2EPB-E01-S3

www.bristolpost.co.uk

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Software firm announces dealthat will see sales soar – page 3

AND THE NOMINEES ARE...

We reveal finalists in our Womenin Business Awards – pages 6&7

KEEP CASH FLOWING

Business advice from thePhone Box Millionaire – p12

CUE FUN IN THEW O R K P L A C E...Offices are about more than desks and chairs. How themarket needs to adapt to Google-esque companies

PROPERTY MATTERS

042015FEB

Pages 8&9

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2 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 3We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

A SMALL company based inthe shadow of Bristol’s Ikeastore is showing it has bigambitions in the very largedata storage market.

StorMagic has come up with a wayof solving data storage problems forretailers and other companies withlots of outlets.

The firm’s typical customer hasbetween 10 and 10,000 sites. It mighthave seven or eight applications run-ning such as security cameras, foot-fall monitors, sales and stocki nve n t o r i e s.

Its software aims to allow busi-nesses to keep frontline services run-ning regardless of server problemsby using virtual shared storage plat-for ms.

Today the company has an-nounced joint marketing deal with arival firm VMware, which meanssales staff from both companies willbe able to sell each others’ p ro d u c t s.

Chief executive Hans O’S u l l iva nexplained that it may sound strangeto work with a competitor but thedeal would help the firm to grow.

“It’s a huge endorsement by ourbiggest competitor,” said Hans.

“Most of our customers alreadyrun our software on top of Dame-ware. But we specialise in differentareas. Our services complement oneanother very well.”

He said the beauty of StorMagic’ssolutions was that it had simplifiedthe process for customers who don’twant to be changing things all thetime, meaning the data from lots ofoutlets can be monitored from a re-mote location.

“We ’ve solved key business prob-lems for a growing number of large

retailers, government agencies andmore, enabling high availabilityacross their sites with less hard-ware and less operating expensethan traditional and other com-peting virtual storage solutions

“Now, with VMware, we arepositioned to deliver the ulti-mate in value to a market that isgrowing rapidly – org anisationslooking for affordable alternativesto expensive Storage Area Networksin virtual server environments.”

The firm was founded in 2006, al-though many of the people involvedcame from a number of forerunnercompanies, including Clifton-basedEurolo gic.

StorMa gic’s Eastville base gives itmore room, space which it is rapidlyusing up.

It is looking to take on more spacein the near future.

It employs 40 staff and is growing.It had four new hires start last weekand is recruiting in sales staff, en-gineers, marketing and support en-g i n e e r s.

“The last couple of years have beenfantastic for us,” said Hans.

“We have expanded significantlybut this will be a big expansion yearfor us.

“We have trebled sales over the lastsix months and I would expect thisdeal is going to top that over the nextsix months or so.”

It has offices in the United Statesand Japan, but Bristol is head officewhere the software developmenttakes place.

Hans said: “Bristol is an excellentarea for us, we have been able to getgreat people in all types of roles fromengineers to sales and marketing.

“We are attractive to engineersbecause our technology is leadingedge, there are no books writtenabout it so it’s an opportunity to dothe sort to work that would usuallyonly be done in the US.”

Re c r u i t m e n t Te c h n o l o g y

Co m pa n i esplan to takeon more staff� HALF of businesses plan togrow their workforce this year,according to a survey by the CBIand Accenture.

It found among firms whichemploy people in the South West,50 per cent expect their workforceto grow over the next year. Jobprospects for young people havealso improved with many of thesefirms planning to recruit graduatesand apprentices.

Other keyfindings:� 40 percent ofre s p o n d e n t splan toi n c re a s epermanentposts and32 per centtemporary;� 45 per centexpect to increase apprenticeshipintake and 45 per cent will recruithigher numbers of graduates;� 86 per cent anticipate havingroles suitable for people aged16-24 who are seeking work.

Deborah Waddell, pictur ed,director of CBI South West: “Firmsare gearing up for a positive 2015with more than half planning tocreate jobs, most of which will bepermanent.

“Young people should find morechances to get a foot on the careerladder this year, with many firmslooking to boost their intake ofgraduates and apprentices.

“We want to see everyone enjoythe rewards of the recovery andthe South West has a big role indriving the UK economy forward.Growth should work for everyone,and skills are the key route toensuring that this happens throughimproved productivity and pay.”

Transpor t

Ready to roll Chauffeur firm thelatest to set up in city film studio

A TAXI company is the latestfirm to set up a base at Bris-tol’s film studio as the grow-ing number of productionsattracts more and more busi-

n e s s e s.Studio Cars is offering chauffeur

services to productions based at theBottle Yard Studios in Hengrove.

It means the cast and productioncrews of the TV shows and moviesbeing filmed at the site will be able toget around quickly and easily.

The studios is proving a hit withproduction companies with the BBC 2

period drama Wolf Hall the latest touse the former bottling plant.

Site director Fiona Francombesaid: “We ’re hugely excited to launchthis new partnership, for a number ofreasons. On a practical level it en-ables us to officially offer for the firsttime our own dedicated transport forindustry professionals based with us.They are being driven by highly ex-perienced unit drivers who haveworked extensively in the region for anumber of years.”

She said the fact that the companyused low emission cars was an addedat t r a c t i o n .

“Transport is known to be a sig-nificant contributor to the green-house gases emitted into theatmosphere as a direct result of mak-ing film and TV,” she said.

“Here at The Bottle Yard we havebeen keen for some time to find newways to reduce our studio emissions,and this unique green initiative is abig step forward in achieving this. Weare pleased to be able to launch thisnow, especially as Bristol takes on thetitle of European Green Capital2015.”

Studio Cars will be using a fleet oflow-emission Mercedes Benz cars.

The firm’s founder Nick Kenyonsaid: “Myself and my fellow seasoneddrivers have been behind the wheeldriving together for high profile filmand TV clients for almost 12 yearsnow. Coming together as Studio Cars,we have created a company with awealth of experience and an envir-onmental friendly ethos at its heart.

“We run 12 cars with modern low

emission diesel engines, and are ex-panding our fleet to include the latestelectric vehicles on the market, in-cluding the Mitsubishi PHEV, whichwill be charged at dedicated on-sitecharging points.

“We look forward to getting thispartnership on the road this year, tosupport film and TV productions atThe Bottle Yard whilst helping tomake Bristol’s air cleaner.”

Studio Cars is the 14th tenant tojoin The Bottle Yard’s growing busi-ness community. Other recent addi-tions include location suppliescompany Location One, Emmy-awardwinning music and sound designcompany Radium Audio, sustainablefilm/TV set-clearance companyDrèsd, and Filmscape Media, a sup-plier of film and TV equipment.

G row t h

Law firm’s turnover rises to £25 million

Rates for IT staff onlyexceeded by London� BRISTOL companies are payingday rates for IT workers which aresecond only to London.

The city is also fifth highest payerfor permanent IT roles.

The figures come from the TechCities Job Watch report by ITrecruitment firm Experis.

It focuses on trends within theindustry’s hottest sectors – mobile,cloud, big data, security and webdevelopment.

The report found Londonaccounted for 72 per cent of IT jobsadvertised but outside the capital thebig players were Cambridge, Bristol,Birmingham, Manchester andG l a s g o w.

The report found a day rate for ITcontractors in Bristol averaged £393,behind London’s £417 and ahead ofthird place Manchester at £368.

Within that figure, those workingon cloud projects were by far thebiggest earners locally, getting £521a day, while next was webdevelopers at £390.

Permanent IT staff in Bristol canexpect to earn £37,859 a year,although those in IT security weremuch better off, getting paid£49,599, with web developers on arelatively lowly £34,150.

Geoff Smith, managing director orExperis Europe, said: “There arestrong indications to suggest techjob opportunities are on the risethroughout the UK.

“We ’re seeing an increasingnumber of London-basedcompanies establishing remoteworking centres to ensure their huntfor IT skills doesn’t miss out on talentthat sees more appeal in the qualityof life outside the capital.”

Tre n d s

Data kings Deal with rival firmhelping software experts thrive

LAW firm Thrings has put adouble-digit rise in turnover down togood service and clear pricing.

The Bristol firm reported ongoinginvestment in clients and staff, ad-vising domestic and international cli-ents on big corporate deals andsustained organic growth combinedto deliver an 18-per-cent increase inturnover to £25 million for the yearending 30 April 2014.

As the office market recoversstrongly, it should be no surprise thatthe firm’s commercial property armhas played a part, along with its cor-porate, agriculture and company com-mercial teams.

All four experienced substantialgrowth as activity on behalf of clients,

including Watson Petroleum, Intrins-ic Financial Services, Greene King,Coty and the NFU, returned to pre-re-cession levels.

Managing partner SimonHoldsworth, p i c t u re d ,said: “These results con-firm it has been a strongyear for Thrings and weare seeing the impact ofour investment in cli-ents during the econom-ic downturn.

“Our focus has remainedon improving how we deliverservices, and as a result, the firmis on a strong financial footing.

“Rather than pursuing a proactivemerger strategy, we have enjoyed high

levels of organic growth. Our lawyersare entrepreneurially-minded, andhave been able to offer more commer-

cial services to long-term cli-ents due to the depth of

understanding they haveof their businesses.”

The firm is already en-joying further growth of12 per cent in the cur-rent financial year, butSimon said the fast-chan-

ging legal landscape – ledby government reforms –

would be challenging.He said: “The Legal Services

Act has created more competitionamong law firms, with clients increas-ingly inclined to shop around for the

most competitive legal costs.“The results of our recent client sur-

vey highlight how clients want morechoice, more flexibility and moretransparency, and how they don’twant any surprises when it comes tof e e s.

“In response to this, we are offeringbespoke pricing options which closelyreflect clients’ specific needs and rep-resent genuine value.

“Our healthy financial figures haveshown us that whether we are actingon behalf of a sole trader or a multi-na-tional corporation, our focus remainson fostering strong, long-term rela-tionships with clients and providingthem with affordable first-class legala dv i c e. ”

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07584 003229Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Historic site boughtfor new homes plan� A RETIREMENT homescompany has bought the site oftwo former lime kilns where itplans to build new homes.

Churchill Retirement Livingbought the 0.6-acre site in northBristol, which already hasplanning permission for 32sheltered housing flats, for anundisclosed sum.

The site, at the junction ofHenleaze Road and EastfieldRoad, has been controversialbecause the kilns were believed todate back to the 1600 or 1700s.

An attempt to get the kilns listedby English Heritage failed andBristol City Council gave thelandowner permission to demolishthem back in 2012.

The scheme for 32 one and twobedroom apartments should befinished by spring 2016.

Chris Haworth, partner at salemanager Alder King, said:“Demand for well-located sitesfrom the retirement sector remainss t ro n g .”

Housing

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Proper ty

Landowners urged to act on development sitesLANDOWNERS are being urged toact now if they want to see homes andother developments on their groundsin the coming years.

Bristol, South Gloucestershire,Bath and North East Somerset, andNorth Somerset councils have issueda call for sites to help inform theavailability of development landwithin their areas.

As part of a joint strategy, the fourcouncils have also committed toworking together to prepare a jointplanning strategy.

The strategy will become a devel-opment plan to identify housing and

employment land across the author-ities’ areas to meet anticipated needsup until 2036.

Marcus Plaw, director ofplanning at LambertSmith Hampton (LSH),said: “This joint ap-proach to planning isexactly what is neededfor these four author-i t i e s.

“Economic develop-ment strategies will notwork unless they are foun-ded upon critically sound in-for mation.

“The consultations on the strategyand the Call for Sites are two im-

portant initiatives to set aframework from which sus-

tainable economicgrowth and positivetown planning can bea ch i eve d . ”

The four local au-thorities are seekinginformation from

landowners with suit-able development land

and buildings that are cap-able of delivering 10 or more

dwellings and economic develop-

ment on sites of more than 0.25ha (0.6acres) or 500 sq.m (5,350 sq.ft) of floor-s p a c e.

Marcus, p i c t u re d , added: “LSH isworking with landowners and de-velopers to enhance the developmentpotential of their land and buildings– so these consultations present avaluable opportunity for the devel-opment potential of sites that are incities, towns, village and rural areasto be highlighted.”

Submissions and comments onboth the JSPS and the Call for Sitesare sought by the local authorities byMarch 6.

� Staff at Bristol company StorMagic in Eastville, Bristol; inset, chiefexecutive Hans O’Sullivan

� Nick Kenyon and FionaFrancombe at The BottleYard Studios, Bristol

Fiona Francombe

“Transport isknown to be asignificantcontributor to thegreenhouse gasesemitted into theatmosphere as adirect result ofmaking film and TV.Here at The BottleYard we have beenkeen for some timeto find new ways toreduce our studioemissions, and thisunique greeninitiative is a bigstep forward inachieving this.

� An artist’s impression of theplanned sheltered housing

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E01-

S3

2 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 3We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

A SMALL company based inthe shadow of Bristol’s Ikeastore is showing it has bigambitions in the very largedata storage market.

StorMagic has come up with a wayof solving data storage problems forretailers and other companies withlots of outlets.

The firm’s typical customer hasbetween 10 and 10,000 sites. It mighthave seven or eight applications run-ning such as security cameras, foot-fall monitors, sales and stocki nve n t o r i e s.

Its software aims to allow busi-nesses to keep frontline services run-ning regardless of server problemsby using virtual shared storage plat-for ms.

Today the company has an-nounced joint marketing deal with arival firm VMware, which meanssales staff from both companies willbe able to sell each others’ p ro d u c t s.

Chief executive Hans O’S u l l iva nexplained that it may sound strangeto work with a competitor but thedeal would help the firm to grow.

“It’s a huge endorsement by ourbiggest competitor,” said Hans.

“Most of our customers alreadyrun our software on top of Dame-ware. But we specialise in differentareas. Our services complement oneanother very well.”

He said the beauty of StorMagic’ssolutions was that it had simplifiedthe process for customers who don’twant to be changing things all thetime, meaning the data from lots ofoutlets can be monitored from a re-mote location.

“We ’ve solved key business prob-lems for a growing number of large

retailers, government agencies andmore, enabling high availabilityacross their sites with less hard-ware and less operating expensethan traditional and other com-peting virtual storage solutions

“Now, with VMware, we arepositioned to deliver the ulti-mate in value to a market that isgrowing rapidly – org anisationslooking for affordable alternativesto expensive Storage Area Networksin virtual server environments.”

The firm was founded in 2006, al-though many of the people involvedcame from a number of forerunnercompanies, including Clifton-basedEurolo gic.

StorMa gic’s Eastville base gives itmore room, space which it is rapidlyusing up.

It is looking to take on more spacein the near future.

It employs 40 staff and is growing.It had four new hires start last weekand is recruiting in sales staff, en-gineers, marketing and support en-g i n e e r s.

“The last couple of years have beenfantastic for us,” said Hans.

“We have expanded significantlybut this will be a big expansion yearfor us.

“We have trebled sales over the lastsix months and I would expect thisdeal is going to top that over the nextsix months or so.”

