Author: CrushDesign

New TK Maxx store creates up to 50 new jobs

A brand new TK Maxx store is set to open its doors in Lordsmill Street, Chesterfield on 14th February and will be creating 50 new jobs in the area. This new TK Maxx store will feature over 19,235 sq ft/ 1,787 sq metre store of this season’s must-have fashion and accessories for women, men and kids as well as homeware at a fraction of the normal retail price.

The TK Maxx concept is simple. TK Maxx buyers shop the world all year round working direct with designers to negotiate great deals bringing customers designer and famous brands at a fraction of normal retail prices. With a modern and stylish, but no frills store environment, further savings can be passed on to customers. A typical TK Maxx store stocks an average 50,000 items with daily deliveries bringing up to 10,000 new items to store every week so customers will always find a constantly fresh and exciting mix of top brands and great quality at the lowest prices, every time they visit.

TK Maxx spokesperson, Helen Gunter said:

“We are very excited to be opening up a new store and bringing Chesterfieldshoppers savings of up to 60% off the RRP on great brands and labels for all the family under one roof.”

The first 500 shoppers through the door will receive a £10 Gift card to spend in store. Doors open 9am.

Source:TK Maxx

Posted in Business, Development

Chesterfield’s Casa named fourth best UK hotel by Tripadvisor

Chesterfield’s 4-star hotel, Casa has won ‘an Oscar of the hotel world’ having been named the UK’s fourth best hotel by the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor.

Unlike any other hotel honours, the Travellers’ Choice Awards are based on millions of reviews and opinions covering more than 650,000 hotels collected in a single year from travellers around the world. The campaign identifies the most outstanding properties worldwide, and Casa also placed as the number 21 hotel in Europe.

Casa Hotel’s owner, Steve Perez, commented:

“I am overwhelmed that Casa has not only been recognised as one of the best hotels in the UK, but has placed within the top 25 hotels in Europe. The results are fantastic recognition for every single member of Casa’s hard working team, and also for Chesterfield as a destination.

“The vision with Casa was always to create something that felt more like home than a hotel, hence the name, and knowing it’s the guests who’ve made this award possible makes me feel like we’ve succeeded.”

Other recent awards for Casa include two AA rosettes for the Cocina restaurant, Caterer.com’s ‘Best Employers in Hospitality 2012’, Runner Up for the AA’s ‘Housekeeper of the Year’awards, and certificates of excellence in 2011 and 2012 from Tripadvisor.com. In 2011, Casa’s Hypnos beds were named the ‘Comfiest Beds’ by Laterooms.com in the annual Best Kept Secret Awards.

Source:Casa Hotel

Posted in Visiting

Chesterfield’s premier Italian restaurant is celebrating after scooping yet another prestigious award.

Calabria, located on the sought-after Glumangate and a Chesterfield Champion, is the first establishment in Derbyshire to have been awarded the Marchio Ospitalitá Italiana Seal of Quality, which recognises the restaurant’s commitment to a truly authentic taste of Italy and accurate representation of the country’s distinctive gastronomic culture.

Restaurants must meet a list of strict criteria to qualify for the award, which includes high quality Italian-sourced produce, distinctive Italian interior design, and a great range of authentic Italian wines, among many others.

Calabria is in good company as the title is only given to the very best Italian restaurants in the world. In the UK fewer than 40 restaurants lay claim to the award and Calabria is among a select few outside London.

Since opening Calabria in January 2010, brothers Sev and Vittorio ‘Vic’ Risorto, whose family hails from the region in South Italy, have taken the restaurant from strength to strength. They have been rewarded with an impressive list of accolades along the way including Best Italian Restaurant at the Westside Restaurant of the Year Awards, Best International Restaurant in the Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards, and Team of the Year at the Derbyshire Times Business Awards.

Vic said: “We’re honoured to have received this prestigious award. Everyone in the team here plays an important part in delivering the quality that has been recognised. I’m ever grateful to Delitalia, our Italian product supplier, and all the businesses we work with directly in Calabria.

“It’s the combination of these quality Italian ingredients and the talents of the combined team that have gained this latest award. My brother and I have dedicated it to our parents, Benito and Lauretta. They have always put our needs before their own and we hope this proud moment goes some way towards thanking them.”

