THEBUSINESS · 2016-03-09 · L-r: Operations Manager James Walker, Sam Dearn, Marcus Hennessey and...

THEBUSINESSTHE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR DORSET, WEST HANTS AND SALISBURY

No. 163 OCTOBER 2012 Established 1994

What does 4G mean for the mobile worker?ALSO INSIDE: BUSINESS NEWS | FINANCE MATTERS | LAW LINES | SPECIAL FEATURES

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© The Business (Dorset) Ltd 2012 All rights reservedISSN 1354-3806

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Contentson the frontMobile business brings us closer – see page 14.

2 people on the move

5 business news

11 finance matters - Debts soar for over 55’s

13 employment talk

14 special feature - Mobile business

16 hotel focus

19 road test - BMW Active Hybrid 5

21 Q&A - Bond Williams Professional Recruitment

22 law lines - Employers hit by holiday pay ruling

24 special feature - Business by design

27 risky business - Changes to health & safety inspections

29 techno times

30 Rowan White Photographic - Telling stories in pictures and words

32 education works

34 freight forwarder

36 property & development - Jury’s out on planning shake-up

37 industry focus

38 soap box

Editor: Gill Bevis

Tel: 01425 471500E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.bizmag.co.uk

Published by

The Business (Dorset) Ltd9 Gainsborough Road,

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engineers of the future

L-r: Operations Manager James Walker, Sam Dearn, Marcus Hennessey and General Manager Rob Davies

Walker AEC of Hamworthy is playing its part in training engineers with the appointment of two new apprentices. During their four year apprenticeship Sam Dearn and Marcus Hennessey will work along side some of the best engineers in the district and attend day release at Bournemouth and Poole College of Further Education.

LeP appointmentsJim Stewart Chief Executive of Poole Harbour Commissioners, Tony Brown CEO of Beale Plc, and Professor Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University have recently joined the board of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership – a new organisation set to drive and expand Dorset’s economy.

Growing team

Grant Thornton has added to its team with the appointment of Charles Cavendish as Financial Planning Manager at its Southampton office.

International role

Winchester-based engineering consultancy Upton McGougan has appointed Steve Rayner to its board as Director of Structures.Re-joining the company where he first worked more than 20 years ago, Steve takes the helm of the engineering consultancy’s structural division in a newly-created role that will also encompass international development.

snows Poole

Poole’s Volvo dealership has new General Sales Manager Stuart Paton at the helm who will be responsible for taking the business to the next level.Stuart, who has more than 20 years automotive retail experience, takes up his appointment at the dealership in Blandford Road, Hamworthy, just as the all-new V40 arrives in UK showrooms and first deliveries are made.

Landing the job

The A&T farm team: Hazel Jury, far right.

The Rural and Agricultural team at Poole and Gillingham-based Alan & Thomas Insurance is celebrating the recent promotion of Hazel Jury to Account Executive. The five strong team, headed by Director Simon Reeves, look after the insurance and risk management needs for a large number of the south west’s farms and estates.

Cake gets Tasty

The placement period has arrived at Bournemouth University, and this is no exception for the public relations students. Laura Cake, a student from Hamworthy, recently began her role at Poole-based marketing and events agency, Tasty Marketing. For more information regarding placement opportunities, please contact [email protected]

new chairman

Andreea Bostan the founder of Bostico International Translation, which is based in Bournemouth, has been appointed as Acting Chairman of The Federation of Small Business Wessex replacing Julie Leigh in the role. Andreea will be acting chairman until the official AGM on 15th November 2012.

Family focus

Lucy and Sophie Maidman

Two family members are now playing a focal role in Bournemouth’s Store & Secure, the sister company to well known local removals firm Maidman’s which was set up 33 years ago by Managing Director, Brian Maidman. Lucy Maidman, was first introduced to the company in winter 2010 as Facility Manager and the recent introduction of sister, Sophie, brings more emphasis to a family run business.

Finding work

Dovetail Recruitment is expanding fast. The company recently moved into its own new premises at 112 The Broadway, Hengistbury Head and announced the appointment of Megan Ryder for her University Placement year.

Digital growthPoole-based web agency Yammayap has appointed recent graduate Stephanie Howes as its new visual designer, reinforcing the company’s commitment to a design-led approach. Phil Mecklenburgh has returned from his university summer break to resume his role as developer, as did George Buckingham earlier in the year, when he finished university with a first. Matthew Budd joined the company last year as Yammayap’s front-end developer.

CAD lad

L-r: Josh Evans-Hunt and Steve Willington

Steve Willington has joined Goadsby CAD Services. He will undertake all types of work, from lease plans to planning application drawings. To celebrate the expansion of the team Goadsby CAD services is offering a 10% discount during October.

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Pukka workPoole-based print factory and stationery supplier, Pukka Pads Business Forms, has appointed four new recruits, Ian Willis, Cheryl Custance, Shaun Nye, and Sam Shannon.

We know that effective communication is vital to good business practice, so it is with concern that I read that one in four British adult workers are choosing to ignore incoming calls on the landline at work unless it is completely unavoidable.

The survey, by communications firm Daisy Group Plc, also reveals that younger workers are lacking confidence on the telephone preferring to conduct their business by e-mail.

Will face to face communication be next to become confined to the past?

With more communication being done via technology, we need to question if these are skills that businesses can afford to lose.

Gill Bevis

Visit www.bizmag.co.uk October 20122 2012 October 3

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business news

Success for New Forest Marque members at the Hampshire Life Food and Drink AwardsTwo members of the New Forest Marque are celebrating after winning at the Hampshire Life Food and Drink Awards. The awards – regarded as the Oscars of the local food and drink industry - celebrate the finest produce that Hampshire has to offer and give valuable recognition to producers, growers, suppliers and hospitality venues. The winners are:New Forest Marque producer of the year - Simeon Morgan Farming, LymingtonTea shop of the year - Rosie Lea tea rooms, Brockenhurst

Managed by the New Forest National Park Authority, the Marque gives businesses a distinctive ‘New Forest’ banner under which to sell their goods and services, and help customers identify quality New Forest produce. It encourages people to ‘buy local’ and reduce the environmental impact of transporting food long distances, while helping to sustain the New Forest’s local economy.

‘It is a privilege to see New Forest Marque members win these prestigious awards. They are chosen by the people who live and shop in Hampshire. It reflects the high quality of produce and service here in the New Forest,’ said New Forest Marque Manager Sarah Hunt.

Lisa and Simeon Morgan Photograph courtesy of Simeon Morgan

Latest figures reveal fall in south west exportsFigures from the HMRC reveal that the total value of south west exports decreased in the second quarter of 2012, compared with the first quarter of this year.

Total exports from the south west declined by 6% in the second quarter of 2012, falling to £2,934m.

The fall was particularly noticeable in the value of goods exported to countries in the European Union, which remains the south west’s major export market. Exports to the EU in the second quarter fell by 10% in comparison to Quarter 1, totalling £1,673m.

Machinery and transport remained the goods most exported by the region, but exports of these also fell by 7% to £1,810m.

Phil Cotton, South Regional Partner at KPMG, said, ‘Concerns around the stability of the Eurozone may account partly for the fall in this quarter’s figures. With the UK economy experiencing a period of prolonged low growth, exports remain an important way that South West businesses can expand, as their domestic revenue falls. Businesses must turn their attention overseas and target potentially untapped new markets in non EU and fast growth markets in the BRIC countries. Considering an international strategy must be pushed to the top of the agenda.’

Gearing up for safer cycling

A Dorset law firm has teamed up with an esteemed local safety charity, to promote the use of cycle helmets.

Even before Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins, led calls for helmets to be made compulsory, Coles Miller Solicitors had begun working with safety campaigners, LV=Streetwise, in a bid to promote cycle safety.

Coles Miller, which is also a supporter of Poole Bike Night, will be sponsoring a shop front within the safety village and will also donate some bike helmets as part of a competition.

L-r: Alison Shelton, LV=Streetwise; Peter Graves, Coles Miller; Annette Brook MP; Adrian Cormack, Coles Miller; Lee Taylor, Coles Miller and Rachel Fenner

relationships

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MInIBus DonATIonA generous donation by Mazars Charitable Trust, a charity established by the partners of Mazars LLP, the international accountancy and business advisory firm, has helped make getting out and about a lot easier for disabled people in the south.

David I’Anson, Partner with the Poole office of Mazars LLP presented a £25,000 specially adapted minibus to the Enham Trust charity which is dedicated to transforming the lives of over 4500 disabled people across Dorset and Hampshire .

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business news

Groveley Detection has shipped 31 of its GDU-Incus ultrasonic gas leak detectors to the new upstream LNG plant in Papua New Guinea – in the company’s largest Incus consignment to date. The units were supplied against two orders to a total contract value of $350,000.

Knoll Gardens has supplied over 4,500 grasses for use in the new Centenary Border at the world-renowned Sir Harold Hillier Gardens.

Colliers International has been appointed by Park Holidays UK to sell Sandhills Holiday Park at Mudeford in Christchurch harbour.

Eastern Airways, which operates flights from Southampton Airport, has further expanded its jet fleet after taking delivery of a third Embraer 145 regional aircraft, increasing its number of Embraer jets to five.

Dorset athletes in a ‘flap’Dorset athletes and outdoor enthusiasts are in a ‘flap’ - as Dorset business Nutrichef launch its healthy ‘Flapjack’ with nationwide retailers.

Nutrichef, already widely known across the athletics and celebrity circuits for its award winning, healthy meal delivery service, is launching ‘Flapjack’ in response to customer demand.

Barbara Cox, CEO & Nutritionist at Nutrichef explains, ‘The Flapjack has been part of our healthy breakfast plan for the last eight years. More and more, customers were asking to purchase them separately, as a slow release, healthy snack, it’s the perfect choice for adults and children alike, for breakfast, mid-morning

Barbara Cox

Local retailer is on a charge with cutting-edge electric bikeSmart of Poole is providing customers with the chance to enjoy the iconic brand on two wheels as well as four with the launch of the exciting Smart electric bike.

Available to test ride now at the Holes Bay Road retailer, the Smart ebike reinforces the brand’s position as the pioneers of electric mobility.

Featuring the unmistakeable style of Smart, the high tech and environmentally-friendly Smart ebike is ideal for those who want to beat the traffic on their daily commute.

The smart ebike is a pedal electric cycle. Neil Jackson, Sales Executive at Smart of Poole, believes that the

easy-to-ride Smart ebike will make the innovative Smart brand even more appealing.

For more details on the Smart ebike, which costs £2,495 and for a limited period is available with 0% interest-free finance, please call Smart of Poole on 01202 666330.

Sales Executives Neil Jackson and Holly Huish with the new smart ebike.

Forest Holme Hospice reveals location of new shop

Dolphin Shopping Centre Manager John Grinnell hands the keys to Diane Platt, Charity Manager of Forest Holme Hospice.

business news

Water voles are now being spotted regularly at Moors Valley Country Park, near Ringwood thanks to the success of a long-term reintroduction programme initiated and overseen by Rangers from East Dorset Countryside Management Service.

The Anglo-European College of Chiropractic has announced that it will be sponsoring the newly-promoted Bournemouth Rugby Club as it progresses through the new season.

Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival 2012 closes on 29th October.

Award-winning mutual Teachers Building Society has appointed communications specialist Polymedia to keep its public relations top of the class.

Sunseeker Charters is now a full corporate member of the Internationally renowned professional yachting organisation, MYBA.

One in six (16%) workers have lost track of their pension funds after changing jobs, according to research from Prudential, raising new fears over a generation of lost pensions.

Work to create a new eco-friendly Visitor Centre at Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve is now underway. The new centre is due to open to the public in July 2013.

According to research by Direct Line for Business more than half (51%) of small trade business owners and managers rely on spouses and partners to help run their company.

Bournemouth’s fifth Air Festival saw an estimated 964,000 festival goers across the four days, and the busiest aeronautical and evening entertainment programmes yet staged. The dates for the 2013 Air Festival have been confirmed Thursday August 29th – Sunday 1st September.

Boost to equestrian facilities in Dorset

Parley Equestrian arena

Businesses are being urged to give their support to aspiring young showjumpers and dressage athletes by sponsoring a new equestrian arena.

Parley Equestrian Centre, which hosts regular British Showjumping events, has planning consent for a second arena to enhance its service to competitors and spectators.

For details call Julie Atherton on 07757 609587.

David I’Anson, Mazars Partner, cuts the ribbon with Enham resident Shaun Barker. Also pictured, from Enham Nick Caiger-Smith, Commercial Director and Liz Cosgrove, Community Fundraiser.

snack, during a bike ride or after school.’

Nutrichef’s ‘fuelled by Flapjack’ campaign has been really successful, with the Flapjack also being awarded the seedling trademark by the Vegetarian Society. The Flapjack comes in three tantalising flavours. They can be purchased online or in stores at Oswald Bailey.

Small business owners feel left out by governmentA massive 36% of business owners are not likely to support our current government in the next election according to figures from thomsonlocal.com.

Despite the government launching a range of packages aimed at supporting small and start-up businesses, including providing access to mentors and small loans for start-ups and Jobcentre Plus promotion, the survey completed by members of thomsonlocal.com’s Business Insider Panel, revealed that since the last Budget, 16% of proprietors said they were more likely to vote for a different political party in the next election.

thomsonlocal.com’s Business Insider Panel consists of more than 1,000 local business owners from across the UK. thomsonlocal.com works with local businesses to ensure they are found however they are searched for and having the Panel means that the views of local businesses can be represented.

Forest Holme Hospice has revealed that the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole will be the location of its new vintage-style charity shop.

Set to open on Saturday 20th October, The Secret Wardrobe will sell pre-loved vintage clothes, art deco jewellery and shabby-chic furniture. All the proceeds from the store will go to the Poole hospice, which cares for patients with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.

The Big Yellow Self Storage Company on Nuffield Road is still accepting donations of vintage items on behalf of Forest Holme Hospice

The Poole hospice is currently recruiting volunteers to work within the shop, please call Diane on 01202 670644.

Visit www.bizmag.co.uk2012 OctoberVisit www.bizmag.co.uk October 20126 7

business news

rock launches awards to celebrate Dorset’s young business talent

Angela Fletcher

DorseT BAKer HonoureD In InDusTry ‘osCArs’A Dorset baker has been honoured with his industry’s highest honour in baking’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Eddie Spence MBE, formerly of the Mary Ford Cake Artistry Centre in Bournemouth, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Baking Industry Awards 2012 in London.

His achievements were recognised in front of more than 800 industry guests at a gala awards ceremony at London’s Park Lane Hilton, as Eddie was presented with the award by former Neighbours, Joseph and Strictly Come Dancing star Jason Donovan and Alan Moutter, Commercial Director of award sponsor Délifrance.

During his 66-year career, Eddie has crafted cakes for the weddings of Princess Margaret, Charles and Diana, Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, as well as for the Queen’s Golden Wedding anniversary.

