KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees8, Januar y, 2013

INSIDE

● Full story - Page 8

● Full story - Page 4

Stop bashing StarbucksCo lumn - Page 4

An EXAMINER publication

PartyplannerA LUXURY themedchildren’s party venuehas won a monthlyaward after its founderimpressed judges withher passion andbusiness acumen.Party Dreamz, set up in2008 by mother-of-twoSusan Adams andbased at Milnsbridge,was named Business ofthe Month in the awardscheme run byHuddersfield law firmEaton Smith inconjunction with theMid Yorkshire Chamberof Commerce and UKTI.

Digitalprint prizeA PUBLISHING firm inHuddersfield beat offstrong competition toland a national printaward. Digital printer,bookbinder andpresentation packagingcompany Dunn andMills Group was namedDigital Printer MagazineBook Printer of the YearAward 2012 at a galaluncheon London’sMarriott Hotel for itsentry, a hardbackfeaturing the work ofWakefield-based artistLes Packham.

AMANDA VIGAR

exam

iner

.co.

uk Themosttrustednewsbrandin thebusiness

FTSE 100-25 .266064.58

GRAZYNA BYLINKA

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3

Fabrications firmreaps the benefitsA COMPANY celebrating 40 years ofsuccess has ambitious plans for thefuture.

Salamander Fabrications, based atSlaithwaite, has expanded its premisesand invested in new equipment to helpit respond more quickly to customerneeds.

And it is forecasting “an extremelybusy” 2013 with more projects in thepipeline to streamline its operations.

The company, founded in 1973 byHuddersfield-born Brian Haskell,started in a modest way with just threeemployees working from premises notmuch bigger than a modern doublegarage.

Its first contract was to supply amobile canteen to Derbyshire police.The firm continued to supply cateringequipment – mainly mobile canteensand fish and chip ranges.

In 1983, Salamander became thefirst company in the UK to buy anautomatic indexing punch capable ofpunching different profiles out of sheetmetal up to 6mm in thickness.

Today the firm employs 35 peoplewith a wide variety of skills, includingskilled welders, CNC machine operat-ors, 3D CAD designers, technicalsales, electro-mechanical assemblersand powder coating paint sprayerswho all have a wealth of shop floor

experience.Following the death of Brian

Haskell, the company has beenrestructured. His son Michael is nowmanaging director and has put a man-agement team in place to drive thecompany forward.

Salamander now subcontracts for awide variety of industries, including

automotive, rail, agricultural, con-struction, banking, shopfitting, vend-ing equipment, catering equipmentand street furniture.

Recent investment includes a 900sqmetres shopfloor extension to house anew high tech laser cutting machine.

The machine allows very accuratecutting of a range of metals with

unprecedented output. It also has anautomatic loading system whichenables it to run for up to eight hoursunaided.

The investment means Salamandercan react very quickly to customers’requirements – from initial conceptand design to the final product beingdelivered to the door.

The investment has given the com-pany extra capacity in the profiling ofmetals and brought an increase in thevolume of work to all areas of thebusiness – leading the firm to recruitmore shopfloor and office staff.

Salamander is aiming for continuedgrowth over the next five years tosecure current jobs and create newones.

Mr Haskell said: “We will continueto work with our current customers,delivering quality products on time,but also look to expand our customerbase by showing what a great serviceSalamander fabrications can offer.

“The next year is going to beextremely busy for us as a businesswith lots of internal projects to stream-line the way in which we work, ensur-ing that we can provide our customersold and new with an unrivalled onestop shop for all sheet metal require-ments.”

■ WORK PATTERN: David McStrafick, general manager of SalamanderFabrications, holds a sheet metal profile produced by the firm’s new lasercutting machine

Co-operation is key for Yorkshire’s high-fliersA COACHING service aiming to helpKirklees firms become the best saysco-operation will be the name of thegame for forward-thinking businessesthis year.

GrowthAccelerator, the Govern-ment-backed initiative that helps busi-nesses fulfil their growth potential,surveyed 500 business people acrossthe UK – and found that working withlike-minded peers and investing in stafftraining topped the ways they plan topursue growth in 2013.

Among Yorkshire firms polled, 29%said their biggest “enabler” of growthto date has been advice and coachingwhile half think they’ll grow by up to

20% next year.More than a third of Yorkshire

businesses list launching new productsas their number one ambition for 2013while a third say their biggest piece ofadvice to others is not to be scared ofdiversifying or innovating to launchsomething new.

The national findings show that theowners behind the UK’s fastest-grow-ing businesses are confident in theirbusiness models – with 86% predictingthey’ll grow by up to 20% next year.They are also investing money ratherthan cutting corners in a bid to helptheir staff and businesses achieve theirpotential.

When asked what their biggest busi-ness ambition was for 2013, most saidthey wanted to grow their workforce –with staff training coming out on topwhen asked how they’d spend addi-tional resources.

They also said that if they could giveaspiring high growth businesses onepiece of advice, it would be “to con-tinue investing in staff even whenmoney is tight”.

Simon Littlewood, of GrowthAccel-erator, said: “In prioritising investmentin staff training next year, fast-growingbusinesses are showing they have faithin the strength of their business mod-els.

“The impact of the recession has hithard for many companies and we knowfrom the businesses we work with everyday that there is nonetheless hugeambition and drive among the UK’sbusiness owners.

“The GrowthAccelerator service isall about providing the tools, access toindividuals who can help and supportthat businesses need to achieve thispotential for growth.”

Also high on the list of activitiesfundamental to growth was formingpartnerships and networks, and work-ing collaboratively with like-mindedbusinesses and organisations.

Power of networking

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

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Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.45 dollarsBangladesh................. 120.58 takaBrazil.............................. 2.92 realsCanada....................... 1.51 dollarsChina ............................. 8.93 yuanCzech Republic ...... 28.70 korunasDenmark....................... 8.72 kroneEuro............................... 1.17 euroHong Kong................ 11.80 dollarsHungary ................... 320.50 forintsIndia.......................... 77.81 rupeesJapan........................... 133.96 yenMexico ....................... 18.22 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.80 dollarsNorway ......................... 8.58 kronePakistan.................. 147.09 rupeesPhilippines ................. 56.16 pesosSouth Africa ................. 12.90 randSouth Korea.............. 1486.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 192.80 rupeesSweden....................... 10.04 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.42 francsTaiwan ...................... 40.63 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.71 new liraUSA ............................ 1.53 dollars

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £37.13 +0.06Gannett 1177.48 +7.15Hess Corp £34.59 +0.37Microsoft 1662.52 -0.31Motors Liquidation 46.64Wal-Mart Stores £42.43 -0.52

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 398 +6BAE Systems 3501/4 -23/8Rolls-Royce 9041/2 -131/2

AIMBrady Plc 93 -21/2

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 2343/4 -11/4

BANKSBarclays 2871/4 +101/2HSBC 6661/4 -13/8Lloyds Banking Gp 501/2 +5/8Ryl Scotland 3337/8 +1/8Stan Chart 16221/2 -11

