Blog
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT AS PUBLICANS’ SPORTS BILLS ARE SET TO FALL
The licensing industry can a hotbed of controversy when it comes to charges and price hikes, but one of the biggest bugbears for licensees is the cost of providing Sky for customers. With the Premier League, the Lions Tour and the Grand Prix promising to be a huge draw… Read More
MEET THE NEWBIES: THE PLANNERS
Harris Lamb has been on a major recruitment drive over the past 18 months, expanding the team rapidly as the business grows; but what do the recruits themselves think? We meet the new kids on the block, and find out how they’re getting on. Alisha Paul and John Pearce… Read More
Aiding the Poundstretcher expansion plan
Harris Lamb’s Retail team is assisting Poundstretcher with its 2017 growth plan. The discount retail chain aims to launch 50 new stores this year, and Harris Lamb has been retained to help identify and acquire sites. Head of Retail David Walton said: “We’re looking to secure sites both… Read More
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: BECOMING A MAYOR’S MENTOR
Since becoming the first Mayor of the West Midlands last month, Andy Street has swiftly set about starting to realise his plans for the region. One of the first things he’s done, which we think is a fantastic initiative, is his Mayor’s Mentors scheme. The concept is simple: Andy… Read More
25 YEARS TO REMEMBER
Harris Lamb has marked 25 years in business with an anniversary party for colleagues and clients at Bank restaurant in Birmingham. Founded in May 1992 by Neil Harris and Andrew Lamb, the business has moved from strength to strength over the… Read More
THE DAY WE MET BLIND DAVE
It’s not every day you get to meet a living legend, but Team HL were lucky enough to do just that this week when Blind Dave Heeley joined us at our annual conference. Usually found running seven marathons back-to-back or cycling hundreds of miles over a… Read More
A VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE – REDEVELOPMENT, REFURBISHMENT AND BUSINESS RATES
Harris Lamb has welcomed the long-awaited decision from the Supreme Court following the Monk v Newbigin case. The Court unanimously allowed S J & J Monk’s appeal against the Valuation Office in the long-running case centred around how property undergoing refurbishment or… Read More
Happy shoppers: Why more retailers need to follow Hamleys’ lead and head North…
Birmingham has enjoyed a blast from the past this month with the revelation that luxury toy retailer Hamleys will be returning to the city after 30 years, The store, which has long since been located in London, will open on October 21st at the popular Resorts World retail… Read More
Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets to make way for a £500m development
With plans imminent to demolish Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets to make way for a £500m development, city planners are keen to see the huge site utilised for public use in the interim.The historic market site is due to be brought down to bring the… Read More
Think a Business Rates review can’t make much difference to your bottom line? Think again.
When it comes to running a business, most decisions are based on what we can see and easily control: the amount of stock coming in versus the amount being sold, thereby minimising waste, maximising profits, and so on. Too often, we don’t pay any attention to the ‘hidden’ costs… Read More
Moving Day
Malcolm Scott with Jacqui Bayliss and Neil Harris at the St Mary’s Street office It’s been a little over two months since Harris Lamb acquired Malcolm Scott Consultants, and this week saw the six-strong MSC team make the… Read More
JOHN WHO?
Last week saw something pretty monumental happen – and it had nothing to do with the EU.You might have missed it in the Brexit furore, but Worcester became the first place to ever to say “no” to a John Lewis store.Councillors refused planning permission for Land Securities to build a £150m… Read More
FROM HUMBLE ROOTS: HOW UK GARDEN CENTRES HAVE FLOURISHED INTO ALL-DAY DESTINATION ATTRACTIONS
I attended the HTA Catering conference at The Belfry earlier this month as part of the panel of experts. As usual, the event was full of new ideas that I was keen to pick up on. Our team has an excellent reputation across the UK and beyond for creative design… Read More
Lawful Use Certificates Explained…
Anyone who’s ever enhanced their business with an extension or added an extra income stream courtesy of a change of use knows that to do so within the law, you need to apply for, and achieve, planning permission. But because planning can be a lengthy process and some businesses… Read More
Shiny, Happy People…
Birmingham has been getting some long-overdue glowing praise in recent months, and this latest piece of good press, courtesy of The Guardian, is particularly welcome. Apparently our beloved Second City is one of the top ten happiest places to work… Read More