Harrogate’s Hustle & Co renamed as new owner takes over

The owners of Hustle & Co have thanked their customers after announcing that a new owner will be taking over the business today.

Nici Routledge and Jo Bradshaw launched the healthy cafe and restaurant on Harrogate’s prestigious Prince Albert Row in December 2020.

However, it was put up for sale this year to allow the best friends and business partners to explore other projects and new opportunities.

This week they revealed that the venue was now under new ownership and would be renamed Jesper’s Bar and Kitchen, with the new owner starting work today.

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Ms Bradshaw stressed that the staff and menu would remain the same and it would be “business as usual”.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“We feel we found the perfect fit to move our business forward. We wanted to find someone who shared a similar ethos. It’s business as usual at least for now.

“The chefs and the staff are the same and the dishes are the same, so it is the same food and drink and excellent service that customers are used to.”

The owners of Hustle & Co, Nici Routledge (left) and Jo Bradshaw.

Ms Bradshaw said both she and Ms Routledge would miss their loyal customers.

She said:

“Many of them are now friends. But we are looking forward to a drink with them on the other side of the bar.

“Congratulations to Jesper and his family. We wish them every success for the future. Jesper has years of experience in the hospitality industry.

“We are super excited about our future plans. It’s the right time to hand over the reins and move on. Watch this space, there are great things to come.”

Business Breakfast: Cloud Nine appoints new director in Australia

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate-based Cloud Nine has appointed a new director as it eyes growth in Australia.

Seaneen Copeland – who began her career as a trainee hair stylist in her home city of Belfast – has joined the business as its new sales and marketing director for the country.

Before moving to Australia 10 years ago, Seaneen worked with a number of major brands in the hair and fashion industries, including Levi Strauss, Kookai Paris, Tommy Hilfiger, Zakks Hair Group N Ireland, GHD, Showpony, Salon Express and most recently Price Attack.

Since launching in Australia in 2011, the country has become increasingly important to Cloud Nine with 40% of is group revenue now coming from its Australian subsidiary.

Jo Fox, group sales and marketing director for Cloud Nine, said: 

“With her vast experience Seaneen is a perfect fit for Cloud Nine.

“Australia is a very important market for us, so it’s great that we recruited someone based in Australia who shares our ambition for growth in the Southern Hemisphere.

“And having worked with Seaneen previously, I know her passion and determination to succeed is incredible. She is a superb addition to the Cloud Nine team.”

New EnviroVent headquarters complete

A new headquarters for EnviroVent on Harrogate West Business Park has been completed.

Sutcliffe Construction Ltd, which was brought in to construct the building, confirmed that work is now complete on the new HQ.

The new building includes manufacturing space, warehousing, offices and training facilities.

EnviroVent opted for the new HQ, which includes air source heat pumps, solar panels, and a heat recovery system, in an effort to become net-zero carbon across the business by 2030.

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Business Breakfast: Ripon Farm Services opens new branch in Malton

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Ripon Farm Services has opened a new branch near Malton.

The company, which supplies agricultural machinery, has moved into a depot at the 30-acre Eden Business Park.

It becomes the firm’s twelfth branch it has opened in the UK.

RFS has taken possession of a high-quality 22,000 sq ft building at the multi-million pound business park, which is located immediately off the A64 by the Pickering Road (A169) junction by Eden Camp.

Richard Simpson, commercial director of RFS, said: 

“The opening of our new Malton depot is a major milestone for Ripon Farm Services and signals our intention to ramp up the investment in our long-term future.

“This new building reflects the importance we place on serving the North and East Yorkshire farming, equestrian and ground care communities. We will be providing the full range of services that you would expect from a John Deere main dealer and will also be moving our Ifor Williams trailer dealership into our new depot.

“In addition, we will have a huge range of ground care equipment for both Groundscare professionals and homeowners alike. We can’t wait to get going.”

RFS has now started trading from the Malton depot and are organising an open day for all their customers on Thursday, October 27, between 12pm and 8pm.

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Harrogate businesses set for Digital Festival dates

Harrogate law firm Berwins will host four events as part of Leeds Digital Festival later this month.

