Rotherham-based electronics retailer, Maplin is celebrating one of its strongest Christmas trading periods, with like-for-like sales up 4.4% in the six weeks to December 24.
Manvers-based Maplin sells a range of products to tech-savvy hobbyists as well as general consumers and now operates from 217 stores. In store, like-for-like sales were up by 1.4% for Christmas 2016 compare to the festive period last year.
Online sales rose by 29.3% when compared to the previous period, which the retailer attributes to significant investment in its digital channels.
The firm, which was sold for £85m to new owners, Rutland Partners in 2014, said growth was achieved over a number of categories, with popular products including Google's Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, drones and everyday products like batteries.
Oliver Meakin, chief executive at Maplin, said: "Christmas 2016 has been one of our most successful trading periods and highlights the significant investment we have made across our whole business in the last two years.
"As we accelerate investment in digital, our people and stores into 2017 we expect to see sales continue to grow, as well as develop other initiatives including the roll out of a new store format and refreshed branding across the estate, which was first trialled at Cambridge Beehive in November 2016 (pictured)."
Advertisement For the financial year to March 19 2016, turnover at Maplin was £235m, a slight reduction from the £236m recorded in the previous year. EBITDA (earnings before tax) was £12.7m, down from £16.2m.
The period saw Meakin take the CEO job and new management teams put in place, including the appointment of Lindsay Dunsmuir as chief financial officer and Siobhan Fitzpatrick as e-commerce & marketing director. The period, which also saw the departure of chief technology officer, Neil McGowan, was described as a "year of change."
The financial figures were described as credible in the face of falling footfall on the High Street. It was an increase in internet sales by 15.4% that offered encouragement.
Meakin added: "The arrival of the new executive management team afforded us the opportunity to review our future strategy – starting with listening again to our customers, our colleagues and consumers through multiple focus groups. The feedback was compelling.
"Our core strength, and key differentiator, remains the knowledge that our 2,500 colleagues have, and the advice that this enables them to give to our customers, every day.
"In the year ahead we intend to continue to build upon these strengths as we enter an exciting period in the ongoing development of the business."
Sorry you're leaving. Card retailer Clintons has closed its Rotherham town centre store - the last of its outlets in the borough.
Clintons has over 400 store locations across the UK. and the College Street store was one of the national stores that remained open after the retailer plunged into administration in 2012.
The stores in the Old Town Hall and at Parkgate Shopping were not part of the deal to save the company which was bought by Lakeshore Lending Limited, a subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation. Part of the same company, the Birthdays store opened at Parkgate in 2008 as a concession.
28-30 College Street, occupied by Clintons, as sold at a 2013 auction for £300,000. 24-26 College Street. the adjacent property which is currently home to Card Factory, sold prior to the same auction. Both lots went up for auction a year previous and failed to sell.
Advertisement Sale documents from the auction show that a five year lease for the Clintons unit was signed in December 2011 with the retailer paying £40,000 per annum. Card Factory's ten year lease was listed as £60,000 per annum starting in August 2006.
Walker Singleton is currently advertising the 4,800 sq ft Clintons unit at £40,000 per annum. The 2,937 sq ft Card Factory unit is currently being advertised by Lambert Smith Hampton.
Clinton Cards was the UK's largest specialist retailer of greetings cards and related products with in excess of 750 stores and 2011 revenues of over £360m across its two retail brands, Clinton Cards and Birthdays. The company is now managed by Schurman Retail Group.
The Clintons branch on Fargate in Sheffield city centre has also recently closed. Remaining South Yorkshire stores can be found in Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster.
Highlighting the national picture, December's like-for-like sales growth on the UK's high streets was -0.1%, according to BDO's High Street Sales Tracker (HSST). The negative figure means the UK has now seen four consecutive Decembers with no high street sales growth.
Office of National Statistics (ONS) retail figures revealed that retailers saw a strong end to 2016 with sales in the final quarter up 5.6% on the same period last year, although the amount bought fell between November and December once the effects of Christmas are removed. Online sales increased year-on-year by 21.3%.
Council bosses are highlighting an improvement in the percentage of young people feeling safe in Rotherham town centre following the publication of the latest schools survey, but fewer pupils say they visit regularly.
The Borough Wide Lifestyle Survey has been carried out since 2006 and this year saw 2,806 pupils take part from 12 schools. It is considered a valuable tool by the Council, helping to provide an idea of what young people understand and can enable the council to tailor services towards young people. Issues covered include food and drink, education, sexual health, bullying and safety.
The results showed that young people visiting Rotherham town centre has reduced again. Respondents who said they visited Rotherham town centre regularly (at least once a week), was up to 40% in 2014. For 2016 this is slightly down to 26% (732 of pupils) from 27% in 2015. 10.6% (299) young people said they had never visited Rotherham town centre.
The survey shows that the main reason that young people go into the town centre is for shopping (50%) with other reasons to attend a football match at New York Stadium and to meet friends.
On the issue of safety in Rotherham town centre, 2015 results showed that just 18% of pupils said they felt safe in town centre and 82% said they did not feel safe. The questions for 2016 survey were changed slightly to ascertain how safe young people are feeling; with the options of always feeling safe, sometimes feeling safe or never feeling safe replacing yes I feel safe or no I don't feel safe.
Overall the 2016 results show that 24.6% of pupils said they always feel safe, 45.4% said they sometimes feel safe and 19.3% said they never feel safe.
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When asked about Rotherham bus station, 2015 results showed that 15% of pupils said they felt in this location and 85% said they did not feel safe. Overall the 2016 results show that 23.6% of pupils said they always feel safe, 38.3% said they sometimes feel safe and 16.1% said they never feel safe. 22% of pupils overall said they have not used the interchange.
Following reports of concerns of safety at bus stations the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) updated information on their websites and put in place reporting mechanisms.
The draft capital strategy from Rotherham Council included an ambition to invest in "Improvements to the Transport Interchange, to address current condition and public safety issues. The aim is to create a new, brighter, safer environment and address some of the issues around CSE in and around the existing Interchange."
