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WATCH: A coffee and a chat with Aquavision

In the first of our series of ‘A coffee and a chat with…’ we went to sunny Stockport to see our client Aquavision which is gearing up for growth in 2018 thanks to a flow of international orders.

Aquavision, the Stockport-based manufacturer of waterproof televisions is gearing for growth as international orders boom.

Aquavision manufactures in-wall and waterproof televisions which are being snapped up by luxury hotels and high-net worth individuals.

The business is now the UK’s market leader in the niche, grew revenues by twenty per cent last year, and has developed a vast network of professional partners worldwide.

Alastair Benn started the business from humble beginnings in his own garage.

Soon after making the world’s first waterproof television, he won his first order for a hotel project, the business boomed and he quickly had his entire family assisting him in boxing and dispatching the televisions.

Now operating from 10,000 sq. ft. premises and employing twenty people, the business exports 50 per cent of its sales to almost every country in the world. Aquavision serves four core markets: bathrooms, custom integrations, maritime and hotels.

Products range from 16” to the massive 85” screens manufactured onsite by a team of specialists. The hardware and software in the televisions integrates with all major manufacturers and the business is successfully developing a partnership with top-end audio brand Bang & Olufsen.

Alastair Benn, Managing Director of Aquavision, said:

“Waterproof televisions are in high demand across the world which is reflected in the fact that fifty per cent of our orders come from overseas. I’m passionate about producing high quality, luxury televisions.

“From day one, we’ve never compromised on quality and this is why we remain the number one British manufacturer of in-wall and waterproof televisions. We work hard at maintaining our reputation and we’re proud of the work we’re doing here.”

“We’ve not been affected at all by the Brexit decision or the recent General Election. We’re still growing, we’ve got an international outlook to business and we’re certain our European and worldwide partners will continue to do business with us as long as we maintain our innovation and customer service.

“The exchange rate has been great for our export market and we see no reason why any business which strives for innovation and has a global outlook can’t succeed. We’re proud to be creating new jobs and we’re dedicated to being based in Greater Manchester as we target revenues of £5m within the next eighteen months.”

Alexander Knight & Co is very pleased to be advising the Stockport-based firm.

Aquavision is a wonderful example of a successful British family-owned entrepreneurial company pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a fast-moving industry. We’re pleased to be working with the management team, advising them on tax strategy, growth and the business plan for the UK and international markets.

Stockport is one of those areas of Greater Manchester that seems to have increasingly more entrepreneurs springing up, re-locating and seeking professional advisers.

Investment into the borough has been considerable and there is a business culture developing there largely as a result of the successful implantation of an economic development strategy supported by Stockport MBC.

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Alexander Knight & Co advises football startup business in Manchester

Mi Hiepa Scout advised by Alexander Knight & Co

We’re delighted to be advising Manchester-based football technology startup Mi Hiepa Scout, an innovative company bringing virtual reality (VR) into the professional game.

Mi-Hiepa Scout has launched the world’s first virtual reality technology aimed at rehabilitating injured footballers and scouting new talent.

Top clubs, physiotherapists and sports scientists have been involved in the development of the product, which is being rolled out this season.

Premier League clubs

Premier League clubs are already looking at the system, created by Mi-Hiepa Scout, and its founders hope that it will also be used to improve current players and scout for players in the future.

The company’s proprietary limb tracking mechanism enables the system to track the movement of a player’s feet and shins independently in 3D space. With no need for handheld controllers to move feet, accuracy and immersion in the virtual reality experience is first class.

Joint venture

The company was created as a joint venture by leading Manchester developers Mi and sports data experts Hiepa and we’ve been appointed as their accountants and will be assisting the company moving forwards.

Adam Dickinson, Production and Development Director of Mi-Hiepa Scout, said:

We’ve been delighted with the reaction by football clubs in the professional game. We’re operating at the elite level of sport and clubs are keen to explore any advantage they can bring to their squad.

For the first time, coaches, managers, scouts and sports directors can produce rapid, standardised, measurable and comparable results from talent pools that may have been previously unmanageable.

Our system helps get players better mentally and physically through individual training drills.

From a talent spotting perspective, it provides an objective, sterile environment, meaning all players have exactly the same conditions and can be compared equally. A youngster could go through our tests in thirty minutes and you would get objective data about their ability and performance. You could test 1,000 players a week as a first point of filter.

One of the problems many clubs are trying to solve is player engagement during rehab after an injury has occurred. This product certainly does that while providing valuable data for players, coaches and club performance analysts.

