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Ward Hadaway Listed as Most Active Regional Dealmaker in UK

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22/02/2023

Ward Hadaway Listed as Most Active Regional Dealmaker in UK

Leading Northern law firm Ward Hadaway is the most active regional dealmaker in the UK it was revealed on Wednesday 22nd February, moving them up the national rankings for the fifth year running to 7th overall in the yearly Experian MarketIQ league tables.

The firm completed a total of 106 qualifying deals during 2022 with an aggregate value of over £1.2bn despite challenging conditions and a slowdown in overall M&A activity across the UK.

The data, published by independent analysts Experian MarketIQ, which tracks M&A deals at a regional and national level, has found Ward Hadaway to be leading the way across the North of England, ranking 2nd in the North East, 3rd in Yorkshire and Humber and joint 8^th in the North West.

Agility, flexibility and tenacity were at the heart of an approach led by Rob Thompson, Head of Corporate, who oversees a team of 30 corporate lawyers. Individuals and teams within the wider corporate team at Ward Hadaway feature in the shortlist of multiple categories at next week’s Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards.

Commenting on the results, Rob said; “We are delighted that we have continued to move up the Experian rankings, competing at a national level as the most successful law firm without a London base in the top 10.

“Our team is based in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle, and the latest Experian results underline the success we are seeing in our regions, but our skills and experience are attracting work from across the UK and internationally.

“Our move into the top 3 in Yorkshire and Humber is a particularly outstanding result given the trading landscape in the region. To see us achieve growth at a time when Experian is showing the total number of deals down by 7% overall really reflects the success we are seeing across the Leeds office as a whole.”

The corporate team works with businesses of all sizes and across many different sectors but has a particular focus when it comes to SMEs.

Rob continues; “We are grateful to our clients for continuing to trust us with their transactions, and to our fellow professional advisers who recommend us to their clients.

“Our team is very experienced and has worked together for many years, whilst continuing to attract new talent. We combine consistency and stability with fresh thinking and expanding networks. The fact we continue to climb the national rankings is a testament to the expertise and client-centered approach of my team. I am indebted to their energy and drive, which have played a huge part in our success.”

Sale Sharks to Launch New Podcast With Mark Chapman

Sport
Video

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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Sale Sharks to Launch New Podcast With Mark Chapman

Monthly Swimming with Sharks podcast will be hosted by BBC and Sky Sports presenter Mark Chapman

Episode one features Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson and Sale and England flanker Tom Curry

Episode two will be released to mark International Women’s Day

Sale Sharks have confirmed their launching of a new podcast, hosted by BBC and Sky Sports presenter Mark Chapman, and focused on celebrating the very best of northern sport.

The monthly ‘Swimming with Sharks’ podcast will feature guests from Sale Sharks and some of the region’s biggest sporting clubs, such as Manchester City, Everton in the Community and Manchester Storm.

Each episode will focus on a different topic ranging from leadership and building a winning
culture, to how clubs use data and sport science, how clubs grow commercially, how to build the profile of women’s sport and much more.

The series kicks off with a look at leadership and culture within Sale Sharks as Mark is joined by Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson and England and Sale flanker Tom Curry.

Tom, who has led Sale in the Premiership this season and captained England in last year’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland, explains how his approach to leadership at international differed from at club level.

And Alex takes Mark through his own thoughts on what makes a good leader, how his dad marked him out as a leader from an early age, and how he helps develop leadership skills within the Sharks dressing room.

And he explains why he and his coaches ‘force failure’ in training to ready the players for the big challenges ahead.

Episode one will be available for download tomorrow (Thursday, Feb 23) at 9am from Apple
Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcast platforms.

Sharks Sales and Marketing Director Claire Butters said: “We want to take our supporters inside Carrington and show off the personalities that make up the fabric of the north and the culture and brand that we’ve been working so hard to build.

“But this podcast is so much more than that. Rugby, and Sale Sharks, needs to grow its audience and attract new fans and that’s what we want to do. We’re much more than just a rugby club.

“The North is home to so much sport, and some of the best, most innovative and successful
sporting organisations in the country and this podcast is a chance to celebrate that and get an insight into what different organisations are doing and how they are doing it.”

