Plant and tool hire group Speedy has posted an £11.4m pre-tax loss for the half-year after spending £14.2m to turn the business around. For the six months to 30th September 2015, Speedy revenue for the period was down 13% to £165.0m (2014 H1: £189.3m).  UK and Ireland revenue dropped 12.0% to £155.2m (2014: £176.3m). Profit before tax, amortisation and exceptional costs for the period was £2.0m (2014: £10.3m). Exceptional costs totalled £14.2m before tax (2014: £3.7m). Of this, £2.2m was spent on reconfiguring the depot network and £3.3m on changing the management structure totalled £3.3m. The balance of £8.7m was incurred in providing for losses on disposal of fleet and writing off debts in the international division. UK and Ireland headcount has been cut so far this year by 298 to 3,167. These cost reductions are expected to deliver full year savings of approximately £13m a year, with half of this saving coming from the job cuts. Speedy’s results come as little surprise, however. On 1st July, following a board review, chief executive Mark Rogerson was let go after just 18 months in post and replaced by finance director Russell Down. At the same time Jan Åstrand was appointed executive chairman. The new chief executive says that he is starting to get things sorted now, however. Mr Down said: “Following a disappointing and challenging start to the year, reflected in the results we are announcing today, we are beginning to see the benefits of the remedial actions put in place to address the various legacy issues. “These are early days in the group’s recovery and the full benefits will only be realised over the medium term. However, remedial actions implemented to date have started to stabilise our revenue base and we are expecting to see an improvement in the second half. “Whilst our markets remain competitive, Speedy remains a fundamentally good business which in a more lean, efficient and customer-focussed form, has the potential to once again deliver sustainable profitable growth.” As at 30 September 2015, net debt was £102.6m, which is well within its £180m facility. Mr Down said his strategy was to better anticipate customer requirements so that the right products are in the right place. He said: “We are investing time in talking to our customers, and asking them what they need and want from Speedy. Based on their feedback we are working on a number of initiatives that will introduce new value added products and services that will increasingly differentiate Speedy from its peer group. He admitted: “We have not invested sufficiently in developing and building long term customer relationships across our customer base.  We need to increase the levels of repeat business by anticipating our customers’ needs through getting to know them better. “As part of this focus on all customers, from our national strategic clients to our 50,000 strong SME base, we will be upgrading our customer relationship management systems which will assist with availability of equipment based on real-time intelligence as we build relationships from the ground up.”

Managed Services, part of Travis Perkins plc, which provides maintenance materials and supply chain planning for public sector organisations, has chosen to work with Paint 360,  providing customers across the social housing and NHS sector with high quality, environmentally friendly paint. Paint 360 specialises in re-engineering waste paint taken from waste management companies and turning it into something of value; a hard-wearing quality paint product. Managed Services teamed with Paint 360 last year and have already donated building materials and a lorry to the growing business, which will help improve delivery efficiencies on and off the Paint 360 site. The new paint is made of 90% recycled materials and has a very low carbon footprint, as reconstituting this into a valuable product only requires a small number of ingredients to do the job. An independent assessment by The Carbon Footprint Company calculated that a contractor using the paint can effectively run a transit van five miles carbon-free for each litre of paint used. This matches Managed Services’ ethos of providing customers with cost saving procurement efficiencies, as well as operational efficiencies. Paint 360 also works with social enterprises–employing vulnerable young people and those who have been in trouble with the police and supporting their personal and professional development. The Federation of Small Businesses (FBS) recently emphasised how working with small suppliers in the public sector can help firms generate wealth, drive innovation, create jobs and train apprentices. The FBS described how small suppliers can provide support on a social economic level, meaning services can be supplied better, faster and cheaper to respond to customer’s needs. Managed Services’ engagement with Paint 360 and similar firms means that a high quality service, using ethical products, can be delivered to customers quickly – and can also help towards benefitting the overall public procurement supply chain. Stuart Hough, Managing Director of Managed Services, said: “It’s great to be able to work with Paint 360 and lend our support to an SME. The paint products are environmentally friendly whilst still being really high quality. At Managed Services, we strive to provide our customers with cost savings and other efficiencies, whilst still making a difference to the communities we work in and environmental sustainability is a key part of this. Lee Cole, Managing Director of Paint 360, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Travis Perkins Managed Services, who share similar values to what we do, enabling us to grow and develop our business in the similar vision as to what we started out with. “We are looking forward to continuing the partnership and strengthening our workforce to a healthy number of 16-20 employees by the end of 2016”. Government Business 22.5, Small Businesses, “Working with small suppliers is good for the public sector”.

