KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees24, Januar y, 2012

INSIDE

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● Full story - Page 8

● Full story - Page 8

Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

ALISON FEARNS

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3Advice to jobhunter s

S to r y - Page 5

An EXAMINER publication

MakingroomA FIRM of architectshas created more officespace in Huddersfield.Aedas Architects Ltdhas reached agreementwith landlord ROProperties to release afurther floor forrefurbishment at NUHouse in Market Street.Aedas will surrenderpart of the third floorand take on a new10-year lease on8,400sq ft of space onthe fourth floor.

Warmingto ChinaA COMPANY inHuddersfield is provinghot stuff. Fired upCorporation Ltd wasnamed winner of theRising Stars categoryin the Cathay PacificChina BusinessAwards 2011 – acontest to reward UKfirms making inroadsin China and HongKong. Fired Up wasrecognised for itssuccess in setting up a300,000sq ft factory inZhongshan, China, tocomplementproduction from its100,000sq ft site atLongroyd Bridge.

JULIE SYKESFTSE 100+54.01

5782.56

Firm takes exportroute to SwedenA COMPANY in Huddersfield is driv-ing ahead after notching up its firstexport success.

Shepley-based camper van conver-sion specialist Wellhouse Leisure hascompleted the sale of its award-win-ning Hyundai camper van toSweden.

Managing director David Elliottsaid: “We have been working with anumber of Hyundai dealers and headoffices around the world.

“This is great news for all of us andshows that you can export in the UKmotorhome industry.”

Wellhouse – with help from govern-ment export support body UK Trade& Investments – worked with aSwedish dealer for several months asthe conversion had to be reversed forthe left-hand drive market.

Said Mr Elliott: “The Hyundai con-v e r s i o n w e b u i l d h a s b e e nwell-received all over the world.

“We have had enquiries from as faraway as Australia, New Zealand andSouth Africa.

“To get the first export under ourbelt is fantastic.”

The first camper van was delivered

to Andres Nielson, chairman of theHyundai dealers’ association ofSweden. The vehicle will be used as ahire vehicle.

But Mr Elliott said: “If all goes well,Sweden are talking of orderingbetween 50 and 100 campers a year.

“With worldwide interest, we expectturnover and the number of camperswe build to almost double in 2012.

“We have already started to give ourwebsite a worldwide feel by having thehomepage in 10 different languages.But the vans all sport the new Well-house logo and ‘Made in Hudders-field’ badge.”

The export win follows a year ofsuccess for Wellhouse Leisure.

The firm was a double winner in the2010 Examiner Business Awards. Thecompany was winner of the KirkleesCouncil Make it Huddersfield Awardwhile Mr Elliott was named FantasticMedia Young Business Person of theYear.

The firm’s Hyundai i800 campervanalso won the Motor Caravan Award atthe 2012 Caravan Industry Awardswhile the conversion gained fullapproval from the UK trade organisa-

tion, the National Caravan Council.And Wellhouse Leisure also

achieved ISO 9001 accreditation for itsmanufacturing processes.

A keen camper van fan, Mr Elliottset up Deepcar Motorhomes with hisfather in 1995 before launching Well-house Leisure in 2002.

■ VAN MAN: David Elliott (right), of Wellhouse Leisure, with Andres Nielson,chairman of the Hyundai dealers association of Sweden, and the first campervan to be exported by Wellhouse to the country

Overseas markets ‘vital’ to region’s economyA LEADING trade expert is calling forKirklees firms to make 2012 the year forexporting – and enter a competition thatcan help turn ideas for international suc-cess into reality.

The initiative, run by UK Trade &Investment in partnership with HSBC andPwC, aims to encourage more regionalbusinesses to pursue overseas growth byoffering a tailored package of support tothe company with the best new exportidea.

The overall winner for Yorkshire and theHumber will get travel grants to globaldestinations of their choice – an opportun-ity to develop contacts, build relationshipsand kickstart expansion in markets wherethere is a clear demand for their skills,products or services.

Also on offer is access to a range ofinternational resources and research and

dedicated guidance from UKTI, PwC andHSBC.

Small and medium-sized businesseshave until the end of the month to submittheir entry.

Shortlisted companies will be invited topresent their big export idea to a liveaudience of business leaders and a judgingpanel, which will select the winning idea.

Mark Robson, UKTI internationaltrade director for Yorkshire and Humber,said: “Future prosperity in this region willnot come from domestic markets alone.

“Across the world, there are marketsthat are showing strong, long-term growthand we want to ensure local firms are notjust trading abroad but thriving there.

“I am determined to drive up exports in2012 and the number of exporters in theregion as it’s the only way for the economyto grow.

“There is demand all around the worldfor products and services from acrossYorkshire and the Humber, but too manyof our smaller firms are missing out onthese opportunities.”

Arif Ahmad, PwC private business part-ner for Yorkshire, said: “Exports are crit-ical to lifting the UK out of the economicslump and creating jobs.

“By increasing the volume of UKexports by about a quarter, we wouldexpect to add about £36bn to the eco-nomy.”

David Beaty, HSBC regional commer-cial director for the North of England,said: “Recent HSBC research suggests thatUK trade volumes will increase by 60% by2025 – and SMEs will have a critical role insupporting and driving that growth.”

Go tot www.ukti.gov.uk/exportingforgrowthprize

■ DETERMINED: MarkRobson, director of UKTrade & Investments

Building up a business

part of its plans to take a chunk out ofits debt mountain, which rose by 11%to £891m in the year.

The group was plunged into crisisafter it went back to its lenders to askfor an additional £100m lifeline –sparking fears of a collapse – but latersecured £200m from its banks.

Thomas Cook reported in its delayedfinal results that its UK business saw itsunderlying profits fall by 68% to£34.1m in the year after its marginsslipped to just 1% and disruption fromthe Arab Spring cost it some £15m.

The group said it started Januarywith a “decent” mainstream orderbook, but given weak consumer senti-ment cut its planned capacity by 8%.

The 33% drop is not a cumulativebooking position, Thomas Cookadded.

The group will publish a tradingupdate on February 8.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

SHARE PRICES

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£6m takeover completeTHE owner of dry cleaning firmJohnsons is to spend £6m on a busi-ness that kits out workers at hotels,building sites and factories.

Johnson Service Group’s Apparel-master rental division alreadyprovides 1.3m people a week withprotective overalls, including workersat Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and breadmaker Warburtons.