North West Business Advisor Welcomes Two New Corporate Directors

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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North West Business Advisor Welcomes Two New Corporate Directors

Greater Manchester-based Hilton Smythe has hired two business experts to join its expanding growing corporate team, specialising in M&A.

Nigel Fitzpatrick and Debbie Power have become the sixth and seventh members of Hilton Smythe’s growing corporate transactions team, joining as directors.

The expansion represents the company’s strategy to specialise in providing services that facilitate larger business disposals and acquisitions.

Having built a reputation on being high street brokers, Hilton Smythe has invested in highly qualified personnel to offer a broader range of services to new and existing clients.

28914 — Nigel Fitzpatrick, Corporate Director

Nigel, originally from Burnley, built up his knowledge and expertise following 16 years of working for a business brokerage in Spain.

Nigel Fitzpatrick added: “I’m thrilled to be working at Hilton Smythe and adding my expertise to a growing team that will thrive in years to come.”

Also, with experience working abroad, Debbie, from Rochdale, joins Hilton Smythe after successfully leading a team in Dubai.

Debbie Power said: “Since leaving university, I have taken on many different roles. Advising a business on its sales strategy is a real strength of mine.

“A friend recommended Hilton Smythe and told me about its new corporate division, which immediately appealed to me – so here I am!”

Gareth Smyth, CEO of Hilton Smythe, said: “We are delighted to welcome Debbie and Nigel to our growing corporate team.

“Investing in these two big hires, symbolises our commitment to extending our transactional services to larger organisations wishing to acquire or dispose of their business

“Despite our further expansion into the small-cap market, we will continue to provide our existing services to micro businesses, which we have excelled at for many years.”

Silverpoint Display Celebrates Successes and Prepares for Substantial Growth

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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Silverpoint Display Celebrates Successes and Prepares for Substantial Growth

Silverpoint Display, the leading North West based retail display firm, has set its sights on substantial expansion in 2023 and beyond, announcing significant new client wins, team growth and marketing investment.

Established in 2011, Silverpoint Display serves a national and international client base from its head office in Hazel Grove and recently welcomed 3 new employees to the team to accommodate significant new incoming accounts and lay the foundations for sizeable growth over the coming year and through 2024.

The firm is also investing in building its reputation as a major supplier of British-designed and British-manufactured creative and highly effective retail display solutions, with an energetic PR and marketing campaign.

Zeus PR, part of Planet Zeus, will be working closely with Silverpoint Display in generating additional profile and sharing key insight from the firm amongst its core target market of major consumer brands operating both within the UK and internationally.

Sean Adams, Director at Silverpoint Display comments: “We are benefitting enormously from incoming business from brands who welcome our superior British design and manufacture over and above the solutions offered by businesses overseas, particularly China. Many British brands have sadly fallen foul of inherent design faults in stands shipped from China and having pre-paid, find it unworkable once it has arrived at the retailer or exhibition.

“Silverpoint is committed to designing and building unique and innovative pieces that are completely custom built. Our team use the latest design software and our developers have the most advanced CAD technology. Prototyping is an essential part of our service to ensure best possible results and means bulk manufacturing can begin with confidence. This major USP is serving both ourselves and the brands we represent extremely well.

“We have had a fantastic start to the year and are excited to build on this and support even more brands in achieving their sales and longer-term objectives.”

Silverpoint Display serve a national and international client base, creating impactful bespoke visual merchandising solutions to help brands raise visibility and build reputation, both in-store and at events. The agency designs, produces, coordinates and manages event and exhibition stands, working with both established high street names and smaller brands to build awareness. Silverpoint works in tandem with clients to maximise opportunities which showcase their products and services across the world.

The firm embraces the use of sustainable and recycled materials wherever possible in order to endorse the reduction in their global footprint and those of their clients.

More information on Silverpoint Display can be found at https://www.silverpointdisplay.co.uk/

New Management Team Unveiled for Recom Solutions’ Passive Fire Protection Division

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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New Management Team Unveiled for Recom Solutions’ Passive Fire Protection Division

A new management team has been announced for RECOM Solutions’ passive fire
protection division, the fastest-growing arm of the group.

