-f 34 Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, November 12th, 2009 www.clitheroeadvertlser.co.uk cntheroe 422324 (Editoriai), 01282 426161 (Advertsing), Burnley 01282 422331 (Classified) Iciitheine 422324 (Editorial),01282 426161 (Advertising), Burnley 01282 422331 (Classified) Putting Ribble Valley busmess_ in focus by Duncan Smith


ONE of th e brains behind th e w o r ld 's largest online retailer, Amazon, has set up his own web-based gaming business from an industrial unit in the heart of the Rib­


ble Valleyl Lancashire businessman John


Pollard, pictured, was the Finance Director


for


Amazon.com in the United States when the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, launched online in the mid 1990Si right at the s ta r t of the “dot-com boom”. Now, 14 years on, the ambi­


well. In the end, we started sell­ ing new Nintendo Wii games on eBay and other stock we had imported from America, until we became so busy th a t we decided to create our own web­ site, and that’s how Playgame- suk.com came into being.” Since the site went live last


usiness Matters Jeff aims


summer, the trio have turned over more than f Im. worth of business, thanks in no small part to the success of the Nintendo Wii Fit. At one point, they were taking more than £12,000 of orders per day! “The Nintendo Wii Fit quick­


tious entrepreneur is going head- to-head with Amazon in the highly coihpetitive computer games market, after he decided to create his own internet ven­ ture, Playgamesuk.com John, who lives and works in


Ribchester, said: “It all started when niy son Andrew and my step-son Andrew Wallin began selling a few computer games on eBay about two years ago. “They basically sold games


they no longer wanted and it proved so popular that we began speaking to distributors about selling various accessories as


ly became a massive seller for us,” explained John. “When it first came out, it was virtually impossible to get one anywhere


■ in this country, because they were selling faster than Ninten­ do could make them. ' “However, we found a couple


of suppliers abroad, in France and Germany, who agreed to ship some over, and for a while we were the only <»mpany with Wii Fit stock in the URl” As business boomed for the


irio, they dedded to expand into the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 markets, which has proved to be another shrewd move. John said: “We decided the best way to' grow the business


was to expand into these plat­ forms, and Playstation and Xbox sales now account for roughly 60% of our business. ■ “The problem with most High


Street stores is they only tend to give shelf-life to the top 40 and the fastest selling games, which means the Internet is the only place to go to buy everything elsa A graduate of Seattle Univer­ sity in the States, John worked


Perfectly matched wm


as an accountant for Ernst and Young, before leaving to become the Finance Director at a hospi­ tal in Washington Stata Howev­ er, it was his spell ■with Amazon, between 1995 and 1997, which ultimately inspired him to set up Playgamesuk.com. John and his two sons have


big plans for Pla3^amesuk.com over the next 12 months, and their ultimate aim is to double the company’s turnover.


r a m e m a s i - I'"-


www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, November 12th, 2009 35 SUSTAINABILITY FACTS...


9 IF-you have a commercial good news story, contact our editorial; oh 01200 422324 or e-mail: duncan.smith@easllancsnews.co.uk


Chinese expertise


CHINA is firmly on the horizon for local travel agent Jayne Nuttall. She is celebrating after


successfully completing the specialist China operator “Wendy Wu” online training course. ■ After a business train­


ing lunch a t the New Emperor Chinese restau­ rant in Manchester, Jayne, along with nine other North West-based Tra'vel Counsellors, came away with first hand knowledge passed on to them by Karen Milward, Business Development Manager at Wendy Wu tours. I t is the UK’s leading


China specialist opera­ tor, offering fully-inclu- sive tours to China and Indochina ranging from its classsic “China Expe­ rience” 10-day tour to a specialist “Total Solar Eclipse” tours partici­ pants to experience the longest eclipse of the 21st century. With more than 30


years’ experience in the travel industry, Jayne has built a growing fol­ lowing from the region’s holidaymakers and busi­ ness travellers. Working from home,


she is one of more than 1,000 Travel Counsellors throughout the UK and overseas. She uses the compa­


ny’s award-winning tech­ nology to provide expert ad'vice on a range of holi­ days from tailor-made packages, cruises and business travel to a sim­ ple flight or hotel book­ ing. Travel Counsellors is


also completely inde­ pendent, meaning th a t Jayne is free to recom­ mend the holiday th a t exactly suits her client’s needs. For more information


contact Jayne on 01200 443965 or visit: www.travelcoimsellors.co .uk/jayne.nuttall


Schemes aid Sarah’s business


EXPERT training to keep vul­ nerable children and adults safe is provided by a Ribble Valley com­ pany which has expanded with funding from the Rural Lan­ cashire Development Fund and Rosebud Finance. To support its growth, the


Athena Programme Limited has moved to larger premises at 22 Lowergate, Clitheroe, and pro­ vides a specialist training and consultancy to the public, private and voluntary sectors involved in safeguarding children and 'vulner­ able young people and adults. Owner Sarah Goodall said: “I


Mm


Whatever your skills upload your 07 :o jobstoday.co.uk


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0 . 0 . < today bringing you more local jobs


have years of experience in pro­ viding expertise to organisations such as NHS Trusts, children's charities, Lancashire Constabu­ lary, housing organisations and local authorities. “I identified a gap in the mar­


ket in this part of the country and this, coupled with the increased importance of the safeguarding agenda, helped me to decide that the time was right to use my knowledge to start niy own busi­ ness. I t has been doing well and Rosebud Finance and the Rural Lancashire Development Fund provided the finance to fund the relocation so that the business can continue to grow and create more jobs for more local people.” Lancashire County Councillor


Coimcillor for this area it is great to see Lancashire County Council working with a skilled entrepre­ neur and helping a business to grow.