The Managed Services Community Fund, in partnership with Wickes, has donated £5000 of funding to the stand-out community project, following a competition at CIH Housing 2015.   Northampton, UK (October 2015) – Managed Services, part of Travis Perkins plc, which provides maintenance materials and supply chain planning for public sector organisations, in partnership with Wickes, has awarded £5000 to Friends of Westfield Farm, a community project based in Dormanstown, Redcar, following a competition held at CIH Housing 2015.   The community of Dormanstown, Redcar is an area of deprivation and high unemployment, with many children and elderly people living in food poverty. Westfield Farm, a community hub in Dormanstown, seeks to combat this situation through a variety of initiatives, including a gardening volunteer programme to provide home grown produce and meals, as well as a schools education projects on healthy eating. Work Hubs provide careers information, advice and guidance, whilst Digital Champion volunteers support residents to access online services and improve their skills – all of which can help with future employment opportunities.   Friends of Westfield Farm submitted a comprehensive project proposal on how the funding could support all areas of their work and would allow them provide support for 500 additional local people, an increase from the 2000 they currently work with. Judges were impressed and awarded the organization the full £5,000 worth of funding.   The competition field was narrowed to 10 finalists, so it was a tough decision for the judging panel, which consisted of three independent judges. However, they felt Friends of Westfield Farm really was a standout project which covered all categories: Investing in your community; Employment, education, skills and training; Health and wellbeing and Environment.   Samantha Cox, Groundwork UK and one of the judges commented: “As Groundwork is a charity that supports communities across the UK,  I was delighted to be involved in the selection of a project to receive a grant through this scheme. Friends of Westfield Farm is delivering a range of opportunities including gardening and cookery skills and is a great project that I feel will make a massive difference in their community.” Another judge, Jenny Osbourne, from TPAS, adeded: “Friends of Westfield farm was an outstanding application and is well deserving of its win. A well designed project with scale and variety that is clearly having practical and long lasting positive effects on the community. I was particular impressed with the work being undertaken on employment, skills and training.” Barry McBride, Westfield Farm coordinator, said: “We’re really grateful for the funding from Travis Perkins Managed Services. It will allow us to build on our success by giving us the scope to expand and improve our current offerings, as well as develop new programmes. “Our community gardeners are really excited about the funding as it means they’ll be able to recover the poly tunnel, allowing them to continue to grow produce into the winter months. “You don’t need to be a Coast & Country tenant to come and use our services. We are here for the entire community. If you want to learn new skills, gain new qualifications or volunteer on the Farm, please do in get in touch. We’re always happy to help.” Chris Pentland, Social Housing Specialist at Wickes for Business commented: “The Friends of Westfield Farm project will greatly benefit the local community – actively supporting and assisting those that are most in need. We are proud to have partnered with Travis Perkins on this worthy initiative and feel the £5k will go a long way.” Stuart Hough, Managing Director of Managed Services, says: “Community projects are a really important part of what we do here at Managed Services, and we are really pleased to be able to support Friends of Westfield Farm. We think the judges have made the right choice and look forward to seeing the project progress.”

Managed Services has donated time, money and materials to a number of community projects across Wales.   Managed Services, part of Travis Perkins plc, which provides maintenance materials and supply chain planning for public sector organisations, has joined in with several community projects and created multiple employment opportunities in Wales. Managed Services supports the local community around its branches by creating job and apprenticeship opportunities. 17 year old Osian Craig, joined Managed Services Gwynedd branch straight from school, following in the footsteps of his father who works for Travis Perkins plc. He says: “I am still learning something new every day particularly around customer service and operations. During my time on my apprenticeship, I have learnt how important it is to be part of a team and to work together. “Once I have completed my apprenticeship,” he adds, “I would like to continue to progress my career with Managed Services and Travis Perkins plc and eventually be in charge of my father!” Managed Services also makes a difference in the local community by supporting various projects and good causes, donating both money and materials, such as the recent £3,000 donation towards new playground equipment for the children’s oncology ward at Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor. In partnership with Wrexham Council, Managed Services has donated funds towards Plas Pentwyn Community Gardens and undertaken the renovation works on the Coed Y Poeth Football Academy changing rooms. Managed Services has also donated materials to a number of housing associations, from Morfa Cadfan in Tywyn to Halton Housing across the border in Chesire, helping to build everything from sheltered housing to community planters. Stuart Hough, Managing Director of Managed Services says “It is fantastic to be able to work with so many different community projects across Wales. We are really looking forward to continuing our work on a wide range of initiatives as well as providing employment and training opportunities.”

