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Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

PORT OF CALLFOR INDUSTRYFrom the thriving docks and giant distributioncentres to the growing green energy sector,Avonmouth is a powerhouse of Bristol’s economy

AVONMOUTH & SEVERNSIDE SPECIAL

BRIDGE ON A WIRE

Tech firm etches landmark ontowire thinner than human hair

GIVE SHOPS A (TAX) BREAK

How business rates are holdingback retail sector growth

VIRGIN TERRITORY

New start-up partnership thatcould help your idea take off

302013OCT

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2 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

� Jane Brewerton, director of Niche; Peter Brewerton, MD of Niche; Alan Kilby, Way Ahead Retail Doctor

Retail doctoring

Footfall onup – t h a n ksto revampA FRAMING shop in StokesCroft has benefited from thework of a retail consultant,thanks to a new initiative bythe local business forum.

Niche Frames has newwaiting areas, films, signageand views for customers tosee inside the workshop,thanks to a six-month projectorganised by the Stokes CroftTraders and BusinessFor um.

The scheme, led by Destin-ation Bristol, saw Jane Brew-erton and her team at NicheFrames working with Lon-don-based retail doctor AlanKilby, from Way Ahead.

Last week the final install-ations were completed at theNiche Frames store and work-s h o p.

Ms Brewerton said: “Imple-menting Alan’s suggestionshas taken some time and hasbeen a gradual process but wehave definitely had more foot-fall in the shop which has ledto an increase in sales and ahigher profile for the com-p a ny. ”

Asset management

Floatation target for funding experts

APILL-based firm is aiming tofloat on the stock market –having been run from thefounding partner’s houseonly eight years ago. Clifton

Asset Management, which moved tothe North Somerset village in 2005,employs 100 people – but intends toembark on a recruitment drive in thenew year, hiring as many as 40 morestaff in 2014.

Chairman Adam Tavener, 51, said:“Eight years ago we moved here – andbefore that we were based in myhouse. We had to build an office out-side. There were 20 people coming

and going every day in my house. Inthe end my wife said ‘Either they goor I go’.

“We moved here eight years agoand rattled around in the place. With-in three years we had run out of spaceand had to buy the place next door.Then we bought the one the others i d e. ”

The business was founded atChristmas 1985 in Whiteladies Road –hence the name.

The firm has gone from strength tostrength since, carving out a niche inpension-led funding for small- andmedium-sized businesses.

Pension-led funding allows busi-ness owners to invest in their com-pany using their personal pensionpot rather than, or in addition to,borrowing from a bank.

Mr Tavener said: “It is an empower-

ing way of accessing funding becausebusiness owners have to ask them-selves some searching questionsabout whether their business isworth investing in. It can also helppeople secure other funding – if abank knows they are willing to puttheir own money in.”

Eighty per cent of the firm’s busi-ness now comes from pension-ledfunding. And the company has beenhighlighted by the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills as aleader in the non-bank funding sec-t o r.

Turnover for last year, to December31, was £6.3 million, projected to riseto £7.35 million this year. But it needsto go higher before the company isready to float on the stock market,following the example of Bristol suc-cess story Hargreaves Lansdown.

The target figure for floatation isturnover of £25 million – and MrTavener is confident the firm will getthere sooner rather than later.

Employees have been told that a 10per cent equity stake will be put asidefor a staff share scheme, so they canreap the rewards in future. But afterany floatation, Mr Tavener – wh owith a fellow investing partner owns90 per cent of the company – intendsto keep a controlling interest.

He said: “That is mainly because Ihave a low boredom threshold.”

The best in hi-techinnovation on show

FUNDING TIPS

VIDEO ONLINE Adam Tavener’s advice forbusinesses looking to succeed in Bristol

bristolpost.co.uk/business

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

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

0.05%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.1%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

131 .83pUnleaded

139 .0 0 pDiesel

140 .1 0 pSuper

unleaded

71 .1 0 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10.000 deposit

1.55%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

A l d e r m o re 1.1%£1,000 deposit

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

0.5 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

CPI

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.5%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Earl ShiltonB. Society

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call 07828 941469Email ro b . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

AdvertisingSimon Coy

Call 07736 900 705.Email simon.coy

@b-nm.co.uk

We’re delighted to berecognised with award� GREGG Latchams LLP hasbeen awarded Law Firm of theYear (under 15 partners) at thisyear’s Bristol Law Society Awards.

The title was awarded inrecognition of the Queen Square-based firm’s commitment todeveloping services targeted tothe needs of its clients and thebusiness community, including itsinnovative in-house lawyer servicewhich offers SMEs access to legalservices for an annual fixed fee.

Senior partner Andrew Greggsaid: “We were delighted to berecognised for our achievementsand the high standard of servicewe provide. We are constantlyinnovating and developing to stayahead of competition and areproud of our ability to competewith much larger firms.”

Small firms’ chanceto pitch to big boys� SMALL businesses are beinggiven the chance to pitch theirwares to a host of the region’sbiggest companies at a specialMeet the Buyer event in Bristol.

Bristol City Council has teamedup with the Federation of SmallBusinesses to stage the event atthe Regus, Temple Quay, onWednesday, November 20.

They are appealing for small-and medium-sized enterprises tosign up by Wednesday, November6.Visit h t t p : / / b r i s t o l m e e t t h e b u y e r.eventbrite.com/ to do so.

Le g a l

Meet the Buyer

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Case study: Nanoscope

� The piece of gold wire carrying a nano-engraved suspension bridge

Ve n t u re fest

� THE Open Hand Project aims todevelop a low-cost, robotic, prosthetichand which could change the life ofamputees.

The Dextrus hand is a workingprototype resulting from23-year-old Joel Gibbard’sOpen Hand Project, anopen-source hardwareinitiative that aims todramatically lower thecost of roboticprosthetics, making themmore accessible toamputees.

Dextrus is a fully-functional robotic hand, withfeatures and capabilities similarto leading advanced prosthetics butat a fraction of the cost.

The hand works much like a humanhand. But it uses electric motors insteadof muscles and steel cables instead of

tendons. 3D-printed plastic parts worklike bones, and a rubber coating acts asthe skin. All of these parts are controlledby electronics to give the hand a natural

movement that can handle allsorts of objects.

The hand can be connectedto an existing prosthesis. Ituses stick-on electrodes toread signals from theremaining muscles. Thefingers are individuallypowered and each cansense when an object is

impeding its movement,giving it the ability to grasp

objects gently. It means thefingers can really wrap around

unusual shapes to grip them firmly.Costs have been cut in a number

of ways, from using cheaper materialsin the construction, to 3D-printingcomponent parts.

FORTY amazing hi-tech ideas will beshowcased at Venturefest, an invest-ment event backed by the University ofthe West of England. Venturefest is afree, not-for-profit event that brings

together entrepreneurial companies, whichhave a technology bent, with potential in-vestors or other business backers.

Companies across the South West were in-vited to apply – and the organisers havechosen 40 to feature and pitch to the audience.The chosen entries cover a range of fields fromrobotics to agriculture, as well as energy,manufacturing, biotech and gaming.

Alastair Watson – director of Science CityBristol, which is organising the event – said:“The quantity and quality of the applications

we received for the innovation showcaseprovide a real demonstration of the strength ofthe Bristol region as a location for hi-techbusiness starts. Last year, showcase winnerstold us they made valuable contacts withbusiness advisers and investors at the event.

“We expect that real business will resultfrom the contacts made and conversationsstarted at Venturefest Bristol 2013.”

As well the innovation showcase, the eventwill feature workshops, speakers and a miniversion of The Pitch, a competition in whichentrepreneurs can hone their all-importantpitching skills. Speakers include Ben Taylorfrom Renishaw, Bristol mayor George Fer-guson, and Tim Harper from the World Eco-nomics Forum’s Emerging TechnologiesGlobal Advisory Council.

The event will take place on November 14at the UWE Conference Centre. Visitwww.v enturefestbristol.com for more details.The Bristol Post will be running a live reporton the day on b r i s t o l p o s t . c o. u k .

Case study: Open Hand Project

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

� NANOSCOPE Services works withtechnology so small it can etch an image of theClifton Suspension Bridge on to a gold wire just13 microns wide – a fifth of the diameter of ahuman hair.

The Kingswood-based firm uses focused ionbeam technology to provide services to theclients in the semiconductor, materials science,nanotech, and microscopy industries.

The technology is used to etch tiny structureson to computer chips or other materials.

Founders Lloyd Peto, 43, and Alan Miller, 50,attended Venturefest Bristol last year.

Mr Peto said: “There were a few keyorganisations we knew we wanted to speak to –SETsquared, Silicon South West, theMicroelectronics iNET, business mentors andfunding organisations. We saw them all in oneday at Venturefest. The South West is one of theleading European areas for nanotechnology and

semiconductor development. At Venturefestthis year, we hope that by showing technicalinnovators the advanced techniques nowroutinely available, we can extend the reach ofthis technology.”

� Lloyd Peto and Alan Miller of Nanoscope

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2 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

� Jane Brewerton, director of Niche; Peter Brewerton, MD of Niche; Alan Kilby, Way Ahead Retail Doctor

Retail doctoring

Footfall onup – t h a n ksto revampA FRAMING shop in StokesCroft has benefited from thework of a retail consultant,thanks to a new initiative bythe local business forum.

Niche Frames has newwaiting areas, films, signageand views for customers tosee inside the workshop,thanks to a six-month projectorganised by the Stokes CroftTraders and BusinessFor um.

The scheme, led by Destin-ation Bristol, saw Jane Brew-erton and her team at NicheFrames working with Lon-don-based retail doctor AlanKilby, from Way Ahead.

Last week the final install-ations were completed at theNiche Frames store and work-s h o p.

Ms Brewerton said: “Imple-menting Alan’s suggestionshas taken some time and hasbeen a gradual process but wehave definitely had more foot-fall in the shop which has ledto an increase in sales and ahigher profile for the com-p a ny. ”

Asset management

Floatation target for funding experts

APILL-based firm is aiming tofloat on the stock market –having been run from thefounding partner’s houseonly eight years ago. Clifton

Asset Management, which moved tothe North Somerset village in 2005,employs 100 people – but intends toembark on a recruitment drive in thenew year, hiring as many as 40 morestaff in 2014.

Chairman Adam Tavener, 51, said:“Eight years ago we moved here – andbefore that we were based in myhouse. We had to build an office out-side. There were 20 people coming

and going every day in my house. Inthe end my wife said ‘Either they goor I go’.

“We moved here eight years agoand rattled around in the place. With-in three years we had run out of spaceand had to buy the place next door.Then we bought the one the others i d e. ”

The business was founded atChristmas 1985 in Whiteladies Road –hence the name.

The firm has gone from strength tostrength since, carving out a niche inpension-led funding for small- andmedium-sized businesses.

Pension-led funding allows busi-ness owners to invest in their com-pany using their personal pensionpot rather than, or in addition to,borrowing from a bank.

Mr Tavener said: “It is an empower-

ing way of accessing funding becausebusiness owners have to ask them-selves some searching questionsabout whether their business isworth investing in. It can also helppeople secure other funding – if abank knows they are willing to puttheir own money in.”

Eighty per cent of the firm’s busi-ness now comes from pension-ledfunding. And the company has beenhighlighted by the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills as aleader in the non-bank funding sec-t o r.

Turnover for last year, to December31, was £6.3 million, projected to riseto £7.35 million this year. But it needsto go higher before the company isready to float on the stock market,following the example of Bristol suc-cess story Hargreaves Lansdown.

The target figure for floatation isturnover of £25 million – and MrTavener is confident the firm will getthere sooner rather than later.

Employees have been told that a 10per cent equity stake will be put asidefor a staff share scheme, so they canreap the rewards in future. But afterany floatation, Mr Tavener – wh owith a fellow investing partner owns90 per cent of the company – intendsto keep a controlling interest.

He said: “That is mainly because Ihave a low boredom threshold.”

The best in hi-techinnovation on show

FUNDING TIPS

VIDEO ONLINE Adam Tavener’s advice forbusinesses looking to succeed in Bristol

bristolpost.co.uk/business

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

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

0.05%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.1%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

131 .83pUnleaded

139 .0 0 pDiesel

140 .1 0 pSuper

unleaded

71 .1 0 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

1.49%£10.000 deposit

1.55%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

A l d e r m o re 1.1%£1,000 deposit

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

0.5 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

CPI

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.5%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Earl ShiltonB. Society

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call 07828 941469Email ro b . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

AdvertisingSimon Coy

Call 07736 900 705.Email simon.coy

@b-nm.co.uk

We’re delighted to berecognised with award� GREGG Latchams LLP hasbeen awarded Law Firm of theYear (under 15 partners) at thisyear’s Bristol Law Society Awards.

The title was awarded inrecognition of the Queen Square-based firm’s commitment todeveloping services targeted tothe needs of its clients and thebusiness community, including itsinnovative in-house lawyer servicewhich offers SMEs access to legalservices for an annual fixed fee.

