chesterfield business news

Chesterfield businesses urged to take advantage of government apprenticeship bonus scheme

Pinewood Property Estates Ltd and Chesterfield College are urging Derbyshire businesses to make the most of the government’s apprenticeship bonus scheme which launched earlier this month.

The scheme offers employers up to £4,000 for every apprentice recruited. It is designed to help businesses grow their team and provide opportunities for people to develop the skills they need to boost their careers.

Stacey Davies-Bowler, managing director at Pinewood Property Estates Ltd in Chesterfield, is a great advocate for apprenticeships. He is keen to highlight what benefits they bring, particularly with the availability of the apprenticeship incentive payment.

Stacey started his career as an apprentice and has helped many others to do the same.  As part of recent expansion plans, the business was keen to recruit a new apprentice along with other senior members of staff. They worked with Chesterfield College to explore the options open to them to find the perfect apprentice candidate. The apprenticeship bonus scheme was an added benefit for the organisation when they recruited Alberta, a Customer Service apprentice.

Stacey is keen to share his experiences as an employer of apprentices to encourage other small businesses to make the most of what the incentive scheme offers. He said:

“Without young people coming through, any industry gets stagnant. If companies are not giving young people a chance and supporting them to learn, they are going to find a huge void in their workforce and the skills they need. We have had great success with apprentices over the years and it is good to see young people develop in the organisation.

“In our business, an apprentice is not cheap labour. We have to invest a lot of time and effort into developing apprentices but we know we get a payback in the long term. We get someone who understands our business and our industry who then goes on to contribute to making a profit.

“The incentive scheme gives businesses who might be new to the apprenticeship process of developing their team a good opportunity to try it out. The bonus payment could potentially cover a third of an apprentice’s annual salary. For a small business this could offer a perfect way to give a young person a start to their career and develop an apprentice to become a valued member of their team.”

Leah Shortt, Apprentice Recruitment Manager at Chesterfield College said:

“We have been supporting local business like Pinewood Property Estates to grow their team through apprenticeships for many years. Now the new incentive scheme is available, we hope it will encourage more employers to explore how apprentices could benefit them.  We are here to help employers navigate their way through the apprenticeship landscape and access the incentive payments before the deadline. Our team of apprenticeship experts is on hand to help employers find the right apprenticeship programme, and the right candidate. Ultimately, this will support them to develop their future workforce and fill those critical skills gaps now and in the future.”

Find out more at https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/apprenticeship-bonus-payment/ or call 0345 850 1055.

Pinewood Properties and Chesterfield College support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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NLT forms partnership with leading joint integrity training provider

NLT Training Services has expanded its training provision to now include joint integrity training at its Chesterfield and Scunthorpe centres.

The addition of joint integrity training follows a new partnership with specialist joint integrity management and training provider Zulu Joint Integrity and Training Limited, which is part of the Phoenix Group.

Based in Bridgend in Wales, the partnership with NLT now gives Zulu two locations in England from which to deliver its training.

Nine new joint integrity courses have now been added to NLT Training Services’ training portfolio, specifically:

• BS EN 1591-4:2013
• ECITB MJI10/MJI11 and Technical units
• Energy Institute Guidelines
• Pipework – Breaking Containment
• Human Error / Human Factors
• Gasket & Sealing Technology
• Valve training for Process Operators
• Safe Isolation of Process Plant (HSG253)
• Introduction to Internal Auditing (QMS)

NLT and Zulu anticipate high demand for the training particularly in the Humberside area where there is a concentration of oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, power, steel making and process industries.

All joint integrity training courses are aligned to industry best practice and provide a blend of sealing technology and practical elements associated with flange assembly. The courses provide delegates with the knowledge and practical skills required for dismantling and assembling flanged connections in pipelines as used in the process industry, particularly high hazardous industries.

Sarah Temperton, Chief Executive of NLT Training Services commented: “We’re delighted to announce our partnership with Zulu. It’s an exciting time for both businesses and we’re very much looking forward to expanding our joint training offering as our relationship develops.”
Christopher Mellows, Managing Director of Zulu Joint Integrity and Training Limited added: “This exciting new partnership not only allows Zulu to have a base within Humberside to support local businesses with their joint integrity, but also gives NLT a whole new range of courses to be delivered at its wonderful training centres.”

To find out more about the new range of NLT joint integrity training courses, or to make a booking please call 0333 880 3540 or visit https://www.nlt-training.co.uk/courses/.

NLT Training Services supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness marks 10 year anniversary

Europe’s largest hot tub and swim spa distributor Superior Wellness are celebrating their 10 year anniversary today (28 April 2021). The milestone year also coincides with the recent move into the new 130,000 square foot warehouse, distribution centre and office in Chesterfield.

