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Firms are warned about therising danger to theirinformation security, p14&15

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2 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

� From left, Mike ‘Spike’ Garty, Lee Godwin, Fraser Besant, Andy Besant, Kerry Rogers and Matt LamoonPic: Barbara Evripidou BRBE20140324C-2

CUSTOMERS from as far awayas the Orkney Islands andthe Outer Hebrides havebeen buying lighting from agrowing Bristol firm.

Ablectrics, situated on GloucesterRoad, has rapidly expanded its onlineservice over the past five years and 20per cent of its internet sales are nowto people in Scotland.

The firm sells a wide range of light-ing products and equipment, includ-ing LED and low-energy lighting forbathrooms, gardens, security, chan-deliers and for commercial use.

Partner Fraser Besant said thereason his products were popular inremote parts of the Highlands and

further afield was because residentswere so far away from DIY stores.

“Sometimes they can buy items for£4 and then pay £4.99 to get themposted to them,” he said. “But whenthey are 30 miles or further fromtheir nearest store, it can make sense.They are in obscure villages andtowns and buying things like lighting,circuit-breakers and fuse boxes.”

Internet sales account for 20 percent of the electrical wholesaler andlighting specialist’s profits.

The family business’s secondbiggest online market is London,thought to be because of the capital’shigher prices, which account for justunder 20 per cent of web sales.

The firm turns over nearly £1 mil-lion. Fraser, 29, added: “Without theinternet there is no way we would bedoing so well. There are thousandsand thousands of fittings and we can’tpossibly stock them all in store. The

majority of those who buy online buyagain within the next two months. Wehave a five per cent return rate.”

Ablectrics is to push its onlineactivity further with the launch of anew website in May. It will have twospecial features – a pop-up windowoffering users a range of low-energylightbulb options and a log-in fortrade customers, such as electricians,who will be able to offer their owncustomers a discount.

The business is also set to re-fit itsshop next year. The present show-room will hold stock, while the frontof the premises will be converted intoan open-plan showroom.

Ablectrics celebrates 40 years inbusiness on Sunday with a discountday of 15 per cent off all lighting.

It was founded by Fraser’s dad,Andy, and employs five people.� Visit the company’s website atw w w. l i g h t i n g s h o p b r i s t o l . c o . u k .

ElectricalMedical

Sick days GPs join forces to offerspeedy help when workers fall ill

FOUR Bristol-based GP prac-tices have come together toform a business that they be-lieve will transform the wayoccupational healthcare is de-

l ive re d .Long Ashton Surgery, Yatton Sur-

gery, Wrington Vale Medical Practiceand Clevedon Riverside Group havejoined forces to form Work Doctors, aspecialist occupational healthcarecompany with unrivalled expertise inworkplace health and wellbeing.

With many hundreds of sick days

lost to industry across the South Westevery year, Work Doctors aims torevolutionise how occupationalhealth has traditionally been de-livered and raise the standard forspeed, responsiveness and issue res-olution for both the employer ande m p l oye e.

They hope that the result will bebusinesses in Greater Bristol findingit quicker and easier to access thespecialist advice, support and assist-ance they need to keep their em-ployees healthy, well and productiveat work.

Work Doctors is led by occupation-al physician and Bristol-based GP, DrMark O’Connor, who said: “We be-lieve that workplace healthcare canbe better delivered by a company that

works with both the employer and theemployee to deliver sensitive solu-tions in an engaging, timely and per-sonal way.

“Employees are one of the mostvaluable assets for many businesses

and too much time can be lost incoming to an understanding of theirdiagnosis and treatment when theyare unwell, and how these impact ontheir ability to work.

“Our model eliminates the tradi-tional delays and delivers a definitereport and recommended treatmentplan within 24 hours.”

With this approach, Work Doctorsaims to provide business owners andmanagers with a swift and compre-hensive solution to the myriad andoften complex range of physical andemotional issues that can arise intoday's busy and highly pressuredwo rk p l a c e s.

The new company has a head officeand medical facility in Long Ashton.and hopes to expand quickly.

� A FIRM that hires outearth-moving equipment is growingits range by a quarter and buying 80more pieces of kit.

Plantforce, based in Yatton, ismaking the move after agreeing a£3.5 million funding package fromSantander Corporate & Commercial.

The expansion is in response tostrong customer demand for itsservices, which reflects strength inthe construction industry.

Founded in 1999 by owner andmanaging director, Claire Trott,Plantforce holds around 380 piecesof plant and machinery which itrents out to customers across theSouth West, from South Wales toCor nwall.

The business employs 85 peoplefull and part-time across its twosites in Yatton and Exeter.

The firm has also been makingmore efficiency savings, and tocomply with new emissionsregulations, and is on track toincrease profits by seven per cent in2014.

Claire said: “We are delighted tobe able to reinvest in our businessand have been impressed withSantander’s understanding of ourambitions. The bank has providedan excellent level of service, puttingfacilities in place to fit our businessmodel and we are sure we willcontinue this relationship in thef u t u re . ”

Chris Mears, relationship directorat the bank, said: “Plantforce is anexcellent example of a businessresponding proactively to the needsof their customers and taking thedecision to invest in new staff andequipment. We have been hugelyimpressed by the team at Plantforceand very much look forward tosupporting their growth plans.”

£3.5m funding helpsplant hire firm expand

C o n st r u c t i o nQuality touches helphotel scoop award� THE Bristol Hotel has won aBusiness Tourism Award for itscommitment to excellence in qualityand customer care.

Little touches includinghome-made lemonade freelyavailable in reception andshortbread served with coffeeshelped it take the prize.

The 187-bed hotel in NarrowQuay, Harbourside, will now goforward to represent the city in thebusiness tourism category of theVisit England national awards.Finalists for those awards will beannounced later this month, withgold, silver, bronze and highlycommended prizes being confirmedin April, ahead of a presentationceremony in May.

The Bristol Hotel’s housekeepingteam won the Team of the YearAward – Hospitality, based on itssuccess in consistently hitting itstargets and maintaining highstandards in the guest rooms andpublic areas.

A spokesperson from the hotelsaid: “Lighter, healthier lunches arenow on offer in the hotel’sconference centre, with the chefable to create bespoke menus tosuit guests’ dietary needs, andvarious technology upgrades havebeen introduced, such as improvedsound systems. The constantinvestment in the building resulted ina marked reduction in guestcomplaints and increased loyaltyfrom existing guests.”

Office businesstakes over floor� A SERVICED office business hastaken over the fifth floor at OneTemple Quay, showing the growingdemand for flexible office space.

The firm, i2 Office, has taken the24,000 sq ft space and is fitting itout to house a range of officestotalling 310 desks.

Businesses signed up alreadyinclude planning consultants LerchBates, which is expanding its UKbusiness with a new Bristol office.

Chief executive of i2, Philip Grace,said: “One Temple Quay occupies aprominent position in the heart ofthe prime business district ofBristol, and is generally consideredas the finest building in the area.”

To u r i s m

Proper ty

Optimism temperedby some concerns� BUSINESS leaders were givencause for cautious optimismfollowing addresses at theUniversity of the West of England.

The Institute of CharteredAccountants for England and Wales(ICAEW) and Lloyds Banking Grouppointed to an increase in businessconfidence but with concerns aboutthe future health of the economy.

Chief economist at Lloyds BankTrevor Williams predicted solidupturn during 2014 and 2015 in theUK, with the South West wellpositioned with its high growthsectors such as the creativeindustries and smart technologies,together with access to high endeducation provision.

However he warned there wererisks to recovery including theEurozone, where he forecast tepidgrowth would continue.

Simon Thompson, head ofcorporate communications atICAEW, unveiled the key findings ofthe latest quarterly businessconfidence monitor that it produceswith Grant Thornton.

The report reveals that businessconfidence in the UK had increasedfor six consecutive quarters and thatturnover and profit growth wouldcontinue to pick up.

Eco n o my

Leading lights Scots helponline business flourish

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email 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

Best deals - How the numbers stack up

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

0.05%£500 deposit

Co-operativeBank

0.12%£1 deposit

Unity TrustBank

0.10%£25,000 deposit

129 .36pUnleaded

136 . 47 pDiesel

138 .1 1Superunleaded

70 .1 0 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.53%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.45%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

1.36%£1,000 deposit

Hanley EconomicBS

1.25%£1,000 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

1.25%£5,000 deposit

Inflation (CPI)

1.7 %Weekly earnings

1.6 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: BusinessMoneyfacts -moneyfacts.co.uk

Allied IrishBank (GB)

Cambridge &CountiesBank

Bank OfCyprus UK

NationalCounties BS

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

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

� The Work Doctors, from left, Dr Andrew Warinton, Dr Stephen Pill, Roger Harrison, Dr Mark O'Connor, Julie Davidson, Lesley Irvine and Dr Shruti Patel

Dr Mark O’Connor

“Employees are one ofthe most valuable assetsfor many businesses andtoo much time can belost in coming to anunderstanding of theirdiagnosis and treatment”

I TEND to have low expectationsof Budgets – too often they are allmouth and no trousers, full ofpolitical posturing and pointlesstinkering dressed up as helpful

i n i t i at ive s.However, I have to say that last

week Chancellor George Osborne de-livered one of the best Budgets inmany years.

The repositioning towards “d o e r s,makers and savers” is long overdue.The Government is hamstrung by thesize of the deficit in the amount ofhelp it can give these worthy folk, butthe shift in emphasis is welcome, as isthe unstated, but observable, turnaway from complex trivialities to asimpler approach.

The highlights for me were:� Business tax – the increase in theannual investment allowance to£500,000 is a pleasant surprise, butperhaps even more important is thetimeframe to the end of 2015. Theprevious constantly changing allow-ance levels made investment de-

cisions difficult for any investmentwith a long lead time.� Personal tax – at last the higher rateband symbolically moves upwards alittle in a belated recognition of thedamaging effect of fiscal drag onmiddle income earners.� Pensions – the move to allow peopleto draw their pensions more easilyand cheaply was a bold move and anecessary one. Retirees are no longerforced by the insurance giants to takepoor-value annuities.� Apprenticeships – on the non-fiscalfront, I like the idea of degree level

apprenticeships. Why get £30,000 intodebt going to university when youcan earn and gain practical exper-ience while you learn?

The kind of language now beingused is a long way from the previousa d m i n i s t r at i o n’s absurd pettifog-ging, which reached its Pythonesquepeak with the occasional free break-fast (maximum six per annum) oncycle-to-work days, requiring defin-itions of “qualifying meals” and “des-ignated days”.

I now make a plea to all publicp o l i cy - m a ke r s.

We know that all Budgets are basedon economic data – an endless suc-cession of numbers, the meaning ofwhich has to be interpreted by ex-per ts.

Behind these numbers, however, isthe reality of economic activity un-dertaken by human beings, led in myopinion by the entrepreneurs owningand running small and medium en-terprises and owner-managed busi-n e s s e s.

Such businesses are not statistics,they are the dynamic, collective res-ults of people’s hopes and dreamsand hard graft, and politiciansshould make it their number onepriority to ensure they survive andp ro s p e r.

I am constantly inspired by theenergy, vision, ingenuity and resi-lience displayed by these enterprisesin the face of challenging macroe-conomic conditions.

In the Bristol area, we are fortunate

that statistically we have more thanour fair share of such people andbu s i n e s s e s.

These SMEs and OMBs are the realsources of economic growth, yet they– together with their owners – re m a i namong the most highly taxed andheavily regulated entities in the UK.

Sorry Mr Balls, but more taxes andmore regulation will be about as wel-come among the OMB and SME com-munity as the Black Death.

George has certainly made a start,but there is a very long way to go.

Osborne Budget delivers outbreak of economic good senseAndrew FisherFCAExecutive directorAlanbrookes LtdAndr ewFisher@Alanbrookes.co.uk01934 863386

Know how“ I have to say GeorgeOsborne delivered oneof the best Budgets inmany years. Therepositioning towards‘doers, makers andsavers’ is long overdue.”

FOR SALETYTHERINGTONCastle Quarry, TytheringtonGL12 8QU

IN PLOTS OR POSSIBLY WHOLE

Approx 11.88 acres (4.81 ha)

Office Building – 5,046 sq.ft.

Industrial Building –3,636 sq.ft.

Suitable forvariety of uses,subject toplanning

Ref: N. Clark

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

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2 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

� From left, Mike ‘Spike’ Garty, Lee Godwin, Fraser Besant, Andy Besant, Kerry Rogers and Matt LamoonPic: Barbara Evripidou BRBE20140324C-2

CUSTOMERS from as far awayas the Orkney Islands andthe Outer Hebrides havebeen buying lighting from agrowing Bristol firm.

Ablectrics, situated on GloucesterRoad, has rapidly expanded its onlineservice over the past five years and 20per cent of its internet sales are nowto people in Scotland.

The firm sells a wide range of light-ing products and equipment, includ-ing LED and low-energy lighting forbathrooms, gardens, security, chan-deliers and for commercial use.

Partner Fraser Besant said thereason his products were popular inremote parts of the Highlands and

further afield was because residentswere so far away from DIY stores.

“Sometimes they can buy items for£4 and then pay £4.99 to get themposted to them,” he said. “But whenthey are 30 miles or further fromtheir nearest store, it can make sense.They are in obscure villages andtowns and buying things like lighting,circuit-breakers and fuse boxes.”

Internet sales account for 20 percent of the electrical wholesaler andlighting specialist’s profits.

The family business’s secondbiggest online market is London,thought to be because of the capital’shigher prices, which account for justunder 20 per cent of web sales.

The firm turns over nearly £1 mil-lion. Fraser, 29, added: “Without theinternet there is no way we would bedoing so well. There are thousandsand thousands of fittings and we can’tpossibly stock them all in store. The

majority of those who buy online buyagain within the next two months. Wehave a five per cent return rate.”

Ablectrics is to push its onlineactivity further with the launch of anew website in May. It will have twospecial features – a pop-up windowoffering users a range of low-energylightbulb options and a log-in fortrade customers, such as electricians,who will be able to offer their owncustomers a discount.

The business is also set to re-fit itsshop next year. The present show-room will hold stock, while the frontof the premises will be converted intoan open-plan showroom.

Ablectrics celebrates 40 years inbusiness on Sunday with a discountday of 15 per cent off all lighting.

It was founded by Fraser’s dad,Andy, and employs five people.� Visit the company’s website atw w w. l i g h t i n g s h o p b r i s t o l . c o . u k .

ElectricalMedical

Sick days GPs join forces to offerspeedy help when workers fall ill

FOUR Bristol-based GP prac-tices have come together toform a business that they be-lieve will transform the wayoccupational healthcare is de-

l ive re d .Long Ashton Surgery, Yatton Sur-

gery, Wrington Vale Medical Practiceand Clevedon Riverside Group havejoined forces to form Work Doctors, aspecialist occupational healthcarecompany with unrivalled expertise inworkplace health and wellbeing.

With many hundreds of sick days

lost to industry across the South Westevery year, Work Doctors aims torevolutionise how occupationalhealth has traditionally been de-livered and raise the standard forspeed, responsiveness and issue res-olution for both the employer ande m p l oye e.

They hope that the result will bebusinesses in Greater Bristol findingit quicker and easier to access thespecialist advice, support and assist-ance they need to keep their em-ployees healthy, well and productiveat work.

Work Doctors is led by occupation-al physician and Bristol-based GP, DrMark O’Connor, who said: “We be-lieve that workplace healthcare canbe better delivered by a company that

works with both the employer and theemployee to deliver sensitive solu-tions in an engaging, timely and per-sonal way.

“Employees are one of the mostvaluable assets for many businesses

and too much time can be lost incoming to an understanding of theirdiagnosis and treatment when theyare unwell, and how these impact ontheir ability to work.

“Our model eliminates the tradi-tional delays and delivers a definitereport and recommended treatmentplan within 24 hours.”

With this approach, Work Doctorsaims to provide business owners andmanagers with a swift and compre-hensive solution to the myriad andoften complex range of physical andemotional issues that can arise intoday's busy and highly pressuredwo rk p l a c e s.

The new company has a head officeand medical facility in Long Ashton.and hopes to expand quickly.

� A FIRM that hires outearth-moving equipment is growingits range by a quarter and buying 80more pieces of kit.

Plantforce, based in Yatton, ismaking the move after agreeing a£3.5 million funding package fromSantander Corporate & Commercial.

The expansion is in response tostrong customer demand for itsservices, which reflects strength inthe construction industry.

Founded in 1999 by owner andmanaging director, Claire Trott,Plantforce holds around 380 piecesof plant and machinery which itrents out to customers across theSouth West, from South Wales toCor nwall.

The business employs 85 peoplefull and part-time across its twosites in Yatton and Exeter.

The firm has also been makingmore efficiency savings, and tocomply with new emissionsregulations, and is on track toincrease profits by seven per cent in2014.

Claire said: “We are delighted tobe able to reinvest in our businessand have been impressed withSantander’s understanding of ourambitions. The bank has providedan excellent level of service, puttingfacilities in place to fit our businessmodel and we are sure we willcontinue this relationship in thef u t u re . ”

Chris Mears, relationship directorat the bank, said: “Plantforce is anexcellent example of a businessresponding proactively to the needsof their customers and taking thedecision to invest in new staff andequipment. We have been hugelyimpressed by the team at Plantforceand very much look forward tosupporting their growth plans.”

£3.5m funding helpsplant hire firm expand

C o n st r u c t i o nQuality touches helphotel scoop award� THE Bristol Hotel has won aBusiness Tourism Award for itscommitment to excellence in qualityand customer care.

Little touches includinghome-made lemonade freelyavailable in reception andshortbread served with coffeeshelped it take the prize.

The 187-bed hotel in NarrowQuay, Harbourside, will now goforward to represent the city in thebusiness tourism category of theVisit England national awards.Finalists for those awards will beannounced later this month, withgold, silver, bronze and highlycommended prizes being confirmedin April, ahead of a presentationceremony in May.

The Bristol Hotel’s housekeepingteam won the Team of the YearAward – Hospitality, based on itssuccess in consistently hitting itstargets and maintaining highstandards in the guest rooms andpublic areas.

A spokesperson from the hotelsaid: “Lighter, healthier lunches arenow on offer in the hotel’sconference centre, with the chefable to create bespoke menus tosuit guests’ dietary needs, andvarious technology upgrades havebeen introduced, such as improvedsound systems. The constantinvestment in the building resulted ina marked reduction in guestcomplaints and increased loyaltyfrom existing guests.”

Office businesstakes over floor� A SERVICED office business hastaken over the fifth floor at OneTemple Quay, showing the growingdemand for flexible office space.

The firm, i2 Office, has taken the24,000 sq ft space and is fitting itout to house a range of officestotalling 310 desks.

Businesses signed up alreadyinclude planning consultants LerchBates, which is expanding its UKbusiness with a new Bristol office.

Chief executive of i2, Philip Grace,said: “One Temple Quay occupies aprominent position in the heart ofthe prime business district ofBristol, and is generally consideredas the finest building in the area.”

To u r i s m

Proper ty

Optimism temperedby some concerns� BUSINESS leaders were givencause for cautious optimismfollowing addresses at theUniversity of the West of England.

The Institute of CharteredAccountants for England and Wales(ICAEW) and Lloyds Banking Grouppointed to an increase in businessconfidence but with concerns aboutthe future health of the economy.

Chief economist at Lloyds BankTrevor Williams predicted solidupturn during 2014 and 2015 in theUK, with the South West wellpositioned with its high growthsectors such as the creativeindustries and smart technologies,together with access to high endeducation provision.