L-r: Jason Dononvan with Lifetime Achievement Award winners Gill Brooks-Lonican, Ernst Bachmann, John Bailey, Eddie Spence, and Alan Moutter from award sponsor Délifrance.

Christchurch-based firm Rock Recruitment Specialists is launching the Rock Recruitment Star of the Future Awards (Rock Star Awards for short).

The awards will celebrate talented business people in Dorset aged between 16 and 26 and also the companies that develop them into the business stars of the future. The awards will comprise six categories to highlight outstanding young employees, students and entrepreneurs in the area and each winner will be presented at a gala awards ceremony in June 2013.

Angela Fletcher, Managing Director at Rock Recruitment Specialists, says, ‘This event has been a long term ambition of mine after many years of recruiting in this area, because I have seen just how many talented young people we have in this area that are entering our workforce, beginning

Do You know a ROCK ?

Star of the Future AwardsThe lifeblood of any industry is it’s new recruits.

Rock Recruitment are launching an exciting awards ceremony to celebrate talented business people aged between 16 and 26 in Dorset and the companies that develop them into the business stars of the future.

www.rockstars.uk.com

Rising of the Future An outstanding employee, nominated by their employer, for achievements and contribution

Student of the FutureAn outstanding university or college student with strong academic progress, commercial or charitable achievements and business prospects.

Entrepreneurial of the FutureAn outstanding business person who has started their own company

Media of the FutureAn outstanding talented individual in media (PR, print, radio, tv, digital, etc.)

Inspirational of the FutureAn outstanding individual with commercial achievement in a creative industry (marketing, web design, art, architecture, cookery, photography, etc.)

of the Future Apprentice AwardA one year employment contract with Breeze Volkswagen for an outstanding applicant.

Categories & Sponsors

their careers and shaping the future of our business community. I am also impressed with so many local employers who nurture and develop their staff to such a phenomenal level. It is therefore a delight to launch “The Rock Star Awards”,

recognising companies that share these values and celebrating talented people in Dorset.’

Several local companies which recognise the importance of excellence and youth in business have already become sponsors of the awards: Fire Radio, Inspire Professional Services Ltd, Breeze

Volkswagen, RIAS, WDS Global and Bournemouth University.

The application process for the awards will be launched at a drinks reception on 15th November 2012. For full details visit www.rockstars.uk.com

Judging now in process for Dorset’s ‘business Olympics’Entries for the Daily Echo-backed Dorset Business Awards 2012 have closed and the judging is now well underway to find the county’s best companies and individuals.

Now in its 18th year, the region’s premier business competition is searching for 10 winners to add to the current prestigious list of winners. Each award category will have a team of three judges analysing each entry form against the individual award criteria. They aim to compile a shortlist of examples of excellence in Dorset businesses commendable for one or more of the 10 awards.

Finalists will be announced by the end of October and invited to a glittering Gala Dinner Awards ceremony at the Lighthouse, Poole, on Thursday 29th November where the overall winners will be announced.

Peter Scott, Chief Executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says, ‘With so many Dorset firms giving grounds for optimism even in the most challenging of economic climates, our judges face a tough task in selecting winners.’

He adds, ‘The lead judges are people with vast knowledge and experience of business in Dorset, experts who are all aware of the challenges firms in the county have to overcome in order to thrive in these challenging times. Judging always proves to be a challenge to highlight one winner and we would like to thank all those who entered this year.’

The awards are also backed by the south’s leading radio station Wave 105, and supported by the Dorset Echo. To purchase tickets for the Gala Dinner please contact Shirley Ewart on 01202 714812. Tickets to the Awards Gala Dinner cost £85+VAT each or £800 + VAT for a table of 10 (Dorset Chamber members) and tickets cost £95+VAT each or £900 + VAT for a table of 10 (Non-Dorset Chamber members).

Salterns Brockerage has announced it is the new importer and distributor for Sealegs for the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Island and Isle of Man.

The New Forest Marque is celebrating after one of its long-term members – The Royal Oak at Fritham – has been voted national ‘Country Pub of the Year’, by the Good Pub Guide.

AFC Bournemouth and BBC Radio Solent have put pen to paper on an extension to their partnership, committing to a further three years of live football on Dorset’s airwaves.

Demand for commercial farmland continued to surge ahead in the south west as prices reached record levels, says the latest RICS Rural Land Market Survey, H1 2012.

Confused.com Parking is the new parking app that gives drivers directions to car parks, finds out how much they charge, and chooses the closest and cheapest location via their current location using the GPS on their mobile phone or by typing in an area or postcode.

Goadsby Commercial is actively searching for retail premises on behalf of a national client in Dorset & Hampshire. The requirement is for 3,500 - 4,500 sq ft retail units suitable for A1 use across the two counties. Call 02380 227337.

business news

Sarah Patient, owner of Flowers at 166 in Charminster is celebrating the company’s fourth birthday having become a rare example of how businesses born out of the financial crisis can actually thrive through creativity and perseverance.

Ben Harrison Restaurant Manager and Lisa Bennoch Restaurant Supervisor with the top hygiene rating.

TOP HYGIENE RATING

The catering team at the 460 seat restaurant at the Haskins Garden Centre, West End, Southampton has been praised by bosses for maintaining the top Hygiene Rating certification set by the Food Standards Agency.

The team scored 5 out of 5 maintaining high standards even though the number of customers they now serve has increased by 68% compared to the same time last year.

The busy restaurant serves over 242,000 teas and coffees and 129,000 hot and cold meals each week.

rejuvenate puts the show on the roadRejuvenate , Bournemouth’s IT support specialist, is getting noticed and gaining extra business with its mobile van service which takes its IT specialists direct to customers to fix problems on the spot.

If you have an IT problem that you need fixed call them out on 01202 237273.


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Blue Chip shortlisted in prestigious national awardsIT specialist, Blue Chip, has been shortlisted in the Services Provider of the Year category for this year’s prestigious CRN (Computer Reseller News) Award which recognise ‘the ingenuity and exceptional achievements of the UK channel industry.’

Now in their 19th year, the CRN Awards are widely respected within the industry, representing ‘the pinnacle of achievement in the UK market, rewarding outstanding performance in the IT channel’.

They will bring together 1,750 leading industry players for the Awards dinner, which will take place at Battersea Park Events Arena in London on Thursday 15th November, 2012 when the winners will be announced.

Dorset Chamber urging businesses to buzz!After the success of Tasty Marketing’s first ‘Business Buzz’ event, Dorset Chamber is delighted to be working with the Poole-based marketing agency on its second ‘Business Buzz’, which aims to be bigger and better than the first.

The event is to be held on Thursday 25th October from 8.30am – 3.30pm at The Italian Villa, Compton Acres, Poole, and promises a full day of exhibitors, fascinating speakers providing advice to help and support your business, as well as networking with fellow local businesses.

To apply for an exhibition space, to be a speaker, or for more details on the event contact Laura Cake at Tasty Marketing on [email protected]

wimborne investment

L-r: Jackie Manning, Andrew Cook, John Cooper, Cllr Burden, Michael Kelleher, Asa Cardiff and Karen Longmire

The Directors of Heritage Investments are delighted to announce the opening of a new office in Eastbrook Row in Wimborne.

Heritage Investments is a firm of independent financial advisers who have been based in Christchurch for three years, headed by three Directors, Michael Kelleher, John Cooper and Andrew Cook.

Wimborne was the natural selection for the firm’s second office, as John Cooper, whilst previously at Edward Jones, ran his own business from there prior to joining Heritage. In addition, Karen Longmire, Receptionist and Administrator, moves across to the new office, and an additional Adviser, Asa Cardiff, and a Paraplanner, Jackie Manning, have been recruited to complement the team. Collectively John and Asa have many years’ experience in the financial services industry, specialising in investments, pensions and financial planning.

The advisers at Heritage are happy to offer a free appointment in their Wimborne office to review your investments, pensions and to help assess your inheritance tax position.

For details visit www.heritageinvestments.co.uk

New contract for MagnaDorset-based Magna Careline has won a major new contract with the acquisition of Sentinel Communicare service.

The new contract saw Magna Careline’s customer base shoot up by more than 30%.Magna Careline will be setting up an office in the Basingstoke/Fleet area to service the

private customers there.

DorseT BusIness HonoureD wITH wHITe House VIsIT

business news finance matters

England & Company expand the expertiseEngland & Company has announced the latest promotions qualifications and recruits to its accountancy practice in Wimborne.

Glen Huxter joins the firm as Personal Tax Manager; his experience is vast, accrued at HMRC, three of the UK’s top 10 firms and, most recently, with RSM Tenon in Southampton and Princecroft Willis in Poole. Glen specialises in personal tax work working with directors and high net worth individuals living in the south coast region. He also has expertise in advising professional practices, such as solicitors, investment property LLP’s and those working in the medical profession.

Matthew Rees, a Chartered Certified Accountant who has been with England & Company since 2007, has been promoted to Associate Director. Matthew’s new role recognises his 27 years of experience in the profession and the specialist corporate auditing and corporate taxation advice he provides to a broad spectrum of local companies.

Plaudits also go to Lauren Grant and Ian Mountney who have recently qualified as Chartered Certified Accountants.

Daniel Whitcher and Cheryl Lawes, Directors at England & Company, are pleased to welcome Glen to the Team and to congratulate Matthew, Lauren and Ian.

Visit www.englandandcompany.co.uk for further information.

Glen Huxter

Close Brothers expands in the south westAlready lending £130m to businesses in the south, Close Brothers Invoice Finance is ready to provide more funding to local firms with new appointments and the opening of an office in Bristol.

The company, which provides tailor-made funding packages to SMEs and large businesses, has appointed Robin Goddard as Regional Director to drive forward growth.

The introduction of a dedicated team to the south west market will bring greater access to finance and could mean the difference between survival and failure for many businesses.

Close Brothers Invoice Finance also welcomes Michael Williams as Regional Sales Director for the south west, an experienced practitioner with almost 25 years in the invoice finance industry.

DeBTs soAr For oVer 55’s Recent insolvency statistics make grim reading for the older generation.

In the second quarter of 2011 the typical debt level for the over 55’s was just over £17,000. By the second quarter of 2012 the figure is now nearly £25,000 – an increase of over 30%.

Tim Corfield, Griffin & King Ltd commented, ‘Yes, the figures are worrying. Research also shows that the cost of living for pensioners has risen by 20% due to food inflation and the increasing cost of household utilities. This is the wrong time of life to have financial problems. Let’s hope the insolvency and debt industry can make a better job of assisting these people than their lenders ever did.’

Anita Foster, American Red Cross and Duncan Cook, 3 SIDED CUBE.

Bournemouth digital agency 3 SIDED CUBE has been honoured with a visit to The White House as a guest of the American Red Cross.

A leading UK developer of apps – special programs developed for users of tablet computers and smartphones - 3 SIDED CUBE was invited to Washington for a special presentation held in honour of the international aid organisation, for which it has created a series of successful First Aid apps.

The event, attended by Managing Director Duncan

Cook, was part of the White House ‘Champions of Change’ initiative, designed to recognise individuals and organisations for their humanitarian work. The occasion included a speech by Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, who outlined the benefits of the Red Cross app and the success it has had in helping save lives.

The First Aid app, which won a European Digital Communication award for ‘Best Mobile App’ in Berlin the same day, has been downloaded more than one

million times since July and has connected 2,400 people in the US to emergency services. The app, which requires no internet connection, offers a range of animations and videos, as well as areas where users can test their knowledge and share it on social networks

A follow-up Hurricane App has already been downloaded quarter of a million times since it was launched in August, while several follow-up apps are currently in production to help users administer first aid and keep safe in other extreme weather events.


inspireC h a r t e r e d T a x A d v i s e r s & C h a r t e r e d

C e r t i � e d A c c o u n t a n t s

Here at Inspire, we strive to exert a “stimulating and benefi cial effect” on our clients’ businesses; after all, that’s what inspire means. We do this by providing innovative services such as fi xed-fee compliance, fi nancial director on demand, proactive tax advice and outsourced fi nance functions. If you run an entrepreneurial, owner-managed company which needs more support from your accountants, whether it’s on special projects or ongoing fi nancial reporting and tax advice, we would love to talk to you. Call us now on 0800 077 6410 to fi nd out how Inspire can help your business.

37 Commercial Road Poole Dorset BH14 0HUT: 0800 077 6410 F: 0800 077 6411

E: [email protected]: www.inspire.uk.net

“ To exert a

stimulating

and bene cial

effect”


C e r t i f i e d A c c o u n t a n t s

Here at Inspire, we strive to exert a “stimulating and benefi cial effect” on our clients’ businesses; after all, that’s what inspire means. We do this by providing innovative services such as fi xed-fee compliance, fi nancial director on demand, proactive tax advice and outsourced fi nance functions. If you run an entrepreneurial, owner-managed company which needs more support from your accountants, whether it’s on special projects or ongoing fi nancial reporting and tax advice, we would love to talk to you. Call us now on 0800 077 6410 to fi nd out how Inspire can help your business.



Here at Inspire, we strive to exert a “stimulating and beneficial effect” on our clients’ business and their tax affairs; after all, that’s what inspire means. Our entire service offering is based around the needs of owner managed and entrepreneurial companies together with specific needs of high net worth individuals. Therefore if you want to work with an innovative, forward thinking firm of advisors with a proven track record of assisting their clients businesses or are just fed up with paying too much tax then please call us now on 0800 077 6410.



“ To exert a

stimulating

and beneficial

effect”

Here at Inspire, we strive to exert a “stimulating and beneficial effect” on our clients’ business and their tax affairs; after all, that’s what inspire means.

Our entire service offering is based around the needs of owner managed and entrepreneurial companies together with specific needs of high net worth individuals.

Therefore, if you want to work with an innovative, forward thinking firm of advisors with a proven track record of assisting their clients businesses or are just fed up with paying too much tax then please call Warren Munson, Lynne Bulstrode or Caroline Bayne on 0800 077 6410.

37 Commercial Road Poole Dorset BH14 0HUt. 0800 077 6410 f. 0800 077 6411e. [email protected]

www.inspire.uk.net



Here at Inspire, we strive to exert a “stimulating and beneficial effect” on our clients’ business and their tax affairs; after all, that’s what inspire means.

Our entire service offering is based around the needs of owner managed and entrepreneurial companies together with specific needs of high net worth individuals.

Therefore, if you want to work with an innovative, forward thinking firm of advisors with a proven track record of assisting their clients businesses or are just fed up with paying too much tax then please call us on 0800 077 6410.

37 Commercial Road Poole Dorset BH14 0HUt. 0800 077 6410 f. 0800 077 6411e. [email protected]

www.inspire.uk.net



Providing references

discover how we can help you with...

Wealth ManagementAccounts & AuditsStrategic Tax PlanningSmall Business Growth

Tel: 01202 875900wardgoodman.co.uk

recruitment agony?Whether you employ one person or hundreds you will no doubt have come across recruitment issues that have either confounded you or left you frustrated. This column gives employers in the area the chance to get answers and advice.

