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Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

WALK THE TALK

Wo m e n ’s networking group getsinto its stride – pages 10&11

032014SEP

REACH FOR THE STARS

Bionic hand pioneers head to USafter contest success – page 4

PROPERTY MATTERS

Sector faces professionalskills shortage – pages 8&9

We campaign to overhaul the property tax that isholding back Bristol’s economic growth – p2&3

MAKING A STANDFOR TAX REFORM

BUSINESS RATES

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2 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Below, leading figures Rebecca Tregarthen, John Hirst and James Durie all want to see reform of the businessrates to encourage faster growth of firms in Bristol (above)

THE Bristol Post today callsfor a major overhaul of thetax system that has bothhindered growth and been anunfair burden on many small

and medium sized businesses.We are launching our Real Rates

Reform campaign, urging all themajor political parties to promise acomplete overhaul of business ratesbefore the next general election, andwe will keep the pressure on whoevercomes to power in May to deliver onthat promise.

So far the current Government hasmade vague promises of a review butwith no meat on the bone while La-bour has indicated it would freezerates for small businesses and handcontrol on spending to local bodies.

Business rates are a complicatedproperty tax based on a valuation of abusiness premises which is only car-ried out every five years, meaning itdoes not respond to changes in eco-nomic conditions.

The last revaluation was post-poned, meaning since 2008 busi-nesses have been paying rates tied topre-recession property values, inorder to keep Treasury coffers full.

But the result has been a deterrentto growth as firms have been re-luctant to expand due to the dis-proportionately high rates cost.

The system is complex with a rangeof reliefs and discounts available butdifficult to fathom for a typical busy

small or medium sized businessow n e r.

In addition, although businessrates are collected by local councils,the money goes straight to London.

Therefore the Po s t is calling for:� A simpler system that small busi-nesses can understand.� A end to the property-based de-terrent to growth and expansion.

� And greater local control over howthe income from rates or their re-placement are spent.

Our call is supported by leadingfigures in the business community.

James Durie, executive director ofthe Bristol Chamber & Initiative atBusiness West, said: “There is noquestion that the business rates sys-tem is broken.

F i n a n ce Business rates

South Westb u s i n essesready to invest� THE majority of small andmedium-sized enterprises in theregion expect to invest in theirbusinesses this quarter, accordingto new research.

Bibby Financial Services surveyed1,000 businesses in the South Westwith a turnover of up to £25 million,with 58 per cent saying they willinvest in the three months up toO c t o b e r.

Nearly a third plan to invest intechnology and equipment (30 percent), just over one in five (22 percent) said they will recruit new staffand 21 per cent said they wouldinvest in employee training.

South West managing directorSharon Wiltshire said: “Theseresults are positive as they showowners and management teamsinvesting in the long-term future oftheir businesses.

“The increase in those investing innew premises is a clear indication ofthese plans and it’s likely that theeffects will be felt later in the year,which could spell more positivenews in terms of GDP as welead-up to 2015.”

One in ten SMEs (10 per cent)plan to invest in new premises andmore will focus on product designthan in the second quarter of theyear (20 per cent to 21 per cent).

When asked about expectationsfor the months ahead, 63 per centsaid they expect to achieve salesgrowth and only five per centforesee a decline in orders in thethree months leading up to October.

Sharon said: “If businesses havethe financial means to grow, thenundoubtedly they will need to takeon staff, move to larger premisesand buy equipment and machinery,which all have a positive multipliereffect on the economy.”

The opinion column

Firms in running forenterprise award� TWO Bristol firms are in therunning for an enterprise award forgraduates with a top prize of£50,000.

Research and developmentcompany Omnidynamics, foundedby robotics pioneers at theUniversity of the West of Englandwho began the business in theirplacement year has been shortlistedin the Lloyds Bank EnterpriseAw a rd s .

The firm created Strooder, amachine which has brought downthe cost of 3Dprinting, and hasalready sold300 units.

Also in therunning isNine SixThree Ltd, ac re a t i v edesignbusinessspecialising inidentity design.

The firm also owns SomethingGood, a physical store sellingstationary, prints magazines andbooks, which is soon to berebranded as Papersmiths.

The regional winners will bechosen in a heat at the University ofExeter next week, which go on tocompete in a national final inBirmingham on October 15.

David Beaumont, pictur ed, SouthWest director of SME Banking atLloyds, said: “Three years into thecompetition, we’re still hugelyimpressed with the calibre of youngbusinesses entering. The SouthWe s t ’s shortlist just goes to showthat entrepreneurial spirit is aliveand well amongst students andgraduates. We know the challengesthat new business owners can facewhen turning their passions intoenterprises, and it’s a pleasure torecognise the rising stars who haveovercome these difficulties.”

Shor tlist

FOR those running local busi-nesses, business rates are oneof the many taxes and piecesof red tape that slow downgrowth and limit how many

people can be employed.For those who are not at the front-

line of businesses they are littlek n ow n .

Business rates are similar to thecouncil tax most residents pay ontheir homes. Residential council taxpayers benefit from bin collection,street cleaning, amenities like parksand recreation areas, street lighting,local schools and various otherfront-line benefits that residents ofthe city benefit from. The cost rangesfrom zero (for students, those on be-nefits and various other groups) to amaximum of £3,257.08 per year which

is the rate those living in Clifton’sfinest mansions will be paying.

Business rates are very different.Businesses get very little back fortheir rates – bins are not collected,streets on industrial estates are notcleaned, there is minimal lighting inindustrial and commercial areas, andnothing is provided for the benefitand welfare of employees.

Businesses have to pay for theirown bin collection, grass cutting andstaff welfare. Even recycling has acost to the business.

But the real scandal is the cost ofbusiness rates. Generally speaking aBristol business will pay councilrates amounting to 45 per cent oftheir “rateable value” – this is thecost of rent-based on a valuation typ-ically made at the top of the property

market in around 2007. As commer-cial rents in the city are currentlylower than before the recession, thispercentage actually works out to be alot higher.

Imagine if people renting resid-ential property had to pay 45 per centon top of their rent to the council –and got nothing in return. Therewould be public outrage; peoplewould leave the city and many wouldsimply refuse to pay. Many families,especially could not afford to pay.

As both a residential and commer-cial landlord I see the consequencesof this first-hand. My residential ten-ants are paying around eight per centof the cost of their rent in councilrates and get a lot for it. Whereas mycommercial tenants are paying anadditional 50 per cent of the cost of

rent to the council. They get almostnothing for this.

The powers of the council to extractbusiness rates of local companies aresubstantial. They can quickly obtaincourt orders that result in repos-session of company assets which caninstantly put committed and hard-working employers out of work.

Consider this in a different way – alarge organisation can demand reg-ular payments from local businessesfor no other reason than because theyexist in their region.

The business gets nothing in re-turn for these payments. Any re-quests for payment comes with overtthreats. In nearly all cases the busi-ness has no grounds to appeal and noone to go to.

Should the business not pay the

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Leading industry seessurge in demand� THE aerospace industry – one ofBristol’s key sectors – is enjoying asurge in demand, according to newf i g u re s .

Data released by aerospace tradeorganisation ADS Group highlightsgrowth in demand for new aircraftand engines in July, resulting in thelargest ever month-on-monthincrease in the order book.

The boost, which brings the totalbacklog to 12,000 aircraft and21,000 engines, is estimated to beworth between £135 billion and£155 billion to the UK over the nextnine years. These orders reflectlong-term industry growthprojections which forecast ademand for more than 29,000commercial airliners between nowand 2032 as airlines look to grow orimprove their fleets to cater to risingpassenger numbers.

Paul Everitt, ADS chief executivesaid orders were always likely to risearound the Farnborough Airshow,the biggest UK trade event for thesector, but this growth was morethan expected. He said: “Weexpected to see a peak in ordersduring the Farnborough Airshow.However, the volume of ordersplaced throughout July wasunprecedented; adding almost 650aircraft and 1,100 engines to analready robust order book.”

The trend is good news forBristol-based firms such as Airbusand GKN, but also the smallercompanies in the local supply chain.

Ae ros pa ce

money they will get threatening vis-its and suffer aggressive action thatcould put them out of business. Thisall reminds me a lot of the extortion

rackets we see in Mafia films. Otherthan the fact that UK law makes thislegal, I see little difference betweenbusiness rates and localised extor-

tion rackets. Businesses, especiallythose under local ownership, are thelife-blood of the economic success ofthis city. Without these companiesand their owners Bristol City Counciland numerous other beaurocraciescould not exist at all. Yet businessesare being exploited for onerous taxesthat do not equate to front-line be-nefit as well as make it much harderfor them to grow.

These small businesses are majoremployers in the city. Taking moneyfrom these businesses is likely todirectly affect their ability to paystaff more, employ more people, in-vest in training and spend more onmaking a quality workplace.

What message does this send topeople considering starting theirown companies and employingpeople?

What does this say about how thecouncil sees local businesses?

How does this help the loc-ally-owned companies employ morepeople and produce amazingproducts to bring money and talent

into Bristol? What messages does thissay to those considering moving ex-isting businesses to both Bristol andUK?

Business rates need to be erad-icated for locally owned companies tohelp businesses grow, increase em-ployment and bring money into thecity. The people that own these com-panies are not the super-rich but thehard-working innovators, visionar-ies and entrepreneurs who, given thefreedom to spend their money theway they see fit, will keep it in thecity, employ more staff and makeBristol a better city

Johnny Palmer, of Autonomous In-vestments and SXS. Johnny is a localbusinessman who runs a profitableevents company providing innovativeservices all over the world and em-ploying 15 full-time staff at his Bristolbase. He also founded AutonomousInvestments which is a property in-vestment business with a focus onmid-sized commercial properties inBristol.

‘Quash business rates for locally owned firms’

� Johnny Palmer of SXS Events

JOIN OUR FIGHT TO REFORM THIS UNFAIR RATES SYSTEM

“This is a tax that hits companies ofall sizes long before they a make aprofit, and acts as a drag on businessgrowth and investment.

“Firms across the UK have beencrying out for reform of this tax foryears, but so far their pleas have beenignored. In an age increasingly dom-inated by online business, the cur-rent system of business rates looks

WHAT ARE BUSINESS RATES?

� BUSINESS rates are collectedby local councils but the moneygoes to the Treasury.

They are paid by occupiersof business premises. If theproperty is empty, the owner orleaseholder will still pay the taxafter the first three months (sixmonths for warehouses andindustrial sites).

Rates are based on the rateablevalue of a property, this is thefigure the property could havebeen let for on a set date, thecurrent date being April 1 2008. Itshould be re-done every fiveyears, but this is now overdue.

You can appeal this valuation if

you think it is wrong. The valuationis raised in line with retail priceinflation.

The rateable value, set by theValuation Office Agency, is used towork out your rates bill. Your localcouncil works out your bill byapplying a government-setmultiplier (currently 48.2p in thepound) to the rateable value, thensubtracting any relief you areeligible for, such as small businessre l i e f .

So if your property’s rateablevalue is £26,000, then 26,000 x0.482 = 12.532. So your rates are£12,532. Unless you are entitled toany relief.

RATE RELIEF

� THERE are numerousdiscounts for business rates,which can be confusing. Beloware some of the main ones.� Small business rate reliefCurrently 100 per cent forbusinesses which only use oneproperty and the rateable value isless than £6,000, whichdecreases on a sliding scale tozero for properties with a rateablevale of £12,000.� Rural rate reliefFor those in an area with apopulation below 3,000, you get50-100 per cent off your rates.� Enterprise zone reliefFor businesses starting orrelocating to the Temple QuarterEnterprise Zone, up to 100 percent relief for five years.� Charitable rate reliefCharities and amateurcommunity sports clubs canapply for relief of up to 80 percent if a property is used forcharitable purposes.

WHAT ’S WRONG WITH RATES?

� BUSINESS rates are linked toRPI, which is seen as anunpredictable measure of inflation.� Property values are out of dateand don’t follow the market. Whenthe economy crashed, rates didn’tfall with it making them a heavyburden on business in hard times.� They discourage expansion and

investment. Rates discouragefirms from taking on more spacebecause their tax bill goes up evenif profits don’t.� They discourage retailers fromtaking the step onto the high streetand penalise bricks-and-mortaragainst online competition. Theresult is empty shops and offices.

WHAT SHOULD CHANGE?

� Greater local control over howrates are spent so they can beused to encourage moreinvestment and job creation.

This happens to a small degreearound enterprise zones, suchas Temple Quarter, and is beingused to help fund the Bristol

Arena, but should become thenorm.� A simpler system that smallbusinesses can understand.� Break the deterrent toexpansion. One way this could bedone is by replacing rates with alocal sales tax.

SIGN THE PLEDGE

� We are calling for businessleaders, owners andentrepreneurs to sign-up to ourcall for business rates reform.

Simply scan this QR code orgo to www.bristolpost.co.uk/business.

creakingly outdated.“We also think now is the time to

see greater local control of how busi-ness rates are spent – to encouragethe growth ambitions of the West ofEngland, allow longer term invest-ment in local infrastructure and giveus better accountability of how ourlocal councils spend this form of rev-e nu e.

“This is a time for wholesale reviewand fundamental reform, not fortinkering around the edges.”

John Hirst, chief executive of Des-tination Bristol which promotes thecity to tourists and shoppers, saidbusiness rates were a barrier to theretail recovery.

He said many landlords had ad-opted more flexible and supportive

approaches to rent and the length ofleases in recent times, which hadbeen positive for the retail sector.

But bills for business rates keptrising and could be the differencebetween success and failure.

John said: “For many years now wehave listened to retailers, both ex-isting and potential occupiers com-plaining furiously about business

rates. There is a real lack of clarityamongst a large percentage of re-tailers about business rates.

“Often the amount payable is sig-nificant and can make the differencebetween success and failure.

“The figure is quite rigid and notopen to negotiation and the retailershave to make provision to pay the fullamount. We are making progress andare climbing out of the very deeprecession. I would like to see therecovery happen quicker and for us tofind a position which is sustainableand will give us a platform to build forthe future.

“Some flexibility in business rates,even if only temporary would be ahuge boost. Empty stores simply donot help anyone.”

Rebecca Tregarthen, chairman ofthe Bristol Institute of Directors, cri-ticised the decision to put off the lastproperty revaluation and called forwholesale change.

She said: “The postponement ofrevaluation means many businessare now paying the wrong rate. TheIoD has called for rates to be frozenuntil the [rescheduled] revaluation in2017 to ease the pressure.

“I am also in favour of examiningthe relationship between central andlocal control – it is too easy and nothelpful for a local authority to say to astruggling business they can’t helpbecause the rates are fixed centrally.

“There needs to be some flexibilityto support enterprise and growth at alocal level, as long as local powers arenot used to create revenue but en-courage new activity.”

She added: “The empty rates ex-emption worked when the marketwas in decline but now it is back onthe up, it is in danger of encouragingtoo many landlords to let theirpremises lie empty, which discour-ages inward investment and detractsfrom the city. I’d be in favour ofcapping rates holidays, within reas-on, to get the market moving again.”

� We want to hear from localbusinesses about what shouldhappen to business rates and wewill be reporting on this issuethrough the coming weeks. Get intouch by emailing gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk or tweeting with thehashtag #r ealratesr efor m.

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2 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Below, leading figures Rebecca Tregarthen, John Hirst and James Durie all want to see reform of the businessrates to encourage faster growth of firms in Bristol (above)

THE Bristol Post today callsfor a major overhaul of thetax system that has bothhindered growth and been anunfair burden on many small

and medium sized businesses.We are launching our Real Rates

Reform campaign, urging all themajor political parties to promise acomplete overhaul of business ratesbefore the next general election, andwe will keep the pressure on whoevercomes to power in May to deliver onthat promise.