However he warned there wererisks to recovery including theEurozone, where he forecast tepidgrowth would continue.

Simon Thompson, head ofcorporate communications atICAEW, unveiled the key findings ofthe latest quarterly businessconfidence monitor that it produceswith Grant Thornton.

The report reveals that businessconfidence in the UK had increasedfor six consecutive quarters and thatturnover and profit growth wouldcontinue to pick up.

Eco n o my

Leading lights Scots helponline business flourish

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email 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

Best deals - How the numbers stack up

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

0.05%£500 deposit

Co-operativeBank

0.12%£1 deposit

Unity TrustBank

0.10%£25,000 deposit

129 .36pUnleaded

136 . 47 pDiesel

138 .1 1Superunleaded

70 .1 0 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.53%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.45%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

1.36%£1,000 deposit

Hanley EconomicBS

1.25%£1,000 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

1.25%£5,000 deposit

Inflation (CPI)

1.7 %Weekly earnings

1.6 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: BusinessMoneyfacts -moneyfacts.co.uk

Allied IrishBank (GB)

Cambridge &CountiesBank

Bank OfCyprus UK

NationalCounties BS

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

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

� The Work Doctors, from left, Dr Andrew Warinton, Dr Stephen Pill, Roger Harrison, Dr Mark O'Connor, Julie Davidson, Lesley Irvine and Dr Shruti Patel

Dr Mark O’Connor

“Employees are one ofthe most valuable assetsfor many businesses andtoo much time can belost in coming to anunderstanding of theirdiagnosis and treatment”

I TEND to have low expectationsof Budgets – too often they are allmouth and no trousers, full ofpolitical posturing and pointlesstinkering dressed up as helpful

i n i t i at ive s.However, I have to say that last

week Chancellor George Osborne de-livered one of the best Budgets inmany years.

The repositioning towards “d o e r s,makers and savers” is long overdue.The Government is hamstrung by thesize of the deficit in the amount ofhelp it can give these worthy folk, butthe shift in emphasis is welcome, as isthe unstated, but observable, turnaway from complex trivialities to asimpler approach.

The highlights for me were:� Business tax – the increase in theannual investment allowance to£500,000 is a pleasant surprise, butperhaps even more important is thetimeframe to the end of 2015. Theprevious constantly changing allow-ance levels made investment de-

cisions difficult for any investmentwith a long lead time.� Personal tax – at last the higher rateband symbolically moves upwards alittle in a belated recognition of thedamaging effect of fiscal drag onmiddle income earners.� Pensions – the move to allow peopleto draw their pensions more easilyand cheaply was a bold move and anecessary one. Retirees are no longerforced by the insurance giants to takepoor-value annuities.� Apprenticeships – on the non-fiscalfront, I like the idea of degree level

apprenticeships. Why get £30,000 intodebt going to university when youcan earn and gain practical exper-ience while you learn?

The kind of language now beingused is a long way from the previousa d m i n i s t r at i o n’s absurd pettifog-ging, which reached its Pythonesquepeak with the occasional free break-fast (maximum six per annum) oncycle-to-work days, requiring defin-itions of “qualifying meals” and “des-ignated days”.

I now make a plea to all publicp o l i cy - m a ke r s.

We know that all Budgets are basedon economic data – an endless suc-cession of numbers, the meaning ofwhich has to be interpreted by ex-per ts.

Behind these numbers, however, isthe reality of economic activity un-dertaken by human beings, led in myopinion by the entrepreneurs owningand running small and medium en-terprises and owner-managed busi-n e s s e s.

Such businesses are not statistics,they are the dynamic, collective res-ults of people’s hopes and dreamsand hard graft, and politiciansshould make it their number onepriority to ensure they survive andp ro s p e r.

I am constantly inspired by theenergy, vision, ingenuity and resi-lience displayed by these enterprisesin the face of challenging macroe-conomic conditions.

In the Bristol area, we are fortunate

that statistically we have more thanour fair share of such people andbu s i n e s s e s.

These SMEs and OMBs are the realsources of economic growth, yet they– together with their owners – re m a i namong the most highly taxed andheavily regulated entities in the UK.

Sorry Mr Balls, but more taxes andmore regulation will be about as wel-come among the OMB and SME com-munity as the Black Death.

George has certainly made a start,but there is a very long way to go.

Osborne Budget delivers outbreak of economic good senseAndrew FisherFCAExecutive directorAlanbrookes LtdAndr ewFisher@Alanbrookes.co.uk01934 863386

Know how“ I have to say GeorgeOsborne delivered oneof the best Budgets inmany years. Therepositioning towards‘doers, makers andsavers’ is long overdue.”

FOR SALETYTHERINGTONCastle Quarry, TytheringtonGL12 8QU

IN PLOTS OR POSSIBLY WHOLE

Approx 11.88 acres (4.81 ha)

Office Building – 5,046 sq.ft.

Industrial Building –3,636 sq.ft.

Suitable forvariety of uses,subject toplanning

Ref: N. Clark

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

4 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

Awa rd s

ABUSINESSWOMAN who hastackled a host of challengesand come out with the rightresult will be guest speakerat the inaugural Bristol

and Bath Women in BusinessAw a rd s.

Debra Williams is on the board ofWelsh rugby club the Ospreys. Buther biggest win was probably her roleas managing director of Con-fused.com, the price comparisonbu s i n e s s.

She built the business into one ofthe top comparison websites, makingprofits of £36 million and securingmore than 60,000 visits online everyd ay.

Her career has also taken her to

Tesco Compare, where she was man-aging director.

She started her working life as anunderwriter but worked her way upto become one of the most powerfulwomen connected to the insuranceindustry by running the comparisons i t e s.

Debra said: “I am delighted to beinvited to speak at the forthcomingBristol and Bath Women in Business

Awards. There are so many impress-ive ladies in business in these areas Iwas surprised to learn these are thefirst awards of this type.

“I look forward to meeting thesehigh achievers and sharing some ofmy experiences with them.”

Sarah Pullen is managing directorof Bristol and Bath News and Media,publisher of the Bristol Post and BathC h ro n i cl e.

She said: “This is the first year wehave run the Women in Businessawards and I am delighted that wehave been able to launch them.

“In these challenging economictimes it is good to focus on the womenwhose business success is helping tolead us out of recession.”� The Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards will take place onApril 2 at the Bristol City CentreMarriott. You can book your ticketsfor the event at w w w. b r i s t o l -p o s t . c o. u k / w i b a .

Beyond compare D e b ra ’spraise for high achievers

� Debra Williams, who is on the board of Welsh rugby club the Ospreys

D i st r i b u t i o n

Road to success Junction neededfor Avonmouth to thrive – exper t

ANEW motorway junction isneeded if Avonmouth is tobuild on its success as a busi-ness distribution centre, ac-cording to one expert.

Tim Davies, head of the Bristoloffice at Colliers International, said anew junction on the M49 was vital toopen up further brownfield land fordevelopers looking for bigger and big-ger warehouse and distributioncentres close to the West’s busiestmotorway hub.

Mr Davies said: “With the economyon an upward spiral we want totake advantage of this and it’s es-sential that the Government commits

money to provide better infrastruc-t u re.

“Building a new junction on theM49 would open up whole swathes ofland at Severnside and also improveconnectivity to the port.

“My concern is that without betterconnections to the motorway some ofthe big players will begin to lookoutside the area.”

His comments follow a flurry ofdeals amounting to hundreds of thou-sands of square feet.

Supermarket Farm Foods recentlyannounced it is to open a 175,000 sq ftdistribution centre on Central Park –alongside the Chep pallet premises.

Other major occupiers includeMorrisons, Tesco, Asda and theC o - o p.

Current requirements in the SouthWest include up to one million sq ftfor The Range home, leisure and

garden specialists and 600,000 sq ft forB&M Stores.

Mr Davies said: “Size is clearlybecoming more and more important

FOR those wanting to add a touch of(upper) class to their corporate do,how about a butler?

The Merchant Venturers organisa-tion has decided to open Merchants’Hall, overlooking Clifton Down, forcorporate and civic functions.

And you can even hire the society’sbutler and use the silver tableware.

Emma Jennings, deputy eventsmanager, said: “M e rch a n t s ’ Hall is avery special place for organisationslooking to hold meetings and ban-

quets. We work hard to ensure that itis straightforward staging eventshere. We work with a range of spe-cialist partners, offering catering, AVand presentation equipment.

“Hall hire is competitive and eventscan be enhanced by including theservices of the society’s butler anduse of the Merchants’ sumptuous sil-ver table pieces for grand dinners andb a n q u e t s. ”

The Merchant Venturers’ story hasbeen threaded through the history of

Bristol for 450 years. The Merchantsran the Port of Bristol from the be-ginning of the 17th century to theopening of the Floating Harbour in1809. Now its interests are mainlych a r i t abl e.

Anthony Brown, Master of the Mer-chant Venturers, said: “We believethat Merchants’ Hall can be a valu-able amenity for the civic and busi-ness community in Bristol. This is avery special place and events here arememorable and distinctive.”

Eve n ts

Butler at your service as hall opens for functions

� The Merchants’ Hall

� Tim Davies

Brewery raises a glassto beer voted UK best� A BREWER in the city iscelebrating winning a hat-track ofindustry awards.

The Bristol Beer Factory’s MilkStout won gold in the stouts andporters category at the 2014 Societyof Independent Brewers NationalAw a rd s .

Independence won gold in thebitters up to 4.9 per cent strength...and went on to win gold overall,making it officially the best bottledbeer in the UK.

Senior brewer, Johnny Mills,received the award from SIBAc o m m e rc i a ldirector NickS t a ff o rd .

Managingd i re c t o r,SimonBartlett,right, said:“The SIBAawards arevery muchthe Oscars forthe whole of theBritish beer industry –encompassing large breweries andsmall craft breweries. To reach thefinal we had to win the regionalcompetition – the South West is oneof eight regions across UK.

“Up to 200 bottles per region aresubmitted, so our beers have beenjudged against many hundreds ofbeers from across the country tocome out as the overall winners inthese categories.”

To cap off a great week, theb re w e r ’s Southville Hop won beer ofthe festival at the 2014 CamraBristol Beer Festival.

Food and drink

Providing a freshpipeline of talent� We are sponsoring this awarddue to the importance in growingthe skills for our region. Wechose to sponsor this award toraise awareness of the widevariety of apprenticeships thatare available and to highlight thatapprenticeships offer females asupported route into careers thathave been traditionally maledominated.

The aim of the West of EnglandLEP Apprenticeship Hub is toprovide a simple, easy tounderstand service for both

Sponsor profile

Association raises£10,000 for funds� THE Bristol Property AgentsAssociation (BPAA) has raised morethan £10,000 for two charities forthe 2013-2014 financial year.

The BPAA supported CLICSargent, the UK’s leading charity forchildren and young people withcancer and leukaemia. The secondbeneficiary is Bath-based WhereverThe Need; an international charitywhich provides sanitation in areas ofthe world where it does not exist.

The BPAA, which brings togetherpeople in commercial andresidential property in the city,raised the money through a series ofevents including its annualCyclosportive and dinner, a golf day,tennis and boules competitions andan annual quiz at the Mud Dock.

Andrew Main of Savills, BPAAchairman for the financial year,chose the charities when he tookoffice. He said: “I am delighted withthe level of fundraising support wehave been able to generate for thesetwo worthy charities and would like tothank both the BPAA’s membershipand all those who contributed formaking this possible.”

C h a r i ty

Survey shows highrate of satisfaction� HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Bristolhas achieved a five-star rating in anindependent customer satisfactionsurvey for the fifth year running.

The Home Builders Federation(HBF) UK-wide survey revealed 90per cent of all respondents wouldrecommend Barratt Bristol.

Sales director Andrea Pilgrim said:“We take an enormous amount ofpride in the consistently high levelsof quality and service that we deliverfor our customers across the area.

“It’s a great achievement for ouremployees to be recognised asleaders in customer service. We arepassionate about the quality of thehomes we build so it’s fantastic foreveryone associated with BarrattBristol to be rewarded nationally inthis way.”

Customer service

in today’s economy. The Co-op andAsda opened massive units last yearof 450,000 sq ft and 600,000 sq ft re-s p e c t ive ly.

“Simple economies of scale arefuelling demand for bigger and big-ger distribution centres.

“With the economic recovery infull swing, it is clear that many sup-pliers are gearing up their distri-bution requirements ready to takeadvantage of the upturn.

“And although the Avonmouth areahas attracted its fair share of majoroccupiers, the lack of access onto theM49 could become critical.

“If we can’t open up direct access tothe motorway network we are indanger of losing out as other oc-cupiers look further beyond the re-gion. For instance, Home Bargainshas just taken 500,000 sq ft at SolsticePark, near Salisbury.”

Airport fund donates£180,000 to projects� A FUND set up to benefit thecommunity around Bristol Airporthas donated more than £180,000 to44 local projects since it wasestablished two years ago.

The Airport EnvironmentalImprovement Fund was set up in2012 as one of the commitmentsthe airport agreed to provide inconnection with its planningpermission for development overthe next decade.

Each year, the airport contributes£100,000 to the fund, with the figureincreasing in line with future growthin passenger numbers. Themanagement committee includesrepresentatives from both the airportand North Somerset Council and isindependently chaired.

Alan Davies, planning andenvironment director at BristolAirport, said: “All initiatives have, orwill, deliver benefits to the localcommunity and residents, thanks tothe fund’s contribution.”

Last year, a total of 26 projectsreceived contributions ranging from£370 to £11,000. Local initiativessupported include an improvedpedestrian crossing on the A38 atCowslip Green in Wrington, acommunity art programme atBackwell School, improved roadsafety signage on the A370 atCleeve and outdoor play equipmentin Flax Bourton.

Transpor t

Survey shows rise inorders and customers� SMALL and medium-sizedbusinesses are planning for growthand seeing increased levels oforders and new customers.

The Business Factors Index,produced quarterly by businessfunding specialist Bibby FinancialServices, surveys the sentiment andoutlook of 500 UK SME owners.

The South West saw 44 per centreport a rise in new customerscompared to 33 per cent in the thirdquarter and 26 per cent hadrecruited new staff compared to just11 per cent in the previous quarter.

Sharon Wiltshire, head of BibbyFinancial Services Bristol, said: “Thefindings of our research for Q4 2013are certainly encouraging ... It isimperative the financial servicessector plays its part in backingthose firms and providing the kindof funding that not only meets afinancial requirement but works withdevelopment of the business.”

SMEs

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

� Woman of the Year, s p o n s o re dby PPC.Finalists: Romy Gill, of Romy’sKitchen, Thornbury; Susie Hewson,managing director of Natracare,Kingswood; Michelle Michael, ofWe s t o n ’s Grand Pier; RachelDemuth, of Demuth’s CookerySchool, Bath; Suzanne Baxter,group finance director of Mitie,Emersons Green

� Young Entrepreneur of the Year,sponsored by bclearCommunications.Finalists: Rebecca Kench, ofPropertECO, Bath; AmyMcCormack, ETM Recycling,Ashton Vale; Grazziella Pinto,Fashion Bloodhound, LongwellG re e n

� Business of the Year,sponsored by City of BristolCollege.Finalists: 1pm, Bath; Fabuloustrading as Pandora, Bath; Mitie,Emersons Green

� Mentor of the Year, sponsoredby Lloyds Banking Group.Finalists: Debs Eden, of Debs Eden& Associates, Southville; JoniFarthing, Women Outside The Box,Bristol; Emma Sparks, GeometryPR, Bath

� Contribution to the CommunityAw a rd , sponsored by SouthgateShopping Centre.Finalists: Low Carbon South WestCIC, Queen Square, Bristol; JennyFoster, of Bristol Fairtrade;Geometry PR, Bath

� Women in the Workplace,sponsored by Crest Nicholson.Finalists: 2S Recruitment,Bedminster; Brunelcare, Whitehall;The HR Dept, Henfield, SouthG l o u c e s t e r s h i re

� Female Apprentice, sponsoredby the West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership.Finalists: Emma Sparks, ofGeometry PR, Bath; Jessica

Docherty, PES Consulting,Rudgeway, South Gloucestershire

� Innovation Award, sponsored byA s h f o rd s .Finalists: YourStreet Ltd, AshleyDown; LiteTile Ltd, Rooksbridge; InTouch Studios, Bedminster

� New Business of the Year,sponsored by HSBC CommercialBanking.Finalists: YourStreet Ltd; Granny’sSecret, Chipping Sodbury

� Marketing Campaign of the YearFinalists: Hancock Communications,Bath; Merlin Housing Society,Chipping Sodbury; Rapport Digital,Brislington

� Outstanding Contribution toBusiness in Bristol or Bath,sponsored by UWE Bristol.Will be announced on the night.

� Overall awards sponsors: UWEBristol

people who might want to takeup an apprenticeship, and theemployers who will potentially betaking them on.

We are currently working withthe four local authorities toensure every business in the LEParea gets a notification throughthe business rate notification ofthe Apprenticeship programmeand the help and grantsavailable.

We are also working with BISon the new Trailblazer initiative tohelp facilitate employers beinginvolved in shaping the futuredelivery of Apprenticeships.

Colin Skellett, Chair of theLocal Enterprise Partnership,said: "It’s not always possible torecruit people with the right skillsoff the shelf, by investing inapprentices we are able to tailortheir training and development towhat employers need – thusproviding a fresh pipeline oftalent into the business.”

The finalists

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

� WE all use call centres, and goodor bad service can make or breakour relationship with a company.

So the call centre industry, whichemploys 52,000 people in the SouthWest, is set to recognise theexcellence in its ranks.

The skills of the best peopleemployed in the challenging contactcentre industry and the placeswhere they work are to becelebrated at the 2014 South WestContact Centre Awards, sponsoredby Red Contact Centres.

Organised by the employer-ledorganisation the South WestContact Centre Forum, the sixthannual awards celebrate excellenceand innovation by individuals andteams from across the region’s250-plus call centres.

SWCCF managing director, JaneThomas, said: “The awards willrecognise these outstandingbusinesses and those that deliverexcellence to their respectivecustomers.”

Nominations for the free-to-enterawards are now being sought andclose on Thursday, April 10.

The winners will be revealed at agala presentation ceremony onThursday, July 3, at the GrandThistle Hotel, Bristol.

Find out more atw w w. s w c c f . c o . u k / a w a r d s .

Star operators in linefor industry prizes

Call centres

� Ami Anderson from LV= in Bristol won the trainer of the year prize at last year’s South West Contact CentreAwards. She was presented with the trophy by comedian Milton Jones and Gareth Rayworth from the SWCCF

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

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4 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

Awa rd s

ABUSINESSWOMAN who hastackled a host of challengesand come out with the rightresult will be guest speakerat the inaugural Bristol

and Bath Women in BusinessAw a rd s.

Debra Williams is on the board ofWelsh rugby club the Ospreys. Buther biggest win was probably her roleas managing director of Con-fused.com, the price comparisonbu s i n e s s.

She built the business into one ofthe top comparison websites, makingprofits of £36 million and securingmore than 60,000 visits online everyd ay.

Her career has also taken her to

Tesco Compare, where she was man-aging director.

She started her working life as anunderwriter but worked her way upto become one of the most powerfulwomen connected to the insuranceindustry by running the comparisons i t e s.

Debra said: “I am delighted to beinvited to speak at the forthcomingBristol and Bath Women in Business

Awards. There are so many impress-ive ladies in business in these areas Iwas surprised to learn these are thefirst awards of this type.

