KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees14, June, 2011

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DAVID ELLIOTT CLARE QUARTERMAINE

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An EXAMINER publication

MotoringaheadA FIRM making campervans and motorhomeshas landed a top award.Shepley-basedWellhouse Leisure wasrecognised for its workwith Hyundai to turnthe vehiclemanufacturer’s i800model into a camperwhen it landed theMotorcaravan of theYear Award at theStratford MotorhomeShow.

Pavingthe wayCOLNE Valley MPJason McCartneyunveiled a plaque tomark the launch of anew service. Honley’sHolmebuild SuppliesLtd has set up a patioand paving centre at itsQueens Square Millpremises.

FTSE 100+7.66

5773.46

Enterprising duoputting on the tileTILING products developed by twoKirklees businessmen are braced totake the DIY market and buildingtrade by storm.

Mirfield man Martin Hemming-way and Lepton-based Mark Sykesput together the SURETILE range ofproducts, which are now availablefrom the trade centre at B&Q’s storeat Leeds Road Retail Park in Hud-dersfield.

And they are on the brink of bring-ing SURETILE to other DIY stores,builders’ merchants and tool hireshops after securing a distributiondeal with Parker Merchanting, partof the Rexel Group, and one of thebiggest distributors of products to thebuilding trade.

Martin and Mark are also set to seetheir products go global after alink-up with the Canadian owner ofMagnaMole – a device for threadingwires and cables through cavity wallsand void spaces, which wowedinvestors when it was unveiled bywould-be entrepreneur SharonWright on TV’s Dragon’s Den.

Mark and Martin came up with

their inventions separately – butquickly found that they were comple-mentary.

A chartered surveyor by profes-sion, Mark invented the Multispacertwo years ago – inspired by a “lessthan perfect” professional tiling jobcarried out by a tradesman at hishome.

Martin, whose background is inengineering, devised TileTrackerwhile working as a fitter for B&Q andcoming across problems fitting tiles inhouses hit by flooding.

Tile Tracker allows the user to setout any tiling project without theneed for batons by setting the trackunit against the wall to be tiled andsetting the level and height using theadjustable legs.

Multispacer is a multi-functionaltool which allows users to avoid prob-lems such as uneven tiles, raised tileedges and incorrectly spaced tiles.

Mark said: “We began by pilotingthe products in B&Q at the end of lastyear and we have made excellentprogress since then.

“We have an account to sell

through the trade centre at B&Q inHuddersfield with the possibility oftaking it regionally across the B&Qnetwork.

“Our distribution deal with ParkerMerchanting means some majornames in the trade are showing interestwhile there is now the possibility of

doing export business.“All the products are manufactured

in Yorkshire – rather than being takenoffshore to China.

“And as people in the UK are look-ing to improve their homes rather thanmove house, we think the products arelikely to appeal.”

Orchard expands after crop of new contractsAN energy management consultancyhas embarked on its latest recruitmentdrive after enjoying strong growth inthe first quarter of this year.

Orchard Energy, which advisesfirms on energy purchasing, manage-ment and efficiency, said it was gain-ing 25 to 40 new clients a month – withthe strongest growth from the manu-facturing and retail sectors.

Managing director Gareth Hender-son said: “We are expecting turnoverto rise by about 60% this year and areplanning significant investment in thebusiness as we continue to expand.”

Brighouse-based Orchard Energyhas opened new offices in Cardiff andBristol and has plans for another sitein Cambridge. It already has sites inBradford, Glasgow and Newcastle.

Mr Henderson said the companywas recruiting extra staff for its tele-sales team at the Brighouse head officeand to increase the number of energyadvisers working in the field.

He said: “One of the challengesduring a period of rapid expansion isto ensure customer service levels don’tsuffer, which is why we have createdadditional client-facing roles.

“One of the reasons our business isgrowing so quickly is because theeconomic climate has led to greaterdemand for our services from busi-nesses that are eager to reduce theiroverheads and manage risk.

“The expansion of our head officetelemarketing team will allow us torespond to this demand.”

■ INVENTORS: Martin Hemingway (left) and Mark Sykes, whose SURETILEproduct is attracting interest from DIY stores and distributors

Quick route to success

www.chadwicklawrence.co.ukHuddersfield | Wakefield | Halifax | Leeds

Solicitors for business inYorkshire

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

SHARE PRICESLocal shares

FTSE closed at

5773.46Up 7.66

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.46 dollarsBangladesh................. 113.14 takaBrazil.............................. 2.32 realsCanada....................... 1.51 dollarsChina ............................. 9.41 yuanCzech Republic ...... 25.05 korunasDenmark....................... 8.03 kroneEuro............................... 1.08 euroHong Kong................ 11.99 dollarsHungary ................... 268.19 forintsIndia.......................... 64.14 rupeesJapan........................... 124.33 yenMexico ....................... 17.21 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.85 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.50 kronePakistan.................. 131.06 rupeesPhilippines ................. 60.26 pesosSouth Africa................. 10.34 randSouth Korea.............. 1536.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 167.67 rupeesSweden......................... 9.82 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.31 francsTaiwan ...................... 40.87 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.42 new liraUSA ............................ 1.55 dollars

Carclo 305 +6Marshalls 1131/4 -2National Grid 5941/2 +31/2Weir Gp £201/4

Incentive for betting bossBOOKMAKER William Hill hasawarded its chief executive sharesworth £1.2m as a one-off sweetener toensure he stays at the group.

Ralph Topping, 59, has signed up tostay with the company until the end of2013, when the shares given as aspecial retention award will vest.

The chief executive, who joinedWilliam Hill as a Saturday worker inGlasgow in 1970, will get a payincrease to £600,000 a year, but hison-target bonus will be 80% of hissalary, down from 90%.