Pupils were also asked to rank what they felt the biggest risk was to their safety in the town centre. The top risk reason was the fear of large groups/gangs. A perceived lack of visible security (for example police, wardens) has improved as this is now rated as the 9th in the risk list, replaced in 3rd place by protests and marches.
Pupils ranked Better CCTV and Fewer Large Groups/Gangs as ways to improve the town centre to mitigate the risk of children and young people feeling unsafe.
The survey also showed that 31.7% of pupils said that they would not recommend Rotherham as a place to live, a reduction from 34% in 2015. 37.5% also said that they would not like to be living in Rotherham in ten years' time. This is a reduction from 48% who gave this response in 2015.
A new town centre masterplan is in development and will include potential cinema and leisure developments alongside a new £12m higher education campus that could eventual see 1,000 students based in the town centre.
Next month sees the launch of a new placemaking strategy for the borough with distinctive themes, ideas and imagery that help to tell the Rotherham story set to be used as a way of promoting the borough to potential investors, visitors and workers.
Two leading banks are turning their backs on the Rotherham town of Wath as part of their closure programmes.
Last week, CYBG PLC, the parent company of Yorkshire Bank, announced that the Wath-upon-Dearne branch would close in May as part of plans to reduce its branch network as part of the bank's strategy to create "a truly integrated digital, mobile, telephone and branch service for its customers."
And this week, HSBC announced that its Wath branch would close this year as it brings its branch restructuring programme to an end.
With the previous closure of the Santander branch, Wath could be left with a High Street bank.
Companies say that the decision to close branches reflects a change in the way customers are banking. Since 2011, the number of customers using their bank for day-to-day transactions across the banking industry in the UK has fallen by a third. This ongoing decline in branch usage, married to a sharp and sustained increase in digital and mobile engagement, has driven a shift to providing greater access to day-to-day banking services remotely, on the move and outside of normal business hours.
Over the past five years, the number of customers using HSBC branches has fallen by almost 40%. 93% of customers' contact with the bank is now completed via the telephone, internet or smartphone, and 97% of cash withdrawals are made via an ATM.
Yorkshire Bank said in a statement that its first priority is to its customers and will be "working extensively with impacted customers, local communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the transition to their new branch is as smooth and as sensitive as possible, particularly where vulnerable customers are concerned."
It added that; "It is also the Bank's intention to try to find roles for frontline branch staff either within other branches or elsewhere in the Bank, wherever possible" but with 39 branches set to close in 2017, Yorkshire Bank staff will be at risk of redundancy.
HSBC said that it will seek to redeploy as many of the people impacted as possible although it is expected that the planned closure of 62 of its UK branches in 2017 may result in up to 180 redundancies.
Announced last year, the Wickersley, Dinnington and commercial branch at the Sheffield Business Park of HSBC are all set to close on February 17.
Advertisement Francesca McDonagh, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management for UK and Europe at HSBC, said: "The way our customers bank with us is changing. More customers are using mobile and internet banking than ever before, innovation such as Touch and Voice ID has proved extremely popular, and fewer people are using branches. More than 90% of our interactions with customers are now through our digital channels – an increase from 80% last year.
"The decision to close these branches ensures a more sustainable branch network for the future as we continue to invest in our digital platforms and our people. We will have fewer but better branches, with more empowered front line colleagues using a greater range of technology to support all our customers' needs.
"Our priority now is to work with our colleagues, our customers and the communities impacted by today’s announcement. We are contacting customers to explain the decision and help them with alternative ways to bank with us. We will offer customers individual sessions to help explain their options or provide help in setting up telephone, mobile or internet banking."
John Healey MP, whose Wentworth and Dearne constituency includes Wath, has reacted strongly to the announcements. He said: "I am angry. The decision of both banks to pull out of Wath is a disgrace. Banks are supposed to be "service" companies but by pulling out of Wath they are badly letting their customers down.
"The banking system had strong support from taxpayers after they caused the global financial crisis and recession in 2008, now they should be standing by their communities.
"Wath is known as the queen of villages but this could rip out the heart of the town.
"I have been in contact directly with the chief executives of both banks to let them know how concerned I am by their decision, and I will do everything I can to get them to change their minds."
Rotherham-based electronics retailer, Maplin has bagged a new asset-based credit facility to invest in the business.
Wells Fargo Capital Finance UK Limited, part of Wells Fargo & Company announced that it acted as agent and lead arranger for an asset-based credit facility and added that it will be used by Maplin to invest in online capabilities, a new retail store concept and support ongoing working capital needs.
Manvers-based Maplin sells a range of products to tech-savvy hobbyists as well as general consumers and now operates from 217 stores. In store, like-for-like sales were up by 1.4% for Christmas 2016 compare to the festive period last year.
Lindsay Dunsmuir, chief financial officer at Maplin, said: "The refinancing of the business is an important milestone in our transformation project and completing it provides us with the financial resources to deliver our plans. We're delighted with the deal and impressed with the execution skills and delivery from the Wells Fargo team. Throughout the process, they consistently delivered on what they said they would do.
Advertisement Steven Chait, managing director and head of EMEA at Wells Fargo Capital Finance, added: "We are pleased with the opportunity to work with a leading speciality retailer such as Maplin. The asset-based credit facility put in place to support the transaction and fund the growth of the businesses demonstrates the increasing capabilities and financial solutions that Wells Fargo Capital Finance can provide its clients."
Online sales continue to grow at Maplin and the retailer said it would accelerate investment in digital, people and stores in 2017. A roll out is expected of a new store format and refreshed branding across the estate, which was first trialled at Cambridge Beehive in November.
Maplin was sold for £85m to new owners, Rutland Partners in 2014. For the financial year to March 19 2016, turnover was £235m, a slight reduction from the £236m recorded in the previous year. EBITDA (earnings before tax) was £12.7m, down from £16.2m.
Plans for the £50m 12-acre retail, office and leisure development at Waverley in Rotherham are being finalised.