BEVERAGESDiageo 1813 -111/2SABMiller £287/8 -1/4

CHEMICALSCroda £235/8Elementis 98 2301/4 +1/4Johnsn Mat £233/8

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 290 +13/4Costain 252 +13/4

ELECTRICITY

Drax Gp 560SSE 1465 -1

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 230 +77/8

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3867/8 -3/4

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 243 +1/4Cable & WirelessComm

365/8

Colt Group 100 +4KCOM 73 +1Talktalk Telecom 2331/4 -13/4

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2561/8 -3/4Sainsbury 3313/4 -21/8Tesco 3491/4 -1/8

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1550 -30Tate Lyle 7931/2 +4Unilever £24 -1/8

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 3337/8 -71/8National Grid 694 -17Pennon Grp 6441/2 -7Severn 1587 -23United Utils 676 -81/2

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 2291/4 +3/4ICAP 3131/8 +21/2London StockExch 1152 +16Man Group 875/8 +2Provident Financial 1395 -2

Schroders 1786 -16Schroders NV 1423 +6

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSREXAM 4493/8 -23/8Smiths Grp 1207 -8

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 29 -1/4Carphone Whse 2101/2 -11/2Dixons Retail 283/8 -1/2Home Retail 1245/8 -23/4Inchcape 4491/8 +11/4Kingfisher 2861/4 -13/8M & S 372 -43/8Mothercare 347 +5Next £387/8 -1/8WH Smith 623 -3

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 6881/2 +1/2

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 76 -23/4Barrat Dev 2121/8 +31/4Persimmon 837 +8Reckitt Benckiser £391/4 -3/8Taylor Wimpey 703/4 +21/4

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGI M I 1124 -17

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 2683/4 -65/8

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATIONBBA Aviation 2311/4

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 3883/8 +11/2

Lgl & Gen 1511/4 +1/4Old Mutual 1821/4 -1/4Prudential 911 -7Resolution 2507/8 +1/4Standard Life 3493/4 -21/4

MEDIABSkyB 785 -21/2D Mail Tst 573 +4HIBU 3/8ITV 1095/8 +11/8Johnston Press 121/4Pearson 1210 -12Reed Elsevier 652 -9STV Group 1103/4 +71/8Trinity Mirror 981/2Utd Business 7411/2 -1/2UTV 133 +2WPP 9171/2 -8

MININGAnglo American £20Antofagasta 1322 -21BHP Billiton £213/4 -1/8Eurasian NaturalRes

3091/4 +45/8

Fresnillo 1775 -35Kazakhmys 8191/2 +8Lonmin 2951/2 +43/4Rio Tinto £353/4 -3/8VEDANTARESOURCES

1209 -6

Xstrata 11441/2 -21/2MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 611 +31/2Vodafone Group 1595/8 -3/8

NONLIFE INSURANCE

Admiral Grp 1198 -4RSA Insurance Gp 1263/4 -5/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 1032 -6BP 4483/4 -43/4Cairn Energy 2801/8 +1/8Royal Dutch Shell A £213/8 -1/8Royal Dutch Shell B £221/8 -1/8Total £317/8 -1/2Tullow Oil 1271 -4

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1035Petrofac 1653 -7Wood Gp(J) 7391/2 -2

PERSONAL GOODS

Burberry Gp 1281 -9

PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGYAstrazeneca £297/8 -1/8GlaxoSmithK XD 91/2Shire 1914 -15

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 5761/2 -1/2Captl Shop Cent 3605/8 +3/4Hamrsn 492 -11/4Land Secs 832 +3SEGRO 2511/4 +1/4

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESInvensys 3293/4 -3/8Sage Group 306

SUPPORT SERVICESBerendsen 6171/2 +11/2Bunzl 1024 -4Capita 7641/2 -31/2De La Rue 908 -41/2Electrocomp 2473/4 -13/8Experian 1024 -9G4S 263 -11/4Hays 857/8 -17/8Homeserve 246 +1/4Menzies J 6301/2 +1/2Rentokil 961/2 -1/4Smiths News 1703/4 +11/2Wolseley £30 -1/4

IT HARDWAREARM Hldgs 7991/2 -21/2Spirent Comms 1533/4 -1/2

TOBACCOBr Am Tob £32 +1/4

Imperial Tobacco £241/2 +1/8

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Bwin.Party Digital 114 +21/8Carnival £24 -1/4Compass Grp 7421/2 +1easyJet 8401/2 +191/2Enterprise Inns 105 +7/8FirstGroup 2091/4 +1/4Go-Ahead Gp 1290 -1Greene King 633 +3Intercontl Htls 1765 -12Intl Cons Airl 1915/8 -31/2Ladbrokes 2021/4Mitchells & Butlers 331 -1/4Natl Express 211Rank Org 1483/4 +21/8Stagecoach Group 3121/2 -71/8TUI Travel 2865/8 -1/4Whitbread £251/8 -1/8

INDEXFTSE 100 6064.58 -25.26

INDEXFTSE 250 12721.99 +27.09

Carclo 4741/4 +563/4Marshalls 1031/2 +11/2National Grid 694 -17Weir Gp 1953 -17

SUPERMARKET chain Morrisonsadmitted that its Christmas sales werebelow par – after feeling the heat fromrivals in a “highly promotional” mar-ket.

The UK’s fourth-biggest grocer,which employs about 130,000 staff at455 stores in the UK – including ones atWaterloo and Meltham in Hudders-field – reported a 2.5% decline inlike-for-like sales for the six weeks toDecember 30.

Morrisons labelled the performanceas disappointing.

Despite the latest drop in sales, whichfollows a 2.1% decline in the previousquarter, Morrisons said it remained ontrack to meet profit expectations.

Analysts believe Bradford-basedMorrisons has struggled to competebecause of its lack of a grocery deliveryservice and its small number of con-venience stores.

Competition in the sector over theChristmas period has been as fierce asever, with the big players focused on

promotional deals and money-offcoupons.

Tesco sharpened its performanceafter a disastrous 2011 and is likely toshow a modest return to like-for-likesales growth later this week, whileSainsbury’s will also be up by about 1%in sales figures on Wednesday.

Morrisons has also been squeezed byfurther strong growth from discountersAldi and Lidl.

Morrisons said: “The environmentover the Christmas period has contin-u e d t o b e c h a l l e n g i n g w i t hhard-pressed consumers increasinglyshopping to a budget and ‘vouchering’a prominent feature of a highly promo-tional market.”

However, the company admitted ithas not done enough to advertise itspromotions and communicate itspoints of difference.

Chief executive Dalton Philipsrecently announced an advertising dealwith TV presenters Ant and Dec andsponsorship of hit shows Britain’s Got

Talent and Ant & Dec’s Saturday NightTakeaway in a bid to promote thechain’s fresh food credentials.

A move into online shopping isexpected later this year, while the com-pany hopes to have 70 conveniencestores by the end of 2013.

Mr Philips praised staff for achieving

good availability of produce and highstandards of service during the festivepeak period.