It has offices in the United Statesand Japan, but Bristol is head officewhere the software developmenttakes place.

Hans said: “Bristol is an excellentarea for us, we have been able to getgreat people in all types of roles fromengineers to sales and marketing.

“We are attractive to engineersbecause our technology is leadingedge, there are no books writtenabout it so it’s an opportunity to dothe sort to work that would usuallyonly be done in the US.”

Re c r u i t m e n t Te c h n o l o g y

Co m pa n i esplan to takeon more staff� HALF of businesses plan togrow their workforce this year,according to a survey by the CBIand Accenture.

It found among firms whichemploy people in the South West,50 per cent expect their workforceto grow over the next year. Jobprospects for young people havealso improved with many of thesefirms planning to recruit graduatesand apprentices.

Other keyfindings:� 40 percent ofre s p o n d e n t splan toi n c re a s epermanentposts and32 per centtemporary;� 45 per centexpect to increase apprenticeshipintake and 45 per cent will recruithigher numbers of graduates;� 86 per cent anticipate havingroles suitable for people aged16-24 who are seeking work.

Deborah Waddell, pictur ed,director of CBI South West: “Firmsare gearing up for a positive 2015with more than half planning tocreate jobs, most of which will bepermanent.

“Young people should find morechances to get a foot on the careerladder this year, with many firmslooking to boost their intake ofgraduates and apprentices.

“We want to see everyone enjoythe rewards of the recovery andthe South West has a big role indriving the UK economy forward.Growth should work for everyone,and skills are the key route toensuring that this happens throughimproved productivity and pay.”

Transpor t

Ready to roll Chauffeur firm thelatest to set up in city film studio

A TAXI company is the latestfirm to set up a base at Bris-tol’s film studio as the grow-ing number of productionsattracts more and more busi-

n e s s e s.Studio Cars is offering chauffeur

services to productions based at theBottle Yard Studios in Hengrove.

It means the cast and productioncrews of the TV shows and moviesbeing filmed at the site will be able toget around quickly and easily.

The studios is proving a hit withproduction companies with the BBC 2

period drama Wolf Hall the latest touse the former bottling plant.

Site director Fiona Francombesaid: “We ’re hugely excited to launchthis new partnership, for a number ofreasons. On a practical level it en-ables us to officially offer for the firsttime our own dedicated transport forindustry professionals based with us.They are being driven by highly ex-perienced unit drivers who haveworked extensively in the region for anumber of years.”

She said the fact that the companyused low emission cars was an addedat t r a c t i o n .

“Transport is known to be a sig-nificant contributor to the green-house gases emitted into theatmosphere as a direct result of mak-ing film and TV,” she said.

“Here at The Bottle Yard we havebeen keen for some time to find newways to reduce our studio emissions,and this unique green initiative is abig step forward in achieving this. Weare pleased to be able to launch thisnow, especially as Bristol takes on thetitle of European Green Capital2015.”

Studio Cars will be using a fleet oflow-emission Mercedes Benz cars.

The firm’s founder Nick Kenyonsaid: “Myself and my fellow seasoneddrivers have been behind the wheeldriving together for high profile filmand TV clients for almost 12 yearsnow. Coming together as Studio Cars,we have created a company with awealth of experience and an envir-onmental friendly ethos at its heart.

“We run 12 cars with modern low

emission diesel engines, and are ex-panding our fleet to include the latestelectric vehicles on the market, in-cluding the Mitsubishi PHEV, whichwill be charged at dedicated on-sitecharging points.

“We look forward to getting thispartnership on the road this year, tosupport film and TV productions atThe Bottle Yard whilst helping tomake Bristol’s air cleaner.”

Studio Cars is the 14th tenant tojoin The Bottle Yard’s growing busi-ness community. Other recent addi-tions include location suppliescompany Location One, Emmy-awardwinning music and sound designcompany Radium Audio, sustainablefilm/TV set-clearance companyDrèsd, and Filmscape Media, a sup-plier of film and TV equipment.

G row t h

Law firm’s turnover rises to £25 million

Rates for IT staff onlyexceeded by London� BRISTOL companies are payingday rates for IT workers which aresecond only to London.

The city is also fifth highest payerfor permanent IT roles.

The figures come from the TechCities Job Watch report by ITrecruitment firm Experis.

It focuses on trends within theindustry’s hottest sectors – mobile,cloud, big data, security and webdevelopment.

The report found Londonaccounted for 72 per cent of IT jobsadvertised but outside the capital thebig players were Cambridge, Bristol,Birmingham, Manchester andG l a s g o w.

The report found a day rate for ITcontractors in Bristol averaged £393,behind London’s £417 and ahead ofthird place Manchester at £368.

Within that figure, those workingon cloud projects were by far thebiggest earners locally, getting £521a day, while next was webdevelopers at £390.

Permanent IT staff in Bristol canexpect to earn £37,859 a year,although those in IT security weremuch better off, getting paid£49,599, with web developers on arelatively lowly £34,150.

Geoff Smith, managing director orExperis Europe, said: “There arestrong indications to suggest techjob opportunities are on the risethroughout the UK.

“We ’re seeing an increasingnumber of London-basedcompanies establishing remoteworking centres to ensure their huntfor IT skills doesn’t miss out on talentthat sees more appeal in the qualityof life outside the capital.”

Tre n d s

Data kings Deal with rival firmhelping software experts thrive

LAW firm Thrings has put adouble-digit rise in turnover down togood service and clear pricing.

The Bristol firm reported ongoinginvestment in clients and staff, ad-vising domestic and international cli-ents on big corporate deals andsustained organic growth combinedto deliver an 18-per-cent increase inturnover to £25 million for the yearending 30 April 2014.

As the office market recoversstrongly, it should be no surprise thatthe firm’s commercial property armhas played a part, along with its cor-porate, agriculture and company com-mercial teams.

All four experienced substantialgrowth as activity on behalf of clients,

including Watson Petroleum, Intrins-ic Financial Services, Greene King,Coty and the NFU, returned to pre-re-cession levels.

Managing partner SimonHoldsworth, p i c t u re d ,said: “These results con-firm it has been a strongyear for Thrings and weare seeing the impact ofour investment in cli-ents during the econom-ic downturn.

“Our focus has remainedon improving how we deliverservices, and as a result, the firmis on a strong financial footing.

“Rather than pursuing a proactivemerger strategy, we have enjoyed high

levels of organic growth. Our lawyersare entrepreneurially-minded, andhave been able to offer more commer-

cial services to long-term cli-ents due to the depth of

understanding they haveof their businesses.”

The firm is already en-joying further growth of12 per cent in the cur-rent financial year, butSimon said the fast-chan-

ging legal landscape – ledby government reforms –

would be challenging.He said: “The Legal Services

Act has created more competitionamong law firms, with clients increas-ingly inclined to shop around for the

most competitive legal costs.“The results of our recent client sur-

vey highlight how clients want morechoice, more flexibility and moretransparency, and how they don’twant any surprises when it comes tof e e s.

“In response to this, we are offeringbespoke pricing options which closelyreflect clients’ specific needs and rep-resent genuine value.

“Our healthy financial figures haveshown us that whether we are actingon behalf of a sole trader or a multi-na-tional corporation, our focus remainson fostering strong, long-term rela-tionships with clients and providingthem with affordable first-class legala dv i c e. ”

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07584 003229Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Historic site boughtfor new homes plan� A RETIREMENT homescompany has bought the site oftwo former lime kilns where itplans to build new homes.

Churchill Retirement Livingbought the 0.6-acre site in northBristol, which already hasplanning permission for 32sheltered housing flats, for anundisclosed sum.

The site, at the junction ofHenleaze Road and EastfieldRoad, has been controversialbecause the kilns were believed todate back to the 1600 or 1700s.

An attempt to get the kilns listedby English Heritage failed andBristol City Council gave thelandowner permission to demolishthem back in 2012.

The scheme for 32 one and twobedroom apartments should befinished by spring 2016.

Chris Haworth, partner at salemanager Alder King, said:“Demand for well-located sitesfrom the retirement sector remainss t ro n g .”

Housing

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Proper ty

Landowners urged to act on development sitesLANDOWNERS are being urged toact now if they want to see homes andother developments on their groundsin the coming years.

Bristol, South Gloucestershire,Bath and North East Somerset, andNorth Somerset councils have issueda call for sites to help inform theavailability of development landwithin their areas.

As part of a joint strategy, the fourcouncils have also committed toworking together to prepare a jointplanning strategy.

The strategy will become a devel-opment plan to identify housing and

employment land across the author-ities’ areas to meet anticipated needsup until 2036.

Marcus Plaw, director ofplanning at LambertSmith Hampton (LSH),said: “This joint ap-proach to planning isexactly what is neededfor these four author-i t i e s.

“Economic develop-ment strategies will notwork unless they are foun-ded upon critically sound in-for mation.

“The consultations on the strategyand the Call for Sites are two im-

portant initiatives to set aframework from which sus-

tainable economicgrowth and positivetown planning can bea ch i eve d . ”

The four local au-thorities are seekinginformation from

landowners with suit-able development land

and buildings that are cap-able of delivering 10 or more

dwellings and economic develop-

ment on sites of more than 0.25ha (0.6acres) or 500 sq.m (5,350 sq.ft) of floor-s p a c e.

Marcus, p i c t u re d , added: “LSH isworking with landowners and de-velopers to enhance the developmentpotential of their land and buildings– so these consultations present avaluable opportunity for the devel-opment potential of sites that are incities, towns, village and rural areasto be highlighted.”

Submissions and comments onboth the JSPS and the Call for Sitesare sought by the local authorities byMarch 6.

� Staff at Bristol company StorMagic in Eastville, Bristol; inset, chiefexecutive Hans O’Sullivan

� Nick Kenyon and FionaFrancombe at The BottleYard Studios, Bristol

Fiona Francombe

“Transport isknown to be asignificantcontributor to thegreenhouse gasesemitted into theatmosphere as adirect result ofmaking film and TV.Here at The BottleYard we have beenkeen for some timeto find new ways toreduce our studioemissions, and thisunique greeninitiative is a bigstep forward inachieving this.

� An artist’s impression of theplanned sheltered housing

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

4 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 5We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Big year H o p eshigh for strongtourist trade

Dead serious Zombie festival firmseeking office deal to stay in city

THE company that brought theIgFest zombie festival to Bris-tol could leave the city if itc a n’t secure a new lease forits current offices.

Slingshot has been based in theMilk Bar in St Nicholas Street inBristol’s Old City since it was foun-ded in 2008.

It shares the building, which isowned by the city council, with anumber of artists and has been pay-ing a peppercorn rent in return forkeeping the site maintained and inu s e.

But now that arrangement is com-ing to an end, leaving the tenantsfacing an uncertain future.

Co-founder Simon Evans said: “Atthe time this area was down at heelwith some derelict properties and the

council couldn’t sell it or do it up tore n t .

“Now the area is much better so ithas put the lease out to competitivetender to put it on a commercialfo o t i n g .

“This building allowed us to startour business and have the confidenceto try without fearing failure.”

From starting with two people, thecompany now has eight, about tobecome 13 and aims to reach 30 thisye a r.

As well as organising IgFest, itruns the 2.8 Hours Later zombie

street games which it has staged incities around the country, includingBristol.

It has established itself among thebusinesses in the Old City, using localtraders as suppliers and providingpeople with the chance to learn newskills and bringing thousands ofpeople to Bristol for its events.

The company has become a suc-cessful small business, with aturnover of more than £900,000 in

RISING rents in the city centre com-bined with the roll-out of residents’parking schemes across Bristol aredriving many small businesses tolook north for office space.

T hat’s according to offices sectorspecialist Paul Williams at BrutonKnowles, who said smaller offices inthe sub-2,000 sq ft capacity in NorthBristol continued to be popular withbusinesses looking to take advantageof the superior road network.

He said: “The out-of-town sectorhas seen a return of large head-line-grabbing deals in 2014, with anumber of transactions of 20,000 sq ftor more during the course of last year,but there has also been a strong re-surgence of activity at the smaller

end of the market.“Ease of access to the region’s mo-

torway network is a prime consid-eration, offering staff an opportunityto work around the jams rather than

having to fight their way through tothe city centre.

“Out-of-town offices also offerrather more generous levels of on-siteparking – which is virtually unknown

‘Rising rents forcing firms to look out of town’Merger could see income drop for landlords with masts

Airbus secures moreorders in Japan� AIRBUS has secured anotherorder for its popular single aisleA320 family aircraft in the keyJapanese market.

ANA Holdings has orderedseven more A321 aircraft, four withof the current engine option (ceo)model but with sharklet wing tipsto make them more fuel efficientand three of the new engine option(neo) model.

The deal is on top of four a firmorder for 30 A320neo familyaircraft, pictur ed, placed in July2014.

ANA is gradually replacing itsexisting single aisle fleet and willbe the first Japanese operator of

both Sharklet-equipped A321ceoand A321neo.

Airbus chief operating officercustomers John Leahy said: “Weare extremely pleased that such aprestigious airline as Japan’s ANA,has placed repeat orders for ourA320 Family aircraft. By selectingour single-aisle aircraft, ANA isinvesting in the best in class,securing excellent cabin comfortas well as operational efficiency forits future.”

ANA became an Airbuscustomer in 1987, when it orderedten A320s. In 1995 ANA alsoselected the larger A321, with atotal of seven orders.

The A320 Family is the world’sbest-selling single aisle range withmore than 11,500 orders to date.

2014, so it wants to take on the build-ing as a commercial tenant.

“We ’ve put our proposal to thecouncil and hope it will be accepted,”he said. “We are in a position to rentthe building on a commercial basis,but if we are outbid we would have tom ove. ”

He said the company would like tostay in Bristol, where it was foundedand where it has strong links with thecreative economy.

Hotline set up forvaluation appeals� A PROPERTY agency has setup a hotline for businesses toappeal their business ratesvaluations in a bid to prevent themlosing five years’ worth of refunds.

As reported in last week’sBusiness, the Government has setthe end of March as a cut-off pointfor rating valuation appeals for thepast five years. After that, firmswhich successfully appeal theirvaluation will only get a refundback dated to April 1.

Ben Batchelor-Wylam, associatedirector of rating, South West andSouth Wales at ColliersInternational, fears mostbusinesses are unaware.

It has set up a hotline for firmsto call, to find out more about thisissue, 0800 358 3230.

The deadline was “almost lost inthe small print” of the Chancellor’sAutumn Statement in December2014 with “certainly no attentiondrawn to it,” said Ben.

He said: “Despite havingextended the time period for therevaluation of businesses on theratings list from five to seven years(extended to 2017) they haven’textended the period wherebusinesses are entitled to appeal.This means that whilst businesseswill still be able to appeal betweenApril 2015 and 2017, any refundsor savings will only be backdatedto April 2015.

“Making this announcement onlyweeks before the cut-off isscandalous.”

� A COMPANY which helps installequipment under the sea has seen is profitsheading into the stratosphere.

