The Apprenticeship Guide and The Future of the High Street

The Apprenticeship Guide and The Future of the High Street

National | Local Business | December 2019 | Issue 44

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allowing us to pitch up and champion the business community. But while we’ve made great progress in 2019, we know we can’t rest on our laurels and stand still. I have learned from many great entrepreneurs that any business that wants to keep growing must continue to change, adapt and question itself.

I hope your business year went as well as ours has. I don’t want to brag too much but it has been a remarkable year for us here at Moose Marketing and PR, the publishers of Punchline-gloucester.com. Online, our number unique visitors’ numbers broke through the 150,000 barrier in August, with more than 1.7 million pages read, despite it being the height of the summer holidays. It goes to show that, no matter where we all are in the world, we always want to know what is going on back home. This year, we also rebranded our daily e-newsletter to become Punchline Daily and again the readership figures have simply blown us away. So, thank you for letting us into your in mailboxes most lunchtimes to bring you the most up to date business news around. It has been fantastic. On top of all this, we also increased the print run and distribution of this magazine to 15,000 copies and added more content, taking each edition to 140 pages. That meant staples were no longer strong enough to hold it together, so we moved to a perfect-bound finish, with a spine. I feel this gives the magazine that more ‘upmarket’ feel and adds more gravitas. I like to refer to it as: Punchline-Grown up. Finally, we introduced pick-up-point stands across the county to great success. Thanks for that must go to our friends at shopping centres and supermarkets for

Thank you to all of you that have been following us, reading, advertising, sponsoring and supporting us over the years. It’s been fun and fantastic in equal measure. We couldn’t do it without you all. X Roll on to 2020 l

Mark Owen

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Punchline Magazine is published by Moose Partnership Limited, based at The Old Fire Station, Barbican Road, Gloucester, GL1 2JF. Reproduction of any material, in the whole or part, is strictly forbidden without the prior written consent of the publishers.All material is sent at the owners risk and whilst every care is taken, Moose Partnership Limited will not accept liability for loss or damage. Dates, information and prices quoted are believed to be correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. Moose Partnership Limited does not accept responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic or otherwise.All rights reserved ©2019

December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 3

TheWestern Gateway powerhouse

A gateway to invest in theWest. Gloucestershire has been included as part of a powerhouse that will drive central government investment into the region. In the days before parliament shutdown for the general election, a significant announcement was made that had been months, if not years, in the planning. The Western Gateway is the rather contrived name for what will be the West and Wales’ version of the Northern Powerhouse: an organisation that will drive investment and growth into the region. The fourth powerhouse to be established in the past decade, the Western Gateway follows on from the Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Engine and Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor. Local authorities from Swindon to Swansea and from Weston-super-Mare to Moreton-in-Marsh will join together, with the leader of Gloucestershire County Council quick to call it significant news. "This is excellent news for Gloucestershire, for our businesses and our residents,” said Councillor Mark Hawthorne. "The Western Gateway puts us at the front of the

queue for attracting new business and government funding into our area. "It is a really exciting project that will change our area for the better in ways we can only begin to understand.”

That view was shared by Sam Holliday, the regional development manager for Gloucestershire, Bristol, and Bath for the Federation of Small Business. Mr Holliday’s patch will be entirely encompassed within theWestern Gateway and he saw the benefits for himself as a guest at a London event to launch the idea earlier in the year. “We all know and have heard of the Northern Powerhouse, and without doubt investment has been pushed through by it having collective bargaining power. “Politically, I am unsure how it will work and some will be worried about another level of bureaucracy being added to government. “But it’s been proven that the government like giving investment to wider areas than just one Mark Hawthorne

is OUT February 2020 PUNCHLINE ANNUAL

the

4 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

local authority, it’s why there are metro mayors in certain areas of the country. “We are never going to have a metro mayor for an area as wide as this, but bringing people around the same table is a good thing. It will ensure

driver for Gloucestershire’s own development. The Western Gateway was launched by Robert Jenrick, the then minister for housing, communities and local government, with diplomacy saying that it was launched over the bridge inWales. But before arriving at the Celtic Manor Hotel and Resort in Newport, Mr Jenrick checked in at Hub 8 in Cheltenham. Hub 8, a co-working space for the cyber technology sector opened in Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter earlier this year as a precursor to the huge Cyber Central development. And the critical importance of that project is one of the reasons why the region is being joined together for a greater good, according to Mr Jenrick. He said: "The Western Gateway will draw on the diverse talents of both sides of the Severn to deliver an economic powerhouse that will drive growth throughout the region. "Already a major centre for cyber and tech, research, manufacturing and the creative industries - there's clearly huge potential for them to achieve even greater things together. "This initiative will give South West England and South Wales a powerful voice, just as the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine have done for those areas” l

