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Tax specialist Catax acquires Fast Track in £2.5million deal

Sam Whitear
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Specialist tax relief firm, Catax, has acquired Fast Track, a leading Research & Development tax credit consultancy, for £2.5million.

The deal boosts the size of Catax’s team by 17% to 92 and gives the company its first London base, from which it will mount a concerted push for more of the capital’s lucrative SME market.

Average first phase R&D tax credit claims in London are estimated to be 23% higher than the national average at £53,000.

Kensington-based Fast Track, under managing director Paul Foley, has acquired more than 1,200 clients over the past three years, across all business sectors. In that time the company has grown its revenue by 325%.

Many of these clients were generated for Catax, so this week’s deal brings the company’s capability and, crucially, Foley’s expertise in-house. Catax aims to capitalise on Foley’s deep industry knowledge by sharing best practice internally to maximise growth of the firm’s new business pipeline.

It’s the latest stage of Catax’s three-year plan to triple its revenue.

The firm’s reputation has been growing strongly. The team in Manchester have reduced the drop off rate for claims by 24%, increased average client benefit by 18% and, in turn, its own revenues have increased 71% in the past three years.

The company has also strengthened its board of directors recently.

The company hired Alex Lundy last month as Operations Director, joining from CVS, the market leader in business rates and rent reduction; Paul Johnson has been promoted to Group Managing Director; Mike Dixon has been appointed Chief Technical Officer and Dan Alcock is the firm’s new Chief Financial Officer.

Catax was represented by Gary Black of law firm Freeman Fisher and Fast Track was aided by Mike Jones of Hill Dickinson.

Catax CEO Mark Tighe commented: “The UK R&D market is still massively untapped and we are going after it tooth and nail.

“Paul and his team at Fast Track do such a great job generating clients that an acquisition was the only sensible option. While operating under their own steam, it was only a matter of time before one of our competitors figured out how good they were and made them an offer themselves.

“Now we have acquired them, we will be taking all that experience and all the lessons they have learned over the past four years, and replicating that knowledge across the company.

“We are aiming to treble the size of Catax in the next three years. Our pipeline of business is growing rapidly and that’s partly because of our efforts to educate SMEs about their entitlement to R&D tax credits.

“Fewer than 1% of SMEs claim these credits and, from our research, we believe that should be in excess of 45%. That means there are tens of thousands of businesses out there who could benefit and who don’t have to spend anything to find out how much they can claim.

“We are actively pursuing more acquisitions but our teams will also be focusing on growing our existing client base and attracting clients away from businesses that are failing to take full advantage of these schemes for their clients. They are short changing SMEs and we want the country’s entrepreneurs to get everything they deserve.”

Manchester Airport takes off with Pride Edinburgh as headline sponsor for the next three years

Sam Whitear
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Manchester Airport, the UK’s third largest, is set to be headline sponsor of Pride Edinburgh for the next three years.

As well as being headline sponsor, the Northern hub will also be sponsoring the main stage, which will become known as The Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage.

Airport staff will be in attendance during the festival to join the march celebrations and to shout about its 210 global routes, particularly its popular new direct route to San Francisco.

As part of the sponsorship, Manchester Airport will be offering Pride Edinburgh fans the opportunity to win a holiday of a lifetime to San Francisco, which is served by Virgin Atlantic and Thomas Cook Airlines. The competition is live now on Pride Edinburgh’s website.

Patrick Alexander, Manchester Airport’s Head of Marketing, said: “We are delighted to be working with Pride Edinburgh for the first time to support such a worthwhile event.

“We have sponsored other Prides across the UK and thought it was time to widen our reach to showcase the great work undertaken by Manchester Airport, with many of our passengers travelling down from Scotland.

“We look forward to working closely with the Pride Edinburgh team, on what I am sure will be a world class event and wish everyone the best of luck with our San Francisco holiday competition.”

Pride Edinburgh Chair Brett Herriot said “As we enter our 23rd year of celebrating pride in the capital city, we are delighted to be working with Manchester Airport as our headline sponsor. This will enable us to work with a city that exemplifies LGBTQI equality and acceptance, that is what Manchester as a city is all about. Bringing two great cities Manchester and Edinburgh together in a unique celebration of Diversity.”

