Vote Dock Tower!

STANDING proud, surveying all below it, Grimsby's Dock Tower has a powerful presence and acts a real reminder to those in the town of its history.
Steeped in seafaring tradition, for more than 150 years the red-brick Italian-inspired tower has been a welcome sight for weary fishermen. No doubt that welcome feeling is still felt by those working the hundreds of vessels that enter the Humber estuary on a yearly basis.
And now is the chance for it to receive official recognition - as the search continues to find the UK's most popular under-rated landmark.
The BBC is behind the nationwide search, and having been shown to the nation via Young's television advert, it would be great if it could receive some more attention.
Vote for the Dock Tower at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5285236.stm

Wykeland plans welcomed

EUROPARC is on the march once more.
A £3.5-million specualtive development is likely to begin very soon - with developers Wykeland funding the vast amjority of it.
The dual project is being built to stimulate activity on what is a gem in the Grimsby business community.
The first part, a bid to interest major manufacturers, could see a mas of jobs created should the site interest a major name. With Grimsby a thriving food cluster with a valuable support network, it could well be seized upon.
The second is a master stroke for growing companies that do not see owning their own property as an essential part of a business plan. It is the next step in the evolution cycle for businesses which now exists upon the site.
Incubation and small office/workshop space has already been created with The Innovation Centre and Pegasus Square units. Now premises between 3,500 and 6,000 sq ft are to be added.
This presents a real opportunity for companies. Not everyone's cup of tea, as it is leased, many businesses do look at keeping the capital costs well down, and this allows for it, with a concentration on production - a vital part of any flourishing firm.
While Wykeland will be the major benefactor as and when the buildings are filled, ultimately so will the community as the quality development attracts more money from elsewhere.
Location is still everything and Immingham's elevation as a port, the logistics and engineering expertise on hand, and the foodtown tag can all help to lure business this way.

Wykeland plans welcomed

EUROPARC is on the march once more.
A £3.5-million specualtive development is likely to begin very soon - with developers Wykeland funding the vast amjority of it.
The dual project is being built to stimulate activity on what is a gem in the Grimsby business community.
The first part, a bid to interest major manufacturers, could see a mas of jobs created should the site interest a major name. With Grimsby a thriving food cluster with a valuable support network, it could well be seized upon.
The second is a master stroke for growing companies that do not see owning their own property as an essential part of a business plan. It is the next step in the evolution cycle for businesses which now exists upon the site.
Incubation and small office/workshop space has already been created with The Innovation Centre and Pegasus Square units. Now premises between 3,500 and 6,000 sq ft are to be added.
This presents a real opportunity for companies. Not everyone's cup of tea, as it is leased, many businesses do look at keeping the capital costs well down, and this allows for it, with a concentration on production - a vital part of any flourishing firm.
While Wykeland will be the major benefactor as and when the buildings are filled, ultimately so will the community as the quality development attracts more money from elsewhere.
Location is still everything and Immingham's elevation as a port, the logistics and engineering expertise on hand, and the foodtown tag can all help to lure business this way.

Don't get out of bed for tax....

JUST when you think the Government is starting to realise the benefits of the British resorts and push tourism in the UK - along comes bed tax.
An increase of between five an 10 per cent on rates paid by owners of hotels and guesthouses is being proposed - and it will no doubt be passed on to those seeking accommodation; those that are happy to come to places like Cleethorpes and spend their hard earned money boosting an economy that is fragile enough.
Surely we should be chucking money at these people by way of grants and relief, so that properties can be brought up to higher standards, attracting even more of those precious tourism pounds, gradually improving what is on offer.
Now more than ever this is needed, with hotter weather becoming the norm, and heightened concern about flying.
Give our rersorts a break, don't break them.

TODAY'S sharp reminder of just how delicate a line we now tread with the daily threat of terrorism has now been lost on business.
Shares plunged in airline and travel firms, trading ended lower on most markets, and the disruption and confusion witnessed by all who have seen the news will make people think twice about late summer getaways.
Terrorism, although thwarted in the physical sense, has returned to the forefront of the minds as well as the front pages of the newspapers.
For terrorism to be beaten we need to be strong and continue life as we want to, and not let fears about what could happen stop us.