So far the current Government hasmade vague promises of a review butwith no meat on the bone while La-bour has indicated it would freezerates for small businesses and handcontrol on spending to local bodies.

Business rates are a complicatedproperty tax based on a valuation of abusiness premises which is only car-ried out every five years, meaning itdoes not respond to changes in eco-nomic conditions.

The last revaluation was post-poned, meaning since 2008 busi-nesses have been paying rates tied topre-recession property values, inorder to keep Treasury coffers full.

But the result has been a deterrentto growth as firms have been re-luctant to expand due to the dis-proportionately high rates cost.

The system is complex with a rangeof reliefs and discounts available butdifficult to fathom for a typical busy

small or medium sized businessow n e r.

In addition, although businessrates are collected by local councils,the money goes straight to London.

Therefore the Po s t is calling for:� A simpler system that small busi-nesses can understand.� A end to the property-based de-terrent to growth and expansion.

� And greater local control over howthe income from rates or their re-placement are spent.

Our call is supported by leadingfigures in the business community.

James Durie, executive director ofthe Bristol Chamber & Initiative atBusiness West, said: “There is noquestion that the business rates sys-tem is broken.

F i n a n ce Business rates

South Westb u s i n essesready to invest� THE majority of small andmedium-sized enterprises in theregion expect to invest in theirbusinesses this quarter, accordingto new research.

Bibby Financial Services surveyed1,000 businesses in the South Westwith a turnover of up to £25 million,with 58 per cent saying they willinvest in the three months up toO c t o b e r.

Nearly a third plan to invest intechnology and equipment (30 percent), just over one in five (22 percent) said they will recruit new staffand 21 per cent said they wouldinvest in employee training.

South West managing directorSharon Wiltshire said: “Theseresults are positive as they showowners and management teamsinvesting in the long-term future oftheir businesses.

“The increase in those investing innew premises is a clear indication ofthese plans and it’s likely that theeffects will be felt later in the year,which could spell more positivenews in terms of GDP as welead-up to 2015.”

One in ten SMEs (10 per cent)plan to invest in new premises andmore will focus on product designthan in the second quarter of theyear (20 per cent to 21 per cent).

When asked about expectationsfor the months ahead, 63 per centsaid they expect to achieve salesgrowth and only five per centforesee a decline in orders in thethree months leading up to October.

Sharon said: “If businesses havethe financial means to grow, thenundoubtedly they will need to takeon staff, move to larger premisesand buy equipment and machinery,which all have a positive multipliereffect on the economy.”

The opinion column

Firms in running forenterprise award� TWO Bristol firms are in therunning for an enterprise award forgraduates with a top prize of£50,000.

Research and developmentcompany Omnidynamics, foundedby robotics pioneers at theUniversity of the West of Englandwho began the business in theirplacement year has been shortlistedin the Lloyds Bank EnterpriseAw a rd s .

The firm created Strooder, amachine which has brought downthe cost of 3Dprinting, and hasalready sold300 units.

Also in therunning isNine SixThree Ltd, ac re a t i v edesignbusinessspecialising inidentity design.

The firm also owns SomethingGood, a physical store sellingstationary, prints magazines andbooks, which is soon to berebranded as Papersmiths.

The regional winners will bechosen in a heat at the University ofExeter next week, which go on tocompete in a national final inBirmingham on October 15.

David Beaumont, pictur ed, SouthWest director of SME Banking atLloyds, said: “Three years into thecompetition, we’re still hugelyimpressed with the calibre of youngbusinesses entering. The SouthWe s t ’s shortlist just goes to showthat entrepreneurial spirit is aliveand well amongst students andgraduates. We know the challengesthat new business owners can facewhen turning their passions intoenterprises, and it’s a pleasure torecognise the rising stars who haveovercome these difficulties.”

Shor tlist

FOR those running local busi-nesses, business rates are oneof the many taxes and piecesof red tape that slow downgrowth and limit how many

people can be employed.For those who are not at the front-

line of businesses they are littlek n ow n .

Business rates are similar to thecouncil tax most residents pay ontheir homes. Residential council taxpayers benefit from bin collection,street cleaning, amenities like parksand recreation areas, street lighting,local schools and various otherfront-line benefits that residents ofthe city benefit from. The cost rangesfrom zero (for students, those on be-nefits and various other groups) to amaximum of £3,257.08 per year which

is the rate those living in Clifton’sfinest mansions will be paying.

Business rates are very different.Businesses get very little back fortheir rates – bins are not collected,streets on industrial estates are notcleaned, there is minimal lighting inindustrial and commercial areas, andnothing is provided for the benefitand welfare of employees.

Businesses have to pay for theirown bin collection, grass cutting andstaff welfare. Even recycling has acost to the business.

But the real scandal is the cost ofbusiness rates. Generally speaking aBristol business will pay councilrates amounting to 45 per cent oftheir “rateable value” – this is thecost of rent-based on a valuation typ-ically made at the top of the property

market in around 2007. As commer-cial rents in the city are currentlylower than before the recession, thispercentage actually works out to be alot higher.

Imagine if people renting resid-ential property had to pay 45 per centon top of their rent to the council –and got nothing in return. Therewould be public outrage; peoplewould leave the city and many wouldsimply refuse to pay. Many families,especially could not afford to pay.

As both a residential and commer-cial landlord I see the consequencesof this first-hand. My residential ten-ants are paying around eight per centof the cost of their rent in councilrates and get a lot for it. Whereas mycommercial tenants are paying anadditional 50 per cent of the cost of

rent to the council. They get almostnothing for this.

The powers of the council to extractbusiness rates of local companies aresubstantial. They can quickly obtaincourt orders that result in repos-session of company assets which caninstantly put committed and hard-working employers out of work.

Consider this in a different way – alarge organisation can demand reg-ular payments from local businessesfor no other reason than because theyexist in their region.

The business gets nothing in re-turn for these payments. Any re-quests for payment comes with overtthreats. In nearly all cases the busi-ness has no grounds to appeal and noone to go to.

Should the business not pay the

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Leading industry seessurge in demand� THE aerospace industry – one ofBristol’s key sectors – is enjoying asurge in demand, according to newf i g u re s .

Data released by aerospace tradeorganisation ADS Group highlightsgrowth in demand for new aircraftand engines in July, resulting in thelargest ever month-on-monthincrease in the order book.

The boost, which brings the totalbacklog to 12,000 aircraft and21,000 engines, is estimated to beworth between £135 billion and£155 billion to the UK over the nextnine years. These orders reflectlong-term industry growthprojections which forecast ademand for more than 29,000commercial airliners between nowand 2032 as airlines look to grow orimprove their fleets to cater to risingpassenger numbers.

Paul Everitt, ADS chief executivesaid orders were always likely to risearound the Farnborough Airshow,the biggest UK trade event for thesector, but this growth was morethan expected. He said: “Weexpected to see a peak in ordersduring the Farnborough Airshow.However, the volume of ordersplaced throughout July wasunprecedented; adding almost 650aircraft and 1,100 engines to analready robust order book.”

The trend is good news forBristol-based firms such as Airbusand GKN, but also the smallercompanies in the local supply chain.

Ae ros pa ce

money they will get threatening vis-its and suffer aggressive action thatcould put them out of business. Thisall reminds me a lot of the extortion

rackets we see in Mafia films. Otherthan the fact that UK law makes thislegal, I see little difference betweenbusiness rates and localised extor-

tion rackets. Businesses, especiallythose under local ownership, are thelife-blood of the economic success ofthis city. Without these companiesand their owners Bristol City Counciland numerous other beaurocraciescould not exist at all. Yet businessesare being exploited for onerous taxesthat do not equate to front-line be-nefit as well as make it much harderfor them to grow.

These small businesses are majoremployers in the city. Taking moneyfrom these businesses is likely todirectly affect their ability to paystaff more, employ more people, in-vest in training and spend more onmaking a quality workplace.

What message does this send topeople considering starting theirown companies and employingpeople?

What does this say about how thecouncil sees local businesses?

How does this help the loc-ally-owned companies employ morepeople and produce amazingproducts to bring money and talent

into Bristol? What messages does thissay to those considering moving ex-isting businesses to both Bristol andUK?

Business rates need to be erad-icated for locally owned companies tohelp businesses grow, increase em-ployment and bring money into thecity. The people that own these com-panies are not the super-rich but thehard-working innovators, visionar-ies and entrepreneurs who, given thefreedom to spend their money theway they see fit, will keep it in thecity, employ more staff and makeBristol a better city

Johnny Palmer, of Autonomous In-vestments and SXS. Johnny is a localbusinessman who runs a profitableevents company providing innovativeservices all over the world and em-ploying 15 full-time staff at his Bristolbase. He also founded AutonomousInvestments which is a property in-vestment business with a focus onmid-sized commercial properties inBristol.

‘Quash business rates for locally owned firms’

� Johnny Palmer of SXS Events

JOIN OUR FIGHT TO REFORM THIS UNFAIR RATES SYSTEM

“This is a tax that hits companies ofall sizes long before they a make aprofit, and acts as a drag on businessgrowth and investment.

“Firms across the UK have beencrying out for reform of this tax foryears, but so far their pleas have beenignored. In an age increasingly dom-inated by online business, the cur-rent system of business rates looks

WHAT ARE BUSINESS RATES?

� BUSINESS rates are collectedby local councils but the moneygoes to the Treasury.

They are paid by occupiersof business premises. If theproperty is empty, the owner orleaseholder will still pay the taxafter the first three months (sixmonths for warehouses andindustrial sites).

Rates are based on the rateablevalue of a property, this is thefigure the property could havebeen let for on a set date, thecurrent date being April 1 2008. Itshould be re-done every fiveyears, but this is now overdue.

You can appeal this valuation if

you think it is wrong. The valuationis raised in line with retail priceinflation.

The rateable value, set by theValuation Office Agency, is used towork out your rates bill. Your localcouncil works out your bill byapplying a government-setmultiplier (currently 48.2p in thepound) to the rateable value, thensubtracting any relief you areeligible for, such as small businessre l i e f .

So if your property’s rateablevalue is £26,000, then 26,000 x0.482 = 12.532. So your rates are£12,532. Unless you are entitled toany relief.

RATE RELIEF

� THERE are numerousdiscounts for business rates,which can be confusing. Beloware some of the main ones.� Small business rate reliefCurrently 100 per cent forbusinesses which only use oneproperty and the rateable value isless than £6,000, whichdecreases on a sliding scale tozero for properties with a rateablevale of £12,000.� Rural rate reliefFor those in an area with apopulation below 3,000, you get50-100 per cent off your rates.� Enterprise zone reliefFor businesses starting orrelocating to the Temple QuarterEnterprise Zone, up to 100 percent relief for five years.� Charitable rate reliefCharities and amateurcommunity sports clubs canapply for relief of up to 80 percent if a property is used forcharitable purposes.

WHAT ’S WRONG WITH RATES?

� BUSINESS rates are linked toRPI, which is seen as anunpredictable measure of inflation.� Property values are out of dateand don’t follow the market. Whenthe economy crashed, rates didn’tfall with it making them a heavyburden on business in hard times.� They discourage expansion and

investment. Rates discouragefirms from taking on more spacebecause their tax bill goes up evenif profits don’t.� They discourage retailers fromtaking the step onto the high streetand penalise bricks-and-mortaragainst online competition. Theresult is empty shops and offices.

WHAT SHOULD CHANGE?

� Greater local control over howrates are spent so they can beused to encourage moreinvestment and job creation.

This happens to a small degreearound enterprise zones, suchas Temple Quarter, and is beingused to help fund the Bristol

Arena, but should become thenorm.� A simpler system that smallbusinesses can understand.� Break the deterrent toexpansion. One way this could bedone is by replacing rates with alocal sales tax.

SIGN THE PLEDGE

� We are calling for businessleaders, owners andentrepreneurs to sign-up to ourcall for business rates reform.

Simply scan this QR code orgo to www.bristolpost.co.uk/business.

creakingly outdated.“We also think now is the time to

see greater local control of how busi-ness rates are spent – to encouragethe growth ambitions of the West ofEngland, allow longer term invest-ment in local infrastructure and giveus better accountability of how ourlocal councils spend this form of rev-e nu e.

“This is a time for wholesale reviewand fundamental reform, not fortinkering around the edges.”

John Hirst, chief executive of Des-tination Bristol which promotes thecity to tourists and shoppers, saidbusiness rates were a barrier to theretail recovery.

He said many landlords had ad-opted more flexible and supportive

approaches to rent and the length ofleases in recent times, which hadbeen positive for the retail sector.

But bills for business rates keptrising and could be the differencebetween success and failure.

John said: “For many years now wehave listened to retailers, both ex-isting and potential occupiers com-plaining furiously about business

rates. There is a real lack of clarityamongst a large percentage of re-tailers about business rates.

“Often the amount payable is sig-nificant and can make the differencebetween success and failure.

“The figure is quite rigid and notopen to negotiation and the retailershave to make provision to pay the fullamount. We are making progress andare climbing out of the very deeprecession. I would like to see therecovery happen quicker and for us tofind a position which is sustainableand will give us a platform to build forthe future.

“Some flexibility in business rates,even if only temporary would be ahuge boost. Empty stores simply donot help anyone.”

Rebecca Tregarthen, chairman ofthe Bristol Institute of Directors, cri-ticised the decision to put off the lastproperty revaluation and called forwholesale change.

She said: “The postponement ofrevaluation means many businessare now paying the wrong rate. TheIoD has called for rates to be frozenuntil the [rescheduled] revaluation in2017 to ease the pressure.

“I am also in favour of examiningthe relationship between central andlocal control – it is too easy and nothelpful for a local authority to say to astruggling business they can’t helpbecause the rates are fixed centrally.

“There needs to be some flexibilityto support enterprise and growth at alocal level, as long as local powers arenot used to create revenue but en-courage new activity.”

She added: “The empty rates ex-emption worked when the marketwas in decline but now it is back onthe up, it is in danger of encouragingtoo many landlords to let theirpremises lie empty, which discour-ages inward investment and detractsfrom the city. I’d be in favour ofcapping rates holidays, within reas-on, to get the market moving again.”

� We want to hear from localbusinesses about what shouldhappen to business rates and wewill be reporting on this issuethrough the coming weeks. Get intouch by emailing gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk or tweeting with thehashtag #r ealratesr efor m.

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4 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

WEARABLE technologyused to be just forJames Bond but in thenext few years it willbecome accessible to all

– and two Bristol pioneers could be atthe forefront of that revolution.

Joel Gibbard and Sammy Payne ofOpen Bionics have been chosen asone of ten global finalists in Make ItWearable, an Intel competition look-ing for the big ideas in the field.

As finalists they already get $50,000(£30,000) as well as the chance to flyout to the United States for trainingand mentoring.

Their submission is the low-costrobotic hand, a project Joel has beenworking on from his base at the Bris-tol Robotics Laboratory, at UWE’sFrenchay campus, for some time.

His goal is create a robotic hand foramputees that can replicate the mostadvanced technology in the field butfor under $1,000 (£600) a time.

Currently, leading prosthetics costcloser to ($100,000) £60,000.

The pair are in the running for the$500,000 grand prize

Joel said he was surprised but de-lighted to reach this stage. “I thinkOpen Bionics is doing somethingcompletely different to all the otherc o m p e t i t o r s, ” he said. “We ’re focusedon creating the most advanced tech-nology to sell at the lowest possibleprice. We’re less profit driven.

“Compared with the otherproducts, we have the smallest mar-ket but the greatest potential to makea real difference in people’s lives.”

Joel said the money would pay foressential development costs and keepthe company running long enough tostart generating income.

But he added: “The trip to Cali-fornia is far more exciting. The ex-perience and the training

programme is going to be far morevaluable in the long-term because it’steaching us how to be entrepren-e u r s.