Viper Subsea, based in Portishead,enjoyed 45 per cent growth in thelast 12 months and boasts andorder book that should see thatrate continue.

The company specialises incontrols and distribution gear,enabling it to extend the life ofdeep-sea electrical equipment,reducing the need for repairs andre p l a c e m e n t .

Founded by Neil Douglas, pictur ed,and Max Nodder, it works with major oilcompanies and their first tier suppliers.

Neil said: “Products are designedin-house and provide highly reliable, and

novel solutions to address the challenges ofinstalling, operating and maintainingequipment on the seabed for periods in

excess of 25 years.”The products focus on the

distribution of electrical power,hydraulic fluids, chemicals andoptical fibres in order to enablethe control of oil and gasproduction equipment.”

It has won contracts thathave seen its work used

offshore in Brazil, Australia,Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,

and the Caribbean as well as in thehome waters of the North Sea.

The firm has been supported byCheltenham-based advisory firm CroweClarke Whitehall.

Undersea experts enjoy soaring profits

Mobile

Oil exploration

Off ices

Business rates

Ae ros pa ceProper ty

in the city. The introduction of res-ident parking schemes in Clifton Vil-lage and other locations may also beplaying a part. Clearly, businesseslooking for space away from the citycentre are also expecting to save onrent, especially if they are prepared tolook at refurbished or Grade B ac-c o m m o d at i o n . ”

He cited two sites, Heron House onthe Thornbury Office Park and Vant-age Office Park on the Old GloucesterRoad, Parkway, as good examples,both of which have availability in theunder 2,000 square foot market.

“These offices are popular withsmall to medium businesses andideally placed for hassle-free road andrail connections,” he said.

� Vantage Park offices� Heron House

H os p i t a l i ty

BR I S T O L’S hospitality in-dustry is gearing up for astrong year, building on abig rise in the events andconferencing trade in 2014.

As well as the annual events, suchas the International Balloon Fiesta,the arrival of another Aardman vis-itor trail is creating optimism amongbu s i n e s s e s.

John Dowling, manager of theDoubleTree by Hilton Bristol CityCentre, said: “We had a great 2014 andindications show that there is anappetite for both business and leisuretravellers to visit Bristol and stay inquality accommodation.

“Bristol has a big year ahead of it.Its European Green Capital label willplace it prominently across the wholeof Europe hopefully attracting vis-i t o r s.

“The Shaun the Sheep trail willgive the city international exposureand attract people wanting to tick off

as many of the individual charactersas possible.

“The Rugby World Cup is also goingto attract lots of fans and teams withExeter, Gloucester and Cardiff host-ing 15 games between them. We’realready taking bookings which isgreat news for us and also the city.”

Kathryn Davis of Destination Bris-tol said: “Following a few challengingyears, there seems to be a renewedconfidence for conference and meet-ing business and Bristol has beenbenefiting from this optimism.”

She said Destination Bristol hadbeen working hard behind the scenesto market the city to business eventorganisers and associations – i n cl u d -ing attending five national and in-ternational trade events –contributing to a 35 per cent rise ininquiries in 2014.

She added that the city rose a placein the British Meetings Events In-dustry Report to seventh most pop-ular UK destinations for corporateand association event planners. Thebenefits of more people coming inshould be felt in and out of the city.

Steve Bowen, owner, Steak of theArt restaurant, hopes the Har-

bourside will be a part of that as thearea continues its transformation to-ward becoming a leisure area.

“As Bristol emerges as a key busi-ness and tourist destination so theneed to have quality places to eat alsoi n c re a s e s, ” he said.

“The development of Harboursidehas opened up an area of Bristol thata decade ago was cross crossed withold rail tracks and was nothing morethan a muddy car park and hashelped pull in more visitors.”

Further afield, destination hotels

are also feeling the positive benefitsof the rising popularity of Bristol.

Colin Badcock, general manager atDoubleTree by Hilton, CadburyHouse in Congresbury, said: “We arepositioned slightly outside the citycentre but we are reaping the benefitsof being so close to such an up andcoming city.”

He cited the hotel’s location close toBristol International Airport as help-ing it pull in leisure and businessclients flying in.

The growth in the Bristol visitor

market is also shown by a number ofplans for new hotels. This week eco-nomy brand Hampton by Hilton re-vealed plans to build at BristolAirport, the expansion of CribbsCauseway includes a hotel and an-other is proposed for the Finzel’sReach development in the centre.

Colin added: “It is immensely im-portant for the region to offerhigh-quality accommodation andmeeting facilities to compete withother large cities and attract businessand tourism.”

� LANDLORDS who have telecoms mastson their properties could lose thousands ofpounds of annual income if the merger of 3and O2 UK goes ahead, a telecomsexpert has warned.

Mark Walters, pictur ed,Bristol-based director of thetelecoms consultancy team atproperty consultancy LambertSmith Hampton (LSH), saidthousands of landlords hadalready seen their telecomsincome plummet following theconsolidation of Orange andT-Mobile into EverythingEverywhere (EE) and Telefonica andVodafone sharing network infrastructure.

Now, with the announcement by the ownerof 3, Hong Kong-based conglomerateHutchison Whampoa, that it is in exclusive

talks with O2 owner Telefonica to acquire thenetwork for £10.25 billion, Mark warned itcould have a significant impact on revenuepotential if it goes ahead.

“There are more than 50,000 mastsacross the country, on land and on

buildings, and they can bring in amuch-needed income stream, butif this huge merger happenslandlords could lose out,” hesaid.

Mark, who is based in theBristol office of LSH, said

landlords should also get advice ifoperators want to introduce

site-sharing agreements as a result ofany merger.

“Whether a landlord has one mast or aportfolio of sites, it is essential to beprepared now.”

� Slingshot co-founder SimonEvans and the Milk Bar in StNicholas Street; below, a zombiefrom an Igfest event

Simon Evans

“We ’ve put our proposalto the council and hope itwill be accepted. We arein a position to rent thebuilding on a commercialbasis, but if we are outbidwe would have to move.

“But Bristol is an expensive placeto rent property,” he said. “And weneed quite a big space.”

As previously revealed in Busi-ness, the company has been devel-oping a theme-park style experiencecalled Hyde.

Simon, 51, added: “Cardiff has beencourting us about Hyde, so movingthere would be an option.”

But first choice is to stay put. Oth-erwise the zombies get it.

� Steve Bowen, owner, Steak of the Art, Harbourside, Bristol; inset, the Shaun the Sheep and Rugby World Cup areexpected to generate business for Bristol’s hospitality industry

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Part of the Local World group

AN Event Services provide audio visual equipmentand support for all your event needs. We offer aprofessional and experienced approach withpre-show, on-site and post-show technical support.

Staging your event doesn’thave to cost a fortune...

Whatever the event, we’ve got it covered

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

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4 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 5We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Big year H o p eshigh for strongtourist trade

Dead serious Zombie festival firmseeking office deal to stay in city

THE company that brought theIgFest zombie festival to Bris-tol could leave the city if itc a n’t secure a new lease forits current offices.

Slingshot has been based in theMilk Bar in St Nicholas Street inBristol’s Old City since it was foun-ded in 2008.

It shares the building, which isowned by the city council, with anumber of artists and has been pay-ing a peppercorn rent in return forkeeping the site maintained and inu s e.

But now that arrangement is com-ing to an end, leaving the tenantsfacing an uncertain future.

Co-founder Simon Evans said: “Atthe time this area was down at heelwith some derelict properties and the

council couldn’t sell it or do it up tore n t .

“Now the area is much better so ithas put the lease out to competitivetender to put it on a commercialfo o t i n g .

“This building allowed us to startour business and have the confidenceto try without fearing failure.”

From starting with two people, thecompany now has eight, about tobecome 13 and aims to reach 30 thisye a r.

As well as organising IgFest, itruns the 2.8 Hours Later zombie

street games which it has staged incities around the country, includingBristol.

It has established itself among thebusinesses in the Old City, using localtraders as suppliers and providingpeople with the chance to learn newskills and bringing thousands ofpeople to Bristol for its events.

The company has become a suc-cessful small business, with aturnover of more than £900,000 in

RISING rents in the city centre com-bined with the roll-out of residents’parking schemes across Bristol aredriving many small businesses tolook north for office space.

T hat’s according to offices sectorspecialist Paul Williams at BrutonKnowles, who said smaller offices inthe sub-2,000 sq ft capacity in NorthBristol continued to be popular withbusinesses looking to take advantageof the superior road network.

He said: “The out-of-town sectorhas seen a return of large head-line-grabbing deals in 2014, with anumber of transactions of 20,000 sq ftor more during the course of last year,but there has also been a strong re-surgence of activity at the smaller

end of the market.“Ease of access to the region’s mo-

torway network is a prime consid-eration, offering staff an opportunityto work around the jams rather than

having to fight their way through tothe city centre.

“Out-of-town offices also offerrather more generous levels of on-siteparking – which is virtually unknown

‘Rising rents forcing firms to look out of town’Merger could see income drop for landlords with masts

Airbus secures moreorders in Japan� AIRBUS has secured anotherorder for its popular single aisleA320 family aircraft in the keyJapanese market.

ANA Holdings has orderedseven more A321 aircraft, four withof the current engine option (ceo)model but with sharklet wing tipsto make them more fuel efficientand three of the new engine option(neo) model.

The deal is on top of four a firmorder for 30 A320neo familyaircraft, pictur ed, placed in July2014.

ANA is gradually replacing itsexisting single aisle fleet and willbe the first Japanese operator of

both Sharklet-equipped A321ceoand A321neo.

Airbus chief operating officercustomers John Leahy said: “Weare extremely pleased that such aprestigious airline as Japan’s ANA,has placed repeat orders for ourA320 Family aircraft. By selectingour single-aisle aircraft, ANA isinvesting in the best in class,securing excellent cabin comfortas well as operational efficiency forits future.”

ANA became an Airbuscustomer in 1987, when it orderedten A320s. In 1995 ANA alsoselected the larger A321, with atotal of seven orders.

The A320 Family is the world’sbest-selling single aisle range withmore than 11,500 orders to date.

2014, so it wants to take on the build-ing as a commercial tenant.

“We ’ve put our proposal to thecouncil and hope it will be accepted,”he said. “We are in a position to rentthe building on a commercial basis,but if we are outbid we would have tom ove. ”

He said the company would like tostay in Bristol, where it was foundedand where it has strong links with thecreative economy.

Hotline set up forvaluation appeals� A PROPERTY agency has setup a hotline for businesses toappeal their business ratesvaluations in a bid to prevent themlosing five years’ worth of refunds.

As reported in last week’sBusiness, the Government has setthe end of March as a cut-off pointfor rating valuation appeals for thepast five years. After that, firmswhich successfully appeal theirvaluation will only get a refundback dated to April 1.

Ben Batchelor-Wylam, associatedirector of rating, South West andSouth Wales at ColliersInternational, fears mostbusinesses are unaware.

It has set up a hotline for firmsto call, to find out more about thisissue, 0800 358 3230.

The deadline was “almost lost inthe small print” of the Chancellor’sAutumn Statement in December2014 with “certainly no attentiondrawn to it,” said Ben.

He said: “Despite havingextended the time period for therevaluation of businesses on theratings list from five to seven years(extended to 2017) they haven’textended the period wherebusinesses are entitled to appeal.This means that whilst businesseswill still be able to appeal betweenApril 2015 and 2017, any refundsor savings will only be backdatedto April 2015.

“Making this announcement onlyweeks before the cut-off isscandalous.”

� A COMPANY which helps installequipment under the sea has seen is profitsheading into the stratosphere.

Viper Subsea, based in Portishead,enjoyed 45 per cent growth in thelast 12 months and boasts andorder book that should see thatrate continue.

The company specialises incontrols and distribution gear,enabling it to extend the life ofdeep-sea electrical equipment,reducing the need for repairs andre p l a c e m e n t .

Founded by Neil Douglas, pictur ed,and Max Nodder, it works with major oilcompanies and their first tier suppliers.

Neil said: “Products are designedin-house and provide highly reliable, and

novel solutions to address the challenges ofinstalling, operating and maintainingequipment on the seabed for periods in

excess of 25 years.”The products focus on the

distribution of electrical power,hydraulic fluids, chemicals andoptical fibres in order to enablethe control of oil and gasproduction equipment.”

It has won contracts thathave seen its work used

offshore in Brazil, Australia,Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,

and the Caribbean as well as in thehome waters of the North Sea.

The firm has been supported byCheltenham-based advisory firm CroweClarke Whitehall.

Undersea experts enjoy soaring profits

Mobile

Oil exploration

Off ices

Business rates

Ae ros pa ceProper ty

in the city. The introduction of res-ident parking schemes in Clifton Vil-lage and other locations may also beplaying a part. Clearly, businesseslooking for space away from the citycentre are also expecting to save onrent, especially if they are prepared tolook at refurbished or Grade B ac-c o m m o d at i o n . ”

He cited two sites, Heron House onthe Thornbury Office Park and Vant-age Office Park on the Old GloucesterRoad, Parkway, as good examples,both of which have availability in theunder 2,000 square foot market.

“These offices are popular withsmall to medium businesses andideally placed for hassle-free road andrail connections,” he said.

� Vantage Park offices� Heron House

H os p i t a l i ty

BR I S T O L’S hospitality in-dustry is gearing up for astrong year, building on abig rise in the events andconferencing trade in 2014.

As well as the annual events, suchas the International Balloon Fiesta,the arrival of another Aardman vis-itor trail is creating optimism amongbu s i n e s s e s.

John Dowling, manager of theDoubleTree by Hilton Bristol CityCentre, said: “We had a great 2014 andindications show that there is anappetite for both business and leisuretravellers to visit Bristol and stay inquality accommodation.

“Bristol has a big year ahead of it.Its European Green Capital label willplace it prominently across the wholeof Europe hopefully attracting vis-i t o r s.

“The Shaun the Sheep trail willgive the city international exposureand attract people wanting to tick off

as many of the individual charactersas possible.

“The Rugby World Cup is also goingto attract lots of fans and teams withExeter, Gloucester and Cardiff host-ing 15 games between them. We’realready taking bookings which isgreat news for us and also the city.”

Kathryn Davis of Destination Bris-tol said: “Following a few challengingyears, there seems to be a renewedconfidence for conference and meet-ing business and Bristol has beenbenefiting from this optimism.”

She said Destination Bristol hadbeen working hard behind the scenesto market the city to business eventorganisers and associations – i n cl u d -ing attending five national and in-ternational trade events –contributing to a 35 per cent rise ininquiries in 2014.

She added that the city rose a placein the British Meetings Events In-dustry Report to seventh most pop-ular UK destinations for corporateand association event planners. Thebenefits of more people coming inshould be felt in and out of the city.

Steve Bowen, owner, Steak of theArt restaurant, hopes the Har-

bourside will be a part of that as thearea continues its transformation to-ward becoming a leisure area.

“As Bristol emerges as a key busi-ness and tourist destination so theneed to have quality places to eat alsoi n c re a s e s, ” he said.

