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Apprentices key to growth plans for Greater Manchester’s manufacturing sector

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

Apprentices key to growth plans for Greater Manchester’s manufacturing sector

Apprentices are a key part of the growth plans for Greater Manchester’s manufacturing sector businesses, according to a new survey and white paper released during National Apprenticeship Week (February 3rd-7th).

Over half of the region’s manufacturing firms polled in the survey recently said they are currently employing apprentices within their businesses and 40% are planning to recruit more apprentices this year.

When asked what they felt was the primary benefit of taking on apprentices, 93% said that it was having them trained to their specification, while another key finding was that 90% are planning to take on new staff this year with growth being given as the primary reason, which is a positive sign for the state of the industry for 2020.

The survey of more than 30 manufacturing firms was carried out by GC Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

It took place ahead of the launch of a new white paper – Attracting, retaining and developing talent – which aims to help manufacturing and engineering businesses recruit and keep the best people.

The white paper contains insights from a session at a recent Manufacturing Champions’ event where attendees discussed this issue. Contributions came from representatives of some of the most successful manufacturing firms in Greater Manchester, who shared their experiences of building and retaining a productive workforce as well as how to make the most out of apprenticeships.

Industry experts who have contributed to the white paper include Paul Kingston from Cargill Manchester, Dr Paul Hunt from Vitrex plc, Pamela Dodd from Hyde Aero Products, James Pickles from TP Group plc, as well as GC Business Growth Hub Senior Business Advisor Geoff Crossley.

Some of the issues covered include how to attract the next generation of employees to the manufacturing sector by developing a talent pipeline as well as ideas for how to retain apprentices once their training is complete.

There are also insights into how to solve the skills gap challenge as part of developing an employee resilience strategy and how to make sure staff are engaged and have bought into the business vision.

Janine Smith, Head of Specialist Services at GC Business Growth Hub said: “The results of this survey demonstrate the potential of apprenticeships to be a big part of how manufacturing businesses attract, retain and develop their talent.

“They also demonstrate real optimism in the sector, but as we often see with small and medium firms in this sector, managing the day-to-day business challenges prevents leaders from planning for the future.

“Our services help businesses to grow, whilst developing their people and their own expertise in order to future-proof their business. The release of our new white paper is timely as firms consider increasing headcount, developing their personnel and taking on more apprentices.”

Paul Kingston, General Manager for Cargill Manchester said: “Our dedicated apprenticeship scheme has seen 30 apprentices come through in all areas of our business in the last six years, from process operators to commercial and finance roles. A number of them have progressed through to our leadership development programme and we’re proud of our apprentice retention rate.

“Having a mix of people with 40 years’ experience and people with four weeks’ experience really energises the workplace, so being able to attract the younger generations is key for growth in this industry. Bringing in the right staff, developing their skills and keeping them happy and engaged is the goal for all business leaders, so this new white paper is essential reading.”

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.

GC Angels helps new wave of North West tech talent accelerate growth by unlocking millions in investment

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05/02/2020

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GC Angels helps new wave of North West tech talent accelerate growth by unlocking millions in investment

A service which puts promising businesses in touch with experienced investors who can help them grow has unlocked millions in investment for firms driving a new wave of technologies.

GC Angels, a part of the Growth Company, was set up by Greater Manchester Combined Authority to help plug a gap in the market for funding tech businesses across the region who want to grow by raising seed rounds of funding.

It has helped secure capital for a number of early stage businesses across Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities.

And its success in highlighting the numbers of local tech start-ups with real potential has encouraged other investors to look outside London and set up in the North West.

GC Angels, which has a presence in Accelerate Places on Princess Street, launched a co-investment service in 2018 with the aim of investing £2m of Local Growth Fund capital to help kick-start the market for investment into early stage businesses.

So far, it has done 12 investment deals, joining forces with other funders to help support the growth of digital businesses operating in fields such as education, training and health – areas identified by Innovate UK as critical sectors for research and development.

