Wealth manager Equilibrium Asset Management has boosted its client service expertise with the hire of six new employees.

Headcount now stands at 78 with the firm’s advisers managing almost £800 million of assets for over 1,000 families.

The hires are spread over several teams and include Client Managers Laura Kenmare and Sarah Coleman, Compliance Associate Caroline Knight and Investment Analyst James Carr.

Also joining are Financial Controller Joanne Watmore and Technical Specialist Andy Thewlis.

It has been a busy few weeks at Equilibrium, with May featuring the firm’s inaugural wealth conference. Called Equinox Live, the event attracted over 200 people to Alderley Park to hear from speakers such as rogue trader Nick Leeson and star of TV’s The Real Hustle Alexis Conran.

Managing Partner Gaynor Rigby said: “The latest members of the Equilibrium family have already made a great impression with existing staff and clients.

“As we grow the amount of assets we manage, we continue to ensure we are in the best place possible.

“The six appointments will enhance our service efficiency for clients as they have been made strategically across various in-house teams.”

She added: “These hires come alongside Equinox Live, which was a tremendously successful wealth conference, and comes after we recently landed £80m of net asset wins in six months – surpassing our half year target by £30m.”

Wilmslow-based Equilibrium, which also has an office in Chester, turned over more than £7 million at the end of its last fiscal year in 2017.

Law firm Farleys Solicitors has announced it is to relocate its Manchester office to larger premises, as a response to increasing demand for the firm’s services in the city.

The firm has signed a 10 year lease at 196 Deansgate, taking 4,500 sq. ft. on the second floor of the building following its multi-million pound refurbishment.

The move comes following over ten years of consistent growth for Farleys in the city, having first opened as a satellite office in Parsonage Gardens 12 years ago.

Ian Liddle, Partner at Farleys said: “The move to larger premises is testament to our firm’s overall growth to date and our long term commitment to our staff, our clients and Manchester.

“We look forward to continuing our growing presence alongside Manchester’s thriving business community”.

Farleys will move to the new offices in August 2018.

Bolton Council has bought the Crompton Place shopping centre for £14.8m to help accelerate its £1bn town centre regeneration masterplan.

Cabinet gave approval for the purchase on the May 14 and the council finalised the transaction following the satisfactory completion of extensive ‘due diligence’ checks.

The council has taken over ownership from current owners Santander pension fund.

Property management company JLL will continue to run the centre, which contains 46 retail units; kiosks; office accommodation, and a 285-space car park covering more than 280,000 sq ft.

The purchase has been funded from the council’s £100m town centre fund. The fund is financed through a low interest loan which is repaid using dividends from Manchester Airport and the Yorkshire Purchasing Company.

The shopping centre is central to the authority’s Town Centre Masterplan. Trinity Quarter, Cheadle Square, Church Wharf and Croal Valley are four other key sites in the plan and the council is currently working hard to bring forward ambitious development proposals for these sites.

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Linda Thomas, described the purchase as an opportunity for transformational change.

She said: “The purchase of Crompton Place is fundamental to support the regeneration and transformation of our town centre.

“It is at the heart of our town’s civic and retail core and this deal means we now have control of a major strategic site that is critical to delivering the Town Centre Masterplan.

“We will now be focusing on ways to regenerate the area for the long-term benefit of the town centre and our residents across the borough.

“We have carried out extensive due diligence checks before acquiring the centre and these have confirmed that the purchase price reflects current market conditions and represents fair market value.

“Bolton is following the example of many other local authorities across the country that have also invested in their local shopping centres to deliver regeneration schemes.

“There will be no changes in the day to day operation and running of the shopping centre in the immediate future, to ensure it continues to operate smoothly for tenants and shoppers.”

Over the coming months, detailed ideas for regenerating the centre will be developed and in the long- term council chiefs envisage building a completely new centre.

The regeneration of Crompton Place will form part of the council’s wider, longer-term plans to improve the town centre for the benefit of everyone in the borough, including surrounding districts.

Cllr Thomas added: “We have listened to people’s views about the town centre and we are taking action. When we launched the masterplan, we said we would move quickly to make things happen and making this strategic investment which will be a catalyst for huge regeneration.

“Like other councils, we have made this commercial investment because owning the centre gives us the opportunity to influence and lead our town’s regeneration. We will now be able to look at all of the options for Crompton Place and make sure tenants, the public and stakeholders have an opportunity to have their say, before any decisions are made.

“We have all seen the amazing transformation of The Market Place and the benefits that has brought in terms of visitor numbers. Crompton Place also requires that kind of vision and investment to deliver our regeneration plans, complement our existing retail offer, and bring new businesses into the town centre.”

Roland Dransfield has been appointed by elite networking and events club The Manchester Sporting Club (MSC).

The Spinningfields-based public relations agency will oversee MSC’s official launch in the city on the evening of June 14 with founder and managing director Lisa Morton, also named Head of Heraean for Manchester.

Housed inside the Grade II-listed Manchester Hall on Bridge Street, MSC is an invite only private members club for professional athletes and senior executives working in the business of sport.

It has been brought to Manchester by the owners of the hugely successful Mayfair-based, London Sporting Club, which launched a year ago and now boasts hundreds of members across sport, media, property, law and a wide range of other professions.

On June 14 scores of high-profile sport and business personalities will gather to celebrate MSC’s arrival in the north.

Lisa Morton, who heads up the 15-strong Roland Dransfield team, said she is delighted to partner with MSC and is looking forward to carrying out her role as Head of Heraean.

“We’ve followed the fantastic work the London Sporting Club has carried out over the past 12 months so are very pleased to have this opportunity to help launch MSC in a city we know well,” said Lisa.

“The owner of MSC, Ian Stafford, and MSC Chairman, Marc Yaffe, have some amazing plans which all starts with the launch on Thursday, June 14.

“I’m also grateful to have been named as Head of Heraean, Manchester, a role which will see us celebrate the success of women in sport and promote the role that sport and business can play in accelerating gender equality.

“Our aim is to create a platform for female leaders in sport and business to come together to learn and support one another while also driving awareness of the commercial opportunities that exist in this sector.”

Marc Yaffe, Head of Litigation at JMW and Chairman of the MSC said: “I’m delighted that Lisa has joined the team at MSC. She brings with her a wealth of experience in PR, Marketing and Events and has a growing reputation within the sports world. I am really looking forward to working with her on this exciting project, to help us bring an unrivalled schedule of networking events to Manchester’s business and sporting community.”