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Business Bristol Post, Auto enrolment special, Pensions pitfalls. Our must-read SME survival guide to workplace pensions auto enrolment.

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Page 1: Business 06 November 2013

2EPB-E01-S4

££

££

Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

PENSIONSPITFALLSOur must-read SME survival guide toworkplace pensions auto enrolment

AUTO ENROLMENT SPECIAL

COFFEE BREAK

Win free Costa coffee for amonth with Clifton Wealth

062013NOV

EXPERT ADVICE

Why you need to think twicebefore signing that first lease

MEET THE NEW SKIPPER

The new man at the helm of themodern Merchant Venturers

Page 2: Business 06 November 2013

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

2 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

BRISTOL is leading the wayin a partnership withJordan that aims to driveeconomic growth throughinnovation and technology.

Delegates from the city visitedAmman where King Abdullah ofJordan unveiled a new tech hub.

The hub will help Britishstart-up firms partner withJordanian contacts and in-novative companies.

Jordan has more in-ternet start-up compan-ies than any othercountry in the MiddleEast. The country hasbeen dubbed the MiddleEast’s Silicon Valley.

Professor Joe McGeehan,abov e, chairman of InvestBristol and Bath said: “Bristol andBath are recognised widely as UKhotspots of creativity and innovation,which is why this tech hub providessuch an exciting opportunity for there gion’s companies to partner withJo rd a n’s fast-growing technologys e c t o r. ”

Delegates from London, Belfast

and Glasgow also attended. But Bris-tol and Bath were chosen as leadersin creativity and innovation, withparticular strengths in film, anim-ation, microelectronics and ad-vanced engineering.

Bristol is a recognised globalcentre of excellence for producingfactual television programmes, nat-ural-history film-making and anim-at i o n .

It is also a leading destination foraerospace, advanced engineering andmicroelectronic industries and is atthe heart of one of the largest cluster

of silicon designers in the world,outside Silicon Valley.

David Sproxton,co-founder and chairmanof Aardman Anima-tions, said: “This techhub will help cementfurther the region’sreputation for innova-

tion, technology and cre-ativity and set up new and

exciting partnerships withcompanies in the Arab

wo rl d . ”The partnership will see business

delegations between Bristol andJordan, conferences, workshops andpartnering events, bespoke pro-grammes for leading companies andraised awareness that should lead toconcrete business deals and con-tracts in due course.

Baroness Morris of Bolton, TradeEnvoy to Jordan, Kuwait and thePalestinian Territories, said: “This isa really exciting initiative which willenormously benefit both countries.

“The tech hub will open up newpathways between the UK andJordan, giving innovative start-upsand small- and medium-sized enter-prises in both the chance to accessnew markets and learn and growfrom each other.”

Lord Green, Minister of State forTrade and Investment, said:“Jo rd a n’s education system and in-tegration with world markets make ita real leader in technological innov-ation. The UK Jordan tech hub willserve as a beacon in the region, de-livering the partnerships and invest-ment that create the jobs of thef u t u re. ”

� Networking at the Board 2020 Conference on Business Ethics and Morality

Board 2020 Te c h n o l o g y

Delegates talkbusiness ethicsFROM tax planning and avoidance tothe benefits of building your com-p a ny ’s reputation, delegatesgrappled with the ethics of businessat the latest Board 2020 event.

It was the fifth such event organ-ised by Moon Consulting, the Uni-versity of the West of England andStrategic Value Partners, with thegoal of helping business leaders dis-cuss hot topics and challenges withothers in confidence.

Keynote speaker was Steve Hind-ley, chairman of Bristol-based Midasconstruction, who spoke about howtrust and ethics were key parts of hisc o m p a ny ’s success. Delegateslistened to a staged debate from twotax experts – from Baker Tilly, and ACMole and Sons – who discussed theethical issues around tax, tax plan-ning and tax avoidance.

Peaches Golding, principal con-sultant for Moon Consulting, said:“We had a mixture of people fromboards, whether family businesses,public sector, private sector and con-sultants, leading to rich discussion.”

The topic for the next Board 2020has yet to be chosen. Email oli v [email protected] tosuggest ideas or find out more.

E n g rav i n g

Lasers leave glass-makers beaming

ACOMPANY that makes Bris-tol blue glass is using thelatest laser technology toproduce the traditionalglassware. Bristol Blue

Glass, at Bedminster, is one of twocompanies left in the city making thetrademark glass.

The company has invested “tens ofthousands” of pounds in aFrench-made engraving machinethat means customers have to waitonly a few minutes for the work to bed o n e.

Dr Francis Burroughes, companysecretary, said: “We will still be of-fering our hand-engraved and carvedart pieces in our finest lead crystal,engraved by some of the greatest en-gravers working in Britain at themoment.

“But this new technology will en-

able us to fill our customers’ demandsfor high-quality engraving for com-memorative items, personalised gifts,and corporate and promotional itemswithin an hour or two of ordering.”

He said the technique usespin-point laser accuracy to controldiamond cutting heads and produceintricate designs and lettering.

Dr Burroughes said: “T hestate-of-the-art machine is not madein this country.

“The French have long had a mag-nificent high-quality glass industry,and have recently developed engrav-ing machines which rival the finesthand engraving.”

One of the first uses of the machinewas a large order for The MansionHouse, London, to be used for officialb a n q u e t s.

The glasses have been given by theWorshipful Company of Glass Sellers,and are the first that it has com-missioned in its 349-year history.They are engraved with the name ofthe master, the Worshipful Com-p a ny ’s coat of arms, and the date.

Dr Burroughes said: “We areenormously honoured and thrilledthat these glasses from a small com-pany in Bristol will be used by theLord Mayor of London when he hostsdinners for international official vis-itors to the city, including the Queenand visiting royalty, as well asworld-famous leaders, statesmen,politicians and business leaders.

“The plan is that these glassesshould become heritage pieces, partof the historic collection of artefactsat the venue.”

The Bedminster firm was respons-ible a few years ago for producing asmaller suite of wine glasses for Bris-tol’s Mansion House.

These were engraved with the city’scoat of arms.

Personal development

You’re shore to sea benefits being a Navy reservist

Expansion ‘will seeturnover up to £2.6m’� CLIFTON restaurant TheCowshed has secured a £140,000finance package to help itsexpansion plans.

The restaurant, launched in 2009by Adam Denton, has expanded intothe next-door premises, which wasoriginally the Whiteladies PictureHouse bar. The renovation hasincluded a new bar area, largerkitchens and a chef’s table so dinerscan see the kitchen at work.

The renovation has expanded the

DiningLeading chefs showtheir skills at festival� TOP chefs cooked up treats at aBristol food exhibition. The newdemonstration stage from TheChefs’ Forum was one of thehighlights of the Home, Food andDrink Festival.

Chefs including television’s MartinBlunos, Chris Wicks of Bell’s Dinerand Josh Eggleton from the Ponyand Trap showed off their skills withthe chopping knife, frying pan and afew choice ingredients.

The Chefs’ Forum also held apop-up banquet at the festivalvenue for 60 guests. The Chefs’Forum founder Mr Wicks, AdrianKirikmaa from City of BristolCollege, and hospitality studentsserved a meal and raised £500 forChildren's Hospice South West.

The festival, held at the Universityof the West of England Exhibitionand Conference Centre, attracted6,000 visitors over two days.

Fo o d

Bristol leads the way inUK-Jordan partnership

EMPLOYERS are being urged to en-courage their staff to sign up for theRoyal Navy Reserves.

HMS Flying Fox in WinterstokeRoad, Bristol, is holding an open dayon Saturday, November 9 for peopleinterested in signing up.

HMS Flying Fox Commanding Of-ficer Dave Bucknell said: “Being areservist brings a huge range of per-sonal and professional rewards thatalso bring benefits to civilian roles.”

Reservists normally commit to theequivalent of 24 days a year for train-ing, which takes place mainly duringthe evenings and at weekends. Re-servists are paid for their time, with

pay increases with seniority.However, new recruits can easilyearn more than £1,000 a year, in ad-dition to a yearly tax-free bountywhich ranges from £400 to £1,600 de-pending on the length of service.

When needed, the reservists sup-plement the full-time ranks withextra manpower, and in some casesprovide additional specialist civilianskills. New recruits must be agedbetween 16 and 40, have a basic stand-ard in English and maths, and be ableto complete a one-and-a-half-mile runwithin a specific time period.

Leading Seaman Andy Westlake,45, from Mangotsfield, joined up 10

LATEST NEWS

BUSINESS NEWS Our reporters file on themove, and you can keep up to date out andabout via the mobile versions of our website

bristolpost.co.uk/business

years ago. Andy has been a quantitysurveyor for 25 years and now worksfor Cowlin Construction. He serves inthe Seaman Reserve Branch, special-ising in maritime force protection,and is a small-arms instructor.

He said “Being a reservist gives youthe opportunity to visit places and dothings you would not normally do. Itis hard work but rewarding. Youmake friends for life. You developpersonal and professional skills asweeks go by and you find these skillsare useful in day-to-day life too.”

He has used his training in in-structional techniques to help himdeliver courses at work.

� One oftheengravedwineglassessent to TheMansionHouse,London

� Adrian Kirikmaa in action

re s t a u r a n t ’s covers capacity by 50per cent and is expected to increaseturnover by 35 per cent to£2.6 million. The company securedthe finance from HSBC’s Bristolcommercial team.

Mr Denton said: “It is great toopen the expanded restaurant to thepublic, and the initial response hasbeen fantastic. In more austeretimes, people value good quality –and that is why we have beenoperating at capacity. Customersappreciate the quality of our food.

“We did not want to be turningcustomers away and we did notwant to have to leave our home, sothe logical move was to expandnext door. The results haveexceeded our expectation.”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

� Leading Seaman Andy Westlake,45, from Mangotsfield

Paul WilliamsHead of agencyBruton Knowles

Signing with care islease you should do

Know how

FOR many growing andstart-up businesses, sign-ing the first lease on aproperty is something tobe celebrated. But it is

also something small businessesshould do carefully, and onlyafter taking appropriate inde-pendent advice.

Make sure that you do not signa lease for longer than you wantto, as it is a binding legal agree-ment. True, if your requirementschange you may be able to sub-letthe property or assign the lease,but that can be a costly andtime-consuming process with noguarantee of a successful out-c o m e.

Signing a full repairing andinsuring lease means that youare liable for the cost of anyrepairs to the property from thatdate, regardless of what condi-tion it was in when you moved in.So check what your responsib-ilities are and how much it mightcost to maintain the propertyover the term of the lease.

You should not sign a FRI leaseon commercial premises withouthaving the property’s conditionchecked independently.

Disputes can arise over ser-vice charges. These should be setout in the lease – but often peopleconcentrate on the headline rentto be paid, and only realise laterthat the service charge is moresignificant than they thought.Fortunately for tenants, regula-tions have been tightened up inrecent years, and landlords areno longer permitted to treat aservice charge as rent going by adifferent name.

The service charge can be al-most as much as the rent in somecases. One way to protect againstany unforeseen major expendit-ure is to ask for a cap on the levelof service charge payable.

Break clauses can be a goodinsurance policy, enabling a ten-ant to exit from a lease if busi-ness levels do not live up toexpectations or the firm expandsand needs to move somewherebigger. They are fraught withdifficulty, and the detailed word-ing is critical to ensuring thatthe break can be operated cor-rectly. Another thing to check iswhen and how the rent will bereviewed. It is common to findthat a lease contains what arecalled “upward only” rent re-views, which mean that the rentcan never fall below the originallevel, regardless of prevailingmarket conditions. Agreeing up-ward or downward reviews atthe outset can pay dividends fur-ther down the line.

Tenants often believe theyhave no need of specialist adviceas a solicitor will provide all thatis required. However, this can bea false economy as a solicitormay not be able to comment onproperty issues.

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

0.05%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.1%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

130 .70 pUnleaded

138 .0 5 pDiesel

139 .38pSuper

unleaded

69 .48pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.55%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

A l d e r m o re 1.1%£1,000 deposit

Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.5%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Earl ShiltonB. Society

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

0.5 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

CPIAssistant Editor (Business)Gavin ThompsonCall 0117 934 3336Email [email protected]

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@ b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall 07828 941469Email ro b . ro d g e r s o n @ b - n m . c o . u k

Advertising Jane ChapmanCall 01179 343025Email [email protected]

Advertising Simon CoyCall 07736 900 705Email simon.coy @b-nm.co.uk

Professor Joe McGeehan

“Bristol and Bath arerecognised widely as UKhotspots of creativityand innovation, which iswhy this tech hubprovides such anexciting opportunity forthe region’s companies

Page 3: Business 06 November 2013

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

2 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

BRISTOL is leading the wayin a partnership withJordan that aims to driveeconomic growth throughinnovation and technology.

Delegates from the city visitedAmman where King Abdullah ofJordan unveiled a new tech hub.

The hub will help Britishstart-up firms partner withJordanian contacts and in-novative companies.

Jordan has more in-ternet start-up compan-ies than any othercountry in the MiddleEast. The country hasbeen dubbed the MiddleEast’s Silicon Valley.

Professor Joe McGeehan,abov e, chairman of InvestBristol and Bath said: “Bristol andBath are recognised widely as UKhotspots of creativity and innovation,which is why this tech hub providessuch an exciting opportunity for there gion’s companies to partner withJo rd a n’s fast-growing technologys e c t o r. ”

Delegates from London, Belfast

and Glasgow also attended. But Bris-tol and Bath were chosen as leadersin creativity and innovation, withparticular strengths in film, anim-ation, microelectronics and ad-vanced engineering.

