Home Blog Page 794

BBI celebrates all agency win hat-trick

Sam Whitear
-
0

Manchester-based content-led performance agency, BBI, has won its third agency of the year industry accolade in just a matter of months as it continues its rapid expansion.

It has beaten off strong competition to be crowned ‘Integrated Agency on the Year’ at the 2021 Northern Digital Awards.

Just prior to this, it was awarded ‘Large Integrated Agency of the Year’ at the Prolific North Awards 2020, swiftly followed by ‘Best Large Agency’ at the Northern Marketing Awards held before Christmas.

The 60-person strong agency has received praise for its ambitious growth plans, including its new Manchester headquarters, its handling of the Coronavirus pandemic and the launch of a new health division, BBI Health.

Jon Butler, Founder and Managing Director of BBI, said: “To hit the treble for large, integrated all agency awards in the last six months, in such a challenging climate, is testament to all the hard work every member of our team has put in.

“We’ve achieved a lot in the last few months, and I couldn’t be prouder of how the entire agency has adapted to obstacles that have come our way and risen to the opportunities we’ve had.”

Made in Manchester Awards 2021 Winners Announced

Sam Whitear
-
0

On Thursday 4th February the ninth annual, and first ever, Virtual Made in Manchester Awards, brought to you by future pro-manchester celebrated the best of Manchester’s young business talent.

Streamed live from the VE-M Studio, Vison Events Manchester made this year’s virtual awards possible by providing us with their fantastic studio along with all of their AV and tech expertise.

Hosted by pro-manchester CEO Sam Booth, the stylish awards celebrated excellence in innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, training and development and leadership. Getting bigger and bigger every year, three new categories were introduced for 2021: Team of the Year, Manager of the Year and The Lockdown Hero Award. This award was for someone who had gone above and beyond and, in doing so, made a significant, if not vital contribution to a business, organisation or community within the Greater Manchester region during the pandemic.

The evening was a huge triumph with the Chair of future pro-manchester, Laura Guillon, Senior Associate at Hall Brown Family Law speaking ahead of the event:

“We had a record number of applicants this year and the quality has been exceptional. There’s no doubt that the young talent in Manchester have overcome a great deal this year and it is really inspiring to see how people have pulled together and gone above and beyond.”

Our proud sponsors of the event included; Headline Sponsor: WorkLife by OpenMoney along with Category Sponsors: Virgin Money, Sharp, Together, Brewin Dolphin, BNY Mellon, Hall Brown Family Law, Vision Events Manchester and DWF. Event Sponsors: Brabners. Brand Partner: Thisislda.

Our nominated charity was Spoons neonatal family support and we raised in the region of £4000.00 during the course of the event.

Full Winners List:

  • Apprentice of the Year: Georgia Carly, The Growth Company
  • Business Development Professional of the Year: Ruth Carmichael, Brabners
  • Business Owner / Entrepreneur of the Year, Emily Coxhead, Emily Coxhead ltd.
  • Finance Professional of the Year, Jessica Jackson, GC Angels
  • Graduate of the Year, Umar Tahir, Brabners
  • HR/Talent Professional of the Year, Jaye Haynes, Slater and Gordon
  • Lawyer of the Year, Charlotte Lewis, Mills & Reeve LLP
  • Lockdown Hero, Cherryanne Dawson, MIDAS
  • Manager of the Year, Nadia Johnson, Thales UK
  • Marketing and Creative Professional of the Year, Charlotte Moore, Studio Sonder
  • PA/EA/Business Support of the Year, Natalie Griffiths, The Oakridge Centre
  • Recruitment Professional of the Year, Paula Pawlowska, Realm Recruit
  • Team of the Year, EY
  • Technology Professional of the Year, Ellie Judge, Tech Returners
  • Chairman’s Rising Star Award, Emily Coxhead, Emily Coxhead ltd.

 

Manchester AF brewery sees off multinational brands to win Alcohol Free Drinks Product of the Year award

Sam Whitear
-
0

Manchester alcohol-free craft brewer Drynks Unlimited is celebrating its 0% SMASHED Pale ale winning a coveted Product of the Year award. It was one of the only small independent businesses, and the first ever alcohol-free drinks brand, to win a coveted award.