William Hill, which is Britain’sbiggest betting shop chain with about2,370 outlets UK-wide, reported a 7%

rise in operating profits to £276.8m inthe year to December 28, after reven-ues rose by 7% to £1.1bn.

Mr Topping, who took up the chiefexecutive’s role in 2008, has seen hissalary increase to £600,000 from£491,250.

He could receive up to £480,000 ashis annual bonus under the new agree-ment, as well as up to 100% of hissalary under the performance shareplan, down from a maximum of150%.

Gareth Davis, William Hill’s chair-man, said keeping Mr Topping atWilliam Hill was crucial to ensuringthe bookmaker is well-led

Majestic uncorksplan for expansion

Price war hits Imperial TobaccoIMPERIAL Tobacco warned thatprofits from its Spanish businesswould fall by 40% this year after aprice war broke out in the country.

Imperial, best known for theGauloises, Lambert & Butler andDavidoff brands, said the impact onprofits could be as much as £110m,which will include a £40m one-offcharge from restructuring.

It said it had acted to protect itsmarket position and long-term pro-spects in the country after fallingprices affected the whole market.

Sales across Spain have been hitby a tightened smoking ban thatcame in at the start of 2011 and madeit illegal to smoke in bars, restaur-

ants, on TV or in hospitals and nearschools.

Imperial built up its presence inSpain through the £11bn acquisitionof Altadis – the world’s leading cigarmaker – in 2007.

Spain contributed operatingprofits of £268m out of a group-widetotal of £3.1bn in the year to lastSeptember. The group, which is theworld’s fourth largest tobacco firm,added that outside Spain it has per-formed in line with expectations.

Imperial’s shares fell by 1% follow-ing the update, as City analysts cuttheir profit forecasts and said therewas no end in sight to the repeatedrounds of price cuts in Spain.

Optimismover jobsYORKSHIRE employersare more optimisticabout hiring new staff inthe coming quarter, saysa survey today.

Employment agencyManpower said optimismabout job creationamong bosses in theregion rose by 5% duringthe second quarter of theyear compared with thefirst three months and by3% over the year.

Nationally, the surveyof more than 2,100employers showed a 2%increase in confidencecompared with threemonths ago – withbosses now moreoptimistic than at ay timesince the financial crisis.

Finance remains themost bullish sector, up by10%, whilemanufacturing is thesecond most positivesector with a 6%improvement. Small andmedium-sized firms leadthe private sector with an8% increase.

Manpower reported arise in the number ofmanufacturing vacanciesin Yorkshire, particularlyfor exporters.

“Manufacturing is setto create jobs and driverecovery in Yorkshire,”says Manpower regionaloperations managerAmanda White.“Employers in the regionare now once againoptimistic about creatinga net amount of jobs.”

But she said: “Awayfrom manufacturing,there is a need to makesure that employers areable to find suitablecandidates with suitableskills”

Scotland is the mostnegative region withWest Midlands the mostpositive.

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £29.31 +0.04Gannett 825.26 +4.29Hess Corp £44.51 -0.15Microsoft 1470.26 +16.86Motors Liquidation 45.98Wal-Mart Stores £32.51 +0.19

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 318 +3BAE Systems 3131/2 +3/4Rolls-Royce 601 -1/2

AIMBrady Plc 741/2Dawson Intl 17/8Man Brnze 49Uniq 757/8 -1/8

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2067/8 -1/4

BANKSBarclays 2603/8 +37/8HSBC 6161/4 +23/8Lloyds Banking Gp 475/8 +5/8Ryl Scotland 405/8Stan Chart 1553 +8

BEVERAGESDiageo 1271 -3SABMiller £22 +1/8

CHEMICALSCroda 1914 -3Elementis 98 1581/8 -1/4Johnsn Mat 1992 -6

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 3073/4 +11/8

Costain 232 +2ELECTRICITY

Drax Gp 4801/4 -7/8Intl Power 312 -3Scottish & SthrnEnergy

1384 +14

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 1353/8 +3/4

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 373 -3/4

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 1951/4 +13/8Cable & WirelessComm

397/8 -5/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

497/8 -5/8

Colt Group 1473/8 +1/2KCOM 78 +3/4Talktalk Telecom 149 -5/8

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2953/4 +21/8Sainsbury 3265/8 +31/4Tesco 4071/4 +3/4

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1068 +7Tate Lyle 650Unilever 1937

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 3241/4 +31/4National Grid 5941/2 +31/2Pennon Grp 666 +4Severn 1455 +9United Utils 6041/2 +6

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 2683/4 +1/8ICAP 4611/4 -21/4London StockExch 949 +51/2Man Group 2371/2 +1/2Provident Financial 9741/2 +8Schroders 1526 -10Schroders NV 1276 -10

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 6491/2 -81/2REXAM 3851/4 -2Smiths Grp 1125 -1

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 22 -3/4Carphone Whse 3981/2 +113/4Dixons Retail 173/8 -1/4Home Retail 1663/8 +7/8Inchcape 3827/8 -1/8Kingfisher 2685/8 +11/8M & S 3611/4 +25/8Mothercare 3981/8 +23/4Next £221/4 +1/8WH Smith 4711/4 +1/4

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6501/2 -4

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 1131/8 +21/8Barrat Dev 1073/4 +3/8Persimmon 4601/2 +51/4Reckitt Benckiser £341/4 -1/2Taylor Wimpey 361/8

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGCharter 7381/2 -8I M I 1011 -4

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 4601/4 +41/4

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 2073/8 -15/8

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 4231/2 +21/2Lgl & Gen 1141/4 -1/4Old Mutual 1263/4 +1/4Prudential 7151/2 -1Resolution 313 -25/8Standard Life 2043/4 -1/4