However, he added: “In a difficultmarket our sales performance waslower than anticipated, but we have astrong business and significant oppor-tunities to advance our strategy.”

Analysts noted that profit forecastsfor Morrisons were already comingdown in the City before the disappoint-ing update.

Seymour Pierce stockbrokersresponded by knocking another £10mfrom its forecast for the year to the endof January, taking the figure to £880m –and has cut the 2014 figure by 8% to£850m.

Its retail analyst Freddie George saidthe sales fall came despite softer com-paratives with a year earlier.

He added: “With catch-up invest-ment needed in convenience andonline, we expect Morrisons to con-tinue to underperform the industry inthe year ahead.”

MORE than 2m new carswere sold in the UK lastyear – an increase of5.3% on 2011 and thehighest since 2008,according to the Societyof Motor Manufacturersand Traders.

The Ford Fiesta wasthe best-selling car of2012, with more than109,000 models bought,followed by the VauxhallCorsa (89,434), FordFocus (83,115) andVauxhall Astra (63,023).

Last year’s healthysales figures followed a12.9% increase in privatedemand for new cars.

Despite the strongperformance of the motorindustry, the new carmarket was 14.9% belowthe pre-recession level of2.4m sales in 2007.

Diesel cars took arecord 50.8% marketshare, with sales of justover a million comparedwith 978,000 petrolvehicles.

Sales of alternativefuel vehicles, such aselectric, increased by9.4% to almost 28,000 – ,a market share of 1.4%,which is a new high.

New carsales riseLack of Christmas

cheer at Morrisons

■ POINT OF SALE: Morrisons hasbeen squeezed by its major rivals anddiscounters such as Aldi and Lidl

MANUFACTURERS are more upbeatabout the UK’s economic prospectsthis year – although the potential fora world slowdown continues to“cast a shadow” over industry,according to a new study.

A survey of more than 100 firms byemployers’ body the EEF showedthat business leaders feared euro-zone markets would offer fewgrowth opportunities in 2013.

About a third of those polled saidthey expected economic conditionsto improve, although one in fourpredicted a further deterioration.

Andy Tuscher, Yorkshire region

director for the EEF, said: “The pastyear has been a challenging one forUK manufacturers, but as they lookto 2013 there is still growth potentialin their businesses.

“The increases in investment ininnovation in recent years will bearfruit as companies see opportunit-ies from new product developmentand, the commercialisation of newtechnology.

“Moreover these efforts willprovide a platform for UK exportersto compete in faster growing mar-kets and support efforts to diversifyinto new supply chains.”

‘Shadow’ over firms’ prospectsHOUSE of Fraser rode the wave ofshoppers logging on over the festiveperiod as it reported its “best ever”Christmas performance.

The department store retailer,which has a store at Kingsgate inHuddersfield, lifted sales by 6.3% inthe six weeks to January 5. Onlinerevenues rose by 48% in the period asincreasing numbers of customers usedtheir mobile phones and tablets toshop on the internet.

The group, which has 60 depart-ment stores, said it sold 45,000 pairsof shoes and 40,000 handbags a week

in the period, up 19% and 16%respectively.

House of Fraser, which has 7,300staff plus 11,000 concession employ-ees, said online sales exceeded anyindividual store after the relaunch ofits website and the opening of “clickand collect” stores in Aberdeen andLiverpool.

Despite the increase, chairman DonMcCarthy said: “There is no doubt2012 was a challenging year in retailand it remains difficult to predictwhen economic conditions and con-sumer sentiment will improve.”

Online boost for retailer Better forNew LookFASHION chain NewLook reported a 3.7%rise in like-for-like UKsales for the 14 weeks toDecember 29.

The retailer, which hasa store at Kinsgate inHuddersfield, also saidgross margin was“significantly ahead” oflast year due to betterstock management,lower markdown andpromotional activity.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

GrazynaBylinka

Oriflame

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Regional man-agerAge: 34Family: Engaged toChristopherHolidays: We areplanning our honey-moon in AustraliaCar: Ford FocusFirst job: Working in acafe as a student inPolandBest thing aboutjob: The flexibility andindependenceWorst thing aboutjob: I can’ think of any-thing I don’t like aboutmy job!Business tip: Believein yourself and what youare doing

Work: Skincare andcosmeticsSite: HuddersfieldEmployees: 500 inde-pendent consultantsacross the UKPhone: 07900 643520Email: grace.ori@gmail.comWeb: www.swedishcosmetics.co.uk

Leading lady’shappy to talk!

WHEN Grazyna Bylinkacame to Huddersfield fromher native Poland in 2004,she spoke barely a word ofEnglish.

Now the 34-year-old,who came to this countryto improve her careerprospects, is a chatty,successful businesswomanand a well-known face atlocal networking meetings.

Grazyna, who is knownas Grace to her Englishfriends, runs her ownbusiness promoting andselling Swedish cosmeticsand skincare by Oriflamefrom her home atBirchencliffe.

She is one of thecompany’s most successfultraders in Britain, turningover £500,000 a year andleading 10 nationwideteams comprising about500 people.

She first sold Oriflameproducts to her friendswhen she was a student atWarsaw University. Sheresumed the link-up aftercoming to Britain bybecoming a consultant in2007 to make a bit of extracash alongside herfull-time job.

She rose quickly throughthe ranks and in 2009became a regionalmanager – a job titlereferring to her level ofseniority, not geographicalresponsibilities.

She has built her teamsthrough talking to people,networking, referrals andrecruitment and managesthem via social media andwebinars as well asface-to-face meetings.

As well as beingresponsible for the salesand growth of her team,she sells Oriflame productsacross West Yorkshire viaonline orders, stands atlocal events andnetworking meetings.

Grazyna is a prominentmember of the Ladies 4Networking group, whichmeets in Milnsbridge, butalso attends networkingevents in Huddersfield,Brighouse and Halifax.

Grazyna studied tourismmanagement at university,but discovered that hergraduation certificate wasnot enough to get her ajob. She decided to cometo Britain to get workexperience.

“I got an ‘open ticket’ tostay for a year, thinking Icould always go backhome if I was not happy,”she says.

“That first year was thehardest because I had nofamily here, no contactsand very little English, but Idecided to stay a bitlonger!”.

Grazyna initially workedas a waitress at Casa Miaand the Radisson in Leedsbefore becominghospitality assistant atKPMG – and renewing herOriflame connection.

“I knew the brand andthe products and I saw anopportunity to earn someextra money,” she says.

“I realised there was anopportunity to run abusiness when I invitedother people to join – andmy team grew enough for

me to give up my full-timejob in catering and becomeself-employed.

“I have managers basedin Batley, Leeds andDoncaster, but I have ateam of 500 people all overthe UK. One of my mainaims for 2013 is to look foradditional managers for theteam.”

Says Grazyna: “I am abig believer in personalcontacts, helping people inthe team and developingtheir skills.

“When I joined, I neverthought I was going to be amanager – but peoplehelped me on the way.

