Member News

Norwich-based commercial property consultants, Roche Chartered Surveyors has retained its title as Norfolk’s most active firm for the seventh year in succession, in the commercial property sector’s leading awards.  The title is awarded by the Estates Gazette for the firm conducting the most transactions across all sectors of the commercial property market and has now been won by Roche every year since its inception in 2013.

The Norfolk award follows Roche’s success in regaining the Estates Gazette’s regional award as the East of England’s leading firm in the retail sector, again based on the number of transactions arranged during the year, for an impressive 9th time in the last 10 years.

To cap Roche’s success, one of the firm’s partners, Adrian Fennell, won the Dealmaker Award for the individual involved the most transactions throughout 2019, the third member of the Roche team to receive this accolade in recent years.

Sam Kingston, Managing Partner of Roche Chartered Surveyors, commented “The Estates Gazette Awards are widely acknowledged in commercial property as being market-leading and are a reliable reflection of activity during the past year.  We are therefore extremely proud and pleased to have retained our title as Norfolk’s most active firm and the regional retail crown.  The Awards reflect a huge amount of effort by everyone in the firm and the extent of our activities in all the main commercial sectors including retail, leisure, offices, industrial and warehousing.  Adrian Fennell’s individual Award is thoroughly deserved and a great achievement in an extremely difficult retail market. The commercial property markets face unique challenges at present but we are extremely busy advising clients and concluding deals, with activity picking up since the start of the lockdown.”

With the release of the Health and Safety Executive’s new statistics on fatalities in the workplace, the team at Safepoint spoke to Johann Tasker, chief reporter at Farmers Weekly, about the exciting work they are doing to improve farm safety with technology

Read more here.”

The last few months have been something that none of us could have predicted.

It has affected us all in many different ways and we, like you, have had to adjust our operations accordingly. We have learnt a lot in doing this.

Whilst our office doors may have been closed, we have still been in full operation throughout, placing candidates into businesses everyday. We have also worked with clients and candidates  to provide them with the advice and support specific to their personal circumstances. By processing hundreds of people through the Governments Job Retention Scheme and making furlough payments as required, our teams have done the right thing and protected businesses for the future.

A new normal is now upon us and we want to help more. How has your business been affected? What do you need assistance with?

We are therefore asking you to complete a short survey “What Next for 2020?”.

Click here to complete our survey

Thank you in advance for participating. We are open for business – find out more here.

From everyone at Select we wish you, your families and your businesses good health.

Following lockdown, local cancer charity, Big C, has announced the partial reopening of their retail operation and donation days at their other stores.

The Big C shop on Magdalen Street in Norwich and the Furniture and Craft Emporium on the outskirts of Wymondham will be open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday. Payment will be by card/contactless only.

New Covid-19 shop safe measures include new directional signage, hand sanitiser stations, preferred contactless payment, face masks and disposable gloves.

Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C, said, “Having been closed for nearly four months, it is a great feeling to welcome back staff and customers to two of our larger shops and we’ve had a steady stream of customers in the last few days. We must of course tread cautiously and we have worked hard to ensure government and NHS advice is strictly adhered to. The safety of all is paramount. We thank our staff who have been busy preparing for the shops to reopen.”

Every Wednesday all 14 Big C shops across Norfolk and Waveney will be open for public donations only between 10am and 1pm. These shops are as follows: Attleborough, Beccles, Cromer, Dereham, Diss, Fakenham, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn, Norwich Timber Hill, Sheringham, Swaffham and Wymondham Town Centre. Donations can also be accepted at the Wymondham Furniture and Craft Emporium during trading hours. It is also possible to arrange collection of some larger items. All donations will go into quarantine for 72 hours from receipt.

Dr Bushby continues, “We know that many people have used their time at home decluttering and spring cleaning and we would be delighted to receive quality donations to help support those in our community affected by cancer.”

Anyone with questions about donation collection can contact the Big C Distribution Centre on 01953 603320 (Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm).

