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CBRE’s Operational Real Estate team in Manchester has secured a new development opportunity for nursery group Kids Planet in the heart of Buckshaw Village

Property

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

CBRE’s Operational Real Estate team in Manchester has secured a new development opportunity for nursery group Kids Planet in the heart of Buckshaw Village

The 0.65 acre site is situated within the village centre by KFC and the War Horse Pub fronting Barn Wallis Way. The proposed 140-child place 6,150 sq ft purpose built children’s day nursery
will benefit from two external playgrounds, 25 car parking spaces, generous drop off / pick up points and landscaped areas. A planning application has been submitted and is awaiting determination by
Chorley Borough Council.

Buckshaw Village is conveniently located near to junction 8 of the M61 and is situated circa two miles to the north of Chorley and forms one of the largest new urban development areas within the UK. It comprises 3,000 homes, a vibrant commercial centre and a vast logistics hub.

Nick Huddleston, Associate Director at CBRE comments; ‘‘We are delighted to have brought Kids Planet on board. Not only is it a fantastic location, but the proposed scheme will offer exceptional
facilities in the heart of the village centre, close to Trinity Church Primary School. The current shortage of child nursery places in Buckshaw coupled with the highest quality accommodation on offer
should be extremely popular with parents and local families.’’

Kids Planet, which is head quartered in Lymm, Cheshire, forms the third largest nursery operator in the UK with a 52-strong portfolio, which includes facilities in the Midlands and provides care to nearly
7,500 children. Kids Planet was founded in 2008 by chief executive Clare Roberts and her father John, who is now chairman. It received a £10m investment from the BGF in 2016 and has since trebled
its footprint.

Clare Roberts of Kids Planet comments ‘’We are extremely excited about bringing Kids Planet to Buckshaw. The new development will offer state of the art facilities in a superb and prominent setting in
the village centre. We are dedicated in providing the best in children’s day care and enhancing the offering within the local area. Kids Planet continue to be acquisitive for more opportunities and are very much open for business’’.

Manchester-based digital marketing agency Embryo Digital expands team with new Head of PR during Covid-19 crisis

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

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Manchester-based digital marketing agency Embryo Digital expands team with new Head of PR during Covid-19 crisis

A Manchester city center- based digital Marketing agency has expanded its team during the pandemic with the addition of a new Head of PR.

Jo Threlfall’s nine years of experience working in the media industry supports her knowledge and insights into digital marketing as she has been working in the digital and SEO industry for the past five years. Her journalism background gives her the ability to understand what it takes to create a successful digital PR campaign which makes a great story.

At Embryo Digital she will be responsible for driving the PR service by helping identify and create creative campaigns for their clients and supporting the agency’s ambitions to grow the PR department.

“I am very excited to be part of the Embryo Digital team and help grow their PR offering and to create exciting campaigns for their clients,” said Jo Threlfall.

“My Digital PR and media experience will support the great work already being done by the teams in driving customer engagement, brand awareness, and positive SEO rankings for our clients.”

Director of Embryo Digital, Ross Green added: “We looked long & hard to find our head of digital PR. Having worked for multiple well known agencies, Jo combines wealth of experience with the hunger to develop and grow our digital PR team. Jo’s fun and bubbly personality makes her the perfect cultural fit for our ever growing team”.

RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2021 ANNOUNCES AGENCIES FOR MARKETING AND PR DRIVE

Creative

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

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RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2021 ANNOUNCES AGENCIES FOR MARKETING AND PR DRIVE

Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has announced its appointments of McCann Manchester, Hatch and Goodform to promote the tournament, set to be the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup to date.

Created by McCann Manchester, the first campaign, Squads Assemble, is revealed today (19th October 2020) to coincide with the opening of the public ticket ballot on 23rd October. The core message is inclusivity, appealing to existing and a new ‘squad’ of Rugby League fans. With a nod to a tough 2020 for live sport, the aim is to drive passion, excitement and create anticipation for the biggest sporting event in the UK next year. It’s a rallying cry for participation, depicting the entire promised experience.

Squads Assemble will be promoted across high-profile 30 second TV spots, VOD, radio, digital media, social, PR and CRM.