Senior partner Andrew Greggsaid: “We were delighted to berecognised for our achievementsand the high standard of servicewe provide. We are constantlyinnovating and developing to stayahead of competition and areproud of our ability to competewith much larger firms.”

Small firms’ chanceto pitch to big boys� SMALL businesses are beinggiven the chance to pitch theirwares to a host of the region’sbiggest companies at a specialMeet the Buyer event in Bristol.

Bristol City Council has teamedup with the Federation of SmallBusinesses to stage the event atthe Regus, Temple Quay, onWednesday, November 20.

They are appealing for small-and medium-sized enterprises tosign up by Wednesday, November6.Visit h t t p : / / b r i s t o l m e e t t h e b u y e r.eventbrite.com/ to do so.

Le g a l

Meet the Buyer

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

Case study: Nanoscope

� The piece of gold wire carrying a nano-engraved suspension bridge

Ve n t u re fest

� THE Open Hand Project aims todevelop a low-cost, robotic, prosthetichand which could change the life ofamputees.

The Dextrus hand is a workingprototype resulting from23-year-old Joel Gibbard’sOpen Hand Project, anopen-source hardwareinitiative that aims todramatically lower thecost of roboticprosthetics, making themmore accessible toamputees.

Dextrus is a fully-functional robotic hand, withfeatures and capabilities similarto leading advanced prosthetics butat a fraction of the cost.

The hand works much like a humanhand. But it uses electric motors insteadof muscles and steel cables instead of

tendons. 3D-printed plastic parts worklike bones, and a rubber coating acts asthe skin. All of these parts are controlledby electronics to give the hand a natural

movement that can handle allsorts of objects.

The hand can be connectedto an existing prosthesis. Ituses stick-on electrodes toread signals from theremaining muscles. Thefingers are individuallypowered and each cansense when an object is

impeding its movement,giving it the ability to grasp

objects gently. It means thefingers can really wrap around

unusual shapes to grip them firmly.Costs have been cut in a number

of ways, from using cheaper materialsin the construction, to 3D-printingcomponent parts.

FORTY amazing hi-tech ideas will beshowcased at Venturefest, an invest-ment event backed by the University ofthe West of England. Venturefest is afree, not-for-profit event that brings

together entrepreneurial companies, whichhave a technology bent, with potential in-vestors or other business backers.

Companies across the South West were in-vited to apply – and the organisers havechosen 40 to feature and pitch to the audience.The chosen entries cover a range of fields fromrobotics to agriculture, as well as energy,manufacturing, biotech and gaming.

Alastair Watson – director of Science CityBristol, which is organising the event – said:“The quantity and quality of the applications

we received for the innovation showcaseprovide a real demonstration of the strength ofthe Bristol region as a location for hi-techbusiness starts. Last year, showcase winnerstold us they made valuable contacts withbusiness advisers and investors at the event.

“We expect that real business will resultfrom the contacts made and conversationsstarted at Venturefest Bristol 2013.”

As well the innovation showcase, the eventwill feature workshops, speakers and a miniversion of The Pitch, a competition in whichentrepreneurs can hone their all-importantpitching skills. Speakers include Ben Taylorfrom Renishaw, Bristol mayor George Fer-guson, and Tim Harper from the World Eco-nomics Forum’s Emerging TechnologiesGlobal Advisory Council.

The event will take place on November 14at the UWE Conference Centre. Visitwww.v enturefestbristol.com for more details.The Bristol Post will be running a live reporton the day on b r i s t o l p o s t . c o. u k .

Case study: Open Hand Project

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

� NANOSCOPE Services works withtechnology so small it can etch an image of theClifton Suspension Bridge on to a gold wire just13 microns wide – a fifth of the diameter of ahuman hair.

The Kingswood-based firm uses focused ionbeam technology to provide services to theclients in the semiconductor, materials science,nanotech, and microscopy industries.

The technology is used to etch tiny structureson to computer chips or other materials.

Founders Lloyd Peto, 43, and Alan Miller, 50,attended Venturefest Bristol last year.

Mr Peto said: “There were a few keyorganisations we knew we wanted to speak to –SETsquared, Silicon South West, theMicroelectronics iNET, business mentors andfunding organisations. We saw them all in oneday at Venturefest. The South West is one of theleading European areas for nanotechnology and

semiconductor development. At Venturefestthis year, we hope that by showing technicalinnovators the advanced techniques nowroutinely available, we can extend the reach ofthis technology.”

� Lloyd Peto and Alan Miller of Nanoscope

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4 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

Ret a i l

Slashing business rates ‘is keyto filling Bristol’s empty shops’

Business West partnershipCity’s office market onthe up, say advisers� THE Bristol office market isseeing an upturn, according to onefirm of advisers which is celebratingclinching a number of deals.

CBRE’s latest report revealedtake-up of office space in the citycentre to be 138,187 sq ft for thethird quarter of 2013, helped by itsfirst grade-A deal of the year thatsaw Barclays Bank take 18,759 sq ftat Bridgewater House in FinzelsReach.

The firm vacated its previousoffices in Queen Square and atParkway North to combine staff inone modern, city-centre, building.

It showed total take-up of officespace in Bristol citycentre so far thisyear to be427,673 sqft, asc o m p a re dto 409,225sq ftduring thesameperiod lasty e a r.

CBRE alsooversaw a deal inwhich Semperian relocated fromBath and London, taking 10,084 sqft on the third floor of Broad QuayHouse on flexible terms.

Philip Morton, pictur ed, head ofoffice agency and development atCBRE Bristol, said: “Semperian’snew office overlooks the floatingharbour and is at the heart ofBristol’s business district. It isparticularly pleasing to have beeninvolved in such a major inwardinvestment deal for Bristol.”

The office-agency team at CBREhas played a role in promoting the£2 million refurbishment of the120,000 sq ft office building at 101Victoria Street.

Proper ty

Land for the people?� BUSINESSES with unwanted landcould put it to use for thecommunity, a summit hosted byBristol property agent BrutonKnowles heard.

Paul Matthews, head of the firm’sBristol office, said: “Manybusinesses have a small piece ofland that they cannot usecommercially and which cannot bedeveloped. Often it could be usedby the community as a play area orpiece of recreation land, or a quietplace where people can sit.”

The event was held at the Homesand Communities Agency, inRivergate, Bristol.

Proper ty

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

Cautious welcome for economy’s recoveryG row t h

City’s business confidence reaches ‘the highest in four years’Index rating

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

John Hirst

“Rents arem o reflexiblethan theyhave everbeen in mycareer andbusiness rates are asinflexible as they havealways been.

Virgin territory SirR i c h a rd ’s start-uploans come to town

CONFIDENCE is rising sharplyamong businesses in the city, accord-ing to an office space provider.

Back in April, confidence hadslipped to a rating of 91 in the Busi-ness Confidence Index, produced byRe gus.

But it has now risen to 120, thehighest in four years, with 49 per centof firms saying profits have risencompared with 38 per cent six monthsa go.

The report shows efficiency sav-ings remain firmly on the agenda forthe city’s firms over the next 12months, as they strive to make busi-ness growth sustainable by keepingcosts down.

Of those who responded, 64 per cent

BUSINESS rates should becut in order to help Bristol’sshopping areas fill emptyunits. That is the call fromthe people who run Cabot

Circus and Broadmead.John Hirst, chief executive at Des-

tination Bristol, which incorporatesBroadmead, told Business: “Businessrates are crippling some of our busi-nesses and discouraging manypeople from taking that step fromthinking ‘Should I start a new busi-ness?’ to actually doing it.”

Business rates are collected bycouncils but set by central Govern-ment, which then takes the moneyand redistributes it to local author-i t i e s.

Rates are based on the value ofbusiness properties. The value ofthese properties is supposed to bereassessed every five years.

The last valuation was carried outin 2008 – before property valuescrashed. That has led some traders tosay the figures are too high as real

values have fallen, yet rates haverisen with inflation. Instead, manyretailers have looked to drive downrents – and there have been threats topull out if they do not get a betterdeal.

The highest-profile local examplesaw the Arcadia Group, which ownsbrands including Burton, Miss Sel-fridge, Evans and Dorothy Perkins,decide not to renew leases for severalstores at Cribbs Causeway.

And the situation is made worse bythe Government’s refusal to revalue

properties until after the next gen-eral election, as it fears a drop in taxt a ke.

Mr Hirst said: “Rents are moreflexible than they have ever been inmy career, and business rates are asinflexible as they have alwaysbeen.”

Broadmead, like many shoppingareas, has a number of empty prop-erties, with the vacancy rate at 9 percent based on square footage. It is aproblem which Mr Hirst believescould be alleviated by rate reform.

He said: “If we can work towards aserious review of business rates itcould address the issue we currentlyhave regarding empty properties intown and city centres throughout theUK.”

Mr Hirst said that he applaudedlandlords who had been more flex-ible, cut some rents and offeredempty properties at low or even norent for short-term occupancy just tofill the shops. But he said those land-lords could only go so far.

He said: “Any empty store is onewhere everybody loses. Let us getaround the table and talk about howwe can compromise.”

His view was backed by StephanieLacey, centre director for Cabot Cir-

cus. She said: “If business rates couldbe reduced that would be of hugebenefit to retailers.

“At Cabot Circus we always look ataffordability of retail with the centre,so we do look at business rates inrelation to their overall costs.

“Reducing business rates would beof great benefit to retailers because itwould help them to lower their costsand be more successful.”

Ed Miliband recently pledged toreverse a planned rise in businessrates in 2015, if Labour wins the nextelection. But he would do so by re-versing a proposed cut in corporationtax from 21 to 20 per cent.

On a visit to Bristol, Skills MinisterDavid Willetts rebuffed the Labourplan. He told Business: “What Labouris talking about is an increase incorporation-tax rates. Our pitch tobig companies around the world look-ing to invest is that we have pulleddown corporation tax. It is quite dan-gerous for Labour to propose increas-ing it.”

But Mr Willetts rejected calls for arates rethink. He said: “We areproviding start-up loans, loweringnational-insurance costs for peoplestarting businesses and lowering thecosts of taking on first employees.”

� Shoppers in Cabot Circus

of firms say they will focus efficiencyefforts on finding more cost-effectiveservice providers, especially in thearea of IT and telecoms.

While 45 per cent will demand ahigher return on investment frommarketing and advertising spend, 40per cent will focus on ways to im-prove staff retention, and 20 per centwill aim to reduce fixed office space.

John Spencer, chief executive of-ficer at Regus, said: “The nationaleconomic outlook has improved sig-nificantly since April and this isclearly reflected in our report’s find-ings for Bristol.

“But firms have learnt to be cau-tious and not overstretch themselvesat this crucial stage of recovery.� Temple Quay

BRISTOL business leaders say the economy ison the up, but we cannot be complacent.

The UK economy grew in the third quarter by0.8 per cent, the Government revealed lastweek. Digging beneath the headlinefigure shows encouraging longerterm trends for the South West.

Unemployment among over 25sis down to 4.2 per cent, the secondlowest in England; higher educa-tion application rates stand at31.3 per cent; 156,080 people havebeen through apprenticeships since2010; and exports are up 19 per centsince 2010.

Russell Jones, pictured, director of UKTrade and Investment in the South West said:“The region has made impressive progress inseveral areas, including exporting, and there are

positive signs that this momentum will con-tinue. The South West saw a 3.5 per cent growthin exports in the year to June 2013 compared to

the previous year. The second quarter of2013 marked the fourth successive

quarterly increase in exports fromthe region, with the value of exportgoods reaching £3.45 billion.”

However, Phil Smith, managingdirector of Business West, said: “Ifwe are to have a high-skill-high-wage economy, then infrastructure

investment must improve.”Ben Taylor, assistant chief exec-

utive of Renishaw, based in Wotton-under-Edge, said: “These are very positive

figures, especially the low unemployment ratesamongst adults. It is vital that businesses focuson developing the skills of young people.”

� Sir Richard Branson dresses down Phil Smith by removing his tie Picture: Owen Billcliffe

SIR Richard Branson has teamed upwith Business West to help youngentrepreneurs in the city. The Bristol-based support service and businesschampion, which represents compan-

ies in the area, is working with Sir Richard onVirgin StartUp, a not-for-profit company of-fering financial support, mentoring and busi-ness advice to young entrepreneurs.

Working with The Start-Up Loans Com-pany as a delivery partner, Virgin StartUpwill provide loans to entrepreneurs aged 18 to30 across the UK as part of a collaborationwith local partners, including Business West.

Sir Richard said: “Virgin StartUp is pleasedto be working in partnership with BusinessWest, the leading not-for-profit business sup-port provider in the South West region.

“The combination of Business West’s ex-perience in providing early stage businessesadvice together with the Virgin brand andour company’s support, will be crucial insecuring the success of many young entre-p re n e u r s.

“We look forward to working together to setup many new ventures.”

Phil Smith, managing director of BusinessWest, based at Leigh Court, said: “Vi r g i nStartUp has natural synergy with our Readyfor Business Programme and I am delightedto be part of this great service for start ups.