MEDIABSkyB 8331/2 +21/2D Mail Tst 4373/8 +3ITV 653/8 -3/4Johnston Press 43/4 -1/8Pearson 1171 +3Reed Elsevier 539 -1/2STV Group 132 -4Trinity Mirror 421/4 -3/4Utd Business 5491/2 +21/2UTV 128 -11/2WPP 7361/2 +9Yell Group 53/4 -1/8

MININGAnglo American £29 +1/8Antofagasta 1215 -27BHP Billiton £223/4Eurasian NaturalRes

7761/2 +341/2

Fresnillo 1378 +1Kazakhmys 1235 +26Lonmin 1476 +16Rio Tinto £41

VEDANTARESOURCES

1993 +16

Xstrata 1334 +1MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 591Vodafone Group 1601/4 +11/4

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1715 +5RSA Insurance Gp 1353/4 -1/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 13461/2 -1/2BP 4371/2 -41/2Cairn Energy 4131/4 +7/8Royal Dutch Shell A £211/4Royal Dutch Shell B £213/8Total £331/2

Tullow Oil 1284 -7OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

AMEC 1107 +8Petrofac 1530 +17Wood Group 641 +21/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1299 +8PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY

Astrazeneca £307/8 -1/8Axis-Shield 335 +81/2GlaxoSmithK XD 61/2Shire 1841 -6

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 5851/2Captl Shop Cent 3865/8 +45/8DTZ Hldgs 435/8 +3/8Hamrsn 4755/8 +1/4Land Secs 835 -3SEGRO 3183/4 -2

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESAutonomy Corp 1766 -12Invensys 3007/8 +33/8Logica 1275/8 -3/4Misys 3867/8 -51/8Sage Group 2841/8 +7/8

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 497 +13/4Bunzl 755 -10Capita 7401/2 +1/2De La Rue 792 +41/2Electrocomp 2853/8 +17/8Experian 785 +2G4S 285 +41/8Hays 1061/4 -3

Homeserve 5261/2 +11/2Menzies J 4891/2 -101/2Rentokil 95 -11/8Smiths News 92 -3/4Wolseley 1913 +7

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 575 +71/2Psion 893/4 +11/4Spirent Comms 1491/8 +25/8

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £267/8 -1/8Imperial Tobacco £201/2 -1/4

LEISURE & HOTELSBwin.Party Digital 1461/8 +1/8Carnival £221/2 -1/2Compass Grp 592 +4easyJet 3547/8 +23/8Enterprise Inns 737/8 +1/8FirstGroup 3271/4 -2Go-Ahead Gp 1468 -17Greene King 4851/4 +11/4Intercontl Htls 1180 -5Intl Cons AirlinesGp

2243/4 +21/2

Ladbrokes 1467/8 +17/8Mitchells & Butlers 3251/8 +3/4Natl Express 252 -1/8Rank Org 1521/8 +17/8Stagecoach Group 2423/4 -23/8TUI Travel 2103/8 -21/2Whitbread 1511 +1

INDEXFTSE 100 5773.46 +7.66

INDEXFTSE 250 11779.46 -6.56

■ BOTTLE PARTY: Majestic Wineplans to double number of stores

DRINKS retailer Majestic Winetoasted a bigger-than-expected jump inannual profits – by setting out plans todouble in size over the next 10 years.

The company, which has a store atQueensgate in Huddersfield and 165stores UK-wide, wants to expand to atleast 330 stores.

Majestic plans to open new stores at arate of 12 a year – after it sawlike-for-like sales growth of 5.3% in thelast financial year.

The group, which cut the minimumorder size from 12 bottles to six in 2009,saw strong growth in sales of winesfrom Italy, Argentina and New Zeal-and.

Sales of fine wines, priced £20 a bottleand above, rose by 23.7%.

Majestic recorded profits of £20.3min the year to March 28, up 26% from£16m the previous year.

Total sales rose by 10.3% to

£257.3m.David Jeary, an analyst at broker

Investec, said Majestic’s forecast-beat-ing results were down to the “positivereaction” of customers to the cut in theminimum purchase quantity from 12 tosix bottles.

Chief executive Steve Lewis said thecompany had seen “quite a change” inthe type of customer since the minimumpurchase quota was cut.

He said: “We still have the classicMajestic customer – the BMW or Mer-cedes driver – but we’re also seeing amuch younger customer because sixbottles makes it much more access-ible.”

Mr Lewis said Majestic was alsoselling more wine to party organisers asthe company is able to offer free deliv-ery, ice and beers as well as the wines.

The company said while averagespend per customer was down by 2.5%

to £126, but the number of customersincreased by 8.2% to 511,000 in theyear.

The average price of a bottle of winewas £6.94 in the period, up from £6.56the previous year. Fine wines now makeup 6% of all sales.

Majestic said it continued to seestrong trade – reporting 4.4%like-for-like sales growth in the 10weeks to June 6.

French wines are still the most popu-lar, making up 34.4% of Majestic sales,led by wines from Bordeaux, Burgundyand the Rhone.

Sales to business customers such asrestaurants, hotels and pubs rose by17.2% on the previous year and repres-ent 24.2% of total UK sales.

Majestic said that online sales wereup by 9.6% on the previous year andnow represent 10.2% of all sales.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Work: Accountancy andtax adviceSite: EllandEmployees: 2Phone: 01422 373373Web: www.hodgsonheyaccountants.co.ukE-mail: will@hodgsonheyaccountants.co.uk andray@hodgsonheyaccountants.co.uk

Hodgson Hey

Friends branching outon their own accountTHINGS are all adding up foraccountants Will Hodgson andRaymond Hey.

The two men, who workedtogether at an accountancy firm inHalifax for many years, have set uptheir own business – Hodgson HeyAccountants & Tax Advisers – tooffer their services to individualsand small to medium-sizedenterprises across Huddersfield andHalifax.

