Watch: Insider's Business Briefing - 13th September
Phil and Ben highlight a senior partner appointment at KPMG in Newcastle, results at a historic South West brewery, the masterplan for a major mixed-use scheme in Cardiff Bay and the Midlands Dealmaker of the Year is revealed.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Coming up, a senior partner appointment at KPMG in Newcastle, profits up for a South
00:06West brewery, the master plan of a major mixed-use scheme in Cardiff Bay, and the Midlands Dealmaker
00:12of the Year is revealed.
00:14Welcome to this morning's business briefing.
00:16So, hello, good morning.
00:23I'm Phil Cunliffe.
00:24I'm Ben Butler.
00:25Good to join you this morning, Ben.
00:26Yes, nice to join you as well.
00:27We're just having a look at some of the news stories in our newsletters this morning.
00:32Ben, I think you're going to take us to the South West.
00:35Yes.
00:36So, we've got profits rising at an historic brewery, Hall & Woodhouse.
00:40It was founded in 1777, so going back nearly 250 years there.
00:46So, today it employs almost 1,900 staff and it's best known for its Baggeranger bottledales.
00:52Are you familiar with it?
00:53I'm familiar with it.
00:54I'm not a consumer, but yeah, I've certainly heard the brand name.
00:58Yeah, I'd like to sample some.
01:00I'd like an IPA or a Newcastle Brown Ale.
01:03Well, I'm more of a wine man myself, but I certainly have consumed some beer in my time.
01:07So, say no more about that.
01:09Yes, so Hall & Woodhouse, it has pubs across the South West and South East of England,
01:14and in its latest account, underlying pre-tax profits and turnover both rose, and they've
01:20attributed that to the £12.3 million sale of Rio to Agee Bar, which is a Scottish drinks
01:28brand.
01:29Yes, they're a huge, huge brand out there.
01:30Massive corner shops with a cola and a lemonade.
01:32Absolutely.
01:33So, yeah, very positive results.
01:34Yes, well, and good news in the South West.
01:36I want to go up to the diametrically opposite in the countries, the North East, where KPMG,
01:42the big advisory firm, have announced the appointment of a new senior partner for its
01:47thriving Newcastle office.
01:50Michael Downs will take over from Ian Beaumont, who has led the KPMG operation in Newcastle
01:55for the last three and a half years.
01:56Big name there, then.
01:57Absolutely.
01:58It's really good.
01:59Michael's a well-known figure in corporate finance world in the North East.
02:04He's led KPMG's corporate finance practice in the region and has worked on some of the
02:11highest-profile M&A deals in the region over the last 15 years.
02:15A real prominent player, yes.
02:16Yes, very, very much.
02:17So, he's, of course, a former insider North East dealmaker of the year back in 2021.
02:24So, he's an excellent corporate finance advisor, very well-respected by his peers and everyone
02:29in there.
02:30So, a really good appointment and shows a positive move for – and we wish Ian Beaumont
02:35well in his retirement, of course, as well.
02:37Absolutely, yes.
02:38So, Ben, you're going to take us to Wales, I think, now.
02:40Yes, I am.
02:41So, in Cardiff, Savills has submitted a master plan for a major mixed-use scheme.
02:46It's in Cardiff Bay.
02:48A big development area, a lot going on there, and it's a 14.5-acre regeneration site that's
02:55adjacent to Cardiff International Sports Village, so where the development will encompass more
03:01than 1,000 new homes, an employment-generating innovation centre, and also restaurant shops
03:08and a landmark hotel.
03:10Now, I have asked regarding the hotel, but currently we don't know the operator, but
03:16we are trying to find that out.
03:18I'm sure you will.
03:19You'll get that information out of them, I'm sure.
03:20So, big development news there for Cardiff.
03:23Really good news for Cardiff, of course, because it's a very exciting sort of time, but really
03:28good to show that the sort of regional economy is looking buoyant there.
03:33Absolutely, yes.
03:34Yes.
03:35So, Tom, we talked about the Dealmaker of the Year.
03:39There was a Dealmaker of the Year announced just last night.
03:42This was in Midlands, where our Midlands Dealmakers Awards were taking place at the
03:47Helsing Metropole in Birmingham, and so the Midlands Dealmakers Awards have now been going
03:53for 30 years.
03:54It's our 30th anniversary there, so congratulations to all the team involved in that.
04:00900 people?
04:02Yes, just shy of 900 people in the room, so a really packed house.
04:06They all had a fantastic time, I'm sure.
04:09We've been in touch with the team, and so it's another really, really good night.
04:13They've got turnout.
04:14Absolutely.
04:15So, just to let you know, to reveal the Dealmaker of the Year in the Midlands is Rob Burden
04:21of Clearwater.
04:22He took home the coveted Dealmaker of the Year Award.
04:26The winner of the Deal of the Year for transactions above 50 million was won by the acquisition
04:32of Haynes Watts London by Cooper Parry.
04:35So, a really big deal.
04:36Big deal, yes.
04:37A big deal in all senses of the word for Cooper Parry.
04:44The event also recognised Richard Saunders, who's a founding partner of Catalyst Corporate
04:48Finance, a hugely well-respected corporate finance advisor in the Midlands, and he was
04:58rewarded for his outstanding contribution to Midlands M&A activity over the years.
05:03Great news there.
05:04Congratulations to Richard.
05:05Congratulations.
05:06Just to mention that, all the winners from last night's Midlands Dealmakers Award will
05:11go through to the national awards, the UK Dealmakers Awards that we're running.
05:17Big event there.
05:18Very big event.
05:19Again, it'll be in Birmingham next year on the 6th of February, where all the regional
05:24Dealmakers winners from all our regional Dealmakers events will come together to compete for the
05:31Champion of Champions.
05:32Fantastic.
05:33That's one for the diary there.
05:35We'll be there to potentially be a UK Dealmaker of the Year, so a really, really exciting
05:42time.
05:43So, if you want to find out more about the UK Dealmakers or the Dealmakers Awards that
05:46are coming up, I think Wales is coming up soon?
05:48Yes, Wales coming up at the end of the month, yeah.
05:50The Northeast Dealmakers Awards are on the 26th of September, so lots of things going
05:56on in the corporate finance world.
05:58Big time of the year.
05:59It is.
06:00It is, absolutely.
06:01It keeps us all busy.
06:02So, if you want to find out more about that, please go to insidermedia.com and click through
06:06to the various links and you'll find everything there that you need.
06:10So, that's all for us today.
06:12Yes.
06:13I hope you enjoyed it.
06:14We'll see you again soon and have a good day.
06:17See you soon.