The Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) has shown its continued commitment to investing in the North West with the £60 million purchase of Salford’s iconic Soapworks development from The Carlyle Group.
GVA represented GMPF in the purchase.
The Soapworks, formerly the Colgate-Palmolive factory, is situated within 8.5-acres on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal. Following closure of the original facility, The Carlyle Group has carried out a major refurbishment to turn the area into a modern and dynamic centre for business, creativity and leisure.
At present the Soapworks includes 230,000 square feet of Grade A office accommodation, with notable tenants including Talk Talk, Secretary of State and MWH producing around £4,000,000 rental income per annum.
Following the purchase of the Soapworks development, GMPF intends to build on this success by creating an additional 150,000 square feet of Grade A office space and a new multi storey car park. The plans also call for 240 new residential homes and 150 hotel rooms as part of the wider Ivy Wharf regeneration.
Councillor Kieran Quinn, Chair of Greater Manchester Pension Fund, said:
“For some time I have been in no doubt that Local Government Pension Schemes have a vital role in driving economic growth through investment.
“As the largest local government pension fund in the country, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) has a proud history of investing in both Greater Manchester and the North West through projects such as Matrix Homes and One St Peter’s. I’m delighted that we’re continuing to deliver on that goal with the purchase of the Soapworks development.
“I look forward to seeing this iconic development come to life. This innovative and prestigious scheme will attract businesses and support economic growth in Salford and the wider Greater Manchester region. The returns on this investment will also help enable us to achieve our over-riding aim of meeting our pension commitments to the GMPF’s 350,000 members.”
Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said:
“The purchase of the Soapworks by the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, shows the continued confidence that investors have in Salford. The re-development of this former factory to a modern working environment compliments the sustained growth of MediaCityUK and the Quays and has been at the forefront of transforming Ordsall riverside. It represents the opportunity for continued employment in a development which successfully blends the old and the new.
“I believe that this quality development is a positive addition to this part of the City which already boasts significant employment opportunities in Exchange Quay, a nationally important heritage asset in Ordsall Hall, together with the flexible space at The Foundry side by side with a growing residential community.
“I look forward to the continued success at the Soapworks and the opportunities for the people of Salford.”
Over 650 people from across the UK attended this year’s Venturefest Manchester 2017, providing further evidence of the North West’s place as an emerging force in the global economy.
The event, now in its fourth year, was held at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall earlier today (Thursday 14 September) and was organised by Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company.
Greater Manchester’s influence on the world was also reaffirmed by the day’s speakers. In his welcome to delegates, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, highlighted Manchester as a city that has long been recognised as an innovative city, historically playing host to exceptional minds such as Ernest Rutherford and Alan Turing, as well as Geim and Novoselev, who isolated graphene and are now transforming 2D materials technology, while also calling for stronger links between the region’s businesses and universities.
Furthermore, Mr Burnham also praised the strength of the business support infrastructure in Greater Manchester provided by the Business Growth Hub and its partners.
Headline speaker Lasse Sørensen, Senior Business Advisor at Vaeksthus Copenhagen, who has extensive experience with business start-ups and in the financial sector, also put the focus on creating an international presence, highlighting the importance of putting people rather than the idea first, and that it was crucial for any start-up to clearly understand its purpose, its customers and its market from a global perspective. Lasse also made a point of saying integrity was the key ingredient to sustained business success, along with passion and commitment.
Finally, Venturefest’s host, Prof. Vikas Shah, the CEO of Swiscot Group, set the tone for the event by encouraging collaboration, highlighting that, in his experience, three of the most important factors in success are building strong networks, learning from others’ experiences and harnessing the latest innovations, and applauding Venturefest’s ability to bring together entrepreneurs, professionals and investors.
Other speakers who appeared at the event include Keith Morgan, Chief Executive of the British Business Bank, and Pippa Hall, Director of Innovation and Chief Economist at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
At the centre of this year’s event was the annual Innovation Showcase competition, which was open to start-up and scale-up businesses from across the region. Prior to this year’s competition, Prof. Shah conducted an interview with Mike Anderson, Co-Founder of Nothing But Epic, who outlined the numerous successes, including international expansion, the company has had since winning the 2016 Innovation Showcase competition.
One of the highlights of the day saw ten companies pitted against each other in two categories – Best Start-Up Business, and Best Growth Business – in front of this year’s audience in the hope of securing the prize of a business support package worth more than £20,000 (one in each category).
Following impressive and informative pitches that demonstrated the outstanding level of variety and innovation at the heart of the region’s business landscape, the Best Start-up category was won by Beatstream Media while the Best Growth category was won by Mello (see notes to editors for details of all finalists).
