Business Manchester

Turnover and profits surge for SPD

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05/12/2017

Conference and training provider Salford Professional Development has seen revenues and profits surge in its latest financial year.

Turnover in the 12 months to July 31 rose 31 per cent to £4.87m, while pre-tax profits soared 44 per cent to £978,000.

Chief executive Marc Davis hailed another set of record results and said SPD remains on track to achieve its targets of £12.4m of revenues and profits of £3m by 2021.

SPD is a subsidiary of the University of Salford, which is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year.

The company runs training courses, conferences and briefings for individuals, organisations, public sector bodies and companies across the UK and overseas.

Its programmes are aligned to the university’s specialist areas, including business, health, media and digital.

Academics and experts from the Institute of Directors and other organisations provide the training, and all profits generated by SPD are ploughed back into the university.

Highlights of SPD’s year included strong growth for its executive education division.

It generated more than £1m in revenues, boosted by an upsurge in bookings for its five-day courses which lead to a Certificate in Executive Business Administration for senior and middle managers.

SPD also expanded the number of free events for public sector professionals, helping them to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date despite budget cuts.

Income generated from overseas rose 39 per cent, with bespoke training delivered to delegates from countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Australia, Spain, India and Kenya, on topics ranging from cyber security and digital technology to leadership and management.

Overall delegate numbers grew 31 per cent to 16,200.

Another highlight of the year was the £500,000 refurbishment of SPD’s offices and training centre in Adelphi House at the University. The works included an upgrade for the reception area and other facilities to improve the customer experience.

Mr Davis said: “We are delighted to report further strong growth for SPD in our fifth year in trading, which represented the first phase of our five-year strategic plan.

“The new financial year has begun well and we are planning to develop the business further during the coming months.”

SPD’s staff numbers grew from 49 to 58 during the year.

Standby Productions works with My Clever Agency to deliver The Co-Operative Bank: 25-year ethical policy campaign

CSR

Sam Whitear

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05/12/2017

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Manchester-based production company, Standby Productions Ltd, recently worked with My Clever Agency to produce and deliver a campaign for The Co-operative Bank to mark the 25th Anniversary of its customer-led Ethical Policy.

Working with My Clever Agency, Standby produced a 30” ad to be distributed across TV and online, along with a series of supporting films for online and social media channels. All focussed on the reasons why The Co-operative Bank’s real customers continue to choose them after all this time.

Alistair Pegg, Marketing Director, The Co-Operative Bank said: This campaign is really poignant and shows how invested our customers are in the values and ethics of the Bank and how much it means to them that we continue with the good work that’s taken place over the years. Our ethical difference remains unique among UK high street banks, and our campaign is designed to remind people of the importance of this difference, and thank customers for their contribution.”

“We think hearing first-hand the comments of customers who joined the Bank because of its ethical difference and seeing how the Co-operative Bank’s ethical approach helps local communities is a really powerful way to speak to people across the country who want a bank that is different and demonstrates the importance of values and ethics to our customers.”

“Working with Standby and My Clever Agency enabled us to reflect the importance of our values and ethics in the view of our customers with the combination of studio and on location shoots, bringing out the authenticity of our campaign.”

MY CLEVER AGENCY: “To create a suite of films with such disparate themes but that work together to tell one cohesive story is no mean feat, but one that the Standby team achieved with aplomb. From conceptualisation to delivery, the entire team fell in line as an extension of our own – overcoming the same obstacles to orchestrate three fantastic shoots in an impossibly short timeframe. To have such an outstanding end result is testament to Standby’s can-do approach, brilliant talent, and appreciation of what we were trying to achieve. I wouldn’t hesitate to commission Standby for our next project, or to recommend them to anyone embarking on large scale campaigns or smaller, more intimate film projects.”

The customers give real and authentic accounts of how much they value the Bank and it’s Ethical Policy, which Standby support with a series of interesting portrait shots. Accompanying these, Standby included a short sequence based around their normal day-to-day life, adding emphasis to the ‘real people’ aspect of the ad.

Simon Owen, Standyby Productions: “We were very excited to be working in partnership with My Clever Agency to deliver a whole suit of films for The Co-operative Bank. It was quite a difficult brief to highlight 25 years of their Ethical Policy as it covers so many important pillars, but one thing was for sure – we wanted to have a very real and human feel to the adverts. With this in mind we wanted to use real customers and hear first hand what they had to say about The Co-operative Bank’s Ethical Policy. What was genuinely amazing, was how passionate their customer base was about choosing the Bank over other banks because of the Ethical Policy.”