Jessica Jackson, GC Angel’s Investment Director, explained: “We were set up to respond to a gap in the market for funding early stage businesses looking for their initial ‘seed’ round of investment right through to what’s known as Series A funding. We support them with their initial raise, unlocking additional funding further down the line.

“The early stage funding gap is noticeably worse outside London, and we have moved on from providing advice about how to overcome that hurdle, to actually providing early stage funding ourselves and acting as a cornerstone investor in our own right.”

GC Angels’ remit is to focus on supporting businesses in digital, creative and tech, and it is backing the development of immersive technologies in particular – using digital technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality and haptics to provide products and services which give customers or users a deeper and more impactful experience.

This could range from online learning, to virtual tools which help surgeons practice operating theatre technical skills.

GC Angels recent investments include Bolton-based Near-Life, which has developed cutting-edge interactive video learning technology used by clients who range from supermarkets to humanitarian aid organisations and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

It has also invested in TootToot in Manchester, which has developed a safeguarding app which enables students to voice feelings about issues like bullying and mental health in a discrete and confidential way.

Jess added: “There is a real sense that a new wave of technology-driven start-ups are emerging in and around Manchester, or even moving here to take advantage of what it has to offer in terms of both early stage support – whether that is financial or otherwise – and tech talent.

“We see that not just where we’re based at Accelerate Places – which is itself a hub for digital tech firms – but across the whole region. This isn’t just a city phenomenon.

“That momentum is also attracting investors to Manchester and the North West. They can see an increasing number of opportunities here and the potential for better investment returns than they might get in London, where we have seen some inflated business values.

“What’s been particularly pleasing for us is that these businesses also cross gender and ethnic divides. These technologies are providing opportunities for all, and we’re seeing both women and BaME entrepreneurs come up with great ideas for transformational businesses.”

Though GC Angels and its partners have already made a dozen investments in the space of 15 months, Jess says she is keen to hear of further opportunities to back North West businesses.

She said: “What we look for is clear evidence that your business is investment-ready – facts, figures and presentations which tell your story and demonstrate the business potential. Those aren’t skills that come easily and we can refer people to the Business Growth Hub for help if it is needed.

“We want to know what problem your business solves and why yours is the best solution. But we also need to know how that is going to translate into revenue. We don’t necessarily need to see a fully-working product but we do need to know how it will work.”

Georgia-Kaye Berry, who manages Accelerate Places Manchester, added: “We know from the businesses based here on Princess Street that the ideas and the ambitions to exploit digital potential are already well-established in the North West.

“The missing link has been funding and support which helps turn those ideas into real business potential and GC Angels’ work is going a long way to help plug that gap, both through its own investments and by attracting other funders into the region.”

FAMILY LAW TEAM BOOSTS COMMITMENT TO DISPUTE LITIGATION ALTERNATIVE

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

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FAMILY LAW TEAM BOOSTS COMMITMENT TO DISPUTE LITIGATION ALTERNATIVE

Manchester solicitors Clarke Willmott LLP has expanded its expertise in helping separating families avoid litigation in family disputes.

Emily Barcilon, a solicitor in the firm’s Divorce and Family Law team, has completed Collaborative Training with Resolution, an association of over 6,500 family justice professionals in England and Wales, who believe in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family matters.

Emily is now a qualified Collaborative Practitioner and an active member of the Resolution group in the North West.

“Unlike any other aspect of law, dealing with issues of divorce, family finance and children, requires a unique approach,” said Emily.

Resolution is working to raise awareness of the benefits of taking a less adversarial approach to family law matters. In collaborate law, instead of going to court, lawyers and their clients seek to work collectively, resulting in better outcomes for families and children.

“The process enables parties to resolve matters between themselves, on their terms and within their own timeframe, and also to build a strong foundation of respect and communication that may form a base from which to resolve things as amicably as possible.”

Throughout the process, consultations between clients and lawyers take place by two or four-way meetings. The advice of other experts, such as financial advisors and family consultants, can be included in the process where needed.

“The collaborative process is not necessarily easy for individuals who choose it, but it allows those who have a shared commitment to avoid litigation to move forwards with a fair and equitable settlement in a dignified and respectful way.”

