Harrogate firm creates 12 new jobs as profits doubleBusiness Breakfast: Boroughbridge firm Reed Boardall returns to profit

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Boroughbridge‘s largest employer has bounced back from losses to record a £5.5 million uplift in profits.

Reed Boardall, the frozen food distribution business based at Roecliffe, saw profits before taxation rise to £1.4m for the year ending March 31, 2023, despite continued pressure on costs.

The previous year, the group, whose customers include many of the UK’s leading food manufacturers and supermarkets, sustained a £4.1m loss it attributed to covid lockdowns, a cyber-attack and spiralling fuel and energy costs.

Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, said:

“Given global uncertainty as the Ukraine conflict continues, together with ongoing inflation, pressure on our costs has been unrelenting. In such a challenging environment, the group has once again put in a strong performance, based on its longevity, outstanding reputation in the sector and the skills of our highly trained team.”

He added:

“Having already weathered one of the toughest years in our 30-year history, we are pleased that our latest financial results show the strength of the business as we look forward to further growth. The year ahead looks positive as we continue to prove the success of our single site strategy which enables us to provide an efficient and reliable service to our customer.”

Occupying a 55-acre site, Reed Boardall is one of the largest businesses of its kind in the UK. It has a fleet of 200 vehicles operating 24 hours a day, year-round, and delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily to all the UK’s national supermarkets.

£2 Christmas market rail fares to boost Knaresborough traders

Rail firm Northern is to introduce a special £2 ticket to boost visitor numbers to four Christmas markets across Yorkshire, including the one in Knaresborough next month.

The special £2 tickets, which are available to children for just £1, will be available in each direction on services between Leeds and York to Knaresborough from Saturday, December 2 to Sunday, December 3 in support of Knaresborough Christmas Market weekend.

The lower fare will also be available on services between Hull and Scarborough on November 24-26 in support of Scarborough Sparkle, services between Selby and Beverley on December 6-8 in support of the Beverley Festival of Christmas Made in East Yorkshire Markets, and on services between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley on Sunday, December 17 in support of the Real Food Ilkley Christmas Market.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said:

“We know some of the big cities across our network can get pretty crowded this time of year, so we wanted to do something to encourage people to try an alternative location instead.

“Christmas markets make a huge contribution to the winter economy of local towns and we hope these special £2 tickets encourage more people to ‘go do their thing’ in Scarborough, Knaresborough, Beverley and Ilkley.”

The £2 tickets are only available on Northern services and must be bought three days in advance of travel from the Northern website or app. Tickets can also be bought via telephone on 0344 811 5111.

Knaresborough Business Collective is also organising late night shopping in Knaresborough on December 2 in a further boost to traders.

Read more:

 

Business breakfast: Experienced lawyer joins Harrogate firm’s life team

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Experienced lawyer joins Harrogate firm’s life team

A new senior lawyer has joined Harrogate law firm Berwins.

Liam O’Neill has been appointed as head of life at the practice, having previously been a partner in another firm of solicitors.

He brings 25 years of experience to the role and is a full member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists as well as STEP, the global body for practitioners helping families to plan for their futures.

Mr O’Neill said:

“I’m proud to have joined such as well-respected team in what is a very progressive firm. Expansion across the region and recent investments made in the business means that Berwins is well placed to thrive in the coming years and I’m excited to be part of that.”

Berwins managing director Paul Berwin added:

“The appointment of such an outstanding legal professional is a significant development for us. Technically excellent, Liam’s deep expertise – particularly in matters relating to will disputes – adds a great deal to an already outstanding department.”

Read more:

Profits soar at Harrogate equipment rental company

An equipment rental specialist based in Harrogate has posted strong growth in its sales and profits.

Vp, which has its headquarters at Central House on Beckwith Knowle, recorded increased revenues of £350.9m compared to £308m in 2021.

Its pre-tax profits also rose by 67% to £38.9m from £23.3m.

A formal sale of the company was launched earlier this year, but Vp describes operations as “business as usual” until it has an update for its shareholders.

Neil Stothard, chief executive of Vp plc, said:

“The quality of the recovery in our trading performance is extremely pleasing and these results demonstrate a significant increase in profitability and a material recovery in the quality of those profits. These strong results have been largely supported by the core markets which we serve.

“Over the last financial year, I am particularly pleased with our ESG [environmental, social and governance] initiatives where we have continued to invest in apprenticeships and our employees as well as our commitment to the environment.

“Throughout the year we continued to invest in our ambition to be net carbon zero by 2050 with all our businesses continuing to introduce new greener equipment solutions to their customers.”