In Brief: Profits up at Tracsis; Sheffield Arena wins BBC sport awards; Today’s Group upbeat; Skipton AGM

PROFITS and revenue are up at Tracsis, the provider of performance and planning optimisation software and consultancy services for the transport industries.

For the six months ended January 31, the Leeds-based quoted company saw turnover increase to £945,000 compared to £271,000 last year, although a chunk of that figure was contributed following the acquisition of RWA Rail, a provider of specialist consultancy services to the rail industry, last August.

Profit after tax was £172,000, up from £82,000 last time for the company which won new client London Overground Rail Operations over the period.

John McArthur, chief executive of Tracsis, said: “I am very pleased with our continued growth and profitability which builds on strong maiden results delivered last year.

“The group continues to trade profitably month to month and has achieved modest growth during a period of considerable economic upheaval within the transportation markets. 

“Increasing pressures on transport operators to deliver growth and reduce costs at a time of falling passenger numbers have made our products and consultancy services more relevant than ever and there remains good opportunity for growth in spite of the recession at large.”

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SHEFFIELD Arena will host the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year event for 2009.

The arena, managed by Live Nation for leisure provider Sheffield International Venues, will host the star-studded celebration of the best moments from the past year of sport on December 13.

The event is expected to be the biggest in the 56-year history of Sports Personality of the Year, with an audience of nearly 11,000 in Sheffield.

SIV’s winter sports centre and Europe’s largest ice complex iceSheffield, located next to Sheffield Arena, will host both pre and post event parties on the evening.

Sheffield beat off stiff competition from cities including Cardiff to host the event which was staged last year at Liverpool’s Echo Arena and previously at Birmingham’s NEC.

The bid was secured thanks to a partnership approach from Sheffield International Venues, Sheffield City Council’s major sports events unit, city development company Creative Sheffield and tourism agency Yorkshire South.

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THE Today’s Group has said it is pleased with its start to the year, showing positive trading figures and continued growth across its grocery, impulse, non-food and licensed categories.

Today’s, the buying group for independent retailers, experienced its best trading performance for five years in 2008, but first quarter figures for 2009 show that it is out-performing the previous year.

Reporting its first quarter trading figures for 2009, Today’s announced an overall increase in volume of +13.6% year-on-year.

The licensed category experienced particularly high levels of growth with figures showing it was up 23.6% volume, with beers the strongest individual performer within the category up 35.2%.

Today’s Group trading director Nick Barker said: “To be experiencing such strong trading figures given the current economic downturn is particularly impressive and we are very pleased to be in such a positive position.”

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MEMBERS of Scarborough Building Society were welcomed at the Skipton Building Society’s annual general meeting following the merger of the two organisations.

An increased number of Skipton members voted at the AGM, which gave an opportunity for Scarborough members to vote on the future direction of the enlarged business.

Strong backing was also shown for the four directors standing for election and re-election, who each received around 95% of the votes in favour.

New chief executive David Cutter and chairman John Rawlings were re-elected to the board, while former Scarborough non-executive directors William Worsley and Nimble Thompson were also elected.

In addition, 89% of voters approved the report on directors’ remuneration.