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Medlock to the fore as £2m golf venue opens at The Printworks

Sam Whitear
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A new £2m mini-golf attraction has opened at The Printworks leisure destination in Manchester after a fit-out by Oldham-based specialist contractor Medlock FRB.

The Amazon rainforest-themed Treetop Adventure Golf venue has two 18-hole courses, called Tropical Trail and Ancient Explorer.

Located on the second floor of The Printworks, the 20,000 sq ft attraction is the first in England for Treetop Adventure Golf, following the success of its site in Cardiff.

Special features include a giant fig tree, a dramatic cascading river with singing frogs, an ancient temple and a mountain zone.

More than 2,000 artificial tropical trees and plants have been brought in to create a lush rainforest atmosphere.

The venue also has a 125-cover restaurant and bar with a Brazilian-inspired menu. There is also an event space for private functions.

As the principal contractor, Medlock fitted out the existing shell in 13 weeks to create the ground floor entrance lobby and the second floor reception, restaurant and bar.

The golf course features were fabricated by scenic theming company Best Constructors.

The attraction is the second major project at The Printworks for Medlock in under a year, following the fit-out of the Lazy Lizard bar and late-night music venue for MAD Ltd Group.

Treetop Adventure Golf owner Discovery Adventure Golf is another key client for Medlock in the burgeoning indoor golf sector.

Callum Ferraby, Medlock’s project manager for the Treetop Adventure Golf venue, said: “We are delighted to complete this scheme at one of the north west’s premier leisure destinations and to see it expand its offering.

“Indoor golf is increasing in popularity and we are pleased to be using our skills and expertise to help the sector develop. It fits perfectly with our strategy of growing our business in the leisure industry.”

Recruitment firm in the running for five national awards

Sam Whitear
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Leading marketing, digital and technology recruiter Forward Role has been shortlisted for five top awards recognising the nation’s brightest and best recruitment firms.

The Manchester-based company, which celebrated its tenth year in business in 2018, has been recognised in five categories at this year’s Marketing and Digital Recruitment Awards (MADRAs).

They include Best Large Agency, Best Regional Agency, Best Client Service and Best Candidate Experience, as well as a bonus nomination in the Agency of the Year category.

Now in their ninth year, the coveted MADRA awards recognise UK recruitment firms that have displayed unparalleled excellence within the marketing, advertising, creative and digital sectors.

And Forward Role is no stranger to success at the MADRAs, having won Best Recruitment Website, Best Social Media Strategy and Best Regional Agency in 2013, 2014 and 2016 respectively.

“We’re a specialist recruitment firm and these awards are the equivalent of the ‘Oscars’ of our sector, so we’re absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted in five categories this year,” said Forward Role founder and Managing Director, Steve Thompson.

“It’s been an incredible year of celebration with us marking the tenth anniversary of the business earlier this year and our continued success is testament to the hard work of our 35-strong team, and also the fantastic clients we’ve continued to work with over the years.

“We’re really looking forward to the ceremony in November and will be keeping our fingers crossed that we can bring back some of the awards to Manchester. Adding something to the trophy cabinet would be a great way to toast a memorable year for all of us at Forward Role.”

The Lume hotel celebrates official opening on Oxford Road in Manchester

Sam Whitear
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The 19-storey hotel development The Lume, which is dual branded with both Crowne Plaza® and Staybridge Suites® hotel brands, has officially opened and welcomes its first guests this week.

The newly built 328-room hotel development is owned by M&L Hospitality and managed by Cycas Hospitality.

Occupying the lower 12-storeys, Crowne Plaza Manchester features 212 guest rooms, a 120-seat restaurant, bar, fully equipped 24-hour gym, club lounge and seven state-of-the-art meeting rooms catering for over 200 delegates.

Located on the upper seven floors, Staybridge Suites offers a mix of 116 modern studio and one-bedroom suites featuring fully-equipped kitchens and panoramic views of the city from the terrace on the 18th floor.

Guests also have access to the 24-hour gym, laundry facilities and complimentary hot and cold buffet breakfast in the “Hub” kitchen. The hotel will also host ‘The Social’ three evenings a week, an informal opportunity for guests to mingle and get to know their on-site team over complimentary drinks and nibbles.