With Screwfix’s recent announcement of the potential opening of a further 200 UK stores, bringing the total to 600, the multi-channel retailer continues to focus on delivering convenience for busy tradesmen through its expanding network.   Screwfix also reports how the trade is increasingly adopting the use of mobile technology to keep stocked-up and meet business demand.  Its Click & Collect service, which allows goods to be ordered over the phone or online and collected from store just five minutes later, has hit a milestone of more than 6 million orders since launching in 2011 and Screwfix.com receives 2 million unique visits every week.   Andrew Livingston, CEO of Screwfix, says: “Time is money for our customers and they constantly tell us how crucial it is that they can get the products they need, when they need them, so the continued expansion of our store network is designed to do just that.  90% of the UK population is within 20minutes of a Screwfix store and we plan to open a further 200 stores so even more tradesmen and women can pick-up what they need as quickly as possible.   “As tradesmen are busier than ever, we’ve seen how services such as Click & Collect and Sunday deliveries are going from strength-to-strength as they minimise time off the job; something which tradesmen say is essential in keeping pace with demand and growing their businesses.  What’s more, 70% of all our Click & Collect orders are from mobiles, as tradesmen use their phones to save valuable minutes every day.”   Screwfix’s convenient service is supported by an award winning 24 hour contact centre and next day deliveries seven days a week. Last year, it also launched a dedicated website in Ireland to make shopping even easier for our Irish traders by offering convenience and local prices.   Screwfix now has 412 stores across the UK and a range of more than 14,000 products available for collection seven days a week.  For more information visit www.screwfix.com, call 0500 41 41 41 or mobile-friendly on 03330 112 112.

UK Construction Week is just days away and a raft of heavyweight industry players have signed up to attend the inaugural show. Taking place from 6 – 11 October (with trade only days from 6 – 8 October) at the NEC in Birmingham, UK Construction Week has attracted tens of thousands of pre-registered visitors from the likes of Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Kier Group, Morgan Sindall, BAM Construction, Laing O’Rourke, Galliford Try, Willmott Dixon, Saint Gobain, Travis Perkins, Skanska, Interserve and Amey UK to name but a few. Well-known TV presenter and architect George Clarke will also be in attendance on the first day of the show. Tradesmen visiting the free to attend event can look forward to a whole raft of benefits that will help them make more money, learn new skills and grab a bargain. Featuring exclusive deals from more than 650 of the industry’s biggest names with over 10,000 products and services on display, the event is not to be missed by anyone looking to add the latest innovations to their tool bag. Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10, the event company producing UK Construction Week, commented: “We are very happy with how the event has shaped up and blown away by the support and enthusiasm from people across the entire industry. There are so many great exhibitors with some amazing new products to launch at the show, as well as plenty of exclusive deals on offer. What’s more, with the ‘learn to earn’ focus in the seminar programme construction professionals cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Roll-on next week!” Some of the 650 plus exhibitors signed up to the inaugural show include: CEMEX UK, British Gypsum, Dewalt, FIAT Professional, Nest, Metsa Wood, Case Construction, SIG Digistribution, Internorm, Indesit, Toolstation and Festool. James Fairclough, UK Submissions Manager at CEMEX, commented: “UK Construction Week offers a unique opportunity for us to showcase our latest products and solutions to a wide variety of construction professionals, indeed we have a number of exciting product launches planned for the event. The fact that UK Construction Week is backed by government is a big plus for CEMEX as we look to help solve the infrastructure and housing problems currently facing the UK through our services, helping to build a greater Britain.” Some of the exciting new product launches taking place at UK Construction Week include a revolutionary new task specific timber fixing from Joyner Bolt UK Ltd, an innovative new aluminium decking solution from Neaco, multiple additions to CEMEX UK’s ranges across the three trade days and a multi-level sealing tape for windows and doors from ISO-Chemie. In addition to industry leading exhibitors, the event’s comprehensive seminar content will concentrate on skills, practical business advice and legislation updates. Incorporated into this, the Main Stage seminar theatre will tackle the bigger and broader construction industry topics and challenges such as addressing the current skills and housing shortage. Confirmed hosts on the main stage are influential broadcast journalists John Humphrys, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Steph McGovern. One of the keynote presentations of particular importance will be from the Head of Construction at the Cabinet Office – Dr David Hancock, who will set out parliamentary plans and policies for the construction industry over the next electoral period. Another will be from Richard Bacon MP and Chairman, All Party Parliamentary Group on Self-Build, Custom and Community House building and Place-Making, on how to tackle the housing crisis. Richard commented: “The problem with housing in the UK is that supply does not rise to meet demand.” In addition to all the opportunities to learn and trade at the show, there is also plenty of opportunity to take advantage of the whole industry coming together to relax and network. UK Construction Week will host a cocktail evening with rugby legend Austin Healey, live music and charity casino in partnership with Construction Enquirer and a beer festival to help visitors and exhibitors relax and unwind at the show. During the beer festival, Big Brother winner and tradesmen Craig Philips will present the Checkatrade Tradesman of the Year Award. Celebrating the best men and women in the industry, the winner of the award will receive a free premium membership to the Checkatrade website. Visitors will be able to attend the Build Show incorporating Civils Expo, Timber Expo, the Surface and Materials Show, Energy 2015, Kitchens & Bathrooms Live, Plant & Machinery Live, HVAC 2015, Smart Buildings 2015 and Grand Designs Live. For more information please visit www.ukconstructionweek.com or follow @UK_CW on Twitter.