The firm’s brick factory in Doncaster is working 24/7 to meet demand

Developer Persimmon is hoping for an uplift in new homes completed this year, providing the conflict in Iran and its impacts are “short”.

The York-based housebuilder issued full year results to the London Stock Exchange showing a 12% rise in completions in 2025, to 11,905. Underlying operating profit was up 17% to £472.1m, although this was before an exceptional charge of nearly £45m and a goodwill impairment of £3.4m.

Staff at the firm’s South Yorkshire brick factory are working around the clock to meet demand, with plans in place to expand the site’s capacity with an additional production line, opening in 2027. Along with its timber frames and tiles, Persimmon said it now preferred to use materials manufactured in house.

Bosses said current market conditions are “supportive”, including better mortgage availability and real wage growth, coupled with beneficial changes to planning rules. However it said the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East were so far unknown.

In the first nine weeks of this year, Persimmon’s net private sales rate per outlet was up 9% compared to the same period last year. The average selling price in 2025 rose 4% to more than £278,000.

Dean Finch, group chief executive, said: “Persimmon delivered a strong performance for 2025, with completions growing 12% and underlying profit before tax increasing 13%. This reflects our sustained investment in the business and our commitment to self-help, enabling us to grow in a challenging market. I want to thank all my colleagues for their dedication and expertise in delivering this result; I am proud to work alongside them.

“Sales in the opening weeks of the year have been strong and the build to rent market is recovering from the slowdown around November’s Budget. Whilst we have good visibility of both our costs for 2026 and our demand from registered providers and build-to-rent, the impact of the Iran conflict on customer sentiment remains to be seen. Assuming the conflict with Iran and its impact is short, Persimmon is set to grow again in 2026.

“Our three distinctive brands all grew last year, diversifying our market reach. Our strengthened brands, strategic land bank, on-going investment and operational improvements, supported by our balance sheet and unique vertically integrated model, position Persimmon well to grow into the medium term.”

The business between Middleton-in-Teesdale and Barnard Castle is run by twin sisters Stella Laird and Jodi McSherry

A wedding venue and holiday homes business in the North Pennines is looking to grow thanks to five figure loan funding.

Blackton Grange Estates hosts weddings at its Balderhead site, which includes 11 acres of countryside, a converted barn, and a farmhouse property sleeping up to 18 people. The property is also let for holidaymakers.

The business is run by twins Stella Laird and Jodi McSherry who are said to share a passion for property, interiors and creating a place to entertain. The sisters turned a formerly tired outdoor activity centre and hostel into a luxury venue, and started taking bookings for the property in 2023, later opening up for weddings.

Now, a five-figure sum from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, NPIF II – NEL Smaller Loans, which is managed by NEL Fund Managers, is hoped to prompt growth. The money will be used to bring in marketing agency Venue Spark, who will help the entrepreneurs promote their newly restored wedding barn and growth the Blackton Grange brand.

Ms Laird said: “Partnering with NEL has been a brilliant experience for us at Blackton Grange Estates and a very smooth process working with all levels of the management team, we are excited for the future working with NEL and how they can help accelerate our growth plans, not just with this project, but over the coming years as we continue to build and grow our brand and business.”

Susan Snowdon, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers led this investment. She said: “Stella and the team were fantastic to work with and it’s so impressive to see what they have done with the space at Blackton Grange. I look forward to continuing to work with them and wish them both the best of luck for their next stage of business growth.”

Sarah Newbould, senior investment manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Backing ambitious businesses across the North is central to driving sustainable regional growth. Through NPIF II, we’re committed to improving access to finance so that companies with strong potential can scale and create local opportunity.

“Blackton Grange reflects this ambition, building a distinctive luxury venue in the North Pennines and investing in its brand to support the next phase of growth.”

To find all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your community, visit the Public Notices Portal.

Attention is the most valuable currency in this era of digital channels saturated with ads, notifications, and content vying for consumers’ focus.

Yet, exhibitions and trade shows continue to command influence, reminding marketers that human attention cannot be fully replaced by algorithms or automation.

