The store was given the accolade at the industry’s gala Retail Week awards ceremony on 3^rd March.  Mid Ulster-based electrical contractor Premier Electrics sent over a 25 man team to undertake the project over a six-month period and it was successfully completed in time for last summer’s busy sales campaign. 

 Premier Electrics was established by Co Derry man Mark Scullion in 1993, and has steadily built up a reputation for efficiency and excellence in the retail sector with major fit outs on big name brands including Primark, M&S, Argos, Brown Thomas, Arcadia Group, Debenhams, Asda and O₂.

 Last year, the company was involved in major multi-million euro projects with Primark across Europe, in Bremen, Liege and Frankfurt.

 Premier Electrics’ six-month involvement at Primark Bristol entailed the electrical fit-out of all lighting and power systems, a fire alarm, an anti intruder system, and the installation of CCTV, data and public address systems.  Company Manager, Tony Shivers, described the work as some of the most involved Premier has undertaken with Primark to date:

 “There are some really smart new features in this store, both internally and externally.  We installed a range of new light fittings including glim cube units at the front end of the building, lighters to wash the exterior walls, and special batten feature lights to illuminate the impressive facade at night. 

 Premier Electrics would like to extend our congratulations to Primark Stores Ltd on this ‘Store Design of the Year’ award. We are delighted to have played a part in this successful project.” 

Whether you’re planning to create a patio, pave your driveway or build a house, the specially designed Outside Room Centres provide the perfect environment for viewing the extensive product range from Acheson & Glover.

Sales staff will be on hand at the centres on St Patrick’s Day (Wednesday 17^th) to offer expert advice, quotations and samples and there will be open Saturday opening during the summer period.

“Everyone needs some space – to run, to play, to dine or to relax – and at our new centres we have a range of inspiring ideas on how to make the most of your outside spaces,” said Lauren Acheson, Marketing Manager.

“From an extra play room to an al fresco dining room, we have hundreds of ideas to help you create beautiful, practical outside spaces that the whole family can enjoy and if you need any extra help you can make an appointment with one of our specialist independent landscape designers. Following an initial site visit, the designer can create a scaled colour plan of how to create your perfect outside space, using the best combination of our hard landscaping products.”

The new Outside Room Centres are based at Gillygooly Road, Omagh; 127 Crievehill Road, Fivemiletown; 64 Old Moy Road, Dungannon; Haldane Fisher, Bangor/Newtownards Dual Carriageway, Conlig; and 60 Creagh Road, Toome and have been launched as part of Acheson & Glover’s 50th anniversary celebrations. For more ideas visit the company’s new look website www.outside-room.com to discover your own outside inspiration.

For further information contact Acheson & Glover

Create a fabulous ‘dining room’ with inspiring ideas for your outside areas at Acheson & Glover’s new Outside Room Centres

Group Sales Headquarters, Dungannon, tel 028 8778 4208.

Grainne has developed the world’s first inflatable, safety approved and regulated car booster seat, BubbleBum, in response to her own frustration and experience as a mother and travel agent.

“I just wanted to create a product that I could send everywhere with my children to keep them safe in the event of unexpected journeys,” she explained.

“Modern families do a lot of travelling in cars, coaches and taxis, both here and abroad – bulky booster seats just aren’t practical to carry around even for one child, never mind if you have two or three.

The BubbleBum has been designed to be small, light, practical and so easy to use that it’s perfect even for quick taxi journeys. Plus it looks good, so kids don’t mind carrying it around in their rucksacks or schoolbags.”

Grainne has made it her new year’s resolution to raise public awareness of child car safety. In doing so she hopes that Government will review and update what she describes as dated legislation which includes exemptions permitting children to travel unprotected without an appropriate booster seat for ‘unexpected’ journeys.

Research commissioned by Grainne in Northern Ireland revealed that four out of ten primary school children are transported to and from school without a booster seat.

She finds it shocking that many adults responsible for carrying children in their vehicles simply aren’t taking the necessary precautions. “There should be no excuse for those who put their young passengers at risk. The safety of children should be of paramount importance,” said Grainne.

The BubbleBum product has been designed to offer a lightweight and highly portable solution for parents and adults who transport children in their cars and, in doing so, it also plugs the safety gap caused by the legislative exemptions.

