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The Parklane Group launches Homezzz with historic Manchester development

Property

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03/12/2018

The Parklane Group launches Homezzz with historic Manchester development

The Parklane Group has unveiled a new addition to its suite of brands, which will set out to transform a historical building in Manchester’s NOMA district as its first development.

The Homezzz brand is focussed towards investors, who are looking to realise potential in the UK rental market at gateway city locations in the UK. The first scheme to be revealed will see the former Co-operative print works in Manchester transformed into more than sixty luxurious rental units, helping to reveal the former grandeur of this historic location.

The multi-million pound project, named The Press, which is located on New Mount Street in the NOMA district, will deliver 66 residential units of between one and three beds. It draws heavily on ‘New York Apartment’ stylings, and many of the building’s original features such as exposed brick and ironwork, high ceilings and large windows, will be brought to the fore as part of the redevelopment. The c50,000sq ft site will be delivered as part of a new Joint Venture between Homezzz and Salboy Ltd, with work due to commence on site early in the New Year.

Naveen Ahmed, Director of The Parklane Group, co-owner of the Homezzz brand, said: “Our new Homezzz brand will help address the developing trends in UK housing, and bring a new dynamic to the UK’s gateway cities. Our plans for The Press have demonstrated this ambition and have so far received fantastic feedback. Through our investment, we will create a superb building, which will draw on the heritage of the site as a former print works, whilst creating a modern and vibrant living space, to service this part of the city. Manchester continues to perform exceptionally well, and this building is just a stone’s throw from major transport hubs, internationally renowned employers and vibrant culture.”

Javed Saddique Director at Homezzz said: “Our team has developed detailed plans to transform this six-story building into a modern and stylish space, which will help to address the housing needs of a growing and successful city. We’ve worked alongside leading architects to develop what we believe will be a fantastic addition to the Manchester property scene and we look forward to progressing with construction works early in 2019. Units are already generating a lot of interest, and we’re confident this will prove to be a highly desirable location.”

Fred Done, founder of Betfred and co-owner of Salboy Ltd, paid tribute to the Joint Venture: “I am extremely proud to be involved in this fantastic project. Being a local person, nothing pleases me more than seeing our historic buildings come back to life, indeed, it was one of the reasons we wanted to be involved in this development. We’re delighted to be working alongside Homezzz to deliver what I believe will be a truly exceptional scheme.”

Simon Ismail of Salboy Ltd said: “I’m delighted to be working alongside Homezzz to transform this building into something truly special. Developing this real estate will give the building a new lease of life and play in important role in helping to regenerate this part of the city. Recent work to improve the nearby railway station, as well as proximity to major employers such as The Co-op and the newly announced Amazon R&D centre, which is creating 600 new jobs, will make this an extremely attractive proposition to investors.”

Central Working to launch new city centre site

Blog

Sam Whitear

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03/12/2018

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Central Working to launch new city centre site

Shared workspace provider Central Working has announced it will be expanding into a new Manchester site, four years after launching at The Manchester Escalator. Catering to the increasing demand for shared workspace from Manchester’s entrepreneurs, startups and large companies, the state of the art hub will be home to businesses specialising in innovation and craftsmanship and will open on Monday 17th December.

Launched in partnership with Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc (‘Aviva’), the new club will be the major occupier at 55 Spring Gardens, located just ten minutes from Manchester Piccadilly. Spread across four floors with space for 400 entrepreneurs and businesses, the new club is three times as large as Central Working’s original Deansgate location launched in partnership with Barclays in 2014, which will now close and make way for the new, larger club.

Alongside rising local demand, the expansion was also sparked by an increase in the number of London-based businesses hiring Manchester coding and programming talent to work from ‘satellite’ offices.

Central Working members will have access to Central Working’s UK-wide network, which today includes 11 clubs across London, Manchester, Cambridge and the South East. With a focus on forging valuable business connections, Central Working will support scaling companies by helping them forge new connections across its 3,500 strong network of businesses across the country. The new club will include hot desking space and private offices, as well as a free-to-use events auditorium, meeting rooms, and extensive cyclist and changing facilities.

Grant Powell, CEO of Central Working, said: “Since we first launched in Manchester four years ago, the city’s shared workspace industry has flourished and businesses today are spoiled for choice. The demand is still very high, not just from local companies but from further afield too. With competition for tech talent raging, we’re seeing an increasing number of businesses in the South hiring Manchester programmers. The era of the centralised HQ is over, and businesses are instead launching a series of remote hubs in order to access new pools of talent.”