It all began in 2011, at the age of 23, Rob Carlin, Managing Director decided he wanted to import and sell hot tubs.  Having zero knowledge of the hot tub industry he researched the products and saw a gap in the market for entry level products to be retailed online.

Rob then moved into distribution selling the Superior Spas brand initially then creating Platinum Spas and introducing other brands to the portfolio.

Superior Wellness saw phenomenal growth in 2020 in terms of sales, revenue and team members too. This accelerated growth is one of the reasons for the move and will enable them the space to achieve their vision.

The team recently moved into their new headquarters in Chesterfield which houses the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas.  The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Reflecting on the last ten years Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “I am incredibly proud of how far we have come.  From the early days when I rented a small warehouse and worked from my bedroom to now moving into our new headquarters, illustrates the growth we have experienced.

“Last year we received 25,000 spa orders and currently three months into 2021 we are on a grand total of 12,000 plus spa orders received. Sales have rocketed during the pandemic.

“We have a purpose-built manufacturing facility in China to produce our Platinum Spas brand and very recently have taken over another facility.

“We have an amazing team and partner network around the world who I am eternally grateful to.”

Gareth Ward, Sales Director added: “We are also investing in marketing, technology, research, IT, product innovation and the customer experience.  We aim to go beyond expectations in all that we do.

“We could not have achieved the growth without our culture; we work as a close knit team and support each other.  Our partners work with us – as one team.  Thank you to each and every one of you.”

Over the next ten years Superior Wellness will be working towards their vision of becoming the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas, offering a global choice of high quality products and commended for our focus on wellness and best in class customer experience.

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Shorts Chartered Accountants promote Gary Moorhouse to Genus Director role

Shorts Chartered Accountants are delighted to announce the promotion of Gary Moorhouse to Genus Director, with immediate effect.  Gary joined Shorts in 2013 and has played an active role in the growth and development of the Genus service; providing business with meaningful management accounts upon which to make better informed business decisions.

Malcolm Pope, Partner at Shorts and Head of Genus said:  “We are delighted to promote Gary to the position of Director. His performance has been consistently excellent, helping us to develop and further enhance our management accounts offering for local businesses. He will play an important role in the ongoing growth and development of the department.”

On his promotion, Gary said:  “It is great to be asked to take this position, I have been with Shorts 8 years and it has been such an interesting journey. We have developed our support for clients to enable us to be the leading firm in the region and the Genus team is an integral part of this.”

Gary will now spearhead the ambitious growth plans for Genus, while the team continues to excel in aiding clients with strategy from top to bottom.  He can be contacted on 0114 2671617 or by emailing gary.moorhouse@shorts.uk.com.

Genus provides clients with detailed management reporting and projects. These projects include reviewing existing systems and processes, from simple accounting software changes to full process reviews and integration of cutting-edge accounting software.

With a long-standing heritage of over 130 years, Shorts Chartered Accountants has grown from a local business to a nationally recognised award-winning firm.

The company is home to some incredible expertise – specialists have joined the company from some of the world’s leading firms, bringing years of experience that they have shared and continue to hone.

Shorts Chartered Accountants supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New online docuseries follows Stanedge Golf Club owner’s one-woman mission to transform golf

A unique new docuseries telling the remarkable story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming online.

In a first for the golf industry, the fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she breaks with tradition and aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club, Derbyshire.

In the first episode, Fame recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” says Fame, whose playing career was cut short by injury.

“My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Fame is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” says CJ. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Fame faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and enforced lockdown, forcing her and the team to call on their inner reserves of strength and resilience to keep the business afloat.

Will she realise her vision and succeed? The series will follow Fame and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

Watch the first episode now on Syngenta Golf: https://www.syngentagolf.com/changing-business-golf

Stanedge Golf Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Noonah launches new covid-safe product personalisation service

Chesterfield-based engagement Specialist Noonah has announced the launch of ‘Personalize’, a new covid-safe product personalisation service.

The company says with Covid restrictions being lifted, the high-street and event planners face the considerable challenge of how to re-engage with their customer base and stimulate footfall in an uncertain landscape.

It will come as no surprise that online sales grew a massive 36% in 2020 while the high street suffered ‘the worst decline on record.’ But with lockdown easing and public spaces reopening, the team at Noonah believes re-engaging customers lost to e-commerce is not an impossible task.

Matt Franks, Noonah CEO said: “The solution is dependent on traditional bricks and mortar embracing the opportunities that tech offers. The High street needs to play to its strengths, using technology like Personalize to offer what online pure-players can’t, an engaging, physical brand experience.”