Further information on the BubbleBum is available at www.bubblebum.co.uk

http://twitter.com/SeriousPR/status/9944726144

As well as a number of public affairs briefs throughout NI including mandates with a strong planning consultancy dimension we have been engaged to handle several profile building campaigns for clients operating in the construction, professional services, sponsorship and consumer sectors.  More specifics will follow later.

Meanwhile our social media team is currently working on an exciting new spring promotion for one of our major clients as part of a B2C brief aimed to driving footfall to a number of locations throughout Ireland from March-July.

Great to see more and more companies and organisations in NI getting the Serious message and investing their reputations with us.

If you would like to talk with us contact growingreputations@seriouspr.com.

What a contrast to the little Principality of Andorra and the many other skiing resorts throughout Europe and the rest of the world where the roads are kept safe by diligent local authorities while the slopes are kept manicured for the visiting tourists.

We had our first ever family ski holiday last week in Andorra. We didn’t quite know what to expect and borrowed a shed load of ski gear  (just in case we never went again).

While the coach trip from Toulouse to Andorra was a little taxing (and scary) the scenery was simply stunning.

So what does a 40 something do when you arrive on the first day and feel like giving up?  Sore limbs, rickety knee, impatience summed up my experience on day one. Contemplating giving up, hitting the hotel internet cafe and doing some work, I decided to chill a little for a day or two before hitting the slopes for the rest of the week (without the benefits of ski school). And you know what? I did alright!

One of the highlights was the night’s craic we had doing Arinsal by night and bombing down the slopes on sledges.  Boy does that bring out the child in you.

As usual, while parents struggle coming to terms with something very different, our three boys thrived with the eldest two managing black runs by day 4.

So would I recommend a winter ski hol?  Absolutely.  I can’t remember how long ago it is since we had such good fun, enjoyed so much healthy fresh air and releaxed so much …. except walking up those darn hills in the resort!

DMcC

The joys of ski school

The radio campaign is running in conjunction with the DoE’s ‘Crashed Lives’ television campaign, which features Colin in a 50-second television advert, highlighting  the dangers of speeding on public roads. The DoE’s national TV campaign, which also features accounts of true-life tragedies,  aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads by increasing awareness of the devastating effects of speeding on public roads.

Click here to listen to Colin’s radio campaign: DOE CRASHED LIVES-CHAMPION ADVICE

Pictured at the new stand at Cookstown Hockey Club designed by Acheson & Glover are from left: Stephen Cuddy, Project Manager, Cookstown Hockey Club; Raymond Gilmour, Technical Consultant, Acheson & Glover; Gareth Cuddy, Technical Project Manager, Cookstown Hockey Club and Irish International David Ames who is a member of Cookstown Hockey Club.

A new state-of-the art hockey pitch and stand in Cookstown is raising the game for players and fans across the country.

The unique grand stand was specially designed by Fivemiletown based company Acheson & Glover and is a ‘first’ of its type, using retaining walls for three tiered levels, instead of traditional precast concrete terracing and steps.

Accommodating up to 2,000 people, the stand was completed in less than five weeks and provides unrestricted viewing across the new water-based pitch.

Club vice chairman and project manager, Stephen Cuddy, said the new facility provides the only viewing facility in Irish hockey in which flood lighting is set behind the spectators who enjoy a vantage point from all angles.

 “The spectator area was created solely using Acheson & Glover products and as well as being a practical and economical alternative to traditional terracing, the dry stack blocks have a natural stone appearance and fit well into the natural landscape,” said Stephen.  “The stand area leads into a greenfield site, and a lot of concrete would just not have looked right.

“We are absolutely delighted with the result and have had excellent feedback from fans who get a great perspective on the game straight away.  The problem with traditional stands is that there is not enough height in between the levels and now, thanks to an initial 1.5 metre high wall and a 400mm rise between the tiers, spectators don’t miss any of the action on the pitch.”

The Acheson & Glover design, part of an overall £950,000 hockey club upgrade, had special significance for the club in that company managing director, Mr Raymond Acheson, is a life member and the only captain in its 50-year history to have steered Cookstown to Irish Senior Cup glory when the 1^st  X1 lifted the cup in 1987.

The extensive project has also served to raise the profile of Cookstown Hockey Club to a higher level within the sport, with Stephen attributing its successful bid to host this year’s U21 Celtic Cup to the new, modernised facilities.

“We secured the bid and are the selected venue to host this prestigious tournament in July,” he said. “We will have 180 international players from Ireland, France, Wales and Scotland playing on our new pitch, and that is largely down to our improved venue.”