This year marks the 23rd annual pride celebration in the capital city and is officially titled PRIDE EDINBURGH 2018: TRUE COLOURS. True Colours will mark not only the 40th Anniversary of creation of the Rainbow Flag as the international symbol of the fight to equality and acceptance. It will also celebrate the many colours that make up the culturally diverse city that is Edinburgh in all its glory. Pride Edinburgh 2018: True Colours will take place on Saturday 16th June, with the formal Pride Scotia March, followed by the Pride Festival at EUSA’s Teviot House, Potterrow and Bistro Square campus. Full details of which will be available via the Pride Edinburgh website.

Manchester Airport, with more than 27.8 million passengers, has over 210 destinations served by more than 70 airlines. With a catchment area spanning as north as Scotland, south to the West Midlands, west to Wales and east to Yorkshire, it continues to add passengers and international routes. In the last few years alone it has added direct routes to the likes of Seattle, Beijing, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston, Mauritius, Phuket and San Francisco. Manchester is the only UK airport outside of London to offer these routes.

In the last year the airport has also sponsored Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle Prides.

Manchester’s universities ranked in the top 20 best employers in the UK for LGBT staff

Sam Whitear
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Manchester Metropolitan University is one of the UK’s top 20 best employers for lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff – and joint second for education institutions – according to the Stonewall 2018 equality index published today (January 31).

The Stonewall Top 100 Employers list places the University in 16th position, marking a considerable rise from 41st last year.

The Workplace Equality Index, now in its 14th year, celebrates the pioneering efforts of organisations to create inclusive workplaces and is free for any employer to enter.

Leading the way for Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan and the University of Manchester are joint second for education institutions.

Professor Jean-Noel Ezingeard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “We are incredibly proud to have been ranked as one of the UK’s most inclusive employers and it is wonderful recognition of the hard work from colleagues who ensure we are an open, supportive and inclusive organisation.

“We want staff and students to succeed and feel supported in their quest to achieve their ambitions. It is also fantastic to be ranked as one of the UK’s best education institutions in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2018.

“However, we won’t stand still and will continue to strive to make Manchester Metropolitan a place that always celebrates and welcomes diversity.”

It marks a successful 12 months for the University’s inclusivity programmes, which included: a series of events for the Superbia weekend, hosted at No. 70 Oxford Street, celebrating LGBT life across Greater Manchester; the University’s best-ever attendance at the Manchester Pride festival; and a successful LGBT allies recruitment campaign.

Manchester Metropolitan also hosted an LGBT parenting conference in collaboration with The People’s History Museum, The LGBT Foundation and The Proud Trust.

Employers are judged on 10 criteria by Stonewall, which range from LGBT employee networks to community engagement to support from senior leadership. Feedback is also sought directly from employees to provide an extra level of scrutiny to organisation’s inclusivity credentials.

In total, 434 employers submitted entries to the 2018 Index, across the public, private and third sectors. There were more than 92,000 responses to the staff survey, making it one of the largest national employment surveys in Britain.

Darren Towers, Executive Director, Stonewall, said: “Manchester Metropolitan University and all those who have made this year’s Top 100 Employers list have done a fantastic job. Taking part in our Index shows real commitment to understanding and advancing LGBT equality. This year, for the first time, the Index looked at what employers were doing for trans equality in the workplace. This work is crucial.

“We recently published LGBT in Britain: Trans Report, which revealed the profound inequality facing trans people in Britain today. Half of trans people have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination. This must change and it’s encouraging to see so many organisations make a commitment to trans equality. With their support and hard work we can create a world where all lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees are welcomed and accepted without exception.”

Stuart McKenna, Equality and Diversity Manager at Manchester Metropolitan, added: “The 2018 Index marks the second consecutive year we have climbed the table, testament to the hard work of colleagues who help to embed inclusivity throughout all of our working practices.”

New partnership formed to promote Rochdale’s £600m growth

Sam Whitear
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A new partnership of leading Rochdale businesses, including Zen Internet, Tetrosyl and The Casey Group, has joined forces to promote the borough’s growth, which is set to total more than £600m per year, with the creation of 19,000 new jobs.

The partnership was officially launched at an event at Zen Internet’s Rochdale HQ, where Rochdale Council chief executive Steve Rumbelow told business leaders from across the region about the borough’s remarkable growth story.

Steve Rumbelow, Rochdale Council Chief Executive said: “Our future is focused on the whole borough progressing together, improving, working harder, and getting and smarter – everyone has a role to play in doing that. That’s why this event is so critical in bringing the public and private sectors together.”

With over £200 million invested in the area over the past five years, and hundreds of new businesses set up over the past seven years, the borough has gone from strength to strength.