“Product-personalisation was on the rise long before Covid 19 and major brands such as Levi’s and Nike used it to elevate their stores from places where goods were sold, to truly experiential destinations. Noonah has long been the market leader in providing product-personalisation tech to its wide array of clients and understands better than anyone the massive potential it holds for brands, retailers and live events in the post-covid landscape.”

The biggest challenge for Noonah was around how to make the technology available to everyone and not just those with the biggest budgets. The new platform is designed to offer product personalisation to all, from the independent retailer to the international brand.

Personalize can be tailored to suit any brand, market and almost any product. Being a cloud-based technology, the software can be operated through a terminal in-store or by using the “Covid-safe” option of the customer’s own mobile phone.

The company also says the software is truly scalable and depending on the size, budget and strategy Noonah can help organise installations as pop-up events or long-term fixtures. The Personalize printers (provided by Noonah as part
of the Service), can print any design to almost any product.

Matt added: “Above all Personalize is about engagement and re-establishing customer loyalty at a time when the high street and live events need as much help as they can get.”

For more information visit: https://noonah.com/personalize/

Noonah supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Local housebuilder Woodhead Homes named best in the UK

Woodhead Homes have been named as the National Federation of Builders (NFB) UK House Builder of the Year (delivering under 35 units per year).

The company is part of Robert Woodhead Group ltd, which is currently working alongside Whittam Cox Architects on Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, along with various projects across the East Midlands and the rest of the UK.

Woodhead Homes have created an exclusive and already award-winning development, Rufford Pastures, in the sought-after village of Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. It is a bespoke and luxurious of collection of just 64 homes.

Leo Woodhead, Director, said: “Being shortlisted against national competition is an achievement in itself. The win signifies the huge amount of effort and visionary thinking that has gone into Rufford Pastures. It recognises our unique design ethos and that there is an appetite to improve new build housing through exceptional design.”

Every detail in the design of Rufford Pastures has been carefully considered with a real focus on quality, space and sustainability. From sourcing the very best materials and products from natural oak doors to beautiful bespoke designer kitchens, made locally by Colour Hill to the cutting-edge sustainability to the clever design of the homes and the wider development.

Leo continued, “we have been overwhelmed by the flurry of demand as people re-evaluate what is important to them in a home. Be that space for home working, a generously sized home, a bustling local high street with independent shops, a rural surrounding with great walks, bike riding trails or simply the chance to connect with nature at Sherwood Forest.”

The homes have been designed by Joseph Kemish Architects who have demonstrated that with careful integration of architecture and landscape an exciting and very personal development can be created which encourages social interaction, a sense of belonging and pride of place.

The flurry of demand has in part been spurred on by the Stamp Duty holiday, providing buyers with savings of up to £8,000. The team are now down to their final few homes and expect to sell out very quickly following the news of their second award.

For more information or to book an appointment contact: homes@woodhead-group.co.uk

Woodhead Group supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New online directory launched to support Chesterfield’s local businesses

A new directory of Chesterfield’s independent businesses has been launched, featuring the best of the town’s shops, restaurants, food suppliers and more.

Un-hampered has been launched following a collaborative effort between S40 and S41 Local magazines and Chesterfield-based creative agency Defeye, after many of the town’s local businesses begin their recovery following the enormous challenges of the pandemic.

Paul Chapman, owner of S40 Local said: “Our local businesses have been hit hard over the last year, but have risen to the enormous challenge, created an online presence in record time and have changed their offering to provide delivery, takeaway or click and collect services.

“These independent businesses are the foundation of our town, when you shop with them they, in turn, feed money into the local economy. When you eat at a local independent restaurant, chances are they’ve purchased the veg from a local grocer, they may have bought it from a local farm, the farmer services his van at the local garage, the garage owner advertises with us, we eat in the same restaurant – the money stays local and helps build the local economy.

“The Un-hampered directory is the first phase, we have so much more to offer and we’ll be bringing you news as we launch each new development. We really do want to modernise access to the traditional high street and help businesses maintain a physical presence.

Matt Pritchard from Defeye explains, “when Paul first came to us to talk about what would go on to become Un-hampered, we were on board straight away. As luck would have it, we’d been discussing how we wanted to work on a self-generated project of our own that could really help push the independent businesses in town that we love. Then magically, the next week we got an email from Paul asking us if we wanted to meet up to discuss his idea. It felt like Kismet.

“Although the idea has evolved and changed through this incredibly challenging year, the ultimate goal has remained fixed. ‘Create a platform that showcases local independent businesses and gives customers an easy way of finding them’. We were lucky enough to create the Shop and Support local video campaign for the council last year and it gave us the opportunity to talk to so many incredible businesses, strengthening our resolve to get Un-hampered launched so that we could show our support to them.

“We’re excited to get phase one off the ground finally and we hope it will be a platform that helps local businesses at a really critical time.”