Christian Anderton, Asset Manager, Real Estate, Aviva Investors, said: “As one of the largest commercial real estate owners in Manchester, we are delighted to be working in partnership with Central Working launching the new city centre club at 55 Spring Gardens. Aviva Investors has a long-term commitment to developing and investing in schemes that enhance the city; including Eleven York Street, 201 Deansgate, 11 Portland Street, Atlas Business Park and Enterprise City at St John’s. 55 Spring Gardens expands on this commitment and offers the city’s thriving business sector, and in particular Manchester’s technology talent, a state-of-the-art hub in which to innovate and grow. By providing an environment where people can live, work play and learn, the city offers scope for robust long-term rental growth.”

Northcoders scoops Business of the Year gong at national business awards

Awards

Sam Whitear

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03/12/2018

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Northcoders scoops Business of the Year gong at national business awards

Manchester-based coding bootcamp Northcoders was named Business of the Year at the 15th Annual Chamber Business Awards which took place at Tobacco Dock, London. The team also won the Education and Business Partnership category.

Companies from across the UK came together at the gala dinner which was hosted by TV presenter Jenni Falconer to mark the outstanding achievements of both UK firms and Chambers of Commerce.

2018 also saw Northcoders being selected as one of the country’s brightest tech stars in Creative England’s CE50 list.

Amul Batra, Director at Northcoders, said: “Winning these two awards is a fantastic achievement for the entire Northcoders team and all our students and is testament to their hard work and dedication. As a business, we are committed to making the tech sector accessible to everyone, to deliver a coding education like no other and to provide skilled programmers for our hiring partners.

Amul added: For us, it’s also all about putting community at the heart of everything we do so receiving this kind of national recognition is a fantastic end to the year.”

UKFast on target to break £50m turnover

Blog

Sam Whitear

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03/12/2018

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Impressive growth continues at one of the UK’s most innovative technology businesses, as cloud hosting firm UKFast reveals that it is on track to deliver more than £53m revenue in 2018.

The result equates to a 13 per cent increase on the £47m declared in 2017.

The firm is also forecasting impressive profit margins ahead of a potential IPO, with adjusted EBITDA expected to exceed £25m for the year, an increase of 19 per cent on the £21m reported in 2017.

Significant recent investment in technical support and R&D has seen UKFast launch a number of successful products in the last year, alongside major developments within the firm’s flagship eCloud portfolio, which now accounts for 42 per cent of overall revenue.

Delivering services into the public sector remains a strong area of growth following the acquisition last year of Secure IA, a public sector cloud and cybersecurity specialist.

UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “It’s been an incredibly exciting period for UKFast. We are expanding our campus, launching a new AI and secure government data centre facility and developing some truly world-class new products to help our clients stay fast and stay safe online.

“By consistently focussing on innovation we are able to give our clients cost savings and an edge over their competitors.

“Whatever the outcome of Brexit we are resolute in our focus to deliver the best support in the industry. The team has picked up five major awards in only the last few weeks, which is testament to the hard work and passion that every one of them puts in to support our clients.”

Join the Dots named High Growth Business of the Year by British Chamber of Commerce

Awards

Sam Whitear

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03/12/2018

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Join the Dots named High Growth Business of the Year by British Chamber of Commerce

Global consumer insight agency, Join the Dots, celebrates further award success as the company was named ‘High Growth Business of the Year’ by the British Chamber of Commerce at its annual Chamber Business awards held in London.

The company, which has celebrated its 20th year of business in 2018, has consistently achieved 20 per cent revenue growth for the last five years and 18 per cent staff growth in the last 12 months. The growth has come from both UK and international client business, leading to and supported by an office in New York, which opened in 2017.

The High Growth Business of the Year category recognises businesses that have experienced exceptional growth in sales, profit, market share, jobs or international trade. The judges were impressed by Join the Dots’ implementation of a digital innovation strategy using online insight communities, and demonstration of the business’ dedication to both staff and clients.

Join the Dots, members of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, were put forward to the national awards after winning the regional High Growth Business award in September. They were the only consumer insight agency represented at a national level at the awards.

Graeme Lawrence, chief client officer at Join the Dots, said: “We are extremely proud of the whole team for their hard work and unwavering commitment to Join the Dots’ success. To be recognised with such a prestigious business accolade is a real achievement and a fantastic way to see out our 20th year. We continue to build on our recognised growth with new clients and projects on the horizon for 2019, as well as the launch of our new Insight Ecosystem.”

Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “Join the Dots is a fantastic example of dynamic British business at its best. They have a truly impressive track record in terms of revenue and staff growth, and ambitious plans for the future. With a global client base and an innovative digital strategy, they are truly worthy recipients of this award.”