Rothbiz revealed in October that developers, Harworth had appointed Dransfield Properties, the Barnsley-based company that specialises in retail led regeneration schemes, as a development partner for "the piece of the jigsaw" between the residential and commercial developments at its Waverley regeneration site.
The new investment, on vacant brownfield land previously known as Highfield Commercial, is set to include nearly 100,000 sq ft of retail space, including a 24,500 sq ft food store, along with office space, a new five-storey hotel, a medical centre, good quality restaurants and coffee shops, a gym and a bus station.
Attractive landscaping and public realm including multi jet fountains are proposed with around 470 car parking spaces. The developers are hoping to attract "a good mix of independent and national names" and there will be high quality office space created above the retail units as well as attractive walkways, landscaped piazza areas with water features and a "town square" where regular Farmers' Markets can be held.
A screening request was submitted to Rotherham Council in October and a full planning application is scheduled to be submitted in spring 2017.
Advertisement Harworth Group chief executive Owen Michaelson said: "We are delighted to partner with Dransfield for this significant development on our flagship site, given their track record across the UK and their absolute focus on quality.
"We expect the local centre to become central to the Waverley community, as it co-joins the AMP [Advanced Manufacturing Park] and the residential area, offering a range of essential facilities and bringing hundreds of job opportunities to the region."
Mark Dransfield, managing director of Dransfield Properties, added: "This is a really exciting project to be involved with. We are delighted to work alongside Harworth, bringing our team's experience and knowledge of delivering retail developments to this new community. Waverley is an exciting development which has great potential for creating a high-quality retail and leisure environment, designed to support the growing community and the wider region."
Yorkshire's largest ever brownfield mixed-use development is being brought forward by landowner and developer, Harworth Group plc, and was approved in 2010 as the largest, most complex, planning application ever considered by Rotherham Council who gave outline approval for a new 3,890 home community across 741 acres.
After the site of the former Orgreave coking works was reclaimed, leading housebuilders have built 600 homes, whilst one million sq ft has already been built at the AMP for occupiers such as Rolls-Royce and Boeing.
A high quality local centre will also serve the needs of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) where the aim is to develop Europe's largest research-led advanced manufacturing cluster. It will also be encouraged to "act as a draw across the wider area and provide the much needed facilities to ensure the area works as a viable, vibrant and dynamic housing / employment community."
Shoppers at the Tesco Extra in Rotherham town centre may need to change how they use the car park at the 110,000 sq ft superstore as the retailer intends to introduce restrictions later this month.
The national retailer is set to introduce a system that would allow shoppers to continue to park for up to three hours, as is the case now, but only if they spend over £5 in store and validate their parking.
Shoppers wanting to use the 600 space car park but not the Tesco store will only be given 30 minutes to head into town before leaving the site.
Those wanting to use the car park will still be able to visit the rest of the town centre in their three hours, so long as they spend £5 at Tesco and validate their parking.
Tesco said that the measures are being brought in "to improve space availability for our customers."
The car park currently allows for three hours free parking without the need for any spend in store or validation.
The new measures are set to be introduced on February 28.
Advertisement The new "ParkShopReg" system involves parking being validated on the day of visiting the store. This can be done at store using the machines provided or by using an app. A free parking voucher will be printed for customers in store which includes a barcode and voucher code. Drivers will have up until midnight on the day to validate using the app.
Details of any financial penalties have not yet been announced.
The retailer added: "Customers sometimes struggle to find a parking space when stores are near to town centres, train stations or other places where parking is difficult or expensive. The ParkShopReg Management System links customer stay time with spend in store helping to protect spaces for customers."
The £40m store opened in 2014 and includes 66,000 sq ft of retail space with planning permission granted for an additional 36,000 sq ft of floorspace from the old store on Forge Island.
Built on land purchased from Rotherham Council, the authority accepted the provision of free parking at the store as part of the 2011 planning application as it was the same as the arrangements at the old store. It was based on the car park being "made available, free of charge, for use of customers and non-customers for a maximum of two hours."
A condition was attached to the approved planning permission which read: "Prior to the development being brought into use, a Car Parking Management Strategy shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority and the approved plan shall be implemented throughout the life of the store. The plan shall include details of the availability of 2 hours free parking for customers and non customers of the store. Reason: To limit the availability of free parking and to encourage the use of sustainable transport."
Draft redevelopment plans for a prominent building in Rotherham town centre have been unveiled.
Westgate Chambers on Main Street is set to be brought back into wholesale use with retail, leisure and residential aspects - including the construction of a new block facing Domine Lane.
A decision to sell the asset was made by Rotherham Council back in 2014 and the deal is set to go through when planning permission has been granted.
Pre-application discussions have been ongoing with plans, drawn up by Self Architects, showing what the prospective new owners have in mind for the building, part of which is Grade 2 listed.
The later addition and some empty older buildings facing Domine Lane are set to be demolished and replaced with a new build section facing the Old Market development (pictured, below). It would include a large retail space of around 3,500 sq ft on the ground floor with 17 new apartments on the upper three floors.
Advertisement Acquired in 2006, the major part of the complex is currently home to bars, nightclubs and takeaways with disused offices on the upper floors converted into artists studios and community arts space in 2011.
The ground floor of the building that is set to be retained, which currently has a number of voids, would remain as leisure, retail and restaurant use. As would the units on the upper floors, currently home to popular rock bar, SNAFU and Jaxx.
New frontages could mirror the heritage-led regeneration of the nearby High Street.
The two upper floors facing Main Street and Westgate would be converted into a further 21 apartments under the plans.
A detailed planning application will now need to be submitted.
The Council made the strategic acquisition with a mix of funding from Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency) and Transform South Yorkshire (the housing market renewal (HMR) partnership for South Yorkshire) as part of plans to introduce residential elements to the Westgate and riverside areas of town.