Phil Harmsworth is a Director of local recruitment agency The Work Shop and has been in the recruitment industry for well over 20 years working for large High St chains and his own small independent agency. He will be answering questions and giving advice in the next few editions and is available to help no matter what the problem.

The agency I use has been bought by a larger agency and I am worried that I might not get the service I have been

used to. Can I stop using them? Peter, Bournemouth IT Company

A Yes you can but why not wait and see what happens first. It might be that the staff stay the same and that the changes that this will inevitably bring about either make no difference or even make it better. If I were you I would be making my concerns known and putting them on notice that if the service levels diminish I would look to move – the buying agency should be wanting to improve things for you not make them worse.

I have just hired someone that temped for us a few months ago and the supplying agency is sending me an invoice.

Can they do that? Helen, Large Finance Services Company

A Probably, yes. It is likely that the original agency sent you their Terms of Business and in there it is likely that they have a clause which covers this sort of situation. There is normally a period of time clarified which indicates how long it is before you can hire someone they introduced to you without a fee becoming payable. That said, the agency concerned should be looking at the bigger picture and if you are likely to give them more business they should look to negotiate something amicable with you.

The people my agency send to us keep leaving after a few weeks but I am still paying a fee. Why should I pay them if I

am not getting any good staff? Poole Engineering Company

A The question is – why are these people leaving so soon? Presumably you are interviewing them and you think they are worth hiring. All the agency can do is supply you with potentially suitable people, after that it is down to you although your agency should be wondering why this problem is occurring too. Do you do exit interviews to find out why people are leaving? If not you should. The agency cannot be held responsible for the reasons someone leaves their job no matter how soon that might be but if the problem persists perhaps you can negotiate a better refund policy - but surely it is better to find out the reason behind this happening first.

Directors Phil Harmsworth and Shelley Alger

Whilst we try and offer impartial and independent advice we do not of course know all the facts surrounding every issue raised so if you require additional guidance on any recruitment subject, Phil Harmsworth can be contacted on 01425 489393.

employment talk

Advertorial

Most employers will be asked

from time to time to provide a

reference for former employees,

and although this is regarded

as a fairly routine procedure it is

one that has potential dangers.

A recent case – Thour V. Royal

Free Hampstead NHS Trust

resulted in the employer being

sued for libel over a statement

contained in an employment

reference. The judge held that

Thour’s manager had not acted

with malice and the case was

dismissed.

However the case does remind us of

the potential dangers that exist and

that employers need to exercise caution

when providing references. Risks

include claims for libel/defamation,

discrimination, harassment and breach

of contract. A former employer can be

sued for negligence if an inaccurate

reference is provided.

Here are a few tips to help you if you are asked for an employment reference:

• Have a policy that clearly states

which employees and/or what level

of management are authorised to

provide a reference on behalf of the

business for a former employee, the

policy should also include how the

reference should be provided, i.e.

verbally or in writing and also what

may be included.

• The policy should be applied

consistently.

• If a verbal reference is provided

(this is something that is not

recommended) then detailed notes

should be kept, we would always

advise that if an employer is asked

to provide a verbal reference they

say that it is not Company policy

and ask that the request be made in

writing.

• A reference does not have to

be detailed. It can be limited to

confirming dates that the former

employee worked there and their

job title.

• Giving a reference is not

compulsory. You can refuse, but,

if a reference is not provided then

you must ensure that the refusal is

based on grounds that could not

be considered discriminatory. For

example, if it is not Company Policy

to provide references ensure that

you are consistent in this approach.

If you have any concerns over

providing references or have any other

employment related issues contact

Bob Cox in our HR team on

01202 875900 or via email

[email protected].

Bob Cox

PRIVATE SECTOR JOB CREATION HOLDING UP DESPITE CHALLENGING ECONOMIC PICTURE – CBIThe CBI has commented on the latest official labour market data, showing that employment rose by 236,000 and unemployment fell by 7,000 in the three months to July. The number of employed young people rose by 58,000 but youth unemployment remains a huge challenge, rising by 7,000 on the quarter.

Neil Carberry, CBI Director for Employment and Skills, said, ‘Businesses tell us that times are tough, but opportunities to grow remain. Today’s labour market figures confirm this, with firms creating jobs at a robust pace, more than offsetting public sector job losses in the second quarter. Total unemployment has fallen, and fewer people are claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

‘Unemployment among young people remains a huge challenge. The number of young people out of work has risen this month, but this is alongside 75,000 more who have started actively looking for work, with 58,000 more young people finding work in the three months to July.

‘At a critical time of year, with many young people entering the labour force for the first time, it is encouraging that youth employment is rising, but the government cannot afford to lose focus on this vital issue.’

Dovetail sourcing senior talent across the country...

Dovetail Recruitment has been in business for over four years now and Managing Director, Liz Davies has been increasingly charged with sourcing ever more senior staff with specific skills and experience for their clients. This is possibly indicative of how businesses in the area have grown and developed and absorbed the pool of local talent.

In order to meet this demand, Dovetail Recruitment has forged links with like-minded independent agencies across the country where they regularly meet up to keep abreast of recruitment and to share vacancies. These are agencies that have the same values as Dovetail

Recruitment but who specialise in particular fields of recruitment such as finance, procurement, scientific, engineering and senior sales. In practical terms this allows Dovetail Recruitment to maintain its core values of having an understanding of its client’s business, where the candidate is to fit and what type of person is required to add value – whilst tapping in to a bigger pool of specialist talent from further afield.

The team at Dovetail Recruitment takes great pride in sourcing high-calibre staff for their clients and they look forward to offering this specialist countrywide service to local businesses so that they can maintain their competitiveness.

Liz Davies

Employers need encouragement to tackle youth unemployment According to new research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), six in ten employers don’t offer any routes into their organisation for non-graduates. The research is the latest output from the CIPD’s Learning to Work campaign, designed to encourage more employers to invest in tomorrow’s workforce.


mobile business4g mobile data: Will it change the mobile worker landscape?With the recent announcement that Everything Everywhere, the company behind Orange & T-Mobile, will launch their 4G service this month businesses are already looking to see what this will mean to them.

What is 4G?In many ways 4G is similar to wireless networks at work or at home, with potential to offer 100Mbps download speeds. They can provide the mobile worker with always on connectivity which can vastly improve field workforce communications.

In reality 4G is a blanket term for mix of technologies including WiMax, LTE, and more sneakily 3.5G (HSPA+) so what users will actually receive initially is yet to be seen. 3.5G is capable of up

to 21Mbps so it would be fair to assume 4G should at least achieve that.

Does 4G just mean faster downloads?The answer is no - it can offer much more, the exciting bit is not just how fast, but what mobile workers and businesses can do with that bandwidth.

Many businesses these days have already moved over to VoIP telephony in their core business. Extending that same technology to mobile worker handsets via apps for iPhone and Android is already a reality. It is predicted that even greater bandwidth will permanently turn the mobile phone into the equivalent of desk phone and vice versa ending the need for mobile numbers on business cards.

Not only does this significantly reduce the cost of office to

staff mobile calls but mobile workers will have true remote working ability with their landline number sitting on the mobile phone, making them even more accessible and improving customer service.

iPads and mobile tablets are likely to become even more the mobile workers device of choice and are without doubt going to feature more and more on business purchase orders. With the ability to access data at higher speeds users can easily access their business applications while in the field, such as their CRM or intranet improving sales process.

When can our business adopt 4G?It is very likely that this announcement from Everything Everywhere will be followed up by Apple with news of the new

iPhone, and more manufactures will be developing handsets and devices to keep up.

Dorset-based Buzz Connect is shortly releasing an update to the Hubba mobile router that will enable it to take advantage of the increased 3.5G speeds, and their development team working on 4G models.

James Cope of Buzz Connect says, ‘It is an exciting space to be in currently, with our development team at the leading edge of technology. Our mobile apps extend users office phones to their mobiles already, so 4G roll out is great news for us and for that of mobile workers’.

Can 4G change the mobile worker landscape?In short we believe yes, next year is likely to see a real change for business mobile worker communications.

mobile business

mobile business brings us closer, says Carswell Gould

BUS OPERATOR LAUNCHES TICKETLESS MOBILE APP

Nikki Honer displays the new app.

Mobile recruitment wagon increases candidate registration

Rubicon People, 71 High Street, Poole, Dorset BH15 1AF01202 680311

E-mail: [email protected]

Dorset’s recruitment specialist Rubicon People has the answer to mobile business with its iconic VW Camper Van seen regularly blazing its purple trail throughout Dorset. Affectionately known as “The Wagon”, the vehicle is kitted out with an unbelievable array of IT equipment to enable any candidate to be fully registered remotely onto Rubicon’s extensive database and has proved ideal for off- site client interviewing.

Taking Mohammed’s lead (by going to the mountain rather than waiting for the mountain to come to him) Rubicon People replaced an expensive and static branch office network with this practical, fun and extremely candidate-friendly recruitment tool. Commercial Director, Jessica Jones said: ‘Considering the economic climate when money is tight for a lot of job hunters, it makes sound sense to deliver our registration services to candidates’ doorsteps particularly if they live away from the main towns, saving them time and travel expenses in getting to their nearest recruitment centre. It’s a convenient, innovative way of bringing opportunities to those who might otherwise miss out, and it enables our Recruitment Consultants to call in on clients often after the perfect candidate has just been registered. A large number of our clients are in far flung parts of the county and the “Recruitment Wagon” serves both of these purposes perfectly.’

As far as Rubicon People knows, this initiative, of taking a recruitment office out on the road, remains unique for a recruitment agency; “The Wagon” is instantly recognisable with its bold purple and yellow livery and has generated a significant amount of interest with the added benefits of driving traffic to the company’s website, where job vacancies are refreshed daily. Furthermore there has been a marked increase in candidate registration and client enquiries from these inner hinterlands that, in turn, has increased the jobs they have to fill and the choice of candidates to fill those jobs - so everyone wins.

Jessica added: ‘We also use this unique service for targeted client recruitment campaigns and it has provided a significant difference having this versatile tool at our disposal especially as many of the more rurally based clients have previously had to rely on candidates being registered and submitted by agencies from some way away. We have some quite high-profile clients in North Dorset as well as various other parts of the county and we are often spotted at festivals and shows around the county and were recently involved with Party in the Park at Ashley Cross where we were thrilled with the amount of enquiries we received based on the Wagon’s prominence there.’

Superfast internet for the Blackmore Vale

Bus operator ‘more’ from Wilts & Dorset has launched a mobile app ‘more mobile’ which could make the use of paper tickets, and even smart cards, redundant for many smart phone users. A customer can download the app, register information and a credit or debit card, and within seconds purchase from a range of one day or longer discounted period tickets. The ticket is then displayed on screen for the driver to view when boarding the bus.

Nikki Honer, Commercial Manager at more from Wilts & Dorset, says that the app is available for iPhone and android

operating system smart phones: ‘With the new mobile app, your phone becomes the ticket and the clever system even reminds the traveller how many days they have left on their ticket!’

Mobile app users will be able to obtain the same discounted tickets enjoyed by the thousands of key card holders who pre-purchase on the internet. The app will also hold other ticket types such as dayrider tickets which will appeal to the regions holiday makers or occasional bus users. It’s thought that with pensioners already using cards for their right to travel free through the governments concessionary scheme, and with more paying passengers adopting the key or app systems, time spent at bus stops as people pay the driver with cash will be reduced by as much as 50%.

For information visit www.morebus.co.uk/app

M12 Solutions has launched a new high-speed broadband service called Wessex Internet to allow the ‘poorly connected’ communities in and around The Blackmore Vale access to a superfast internet connection. Initially the service is available to communities situated along the A350 in Dorset, south of Fontmell Magna, including Iwerne Minster & Shroton with coverage extending across towards Sturminster Newton but is expected to expand across The Vale as demand and capacity increases.

Wessex Internet services will be able to provide up to 50x the download speeds and up to 100x upload speeds currently available with fixed line broadband, and coverage particularly targets communities where other telecoms providers will avoid upgrading in the UK’s broadband upgrade programmes. No longer

does living in the countryside mean slow broadband. Part of the attraction with Wessex Internet services is that you don’t need a landline for it to work. As such you can migrate to voice over the Internet (VoIP) services, retaining your local 01258 or 01747 number but save over £180 annually in BT line rental charges.

Anyone interested should visit the Wessex Internet website at www.wessexinternet.com

Integrated marketing communications agency, Carswell Gould, is now using mobile technology to run projects for its clients.

The company, based in Southampton, has added Basecamp Mobile to its armory of online project management tools, meaning its staff and

clients can access projects even if they are not in front of a computer.

The new system means a marketing manager can check in on the status of their web design project from a beach in Barbados and CG’s staff can share a press release with a client while facilitating a flash mob in Farnborough.

Creative Partner, Ed Gould, said, ‘We have always understood that the closer we can work with our clients the better the return on marketing investment. We also believe that

focusing on work rather than meeting about work offers best value.

‘This ethos pushed us to explore new technologies like Basecamp and File Maker-based management systems and over the last decade we have integrated them into our everyday use, increasing efficiency and improved transparency for clients. Now we have taken the next step by going mobile.’

To find out more about Carswell Gould visit www.carswellgould.co.uk

Visit www.bizmag.co.uk2012 October 15Visit www.bizmag.co.uk14

hotel focus

Accessibility award to Chewton Glen

Chewton Glen has been awarded the hospitality industry’s equivalent of an Oscar, for its accessibility policy. Over 1,200 people attended a glittering awards ceremony, held at Grosvenor House in London, when the hotel received the ‘Accessibility Award’ in this year’s Cateys 2012.

The Accessibility Award recognises those companies who go above and beyond the requirements of the Equality Act, in accommodating and catering for people with disabilities and special needs. The 2012 Accessibility Award, sponsored by Amadeus, recognizes the importance of offering equal levels of service to customers with and without disabilities.

Accepting the award from actress Joanna Lumley OBE, on behalf of the team at Chewton Glen, was Business Development Director, Leigh Jenkins; Vetiver Head Chef, Andrew DuBourg and Managing Director, Andrew Stembridge who is heavily involved in supporting accessibility issues and sharing his experiences with others in the industry and promoting tourism within the UK, through his involvement with the prestigious Relais & Chateaux organisation.

The Chewton Glen experience has been further enhanced this summer with the opening of the Walled Kitchen Garden, which is totally accessible to wheelchair uses and the new Tree House Suites, which have also been sensitively designed to create a welcoming and luxurious environment for guests with and without disabilities.

Bournemouth hotel installs electric charging stations The award winning Green House is a beautiful eco-friendly boutique hotel in the heart of Bournemouth that lives, eat and breathes sustainability. In 2011 it was listed in the Guardian’s Green Travel List 2011 and it has just received a gold accreditation from the Green Business Tourism Scheme

Extensive thought and painstaking research has gone into every aspect to ensure that this designer hotel minimises its impact on the environment at every turn. Interior highlights include 100% UK wool fabrics, woven on the isle of Bute, British designed and made wallpaper, FSC certified, printed with vegetable ink, solid hard wood furniture, either recycled or hand crafted in the UK from fallen trees damaged through storms or disease.

