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North West online sportswear platform secures £1.625m investment and unveils expansion plans

Sam Whitear
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The UK’s leading price comparison website for football merchandise and sportswear has secured a £1.625m round of investment that will allow the company to roll out the first stage of its expansion strategy and global growth plans.

With an office in Manchester as well as the North East of England, and backed by venture capital firm Northstar Ventures, FOOTY.COM will use the funding injection to increase brand awareness, bolster its workforce and invest in its online technology so its customers can find competitive deals on sportswear with ease.

Established in 2015 by five founding serial entrepreneurs – who have involvement with a string of high profile businesses in the North of England including SaleCycle and The Leighton Group – FOOTY.COM helps customers throughout the UK, Europe and the USA get the best pricing for trainers, football boots, football kits and sports clothing, providing access to thousands of products.

With investment secured – provided both by the North East Innovation Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Northstar Ventures, and a selection of angel investors, the company will now move forward with its plans to relocate to a new office and is now actively searching for talent to bring into the organisation, including experienced marketers and a relationship manager.

Speaking about FOOTY.COM’s investment and vision for the future, its CEO Paul Lucherini, former Commercial Director at J2 Global, said: “We believe we’re the only company globally comparing prices across the football world and the technology we have built is robust and innovative. We’ve got a great opportunity to grow a North West based business into something that millions of people will benefit from.

“The new funding we have acquired will help us reach the millions of football fans around the country, and the world.

“The plan is to build the awareness of FOOTY.COM as well as optimising the technology so that we become the go-to place when people look for new trainers and football-related merchandise. We’re planning for quick growth and ultimately have the opportunity to look at international markets such as USA, Europe and Asia-PAC too.”

Northstar, a venture capital company dedicated to building successful high growth businesses across the North of England, believes FOOTY.COM is a worthy addition to its portfolio of innovative businesses and is looking forward to working with the organisation.

Ian Richards, Director, Northstar Ventures, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting FOOTY.COM, we’ve been impressed by the team and the vision as well as the ability to scale the business. We look forward to working with them as they take their innovative platform further and grow the team.”

Looking ahead to the short and medium term, FOOTY.COM has said it is now well placed to be in a high growth position following the outbreak of Covid-19.

It has said it is on course to achieve a £1m revenue run rate in the next 12 months and expects this to grow to £5m within the next three years.

Paul Lucherini, added: “We’re in a great position following investment to really take the next steps in growing awareness of FOOTY.COM. We’ll improve our technology even further and with our vision of making football affordable for everyone we really feel we can become a household name across the country. The next stage of the journey is going to be an exciting one.

“After the significant impact of Covid-19, we think there will be even more demand online in the short term for people to find the best pricing for products, and long term there will be no shortage of people looking for trainers and football boots as we all get back to regular life.

“The business is in a strong position, in a recovering economy, to help consumers get the best options online and we believe the demand for our type of service will always be there. We just have to look at the impact of comparison sites in other sectors that help consumers and within the sporting world it should be no different.”

Mechanised Launches Manchester’s Newest Food Brand

Sam Whitear
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Digital marketing specialists Mechanised have played a central role in the recent launch of TrueRice an ethical online food retailer.

Mechanised is a boutique digital agency, based in central Manchester that offers a full range of online marketing services. TrueRice retained them to create an eCommerce site, including designing their brand and packaging.

TrueRice specialises in sourcing and supplying ‘the highest quality rice’. The company connects directly with rice farms and mills to ensure they source high-quality organic rice from suppliers who adhere to certified eco-friendly production techniques working on Fair Trade terms.

Mechanised Director Oliver Bannister commented:

“TrueRice was the perfect project for us to work on. Hamdi trusted us to take his concept and develop it from the ground up including getting the branding just right.

“We really connected with the idea of using digital marketing tools to promote one of the world’s oldest and most natural foods.

“We’re thrilled with the results and proud to have helped such an ethical product come to market. TrueRice is already doing great business, and we take great satisfaction from the work we did to bring their brand to market.”