Revenues for the division are shceuled to exceed £4.5m in the 12 months to April, up
from £2.6m, following a raft of contract wins which has seen it expand into a
nationwide operation.

RECOM Passive Fire Protection has doubled the size of its team of directly-
employed installers to 40 over the past 12 months.

The team undertakes projects at locations including NHS Trusts and hospitals,
schools and universities, government offices, social housing schemes, apartment
blocks and office buildings.

In line with its expansion, RECOM Passive Fire Protection has a new-look
management team after a series of promotions and appointments.

Sarah Leadbetter has been promoted to the newly-created role of head of the
division, which will see her lead on the delivery of its commercial targets, focus on
client retention and expansion, and support RECOM’s directors with their growth
plans for the group.

Jay Newby has been promoted from contracts manager to the new role of operations
manager for RECOM Passive Fire Protection. His new position sees him working
closely with contracts managers and leading on all site operations and project
delivery.

Gvidas Teresas has been promoted from supervisor to contracts manager and he
will support Jay on service delivery.

Richard Green has joined RECOM Passive Fire Protection as a contracts manager
from Bell Group. He brings expertise in fire doors, with more than 10 years’
experience in this specialist field.

Due to the division’s geographical expansion, Keron Jackson has been recruited as
a contracts manager for the Midlands and is based in Birmingham. He brings a
wealth of knowledge and expertise to bolster RECOM’s national coverage.

RECOM, which has its headquarters on the Waters Edge Business Park in Salford
Quays, is an approved contractor under the UK’s Fire Accreditation Scheme (FIRAS)
for its fire protection services, which include passive fire protection installation, fire
door surveys and installations, repairs and upgrades, fire strategy reviews,
compartmentation surveying, advice and guidance, training, development and
support.

RECOM1 L R Keron Jackson Gvidas Teresas Sarah Leadbetter Richard Green and Jay Newby — L-R Keron Jackson, Gvidas Teresas, Sarah Leadbetter, Richard Green and Jay Newby

The company, which was founded in 2015 by directors Jason McKnight and Joseph
Dillon, also undertakes construction project management and main contracting work
across sectors including healthcare, education, retail and leisure, commercial and
residential. It also provides consultancy services to assist in the design and delivery
of health and safety, sustainability and cladding projects.

Jason said: “The creation of a dedicated management team for RECOM Passive
Fire Protection, together with our new arrivals, provides an excellent platform for
further strong growth for the division.

“The market is growing rapidly amid greater awareness of the need for risk
assessments, remediation work, building upgrades and ongoing maintenance in the
new-build sector as well as at existing sites.

“Only recently, new fire safety regulations have come into force as the government
seeks to improve fire safety in high-rise apartment blocks by implementing
recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. This once again
demonstrates how seriously the issue of fire safety and protection needs to be taken
throughout the property and construction sectors.

“We have a highly-skilled and committed team and I am proud of their achievements
to date. Our investment in new staff working alongside the new management team
will give us the ability to take the division to the next level.

“We are continuing to expand the team by recruiting additional supervisors and
contracts managers to reflect the growth we are seeing across the UK. At the same
time, we are placing a lot of emphasis on nurturing talent from within, and five
RECOM trainees have recently gained diplomas to qualify as passive fire installers.”

Number of Women Who Launched Companies in North West in 2022 Has Increased, Rose Review Reveals

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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Number of Women Who Launched Companies in North West in 2022 Has Increased, Rose Review Reveals

Women founded more than 15,600 new companies across the North West last year, a 4.8% increase on the previous year, despite a more challenging economic environment.

The resilience of female entrepreneurs in the North West is underlined by UK data which shows that female founders started more firms in 2022 than ever before with a total of 150,000 new companies. The figures are published today in the Rose Review Progress Report 2023, which sets fresh goals to provide record levels of support for female entrepreneurs and drive up the numbers of female angel investors.

The Report illustrates the advances made since the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship was launched in 2019. More than twice as many companies led by women were created last year as in 2018.

However, the report sets out the importance of increasing the support available for female founders in the face of economic headwinds.