Initial proposals for the refurbishment of Westgate Chambers aimed to deliver around 60 high-quality apartments with commercial units underneath but following the public spending review in 2010 and the closure of Yorkshire Forward in 2012, the main source of finance to deliver the Rotherham Renaissance programme was removed. Since then, a number of feasibility studies have taken place to identify how the redevelopment of Westgate Chambers can move forward and secure investment from other sources and the private sector.
7 and 9 Westgate are Grade 2 listed buildings. Known by many as the former Co-op buildings, they were originally constructed in 1794 by local architect, John Platt as a residence for himself.
A new Indian restaurant, Neelagiree, has provided another boost to the night time economy in Rotherham town centre.
An £800,000 investment has transformed a former bar and nightclub on the corner of Westagte and Ship Hill into a 130-cover restaurant that opened last month.
Operating seven days a week, from 12 noon until 11pm, serving a tasty variety of regional Indian dishes cooked by highly skilled chefs with years of experience, including Keralan Fish Curry and Masala Dosa, Neelagiree also offers a lunchtime buffet, take away service and value-for-money quick lunch menu, ideal for the town centre workforce.
Advertisement Neelagiree is the latest venture of local company PRSL and since opening last month, managing director Rex Oustine Jose said the restaurant has been really busy, particularly at weekends.
Jose said: "I felt that there was a great opportunity here as the town centre is lacking a similar restaurant offering such a variety of Indian dishes. We decided it was an ideal time to take up the challenge and contribute towards the efforts being undertaken by the Council's Regeneration Team to increase footfall.
"Westgate was the perfect location and we're hoping it will give a boost to the evening economy, as well as adding to the wide variety of lunchtime eateries that can be enjoyed by the people who live and work here."
Cllr. Denise Lelliott, cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, added: "It's great news that yet another new business is opening here in the town centre and I'm pleased that the Council is supporting this new venture with business and marketing advice."
Both come as plans progress for high profile developments in the area - the proposed development of a town centre leisure hub on Forge Island and the redevelopment of Westgate Chambers, bringing much of the building back into use with retail, leisure and residential aspects.
Rotherham-based retailer, Fishing Republic is expecting its revenue figures to show an increase of approximately 40% year-on-year.
One of the largest fishing tackle retailers in the UK, the Eastwood company floated on the AIM stock exchange in 2015, raising millions to help carry out its expansion plans.
In a trading update, the firm said that it continues to make encouraging progress and results for the year are expected to be in line with current market expectations. Revenue is expected to show an increase of approximately 40% year-on-year, driven by the addition of new stores, organic growth across existing stores, and strong growth in own website sales.
Last September the group has decided to rebase its profit forecasts for the current financial year to allow it to invest for growth in both its store network and online. This came after a strong balance sheet position. For the six months ended June 30 2016, the group reported that revenue increased to £2.5m, up by 34% from the £1.87m in the same six months of 2015. Profit before tax was £157,000 and compares to a loss of £150,000 reported last year after exceptional costs of £299,000.
Advertisement The latest update added: "We are making good progress with our online sales strategy, where we are transitioning away from third party platforms to own website sales, where margins are higher and we own the customer. As a result, our own website sales increased by 132% year-on-year and accounted for c. 40% of total online sales for the year. As expected, with lower third party sales, total online sales decreased but, importantly, overall gross margins improved. We will continue to expand our in-house capabilities in digital technology, marketing and customer data in the year ahead to support this transition strategy."
A new website is set to launch in March.
The placing of ten million new shares at 15p per share in 2015 raised £1.5m. A share placing in 2016 raised a further £3.75m.
Floating on AIM, the directors believe that Fishing Republic is the only participant in the market looking to act as a consolidator, snapping up smaller, often family-run businesses.
Fishing Republic operates 16 stores and the three new stores opened in the first half of the financial year, in South Birmingham, Crewe and Hull, are continuing to build their sales in line with management forecasts. The latest opened in Milton Keynes in January and two further stores, in Reading and Ipswich, are expected to open before the end of the first quarter. Further openings are planned later in the year.
Tesco has submitted a planning application that will provide the permission needed to make changes to the parking restrictions at its Rotherham town centre store - if approved by the local council.
Earlier this month, Rothbiz reported first that the largest retailer in the UK intends to introduce restrictions at its £40m Rotherham Extra store at Drummond Street.
The latest application seeks a variation over a planning condition inserted by Rotherham Council when the planning application for the 110,000 sq ft superstore was approved in 2012.
The national retailer needs the approval if it is to introduce a system that would allow shoppers to continue to park for up to three hours, as is the case now, but only if they spend over £5 in store and validate their parking.
Shoppers wanting to use the 600 space car park but not the Tesco store will only be given 30 minutes to head into town before leaving the site.
Those wanting to use the car park will still be able to visit the rest of the town centre in their three hours, so long as they spend £5 at Tesco and validate their parking.
Advertisement The initial condition read: "Prior to the development being brought into use, a Car Parking Management Strategy shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority and the approved plan shall be implemented throughout the life of the store. The plan shall include details of the availability of 2 hours free parking for customers and non customers of the store. Reason: To limit the availability of free parking and to encourage the use of sustainable transport."
Planning consultants, Montagu Evans is acting on behalf of Tesco. Its plans state: "Tesco have operated the store under the provisions of this management to date, but are now finding that their car park is coming under considerable pressure and is being used by non-Tesco customers, detracting from the attractiveness of the store as a main food shopping location, and in turn impacting on its trading performance."
The new "ParkShopReg" system involves parking being validated on the day of visiting the store. This can be done at store using the machines provided or by using an app. A free parking voucher will be printed for customers in store which includes a barcode and voucher code. Drivers will have up until midnight on the day to validate using the app.
Automatic number plate recognition cameras and signs are set to be installed. "Overstayers" or those that don't validate their parking face a fine of £70.
The application adds: "The revised controls will ensure that there are a greater turnover of parking to create more freely available spaces for shoppers to visit both the store and shops located in the town centre. For example, a customer may undertake a half hour shop at the Tesco store where they spend more than £5, and remain in the car park for a further two and a half hours.