Commenting on the launch, TrueRice CEO Hamdi Harbaoui said:

“I’m delighted to have launched TrueRice and to bring the UK’s highest quality, fully sustainable rice brand to the market.

“The Mechanised team supported us every step of the way; from concept to launch and we’re already getting a great response to the superb work they put into launching our brand.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to them for all their support.”

Manchester artist creates new packaging design during lockdown for Levitex

Sam Whitear
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The Manchester-based company linked up with local artist Gideon Conn to create a unique packaging design celebrating its growth story so far

A Manchester-based company has used the UK’s coronavirus lockdown to collaborate with a local artist after working with him to create a unique packaging design for its products.

Based at Manchester Science Park, Levitex has worked with local painter, drawer and sculptor, Gideon Conn, to design fresh new product packaging, which celebrates collaboration and the story behind the brand so far.

Levitex has developed a completely new type of foam technology for mattresses, pillows and other products and is hoping to crack the UK’s sleep market. It follows a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019, where the company finished 334% over its target.

Following Gideon’s signature silhouette drawings, the new design features 36 individuals, across a range of industries, who have provided support and expertise to continue to drive the Levitex business forward. They include Invictus Games captain and army veteran, Major Bernie Broad and World Cup finalist and Sale Sharks player, Tom Curry.

James Leinhardt, CEO and Founder of Levitex, said: “We knew we wanted to celebrate everyone that has supported Levitex on our journey so far and with the UK in lockdown right now, we thought it would be great to collaborate with a local artist and ask him to create us a unique design from home.

“I have known Gideon for years and he is a brilliant artist, so it is so exciting to be working together to create the new imagery. This is a perfect example of how we can be creative when we collaborate, despite the restrictions we have in place.

“The design is a ‘thank you’ to those who have believed in us, including leading academics, sports physios, professional athletes and the general public. Whether it is through research, clinical trials or shouting about us on social, now we’re recognising that visually through our products.”

Gideon Conn added: “Businesses working together to support each other is something that our country needs right now, so I loved working with James to create a design that showcases the number of people it takes to make a small business succeed when competing in a congested market.

“The relationships that James has established will aid Levitex’s success in the future – and this is just his way of showing his appreciation. I am so pleased I could help.”

In addition to medical professionals from regional Universities, the team at Levitex have also teamed up with some big-name athletes and high-profile sports teams in the UK. Supporting the innovative products include Sale Sharks, Preston North End FC, the Chelsea FC Women’s team, alongside British high jump star, Morgan Lake and Toronto Wolfpack’s Sonny Bill Williams.

BEYOND ACCOUNTANCY HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

Sam Whitear
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A new accountancy practice set up by the founders of investment and corporate advisory group Infinity has hit the ground running as business owners seek help amid the coronavirus crisis.

Beyond Accountancy, based at Infinity’s headquarters atClippers Quay, Salford Quays, is focusing on providing advice and support to owner-managed companies and the self-employed across Greater Manchester.

It is led by Infinity partners Daniel Finestein and Sarah Butler, who are both experienced chartered accountants.

The duo have recruited Ben Thomas as a manager from RSM, where he spent eight years as an audit supervisor and manager.

Beyond’s core offering includes providing accountancy services and business advice to a range of clients, from start-ups and partnerships to multinational companies.

The practice also provides statutory accounts, bookkeeping, corporation tax, payroll and management consultancy services to companies and individuals across a variety of sectors, such as property, retail, leisure, media, creative and technology.

Since the coronavirus crisis took hold, Beyond has been helping clients seeking advice about the government’s business support package, how to maintain cash flow and deal with suppliers, deferring tax payments, personal finance matters, providing forecasts to access the new business interruption loans, and other issues.

Sarah said: “While it may seem an unlikely time to have launched a new business, our energetic, practical and commercial approach to supporting clients through the current crisis is being well-received.

“Our plan has always been to expand the team and our service offering either organically or through acquisition, and this is something we intend to pursue. “However, for now our focus is on helping clients to get through the current crisis.”

The Infinity group’s activities also include asset management and fund management, corporate advisory and legal services, property lettings and maintenance and The Buzz Rooms, a boutique viewing facility for which hosts focus groups testing new products and services for global brands and businesses.