“Ninety per cent of thepeople in the team aremothers or students, peoplewanting to earn extra moneyto supplement their income.

“They like the products,they use the products andthey sell them among familyand friends. And, yes, themajority of the teammembers are ladies.”

Grazyna stresses that herjob – and that of her team –is to “promote” the productsrather than giving it the“hard sell”.

She says: “It is awell-established brandestablished in Sweden bytwo brothers who are still incharge of the company.

“It has been going for 45years and started in the UKin the 1970. I joined at afantastic time, four yearsago when the company wasbeing relaunched across theUK.

“I am passionate aboutthe products and I havenever had any regrets aboutjoining. I can be workingfrom home or visiting teammembers, having a meetingwith one of my managers orout delivering orders.”

While Grazyna has bigplans for her business in

2013, she has otherreasons to look forwardto next year – an Augustwedding and ahoneymoon in Australia.She’s engaged toChristopher, who shedescribes as hergorgeous Yorkshire lad.Much of her spare timeis spent organisingthings for the big day.

Meanwhile, there arecontacts to make andnetworking events toattend. Says Grazyna:“When I joined thenetworking group Icouldn’t believe therewere so manybusinesswomen outthere, so many friendlyfaces and people happyto help.

“After being a memberfor a few months, it feltlike going to lunch withfriends. It isn’t hard workor the ‘hard sell’ – it’sbuilding relationships.

“I learned a lot – howto present, how to talk topeople – and it helpedme become moreconfident to talk aboutmyself and what I do.

“Attending networkingevents is an investment.You always get this bigbuzz from the meetingsand there are so manyuseful businesses who

can provide services youneed.”

Grazyna’s talents alsoextend to sewing – a skillshe acquired over severalyears. She jokes that ifthings don’t work out, shehas sewing to fall back onas a career.

And she adds: “I went toa party and found I waswearing the same dress asanother girl, which feltawful. Next time, I willmake my own dress!”

■ SCENT OF SUCCESS:Grazyna Bylinka, known asGrace, is regional managerwith skincare and cosmeticscompany Oriflame

Who will be the nextBusiness of the Month?If you are proud of what your business has achieved;why not tell us about your success storyand you could be a winner of ourprestigious award.

For further details please contact:Ian Greenwood, Eaton Smith Solicitors,14 High Street, Huddersfield HD1 2HA

T: 01484 821389 E: iangreenwood@eatonsmith.co.uk

Business Of The Month Awards - Rewarding Success Since 1995

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

THEBUSINESSBATTLEAXEAmanda Vigar

Amanda Vigar is managing partner at Holmfirth-based accountantsV&A Bell Brown LLP

Company wins print awardfor book of watercoloursA PUBLISHING company inHuddersfield beat off strongcompetition to land a national printaward.

Digital printer, bookbinder andpresentation packaging company Dunnand Mills Group was named DigitalPrinter Magazine Book Printer of theYear Award 2012 at a gala luncheonLondon’s Marriott Hotel.

The company, which employs morethan 80 staff and has annual sales ofalmost £3m was recognised for itsentry, Yorkshire in Watercolour, adust-jacketed hardback book featuringthe work of Wakefield-based artist LesPackham.

The book, consisting of 128 colourpages showing some of the artists’best-known works, was published,designed, printed and bound by theDunn and Mills Group, which is basedat Red Doles Lane, Deighton.

The award was presented to groupdirector and co-owner Jeremy Mills bya representative of award sponsorDelphax at the event and hostex-footballer Kevin Keegan.

Said Mr Mills: “In recent years, wehave become one of the leading digitalprinters, bookbinders and presentation

packaging companies in the countryand this major win cements ourgrowing reputation in the industry.

“This Award is recognition of theskills and expertise of our dedicated

staff in very difficult economiccircumstances which have seen usinvest prudently in new technology andequipment at our main Huddersfieldsite.”

■ WINNER: Jeremy Mills (second left), director and publisher of the Dunn andMills Group, with (from left) Kevin Keegan; Steve Hubbard, general manager forEMEA, Delphax, and Lindsey Pearson

Golf firm drivesup online salesA GOLFequipmentsupplier based inHuddersfield hasrevealed recordonline sales inthe build-up toChristmas.Direct Golf UK,based at LeedsRoad, posted a58% increase inonline sales during Decembercompared with the same month in2011. The firm’s websiteand customer service teams shippedout more than 5,500 parduring their busiest period of theyear.Chairman John AndrClass AA PGA Professional, said:“While Christmas is typically ourbusiest time of the yhave exceeded all eThe company sent out mormillion emails as parChristmas promotions – helping it todrive sales and buck the generretail trend.

Marketing movefor HR specialistA BIRSTALL-based human rcompany has enlisted anear-neighbour to boost itsmarketing efforts.Lamont Jones, whicproviding HR services f40 years, has appointed FMedia, also based in Bircreate a campaign encompassingemail marketing, PR and socialmedia.Donna Gardner, client serdirector at Fantastic Media, said:“We are delighted to haJones on board and wforward to introducing them to theworld of marketing and prsome positive results

Wheel deal fortruck dealershipA BRIGHOUSE truck dealersecured a deal with aWakefield-based haulierNorthern Commercialshas a site in Manchesterprovided YDS (UK) Ltd with a thirIveco Stralis tractor unit. All thrthe firm’s new vehicfor general haulage naYDS purchased the vthe Iveco Capital fleincluded full maintenance carby Northern CommerIndependently-owned NorCommercials was founded in 1971.As well as its commerwork, the business takrole in their local communities and isa main shirt sponsor of HudTown.

Starbucks aren’treally bad guys

THE big brands – eBay, Googleand Apple – are notorious tax

avoiders who should be hauledover the coals by HMRC, right?

Starbucks, for example, has beenforced to pay £20m to the tax man overthe next two years due to alleged taxavoidance.

Should other big multi-nationalcompanies now be hounded until theypay up?

Well, that’s a big resounding “no”from me!

With an international economy,people are able to move their moneyacross tax boundaries quite freely andlegally. And they are allowed to takeadvantage of the system they operatein. Any curb on this free movementmay well deter major internationalcompanies from trading in the UK.

That said, there need to be checksand balances in place to prevent abuse.Hence, the civilised world has intro-duced rules on transfer pricing to

ensure that profits aren’t moved aroundjust to save tax. There has to be acommercial reason for it.

While I’m certainly not arguing foran end to taxation, we have to face thefact that high levels of taxation willprevent some kinds of economic activ-ity from happening.

We also have to look wider than justwhat corporation tax they pay. There’sVAT, National Insurance, landfill taxand customs duties, to name but a few.We also have to remember that theaverage Starbucks on the street corneris a franchise – i.e. not owned by theStarbucks ogres, but by small busi-nesses that are paying corporation tax –assuming they make profits.

So, rather than whining that the bigcorporations are getting away with

murder by not paying “enough tax”into UK coffers, why don’t we insteadbreathe a sigh of relief that these big,hugely successful, companies are oper-ating here at all?