“Here at Standby Productions we produced 15 individual films for TV, YouTube and the Bank’s Social Media channels. We’re very proud of the films and both My Clever Agency and The Co-operative Bank have been really complimentary of our work.”

Jobs joy for first locals to land roles working on £1bn airport transformation

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Sam Whitear

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04/12/2017

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An 18 year old construction pro, a sports-mad plasterer and an aviation studies student are among the first people to land a job working on the transformation of Manchester Airport.

Work started on the £1bn project – the largest infrastructure scheme in the North – earlier this year, with 1,500 new jobs set to be created.

The Airport’s on-site academy joined forces with main contractor Laing O’Rourke to deliver a specially-tailored course for those wanting to work on the scheme.

Now, the first cohort of students, who range in age, background and experience, have secured roles working on the transformation and will start on site in the New Year. All live locally and were out of full-time work before being given the opportunity.

Overseeing the graduation was Manchester Airport’s CEO Andrew Cowan, who said: “Our investment in Manchester Airport will give the North the world class international gateway it deserves.

“But it will also do a huge amount to boost the regional economy by creating jobs, tackling local unemployment and driving up skill levels, ensuring the transformation leaves a lasting legacy.

“That is why it is pleasing to see the first wave of people fill newly-created roles on the project and I congratulate them on passing their course and securing a job with Laing O’Rourke.

“This is just one example of the many initiatives we have on site for people to gain access to employment across the entire airport campus.

“With construction progressing rapidly, there will be many more opportunities for people to train in the skills they need to play a part in creating a bigger and better Manchester Airport.”

The Rt Hon Mike Kane MP said: “It is great to see the investment Manchester Airport is making is bringing real benefits to the area by creating jobs for local people, especially those who have been out of work for whatever reason.

“Many people in my constituency grow up aspiring to work at the airport and it is hugely positive to see schemes like this making that a reality for them.

“I wish all the graduates well with their careers and look forward to seeing the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme progress in the weeks and months ahead.”

Bryan Glass, Project Director from Laing O’Rourke said: “I congratulate the graduates on completing their course.

“The projects that we deliver have an impact on the local economy that goes beyond physical construction. By working with the Airport Academy, we are able to support local people back into work that lead to sustainable and fulfilling careers while also creating a pool of talent to complete the Transformation Programme.”

A dozen students started the inaugural three-week course, which covers a range of modules designed to help in the construction industry. These include: health and safety, team building, time management, manual handling, working at height and dust awareness to name a few.

The students are from all walks of life, aging from 18-50 and coming from places including Wythenshawe, Northenden, Cheadle and Baguley (see case studies below). A pre-requisite to take part includes passing literacy and numeracy at Entry Level Three. Plus, applicants need to be at least 18, in receipt of an active benefit e.g. Job Seekers Allowance and a resident in the EU for at least three years.

Those graduates successful in securing a role will be introduced to general construction, giving them a chance to better familiarise themselves with the opportunities available throughout the industry.

Minstrell Recruitment has been involved alongside the Airport Academy and Laing O’Rourke. Any graduates who are unsuccessful at interview stage with Laing O’Rourke will immediately be registered and offered temporary work with one of its ‘Recruitment Arm’ clients. They are able to provide an integrated service offer from screening, selection and training through to the placement of candidates onto other local construction/infrastructure projects.

Launched by The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP work officially started this summer on Manchester Airport’s Transformation Programme (MANTP).

This project, the largest private investment in the region, will reinforce Manchester Airport’s standing as the UK’s global hub in the North of England, enabling better and more international connections and supporting economic growth across the North.

MANTP will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state of the art services with excellent customer service. With the new development complete, the airport will be able to grow alongside a thriving northern economy to handle 45 million passengers a year, an increase of almost 20 million compared to today.

Manchester Airport is already amongst the world’s top 15 best connected airports by destinations served and this investment will facilitate ever greater levels of trade and investment into the UK that will drive a rebalancing of economic growth across the country.

In recent years, the airport has become the only airport outside London to offer many direct routes to long haul destinations like Seattle, Beijing, San Francisco, Houston and Muscat.

MANTP will enable the airport to further improve the North’s international connectivity and the airport is currently targeting expanding its route network into North America, the Gulf, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Manchester Airport estimates that MANTP will create more than 1500 jobs in the construction phase alone, nearly 200 of which will be apprentices. Manchester Airport already plays a key role in the Northern Powerhouse, generating £5 billion every year in economic activity in the local and regional economy, employing 20,000 people on site and supporting a further 25,000 jobs indirectly.