Infinity Asset Management specialises in the formation, management and operation of investment funds throughout their lifecycle through to exit.

It creates and manages funds for clients using its FCA regulatory hosting service, which offers prospective fund managers a faster route to market. It also manages its own funds, including ones focused on private equity and property.

Greater Manchester has largest regional FinTech ecosystem

Sam Whitear
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A new report from Whitecap Consulting has found Greater Manchester is home to a thriving and growing FinTech sector, which (outside London) is the largest regional FinTech ecosystem in England.

The report, based on research completed before the Coronavirus outbreak, is the first formal published analysis of the FinTech ecosystem of the Greater Manchester region. It was supported and co-funded by a number of organisations including Alliance Business School, BJSS, CMS, FinTech North, Innovate Finance, MIDAS, and The University of Manchester.

The new report has identified and researched 39 FinTech startups and scaleups that are within the Greater Manchester ecosystem, which is the largest number of all the regional FinTech ecosystems assessed by Whitecap Consulting to date.

49% of these firms are scaleups, which is also the highest proportion identified in any region. The report also finds 109 firms active in FinTech in the region, including established financial organisations, tech firms, as well as the FinTech startups and scaleups.


Almost 8,000 people are estimated to have FinTech related roles, more than any other region researched by Whitecap to date. Additionally, the report highlights a wide range of other organisations that support FinTech, including the public and private sectors, and higher education institutions.

Richard Coates, Managing Director of Whitecap Consulting, says:

“We are pleased to present our initial assessment of the Greater Manchester FinTech Ecosystem, the fourth regional FinTech ecosystem report that we have published in recent months. This report paints a positive picture of a region with strong financial and digital sectors, as well as a higher volume of FinTech startups and scaleups than any other region outside London that we have researched to date. These firms are supported by an ever-growing number of coworking spaces which are facilitating connection and collaboration between startups, scaleups, established organisations and other stakeholders. FinTech provides a material economic growth opportunity for the UK, the North, and for the Greater Manchester region.”

Tim Newns, Chief Executive of MIDAS, says:

“Being home to the UK’s largest regional banking and financial services industry, as well as one of Europe’s largest digital and technology clusters, Greater Manchester has developed a strong reputation as the FinTech capital of the North; and on behalf of Greater Manchester, MIDAS is delighted to support this pioneering research into the city region’s FinTech industry. Thank you to Whitecap Consulting for leading on this important piece of research, which demonstrates there is huge growth potential for the FinTech industry in Greater Manchester and across the UK.”

Professor Markos Zachariadis, the recently appointed Greensill Professor in Financial Technology (FinTech) & Information Systems, Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, says:

“Mapping the entire FinTech ecosystem is an important exercise in order to get a better understanding of the variety and size of the FinTech sector in and around Manchester and to identify the needs and potential for further growth and investment. Being part of the city’s vibrant innovation and R&D cluster, we are aiming to establish Alliance Manchester Business School and The University of Manchester as a FinTech research and teaching powerhouse internationally.”

The higher education sector in the region has an active involvement in the FinTech sector in the region, spanning academic courses, business engagement and research. Greensill, a leading British FinTech company founded by Lex Greensill, an Alliance Manchester Business School MBA alumnus, recently provided £2.5m to support The University of Manchester’s understanding and sharing of FinTech expertise across business communities locally, nationally and globally.

Other regions which have been researched by Whitecap include: North East, Bristol & Bath, Leeds City Region, and the West Midlands.

The Greater Manchester FinTech Ecosystem Report 2020 can be downloaded here.

Farleys Foundation Grants Support Local Causes on the Frontline during COVID-19

Sam Whitear
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The Farleys Foundation has thrown its support behind a number of local causes who are providing vital services and supplies for vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak.

The charity, set up by law firm Farleys Solicitors, has made grants of £1,000 each to assist five foodbanks and charities in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

The grants have been made to Preston-based Cash for Kids, Maundy Relief in Accrington, Mustard Tree which has locations in Manchester and Salford, Blackburn Food Bank, and Burnley Together; after each cause ran appeals for help following an increase in demand for their services during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown.