Bristol is a recognised globalcentre of excellence for producingfactual television programmes, nat-ural-history film-making and anim-at i o n .

It is also a leading destination foraerospace, advanced engineering andmicroelectronic industries and is atthe heart of one of the largest cluster

of silicon designers in the world,outside Silicon Valley.

David Sproxton,co-founder and chairmanof Aardman Anima-tions, said: “This techhub will help cementfurther the region’sreputation for innova-

tion, technology and cre-ativity and set up new and

exciting partnerships withcompanies in the Arab

wo rl d . ”The partnership will see business

delegations between Bristol andJordan, conferences, workshops andpartnering events, bespoke pro-grammes for leading companies andraised awareness that should lead toconcrete business deals and con-tracts in due course.

Baroness Morris of Bolton, TradeEnvoy to Jordan, Kuwait and thePalestinian Territories, said: “This isa really exciting initiative which willenormously benefit both countries.

“The tech hub will open up newpathways between the UK andJordan, giving innovative start-upsand small- and medium-sized enter-prises in both the chance to accessnew markets and learn and growfrom each other.”

Lord Green, Minister of State forTrade and Investment, said:“Jo rd a n’s education system and in-tegration with world markets make ita real leader in technological innov-ation. The UK Jordan tech hub willserve as a beacon in the region, de-livering the partnerships and invest-ment that create the jobs of thef u t u re. ”

� Networking at the Board 2020 Conference on Business Ethics and Morality

Board 2020 Te c h n o l o g y

Delegates talkbusiness ethicsFROM tax planning and avoidance tothe benefits of building your com-p a ny ’s reputation, delegatesgrappled with the ethics of businessat the latest Board 2020 event.

It was the fifth such event organ-ised by Moon Consulting, the Uni-versity of the West of England andStrategic Value Partners, with thegoal of helping business leaders dis-cuss hot topics and challenges withothers in confidence.

Keynote speaker was Steve Hind-ley, chairman of Bristol-based Midasconstruction, who spoke about howtrust and ethics were key parts of hisc o m p a ny ’s success. Delegateslistened to a staged debate from twotax experts – from Baker Tilly, and ACMole and Sons – who discussed theethical issues around tax, tax plan-ning and tax avoidance.

Peaches Golding, principal con-sultant for Moon Consulting, said:“We had a mixture of people fromboards, whether family businesses,public sector, private sector and con-sultants, leading to rich discussion.”

The topic for the next Board 2020has yet to be chosen. Email oli v [email protected] tosuggest ideas or find out more.

E n g rav i n g

Lasers leave glass-makers beaming

ACOMPANY that makes Bris-tol blue glass is using thelatest laser technology toproduce the traditionalglassware. Bristol Blue

Glass, at Bedminster, is one of twocompanies left in the city making thetrademark glass.

The company has invested “tens ofthousands” of pounds in aFrench-made engraving machinethat means customers have to waitonly a few minutes for the work to bed o n e.

Dr Francis Burroughes, companysecretary, said: “We will still be of-fering our hand-engraved and carvedart pieces in our finest lead crystal,engraved by some of the greatest en-gravers working in Britain at themoment.

“But this new technology will en-

able us to fill our customers’ demandsfor high-quality engraving for com-memorative items, personalised gifts,and corporate and promotional itemswithin an hour or two of ordering.”

He said the technique usespin-point laser accuracy to controldiamond cutting heads and produceintricate designs and lettering.

Dr Burroughes said: “T hestate-of-the-art machine is not madein this country.

“The French have long had a mag-nificent high-quality glass industry,and have recently developed engrav-ing machines which rival the finesthand engraving.”

One of the first uses of the machinewas a large order for The MansionHouse, London, to be used for officialb a n q u e t s.

The glasses have been given by theWorshipful Company of Glass Sellers,and are the first that it has com-missioned in its 349-year history.They are engraved with the name ofthe master, the Worshipful Com-p a ny ’s coat of arms, and the date.

Dr Burroughes said: “We areenormously honoured and thrilledthat these glasses from a small com-pany in Bristol will be used by theLord Mayor of London when he hostsdinners for international official vis-itors to the city, including the Queenand visiting royalty, as well asworld-famous leaders, statesmen,politicians and business leaders.

“The plan is that these glassesshould become heritage pieces, partof the historic collection of artefactsat the venue.”

The Bedminster firm was respons-ible a few years ago for producing asmaller suite of wine glasses for Bris-tol’s Mansion House.

These were engraved with the city’scoat of arms.

Personal development

You’re shore to sea benefits being a Navy reservist

Expansion ‘will seeturnover up to £2.6m’� CLIFTON restaurant TheCowshed has secured a £140,000finance package to help itsexpansion plans.

The restaurant, launched in 2009by Adam Denton, has expanded intothe next-door premises, which wasoriginally the Whiteladies PictureHouse bar. The renovation hasincluded a new bar area, largerkitchens and a chef’s table so dinerscan see the kitchen at work.

The renovation has expanded the

DiningLeading chefs showtheir skills at festival� TOP chefs cooked up treats at aBristol food exhibition. The newdemonstration stage from TheChefs’ Forum was one of thehighlights of the Home, Food andDrink Festival.

Chefs including television’s MartinBlunos, Chris Wicks of Bell’s Dinerand Josh Eggleton from the Ponyand Trap showed off their skills withthe chopping knife, frying pan and afew choice ingredients.

The Chefs’ Forum also held apop-up banquet at the festivalvenue for 60 guests. The Chefs’Forum founder Mr Wicks, AdrianKirikmaa from City of BristolCollege, and hospitality studentsserved a meal and raised £500 forChildren's Hospice South West.

The festival, held at the Universityof the West of England Exhibitionand Conference Centre, attracted6,000 visitors over two days.

Fo o d

Bristol leads the way inUK-Jordan partnership

EMPLOYERS are being urged to en-courage their staff to sign up for theRoyal Navy Reserves.

HMS Flying Fox in WinterstokeRoad, Bristol, is holding an open dayon Saturday, November 9 for peopleinterested in signing up.

HMS Flying Fox Commanding Of-ficer Dave Bucknell said: “Being areservist brings a huge range of per-sonal and professional rewards thatalso bring benefits to civilian roles.”

Reservists normally commit to theequivalent of 24 days a year for train-ing, which takes place mainly duringthe evenings and at weekends. Re-servists are paid for their time, with

pay increases with seniority.However, new recruits can easilyearn more than £1,000 a year, in ad-dition to a yearly tax-free bountywhich ranges from £400 to £1,600 de-pending on the length of service.

When needed, the reservists sup-plement the full-time ranks withextra manpower, and in some casesprovide additional specialist civilianskills. New recruits must be agedbetween 16 and 40, have a basic stand-ard in English and maths, and be ableto complete a one-and-a-half-mile runwithin a specific time period.

Leading Seaman Andy Westlake,45, from Mangotsfield, joined up 10

LATEST NEWS

BUSINESS NEWS Our reporters file on themove, and you can keep up to date out andabout via the mobile versions of our website

bristolpost.co.uk/business

years ago. Andy has been a quantitysurveyor for 25 years and now worksfor Cowlin Construction. He serves inthe Seaman Reserve Branch, special-ising in maritime force protection,and is a small-arms instructor.

He said “Being a reservist gives youthe opportunity to visit places and dothings you would not normally do. Itis hard work but rewarding. Youmake friends for life. You developpersonal and professional skills asweeks go by and you find these skillsare useful in day-to-day life too.”

He has used his training in in-structional techniques to help himdeliver courses at work.

� One oftheengravedwineglassessent to TheMansionHouse,London

� Adrian Kirikmaa in action

re s t a u r a n t ’s covers capacity by 50per cent and is expected to increaseturnover by 35 per cent to£2.6 million. The company securedthe finance from HSBC’s Bristolcommercial team.

Mr Denton said: “It is great toopen the expanded restaurant to thepublic, and the initial response hasbeen fantastic. In more austeretimes, people value good quality –and that is why we have beenoperating at capacity. Customersappreciate the quality of our food.

“We did not want to be turningcustomers away and we did notwant to have to leave our home, sothe logical move was to expandnext door. The results haveexceeded our expectation.”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

� Leading Seaman Andy Westlake,45, from Mangotsfield

Paul WilliamsHead of agencyBruton Knowles

Signing with care islease you should do

Know how

FOR many growing andstart-up businesses, sign-ing the first lease on aproperty is something tobe celebrated. But it is

also something small businessesshould do carefully, and onlyafter taking appropriate inde-pendent advice.

Make sure that you do not signa lease for longer than you wantto, as it is a binding legal agree-ment. True, if your requirementschange you may be able to sub-letthe property or assign the lease,but that can be a costly andtime-consuming process with noguarantee of a successful out-c o m e.

Signing a full repairing andinsuring lease means that youare liable for the cost of anyrepairs to the property from thatdate, regardless of what condi-tion it was in when you moved in.So check what your responsib-ilities are and how much it mightcost to maintain the propertyover the term of the lease.

You should not sign a FRI leaseon commercial premises withouthaving the property’s conditionchecked independently.

Disputes can arise over ser-vice charges. These should be setout in the lease – but often peopleconcentrate on the headline rentto be paid, and only realise laterthat the service charge is moresignificant than they thought.Fortunately for tenants, regula-tions have been tightened up inrecent years, and landlords areno longer permitted to treat aservice charge as rent going by adifferent name.

The service charge can be al-most as much as the rent in somecases. One way to protect againstany unforeseen major expendit-ure is to ask for a cap on the levelof service charge payable.

Break clauses can be a goodinsurance policy, enabling a ten-ant to exit from a lease if busi-ness levels do not live up toexpectations or the firm expandsand needs to move somewherebigger. They are fraught withdifficulty, and the detailed word-ing is critical to ensuring thatthe break can be operated cor-rectly. Another thing to check iswhen and how the rent will bereviewed. It is common to findthat a lease contains what arecalled “upward only” rent re-views, which mean that the rentcan never fall below the originallevel, regardless of prevailingmarket conditions. Agreeing up-ward or downward reviews atthe outset can pay dividends fur-ther down the line.

Tenants often believe theyhave no need of specialist adviceas a solicitor will provide all thatis required. However, this can bea false economy as a solicitormay not be able to comment onproperty issues.

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

0.05%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.1%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

130 .70 pUnleaded

138 .0 5 pDiesel

139 .38pSuper

unleaded

69 .48pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.55%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

A l d e r m o re 1.1%£1,000 deposit

Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.5%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Earl ShiltonB. Society

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

0.5 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

CPIAssistant Editor (Business)Gavin ThompsonCall 0117 934 3336Email [email protected]

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@ b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall 07828 941469Email ro b . ro d g e r s o n @ b - n m . c o . u k

Advertising Jane ChapmanCall 01179 343025Email [email protected]

Advertising Simon CoyCall 07736 900 705Email simon.coy @b-nm.co.uk

Professor Joe McGeehan

“Bristol and Bath arerecognised widely as UKhotspots of creativityand innovation, which iswhy this tech hubprovides such anexciting opportunity forthe region’s companies

Page 4: Business 06 November 2013

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

4 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

Eco n o my

NOW is the time to invest andexpand in Bristol, accord-ing to a commercial-prop-erty specialist in the city.Colliers International used

a business event to deliver the as-sessment to city movers ands h a ke r s.

The Broad Quay-based firm’s re-search guru Walter Boettcher said:“There is a lot of good cheer around atthe moment, and with justice. We arelooking much better than we werefour years ago.”

Speaking at the third businessbreakfast, he dismissed fears the eco-nomic recovery was not broadenough to prove sustainable, pointingto improving performance in the ser-vices, construction and manufactur-ing sectors.

He said small- and medium-sizedcompanies had got to the point where

they were re-occupying space theyhad disposed of during the down-tur n.

They were also absorbing excesscapacity rather than taking on hun-dreds of new employees, whichexplained why employmentindicators had not caughtup with wider economici n d i c at o r s.

He said the SouthWest was third behindLondon and the SouthEast in terms of grow-ing business activity.

But he said: “London isgetting so expensive thatmany institutions are looking alot more at regional opportunities.Improvements in the fundamentalscould lead to a two-year expansionarycycl e. ”

Tim Davies, p i c t u re d , head of Col-liers International’s Bristol office,predicted that the return of spec-ulative development across the Westwould gather pace, with at least twofurther big-shed deals being an-nounced around the end of the year.

He said: “Increased demand com-bined with a shortage of quality ac-commodation could cause abottleneck, with the tipping point oc-curring some time next year. Prime

rents will start to pick up as aresult of the correction in

supply and demand.”Offices director Steph-

en Lipfriend also pre-dicted a bumper year forBristol, with officetake-up 42 per cent up onlast year.

He said the market hadseen a bias towards bigger

deals in the 25,000 sqft-and-upwards bracket follow-

ing the 1,000-10,000 sq ft deals whichhad begun to proliferate through thedowntur n.

Mr Lipfriend warned of supplyproblems as steadily-improvingtake-up absorbed remaining grade-Aspace. He said the speculative de-velopment taking place in Bristolwould be swallowed up by currentdemand – which he estimated ataround 350,000 sq ft.

Now is the time to investin our city, say experts

Ed u c a t i o n

Evidence of detectivewo r ks h o ps ’ s u ccess

ABUSINESS based on thescene-of-crime experience of a formerpolice officer is celebrating three suc-cessful years and the appointment ofits first national franchisee.

