RECORD PLANNING APPROVALS FOR HOTEL AND LEISURE DESPITE SUBDUED CONSTRUCTION
ACTIVITY IN JANUARY The total value of contract awards in January 2021 was £4.3bn, a decrease of 12% on December 2020 and also 10% lower than the monthly average in 2020 which was £4.8bn.
The latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights levels of construction contract values awarded across Great Britain.
Sector analysis shows that the total value of infrastructure projects reached £500m in January, which is 57% lower than December 2020.
The total value of contract awards for industrial were also low compared to recent figures, in January the total value was £600m which is a decline of 24% compared to December 2020. However, there was significant activity in the warehousing sub-sector. Two of the top four overall contract awards in January were warehouse projects – including the £125m Next Warehouse in South Elmsall Yorkshire, and the £100m Uniserve Distribution Centre in Suffolk.
APPRENTICE RISES
THROUGH RANKS A former apprentice with a rapidly growing Midlands company has urged others to take a similar path after landing another promotion.
Tom Austin joined UK Flooring Direct as a 17-year-old in 2015 as an IT and Marketing Apprentice. He has worked his way up the company ladder and at the beginning of February, started a role as a Customer Journey Executive. To mark National Apprenticeship Week which was taking place at that time, Tom has encouraged others to look at the apprenticeship route as a way of beginning a career.
He said: “I was at college studying IT and it wasn’t really for me. I was looking at other options when a contact at UK Flooring Direct said they were looking at taking on an apprentice. I came for
twitter.com/TContractFloors
Planning in January was also strong in the industrial sector with a total of £700m new approvals. The hotel leisure and sport sector saw exceptional activity with £1.8bn of approvals – major projects included the £1.3bn Olympia Redevelopment in London, a £250m Gateshead Quays Redevelopment in the North East, and the £350m Manchester Arena project in the North West.
Commenting on the figures, Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI and
https://www.barbour-abi.com/zones/2102032%20Snap%20Analysis%20February%20Output%20File%20v2.pdf Download the full report here.
UK Flooring Direct has continued to support him with education including a web development course and a Level 4 CIM Marketing qualification.
Tom then moved to a Customer Experience Executive role before landing his latest position with the company.
He said: “By doing an apprenticeship, I got hands-on experience of the business straight-away but I was also learning the theory with college, so I was getting the best of both worlds.
an interview, got the job and, with it, a great opportunity.”
Tom worked for three months in the IT side of the business and for three months in the marketing side, while completing college assignments that led to Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ qualifications.
It took around a year-and-a-half to complete the apprenticeship before he took on the role of Marketing Assistant.
Faye Summers, Head of HR and People Development at UK Flooring Direct, said: “Tom is a great example of how an apprenticeship can bring benefits to both an individual and to a business. He’s now in his sixth year with UK Flooring Direct and continues to develop with us and it all stems from him getting a feel for what we do and our culture as a business when he was an apprentice.”
www.ukflooringdirect.co.uk NEWS | 11
AMA Research said: “The planning environment maintained activity in January, continuing its recent trajectory at lower than average levels. Those hoping for a bounce in activity as we leave the EU will be disappointed; clearly the Covid-19 pandemic remains the main factor suppressing activity. Meanwhile it is positive to see some life in the Hotel and Leisure sector with record planning approvals over the last quarter.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
