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Assetz Capital lends £700m to UK businesses

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based Peer-to-peer lender Assetz Capital has now lent more than £700m to SMEs and property developers, as the appetite for alternative forms of finance continues to rise across the UK.

Since launching in 2013, the lender has provided alternative finance to businesses and property developers in the UK to support both current and future projects for continued growth.

Assetz has enjoyed substantial progression, lending over £200m in the eight months since it reached its milestone lending total of £500m back in June 2018.

Recent highlights include Winrise One Ltd, for the construction of a purpose-built student accommodation scheme in Nottingham, which comprises 124 self-contained studio apartments along with an on-site cinema room, laundry room and communal spaces.

Assetz is also working with intermediaries and borrowers across other products such as bridging and refurbishment loans. A recent example is Thorndyke Developments Limited, where £340,000 was advanced for the purchase and renovation of Ty Nel Trefengan Farm. The four-bedroomed house in Anglesey is to be refurbished for use as a bed and breakfast business.

Assetz’s strong performance has coincided with the development of the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector in the UK. This form of finance has grown rapidly in recent years; according to the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA), the sector’s contribution to the UK economy approached nearly £11 billion in September 2018[1].

Stuart Law, Chief Executive at Assetz Capital, commented: “In recent years, peer-to-peer finance has become more popular with UK SMEs, acting as a viable alternative to bank loans. The flexibility of our products has been recognised by both businesses and their intermediaries, which has led to the remarkable growth we’ve achieved in the last eight months.

“Whilst this is an impressive milestone, there is still plenty of capital to invest. We’re constantly looking to develop our product range to match the changing needs of business owners, and we will remain committed to serving ambitious SMEs and property developers that struggle to obtain funding through traditional means.”

Seddon turns up the heat to support homelessness charity

Sam Whitear
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Family-run construction firm Seddon has pledged their support to the Greater Manchester’s Mayor’s Homelessness Fund with a show-stopping firewalk.

The event, which took place at the company’s Bolton headquarters last Friday, marked the launch of Seddon’s year-long commitment to raising vital funds for the charity.

Siblings Jonathan Seddon, CEO of Seddon; Jamie Seddon, managing director of Seddon Developments; and Nicola Hodkinson, director of business services, walked barefoot over red-hot wood embers to kick off the company’s Ministry of Fun initiative, which is a calendar of fundraising events.

The trio led a 50-strong team over the 800-degrees Fahrenheit heat, with Dave Bagley – managing director of charity Urban Outreach – also braving the searing temperatures. Also in attendance was the Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Elaine Sherrington.

Jonathan Seddon, CEO of Seddon said: “It’s fantastic to see the whole business get behind this great cause and take part in the firewalk today. To have over 50 employees, including myself and my siblings, take part is a real testament to our commitment to help eradicate homelessness in the Greater Manchester region.”

The Homelessness Fund joins the Christie NHS Foundation Trust as one of Seddon’s chosen charities for 2019, with the company having already raised more than £800,000 for the renowned cancer centre over the last 22 years.

Now, Seddon is rallying its team – including those at head office and on-site – to back Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s pledge to eliminate the need for rough sleeping across the city region by 2020.

The GM Homelessness Fund, an independent charity, allocates funds to local organisations through a grant process

Among Seddon’s plans to raise cash for the Fund and the Christie are events such as an 85-mile bike ride, the Yorkshire Three Peaks and a zipwire challenge.

Tim Heatley, chair of at the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said: “Seddon is well known for its creative and inclusive fundraising activities.

“The firewalk is a great example of how businesses like Seddon can raise funds for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s charity, whilst also raising awareness among its colleagues and customers.

“The trustees of the charity are delighted that Seddon has chosen the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to benefit from its fundraising – the fire walk was great fun too.”

Nicola Hodkinson, business services director at Seddon, added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with these two incredible organisations throughout 2019 to help raise awareness and funds for all the important work they do.