“I look forward to meeting thesehigh achievers and sharing some ofmy experiences with them.”

Sarah Pullen is managing directorof Bristol and Bath News and Media,publisher of the Bristol Post and BathC h ro n i cl e.

She said: “This is the first year wehave run the Women in Businessawards and I am delighted that wehave been able to launch them.

“In these challenging economictimes it is good to focus on the womenwhose business success is helping tolead us out of recession.”� The Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards will take place onApril 2 at the Bristol City CentreMarriott. You can book your ticketsfor the event at w w w. b r i s t o l -p o s t . c o. u k / w i b a .

Beyond compare D e b ra ’spraise for high achievers

� Debra Williams, who is on the board of Welsh rugby club the Ospreys

D i st r i b u t i o n

Road to success Junction neededfor Avonmouth to thrive – exper t

ANEW motorway junction isneeded if Avonmouth is tobuild on its success as a busi-ness distribution centre, ac-cording to one expert.

Tim Davies, head of the Bristoloffice at Colliers International, said anew junction on the M49 was vital toopen up further brownfield land fordevelopers looking for bigger and big-ger warehouse and distributioncentres close to the West’s busiestmotorway hub.

Mr Davies said: “With the economyon an upward spiral we want totake advantage of this and it’s es-sential that the Government commits

money to provide better infrastruc-t u re.

“Building a new junction on theM49 would open up whole swathes ofland at Severnside and also improveconnectivity to the port.

“My concern is that without betterconnections to the motorway some ofthe big players will begin to lookoutside the area.”

His comments follow a flurry ofdeals amounting to hundreds of thou-sands of square feet.

Supermarket Farm Foods recentlyannounced it is to open a 175,000 sq ftdistribution centre on Central Park –alongside the Chep pallet premises.

Other major occupiers includeMorrisons, Tesco, Asda and theC o - o p.

Current requirements in the SouthWest include up to one million sq ftfor The Range home, leisure and

garden specialists and 600,000 sq ft forB&M Stores.

Mr Davies said: “Size is clearlybecoming more and more important

FOR those wanting to add a touch of(upper) class to their corporate do,how about a butler?

The Merchant Venturers organisa-tion has decided to open Merchants’Hall, overlooking Clifton Down, forcorporate and civic functions.

And you can even hire the society’sbutler and use the silver tableware.

Emma Jennings, deputy eventsmanager, said: “M e rch a n t s ’ Hall is avery special place for organisationslooking to hold meetings and ban-

quets. We work hard to ensure that itis straightforward staging eventshere. We work with a range of spe-cialist partners, offering catering, AVand presentation equipment.

“Hall hire is competitive and eventscan be enhanced by including theservices of the society’s butler anduse of the Merchants’ sumptuous sil-ver table pieces for grand dinners andb a n q u e t s. ”

The Merchant Venturers’ story hasbeen threaded through the history of

Bristol for 450 years. The Merchantsran the Port of Bristol from the be-ginning of the 17th century to theopening of the Floating Harbour in1809. Now its interests are mainlych a r i t abl e.

Anthony Brown, Master of the Mer-chant Venturers, said: “We believethat Merchants’ Hall can be a valu-able amenity for the civic and busi-ness community in Bristol. This is avery special place and events here arememorable and distinctive.”

Eve n ts

Butler at your service as hall opens for functions

� The Merchants’ Hall

� Tim Davies

Brewery raises a glassto beer voted UK best� A BREWER in the city iscelebrating winning a hat-track ofindustry awards.

The Bristol Beer Factory’s MilkStout won gold in the stouts andporters category at the 2014 Societyof Independent Brewers NationalAw a rd s .

Independence won gold in thebitters up to 4.9 per cent strength...and went on to win gold overall,making it officially the best bottledbeer in the UK.

Senior brewer, Johnny Mills,received the award from SIBAc o m m e rc i a ldirector NickS t a ff o rd .

Managingd i re c t o r,SimonBartlett,right, said:“The SIBAawards arevery muchthe Oscars forthe whole of theBritish beer industry –encompassing large breweries andsmall craft breweries. To reach thefinal we had to win the regionalcompetition – the South West is oneof eight regions across UK.

“Up to 200 bottles per region aresubmitted, so our beers have beenjudged against many hundreds ofbeers from across the country tocome out as the overall winners inthese categories.”

To cap off a great week, theb re w e r ’s Southville Hop won beer ofthe festival at the 2014 CamraBristol Beer Festival.

Food and drink

Providing a freshpipeline of talent� We are sponsoring this awarddue to the importance in growingthe skills for our region. Wechose to sponsor this award toraise awareness of the widevariety of apprenticeships thatare available and to highlight thatapprenticeships offer females asupported route into careers thathave been traditionally maledominated.

The aim of the West of EnglandLEP Apprenticeship Hub is toprovide a simple, easy tounderstand service for both

Sponsor profile

Association raises£10,000 for funds� THE Bristol Property AgentsAssociation (BPAA) has raised morethan £10,000 for two charities forthe 2013-2014 financial year.

The BPAA supported CLICSargent, the UK’s leading charity forchildren and young people withcancer and leukaemia. The secondbeneficiary is Bath-based WhereverThe Need; an international charitywhich provides sanitation in areas ofthe world where it does not exist.

The BPAA, which brings togetherpeople in commercial andresidential property in the city,raised the money through a series ofevents including its annualCyclosportive and dinner, a golf day,tennis and boules competitions andan annual quiz at the Mud Dock.

Andrew Main of Savills, BPAAchairman for the financial year,chose the charities when he tookoffice. He said: “I am delighted withthe level of fundraising support wehave been able to generate for thesetwo worthy charities and would like tothank both the BPAA’s membershipand all those who contributed formaking this possible.”

C h a r i ty

Survey shows highrate of satisfaction� HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Bristolhas achieved a five-star rating in anindependent customer satisfactionsurvey for the fifth year running.

The Home Builders Federation(HBF) UK-wide survey revealed 90per cent of all respondents wouldrecommend Barratt Bristol.

Sales director Andrea Pilgrim said:“We take an enormous amount ofpride in the consistently high levelsof quality and service that we deliverfor our customers across the area.

“It’s a great achievement for ouremployees to be recognised asleaders in customer service. We arepassionate about the quality of thehomes we build so it’s fantastic foreveryone associated with BarrattBristol to be rewarded nationally inthis way.”

Customer service

in today’s economy. The Co-op andAsda opened massive units last yearof 450,000 sq ft and 600,000 sq ft re-s p e c t ive ly.

“Simple economies of scale arefuelling demand for bigger and big-ger distribution centres.

“With the economic recovery infull swing, it is clear that many sup-pliers are gearing up their distri-bution requirements ready to takeadvantage of the upturn.

“And although the Avonmouth areahas attracted its fair share of majoroccupiers, the lack of access onto theM49 could become critical.

“If we can’t open up direct access tothe motorway network we are indanger of losing out as other oc-cupiers look further beyond the re-gion. For instance, Home Bargainshas just taken 500,000 sq ft at SolsticePark, near Salisbury.”

Airport fund donates£180,000 to projects� A FUND set up to benefit thecommunity around Bristol Airporthas donated more than £180,000 to44 local projects since it wasestablished two years ago.

The Airport EnvironmentalImprovement Fund was set up in2012 as one of the commitmentsthe airport agreed to provide inconnection with its planningpermission for development overthe next decade.

Each year, the airport contributes£100,000 to the fund, with the figureincreasing in line with future growthin passenger numbers. Themanagement committee includesrepresentatives from both the airportand North Somerset Council and isindependently chaired.

Alan Davies, planning andenvironment director at BristolAirport, said: “All initiatives have, orwill, deliver benefits to the localcommunity and residents, thanks tothe fund’s contribution.”

Last year, a total of 26 projectsreceived contributions ranging from£370 to £11,000. Local initiativessupported include an improvedpedestrian crossing on the A38 atCowslip Green in Wrington, acommunity art programme atBackwell School, improved roadsafety signage on the A370 atCleeve and outdoor play equipmentin Flax Bourton.

Transpor t

Survey shows rise inorders and customers� SMALL and medium-sizedbusinesses are planning for growthand seeing increased levels oforders and new customers.

The Business Factors Index,produced quarterly by businessfunding specialist Bibby FinancialServices, surveys the sentiment andoutlook of 500 UK SME owners.

The South West saw 44 per centreport a rise in new customerscompared to 33 per cent in the thirdquarter and 26 per cent hadrecruited new staff compared to just11 per cent in the previous quarter.

Sharon Wiltshire, head of BibbyFinancial Services Bristol, said: “Thefindings of our research for Q4 2013are certainly encouraging ... It isimperative the financial servicessector plays its part in backingthose firms and providing the kindof funding that not only meets afinancial requirement but works withdevelopment of the business.”

SMEs

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

� Woman of the Year, s p o n s o re dby PPC.Finalists: Romy Gill, of Romy’sKitchen, Thornbury; Susie Hewson,managing director of Natracare,Kingswood; Michelle Michael, ofWe s t o n ’s Grand Pier; RachelDemuth, of Demuth’s CookerySchool, Bath; Suzanne Baxter,group finance director of Mitie,Emersons Green

� Young Entrepreneur of the Year,sponsored by bclearCommunications.Finalists: Rebecca Kench, ofPropertECO, Bath; AmyMcCormack, ETM Recycling,Ashton Vale; Grazziella Pinto,Fashion Bloodhound, LongwellG re e n

� Business of the Year,sponsored by City of BristolCollege.Finalists: 1pm, Bath; Fabuloustrading as Pandora, Bath; Mitie,Emersons Green

� Mentor of the Year, sponsoredby Lloyds Banking Group.Finalists: Debs Eden, of Debs Eden& Associates, Southville; JoniFarthing, Women Outside The Box,Bristol; Emma Sparks, GeometryPR, Bath

� Contribution to the CommunityAw a rd , sponsored by SouthgateShopping Centre.Finalists: Low Carbon South WestCIC, Queen Square, Bristol; JennyFoster, of Bristol Fairtrade;Geometry PR, Bath

� Women in the Workplace,sponsored by Crest Nicholson.Finalists: 2S Recruitment,Bedminster; Brunelcare, Whitehall;The HR Dept, Henfield, SouthG l o u c e s t e r s h i re

� Female Apprentice, sponsoredby the West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership.Finalists: Emma Sparks, ofGeometry PR, Bath; Jessica

Docherty, PES Consulting,Rudgeway, South Gloucestershire

� Innovation Award, sponsored byA s h f o rd s .Finalists: YourStreet Ltd, AshleyDown; LiteTile Ltd, Rooksbridge; InTouch Studios, Bedminster

� New Business of the Year,sponsored by HSBC CommercialBanking.Finalists: YourStreet Ltd; Granny’sSecret, Chipping Sodbury

� Marketing Campaign of the YearFinalists: Hancock Communications,Bath; Merlin Housing Society,Chipping Sodbury; Rapport Digital,Brislington

� Outstanding Contribution toBusiness in Bristol or Bath,sponsored by UWE Bristol.Will be announced on the night.

� Overall awards sponsors: UWEBristol

people who might want to takeup an apprenticeship, and theemployers who will potentially betaking them on.

We are currently working withthe four local authorities toensure every business in the LEParea gets a notification throughthe business rate notification ofthe Apprenticeship programmeand the help and grantsavailable.

We are also working with BISon the new Trailblazer initiative tohelp facilitate employers beinginvolved in shaping the futuredelivery of Apprenticeships.

Colin Skellett, Chair of theLocal Enterprise Partnership,said: "It’s not always possible torecruit people with the right skillsoff the shelf, by investing inapprentices we are able to tailortheir training and development towhat employers need – thusproviding a fresh pipeline oftalent into the business.”

The finalists

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

� WE all use call centres, and goodor bad service can make or breakour relationship with a company.

So the call centre industry, whichemploys 52,000 people in the SouthWest, is set to recognise theexcellence in its ranks.

The skills of the best peopleemployed in the challenging contactcentre industry and the placeswhere they work are to becelebrated at the 2014 South WestContact Centre Awards, sponsoredby Red Contact Centres.

Organised by the employer-ledorganisation the South WestContact Centre Forum, the sixthannual awards celebrate excellenceand innovation by individuals andteams from across the region’s250-plus call centres.

SWCCF managing director, JaneThomas, said: “The awards willrecognise these outstandingbusinesses and those that deliverexcellence to their respectivecustomers.”

Nominations for the free-to-enterawards are now being sought andclose on Thursday, April 10.

The winners will be revealed at agala presentation ceremony onThursday, July 3, at the GrandThistle Hotel, Bristol.

Find out more atw w w. s w c c f . c o . u k / a w a r d s .

Star operators in linefor industry prizes

Call centres

� Ami Anderson from LV= in Bristol won the trainer of the year prize at last year’s South West Contact CentreAwards. She was presented with the trophy by comedian Milton Jones and Gareth Rayworth from the SWCCF

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

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6 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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 Big Interview

THE City Deal was heralded asa major breakthrough for theregion that promises to boostthe economy and deliver40,000 jobs and investment

worth more than £1 billion over thenext 30 years.

It was the brainchild of Cities Min-ister Greg Clark, who visited pion-eering Bristol microchip firm Xmos –whose technology is used globally todevelop electronics products – to an-nounce the deal back in July 2012.

Now he is looking ahead to thefuture of the City Deals programme,which he claims will “revo l u t i o n i s e "the relationship between the regionand central government.

“It goes back to three years agowhen David Cameron and I had aconversation and it was around theimportance of different places forwhat was then being put together,which was the Government’s growthstrate g y,” Mr Clark said.

“And my view at the time was thatof course it is absolutely right to getthe right macroeconomic policies inplace – it is the basis on which thecoalition was founded. To sort out thefinances and to attract the confidenceof international investors is abso-lutely essential.

“The debate was also about mi-croeconomics, so have you got thebest tax system in place to attract thepeople, to locate and expand theirbu s i n e s s e s ?

“They are absolutely the bedrock ofany growth policy, but it seems to methat there is a third leg that over aperiod of decades national govern-ments had completely forgottenabout, which was the fact that you canhave all the right national policies –you can make the nation a good placeto do business and grow – but thetruth is that every instance of growthd o e s n’t take place at the nationallevel. It can’t take place at the nationl eve l .

“It always, by its very definition,has to take place at a particular loc-at i o n . ”

The Minister added: “If a businessis expanding and taking on morepeople, that doesn’t happen in theether, it doesn’t happen in the ab-stract – there is always a geograph-ical place in which that expansiontakes place.

“If you have a business starting up,it doesn’t start up on a national level,it starts up in a particular place.

“An investor doesn’t come from theabstract to the UK. They will alwayschose a particular place – a town, cityor rural area.

“It seems to me the national debatefor such a long time has been about

how the country can be made a goodplace to invest, so every particularplace can be conducive to growth, orit can put in place impediments forgrowth and investments and they canbe from different sources – it could betransport connections, for example.

“One place can be hard and ex-pensive to get to for supplies andpeople, or it can be so brilliantlyconnected that it makes it a positiveadvanta g e.

“The workforce can be attractivefor businesses to want to base andexpand there, or a low skills level canmake people think twice. A good localleader can be attractive to local busi-ness locating there or a bad one canmake them think twice.

“The paradox is that increasinglyduring the 20th and 21st centuries,economics was never local, it waseither micro or macroeconomics, andso what we have done over the lastthree years – and the Chancellor inparticular really grasped this – wassee the need to have the third prong ofthe strategy. Not the microeconomicor the macroeconomic, but the local.

“As soon as you accept that as beingirrefutable, then you understand thatevery place is different.

“So if you accept that places make adifference to growth and nationalgrowth is the accumulation of growthin every place in the country, then itforces you to treat places differentlybecause every place is different, sothat was the basis of the City Dealsprog ramme.”

Mr Clark said that at first the pro-cess was a bit “dispiriting”.

“At first, the experience was a bitdispiriting because the ambitions ex-pressed to the Government from thedifferent places were very limited,”he said during a newspaper confer-ence lunch at Westminster.

“Over the decades, they had been soused to second-guessing the Govern-ment that the proposals they cameforward with initially were minisculeand so I had to go back to the regionsand say, ‘Surely you could do betterthan that?’

“And eventually they got it – thepenny dropped.”

Liverpool was the first City Deal tobe announced.

Since then, almost every area of thecountry has been granted a City Dealto help improve the economic for-tunes of the region.

THE TIME AND PLACE FOR GROWTHCities Minister Greg Clark isthe architect of the CityDeals programme, which isset to boost the region’seconomy and deliver anextra 40,000 jobs in the next30 years. He talks to thePost’s Parliamentary Corres-pondent Caroline Wheelerabout the future of the pro-gramme, which he claims will‘revolutionise’ the relation-ship between the region andcentral government.

In July 2012, it was the turn of theBristol area to be awarded a CityDeal, which allowed the West of Eng-land to keep 100 per cent of growth inbusiness rates over 25 years to investin projects, enabling local authoritiesto deliver an investment programmeworth £1bn over 30 years.

But the programme does not endt h e re.

In response to the success of theCity Deals, Mr Clark is pursuing theagenda set down by Michael Heselt-ine as part of his drive to devolvemore powers to local government andhas invited Local Enterprise Part-nerships to bid for a slice of theGover nment’s £2bn Local GrowthFund.

The LEP plans to ask for between£75m and £90m of Government fund-ing each year to spend on targetedprojects to boost the economy in the

Cities Minister Greg Clark

“ It is a really excitingtime for this agenda. Weare on the cusp of a bigbreakthrough. It willbring a transformation inthe relationship betweencentral government andthese places.

Bristol area. Although details ofwhich projects the LEP will support,or even how much money it willactually get, are not yet known, thechief executive, Paul Wilson, saidthere were five sectors where theorganisation felt it could get the bestvalue for its money – areas whereBristol is already punching above itswe i g h t .

The sectors are low carbon;high-tech; advanced engineering andaerospace; creative and digital media;and finance and professional ser-v i c e s.

In those industries, the organisa-tion says there are four areas inwhich it may be able to help – skillsand people; place and infrastructure;investment and promotion; and sup-port for small and medium-sized busi-n e s s e s.

“It is a really exciting time for thisa g enda,” Mr Clark said. “We are onthe cusp of a big breakthrough.”

The deadline for the Local GrowthFund is March 31 – with the firstallocations expected to be made inJu ly.

“It is something that will bringabout a transformation in the re-lationship between central govern-ment and these places,” Mr Clarkadded.

“I don’t think it has happened –certainly in my lifetime – that such adegree of recognition that the futureof a place is best driven by the peoplewithin that place, so it is tremend-ously exciting.”

� Cities Minister Greg Clark; below, fourth from left, during a visit to Bristol’s Engine Shed Business Centre last year

Bristol business people out and aboutIn pictures - event here

� MORE than 60 leaders from keypublic, private and not-for-profitorganisations discussed whatBristol’s new role as EuropeanGreen Capital 2015 means for thec i t y.

Those taking part includedMohammed Saddiq, director atWessex Water Enterprises andSwiss Combi Technology andgeneral manager at GENeco; MikeZeidler, founding member at HappyCity and director at Modoto Ltd;Darren Hall, head of partnerships

and legacy at Bristol 2015; RebeccaTregarthen, director at Rejoove andchairman of the Bristol branch of theInstitute of Directors; and ZoeWillcox, service director, planningand place strategy, at Bristol CityCouncil.

