We love it when businesses send us their good news and here’s our latest good news round-up, kindly sponsored by PALADIN. Awards, expansion, new contracts or new appointments, if you’ve got some good news you want to share please email the editor, Martin Shaw, on martin@huddersfieldhub.co.uk.
Wholesale business Morris & Son – run by Huddersfield entrepreneur Andy Needham – has strengthened its senior team.
The company has announced the return of Chris Ellis as purchasing and sales director.
Chris rejoins Morris & Son after gaining valuable experience at another prominent wholesale business.
In his new role, he will have overall responsibility for the purchasing and sales functions within the business, playing a crucial part in driving the company’s next stages of development.
With over a decade of experience in international trade and wholesale sales, including significant time in the health and beauty sector, Chris brings a wealth of expertise to his position. He was previously international trading director at Morris & Son.
Andy Needham, managing director of Morris & Son, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Chris back to our team.
“2024 has been a fantastic year for Morris & Son with a forecasted turnover of £25m by the end of the year.
“We have even bigger plans for 2025 and Chris’ extensive experience in international trade across various sectors will be invaluable as we continue to expand our operations and strengthen our position as a key player in the wholesale and distribution of residual stock and clearance products.”
TransPennine Express (TPE) has opened its doors to eight new apprentices, expanding its team with fresh talent who will experience different areas of the business as part of a popular two-year scheme.
The new cohort of apprentices who come from towns and cities across the region including Huddersfield, Leeds, Manchester and Middlesbrough will receive an introduction to the rail industry, with each based in a different department, including Communications, Customer Experience, Performance, Retail Systems, Safety, Service Delivery and Social Media.
Over the next two years, the eight individuals Ben Hunt, Cameron Law, Ellen Thompson, Harry Moss, Jacob Dube, Jack Millward, Megan Asquith and Ted Hollas will be fully immersed in the world of TPE and will play an integral part in transporting customers and connecting communities across the North and into Scotland.
The apprentices will work across the business to see how each function works together to keep customers on the move, all while gaining the skills required for a career in the rail industry.
Each will also gain a level 3 qualification, with TPE working with training providers to ensure the qualifications are relevant and positively impact both the business and the apprentices.
Emma Sayers-Bates, early careers talent manager for TransPennine Express, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the next generation of rail talent and proud to be introducing our eight new team members.
“Apprenticeships are huge opportunities for both students and employees and are an excellent way for young people to kick-start their career, allowing them to further their education and gain great work experience at the same time.
“We want our apprentices to gain knowledge across the whole business, giving them a great start as they build their careers. Our apprentices will delve into different areas of the business, from supporting communications to the delivery of services in the control centre; the new recruits will get to see what it’s like to run a railway.”
Ellen Thompson, customer experience and social media apprentice for TransPennine Express, said: “I’m really looking forward to working for TPE as it’s a great opportunity to gain new skills and a qualification whilst getting some hands-on work experience.”
Cameron Law, performance apprentice for TransPennine Express, said: “I’m looking forward to taking a closer look at all things performance as well as going out on the network and seeing different parts of the company, learning about how it operates and what it contributes.”
The next opening for the 2025 apprenticeship scheme will be in April 2025, to be notified register at: Careers | TransPennine Express (tpexpresscareers.co.uk)
Tim Hare
Huddersfield-headquartered law firm Holden Smith has appointed Tim Hare to its growing residential conveyancing team.
Mr Hare, who will be based at the firm’s Elland office, joins Holden Smith from north-west based law firm, Russell & Russell.
Ryanne Smith, director and branch manager at Holden Smith, said: “Our conveyancing team is growing rapidly, and as we continue to support a growing client base, we are delighted to welcome Tim to Holden Smith.
“His breadth of experience in residential conveyancing will help bolster our growing team and ensure we continue to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.”
Mr Hare said: “I have followed Holden Smith since the firm was established in 2019 and have been impressed with its growth and ambition to do things differently.
“I am delighted to be joining the conveyancing team at an exciting time with further growth on the horizon and look forward to working closely with Ryanne and the team to build on their success.”
Elland-based Sniffers Pet Care is celebrating the successful expansion of its product range, partnering with a major supermarket chain.
Calderdale Council’s business support team continues to help local companies with their growth ambitions. It recently supported Sniffers Pet Care with recruitment.
Sniffers has been providing pet products and services for over 40 years and is now one of the largest pet treat suppliers in the UK.
The company’s natural dog treat brand, NAW, launched around 12 months ago and is celebrating its first year of trading by partnering with Sainsbury’s, with NAW products now featuring in over 300 stores nationwide.
The growth of Sniffers has been supported by Calderdale Council’s Business Growth Team and Employment Hub, who were able to help with their recruitment requirements.
As consumer habits changed during and post-Covid lockdowns, the company were looking to expand and create additional product ranges. In 2021 the company moved into its new large warehouse facility in Elland and as the business continued to grow, it was necessary to recruit additional staff for assembly and packaging line roles.
Sniffers approached the Business Growth Team and members of the council’s Employment Hub met with the chief operating officer at Sniffers to understand the company’s recruitment needs.
With the help of the Employment Hub, Sniffers were able to recruit five new warehouse roles within one month and the hub has continued to support the business with further recruitment.
Representatives from Sniffers have also attended the council’s Reverse Jobs Fair event where they were able to meet and speak with jobseekers to meet potential new candidates.
The company continues to go from strength to strength and since moving to Elland in 2021, the workforce has now more than doubled.