This article explores what exhibitions teach us about attention, engagement, and the psychology of buying, offering lessons for marketers across industries.

Face-to-face engagement still wins

In-person marketing has a unique advantage: it provides uninterrupted, multi-sensory engagement. Attendees are immersed in a space designed to capture their focus, giving brands a rare opportunity to make a memorable impression.

• Duration matters: Research from VisitBritain shows that UK trade show visitors spend an average of 5.5 hours at an event, engaging with multiple brands. This level of concentrated attention is nearly impossible to achieve in a digital scroll environment.
• Decision-making impact: Around 80% of trade show attendees influence or make purchasing decisions within their organisations, highlighting the quality and seriousness of the audience.
• Trust and credibility: Face-to-face interactions help build confidence in a brand. Physical presence reassures prospects that a company is tangible, capable, and reliable.

Consider exhibitions as attention marketplaces. Every aspect of a stand, from design to lighting to staff interaction, is calibrated to capture focus and extend dwell time. You have more control here to create a level of engagement that digital channels struggle to replicate.

Visual memory and first impressions

Humans are wired to process visual information quickly. Neuroscience studies suggest the brain can interpret images up to 60,000 times faster than text, and people form a first impression of a visual environment in less than a second. Exhibitions leverage these cognitive traits.

• Clarity over complexity: Visually clean stands, with simple, bold messaging, outperform cluttered designs in terms of recall.
• Consistency matters: Repeated exposure to brand colours, logos, and messages increases retention, making attendees more likely to remember and engage post-event.
• Physical cues enhance memory: Multi-sensory elements, such as interactive demos or tactile product experiences, anchor information more effectively than screen-based content alone.

Even in a digital-first world, attention has to be earned. Exhibitions remind marketers that clarity, visual hierarchy, and sensory engagement directly affect brand recall and conversion.

Strategic use of physical space

One of the most underappreciated lessons exhibitions offer is the strategic role of space in shaping perception and behaviour. Every square metre of a stand can be designed to guide, influence, and focus attention.

• Flow and layout: Open designs with intuitive traffic flow increase dwell time and allow staff to interact naturally with attendees.
• Zoning for impact: Specific areas can be dedicated to demos, consultations, or quiet conversations, giving prospects control over how they engage.
• Environmental cues: Lighting, flooring, and material choices all communicate professionalism and value, subtly influencing buying confidence.

For marketers, this demonstrates that context matters as much as content. A well-planned space fosters a mindset that makes people more receptive, attentive, and engaged. This can be translated to digital experiences through UX design, gamification, or immersive media.

Multi-channel integration amplifies ROI

Exhibitions are rarely standalone investments. The most successful marketers integrate trade shows with email campaigns, social media, and content marketing to create a cohesive, omnichannel experience.

• Pre-show campaigns drive attendance to the stand.
• On-site content, such as demos and social media shares, extends reach beyond the floor.
• Post-show follow-up nurtures leads while the experience is still fresh in memory.

Capturing attention in a concentrated environment allows marketers to extend value across multiple channels, increasing ROI and driving measurable outcomes.

Lessons for SaaS and tech brands

High-growth tech companies, particularly in SaaS, can apply exhibition lessons to digital marketing strategies:

• Account-Based Marketing (ABM) translation: Trade shows allow enterprise teams to engage multiple stakeholders simultaneously. Online, this principle translates to coordinated, multi-touch campaigns that combine personalised content with timely outreach.
• Showcasing complex products: Interactive demos at exhibitions help communicate value in ways static pages cannot. Digitally, this equates to video walkthroughs, live webinars, and interactive product tours.
• Lead quality over quantity: Decision-makers’ attention is more valuable than broad reach, underscoring the importance of targeting and personalisation across both physical and digital channels.

These insights show that physical engagement teaches digital marketers to earn attention rather than demand it, creating stronger relationships and greater conversion potential.

Attention as a KPI

Marketing metrics often focus on clicks, impressions, or downloads. Exhibitions offer a different perspective: attention itself is a KPI.

