Harrogate recycling firm to take on staff as revenues exceed expectationsStray Ferret Business Awards 2025: Celebrate growth in your businessStray Ferret Business Awards: Have your growth recognised by entering the Business Growth award

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

First up is the Business Growth Award, which is sponsored by Raworths.

This award is designed to recognise those businesses that have seen significant growth in the last three years.

Business growth could be measured either financially, by employee numbers of market share increase – think about the percentages of the growth you’ve experienced – SME’s are strongly recommended to enter this category.

Companies looking to enter for the Business Growth Award need to provide evidence of the growth, background information as to the reason for growth and plans for the future.

Does your business deserve to win the Business Growth Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

 

Business Breakfast: Six Harrogate firms report post-pandemic growth

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club!

The second in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is an After Work Drinks event on February 23 from 5.30pm. Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district, get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.

Six Harrogate businesses, all based in Windsor House, have reported growth following the covid pandemic.

Angela Swift Developments, Bluewave Select, Wild & Co Chartered Accountants, The Notary Solution and Evolve Psychology Services, have survived the challenges of the last three years and grown.

Angela Swift from Angela Swift developments said:

“We found more opportunities because of covid. The pandemic demonstrated the level of need that exists for our builds and what we do in the care sector”.

And Vincent Dunlop, co-founder and director of the IT business Bluewave Select, reports:

“Turnover has increased from £500k in year one to £18million today”.

Liz Wild, founder of Wild & Co Chartered Accounts, said her business doubled its turnover since the start of lockdown.

Katharine Beckett, from The Notary Solution, had to work especially hard during the pandemic. She said:

“Company directors could not travel so they had to sign documents in the UK and have them notarised and attested.

 “To find a notary you usually have to look locally. However, we have always innovated and used technology to allow us to operate our services in multiple locations”.

Evolve Psychology Services, were busy during the lockdowns. Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Laura Powling said:

“Over the pandemic we have also seen an increase in referrals for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions”.

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Harrogate cleaning business on track to be carbon neutral 

 Harrogate company, ‘It’s Clean’, says it is on track to achieving carbon neutral status.

The commercial cleaning brand operates, which operates in Harrogate, York and Leeds, believes it is one of only a few similar businesses in Yorkshire to have scope one and two carbon neutral accreditation.

There are three “scopes” in achieving full carbon neutral status. It’s Clean aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2025.

In a message to clients, Managing Director David Whan, said:

“We are committed to changing the perception of the cleaning industry so that it’s universally valued as integral and business critical to everyone we work for and our employees know their work is highly valued”.

 

Expansion plans for busy Harrogate bar and cafe

A popular bar and cafe in central Harrogate is set to expand to offer more space for customers.

Starling on Oxford Street will close its doors on Sunday at 3pm to knock through to the neighbouring unit, tripling the ground floor space it currently has.

Owner Simon Midgley told the Stray Ferret that, despite the current economic uncertainty, he was confident the move was right for the business.

He said:

“We bounced back really strongly after the closures and lockdowns. We know what we do is well thought of and we’ve got a good team delivering it.

“It has been a slow burn to get to this point. We first looked next door at the start of the year and it has taken quite a long time to get to the point we are now.

“The world has changed a bit so it brings more challenges than there were 12 months ago. But I’ve done cash flow models working with our accountants, Wild and Co, and they’re doing a fantastic job to support us.

“We’re just really thrilled it has all come to fruition.”

Work has been taking place in the neighbouring building for around 12 weeks already, with the landlord also converting the upper floors into residential space.

Starling is expected to close for around three weeks while the ground floor is completed.

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One of the key reasons for the expansion, as well as extending the ground floor space, is to give a better view of what Starling offers from the street to entice people inside. The bar will be turned around and there will be more seating for customers.

Once it re-opens, more jobs will be created, including full- and part-time front-of-house roles and positions in the kitchen.

Simon said, like many other hospitality businesses, recruiting chefs had proved tricky this year and he was still seeking the right people to deliver the menu of brunches and pizzas to complement the soft and alcoholic drinks on offer.