A total of 190 financial services institutions have now made formal commitments to improve female entrepreneurs’ chances of success by signing the Investing in Women Code, up from 134 in the previous year. New signatories include savings and investment company M&G, lender Funding Circle and technology venture capital firm IQ Capital. Backers of the Code represent over £1 trillion in assets under management. The code requires them to adopt best practices to benefit female entrepreneurs and share data on their performance with government.

The Rose Review announces today that we will aim to provide female entrepreneurs with three million places on programmes and opportunities to access direct support over three years. Last year our partners created 800,000 opportunities to access schemes and support including networking events, mentorship and masterclasses.

The Rose Review is also committing to grow the pool of female angel investors from 14% to 30% of the total number of UK angels by 2030 through the work of the Women Angel Investment Taskforce, such as the Women Backing Women campaign. Work is underway across the country to support more women in offering early-stage investment.

A fifth of new incorporations last year were all-female led, a figure that has risen from 16% in 2018. The biggest leap in new female-led firms was among those established by 16-25-year-old founders, numbers of which rose by almost a quarter.

Alison Rose, CEO NatWest Group and author of the Rose Review, commented:

“It’s a testament to the resilience and entrepreneurialism of female founders that they are creating more companies than ever before, and the Rose Review is expanding its support for their work. Across the UK our partners have provided more than 800,000 opportunities for female entrepreneurs to get the help they need to thrive.

“In the coming year we will continue to provide fresh initiatives offering mentorship, guidance and inspiration for founders, alongside securing new commitments from financial services institutions to make it easier for female-led companies to access vital capital. By listening closely to entrepreneurs and acting on what they tell us, we will provide backing to help them grow their networks, secure finance and achieve their goals.”

Small business minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

“It’s great news over 150,000 women started new businesses last year – more than ever before – and seeing the number of businesses started by 16 to 25-year-olds increase by a quarter reaffirms the UK as a place of opportunity for all.

“We’re backing entrepreneurs and innovators all the way with a range of support. Our Start Up Loans scheme recently granted its 100,000th loan with 40% of awards going to women, and our Help to Grow Management Scheme is providing business leaders with the skills they need to succeed.”

Packaging Manufacturer Expands Senior Team With a Duo of Hires

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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Packaging Manufacturer Expands Senior Team With a Duo of Hires

Manchester headquartered packaging manufacturer and consultancy, Duo, has strengthened its senior team with two key appointments.

Martin Henderson has joined the business as finance director, as well as taking a position on Duo’s board of directors. Martin brings over 20 years’ commercial experience, underpinned by a chartered accounting background, within the manufacturing and logistics industries and has forged strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels throughout his career.

Nick Toner joins the business as head of industrial sales from Berry BPI and brings over 20 years’ experience in polythene packaging, having worked for some of the world’s largest packaging brands. In his new role, Nick will be responsible for driving commercial relationships with businesses using industrial packaging solutions for their products as Duo aims to expand its client base in key FMCG sectors, offering high-quality recycled packaging solutions.

Commenting on his appointment, Martin said: “Our customer base and the stakeholders we interact with truly care about sustainability. From the moment I joined Duo, from the more traditional material sectors of lead and steel, I knew they weren’t a typical manufacturer. The energy, drive and openness to change was something I immediately wanted to be part of.

“The business has developed solid foundations in reducing the impact of packaging on the world we live in. We’re part of an industry that is relatively new, evolving and expanding, and I look forward to building on these foundations with a vision of driving best practice to support our future growth plans.”

Established in 1988, Duo is a leading manufacturer, supplier and distributor of packaging products. The company is committed to developing innovative packaging solutions for forward-thinking businesses such as JD Sports, QVC and Thrift+ and reducing the use of virgin materials and packaging waste by improving packaging circularity within supply chains.

Nick Toner, said: “Duo is a business that has led, rather than followed, the market when it comes to reducing the environmental impact of its packaging products, bringing innovative solutions to market such as GreenPE. Throughout my career I’ve been aware of Duo and have always admired its innovative and agile business model. In supply to the FMCG market, customers need quick responses and solutions and I’m very confident that Duo will become a key player in the sector. The company’s ambition and energy has been infectious and I look forward to establishing Duo as the supplier of choice with more FMCG businesses, both in the UK and internationally.”