Solar thermal energy, complemented by electricity generated on site, ensure that public resource is only used where absolutely necessary. All of this without compromise to guest satisfaction and pleasure, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Now it has just increased its green credentials by the activation of two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, donated by Zero Carbon World (ZCW).

Olivia O’Sullivan General Manager for the hotel said, ‘As the greenest hotel in the UK we are always looking for ways in which to add to our green credentials. As we already generate our own electricity onsite, what better way than with EV charging points, so our guest’s can charge their electric cars.’

Zero Carbon World donates charging stations to the hotel and leisure industry to support the development of a national charging infrastructure and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.

‘There are no restrictions to use Zero:Net,’ said Kevin Sharpe Founder of Zero Carbon World and Chair of the Trustees. ‘You don’t have to be a member, subscribe, pay in advance or use a smart card to access electricity. Wherever EV drivers are, they can recharge while eating,

HOME GROWN HOTELS SET FOR GROWTH Home Grown Hotels, the management firm behind New Forest-based The Pig and five-star hotel and restaurant LimeWood, is set for expansion after securing a £4.8m funding package from Santander Corporate Banking. The funding will enable the company to double its number of trading locations in the south, increasing its market share and providing new jobs across the region.

Home Grown Hotels is renowned for its range of boutique and high-end hotels and restaurants. The Pig, for instance, differentiates itself by growing a large quantity of produce within its walled garden and only sourcing additional ingredients for its restaurant within a 25-mile radius. The firm’s CEO, Robin Hutson, was awarded the Outstanding Excellence and Innovation UK Award at the Conde Nast Johansens Awards 2012 – one of a number of honours the firm or its management has received over the past two years.

The firm is continuing to invest and grow its portfolio, and the £4.8m package from Santander will be used to develop two new properties in the south of England. Part of the funding will be used to finish the development of ‘The Pig – in the wall’, a satellite boutique bed and breakfast to The Pig in the Forest in Southampton. The majority of the funding will allow Home Grown Hotels to develop a stunning new 26-bed hotel and restaurant - ‘The Pig on the Beach’, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

sleeping, working or simply relaxing. We are extremely proud to be creating the UK’s only open charging station network.’

Growing rapidly with over 226 donations to date, ZCW is on track to install 1,000 charging stations in the UK.

Westover Nissan was invited by the hotel to be the first to connect a Nissan Leaf on the new charging point. Sallyann Tanner Electric Vehicle Relationship Manager for Westover Nissan said, ‘This charging point will allow guests to stay in a gorgeous eco friendly green hotel and charge their eco friendly electric car whilst staying in one of 32 superb guest rooms, this is ecotourism at its very best.’

Green House


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By Tim SaundersFor the past decade or so Toyota and Honda have reigned supreme in the world of the hybrid.

But are they set to be toppled now that the luxury market has finally embraced this technology? There are now offerings

from Audi, Mercedes and BMW.Fresh from its sponsorship of the London Olympics 2012 BMW has

entrusted me with its Active Hybrid 5; a 5-series with a 3-litre straight six turbo petrol engine coupled to a 54hp electric motor. The high-performance lithium-ion battery, which resides at the back of the reasonably sized boot, is charged whenever the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is braking, with the electric motor performing the role of a generator. At speeds up to 37mph this 5 series uses electric power, making it pollution free around towns. However, any incline resulting in acceleration sees the engine take charge.

It’s got to be one of the fastest hybrids around reaching 60mph from standstill in just 6.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph. This means that you can overtake in places that you would never normally consider. When the accelerator is kicked to the floor it’s like a scolded cat and there’s a raspy, racing car-type note released from the exhausts.

But surely the point of a hybrid is to be super environmentally-friendly and efficient. It is therefore irksome to find out that it only returns 44mpg and makes me question the logic behind this vehicle. The point, according to the German car maker, is that the ActiveHybrid 5 delivers similar performance to its 535i but has 16% lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Its engine stop start doesn’t always come on when the vehicle pulls up at the lights though. Perhaps the comments I make on my video at testdrives.biz are a little unfair. A fully charged electric motor allows the Beemer to travel about three miles. It takes around five minutes to fully charge the battery from empty. It is claimed that careful driving can actually see the BMW cover 650 miles on its 67 litre tank. Try doing that in a 535i.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the popular 5 series and in common with most other cars on Britain’s roads, and the population as a whole, the sixth generation model has grown in size.

With its purposeful nose, trademark double kidney grille and ‘bling’ 17-inch alloy wheels it’s certainly eye-catching. From inside the cockpit the distinctive, long bonnet is quite a focal

hotel focus

Hotel chain adds 15 new sites and creates more than 750 new jobs across the regionPremier Inn, the UK’s largest hotel chain, has secured six new hotel and restaurant sites and has started work on an extra nine – adding 1,140 new bedrooms to its expanding estate in the south west of England and south Wales.

The new hotels and restaurants are part of Premier Inn’s UK-wide expansion programme and will create more than 750 new jobs across the region. Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, is targeting to increase the 49,000 Premier Inn bedrooms across the UK today to 65,000 by 2016.

Construction work has already started in Dorchester (74 bedrooms creating 45 jobs), and Weymouth (60 bedrooms creating approximately 65 jobs).

John Bates, Head of Acquisitions (UK and Ireland) for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, said, ‘The south west is a key market for us and these latest deals add more excellent sites for our customers across the region and take us closer to achieving our target of 65,000 Premier Inn bedrooms by 2016. Not only is this great news for our customers but it is important for the region too as our investment will create jobs and help to attract additional visitors to the area, boosting the regional economy.’

Keeping it in the family for 35 years

Langtry Manor, Bournemouth’s luxury boutique hotel, has been a successful family-run business for over three decades. Whilst the Howard family celebrate their 35th anniversary at the manor, the youngest member of the team Donny is already starting to shine. At just ten-and-a-half years of age, the third generation family member and son of Managing Director Tara Howard is spending much of his summer holidays helping out in

the hotel. Updating menus, laying up an entire restaurant, showing guests to

their rooms and filing paperwork - it’s all child’s play to Donny, who takes his role at Langtry Manor very seriously, naming his goal for the future as becoming managing director. ‘I would like to be the boss when I am 18,’ says Donny with a wise nod.

As the youngest member of the Langtry Manor team, but by no means the least experienced, Donny is a firm favourite with both staff and guests. He makes quite an impression every Christmas, assisting Santa in the careful distribution of gifts. More recently, he also spent most of his Easter Holiday helping out. He tried his hand at several departments, but seemed to have a natural born flair for front-of-house duties. Acting as Deputy Manager Arkadiusz Tomczyk’s apprentice, he learned how to check-in guests and escort them to their rooms.

To celebrate this special year, Langtry Manor is commemorating this milestone with a series of special events and offers during 2012. The anniversary menu offers diners a fine 2-course meal for £35 per couple, valid Sundays-Thursdays. The 6-course Edwardian banquet is priced at £35 per head and takes place every Saturday night. A celebration weekend will also take place on 2nd and 3rd November with the chance to dress up in traditional Edwardian costume.

For further details call 01202 290550.

road test

BMw Active Hybrid 5point. As long as the driver has the key on them, if they lift a locked door handle, it will automatically open.

While its interior is well above average in terms of build quality it is lacklustre and predictable - plenty of black rubber, plastic and leather. But it’s nice to see strips of brushed aluminium, which break the monotony. A neat touch is the leather topped centre armrest that splits in two when opened. Rear occupants have a comfortable existence.

Its eight speed Steptronic automatic gearbox is simple to use. Similar to Peugeot there is a head up display, which projects the travelling speed onto the inside of the windscreen and only the driver can see it. One qualm is that if the driver wants to check the odometer they have to make a point of leaning forward in order to peer over the steering wheel – the digital reading should be higher up.

In a £47,000 car I expect both heated and cooled front seats but only get my first wish, which is unfortunate as leather does get sticky in hot weather.

The ActiveHybrid 5 has highlighted the variety of cruise controls now available.

Generally there are three types, let’s call them gold, silver and bronze for sake of argument. Gold sets the speed, measures the distance of the vehicle in front and reacts accordingly, braking and accelerating as appropriate thanks to clever radars – this is found in Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Volvo cars. For silver remove the radars but the system still keeps the engine at the desired speed no matter what the incline – this can be found in the Skoda Fabia. Basic bronze is for flat roads - show it a downward hill and it will gain speed while it will lose speed travelling up it, as in the Renault Megane. This BMW has the middle system, operated by a control at the left of the steering wheel. It can be used at speeds of 20mph and above. Given the continual change in traffic speed, for me this system results in pins and needles in my left hand. I find the speed limiter easier to handle.

Arguably the BMW adds a new dimension to the hybrid market; while it’ll travel further on its battery than a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight and charges quicker, the overall economy figures need improving. Diesels still win hands down for those seeking frugality.

Watch the video at www.testdrives.biz

Combined economy: 44.1mpgEmissions: 149 g/kmRoad tax: £155 a year0-60mph: 6.4secsTop speed: 155mph (limited)

‘Havenly’ partnership formedThe Harmony at The Haven spa, based within The Haven Hotel, has teamed up with the major global brand Aveda to offer a range of spa treatments using Aveda’s luxurious line of naturally derived and eco-conscious skin care products.

Located at the very tip of the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula, Harmony at The

Haven is Aveda’s first luxury beach resort spa in the UK. Aveda believes in restoring balance to the five elements holistically

by engaging all five senses - sight, smell, sound, taste and touch - through pure aromas, plant and flower-based products and unique sensory experiences. Clients to Harmony at The Haven can now choose from a collection of spa treatments that use Aveda’s range of skin care products including facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing and make-up applications. An Aveda retail area has also been introduced to the spa offering both skin and hair care merchandise.

Situated on the ground floor of the hotel, the spa features seven treatment rooms, a relaxation area, sauna and steam room, massage shower, heated indoor and outdoor (seasonal) swimming pools, an outdoor poolside lounge with day beds, fitness room, tennis court and retail area. With direct access onto the renowned Blue Flag Sandbanks beach, it ensures Harmony at The Haven provides day visitors and hotel guests with unrivalled facilities needed for a rejuvenating and tranquil experience.

For information visit www.harmony-haven.com

Guests will be bowled over by new Hilton HotelHilton Worldwide has announced the signing of a franchise agreement with RB Hotels Ltd to open Hilton at the Ageas Bowl / Southampton at England’s latest test match cricket venue and the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club.

Hilton at the Ageas Bowl / Southampton is expected to open in early 2014 taking pride of place as part of an ongoing stadium development. The upscale six storey property will be operated by Sanguine Hospitality, with whom Hilton Worldwide already operates a number of hotels, featuring 171 rooms and four suites, many of which overlook the pitch. Eighty five of the rooms will double up as corporate hospitality venues on match days, offering guests a unique entertainment experience.

Arkadiusz Tomczyk and Donny Howard

Visit www.bizmag.co.uk October 201218 Visit www.bizmag.co.uk2012 October 19

So how did Bond Williams get established?Claire: I was working in the local recruitment marketplace for a number of years and saw a gap in the market for a quality independent agency that could provide a more consultative approach. From the beginning (the business started in 2004) we focused on sourcing high calibre, fully screened and interviewed candidates for the Commercial, office-based market. This approach was very well received by both clients and candidates alike and remains a core business driver to this day. Those early successes helped us understand what local businesses valued in a recruitment agency relationship and led us to expand the business into providing Temporary workers and then subsequently into our other three specialist areas of: Human Resources (headed up by Robin Brian); Accounting & Finance (headed up by Louise Woodward) and Information Technology (Aaron Gunton).

How would you describe the culture at Bond Williams?Robert: We have established a reputation for honesty, integrity and a high quality of service. We are here to take the weight off our clients’ shoulders and do whatever it takes to get the job done – our consultants have all been with us for many years and all have over 5 years experience (some up to 25 years!) in their specialist area. Our consultants take genuine ownership of our customer requirements and deadlines whilst being very proud of the service they provide. We are also very pleased this year to have been shortlisted for the final of our governing body’s (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) “Best Recruitment Company to work for in the UK” Award - under 20 employees category. Watch this space, the winner will be announced at the REC award ceremony in London on 25th October!

How has the company changed in the past three years?Claire: We have grown much quicker than expected and are now working with pretty much all of the most prestigious companies in the region. We support both large and smaller independent businesses providing the same quality of service to our clients regardless of their size. With Louise Woodward and Robin Brian driving the Accountancy and HR Divisions respectively in recent years it has helped us offer a much wider range of services to our clients.

Looking at Bond Williams’ customer base, what is a typical client?Robert: There is no typical client really – other than those who insist on a professional, timely recruitment service and submission of high calibre candidates. All our clients have dedicated account managers in their specialist field whether it be IT, HR, Accounting and Finance or Commercial. We also have a specialist temporary recruitment division so some companies use us for ad hoc cover in their business support teams.

Are you seeing any trends in today’s recruitment market?Claire: There seems to be a real war for talent being raged at the moment, many organisations are now winning new business and starting to recruit again after the lean times of the global credit crunch. This means they are focused on recruiting the very best people in an effort to drive their business forward during the recovery phase of the UK economy and make the most of every opportunity. Clients are definitely looking for more rounded individuals nowadays with a multitude of complementary soft skills (especially in IT, HR and Finance) in addition to the core skills required for the roles on offer.

Has the local market changed in recent years?Robert: There has definitely been better access to online and print based advertising for local businesses to source their own candidates in recent years. However, we have almost seen this come full circle as organisations struggle to cope with processing and responding to the volume of direct applications, high costs of online and print based advertising and lack of quality control involved. Using a professional agency to provide a well screened, short list of suitable candidates to a specific deadline is now even more cost and time effective as a solution.

How do people know who the professional agencies are?Claire: Local reputation is key. Ask around to see which agencies people have used from both candidate and hirer perspective locally and what their experience was like. If you’re a hirer, the agency you choose should know the local market place and have access to good candidates so feel free to ask what their candidate attraction strategy is. Does an agency meet with its candidates face to face and professionally screen to assess their strengths for you, the client? Candidates also appreciate this time taken to assess their requirements as it means they won’t get their time wasted with roles of little interest.

What advice would you give employers looking to retain staff?Robert: Obviously they have to keep salary levels competitive – you don’t always have to pay the top level but you do have to be aware of the market rate bandings for the roles you have within your business and keep the complete package under regular review. Staff benefits, career progression, job stability, training opportunities and even flexible working arrangements are vital in not only retaining candidates but also attracting new ones. Multi-skilling staff not only helps manage workloads but also keeps workforces motivated by learning and developing new skills.

What advice would you give for employers looking to recruit staff?Claire: Staff attrition costs companies time and considerable money so it’s important to concentrate firstly on getting it right and then retaining the good people you have hired. If you are recruiting then try to develop a strategy that works for you. Use the resources that work and constantly benchmark your advertising rates if recruiting direct, and agency service (if going down this route) against performance/delivery.Also remember that your recruitment strategy is an extension of your brand and if candidates have a bad experience each one will tell approx 10+ people about it. This can be damaging to a company’s ability to recruit if they get a bad reputation but also it can affect a company’s bottom line as this has a knock-on effect into the sales channels where selling to the public is involved. All agencies are not the same so when you find a good one try and build a long term relationship with them – that will be what they want as well so there will be mutual interest in getting things right for you on a regular basis. The more they work with you of course the better the service will become as they get to understand your business in more detail.