They invest in our country as they dobusiness here, recruit from our work-force and sell goods and services to usthat we actually want.

So, what’s the point of casting themas the bad guys? Well, there’s no pointat all.

Where Starbucks leads, by making atoken (to them!) £20m tax payment –really, a brilliantly timed PR exercise –I doubt that many other companies willfollow.

That’s good news for our economy,as those businesses are more likely tostick with us and invest in UK PLC.

Change of dateA NETWORKING group has changed itsname – for one month only.The First Friday Club becomes theSecond Friday Club when it meets thisFriday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at The VoxBar in Wood Street, Huddersfield. Thechange comes because many businesspeople were not back at their desks lastFriday following the Christmas break.The meetings, which are organised byHuddersfield accountancy firm RevellWard, provide an informal venue for localbusiness people to meet and chat withoutthe pressure of generating leads.For details, emailenquiries@revellward.co.uk

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

Cut costs, notservice levelsSMALL firms across could savethemselves almost £576m a year bytaking simple steps to cut costs –without hitting service or staff,according to new research.

Despite rising fuel and energycosts, a quarter of all Yorkshire’ssmall and medium-sized enterprisesadmitted to reviewing theirday-to-day costs only once in acalendar year in the survey conduc-ted by Yorkshire Bank.

The same SMEs admitted theycould probably be getting a betterdeal if they tried – but lack of time ormisplaced loyalty to their currentsuppliers meant they were unlikelyto do so.

And almost a quarter of themadmitted to never regularly review-ing the costs for their largest areas ofexpenditure.

Electricity and gas prices haverisen by 69% and 87% respectivelysince 2005 – and the Governmentpredicts prices will rise a further26% by 2020 compared to today’sprices. The average price of motorfuel has risen 44% in the last sevenyears.

More than 25% of businesses saidthat – excluding salaries – materialsand supplies represented the mostsignificant cost for them last year.

Fuel, IT, rent and energy billswere also significant and – togetherwith materials – represented abouthalf of all SME expenditure.

Yorkshire Bank has introduced aseries of measures to help businessesgrow by lowering some of their costs– introducing fee-free lending forgrowing businesses and a newswitching package with freeday-to-day banking for businesseswith an annual turnover up to£2m.

Alan Young, Yorkshire Bankregional director, said: “Keeping awatchful eye on overheads is crucialto ensure business growth and prof-itability.

“With difficult trading conditionsit can be easy to lose sight of some ofthe simpler ways of helping yourbusiness, but regularly reviewing

costs should be top of the to-do listfor any SME owner or manager.”

Last year, Yorkshire SMEs thatreviewed their regular costs saved anaverage of £6,940 by adoptingstraightforward measures such asimplement ing energy-sav ingpolicies or moving to a paperlessoffice – cost-savings that could beploughed back into the business inthe form of new jobs.

Mr Young said: “Yorkshire andHumber small businesses are facingdaily cost increases. Energy billsalone have risen by more than threequarters.

“Even relatively simple measures,such as making sure computers areswitched off at night, rather than lefton standby all go towards bringingcosts down.”

The Carbon Trust suggests thecost of keeping a single computerand monitor on each year is £50. Byswitching it off out-of-hours this isreduced to £15 – a 70% saving.

A report by the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills pre-dicted that SMEs sticking to a busi-ness plan were more likely tosucceed, suggesting that SME own-ers who plan and regularly reviewtheir outgoings would be more likelyto grow their business.

Said Mr Young: “By concentrat-ing on reducing the costs of thebasics such as energy and fuel, York-shire and Humber SMEs canfree-up the maximum amount ofcash to be used elsewhere support-ing their growth. And because theseare simple steps, they are nottime-consuming. It need be no morethan a couple of hours once a monthor even quarter.

“Our research shows that thereare significant savings to be madewithout a huge amount of effort.

“And all of these savings avoidcutting quality, service or wage bills,leaving money to be invested back into the business, which in some casesis going to be tens of thousands ofpounds.”

■ COST ANALYSIS: Alan Young, ofYorkshire Bank, says firms can makesavings in areas like energy and fuel

Golf firm drivesup online sales

online sales during Decembered with the same month in

ebsite, warehousevice teams shipped

e than 5,500 parcels a weekusiest period of the

ohn Andrew (pictured), aofessional, said:

hile Christmas is typically ourusiest time of the year, the figures

ceeded all expectations.”The company sent out more than amillion emails as part of its

omotions – helping it touck the general

Marketing movefor HR specialist

ALL-based human resourcescompany has enlisted a

-neighbour to boost its

, which has beenvices for more than

ppointed FantasticMedia, also based in Birstall, to

te a campaign encompassing, PR and social

lient servicesantastic Media, said:

e delighted to have Lamontd and we’re lookingoducing them to theeting and producing

esults.”

Wheel deal fortruck dealershipA BRIGHOUSE truck dealership has

ed a deal with aefield-based haulier.

cials, which alsohester, has

vided YDS (UK) Ltd with a thirdactor unit. All three of

ehicles will be usedge nationwide.

hased the vehicle throughlexi-hire which

luded full maintenance carried outn Commercials.

Independently-owned Northernas founded in 1971.

ell as its commercial vehicleusiness takes an active

ole in their local communities and ist sponsor of Huddersfield

Coaching countssurvey revealsBUSINESScoaching helpsorganisations getthe best from theirsenior personnelby improvingperformance andreducing costs, asurvey hassuggested.Respondents to thesurvey, which wasconducted byHuddersfield businesswoman andindependent researcher Judith Cork(pictured), also believed that coachingwas more effective than traditionallearning and development methods.Said Judith: “When it comes to investingin people and performance, are today’sleaders really getting the best resultsfrom their limited budgets? From thissurvey, coaching really seems to fit thebill and deliver results.”Change management topped the agendaas the main people-managementchallenge in the research commissionedby Beehive Coaching and LeadershipDevelopment Ltd.Eight out of 10 respondents saidcoaching could address their toppeople-management issues – from theday-to-day “nightmare employee” to thestrategic merging of organisations.The survey showed coaching had beenperformance-enhancing with improvedpersonal effectiveness, behaviourchange and morale and motivation justsome of the areas cited.

Bosses return to schoolMANUFACTURING firms in Kirkleesand Calderdale will get thelow-down on working with schoolsat an event next month.

Calderdale and KirkleesManufacturing Alliance is urgingmember firms to attend aBusiness/Schools IncreaseCollaboration event to be held from4pm to 6pm on Thursday, February7, at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Headteachers, businessco-ordinators and a number ofpupils will attend the event in the

stadium’s Revell Ward Suite.Company bosses, training and

personnel managers as well asyoung employees from industry areinvited to attend.

A spokesman for CKMA said:“Where schools are collaboratingwith businesses we are able toproduce more informed, work-readyyoung employees and ultimately getmore young people intoemployment.

