The voice of business in the Tees region | 119
/ HARTLEPOOL NEWS
Tees Valley companies listed among the North-East’s
largest – based on turnover – at the annual unveiling
of The Journal Top 200 included Lucite International
(£392,900,000), Home Group, Venator, Lotte
Chemical UK, Cleveland Cable Company, SABIC UK
Petrochemicals, INEOS Nitriles, the Gibson O’Neill
Company, px Group, Sembcorp Utilities and Thirteen.
#TalkingUpTeesside #TalkingUpTeesValley
TURNOVER AND PROFIT
INCREASES FOR J&B
FLEET FIRM MOVES TO
MEET GROWING DEMAND
E
xpanding fleet management company
Q Fleet has moved into one of
Teesside’s flagship business centres to
provide additional workspace for its growing
team.
Mark Batey, who set up the business in
2013 having built up more than 20 years of
experience in the sector, has moved into the
Innovation Centre managed by UKSE, the
Tata Steel subsidiary, in Hartlepool.
“We were bursting at the seams in our
Billingham offices,” he said. “We needed
more space for the current seven-strong
team and so that we can take on more staff
early next year.
“The location is ideal as our client list is
increasing across the UK as well as in the
region.”
Q Fleet operates as an independent
agency not linked to any vehicle
manufacturer or service.
The fleet management services provided
include sourcing vehicles, buying and selling,
finance and ongoing management as well
as a more retail-focused arm in the form of a
car lease shop.
“We work with clients needing anything
from a single vehicle to hundreds,” said
Mark, who acquired an accountancy
qualification to add to his company’s
expertise as the financial side of fleet
management became increasingly complex.
This year has seen a particularly significant
growth in business for the company after
they decided to offer free fleet audits,
leading to more businesses choosing to
work with Q Fleet.
Details of UKSE’s support for
businesses is available on 01642 777 888
and at ukse.co.uk.
UK’s newest skills academy opens its doors
A pioneering civil
engineering skills academy
said to be unlike anything
else in the North-East has
been officially opened in
Hartlepool.
The new skills academy
from Seymour Civil
Engineering and principal
partners Hartlepool College
of Further Education and
Hartlepool Borough Council
will provide certified
qualifications to future and
current civil engineers both
locally and nationally, to help close the ever-
growing skills gap in the industry.
The new academy from Seymour Civil
Engineering will incorporate a training and
skills curriculum including house building,
surveying, planning, street works, plant
and machinery training, horticulture,
landscaping, tree surgery and general
construction operative apprenticeships.
The site is nestled in 11 acres of land off
Brenda Road.
Hartlepool-headquartered J&B Recycling
– crowned Company of the Year in the
inaugural Tees Businesswomen Awards
– has posted healthy profits thanks to
a successful long-term investment and
development programme.
The company has now completed
its four-year investment programme,
which began in 2014, thanks to a £7.5m
investment from the Business Growth
Fund.
In 2018/19 J&B collected 165,000
tonnes of waste, a significant increase
over the previous year. It also increased
the operational capacity of its Windermere
Road site by 175 per cent, equalling
120,000 tonnes per year, and increased its
operational capacity of dry mixed materials
by 250 per cent to 25,000 tonnes per year.
J&B currently employs 198 people and
operates four recycling sites covering 20
acres located across the North-East.
CAMERONS ACQUIRE
BAR SOBA GROUP
Camerons
Brewery has
announced
the
acquisition
of the Bar
Soba group, which has three venues in
Glasgow and one each in Edinburgh and
Leeds.
Chris Soley, chief executive of the
Hartlepool firm, said: “This is a deal we
have been working on for some time
and we are delighted that this has now
gone through. We have been extremely
impressed by the Bar Soba brand and
identified the potential for this group to
develop.”
The firm acknowledged the continued
support of HSBC and thanked
Weightmans for legal advice and Grant
Thornton and UNW for providing financial
due diligence on the transaction.
The deal sees the brewer grow its retail
managed pub estate to 34 sites.