“I need to know whether theproduct I’m making is going to beuseful to amputees and whether thisis something they really want, andneed.”

Sammy, Open Bionic’s marketingmanager and occasional freelancecontributor to these pages, said: “It’sgreat to be recognised by Intel, it’s acompany that’s hugely successful,very reputable, and globally recog-nised.

“And it’s amazing to have access tothese entrepreneurs and business ex-perts, let alone have them teach us.Being out in Silicon Valley and at UCBerkeley is going to be a huge learn-ing curve for us.”

She added the company has pre-viously had mentoring support fromPhilip Døssing, a senior designer atLego, and that exposure to such tal-ented people was “i nva l u abl e ”.

American dream Ro b ot i chand duo’s trip to States

� Open Bionics founder Joel Gibbard with the working prototype that impressed Intel's judges

Call centre Agilisys creates morejobs after landing £5.7m contract

AN IT and business processesprovider is creating morejobs in North Somerset afterwinning a £5.7 million con-tract to run a legal advice

call centre.Agilisys will run the phone and

digital civil legal advice contactcentre for the Legal Aid Agency forthree years, with an option to extendfor a further two.

The deal will bring 50 new jobs tothe firm’s customer services centrebased in North Somerset Council’s

Castlewood office in Clevedon.The helpline service is funded by

legal aid and helps determine wheth-er people qualify for support.

Those who do can access free andconfidential legal advice in Englandand Wales in areas of law includingbenefit appeals; debt, if your home isat risk; special educational needs;housing; and discrimination.

This contract win is the second inrecent months. The firm created 30new jobs at its Weston-super-MareTown Hall site after securing work toprovide call centre and back officecustomer support for WestminsterCouncil.

Regional director Cliff Graham,p i c t u re d , said: “We are delighted tobring even more new jobs to North

Somerset – 80 new posts announcedin the last two months alone – andlook forward to working with theLegal Aid Agency to deliver anexcellent service to citizenswhich is essential to thefair, effective and effi-cient operation of thecivil justice systems inthe UK.

“This announcementbuilds on Agilisys’ suc-cess in providing cus-tomer services from ourservice centres in Wes-ton-super-Mare and Clevedon,which have grown significantlysince opening in partnership withNorth Somerset Council in 2010.”

The council appointed Agilisys to

A NEW app has been launched tomake it easier for customers whowant to spend Bristol Pounds withlocal businesses.

The app, which can be downloadedfrom the App Store or Google Play,will notify shoppers of nearby busi-nesses accepting the local currency,track spending and highlight localdiscounts for using it.

Graham Woodruff, Bristol PoundCIC technical director, said: “Pe o p l ehave been nagging us for an app sincewe launched, so we’re delighted tofinally have one.

“We hope that our members will tryit out and let us know how it goes!”

It has been developed byKnowle-based software firm PocketIntellig ence.

Nick Xiao, from the firm, said: “Welove the city of Bristol and are proudof being Bristolians. The launch ofBristol Pound was a phenom-enal event that gives evenmore character to the city,supports local busi-nesses and promotes afairer, happier andgreener community.

“As one of the localbusinesses we are keento contribute as much aswe can in our own way, anddeveloping a mobile app forBristol Pound is the most prag-matic way for us to do so.”

The app provides an up-to-date listof nearby Bristol Pound businesses,which are taken directly from the

online Bristol Pound directory.Discounts will be listed when the

user goes to the business profiles.Members can also see a

breakdown of their trans-actions to demonstrate

how much they have con-tributed to their locale c o n o my.

The app improves thetext payment system.

Stephen Clarke, pic-t u re d , Bristol Pound CIC

director said: “Membersalready love using the

TXT2PAY service; it is a risk-freeway to make a clear statement thatthey want to support their local highstreets. This app will make it evene a s i e r. ”

New app is right on the money

� A new app has been created forpeople spending Bristol Pounds

‘Charities need tounderstand changes’� CHARITIES are being warned tomake sure they are up to speed onchanges in accountancy rules.

Jon Marchant, pictur ed, directorat the Bristol office of internationalaccountants and business advisersMazars, cautioned that charitiesneeded to adhere as closely aspossible to the fresh guidance.

He said: “What we are seeing is afine-tuning of what has gone before– so it should not be tooburdensome for charities to take onb o a rd .

“Nevertheless there are importantdifferences and it is vital thatcharities fully understand andobserve them –naturally highstandards arecrucial forany charitydealing withthe publicandhandlingfunds.”

The CharityCommission’snew statement ofrecommended practice comes intoeffect for accounting periodsstarting after January 1, 2015.

There are two sets of newreporting procedures, one forsmaller organisations, and they canchoose so long as they meet thecriteria of gross income of £6.5million or less, gross assets of £3.26million or less, or 50 or fewer staff.

The changes largely centre aroundsenior executive pay, income andp re s e n t a t i o n .

Mazars is holding a free seminaraimed at charity professionals andtrustees giving an overview of thechanges. It takes place at TortworthCourt Hotel on Tuesday, September23, 8.30am to 1.30pm, and will alsocover fraud, VAT and investment.

Acco u n t a n cyFSB backs LEPs – butcalls for more say� THE body created to stimulateeconomic growth and create jobs inthe region has been urged to putsmall businesses at the centre of itsplans.

The Federation of SmallBusinesses and Centre for LocalEconomic Strategies todaypublishes a report on the success ofLocal Enterprise Partnerships.

Its findings support the role ofLEPs delivering growth but showsmall businesses should be betterre p re s e n t e d

The FSB says small and mediumsized businesses have beenresponsible for more than four infive jobs created in the privatesector between 2010 and 2013, andrepresent half (48 per cent) ofprivate sector turnover.

However the report finds largebusinesses are still perceived tohave the most influence within LEPswith two thirds ofFSBre p re s e n t a t i v e ssurveyedsaying theyfelt thatl a rg ebusinessesstill exertedthe greatestinfluence.

The reportre c o m m e n d sgreater transparency about LEPs’work, more accountability, moresmall business involvement in keydecision making and makingbusiness support an integral part ofLEP activity.

Mark Owen, above, regionalchairman of the Gloucestershire andWest of England FSB, said thereport was an important one at atime when the LEPs were set todeliver a number of high-profileprojects locally.

“The FSB believes that LEPs arecrucial to delivering local economicgrowth across England and we arehappy to work with them to makethis happen. Small firms are thedriving force of the West of Englandeconomy and will ultimately beresponsible for creating the jobs andgrowth in the private sector which isthe LEP’s primary aim, so it isabsolutely essential that we are atthe heart of LEPs plans anddecision-making processes.”

Integral to refurbishoffenders’ institute� BRISTOL-based Integral Build hassecured major refurbishment projectat a Young Offenders’ Institute.

The firm, specialists inconstruction, interiors,refurbishment and fit out, hasstarted work on the refurbishment ofthe pharmacy at the YoungO ff e n d e r s ’ Institution in Feltham,Middlesex. It was contracted byCare UK, an independent provider ofhealth and social care services,particularly to the public sector. Thework involves stripping out andre-fitting counters, mechanical andelectrical components and sanitaryware. The nature of the project callsfor careful planning as security of thesite and access has to be veryclosely managed and controlled.

Divisional director Tim Stringersaid: “This is a sensitive project in ahigh-security environment andreflects our ability to work inchallenging situations where theimpact of time, cost and phasedoperations have a particularlyimportant part to play.”

Manufacturinggrowth stays steady� MANUFACTURING growth haseased, according to a new survey,but to levels that should be moresustainable.

That is the findings of thequarterly Manufacturing Outlook,published by manufacturers’organisation EEF and accountancyfirm BDO.

It shows more firms reporting arise in orders, at +12 percentagepoints, but output remaining level.

But there is caution aroundexports, with the stagnantEurozone and stronger Sterlinghampering hopesoverseas.

John Talbot,right, at BDOLLP inBristol, said:“Althoughthesefigures aremore mutedthan previousquarters, thecontinuing trend ofpositive business performance iswelcome news to our regionaleconomy and jobs market.

“Manufacturers havesuccessfully ridden out theeconomic storm of the last sevenyears so they understand how toeffectively balance investmentagainst expectations.

“There is nervousnesssurrounding overseas markets, soa strong recovery in exports thisyear is still uncertain. My concernis that companies will use that asan incentive to focus investmenton domestic markets, which is notnecessarily where long-termsustainable growth will lie.”

provide its support services fouryears ago after the firm committed tobring new jobs to the district. So far it

has created 225 roles, with a tar-get of 250.

Council leader NigelAshton welcomed the an-nouncement. “It’s greatnews for North Somer-set that Agilisys arebringing even morenew jobs to the area,” he

said. “This supports ourcommitment to work with

our partners to strengthenthe local economy. The added

benefit for local residents is theadditional jobs and income that willbe generated from hosting the servicecentre from council buildings.”

Ethical bank Triodosgrows its business� THE ethical bank Triodos hasstrengthened its balance sheetand grown its business over thepast six months.

The bank, which has its UKheadquarters in Bristol, grew itsbalance sheet by six per cent to6.8 billion euros (£5.4 billion).

It now manages 10 billion euros(£7.9 billion) of assets, through thebank, investment funds andprivate banking divisions.

Net profits were down 14 percent, however, to 11.5 millioneuros (£9.1 million), which wasaffect by its contribution to thenationalisation of Dutch bank SNSREAAL. Without that, net profitswould have risen 22 per cent.

Chief executive Peter Blom said:“Sustainable banking with TriodosBank remains an attractiveproposition for many people inE u ro p e .

“Growth of our lending remainslimited because of the economicuncertainty, a careful approach tomaking loans and an increasingregulatory burden which takestime and effort to deliver.

“A steady growth in volumes, ofapproximately 10 per cent in fundsentrusted and around 13 per centin loans, is expected for 2014.”

Triodos opened its new BristolHQ in 2012 as part of a greendevelopment also housing theEnvironment Agency. Its locationhere, and the strong ethical bentto many Bristol businesses, givesit a significant market locally.

The bank is holding its annualinvestor day on Saturday,September 13, at the PassengerShed, Temple Meads.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

A DISTRIBUTION company is on arecruitment drive to get a widerrange of people into the haulage sec-tor as demand continues to grow.

Gregory Distribution Limited islooking for 100 new staff, 20 of them atits Avonmouth depot.

Chief executive John Gregory said:“We have grown by 30 per sent overthe last three years. We have nowidentified further areas of the busi-ness that require new recruits, in-cluding drivers and support staff.

“Our aim is to convince youngerpeople that driving is more than justanother job. It is highly professionaland responsible with a great deal of

personal discretion and it re-quires a high level of trainingover and above driving skills.It also provides career op-portunities – many membersof our management teamshave risen to their currentpositions having started asd r ive r s. ”

Bristol’s location on the crossroads of the M4 and M5 means thearea has good road links to the SouthWest, South Wales, West Midlandsand London which is why firms suchas Gregroy choose it as a base.

But recruiting is becoming morecompetitive, with companies having

to raise salaries to get staff.John said: “We hope young people

will be impressed that as a family-runbusiness that is approaching its cen-tenary, we are in for the long haul andoffer stable, often challenging but ul-

Logistics firm looks totake on 100 new staff

� John Gregory of Gregory Distribution Ltd

timately rewarding employment pro-spects. In terms of pay, we are verycompetitive and are in the top 25 percent of the industry.”

The firm is holding an open day atits depot on Saturday.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Te c h n o l o g y G row t h

C o n st r u c t i o n

HaulageBristol Pound

F i n a n ce

S u r veyHaulage

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Legal advice

A HAULIER is waxing lyrical abouthis latest contract win. Avon-mouth-based John T Evans secured adeal to deliver products acrossEurope for its near neighbour, Yan-kee Candle.

The haulier, part of the Palletways

European distribution network, hasunveiled a new livery for its truckscarrying the popular scentedc a n d l e s.

Martin Chalke, director at John TEvans, said: “From our depot in Bris-tol, we are ideally situated to collect

from Yankee Candle’s Avonmouthheadquarters for ongoing delivery ofproducts to the UK and mainlandE u ro p e. ”

Yankee Candle’s Bristol base is thefir m’s HQ for its operations outsidethe US.

Sweet smell ofsuccess withdelivery deal

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4 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

WEARABLE technologyused to be just forJames Bond but in thenext few years it willbecome accessible to all

– and two Bristol pioneers could be atthe forefront of that revolution.

Joel Gibbard and Sammy Payne ofOpen Bionics have been chosen asone of ten global finalists in Make ItWearable, an Intel competition look-ing for the big ideas in the field.

As finalists they already get $50,000(£30,000) as well as the chance to flyout to the United States for trainingand mentoring.

Their submission is the low-costrobotic hand, a project Joel has beenworking on from his base at the Bris-tol Robotics Laboratory, at UWE’sFrenchay campus, for some time.

His goal is create a robotic hand foramputees that can replicate the mostadvanced technology in the field butfor under $1,000 (£600) a time.

Currently, leading prosthetics costcloser to ($100,000) £60,000.

The pair are in the running for the$500,000 grand prize

Joel said he was surprised but de-lighted to reach this stage. “I thinkOpen Bionics is doing somethingcompletely different to all the otherc o m p e t i t o r s, ” he said. “We ’re focusedon creating the most advanced tech-nology to sell at the lowest possibleprice. We’re less profit driven.

“Compared with the otherproducts, we have the smallest mar-ket but the greatest potential to makea real difference in people’s lives.”

Joel said the money would pay foressential development costs and keepthe company running long enough tostart generating income.

But he added: “The trip to Cali-fornia is far more exciting. The ex-perience and the training

programme is going to be far morevaluable in the long-term because it’steaching us how to be entrepren-e u r s.

“I need to know whether theproduct I’m making is going to beuseful to amputees and whether thisis something they really want, andneed.”

Sammy, Open Bionic’s marketingmanager and occasional freelancecontributor to these pages, said: “It’sgreat to be recognised by Intel, it’s acompany that’s hugely successful,very reputable, and globally recog-nised.

“And it’s amazing to have access tothese entrepreneurs and business ex-perts, let alone have them teach us.Being out in Silicon Valley and at UCBerkeley is going to be a huge learn-ing curve for us.”

She added the company has pre-viously had mentoring support fromPhilip Døssing, a senior designer atLego, and that exposure to such tal-ented people was “i nva l u abl e ”.

American dream Ro b ot i chand duo’s trip to States

� Open Bionics founder Joel Gibbard with the working prototype that impressed Intel's judges

Call centre Agilisys creates morejobs after landing £5.7m contract

AN IT and business processesprovider is creating morejobs in North Somerset afterwinning a £5.7 million con-tract to run a legal advice

call centre.Agilisys will run the phone and

digital civil legal advice contactcentre for the Legal Aid Agency forthree years, with an option to extendfor a further two.

The deal will bring 50 new jobs tothe firm’s customer services centrebased in North Somerset Council’s

Castlewood office in Clevedon.The helpline service is funded by

legal aid and helps determine wheth-er people qualify for support.

Those who do can access free andconfidential legal advice in Englandand Wales in areas of law includingbenefit appeals; debt, if your home isat risk; special educational needs;housing; and discrimination.

This contract win is the second inrecent months. The firm created 30new jobs at its Weston-super-MareTown Hall site after securing work toprovide call centre and back officecustomer support for WestminsterCouncil.

Regional director Cliff Graham,p i c t u re d , said: “We are delighted tobring even more new jobs to North

Somerset – 80 new posts announcedin the last two months alone – andlook forward to working with theLegal Aid Agency to deliver anexcellent service to citizenswhich is essential to thefair, effective and effi-cient operation of thecivil justice systems inthe UK.

