Kings Lynn

Hotel chain Travelodge have submitted its plans and had them accepted by West Norfolk Council. The hotel will consist of 68 rooms and will form part of the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area (NORA), which is also due to feature shops, bars and restaurants.

Whilst the Council approved the plans for Travelodge to build the hotel, the Kings Lynn Civic Society were largely opposed to the development, suggesting that the new hotel would be a:

“long unrelieved block with rows of identical windows which lack character and is without merit.”

The Council responded to this statement, saying:

“The provision of a Travelodge hotel is complimentary to the objectives of the NORA master plan and represents an important investment in the regeneration of South Lynn. The building’s design when viewed in isolation and importantly in association with the retail unit and Public House represents an attractive development which is a notable improvement on the previous lorry park and enhances the built environment.”

The fact that 16 new jobs would also be created in the area is another benefit of the new hotel. In addition to creating jobs directly within the hotel itself, the hotel could also bring work to local businesses by employing them to provide services such as creating promotional materials using brochure and flyer printing.

Kings Lynn Travelodge will be developed over the coming months as part of the NORA regeneration programme.

printing

The news comes as the Olympic Games lay out their plans to make the event as green as possible, recycling, reusing and reducing waste where ever possible. However, the decision to print the tickets abroad has been seen as an extravagance that cannot be afforded by the planet, as the tickets will then need to be shipped back to Britain using methods of transport that will no doubt be detrimental to the environment.

Many UK printing companies, from Strood to Salisbury and everywhere in between feel that outsourcing the ticket printing abroad is an insult to British print firms, especially when many smaller print shops are forced to close due to the uncertain economic climate.

A spokesperson for the company responsible for running the Olympic Games in London spoke about the decision to print the tickets abroad, saying:

“The contract to print tickets was awarded following a thorough, competitive and open tender run through Compete For (tendering website). As with all of our contracts, a number of criteria are considered including the experience of working on projects of this scale, security, ability to handle large amounts of data and value for money. Across the project, the Games has been good news for UK plc with 95 per cent of contracts going to British business.”

11 million tickets in total will be printed in the USA and then shipped back to the UK in time for the start of the London 2012 Olympic games.

Lutterworth

Argos, the national retail chain that operates both in stores and via mail order catalogues and an e-commerce website, is proposing to relocate one of its main distribution centres to Lutterworth. Argos has made their business model work for a number of years by making changes like this. Reacting to market changes has stood the business in good stead to continue with its model which uses warehousing and catalogue printing.

Lutterworth is home to Magna Park, which houses a number of businesses and warehouses and this is the proposed new location of the Argos warehouse when it relocates from Corby. Some negative comments have been made about the fact that the move would mean job losses at the Corby base where the operation is currently located, but on the whole the news has been received as largely positive.

The move is currently under consultation. Argos released a statement about the proposed changes, saying:

“We propose to reconfigure our Argos distribution centre in Magna Park and exit the Wincanton-managed operation in Corby, to reduce network costs and create a better balance between the flow of goods to and from the midlands. Subject to colleague consultation, it is proposed that this work will commence in the summer and be complete by the autumn.”

The company have stated that all affected employees at Corby would be able to move to work at Lutterworth and that an additional 100 positions would be created at the new location.

The new leaflets focus specifically on the villages of Hathersage and Hope and have been produced by Peak Connections to give visitors information on how to reach these areas. There is a particular focus on encouraging users of public transport to visit the areas and the leaflets are packed with tips on reaching Hope and Hathersage.

A project officer for Peak Connections spoke about the new leaflets, saying:

“Peak Connections is all about getting people on to buses and trains to visit the area and enjoy a day out, without the hassle of driving or finding parking spaces. Hathersage and Hope were chosen for the leaflets as both have good public transport links, a good network of local businesses, facilities and points of interest for a visitor. We hope the leaflets will give people reasons to visit the villages and enable them to do that in a sustainable way.”

The leaflets have been produced and distributed locally using flyer printing. Chesterfield, Sheffield and the surrounding areas are all home to people likely to visit the Peak District on weekends or holidays. By publicising how easy it is to reach picturesque local villages like Hope and Hathersage, the Peak District is likely to see an increase in the number of people visiting the region and will hopefully see a decrease in the number of cars traveling the roads of the Peaks.

The Middletons run an online party supplies website called Party Pieces. In a recent edition of their online magazine, an editorial feature focused on giving party tips that would help event organisers to save money and be more sustainable. The magazine piece reads:

“Whether it’s an imminent family birthday or a gathering to celebrate the Olympics or the Queen’s diamond jubilee later in 2012 we offer a few ideas to help keep costs down and still throw a memorable party. Now’s the time to stock up and fill the cupboard with essentials, so take advantage of… discounts and get in a new celebration banner”

Many local print shops offer services such as banner printing, so from Croydon to Carlisle, people up and down the country will be able to create bespoke celebration banners for various occasions, whether this is for birthdays, Olympic parties or celebrating the Queen’s jubilee. Keeping the message on the banner quite neutral will also help to keep costs down as banners can be used again and again.

Some other tips that Party Pieces offer include investing in a range of reusable plastic plates, cutlery and cups and making decorations at home. Kate Middleton’s parents founded their company Party Pieces in 1987 and so have a number of years’ experience when it comes to giving party tips. The fact that their daughter is now part of the royal family also helps them to remain close to royal events, putting them in an ideal position to make recommendations about celebrating these events.