Richard Jeffery, Director of Business Growth Hub, part of the The Growth Company,
Richard Jeffery (BGH), Matt Walsh (Beatstream), Rose Aldean (Mello), Vikas Shah
said: “Now in its fourth year, Venturefest Manchester is going from strength to strength and the buzz around Bridgewater Hall has been incredible all day.
“In addition to the fantastic speeches and presentations, we’ve also witnessed some impressive pitches from all of our Innovation Showcase finalists, and I’m delighted for our winners Mello and Beatstream who had some very tough competition today.
Our Meet the Expert advice clinics, break-out sessions and expert panels have also been of the highest quality, and the whole event has epitomised the creativity, innovation and ambition that define our region.
“Venturefest symbolises what the Business Growth Hub and The Growth Company is all about; bringing businesses together, sharing expertise and stimulating economic growth through innovation and collaboration.”
Venturefest’s host, Professor Vikas Shah, said: “Today has brought hundreds of company owners, professional consultants, lawyers, finance experts, investors and policy makers together under one roof to celebrate enterprise, support growing business and inspire Manchester’s next generation of entrepreneurs.
“It has been a pleasure to be part of today’s event, and I have been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm of the delegates, the calibre of the Innovation Showcase finalists, the expertise of all the panellists and advisors, and the overall passion for business which the event has generated.”
Beatstream Media’s CEO Matt Walsh said: “We’re absolutely delighted. We’ve got the right foundations in place for the business already but the support package and the kudos that comes from winning at Venturefest Manchester ensures that the sky’s the limit for Beatstream.”
Mello’s co-founder Rose Aldean said: “We really excited and really happy. This will help put Mello on the map as a food and drink business. We’re also really proud to be a North West company, and the fact we can represent an innovative new category is great. It will also bring us more recognition for what we have achieved, and our innovation.”
Venturefest Manchester 2017 was sponsored by Appleyard Lees, Avensure, Catax, Lombard, NatWest and Pomegranate Consulting, all of whom took part in the event’s Meet The Expert or Meet The Funder sessions.
Andy Burnham
Venturefest Manchester 2017 and the Innovation Showcase competition were both run by the Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company, and are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub’s innovation service, which is part of a portfolio of services designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.
Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit http://www.businessgrowthhub.com/ for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services.
For more information on Venturefest Manchester 2017 and the Innovation Showcase competition, please visitwww.venturefestmanchester.com.
Leading ecommerce and digital agency Visualsoft has raised over £800 for Cash for Kids, after holding a sponsored golf day.
The event, which took place on the golf courses at the Belfry Hotel and Resort in Sutton Coldfield, brought together Visualsoft clients and partners including Canterbury, BigDug, Barclays, KPMG and Performance Horizon who all competed throughout the day.
The annual golfing event raised £812.39 for Cash for Kids, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children across the UK.
Lauren Archer, head of brand marketing at Visualsoft,said: “Our annual golf day was a huge success and it was great to see so many businesses come together to support an incredibly worthy cause. The work Cash for Kids does for children in local communities is invaluable, and we hope the money raised goes some way to assist the important work they undertake everyday.”
Career development and flexible working are now considered more important than earning potential when it comes to taking a job in the North West’s technology or digital sectors, new research has found.
Manchester Digital’s Skills Audit revealed that only 13% of technology workers in the region would view earning more money as a key reason to stay in a job or move to a new role.
In comparison, nearly half (49%) value opportunities to train and develop their career, while 46% much prefer to work somewhere offering flexible working.
In fact, money has become a decidedly less important job focus for the North West’s tech sector with social benefits (34%), remote working opportunities (33%) and access to better technology (32%) all coming out as more favourable than a higher wage among workers.
This will come as welcome news to the industry after the same report found that more companies are putting increased focus on staff development and training, particularly among younger workers, with nearly a quarter of North West technology and digital businesses now preferring to run their own apprenticeships and training schemes.
Katie Gallagher, managing director at Manchester Digital – the trade body for digital and technology companies in the region – said: “The digital and technology sectors are an exciting area for people to get into, particularly in the North West, so it is not surprising that more workers are putting increasing focus on their career development.
“We’re in a great situation in the North West, and Manchester in particular, in that we are attracting huge investment and interest from the technology sector, yet the cost of living in the region is below that of London so money is less of an issue. While we are seeing some pressure on wages because of the skills gap, finding that this isn’t a major concern for workers is reassuring for the future of this exciting industry.”
