21 May 2016 – by Amber Rolt Student housing developer Fusion Students has set itself a target of building a £1bn student housing portfolio over the next 10 years. Fusion, set up in 2009 by Warren Rosenberg, already has 1,050 beds across three schemes in Bristol, Cardiff and Newcastle due
Energy suppliers are looking to offer special tariffs for electric vehicle (EV) owners as demand for EVs increases in the UK. Ovo Energy said it is “absolutely looking at tariff propositions for EV drivers”, while big six suppliers EDF, Scottish Power and Npower are joined by independent
Although flyers are a communication tool that exist for some time, even today they are still being successful thanks to their ease of use and the advantages and benefits they offer to a company. Successful flyers only need one thing to work: an attractive design. When it comes to publicizing
In the standard retail market, arguably the single, biggest difference between buying from a business and buying from an individual is that you have a much higher degree of legal protection in the former situation. Goods sold by companies have to be “fit for purpose” whereas goods sold by private
When your e-commerce business makes a sale, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a return. You’ll lose the sale and incur additional costs. To accommodate a return, the product must reverses its way through your supply chain. All activity associated with accepting the return of
Scott Parnell, the civil engineering firm, has managed to receive registered trademark status on its TouchSafe® GRP palisade fencing, which is the only product available that is capable of completely eliminating electricity conduction. Produced using super strength, lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials and designed following years of painstaking research, TouchSafe® is unique
Lytag Aggregate Industries will be transforming the London skyline with the £250 million redevelopment of 100 Liverpool Street. The high-profile redevelopment is part of the wider Broadgate campus adjacent to Liverpool Street station and it involves demolishing 50% of the original building and rebuilding new infills in structural steel with
Exhibiting at the inaugural exhibition of the Bristol Housing Festival in October is ZEDPods, the company behind a new high-quality prefabricated housing solution developed to address the shortage in affordable housing across the UK and the lack of city centre building spaces. People attending the festival can visit a complete
The ballot of members on the BIFM’s proposed name change to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management has taken place, with those who voted deciding in favour of the proposal by a margin of three to one.The vote, which took place at the BIFM’s annual general meeting in Manchester’s
Leading plant hire provider Selwood has played a key role in the construction of a state-of-the-art sports pavilion for one of the UK’s first “green” towns. The new Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club Pavilion is finally complete following a major build project led by Mildren Construction, one of Selwood Plant
21 May 2016 – by Amber Rolt Student housing developer Fusion Students has set itself a target of building a £1bn student housing portfolio over the next 10 years. Fusion, set up in 2009 by Warren Rosenberg, already has 1,050 beds across three schemes in Bristol, Cardiff and Newcastle due to open this year, but plans extend its portfolio to 10,000 beds by 2026. Once it has reached scale, it will be one of the largest privately owned student housing developers in the UK. The firm is targeting major UK university towns and cities, including Edinburgh, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and London. It will consider both city centre, greenfield and brownfield sites for its schemes, which range between 300 and 1,000 beds. The group has recently hired Sam Ball from Knight Frank as head of acquisitions to drive its expansion programme. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. Recent deals include two sites in Cardiff. It will open a 686-bed property at Windsor House in 2017 and has bought a further site for a 600-bed scheme in the city’s Capital Quarter. The group said it would add 2,000 rooms to its portfolio by 2018. Fusion is focused on providing a lifestyle brand for students and dedicates an average of 10,000 sq ft to amenities such as cinemas, games rooms and bars. James Pullan, head of student property at Knight Frank, said: “Fusion recognises that the direction of the market is now to deliver student accommodation that is driven by lifestyle, rather than by a financial model.” The company privately owns all of its properties, which it operates in a joint venture with management company Collegiate. Source link
Energy suppliers are looking to offer special tariffs for electric vehicle (EV) owners as demand for EVs increases in the UK. Ovo Energy said it is “absolutely looking at tariff propositions for EV drivers”, while big six suppliers EDF, Scottish Power and Npower are joined by independent supplier First Utility in saying they are “monitoring the EV market closely.” The comments follow Tesla’s UK and Ireland country director Georg Ell saying he is “engaged in conversations with an energy supplier” to try and convince them to offer a tariff for EV drivers who inevitably consumer more energy at home by charging their vehicles. It was reported by edie.net that he said energy suppliers need to “speed up with the transition.” However independent supplier Ecotricity already offers an annual discount on its own Green Electricity tariff of £40 a year for EV drivers, a discount equivalent to at least 1,000 “free miles” a year. Both big six suppliers Npower and British Gas introduced a special EV tariff in 2011 in anticipation of the growing EV market, but were forced to scrap them on the introduction of the four tariff cap in 2014. The competition and markets authority has proposed scrapping the cap in its provisional remedies, which would allow energy suppliers to reintroduce specialised tariffs. Source link
