, News, Storage

Self-storage company opens new branch in Shrewsbury

Self-storage company, Space Station, has announced the newest expansion to its UK operations with the opening of a new facility in Shrewsbury.

The new store boasts a sizable 57,000 square feet of storage space available for local customers and businesses, which includes up to 750 individual storage units to rent, providing a boost to the accessibility of externally sourced storage in the local Shropshire community.

After purchasing from fellow storage company, Rent a Space, Space Station officially opened it’s doors to its newest venture earlier this year but will retain the previous external branding in the short term, until planning permission is approved to change it.

Whilst the plan is to fully refurbish the premises later in the year, customers will now be greeted by Space Station uniformed staff for all their needs and queries.

Included in the facility are a variety of different sized storage units, available to rent with great flexibility, with both short- and long-term options available. Furthermore, the facility is fitted with 24/7 CCTV surveillance and even has workshops and office spaces available for rent in addition to storage units.

Space Station’s CEO Kevin Prince, said: “It’s terrific for us to be able to open our new self-storage facility in Shrewsbury.

“Having just expanded one of our newer stores in Solihull earlier this year, it’s exciting to continue the momentum and open our 11th store in the UK, offering a variety of storage solutions to customers and businesses in the Shropshire region.

“Our new store gives our customers access to individual storage unit, as well as office workspaces, which are all managed extremely well by the existing team already in place.  We are delighted that they have decided to remain in their positions, giving the existing customers a reassurance of a smooth transfer. We are excited to welcome them all to the Space Station family.”

This will be Space Station’s 11th store in the UK. The business was created by Alastair Caldwell, a former McLaren Formula 1 Team Manager, and is now owned by Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm. There are an additional ten locations in its portfolio throughout Greater London, Berkshire and Birmingham.

For more information about Space Station’s Shrewsbury store, please visit: https://www.space-station.co.uk/locations/shrewsbury-self-storage