The Detective Project, which provides eventsfor children and adults through detective birth-day parties, educational workshops and cor-porate events, was launched by StokeBishop-based mum and former detective JennyWilliams at the end of September 2010.

Jenny, who has worked with both the Met-ropolitan and Avon and Somerset police forces,combined her expertise and knowledge ofscenes-of-crime methodology with her exper-ience as a mum to her children, now aged 9 and11, to create the event business.

By offering fun, science-based events to in-dividuals, schools, summer and youth clubsand businesses, The Detective Project aims tospark an interest in science and give par-ticipants the opportunity to experiencehands-on challenges in crime-scene investig-ation. Typical clients are children over 7, orbusinesses and organisations promoting team-work and shared challenges.

The concept has been so successful that TheDetective Project has doubled its turnover each

year and is working to meet demand outsidethe West Country.

Now, with first franchisee Steve Sharkey, aretired Metropolitan Police officer, havinglaunched The Detective Project North EastSurrey last month and more franchise en-quiries in the pipeline, Jenny is looking for-ward optimistically to the next three years ofbusiness success.

She said: “Starting up and running a busi-ness has meant three years of working harderthan I thought was possible, but the time andeffort are paying off, with growing numbers ofbookings for parties and corporate events, lotsof interest in our franchise offering and ourfirst new office now up and running.

“Customers love the originality of our ideaand that Detective Project events are edu-cational as well as entertaining. Our businesscustomers also enjoy offering their teams ofstaff a corporate workshop which is unusual,fun and challenging.

“I am proud that within three years we havegone from a start-up enterprise to a successfulbusiness which is attracting franchise enquir-ies from across the UK.

“My ambition is that in a further three yearsThe Detective Project will be known acrossmany more areas of the UK and that a wideraudience of children and adults will have ex-perienced the joys and challenges of donning ascenes-of-crime officer suit, picking up theirmagnifying glass and engaging with forensics c i e n c e. ”

MAJOR housebuilder Barratt haspledged its support to Bristol with theopening of a new office and plans for araft of developments in the area.

More than 65 Barratt Bristol staffhave relocated into new offices inAztec West. And the city has becomethe regional head office for BarrattWest, reinforcing the importance ofthe Bristol area to the future of thefive-star housebuilder.

Regional managing director ChrisBurton said the South West has be-

come a crucial area of activity forBarratt, and the investment in newregional headquarters is testament tothe developer’s long-term confidencein the region.

He said: “We are delighted to bemaking Bristol the regionalheadquarters. The new offices havebeen designed to accommodategrowth in the future. We have beenactive in the Bristol area for manyyears with a wide range of successfuldevelopments, and we have a number

of exciting projects in the pipelinewhich will build on the foundationswe have built in the region.”

The move to new premises coin-cides with plans for the launch of 27major developments in the region inthe next 12 months, seeing more than2,250 new homes for the South West.

Mr Burton said: “We are seeingincreased confidence in the housingmarket, with developments such asND10@The Zone and Charlton Hayesin Bristol proving very popular.”

C o n st r u c t i o nNew office and big plans see firm pledge support to city

� Former detective Jenny Williams celebrates the success of her business

Conference venue’s£100k net upgradeA BUSINESS and conference venuein Clifton has invested £100,000 insuperfast synchronous internet cap-able of uploading and downloading100MB per second.

EEF Venues, which owns Engin-eers’ House on the corner of CliftonDown and Percival Road, commis-sioned telecoms experts Gamma toinstall the new system using thelatest fibre-optic technology.

Martyn Bowen, venue manager atEngineers’ House, said: “Having thisnew technology on site means del-egates can carry out multiple onlineactivities, stream videos in HD andupload and download large data fileswithout any danger of frustratingand time-consuming buffering.

“It will also give our business del-egates superb video-conferencing fa-c i l i t i e s.

“That will allow them to connectpeople and ideas, share documents,projects, videos and whiteboardswhile working in real time with col-leagues or clients anywhere in thewo rl d . ”

Part of the investment involved re-placing the old conference-roomchairs and tables with bespoke, Itali-an furniture.

Te c h n o l o g y

Firm ‘delighted’ officescheme is under way� A CLIFTON property andconstruction consultancy has beenappointed to work on a majorspeculative office development inBristol.

Wakemans is acting as quantitysurveyor and employer’s agent onbehalf of developer SalmonHarvester Properties on the 100,000sq ft Two Glass Wharf scheme closeto Temple Meads. The site waspreviously owned by CastlemoreSecurities and bought out ofadministration in 2010 by SHP, ajoint venture between SalmonDevelopments and National FarmersUnion Mutual Insurance Co Ltd.

Wa k e m a n s ’ John Woodhall said:“We are delighted this developmentis going ahead. It could mark thebeginning of a new phase ofdevelopment in Temple Quay.”

Commercial property

Aardman backs boost to protecting ideasIntellectual property

Planning consultancysees business rocket� A BRISTOL planning consultancyhas seen the number of applicationsfor new homes it handles more thandouble. Aspire Planning, a divisionof Sanderson Weatherall, is dealingwith dozens of applications onbehalf of residential developers.

The firm is handling inquiries andinstructions for 300 homes, a 100per cent increase compared to thesame period last year. Around 30per cent of them are in the Bristolarea, including plans for 13apartments in Duncombe Road,Speedwell, and eight town housesin Morley Road, Southville.

James Davis, a partner atSanderson Weatherall and head ofAspire Planning, said: “Demand fornew homes in the region continuesto outstrip supply and there is amajor shortfall of available land.

“This is placing huge pressure onlocal authorities to find space forhomes, which means that sitesoutside development boundariesare being approved for housing.”

H o m es

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

BRISTOL animations firm Aardman has wel-comed extra support for smaller companies toprotect their intellectual property.

The Government’s Intellectual Prop-erty Office launched IP for Business –a suite of tools which makes surefirms can tap into up-to-date guid-ance to help manage their intel-lectual property.

It aims to help firms get morerelevant advice from accountantsand other advisers. At the centre ofthe suite is IP Equip – a free, inter-active, online training tool that helpsbusinesses and advisers identify assetswhich may be protected by IP rights, and thinkthrough a strategy for protecting them.

Aardman Animations, creators of the Wallaceand Gromit films, argue that it is essential to

protect ideas in the early stages to safeguard ac o m p a ny ’s future growth.

A a rd m a n’s Sean Clarke said: “Alot of hard work goes into what theAardman team produces. If we donot protect the ideas we have thenit is a free-for-all and it does notallow us to create value to reinvestin future ideas. It is important tohave a system in place to protectwhat we do. I would urge other

companies to protect their intellec-tual property if they want to benefit

from it and help grow their business.”Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual

Property, said: “Intellectual property is a pro-spect which small businesses often find daunt-ing. IP for Business shows that this does not haveto be the case.”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

Rupert [email protected]

THE weather looks miser-able with rain sweepingacross the golf course andthe delegates for the day’steam-building exercises

are fretting about what is going tohappen if this keeps up.

Fran Burgess from Zing Asso-ciates, the facilitators for thed ay ’s activities, has a smile on herface and knows this little ad-versity will get the day off to justthe right start. “There is nothinglike a horrible day at work andthese days do happen so let’s seewhat everyone is made of rightfrom the off,” she says.

Team-building has becomevery popular with companies andit definitely adds another dimen-sion to a company sales meetingor conference. Fran’s aim as agood team builder is to focus onthe skills of planning, commu-nication and teamwork as well asdelegation, time management,problem solving, creative think-ing and decision making.

Where you hold your meetingand if you are going to add anysort of activity-driven extras isobviously a major considerationwhen planning your event. Yourstaff understand that the day isimportant and if done properlyeveryone will benefit and learn agreat deal. The out of town venuealmost certainly has the edgewhen it comes to this type of day.

You want to find a venue withspace, excellent meeting and ITfacilities, great catering,well-trained staff and that under-stands the needs of conferenceand events organisers.

Flexibility goes a long waywhen you are planning the day orin the process of delivering it.Cost is also another major factorand free parking is always ab o nu s.

One form of activity that all golfclubs have of course is the chanceto actually play the game as welland it is now very common to findthe annual conference finishedoff with either a round for theplayers or a session with the clubprofessional for the beginners.

Sarah Claridge and TomGillespie teaching pros at TheKendleshire have put together agreat programme called Golf inHalf a Day and on many occasionscompanies have held their con-ference or seminar in the morn-ing and then got everyone out inthe fresh air to see if they canmaster a chip, putt or drive on thefantastic practice facilities thatthe club offers.

There is nothing like having ago at something that appears veryeasy but is actually incrediblyfr ustrating.

Watching groups of colleagueshelping each other out and laugh-ing with each other is great to seeand just rounds off all you arehoping to achieve when deliver-ing your company message.

Pat MurphyDirector of Golf atthe KendleshireGolf Club

Get into the swingof team building

Know how

� A a rd m a nfavouritesWallace andG ro m i t

� Martyn Bowen, venue manager at the Engineers’ House Pic: Dave Betts

Page 5: Business 06 November 2013

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4 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

Eco n o my

NOW is the time to invest andexpand in Bristol, accord-ing to a commercial-prop-erty specialist in the city.Colliers International used

a business event to deliver the as-sessment to city movers ands h a ke r s.

The Broad Quay-based firm’s re-search guru Walter Boettcher said:“There is a lot of good cheer around atthe moment, and with justice. We arelooking much better than we werefour years ago.”

Speaking at the third businessbreakfast, he dismissed fears the eco-nomic recovery was not broadenough to prove sustainable, pointingto improving performance in the ser-vices, construction and manufactur-ing sectors.

He said small- and medium-sizedcompanies had got to the point where

they were re-occupying space theyhad disposed of during the down-tur n.

They were also absorbing excesscapacity rather than taking on hun-dreds of new employees, whichexplained why employmentindicators had not caughtup with wider economici n d i c at o r s.

He said the SouthWest was third behindLondon and the SouthEast in terms of grow-ing business activity.

But he said: “London isgetting so expensive thatmany institutions are looking alot more at regional opportunities.Improvements in the fundamentalscould lead to a two-year expansionarycycl e. ”

Tim Davies, p i c t u re d , head of Col-liers International’s Bristol office,predicted that the return of spec-ulative development across the Westwould gather pace, with at least twofurther big-shed deals being an-nounced around the end of the year.

He said: “Increased demand com-bined with a shortage of quality ac-commodation could cause abottleneck, with the tipping point oc-curring some time next year. Prime

rents will start to pick up as aresult of the correction in

supply and demand.”Offices director Steph-

en Lipfriend also pre-dicted a bumper year forBristol, with officetake-up 42 per cent up onlast year.

He said the market hadseen a bias towards bigger

deals in the 25,000 sqft-and-upwards bracket follow-

ing the 1,000-10,000 sq ft deals whichhad begun to proliferate through thedowntur n.

Mr Lipfriend warned of supplyproblems as steadily-improvingtake-up absorbed remaining grade-Aspace. He said the speculative de-velopment taking place in Bristolwould be swallowed up by currentdemand – which he estimated ataround 350,000 sq ft.

Now is the time to investin our city, say experts

Ed u c a t i o n

Evidence of detectivewo r ks h o ps ’ s u ccess

ABUSINESS based on thescene-of-crime experience of a formerpolice officer is celebrating three suc-cessful years and the appointment ofits first national franchisee.

The Detective Project, which provides eventsfor children and adults through detective birth-day parties, educational workshops and cor-porate events, was launched by StokeBishop-based mum and former detective JennyWilliams at the end of September 2010.

Jenny, who has worked with both the Met-ropolitan and Avon and Somerset police forces,combined her expertise and knowledge ofscenes-of-crime methodology with her exper-ience as a mum to her children, now aged 9 and11, to create the event business.

By offering fun, science-based events to in-dividuals, schools, summer and youth clubsand businesses, The Detective Project aims tospark an interest in science and give par-ticipants the opportunity to experiencehands-on challenges in crime-scene investig-ation. Typical clients are children over 7, orbusinesses and organisations promoting team-work and shared challenges.

The concept has been so successful that TheDetective Project has doubled its turnover each

year and is working to meet demand outsidethe West Country.

Now, with first franchisee Steve Sharkey, aretired Metropolitan Police officer, havinglaunched The Detective Project North EastSurrey last month and more franchise en-quiries in the pipeline, Jenny is looking for-ward optimistically to the next three years ofbusiness success.

She said: “Starting up and running a busi-ness has meant three years of working harderthan I thought was possible, but the time andeffort are paying off, with growing numbers ofbookings for parties and corporate events, lotsof interest in our franchise offering and ourfirst new office now up and running.

“Customers love the originality of our ideaand that Detective Project events are edu-cational as well as entertaining. Our businesscustomers also enjoy offering their teams ofstaff a corporate workshop which is unusual,fun and challenging.

“I am proud that within three years we havegone from a start-up enterprise to a successfulbusiness which is attracting franchise enquir-ies from across the UK.

“My ambition is that in a further three yearsThe Detective Project will be known acrossmany more areas of the UK and that a wideraudience of children and adults will have ex-perienced the joys and challenges of donning ascenes-of-crime officer suit, picking up theirmagnifying glass and engaging with forensics c i e n c e. ”

MAJOR housebuilder Barratt haspledged its support to Bristol with theopening of a new office and plans for araft of developments in the area.