Its experts in digital and business law will speak about Giving Data Proper Respect on September 19, realising the Value of Your Intellectual Property on September 22, and Recognising and Recovering Revenue on September 26.

All three talks take place at Platform on New Station Street in Leeds.

Harrogate’s Co-Lab is also hosting an event at its base in Harrogate Convention Centre on September 28. It will focus on ways of raising funds for a tech start-up.

The final Berwins event is completely different: the law firm’s runners will lead a 6km route around the city centre, in partnership with Harrogate-based Up & Running, on September 30.

Tickets for all five events, plus the rest of the 12-day programme, are available from the Leeds Digital Festival website.

Business Breakfast: Chamber meeting to focus on sustainability

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate business group meeting is set to focus on sustainability this month.

The event held by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce will take place on Monday, September 12, at the town’s Cedar Court Hotel. 

Doors open at 5.30pm for open networking with the meeting proper commencing at 6.15pm.

It will feature talks from Cllr Keane Duncan, county councillor for transport, Paul White, from Auditel Limited, and Sarah Jones from Full Circle Funerals.

Meanwhile, Danny Wild, Harrogate College Principal and a member of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, will speak about its work on retrofit to support businesses.

Sue Kramer, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce President, said: 

“With record temperatures this summer and a drought declared in Yorkshire, the environment has never been higher on everyone’s radar.

“I’m looking forward to hearing the individual stories from our three member businesses, as well as welcoming Cllr Duncan to our meeting, who will be informing us about his vision for transport in and around Harrogate, which I’m sure will include the Harrogate Station Gateway Project.”

Chamber members and guests can register their attendance here.

Networking event to be held in Harrogate

A networking event for businesses is set to be held in Harrogate this month.

Organised by Business Ladies Around Harrogate, it will focus on how firms can see out 2022 and head into next year.

It will take place at William and Victoria, Cold Bath Road, on September 9 and be hosted by Jo Smith, a development coach.

The event will include a workshop, as well as time for attendees to network with each other.

You can find out more information on the event here.

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Business Breakfast: Masham brewery to mark 30th anniversary

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Black Sheep Brewery to celebrate 30th anniversary

A Masham brewery is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary next month

Founded in 1992, Black Sheep Brewery was set up by Paul Theakston in his hometown.

Mr Theakston said he was “dissatisfied” with the “blandness of the beer market” and opted to set up his own brewery.

To celebrate the birthday, the brewery will also relaunch its Pathmaker IPA.

Mr Theakston said:

“I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since that first brew of Best Bitter back in 1992. I’m incredibly proud of the journey that Black Sheep has taken and thankful to our wonderful new and loyal drinkers who have joined us along the way. 

“I’m excited to enjoy a few pints of Pathmaker this September as we celebrate our big birthday.”

Business Breakfast: Harrogate BID to host energy saving workshops for businesses

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) is to hold three workshops around saving energy.

The organisation is partnering with energy consultant Ryan Edwards to look at ways of dealing with rising electricity and gas prices.

There will be three events during the day on Monday, September 19.

The first is being held at Hustle & Co on Prince Albert Terrace at 9.30am, the second on Zoom at 11am and the third at 5.30pm at Starling Café on Oxford Street.

The sessions will last between 30 and 45 minutes.

Business who want to attend the Zoom meeting have been asked to email the BID for the link.

Matthew Chapman, Manager of Harrogate BID, said:

“We are acutely aware of the struggles our members are continually having when it comes to understanding, managing and securing new energy contracts for their businesses.”

He said Mr Edwards has expertise that will be helpful:

“He will be able to help us have a better understanding of what is happening within the energy market, and offer practical advice on securing energy contracts.

“Ryan works with more than 26 UK Suppliers, so can assure you that he can find the very best contracts on the market at this time.

“He can also bulk buy energy by buying all Members energy, at the same time driving the unit prices down significantly. It goes without saying, the more businesses we can get involved, the cheaper the unit.”