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce (DNCC), said: “Calabriais a valued member of the DNCC and the local business community and we would be delighted to work with the Italian Chamber of Commerce to recognise this well-deserved reward. Many congratulations to this excellent operation.”

Councillor John Burrows, Executive Leader of Chesterfield Council, said: “What a magnificent achievement for this taste of Italy in Chesterfield. But, of course, anyone who has visitedCalabria will not be surprised; the food quality, the hospitality, and the ambience make every visit a sheer pleasure.”

By day or by night,Calabria’s breakfast, lunch, a la carte, dinner & show, optional mid-week set and seven-course tasting menus take you on an unforgettable culinary journey. In addition, outside catering is available for corporate events and private celebrations, with the choice of a BBQ, meat roast, table or buffet-style menu served, as well as the facility to provide a licensed bar.

‘Mangiate, bevete e divertitevi’ – eat, drink and enjoy – with Calabria.

Source:Calabria

Posted in About Chesterfield, Visiting

Destination Chesterfield holds first Manufacturing and Engineering Forum

Today (Thursday 10th January) Chesterfield businesses attended the first Chesterfield Manufacturing and Engineering Forum organised by Destination Chesterfield.

The event was hosted and chaired by James Brand, Managing Director of United Cast Bar Ltd and member of the Destination Chesterfield Board.  Attendees discussed the latest from their sector and how they can work collaboratively to grow their businesses.

There was also an update on the Regional Growth Fund, which is available to Chesterfield businesses from both Sheffield City Region and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnerships to support businesses to grow and create new jobs.

James Brand said, “Since I have become involved with Destination Chesterfield I have been championing the importance of our sector to the town.  Through this forum I wanted to bring together the businesses to discuss their industry but to also provide information that can support their growth.   It was excellent that there was such a good turn out and discussion at the first event and I look forward to future forums.”

The next Chesterfield Manufacturing and Engineering Forum will take place in April.  if you are a Chesterfieldor North Derbyshire manufacturing or engineering business and would like to attend contact Dominic Stevens at Destination Chesterfield on 01246 207207 or email dominic.stevens@dncc.co.uk to find out more.

Source:Destination Chesterfield

Posted in Destination Chesterfield

A wonderful winner

Last month Destination Chesterfield and Crush Design invited children aged 11 and under to show off their artistic talents by colouring in our Father Christmas picture.  We are now able to announce our wonderful winner…a big congratulations to Lydia Nutt, aged 4, who clearly has a huge artistic talent!

Presenting a very pleased Lydia with £100 of art and craft materials, Crush Design commented, “We hope she will remember us when she is an internationally renowned designer.  More importantly, we hope she has loads of fun with her prize of creative fun and games.”

Thank you and well done to everyone who entered our competition – we received so many brilliant entries, which have been on display at Crush Design throughout the Christmas season.  We hope you all had lots of fun and a brilliant Christmas too.

Source:Destination Chesterfield/ Crush Design

Posted in About Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

Manufacturing the future of Chesterfield

A new forum for manufacturing and engineering businesses in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire is being launched.

The forum which is organised by Destination Chesterfield will be led by manufacturing and engineering businesses from across North Derbyshire acting as a voice for the sector and will be chaired by James Brand, Managing Director at United Cast Bar Ltd.

The first event takes place on Thursday 10th January at 08.30 at United Cast Bar Ltd and is open to any manufacturing or engineering business

This regular forum will give businesses of Chesterfield and North Derbyshire the opportunity to discuss the latest from their sector, to share best practice, and to work collaboratively to address issues and promote successes.

The first forum will also include an update on the latest phase of Regional Growth Funding that is available to Chesterfield businesses. Expressions of interest are now being accepted from businesses with new investment proposals that are seeking to be part of the Regional Growth Fund programme (for further information contact Matthew Southgate at Chesterfield Borough Council tel 01246 345272).

James Brand, Managing Director of United Cast Bars Ltd and Destination Chesterfield Board Member said “It is important that the manufacturing industry work together inNorth Derbyshireto ensure they have a collective voice and can influence and benefit from regional opportunities for business growth, funding and training. I am looking forward to working jointly to champion our sector inChesterfieldand beyond.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of DestinationChesterfieldsaid “The manufacturing sector is a priority sector for Destination Chesterfield – it is important to work with these businesses to promote their successes and support their growth”

Booking is required for this event and is open to any Chesterfield or North Derbyshire manufacturing or engineering company. Emaildominic.stevens@dncc.co.uk to reserve a place.