Sam Holliday

everyone will be singing from the same hymn sheet. “Without this, I fear that our region would have been left behind. By coming together, we will bring about more funding and that will filter down and benefit all businesses in the region.” While the final details of how the Western Gateway will work, the complete area it will cover and which individuals from local authorities will take part have yet to be finalised, a chair has been chosen. Katherine Bennett, a senior UK, vice president of one of the region’s biggest names Airbus UK has been appointed to the role and tasked with the early set- up tasks. She will shape and then lead the governance team and then set and manage the initial priorities for the partnership. One of those is bound to be the Cyber Central development in Cheltenham, which is seen as a key

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December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 5

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MartijnVos, managing director of Hydro Components UK

Reshaping a business fit for the future

A multi-million-pound investment in a new car component manufacturing plant fit to serve the next generation of vehicles, which will create 40 new jobs, is taking place in Gloucester. You may not have heard of Hydro, but it is already working for some of the UK’s biggest car marques, and most prestigious ones too. It is quite simply one of the world’s biggest aluminium businesses – one of the largest outside of China – excelling from mining bauxite through to the production of three million tonnes of aluminium product worldwide. One third of that product is already made from recycled aluminium – significant (and attractive to customers seeking greener solutions) when considered that recycling takes only five per cent of

the energy used in primary production. “More than one million tonnes is remelt and a large portion of that has already had a life before,” said Dr Martijn Vos, Managing Director of Hydro Components UK Ltd. “Aluminium is infinitely recyclable without losing its properties. Seventy five per cent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today and the volume is increasing. “When compared to plastics for example, PET bottles can be recycled into Adidas shoes, however when my shoes are worn out, they still end up in landfill. “Aluminium is the metal of the future. It is all around us every day, in computers, beverage cans, shower cabins, windows, doors, light poles in the streets, in cars and public transportation. “In fact, the cities of the future built around the world

December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 7

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see an increased amount of aluminium. What we produce in Gloucester, I tell my people, aluminium is jewellery for cars in the shape of roof rails and trims”. Dr Vos meets us in reception before making us coffee in his own office, hard hat and high vis jacket hang in the corner. Product samples he cannot resist showing us are tucked away in every corner and staff knock and enter freely every few minutes to keep one another up to speed. Dr Vos seems to enjoy the composed, but dynamic nature of the non-stop business in which he thrives and wears his no doubt challenging job like a man ready, able and motivated. “I am a workaholic. What I mean is, I like to work and enjoy working hard,” he volunteers, in his exemplary English with distinct Nordic overtones, smirking at his frank confession. All of which is good news for Gloucester, as the firm begins to centre its manufacturing operations within the heart of the city. Good news too for jobs. “We employ 150 staff currently and expect that to grow to 190,” said Dr. Vos. Most of those will be what he calls ‘technical’ roles. “We work with robots and CNC machines and it is also about lean production, engineering, metal forming, machining and about chemistry,” he adds. The business also has an operation in Tewkesbury, where it makes building systems: windows, doors and facades, and a sister extrusion operation in Cheltenham, which feeds the Gloucester business with extrusions for roof rails and trims, among many other customers in the UK. Hydro has 11 plants in the UK and an estimated

1,200 staff. Worldwide staff numbers are in the region of 35,000 in 40 countries. “We are a global company being local,” says Dr Vos. “I have been all over the map. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Middle East, Brazil, the US and now in the UK.” For new entrees Gloucester could be a start of a global career in Hydro if you want. On the other hand, we have a stable work force, with some folks being loyal to this site for 30 to 40 years working in logistics or polishing. “We have a diverse workforce as well, with 26 per cent female and we have a target to increase to 30 per cent.” It is in the Gloucester plant, already up and running, where the major investment will go as Hydro stays true to what Dr. Vos tells us is its mantra – ‘Care, Collaboration and Courage’. Courage because this is a business re- configuring itself in readiness for the future of the automobile industry – a sector increasingly reliant on supplier specialists to make its products in new ways as it develops towards autonomous driving and

8 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

Our focus & growth withinAutomotive We are aluminium

Antivibration ABS/Brakes

Subframes

Crash Management System

Body-in-white

Luggage Cover

Sunroof

IP Beam

Decorative parts

Roof rails

Side trims

Heat exchangers

Heat & fluid transfer

Engine parts

Battery solutions

Engine housing

Power electronic

December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 9

continued from previous page

electrification of the powertrain. It is a business putting its faith in a plan for a world which does not yet fully exist – and a world which could be transformed post-Brexit – in the hope it will be the supplier most ready when the moment comes. “We expect to invest more than £2 million over the next two years,” said Dr Vos. Hydro in Gloucester stands firmly on the foundations of UK company Pressweld and an acquisition of a Swedish company, Thule, which was acquired by SAPA, which is now Hydro. Hydro’s new-build factory and offices look out towards the Hempsted Road over the building plot ready to house the aforementioned expansion, which will see the merging of its Rotherham operation into Gloucester. His passion is even more apparent as we tour the not insignificant operations already here at its Spinnaker Road premises.