An interview with Robert and Claire Bond, owners of Bond Williams Professional Recruitment in Bournemouth town centre.

Local business owners Robert and Claire Bond launched Bond Williams in 2004. We talk to them about recruitment, retention and the local marketplace.


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BW-A4-ad-DRAFT-FINAL.pdf 1 14/09/2012 12:50:26

law lines

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Holiday pay for the long term sick could prove ‘fatal blow’ for small businesses Moore Blatch is warning that small businesses could be hit hardest by a recent Court of Appeal decision that has ruled employees should be paid for holiday accumulated while they are off sick.

The decision means employers may now face having to pay employees for holiday time they could not take while on long term sick leave, with employees able to claim back that holiday pay even if they have now left the company.

‘For businesses, particularly small to medium sized firms, these additional costs could prove a fatal blow, as they may run into hundreds of pounds,’ explains Katherine Maxwell, an employment law specialist for Moore Blatch.

She added, ‘Employers are now in an unusual position where they may also owe backdated

annual leave pay to employees who have been on sick leave for a long period of time. In the current economic climate, this is likely to be a cost businesses can ill afford.’

The case in question is NHS Leeds vs Larner, where a woman was off sick for a year before being dismissed, and the court upheld the decision that she should be paid for the annual leave she had not been able to take during that year.

Employees now have the right to either be paid the leave or to have it carried over if they are off sick on a long term basis and do not have the opportunity to take their holiday time.

Katherine added, ‘It’s important for employers to bear in mind their obligation to pay accrued but untaken annual leave. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to manage sickness absence, as well as regularly reviewing existing absence policies.’

According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, large companies spend an average of £620,000 each year on sick pay, replacement staff salaries and recruitment costs for replacement workers.

For employers who are concerned and would like more information, visit www.mooreblatch.com

Katherine Maxwell

law lines

LA partner

Lester Aldridge LLP has strengthened its Real Estate department with the appointment of new Partner John Hussey, based at the London office of the firm.

Changes at the top – Ian Fretten steps down

On the 31st December 2012 Senior Partner Ian Fretten will retire from Frettens Solicitors, nearly 35 years to the day from when he opened the doors of the office for the first time in 1978.

Matthew says, ‘The firm is embarking on a new era but we will continue to work to the same ethos and service standards that we have always strived for. I am very excited about the future and I hope to build upon the significant foundations built up over the last 35 years.’

David Walton, Conveyancing Partner at the New Milton office, will take over from Ian as Head of the firm’s Residential Conveyancing Department. Helen Jones, Conveyancing Associate, will assume a new role as Head of Conveyancing in Christchurch, with responsibility for the day to day running of the teams based there.

Frettens Solicitors offices in Christchurch, New Milton and Brockenhurst are full of enthusiastic people with personality and strong experience who provide a full range of specialised legal services to private and business clients.

Visit www.frettens.co.uk for further information.

L-r: Ian Fretten and Matthew Fretten

Love was in the air as Olympics fever took holdFamily lawyers at law firm Irwin Mitchell found the Olympics was good for married couples after divorce enquiries dropped to a summer time low during the period in July and August when the games were on.

The national firm believes it was down to the country’s boosted morale and more families spending time together as Team GB stormed to victory winning a huge 65 medals of which 29 were gold.

Irwin Mitchell reported a 30% decrease in divorce enquiries from the same time period last year in the Bristol office, with the firm’s other offices echoing the trend. However, since the closing ceremony finished the case load has increased again.

Artful move

Christine Butterfield

An experienced legal professional with a background in the arts world is the latest face at Dorset law firm Battens Solicitors. Christine Butterfield will drive forward services from the firm’s Dorchester office, focusing mainly on private client work involving wills, tax, estates, trusts and Court of Protection matters. Her first degree was in art history and before becoming a solicitor she worked in arts administration in London for seven years.

John Hussey

olympic workLA Marine, the specialist marine law team at Lester Aldridge, was responsible for setting up the regulatory framework for the Olympic sailing events that took place off Weymouth and Portland this summer. This involved establishing a new harbour authority to control the waters where the events were staged.

Change in gender lawThe EU Gender Directive becomes law on 21st December preventing insurance companies from pricing premiums based on gender. This is likely to mean higher car insurance premiums for young women, but new research by Diamond, a specialist in car insurance for women, reveals the majority of those who will be most affected by the change are completely unaware of it.

Bournemouth solicitors flag up new guidelines issued on domestic violenceThe Home Office has announced changes to take effect from March 2013 widening the definition of ‘domestic violence’. From March next year the definition of domestic violence will include young people from the age of 16 years thereby finally recognising that young people also suffer at the hands of those they are in a relationship with.

The definition will also be extended significantly to include ‘any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour ‘. Types of abuse included would be sexual, financial, and psychological as well as physical. This means that behaviour such as preventing somebody from leaving a property or removing their phone or limiting their access to money could lead to a prosecution. Abuse does not always include physical assault and is often more subtle and manipulative. It is hoped that these changes will ensure that more people are prosecuted for domestic violence.

Should you have concerns regarding domestic violence and need advice please do not hesitate to contact Erica Cottrell or Chantal Findlay at Harold G Walker Solicitors on 01202 203234.

steele raymond LLP appoints top business law students

South coast law firm Steele Raymond LLP has appointed two Bournemouth University students from the LLB (Hons) Business Law degree. Mark Fisher and Tiiu Lemsalu will undertake 40 week placements with the firm.

Since 1995, Steele Raymond LLP has worked closely with Bournemouth University to support

students through placements and bursaries. The firm offers students, who gain top examination results on the degree, the opportunity to complete a work placement at Steele Raymond LLP during their third year.

Mark Fisher and Tiiu Lemsalu, have been recruited to build on the theory and knowledge gained on the course and to develop interpersonal and the practical skills needed for legal practice. The two new recruits will gain invaluable advice and training from a wealth of experienced lawyers at the firm’s Bournemouth and Southbourne offices.

L-r: Tim Stone, Mark Fisher and Tiiu Lemsalu

The firm has seen many changes over the last 35 years but has retained, through Ian’s leadership and energy, a focus on property work and on providing a friendly, efficient and proactive service to its clients. The firm continues to grow and move forward with the recent acquisition of an office in Brockenhurst to add to the existing New Milton and Christchurch offices.

Ian says, ‘I would like to thank each of the dedicated staff who have worked with me through the years and of course all the agents and clients who have supported us. I wish the firm continued success; it is poignant to officially hand over the reins, but I am certain that Frettens Solicitors remains in very capable hands. I look forward to spending more time in France, on the golf course and in the garden!’

Matthew Fretten, Ian’s son and the firm’s Commercial Partner, has become Managing Partner at Frettens. Ian will remain a Partner until he retires in December 2012, working closely with the firm’s other six partners.


Our underlying strength is our people. Personality, trust, knowledge and commerical pragmatism are the buiilding blocks of our working relationships.

We are pleased to offer a free inital meeting for all clients. Contact us to arrange an apointment at our offices, where you will be able to meet your lawyer with no obligtion or charge. We look forward to meeting you.

Kate Fretten David Fairbairn Michelle Hayter Lee Young Oonagh McKinney

Commercial Solicitors

www.frettens.co.uk 01202 499255

business by design

business by design

QUAYSTONE: THE POWER BEHINDwww.bizmag.co.uk

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Don’t just take it from usYammayap has recently completed a project for Vehicle Strategies (VS), a fleet management company for small and medium sized businesses. The result of working closely with VS was discovering key messages and what the team felt it needed from the site. This allows ideas to grow through the subsequent process of design and development.

A common requirement for businesses, and one where Vehicle Strategies was no exception, is to put complicated amounts of information across to a visitor who does not necessarily know anything about the company when they visit the site. This is something that is often either overlooked or is simply not done very well by many. Identifying core messages and designing around these can convey much more than a jumble of words. Professional, quality, stylish, mature, ethical are all words that many companies like to be associated with. Nothing can project this message better than beautiful design.

With experience and awareness of every aspect of the web, Yammayap continues to support companies of all sizes with their focus on design. To see how Yammayap can develop your brand, call 08456 499466 or e-mail [email protected]

Design your way… Online or offline, good design is universalDesign can be beautiful and has been in the real world since forever. It is vital in business from billboard posters to the Christmas decorations in our high streets. Beautiful design evokes confidence that can turn a potential customer into an actual customer. On the web, it is rare for a web agency to value design over search engine optimization (SEO) strategies or content management system (CMS) constraints. Poole based, web design specialist Yammayap, is one such company to use design as the driving force behind everything it does.

It doesn’t mean that the technical side of things is neglected. Professional web sites are not possible without experience, and design gives clients something tangible to connect with and be excited about.

With the rise of the Penguin, Google’s new algorithm designed to sort the wheat from the chaff, old SEO practices are quickly fading in favour of good design and user interaction.

The initial impact of the visual design is critical to a web site’s success. Details like consistency and robustness put new web site users at ease and keep the existing ones coming back. This is now more important than anything else.

Design by numbersThe Design Council has done extensive research into the way companies approach design, measuring the impact it had on the company. For a business which understands and embraces the design-led attitude, an interesting statistic is that for every £100 put in to design, turnover increases by £225*. A truly eye-opening proposal!*Source: ‘The Value of Design Factfinder Report’ by the Design Council

Creative work at Wimborne’s Indi’s restaurantDorset artist Jan Dowding has been appointed artist in residence at Wimborne’s newest Indian restaurant, Indi’s.

Now 21 of her abstract paintings are on show at the contemporary restaurant, which has its eyes set on achieving a Michelin star rating.

Broadstone-based Jan started her painting career in the early 1970s as a paintress at Poole Pottery, producing hand-painted traditional ware and one-off pieces.

Jan’s paintings can be seen at website www.jedart.co.uk

local company sails away with international award

The Mary Rose Museum

Bournemouth-based creative marketing company, ID Group, has won recognition at a recent international film festival.

The work for a six minute CGI flythrough film showcasing the new Mary Rose Museum, in Portsmouth, for construction company Warings has won a Certificate For Creative Excellence at the 46th US International Film & Video Festival, in California, within the Corporate Social Responsibility category.

The festival is one of the world’s leading international events devoted to recognition within business, television, educational, documentary and information productions. Awards winners are selected on effectiveness and purpose and creativity.

ID Group, Managing Director, Mark Masters commented, ‘It’s a fantastic recognition and one that

flies the flag for a local company that has gone head to head, with businesses from all over the world. It just goes to prove that we have a massive talent base here on the south coast and one that is championed.’

The film showcases the sinking of the Henry VIII flagship to breaking the surface in 1982 and its new surroundings within Portsmouth Dockyard, highlighting a flythrough tour throughout the new museum. The film is used as an educational tool and to showcase the new museum.

Mark added, ‘It certainly pushed us to our limits in terms of things we’d never done before, such as creating a battle scene and bringing a historic painting to life. What it does do is show that with perseverance and looking to do something a bit different, it can get recognised.’

Jan Dowding

it’s a feeling

On the verge of cracking by Terry Croom

Terry Croom, local photographer, won 1st prize of $350 in Photigy’s studio photography contest, ‘It’s a feeling’, with this image, ‘On the verge of cracking’. The remit was to produce an image that portrayed an emotion and I think the emotion here is obvious and something we have all felt in our lives in times of stress. Terry, who trained at the Bournemouth Arts Institute, specialises in product and conceptual advertising photography at his studio in Lytchett Matravers. His studio and services are available to local businesses that may need images for their websites, promotional material and advertising.

Terry has recently launched Saturday workshops for photographers who would like to experience the very creative

and rewarding genre of still life photography in a professional studio.

For more information contact Terry on 07917 345445 or visit www.terrycroom.com


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risky business

INSURANCE BROKER LINKS UP WITH AVIVIA RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

L-r: Steve Moreton, Aviva Risk Management Solutions’ Regional Manager London & South East Region, Julian Boughton, Managing Director of A&T and Jeremy Wall, Aviva Risk Management Solutions’ Regional Manager for the South West and Wales Region

ConsIDer THe rIsKIt is now some 20 years since the introduction of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations and most employers are generally aware of the need for relevant risk assessments. However, a recent decision of the Court of Appeal has served as a reminder to employers of the need to seek out risks and demonstrate what they have done to reduce them.

The Regulations require employers insofar as is reasonably practicable to avoid the need for employees to carry out any manual handling operation which involves a risk of injury. If it is not reasonably practicable to avoid manual handling then the employer must make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce that risk as far as reasonably practicable. The recent case involved a mobile service engineer who visited customers’ homes to carry out repairs on large household appliances. He used a van supplied by his employer, which carried a stock of equipment and spare parts. The employer had undertaken risk assessments for the manual handling involved in repairing and maintaining customers’ machines and also loading stock into his van. However he was injured during an annual stock take when small and heavier items, such as washing machine drums, were lifted out individually and placed on the ground around the van. The stock take lasted a day, with four short breaks at the end of which the employee suffered severe back pain.

The employee was unsuccessful at trial but the decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal. The employer had relied upon the risk assessments referred to above, but neither of those related to the task undertaken at the time of the accident. The decision of the Court of Appeal was that the employer should have produced a separate risk assessment for the stock take, even though it occurred only once a year.

This case therefore illustrates the importance of the need for separate risk assessment for all activities and such assessments must be specific to any task undertaken by an employee during the course of his work.

For advice on employment issues please contact Graham Evans at Dibbens Solicitors on 01202 882456.

Compensation website launchedLaw firm Lester Aldridge has announced the launch of its specialist Personal Injury website, www.la-claims.com

Local insurance broker Alan & Thomas has teamed up with Aviva Risk Management Solutions to offer its commercial clients free access to a wide range of risk management tools and services.

The services and products can be accessed online for free and comprise risk management help and advice, access to Aviva experts, as well as a range of business tools and other services. Discounted terms for training and consultancy services to help businesses manage their exposure to risk and help increase their own levels of competency have been agreed as part of the package.

Managing Director of the Poole and Gillingham-based broker, Julian Boughton said of the service, ‘Businesses that manage their risks by implementing health and safety training, having a business continuity plan in place and so on are a far better proposition for insurers, so we, as brokers, are able to negotiate on their behalf better terms and discounts on their premiums.

‘We are proud to have joined forces with Aviva to offer this special service to our clients free of charge, which is something that very few brokers in the UK offer.’

As part of the service, clients can access online e-training courses on subjects such as fire safety, food hygiene and working at height at very competitive rates. They have access to training courses accredited by organisations such as The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) that give delegates a recognised professional qualification on completion to enhance in-house capabilities.