“We do have to screen for suitable cases – for instance, it wouldn’t work for couples who have never been able to communicate over issues during their relationship, or where there is or has been any form of domestic abuse,” added Emily.

“Both parties have to be committed to resolving issues by the collaborative process and if they are not, then it is unlikely to be effective.”

Resolution is the largest membership organisation for family justice professionals, working from branches all over the country.

Supporting members who are starting out on their career path, resolution has developed ‘YRes’, regional groups open to members with up to 10 years post qualification experience. YRes ensures junior family law members are able to strengthen their professional relationships, explore a constructive approach to family law issues, and also acts as a forum to develop skills and knowledge in a friendly and supportive environment.

Emily Barcilon is the YRes Manchester dedicated social media representative, and has extensive experience working on financial matters in divorce, including high net worth matters involving complex business interests.

Clarke Willmott LLP is a national law firm with seven offices across the country in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton

ALDERMORE FUNDS MANCHESTER FASHION AND FOOTWEAR BRAND SPECIALISTS, NORTHERN SOLE

Finance

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

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Aldermore, the specialist bank, has agreed a new funding deal with Northern Sole Supply Co Limited, the fashion, accessories and footwear brand specialists.

Northern Sole owns, distributes and licenses branded clothing, accessories and footwear to department stores, sports chains, fashion labels and about 400 independent stores across the UK, Ireland and Europe. The company works closely with footwear and accessories brands to enhance their sales by designing and distributing new products for them. Founded in 2016, the business is headquartered in Manchester and has a showroom off Brick Lane in Shoreditch.

Juls Dawson, Co-Founder of Northern Sole Supply Co Limited said: “Thanks to Aldermore, we have access to the cash flow we need to run and grow the business. Crucially, we now know that we have the capital to fulfill new orders to sustain our growth.”

Eyal Tzabari, Co-Founder of Northern Sole Supply Co Limited added: “Aldermore provided us with the clarity and support we needed to meet our funding needs and were able to offer a better, more flexible finance solution than other providers.”

Laura Poncini, Senior Relationship Manager at Aldermore, says: “Northern Sole have been a very exciting company to work with. Juls, Eyal and others at the company are ambitious people who love what they do. You can feel their excitement at their business’ potential and we’re delighted to help them secure the cash they need to continue on their journey.

“The trade finance and invoice finance facility that was used was useful for Northern Sole as they import and export products from many countries abroad. Aldermore were able to provide the funds to pay for those goods upfront leaving cashflow free.”

Manchester scaleups selected for Tech Nation’s leading growth programme

Digital

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

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Manchester scaleups selected for Tech Nation’s leading growth programme

Manchester based Arctic Shores and Pimberly selected for Tech Nation’s prestigious Upscale 5.0 programme, for the UK’s most exciting and fastest growing scaleup tech companies.

Safe Hammad, Co-founder & CTO, Arctic Shores commented: “Arctic Shores is solving the problem of bias and poor candidate experience in recruitment and career development whilst helping companies find the best fit for their job roles. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but we don’t have all the answers! As we enter a period where we rapidly scale our business, we face challenges on several levels, such as increasing headcount and market share whilst trying to retain the values, diversity and passion that got us here. We’re excited to be part of the Upscale 5.0 programme which will support us in addressing these challenges in a holistic way, and not simply focus on a single aspect such as international growth or sales. We also look forward to sharing stories with others on the programme who are at a similar stage to us now!”

Martin Balaam, Founder & CEO, Pimberly commented: “The Pimberly team are very proud and excited to be included on the Tech Nation Upscale 5.0 and especially so to be flying the flag for Manchester and the North West. We have had an incredible journey from start-up, first round of institutional funding and blasting through our first $1m ARR. We have so many things to do and learn, it’s such a privilege to work with the UK’s smartest tech scale-ups. Huge thanks to our amazingly talented team at Pimberly, for our awesome customers & investors and for the Tech Nation team for selecting us”.