Strong credentials

Murray Patt, founder of Alexander Knight & Co in Manchester, said:

The professional world of sport is increasingly looking at technology to amplify the recovery time of injured athletes. The management team at Mi-Hiepa Scout has got strong credentials and connections in the world of football and there is no doubt that the growth plans for the business are impressive. We’re delighted to be advising the team.

Gary Black of Manchester law firm Freeman Fisher, who is advising the company, said:

It’s great to see a local company making huge waves in the VR world within the sporting arena. Manchester is already known as being one of the leading cities in sporting success and Mi-Hiepa Scout is making sure that our city is seen as the leading city when it comes to technology in sport.

If you are a startup business in Manchester – and wish to be formed as a joint venture initiative between investors and/or other companies – speak to Murray Patt at Alexander Knight & Co. 

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Alexander Knight & Co advises on tax as Travis Perkins acquires Stockport business

We were pleased to advise the owners of a successful Stockport-based business when it was acquired by a major PLC on their tax liabilities.

TF Solutions, (TFS) is one of the UK’s leading air conditioning and refrigeration distributors and was recently acquired by the country’s largest builders’ merchants, Travis Perkins.

The purchase enables Travis Perkins to expand its offering through the sale and supply of air conditioning units. Our specialist tax role on the deal was highlighted by North West Business Adviser magazine – you can read all about the deal here.

Tax advice on deal

TFS was founded in 2001 and distributes a range of refrigeration and air conditioning products from three sites in Stockport, Burton on Trent and Dunstable. It will continue to trade as TF Solutions following completion of the deal.

Murray Patt,, founder of Alexander Knight & Co, said:

We were delighted to provide our client with the tax advice on this transaction and expect them to go from strength to strength as part of one of the most trusted brands in the building materials marketplace.

Andrew Cherrill has been confirmed as the new managing director at TF Solutions. He said:

We fully intend to continue operating as we have always done giving our customers a service level which is second to none in the industry. The acquisition deal will allow us to grow as a company and expand that service.

Frank Elkins, CEO of Travis Perkins’ Contracts division, added:

“TF Solutions have an extremely strong identity within the air conditioning and refrigeration market.”

The business currently employs 48 people at its three branches trading across the whole of the UK.

Speak to us to get specific tax advice before you agree any kind of deal. You need to know how to minimise the level of tax you will pay when you sell your business.

 

 

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A brew and a chat with…Aquavision

In the first of our new series of client profiles entitled ‘A brew and a chat with…’ , we took a trip to the Stockport headquarters of one of the UK’s most innovative manufacturers.

Tucked away on an industrial estate in Bredbury is a business that experiencing huge international growth at the cutting edge of the competitive audio-visual industry.

How are they doing it?

In 1997, Aquavision pioneered in-wall and waterproof televisions.

Since making the world’s first waterproof television, the innovative team, led by managing director Alastair Benn, are now market leaders and have developed a vast network of professional partners worldwide.

It’s a real British success story lead by a man who started the business from humble beginnings in his own garage.  Soon after making his first waterproof television, he won his first order for a hotel project and had the entire family assisting him in boxing and dispatching the televisions.

Alastair Benn continues to drive the team forward and remains instrumental in the development of new, innovative products.

“Today, with the support of our distributors and industry relations, the Aquavision brand is well established and successful.  This fuels our passion to continue to produce high quality, luxury televisions.  We never compromise on quality and this is why we remain the number one British manufacturer of in-wall and waterproof televisions. We work hard at maintaining this reputation and we’re proud of the work we’re doing here.”

Now operating from 10,000 sq. ft. premises, the business exports 50 per cent of its sales to almost every country in the world. Aquavision serves four core markets: bathrooms, custom integrations, hotels and the marine industry.

Products range from 16” to the massive 85” screens manufactured onsite by a team of specialists. The hardware and software in the televisions integrates with all the main manufacturers and the business is successfully developing partnership with top-end audio brand Bang & Olufsen.

And how are they coping with Brexit? Alastair, is pretty confident that all will be OK:

“We’ve not been affected at all by the Brexit decision or the recent general election. We’re still growing, we’ve got an international outlook to business and we’re certain our European and Worldwide partners will continue to do business with us as long as we maintain our innovation and customer service. The exchange rate has been great for our export market and we see no reason why any business which strives for innovation and has a global outlook can’t succeed.”

For more information about Aquavision visit www.aquavision.tv

If you want to feature in ‘A brew and a chat with…’ email alison@alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk

 

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