It is set to expand with the takeoverof Cannon Textile Care, which isowned by OCS Group and likeApparelmaster rents and cleans work-wear, as well as towels, bed sheets,table clothes and industrial mats.

Cannon has depots in Gateshead

and Birmingham and laundries inGlasgow, Manchester, Bristol, New-market and Balham in south London.If the £6.1m deal is approved byregulators, these will be combinedwith Johnsons’ 20 sites across theUK.

OCS, which also has a facilitiesmanagement arm, will continue torun its washroom services businessesunder its Cannon Hygiene brand.

Chris Sander, managing director ofApparelmaster, said the business,which employs some 2,500 staff,hopes to find cost savings from theacquisition in 2013 and could not ruleout future job cuts.

Financial woes hitsummer bookings

Home Plus stores ‘face the axe’SUPERMARKET giant Tesco isunderstood to be close to windingup its stand-alone furnishing chainHome Plus as it regroups andfocuses on its core grocery busi-ness.

The grocer, which has 2,700 storesin the UK, is keen to exit leases itholds on all 13 of its Home Plusstores following weak sales at theout-of-town warehouse-style out-lets, according to newspaperreports.

Tesco and its property adviserMorgan Williams have been review-ing the Home Plus stores for sixmonths, while two of the branches inTelford, in Shropshire and Staines,

in Surrey, are already being formallymarketed.

Tesco saw billions of poundswiped from its shares earlier thismonth after the supermarket admit-ted that its £500m price cut cam-paign had failed to bring in enoughcustomers.

Chief executive Philip Clarke haspledged to lead a change in thecompany’s expansion strategy, withless focus on massive out-of-townstores, and said it would move fasterto restore the company’s salesgrowth at home.

Tesco first opened Home Plus,which focuses on furniture and softfurnishings, at retail parks in 2005.

Rising toa recordCAKE and bread makerFinsbury Foods said firsthalf sales topped £100mmillion for the first time.

But the companywarned that profitmargins continued to besqueezed by high costprice inflation.

The Cardiff-basedcompany said sales inthe six months toDecember 31 rose by16% to £102m, butwarned its second halfwas unlikely to see suchstrong growth.

Ryanair’snew routeLOW-COST airlineRyanair has announcedits 27th route from WestYorkshire.

The carrier – whichwelcomed its fourmillionth passenger atLeeds-Bradford fromDublin last week – hasunveiled the route toReus in Spain, which willoperate twice weeklyfrom March 30.

Airport commercialdirector Tony Hallwoodsaid: “Reus is a greataddition to our existingrange of Spanish holidaydestinations, offeringholidaymakers easyaccess to the beautifulbeaches of the CostaDorada and thepicturesque Cataloniantown of Tarragona.

“It’s also just a shortdistance from Spain’s toptheme park and resort,PortAventura, with its fourthemed hotels,restaurants and kids’clubs.”

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £31.82 -0.30Gannett 988.26 +0.64Hess Corp £39.59 +0.27Microsoft 1902.71 -3.85Motors Liquidation 48.13Wal-Mart Stores £38.97 -0.18

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 314 -21/2BAE Systems 3221/2 +83/4Rolls-Royce 753 +171/2

AIMBrady Plc 811/2 +1/4Dawson Intl 13/8Man Brnze 281/2

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2143/8 +23/4

BANKSBarclays 2225/8HSBC 5447/8 +25/8Lloyds Banking Gp 325/8 -1/8Ryl Scotland 281/8 +3/4Stan Chart 1580 +15

BEVERAGESDiageo 13871/2 -51/2SABMiller £237/8 +5/8

CHEMICALSCroda 1939 +2Elementis 98 151 +5/8Johnsn Mat £203/4

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 2857/8 -11/2

Costain 1965/8 +5/8

ELECTRICITYDrax Gp 510 -22Intl Power 3201/4 +11/4SSE 1236 -15

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 1651/2 +2

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3601/4 +13/4

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 2061/4 +3/4Cable & WirelessComm

417/8 +11/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

237/8 +6

Colt Group 927/8 -1/4KCOM 681/4 +1/2Talktalk Telecom 1237/8

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2963/4 +3Sainsbury 2901/2 -1/8Tesco 335 +6

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1160 +6Tate Lyle 6651/2 -91/2Unilever £205/8 +1/8

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 2823/8 -7/8National Grid 614 -41/2Pennon Grp 683 -10Severn 1517 -15United Utils 594 -51/2

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 1871/4 +3/4ICAP 3391/2 +33/4London StockExch 8991/2 +191/2Man Group 1191/8 -21/8Provident Financial 980 -19Schroders 1487 +26Schroders NV 1219 +17

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 572 +11/2REXAM 3791/2 +1Smiths Grp 9961/2 +7

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 211/8Carphone Whse 3133/4 -11Dixons Retail 145/8 +11/8Home Retail 1003/8 -1/8Inchcape 3431/8 -7/8Kingfisher 2581/8 -21/4M & S 3323/8 -21/4Mothercare 1961/2 -61/2Next £261/8 -3/8WH Smith 533 -3

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6131/2 +5

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 801/4 -21/4Barrat Dev 1103/8 -11/4Persimmon 5241/2 +31/2Reckitt Benckiser £335/8 -1/2Taylor Wimpey 425/8 +5/8

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 855 -221/2

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 3381/4 +71/4

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 1913/4 -1/4

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 3573/8 +61/2Lgl & Gen 1175/8 +3/4Old Mutual 1483/4 +15/8Prudential 7161/2 +221/2Resolution 2703/8 -3/8Standard Life 2191/4 +55/8

MEDIABSkyB 680 +81/2D Mail Tst 442 +67/8ITV 763/8 +7/8Johnston Press 61/8 +1/8Pearson 1236 +3Reed Elsevier 5371/2 +61/2STV Group 98 -4Trinity Mirror 48 +11/2Utd Business 550 +71/2UTV 1097/8 +11/8WPP 7571/2 +121/2Yell Group 55/8 +3/8

MININGAnglo American £267/8 +1/4Antofagasta 1359 +21BHP Billiton £215/8 +3/8Eurasian NaturalRes

733 -51/2

Fresnillo 1784 +59Kazakhmys 1133 +10Lonmin 1048 +16Rio Tinto £373/8 +1/2

VEDANTARESOURCES

1178 +32

Xstrata 10891/2 +111/2MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 4111/2 +77/8Vodafone Group 1787/8 +13/4

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 9031/2 +15RSA Insurance Gp 1087/8 +3/4