Although flyers are a communication tool that exist for some time, even today they are still being successful thanks to their ease of use and the advantages and benefits they offer to a company. Successful flyers only need one thing to work: an attractive design. When it comes to publicizing your business or building project, you have to use advertising methods to reach a wider audience. Flyers are a great and relatively cheap tool. Creating an attractive flyer is not always easy, but luckily there are a number of keys you can take into account to make a successful design. A design that, with a single glance, shows the user what you want to transmit. And wakes the curiosity of the client, who then wants to learn more about your company or project. Communicate one message on the flyer Before you start to design your flyer it is important to have a clear idea of the message you want to communicate. Do you want to invite people to the opening of a new building? Do you want them to come to the presentation of a new building project? Or do you have another special occasion you would like to invite them to? Make sure the purpose of your flyer is directly clear and you have a simple message to communicate. The same as when writing or reading a headline for the newspaper, basic questions should be directly answered like, what, why and when. This way, when your audience takes one glance at the flyer, they know directly what you have to offer. How to design an attractive flyer When you start with the design for the flyer you should first choose the measures of it. It doesn´t matter if you want a horizontal or vertical design, just look at what fits your needs. Since hopefully a lot of people will see your flyer, it´s important to choose the right size that suits your message and company. Once you know what shape your flyer will get and you have your message clear, you can start with the design. Don´t overload the flyer with too much information, so the main message isn´t clear any more. The title, in combination with the photo or image you are going to use, can be considered the protagonist in your creation. The title needs to be an attractive phase and the image should be of enough quality that is stays sharp after printing. The colours you use can be seen as a binding method to create a perfect harmony on the flyer between all the elements. And of course, don´t forget to put the specific date on the flyer so people know when the event is happening. Also contact details are essential for people who would like to receive more information. Spend some time on a great design for the flyer and it will tip the balance in your favour in your marketing campaign to communicate your message in an attractive way to a wide target group!
In the standard retail market, arguably the single, biggest difference between buying from a business and buying from an individual is that you have a much higher degree of legal protection in the former situation. Goods sold by companies have to be “fit for purpose” whereas goods sold by private sellers only have to be “as described”. The residential property market, however, is a bit of an exception to his rule of thumb. Even private sellers are legally obligated to disclose any facts about their property which might negatively impact the sale and buyers can take legal action against them if the seller misrepresents the property. The same holds true of the new-build property market, in theory, in practice the situation can be a little more complicated. New-build and the dangers of having to use your imagination When you buy an existing house, it is standard practice to visit the property yourself in order to assess it firsthand. Astute sellers will, of course, do everything they can to make their home look as attractive as possible, but they can only work within the constraints of what the building actually allows, which provides a built-in safeguard against active misrepresentation. When you buy a new-build property investment in the UK, however, the situation can be rather different, especially if you buy it before it is even completed, in which case you have to rely on visual and textual descriptions of very fundamental characteristics such as dimensions and the nature of fixtures and fittings. Even if you buy a new-build after completion, you may not be in a great position to appreciate its real-world characteristics. If it has been staged as a show-home then there is a distinct possibility the furniture may have been scaled-down in size to make rooms seem bigger than they are and if it’s an empty shell then, again, the openness of the space may trick your mind into thinking that it is bigger than the written dimensions suggest. You may also be under pressure to use companies recommended by the developer for financing and/or conveyancing. For the sake of clarity, there are many good reasons why developers may wish you to do this and most revolve around the fact that, while you are only buying one property, they may well be selling many properties and it is therefore easier and more efficient for them to deal with one company so that, for example, they only have to answer any given question once. At the same time, however, it has to be said that this situation can lead to buyers not fully understanding the terms of the legally-binding agreement they are signing and then later discovering nasty surprises in the terms of their leasehold. Resolving complaints about new-build property can be a complex process Generally speaking, any complaints about a new-build property should be addressed to the developer in first instance, but if the developer fails to offer an acceptable resolution, buyers may be left struggling to decide how to proceed or, indeed, if it is emotionally and financially worthwhile for them to proceed. Although the UK has two property-related redress services (the Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme) neither of these has the authority to address complaints against the developers of new-build properties. This means that buyers of new-build homes have no recourse to an independent, free-to-use ombudsman services, even though such services have proved very successful in other areas (such as finance and energy). The Property Ombudsman has therefore called for the government to address this situation and to bring new-build homes under the remit of a competent ombudsman service.