For more details, emailSue.Weston@kirklees.gov.uk

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 6

Olympic effort isneeded for 2013 Chamber says

firms will copeTHE vast majority of employers willbe able to cope when major changes tothe way they send PAYE returns to thetaxman come into effect, says a Hud-dersfield-based business group.

From April, bosses will have to sendPAYE returns electronically to HMRevenue and Customs each time theypay their employees as part of routinepayroll processes.

The returns will include details of allemployees’ pay, tax and deductions.The new system – called Real TimeInformation – process will replacesending a separate return at the end ofthe year.

PAYE is the way that HMRC col-lects Income Tax and National Insur-ance Contributions. Currently,employers have to deduct this fromtheir employees' wages and payHMRC either monthly or quarterly.

Under RTI, an electronic return willhave to be made to HMRC “on orbefore” the date a payment is made toan employee. If the return is not madeon time, the employer is potentiallyliable to penalties.

HMRC said employers should visitwebsite hmrc.gov.uk/rti for fullinformation about the new RTI sys-tem, including how to prepare, payrollsoftware options and hints and tips tohelp avoid some common pitfalls.

HMRC said employers may have totalk to their payroll software providerabout acquiring new or updatedpayroll software – and they wouldneed to start checking and updatingemployee information, adding: “It’svital that the information employershave about their employees is accurateand up to date.”

Steven Leigh, head of policy for theLockwood-based Mid YorkshireChamber of Commerce, said the newsystem would pose few problems forcompanies already using specialistsoftware or the services of an account-ant to handle payroll.

He said: “The only businesses likelyto be affected are those that aren’tonline in any way or are dealing manu-ally with payroll paper records. Thosecompanies would be better advised toautomate their processes. You cannotrun a business in the modern worldwithout computer links.”

He said HMRC was “very serious”about introducing the new system,adding: “In the long-term, RTI couldbring savings.”

Ruth Owen, HMRC director gen-eral for personal tax, said: “To avoid alast minute rush, it’s vital employersact now.

“Employers will need to send theirfirst return – called a Full PaymentSubmission or FPS – for salary orwage payments made to employees onor after April 6. If they have 250 ormore employees, they will have to sendan Employer Alignment Submissionbefore the first FPS.

“Although reporting PAYE in realtime will be straightforward for most,some preparation is needed. There ismore to it than simply buying orupdating software – although this iskey.

“Employers may need to addemployees such as casuals or thosebelow the Lower Earnings Limit totheir payroll system and must thinkabout their payroll practices to makesure that they work for real-timereporting.”

The RTI pilot was launched lastApril with just 10 employers. Sincethen, the pilot has expanded threetimes. By March 31, 2013, HMRCexpects PAYE records for about 6mpeople to be reported in real time.

HMRC said reporting PAYE in realtime would allow it to receive inform-ation on employees’ earnings, tax andNational Insurance Contributions asthey are paid, rather than at the end ofthe year. RTI would make it easier foremployers to administer PAYE andwould make tax more accurate.

■ FEW PROBLEMS: Steven Leigh,head of policy at the Mid YorkshireChamber of Commerce

KIRKLEES firms going into2013 can learn lessons fromthe success of last summer’sOlympics, says a financialexpert.Alex McWhirter, chiefexecutive of funding bodyFinance Yorkshire, said: “Thesuccess of this summer’sLondon 2012 Olympic andParalympic Gamesdemonstrated that planningand investing in the future is amassively worthwhileexercise.“I think that all businesses –ours included – can learn fromthe Olympic achievement.”Mr McWhirter said: “Lookingback over the last 12 months,we have had a very busy andconstructive year. By the endof September, we hadprovided investment to our200th SME. By November, wehad invested more than £30min SMEs in Yorkshire andHumber.“And we’ve now taken theamount of funding provided tobusinesses to more than£32.5m. We’ve achieved all ofthis in just over two years,which is rewarding anddemonstrates that we aremaking a difference.”Said Mr McWhirter: “We saidat the beginning of 2012 thatthe key for us was to increaseour investment rate and I ampleased to say we havemanaged to do that despite

the difficult economicconditions.“A total of 280 investmentshave been completed, creatingand safeguarding more than5,190 jobs and generated aprivate sector leverage ofmore than £56m.”Looking ahead, he said: “Wehave already put in place asignificant level ofgroundwork to ensure ouractivity leads to increasedmomentum in providinginvestment for SMEs.“We will continue to providethe most appropriateinvestment package tocompanies that we work withand this will be our mantra for2013. However, confidence inthe market is the key elementfor success. If this is lacking,owner-managers will bereluctant to develop andexpand their businesses,reducing the possibility offurther growth in thelong-term.”Said Mr McWhirter: “There arenumerous sources of financeavailable to owner managers,but this landscape of fundinglacks cohesion and faced withsuch confusion, they tend toapproach the likes of banksand friends to secure finance.This must change in order forthe UK economy to grow.”“If we achieve these, it willlead to sustainable economicgrowth and prosperity acrossYorkshire and Humber.”

Confidence ‘stagnates’ aseconomy fails to improveCONFIDENCE has stagnated amongmany local firms – as the economicoutlook fails to pick up, according to asurvey today.

The latest quarterly survey fromthe Lockwood-based Mid YorkshireChamber of Commerce showed noimprovement in confidence amongmember firms during the final threemonths of 2012 – as UK andoverseas markets remained “volatile”.

UK sales and orders were static –although the findings do not cover theChristmas period when salesnormally show an increase – whilecompanies’ took a backward stepwhen it came to recruitment andinvestment intentions.

Steven Leigh, head of policy at thechamber – which draws its membersfrom Kirklees, Calderdale andWakefield – said: “It is to be hopedthat latent demand, lost during therecession, will continue to unblockduring the year ahead.

“However, domestic and overseasmarkets remain volatile and it isbecoming increasingly disappointingthat we have still not yet seen any

consistent upwards trends.”He said any increase in investment

this year would depend on the rightconditions. Access to financeremained an obstacle to investmentand growth – underlining the need forthe Government to set up its BritishBusiness Bank at the earliestopportunity to help viable andfast-growing companies to gainaccess to affordable capital.

Manufacturers cited exchangerates and inflation as the majorworries facing them while inflation,competition and taxation were themain concerns for service sectorfirms.

Expectations for profits andturnover improved marginally duringthe quarter, but not enough toincrease confidence.

Mr Leigh said: “We are yet to seefrom the coalition any convincing andpersuasive vision for growth in the UK– as government policies continue totinker around the edges with anunsettling degree of inconsistency.

“Successfully realised policies arefrequently tied up in bureaucracy and

take an age to come into force.“This is frustrating for business and

it is not good enough if we are to besuccessful in promoting our economicrecovery.”

He added: “As we begin the NewYear there is some evidence ofcautious optimism about oureconomic future.

“However, business success willhinge on many external factors,including more favourable policyconditions, a reduction in inflationarypressures, increased consumerdemand and greater support forexporting companies.

“Our chamber will continue to lobbyGovernment on behalf of thebusiness community in our region,seeking sound policy decisions tosupport growth.

