Listers King’s Lynn are currently working out of temporary accommodation as the previous BMW showroom has been knocked down and is in the process of being rebuilt. The new showroom and the expanded and renovated MINI showroom are well underway and should be open for business by the end of February.
The process started this spring with phase 1 of the build, the rear of the site has been surfaced, specialised outdoor valet bays constructed and dedicated MOT bays moved to external buildings. In July, phase 2 began, with all staff being moved into temporary accommodation and the BMW showroom was completely demolished. At the time of going to press, the framework for the new BMW showroom is in place and the MINI showroom has been extended in size.
Key features of the new build: – 12-car BMW showroom (previously 6) – 7-car MINI showroom (previously 4) – 2 bespoke handover areas – State-of-the-art workshop – Greater used car pitch – Larger customer lounges
Nigel George, Head of Business at Listers King’s Lynn, is very much looking forward to the new premises:”At the moment it’s business, just not quite as usual. Whilst the temporary accommodation is excellent, we’re certainly looking forward to moving into the new premises. All the staff have been a credit to the business due to their perseverance and flexibility throughout the process, their performance has remained at a constant level and customer service has actually improved! Excitement is definitely growing, as there is daily progress with the new showroom.’
Over 90,000 rail tickets are on sale now for just £5 one way as train operator, Abellio Greater Anglia, reduces the price of its cheapest standard advance fare in a New Year promotion.
The bargain price tickets are now available for off peak travel between 5 January and 27 February 2015, and are ideal for shoppers wishing to hit the January sales in London or at Stratford’s Westfield shopping mall or those looking for a Valentine or half term getaway.
The £5 one way fares will be available from all stations on the Norwich – London mainline route and its connecting branch lines such as Bury St Edmunds, Clacton On Sea, Cromer, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Sheringham and Walton on the Naze.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Customer Service Director, Andrew Goodrum, said, “We’re delighted to offer these cut price tickets which will help over 100,000 passengers to banish the post-Christmas blues with a bargain day out for shopping, leisure or family fun.”
The £5 tickets can also be combined with Abellio Greater Anglia’s range of 2 for 1 offers on attractions and restaurant deals to make the pennies stretch even further.
To take advantage of the discounted fares passengers must book in advance via the train operator’s web site at www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk between 14 December 2014 and 4 January 2015. Terms and conditions apply.
To mark the beginning of the construction of the new manufacturing facilities for Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS) a ground breaking ceremony was held on the 10th December at the new site: Beacon Park Business Park, Great Yarmouth.
The Directors of SMS, Dave Howlett and Liz Culyer, Managing Director of Wellington Construction, Paul Pitcher, and the Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Trevor Wainwright, gathered on the construction site to officially begin the build with a spade ceremony. In addition Jon Harper of Allman Woodcock, Cllr Bernard Williamson, the cabinet member for transformation and regeneration, Robin Neve, Beacon Park Project Delivery Manager, Bruce Hart and Graeme Reeve of PRP Architecture, James Denny of Wellington Construction and Daniel Bycroft of Bycroft Estate Agents also attended, showing their support towards the investment SMS will be making in the borough.
This move is fundamental to the future of SMS as it starts to outgrow its current facilities. The layout of the building has been precisely designed to SMS’s specifications and will have easy access for HGVs. The additional land bought will enable SMS’s manufacturing capabilities to increase as the business continues to expand its client base and product portfolio.
At the inauguration ceremony it was revealed that the new building will be called Starling House. It is named after the North Sea oil field for which SMS manufactured and installed its first ever hydraulic power unit (HPU) in 2006 for Aker Solutions (formally Aker Kvaerner Subsea). The HPU award was a milestone achievement for early SMS and marked the beginning of the manufacturing success the company enjoys today.
Dave Howlett, Managing Director of SMS Ltd comments, “The relocation to larger facilities is vitally important to SMS in achieving their objectives as well as servicing the requirements for both existing and future clients. The ground breaking ceremony was an exciting occasion and signifies the start of a new and exciting year ahead.”
Cllr Trevor Wainwright, the leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “Many businesses in the energy sector supply chain are continuing to invest in the borough, indicating huge confidence in the local economy, the skills of the workforce, the port and business park facilities, and the Enterprise Zone status.”
