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Top story
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Exclusive - Chek Whyte to build retirement village
Property developer Chek Whyte is to build an exclusive £50m retirement village in the grounds of his Stanford Hall Estate. Plans have been approved and work on the scheme, which includes 120-apartment, will begin this month. Whytehall Retirement Village will be built in two phases, with the first completed in January 2010, and will include a leisure centre for residents as well as respite and dementia care services. Whyte, who is looking for an operator to manage the scheme, also told Insider he is building a restaurant and pub on the 350-acre estate.
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Deals
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Focus Hotels gets Real
The Real Hotel Company, which went into administration in January, has been bought by Focus Hotels management, saving 26 jobs in Northampton. Peter Cashman, chief executive of Focus Hotels, said: “We are delighted to have agreed a deal to operate these hotels. There is a strong opening in the market for quality mid-market hotels offering value and excellent service.”
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Business
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Bombardier wins government contract
Derby's Bombardier has won a multimillion-pound Department of Transport contract, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced today. Hoon revealed the department was in advanced talks with National Express East Anglia to provide 120 carriages for the Stansted Express service. Bombardier Transportation will build these units in Derby.
Sitel to close Derby office
More than 200 jobs are to go in Derby at Sitel, a company that provides customer care and back-office functions for other businesses, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU). Offices in Derby will close with the loss of 220 jobs, said the CWU. Sally Bridge, national official with responsibility for Sitel, said: “We are devastated by this news, which comes at a difficult time for workers.” Bosses at Sitel have told workers that if they want to keep their jobs they must be prepared to relocate to offices in Watford, Dundee, Exeter, Kingston-upon-Thames and Stratford-upon-Avon. The work done at the Derby office will transfer to Newcastle.
Overwhelming opposition to workplace levy
More than 95 per cent of people asked about the proposed workplace parking levy in Nottingham believe the tax will make the city a less attractive place to do business. Eighty-nine per cent of employers who answered the survey, conducted by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, believe the city council’s plans for a levy will harm the Nottingham's economy. Eighty per cent of businesses thought the tax would make businesses less attractive to prospective employees.
Hankook touches down with Saints
Tyre giant Hankook has signed a sponsorship deal with Northampton Saints, the local rugby team. The Hankook logo will appear on away shirts and around the Franklin’s Gardens stadium for the rest of the season.
Octavian wins Jotun contract
Octavian Security has landed a contract with Jotun Paints (Europe) to deploy officers at its headquarters in north east Lincolnshire. Carol Marshall, from Jotun, said: “For such a fast-paced and high-tech business like ours, we need the right people with the right experience and knowledge to add value.”
Label Apeel lands award
Self-adhesive label manufacturer Label Apeel, based in Leicester, has won a print award for wine labels it produced. Labels produced for Yates Original Australian Liqueur Wines won the Label and Tag category prize at the 2008 FlexoTech International Print & Innovations Awards.
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Property
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Nottingham office take-up drops 40 per cent
Office take-up in Nottingham fell 40 per cent last year, it was revealed this morning at the launch of Innes England’s Nottingham Market In Site 2008 Report. A total of 425,000 sq ft of office space was let or sold last year in the city, but this was down from 2007 when nearly 700,000 sq ft was taken – a record. Rupert Hartley, managing director of Innes England, told the audience 2009 would be “a year of change”, and that working with the public sector would be vital to the success of the East Midlands commercial property market.
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Events
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Tenon and ACAS host disciplinary seminar
Tenon, the business advisory company, has teamed up with ACAS to provide an advice session for companies on the new code of practice for disciplinary and grievance procedures that come into effect on 6 April 2009. Taking place at Colwick Hall on Tuesday 3 March, the free half-day event will tell business owners and HR professionals what they should be doing in preparation.
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Insider in print
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Subscribe to Midlands Business Insider magazine
The latest issue of the award-winning Insider, the Midlands' best-read magazine for industry, commerce and professional services, is about to be unleashed. The March issue features the Growth 100 - the definitive guide to the region’s fastest growing businesses - as well as your usual monthly fixes of priceless information, peerless investigation, valuable views and unmatched analysis. New customers can subscribe online for one year at an exclusive discounted rate (22% off the cover price - submit promotional code M3) and also receive complimentary copies of our annual Midlands Dealmakers Guide, Midlands Commercial Property Guide and UK Business Insider Guide (combined RRP = £240). To receive your personal copy simply order online and submit promotional code M3. This offer is available until 20 February 2009.
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