logo
Can Dean Franklin's ADL air conditioning business win The Apprentice?

Can Dean Franklin's ADL air conditioning business win The Apprentice?

Independent14-04-2025
After 12 chaotic weeks of boardroom bust-ups and questionable branding choices, Lord Sugar is about to choose his next business partner in the final of The Apprentice, with a £250,000 investment hanging in the balance.
Facing off against Sutton-based pizza entrepreneur Anisa Khan in The Apprentice final is Hornchurch-based Dean Franklin. The Essex businessman has been on the winning team six times out of ten, and even clinched the win when he project-managed his team to victory in the discount buying task back in week three.
The entrepreneur's air conditioning business will go up against Anisa's fusion pizza brand in the final task of the series. Both candidates will re-launch and rebrand their companies with a TV ad and digital billboard campaign, before pitching to a panel of industry experts.
But will Lord Sugar be hot on Dean's business, or will it just give him cold feet? Here's everything you need to know about Dean's ADL air conditioning business, and how you can book a service for yourself.
Launched in 2020, Dean co-founded ADL air conditioning with his business partner Alex during the pandemic, Based in Upminster, the company supplies and installs air conditioning units in both homes and commercial properties across London and Essex.
According to its website, the team has more than 20 years of combined experience and work on everything from single-room installs in homes to larger systems for shops, garden rooms and office buildings. The company offers fixed-price air conditioning installations, with customers able to fill out a short questionnaire online to receive a quote.
ADL installs a range of systems, including wall-mounted split units and ducted air conditioning. It says that a large number of its recent installations use Japanese brand Daikin, and there are loads of examples of its loft conversions and bedrooms to garden office projects on its Instagram. The company also offers emergency call-outs and ongoing maintenance options.
In 2023, Dean was awarded the Best Tradesperson Award at the Havering Small Business Awards, but will he be able to win over Lord Sugar as well?
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Packaging firm's expansion plan for base near Forfar
Packaging firm's expansion plan for base near Forfar

The Courier

timean hour ago

  • The Courier

Packaging firm's expansion plan for base near Forfar

Plans for a major redevelopment of a packaging firm's Angus premises have been revealed. Produce Packaging has its Scottish base at South Kingston in Kingsmuir, just east of Forfar. The company is a leading UK supplier of packaging for the fresh food industry. Its product range includes punnets, trays, sandwich packs and boxes. The Lincoln-based firm has been in operation for around 40 years. An application has now been submitted to Angus Council for an expansion of the village site. Produce Packaging wants to demolish existing buildings to create new warehousing and offices. Plans show a new 863 square metre warehouse alongside the company's existing facility. It would also include office space, a staff room and toilet/shower facilities. HGV parking and new entrance and exit gates are to be created. The site has a long business history. For many years it was the base of Forfar construction company Webster Contracts. The well-known firm was acquired by north-east housebuilder Scotia Homes in 2007 and retained as an Angus office. More recently, the premises were offered for let. Angus Council will decide on the Produce Packaging application in due course. Meanwhile, councillors recently approved a 139 child nursery plan for a three-storey Forfar building. The premises were Forfar Mart offices before being used by Angus Council. You can keep up with the area's applications and approvals in our weekly Planning Ahead series.

Energy firms could leave Scotland due to North Sea 'uncertainty'
Energy firms could leave Scotland due to North Sea 'uncertainty'

STV News

timean hour ago

  • STV News

Energy firms could leave Scotland due to North Sea 'uncertainty'