“In particular, we will continue tocall for more investment in skills andinfrastructure, a solution to theproblems with access to finance, arenewed effort to tackle red tape andfurther support for exporters.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7

INFORMEDDEVELOPMENTMartin Thompson

Martin Thompson is a partner in Commercial Property at Armitage Sykes in Huddersfield

EU proposals mayhit housing market

THE European Union hasissued a consultation docu-

ment that could lead to VATbeing charged on all new homesin the UK – a move that wouldsee the average price of a newhome increase by £48,000 from£238,000 to £286,000.

The consultation, which requiredreplies to be lodged by January 4,2013, proposes to harmonise ratesacross Europe.

Currently, the UK has an exemp-tion which means that new homes andself-builds are zero-rated for VAT pur-poses.

Richard Jones, of the ResidentialLandlords Association, said: “TheEU Commission is wanting to put anend to the UK’s right to zero-rate VATon a wide range of items including

new-build housing.“Both owner occupiers and private

landlords would be badly hit if thiswere to happen.

“The consultation launched by theCommission has the potential to causecatastrophic damage to the housingmarket in the UK and we hope anysuch moves will be firmly resisted bythe UK Government.”

An increase of this size wouldclearly see more people being pricedout of the UK housing market andcause serious issues for the buildingindustry.

Around 130,000 homes were built inthe UK last year which is low and anyincrease in prices would only exacer-bate the current housing crisis.

John Stewart, of the Home BuildersFederation, said: “In the midst of a

housing crisis, with a desperately fra-gile UK housing market and historic-ally low house-building rates, anythreat to the zero rating of VAT onnew-build homes would be cata-strophic.

“It is vital that the Governmentjoins with industry to combat anyVAT imposition.”

Whilst it appears that the UK Gov-ernment is minded to reject EU pro-posals, industry analysts highlightthat the EU’s move to standardiseVAT rates on new-build homes wasalways only ever a matter of time.

The consultation ran until last Fri-day.

Its conclusions would have to beapproved by the UK Government tobecome law which in itself could sparkan interesting debate in Parliament.

Carter Jonas adds two toits rural property divisionA PROPERTY agency withoffices in Slaithwaite has madetwo appointments to its ruraldivision in Yorkshire.Laura Graham (pictured, top)joins Carter Jonas as agraduate surveyor followingthree years at the RoyalAgricultural University. In herrole at the firm, she will help tomanage private clients’ estateswhich include both residentialand rural properties, includinglettings, managing existingtenancies and propertymanagement.Gillian Wilsher (also pictured)joins Carter Jonas from HarperAdams University as anassistant trainee ruralsurveyor. Wakefield-born MsWisher will help the team withits wide ranging ruralprofessional work and rurallettings.Andrew Fallows, partner atCarter Jonas, said: “We alwayslook to take on the best andbrightest graduates to bolsterour rural offering. Laura andGillian will make excellentadditions to the team.”

VAT cut tops 2013 wish-listA CUT in VAT for housingrenovation and repair workis at the top of the NewYear’s wish-list for mostsmall and medium-sizedconstruction companies.

Almost three-quarters ofmember firms polled in amajor survey by theFederation of MasterBuilders said VAT was anissue they wanted theGovernment to address.

Building regulations,planning and finance werealso listed as priority issuesby over half the businessessurveyed.

FMB chief executiveBrian Berry said: “It comesas no surprise thatconstruction SMEs wantthis targeted reduction inVAT. Most are stillstruggling with fallingworkloads and competition

from the informal economy.“This is about creating a

level playing field andreducing the number ofindividuals and businessesthat rely on avoiding VAT.

“It is also about boostinggrowth in the economy by

making it easier forhomeowners and landlordsto commission the workthey need doing on theirproperties.

“Independent researchhas shown that theGovernment will quicklymake up the initial loss oftax revenue owing to thegrowth in demand forhousing repair andmaintenance work.”

Mr Berry said: “This iswhy the FMB hasresponded to an EUconsultation on reducedVAT rates urging Europeanlawmakers to keep theoption open for the UKGovernment to cut VAT onhousing repair work.

“The EU must focus onhelping Europe’s economyto grow and not take awayexisting flexibilities in the

tax system.”He said reduced VAT

rates would also encouragemore people to introducemeasures in their homes toreduce household energybills and cut CO2emissions. Such measuresalready amounted to aquarter of all workundertaken in the UKhousing repair andimprovement market.

Said Mr Berry: “ManyEuropean states, includingthe UK, levy a reduced rateof VAT on the energyconsumers use, so it wouldbe perverse for the EU toforbid its member states todiscount the rate of VAT onwork to help save energy,such as installing energyefficient glazing, newboilers or insulation.”

Poundland backs campaignHIGH street heavyweight Poundlandis backing calls for the Government toscrap its planned postponement ofthe business rates revaluation.

The discount retailer, which hasstores in Huddersfield and Dewsbury,is backing Colliers International’scampaign to reverse the decision bysigning an online Governmentpetition.

Poundland, which operates about

300 stores across the UK, including17 in Yorkshire, and employs about10,000 people, said the decision topostpone the 2015 revaluation until2017 was “reckless” given the currentdecline of the retail market and wouldonly serve to continue the injustice ofbusinesses paying inflated businessrates in a depressed climate.

The retailer said it would also leadto more casualties on the high street,

following the collapse of householdnames such as Clintons, Peacocks,JJB Sports and Comet.

National portfolio manager BenWall said: “It is difficult to understandthe logic behind the decision to delaythe rating revaluation as it will impactmany retailers who are alreadystruggling and facing financialhardship.”

Insurance broker opensnew office in West YorksAN independent insurancebroker with offices inHuddersfield has opened anew branch in Halifax.Eastwood and Partners Ltdhas taken space at DeanClough Mills. The new site isbeing managed by senioraccount executive AndrewTempleton.The office will complement theservices offered by the firm’spremises at NorthumberlandStreet in Huddersfield andChapeltown, Sheffield, as wellas its financial servicescompany Eastwood andPartners (Financial Services)Ltd and Trinity FinancialAdvisers Ltd, which provideindependent financial advicefrom offices in Lowfields,Elland.The group now employs morethan 90 people offeringbespoke Insurance solutions,risk management and financial

services to business andindividuals.John Eastwood, managingdirector of the Eastwood andPartners Group, said “We havebeen consideringopportunities to open anoffice in Halifax for some timeand we are delighted thatAndrew Templeton has joinedthe team.“Andrew brings with him agreat deal of experience in theinsurance broking industryand is well known to many inand around the Halifax area.”Said Mr Eastwood: “Whilst weact for individuals andcompanies nationally andinternationally, the core of ourclients is based locally and weare delighted to have offices inthe town of Halifax and toemploy staff who demonstrateand nurture their strong linkswith the Calderdale businesscommunity.”

■ MILL WORKERS: Senior account executive Andrew Templeton(left) with Eastwood Partners directors Lucy Hodgson and TonyCrabtree

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

It’s still good totalk, says BradBREAKFAST clubs and lunch-time net-working events are still the most effectivemarketing tools for businesses, it isclaimed.