And just weeks into theirpartnership – as they settle into newoffices at Elland’s HeritageExchange –Will and Raymond areoptimistic about their prospects andthe outlook for companies acrossKirklees and Calderdale.

“We have chosen Elland as ourbase because it has a thrivingbusiness community,” saysRaymond. “There are a lot ofcompanies around here which havesurvived the recession and are nowdetecting more positive signs.

“We think we have timed thingsnicely – to be starting a business asthe economy cycle picks up again.And as a new firm ourselves, weunderstand what it is like for othernew businesses.”

Will, 32, adds: “Some companieshad to let people go during therecession while others asked peopleto work short-time. Things are muchmore positive now. It is still difficult,but we seem to be on an upwardpath.”

The aim now is to make HodgsonHey stand out from the crowd.

“We aim to differentiate ourselvesfrom other accountancy firms,” saysWill. “It is all about looking afterpeople. We want to add value –whether the client needs to see usevery week or only once a year.”

Raymond, 52, agrees:“Communication is key. It isn’talways easy to tell people that theyhave a tax bill to pay. We aim toexplain things to them clearly andgive them plenty of warning aboutthe issues and to provide goodadvice and a good service.”

Will and Raymond met whileworking for the same firm ofaccountants in Halifax. Says Will:“Raymond trained me when I joinedthe firm and I stayed there for 12years. Raymond moved to anotherfirm in Huddersfield about sevenyears ago, but we kept in touch overthe years and have always beenfriends.

“We were discussing setting upour own business for quite a whileand we decided it presented a realopportunity. I don’t think a newaccountancy practice has been setup in Halifax for 20 years – and Ithink something similar applies inHuddersfield.

“While we have taken a risk, it is acalculated risk. We are working fromreferrals and word-of-mouth at themoment. But we have launched awebsite and we will be puttingtogether a marketing strategy.”

Will has lived in Halifax all his lifewhile Raymond lived in Halifax untilhe was 28 before moving toHuddersfield where he has livedever since.

Both have clients and contactsacross the Halifax and Huddersfieldareas, including Elland andBrighouse.

Will, who is focusing on theaccounts and audit side of thebusiness, has worked all over theworld for SMEs and majorcompanies. Raymond, whospecialises in taxation, looked after400 to 500 tax returns every year inhis former job and prides himself onkeeping up to date with the latest taxchanges. But he says: “It is meetingpeople that makes the job – notfigure work.”

Raymond, who trained as anaccountant after completing A-levelsat Highland Grammar School inHalifax, said his career choice waspartly influenced by his father’sstruggles in life. My father had beena prisoner of war in the Far East andcame back to work in a factory,” saysRichard. “Accountancy looked thebetter option!”

He adds: “People see theaccountant as a necessary evil! Butan accountant can take some of the

burden and reduce the stresses andstrains for people running a smallbusiness.”

Will attended Bradford GrammarSchool before studying accountancyat Hull University. He graduated in1999 and worked in the Halifaxpractice for 12 years, qualifying fouryears ago.

His motivation for enteringaccountancy is no less compelling.Will recalls: “My father said ‘younever meet a poor accountant!’ To behonest, I didn’t enjoy it at first. Theside I really enjoyed was meetingclients and that’s still the best thingabout the job.”

As well as sharing a talent forfigure work, Will and Raymond havekeen sporting interests.

Will regularly watches his brother,Charlie Hodgson, the England RugbyUnion star, and was cheering him onwhen England played the Barbariansrecently. “I used to play when I wasyounger,” says Will. “But Charlie wasa far better player and I get just asmuch fun watching him play.”

Will has been a member of WestEnd Golf Club for 25 years and finds18 holes at the weekend a good wayto keep fit.

Raymond is a long-timeHuddersfield Town season ticketholder – rating Les Massie as hisfavourite Town player of all. He alsoenjoys cycling with the family and forsome years helped out with a juniorfootball team.

Hobbies and pastimes have takena back seat, however, as the businesspartners get Hodgson Hey up andrunning.

“We feel we are now part of thelocal community,” says Raymond.“There are 10 businesses here atHeritage Exchange and it is great tobe part of a thriving centre.”

■ BALANCING ACT: Will Hodgson (left) and Raymond Hey, ofHodgson Hey Accountants, say their premises at Heritage Exchange,Elland, provide the ideal base from which to build up business acrossKirklees and Calderdale

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KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

Retailers requirequicker reactions

MARKETINGMATTERSClare Quartermaine

Clare Quartermaine is director of QT Creative

DEBTSCORNEREDClare Tollick

Clare Tollick is debt recovery manager at Armitage Sykes

IF you are a retail business,you will be all too aware of the

effect of external events onyour sales.

Ap r i l s aw u n p r e c e d e n t e dincreases in retail sales spurred onby the royal wedding euphoria plussome stunning weather to boot.May, a month that usually doesrather well, was a desperate lullresulting in some demises on thehigh street.

It’s the same old story of business– feast and famine…

How can all businesses make themost of the ups and plan better forthe downs?

Well, we can’t always predict forthe weather, but when we can planour marketing.

It’s a good idea to work aroundkey events – but then you are alreadydoing that aren’t you?

Even businesses that aren’t inretail are affected by consumerbehaviour and marketers across thenation strive to predict their every

move.So, with all the recent talk of a

double dip recession and energycosts rising (don’t they make enoughprofit?) there is less spending andhence less money to go around.

Volume may not be the best wayof working all the time, but it mayhelp to fill the coffers during thesedifficult times.

It’s time to get your marketingstrategy sorted and plans intoaction. Look at the key dates of theyear – when do people spend andwhen don’t they?

For a start, after the recent bad

news, consumers are going to bescared of spending too much. So thisis the time for offers, promotingsome of the cheaper products orservices that perhaps you wouldn’thave focused on before.