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Richard Levin of Loop Cashmere, Anne Blanden of Finance Yorkshire, Claire Heathcote of Loop Cashmere and Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire

Harrogate cashmere company secures Finance Yorkshire investment

Harrogate luxury cashmere brand Loop Cashmere has secured funding from the business loan organisation Finance Yorkshire.

The company makes its products using sustainable yarn from Inner Mongolia.

The £250,000 it has secured has gone towards opening a warehouse in Leeds and appoint a head of marketing.

Claire Heathcote opened the business with Richard Levin two years ago. She said:

“We saw a gap in the market for a sustainable cashmere brand offering contemporary styles made in the softest high-quality cashmere. Sustainability is the heart of brand from the way we source our sustainably accredited yarn, who we select as expert makers to craft our styles, our small production runs and the use of recyclable and compostable packaging.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said:

“In just two years Loop Cashmere has developed a strong brand with sustainable credentials which will appeal to fashion-conscious customers. We look forward to supporting them in the next chapter of their growth journey.”

North Yorkshire Tories call on next government to ‘get real’ over energy bills

Tory councillors on North Yorkshire County Council have told the Conservative Party leadership candidates that direct targeted help will be needed to support residents through the energy cost crisis.

Senior members of the party in the traditional Conservative stronghold of North Yorkshire say they are becoming increasingly concerned about how the most vulnerable members of the community will cope financially ahead of Ofgem confirming October’s energy price cap tomorrow.

They have pointed towards demand for North Yorkshire County Council’s Local Assistance Fund, which provides support for vulnerable people needing help with essential living costs, doubling in recent months.

Energy bills are forecast to top £5,300 annually in April next year, representing a huge increase from previous predictions.

Prime ministerial candidate frontrunner Liz Truss has promised an emergency budget if she is selected, saying she would reverse National Insurance rises and stop business tax hikes.

She has also suggested extra cash support may be available for families struggling with energy bills.

Meanwhile Rishi Sunak said he would prioritise tackling inflation and introduce more targeted support for households, pledging to reduce VAT on domestic energy bills.

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A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive this week heard its finance boss and deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, say while he remained confident the authority could rise to the challenge of tackling inflationary pressures, some residents would struggle.

Gareth Dadd

Cllr Dadd (pictured above) said:

“If I can just give one message to either one of the, well one in particular, of the prime ministerial candidates, call it hand-outs, call it what you want, there is no two ways, given the rising price cap that we are expecting in a few days’ time, direct support will be needed to those most in need.

“A pound a week saving via a tax cut will not make the cut as far as I am concerned across the most vulnerable residents in North Yorkshire.

“It’s about time we got real and recognised this and it’s direct support that’s needed as there’s an impact on our services and our costs. I think we’ve already seen evidence of that through the Local Assistance Fund.

“The plea is direct target help with those energy bills will go a long way to seeing off some of the demand rises that we’ve seen lately.”

Andrew Jones MP defends government response to energy crisis

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has defended the government’s response to the energy crisis, saying there are “no easy short-term fixes” to reduce the nation’s dependency on gas and oil.

Business leaders wrote to Mr Jones this week with warnings that many firms face closure due to soaring energy prices.

In response, Mr Jones said long-term progress had been made in the move away from fossil fuels and that the government was providing support for businesses and households during the current crisis.

He said in a letter: 

“Renewable capacity in the electricity market has increased from 2.3% in 1996 to 49.7% today, according to the UK Energy Brief 2022.

“Even though renewable energy is supplying more of the market, its cost is linked to wholesale gas prices.

“What the above shows is that there are no easy short-term fixes to reduce our dependency on gas and oil. But the long-term decisions that have been taken are beginning to bear fruit.”

Mr Jones was writing in a letter to the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, which also contacted Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams about its “grave concerns”.

Chamber chief executive David Simister urged the Conservative MPs to put pressure on the government to “act now” and help businesses before they reach “tipping point”.

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In response, Mr Smith said in a statement he was “extremely concerned” about energy costs and that he would “put pressure on ministers to do more”.

Meanwhile, Mr Jones also highlighted the support already being provided to businesses and families, including a £400 grant for all UK households from October.