This growth is expected to continue under the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which will bring 15,500 new homes, create 19,000 new jobs and increase the borough’s GVA by over £600m per year.

The new partnership of businesses will work in collaboration with the Rochdale Development Agency to further promote the borough and drive additional inward investment, as Rochdale seeks to attract more success stories to join the likes of ASDA, JD Sports, FootAsylum, Eddie Stobart and Argos, who already base operations in the town.

So many industries have thrived in Rochdale because of the low costs available. For example, renting industrial properties in Rochdale can cost as little as £4.50 per square foot, keeping costs down for new and developing businesses. What’s more, Rochdale has the most industrial space in Greater Manchester – almost 30 million square feet – so there is plenty of space for companies to grow.

With a huge regeneration programme currently underway in the town centre, more businesses are expected to invest in the local area in the near future, too.

In addition to offering excellent value for money, Rochdale is also one of the most connected places in the country. More than  9.5 million people currently live within a one-hour drive of Rochdale, and 2.6 million people of working age live within a 45-minute drive.

Being located alongside the M62, and having five Metrolink stations and a train station with direct services to Manchester city centre, means that Rochdale is easily accessible for a huge amount of people in the North West.

Aside from excellent transport links, there is also a wealth of support available to new and growing businesses in Rochdale. Council grants, business-rate reductions, free training schemes, and recruitment services all mean that more and more businesses are seeing Rochdale as an ideal place to grow.

Phil Cornell, KP Industries Managing Director said: “Thanks to the support of Rochdale Development Agency and the Business Growth Hub, we were able to identify how we could be even more successful. Taking their advice on board was directly instrumental in us meeting with one of the world’s leading generator manufacturers.”

Rochdale Development Agency works with public partners, private sector partners, and economic organisations to take action and invest in projects that have a positive impact on Rochdale.

Top businesses sign up to taste success as Bee in the City

Sam Whitear
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Fifteen high-profile Manchester businesses have signed up to support the city’s latest creative adventure – its biggest ever public art trail, Bee in the City.

Wild in Art is delighted to announce its first corporate Sponsors (listed in order of sign-up): Pinsent Masons LLP, Manchester Central, Manchester Arndale, Ellis Brigham, Great Northern Warehouse, Deloitte, LDC (the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group), BDO, The Printworks, The Oast House and DWF.

On the higher tier, four Official Supporters have also been secured; U+I Group PLC, which is leading the regeneration of the historic Mayfield site near Manchester Piccadilly Station, will provide vital space for sculpture painting and storage at the site.

TfGM will partner with Bee in the City to help visitors making a bee-line for the trail explore the bees by Metrolink, train, bus, bike or on foot. Construction company Mace will provide 85 plinths upon which the Bee sculptures will be displayed across the city and Marketing Manchester will amplify the event through its channels.

Touching down this July for nine weeks of visually spectacular, free fun and creativity, this ambitious event will see up to 85 individually designed, 2m high 3-D Bee sculptures displayed across Manchester’s streets, parks and public spaces. The trail is expected to attract over one million visitors. A Learning Programme will give children and young people the chance to explore their city through creative endeavour. They will design over 100 smaller Bee sculptures to take pride of place inside various high-footfall venues.

Helen Ridge, Head of Manchester Office, Pinsent Masons said: “Pinsent Masons is delighted to support Bee in the City as a sponsor and we can’t wait to choose our bee design in April. It’s exciting to be associated with such an inclusive, fun and family-friendly event. We see this as an unprecedented creative opportunity to raise our profile, promote our brand values and support our long-term commitment to inspiring young lives in our local communities.”

Bee in the City’s event producer Wild in Art, backed by Manchester City Council, is connecting corporate, public and community partners with the creative sector. Professional and as yet undiscovered, regional artists will create the visual WOW factor with their imaginative Bee designs and artistic techniques. Organisations who sign-up will associate their brand with a hugely popular event that will boost business impacts, tourism visits and community pride in the city. Sponsor, Partner and Supporter packages come with impressive benefits including the ability to be able to offer rewards via the trail’s app, there are exciting opportunities for creative and even surprising collaborations during the project’s lifecycle.

Sir Richard Leese CBE – Leader, Manchester City Council said: “It’s fantastic that so many national and local businesses are supporting Bee in the City this summer. We’re confident that it will be one of the most spectacular public art events the city has ever seen. I would urge you to get involved, and bring your friends and families to Manchester to follow the trail and enjoy this incredibly accessible event.”

All those who join Bee in the City will ultimately support The Lord Mayor of Manchester’s We Love MCR Charity which aims to improve the lives of local residents, helping them to reach their full potential.