Remember, people still spendmoney – even in a recession. Theyjust prioritise differently.

It’s common knowledge that salesof premium brand red lipstick is atits highest during a recession.

Affordable luxuries win –although I’m not suggesting every-one should start selling lipstick(even though I do at www.20thcen-

turyfoxy.com 5% discount for allreaders)!

It’s really important to thinkabout the state of people’s minds atthe moment – and try to be proact-ive with your marketing.

Take advantage of some of thecheaper methods of marketing,social media, referrals, specialoffers, public relations (if you didn’tread my column on social media –check it now on the examiner web-site or on www.qtcreative.co.uk).

The most expensive bit of theabove is your time – which I’m sureis very precious.

A lot of this is common sense, butas I often find, it’s difficult to see thewood for the trees when you’re in thethick of it.

Many of my clients initially worryabout trying something different ortaking a different marketing direc-tion but now is the time to thinkoutside the box – be brave.

Sporting eventA LAW firm with offices inHuddersfield pursued a sportingtheme at a recent event.Thirty-five people from more than20 Yorkshire businesses attended aseminar at Chadwick Lawrence’sWakefield office to hear LeedsRhinos and England captain JamiePeacock give an inspirational andmotivating presentation called NoWhite Flag.The Rugby League star inspired theaudience with his drive anddetermination to succeed andanswered questions on themesranging from Premier Leaguefootballers and man managementto the thrill of captaining hiscountry and the future of his sport.

PPI problemscome into focusTHOUSANDS ofpeople acrossYorkshire whohave beenmis-sold PaymentProtectionInsurance by highstreet banks areunaware that theycould be in line toreceive anaverage of £2,000 of compensation,according to a charteredaccountancy firm in Kirklees.Clough & Company, based atCleckheaton, said that more than3m people were mis-sold PPIpolicies that were meant to coverloan repayments if the customerfalls ill or loses their job. A recentHigh Court ruling means bankshave to refund PPI that wasmis-sold.Spencer Bennett (pictured), whoheads Chartford FinancialManagement, a division of Clough &Company, said: “There have beencomplaints about the mishandlingof these policies for over a decade,but up until now they had been puton hold and filed away.“However, now the banks havefinally lost their court battle, allthese complaints will now beprocessed.”Some 16m PPI policies have beensold since 2005 alone – many ofwhich are thought to have beenmis-sold.Said Mr Bennett: “In some cases,the policies were sold toself-employed people who may nothave been able to claim, toborrowers who were wrongly toldthat taking PPI was a condition forbeing granted their loan and even toconsumers who did not realise theywere taking out a policy.“As a respected firm of independentfinancial advisers, we welcome thisruling and urge anyone who has aloan to check whether it includedinsurance.“If so, you could be payingthousands of pounds for potentiallyworthless cover. Anyone whobelieves they have been mis-soldPPI should contact the sellerstraight away to log a complaint.”

It’s time to get tough!

ACCORDING to the UKBusiness Forum, 32% of

respondents to their pollsaid that late payment wasthe most frustrating prob-lem they have to deal with.

Indeed, given the prevailingeconomic climate, it can be diffi-cult enough maintaining yourbusiness and turning a profitwithout having to write off baddebts.

It’s also a problem that mostbusinesses don’t enjoy confront-ing.

Social psychologists say thatour greatest fears are death, pub-lic speaking and asking formoney.

But producing the invoice andsending it out doesn’t mean any-thing until the cash is in thebank.

Cash is king, the lifeblood ofany business and without goodcash flow even a solid businessmay fail.

So how can you nip bad debt-ors in the bud, before they spiralout of control?

In my experience prevention isbetter than cure and here are my

top tips to making sure yourinvoice gets paid on time.

Firstly, we’re back to basics.You must make sure that thename on the invoice is correctand in full.

You need to know whetheryou are contracting with a lim-ited company, a firm, or JoeBlogs trading as “XYZ”.

Should things go wrong, it isthese contracts that will be reliedon in any court action ifneeded.

Talking of invoices, the rightdesign or even colour of theinvoice can improve the speed ofpayment. It needs to stand out tothe accounts team.

Set a credit limit and onlyagree to do work when previousinvoices are paid in full.

Be upfront in any discussionsand make sure your terms andconditions for payment are clearfrom the start.

A pro-active approach todebtors is essential; the older the

debt the harder it is to recover.Once an invoice is 60 days over-due, it’s probably going bad.

So be disciplined; phone andchase for payment as soon as thedue date has passed and don’t letit hit that 60 day limit.

If there is a problem, meetquickly and look for joint solu-tions.

Be inventive about how thedebt can be reduced; you couldoffer instalments but rememberthat these may be binding somake sure you are happy withthe arrangements.

Last, but not least, rememberyou are not alone and manySMEs are experiencing prob-lems with bad debtors.

I have extensive experience inthis area and I’m here to help.

If you have any questions,drop me a line at clare.tollick@armitagesykes.co.uk and I willanswer them in the last article ofthis series.

creative marketingsolutions

01484 483194 info@qtcreative.co.ukwww.qtcreative.co.uk

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

■ WINNERS: Successful students (back, from left) Sean Gill and Steve Dunn and (front) JeffreyPostlethwaite, Amy Russell and Matthew Postlethwaite, who were part of the winning HuddersfieldUniversity team at the first Tri-University Challenge held in Nottingham

Totally the bestawards in townSHOPS in Brighouse and Elland couldbe in line for trophies when TotallyLocally Calderdale stages an awardsceremony later this month.The innovative shop local campaign isdesigned to raise awareness ofindependent businesses in the district– and help them boost profits andsales.The Totally Locally Awards will takeplace on Thursday, June 30, at TheWorks in Sowerby Bridge. A TotallyLocally networking session with localfood and drink will kick off the night’sactivities – allowing Calderdalebusinesses to network and forge newlinks.The campaign, which is funded byCalderdale Council, encouraged localresidents to spend just £5 in localshops in order to help bring in an extra£40m a year to the local economy.Contact Michay Matthews at MarketingHalifax on 01422 360035. For moreinformation on Totally LocallyCalderdale and to vote in the TotallyLocally Awards for your most lovedshop and cafe go towww.totally-locally.co.uk

Julie earns house points

Students stepout as winners!ENTERPRISING students fromHuddersfield University havereturned victorious from a com-petition to test their businessskills.

