JANUARY 2024
Bradford Means Business is ringing in the changes for 2024, and we welcome you our January edition.
As we gear up to our City of Culture celebrations, Bradford 2025’s head of engagement – skills and volunteering, John McMahon, discusses a series of transformational programmes.
Launching this month are a range of youth voice, apprenticeship, and wider training roles with the ambition to create a new generation of cultural leaders in Bradford, for Bradford.
In this edition we meet Wyedean, a Haworth-based company which is “flying the flag for Yorkshire” in its highly successful specialist business.
This fourth-generation family firm is a manufacturer of military uniforms, braid, insignia, regalia and accoutrement. And as it enters its 60th anniversary year it has a lot to celebrate. High Point, on Westgate in Bradford, towers over the city skyline, with its brutalist design splitting opinion. But over the past few years, work to convert the eight-storey building into apartments has been underway, and the mammoth project is now almost complete. High Point will soon find itself in the middle of Bradford’s City Village.
And much more….
October 2023
In this edition of Bradford Means Business, we meet concrete admixture manufacturer Oscrete who are marking 40 years in business. The expanding company is finding cost effective, green solutions which don’t impact on performance, and believe that this concept is key to the future of the construction sector here in Bradford.
In matters of transport, Leeds Bradford Airport has played an integral role in the ambitious growth of the city and the wider Yorkshire region, supporting connectivity to some of the world’s best destinations for business and tourism. We look at the construction of the airport’s terminal extension, which has the potential to contribute a total of £950 million to the local economy, by 2030.
Addressing the shortage of quality family homes in the area, Artisan Real Estate share their ambitious proposals to demolish a vacant office complex on the edge of the Salts Mill World Heritage Site in Saltaire, Shipley and replace it with a vibrant and sustainable residential quarter and riverside park.
Bradford Means Business look at the organisations in Bradford district which will receive grants from the £3m Cultural Capital Fund. Funding will allow them to deliver projects which will increase the cultural infrastructure and enable more people to access and participate in cultural activities during 2025 and beyond.
We hope you enjoy the latest edition.
July 2023
In this edition of Bradford Means Business, we discover that a staggering 70 per cent of the world’s waste is electronics. But a company with bases in Bradford is doing its bit to prevent at least some of that waste going into landfill.
The small recycling company set up by husband-and-wife Rob and Nicky Seal now works from multiple sites in West Yorkshire and has more than 20 full-time employees. It offers nationwide collection services to UK businesses and organisations, such as schools, universities, and councils, and is playing its part in helping remove and recycle redundant IT equipment.
April 2023
In this edition of Bradford Means Business, we catch up with Ian Ward. The Broadway shopping centre general manager believes Bradford has a once in a lifetime chance as it approaches its City of Culture year in 2025. And he is working hard to do his bit to help ensure the city does everything it can to fully seize its golden opportunity.
Not only is Ian in charge of The Broadway, which is itself a big draw to Bradford, but he is also a member of a number of other bodies and initiatives which work together to create a bright future for the city.
The National Science and Media Museum invites us to explore their once-in-a-generation Sound and Vision Project which is entering its delivery phase, having successfully secured a £3.08m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
This ambitious project will futureproof the museum for decades to come, creating two new galleries to showcase its world-class collections and an additional passenger lift, making the museum accessible to many more visitors.
We meet the inspirational Zahid Rauf, tailor and garment designer. He tells us about his involvement in DesignLab Nation, which brings together Secondary schools in partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, regional museums and creative industries to inspire students and support teachers through in-depth design projects.
We are gearing up to celebrate The Bradford Means Business Awards later on in the summer. The awards aim to celebrate success, recognise achievement and highlight innovative people and companies throughout Bradford district who are putting their region on the map. Keep an eye on bradfordmeansbusiness.com for details.
January 2023
Welcome to the first edition of Bradford Means Business for 2023.
We meet Professor Zahir Irani, who is Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Bradford and has a string of successes to his name.
In 2020 he was recognised by The Sunday Times as a leading influencer in Bradford and was invited by Bradford District Council to assemble a new Economic Recovery Board and produce the district’s Covid economic recovery plan. His successes in Bradford and the positive impact he is having on the city follow on from a series of impressive achievements throughout
his career.
As future technologies become part of our present, we talk to the director of VR City which was set up in September 2021 by Hasan Khan and his brother Zeeshan with the aim of recreating some of the Tokyo experience in West Yorkshire.
In the same vein, the Future Technologies Centre Expo is an opportunity for regional employers across those sectors to exhibit advances in industrial robots, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The event is hosted by Bradford College, who has joined forces with 60 employers across six industries to build the tech workforce for the next generation.
Heading a partnership to promote development and investment in Bradford could be described as a labour of love for Pete Mills. The Chair of the new Bradford District Place Making and Investment Partnership is passionate about the city and the surrounding area. As a child he was inspired by its grand buildings and its history – and today he is no less impressed by what the city has to offer.
OCTOBER 2022
A popular figure within the community has praised the city of Bradford – encouraging fellow refugees to follow suit and move over. Dr Manoj Joshi, a successful philanthropist, businessman and pharmacist, came to the UK from Uganda, which was under the oppressive regime of Idi Amin, half a century ago. He ended up in Bradford in 1981 through work and has never looked back.
With thousands fleeing Ukraine to the UK, Dr Joshi recalls his own personal story before highlighting the good things about the city.
This year, the 70-year-old collected the Lifetime Achievement award at the Telegraph & Argus Bradford & District Education Awards.
The twin headwinds of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis – plus the constant issues surrounding Prime Ministers past and present, have understandably dominated this government’s attention and left little bandwidth for the complicated task of undoing decades of worsening inequality.