If you would like to view the directory or find out more about it, head to www.un-hampered.co.uk

S40 Local and Defeye Creative support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Dronfield Hall Barn recognised as one of UK’s top wedding venues in LUX Life Magazine

The team at Dronfield Hall Barn are celebrating, after the venue was recognised as one of the nation’s best wedding venues in LUX Life magazine’s Global Wedding Awards 2021.

The multi-purpose venue which is managed by the Dronfield Heritage Trust and is a registered charity, has been awarded the title of “Best Individual Wedding Ceremony Venue – East Midlands.”

Pauline Hindle Hospitality Manager “We are all delighted to receive this accolade. It recognises the stunning beauty of the Barn and the hard work of the team who put so much effort into ensuring that everyone who  has their wedding here has a perfect day.”

LUXlife Magazine is a premium lifestyle publication which is distributed to a circulation of 238,000 globally. The magazine focuses on a range of topics within the luxury lifestyle industry, featuring articles on; fashion, beauty, fine dining, travel, luxury real estate and much more.

Alongside weddings, the barn serves the local community in Dronfield in a number of different ways. One recent example was how it provided food collection and delivery services to local residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its restoration, Dronfield Hall barn has hosted a number of events including heritage displays and art exhibitions. There is also a coffee shop serving light lunches and delicious home-made cakes, along with heritage, sensory and wildflower gardens to add to the high quality visitor experience.

This month is also cause for more celebration for the team, as the barn marks five years since it was first opened to the public. Now self-sustainable, the Trust continues to engage the community and generate income to keep the Barn open.

Staff at the barn say they are now taking bookings for 2023 weddings. For more details, head to: https://dronfieldhallbarn.org/weddings/

Dronfield Hall Barn supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness continues growth with further recruitment

Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness is showing further signs of growth, with the company announcing a number of new roles within the business.

With the recent move into a brand-new headquarters in Chesterfield and continued growth of the company, Superior Wellness is now taking on several new employees and has launched a recruitment drive.

The recruitment will  provide a further boost for the local economy and employment in the Chesterfield area, with the firm looking for people who share their ambition to be the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas.

Superior offers a global choice of high-quality products and has been commended for their focus on wellness and best in class customer experience.

The company is hiring in a range of different roles, including a Marketing Executive, After Sales Manager, Graphic Designer, Customer Service Advisors, Technicians and Delivery Drivers plus many more.

The new headquarters based on the Chesterfield Trading Estate houses the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas – which will open this summer.  The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK, stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “Our close-knit award-winning team has a family culture and the team are friendly, passionate and fun. There are plenty of opportunities for growth and development – we want to see our team grow.  If you are truly passionate about going beyond expectations focusing on quality, care, innovation and choice then this could be just the career you are looking for.”

The company has a strong focus on the wellness of staff, with team members able to benefit from an onsite gym, subsidised healthy meals, a games room and rooftop bar.  If you are interested in finding out more about a career at Superior Wellness, visit https://superiorwellness.co.uk/careers/

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Kids Planet launches new podcast, All Things Early Years.

A brand-new podcast relating to working and living with under 5s has been launched by childcare group Kids Planet,  which has several centres located in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire .

The Early Years focused platform launched its first episode of ‘All Things Early Years’ with Kids Planet CEO, Clare Roberts discussing her successful business journey since establishing the group in 2008. With 5 settings across Chesterfield, the group continues to expand across the North West, South and Midlands and is now the third largest nursery group in the UK caring for over 8000 children and employing over 2000 staff across 59 settings.

The podcast’s most recent episode, released on March 26th, was an interview with baby product founder, Manju Bhatia from PoorlyBoo who chatted about advice for starting a business in the early years as well as her experiences working with social media influencer, Mrs Hinch.

Other guests who have appeared on the podcast include Actress and mum, Hayley Tammadon. Having recently become a new mum, Hayley spoke honestly about her time on ITV’s Full Monty last December, her new writing project and her experiences raising a baby during the covid lockdown: “You start to feel like a failure because you hear of other people’s babies doing things better than your baby and suddenly, you’re a failure, you’re failing at motherhood”.

Future guests include Chris McFadden, The UK and Ireland’s first male certified baby and toddler sleep consultant, male Early Years practitioners chatting about Kids Planet’s campaign to increase the number of working men in childcare, as well as Coach and trained psychotherapist, Sarie Taylor who offers advice for parents suffering with anxiety.

Episodes of All Things Early Years are released monthly and available to downloads from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at https://www.kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk/podcasts/

If there is a topic you’d like the group to cover or if you work or have experience in Early Years with an interesting story to share on the podcast, please get in touch with jane.marwood@kidsplanetdaynurseries.

Kids Planet supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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