Latest news with #WendyThompson
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'We removed walls and found heads, arm and bodies'
A regeneration project leader has been describing how workers removing a wall found heads, legs and bodies - of scheme involves the demolition of Northampton's BHS and Marks & Spencer stores as well as a job centre, to be replaced with housing, shops and leisure facilities. The inside of the structures has now been cleared of trading equipment ready for the excavators to move project leader, Wendy Thompson, from West Northamptonshire Council, said the process was "a complicated jigsaw". Northampton lost two of its major stores on Abington Street when BHS closed in 2016 and M&S followed two years two companies accounted for about 150,00 sq ft (13,935 sq m) of retail Thompson, West Northamptonshire Council's head of major projects, said the process of acquiring the buildings and clearing them ready for demolition was "a long journey". "It's such a complicated jigsaw bringing a site to this stage, ready for the deconstruction works to start," she said. She added: "There were rooms that were full of racking. We were taking down walls and finding heads and arms and bodies of mannequins."To prepare for demolition, you have to remove the electrics, the water and the gas supplies. We've had to remove two sub-stations from the site."Once the buildings have gone, the site will be turned into flats with some shops and leisure facilities on the ground floor. Mark Fenning and his team from Colemans demolition will now be taking over to begin the task of clearing the structures. He said: "Initially, we'll have robotic demolition, quite small, and they're going to be brought in from the service deck. They'll do all the delicate work around the live structures."That part of the process will be followed by heavy excavators. "We'll then be making our way sequentially through the structure, segregating materials as we go," he added. Substances like hardcore and brick will be crushed on site and used in the construction project. 'Potential' Asbestos is present in the buildings so that has to be dealt with according to strict challenge will be the presence, next to the old BHS store, of a functioning mobile phone shop. Mr Fenning added: "We have to make sure that we get the propping in place [there] to support the structure while we're doing the demolition work."The council said this phase of the project was scheduled for completion in early 2026, and would "unlock the potential of the town centre". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
South Wales Argus
25-04-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Family businesses in Wales key to growth, new research shows
Research shows that 84 per cent of family business owners attribute their success to their multigenerational workforce. The study highlights the unique contributions of different generations, with Gen Z and Millennials praised for their innovation (39 per cent) and digital marketing skills (37 per cent). Older generations are valued for their stability (45 per cent) and industry knowledge (41 per cent). However, rising costs remain a concern for many. More than half of business owners cited energy costs as their biggest financial challenge. Entrepreneur and Dragons' Den investor, Deborah Meaden, who started in her family's amusement arcade business, said: "Family-run businesses have always been the backbone of the UK economy, providing stability, innovation, and a sense of community across generations. "However, increased costs are a challenge, be it supplier costs or running costs such as energy." Among those leading the way is Ffansi Ffrogs, a mother-daughter owned prom dress shop in Ruthin. Wendy Thompson, owner of Ffansi Ffrogs, said: "Running a small family business means you're in charge of everything: from sales to marketing to cleaning the shop to paying energy bills. "It's a cliché that it's not a 9-5 but it really isn't." The research, commissioned by Smart Energy GB, also showed more than eight in 10 (87 per cent) owners believe younger generations will take over the family business. Only 11 per cent foresee their business closing, or being sold outside the family (10 per cent).