On the appointment and the campaign, Karen Buchanan, CEO at McCann Manchester said: “We’ve collaborated with our McCann Worldgroup agencies in the North including CRAFT and Momentum to deliver a truly integrated campaign. Squads Assemble aims to connect with a new broader audience for RLWC 2021 to galvanise support for what will be a truly exciting and unmissable sporting experience in the UK next year.”
McCann Manchester has been recruited to handle brand strategy, creative, media planning and buying, digital and content strategy, as well as activation-led PR with all disciplines being primarily used to drive ticket sales. The agency’s sporting credentials include The London Olympic & Paralympic Games 2012, its work with Aldi includes driving sponsorship of Team GB across Rio, PyeongChang and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Leeds based PR agency, Hatch has been appointed to deliver PR, social media strategy and community management for RLWC2021 social channels. Hatch also has a proven track record within sports communications and has been working with RLWC2021 organisers on promotion of the tournament for the past eighteen months. The team will work closely with McCann Manchester to maximise key moments over the next 12 months to drive the tournament’s goal to become the biggest and best RLWC of all time.

Data and insight specialists Goodform has also been appointed to ensure that insight is at the centre of everything. Through managing, deepening, and connecting fan data, Goodform will deliver insight-led marketing campaigns and power a customer-first ticketing strategy. With extensive major international event experience with Rugby World Cup 2015, World Athletics Championships 2017 and Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022, Goodform is perfectly positioned to deliver audience growth and engagement.

The remit of all agencies is to drive ticket sales as well as creating a deeper connection with Rugby League’s core fanbase and delivering the most accessible experience for new fans by creating engaging content, and powerful, in-depth storytelling.

On the appointments and the Squads Assemble campaign, Terri Lynam, Customer Director at RLWC2021: “We are delighted to announce our world-class roster of agencies who have a vital role to play in delivering the biggest and best ever Rugby League World Cup.

Lynam, who has previously worked on other major events including London 2012 and Rugby Union World Cup in 2015, added: “The pitch process was highly competitive and the challenge in the brief was to sell Rugby League as more than just the game on the field. It’s the experience in its entirety, the diverse and exciting crowd, the history of the sport and the infectious passion that create a unique atmosphere and experience that British sport’s fans both existing and new will love.”

“We are just days away from the opening of the public ticket ballot – the first ever ballot in Rugby League World Cup history – and we are excited to inspire fans who haven’t experienced Rugby League before to book their place at the World Cup next autumn.”

Claritas Tax hits all the right notes with their newest recruit.

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

0

Claritas Tax hits all the right notes with their newest recruit.

Claritas Tax’s Manchester office has today announced the appointment of their latest recruit – Mark Cuppello, to the role of Tax Assistant in their rapidly expanding R&D Tax Relief team.

Mark, a former bass playing musician, has certainly shaken things up in recent years, turning his back on a rock’n’roll lifestyle to concentrate efforts on furthering his career in Tax.

Specialising in R&D, Mark will strengthen their R&D proposition across both Claritas’ Manchester and Birmingham offices.

Matt Hodgson, Partner, Claritas Tax Manchester comments: “I’m pleased to welcome Mark to the Claritas team. He brings with him a reputation of getting the job done to the highest standards. I may not be able to guarantee the audiences he is used to but I’m looking forward to him hitting the ground running.”

Mark Cuppello adds: “I’m looking forward to joining Claritas and exploring the opportunities this role will bring for me to expand my knowledge and experience. Claritas has an enviable reputation for the quality of the services they offer their booming client list, which I am keen to be a part of.”

Social appointed by social value agency Spectra to champion diversity and inclusion among under-represented young people

Creative

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

0

Social appointed by social value agency Spectra to champion diversity and inclusion among under-represented young people

Social has been appointed by social value company Spectra to help promote the impact of its work to tackle social inequality and support under-represented young people and under-served communities.

The integrated agency has a diverse client roster including housing associations, local authorities, charities and professional services firms and is headquartered in Manchester with offices in Leeds and Bristol.

Driving social value, Spectra works with businesses, philanthropists, local authorities and the government to plan and deliver social value through strategy development, agile recruitment, training and mentoring, navigating the funding landscape and the delivery of commercial ventures underpinned by social value.

As part of their brief, Social will also be amplifying the profile of the Care Leaver Covenant and its work to support care leavers throughout the UK, which Spectra is the national delivery partner.

