J Tomlinson completes £6 million training hub for Volvo Car UK

Volvo training hub built by J Tomlinson

The construction team at J Tomlinson Ltd has completed a brand new, state-of-the-art training hub for premium car brand Volvo Car UK.

The £6m project also included the creation of 154 extra parking spaces for the multinational vehicle manufacturing company, at its site in Daventry, Northamptonshire.

The original centre, which had been delivering training to Volvo employees since 1980, had comprised two medium-sized facilities. However, after 36 years – a period which has seen Volvo’s own brand evolution, as well as technological advancements and the continuous development of training techniques and methods - the company no longer considered its original facility to be in line with its considerable growth and objectives.

Following a collaborative working relationship with Volvo, J Tomlinson has now handed over the new Training and Development Centre, equipped with modernised facilities including remote video and web-based technologies, stylish training rooms and an electric car charging area.

J Tomlinson worked closely with the brand to ensure all finishes were implemented in line with the Volvo Retail Experience (VRE) – Volvo’s corporate identity that focuses on creating inspiring spaces that are ‘cool on the outside, warm on the inside’. Some elements of the VRE within the new building include large exterior and interior glazing (promoting the brand’s transparent and open nature), a cosy cake and refreshments area, and a vibrant lounge complete with Scandinavian-designed furniture, which seeks to aid relaxation for all staff and visitors.

Martin Gallagher, managing director (construction) for J Tomlinson, said: “We are very pleased to have handed over Volvo’s new Training and Development Centre - a project we thoroughly enjoyed working on.

“It has been a pleasure and an honour to work alongside a business with such passion, ambition and a shared drive to provide the best experience for its staff and customers.”

Jon Wakefield, Managing Director, Volvo Car UK, said: “I’m very proud of our new training facility, which represents a significant commitment to both our operations in Daventry and our retailer network throughout the country.

“The site is a fitting accompaniment to Volvo’s transformation into a true premium car brand that is a technological leader, as well as the big improvements we are introducing to the customer

experience.”

Volvo Car UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation. Headquartered in Maidenhead, it sells, services and maintains Volvo cars through a dedicated network of franchised dealers. Volvo has been present in the UK since 1956. 

Nottingham-based J Tomlinson, which operates primarily across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, provides a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management. 

For more information, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Focus completes project management role at Grade I listed hall

Kelmarsh Hall

A previously inaccessible area of a Grade I listed hall is being opened to the public following a conservation project which has been managed by Focus Consultants.

The scheme at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens in Northamptonshire - entitled ‘Tunnelling through the Past’ - has conserved the former stable yard, laundries and the servants’ areas in the basement of the house.

Thanks to a £1.3 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and funding from Daventry District Council grant scheme, along with the charity’s own fundraising efforts, the history of the lives of the servants at the hall will now be showcased to visitors.

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants, which specialises in delivering high quality heritage projects across the UK, has been involved with the project from the end of 2015 until completion, undertaking a project management role.

Project manager at Focus Jo Hardwicke said: “The main opening of this exciting new interactive visitor experience will be on 1^st April 2018, when the hall reopens to the general public, but there will be an exclusive preview of the spaces next month as part of the National Lottery ‘Thank You’ week to lottery players, when Kelmarsh Hall holds a Christmas Fair on 17^th December.

“As a company, Focus has wide experience of conservation, restoration and other projects within the heritage sector, and we have been thrilled to have played a role in conserving and opening up these previously inaccessible areas at Kelmarsh Hall to give the public a glimpse into the history of the servants who lived behind the scenes at this wonderful hall.”

Currently just the main living spaces in the grand Grade I listed hall are open to visitors, and guided tours provide in-depth insight into the history of its famed past residents, such as designer Nancy Lancaster. But following the conservation project, undertaken by contractor Stone Edge, and after the introduction of the latest technologies, a full sensory experience of what life was like for those who formerly worked and lived at the property will be available. Tablet devices will help visitors to interpret the rooms in detail, whilst augmented reality will bring the spaces to life with period characters appearing to tell their story.

Lesley Denton, general manager for the Kelmarsh Trust said: “The conservation of the laundry and basement which are connected by a fantastically preserved tunnel has been a long road. It has been over six years from my first meeting with the HLF to the handover of the capital works by Stone Edge. The Kelmarsh Trust has been so fortunate to work with each and every one of the professionals involved, from our accountants and architects to the designers and interpretation experts. However, none of it would have been dealt with so professionally if we had not appointed Focus Consultants as our project managers. Jo and Steve have ensured we got where we are today by solving the problems, and there have been some, in a reassuring and effective manner. I cannot thank them enough.”

Focus, which has its headquarters at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and branches in London, Leicester and Boston in Lincolnshire, offers a range of services, which include securing funding packages and project management. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful companies of its kind.

Focus also offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

For more information, visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Central Foods celebrates its 21st birthday by being named in top 100

Central Foods receives award from Grant Thornton

Frozen food distributor Central Foods has been named as one of the top 100 performing businesses in Northamptonshire for the first time.

The firm, which this year is celebrating its 21^st anniversary, has been awarded a place in the Grant Thornton Northamptonshire Ltd Top 100 Companies for 2017 report.

“Central Foods has previously been named in the top 200 companies in Northamptonshire on a number of occasions, but this is the first year that we have been included in the top 100 – reflecting our continued growth and development as a business,” said managing director Gordon Lauder, who runs Central Foods with wife Alison.