SMASHED Pale ale is a light and refreshing 0% ale with hints of toffee and caramel finished with passionfruit notes. It only launched in October 2020 and has already proved one of the brands most popular beers.

This is the first year that the prestigious Product of the Year award included a specific No and Low Alcohol category which saw 10,000* consumers vote for the most innovative product.

Drynks Unlimited launched in 2018 and has invested millions of pounds in a pioneering cool vacuum distillation plant in Stockport, Manchester which gently removes alcohol from real premium craft beers and ciders. This innovative process results in a range of 0% beers and ciders which taste as good as the alcoholic originals. You wouldn’t know there wasn’t any booze in them.

It owns the only cool vacuum distillation brewery in the UK which has started paying dividends as its SMASHED range of quality alcohol free drinks is winning global taste awards, national supermarket listings in the UK, UAE and USA and seen sales grow by almost 50% from January 2020-January 2021.

Richard Clark Founder and MD of Drynks Unlimited said: “We only launched our SMASHED range of alcohol-free beers and ciders in 2019 and we’ve been bowled over by their popularity. We spent a long time perfecting the best way to remove alcohol from premium craft drinks without damaging the original liquid so the fact that 10,000 people voted for our SMASHED Pale ale above big name drinks brands is very humbling.

“We know people are missing the social atmosphere of a pub, so we thought we would offer a free 0% pint delivered to your front door; have A Smashed Pint on Us.”

SMASHED Pale Ale was one of just 34 national winners, joining an illustrious group of market-leading and innovative products including Heineken’s Strongbow Rosé Cider, Echo Falls’ Blueberry & Hibiscus Rosé Seltzer and Nando’s Garlic PERinaise PERi-PERi Mayonnaise.

To celebrate winning Product of the Year and to say thank you to everyone’s support since Drynks Unlimited launched, the brand is giving away 250 x 660ml bottles of SMASHED Pale ale and 250 x 660ml of SMASHED Lager on the Drynks store on Thursday 11th February 2021. www.drynks.co.uk

“No-low is a fast growing industry and what better reflection of this than to be voted Product of the Year” says Helga Slater, MD, Product of the Year “We’re thrilled to crown 0% SMASHED Pale Ale as the winner in the alcohol-free category, a truly worthy winner.”

The annual Product of the Year Awards feature the most comprehensive survey of product innovation with the world’s leading data and insights company, Kantar. The winning products represent key consumer wants and habits and each brand wins the right to feature the iconic red Product of the Year logo – an instantly recognisable symbol of product excellence.

The SMASHED range uses the finest ingredients to create authentic tasting beers and ciders that maintain the same bubbly personality, character and flavour of the original full alcohol version.

All SMASHED drinks are vegan, gluten free (where possible) and contain less than 100 calories per 330ml bottle/can. The quality and taste of SMASHED drinks also won the brand a Great Taste Award and World Beer Award bronze for SMASHED Lager and an International Beer Challenge silver medal for SMASHED Citrus.

SMASHED is available in selected Sainsbury’s** stores (SMASHED Lager and SMASHED Pale ale 4 pack box) and the full range is in Booths supermarket. It is also available online at www.drynks.co.uk, Zeroholic.co.uk, Drydrinker.com, and a range of local independent retailers across the UK.

Check us out on www.drynks.co.uk and on social @drynkssocial

*Winner Alcohol Free Drinks Category. Survey 9,865 People by Kantar.
** SMASHED Lager is in 250 stores and SMASHED Pale ale in 130 stores nationwide

Manchester’s What Marketing rebrands as What Media

Sam Whitear
-
0

Manchester-based video content specialist, What Marketing, is rebranding to What Media.

The company, which specialises in creative, videos and animations, has evolved and developed since launching in 2016, and following increased demand in its creative services, the team felt the time was right to re-brand to reflect its core offering.

Based at Bonded Warehouse, What Media currently has seven members of staff, and operates across a wide range of industries and markets. As part of the rebrand, the team has redesigned its website to reflect the new name and core services.