“The development of Harboursidehas opened up an area of Bristol thata decade ago was cross crossed withold rail tracks and was nothing morethan a muddy car park and hashelped pull in more visitors.”

Further afield, destination hotels

are also feeling the positive benefitsof the rising popularity of Bristol.

Colin Badcock, general manager atDoubleTree by Hilton, CadburyHouse in Congresbury, said: “We arepositioned slightly outside the citycentre but we are reaping the benefitsof being so close to such an up andcoming city.”

He cited the hotel’s location close toBristol International Airport as help-ing it pull in leisure and businessclients flying in.

The growth in the Bristol visitor

market is also shown by a number ofplans for new hotels. This week eco-nomy brand Hampton by Hilton re-vealed plans to build at BristolAirport, the expansion of CribbsCauseway includes a hotel and an-other is proposed for the Finzel’sReach development in the centre.

Colin added: “It is immensely im-portant for the region to offerhigh-quality accommodation andmeeting facilities to compete withother large cities and attract businessand tourism.”

� LANDLORDS who have telecoms mastson their properties could lose thousands ofpounds of annual income if the merger of 3and O2 UK goes ahead, a telecomsexpert has warned.

Mark Walters, pictur ed,Bristol-based director of thetelecoms consultancy team atproperty consultancy LambertSmith Hampton (LSH), saidthousands of landlords hadalready seen their telecomsincome plummet following theconsolidation of Orange andT-Mobile into EverythingEverywhere (EE) and Telefonica andVodafone sharing network infrastructure.

Now, with the announcement by the ownerof 3, Hong Kong-based conglomerateHutchison Whampoa, that it is in exclusive

talks with O2 owner Telefonica to acquire thenetwork for £10.25 billion, Mark warned itcould have a significant impact on revenuepotential if it goes ahead.

“There are more than 50,000 mastsacross the country, on land and on

buildings, and they can bring in amuch-needed income stream, butif this huge merger happenslandlords could lose out,” hesaid.

Mark, who is based in theBristol office of LSH, said

landlords should also get advice ifoperators want to introduce

site-sharing agreements as a result ofany merger.

“Whether a landlord has one mast or aportfolio of sites, it is essential to beprepared now.”

� Slingshot co-founder SimonEvans and the Milk Bar in StNicholas Street; below, a zombiefrom an Igfest event

Simon Evans

“We ’ve put our proposalto the council and hope itwill be accepted. We arein a position to rent thebuilding on a commercialbasis, but if we are outbidwe would have to move.

“But Bristol is an expensive placeto rent property,” he said. “And weneed quite a big space.”

As previously revealed in Busi-ness, the company has been devel-oping a theme-park style experiencecalled Hyde.

Simon, 51, added: “Cardiff has beencourting us about Hyde, so movingthere would be an option.”

But first choice is to stay put. Oth-erwise the zombies get it.

� Steve Bowen, owner, Steak of the Art, Harbourside, Bristol; inset, the Shaun the Sheep and Rugby World Cup areexpected to generate business for Bristol’s hospitality industry

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Part of the Local World group

AN Event Services provide audio visual equipmentand support for all your event needs. We offer aprofessional and experienced approach withpre-show, on-site and post-show technical support.

Staging your event doesn’thave to cost a fortune...

Whatever the event, we’ve got it covered

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

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6 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 7We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Women in Business Awards

REVEALED: OUR FAB FEMALE AWARDS FINALISTSThe wait is over. Thejudges have poured overthe record number ofentries for this year’s Bris-tol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards and wenow reveal the finalists...

A BUSINESS which specialises in training com-panies to handle the media has decided to createits own television programmes.

It may sound a little gamekeeper turnedpoacher, but for Mentor Media Training itmakes perfect sense. The company has access toskilled broadcasters with bags of experience, sowhy not explore new opportunities?

Head of training Dave Mason said mediatraining remained the core business for thecompany but they saw an opportunity to changethe model of TV production. Traditionally,channels commission people to make pro-grammes, paying them to do it. Mentor isturning that on its head.

“In the modern digital media world, we haveto be more creative about how to get televisionprogrammes made but a lot of production com-panies are still looking at the old model,” hesaid.

“We have gone to the channel and said, ‘wewant to make this programme, we’ll fund it andyou can have it for free’.”

The company is producing a series aboutHidden Bristol for the new local channel Madein Bristol TV. Because of the channel’s smallerbudget, it can’t afford to commission lots oforiginal programming so the situation was awin-win. Mentor takes its fees from the spon-sorship, in this case from First Great Western,and the channel gets an original show.

Willingness to diversify is one of the reasons

why Mentor is a growing business. It started asa training company, then developed MentorDigital, a web design and digital agency armwhich shares is Kingsdown offices.

Eighteen months ago, the firm had eight staff,now it has 26.

But it’s the media training that most excitesDave, 45, who recently joined the firm after 25years of broadcasting combined with trainingwo rk .

“I might be running around Salisbury Plainmedia training with the Army one day and thenext producing the nightly news on ITV West-c o u n t r y, ” he said. “All of that experience cametogether for this job.”

The company has invested in new kit to makeits media training as realistic as possible, sim-ulating an outside broadcast or live interviewwithout the expense of moving everyone to a TVstudio for the day.

Mentor Media Training is sponsoring theMentor of the Year category at this year’sBristol and Bath Women in Business Awards.Dave explained: “It’s about celebrating andpromoting the fact that these business womenhave achieved such great things in their owncareers and they are also training and en-couraging people and helping promote businessgrowth in Bristol and Bath.”

‘We aim to change the wayTV programmes are made’Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Sponsor profile

Dave Mason

“ I might berunning aroundSalisbury Plainmedia training withthe Army one dayand the nextproducing thenightly news onITV Westcountry.All that experiencecame together forthis job.

� Dave Mason, head of training at Mentor Media, which is sponsoring a category at this year’sBristol and Bath Women in Business Awards Picture: Jon Kent

in association with

New Business of theYear, sponsored by

YourStreet Gift CardsMeals for Squeals CookerySchool Coalpit Heath, Bristol.www.mealsforsqueals.co.uk –@mealsforsqueals� Mum-of-twins Jackie Novelsenjoyed cooking for her childrenwhile weaning them onto solidfood so she set up a cookeryschool teaching parents to makehealthy, homemade food for theirbabies and toddlers.

Fox Davidson Harbourside,Bristol. www.foxdavidson.co.uk –@Fox_ Davidson� Fox Davidson is a mortgage andprotection brokerage, providingadvice and arranging mortgagesfor the people of Bristol. It wasstarted because Sarah Fox Clinchand business partner WesleyDavidson wanted to injectcharacter and personality into theworld of finance.

Bath Yoga Studio Bath.www.bathyogastudio.com –@bathyogastudio� Bath’s only Hot Yoga Studiowith a friendly teaching teamoffering a range of yoga styles andclasses which has grown quicklyfrom two to 12 teachers.

Hibbert Harwood Bath.www.hibbert-harwood.com –@HibbertHarwood� A thriving design consultancyspecialising in brandcommunication online and offline.In the last two years, they havebranded and re-branded morethan 20 businesses, from start-upsto long-standing, establishedcompanies.

Contribution to theCommunity Award,sponsored by The

Mall Galleries

Bristol City Community TrustBristol. w w w. b r i s t o l c i t ycommunitytrust.co.uk –@ B C C o m m Tr u s t� The trust strives to make adifference to the lives ofcommunities in Bristol throughfootball, working withdisadvantaged young people toprovide sporting and educational

opportunities. The trust works withover 50,000 people every year.

Morgan-Brinkhurst ConsultancyBath. w w w. m o r g a n b r i n k h u r s tc o n s u l t a n c y. c o . u k� Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurstfounded this events company in2004 after her year as mayor ofBath. The business has organiseda number of charity events,including a fundraising receptionfor the British Skeleton teamahead of the Winter Olympics.

Flamingo Westbury Park, Bristol.www.flamingo-creative.co.uk –@flamingokatie� Flamingo is a corporate socialresponsibility consultancy whichenables businesses that otherwisewould not have the staffing orresources to get involved and beactive corporate citizens. Projectsincluding a suit amnesty, donatingthousands of suits to homelessjobseekers, along with interviewadvice.

Women in theWo r k p l a ce

Rebalance Resource Bristol.www.rebalanceresource.co.uk –@work_flexibly� A new type of recruitmentagency dedicated to sourcingflexible working opportunities tomeet the growing skills gap. Itfocuses on the problem/challengethe employer wants solved ratherthan the need for someone to beat a desk from 9-5.

Heathers Pet Care LtdFishponds, Bristol, andBathampton, Bath.www.HeathersPetCare.co.uk –@HeathersPetcar e� Heather founded her dogwalking and pet visit business as asole trader nine years go and hasgrown it and now has 11 peopleworking for her, many are womenwith childcare commitments orwho are semi-retired.

The Detective Project Bristol.w w w. t h e d e t e c t i v e p r o j e c t . c o . u k� Runs events for adults andchildren in crime sceneinvestigation, aiming to spark aninterest in science and giveparticipants the opportunity toexperience hands-on challenges.Having been a police detective for14 years, founder Jenny Williamswas keen to make the workingenvironment as family friendly aspossible.

Female Apprentice ofthe Year, sponsoredby Crest Nicholson

Tina Hayden- Williams, FirstGroup PLC Lawrence Hill, Bristol.www.first group.com/ bristol –

@FirstBSA� Tina is in her third year as anapprentice PCV mechanic withFirst West of England. She hasbeen learning how to carry outvehicle inspections and repairs,helping to keep the buses running.She is described as havingfantastic attitude and a greataptitude for the job.

Bryony Marshall, AKAH a i rd re s s i n g Bishopston, Bristolw w w. a k a s t y l e . c o . u k� At 24, Bryony wanted to re-trainas a hairstylist. She focused onfinishing her training as quickly aspossible and did so in 18 months.She keeps up with the latesttrends and has helped in severalfashion shows and is now buildingher own client base.

Leonie Jack, Double by Hilton,Bristol City Centre Bristol.www.doubletr ee.hilton.com� Leonie so impressed her bossesat the four star hotel where sheworked while studying Businessand Administration Level 2 at Cityof Bristol College that they tookher on full time. She is focused oncustomer service and wasChristmas coordinator last year.

Award for Innovation,sponsored by SpireThe Glen Hospital

B r i sto l

The Marmalade House Bath andClifton. Bristol.www.themarmaladehouse.co.uk –@Mar maladeHouse� From starting in her kitchen witha paintbrush, the business hasgrown to a studio and two shopsin just 18 months. The exclusiveBath and Bristol stockist for AnnieSloan paints and product, theshop also buys in bespokefurniture to blend with its colourpalette and runs courses onpainting furniture, upholstery andm o re .

Paradise Hotel Bristol.www.paradiseproductionco.com –@ParadiseHotel� A specialist creative eventproduction company, producing

events with exceptional artisticvision, providing spectacularexperiences for clients and theirguests. Examples include theColston Hall New Year’s Eve swingparty and a secret pop-upChristmas bash for local firm e3which included a decoy venue.

Threesixty Services Ltd Redland,Bristol. www.ecosoftwater.co.uk –@ecosofteurope� Established in 2008 bySamantha Mant and Eden Warrenas plumbing and heatingengineering company, the firmsecured exclusive distributionrights for Ecosoft, anenvironmentally friendly way totackle limescale which damagesheating and plumbing in hardwater areas such as Bristol.

Tin Dog Ltd Redland, Bristol.www.cleverdoglead.co.uk –@CleverDogLead� Dog walking friends SusieWorthington and Amy Newtonfound it a problem to secure theirpooch when they stopped forcoffee. So they designed and nowmanufacture a lead with a clip andcuff to attach it to posts, table legsand so on. A new product that noone else made.

Woman of the Year,sponsored by PPC

Annette Gabbedey, GabbedeyDesigner Goldsmith F ro m e .www.annettegabbedey.co.uk –@AnnetteGabbedey� Born without anyfingers but with apassion forjewellerydesign andopalgemstones,Annette asso v e rc o m eprejudice tobecome are s p e c t e djeweller. She hasjust marked 10 years inbusiness delivering unique piecesof bespoke jewellery for a globalclientele from her showroom inCatherine Hill.

Ellen Green, Blue BadgeCompany Montpelier, Bristol.www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk –@BlueBadgeCo� Ellen becamemanagingdirector of TheBlue BadgeCompany in2013 andhas taken itfrom ab a c k - b e d ro o mstart-up to abusiness that’s

blue badge wallets are stocked inBoots and the Post Office. Theaim was to sell bright, attractivewallets for disability parkingbadges instead of the tradition dullones with a big disabled sign onthe front.

Alison Howell, Foot Trails Box.www.foottrails.co.uk –@ F o o t Tr a i l s U K� Alison foundedthe business in2002 afterspotting aniche in thetravel marketfor authenticandindulgentwalkingexperiences. Itcrafts tailor-madeself-guided andguided walking tours around theWest Country from customersvisiting from as far as the UnitedStates and Australia.

Marketing Campaignof the Year

Fabulous Southgate Centre, Bath.www.fabulouscollections.co.uk –@FabCollection� Retailer selling contemporarydesigner jewellery, stocking a mixof leading brands and up-and-coming designers such as Alex &Ani, Thomas Sabo, VivienneWestwood, Nikki Lissoni andPandora. Owned by Jo Stroud, itran a Reloved jewellery amnesty,raising money for charity byrecycling jewellery and giving themdiscount vouchers in return.

Dunleavy Vineyards Wr i n g t o n ,North Somerset. w w w. d u n l e a v yvineyards.co.uk – @ D Yv i n e y a r d s� Vineyard producing English roseand sparkling wine from pinot noirgrapes grown near Bristol. It hasbeen communicating its messagethrough social media, appearingon Radio 4, organising a localp ro d u c e r s ’ market and winninga w a rd s .

Business West Abbots Leigh,North Somerset. w w w. b u s i n e s swest.co.uk – @bw_businesswest� A business support andleadership organisation whichworks with more than 18,000across the South West. It’s#GetExporting campaign aims toinspire businesses to sell abroadhas gained extensive coveragethrough partnerships with localmedia. For the launch it branded ashipping container and filled it withlocal produce, gaining local andnational coverage.

Mentor of the Year,sponsored by Mentor

Media TrainingJackie Matthews, Libra LearningBristol. www.libralearning.co.uk –@Libralear ning� Visits schools across Bristol,Bath and South Gloucestershiredelivering independent financialknowledge to students of all ages,including running activities such asrestaurant competitions where

youngsters take on marketing,finance, catering and managementro l e s .

Emma Collins, Gallery CreativeBusiness Consultancy Bristol.www.visitgaller y.com� Creative consultant, leadershipcoach, trainer and facilitatorworking in the design industry,Emma’s clients include creativeagencies, cultural organisationsand education. She led the Westof England Design forum for threeyears and has been a boardmember of the South West DesignForum for nearly 10, helping andsupporting creative companies.