More than 65 Barratt Bristol staffhave relocated into new offices inAztec West. And the city has becomethe regional head office for BarrattWest, reinforcing the importance ofthe Bristol area to the future of thefive-star housebuilder.

Regional managing director ChrisBurton said the South West has be-

come a crucial area of activity forBarratt, and the investment in newregional headquarters is testament tothe developer’s long-term confidencein the region.

He said: “We are delighted to bemaking Bristol the regionalheadquarters. The new offices havebeen designed to accommodategrowth in the future. We have beenactive in the Bristol area for manyyears with a wide range of successfuldevelopments, and we have a number

of exciting projects in the pipelinewhich will build on the foundationswe have built in the region.”

The move to new premises coin-cides with plans for the launch of 27major developments in the region inthe next 12 months, seeing more than2,250 new homes for the South West.

Mr Burton said: “We are seeingincreased confidence in the housingmarket, with developments such asND10@The Zone and Charlton Hayesin Bristol proving very popular.”

C o n st r u c t i o nNew office and big plans see firm pledge support to city

� Former detective Jenny Williams celebrates the success of her business

Conference venue’s£100k net upgradeA BUSINESS and conference venuein Clifton has invested £100,000 insuperfast synchronous internet cap-able of uploading and downloading100MB per second.

EEF Venues, which owns Engin-eers’ House on the corner of CliftonDown and Percival Road, commis-sioned telecoms experts Gamma toinstall the new system using thelatest fibre-optic technology.

Martyn Bowen, venue manager atEngineers’ House, said: “Having thisnew technology on site means del-egates can carry out multiple onlineactivities, stream videos in HD andupload and download large data fileswithout any danger of frustratingand time-consuming buffering.

“It will also give our business del-egates superb video-conferencing fa-c i l i t i e s.

“That will allow them to connectpeople and ideas, share documents,projects, videos and whiteboardswhile working in real time with col-leagues or clients anywhere in thewo rl d . ”

Part of the investment involved re-placing the old conference-roomchairs and tables with bespoke, Itali-an furniture.

Te c h n o l o g y

Firm ‘delighted’ officescheme is under way� A CLIFTON property andconstruction consultancy has beenappointed to work on a majorspeculative office development inBristol.

Wakemans is acting as quantitysurveyor and employer’s agent onbehalf of developer SalmonHarvester Properties on the 100,000sq ft Two Glass Wharf scheme closeto Temple Meads. The site waspreviously owned by CastlemoreSecurities and bought out ofadministration in 2010 by SHP, ajoint venture between SalmonDevelopments and National FarmersUnion Mutual Insurance Co Ltd.

Wa k e m a n s ’ John Woodhall said:“We are delighted this developmentis going ahead. It could mark thebeginning of a new phase ofdevelopment in Temple Quay.”

Commercial property

Aardman backs boost to protecting ideasIntellectual property

Planning consultancysees business rocket� A BRISTOL planning consultancyhas seen the number of applicationsfor new homes it handles more thandouble. Aspire Planning, a divisionof Sanderson Weatherall, is dealingwith dozens of applications onbehalf of residential developers.

The firm is handling inquiries andinstructions for 300 homes, a 100per cent increase compared to thesame period last year. Around 30per cent of them are in the Bristolarea, including plans for 13apartments in Duncombe Road,Speedwell, and eight town housesin Morley Road, Southville.

James Davis, a partner atSanderson Weatherall and head ofAspire Planning, said: “Demand fornew homes in the region continuesto outstrip supply and there is amajor shortfall of available land.

“This is placing huge pressure onlocal authorities to find space forhomes, which means that sitesoutside development boundariesare being approved for housing.”

H o m es

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

BRISTOL animations firm Aardman has wel-comed extra support for smaller companies toprotect their intellectual property.

The Government’s Intellectual Prop-erty Office launched IP for Business –a suite of tools which makes surefirms can tap into up-to-date guid-ance to help manage their intel-lectual property.

It aims to help firms get morerelevant advice from accountantsand other advisers. At the centre ofthe suite is IP Equip – a free, inter-active, online training tool that helpsbusinesses and advisers identify assetswhich may be protected by IP rights, and thinkthrough a strategy for protecting them.

Aardman Animations, creators of the Wallaceand Gromit films, argue that it is essential to

protect ideas in the early stages to safeguard ac o m p a ny ’s future growth.

A a rd m a n’s Sean Clarke said: “Alot of hard work goes into what theAardman team produces. If we donot protect the ideas we have thenit is a free-for-all and it does notallow us to create value to reinvestin future ideas. It is important tohave a system in place to protectwhat we do. I would urge other

companies to protect their intellec-tual property if they want to benefit

from it and help grow their business.”Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual

Property, said: “Intellectual property is a pro-spect which small businesses often find daunt-ing. IP for Business shows that this does not haveto be the case.”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

Rupert [email protected]

THE weather looks miser-able with rain sweepingacross the golf course andthe delegates for the day’steam-building exercises

are fretting about what is going tohappen if this keeps up.

Fran Burgess from Zing Asso-ciates, the facilitators for thed ay ’s activities, has a smile on herface and knows this little ad-versity will get the day off to justthe right start. “There is nothinglike a horrible day at work andthese days do happen so let’s seewhat everyone is made of rightfrom the off,” she says.

Team-building has becomevery popular with companies andit definitely adds another dimen-sion to a company sales meetingor conference. Fran’s aim as agood team builder is to focus onthe skills of planning, commu-nication and teamwork as well asdelegation, time management,problem solving, creative think-ing and decision making.

Where you hold your meetingand if you are going to add anysort of activity-driven extras isobviously a major considerationwhen planning your event. Yourstaff understand that the day isimportant and if done properlyeveryone will benefit and learn agreat deal. The out of town venuealmost certainly has the edgewhen it comes to this type of day.

You want to find a venue withspace, excellent meeting and ITfacilities, great catering,well-trained staff and that under-stands the needs of conferenceand events organisers.

Flexibility goes a long waywhen you are planning the day orin the process of delivering it.Cost is also another major factorand free parking is always ab o nu s.

One form of activity that all golfclubs have of course is the chanceto actually play the game as welland it is now very common to findthe annual conference finishedoff with either a round for theplayers or a session with the clubprofessional for the beginners.

Sarah Claridge and TomGillespie teaching pros at TheKendleshire have put together agreat programme called Golf inHalf a Day and on many occasionscompanies have held their con-ference or seminar in the morn-ing and then got everyone out inthe fresh air to see if they canmaster a chip, putt or drive on thefantastic practice facilities thatthe club offers.

There is nothing like having ago at something that appears veryeasy but is actually incrediblyfr ustrating.

Watching groups of colleagueshelping each other out and laugh-ing with each other is great to seeand just rounds off all you arehoping to achieve when deliver-ing your company message.

Pat MurphyDirector of Golf atthe KendleshireGolf Club

Get into the swingof team building

Know how

� A a rd m a nfavouritesWallace andG ro m i t

� Martyn Bowen, venue manager at the Engineers’ House Pic: Dave Betts

Page 6: Business 06 November 2013

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6 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

Business people out and about Business diary

@gavin_thompson1uk.linkedin.com/pub/gavin-thompson /67/624/281/Edit

Follow us on social media

@BristolPost

@swbusinessnews

� Explore Export. UK Trade &Investment roadshow with adviceon how to sell yourservices/products abroad.Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel,Wotton-under-Edge. Tuesday,November 12� Your Dental Practice, YourF u t u re : A free seminar fordentists hosted by charteredaccountants Milsted Langdon inconjunction with Meade KingSolicitors and NatWest Bank, atThe Clifton Pavilion at Bristol ZooGardens, Wednesday, November13.� Be Your Own Boss: A chancefor people to find out more aboutstarting or strengthening theirsmall business. Speakers areinventor Lorna Perks fromLornaLou and Alex Poulter fromEast Bristol Bakery, plus lots ofsupport organisations will be onhand. 10am-2pm, City Hall,Wednesday, November 13.� Growth Clinic: Business Westis encouraging managingdirectors of ambitious companiesto step away from theirday-to-day activities for an houror so to focus on future businessgrowth in one to one clinics. LeighCourt, Wednesday, November 13and 21. To book [email protected] orcall 01275 376 233.� Regional Growth FundRoadshow: Help for businessesthinking of applying for round fiveof the RGF, open to private firmsseeking £1 million or more forhigh quality projects that leverageprivate sector investment andcreate sustainable jobs. 2Rivergate, Temple Quay, Tuesday,November 19.� The Hive Preview: Chance tofind out about The Hive, flexibleoffice space for start-ups andgrowing business. HelicopterMuseum, Weston-super-Mare,5.30pm, Thursday November 21.

Send your business events [email protected]

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

The Big Interview

BECOMING master of The So-ciety of Merchant Venturersis a poignant moment forAnthony Brown. In October1989 his father died shortly

before Charter Day. Anthony’s fatherwas the society’s senior warden andlooking forward to becoming masterin November that year.

Anthony said: “My father was in-tensely proud of the society. In be-coming master I feel that I amcompleting something that was ofgreat significance to him.”

Born in Bristol and educated atClifton College, Anthony read law atMagdalene College, Cambridge. Aftera period as an auditor with ThomsonMcLintock (now KPMG) in London,he was called to the Bar at Lincoln’sInn.

But his interests lay in commercerather than the law, and Anthonysoon established a trading company,operating between the Far East, Nor-way and the UK. This was merged inthe early 1980s with the family ship-ping business, TR Brown and SonsLtd, which was a household name inBristol.

Founded in the 1850s, the companybecame the biggest barge owner inthe Bristol Channel. It owned tugs,was a salvage contractor and steve-dore, and engaged in marine civil-en-gineering projects including theSevern Bridge. In the 1920s, TheHolms Sand and Gravel Companywas formed to dredge sand from theseabed for supply to the constructionindustry in Bristol, Liverpool andScotland. During the 1960s, four shipswere launched at the Charles Hillshipyard in Bristol.

Anthony became company secret-ary and finance director and joinedwith fellow family directors in re-structuring the business to meet thechallenges of the fast-changing mar-ine landscape. The result was a flour-ishing business, which was a focusfor his working life over the next 20ye a r s.

He said: “I led projects to reinforcethe core shipping operation with aseries of high-growth new ventures.

“This included an operation basedin Scotland that outsourced person-nel, and an innovative residentialproperty company.”

As his fellow family directors re-tired, significant elements of the busi-ness were sold in the late 1990s,leaving Anthony to continue to ownand manage residual financial andproperty interests.

He joined the Merchant Venturers

A POIGNANT VENTURE FOR MASTERBecoming master is a bigmoment for any memberof Bristol’s Society ofMerchant Venturers. Butfor Anthony Brown itwill mean even more, asBusiness found out

in 2000, following in the footsteps ofhis father and another family mem-ber, Sir Kenneth Brown, who becamemaster in 1970.

Anthony said: “It was a great hon-our being invited to join the society.The 13 years since have been a fas-cinating period of change. Huge in-novations have been introduced inthe composition of the society and theway in which it operates.

“We have seen a transformation inthe scale and ambition of the society’swork, particularly in the fields ofeducation and care for older people.

“There have been importantchanges to the way in which thestanding committee, our main de-cision-making body, is organised. Wehave also welcomed the introductionof women members.”

Soon after becoming a MerchantVenturer, Anthony joined the board

My working dayWake up: 7am.B re a k f a s t : Muesli and a banana.Start work: 8.45am.Typical working day: A greatdeal of working with a computerinterspersed with meetings, bothbusiness and connected to manyvoluntary activities – M e rc h a n tVenturers, schools, academicresearch and Avon Wildlife Trust.Do you attend eveningfunctions? I attend numerousevening functions.

Name: Anthony Brown.Age: 60.Place of birth: Bristol.School: Clifton College.First job: Accountant, KPMG.Hero or inspiration: RoaldAmundsen.

Vital statistics

My downtimeMy perfect weekend: Saturday –a country walk, an interestingchurch, a pub lunch, gardening, abonfire, dinner with friends.Sunday – service at BristolCathedral, newspapers, a roastlunch, and an afternoon andevening at home before a log fire.Favourite book, film and TVshow? P ro u s t ’s In Search Of LostTi m e , La Vita e Bella, Wa l l a n d e r(Swedish version).Hobbies: Walking, wildlife, skiing,exploring churches and historiccities, music (popular andclassical), reading, theatre.

The Bristol Distinguished Executive Address Series

Networking: Bloodhound Supersonic Car

of Colston’s Girls’ School, becomingchairman of the school’s finance com-mittee. He played a key role in thetransformation of the school into ana c a d e my.

During Trevor Smallwood’s year asmaster (2008-9), Anthony became thes ch o o l ’s chairman of governors. Heled the complex £12 million pro-gramme to build the school exten-sion, accommodating its majorexpansion. He is delighted with theo u t c o m e.

Anthony said: “We have createdsome excellent buildings. Colston’sG i rl s ’ School is very close to myhear t.

“In my year as master I look for-ward to supporting fully and under-standing more deeply all of theM e rch a n t s ’ schools. They have allachieved great success in recentyears and are all supported byhighly-committed members of the so-c i e t y. ”

Anthony is also very enthusiasticabout the progress that the societyhas made in caring for older people.

He said: “The Merchants’ perfor m-ance in managing the St Monica En-dowment has been remarkable.

“We have come through the fin-ancial crisis with the St Monica En-dowment significantly increased inva l u e.

“This must be a matter of great

pride for the society and a reflectionon the commitment and business acu-men of its members.

