In Brief: Cooper Vance; Gordons; DLA Piper; UK Steel Enterprise; AAK; KCP

RECRUITMENT experts Cooper Vance has reported a business turnover growth of 57% year-on-year, along with a 39% increase in new clients and projects for the first quarter of this year.

A significant success which has been attributed to the Springboard mentoring offered by entrepreneur membership organisation, Connect Gazelles.

Prior to the Connect Gazelles organised mentoring meeting, Cooper Vance were functioning under two company names; United Recruitment Group (for managerial recruitment) and Cooper Vance (for Executive recruitment.) Business partners Andrew Pickersgill and Liam O’ Flaherty were placed by Connect Gazelles with Entrepreneurs in Residence Deirdre Bounds and Adrian Holmes who quickly identified that United Recruitment sounded far too generic whereas Cooper Vance (a mix of their grandparent’s surnames) was more personal and reflected the personality of the business and style a lot better. Therefore it was obvious the company needed to re-brand under the one name and focus on Cooper Vance Recruitment.

Cooper Vance has since recruited a new member of staff (Lucy Addison) who has successfully opened a new division, specialising in media recruitment, and relocated to new offices in Wetherby. The extra space in the new offices will allow the addition of two new team members who are currently being recruited.

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YORKSHIRE law firm Gordons has been appointed by Northern Rail, the UK’s largest train operator, to provide employment law services.

Gordons will be advising Leeds-based Northern Rail on employment strategy, assisting with change projects, trade union relations and tribunal claims.

Adrian Thompson, human resources and change director at Northern Rail, said: “Gordons has a vast amount of experience within the transport industry. We are impressed by their enthusiasm and knowledge, and are looking forward to working closely with the employment team.”

Gordons’ transport experts include Simon Robinson, employment partner, and Edward Nuttman, senior employment solicitor, who have a combined experience of over 20 years’ advising numerous rail, bus and coach operators throughout the UK.

In addition to Northern Rail, Gordons’ employment team has had a number of recent business wins, including the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, leading bus operator Transdev Blazefield and Asset Skills, the sector skills council for the housing, construction and facilities management industries.

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THE Leeds Restructuring teams at DLA Piper have acted for businesswoman, Ann Budge, on her takeover of Hearts of Midlothian.

The deal which will save the club from administration, saw the team led by partners Richard O’Bank and Graeme Henry, advise Bidco, the special purchase vehicle set up for the acquisition.

Morisons (Scotland) acted for the administrators, Bryan Jackson and Trevor Birch of BDO. CMS acted for the Foundation of Hearts, the fan club which has been raising contributions from the supporters and chaired by Ian Murray, MP.

The deal involved the acquisition of the 79% shareholding held by BUAB Ukio Banko Investicine Grupe (in Lithuanian bankruptcy proceedings) and also the release of security held over Tynecastle Stadium held by BAB Ukio Bankas (also in Lithuanian bankruptcy proceedings).

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UK STEEL Enterprise has now helped create a total of 75,000 jobs in steel areas of the UK and more than 15,000 of those are in UK Steel Enterprise’s Yorkshire, Humberside and Midlands region.
 
The Yorkshire, Humber and Midlands region has benefitted from more than £20m of UKSE investment and an additional £5m spent developing the Innovation Centre in Sheffield.
 
Set up as British Steel (Industry) in 1975 to help the regeneration of areas affected by changes in the steel industry, UK Steel Enterprise now has almost 40 years of experience in providing tailored finance packages, managed business premises, advice and support to new and expanding businesses.
 
“The figure of 75,000 jobs is a significant milestone for us,” said Keith Williams, regional manager for UK Steel Enterprise. “It shows what a valuable role small and medium sized enterprises play in job creation and in building a strong UK economy.”
 
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A FOOD manufacturer in Yorkshire has been fined £140,000 after a forklift truck driver was killed at a factory.

Michael Moran was using his forklift truck to load a lorry trailer outside the Runcorn-based factory on the Astmoor Industrial Estate in April 2011 when another lorry reversed into the side of his vehicle. The forklift overturned, killing him instantly.

Yorkshire-based sauces maker AAK UK Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that forklift truck drivers had regularly driven onto a public road to load lorries, without the company putting any safety measures in place.

Liverpool Crown Court was told the 49-year-old from Warrington had been loading pallets containing tubs of mayonnaise onto the trailer. He had finished loading one side and had moved into the road to reach the other side of the trailer. As he moved the forklift truck into position, a lorry that had been parked up alongside the trailer slowly started to reverse. Mr Moran shouted out and the HGV driver applied his brakes but it was too late, and the lorry hit the forklift truck.

AAK UK Ltd, of King George Dock in Hull, was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £22,657 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

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LEEDS-based private equity house Key Capital Partners (KCP) has enjoyed a successful run following two deal completions in the space of a week.

The firm, which also has offices in Birmingham and London, exchanged deals with recruitment firm Hallam Medical and catering business Alliance in Partnership (AiP) last month.
 
Both transactions came shortly after KCP made a 3.5x return following the sale of TSC Foods, the makers of Glorious! soups, to Edward Billington and Son.

Peter Armitage, the partner responsible for KCP’s Leeds office, said: “Now is a very good time to be doing new deals with the economy recovering and confidence returning. Management teams, which may have been hunkered down through the recession have regained the confidence to buy their businesses and vendors can expect to get proper value.”