“This announcementbuilds on Agilisys’ suc-cess in providing cus-tomer services from ourservice centres in Wes-ton-super-Mare and Clevedon,which have grown significantlysince opening in partnership withNorth Somerset Council in 2010.”

The council appointed Agilisys to

A NEW app has been launched tomake it easier for customers whowant to spend Bristol Pounds withlocal businesses.

The app, which can be downloadedfrom the App Store or Google Play,will notify shoppers of nearby busi-nesses accepting the local currency,track spending and highlight localdiscounts for using it.

Graham Woodruff, Bristol PoundCIC technical director, said: “Pe o p l ehave been nagging us for an app sincewe launched, so we’re delighted tofinally have one.

“We hope that our members will tryit out and let us know how it goes!”

It has been developed byKnowle-based software firm PocketIntellig ence.

Nick Xiao, from the firm, said: “Welove the city of Bristol and are proudof being Bristolians. The launch ofBristol Pound was a phenom-enal event that gives evenmore character to the city,supports local busi-nesses and promotes afairer, happier andgreener community.

“As one of the localbusinesses we are keento contribute as much aswe can in our own way, anddeveloping a mobile app forBristol Pound is the most prag-matic way for us to do so.”

The app provides an up-to-date listof nearby Bristol Pound businesses,which are taken directly from the

online Bristol Pound directory.Discounts will be listed when the

user goes to the business profiles.Members can also see a

breakdown of their trans-actions to demonstrate

how much they have con-tributed to their locale c o n o my.

The app improves thetext payment system.

Stephen Clarke, pic-t u re d , Bristol Pound CIC

director said: “Membersalready love using the

TXT2PAY service; it is a risk-freeway to make a clear statement thatthey want to support their local highstreets. This app will make it evene a s i e r. ”

New app is right on the money

� A new app has been created forpeople spending Bristol Pounds

‘Charities need tounderstand changes’� CHARITIES are being warned tomake sure they are up to speed onchanges in accountancy rules.

Jon Marchant, pictur ed, directorat the Bristol office of internationalaccountants and business advisersMazars, cautioned that charitiesneeded to adhere as closely aspossible to the fresh guidance.

He said: “What we are seeing is afine-tuning of what has gone before– so it should not be tooburdensome for charities to take onb o a rd .

“Nevertheless there are importantdifferences and it is vital thatcharities fully understand andobserve them –naturally highstandards arecrucial forany charitydealing withthe publicandhandlingfunds.”

The CharityCommission’snew statement ofrecommended practice comes intoeffect for accounting periodsstarting after January 1, 2015.

There are two sets of newreporting procedures, one forsmaller organisations, and they canchoose so long as they meet thecriteria of gross income of £6.5million or less, gross assets of £3.26million or less, or 50 or fewer staff.

The changes largely centre aroundsenior executive pay, income andp re s e n t a t i o n .

Mazars is holding a free seminaraimed at charity professionals andtrustees giving an overview of thechanges. It takes place at TortworthCourt Hotel on Tuesday, September23, 8.30am to 1.30pm, and will alsocover fraud, VAT and investment.

Acco u n t a n cyFSB backs LEPs – butcalls for more say� THE body created to stimulateeconomic growth and create jobs inthe region has been urged to putsmall businesses at the centre of itsplans.

The Federation of SmallBusinesses and Centre for LocalEconomic Strategies todaypublishes a report on the success ofLocal Enterprise Partnerships.

Its findings support the role ofLEPs delivering growth but showsmall businesses should be betterre p re s e n t e d

The FSB says small and mediumsized businesses have beenresponsible for more than four infive jobs created in the privatesector between 2010 and 2013, andrepresent half (48 per cent) ofprivate sector turnover.

However the report finds largebusinesses are still perceived tohave the most influence within LEPswith two thirds ofFSBre p re s e n t a t i v e ssurveyedsaying theyfelt thatl a rg ebusinessesstill exertedthe greatestinfluence.

The reportre c o m m e n d sgreater transparency about LEPs’work, more accountability, moresmall business involvement in keydecision making and makingbusiness support an integral part ofLEP activity.

Mark Owen, above, regionalchairman of the Gloucestershire andWest of England FSB, said thereport was an important one at atime when the LEPs were set todeliver a number of high-profileprojects locally.

“The FSB believes that LEPs arecrucial to delivering local economicgrowth across England and we arehappy to work with them to makethis happen. Small firms are thedriving force of the West of Englandeconomy and will ultimately beresponsible for creating the jobs andgrowth in the private sector which isthe LEP’s primary aim, so it isabsolutely essential that we are atthe heart of LEPs plans anddecision-making processes.”

Integral to refurbishoffenders’ institute� BRISTOL-based Integral Build hassecured major refurbishment projectat a Young Offenders’ Institute.

The firm, specialists inconstruction, interiors,refurbishment and fit out, hasstarted work on the refurbishment ofthe pharmacy at the YoungO ff e n d e r s ’ Institution in Feltham,Middlesex. It was contracted byCare UK, an independent provider ofhealth and social care services,particularly to the public sector. Thework involves stripping out andre-fitting counters, mechanical andelectrical components and sanitaryware. The nature of the project callsfor careful planning as security of thesite and access has to be veryclosely managed and controlled.

Divisional director Tim Stringersaid: “This is a sensitive project in ahigh-security environment andreflects our ability to work inchallenging situations where theimpact of time, cost and phasedoperations have a particularlyimportant part to play.”

Manufacturinggrowth stays steady� MANUFACTURING growth haseased, according to a new survey,but to levels that should be moresustainable.

That is the findings of thequarterly Manufacturing Outlook,published by manufacturers’organisation EEF and accountancyfirm BDO.

It shows more firms reporting arise in orders, at +12 percentagepoints, but output remaining level.

But there is caution aroundexports, with the stagnantEurozone and stronger Sterlinghampering hopesoverseas.

John Talbot,right, at BDOLLP inBristol, said:“Althoughthesefigures aremore mutedthan previousquarters, thecontinuing trend ofpositive business performance iswelcome news to our regionaleconomy and jobs market.

“Manufacturers havesuccessfully ridden out theeconomic storm of the last sevenyears so they understand how toeffectively balance investmentagainst expectations.

“There is nervousnesssurrounding overseas markets, soa strong recovery in exports thisyear is still uncertain. My concernis that companies will use that asan incentive to focus investmenton domestic markets, which is notnecessarily where long-termsustainable growth will lie.”

provide its support services fouryears ago after the firm committed tobring new jobs to the district. So far it

has created 225 roles, with a tar-get of 250.

Council leader NigelAshton welcomed the an-nouncement. “It’s greatnews for North Somer-set that Agilisys arebringing even morenew jobs to the area,” he

said. “This supports ourcommitment to work with

our partners to strengthenthe local economy. The added

benefit for local residents is theadditional jobs and income that willbe generated from hosting the servicecentre from council buildings.”

Ethical bank Triodosgrows its business� THE ethical bank Triodos hasstrengthened its balance sheetand grown its business over thepast six months.

The bank, which has its UKheadquarters in Bristol, grew itsbalance sheet by six per cent to6.8 billion euros (£5.4 billion).

It now manages 10 billion euros(£7.9 billion) of assets, through thebank, investment funds andprivate banking divisions.

Net profits were down 14 percent, however, to 11.5 millioneuros (£9.1 million), which wasaffect by its contribution to thenationalisation of Dutch bank SNSREAAL. Without that, net profitswould have risen 22 per cent.

Chief executive Peter Blom said:“Sustainable banking with TriodosBank remains an attractiveproposition for many people inE u ro p e .

“Growth of our lending remainslimited because of the economicuncertainty, a careful approach tomaking loans and an increasingregulatory burden which takestime and effort to deliver.

“A steady growth in volumes, ofapproximately 10 per cent in fundsentrusted and around 13 per centin loans, is expected for 2014.”

Triodos opened its new BristolHQ in 2012 as part of a greendevelopment also housing theEnvironment Agency. Its locationhere, and the strong ethical bentto many Bristol businesses, givesit a significant market locally.

The bank is holding its annualinvestor day on Saturday,September 13, at the PassengerShed, Temple Meads.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

A DISTRIBUTION company is on arecruitment drive to get a widerrange of people into the haulage sec-tor as demand continues to grow.

Gregory Distribution Limited islooking for 100 new staff, 20 of them atits Avonmouth depot.

Chief executive John Gregory said:“We have grown by 30 per sent overthe last three years. We have nowidentified further areas of the busi-ness that require new recruits, in-cluding drivers and support staff.

“Our aim is to convince youngerpeople that driving is more than justanother job. It is highly professionaland responsible with a great deal of

personal discretion and it re-quires a high level of trainingover and above driving skills.It also provides career op-portunities – many membersof our management teamshave risen to their currentpositions having started asd r ive r s. ”

Bristol’s location on the crossroads of the M4 and M5 means thearea has good road links to the SouthWest, South Wales, West Midlandsand London which is why firms suchas Gregroy choose it as a base.

But recruiting is becoming morecompetitive, with companies having

to raise salaries to get staff.John said: “We hope young people

will be impressed that as a family-runbusiness that is approaching its cen-tenary, we are in for the long haul andoffer stable, often challenging but ul-

Logistics firm looks totake on 100 new staff

� John Gregory of Gregory Distribution Ltd

timately rewarding employment pro-spects. In terms of pay, we are verycompetitive and are in the top 25 percent of the industry.”

The firm is holding an open day atits depot on Saturday.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Te c h n o l o g y G row t h

C o n st r u c t i o n

HaulageBristol Pound

F i n a n ce

S u r veyHaulage

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Legal advice

A HAULIER is waxing lyrical abouthis latest contract win. Avon-mouth-based John T Evans secured adeal to deliver products acrossEurope for its near neighbour, Yan-kee Candle.

The haulier, part of the Palletways

European distribution network, hasunveiled a new livery for its truckscarrying the popular scentedc a n d l e s.

Martin Chalke, director at John TEvans, said: “From our depot in Bris-tol, we are ideally situated to collect

from Yankee Candle’s Avonmouthheadquarters for ongoing delivery ofproducts to the UK and mainlandE u ro p e. ”

Yankee Candle’s Bristol base is thefir m’s HQ for its operations outsidethe US.

Sweet smell ofsuccess withdelivery deal

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6 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

YOU only need to look aroundhigh streets in every cornerof Bristol to see that StPe t e r ’s Hospice is a big op-e r at i o n .

It has charity shops in 47 locationsaround the city, not only in centralBristol but also South Gloucester-shire, North Somerset and part ofB&NES.

With 350 paid employees and a fur-ther 1,700 volunteers, the charitycares for 2,000 people with terminalillness each year at home, in thecommunity and at its in-patient hos-pice at Brentry.

And with only a fifth of the£7 million required to run this op-eration each year coming from the

St Peter’s rolehas given mean incrediblesense ofp u r p ose

My working day

Name: Roger ChildsAge: 49Place of birth: BristolSchool: Patchway High SchoolFirst job: Management trainee,Marks & SpencerHero or inspiration: My wifeand two daughters provide allthe inspiration I need

Vital statistics

My downtimeWhat’s your perfectweekend? Spending time withmy family, including ‘Dad’sTa x i ’ duties.What’s your favourite bookor film or TV show? SkyNews. Sadly, I’m a newsjunkie.What are your hobbies (ifany)? Travel (particularly by railor sea), gardening

A TIMBER supply firm is plantingthe seeds for its future success bytaking on its first apprentices.

Clarks Wood Company has takenon three apprentices who will be sign-ing up for programmes run by City ofBristol College.

Ellee Slater, 17, is taking on a leveltwo course in business administra-tion, while James Wood, 16, andRobert Goscombe-Best, 17, will beworking towards a warehousing anddistribution qualification.

They will all be based at the firm’stimber yard in St Philip’s and will beworking towards the chance offull-time employment at the end oftheir training.

More companies are turning to ap-prenticeships as a way of meeting theskills shortages they face in future.

Depot manager Phil Steadmansaid: “Ellee, James and Rob are the

very first apprentices to be taken onby the company in living memory,and we are very excited at the pro-spect of introducing three youngpeople into the business.

“The timber industry remains avery traditional business and doesnot attract many young people which,to me, is a failing of the sector as awhole. Every business needs enthu-siastic and energetic young bloodwho will, hopefully, grow and developwith it and help bring fresh and in-novative ideas to the way the rest ofthe workforce operates.”

He said taking on the trio was avery important investment for thefirm, which got off to its best-everstart to the year, outperforming itstargets with “soaring sales and arapidly-rising client base”.

Phil said: “Our aim over the next 12months is to continue with our mod-

ernisation plans for the timber yardand roll out a comprehensive expan-sion programme to the retail trade,and the apprenticeship appointmentswill be integral to the success of theseadvances in the business.”

The firm was founded in 1818 andlast year become part of larger Premi-er Forest Group, which has invested£250,000 in new machinery and fa-c i l i t i e s.

Since then, and amid a recoveringconstruction market, timber saleshave gone up 43 per cent on the sameperiod last year.

Earlier this year the firm, whichemploys 20 people, won the Contri-bution to the Community category atthis summer’s Bristol Post BusinessAwards thanks to its policy in provid-ing employment and training oppor-tunities for local people with alearning disability.

Trio hope to carve out future as apprentices at timber yard

� Apprentices from left, Robert Goscombe-Best, Ellee Slater and JamesWood at the Clarks Wood timber yard in Bristol

NHS, there’s a great deal of money –£14,000 per day – to be found.

T hat’s where the charity’s commer-cial director Roger Childs comes in.

With 30 years of corporate exper-ience, latterly as retail operationsdirector at bookshop chain Water-stones responsible for 315 shops inthe UK and Europe, about 4,500 staffand about £500m of turnover, Rogerknows a bit about commerce.

And for the past two years he hasbeen applying his expertise to raisingenough funds for St Peter’s Hospice tocontinue raising its game and im-proving its offering.

So where does the money comefrom? “Essentially through threemain contributors,” he said. “£6,600of the £14,000 comes from our shopsand they’re the biggest contributor.

“Online sales are an opportunityfor us and extend our catchment frombeyond the Bristol area to the world.

“Our staff are trained to identifyhigh value items that will sell betteronline and they go to our eBay shop.We also work closely with auction-eers Clevedon Salerooms whoprovide free training and advice toour shop teams on the sort of thingswe can get better money for. We havean obligation to get the best value forthings that we are donated, so we canprovide better services.

“The next biggest is our fundrais-ing activities – we have a range ofactivities which we organise.

“We have an awful lot of people whoprovide direct giving, either throughdirect debits or appeals, who are mak-ing cash donations to us.

“We also have a very large pro-gramme of events, such as the Mid-night Walk which is our biggest of theyear. That raises well over £100,000 foru s.

“And the final big chunk, of £3,600 aday, comes from gifts in wills. That’soften people who have had no directexperience of what we do.”

Ro ger’s directorship encompasses

all the commercial functions of theorganisation, from retail, fundrais-ing and marketing, PR, businessmanagement – effectively most of thenon-clinical areas of what the hospiced o e s.

The rest of the management team isa clinical director, the director ofpatient care who manages the nurs-ing teams and also a finance dir-e c t o r.

Above them are a board of trusteesand chief executive Simon Caraffi,who is based at the Brentry site.

Roger and his team are situated ina business park in Long Ashton. Heseems to like it that way.

“My role is very autonomous,” hesaid, “which is one of the attractionsof doing it.

“Before I moved here I was livingjust outside Bristol and was trav-elling to London every day, so when Ileft my last job I thought it was a goodopportunity to evaluate what I

wanted out of life and what I wantedto do.

“Now I have a very good work/lifebalance and all the motivation that Ineed through the nature of mywork. The sense of purposeyou get with this job isquite unlike anythingelse I have known.

