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Shoosmiths advises Allied London on multi-million pound funding deal for Enterprise City

Blog

Sam Whitear

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30/10/2018

Shoosmiths advises Allied London on multi-million pound funding deal for Enterprise City

Shoosmiths solicitors has advised Allied London on a £300m long-term funding partnership with Aviva Investors designed to create Enterprise City at the new St Johns neighbourhood in Manchester.

The multi-million pound investment will allow Allied London to deliver more than one million sq. ft. of commercial and leisure space, including TV and film studios, hotel/leisure and various property infrastructure across ten buildings.

Earlier this year, Shoosmiths also acted for Allied London when they secured Booking.com as the anchor tenant for 222,000 sq. ft. of space at Manchester Goods Yard, which forms part of Enterprise City’s tech campus.

Shoosmiths real estate partners Vaqas Farooq and Daniel Monaghan led on the deal, alongside partner Judy Fawcett and associate Laura Green.

Earmarked for the former site of Granada Television Studios, Enterprise City will provide spaces for start-ups and small and medium-sized entities, as well as production facilities for media companies and buildings designed to attract global brands and industry leaders.

Daniel Monaghan, said: “We are delighted to have been able to advise Allied London on such a monumental deal for the city. With such a large number of assets associated with the partnership, there were many complexities to consider to bring the deal to completion.

“Enterprise City is an extremely significant project for Manchester, which will not only drive the success of our regional economy but create a global platform for us to be seen as a leader and innovator in digital, media and enterprise clusters.”

Michael Ingall, owner and chief executive of Allied London, added: “Enterprise City is a concept Allied London has envisioned from scratch. Within 18 months, we have created something of significant value and importance for both Manchester’s business community and the wider North West region.

“The transformation, re-adaption of old disused commercial buildings and a dynamic masterplan for new buildings was the catalyst for creating a new enterprise community for use by today’s modern industry.

“We are very grateful to the team at Shoosmiths for all of their hard work in helping this exciting partnership come to fruition.”

Bromleys crowned at Pride of Tameside Business Awards

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30/10/2018

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Bromleys crowned at Pride of Tameside Business Awards

Law firm, Bromleys, has been crowned professional services business of the year at the Pride of Tameside Business Awards.

The trophy was presented at a gala dinner at Dukinfield Town Hall attended by more than 300 people and hosted by radio and TV presenter Andy Crane.

Councillor Brenda Warrington, executive leader of Tameside Council, opened the event and praised businesses across the borough. She said this year’s awards had received more entries than ever.

The professional services business honour is the second accolade for Bromleys in consecutive years at the awards. In 2017, the firm won the corporate social responsibility prize.

Bromleys’ latest honour also follows its success at the 2018 Manchester Legal Awards, where it was named small law firm of the year.

During the past 12 months, the firm has also retained Investors in People Gold status and the Law Society’s Lexcel quality mark and Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation.

Bromleys is a three-partner firm based in Ashton-under-Lyne which provides legal services to individuals, families and businesses across Tameside and Greater Manchester.

It has a 57-strong team which has been boosted by a series of key appointments to cater for a growing number of instructions.

Bromleys has also launched the Tameside Women in Business networking forum and has increased its sponsorship of Curzon Ashton FC for this season.

The judging panel, said: “Bromleys Solicitors are a consistent, excellent performer who have this year shown exceptional growth while achieving the Investors in People Gold award. They are a beacon of the borough.”

Bromleys’ senior partner Mark Hirst, said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised for the excellence of our service in a highly-competitive field. This accolade acknowledges the expertise, dedication and commitment of our team to the business and wider Tameside communities.

“Awards such as this make everyone at Bromleys realise just how much their efforts are appreciated and how they make a difference for all of our clients. It is a real boost for everyone at the firm.”

TCS welcomes new tenants to Piccadilly Basin

Blog

Sam Whitear

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30/10/2018

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TCS welcomes new tenants to Piccadilly Basin

Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS), the Leeds based property investor and car park operator, has welcomed a raft of new tenants to its office portfolio in Manchester’s Piccadilly Basin. TCS has signed up five new occupiers across Ducie House and Carvers Warehouse over the last few months totalling more than 6,000 sq ft of office space.