The event was organised byleadership training providerCommon Purpose and theconsensus among its graduates wasthat Bristol’s new status asEuropean Green Capital 2015should be much more than an

international showcase of itsenvironmental credentials.

It represents a real opportunity forleaders to engage, transform thecity and creating a lasting legacy.

Each year, more than 4,000 newleaders connect with CommonPurpose internationally throughcourses and in Bristol there is athriving and supportive alumnicommunity which values the chanceto share experiences and gaininsight into the mix of challengesfacing leaders across the city.

Send us photosfrom your event,

with namesplease, tobusiness

@b-nm.co.uk

Get inthe picture

� Rebecca Tregarthen hosts a table at Common Purpose alumni event� Jim McAuliffe, finance director at Bristol Airport, June Burrough and othergraduates on Mohammed Saddiq's table at Common Purpose alumni event

� Zoe Willcox and Mohammed Saddiq host tables

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6 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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 Big Interview

THE City Deal was heralded asa major breakthrough for theregion that promises to boostthe economy and deliver40,000 jobs and investment

worth more than £1 billion over thenext 30 years.

It was the brainchild of Cities Min-ister Greg Clark, who visited pion-eering Bristol microchip firm Xmos –whose technology is used globally todevelop electronics products – to an-nounce the deal back in July 2012.

Now he is looking ahead to thefuture of the City Deals programme,which he claims will “revo l u t i o n i s e "the relationship between the regionand central government.

“It goes back to three years agowhen David Cameron and I had aconversation and it was around theimportance of different places forwhat was then being put together,which was the Government’s growthstrate g y,” Mr Clark said.

“And my view at the time was thatof course it is absolutely right to getthe right macroeconomic policies inplace – it is the basis on which thecoalition was founded. To sort out thefinances and to attract the confidenceof international investors is abso-lutely essential.

“The debate was also about mi-croeconomics, so have you got thebest tax system in place to attract thepeople, to locate and expand theirbu s i n e s s e s ?

“They are absolutely the bedrock ofany growth policy, but it seems to methat there is a third leg that over aperiod of decades national govern-ments had completely forgottenabout, which was the fact that you canhave all the right national policies –you can make the nation a good placeto do business and grow – but thetruth is that every instance of growthd o e s n’t take place at the nationallevel. It can’t take place at the nationl eve l .

“It always, by its very definition,has to take place at a particular loc-at i o n . ”

The Minister added: “If a businessis expanding and taking on morepeople, that doesn’t happen in theether, it doesn’t happen in the ab-stract – there is always a geograph-ical place in which that expansiontakes place.

“If you have a business starting up,it doesn’t start up on a national level,it starts up in a particular place.

“An investor doesn’t come from theabstract to the UK. They will alwayschose a particular place – a town, cityor rural area.

“It seems to me the national debatefor such a long time has been about

how the country can be made a goodplace to invest, so every particularplace can be conducive to growth, orit can put in place impediments forgrowth and investments and they canbe from different sources – it could betransport connections, for example.

“One place can be hard and ex-pensive to get to for supplies andpeople, or it can be so brilliantlyconnected that it makes it a positiveadvanta g e.

“The workforce can be attractivefor businesses to want to base andexpand there, or a low skills level canmake people think twice. A good localleader can be attractive to local busi-ness locating there or a bad one canmake them think twice.

“The paradox is that increasinglyduring the 20th and 21st centuries,economics was never local, it waseither micro or macroeconomics, andso what we have done over the lastthree years – and the Chancellor inparticular really grasped this – wassee the need to have the third prong ofthe strategy. Not the microeconomicor the macroeconomic, but the local.

“As soon as you accept that as beingirrefutable, then you understand thatevery place is different.

“So if you accept that places make adifference to growth and nationalgrowth is the accumulation of growthin every place in the country, then itforces you to treat places differentlybecause every place is different, sothat was the basis of the City Dealsprog ramme.”

Mr Clark said that at first the pro-cess was a bit “dispiriting”.

“At first, the experience was a bitdispiriting because the ambitions ex-pressed to the Government from thedifferent places were very limited,”he said during a newspaper confer-ence lunch at Westminster.

“Over the decades, they had been soused to second-guessing the Govern-ment that the proposals they cameforward with initially were minisculeand so I had to go back to the regionsand say, ‘Surely you could do betterthan that?’

“And eventually they got it – thepenny dropped.”

Liverpool was the first City Deal tobe announced.

Since then, almost every area of thecountry has been granted a City Dealto help improve the economic for-tunes of the region.

THE TIME AND PLACE FOR GROWTHCities Minister Greg Clark isthe architect of the CityDeals programme, which isset to boost the region’seconomy and deliver anextra 40,000 jobs in the next30 years. He talks to thePost’s Parliamentary Corres-pondent Caroline Wheelerabout the future of the pro-gramme, which he claims will‘revolutionise’ the relation-ship between the region andcentral government.

In July 2012, it was the turn of theBristol area to be awarded a CityDeal, which allowed the West of Eng-land to keep 100 per cent of growth inbusiness rates over 25 years to investin projects, enabling local authoritiesto deliver an investment programmeworth £1bn over 30 years.

But the programme does not endt h e re.

In response to the success of theCity Deals, Mr Clark is pursuing theagenda set down by Michael Heselt-ine as part of his drive to devolvemore powers to local government andhas invited Local Enterprise Part-nerships to bid for a slice of theGover nment’s £2bn Local GrowthFund.

The LEP plans to ask for between£75m and £90m of Government fund-ing each year to spend on targetedprojects to boost the economy in the

Cities Minister Greg Clark

“ It is a really excitingtime for this agenda. Weare on the cusp of a bigbreakthrough. It willbring a transformation inthe relationship betweencentral government andthese places.

Bristol area. Although details ofwhich projects the LEP will support,or even how much money it willactually get, are not yet known, thechief executive, Paul Wilson, saidthere were five sectors where theorganisation felt it could get the bestvalue for its money – areas whereBristol is already punching above itswe i g h t .

The sectors are low carbon;high-tech; advanced engineering andaerospace; creative and digital media;and finance and professional ser-v i c e s.

In those industries, the organisa-tion says there are four areas inwhich it may be able to help – skillsand people; place and infrastructure;investment and promotion; and sup-port for small and medium-sized busi-n e s s e s.

“It is a really exciting time for thisa g enda,” Mr Clark said. “We are onthe cusp of a big breakthrough.”

The deadline for the Local GrowthFund is March 31 – with the firstallocations expected to be made inJu ly.

“It is something that will bringabout a transformation in the re-lationship between central govern-ment and these places,” Mr Clarkadded.

“I don’t think it has happened –certainly in my lifetime – that such adegree of recognition that the futureof a place is best driven by the peoplewithin that place, so it is tremend-ously exciting.”

� Cities Minister Greg Clark; below, fourth from left, during a visit to Bristol’s Engine Shed Business Centre last year

Bristol business people out and aboutIn pictures - event here

� MORE than 60 leaders from keypublic, private and not-for-profitorganisations discussed whatBristol’s new role as EuropeanGreen Capital 2015 means for thec i t y.

Those taking part includedMohammed Saddiq, director atWessex Water Enterprises andSwiss Combi Technology andgeneral manager at GENeco; MikeZeidler, founding member at HappyCity and director at Modoto Ltd;Darren Hall, head of partnerships

and legacy at Bristol 2015; RebeccaTregarthen, director at Rejoove andchairman of the Bristol branch of theInstitute of Directors; and ZoeWillcox, service director, planningand place strategy, at Bristol CityCouncil.

The event was organised byleadership training providerCommon Purpose and theconsensus among its graduates wasthat Bristol’s new status asEuropean Green Capital 2015should be much more than an

international showcase of itsenvironmental credentials.

It represents a real opportunity forleaders to engage, transform thecity and creating a lasting legacy.

Each year, more than 4,000 newleaders connect with CommonPurpose internationally throughcourses and in Bristol there is athriving and supportive alumnicommunity which values the chanceto share experiences and gaininsight into the mix of challengesfacing leaders across the city.

Send us photosfrom your event,

with namesplease, tobusiness

@b-nm.co.uk

Get inthe picture

� Rebecca Tregarthen hosts a table at Common Purpose alumni event� Jim McAuliffe, finance director at Bristol Airport, June Burrough and othergraduates on Mohammed Saddiq's table at Common Purpose alumni event

� Zoe Willcox and Mohammed Saddiq host tables

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8 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

Bristol Distinguished Address Series - Air Vice Marshall Julian Young

Bristol business people out and aboutBristol Distinguished Address Series - UK chairman of financial services giant KPMG Simon Collins

Business diary

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

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: To d a y,6.45pm-9.45pm, Aztec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at w w w. f s b . o r g . u k .

Silicon Gorge 1.0: Showcasing25 tech and digital firms fromBristol and Bath to potentialinvestors. Joint event withWebstart Bristol andSetSquared, at the Engine Shed,Temple Meads, today. Ticketo n l y.

The Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series:Networking event andopportunity to hear from aleading business voice. Sir WinBischoff, of Lloyds BankingGroup, at City Hall, 6pm today.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business, at Brave,The Coach House, Upper YorkStreet, Bristol, 10am-4pm,tomorrow. Free. Contactr eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,Wednesday, April 2,9.30am-11.30am, 1 Friary,Temple Quay BS1 6EA. Registerat w w w. f s b . o r g . u k .

Bristol Chamber of Commercenetworking breakfast: Liaisewith like-minded people andenjoy a full English breakfast inthe new venue of Colston Hall.7.30am-9.30am, Thursday, April3. £11 members, £20non-members. Contactevents@businesswest.co.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business, at Brave,The Coach House, Upper YorkStreet, Bristol, 10am-4pm,Tuesday, April 8. Free. Contactr eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards: The inauguralBristol Post and Bath Chronicleawards celebrating women inbusiness. Bristol City CentreMarriott, from 7pm. Seew w w. b r i s t o l p o s t / c o . u k / w i b a .

The Set.Social: Monthlyinformal networking night at TheSet, a collaboration club at BathRoad Studios. Taking place onthe first Wednesday of everymonth, aims to bring togetherlike-minded people in the southof Bristol to meet, think andcreate over drinks and canapés.From 6pm.

Business Showcase SouthWe s t : Celebrating the best incommerce, innovation, creativity,enterprise and sustainability.Speakers including KarrenBrady, exhibitions andnetworking. Free to attend.Tuesday, April 8, 10am to 5pm atColston Hall. Seew w w. b u s i n e s s s h o w c a s esouthwest.com.

THE Cheltenham festivalis one of my favouritesporting events of theyear. While enjoying, orin my case not enjoying,

the ups and downs of thegambling fest of the year, I wasintrigued by the thousands ofcorporate guests hustling andbustling their way backwardsand forwards continually.

Little or no peace, and pre-cious little time for valuable timewith their hosts for the day.

It made me appreciate evenmore the opportunity that around of golf offers to really getto know your customers withoutcontinuous distractions.

Four-plus hours in glorioussurroundings followed by adrink or two on the terrace orclubhouse offers the perfect en-vironment for getting to knowmore about someone you want todo business with.

There are very few othersports that offer such a goldenopportunity while also givingyou, as a player, the chance toenjoy the occasion as well.

With most clubs these daysoffering a wide range of indi-vidual membership opportunit-ies, the corporate schemes arebecoming far more availableand, in many cases, are greatvalue for money.

The better ones even allow keyindividuals the chance to be-come ‘re gular’ members of theclub, hold a handicap and play inc o m p e t i t i o n s.

The important factor beforegetting involved is to understandwhat you are buying into.

Getting good value for moneyis key to a good deal for yourcompany, and the golf club youare joining.

Analyse your customer baseand ensure that you have a goodgolfing core who will appreciatethe offer to play at a top classcl u b.

Ensure that you have enoughkey staff to get out there and playoccasionally with your custom-e r s.

I can promise you that it isbetter value for money thanwatching some sports where youd o n’t even get the chance to havea chat with your customer!

Golf’s goldenoppor tunity

Know how

Buying a corporate membership at The Kendleshire could be the best business decision you make today.

Packages start from £1970+VAT

Find out more at Kendleshire.com

Buy a Corporate Membership before 30th April 2014 and receive for free “Golf in a Day” for 12 of your best

non-golfing customers. Call Pat Murphy on 0117 956 7007

or email pat@kendleshire.co

Pat MurphyDir ectorKendleshire GolfClub0117 956 7007info@kendleshir e.co

� AN audience of invited guests,including university managementstudents, heard how businessesshould make a larger contribution tos o c i e t y.

UK chairman of financial servicesgiant KPMG, Simon Collins, tackledthe issue when he addresseddelegates at City Hall on Thursday.

The influential businessman spoke

on the topic of ‘how to makebusiness great again’ in the latest ina series of speeches delivered byindustry leaders and organised byUWE’s Bristol Business School.

Mr Collins said incidents such asfinancial mis-selling and the horse-meat scandal had led to peoplemistrusting big companies.

But he told guests: “Businesses

are not a necessary evil. They are avital and healthy part of aresponsible society. Businessleaders need to set out the path, liveby it and shout loudly about it.”

Mr Collins promoted the livingwage and told firms to be ‘braveabout diversity’ by allowing morewomen and people fromdisadvantaged backgrounds to

reach the top. The talk was part ofthe Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries, which will see three morespeeches delivered before the endof April.

Mr Collins was interviewed by IanMean, content director at LocalWorld, which owns the Bristol Post.

To view a video of the interview,visit Southwestbusiness.co.uk.

VIDEOONLINE

SIMON COLLINSTo see our interview with theUK chairman of KPMG, go to:

Southwestbusiness.co.uk

� GUESTS were provided with aninsight into the Bristol-basedDefence Equipment and Supportorganisation within the Ministry ofDefence.

Air Vice Marshall Julian Young,who heads the organisation,addressed an invited audience atUWE’s Frenchay campus as part ofthe Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries.

Air Vice Marshall Young spoke oflinks between the engineeringsector and universities, but alsocalled for more focus on training

and apprenticeships.In an interview with Ian

Mean, content director atLocal World, which ownsthe Bristol Post, he said:“We have strong linkswith the universitiesand also the localBristol area and indeedwe are a goode m p l o y e r.

“The youngsters weare getting out ofuniversities these days arehigh quality.

“The people we get now are farmore aware of what’s going on

about them, far moretravelled, far more wise

about the world, morestreetwise and actuallyare prepared toquestion, and oncethey get the answerthey will see deliveryt h ro u g h .“There is a far stronger

place in society in the UKfor further training and for

a p p re n t i c e s h i p s . ”

He added that the Bristol areawas hugely competitive forengineers. The organisation aims torecruit 130 graduates over the nextacademic year and take on 85apprentices this year.

Air Vice Marshall Young alsotouched on the importance ofquality equipment for front-linet ro o p s .

The Defence Equipment andSupport organisation procures andfields all the equipment for theArmed Forces – from desert bootsto nuclear submarines.

VIDEOONLINE

AIR VICE MARSHALLJULIAN YOUNG

To see our interview, go to:Southwestbusiness.co.uk

� Air Vice Marshal Julian Young addresses the audience; right and below, guests at the event Pics: Michael Lloyd

� UK chairman of KPMG, Simon Collins, gives his address; right and below,guests at the event Pics: Michael Lloyd BRML20140320A-006

BRML20140319A-007

BRML20140319A-011

BRML20140319A-023BRML20140319A-008

BRML20140319A-010BRML20140319A-015BRML20140319A-019

BRML20140320A-007

BRML20140320A-008BRML20140320A-011

BRML20140320A-010

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

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8 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

Bristol Distinguished Address Series - Air Vice Marshall Julian Young

Bristol business people out and aboutBristol Distinguished Address Series - UK chairman of financial services giant KPMG Simon Collins

Business diary

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

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: To d a y,6.45pm-9.45pm, Aztec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at w w w. f s b . o r g . u k .

Silicon Gorge 1.0: Showcasing25 tech and digital firms fromBristol and Bath to potentialinvestors. Joint event withWebstart Bristol andSetSquared, at the Engine Shed,Temple Meads, today. Ticketo n l y.

The Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series:Networking event andopportunity to hear from aleading business voice. Sir WinBischoff, of Lloyds BankingGroup, at City Hall, 6pm today.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business, at Brave,The Coach House, Upper YorkStreet, Bristol, 10am-4pm,tomorrow. Free. Contactr eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,Wednesday, April 2,9.30am-11.30am, 1 Friary,Temple Quay BS1 6EA. Registerat w w w. f s b . o r g . u k .

Bristol Chamber of Commercenetworking breakfast: Liaisewith like-minded people andenjoy a full English breakfast inthe new venue of Colston Hall.7.30am-9.30am, Thursday, April3. £11 members, £20non-members. Contactevents@businesswest.co.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Introductory workshops foranyone who is exploring theconcept of self-employment orstarting a business, at Brave,The Coach House, Upper YorkStreet, Bristol, 10am-4pm,Tuesday, April 8. Free. Contactr eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Bristol and Bath Women inBusiness Awards: The inauguralBristol Post and Bath Chronicleawards celebrating women inbusiness. Bristol City CentreMarriott, from 7pm. Seew w w. b r i s t o l p o s t / c o . u k / w i b a .

The Set.Social: Monthlyinformal networking night at TheSet, a collaboration club at BathRoad Studios. Taking place onthe first Wednesday of everymonth, aims to bring togetherlike-minded people in the southof Bristol to meet, think andcreate over drinks and canapés.From 6pm.

Business Showcase SouthWe s t : Celebrating the best incommerce, innovation, creativity,enterprise and sustainability.Speakers including KarrenBrady, exhibitions andnetworking. Free to attend.Tuesday, April 8, 10am to 5pm atColston Hall. Seew w w. b u s i n e s s s h o w c a s esouthwest.com.

THE Cheltenham festivalis one of my favouritesporting events of theyear. While enjoying, orin my case not enjoying,

the ups and downs of thegambling fest of the year, I wasintrigued by the thousands ofcorporate guests hustling andbustling their way backwardsand forwards continually.

Little or no peace, and pre-cious little time for valuable timewith their hosts for the day.

It made me appreciate evenmore the opportunity that around of golf offers to really getto know your customers withoutcontinuous distractions.

Four-plus hours in glorioussurroundings followed by adrink or two on the terrace orclubhouse offers the perfect en-vironment for getting to knowmore about someone you want todo business with.

There are very few othersports that offer such a goldenopportunity while also givingyou, as a player, the chance toenjoy the occasion as well.

With most clubs these daysoffering a wide range of indi-vidual membership opportunit-ies, the corporate schemes arebecoming far more availableand, in many cases, are greatvalue for money.

The better ones even allow keyindividuals the chance to be-come ‘re gular’ members of theclub, hold a handicap and play inc o m p e t i t i o n s.

The important factor beforegetting involved is to understandwhat you are buying into.

Getting good value for moneyis key to a good deal for yourcompany, and the golf club youare joining.

Analyse your customer baseand ensure that you have a goodgolfing core who will appreciatethe offer to play at a top classcl u b.

Ensure that you have enoughkey staff to get out there and playoccasionally with your custom-e r s.

I can promise you that it isbetter value for money thanwatching some sports where youd o n’t even get the chance to havea chat with your customer!

Golf’s goldenoppor tunity

Know how

Buying a corporate membership at The Kendleshire could be the best business decision you make today.