“Entrepreneurs play an important role inthe economy of the South West and I look

forward to seeing this service, which willenable many to fulfil their dream of startingup their own business.”

Virgin StartUp is backed by Virgin’s UKcompanies including: Virgin Trains, VirginMoney, Virgin Media, Virgin Atlantic, VirginActive, Virgin Care and its not-for-profitfoundation Virgin Unite.

These companies will provide access tostaff mentors, marketing and media support,business advice, as well as space to hostnetworking and promotional events.

Sir Richard added: “I started my first busi-ness with a handful of coins out of aphone-box at school, but it was the £300 frommy mum that really kick-started our studentmagazine and sparked the Virgin adventure40 years ago. Today, young people need thatsame help and I believe Virgin StartUp willprovide it – with access to early capital,strong mentorship, advice and promotion.”

“Their priority is to continue mak-ing efficiencies and keep growth ontrack. It is worth scrutinising everybusiness process, especially in-grained daily routines like commut-ing and working fixed hours whichcan have a negative impact on ef-ficiency and staff well-being.”

Regus provides flexible workspacefor companies small and large andhas four sites in the city, including atTemple Quay.

Mr Spencer added: “The main mo-tivation these days for firms usingour business centres is to work moreflexibly; and most find that flexibleworkspace helps them keep costsdown and creates happier, healthierand more efficient staff.”

� Sir Richard Branson and James Caanlead the star-studded panel

*Telephone linesopenfrom8am-8pmMondaytoFriday,excludingbankholidays inEnglandandWales.Callsmaybe recordedandmonitoredfor securityandtrainingpurposes. BT landline calls to 0845 numbers will cost nomore than 5 pence perminute. Charges fromother service providersmay vary and calls frommobiles usuallycost more.Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trade marks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary ofAllied IrishBanks, p.l.c.), incorporated inNorthern Ireland. RegisteredOffice4Queens Square, Belfast BT13DJ. RegisteredNumberNI18800.AuthorisedbythePrudentialRegulationAuthorityand regulatedbytheFinancialConductAuthorityandthePrudentialRegulationAuthority. AIB2 BO

“Who says banksaren’t lending?Ours has £250mfor owner managedbusinesses.”We’re not surprised to hear that our bank has set upa loan fund for businesses like ours. They funded thelaunch of our specialist care centre six years ago andthey recently lent us almost £2m to expand, creating50 new jobs. Like us, they care for the individual.

Dr. Angela Nall,General Manager, Pathfinders Complex and Specialist Care

Visit our website or call 0845 045 0900*

8am-8pmMonday to Friday to contact your local branch

Jason Fleming, Senior Branch Manager, Bristol branch,19 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PB

Our business is business banking aibgb.co.uk

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4 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

Ret a i l

Slashing business rates ‘is keyto filling Bristol’s empty shops’

Business West partnershipCity’s office market onthe up, say advisers� THE Bristol office market isseeing an upturn, according to onefirm of advisers which is celebratingclinching a number of deals.

CBRE’s latest report revealedtake-up of office space in the citycentre to be 138,187 sq ft for thethird quarter of 2013, helped by itsfirst grade-A deal of the year thatsaw Barclays Bank take 18,759 sq ftat Bridgewater House in FinzelsReach.

The firm vacated its previousoffices in Queen Square and atParkway North to combine staff inone modern, city-centre, building.

It showed total take-up of officespace in Bristol citycentre so far thisyear to be427,673 sqft, asc o m p a re dto 409,225sq ftduring thesameperiod lasty e a r.

CBRE alsooversaw a deal inwhich Semperian relocated fromBath and London, taking 10,084 sqft on the third floor of Broad QuayHouse on flexible terms.

Philip Morton, pictur ed, head ofoffice agency and development atCBRE Bristol, said: “Semperian’snew office overlooks the floatingharbour and is at the heart ofBristol’s business district. It isparticularly pleasing to have beeninvolved in such a major inwardinvestment deal for Bristol.”

The office-agency team at CBREhas played a role in promoting the£2 million refurbishment of the120,000 sq ft office building at 101Victoria Street.

Proper ty

Land for the people?� BUSINESSES with unwanted landcould put it to use for thecommunity, a summit hosted byBristol property agent BrutonKnowles heard.

Paul Matthews, head of the firm’sBristol office, said: “Manybusinesses have a small piece ofland that they cannot usecommercially and which cannot bedeveloped. Often it could be usedby the community as a play area orpiece of recreation land, or a quietplace where people can sit.”

The event was held at the Homesand Communities Agency, inRivergate, Bristol.

Proper ty

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

Cautious welcome for economy’s recoveryG row t h

City’s business confidence reaches ‘the highest in four years’Index rating

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

John Hirst

“Rents arem o reflexiblethan theyhave everbeen in mycareer andbusiness rates are asinflexible as they havealways been.

Virgin territory SirR i c h a rd ’s start-uploans come to town

CONFIDENCE is rising sharplyamong businesses in the city, accord-ing to an office space provider.

Back in April, confidence hadslipped to a rating of 91 in the Busi-ness Confidence Index, produced byRe gus.

But it has now risen to 120, thehighest in four years, with 49 per centof firms saying profits have risencompared with 38 per cent six monthsa go.

The report shows efficiency sav-ings remain firmly on the agenda forthe city’s firms over the next 12months, as they strive to make busi-ness growth sustainable by keepingcosts down.

Of those who responded, 64 per cent

BUSINESS rates should becut in order to help Bristol’sshopping areas fill emptyunits. That is the call fromthe people who run Cabot

Circus and Broadmead.John Hirst, chief executive at Des-

tination Bristol, which incorporatesBroadmead, told Business: “Businessrates are crippling some of our busi-nesses and discouraging manypeople from taking that step fromthinking ‘Should I start a new busi-ness?’ to actually doing it.”

Business rates are collected bycouncils but set by central Govern-ment, which then takes the moneyand redistributes it to local author-i t i e s.

Rates are based on the value ofbusiness properties. The value ofthese properties is supposed to bereassessed every five years.

The last valuation was carried outin 2008 – before property valuescrashed. That has led some traders tosay the figures are too high as real

values have fallen, yet rates haverisen with inflation. Instead, manyretailers have looked to drive downrents – and there have been threats topull out if they do not get a betterdeal.

The highest-profile local examplesaw the Arcadia Group, which ownsbrands including Burton, Miss Sel-fridge, Evans and Dorothy Perkins,decide not to renew leases for severalstores at Cribbs Causeway.

And the situation is made worse bythe Government’s refusal to revalue

properties until after the next gen-eral election, as it fears a drop in taxt a ke.

Mr Hirst said: “Rents are moreflexible than they have ever been inmy career, and business rates are asinflexible as they have alwaysbeen.”

Broadmead, like many shoppingareas, has a number of empty prop-erties, with the vacancy rate at 9 percent based on square footage. It is aproblem which Mr Hirst believescould be alleviated by rate reform.

He said: “If we can work towards aserious review of business rates itcould address the issue we currentlyhave regarding empty properties intown and city centres throughout theUK.”

Mr Hirst said that he applaudedlandlords who had been more flex-ible, cut some rents and offeredempty properties at low or even norent for short-term occupancy just tofill the shops. But he said those land-lords could only go so far.

He said: “Any empty store is onewhere everybody loses. Let us getaround the table and talk about howwe can compromise.”

His view was backed by StephanieLacey, centre director for Cabot Cir-

cus. She said: “If business rates couldbe reduced that would be of hugebenefit to retailers.

“At Cabot Circus we always look ataffordability of retail with the centre,so we do look at business rates inrelation to their overall costs.

“Reducing business rates would beof great benefit to retailers because itwould help them to lower their costsand be more successful.”

Ed Miliband recently pledged toreverse a planned rise in businessrates in 2015, if Labour wins the nextelection. But he would do so by re-versing a proposed cut in corporationtax from 21 to 20 per cent.

On a visit to Bristol, Skills MinisterDavid Willetts rebuffed the Labourplan. He told Business: “What Labouris talking about is an increase incorporation-tax rates. Our pitch tobig companies around the world look-ing to invest is that we have pulleddown corporation tax. It is quite dan-gerous for Labour to propose increas-ing it.”

But Mr Willetts rejected calls for arates rethink. He said: “We areproviding start-up loans, loweringnational-insurance costs for peoplestarting businesses and lowering thecosts of taking on first employees.”

� Shoppers in Cabot Circus

of firms say they will focus efficiencyefforts on finding more cost-effectiveservice providers, especially in thearea of IT and telecoms.

While 45 per cent will demand ahigher return on investment frommarketing and advertising spend, 40per cent will focus on ways to im-prove staff retention, and 20 per centwill aim to reduce fixed office space.

John Spencer, chief executive of-ficer at Regus, said: “The nationaleconomic outlook has improved sig-nificantly since April and this isclearly reflected in our report’s find-ings for Bristol.

“But firms have learnt to be cau-tious and not overstretch themselvesat this crucial stage of recovery.� Temple Quay

BRISTOL business leaders say the economy ison the up, but we cannot be complacent.

The UK economy grew in the third quarter by0.8 per cent, the Government revealed lastweek. Digging beneath the headlinefigure shows encouraging longerterm trends for the South West.

Unemployment among over 25sis down to 4.2 per cent, the secondlowest in England; higher educa-tion application rates stand at31.3 per cent; 156,080 people havebeen through apprenticeships since2010; and exports are up 19 per centsince 2010.

Russell Jones, pictured, director of UKTrade and Investment in the South West said:“The region has made impressive progress inseveral areas, including exporting, and there are

positive signs that this momentum will con-tinue. The South West saw a 3.5 per cent growthin exports in the year to June 2013 compared to

the previous year. The second quarter of2013 marked the fourth successive

quarterly increase in exports fromthe region, with the value of exportgoods reaching £3.45 billion.”

However, Phil Smith, managingdirector of Business West, said: “Ifwe are to have a high-skill-high-wage economy, then infrastructure

investment must improve.”Ben Taylor, assistant chief exec-

utive of Renishaw, based in Wotton-under-Edge, said: “These are very positive

figures, especially the low unemployment ratesamongst adults. It is vital that businesses focuson developing the skills of young people.”

� Sir Richard Branson dresses down Phil Smith by removing his tie Picture: Owen Billcliffe

SIR Richard Branson has teamed upwith Business West to help youngentrepreneurs in the city. The Bristol-based support service and businesschampion, which represents compan-

ies in the area, is working with Sir Richard onVirgin StartUp, a not-for-profit company of-fering financial support, mentoring and busi-ness advice to young entrepreneurs.

Working with The Start-Up Loans Com-pany as a delivery partner, Virgin StartUpwill provide loans to entrepreneurs aged 18 to30 across the UK as part of a collaborationwith local partners, including Business West.

Sir Richard said: “Virgin StartUp is pleasedto be working in partnership with BusinessWest, the leading not-for-profit business sup-port provider in the South West region.

“The combination of Business West’s ex-perience in providing early stage businessesadvice together with the Virgin brand andour company’s support, will be crucial insecuring the success of many young entre-p re n e u r s.

“We look forward to working together to setup many new ventures.”

Phil Smith, managing director of BusinessWest, based at Leigh Court, said: “Vi r g i nStartUp has natural synergy with our Readyfor Business Programme and I am delightedto be part of this great service for start ups.

“Entrepreneurs play an important role inthe economy of the South West and I look

forward to seeing this service, which willenable many to fulfil their dream of startingup their own business.”

Virgin StartUp is backed by Virgin’s UKcompanies including: Virgin Trains, VirginMoney, Virgin Media, Virgin Atlantic, VirginActive, Virgin Care and its not-for-profitfoundation Virgin Unite.

These companies will provide access tostaff mentors, marketing and media support,business advice, as well as space to hostnetworking and promotional events.

Sir Richard added: “I started my first busi-ness with a handful of coins out of aphone-box at school, but it was the £300 frommy mum that really kick-started our studentmagazine and sparked the Virgin adventure40 years ago. Today, young people need thatsame help and I believe Virgin StartUp willprovide it – with access to early capital,strong mentorship, advice and promotion.”

“Their priority is to continue mak-ing efficiencies and keep growth ontrack. It is worth scrutinising everybusiness process, especially in-grained daily routines like commut-ing and working fixed hours whichcan have a negative impact on ef-ficiency and staff well-being.”

Regus provides flexible workspacefor companies small and large andhas four sites in the city, including atTemple Quay.

Mr Spencer added: “The main mo-tivation these days for firms usingour business centres is to work moreflexibly; and most find that flexibleworkspace helps them keep costsdown and creates happier, healthierand more efficient staff.”

