Interserve to manage £30m redevelopment of Newcastle’s old Co-op

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coop

Property firm DTZ Investment Management (DTZIM) has joined forces with construction contractor Interserve to redevelop the former Co-operative department store in Newcastle city centre.

The £30m scheme will deliver leisure facilities, a hotel and new shops. Interserve will manage the project on behalf of DTZIM.

The old department store, sold by the Co-operative Group to DTZIM, will be refurbished by Interserve to provide retail and leisure units on the ground and basement floors. Premier Inn will operate a 184-bed hotel at the site.

The construction contract is worth £17m and work is expected to be complete by December 2015.

The Grade II listed art deco building extends to nearly 170,000 sq ft over six floors and dates back to the 1930s. The sale also includes an adjoining car park and Chinese restaurant.

Interserve Developments managing director Dougie Sutherland said

“The collaborative approach between Interserve, Premier Inn and DTZIM has ensured that this complex scheme is now viable and can be progressed,”

“We have worked closely with the local authority over a number of months and we are now in a position to progress construction works on this major city centre project.”

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Graf UK formed through acquisition

Posted on by Posted in Plumbing Industry News

grafOtto Graf GmbH has acquired SCP Water Management for an undisclosed sum to create Graf UK.

Otto Graf GmbH, producer of rainwater harvesting and stormwater management products, combines strengths with SCP Water Management to form Graf UK.

SCP Water Management has been a major importer of Otto Graf GmbH products into the UK market for several years.

Graf UK will provide the full range of Graf products across the country, including rainwater harvesting, stormwater management and wastewater treatment systems. The company set up distribution agreements with national and independent builders’ merchants and buying groups throughout the UK to reach additional customers.

Matthew Rolph, newly appointed director of Graf UK, said:

“This acquisition will bring Graf UK closer to its desired position as a leading provider of sustainable water management systems within the UK. Acquiring SCP Water Management with its highly experienced team and in-depth knowledge of both rainwater harvesting and stormwater management systems, enables us to strengthen our expertise and extend our products and services to our customers in the UK.”

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Fuel cell technology market leaders join forces

Posted on by Posted in Bathrooms and Kitchens

fuelcellBDR Thermea has formed a partnership with Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation for the exclusive co-development and marketing of fuel cell micro-CHP heating systems for European homes.

Due to enter into full production in 2015, the new series of fuel cell micro-CHP heating solutions will not only deliver energy savings and environmental benefits for end users, but will feature a more affordable price tag thanks to the increased production volumes and a modular design.

The partnership brings two market leaders together. BDR Thermea is regarded as a leader in micro-CHP technology in Europe, and has an extensive sales and service network at its disposal. The company has led the European development of fuel cells and CHP solutions for residential heating applications.

Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation is a global market leader in the development, production and marketing of PEM fuel cell systems. The companies have each delivered 35,000 appliances into their respective markets.

Rob van Banning, CEO of BDR Thermea, said:

“This is a mutually beneficial partnership to help grow market share and influence take-up of CHP technology on a European scale.

“From both an environmental and energy management perspective, the widespread use of CHP represents a significant step toward the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a more sustainable approach to the management of energy resources.”

Due to be presented at ISH in 2015, the fuel cell micro-CHP system will be designed in a modular formation consisting of a fuel cell micro-CHP unit, auxiliary heating unit, a hydraulic module, a storage module, as well as an energy manager tool. It will also be future-ready with smart home and smart grid options integrated.

“Until now, cost has been an inhibitive factor for many homeowners but through an increase in the total production volume of the markets in Japan and Europe, as well as its modular formation, cost reductions can be achieved,” said Rob.

The partnership is designed to combine the expertise of BDR Thermea and Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation in order to develop an environmentally responsible, technically reliable and, above all, an economically viable fuel cell micro-CHP heating appliance for the home.

Fuel cell technology represents one of the innovative solutions that will be required over the coming years to replace and upgrade more than 100 million gas and oil-fired boilers currently installed throughout Europe.

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Growing business thanks eaga Trust

Posted on by Posted in Heating, Plumbing Industry News

grahamdoddA north east energy business formed just over two years ago has quadrupled its workforce in the past six months, thanks to the support from the eaga Trust.

Boldon-based Heating and Gas Solutions was founded in 2011 by former Eaga employee, Graham Dodd, to install gas boilers in homes across Durham and the north east.

However, becoming an accredited installer for the government’s Affordable Warmth and Green Deal schemes meant he not only had to diversify his services, but to also increase his manpower.

Now, with the help of three fully-qualified engineers and two apprentices he is installing a full range of renewables, such as solar panels and air and ground source heat pumps to help eradicate fuel poverty in the region.

Graham said:

“The company really hit the ground running in terms of orders and contracts. However, as with any start-up company, there were considerable overheads, which I had to absorb in order to grow the business.

“Thankfully, because I used to work for Eaga there was a huge amount of help available to me through the eaga Trust.”

The eaga Trust was set up to help those who worked for the company between 2000 and 2011 with a particular emphasis on employment support and employee ownership.

It offers its members a range of benefits, including a £1,000 training fund to use towards work related training and business funding, start-up loans for those planning to start their own, employee-owned businesses.

Graham successfully applied for a business funding loan, which enabled him to purchase a much needed van and he has now come ‘off the tools,’ in order to concentrate on expanding the business even further.

Graham said:

“The loan from the eaga Trust came at exactly the right time for me and, while I could have got a bank loan, the trust helped with interest free funding which makes a great difference.”

“I’m pleased to say that one of my engineers is a former Eaga employee, too, so I’m happy to be able to give something back.”

The eaga Trust has helped create almost 100 new employee owned businesses across the UK and nearly 1,000 members have used their Skill-Builder training fund to complete training and qualifications to improve their employment prospects or embark on a new career.

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WaterSafe launches consumer campaign

Posted on by Posted in Plumbing Industry News

morewomenWaterSafe, the UK’s leading plumbing assurance scheme, has launched a consumer campaign designed to encourage more women to take up the trade.

The high-profile campaign, fronted by ITV presenter and consumer expert Alice Beer, is called ‘Get Girls Plumbing’ and is aimed at encouraging more females to take up plumbing roles while, in turn, discouraging age-old gender stereotyping in the trade sector. Testament to its topicality, it has also received full support from the Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller.

The campaign launch follows extensive new research carried out by WaterSafe which found that nearly two thirds of homeowners (60%) would feel positive about more women taking up a trade role. In addition, 80% say they are completely unconcerned as to the gender of their plumber and it’s all about them doing a good quality job.

What’s more, 20% think that it’s time gender stereotypes were broken and over a third (37%) of women surveyed said that if they started out again they would like to take up a manual trade role citing that it offers a more stable career path.

Despite homeowners not being concerned whether their plumber is male or female, WaterSafe believes there is still a significantly large gender gap in the plumbing industry. Tellingly, the most recent figures show less than one per cent of approved plumbers are female.

WaterSafe’s Julie Spinks said:

“Clearly, the results are quite surprising and show that, despite impartiality from the consumer, women remain severely under-represented in the plumbing industry. Here, our remit is to break such stereotyping and promote the exciting opportunities available to women in the plumbing sector.

“This new campaign is one of a number of major initiatives we have in the pipeline as we continue to drive the WaterSafe message in national print and broadcast media and, in turn, consolidate our position as the first port of call for customers wanting a qualified and competent plumber.”

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