Yorkshire Post press release.

Doncaster family business goes global

A twenty five year old family business from Doncaster has grown so rapidly over the last four years that it has moved to new premises to accommodate the expansion in its services. Highfield.co.uk Ltd specialises in training for the food and hospitality industries and now supplies worldwide to blue chip international companies in 20 different languages.

The company was founded by the Sprenger family in 1982, initially to publish and supply food safety training materials written by Richard Sprenger, former Director of Environmental Services at Doncaster Council. Jayne Sprenger ran the company successfully for twenty years, but four years ago, Father and son Chris saw potential in the growth of the hospitality industry and joined the business to help it expand.
                                 
“We recognised that, because the hospitality industry was growing so quickly, there would be a need for health and safety training as well as food safety,” said Richard, now Highfield.co.uk’s managing director. “We expanded our range of materials and developed e-learning products, so now we have courses for any health and safety training requirement.”

As a result of the Sprengers predicting and preparing for such a rapid increase in business, the company has grown to three times its original size and has moved to new premises at Lakeside, where they can also host classroom-style learning in their own 50 seater conference facility . They now employ 32 staff, with 200 trainers on the road, and their client list includes Marks and Spencer and McDonalds. In addition, the company has recently secured international blue chip chemicals company Johnson Diversey as a distributor in South East Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Business Link South Yorkshire has helped Highfield.co.uk through the expansion, providing Objective 1 funding towards the new range of materials, e-learning products and equipment for the new building. The funding will also help develop interactive dvd technology for group-based learning.

“Business Link South Yorkshire’s support has been brilliant,” said Chris Sprenger, Marketing Director. “Four years ago, we thought we were moving in the right direction, but Business Link’s support gave us the confidence to take risks we wouldn’t otherwise have taken. As a result, we have got to where we want to be at an earlier stage. Not only that, help from the business advisers, like Andy Hirst, has been invaluable, particularly when it comes to business planning and support through funding.”

Highfield.co.uk has also benefited from a £120,000 loan from South Yorkshire Investment Fund toward the move to the new property.

“We’re absolutely delighted with our new building,” said Chris. “Our facilities for learning on site are fantastic and we can now invite our clients to our premises and impress them with the latest in training technology.”
 
Highfield.co.uk’s rapid rise was recently celebrated at the Doncaster Business Awards, where the company won the Excellence Through Business Development Award and the overall Business of the Year Award.

“Highfield.co.uk is well-deserving of the awards,” said Andy Hirst from Business Link South Yorkshire. “The company not only knows all there is to know about training in the food and hospitality industries, but is constantly striving to improve its products, set new goals for itself and maintain the highest possible customer service. They have also kept a keen eye on what is happening not just nationwide, but on a global scale, which is why they have become so successful at exporting their materials.”

For more information on Business Link South Yorkshire, visit 0800 073 74 74 or visit www.businessguidance.co.uk.
 
ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information on this news release, please contact Jenny Dunn on 0114 201 2504.

Jenny Dunn, PR Officer, Business Link South Yorkshire, Albion House, Savile Street, Sheffield, S4 7UD
tel: 0114 201 2504, mobile: 07736 367 543, email: jdunn@blsy.com