Acheson & Glover Technical Consultant, Raymond Gilmour, said the idea for the tiered stand was developed from the company’s widespread use of a tiered walling system popular  in landscaped gardens.

“Basically, we applied the same principle, using Acheson & Glover Anchor Vertica Block, incorporating our cappingstone and reinforcing grid to provide stability,” explained Raymond. “The Anchor Vertica blocks were also used to form the steps to access the viewing platforms. It was a perfect design solution as it is aesthetically pleasing and cheaper than traditional terracing.

“The raised sections have a coloured, textured finish and even when empty, the stand is a real feature and still looks great!”

 The 180,000 sq ft four floor Debenhams store officially opened on Tuesday 16 February.  

 The development forms part of a single-level mall extension at Eldon Square Shopping Centre in the city, which will house Debenhams as an anchor tenant in a self styled icon store. 

 The Eldon upgrade is part of a wider, multi-agency strategy designed to position Newcastle as the shopping capital of the region.   

 Patton Fit-Out Key Account Manager Garry Robinson’s site team – which at times included over 100 specialists – started on site 26 weeks ago, and saw the culmination of their efforts just before Christmas, when the project was completed ahead of the scheduled official opening event. 

 Eldon marks the latest milestone in Patton Fit-Out’s 20 year + relationship with the retail giant, and is their most extensive fit-out project for Debenhams in either GB or Ireland. 

 Garry said that it wasn’t just the scale of the project that marked it out as uniquely challenging:

 “The sales floors were completed to the highest specification and include laser-cut ceramic tiles throughout, which was one of many challenging aspects of the project. 

 The atrium area included eight escalators and the range of merchandising units to be installed meant that we were working at full capacity for the entire 26 week period.”

 Debenhams at Eldon is setting a new standard in store design in a drive to capture market share and secure customer loyalty in an increasingly competitive retail environment. 

 Director of Patton Fit-Out, Brendan Boyd, believes that the company is well positioned to capitalise on their Debenhams experience to win more contracts from the sector this year: 

 “Patton Fit-Out has been working with Debenhams for over 20 years, and just this month we have begun two 18 week long refurbishment projects on stores in Manchester and Glasgow. 

 “The large blue-chip retailers want contractors to deliver projects at any time and place, at competitive prices and without compromising on quality. 

 “It’s important that we’re seen to measure up to these challenges in what continues to be a particularly tough trading climate”. 

(from left) Peter Belshaw, Debenhams Eldon Square Manager & Garry Robinson, Patton Fit-Out Key Account Manager at store opening

The new Welsh Assembly Office at Llandudno Junction in North Wales.

The expertise of a leading fenestration systems company in blast resistance has been called into play for the design and building of the new Welsh Assembly Government office at Llandudno Junction in North Wales.

Sapa Building Systems were one of the few companies able to supply a blast resistant glazing system robust enough to meet government security requirements. Main contractor for the £21m JCT Design and Build contract is Pochin Construction, and the new 8,800m2 office facilities will ultimately accommodate up to 650 staff.

The contract netted a deal worth £1.5m to Sapa’s specialist fabricator and installer, Parry Bowen of Cannock, and included the provision of Powerframe curtain walling, windows and doors to give fully enhanced glazing. 

Fully independently tested under the international standard ISO16933, Sapa’s Powerframe system features glass laminated with polyvinyl butyl membrane, which safely retains the glass splinters caused by a blast. The glass is also firmly clamped in position by aluminium frames backed by hefty steel sub-frames. The glazing effectively acts as a crumple zone in an explosion and this can help deflect up to 300mm to reduce the blast pressure and load on the rest of the building.

Stuart Threlfall, Commercial Director of Parry Bowen, said: “We worked closely with Sapa’s designers, and employed specialist blast consultants, to meet the demanding specification and tight programme. We believe that the Sapa Powerframe product range is unrivalled in its proven performance.”

Graham Hurrell, Sapa’s Building Systems’ Director of Specification Sales added: “We have an unrivalled range of products that offer an effective line of defense in the event of a building being subjected to either deliberate or accidental blast.

“Introducing this protection into a building’s design specification provides the best possible protection to buildings and, most importantly, the people who work in them.”

For further information contact Sapa Building Systems Ltd,Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire , tel  01684 853 500; email info.buildingsystems.uk@sapagroup.com

 website www.sapabuildingsystems.co.uk