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Personalised and flexible financial accounts are the future for Arro Money

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Arro Money, a trading company of Marq Millions, has built on its portfolio of high-quality financial service accounts with the launch of a new customisable solution for individuals.

Personal account holders can now choose from three service levels, ranging from a free account, which provides all the basic banking needs while being completely flexible, to one that offers free ATM withdrawals and free faster payments for as little as £10 a month.

What makes these accounts truly unique to the FinTech sector is their flexibility and ease of access – with people able to open accounts in under three minutes. Users are not confined to a single service level upon opening their account; instead account holders can pick the financial services package that is most relevant to them. Additionally, customers can manage their money easily and in real time, a particular pull factor to users wanting more control over their spending.

A further benefit of these newly launched accounts is that unlike a traditional high-street bank account, all fees are up front, so users know exactly what they are paying for and the services that are available to them.

Commenting on the unique account offerings, Muhammad Asim, CEO at Marq Millions, said: “Flexibility and upfront fees along with world-class customer service is why consumers choose Arro Money as their financial services provider.

“By offering customers choice and control, Arro Money is ensuring account holders’ needs are front and centre of our business model. I think this is reflected in our product which stands held and shoulders above other FinTech solutions.”

Jonathan Farnell, Risk Director at Marq Millions, added: “With the increased number of account holders month-on-month we can see users value our product and service offering.

“It’s great to see how our business is growing and the impact it’s having on the lives of people who have previously never had control over their own finances. By focusing on the customer experience we’re providing a best-in-class solution that works for all.”

Personal account holders, regardless of the service level they select, will benefit from features associated with a traditional bank account, such as instore and online payments, bank transfers and free credits into the accounts. This means customers gain access to a fully-fledged financial service account despite previous credit history or length of stay in the UK, unlike a high-street bank account.

Since its launch in 2017, Arro Money has enjoyed robust growth, expanding its client base tenfold in 2018 and reaching an impressive 11,000 active users.

As a result of Arro Money’s ongoing success, its parent company, Marq Millions has moved to a larger office in order to build the operations team to support growing business demand.

Ethical peer-to-peer lending platform, JustUs, launches investment opportunity with Mersten to house the UK’s most vulnerable

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More and more people are looking at ethical ways to invest their cash and make it work for them and others. Last year, investors placed more than £1bn into ethical investment funds. Now P2P lender, JustUs, is offering savers the opportunity to help build homes for some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

JustUs has partnered with property developer, Mersten, to launch the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) investment.

Initial funds will be used to renovate and develop a property in south-west London, which will help house residents with learning disabilities and those that require 24/7 care.

The IFISA aims to raise £367,500 and will offer a return up to of 6.5 percent to investors, whilst providing a bridging loan to Mersten for up to 50% of the property’s value to fund the renovation.

Mersten provides an integrated and human approach to property development. With extensive experience in property and social care, it has become a leading provider of bespoke homes for vulnerable people.

Founder and Chief Executive of JustUs, Lee Birkett, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside Mersten to offer this unique investment opportunity. It will make a real difference to those people who require bespoke homes and 24-hour care.

“This project is an extremely attractive proposition for those savers who are looking for ethical projects where their money can work for them and others. Our aim is to fund 100 properties over the next two years, so it’s extremely exciting to launch the first of these projects.”

The IFISA opportunity will pay monthly interest and there are no fees attached. Loans are covered by a first legal charge over the security of the properties. All JustUs cash is held within the new ring-fenced Barclays Bank UK PLC.

JustUs is one of the few peer-to-peer lending platforms that has maintained full transparency with investors since its inception in 2016.

We Are Nova, has most successful funding round in its company history, attracting over £1 million in Q1

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We Are Nova has supported 11 northwest tech businesses helping them get off the ground in its most recent funding round.

The Liverpool and Manchester, based firm has matched the venture capitalist investment raised last week to back entrepreneurs starting digital innovation and digital health startups, nine of which are based in the north west.

We Are Nova will now mentor the entrepreneurs, so that they are prepared for their first investment pitches, at their free ‘Startup Schools’. Once funding is achieved, they then match the investment to co-found the businesses.

Andy Davidson, CEO of We Are Nova, said: “Q1 saw our most successful funding round in the organisation’s history and we are immensely proud of the founders we will be working with in the upcoming months. Their passion and determination is exemplary and we are looking forward to future successes.

“The North West is a hot bed for digital talent and our recent round of investment is testament to the talent here.”

Nova are looking for entrepreneurs in the north west with digital and tech ideas, which they then co-found by bringing investment and a team that can deliver everything a tech startup needs.