The Airport Academy aims to help unemployed people to get jobs in the travel trade, with training provided by tutors from Stockport College designed around skills needed for roles within an airport environment. One of the first projects of its kind in the world, the initiative has helped 1,200 out-of-work people in Greater Manchester into employment since it was launched by Manchester Airport in 2012.

BizSpace Newton Heath wins BCA ‘Workspace of the Year’ 2017

Awards

Sam Whitear

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01/12/2017

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National business space provider BizSpace’s Newton Heath centre has been named this year’s workspace of the year at the Business Centre Association Awards 2017. One of the most prestigious awards evenings for the work space industry, the award was presented to Kevin Cavanaugh, Business Centre Manager for Newton Heath, by Jennifer Brooke – Executive Director, BCA.

The BCA specialises in providing support and guidance to providers of flexible serviced office space, co-working and mailbox facilities across the UK, mainland Europe, the USA and further afield. Each year it hosts the BCA Annual Awards Gala Dinner, where awards are presented to individuals, operators and partners.

Kevin Cavanaugh commented: “To win the ‘2017 Workspace of the Year’ award is a great honour and privilege for our centre and means so much to me.

“The fact that our customers took the time and effort to return their nominations to the BCA is a credit and reflection of our hard work and makes us feel very much appreciated. David and I try hard to make our customers feel at home and create a working environment that they proud to bring their customers to.

BizSpace has invested a lot into our centre over the last year to improve the feel of the building without losing the old Wilsons House characteristics, and to win this award is just the icing on the cake. I could not be prouder and wish to thank all our customers and our management teams for their support.”

BizSpace CEO, Gareth Evans also commented: “I am immensely proud of all the hard work that Kevin and his team have put into Newton Heath, which has created a fantastic environment for our customer community. This is the second year running that we have won this award, which is testament to the strength of the communities created within our workspaces.”

Newton Heath has recently been fully renovated to suit the new brand styling. Bold and punchy, the brand is warm, witty and to-the-point, featuring bold colours and simple styling. The new branding is embodied throughout all elements of the building, from its signage and advertising to its interior décor and customer offering.

The Lean Body Project looks to bulk up

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Sam Whitear

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01/12/2017

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A Stockport gym is looking to expand after just six months in its new home.

The Lean Body Project moved into Princes Street in the town centre in May but is already looking to expand.

Owners Damien Coates, 35, and Lianne Sykes, 31, who are both from Stockport, started the business as a series of bootcamps in 2010.

The gym, which offers group training, now employs seven people, including personal trainers, and admin and sales staff, having been made homeless a year ago.
Membership has also trebled in that time.

Lianne said: “We were made homeless in December 2016 and moved into a temporary space, which wasn’t ideal but we stuck it out while we secured the ideal premises with room to grow.

“Fortunately we had several years’ experience and hard work behind us where we’ve developed and created what we have – a solid community of amazing people.”

The Lean Body Project, which started out as a bootcamp in Reddish and Handforth, also offers a number of services to its members, including sports massage, mindset coaching and meal planning alongside body transformation programs.

Lianne added: “We wanted to create a place that was different from any other gym, and where people wouldn’t feel intimidated or ignored.

“Our members often start out with fear, anxiety and a lack of confidence but our goal is to make sure after their first session with us they walk out feeling better and knowing they have made new friends.”

As well as expansion, there are also plans for a new website, online coaching and more cookbooks for 2018.

Damien said: “We’ve got room to double or even treble the size of the gym, which will allow us to bring an extra dimension to The Lean Body Project so we can help even more people on a bigger scale.

“Firstly, however, we will be opening up more daytime group training to give our members even more access and flexibility.

“Everyone in the gym plays a huge part of LBP and all our members get involved with supporting each other.

“We aim to create a ’sports club’ atmosphere rather than your usual ‘soulless’ gym.

“Friendships are made, barriers and challenges are overcome and goals are being smashed.

“We have the ability to keep improving and growing the business on our terms and it’s great to be in the centre of Stockport and contribute towards its regeneration.”

Linesight announces strategic promotion within UK team following a successful year

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Sam Whitear

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30/11/2017

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Multinational construction consultancy firm, Linesight, has announced a strategic promotion within its UK management team, naming Michael Riordan as Managing Director.

Michael brings a breadth of industry expertise to Linesight, which delivers strategic advice and cost management services to clients in multiple industry sectors, including commercial real estate, data centres, healthcare, high-tech industrial, residential, retail and hospitality amongst others.

In the last year, Linesight has continued to build on its successes worldwide with 20% growth across its regions and strong referral rates of over 80%. In the UK, it is working on a number of high-profile projects some of which include a 37-storey PRS tower in Manchester, a 780-bed hotel in London, a 280,000 sq. ft. major office fit-out in London, Primark stores throughout the UK and data centres worldwide.