Young Entrepreneurof the Year,

sponsored by EYHolly Burrage, The TriathlonShop Harbourside, Bristol.www.thetri athlonshop .co.uk –@ T h e Tr i S h o p� Launched start-up business TheTriathlon Shop with husband Jon,which now employs 10 peoplehaving moved to new, biggerpremises last year. Holly is driven,coming from a background whereeven heating the house was achallenge. She brought focus tothe store team and revitalised thewebsite, resulting in a 200 per centsales value increase.

Sophie Hibbert, HibbertHarwood Ltd Bath.www.hibbert-harwood.com –@HibbertHarwood� Sophie founded HibbertHarwood, a thriving designconsultancy based in Bathspecialising in brandcommunication online and offline.In the last two years, they havesuccessfully branded andrebranded more than 20businesses. She has a team ofeight and the business is growingat 50 per cent a year.

Ellen Green, Blue BadgeCompany Montpelier, Bristol.www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk –@BlueBadgeCo� The company makes stylish andpersonalised blue badge walletsand has grown from aback-bedroom business to have aturnover of £250,000. It is nowbranching out into new areas suchas lap trays and wheat warmers.

Samantha Payne, Open BionicsLtd www.openbionics.com –@openbionics

� After working as freelancejournalist and marketingprofessional, Sammy joinedstart-up Open Bionics full time.She has driven the company,which makes robot hands foramputees, to gain worldwiderecognition including helping ittake second place in Intel’s MakeIt Wearable competition, winning$250,000 investment.

Business of the Year

Cod Steaks Ltd St Philip’s,Bristol. www.codsteaks.com –@CodSteaks� Susannah Lipscombe set upCod Steaks 35 years ago. Itcreates three dimensional designsand models for a wide range of UKand international clients. It createdsets for the Wallace and Gromitfilms, as well the scenes and thestunning ship model seen in ThePirates! feature film.

Geometry PR Bath.www.geometrypr.co.uk –@geometr ypr� A small independent, publicrelations company, owned andmanaged by Linda Donaldson,which has achieved nationalawards and industry recognition. Itis growing quickly, and wasappointed by more than 10 newretained clients last year. After atough 2013, it changed thebusiness model to a smallerpermanent team usingexperienced freelancers.

The HR Dept. Ltd Winterbour neDown, Bristol. www.hrdept.co.uk –@TheHRDept� The HR Dept (Bristol) Ltdprovides SME businesses andorganisations in Bristol, Bath andNorth Somerset withlocally-based, personal andpractical HR advice and support,whether taking on their firstmember of staff to managingseveral hundred employees. Itemploys 13 people in Bristol andhas a national franchise business.

1pm PLC Bath� A specialist independentprovider of finance to the UK SMEsector. Founded in 2000 andfloated on the AIM in 2006. Lastyear it launched a new hirepurchase product. Since the allfemale executive team took over in2010 it has gone from a £400,000loss to £1.3 million profit and itsshare price rose 351 per cent inthe last 12 months.

O u tst a n d i n gContribution to

Business in Bristoland Bath, sponsored

by UWE Bristol� Will be revealed on the night.

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6 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 7We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Women in Business Awards

REVEALED: OUR FAB FEMALE AWARDS FINALISTSThe wait is over. Thejudges have poured overthe record number ofentries for this year’s Bris-tol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards and wenow reveal the finalists...

A BUSINESS which specialises in training com-panies to handle the media has decided to createits own television programmes.

It may sound a little gamekeeper turnedpoacher, but for Mentor Media Training itmakes perfect sense. The company has access toskilled broadcasters with bags of experience, sowhy not explore new opportunities?

Head of training Dave Mason said mediatraining remained the core business for thecompany but they saw an opportunity to changethe model of TV production. Traditionally,channels commission people to make pro-grammes, paying them to do it. Mentor isturning that on its head.

“In the modern digital media world, we haveto be more creative about how to get televisionprogrammes made but a lot of production com-panies are still looking at the old model,” hesaid.

“We have gone to the channel and said, ‘wewant to make this programme, we’ll fund it andyou can have it for free’.”

The company is producing a series aboutHidden Bristol for the new local channel Madein Bristol TV. Because of the channel’s smallerbudget, it can’t afford to commission lots oforiginal programming so the situation was awin-win. Mentor takes its fees from the spon-sorship, in this case from First Great Western,and the channel gets an original show.

Willingness to diversify is one of the reasons

why Mentor is a growing business. It started asa training company, then developed MentorDigital, a web design and digital agency armwhich shares is Kingsdown offices.

Eighteen months ago, the firm had eight staff,now it has 26.

But it’s the media training that most excitesDave, 45, who recently joined the firm after 25years of broadcasting combined with trainingwo rk .

“I might be running around Salisbury Plainmedia training with the Army one day and thenext producing the nightly news on ITV West-c o u n t r y, ” he said. “All of that experience cametogether for this job.”

The company has invested in new kit to makeits media training as realistic as possible, sim-ulating an outside broadcast or live interviewwithout the expense of moving everyone to a TVstudio for the day.

Mentor Media Training is sponsoring theMentor of the Year category at this year’sBristol and Bath Women in Business Awards.Dave explained: “It’s about celebrating andpromoting the fact that these business womenhave achieved such great things in their owncareers and they are also training and en-couraging people and helping promote businessgrowth in Bristol and Bath.”

‘We aim to change the wayTV programmes are made’Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Sponsor profile

Dave Mason

“ I might berunning aroundSalisbury Plainmedia training withthe Army one dayand the nextproducing thenightly news onITV Westcountry.All that experiencecame together forthis job.

� Dave Mason, head of training at Mentor Media, which is sponsoring a category at this year’sBristol and Bath Women in Business Awards Picture: Jon Kent

in association with

New Business of theYear, sponsored by

YourStreet Gift CardsMeals for Squeals CookerySchool Coalpit Heath, Bristol.www.mealsforsqueals.co.uk –@mealsforsqueals� Mum-of-twins Jackie Novelsenjoyed cooking for her childrenwhile weaning them onto solidfood so she set up a cookeryschool teaching parents to makehealthy, homemade food for theirbabies and toddlers.

Fox Davidson Harbourside,Bristol. www.foxdavidson.co.uk –@Fox_ Davidson� Fox Davidson is a mortgage andprotection brokerage, providingadvice and arranging mortgagesfor the people of Bristol. It wasstarted because Sarah Fox Clinchand business partner WesleyDavidson wanted to injectcharacter and personality into theworld of finance.

Bath Yoga Studio Bath.www.bathyogastudio.com –@bathyogastudio� Bath’s only Hot Yoga Studiowith a friendly teaching teamoffering a range of yoga styles andclasses which has grown quicklyfrom two to 12 teachers.

Hibbert Harwood Bath.www.hibbert-harwood.com –@HibbertHarwood� A thriving design consultancyspecialising in brandcommunication online and offline.In the last two years, they havebranded and re-branded morethan 20 businesses, from start-upsto long-standing, establishedcompanies.

Contribution to theCommunity Award,sponsored by The

Mall Galleries

Bristol City Community TrustBristol. w w w. b r i s t o l c i t ycommunitytrust.co.uk –@ B C C o m m Tr u s t� The trust strives to make adifference to the lives ofcommunities in Bristol throughfootball, working withdisadvantaged young people toprovide sporting and educational

opportunities. The trust works withover 50,000 people every year.

Morgan-Brinkhurst ConsultancyBath. w w w. m o r g a n b r i n k h u r s tc o n s u l t a n c y. c o . u k� Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurstfounded this events company in2004 after her year as mayor ofBath. The business has organiseda number of charity events,including a fundraising receptionfor the British Skeleton teamahead of the Winter Olympics.

Flamingo Westbury Park, Bristol.www.flamingo-creative.co.uk –@flamingokatie� Flamingo is a corporate socialresponsibility consultancy whichenables businesses that otherwisewould not have the staffing orresources to get involved and beactive corporate citizens. Projectsincluding a suit amnesty, donatingthousands of suits to homelessjobseekers, along with interviewadvice.

Women in theWo r k p l a ce

Rebalance Resource Bristol.www.rebalanceresource.co.uk –@work_flexibly� A new type of recruitmentagency dedicated to sourcingflexible working opportunities tomeet the growing skills gap. Itfocuses on the problem/challengethe employer wants solved ratherthan the need for someone to beat a desk from 9-5.

Heathers Pet Care LtdFishponds, Bristol, andBathampton, Bath.www.HeathersPetCare.co.uk –@HeathersPetcar e� Heather founded her dogwalking and pet visit business as asole trader nine years go and hasgrown it and now has 11 peopleworking for her, many are womenwith childcare commitments orwho are semi-retired.

The Detective Project Bristol.w w w. t h e d e t e c t i v e p r o j e c t . c o . u k� Runs events for adults andchildren in crime sceneinvestigation, aiming to spark aninterest in science and giveparticipants the opportunity toexperience hands-on challenges.Having been a police detective for14 years, founder Jenny Williamswas keen to make the workingenvironment as family friendly aspossible.

Female Apprentice ofthe Year, sponsoredby Crest Nicholson

Tina Hayden- Williams, FirstGroup PLC Lawrence Hill, Bristol.www.first group.com/ bristol –

@FirstBSA� Tina is in her third year as anapprentice PCV mechanic withFirst West of England. She hasbeen learning how to carry outvehicle inspections and repairs,helping to keep the buses running.She is described as havingfantastic attitude and a greataptitude for the job.

Bryony Marshall, AKAH a i rd re s s i n g Bishopston, Bristolw w w. a k a s t y l e . c o . u k� At 24, Bryony wanted to re-trainas a hairstylist. She focused onfinishing her training as quickly aspossible and did so in 18 months.She keeps up with the latesttrends and has helped in severalfashion shows and is now buildingher own client base.

Leonie Jack, Double by Hilton,Bristol City Centre Bristol.www.doubletr ee.hilton.com� Leonie so impressed her bossesat the four star hotel where sheworked while studying Businessand Administration Level 2 at Cityof Bristol College that they tookher on full time. She is focused oncustomer service and wasChristmas coordinator last year.

Award for Innovation,sponsored by SpireThe Glen Hospital

B r i sto l

The Marmalade House Bath andClifton. Bristol.www.themarmaladehouse.co.uk –@Mar maladeHouse� From starting in her kitchen witha paintbrush, the business hasgrown to a studio and two shopsin just 18 months. The exclusiveBath and Bristol stockist for AnnieSloan paints and product, theshop also buys in bespokefurniture to blend with its colourpalette and runs courses onpainting furniture, upholstery andm o re .

Paradise Hotel Bristol.www.paradiseproductionco.com –@ParadiseHotel� A specialist creative eventproduction company, producing

events with exceptional artisticvision, providing spectacularexperiences for clients and theirguests. Examples include theColston Hall New Year’s Eve swingparty and a secret pop-upChristmas bash for local firm e3which included a decoy venue.

Threesixty Services Ltd Redland,Bristol. www.ecosoftwater.co.uk –@ecosofteurope� Established in 2008 bySamantha Mant and Eden Warrenas plumbing and heatingengineering company, the firmsecured exclusive distributionrights for Ecosoft, anenvironmentally friendly way totackle limescale which damagesheating and plumbing in hardwater areas such as Bristol.

Tin Dog Ltd Redland, Bristol.www.cleverdoglead.co.uk –@CleverDogLead� Dog walking friends SusieWorthington and Amy Newtonfound it a problem to secure theirpooch when they stopped forcoffee. So they designed and nowmanufacture a lead with a clip andcuff to attach it to posts, table legsand so on. A new product that noone else made.

Woman of the Year,sponsored by PPC

Annette Gabbedey, GabbedeyDesigner Goldsmith F ro m e .www.annettegabbedey.co.uk –@AnnetteGabbedey� Born without anyfingers but with apassion forjewellerydesign andopalgemstones,Annette asso v e rc o m eprejudice tobecome are s p e c t e djeweller. She hasjust marked 10 years inbusiness delivering unique piecesof bespoke jewellery for a globalclientele from her showroom inCatherine Hill.

Ellen Green, Blue BadgeCompany Montpelier, Bristol.www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk –@BlueBadgeCo� Ellen becamemanagingdirector of TheBlue BadgeCompany in2013 andhas taken itfrom ab a c k - b e d ro o mstart-up to abusiness that’s

blue badge wallets are stocked inBoots and the Post Office. Theaim was to sell bright, attractivewallets for disability parkingbadges instead of the tradition dullones with a big disabled sign onthe front.

Alison Howell, Foot Trails Box.www.foottrails.co.uk –@ F o o t Tr a i l s U K� Alison foundedthe business in2002 afterspotting aniche in thetravel marketfor authenticandindulgentwalkingexperiences. Itcrafts tailor-madeself-guided andguided walking tours around theWest Country from customersvisiting from as far as the UnitedStates and Australia.

Marketing Campaignof the Year

Fabulous Southgate Centre, Bath.www.fabulouscollections.co.uk –@FabCollection� Retailer selling contemporarydesigner jewellery, stocking a mixof leading brands and up-and-coming designers such as Alex &Ani, Thomas Sabo, VivienneWestwood, Nikki Lissoni andPandora. Owned by Jo Stroud, itran a Reloved jewellery amnesty,raising money for charity byrecycling jewellery and giving themdiscount vouchers in return.

Dunleavy Vineyards Wr i n g t o n ,North Somerset. w w w. d u n l e a v yvineyards.co.uk – @ D Yv i n e y a r d s� Vineyard producing English roseand sparkling wine from pinot noirgrapes grown near Bristol. It hasbeen communicating its messagethrough social media, appearingon Radio 4, organising a localp ro d u c e r s ’ market and winninga w a rd s .

Business West Abbots Leigh,North Somerset. w w w. b u s i n e s swest.co.uk – @bw_businesswest� A business support andleadership organisation whichworks with more than 18,000across the South West. It’s#GetExporting campaign aims toinspire businesses to sell abroadhas gained extensive coveragethrough partnerships with localmedia. For the launch it branded ashipping container and filled it withlocal produce, gaining local andnational coverage.

Mentor of the Year,sponsored by Mentor

Media TrainingJackie Matthews, Libra LearningBristol. www.libralearning.co.uk –@Libralear ning� Visits schools across Bristol,Bath and South Gloucestershiredelivering independent financialknowledge to students of all ages,including running activities such asrestaurant competitions where

youngsters take on marketing,finance, catering and managementro l e s .

Emma Collins, Gallery CreativeBusiness Consultancy Bristol.www.visitgaller y.com� Creative consultant, leadershipcoach, trainer and facilitatorworking in the design industry,Emma’s clients include creativeagencies, cultural organisationsand education. She led the Westof England Design forum for threeyears and has been a boardmember of the South West DesignForum for nearly 10, helping andsupporting creative companies.