"We therefore consider that the revised parking controls are sufficient to allow linked trips with other town centre uses, especially on the basis that its main purpose is to serve the Tesco store."
Built on land purchased from Rotherham Council, the £40m store opened in 2014 and includes 66,000 sq ft of retail space with planning permission granted for an increase of 36,000 sq ft of floorspace over the old store on Forge Island.
Rotherham-based retailer, Fishing Republic has announced the appointment of Iain McDonald as a non-executive director with effect from March 1 2017.
One of the largest fishing tackle retailers in the UK, the Eastwood company floated on the AIM stock exchange in 2015, raising millions to help carry out its expansion plans.
Iain has over 20 years' experience in investment, in particular in the retail and e-commerce sectors. Over the last ten years, he has been investing directly into the online and technology sectors and a number of Iain's long-term investments have been into the most successful e-commerce businesses in Europe. These include The Hut Group Limited, ASOS plc, Boohoo.com plc, MetaPack Limited and Anatwine Limited.
Advertisement Iain previously worked in investment banking at Numis Securities and ING Barings-Charterhouse, where he specialised in retail and e-commerce companies.
Iain holds 0.8% of the company's shares having invested alongside Bill Currie and Sir Terry Leahy in the placing announced in 2016. Leahy is the current chairman of fast-growing discount retailer, B&M and is the former chief executive of Tesco.
Revenues at the firm have increased by approximately 40% year-on-year, driven by the addition of new stores, organic growth across existing stores, and strong growth in own website sales.
The company's online sales strategy involves transitioning away from third party platforms to its own website sales, where margins are higher. In a trading update Fishing Republic said that own website sales increased by 132% year-on-year and accounted for around 40% of total online sales for the year. A new website is set to launch in March.
Floating on AIM, the directors believe that Fishing Republic is the only participant in the market looking to act as a consolidator. Expansion plans involve snapping up smaller, often family-owned fishing retail businesses.
The regeneration of Rotherham town centre must be driven by large scale developments and major changes like the proposed £43m leisure hub on Forge Island, according to a council investment boss.
A recent update of the borough's growth plan highlighted that the economy was moving in the right direction with 2,000 more Rotherham-based job and 420 new businesses recorded since 2014. However, in the town centre, where a number of smaller scale regeneration projects have taken place, the number of vacant units has increased and footfall has gone down.
WYG Group was selected at the end of 2016 to work with Rotherham Council to develop a masterplan for Rotherham town centre. The follow-up piece of work will build on the work of consultants, Arup, and become an important tool in marketing the wider town centre to potential investors and encouraging further regeneration and improvement. It is set to provide "bold and deliverable solutions for leisure, retail, recreation and town centre living."
Projects are already moving forward, including the £43m leisure hub for Forge Island, the £12m Higher Education Campus and a £12m refurbishment scheme at Rotherham Interchange.
Tim O'Connell, business investment manager at RiDO, the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council, said: "The main piece of work is the town centre masterplan. My view would be that there needs to be some major changes. We have done a number of things, and we've done some really good things in the past in terms of the smaller scale initiatives around High Street and independent retail, but there needs to be some major change.
"If we are just trying to prop up the town centre as it is, then we are on a sticky wicket. There's a lot of work to try and support the town centre, and keep the town centre in a state that is still alive and breathing while the larger scale changes come on, but the focus has to be about delivering large scale changes."
The Council recently concluded a deal to acquire Forge Island from Tesco. Bosses hope that redevelopment could begin next year on a scheme anchored by a new seven screen cinema and 80 bed hotel.
O'Connell said: "We really need to deliver on things like Forge Island - get it redeveloped and create a heart to the town centre and a reason for people to come in there. Until we get some of those bigger changes, the smaller changes that, although we've done well, have only been arresting what would have been a bigger decline rather than turning it around.
"Delivering something on Forge Island with a cinema and hotel, and some appropriate, family-friendly food and beverage and leisure offer, will make a big difference in creating the right environment for people to live and for people to come in to town."
Advertisement The Council has also secured funding from the Government's Starter Homes Programme to develop starter homes in the town centre - a £32m series of schemes that could result in hundreds of new homes.
O'Connell believes that housing is also key to the regeneration of the town centre. He added: "My view is that increasing the number of people living in the town centre can make a huge difference. The overall aim is to deliver 2,000 homes. If you were to do that you would have a completely different environment to the environment you've got now. You would have people that would be customers for the shops, cafes and bars and there would be people around, it would be busy.
"Following on from the Council's sites, we are in discussions with the private sector about delivering more houses in the town centre. It is about getting the economic dynamics to work. At the moment values are quite low in Rotherham so people need some sort of cushion or support to make the development happen. That's a challenge as there is not much money around but it's using things like the Sheffield City Region and Government funding streams to be able to create that market and move forward."The investment boss also gave an honest assessment that the environment in the town centre needs to be better. "Unfortunately there's not one quick fix to make that happen," added O'Connell who also believes there's an opportunity to link to the emerging Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District and to create the right environment for people to live in the town centre and work in a well-paid, high-skilled innovative job ten minutes away.
On the issue of safety in Rotherham town centre, the recent results from the lifestyle survey carried out in schools showed that 24.6% of pupils said they always feel safe in the town centre, 45.4% said they sometimes feel safe and 19.3% said they never feel safe.
O'Connell said: "There's lots of activity about trying to make it a safer place, trying to keep it clean, trying to make sure it is seen as being safe. Actually, all the evidence and crime statistics seem to suggest that it is quite a safe place, but clearly if people don't feel that it is, then it isn't. That is the challenge. You can have whatever stats you like but if people don't feel safe, they don't feel safe, so that's a problem for you to address."
High street fashion chain Primark is to open a new store at Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham, relocating from the High Street in the town centre.
Sitting alongside M&S and Curry's/PC World, the new Primark store will occupy 33,100 sq ft of retail space over two levels and will create over 40 new jobs, bringing the total number of employees to 107.