Piccadilly Basin is a circa 13 acre award-winning waterside development adjacent to Piccadilly train station in Manchester City Centre. Existing commercial buildings in TCS ownership comprise circa 50,000 sq ft in addition to three CitiPark car parks and Urban Exchange Retail Park. The wider approved Strategic Regeneration Framework for the area agreed with Manchester City Council identifies over 700 residential units, 200,000 sq ft commercial space as well as a new MSCP.

Following the recent acquisition of Ducie House in July this year TCS has seen some great early letting success with lettings to Manchester City Football Club to house its event management team; leading construction consultants, Scott Ripley Associates Ltd, which has expanded into Manchester from Leeds and new business start-up 3AM Ltd has launched, benefiting from the flexible office space being offered.

Scott Ripley Associates are also working with TCS on the future Eider House 128-unit residential scheme and on site project Burlington House, a new 91-unit apartment scheme due to be complete in the Summer 2019.

Ducie House is a former petticoat factory situated close to Manchester’s famous Northern Quarter and now forms part of TCS ownership at Piccadilly Basin. The 33,000 sq ft building currently provides contemporary flexible office and studio space from 100 to 4,000 sq ft across 64 units.

Signs are also good in TCS’ existing Carvers Warehouse where the recent letting to construction company GMI has now resulted in the building being fully let. The Leeds-headquartered company relocated and upsized from neighbouring 75 Dale Street, where it opened its first office in Manchester to establish a base in the North West following a string of wins in the City and a pipeline of further work in the region.

Following GMI’s relocation, the operations team from the luxury 5* Dakota Deluxe Hotel currently under construction at Piccadilly Basin will take up the space at 75 Dale Street.

Built in 1806, Carvers Warehouse is currently home to office tenants Civic Engineers, The Harris Partnership, CTP Limited, Max Fordham, Renaissance, BWB and café/deli operator, North Star Piccadilly. The sensitively restored, listed building comprises six floors of office accommodation.

Chris Collins, asset manager at TCS said: “We are delighted to welcome so many new occupiers to our prime office developments across Piccadilly Basin. Manchester’s Northern Quarter continues to thrive and Carvers Warehouse, the city centre’s oldest surviving stone-built warehouse, has benefited from this success over the years.

“Ducie House is proving popular with businesses of all sizes from one desk start-ups to established businesses and we are pleased to sign up a range of new occupiers to add to the diverse tenant mix.

“With the recent success in both buildings, we are now working on an exciting strategy to refurbish both premises and have recently engaged with Prop Tech Company Wired Score to make sure these characterful historic offices are fit for the future and provide the connectivity that our modern tenants need.”

LSH Manchester strenghtens property management team with Baker appointment

Sam Whitear

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30/10/2018

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LSH Manchester strenghtens property management team with Baker appointment

Highly-experienced property and asset manager Anne Baker has joined Lambert Smith Hampton.

Formerly a partner at King Sturge in Manchester, Baker joins the LSH Manchester team following a career break and will be responsible for regional service delivery on behalf of the firm’s national clients.

She has worked on many complex and high profile projects across the North West during her career, including the set-up of 3 and 4 Hardman Square in Spinningfields, the management of 100 and 101 Barbirolli Square and Charter Walk shopping centre in Burnley.

Paul Jolley, head of property and asset management at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Anne is an incredibly talented operator who will bring a wealth of experience for our clients.

“Working closely with owners and occupiers, Anne will be able to help us devise and deliver detailed management regimes that truly add value to our service proposition.”

Speaking of her appointment, Baker said: “LSH has a deserved reputation for leading the market in so many areas of property advisory and is instructed on properties spanning a wide range of leisure, commercial and mixed use assets.

“I’m really excited to start working with our new and existing clients and finding ways to help them enhance their management service and maximise income and retention.”

GoSimpleTax celebrate 20,000th digital tax return

Blog

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

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GoSimpleTax celebrate 20,000th digital tax return

Digital self-assessment specialists GoSimpleTax this week celebrated the processing of its 20,000th digital tax return.

The Oldham-based business, which was founded three years ago, marked the occasion with a toast to its growing team.

GoSimpleTax offers a self-assessment solution that allows individuals to submit their tax return to HMRC without the need for an accountant.

Technical Director of GoSimpleTax Mike Parkes, said: “In just three years we have now processed 20,000 customer self-assessment tax returns, simply and efficiently. It reflects just how clearly modern, convenient digital processing is being embraced by so many businesses and individuals.