“We have seen St Monica develop injust a few years from its single site atCote Lane to the sophisticated op-eration that it is today with fours i t e s.

“This expansion is built on a cre-ative, well-thought-out strategy thathas been implemented tenaciously.”

Anthony is also enthusiastic at theachievements of Katherine House,within the Cote Charity.

He said: “We should be proud of thequality of the care and the wonderfulenvironment here as well as the beau-tifully-designed building.”

The society is responsible for thebeautiful Colston’s Almshouse at StM i ch a e l ’s Hill. And Anthony is par-ticularly supportive of the work of thesociety’s Almshouse Charity tobroaden the availability of suitable,affordable accommodation for theelderly in the wider Bristol area.

During his year as master, Anthonyintends to raise the profile of theM e rch a n t s ’ involvement with theDowns and Avon Gorge.

He said: “The society is the jointcustodian of this extraordinarya m e n i t y.

“I, together with many others, amdetermined that we realise the po-tential of this remarkable space.”

Anthony Brown

“ My fatherwas intenselyproud of TheSociety ofM e rc h a n tVenturers. Inbecomingmaster I feelthat I amcompletingsomethingthat was ofg re a tsignificanceto him

� Guests at the event held at City Hall; bottom right, key delegates Prof Nicholas O’Regan, of UWE, James Durie, of Business West, Frances O’Grady, of theTrades Union Congress, who addressed business leaders, and Prof Martin Boddy; of UWE Pics: Michael Lloyd

� Ian Steele from SouthGloucestershire Council with hisdaughter Charley, 8BRDB20131029C-009

� Above and right, thepresentation about theBloodhound; left,Steven Mayer, CallumSmith and Neil Narinefrom GKN Aerospacetake a close lookPics: Dave BettsBRDB20131029C-007 (left);BRDB20131029C-005(above)

The Kendlesh ire

0117 956 7007 theKendlesh ire .com Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

Where conferences are more productive.

Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

£50 M&Svoucherfor the organiseron thefi rst booking

How to enterSimply answer the following question:

Which country drinks the mostcoffee per capita?a) Finlandb) Irelandc) China

Please send your answer along withyour name, address, postcodeand email address [email protected]

Mark the subject of your email as‘Clifton Wealth Auto Enrolment’.

All entries must be received by noonon Wednesday, November 13.

In a recent survey Clifton Wealth discovered 75% of small business ownersdid not realise that auto-enrolment for their employees meant setting up on-going reporting and staff communication.

This might sound expensive and time consuming but there is no need toworry as local company Clifton Wealth have the easy solution – for justthe cost of a cup of coffee for each employee per month.

Contact 0800 054 2555 orvisit CliftonWealth.comSix lucky readers have a chance towin £90 of Costa Coffee vouchers –for a month’s free coffee – thanks toClifton Wealth.

SIX £90 COSTA COFFEEVOUCHERS TO BE WON

Terms and conditions: The winners will be the first 6 names drawn at random from all eligible entries. Standard Local World rules apply, for a full list visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/houserules

COmpETITION bristolpost.co.uk | online · print · digital

Page 7: Business 06 November 2013

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6 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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

Business people out and about Business diary

@gavin_thompson1uk.linkedin.com/pub/gavin-thompson /67/624/281/Edit

Follow us on social media

@BristolPost

@swbusinessnews

� Explore Export. UK Trade &Investment roadshow with adviceon how to sell yourservices/products abroad.Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel,Wotton-under-Edge. Tuesday,November 12� Your Dental Practice, YourF u t u re : A free seminar fordentists hosted by charteredaccountants Milsted Langdon inconjunction with Meade KingSolicitors and NatWest Bank, atThe Clifton Pavilion at Bristol ZooGardens, Wednesday, November13.� Be Your Own Boss: A chancefor people to find out more aboutstarting or strengthening theirsmall business. Speakers areinventor Lorna Perks fromLornaLou and Alex Poulter fromEast Bristol Bakery, plus lots ofsupport organisations will be onhand. 10am-2pm, City Hall,Wednesday, November 13.� Growth Clinic: Business Westis encouraging managingdirectors of ambitious companiesto step away from theirday-to-day activities for an houror so to focus on future businessgrowth in one to one clinics. LeighCourt, Wednesday, November 13and 21. To book [email protected] orcall 01275 376 233.� Regional Growth FundRoadshow: Help for businessesthinking of applying for round fiveof the RGF, open to private firmsseeking £1 million or more forhigh quality projects that leverageprivate sector investment andcreate sustainable jobs. 2Rivergate, Temple Quay, Tuesday,November 19.� The Hive Preview: Chance tofind out about The Hive, flexibleoffice space for start-ups andgrowing business. HelicopterMuseum, Weston-super-Mare,5.30pm, Thursday November 21.

Send your business events [email protected]

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

The Big Interview

BECOMING master of The So-ciety of Merchant Venturersis a poignant moment forAnthony Brown. In October1989 his father died shortly

before Charter Day. Anthony’s fatherwas the society’s senior warden andlooking forward to becoming masterin November that year.

Anthony said: “My father was in-tensely proud of the society. In be-coming master I feel that I amcompleting something that was ofgreat significance to him.”

Born in Bristol and educated atClifton College, Anthony read law atMagdalene College, Cambridge. Aftera period as an auditor with ThomsonMcLintock (now KPMG) in London,he was called to the Bar at Lincoln’sInn.

But his interests lay in commercerather than the law, and Anthonysoon established a trading company,operating between the Far East, Nor-way and the UK. This was merged inthe early 1980s with the family ship-ping business, TR Brown and SonsLtd, which was a household name inBristol.

Founded in the 1850s, the companybecame the biggest barge owner inthe Bristol Channel. It owned tugs,was a salvage contractor and steve-dore, and engaged in marine civil-en-gineering projects including theSevern Bridge. In the 1920s, TheHolms Sand and Gravel Companywas formed to dredge sand from theseabed for supply to the constructionindustry in Bristol, Liverpool andScotland. During the 1960s, four shipswere launched at the Charles Hillshipyard in Bristol.

Anthony became company secret-ary and finance director and joinedwith fellow family directors in re-structuring the business to meet thechallenges of the fast-changing mar-ine landscape. The result was a flour-ishing business, which was a focusfor his working life over the next 20ye a r s.

He said: “I led projects to reinforcethe core shipping operation with aseries of high-growth new ventures.

“This included an operation basedin Scotland that outsourced person-nel, and an innovative residentialproperty company.”

As his fellow family directors re-tired, significant elements of the busi-ness were sold in the late 1990s,leaving Anthony to continue to ownand manage residual financial andproperty interests.

He joined the Merchant Venturers

A POIGNANT VENTURE FOR MASTERBecoming master is a bigmoment for any memberof Bristol’s Society ofMerchant Venturers. Butfor Anthony Brown itwill mean even more, asBusiness found out

in 2000, following in the footsteps ofhis father and another family mem-ber, Sir Kenneth Brown, who becamemaster in 1970.

Anthony said: “It was a great hon-our being invited to join the society.The 13 years since have been a fas-cinating period of change. Huge in-novations have been introduced inthe composition of the society and theway in which it operates.

“We have seen a transformation inthe scale and ambition of the society’swork, particularly in the fields ofeducation and care for older people.

“There have been importantchanges to the way in which thestanding committee, our main de-cision-making body, is organised. Wehave also welcomed the introductionof women members.”

Soon after becoming a MerchantVenturer, Anthony joined the board

My working dayWake up: 7am.B re a k f a s t : Muesli and a banana.Start work: 8.45am.Typical working day: A greatdeal of working with a computerinterspersed with meetings, bothbusiness and connected to manyvoluntary activities – M e rc h a n tVenturers, schools, academicresearch and Avon Wildlife Trust.Do you attend eveningfunctions? I attend numerousevening functions.

Name: Anthony Brown.Age: 60.Place of birth: Bristol.School: Clifton College.First job: Accountant, KPMG.Hero or inspiration: RoaldAmundsen.

Vital statistics

My downtimeMy perfect weekend: Saturday –a country walk, an interestingchurch, a pub lunch, gardening, abonfire, dinner with friends.Sunday – service at BristolCathedral, newspapers, a roastlunch, and an afternoon andevening at home before a log fire.Favourite book, film and TVshow? P ro u s t ’s In Search Of LostTi m e , La Vita e Bella, Wa l l a n d e r(Swedish version).Hobbies: Walking, wildlife, skiing,exploring churches and historiccities, music (popular andclassical), reading, theatre.

The Bristol Distinguished Executive Address Series

Networking: Bloodhound Supersonic Car

of Colston’s Girls’ School, becomingchairman of the school’s finance com-mittee. He played a key role in thetransformation of the school into ana c a d e my.

During Trevor Smallwood’s year asmaster (2008-9), Anthony became thes ch o o l ’s chairman of governors. Heled the complex £12 million pro-gramme to build the school exten-sion, accommodating its majorexpansion. He is delighted with theo u t c o m e.

Anthony said: “We have createdsome excellent buildings. Colston’sG i rl s ’ School is very close to myhear t.

“In my year as master I look for-ward to supporting fully and under-standing more deeply all of theM e rch a n t s ’ schools. They have allachieved great success in recentyears and are all supported byhighly-committed members of the so-c i e t y. ”

Anthony is also very enthusiasticabout the progress that the societyhas made in caring for older people.

He said: “The Merchants’ perfor m-ance in managing the St Monica En-dowment has been remarkable.

“We have come through the fin-ancial crisis with the St Monica En-dowment significantly increased inva l u e.

“This must be a matter of great

pride for the society and a reflectionon the commitment and business acu-men of its members.

“We have seen St Monica develop injust a few years from its single site atCote Lane to the sophisticated op-eration that it is today with fours i t e s.

“This expansion is built on a cre-ative, well-thought-out strategy thathas been implemented tenaciously.”

Anthony is also enthusiastic at theachievements of Katherine House,within the Cote Charity.

He said: “We should be proud of thequality of the care and the wonderfulenvironment here as well as the beau-tifully-designed building.”

The society is responsible for thebeautiful Colston’s Almshouse at StM i ch a e l ’s Hill. And Anthony is par-ticularly supportive of the work of thesociety’s Almshouse Charity tobroaden the availability of suitable,affordable accommodation for theelderly in the wider Bristol area.

During his year as master, Anthonyintends to raise the profile of theM e rch a n t s ’ involvement with theDowns and Avon Gorge.

He said: “The society is the jointcustodian of this extraordinarya m e n i t y.

“I, together with many others, amdetermined that we realise the po-tential of this remarkable space.”

Anthony Brown

“ My fatherwas intenselyproud of TheSociety ofM e rc h a n tVenturers. Inbecomingmaster I feelthat I amcompletingsomethingthat was ofg re a tsignificanceto him

� Guests at the event held at City Hall; bottom right, key delegates Prof Nicholas O’Regan, of UWE, James Durie, of Business West, Frances O’Grady, of theTrades Union Congress, who addressed business leaders, and Prof Martin Boddy; of UWE Pics: Michael Lloyd

� Ian Steele from SouthGloucestershire Council with hisdaughter Charley, 8BRDB20131029C-009

� Above and right, thepresentation about theBloodhound; left,Steven Mayer, CallumSmith and Neil Narinefrom GKN Aerospacetake a close lookPics: Dave BettsBRDB20131029C-007 (left);BRDB20131029C-005(above)

The Kendlesh ire

0117 956 7007 theKendlesh ire .com Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

Where conferences are more productive.

Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

£50 M&Svoucherfor the organiseron thefi rst booking

How to enterSimply answer the following question:

Which country drinks the mostcoffee per capita?a) Finlandb) Irelandc) China

Please send your answer along withyour name, address, postcodeand email address [email protected]

Mark the subject of your email as‘Clifton Wealth Auto Enrolment’.

All entries must be received by noonon Wednesday, November 13.

In a recent survey Clifton Wealth discovered 75% of small business ownersdid not realise that auto-enrolment for their employees meant setting up on-going reporting and staff communication.

This might sound expensive and time consuming but there is no need toworry as local company Clifton Wealth have the easy solution – for justthe cost of a cup of coffee for each employee per month.

Contact 0800 054 2555 orvisit CliftonWealth.comSix lucky readers have a chance towin £90 of Costa Coffee vouchers –for a month’s free coffee – thanks toClifton Wealth.

SIX £90 COSTA COFFEEVOUCHERS TO BE WON

Terms and conditions: The winners will be the first 6 names drawn at random from all eligible entries. Standard Local World rules apply, for a full list visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/houserules

COmpETITION bristolpost.co.uk | online · print · digital

Page 8: Business 06 November 2013

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8 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 9We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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 less than six months, medi-um-sized businesses – those with50 to 249 employees – across Bris-tol will be expected to complywith workplace pensions auto

enrolment for their staff.There are more than 500 such busi-

nesses in the former Avon area. Andif they have not already taken steps todeal with the issue, then they need tomove fast.

The worry is that many are takingthe ostrich approach. Research car-ried out last month and releasedtoday shows that 90 per cent of small-and medium-sized business have notyet started preparing for auto en-ro l m e n t .

Companies in the medium-sizedcategory are due to comply betweenApril 1, 2014, and April 1, 2015. Theexact date will vary but they can findout by going online to the PensionsRegulator website. Smaller firms fol-low in 2015 and 2016.

Just as worrying, the researchshowed 80 per cent of small- andmedium-sized firms were unawarethey would need to re-register, everythree years, employees who opt out.