And they achieved success des-pite being under-strength afterone member of the team had towithdraw through illness.

A team of seven students onthe enterprise developmentdegree course won the first-everTri-University Enterprise Chal-lenge held in Nottingham andalso featuring teams from uni-versities in Buckingham andCoventry.

The challenge was created bylecturers who specialise in entre-preneurship and enterprise at thethree universities and was carriedout in the style of the hit TVshow, The Apprentice.

The students, who had just oneday to complete the challenge,were judged by a group of busi-ness academics who specialise inentrepreneurship.

Three teams of eight studentshad just five-and-a-half-hours toconceive, research, design, costand promote a new productwithout any prior knowledge asto what they would be doing.

Due to illness, the Hudders-field team was reduced to sevenmembers, including six first-yearstudents.

However, they pulled togetherand still managed to produce aw i n n i n g c o n c e p t w h i c himpressed the judges.

Second-year student SteveDunn said: “We started by look-ing at the markets we could suc-cessfully research and then triedto identify a need within thosemarkets.

“What we came up with wasthe concept of a women’s shoewith a detachable heel – so itcould go from being a flat shoe,which was easy to commute in, to

a high heel which was more prac-tical for the office environment.

“Some of the team went outinto the centre of Nottingham toconduct market research whileother team members focused oncontacting shoe manufacturersand suppliers to work out thecost of producing the product.

“Then we looked at how bestto market the product and shot aone minute advert, which wasone of the judges’ criteria.”

Prof John Thompson, of Hud-

dersfield University and one ofthe founders of the competition,said: “At Huddersfield, ourdegree is unusual in that studentsmust set up and run their ownbusiness before they can gradu-ate.

“The competition is the perfectway to recognise and challengethe talents of our enterprise stu-dents.

“Next year the competitionwill also feature a fourth uni-versity as well as a possible fifth

candidate, which is very encour-aging.”

The Huddersfield students willbe presented with their winners’trophy later in the year at aprize-giving ceremony.

Huddersfield University hasgained a reputation for its effortsto foster enterprise among stu-dents through initiatives such asBusiness Mine, which providessupport for undergraduates andgraduates interested in setting uptheir own businesses.

A HUMAN resources consultancy inHuddersfield is the height of fashionfor its latest client.

Shepley-based JCS HR, headedby director Julie Sykes, has beenappointed by salon couture groupHouse of W to provide all its HRrequirements on a retained basis.

The company will take advantageof JCS’ new small businesspackage, which has beenspecifically designed fororganisations with up to 50

employees and which are uncertainhow much support they will needmonth-to-month.

Said Julie: “2010 saw anincreasing number of organisationscoming to us looking for regular HRsupport to assist them in movingtheir business forward or to dealwith difficult issues.

“A significant number of theseorganisations employed fewer than50 staff and therefore did not need– and could not justify – full-time

in-house HR staff.“In response to this demand we

created the small business packagewhich is extremely flexible andcost-effective for companies suchas House of W as they retaincomplete control over how – andhow much – they use the service.”

House of W will be using theservice to provide training, reviewprocesses and procedures as wellas produce a new employeecontract and handbook.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 6

DTZ raises £150,000 for charityPROPERTY agency DTZ has raised£150,000 for homeless and housingcharity Shelter during a two-yearcorporate charity partnership.

Staff at the global real estateservices firm, including its 110-strongworkforce in West Yorkshire, raisedthe money through a range of eventsincluding an art auction, cake sales,

dress down days and Shelter’sVertical Rush event in which peoplerace to the top of the City of London’sTower 42.

The money will go towardsShelter’s vital work helping homelessand badly housed people acrossBritain find and keep a decent home.

Andrew Jones, UK chief operating

officer said: “As propertyprofessionals, people at DTZunderstand how good property offersfinancial and physical security

“Shelter does an excellent jobhelping people in housing need. Weare delighted to have raised thissubstantial sum during our two-yearpartnership with the charity.”

MP helps builders’merchant celebrateCOLNE Valley MP JasonMcCartney was the guest ofhonour when a local builders’merchants celebrated its fifthanniversary by opening a newservice.Holmebuild Supplies Ltd,based at Honley, has set up apatio and paving centre at itsQueens Square Mill premises.Mr McCartney, who unveiled aplaque to mark the opening,was welcomed by directorsAndrew Skelton and JohnRussell.The official opening tookplace during a weekend of

events to mark the fifthanniversary and the launch ofa new website for the firm.Said Mr Skelton: “Manyspecial offers on over the twodays were geared towards thepatio and landscapingproducts as everyone thinksabout getting the garden readyfor the summer.”Holmebuild, which also hasdepots at Elland andSaddleworth, stocks morethan 5,000 product linescovering eletrical, plumbing,building, decorating, DIY, toolsand hardware.

Industrial space isstill in short supplyLETTING activity in UK the indus-trial market increased by 800,00 sq ftto 6.9m sq ft in the first quarter of2011, according to research by prop-erty agency DTZ.

But the firm’s latest Property TimesUK Industrial report, which coversthe market for properties exceeding50,000sq ft, said overall take-up wasdown from the 7.3m sq ft seen in thefirst quarter of 2010.

