Businesses across the region have worked hard to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19 and come back Greener, Fairer, and Stronger.

Like many businesses in the town, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that Hetty & Betty have been forced to close, in line with government guidelines.

To make productive use of the lockdowns, owner Lois Mee wanted to refresh her marketing knowledge. Having been referred to the Growth Hub through Discover Yorkshire Coast, she was put in contact with Business Relationship Manager Simon Middleton. Simon highlighted the range of support available through the Growth Hub’s webinar programme and Lois signed up to attend a three-part workshop on creating a joined-up marketing plan delivered by Intandem Communications. 

“I was not expecting more than confirmation of what I was already doing and a few good pointers,” admits Lois. “However, within the first few minutes, I soon discovered that there were many more ways in which I could improve my marketing and PR in order to attract new customers, engage existing ones and create a much more joined-up approach.

“During the training, there were lots of key pieces of advice that we have implemented in our marketing plan. As a result, we have already started to see an increase in table reservations as we prepare to reopen on 17 May.”

Inspired by the advice, Lois also entered Hetty and Betty into Small Business Britain’s “Best High Street Small Business” award. “I am excited to announce that we have been shortlisted!” exclaims Lois. “We are extremely proud of this achievement and are looking forward to the winners being announced on 13 May. We have successfully used this good news story in our marketing and PR, and have been featured in a number of publications as a result.”

Realising the value of the training, Lois has identified an opportunity to use the knowledge gained in her customer service training for her employees too. In particular, by defining her customer personas, she believes that it will enable her staff to look for key traits and adapt their customer service approach to meet specific needs. 

“This could be used to up-sell and create future custom from them when dealing with them face to face,” explains Lois. “While we remain closed, we have yet to see the result of this, but I firmly believe, based on the engagement from our staff, that this will positively impact on the level of service offered to our customers.

“Overall, the quality of the training provided has proved to be an invaluable resource. I am very pleased that I signed up for the workshop, and would certainly sign up again should this be offered”.

IPS Group have over 30 years of experience in the roofing industry. Over this time it has continuously evolved as a company to accommodate ever-changing industry standards and products.

To this end, IPS Group has been heavily involved in the development of environmentally friendly roofing systems and solar PV thin film that incorporates the latest technologies.

Having relocated from Leyburn to Brompton on Swale, IPS Group has used its knowledge and expertise on its own building, completely refurbishing it using the very products the company have helped to develop. 

Over the past few years, IPS Group has had some success supplying products to Europe, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and New Zealand. Its systems have also been supplied and installed worldwide via another UK manufacturer who uses its roofing membrane.

While proud of its exporting success, IPS felt that there was much more that it could achieve, both across Europe and the rest of the world. Recognising that it could benefit from additional help with expanding operations, as well as with the associated training and recruitment needs, IPS turned to the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub for support.

Peter Bowers, Managing Director of IPS Group was introduced by Richmondshire District Council to Nick White, a Business Relationship Manager for the Growth Hub. The main objectives of the relationship were to assist with making important connections to drive the business forward, and gain the right advice for the new challenges arising from Brexit.

“IPS is one of our district’s quiet success stories,” explains Nick. “They have achieved excellent growth and innovation despite the numerous periods of uncertainty that the construction sector has experienced through the last three decades.”

“I met with Peter, and took the time to understand the business, his ambitions and the challenges he was facing. I immediately identified sources of funding that they could be eligible for. This included a scheme that could help them further develop their environmental credentials, which has continually been an important focus for IPS in relation to its products and services.

“In addition, I put Peter in touch with a key contact at the Department for International Trade. This gave him someone who could walk him through the new Brexit legislation, and enable the business to overcome the obstacles that it had been facing and find new routes forward.”

With the ongoing support of the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub, IPS are planning on extending its operations both in the UK and overseas. “Nick has not only put us in touch with the right people to access funding,” says Peter. “He has also brought a wealth of knowledge that will help us to expand our operation overseas, navigate the red tape surrounding exporting post-Brexit and has recently introduced us to the Supply Chain Network programme.

“Most importantly though, Nick has been a valued sounding board for our thoughts and ideas during the few years that we’ve been involved with Growth Hub. This has been an invaluable contribution to our recent success.”

Cooper King Distillery, founded by Chris Jaume and Abbie Neilson in 2016, have worked with the York & North Yorkshire LEP for a few years, as part of the Circular Yorkshire campaign. The campaign brings partners together from across Yorkshire to accelerate our region’s transition to a circular economy, and to help us achieve our carbon-negative ambition.

Cooper King’s journey is inspiring, and their story has been shared with many other businesses to encourage them to become circular and reap the benefits. As well as having great products and being lovely people, their story demonstrates how a sustainable ethos is good for business.

Join us as we explore the development of Cooper King Distillery in this business journey timeline.

For more information on Cooper King Distillery, visit their website.

To read a snippet of their story, click here.  

SeaGrown is a North Yorkshire based company pioneering UK offshore seaweed farming, supported by the Coastal Communities Fund.

It seized the opportunity to transform from an artisanal food and bath producer into a commercial seaweed farming company. By establishing a seaweed farm in the open waters of the North Sea, SeaGrown aims to produce a local and sustainable seaweed crop to be used in a variety of ways by customers from a range of industries.

SeaGrown recognises the unique position it’s in to produce an exciting range of products which genuinely support a circular economy and lead the way in the UK seaweed harvesting industry as a circular business.

Read more: SeaGrown Case Study

Techbuyer is a leading provider of sustainable IT solutions. The Harrogate based company buys, tests, repairs, refurbishes and sells IT hardware, which keeps quality technology in use and maximises IT budgets.

Crowned ‘Circular Economy Business of the Year’ at the 2020 IEMA Sustainability Impact Awards, Techbuyer has demonstrated that investing in refurbishment and reuse is a long-term, successful strategy. It won the Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2020.

Techbuyer’s objective is to help businesses, schools and public sector organisations maximise their IT budget, whilst extending the product life of IT equipment.

Read more: Techbuyer Case Study

Insects can feed and develop on a diverse range of organic materials, but how can this contribute to a circular economy?

Research on the use of some insect species, particularly fly species, to reduce the volume of animal manures began several decades ago. However, there has been renewed and increased interest in this area over the past decade as the value of the products that can be produced by the insects has been recognised.

Read more: Fera: Contribution of insects to a circular economy