When your e-commerce business makes a sale, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a return. You’ll lose the sale and incur additional costs. To accommodate a return, the product must reverses its way through your supply chain. All activity associated with accepting the return of a product is known as reverse logistics. The assoicated costs are always higher than just the price of shipping. According to Supply Chain Dive, reverse logistics cost companies upwards of $260 billion annually. Here are five hidden costs in the reverse logistics process many e-tailers overlook. Labor Costs in Return Process Labor is one of the most commonly overlooked because it’s felt indirectly. When a product comes back, employees need to receive, inspect and possibly restock the item—depending upon its condition. This usually involves multiple workers across various departments. Time that could be spent growing the business is consumed handling returned product. Reselling Returned Products at a Discounted Price Product condition can play a huge factor in determining price. In some cases you’ll have to resell at a discount or discard it all together. On top of losing the profit from the original sale and incurring the cost of labor to get the product back into your inventory, selling the product for a discount or discarding it all together adds even more salt into the wound. Returned Product Can Lead to Inventory Mismanagement Product returns can throw a monkeywrench into your inventory tracking process. Resources are redirected toward returned product, which takes away from the inventory control operating procedures. E-retailers have the option to outsource their inventory management to a third-party logistics company (3PL), but others who chose to handle inventory in-house could benefit from a cloud e-commerce platform. Cloud-based platforms can help with inventory management because of their speed, security and scalability. Offering Free Return Shipping A growing trend in return processes for e-commerce companies is free return shipping. This usually has a positive impact on how the customers perceive an organization because it shows them that the company is taking care of the extra expense instead of putting it on the customer. Around 49 percent of online retailers offer the service While this goes a long way toward engendering customer satisfaction, it’s detrimental to the bottom line. On average, about 30 percent of e-commerce orders are returned, so these costs add up very quickly. Customer Frustration Can Lead to Higher Customer Churn While positive return experience can drive loyalty, a bad one is likely to lead a customer to shop your competitors. Per the Narvar Consumer Report, customers who return product are likely to be the best customers. Eighty-two percent of customers who previously returned products were repeat shoppers, and 95 percent of customers satisfied with the returns process said they’d purchase from the retailer again. A key report takeaway — high value customers are also the most likely to utilize the returns process. E-retailers need to implement or update their reverse logistics strategy in order to become as efficient with their returned product as possible. E-commerce companies who do not pay attention to this process could be losing upwards of 10-20 percent of their profits, and possibly, a devoted chunk of their customer base. Running an e-commerce store demands attention from every angle, but by focusing on these five hidden costs in the reverse logistics process you’ll recover more of your margins and better satisfy the needs of your customers.
Scott Parnell, the civil engineering firm, has managed to receive registered trademark status on its TouchSafe® GRP palisade fencing, which is the only product available that is capable of completely eliminating electricity conduction. Produced using super strength, lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials and designed following years of painstaking research, TouchSafe® is unique because it doesn’t contain any metal components, ensuring total safety from possible electrocution incidents. “We wanted to make a product that would make incidents such as electric shocks and electrocution a thing of the past whilst removing the need to earth or bond the fence. This further reduces risk on site and increases commercial efficiencies,” said George Woollard, Design & Specification Manager at Scott Parnell Rail. “A lot of hard work has gone into designing our TouchSafe® palisade fencing and making it the best product it can be. We believe TouchSafe® represents the future of palisade fencing and we’re extremely proud that it has been granted trademark status,” George added. Scott Parnell’s palisade fencing is used for screening off electricity installation areas by a variety of industries, including rail networks and electricity supplier organisation. The product is also ideal for the aviation sector as the composite materials are radar-neutral; therefore not disrupting radar signals. Moreover, the fencing is well suited to marine environments as the non-corrosive materials are able to withstand saline damage. All dimension specifications comply to BS accreditation standards. Unlike many fencing products, TouchSafe® is supplied in fully-assembled panel form, making it easier and quicker to install on site. The Scott Parnell story started in 2012 when friends Dave Scott and Steve Parnell spotted a gap in the market for an independent merchant and decided to go into business together. With 70 years combined experience in the drainage and civil engineering market they wanted their company to be a smaller, independent merchant, specialising in groundworks and civils – helping it to stand out in the marketplace.