Jeremy Wall, Aviva Risk Management Solutions’ Regional Manager for the South West and Wales Region remarked, ‘Some SME businesses struggle to source up to date advice on issues such as health and safety but with access to our risk management tools via Alan & Thomas, we are helping clients to reduce the risks to their business.’

As well as training courses, clients can also have unlimited access to over two hundred free legal and business guides on topics ranging from environmental management and employment to occupational health and property protection via Aviva’s knowledge store. There is also a regularly updated news section online, which publishes the very latest developments in legislation and industry specific news.

‘The service we provide for our clients doesn’t stop at the annual premium. We aim to become one of their trusted professional advisers and seek to offer advice and guidance on all aspects of risk management to help their business succeed,’ concluded Julian.

Alan & Thomas is a leading independent insurance broker based in Poole and Gillingham, Dorset. Established in 1975, the broker now has 60 staff and specialises in providing insurance solutions for businesses, organisations, charities and high net worth individuals. They have been awarded the prestigious title of Chartered Insurance Broker by the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Dorset’s creative talents on show at new autumn fairThe first ‘Designed in Dorset’ autumn fair is to be held on Thursday 1st November (evening preview, invitation only) and Friday 2nd November in the beautiful surroundings of Stockbridge Farm, just outside Sherborne, Dorset.

For more information visit www.designedindorset.com

Walker Agency brings in new planning team Jacolyn Daly, former Senior Planner at The Leith Agency, has joined Walker Agency in Bournemouth as its new head of planning.

Daly, who has also worked at Carbon Marketing and The Marketing Store, was responsible for award winning integrated campaigns for Sharpie Pens and Kerrygold Butter along with planning and development for brands as diverse as Creative Scotland, Nestlé Cereal Partners, VELUX, Knorr, BSkyB, V&A Dundee, MBNA, Walkers, Dove, Warner Bros, The British Motorshow and McDonald’s.

She is joined by James Hickman, formerly Creative Planner at Fallon, where he was involved in developing the Cadbury’s Joyville positioning and launched Natural Confectionery Company’s Guzzle Puzzle and Unilever’s digital portal, Food Solutions.

Martin Walker, CEO explained, ‘These appointments have boosted our strategic ability. Clients can now be assured of best in class service from conception to delivery.

‘It is great to have cemented our integrated approach with a highly experienced big brand planner with cross category experience.’

Daly added, ‘Martin has built a solid, creative agency here and has very ambitious plans for growth. I’m looking forward to playing my part.’

Sculpture unveiling marks beginning of national pilot project celebrating New Forest riversBecton Bunny, Jacobs Gutter, Highland Water and Dark Water – these are just some of the streams in the New Forest which are as fascinating as their names. Now the New Forest National Park Authority has received a Defra awarded grant to devise a way for whole communities to work together for the benefit of their local rivers, streams and coastine, with the results contributing to a nationwide rollout.

The project was recently launched with the unveiling of a striking sculpture entitled the ‘Millings Chandelier’ at The Mill at Gordleton Hotel & Restaurant.

The Mill, at Silver Street, Hordle near Lymington, and which sits on the Avon Water, features a range of sculptures by high profile local and national artists. This latest dramatic addition by Lymington-based Trudi Lloyd-Williams is suspended across the river. It is made from upcycled waste from the hotel and restaurant - glass and plastic bottles and copper from water pipes and a hot water tank. - in keeping with the ethos of the business, which incorporates many environmentally-friendly practices.

The New Forest River Catchment Project is trialling a new locally-based approach to working with stakeholders to achieve a greater appreciation of the water

environment and commitment to joint projects to improve it. The initial phase is now under way and has already started to talk with local partners and communities, with a report due by the end of the year. Work is currently concentrating on the Becton Bunny at Barton-on-Sea and the Sowley and Hatchet streams with their associated small lakes near Beaulieu. If this approach is successful it will be continued to cover the other New Forest streams and coastline.

For more details visit www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/looking-after/wildlife/catchment-project

Close up of the Millings Chandelier by Trudi Lloyd Williams

Visit www.bizmag.co.uk October 201226 Visit www.bizmag.co.uk2012 October 27

[email protected]

“there is nothing new to talk about in my business”

I hear this every week from new clients. It seems most marketers feel this way about creating content. It often leads to a sustained attack of ‘writer’s block’. You need a paradigm shift. Try Dom’s ‘Marketing Mirror’, you will need any mirror to try this:

Amazing isn’t it? It’s exactly the same room but now you are noticing walls, furniture and lighting with ‘new eyes’ in the reflection. Congratulations, you have just had a paradigm shift.

Now look at your business ‘in the mirror’. This is your secret weapon to letting the words flow, as you notice some very basic but brilliant features of your business, your people, your products and your services, your experiences and your support.

Without your own Marketing Mirror you are too close to see all the marketing ‘gold dust’ sprinkled around your business. But I assure you it is there once you start to see your business through your customers’ eyes.

Want your own ‘Marketing Mirror’ to see your business as never before? We run Gold Dust workshops at TMB to help marketers learn how to generate plenty of content for their marketing.

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About the author: Dom Yeadon, e-marketing consultant of 17 years, heads up digital marketing agency TMB in Poole and specialises in increasing revenues through improved marketing communications.

Get a mirror.

Enewsletters Marketing extranets Mobile microsites QR code marketing

1. Hold the mirror up close to your face and turn until you can

see the room in the reflection.

2. See how different the room now looks, get close to the mirror

to maximise the effect.

3. Look at the room in the reflection, from different angles.

4. Notice what ‘new’ features now stand out for the first time.

GREENTREE ANNOUNCES RAPID EXPANSION OF UK PARTNER NETWORKTough times are providing the ideal growth environment for Greentree software with the announcement of new partner Dorset-based iConexx.

‘In the current climate, businesses are facing the twin challenges of really needing to innovate and significantly lower costs. This is where Greentree can provide a rapid payback,’ says Greentree’s UK Managing Director, Harry Mowat.

Greentree has made its mark in the tough business software market, consistently beating bigger rivals by delivering innovative, robust and affordable systems to the medium-sized enterprises that are the heart of any economy.

Recently, Greentree shocked the business software market by announcing ‘Game On’ the opportunity for one deserving UK business to win up to £150k of fully installed business systems including two years cloud hosting.

For more information visit www.iconexx.com

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risky business

Death of the LAnDLIne PHone

Government proposes to stop health & safety inspections for small businessesThe International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) comments on Cameron’s announcement

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that small businesses will no longer be subject to health and safety inspections unless they are in a high risk activity or have a poor record of previous incidents. This seems to go further than the proposals for this sector in Professor Löfstedt’s report and coupled with the major cuts to the HSE and EHOs looks as though the worst suspicions about the governments intentions may be correct.

Although the government is keen to remove what they see as the ‘burden’ of health and safety from small businesses it is the SME sector which employs most of the UK workforce. Do we really want to see the majority of our workers with no protection?

Although the UK legislative approach is based on assessing and preventing the risk we have always acknowledged that we need this to be supported by a fair enforcement system which is aimed at being part of this preventive approach. Even though these small businesses can still be held to account for worker injuries is it not too late after the incident has happened.

Is this not also short sighted from the perspective of the business? For years now, all parties in health and safety, HSE, professional organisation, trade unions etc., have been preaching the message that good health and safety management is good for business; now it appears that the government is sending out the opposite message in spite of the comments of its own review committees. Surely constructive inspections represent a valuable source of support for small

businesses.In May this year, US OSHA

published a report from a joint study by University of California and Harvard University which demonstrate the value of inspections in terms both of the numbers of injuries and of the cost to both businesses and society. The study covered companies of all sizes and demonstrated an average saving to a business of $355,000 (£222,000) pa. The study can be found on the OSHA website atwww.osha.gov/as/opa/quicktakes/qt05292012sis.html.

It is interesting that this announcement has been made at the start of the TUC Conference. It will be interesting to see what comments there are particularly from those unions with members in SMEs.

International safety Awards The British Safety Council has launched its 2013 International Safety Awards scheme designed to recognise good health and safety management over the past year.

2013 will mark the fifty-fifth year of the International Safety Awards which have made a significant contribution over many years in promoting the benefits that well managed workplace health and safety bring.

These awards are open to all organisations, both members of the British Safety Council and non-members in the UK and overseas.

Awards relate to individual sites and business units and organisations can enter as many sites or business units as they wish. Applications must be completed online and submitted by the closing date of 25th January 2013.

The eligibility criteria and details of how to apply can be found at www.britsafe.org/isa

Alan & Thomas Insurance Group is a trading name of Alan & Thomas Insurance Brokers Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

� Top 100 Independent UK Broker* � Dedicated teams specialising in motor trade,

property, manufacturing and wholesale, retail, heritage, leisure, agriculture, transport, private medical and personal high net worth insurance

� Competitive premiums from UK’s leading insurers

� Offices in Poole, Gillingham and Frome � Free review of current insurance arrangements

Commercial Insurance Solutions

www.alan-thomas.co.uk* Top 100 Independent Brokers 2011 published by Insurance Age in association with Cornell Consulting

[email protected] 754900

Business Magazine ad 123x185mm.indd 1 18/04/2012 09:54

The office phone looks set to join cassettes, videos and dial-up internet in the technology graveyard as one in four British adults admit they are too nervous to use the landline telephone, according to new research by business communications firm Daisy Group Plc.

The findings emerged in a study of 2,000 office workers, and

shows 28% avoid human contact, preferring to shun the phone at all costs.

Most common fears of using the phone at work include never knowing who is on the other end, the worry of being caught off guard and the uncertainty of whether they’ll be able to help whoever is calling.

Indeed, 53% of workers prefer to conduct the majority of their business over e-mail wherever possible. And one in six people choose to ignore ALL incoming calls on the landline at work – unless it is completely unavoidable.

Younger workers are demonstrating a real avoidance of personal interaction, with 35% of 18-24 year olds revealing that they lack confidence on the telephone, compared to 10% of over 55s. The same number of 18-24 year olds (35%) said they avoided using the landline at work altogether, preferring to interact over e-mail instead.

Andrew Goldwater, Commercial Director at Daisy, which

conducted the research in conjunction with the launch of its web and audio conferencing solution, said, ‘Increasingly, people are shying away from human contact in the office, particularly younger workers, and we’re starting to see the demise of the business landline and traditional

office phone as a result. ‘Today’s younger office

workers are far more tech savvy having been exposed to major advancements in mobile and online communications, which has in turn removed the need to use a traditional communications methods such as the desk phone.’

A recent Ofcom report has found that two fifths of UK adults now own and use a smartphone to access the internet*. That’s hardly surprising given how popular mobile devices have become, but what is surprising is that organisations have been somewhat slow to adapt to the smartphone’s rising popularity.

When first developed, websites were oriented toward desktop and laptop users and assumed that consumers had large screens and technology such as Flash to navigate through content. Fast forward to the present and such conventional websites are likely to put off customers who are using a handheld device to look for information and/or to buy goods and services from your organisation.

Some businesses have tried to address the exponential growth of handheld devices by building separate websites which are optimised for mobile and can run alongside their desktop sites. This fragmented approach means that there is more than one website to develop and maintain and this can prove rather expensive. Furthermore, with the advent of tablet devices there are even more screen sizes to consider. Thankfully

an approach for websites called ‘responsive design’ offers a solution that’s much easier to manage and is more cost effective.

Responsive web design displays the same content as a ‘conventional’ website but uses layouts suited to a device’s width. Whether a customer views the site on a smartphone, a tablet or a conventional PC screen, the website adjusts the layout accordingly, giving a consistent look and feel no matter what the device. Yes, it actually is a one size fits all approach that works! Customers who use a plethora of devices and browsers will access a single source of content - your website - which is laid out to make it easy to read and navigate with a minimum of resizing, panning and scrolling.

It’s time to think of handheld devices first because ultimately, it is how most of your consumers will be accessing your website. Most of us are all too aware of how frustrating it can be to view a ‘conventional’ website over a mobile phone. If a website is either taking too long to load or appears too cumbersome to navigate, remember that a competitor’s website is only a couple of clicks away. A customer spurned is a customer lost.

*The Communications Market July 2012, Ofcom


It’s all Greek to me!

Something’s afoot!

Get yourself noticed... if you have a story to tell, tell everyone!Rowan White Photographic telling stories in pictures and words for 26 yearsFor all your photographic requirements from Architecture to Web, from Conference to PRA coffee and a chat will cost you nothing... ‘One call to me and I’ll come to you.’

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Aspasia Training Consultants Ltd’s founder and Managing Director Nicky Donnelly is a training specialist, not surprisingly!

Aspasia who? I hear you ask, it all sounds Greek to me, and you’d

be right, it is Greek. But it wasn’t ‘All Greek’ to Santander, which is Spanish.

The giant Spanish Bank is currently laying the foundations for the take-over of all the Royal Bank of Scotland high street branches in England and Wales. To ensure that the transition runs smoothly Santander has called upon Aspasia’s expertise to design the training for the team who will implement ‘Project Rainbow’, the system of integration of RBS branches into Santander.

This was a significant challenge for Aspasia, as firstly, and most importantly, Nicky had to get ‘inside the head’ of both RBS and Santander, in order to understand their culture and processes. Nicky and her team spent three months putting the programme together.

Alan Newton-Coombs, Principle Training Consultant on the Project Rainbow team commented, ‘As a project lead on the Santander/Rainbow Project I had the benefit of working with Nicky as a Design Resource. In her role she was

The most recent Buy Dorset event, hosted by Paula Stainer of Stainers the footwear specialist, saw members treated to an array of therapies, from Sports Massage to Podiatry to Manicures, as well as specialist shoe fitting.

2012 marks the centenary of the family owned business and the event saw three generations of the family in attendance. The company originally made and repaired shoes, but this changed in the 1980’s when it moved into the Safety Footwear market. Since then, everyday footwear has been introduced, and earlier this year part of the premises was completely refurbished. The refurbishment was carried

‘Come and get wise with Talk Moneywise’The latest of many government initiatives aimed at bridging the on-going pensions gap, Pension Auto Enrolment, (PAE), is being rolled out over the next five years. The new legislation is putting more responsibility onto employers from both an administrative and financial point of view.

Talk Moneywise, the Personal and Business Financial Solutions company, is offering two free half day seminars on the subject of PAE. The seminars will be presented by Dave Black, Business Development Director at Talk Moneywise, in conjunction with Chris Wilkinson of the HR Dept. Chris Wilkinson will be offering advice on the setting up and running of the scheme. He will also be highlighting the changes in employee contracts specifically in relation to terms and conditions.

Dave Black explains, ‘When a new employee joins a company they should automatically be enrolled into the company

pension scheme, previously this was done on a voluntary basis, but now the employee must voluntarily opt out if they do not wish to participate.’ He continues, ‘The employer must not be seen to encourage the employee to opt out, and it is likely that a minimum contribution of 3% of salary will eventually have to be made by the employer, subject to the employees contribution level.’

Every company will receive a staging date from the Pensions Regulator, which will be dependent on the size of the company. This is the date when the company pension scheme must be fully compliant with the new PAE rules and must be fully implemented.