� Sir Richard Branson and James Caanlead the star-studded panel

*Telephone linesopenfrom8am-8pmMondaytoFriday,excludingbankholidays inEnglandandWales.Callsmaybe recordedandmonitoredfor securityandtrainingpurposes. BT landline calls to 0845 numbers will cost nomore than 5 pence perminute. Charges fromother service providersmay vary and calls frommobiles usuallycost more.Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trade marks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary ofAllied IrishBanks, p.l.c.), incorporated inNorthern Ireland. RegisteredOffice4Queens Square, Belfast BT13DJ. RegisteredNumberNI18800.AuthorisedbythePrudentialRegulationAuthorityand regulatedbytheFinancialConductAuthorityandthePrudentialRegulationAuthority. AIB2 BO

“Who says banksaren’t lending?Ours has £250mfor owner managedbusinesses.”We’re not surprised to hear that our bank has set upa loan fund for businesses like ours. They funded thelaunch of our specialist care centre six years ago andthey recently lent us almost £2m to expand, creating50 new jobs. Like us, they care for the individual.

Dr. Angela Nall,General Manager, Pathfinders Complex and Specialist Care

Visit our website or call 0845 045 0900*

8am-8pmMonday to Friday to contact your local branch

Jason Fleming, Senior Branch Manager, Bristol branch,19 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PB

Our business is business banking aibgb.co.uk

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6 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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.

Avonmouth and Severnside special Avonmouth and Severnside special

RECONCILING the disparitybetween an environmentalagenda and the pursuit ofprofit can be a conundrumfor today’s businesses. But

the proponents of such initiativesinsist that genuine business benefitscan still be realised alongside an un-derlying ethical and social policy.

In and around Avonmouth, a grouphas been set up to effect such changesin the businesses and their surround-ing residential workforce.

SevernNet, chaired and co-ordin-ated by Kate Royston and including a“champions group” of 14 businessesand organisations, including majorcompanies, police and local govern-ment, aims to promote sustainability,community and enterprisethroughout the vicinity.

The challenges are fourfold: firstly,

to improve transport; second, to sup-port community engagement and im-prove access to work for local people;third, to promote resource efficiencyand develop a “circular economy”across the area; and finally, to enableengagement with the strategic de-velopment of the Avonmouth Severn-side Enterprise Area.

Essentially, Kate’s mission is to getbusinesses and the community com-municating and working together foreach other’s benefit, collaborating ina way that these disparate and isol-ated entities have failed to do untilnow, and helping each other revital-ise and energise that part of the city.

Collaboration isn’t necessarilysomething British businesses do nat-

urally – they tend to keep ourselves too u r s e l ve s.

But when SevernNet first started, agroup of businesses around the portsat down and discussed how theycould put each other’s waste productsto use. They left the meeting withdozens of ideas and resulting get-to-gethers have been even more pro-d u c t ive.

“Even though they were neigh-bours”, said Kate, “many of them had

never met. Now they work togetherquite closely. In ports in places suchas the Netherlands there’s a muchstronger spirit of co-operation andcollaboration, more public owner-ship and participation.

“All of those people who are in-volved in key decisions tend to cometogether and form a group that thenshares a vision for the area thatpeople then work towards and peopleare committed to.

“Here, it’s more fragmented andports, as well as the businessesaround them, are generally veryp r ivat e.

“A lot of these businesses are herebecause the port is here. But whileyo u ’ve got all that going on, you don’tnecessarily get people connecting to-gether, to be able to understand andaddress challenges across the areaand do things about it.”

But Kate believes there is a huge

amount of potential for major in-dustrial sites like Avonmouth,Portbury and Severnside to shareresources, promoting industrial eco-logy for change and strategic devel-opment.

Another major issue to tackle istransport. Unless you drive, it is chal-lenging to get across the area.

Cycling is treacherous, due to alack of cycle lanes and the presence ofso many large vehicles.

Walking is unpleasant in such anindustrial area and often unfeasiblegiven the vast area to cover. Publictransport, meanwhile, is infrequentand extremely limited.

“We need to get public transportrunning across the area, cycle paths,a shuttle bus and car-sharings ch e m e s, ” said Kate.

“T here’s huge concern, particu-larly over the link between LawrenceWeston and St Andrew’s Road –

people need to be able to get to workbut they can’t.”

In the surrounding communities,meanwhile, relatively high unem-ployment affects a potentially hugeworkforce. Why is that?

K at e ’s research has shown thatthere was a widespread problem withaccess to the internet, not only in thehome but publicly, and an ensuingstruggle to keep up with modern jobapplication techniques.

So SevernNet is supporting workclubs by mentoring and reportingvacancies. The clubs help people fillout jobs applications and updatetheir CVs, with businesses postingavailable roles at the job centres.

There is a proposal being developedfor a not-for-profit employmentagency in the area. It being developedby Ambition Lawrence Weston andsupported by SevernNet, with, hope-fully, backing from local firms.

Finally, there is a strategic require-ment for major schemes such asnew flood defences, a new junction onthe M49 and shared infrastructureso the development of the area iscarried out in synergy with what isalready there.

In the short term, SevernNet isproducing a business directory, a re-source directory, information aroundresource efficiency, travel informa-tion and developing events and peer

Think of Avonmouth andyou imagine the port,industry and warehouses.It’s not the greenestpicture. But several firmsin the area are workingto change that.Rupert Janisch foundout how Avonmouth andSevernside is becomingmore sustainable.

WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A GREENER PORT ENVIRONMENTCase study: Nisbets in the Community

� Sita UK has recently opened a recycling facility at Avonmouth

Case study: The Children’s Scrapstore

CHARITY The Children’s Scrapstore,based in St Werburgh’s, collects safewaste from businesses to be re-used as alow cost creative resource for children inplay areas around the city.

And companies in Avonmouth andSevernside play a crucial role in providingthe charity with its raw materials.

The Children’s Scrapstore hasconducted a weekly tour of a number ofbusinesses across the SevernNet area forthe past three years, gathering a widevariety of waste materials which are takento the charity’s scrap warehouse ready tobe used for art, craft, play and educationalpurposes.

Including everything from shreddedcardboard to colourful plastic inner tubes,the waste materials are distributed via thecharity’s Artrageous shop and regular playsessions held at its headquarters.

The charity collects 100 tonnes of wastematerials a year from local businesses.

Three SevernNet members whoregularly provide safe materials to takeaway are Toyota Import Centre, JohnLewis Distribution and DS SmithPackaging.

Mark Bradford, production systemsmanager from Toyota Import Centre, said:“This is a great initiative, and one we aredelighted to be involved with.

“We estimate that around 110kgs ofsafe materials are diverted from wasteinto reusable play resources each year.

“We encourage our employees toidentify and save suitable materials whichare then sorted on site before beingcollected, free of charge, by the Children’sScrapstore team on a weekly basis.”

Charlie Mason from Children’sScrapstore, said: “The Portbury,Avonmouth, Severnside zone is a greatsourcing area for Children’s Scrapstoredue to its extraordinarily diverse range ofbusinesses.

“From manufacturing to logistics,wholesalers to service providers, it offersa concentrated zone of companiesgenerating unwanted resources oftenerroneously categorised as ‘waste’.

“SevernNet has been invaluable toC h i l d re n ’s Scrapstore in connecting uswith numerous businesses in the area thatgenerate unwanted safe clean materialsand items.”

� David Burbidge, Children’s Scrapstore; Jon Micklefield, Toyota GB; Charlie Mason, manager,C h i l d re n ’s Scrapstore; and Mark Bradford, production systems manager for Toyota GB

Case study: Sita UK

RECYCLING and resource managementcompany Sita UK has recently opened arecycling facility in Avonmouth as part of itsnationwide zero waste vision.

The £22 million facility can accept and sorta wide range of dry recyclables, includingcardboard, paper, plastics, cans, glass andpolythene. It uses advanced technology andhigh-speed processes to identify andseparate materials, including glass and fineparticles. The materials are then gatheredtogether by a baling machine and readied forcollection by reprocessing companies whocan give the materials a new life.

The facility has already created more than30 new jobs and Sita is planning to introducea second shift later this year to manage anincreasing volume.

James Pike, Sita UK’s general managerprocessing for the South West, said: “Ournew facility can handle 80,000 tonnes ofmaterials each year so there is ampleopportunity for businesses to put their wasteto good use and reduce their landfill tax billat the same time.”

Sita UK is particularly keen to securereliable streams of uncontaminated dryrecyclable materials from customers in the

region, so that it can provide a consistentlyhigh quality product to reprocessingcompanies. It is inviting businesses to get intouch for a free waste audit to understandhow they may be able to reduce what theysend to landfill.

Sita UK delivers solutions to 12 millionresidents and 40,000 business customersthroughout the UK.

It operates in more than 300 locations,from household waste recycling centres,transfer stations and landfills, toenergy-from-waste, recycling, compostingand secure shredding facilities.

� SevernNet chair Kate Royston

networks so that key personnel atbusinesses and in the community canlink up and start to realise the po-tential that’s on their doorstep.

Eventually, working with BristolCity and South Gloucestershire coun-cils, as well as the police and themajor businesses in the area, the planis to get Avonmouth, Severnside andPortbury to really reach its potentialas a thriving and prosperous hub ofnew and growing business.

NISBETS Next Day CateringEquipment was established30 years ago and now employsmore than 800 people, turningover £180 million per year.

Chairman Andrew Nisbet iskeen to develop positiverelationships with areas in andaround Avonmouth.

In 2012 Nisbets in theCommunity (NiC) was formed,a scheme that enables thecompany and employees to getinvolved in community work inthe local area.

The scheme is intended tobecome a long-term charitableproject dedicated to givingback to the local communitythrough time, donation andskills, including supportingyoung people.

NiC is chaired by AnneNisbet and representativesfrom across the organisationmake up the committee.

Among the highlights ofNiC’s activities have been therenovation of AvonmouthCommunity Centre, wheremore than 50 volunteers spentthree days undertaking basicmaintenance work, paintingand putting up new curtains.

A Christmas party inAvonmouth Community Centrefor more than 150 localresidents has become anannual event for Nisbetscolleagues to support.

A group of volunteers alsospent a day supporting arefencing project at LawrenceWeston Farm.

And a £5,000 donation wasmade to Oasis AcademyBrightstowe in Shirehamptonfor its Rowing Academy,which serves four communitiesin Bristol.

Zoe Joyner, projectinnovations manager atNisbets, said: “Supporting thelocal community is somethingcolleagues at Nisbets arepassionate about. NiC wasestablished to encourage ourcolleagues to get involved inlocal projects and make adifference, not just by raisingmoney but also volunteeringtheir skills and time.”

Nisbets has seenconsiderable recent growth.

With three sites inAvonmouth, it is soon set totake on sales, call centre andwarehouse staff.

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6 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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.

Avonmouth and Severnside special Avonmouth and Severnside special

RECONCILING the disparitybetween an environmentalagenda and the pursuit ofprofit can be a conundrumfor today’s businesses. But

the proponents of such initiativesinsist that genuine business benefitscan still be realised alongside an un-derlying ethical and social policy.

In and around Avonmouth, a grouphas been set up to effect such changesin the businesses and their surround-ing residential workforce.

SevernNet, chaired and co-ordin-ated by Kate Royston and including a“champions group” of 14 businessesand organisations, including majorcompanies, police and local govern-ment, aims to promote sustainability,community and enterprisethroughout the vicinity.

The challenges are fourfold: firstly,

to improve transport; second, to sup-port community engagement and im-prove access to work for local people;third, to promote resource efficiencyand develop a “circular economy”across the area; and finally, to enableengagement with the strategic de-velopment of the Avonmouth Severn-side Enterprise Area.

Essentially, Kate’s mission is to getbusinesses and the community com-municating and working together foreach other’s benefit, collaborating ina way that these disparate and isol-ated entities have failed to do untilnow, and helping each other revital-ise and energise that part of the city.

Collaboration isn’t necessarilysomething British businesses do nat-

urally – they tend to keep ourselves too u r s e l ve s.

But when SevernNet first started, agroup of businesses around the portsat down and discussed how theycould put each other’s waste productsto use. They left the meeting withdozens of ideas and resulting get-to-gethers have been even more pro-d u c t ive.

“Even though they were neigh-bours”, said Kate, “many of them had

never met. Now they work togetherquite closely. In ports in places suchas the Netherlands there’s a muchstronger spirit of co-operation andcollaboration, more public owner-ship and participation.

“All of those people who are in-volved in key decisions tend to cometogether and form a group that thenshares a vision for the area thatpeople then work towards and peopleare committed to.

“Here, it’s more fragmented andports, as well as the businessesaround them, are generally veryp r ivat e.

“A lot of these businesses are herebecause the port is here. But whileyo u ’ve got all that going on, you don’tnecessarily get people connecting to-gether, to be able to understand andaddress challenges across the areaand do things about it.”

But Kate believes there is a huge

amount of potential for major in-dustrial sites like Avonmouth,Portbury and Severnside to shareresources, promoting industrial eco-logy for change and strategic devel-opment.

Another major issue to tackle istransport. Unless you drive, it is chal-lenging to get across the area.

Cycling is treacherous, due to alack of cycle lanes and the presence ofso many large vehicles.

Walking is unpleasant in such anindustrial area and often unfeasiblegiven the vast area to cover. Publictransport, meanwhile, is infrequentand extremely limited.

“We need to get public transportrunning across the area, cycle paths,a shuttle bus and car-sharings ch e m e s, ” said Kate.

