All posts tagged: Hampshires

Pandemic pivot sees sparkling sales for Hampshire’s Brush Baby

Pandemic pivot sees sparkling sales for Hampshire’s Brush Baby

Published by skeptic

Dominique Tillen’s move online during lockdown saw sales at child toothbrush retailer Brush Baby shine The pandemic was make-or break for many South East firms with markets and distribution channels closing overnight once the country entered the first pandemic lockdown. When the dust settled, however, many made successful and lasting changes in the way that they sold their products and Dominique Tillen of Hampshire-based Brush Baby was no different. The company’s growth had followed a steady growth trajectory, hitting the £1m turnover milestone in 2017, however it was a key pivot made during Covid that accelerated Brush Baby’s progress. The firm now has a turnover of £4m a year and employs 15 people in the market town of Alresford. Dominique said: “Between 2020 and 2021, we grew by 43 per cent and that was during Covid when we switched the business to online. “We heavily focused on Amazon as our retailers had all shut down which was pivotal for us. “We had to pivot very quickly and we brought in an Amazon expert who has …

Hampshire’s Aquark Technologies wins £3.4m to develop cold atom clock

Hampshire’s Aquark Technologies wins £3.4m to develop cold atom clock

Published by skeptic

Aquark Technologies, a quantum tech company based in Southampton, has won a £3.4 million contract from Innovate UK to develop AQlock – the UK’s first commercially available cold atom clock. Cold atom clocks are extremely precise tools which measure time using atoms that have been cooled to almost absolute zero. Atomic frequencies are incredibly stable and consistent, allowing clocks based on them to operate for millions of years without losing a second. AQlock uses a unique laser cooling method known as a super molasses, which does not require an applied magnetic field to trap atoms. This makes the clock more portable and robust than other cold atom clocks, as well as being easier to produce commercially.  Currently, the UK relies almost entirely on a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) for positioning, navigation and timing services. And according to a government report last year, it would cost the UK £7.6 billion if GNSS signals were lost for 7 days. The need to develop a more resilient system has therefore been recognised in the government’s new Framework for Greater …

Hampshire’s Dootrix to help develop Confused.com mobile app

Hampshire’s Dootrix to help develop Confused.com mobile app

Published by skeptic

Dootrix has partnered with Confused.com to help streamline its mobile insurance app and plan new features to improve user experience. The Hampshire firm will make use of Microsoft’s latest cross-platform development framework, MAUI, tobuild a consumer data platform designed to power engagement and interaction with end customers via the mobile app. The two companies will also work together on a roadmap of new features to be rolled out and trialled with feedback from users. They plan to offer customers an entire portfolio of insurance products on a single dashboard. Katie Hearn-Cross, senior product manager at Confused.com, said: “We know how important it is for us to stay on top of new and emerging technologies. “The Confused.com app is the perfect way for us to reach a more diverse audience through a different channel. “Renewing our partnership with Dootrix allows us to keep our technology evolving while continuing to improve experiences for our customers.” Based in Fareham, Dootrix counts Heathrow, Gridserve, Ofcom, and Britain’s blue light services among its clients. CEO Rob Borley said: “We’re delighted …

Hampshire’s InstaVolt tops list of UK’s fastest growing companies

Hampshire’s InstaVolt tops list of UK’s fastest growing companies

Published by skeptic

InstaVolt has secured the top spot in this year’s ORESA Growth Index Top 100. The Hampshire-based EV charging network has enjoyed a compound annual growth rate of 362.55 per cent over the past two financial years. As the largest owner and operator of rapid public chargers in the UK, InstaVolt has now made 1,500 installations across the country, commanding around 15 per cent of the market. Revenues at the company have grown more than 20-fold since 2020-21, reaching £18.6 million in 2022-2023. Now in its third year, the ORESA Growth Index celebrates organisations like Instavolt that have achieved remarkable growth, and spotlights the leadership behind those businesses. For seven years, that’s been Adrian Keen – who just last week announced his intentions to step down as CEO. “We believe people will buy electric cars, but they won’t if the infrastructure isn’t there”, said Adrian. “It was an opportunity to professionalise the public charging experience and give people the confidence to make the change. “We’ve got a pipeline of thousands and partnerships with big brands that …

DNC votes to restore New Hampshire’s delegates for this summer’s convention

DNC votes to restore New Hampshire’s delegates for this summer’s convention

Published by skeptic

The Democratic National Committee voted Tuesday to reinstate New Hampshire’s delegates ahead of this summer’s convention in Chicago, ending months of fighting over the state’s 2024 presidential primary.   “We as a committee and as a national committee have gone through a difficult number of weeks and months of getting to this point, and I know that New Hampshire has gone through a difficult number of weeks and months where some things we’d like to have seen take place did not,” Jim Roosevelt, the co-chair of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, said during a meeting on Tuesday. “As it happens, all that is behind us now. We have worked out compliance with our rules and with the charter.” New Hampshire, which has a state law on the books requiring it to hold the first presidential primary, had refused to comply with a new Democratic calendar that moved South Carolina to the front of the line. As a result, President Joe Biden did not file to appear on the ballot for New Hampshire’s unsanctioned Jan. 23 …