The seminar has been designed to give an overview of how PAE will impact businesses, what changes lay ahead and what needs to be done in preparation for the staging date. We advise that companies start looking at their option’s as soon as possible, to ensure a smooth transition. This is especially advised for companies that already have a pension scheme, and who may

have to look at an alternative provider because not all pension providers will be supporting PAE moving forward.

Talk Moneywise operates a growing national chain of high street branches offering a wide range of truly Independent Financial Services. Talk Moneywise’s mission is to put the ‘Personal’ back into financial advice when most other organisations are becoming increasingly faceless with call centres and websites being the only way to communicate. Its fully equipped high street branches are open for customers to pop in without an appointment and speak to a team of expert qualified advisers about a broad range of financial products and services.

Each branch is dedicated to supporting the local business community, and it is such businesses that Talk Moneywise would like to invite to the free seminars on the subject of PAE which comes into effect from October 2012. All companies with HR or Financial Directors are invited, and advised, to attend this informative session.

Free seminarsThe free seminars are to be held on Wednesday 14th November 2012 at the Carlton Hotel Bournemouth. The morning session, registration at 9am for a 9.30am start and the afternoon session, registration 1.30pm for a 2.00pm start. Each session is for 2 hours and to include light refreshments. Spaces are limited to 25 per session. To book your place please contact Dave Black on 01202 759999 or e-mail [email protected] and you can find out more about Talk Moneywise at www.talkmoneywise.co.uk

out to incorporate Silk Nails & Beauty, a new Stainer company, which offers various treatments by qualified therapists on site, the same treatments as those sampled by Buy Dorset members at the event.

Tax relief for businesses! You could be forgiven, with all the doom and gloom about a double dip recession, for being pessimistic about the future prospects for business.

understated about their success, Ashley commented, ‘We know our market very well and our growth has been built on offering traditional values, giving a great service at an agreed price, as well as having a high street presence.’

Offering tax advice and a full accountancy service to SME’s, all their clients know that they will only have to pay exactly what is due to HMRC. With previous experience in both private practice and industry, Adrian and Ashley feel that they can offer a more relevant service to that of other accountants. Ashley continues, ‘We offer a fixed fee service, so

all our clients know in advance exactly what they’ll be paying. Some accountants use a time billing system charging separately

for e-mails, letters, phonecalls etc, with TaxAssist everything is included within a fixed fee, so combined with our very competitive rates our clients are in control of their costs.’

So tax relief for businesses is assured, in the sense that TaxAssist will take the strain out of dealing with HMRC, as they are able to speak the same language.

The planned opening of their Ferndown office will take place during October. Ashley and Adrian are happy to offer a free initial consultation and you can contact them on, 01202 489086 or, [email protected]

Alternatively you can find out more by visiting www.taxassist.co.uk/bournemouth

required to source, build and develop curriculum to enable the integration of the RBS Retail Branches into the Santander Branch Network, a task that she fulfilled with great competence. As a designer, Nicky continuously demonstrated a high level of diligence and capability when producing items of curriculum. I would highly recommend her to any project.’

High praise indeed, as this would have been a major task for any company, but one that was ideally suited to the experience, knowledge, and professional expertise of Nicky’s team.

Aspasia Consultants work in partnership with clients to provide almost every aspect of training that any company or individual may require. All courses can be offered in house and can be from a half day workshop to a 6 month programme, on a 1-1 basis or for groups.

Another significant fact is that Aspasia Consultants Ltd is an approved centre for the Institute of Leadership and

Management (ILM). This enables Aspasia to offer Leadership and Management coaching and mentoring qualifications.

To illustrate the impact Aspasia’s bespoke courses can have on a business, Nicky quotes the story of a local, but high profile Insurance Company. Aspasia was asked to design, and implement, its Sales Team Manager Development programme. This led to a significant uplift in Management Skills, and the Advisor population exceeding all pre-set targets.

Nicky’s philosophy is to say ‘yes’ to anything if it presents an opportunity, so if you would like to find out more about Aspasia, and the services that are on offer, you can contact Nicky on 01202 873518 or [email protected] or visit their website at www.aspasia-consultants.co.uk

By the way, Aspasia was an exceptionally educated lady, clearly ahead of her time, as she was mentor to both Plato and Socrates.

Malcolm Scott-Walby, Director of Buy Dorset commented, ‘Having members like Stainers with such an incredible heritage can only benefit Buy Dorset, and I congratulate them on their fantastic achievement of reaching their centenary.’

Two new events for your diary are: Bournemouth & Poole College, Enterprise Unit, North Road on 17th October, 6pm-8pm, and Xmas Drinks Social at the Norfolk Royale Hotel, Bournemouth, on 28th November.

Buy Dorset holds regular events at member businesses throughout Dorset, its prime purpose being to encourage business between its members and within Dorset. If you would like to find out more please contact [email protected] or visit www.buydorset.co.ukAlternatively you can contact Sophie Cort, Events Co-ordinator on 01202 611171.

But, thankfully, you don’t have to look much beyond your own doorstep to find fantastic success stories created by still optimistic business owners.

One such success story is that of TaxAssist Accountants based in Southbourne. They only opened their doors for the first time in November 2010, but are already about to open their second office, this time in Ferndown. Their growth has been phenomenal, from a standing start with no clients, they now have 300 clients on their books, in under two years.

Adrian and Ashley Bainton, a father and son team, are typically

Nicky Donnelly, doing what comes naturally!

Ashley Bainton shows ‘legally gotten gains’.

L-r: Sophie Cort, Adele Edmund, Paula Stainer, Malcolm Scott-Walby, Sarah Young, Hayley Willats and Kim Walker-Hibbitt

Talk Moneywise high street branding.

r o wA n w H I T e P H o T o G r A P H I C t e l l i n g s t o r i e s i n p i c t u r e s a n d w o r d sVisit www.bizmag.co.uk October 201230 31

education works

German bus apprentice team visits Bluestar’s depot

L-r: Steve Prewett and Terry Murphy with the German bus trainees at Bluestar’s Barton Park Depot

Mazars comes top of the class for academy work

The Poole office of international accountancy and business advisory firm, Mazars, has recently added two more school academies to its client portfolio. Mazars has been appointed to represent The Wey Valley School & Sports College in Weymouth and also Wyvern School in Weymouth. The firm already represents two Bournemouth-based academies - Bournemouth School for Girls and St Peter’s School.

The firm is looking to further wins as more and more schools seek to switch status.

Lesley Fox who is a Partner with Mazars and also Head of Education within the firm said, ‘Typically, academies are turning to the accountancy profession for support as the running of such schools moves out with local authority control which represents a major challenge for governors.’

Conversion to academy status requires legal advice, human resource advice, software licences, data transfer, signage, re-branding, Company House registration and a host of other matters. Annual challenges include preparation of annual financial statements, statutory audit requirements, valuation of local government pension schemes, teachers’ pensions audit, compliance with charity and company law, Education Funding Agency (EFA) guidance and VAT.

Members of the Academy Trust are responsible for running the school, controlling land and other assets and appointing governors. The governing body manages the academy on behalf of the members of the Academy Trust. Its key responsibilities include ensuring the quality of educational provision; challenging and monitoring the performance

Lesley Fox

Magna celebrates nVQ successWork-based study has paid off for staff at Magna Housing Group, who have been presented with their NVQ qualifications.

A dozen members of staff received certificates and were praised by Magna Chief Executive Graham Colls for their hard work.

‘It’s very pleasing for me personally to see the smiles on people’s faces,’ he said. ‘There are various qualifications at various levels. One member of staff has gained a level 7, which is the equivalent of a Masters degree or post-graduate qualification. All of this has to be fitted around work, which is very impressive.’

of the academy; managing finances and property; employing staff; complying with both charity and company law; ensuring corporate governance is maintained and monitoring risks.

Jamie Wearn, who is a Manager with Mazars and specialises in working with academies said, ‘It is a formidable task but increasing numbers of schools believe it is worth it. We go in, help with establishing the academy, provide on-going advice and do some of the tasks the school would rather not do itself, allowing it to concentrate on student education and having the freedom to be innovative and make their own decisions on how to run the school.’

Seven German apprentice bus drivers and mechatronic apprentices have spent 10 days with Hampshire bus operator Bluestar as part of a 15 day visit to the UK, funded under the Leonardo mobility programme. The tour of the company’s Barton Park depot was arranged by the Bristol based S&B Automotive Academy.

The visitors, mainly from Hamburg, were accompanied by S&B’s Representative Terry Murphy and were greeted by Area Engineering Manager Steve Prewett who conducted the tour prior to a lunch and chance to travel by bus on some of the key routes on the network to see

Southampton and Winchester.Steve Prewett said that the

visit to the UK is an important part of the student’s three year apprentice curriculum: ‘The visit encourages them to speak English and to learn how our UK operations work, but we ensured that they have had the opportunity to enjoy their visit with time spent understanding how our engineering and operations departments work.’

Bluestar is at present looking into the possibility of running its own driver apprenticeship scheme working in conjunction with S&B to establish a workable curriculum.

Helen Jamieson, Jaluch CEO

OLDER AND WISER!

South Coast HR & Training experts celebrate 10th birthday

We have all seen endless changes in local businesses over the past few years with some really respected names having disappeared totally. However, Jaluch is excited and pleased to announce that we are here to stay and this month we achieved our 10th Anniversary!

We started life in October 2002 in just a tiny office in central Bournemouth which our accountants rented to us and now we have offices and clients across the UK, a group of incredibly loyal and hard working staff and an exciting strategy for future service development and growth.

But looking back 10 years for just a few moments, what exactly makes us feel older and wiser? Well...

• Mobile phones for communicating on the go with clients were only just coming in;

• Leadership programmes for managers were virtually unheard of;

• We could still bribe our clients, retire our staff at 60, and totally ignore our temps;

• Facebook and social media type hassles for HR were still at least two years away; and

• Fit notes to tell us that sick people are in fact fit whilst still sick were not even on the remotest radar.

We look forward to the next 10 years!

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”

Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros 1927

It has been found that around 30% of British companies spend absolutely nothing on searching for new ideas, services and products HOWEVER 50% do recognise that innovation is critical to business growth and success.

We might though, ask why only 50% recognise that innovation is critical. What are the other 50% doing? Sitting tight hoping the market place, economic and work environment won’t change?

But more importantly what is your organisation doing? Innovating regularly, innovating when your back’s against the wall, or just not innovating at all?

Ringwood-based HR and training consultancy Jaluch has delivered several courses on innovation recently such as Learning how to Innovate, Feeling Confident with Innovation, Creating an Innovative Culture etc. We find that innovation in businesses is often driven by one or more of the following:

• Improve quality

• Develop a reputation as a market leader

• Seek or enter new markets

• Extend the product range

• Reduce costs/improve production

• Address environmental issues/reduce energy consumption

• Replace services or products that are nearing their end

• Address regulatory or other requirements

Interestingly, many organisations are of the view that innovation deals mainly with new product development. The reality is that many businesses are not continually developing new products, but are continually rethinking and innovating around the existing product and/or service offering. Hundreds or even thousands of tiny innovations across the year are often the key to keeping a business moving and progressing.

But we find there are 3 major challenges as change and innovation won’t happen unless:

1. You create an environment that enables innovative practices to flourish.

2. You identify the right people in your business to innovate. To do this you need to

understand the skills and strengths of those in the business and then provide the opportunities for them to innovate.

3. You find a way to make innovation and collaboration a daily occurrence in business rather than just something that happens when you are having a crisis.

One thing we are often asked is: “Can you train staff to be more innovative and creative or is this something you have to be born with?”

The answer is that we have seen individuals start a training session saying they have no ideas, they are not creative and that innovation needs to be left to others. But at the end of a day of having fun, bouncing ideas around, and working crazy ideas through to sensible practical ones, we have seen delegates’ personal confidence transform as they find out they can be creative and they can be innovative in the right environment.

But turning our focus from staff to leadership, we like this quote by FM Young: “It isn’t the incompetent who destroy an organisation. The incompetent never get in a position to destroy it. It is those who achieved something and want to rest upon their achievements who are forever clogging things up.” And it prompts the question, to what degree do people in your industry resist or not encourage change and in the long term, if not addressed, what might this mean for your business?

Interested in upping the level of innovation in your business? Interested in supporting your natural innovators and limiting the influence of your ‘change saboteurs’? Want to support staff with their confidence around innovation? Then call us at Jaluch on 01425 479888. H R & T r a i n i n g C o n s u l t a n c y

Jaluch

IGNITE YOUR INNOVATION

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Coaching = successShirley Thompson, locally known as the Desk Coach, has recently completed her first year of coaching and mentoring post graduate study at Oxford Brookes University.

Shirley is a professional coach who helps individuals and teams be more effective and satisfied at work. Her skill area is project, process and time management, particularly in IT, or any scientific, technical or creative profession or trade. Shirley is actively involved in local groups affiliated to Toastmasters International which uses a coaching approach for developing leadership and public speaking prowess.

Contact Shirley by e-mail [email protected]


freight forwarder freight forwarder

Testing time for buses and lorries in BournemouthThe new Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) at Bournemouth Transport’s Yeomans Way site is approved by the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

It provides annual tests to operators of HGV and PCV vehicles across a wide area including Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

The new Bournemouth ATF is one of about 220 non-VOSA sites nationwide accounting for just under 50% of tests. It is the only one authorised in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch conurbation.

VOSA’s stated aim is to transfer the majority of its core testing services to non-VOSA sites by March next year.

Gary Corrie, Bournemouth Transport’s Engineering Director, said, ‘We’ve always had an excellent relationship with our local VOSA testing centre. Currently we are testing two days a week and hope to build up to four days by the end of the year.

‘Being able to offer annual tests on our own site represents a major step forward as well as a more convenient service for HGV and PCV operators in Dorset and beyond,’ added Mr Corrie.

The new Bournemouth ATF can be contacted on 01202 636040.

VOSA’s Sarah Smith declares the new Bournemouth ATF open watched by (l-r) Kevin Betteridge, Bournemouth Transport’s Service Delivery Manager; Gary Corrie, Engineering Director; Paul Hill, VOSA Vehicle Inspector, and Dave Symes, Fleet Administration, Bournemouth Transport.

£800,000 HIRE TRUCK INVESTMENT TO AVOID LONDON LEZ CHARGESDorset-based vehicle bodywork specialist Horton Commercials Ltd has completed the construction of 23 new trucks for its Ferndown and Andover-based sister company Abacus Vehicle Hire. The £800,000 investment is to provide the new 10 and 7.5 ton trucks for corporate hire customers who use the vehicles within London’s Low Emission Zone and face a charge of up to £200 per day if the vehicles used do not fall within the required regulations.

The group’s Managing Director Dave Wolfenden, said that the hire business has now upgraded 45 of its 60 truck fleet so that customers can avoid the LEZ charge.

Horton Commercials Manager Jeff Wentworth with one of the new trucks.

Delivering customer satisfaction....