1 Events Media is pleased to announce that the North West E3 Business Expo 2018 will be held on Wednesday 14th March at the Macron Stadium in Bolton. The event will run between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
The E3 Business Expo is a unique regional event for business and industry. Featuring an exhibition, a seminar programme and a series of networking events, it seeks to pack as much as possible into a single day.
Previous years’ events have proved that the one-day format works extremely well, minimising the quiet periods that often occur in multiple day events. At the E3 Business Expo, exhibitors can expect steady traffic throughout the day, while visitors can expect a wealth of opportunities to browse, learn and network.
Aimed primarily at small and medium-sized enterprises, the E3 Business will host around 70 stands. Here, some of the North West’s most dynamic businesses will be demonstrating new technologies and cost-effective solutions to everyday commercial challenges. This year, the exhibition will also feature a ‘fleet zone’ where delegates can get help with all things vehicular – everything from free safety checks to the latest developments in commercial vehicle security and tracking.
The combination of exhibition, seminars, workshops and speed networking creates an ideal platform for delegates to make new contacts and to learn from leading experts in their fields. The Expo will feature six seminars over the course of the day. These will address important issues such as sales, business networking, digital marketing and social media.
As ever, the event will be attended by a diverse mix of businesses, charities, entrepreneurs and representatives of professional bodies. The Expo routinely attracts visitors from a broad range of sectors, right across the North West, so exhibitors at the 2018 event will be able to promote themselves to a multi-sector, regional audience.
1 Events Media’s Director, Mubarak Chati, said: “The E3 Business Expo has rapidly become the North West’s most diverse gathering of business owners and managers. It is now an important feature on the regional business calendar and 2018 looks like it will be bigger and better than ever. We’ve already secured repeat booking from many of last year’s exhibitors and we’ll be announcing an impressive array of seminar presentations very shortly.”
Exhibition stand bookings are now open. Companies can book their stands online here. Those interested in sponsoring key parts of the event are invited to contact the organisers or click here for more information.
Visitor registrations will open on 8th January 2018.
A number of Manchester’s best companies that provide services to the eCommerce industry will be exhibiting at this years eCommerce Show North.
MEC, CTI Digital, Space48, Endless Gain and UKFast are just a few of the names set to take stands at the show to help drive new business leads and network.
The eCommerce Show North will be taking place across two days at EventCity in Manchester on 11th & 12th October 2017. The expo will feature some of the biggest names in online retail sharing their expertise through seminars, workshops, demonstrations and more. Confirmed speakers include Mick Style, CEO at MEC Manchester, and Phil Horn, Sales Director at Steamhaus. Alongside this, a number of networking rooms will also be set up, creating a fantastic opportunity for buyers, suppliers and new clients to make beneficial connections.
The free to attend event is set to be the biggest ever eCommerce gathering outside of London, and is heavily anticipated within the Manchester eCommerce community.
Darren Ratcliffe, Founder of Digitl, a leading Magento agency, expressed how the community aspect of the expo makes it a heavily anticipated occasion: ‘eCommerce Show North is something our city has needed for years – and it’s great at last to have the event taking place. The North has some fantastic businesses here to support people with their multi-channel operations.’
For some, the existence of the expo itself is an exciting indicator of industry changes. Lawrence Jones, CEO of cloud hosting company UKFast, said, ‘A decade ago there was a perceived gap in digital capability between North and South, whether that was correct or not. Manchester has proven itself as a hub for eCommerce excellence, with brands like Missguided, Late Rooms, BooHoo, AO.com, and of course UKFast.’
Located next to the Trafford Centre, eCommerce Show North will be spread across 6000m2. All stands and seminars will be found in one huge, easy to navigate space, including networking and coffee areas.
Martyn Collins from eCommerce Show North said, ‘The North is home to so many influential names in eCommerce, and we are thrilled to create a platform for them all to come together. The eCommerce industry in the north has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years, with research from eBay confirming that Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire are the top three regions in the UK for the number of online businesses. EventCity will give everyone from the small start-ups to the industry giants a place to teach, network and observe. Connections made over the two days could impact the next decade of eCommerce dealings. The sector is booming and shows no sign of slowing down – Northern talent won’t be left behind, so there’s no better time than now to put it in the spotlight.’
To register head over to the eCommerce Show North website, fill out your details and your badge will be emailed directly to you. Alternatively, you can purchase a priority pass which guarantees your place in one of our theatres ensuring you don’t miss out on that speaker you’ve been looking forward to.
Find out more here https://ecommerceshownorth.co.uk/
Landlords have been given the power to access more in-depth credit information about potential tenants and report payment history of rent payers to credit reference agencies, with the help of a new online tool.
