Business Lincolnshire

Business Week Roundup January 23-27, 2012

27 January 2012

This week, Stamford traders remain positive, a food shop takes on empty premises, and an engineering school gets a royal visit.

Princess Officially Opens Engineering Hub

The University of Lincoln's newly built School of Engineering on the Brayford campus was officially opened by HRH Princess Anne last week.

She formally opened the hub, the first of its kind in over 20 years, on January 19, praising the £37 million project between the University and Siemens.

Roland Aurich, Siemens Chief Executive for UK, said: “We are all aware of the acute need for UK industry to develop engineering skills and getting young people into science and maths.

“It’s simply just a war of talent in the market and we have the need to recruit hundreds of engineers every year in order to be on the front edge of sustainable energy.

“I hope this school will nurture many future engineers."

View the gallery on The Lincolnite|

Stamford Traders Optimistic Over Town Centre

Traders in Stamford are expressing they are still optimistic about the south Lincolnshire town's centre, despite shops closing down.

A number of shops, including national chain Millets, have closed down recently due to issues such as profits, but traders feel that many other companies will take on the empty units due to the blend of independent and High Street retailers.

One shop owner, Craig Benson, said: "This year is going to be hard work and we’re not going to get back to the boom years for a while, but the traders who are left will keep their heads above water.

“Stamford has some great shops. I don’t think there is any other town with such a range of independent retailers. The shops which close are always taken up quickly, so there is still life in Stamford.”