Government crowns Gloucestershire firm the best in the UK
A Gloucestershire business has been singled out for praise by the Government as the very best in the UK - as a quite simply exceptional exporter. And it’s not in a sector you might think of either!
Dear readers,
Thank you for your patience over the last two weeks as I enjoyed a little time off.
It was back to work at the end of last week though, beavering away on stories ready for today and beyond ahead.
I actually came across the lead article below before I took my break, and it seems to have passed everyone else by still - so I thought we really should share the news.
As a journalist of 25 years covering the county I’ve been lucky enough to follow the story of this business and the career of its now chief executive officer, Steve Munnoch, and he was good enough to pick up the phone and confirm everything I’d heard.
And before I sign off, I’d just like to wish Kieran Bradley from Randall & Payne all the very best for his commute next week - 75 miles on foot, in aid of charity! You can read that below too.
Have a great week.
Andrew.
Andrew Merrell (editor).
Your briefing notes…
🎉🏗️ A £24m investment in a new Gloucestershire leisure centre could create 185 jobs in the county. Major leisure centre operator David Lloyd has been given permission to build the new club near Chelteham with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sports hall, gym, studio facilities, spa, child activity area, cafe and terrace and more. More here.
🤝A firm followed by The Raikes Journal as part of its Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series is set for more growth after a multi million pound takeover - made possible by county firm Hazlewoods. Hercules, the Cotswolds-based supplier of skilled and semi-skilled workers for major infrastructure construction projects, has bought Advantage NRG Ltd in a deal worth £15.7 million. It is a move expected to add millions of pounds more to the turnover of its Cirencester-based owner, with the Lancashire businesses bringing in £11.1 million for the year ending February 28 2025. More here.
🏗️ Controversial plans to build 160 homes in a village near Gloucester have been given the go-ahead amid fears “sewage will burst from manholes and flood people’s gardens”. Tewkesbury Borough Council has granted St Modwen Homes Ltd, now part of Miller Homes, permission to build the homes on 12 acres of land north of Brook Lane in Down Hatherley, despite objections from residents and parish councils. (In collaboration with the BBC). More here.
📈 Take a look at a recent takeover of a Chichester firm by another business from the South West town and all trails lead back to Cheltenham. The takeover of Marketscan Limited, a long-established UK provider of B2B marketing data, by Marketscan Data Solutions Ltd. The latter is a connected company to award-winning email marketing agency, Acquirz Limited, with the deal said to “accelerate” the Cheltenham firm’s growth in the UK B2B data market. Chris Skinner, co-founder and director of Acquirz, described the new partnership as “a game-changer”. “It supercharges our market presence, boosting our ability to deliver even more powerful, scalable results for our customers,” said Skinner. More here.
⚠️ If you do business in Cheltenham and have to travel in by road past Cheltenham Spa railway station beware, Gloucester Road (B4633) will be partially closed for the best part of a month for electrical works. It will be closed south west bound from July 28 to August 22 for National Grid to undertake the works to relocate an electricity substation at the rail station. National Grid chiefs say they will endeavour to complete the project as swiftly as possible, but they estimate that it will not be until Friday, August 22.
🥊A decision by councillors that lost Gloucester a £45 million investment in one of its poorest areas has been defended by its council leader, who rejected calls for him to resign. As we reported here on The Raikes Journal, after years in the planning stages, and despite working closely with Gloucester City Council to line up a £45 million investment in Podsmead, including 172 new homes, Gloucester City Homes saw the same council refused the scheme at planning. It put an end to what was described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”. More here.
Charity of the week…
Would you run to work if the miles clocked after five days totalled 75?! At 5am on Monday 28 July, Kieran Bradley (pictured above), an auditor at Gloucestershire-based accountants Randall & Payne, will begin a challenge to run 15 miles to work each day for five days from his home in Nailsworth to the company’s offices on the outskirts of Cheltenham. It’s all in aid of Mind, the UK mental health charity that provides crucial services to those experiencing mental health challenges. “Mental health affects us all in some way, whether directly or through loved ones, and Mind’s work is essential,” said Bradley. Read more here. Or go straight to his Justgiving page.
Diary Dates…
We usually flag an event of interest for every day of the week, but we’ve changed our minds. We’re beginning to transition to looking further ahead too (if you would like a diary date featured, please do contact us).
Tuesday: Networking: Social brunch for start-ups. From 9.30am to 11am at The Growth Hub at SGS College, Stroud. Described as a great opportunity to connect with local entrepreneurs.
Wednesday: Personal productivity workshop: Time-focusing tactics for small business owners. Granger Forson will be on hand at The Growth Hub, Hub8, Cheltenham, from 9.30am to 11.30am.