“Homelessness is a growing challenge for the city region and we’re proud to be a part of the efforts to find a solution. Additionally, cancer is a subject that affects us all and requires wide scale collaborative action – we’re confident that we’ll hit our fundraising target of £1 million for the Christie by 2020”

“At every possible chance we are looking at ways to actively engage and create initiatives that will make a real difference, and we look forward to building on what has already been a very successful partnership with both charities.”

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 set to boost Manchester economy

Sam Whitear
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This summer’s Cricket World Cup will significantly boost Manchester’s hospitality economy.

That’s according to Adrian Ellis, the Chairman of Manchester Hoteliers’ Association (MHA), who said he is delighted that the Old Trafford stadium will host six world cup matches, more than any other Host City or town.

The 2019 Cricket World Cup will be held from May 30 to July 14.

Among the matches to be held in Manchester are India versus Pakistan, Australia and South Africa, England’s game against Afghanistan as well as one of the semi-finals.

Adrian said the increase of visitors to Manchester because of the Cricket World Cup will coincide with huge music events.

“The 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will ensure that there is a boom in the number of people visiting Manchester during the early part of this summer,” said the MHA chair.

“It will be a wonderful tournament and there’ll no doubt be a carnival atmosphere across the city when India play Pakistan at Old Trafford on Sunday, June 16 and England match up against Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 18 at the same stadium.”

He added: “With Manchester favourites Courteeners playing at Heaton Park, Metallica performing at the Etihad Stadium and Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl all taking place during the Cricket World Cup, I predict that hotels, bars and restaurants will be very busy. It will be another great summer for Manchester with so many other events taking place too.”

The 2019 Cricket World Cup has 10 Host Cities and 11 venues where matches will be played.

Speaking at an MHA general managers meeting Michael Gaughan, Transport Manager for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, said: “This is the world’s greatest cricket celebration and Manchester is our biggest city in terms of number of matches being played there.

“It’s going to be a very busy city with all the games at Old Trafford already sold out.

“If you like cricket this is definitely the year for you.”

200,000 visit Manchester for year of the pig

Sam Whitear
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Manchester’s popular Chinese New Year celebrations proved to be a big hit again this year with more than 200,000 people turning out to enjoy the city’s festivities to see in the Year of the Pig.

The long weekend of celebrations organised by Manchester’s Business Improvement District, Manchester BID, FCAM (Federation of Chinese Associations of Manchester) and Manchester City Council brought in an additional 30,000 visitors compared to an average weekend in the city, with 80,000 (up 5% YoY) enjoying the legendary Dragon Parade and celebrations in Albert Square, Chinatown and the city’s retail district on Sunday.

Taking centre stage at this year’s celebrations was ‘Piglet’, a large-scale piglet sculpture created by UK-artist Alex Rinsler, which took up residence in St Ann’s Square. Gaining thousands of social media fans, Piglet proved to be a real draw for visitors, who were encouraged in the spirit of giving associated with Chinese New Year to donate to homelessness fund Big Change MCR and the Wai Yin Society, one of the largest BME community centres in the UK.

Celebrations in Albert Square were bigger than ever before extending across three days from Friday to Sunday for the first time, with visitors able to try their hand at Chinese arts & crafts, sample traditional Chinese cuisine from food and drink stalls, visit the funfair and enjoy the legendary Dragon Parade and firework display last night.

Thousands of red lanterns brightened the city’s streets, Exchange Square was home to a 50ft Golden Dragon while Manchester’s stores and restaurants got into the spirit of things hosting a variety of events, promotions and giveaways.

For the sixth consecutive year Manchester BID commissioned illustrator Stanley Chow to create the striking Year of the Pig artwork used across the marketing campaign for the celebrations.

Jane Sharrocks, General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square and Chair of Manchester BID, said: “Manchester’s Chinese New Year celebrations have firmly established themselves as one of the biggest and best in Europe. Each year, together with FCAM and Manchester City Council, we try to bring something new and engaging to the event and this year’s Piglet sculpture certainly achieved that!

“Year on year we’re seeing more and more businesses, retailers and F&B operators across the city getting involved in the celebrations. And with record numbers of visitors last weekend, it really demonstrates the positive impact of collaboration when it comes to delivering successful city centre events.”

Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester City Council’s City Centre spokesperson, said: “Chinese New Year is always a wonderful spectacle. That image of a giant pig taking over St Ann’s Square is something that will stay with me for some time, and the Dragon Parade is a highlight every single year.

“The thousands of people who visited the city centre over the weekend, completely absorbed in the Chinese customs, produce and arts on offer, are a testament to the importance of the celebration.”

Northcoders makes seven new appointments across business

Sam Whitear
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Manchester based Northcoders, the coding bootcamp for the North, has added seven new members of staff to its teaching, talent and partnerships, marketing, mentoring and finance teams.

The new tutors are: Tom Simmons, Vel Georgieva and Alex Cox. All three are qualified coders and will be responsible for delivering Northcoders’ curriculum, mentoring students on a group and one to one basis, as well as researching and staying abreast of industry news, technology trends and changes in tech.

Aaron Ward has joined Northcoders as its new talent and partnerships manager. Aaron is an experienced IT recruitment specialist who has worked solely within the .Net software development arena across the North West of England for the past seven years.  He joins from onezeero.

Maddison Griffiths is the firm’s new onboarding mentor and will be helping people to get onto Northcoders’ full time and pre-courses. He studied Media, Culture and Communications at Liverpool John Moore’s University and has previously worked at National Savings and Investments.

Helen Batra-Squires has been appointed as a designer and will be working closely with the marketing team on all aspects of Northcoders’ external and internal communications. Helen originally studied graphic design in London before setting up boutique agency Hels Bells Design alongside running a greeting cards publishing company and wedding stationery design business.

The final new starter is Charlotte Prior, finance manager. Charlotte will be working with the senior leadership team on the financial management of the business. She has previously worked at Turning Point and Buildzone UK Ltd and is currently studying towards her chartership with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Vel Georgieva said of her new role: “Northcoders is a fantastic organisation and I am now delighted to be part of it. It offers an in-depth approach to learning that is not just based on how to simply code, but how the code works under the surface. Offering that level of insight is both refreshing and exciting as we help to create the coding stars of the future.”

Chris Hill, founder of Northcoders, added: “The success of our business is built on the experience and expertise of our team so we are delighted to welcome these new recruits.”

Two new occupiers at Salford Quays office scheme

Sam Whitear
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Exchange Quay, the 435,000 sq ft office development in Salford Quays, has signed two new occupiers, ProofID and ManpowerGroup.

ProofID, a specialist provider of Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions, has taken 5,415 sq ft on the 2nd floor of Building 8 on a 7.5 year lease term, which forms part of a new let and part of an assignment of a lease from Gyro. The company is relocating its UK office from Lancastrian Office Centre in Old Trafford and also operates a US office in Colorado Springs.

Multi-national staffing and recruitment agency, ManpowerGroup is relocating to Exchange Quay on the 1st floor of Building 8.

Exchange Quay is one of the largest office developments in the North West with 3,000 people now working from the six buildings within the acclaimed riverside development.  Acting on behalf of the owner, Ekistics continues to invest into Exchange Quay following an initial £10m investment implemented by Hunter.

The scheme has recently undergone a comprehensive refurbishment programme to deliver Grade A office space, as well as extensive remodelling of the public realm, the introduction of several retail outlets, occupier amenities and launch of a Kids Planet children’s day nursery.

Exchange Quay lies at the gateway to Salford Quays/Media City, approximately 1.5 miles to the southwest of Manchester City Centre. It boasts its own dedicated Metrolink tram stop and is strategically located just off Trafford Road which links Salford Quays to both Manchester City Centre and the major motorway networks via the M602.

Tom Eggleston, CEO at ProofID, commented: “Our relocation to Exchange Quay is a result of continuing company growth and now we’ve simply outgrown our existing premises. The move is an exciting and progressive development for us. We’re going to be able to provide even higher levels of service to our customers with the potential for further expansion as we continue to grow, while providing a fantastic working environment for our UK team in a vibrant Grade A waterside development.”

India’s Hero Cycles UK operation announces ambitious new export campaign 

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-based Indian-owned Hero Cycles is announcing ambitious plans to unleash an export drive, in partnership with Cheshire ecommerce giant The Hut Group, for its new bike brand, Insync.

Hero, the world’s biggest bike maker by volume, launched the new Insync range of 75 bikes for the UK market in May 2018 at Old Trafford football ground.

Sreeram Venkateswaran CEO of Hero’s UK subsidiary Avocet Sports, said: “This is one of Hero Cycles boldest ever moves, to grow its international footprint into Europe,” he said. “Together with The Hut Group we have developed the Insync website to be specially optimised to operate across Europe which represents a new and potent market for Hero Cycles. This move shows Hero Cycles’ ambition to totally transform a UK company in Avocet, into a pan-European operation. It has taken a lot of careful planning to arrive at this point. Having invested in our Manchester Global Design Centre and recruited a team of top bike designers, we now have a range of high-quality bikes offering great value to customers in UK and Europe. Plus, we have The Hut Group’s formidable digital know-how to sell and promote the bikes into Europe online.”

Mr Venkateswaran said Hero Cycles’ investment in the UK is a strong example of how Indian and UK companies can join forces sharing expertise and resources.

“India and Britain share a common heritage, culture and language,” he said. “That bond makes doing business so much easier. Our venture in Britain is very much in line with what the UK Government wants to see post-Brexit, more UK and Indian companies working together targeting international trade. In terms of India, our model fits with Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, as the know-how, design and marketing have come from the UK but the actual manufacturing will take place in India.  In addition, all the bikes bought via the Insync website will be distributed worldwide from UK warehouses, to start with, operated by Hero and The Hut Group before eventually moving to warehouses closer to the core markets.”

GradTouch secures £150,000 funding injection from GC Angels

Sam Whitear
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GC Angels, the angel investment arm of the Growth Company, has supported Manchester based Gradtouch with a funding boost of £150k to expand their innovative graduate job matching business.

This latest round of funding takes the total investment in GradTouch to £1.2m and is set to double the size of their Northern Quarter based team to 32, taking the company to a projected £1.6m turnover next year and £3.2million in 2020.

Launched in 2013 by founders Zac Williams and Joe Twigg, GradTouch is a job matching business that enables employers to attract the best graduate talent.  A hybrid of an advertising agency and job site GradTouch features employer landing pages, in-depth reporting, candidate management and feedback from job seekers.

GradTouch has grown significantly in the last three years and now works with over 200 employers to promote and distribute their career opportunities to its network of over 200,000 graduates registered with the site in the UK. With around 50,000 vacancies available on the site at any time, Gradtouch will be using the latest round of funding to double the size of their team, with key target hires of people who are highly expert in the recruitment and graduate sectors.

The most recent equity investment loan will be used to build out the GradTouch offering overseas, developing new projects in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

GradTouch co-founder Zac Williams said: “We know that students today graduate with skills and talents far beyond their degree grade and that employers are looking past CVs and much more at getting the right kind of talent for their business.

“Using the funding from GC Angels and our other investors over the past two years we have been able to build GradTouch into a unique business that develops a real cultural fit between companies and candidiates. We’re looking forward to being able to invest in some of the best recruitment professionals to take our offer even wider and to reach ever more graduates and talent hungry employers.”

Darrren Gowling, Senior Investment Director at GC Angels, said: “GradTouch is a great example of the type of innovative and growth focussed tech business that GC Angels was designed to support.

“Having worked with Zac and Joe since their first funding round, we’re now supporting them with equity from both our own fund alongside other investors including Maven and Fig (First Investment Group)to ensure that they continue to put Manchester on the map with a business that really is changing the world of work.”

Mason Advisory receives Excellence in Wellbeing recognition 

Sam Whitear
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Mason Advisory, independent IT consultancy, has been recognised by Great Place to Work as a centre of Excellence in Wellbeing. The new UK-wide award recognises organisations with excellent wellbeing practices.

The accreditation tracks six key areas that drive a culture of wellbeing including, work environment mental and physical health, financial security, interpersonal relationships, work-life balance, and fulfillment at work.