“In the commercialworld you are work-ing hard ultimatelyfor shareholder re-turn. Which is fine,but when you talk tothe patients and the fam-ily members served by thehospice, as I have been priv-ileged enough to do, it gives youan incredible sense of purpose and adrive and determination to do thebest that you can.”

Under Roger’s directorship,changes are afoot on the commercialside of St Peter’s Hospice.

Regulars at the charity shops willnotice modernisation of the waysthey operate, including TV screenswith promotional videos publicising

other ways to support the char-ity’s fundraising methods.

By the end of themonth, a quarter of theshops will be conver-ted in this way and therest will follow withinthe next two years.

Mr Childs is alsolooking to increase the

size of the shops wherepossible, as well as set-

ting up another clearanceshop similar to the one which

has been such a success in theBroadwalk Shopping Centre inK n ow l e.

St Peter’s is the only adult hospicein the Bristol area. A mixture ofpotential administrative confusionamong GPs and a gentlemen’s agree-

ment among hospices in the regionthat they don’t encroach on eachothers’ patches means that there’s nochance of the organisation spreadingoutside the city.

So for Mr Childs, the emphasis ison maximising the effectiveness ofwhat is here already, and expandingwithin the city where possible.

“We are trying to work far morecollaboratively in all of our incomegeneration areas,” he said.

“And why wouldn’t we? We have 47shops out there with huge trafficgoing in and out of them and we havean opportunity that was perhapshitherto missed to highlight the workthat we do.

“It’s about looking at it holistically.With regular reminders and promptsabout us and what we do, you have tohave the faith that it will spur peopleinto action. What we don’t want to dois make every contact with peoplebecome an ask.”

You wake up at? 6amWhat do you have for breakfast?Bowl of cerealWhat time do you start work?Emails and phone calls generallystart from 8amWhat happens in your typicalworking day? No two days areexactly the same, but my time issplit between my office in Long

Ashton, the hospice site at Brentryand anywhere in/around Bristolwhere we have shops orfundraising activities.What time do you go home? Iaim to be home by 6pmDo you take work home/attendevening functions? I separate mywork and home life, so never takework home, but the nature of myjob requires attending occasionalevening and weekend fundraisingevents.

After 30 years in thecorporate sector RogerChilds has found newdrive in his fundraisingrole for St Peter’sHospice, as RupertJanisch re p o r t s

OVER the past decade theteam from Carpet Gianthave provided flooring formore than 70,000 homes andlaid more than 3 million

square metres of flooring.The store is celebrating 10 years

since opening in Yate, marking theoccasion with a rebrand and over-haul of its website to make it tab-l e t - f r i e n d ly.

The firm started before that asCarpetman in Stonehouse,Gloucestershire, founded by SteveMorgan and Bill Moreton.

It was Steve’s son Dan and businesspartner and childhood friend JamesPrice who took on the business as itmoved to Yate, where it now employs16 people – with about eight fitterseach day carrying out a total of about200 jobs each week and claims to bethe largest independent carpet re-tailer in the South West.

The pair combined a passion forthe trade and customer service ethosto make the firm a success.

James said: “It’s been a fantastic 10years for us. The business has gonefrom strength to strength and hasbuilt up a great reputation in thattime, expanding so much that it’s nowthe largest independent retailer inthe region. We’re enormously proudof what we’ve achieved.”

James said the firm’s strength wasputting the customer first.

“Most of our trade are loyal cus-tomers, who keep coming back be-cause of not just the affordable prices,but the service they receive,” he said.“We believe that building relation-ships with our customers are just asimportant as sending an invoice.”

Unusually, if customers have dif-ficulty getting the shop, the team willgo to them taking samples to choosef ro m .

The store is officially launching itsnew look on Saturday with a fun dayopened by town mayor CouncillorWully Perks. The firm is also runninga competition for someone to wintheir whole house carpeted for free.

James added: “We ’re really excitedabout the day and want as manypeople to join us as possible. Theresidents of Yate and the surround-ing area have really supported usover the years and we’re keen foreveryone to get involved to help usmark the occasion. We’ve got lotsgoing on to appeal to the whole family,which should make it fun for all.Fingers crossed that the weather willbe as bright as we feel!”

Firm investsin 3D printingin Indian plant� AN engineering company isinvesting in new technology formetal 3D printing in India.Renishaw is based inWotton-under-Edge andemploys hundreds of peoplefrom the Bristol area.

The firm recently joined atrade mission to India led by theDeputy Prime Minister and NickClegg announced theinvestment as part of that visit.

The firm plans to create itsfirst Indian additivemanufacturing – 3D metalprinting – technical centre inPune.

The firm has a long-termcommitment tothe Indianmarket,a l re a d yhaving abase inPunemakingcomponentsthe group.

RhydianP o u n t n e y,pictur ed, thefirm’s director responsible forIndian sales and marketingoperations, presented Mr Cleggwith a 3D printed titanium scalereplica of the company’s19th-century headquarters.

He said: “We are delighted theDeputy Prime Minister was ableto make this announcementduring this important trademission. The thrust of theadditive manufacturing technicalcentres is to create a platformon which to work in closepartnership with our customersto help them realise the benefitsof AM in their products andmanufacturing processes. Ournew Indian AM technical centrewill be equipped with the latestproducts and will be staffed byour knowledgeable local teamwho are well versed in service,applications and processengineering.”

The Deputy PM said Britainwas building a specialrelationship with India.

“Strong British companiessuch as Renishaw will be vital tothese efforts to create a strongereconomy with a new specialrelationship with India,” he said.

Giant on a roll Carpet firm toasts10 years in business with rebrand

Flooring Engineering

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Carpet Giant directors James Price Daniel Morgan Photographer: Michael Lloyd BRML20140828A-001

Charity carpet haulA team from Carpet Giant hasbeen raising money for charity bycarrying a roll of carpet for 10kmaround Yate and ChippingSodbury. A team of four luggedthe carpet in a relay as part of thefirm’s anniversary celebrations

and to raise money for the Yatead Chipping Sodbury Foodbank,run by the Trussell Trust.Managing director James Pricesaid: “Some people findthemselves down on their luckthrough no fault of their own andthe food bank offers thembreathing space to help them getback on their feet.”

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6 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

YOU only need to look aroundhigh streets in every cornerof Bristol to see that StPe t e r ’s Hospice is a big op-e r at i o n .

It has charity shops in 47 locationsaround the city, not only in centralBristol but also South Gloucester-shire, North Somerset and part ofB&NES.

With 350 paid employees and a fur-ther 1,700 volunteers, the charitycares for 2,000 people with terminalillness each year at home, in thecommunity and at its in-patient hos-pice at Brentry.

And with only a fifth of the£7 million required to run this op-eration each year coming from the

St Peter’s rolehas given mean incrediblesense ofp u r p ose

My working day

Name: Roger ChildsAge: 49Place of birth: BristolSchool: Patchway High SchoolFirst job: Management trainee,Marks & SpencerHero or inspiration: My wifeand two daughters provide allthe inspiration I need

Vital statistics

My downtimeWhat’s your perfectweekend? Spending time withmy family, including ‘Dad’sTa x i ’ duties.What’s your favourite bookor film or TV show? SkyNews. Sadly, I’m a newsjunkie.What are your hobbies (ifany)? Travel (particularly by railor sea), gardening

A TIMBER supply firm is plantingthe seeds for its future success bytaking on its first apprentices.

Clarks Wood Company has takenon three apprentices who will be sign-ing up for programmes run by City ofBristol College.

Ellee Slater, 17, is taking on a leveltwo course in business administra-tion, while James Wood, 16, andRobert Goscombe-Best, 17, will beworking towards a warehousing anddistribution qualification.

They will all be based at the firm’stimber yard in St Philip’s and will beworking towards the chance offull-time employment at the end oftheir training.

More companies are turning to ap-prenticeships as a way of meeting theskills shortages they face in future.

Depot manager Phil Steadmansaid: “Ellee, James and Rob are the

very first apprentices to be taken onby the company in living memory,and we are very excited at the pro-spect of introducing three youngpeople into the business.

“The timber industry remains avery traditional business and doesnot attract many young people which,to me, is a failing of the sector as awhole. Every business needs enthu-siastic and energetic young bloodwho will, hopefully, grow and developwith it and help bring fresh and in-novative ideas to the way the rest ofthe workforce operates.”

He said taking on the trio was avery important investment for thefirm, which got off to its best-everstart to the year, outperforming itstargets with “soaring sales and arapidly-rising client base”.

Phil said: “Our aim over the next 12months is to continue with our mod-

ernisation plans for the timber yardand roll out a comprehensive expan-sion programme to the retail trade,and the apprenticeship appointmentswill be integral to the success of theseadvances in the business.”

The firm was founded in 1818 andlast year become part of larger Premi-er Forest Group, which has invested£250,000 in new machinery and fa-c i l i t i e s.

Since then, and amid a recoveringconstruction market, timber saleshave gone up 43 per cent on the sameperiod last year.

Earlier this year the firm, whichemploys 20 people, won the Contri-bution to the Community category atthis summer’s Bristol Post BusinessAwards thanks to its policy in provid-ing employment and training oppor-tunities for local people with alearning disability.

Trio hope to carve out future as apprentices at timber yard

� Apprentices from left, Robert Goscombe-Best, Ellee Slater and JamesWood at the Clarks Wood timber yard in Bristol

NHS, there’s a great deal of money –£14,000 per day – to be found.

T hat’s where the charity’s commer-cial director Roger Childs comes in.

With 30 years of corporate exper-ience, latterly as retail operationsdirector at bookshop chain Water-stones responsible for 315 shops inthe UK and Europe, about 4,500 staffand about £500m of turnover, Rogerknows a bit about commerce.

And for the past two years he hasbeen applying his expertise to raisingenough funds for St Peter’s Hospice tocontinue raising its game and im-proving its offering.

So where does the money comefrom? “Essentially through threemain contributors,” he said. “£6,600of the £14,000 comes from our shopsand they’re the biggest contributor.

“Online sales are an opportunityfor us and extend our catchment frombeyond the Bristol area to the world.

“Our staff are trained to identifyhigh value items that will sell betteronline and they go to our eBay shop.We also work closely with auction-eers Clevedon Salerooms whoprovide free training and advice toour shop teams on the sort of thingswe can get better money for. We havean obligation to get the best value forthings that we are donated, so we canprovide better services.

“The next biggest is our fundrais-ing activities – we have a range ofactivities which we organise.

“We have an awful lot of people whoprovide direct giving, either throughdirect debits or appeals, who are mak-ing cash donations to us.

“We also have a very large pro-gramme of events, such as the Mid-night Walk which is our biggest of theyear. That raises well over £100,000 foru s.

“And the final big chunk, of £3,600 aday, comes from gifts in wills. That’soften people who have had no directexperience of what we do.”

Ro ger’s directorship encompasses

all the commercial functions of theorganisation, from retail, fundrais-ing and marketing, PR, businessmanagement – effectively most of thenon-clinical areas of what the hospiced o e s.

The rest of the management team isa clinical director, the director ofpatient care who manages the nurs-ing teams and also a finance dir-e c t o r.

Above them are a board of trusteesand chief executive Simon Caraffi,who is based at the Brentry site.

Roger and his team are situated ina business park in Long Ashton. Heseems to like it that way.

“My role is very autonomous,” hesaid, “which is one of the attractionsof doing it.

“Before I moved here I was livingjust outside Bristol and was trav-elling to London every day, so when Ileft my last job I thought it was a goodopportunity to evaluate what I

wanted out of life and what I wantedto do.

“Now I have a very good work/lifebalance and all the motivation that Ineed through the nature of mywork. The sense of purposeyou get with this job isquite unlike anythingelse I have known.

“In the commercialworld you are work-ing hard ultimatelyfor shareholder re-turn. Which is fine,but when you talk tothe patients and the fam-ily members served by thehospice, as I have been priv-ileged enough to do, it gives youan incredible sense of purpose and adrive and determination to do thebest that you can.”

Under Roger’s directorship,changes are afoot on the commercialside of St Peter’s Hospice.

Regulars at the charity shops willnotice modernisation of the waysthey operate, including TV screenswith promotional videos publicising

other ways to support the char-ity’s fundraising methods.

By the end of themonth, a quarter of theshops will be conver-ted in this way and therest will follow withinthe next two years.

Mr Childs is alsolooking to increase the

size of the shops wherepossible, as well as set-

ting up another clearanceshop similar to the one which

has been such a success in theBroadwalk Shopping Centre inK n ow l e.

St Peter’s is the only adult hospicein the Bristol area. A mixture ofpotential administrative confusionamong GPs and a gentlemen’s agree-

ment among hospices in the regionthat they don’t encroach on eachothers’ patches means that there’s nochance of the organisation spreadingoutside the city.

So for Mr Childs, the emphasis ison maximising the effectiveness ofwhat is here already, and expandingwithin the city where possible.

“We are trying to work far morecollaboratively in all of our incomegeneration areas,” he said.

“And why wouldn’t we? We have 47shops out there with huge trafficgoing in and out of them and we havean opportunity that was perhapshitherto missed to highlight the workthat we do.

“It’s about looking at it holistically.With regular reminders and promptsabout us and what we do, you have tohave the faith that it will spur peopleinto action. What we don’t want to dois make every contact with peoplebecome an ask.”

You wake up at? 6amWhat do you have for breakfast?Bowl of cerealWhat time do you start work?Emails and phone calls generallystart from 8amWhat happens in your typicalworking day? No two days areexactly the same, but my time issplit between my office in Long

Ashton, the hospice site at Brentryand anywhere in/around Bristolwhere we have shops orfundraising activities.What time do you go home? Iaim to be home by 6pmDo you take work home/attendevening functions? I separate mywork and home life, so never takework home, but the nature of myjob requires attending occasionalevening and weekend fundraisingevents.

After 30 years in thecorporate sector RogerChilds has found newdrive in his fundraisingrole for St Peter’sHospice, as RupertJanisch re p o r t s

OVER the past decade theteam from Carpet Gianthave provided flooring formore than 70,000 homes andlaid more than 3 million

square metres of flooring.The store is celebrating 10 years

since opening in Yate, marking theoccasion with a rebrand and over-haul of its website to make it tab-l e t - f r i e n d ly.

The firm started before that asCarpetman in Stonehouse,Gloucestershire, founded by SteveMorgan and Bill Moreton.

It was Steve’s son Dan and businesspartner and childhood friend JamesPrice who took on the business as itmoved to Yate, where it now employs16 people – with about eight fitterseach day carrying out a total of about200 jobs each week and claims to bethe largest independent carpet re-tailer in the South West.

The pair combined a passion forthe trade and customer service ethosto make the firm a success.

James said: “It’s been a fantastic 10years for us. The business has gonefrom strength to strength and hasbuilt up a great reputation in thattime, expanding so much that it’s nowthe largest independent retailer inthe region. We’re enormously proudof what we’ve achieved.”

James said the firm’s strength wasputting the customer first.

“Most of our trade are loyal cus-tomers, who keep coming back be-cause of not just the affordable prices,but the service they receive,” he said.“We believe that building relation-ships with our customers are just asimportant as sending an invoice.”

Unusually, if customers have dif-ficulty getting the shop, the team willgo to them taking samples to choosef ro m .

The store is officially launching itsnew look on Saturday with a fun dayopened by town mayor CouncillorWully Perks. The firm is also runninga competition for someone to wintheir whole house carpeted for free.

James added: “We ’re really excitedabout the day and want as manypeople to join us as possible. Theresidents of Yate and the surround-ing area have really supported usover the years and we’re keen foreveryone to get involved to help usmark the occasion. We’ve got lotsgoing on to appeal to the whole family,which should make it fun for all.Fingers crossed that the weather willbe as bright as we feel!”