Andrew Fletcher, The Lume’s General Manager, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have opened this stunning dual branded-hotel. For the first time, thanks to The Lume, travellers to the north of England will have the choice of two different hotel styles in one central location.”

“Giving both business and leisure travellers a new way to experience Manchester is something we have been excited about for some time. We have combined two hotels under one roof and are naturally delighted to now welcome people into what is a brilliant, relevant and flexible offer,” Fletcher also commented.

The dual-branded hotel development forms part of the University of Manchester’s Campus Masterplan, which includes the wider redevelopment of Alliance Manchester Business School. It also adjoins its new two-storey Executive Education Centre, which will provide a new home for the business school’s corporate leadership and management programmes.

Explaining the name, The Lume, General Manager Andrew said: “We chose this to celebrate our light-filled ‘illuminated’ hotel and to recognise the textile ‘loom’, an innovation that will forever be linked to Manchester.

“Our meeting rooms are also named after famous University of Manchester alumni including Alan Turing, Sir Howard Bernstein and Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington.”

He added: “It’s important to also highlight the importance of the Oxford Road Corridor, where The Lume is located. The Oxford Road Corridor is an innovation district south of Manchester city centre, running the length of Oxford Road from St Peter’s Square to Whitworth Park, and West from Higher Cambridge Street to Upper Brook street in the East.

 

Manchester named 5th most entrepreneurial city in 2018

Sam Whitear
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London may lead the pack when it comes to business start-ups in Britain, but the latest research from Instant Offices reveals the UK’s other major cities are making a significant contribution to entrepreneurialism in the UK.

Instant’s Entrepreneurial Index ranks the UK’s leading cities by analysing Companies House data and comparing average population in each city with the number of businesses launched there year on year. And this year, Manchester has taken fifth place with Birmingham storming to the top of the league for start-ups.

Despite uncertainty around Brexit, the UK’s start-up ecosystem saw record investment growth in 2017, as according to a report by Deal Room, UK investment grew by 87% to €7.1 billion, which is more than Germany, France and Sweden combined.

According to a Startup Outlook Report, UK start-ups are optimistic with 49% of entrepreneurs saying they are confident in better business conditions in 2018 while 42% said conditions would remain the same. Eight in 10 start-ups plan to expand their teams in 2018.

London leads the pack for total number of start-ups, as would be expected, with 145,993 businesses launched in 2017.  But, on a pro rata basis, Birmingham surpasses the capital as the Most Entrepreneurial UK City in 2018 with its impressive start-up to population ratio.

With significant growth over the past few years, Birmingham’s ability to attract and support early-stage businesses is attributed to its world-class support networks, accelerator schemes and significant infrastructure investment. The completion of HS2 is set to transform the West Midlands, and Birmingham’s sizeable metropolitan economy is predicted to see considerable benefits to boost growth.

Key Cities Ranked

ENTREPRENEURIAL CITIES TOTAL CO. JAN 2018 ENTREPRENEURIAL INDEX
BIRMINGHAM 21,783 3%
LONDON 145, 993 2%
LEICESTER 9, 796 2%
COVENTRY 6, 985 2%
MANCHESTER 15, 128 1%
BRIGHTON 6, 839 1%
BRISTOL 7, 290 1%
EDINBURGH 7, 237 1%
GLASGOW 9, 138 1%
NOTTINGHAM 6, 787 1%
NEWCASTLE 5, 930 1%
LIVERPOOL 7, 697 1%
CARDIFF 6, 770 1%
LEEDS 6, 425 1%
BELFAST 801 0%

 

John Williams, Head of Marketing and Research at Instant Offices, said:“While majority of demand still comes from companies looking for flexible office requirements for smaller teams, our data reveals that larger, corporate occupiers are also looking for flexible space in what is proving to be a very competitive market in cities like Leicester.

Rumpus inks deal with Printerland

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based PR agency, Rumpus, has been appointed by the UK’s largest independent printer reseller, Printerland, to help drive national brand awareness.