Teams of robots tackle aluminium roof rails and features for some of the biggest car marques we are not allowed to mention and blue-overalled staff equipped in compulsory safety gear orchestrate affairs. Steaming baths of chemicals dip, clean, polish, coat and finish, giant rotating muscular sleeves polish. Wooden boxes are carefully packed ready to leave, and their contents adorn production cars nationwide. As we remove our own safety gear post shop floor tour, Dr Vos muses about his desire to not just fill positions at the company, but to embed it in Gloucestershire. “We plan to have a family day next year, to invite our workforce and their families into the workplace and show that we care about their safety and wellbeing," he said. "We are a company which cares about sustainability, its people and the communities we are in.We collaborate and respect each other. "We work hard but we have fun doing it. Hydro wants to be bigger, better greener. We plan to grow in

Gloucester and we are here to stay!” l Visit hydro.com/en/gloucestercomp/ or telephone 01452 502502

10 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

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November 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 11

Time to set sale at Bakers Quay

Investors beware, the gangplank is about to be pulled for those keen to get on board the £20 million first phase redevelopment of Gloucester Quays. It is easy to see the vision for Bakers Quay now – to transform the long neglected historic warehousing and buildings that made up the then derelict canal- side quarter into new homes and then some. Developers Rokeby Merchant had fully pre-let to tenants Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre and Costa Coffee before it even began. But it takes a brave person to take a punt and invest early in the flats which became part of the transformational scheme, driven by the firm forged to take on the task. This immediately post-Brexit vote. But invest people did – in the one and two bed luxury waterside apartments that now make up the Provender scheme, aside from the 5,339 sq ft of ground floor restaurant accommodation. All 46 flats have sold or let by the end of the first year – many immediately, with anecdotes of some

changing hands very quickly at a tidy profit for some shrewd investors. Most are in it for the longer term, confident the high spec modestly priced waterside dwellings were a safe investment, and possibly one day will become homes they move into themselves. “It has been a tremendous success. I would say there is a really good mix of owner and rented. I would say between 30 and 40 per cent are investment,” said Adrian Goodall, the public face of Rokeby Merchants, the company forged from his own business, Rokeby Developments and Michael Chicken’s Merchant Place Developments, to drive through both phases of the multi-million pound waterside rebirth. Mr Goodall’s considerable track record at such projects places him at the centre of Newcastle Quayside’s rebirth in the North East and, before that, a similar major Docklands project in London, which possibly explains how the scheme many once thought impossible has been able to not just take off – but fly. Christmas will mark a line in the sand for Rokeby Merchants, as it closes the transformational phase

12 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

opportunity to purchase six one bedroom apartments currently let and managed on assured shorthold tenancies with an annual income of £52,200 providing a yield of approximately 5.5 per cent with potential for six per cent.”

“They all went to market with tenants – effectively with a proven track record of rental income – and sold. Also, we only have one vacant apartment, number 102, left.” It is truly, the last call to board the phase one investment scheme. If one apartment is not enough, watch this space for news of phase two l To find out more visit Bakersquay.com

one – and turns its attentions to phase two, which promises a further £20 million of investment. Phase two promises to be equally exciting – the conversion of the Downings, Malthouse and Transit Shed buildings into more residential and restaurant space, but unfortunately we can’t say too much about that here. What we can say is, it bodes well for those who already have their money sitting in the thriving residential, leisure, retail and tourist hot spot – and perhaps makes those who have not rather feel like they have missed the boat. All understandable, except the latter part, about missing the boat, is not true. Okay,The Cottages in High Orchard Street, penthouse apartments and elevator apartments are sold – but there is still an opportunity. And if ever an investment opportunity was easy to set sail aboard, this could be it. “We had six investment properties we had leased tenants for more than a year now, which still have tenants, which we decided to sell as we move into concentrating on phase two." We are talking about what is known as the Provender building, or to those with exceptional memories, once Provender Mill and before that the old Foster Brothers Oil and Cake Mill. It is a building “sympathetically designed to blend seamlessly into its historic surroundings, with many iconic features of the original mill retained”. A phoenix from the ashes of Provender Mill, ravaged by arson in an attack on the eve of the project’s start. The sales pitch described the package of six flats – priced at £950,000 for the group – as “a unique

December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 13

Lister Unified Communications joins forces with the RAC

Businesses across the South West can improve the safety and productivity of their vehicle fleets, thanks to a new partnership between Lister Unified Communications and the RAC. The Stonehouse-based communications specialists have agreed a partnership with the RAC to provide their connected telematics products across the region. The game-changing product offers companies valuable information on the fuel consumption of their vehicle fleets, as well as on the safety of the people behind the wheel. It also provides information on an individual vehicle’s health by utilising the vast experience that the RAC has in fleet management.

Announcing the deal with the RAC, Lister Unified Communications director Jim Clapham said: “We are delighted to be partnered with such an iconic motoring brand, offering their unique telematics product. “We have more than 14 years of experience helping South West businesses with their telematics and can see huge benefits for them with this exciting product.” Devised and developed for the RAC’s own fleet of vehicles, RAC Connected Telematics now has tens of thousands of vehicles online. It offers immediate information on each vehicle and the person behind the wheel. Knowledge from the RAC’s insurance experts has been used to create algorithms to determine how

14 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com

well company car and van users are driving. That >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140

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