He added: “It was a very special moment for the team when our system logged this landmark number of returns. We look forward to supporting thousands more customers in making their self-assessment hassle free and cost-effective.”

The technology behind GoSimpleTax allows for results to go straight to HMRC, making it a one-step and truly hassle-free method for self-assessment.

The company’s unique software uses artificial intelligence to give users prompts to help them calculate their correct tax. For example, it reminds users of expenses they may have forgotten to claim, such as road tax when they have claimed fuel.

Bruton Knowles champions charity fundraising in Manchester

CSR

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

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Bruton Knowles champions charity fundraising in Manchester

National property consultants, Bruton Knowles, has launched a new charity partnership with Cancer Research UK, with a target of £30,000 to raise over the next two years.

To raise as much money as possible, Bruton Knowles has internally recruited a Charity Champion. Based in the Manchester office on Northenden Road, Katie Limbert, Administrator, will be responsible for spearheading the fundraising initiatives within her team, organising events ranging from creative bake offs to sponsored sleep outs and charity auctions.

Bruton Knowles has always made charitable giving a priority, however, this is the first time in its history that the company has selected only one charity to focus its fundraising efforts on. Those wanting to contribute can do so via the Bruton Knowles Manchester Cancer Research Giving Page.

James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, commented: “As a company, charity work is incredibly important to us, as it is integral to our business values and allows us to be involved in our local communities. This year, we decided to focus on one charity in particular. With Cancer Research UK carrying out pioneering research and making life-saving progress, we knew it was the right charity to choose for the two-year partnership. We also set ourselves an ambitious target, but it’s one that we know we can achieve.

“The Charity Champion has been provided with a great opportunity to work with their office to develop a programme of fundraising events that will reflect the team’s passion as well as providing a challenge, which is something we enjoy at Bruton Knowles. Creating a Charity Activity Calendar will capture all of our activities and will include supporting the national Cancer Research UK events such as Race for Life, which our employees will want to participate in.”

Recent research shows that today, 2 in 4 people survive cancer[1]. Cancer Research UK works tirelessly to accelerate this progress, with the aim to see 3 in 4 people surviving in the next 20 years, and has already helped double UK survival rates over the last 40 years. For every £1 donated, over 80p is available to spend on beating cancer, with the rest used to raise funds for its future work.

James Rogers, Gloucestershire Fundraising Manager at Cancer Research UK, added: “I am delighted to see the launch of our charity partnership with Bruton Knowles and am excited to be supporting them over the next two years, on our mission to raise £30,000. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be working closely with the Charity Champion on a range of fundraising challenges, events and campaigns.”

Altrincham Float Spa Buoyant thanks to £220k Investment

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Finance

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

0

Altrincham Float Spa Buoyant thanks to £220k Investment

An Altrincham ‘float spa’ is enjoying a buoyant start to its business following a £220k investment injection arranged by finance specialists, Bathgate Business Finance.

Zero Gravity Float Spa opened its doors just three months ago and is already breaking even on a weekly basis, with bookings to ‘float’ at the spa increasing exponentially.

Wirral-based Bathgate Business Finance secured £100k in asset finance for the purchase of four state-of-the-art floatation tanks. The finance experts then introduced Zero Gravity to MSIF, who arranged four working capital loans worth a total of £120k to fund the highly specialised build of the spa.

The four-tank facility is the largest in the UK outside of London and one of only two spas of its kind in the North West. Float therapy is a method of deep relaxation achieved by lying in in darkness in a private flotation tank, suspended in a warm solution of Epsom salt and water.

The reduction in sensory input has been proven to provide a feeling of calmness and reduction of stress, anxiety and the symptoms of other mental health concerns, as well as reducing physical pain and tension.

The spa was the brainchild of co-director and Chief Operations Officer, Simon Preedy, a former massage therapist who turned to float therapy to help manage his own anxiety and sleeping problems.

He ‘floated’ the idea for the business with co-director Graeme Poston, a retired surgeon and former client, after recommending he try floating to reduce neck pain.

“I wasn’t initially convinced as I had never heard of float spas before, but once I tried it I was a convert.” said Graeme. “I discovered there were so few float tanks outside London that I could see a real opportunity in helping Simon to bring a high-quality, multi tank spa to the North West.”

Spotting the gap in the market, Graeme invested £60k in the business and joined forces with Simon and Simon’s childhood friend Chris Henson, now Technical Director at Zero Gravity.