He said:

“We’re expecting to be significantly busier.

“We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. I’ve got every confidence in the team and the sort of food and drink we offer.

“We aren’t trying to recreate what we are so much as create a better ambience and a more comfortable space in which to do it.”

He added:

“There are always challenges. As long as you assess the risk and go at it in a calculated way, when times are hard you’re better showing a bit of spark and attacking that situation than sitting back and being cautious.

“Put your best foot forward.”

Ripon estate agent wins gold property award

Ripon estate agent wins gold award for the city 

Ripon-based estate agent, Davis & Lund, has won the British Property Award for Ripon.

The agency will now be shortlisted for a number of national awards set to be announced later this year.

This award focused on customer service levels which the British Property Awards judges found to be “outstanding” at Davis & Lund.

Paul Lund, director, said:

“I am delighted and exceptionally proud of my team for all their hard work helping us win this award. Not only are we market leading agents in Ripon, we have now been recognised with this award.”

Chris Davis, co-director added:

“We have also just found out this week that we have won that same award for our new branch in Thirsk, which just goes to show customer service is at the heart of everything we do.”

Chris Davis

Harrogate mobile app business targets growth after a difficult two years

Harrogate-based mobile app business, Mobile Tornado, has said that after an unpredictable two years is it is now focused on growth.

The listed company reported total revenue of £2.59m for the year ended 31 December 2021, up from £2.53m in 2020. Its pre-tax losses also reduced to £861,000 from £1.39m.

Jeremy Fenn, chairman of Mobile Tornado, said:

“It has been an extremely difficult two years for the business. The principal markets we operate in have been badly hit by the pandemic, dramatically constraining our business development activities.

“We have managed to maintain our revenue levels through this period, and executed significant improvements to our operational efficiency, such that we have reduced our operating expense from £3.16m in 2019 to £2.53m in 2021. This has allowed the business to trade through the period with modest losses, funded by a small working capital facility provided by our principal shareholder, and no further recourse to shareholders.”

Mr Fenn added that business had been “promising” in the first quarter of 2022.

 

Expanding IT company relocates to £140,000 offices in Knaresborough

An expanding IT services provider has spent £140,000 on moving from Harrogate to larger premises in Knaresborough.

Integral IT is now based at Whitfield Business Park on Manse Lane, where it occupies two floors in open office space to fit 15 administrative and technical support staff.

Set up 15 years ago by managing director Jonathan Edwards, the company now supports almost 100 Yorkshire small to medium-sized enterprises that have between 10 and 200 members of staff.

Mr Edwards said unlike other businesses that were moving towards home working post-pandemic, his team was more productive working together in a physical space.

He added the pandemic had boosted business as more clients recognised the need for IT support. He said:

“Over the last year, we’ve seen a raft of new contract wins as businesses recognise the importance of having a reliable IT partner who makes it possible for them to function seamlessly, wherever their team is based.

“Now more than ever, companies big and small need the reassurance of having expert IT support on hand to solve any issues as well as having the ability to provide comprehensive cyber security services to protect their data.”

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The company offers 24/7 IT services for over 1,200 staff across the UK and further afield in the USA.

It is gearing up for further expansion — Mr Edwards said he expected to have “pretty much” filled the new offices by Christmas as he continues to recruit.

Business moves to independence despite covid challenges

Two business partners have taken the next step in their future plans, despite the challenges of coronarivus.

Kevin Masheder and Marc Squires have owned the Harrogate franchise of Signarama since 2016 and, like most business owners, have faced the challenges of changing regulations since last March.

They have now decided to launch as an independent signage business under a new brand, SignHub, and hope the contacts they have built over the last five years will see them through the rest of lockdown and beyond. Marc said:

“When the first lockdown was announced, we closed for seven or eight weeks, when the shops were all closed. They started saying manufacturing could be open as an essential service, but it was all very uncertain.

“When retail opened, Kevin and I came in, then the other staff followed on part-time furlough. After we opened, we had a lot of work from people like landscape gardeners, who could work outside.”