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 1449 -8BP 4763/4 +91/4Cairn Energy 2921/4 +15/8Royal Dutch Shell A £231/8 +5/8Royal Dutch Shell B £24 +3/4

Total £331/2 +1/8Tullow Oil 1382 +21

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1004 +14Petrofac 1454 +14Wood Gp(J) 658 -1/2

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 1341 -14

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £303/4 +3/8GlaxoSmithK 31/2Shire £211/4

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 4965/8 +3/4Captl Shop Cent 3327/8 +23/4Hamrsn 389 -13/8Land Secs 6911/2 +1/2SEGRO 2193/4 +3/8

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 2003/4 +1/4Logica 813/4 +21/8Misys 310Sage Group 3101/8 +51/4

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 454 +4Bunzl 8631/2 -2Capita 6501/2 +11/2De La Rue 962 +8Electrocomp 2187/8 +27/8Experian 8861/2 -4G4S 2717/8 +1/2Hays 721/2 +3/8Homeserve 3081/8 -17/8

Menzies J 532 +2Rentokil 751/4 +1/4Smiths News 87 +1Wolseley £223/8

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 5901/2 +15Psion 453/4 -3/4Spirent Comms 1221/4 -31/8

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £291/2 +1/4Imperial Tobacco £223/8 -1/8

LEISURE & HOTELSBwin.Party Digital 1581/2 -3/4Carnival 1979 -10Compass Grp 6151/2 +2easyJet 4143/8 -81/8Enterprise Inns 343/4 -3/4FirstGroup 3063/4 +31/4Go-Ahead Gp 1287 -33Greene King 5131/2 +11/2Intercontl Htls 1338 +21Intl Cons AirlinesGp

1711/8 +31/2

Ladbrokes 1401/4 +1/4Mitchells & Butlers 2661/8 -43/8Natl Express 2235/8 -5/8Rank Org 1291/2 +11/2Stagecoach Group 2791/8 +5/8TUI Travel 1931/4 -35/8Whitbread 1682 +19

INDEXFTSE 100 5782.56 +54.01

INDEXFTSE 250 10867.56 +41.63

STRUGGLING tour operatorThomas Cook has reportedly suffereda near-33% slump in summer bookingsas its financial woes deter alreadycash-strapped holidaymakers.

According to a leisure industry mon-itor, Thomas Cook saw bookingsdecline by as much as a third in the twoweeks to January 13 – a key period fortour operators when some 15% ofsummer bookings are taken.

The decline is more than double theindustry average of a 15% drop andnearly three times the 11% fall atThomson Holidays owner TUITravel.

Thomas Cook, the UK’s secondbiggest travel company, came close tocollapse in November after dire tradingforced it to turn to its banks for morefinancial help, prompting fears it wason the brink of collapse.

Some analysts have attributed the

recent weak performance, which saw a45% drop in online sales, to the damagethe cash crisis caused to the company’sreputation, as well as ongoing prob-lems of low consumer confidence.

Wyn Ellis, analyst at Numis, told anational newspaper that hoteliers wereconcerned about the outlook for the170-year-old travel company.

Thomas Cook’s share price hasplunged by 91% in the last year as itissued a number of profit warnings andsaw the exit of its chief executive,Manny Fontenla-Novoa.

Shares closed 5% lower yesterday –down by 0.8p at 14.3p. Rival TUITravel was 3.6p lower at 193.2p.

Thomas Cook, which has 1,300shops – including ones at New Streetand High Street in Huddersfield – hasset out a turnaround plan for the UKbusiness to focus on fewer and betterquality hotels and drive up more online

bookings.Thomas Cook announced last

month that the New Street store is toclose with the loss of nine jobs as partof plans to axe 200 travel shops acrossthe UK.

The company plans to sell £200m ofits assets over the next 18 months as

Local shares

FTSE

5782.56Up 54.01

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.40 dollarsBangladesh................. 123.45 takaBrazil.............................. 2.44 realsCanada....................... 1.50 dollarsChina ............................. 8.79 yuanCzech Republic ...... 28.12 korunasDenmark....................... 8.52 kroneEuro............................... 1.15 euroHong Kong................ 11.44 dollarsHungary ................... 328.09 forintsIndia.......................... 68.78 rupeesJapan........................... 113.92 yenMexico ....................... 18.21 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.79 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.80 kronePakistan.................. 131.85 rupeesPhilippines ................. 57.53 pesosSouth Africa.................. 11.53 randSouth Korea.............. 1533.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 166.94 rupeesSweden....................... 10.09 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.39 francsTaiwan ...................... 40.64 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.67 new liraUSA ............................ 1.48 dollars

Carclo 308Marshalls 951/4 -11/8National Grid 614 -41/2Weir Gp 1884 -70

■ SLUMP: Holiday operatorThomas Cook has reportedly seen anear 33% fall in summer bookings

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

Alison Fearns

Kids BedroomBoutique

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: OwnerAge: 48Family: Married to Neal withdaughter Lucy, sixHolidays: Summer holidaysin Dorset and winter holidaysski-ing in ItalyCar: Volkswagen Polo – asturdy, reliable little tank!First job: Saturday jobworking in a dress shop inBarnsley. My parents werekeen on instilling a good workethic in usBest thing about job:Being able to make decisionsfor myself. It must be a reac-tion to the layers of hierarchyand decision-making I experi-enced in my previous job!Worst thing about job:Having no time to enjoy mySundays at the moment!Business tip: Plan rigor-ously and research thor-oughly before setting up inbusiness. Research yourmarket as best you can.

Work: Collections of furnitureand accessories for children’sbedroomsSite: Denby DalePhone: 01484 868146Email: alison@kidsbedroomboutique.co.ukWeb:www.kidsbedroomboutique.co.uk

Makeroomfor thekids!

BUILDINGS hold a specialinterest for Alison Fearns.

The Stocksmoorbusinesswoman – who likednothing better than playing withLego and her brother’s Meccanoset as a girl – went on to enjoy asuccessful career in architectureand design before working inlocal government.

Now she is building up her ownbusiness – and relishing thechance to put the skills shehoned in her previous career touse in an entirely newenvironment.

Alison set up Kids BedroomBoutique Ltd only last summerand moved into premises atSpringfield Mill, Denby Dale, inOctober. The business bringstogether everything needed tofurnish or makeover a child’sbedroom – with colourfulcollections of beds and chairs,rugs, light shades, pillows, duvetsand play equipment.

