Coronavirus business update: Latest news across the North West

Skelmersdale-based Raised Floor Solutions has secured a substantial six-figure loan through the Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) from Lloyds Banking Group.

The specialist composite flooring contractor, which is employee-owned, is Kingspan’s largest UK steel decking approved supplier with a significant share of the UK composite floor decking market and a £17m annual turnover

The funding package provides significant liquidity to return to normal capacity as soon as it is safe to do so.

Sixty per cent of its workforce were furloughed initially following the closure of the majority of construction sites across the country and the temporary closure of Kingspan’s steel decking manufacturing operations.

However, close liaison with clients and suppliers enabled Raised Floor Solutions to continue to successfully deliver numerous projects at sites that remained open and safe during March and April.

Last month the business also succeeded in securing new steel decking, concrete floor slab and access flooring contracts with a total value of £3m, its second highest monthly order intake since the company was established in 2003, which also secures 2020 turnover targets and provides a substantial forward order book.

Contracts secured include 6,000m2 of steel decking for UK Vaccines in Oxford, 37,000m2 of steel decking and composite concrete flooring for Dock 5 in Salford, a total of 12,000m2 of steel decking for two Ocado distribution warehouses in Andover and Purfleet, and 4000m2 of high specification access flooring for two new schemes, The Shed in Cornwall and Laser House in London.

Managing director Graham Hewitt believes the loan from Lloyds Banking Group will not only provide ongoing working capital, but a vital safety net should main contractor clients become casualties of COVID-19.

He said: “In these uncertain times, despite our credit insurance policies, it only takes a couple of bad debts to put a cash flow under pressure.

“It is heartening to work with the team at Lloyds as we, along with the whole construction industry, face unprecedented challenges from the coronavirus pandemic. Securing CBILS funding from the bank was essential to provide a secure cashflow during this extraordinary period.

“As an employee-owned business, protecting our staff, key supply chain and subcontractors is of utmost importance.

“These funds from Lloyds put Raised Floor Solutions in an extremely solid financial position to fulfil our order book and for us to continue to take on new projects over the next 12 months and beyond.

“Over the past week, as more and more clients are advising that sites are re-opening, we look forward to being able to welcome all our employees back to work as soon as we are able to.”

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A sheet metalwork business, based at Moss Industrial Estate in Leigh, has used its design and manufacturing systems to create bespoke screening products and sanitising stations for local schools and businesses.

Enterprise UK, which makes all outdoor furniture and internal fittings for UK McDonald’s restaurants, furloughed most of its staff when COVID-19 hit back in March.

Now that workplaces and schools are gearing up again, the company has put its expert design skills and precision machinery to good use and has created a range of products and solutions that will help schools, offices and industrial workplaces to provide a safe environment with strict social distancing and infection control measures in place.

Mark Hoggitt, left, and Dean Hodgkinson, co-founders of Enterprise UK

Co-founder Dean Hodgkinson said: “There is a real pressure on schools and a whole range of industries now to make significant changes really quickly and we were sat here with all the skills and tools to help so I just started designing solutions that would work for a range of different industries and environments. We started sharing our concepts on social media, and through friends and family, and we have been inundated.

“Over the last few weeks we have been flat out designing solutions to help schools provide screening and sanitising stands, but we have also been asked by regional business to make screens for their offices. I’m even in the process of designing a mobile screening system for offices, workshops, leisure and warehouses that rolls up into a cardboard tube and can be posted to anywhere.”

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A wide range of early years organisations, alongside Bolton-based dot2dot Nursery Insurance, have been working together to prepare for life after lockdown.

At a time when some nursery settings have been open for key workers during lockdown, it has been a stressful time for everyone in the nursery sector.

A group of owners and managers wanted to find ways to support and share guidance, expertise and best practice, to ensure that the very high standards of this invaluable industry continue to be delivered.

Jackie Hyde

It began when 70 major providers came together as a COVID-19 reaction group, which produced a set of standard operating procedures that would enable other nursery settings to build on for their own circumstances.

Specialist nursery insurance company, dot2dot, was approached to advise the group and took the questions from the group to insurers Aviva, alongside specialists partners, Croner and BLM Solicitors to provide guidance and checklists covering areas such as HR, health & safety and insurance for nursery owners.

Jackie Hyde, dot2dot Nursery Insurance managing director, said: “Lockdown has been arguably the biggest challenge we will see in our lifetime, so when approached by the COVID-19 working group we knew we needed to help.”

Ruth Pimentel, of Kindred Nurseries, said: “Working with Jackie and the other COVID-19 reaction group nurseries has been a real benefit in what has been a difficult time.

“Every setting has different needs and to have this group around you at this time has been of huge value.”

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Two housebuilding groups are re-opening their sales offices across the region.

Bellway has re-opened its sites across the North West and Cheshire at most of its popular new-build residential developments, with the rest set to open early next week.

And Elan Homes plans to re-open its sales offices at its new homes developments in early June.

There will be restrictions by both builders, including an appointments system, the installation of new screens, the wearing of gloves and option of face masks, regular hand-washing and the use of anti-bacterial hand gel on arrival and departure.

Bellway’s Earlsfield Park scheme in Huyton

There will also be limits on the number of people allowed into the sales office and show homes.

Bellway sales director Jenny Bell said: “We are delighted to be back on site at many of our developments and look forward to welcoming the many homebuyers who have been in touch with us over email and phone while we have been closed.

“For the time being and for everyone’s safety and peace of mind, we will be operating an appointment only system with only one client or family at a time.”

Marie Morris, sales director for Elan Homes in the North, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, customers and the wider community is important to us and is why we’ve been hard at work planning for the new normal, developing robust procedures to enable the safe return to work for our teams and the reopening of our sites.”

In advance of appointments, customers will be asked to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire and will be advised of Elan’s procedures. Documents will be shared digitally and signed electronically.