To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

Norwich law firm Hatch Brenner Solicitors has appointed Legal Executive Abbey Englefield-Stangroom as a Conveyancing Executive in their busy team of Residential Property Solicitors in Norwich.

Ms Englefield-Stangroom specialises in all types of property transactions both locally and nationally. She has experience in dealing with both freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, new build purchases, auction sales and purchases, matrimonial transfers, transfers of equity, equity releases, re-mortgages, first registration applications and adverse possession applications.

Colin Cook, Hatch Brenner Partner commented: “We are all really pleased to welcome Abbey to our busy Residential Property team. Her experience means she is able to hit the ground running and help both our existing and new clients through the moving process. She is personable, positive and friendly and willing to go the extra mile for her clients.”

Abbey Englefield-Stangroom, Conveyancing Executive added: “It is great to be joining Hatch Brenner within the Property team – despite the current social distancing guidelines, I have received a very warm welcome from my new colleagues and existing clients alike. Moving home can be a very stressful time and I strive to make the conveyancing process as simple and stress free as possible via clear communication and always keeping clients and other parties up-to-date and informed throughout a transaction.”

Ms Englefield-Stangroom completed her law degree at the University of Leicester, her LPC at BPP Law School and has previously trained and worked for other Norfolk law firms. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking, walking and interior design, decorating and upcycling.

The third event in our CultureShock series co-hosted at the Enterprise Centre by Fountain Partnership, University of East Anglia and Norfolk Chambers of Commerce was planned for May, but of course had to be postponed for now.    However, we wanted to keep the conversation around company and workplace culture going – especially at a time of so much change and challenge.  

  So, here’s introducing the CultureShock video series, in which Rebecca Lewis Smith (Fountain Partnership) discusses different aspects of culture with business leaders, experts and academics. 

So far Rebecca has had two engaging conversations which can both be found on the CultureShock YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4oeQN2msfwq1hCIGV_hIRg/videos.   

First, Rebecca sat down (remotely) with Gavin Drake, founder and director of Mindspan, to have a chat about culture and leadership during times of crisis. Gavin was kind enough to share his insights into motivation, leadership and so many other aspects of maintaining company culture in the context of the pandemic.  

Rebecca also spoke with Dr Helen Fitzhugh, researcher at UEA’s Norwich Business School, Knowledge Exchange Fellow and a member of the PrOPEL Hub, who shared insight into some of her research. Helen has been part of a team reviewing all the literature on isolated working, compiling incredibly useful information for us to learn from as we adapt our businesses in light of the pandemic. 

Make sure you follow the CultureShock YouTube channel, UEAforBusiness (Twitter and LinkedIn) and Rebecca Lewis Smith (LinkedIn) to keep up to date with the latest videos in this series.  

In his much-anticipated summer economic statement, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a draft of measures aimed at boosting the UK economy: including a temporary holiday on stamp duty on the first £500,000 of all property sales in England and Northern Ireland, with immediate effect.

In a move firmly aimed at boosting the property market, the tax threshold has been temporarily raised until 31 March 2021. Stamp duty was previously paid on land or property sold for £125,000 or more.

Hatch Brenner Conveyancing Executive Rachael Hughes commented: “Myself and the Hatch Brenner Residential Property team very much welcome the introduction of the stamp duty holiday. It will give people looking to buy a home confidence, and make it more affordable for people to move house during the current coronavirus pandemic. It is a positive action by the Government to keep the housing market moving. We have seen a steady flow of enquiries from those planning on buying or selling a property – even through lockdown. In particular, since the easing of lockdown, and the relaxation of social distancing to 1m, we have been really busy with lots of new properties entering the housing market as people review their circumstances.”

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the tax paid in England upon completion by those buying properties and is dependant on the price of the property in question.