“Now in its fifth year, the Grant Thornton report has become a key event in the county’s business calendar and the team at Central Foods is delighted that we have now, for the first time, progressed into the top 100.

“Our company was founded in Northamptonshire 21 years ago and began its life, as many do, in a very small-scale way from our home. We are very pleased and proud to have steadily grown the business to become the significant contributor to the local economy that it is today.

“Our committed, hard-working staff ensure they go over and above what is required to service customers’ requirements and this has undoubtedly been a factor in our growth and success, and I’d like to thank them for their support.”

Central Foods, based at Collingtree near Northampton, is one of the UK’s leading frozen food distributors, supplying more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, Central Foods sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

Grant Thornton director Mike Hughes said: “We are pleased to announce that Central Foods Limited is featured in the Northamptonshire Ltd Top 100 Companies for 2017.

“According to the Northamptonshire Ltd Report, businesses in the county are performing strongly in terms of growth compared to the rest of the UK and this is set to continue. The report, conducted by Grant Thornton, analyses the financial performance of the county’s leading privately owned companies in the county.”

Mike, along with Grant Thornton associate director David Stone, recently presented an award to Central Foods to mark the company’s achievement.

Northamptonshire Ltd is compiled using the most recent publicly available accounts (as at April 2017) of the county’s 100 largest privately owned companies based on turnover and with their principal trading address in Northamptonshire. It encompasses companies with revenues of around £12 million to more than £600 million.

The report identifies the three top sectors in the county by turnover as food, drink and leisure, automotive and motor retail, and industrial and manufacturing.

For more details about Central Foods, visit www.centralfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham-based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Gluten-free pizza bases from Central Foods stretch 250 times higher than Tower of Pisa

Gluten free pizza bases supplied by Central Foods

As demand for gluten-free products soars, frozen food distributor Central Foods has revealed that if all the 12-inch gluten-free pizza bases it sold in the last year were laid end-to-end it would measure 250 times the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Northamptonshire-based company, which supplies foodservice outlets across the UK and abroad, reports a growing demand for free-from, vegetarian and vegan items.

And with Coeliac Awareness Week 2017 approaching in May, the firm has been reviewing its most popular gluten-free items.

“Coeliac UK estimates that there are now over 1.3 million Britons or 3% of British adults following a gluten-free diet. In addition, 8.58 million, or 13%, are avoiding gluten in their diet, so it’s hardly surprising that we are seeing an increase in demand for gluten-free items from foodservice operators such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and other outlets,” said Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods.

“We are proud to have been supplying the catering industry with frozen, ready-prepared, sweet and savoury gluten-free products since 2009, and to have worked with Coeliac UK to raise awareness about the issue in the industry.

“The gluten-free range that we offer is extensive, including meat products, pizza bases and wraps, cakes, slices and tarts, macarons and desserts. Demand has been growing across the gluten-free range, but it’s noticeable that the gluten-free pizza bases are particularly popular and we’ve sold the equivalent of 250 times the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, if we were to lay them end to end.

“While many foodservice operators already include gluten-free items that are suitable for coeliacs on their menus, Coeliac Awareness Week, from 8^th to 14^th May, is the chance for them to offer additional gluten-free items – perhaps as specials or extra dishes. It’s also the chance for operators to consider joining the Gluten Freevolution – a new campaign being launched by Coeliac UK.”

Central Foods, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton, supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, it sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

For more information visit www.centralfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Frozen food distributor Central Foods shortlisted in Family Business United Awards

Central Foods Sales and Marketing Team

Frozen food distributor Central Foods has been named a finalist for the Midlands Family Business of the Year Award 2017.

The Northamptonshire-based business, run by husband and wife team Gordon and Alison Lauder for the past 21 years, is one of 12 family firms shortlisted for the accolade.

“We are thrilled to hear we’ve been nominated in the final of this award. It’s fantastic news for Central Foods and all of our loyal, hardworking team,” said managing director Gordon Lauder.

“This year we celebrate our 21^st birthday and to learn that we are a finalist of the Midlands Family Business of the Year Award 2017 is cause for a double celebration.

“I’d like to thank all our staff, as well as our customers and clients, who have supported us in the journey we have taken to become one of the UK’s best-known frozen food suppliers to the wholesale and foodservice sector. Congratulations and best of luck to all the finalists in the awards.”

The Family Business of the Year Awards are organised by Family Business United, the award-winning magazine and resource centre that champions and celebrates the family business sector. Now in their fifth year, the awards recognise the diversity, strength and depth of family firms across the UK and seek to highlight the contribution that family firms make to the UK economy.  

Open to family firms of all generations, sizes and sectors, the awards recognise some outstanding family firms and really help to put family businesses on the map.

Paul Andrews, founder and managing director of Family Business United, said: "We are delighted to be able to pull together such a vibrant bunch of family businesses, some that have succeeded for numerous generations and continue to thrive, and others that are relatively young but have great values at the heart of what they do.

“Well done to Central Foods on being named a finalist.”

Sian Steele, head of family business at PwC, sponsors of the award added: "Any one of those shortlisted would make worthy winners and ambassadors for the sector. We are looking forward to finding out more about each of them and I am sure that the decisions to determine the winner will not be easy.  Previous winners of this award include Penny Hydraulics, Cropwell Bishop and Fracino so the 2017 winners will be following in the footsteps of some incredible family firms."

The awards process concludes at a gala reception and awards ceremony that takes place in London at the prestigious May Fair Hotel in London on June 8 where the winners will be crowned.

Central Foods, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton, supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, it sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

For more information visit www.centralfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk