LIDL APPOINTS BRITCON FOR MORE STORE UPGRADES
Building and civil engineering contractor Britcon has secured two further contracts to expand and refurbish Lidl stores in Grimsby and Barton on Humber.
The contracts, worth several million pounds, follow the successful completion of recent store extension projects in Coventry and Leicester for the discount super market chain with further projects in the pipeline.
Britcon is currently building a 4,500 sq. ft extension for the store on Cromwell Road in Grimsby to create space for a new bakery, freezer area and additional warehouse facilities that will create an 18,000 sq ft facility in total. It is also demolishing three residential properties to make way for the extension and providing a new loading dock and additional parking.
The store closed from New Year’s Eve for a five week period to allow Britcon to knock through to the existing store and completely refit the extended store and replace all external landscaped areas.
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In Barton on Humber Britcon is refurbishing the 12,000 sq. ft High Street store with a reconfiguration of space, new glazing, heightened ceilings, new flooring and full mechanical and electrical installation. It is also resurfacing the car park with new kerbing and landscaping. The store also closed on New Year’s Eve for intensive works with plans to re-open late February 2015.
Paul Clarkson MD at Britcon said, “We are pleased to secure further contracts with Lidl. It is testament to our expertise in the food retail sector and demonstrates trust in our capabilities to deliver full design and build services for Lidl during its store refurbishment programme.”
Britcon has specialised expertise in the retail and food industry and has previously completed retail build contracts for other well-known food stores as well as specialised food manufacturing facilities and food waste disposal through the construction of anaerobic digestion plants for a number of clients.
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The government has given its seal of approval to an exciting new development at Newquay Cornwall Airport.
Constructed by a team at Rubb Buildings Limited, Aerohub will offer 25,000sq ft of space for aircraft storage and maintenance tasks carried out at Newquay Cornwall Airport. In fact, the hangar is already home to a new CIS UK Ltd facility and the site for Apple Aviation to carry out repairs, overhauls and recycling of aircrafts.
Upon visiting the travel hub to explore the new Aerohub hangar, Local Growth Minister Kris Hopkins declared that the facility is “helping [England] to create an economy driven by private sector growth”.
Mr Hopkins commented: “It is fantastic to see businesses choosing Newquay as their British base and winning new business in decommissioning aircraft.”
Chris Pomfret, the Chairman of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, also visited the new Aerohub hanger and was impressed with how the development is coming along.
He said: “Aerohub is a Cornish success story that has attracted, so far, six new businesses and created more than 150 jobs since 2012. Our longer-term aspiration is to unlock further growth of both the aerospace and space sectors in Cornwall.”
Anyone who would like to learn more about the Aerohub hanger should attend the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow, where the brand will be discussing the project further. The event runs from 14–20 July.
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If you are about to embark on a major property renovation project, there are a number of tips you should be aware of to help ensure everything goes according to plan.
Planning
The majority of renovation projects go wrong as a result of inadequate planning, so before you even think about making a start, spend some time checking every last detail of your plans and costings.
Your first task is to set a budget; only you know how much you can afford to spend. Having arrived at a maximum figure, deduct between 10% and 20% to retain for contingencies. Many renovation projects have a tendency to overrun, so it pays to keep a little spare cash in hand.
Next, identify the precise scope of the project and have an architect or similarly qualified professional prepare a set of detailed drawings; apply for and secure planning consent, and prepare an estimate of the total cost. It may be the case that you have to compromise on the quality of materials used or some aspect of the design in order to stay within budget; never be tempted to opt for higher spec fittings or materials than you can afford.
If you possess the necessary skills, carrying out some of the work yourself will save money.
Sources of funding
Having costed the job, you could choose to wait until you have sufficient savings before commencing work. This is likely to be the cheapest form of funding, though material and labour costs may increase in the intervening period. In the current economic climate, however, with low interest rates and only minimal price and wage increases, this should not be too much of an issue.
Remortgaging is the preferred and most cost-effective form of borrowing, though you should check if there are any penalties for repaying either part or all of the loan early; for example, if you sell the property. The amount you can borrow depends on the equity you have in your property. There are lots of banks and building societies offering remortgage deals, as you will soon discover by carrying out a quick search for mortgage lender comparison websites.
If you are a first-time homeowner and the property is habitable you should be able to secure a loan of around 80% of its value less a retention, which is held until the renovation work is completed. The lender will have the property inspected before releasing this retention, so you will have to source additional funding elsewhere.
In cases where the property is not in a habitable condition there are several specialist mortgage providers that release funding in stages as the renovation progresses. The work is assessed by surveyors at specified points in the construction process, and when complete the property may be remortgaged, releasing funds to repay any other loans that have been taken out; for example, on credit cards.
Taking out a personal loan is one of the most expensive options available, but if you have no other means of financing a proportion of the work, this may be your only solution.
One final point: be absolutely certain you have all the necessary finance in place before you sign any contracts or start knocking walls down.
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