Laurence and Dan discuss successes for two firms established by Insider 42 Under 42s, the appointment of agents to a distinctive building lined up for Manchester and profits on the rise at the top companies in Wales.
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00:00Success for two firms established by Insider 42 under 42s, agents appointed to a distinctive
00:07building lined up for the Manchester skyline, and a report on profits in the biggest Welsh
00:12businesses. That's all coming up in today's business briefing, sponsored by Shawbrooke.
00:23My name is Laurence Culganan. I'm Daniel Zambartas.
00:27Good evening, Dan. So, stories with 42 under 42s always sort of catch my eye, and I'm sure
00:32our readers too. So, perhaps you can tell us about the one that you have.
00:36Yeah, that seems to be the theme today. So, Dragon's Den has been back for a couple of
00:41weeks now, and following its return, we have a brilliant story in Yorkshire, where a Ukrainian
00:46refugee who arrived to the UK nearly three years ago when the war started with nothing
00:51but a backpack and a laptop, she's now secured investment on Dragon's Den. After being encouraged
00:56to face the dragons, having been named as an Insider 42 under 42.
01:00That's fantastic. It's a great link up, because Dragon's Den, also a really popular area for
01:04people. So, tell us a bit more about this entrepreneur then.
01:06Yes. So, her name is Jana Smaglo, and she lost her fashion business in Ukraine and had
01:11to start again from scratch when she moved to the UK. But with some backing, she created
01:15her brand Nenya, which means motherland. The company sources clothing from companies back
01:21in Ukraine, and is now a £120,000 turnover business. And she secured investment from
01:28Deborah Meaden and Stephen Bartlett, a joint investment.
01:30Oh, a good combo, I'd say.
01:32Yeah. So, obviously, Stephen Bartlett will bring his social media expertise to the table,
01:36and he's also provided her with office space and warehousing in London. So, it's a great
01:41story.
01:42Fantastic. Well, watch this space. And sticking with 42s, we've got news today about growth
01:46plans for Fuel Hub. They were founded in 2019 by Michelle and James Laithwaite, and
01:53they provide a provider of meal prep delivery. So, they make up chef-prepared, high-quality,
02:00high-protein meals. And they work with well-known organisations like Team GB and Chelsea FC.
02:07So, after a successful 2024, they're lined up for further growth. So, we should watch
02:12that space. I mean, do you get any delivery food? You know, not sort of high sort of athletic
02:17impact food, but like, you know, any of the other brands?
02:20From time to time, I usually cook myself quite a lot. So, not too much. Do you?
02:25I do, yes. Well, we have had a couple of subscriptions down the years, but not with Fuel Hub just
02:29yet. Okay. So, now you've also got some news from Wales about profits. So, perhaps you
02:35can tell us a bit about that.
02:36So, our Wales editor, Douglas Freedly, he's been looking at profits across the biggest
02:39companies in Wales. His analysis found that profits have risen in recent years, so good
02:44news there, with companies on this year's Wales top 300 list making a combined annual
02:50pre-tax profit of £3.91 billion. Total profits are up 6.8% on the £3.7 billion reported
02:57by companies on the previous year's list. The average profit margin reported by the
03:02top 300 this year is also higher, standing at 11%, which is up from 8.3%. The latest
03:07Wales top 300 list will be published in the February-March edition of Wales Insider Business
03:13Magazine this spring. So, definitely be sure to check that out.
03:16Interesting. So, that must be good news for the wider Wales economy, if the businesses
03:19are making more profits.
03:20Absolutely. Great news for the economy, definitely.
03:21Excellent. Okay. Well, I've got another interesting one, which relates to a development which
03:26is being brought forward near us, actually. It's in the Northern Quarter, on the road
03:31to Piccadilly station. It's called NXQ. It secured planning permission recently, and
03:37now Savills and Knight Frank have been appointed to market the building to potential new occupiers.
03:44It's going to have about 120,000 square foot of office space. What makes it stand out is
03:49the shape of the building, because it's using cantilever engineering. So, it kind of gets
03:54larger as it goes up. So, I can't wait to see it as well, and it's going to be near
03:58enough for us to have a little snoop around at lunchtime.
04:00I wonder if I'll be able to see it from my flat building.
04:03You live there, of course.
04:04Yes, yes.
04:05There you go. Anyhow, to find out more about the stories we've been discussing, go to insidermedia.com.
04:10There, you can subscribe to our newsletters, you can subscribe to our magazines, and find
04:15out about upcoming events. That's all from us. See you next time.