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New alliance of industry leaders back North West as the UK’s primary hydrogen economy

Energy

Sam Whitear

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03/12/2018

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New alliance of industry leaders back North West as the UK’s primary hydrogen economy

A powerful industry group has come together to highlight how the North West of England could make hydrogen energy a reality in the UK helping to bring down the region’s CO2 emissions and support clean growth.

The North West Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) unites some of the UK’s most influential organisations who are driving forward work to position the region as the UK leader for hydrogen energy.

The founding members of the NWHA are Atkins, BOC, Cadent, Costain, Peel Environmental, Shell and the University of Chester. They contend that the North West has the industry, infrastructure and innovation to lead the UK’s hydrogen energy revolution, bringing with it huge benefits to the region in new jobs, skills and investment.

The North West and Alliance partners are leading the way in response to the Committee on Climate Change’s call for urgent on the ground action to show the potential for hydrogen. The Committee has recognised that “hydrogen can make an important contribution to long-term decarbonisation” if it is combined with other energy saving measures.

Tony Smith, Commercial Strategy Manager at Peel Environmental, said: “The North West of England is poised to be the primary region for the development of a decarbonised, hydrogen based energy market for the UK. It already features all the necessary components to develop a hydrogen economy – thriving industry, an existing skilled workforce, city regions that collaborate, as well as natural and industrial assets.”

Innovative ideas to advance clean energy build on the hydrogen production and use that has been happening in the region for many years, such as BOC’s hydrogen plant in St.Helens. Powerhouse Energy is developing technologies to turn waste plastic into hydrogen and ITM Power, along with Cadent, is exploring the use cutting edge hydrogen production technology in the region.

The North West is also poised to deliver two exciting ‘first of their kind’ hydrogen energy projects. The first public network trials of hydrogen and blended gas are being planned for the North of England through Alliance partner Cadent’s HyDeploy project. Blended hydrogen (up to 20% vol.) and natural gas could be a straightforward way for customers to make carbon savings from their homes without any changes to their appliances or the way they use gas. More ambitious plans have also been set out in Cadent’s HyNet North West project which plans to use hydrogen for significant CO2 emissions savings from industry, homes and transport. Phase 1 of HyNet is now underway which includes looking at how to re-purpose existing infrastructure in the region for hydrogen delivery, and exploring opportunities for hydrogen vehicles, including trains.

Professor Joseph Howe, Chair of the NWHA and Executive Director of the Thornton Energy Institute, said: “To meet climate change targets and reduce CO2 emissions we need to find ways of decarbonising our energy systems. Hydrogen can be used as a clean energy source to heat our homes and businesses and is changing the face of transport with fuel cell cars, commercial vehicles and trains.

“We’re seeing major leaps forward in the technology all over the world, but some of the leading research and development is taking place right here in the North West. Take Cadent’s HyNet and HyDeploy projects – flagship schemes to distribute hydrogen across the Manchester and Liverpool regions. They’ll bring with them a £17 billion economic boost, 5,000 jobs and over 1 million tonnes of CO2 savings every year. That’s just one project.”

Manchester Med-Tech company triumphs at the Bionow awards

Sam Whitear

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30/11/2018

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Manchester Med-Tech company triumphs at the Bionow awards

The outstanding companies and leaders of the North’s life sciences sector, which is worth more than £13bn to the economy, were honoured at the 17th annual Bionow Awards.

More than 300 people attended the awards dinner in Cheshire, which saw medical technology companies, Blueberry Therapeutics, 4X Discovery, Zilico and LightOx all win prizes for the application of their cutting edge technologies to the life sciences sector. Alby Pattison, founder of North East company Hart Biologics received the coveted Outstanding Contribution Award.

Alderley Park based Blueberry Therapeutics received the sought-after Company of the Year award and is applying nanotechnology to the delivery of medicines for difficult-to-treat skin and nail infections. Blueberry has had a remarkable year, including its BB2603 Phase I/II trial of 46 patients trial successfully meeting its primary endpoint in patients with both onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and concomitant tinea pedis (athletes foot), as well as completing its £10m series B Fundraising.

Manchester based C4X Discovery celebrated the only double win on the night, achieving the Bionow Project of the Year award for the development of Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Addiction, while its Lead Software Developer Phil Muwanga won in the prestigious Promising Technologist of the Year category. Phil is applying gaming technology and virtual reality to revolutionise the drug discovery industry allowing scientists to visualise how drugs interact with our bodies at the molecular level.

