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‘in ‘ quotes’’ 2004-05 InStaffs ANNUAL REVIEW in ‘‘ During the Year... ...at least 55 new companies have moved into the county creating over 2,300 new jobs... ...at least 18 of these companies were assisted by InStaffs, creating over 1000 new jobs... ...since April 1997, InStaffs has assisted companies that have created more than 12,000 jobs... ...more than 72,000 square metres of space has been occupied by businesses assisted by InStaffs. While actual investment decisions this year were comparatively low, expressions of interest have remained buoyant; we handled 1621 enquiries, 1038 of which came via the website – www.instaffs.co.uk and 623 were identified as potential inward investors. In addition, we must not forget the considerable number of Staffordshire based businesses that are assisted, thereby safeguarding a vast number of existing jobs. essence During the year InStaffs dealt with 1621 enquiries, of which over 1000 were received through the company’s website. This has meant that the website has remained one of the primary methods of dealing with enquiries so great importance is attached to the maintenance of up to date information and the development of the site. Overall, InStaffs identified at least 55 new inward investments by businesses which were expected to generate more than 2,300 new jobs. Within these figures, InStaffs directly assisted 18 of the companies leading to 1027 new jobs. Notable investments included:• Spirit Group’s 250 new jobs as part of the consolidation of its office headquarters in Burton-upon-Trent • New Look in Newcastle-under-Lyme and its 300 job logistics centre • Birmingham NHS Trust in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre with its 50+ jobs for payroll outsourcing • Telemark in Stoke-on-Trent with its 200+ seat Call Centre This year, as well as looking at promotional activities in which the company has been directly engaged, this review also looks at some of the wider activities involving InStaffs. These include initiatives such as the Learning and Skills Council led Staffordshire Skills Alliance, Cannock Chase Champions and Stafford Champions, and the development of business and professional services organisations, Finest and Success. Looking to the future, InStaffs will continue to provide a customer focused service for its clients with the objective of making Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire one of the easiest places in the UK to gain the information needed to make an investment decision. More specifically, InStaffs will:John de Kanter Chief Executive • Continue to develop and maintain the web site as the primary source of information on Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire • Develop marketing activities with an increasing emphasis on specific clusters or sectors • Work with the Southern Staffordshire Partnership to refine and develop the inward investment offer for this part of Staffordshire • Continue to market Stoke-on-Trent City Centre and North Staffordshire as one of the largest regeneration areas in the UK Lastly, we would like to emphasise the importance of the continued support we have received from all InStaffs’ funding partners – the local authorities of Staffordshire, together with the Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund. Their continuing support will be essential if InStaffs is to carry on delivering an inward investment service for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and the associated North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone and Southern Staffordshire Partnership. This support also extends to InStaffs’ private sector partners including property agents, developers, consultants and Chambers of Commerce – with whom InStaffs has continued to have extremely good relations. This is the eighth Annual Review for InStaffs (UK) Limited and covers the period April 2004 to March 2005. Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire is one of the largest sub-regions, both geographically and in terms of population, in the West Midlands Region. As such, it continues to attract strong interest from investors aided by the excellent communications network and the area’s genuine centrality within the UK. Richard Barnes Chairman ’’ ‘‘ The M6 Toll has proven to be a wonderful asset to the Staffordshire region. Businesses across the UK are not only using it to speed up commuting times, they are also taking advantage of local hotels and facilities along the route, boosting the economy of the county. We have worked closely with InStaffs to promote these benefits to potential investors. Tom Fanning, Director of Midlands Expressway Ltd and Chairman of Southern Staffordshire Partnership The M6 Toll is one of the most significant investments to have taken place in Staffordshire for many years.It has substantially changed the way people and businesses are able to access the southern part of the County and wider area. The area attracted at least 27 new businesses identified by InStaffs and these businesses generated more than 1500 new jobs. The road itself averaged 47,000 vehicles each day with a peak of 55,000 vehicles during 2004/05. Many of these vehicles would have previously used the M6 so a significant amount of traffic has now been diverted to the new M6 Toll. Vehicle movements along the M6 itself reflected this, with a