Homes in council tax bands A to D should have also received £150, while eight million low income households will get £650 on top of this. There are also £300 payments promised for eight million pensioners.

For businesses, Mr Jones said a new rates relief will support investment in property upgrades from 2023 when a separate small profits rate will also mean around 1.4 million businesses continue to pay corporation tax at 19% or none at all.

Mr Jones added: 

“Business owners, those who work for them and their customers are also domestic gas and electricity users and you will know that a lot has been done in respect of shielding everybody from rising prices.

“I wanted to highlight that support for businesses and employees is already of scale.”

His comments come as the government has previously said there would be no new policies before a new Prime Minister is in place. 

The new Conservative Party leader – and Prime Minister – is set to be announced on September 5.

Liz Truss is the current favourite to replace Boris Johnson. She has promised tax cuts and recently hinted at direct financial help for hard-hit households.

Her rival, Rishi Sunak, has vowed to introduce more targeted support for households, including a reduction in VAT on domestic energy bills from 5% to zero.

Care provider expands to Harrogate district

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A care provider from Northallerton has expanded into the Harrogate district.

Blossom Home Care provides care to the elderly and other adults with home care requirements. Established in 2015 in Northallerton, Blossom has moved into the north-east, North Yorkshire and other areas of the UK.

Carrianne Walters and Darren Kacis, franchise owners of Blossom Home Care Harrogate, have over 30 years experience in social care.

Their office opened this week on Hartwith Way in Harrogate.

They can be contacted on 01423 649885 or by email at managerharrogate@blossomhomecare.co.uk.

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Harrogate town centre flats nears completion

Apartments being developed in central Harrogate are due to be ready to move into this autumn.

Lambert House is being built by Harrogate-based Tate Estates and consists of 12 two-bedroom apartments, just off Station Parade.

All the apartments have private under-croft parking and several of the properties include two-storey duplex layouts and balconies.

Shane Tate, from Tate Estates, said:

“We’re excited to release the homes for sale, and especially because we’ve already had high levels of enquiries from a wide range of potential buyers during the construction phase.”

Fears up to 3 million litres of water wasted during lengthy Ripon leak

There are fears up to three million litres of water went to waste in Ripon yesterday, after a Yorkshire Water mains pipe burst on North Street.

The pipe burst at around 5am and meant around 4,000 homes in Ripon and the surrounding area woke up to no water.

It wasn’t fully restored until 7pm later in the day, with the company setting up two emergency bottled water stations at Ripon fire station and Ripon Racecourse for residents.

Emergency bottled water stations were set up in the city.

The Bishop of Ripon was among those criticising Yorkshire Water’s response to customers, saying its lack of communication was “unacceptable”.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720

A source at the scene told the Stray Ferret that engineers working on the leak said 70 litres of water were lost every second before it was fixed.

In a 12-hour period, this would have meant over three million litres could have been lost in total.

We put this figure to Yorkshire Water. A spokesperson said the figure was “inaccurate” but was unable to say how much water had been lost.

They said as soon as the leak was located engineers managed to stem the flow.

However, according to the company’s Twitter account, the leak wasn’t identified until 12pm, seven hours after it was first reported.

This suggests between 1.5 million and 2 million litres of water could have been lost.

Engineers on the scene Pic: Paul Smith

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The burst main has come at a bad time for Yorkshire Water. The Harrogate district is now officially in drought and a hosepipe ban will come into force from August 26.

We asked Yorkshire Water what caused the leak and a spokesperson sent the following statement:

“Our pipework has been under a lot of pressure recently – with high peaks of water usage and the dry ground causing soil to contract, which causes pipes to fracture more easily. We’ve increased resource in our field teams over the last few weeks, so that we can catch more small leaks before they turn into bursts and fix the big bursts as soon as possible.

“It took a little bit longer than usual to locate the burst pipe and complete the fix yesterday, as it was underground and tricky to locate. We delivered bottled water to customers on our priority services register and updated our customers via the website, social media and text, as to where they could collect bottled water.

“We’re grateful to our customers for their patience whilst we fixed the issue – those eligible for compensation in relation to the water supply interruption will receive it automatically.”