Packages start from £1970+VAT

Find out more at Kendleshire.com

Buy a Corporate Membership before 30th April 2014 and receive for free “Golf in a Day” for 12 of your best

non-golfing customers. Call Pat Murphy on 0117 956 7007

or email pat@kendleshire.co

Pat MurphyDir ectorKendleshire GolfClub0117 956 7007info@kendleshir e.co

� AN audience of invited guests,including university managementstudents, heard how businessesshould make a larger contribution tos o c i e t y.

UK chairman of financial servicesgiant KPMG, Simon Collins, tackledthe issue when he addresseddelegates at City Hall on Thursday.

The influential businessman spoke

on the topic of ‘how to makebusiness great again’ in the latest ina series of speeches delivered byindustry leaders and organised byUWE’s Bristol Business School.

Mr Collins said incidents such asfinancial mis-selling and the horse-meat scandal had led to peoplemistrusting big companies.

But he told guests: “Businesses

are not a necessary evil. They are avital and healthy part of aresponsible society. Businessleaders need to set out the path, liveby it and shout loudly about it.”

Mr Collins promoted the livingwage and told firms to be ‘braveabout diversity’ by allowing morewomen and people fromdisadvantaged backgrounds to

reach the top. The talk was part ofthe Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries, which will see three morespeeches delivered before the endof April.

Mr Collins was interviewed by IanMean, content director at LocalWorld, which owns the Bristol Post.

To view a video of the interview,visit Southwestbusiness.co.uk.

VIDEOONLINE

SIMON COLLINSTo see our interview with theUK chairman of KPMG, go to:

Southwestbusiness.co.uk

� GUESTS were provided with aninsight into the Bristol-basedDefence Equipment and Supportorganisation within the Ministry ofDefence.

Air Vice Marshall Julian Young,who heads the organisation,addressed an invited audience atUWE’s Frenchay campus as part ofthe Bristol Distinguished AddressSeries.

Air Vice Marshall Young spoke oflinks between the engineeringsector and universities, but alsocalled for more focus on training

and apprenticeships.In an interview with Ian

Mean, content director atLocal World, which ownsthe Bristol Post, he said:“We have strong linkswith the universitiesand also the localBristol area and indeedwe are a goode m p l o y e r.

“The youngsters weare getting out ofuniversities these days arehigh quality.

“The people we get now are farmore aware of what’s going on

about them, far moretravelled, far more wise

about the world, morestreetwise and actuallyare prepared toquestion, and oncethey get the answerthey will see deliveryt h ro u g h .“There is a far stronger

place in society in the UKfor further training and for

a p p re n t i c e s h i p s . ”

He added that the Bristol areawas hugely competitive forengineers. The organisation aims torecruit 130 graduates over the nextacademic year and take on 85apprentices this year.

Air Vice Marshall Young alsotouched on the importance ofquality equipment for front-linet ro o p s .

The Defence Equipment andSupport organisation procures andfields all the equipment for theArmed Forces – from desert bootsto nuclear submarines.

VIDEOONLINE

AIR VICE MARSHALLJULIAN YOUNG

To see our interview, go to:Southwestbusiness.co.uk

� Air Vice Marshal Julian Young addresses the audience; right and below, guests at the event Pics: Michael Lloyd

� UK chairman of KPMG, Simon Collins, gives his address; right and below,guests at the event Pics: Michael Lloyd BRML20140320A-006

BRML20140319A-007

BRML20140319A-011

BRML20140319A-023BRML20140319A-008

BRML20140319A-010BRML20140319A-015BRML20140319A-019

BRML20140320A-007

BRML20140320A-008BRML20140320A-011

BRML20140320A-010

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

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10 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

PLANNING to trade inChina? An increasingnumber of businessesentering the Chinesemarket, including those

manufacturing their products inChina, are discovering that aChinese individual or companyhas beaten them to it and re-gistered their brand in “badf aith”.

These “brand squatters” typ-ically have the intention ofeither selling the Chinese trade-mark registration back to theoverseas company at an inflatedprice, or of labelling their ownproducts to take advantage ofthe reputation of the overseasbrand.

This is a significant problemsince the rightful brand ownerfaces the prospect of not beingable to use their own trademarkin China, even on products man-ufactured in China for exporte l s ewh e re.

Such issues arise becauseChina operates a “first to file”system, so that the individual orcompany that first files a trade-mark application in China isdeemed the rightful owner of thet r a d e m a rk .

It is very difficult and expens-ive to prove that a trademarkwas filed in bad faith unless itcan be shown that the partieshad prior business dealings witheach other before the applica-tion was filed, or unless therightful brand owner is able toprovide significant evidencethat its brand was well-known toChinese consumers at thatt i m e.

If you have any interest inusing your trademark in China:� Apply to register your trade-mark there as soon as pos-s i bl e ;� Ensure that your applicationis broad enough to cover currentand anticipated future productsand/or services; and� Consider protecting theChinese character version ofyour trademark.

New revisions to the Chinesetrademark law are due to takeeffect from May 1. Among vari-ous changes generally helpfulfor trademark owners, the newlaw introduces the principle of“good faith” to trademark useand registration in China,which may help in tackling “badf aith” ap p l i c at i o n s.

But, if you have Chinese am-bitions, it will still be preferablefor you to register first, andnot have to deal with a brands q u at t e r.

Addy BridgerTrade Mark AttorneyPage Hargrave,Bristolabridger@pagehar-grave.co.uk0117 927 6634

Register trademarkin China beforesomeone else does

Expert eye

Export focus

YOU’VE never had it so good.Harold Macmillan was talk-ing about post-war prosper-ity in Britain, but his wordscan be applied to businesses

thinking about exporting in the next12 months.

Because with exporting chosen asthe Government’s key driver of fu-ture economic success, the supportfor firms looking to step out of thetrenches and join the fray has neverbeen better.

Dave Mouncey, partner at Smith &Williamson in Bristol, said the Chan-cellor’s target of trebling UK exportsto £1 trillion by 2020 has put thepressure on.

“That would require nine per centgrowth a year in exports, which willbe really difficult to achieve,” hesaid.

“But clearly there is a real focusfrom Government on how importantit is to re-balance the economy.T here’s going to be a lot of financeand support for businesses to be partof that.

“The support to achieve that break-through will be greater than it’s everbeen so now is the time to con-sider exporting.

“Any company with vis-ion needs to try to seizethat real opportunitywhile it is there.”

The kind of supporthe is talking aboutcomes from UK Trade &Industry, which runscourses and provides mar-ket research, introductionsand even offers places on tradem i s s i o n s.

It also comes in the form of exportcredit guarantees, a form of in-surance against the risks ofoperating overseas such asnot getting paid.

But it’s not just theofficial help that makesnow the right time toexpor t.

Dave said: “S t e rl i n gdepreciated during thefinancial crisis and al-though it has risen since,it means we are at a ratewhere we can be competitive onthe world stage.”

He added business owners hadbeen pushed toward exporting bysluggish growth in the UK but evennow that the economy is growing at avery healthy 3.4 per cent, forecastssuggest that would not continue bey-ond this year.

“There probably isn’t the spare ca-pacity in the economy to allow highlevels of growth for a considerableperiod of time,” he said.

“If people want to grow their busi-ness then they are going to have tolook at overseas markets.”

So now is the time. But where? Andhow? Europe is still dragging, so theUnited States or the emerging BRICcountries of Brazil, India, Russia andChina would be strong options.

However, Andy Braithwaite, a part-ner in Bristol-based law firm

T hrings’ commercial team, said des-pite the common language, Americawas not always the best choice.

“This is not one market,” he cau-tioned, “it is several markets andvery challenging ones.”

He said: “We get a lot of firmscoming to us saying that strategicallythey want to be in the Far East.Certainly if you are, say (handbagmaker) Mulberry, you need to be.China makes up about 34 per cent ofthe luxury goods market.”

The important thing, according toAndy, is to do your homework.

“You will probably have to have arelationship with a distributor,” hesaid. “Picking the right distributorcan make or break the business inthat country.

“We spend a lot of time writing andmanaging distribution agreementsand unpicking them when people

A 3D design company is proving thatexporting is not just for manufac-turers as its sells its creative talentsaround the world.

Cod Steaks began as a model-mak-ing company working with the likesof Aardman and now delivers innov-ative designs for customers in a num-ber of countries.

Its latest big project is a Portotheme park, dedicated to Portugal’searly explorers, charting voyages ofdiscovery that set sail from the coun-try to places no European had beenbefore – down the west coast of Africa,round the Cape of Good Hope and onto India, China and Japan, as well asacross the Atlantic to Brazil and theNew World.

Cod Steaks founder, SueLipscombe, said: “Initially we lookedat providing parts of the theme parkusing our model-making expertise.

“But when I flew to Porto in Por-tugal to take a closer look at the4,000 sq m site. I discovered that theywere proposing to illustrate the storywith small models in what is a verylarge building.

“It just would not have worked andso I proposed instead that Cod Steaksshould design in detail and create

full-scale models and sets for TheOdyssey of Discoveries.

“They showed interest and so webuilt a full-scale model, to be featuredas part of a 20-minute boat journey,and shipped it to Portugal for them tos e e.

“While they already had theconcept, our model showed how thejourney might evolve.

“Until then, they had found theboat ride hard to visualise, but theyliked our concept and asked us to puttogether a detailed design as a phys-ical model and also on screen.”

The project had to be completed insix months because the park opens inAp r i l .

Despite the tight timeline, CodSteaks took on the task and its re-search has been meticulous to ensurethe detail is correct in terms of the15th century.

“The Odyssey is designed to beeducational as well as entertaining,

SEIZE THE CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR MARK IN EXPORT MARKETSThe UK is growing again and quickly, but withconcerns over how sustainable that will be and adrive to re-balance the economy, Gavin Thompsondiscovers that now is the time to start exporting

� Dave Mouncey, partnerat Smith & Williamson:

“All businesses shouldreview whether theythink exporting is forthem. If they do,then appoint achampion, someoneto take ownership,

to take it further.“As a starting point,

talk to professionalbodies in their own sector

to find out what others aredoing and talk to UKTI.”

� Andy Braithwaite,partner at Thrings: “Find

the right partner inyour country ofchoice. You can’t doit yourself. But don’ttake any approach.Clients getapproached out of

the blue. You need toreally check it out

because they are probablynot the best match for you.”

have to exit because they didn’two rk . ”

A good local partner might evenhelp protect you from the risks ofpolitical tensions, such as the currentstrained relations between the UKand Russia, he said.

According to the latest quarterlyfigures, exports from the South Westare growing.

The region accounts for 4.6 per centof the UK’s total exports with a 2.9percent increase in the last quarter,of June to September 2013. The num-ber of exporters from the region alsogrew year-on-year.

Machinery and transport equip-ment, manufacturing goods and

Export experts’top tips

chemicals continue to be the mostexported commodities from the re-gion, and the South West remains oneof only two regions with so called foodand live commodities in their top fiveexport goods.

The European Union remains

South West’s biggest export market,representing 58.6 percent of all ex-ports from the region.

The figures show that the value ofexports to Asia and Oceania re-mained steady at £1.8 billion over thepast year, whilst the value of exports

to the Middle East & North Africaincreased by £237 million. There hasalso been a year-on-year increase inexports to Sub-Saharan Africa.

If businesses here grasp this mo-ment of opportunity, those figuresshould soon be much higher.

Export Week events� Your Springboard to theNordics: Meet the Experts

Meet with specialists fromBritish Embassies in the Nordicand Baltic States to learn whatyou should consider whendoing international business orsetting up in the region.

Leigh Court Business Centre,Abbots Leigh, April 7.

� The Future of Exporting in theDigital Age

Discover why the birth of thedigital age has changed how wecommunicate with customersand the resulting impact onexporting in the 21st century.

Tortworth Court,Wotton-under-Edge, SouthGloucestershire, April 9.

� Meet the Buyer, Food andDrink Sector

Bringing together selectedinternational buyers with UKfood and drink suppliers, withthe aim of creating newbusiness.

Leigh Court Business Centre,Abbots Leigh, April 11.

� Sizzling South East AsiaRoadshow: Unlock YourBusiness Potential in ASEAN

Equipping local businesseswith the knowledge, expertiseand insight needed to takeadvantage of exciting, newexport opportunities in theSoutheast Asia region.

Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel,College Green, April 11.‘Poshing up’ instant noodles

Case study

� Crispen Blunt from KabutoNoodles

M o d e l - m a ke rstake creativityto a new world

Case study

Mario Ferreira

The work by CodSteaks is, above all, ofgreat realism, detail andof amazing artistic quality.The scenarios make ourvisitors dream whiletravelling back in time”

“so the boat ride has some enjoyablyscary parts before you emerge intosub-Saharan Africa and move on-wards towards India and the FarEast,” said Sue.

The exhibits have been built inBristol and shipped to Portugal,where they have been rebuilt andfinished on site.

Just one of the 20 zones featureseverything from Neptune's portaland a giant squid to full-sized ele-phants, a rhino and hippo. Otherzones feature pagodas, Chinesedragon dancers, a Japanese tea houseand even a waterfall in a jungle set-ting.

Cod Steaks, based on a 1.5-acre sitein St Philip’s, has about 20 staff, buthas had a workforce of up to 50 peopleon this project at any one time, draw-ing on experienced freelance work-ers, including carpenters and othercraftsmen and women.

Customer Mario Ferreira, chief ex-ecutive of Mystic Invest Group, isimpressed. He said: “The workpresented by Cod Steaks is, above all,of great realism, detail and of amaz-ing artistic quality.

“At the same time, the scenariosand objects… integrate a dimensionof dream and fantasy, allowing us toaccomplish one of our main goals:make our visitors dream while trav-elling back in time.”

� Below, Sue Lipscombe, founder of 3D design company Cod Steaks, withone of the models; above, models being created in the workshop at StPhilip’s Pictures: Dave Betts BRDB20140224B-003 (below)

� CRISPEN Blunt got a taste forbusiness working for Bristolsuccess story Pieminister. Nowhe’s building his own empireselling posh noodles to thediscerning shopper.

His Kabuto Noodles brand hasjust secured a listing with Tesco,and is already on shelves inWaitrose, Sainsbury’s and HarveyNichols.

It’s a fast growing success forthe 39-year-old, for his StokesCroft-based business.

“The minimum we could orderwas 15,000 units. That took eightmonths to sell. This month we’llsell 150,000 units,” said Crispen.

It hasn’t all been easy, andCrispen believes starting during arecession has made the businesss t ro n g e r.

Indeed, the early days conjureup images akin to tasks on TheAppr entice.

“When I started I was taking acar full of noodles and drivinground selling them to independentshops,” said Crispen. “It

concentrates the mind when youhave got 15,000 packets ofnoodles in a warehouse and nocustomers!

“We kept our overheads verylow. We had to, but sometimeshaving money means you spend itwithout getting good value so ithas probably been good for us.”

Now that the business hasbecome more established, Crispenis looking to make the future moresecure by exporting.

He said: “In the UK thedominance of the supermarkets infood industry is great and bad. Itmeans if you get two or threecustomers you can becomerelatively big quickly.”

But that also means should youlose one of those customers, it’s avery big hit.

Crispen added: “We are hopingthat by exporting we can spreadthat risk. I have been told it takes acouple of years before you really

make any money exporting, butthe longer you put off starting thefurther away that two years gets.”

The firm has used the researchservices offered by UK Trade andIndustry and is testing out marketsincluding Sweden and Russia.

It was his years at Pieministerthat gave Crispen an insight intostarting a business and he beganlooking for the right idea.

He noticed a lot of thesuccessful new companies in thefood market were focussed onhigh-quality ingredients combinedwith funky branding.

The market was already gettingcrowded but he noticed a gap for“poshed-up” noodles.

“The instant noodle industry hadgone very down-market, it was allabout being as cheap aspossible,” he said. “I thought therewas an opportunity to sell to thepeople who would pay more for abetter product.”

And so far, the customer isproving him right.

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10 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

PLANNING to trade inChina? An increasingnumber of businessesentering the Chinesemarket, including those

manufacturing their products inChina, are discovering that aChinese individual or companyhas beaten them to it and re-gistered their brand in “badf aith”.

These “brand squatters” typ-ically have the intention ofeither selling the Chinese trade-mark registration back to theoverseas company at an inflatedprice, or of labelling their ownproducts to take advantage ofthe reputation of the overseasbrand.

This is a significant problemsince the rightful brand ownerfaces the prospect of not beingable to use their own trademarkin China, even on products man-ufactured in China for exporte l s ewh e re.

Such issues arise becauseChina operates a “first to file”system, so that the individual orcompany that first files a trade-mark application in China isdeemed the rightful owner of thet r a d e m a rk .

It is very difficult and expens-ive to prove that a trademarkwas filed in bad faith unless itcan be shown that the partieshad prior business dealings witheach other before the applica-tion was filed, or unless therightful brand owner is able toprovide significant evidencethat its brand was well-known toChinese consumers at thatt i m e.

If you have any interest inusing your trademark in China:� Apply to register your trade-mark there as soon as pos-s i bl e ;� Ensure that your applicationis broad enough to cover currentand anticipated future productsand/or services; and� Consider protecting theChinese character version ofyour trademark.

New revisions to the Chinesetrademark law are due to takeeffect from May 1. Among vari-ous changes generally helpfulfor trademark owners, the newlaw introduces the principle of“good faith” to trademark useand registration in China,which may help in tackling “badf aith” ap p l i c at i o n s.

But, if you have Chinese am-bitions, it will still be preferablefor you to register first, andnot have to deal with a brands q u at t e r.

Addy BridgerTrade Mark AttorneyPage Hargrave,Bristolabridger@pagehar-grave.co.uk0117 927 6634

Register trademarkin China beforesomeone else does

Expert eye

Export focus

YOU’VE never had it so good.Harold Macmillan was talk-ing about post-war prosper-ity in Britain, but his wordscan be applied to businesses

thinking about exporting in the next12 months.

Because with exporting chosen asthe Government’s key driver of fu-ture economic success, the supportfor firms looking to step out of thetrenches and join the fray has neverbeen better.

Dave Mouncey, partner at Smith &Williamson in Bristol, said the Chan-cellor’s target of trebling UK exportsto £1 trillion by 2020 has put thepressure on.

“That would require nine per centgrowth a year in exports, which willbe really difficult to achieve,” hesaid.

“But clearly there is a real focusfrom Government on how importantit is to re-balance the economy.T here’s going to be a lot of financeand support for businesses to be partof that.

“The support to achieve that break-through will be greater than it’s everbeen so now is the time to con-sider exporting.

“Any company with vis-ion needs to try to seizethat real opportunitywhile it is there.”

The kind of supporthe is talking aboutcomes from UK Trade &Industry, which runscourses and provides mar-ket research, introductionsand even offers places on tradem i s s i o n s.

It also comes in the form of exportcredit guarantees, a form of in-surance against the risks ofoperating overseas such asnot getting paid.

But it’s not just theofficial help that makesnow the right time toexpor t.

Dave said: “S t e rl i n gdepreciated during thefinancial crisis and al-though it has risen since,it means we are at a ratewhere we can be competitive onthe world stage.”

He added business owners hadbeen pushed toward exporting bysluggish growth in the UK but evennow that the economy is growing at avery healthy 3.4 per cent, forecastssuggest that would not continue bey-ond this year.

“There probably isn’t the spare ca-pacity in the economy to allow highlevels of growth for a considerableperiod of time,” he said.

“If people want to grow their busi-ness then they are going to have tolook at overseas markets.”