Farleys has a long-standing connection with Cash for Kids and have raised funds for the charity, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children in Lancashire, for more than a decade. In response to the impact of coronavirus, Cash for Kids launched a fundraising appeal to build a fund from which grants will be given to families with children to cover basics such as food and heating.

Nikki Thompson, Charity Manager at Cash for Kids, added;

“Thank you so much again Team Farleys you are my heroes!”

Maundy Relief provides food parcels for vulnerable people in the Accrington area. As a result of supermarket shortages and buying restrictions, the charity has launched an appeal in order to continue providing an increasing number of food parcels. Where possible they are asking for donations of any spare tinned food with a long shelf life.

A spokesperson from Maundy Relief commented;

“I am so grateful. We are still operating food parcels and emergency advice and we are quite stretched. The generous donation from the Farleys Foundation will be an enormous help.”

Mustard Tree is a Greater Manchester based charity which supports the homeless and vulnerable within the community. Their team are also delivering food parcels to those in need. They’ve worked out that each parcel costs them £8 to deliver and are asking for contributions to their COVID-19 crisis fund to help keep it sustainable. The Farleys Foundation grant has the potential to assist with the delivery of 125 food parcels.

Jack Barton of Mustard Tree said;

“Huge thank you for this gesture – it really has come at a time of great need and we are massively humbled by your generosity. We’re striving to stay open to help the most vulnerable people in Greater Manchester have access to food and vital supplies – donations like this keep us able to do that – thank you so much.”

Blackburn Food Bank, located close to Farleys’ head office, serves the Blackburn with Darwen community and, as it is anticipated the use of foodbanks across the country will increase over the next few months, is appealing for funds to ensure they “are able to buy the things that we absolutely need and will also relieve pressure on already stretched supermarkets shelves. It will also ensure that if we have to switch the way we work we will have access to funds to cover any additional costs.”

Burnley Together is a brand new initiative which launched in March in response to the coronavirus outbreak, as a “community hub” to co-ordinate help and support for residents across the borough.

The hub will provide a “one stop shop” where businesses, groups and individuals who want to help and can offer services, and those who need help, can be brought together. Among their services, the hub will be working to ensure vulnerable people in the community have the food and supplies they need and the grant from the Farleys Foundation will assist with this.

Stephen Greenwood, Partner at Farleys and Trustee of the Farleys Foundation, commented;

“Many families and already vulnerable people have been affected massively by the current situation, including people who have lost their jobs; those that can’t get the basic essentials they need, and those who have extra unexpected outgoings now that everyone is required to stay home.

We saw the appeals from these charities and felt, as a local firm, it was only right for us to offer our help financially.  The Farleys Foundation was set up to help causes in the area when they need it most and these causes fall right under that.”

Reta Rose, Trustee of the Farleys Foundation and Marketing Manager at Farleys added,

“We hope other people and businesses who are able to will offer their help to these local causes so we can all pull through what is an incredibly unprecedented and difficult situation together”.

Alongside making donations to local causes, the team at Farleys are assisting with a hub of legal advice covering lots of areas you may have concerns during the coronavirus outbreak, details can be found at www.farleys.com.

 

GC Business Growth Hub is #HereForBusiness

Sam Whitear
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Greater Manchester’s business community is currently facing a challenge like never before but the message from GC Business Growth Hub is that its expert advisersare #HereForBusiness and ready to assist employerswith whatever issues they are facing.

COVID-19 has presented businesses all over the region with unexpected impacts and challenges, whether that means getting to grips with remote working, struggling with a loss of income or needing to understand the details of what help is on offer from the Governmentwhen it comes to retaining staff.

GC Business Growth Hub, as part of The Growth Company, was quick to create a suite of resources to support businesses as the COVID-19 situation started to unfold, including a new microsite, a series of webinars, and guides on issues such as cashflow management, contingency planning and remote working.

The launch of the #HereForBusiness campaign will build on this support on an unprecedented scale –implementing a social media campaign, extending thebusiness helpline and call opening times, and directly contacting every business who can get help to ensure they receive it quickly.