Safe gamble for Tesco

TESCO takes over the world - it's official! Read all about it soon!!!!
Not far off by looks of it. A relatively safe gamble of opening up in Las Vegas is being wagered by the supermarket giant, and why should there be any worries.
We know the US like things big and brash, and in Las Vegas they like it even bigger and brasher. Then on the homefront the company is to top the league for non-food business too by the end of the year, pipping catalogue institution Argos.
No surprise both are at such lofty heights when you think about what they have going for them though is it? In a modern, hectic world littered by constraints on time, Argos has for years made shopping simple, you can do the hard part while you're watching Coronation Street. Tesco goes one better, allowing you to tag everything else on to your weekly war of the trolleys, with free parking and loyalty points to boot.
No longer is the supermarket home to iffy brands when it comes to electrics either, instead shiny Sony televisions sit on he shelves, metres from the loaves of bread.
It is not a good state of affairs for the high street traders, or local independents, but sales don't lie and cleary that is where people want to shop.
Alas, the customer - as they say - is always right.

Cosalt's catch for the future...

ONE of Grimsby's oldest and most traditional companies will be in new hands later this month.
Swede Per Jonsson will be at the helm of Cosalt, a company which has evolved alongisde the various industries it serves.
Formed as a co-operative of trawler owners, in 1873, the Great Grimsby Coal, Salt and Tanning Company as it was is a model of how to adapt.
It floated on the stock exchange in 1971, and despite the fishing fleet all but disappearing over the next decade, it holds strong market positions in the sectors it has developed.
Like another high-profile manager from Sweden, Mr Jonsson will inherit something with great tradition and pride, not to mention huge potential on the international scene.
As chief executive whe will work with a board that is convinced it has the right man in place.
I look forward to meeting him when he comes into office to find out how he plans to continue the evolution.

A little now could avoid a lot later

A rise in interest rates is rarely welcomed, so there'll be no mass celebrations at the .25 per cent increase announced by the Bank of England today.
It means a little more on the mortgage, and a little more less a month to play with.
It is the first rise in 12 months, but with energy prices and manufacturing on the up again, it may prevent a larger rise later on in the year.

It all stacks up for the money men

MONEY comes to money, and it is certainly no different in banking.
Today's news that these huge financial institutions made more money per customer (£75) than any other business sector has raised more than a few eyebrows.
Overdraft charges, interest on loans and penalty fees are the money-makers for them, so clearly it is our own fault and not their greed at all.
But there is also a responsibility to be had. It really annoys me when my bank increases my overdraft without asking me, ups my credit limit because of the way I 'manage my account', or the worst one of the lot - sends me blank cheques as if having the credit card wasn't enough.
It is all a temptation to spend more money that still needs paying back at some point.
Clearly we have to be wise and rise above it, but for those who are feeling the pinch - especially with rising energy bills - it is a temptation that can lead into trouble.
They offer it and take it away - no doubt on the same day on the same doormat for some - and it is about time we were given better control of the 'management of our accounts'.
On one occasion when I needed to up my credit limit I was refused, yet I had brought it down myself from a level I considered ridiculous - and dangerous - should my card fall into the wrong hands. It was well below what I had initially been given, but then that would have been for my benefit and not for theirs.

GREAT news that the Government has given the go-ahead for ConocoPhillips to increase electricity production, and expand its power plant in Immingham.
The very fact that the American energy giant is considering the work on the Humber is an amazing shot in the arm for those who are employed there. A jewel in the company's portfolio it shows the commitment and regard that the plant is held in.
The only surprise for me was that the utilities companies didn't top the banks when it came to money per customer!

Crying over spilt petrol

SHELLING out on a couple of houses in Grimsby will be small fry to the might of oil giant, but it underlines what corporate responsibility means in no uncertain terms to smaller businesses.
As reported in the Telegraph today , the Anglo-Dutch company Shell has made the purchases following leaks from a tank on the site of a now-demolished petrol station in Grimsby.
It will no doubty have cost them the best part of £1-million already, and estimates suggest it will take between three and four years to clean the ground up from the 1,000-litre leak and legal proceedings are possible with the Environment Agency involved.
A tiny dint in the hourly profits of the company, but the message to private petrol station owners must be stark.