So now is the time. But where? Andhow? Europe is still dragging, so theUnited States or the emerging BRICcountries of Brazil, India, Russia andChina would be strong options.

However, Andy Braithwaite, a part-ner in Bristol-based law firm

T hrings’ commercial team, said des-pite the common language, Americawas not always the best choice.

“This is not one market,” he cau-tioned, “it is several markets andvery challenging ones.”

He said: “We get a lot of firmscoming to us saying that strategicallythey want to be in the Far East.Certainly if you are, say (handbagmaker) Mulberry, you need to be.China makes up about 34 per cent ofthe luxury goods market.”

The important thing, according toAndy, is to do your homework.

“You will probably have to have arelationship with a distributor,” hesaid. “Picking the right distributorcan make or break the business inthat country.

“We spend a lot of time writing andmanaging distribution agreementsand unpicking them when people

A 3D design company is proving thatexporting is not just for manufac-turers as its sells its creative talentsaround the world.

Cod Steaks began as a model-mak-ing company working with the likesof Aardman and now delivers innov-ative designs for customers in a num-ber of countries.

Its latest big project is a Portotheme park, dedicated to Portugal’searly explorers, charting voyages ofdiscovery that set sail from the coun-try to places no European had beenbefore – down the west coast of Africa,round the Cape of Good Hope and onto India, China and Japan, as well asacross the Atlantic to Brazil and theNew World.

Cod Steaks founder, SueLipscombe, said: “Initially we lookedat providing parts of the theme parkusing our model-making expertise.

“But when I flew to Porto in Por-tugal to take a closer look at the4,000 sq m site. I discovered that theywere proposing to illustrate the storywith small models in what is a verylarge building.

“It just would not have worked andso I proposed instead that Cod Steaksshould design in detail and create

full-scale models and sets for TheOdyssey of Discoveries.

“They showed interest and so webuilt a full-scale model, to be featuredas part of a 20-minute boat journey,and shipped it to Portugal for them tos e e.

“While they already had theconcept, our model showed how thejourney might evolve.

“Until then, they had found theboat ride hard to visualise, but theyliked our concept and asked us to puttogether a detailed design as a phys-ical model and also on screen.”

The project had to be completed insix months because the park opens inAp r i l .

Despite the tight timeline, CodSteaks took on the task and its re-search has been meticulous to ensurethe detail is correct in terms of the15th century.

“The Odyssey is designed to beeducational as well as entertaining,

SEIZE THE CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR MARK IN EXPORT MARKETSThe UK is growing again and quickly, but withconcerns over how sustainable that will be and adrive to re-balance the economy, Gavin Thompsondiscovers that now is the time to start exporting

� Dave Mouncey, partnerat Smith & Williamson:

“All businesses shouldreview whether theythink exporting is forthem. If they do,then appoint achampion, someoneto take ownership,

to take it further.“As a starting point,

talk to professionalbodies in their own sector

to find out what others aredoing and talk to UKTI.”

� Andy Braithwaite,partner at Thrings: “Find

the right partner inyour country ofchoice. You can’t doit yourself. But don’ttake any approach.Clients getapproached out of

the blue. You need toreally check it out

because they are probablynot the best match for you.”

have to exit because they didn’two rk . ”

A good local partner might evenhelp protect you from the risks ofpolitical tensions, such as the currentstrained relations between the UKand Russia, he said.

According to the latest quarterlyfigures, exports from the South Westare growing.

The region accounts for 4.6 per centof the UK’s total exports with a 2.9percent increase in the last quarter,of June to September 2013. The num-ber of exporters from the region alsogrew year-on-year.

Machinery and transport equip-ment, manufacturing goods and

Export experts’top tips

chemicals continue to be the mostexported commodities from the re-gion, and the South West remains oneof only two regions with so called foodand live commodities in their top fiveexport goods.

The European Union remains

South West’s biggest export market,representing 58.6 percent of all ex-ports from the region.

The figures show that the value ofexports to Asia and Oceania re-mained steady at £1.8 billion over thepast year, whilst the value of exports

to the Middle East & North Africaincreased by £237 million. There hasalso been a year-on-year increase inexports to Sub-Saharan Africa.

If businesses here grasp this mo-ment of opportunity, those figuresshould soon be much higher.

Export Week events� Your Springboard to theNordics: Meet the Experts

Meet with specialists fromBritish Embassies in the Nordicand Baltic States to learn whatyou should consider whendoing international business orsetting up in the region.

Leigh Court Business Centre,Abbots Leigh, April 7.

� The Future of Exporting in theDigital Age

Discover why the birth of thedigital age has changed how wecommunicate with customersand the resulting impact onexporting in the 21st century.

Tortworth Court,Wotton-under-Edge, SouthGloucestershire, April 9.

� Meet the Buyer, Food andDrink Sector

Bringing together selectedinternational buyers with UKfood and drink suppliers, withthe aim of creating newbusiness.

Leigh Court Business Centre,Abbots Leigh, April 11.

� Sizzling South East AsiaRoadshow: Unlock YourBusiness Potential in ASEAN

Equipping local businesseswith the knowledge, expertiseand insight needed to takeadvantage of exciting, newexport opportunities in theSoutheast Asia region.

Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel,College Green, April 11.‘Poshing up’ instant noodles

Case study

� Crispen Blunt from KabutoNoodles

M o d e l - m a ke rstake creativityto a new world

Case study

Mario Ferreira

The work by CodSteaks is, above all, ofgreat realism, detail andof amazing artistic quality.The scenarios make ourvisitors dream whiletravelling back in time”

“so the boat ride has some enjoyablyscary parts before you emerge intosub-Saharan Africa and move on-wards towards India and the FarEast,” said Sue.

The exhibits have been built inBristol and shipped to Portugal,where they have been rebuilt andfinished on site.

Just one of the 20 zones featureseverything from Neptune's portaland a giant squid to full-sized ele-phants, a rhino and hippo. Otherzones feature pagodas, Chinesedragon dancers, a Japanese tea houseand even a waterfall in a jungle set-ting.

Cod Steaks, based on a 1.5-acre sitein St Philip’s, has about 20 staff, buthas had a workforce of up to 50 peopleon this project at any one time, draw-ing on experienced freelance work-ers, including carpenters and othercraftsmen and women.

Customer Mario Ferreira, chief ex-ecutive of Mystic Invest Group, isimpressed. He said: “The workpresented by Cod Steaks is, above all,of great realism, detail and of amaz-ing artistic quality.

“At the same time, the scenariosand objects… integrate a dimensionof dream and fantasy, allowing us toaccomplish one of our main goals:make our visitors dream while trav-elling back in time.”

� Below, Sue Lipscombe, founder of 3D design company Cod Steaks, withone of the models; above, models being created in the workshop at StPhilip’s Pictures: Dave Betts BRDB20140224B-003 (below)

� CRISPEN Blunt got a taste forbusiness working for Bristolsuccess story Pieminister. Nowhe’s building his own empireselling posh noodles to thediscerning shopper.

His Kabuto Noodles brand hasjust secured a listing with Tesco,and is already on shelves inWaitrose, Sainsbury’s and HarveyNichols.

It’s a fast growing success forthe 39-year-old, for his StokesCroft-based business.

“The minimum we could orderwas 15,000 units. That took eightmonths to sell. This month we’llsell 150,000 units,” said Crispen.

It hasn’t all been easy, andCrispen believes starting during arecession has made the businesss t ro n g e r.

Indeed, the early days conjureup images akin to tasks on TheAppr entice.

“When I started I was taking acar full of noodles and drivinground selling them to independentshops,” said Crispen. “It

concentrates the mind when youhave got 15,000 packets ofnoodles in a warehouse and nocustomers!

“We kept our overheads verylow. We had to, but sometimeshaving money means you spend itwithout getting good value so ithas probably been good for us.”

Now that the business hasbecome more established, Crispenis looking to make the future moresecure by exporting.

He said: “In the UK thedominance of the supermarkets infood industry is great and bad. Itmeans if you get two or threecustomers you can becomerelatively big quickly.”

But that also means should youlose one of those customers, it’s avery big hit.

Crispen added: “We are hopingthat by exporting we can spreadthat risk. I have been told it takes acouple of years before you really

make any money exporting, butthe longer you put off starting thefurther away that two years gets.”

The firm has used the researchservices offered by UK Trade andIndustry and is testing out marketsincluding Sweden and Russia.

It was his years at Pieministerthat gave Crispen an insight intostarting a business and he beganlooking for the right idea.

He noticed a lot of thesuccessful new companies in thefood market were focussed onhigh-quality ingredients combinedwith funky branding.

The market was already gettingcrowded but he noticed a gap for“poshed-up” noodles.

“The instant noodle industry hadgone very down-market, it was allabout being as cheap aspossible,” he said. “I thought therewas an opportunity to sell to thepeople who would pay more for abetter product.”

And so far, the customer isproving him right.

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

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12 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 13We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

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

UKTI export focus The Budget

A BUDGET for makers anddoers. Those were the wordswith which George Osborneopened and closed hisBudget statement last week.

So, seven days on, has the Chan-cellor achieved his goal of a Budgetthat helps manufacturers, exportersand other businesses?

On exports, initial reaction hasbeen positive.

Josephine Bush, Bristol-based taxpartner at EY, said: “The Chancellorannounced a number of initiatives tosupport exporters of which the twomost significant were further re-sources for UKTI and a doubling ofthe funding available for export fin-ance to £3 billion at a new lowerinterest rate.

“The Chancellor said this would bethe most competitive scheme inEurope and it does appear to offerreal benefits especially to small andmedium-sized exporters and aspiringexporters. However, the OBR’s fore-casts for trade are relatively muted,showing how challenging and com-petitive export markets are likely tore m a i n . ”

But she said more significant couldbe the “industrial strategy”, wherethe Chancellor said developing ex-pertise in graphene, cell therapy andbig data would be priorities.

Bonnie Dean, far right, chief ex-ecutive at the Bristol and Bath Sci-ence Park in Emersons Green, said

Expert verdict C h a n ce l l o r ’s pledge to givesupport to exporters offers ‘real benefits’Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Proper ty

B o r row i n g

Pe n s i o n s

Enterprise Zone

� Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne

IT HAS been great to see so many ofthe region’s companies, large andsmall, taking up the internationaltrade challenge and benefiting fromthe support available.

There is an unbelievable appetite forBritish products and services overseasand there has never been a more op-portune time to take advantage of thesecommercial prospects.

I strongly believe that most companiescan and should export – f ro msingle-owner operations to large cor-porations. If you are successful in theUK, there is no reason why you can’t sellabroad, if you do your research and planp ro p e rly.

Exporting is crucial to the growth ofour regional economy. Once you startexporting, there’s no limit to where youcan go and the profit you can make.Whether you’re new to exporting orexperienced in trading internationally,these events are not to be missed.

Registration is now open for a series ofevents to inspire the region’s businessesto explore overseas markets.

UKTI South West is hosting eventsacross the region as part of ExportWeek, to encourage businesses to con-sider their overseas potential and showhow UKTI can help reach new custom-ers around the world. It takes place fromApril 7-11.

Export Week will offer a mix of sem-inars, masterclasses, one-to-one meet-ings, workshops and networking eventsto inform and inspire businesses to takeup the export challenge.

They include:April 7� Your Springboard to the Nordics –Meet the Experts. Bristol.April 8� Business Showcase South West.Bristol.April 9� The Future of Export, Exporting inthe Digital Age. South Gloucestershire.� Growing Your International Business– MSB Breakfast Briefing. Bath.� The A-Z of Selling Online. Cornwall.April 10� Entering the Chinese Market –Masterclass. Somerset.� Worldwide Women Network – G ro wYour Business Overseas. Chippenham.April 11� Sizzling Southeast Asia Roadshow.Bristol.� For further information andbookings, visit: w w w. e x p o r t w e e k .u k t i . g o v. u k .

Follow UKTI South West on Twitter@UKTI_SW and take part in theconversation using #exportweek.

Most firms couldbe selling abroad

Russell JonesRegional directorUK Trade andInvestment (UKTI)

Expert eye

UKTI Market Visits� Every year UK Trade &Investment (UKTI) organises andtakes overseas a number ofmarket visits.

These may be sector specific orgeneral focused and sometimesencompass multiple markets.

So what is a Market Visit?In a nutshell, a market visit is an

overseas visit by a group ofbusinesses who meetface-to-face with potentialbuyers, agents and prospectivebusiness partners.� How it works: Organised to

help businesses visit an overseasmarket of particular interest, amarket visit usually follows aninitial research exercise. Thisresearch is vital in helping toidentify the appropriateopportunities and to maximise thevalue of the visit.

UKTI’s world-beating networkbased in British Embassies, HighCommissions and ConsularOffices around the world arepivotal to the organisation of amarket visit.

The staff in these offices are theUSP - the input that they bring tothe table is invaluable to UK

companies. Their local languageskills, market knowledge andextensive political andcommercial contacts put them atthe heart of this service.

By taking part in a market visitUKTI can help businesses to:� Identify opportunities and opendoors� Reach customers/businesspartners otherwise not accessible� Raise your profile andcredibility overseas� Overcome barriers to entry orexpansion� Understand the competition� Forthcoming Market Visits

In the next 12 months UKTI willbe taking business delegations onmarket visits to all corners of theworld. From Vietnam to Australia,China to South Africa there aremultiple opportunities forbusinesses in the region to traveloverseas and make the rightconnections to grow theirbusiness.

For further information onmarket visits and the supportavailable for South Westbusinesses, contact AngelaMaynard-Smith, InternationalMarket Visits Adviser, at: angela.maynard-smith@uktisouthwest.org.

Diary Dates� June 2014 - USA FancyFood Show - Food & DrinkSector� August 2014 - Vietnam -Healthcare Sector� September 2014 - China -Multi Sector� October 2014 – Australiaand New Zealand – Food &Drink Sector� October 2014 - Brazil - Oil,Gas and Renewable Sectors� November 2014 - SouthAfrica - AdvancedEngineering (inc. Aerospaceand Automotive) Sector� November 2014 - SouthKorea - Creative IndustriesSectors

� THE Chancellor announced anextension to some of the incentives

for businesses to invest in theTemple Quarter Enterprise Zone,around Temple Meads.

Paul Wilson, chief executiveof the West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership, whichmanages the zone, said: “Whileone Budget is never going to

deliver everything businessneeds, this Budget has certainly

provided some positive measuresthat will help to support business

g ro w t h .“We ’re pleased to see that the business rate

discount in enterprise zones has beenextended for three years, until March 2018.The Government is also extending the periodin which capital allowances are available inenterprise zones by three years, until March2020.

“Our enterprise zone in Bristol TempleQuarter is already home to over 350businesses. Since opening in April 2012,we’ve seen around 70 businesses moving inand a lot of interest from companies inlocating here.

“These measures provide certainty forbusiness and an extra incentive to locate here,which is good news in terms of inwardinvestment.”

� TUCKED away in the 120-page Budgetdocument was an idea to force banks to refersmall and medium-sized businesses toalternative lenders after turning them down fora loan.

The idea is that if the banks won’t lend,someone else might. If pursued, it would bewelcomed by Adam Tavener, right, chairmanof pensionledfunding.com, based in Pill, whowas the catalyst for the recent launch of thealter nativebusinessfunding.co.uk portal.

Adam said: “This could pave the way forbanks to refer businesses to the alternativefunding providers via our recently launchedportal - which signposts business owners to a

variety of different funding options. Thisis also a real opportunity for acollaborative culture to developbetween the banking andalternative sectors, not just torefer businesses but to worktogether on multi-source dealsthat provide the right shape offunding package for thebusiness owner. Bettersignposting would givebusinesses, particularly SMEs,safe access to approved lenders,while helping banks keep UKbusinesses growing by encouraginginnovative or complementary funding.”

� THE pensions market is still coming toterms with changes that will allow people todraw down their whole pension as a lump sumand not have to buy an annuity.

Chris Mapp, head of the Bristol office ofPutner Southall, said the changes would affectmost firms.

“There will be a much greater need foradvice and guidance for employees in theyears leading up to retirement and there will bepressure on employers to fund that.

“It’s not just a one-off decision at retirement– if people are going to take their pension ascash there are investment choices along thew a y. ”

James Dean, pensions partner at law firmTLT, said: "By opening up defined contributionsavers' options at retirement the Governmentis throwing a grenade at the annuity market

and challenging it to fix a broken system. It'squite something that the predicted effect of‘lowering’ the tax rate on full definedcontributions withdrawal from 55 percent to an individual's marginalrate is to generate an additional£1.2 billion in tax revenue by2018-2019.

"Those with trust-baseddefined contributions schemeswill want to review theirexisting rules for allowingflexible retirement options andwill be interested to learn justwhat is meant by the proposed‘guidance guarantee’ which willoblige them to offer free and impartialguidance on their members' financial choicesat retirement.”

� WHILE Help to Buy got most of theattention, there was more for the property

business in the Budget.One change could see emptywarehouses and workshops

turned into flats and homes.Jonathan Lambert, left,

director of development at DTZin Bristol, said: “TheGover nment’s proposals toconsider enabling theconversion to residential use of

warehouses and light industrialstructures through permitted

development rights isencouraging, albeit we will have to

wait and see what the actual affect ofthis would be.

“While it may encourage some speculativedevelopers to pursue opportunities that wouldordinarily be fraught with planning risk, inreality developers will only convert propertieswhich provide them with a financial return.”

Darren Sheward, head of office at LambertSmith Hampton in Bristol, said previouschanges to allow offices to become flats hadbeen popular since taking effect last year.

“Our research reveals that applications foralmost 10,000 new residential units weremade in just six months,” he added.

“Any extension of the rules to allow abroader range of commercial properties to beconverted into residential premises will help toremove obsolete stock from the market whilstalso creating much-needed new homes, andso is a ‘win-win’ for everyone.”

the announcement of new doctoraltraining centres and a new big datainstitute was an “encoura gingsign”.

She also highlighted good news forstart-ups and small businesses.

“The announcement that the SeedEnterprise Investment Scheme,which was set up to help financestart-ups, has been made permanentwill continue to promote enterpriseand encourage in-vestment insmall andearly stagecompan-i e s, ” shesaid.

“And theextension tothe R&D taxcredits reliefscheme forloss-making busi-nesses is also welcome.

“There are many failures behindsome of the most well-known innov-ations and the ability to try again ifthings don’t quite work is crucial.”

The Federation of Small Business,which represents 7,200 membersacross the West of England, broadlywelcomed the Budget, picking out thedoubling of the amount which a firmcan invest in capital expendituretax-free to £500,000 as important.

Mark Owen, chairman of the re-gional branch of the Federation ofSmall Businesses, said: “The Budgetoffered a clear signal for businessesto grow with the increased invest-ment allowance, for example, provid-ing certainty for small firms lookingto realise investment expectations.”

ASMALL company in NorthSomerset has been work-ing in partnership withUK Trade and Investmentto become a world leader

in its field.Espiner Medical, based in Cleve-

don, began in 1990 when pioneer-ing laparoscopic surgeon HarryEspiner developed the idea ofusing a bag for retrieving tissuesafely during surgical proceduressuch as gallbladder removal.

He set about designing one andidentified Jim Howard, at Camer-on Balloons in Bristol – the world'slargest manufacturer of hot airballoons – as his partner.

With his expert knowledge oflightweight fabrics, Jim created afully leak-resistant prototypeusing ripstop nylon, with a spe-cially formulated polyurethanecoating. Harry tested and modifiedthe designs in clinical trials andthe refined product was patentedin 1992.