Creative Director of What Media, Chris Townsend said: “Since launching the agency in 2016 I’ve certainly learnt a lot and we have grown and evolved far more than I could ever have hoped.

“2020 gave us a real opportunity to reflect on our offering and how we were increasingly supporting our clients, so it felt right to leave 2020 as What Marketing and start the New Year as What Media.”

What Media has kick-started 2021 with a real bang after winning a number of new clients and project briefs, including Uber for Business where the team have been developing a campaign to build brand awareness to their target audiences.

What Media has also been working with Muscle Food in a bid to creatively resolve a branding issue and raise awareness of its brand proposition as a full meal provider – not just as a discount meat provider. This saw the team create a video and suite of social media content to be used as part of its wider campaign.

Chris continued: “We’ve had a crazy start to 2021, launching the re-brand and winning all these new projects and clients – it has been fantastic!”

Sustainable fashion venture Thrift+ transforms its packaging strategy with Duo UK

Sam Whitear
-
0

Online retailer Thrift+ has engaged packaging specialist Duo to develop a mailing bag for the business and its collaboration with hush.

Thrift+ allows customers to sell second-hand fashion items via its website and donates a portion of proceeds to one of 160,000 registered charities in the UK. With an estimated £140 million worth of clothing going to landfill each year[1], Thrift+ offers an alternative solution to reduce clothing waste and generate much needed funds for charitable organisations.

For Thrift+, Duo has created GreenPE mailing bags that feature a unique QR code that allows the recipient of the bag to scan to arrange a return as part of a reverse logistics process. The QR code eradicates the need for a paper label, which creates a contamination-free mailing bag that can be recycled as part of Duo’s closed loop recycling system.

Duo has also been commissioned to produce a GreenPE mailing bag for the retailer’s collaboration with women’s fashion and lifestyle brand hush. Hush customers can request a mailing bag to send their unwanted fashion items to Thrift+, which photographs the items and lists them for sale on the Thrift+ website. Once an item sells, a third of the proceeds are donated to the nominated charity, a third covers Thrift+’s cost and a third goes to the customer as Thrift+ credit. The customer also receives a 10% discount code to spend on hush.

Duo is the first packaging manufacturer to combine this printing technology to offer a unique paperless label mailing bag, which can be manufactured using its sustainable GreenPE material. GreenPE is a thermoplastic resin made from sustainably-derived sugar cane that is both renewable and recyclable. Each kilogram of Green PE produced saves 2.78kg of CO2 when compared to the production of conventional fossil-based polyethylene.

Thrift+ and hush customers will use the QR code to return their mailing bags, which are filled with clothes to sell, to a specific destination. The fact the parcels are destined to go to the same location makes it possible for a QR code to be used for this process. Each bag’s unique code carries the details of who has sent the parcel, to be processed accordingly when it arrives with Thrift+.

Once the mailing bags reach the destination, the clothes are removed and the bags are collected and returned to Duo to be recycled using its closed loop recycling facility. The high-quality polythene material is then used to produce new packaging products.

Joe Metcalfe, Co-Founder & CEO of Thrift+, said: “The ability for Duo to print a unique QR code on each bag has removed the need for us to attach a paper label on each bag. This has streamlined our operations saving us time, money, and materials.

“In addition to this, by using the Thrift+ service, our customers and those that shop with hush, are actively engaging in the circular economy and so are almost always highly environmentally conscious. The fact that we can get the performance of plastic with the renewable and recyclable credentials of GreenPE is a huge win for us.”

Zoe Brimelow, Brand Director at Duo, added: “There’s currently a huge demand for good quality polythene that can be recycled and reused at a high percentage to create new products without affecting the material’s performance. We developed this solution for Thrift+ using QR codes in place of paper labels to reduce contamination and deliver better quality recycled material that can be reused as part of a closed loop recycling system.

“Thrift+ is a retailer that’s taking responsibility for its own footprint, helping consumers become more sustainable in their approach to fashion. They have chosen the most environmentally-friendly material – lightweight, durable GreenPE polythene – and kept the value of this great material by eradicating contamination using a QR code. The opportunity to work with forward-thinking retailers such as Thrift+ and hush as some of the first to embrace the solution is an exciting step forward for the industry, and one that we hope will be adopted by more retailers.”