Arctic Shores – Manchester – @arctic_shores

Flying the flag for diversity, inclusion and equality, Arctic Shores makes the recruitment process more engaging, objective and fair. Using data-driven psychometric tests that combine neuroscience, AI and game technology, they try to eliminate bias when it comes to hiring and promoting people and look past the CV, focusing on potential rather than just experience, background or seniority.

Pimberly – Manchester – @pimberlypim

Changing the game in SaaS, Pimberly delivers an immersive, hyper personalised, omni-channel product experience for millions of products. Made for Product Information Management and Digital Asset Management, it’s used by manufacturers, distributors and retailers to market and sell products across multiple sales channels.

Praetura Ventures leads £3m funding round for Patchwork Health

Finance

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

0

Praetura Ventures leads £3m funding round for Patchwork Health

A rapidly growing healthtech start-up on a mission to solve the NHS staffing crisis and bring flexible working to thousands of clinicians has secured £3m in a funding round led by Praetura Ventures. The round included additional backing from BMJ, the publisher behind The BMJ, and some existing angel investors.

Patchwork, which has offices in London, Manchester and Liverpool, was founded by NHS doctors Anas Nader and Jing Ouyang in 2016 to help hospitals fill vacant shifts more cost-effectively and to stem the tide of clinicians leaving the health service due to poor work-life balance.

Healthcare staffing is a growing and costly problem for the NHS; the number of staff quitting over long hours tripled between 2012 and 2018, and the NHS spent £2.4bn on staffing agencies in 2018 to fill the gaps.

Patchwork’s market-leading technology focuses on transforming the power of NHS Trusts to recruit temporary staff, cutting out the expensive agency middle man. Through tailored portals for NHS Trusts and a simple, hassle free app for clinicians, Patchwork is able to dramatically drive up the number of clinicians booking shifts directly with their hospital. As a result, NHS Trusts keep their hiring in-house; saving millions in agency fees whilst ensuring wards are safely staffed. Plus, clinicians looking for more flexibility are able to take on shifts that suit them, improving retention and staff satisfaction, without creating a financial burden for their hospitals.

More than 10,000 clinicians across over 30 hospitals already use the Patchwork app, with over 1 million shift hours booked since launch.

This investment was led by Mark Lyons and Louise Chapman of Praetura Ventures. David Foreman, managing director of Praetura Ventures, will join the Patchwork board as a non-executive director.

Praetura Ventures, a firm committed to providing capital and strategic support to early-stage businesses across the north of England, has invested £1.9m in Patchwork as part of the £3m deal.

This funding will enable Patchwork to accelerate growth and foster partnerships with more NHS Trusts across England and Wales. With the support of the team at Praetura Ventures, Patchwork also plans to further invest in the development of its proprietary software to enable the roll out across different staff groups within the NHS and support future expansion into the GP and private medical sector.

Anas Nader, co-founder of Patchwork, said: “Those best placed to solve the challenges facing our healthcare system are the people who have worked on the frontline. Jing and I both struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance as junior doctors, and we watched countless colleagues step away from full-time practice and into the world of locum agencies as a result of the daily pressures faced by medics. We felt there must be a better way of doing things; one where the NHS could staff wards safely and affordably, and where healthcare workers could find the right working balance for them, without the need for an expensive middleman. That’s why we created Patchwork.

“We’re so proud of how widely our technology has already been embraced across the NHS and the impact we’re having on the lives of thousands of clinicians. We are therefore delighted to welcome Praetura Ventures as an investment partner. Their philosophy of providing not only financial support but strategic expertise is exactly what we were looking for. Their experience in the healthtech sector, alongside the continued support from BMJ, our partner, will also be crucial as we scale. We’re looking forward to partnering with them as we continue to save the NHS money and create a better work-life balance for healthcare workers at a critical time for our health service.”

Mark Lyons, director at Praetura Ventures, added: “The staffing issues facing the NHS are never far from the headlines and there is a significant amount of political and social pressure to reduce costs and maintain quality of patient care. There’s no doubt that this is not an easy task, but Anas and Jing have established a business that is proven to help.”