We Are Nova has developed a unique route to access investment and expertise, without entrepreneurs giving up ‘the day job’.  This encourages entrepreneurs to focus on their passion in solving identified sector problems, without the need to employ a team, source a development provider, pursue angel investment or financially support the project.

With a 170-strong team, entrepreneurs are supported across a broad range of disciplines including strategy, customer engagement, electrical/hardware and technical software development, design, data analysis, branding and marketing.

The 11 entrepreneurs will now be supported by Startup Consultant led teams as they focus on achieving ‘problem-solution fit’. This is where the solution will be tested and refined. We Are Nova’s aim is to get businesses from concept stage to a product with traction in the market in twelve months or less.

Brooknight engages Broadstone to support security services 

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Manchester-based Broadstone, a new recruitment marketplace for the private security sector has entered into a strategic partnership with one of the UK’s leading security services providers, Brooknight.

Broadstone will support Brooknight to identify and secure high quality, vetted and background checked security personnel. The new app-based service manages the whole recruitment process from job posting, background vetting, and candidate selection via an algorithm, to invoice administration, scheduling and rostering of permanent and temporary roles.

Following a six-week national trial, Brooknight has rolled out Broadstone’s new technology to bring benefits to end clients, assuring them that they are working with a trustworthy, credible, fully pre-vetted workforce.

Chris Fieldhouse, managing director at Brooknight, says: “We had encouraging results following the trial and feedback internally, and from candidates, was that the process was much more efficient and reliable, and connected quality security professionals with security roles to suit their specific experience.

“During the trial there were some challenging roles to fill in regions that can often have a smaller talent pool, but Broadstone succeeded in securing high quality candidates that really matched the job requirements, so we took the decision to roll out the system nationally.”

The UK private security sector has experienced a rapid increase in jobs as security requirements change in the modern world. Recruitment and vetting is traditionally a slow and lengthy process, but Broadstone’s new service makes it easier and more effective for employers to hire temporary and permanent employees, and for job-seekers to access and apply for roles quickly.

The service provides background checks carried out to BS7858 standard. It captures accurate data upfront to verify details, reducing lead times from 12 weeks to just 15 days. Checks are consistent and refreshed on a regular basis so that there is a full understanding of a job seeker’s work history, effectively creating a ‘job passport’ for recruits.

Chris continues: “The security industry has a decreasing pool of quality personnel so Broadstone’s service allows us to tap into a fully vetted, compliant workforce to fill our roles and support our customers in the retail and corporate sectors. The service provides a direct communication interface between us, and our applicants and employees. It speeds up the recruitment process, and our customers are assured of a high calibre of security personnel within their operation.

“We are constantly reviewing and investing in technology and innovations to drive our business forward. Our partnership with Broadstone is part of our wider growth strategy as we recognise the benefits of new technology and how that fits in to the changing recruitment landscape. Using this intelligent software, we are guaranteed a high quality of candidates, connecting the right people with the right roles and opportunities, and we’re looking forward to working with Tom and the team.

“Broadstone is really leading the way in the security recruitment sector and bringing a more effective and efficient process, giving peace of mind to businesses and making life easier for job-seekers and candidates. The team acts as an extension of our own HR department and understands our business, the industry, the challenges and the opportunities to maintain a competitive edge.”

Tom Pickersgill, founder and director of Broadstone, says: “We are delighted to be working with such a forward thinking company, embracing new technology to build their business and deliver great results for their clients. Lifestyles are changing rapidly, which includes how people look for work, apply for jobs and how companies can identify and manage them. With security in the spotlight more than ever, it’s important for businesses to ensure they are taking steps to tackle industry challenges and Brooknight is a great example of an established organisation investing in technology to enhance their offering.”

With this partnership, the two companies are changing the face of the private security sector. It will help bring new talent into the sector and drive growth in the industry overall.

Tom concludes: “The private security sector is ripe for innovation so it’s important for organisations to keep up with technology and trends, forge useful partnerships,and embrace the technological innovations and digital trends to stay ahead in this competitive and increasingly important marketplace.”

Broadstone is aiming to attract over 60,000 individual job seekers to the platform by 2020 to provide temporary and permanent security for venues, events, and individuals around the UK. It intends to work solely with ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme) registered companies.

Free events to help local businesses prepare for the unexpected (and GDPR!)

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Capstone Financial Management, Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, and law firm Davis Blank Furniss are hosting free seminars in Manchester city centre and Glossop on Thursday 26th April that will give business owners and directors the information they need to protect their organisations from potentially game-changing events. One of the topics will be the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is coming into force on 25 May.

Guests will firstly hear from Andrew Williamson who is a Director at Capstone Financial Management. Andrew will discuss how the death or serious illness of a key director or employee can have far-reaching or even disastrous consequences for a business. He will look at scenarios including what would happen if a business partner died and their spouse inherited the shares; the effect it could have on a business’ value; and what it could cost to replace them. He will also discuss the options that business owners have to protect their company and family in the most tax efficient and cost-effective way.