The idea was sown whenAlison’s daughter Lucy was readyto move from cot to bed. “I haddifficulty in finding well-designed,aesthetically pleasing andaffordable bedroom furniture andtasteful accessories in areasonable distance and price,”says Alison.

“Having spent hours on theinternet and travelling round thearea, I kept thinking wouldn’t it begood if I could pull a range ofdesirable and affordable thingstogether in one place – withouthaving to go from place to placeor spend hours on the webpulling it all together. This is thegap that I spotted.”

Alison began researching herplan while still employed as aproject manager working onregeneration schemes at KirkleesCouncil. The opportunity to turnthe dream into reality came whenher employer began seekingvolunteers for redundancy – andAlison began to give it seriousconsideration.

She says: “I had my own‘Dragon’s Den’ panellist toconvince – my husband Neal! Hemade me sit down and work out

a proper business plan. I had todemonstrate to him that it wasviable because the decision toleave a relatively safe job withregular pay would impact thewhole family.”

Alison applied the sameproject management principlesshe had used at the council todraw up her business plan,cashflow forecasts, budget andsupplier lists.

She also used her experiencein the property field to findsuitable premises. A light andairy unit at Springfield Mill metthe requirements forreasonably-pricedaccommodation which waswell-connected to the publictransport system, close to themotorway, offered free parkingfor customers and alreadyprovided a home tocomplementary businesses.

Says Alison: “Being in an oldmill building is ‘classic’Huddersfield – making use of anold building which has been partof our industrial heritage and isstill providing space forbusinesses. I have always lovedbuildings. I noticed buildings froman early age. I remember somehouses being built near to wherewe lived and the local kids usedto play on the site. I loved thesmell of sawn wood and putty!

“I used to draw plans ofhouses and play with mybrother’s Meccano and my Lego.One of my grandfathers was amining engineer and he wouldtake me to museums or let meuse his draughting equipment.He also had a set of lovelyencyclopaedias and wouldexplain interesting facts.”

At school, Alison was “warnedoff” her preferred career ofarchitect – but happily ignoredthe advice. Studying for herdegree at University CollegeLondon, she honed her skills infine art and sketching andlearned the disciplines of being adraughtsman during the holidayson short-term contracts forprivate sector firms, includingstructural engineers.

“You had to produce accurate,neat drawings very quicklybecause you were working in acommercial environment,” shesays. “One of my projects was toadd embellishments to the basicstructure of a bridge. Later, Iwould get small commissions,such as domestic extensions. Idid a lot of work in London for aproperty developer who wasconverting large, old houses intoflats.”

During the recession of the1990s, Alison decided to leavethe capital and return to herhome town of Barnsley. She gota job with Kirklees Council as acondition surveyor, diagnosingproblems and defects inprivately-owned listed buildings.

She later moved intoregeneration, working on projectsto maintain and improve councilhousing stock and developfacilities including the DRAMCentre at Ridgeway, Dalton.Other projects included OrchardView respite centre at Westfields,Mirfield, and a nursery for HealeyLane J&I School in Batley. Alisonhas also worked on the ambitiousHD One development involvingKirklees Stadium DevelopmentLtd.

While the work was rewarding,Alison has no doubt that beingher own boss is better. She says:

“It concentrates all your thoughts,but in a positive way becauseyou are thinking aboutdeveloping the business, pickingup ideas, becoming moreobservant and you are hugelymotivated.

“Any job with a degree ofresponsibility brings with it somelevel of stress because noteverything goes to plan. With myrole now, the stress is morelatent. I’m asking myself will thebusiness be successful? How ismy cashflow doing? What can Ido to improve sales? It is free ofthe burden of having to pleasethe boss.

“I’m a great believer in the ideathat you only get out ofsomething what you put in and Irelate well to the idea of 100%effort gleans 100% reward.Working for myself is like theultimate performance-related payscheme!”

Adds Alison: “I can’t forcepeople to buy anything, but I canexercise my judgement inassessing what people will want,how products link together socustomers will buy more and actas an advocate for my productsand services.”

Working hard to build up thebusiness means there’s no timefor Alison to pursue some of herfavourite hobbies and pastimes.To complement the showroom,she is developing a website sothat people can shop online ifthey prefer. “My focus now is ondeveloping the website andrefining systems and processesto effectively and efficiently runthe business,” she says.

While Alison still enjoys musicand relishes time with the family,she says: “I have sacrificedemployment for something moredynamic and unpredictable. Ihave also sacrificed my walks.Until starting this businessrobbed us of our Sundays, Nealand I were very keen hill walkers.I miss it most on a crisp, sunnyday when I yearn to be out onthe moors.”■ ROOM TO GROW: Alison

Fearns, of Kids Bedroom Boutique,Springfield Mill, Denby Dale

Independent financialplanning services for

companies and individualsEastwood & PartnersEastwood & Partners

(Financial Services) Ltd(Financial Services) LtdPennine House, Lowfields Close, Lowfields

Business Park, Elland HX5 9DA01422 377737

www.eastwoodfinancial.co.ukAuthorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

Support forgrowing firmsA NEW company has launched amajor programme of businesssupport events - to fill the void leftby the closure of taxpayer fundedservices.Business Leader Events, led byVernon Tolson and Mike Pitts, isrunning workshops on subjectsincluding social media forbusinesses, sales and marketingand management training.The programme will be deliveredacross Yorkshire including venuesin Huddersfield, Leeds, Bradford,Sheffield, Rotherham, York,Harrogate and Hull.The new business will also offershort course events, tailoredin-house training, leadershipdevelopment programmes andaccredited training and will workwith partners to deliver joint eventsand events management servicesMr Tolson was formerly eventsmanager at Business LinkYorkshire while Mr Pitts wasassistant director or businesssupport at Yorkshire Forward.Said Mr Tolson: “We are using thebest presenters around to helpbusinesses with key issues suchas increasing sales, networking,using new media effectively andgetting the best out of their team.”

