Category: Market news

A company set up because its founder promised a fellow serviceman a job would be waiting for him after the Second World War, is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Cardiff company TB Davies (Cardiff) Ltd was founded on November 6, 1945 by a veteran of two world wars, Thomas Brynley Davies. Mr Davies was a Warrant Officer in the Second Battalion of the Life Guards stationed at Windsor Barracks in the First World War. 

He made his promise to fellow serviceman Colin Morgan while stationed at a local RAF base. After the war ended, Bryn sold his house to finance the new business, TB Davies.

To continue reading, please click here.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFN7IILi_oM&utm_source=TB+Davies+CRM&utm_campaign=ee0c5b8e6a-75-years-campaign_all&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5f543c0e71-ee0c5b8e6a-423831913[/embed]

#AD

U-Power is the leading safety footwear and workwear brand in Europe.
We are proud to attach our upcoming advertising campaign in the UK with
the globally renowned actor Gerard Butler on all of the most influencial
media platforms including ITV, Sky and Talksport.

The campaign began on Monday, 6th November, and will end on the 4th of December.

Click here for full campaign details and get in touch with the U-Power office to receive more information on how to benefit from this opportunity!

Troy UK have partnered with Ashfords LLP, a leading law firm, to provide Troy members with a dedicated COVID-19 helpline.

With the UK Government announcing an unprecedented range of support measures for businesses and employers, the helpline will provide initial help and signposting in relation to business and legal issues arising from the COVID-19 crisis, at no cost to the member.

We are currently in extraordinary times which raises a significant amount of questions for business owners. The new partnership between Troy and Ashfords aims to combat this uncertainty with advice and information on employment law, commercial tenant advice, loan application and finance facilities, commercial insurance, business continuity and tax deferral schemes.

Government initiatives, arrangements and provisions are changing and emerging on a daily basis so keeping up to date in these challenging trading conditions is essential to Troy Members. The new Troy/Ashfords partnership will provide a regular bulletin to members to give as much information as possible about the current COVID-19 pandemic and the issues it creates for businesses in the UK. The bulletin will contain a summary of Government measures, frequently asked questions, best practice tips, evolving business issues as well as application and paperwork support.

Members can enjoy free initial legal advice, which is complimentary support provided by Troy in these challenging trading times.

More details are available to Members only within the members area of the Troy THS website https://www.troyuk.co.uk/we-are-here-to-help/

Paul Kilbride, CEO of the Troy Group, has signed to sponsor local rugby union club and premiership title winners, Exeter Chiefs, this season. 
Paul is a long term supporter of the team and this sponsorship deal on behalf of Troy celebrates a major milestone, his 10 year ownership anniversary as CEO of Troy, coinciding with the Chiefs’ 10 years competing in the Aviva premiership.  

Both organisations have enjoyed great success over the last ten years, equally starting from relatively humble beginnings and sharing ambitions for future achievement.

Troy provides business services and solutions for its membership, which is made up of independent SME industrial supplies and tooling distributors, to enable them to compete with the major national tooling chains.

Since Paul’s succession 10 years ago Troy UK has grown to become the largest in its marketplace, having more than £1.1b collective group trading power with more than 400 suppliers and 350 members.

Sports ethics and competitive drive play a large part in Troy’s culture.  Its accomplishments are the result of team work, identifying individuals’ core skills and maximising that to the collective advantage of the team in order to succeed – as well as professionalism, focus and commitment.

Paul has sponsored a number of sporting events and clubs, including the Tug of War at the Drumnadrochit Highland Games, a charitable donation for competing in the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara, Peter Dumbreck Professional British Racing Driver as well as supporting a local under 16’s football team Central AC, and now Exeter Chiefs. Not only this but Troy hosts its annual TMB show at the home of British Formula 1, Silverstone, reflecting their aim for the elite standard.

[playlist type="video" ids="33233"]

 

Nurturing Young Local Talent

Both organisations value their local talent and seek to develop and retain their top performers.  Star players like Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell & Sam Hill have developed to the highest level at the Chiefs, progressing from academy level to international standard and remain loyal to the club.

Paul’s sons, Alex & Oz, who are both Chief’s academy alumni, have successfully completed Troy’s trainee management scheme.   They and other Troy employees are set to rise through the ranks and become the stars of the future.  Troy prides itself on being a family business, supporting other family businesses.  This sentiment extends across its staff team creating a friendly and tight-knit environment, making it one of the top companies to work for in the country.

As we’re sure you’re aware, Dickies Workwear will be discontinued as of 31^st March ’21.

 

Please see below some of the alternative suppliers and brands available through Troy, that offer high quality ranges of Workwear for you to consider stocking in place of the Dickies ranges.  For further details please see the purchasing hub on www.troyuk.co.uk or discuss with your BDM for more assistance.