GC Business Growth Hub has a team of business experts on hand to offer a range of guidance, information, advice and support on the following:

• Government Coronavirus Support Schemes
• Cash flow and cost control
• Manufacturing under COVID-19 restrictions
• Running a business virtually
• Mental and physical well being
• Remote working
• Human resource including recruitment
• Insolvency

The Hub’s services are fully funded so will not add to already-stretched overheads. It offers expert one-to-one and peer-to-peer business support, as well as specialist programmes and funding tailored to each business’s needs and circumstances.

Mark Hughes, Chief Executive of The Growth Company,said: “We may be living through a time where manycompanies are working remotely, but that doesn’t mean that businesses need to feel isolated and alone when dealing with the unique challenges that COVID-19 has created.

“GC Business Growth Hub was founded to help companies across Greater Manchester to realise their ambitions and while that might feel much more difficult right now, we remain #HereForBusiness and are eager to do whatever we can to advise and support localbusiness leaders.

“COVID-19 is a major challenge to many SMEs in our region, which in turn impacts so many employees, who will also be feeling anxious about their futures. GC Business Growth Hub is here to advise on ways to retain those employees and the businesses themselves.”

Any SME in Greater Manchester wanting to access support from GC Business Growth Hub during this crisisshould visit businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus or call the Hub on 0161 359 3050 to speak to an adviser.Opening hours have been extended to Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am – 1pm to support businesses.

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services to achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Primas appoints new partner after sustained success

Sam Whitear
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Commercial law firm, Primas, has promoted a new partner, Nataliya Healey, further strengthening its leadership team during a time of continued growth for the North-West-based firm

Cheshire and Manchester-based law firm, Primas has announced the promotion of a new partner to further strengthen the firm’s commercial real estate offering.

Nataliya Healey, who has been with Primas for three years, becomes the sixth Partner and will now support the firm with its growth strategy in the North West.

A specialist commercial real estate lawyer, Nataliya has particular expertise in managing complex property transactions, development and property finance work.

Speaking of her promotion, Nataliya said: ‘I’m delighted to become a Partner at Primas. It’s an incredibly hard working, passionate firm with great ambitions for the future. Our approach is modern but personal – we deliver work in a way that our clients want and need, helping them to secure the best possible commercial solutions.

“In my three years with Primas, I’ve experienced the firm go from strength to strength. I’m very much looking forward to an onward, and undoubtedly upward, journey with Primas.”

Primas Law has a team of close to 40 staff with offices based in Cheshire, Manchester and London. It offers a wide range of services including corporate, commercial, litigation, real estate, employment and insolvency.

Managing Partner, Adam Kerr, said: “We’re thrilled to promote Nataliya to the position of Partner. During her time with us, her incredible work ethic and professionalism has allowed her to impress clients and colleagues alike and show impressive leadership qualities.

“She’s always very attuned to the commercial needs of a deal and is a very talented technical lawyer. These are traits that we value very highly at Primas and we consider Nataliya to be a great asset to the firm.”

Citylabs 4.0 Gets Green Light

Sam Whitear
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The expansion of Manchester’s leading health innovation campus, Citylabs, was given the green light today following the approval of the recently submitted planning application, cementing the campus’ presence as an international hub for genomics, digital health and precision medicine.

 

The new £35m development, which will grow the existing Citylabs campus by 125,000 sq ft, is a collaboration with Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) on behalf of Bruntwood SciTech and marks the next phase of the scheme.

 

The Joint Venture partnership between MSP and MFT, the UK’s largest NHS provider Trust, was the first of its kind and the first phase – Citylabs 1.0 – is already home to a thriving cluster of diagnostics, medtech, digital health and genomics businesses who are driving the future of medicine and healthcare.

 

The second phase is underway to create the £25m Citylabs 2.0 which is currently under construction and 100% pre-let. Due for completion in summer 2020 it will be home to global diagnostics company QIAGEN, who will base their European Hub for Diagnostics Development at the campus. 

