The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 44: Aug/Sept 2019 | Page 3

CONTENTS NOTE FROM THE EDITOR INSIDE THIS EDITION This edition is all about birthdays and celebration. One of Wiltshire’s oldest firms, Knees of Trowbridge, is celebrating 140 years in business (read page 4), our printer, Swindon’s Acorn Press, is celebrating 40 years of trading (page 26), Systemagic (cover story) has been in business 20 years this summer, and Corsham’s Queens Square Wealth Management has been trading 10 years (page 7). It’s also six years since I set up The Business Exchange in 2013. 2019, so far, has been a year of uncertainty, no closure on Brexit (to date) and whilst writing this we’re still waiting to hear who is next at Number 10. The word I keep hearing is resilience. All of the businesses celebrating birthdays this edition have overcome challenges in their lifetime. Knees has endured two world wars, Acorn Press has seen a digital revolution of the printing press, Systemagic has seen the rise of Google and the internet and Queens Square Wealth Management survived the late 00s recession. What this shows is that all of us have the resilience needed in business and with courage and a strong plan we can all succeed. Read our exclusive interview with WHSmith CEO, Steve Clarke, on page 27 and see how their company is bucking the trend and growing in a challenging retail space. In this edition we feature Swindon & Wiltshire’s Top 100 companies ranked by turnover from the latest available data. Congratulations to all of those who have made the list. Some may have gone up, some may have gone down, since we last ran this feature in 2018, but having that staying power shows the passion needed to grow and succeed. The theme of the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Annual Conference in October is ‘Growth from Resilience’. Find out all about it and how you can get involved on page 10. We look forward to seeing you there. Editor: Anita Jaynes E: [email protected] T: 01793 847 966 Special Features: Motoring: Fiona Scott www.fionascottmediaconsultancy.co.uk Geoff Maxted www.drivewrite.co.uk 4 BUSINESS NEWS A round-up of the top business news 10 SWLEP UPDATE The latest news from the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership 12 APPOINTED Recent appointments made in Swindon and Wiltshire 14 FINANCE Child Benefit thresholds and what to do as your income changes 19 CREATIVE THINKING Resolution Design discusses creating an integrated marketing strategy 20 CHRISTMAS PARTIES Have you booked yours yet? A few ideas to get your party started 27 IN PROFILE Steve Clarke, CEO, WHSmith 30 TECHNOLOGY Why digital change is key to your business growth 33 REVVED UP Geoff Maxted reviews the new Audi e-tron EV 35 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY The changing face of Swindon 42 CONNECT Networking events happening in Swindon & Wiltshire ADVERTISE WITH US RAISING YOUR PROFILE WITH THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE CONNECTING YOU IN PRINT, ONLINE & IN PERSON We offer a joined up approach to marketing your business, offering campaigns in print, online and via our e-newsletters and social media following to ensure your message is heard. We are passionate about supporting local business and helping it grow. Connecting people is part of what we do and this is done through our special events and breakfasts. Being a local, independent publisher, we pride ourselves on our reputation and building campaigns for clients that deliver results. That’s why so many of our advertisers renew their activity with us. Please get in touch to find out more about our events and to receive our media packs including testimonials. The deadline for our next edition is 9th September. Design: Artwork: Print: Juicy Designs www.juicy-designs.com Studio Creative Services www.studio-cs.co.uk Acorn Press www.acornpress.co.uk ABOUT US The Business Exchange is Wiltshire’s leading independent business magazine celebrating six years in circulation. We have a 56% business owner/director level profile, reaching the key decision makers you want to connect with. SEND US YOUR STORY To send in your business news email us at the following email address: [email protected] T: 01793 847966 SALES ENQUIRIES Sian Swift Business Development Manager THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE KEY STATISTICS - PRINT Readership: 15,000 Circulation: 5,000 E: [email protected] T: 07710 566 145 Follow us on Social Media @TBESW Facebook.com/tbeswindonandwilts “The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire” THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 3