Plans were approved earlier this year for alterations and a mezzanine level at Unit 14a which was vacated when national retailer BHS went into liquidation in 2016.
The design of the new store will build on Primark's latest contemporary shop fit and will include a new double-height glazed frontage and with signage zones and an extension to the mezzanine trading level. Primark has been the No. 1 named retailer that Parkgate Shopping customers would like to see introduced for a number of years.
Zvi Noé, director of Investments at BMO Real Estate Partners, said: "Since the purchase of Parkgate Shopping, we have been looking at ways of improving what it has to offer our customers. We are extremely excited to be welcoming a brand new Primark store. As one of the most desirable retailers in the UK, attracting a store of this size to Parkgate Shopping underlines the improvements we continue to make."
Works by the landlord are set to commence next week with the store opening later in 2017.
Advertisement In a transaction worth around £175m, BMO Real Estate Partners (BMO) acquired Parkgate Shopping in September 2015 from the Hercules Unit Trust (HUT).
Following new branding and signage, the owners have committed to making significant changes in the coming year with the further injection of over £5m of capital investment. Work is already on site with the construction of a new Costa Coffee drive-thru in the car park outside Wilko's and Pets at Home and this is due to open in July.
Further capital is being invested in the old Brantano unit to accommodate Holland & Barrett and Shoezone to Parkgate Shopping and these works are nearing completion on site. These sub-division works include the replacement of the outdated frontages with modern, double-height glazed frontages, new signage zones and improvements to pedestrian access to these units whilst opening up sightlines.
Advertisement Carolyn Sparshott, Asset Manager - Out of Town Retail at BMO Real Estate Partners, said: "We are passionate about Parkgate Shopping and ensuring it remains something that our local/loyal shoppers can be proud of.
"The arrival of Primark continues the success in bringing top retailers to Parkgate Shopping. This follows on from the redevelopment project for Nando’s and Subway, and continues the improvements to the retailer line-up (H&M, Card Factory and The Works) which were made during 2015/2016. With the arrival of Primark, Holland & Barrett, Shoezone and a new Costa Coffee Drive-thru in the next year, Parkgate Shopping continues to evolve and provide our shoppers with a first-class experience."
Rotherham Council is objecting to a planning application for a £300m Leisure Hall at Meadowhall, stating that it is likely to have a significant adverse impact on Rotherham town centre and the planned investment in the Forge Island site.
The plan comprises a 330,000 sq ft multi-level extension housed under a glazed roof on land currently used for car parking. Plans show leisure space to provide a range of other uses to meet the needs of a wide family group, including a new cinema (the existing Vue Cinema will close, and be changed to an alternative leisure use) plus space for food and drink outlets. A new foodstore and added retail units are also planned.
Due to the out-of-town location, the applicants are required to undertake a sequential test and impact studies in line with national planning policies. Rotherham Council has been asked for its views due to the site being 5 km from Sheffield city centre and 3 km from Rotherham town centre.
Applicants, British Land, insist that the development will not have any unacceptable trading effects on Rotherham town centre or cause any significant adverse impact on planned investment.
Retail studies conclude that Rotherham town centre ranks highest as experiencing the greatest level of competition amongst the 200 UK centres due to its proximity to Meadowhall and Parkgate. Council planners point to the fragility of the health of Rotherham town centre and conclude that the impact on the vitality and viability of Rotherham town centre is likely to be significantly adverse if Meadowhall is extended.
Advertisement A report to the planning board at Rotherham Council adds: "Due to the lack of leisure facilities in Rotherham town centre at present, the proposed floorspace in the Meadowhall extension is unlikely to have a direct impact on the existing health of the centre but is nevertheless likely to be a contributory factor to a wider indirect impact on the centre due to the growing attractiveness of Meadowhall."
The proposals for Forge Island, recently purchased by the Council who hope to see a £43m leisure hub created, are not considered as "committed investment that is contractually committed or subject to resolution" and were not included in the applicant's impact statement. The applicants also stated that, as the cinema is being replaced at Meadowhall, the potential interest in a cinema is Rotherham is in the context that a cinema already operates at Meadowhall and Valley Centertainment and will complement any future offer in Rotherham.
Rotherham planners agree that the Meadowhall cinema will not fundamentally affect operator interest in Rotherham in its own right but have a greater level of concern in relation to the food and beverage uses. They are worried that some operators will prefer Meadowhall over Rotherham and that "operators will not have the confidence to invest at the Forge Island site due to the strength of Meadowhall in the local catchment."
It is likely that the cinema on the Forge Island site would be occupied by an independent operator and unless the food/beverage uses are attracted then the cinema use will not be delivered.
The report concludes: "It is considered that the Meadowhall extension is likely to pose a significant threat to the investment in the Forge Island site. This is a threat to both public and private investment as RMBC has recently purchased the site with the intention of facilitating redevelopment. Private sector investment will also be affected as RMBC will not be able to secure a development partner to pursue the redevelopment as development viability will be affected.
"Rotherham town centre has suffered over a number of years in terms of business confidence, with considerable competition from Sheffield city centre, Meadowhall and Parkgate in Rotherham. This is evident from the high number of vacancies and the falling level of comparison goods retailers and the on-going threat of further retailers deciding to move to competing locations. As a consequence, with already low levels of confidence, we consider that the Meadowhall extension is likely to have a significant adverse impact on existing investment in Rotherham town centre."
Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce is backing the proposals at Meadowhall, supporting the application to ensure that the region does not lose visitors and for the economic benefits of additional jobs and through the local supply chain.
A young entrepreneur has brought her range of relaxing products into Rotherham town centre as the independent retailer opens her heart.
Jordan Mangnall launched her bath, body and clothing business Jaded Heart just 13 months ago after finishing college and taking a gap year whilst studying a Social Media and Marketing apprenticeship. Whilst Jordan's love for aromatherapy and relaxation has been ever present, it was during a period of extreme anxiety and depression when the idea of selling scented goodies to the masses was born.