Firm investsin 3D printingin Indian plant� AN engineering company isinvesting in new technology formetal 3D printing in India.Renishaw is based inWotton-under-Edge andemploys hundreds of peoplefrom the Bristol area.

The firm recently joined atrade mission to India led by theDeputy Prime Minister and NickClegg announced theinvestment as part of that visit.

The firm plans to create itsfirst Indian additivemanufacturing – 3D metalprinting – technical centre inPune.

The firm has a long-termcommitment tothe Indianmarket,a l re a d yhaving abase inPunemakingcomponentsthe group.

RhydianP o u n t n e y,pictur ed, thefirm’s director responsible forIndian sales and marketingoperations, presented Mr Cleggwith a 3D printed titanium scalereplica of the company’s19th-century headquarters.

He said: “We are delighted theDeputy Prime Minister was ableto make this announcementduring this important trademission. The thrust of theadditive manufacturing technicalcentres is to create a platformon which to work in closepartnership with our customersto help them realise the benefitsof AM in their products andmanufacturing processes. Ournew Indian AM technical centrewill be equipped with the latestproducts and will be staffed byour knowledgeable local teamwho are well versed in service,applications and processengineering.”

The Deputy PM said Britainwas building a specialrelationship with India.

“Strong British companiessuch as Renishaw will be vital tothese efforts to create a strongereconomy with a new specialrelationship with India,” he said.

Giant on a roll Carpet firm toasts10 years in business with rebrand

Flooring Engineering

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Carpet Giant directors James Price Daniel Morgan Photographer: Michael Lloyd BRML20140828A-001

Charity carpet haulA team from Carpet Giant hasbeen raising money for charity bycarrying a roll of carpet for 10kmaround Yate and ChippingSodbury. A team of four luggedthe carpet in a relay as part of thefirm’s anniversary celebrations

and to raise money for the Yatead Chipping Sodbury Foodbank,run by the Trussell Trust.Managing director James Pricesaid: “Some people findthemselves down on their luckthrough no fault of their own andthe food bank offers thembreathing space to help them getback on their feet.”

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8 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

PROPERTY is on the up. Lookaround Bristol and you’ll seecranes in the skyline. Thereare big residential projectsand office-to-flats conver-

sions a-plenty but there are shinynew offices climbing out from theground too.

A quick glance at the appointmentsin the back-page digest of this pub-lication shows new hires by com-mercial property firms almost everywe e k .

The number of transactionsin the commercial propertysector was higher in thefirst six months of 2014than any equivalentperiod since 2005, ac-cording to the Industri-al Agents Society.

Business is good forthe sector, then. But thissuccess brings new chal-lenges and chief among themis talent. The sudden demand forcommercial property deals and pro-jects means a sudden demand forpeople too.

The short supply of bricklayers,plumbers and electricians has beenwidely reported, but it goes further.

The shortage includes morewhite-collar professions and a host ofother skills through the sector.

James Kingston, abov e, managingdirector of recruitment firm King-ston Barnes which specialises in con-struction, said the sector was lookingat double digit growth next year andBristol was particularly strong.

“From our office in Queen Squarewe can see three huge commerciald eve l o p m e n t s, ” he said. “There is ashortage of good candidates, however,so we have to be more proactive in ourap p ro a ch . ”

He said the agency, whichonly launched last year,has more than 130 per-manent vacancies on itsbooks, showing thestrength of the market.

James said “90 percent” of his focus was onfinding talent – larg elythrough headhunting –rather than look for vacan-cies. But even once his teamfinds the right man or woman, com-panies have to work hard to securetheir candidate.

He said: “Firms are having to offer10 to 15 per cent increases in salary toattract people and increasingly weare then seeing current employerscome back with counter offers be-cause they know if they lose that

firm looking to recruit the best.”As part of that search for new

blood, the firm is looking for a morediverse workforce. Patrick said just13 per cent of members of the RoyalInstitute of Chartered Surveyorswere women, so targeting morewomen is a long-term strategy.

Evidence of that approach is NaomiQuick, right, who joined the firm andbelieves surveying is a rewardingcareer choice for women.

“Surveying is a good career withgreat prospects,” she said. “I get ahuge kick out of working in the in-dustry and would like more womenlike me to get the opportunity.

“Surveying is a hugely diverse pro-fession and gives me the chanceto work on projects all overthe world. I spend half mytime out and about,which is great as Iwo u l d n’t enjoy beingbehind a desk all day.”

Most firms are re-cruiting now, but werenot during the recessionand subsequent stagnantye a r s.

Ryan Gardner, director atrecruitment firm Hays, again inVictoria Street, said: “Given that theproperty industry was so badly hit by

COMMERCIAL landlords should be tak-ing a close look at their property port-folios to ensure they are compliant withenergy regulations due to come intoforce in 2018.

Industry reports suggest as much as one fifthof all commercial property in the UK could fallfoul of tougher regulations under the EnergyAct and businesses whose leases are up forrenewal would be well advised to check theenergy performance rating carefully beforesigning on the dotted line.

The new Energy Performance Certificates(EPCs) are due to come into force in April 2018.After this date it will become unlawful for anycommercial property to be either sold or let withan EPC rating of below band E.

This means, for example, that anybody look-ing to sign a new lease agreement now whichruns beyond this date, may be able to use the newlegislation as a bargaining chip in their ne-gotiations with the landlord.

Conversely, savvy landlords who are alreadyahead of the game and have better rated prop-erties will be able to attract those waveringabout whether to stay put or move on.

While some local businesses will be looking tosign new agreements taking them forward to2018 and beyond, being proactive now will helplandlords reap the benefits later on and will

Does your property makethe Energy Act grade?

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

The skills shortages facing the commercial property sectorare much wider than just a lack of skilled tradesmen and posea threat to growth. Gavin Thompson investigates

person they have to invest in re-cruiting and training someone else.”

He highlighted shortages locallyfor estimators and surveyors but saidthere are gaps right through the pro-cess starting with people who buyand manage land.

And he added much of the growthin the industry now is coming fromsmaller players, such as Bris-tol-based Midas, which is developingNarrow Quay House in the Har-

bourside area, and Rydon Construc-tion, rather than some of the

more established names.Most agree the cause of

the shortage is the gap inrecruitment during andfollowing the recessionacross most fields.

Eric Livingston, apartner on the construc-

tion team at Thrings so-licitors, based in Victoria

Street, Bristol, said the firmhad been recruiting in his team

and the wider commercial propertyde partment.

The Bristol-based team is about 20people-strong but there have beenseveral new hires in the last fewm o n t h s.

“We held off recruiting until wewere confident sustainable growthwould continue, and it is,” he said.“Now we are very busy and are re-cr uiting.”

Eric added: “It’s not impossible torecruit good people, but there are alot of people looking to do thes a m e. ”

Patrick Downes, left, managingpartner at commercial propertyagent Bruton Knowles has seen asurge in demand for qualified sur-veyors triggered by the faster than

expected housing market recov-e r y.

His firm has been ex-panding ahead of thatgrowth, opening officesin Bristol and Plymouthto build on its bases inSomerset and Glouce-stershire, and therefore

began recruiting earlierthis year.Patrick said: “Most com-

mentators were predicting amodest recovery in the housing andconstruction sectors but we took thestrategic decision to open a numberof new offices to ensure we met theincrease in demand.

“The recruitment of high calibreand experienced teams does not hap-pen overnight and we are certainlynot the only commercial property

Property matters

SKILLS SHORTAGE IS NOT ONLY A BLUE-COLLAR PROBLEM

the downturn many companiesstopped hiring and stopped in-

vesting in training.“Now the industry is

growing again therea re n’t the people to pickup the work so employ-ers have to work hard tosecure talented profes-s i o n a l s.

“For example, we wererecently looking for op-

portunities in the privatesector for a quantity surveyor

who had been working in the publicsector in Bristol and wanted to moveacross. His skills are so sought after

that we secured three interviews forhim within 24 hours and he wasoffered jobs by all three clients.”

In addition to quantity surveyors,he highlighted mechanical and elec-trical design engineers, and archi-tects are all “highly sought after” byemployers in and around Bristol.

Thankfully, Ryan said Bristol waswell placed to draw talent from out-side the city to fill gaps here.

“Bristol is lucky in that it iswell-known for being a great place tolive and work so it can attract pro-fessionals from across the UK but weare still working with a limited talentpool,” he said.

Skills shortages are of course greatfor people with those skills who cancommand higher salaries and betterconditions. But they are not so goodfor the economy.

If a company wants to expand to abigger premises, that’s great. But ift h e re ’s no one to find the premises, dothe legal work, carry out the renov-ation work and so on, then the com-pany can’t grow.

Ryan said the skills shortage wasdamaging. “Employers are strug-gling to find the skills they need andit is already impacting on theirgrowth plans,” he said.

While in the short term firms slug

it out for the best talent, in the me-dium term they need to create theirown. And that process needs to startye s t e rd ay.

“Training has a key role to playh e re, ” said Ryan. “Employers need tolook at what skill sets they need nowand what they are likely to need in thefuture and ensure training is in placeto help up-skill workers.

“We are already starting to seeemployers faced with counter offerswhen they are trying to recruit be-cause the shortages are so severe. Notonly do employers have to re-visitsalaries for these in-demand workersbut they often need to consider of-fering more generous benefits pack-ages and aspects like flexible workingin order to secure a new candidate orto retain their existing workforce.”

Simon Prescott, senior planningpartner at planning and design con-sultancy Barton Willmore, which hasan office housing nearly 50 people inVictoria Street, is a former chairmanof the West of England Local En-terprise Partnership’s constructiong roup.

He said hiring architects and plan-ners is now very competitive andretaining key staff is the top priorityfor the management team, whichmeans listening to staff and givingthem opportunities to develop andfurther their career.

“At one end in the recession a lot ofarchitects found themselves in prac-tices which were downsizing so a lotof talent was lost that has not comeback to the profession,” he said.

“Then at the other end, lots of uni-versities were churning out gradu-ates who were not able to pick up thatcritical first job to give them ex-p e r i e n c e. ”

As the industry grows quickly it isstruggling to expand its capacity fastenough. But Simon said it is not acrisis yet.

“We are not yet in a position whereskills shortages are causing imme-diate concern,” he said.

“But the inability to recruit keypeople is a check we have in mindwhen formulating business plans forthe next few years.

“We – any anyone else who is anygood – are very busy at the momentand our clients are very understand-ing of that.”

He summed up: “There is a lot ofpressure on us at the moment – bu tt h at ’s a more enjoyable pressure thana few years ago when the pressurewas to bring in any kind of significantj o b. ”

So the skills shortage is a worry,and it is a potential barrier tog rowth.

But we shouldn’t lose sight of thefact that it’s a problem the comesfrom the very positive story of eco-nomic growth in Bristol.

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

Angus TaylorPartnerBruton Knowles,0117 287 2101 angus.taylor@brutonknowles.co.uk

Expert eye

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

To Let - OfficesPart 3rd Floor Block A, Whitefriars,Lewins Mead, Bristol BS1 2NT

• Open plan air conditioned suite with two on site car parking spaces

• 1,540 sq ft (143 sq ft)• EPC Band E

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk

BK code:2433

Property of the Week

In association with

make any property more attractive to tenants.Those concerned about their portfolio will

need to assess now the costs and benefits ofimproving the energy efficiency.

With around 20 per cent of commercial build-ings already falling within these categoriesAngus Taylor is concerned that the sector isfacing a major challenge.

Whilst the measures only come into forcewhen a property is either sold or leased, failingto act now on poorly performing buildings couldbe a mistake unless you’re happy to have aportfolio of void properties on your hands astenants either vote with their feet or decide toopt for cleaner, greener and cheaper optionswhich will be available to them!

The best time to undertake any energy ef-ficiency improvements could be during currentvoid periods or lease breaks, and often there aresimple, low-cost measures which can be im-plemented, which can still have a significantimpact on the energy rating of a building.

For tenants, the forthcoming changes maymean that they can potentially drive down theirrent or threaten to move on if the requiredimprovements aren’t made.

“Businesses whose leases areup for renewal would be welladvised to check the energyperformance rating carefullybefore signing on the dotted line

Ryan Gardner,above

“Now theindustry isg ro w i n gagain therea re n ’t thepeople topick up thework.

� The upturn inthe property andconstructionmarket in Bristolhas revealed ashortage of skilledworkers in a hostof professions.From QueenSquare, you cansee the Skanskadevelopment,left, while Midas’Narrow QuayHouse projectis just aroundthe corner

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

8 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

PROPERTY is on the up. Lookaround Bristol and you’ll seecranes in the skyline. Thereare big residential projectsand office-to-flats conver-

sions a-plenty but there are shinynew offices climbing out from theground too.

A quick glance at the appointmentsin the back-page digest of this pub-lication shows new hires by com-mercial property firms almost everywe e k .

The number of transactionsin the commercial propertysector was higher in thefirst six months of 2014than any equivalentperiod since 2005, ac-cording to the Industri-al Agents Society.

Business is good forthe sector, then. But thissuccess brings new chal-lenges and chief among themis talent. The sudden demand forcommercial property deals and pro-jects means a sudden demand forpeople too.

The short supply of bricklayers,plumbers and electricians has beenwidely reported, but it goes further.

The shortage includes morewhite-collar professions and a host ofother skills through the sector.

James Kingston, abov e, managingdirector of recruitment firm King-ston Barnes which specialises in con-struction, said the sector was lookingat double digit growth next year andBristol was particularly strong.

“From our office in Queen Squarewe can see three huge commerciald eve l o p m e n t s, ” he said. “There is ashortage of good candidates, however,so we have to be more proactive in ourap p ro a ch . ”

He said the agency, whichonly launched last year,has more than 130 per-manent vacancies on itsbooks, showing thestrength of the market.

James said “90 percent” of his focus was onfinding talent – larg elythrough headhunting –rather than look for vacan-cies. But even once his teamfinds the right man or woman, com-panies have to work hard to securetheir candidate.

He said: “Firms are having to offer10 to 15 per cent increases in salary toattract people and increasingly weare then seeing current employerscome back with counter offers be-cause they know if they lose that

firm looking to recruit the best.”As part of that search for new

blood, the firm is looking for a morediverse workforce. Patrick said just13 per cent of members of the RoyalInstitute of Chartered Surveyorswere women, so targeting morewomen is a long-term strategy.

Evidence of that approach is NaomiQuick, right, who joined the firm andbelieves surveying is a rewardingcareer choice for women.

“Surveying is a good career withgreat prospects,” she said. “I get ahuge kick out of working in the in-dustry and would like more womenlike me to get the opportunity.

“Surveying is a hugely diverse pro-fession and gives me the chanceto work on projects all overthe world. I spend half mytime out and about,which is great as Iwo u l d n’t enjoy beingbehind a desk all day.”

Most firms are re-cruiting now, but werenot during the recessionand subsequent stagnantye a r s.

Ryan Gardner, director atrecruitment firm Hays, again inVictoria Street, said: “Given that theproperty industry was so badly hit by

COMMERCIAL landlords should be tak-ing a close look at their property port-folios to ensure they are compliant withenergy regulations due to come intoforce in 2018.

Industry reports suggest as much as one fifthof all commercial property in the UK could fallfoul of tougher regulations under the EnergyAct and businesses whose leases are up forrenewal would be well advised to check theenergy performance rating carefully beforesigning on the dotted line.

The new Energy Performance Certificates(EPCs) are due to come into force in April 2018.After this date it will become unlawful for anycommercial property to be either sold or let withan EPC rating of below band E.

This means, for example, that anybody look-ing to sign a new lease agreement now whichruns beyond this date, may be able to use the newlegislation as a bargaining chip in their ne-gotiations with the landlord.

Conversely, savvy landlords who are alreadyahead of the game and have better rated prop-erties will be able to attract those waveringabout whether to stay put or move on.