The credit check service, which has been launched by Bury-based business Landlord Secure, will give landlords a far more comprehensive overview of a new applicant’s credit history by revealing if the applicant is in arrears with loans or credit cards, and even how much of their credit they are using.
Previously credit reference agencies were only able to provide identity verification, residential history and publicly available information on a tenant, such as county court judgement or bankruptcies, rather than giving an insight into their current credit status.
The new tool will allow landlords to view how many active accounts an applicant has and which are being paid on time, the total balance of unsecured accounts in the previous month and the “worst status” of any active accounts for a minimum timeframe of three months before an application was made. This will help to assess affordability and mitigate risk.
Landlord Secure has also recently launched another free tool, LateRent, that allows landlords to report payment history to credit reference agencies, enabling them to carry out robust affordability assessments on potential tenants.
This move comes after the Residential Landlords Association called for credit reference agencies to include rental payment history, to aid in the calculation of credit worthiness and affordability of tenants.
LateRent will report a registered tenant’s monthly payment status and this will show up on any future credit searches conducted by financial institutions.
The system also allows tenants who pay on time to build up a good credit history, which could assist them with future mortgage or credit applications.
Steve Burrows, managing director of Landlord Secure, said the new tools will be a benefit to good tenants, while improving the renting process for landlords:
“Chasing late rent payments can be an all too familiar issue for landlords to find themselves in. Tenant vetting checks and referencing services are meant to help them avoid these problems but most are not comprehensive enough and the information they gather doesn’t present an accurate picture of an applicant’s current credit status.
“This new credit check service, coupled with the LateRent platform, will make it much easier for landlords to select the appropriate tenant. It will also enable tenants who pay their rent on time to build up a better credit history– which may help later if they apply for other credit or financial products.”
SITE manager Dave Hickman is feeling “proud and very pleased” after being awarded a prestigious accolade by his employer Redrow Homes.
Dave, who heads construction at the company’s Dukes Manor development of three and four-bedroom family homes in Walkden, near Manchester, has been given the title of ‘Build Person of the Year’ by Redrow Homes (Lancashire) as reward for his commitment and the quality of his work.
And the 52-year-old from Chorley is thrilled to receive the honour after 15 years with Redrow: “I always work hard and put everything into my job, and I enjoy doing that. But it is still wonderful when that effort and loyalty is acknowledged.
“I do my best and I like everything to be the best in terms of work level and quality, and people around me know that if they don’t get it right first time, they will be going back to it until they do. I don’t let things go.”
Apart from one year away from the company, the dad-of-two has worked for Redrow since 2002 – following a change in career.
“I started life building and repairing caravans,” explained Dave, “but I wanted a new challenge. I joined Redrow as a joiner before getting my HNC qualifications – which I was supported in and encouraged to do – and I first became a site manager in 2006.
“I learned a lot when I worked on the Vie apartments building in Manchester; I was a site manager at the time but my specific role for Vie was as the quality manager for the city-based development. I’ve been at Dukes Manor for the last six months and prior to that was in charge at Stone Book, in Standish. To have been chosen as the best in the site-based construction team this year feels pretty good.”
As well as the prestigious title, Dave receives a cash sum and has his name engraved on a silver trowel which takes pride of place in Redrow’s Lancashire headquarters at Buckshaw Village, near Chorley.
The title Build Person of the Year is a new one for Redrow, replacing the previous award for Site Manager of the Year so it could include assistant site managers and trainee site supervisors when judges were considering who should win.
Keith Collard, construction director for Redrow Homes (Lancashire), said: “Dave was chosen because he is a consistent and solid manager, someone who has a particular skill for managing his Redrow site staff, sub-contractors and trades teams.
“Dukes Manor is one of our busiest housing developments and, at every turn in the build process, Dave meets the tough targets which are set and sticks to the planned programme to ensure that completions occur in a timely manner. That’s great news for us and even better news for customers who are excitedly waiting to move into their brand new homes.
“Redrow can only deliver high quality customer service if we get the best from our team – and that means relying on people like Dave doing their job so brilliantly.”
The award-winning craftsmanship of Dave and his team is evident by viewing the three fully furnished show homes at Dukes Manor, off Hilton Lane, in Walkden. The popular development will eventually feature a total of 150 new homes from Redrow’s Arts & Crafts inspired Heritage Collection and current prices are from £239,995 for a three-bedroom semi.
OfferMoments, the world’s most innovative advertising platform, has received a £1.5 million injection to fund a brand new project that will revolutionise Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising.
This new wave of investment has been led by Michael Edelson, who has been a director of Manchester United since 1982. Michael has been instrumental in floating numerous companies on the AIM stock market. Amongst the companies were ASOS plc and Knutsford plc, which reached a value of £1 billion within a month of flotation.