For all your freight needs — large or small — contact us at:

Wyvern Cargo tel 01202 307500

The Kite Kids range of organic boys’ and girls’ clothing was created by Jo Spragg, an enterprising mother of three with a background in childrenswear. In 2007 she and her husband Richard launched a distinctive range of beautiful and contemporary styled clothing for babies and children aged 0-11 years, manufactured from planet-friendly and ethically sourced organic cotton and recycled polyester.

‘We’re based at Poole, Dorset and our Kite Kids brand is very much inspired by our love of the outdoors,’ declares Jo. The orders are prepared for despatch by a specialist team at Wyvern Cargo’s Poole depot and distributed by its sister company, Poole Express, through the FedEx world-wide delivery network.

Kite Kids clothing is available from their website, www.kite-kids.co.uk and from a fast growing number of specialist childrenswear retailers across the UK, Europe and the USA. Jo Spragg

KITe KIDs’ PLAneT-FrIenDLy CLoTHInG £12.1m to improve transport links Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset have been allocated a massive £12.1m by the government to improve the main east west transport links between Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

Led by Bournemouth Borough Council, the three neighbouring authorities joined together in submitting a business case which includes a host of projects designed to encourage more sustainable travel in the ‘three towns corridor’.

The cash injection comes from a national £600m fund, designed to help local transport authorities support the local economy and reduce carbon emissions from transport. The three councils were in competition with 12 other local authorities for the central government funding.

MAKE SUNDAY A DAY OF REST: Ban HGVs on motorways says presidentThe incoming president of the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) risks the wrath of truckers - but may earn the adulation of weekend motorists - as he calls for the UK to consider banning HGVs from its motorways on Sundays.

Richard Hayes, who recently became president of the IHE, wants the government to consider freeing Britain’s motorways of heavy freight vehicles on Sundays and will be writing to the Roads Minister, Mike Penning, to request the Department of Transport investigates the matter.

Looking for precedents, Hayes points across the English Channel to where several mainland European Union countries impose restrictions on the times and days when heavy goods vehicles can be driven on public roads. France, Spain and Italy have a general ban on the movement of vehicles with a maximum gross weight of 7.5 tonnes on Sundays and during public holidays. However, there is currently no general European standard, and there is a wide variation in how long the restrictions last, when they start and finish, the types of vehicle covered and exemptions from the restrictions.

DP World Southampton wins Rail Freight Group Customer Care AwardExemplary customer service by the operator of Southampton’s container port has been officially recognised with a national accolade by the rail freight industry.

Britain’s Rail Freight Group (RFG), comprising more than 100 members from shipping lines to high street chains, bestowed the title to DP World Southampton, which runs the terminal.

DP World Southampton impressed judges for offering the most reliable port rail feed service of its kind in the UK, with a near 100% success rate for delivering container boxes to rail.

The accolade is especially significant as boxes moved by rail account for 36% of the terminal’s throughput, with each freight train removing an estimated 60 lorries from congested roads.

An average 3,000 boxes a week are moved by DP World Southampton to and from the dedicated Freightliner Maritime Terminal.

Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, said, ‘Exemplary customer care is at the heart of our philosophy and, with this prestigious award, we can justifiably say that the terminal offers the most reliable port rail feed service for boxes-to-rail in the UK.’

Rail freight volumes at Southampton jumped from 30% to 36% in four months on the back of the W10 Southampton to Nuneaton (West Coast Main Line) Gauge Clearance Project, which was declared open in February 2011 and is Britain’s latest rail freight highway.

Huelin DispatchSouthampton to Channel Islands freight shipping company Huelin Renouf is taking delivery of an £8.8m state-of-the-art new vessel called Huelin Dispatch. At 88.6 metres long and capable of carrying 176 containers, 42 more than its predecessor, the new vessel is also quicker, more economical and more environmentally friendly.

Logistic solutionPallet pool operator LPR UK, a division of Euro Pool System, has appointed Ali Hussain to the newly-created role of Commercial Manager.

Euro Pool System is Europe’s leading logistics service provider of returnable packaging solutions for fresh produce. The company employs 155 people in ten countries and operates in 15 countries, in which it manages more than 620 million roundtrips of returnable trays per year. The company has a network of 45 service centres all over Europe.

For further information visit www.europoolsystem.com

Ali Hussain


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Government moves to kick-start the economy through changes to the planning system have received only a cautious welcome from legal experts in Dorset.

Law firm Battens believes that removing obligations to build affordable housing in development projects will not necessarily stimulate the construction sector. And while relaxing the planning rules for building extensions will benefit some homeowners and businesses, they may not help struggling retailers, the practice says.

The coalition trumpeted its package of proposals in a headline announcement designed to target ‘red tape’ and generate both supply and demand side activity in what remains a sluggish property market.

But Battens Associate Solicitor and Planning Expert Phil Crowther said in response: ‘While we of course hope the affordable housing proposals have the desired effect, they rely on a major assumption. No-one knows if developers will suddenly start building again even if the amount of affordable housing required is reduced. Equally importantly, no-one knows whether, even if more homes

Jury’s out on planning shake-up, say Dorset lawyers

activity. Kick-starting the market is about more than just planning rules. There has to be a co-ordinated focus on investment, tax rules, loan guarantees and overall business confidence before we can expect to see a real impact on market growth and job creation. That said it is early days for these proposals and we look forward with interest to see the detail of the changes.’

Philip Burbidge, Consultant Solicitor in Construction Law at Battens, questioned the government’s plan to bring 5,000 empty homes back into use. He said there were an estimated 37,500 empty homes across Somerset, Dorset and Devon. Of these, some 12,000 have been empty for six months or more.

Mr Burbidge said, ‘Many of the new proposals are very laudable but the resourcing looks as if it will only scratch the surface. One wonders how many of the empty properties in our region will receive the kiss of life. This is a shame as dealing with the issue sufficiently would not only alleviate some of the housing problem but also provide much needed works for smaller contractors and create more environmentally friendly homes.’

are built, there will be the demand for them. Mortgage finance is prohibitively expensive for many even with a government backed loan for first time buyers.’

Mr Crowther added that the announcement of a £300m government fund to build up to 15,000 affordable homes had to be seen against years of under-provision and there was no guarantee it would make up the shortfall if new developments go ahead without social housing included.

Under the proposals affecting building extensions, all homeowners will be able to build 6m long extensions - 8m if it is a detached home - without planning permission. Likewise, businesses will be able to expand shop premises by 100 sq m without permission and industrial units by 200 sq m.

Mr Crowther agreed there was scope for some planning reforms on the subject of extensions but doubted whether these changes would of themselves help generate recovery.

He said, ‘Looking at the empty business units in some parts of our town centres, it is not a lack of floor space that is dampening retail

Phil Crowther

seG Commercial launch integrated solar panel roof installation systemSEG Commercial, part of the Save Energy Group, has introduced a breakthrough in the integration of Solar Photovoltaic Panel Systems with the EasyRoof installation system. Setting a new standard in solar panel installation, the EasyRoof system represents a genuine shift in the way solar energy will be incorporated in the UK both for new build commercial and domestic installations - as well as for retrofits.

Suitable for commercial buildings and apartment blocks, with tile or slate covered pitched roofs, the EasyRoof solar panel installation system provides the lowest possible profile on the market - with panels protruding no further than a traditional Velux window.

For architects and developers looking to include renewable energy, the EasyRoof system will result in an attractive reduction of material and labour costs at a time when keeping build budgets tight is paramount. Replacing elements of the conventional roof covering it can achieve savings of approximately 30sqm on a typical 4kWp solar PV system. Instead of paying for labour twice by tiling and then adding a conventional solar PV rail system – there is only the one step to this frame installation.

SEG Commercial Director, Mike Davies explains, ‘We have experienced a genuine interest from Architects and Developers who are extremely encouraged by what this technology will mean for the integration of renewable energy within the spectrum of new builds, extensions and retrofits. We would encourage interested parties to join us at some of our sites to see the product in situ.’

Senior Installer for SEG Commercial, Vaughan East, said, ‘Installation is incorporated straight onto the roof battens, during the initial roof construction - or during the re-roofing process, using a unique frame work manufactured from strong and lasting uPVC material.’

SEG Commercial has gone one step further in enhancing the appeal of solar photovoltaic panels, combining EasyRoof with their unique CIS Thin Film technology which they introduced to the UK this year as both installer and distributor. The panel is the only true environmentally-friendly panel option on the market, free from lead and cadmium and meeting the European RoHS compliance. An altogether more elegant, non-glare solution, it also offers a superb performance rating.

Renewable energy installers of some ten years, SEG Commercial will manage the entire renewable installation. Mike Davies said, ‘We organise precise coordination with site management so that the solar PV system fits seamlessly within the build project. As a company we only work with products that innovate, and enable us to move renewable energy forward in the UK. EasyRoof has been extensively tested to ensure excellent roof sealing and optimal PV panel ventilation, and offers reliable, safe and fast installation with easy design integration during the planning phase. We believe the combination of EasyRoof and CIS Thin Film panel technology provides leading energy generation- with high visual appeal and performance, at a highly competitive cost.’

Call 01202 713813 or e-mail [email protected]

High street in decline?We have all seen changes taking place on the high street with an increasing number of units becoming vacant or becoming occupied by charity shops. Robert Fairbairn of Goadsby property consultants says that this is having a significant impact on the type of advice given by surveyors to their clients.

The demand for retail space is declining with some estimates suggesting that half the existing retail space in some high streets will become redundant. This has implications for occupied units as well as the vacant ones.

The shrinking core retail area is likely to increase pressure for alternative uses, such as converting some existing retail units to residential. The value of many units will have regard to their potential to generate income from uses other than retail. Although the government has launched a number of policy initiatives aimed at keeping high streets healthy, the competition from internet sales means that many retail areas will never return to their former size.

Existing and potential landlords would, Robert suggests, be well advised to obtain specialist advice on how to maximize the long term value of retail property.

Contact Robert on 02380 227337.

Homeowners stay put and renovateWith the housing market stuck in the doldrums, homeowners are increasingly opting to improve their existing property rather than move home, according to new research from RICS.

Over 50% of chartered surveyors across the UK revealed that the slow sales market is prompting a growing number of people to improve their existing properties rather than move house. In the south west, the figure stands at just below 50%.

Muscliffe Primary continues to expand Chartered Building Company, Greendale Construction, has returned to Muscliffe Primary School where the firm will be carrying out ‘Phase 3’ of the school’s expansion plans.

Having previously impressed the school with the first 2 phases of the project, Greendale successfully negotiated to win the new £900,000 contract, which will see the creation of four new state of the art classrooms, as well as extending the admin office.

Phase 3 of Muscliffe Primary School will complete by the first quarter of 2013.

Site manager Mark Tappin and Greendale Director Rob Hooker at The Muscliffe Primary School site.


R e g i s t e r y o u r b u s i n e s s c l u b s a n d e v e n t s a t w w w . b i z m a g . c o . u k

Your Business andCommercial Specialist

Bournemouth: Broadstone: Christchurch: Verwood: Wimborne:01202 203200 01202 692448 01202 482202 01202 823308 01202 881454Bournemouth: Broadstone: Christchurch: Verwood: Wimborne:01202 203200 01202 692448 01202 482202 01202 823308 01202 881454

@HaroldGWalker

www.hgwalker.co.uk

Simon deals with all areas of property work and for the last twenty years has specialised in Commercial Property transactions.

• Estateandflatdevelopmentfor developers

• Acquisitionanddisposalofbusinesses

• Creationandtransferofcommercialleases

Call Simon on 01202 203212 or email [email protected] to see how he can help you.

Harold G WalkerYour Friend-in-Law

Boost productivity - curb employees’ use of social media

Are the banks in danger of getting it wrong again?

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Far too many companies still have problems with employees who are continually ‘distracted’ by social communication during the working day, the employment law specialist Bibby Consulting & Support has warned.

While the debate continues on just how much it costs companies when employees use social media sites - a firm with 100 staff could lose over 16 working hours every day if each person checked texts and Facebook posts for just 10 minutes - Bibby Consulting & Support said this was only part of the problem.

In fact, the company believes the main issue is that through the growth of social media applications, employees are

constantly aware of personal issues as a result of status updates and Tweets - so they are more distracted from their jobs than ever before.

But, says Bibby Consulting & Support’s Managing Director Michael Slade, businesses have an extremely simple solution to hand - they can create and implement a social media and IT policy.

This includes telling staff that they are not allowed to use their mobiles during office hours and can only turn them on at agreed breaks. They certainly should not use their mobiles while at their desks and could face disciplinary action if they do. Also, employers should make it clear to staff that all online activity must be work-related and that it will be monitored.

Slade is surprised that many prospects he talks to still don’t have any sort of IT/social

media policy and a recent survey showed this to be the case in 52% of companies. At the same time, analysis has revealed that the peak time for social media traffic is during working hours.

‘There is a serious problem here,’ says Slade. ‘These aren’t just marketing statistics used by software companies to help sell their content filtering products, these are very real issues for businesses who are fed up with employees downing tools and simply messing around on the web.’

He concludes, ‘Companies need to get tough and implement a strict policy. Having a comprehensive set of rules will help staff remain focused and so will drive up productivity. The good news here is that this can be achieved incredibly quickly and at zero cost to businesses.’

In response to the announcement by Barclays new CEO Antony Jenkins, that they are going to redefine their values, Jo Simpson, Organisational Values Specialist says that while on the surface this may appear a good thing, the reason why they are doing it needs to be examined.

Care needs to be taken, questions need to be asked. All too often when there has been a crisis, scandal or wake-up call, the first thing companies do is re-define their values and that’s not necessarily the way to fix it. They need to ensure that this is not just for a PR campaign. Core values are not

marketing slogans; they are the lifeblood of an organisation.

Simpson says one of the main problems is that most organisations are not fully in alignment with their values. This then results in a breakdown of trust, loss of respect and a demonstration of actions and behaviours that don’t represent what the company truly stands for at it’s core, ultimately affecting their productivity, profitability and reputation.

If Values in a company have been defined correctly, they don’t change, as they are the core of what the company stands for. Operating procedures, polices, best practices, and strategies can all change, but the core values do not.

So the key is to define them correctly and ensure they are ‘Alive and Active’ in the

organisation. The whole organisation needs to be engaged in this process for it to work. Simpson asks the question, ‘So, is it a case of Barclays needing to redefine their values?’, which may already be appropriate or is it more likely that they need to ensure that everyone in the organisation is aligned with them and truly bought in to what the organisation stands for! This can only be done with everyone’s involvement and engagement, otherwise employees can become cynical.

Off the back of this announcement, a lot of other banks are following suit - They need to get this right. Simpson believes that making values truly ‘Alive and Active’ in the banks is the key to a turnaround for a more sustainable, trusting and profitable future to the benefit of all concerned.

soap box

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THEBUSINESS · 2016-03-09 · L-r: Operations Manager James Walker, Sam Dearn, Marcus Hennessey and...

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Transcript of THEBUSINESS · 2016-03-09 · L-r: Operations Manager James Walker, Sam Dearn, Marcus Hennessey and...