Retailers and manufacturers dom-inated take-up of industrial spaceduring the quarter, accounting formore than 90% of all activity.

The report also found that the totalavailability of industrial space fell toabout 182m sq ft at the end of thequarter, while grade A stock contin-ued to fall – reflecting the continuingabsence of newly-built supply. Sec-ondary grade space saw the largestreduction during the quarter, fallingby about 6m sq ft, largely due to thelack of availability of grade A build-ings.

The trend tor consolidatednational distribution hubs witnessedin 2010 continued into 2011, espe-cially in the North West and York-shire. Activity was also driven byfavourable exchange rates, whichhelped boost the export-orientatedmanufacturing sector, with manybusinesses taking the opportunity toexpand their operations.

Mike Baugh, director of industrialand logistics at DTZ in West York-shire, said: “The report is furtherevidence of the market trend firstnoted during 2010, the reducing avail-ability of good quality buildings inmany parts of the UK.

“Indeed, the shortage is now evid-ent in most parts of the country.Occupiers are now entering into

build-to-suit projects which will betailor made for their operations, butwill not be available on attractiveterms in the same way as those onexisting building stock.

“Again, the principal demand iscoming from food retailers, discountretailers and internet-based operat-ors, although encouragingly, there arealso some manufacturing companiesin the mix.”

Interest in Yorkshire continues togrow as levels of good quality stock inthe North West decrease. Retailersand third party logistics operators inparticular have chosen the region fornational distribution hubs due to loc-ation, lower rents and availability ofstock.

Said Mr Baugh: “Take-up contin-ued in the first quarter of 2011,however not at the pace of 2010.DTZ’s standout transaction in theYorkshire region this quarter was theacquisition of 147,000 sq ft for babyproducts manufacturer Lindam atThorp Arch Trading Estate.

“This activity is encouraging andsignificantly aids in chipping away atthe good quality space available in theregion.

“There are still a number of unsat-isfied requirements however, some ofwhich are having to consider a designand build route as in some size rangesexisting buildings are limited.”

■ MIKE BAUGH: Shortage of goodquality buildings continues

■ NEW BUSINESS: Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney (centre)unveils a plaque to open the new Homebuild premises watched bydirectors Andrew Skelton (left) and John Russell

Stadium date for suppliersKIRKLEES companies were amonghundreds of Yorkshire firms takingpart in a Meet the Contractor event –to find out about opportunities linkedto the construction of a new 12,000seater stadium in South Yorkshire.

The event, held at Magna inRotherham, was organised by maincontractor GMI Construction – whichis currently building the new KirkleesCollege complex in Huddersfield –and Rotherham United FC.

Also supporting the event wereBarnsley and Rotherham Chamber ofCommerce and the ConstructionSector Network.

About 300 people attended theevent, which featured speakersincluding Rotherhan United chairmanTony Stewart and Mark Gowdridge,of S&P Architects, who ran through

the detailed design of the newstadium.

Mr Stewart said: “We havenominated the main contractor andwe now wanted to give localcontractors a slice of the action. It’sfantastic to see such a wide range ofbusinesses taking the time to find outmore about how they can getinvolved in the community stadium.”

An open forum followed thepresentation session where potentialsub-contractors and suppliers wereable to speak to key members of theproject and submit their details to beconsidered for elements of the works.

Andrew Kemp, constructiondirector at GMI, said: “The team arecommitted to working with localsupply chains wherever possible andare pleased with the response we’ve

had so far. It’s all about engaging withpeople and getting the best of what’son offer to benefit all partiesinvolved.”

Karl Redmond, chief executive ofthe Construction Sector Network,said: “The new Rotherham stadiumbrings commercial opportunities andwe are pleased to have supportedGMI in bringing this to the attention ofbusinesses in the Yorkshire andHumber region.”

As well as leading the KirkleesCollege scheme, GMI Construction isalso working on the Spindlegatemixed-use development at LeedsRoad in Huddersfield and wasresponsible for designing andbuilding a new factory for textilemachinery firm Sellers Engineers atthe town’s Trident Business Park.

Market forces taking effectINCREASED tenant demandand low levels of rentalproperty coming onto theYorkshire market pushed rentshigher in the three months toApril, according to a report.The Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors’ latestResidential Lettings Surveyshowed that overall 41% moresurveyors reported a rise in

rents rather than a fall in thethree months to April.That compares with 35% moreduring the previous quarterand mirrors national trends.Surveyors said many peoplehad little choice but to rent –as home ownership in theregion remained out of reachfor many would-be buyers dueto lack of mortgage finance..

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Brand new light industrial units with

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FOR SALE70,158 sq ft on 2.24 acres

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Modern factory/warehouse withoffices on a self-contained sitebeing easily assessable to Junction26 of the M62.

Rawfolds Way, SpenValley Industrial Park,Cleckheaton3,979m2 (42,828 sq ft)

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Unit M2, ColnesideBusiness Park, GeorgeStreet, Milnsbridge850 m2 (9,151 sq ft)

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Park Mill Way,Off Wakefield Road,Clayton West, Huddersfield896m2 (9,641 sq ft)

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Mark Whitmore

Boge UKA COMPANYprovidingcompressed airequipment hasmade a majorappointment.

Boge UK,which hasoperations atRastrickCommon,Brighouse, hasnamed MarkWhitmore asgeneral manager.

Mr Whitmore (pictured) has spentmore than 20 years working in thecompressed air industry in a variety ofsales and management positions in boththe UK and overseas. He brings a wealthof industry experience to the role.

Mr Whitmore will be responsible fordeveloping the business throughout theUK and Ireland, including strengtheningthe distribution network which ensuresthere is local sales and service presencenationwide.

He said: “Boge is a well known andreputable brand in the UK market place. Iam looking forward to building on thisreputation in developing the businessgoing forward.”