Young Entrepreneurof the Year,

sponsored by EYHolly Burrage, The TriathlonShop Harbourside, Bristol.www.thetri athlonshop .co.uk –@ T h e Tr i S h o p� Launched start-up business TheTriathlon Shop with husband Jon,which now employs 10 peoplehaving moved to new, biggerpremises last year. Holly is driven,coming from a background whereeven heating the house was achallenge. She brought focus tothe store team and revitalised thewebsite, resulting in a 200 per centsales value increase.

Sophie Hibbert, HibbertHarwood Ltd Bath.www.hibbert-harwood.com –@HibbertHarwood� Sophie founded HibbertHarwood, a thriving designconsultancy based in Bathspecialising in brandcommunication online and offline.In the last two years, they havesuccessfully branded andrebranded more than 20businesses. She has a team ofeight and the business is growingat 50 per cent a year.

Ellen Green, Blue BadgeCompany Montpelier, Bristol.www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk –@BlueBadgeCo� The company makes stylish andpersonalised blue badge walletsand has grown from aback-bedroom business to have aturnover of £250,000. It is nowbranching out into new areas suchas lap trays and wheat warmers.

Samantha Payne, Open BionicsLtd www.openbionics.com –@openbionics

� After working as freelancejournalist and marketingprofessional, Sammy joinedstart-up Open Bionics full time.She has driven the company,which makes robot hands foramputees, to gain worldwiderecognition including helping ittake second place in Intel’s MakeIt Wearable competition, winning$250,000 investment.

Business of the Year

Cod Steaks Ltd St Philip’s,Bristol. www.codsteaks.com –@CodSteaks� Susannah Lipscombe set upCod Steaks 35 years ago. Itcreates three dimensional designsand models for a wide range of UKand international clients. It createdsets for the Wallace and Gromitfilms, as well the scenes and thestunning ship model seen in ThePirates! feature film.

Geometry PR Bath.www.geometrypr.co.uk –@geometr ypr� A small independent, publicrelations company, owned andmanaged by Linda Donaldson,which has achieved nationalawards and industry recognition. Itis growing quickly, and wasappointed by more than 10 newretained clients last year. After atough 2013, it changed thebusiness model to a smallerpermanent team usingexperienced freelancers.

The HR Dept. Ltd Winterbour neDown, Bristol. www.hrdept.co.uk –@TheHRDept� The HR Dept (Bristol) Ltdprovides SME businesses andorganisations in Bristol, Bath andNorth Somerset withlocally-based, personal andpractical HR advice and support,whether taking on their firstmember of staff to managingseveral hundred employees. Itemploys 13 people in Bristol andhas a national franchise business.

1pm PLC Bath� A specialist independentprovider of finance to the UK SMEsector. Founded in 2000 andfloated on the AIM in 2006. Lastyear it launched a new hirepurchase product. Since the allfemale executive team took over in2010 it has gone from a £400,000loss to £1.3 million profit and itsshare price rose 351 per cent inthe last 12 months.

O u tst a n d i n gContribution to

Business in Bristoland Bath, sponsored

by UWE Bristol� Will be revealed on the night.

EPB-E01-S3

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8 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 9We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE world is changing quickly.Technology is developingthat means things are pos-sible now that would not havebeen just a couple of years

ago. At the same time, social normsare being challenged both by legis-lation and market forces.

All this means the seemingly pre-dictable old world of commercialproperty is undergoing something ofa revolution. And businesses arestruggling to keep up.

Jeremy Richards, head of the Bris-tol office of agency JLL believes thecity needs to cater for rising demandfor trendy office space akin thatfound in London’s Silicon Round-about tech quarter with a focus oninnovative and sustainable design.

He says the move towards smartfactory-style office space could rep-resent the biggest shake-up of Bris-tol’s office market since theintroduction of large floorplates withthe opening of Portwall Place in 2008,at the time billed as the city’s first“London-style super office”.

“The impact of advancements intechnology on the property market islikely to be significant as the re-quirements of a multitude of sectorsincluding logistics, retail, healthcareand more shift as innovative, ‘smar t’ways of working and living are em-braced,” Jeremy, below right, said.

“The challenge for the propertymarket is to keep pace with the chan-ging face of technology; the latter iscurrently moving faster than thebuilt environment can adapt.”

A recent report into the financialsector published by another propertyagency, DTZ, found banks faced atalent train if they failed to smartenup their workplaces.

The report, carried out in conjunc-tion with consultancy Unwork, is theculmination of more than 100 inter-views with senior figures in the bank-ing, property and HR industry.

It found more than half of em-ployees are now working in IT andtechnology related roles, meaningthe banks are competing for talentwith not just other financial bodiesbut also big tech firms which haveinvested much more heavily in pos-itive and creative workspace.

Andy Heath, director of office

as Bristol, with parks and waterwaysthroughout the city centre and thehighest ratio of cycling commutersper head, it is also becoming essentialthat in building design we incorpor-

ate high levels of bike racks perworker – approximately one

per 10 but we are acting foroccupiers who demandup to one per three 3 –and showers – on av-erage we are advisingone per circa 35 work-ers – to cope with the

cyclists and the runningclubs that the more sus-

tainable businesses arep rov i d i n g . ”

Demand for attractive work spacesis one consideration when designingor developing. Another is flexiblewo rk i n g .

Richard Morris, UK chief executiveat Regus, believes flexibility is key,especially following recent legisla-tion giving workers the legal right torequest flexible working options.

“A fifth (22 per cent) of Bristolbusinesses increased their flexibleworking options for staff over thepast 12 months,” he said.

“The reasons for embracing a flex-ible working model are many. Per-haps most importantly, flexibleworking has been shown to makestaff more productive.

“In addition, flexible workspacesrepresent a low-risk financial com-mitment, enabling companies toavoid high rents and long leases.

“Many businesses are also keen tohave a space that can grow with thebusiness, negating disruptive moveswhen more space is required.

“This trend is driving take upthroughout our network of flexiblewo rk s p a c e s.

“Indeed as well as flexible officespace, our network now includesworkspaces in transport hubs, hotelsand even shopping centres, givingusers the flexibility to work whereverand whenever it suits them.

“For many companies, the idea of afixed office on a long term leasewhere all staff are present 9-5 is athing of the past.

“Now, they are turning to flexibleworkspace options that can growwith the business and maximisewo rke r s ’ p ro d u c t iv i t y. ”

Caroline Vickery, from BarrowGurney, founded Rebalance Resourcelast year, a company which workswith businesses to help them move tomore flexible and remote working, as

MANY property owners appear un-likely to undertake any energy per-formance improvements unless theyare forced to do so – and may lose outas a result.

Despite all the warnings, the market has stillnot fully woken up to the introduction of furthermeasures on Energy Performance Certificates(EPCs), due to come into force in April 2018.

The requirement to have an EPC in place beforemarketing a property has been in force for morethan five years, but after 2018 it will becomeunlawful for any commercial or residential prop-erty to be either sold or let where it has an EPCrating of below band E. At present a large pro-portion of properties fall into this category.

More work is needed to ensure owners areaware of the new rules and the practical im-plications should they not take appropriate ac-tion by the time the legislation comes into force.

If a landlord is able to rent out a propertywithout having to do anything to it, then it isperfectly understandable that they would want todo so. It’s a bit like selling a car without having toput on new tyres, if the existing ones are legal.

At present, awareness among occupiers re-mains relatively low, but this will only rise astime progresses as the potential impact of thelegislation is recognised.

From a tenant’s perspective, the forthcomingchanges mean they may find that they can po-tentially drive down their rent or threaten tomove on if required improvements aren’t made.

The landlord will then be unable to re-let or sellthe property without potentially costly works toimprove its energy efficiency rating. If this scen-ario is repeated across a portfolio of investments,then the risks are easy to see.

A landlord may find themselves with a portfolioof property which can’t be let without expensiveimprovements being carried out, and not evenable to cut their losses and sell poorly performingassets which fail the EPC test.

In the meantime under current rules they willremain liable for payment of business rates evenif the property is empty.

Thinking you can do little or nothing is there-fore not really an option unless owners are happyto risk ending up with a portfolio of void prop-erties on their hands, whereas undertaking aprogramme of improvements over the nextcouple of years could help to spread the cost andminimise future risks.

Our advice is to undertake any energy ef-ficiency improvements during current void peri-ods or lease breaks. They will more than likely besimple, low-cost measures which can be imple-mented and will have a significant impact on theenergy rating of a building.

In terms of residential properties, the newlegislation is likely to affect small buy-to-letlandlords and large portfolio holders. From 2016,residential tenants are able to insist that theirlandlords make energy efficiency improvements,and as with commercial premises, from 2018houses and flats with a rating of “F” or “G” will beunlettable and unsaleable by law.

There is still time to make sure any propertiesare up to scratch in terms of energy performance.With Bristol basking in the Green Capital lime-light, if ever there was a time to undertake anyimprovements it is now.

Property owners too slow toact on energy legislation

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

Developers and landlordsneed to come to terms witha changed world if they areto keep their offices full.Gavin Thompson reports onhow the workplace isevolving in Bristol

‘We wanted spaces at work whereour staff could have fun together’

Case study

Property Matters

DEMAND FOR TRENDY O F F I C E SPACE IN BRISTOL ON INCREASE

well as recruit staff for such envir-o n m e n t s.

She believes a number of factorsare driving the change in workingpatter ns.

“Technology is one,” says Caroline.“There are 83 million mobile phonesin Britain – more than there arepeople. Attitudes are just now catch-ing up with the technology.

“Demographics are changing too.There will be 700,000 fewer 16-49 yearolds soon but 3.7 million more peoplebetween 50 and pension age. For someof those people staying in work longeris more suitable around part time orflexible hours.

“And the recession has driven somedifferent attitudes. A lot of companiesgot through the recession by flexingtheir workforce rather than makingre d u n d a n c i e s. ”

agency at DTZ in Bristol, said: “Bris-tol has the highest retention of itsgraduates of any UK city, graduateswho want to work in dynamic com-p a n i e s.

“There are major companiesin the city such as Ovo En-ergy which are respondingto these demographicsand creating‘Goo glesque’ places ofwork which challengethe old methods of onedesk per person, en-closed meeting roomsand a kettle.

“It is vitally importantthat businesses imprint theiridentity on their offices and don’t letthe offices dictate their identity andthe way they should work.

“In such an attractive environment

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

City Centre Offices To Let 35-38 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk

• Openplanrefurbishedsuite

• 1,976sqft(183.6sqm)

• Flexibleterms

• Availablenow

BK code:2583

Paul WilliamsHead of Agency, Bruton Knowlespaul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk0117 287 2101

Expert eyeIn association with

� AN office isn’t just where you work,the environment can help set theculture of your business.

For Bristol tech and IT recruitmentspecialist People Source, thatenvironment is believed to be a keydriver of performance.

And that’s not just woolly ideas, the13-year-old business grew turnoverfrom about £20 million to nearer £30million this year.

That’s why owner and chairmanJason Baker and managing directorTim Allen have invested in a newoffice in Bath Street, on the third floorof the Clarke Willmott building inBristol’s professional district.

They moved the 47 staff in a monthago after giving the space a totalmakeover. As well as room for all thedesks, with views over Castle Parkand the Floating Harbour, there’s apool table, Sony Playstations, arcadedriving games and beer garden-stylepicnic benches for eating.

Jason said: “People Source hasmoved into larger premises primarilyto facilitate further expansion withplans to double in size over the nextfour years. However, half of the officespace is dedicated to break out areasand non-work space.

“This is because People Source is acompany defined and differentiatedby its people centric ethos.

“The culture has always existedand runs deep throughout the wholeof the organisation. Moving to a new,bigger office gave us the opportunityto cement that further by creatingbetter break out spaces where people

would have fun together, developcloser relationships and help integratenew people quickly.”

And despite the growth plans,Jason and the team made sure theyhave enough space so that won’tjeopardise the play areas.

Culture needs more than justfurniture. A pool table won’t help ifpeople are too sacred to use it. Butthat’s not the case at People Source.Jason, 39, enjoys taking on allcomers on the driving game, and it’sa good way to break the ice with anew team member. Being accessibleis part of that culture.

“I don’t have an open door policybecause there is no door,” he says.

Marketing manager and the personwho handles its own recruitment, RiaDavidson, said: “There isn’t just onesingle element to the People Sourceculture that makes it special - being agreat place to work is in our DNA.

“The company’s belief that a happyworkforce is more important thanprofit is cemented into the culturehere, especially reflected through theunified mentality between managersand staff - there is no gap. Where elsedo you get to challenge the chairmanto a race on Sega Rally at lunch?”

The company hasa host ofaccolades to its name, includingtwice appearing in the Sunday TimesVirgin Fast Track 100 and beingnamed Future Champion in theNational Business Awards.

Richard Morris

“For manycompanies,the idea of afixed office ona long termlease where allstaff arepresent 9-5 isa thing of thepast.

� Staff at People Source enjoying the fun work culture; inset, left to right, chairman Jason Baker and MD Tim Allen Pics: Michael Lloyd

Property of the Week

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

8 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 9We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE world is changing quickly.Technology is developingthat means things are pos-sible now that would not havebeen just a couple of years

ago. At the same time, social normsare being challenged both by legis-lation and market forces.

All this means the seemingly pre-dictable old world of commercialproperty is undergoing something ofa revolution. And businesses arestruggling to keep up.

Jeremy Richards, head of the Bris-tol office of agency JLL believes thecity needs to cater for rising demandfor trendy office space akin thatfound in London’s Silicon Round-about tech quarter with a focus oninnovative and sustainable design.

He says the move towards smartfactory-style office space could rep-resent the biggest shake-up of Bris-tol’s office market since theintroduction of large floorplates withthe opening of Portwall Place in 2008,at the time billed as the city’s first“London-style super office”.

“The impact of advancements intechnology on the property market islikely to be significant as the re-quirements of a multitude of sectorsincluding logistics, retail, healthcareand more shift as innovative, ‘smar t’ways of working and living are em-braced,” Jeremy, below right, said.

“The challenge for the propertymarket is to keep pace with the chan-ging face of technology; the latter iscurrently moving faster than thebuilt environment can adapt.”

A recent report into the financialsector published by another propertyagency, DTZ, found banks faced atalent train if they failed to smartenup their workplaces.

The report, carried out in conjunc-tion with consultancy Unwork, is theculmination of more than 100 inter-views with senior figures in the bank-ing, property and HR industry.

It found more than half of em-ployees are now working in IT andtechnology related roles, meaningthe banks are competing for talentwith not just other financial bodiesbut also big tech firms which haveinvested much more heavily in pos-itive and creative workspace.

Andy Heath, director of office

as Bristol, with parks and waterwaysthroughout the city centre and thehighest ratio of cycling commutersper head, it is also becoming essentialthat in building design we incorpor-

ate high levels of bike racks perworker – approximately one

per 10 but we are acting foroccupiers who demandup to one per three 3 –and showers – on av-erage we are advisingone per circa 35 work-ers – to cope with the

cyclists and the runningclubs that the more sus-

tainable businesses arep rov i d i n g . ”

Demand for attractive work spacesis one consideration when designingor developing. Another is flexiblewo rk i n g .

