Review of the Year Part One: Business as usual for Sheffield - but dark clouds are gathering

And while the impact of a botched departure from the EU is still days away, the nation has now endured months Covid-related death and disruption.

The unprecedented situation has produced many notable moments, with firms pivoting to survive and others working for free to help the ‘war effort’.

But in our first review of 2020 we’re going back to the beginning of the year, a time that was so normal then but seems so far away.

In January, The Star reported that despite the political uncertainty and delays over Brexit, there was good news as the number of entrepreneurs setting up businesses in the region soared.

Data from the Centre for Entrepreneurs showed 196 new tech firms were created in Sheffield in 2019 alone. That’s up six per cent on 2018 and put the city in the top 20 areas for the sector in the UK. Meanwhile 2019 was the biggest on record for all start-ups in the UK, some 678,288 according to Companies House.

But it wasn’t all good news as Liberty Speciality Steels announced a consultation process on 283 redundancies at Stocksbridge and Rotherham due to falling demand in the UK and Europe because of ‘political uncertainty and issues around Brexit’.

There was intense interest after plans for a multi-million pound a hotel on the site of an eighteenth century coaching inn in the Peak District near Sheffield were approved.

The Rising Sun on Hope Road, near Hope was set to be demolished to make way for a 60-bed hotel set to open in early 2022.

The Star attempted to catch up with GIGI developments, owned by Chris Green of Baslow, through Peak Architects, which drew up the scheme. But bosses said they could no longer contact Mr Green and the project is presumed dormant, hopefully temporarily.

Also in January, and very much still going, the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre in Attercliffe officially opened.

The building, on what was the third bend of Don Valley Stadium running track, sees researchers work with business to use tech to boost the nation’s health.

The AWRC is part of Sheffield Hallam University and was built with £14m from Government and £900,000 from Europe. Don Valley Stadium was demolished in 2014.

But bad news came from Pennine Foods announcing it would close its Beighton food factory with the loss of 600 jobs.

Bosses launched a consultation in October last year saying the site was heavily loss-making and closure would be in May.

Some light relief came as The Star celebrated the 20th year in business for Nigel Tyas Ironwork, launched in 2000 after Mr Tyas was made redundant for the third time.

When refused help from the Job Centre, he stormed out vowing: ‘you won’t see me again’.

In January, the business, which makes lights, chandeliers, curtain poles and indoor fittings at Bullhouse Mill, Millhouse Green, near Penistone, employed 10.

Meanwhile, it’s been a good year for IT company Littlefish which opened an office in Steel City House, West Street, in January aiming to create 150 jobs.

In a portent of what was to come, it cancelled an official launch party in March as coronavirus took hold. But by November it said revenues were up 50 per cent year-on-year due to people working from home and demand for cyber security.

The Nottingham-based company said it created 228 jobs in total in 2020, providing IT support to 70,000 customers.

In February, The Star reported how Castlegate was becoming 'one of the North's best regeneration zones’ thanks to a string of new developments including the conversion of the Old Town Hall into flats, cafes and a ‘souk’, and the buildings opposite into flats, including the former Cannon pub.

Nine firms moved into a new workspace launched by Wizu, prompting delighted bosses to start looking for another building. The managed workspace business occupies space in newly-revamped 32 Eyre Street in Sheffield city centre.

Chief executive of the Leeds-based company, Tom Almas, said: “Sheffield has been so welcoming, the city is on the up and was crying out for something like this. There’s a real positivity around and it’s a privilege to be part of that.”

On March 10, Sheffield Council unveiled the city’s biggest ever development project - a £1.5bn plan to transform the area around Midland station.

The hugely ambitious project will see the closure of Park Square roundabout. Sheaf Street – the dual carriageway that runs in front of the station – would swap places with the tram route that runs behind.

A huge, landscaped pedestrian bridge is set to link Park Hill with Howard Street and the multi-storey car park on Turner Street would be demolished and moved further away.

It would be replaced by an office block - one of up to 12 planned in the ‘Sheffield Valley’ zone, including four outside the station, employing up to 3,000 people.

Coun Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business, said: “This is about making the most of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail and unlocking private sector development to bring in businesses and jobs.”

Days later, the UK went into lockdown in the first of a series of extraordinary measures in an extraordinary year.

Sheffield recruitment company Gradconsult was one of the first to ‘go digital’ moving its nine-strong team to home working and developing new material for clients, running employer training webinars and virtual assessments for 110 candidates.

Managing director Rebecca Fielding said: “I am incredibly proud of our creative, pro-active team. Their response to this situation has been nothing short of astounding. We are determined to make it through this crisis together, with our jobs, incomes and business intact.”

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