“T here’s huge concern, particu-larly over the link between LawrenceWeston and St Andrew’s Road –

people need to be able to get to workbut they can’t.”

In the surrounding communities,meanwhile, relatively high unem-ployment affects a potentially hugeworkforce. Why is that?

K at e ’s research has shown thatthere was a widespread problem withaccess to the internet, not only in thehome but publicly, and an ensuingstruggle to keep up with modern jobapplication techniques.

So SevernNet is supporting workclubs by mentoring and reportingvacancies. The clubs help people fillout jobs applications and updatetheir CVs, with businesses postingavailable roles at the job centres.

There is a proposal being developedfor a not-for-profit employmentagency in the area. It being developedby Ambition Lawrence Weston andsupported by SevernNet, with, hope-fully, backing from local firms.

Finally, there is a strategic require-ment for major schemes such asnew flood defences, a new junction onthe M49 and shared infrastructureso the development of the area iscarried out in synergy with what isalready there.

In the short term, SevernNet isproducing a business directory, a re-source directory, information aroundresource efficiency, travel informa-tion and developing events and peer

Think of Avonmouth andyou imagine the port,industry and warehouses.It’s not the greenestpicture. But several firmsin the area are workingto change that.Rupert Janisch foundout how Avonmouth andSevernside is becomingmore sustainable.

WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A GREENER PORT ENVIRONMENTCase study: Nisbets in the Community

� Sita UK has recently opened a recycling facility at Avonmouth

Case study: The Children’s Scrapstore

CHARITY The Children’s Scrapstore,based in St Werburgh’s, collects safewaste from businesses to be re-used as alow cost creative resource for children inplay areas around the city.

And companies in Avonmouth andSevernside play a crucial role in providingthe charity with its raw materials.

The Children’s Scrapstore hasconducted a weekly tour of a number ofbusinesses across the SevernNet area forthe past three years, gathering a widevariety of waste materials which are takento the charity’s scrap warehouse ready tobe used for art, craft, play and educationalpurposes.

Including everything from shreddedcardboard to colourful plastic inner tubes,the waste materials are distributed via thecharity’s Artrageous shop and regular playsessions held at its headquarters.

The charity collects 100 tonnes of wastematerials a year from local businesses.

Three SevernNet members whoregularly provide safe materials to takeaway are Toyota Import Centre, JohnLewis Distribution and DS SmithPackaging.

Mark Bradford, production systemsmanager from Toyota Import Centre, said:“This is a great initiative, and one we aredelighted to be involved with.

“We estimate that around 110kgs ofsafe materials are diverted from wasteinto reusable play resources each year.

“We encourage our employees toidentify and save suitable materials whichare then sorted on site before beingcollected, free of charge, by the Children’sScrapstore team on a weekly basis.”

Charlie Mason from Children’sScrapstore, said: “The Portbury,Avonmouth, Severnside zone is a greatsourcing area for Children’s Scrapstoredue to its extraordinarily diverse range ofbusinesses.

“From manufacturing to logistics,wholesalers to service providers, it offersa concentrated zone of companiesgenerating unwanted resources oftenerroneously categorised as ‘waste’.

“SevernNet has been invaluable toC h i l d re n ’s Scrapstore in connecting uswith numerous businesses in the area thatgenerate unwanted safe clean materialsand items.”

� David Burbidge, Children’s Scrapstore; Jon Micklefield, Toyota GB; Charlie Mason, manager,C h i l d re n ’s Scrapstore; and Mark Bradford, production systems manager for Toyota GB

Case study: Sita UK

RECYCLING and resource managementcompany Sita UK has recently opened arecycling facility in Avonmouth as part of itsnationwide zero waste vision.

The £22 million facility can accept and sorta wide range of dry recyclables, includingcardboard, paper, plastics, cans, glass andpolythene. It uses advanced technology andhigh-speed processes to identify andseparate materials, including glass and fineparticles. The materials are then gatheredtogether by a baling machine and readied forcollection by reprocessing companies whocan give the materials a new life.

The facility has already created more than30 new jobs and Sita is planning to introducea second shift later this year to manage anincreasing volume.

James Pike, Sita UK’s general managerprocessing for the South West, said: “Ournew facility can handle 80,000 tonnes ofmaterials each year so there is ampleopportunity for businesses to put their wasteto good use and reduce their landfill tax billat the same time.”

Sita UK is particularly keen to securereliable streams of uncontaminated dryrecyclable materials from customers in the

region, so that it can provide a consistentlyhigh quality product to reprocessingcompanies. It is inviting businesses to get intouch for a free waste audit to understandhow they may be able to reduce what theysend to landfill.

Sita UK delivers solutions to 12 millionresidents and 40,000 business customersthroughout the UK.

It operates in more than 300 locations,from household waste recycling centres,transfer stations and landfills, toenergy-from-waste, recycling, compostingand secure shredding facilities.

� SevernNet chair Kate Royston

networks so that key personnel atbusinesses and in the community canlink up and start to realise the po-tential that’s on their doorstep.

Eventually, working with BristolCity and South Gloucestershire coun-cils, as well as the police and themajor businesses in the area, the planis to get Avonmouth, Severnside andPortbury to really reach its potentialas a thriving and prosperous hub ofnew and growing business.

NISBETS Next Day CateringEquipment was established30 years ago and now employsmore than 800 people, turningover £180 million per year.

Chairman Andrew Nisbet iskeen to develop positiverelationships with areas in andaround Avonmouth.

In 2012 Nisbets in theCommunity (NiC) was formed,a scheme that enables thecompany and employees to getinvolved in community work inthe local area.

The scheme is intended tobecome a long-term charitableproject dedicated to givingback to the local communitythrough time, donation andskills, including supportingyoung people.

NiC is chaired by AnneNisbet and representativesfrom across the organisationmake up the committee.

Among the highlights ofNiC’s activities have been therenovation of AvonmouthCommunity Centre, wheremore than 50 volunteers spentthree days undertaking basicmaintenance work, paintingand putting up new curtains.

A Christmas party inAvonmouth Community Centrefor more than 150 localresidents has become anannual event for Nisbetscolleagues to support.

A group of volunteers alsospent a day supporting arefencing project at LawrenceWeston Farm.

And a £5,000 donation wasmade to Oasis AcademyBrightstowe in Shirehamptonfor its Rowing Academy,which serves four communitiesin Bristol.

Zoe Joyner, projectinnovations manager atNisbets, said: “Supporting thelocal community is somethingcolleagues at Nisbets arepassionate about. NiC wasestablished to encourage ourcolleagues to get involved inlocal projects and make adifference, not just by raisingmoney but also volunteeringtheir skills and time.”

Nisbets has seenconsiderable recent growth.

With three sites inAvonmouth, it is soon set totake on sales, call centre andwarehouse staff.

EPB-

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8 9We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Avonmouth and Severnside specialThe Big Interview

THOROUGHLYMODERN PORTBUILT ON OURRICH HISTORY

BR I S T O L’S port at Avon-mouth is home to one of thecity’s major businesses. Andin the area lying adjacent tothe Severn Estuary, it’s a

landmark in itself.From the trio of wind turbines

which stand by the water’s edge to thethousands of cars filling land by thePortbury Hundred, you can’t miss thepresence of a major industrial hub.

At the centre of the area is theBristol Port Company. Bought fromthe city council by two shareholdersin 1991, last year it turned over£78 million and the company employs550 people full-time, giving work toanother 6,500 or so who are on theestate on a typical day.

Bristol is home to one ofthe UK’s major deepwa-ter ports. Competitorsinclude the mainstaysof the UK Major PortGroup, such asSouthampton, Imming-ham in Lincolnshire,Liverpool, London Gate-way and Felixstowe in Suf-folk. These ports are capableof docking some of the biggestboats around, not just Panamax ves-sels which squeeze through the nar-row Panama Canal between theAmericas but also Capesize shipswhich can safely corner the southerntips of South Africa and Chile.

In shipping terms Bristol is one ofthe most modern ports around, withRoyal Portbury Dock opening justover 25 years ago.

But in some ways the Port Com-p a ny ’s trade remains romanticallyold-fashioned, accepting ships, un-loading them and sending them away,occasionally carrying new cargo. It’swork that dockers in the city havedone for hundreds of years.

And for Simon Bird, the company’sCEO, his business offers an insightinto our own habits – what we con-sume as a nation and also what wep ro d u c e.

Mr Bird also sees first-hand thediscrepancy between the UK’s export-ing shortfall, versus what we bringinto the country.

“The trend, sadly, has been thatw ay, ” he said. “Jaguar Land Rover,which we export out of here, is afantastic success story for the coun-try. We export Airbus, Rolls Royceand JCB out of here as well.

“But 15 or 20 years ago there were alot more of those companies.

“UK ports generally import morethan they export. It’s a fact of life.”

Bristol’s history remains an integ-ral part of the port’s unique offering.In former times our city was a crucial

part of the nation’s economy be-cause of its port, its transport

links, its proximity to Lon-don and the industrialheartlands of the northwest of the country. Andtoday, Bristol Port re-mains unique in thecountry, being serviced

both by a motorway anda major railway line.As our economy changes,

so does the firm’s trade. Someindustries grow, some fall – the key

for the port is to adapt accordingly.Take cars, for example. A decade

ago, the car parks at Portbury werecompletely full with vehicles. Today,there are huge expanses of emptylots. You might suspect that is be-cause trading is down. But Mr Birdinsists that the change in appearancereflects different market trends.

He said: “We have seen manufac-turing locations change in the time Ihave been here – t h e re ’s a lot more inIndia, China, Turkey and Europenow. Companies operate different lo-gistics structures, with lower stocklevels since 2008. They aren’t willingto take big stock on their books.

“It changes all the time. We aredoing more exports as a percentage ofimports now. Our job is to work withour clients to help them keep theirbusinesses successful, try and give

them what they need and look at themarket to try and stay ahead of ourc o m p e t i t o r s. ”

The weather also affects business.Last year’s British harvest was poorand resulted in a massive decrease inthe amount of grain exported.

As with many British businessleaders, Mr Bird is frustrated by le-gislative interference from Europe.

“If you are a customer here and youfell out with us,” he said, “you couldgo to Liverpool or Southampton orseveral other deep water ports in theUK. In Europe you just have Rot-

terdam, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Am-sterdam – four ports, and the com-petition between them isn’t there.

“Those big ports are owned by thelocal governments and they let theports to a local operator.

“The shipping lines are saying theywant more competition on the con-tinental ports. But we don’t needmore competition here.

“The model is different because it’sall private sector and we fundourselves through our shareholders.

“So for once the UK ports have alljoined up to say that Europe is un-helpful. We have support across theChannel, in ports in Germany and inFrance, for that as well.”

So what does the future hold for theBristol Port Company?

For at least the next five years theDeep Sea Container Terminal whichwould let the port accommodate thewo rl d ’s biggest ships is on hold.

Something similar is opening atLondon Gateway next month and, inany case, Mr Bird believes globaldemand is not there.

“If I was CEO of a big container portthat is going to be affected by LondonGateway then I would be concerned,”said Mr Bird.

“But it won’t affect what we’redoing over here. We’re certainly not

going to be spending any money onthat while capacity is not required.

“But the new terminal will play arole in the future of this business, Ihave no doubt about that.”

What is vital is constantly adaptingto market trends and attempting tostay one step ahead of competitors.

“There are lots of plans and wealways have a variety of commercialissues running,” Mr Bird said.

“Given the extent of the HinckleyPoint C programme we expect to playan important part in that.

“We have a number of planned ex-pansions and a lot is determined bythe energy sector, which could affectour major investments.”

As the economy recovers tur noverat the Bristol Port Company is up onlast year and continuing to rise.

“We would recognise what is beingsaid in the media about a recovery.,”he said. “We have taken 50 people onin the last couple of months and havea healthy and thriving apprentice-ships programme.

“It’s a very competitive market-place. If we are looking to grow wehave to take business away from ourc o m p e t i t o r s.

“Fundamentally we move cargofrom A to B and we are trying tobecome better at it.”

As the man in charge of the Bristol Port Company,Simon Bird is in the business of making otherpeople’s businesses happen. Rupert Janisch talksto the man who sees everyday life pass by his officein thousands of shipping containers each day.

Simon BirdBristol Port Company CEO

“We would recognisewhat is being said in themedia about a recovery.We have taken 50 peopleon in the last couple ofmonths and have ahealthy and thrivinga p p re n t i c e s h i p sp ro g r a m m e .

Costco BristolSt Brendans WayAvonmouthBristolBS11 9EZ

T: 0117 916 0130E: marketing116@costco.co.uk

Central Membership: 01923 830 477www.costco.co.uk

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We provide a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of speciality departments andexclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

We are confident in the quality and value of our products, andwe stand behind themwith our guaranteeof satisfaction.