The mailing bags were introduced by the retailer in January 2021.

North West exports to China hit £10bn mark since 2015

Sam Whitear
-
0

As Chinese New Year passes, the North West has continued to strengthen trading relationships with the Chinese market, with total exports passing the £10bn mark in the last six years.

Analysis from Deloitte has revealed that annual export figures have remained stable at between £1.5bn and £1.8bn each year. Despite the ongoing uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this figure has remained consistent over the past 12 months.

The North West has exported £1.2bn to Chinese businesses in the first three quarters of the year at an average of £400m per quarter. This represents a rise on the £375m quarterly average seen in 2019, and is identical to 2018 levels.

Outside of the trading relationships, the region has developed connections with China across a number of areas. This includes Manchester University becoming the most popular university for Chinese students, with more than 5,000 students enrolling – one in eight total students at the university.

This continued success in China has been driven by the progress of the Manchester China Forum. Established in 2013 by George Osborne, the Manchester China Forum has since supported Chinese firms in their investment in projects with a development value of more than £6bn, including the £1bn Airport City development and the £1bn Northern Gateway project.

John Cooper, partner at Deloitte in the North West, said: “China has become one of the most important international trade partners for the North West in recent years, and have increasingly taken an interest in investing in high profile infrastructure projects in the region. By continuing to cultivate this relationship, China can support the sustained economic recovery of the North West, as well as help to drive the ‘Levelling Up’ agenda on a national scale.

“There are also considerable synergies between the North West and China when it comes to shared knowledge and experience. With Greater Manchester committed to a zero carbon target of 2038, there is considerable advice and guidance businesses from the region can provide as China looks to cap its own carbon footprint.”

David Percival, partner at Deloitte and chair of the Manchester China Forum, said: “A key objective of the Manchester China Forum, was to take a holistic approach of our relationship with China. When approaching inter-city relationships, many organisations elect to improve one area, whether trade or tourism, but we recognised that it was crucial to consider all elements to drive sustainable growth for both parties.

“As a result, Manchester has become an extremely attractive proposition for China, from our manufacturing capabilities to our higher education institutions. We remain committed to sharing best practice and knowledge to maximise the speed of recovery and drive international trade for the future.”

Hi-Tech Steel Services Ltd secures £8.75M funding from IGF to support growth plans

Sam Whitear
-
0

Steel manufacturer, Hi-Tech Steel Services, secures a £8.75M funding facility, which includes a £750,000 Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBILS) from Independent Growth Finance (IGF). The Merseyside-based steel processor required additional working capital to support growth and assist the business during the height of the pandemic.

Hi-Tech Steel Services processes 2500 tons of strip mill product each month on a variety of equipment. With roots stemming back to 1992, the company continues to offer high-quality product and service performance. It has forged partnerships with independent and multinational customers across Europe. Working largely in the construction, white goods and automotive sectors, its primary customers are multinationals.

Punching onwards

With the first lockdown putting much of the manufacturing industry on hold, Hi-Tech Steel was hit with significantly slower demand levels. To counter the downward trend and to avoid disruption to the business, the company sought out a new funding partner. The purpose of the funding was to support the business through the Covid-19 transition and aid the growth of its sister company, Hi-Tech Resourcing, located in Bridport, Dorset. Hi-Tech Resourcing’s focus is aligning to the green agenda, with increased demand for sustainable product development in new markets.

Hi-Tech Steel was introduced to IGF in October 2020 and the deal was closed in a few short months with the commitment of IGF to get the funding over the line. Funds were raised through a combination of invoice financing and a CBILS loan.

Richard Spielbichler, ABL Director at IGF, commented, “Hi-Tech Steel were looking for an ABL provider that could offer them support pretty quickly. We were pleased to see the business stay resilient during a difficult time for their industry. We worked hard to understand the needs of the business and put the business back on a positive trajectory which they are now seeing pre-COVID levels of trade again.