The second half of 2020 was a mixed picture for the business, with quieter periods during tighter restrictions and over Christmas. The new lockdown from the start of the year saw work tail off, but Marc said the last two weeks have been busier again – and the pair are hopeful that the next stage in their business journey will be a success, despite the challenging circumstances.

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Initially employed as graphic designers, when Marc and Kevin took over the franchise they were given the opportunity to turn it into an independent business. However, they wanted to learn the ropes from outgoing owner Michael Webster, who stayed on to help them get established before taking full retirement.

With a host of local companies using their services to create signage and more, the pair hope the rebrand will only help to raise their profile. Customers have already been complimenting the new signs on their Knaresborough Road premises – but they won’t be in place for long.

The lease on the building ends this spring so, needing more space and covered areas to brand vehicles, they are moving to Killinghall Business Park. Marc added:

“When we could network, we got to know a lot of people in the business community. We thought if we can spread the word about the changes, it won’t be too bad.

“We are roadside now, so people do come past, but they only come in if they need what we offer – and at the moment, the retail side is click and collect only. A lot of our work comes from online, especially since covid began, and a lot of our bigger customers wouldn’t come to the shop anyway – they just email or pick up the phone.

“We also get a lot of referrals from our customers, so we hope that will continue.”

Boost for digital businesses in Harrogate district

A series of free virtual events is being organised to boost digital and technology businesses across the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Digital is staging a week of online events, covering everything from digital connectivity to delivering complex projects. Each event will be delivered by experts in their fields.

Forming part of Leeds Digital Festival, it runs from September 28 to October 1.

Alistair Forbes, who works with Harrogate Borough Council to support local business growth, said plans for a full day of Harrogate talks had to be put on hold in March because of the coronavirus crisis.

However, the new online-only programme, spread over a week, has more speakers than the original and will allow for a larger audience.

He said:

“The original idea was to run an in-person event as part of Leeds Digital Festival in March. The majority of speakers were all signed up to have a day of talks in a venue in the town centre. We just had to postpone that.

“We did consider an in-person event, because there will be some held as part of Leeds Digital Festival. But being online makes it much more accessible.”

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Harrogate Digital was founded in 2017 with the aim of supporting tech businesses in the district to grow, helping bring the best professionals to the area, and offering networking opportunities between businesses in the sector.

It is run by Martin Whincup from law firm Berwins, tech entrepreneur and business mentor Sanjay Parekh, and Mr Forbes, in his role as SME growth manager for Harrogate Borough Council and Leeds City Region LEP.

Harrogate Digital held events in the Everyman Cinema

Prior to the covid lockdown, Harrogate Digital held various events, including one in 2019 focused on women in technology at the Everyman Cinema

He said:

“It was a relatively quick and easy thing to set up, with the intention of not trying to replicate something already started, but with the goal to create a dedicated network for people that work in digital, technology and creative. That didn’t really exist in Harrogate.

“There are lots of great networking groups, but they’re quite general and don’t necessarily fulfil the needs of digital and tech businesses.”

Incubator hub

Having spent three years working with businesses in the sector, Mr Forbes will use the week of events at the end of the month to outline the next steps in Harrogate Digital’s plans.

It will be rebranded as Co-Lab, a new community for tech people and businesses which will offer advice and support to tech businesses. Plans to refurbish Springfield House within the Harrogate Convention Centre site and turn it into an incubator hub have been delayed by the venue’s use as a Nightingale hospital, but Mr Forbes said he is hopeful that the hub will open in the first half of 2021.

Funding of £500,000 has already been secured for the initial plans through Leeds City Region business rates pool. Any further funding achieved will be used to expand the support programme offered by Co-Lab.

Mr Forbes said demand for support from new and growing businesses has been high over the summer, giving him hope for the future of the district’s economy.

“We have had all sorts of different enquiries and ideas come forward from existing businesses I was already working with for new businesses or divisions.

“There are also people who have been made redundant from previous roles and want to start up a new tech-related business. That appears to be as strong as ever.

“Harrogate has been well-known as a place to start a business even if it’s based from home, but there has been a resurgence over the summer in terms of people with new ideas and starting businesses.”