• Bisley
• Castle Clothing
• Future Garments
• Helly Hansen
• Mascot
• Performance Brands
• Portwest
• Regatta
• Scruffs (Birchwood)
• Snickers
• Sterling safety

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The UK Government has recently announced that there are to be new rules applied on vat for COVID 19 related PPE. A zero-rate of VAT will apply to sales of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Covid-19 from 1 May 2020 until 31 July 2020, a move they said will save care homes and businesses more than £100 million.

This announcement comes after import duty was also removed from PPE used in the context of Covid-19.

Further information is available through this link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/treasury-cut-taxes-to-reduce-ppe-costs?utm_source=5e6cb49d-28fc-44d1-82f0-a3b1bbcbb742&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

A huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone that donated towards the the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine at the TMB Gala Dinner.  All funds raised will go direct to the British Red Cross appeal to support those affected. 

Messages are currently being sent out to everyone that pledged on the night, as a reminder to complete donations via our GoFundMe page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tmb2022

Thank you so much for your generosity – we will be announcing the full figure raised very soon,  #strongertogether

Energy purchasing can be a complicated task to fulfill, particularly when it comes to electricity. When considering your next business contract, it is important to understand the charging structure within the offer and what you are paying for. For many small businesses, not having the time or knowledge to review and implement the best energy contracts for their businesses can often lead to overpaying further down the line.

Breaking Down Bills
Interestingly, and often not well known, wholesales energy costs make up only approximately 40% of your total energy bills, the other part is made up from a mixture of additional 3rd party charges including government levies, which often focus on support for green energy incentives like Feed In Tariffs and the climate change levy. Further charges include payments for maintaining infrastructure, transmitting and distributing energy from power stations and across the national grid. Surprisingly the continuous upward trend in energy costs is due to the non-commodity elements of your energy bill, rather than the wholesale cost of energy. The chart below gives an example of this:

*Contracts for Difference
**Climate Control Levy

Finding the Best Deal
The price you pay for your energy depends on many factors, including the type of procurement contract you opt for, the length of that contract and your overall consumption. All of these will vary by supplier, meaning finding the best price can be quite confusing. Essentially there are 3 types of electricity contracts: Pass Through, Fixed and Fully Fixed.

Pass-Through contracts differ from fully fixed contracts in that only the wholesale part of your price is fixed for the length of the contract. All other non-commodity costs including transmission, distribution, government taxes and levies are passed through to the consumer via their supplier at cost and can change as these are a variable charge. In fully fixed contracts these charges are higher as they have a risk weighting applied to allow for price increases.

The benefit of this approach depends on small increase in the pass-through charges throughout your contract. If these charges don’t increase significantly during the contract period, you will benefit from lower overall costs, however the risk is that they will.

Fixed or Partial Pass Through,
This type of contract fixes the wholesale cost of the energy for the contractual period, and the 3rd party charges mentioned above will be set at this point. The suppliers are then responsible for any increases in 3rd party charges up to a certain point. If charges exceed a certain amount, which should be outlined in the terms and conditions they can then pass through these charges to the end user.
This type of contract Is less risky than a full pass-through contract and is aimed at businesses who would like slightly more security in their contracts but do still have a higher risk threshold.

Fully Fixed,
These types of contracts are aimed at businesses with little appetite for risk and those that want absolute budget certainty. The price of the unit rate, including all non-commodity charges is fully fixed for the duration of the contract. A a result the unit rates and standing charges tend to be higher, as the supplier must build risk of future increases to 3rd party charge into their offer. It must still be noted that these contracts can till be exposed to new taxes as well as increases to the climate change levy (CCL) and VAT.

Your choice

While for most SMEs outright cost will be the primary driver, in some cases different factors may come into consideration, depending on the nature of your business and your wider targets.

Working with an energy consultant can help your business find the most suitable contracts for your businesses needs based on your attitude to risk.

Get a fresh pair of expert eyes cast over your bills and see if efficiencies or errors can be identified.

Troy UK has vetted and approved consultants you can use to be sure of a great service.

Troy supplier Dickies UK have launched their first ever Dickies global marketing campaign: “United By Inspiration, United By Dickies”.

The campaign juxtaposes ten makers from the Dickies global community, including two European makers; Johannes Rathmann, a carpenter from Germany and Rob Maxfield, a stone mason from the UK.  

This campaign will be spread on their website, social medias, via trade press, via digital and Youtube.  

You can get a sneak peak at the visuals and videos developed for the campaign here!

