By John Morse, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council
I was reflecting on the recent news where Christine Lagarde, Head of the IMF asked if she should go down on her knees before George Osborne and apologise for being too pessimistic about her organisation’s growth forecasts for the UK. It’s rather like human nature where, more often than not, people who stay in hotels or eat at restaurants will tend to provide negative, rather than positive feedback of their experiences, via Trip Advisor and the like.
So, as regular readers of my Great Yarmouth Mercury President’s column are aware, it is essential that we always look for the positive, rather than the negative. The Chamber is therefore delighted to hear of substantial amounts of recent good news, across most sectors, from the business community in Great Yarmouth.
So for starters, news that Pasta Foods who, in addition to having recently won the Eastern Daily Press Best International Business Award, has now secured major new contracts, both to supply their products to over 3,000 supermarkets across the USA, and have also won another major contract to supply the Co-op, with their own-brand Fusilli, must come as really good news for the Company.
Managing Director and Great Yarmouth Chamber Council Member, Karl Jermyn commented that now the Great Yarmouth facility is now working at maximum capacity, continued expansion has necessitated the company having to start additional manufacturing in Norwich. Pasta Foods are continuing to made inroads into the lucrative American market and expect to secure a further major snack foods contract for a world-renown major US company, very shortly.
So having seen good news in the manufacturing sector, it is equally good to note the recent announcement that Eastport will be the home base of a new operations and Maintenance Base for the new, Statoil-operated Dudgeon offshore wind farm. After many years of continuing effort to secure inward investment for the offshore wind sector, Statoil are taking a 25 year lease of 1.7 acres of land at the Eastport facility. This clearly places the port in a strong position to build on this success and potentially provide similar facilities for other offshore renewables businesses.
Elsewhere in the energy sector, it’s great news that Chamber member Claxton Engineering Services has secured its largest ever contract, to run for a minimum of 6 years, to provide Det norske oljeselskap ASA with high- and low-pressure risers, auxiliary equipment and services offshore Norway. Managing Director, Laura Claxton confirmed that this contract underlines the company’s commitment to the region and supports its plans for further expansion.
There has been recent good news too in the retail sector. Several food and leisure services providers including Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Frankie & Bennies, Marstons an Burger King have announced plans to open branches in Great Yarmouth.
Last and by no means least, the Tourism Sector is in very optimistic mood for the season ahead. The Great Yarmouth Tourist Authority recently held its annual awards lunch and the upbeat mood was very evident from all those businesses present. There are some really good local service providers who are demonstrating a continued commitment to improve the borough’s tourist offer and in particular, the GYTA announced a new improvement scheme, called the Business Improvement District, where, working together, local firms will now leverage over £2.4million over 5 years, to reinvest in the sector.
So, across the range of services offered by the town, things are on the up. Unemployment is down to pre-2008 levels and the place has a spring in its step. So even if Christine Lagarde isn’t amongst them, the nay-sayers had better look out, Great Yarmouth is definitely open for business.
