Region’s SMEs ‘unprepared’ for cyber-attack
A quarter of East of England SMEs believe a cyber-attack on their business is a matter of ‘when not if’ but over half of firms have no plans to deal with one and only a minority have any budget for it, according to a study, The Business of Cyber Recovery, by Ipswich-based PolicyBee. In a survey of 500 UK SMEs, some 53 per cent said they will react if and when a cyber-attack happens and only 13 per cent have a budget for it. Just three per cent of firms in the East have a detailed plan which covers all bases and has been tested. Sarah Adams, cyber insurance expert at PolicyBee, said: “The difference between a large and small company is that at least in the short term, no single individual will lose their income in a big business - but in a small business, their day to day livelihood could be altered dramatically within a scarily short space of time. With the East regarded as a particularly successful region for entrepreneurialism, it’s important that businesses take heed and put in place post cyber attack strategies to minimise any business or reputation damage.” Read more….
£4 million retail redevelopment in Ipswich
A new £4 million re-development is underway on Ipswich’s Rosehill shopping centre which is owned by the East of England Co-op. A new larger Aldi store and Energie gym are being built, the Co-op store is being refurbished and Poundstretcher will occupy the current Aldi premises. A new 6,330 sq ft A1(retail) or A3 (restaurant )unit will be available on the site on Felixstowe Road on a new lease from next year through Fenn Wright. Nick Denny, joint chief executive for the East of England Co-op, said: “The development provides a great opportunity for a new retailer or restaurant operator to add another dimension to this thriving scheme.”
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Transfer at west Norfolk air conditioning firm
The business and assets of King's Lynn-based Anglia Installations Maintenance, which was put into administration last week, have been sold to AIM Construction & Development. Set up in 2008 to provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning services mainly to London customers, Anglia Installations Maintenance expanded to a turnover of £20m in 2016 but was hit by two large bad debts leading to cashflow pressure and significant losses which could not be sustained. Under the transfer, all the jobs have been saved and the ongoing contracts are to be completed for the benefit of creditors. Joint administrator Andrew McTear of Norwich-based McTear Williams & Wood said: “We are pleased to be able to achieve the smooth transfer of the company’s major contracts at a premium which should enable a dividend to be paid to creditors.”
Law firm advises on media deal
Regional law firm Howes Percival has advised Gravity Media Group (GMG) on a multi-million pound acquisition of Input Media, a leading sports production company. GMG was formed in 2000 as a holding company for live broadcast businesses including Gearhouse Broadcast and Hyperactive Broadcast. The deal will enable GMG to diversify. Input Media delivers flexible broadcast solutions for clients include UEFA, The FA, BBC Sport, ITV Sport, the French Tennis Federation and leading Premiership football clubs. Corporate partner Daniel Banton, who led the Howes Percival team, said: "Even in the current economic climate, the corporate team is completing significant sized deals and we have a strong pipeline of deals to come. We've expanded our capability considerably and, as a result, we've seen a real increase in the number of new instructions.”
Commercial and personal law appointments at law firm
Ipswich and Chelmsford-based law firm Prettys has made three new appointments to develop and expand its commercial and personal law services after a ‘positive start’ to the financial year. Claire Barritt, previously a self-employed consultant, has joined the Ipswich real estate team as an associate with experience in managing commercial property transactions, town planning, highways and public sector legal and governance issues. Michael Freebury, who qualified in 2009 and has worked for some of West Yorkshire’s largest commercial law firms, joins the firm’ personal injury team in Ipswich. Laura Pharez-Zea joins the employment law team in Chelmsford from an international law firm where she trained before qualifying in 2010. She has advised employers in financial services, insurance and pharmaceutical sectors and represented clients in tribunals and the high court. Ian Carr, Prettys CEO, said: “Having had a positive start to the new financial year, we are expanding our teams and services in several areas. Our latest recruits have very specific skillsets and valuable experience which we can use to develop key growth areas within the business”. The appointments follow a successful financial performance at the firm in 2016/17.
Photo (l to r): Michael Freebury, Laura Pharez-Zea and Claire Barritt.