Duo’s commercial director, Anthony Brimelow, added: “Welcoming two individuals of Nick and Martin’s professional calibre into the team at Duo is a real coup for the business at an important time. Both appointments will play an essential role in delivering our strategic plan and their knowledge and experience of their respective sectors will prove invaluable in implementing the necessary platforms for our business’ ambitious growth plans.”

In 2022, Duo invested £3 million into establishing a new recycling business, Duclo Recycling, in Leeds, operating from a 44,000 square foot warehouse in Stourton. Duclo Recycling specialises in the recovery and recycling of plastic packaging, preventing end-of-use material going to waste and keeping it within closed-loop recycling streams to improve resourcefulness.

In 2022, North West Fraud Cases Fell, but Commercial Businesses Remain the Region’s Most Vulnerable

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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In 2022, North West Fraud Cases Fell, but Commercial Businesses Remain the Region’s Most Vulnerable

According to the latest KPMG Fraud Barometer, the number of North West fraud cases over £100k heard in court declined 18% from 34 to 28 in 2022.

The overall value of these cases also fell significantly by 71% from £83.9m to £24.1m, the survey found.

As with the previous year, the victim group that suffered the most cases of alleged fraud across the region were commercial businesses, with seven cases in 2022, although this did mark a fall from 12 cases in 2021. Government was the joint most common victim by volume in 2022, as they were also the victim of seven cases, down from eight cases in 2021. Embezzlement, which includes theft from company or client accounts, was the most common type of North West fraud case, accounting for the largest share of fraud value (33%).

Damien Margetson, Head of Forensic at KPMG in the North West, commented: “It’s encouraging to see a sizeable drop in both the volume and value of North West fraud cases in 2022. However, corporate fraud continued to rear its ugly head, with rogue employees abusing their positions of trust to steal money from their employers, clients and other partners. Despite the fall in related cases year-on-year, it’s vital that the region’s business leaders are taking the urgent action necessary to ensure they have the safeguards in place that can detect and prevent these crimes.”

Case studies to reach the region’s courts during this period include:

A 49-year-old accountant stole more than £6.7m from a family run business in Liverpool. The accountant transferred large amounts of money from the company into their own account and claimed the transactions were loans from the company director.
A 46-year-old grandmother ran a Liverpool accounting services company and acted as an unauthorised tax agent, submitting fraudulent repayment claims to HMRC for her customers in order to “enrich herself”. She secured £1.2m for 150 clients.
A 58-year-old man from Oldham set up several companies, and installed energy-efficient home improvements in order to submit fraudulent VAT repayment claims. Invoices were falsified and altered to claim a total of £593k. olume of North West fraud cases fell by 18% year-on-year, with value dropping 71% compared to 2021

The National Story

The total value of alleged fraud cases £100,000 or above heard in UK courts increased by 151% from £444.7m in 2021 to £1.12bn in 2022, according to data released in KPMG UK’s latest Fraud Barometer.

The figure for 2022 is similar to pre-pandemic values which saw a total value of £1.1bn for alleged fraud cases heard in 2019.

Figures from KPMG UK’s Fraud Barometer released today, found that despite the increase in total value of reported fraud cases heard in 2022, the volume of cases fell by 27%. A total of 219 alleged fraud cases reached the courts in 2022, compared to 298 in 2021.

While volume of alleged fraud £100,000 or above decreased and total value increased, the value was largely driven by five cases with a value of £50m or above which were heard in UK courts in 2022. These cases amounted to a total value of £648m, more than half the total value of all the fraud cases heard. This is a stark contrast to 2021 which saw no reported cases over the value of £50m.

The Fraud Barometer also noted that a number of other reported cases, involving significant sums, were reportedly settled so do not appear within the figures but reinforce the trend that the value of alleged fraud is significantly up on prior periods.

Fraud cases against financial institutions halved in 2022, with only 16 cases being heard compared to 32 in 2021. Despite this, the value of fraud committed against financial institutions in 2022 increased dramatically by 2204% to £609.2m.