“Next year, the borough will celebrate 50 years of supporting offshore operations in the southern North Sea – and this investment by SMS Ltd proves that the sector has a bright future.”
The construction is expected to be completed by November 2015.
These days, it isn’t enough to have a website for your business – your digital footprint needs to extend to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and it’s time to start using them to their full potential.
Social media is a great way to connect with other businesses and engage with your customers. With over 240 million active monthly users on Twitter, 1.2 billion monthly active Facebook members and over 300 million users on LinkedIn – there’s no shortage of opportunities to connect. But why is it that many businesses are successfully tapping into social media effectively, while others are still struggling?
We think it’s because businesses have to learn to not only create content that stands out but also listen to the social chatter and respond in a way that aligns their brand and customer expectations.
One example of a great Twitter campaign is East Coast Trains’ ‘I Love Trains’ week. This campaign cleverly established a connection with their audience, encouraging them to fall in love with train travel again by using the hashtag #ilovetrains and creating a narrative with their audience. The result? Thousands of tweets, lots of shared content, increased online traffic and high customer satisfaction levels.
Industry professionals suggest that brands on social media that blog generate 67% more leads per month on average than non-blogging firms and they predict consumers will become even more willing to interact with brands through social media channels in 2015. So, should 2015 be the year your business takes the plunge and invests time into social media?
If you would like to give your social media a kick-start in 2015, why not join us for our next Twitter workshop, packed full of useful tips for creating engaging content to increase your profile and audience.
For more information and to book your place, please visitEventbrite.
Staff and students at Springwood High School are getting involved in Erasmu+ a European initiative for education, training, youth and sport. Visiting teachers from France, Germany and Iceland were at Springwood for a preparatory meeting last week preparing for an international cross-curriculum project. The aim is for students and staff to visit each country during the academic years 2015-17, taking part in a week’s organised activity in each venue. There will be a common theme “Healthy Living” with each country organising projects relating to a particular aspect and tradition of their country.
Kevin Baker, a driver on one of the Norwich Park and Ride buses operated by Norse Commercial Services, recently received praise for coming to the aid of a female passenger who had collapsed.
Laura Campbell, who was twelve weeks pregnant at the time, got onto the 17:00 bus to return to the Park and Ride site at Norwich Airport.
As Kevin’s bus drew into the site Laura collapsed; she had become overheated and her blood pressure had dropped to a dangerously low level.
“The bus driver was ever so helpful and lifted me up from the floor and sat me down on the nearest seat until I had recovered,” Laura said, “and he even offered to ring my husband on my behalf.”
“Unfortunately I never got this bus driver’s name at the time and I would really like to pass on my thanks and gratitude for acting so swiftly and professionally. He gave excellent service and helped me when I needed it, and I can advise that my 12 week scan the next day revealed that the baby is fine and has a good strong heartbeat,” she added.
Paul Bonham, Commercial Director at Norse, said; “Kevin’s quick and caring reaction is typical of our drivers’ customer service attitude. It is not the first time that he has received praise from passengers for his helpful, ‘can-do’ approach and we are extremely proud to have him as a member of our team.”
“We are also very pleased that Laura and her baby are doing well and hope she continues to have a happy and healthy pregnancy.”
With its in-built technology we are able to programme the machines to fit your own design, such as various colour display panels, company logo on design panel and renamed drinks, great for marketing.
Machines are purposily built for small, medium or large users.
The Department of Art History and World Art Studies at UEA is offering four Internships in partnership with the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (SCVA) as part of the MA Museum Studies degree.
This course combines the cutting-edge research and curatorial experience of academic staff in the School with the professional resources and experience of the SCVA. It brings together in-depth historical and theoretical approaches to museums with practice-based modules addressing the public role of the museum, collections management and interpretation, with an emphasis on topical issues and responsive engagement.
The Internships provide students with £10,000 towards fees and expenses and those who are successful will undertake a programme of workplace-based training as part of a team at the SCVA, alongside their MA studies.