Half of business owners said theydid not understand what auto en-rolment was, and 82 per cent had noidea of the ball park.

Anthony Carty, group financialplanning director of Pill-based Clif-ton Wealth, which commissioned thestudy, said: “We have been warningowners of small- and medium-sizedenterprises for some time that autoenrolment is not something that canbe ignored and requires planning.

“However, whereas the employeemessage seems to have got through –with a 90 per cent opt-in rate – theemployer message has proved moredif ficult.

“As a result, the majority of busi-ness owners are completely unawareof the administration and complianceinvolved – and that even when theyhave gone through the initial stagingprocess, they will still need to re-re-gister three years down the line thosewho have opted out.”

That message is backed up by thePensions Regulator, which will beenforcing the new laws. Its executivedirector of automatic enrolment,Charles Counsell, said: “T hesix-month countdown for medi-um-sized employers has begun andwe are calling them to action.

“We know many have been workinghard to ensure they are ready fortheir new duties.

“We are calling on all employersnot to be complacent and that is why

THE book The Hitch-hik er’s Guide To TheGalaxy had the words“D o n’t panic!” em-blazoned on the front be-

cause, the story said, it helpedboost sales as people found itcalming.

While keeping a cool head isalways important in business,we are approaching the momentwhere companies need to be lessrelaxed about workplace pen-sions. The auto-enrolment lawsare coming into force in stages.

Large companies have alreadybeen through the process, butarmed with well-staffedhuman-resources and payroll de-partments they should have beenpre pared.

Now it is the turn of medi-um-sized firms, soon to be fol-lowed by small companies.

For such businesses it mayseem another round of red tape tobe handled, hurriedly, as well asthey can as close to the deadlineas they can get away with.

But it is clear from the re-search reported elsewhere onthis page that this process is timeconsuming and, with every em-ployee who opts out having to bere-enrolled every three years,will have to be managed closelyover time.

Auto enrolment will be for thelong-term good of society.Take-up rates of 90 per cent sug-gest it will make the biggest dif-ference to pension provision fora long time.

But it cannot be ignored in afile titled “mostly harmless”.

Firms need tobe less relaxed

Opinion

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

The clock is ticking for medium-sized companies to sort outworkplace pensions for their staff. Gavin Thompson assessesthe auto-enrolment timebomb and looks at how businessescan defuse it by acting now

AUTO ENROLMENT – pensions special

AUTOMATIC enrolment isa Government initiativethat aims to encouragemore employees to makeprovisions for their re-

tirement. It highlights the Gov-ernment objective to shiftresponsibility of retirement sav-ing on to the individual, to lessenreliance on state benefits.

One of the main reasons behindthe pensions overhaul is that weare living longer. According to a2012 study by the Office for Na-tional Statistics, life expectancy atage 65 has increased by 43 per centon average for males and femalessince 1981. This is predicted to risea further 20 per cent by 2051.

Twelve months after the initi-ative was introduced, and withlarger employers having alreadyenrolled their employees into aqualifying pension arrangement,it is time for small- and medi-um-sized enterprises to start pre-parations for their ownautomatic-enrolment journey.

As an employer, the first step isto find out your company’s stagingdate. This is the date at which youwill have to automatically enrolyour workforce into a pensionscheme and is based on the num-ber of people in your PAYE schemeat April 1, 2012. It is advisable tostart preparations around sixmonths prior to staging, and takethe opportunity to set up a worth-while scheme that integrates wellinto business functions. Encour-aging employee saving may pre-vent employers having concernsover an ageing workforce.

Employees are assessed on theire m p l oye r ’s staging date to determ-ine whether they are eligible to beautomatically enrolled and en-titled to employer contributionsinto their pension. Other types ofemployee must be reminded oftheir right to opt into the scheme,although not all will be entitled toemployer pension contributions.

Lower initial levels of contri-bution have been set out to ease inthe additional expense and will bephased in fully, to steady statelevels, by October 2018.

Automatic enrolment can becostly. It was initially predictedthat around 30 per cent would optout, whereas the Department forWork and Pensions report actualfigures of around 10 per cent. Moreonerous administrative dutieswill also be required.

Trigon Pensions have alreadyseen several employers of varyingsizes through their staging dateand beyond. We offer tailored ad-vice to guide employers throughevery stage of the automatic-en-rolment process. For more details,call me on 0117 369 3663 or emailh a n n a h . m a i n s t o n e @ t r i go n . c o. u k

Hannah MainstoneChartered FinancialPlannerTrigon Financial Services

Auto enrolment:we can help yo u

Expert eye

TIME T O A C T O N WORKPLACE PENSIONS FOR YOUR STAFFwe have written directly to them – tomake sure they know what their du-ties are, what they should have doneby now and what they will need tod o. ”

The regulator recommends thatemployers due to comply in Aprilnext year should by now have iden-tified a suitable pension provider andsoftware provider as well as any out-side help they may need.

They should also have startedchecking which of their workers theywill need to automatically enrol andcommunicating with them about thechang es.

More than 1.7 million people na-tionally have already been automat-ically enrolled for pension schemesby their employers, as large com-panies were required to lead thecharge. More than 2,000 firms havecomplied with their duty so far.

The system has been tweakedbased on feedback from those largerfirms, so the hope is if people act soonenough things should run smoothly.

Lessons learned from larger em-ployers show the importance of beingcertain that your pensions providercan provide what you need and thatyour payroll systems are compatible –employers should test their systemsin advance of their staging date.

Research by the Centre for Eco-nomic Business Research found theaverage set-up cost to companies inthe South West will be £17,400, al-though it could be higher in Bristolwhere wages are often higher thanother parts of the region.

It found each company will have 33different administration tasks to un-dertake, and the process would take103 man days per firm.

The research was commissionedby Creative Auto Enrolment, whichhas its South West base in TempleQuay, Bristol.

Managing director David Whitesaid: “The costs to each business ofmeeting their auto-enrolment re-sponsibilities will vary based on dif-fering labour costs across the UK.

“But make no mistake that gettingready for auto enrolment is a hugetask.

“With 250 pages of guidance fromthe Pensions Regulator, the South

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

WHAT IS AUTO

� A NEW law meansemployers have toautomatically enrol workersinto a workplace pensionscheme if they are agedfrom 22 to the state pensionage, not already in aworkplace pension scheme,earn more than £9,440 ayear and work in the UK.

Individuals have to opt outif they do not want to be in aworkplace pension, and areautomatically re-enrolledevery three years.

Pensions contributionshave to total a minimum of 2per cent of the worker’ssalary, rising to 5 per cent in2017 and 8 per cent in 2018.That sum is the total of theemployer’s and employee’scontribution along with anytax benefits. But details willdepend on the individualschemes to whichemployers sign up.

ENROLMENT?

West businesses are facing a Her-culean challenge.

“Auto enrolment is happening andit is crucial for firms to set asideplenty of time and resources to get togrips with what is being required toallow for the necessary processes tobe put in place.”

The last word goes to the mancharged with overseeing auto enrol-ment of workplace pensions, Pen-sions Minister Steve Webb.

Mr Webb, MP for Thornbury andYate, said: “With only six monthsbefore medium-sized employers enroltheir staff, the message is clear – actnow to ensure you meet your du-t i e s. ”

THREE DON ’TS

1 DON’T assume your staff willopt out. Government figuresshow that more than 90 per centare staying in.

2 DON’T leave it too late.Owners with fewer than 50employees believe there is timeto sort out auto enrolment beforethe deadline of April 2015. Butmany specialists have alreadyreported a jam as businessowners seek financial advisors,

payroll providers and softwaresuppliers.

3 DON’T think you can get awaywithout complying. The PensionsRegulator is taking its roleextremely seriously. SinceOctober 2012, it has launched 89inquiries on firms overcompliance issues – and thoseare large employers, with greaterin-house resources at theirdisposal than small businesses.

THE DEADLINES

Auto enrolment

� Large companies (withmore than 250 staff):October 2012 toFebruary 2014.

� Medium-sizedfirms (with 50 to 249staff): April 1, 2014to April 1, 2015.

� Small firms (testgroup): June 1, 2015 toJune 30, 2015.

� Firms with 30 to 49 staff:

August 1, 2015 to October 1,2015.

� Firms with fewerthan 30 staff:January 1, 2016 toApril 1, 2017.

� Companiesformed after April

2012 have to complyduring 2017. And new

employers formed fromOctober 2017 have an

immediate duty to comply.

90% Of SMEs are to yetstart preparing forauto enrolment

dcpensions.co.uk

Auto-enrolment is here.Understand exactly what youneed to do and when.Call us now on: 0117 937 8763

Bristol’sworkplace pensions

experts

Page 9: Business 06 November 2013

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8 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 9We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013 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 less than six months, medi-um-sized businesses – those with50 to 249 employees – across Bris-tol will be expected to complywith workplace pensions auto

enrolment for their staff.There are more than 500 such busi-

nesses in the former Avon area. Andif they have not already taken steps todeal with the issue, then they need tomove fast.

The worry is that many are takingthe ostrich approach. Research car-ried out last month and releasedtoday shows that 90 per cent of small-and medium-sized business have notyet started preparing for auto en-ro l m e n t .

Companies in the medium-sizedcategory are due to comply betweenApril 1, 2014, and April 1, 2015. Theexact date will vary but they can findout by going online to the PensionsRegulator website. Smaller firms fol-low in 2015 and 2016.

Just as worrying, the researchshowed 80 per cent of small- andmedium-sized firms were unawarethey would need to re-register, everythree years, employees who opt out.

Half of business owners said theydid not understand what auto en-rolment was, and 82 per cent had noidea of the ball park.

Anthony Carty, group financialplanning director of Pill-based Clif-ton Wealth, which commissioned thestudy, said: “We have been warningowners of small- and medium-sizedenterprises for some time that autoenrolment is not something that canbe ignored and requires planning.

“However, whereas the employeemessage seems to have got through –with a 90 per cent opt-in rate – theemployer message has proved moredif ficult.

“As a result, the majority of busi-ness owners are completely unawareof the administration and complianceinvolved – and that even when theyhave gone through the initial stagingprocess, they will still need to re-re-gister three years down the line thosewho have opted out.”

That message is backed up by thePensions Regulator, which will beenforcing the new laws. Its executivedirector of automatic enrolment,Charles Counsell, said: “T hesix-month countdown for medi-um-sized employers has begun andwe are calling them to action.

“We know many have been workinghard to ensure they are ready fortheir new duties.

“We are calling on all employersnot to be complacent and that is why

THE book The Hitch-hik er’s Guide To TheGalaxy had the words“D o n’t panic!” em-blazoned on the front be-

cause, the story said, it helpedboost sales as people found itcalming.

While keeping a cool head isalways important in business,we are approaching the momentwhere companies need to be lessrelaxed about workplace pen-sions. The auto-enrolment lawsare coming into force in stages.

Large companies have alreadybeen through the process, butarmed with well-staffedhuman-resources and payroll de-partments they should have beenpre pared.

Now it is the turn of medi-um-sized firms, soon to be fol-lowed by small companies.

For such businesses it mayseem another round of red tape tobe handled, hurriedly, as well asthey can as close to the deadlineas they can get away with.

But it is clear from the re-search reported elsewhere onthis page that this process is timeconsuming and, with every em-ployee who opts out having to bere-enrolled every three years,will have to be managed closelyover time.

Auto enrolment will be for thelong-term good of society.Take-up rates of 90 per cent sug-gest it will make the biggest dif-ference to pension provision fora long time.

But it cannot be ignored in afile titled “mostly harmless”.

Firms need tobe less relaxed

Opinion

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

The clock is ticking for medium-sized companies to sort outworkplace pensions for their staff. Gavin Thompson assessesthe auto-enrolment timebomb and looks at how businessescan defuse it by acting now

AUTO ENROLMENT – pensions special

AUTOMATIC enrolment isa Government initiativethat aims to encouragemore employees to makeprovisions for their re-

tirement. It highlights the Gov-ernment objective to shiftresponsibility of retirement sav-ing on to the individual, to lessenreliance on state benefits.

One of the main reasons behindthe pensions overhaul is that weare living longer. According to a2012 study by the Office for Na-tional Statistics, life expectancy atage 65 has increased by 43 per centon average for males and femalessince 1981. This is predicted to risea further 20 per cent by 2051.

Twelve months after the initi-ative was introduced, and withlarger employers having alreadyenrolled their employees into aqualifying pension arrangement,it is time for small- and medi-um-sized enterprises to start pre-parations for their ownautomatic-enrolment journey.

As an employer, the first step isto find out your company’s stagingdate. This is the date at which youwill have to automatically enrolyour workforce into a pensionscheme and is based on the num-ber of people in your PAYE schemeat April 1, 2012. It is advisable tostart preparations around sixmonths prior to staging, and takethe opportunity to set up a worth-while scheme that integrates wellinto business functions. Encour-aging employee saving may pre-vent employers having concernsover an ageing workforce.

Employees are assessed on theire m p l oye r ’s staging date to determ-ine whether they are eligible to beautomatically enrolled and en-titled to employer contributionsinto their pension. Other types ofemployee must be reminded oftheir right to opt into the scheme,although not all will be entitled toemployer pension contributions.

Lower initial levels of contri-bution have been set out to ease inthe additional expense and will bephased in fully, to steady statelevels, by October 2018.

Automatic enrolment can becostly. It was initially predictedthat around 30 per cent would optout, whereas the Department forWork and Pensions report actualfigures of around 10 per cent. Moreonerous administrative dutieswill also be required.