More companiesgetting connectedMORE Huddersfield businesses aremaking the connection to high-speedbroadband, says a survey.Figures from TalkTalk Business suggestthe number of small and medium-sizedfirms in the town accessing high-speedbusiness broadband and other “nextgeneration” applications, such as cloud,has increased by 35% in the past 12months.As a result of firms being betterconnected, the last year has also seen a22% increase in the number ofHuddersfield employees working forlocal SMEs which have high-speedbroadband access – providing a shot inthe arm for workforce productivity.Nationally, Salisbury saw the biggestgrowth in SMEs now accessinghigh-speed broadband – ahead ofLondon, Hereford, Oxford andWorcester.By contrast, Sheffield, Glasgow andWakefield saw the smallest percentageincrease in SMEs accessing thenetwork.Andy Lockwood, TalkTalk Businesstransformation director, said: “Despite apessimistic economic outlook, as theUK’s largest network provider, it isencouraging to see such a significantincrease in SMEs now connected tohigh-speed business grade broadband.“Research we conducted estimated thatUK SMEs are collectively losing £357min wasted labour costs and suffering upto 32.4m hours of internet downtime amonth through a reliance on ‘domestic’rather than ‘business grade’ broadbandconnectivity.“This underlines how vital it is forbusinesses of all sizes to be connectedto a high speed network.“It’s the gateway to the latest cloudtechnology and being on the rightnetwork increases speed and efficiency– ensuring long term economic growth.”

Valley networkgets sociableMAKING good use of social mediawill be the main topic fordiscussion at the next meeting ofthe Colne Valley BusinessNetwork.Steven Bradley, of PennineBusiness Partners, and MartinTighe, of Touch Advertising, willspeak of their experiences usingsocial media for business whileLynn Bradley will give insightsinto the “dangers of jumping intothe social media maelstrom”.Numbers are limited to 40 for theevent, which takes place from 5.30to 7.30pm next Tuesday at TheWeavers in Golcar. To book, emailregeneration@kirklees.gov.uk orphone 01484 221646.Clr Hilary Richards, Valleys AreaCommittee representative, said:“The newly established ColneValley Business Network is amajor opportunity for our localbusinesses to learn from andsupport each other and driveeconomic growth which is morecrucial than ever in volatileeconomic times with reducedpublic sector business support.“A major consideration for aneffective and growing localeconomy is the availability of fastbroadband.“The council will be working hardwith the CVBN and other partnersto put together proposals whichwe hope will encouragebroadband providers to bringsuper fast broadband to the area.”

Batley companytakes the biscuit!YORKSHIRE’S largest hotelgroup and a Batley-based team ofmaster bakers have joined forces togive guests a better class of biscuitwith their morning coffee or tea.

Each of the hotels in the CedarCourt Hotel Group, including oneat Ainley Top, Huddersfield, willnow be supplied with hand-craftedbiscuits made in Yorkshire usingonly the finest ingredients by thebakers at The Miniature Bakery,which was founded in 2007.

In a departure from the tradi-tional choice of biscuit, The Mini-a t u r e B a k e r y o f f e r s a“sophisticated and continental”range of quality biscuits, includingAll Butter Viennese, ChocolateViennese and Macaroons.

The Miniature Bakery’s biscuitswere first supplied to the five-starCedar Court Grand Hotel & Spain York. They proved so popularthat Cedar Court Hotels decidedto roll them out across its four-starproperties as well.

Michael Weaver, group execut-ive head chef of Cedar CourtHotels, said: “We wanted to beable to give our guests a moreoriginal choice and better class of

biscuit to go with their tea andcoffee.

“As a fellow member of deli-ciouslyorkshire, we were initiallyconfident that they would be agood supplier to speak to – but thequality of their biscuits is evenhigher than we expected and werea real hit with guests at TheGrand.

“It’s good not only to be able toprovide our guests with a newchoice of biscuits but also to con-tinue with our policy of workingwith local suppliers and using local

produce wherever we can.”Cedar Court Hotels comprises

the four star Leeds/Bradford,Wakefield, Huddersfield/Halifax,Harrogate hotels and the five-starCedar Court Grand Hotel & Spain York, all of which are easilyaccessible from motorways, mainroads and highways.

D e l i c i o u s lyo rk s h i re i s anot-for-profit organisation provid-ing vital support to a diverse rangeof food and beverage producers,retailers and distinguished hospit-ality operators in Yorkshire.

■ SWEET DEAL: Batley-based The Miniature Bakery is nowsupplying the Cedar Court Hotel Group

Wider Wi-Fi coverageYORKSHIRE is becoming ahot-spot for Wi-Fi.

Telecoms giant BT said Wi-Fiusers in the region can now takeadvantage of more than 205,000Wi-Fi hotspots – almost threetimes the number of less than twoyears ago.

The rapidly expanding BTnetwork – the largest in the UK –now has more than 3m UKhotspots in homes, independentbusinesses and city centres.

Access is free to more than 5mBT Broadband customers, plususers of iPads, iPhones, iTouch,Android, Samsung andBlackberry devices andsmartphones through other BTpartnership agreements.

The rapid expansion mirrors therise in the use of smartphoneswhich are quickly catching up withlaptops and PCs as theconsumer’s Wi-Fi device ofchoice.

John Anderson, BT’s regionaldirector for Yorkshire, said: “BT isalready leading the charge inbroadband services with the rollout of faster speeds acrossYorkshire and the Humber andthe rapid growth of Wi-Fi hotspotsincreases the ways consumersand businesses can get online.

“This is fantastic news for theregion and another example of

major investment by BT in thecountry’s communicationsnetwork. This huge growth in thenumber of hotspots takes flexibleworking from the home towherever you need to be andbrings the internet right to yourfingertips.

“Consumers are using their

devices for both work and leisurewith hotspots making it possible toshop, game and enjoy a variety ofapplications when out and about.”

Said Mr Anderson: “For smallbusinesses in Yorkshire and theHumber, Wi-Fi is a great low orno-cost way of working remotely,staying in touch with customers,suppliers and staff and accessingreal time travel information quicklyfrom any wireless PC, tablet orsmartphone.”

■ LAPPING IT UP: BT hasincreased Wi-Fi access acrossthe Yorkshire region

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

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getting the best out of their team.”

Answering callto help hospiceA CHARITY has saved tensof thousands of pounds onthe installation of its phonelines.

West Yorkshire ForgetMe Not Children’s Hospicerecruited Golcar-based MEConsultancy Ltd to help cuttelecom costs at its new hos-pice building in Bracken-hall.

Charity chief executivePeter Branson awarded MEConsultancy the contract tosupply broadband to outletsowned by the charity as wellas providing the telecomsrequirements for the newhospice building.

Because the hospice wasbeing built in an area withno current telephone provi-sion, the original installa-tion costs were going to bevery high – exceeding£30,000 – to cover the costof digging up the roads andlaying new cables.

ME Consultancy salesdevelopment manager PaulRobertshaw said: “The hos-pice provides vital supportto children with a life limit-

ing or life threatening condi-tion and to their familiesacross Kirklees, Calderdaleand Wakefield.