While some local businesses will be looking tosign new agreements taking them forward to2018 and beyond, being proactive now will helplandlords reap the benefits later on and will

Does your property makethe Energy Act grade?

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

The skills shortages facing the commercial property sectorare much wider than just a lack of skilled tradesmen and posea threat to growth. Gavin Thompson investigates

person they have to invest in re-cruiting and training someone else.”

He highlighted shortages locallyfor estimators and surveyors but saidthere are gaps right through the pro-cess starting with people who buyand manage land.

And he added much of the growthin the industry now is coming fromsmaller players, such as Bris-tol-based Midas, which is developingNarrow Quay House in the Har-

bourside area, and Rydon Construc-tion, rather than some of the

more established names.Most agree the cause of

the shortage is the gap inrecruitment during andfollowing the recessionacross most fields.

Eric Livingston, apartner on the construc-

tion team at Thrings so-licitors, based in Victoria

Street, Bristol, said the firmhad been recruiting in his team

and the wider commercial propertyde partment.

The Bristol-based team is about 20people-strong but there have beenseveral new hires in the last fewm o n t h s.

“We held off recruiting until wewere confident sustainable growthwould continue, and it is,” he said.“Now we are very busy and are re-cr uiting.”

Eric added: “It’s not impossible torecruit good people, but there are alot of people looking to do thes a m e. ”

Patrick Downes, left, managingpartner at commercial propertyagent Bruton Knowles has seen asurge in demand for qualified sur-veyors triggered by the faster than

expected housing market recov-e r y.

His firm has been ex-panding ahead of thatgrowth, opening officesin Bristol and Plymouthto build on its bases inSomerset and Glouce-stershire, and therefore

began recruiting earlierthis year.Patrick said: “Most com-

mentators were predicting amodest recovery in the housing andconstruction sectors but we took thestrategic decision to open a numberof new offices to ensure we met theincrease in demand.

“The recruitment of high calibreand experienced teams does not hap-pen overnight and we are certainlynot the only commercial property

Property matters

SKILLS SHORTAGE IS NOT ONLY A BLUE-COLLAR PROBLEM

the downturn many companiesstopped hiring and stopped in-

vesting in training.“Now the industry is

growing again therea re n’t the people to pickup the work so employ-ers have to work hard tosecure talented profes-s i o n a l s.

“For example, we wererecently looking for op-

portunities in the privatesector for a quantity surveyor

who had been working in the publicsector in Bristol and wanted to moveacross. His skills are so sought after

that we secured three interviews forhim within 24 hours and he wasoffered jobs by all three clients.”

In addition to quantity surveyors,he highlighted mechanical and elec-trical design engineers, and archi-tects are all “highly sought after” byemployers in and around Bristol.

Thankfully, Ryan said Bristol waswell placed to draw talent from out-side the city to fill gaps here.

“Bristol is lucky in that it iswell-known for being a great place tolive and work so it can attract pro-fessionals from across the UK but weare still working with a limited talentpool,” he said.

Skills shortages are of course greatfor people with those skills who cancommand higher salaries and betterconditions. But they are not so goodfor the economy.

If a company wants to expand to abigger premises, that’s great. But ift h e re ’s no one to find the premises, dothe legal work, carry out the renov-ation work and so on, then the com-pany can’t grow.

Ryan said the skills shortage wasdamaging. “Employers are strug-gling to find the skills they need andit is already impacting on theirgrowth plans,” he said.

While in the short term firms slug

it out for the best talent, in the me-dium term they need to create theirown. And that process needs to startye s t e rd ay.

“Training has a key role to playh e re, ” said Ryan. “Employers need tolook at what skill sets they need nowand what they are likely to need in thefuture and ensure training is in placeto help up-skill workers.

“We are already starting to seeemployers faced with counter offerswhen they are trying to recruit be-cause the shortages are so severe. Notonly do employers have to re-visitsalaries for these in-demand workersbut they often need to consider of-fering more generous benefits pack-ages and aspects like flexible workingin order to secure a new candidate orto retain their existing workforce.”

Simon Prescott, senior planningpartner at planning and design con-sultancy Barton Willmore, which hasan office housing nearly 50 people inVictoria Street, is a former chairmanof the West of England Local En-terprise Partnership’s constructiong roup.

He said hiring architects and plan-ners is now very competitive andretaining key staff is the top priorityfor the management team, whichmeans listening to staff and givingthem opportunities to develop andfurther their career.

“At one end in the recession a lot ofarchitects found themselves in prac-tices which were downsizing so a lotof talent was lost that has not comeback to the profession,” he said.

“Then at the other end, lots of uni-versities were churning out gradu-ates who were not able to pick up thatcritical first job to give them ex-p e r i e n c e. ”

As the industry grows quickly it isstruggling to expand its capacity fastenough. But Simon said it is not acrisis yet.

“We are not yet in a position whereskills shortages are causing imme-diate concern,” he said.

“But the inability to recruit keypeople is a check we have in mindwhen formulating business plans forthe next few years.

“We – any anyone else who is anygood – are very busy at the momentand our clients are very understand-ing of that.”

He summed up: “There is a lot ofpressure on us at the moment – bu tt h at ’s a more enjoyable pressure thana few years ago when the pressurewas to bring in any kind of significantj o b. ”

So the skills shortage is a worry,and it is a potential barrier tog rowth.

But we shouldn’t lose sight of thefact that it’s a problem the comesfrom the very positive story of eco-nomic growth in Bristol.

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

enquiries@brutonknowles.co.ukbrutonknowles.co.uk

0117 287 2101 Achieve morefrom your property

B015-1411 Bruton Knowles Bristol Post Commercial Advert 270x40mm AW 2.pdf 1 06/05/2014 17:24

Angus TaylorPartnerBruton Knowles,0117 287 2101 angus.taylor@brutonknowles.co.uk

Expert eye

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

To Let - OfficesPart 3rd Floor Block A, Whitefriars,Lewins Mead, Bristol BS1 2NT

• Open plan air conditioned suite with two on site car parking spaces

• 1,540 sq ft (143 sq ft)• EPC Band E

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk

BK code:2433

Property of the Week

In association with

make any property more attractive to tenants.Those concerned about their portfolio will

need to assess now the costs and benefits ofimproving the energy efficiency.

With around 20 per cent of commercial build-ings already falling within these categoriesAngus Taylor is concerned that the sector isfacing a major challenge.

Whilst the measures only come into forcewhen a property is either sold or leased, failingto act now on poorly performing buildings couldbe a mistake unless you’re happy to have aportfolio of void properties on your hands astenants either vote with their feet or decide toopt for cleaner, greener and cheaper optionswhich will be available to them!

The best time to undertake any energy ef-ficiency improvements could be during currentvoid periods or lease breaks, and often there aresimple, low-cost measures which can be im-plemented, which can still have a significantimpact on the energy rating of a building.

For tenants, the forthcoming changes maymean that they can potentially drive down theirrent or threaten to move on if the requiredimprovements aren’t made.

“Businesses whose leases areup for renewal would be welladvised to check the energyperformance rating carefullybefore signing on the dotted line

Ryan Gardner,above

“Now theindustry isg ro w i n gagain therea re n ’t thepeople topick up thework.

� The upturn inthe property andconstructionmarket in Bristolhas revealed ashortage of skilledworkers in a hostof professions.From QueenSquare, you cansee the Skanskadevelopment,left, while Midas’Narrow QuayHouse projectis just aroundthe corner

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

10 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures Women Outside The Box netwalking event

STRETCHING LEGS AND MINDS ON NETWALKING EVENT

In pictures Pure Comms fundraiser for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund

Business diary

Email your business events to gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk. Eventsare sometimes cancelled without us being notified so please checkwith organisers before travelling.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Institute ofDirectors informal networking atthe Radisson Blu Hotel 6-8pm,Wednesday, September 3. Nonmembers welcome. Free but toregister call 0117 3707785 oremail iod.southwest@iod.com.

Set.Social: Networking for thecreative industries held on the firstWednesday of every month tofacilitate collaborative workingamongst like-minded creativeprofessionals, many of whomwork from home as freelancers. AtThe Set, Bath Road Studios, from6pm, Wednesday, September 3.

Networking with FreelanceMum: A networking walk then talkfor parents in business who wantto bring their children. The eventis aimed at those working parents,often freelance, who findthemselves isolated. The nextevent is September 5, departingfrom St Andrew’s Park, NorthBristol, at 10.30am. Find out moreat www.freelancemum.co.uk.

Access to Growth Capital: TheLondon Stock Exchange andCapita Asset Services areorganising this event to helpfast-growing SMEs understandhow they can get money to grow.From 2.30-6pm on September 9at Burges Salmon offices, 1 GlassWharf. Register at http://www.l s e g . c o m / re g i s t e r 1 0 0 0 .

Virgin StartUp Live: Practicalstart-up advice and inspiration.Pieminister founder Tristan Hoggand Giles Mitchell of Office Pantrywill be on hand to offer advice.Takes place at the Watershed,5.30-8pm, Tuesday,September 9. Sign up ath t t p : / / w w w. v i rg i n s t a r t u p . o rg .

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Autumn Special Held atthe University of Bristol BotanicGardens with Martin Bigg from theBristol Green Capital Partnership,Tuesday, September 9. Checkwww.iod.com/swestevents formore information and to book.

Seasonal Facebook Campaigns:Strategies for Success: Thelatest talk from Bristol and BathMarketing Network features a talkfrom Digital Visitor chief executiveAntony Rawlins at the Clifton Clubfrom 5.30-8pm on Tuesday,September 9. Book via eventbrite.

Triodos annual meeting: Achance for customers, investorsand anyone who’s interested in amore progressive approach tobanking to find out more aboutthe bank. This year the event willexplore the real cost of food,energy, society and finance –demonstrating how thesustainable option provides truevalue in the long run. Speakersfrom Triodos Bank will be joinedby Patrick Holden, director of theSustainable Food Trust, KidsCompany founder CamilaBatmanghelidjh and JeremyLeggett, chairman of Solarcentury.Saturday, Sept 13 at Brunel’s OldStation, Passenger Shed, TempleMeads, 10am to 4pm.

Introduction to BloodhoundSCC: See the latest developmentsbehind the supersonic car andlearn about tax relief for researchand development at this eventorganised by Chantrey Vellacott. It

takes place at the BloodboundTechnical Centre in Avonmouthfrom 4.30pm to 7pm on Sept 17.

Electronics reliabilityengineering seminar: At theCeltic Manor Resort, Newport, onWednesday September 24 from9am to 4.30pm. Lunch buffet andrefreshments. Organised byBangor University to helpcompanies understand theimportance of reliability analysisand testing during productdevelopment and continuousimprovement, and offer practicalguidance to enhance productreliability, reduce costs andimprove competitive advantageacross region. £100. Emailg . f a rg h e r @ b a n g o r. a c . u k .

Inspiring Women Live! Series ofevents to help to connect the dotsbetween personal andprofessional development. Theevents are aimed at women whowant to be more successful in allaspects of their lives. Networkingthen speakers Louise Ladbrooke,Business West growth manager,and Denise Jacobs at the MarriottRoyal from 6.30-9pm onWednesday, September 24. Seew w w. i n s p i r i n g w o m e n l i v e . c o . u k .

The Bristol Business Exhibition:The exhibition attracts businessowners and decision makers fromacross the region and is a greatway to source suppliers andgenerate new business. It takesplace at Ashton Gate ConferenceCentre from 10am to 3pm onTuesday, September 30.

Growing your business into awinning brand seminar: G re g gLatchams and ActionCOACHBristol & North Somerset jointlyhost an event with guest speakersincluding local cheese makerTodd Trethowan and Chris Headof the West of England RuralNetwork. They will talk aboutcreating and marketing asuccessful brand and how togrow a food business in thecurrent climate. To reserve yourplace send an email to kayleigh.g ro v e s @ g re g g l a t c h a m s . c o m .Oct 1, 10am-1.30pm, PuxtonPark. Refreshments and lunchp ro v i d e d .

Process Improvement seminar:APDS, supplier of drives andmotors, holds event to educateindustry leaders on how they cancut their energy bills withoutcompromising productionprocesses. October 8 at ABBtraining centre, Bristol. Book formorning or afternoon session viaeventbrite.

Women Outside the BoxFestival: This year, WomenOutside The Box is holding theirannual festival of femaleentrepreneurship - Reach Out ForSuccess - at Colston Hall.Monday, October 20.

Bristol Junior ChamberP re s i d e n t s ’ L e c t u re : B a ro n e s sGillian Shephard, Deputy Chair ofthe Government’s Social Mobilityand Child Poverty Commissiontalks on “What is the economicimportance of improving socialmobility and what is the currentstate of social mobility in 21stcentury Britain?” 11.30am onNovember 26 at Clarke WillmottLLP, Bath Street, Bristol.

NETOWRKING organisationWomen Outside The Box isstriding into its secondye a r.Its City Business Club held

a Netwalk yesterday, ensuring mem-bers got some fresh air and exercisewhilst talking business with some ofthe city’s most up and coming femaleentre preneurs.

Women Outside The Box, foundedby Joni Farthing, is an online plat-form, supported by offline clubs andevents, helping women achieve busi-ness success.

Started in Bristol, the WOTB brandis expanding and is set to open newCity Business Clubs across the coun-t r y.

Its third annual Festival of FemaleEntrepreneurs takes place at ColstonHall on October 20.

The netwalk was organised bymember Rosalind J Turner of Net-w a l k i n g S W.

Rosalind said: “Current research isshowing our brains work differentlywhen we walk, and the connectionswe make whilst outside tend to workat a deeper level.”

� RobVi v i a n ,c e n t re ,raising atoast withHaydenRushton,managingdirector ofBritanniaWindows

Toasting the future with some fine wines

A TELECOMS company director out-lined his growth plans to businessleaders at a recent charity fundrais-ing event. Pure Comms, based inTickenham, North Somerset, hosted

a fundraiser in support of the Royal MarinesCharitable Trust Fund (RMCTF) which wasattended by senior business leaders.

The event was a fine wine and food tasterevening at which director Rob Vivian an-nounced plans to open a new office in Corn-wall.

He said the company had ambitions to bethe biggest and best provider in the region butsaid it was committed to putting his em-ployees and customers first with good service

and a fun working environment.Rob said: “Our telecoms offering and

style of doing business has proved tobe a recipe for success. I don’tknow of many telecoms compan-ies that operate like we do interms of the events we run andthe way we re-invest in the busi-n e s s.

“We build our solutionsaround our customers and havecreated a fulfilling working en-v i ro n m e n t .

“We see Devon and Cornwall as agrowth area and an office in this location isthe next logical step.

He added: “The event was a huge successand a good platform for us to announce

this big move. We’re proud to besupporting this worthy charity.”

Around £500 was raised for thecharity, and senior members ofthe Royal Marines attended theeve n i n g .

Launched in 2009 the com-pany already employs eleven

members of staff and in 2012moved to 2400 sq ft offices.Pure Comms counts auctioneers

Bonhams, Bristol Airport, Redrock Re-cruitment, Virgin Fast Track company Opusand The Hive as its customers.

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE BUSINESSEVENT PICTURESSee our website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

� Netwalkers Louise Poole, Julie Kenyon and Claire Ladkin chat at the Women Outside TheBox event; top and right, women on the walk Pictures: Paul Gillis

� Joni Farthing � Charlie Bradley � Lidia Drzewiecka � Rosalind Turner

� Above and bottom, members walking and talking at the Women Outside The Box event

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10 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures Women Outside The Box netwalking event

STRETCHING LEGS AND MINDS ON NETWALKING EVENT

In pictures Pure Comms fundraiser for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund

Business diary

Email your business events to gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk. Eventsare sometimes cancelled without us being notified so please checkwith organisers before travelling.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Institute ofDirectors informal networking atthe Radisson Blu Hotel 6-8pm,Wednesday, September 3. Nonmembers welcome. Free but toregister call 0117 3707785 oremail iod.southwest@iod.com.