significant reduction in the vehicles using the motorway – down to 113,000 vehicles per day in November 2004 and 109,000 vehicles per day in December 2004 according to the Highways Agency. in This has had some very positive effects, not least in terms of an increasing awareness of the business opportunities opened up by the new road. This has lead to a significant increase in land, housing and commercial property costs. Cannock is an area that has especially benefited as land prices that might have barely approached £200,000 three years ago have soared to £350,000 an acre (up £50,000 in the last twelve months alone). Kingswood Lakeside Employment Park, owned by Morston Assets and Staffordshire County Council, is a particular ‘honey pot’. Situated less than a mile from the Churchbridge junction of the M6 Toll Road, the 100 acre site has already seen a 380,000 sq ft development by Excel Logistics for Unilever/Best Foods. Food distribution company, 3663, has also recently completed a deal for a similar 60,000 sq ft facility within the same site, employing some 300 people. Meanwhile, local developer Pritchard Holdings plc has been busy investing in a series of striking new developments along the M6 Toll in Cannock, Rugeley and Stafford. roads Kingswood Lakeside Employment Park The Lyons Report was published in March 2004, and highlighted the issue of government office relocation. It identified approximately 20,000 jobs that it considered had the potential to be relocated from London and the South East to other parts of the country in order to cut central government costs and redress regional balance. Possible relocations were focused on centres of population with at least 100,000 people and in the first instance King Sturge produced a report which reviewed a wide range of locations that matched this criterion. Locations were rated according to their proficiency in 6 different types of government activity ranging from basic contact centres through to policy and science functions, and each location was then ranked according to quartiles. Although North Staffordshire was reasonably placed in the original research, InStaffs chose to commission King Sturge to re-run the analysis taking Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-underLyme as one area rather than individual areas. As expected this vastly changed the outcome. In fact combining results for Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme gave significantly improved results, particularly highlighting the area’s suitability as a location for higher value back office activities, and large scale relocation. As a direct result of this boost, InStaffs began a campaign to highlight the potential of North Staffordshire as an area for government relocation. During 2004/05 InStaffs attended two conferences in London, both attended by government offices considering relocation. The first, held on 10 May, also provided the opportunity to launch the well received ‘Yes Minister’ brochure. This document focuses on the attributes of North Staffordshire as a place to relocate and made three specific offers – medical technology and health care, shared services and Judiciary/law – all based on strengths in the area. North Staffs was one of the few areas to take such an approach, setting the area apart from the rest. The second conference, held on 30th November, provided the perfect opportunity for InStaffs to showcase a company that had already experienced the benefits of operating in North Staffordshire. Michelin Tyre plc, with their UK and Ireland headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, provided first hand experience of the benefits of the area, focusing on the significant cost savings that could be made by moving activities from London and the South East to Stoke-on-Trent. InStaffs remains optimistic that ultimately a government office related activity will come to the area in due course. relocating in ideal environments Michelin Headquarters ‘‘ Bringing new investment and jobs to North Staffordshire is an integral part of the regeneration process. As an existing employer in the area we work closely with InStaffs to attract new investment whenever possible. Peter Marsh, Michelin Tyre plc in Tamworth InStaffs once again attended the MIPIM Property Show in Cannes during March 2005, joining the Advantage West Midlands-led West Midlands delegation. This year Mike Wolfe, former Elected Mayor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent, also attended and made a presentation from the West Midlands stand on the growing opportunities available in the City - and especially in the City Centre - to a range of property developers, agents, bankers and other property related consultants. He was also able to participate in various events whilst in Cannes using the opportunity to network within the property industry and spread the message about North Staffordshire. Meanwhile, InStaffs team members spent the time available during the four-day event attending presentations, networking, and forging many new contacts for the company as a whole. In particular, InStaffs were very pleased to see a number of Staffordshire based companies such as Wardell Armstrong and Knight and Sons present at this important business event. Relay Park and Centurian Court ‘‘ 2004 marked the year when Tamworth Borough Council became a partner of InStaffs. With a population of 75,000 