Investors in OfferMoments include Paul Althasen, a mobile industry veteran who founded MPC and sold it to Vodafone, and Apadmi Ventures, the investment arm of leading mobile technology group, Apadmi.
The investment will be used to back the launch of an innovative new marketing product, which is currently in development. Details of the product are being kept under wraps until its expected launch in October 2017, but developers are promising that it will disrupt the growing £1billion outdoor advertising market.
Since it’s inception in 2014, OfferMoments has been at the forefront of marketing innovation including the launch of its personalised digital billboard powered by facial recognition and mobile data technology. The board enables shoppers to see their face on the screen, where a special offer or item suggestion from a nearby store is then displayed based on their personal tastes.
In recognition of its achievements, the company has also won a number of prestigious accolades, including the People’s Choice award at Prince Andrew’s Pitch @ Palace programme in 2016.
Abdul Alim, chief marketing officer of OfferMoments, said: “This is a really exciting time for us as we continue to expand our offering and develop an innovative new OOH service, which we believe will transform the face of advertising as we know it. The investment will contribute to the ongoing development of the product and help us to successfully launch it to the market.”
Howard Simms, CEO of Apadmi Ventures, said: “OfferMoments is a truly revolutionary business that is constantly on the lookout for innovations that can disrupt the world of advertising.
“At Apadmi Ventures, we are dedicated to investing in technology businesses in the North that are set to completely disrupt their sectors. After hearing about OfferMoments’ unique business venture, we’re convinced that it is going to be a game-changer. We’re looking forward to working with the team and seeing what we can achieve together.”
KPMG has announced that Nicola Quayle has been appointed to lead the firm’s Manchester office from 1 October 2017.
Nicola, who has been with the firm for 21 years and a partner for nine, presently leads the firm’s audit practice across the North of England. She is the first female to be appointed as Manchester Office Senior Partner and takes over the role from Jonathan Holt, who was recently appointed to head up KPMG’s UK Financial Services practice.
An experienced audit partner, Nicola leads the audit of a number of the firm’s largest public, private equity and privately-owned clients across the North of England. In addition, she works with a number of growing owner-managed businesses within the North West, across a number of sectors including retail and property investment.
Nicola has been a non-executive director on the Board of KPMG UK and has also served as Chair of KPMG’s Audit and Risk Committee. Additionally, Nicola was formerly a Board member and Chairman of Pro Manchester, the membership organisation whose aims are to promote and support the financial and professional services sector within Manchester.
Commenting on her appointment, Nicola said: “Having played an active role in the business community of this fantastic city region for many years, it is such a privilege to be now given the opportunity to lead one of KPMG’s largest regional offices in the UK.
“We have a superb team of some 900 people here, who are all focussed on helping our clients, large and small, through their biggest challenges, during a time of unprecedented economic, geopolitical and technological change.
“Manchester’s standing as a vibrant, dynamic and forward-thinking city on both the national and international stage is ever-growing, and I am excited by the opportunity to be able to play a part in its future development.
“My priorities over the coming months will be to ensure that we continue to deliver best-in-class services to our clients across the region, while maintaining a keen focus on developing the skills of our people, ensuring we can recruit and retain the very best talent.”
Chris Hearld, North region chair for KPMG, added: “Nicola has outstanding credentials, having spent time working with the boards of some of the region’s biggest and most entrepreneurial businesses. She is passionate about our people, and in particular their skills and development, and is a great advocate for the financial and professional services community at large. I know that she will lead the Manchester office with drive and enthusiasm, building on the success we have achieved in recent years.”
Following Nicola’s promotion to Office Senior Partner, the firm is also pleased to announce that Mick Davies will replace her as head of audit in the North.
Mick has spent 20 years at KPMG, dealing with clients both in the UK and internationally, across a range of sectors. Previously based in London, he has spent the past 13 years working with clients in the North of England including a number of the region’s best known PLCs. His current client base includes a number of businesses that have successfully used technology to disrupt their markets.
Chris Hearld added: “With audit quality now an issue on the agenda of every board and audit committee, the role of ‘head of audit’ has never been more important. Mick has a great track record and as auditor to some of the region’s highest ranking FTSE250 businesses, is very much at the sharp end of the modern audit environment.”
He concluded: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that in recent years, we have invested heavily across the North region, with new offices, a raft of promotions across all grades and the launch of new service lines including our hugely successful Enterprise offering. Both Nicola and Mick’s appointments position the Manchester office brilliantly as we seek to build on this momentum and grow our business further.”
