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Top story
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Master Cutler warns of legal force on banks
The government may have to use legal force to make banks resume sensible commercial lending, Sheffield’s Master Cutler Martin Howell has said. He said that having to use legal force was unpleasant and alien to conventional business methods but such action may soon be necessary. “The recession has become very serious for those businesses serving markets like the automotive and construction sectors. We continue to hear stories of banks being unreasonable in their lending decisions. They really do need to get a grip on this,” he said. “The taxpayer is pumping in loads of cash and it is absolutely unacceptable that the banks are still not prepared to do their bit in terms of measured risk. They seem pretty good at giving big handouts to former employees and big bonuses to existing ones.”
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Deals
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Ensembli launches personalised searches
Start-up software company Ensembli, which personalises news search engines by remembering previous searches made by the user, launched yesterday afternoon at the biannual start-up event Demo09 in the US after a further investment from Enterprise Ventures. Ensembli board member, Carl Rahn-Griffith came up with the idea for the Sheffield-based company, which has received a total of £850,000 from EV’s RisingStars Growth Fund II and it is now run by chief executive Mike Wheatley. He said: “We’re in a period of intense activity at the moment to get ready for the anticipated demand.”
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Business
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Ronseal signs Wyevale contract
Wood care brand Ronseal, based in Sheffield, has secured an exclusive contract with garden centre operator Wyevale on the back of its push to increase market share in the garden wood care sector. The agreement will see Ronseal fixtures and promotional stands going into all Wyevale’s 122 outlets across the country, with Ronseal being the sole provider for products such as garden furniture oils, stains and cleaners; decking stains and oils; and fence treatments including both pump and powered sprayers. Wyevale will also stock some of Ronseal’s Eco range.
Dfs and racecourse tie the knot
Two of Doncaster’s best known assets, furniture giant DFS and Doncaster Racecourse, have agreed a sponsorship partnership for the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival race meeting in September. The new sponsorship deal will see DFS take the naming rights for Friday’s celebrated Doncaster Cup and Doncaster’s famous St Leger Ladies Day, which will be promoted nationally as the DFS 40th Anniversary Ladies Day.
B.Braun supplies NHS with safety needles
More than 70 NHS trusts have signed up for a safety device developed by Sheffield-based medical products business B.Braun that eliminates the risk of healthcare workers being accidentally stuck or scratched by needles when delivering medication to patients through a cannula. A Royal College of Nursing report, Needlestick Injury in 2008, found 48 per cent of nurses had been injured by a needle that had previously been used on a patient.
Grant Rail becomes VolkerRail
Grant Rail, the rail infrastructure company based in Doncaster, will be known as VolkerRail as part of a rebranding exercise by Dutch parent company VolkerWessels. The European construction group is bringing its seven UK companies together as it aims to make it a £1bn-turnover operation. VolkerWessels has an annual turnover of almost €5bn, with the UK group, which employs 2,500 people, recording turnover of £700m.
PWC names vulnerable sectors
Metal products, financial services and hotels and restaurants are the sectors most vulnerable to the downturn, according to a report by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Pharmaceuticals, food retailing and utilities are ranked as the least vulnerable. The report, which looked at 15 sectors, said the high vulnerability of the metals products sector reflected the fact that it is a commodity product operating in highly competitive world markets with relatively low returns on capital. Demand for these products has been hit badly by the global recession.
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Property
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Tudor Square development to finish after snooker
The redevelopment of Sheffield’s Tudor Square will continue after the conculsion of the World Snooker Championships in May. As phase one of the new Tudor Square moves towards completion, a temporary tarmac cover has been laid down to allow the Snooker Village to be set up, although work to strengthen and move pipes nearer to the Crucible will continue until early April. In early May phase two of the square’s regeneration will start.
South Grove House let to education companies
The final unit of Rotherham’s South Grove House has been let to an indoor golf training centre, South Grove Golf Academy. The rest of the ground floor of the £5.5m office development, built and owned by Horbury, has been let to training provider A4E. The site in Moorgate was originally occupied by South Grove Secondary School, which was demolished in 2004.
Barnsley Civic to open
Arts and cultural centre Barnsley Civic opens this week, ten years after it was closed. The £15m redevelopment of the old Civic Theatre will be shown off when a programme of events begins on 6 March. The Civic now features the multi-purpose Assembly Room; a 2,700 sq ft exhibition gallery and workspace units designed for artists and creative businesses. It will also provide space for independent retailers. The Mandela Gardens will open later this year.
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And finally...
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Order your Yorkshire Top 500 on CD-ROM
Insider’s Yorkshire Top 500 Companies 2008 CD ROM is now available with a 30 per cent discount (saving £86.25). Reach new sales leads and promote your business to the most successful and profitable companies in Yorkshire with this reliable and comprehensive business mailing list. As a valued reader of Insider Weekly you will receive the 30 per cent discount if you order online submitting promotional code Y-T500CD-4. Offer available until 31 March 2009.
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