TradeMembership*The annual membership fee for Standard Trade Membership is £20 (plus VAT), which includes acomplimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

Individual Membership*The annual membership fee for Standard Individual Membership is £25 (plus VAT), which includes acomplimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

Join in thewarehouseoronline:www.costco.co.uk/membership

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8 9We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Avonmouth and Severnside specialThe Big Interview

THOROUGHLYMODERN PORTBUILT ON OURRICH HISTORY

BR I S T O L’S port at Avon-mouth is home to one of thecity’s major businesses. Andin the area lying adjacent tothe Severn Estuary, it’s a

landmark in itself.From the trio of wind turbines

which stand by the water’s edge to thethousands of cars filling land by thePortbury Hundred, you can’t miss thepresence of a major industrial hub.

At the centre of the area is theBristol Port Company. Bought fromthe city council by two shareholdersin 1991, last year it turned over£78 million and the company employs550 people full-time, giving work toanother 6,500 or so who are on theestate on a typical day.

Bristol is home to one ofthe UK’s major deepwa-ter ports. Competitorsinclude the mainstaysof the UK Major PortGroup, such asSouthampton, Imming-ham in Lincolnshire,Liverpool, London Gate-way and Felixstowe in Suf-folk. These ports are capableof docking some of the biggestboats around, not just Panamax ves-sels which squeeze through the nar-row Panama Canal between theAmericas but also Capesize shipswhich can safely corner the southerntips of South Africa and Chile.

In shipping terms Bristol is one ofthe most modern ports around, withRoyal Portbury Dock opening justover 25 years ago.

But in some ways the Port Com-p a ny ’s trade remains romanticallyold-fashioned, accepting ships, un-loading them and sending them away,occasionally carrying new cargo. It’swork that dockers in the city havedone for hundreds of years.

And for Simon Bird, the company’sCEO, his business offers an insightinto our own habits – what we con-sume as a nation and also what wep ro d u c e.

Mr Bird also sees first-hand thediscrepancy between the UK’s export-ing shortfall, versus what we bringinto the country.

“The trend, sadly, has been thatw ay, ” he said. “Jaguar Land Rover,which we export out of here, is afantastic success story for the coun-try. We export Airbus, Rolls Royceand JCB out of here as well.

“But 15 or 20 years ago there were alot more of those companies.

“UK ports generally import morethan they export. It’s a fact of life.”

Bristol’s history remains an integ-ral part of the port’s unique offering.In former times our city was a crucial

part of the nation’s economy be-cause of its port, its transport

links, its proximity to Lon-don and the industrialheartlands of the northwest of the country. Andtoday, Bristol Port re-mains unique in thecountry, being serviced

both by a motorway anda major railway line.As our economy changes,

so does the firm’s trade. Someindustries grow, some fall – the key

for the port is to adapt accordingly.Take cars, for example. A decade

ago, the car parks at Portbury werecompletely full with vehicles. Today,there are huge expanses of emptylots. You might suspect that is be-cause trading is down. But Mr Birdinsists that the change in appearancereflects different market trends.

He said: “We have seen manufac-turing locations change in the time Ihave been here – t h e re ’s a lot more inIndia, China, Turkey and Europenow. Companies operate different lo-gistics structures, with lower stocklevels since 2008. They aren’t willingto take big stock on their books.

“It changes all the time. We aredoing more exports as a percentage ofimports now. Our job is to work withour clients to help them keep theirbusinesses successful, try and give

them what they need and look at themarket to try and stay ahead of ourc o m p e t i t o r s. ”

The weather also affects business.Last year’s British harvest was poorand resulted in a massive decrease inthe amount of grain exported.

As with many British businessleaders, Mr Bird is frustrated by le-gislative interference from Europe.

“If you are a customer here and youfell out with us,” he said, “you couldgo to Liverpool or Southampton orseveral other deep water ports in theUK. In Europe you just have Rot-

terdam, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Am-sterdam – four ports, and the com-petition between them isn’t there.

“Those big ports are owned by thelocal governments and they let theports to a local operator.

“The shipping lines are saying theywant more competition on the con-tinental ports. But we don’t needmore competition here.

“The model is different because it’sall private sector and we fundourselves through our shareholders.

“So for once the UK ports have alljoined up to say that Europe is un-helpful. We have support across theChannel, in ports in Germany and inFrance, for that as well.”

So what does the future hold for theBristol Port Company?

For at least the next five years theDeep Sea Container Terminal whichwould let the port accommodate thewo rl d ’s biggest ships is on hold.

Something similar is opening atLondon Gateway next month and, inany case, Mr Bird believes globaldemand is not there.

“If I was CEO of a big container portthat is going to be affected by LondonGateway then I would be concerned,”said Mr Bird.

“But it won’t affect what we’redoing over here. We’re certainly not

going to be spending any money onthat while capacity is not required.

“But the new terminal will play arole in the future of this business, Ihave no doubt about that.”

What is vital is constantly adaptingto market trends and attempting tostay one step ahead of competitors.

“There are lots of plans and wealways have a variety of commercialissues running,” Mr Bird said.

“Given the extent of the HinckleyPoint C programme we expect to playan important part in that.

“We have a number of planned ex-pansions and a lot is determined bythe energy sector, which could affectour major investments.”

As the economy recovers tur noverat the Bristol Port Company is up onlast year and continuing to rise.

“We would recognise what is beingsaid in the media about a recovery.,”he said. “We have taken 50 people onin the last couple of months and havea healthy and thriving apprentice-ships programme.

“It’s a very competitive market-place. If we are looking to grow wehave to take business away from ourc o m p e t i t o r s.

“Fundamentally we move cargofrom A to B and we are trying tobecome better at it.”

As the man in charge of the Bristol Port Company,Simon Bird is in the business of making otherpeople’s businesses happen. Rupert Janisch talksto the man who sees everyday life pass by his officein thousands of shipping containers each day.

Simon BirdBristol Port Company CEO

“We would recognisewhat is being said in themedia about a recovery.We have taken 50 peopleon in the last couple ofmonths and have ahealthy and thrivinga p p re n t i c e s h i p sp ro g r a m m e .

Costco BristolSt Brendans WayAvonmouthBristolBS11 9EZ

T: 0117 916 0130E: marketing116@costco.co.uk

Central Membership: 01923 830 477www.costco.co.uk

JOIN COSTCO

TODAY!Costco Wholesale is a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing our members quality goodsand services at the lowest possible prices.

We provide a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of speciality departments andexclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

We are confident in the quality and value of our products, andwe stand behind themwith our guaranteeof satisfaction.

TradeMembership*The annual membership fee for Standard Trade Membership is £20 (plus VAT), which includes acomplimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

Individual Membership*The annual membership fee for Standard Individual Membership is £25 (plus VAT), which includes acomplimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

Join in thewarehouseoronline:www.costco.co.uk/membership

For further information, please contact ourMembership Team at Costco Bristol on

0117 916 0130*Membership Criteria applies. Accepted methods of payment: cash, debit card, cheque orAmerican Express. Membership must be obtained before purchases can be made.

SIGN UP FORMEMBERSHIP

WITH THIS ADVERTAND RECEIVE A

FREE GIFT!COSTCO BRISTOL ONLYVALID UNTIL 31/12/13

CAFÉ PASSTHIS VOUCHER ENTITLES THE BEARER

TO A COFFEE FROM OUR CAFÉ*Valid until 31/12/13

*Only available at Costco Bristol. Membership Required.

EPB-E01-S4

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S4

10 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 11We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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.

Avonmouth and Severnside special Avonmouth and Severnside special

ALL over Bristol there are de-veloping areas of businesspotential which hark back tothe city’s former industrialglories. Think of the Geor-

gian former merchants’ homes of StPa u l ’s and the area surroundingBr unel’s Temple Meads station.

Another is Avonmouth and Severn-side, based around the port area,which has historically been the gate-way to the city’s trading glories.

Nowadays, the sprawling area cov-ering 1,800 hectares of land over fivemiles between the M5 and the M49 is asleeping industrial giant of almostboundless promise.

As such it has been identified asone of five Enterprise Areas, as wellas well as the Temple Quarter En-terprise Zone, all of which fit togetherto help realise the West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership’s vis-ion for our city area.

Under the Government’s City Deal,the Bristol city region has newly-de-volved responsibilities to help attractprivate investment, close skills gapsand attract new jobs.

The Avonmouth Severnside area isone part of the city expected to con-tribute towards the target of 40,000jobs and £1 billion of investment tosupport local growth over the next 30years. In 2010, there were some 14,200people employed within AvonmouthSevernside. The three largest sectorsin terms of employment were trans-port and storage (23 per cent), whole-sale (22 per cent) and manufacturing(18 per cent).

These key components of employ-ment in Avonmouth Severnside re-flect its attractiveness as an area for

large-scale industrial, warehouseand distribution, energy and wasteprocessing uses, in addition to theactivities of the port and its asso-ciated storage and distribution fa-cilities and associated industries.

The Enterprise Area will benefitfrom significant forthcoming infra-structure investment including analready approved deep-water con-tainer terminal at the port and im-provements to provide direct accessto strategic road and rail networks.

The area predominantly servicesactivities including storage and dis-tribution centres, energy and wasteschemes including biomass powerplants and general industrial devel-opment.

The advantages to AvonmouthSevernside are of course its motor-way links, its proximity to the portand its suitability for warehousing,distribution, industrial and environ-mental technologies.

The plan is to deliver 277,168 squaremeters commercial floorspace inthe 84 hectares of Avonmouth within25 years, creating between 2,000 and4,000 new jobs in 2026.

In Severnside, which covers 462hectares, more than 1.3 million sqmof commercial floorspace is planned,bringing up to 8,000 new jobs.

But there are challenges to over-come too.

Among them is an increasing riskof large- scale flooding as well as

nature conservation and ecology is-s u e s.

Planning consents for the formerICI chemical works in Severnside, inplace since 1957, could jeopardise theco-ordination and strategic develop-ment in the area as they would allowthe landowner to go ahead withschemes that don’t play a wider rolein the development of the area, as wellas limiting the ability of the localauthorities to realise infrastructureimprovements such as a new mo-torway junction.

The lack of a motorway link isanother major issue. Many believethat a new junction on the M49, totake traffic directly into the heart ofAvonmouth, is badly needed.

It is a measure highlighted byJames Durie, a director of BusinessWest and also a board member of theWest of England LEP, who describedAvonmouth and Severnside as “po-tentially the largest regenerationarea in Western Europe”.

Speaking about the development ofthe land by where at new M49 junc-tion could be, Mr Durie said: “T herehave been many attempts over theyears to really try and get a con-sensus and some sort of agreement.

“The landowners have to be willingto contribute to some degree, as wellsourcing public funds in terms ofpaying for some of that infrastruc-ture. That is the challenge ahead of usreally. In order for the place to reallyrealise itself in terms of becoming amajor growth area there are someissues to be worked through and solu-tions found.

“But I think the LEP is taking alead to try and take forward theseissues. It’s early days but there’s quitea lot of work going on in the back-ground. There’s potential for quite alot of employee growth not just fordistribution but also waste energyand other industrial uses.

“It complements the aerospaceareas in Filton and the science part ofthe city at Emerson’s Green quitenicely. There’s a big sense that tryingto pull all the industry together andhaving a West of England strategy iswhere we are going.”

But such measurements don’t comecheap. Planning consultancy WYGreckons that at 2011 prices more than£100 million is needed – just under £60million for flood defence work (andt h at ’s the cheap option) as well as£42 million for infrastructure.

W YG ’s report goes on to say: “It isevident from the assessment that con-siderable potential exists for Avon-mouth Severnside to develop furtheras an economic growth point.

“However, it is equally evident thatwithout a concerted effort from awide range of bodies and groups tocomprehensively address the con-straints to development this potentialwill at best be much slower to berealised but more realistically willnot be achieved.

“An integrated strategy is requiredthat can protect and enhance theareas national and international eco-logical standing, while simultan-eously enhancing its flood defencesand maximising its economic devel-opment potential.

“Such an approach will generatesignificant benefits for local resid-ents and well as local, regional andnational businesses.”

So to attract the investment whichcan unlock the area’s potential, ini-tial investment is needed to make itsuitable for growth.

So for big business and the smallercompanies who want to benefit fromthe area’s exceptional transport linksand potentially bright future, the fu-ture looks good for Avonmouth andSevernside. Funding needs to be se-cured and plans need finalising, but itappears this sleeping industrial giantcould soon be waking.

Rupert Janisch looks at how Avonmouth could bethe next powerhouse of the Bristol economy

ISN’T IT TIMETHIS SLEEPINGGIANT BEGANTO WAKE UP?

The future

James DurieWest of England LEP

“That is the challengeahead of us really. Inorder for the place toreally realise itself interms of becoming amajor growth area thereare some issues to beworked through andsolutions found. But Ithink the LEP is taking alead to try and takeforward these issues.

Case Study: Dantek Environmental Services

� So what about the small companies in thearea? How are the minor players feelingabout Avonmouth and Severnside’s future?

Dantek Environmental Services is a smallbusiness in the area, employing 20 people atits offices on the Avonbank business park.