Trigon Pensions have alreadyseen several employers of varyingsizes through their staging dateand beyond. We offer tailored ad-vice to guide employers throughevery stage of the automatic-en-rolment process. For more details,call me on 0117 369 3663 or emailh a n n a h . m a i n s t o n e @ t r i go n . c o. u k

Hannah MainstoneChartered FinancialPlannerTrigon Financial Services

Auto enrolment:we can help yo u

Expert eye

TIME T O A C T O N WORKPLACE PENSIONS FOR YOUR STAFFwe have written directly to them – tomake sure they know what their du-ties are, what they should have doneby now and what they will need tod o. ”

The regulator recommends thatemployers due to comply in Aprilnext year should by now have iden-tified a suitable pension provider andsoftware provider as well as any out-side help they may need.

They should also have startedchecking which of their workers theywill need to automatically enrol andcommunicating with them about thechang es.

More than 1.7 million people na-tionally have already been automat-ically enrolled for pension schemesby their employers, as large com-panies were required to lead thecharge. More than 2,000 firms havecomplied with their duty so far.

The system has been tweakedbased on feedback from those largerfirms, so the hope is if people act soonenough things should run smoothly.

Lessons learned from larger em-ployers show the importance of beingcertain that your pensions providercan provide what you need and thatyour payroll systems are compatible –employers should test their systemsin advance of their staging date.

Research by the Centre for Eco-nomic Business Research found theaverage set-up cost to companies inthe South West will be £17,400, al-though it could be higher in Bristolwhere wages are often higher thanother parts of the region.

It found each company will have 33different administration tasks to un-dertake, and the process would take103 man days per firm.

The research was commissionedby Creative Auto Enrolment, whichhas its South West base in TempleQuay, Bristol.

Managing director David Whitesaid: “The costs to each business ofmeeting their auto-enrolment re-sponsibilities will vary based on dif-fering labour costs across the UK.

“But make no mistake that gettingready for auto enrolment is a hugetask.

“With 250 pages of guidance fromthe Pensions Regulator, the South

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]

WHAT IS AUTO

� A NEW law meansemployers have toautomatically enrol workersinto a workplace pensionscheme if they are agedfrom 22 to the state pensionage, not already in aworkplace pension scheme,earn more than £9,440 ayear and work in the UK.

Individuals have to opt outif they do not want to be in aworkplace pension, and areautomatically re-enrolledevery three years.

Pensions contributionshave to total a minimum of 2per cent of the worker’ssalary, rising to 5 per cent in2017 and 8 per cent in 2018.That sum is the total of theemployer’s and employee’scontribution along with anytax benefits. But details willdepend on the individualschemes to whichemployers sign up.

ENROLMENT?

West businesses are facing a Her-culean challenge.

“Auto enrolment is happening andit is crucial for firms to set asideplenty of time and resources to get togrips with what is being required toallow for the necessary processes tobe put in place.”

The last word goes to the mancharged with overseeing auto enrol-ment of workplace pensions, Pen-sions Minister Steve Webb.

Mr Webb, MP for Thornbury andYate, said: “With only six monthsbefore medium-sized employers enroltheir staff, the message is clear – actnow to ensure you meet your du-t i e s. ”

THREE DON ’TS

1 DON’T assume your staff willopt out. Government figuresshow that more than 90 per centare staying in.

2 DON’T leave it too late.Owners with fewer than 50employees believe there is timeto sort out auto enrolment beforethe deadline of April 2015. Butmany specialists have alreadyreported a jam as businessowners seek financial advisors,

payroll providers and softwaresuppliers.

3 DON’T think you can get awaywithout complying. The PensionsRegulator is taking its roleextremely seriously. SinceOctober 2012, it has launched 89inquiries on firms overcompliance issues – and thoseare large employers, with greaterin-house resources at theirdisposal than small businesses.

THE DEADLINES

Auto enrolment

� Large companies (withmore than 250 staff):October 2012 toFebruary 2014.

� Medium-sizedfirms (with 50 to 249staff): April 1, 2014to April 1, 2015.

� Small firms (testgroup): June 1, 2015 toJune 30, 2015.

� Firms with 30 to 49 staff:

August 1, 2015 to October 1,2015.

� Firms with fewerthan 30 staff:January 1, 2016 toApril 1, 2017.

� Companiesformed after April

2012 have to complyduring 2017. And new

employers formed fromOctober 2017 have an

immediate duty to comply.

90% Of SMEs are to yetstart preparing forauto enrolment

dcpensions.co.uk

Auto-enrolment is here.Understand exactly what youneed to do and when.Call us now on: 0117 937 8763

Bristol’sworkplace pensions

experts

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THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

Russell Jones has beenRegional Director forUK Trade & Investmentin the South West since2007. Here he explainshow the sky is the limitfor companies big andsmall when it comes toexporting.

Developing international markets is criticalto achieving sustainable growth, not just forindividual businesses but for the wider economy

too. This doesn’t just apply to large organisations. Infact, smaller companies often have the advantage ofmore easily tailoring their products for niche markets.

‘Easy for you to say’, I hear you cry. When I visitcompanies across the South West, I constantly hearrecurring reasons why businesses think exporting isn’tfor them. “We’re just too small” or “I wouldn’t knowwhere to start.” At UKTI we understand that doingbusiness overseas is not always straight-forward – butwe are here to help.

In the seven years I have been Regional Director atUKTI, I have been blown away by the innovationand energy out there in our region. There is also anunbelievable appetite across the globe for British goodsand services, and I strongly believe that EXPORTING ISGREAT for most companies.

If you have a high quality product or service that issuccessful in the UK, then there is absolutely no reasonwhy it couldn’t succeed overseas.

UKTI’s dedicated team of international trade advisersworks tirelessly to help local businesses achieve theirinternational growth objectives by providing bespokeadvice and strategic ongoing support. Their expertise,combined with their first-hand experience of exportingprovides businesses with the assistance, advice andknowledge they need to succeed.

There is a world of opportunities out there and withUKTI’s help, the sky is the limit.

If the sky seems too far right now, then perhaps a visitcloser to home is more practical. We are hosting ExportWeek from 11 to 15 November in a bid to inspiremore of the region’s businesses to explore overseasmarkets. The highlight of the week will be our annualExploreExport event, which this year is being heldin two locations – Exeter and South Gloucestershire.These events provide a unique opportunity to speak toadvisers, gain valuable insight from successful exportersand meet with commercial officers from up to 60 globalmarkets on a one-to-one basis.

Bristol’s ExploreExport event is being held at the Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel on Tuesday 12th November. Find out more or bookyour place at www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk and by following UKTI SouthWest on Twitter @UKTI_SW (#exportweek)

Avonmouth-based Technical Converters has seensignificant growth in export sales of its heat reflectivelining material for the agribusiness sector, thanks tohelp from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

The product, known as Valeron AVA, is installed as aninternal lining under the roof of poultry units and isdesigned to reflect 95 percent of radiant heat awayfrom the building – something that is particularlybeneficial for poultry farmers in hot countries.

Initial sales in 2009 of £65,000 to niche farmers inJapan and Australia have grown to £470,000, with theproduct being adopted in India, Sri Lanka and SouthAfrica. Now, around 20 percent of the company’sturnover is generated from exports.

Technical Converters approached UKTI in June2012 when it wanted to explore further overseasopportunities in India, Saudi Arabia, West Africa andSub Saharan Africa.

The company received strategic advice from UKTI’sInternational Trade Adviser Andrew Fraser and alsotook part in Market Visit Support (MVS) to SaudiArabia and India, a programme which enablescompanies to visit overseas markets where UKTI has

a presence, either as part of an organised group, orwhere appropriate on an individual basis.

Technical Converters has also taken part in UKTI’sGateway to Global Growth programme, which isdesigned for companies with some experience inexporting, and is now looking for further support fromthe Tradeshow Access Programme.

The company has since installed 170 units across 14farms with India’s third largest producer, Indian AgroIndustries, and carried out the refurbishment of 10poultry farms, comprising 90 units, for South Africa’stop two poultry producers.

Mike Freeman, Managing Director at TechnicalConverters said:“The support has been clearly explained by Andrewthroughout the process and he has been in regularcontact with updates on UKTI services to assist us.We took advantage of Market Visit Support andmade visits to Saudi Arabia where we were able toget trials under way that will hopefully pave the wayfor substantial future business in that region. We alsomade an MVS visit to India which enabled us to gainsome extra business there.

“Linking up to field-based UKTI sectormanagers, such as in Brazil, has given us a good insightto that market and how we may approach that marketin the medium term.”

UKTI’s International Trade Adviser Andrew Fraseradded:“Technical Converters is a fine example of a SouthWest company with a very good product which istaking up the export challenge. They have a strategicview of where growth potential lies for their productsand with their focus and determination I’m confidentTechnical Converters will continue to succeed on theinternational stage.”

CASE STUDY:

KEEPING POULTRY COOL IN HOT CLIMATES

UKTI is the Government’s main exportdepartment with a mission to get another100,000 SMEs exporting and increase the

value of exports to £1 trillion by 2020. It does thisthrough a range of services and dedicated support,from financial subsidies to overseas missions.

Passport to Export – support for first time exportersThe ‘Passport to Export’ scheme helps new or noviceexporters assess their readiness for internationaltrade. It provides them with training, planning andongoing support needed to begin their journeyto export. The programme includes mentoringand advice from an International Trade Adviserfor 12 months and free attendance to workshops.Companies taking part are entitled to £3,000 ofmatched funding and a £500 grant towards acompany’s first Overseas Market IntroductionService.

Gateway to Global Growth– assisting experienced exportersFor businesses that have already begun exportingand are ready to expand further afield, the ‘Gatewayto Global Growth’ 12-month flexible programmecan provide strategic support from an InternationalTrade Adviser. The programme enables companiesto conduct extensive market research, undertakelanguage training and attend networking events tobuild a solid foundation for overseas expansion.Companies taking in part receive an InternationalBusiness Review and are entitled to £3,000 ofmatched funding for Export Vouchers and freeaccess to training and workshops.

Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) –putting you in touch with market expertsUKTI has a unique network of commercial officersbased in British embassies and consulates aroundthe world. The Overseas Market IntroductionService (OMIS) puts businesses in direct touch withthese market experts, who can offer focused adviceand assistance tailored to specific requirements.These teams have the local language skills, marketknowledge and network of commercial connectionsto help businesses at whatever stage of theirjourney- be they in the initial research stage or atthe point of closing a deal. OMIS is a subsidisedservice and charges vary according to the extent ofthe assistance required. Discounts are available forfirst time users of OMIS.

Trade Missions – taking your first step overseasTrade missions provide participants with uniqueaccess to high quality information, business contactsand officials that it would be virtually impossible toachieve alone. They also provide companies withan opportunity to benefit from the knowledge,contacts and experience of others travelling withthem. Participating in a UKTI trade mission is a greatway to quickly get the feel and flavour of a country,and to determine if and where the opportunities lie.In short, there is also no better way to learn aboutthe culture, customs and business environment thangetting on a plane and seeing it for yourself.

UK Trade and Investment:Helping you to grow your business overseas

To find out more about UKTI’s range of support services visit www.ukti.gov.uk, call 0845 60 60 969or email [email protected]

Acorn Interactive – theonline tool to help withoverseas trading

Acorn Interactive is an onlinetoolkit which supports exporterswith all the tools and informationrequired to be successful ininternational trade. Developedby Business West in partnershipwith i2i, Acorn has recentlybeen voted best in the worldat the International Chambersof Commerce Awards for BestInternational Project.

Acorn Interactive brings togetherinnovative solutions that can assistexporters to produce all theirdocumentation, purchase cargoinsurance, engage with onlinetraining, access other professionalssuch as lawyers, freight forwarders,translation service providers andmany others, as well as developingtheir knowledge and skills.

To find out more about howAcorn Interactive can help yourexport activities visit our standat UKTI’s ExploreExport or comealong and attend our workshop –‘International Trade in a Nutshell!’www.acorninteractive.co.uk

DONT FORGET:

Don’t forget to book your place atone of UKTI’s ExploreExport eventsduring Export Week, where you canmeet trade officers from up to 60countries on a one-to-one basis.

• Tuesday 12 November -Tortworth Court Four PillarsHotel, Wotton-under-Edge,South Gloucestershirewww.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk

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11 EPB-E01-S4

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

Russell Jones has beenRegional Director forUK Trade & Investmentin the South West since2007. Here he explainshow the sky is the limitfor companies big andsmall when it comes toexporting.

Developing international markets is criticalto achieving sustainable growth, not just forindividual businesses but for the wider economy

too. This doesn’t just apply to large organisations. Infact, smaller companies often have the advantage ofmore easily tailoring their products for niche markets.

‘Easy for you to say’, I hear you cry. When I visitcompanies across the South West, I constantly hearrecurring reasons why businesses think exporting isn’tfor them. “We’re just too small” or “I wouldn’t knowwhere to start.” At UKTI we understand that doingbusiness overseas is not always straight-forward – butwe are here to help.

In the seven years I have been Regional Director atUKTI, I have been blown away by the innovationand energy out there in our region. There is also anunbelievable appetite across the globe for British goodsand services, and I strongly believe that EXPORTING ISGREAT for most companies.

If you have a high quality product or service that issuccessful in the UK, then there is absolutely no reasonwhy it couldn’t succeed overseas.