Richard Morris, UK chief executiveat Regus, believes flexibility is key,especially following recent legisla-tion giving workers the legal right torequest flexible working options.

“A fifth (22 per cent) of Bristolbusinesses increased their flexibleworking options for staff over thepast 12 months,” he said.

“The reasons for embracing a flex-ible working model are many. Per-haps most importantly, flexibleworking has been shown to makestaff more productive.

“In addition, flexible workspacesrepresent a low-risk financial com-mitment, enabling companies toavoid high rents and long leases.

“Many businesses are also keen tohave a space that can grow with thebusiness, negating disruptive moveswhen more space is required.

“This trend is driving take upthroughout our network of flexiblewo rk s p a c e s.

“Indeed as well as flexible officespace, our network now includesworkspaces in transport hubs, hotelsand even shopping centres, givingusers the flexibility to work whereverand whenever it suits them.

“For many companies, the idea of afixed office on a long term leasewhere all staff are present 9-5 is athing of the past.

“Now, they are turning to flexibleworkspace options that can growwith the business and maximisewo rke r s ’ p ro d u c t iv i t y. ”

Caroline Vickery, from BarrowGurney, founded Rebalance Resourcelast year, a company which workswith businesses to help them move tomore flexible and remote working, as

MANY property owners appear un-likely to undertake any energy per-formance improvements unless theyare forced to do so – and may lose outas a result.

Despite all the warnings, the market has stillnot fully woken up to the introduction of furthermeasures on Energy Performance Certificates(EPCs), due to come into force in April 2018.

The requirement to have an EPC in place beforemarketing a property has been in force for morethan five years, but after 2018 it will becomeunlawful for any commercial or residential prop-erty to be either sold or let where it has an EPCrating of below band E. At present a large pro-portion of properties fall into this category.

More work is needed to ensure owners areaware of the new rules and the practical im-plications should they not take appropriate ac-tion by the time the legislation comes into force.

If a landlord is able to rent out a propertywithout having to do anything to it, then it isperfectly understandable that they would want todo so. It’s a bit like selling a car without having toput on new tyres, if the existing ones are legal.

At present, awareness among occupiers re-mains relatively low, but this will only rise astime progresses as the potential impact of thelegislation is recognised.

From a tenant’s perspective, the forthcomingchanges mean they may find that they can po-tentially drive down their rent or threaten tomove on if required improvements aren’t made.

The landlord will then be unable to re-let or sellthe property without potentially costly works toimprove its energy efficiency rating. If this scen-ario is repeated across a portfolio of investments,then the risks are easy to see.

A landlord may find themselves with a portfolioof property which can’t be let without expensiveimprovements being carried out, and not evenable to cut their losses and sell poorly performingassets which fail the EPC test.

In the meantime under current rules they willremain liable for payment of business rates evenif the property is empty.

Thinking you can do little or nothing is there-fore not really an option unless owners are happyto risk ending up with a portfolio of void prop-erties on their hands, whereas undertaking aprogramme of improvements over the nextcouple of years could help to spread the cost andminimise future risks.

Our advice is to undertake any energy ef-ficiency improvements during current void peri-ods or lease breaks. They will more than likely besimple, low-cost measures which can be imple-mented and will have a significant impact on theenergy rating of a building.

In terms of residential properties, the newlegislation is likely to affect small buy-to-letlandlords and large portfolio holders. From 2016,residential tenants are able to insist that theirlandlords make energy efficiency improvements,and as with commercial premises, from 2018houses and flats with a rating of “F” or “G” will beunlettable and unsaleable by law.

There is still time to make sure any propertiesare up to scratch in terms of energy performance.With Bristol basking in the Green Capital lime-light, if ever there was a time to undertake anyimprovements it is now.

Property owners too slow toact on energy legislation

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

Developers and landlordsneed to come to terms witha changed world if they areto keep their offices full.Gavin Thompson reports onhow the workplace isevolving in Bristol

‘We wanted spaces at work whereour staff could have fun together’

Case study

Property Matters

DEMAND FOR TRENDY O F F I C E SPACE IN BRISTOL ON INCREASE

well as recruit staff for such envir-o n m e n t s.

She believes a number of factorsare driving the change in workingpatter ns.

“Technology is one,” says Caroline.“There are 83 million mobile phonesin Britain – more than there arepeople. Attitudes are just now catch-ing up with the technology.

“Demographics are changing too.There will be 700,000 fewer 16-49 yearolds soon but 3.7 million more peoplebetween 50 and pension age. For someof those people staying in work longeris more suitable around part time orflexible hours.

“And the recession has driven somedifferent attitudes. A lot of companiesgot through the recession by flexingtheir workforce rather than makingre d u n d a n c i e s. ”

agency at DTZ in Bristol, said: “Bris-tol has the highest retention of itsgraduates of any UK city, graduateswho want to work in dynamic com-p a n i e s.

“There are major companiesin the city such as Ovo En-ergy which are respondingto these demographicsand creating‘Goo glesque’ places ofwork which challengethe old methods of onedesk per person, en-closed meeting roomsand a kettle.

“It is vitally importantthat businesses imprint theiridentity on their offices and don’t letthe offices dictate their identity andthe way they should work.

“In such an attractive environment

0117 287 2101brutonknowles.co.uk

City Centre Offices To Let 35-38 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW

Contact: paul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk

• Openplanrefurbishedsuite

• 1,976sqft(183.6sqm)

• Flexibleterms

• Availablenow

BK code:2583

Paul WilliamsHead of Agency, Bruton Knowlespaul.williams@brutonknowles.co.uk0117 287 2101

Expert eyeIn association with

� AN office isn’t just where you work,the environment can help set theculture of your business.

For Bristol tech and IT recruitmentspecialist People Source, thatenvironment is believed to be a keydriver of performance.

And that’s not just woolly ideas, the13-year-old business grew turnoverfrom about £20 million to nearer £30million this year.

That’s why owner and chairmanJason Baker and managing directorTim Allen have invested in a newoffice in Bath Street, on the third floorof the Clarke Willmott building inBristol’s professional district.

They moved the 47 staff in a monthago after giving the space a totalmakeover. As well as room for all thedesks, with views over Castle Parkand the Floating Harbour, there’s apool table, Sony Playstations, arcadedriving games and beer garden-stylepicnic benches for eating.

Jason said: “People Source hasmoved into larger premises primarilyto facilitate further expansion withplans to double in size over the nextfour years. However, half of the officespace is dedicated to break out areasand non-work space.

“This is because People Source is acompany defined and differentiatedby its people centric ethos.

“The culture has always existedand runs deep throughout the wholeof the organisation. Moving to a new,bigger office gave us the opportunityto cement that further by creatingbetter break out spaces where people

would have fun together, developcloser relationships and help integratenew people quickly.”

And despite the growth plans,Jason and the team made sure theyhave enough space so that won’tjeopardise the play areas.

Culture needs more than justfurniture. A pool table won’t help ifpeople are too sacred to use it. Butthat’s not the case at People Source.Jason, 39, enjoys taking on allcomers on the driving game, and it’sa good way to break the ice with anew team member. Being accessibleis part of that culture.

“I don’t have an open door policybecause there is no door,” he says.

Marketing manager and the personwho handles its own recruitment, RiaDavidson, said: “There isn’t just onesingle element to the People Sourceculture that makes it special - being agreat place to work is in our DNA.

“The company’s belief that a happyworkforce is more important thanprofit is cemented into the culturehere, especially reflected through theunified mentality between managersand staff - there is no gap. Where elsedo you get to challenge the chairmanto a race on Sega Rally at lunch?”

The company hasa host ofaccolades to its name, includingtwice appearing in the Sunday TimesVirgin Fast Track 100 and beingnamed Future Champion in theNational Business Awards.

Richard Morris

“For manycompanies,the idea of afixed office ona long termlease where allstaff arepresent 9-5 isa thing of thepast.

� Staff at People Source enjoying the fun work culture; inset, left to right, chairman Jason Baker and MD Tim Allen Pics: Michael Lloyd

Property of the Week

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

10 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 11We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures Institute of Directors honours John Shore MBE

IoD salutes John after New Year’s honour

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Outlook 2015: C o m m e rc i a lproperty agency DTZ presentsanalysis and forecasts for thesector at The Bristol Hotel, from8am on Thursday, February 5.

Financial Planning Clinic:One-to-one advice on financialissues and questions fromchartered accountant TonyJames at The Hive,Weston-super-Mare on February5. Register at www.norths o m e r s e t e n t e r p r i s e a g e n c y. c o . u k .

Confidence in business - Keysto Success: Unlock the what,how and why of your business.Four linked morning eventsstarting February 5 aimed atBristol businesswomen coveringbranding, marketing,presentation skills and finance.Free, by women for women.w w w. b l u e o rc h i d . c o . u k / e v e n t s .

Bristol Connected: Bristol Postnetworking event at the BristolHotel. Thursday, February 5,6-8pm. Register via Eventbrite.

Introducing the Clean Web:Presentations from five cleanweb projects explaining howthey are using technology tosolve sustainability challenges,followed by a panel discussionand time for networking. 6-9pm,Thursday, February 5. Find outmore at www.bristol2015.co.uk/events/cleanweb.

Digital Challenge 48-hourHack Weekend: Teams ofdevelopers together with digitaland environmental expertscompete for the chance to win£50,000 and stimulate innovationin the development of softwareapplications addressing fiveenvironmental challenges:energy, transport, food,resources and nature.Watershed, February 6-8.w w w. b r i s t o l 2 0 1 5 . c o . u k

Bristol Post Business AwardsLaunch: Drinks and canapes tocelebrate the launch of thisyear’s Bristol Post BusinessAwards. From 6pm on February9 at Hargreaves Lansdown.Invitation only. Contactsarah.wallbridge@b-nm.co.uk.

Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries - Peter Mather: BP’sgroup regional vice president,Europe and head of country, UK,delivers the latest in the addressseries supported by the BristolPost. From 6pm, February 11, atthe Glendinning Lecture Theatre,Frenchay Campus, UWE.

Families in Business Insight:Bristol’s family businesses canexperience a taste of the supportavailable from specialist advisersat the first of a new InsightGroup pioneered byFamilies inBusiness. It launches with a freehalf-day taster on ThursdayFebruary 12 at Close BrothersAsset Management’s Bristoloffices on Queen Street. Email:J e n n e t t e @ f i b c o m m u n i t y. c o m

South West VR Conference:Organised by OpposableGames, shining spotlight onvirtual reality industry, At-Bristol,February 24.w w w. s o u t h w e s t v r. c o m .

THE Bristol branch of the In-stitute of Directors gatheredto congratulate one of itslongest standing members,John Shore, on his MBE for

services to the business and volun-tary sector in the Queen’s New YearH o n o u r s.

Following a long and successfulcareer in the Royal Navy, John headedup the Bristol Chamber of Commerceand organised a number of trade mis-sions abroad, including SouthKo re a .

He subsequently joined the insti-tute of Directors and played a majorrole in establishing what has becomeone of the organisation’s strongestmembership bases in Bristol and theSouth West.

Now retired, he continues to sup-port the work of the charity Alabare,which helps UK veterans return tocivilian life with homes and supportacross the South West and Wales.

Rebecca Tregarthen, Bristolbranch chair, said: “John has beenone of our greatest advocates for theIoD which is why he was recognisedby the Institute with an honoraryfellowship some years ago. His MBEis very well deserved and we aredelighted for John and his family.”

John and his wife Sylvia wereguests of honour at the branch’s firstnetworking meeting of the year atBristol’s Engine Shed, attended bymembers and guests. The next meet-ing will be at the CommonwealthSociety on February 25 from 6-8pm.

Quirky factory-style spaces to shake-up market

In pictures JLL’s South West Market Review

A new era of grade A officespace is set to shake up theBristol market, according toproperty consultancy JLL,as businesses seek out

next-generation ‘white-collar factor-ies’ to house their operations.

Demand for quirky “f actory-style”space – with “smart services” and lowrunning costs – is likely to come fromcreative businesses in expansionmode, while it could also be boostedby employers looking at near-shoringtheir operations to regional citiessuch as Bristol to escape rising costsin the Capital.

These predictions, revealed atJ L L’s South West Market Review,themed smart future, come after “areal breakthrough” for Bristol’s of-fice market in 2014, said Ian Wills,director, office agency, at JLL in the

c i t y.He said: “Bristol’s office market

rose like a ‘phoenix from the ashes’ in2014 and we expect demand to con-tinue this year, with more speculativecity centre development in thep i p e l i n e.

“There will be continued demandfor conventional, grade A space inBristol, but we predict a shift in themarketplace as businesses seek out adifferent kind of space.”

Bristol needs to cater for risingdemand for office space akin to WhiteCollar Factory in London, a schemebeing built in the city’s “siliconro u n d ab o u t ” tech quarter with afocus on innovative and sustainabledesign.

HOW to create the perfectLinked-In profile and usethe social media platform toengage with others wereamong the lessons given to

a group of professionals at a recentnetworking event.

The first PA Network event of theyear was held in the glamorous andatmospheric surroundings of Hoteldu Vin in Bristol.

More than 45 personal assistantsand secretaries caught up over drinksand canapes before sitting down to awarm welcome from the network’sfounder, Debs Eden.

Debs is well known in the PA pro-fession and has a passion for helpingfellow PAs grow and develop in asupportive and encouraging envir-onment.

Imogen Woodford of Social-i, theBath-based social media consultancy

and training school, gave a master-class on using LinkedIn to its fulladvantage, covering writing the per-fect profile, how to get the latest newsusing Pulse and joining and usingGroups to share and engage.

This was followed by Mark Rab-betts of Hays PA/secretarial recruit-ment. Mark gave an overview of thecurrent job market. A lively Q&Afollowed which included a debatearound extended notice periods.

Debs wrapped up the event with alook at future topics, which includeeffective communication, personaldevelopment plans and having ap-praisal conversations, speaking inpublic and overcoming networkingn e r ve s.

For more information, and to jointhe network, visit w w w. b r i s t o l p a n -e t w o rk . c o. u k or follow on Twitter@ b r i s t o l p a n e t w rk .

For more the changing nature of officespace, see Property Matters: Page 8 & 9

� Fiona Moore, Christine Mann and Rosie Barclay Pics: Dan Regan � Robert Keeping, Sarah Outram and Robin Rajanah

� Chris Howell and Ian Wills� Jeremy Richards and Josh Roberts� Lawrence Dungwell and Stephen Rickard

� Jayley Price, Lee Mantle and Sebastian Fitzgerald � John Mulholland

PAs enjoy canapes and top tipsIn pictures PA Network, Hotel du Vin

� The IOD Wednesday at 6 at the Engine Shed in Bristol. January2015 Photographer Freia Turland e:info@ftphotography.co.uk m:07875514528

� Pedro Bonillo-Farias, PBF Wealth Management, with Kim Jones,High Growth Knowledge Company Pics: Freia Turland

� Ken McEwan, of Gregg Latchams, and DavidRayfield

� Chris Smith, Marshfield Bakery and NicholasO’Regan, University of the West of England � John Shore MBE and Rebecca Tregarthen

� Above, Felix Spender from NorthLight Solutions. Left, Al Keck, ToInfinity, Alexandra McArthur-Davies,from McArthur Davies, JonathanSnary, BPP, and Sue Cooper, StJohn’s Hospital

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

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10 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 11We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures Institute of Directors honours John Shore MBE

IoD salutes John after New Year’s honour

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Outlook 2015: C o m m e rc i a lproperty agency DTZ presentsanalysis and forecasts for thesector at The Bristol Hotel, from8am on Thursday, February 5.