Michael has been part of the Linesight team for over 21 years, working on large-scale developments throughout the UK and Europe in the commercial, residential, leisure and high-tech industrial sectors. His role as Managing Director involves overseeing Linesight’s UK operations, managing and growing the UK team, establishing new strategic client partnerships and leveraging the company’s relationships with multinational organisations to further expand the business in the UK.

Gerard Campbell, Group CEO at Linesight said: “We are pleased to have Michael at the helm of our UK business. He has been a key driver of our growth in the UK and maintaining key client relationships and we look forward to supporting him in keeping Linesight at the forefront of the industry.”

Michael added: “The UK represents a strategically significant market for Linesight with many of our multinational clients having a strong presence here. Typically our clients take us with them as they expand into new regions, and my focus is to ensure that we have the right teams in place with the right skill sets to meet their complex construction project needs. We have enjoyed great success in the past year working on some prestigious UK builds across the commercial, residential, retail and hospitality sectors, as well as delivering data centres, which is a core specialism of Linesight. Our ambition is to maintain our UK growth and double our size in the UK by 2019, position the business as the construction consultancy of choice and attract the best talent.”

Manchester e-commerce agency celebrates raft of new client wins on second birthday

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Sam Whitear

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30/11/2017

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Manchester-based eCommerce and marketplace expert Digitl is celebrating several new client wins, at the start of its second year in business.

The agency, which has a team of 14 and expanded into Virginia House in Ancoats earlier this year, has helped marine and engineering services provider James Fisher and Sons PLC take its first steps into eCommerce, as well as build the new Magento eCommerce website for ethical fashion brand Rock on Ruby. Other new client wins include Opro Group and Micro Scooters.

Digitl founder Darren Ratcliffe said: “Our second birthday has marked some serious business growth for Digitl and we have been busy expanding our client base across a wide range of sectors. We work with our clients across the whole lifecycle of online retail – from designing Magento eCommerce sites and stories, enabling marketplace integration, ebay store design and management.

“We are also focusing on international growth with clients and have applied to the Department for Trade and Industry for funding to run a series of webinars in early 2018. Digitl has some exciting plans for next year and we are looking forward to seeing them develop.”

Digitl was also recently shortlisted for a number of awards, including Talk of Manchester Business Awards and Best Financial Services website with client Money Seed at the prestigious Northern eCommerce Awards earlier this month. The agency’s work was acknowledged for delivering growth and revenue for an innovative new crowd-investment funding platform.

revenues top £5m in record year for the translation people

Blog

Sam Whitear

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29/11/2017

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More than 400 new clients worldwide have helped put The Translation People on course for a record year as the company celebrates its 10^th anniversary.

The translation and language services provider, which is based in Cheadle Hulme, is on track to achieve revenues of over £5m for 2017, up from £4.5m in 2016.

Sales in Germany have increased by 60 per cent, while Spain, the United States and Italy have also performed strongly, with revenues up by 37 per cent, 34 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.

Other fast-growing markets include Sweden, Canada and Luxembourg.

The company has won new clients in industries such as oil and gas, automotive, precision engineering, medical and food testing.

It has also seen strong growth among existing clients in sectors including logistics, energy and environmental consultancy and manufacturing.

Another factor driving its success this year has been a surge in demand for translating apps created by companies for their customers in other countries.

Managing director Steve Wilde said: “Clients need slick and streamlined processes to translate this content, and our technical expertise has led to a big increase in this type of project for our business during 2017.”

The Translation People, which also has offices in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Paris, Bonn and Boston in the US, has created four roles this year, taking its workforce to 38.

Steve established the business with David Nichols in 2007 and since then The Translation People has worked with nearly 6,000 clients in over 60 countries and has managed more than 50,000 projects.

This year, the company has added new translation combinations, including Finnish into Estonian and Portuguese into Polish, and has seen big growth in demand for translating English into Canadian French, Greek, Icelandic, Indonesian, Japanese and Vietnamese, reflecting increasing globalisation and a widening customer base.

Projects have also been completed in rarer languages such as Tetum, Galician and Southern Sesotho, which are spoken in Timor, Spain and South Africa respectively.

Steve said the company has expanded its market share in the US, where it has seen revenues of more than £500,000.

In German-speaking countries, sales have risen to almost £1m. The company will next year open a second German office to reflect the growth in its business.

Steve added: “We are delighted with our performance during this milestone year.