Thursday: Workplace Clarity : One-to-One Guidance for Business Owners. Business development partner Dawn Greenwood will deliver these 45 minute one-to-one sessions at The Growth Hub, Hub8, Cheltenham, from 9.30am to 1.15pm.
Friday: A Tewkesbury branch of the BNI is building a successful business referral group in Cirencester, and it meets today from 9.30am at Gupshill Manor, Gloucester Road (GL20 5SY).
Future events… Property advice!
The experienced team of property dispute lawyers at Willans LLP is due to host its third, free, in-person seminar (5 August 2025) for property professionals to provide further information on the Renters’ Rights Bill and other case law updates.
“Last week it was confirmed that the Renters’ Right Bill won’t become law until after the summer, given that the consideration of the House of Lords’ amendments won’t take place until 8 September 2025,” said Bethen Abraham, solicitor at Willans LLP.
“However, it may be that the Bill receives Royal Assent before the end of this year, so it’s really important for property professionals in Gloucestershire to get ahead and understand what the changes will mean for them.”
The seminar is aimed at estate agents, property managers and professional portfolio landlords. Tickets are restricted to three per organisation. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions from the expert panel.
You can submit a question when registering. More here.
* The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read here - original stories about our county - is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire+ College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne; our sponsors, Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
If you upgrade to paid you’ll be part of this CIC too. We’re dedicated to championing the county, its businesses, charities, education and training providers, and to creating an even stronger community. If you upgrade to paid you’ll be able to see past the paywalls often put on our 2cnd and 3rd email editions of the week, that lock our archive after two weeks and our Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series. You’ll be able to comment on our stories too.
You can sign up for just £2.30 a week - or £1.80 a week if two or more people sign up at once. Or go all in and become one of our Founding Partners or Founding Members!
Government crowns Gloucestershire firm the best in the UK
A Gloucestershire business has been singled out for praise by the Government as the very best - an exceptional exporter and exceptional at international growth. And it’s not in a sector you might think of either!
By Andrew Merrell
Dealing in scrap metals might not grab the headlines quite like the sexy tech sector does, for example, but when the UK Government looked at a Gloucestershire firm it found an example of British business at its very best.
It was looking UK-wide for a company to crown a winner in its 2025 Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards, and it found what it was looking for in Gloucester.
Avon Speciality Metals may not be as high profile as some, but it’s part of a group that is no stranger to serious awards.
Parent company Avon Metals, also based in Gloucester, walked away with the Queen’s Award for International Trade (now the King’s Award, of course) in 2007, 2009 and 2012 and 2019.
Avon Speciality Metals was founded in 2012 and at a glance might look like it simply handles scrap metal, but it has become a specialist in nickel, cobalt, and superalloy materials, serving critical sectors including aerospace, energy, medical, and automotive manufacturing.
And exporting is a key driver in the innovative firm’s continued growth. Which is what helped see it crowned first place in the advanced manufacturing and construction category of the Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards.
And praised by the Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports.
Turnover in 2024 was up from £27 million to £32.1m and net profit up from £1.37m to £1.75m, with staff numbers rising from 28 to 30.
Steve Munnoch, the chief executive officer of the Bristol Road-headquartered firm (picture above, right, with MD Richard Lewis), described the award as “great” news, adding that the business was doing well and investing against a difficult backdrop.
“We have all the challenges everyone else has - not least tariffs; the US and global situation.
“I think we’ve done well because we are always innovating, always looking at what customers and the markets want, and continuing to invest to deliver that.
“It’s an approach that continues to deliver steady growth for us.”
The firm recently invested £1 million into its county operations and now sells to 20-plus countries with exporting accounting for 31 per cent of revenue from sustainable alloy/metal recycling and AI-driven processing
The UK Government statement covering its Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards, decribed Avon Speciality Metals as the pinnacle of “ethical metal recycling”.
The awards saw the county business celebrated alongside outstanding food producers, creative industries, digital and technology comanies, firms in education and edTech, financial services, healthcare, infrastructure and engineering, low carbon energy, retail and consumer goods and export services.
All of which help put the UK on the map.
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports, said: “The innovation and entrepreneurship shown by the businesses entering the Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards demonstrate the best of British business.
“When small businesses export, the whole economy benefits. By celebrating the outstanding international trade achievements of UK SMEs, we hope to encourage more businesses to get on the exporting ladder and take the best of Britain to markets around the world.”
This year’s winners were chosen from hundreds of entries across 12 sector-focused categories, including two new areas—Digital & Technology and Export Services—introduced to reflect evolving global opportunities.
Each category includes one winner and up to three highly commended businesses.
According to the Government, exporting supports a fifth of UK employment, paying on average seven per cent higher wages and delivering 21 per cent higher productivity for goods exporters.