Laurence and Adam discuss the latest Insider list from the Midlands, restaurant closures and expansion plans for an engineering firm.
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00:00The latest insider list, restaurant closures and expansion pounds for a historic engineering
00:05business.
00:06That's all coming up in today's Business Briefing.
00:15My name is Laurence Glugannon.
00:16And I'm Adam Beach.
00:17Well, good morning, Adam, and happy St Patrick's Day.
00:20And to you.
00:21I'm wearing green for the occasion.
00:22Excellent.
00:23Today, to recognize the day, we've got a list on our island newsletter of the sort of top
00:30tourist spots in Ireland, which may be good for anyone who's interested.
00:35Have you been to Ireland yourself?
00:36No, to my great shame.
00:37I've never actually visited, but I would love to in the future.
00:40Ah, right.
00:41Well, my mum is Irish.
00:42And actually, this year, I took delivery of an Irish passport myself, so I'm a frequent
00:45visitor to Ireland.
00:46I haven't been to the north yet, and that's certainly something I'd do.
00:51And actually, it's the subject of a story, which is a restaurant closure in Cookstown
00:56in Northern Ireland, number 47.
01:00They've closed their doors unexpectedly.
01:02And they said they've been battling with the difficulties of getting staff through the
01:07door for a number of months, and that's now led to their closure.
01:11So it's interesting, isn't it?
01:12Various different factors.
01:13Yeah.
01:14I mean, certainly in the Midlands, we reported earlier this week about a South American restaurant
01:20in Birmingham shutting its doors, Bodega Cantina.
01:23And they were citing rising costs and inflation and the impact of Brexit.
01:26So it's definitely a tough time, sorry, for the industry.
01:29Yeah, no, absolutely.
01:31All manner of problems.
01:33And hopefully, the government will recognise that, because everyone enjoys going out for
01:37a meal with family and friends.
01:39So hopefully, they'll get some support their way.
01:42Now, you've got news of a new Insider list.
01:45I do, indeed.
01:46So what have you got for us?
01:47Yeah, Insider's produced its latest Owner Managed Business 100 for the Midlands.
01:53Now, that details the region's biggest company run by, biggest companies, sorry, run by their
01:58shareholders.
01:59Now, we've cited the fastest-growing company in the region as the lounge underwear brand.
02:07Right, okay.
02:08Now, using data from Companies House, we've actually shown that their turnover has rocketed
02:13by 45% to £67.5 million over the past four years.
02:18The company was founded by Dan and Mel Marsden, and it's actually built its presence in a
02:21very modern way, you know, using Instagram and mail order, and now actually sells its
02:27products in about a dozen international markets.
02:30So it's been a real great period of growth.
02:32So a real success story for the Midlands.
02:34Absolutely.
02:35Any other names that I'd recognise in there?
02:36Yeah, one of the more major names on the list is actually Bet365.
02:40Ah, that's okay.
02:42You know, with the Coates family.
02:44And Denise Coates features in the Rich List every year.
02:47Yeah, they're a very successful business, and you see their adverts quite a lot.
02:51So if you're watching the match or racing meetings.
02:55Okay, well, away from that, we've got news of accountancy firm DJH.
03:01They've announced plans to relocate their specialist corporate finance deal-making team
03:06from a base in Manchester in St Anne's Square to their established base on Peter Street
03:12in the city.
03:13DJH have enjoyed rapid growth in the North West, and they're making a number of moves
03:20to sort of build on that momentum.
03:22So it'll be really interesting to see how they get on for the rest of the year.
03:26So interesting news from the professional services market.
03:28And you've got news of a historic engineering firm.
03:32That's right, yeah.
03:33A company, actually, which dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria.
03:35Right, okay.
03:36Yeah, it's Goodwin PLC, which was founded in 1883.
03:42It's brought forward plans for a new commercial scheme on land near Newstead Industrial Estate
03:48in Stoke-on-Trent, where it's headquarters.
03:50The company is planning on building two commercial units, extending to about 130,000 and 65,000
03:57square foot respectively.
03:58Oh, so a big, big investment.
03:59Yeah, definitely.
04:00A significant investment.
04:01The project is designed to support the expansion of its Goodwin International business, which
04:06specialises in heavy project engineering.
04:11The city council's planning committee will consider the application on 19th March.
04:16And did you say it's recommended to be approved?
04:18It is, yeah.
04:19It's a tip for approval, so we'll see if the members vote in line with the recommendation.
04:23But the plans are actually expected to create 100 jobs, so it's definitely significant for
04:27the city.
04:28Excellent news.
04:29Well, to find out more about the stories we've discussed, go to insidermedia.com.
04:33There, you can subscribe to our newsletters, you can subscribe to our magazines, and you
04:38can also find out about upcoming events.
04:40That's everything from us.
04:42See you next time.