This design has been the basisfor the company’s full and com-prehensive E-Sac product range,now used all over the world for alltissue retrieval procedures onparts of the body ranging from theappendix to the spleen, andeverything in between.

Espiner Medical now has aturnover of nearly £1.5 million,employs 20 people and is exportingto every part of the world. Thecompany has continued to expandas demand for its products hasgrown and, in 2013, its remarkableachievements were recognisedwhen it was awarded the Queen’sAward for Enterprise.

With such a good product, thecompany continues to flourish inits home market, but working with

UKTI to exploit new opportunitiesabroad has made a big contribu-tion to its recent success.

Commenting on working in part-nership with the company, UKTIinternational trade adviser, RobThompson, said: “When we startedworking with them two years ago,Espiner Medical were already wellestablished in most European mar-ke t s.

“It was clear that North Americarepresented an enormous oppor-tunity for them, but there are vari-ous regulatory hoops foreign

companies have to jump throughbefore they can trade there.

“We were able to give them guid-ance on the US approval processand the foreign currency paymentprocedures they needed to put inplace. Espiner Medical are real in-novators and leaders in their fieldand I am delighted UKTI hashelped them achieve their well-de-served worldwide success.”

Dave Groombridge, EspinerMedical’s sales and marketingmanager, said there was strongdemand for the business’s

products and it had always enjoyedhealthy growth.

“Since we started working withUKTI, sales have increased dra-m at i c a l ly, ” he said. “That is partlydown to growth in our existingbusiness, but has largely comefrom new export markets. Thanksto UKTI’s help, support and expertadvice, we are getting new over-seas customers all the time.”

For information about UKTI’ssupport services and details of Ex-port Week events taking placebetween April 7 and 11 across theSouth West, visit w w w. u k t i . go v. u kor w w w. e x p o r t w e e k . u k t i . go v. u k .

In the bag Trade experts guidemedical firm to global success

� Espiner Medical, based in Clevedon

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

12 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 13We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

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

UKTI export focus The Budget

A BUDGET for makers anddoers. Those were the wordswith which George Osborneopened and closed hisBudget statement last week.

So, seven days on, has the Chan-cellor achieved his goal of a Budgetthat helps manufacturers, exportersand other businesses?

On exports, initial reaction hasbeen positive.

Josephine Bush, Bristol-based taxpartner at EY, said: “The Chancellorannounced a number of initiatives tosupport exporters of which the twomost significant were further re-sources for UKTI and a doubling ofthe funding available for export fin-ance to £3 billion at a new lowerinterest rate.

“The Chancellor said this would bethe most competitive scheme inEurope and it does appear to offerreal benefits especially to small andmedium-sized exporters and aspiringexporters. However, the OBR’s fore-casts for trade are relatively muted,showing how challenging and com-petitive export markets are likely tore m a i n . ”

But she said more significant couldbe the “industrial strategy”, wherethe Chancellor said developing ex-pertise in graphene, cell therapy andbig data would be priorities.

Bonnie Dean, far right, chief ex-ecutive at the Bristol and Bath Sci-ence Park in Emersons Green, said

Expert verdict C h a n ce l l o r ’s pledge to givesupport to exporters offers ‘real benefits’Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Proper ty

B o r row i n g

Pe n s i o n s

Enterprise Zone

� Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne

IT HAS been great to see so many ofthe region’s companies, large andsmall, taking up the internationaltrade challenge and benefiting fromthe support available.

There is an unbelievable appetite forBritish products and services overseasand there has never been a more op-portune time to take advantage of thesecommercial prospects.

I strongly believe that most companiescan and should export – f ro msingle-owner operations to large cor-porations. If you are successful in theUK, there is no reason why you can’t sellabroad, if you do your research and planp ro p e rly.

Exporting is crucial to the growth ofour regional economy. Once you startexporting, there’s no limit to where youcan go and the profit you can make.Whether you’re new to exporting orexperienced in trading internationally,these events are not to be missed.

Registration is now open for a series ofevents to inspire the region’s businessesto explore overseas markets.

UKTI South West is hosting eventsacross the region as part of ExportWeek, to encourage businesses to con-sider their overseas potential and showhow UKTI can help reach new custom-ers around the world. It takes place fromApril 7-11.

Export Week will offer a mix of sem-inars, masterclasses, one-to-one meet-ings, workshops and networking eventsto inform and inspire businesses to takeup the export challenge.

They include:April 7� Your Springboard to the Nordics –Meet the Experts. Bristol.April 8� Business Showcase South West.Bristol.April 9� The Future of Export, Exporting inthe Digital Age. South Gloucestershire.� Growing Your International Business– MSB Breakfast Briefing. Bath.� The A-Z of Selling Online. Cornwall.April 10� Entering the Chinese Market –Masterclass. Somerset.� Worldwide Women Network – G ro wYour Business Overseas. Chippenham.April 11� Sizzling Southeast Asia Roadshow.Bristol.� For further information andbookings, visit: w w w. e x p o r t w e e k .u k t i . g o v. u k .

Follow UKTI South West on Twitter@UKTI_SW and take part in theconversation using #exportweek.

Most firms couldbe selling abroad

Russell JonesRegional directorUK Trade andInvestment (UKTI)

Expert eye

UKTI Market Visits� Every year UK Trade &Investment (UKTI) organises andtakes overseas a number ofmarket visits.

These may be sector specific orgeneral focused and sometimesencompass multiple markets.

So what is a Market Visit?In a nutshell, a market visit is an

overseas visit by a group ofbusinesses who meetface-to-face with potentialbuyers, agents and prospectivebusiness partners.� How it works: Organised to

help businesses visit an overseasmarket of particular interest, amarket visit usually follows aninitial research exercise. Thisresearch is vital in helping toidentify the appropriateopportunities and to maximise thevalue of the visit.

UKTI’s world-beating networkbased in British Embassies, HighCommissions and ConsularOffices around the world arepivotal to the organisation of amarket visit.

The staff in these offices are theUSP - the input that they bring tothe table is invaluable to UK

companies. Their local languageskills, market knowledge andextensive political andcommercial contacts put them atthe heart of this service.

By taking part in a market visitUKTI can help businesses to:� Identify opportunities and opendoors� Reach customers/businesspartners otherwise not accessible� Raise your profile andcredibility overseas� Overcome barriers to entry orexpansion� Understand the competition� Forthcoming Market Visits

In the next 12 months UKTI willbe taking business delegations onmarket visits to all corners of theworld. From Vietnam to Australia,China to South Africa there aremultiple opportunities forbusinesses in the region to traveloverseas and make the rightconnections to grow theirbusiness.

For further information onmarket visits and the supportavailable for South Westbusinesses, contact AngelaMaynard-Smith, InternationalMarket Visits Adviser, at: angela.maynard-smith@uktisouthwest.org.

Diary Dates� June 2014 - USA FancyFood Show - Food & DrinkSector� August 2014 - Vietnam -Healthcare Sector� September 2014 - China -Multi Sector� October 2014 – Australiaand New Zealand – Food &Drink Sector� October 2014 - Brazil - Oil,Gas and Renewable Sectors� November 2014 - SouthAfrica - AdvancedEngineering (inc. Aerospaceand Automotive) Sector� November 2014 - SouthKorea - Creative IndustriesSectors

� THE Chancellor announced anextension to some of the incentives

for businesses to invest in theTemple Quarter Enterprise Zone,around Temple Meads.

Paul Wilson, chief executiveof the West of England LocalEnterprise Partnership, whichmanages the zone, said: “Whileone Budget is never going to

deliver everything businessneeds, this Budget has certainly

provided some positive measuresthat will help to support business

g ro w t h .“We ’re pleased to see that the business rate

discount in enterprise zones has beenextended for three years, until March 2018.The Government is also extending the periodin which capital allowances are available inenterprise zones by three years, until March2020.

“Our enterprise zone in Bristol TempleQuarter is already home to over 350businesses. Since opening in April 2012,we’ve seen around 70 businesses moving inand a lot of interest from companies inlocating here.

“These measures provide certainty forbusiness and an extra incentive to locate here,which is good news in terms of inwardinvestment.”

� TUCKED away in the 120-page Budgetdocument was an idea to force banks to refersmall and medium-sized businesses toalternative lenders after turning them down fora loan.

The idea is that if the banks won’t lend,someone else might. If pursued, it would bewelcomed by Adam Tavener, right, chairmanof pensionledfunding.com, based in Pill, whowas the catalyst for the recent launch of thealter nativebusinessfunding.co.uk portal.

Adam said: “This could pave the way forbanks to refer businesses to the alternativefunding providers via our recently launchedportal - which signposts business owners to a

variety of different funding options. Thisis also a real opportunity for acollaborative culture to developbetween the banking andalternative sectors, not just torefer businesses but to worktogether on multi-source dealsthat provide the right shape offunding package for thebusiness owner. Bettersignposting would givebusinesses, particularly SMEs,safe access to approved lenders,while helping banks keep UKbusinesses growing by encouraginginnovative or complementary funding.”

� THE pensions market is still coming toterms with changes that will allow people todraw down their whole pension as a lump sumand not have to buy an annuity.

Chris Mapp, head of the Bristol office ofPutner Southall, said the changes would affectmost firms.

“There will be a much greater need foradvice and guidance for employees in theyears leading up to retirement and there will bepressure on employers to fund that.

“It’s not just a one-off decision at retirement– if people are going to take their pension ascash there are investment choices along thew a y. ”

James Dean, pensions partner at law firmTLT, said: "By opening up defined contributionsavers' options at retirement the Governmentis throwing a grenade at the annuity market

and challenging it to fix a broken system. It'squite something that the predicted effect of‘lowering’ the tax rate on full definedcontributions withdrawal from 55 percent to an individual's marginalrate is to generate an additional£1.2 billion in tax revenue by2018-2019.

"Those with trust-baseddefined contributions schemeswill want to review theirexisting rules for allowingflexible retirement options andwill be interested to learn justwhat is meant by the proposed‘guidance guarantee’ which willoblige them to offer free and impartialguidance on their members' financial choicesat retirement.”

� WHILE Help to Buy got most of theattention, there was more for the property

business in the Budget.One change could see emptywarehouses and workshops

turned into flats and homes.Jonathan Lambert, left,

director of development at DTZin Bristol, said: “TheGover nment’s proposals toconsider enabling theconversion to residential use of

warehouses and light industrialstructures through permitted

development rights isencouraging, albeit we will have to

wait and see what the actual affect ofthis would be.

“While it may encourage some speculativedevelopers to pursue opportunities that wouldordinarily be fraught with planning risk, inreality developers will only convert propertieswhich provide them with a financial return.”

Darren Sheward, head of office at LambertSmith Hampton in Bristol, said previouschanges to allow offices to become flats hadbeen popular since taking effect last year.

“Our research reveals that applications foralmost 10,000 new residential units weremade in just six months,” he added.

“Any extension of the rules to allow abroader range of commercial properties to beconverted into residential premises will help toremove obsolete stock from the market whilstalso creating much-needed new homes, andso is a ‘win-win’ for everyone.”

the announcement of new doctoraltraining centres and a new big datainstitute was an “encoura gingsign”.

She also highlighted good news forstart-ups and small businesses.

“The announcement that the SeedEnterprise Investment Scheme,which was set up to help financestart-ups, has been made permanentwill continue to promote enterpriseand encourage in-vestment insmall andearly stagecompan-i e s, ” shesaid.

“And theextension tothe R&D taxcredits reliefscheme forloss-making busi-nesses is also welcome.

“There are many failures behindsome of the most well-known innov-ations and the ability to try again ifthings don’t quite work is crucial.”

The Federation of Small Business,which represents 7,200 membersacross the West of England, broadlywelcomed the Budget, picking out thedoubling of the amount which a firmcan invest in capital expendituretax-free to £500,000 as important.

Mark Owen, chairman of the re-gional branch of the Federation ofSmall Businesses, said: “The Budgetoffered a clear signal for businessesto grow with the increased invest-ment allowance, for example, provid-ing certainty for small firms lookingto realise investment expectations.”

ASMALL company in NorthSomerset has been work-ing in partnership withUK Trade and Investmentto become a world leader

in its field.Espiner Medical, based in Cleve-

don, began in 1990 when pioneer-ing laparoscopic surgeon HarryEspiner developed the idea ofusing a bag for retrieving tissuesafely during surgical proceduressuch as gallbladder removal.

He set about designing one andidentified Jim Howard, at Camer-on Balloons in Bristol – the world'slargest manufacturer of hot airballoons – as his partner.

With his expert knowledge oflightweight fabrics, Jim created afully leak-resistant prototypeusing ripstop nylon, with a spe-cially formulated polyurethanecoating. Harry tested and modifiedthe designs in clinical trials andthe refined product was patentedin 1992.

This design has been the basisfor the company’s full and com-prehensive E-Sac product range,now used all over the world for alltissue retrieval procedures onparts of the body ranging from theappendix to the spleen, andeverything in between.

Espiner Medical now has aturnover of nearly £1.5 million,employs 20 people and is exportingto every part of the world. Thecompany has continued to expandas demand for its products hasgrown and, in 2013, its remarkableachievements were recognisedwhen it was awarded the Queen’sAward for Enterprise.

With such a good product, thecompany continues to flourish inits home market, but working with

UKTI to exploit new opportunitiesabroad has made a big contribu-tion to its recent success.

Commenting on working in part-nership with the company, UKTIinternational trade adviser, RobThompson, said: “When we startedworking with them two years ago,Espiner Medical were already wellestablished in most European mar-ke t s.

“It was clear that North Americarepresented an enormous oppor-tunity for them, but there are vari-ous regulatory hoops foreign

companies have to jump throughbefore they can trade there.

“We were able to give them guid-ance on the US approval processand the foreign currency paymentprocedures they needed to put inplace. Espiner Medical are real in-novators and leaders in their fieldand I am delighted UKTI hashelped them achieve their well-de-served worldwide success.”

Dave Groombridge, EspinerMedical’s sales and marketingmanager, said there was strongdemand for the business’s

products and it had always enjoyedhealthy growth.

“Since we started working withUKTI, sales have increased dra-m at i c a l ly, ” he said. “That is partlydown to growth in our existingbusiness, but has largely comefrom new export markets. Thanksto UKTI’s help, support and expertadvice, we are getting new over-seas customers all the time.”

For information about UKTI’ssupport services and details of Ex-port Week events taking placebetween April 7 and 11 across theSouth West, visit w w w. u k t i . go v. u kor w w w. e x p o r t w e e k . u k t i . go v. u k .

In the bag Trade experts guidemedical firm to global success

� Espiner Medical, based in Clevedon

Chris CampbellBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

14 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 15We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

BUSINESSES have seen sig-nificant changes over re-cent years in the way theyhandle their data. The in-troduction of the mobile

workforce, cloud repositories and24-hour access to critical businessdata is now something we have allcome to expect. Changing the waywe work and providing our work-force with the flexibility to accessour data is certainly of benefit, butit’s not without its risks and se-curity is certainly an area of IT thatbusinesses simply can’t ignore.

In an ever more compliant world,what are businesses doing to protecttheir data and systems? BOM hasprovided security products formany years to businesses of alldemographics and more recently asa managed security service. The ITsecurity business can be a complexarea with terms like WAF, IDS, IPS,DLP, all three-letter acronyms thathave huge implications on any busi-ness if you don’t understand whatthey mean.

We have developed a number ofservices to help initiate the firststeps of securing your business. Thedevelopment of a security readinessreview, risk assessment and pen-etration testing are all areas toarouse the thoughts of businessowners and those responsible for thed at a .

What measures does your busi-ness put in place to secure what’simportant to you? You may ask your-self the question, “would you betyour job that your business data iss e c u re ”? This is clearly hard to do,especially with ever-moving targetsand threats designed to prevent yourbusiness operating smoothly and se-c u re ly.

Having developed such services, Ibelieve BOM has positioned itselfwell to advise and support custom-ers on their business needs. Work-ing with its preferred vendorFortinet and offering managed ser-vices for mail filtering, web mon-itoring and firewall traffic analysis,BOM believes strongly that it candeliver a cost-effective solution inwhat can be a hugely expensive anddesirable technology.

We believe that customers want acombination of cloud andon-premise technology, where themanaged service provider takes onsome of the potential risk and cost ofsupporting IT security, allowingtheir business to focus on whatmakes them profitable.

At BOM we want to effect change,a fresh approach to IT security, de-livering shared success for busi-nesses through our managedsecurity and remote monitoring ser-v i c e s.

AndyCarterCommercialdir ectorBOM IT

IT risks mustnot be ignored

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

IT security

BUSINESSES in Bristolcould be facing a hugethreat to their data se-curity, without even real-ising. The clock is ticking

on Microsoft ending support forWindows XP, Office 2003 and Ex-change 2003.

So what? You might think. Thesystem still works, it’s been meet-ing your needs so why change?

One word. Security. Any busi-ness still using those systems afterApril 8 are putting any data storedand their business at risk.

The reason is that Microsoft willno longer be providing securityupdates for those operating sys-tems. They are 14 years old so it’shardly surprising. Now that in it-self is a good enough reason tochange, but it’s worse than that.

When Microsoft releases secur-ity for its later operating systems,the bad guys will pick those apartand reverse engineer them to workout what the bugs or flaws werethat they are fixing.

They will then be able to look forthose flaws in Windows XP or Of-fice 2003 and take advantage.

Put simply, any business with aPC that is connected to the outsideworld through the internet that isusing those operating systems willbe at risk. So what should you doabout it? If you have an IT supportservice provider they should havealready addressed this with you.

Assess the risk. Are you pre-pared to take on the chin the risksof continuing to use it? And do youknow what they are?

The risks are bigger than youmight think. If you store data sub-ject to the Data Protection Act, andmost businesses do, such as clientinformation, then you have a legalduty to protect that information.

The Information Commissionercan give out fines of up to £500,000for failing to do so. Even a tiny fineby its standards, say £10,000 for adata breach, could sink a smalloffice/home office business.

If you use XP, I would stronglyadvise that you need to changeyour operating system.

There may be businesses whichuse it with bespoke software that isno longer available and is crucialto their business.

That is the only good reason tokeep using XP. And in that cir-cumstance you should isolate thatmachine from your network andthe internet if you are to continueto use it.

Yes there would be a small costinvolved in changing your oper-ating system, but nothing like thecosts you could face if you don’t.� For more information visit ourwebsite – w w w. q u a d r a t i x . i t –coming soon, thanks to MayflyMedia.

Steve PerryOperations directorQuadratixw w w. q u a d r a t i x . i t

Coming threatto stored data

Expert eye

INFORMATION technology se-curity might feel like just an-other overhead. And it’s true, itis a business cost, but it’s one youc a n’t afford not to invest in,

thanks to the rising tide of securityt h re at s.

For smaller firms, it’s becoming abigger issue, as many predators andhackers look for ways into biggerfirms through the back door of thesupply chain.

Wi l Rockall, director of informa-tion protection at accountants andbusiness advisers KPMG, explainedhow the problem was growing.

“Lloyds Register carries out a sur-vey of what businesses are insuringas big risks,” he said. “In 2011, cyberrisk was not in the top 10. Last year, itwas at number three. That means bigcompanies are rating it as highly astaxation, threats to their reputationwith customers and the like.”

Wil says there two reasons why bigbusiness is suddenly taking this moreseriously. First, there are morethreats out there. And second, busi-

organisations in China and othercountries trying to access confiden-tial business information.

All that sounds like a problem forcorporations and big business. Butincreasingly it is an issue for smallerfirms, too.