Lytag Aggregate Industries will be transforming the London skyline with the £250 million redevelopment of 100 Liverpool Street. The high-profile redevelopment is part of the wider Broadgate campus adjacent to Liverpool Street station and it involves demolishing 50% of the original building and rebuilding new infills in structural steel with the addition of three new floors to a create modern, mixed-use space. A key requirement for the main contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, was to source a concrete solution which would enable more floors to be cast without compromising the dead load of the overall structure. The obvious choice, then, was to use Lytag from Aggregate Industries’ highly innovative lightweight aggregate solution, which can effectively reduce the composite deck concrete slab load by approximately 25% over normal weight control while offering the same level structural performance – enabling 100 Liverpool Street to – literally — reach new heights. In addition, Lytag is made from secondary aggregates; therefore offering a much more environmentally friendly alternative to standard concrete. Thanks to its unique properties, it can help to significantly reduce the amount of material required on a project, along with the associated carbon emission produced in delivery. “The redevelopment of 100 Liverpool Street is a major milestone in Broadgate’s evolution into a world-class, mixed-use destination for London. This project wouldn’t have been structurally or architecturally possible without Lytag and its unrivaled capabilities. Not only did it enable us to take the project from conception to construction, and create a superior sustainable high rise structure but it was also instrumental in helping the building to achieve an Excellent rating in BREEAM,” said Barry Mellor, Commercial and Technical Manager for Lytag. Working with its specialist London Concrete unit, Aggregate Industries has supplied 5000m3 of Lytag to the project, with the building featuring an array of sustainable features that complement the significantly reduced carbon footprint. As a result, 100 Liverpool Street is expected to receive an Excellent rating in BREEAM.
Exhibiting at the inaugural exhibition of the Bristol Housing Festival in October is ZEDPods, the company behind a new high-quality prefabricated housing solution developed to address the shortage in affordable housing across the UK and the lack of city centre building spaces. People attending the festival can visit a complete ZEDPod starter home that comes fully fitted, ready for immediate occupation. The pods offer a high-quality housing solution that can be erected within days and generates more energy than it uses. Designed by RIBA award winning architect Bill Dunster, the zero-carbon ZEDPods are prefabricated homes with a difference, offering almost instant housing solutions without the land and site issues associated with conventional new build. “Importantly the ZEDPod concept decouples housing provision from land prices using air rights over car parks. This enables affordable, quality city homes where land is scarce or expensive to be put up quickly, helping keyworkers to live near their work and at the same time maintaining precious parking spaces,” explained Bill Dunster. Small but perfectly formed, each ZEDPod is a fully ‘Space Standards’ compliant home, providing a high performance, low energy housing solution, delivered at a fraction of the cost of comparable solutions, with minimal demand on existing services and infrastructure. Features include photovoltaic roof panels, integrated battery storage and heat pumps for domestic hot water, together with super insulated construction and triple glazed windows. Each unit incorporates its own front door and private balcony area. Inside is a fully fitted kitchen and dining area and a lounging space with TV. Stairs lead to a mezzanine floor with home office desk, double bed, good sized bathroom, wardrobe and storage space. The ZEDPod homes come in a variety of design options and can be tailored to a range of accommodation needs. They are ideal for city centre organisations including City Councils and Housing Associations, colleges and universities, hospitals and emergency services, as well as other private sector companies with extensive city centre car parking assets.
The ballot of members on the BIFM’s proposed name change to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management has taken place, with those who voted deciding in favour of the proposal by a margin of three to one.The vote, which took place at the BIFM’s annual general meeting in Manchester’s Friends’ Meeting House, was taken as a special resolution; 75 per cent of those who voted opted to support the institute’s manifesto for change, comprising the name change and the move to pursue chartered status. BIFM has called the name change a “springboard” to help “reposition FM and raise the profile of the profession”. During the four-month campaign in support of the proposals, the institute made clear that it would continue to understand and share its members’ pride in their work and status as facilities managers – “and your unwillingness to throw away the history of professional endeavour which that evokes”. Taking advantage of the ‘workplace differentiator’ would, it said, help to “improve your status as a facilities manager”. The chairman of BIFM has responded to members voting at July’s AGM in favour of a special resolution to become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. Stephen Roots told members that in voting for the new name, “you have also approved the direction we have set out for the next phase of our proud and progressive professional body”. The institute’s chief executive, Linda Hausmanis, (right) said that the IWFM “will be the professional body for the facilities and workplace profession – working to advance the profession representing those who contribute to workplace productivity and to operating and optimising our built environment”. During the campaign, BIFM had outlined its vision as being “the pioneering facilities and workplace management institution; the catalyst driving change for the future workforce; and the definitive voice enabling people to transform their organisations and their environments, inspiring and creating productivity and performance”. Commenting immediately after the vote at Manchester’s Friends Meeting