people, Tamworth is a vibrant market town with a dynamic and diverse business base. Since joining forces with InStaffs, the Borough has been active in identifying new site areas and promoting new developments such as Sandy Hill Park. The increased levels of interest in Tamworth as a business destination and the M6Toll have also contributed to a marked rise in land values in the area. Two additional office developments off Jt10 on the M42 have also increased interest, with the units having the modern design, state-of-the-art technology and high quality that you might find in a modern city centre environment. InStaffs has contributed to raising the profile of Tamworth through its promotional activity and streamlined approach to dealing with both inward investors and local businesses in search of premises or sites in the Borough. Cllr. Brian Beale, Portfolio Holder, Regeneration and Community Development, Tamworth Borough Council in Cannes Exhibition Centre MIPIM ‘‘ ’’ By working together we are beginning to support employers more effectively in accessing the training they need and promoting Staffordshire as a leading area to trade and do business. Teresa Addinell, Director of Workforce Skills, Learning & Skills Council for Staffordshire in It is widely recognised that Staffordshire’s economic performance depends heavily on skills and the quality of the County’s workforce. This is the key to productivity, innovation, and global competitiveness. In response to this, Staffordshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) led the formation of the 'Staffordshire Skills Alliance', drawing together employers, partners and provider organisations to discuss how improvements could be made. InStaffs was one of the founding members of the Alliance, which will ensure that the employment and skills needs of Staffordshire are met, and that a coherent approach is developed by partners to maximise public and private sector involvement and investment. The group, chaired by Teresa Addinell, Director of Workforce Skills, Staffordshire LSC, is made up of employers and senior representatives from organisations including Advantage West Midlands, Business Link, Chambers of Commerce, Connexions, Further Education Colleges and Higher Education institutions who articulate their needs and help to mould the Strategy. The Alliance has worked together to create a skills Strategy for the area, which provided an analysis of current strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for the future, focussing on the need to develop a more coherent, effective and relevant approach to delivery, and to increase employer engagement and demand. The Strategy is essential for the promotion of inward investment and economic growth. It will allow the Alliance to shape the future skills of the area's workforce, meaning they are better able to meet the needs of employers and making Staffordshire a prime location for new investment. training ‘‘ The role of InStaffs is invaluable to the Alliance as they are able to provide timely and relevant information and research, often as a direct result of their direct contact with companies. This knowledge allows us to plan effective learning provision to ensure we have a skilled workforce for companies already operating in Staffordshire and those moving into the area. Teresa Addinell, Director of Workforce Skills Learning & Skills Council for Staffordshire FineST in Finest Chairman Richard Lashmore & Bob Bell, MPCG FineST is the private sector led network for professional service firms in North Staffordshire. Established in February 2004, it represents around 100 of the most dynamic and successful practitioners in the local professional sector. Members range from multi-nationals and household names to specialist providers. InStaffs has been involved since its inauguration, with a representative sitting on the steering group, and sponsoring the launch of the initiative. FineST has already achieved its first year targets, and the series of events and workshops developed by the various working groups have been well received. Year two should see more of the same as the network strengthens and the area starts to compete with larger centres like Birmingham and Manchester. contact Success With the intention of echoing the impetus developed by FineST for the professional service firms in North Staffordshire, a group allied to the Chamber of Commerce has recently come into being to carry out a similar role in Southern Staffordshire. Operating under the name of SUCCESS, InStaffs is confident that the organisation will be formally launched during 2005. Both FineST and SUCCESS are important to InStaffs in helping with the promotion of professional services, particularly with formalising the marketing offer. ‘‘ Stafford Champions The Stafford Champions initiative has been running for a total of two years and has, in that time, already attracted over 40 ‘Champions’. These are prominent and respected people, who live, work or come from Stafford, who act as unpaid volunteers to promote the interests of the borough they’re so proud of. This activity is carried out alongside their normal occupation and usually takes advantage of their natural contact with other people. As a corporate member of Stafford Champions, InStaffs has already benefited from networking opportunities to spread the word about various new developments in Stafford, not least