Commenting on the findings, Roy Waligora, Partner and Head of UK Investigations at KPMG, said: “In 2022, we saw the total value of fraud in the UK return to pre-pandemic levels as a few high value cases boosted the numbers. This comes as professional criminals have continued to attempt to line their pockets with high value fraud against financial institutions and their customers.

“The slight drop in volume of fraud cases heard does not mean that fraud in the UK was any less prevalent in 2022. The impact of fraud remains a real concern in the UK, however, the decrease in the volume of cases may be an indication of pressure on authorities and that some fraud cases are not resulting in charges, as recently outlined by the National Audit Office1.”

Fraudsters targeting general public as cost-of-living scams emerge

The general public remained the most targeted group by perpetrators of fraud by volume, although cases against them decreased by 22%. In 2022, the general public were the victim in 73 cases with a total value of £136.9m, compared to 93 cases with a total value of just under £116m in 2021.

These figures come as Action Fraud2 have been warning of criminals exploiting the cost-of-living crisis through scamming the general public.

Reflecting on the data, Roy Waligora, added: “The Fraud Barometer only looks at reported cases heard with a value of £100k or above in UK courts, so the likelihood is that the general public have been the victims of many more frauds. As the cost-of-living hits households, we are likely to see a combination of two things happen.

“Firstly, we are likely to see opportunist fraudsters target the public through specific scams relating to the cost of living, such as a recent energy rebate scam3. Secondly, there is likely to be an increase in frauds committed by more amateur criminals as people face financial difficulties. The public must stay vigilant, with the help of businesses, government and the police.”

Embezzlement remains top fraud type

Embezzlement has remained the most common fraud type for 2022, albeit with fewer cases than in 2021. There were 36 cases of embezzlement with a value of £100k or above heard in UK courts in 2022, compared with 51 cases in 2021. However, the total value of these cases increased by 37% to £38.9m. This total value includes a case which saw an employee steal £6.7m from company accounts.

Roy Waligora said: “Embezzlement can be a big problem for businesses as employees and management look to exploit their positions. It is very important for businesses to have channels to report fraud and when businesses become suspicious about any fraudulent activity, that they act swiftly to uncover the facts so they can take decisive action against the individual or individuals. This is especially relevant as companies start to address the requirements of a Fraud Statement in their annual reports.”

Money laundering and investment fraud see huge jump in value

In 2022, UK courts only heard one less money laundering case than the prior year, but the total value of money laundering cases increased by 694% from £68.2m in 2021 to £541.7m. This was bolstered by three cases with a value of £100m or above.

Investment fraud also saw a large increase in value despite only six more cases being heard in 2022 than in 2021. In 2022 19 cases were heard in UK courts amounting to a total value of £181.8m, compared to 13 cases in 2021 which had a combined value of £12.5m, a 1358% increase in value.

Roy Waligora said: “While these cases may seem alarming, it is positive that these cases are making it to UK courts as these alleged crimes are exposed. However, businesses and institutions themselves need to be doing more to stop money laundering activities which are achieving such high values.

“As for investment fraud, investors and potential investors need to be wary of any investment opportunities. They should ensure they are doing their due diligence first by seeking advice and checking the FCA register.”

Other key findings:

Of the 219 cases heard in 2022, 80% of cases involved male perpetrators and 32% were aged 36-45 years old.
Professional criminals were the main perpetrators, responsible for 92 cases of fraud and worth a total of £725.2m. This is an increase in value from last year by 130%.
Management was the second largest group of perpetrators by volume, accounting for just over a quarter of cases in 2022.
Cases of advanced fee fraud, such as romance scams and services paid for but not delivered, increased from nine cases in 2021 to 19 cases in 2022, with the value almost tripling to £16m.
Cash and equivalent instruments fraud, such as credit/debit card and counterfeit currency, cases doubled to 12 cases but saw a decrease in total value from £16.8m in 2021 to £14.1m as fraudsters carrying out this type of fraud focused on smaller values.
The London and South East Region still has the greatest proportion of the value of fraud. 56% in the year 2021 and 53% in the year 2022.