“Rosebud Finance is the


authority’s award-winning loan fund that helps businesses to start and to grow and is available for businesses such as this that need


Allan Knox, whose economic development department, Lan­ cashire County Developments Limited (LCDL), runs both schemes, recently -visited the busi­ ness. He said: “As the County


to e^and as they are performing Sowell. “Rural Lancashire entrepre­


neurs can also receive help froin the County Council through the Rural Lancashire IDevelopment Fund, as Sarah has. We are keen to help people in rural areas to


develop successful business ideas.” To find out more about Rose­


bud Finance call (01772) 536652 or v is it LCDL’s website at: www.lcdLco.uk To find out more about-the Rural Lancashire Development Fund, call (01772) 536600 or ■visit.the same website, helpline on 0845 0530000. ■To find out more about the


Athena Programme Limited, call 01200 428769, caU in at 22 Lower-


. gate, Clitheroe, or -visit: www.the- athenaprogramme.co.uk . Our picture shows County


Councillor Allan Knox with Sarah Goodall, owner of The Athena Programme Limited, (s)


4 f a a a H iV i i s o s


motorstoday HMIendale


Lomeshaye Business Park, Nelson, Lancashire BB9 6LL [M65 June 12], BB9 6LL Tel: 01282 723731 ■


www.hillendale.co.uk TI4P


570 b .h .p . mid- engined spo r ts car from Ferrari would


By STEVE WALKER


I have been enough to satis- I fy most, but the 458 Italia I happens to be gorgeous as


I well. There are lots of highly


I desirable destinations for a car I budget of over £150,000, but I mth this package of engineer- I ing and design Ferrari has I assembled a compelling case I for sending it to Maranello. Mounted at the heart of the 1458 is a phenomenal V8


Trac traction control system found in the 599. The braking system uses


carbon ceramic discs gripped by six-pot aluminium calipers on the front and four-pot items on the rear. It is enough to get the 458 from 62 m.p.h. to a standstill in a little over 32 metres. I t is a sad reality that most


I engine. Based on the same I block as the unit in this car's IF430 predecessor, it is boosted to a 4.5-litre capacity and re-vs


I to a spine-tingling 9,000 r.p.m. The maximum power out-


I put of 570 b.h.p. is achieved on that rev limiter and it 's enough to transport the 458 through the 0-62 m.p.h. sprint


I in 3.4 seconds. Guaranteeing the car's


I supercar status are the facts I that it will pass 124 m.p.h. in ■ 10.4 seconds and reach a top I speed on the scary side of 200 {m.p.h. Power is sent from the mid-


mounted engine to the rear wheels via Ferrari's double­ clutch gearbox marshalled by


j wheel-mounted paddle [ shifters - there is no manual option. Helping to get i t all onto


the road efficiently is the highly advanced e-diff elec­ tronic differential and the FI-


people ■will never drive a Fer­ rari 458 Italia and will have to make do ■with marvellmg at it on magazine covers and motorshow stands. I t is a beautiful car, so there


are worse ways to while away some time, but there is also function in its exquisite form. Stylists Pininfarina sculpted


■ the bod3Twork around the var­ ious cooling and aerodynamic constraints laid down by the engineers. The rubber wings inside the


frontal air-intake are designed to deform at high speed, clos­ ing off the radiator for improved aerodynamics. At lower speeds, when more cool­ ing is needed, they allow the air in and it exits through the wing vents at the side of the avant-garde front light clus­ ters. The gearbox and clutch are


cooled by the intakes on the elegantly elongated tail, with the air exiting through its mesh sections. Signature


styling features include the windscreen that plunges down below the bonnet Une the


'trio of exhaust pipes flanked by the super aggressive rear splitter. In total, the 458 bodywork


produces 140kg of downforce a t 124 m.ph., with a drag coefficient of just 0.33Cd. The interior is pared do-wn


and intensely focused on the business of dri-ving. Steering column stalks have been elim-, inated, with the controls' placed on the steering wheel itself, along with the engine start button and the settings for the stability control sys­ tem. There is a definite Formula One feel to the wheel, as a


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• around the machine's need for downforce, cooling, balance and grip. The intensely driv­ er-focused cabin with its Fl- esque steering wheel hints at the car's potential, but it is when that needle hits 9,000 r.p.m. and the V8 is gi-rtng up its 570 b.h.p. in full that the 458 -will reveal what it is truly made of.


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