Patchwork was initially launched in collaboration with Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. By working in partnership with the NHS, Patchwork has been able to develop proprietary software that improves efficiencies and enables NHS Trusts to increase the number of shifts booked by bank workers. Chelsea & Westminster Hospital saw 90% of shifts filled directly through the hospital’s own staff bank as a result of the Patchwork platform, compared with 35% when using legacy systems. This meant a cost-saving of over £1.2m per year.

“We were impressed by the amount of traction that Patchwork has gained in the market in such a short period of time and there are many more exciting opportunities for the business to explore in other areas of healthcare. We’re confident in the team that Anas and Jing have built and are looking forward to supporting them as they embark on the next stage of their growth strategy,” added Mark.

Manchester-headquartered Praetura Ventures has raised over £50m from investors since its launch in 2011. Another high-profile, health-focused technology business backed by Praetura Ventures is Dr Fertility, the fertility-focused MedTech platform that is helping to address the problem of unreliable information about fertility.

Anca Babor, Director of Strategy at BMJ, said: “We have been an early investor in Patchwork since 2018 and, as the first institutional investor, we are pleased to have been part of the Patchwork journey so far. The Patchwork team has achieved a lot in the past two years and we look forward to continuing to support their ambitious growth plans.”

Irwin Mitchell LLP provided legal advice to Praetura Ventures, with commercial due diligence provided by PMSI and technical due diligence by Intechnia.

Patchwork was advised by Invictus Strategy Associates.

Bank of England returns to Manchester hosting provider Datacentreplus in annual visit

Digital

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

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Bank of England returns to Manchester hosting provider Datacentreplus in annual visit

John Young, Agent for the North West of England for the Bank of England, returned to Manchester hosting company, Datacentreplus as part of their annual visit to follow up and see first-hand the contribution being made by them to the Manchester and wider business community.

John visited the head office and spoke to MD Mashukul Hoque and Business Director Stephen Hobson. John was particularly keen on gaining a better understanding of a data centre’s capabilities, the importance of data to businesses and how the firm is working to support and nurture other digital sector companies.

As part of his remit, John is responsible for ‘taking the pulse’ of the business community and was keen to talk to companies in the technology sector to see how they are helping to shape the business landscape of Manchester. More importantly, he then feeds this information back to the Bank of England so that the voice of regions outside of London is taken into account by decision makers.

John previously met Mashukul at a roundtable discussion in 2018, before his first visit to the MediaCity-based headquarters in February last year.

Mashukul Hoque, commenting on the Bank of England’s visit, says:

“We were delighted and proud to welcome John back to our offices and we are always genuinely impressed with his interest in and knowledge of the digital sector.

“Also, we do think it is really important for central government to see how smaller businesses play a key role in the economy of a large city and we look forward to more such visits.”

JLL lands double appointment on prominent city centre buildings ahead of major refurbishment

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

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JLL lands double appointment on prominent city centre buildings ahead of major refurbishment

MANCHESTER, 29 January 2020 – JLL’s north west offices team has kicked off 2020 with a duo of appointments on two prime city centre office schemes, both under the management of Muller International.

The global property consultancy firm has been brought on to 19 Spring Gardens and 44 Peter Street ahead of refurbishment works due to be carried out across both buildings. JLL will be joint agents on both schemes with Cushman & Wakefield.

19 Spring Gardens is scheduled for a major refurbishment, with the 36,045 sq. ft. building due to receive a refurbished external entrance, new reception and lift lobbies, in addition to a full refurbishment of the vacant office space in the building.

44 Peter Street will be receiving a new cycle hub in addition to the refurbishment of the vacant floors.

Andrew Rands, associate director in JLL’s offices team, said: “It’s great to be starting the new year with instructions on two fantastic city centre buildings. Demand for space in central Manchester is showing no sign of abating. The refurbishment works will reposition both buildings within the market and we expect interest will be high once the works are complete.