Haven Holidays recently teamed up with the South Wales Echo newspaper to offer readers up to 50 per cent off some of their best holidays in Wales. The offer ran throughout January 2012 and was promoted both in the South Wales Echo and online via the WalesOnline.co.uk website.

Haven also offers a brochure, which explains in more detail the various breaks on offer. Haven has 35 holiday parks in the United Kingdom that offer visitors a number of amenities and coastal resorts to choose from. However, the partnership with the South Wales Echo focused specifically focused on attracting visitors to Wales. Brochures for Haven holidays can be requested from the Haven website directly and can either be viewed online or a physical copy can be posted out to prospective holidaymakers.

Many holiday companies choose a similar approach to Haven, having a dual presence in terms of marketing and advertising, covering both online and offline communications. By offering customers a choice of how they interact with a brochure, businesses can guarantee to appeal to more people than if a brochure were solely online. This is why many tour operators and holiday companies choose to use the services of brochure printers.

Cardiff-based South Wales Echo ran the offer in January to appeal to customers who were looking to escape the winter blues, and if the offer is successful it could pave the way for other similar partnership deals between the paper and its commercial partners.

Managers of Great Manchester fire and rescue services have been tasked with saving £23 million over the next four years. The proposed cuts would see several fire stations losing members of staff and fire-fighters believe that reduced staff and operating times would put the safety of the Greater Manchester public at serious risk.

To rally against the proposed budget slashing tactics, fire fighters worked together to distribute over 15,000 leaflets to homes, businesses and shops to highlight the issues that were raised by the cuts. Reaching 15,000 people on a personal basis in a matter of days is one of the reasons why organisations often use talk about important issues using flyer printing.

Altrincham, Rochdale, Salford and Oldham are all areas that will be affected by the proposed budget changes, meaning that many fire services will be less active overnight or that less fire-fighters will be on duty at any one time, which could lead to increased response times to emergencies.

The secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, Paul Foggerty, spoke about the cuts, saying:

“If [the cuts] are implemented we have no doubt that the safety of the public and fire-fighters will be compromised and lives will be lost.”

The public consultation on the changes has now ended and fire-fighters are awaiting a decision as to whether the cuts will go ahead as planned.

The new publication is a joint effort on behalf of a number of preservation organisations that make up Red Squirrels of the Highlands. Red Squirrels of the Highlands is a conservation initiative that works to protect the red squirrel in Scotland and to encourage visitors to enjoy these rare creatures in their natural habitat.

The leaflet has been paid for by collaborative funds from the Forestry Commission Scotland, Cairngorms National Park and Scottish Natural Heritage. As people are more likely to see red squirrels when out walking, it makes sense for the publication to take a leaflet or flyer format that can be easily carried and referred to when walking in the highlands. Many organisations choose to produce similar forms of communication using local printing companies who offer services like flyer printing.

Aberdeen Press and Journal recently covered the story about the new leaflet, which features 12 spots that are known to be the best places to see the red squirrel in its natural habitat.

Last year, the BBC reported that the population of red squirrels in Scotland was on the increase, which is great news for nature lovers who had seen numbers of these furry friends drop significantly over recent years, largely due to conflicts with grey squirrels.

The new leaflet should help members of the public to appreciate red squirrels whilst they have the chance.

The search engine giant, which recently branched out into social media and web browsers, is set to return to print advertising in a range of high-profile titles in the USA, including the New York Times and Time Magazine. The advertisements are being created by global advertising agency M&C Saatchi and will aim to point of the safety features of Google following concerns over the changes to its privacy policy.

The fact that an online brand is using printed communications as a way to reach its target audience is not new, but it may come as a surprise to some people to see Google turning to press advertising or poster printing.

Crewe-based car manufacturing company Bentley has taken a similar approach, appointing an advertising agency to handle both online and offline communications and recently consolidated its advertising and marketing activity when it appointed Connect Group in 2011.

In a world where online advertising spend is surpassing that of offline for the first time, many companies may neglect the importance of supporting printed collateral, but without things like leaflets and brochures to direct people to a site, many online businesses will struggle to attract customers.

Google is leading the way for a more integrated approach to marketing; embracing both print and digital ads that will help the company to reach a wider audience than if it kept its communications solely online.

This review of guidelines for promotion of dental services comes from the General Dental Council and covers all manner of communications and promotional material that may have been produced by dental professionals. The review aims to ensure that all written or online communications are clear and that they do not mislead the public. This covers websites, online ads, leaflets, brochures and posters that have been created using services like poster printing.

From Potters Bar to Perth, dentists throughout the UK will now be reviewing their promotional and advertising material. Kevin O’Brian is the chairman of the General Dental Council and he recently spoke about the changes in regulation, stating:

“The duty of all dental professionals is to put their patients’ interests first. Related to advertising, this means never making claims which could mislead patients. This new guidance will help to ensure that patients’ basic right to clear, accurate information is protected and that dental professionals have helpful guidance to assist them with ethical advertising.”

Whilst this is a positive move in terms of making communication from dental professionals be clearer and less misleading in their advertising materials; it could also create a lot of extra work and cost for dentists who need to recreate their printed advertising materials. These dentists could benefit from using a local print shop to recreate their leaflets, posters and brochures as this may be more cost-effective and may give a more bespoke service than larger online companies.