Manufacturing for the future

Steve Wells, Commercial Manager at Hi-Tech Steel, commented, “The business was heavily disrupted due to the pandemic. We are now in full recovery mode, with current tonnage levels at 120% of our pre-pandemic average. As a result, we were looking for additional working capital to support growth. What impressed me the most about IGF was their professional approach and commitment to close this deal in just two months. It is a testament to how dedicated and thorough the IGF team are.”

With an increasing focus on green tech across the manufacturing industry, growth and development in this area is paramount for Hi-Tech Steel. Focussing on sectors that give the company a better growth margin, Hi-Tech Steel is utilising funding to meet their clients’ needs and provide a one stop shop for customers.

Bidders line up for Barton Square

Sam Whitear
-
0

The directors of Barton Square Limited have been approached by a number of bidders looking to buy the redeveloped retail and leisure destination in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester.

Investor interest has been driven by the lease-up opportunity which has attracted a range of high-profile operators following Barton Square’s multi-million-pound transformation and the opening of a two-storey Primark store last year.

The centre was fully redesigned as part of the £75 million revamp, gaining a glass-domed roof and more than 110,000 sq ft of extra leisure and retail space.

As well as Primark, its strong line-up of tenants already includes LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Sea-Life, Homesense and Next Home and conversations are now focused on bringing in complimentary national and international leisure and retail brands.

Barton Square Limited has run the centre since owner intu went into administration, with work underway to reinvent the centre in response to changing visitor and tenant needs.

Rebecca Ryman, speaking on behalf of Barton Square Limited, said: “Barton Square offers such exciting potential for retail and leisure brands, and that’s reflected in the conversations we’ve been having with operators as we build a new future for this strong centre.

“Everyone’s obviously all-too aware of how tough things are right now in the market, but brands are also preparing to come out the other side with the launch of new European, UK or north west sites. The centre’s fantastic redevelopment, its strong tenant mix, and its position at the heart of the flourishing Trafford City presents so many opportunities for operators looking to take new space.”

Barton Square Limited has appointed Savills to advise on the leasing, strategic advisory, project management and property management at Barton Square, including managing its sale.

Manchester-based manufacturing business purchased by management team

Sam Whitear
-
0

A Manchester-based manufacturing and engineering firm specialising in the aerospace and defence sectors has been purchased by three of its management team.

Atec Engineering Solutions employs around 43 staff at its site in Worsley designing, manufacturing, and maintaining complex control and monitoring equipment for defence land, sea, and air sectors as well as the industrial oil and gas and nuclear markets.

The management buyout has been completed without any external debt or equity funding and will allow the firm to pursue its plan to expand its capabilities within existing and new customers as well as exploring new market sectors.

John Bowden will become Atec’s new managing director and will be supported by Mark Poole, operations manager and Steve Atherton, finance manager as the other two managers involved in the management buyout.

Current owner and managing director Andrea Hough will remain as chairman and will assist the team in forming its business strategy and guiding it forward in line with its sales targets as well as retaining a minority stake in the firm.

Andrea Hough said: “This exciting announcement will allow Atec to grasp the huge opportunities in developing industries such as nuclear power.

“Atec has been a huge part of my life since joining the company as an apprentice when I left school but in John and the rest of the management team, the company has a fantastic new management team who are well placed drive it forward.”

Atec has a long history in engineering under several different brands and was purchased by Andrea and her business partner Terry Madden in 2004 following a company restructure. Andrea then became sole shareholder in 2016.

Accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley helped to facilitate the management buyout. Corporate finance director Stephen Gregson led the advisory team along with Michelle Taylor and Tony Medcalf providing taxation advice.

Chris Ross and Nina Latham from Mills and Reeve acted as legal advisors to Atec’s management team and Katie Parker at Addleshaw Goddard advised Andrea Hough.

Stephen Gregson, MHA Moore and Smalley, said: “This deal is a testament to the excellent business Andrea has helped to build over recent years and with the new management team, Atec is well positioned for its next stage of growth.

“Both parties have been hugely helpful and open throughout the whole MBO process and we are hugely pleased to have helped structure an excellent deal for both parties.”

John Bowden said: “Having the opportunity to lead a business with the heritage of Atec is an honour and I look forward to the journey ahead with the support of a great team. This is an exciting time for Atec and I am sure we will achieve the success that the business deserves.”