Other awards are also available to those studying within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, including AHRC and MA-specific Scholarships, with deadlines falling between 1 March and 31 March 2015. Those who are interested can find details regarding eligibility and the application process on the University’s website.
…to make a promorional video for their website and social media, teling their story and showing how they manufacture such excellent furniture and kitchens for their customers.
This a good example of promotional story telling with video as it was shot on location, and in our studio and uses a client testimonial, a very potent way to promote your business, services and products today.
Another satisfied customer! Tenacity Interiors were very happy with the result and the video not only features prominently on their website but is used as part of their ongoing marketing campaign.
If you’d like to tell your story on video call Michael for a chat on 07977 493774
The festive season is a great time to thank your employees for their year-round dedication. Other than relying on the usual staff party, think about what other, more creative things you can do to let people know that you appreciate them…
If you’re on top of your employee engagement anyway, this should come quite naturally. But if you’re thinking of ramping up activities in this area, Christmas is perfect for trying out new initiatives.
We’ve gathered together a festive hamper of ideas for you, which go way beyond the tinsel and turkey lunch. And you can always add your own special Christmas magic to these techniques, making them unique to your workplace and your people.
So, read on to find out how you can show your gratitude in the most wonderful ways…
1. Hire a special surprise Since there’s all this festive joy in the air at the moment, why not make a few changes to the workplace to make the days leading up to Christmas Day more fun. How about renting a popcorn machine, hiring a professional coffee barista or running Christmas decoration making classes with a local artist? Or do something unconventional for this time of year – hire an ice cream van and let people indulge in gelato!
2. Put up a stunning Christmas tree Splash out on a lush Christmas tree this year. And why not give it a theme? Make it a ‘Downton Abbey tree’ and use glamourous antique-style décor. Or invite employees’ children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to come in and decorate it, and even meet Santa (we’ll let you decide whether that’ll be Dave in accounts or Tom in HR).
3. Write notes by hand Receiving a handwritten letter is always much more personal. Ask senior staff to write Christmas thank yous on notelets or small cards. This gesture will help put a caring feel to what’s seen as a corporate task.
4. Do a job swap This is a brilliant way for senior employees to show that they’re interested in what staff do. Could the CEO exchange places with a receptionist on a busy switchboard for a couple of hours? And how would the Finance Director handle an urgent press enquiry in PR? Let the head of IT have a bash at writing a job description with the recruitment team.
5. Give away a day’s leave in January January can be a bit blue as we recover from festivities and tighten those purse strings! So, staff will jump at the chance of having an extra day’s leave in the New Year. That one more day is very handy, especially if someone wants to hit the January sales or has children to get back to school.
6. Give staff the VIP treatment Make your staff feel as important as Wills and Kate this year! Give your annual Christmas lunch more prestige by having a local high profile chef design the menu and even cook the food. Or add a sprinkle of bygone style hold a vintage tea party in the office. Ask senior staff to dress in vintage aprons to serve food and drink; it’s a small but fun gesture of thanks.
7. Make a festive thank you video Hire a video production crew to put together a two-minute thank you film. If you’ve had events and activities filmed throughout the year, maybe they can create a montage with an amusing voiceover? Or film entertaining thank you messages from heads of departments, directors and the big boss? Or if you know someone with celebrity contacts, how about a one-off video message from that VIP? The more off-beat and unexpected your video is, the better!
8. Be inclusive Last, but certainly not least, remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas, or they might find it a difficult time of year. So bear this mind when you’re planning how you say your big thank you. A little bit of sensitivity goes a long way.
We’re sure you can create more Christmas cracking ways to show your appreciation. Break away from your usual habits as an organisation, and dare to do something different. Most importantly, have fun with the process.
Norwich Sunblinds presented a cheque to BREAK charity for £940.00 Each month we have selected a charity and for every blind, curtain and roman fold sold we donated a £1.00 to the charity, they were the charity for November 2014.
Joanna Storey from Break fundraising and her colleague Liz came to the shop in St Benedicts Street Norwich to receive the cheque on Break’s behalf. We were very pleased to be able to support a worthwhile cause.
Break have children homes in both Norwich and Cambridge, they ensure that children, young people and families reach their full potential and shape their own futures in a safe and creative environment.