Property firm named ‘most active’ in Norfolk for fifth year running
Norwich-based commercial property consultants Roche Chartered Surveyors has retained its title as Norfolk’s most active firm for the fifth year running. The firm has won the Estates Gazette's award for the firm conducting the most transactions across all commercial property market sectors every year since it started in 2013. Roche also won the EG's regional award as the East of England’s leading firm in the retail sector - based on the number of deals arranged during year - for the seventh year running. Roche partner Sam Kingston (photo, right), also won the dealmaker award for the individual involved in the most transactions in 2017, the third member of the firm's team to win the award in recent years. Senior partner James Allen said: “The awards reflect a huge amount of effort by everyone in the firm and the extent of our activities in all the main commercial sectors including retail, leisure, offices, industrial and warehousing. Sam Kingston’s individual award is thoroughly deserved. We are finding that 2017 is proving to be another busy year.”
Norwich-based architect appoints new associate
East Anglian property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood LLP has strengthened its architectural team with the appointment of a new associate architect, Darren Fowler RIBA. He has joined the firm’s Norwich office and will be responsible for developing and coordinating design projects across Norfolk and the wider region including Cambridge and London. He joins after 13 years at another regional practice, with wide experience in defence-related projects and in education, health, commercial and residential projects. John Dixon, partner at Ingleton Wood, said: “His appointment to our management team signals our further commitment to strengthening our design team by bringing in young and talented design professionals. We are sure Darren will help us access new sectors and improve our already strong reputation.”
Work starts on new business park
A new-build industrial business park on the outskirts of Peterborough has been launched to the open market by Barker Storey Matthews. Discovery Business Park in Yaxley is a new development of 12 units which will range in size from 1,650- 6,600 sq ft. Work is underway on the park, which fronts on to Broadway and is adjacent to Eagle Business Park.
Norse recruits future managerial talent
Seven new graduates have joined Norse so far in 2017 as part of a planned expansion of its graduate management trainee programme which now involves 17 graduates in roles across the company and its 15 joint ventures. By 2013, the speed of Norse’s expansion had led to a depletion in the internal pool of potential talent for managerial roles, prompting it to embark on the company-wide programme. Human resources director Tricia Fuller said: “We wanted graduates who were keen to develop general managerial skills, who were interested in the bigger management picture and who could see that opportunity within Norse." Managing director Dean Wetteland said: “We are steadily building our next generation of operational, support and administration managers. The graduate management trainee Programme enables us to take raw talent, and to develop the individual’s abilities and skills over a period of time with a view to the future managerial, and potentially even board-level, needs of the company.”
Transport firm invests in fleet
Ipswich-based warehousing and transport specialist GMA has taken delivery of four new DAF FTG XF 510 Super Space Cab tractor unit trucks, adding to capacity and regenerating its fleet. The new units will join GMA’s two specialised DAF FTG XF trucks also recently bought from Suffolk-based, DAF dealership, Chassis Cab. GMA transport manager Peter Bennett, said: “Our additional investment in the DAF units is based on high vehicle specification, great fuel efficiency, vehicle reliability, after sales support and whole life cost.”
Art director appointed at Norwich agency
Norwich-based marketing agency Creative Sponge has appointed an experienced designer, Patrick Hennings, as art director. He joins from the UK’s largest specialist property marketing agency, ThinkBDW and joins the Norwich agency’s six-strong creative studio led by creative director, Michelle Williams. Alex Tosh, managing director, Creative Sponge, said: “Patrick has a strong, all-round knowledge and skill set with particular experience in print design and branding within the property sector - which provides a great fit for the our team. Patrick joins us at a really exciting time for the agency as we continue to expand with our London base and celebrate a raft of brilliant new business wins.” Patrick Hennings is a graduate of the Colchester School of Art and a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers.
International event wins bring business to Cambridge venues
Meet Cambridge, the venue-finding bureau, has secured a host of international events from Summer 2017 onwards which will bring some 3,625 delegates to the area and boost the area's economy by £7 million. Meanwhile, Cambridge has been named sixth in the UK and fourth in England in the latest International Congress and Convention Association rankings. In 2016, Cambridge hosted a total of 19 conferences, bringing 2,700 delegates to the city. The average length of the events was 3.5 days and 73 per cent took place in an academic venue. Judith Sloane, deputy manager of Meet Cambridge said: “Our latest ICCA rankings….reflect the fact that Cambridge and the wider region is a popular place to hold international events. Organisers of medical, technological and scientific-themed conferences are able to tap into the local expertise at our universities and at the many clusters of knowledge at the science and technology parks, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the new Biomedical Campus – all of which offer excellent opportunities for collaboration, peer to peer networking and knowledge transfer." Coming events include: the International Conference on Technology of Plasticity, the International Prison Chaplains’ Association in Europe, the Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Science, the International Genetic Epidemiology Society, the International Congress of Odonatology and Exoplanets II.