Source:Destination Chesterfield

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield

Tourism on the up in Chesterfield

Latest tourism figures for Chesterfield show the town is growing in popularity as a place to visit.  In 2011 there was an increase of 9% in visitor numbers with over 3 million day visitors and 320,000 booking an overnight stay.

The boost in the number of tourists has also increased the amount of money being spent in the town by 11% since 2010.  Tourists spent over £142 million across our hotels, visitor attractions, restaurants and shops. The 11% increase is way above the 2% increase for the East Midlands region and also tops the 7% increase for the Peak District and Derbyshire figures.

The positive news also extends to the job market where the number of people employed full time in the sector now stands at 2,035, an increase of 11%.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism at Chesterfield Borough Council said: “More people are opting to holiday in the UK and we need to make sure Chesterfield promotes its many assets to attract this growing market.  We’re delighted to see these increases across tourism figures as it’s a good indicator that we are promoting and positioning the town in a positive way.”

Peter Swallow from Destination Chesterfield said: “Chesterfield is now a serious contender for attracting day trippers and longer stay visitors which is a great boost for our local economy. “

Source:Chesterfield Borough Council

Posted in About Chesterfield, Visiting

Road to jobs creation in Chesterfield as latest Markham Vale development begins

Work has begun on a new link road which will open up further land for jobs creation at a flagship regeneration site.

Derbyshire County Council are investing over £70 million laying the foundations to drive long term employment opportunities at Markham Vale which is just off the purpose-built junction 29A of the M1 in Chesterfield.

An increasing number of companies are making Markham Vale their home because of its location in the centre of England and excellent transport links.

Car parts distributor Andrew Page has recently moved into its new national distribution centre on the east side of Markham Vale, with 120 jobs expected to be created.  And McDonalds will open the doors on its new drive through restaurant on the western part of Markham Vale this week, bringing 50 jobs.

Now work has begun on a new £905,000 stretch of road which will link the A632 at Long Duckmanton with the M1 to open up further areas the western section of the site for development. Councillor Kevin Parkinson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration at Derbyshire County Council, said: “We’ve laid strong foundations for long-term job creation at Markham Vale and are delighted that companies are choosing it as their home.

“The creation of this new road will open up a further five-and-a-half hectares for development at the site’s western side and we are confident we are providing the right environment to attract further growth.”

Work on the new road is expected to be completed by March 2013. It will also include footpaths, street lighting and provision of ducting to enable the easier installation of gas, electricity, water and telecommunications links for future developments.

Markham Vale has been granted Enterprise Zone status by the Government, meaning firms moving to some areas of the site can apply for Enhanced Capital Allowances − offering tax relief for major investment in plant and machinery.  The county council is working with partner Henry Boot Developments Limited to attract national and local companies to Markham Vale.

Source:Derbyshire County Council

Posted in Development

Chesterfield traders to benefit from £10k investment

Chesterfield has been successful in its bid for a £10k grant from the government for a Town Team Partner project. The bid, which was put forward by Destination Chesterfield and had the full support of the town’s MP, Toby Perkins and Chesterfield Borough Council was in response to the earlier unsuccessful bids for the Portas Pilot initiative.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said “This is excellent news for Chesterfield, the £10,000 funding will be added to £20,000 generated by the Chesterfield Champions scheme to launch ‘Incubation Street’, a new business start up scheme for Chesterfield. These are exactly the types of initiatives Destination Chesterfield and the Chesterfield Champions Scheme were set up for and we thank them all for their contributions which will go towards supporting the growth of the next generation of businesses in Chesterfield.”

The idea behind ‘Incubation Street’ project is to support and mentor new, independent traders, including market traders, to grow their business from initial set-up on Chesterfield market through to establishing a small retail unit in the town. The scheme already has the support of the Chesterfield Champions, a group of local businesses who help promote the town offering mentoring and financial support.