Hampshire’s NATS tops list of Europe’s climate leaders

Hampshire’s NATS tops list of Europe’s climate leaders

Published by skeptic

NATS has been awarded first place in the European Climate Leaders list, a survey of two thousand companies across Europe. The report, now in its fourth year, is compiled by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista and lists businesses that have achieved the greatest reduction in their ‘core’ Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity over a five-year period from 2017 to 2022. These emissions describe the direct emissions of a business through combustion of fuel sources and the indirect emissions from use of electricity. NATS, which provides air traffic control services to UK and international airports from its base in Fareham, Hampshire, achieved the highest score of all European companies based on methodology developed by Statista. Other factors are also taken into account, such as whether companies have robust science-based targets in place, their commitments to net zero, and transparent disclosure of their indirect scope 3 value chain emissions. It also considers CDP scoring, an assessment of sustainability and stewardship in which NATS holds an ‘A list’ rating, as well as SBTi …

‘Exciting times’ for UK padel as Dwellcourt backs Hampshire’s PadelStars

‘Exciting times’ for UK padel as Dwellcourt backs Hampshire’s PadelStars

Published by skeptic

PadelStars, which runs tennis and padel centres across the South, has secured investment from Epsom-based golf and leisure operator Dwellcourt Group. Dwellcourt has now taken a ‘significant stake’ in the Hampshire company, which recently opened its first padel facility in Reading. It also has plans for further centres in Southampton, Bracknell, St Albans, Bournemouth, Folkestone, Basildon and Chigwell. A racket sport similar to tennis though played on an enclosed court, padel is quickly gaining in popularity throughout the UK. Brighton & Hove Council just recently announced it would be adding tennis and padel facilities to the new Hove Beach Park development in East Sussex. Andy Knee, co-founder and CEO of PadelStars, said: “We’ve met several times with Jeff, Steve and Terry at Dwellcourt over the past year and discussed multiple opportunities. “This has resulted in us gaining an understanding of how they have built such an impressive business, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know them as people. “It’s a great match. We’re very excited about what their investment and expertise will bring to the PadelStars …

New CEO to spearhead European growth at Hampshire’s Workdry

New CEO to spearhead European growth at Hampshire’s Workdry

Published by skeptic

Dan Lee has been appointed CEO of Workdry International, an Eastleigh firm which provides engineered solutions for the handling and treatment of water and wastewater. He’ll work closely with European infrastructure investors Arcus Infrastructure Partners, who have a majority shareholding in Workdry, to expand the group’s operations in the UK and Europe. Founder of chemical surface treatment business Krystal Kleen Heritage, Dan has 15 years’ experience at the helm of high-performing asset-based industrial services businesses, including stints at Safetykleen and phs Group. His appointment follows Workdry’s recent acquisition of Vanderkamp, which brought a leading Dutch pump rental solutions specialist into the Workdry Group alongside its established Selwood and Siltbuster businesses. Dan said: “I’m excited to be joining Workdry International at a time of huge momentum, inheriting a business that’s in great shape and embarking on a new phase of domestic and international growth. “In my time getting to know the business, I’ve already been hugely impressed by the Workdry, Selwood, Siltbuster, and Vanderkamp businesses – and particularly by the professionalism, expertise and commitment of their …

Hampshire’s Lok’nStore posts ‘muted but positive’ growth amid takeover talks

Hampshire’s Lok’nStore posts ‘muted but positive’ growth amid takeover talks

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Self-storage provider Lok’nStore has posted revenues of £14.17 million for the half-year ended 31 January 2024 – up 4.3 per cent on the same period a year prior. The six-month window saw the Hampshire company open two new landmark facilities in Basildon and Kettering, with another two due to open this year in Staines and Bromborough. It also secured planning permission for sites in Barking, Cheshunt and Eastbourne. Andrew Jacobs, chair of Lok’nStore Group, said: “Lok’nStore’s revenue has moved ahead with group revenue up 4.3 per cent and headline self-storage revenue up by 4.9 per cent. “Customer demand remains above levels seen pre-pandemic, although it’s been lower compared to the same period 12 months ago. “In the short term, our focus is to drive the operating performance of all of our existing stores. “We’ve opened stores in Basildon and Kettering and will be opening shortly in Staines and Bromborough. We expect to go on site at Cheshunt before the end of 2024. “The board are keeping under review when to go on site at the other …

Hampshire’s Barnbrook secures six-figure aerospace order

Hampshire’s Barnbrook secures six-figure aerospace order

Published by skeptic

Barnbrook Systems has won a six-figure order supplying its helicopter refuelling enablement system to an aircraft being built by Italian aerospace firm Leonardo. The Hampshire company’s innovative refuelling switch has made mid-air refuelling easier, safer and more efficient. Barnbrook is supplying 80 of the systems for Leonardo’s AW101, AW149 and AW159 helicopters for use by the military and search and rescue operators, among other customers. This latest transaction follows an initial deal signed between the two companies at Farnborough International Air Show in 2016. Andrew Barnett, a director at Barnbrook, said: “This is a major order for our innovative refuelling switch system and biggest order of 2024 so far. “Our inflight refuelling enablement system has generated significant recurring revenues for the business over the past eight years. “This success reflects the commitment, time and money we invest in developing and continually improving technology-driven solutions for our key markets in defence, rail, fire and security.” The system uses intelligent sensing technology to detect fuel movement in tanks and cut off pumps in fractions of a second …