“In an age of constant emails, salespitches, status updates and advertisements,cultivating personal relationships to make abusiness stand out from the rest, is aresolution worth making for any new startup,” said Brad Burton, managing directorof 4Networking.

Brad, a popular speaker at this year’sKirklees Business Conference in Hudders-field, said: “Starting up a new business canbe so isolating and it was only when I wasdelivering pizzas to keep mine afloat, that Irealised just how important other peoplewere to its success.

“I began asking others in the same posi-tion if they felt like they needed otherpeople and when they all said ‘yes’ it quicklybecame clear that if I was to get things offthe ground, two things were essential –people and appointments.

“Discovering that was the turning pointfor me and was when I created 4Network-ing. There are still so many people, though,who dismiss it and don’t realise that in notdoing it, they’re probably the biggestobstacle to their own business’ success.”

Brad said networking events could helpboost the bottom line.

He said: “Breakfast clubs and network-ing events are essentially like a place ofwork, where you can have face-to-facemeetings with people who it could some-times take months to make an appointment

with, circumventing cold calling, directmailing and telemarketing. It gets your footin the door and puts a face to the name.

“They facilitate the most effective mar-keting tool available to any business - wordof mouth referrals. People always prefer atrusted recommendation and face-to-face

meetings at networking events allow you toestablish if you like each other. If you don’t,it’s not going anywhere, but if you do, that’sa lead.”

Said Brad: “Expanding an existing net-work of acquaintances and customers cre-ates, builds and nurtures relationshipsgaining your business, and you, credibilityand trust. When people already come per-sonally recommended, it saves time havingto seek them out and is a much betterguarantee of quality.

“Networking not only allows you toestablish business contacts, but to also learnthe dynamics within your industry, developknowledge resources and seek new careeropportunities, all whilst getting ‘plugged in’to your community.

“It’s the most productive, proficient andenduring way to build relationships and inserving as a resource to help others succeed,you’re also leveraging your own businessand raising its profile.”

Said Brad: “My first impression of run-ning a business initially was private numberplates, big fish tanks and spinning leatherchairs – but after being £25,000 in debt, Iknow the reality of a small or start upbusiness is very different.

“It can be depressing and tough andthere’s a fine line between success andfailure, and that’s why having access to anetwork of people all in the same boat is socrucial. Everyone is valuable to everyoneelse – and putting a value on people beforebusiness will always set you apart from yourcompetitor.”

Dealership kits outTown’s kit managerA VAN and truck dealership is helping driveHuddersfield Town’s profile forward.

Brighouse-based Northern Commercials hasprovided a striking new sponsored van for the club’skit manager, Andrew Brook.

Mr Brook was joined by Town manager SimonGrayson and captain Peter Clarke to take delivery ofthe new Iveco Daily van from Northern Commercialsmanaging director Roger Peel at the Canalsidesports complex.

The van features full-length pictures of Towngoalkeeper Alex Smithies and skipper Clarke downthe sides as well as a picture of Adam Clayton onthe rear – the player Northern Commercialssponsors in the 2012/13 season. The club’s logoalso feature prominently on the van.

Town commercial manager Tracy Nelson said:“Northern Commercials has been a long-timesupporter of the club and this is a further extensionof the fantastic relationship we have.

“We’re proud to carry their logo on the back of ourhome shirt this season and now we can showcaseour partnership on a daily basis with this terrific, fullybranded van.”

Mr Peel said: “It’s great for Northern Commercialsto be involved with the football club.

“We’re always looking for ways to interact withother local businesses and the community as awhole and working alongside Huddersfield Townhelps us to do this.”

■ VAN MAN: Kit manager Andy Brook at the wheelof the van with (from left) Town captain Peter Clarke,manager Simon Grayson and Roger Peel, ofNorthern Commercials

■ TALKING POINT: Brad Burton saysnetworking remains the best way tomarket your business

Let’s get this party started!A LUXURY themed children’sparty venue has won a monthlyaward after its founderimpressed judges with herpassion and business acumen.

Party Dreamz, based atMilnsbridge, was namedBusiness of the Month in theaward scheme run byHuddersfield law firm EatonSmith in conjunction with theMid Yorkshire Chamber ofCommerce and UKTI.

In 2008, following the birth ofher second child, thecompany’s director SusanAdams identified a big gap inthe market for a high qualitychildren’s party venue.

With no experience ofbusiness and after muchresearch, self-education andhard work to secure finance,she acquired and refurbished asuitable property and openedfor business in July, 2010.

The venue attractscustomers from across WestYorkshire and offershassle-free children and teenparties in three private themedparty rooms. The partiescombine role play and fantasywith exciting party games, craftactivities, music and dancing.

All staff and entertainers areexperienced, fully trained andCRB checked to provide a safe

and happy environment.The judges were impressed

by the passion that Mrs Adamshas for her business and thedrive and dedication sheshowed in making it asuccessful venture.

They were also impressedthat she had secured fundingboth from Lloyds TSB andBusiness Link and haddiversified to work with KirkleesCouncil’s School ResourceService to develop the venue

as an interactive learningresource which schools canvisit to enhance the learningexperience of their pupils bybringing the curriculum to life.

It was also noted that MrsAdams has contributed to thelocal business community bycreating links with othersuppliers in relation tocelebration cakes andphotography services as wellas providing employment andfundraising for the Forget MeNot Children’s Hospice.

Said Susan: “My husband,Morris and I have worked reallyhard over the past few years tocreate an innovative partyexperience that will changeparents’ perceptions andexpectations of children’sparties.”

She added: “I believe thatthis award makes us the onlyaward winning children andteen party venue inHuddersfield and that is anachievement we are truly proudof.”

The Business of the MonthAward is open to firms acrossKirklees, Calderdale andWakefield. Contact IanGreenwood at Eaton Smith on01484 821389

■ DREAM TEAM: Deborah Melluish (centre), presents theaward to Susan Adams (second right) and Jade McDonald (right),of Party Dreamz, with (from left) Kate Booth, of Eaton Smith;Sherryl Driver, of Lloyds TSB; and Annie Bradley, of UKTI

Khadim Hussain & Mark Fenwick

First BusTWO bus managers areswapping jobs.

Khadim Hussain,long-serving operationsmanager for First inBradford, has beenappointed operationsmanager for Halifax,Huddersfield andTodmorden.

Mr Hussain (right, top)has worked for First at itsBowling Back Lane depotfor 14 years in trafficplanning, commercial andoperational roles. Beforethat he worked for otherlocal bus companies.

Taking his old job atBradford is Mark Fenwick,the current operationsmanager for First in Halifax, Huddersfield andTodmorden.

Mr Fenwick (also pictured) has worked forFirst for more than 23 years, starting as anengineering apprentice before moving to workin operations as a driver, supervisor, staffmanager and operations manager.

His service has seen him work in depots inHalifax, Huddersfield and Hunslet Park.