UKTI’s dedicated team of international trade advisersworks tirelessly to help local businesses achieve theirinternational growth objectives by providing bespokeadvice and strategic ongoing support. Their expertise,combined with their first-hand experience of exportingprovides businesses with the assistance, advice andknowledge they need to succeed.

There is a world of opportunities out there and withUKTI’s help, the sky is the limit.

If the sky seems too far right now, then perhaps a visitcloser to home is more practical. We are hosting ExportWeek from 11 to 15 November in a bid to inspiremore of the region’s businesses to explore overseasmarkets. The highlight of the week will be our annualExploreExport event, which this year is being heldin two locations – Exeter and South Gloucestershire.These events provide a unique opportunity to speak toadvisers, gain valuable insight from successful exportersand meet with commercial officers from up to 60 globalmarkets on a one-to-one basis.

Bristol’s ExploreExport event is being held at the Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel on Tuesday 12th November. Find out more or bookyour place at www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk and by following UKTI SouthWest on Twitter @UKTI_SW (#exportweek)

Avonmouth-based Technical Converters has seensignificant growth in export sales of its heat reflectivelining material for the agribusiness sector, thanks tohelp from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

The product, known as Valeron AVA, is installed as aninternal lining under the roof of poultry units and isdesigned to reflect 95 percent of radiant heat awayfrom the building – something that is particularlybeneficial for poultry farmers in hot countries.

Initial sales in 2009 of £65,000 to niche farmers inJapan and Australia have grown to £470,000, with theproduct being adopted in India, Sri Lanka and SouthAfrica. Now, around 20 percent of the company’sturnover is generated from exports.

Technical Converters approached UKTI in June2012 when it wanted to explore further overseasopportunities in India, Saudi Arabia, West Africa andSub Saharan Africa.

The company received strategic advice from UKTI’sInternational Trade Adviser Andrew Fraser and alsotook part in Market Visit Support (MVS) to SaudiArabia and India, a programme which enablescompanies to visit overseas markets where UKTI has

a presence, either as part of an organised group, orwhere appropriate on an individual basis.

Technical Converters has also taken part in UKTI’sGateway to Global Growth programme, which isdesigned for companies with some experience inexporting, and is now looking for further support fromthe Tradeshow Access Programme.

The company has since installed 170 units across 14farms with India’s third largest producer, Indian AgroIndustries, and carried out the refurbishment of 10poultry farms, comprising 90 units, for South Africa’stop two poultry producers.

Mike Freeman, Managing Director at TechnicalConverters said:“The support has been clearly explained by Andrewthroughout the process and he has been in regularcontact with updates on UKTI services to assist us.We took advantage of Market Visit Support andmade visits to Saudi Arabia where we were able toget trials under way that will hopefully pave the wayfor substantial future business in that region. We alsomade an MVS visit to India which enabled us to gainsome extra business there.

“Linking up to field-based UKTI sectormanagers, such as in Brazil, has given us a good insightto that market and how we may approach that marketin the medium term.”

UKTI’s International Trade Adviser Andrew Fraseradded:“Technical Converters is a fine example of a SouthWest company with a very good product which istaking up the export challenge. They have a strategicview of where growth potential lies for their productsand with their focus and determination I’m confidentTechnical Converters will continue to succeed on theinternational stage.”

CASE STUDY:

KEEPING POULTRY COOL IN HOT CLIMATES

UKTI is the Government’s main exportdepartment with a mission to get another100,000 SMEs exporting and increase the

value of exports to £1 trillion by 2020. It does thisthrough a range of services and dedicated support,from financial subsidies to overseas missions.

Passport to Export – support for first time exportersThe ‘Passport to Export’ scheme helps new or noviceexporters assess their readiness for internationaltrade. It provides them with training, planning andongoing support needed to begin their journeyto export. The programme includes mentoringand advice from an International Trade Adviserfor 12 months and free attendance to workshops.Companies taking part are entitled to £3,000 ofmatched funding and a £500 grant towards acompany’s first Overseas Market IntroductionService.

Gateway to Global Growth– assisting experienced exportersFor businesses that have already begun exportingand are ready to expand further afield, the ‘Gatewayto Global Growth’ 12-month flexible programmecan provide strategic support from an InternationalTrade Adviser. The programme enables companiesto conduct extensive market research, undertakelanguage training and attend networking events tobuild a solid foundation for overseas expansion.Companies taking in part receive an InternationalBusiness Review and are entitled to £3,000 ofmatched funding for Export Vouchers and freeaccess to training and workshops.

Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) –putting you in touch with market expertsUKTI has a unique network of commercial officersbased in British embassies and consulates aroundthe world. The Overseas Market IntroductionService (OMIS) puts businesses in direct touch withthese market experts, who can offer focused adviceand assistance tailored to specific requirements.These teams have the local language skills, marketknowledge and network of commercial connectionsto help businesses at whatever stage of theirjourney- be they in the initial research stage or atthe point of closing a deal. OMIS is a subsidisedservice and charges vary according to the extent ofthe assistance required. Discounts are available forfirst time users of OMIS.

Trade Missions – taking your first step overseasTrade missions provide participants with uniqueaccess to high quality information, business contactsand officials that it would be virtually impossible toachieve alone. They also provide companies withan opportunity to benefit from the knowledge,contacts and experience of others travelling withthem. Participating in a UKTI trade mission is a greatway to quickly get the feel and flavour of a country,and to determine if and where the opportunities lie.In short, there is also no better way to learn aboutthe culture, customs and business environment thangetting on a plane and seeing it for yourself.

UK Trade and Investment:Helping you to grow your business overseas

To find out more about UKTI’s range of support services visit www.ukti.gov.uk, call 0845 60 60 969or email [email protected]

Acorn Interactive – theonline tool to help withoverseas trading

Acorn Interactive is an onlinetoolkit which supports exporterswith all the tools and informationrequired to be successful ininternational trade. Developedby Business West in partnershipwith i2i, Acorn has recentlybeen voted best in the worldat the International Chambersof Commerce Awards for BestInternational Project.

Acorn Interactive brings togetherinnovative solutions that can assistexporters to produce all theirdocumentation, purchase cargoinsurance, engage with onlinetraining, access other professionalssuch as lawyers, freight forwarders,translation service providers andmany others, as well as developingtheir knowledge and skills.

To find out more about howAcorn Interactive can help yourexport activities visit our standat UKTI’s ExploreExport or comealong and attend our workshop –‘International Trade in a Nutshell!’www.acorninteractive.co.uk

DONT FORGET:

Don’t forget to book your place atone of UKTI’s ExploreExport eventsduring Export Week, where you canmeet trade officers from up to 60countries on a one-to-one basis.

• Tuesday 12 November -Tortworth Court Four PillarsHotel, Wotton-under-Edge,South Gloucestershirewww.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk

Page 12: Business 06 November 2013

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12 We d n e s d a y, November 6, 2013w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� E N V I R O N M E N TA Lconsultancy firm SLR hasappointed Amanda Woollastonas communications manager.

Amanda, who has more than20 years’ communicationexperience, joins from NashPartnership, a multi-disciplinaryarchitecture practice in Bath.

“This is an exciting time to jointhe SLR team as it continues toextend its technical andgeographic coverage,” she said.“My role will focus the businesson effective engagement withexisting and new clients acrossSLR’s business sectors.”

Movers & shake-ups Up and comingThe future of businessThe latest appointments news. Sendyour news to [email protected]

� LETTINGS agency Connellshas appointed Alice Hay aslettings negotiator and Abi Sutterbegins the an office apprenticeat its Southville office.

The decision to expand thelettings at Southville, whichlaunched this time last year,comes on the back of anincrease in demand for rentalhomes throughout 2013.

Southville-born Alice isrelatively new to the industry butis learning fast while Abi is theo ff i c e ’s first apprentice.

Branch manager StephenDavies – pictured with the newrecruits – said: “This is anexciting time to enter ourindustry and there is a large poolof talented young people inSouthville.”

Ed u c a t i o n

ABRISTOL education charitysays businesses are helpingimprove literacy and numer-acy levels in the city. RogerOpie, chief executive officer

of Ablaze, said it was “alarming anddamaging to the economy”that school leavers in thiscountry are lagging be-hind those in the rest ofthe developed world.

But Mr Opie, pic-t u re d , said Bristol com-panies are showing theway forward.

He said: “In the Bristolarea where primary lit-eracy and numeracy andGCSE maths and English res-ults are improving, enlightened busi-nesses and enthusiastic schools areworking in partnership with an un-derstanding that early prevention isnow better than cure in later years toraise standards in numeracy and lit-e r a cy. ”

Around 60 businesses in the Bristolarea now provide volunteers who giveschool children extra help as numberpartners or reading buddies.

Ablaze, which organises linksbetween the firms and schools, saidthat a record 1,400 primary-schoolpupils are now getting one-to-onehelp each week from the businessvo l u n t e e r s.

Mr Opie said: “The impact meas-ures are impressive, and contributingbusinesses and enlightened schoolsare doing their utmost to see that the

coming local generation has everychance to succeed in education andwork. At Ablaze our focus is verymuch on prevention rather than curel at e r. ”

A recent study by the Organisationfor Economic Co-operation and De-velopment warned that Englishschool leavers were entering a “m o redemanding labour market” but were“not much better equipped” than pre-vious generations. The report ranked

English children 22nd out of 24for literacy, and 21st for nu-

m e r a cy.Almost a quarter of

adults in England andNorthern Ireland havethe literacy skills expec-ted of a 10-year-old.

Ablaze was formedseven years ago and has

business volunteers goinginto secondary schools to

work as mentors with youngpeople. Mentors can help to introducethem to the world of work by talkingabout their own careers or invitinggroups of young people to visit theirwo rk p l a c e.

Robert Bourns – senior partner atlaw firm TLT, which has been work-ing with Ablaze for six years – said:“The OECD report made for depress-ing reading and should be a call toaction for those who are concerned toensure that our young people havethe self confidence and engagementthat flows from an ability to read,understand and communicate effect-ive ly. ”

Mr Opie said: “To d ay ’s school pu-pils are tomorrow’s employees, lead-ers and entrepreneurs. Businesses inBristol can shape the future by givingthem their support.”

Firms help kidson to write trackwith literacy

College hailed again for staff care

we can champion our Investors inPeople status and share our goodpractice and ideas with many otherorg anisations.”

The college was also honoured atthe inaugural North Somerset Busi-ness Leader Awards, being namedEmployer of the Year and receivingthe Training Initiative award.

WESTON College has again receivedthe highest level of a coveted nationalaward for displaying outstandingcommitment to staff development.

The Investors in People (IIP) GoldAward, previously given to the col-lege in 2010, followed an inspectionand interviews with staff in Septem-ber. The accolade is made to less thantwo per cent of UK businesses, and isgiven to run organisations whichmeet stringent criteria, includinglearning and development, leader-ship skills and recognition and re-ward of staff, among others.

Dr Paul Phillips, Weston College’sprincipal and chief executive, said:“To retain this very prestigiousaward is a great honour, and is re-flective of the time, effort and energywe put into staff development.

“Weston College is an entrepren-eurial organisation that is more thanmeeting the demands of the 21st cen-tury workplace. We very much hope

Firm delivers for youngstersDuring the year-long train-

ing programme they will earnwhile they learn and under-take a mix of classroom-basedworkshops, assignments,activities and experiences.

There is also a strong em-phasis on literacy and numer-acy skills. Having completed abasic induction, Nathan andRussell have already been outwith a driver and worked inthe office. They are now work-ing on the outbound operationin the warehouse.

Following the successfulcompletion of the programme,the apprentices may be con-sidered for a permanent rolewith delivery firm City Link.

City Link’s MikeGoldsworthy said: “Nur turingyoung talent is essential if weare to maintain the skills todrive the business forward.”

CITY Link’s Bristol depot isone of the first in the countryto take apprentices on board aspart of a national initiative.

The scheme offers on-the-jobtraining together with nation-ally-recognised qualificationsand the necessary skills to pur-sue a career in the distributionindustry. It follows the launchof a trial scheme last year, afirst for the industry, whichproved a great success, withmore than 100 employees com-pleting the first year of theprog ramme.

New apprentices NathanFrost and Russell Price areembarking on a Level 2 ap-prenticeship in warehousingand distribution. The course,relevant to the City Link op-eration, has been designedaround the working practicesin the City Link warehouse.

Investors in PeopleA p p re n t i ces h i ps

� From left, head of Human ResourcesCaroline Long; Dr Paul Phillips; andexecutive director of College Servicesand Responsiveness, Andrea Greer

Entrepreneurial skills

A SCHOOL for social entrepreneurshas seen the culmination of its firstyear with certificates presented to itsfirst 17 students – pictured above – byMayor George Ferguson.

The Bristol School for Social En-trepreneurs (SSE) offers a range ofsupport for people who want to honetheir skills and ideas to address asocial need.

The graduates of the school are noware working in many important areasof life to reduce inequality, raise as-pirations of children, young peopleand families, make prosperity sus-

tainable and build strong and safec o m m u n i t i e s.

Their projects range from a Bristolcommunity bike workshop to an on-line network for the over 50s.

Dirk Rohwedder, head of the BristolSSE, said: “To tackle the huge socialand environmental challenges thatwe face today in Bristol, we need todevelop inspirational people with en-trepreneurial flair from our com-munities – and give them the besttools to succeed. We are delighted tosee our first graduates complete theiryear with us.”

Ready to inspire in community

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)[email protected]