A growing company, which provides watertreatment services to prevent and control

L e g i o n n a i re ’s Disease at offices all over theSouth West and South Wales, it is looking tomove into larger premises.

But director Amy Williams said there was aneed for more office space for smallbusinesses like hers, to enable companieswhich wanted to take advantage of the area’stransport links to stay out of Bristol.

She said: “We love being in Avonmouthand it’s the perfect place for our business,so we welcome any investment which iscoming to the area.

“We ’re in the process of moving to a biggerunit here but it’s quite difficult to find the rightspace because there’s so much competition.

“If there were more of the small industrial

estates here rather than the massivewarehouse buildings used by the logisticscompanies, that would be what we’d like tosee.

“One option is to move to the middle ofBristol but we’d really like to stay here – itjust means we have to try a bit harder andwait a bit longer.”

� Feed stuffs from Burma being discharged at West Wharf, Royal Edward Dock

THE story of ports in Bristolstretches back almost as faras British history itself.Portus Abonae (Latin forPort of the Avon) was estab-

lished by the Romans and existed upuntil the year 4AD in the mouth of theRiver Trym, at what is now SeaM i l l s.

This was a staging point for theRoman invasion of Wales and was atthe western end of the Roman roadfrom Silchester in Hampshire.

It was a long time until the initialdocks were created in the city centre,when in 1239 the first quays werebuilt along the River Frome.

John Cabot set sail from Bristol forthe Americas in 1497. Although his-tory records a short-lived attempt byJoshua Franklyn to open a commer-cial dock at Sea Mills in 1712, notmuch changed at the docks until theearly 1800s when William Jessop pro-posed fitting a dam and lock at Hot-wells. The Floating Harbour wasopened on May 1, 1809.

Major modifications made by Is-ambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1830sand 1840s increased the city-centred o ck s ’ capacity. But the wreckage ofthe ss Gypsy on the silt of the AvonGorge in 1878 demonstrated the needfor something bigger.

In 1877, Avonmouth Old Dock wasopened, and in 1884 the Bristol Cor-poration acquired the Avonmouthand Portishead docks.

The Royal Edward Dock was built

DOING BUSINESS FOR 2,000 YEARS� View from Penpole Point of the opening of Avonmouth by the mayor, Mr G W Edwards. The Juno is picturedentering the dock

The story of ports inBristol stretches back toRoman times, with theestablishment of PortusAbonae at what is nowSea Mills. RupertJanisch looks at keymoments in the historyof the city’s docks

at Avonmouth to the north of themouth of the River Avon in 1908,offering direct access to the SevernEstuary and the Bristol Channel.

The port prospered, thriving off theimport of diverse commodities such

as French and Portuguese wine, tea,exotic foods, tobacco, molasses fromCuba, cocoa and timber from WestAfrica, and Burmese feed stuffs.

During the Second World War theannual tonnage of the port almost

doubled to just under 9 million tonnesper year.

The Royal Portbury Dock wasopened by the Queen in 1977, steppingup the size of ships that could bea c c o m m o d at e d .

Since then the city-centre dockshave become redundant. With theexception of Portishead, the ports atthe mouth of the Avon, which weretaken over by the Bristol Port Com-pany in 1991, have expanded greatly.

� Aerial view of the Avonmouth area � The wreckage of the SS Gypsy in the River Avon, 1878

� Roman remains of Portus Abonae

� Construction of the lock gate at Avonmouth Dock

The past

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10 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 11We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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.

Avonmouth and Severnside special Avonmouth and Severnside special

ALL over Bristol there are de-veloping areas of businesspotential which hark back tothe city’s former industrialglories. Think of the Geor-

gian former merchants’ homes of StPa u l ’s and the area surroundingBr unel’s Temple Meads station.

Another is Avonmouth and Severn-side, based around the port area,which has historically been the gate-way to the city’s trading glories.

Nowadays, the sprawling area cov-ering 1,800 hectares of land over fivemiles between the M5 and the M49 is asleeping industrial giant of almostboundless promise.

As such it has been identified asone of five Enterprise Areas, as wellas well as the Temple Quarter En-terprise Zone, all of which fit togetherto help realise the West of EnglandLocal Enterprise Partnership’s vis-ion for our city area.

Under the Government’s City Deal,the Bristol city region has newly-de-volved responsibilities to help attractprivate investment, close skills gapsand attract new jobs.

The Avonmouth Severnside area isone part of the city expected to con-tribute towards the target of 40,000jobs and £1 billion of investment tosupport local growth over the next 30years. In 2010, there were some 14,200people employed within AvonmouthSevernside. The three largest sectorsin terms of employment were trans-port and storage (23 per cent), whole-sale (22 per cent) and manufacturing(18 per cent).

These key components of employ-ment in Avonmouth Severnside re-flect its attractiveness as an area for

large-scale industrial, warehouseand distribution, energy and wasteprocessing uses, in addition to theactivities of the port and its asso-ciated storage and distribution fa-cilities and associated industries.

The Enterprise Area will benefitfrom significant forthcoming infra-structure investment including analready approved deep-water con-tainer terminal at the port and im-provements to provide direct accessto strategic road and rail networks.

The area predominantly servicesactivities including storage and dis-tribution centres, energy and wasteschemes including biomass powerplants and general industrial devel-opment.

The advantages to AvonmouthSevernside are of course its motor-way links, its proximity to the portand its suitability for warehousing,distribution, industrial and environ-mental technologies.

The plan is to deliver 277,168 squaremeters commercial floorspace inthe 84 hectares of Avonmouth within25 years, creating between 2,000 and4,000 new jobs in 2026.

In Severnside, which covers 462hectares, more than 1.3 million sqmof commercial floorspace is planned,bringing up to 8,000 new jobs.

But there are challenges to over-come too.

Among them is an increasing riskof large- scale flooding as well as

nature conservation and ecology is-s u e s.

Planning consents for the formerICI chemical works in Severnside, inplace since 1957, could jeopardise theco-ordination and strategic develop-ment in the area as they would allowthe landowner to go ahead withschemes that don’t play a wider rolein the development of the area, as wellas limiting the ability of the localauthorities to realise infrastructureimprovements such as a new mo-torway junction.

The lack of a motorway link isanother major issue. Many believethat a new junction on the M49, totake traffic directly into the heart ofAvonmouth, is badly needed.

It is a measure highlighted byJames Durie, a director of BusinessWest and also a board member of theWest of England LEP, who describedAvonmouth and Severnside as “po-tentially the largest regenerationarea in Western Europe”.

Speaking about the development ofthe land by where at new M49 junc-tion could be, Mr Durie said: “T herehave been many attempts over theyears to really try and get a con-sensus and some sort of agreement.

“The landowners have to be willingto contribute to some degree, as wellsourcing public funds in terms ofpaying for some of that infrastruc-ture. That is the challenge ahead of usreally. In order for the place to reallyrealise itself in terms of becoming amajor growth area there are someissues to be worked through and solu-tions found.

“But I think the LEP is taking alead to try and take forward theseissues. It’s early days but there’s quitea lot of work going on in the back-ground. There’s potential for quite alot of employee growth not just fordistribution but also waste energyand other industrial uses.

“It complements the aerospaceareas in Filton and the science part ofthe city at Emerson’s Green quitenicely. There’s a big sense that tryingto pull all the industry together andhaving a West of England strategy iswhere we are going.”

But such measurements don’t comecheap. Planning consultancy WYGreckons that at 2011 prices more than£100 million is needed – just under £60million for flood defence work (andt h at ’s the cheap option) as well as£42 million for infrastructure.

W YG ’s report goes on to say: “It isevident from the assessment that con-siderable potential exists for Avon-mouth Severnside to develop furtheras an economic growth point.

“However, it is equally evident thatwithout a concerted effort from awide range of bodies and groups tocomprehensively address the con-straints to development this potentialwill at best be much slower to berealised but more realistically willnot be achieved.

“An integrated strategy is requiredthat can protect and enhance theareas national and international eco-logical standing, while simultan-eously enhancing its flood defencesand maximising its economic devel-opment potential.

“Such an approach will generatesignificant benefits for local resid-ents and well as local, regional andnational businesses.”

So to attract the investment whichcan unlock the area’s potential, ini-tial investment is needed to make itsuitable for growth.

So for big business and the smallercompanies who want to benefit fromthe area’s exceptional transport linksand potentially bright future, the fu-ture looks good for Avonmouth andSevernside. Funding needs to be se-cured and plans need finalising, but itappears this sleeping industrial giantcould soon be waking.

Rupert Janisch looks at how Avonmouth could bethe next powerhouse of the Bristol economy

ISN’T IT TIMETHIS SLEEPINGGIANT BEGANTO WAKE UP?

The future

James DurieWest of England LEP

“That is the challengeahead of us really. Inorder for the place toreally realise itself interms of becoming amajor growth area thereare some issues to beworked through andsolutions found. But Ithink the LEP is taking alead to try and takeforward these issues.

Case Study: Dantek Environmental Services

� So what about the small companies in thearea? How are the minor players feelingabout Avonmouth and Severnside’s future?

Dantek Environmental Services is a smallbusiness in the area, employing 20 people atits offices on the Avonbank business park.

A growing company, which provides watertreatment services to prevent and control

L e g i o n n a i re ’s Disease at offices all over theSouth West and South Wales, it is looking tomove into larger premises.

But director Amy Williams said there was aneed for more office space for smallbusinesses like hers, to enable companieswhich wanted to take advantage of the area’stransport links to stay out of Bristol.

She said: “We love being in Avonmouthand it’s the perfect place for our business,so we welcome any investment which iscoming to the area.

“We ’re in the process of moving to a biggerunit here but it’s quite difficult to find the rightspace because there’s so much competition.

“If there were more of the small industrial

estates here rather than the massivewarehouse buildings used by the logisticscompanies, that would be what we’d like tosee.

“One option is to move to the middle ofBristol but we’d really like to stay here – itjust means we have to try a bit harder andwait a bit longer.”

� Feed stuffs from Burma being discharged at West Wharf, Royal Edward Dock

THE story of ports in Bristolstretches back almost as faras British history itself.Portus Abonae (Latin forPort of the Avon) was estab-

lished by the Romans and existed upuntil the year 4AD in the mouth of theRiver Trym, at what is now SeaM i l l s.

This was a staging point for theRoman invasion of Wales and was atthe western end of the Roman roadfrom Silchester in Hampshire.

It was a long time until the initialdocks were created in the city centre,when in 1239 the first quays werebuilt along the River Frome.

John Cabot set sail from Bristol forthe Americas in 1497. Although his-tory records a short-lived attempt byJoshua Franklyn to open a commer-cial dock at Sea Mills in 1712, notmuch changed at the docks until theearly 1800s when William Jessop pro-posed fitting a dam and lock at Hot-wells. The Floating Harbour wasopened on May 1, 1809.

Major modifications made by Is-ambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1830sand 1840s increased the city-centred o ck s ’ capacity. But the wreckage ofthe ss Gypsy on the silt of the AvonGorge in 1878 demonstrated the needfor something bigger.

In 1877, Avonmouth Old Dock wasopened, and in 1884 the Bristol Cor-poration acquired the Avonmouthand Portishead docks.

The Royal Edward Dock was built

DOING BUSINESS FOR 2,000 YEARS� View from Penpole Point of the opening of Avonmouth by the mayor, Mr G W Edwards. The Juno is picturedentering the dock

The story of ports inBristol stretches back toRoman times, with theestablishment of PortusAbonae at what is nowSea Mills. RupertJanisch looks at keymoments in the historyof the city’s docks

at Avonmouth to the north of themouth of the River Avon in 1908,offering direct access to the SevernEstuary and the Bristol Channel.

The port prospered, thriving off theimport of diverse commodities such

as French and Portuguese wine, tea,exotic foods, tobacco, molasses fromCuba, cocoa and timber from WestAfrica, and Burmese feed stuffs.

During the Second World War theannual tonnage of the port almost

doubled to just under 9 million tonnesper year.

The Royal Portbury Dock wasopened by the Queen in 1977, steppingup the size of ships that could bea c c o m m o d at e d .

Since then the city-centre dockshave become redundant. With theexception of Portishead, the ports atthe mouth of the Avon, which weretaken over by the Bristol Port Com-pany in 1991, have expanded greatly.

� Aerial view of the Avonmouth area � The wreckage of the SS Gypsy in the River Avon, 1878

� Roman remains of Portus Abonae

� Construction of the lock gate at Avonmouth Dock

The past

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12 13We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Avonmouth and Severnside special

ENERGY created by Wessex Water’swaste-to-energy business GENeco hasdoubled since it started in Avonmouthfour years ago. GENeco, which hasbeen operating from Wessex Water’s

sewage-treatment works since 2009, wasformed to help its parent company reach thepoint of being carbon neutral and sending zerowaste to landfill by 2020.

And since it has been in operation, energynow generated from sewage has doubled from26GWh to 52GWh – the equivalent of powering15,000 homes.

The sewage-treatment works, which alsotreats commercial liquor wastes, is nowself-sufficient from an energy perspective. Sur-plus energy is put into the national grid.