 

The new development Citylabs 4.0 represents another step forward for Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district, Europe’s largest clinical academic campus and one of the North of England’s most important commercial areas, generating around £3bn in GVA each year.

 

Citylabs 4.0 will be built at the south of the MFT Oxford Road campus, adjacent to Citylabs 2.0, and provide seven floors of office and lab space where brilliant research will be translated into new healthcare diagnostics and treatments which can then be quickly adopted into Manchester’s health system. 

 

Businesses at Citylabs have access to clinical and academic collaborators located on the campus, and an extensive programme of business support including advice on funding sources, new markets, and professional services. They also benefit from the brilliant talent pool generated from the surrounding hospitals and the UK’s largest student population at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. 

 

Tom Renn, managing director of MSP and Bruntwood SciTech – Manchester, said: “Manchester’s life science sector continues to thrive and continues to make a statement in being the place to be for startups, scale ups and international companies in the sector to cluster together. We can facilitate direct collaboration with the NHS and the ability for companies to accelerate getting their product or service into the healthcare market faster, something truly unique to our city. 

 

“As evidenced by the current global health challenge, there has never been a more urgent time for strengthening and investing the UK life science sector and so we are extremely pleased that Citylabs 4.0 has had its planning consent approved, and look forward to continuing the creation of a world-leading health innovation hub at the campus.”  

 

Professor Neil Hanley, Director of Research and Innovation for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: “We welcome the very positive news that Citylabs 4.0 has received planning permission. At MFT, we are all rightly proud that the Citylabs approach has brought together NHS, academic and commercial sectors, completely in line with the UK Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy.

 

“In the current trying circumstances, the importance of continual research and innovation becomes ever more obvious as we strive to make the new discoveries that benefit our patients, the public and UK economy.”

 

The development of Citylabs 4.0 will also see sustainability measures being implemented as part of a commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030. The development of Citylabs 4.0 follows the recent planning approval announcement of the next phase of the Manchester Science Park masterplan which includes creating a 91,000 sq ft hub for materials science, energy technology and advanced manufacturing businesses as part of the redevelopment of Base. 

 

Citylabs 4.0 is designed by Sheppard Robson alongside Arup and Hilson Moran, with planning consultancy from Deloitte and cost consultancy by Gardiner and Theobald.

Manchester-based tech-for-good, Culture Shift partners with Refresh following £1.35m investment

Sam Whitear
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Manchester PR and comms agency, Refresh, has been appointed by tech for good organisation, Culture Shift, to boost brand awareness and support its expansion into new markets.

Refresh was selected by Culture Shift following a competitive pitch, due to its strong industry connections and its understanding of the organisation’s key product offering – an online reporting platform which allows people to confidentially and safely report workplace harassment.

Culture Shift was originally launched in 2018 following a string of stories about bullying and harassment in high-profile businesses across the UK. The organisation currently has more than 50 customers, most of which are in the higher education sector.

Supported by a recent £1.35m funding round, led by Praetura Ventures and boosted by GC Angels, the business now plans to expand into the regulated and corporate markets, giving organisations the insight needed to prevent harassment and effect positive change in the workplace.

The account will be headed up by Lucy Moore, a technology PR specialist and account director at Refresh. She said: “Manchester’s tech scene is booming and it’s great to see so many businesses thriving across the city. To add a Manchester-based tech for good organisation to our growing client-base is such a positive indicator for how the city is flourishing and using tech to encourage positive change.

“We’re proud to have been chosen by Culture Shift to lead its communications throughout 2020. We’re looking forward to showcasing the important work the company does around reducing the fear and stigma around reporting harassment in the workplace.”

Culture Shift’s CEO, Gemma McCall, added: “We’re really excited to get working with Refresh on a PR strategy to help us achieve our ambitious growth plans. Our vision is a world of work and study that is safe, happy and supportive for everyone, everywhere, and this appointment brings us one step closer to that!”

Refresh already holds a strong portfolio of tech clients in Manchester and across the North, including: the specialist trade body, Manchester Digital, customer loyalty experts, ELLO Media, and smart mobile marketing agency, Digitonic.

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