From 8 July 2020, anyone completing on a main residence costing up to £500,000 will not have to pay any stamp duty, and any properties costing above £500,000 will only be taxed on their value above that amount. Between £425,000 to £925,000 above £500,000, the stamp duty would be taxed at 5%, and the £575,000 after that (£925,001 to £1.5 million) would be taxed at 10%. Anything remaining over £1.5 million would be taxed at 12%.

According to the BBC News, the stamp duty holiday will cut £4,500 off the average stamp duty bill and save some up to £15,000: Stamp duty holiday: How will it work?

First time buyers

The new stamp duty holiday replaces the previous first time buyer stamp duty discount whereby they previously did not pay stamp duty up to a property value of £300,000.

Landlords and second home buyers

Under the terms of the stamp duty holiday, landlords and second home buyers are eligible for the tax cut, but will still have to pay the additional 3% stamp duty they were previously charged.

Government stamp duty rate calculator

The rates have been adjusted in the Government SDLT calculator which is an easy tool to work out the SDLT payable for most residential property transactions.

Our team of Residential Property Solicitors has extensive experience in advising those looking to move house. Call 01603 660 811, or email info@hatchbrenner.co.uk and we would be happy to help.

Read more: The housing market re-opens: Covid-secure guidance to get the residential property sector moving

New advertising campaigns highlight the benefits of being a client of a proactive and innovative network of accountants. 

On the back of successfully delivering services, support and guidance to its 77,000 clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, TaxAssist Accountants is launching new campaigns to attract new business start-ups and those wishing to switch over to a more proactive and supportive accountant.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director at TaxAssist Accountants, explains, “We’ve had some fantastic feedback from the network’s clients on the speed and comprehensiveness of communications we’ve been providing. The support delivered by the accountants during the lockdown, has made a huge difference to them personally and professionally, as well as ensuring their business’ ability to survive.

“We are now targeting those looking to start a business and business owners who feel unsupported by their current accountant through this challenging time. We believe they will benefit enormously from the quality and breadth of services that TaxAssist Accountants offers, including the very latest software and apps.

“We have also been running a series of webinars to raise our profile with business start-ups, the first of which, ‘Starting a Business‘, was held on 1st July. We have also created a new dedicated client hub on our website full of useful content to support clients to manage their business’ finances and to work closely with their accountant in the post COVID-19 environment.”

TaxAssist Accountants across the UK have been incredibly busy over the last few months helping clients with grants, funding applications and furloughing claims. All have continued to fully operate, reporting new business enquiries and client referrals throughout lockdown. Clients can make an appointment either via telephone consultation, video consultation or as they gradually begin to re-open, by visiting a shop or office.

TaxAssist Accountants has ambitious growth plans and also wants to talk to retiring accountants, or those seeking to sell their practices at this time. They can be introduced to a TaxAssist Accountant who is interested in buying a block of fees and will incur no broker fees by selling directly to the franchisee local to them. Further information on this scheme can be found here.

A lot of exciting work is already underway in Great Yarmouth…Now the Government has invited Great Yarmouth as one of just 101 places to apply for a Town Deal of up to £25m to drive economic regeneration, recovery and growth through:

• Urban regeneration, planning and land use
• Skills and enterprise infrastructure
• Connectivity

The Government would like local people to help decide how the money could be spent. A Town Deal Board, of local leaders from the private, public and third sectors, has been set up and is crafting a Town Investment Plan to support the bid. The Board is asking local people to submit ideas to help build this Investment Plan for how that money could be spent. How would you invest?

Please share your ideas here

Lots already happening

We’ve already seen the lovely Venetian Waterways restored, the exciting new £26m Marina Centre is taking shape, while the Winter Gardens restoration is one of just 12 projects nationally invited to apply for major National Lottery funding to bring it back into use.

Soon we’ll have a welcoming new Market Place. That’s part of a £50m vision for town centre regeneration, which includes relocating the library to a larger building in a more central location, converting space in empty or under-utilised historic buildings into new homes, building new quality housing and establishing a heritage centre.