Zilico, the Manchester Science Park-based med-tech company won the Investment Deal of the Year after raising £13.5m ($18m) to roll-out the sales of its device ZedScan which detects life- threatening cervical cancer much earlier than current products on the market.

LightOx from Billingham in the North East won in the Start-Up category. They have developed a unique range of molecular tools for use as biological fluorescent probes for cell imaging, and targeted light-based therapeutics, aimed at treating conditions such as skin and colorectal cancers.

Alby Pattison is an entrepreneur who has given a significant amount back to his local community and hometown, Hartlepool. Alby took the Outstanding Contribution Award on the night. Alby founded Hart Biologics in 2002 with just three staff and began manufacturing reagents used to investigate the blood clotting function in patients taking blood thinning drugs. During the last 15 years the business has grown into an award-winning medical diagnostics company which exports to 39 countries and is now a team of 43.

Alby Pattison is the current Deputy Lord Lieutenant for County Durham, a board member at Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, Treasurer at Hartlepool Rovers FC and a STEM ambassador. He also received an MBE in 2018 for services to exports as well as his work for local communities, charities and the economy in the Tees region.

The judges said he had “demonstrated a level of dedication to the sector that goes above and beyond the call of duty, in addition to being a leader in their field, Alby has also given a significant amount back to business and the community.”

Guests at the dinner at the Mere Golf Resort and Spa guests were entertained by writer, comedian and actor Robin Ince.

The awards, which recognise excellence, outstanding achievement and enterprise in a sector that is worth more than £13bn to the North’s economy, were sponsored Manchester Science Partnerships, Alderley Park, Appleyard Lees, DLA Piper and World Courier.

Geoff Davison, CEO of Bionow said: “Congratulations to all our winners and to those shortlisted – the 2018 Awards reflect the superb efforts by companies in the Life Sciences sector in the North to innovate and commercialise great ideas and IP into new medicines and treatments.”

“Despite the current uncertainty in the market place regarding the nature and form of Brexit, and scarcity of funding in the North, I believe our innovative and adaptable community will continue to find ways to grow. Analysing recent Government figures, we found that the North’s life sciences economy grew from £9.2 billion in 2016 to £13.6 billion in 2017, representing an increase of 48% over the previous year which is 4.8% higher than the national average. I look forward to reporting on continued growth next year.”

Rowena Burns, Chair of sponsor Manchester Science Partnerships, added: “This has been a landmark year for the life sciences sector in the North. Confidence amongst investors is high, and company growth rates are strong. Our growing international reputation is underlined by the news that a major new genomics innovation campus will be created in Manchester, thanks to a ground-breaking partnership between Health Innovation Manchester and QIAGEN, a world-leader in molecular diagnostics.

Rowena added: “It is fantastic to see so many wonderful innovative companies recognised tonight for their achievements, and as always, we applaud the great work which Bionow does to support the sector across the North.”

Luxury dog bedding company Charley Chau awarded NatWest Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018 for the North

Awards

Sam Whitear

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30/11/2018

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Luxury dog bedding company Charley Chau awarded NatWest Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018 for the North

Leading luxury dog bedding company Charley Chau has been named the NatWest Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018 for the North, after winning their shortlisted category of Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

Christine and Jenny Chau, the two sisters behind Charley Chau, beat off tough competition with both their wins at the award’s presentation at Manchester United’s Trafford Park, with a record number of businesses entering the awards nationally across the wide range of categories. As overall winners of the evening, Charley Chau will head to London in January 2019 for the national final.

Now in its sixth year, Charley Chau joins in NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards’ celebration of amazing entrepreneurs over the years, many of whom are now household names. Past winners include David Buttress of Just Eat, Julie Deane OBE of The Cambridge Satchel Company, James Watt of BrewDog and most recently, Hannah and Sophie Pycroft of Spectrum Collections.

Co-Founder Christine Chau, said: “We’re just two self-confessed crazy dog ladies doing something we love. To be recognised by the Natwest Great British Entrepreneur Awards in this way is an incredible honour. The shortlisted finalists for the North are a powerhouse of inspiration, amazingly talented entrepreneurs, and we feel extremely lucky to have been named Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018 amongst such stellar company. For a pet lifestyle brand to be recognised in the awards just shows how much our industry has grown since we launched in 2010. To go from making a dog bed on the sitting room floor to having happy customers in over forty-five countries around the world, and now this wonderful award – what an incredible moment for Charley Chau.”