This edition discusses the cost-of-living crisis and uncovers some of the continuing with interventions that improve the look and feel of the city centre for businesses and their customers. Bradford is the UK’s number one levelling up opportunity and work is already under way on growing the economy and delivering key schemes in the city and district.
JULY 2022
Winning the City of Culture bid will give the whole district a huge shot in the arm so soon after the pandemic. It will be a wonderful showcase for our city and LOCALiQ, The T&A and Bradford Means Business are honoured to be playing their part. Congratulations to everyone who played a part in making #Bradford2025 a reality.
Shanaz Gulzar, chair of Bradford 2025, said that: “This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, diverse population – who have been so involved in shaping our bid – to become leaders and change-makers and begin a new chapter in our story.
Bradford has been overlooked and underestimated for so long – it’s now our time to shine.”
Winning the title will bring an estimated extra£700 million, into the district, creating 3,000 jobs and attracting around 1.1 million visitors. It will inevitably be a game-changer for the district; with long term benefits including increased employment, new investment, enhanced skills, renewed pride, greater cultural capacity and more opportunities to participate in arts and cultural activities.
Now the entire country will have the chance to see what a fantastic city it is.
APRIL 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business magazine. Bradford has been announced as one of four shortlisted places up for the UK City of Culture, approved by Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nadine Dorries, and selected from eight longlisted locations across the UK.
Winning the City of Culture bid would give the whole district a huge shot in the arm so soon after the pandemic. It will be a wonderful showcase for our city and the T&A is honoured to be playing its part.
New research has highlighted the towns and cities in England which could make the best use of the government’s levelling up funds.
We talk to one of Keighley’s best-known family companies who are celebrating its 40th anniversary this year – they say that putting people first has been the key to its success.
JANUARY 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business magazine.
We look at schemes to revitalise Bradford city and Keighley town centres which have taken a step closer and could play a huge part in revitalising these urban centres over the next few years. Both schemes have been widely welcomed locally and are seen as a vital part of the post-pandemic recovery. In addition, Bradford’s transformative new markets scheme has been designed to spearhead the city’s green recovery by creating a modern new ecological retail space for the city’s market traders.
OCTOBER 2021
Welcome to the latest issue of Bradford Means Business. The Covid pandemic continues to be a thorn in the side for business and this month’s magazine shines a light on some of the businesses that are leading the district’s recovery.
July 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business – an edition where we can hopefully start to look forward to a new post-pandemic beginning for our district.
April 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business magazine – as Bradford carefully re-opens after the most recent National Lockdown.
January 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business magazine – the first edition of 2021 and hopefully, the start of a better year for business. Businesses, from small cafes to huge airlines, from car manufacturers to hairdressers, have all been hugely affected by the impact of Covid-19, and we investigate what that might mean for local entrepreneurs.
November 2020
We live in a technological age. It isn’t hyperbole to say that the world is going through seismic changes, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Industrial Revolution. Technology is changing everything, from the way we do our shopping to how we consume media and drive our cars. A vibrant technology sector will underpin Bradford’s growth for the rest of the century. Following the success of Bradford Tech Week, this issue of Bradford Means Business delves deep into how technology really is changing in Bradford and how Tech Week has provided tech opportunities to young people and inspired a generation.
August 2020
Welcome to the latest edition of Bradford Means Business. With the UK and most of the world shut down as people sheltered from a deadly virus the shock to the economic system will be severe and challenging.
However there are still reasons to be optimistic. In this edition we focus on the businesses who embraced a new way of working and overcame adversity. Times may be tough, but Bradford is still thriving.
April 2020
The UK is bracing itself for the full impact of COVID-19, whose effect on business has been profound. As a result of the Government-mandated lockdown, many businesses find themselves in uncharted territory. How do you continue to trade when no one is buying? What do you do with your loyal workforce and how do you shield your business from the worst so it is ready to resume when the pandemic has passed? Bradford Means Business investigates.
January 2020
Welcome to the first edition of the new year and the beginning of a new decade. We are showcasing some of the upcoming ‘big ticket’ items that give us optimism for the future.
Richard Shaw tells us why the Bradford City of Culture bid is so important to our future prosperity. The bid, which is awarded once every four years by the Government, is backed by the council but will be spearheaded by a new Cultural Partnership made up of representatives from all sectors.
Also in this edition, we feature Manufacturing Week – a spotlight for some of the district’s most dynamic businesses – and welcome a new columnist, Juliette Healey of the Bank of England.
October 2019
In this issue, we chat to Expect Distribution’s, Neil Rushworth, about his journey to logistics excellence, Bradford’s ambitious bid to become the UK’s city of culture in 2025, the development of the new Bradford Food Market in early 2020 and how family business JCT600 has become one of the best-known names in Yorkshire.
July 2019
In this issue, we chat to successful lawyer Sarah Bashir MBE; reveal the successes of small and medium-sized enterprises in our area with our Top 50 SME countdown; explore the impact of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’, and celebrate the very best of Bradford businesses with coverage from the Bradford Means Business Awards 2019.
April 2019
In our second issue meet Joanna Robinson, managing director of leading engineering firm. Find out more about the new-look Odeon, with the hopes to boost night-time economy. We salute new business entrepreneurs as part of National Apprentice Week and how JET2 has increased visitors to Leeds-Bradford Airport, becoming the third largest airline in the country!
January 2019
In our first issue meet Mahboob Hussain founder of Icestone Gelato, find out about the move to Leeds for Channel 4, the coming Manufacturing week and the story of Regal foods and their factory expansion. Plus all the details of the 2019 Business Awards