Financial Planning Clinic:One-to-one advice on financialissues and questions fromchartered accountant TonyJames at The Hive,Weston-super-Mare on February5. Register at www.norths o m e r s e t e n t e r p r i s e a g e n c y. c o . u k .

Confidence in business - Keysto Success: Unlock the what,how and why of your business.Four linked morning eventsstarting February 5 aimed atBristol businesswomen coveringbranding, marketing,presentation skills and finance.Free, by women for women.w w w. b l u e o rc h i d . c o . u k / e v e n t s .

Bristol Connected: Bristol Postnetworking event at the BristolHotel. Thursday, February 5,6-8pm. Register via Eventbrite.

Introducing the Clean Web:Presentations from five cleanweb projects explaining howthey are using technology tosolve sustainability challenges,followed by a panel discussionand time for networking. 6-9pm,Thursday, February 5. Find outmore at www.bristol2015.co.uk/events/cleanweb.

Digital Challenge 48-hourHack Weekend: Teams ofdevelopers together with digitaland environmental expertscompete for the chance to win£50,000 and stimulate innovationin the development of softwareapplications addressing fiveenvironmental challenges:energy, transport, food,resources and nature.Watershed, February 6-8.w w w. b r i s t o l 2 0 1 5 . c o . u k

Bristol Post Business AwardsLaunch: Drinks and canapes tocelebrate the launch of thisyear’s Bristol Post BusinessAwards. From 6pm on February9 at Hargreaves Lansdown.Invitation only. Contactsarah.wallbridge@b-nm.co.uk.

Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries - Peter Mather: BP’sgroup regional vice president,Europe and head of country, UK,delivers the latest in the addressseries supported by the BristolPost. From 6pm, February 11, atthe Glendinning Lecture Theatre,Frenchay Campus, UWE.

Families in Business Insight:Bristol’s family businesses canexperience a taste of the supportavailable from specialist advisersat the first of a new InsightGroup pioneered byFamilies inBusiness. It launches with a freehalf-day taster on ThursdayFebruary 12 at Close BrothersAsset Management’s Bristoloffices on Queen Street. Email:J e n n e t t e @ f i b c o m m u n i t y. c o m

South West VR Conference:Organised by OpposableGames, shining spotlight onvirtual reality industry, At-Bristol,February 24.w w w. s o u t h w e s t v r. c o m .

THE Bristol branch of the In-stitute of Directors gatheredto congratulate one of itslongest standing members,John Shore, on his MBE for

services to the business and volun-tary sector in the Queen’s New YearH o n o u r s.

Following a long and successfulcareer in the Royal Navy, John headedup the Bristol Chamber of Commerceand organised a number of trade mis-sions abroad, including SouthKo re a .

He subsequently joined the insti-tute of Directors and played a majorrole in establishing what has becomeone of the organisation’s strongestmembership bases in Bristol and theSouth West.

Now retired, he continues to sup-port the work of the charity Alabare,which helps UK veterans return tocivilian life with homes and supportacross the South West and Wales.

Rebecca Tregarthen, Bristolbranch chair, said: “John has beenone of our greatest advocates for theIoD which is why he was recognisedby the Institute with an honoraryfellowship some years ago. His MBEis very well deserved and we aredelighted for John and his family.”

John and his wife Sylvia wereguests of honour at the branch’s firstnetworking meeting of the year atBristol’s Engine Shed, attended bymembers and guests. The next meet-ing will be at the CommonwealthSociety on February 25 from 6-8pm.

Quirky factory-style spaces to shake-up market

In pictures JLL’s South West Market Review

A new era of grade A officespace is set to shake up theBristol market, according toproperty consultancy JLL,as businesses seek out

next-generation ‘white-collar factor-ies’ to house their operations.

Demand for quirky “f actory-style”space – with “smart services” and lowrunning costs – is likely to come fromcreative businesses in expansionmode, while it could also be boostedby employers looking at near-shoringtheir operations to regional citiessuch as Bristol to escape rising costsin the Capital.

These predictions, revealed atJ L L’s South West Market Review,themed smart future, come after “areal breakthrough” for Bristol’s of-fice market in 2014, said Ian Wills,director, office agency, at JLL in the

c i t y.He said: “Bristol’s office market

rose like a ‘phoenix from the ashes’ in2014 and we expect demand to con-tinue this year, with more speculativecity centre development in thep i p e l i n e.

“There will be continued demandfor conventional, grade A space inBristol, but we predict a shift in themarketplace as businesses seek out adifferent kind of space.”

Bristol needs to cater for risingdemand for office space akin to WhiteCollar Factory in London, a schemebeing built in the city’s “siliconro u n d ab o u t ” tech quarter with afocus on innovative and sustainabledesign.

HOW to create the perfectLinked-In profile and usethe social media platform toengage with others wereamong the lessons given to

a group of professionals at a recentnetworking event.

The first PA Network event of theyear was held in the glamorous andatmospheric surroundings of Hoteldu Vin in Bristol.

More than 45 personal assistantsand secretaries caught up over drinksand canapes before sitting down to awarm welcome from the network’sfounder, Debs Eden.

Debs is well known in the PA pro-fession and has a passion for helpingfellow PAs grow and develop in asupportive and encouraging envir-onment.

Imogen Woodford of Social-i, theBath-based social media consultancy

and training school, gave a master-class on using LinkedIn to its fulladvantage, covering writing the per-fect profile, how to get the latest newsusing Pulse and joining and usingGroups to share and engage.

This was followed by Mark Rab-betts of Hays PA/secretarial recruit-ment. Mark gave an overview of thecurrent job market. A lively Q&Afollowed which included a debatearound extended notice periods.

Debs wrapped up the event with alook at future topics, which includeeffective communication, personaldevelopment plans and having ap-praisal conversations, speaking inpublic and overcoming networkingn e r ve s.

For more information, and to jointhe network, visit w w w. b r i s t o l p a n -e t w o rk . c o. u k or follow on Twitter@ b r i s t o l p a n e t w rk .

For more the changing nature of officespace, see Property Matters: Page 8 & 9

� Fiona Moore, Christine Mann and Rosie Barclay Pics: Dan Regan � Robert Keeping, Sarah Outram and Robin Rajanah

� Chris Howell and Ian Wills� Jeremy Richards and Josh Roberts� Lawrence Dungwell and Stephen Rickard

� Jayley Price, Lee Mantle and Sebastian Fitzgerald � John Mulholland

PAs enjoy canapes and top tipsIn pictures PA Network, Hotel du Vin

� The IOD Wednesday at 6 at the Engine Shed in Bristol. January2015 Photographer Freia Turland e:info@ftphotography.co.uk m:07875514528

� Pedro Bonillo-Farias, PBF Wealth Management, with Kim Jones,High Growth Knowledge Company Pics: Freia Turland

� Ken McEwan, of Gregg Latchams, and DavidRayfield

� Chris Smith, Marshfield Bakery and NicholasO’Regan, University of the West of England � John Shore MBE and Rebecca Tregarthen

� Above, Felix Spender from NorthLight Solutions. Left, Al Keck, ToInfinity, Alexandra McArthur-Davies,from McArthur Davies, JonathanSnary, BPP, and Sue Cooper, StJohn’s Hospital

EPB-

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12 We d n e s d a y, February 4, 2015w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back pagePe o p l e� A fast-growing telecoms providerhas appointed a new member.

Tyler McKenna, 30, joins PureComms as account manager. Herresponsibilities will includesupporting existing clients andproviding customer service, as wellas acquiring new business.

The appointment ofTyler, pictur ed, is

part of theTickenham-basedcompany’splans forgrowth, whichhas already

seen thecompany open a

second office in StAustell, Cornwall.

The company has also recentlybrought on board a major new clientin retail giant the Co-operative.

Pure Comms will be providingtelecoms services to more than 400Co-op stores.

Tyler said: “It’s a great time to bejoining Pure Comms. The companyis committed to investing in its staff,products and services and I’mexcited to be part of a business thathas such ambitious plans for thef u t u re . ”

Pure Comms was established in2009 by Rob Vivian and has quicklybecome one of the leading telecomsproviders in the region, countingBristol Airport, BWOC, auctioneersBonhams, Co-operative and fastgrowing Opus amongst its clients.

D ea l s� Food and agriculture sectorspecialists at the Bristol office ofSmith & Williamson acted asfinancial advisers to the UK’sleading farmer-owned grainmarketing co-operative, Openfield,on its acquisition of CountrywideFarmers PLC’s grain business.

Openfield, which collects, stores,distributes and markets over 4.5million tonnes of grain every year onbehalf of an extensive network offarming businesses, has acquiredCountrywide Farmers’ grainbusiness which is expected tohandle 400,000 tonnes this year.

John Stables, Group FinanceDirector and Deputy ManagingDirector at Openfield, said: “Givenour unique position in the UK as theleading, farmer-owned co-operativefocused on grain, we are delighted

with the acquisition. The Smith &Williamson team has a deepunderstanding of our business thatwas important in helping achieveour objective of completing thetransaction within a shorttimescale.”

MartynF r a s e r,

pictur ed,director inthecorporatefinanceteam at the

Bristol officeof

accountancyand investment

management group Smith &Williamson, said: “Our long-standingrelationship with Openfield and itspredecessors enabled us to provideadvice on the strategic as well asfinancial aspects of the transaction.”

� Law firm TLT has advised BGLGroup, one of theUK’s largestconsumerinsurancegroups, onthe sale ofBennettsInsurance,the UK’snumber onebikeinsurancebusiness, toSaga plc.

The TLT team in Bristol was led bycorporate partner John Wood,

Simple - sell your goods for more than you paid

ONE of the things often ig-nored by entrepreneurs isthe importance of cash flow.Profit is clearly vital in thelong run but unless you

manage your cash flow your newbusiness may not be around longenough to see any profit! Cash is oftenquoted as King, but if that is true thenCash flow is its Queen.

These two ‘roya l ’ musts need aclose marriage if any enterprise is tosurvive start-up and evolve into themajor employer of tomorrow.

Making sure you sell whatevergoods or service you’re offering isessential but making sure you getpaid for those goods or services af-terwards is paramount. If you don’t

you haven’t only lost the profit, youhave lost the cost of production, de-livery, marketing and a whole myriadof other expenses too.

Make sure you invoice early andd o n’t let your customer overrun hisor her payment terms. Honest peopleor companies intend to pay so will notbe bothered that you have asked themto pay quickly, especially if you ex-plain that you are a small businessand need to get the cash in. Don’t beafraid to ask because most will pay up

� 3P Learning who won two categories at the BETT Awards

Business advice from the ‘Phone Box Millionaire’

and you will maintain that all im-portant flow into your coffers.

Business is essentially quitesimple. It’s a matter of selling yourgoods for more than you paid forthem, including any associated costs.In my experience most new busi-nesses that go wrong do so for one oftwo reasons. Firstly, by assuming thatall the money received is there for theowner to spend, and secondly, be-cause they never researched the mar-ket thoroughly enough before theystarted spending money on exploit-ing it.

In many instances newly createdbusinesses find, after they have star-ted spending money, that there is nomarket! Or perhaps that the com-

petition is too stiff.Always research any market you

are considering entering thoroughly.Not just on the web either. Go intoyour local library where a hugeamount of information awaits you,often accompanied by professionallibrarians who will direct you to justwhat you need. One of the best thingsabout the library service is that it’s afree. A genuine national treasure inmy opinion.

Stephen Fear was brought up on aBristol council estate and ran his firstbusiness from a phone box. As well asa successful businessman, he is en-trepreneur in residence at the BritishLibrar y.

Stephen FearFear Group

pictur ed, and included commercialpartner Alison Deighton; tax partnerNathan Williams; corporateassociate Alice Gardner; andcorporate solicitor Amelia Jarrett.

John said: “The sale of Bennettscreates opportunities for the brandwith the focused support Saga cano ff e r.

“For BGL, Bennetts is outside theBGL core target high growth/ scalemarkets and having consideredwhat gave Bennetts the bestopportunity for growth, BGLaccepted the offer for Bennetts forSaga.”

Peter Thompson, group directorfor insurance and legal services atBGL, said: “TLT were a key part ofthe team, providing us with valuableadvice and guidance throughout theBennetts sale process.”

Re co g n i t i o n� Wessex Water has become thefirst water company praised for thehigh quality and development of itsscientists who test water to ensure itmeets regulatory standards.

The Science Council awarded thefirm the CPD Approved Employerstatus to recognise the commitmentto good practice in employerlearning and development schemes.

The scientific team, based atWessex Water’s scientific centre atSaltford, near Bristol, regularlyundertakes the sampling of watersupply from around the region toensure the quality of drinking water.

It also tests treated waste waterbefore the company returns it to thee n v i ro n m e n t .

Ali Orr, registrar at the ScienceCouncil, said: “The award ofApproved Employer status toWessex Water recognises its stronglearning culture and support for staffdevelopment.

“The approval panel wasparticularly impressed with thequality of the Scientific Centre staffand their commitment to developingboth personally and professionally.”

Around 70 staff work at thec e n t re .

Helen Shapland, head ofanalytical services, said: “It’s a greataccomplishment to be accreditedfor our ongoing commitment totraining and the quality of our staff.”

� An education company has wontwo awards for its learning resourceMathetics.

3P Learning won Best WholeCourse Curriculum Content andBest International Digital Resourcecategories in the BETT Awards,which coincided with the world’slargest technology in educationshow in London.

Mathletics is used by nearly fivemillion teachers and studentsglobally. The judges praised the“truly comprehensive primary mathsre s o u rc e ”, which is aligned to thenew national curriculum.

Jayne Warburton, CEO at 3PLearning, said: “We are pleased thatthe judges recognised thatMathletics supports teachers bydelivering content that is fullyaligned to the new maths curriculum– addressing fluency, problemsolving and reasoning.

“This award is a ringingendorsement of the impact thatMathletics has on maths teachingand learning globally.”

Your digest of the week in business

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

21 %20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

106 .36pUnleaded

113 . 42 pDiesel

117 .27pSuperunleaded

61 .32pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.41%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10,000 deposit

NationalCounties BS

Inflation (CPI)

0.5 %

Weekly earnings

1.7 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

S o u rc e :

State Bankof India

Inflation (RPI)

1.6 %

� Helen Shapland