Jennifer and Laurence discuss a landmark redevelopment, an accountancy firm acquisition and expansion for a learn-to-swim firm founded by Olympians.
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00:00A landmark redevelopment, an accountancy firm acquisition and expansion for a
00:05learn-to-swim provider founded by Olympians. That's all coming up in today's
00:09business briefing.
00:15My name is Laurence Glennan. And my name is Jennifer O'Keefe. Well, morning Jennifer.
00:21Good morning. I mentioned at the top there a landmark property sort of
00:25development, so perhaps you can tell us a little bit more. Yes, for sure. So plans
00:28to convert a landmark building straddling the Sheffield and Tinsley
00:32Canal basin have been given the green light. The building that is being
00:36converted is a grade 2 listed former grain warehouse that was built in the
00:401880s. It was converted into an office during the 1990s and has been vacant
00:45since August 2021. The plans covered the conversion of the building called
00:49the Straddle into 27 apartments with a mix of one, two and three bedroom units.
00:54As part of the project, historic elements would be incorporated into the design
00:58including two atriums which travel up the length of the buildings. The
01:02council has now granted the approval for the works subject to
01:05approval and under delegated powers. Excellent. I always like those sort of
01:10stories where you've got an old building, often very ornate and beautiful, and
01:14getting redeveloped for the current day. So I imagine it'd be a cool place to
01:17live. I haven't actually seen the picture, but it's a great story. Well, over the Pennines
01:22we've got a story from Cowgirls, an accountancy firm, and they've expanded
01:29with the acquisition of a Wigan-based business that adds about 30
01:32professionals to their ranks. The firm that's been acquired is NRB,
01:39which was established in 1948 by Norman Richard Barton. The acquisition adds a
01:45new site for Cowgirls in Wigan. That's alongside their existing locations in
01:50Bolton, Manchester and Liverpool, so a big deal for them. And in particular,
01:55Cowgirls in early 2024, they became part of the Sumner Group and this is the
02:01first acquisition they've made since then, so a real landmark sort of deal.
02:05And they're aiming for a 25% expansion in the coming 12 months, so this is a
02:11great step along that path. And sticking with M&A, you've got the
02:16story of a deal from the Midlands. I do indeed. So the waste management company
02:21Axel, which supports manufacturers ranging from the likes of BMW to Birdseye,
02:26has secured a majority investment from Tower Brook. So Axel is headquartered in
02:31Corby in Northamptonshire and operates a waste logistics and transfer station in
02:36Cannock. And Tower Brook Capital Partners then is a transatlantic investment
02:40management firm with assets under management of $21.6 billion
02:45investing across private equity, structured opportunities and impact. So
02:50Tower Brook's backing is designed to support Axel's growth, strengthening its
02:54market presence and expanding its service offering. And Edward Pigg, who is
02:58the Managing Director at Axel, said that the team is excited to welcome Tower
03:02Brook as a partner as the two share the same enthusiasm and energy to improve
03:07the environmental performance of their customers.
03:09Excellent, well yeah, exciting news for Axel, so we'll watch this basically what
03:14they do with that investment. And then we've also got a story from, well the
03:20business in question is called Swim and they sort of provide learn to swim sort
03:26of lessons. And the interesting thing about this business is it was founded by
03:30Olympic medalists Rebecca Adlington and Steve Parry. I think when I, my kids
03:37were learning to swim, there were classes by this group and I remember seeing all
03:42the dads all quickly going around with the toddlers. It was great to see,
03:46because it was such a crucial life skill. If you're not going to be an Olympian, it's
03:50useful to be able to swim well. But anyhow, Swim is looking to grow to 24
03:56sites by 2028 and it's appointed Starker to provide consultancy on the rollout
04:02strategy as well as securing specific locations. Swim was founded in 2017 and
04:08it currently operates 12 sites around the UK and about 16 schools and
04:12universities nationwide. So it's going to be exciting to watch their
04:16expansion plans and it always adds a bit of a little frisson excitement when it
04:22involves celebrities like the two founders there. So well, to find out
04:27more about the stories we've discussed this morning, go to insidermedia.com.
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04:40you next time.