House, Roots said: “This Special Resolution, quite rightly, required a high level of support to succeed. I want to say to everybody, whether you supported the name change proposal or not, that the board and I are absolutely committed to shaping an inclusive organisation that is fully committed to advancing the FM profession. “The Institute has a role in helping to reset expectations and forge ahead with making workplace and facilities management a career of choice for the coming generation. This mandate means we can really grasp the opportunity presented by the leading-edge associations of workplace to reposition what FMs do. “What we will now do, both in name and in deed, is to reframe expectations of the FM role, adding to it without taking anything away – and that includes our Britishness. “We are changing our name, not our geographical focus, but we do acknowledge that many of our members, including those overseas, have broader outlooks and we will continue to work closely with them as we have done for many years. “We have been preparing the ground for some time to strengthen our foundations and fit ourselves for a future of sustained development. “Our plans to refresh our brand and systems are already in progress and now that you have decided, we will adopt our new name and our new look before the end of the year.”It is expected that the new institute title will be adopted in November of this year. 1. How does all of this affect me? In summary, we aim to reposition FM as a workplace ‘interconnector’ enabling high-performing workplaces, and underlining the value, rather than the cost, of the function. By raising BIFM’s profile and the contribution of its members, we will start to produce information and tools to help members improve their personal status and skills and raise the profile of Workplace and FM more generally. During a period of transition, there will be no change to a member’s post-nominals: ABIFM, MBIFM, CBIFM or FBIFM will remain in use. We will communicate a timeline for the transition to IWFM and after that time a member’s post-nominals will change to e.g. AIWFM, MIWFM, CIWFM and FIWFM. We will communicate new post-nominals to each member at the appropriate time. In line with our pledge to minimise cost, we will send out new certificates as members renew their membership. For those working towards a BIFM qualification the title of their award will depend on the timing of their achievement in relation to the name change. The content and status of the qualification will not change, but once we become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management on 12 November, qualifications will be named and certificates presented in the new company livery. For example, if you achieve your qualification before 12 November a BIFM Level 4 Diploma in Facilities Management certificate will be issued by BIFM; if you achieve after that date both the qualification and the certificate will be IWFM Level 4 Diploma in Facilities Management. Over time we’ll work to include essential workplace elements within the FM professional standards and they will become The Workplace and FM Professional Standards. Qualifications will be reviewed in 2019, which may result in a revised qualifications suite, but the structures and formats of the existing ones remain valid. Learners who complete their BIFM qualification before November will receive a BIFM-branded certificate. Learners who complete their qualification after November will receive an IWFM-branded certificate. We will announce a detailed timetable of any changes in due course. 2. When will the name actually change? We will become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management on 12 November 2018. 3. How else will the institute change because of this vote? Things have already changed; we’ve upped our game on policy and research, improved our governance structure and strengthened the team; we’ve process engineered our internal systems to become more customer-focused and are working to develop new member benefits. This is helping us create a framework for ever greater support for FM professionals, not only in terms
Leading plant hire provider Selwood has played a key role in the construction of a state-of-the-art sports pavilion for one of the UK’s first “green” towns. The new Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club Pavilion is finally complete following a major build project led by Mildren Construction, one of Selwood Plant Hire’s longest-established customers. The project has been supported throughout with equipment from Selwood and, in just over a year, site manager Mark Hornibrook and his team at Mildren Construction have transformed the site in Hampshire to create a multi-purpose community facility. Selwood has supplied equipment from its extensive plant hire range, including three-tonne, eight-tonne and 14-tonne excavators and a six-tonne dumper. A 12-metre telehandler and 120 roller have also provided solutions for the construction team over the past year. The development of Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club Pavilion will be one of the key facilities in the new Whitehill & Bordon development. The £1bn multi-partner regeneration project will see 3,350 new homes and a range of new facilities built on the former Prince Philip Barracks over the next 15 years. The site, transforming the garrison town into a ‘green’ town, will be one of four such towns in the UK with an emphasis on sustainability. The two-storey replacement building provides a larger sports pavilion, improved tennis courts, boules courts and a bowling green, alongside reseeded sports pitches as well as a series of community spaces for functions of varying sizes. Jason Boxall, a plant hire specialist for Selwood, said: “This was a complex construction but Mark and his team have done a fantastic job at every stage of the build and I think the result speaks for itself. They have produced a world-class building that the whole community can be proud of. “We were delighted to meet the specific needs of our long-standing client Mildren Construction and were pleased they benefitted from our extensive range and technical know-how.” Selwood has an extensive fleet of plant available for hire from its network of regional branches across England and Wales. Its teams pride themselves on an unrivalled depth of technical expertise, exceptional customer service and product knowledge.