Unique International Alliance for Wythenshawe Mums

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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Unique International Alliance for Wythenshawe Mums

What started as a chance meeting in a playground has led to a unique alliance bringing together mums from Wythenshawe, Manchester and 11 different countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

A group of ladies representing Mums Mart, based at Brownley Green Methodist Church in Wythenshawe, have just returned from a fact-finding visit to Nairobi armed with ideas to benefit their local community.

They were guests of international people’s organisation Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) which represents member federations of urban poor and homeless groups.

Sharon Davis, whose husband Greg runs United Estates of Wythenshawe (UEW), the UK’s first Inner City Culture Centre, led the Manchester delegation made up of eight mums from Greater Manchester.

It was Greg who met a distraught single mum in a school playground six years ago. She had no money, mounting debts, her kids were being bullied and the only adult conversations she had were at the school gates.

Greg took her back to the UEW building and introduced her to Sharon and some other mums with similar stories.

They started getting together regularly and came up with the idea of holding markets to raise money to take families away on trips. Mums Mart was born.

In 2016, inspired by the work of SDI they adapted the idea of launching their own Community Savers scheme. Sharon set up a bank account and agreed to be treasurer handling all the deposits and withdrawals for members.

Community Savers is a network of women-led savings schemes linking up residents in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire to share ideas, experiences and strategies for reducing poverty in neighbourhoods, towns and cities.

Mums Mart Africa3 — A few of the young residents with their Nairobi township in the background

At Mums Mart, alongside weekly savings meetings and monthly markets, they are continuously looking for future inspiration. The visits to SDI projects are critical in helping them generate ideas and support and to exchange personal experiences.

Said Sharon: “The work of SDI is so important and impactful and properly demonstrates the power of people working together to bring about change and make a difference in their local community.

“The mutual co-operation between us and SDI means we can share ideas, see what works and what doesn’t work, and how we can just generally improve lives.”

Mums Mart is currently working with local Wythenshawe residents to find ways to co-finance the renovation of an old caretakers apartment at UEW into a women-friendly free meeting and advice space. They run a new food membership club Local Fresh Food Co-operative, and bring residents together to identify shared priorities in the area.

El&N to Open First North-West Base at Trafford Palazzo

Olivia McHugh

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22/02/2023

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El&N to Open First North-West Base at Trafford Palazzo

Peel L&P has agreed a lease to bring leading Instagrammable café and lifestyle brand EL&N to Trafford Palazzo, a part of TraffordCity.

The transaction signifies one of EL&N’s first ventures based in the North of England which will see the international brand occupy a 200sqm site within the grand Italian mall space.

EL&N, which stands for Eat, Live, and Nourish, is renowned for creating and offering products centred around living a stylish life in a stunning setting and encouraging a positive ethos to nourish the soul.

The brand launched in Mayfair, London in 2017 and has since been established as the leading cafe and lifestyle brand with their iconic flower walls, pink interiors and eye-catching menu offering which encourage customers to create picture perfect moments.

Mark Whittaker, Executive Director – Property Investment & Management at Peel L&P said: “This is an extremely exciting announcement and will elevate the offering even further at Trafford Palazzo. EL&N is exactly the type of operator we are looking to attract, a forward thinking, unique brand that will complement the centre and add to the experience we are fostering within the space.”

EL&N has commenced their installation programme focused on an opening in time for Easter.

Alexandra Miller, Founder of EL&N said: “We are thrilled to announce our very first opening in Manchester at Trafford Palazzo. This location in particular is iconic, and we can’t wait to bring our unique offering to the diners of Manchester. The store design ties in all the classic EL&N interior elements along with some fresh new Instagram moments that we’ve never done before, Manchester, you’re in for a real treat!”

HH Retail, Creative Leisure, and the EL&N inhouse team are the agents that advised on the deal.

Trafford Palazzo is now the chosen destination for several the UK’s first exciting concepts and EL&N will join other flagship occupiers opening this year including NERF Action Experience, fast-food favourite Archies, and state of the art bowling alley King Pins. These combined lettings as well as Italian restaurant Matterello.

Since Peel L&P acquired Trafford Palazzo, the team has introduced a new placemaking and lettings strategy which has attracted several leading brands to add to the diverse experiences and adventures within TraffordCity.

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