Jessica Greenhalgh – Associate in Davis Blank Furniss’ Corporate/ Commercial department – will then summarise what businesses need to do in advance of GDPR including how it will affect them, whether they are ready for it and the steps that must be taken to comply.

Andrew said: “Businesses face an unparalleled level of challenges and regulation so we want this event to give useful and practical advice that will make running a company smoother.”

Jessica added: “GDPR is one of the biggest issues facing businesses of all sizes and in every sector so it is imperative they understand exactly what is expected of them. They need to ensure that they comply with the new unified approach to data protection and privacy that is being rolled out across Europe otherwise they risk potential litigation and substantial fines.”

Manchester Airport continues to fly high

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Manchester Airport saw passenger numbers grow by four per cent in March, compared to the same month last year, as nearly two million people passed through the UK’s third busiest airport.

March saw 1,988,233 passengers use the airport’s three terminals.  That means 27,882,845 passengers have flown in and out of the airport during the last financial year – a 6.4% increase on FY 16/17.

As the busy summer season starts Jet2 passengers travelling to and from Lanzarote, Malaga, Palma and Tenerife are reminded that from today (11 April) their flights will operate from Terminal Two.

Primera Airlines announced that it will launch flights to Malaga for Winter 2018 whilst TUI has announced that it will base an additional aircraft at Manchester Airport for Summer 2019 providing an extra 110,000 seats.

On the airport site, construction on the transformation programme continues at pace.  March saw the installation of the sixth tower crane on the site that is helping to build the multi storey car park. Whilst the cladding and glazing on the pier and terminal link is going up fast – passengers will be using these areas in one year’s time.

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: “It’s been another busy month for Manchester Airport with the start of the Easter getaway.  We’re looking forward to our busiest ever summer with plenty of exciting route launches like Seattle with Thomas Cook Airlines and Cagliari, Palermo and Ponte Delgado with Ryanair.”

March saw more than 15,000 take offs and landings. Cargo saw 9,443 tonnes carried which sees the annual tonnage hit 122,733 tonnes.

Overall the UK’s biggest airport group (MAG) grew by 4.3% in March, with 4.2m passengers across all three of its airports. It puts MAG on an annual rolling total of 58.9m passengers travelling through Manchester, East Midlands and London Stansted Airports.

Club 13 ‘tackles’ TV rights deals and how they shape sport and entertainment in today’s game

Following on from the success of their first networking event, Salford Red Devils’ new business club, Club 13, has announced the details of their second event. Aptly held on April 13th, the event will ‘tackle’ media rights and the role they play in professional sport.

The event will take place at the heart of northern creativity, Media City UK, and will see Sky Sports pundit Barrie McDermott, BBC Presenter Dave Woods and media rights expert David Murray discussing how TV rights deals work and the resulting impact on sports and entertainment.

Great Britain International, Barrie McDermott, began his career playing for some of the North’s best-loved Rugby League Clubs. The longest serving member of Leeds Rhinos’ senior squad, Barrie can regularly be seen on Sky Sports discussing Rugby League as a popular pundit.

Dave Woods has worked for the BBC for almost 30 years in radio and television. Working as the BBC’s main TV commentator for Rugby League since 2009, he is uniquely qualified to discuss the role of the media in the sport.

Completing Club 13’s April line-up, David Murray spent almost 15 years developing the BBC’s Sports Rights Strategy before establishing his own Sports Rights and Business Advisory service in 2014. Having worked closely with international broadcasters, sports federations and production companies throughout his career he provides invaluable industry insight.

Speaking on April’s event, Andrew Rosler, founding director of SRD Holdings, said: “We are delighted to be holding the second Club 13 event at Media City, having such a hub of creativity on our doorstep is a huge asset to the city.

“Club 13’s first event was a huge success and it made perfect sense to incorporate the rich opportunities in Salford as part of our next event. Media Rights are often discussed along with their million pound price tags. Club 13 is in a unique position to have industry experts on our doorstep to discuss how the industry is changing and what the future might look like”.

Bolton business group pledges to help thousands more Boltonians

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The Bolton Family has pledged to expand their group and support the delivery of the Bolton 2030 vision in all elements of their work, reaffirming its commitment to local people.

Made up of over 30 public and private sector organisations from both the public and private sectors, the Family has joined together to support the communities in which they operate. Key members of the group include Seddon, Bolton FM, Warburtons, Bolton Wanderers Foundation Trust, Asda, Keoghs solicitors and Barclay’s.