the £100 million investment earmarked for the Borough over the next 5 years, to include high specification offices, luxury housing, and a variety of retail and recreation projects. As a developer with major investments in both Cannock Chase and Stafford, I value the close working relationship with the district and county councils and InStaffs to promote the areas for investment. Fred Pritchard, Pritchard Holdings plc Cannock Champions InStaffs is pleased to be a member of the Cannock Champions, a group of key business and public sector people that gather together on a regular basis to identify how to make Cannock Chase a better place for existing businesses and new inward investors. The group meets regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, including the image of Cannock, skills requirements, infrastructure, and how best to capitalise on existing assets such as the M6 Toll. With 20 members including major housing and property developers, key business people and public sector representatives, Cannock Champions provides the opportunity for these influencers to share ideas and views on how best to boost the local economy. ’’ in ‘‘ We see Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire as one of the fastest growing areas in the West Midlands region. This is why Harris Lamb has established an office in the City and works closely with InStaffs not only to market sites and premises but win new investment. Andy Groves, Harris Lamb Two Developing Staffordshire meetings were held throughout the year – one in May and the other in November. In May the event was hosted by Staffordshire University where keynote speaker, Professor Chris Birch, Executive Director of Research and Enterprise at the University, spoke passionately about office provision for young businesses. Professor Birch explained to delegates how new ‘incubator’ style business units have been funded by the University on their Lichfield Campus, to improve graduate retention and boost wealth creation in the County. To date the units have proven popular with 100% occupancy from companies turning over in excess of £350,000 per annum. Further developments are now planned for Stafford, Stoke, Cannock and Tamworth. At the event in November, sponsored by Trigram Properties, over 80 local leading businessmen and women joined together at Drayton Manor Park where the guest speaker was Tom Fanning, Managing Director of Midland Expressway Ltd. sider Tom Bloxham, Urban Splash Jerry Spencer, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Tom Fanning, Managing Director of Midland Expressway Ltd (l-r) Keith Daniels, Professor Chris Birch and John De Kanter ’’ On 4 November InStaffs sponsored an Insider Breakfast meeting, held in Manchester, which was attended by 80 representatives including property developers, agents, surveyors and architects. They gathered to hear Jerry Spencer, Assistant Director of Regeneration Strategy at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, talk about the various development opportunities available in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre. Jerry focused on activities that are already taking place, Including the demolition of Unity House, the creation of a new Business District and re-development of major retail centres in the City, each of which is outlined in the City’s ‘Vision Lite’ document. The document gives an insight into the future layout of the City and City Centre, detailing projects and showing artist impressions of the completed regeneration. (l-r) John De Kanter, Tom Fanning, Keith Daniels and Bill Houle in Medical technology and healthcare The Medical technology and healthcare offer has been growing over the last year, particularly within the north of the county. Significant boosts include both MedIC4 and the medical school at Keele Science and Business Park, the redevelopment of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the increasing number of companies starting up in or relocating to the area. In order to promote inward investment opportunities within the medical and healthcare sector, InStaffs has become more actively involved with the Regeneration Zone (RZ) priority theme group. InStaffs is also represented on a marketing group whose remit is to promote Keele Science & Business Park’s offer to medical technology companies. InStaffs has also been working closely with Medilink WM, a body funded by Advantage West Midlands and UK Trade Investment to encourage inter-trading between medical technology companies in the region. Medilink are also ‘‘ ’’ Keele was chosen as our home because the Science Park made a long term commitment to providing a world class infrastructure. Dr David Thatcher Chief Executive, Cobra Biomanufacturing plc development committed to promoting growth in the sector through providing commercial opportunities for their members in the medical, healthcare and support industries. Building technologies Over the last year InStaffs has been working closely with Renew, Local Authorities, English Partnerships and the Regeneration Zone to explore means of exploiting the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Off-Site Manufacturing (OSM) agenda. Renew North Staffordshire, the housing market renewal body, has a 15 year mandate to demolish 14,000 homes, build 12,000 and refurbish 36,000 homes. The £350m development of a new University Hospital for North