Managing media relations, Rumpus will focus on showcasing Printerland’s expertise across a range of diverse sectors, as well as promoting longstanding community and charity involvement.

Established in 1993, Printerland has grown rapidly to dominate the printer and consumables reselling market, now employing over 60 people at its head office in Altrincham. With turnover predicted to reach £50million in 2018, Printerland has ambitious growth plans and is prioritising innovation to remain ahead of the ever-evolving digital curve.

This partnership follows a period of strong growth at Rumpus and a complete brand overhaul.

James Kight, managing director of Printerland, said: “Customers are seeking out industry expertise and guidance on maximising budgets now more than ever, so it’s the perfect time to highlight the specialist, bespoke service we offer at Printerland.

“We were impressed by Rumpus’ experience in building national and industry brand awareness for its clients, and look forward to working alongside a local agency to take us to the next level.”

Gareth Clements, director of Rumpus, said: “With security and cost efficiency such hot topics in IT at the moment, Printerland has the required expertise to lead national conversations on progress and innovation.

“We look forward to working with such an ambitious team to position them at the forefront of such developments, building national brand awareness and reputation as we go.”

Foresight supports the partial buy-out of ABL Health with £2.5m investment

Sam Whitear
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Foresight Group has invested £2.5 million to support the partial buy-out of Bolton-based community healthcare and wellbeing provider ABL Health Limited.

ABL is a provider of community healthcare and wellbeing services across the North of England. The company was founded in 2009 by Denise Leslie and Dr Sheena Bedi, as a means of providing a range of innovative, evidence based, healthy lifestyle, behavioural change and wellbeing programmes including weight management, nutrition support and smoking cessation.

The business has helped approximately 12,000 clients record weight loss in the North West region, mainly in Manchester, St Helens, Wigan and Blackpool, and over 5,000 clients have significantly improved their mental health. On the Wirral, over 3,000 people have stopped smoking as a direct response to the ABL program in the last two years.

Considered one of the regional market leaders in clinically-led, healthcare in the community programmes, ABL operates from its own premises on Redgate Way, Farnworth, Bolton, within the grounds of the Royal Bolton Hospital as well as satellite offices in Manchester, Stockport, the Wirral, St Helens and Hull.

Denise Leslie will continue to lead the business as CEO, with Dr Bedi becoming a non-executive director to provide strategic clinical input. Denise will be supported by a strong second tier management team and a staff base of almost 200. To help drive the growth in the business Foresight has introduced Chris Jessop as Chairman, who has held senior leadership roles in Optima Health, Nuffield Wellbeing, BUPA and AXA PPP.

Foresight’s equity investment, which was supported by a debt package from Barclays, will help with the Company’s geographic expansion, whilst widening its service offering across both the public and private sectors. ABL will continue to focus on the end results of its programmes and on delivering care to the community.

Matthew Pomroy, Investment Manager, Foresight commented: “Foresight is delighted to support ABL, a company that prides itself on its social impact within local communities. We are looking forward to working with Denise and the management team in supporting the company in achieving its growth objectives.”

Denise Leslie, CEO & co-Founder, ABL, commented: “We are excited to have partnered with Foresight and look forward to achieving the next stage of growth in the UK. Foresight has experience in the healthcare sector and have a strong reputation of growing SMEs in the North-West.”

New Graphene Business Bounces out of The University of Manchester

Sam Whitear
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Grafine Ltd is a new business created to develop innovative high-performance rubbers, elastomers and other such soft materials enhanced with graphene – the extraordinary 2-dimensional material first produced in Manchester.

The business was founded by two University of Manchester academics, Dr Maria Iliut and Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan. Both founders are world experts in graphene, and its use in making rubbers and elastomers stronger and more durable.

Grafine Ltd will be based at The University of Manchester’s Innovation Centre on Grafton Street and will use the University’s world-class facilities including the brand-new Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) for its product development work.

Grafine is offering a range of technical development services to manufacturing companies from around the world who wish to profit from the performance benefits that graphene can add to their products.

Elastomers and rubbers are used world over in products such as tyres, shoes, gloves, industrial components, construction materials, coatings and medical devices. The global market size for rubber and elastomer products is forecast to be more than £70 billion by 2021.