Norfolk pub for sale
The freehold of The Parson Woodforde pub in Weston Longville, west of Norwich, is for sale with a guide price of £700,000 plus Vat. The current owner acquired the pub in 2010 and has extended and refurbished the property which can provide up to 150 covers and sits on 0.8 acres of gardens with a large car park. It also has five letting bedrooms. Simon Jackaman, divisional director for Fleurets’ East office who is marketing the pub, said: “The Parson Woodforde is a delightful village property. The property would ideally suit an experienced individual or group operator and the property is quite literally ready to be occupied".
Ground-breaking new printing range made in Cambridge
Cambs-based Domino Printing Scienes says its new series of printers are resetting customer expectations of productivity, quality and cost of ownership. The company's Ax-Series, a range of continuous ink jet (CIJ) printers suitable for demanding industrial packaging environments, have been designed and built by its team based at Bar Hill. The Ax-Series rewrites the rules of coding and marking by revisiting the underlying science behind CIJ – as well as introducing innovations in key areas; the i-Pulse print head and inks, the i-Techx electronics and software platform and Domino Design, which maximises productivity and ease of operation. Domino employs 2,700 people worldwide and sells to more than 120 countries through 25 subsidiary offices and more than 200 distributors. The company, which became an autonomous division of the Japanese group Brother Industries in 2015, manufactures in China, Germany, India, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA.
Norfolk Wine School launches specialist training courses
Norfolk Wine School, which launched last September, is offering the globally-recognised WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) specialist wine education courses. All the courses will be taught by chief wine tutor, Jeremy Dunn DipWSET (right), a professional wine educator and certified WSET educator with over ten years experience. WSET courses are suitable for anyone who works in the hospitality industry or who is involved in the day-to-day service of wine. The public can also learn more about wine in a fun, but concentrated and intensive way. Jeremy Dunn said: “Investing in a WSET qualification for staff is a great opportunity for hotels, restaurants and bars to build credibility with their customer base and to achieve recognition as a venue that offers good wine service. A service professional who has completed a WSET course will have the confidence to handle customer questions about wine and to recommend suitable food and wine pairings.” Norfolk’s profile in the wine industry has been raised recently by an international award for the Winbirri Estate Bacchus in the county at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards.
New design studio and furniture range in Cambridge
Eve Waldron Design recently hosted clients and associates at a Summer drinks party to launch its new design studio and a new range of furniture at its showroom on the corner of St. Peter’s Street and Pound Hill in Cambridge. With a team comprising interior designers, architects and product designers, EWD offers a comprehensive range of services to both commercial and residential clients, including early stage strategic advice on space planning, design and procurement methods. Eve Waldron said: “We are pleased to have a retail presence now and welcome the public to stop by with any size of project either for their home or offices. If involved at the start of the project, we can add value by influencing space planning, lighting, and the location of services, which helps ensure a seamless and elegant design.”
Photo (l to r) : Eve Waldron, Isabel Napper, Robert Dodds and Jonnie Becher
Suffolk PR team plan 12 mile walk to support charity
A team at Suffolk-based Genesis PR will be tackling a 12-mile trek along the River Orwell this Sunday to raise funds for Families in Need (FIND). It is also offering pro-bono PR expertise to support FIND’s work and will be launching of a countywide campaign to raise funds for a new foodbank premises and furniture warehouse for the charity in Ipswich. Genesis PR director Penny Arbuthnot, said: “We are keen to do all we can to support FIND as our charity of the year 2017, for its amazing work with local families in need. We look forward to supporting the charity with our PR expertise and to taking part in the Orwell Walk among other fundraising challenges as a team, to help FIND continue its vital work in Suffolk.” To donate towards Genesis PR’s 12 mile Orwell Walk, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/genesispr. The team have set a fundraising target of £1,000 for FIND this year, and have already achieved over £400 through senior account executive Tim Miller who ran the Norwich Half Marathon in April.