Last year GENeco developed the first co-loc-ated food-waste recycling plant to be built at asewage-treatment works, providing cost-effect-ive and environmentally-friendly solutions fordisposing of waste from supermarkets,schools, local authorities, restaurants andpubs in the area.

Mohammed Saddiq, general manager ofGENeco, said the food-waste treatment planthad treated and recycled more than 22,000tonnes of inedible food waste, saving it fromlandfill.

He said: “The plant allows us generate evenmore energy while at the same time produce anutrient-rich fertiliser that is used by local

farmers. Facilities at the site are all envir-onmentally beneficial and have placed GENecoas a leader in the South West for energygeneration and recycling.”

In the last year GENeco’s food-waste re-cycling facility has generated more than 6GWhof green, renewable energy, displaced over3,000 tonnes of fossil-fuel-derived chemical fer-tiliser and avoided the use of almost 4,000tonnes of C02.

This year GENeco bosses struck a deal withBristol-based Triodos Renewables to build four

Business ‘p rovesthat zero waste tolandfill is possible’Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

wind turbines. The 2.05MW turbines wereconstructed this month and will start export-ing power to the national grid during thew i n t e r.

Mr Saddiq said: “It is a remarkable successstory for us to have created such a specialisedbusiness that has grown from strength tostrength in the past four years. We are reallyproud of the success, as are our partners. Wefeel we have proven that zero waste to landfillcan be possible.”

Mohammed Saddiqgeneral manager of GENeco

“ It is a remarkablesuccess story for us tohave created such aspecialised business ...we feel we have proventhat zero waste to landfillcan be possible

� GENeco’s Avonmouth site

U t i l i t i es

Bristol’s premier food waste recycling facilityOur award-winning state of the art food waste recycling and renewable energy facility has been successfully serving customers across England and Wales for a year.

Commissioned in October last year our facility in Avonmouth offers supermarkets, local authorities, manufacturing organisations, restaurants, clubs, pubs and offices a cost effective and convenient local solution for the

sustainable treatment and recycling of their food waste.

We transform packaged and unpackaged food waste into renewable energy and a nutrient rich fertiliser for local farms.

Our facility is located at Bristol sewage treatment works and is

the first co-located food waste and sewage treatment

works in the country.

Making food waste workFor further details please visit our website www.geneco.uk.comor call us on 01225 52 4560

l 40,000 tonne food waste recycling facility

l Generating 10 GWh of renewable electricity –

equivalent to supplying 3,000 homes

l Avoiding 6,000 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to taking

1500 cars off the roads.

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12 13We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Avonmouth and Severnside special

ENERGY created by Wessex Water’swaste-to-energy business GENeco hasdoubled since it started in Avonmouthfour years ago. GENeco, which hasbeen operating from Wessex Water’s

sewage-treatment works since 2009, wasformed to help its parent company reach thepoint of being carbon neutral and sending zerowaste to landfill by 2020.

And since it has been in operation, energynow generated from sewage has doubled from26GWh to 52GWh – the equivalent of powering15,000 homes.

The sewage-treatment works, which alsotreats commercial liquor wastes, is nowself-sufficient from an energy perspective. Sur-plus energy is put into the national grid.

Last year GENeco developed the first co-loc-ated food-waste recycling plant to be built at asewage-treatment works, providing cost-effect-ive and environmentally-friendly solutions fordisposing of waste from supermarkets,schools, local authorities, restaurants andpubs in the area.

Mohammed Saddiq, general manager ofGENeco, said the food-waste treatment planthad treated and recycled more than 22,000tonnes of inedible food waste, saving it fromlandfill.

He said: “The plant allows us generate evenmore energy while at the same time produce anutrient-rich fertiliser that is used by local

farmers. Facilities at the site are all envir-onmentally beneficial and have placed GENecoas a leader in the South West for energygeneration and recycling.”

In the last year GENeco’s food-waste re-cycling facility has generated more than 6GWhof green, renewable energy, displaced over3,000 tonnes of fossil-fuel-derived chemical fer-tiliser and avoided the use of almost 4,000tonnes of C02.

This year GENeco bosses struck a deal withBristol-based Triodos Renewables to build four

Business ‘p rovesthat zero waste tolandfill is possible’Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

wind turbines. The 2.05MW turbines wereconstructed this month and will start export-ing power to the national grid during thew i n t e r.

Mr Saddiq said: “It is a remarkable successstory for us to have created such a specialisedbusiness that has grown from strength tostrength in the past four years. We are reallyproud of the success, as are our partners. Wefeel we have proven that zero waste to landfillcan be possible.”

Mohammed Saddiqgeneral manager of GENeco

“ It is a remarkablesuccess story for us tohave created such aspecialised business ...we feel we have proventhat zero waste to landfillcan be possible

� GENeco’s Avonmouth site

U t i l i t i es

Bristol’s premier food waste recycling facilityOur award-winning state of the art food waste recycling and renewable energy facility has been successfully serving customers across England and Wales for a year.

Commissioned in October last year our facility in Avonmouth offers supermarkets, local authorities, manufacturing organisations, restaurants, clubs, pubs and offices a cost effective and convenient local solution for the

sustainable treatment and recycling of their food waste.

We transform packaged and unpackaged food waste into renewable energy and a nutrient rich fertiliser for local farms.

Our facility is located at Bristol sewage treatment works and is

the first co-located food waste and sewage treatment

works in the country.

Making food waste workFor further details please visit our website www.geneco.uk.comor call us on 01225 52 4560

l 40,000 tonne food waste recycling facility

l Generating 10 GWh of renewable electricity –

equivalent to supplying 3,000 homes

l Avoiding 6,000 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to taking

1500 cars off the roads.

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14 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 15We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

In pictures: Business people out and about

Lord Digby Jones spoke on the subject of What BusinessNeeds to Succeed in Asia’s Century at a Rotary Club ofBristol dinner held at Gloucestershire County Ground

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14 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 15We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013 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

In pictures: Business people out and about

Lord Digby Jones spoke on the subject of What BusinessNeeds to Succeed in Asia’s Century at a Rotary Club ofBristol dinner held at Gloucestershire County Ground

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16 We d n e s d a y, October 30, 2013w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� A FORMERboss ofGeneralMotorshas joinedbusinessadvisorGrantThor nton’sautomotiveadvisory team inBristol.

Bill Parfitt CBE, a formerchairman and CEO of GeneralMotors UK, is joiningautomotive manufacturingspecialist Neil Barrell and histeam to work as an adviser toautomotive manufacturers, theirsupply chain and motorre t a i l e r s .

Mr Parfitt said: “GrantThor nton’s automotive advisoryteam is unique in terms of itsdedication to the sector andfocus on providing bespokesolutions to what are often verycomplex situations.

“Anyone who knows meknows that I’m incrediblypassionate about the UK motorindustry and I want to see itrising to the challengescurrently being presented.”

� BRISTOL-based TriodosBank has appointed RebeccaPritchard as its UK head ofbusiness banking.

She will bere s p o n s i b l eformanagingthe teamwhichlendsmore than£500m tosome of theUK’s leadingsustainablebusinesses andcharities. “It’s an incrediblyexciting time to join a bankthat’s setting the sustainablebanking agenda,” said MsPritchard. “T h e re ’s hugeenthusiasm for a trulyalternative approach to financefrom businesses across the UKand the broader public alike.”

� THE Federation of SmallBusinesses (FSB) hasre-elected retail consultantKen Simpson as the chairmanof its 1,800 strong Bristolbranch.

The FSB is thebiggestbusinessre p re s -entationgroup inthe cityand MrSimpsonsays hehopesunder hischairmanship it willcontinue to grow to ensure theissues facing SMEs in theBristol area remain firmly on thelocal agenda.

Mr Simpson was selected tothe continue in his post at theannual meeting for the branchwhich took place at Arnos ValeCemetery. He will be joined onby other Bristol businessowners and entrepreneursCarlton Bodkin (vice chairman),Caroline Brewer (secretary),Ron Pemberton (treasurer),Paul Turner and Ray Turner.

Movers & shake-upsUp and comingThe future of businessThe latest appointments news. Sendyour news to business@b-nm.co.uk

I n te r n s h i ps

TWO young interns are mid-way through a three-monthtrial period with a Bristolrecycling company whichcould end up offering them

permanent employment.The unpaid internships with Col-

lect and Recycle, which has offices inTemple Quay, see university gradu-ates Callum Rees and Emily Stoneworking 20 hours a week in thec o m p a ny ’s new marketing depart-ment, with a view to potentiallybecoming permanent members ofstaff in six weeks’ t i m e.

The pair work from home and haveweekly meetings at Collect and Re-cycl e ’s offices, where a further sevenpeople are employed.

Callum is a 23-year-old graduate ininternational business management.He studied at Swansea Universityand lives in Bedminster.

He said: “The work is unpaid but ifI have to do it for three months to geta permanent role then that is cer-tainly preferable to trying to get on agraduate scheme.

“Relevant experience is becomingeven more important than educationthese days.

“The fact is that the average gradu-ate job attracts 73 applications – m o refor a fixed scheme – leading toaround only 10 per cent of post-graduates being able to secure such aposition.

“Whether this internship leads to apermanent job or not, it is giving me

great experience – working with flex-ibility and involvement at top-leveldecisions because of interactionswith owners.

“The mutual benefits of providingan opportunity are vast.

“They should be considered ser-iously before unpaid internships aremocked by human-resources man-a g ers.

Top training Unpaid roles can proveto be a great benefit to graduates

Consultation begins on collegeyoungsters in Year 10 in 2015. It willgrow incrementally until it reachescapacity in 2017 with 300 pupils inKey Stage 4 and 400 in the sixthfor m.

The 700-pupil college will have afocus on science, technology, engin-

eering and maths combinedwith a strong business ethos.

Children will be able topersonalise their path-way with expert careersa dv i c e.

Young people willwear business attire andwill be expected to at-

tend from 8.30am to 5pm,rather than traditional

school hours, in order tostart to prepare them for the

world of work.With a longer working day, the

NSETC pupils will also be offered lotsof opportunities to developwork-ready skills through a pro-gramme of clubs in sport, music anddrama alongside competitions indesign and engineering.

A CONSULTATION exercise hasbegun for the new North SomersetEnterprise and Technical College, asprospective pupils are invited to sub-mit applications for the institution’sopening next year.

The exercise is a statutory require-ment ahead of the fundingagreement with the Gov-ernment being com-pleted.

It began on October21 and ends inm i d - D e c e m b e r.

Prospective pupilsand their parents,carers, employers andanyone else interested inthe opening of the new col-lege are invited to participatein the consultation by completing aquestionnaire on NSETC’s website.

Prospective pupils are also invitedto register their interest in a place.

The NSETC will open in September2014 with an intake of 200 children inYear 12.

It will then have an intake of 100

Career in motors drives students

we e k ’s work-experience placement.However, we can accommodate singledays through our new programmes ofs t u dy. ”

The year-long courses on offer in-clude Level 1, 2 and 3 vehicle-main-tenance and repair.

The refurbishment is part of on-going £11 million works at the SWSCwhich includes Weston College Busi-ness Enterprise Centre, and Con-struction and Engineering Centre ofE xc e l l e n c e.

Other developments include plansto create an eco-house at the rear ofSWSC, which can show studentspractical examples of green techno-logy in action.

A FORMER Renault garage has beentransformed into a state-of-the arteducation centre for Weston Collegemotor-vehicle students.

The £1 million refurbishment atthe South West Skills Campus inLocking Road includes two largeworkshops, two computer suites andtwo high-tech classrooms.

Applications have doubled formotor-vehicle courses. And now lec-turers are seeking more employers tooffer apprenticeships and work ex-p e r i e n c e.

Motor-vehicle lecturer Ian Ald-ridge said: “Last year we had 60full-time students. This year we havemore than 120 training with us.

“Many want to be an apprenticeand are in desperate need of an em-ployer to support their training.

“The Government wants to addwork-based experience to full-timeeducation and we want more em-ployers who need Level 3 students tohelp them access the working en-vironment. Ideally employers wouldoffer a learner an apprenticeship or a

� CallumRees andEmilyStone withd i re c t o rKevinBasham,c e n t rePhotograph:BarbaraEvripidou

Ed u c a t i o n Tra i n i n g

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

“There are thousands of graduatesdesperate for experience in theirdesired field of work who would jumpat the opportunity of an internshipscheme, especially in a society whereit is becoming more acceptable toalign with more niche and for-ward-thinking companies.”

Emily, 22, from Lockleaze, said: “Ichose an unpaid internship because

it offered the most valuable industryexperience without the pressure ofmeeting lots of deadlines.

“It was a more flexible choice and Ithink focuses more about the journeyand what valuable knowledge youcan gain from it, instead of being a9-to-5 job for money where you learna specific set of skills and do the sameevery day.”

Ian Aldridge

Last year we had 60 fulltime students, this yearwe have over 120training with us.

TECHNICALCOLLEGE PLAN

HAVE YOUR SAYThe way forward or a step

back? Comment online

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