“Along with a record number of new clients, we have continued to meet the needs of our long-term customers around the world across a range of sectors.

“We are continuing to focus on organic expansion and winning new business from our key sectors, and we look forward with confidence to our next 10 years.”

Search is on for memories of RHS Garden Bridgewater

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Sam Whitear

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29/11/2017

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The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is looking to gather memories from those who lived, worked and played in the grounds of Worsley New Hall, to create a rich bank of first-hand material in preparation for the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater in 2020.

The RHS is partnering with Salford University’s Centre for Applied Archaeology to capture people’s memories about different facets of the garden’s history. The stories may feature in books and exhibitions about the garden and form part of its interpretation, enhancing the experience for future visitors.

In its heydey, Worsley New Hall was a notable residence of its era and the magnificent gardens, landscaped over a 50-year period, were equally impressive. Queen Victoria visited twice, in 1851 and 1857, and the hall became a British Red Cross hospital during the First World War. After this time the hall and the gardens fell into decline, and in the Second World War parts of the hall were requisitioned by the War Office, its gardens used as training grounds by the Lancashire Fusiliers.

During the early 20th century the hall fell into disrepair. Weakened by dry rot and following a fire in 1943, this once-grand building was finally demolished by a scrap merchant, who had bought it for just £2,500. By 1949, after a century of heritage, the hall became part of Salford’s historic past. In subsequent years parts of the grounds have been used as a garden centre, a Scout camp and a rifle range.

Anna da Silva, Programme Director, RHS Garden Bridgewater, says: ‘One of the great gifts of the Worsley New Hall site is its rich heritage and its significance for local people. We know there are some fantastic stories out there, from those who worked in the house or garden to those who learnt survival skills at Scout camp or attended raves in the Bunker. We want you to get in touch with your precious stories and memories so that we can make them a key part of the visitor experience at the garden.’

Students and staff at Salford University will be piloting the project in 2018, interviewing a sample of participants, and collecting and recording stories. If successful it will continue in future years, to the opening of the garden and beyond. Anyone interested in contributing should email [email protected] or write to Memories Project, RHS Garden Bridgewater, Leigh Road, Boothstown, Salford, M28 2GU with a brief summary of their experiences of the Worsley New Hall site and grounds.

Innovation showcase winners help to recharge trafford businesses

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Sam Whitear

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29/11/2017

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More than 50 representatives from small and medium-sized businesses in Trafford attended an event aimed at helping to stimulate innovation last week.

‘Recharge: Trafford’ was held by Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company, at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale and covered topics including Manchester’s recent third-placed ranking by the UK Tech Innovation Index, overcoming barriers to innovation and how companies can safeguard their intellectual property.

Event chair Richard Jeffery, director of Business Growth Hub, said: “Innovation can really help to drive growth in a company, and so, it is heartening to see so many of Trafford’s businesses turn up today. By holding events such as our Recharge series, we hope to help Greater Manchester firms to break down some of the challenges they face.”

Panellists included the two Innovation Showcase Competition winners from Venturefest Manchester 2017. Food and drink manufacturer Mello Drinks won Best Established Business, and co-founder Rose Aldean had the following advice for small and medium-sized enterprises: “Always focus on your goals, unexpected obstacles will always crop up in any business, it’s how you tackle them, and remain focused on your end goal that counts.”

Matt Walsh, CEO of music app developer Beatstream Media, which won the Best Start-Up Business award, said: “We’re constantly trying to innovate. Winning at Venturefest allowed us to stand out from the crowd whilst adding validation and credibility to our product. I would add that the mentoring service provided by the Business Growth Hub has been a massive help, and would recommend to every business owner.”

Also on the panel were Ian Sterritt, policy advisor for the Intellectual Property Office and Sue Ingham, innovation advisor at Hub.

Ian highlighted that intellectual property is not just relevant to businesses that have a product, but that it affects any business that has any intellectual worth tied into it, which really is every business. Sue reiterated this by pointing out every business can be innovative. The assumption is that it is only manufacturing or tech businesses.

Richard Jeffery added: “At times, intellectual property issues can be seen as a barrier to growth and can contribute to a lack of confidence in an idea for a new product or service. Therefore, it is really important for businesses to hear from success stories like Beatstream Media and Mello Drinks, and for someone like Ian to guide firms through how easy patenting a product or idea can be.”

“Finally, the Hub is committed to helping businesses. One of the ways we do this is by making Innovation Vouchers available to SMEs in Greater Manchester. Businesses can apply for up to £5,000 of funding to access expertise, research and specialist facilities – all of which can be exactly what is needed to accelerate the development of innovative products and services.”