Set.Social: Networking for thecreative industries held on the firstWednesday of every month tofacilitate collaborative workingamongst like-minded creativeprofessionals, many of whomwork from home as freelancers. AtThe Set, Bath Road Studios, from6pm, Wednesday, September 3.

Networking with FreelanceMum: A networking walk then talkfor parents in business who wantto bring their children. The eventis aimed at those working parents,often freelance, who findthemselves isolated. The nextevent is September 5, departingfrom St Andrew’s Park, NorthBristol, at 10.30am. Find out moreat www.freelancemum.co.uk.

Access to Growth Capital: TheLondon Stock Exchange andCapita Asset Services areorganising this event to helpfast-growing SMEs understandhow they can get money to grow.From 2.30-6pm on September 9at Burges Salmon offices, 1 GlassWharf. Register at http://www.l s e g . c o m / re g i s t e r 1 0 0 0 .

Virgin StartUp Live: Practicalstart-up advice and inspiration.Pieminister founder Tristan Hoggand Giles Mitchell of Office Pantrywill be on hand to offer advice.Takes place at the Watershed,5.30-8pm, Tuesday,September 9. Sign up ath t t p : / / w w w. v i rg i n s t a r t u p . o rg .

Institute of Directors Bristolbranch Autumn Special Held atthe University of Bristol BotanicGardens with Martin Bigg from theBristol Green Capital Partnership,Tuesday, September 9. Checkwww.iod.com/swestevents formore information and to book.

Seasonal Facebook Campaigns:Strategies for Success: Thelatest talk from Bristol and BathMarketing Network features a talkfrom Digital Visitor chief executiveAntony Rawlins at the Clifton Clubfrom 5.30-8pm on Tuesday,September 9. Book via eventbrite.

Triodos annual meeting: Achance for customers, investorsand anyone who’s interested in amore progressive approach tobanking to find out more aboutthe bank. This year the event willexplore the real cost of food,energy, society and finance –demonstrating how thesustainable option provides truevalue in the long run. Speakersfrom Triodos Bank will be joinedby Patrick Holden, director of theSustainable Food Trust, KidsCompany founder CamilaBatmanghelidjh and JeremyLeggett, chairman of Solarcentury.Saturday, Sept 13 at Brunel’s OldStation, Passenger Shed, TempleMeads, 10am to 4pm.

Introduction to BloodhoundSCC: See the latest developmentsbehind the supersonic car andlearn about tax relief for researchand development at this eventorganised by Chantrey Vellacott. It

takes place at the BloodboundTechnical Centre in Avonmouthfrom 4.30pm to 7pm on Sept 17.

Electronics reliabilityengineering seminar: At theCeltic Manor Resort, Newport, onWednesday September 24 from9am to 4.30pm. Lunch buffet andrefreshments. Organised byBangor University to helpcompanies understand theimportance of reliability analysisand testing during productdevelopment and continuousimprovement, and offer practicalguidance to enhance productreliability, reduce costs andimprove competitive advantageacross region. £100. Emailg . f a rg h e r @ b a n g o r. a c . u k .

Inspiring Women Live! Series ofevents to help to connect the dotsbetween personal andprofessional development. Theevents are aimed at women whowant to be more successful in allaspects of their lives. Networkingthen speakers Louise Ladbrooke,Business West growth manager,and Denise Jacobs at the MarriottRoyal from 6.30-9pm onWednesday, September 24. Seew w w. i n s p i r i n g w o m e n l i v e . c o . u k .

The Bristol Business Exhibition:The exhibition attracts businessowners and decision makers fromacross the region and is a greatway to source suppliers andgenerate new business. It takesplace at Ashton Gate ConferenceCentre from 10am to 3pm onTuesday, September 30.

Growing your business into awinning brand seminar: G re g gLatchams and ActionCOACHBristol & North Somerset jointlyhost an event with guest speakersincluding local cheese makerTodd Trethowan and Chris Headof the West of England RuralNetwork. They will talk aboutcreating and marketing asuccessful brand and how togrow a food business in thecurrent climate. To reserve yourplace send an email to kayleigh.g ro v e s @ g re g g l a t c h a m s . c o m .Oct 1, 10am-1.30pm, PuxtonPark. Refreshments and lunchp ro v i d e d .

Process Improvement seminar:APDS, supplier of drives andmotors, holds event to educateindustry leaders on how they cancut their energy bills withoutcompromising productionprocesses. October 8 at ABBtraining centre, Bristol. Book formorning or afternoon session viaeventbrite.

Women Outside the BoxFestival: This year, WomenOutside The Box is holding theirannual festival of femaleentrepreneurship - Reach Out ForSuccess - at Colston Hall.Monday, October 20.

Bristol Junior ChamberP re s i d e n t s ’ L e c t u re : B a ro n e s sGillian Shephard, Deputy Chair ofthe Government’s Social Mobilityand Child Poverty Commissiontalks on “What is the economicimportance of improving socialmobility and what is the currentstate of social mobility in 21stcentury Britain?” 11.30am onNovember 26 at Clarke WillmottLLP, Bath Street, Bristol.

NETOWRKING organisationWomen Outside The Box isstriding into its secondye a r.Its City Business Club held

a Netwalk yesterday, ensuring mem-bers got some fresh air and exercisewhilst talking business with some ofthe city’s most up and coming femaleentre preneurs.

Women Outside The Box, foundedby Joni Farthing, is an online plat-form, supported by offline clubs andevents, helping women achieve busi-ness success.

Started in Bristol, the WOTB brandis expanding and is set to open newCity Business Clubs across the coun-t r y.

Its third annual Festival of FemaleEntrepreneurs takes place at ColstonHall on October 20.

The netwalk was organised bymember Rosalind J Turner of Net-w a l k i n g S W.

Rosalind said: “Current research isshowing our brains work differentlywhen we walk, and the connectionswe make whilst outside tend to workat a deeper level.”

� RobVi v i a n ,c e n t re ,raising atoast withHaydenRushton,managingdirector ofBritanniaWindows

Toasting the future with some fine wines

A TELECOMS company director out-lined his growth plans to businessleaders at a recent charity fundrais-ing event. Pure Comms, based inTickenham, North Somerset, hosted

a fundraiser in support of the Royal MarinesCharitable Trust Fund (RMCTF) which wasattended by senior business leaders.

The event was a fine wine and food tasterevening at which director Rob Vivian an-nounced plans to open a new office in Corn-wall.

He said the company had ambitions to bethe biggest and best provider in the region butsaid it was committed to putting his em-ployees and customers first with good service

and a fun working environment.Rob said: “Our telecoms offering and

style of doing business has proved tobe a recipe for success. I don’tknow of many telecoms compan-ies that operate like we do interms of the events we run andthe way we re-invest in the busi-n e s s.

“We build our solutionsaround our customers and havecreated a fulfilling working en-v i ro n m e n t .

“We see Devon and Cornwall as agrowth area and an office in this location isthe next logical step.

He added: “The event was a huge successand a good platform for us to announce

this big move. We’re proud to besupporting this worthy charity.”

Around £500 was raised for thecharity, and senior members ofthe Royal Marines attended theeve n i n g .

Launched in 2009 the com-pany already employs eleven

members of staff and in 2012moved to 2400 sq ft offices.Pure Comms counts auctioneers

Bonhams, Bristol Airport, Redrock Re-cruitment, Virgin Fast Track company Opusand The Hive as its customers.

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE BUSINESSEVENT PICTURESSee our website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

� Netwalkers Louise Poole, Julie Kenyon and Claire Ladkin chat at the Women Outside TheBox event; top and right, women on the walk Pictures: Paul Gillis

� Joni Farthing � Charlie Bradley � Lidia Drzewiecka � Rosalind Turner

� Above and bottom, members walking and talking at the Women Outside The Box event

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12 We d n e s d a y, September 3, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back pagePe o p l e� An HR professional who hasworked in senior roles at Lloyds, BP,HBoS and First Group as well asrunning her own consultancy, hasbeen appointed to head the HRconsulting team at accountancy andinvestment management group,Smith & Williamson.

Geraldine Buckland, inset below,has been appointed to lead theBristol-based team, taking over frompartner Rachel Stone.

“The true heart of a business lieswith its people and my role centreson helping organisations to buildsuccessful, long-term relationshipswith colleagues and clients,” saidGeraldine, who is a changemanagement specialist.

� Commercial property firm DTZhas made five promotions in itsBristol office.

James Marsh (professionaladvisory services) has beenpromoted to director, PhilipCranstone (industrial agency) andChristian Crawfurd (project andbuilding consultancy) are nowassociate directors.

Rebekah Formosa (public sectoradvisory) and James Cinicola(development consulting) have beenpromoted to senior surveyor level.

Tim Davis, senior director andhead of the office said: “T h ro u g h o u tthe downturn, DTZ continued toinvest in our people and offer careerp ro g re s s i o n .

“As the market becomes morefavourable we have adopted anambitious growth agenda and I amdelighted to announce thepromotion of these future leaders ofour business.”

� The Savills new homes team inBristol has expanded by appointingVicky Dudbridge as an associated i re c t o r.

Her arrival comes after the teamsaw reservations increase by nearly20 per cent in the first six months of2014 compared with the sameperiod last year, and by over 60 percent on the same period in 2012.

Vicky, who joins from JLL, isresponsible for the sale andmarketing of new build residentialproperty throughout the South West.

George Cardale, Savills’Bristol-based head of new homes,said: “Vi c k y ’s appointment bringsconsiderable experience andexpertise at a time when demand forour services is at a premium.”

P l a ces� Growing chartered surveyors andcommercial property specialistsSanderson Weatherall has bolsteredits profile in Bristol with a newa d d re s s .

The local arm of the business hasrelocated to Queen Square, giving itone of the more prestigiousaddresses among the professionalservices community.

Richard Saunders, partner in retailagency, said: “Ourcommitment to Bristol overthe last two years hasseen us grow to 13 staffin a short space oftime.

“We are delighted toput our roots down inQueen Square. Thelocation worksbrilliantly for us, beingclose to the now premierbusiness district of TempleQuay and Temple Meads trainstation, yet still in close proximity tothe waterfront and Cabot Circus. It’sthe right choice for a growing,ambitious business such as ours.”

� On pages 8&9 today we’vefeatured the skills shortage in thecommercial property sector. And the

Ride to Paris to support hospitals� TOMORROW is officially Cycle toWork day, and business peoplehave a couple of very good reasonsto get on their bikes.

First, the Golden Gift Appeal forBristol’s hospitals wants businessesto get behind its Bristol to ParisCycle Challenge, with a launchevent tomorrow night at BurgesSalmon’s offices at 1 Glass Wharf,Temple Quay.

Bosses from Stuff Advertising,Specsavers, Avonline plc,Destination Bristol, Mubaloo andhospital consultants from UniversityHospitals Bristol will be amongthose taking part.

Jonnie Galvin-Wright, pictur ed,managing director of StuffAdvertising, said: “As a localbusinessman I feel very passionateabout supporting our hospitals –that’s why I’m taking part.”

The challenge takes place May1-5 next year. Registration closes on19 September. To attend the launchevent, please reserve your place bycontacting Lorna Clarke at lor na.clarke@aboveandbeyond.org.ukor 0117 3700 842.

Money raised will helpprovide an individualroom in hospital forpatients with cysticfibrosis, alife-shortening geneticcondition thatdamages the lungs anddigestive system andleaves patients vulnerableto infection.

Meanwhile, on Thursday,September 11, the Bristol PropertyAgents’ Association is taking to theroads of North Somerset for charity.

Phil Morton, senior director at

� The Sanderson Weatherall team who have moved to Queen Square

CBRE, is organising the event. Hesaid: “This is a fun event that hasgrown each year to become alandmark in the city propertyindustry’s calendar. It’s hard work

but we have fun, see somebeautiful countryside – and

raise money for goodcauses.”

Jeremy Richards,head of JLL in Bristol,is president of theBPAA. He said: “TheCyclosportive raises

thousands of pounds forcharity each year.

Participants pay to takepart, with this year’s

proceeds going to the TransplantSport and Penny Brohn CancerCare charities.

“Last year over 300 riders tookpart and we are hoping to increase

growing demand for talent can besee again here.

Waldeck, the multidisciplinaryservices provider, is creating 15 newenergy and infrastructure roles at itsColdharbour Lane base.

The positions range from civil andstructural engineers to CAD andBIM technicians and have beencreated to meet increased demandfor its services in the nuclear andrenewable energy sector.

Director and founder PaulWaldeck said: “The next 25

years will see a boom ininfrastructure building with

an estimated £110 billionof investments forecastfor energy relatedprojects by 2020.

“Nuclear powergeneration is expected

to play a significant partin this due to the ever

increasing demand forenergy, reduction in fossil fuel

operations and concerns overenergy security.

“Our business is growing rapidlyto help meet these infrastructuredemands, and to continue to offerthe most effective and efficientsolutions for our clients, we’relooking for the best people possibleto strengthen our delivery teams.”

� Job creation is not limited toinfrastructure and property. FriendsLife has 11 vacancies as it expandsits Bristol-based accountancy team.That’s about 20 per cent as thecurrent team is just 50.

The team needs both qualifiedand part qualified accountants andassistant accountants.

It’s an interesting snapshot of thepicture across Bristol’s professionalservices right now, that such a bigcompany, which has 1,000employees in Bristol, has so manyvacancies in one department and anissue the Business team may wellrevisit in the coming months.

� Somewhat running against thetide of growth, however, is the latestconfidence report.

The ICAEW/Grant Thornton UKBusiness Confidence Monitor hasfound that the confidence within theregion has fallen to +24.2. Althoughthe index comfortably remains inpositive territory, it meansconfidence has fallen for the secondconsecutive quarter.

Jon Blake, ICAEW regionaldirector for the South West, said:“Businesses are beginning toappreciate the challenges of thecurrent economic situation.

“Our exports remain weak, andthis is not helped by the difficultiesfacing our trading partners in theeurozone. We look to the Bank ofEngland and the government towork harder to ensure that therecovery is placed on a broaderfooting before we see this stillrelatively high optimism erodea w a y. ”

It’s not all bad. The region hasseen a growth in employment,increasing by 2.1 per cent in thepast year and sales and profit arerising.

Tim Lincoln, the new man incharge at Grant Thornton in Bristol,added: “While it is encouraging tosee that more jobs are being createdin our region, confidence is clearlyfragile. Our mid-sized businesses,which together employ around300,000 people in the South West,have a key part to play in therecovery but too often their potentialis being stifled.

“One particular area which needsurgent attention is the excessivedemands being placed on thesebusinesses by an unnecessarilycomplex tax system.”

Well said, Tim. Perhaps we’ll signyou up to our Real Rates Reformcampaign (see pages 2&3).

Your digest of the week in business

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

21 %20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

128 .85pUnleaded

133 .28pDiesel

137 .28pSuperunleaded

69 .9 7 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.8%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

Inflation (CPI)

1.6 %

Weekly earnings

0.4 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

S o u rc e :

Cambridge &Counties Bank

Inflation (RPI)

2.5 %

� BW Cycling’s Oli Beckingsale withBPAA President Jeremey Richardsand event organiser Phil Morton,senior director at CBRE

that number for this year’s event.”All three routes will start and finish

at the Redwood Lodge Hotel andCountry Club in Failand. Enquiriesshould be made toPhilip.Morton@cbr e.com.

� From left, James Marsh, Christian Crawfurd, Philip Cranstone andRebekah Formosa