The buildings are already home to Buck Insurance, Griffith & Armour and Howes Percival amongst others.

The refurbishment works on both buildings are due to start on site imminently.

Equilibrium reaches £1bn AUM milestone for first time in company’s history

Blog
Finance

Sam Whitear

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05/02/2020

0

Equilibrium reaches £1bn AUM milestone for first time in company’s history

Equilibrium Asset Management has hit £1bn in assets under management, as it remains firmly on track to reach its target of £4bn AUM by 2028.

The milestone has been achieved exclusively through organic growth and comes off the back of record turnover last year, almost 25 years since Equilibrium was founded by Colin Lawson.

Founder, Colin Lawson, said: “Since the company’s inception in 1995 we have always prided ourselves on taking an empathetic, compassionate approach in our dealings with clients – an approach that is increasingly in demand.

Colin also attributed the achievement in part to the company’s focus on its purpose, which is simply to make people’s lives better.

He said: “Whilst making wealthy people wealthier is part of what we do, it’s not our purpose. Helping wealthy people have confidence and clarity around their money which then leads to them making better decisions to improve their lives, the lives of their families, and their community is a true purpose the whole team can get behind.

“While proud of this milestone achievement, which wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our brilliant team, it’s the number of clients that we have impacted that we are most proud of.”

“It’s no coincidence that Equilibrium has soared since we put company culture and the wellbeing of our staff front and centre. Our productivity levels have increased, and we’ve collectively adopted a growth-focused mindset.“

Last year marked the third consecutive year that Equilibrium was named in the top ten of the Sunday Times’ Best Small Companies to Work For list. They will find out if they have featured for a fourth time at the awards ceremony in February.

Colin continued: “Everything we do comes from the four pillars which we stand for – integrity, excellence, simplicity, and growth. I’m very pleased that this approach has paid off and feel that we’re in a great position to achieve our future targets.”

The £1bn AUM milestone links directly to the firm’s longer-term targets, which include hitting £4bn AUM, increasing turnover to £40m and improving the lives of 4,000 clients by 2028.

The company has also pledged to raise millions for its charitable foundation by August 2028 and recently announced itself as a supporting partner of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK Ripples of Hope Business & Investment Summit at HOME, Manchester on January 30.

Equilibrium specialises in all areas of wealth management, investment, pensions, tax planning and estate planning and has an additional office in Chester.

Equilibrium was also ranked in the top 20 of the FT Adviser’s Top 100 Advisers and won a number of other awards – including ‘workplace health and wellbeing’ at the North East Cheshire Business awards. The same awards also recognised the firm in the ‘Best company to work for’ and ‘Excellence in customer service’ categories.

Umbro and LV= turn to Manchester agency, Absurd

Digital

Sam Whitear

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20/01/2020

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Umbro and LV= turn to Manchester agency, Absurd

Manchester’s Absurd has kicked off 2020 with new contracts from two major brands, sports giant Umbro and insurance firm Liverpool Victoria (LV=).

Founded in May 2017 by Oli Taylor, Sam Gooch and Oliver Bailey, Absurd has continued to grow at an impressive rate. Designing and building digital products and services for scale-ups through to global brands, the agency benefits from expertise within a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, technology, leisure, retail and third sector.

The agency will undertake strategic design and digital projects for LV= and Umbro, who join a client base comprising the likes of Brother International Europe, Select Property Group and Electrical Safety First, all long-term clients, having worked with Absurd since its launch.

Oli Taylor, Co-Founder of Absurd, said: The collapse of Thomas Cook and the loss of two major projects overnight brought some challenges to the last quarter of 2019, so we’re very pleased to see this year beginning on a more positive trajectory! Since launching in 2017, we’ve been fortunate enough to have worked on some really interesting projects for a diverse range of clients – global brands and blue-chip businesses through to scale-ups – with briefs that have allowed us to push the boundary and be experimental; something that’s evident in the results we’ve delivered. We’ll be working with talented teams at both Umbro and LV=, who understand the digital landscape and the principles behind great service design, so we’re looking forward to getting started.”

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