Grafine Ltd is looking to exploit the potential of this massive global market and has already excited interest from global manufacturers of elastomer and rubber products. Grafine is currently negotiating development contracts with such companies.

Dr. Vijayaraghavan, who has been at the forefront of research into graphene for more than a decade, said: “We are very excited to launch Grafine Ltd because we have the specialist skills and know-how to help global manufacturing companies use new 2-dimensional materials like graphene effectively and cheaply.’

He continued: “Businesses in many sectors are continually striving to improve the properties of elastomeric compounds in order to enhance product performance in both existing and new applications. Graphene can further enhance the already excellent properties of rubber and elastomers by improving their strength, elasticity, flexibility, thermal stability, resistance to chemicals and durability. With the support of Grafine Ltd, manufacturing companies will be able to give product designers even greater flexibility when they create new products.

“By working with Grafine Ltd, manufactures will be able to accelerate the speed with which they can bring these new elastomer composites to market while reducing risk and lowering cost”.

Dr. Iliut, the academic co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Grafine, added: “Our business, Grafine Ltd, offers a range of consultancy services to companies wishing to exploit the benefits that these nano-materials can bring to their elastomeric products and coatings. Grafine will also sign commercial deals to license its know-how and patents allowing knowledge and technology transfer to its industrial customers.”

The University’s wholly owned subsidiary, Graphene Enabled Systems Ltd, has supported the academic founders and, with assistance from UMI3 Ltd (the University’s IP commercialisation company), created Grafine Ltd.

Its CEO, Andrew Wilkinson, who represents the University on the Grafine Ltd board, is very optimistic about Grafine’s future: “Grafine offers manufacturers the skills and know-how in graphene-enhanced elastomer and rubber composites and coatings that would take them decades to develop in-house. As the company builds its customer base and grows we predict it will have a major impact on the use of 2-dimensional materials in the global rubber and elastomer market.”

‘Fresh’ recruitment drive to create jobs in Greater Manchester

Sam Whitear
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An Oldham-based business specialising in IT services will create new jobs in Greater Manchester following a strategic recruitment drive.

DCS is one of the UK’s most experienced business system providers – delivering Sage and SAP software solutions to SMEs for more than two decades.

The 50-strong company, which has 16 employees based at its office in Hollinwood, has teamed up with Lancashire BIBA Award finalists Fresh Perspective Resourcing to assist them with expanding their workforce – a project that will double the current number of team members in Greater Manchester over the next 18-24 months.

“We are pleased to be in an economic position where we can expand our team based in Oldham and build upon the strong working foundation we already have in place,” said Dominic Ball, Managing Director at DCS, who recently acquired the company along with business partner Richard Stathers.

“To ensure we find the right people for the consultancy and account manager roles we are looking to fill, it was crucial to work with the right recruitment business. I initially became aware of Fresh Perspective through social media and discovered they had experience of working with other companies in our sector; their industry knowledge and positivity really impressed me.”

Fresh Perspective Resourcing, based in Chorley, is run by sisters Laura and Emily Leyland. Together, they are committed to revolutionising recruitment across the North West – saving their clients up to 50 percent by only billing for the time spent searching for ideal candidates, rather than charging traditional placement fees.

“We are thrilled to be working with DCS and excited to start the search for amazing candidates!” said Fresh Founder and Managing Director Laura, aged 34.

“Emily and I are relatively new in business, so it’s exciting to be working with Dominic and Richard, who are also in the process of building a great company which is contributing positively to the Northern Powerhouse by investing in skills and innovation.”

For Dominic, aged 42, and Operations Director Richard, aged 38, the emphasis is on finding candidates who are a cultural fit for DCS – a professional challenge they are more than happy to entrust to Fresh Perspective.

“My experience of traditional recruitment agencies is that it is very transactional,” added Dominic. “What Fresh Perspective offer is something different, something fresh – genuinely living up to their name.

‘Laura and Emily took the time to get to know Richard and I as people, and to understand the ethos of our business. They get it that the people we are looking to recruit need to be a cultural match; it isn’t just about their competency and professional experience.”