“Knowing that £30,000could keep a child and theirfamily looked after full timefor over a year in the newhospice, we were determ-ined to save them as much ofthat money as possible.

ME Consultancy workedclosely with BT Openreachto ensure that the hospicehad all the services neededfrom the moment the build-ing was completed – withthe final installation costbelow £1,500.

ME Consultancy Ltdprovides customers withadvice on their telecomsexpenditure and ways toreceive the best value formoney from the servicesrequired.

The firm can provide afull review of voice and dataspend and provide access toa wide range of productsfrom its wholesale portfo-lio.

It also manages a multi

level billing platform cover-ing fixed line, wholesale,data and mobile.

Enterprise awarddeadline loomingSTUDENT and graduate business ownershave just days left to enter an awardscheme for budding tycoons.The winner of the Lloyds TSB EnterpriseAwards will land £50,000 to invest in theirbusiness – as well as a comprehensivementoring prize.The final date for entries is January 30.The competition is open to businessesacross England, Scotland and Wales.For details, go towww.lloydstsb.com/enterpriseawards.Applications will be judged duringFebruary. Winners in eight regions willtake part in a grand final on March 13 atthe Global Entrepreneurship Congress inLiverpool.The scheme, launched in partnership withthe National Association of College andUniversity Entrepreneurs, is part ofLloyds’ drive to help the estimated 55,000student businesses across Britain.The awards are open to entrepreneurscurrently studying at universities acrossEngland, Scotland or Wales and thosewho have graduated within the past fiveyears and have been trading for more thana year.All entrants will be considered for twotitles – Best Start Up and Best Enterprise.Martyn Kendrick, area director for LloydsTSB Commercial in Yorkshire, said:“Britain’s universities are home to manythousands of students who aredeveloping the businesses of tomorrow.“We want to make sure that these talentedentrepreneurs get the recognition andsupport they deserve.”

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■ COST CONSCIOUS: Peter Branson (left), chief executive of WestYorkshire Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, and Paul Robertshaw, salesdevelopment manager of ME Consultancy

Vacancies unfilledMANY job vacancies aregoing unfilled – becauseapplicants can’t be botheredto turn up for interviews, it isclaimed.

Despite latest figuresshowing unemployment at a17-year high,Huddersfield-based humanresources consultant JulieSykes said a high level of“no shows” meantvacancies were goingunfilled.

Julie, who headsShepley-based JCS HR,said: “My recent experiencehas been that anything upto 50% of interviewcandidates fail to turn up.This isn’t limited to anyparticular type of job – Ihave seen it for sales roles,engineering roles andmarketing roles amongstothers.

“There are lots ofpotential reasons for thishappening, but my view isthat the main one is that inmost instances applying fora job requires a lot lesseffort than it used to. Onceyour CV is written, it is justa case of pressing a few

buttons and there you are,you’ve applied for a job!

“Because it’s so easy toapply, people can be lessdiscerning about what theyapply for and submit theirCV for jobs that – if theythought about it a bit more –they aren’t really interestedin.“

Julie said: “A largepercentage of thecandidates who do turn upfor interviews, do very little

research about thecompany or the role theyare being interviewed for.

“On more than oneoccasion when I have askeda candidate to tell my whythey are interested in therole, I have been asked toremind them which job theinterview is for – becausethey have applied for somany jobs that they can’tremember!”

One employer who hasworked with Julie said that itseemed candidates werehappy with the lifestyleprovided by living onbenefits, weren’t reallyinterested in any job and sodidn’t turn up for interview.

Said Julie: “Althoughredundancies andunemployment have,without doubt, increased,there are still jobs out there.

“The lesson to be learnedis that if someone is offereda job interview, they shouldbe sure to do their researchand turn up. The chancesare that the odds of themgetting the job are betterthan they think.”

■ EFFORT: Julie Sykes

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property Page 6KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSKIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSMove creates more space Building industry’s

Green Deal fears

■ ACCESS: Brian Berry, director ofexternal affairs at the Federation ofMaster Builders

THE Government’s Green Deal initi-ative to makes homes more energyefficient is in danger of failing at thefirst hurdle, warns a building industrychief.

Brian Berry, a director at the Feder-ation of Master Builders said furtherincentives were needed to encouragehouseholders to take it up.

Said Mr Berry: “With rising energybills, there is an urgent need to improvethe energy efficiency of our housingstock as it is far less energy-efficientthan that of our European neigh-bours.

“However, householders will needto be convinced of the value ofretro-fitting their home – particularlywhen the price is having a new chargeattached to their electricity bill.

“The quickest and easiest way tocreate consumer demand would be toreduce VAT on Green Deal improve-ments or reduce Stamp Duty.”

Mr Berry said another concern washow local building companies will beable to access the Green Deal giventhat few, if any, will become recognisedGreen Deal Providers because of theonerous conditions attached to

providing the finance packages.He said: “This is a lost opportunity

as it is the local builder who isbest-placed to advise householdersabout energy efficient improvementswhen they are carrying out other homeimprovements or repairs.”

Mr Berry added: “The Governmenthas rightly tacked the need to elimin-ate rogue traders by insisting on theneed to have Green Deal accreditedinstallers.

“Local builders already have manyof the key skills in place to carry outenergy efficiency improvements, butnow they need an operational accredit-ation framework that enables them todemonstrate their skills and know-ledge at the standard required.

“The Government’s delay in approv-ing recognised competency schemes isnot helpful and swift action is neededif the building industry is going to beready for the launch in October.

“The Green Deal has the potentialto create some 65,000 new construc-tion jobs, which is why it is so import-ant that we have the training coursesready at the earliest possible oppor-tunity.”

A FIRM of architects hascreated more office space inHuddersfield.Aedas Architects Ltd and hasreached agreement withlandlord RO Properties torelease a further floor forrefurbishment at NU House inMarket Street.Aedas will surrender part ofthe third and take on a new10-year lease on 8,400sq ft ofspace on the fourth floor –which they already occupy –

as well as some ancillaryspace on the fifth floor. Theswitch allows RO Propertiesto refurbish the whole of thethird floor and to provide8,300sq ft of air-conditionedoffice accommodation insuites from 1,700sq ft.Last year, RO Propertiesrefurbished the second floor –now let to Best and Igneus. Ithas also refurbished thereception area and communalareas.