There’s still time for companies to dip their wings in the honey pot, and organisers are urging those who are interested to get in touch as soon as possible to secure their involvement and maximise their return on investment. Sally-Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild in Art said: “It’s important that Bee in the City celebrates everything that makes Manchester so characterful, including its businesses, organisations, communities and individuals. This event is created for and by Manchester and we are thrilled that the business community is both understanding and embracing its unique promotional potential.”

Sale Sharks extends deal with Leesa Sleep UK

Sam Whitear
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Sale Sharks has extended its partnership with Manchester-based mattress company Leesa Sleep UK for a further 18 months.

The new deal, which runs to the end of the 2018/19 season, maintains Leesa’s position with the north west’s only Premiership Rugby team as providers of a better’s night’s sleep for players.

The extension to the current partnership is announced after Six Nations call-ups for Sharks’ wingers Byron McGuigan and Denny Solomona.

Sale Sharks Commercial Director, Mark Cueto MBE, said: “Professional athlete or not, adequate sleep before an important day can’t be underestimated. It plays a huge part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle too.

“From my own time on the pitch and even now, a bad night’s sleep means I’m more likely to be fatigued and have lower energy levels and focus the next day.

“It’s been a great year with Leesa Sleep UK and having them on board for another 18 months is fantastic.

“It’s all in the details and a good sleep is amongst the key ingredients for success at elite level.”

Leesa Sleep UK, which is a subsidiary of Virginia-based Leesa Sleep, manufactures premium mattresses in the UK with a head office based in Manchester city centre.

Leesa Sleep UK Managing Director Richard Tucker said: “We are really pleased with how the first year of our partnership with Sale Sharks has gone and it was a very easy decision to extend the agreement.

“With most of the Sharks’ squad now sleeping on a Leesa mattress we hope we are contributing in a small but important way to their performance! Mark and the team are great to work with and we have exciting plans for developing the partnership over the next 18 months.”

Sale Sharks’ next home game of the 2017/18 season is against Saracens in the Aviva Premiership.

New graphene Chief Executive appointed at The University of Manchester

Sam Whitear
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James Baker has been announced as Chief Executive Officer for Graphene@Manchester which leads business-facing development of graphene and 2D materials at The University of Manchester.

Graphene@Manchester includes the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the new Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).

James was previously Graphene Business Director at the NGI having joined the University in 2014. Previously he spent 25 years in industry where, most recently, he was Vice-President of Technology Collaboration Programmes and Managing Director of the Advanced Technology Centres for BAE Systems in the UK.

As CEO, James will lead the acceleration, application and commercialisation of these new materials and technologies. Recently the University announced that a graphene-enhanced specialist running shoe would be on-sale later this year after research collaboration with British sportswear brand inov-8. Laboratory tests have shown that the rubber outsoles of these shoes, are stronger, more stretchy and more resistant to wear thanks to the incorporation of graphene.

This year will see the opening of the GEIC housed in the recently named ‘Masdar Building’, named after the Abu Dhabi-based clean energy and renewable energy company and key funders of the GEIC building. The GEIC will complement the existing NGI to create a critical mass of graphene expertise made up of scientists, engineers, innovators and industrialists.

Commenting on his new position James said: “I am delighted with what we have achieved in graphene research and commercialisation here in Manchester to date. We are now developing the next phase of the graphene story in our city with the imminent opening of the GEIC.

“We’re already working with over 80 companies and a number of key strategic partners which means that right here in Manchester, the home of graphene, we now have an exceptional infrastructure to accelerate the implementation of graphene and related materials applications.”

Housing leading industry expertise in collaboration with academics, the GEIC will focus on pilot production and material characterisation, together with application development in composites, energy, solution formulations and coatings, electronics, and membranes.

The facilities and close ties with industry will help research breakthroughs progress by developing innovative products and industrial processes by understanding the issues involved in manufacturing and scale up. The GEIC will allow new applications such as graphene membranes for water desalination, or next-generation batteries for electric vehicles to develop industry-ready prototypes.

Professor Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “James’ wealth of experience and background in industry has been vital for attracting major commercial companies to work with the University on exciting graphene and 2D materials projects.

“Together the NGI and GEIC, with support from major companies, SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovators provide an unrivalled critical mass of graphene expertise in the heart of the Northern Powerhouse. This innovation ecosystem is key to creating a Graphene City within Manchester.”