• Dwell time and engagement quality: Tracking how long attendees interact with a stand or demo reflects genuine interest and intent.
• Visual memory and recall: Post-event surveys can quantify how much a brand was remembered and which messages stuck.
• Conversion velocity: Face-to-face interactions often reduce the number of touchpoints required to close a deal, effectively lowering CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost).

This reframing encourages marketers to prioritise the depth and quality of engagement, not just the breadth of exposure, which is increasingly relevant as digital channels saturate.

Sustainability and experience economy considerations

Exhibitions also teach lessons about ethical marketing and brand perception. Modern attendees value sustainability and tangible experiences:

• Modular, reusable stands reduce waste and align with sustainability initiatives.
• Physical interaction creates memories and emotional connections that digital-only experiences rarely achieve.
• Attention is reinforced by authenticity and trustworthiness, not gimmicks or invasive ads.

Brands that integrate sustainability, physical presence, and engagement design benefit from both practical and perceptual advantages: reduced costs, higher ROI, and improved brand affinity.

Attention remains scarce and strategic

Exhibitions demonstrate that attention cannot be automated. In a digital-first world, marketers must actively earn focus through interaction and thoughtfully designed experiences.

Key takeaways include:

• Multi-sensory engagement increases recall and trust.
• Strategic physical space guides behaviour and prioritises high-value interactions.
• Integration with other channels maximises the lifespan and value of attention.
• High-quality, memorable experiences reduce CAC and accelerate decision-making.

While digital channels will continue to dominate budgets, trade shows and exhibitions remain valuable opportunities for understanding how attention works. Use them as lessons in how physical engagement applies across the funnel, informing design, messaging, and strategy in every medium.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Mumbai: Holding the seizure operations by the DGGI as “perverse, arbitrary and without authority of law”, the Bombay High Court quashed two seizure orders issued by the department and directed the return of ₹1 crore in cash seized from a Mumbai trader.

A division bench of Justices G. S. Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe ruled that officers of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) failed to comply with the statutory requirements under the GST law before seizing the money.

The bench also expressed surprise when the government counsel informed the court that the seized cash had been handed over to the Income Tax Department for further proceedings.
Smruti Waghdhare, proprietor of M/s Platinum International, had challenged seizure orders dated June 27 and June 28, 2023 issued in Form GST INS-02.

As travelers across the country face increasingly long security lines, the political fight in Washington over funding for the Department of Homeland Security is spilling over into everyday travel. 

TSA agents responsible for screening millions of passengers each day have been working without pay during the shutdown, raising concerns about staffing levels and wait times at airports.

Those pressures have fueled growing frustration across the transportation system, particularly as security personnel remain on the job despite missing paychecks.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to discuss transportation innovation and the policy challenges facing Washington, but the conversation quickly turned to the government funding standoff and its impact on airport security operations.

“Stuart, what the hell is going on?… We’re in war with Iran. Joe Biden let thousands, millions of people into this country. We don’t know who they are. Now more than ever, we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Duffy said.

AIRLINES CANCEL FLIGHTS, ISSUE TRAVEL WAIVERS OVER MIDDLE EAST UNREST

The transportation secretary also pointed to the financial strain facing TSA workers who continue reporting for duty while going without pay.

“The fact that you have TSA agents, they don’t make a lot of money… They can’t go without… multiple paychecks and think they can pay their mortgage, pay their rent, put food on the table,” Duffy said.

Duffy argued that the political stalemate in Washington is directly affecting both federal workers and travelers moving through the nation’s airports.

“It’s unacceptable, Chuck Schumer has to get off the political bandwagon and start being on the American bandwagon and funding the Department of Homeland Security,” Duffy said.

He added that passengers frustrated by long airport security lines should make their concerns known to lawmakers.

“Everyone who stands in that line, they should all call or email Chuck Schumer’s office. Say, ‘Get this done, Chuck,’” Duffy said.

The funding standoff continues as TSA agents remain on the job and travelers move through airports nationwide.

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