DCS are confident that their recruitment drive will be a success in Greater Manchester’s thriving economic region.

“The North West has a great talent pool within our industry, but we’re not the only business looking to recruit from that pool,” explained Dominic. “Working with Fresh Perspective, we want to become the leading name in our catchment area and attract that talent to us.”

Chris Marsh joins Datacentreplus as a Brand Ambassador

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based hosting company Datacentreplus are delighted to announce that leading technology and digital sector figure Chris Marsh joins us as a brand ambassador.

Chris will assist us in developing strategic partnerships with businesses in and around Manchester and the North West, whilst supporting client’s growth strategies and making introductions.

Chris has extensive knowledge and experience of this sector, having previously worked for several well-known technology companies as a senior figure in business development and promotion.

Datacentreplus is an independent data centre and hosting provider based near MediaCityUK in Manchester which provides cloud hosting and other data centre solutions. The company is founded on the ethos of providing superlative customer service and is currently experiencing rapid growth, particularly in the digital agency sector, who appreciate its unique personal service aspect.

Chris Marsh, said: “I know Manchester and I know its people and digital community. I understand the creative and digital industry and I am excited to be working with the team at Datacentreplus to continue to develop these relationships.

“Working with Datacentreplus is a fantastic opportunity to work with an emerging player with so much potential. It is an exciting time for the technology sector in Manchester and Datacentreplus is set to play a big role in being part of this.”

Mashukul Hoque, Datacentreplus, CEO said: “We are delighted that someone of Chris’ calibre will be working with us. His involvement and experience in the digital and technology sector will really help to establish us as the one of the leading hosting companies in the North.”

Velvet donates 5% of its pride takings to LGBT foundation

Sam Whitear
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After an incredible weekend of non-stop pride celebrations last week, Canal Street’s Velvet Hotel, Bar & Restaurant has opted to keep the positivity going by donating 5% of its weekend takings to LGBT Foundation.

Following a successful three days, the business has donated £4,600, the equivalent of 5% of its overall weekend takings, to LGBT Foundation in Manchester, a charity which delivers lifesaving advice, support and information services to LGBT communities.

Over the weekend Velvet, which is perfectly located at the heart of Canal Street, saw a host of fantastic DJs and outdoor entertainment during the pride festivities. Highlights included sets from DJ E.M.A with Trumpet Fiesta and DJ Sandro Valentino.

Another big success was the bottomless prosecco brunch. Due to overwhelming demand Velvet’s restaurant Mr. White’s English Chophouse will re-introduce the offer of one brunch dish and unlimited prosecco every Saturday starting from October. The two course traditional Sunday lunch will also have the option to add bottomless prosecco, and the venue is set to introduce a DJ from 1-7pm, with booking strongly advised to avoid disappointment.

Kim Eivind Krohn, owner of KRO Hospitality, said: “We have had the most amazing weekend with spectacular DJ Sandro Valentino, DJ Keef, DJ Sean, DJ E.M.A, Trumpet Fiesta, DJ Jason Jeffery and DJ Jamie Bull, who all made the perfect vibe for the celebration. Manchester Pride is one of the biggest events for raising awareness of issues that affect the LGBT+ community and we are happy to be playing a role in this ongoing campaign.

“We’d like to thank everyone who came down to the party and all the Velvet crew who worked so hard to make this event such a positive experience. Hopefully it has left an even greater impact with the news that the money generated will make a positive impact in the community we’ve been celebrating.”

Paul Martin OBE, CEO of LGBT Foundation, said: “On behalf of everyone at LGBT Foundation, I would like to say a big thank you to Velvet for the wonderful donation. This act of kindness will help us to continue the life-saving work our team carries out day in, day out, ensuring that we are here when people need us.”

Stephen Donnelly, General Manager of Velvet, said: “What a great weekend we had. I am so incredibly proud of my team here at Velvet. The atmosphere was just amazing. We had some extremely talented DJ’s performing and from September, most of them will return to perform at our regular DJ sets every Friday and Saturday night. In October we will also be introducing Chilled Sundays with DJ’s on from 1pm, so we have many more exciting days and night ahead.”

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