With a desire to enable people to buy affordable aromatherapy and relaxation products easier than ever before, the 20 year old from East Herringthorpe began selling bath bombs and candles at events and markets in Sheffield, Barnsley, Leeds and Sleaford to name a few.
Last year, after receiving free business help and advice via the Rotherham Youth Enterprise (RYE) programme, Jordan gained a stall at the Rotherham Show and was awarded with a £100 prize from the Mayor of London Lindsay Pitchley for having the best stand within the RYE tent.
Now Jordan has brought her business to Rotherham town centre after securing business premises on Moorgate Street, where she has sourced a comprehensive range of bath and body products as well as alternative clothing, candles, incense and official Harry Potter merchandise.
AdvertisementJordan Mangnall, Founder of Jaded Heart (pictured at the store opening with the mayor), said: "I have always had a passion for aromatherapy and relaxation products and as a teenager I would spend a ridiculous amount of money on bath bombs and candles. I discovered whenever I was feeling anxious and needed to relax, the first thing I would do was run a bath and fill it with any product I could find!
"During my gap year and after I had left my apprenticeship, I realised that I wanted to help people access affordable yet luxurious products to help them relax in the way it helped me when I was at one of my lowest points. I simply asked my Mum what she thought of the idea then set to work contacting suppliers, setting up a website and registering to attend markets up and down the country.
"When I heard about the Rotherham Youth Enterprise, I was ready to take the next step on my business journey and knew I wanted to open a shop one day. My advisor, Darren McDool, has been a great support and helped me to prepare a business plan, win the grant from Tata Steel and secure my first business property. My mum has also been an integral part of this whole journey. Without her support, I wouldn't be where I am today, opening my first store at 20 years old!"
National initiative, The Teenage Market, is setting out its stall in Rotherham next month, offering enterprising traders and performers free pitches on a prime shopping street in Rotherham town centre.
Supported by Rotherham Youth Enterprise, Rotherham Council and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Teenage Market will take place on Effingham Street on May 27 and young people aged 13-25 from across the borough are being invited to get involved and showcase their talents and entrepreneurial spirit.
Effingham Street hosts the borough's Tuesday street market which was successful in the Best Large Outdoor Market category in 2016 at the national competition run by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).
The market will run from 10am - 4pm on Saturday and is completely free to take part in. Entrants don't have to be an established trader or performer either.
AdvertisementThe Teenage Market was created when teenage brothers Tom and Joe Barratt decided that there should be a specialist market designed specifically for the large population of young people in their hometown of Stockport. It is now running in over thirty locations across the UK, giving local young people the chance to actively engage and take part in events in their town or city.
The event builds on the work of projects such as the Maker's Emporium on Rotherham's award-winning High Street where the former Snafu rock bar was transformed in 2014 and now offers low-cost shared and professionally-managed retail space to a mixture of makers, crafters, artists and designers.
Funded by the High Street Renewal Award and delivered in partnership between the Council, The Source Skills Academy and Rotherham Youth Enterprise, the Emporium supports new start-businesses looking to trade for the first time, raise awareness of their products and letts them see for themselves what it takes to run their own business.
The FSB worked to bring The Teenage Market to Sheffield last year and Rotherham and Doncaster events are taking place in May this year.
Andrew Flower, chairman of the FSB in South Yorkshire, said: "We are delighted to invite all young entrepreneurs and performers to help create two great events for our town centres. The vibrancy and excitement that young people generate will bring a festival atmosphere to their host town centres. They are completely FREE to take part in and we hope that traders will take away large amounts of cash. Participants don’t have to be established traders or performers either.
"We hope that through these important events, a whole new generation of entrepreneurs is discovered. The Teenage Markets offer a vital opportunity for young traders to experience face-to-face selling for the first time. Having the ability and confidence to make a sales pitch is an invaluable attribute for any teenager who fancies a career in business. Here's a chance for them to hone their pitch and perfect their selling skills.
"We're also looking for young performers to entertain the crowds. Who knows – we may discover the next "X Factor" winner even before Simon Cowell gets a look-in!"
Award-winning firm, Pricecheck Toiletries has passed the £50m turnover barrier as it continues to grow from its premises at Beighton Link Business Park in Rotherham.
Pricecheck is a leading supplier of international branded consumer goods, working predominately in the health and beauty sector, dealing with discounted clearance stock. It won the Queen's Award for International Trade 2015 for continuous and cumulative overseas export earnings growth of 283% over six years.
The second generation family owned business, established in 1978 by the parents of Mark Lythe and Debbie Harrison who now run the company as joint managing directors, officially opened the new premises in 2016. With ambitious future growth plans, the 115,000 sq ft warehouse is able to accommodate 40% more than previously achievable and offices have tripled in size.
Recognising the contribution that private companies make in Yorkshire & North East, multinational professional services network, PwC is highlighting some of the success stories this week and Pricecheck is used to show how a private, Yorkshire business goes from local to global.
Advertisement Mark Lythe and Debbie Harrison, joint managing directors at Pricecheck, explained how being a private company enables them to be adaptable, focus on long-term growth and maintain control over decisions and activities.
The pair said: "Being private means more flexibility and adaptability to change, which is invaluable when it comes to often volatile foreign markets. The speed at which one can react to change is a huge advantage for any international business, meaning growth need not be stunted by sudden industry fluctuations, such as currency instability or recent uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
"There is also flexibility in choosing product categories, having recently expanded into food, drink and pet care, the business can "test the waters" for what works well. Another benefit is the ability to focus on certain market sectors, or target specific countries for export.
"Looking forward, now that Pricecheck has broken the £50m barrier, the next target is to double turnover to £100m within the next five years, meaning continued growth in all areas of the business, via recruitment, export and the addition of new product categories. It's an exciting time to be a private company and indeed a Yorkshire business with global ambitions."
Attempts by Rotherham Council to curb the number of bookmakers in the town centre have fallen flat at the final hurdle after a planning inspector overturned a decision by planners to refuse plans by Paddy Power to take on an empty unit.