The Care Leaver Covenant, funded by the Department of Education, was set up in 2016 as part of the government’s ‘Keep on Caring’ strategy. The Covenant tackles the disadvantages that young people aged 16-25 face when leaving care and helps them to live independently.

Working with a range of organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors, who sign up to the Covenant, tangible opportunities for care leavers are created, including employment, education and training, safety and security, health, financial independence and independent living.

The appointment reflects Social’s desire to work with organisations that are improving people’s lives and having a positive impact on society, while profiling Spectra and celebrating the impact of Covenant’s activities to support the care leaver community.

Matthew Gordon, Chief Executive of Spectra, said: “Our work in diversity and inclusion, exemplified by the Covenant, is built on strong relationships and storytelling, and our appointment of Social represents those values entirely.

“From our early interactions we saw that they were an agency who shared our ambition to enhance outcomes for disadvantaged young people, and they were a group of people we wanted to work with, spend time with and build stories with. We’re excited for a future of close collaboration with John and the team.”

John Quinton-Barber, Group Chief Executive at Social, said: “Our work is driven by a passion of changing and improving lives and as soon we met Matthew and the Spectra team we wanted to work alongside them to help improve the opportunities available to care leavers and other vulnerable young people in society.

“Currently there are around 70,000 young people in care in the UK, with up to 10,000 leaving care each year. We look forward to working with the Spectra to champion its work with businesses, local authorities and partner organisations who are providing opportunities for care leavers and other under-represented groups of young people.”

Founded in 2012, Social has built a national client roster spanning housing, not for profit, planning, professional and financial services, energy, education, transport and infrastructure.

Grant scheme helps SME businesses in Greater Manchester cut energy investment costs

Energy

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

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Grant scheme helps SME businesses in Greater Manchester cut energy investment costs

With businesses continuing to change their working practices in response to the impact of COVID-19, many are anticipating higher energy bills this winter.

Whether it’s due to longer operating hours on factory floors to allow for split shifts to accommodate social distancing, or the need to increase supplies of fresh air, as winter approaches even more businesses will need to turn up their heating and switch on lights earlier and for longer.

To help manage this, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Greater Manchester can access a grant to cover up to 50% of the capital needed for investments in energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Grant could be worth between £1,000 and £12,500 per business, significantly reducing the investment payback times and helping each business to improve its environmental impact through a reduced carbon footprint.

The grants are being offered by GC Business Growth Hub, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. They can go towards, for example, heating equipment upgrades, replacement motors and drives, LED lighting or other energy efficiency projects and the grants are available to cover half the cost (worth up to a maximum project cost of £25,000).

Local firms employing fewer than 250 people and with a turnover of less than £40m last year are eligible.

Waxed cotton and innovative textiles manufacturer British Millerain in Rochdale recently received an Energy Efficiency Grant that has helped it to save on overall costs for the business.

Andy Wood, operations manager for British Millerain, said:

“We had recently installed LED lighting in our new offices but didn’t realise how much more could be saved by upgrading the factory and warehouse lighting too – which also improved the working environment for staff.”

Another business to benefit from the grant scheme is Teledata, a UK leading cloud hosting company.

Matt Edgley, commercial director for Teledata UK, said:

“We constantly focus on optimising power use as it has a direct impact on our bottom line. The specialist technical support and guidance from the Hub has enabled us to look beyond industry best practice. We were able to install a new low loss transformer combined with voltage management, for which we secured a grant, and battery energy storage to further reduce our electricity costs during high tariff periods.”

The grant is just one way in which the Hub’s Resource Efficiency service can help businesses save cash, reduce their impact on the environment, and increase their profitability.

Since 2015, more than 1,000 Greater Manchester businesses have received support from the Hub’s Resource Efficiency team and over 21,000 tonnes of annual CO2e (‘carbon dioxide equivalent’) savings have been made.

Matt Whitworth, Environmental Business Advisor for GC Business Growth Hub, said:

“These are challenging times for businesses and any opportunity to reduce energy consumption and make savings on overall costs should be seriously considered.

“If you think your business might be eligible for our Energy Efficiency Grant it’s well worth taking five minutes to complete the short online form and make contact with our team who will advise on whether you qualify for support within 48 working hours.