Now that funding has been approved the project will develop further ideas including encouraging more flexible leasing arrangements with landlords, providing one to one mentoring and sharing best practice, promoting entrepreneurial skills based training through education providers and a further roll out of the Chesterfield Ambassadors Scheme to help promote the positive aspects of the town.

Toby Perkins, the local MP, said: “I passionately believe that as an historic market town, independent traders and small businesses are a vital part of our local economy. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to contribute to the campaign to secure this investment. I know that the ‘Incubation Street’ project will target this small amount of money to where it will make the biggest difference.”

Councillor John Burrows, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council said: “This is great news for Chesterfield and for those businesses looking to step up a gear and establish a more permanent presence in the town centre. “

For more information on the Chesterfield Champions scheme and how you can get involved in supporting the growth of the town visitwww.chesterfield.co.uk

Source:Destination Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

A falcon and a puppy take up residence in Chesterfield

The Yards shopping area in Chesterfield’s town centre is now home to a falcon and a puppy. The two artworks are the latest instalments of the Chesterfield Cultural Renaissance project which has delivered several pieces of unique artworks in the area over the past few months.

The project, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Chesterfield Borough Council, was set up to improve The Yards to promote local businesses and attract more shoppers.

The latest artworks, a puppy sculpture in Theatre Yard (once known as “the kennels”) and a falcon sculpture in Falcon Yard were designed by Geoff Woods from Working pArts.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism at Chesterfield Borough Council said: “I think all the sculptures look fantastic. The Yards area is an important feature of the town centre with some great independent shops. We want to attract more shoppers and visitors to help the businesses thrive and the artworks are just one way of adding a new dimension to the area.”

Lisa Swift from Altered Chic in The Yards said: “There are lots of different creative businesses in The Yards so it’s quite fitting that some artwork has been used to make the area more inviting. We often see visitors taking photographs of the buildings so this will be another added attraction to help pull people into the area.”

Geoff Wood who led the design team said: “There’s a lot of history to The Yards and we’ve used this in the design of each piece. Glove manufacturing was once a feature of the small industries in The Yards so we’ve used the symbol of the glove hand as a motif to beckon people into the Yards. We’re really pleased with the final sculptures and hope they become a much loved feature.”

The Mayor of Chesterfield, Councillor Donald Parsons and the Leader of the Council, Councillor John Burrows, will host an event to celebrate the completion of The Yard’s improvement works and to launch a ‘Name the Puppy Competition’ on Friday 2nd November at 11am.

Source:Chesterfield Borough Council

Posted in About Chesterfield

£300k investment for Chesterfield’s Revenues Hall

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Revenues Hall will soon benefit from a substantial £300k refurbishment programme. The Revenues Hall, which provides payment facilities, customer information and advice for a wide variety of Council services, will close on 22 October 2012 for a period of up to five months; re-opening in early March 2013.

Updating the building, which will be renamed the Customer Service Centre, is funded mostly by the Council’s private partner, arvato UK & Ireland, and will therefore have little or no impact on local authority finances. This significant investment will result in much improved premises with easier access to a broader range of customer services and quicker payment methods all under one roof.

Councillor John Burrows, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council said: “The Revenues Hall is in much need of modernisation, so we’re delighted this renovation of the building, which will provide customers with an even better service and more welcoming environment, is going ahead.”

On top of this exciting development the number of payment channels for council tax, rent, and other bills will be increased significantly to include all Post Offices and PayPoints around the Borough, making paying a lot more convenient for customers. Payment machines will also be installed in the new Customer Service Centre to speed up the process of paying.

During the closure of the Revenues Hall, customers will be able to make payments and have their queries resolved at the Town Hall basement enquiry point.

Fran Rodway, Customer Services Manager at Chesterfield Borough Council said: “We’re encouraging customers who normally like to pay by cash or cheque to set up a weekly or monthly direct debit as it’s an easier and more secure way to pay. We will also have over 70 Post Office and PayPoint locations across the Borough, so customers will have much greater flexibility and choice in where and when to pay their bills.”

Residents can view artist impressions of the new Customer Service Centre at the Revenues Hall until 19 October and have the opportunity to comment on the new resource by completing a short survey.

For more information on making payments or to answer any queries, customers should visit www.chesterfield.gov.uk and click on the ‘Pay It’ link or alternatively can call the Council on 01246 345345.

Posted in Development