Mason Advisory is continually investing and implementing improvements in all these areas to build a culture of wellbeing. This has optimised employee experience and ensures that engagement and productivity are sustainable in the long run. It has introduced a new scheme to enable staff to buy back five days extra holidays per year, and offers extra days off for time served. It has initiated flexible working and an enhanced benefits package including a cycle scheme, childcare vouchers, and additional bonuses.

Steve Watmough, Mason Advisory CEO, said: “In the last 12 months we have implemented new strategies and activities to support the wellbeing of our employees.  Looking after our team’s wellbeing means making their lives as stress-free as possible so they can concentrate on the job in hand, helping them to lead healthier, happier lifestyles.

We’re proud to have received this recognition as wellbeing is a key element of our business culture. It tells our current and future employees that we are committed to creating the best environment we can for individuals to thrive and for our business to operate efficiently. We feel we have created an atmosphere where teammates can talk to people around them, where they are supported, and where everyone is comfortable expressing themselves.

“We’re in a period of growth with new projects and clients coming on board and we understand the pressures this can put on our team, so as a company we are continuing to listen to them and ensure their wellbeing is at the forefront

Corporate commercial duo join Browne Jacobson to bolster health team 

Sam Whitear
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Browne Jacobson has expanded its health practice with two new hires, Christian Dingwall and Rebecca Hainsworth. They will be based in Manchester, growing the team there to 27 lawyers, and work for clients nationally.

With over 30 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, Christian Dingwall joins the firm as a partner. Christian specialises in corporate commercial law, NHS governance, regulation and compliance, with a particular focus on advising NHS bodies on organisational and service transformation.

Christian is recognised nationally as a top legal expert for NHS transactions, advising on mergers, acquisitions and integrated care joint ventures across the UK. His previous work includes advising on the establishment of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust as a result of the merger of the former Central Manchester and South Manchester trusts.

Christian joins from Hempsons, where he headed up the NHS Corporate Commercial Department.

Also joining the team is corporate and competition lawyer, Rebecca Hainsworth. Previously a solicitor at Hempsons, and an in-house lawyer at NHS regulatory body NHS Improvement, Rebecca has a breadth of experience advising NHS bodies, and public and private sector organisations, on a range of competition and merger control matters. She has advised on a series of mergers, including the establishment of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust as a result of the merger of the former Colchester and Ipswich trusts.

The appointments follow a record year for the Manchester health team, after delivering 600 per cent growth in fee income since its launch in 2013. Led by partner Amanda Callaghan, the specialist team advises on a broad range of clinical negligence, regulatory, criminal and inquest matters for the private and public sectors.

The team’s strong reputation for advising health and social care providers, commissioners and regulators has contributed to its significant growth. The team now acts for NHS England, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust; Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust; Bolton NHS Foundation Trust; The Priory and Care UK, amongst others.

Amanda Callaghan, health partner and head of the firm’s Manchester office, said: “Our health team continues to grow at an exceptional rate, and the addition of Christian and Rebecca, who have both been at the helm of major UK-wide NHS transactions, further signals our commitment to building our North West practice.

“Healthcare continues to be a core focus of the firm, and it is an area in which we thrive. Having a strong health practice alongside an equally impressive social care practice is a real strength, giving us a distinct advantage in advising clients delivering integrated care projects. We are seeing a consistently high demand for our services from NHS bodies, local authorities and major independent sector providers, so will continue to grow our offering to match.”

Oliver Prichard, head of the firm’s Commercial Health Team, said: “Both Christian and Rebecca are highly-skilled practitioners, and add considerable firepower to our health team.

“In his previous role Christian steered a large number of complex projects across the UK. We are confident that his and Rebecca’s expertise will allow us to secure further big ticket mandates in the health sector.”

Christian Dingwall said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Browne Jacobson’s health team. The team is already at the centre of landmark projects across the North West, such as the development of an integrated healthcare model in Manchester, and nationally. I look forward to further developing its reach at a time when healthcare models are undergoing major shifts, creating many windows of opportunity.”

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