“Our specialists are focused on helping SME businesses to make savings and cut carbon emissions, with our only agenda being to help businesses thrive and contribute towards Greater Manchester becoming one of the greenest places in Europe. If you think we can help you contribute towards these goals, please do get in touch.”

For more information and for businesses to access the short form to kick start their application, please go to: https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/resource-efficiency/energy-efficiency-grant

JAPANESE BROADCASTER ENLISTS K7 MEDIA

Creative

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

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Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. (TBS) is the latest media organisation to subscribe to K7 Media’s bespoke media intelligence services.

One of Japan’s leading private broadcasters, TBS has hired K7 Media to work directly with its international team to provide expert insights surrounding the global TV format market, support with international growth and help the broadcaster connect with new partners.

Discussing the decision to bring K7 Media onboard, Mayu Sunaga, Director of International Distribution Department at TBS, said: “K7 Media’s flexible and hands on approach makes them the perfect partner for us as we continue to grow. We have already been so impressed with the team’s regional expertise and the level of support they offer.

“We hope to be able to clarify the process for the new businesses, especially in the format business, by working together with a great partner like K7 Media.”
K7 Media Founder & CEO, Keri Lewis Brown, added: “Our Asia Pacific division has really grown this year, adding TBS to our client roster is testament to the hard work and expertise of the team.”

“Already internationally recognised for its innovative game show formats, we are excited to be working with TBS to help promote their work to a wider audience.”

TBS is responsible for highly popular TV formats, including Takeshi’s Castle, Time is Money and SASUKE/Ninja Warrior. A global success, the SASUKE/Ninja Warrior format has been sold to 25 territories and featured prominently in K7 Media’s much anticipated annual report, Tracking the Giants: The Top 100 Travelling Unscripted Formats.

K7 Media provides bespoke research and media consulting services to broadcasters, streaming platforms, distributors, and production companies, across the globe. The global media consultancy continues to expand its current range of client services, while maintaining the delivery of highly sought-after media reports.

£300,000 funding and support programme available for companies with innovative healthcare solutions

Business support

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

0

£300,000 funding and support programme available for companies with innovative healthcare solutions

INNOVATIVE healthcare products or services can now apply for a share of £300,000 as a funding call and an accelerator programme opens.

Health Innovation Manchester, the organisation responsible for accelerating innovation into Greater Manchester’s healthcare system, has opened applications for the 2020-2021 Momentum Innovation Fund. The innovation fund has been established to support the introduction and adoption of needs-led, evidence-based innovations into the healthcare system within Greater Manchester and East Cheshire.

Applicants with market ready or close to market ready innovations which can support clinical management post COVID-19 can apply for up to £50,000 for real-world evaluations of their solutions.

This year, Health Innovation Manchester has also partnered with Danaher Diagnostics on a health accelerator programme to support innovations that provide remote management of patients leaving hospital care and/or patients with long-term conditions at home.

In addition to funding, the heath accelerator programme will provide additional support to projects to help navigate the healthcare system, learn about the NHS and utilise the expertise of Danaher Diagnostics to develop the solution and value proposition. Innovations that are not market ready and are at an early stage proof of value phase, will be considered for the accelerator programme

A total of £300,000 in funding is available across the two programmes.

Richard Deed, Associate Commercial Director at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “The ability to remotely monitor patients and ensure residents with long-term illness can safely manage their condition at home has become an urgent priority for healthcare during COVID-19.

“Many of our previous Momentum Fund winners have been successful in bringing their innovations to market and into the health and care services, making a difference to our local area and beyond. We are delighted to be partnering with Danaher Diagnostics this year on the accelerator programme providing access to expertise to support and develop innovative solutions.

“We are looking to find and support innovators who are as passionate as we are about improving the health and wellbeing of our citizens and boosting the local economy.”

Dirk Heckel, Vice President Global Innovation at Danaher Diagnostics, said: “We are excited to partner with Health Innovation Manchester to launch an accelerator programme that aims at increasing our insights into the role and clinical value of remote patient management.

“The current pandemic has accelerated the need for alternative care delivery models, and we consider this as a huge opportunity to expand our knowledge about beneficial diagnostic modalities and approaches.”