The GEIC is set to officially open later in 2018. The building is funded by Masdar, the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), Innovate UK, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Local Growth Fund.

Year of the dog gets off to a flyer thanks to Manchester Airport

Sam Whitear
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Manchester Airport is bringing the popular Pugfest back to Manchester for a special Chinese New Year themed event, celebrating the year of the dog.

Taking place on Sunday 25 February at Tribeca on Sackville Street, Pugfest will see Chinese entertainment and activities including the Grand Pug Dog Show, Chinese themed food and drinks, a Chinese fortune teller for both humans and pugs and calligraphy and Chinese lantern workshops.

Pugs are encouraged to wear their finest Chinese and Aviation themed fancy dress – with prizes on offer for the best dressed pug. Last year’s Pugfest in Manchester was a sell-out event with more than 4,000 people and 1,000 pugs attending

Tickets are just £2 per person, with proceeds going to The French and Pug Dog Foundation and other dog charities.

Patrick Alexander, Head of Marketing at Manchester Airport, said: “With direct flights to Beijing and Hong Kong, Manchester Airport is the North’s gateway to China and is sponsoring the event as part of our Chinese New Year celebrations. We’ll also be decorating the airport with Chinese lanterns and surprising passengers arriving on a flight from Beijing.”

Martin Clowes, Event Coordinator at Pugfest said, “We are really thrilled to be back in Manchester. After our sell-out event last year, we are looking forward to working with Manchester Airport to bring pug owners and pug lovers a fun Chinese themed day out for the whole family to enjoy.”

Conference call provider WHYPAY? saves callers £7.6 million in 2017

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based telephone conference provider WHYPAY? has announced it saved UK callers £7.6 million in 2017.

Data shows that over 150,000 callers used the free conference call platform last year, enjoying over 37 million minutes (or 70 years) of telephone conferences for free.

If callers using WHYPAY? had instead dialled the 08 or short-code access numbers provided by other leading conference services, they would have faced a combined, astounding bill of £7.6m.

WHYPAY? provides permanent, free and instant telephone conference rooms which use a standard geographic rate 03 number. This enables users to join calls from landlines and mobiles in the UK as part of any inclusive bundled minutes they have with their phone provider.

Other platforms, which may not charge users to host or join calls, often use expensive 08 numbers and special short codes, meaning the cost to access their conference calls, particularly from mobile phones, can be very high. In December 2017, WHYPAY? conference call participants dialling from a mobile phone saved £7.35 per call on average.

WHYPAY? operates on an innovative business model generating revenue through a small wholesale rebate it receives from BT on calls to its 03 numbers, rather than charging users.

Kieron James, Managing Director of WHYPAY? comments on the data; “Many providers claim to be free but operate their services on 08 numbers, so when calling in from mobiles, users will be stung by hidden costs from operators.

“When you add it up, the amount WHYPAY? users save each year is staggering, particularly when our service does not involve any compromise on quality.

“We don’t charge to use the WHYPAY? service or any of its extra features. We’re proud to offer genuinely free conference calls to thousands of organisations across the UK, saving a huge amount of money for our users – money which can certainly be put to much better use.

“For example, the £7.6 million saved by our users in 2017 alone would cover the average annual salaries of 200 junior doctors or 400 police officers. It certainly makes you think.” Kieron added.

Stagecoach sleighs at Christmas karaoke fundraising

Sam Whitear
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Stagecoach Manchester raised an impressive £4,370 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) following its Christmas themed fundraising last month.

Father and son duo, and Stagecoach Manchester employees, Rob and Matt Stennings led the fundraising by performing seasonal tracks dressed as Santa and encouraging passengers to sing along on South Manchester routes.

They were supported by a team of 50 Stagecoach Santas, Elves and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital mascot Humphry, who also boarded Stagecoach buses to spread the festive joy and help to raise money for the hospital. This was the first fundraising activity since announcing that RMCH was Stagecoach Manchester’s new charity partner.

Rob and Matt Stennings, who dressed up as Stagecoach Santas, said: “Performing for the passengers was great fun, especially seeing them getting involved and singing along. We have previously sang at local elderly homes so already had a backlog of Christmas hits to perform.”

Elisabeth Tasker, managing director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Christmas is a notoriously expensive time, so it’s a real testament to the generosity of the local people who have pulled together to raise this impressive total.

“The enthusiasm and willingness of our staff to dress up and sing for passengers every day in the lead up to Christmas is a real demonstration of their goodwill and character, and we will now continue as a company to help raise more much needed funds for RMCH.”

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