In its latest meeting attended by new Chief Executive of Bolton Council Tony Oakman, held at the Bolton headquarters of member company Seddon, the Family discussed its charity initiatives and outlined its vision to the new council chief.

Commenting on the event, Tony Oakman said: “I was impressed by this innovative partnership between the public, private and voluntary sector and a group of inspirational people who are making an impact and difference to the lives of people in Bolton.”

Since forming in November 2014, it has worked on several community projects within the Bolton area in close collaboration with charity organisation, Urban Outreach.

The charity’s work places particular emphasis on food poverty, homelessness, training and employment and ensures it underpins the Bolton 2030 Vision.

Dave Baguley, chairman of Urban Outreach said: “The Bolton Family members are great friends of Urban Outreach and their ongoing support enables us to have a greater impact on the people of Bolton.”

The Family currently meet five times a year and is chaired by Vanessa Barlow, Socially Responsible Manager at Seddon, who said: “This latest meeting has been a pivotal one for the Bolton Family as we look ahead to the next 12 months and pledge to continue our efforts to support local charity projects.

“It’s fantastic to have the backing of the new leader of the council and I speak on behalf of all our members when I say that we are really looking forward to working together.”

 

Accounting and advisory firm CLB Coopers has expanded its senior team

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North West accountancy and advisory firm CLB Coopers, which is part of the Baldwins Group, has appointed a new director to its audit and assurance team.

Alex Kelly, who has a wealth of experience in leading and managing services for owner-managed businesses, joins the firm’s Bolton office from Grant Thornton.

The appointment reflects the continued investment in the firm’s Bolton office. Alex joins the existing management team, which includes Mark Worsley, Nick Donohue and Lindsey Shepherd, to focus on delivering CLB Coopers’ continued growth, as well as promoting its specialist offerings to the business community in the local market.

David Travis, Managing Director at CLB Coopers, said: “Alex is an excellent addition to our existing team and I am sure he will quickly become a key driver in the Bolton business community.

“The office’s senior team is now firmly in place for the future and, as well as continuing to work closely with our clients, will support our ongoing growth plans, both locally and across the wider North West region.

“This is an exciting time for the firm. With the possibility of further acquisitions by the Baldwins Group across the region, it will mean we are able to offer even greater opportunities to our clients through access to a range of specialist services and, to our employees, as we add to our teams to meet demand and attract talent of Alex’s calibre and experience.”

Speaking of his appointment, Alex said: “This is an exciting time to be joining the group and the opportunity to use my skills and experience to support the local and regional growth plans was really persuasive.

“I am looking forward to getting to know our clients and supporting them to meet their aspirations.”

Industrial and concrete flooring specialist ABS Brymar expands into new premises

The relocation to 15,000 sq ft premises in Chorley, Lancacashire by growing industrial and commercial flooring specialist ABS Brymar Floors was one of four deals brokered by the Manchester office of global real estate advisors Colliers International.

Its purchase of the 14,457 sq ft (1,343 sq metre) unit on Chorley North Industrial Park for an undisclosed sum sees ABS Brymar relocate and expand into bigger premises from Dane Road Industrial Estate, Sale, Cheshire, with Colliers also instructed to dispose of that 10,475 sq ft (973 sq metre) facility of behalf of the business.

The Chorley premises consist of an 8,085 sq ft warehouse, 2,181 sq ft of office space a 4,191 sq ft mezzanine floor on a 1.05-acre site immediately adjacent to Junction 8 of the M61, close to its intersection with the M6 and M65.

The three other deals secured by the specialist industrial and logistics team at the Manchester office of Colliers were:

letting the 16,000 sq ft (1,486 sq metre) refurbished Unit 4 warehouse and new offices on Astley Park Estate, Chaddock Lane, Astley, Manchester on behalf of Astley Park Estates to Excel Trade Frames at 4 per sq ft on a 10-year lease;

on behalf of Millfield Estates (Bolton) Ltd, letting the fully refurbished 6,114 sq ft (568 sq metre) Unit C2 at Longford Trading Estate, Thomas Street, Stretford, Manchester to Consumable Direct Ltd at £24,000 per annum on a short-term lease to complement its adjoining premises;

and sub-letting a 2,751 sq ft (256 sq metre) industrial unit on a 1.68-acre site at Millfield Business Park, Millfield Lane, Haydock Industrial Estate, Haydock, St Helens on behalf of RMD Kwikform to MV Commercials until 31st March 2019.

Laura Wilbourn, surveyor, industrial and logistics at the Manchester office of Colliers International, said: “The successful completion of these deals reflects a demanding market with clients seeking ever better premises tailored to their specific requirements, so it pays to be patient, persistent, diligent and effective to ensure such transactions get over the line.”