Both programmes are open to Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large organisations. All applications to must include evidenced involvement from an NHS or Social Care Organisation within the Health Innovation Manchester footprint, which encompasses Greater Manchester and East Cheshire. Projects funded can last up to 12 months and will be monitored against agreed milestones and outputs.

Through the programmes Health Innovation Manchester aims to improve the health of our citizens and promote economic development and wealth creation through the growth of local businesses and jobs.

Applications are open until 15 November 2020 and need to be completed online.

Successful shortlisted applications will then be invited to online interviews in January 2021. Winners of funding through the Momentum Fund will be announced in March 2021. For those considered for the health accelerator programme, an additional solutioning phase will be completed before funding is awarded.

Salford business creates powerful lead generation tool for recovering SMEs

Business support

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

0

Salford business creates powerful lead generation tool for recovering SMEs

Recovering business owners can now grow a powerful network of revenue-generating leads thanks to Incentive Manager, a revolutionary referral generation platform based in Salford.

Users of the new platform can build and track a network of referral partners who can pass leads to each other through an online portal or mobile app.

For the first time, SMEs can also grow their network beyond existing contacts via a virtual marketplace of referral opportunities.

Accessible via an intuitive online dashboard, Incentive Manager offers businesses a new layer of tangibility and transparency to the referral process.

Soft launched in the spring of 2020, two large networking organisations have already picked up on the potential power of the platform and have rolled it out to all their members.

Mark Linton, CEO of The Business Growth Network, said: “We have always had a high volume of referrals being passed around our members but have never had an effective tracking system.

“We decided to offer all our members access to Incentive Manager because it acts as a catalyst for new business opportunities, not just from The Business Growth Network but also from the wider referral marketplace.

“The good will it generates between our members is just as important as the revenue. It fosters collaboration because people are more willing to reciprocate when they can see the difference it makes to each other’s businesses.”

Incentive Manager MD Tim Ternent said: “One of my favourite authors is Dixie Gillaspie, who said ‘your network is your safety net and your fishing net. It will save your life and feed you for life if you build it well and treat it right.’

“I’ve found that other platforms are great for establishing a wider network, but engagement can sometimes be a bit long-winded.

“Businesses need immediate leads while they’re working to recover in times of uncertainty. We’ve created a platform that lets users manage their relationships more effectively and generate tangible revenue as quickly as possible.”

Users can access Incentive Manager for free with more advanced features available via the premium account.

Growing loan book sees Puma Property Finance expand to Manchester

Growth

Sam Whitear

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20/10/2020

0

Growing loan book sees Puma Property Finance expand to Manchester

Puma Property Finance, the specialist development lender, has further strengthened its nationwide presence with the relocation of one of its managers, Paul Murphy, to Manchester.
The move reflects the sustained growth of the Puma Property Finance loan book. In 2019, the business completed more than £200 million of loans and has continued to achieve particularly strong lending activity in the North of England. Since inception, it has delivered over £150 million to finance development in the region.

Originally from Newcastle, Paul has a well-established professional network and will continue to build on Puma Property Finance’s consistent growth from his new location.
Paul’s extensive industry experience includes several years at LendInvest where he worked as a Senior Financial Analyst before joining Puma Property Finance. Prior to this, he was a consultant in PwC’s actuarial department where he spent nearly five years.

Having worked on facilities across multiple sectors, Paul will be looking to partner with professional developers in the region to provide loans typically between £5 million and £35 million. As well as residential development projects, Puma has significant experience lending to specialist sectors such as healthcare, including care homes and retirement living, hotels and student accommodation projects.

David Kaye, CEO of Puma Property Finance commented: “This move marks a strategic investment into the region and underlines our commitment to further strengthen our national lending activity. We continue to see a number of compelling development projects across the country and Paul is well placed to capitalise upon and grow our existing pipeline of new deals in the region.”

Paul Murphy said:“I’m delighted to be expanding Puma’s activity in the North West as the business continues to grow its loan book. We’ve completed a number of loan facilities in the region, and I’m looking forward to building on this growth even further in the years ahead.”

Puma Property Finance delivers development loans from £5 million to £35 million to finance residential, commercial and specialist sector projects such as hotels, student accommodation and healthcare, including care homes and retirement living. The business offers three core loan products: stretch senior development loans; pre-development bridge finance for site acquisition; and post-development exit finance.

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