Energy firms have warned that businesses could leave Scotland due to financial and political uncertainty surrounding the North Sea. One firm has said that many companies are questioning if they can stay in the UK as the North Sea becomes less viable through increased taxes and political decisions. System control firm Proserv's chief executive, Davis Larssen, has echoed a sentiment which many in the oil and gas industry have warned about for some time. The Aberdeen-based business is seeing an increasing amount of its work head overseas. The claim is backed by an industry body that says the gap between the work in oil and gas and renewables is too large, and many are looking to leave the UK for other markets around the world, which will cost jobs. 'The reality is 80% of our business is not in Aberdeen, so that does provoke a challenge,' Mr Larssen told STV News. 'I spend a lot of time on planes, like a lot of people in my position do, going to the energy basins where clients want to see you because they are investing money in maintaining and developing infrastructure, and the North Sea is almost exactly the opposite of that.' A recent survey by the industry body OEUK found 90% of firms asked said they 'see more attractive opportunities to grow their business overseas due to uncertainty and a less positive business environment at home'. The blame from a lot of companies in the sector is both on the windfall tax and the political decision to not grant new drilling licences in the North Sea in the future. Mr Larssen added: 'I put the blame firmly on the Government and in terms of the political positions they've made, which has created this whole environment of uncertainty in the UK. 'People don't want to invest any money, and they are pulling resources away and funds away to invest in other energy basins around the world.' STV News Davis Larssen, Proserv chief executive A number of companies have already cut jobs or decided they will be pulling out of the North Sea because of political decisions. Harbour Energy recently announced 250 jobs would be cut on top of 350 it axed in 2023 when it blamed the windfall tax. Apache said it would be ending its production in the region in the next few years; it too blamed the tax. The UK Government says the windfall tax is 'a temporary measure which is helping fund public services'. It has also launched a consultation on the future tax regime in the North Sea. The UK and Scottish governments have also pointed to the transition from oil and gas to renewables as a way of keeping companies in the UK and creating and retaining jobs. However, the industry body, Global Underwater Hub which represents mainly those in the subsea sector says there isn't enough work yet in renewables to sustain many firms. Its chief executive, Neil Gordon, said: 'I think the transition will take a lot longer than ever anticipated and many people will talk that it will take years, many years and decades before we get a transition. 'The risk of job losses are absolutely here and now, we are hearing companies starting to review and look at what they see on their order books, when they start looking further ahead, just over the horizon then it starts giving cause for concern.' STV News Neil Gordon, Global Underwater Hub chief executive Many companies in the UK are now looking at other regions, including West Africa, South America and Australia for work. However, experts say the shift away from the UK has been ongoing for more than a decade now. Dr Ollie Folayan is co-founder of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers. He said: 'In 2014, when we had the downturn, there was a large number of people who effectively became global citizens in many ways. 'They took some of their skills and, in some cases, set up businesses in Africa, started to do work more in Africa, but they are very much based here. 'So that started back almost 11 years ago, that is only going to get bigger, and that's only continuing.' A recent survey by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce showed that of the 100 firms they asked, around two-thirds expected to increase headcount overseas in the next five years. Almost half said staff had already left the UK to work in other energy regions, and many believed most of their work would be overseas by 2030. A UK Government spokesperson said: 'We are making the North East of Scotland the home of the UK's clean energy revolution, backed by £8.3bn for Aberdeen's Great British Energy and up to £200m for the Acorn carbon capture scheme centred on St Fergus, which is safeguarding 18,000 North Sea jobs, whilst creating 15,000 new clean energy jobs.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Celebrity and former Michelin-star chef set to close central London ‘top 100 UK' restaurant in just DAYS after 3 years
Celebrity and former Michelin-star chef set to close central London ‘top 100 UK' restaurant in just DAYS after 3 years

Scottish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Celebrity and former Michelin-star chef set to close central London ‘top 100 UK' restaurant in just DAYS after 3 years

A new Portuguese restaurant is taking over the site FINAL MOUTHFUL Celebrity and former Michelin-star chef set to close central London 'top 100 UK' restaurant in just DAYS after 3 years Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOP chef Nuno Mendes is stepping away from his beloved Portuguese restaurant Lisboeta - which closes its doors this weekend. The Michelin-star chef is moving on to focus on his Portuguese ventures and a new London project. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Nuno Mendes is closing his 'love letter to Lisbon' restaurant to start a new chapter Credit: Instagram Opened in 2022, Lisboeta was Mendes' 'love letter to Lisbon' and quickly earned a place in the UK's Top 100 Restaurants. Its final service will be held on Saturday, August 23. The restauranteur is handing over the reins to the Fitzrovia-based eatery to Portuguese chef and friend Leandro Carreira. Nuno wrote on social media: 'Dear Friends, after an incredible journey of almost four years, Lisboeta as we know it will be coming to an end this Fall. 'We've had an amazing ride and it's fantastic to see the love and support of our patrons from the day we opened our doors. 'I feel proud of the fact that we've helped to cement Portuguese food culture here in London and beyond. 'Our incredible teams, past and present, through their passion, dedication and hard work have made this possible. Our successes couldn't have been achieved without you. "Thank you to you all. Lisboeta is a deeply personal passion project to me and a brand that I would like to continue to grow and develop internationally. 'It's first steps will be into Lisbon but then we will go to other territories further away. 'I will continue to focus on my projects in Portugal, Cozinha das Flores and The Largo in Porto as well as Santa Joana in Lisbon. 'Both are going from strength to strength and we still have many goals to achieve." He continued: 'The site of Lisboeta will stay and my dear friend and colleague, Leandro Carreira will be launching an exciting new project with the team from MJMK. "It's called LUSO and I'm sure it will be a great addition to the London food scene. I'm excited to try it! 'LUSO will offer something new, rooted in our shared culture but seen through Leo's contemporary lens. I have no doubt it will be extraordinary. 'Last but not least, thank you to Marco, Jake and the whole team at MJMK for believing in Portuguese food and for coming along on this journey. I wish you lots of success in this and all of your ventures. 'Thank you friends and I hope to see you either in Portugal or in London someday soon.' Restaurant group MJMK, which owns the site, will transform the space into Luso, reopening in September after a refurbishment. MJMK co-founder Marco Mendes and Jake Kasumov said the decision was mutual and made 'on a high note' after more than four years working with the chef. 'We've been working with Nuno for well over four years and remain big fans. But in that time he's taken on other projects, so after three years of Lisboeta we all sat down and made a plan. "We thought it would be best to end on a high. He'll focus on his restaurants in Portugal, and we're relaunching with a new love letter to Portugal in Luso.' They added that the new restaurant will be more casual in tone and said: 'We've been working with Leandro to develop a straightforward, traditional Portuguese restaurant — one not so much about the chef, but the country. 'We're not trying to be cheffy. We want to focus on simple, slightly elevated Portuguese dishes made with simple ingredients. Pricing will be similar, maybe a little lower. "We want to be busy all the time, especially at lunch when people can come in for a beer and a sandwich.' 3 The high-profile eatery will be turned into a 'traditional' Portuguese restaurant Credit: Instagram

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store