Crolla, Farrell and Yarde take centre stage to talk about mental health

Blog

Sam Whitear

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30/11/2018

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Crolla, Farrell and Yarde take centre stage to talk about mental health

An all-star line-up of sporting icons including Anthony Crolla, Marland Yarde and Kieran Farrell were the special guests at an exclusive business event in Manchester focused on mental health.

Organised by Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks and Morson Group, more than 100 people attended a panel-style discussion to hear more from the two boxers and the Sale winger as they talked about overcoming challenges in sport.

Manchester-born ‘Million Dollar’ Crolla and former professional boxer Farrell relived their championship bout in 2012, where Farrell suffered a life-threatening brain injury and was subsequently forced to retire from the sport at the age of just 22.

Both fighters admitted struggling to come to terms with what happened that night with Crolla describing it as ‘the darkest moment of his life’ in his autobiography.

Since then, Crolla has gone on to have a glittering boxing career and is now preparing to take a shot at the WBA lightweight belt in a soon-to-be-arranged fight with Vasyl Lomachenko.

Farrell retired from the sport but went on to set up the ‘People’s Gym’ in Heywood in 2013 and his work in the community was recognised by the Queen in 2016 when he was awarded a BME.

Sharks star Marland Yarde spoke about the serious injury he sustained last month when he dislocated his left knee and ruptured his MCL and ACL ligaments against Newcastle Falcons.

The winger had been in impressive form before the injury put the brakes on his hopes of forcing his way into the England squad, and he talked about how he’s come to terms with the setback with the help of his teammates and family and is now totally focused on his recovery.

The three stars were joined on stage by Sale Sharks Mental Performance Consultant Mick Farrell; Kristina McGurk, marketing director at Sale Sharks’ principal partner, UKFast, and Dom McGuiness from talkSPORT who hosted the discussion.

“This was a fascinating event with some huge names from the world of sport in attendance to help shine a light on some of the key issues around mental health,” said Sale Sharks Commercial Director, Mark Cueto.

“The story of the fight between Anthony and Kieran is one that so many people in the world of sport will remember well, so to have both boxers together discussing that night and how they have individually dealt with everything that came after it was really inspiring.

“Marland is coming back from a really serious injury at the moment so it was great to hear him talk so positively about how he’s working hard to get back on to the pitch and stepping up his recovery day by day.

“As a player, picking up an injury like that can really affect you – especially when you’re in good form as Marland was – so I think the audience got a really good insight into his personality and strength of character.

“There’s a lot of work going on to break down some of the stigma around mental health in sport but also in workplaces around the country and that’s why we wanted to host this special event.

“Through our growing Business Club, we’re proud to be hosting topical and relevant events like this and look forward to hosting even more in 2019.”

Workspace continues to expand as it welcomes 11 new members

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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30/11/2018

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Workspace continues to expand as it welcomes 11 new members

FIT-out contractors Workspace Design & Build (D&B) has added 11 employees to its rapidly expanding and talented team, bringing its head count to 27.

Following a record year, the award-winning Manchester-based contractor also moved into larger premises at York House to facilitate their strategic growth plans.

Key appointments across the team include Laura Falkner who joins as contracts manager. Laura has previously worked for OPUS4 and has a wealth of expertise in ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Alice Murphy, formerly of Claremont, and Kris Caine have been appointed to the team as quantity surveyors.

After serving in the British Army for six years, Kris Caine has since been involved with retail, commercial, office fit out and urban redevelopment projects, working for Armitage and Beech Construction.

Grant Horsley also joins the team as site manager. He has worked in the construction industry for over 10 years and brings a wealth of experience to the team.

Tom Roach joins as an assistant project manager and is joined by senior estimator Waheed Hussain.

To support the growth, Workspace has also strengthened its internal operations team, employing Rebecca Whalley in accounts, Hannah Kempton as PA to the directors and Lauren O’Neil to the administration team.

Laura Falkner said: “Workspace provided me with a fresh challenge in terms of clients and types of projects, but also an opportunity to get involved with iconic buildings and developments predominantly in the heart of the Manchester.

“I have been really impressed by the director’s vision for the company and am excited to not only be joining a growing company but by the part myself and fellow new-recruits will play in its future growth.”

Managing Director of Workspace Design & Build Russell Davis said: “We are thrilled to sustain our continued growth, following a record year for Workspace. We have made some valuable additions to the team which will have significant impact on our workforce.

“We are working on some extremely exciting projects and 2019 is set to be our biggest year to date. Our team is absolute testament to the continued success of the company and we look forward to adding to this further soon.

“I look forward to watching the new recruits and the company flourish as we continue to expand to meet the demands of a record order book.”

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