Click here for links to Dickies socials

Click here for the full story from Dickies

Here are some of the fantastic new suppliers that have joined the Group in the last quarter of 2021.  To find out more about their product and brand offerings, please visit the Purchasing Hub here on the Members’ area of the Troy website or via their company websites as shown below:

• Allied Hygiene – Janitorial Products – www.alliedhygiene.com
• Jackson Safety – Welding Safety – www.jacksonsafety.eu
• Durable – Maintenance Products – www.durable-uk.com
• Capella Solutions Group – Maintenance Products – www.capellasolutionsgroup.com
• Murdoch – Maintenance/Ladders & Access Products www.murdochinternational.co.uk
• Cascade – Site Lights – www.cascadehl.com/StanleyLighting or
  www.stanleytools.com/products/automotivetools/portable-lighting/work-lights
• Olfa – Hand tools / Painting & Decorating Supplies / Knives / Maintenance – www.axusdecor.com/
• Ciret Ltd – Maintenance Products – www.ciret.com
• SHS Handling Solutions – Storage & Handling Products – www.shshandlingsolutions.com
• Sterling Brushes – Maintenance, Brushware, Wire Brushes, Painting & Decorating, Cleaning Products, Industrial & Hygiene Brushware, First-Aid & Safety PPE – www.bestpaintbrushes.com
• Wearwell – PPE Products – www.wearwell.co.uk

Here are some of the fantastic new suppliers that have joined the Group in the first quarter of 2022.  To find out more about their product and brand offerings, please visit the Purchasing Hub here on the Members’ area of the Troy website or via their company websites as shown below:

• Centurion – PPE – www.centurionsafety.eu/
• Fosse Liquitrol – Spill Control – www.fosseliquitrol.co.uk
• GYS – Welding – www.gys-welding.com
• Jackson Safety – Welding – www.jacksonsafety.eu
• Jeaton Service Centre – Abrasives – www.jeatonltd.com
• Millers Oils – Lubrication – www.millersoils.co.uk
• Power2Go – Electrical Supplies – www.power-2go.com

A huge welcome to Forbes England, the new Welding Category Manager, at Troy.  He has already been busy partnering with existing and brand-new Troy suppliers and wholesalers of Welding products for the Membership. 

Forbes has 25-30 years’ experience in the welding sector and gained an accumulation of contacts in the welding world, both in manufacturing and distribution.  With his wealth of insight he understands all areas of the business at Troy – Members, End Users and Suppliers. 

We recently received the below question and put it to Forbes:

The global welding market is a 14.5Bn USD market right now, how do your welding suppliers see the shift from Oil & Gas (Every pipes welded at some point! ) to renewable industries affecting their product ranges?

Forbes asked one of his contacts who doesn’t wish to be named – although we can however state that this came from one of the Worlds largest welding and consumable manufacturers – this is what they have said:-

Fundamentally there are significant opportunities available to pursue in respect of the offshore wind segment for which we are developing new solutions & products to meet some of the exacting requirements.

Of course there are product & solution overlaps between the Oil & Gas and Renewable energy segments, but to some extent it depends on who & how they are being defined, for instance the EU has recently started to include gas as being ‘green’ in addition to nuclear!

So long as we continue to ‘weld’ metals we have a bright future !

Forbes will be reaching out to Members about developments in the coming weeks and months via the usual channels; marketing emails, the website, social Media and the Member magazine, Troy News. In the meantime, if you are interested in anything welding related, please email him at forbes.england@troyuk.co.uk.

For more information on Forbes and how he can help your business, please see page 4 of the Winter 2022 issue of Troy News found in the publications area of the website …

Troy Member Mackays have been working closely with The Repair Cafe.

The Repair Cafe originated over in Holland when a lady called Martine Postma was looking for a way to stop perfectly usable goods from being thrown into Landfill for want of a simple repair.  There are now over 1500 Repair Cafe’s worldwide and the idea is growing very fast in the UK, particularly around Cambridge.

Each Repair Cafe group is manned by volunteers who are very good at mending things. Their customers are people who need things mended and don’t want to damage the environment. The other benefit being that the events become a very effective social hub for a community.

Mackays and Troy Supplier Draper Tools have created 2 very large toolkits which are stored at East Road. Every time an event is organised by one of the 26 groups in Cambridge and surrounding area, one of the kits is loaned out to the group and then returned to us following the event.  This allows many more volunteers to give their time without having to lug tools and equipment to the event.

The Repair Cafe concept has now grown very effectively in the Cambridge area. For the concept to develop more they need to put more resources behind it so that eventually every village and community throughout the country can have one of their own.

Cambridge Carbon Footprint (who organise the Repair Cafe events) have been given a fabulous opportunity of gaining very significant ONE for ONE match funding based upon the amount they can raise in just ONE week. That week started at 12midday Friday 22^nd April and ends at 12 midday Friday 29^th April 2022

Their fundraising target is £10,000 in a week which will be double to £20,000.

The CCF Repair Cafe donation page can be found at
https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a056900002EIYSmAAP

If possible please help by donating to the cause and support this environmentally positive project.