Staffordshire, provides further opportunities for growth. Business and Professional services The professional service offering has received a significant boost in the development of the business and professional services networks for the county in FineST and newly forming Success. InStaffs has worked with FineST since inception and will do so with Success in order to promote the expertise that already exists, generate new business and encourage networking and collaborative working. This is an important sector for the County and as such, InStaffs has been working to create inward investment opportunities. This has already become evident with the opening of branches by Birmingham’s NHS Trust payroll services, Harris Lamb, Handelsbanken and Barclays Bank Business Centre to North Staffordshire. Opportunities also exist with recyclers, with impending legislation requiring manufacturers to recycle their own goods. Invariably this activity will be contracted out and Staffordshire could be geographically well placed to attract some of these facilities. Food and Drink This sector has established a strong presence across the County, but particularly in East Staffordshire, where the brewing industry is prevalent. While the presence of a ‘cluster’, as defined by Advantage West Midlands, is not clear, the sector remains an important area of activity which InStaffs wishes to build upon. The County has already proven a popular choice for food distribution companies who have found that the central location is ideal for quick delivery across the UK, something that is particularly important when dealing with fresh and organic foods with limited shelf life. Sustainable Technologies This sector is of particular interest in Southern Staffordshire and includes renewable and alternative forms of generating power and new forms of recycling. Stafford based Eccleshall Biomass is already benefiting from the growing interest in sustainable technologies, having piloted the UK’s first successful bio-energy power plant, which converts miscanthus or ‘elephant grass’ to energy and could supply up to 2000 Staffordshire homes, while helping to meet the UK’s targets for reducing carbon emissions. in ‘‘ InStaffs has proved to be a helpful vehicle to bring together views from across the County about future development priorities for a prosperous Staffordshire. Ron Hilton, Development Services Corporate Director, Staffordshire County Council During the course of 2004/05 InStaffs instigated a ‘Visioning’ process with its partners to determine what kind of Staffordshire we wished to see develop in the future. the future This took into account both the design of buildings and the types of activities, particularly the clusters or sectors that were preferred. Both the Region’s cluster strategy and spatial strategy inspired the debate. Forming an important part of the Regional Economic Strategy, these individual strategies focus on the types of businesses that are to be encouraged and outline where future land is to be released for employment and housing needs. One clear recommendation from the exercise was to encourage a move away from logistics operations which have historically sapped land supplies and restricted diversification of the employment base. Although this visioning exercise is an ongoing process, it became clear very early on that partners were keen to attract more higher-value activities, such as professional services, medical technology and high value back office services to the County. All partners are currently at various stages in progressing their Local Development Frameworks. As such the timing of the Visioning Exercise could not be better as site use and restrictions are being considered. Elaine Lawrence David Chennells Katie Hall Tony Joynson Keith Daniels ’’ There were some new additions to the InStaffs team over the year: Elaine Lawrence gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Harry on Saturday 5th February. David Chennells joined us straight after graduating from Northumbria University where he studied Human Geography. David has taken over as Property and Information Assistant, responsible for maintaining InStaffs’ comprehensive land and property database, and dealing with enquiries from clients in Staffordshire and across the UK. Katie Hall joined InStaffs as PA/Office administrator in October 2004. She is responsible for the smooth day-to-day running of the office. and our other team members have been busier than ever: Keith Daniels This year has seen a further expansion of the website as a major source of information for InStaffs clients. Keith has ensured that this information is up to date, and has added further pages to extend the services available via this medium. Tony Joynson This financial year Tony has continued to work with developers, intermediaries and end users. There has been a welcome resurgence of enquiries from first-tier suppliers as Toyota in particular expands its manufacturing capacity and Staffordshire is well placed to benefit from this along the A38 and A50 corridors. Investments such as those by Birmingham NHS Trust, Handlesbanken and Biocomposites in the north of the County are of strategic significance as the Regeneration Zone’s push for higher value investment gathers pace. the team InStaffs (UK) Limited, Mill Court, Mill Street, Stafford ST16 2AJ Tel: 01785 604060 Email: enquiries@instaffs.co.uk www.instaffs.co.uk