“A lot of smaller owner-managedbusinesses are seen by these organ-isations as the weak underbelly of thebig company,” said Wil.

The big corporation might haveinvested heavily in information se-curity, but those further down itssupply chain, without the same re-sources, might not.

Wil said: “There was a big databreach with Target (supermarkets)last year involving 70 million cus-tomer details.

“The way they breached securitywas through a small contractorwhich looked after the air condition-ing.”

It’s a sobering thought for anysmaller business doing work for alarger one.

And as hacking gets more soph-isticated, the trail could go beyondjust direct suppliers and through thenetwork of company contacts.

What it also means is that biggerfirms are becoming aware of this andwill be putting pressure on smallerbusinesses to make sure their IT is upto scratch.

So if your business is not attacked,if you don’t invest you might find it

hard to win business in future.Wil said: “Big businesses which

have spent heavily on their own se-curity are now looking at the supplychain and asking, ‘are you going to bethe weak link’?”

Dark forces are not the only ITthreat to businesses, either. Thebiggest danger for many will be a lackof simple housekeeping.

For Steve Perry, operations direct-or at IT services firm Quadratix,planning is vital.

“Having a business continuity planwill be, I think, the most importantthing you can do for your business,”he said.

“That involves working out whatare the risks for your business, whatwould happen if your hard drive goesdown. How do you continue yourbusiness in the event of losing allyour data?

“The majority of businesses, in myexperience, don’t do anything aboutit because they think it won’t happento them and they think it is an oner-ous task.

“But as directors you have a legalobligation to make sure your busi-ness is done properly, which meansbeing able to carry on whensomething bad happens.”

That starts with something assimple as backing up your data, so inthe event of a fire, hack or whatever,all is not lost.

Steve said: “For many small busi-

nesses, their first experience of back-ing up their data comes after theylose all their data the first time.T hat’s when they learn how import-ant it is to back up.”

His own firm uses a system thatmeans, even if the office burneddown, he could use his phone to log onand access his landline extensionnumber, so no calls need be lost.

Other straightforward steps in-clude keeping your software and op-erating systems up to date.

The decision by Microsoft tostop supporting Windows XP nextmonth will leave any business stillusing it with a serious security prob-lem.

Wil said: “Housekeeping is so im-portant. About 80 or 90 per cent of thebig breaches of security could beavoided by doing the basics, such asknowing what IT system you haveand what information is housed, ap-

plying operating system patches andkeeping your anti-virus software upto date.”

He says many businesses, big andsmall, do not have someone at the toptaking responsibility for data secur-i t y.

“Historically IT security has been asmall part of the IT manager’s job,”he said. “But information has a value

NicSymondsOperationsdir ectorBOM IT

DON’T END UP THE WEAKEST LINK FOR CYBER CRIMINALSAs the dangers fromcyber attacks grow,Gavin Thompsonreports on what busi-nesses can and shouldbe doing about theirinformation security.

for nearly any company, it issomething that should be treated likeother valuable assets.”

The simple lesson is that in order toprotect one of its most valuable as-sets, a business needs first to re-cognise its value and then to useprofessionals with the right skills.

For bigger firms, that might bein-house or for many smaller firms it

means finding the right outsourcingsolution.

But the question isn’t can youafford to pay, it’s can you afford nott o.

Steve Perry said: “Our clients pay afixed fee per month, not per repair,except if buying new equipment. Fixproblems before they know they havethem.”

ness has been shirking its duties dur-ing the recession.

“T here’s been an increase in threata c t iv i t y, ” he said. “The number oforganisations attacking businessesin the UK has gone up and the level ofsophistication has gone up as well.

“In the recession, businessesunder-invested in this area and in thepast few years businesses have had asort of increased security debt – theyh ave n’t spent enough money or paidenough attention to it and thereforeaccepted higher levels of risk thanthey should have done. Now they areplaying catch-up.”

The kinds of threats range fromnuisance viruses, there to cause dis-ruption, and hackers looking to em-barrass firms in high-profile orcontroversial industries such asbanking or energy, through to es-pionage, with a growing number of

Wil Rockall

“ In the recession,businessesunder-invested in thisa re a … a lot of smallero w n e r- m a n a g e dbusinesses are seen asthe weak underbelly ofthe big company

� Wil Rockall, director of information protection at accountants andbusiness advisers KPMG

� The growing danger tofirms’ online securitymeans it is more importantthan ever to invest inmeasures to protect data

01275 890 100sales@bom.co.ukwww.bomitsolutions.co.uk

Celebrating 55Years of BusinessDelivering IT Solutions, Managed Servicesand Cloud Computing to Local Business

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

14 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 15We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014 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

BUSINESSES have seen sig-nificant changes over re-cent years in the way theyhandle their data. The in-troduction of the mobile

workforce, cloud repositories and24-hour access to critical businessdata is now something we have allcome to expect. Changing the waywe work and providing our work-force with the flexibility to accessour data is certainly of benefit, butit’s not without its risks and se-curity is certainly an area of IT thatbusinesses simply can’t ignore.

In an ever more compliant world,what are businesses doing to protecttheir data and systems? BOM hasprovided security products formany years to businesses of alldemographics and more recently asa managed security service. The ITsecurity business can be a complexarea with terms like WAF, IDS, IPS,DLP, all three-letter acronyms thathave huge implications on any busi-ness if you don’t understand whatthey mean.

We have developed a number ofservices to help initiate the firststeps of securing your business. Thedevelopment of a security readinessreview, risk assessment and pen-etration testing are all areas toarouse the thoughts of businessowners and those responsible for thed at a .

What measures does your busi-ness put in place to secure what’simportant to you? You may ask your-self the question, “would you betyour job that your business data iss e c u re ”? This is clearly hard to do,especially with ever-moving targetsand threats designed to prevent yourbusiness operating smoothly and se-c u re ly.

Having developed such services, Ibelieve BOM has positioned itselfwell to advise and support custom-ers on their business needs. Work-ing with its preferred vendorFortinet and offering managed ser-vices for mail filtering, web mon-itoring and firewall traffic analysis,BOM believes strongly that it candeliver a cost-effective solution inwhat can be a hugely expensive anddesirable technology.

We believe that customers want acombination of cloud andon-premise technology, where themanaged service provider takes onsome of the potential risk and cost ofsupporting IT security, allowingtheir business to focus on whatmakes them profitable.

At BOM we want to effect change,a fresh approach to IT security, de-livering shared success for busi-nesses through our managedsecurity and remote monitoring ser-v i c e s.

AndyCarterCommercialdir ectorBOM IT

IT risks mustnot be ignored

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

IT security

BUSINESSES in Bristolcould be facing a hugethreat to their data se-curity, without even real-ising. The clock is ticking

on Microsoft ending support forWindows XP, Office 2003 and Ex-change 2003.

So what? You might think. Thesystem still works, it’s been meet-ing your needs so why change?

One word. Security. Any busi-ness still using those systems afterApril 8 are putting any data storedand their business at risk.

The reason is that Microsoft willno longer be providing securityupdates for those operating sys-tems. They are 14 years old so it’shardly surprising. Now that in it-self is a good enough reason tochange, but it’s worse than that.

When Microsoft releases secur-ity for its later operating systems,the bad guys will pick those apartand reverse engineer them to workout what the bugs or flaws werethat they are fixing.

They will then be able to look forthose flaws in Windows XP or Of-fice 2003 and take advantage.

Put simply, any business with aPC that is connected to the outsideworld through the internet that isusing those operating systems willbe at risk. So what should you doabout it? If you have an IT supportservice provider they should havealready addressed this with you.

Assess the risk. Are you pre-pared to take on the chin the risksof continuing to use it? And do youknow what they are?

The risks are bigger than youmight think. If you store data sub-ject to the Data Protection Act, andmost businesses do, such as clientinformation, then you have a legalduty to protect that information.

The Information Commissionercan give out fines of up to £500,000for failing to do so. Even a tiny fineby its standards, say £10,000 for adata breach, could sink a smalloffice/home office business.

If you use XP, I would stronglyadvise that you need to changeyour operating system.

There may be businesses whichuse it with bespoke software that isno longer available and is crucialto their business.

That is the only good reason tokeep using XP. And in that cir-cumstance you should isolate thatmachine from your network andthe internet if you are to continueto use it.

Yes there would be a small costinvolved in changing your oper-ating system, but nothing like thecosts you could face if you don’t.� For more information visit ourwebsite – w w w. q u a d r a t i x . i t –coming soon, thanks to MayflyMedia.

Steve PerryOperations directorQuadratixw w w. q u a d r a t i x . i t

Coming threatto stored data

Expert eye

INFORMATION technology se-curity might feel like just an-other overhead. And it’s true, itis a business cost, but it’s one youc a n’t afford not to invest in,

thanks to the rising tide of securityt h re at s.

For smaller firms, it’s becoming abigger issue, as many predators andhackers look for ways into biggerfirms through the back door of thesupply chain.

Wi l Rockall, director of informa-tion protection at accountants andbusiness advisers KPMG, explainedhow the problem was growing.

“Lloyds Register carries out a sur-vey of what businesses are insuringas big risks,” he said. “In 2011, cyberrisk was not in the top 10. Last year, itwas at number three. That means bigcompanies are rating it as highly astaxation, threats to their reputationwith customers and the like.”

Wil says there two reasons why bigbusiness is suddenly taking this moreseriously. First, there are morethreats out there. And second, busi-

organisations in China and othercountries trying to access confiden-tial business information.

All that sounds like a problem forcorporations and big business. Butincreasingly it is an issue for smallerfirms, too.

“A lot of smaller owner-managedbusinesses are seen by these organ-isations as the weak underbelly of thebig company,” said Wil.

The big corporation might haveinvested heavily in information se-curity, but those further down itssupply chain, without the same re-sources, might not.

Wil said: “There was a big databreach with Target (supermarkets)last year involving 70 million cus-tomer details.

“The way they breached securitywas through a small contractorwhich looked after the air condition-ing.”

It’s a sobering thought for anysmaller business doing work for alarger one.

And as hacking gets more soph-isticated, the trail could go beyondjust direct suppliers and through thenetwork of company contacts.

What it also means is that biggerfirms are becoming aware of this andwill be putting pressure on smallerbusinesses to make sure their IT is upto scratch.

So if your business is not attacked,if you don’t invest you might find it

hard to win business in future.Wil said: “Big businesses which

have spent heavily on their own se-curity are now looking at the supplychain and asking, ‘are you going to bethe weak link’?”

Dark forces are not the only ITthreat to businesses, either. Thebiggest danger for many will be a lackof simple housekeeping.

For Steve Perry, operations direct-or at IT services firm Quadratix,planning is vital.

“Having a business continuity planwill be, I think, the most importantthing you can do for your business,”he said.

“That involves working out whatare the risks for your business, whatwould happen if your hard drive goesdown. How do you continue yourbusiness in the event of losing allyour data?

“The majority of businesses, in myexperience, don’t do anything aboutit because they think it won’t happento them and they think it is an oner-ous task.

“But as directors you have a legalobligation to make sure your busi-ness is done properly, which meansbeing able to carry on whensomething bad happens.”

That starts with something assimple as backing up your data, so inthe event of a fire, hack or whatever,all is not lost.

Steve said: “For many small busi-

nesses, their first experience of back-ing up their data comes after theylose all their data the first time.T hat’s when they learn how import-ant it is to back up.”

His own firm uses a system thatmeans, even if the office burneddown, he could use his phone to log onand access his landline extensionnumber, so no calls need be lost.

Other straightforward steps in-clude keeping your software and op-erating systems up to date.

The decision by Microsoft tostop supporting Windows XP nextmonth will leave any business stillusing it with a serious security prob-lem.

Wil said: “Housekeeping is so im-portant. About 80 or 90 per cent of thebig breaches of security could beavoided by doing the basics, such asknowing what IT system you haveand what information is housed, ap-

plying operating system patches andkeeping your anti-virus software upto date.”

He says many businesses, big andsmall, do not have someone at the toptaking responsibility for data secur-i t y.

“Historically IT security has been asmall part of the IT manager’s job,”he said. “But information has a value

NicSymondsOperationsdir ectorBOM IT

DON’T END UP THE WEAKEST LINK FOR CYBER CRIMINALSAs the dangers fromcyber attacks grow,Gavin Thompsonreports on what busi-nesses can and shouldbe doing about theirinformation security.

for nearly any company, it issomething that should be treated likeother valuable assets.”

The simple lesson is that in order toprotect one of its most valuable as-sets, a business needs first to re-cognise its value and then to useprofessionals with the right skills.

For bigger firms, that might bein-house or for many smaller firms it

means finding the right outsourcingsolution.

But the question isn’t can youafford to pay, it’s can you afford nott o.

Steve Perry said: “Our clients pay afixed fee per month, not per repair,except if buying new equipment. Fixproblems before they know they havethem.”

ness has been shirking its duties dur-ing the recession.

“T here’s been an increase in threata c t iv i t y, ” he said. “The number oforganisations attacking businessesin the UK has gone up and the level ofsophistication has gone up as well.

“In the recession, businessesunder-invested in this area and in thepast few years businesses have had asort of increased security debt – theyh ave n’t spent enough money or paidenough attention to it and thereforeaccepted higher levels of risk thanthey should have done. Now they areplaying catch-up.”

The kinds of threats range fromnuisance viruses, there to cause dis-ruption, and hackers looking to em-barrass firms in high-profile orcontroversial industries such asbanking or energy, through to es-pionage, with a growing number of

Wil Rockall

“ In the recession,businessesunder-invested in thisa re a … a lot of smallero w n e r- m a n a g e dbusinesses are seen asthe weak underbelly ofthe big company

� Wil Rockall, director of information protection at accountants andbusiness advisers KPMG

� The growing danger tofirms’ online securitymeans it is more importantthan ever to invest inmeasures to protect data

01275 890 100sales@bom.co.ukwww.bomitsolutions.co.uk

Celebrating 55Years of BusinessDelivering IT Solutions, Managed Servicesand Cloud Computing to Local Business

EPB-

E01-

S3

16 We d n e s d a y, M a rc h 26, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Movers & shake-upsUp and coming The latest appointments news. Sendyour news to business@b-nm.co.uk

� KEYSTONE Law hasrecruited Martin Howe to jointhe firm’s Bristol office.

Martin was a partner at BevanBrittan and is an expert in theinterpretation and drafting ofconstruction and relatedcontracts in the public andprivate sector. The Bristol officenow has 15p a r t n e r- l e v e llawyers.

Managingd i re c t o r,JamesKnight,said:“Asclientdemandgrows in theSouth West, wecontinue to strengthen ourBristol team. Martin joins ateam of highly experiencedsolicitors whose combinedexpertise, in both contentiousand non-contentious matters,makes them perfectly placed toadvise clients across a widerange of legal issues.”

� Solvings, which provides ITinfrastructure services, supportand project consultancy, hasappointed Mark Taylor as salesmanager. He will work withsectors from oil and gas tohospitals and banking.

Mark worked for the Ministryof Defence andhas 24years’service intheRoyalN a v y,includingfiveyears onHMSInvincible.He has athorough understanding ofmeeting mission-critical needs.

He said: “I am very excitedabout this opportunity. We havea team of high-level,security-cleared people whounderstand our clients’ needs.”

� NICK Taplin, from CadburyHouse Hotel in Congresbury,has been appointed to overseethe roll-out of the Marco PierreWhite Steakhouse Bar & Grilland Marco’s New York Italianconcepts across the UK, withplans to open 50 newfranchised restaurants withinfive years.

Nick is managing director atSanguine Hospitality and hasbeen instrumental inestablishing the steakhouseand Italian concepts atdestinations including CadburyHouse, The Cube inBirmingham and more recentlyat Exeter Airport.

He said: “We have had greatsuccess with our own sevenrestaurants and are opening inSheffield at the end of March.We are looking forward toexpanding both franchises.”

Sty l e

APOLISH mum-of-three whomoved to England four yearsago has set up her ownbeauty salon in Bedminster.Jolanta Jablonska, aged 44,

ran a beauty salon in Poland andtrained in New York before moving tothe UK in 2010.

After a job as a waitress in a hotel inNewquay, Cornwall, Jolanta moved toBristol in 2012 and worked as a beau-tician before finally opening up herown salon in Cannon Street in Janu-a r y.

Now after establishing her busi-ness and with a mixture of both Pol-ish and English clients on her books,Jolanta is already thinking aboutplans for future growth. She hopes totake on an extra therapist and openanother salon in the city later thisye a r.

Jo l a n t a ’s business, JJ Slimming &Beauty Eco Salon, was supportedwith a start-up loan from the SouthWest Investment Group.

Although she had her own capitalfor starting up the business, Jolantaneeded support to provide funds for adeposit on the property.

The low-interest loan from Swigoffers free business support to ap-plicants and on-going advice from amentor. Needing help finalising herbusiness planning and financial fore-casts, Jolanta received advice fromBusiness West adviser Jon Nichollsbefore taking the loan application toSwig Start Ups for appraisal.

Swig Start Ups programme man-ager Lisa Moore reviewed Jolanta’sapplication and was impressed withthe strength of her business plan. Shesaid: “Jolanta has extensive exper-ience of the sector and she has a veryexciting business. We wish her every

success for the business and the fu-t u re. ”

The salon offers treatments ran-

Beauty spot Mum launches salonand draws up plans for expansion

Students given help to be masters with moneyround and I save half the money fromthat and spend the rest. It’s useful tobe here and find out how better tolook after what money I have.”

Catherine Knight, Weston Col-le ge’s strategic lead for school part-nerships and progression, whohelped to organise the event, said:“The Barclays Money Skills week hasbeen a fantastic opportunity for stu-dents to brush up their money man-agement and employability skills.”

Chris Hearn, head of education atBarclays, said: “Around the UK,young people are facing unpreced-ented social and financial changes.We recognise that, through theBarclays Money Skills programme,our resources and knowledge as abusiness can help young people over-come those challenges and gain theskills they need to achieve independ-ence and financial security.”

STUDENTS from Weston Collegelearned financial, enterprise and em-ployability skills as part of a moneymanagement programme beingstaged at further education collegesacross the UK.

Staffed by Weston College businessstudies students who were speciallytrained as Money Skills ‘colle gech a m p i o n s ’, the Barclays MoneySkills roadshow is a national ini-tiative aimed at helping young peopleto develop their financial skills,knowledge and confidence.

Tutorials were delivered at the col-lege and online resources were avail-able to learners to boost their skills,while the college champions ran com-petitions, quizzes and prize draws.

One of the champions was JordanSotiris, 16, a level three business stud-ies student. He said: “Generally Imanage my money OK. I have a paper

� JolantaJablonska isfrom Polandand has set upJJ Slimming &Beauty EcoSalon inBedminsterPics: Dan ReganBRDR20140319B-005

Ed u c a t i o n

� Weston College students

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

ging from facials and exfoliationsthrough to body care and slimmingtreatments with flexible appoint-

ments, after work, during lunchbreaks or at the weekend.

The treatments available includethose provided by specialist equip-ment for slimming and body con-touring therapies such as LPGendermologie, presotherapy and elec-t ro s t i m u l at i o n .

Jolanta said: “There are only threeother places in Bristol that have theequipment and we have really goodprices and offers on our treatments.

“It’s important to me that everyoneis welcomed into a warm and friendlyenvironment and everybody can feeltotally relaxed during their visit andleave the salon feeling good aboutt h e m s e l ve s. ”