For more information contact Alec Michaelon 07717 870 320 or email alec@michaelsteel.co.ukwww.michaelsteel.co.uk

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7

Property pointersto the year ahead

KIRKLEES businesses have beenurged to take heed of changes to theplanning system after the controver-sial Localism Bill finally became lawlate last year.

Miranda Steadman, senior plan-ner at property agency CBRE in WestYorkshire, said: “Several changes tothe planning system will occur inearly 2012.

“Looking firstly at The LocalismAct, the introduction of Neighbour-hood Planning means that local com-munities are immediately allowed toprepare plans relating to issues suchas the provision of new homes, amen-ities and offices and the protection ofgreen spaces.

“This creates a whole new tier ofthe planning system.

“However, with the Neighbour-hood Planning process still in itsinfancy there are many questionsabout how this will work and forwhom.

“Separate to the Localism Act, butadditionally from early 2012, localplanning authorities will be able to

take into account ‘financial consider-ations’ in making decisions onapplications.

“These are defined as grants fromthe Government or sums payable tothe local authority under the Com-munity Infrastructure Levy.

“The CIL allows local authoritiesto set their own charges on newdevelopment in their area which canbe spent on local infrastructure.

“Criticised by some as givingdevelopers and local planningauthorities an opportunity to buyand sell permissions, the new provi-sions will allow developers to makeuse of the New Homes Bonus,whereby local authorities will berewarded by central Government forgranting permission for new homesto help secure support for their pro-posals.”

Ms Steadman said: “The ‘carrot’of the New Homes Bonus will effect-ively replace the ‘stick’ of regionallyimposed housing targets when theRegional Spatial Strategies are abol-ished – which is likely to be com-

pleted in spring.“Until then, developers and

investors whose development pro-posals find support in RegionalStrategies should seriously considerpushing on with application, makingevery effort to secure a decisionbefore revocation.

“Once revoked, there will nolonger be any ‘top down’ housingrequirements and these will bereplaced by a ‘Duty to Co-operate’between local authorities in plan pre-paration. At the moment, there is noguidance on what this actually meansand how this will work.”

Ms Steadman said businessesshould also be aware that Budgetmeasures and local government cutscould affect the planning agenda.

She added: “In summary, 2012brings about many changes to theplanning system – and whilst thesechanges aim to improve the systemmoving forwards, many increaseuncertainty whilst they are stream-lined.”

Leader forhome loansYORKSHIRE BuildingSociety has emerged as awinner.The Bradford-based society,which has its roots inHuddersfield, achieved themost Best Buys for itsmortgage products acrossall lenders in 2011.A round-up for 2011 fromKantar Media’s PressWatchFinancial, showed thesociety offered 1,594mortgage Best Buys duringthe year – more than 16%higher than its next nearestcompetitor.Yorkshire’s group directmortgage manager, ChrisSmith, said: “This rankingwas achieved through ourwide choice of excellentvalue products for allconsumers, meeting asmany different needs aspossible.“As a mutual, we’recommitted to offering ourmembers the best possibledeals and we will work hardin 2012 to continue to offerthe most competitiveproducts.”Chelsea Building Society,part of the YorkshireBuilding Society group,moved up the Best Buytables to be placed fourth in2011 with 858 Best Buys.

■ LOOKING AHEAD: MirandaSteadman, of CBRE, saysbusinesses should monitor changesto the planning landscape

Utility hold-ups adding to miseryfor UK’s beleaguered buildersBUILDING contractors arestruggling through the economicdownturn with continued financiallosses caused by poor-performingutility companies, according to areport by the National Federation ofBuilders.

The NFB’s Utilities Survey 2011found that almost three-quarters ofsites run by members of the NFBare still experiencing problems anddelays when seeking newconnections to water, gas andelectricity networks.

The survey results claims thatattitudes towards working withconstruction companies “are notsignificantly improved” – at a timewhen the sector needs all thesupport it can get.

The NFB worked with regulatorsand utilities following surveysconducted in 2006 and 2008. Thislatest report – compiled from asite-by-site survey of membersconducted in 2011 – assesses howthat has worked.

It said the percentage of sitesthat experienced problems whenrequesting a connection has fallenfrom 88% in 2008 to 73% in 2011.But it said some underlying issueshave remained more or lessunchanged.

It found that more than 70% ofcontractors want a single teamdealing with applications to improvecommunications while a similarpercentage of respondentsopposed payment in advance of a

service that is not reliable.A quarter of respondents wanted

better service levels throughregulation while almost half ofrespondents called for greatertransparency of costs.

The NFB called for an end to thepractice of charging in advance forstatements of work to be carried outor for design studies.

It also called for that practice be

brought under the financial penaltyregime, so that costs incurred bycompanies continuing this practicemay be recovered.

And it sall ed for all costs bebroken down to provide a moreaccurate understanding of the truecost of the service.

The report claimed that thepenalty payment regime introducedfor electricity companies on October1, 2010, was not yet widely knownabout by those most likely to benefitfrom claiming.

Some 72% of respondents werenot aware of compensationavailable to them when connectionsservice levels were not met within agiven timeframe – while 33% saidthey would have claimed if they hadknown about it.

NFB chief executive Julia Evanssaid: “It is disappointing to see thatutility providers are still not gettingthe message. In this tough climate,funds are stretched andunnecessary delays cost ourmembers dear.

“The economy is currentlyhanding the construction industryits toughest challenge for decadesand the last thing contractors needis to pay thousands of pounds upfront for a connection to fundnetwork development, which is thendelayed by the poor performance ofa utility company raking in hugeprofits.”

Action neededto save pubsTHE Government must act toprotect community pubs,according to a new report.

With the UK losing 16 pubs aweek, the report from the thinktank IPPR warns that more will beforced to close unless action istaken now.

The report, published alongsideresearch from the Campaign forReal Ale, calls for a radical changein Government policy as well aschanges to the way the pub tradeoperates.

It argues that the Governmentshould reward and incentivisepubs that play a positive role intheir local community.

The report said that currentgovernment policies on pubscontained two major flaws – beingtoo indiscriminate and failing torecognise the community value oflocal pubs.

It said: “All licensed premiseshave to carry the burden ofregulation and increased taxation,but smaller community pubs thatcause so few problems of crimeand disorder are least able to takeon these additional costs.

“Policy fails to recognise theimportant community functionsthat many pubs perform.

“They are more than justbusinesses and pub closures canhave a serious impact on thequality of local community life.”