In addition, a new £120m Third River Crossing will support the ambitions for the town centre as well as improve connections between the Port and top-performing Enterprise Zone, helping to support investment opportunities across the energy sector, including the burgeoning area of offshore wind. 

Please click onto the document to read this week’s market summary.

Norfolk Chamber Strategic Partner LV Shipping was invited by the EIC (Energy Industries Council) to take part in an exclusive Round Table webinar discussion with Graham Stuart MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports for the Department for International Trade). The event took place on the morning of 8th July and comprised representation from a pre-selected 12 EIC member businesses in a discussion with UK government to assist the Minister and other high level Department of International Trade representatives in understanding the energy industry better and, in particular, the challenges and opportunities that British suppliers to local and global energy sectors are facing. The event enabled the chosen EIC members to put forward their views on the industry’s most pressing needs,  highlight the work they are doing to survive and thrive in the current tough market, and find out about government thinking and directly influence its strategies on diverse topics including COVID-19 recovery, international trade, Brexit, energy transition and energy policy. The full diversity of the UK energy industry was represented covering different sectors (oil & gas, nuclear, renewable), types (EPCs, OEMs, SMEs) and strategies (exporters, technology developers, cost leaders etc) . LV Shipping, with global offices in energy hubs such as Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth, Houston, Rio, Baku and Singapore, was represented by their UK Sales Director, Kevin Walsh, who spoke up for the Logistics sector in what proved to be an enlightening event with the opportunity to promote the LV name amongst some major players in the energy industry and government.”

Captain Fawcett Ltd is simply delighted to be recognised as an East of England Export Champion by the Department for International Trade (DIT). It is particularly welcome in this, Captain Fawcett’s 10th Anniversary year. Celebrations to mark the occasion have, of course, been somewhat delayed due to unfolding global events yet plans for developing product ranges and reaching out to new territories have continued, albeit with meetings taking place online rather than the company’s preferred face-to-face approach. Combining a unique brand of Edwardian derring do with a humorously idiosyncratic take on what it means to be a gentleman in the 21st century, Captain Fawcett Ltd is a manufacturer, distributor and exporter of high quality gentlemen’s grooming products (First Class Gentlemen’s Grooming Requisites). Based at his Gentlemen’s Emporium in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK, all Captain Fawcett oils are produced in-house and the legendary wax is still made by the company’s founder himself. Captain Fawcett Ltd is proud of being a niche brand, uncompromising on quality. All packaging is made in the UK, as are all Fawcett products. Attention to detail is paramount. It is a great honour to be included amongst those fine companies acknowledged for an inspirational attitude to growing a business through exporting products and thus championing this outward bound approach in the East of England. As an Export Champion, rest assured Captain Fawcett Ltd will be playing our part in peer to peer conversations, encouraging fellow companies in the East of England region to start exporting, to offer practical advice on how to turn exporting ambitions into reality and to share our experiences of how the DIT helped Captain Fawcett Ltd to forge ahead into new markets. Beginning as an entrepreneurial start-up, Captain Fawcett Ltd is now an established SME, exporting to 42 countries world-wide, including key and emerging markets such as the US and India. With the ever increasing demand for high quality British products, there is undoubtedly fantastic opportunity for British businesses to build stronger trading relationships and win greater access to some of the largest and fastest growing markets in the world. All hugely exciting for a business begun at a kitchen table in Terrington St Clement! Captain Fawcett founder, Richie Finney, says “For any business interested in exporting, I’d say don’t hesitate to get in touch with the DIT. They have a superb network of International trade advisers local to territories worldwide, ready to help with tailored advice, guidance and running workshops on a vast range of topics, plus relevant funding support. It will be a great honour to inspire other UK businesses who haven’t yet begun to sell overseas to dive in and start swimming!”

DIT assistance Companies looking for support from DIT should call 01707 398 398 or email eastinfo@mobile.trade.gov.uk. They can also visit great.gov.uk, which has information on live export opportunities and includes general information on exporting and events.