Five business advantages that Cyber Essentials delivers to its holders

Sam Whitear
-
0

In 2014 the UK Government introduced the Cyber Essentials scheme to help organisations secure themselves against the ever-increasing number of cyber threats they face. Cyber Essentials is overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre(www.ncsc.gov.uk), with IASME (www.iasme.co.uk) managing the scheme. The scheme has been a runaway success and in 2019 alone over 14,000 organisations successfully acquired Cyber Essentials.

In this article, Kevin Crichton, the Managing Director of Bergerode Consulting (https://bergerode.consulting), the leading Cyber Essentials certifying body in NW England and a Trusted Partner to the Greater Manchester Cyber Resiliency Centre, outlines the five business advantages that Cyber Essentials delivers to its holders.

Competitive Advantage

Reading about companies suffering data breaches is almost a daily occurrence. In response, customers (both personal and corporate) are becoming increasingly security savvy,favouring those companies which take proactive steps to secure their data and that of their customers. Cyber Essentials gives you a competitive advantage over your rivals by demonstrating that your organisation takes cyber security seriously. It delivers independent assurance that your organisation is compliant with five cyber security controls (listed below) which protect against cyber-attacks:

Secure Networking – is your network secure so that hackers are kept out?

Secure Configuration – are your devices and software secured so that hackers cannot access them?

Access Control – do you manage staff access to your data ona “need to know” basis?

Malware Protection – are your devices are kept secure from viruses and ransomware?

Patch Management – are your devices and software up-to-date with the latest security patches?

Better Risk Management

Not only does Cyber Essentials provide assurance to customers that your organisation takes cyber security seriously, it also provides you with crucial insight into the security posture of your organisation. By reviewing the Cyber Essentials security controls, you will understand your strengths, but more importantly, you will understand where improvement may be necessary. This awareness will allow you to better appreciate the risks you face, and consequently address these risks much more effectively. Cyber security risks come in many forms but knowing where and how you may be vulnerable will give you a head start in taking effective steps to prevent their occurrence.

More Contract Opportunities

Cyber Essentials is mandatory for contracts with the NHS, UK Government, and the Ministry of Defence, so possessing Cyber Essentials immediately puts you in a favourable position to take advantage of a wider range of opportunities. Cyber Essentials isalso becoming increasingly popular within the private sector. Many companies in the UK defence sector now require their suppliers to hold Cyber Essentials as a matter of course. Many companies, particularly in finance and insurance, now expect their suppliers to hold Cyber Essentials, especially if they handle customer data. As with ISO9001 (Quality Management) and ISO27001 (Information Security), Cyber Essentials is fast becoming a de facto standard that companies look for when choosing suppliers, so Cyber Essentials will help your organisation satisfy due diligence checks when bidding for contracts and tenders.

Protect Your Business Secrets

Cyber attacks such as data breaches and ransomware can often leave businesses in a precarious financial position. Yet there is also another, sometimes less obvious reason for cyberattacks. Many organisations are not targeted for money, butfor their Intellectual Property and other business secrets, such as confidential contracts, bids for tender, and anything else that gives an organisation a competitive edge. Whilst you may not consider your organisation to be a target, it might be engaged as a supplier to a bigger organisation, or be working on a prestigious project that cyber criminals may want to gain access to and they might seek to use your organisation and itsconfidential information as a stepping stone to this bigger target. By undertaking Cyber Essentials, you will not only protect your organisation against cyber criminals looking to steal money, but also against those looking to undermine its existence by stealing its business secrets.

Free Business Insurance

As previously earlier, businesses, especially small and medium sized ones, are a prime target for cyber criminals, often losing tens of thousands of pounds in cyber attacks. These losses often place them in a precarious financial position since they can mean the difference between the business collapsing or remaining viable. Cyber Essentials comes with free Cyber Indemnity Insurance worth £25,000, and is available to any UK registered organisation that acquires Cyber Essentials. A core component of risk management is the ability off-set risk by taking out insurance, so the ability to acquire free Cyber Indemnity insurance is surely a benefit worth having.

1...793794795...1,095Page 794 of 1,095