The report measured the socialvalue – as opposed to just the

economic value – generated by anumber of community pubs acrossthe country, finding that thesepubs generated between £20,000and £120,000 of “social value”each year for their localcommunities.

IPPR report says that pubclosures have a serious impact oncommunity life because of the rolepubs play in strengthening localsocial networks as well asfacilitating many local services,events and activities whichcontribute to local life.

These can include hosting arange of important public servicessuch as running post office andgeneral stores and providing aplace for local charities, sportsclubs and civic groups to hostmeetings and activities.

IPPR associate director RickMuir said: “Government must stopusing a ‘one size fits all’ approachto licensed premises which iskilling off our community pubs.Instead responsible well-runcommunity pubs should beencouraged and supported.

“Our research shows communitypubs aren’t just places to drink, butalso places where people meettheir neighbours; where local clubshold meetings and events; andwhich support many importantlocal services such as village postoffices and general stores.”

■ FLOW CHART: Some buildershave problems getting connected

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Anna Bridson

WilkinsonWoodwardCHILDCARE specialist Anna Bridson hasjoined law firm Wilkinson Woodward inHuddersfield as a consultant solicitor.

Ms Bridson, pictured (above) withWilkinson Woodward managing partnerMaureen Cawthorn, has more than 14 years’experience in private and local authorityfamily and care law.

Wilkinson Woodward managing partnerMaureen Cawthorn said: “Whilst our practiceis over 100 years old, it is important for us toprovide a fresh and progressive service to allof our clients throughout Kirklees andCalderdale and beyond. To recruit a solicitorof Anna’s calibre is therefore a vital part ofour continued yet considered expansionstrategy.”

Joe Pape

WaxmanCeramicsWAXMAN Ceramicshas appointed JoePape as managingdirector.

Mr Pape(pictured) beganwork 28 years agoat Elland-basedWaxman in thesample room.

He held a number of posts over theyears and was promoted to operationsdirector in 1999.

In the early part of Waxman’sexpansion, mosaics were the primaryproduct marketed, which led toWaxman becoming the largest UKimporter. Waxman expanded intolarger format tiles and formed anational distribution network withbases at Elland and Bristol.

Waxman Ceramics is part of theWaxman Group of Companies, whichis involved in importing and distributingfibres, solar PV, solar thermal andbiomass.

Firm is a risingstar in the eastA COMPANY in Huddersfield is provinghot stuff.

Fired up Corporation Ltd was namedwinner of the Rising Stars category in theCathay Pacific China Business Awards2011.

The competition is designed to acknow-ledge and celebrate UK business dynam-ism and success in China and HongKong.

One of three award categories, the RisingStars Award acknowledges businessdynamism and success by small andmedium-sized enterprises operating inHong Kong and China.

Fired up was recognised for its success insetting up a 300,000sq ft factory in Zhong-shan, China, to complement productionfrom its 100,000sq ft site at St Thomas’Road, Longroyd Bridge.

The company specialises in electricalassembly, heating and cooling productswith a strong focus on the home, hotel andhospitality markets.

It established the factory in China in2006. In 2010, it established a new brand –Endeva – for the domestic China market,producing small domestic appliances suchas rice cookers and induction hobs.

It now exports its products from twoproduction centres to more than 40 coun-tries.

Fired Up has also championed corpor-ate social responsibility values, which itsees being adopted by the wider businesscommunity.

These include safe and secure workingenvironments for the employees, providinga good quality of life, including free annualhealth checks.

The group also offers leisure facilities,encourages sport, provides an on-sitecanteen of a good standard and alsoengages the local community with Englishlanguage and music studies courses.

Fired Up is now aiming to increasemarket share in the fireplace and theinternational hotel supply market – as wellas growing its Endeva branded rangethrough supermarket chains, independentretailers and by selling direct to the con-sumer online.

Chief executive Richard Kaye, who

accepted the award at a ceremony in Lon-don, said: “After making much investmentin our company both here and abroad,we’re delighted to have been awarded thisprestigious accolade in recognition of ourwork.

“China presents us with many opportun-ities to further secure and grow the busi-ness and we look forward to growing ourEndeva branded range through variousretail channels in China over the comingyear.”

■ CHINA CHOICE: Richard Kaye (centre), chief executive of Fired Up Corporation,accepts the award from Angus Barclay (centre, left), general manager Europe forCathay Pacific, and Douglas Flint, group chairman of HSBC at the Cathay PacificChina Business Awards

Financial focus on Dewsbury

A NEW bank has opened its doors inWest Yorkshire.

The Islamic Bank of Britain plc hasset up in offices shared with ReedRains Estate Agents in Northgate.

The move follows the appointmentof Sohaib Hamid as dedicatedbusiness development manager forthe region.

The Dewsbury IBB agency is oneof six to be rolled out by the bankacross the UK in 2012. The agency

will serve customers across the WestYorkshire region, including Kirklees,Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield.

West Yorkshire is home to one ofthe UK’s largest Muslim communities.The new agency provides Shariacompliant retail financial products –including home purchase plans,savings accounts, personal andbusiness banking as well as pensionsand investments products inconjunction with trusted partners.

■ OPEN DAY: Dewsbury MP Simon Reevell (second right) cuts the ribbonwith (from left) Simon Walker, head of home purchase plan sales at IBB;business development manager Sohaib Bin Hamid; Reed Rains director AbdulHamid; and Imran Pasha, head of retail at IBB

Carl Hopkins

PropagandaBRIGHOUSE-basedbusinessman CarlHopkins has joined theboard of directors atcreative and strategicbrand consultancyPropaganda.

His appointmentenables Propagandafounder JulianKynaston to devote more time to developinghis other business brainchild, make-upbrand Illamasqua.

Mr Hopkins (pictured), former chairman ofadvertising agency JDA, will work closelywith the senior team at Leeds-basedPropaganda as the agency moves into itsnext stage of development.

Hayleigh Parkhurst

Cedar CourtHotel GroupA NEW general managerhas been appointed atthe four-star Cedar CourtHotel in Huddersfield.

Hayleigh Parkhurst(pictured) takes up herpost with 10 years ofhotel managementexperience, includingfour years as generalmanager at The Crown Hotel in Harrogate.She has also worked as general manager atthe Old Golf House Hotel in Outlane..

Ms Parkhurst (pictured) has also managedtwo large-scale refurbishments, hostedmajor conferences and has a proventrack-record of implementing strategies toincrease sales.

The 113-bedroom hotel at Ainley Top ispart of the Cedar Court Hotel Group.