Rothbiz reported last year that Paddy Power was planning to take the former Greggs unit in The Old Town Hall - empty now for over two years - but the local authority refused permission for the operation, stating that another betting shop would harm the character and function of the town centre.
The Irish group, which merged with Betfair in 2016, subsequently appealed the decision and both sides put forward their cases to the Government's Planning Inspectorate earlier this year.
The judgement has now been published, showing that the planning inspector has sided with the bookmaker, and the appeal is allowed, granting planning permission for the new Rotherham operation.
The plans, put together by consultants at Planning Potential, involve the subdivision of the 1,450 sq ft ground floor Effingham Street unit into two separate units - the bookmaker taking the prominent corner unit and the second brought back on the market.
Advertisement Betting and payday loan shops were moved into the "sui generis" category of use classes, meaning that a planning application is necessary before a building can be converted into those uses.
The application made the case that Paddy Power betting shops operate in the same way as A1 retail shops, often attracting more footfall, and add that visitors to their shops will use other shops and facilities in town.
The bookmakers, which would employ six people in Rotherham at the site which is also a Grade II listed building, pointed to recent successful appeals in Basingstoke and Leytonstone where the inspector concluded that betting shops in those cases would not affect the viability and vitality of the relevant town centres.
Consultants for Paddy Power also added that bringing an long-vacant unit back into use should outweigh the loss of a retail unit and that the current number of betting shops in the town centre has not reached over supply or saturation.
Advertisement The Council's arguments focused on the appropriateness of betting shops on Primary Shopping Streets, its desire to create a family-friendly town centre, the marketing of the empty unit, the potential impact of another betting shop on footfall, and the clustering of betting shops in the town centre.
Prime shopping streets in Rotherham town centre currently feature five bookmakers, the wider town centre has a further three betting shops, two gambling establishments and a bingo hall.
The authority concluded that "a further betting shop provision within Rotherham town centre, particularly in this prominent location on prime shopping streets, will contribute towards a clustering effect which will adversely affect the viability and vitality of the town centre."
However, the case officer at the Planning Inspectorate disagreed. Helen Cassini said: "From my site visit I observed that both the Primary Shopping Street and Town Centre have a relatively wide range of uses including banking, charity shops, and hair and beauty units.
"It is important to note that the clustering of any retail, business or service use may limit the retail appeal and affect the vitality and viability of shopping areas in which such clusters are found. However, as a result of the diversity of uses within the Town Centre, even when walking on Frederick Street [where three betting shops are located], I did not experience a sense of over dominance or clustering effect of betting shops.
"I do not consider that an additional betting shop within the Primary Shopping Street would result in a significant alteration to the existing balance, or result in a clustering effect that would be significantly detrimental to the retail attraction of the immediate area or wider Town Centre."
RiDO, the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council, has warned that new proposed parking restrictions at the Tesco Extra store in Rotherham will reduce footfall and discourage shoppers who visit the store from also visiting the town centre.
Council transport officers have raised concerns over the restrictions increasing the number of vehicle trips to the site substantially, and want to know what mitigation is proposed.
Rothbiz reported first that the largest retailer in the UK intends to introduce restrictions at its £40m Rotherham Extra store at Drummond Street.
The national retailer's planning application seeks a variation over a planning condition inserted by Rotherham Council when the planning application for the 110,000 sq ft superstore was approved in 2012.
Tesco needs the approval if it is to introduce a system that would allow shoppers to continue to park for up to three hours, as is the case now, but only if they spend over £5 in store and validate their parking.
Validation machines have already been installed in store and the new restrictions are being advertised as "coming soon."
Advertisement A representation from RiDO states that Tesco's expansion from Forge Island has "generally had a positive impact on the town centre" but the impact of the new restrictions could be negative.
The RiDO response reads: "As part of Tesco's approved planning application, one of the conditions was to provide at least 2 hours free parking for customers and non-customers of the store. This has ensured a sustainable turnover of parking spaces, allowing shoppers to enjoy linked trips to both Tesco and the town centre. By removing this option, there is a high risk of negatively impacting on footfall, and discouraging shoppers who visit the store from also visiting the town centre.
"Feedback from businesses and shoppers has identified the important role parking plays in attracting footfall to the town centre, in particular the location and availability of free parking, which acts as a major draw and encourages additional visits.
"Following consultation with the Market Service Committee, members have unanimously objected to the planning application on the grounds that they believe this will drive customers away from the markets complex and damage town centre footfall as a whole."
Advertisement Under the plans, shoppers wanting to use the 600 space car park, but not the Tesco store, will only be given 30 minutes to head into town before leaving the site.
Those wanting to use the car park will still be able to visit the rest of the town centre in their three hours, so long as they spend £5 at Tesco and validate their parking.
Ian Ferguson, senior highway development control officer at Rotherham Council, has asked Tesco for a full assessment of the highway / transportation implications of the proposal, stating that: "If the use of the parking is substantially changed by removing the free parking, then the number of trips in total will increase, invalidating the underlying assumptions presented in the [2012] transport assessment. Fundamental changes to the trip assumptions therefore require a reassessment of the transport impact and any additional trips mitigated."
The representation also adds that the Council's Travel Plan Officer has had no communication with Tesco since the travel plan, which is founded on the reduction of single occupancy vehicle trips, was submitted.
Montagu Evans, consultants for Tesco, state that the retailer is "finding that their car park is coming under considerable pressure and is being used by non-Tesco customers, detracting from the attractiveness of the store as a main food shopping location, and in turn impacting on its trading performance."
The reply to the transport comments states that they "consider that the use of the car park will not change substantially, and that the minimum spend will enhance the attractiveness of the store by providing more spaces for Tesco shoppers who may also in turn use Town Centre facilities during their visit."
The applicants add: "We would also note that the implementation of the proposed parking controls could potentially result in increased patronage of other town centre parking facilities as non-Tesco shoppers seek to use other Council run pay and display facilities. We therefore do not consider that the effect of these changes will be to increase the number of trips and invalidate the assumptions presented in the transport assessment."