Motoring to a top trophy

A FIRM making camper vans andmotorhomes is celebrating after landinga top award in double-quick time.

Shepley-based Wellhouse Leisurewas recognised for its work with Hyundaito turn the vehicle manufacturer’s i800model into a camper when it landed theMotorcaravan of the Year Award at theStratford Motorhome Show.

Wellhouse managing director DavidElliott and sales manager Layne Stuartcollected the award – which comes justmonths after the company begandevelopment work on the i800.

The new i-camper only made its debutin February at the Boat & Caravan Showat the NEC Birmingham.

Said Mr Elliott: “It is probably a recordfor a vehicle to go from an idea into

production and win such an award in ashort space of time. Despite toughcompetition from Fiat and VW-basedvehicles the judges were unanimous innaming the Hyundai as the winner.

“The development of the Hyundaicamper was done both at ourHuddersfield factory and at our roofsuppliers Reimo in Frankfurt. Thisvehicle has been well received in theshort time it’s been available.

“This award is well-received inrecognition of all the hard work the staffat Wellhouse Leisure have put in to getthis project on the road.

“We are already upping productionfrom 50 a year to 100 as demand isalready so high – and this will hopefullymean more manufacturing jobs.”

■ PROUD WINNERS: David Elliott (right), managing director of Wellhouse Leisure,with the company's sales manager Layne Stuart after their Hyundai i800 camper wasvoted Motorcaravan of the Year at the Stratford Motorhome Show

Kate rewardedfor charity workA PASSIONATE advocate of retailing hasbeen presented with a prestigious award.

Kate Hardcastle, founding partner ofGreetland-based business transformationcompany Insight with Passion, has won aWomen in Furnishing award.

Kate, who is spearheading a drive toboost retailing in Huddersfield, won thecategory for Inspirational Woman of theYear at the Furnishing Industry Trust’sWIF Awards.

The trophies were presented at the Fur-niture Makers Hall in London.

Huddersfield-born Kate was recognisedfor her efforts behind many initiatives andprojects, including founding and runningher own successful charitable organisation,The Charity Dreamgirls.

Judges felt she had “passion and drive”and said her “great sense of social respons-ibility” had seen her work tirelessly formany charities.

This year the Charity Dreamgirls aresupporting charities including Overgate

Hospice at Elland. They are also backingthe Retail Trust, which helps shopworkerswho fall on hard times and the WillowFoundation, which provides special eventsfor people with terminal illnesses.

FIT chief executive Charles Kerrigansaid: “Kate is an all-rounder. She isself-motivated, passionate and focused.

“Throwing herself into her work, shewas an incredibly strong candidate and I’msure her drive will see the continued successof Insight with Passion, The CharityDreamgirls and everything else she getsinvolved in – she truly is an inspiration.”

Insight with Passion has built up a trackrecord for rejuvenating jaded businesses.Kate and partner Richard Gomersall havetravelled the globe to attend major retail-ing conferences and impart their know-ledge to retailers facing challenges.

More recently, they have turned theirattentions to finding ways to revitaliseHuddersfield town centre. ■ INSIGHT: Award winner Kate Hardcastle

Forum takesthings forwardMAJOR speakers are being lined up for thesecond annual Women’s Business Forum.

The event, which is spearheaded byHolmfirth-based Heather Jackson, takes placeon Thursday, September 29, at Rudding ParkHotel in Harrogate. Entitled, It’s Time, the eventwill see 650 business people attend from as farafield as the UK, Europe and the USA.

The inaugural event last September focusedon the issue of balancing company boards bycreating more opportunities for women to rise totop positions.

Heather said: “With the publication of LordDavies’ Women on Boards report in Februarythis year – which recommended a number ofmeasures to tackle the current problems – thisyear’s forum takes on greater significance.”

The Women’s Business Forum 2011 hasalready attracted the Royal Bank of ScotlandGroup as headline sponsor and has takenbookings from companies such as Google, Ernst& Young and DLA Piper alongside a largenumber of other household names supportingthe event.

Said Heather: “Our theme this year is It’sTime. We’ve chosen this because we believe it’stime we stopped talking about the issue –perceived and real barriers facing women andorganisations – and started doing something tochange things.”

Speakers at the event include Chris Sullivan,chief executive of RBS UK Corporate Banking,and Carla Stent, chief operating officer at VirginManagement. The line-up of other high-calibrespeakers will be announced in the comingweeks.

The event is open to businesswomen andmen in senior executive and managementpositions – with the aim of achieving a mix of80% men and 20% women working together.

Said Heather: “This year’s forum aims to showall three major political parties why women needto aim for the top and how – without growing thetalent pool – we have no chance of satisfying thedemand for ‘board ready’ women.

Go tot www.thewomensbusinessforum.co.uk

Anthony Bailey, David Wood, JonathanO’Connor, Paul Brustad & Robert Limbert

EddisonsTWO Huddersfield men are among fivepeople promoted to associate directorlevel with chartered surveyor Eddisons.

Antony Bailey, who works in themachinery and business assetsdepartment; and David Wood, head ofthe building and project consultancydepartment covering the North West,have been promoted to associatedirectors.

They join Jonathan O’Connor, who isresponsible for agency activities inHuddersfield and Bradford; Paul Brustad,of the banking and insolvencydepartment; and Robert Limbert, of theauctions department.

Eddisons managing director NigelMcDonald said: ‘The quality andexpertise of our staff is a key factor in oursuccess. The promotions are inrecognition of the significant contributionthese individuals make across differentareas of the business.”

■ TOP TEAM: Managing director NigelMcDonald (front, centre) with newassociates (back. from left) Paul Brustad,Robert Limbert, Jonathan O'Connor and(front) David Wood and Antony Bailey