The team was introduced to Gordon Andrews, Managing Director of Bathgate Business Finance, by its legal firm, Weightmans, at the start of the year.

Simon said: “The initial financial outlay for the spa was significant, with the cost of the four tanks and the specialist build to ensure each therapy room was completely soundproof and of the highest standard.

“However, working with Gordon and the team at Bathgate and gaining access to its exceptional network made the process of securing the funding we needed incredibly fast and straightforward. We went from business plan to doors open in just seven months.

“Thanks to Bathgate and MSIF the business is off to a flying start. We are already recruiting new team members to cope with customer demand and exploring opportunities to expand either in our current location or by opening other sites in the North West.”

Gordon Andrews, from Bathgate Business Finance, added: “We’d like to congratulate Simon and the team at Zero Gravity on a fantastic first few months. It’s been a real pleasure to help get this innovative new business off the ground and we are looking forward to watching it go from strength to strength.”

The Purple Property Shop extends its customer service innovations

Property

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

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The Purple Property Shop extends its customer service innovations

Bolton based estate agent, The Purple Property Shop, is expanding its existing innovative customer service offerings, with the introduction of free of charge 3D videos for its clients.

The Bolton-based property experts have introduced the video creation service following a successful three-month trial with selected clients. The videography is undertaken by The Purple Property Shop’s qualified photographers, with the final video being available online, on both their website and social media channels, allowing potential buyers to get a greater perspective of the property.

Founded in 2010 by husband and wife, Matthew and Sally Jones, The Purple Property Shop helps buyers, sellers, renters and landlords across the North-West, with a major focus on customer service. The independent estate agent employs eight members of staff at its Bolton office, whilst serving an extended region including Bury and Burnley.

Sally Jones, Director and Co-Owner, said: “We believe we are the only estate agent in the North-West to be offering this service, free of charge, to all of our clients selling houses with us. This ensures that our clients have the best opportunity for their house to be seen and appreciated. This is further enhanced by the fact that all the properties we showcase, are also featured on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket websites as well as our website.

“At The Purple Property Shop, customer service is at the heart of everything we do, therefore we encourage sellers to pick and choose the services they require from us, meaning we can offer a bespoke plan for our clients. We find it very encouraging that our most popular package, is the premium package, which includes a fortnightly feedback report, outlining the interaction on the internet for the client’s property.”

Work.Life teams up with Manchester entrepreneurs for co-working launch

Blog

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

0

Work.Life teams up with Manchester entrepreneurs for co-working launch

Co-working concept, Work.Life, which opens near King Street this November, has announced it has partnered with five high-profile Manchester entrepreneurs for the launch of its new space.

Steven Bartlett (Founder and CEO, Social Chain), Sacha Lord (Founder, The Warehouse Project, Founder, ParkLife, and Night Time Economy Advisor to Greater Manchester), Nick Speakman (Founder, SPORF), Karina Jadhav (Founder, Menagerie) and Anthony Logan (Founder and CEO, Noir) have all worked with Work.Life to create bespoke artwork for the space.

Representing the Manchester entrepreneurial scene, each has provided their own wall quote to inspire the next generation of start-ups and Manchester businesses working within the space.

The artwork will be available to view when the co-working venue, situated in the CORE building on Brown Street, officially opens on 19 November.

To celebrate further, Work.Life will also be hosting a series of’ ‘An Evening With..’ sessions with the entrepreneurs, for business owners and start-ups to hear exclusive takeaways, business tips and the stories behind their journeys to the top.

Evening sessions with Karina Jadhav and Sacha Lord are already confirmed for November, with tickets opening today across the @workdotlife social channels and through EventBrite.

Sacha Lord, Founder, The Warehouse Project, Founder, ParkLife, and Night Time Economy Advisor to Greater Manchester and who has contributed to the design of Work.Life, comments, “Start ups form the foundation of business throughout Greater Manchester. I’m delighted to see and support Work.Life, which will undoubtedly become a hub for the next generation of entrepreneurs from our city.”

Kings Chambers secures prestigious win at Chambers Bar Awards

Awards

Sam Whitear

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29/10/2018

0

Kings Chambers secures prestigious win at Chambers Bar Awards

Kings Chambers was awarded “Regional Chambers of the Year” at the Chambers Bar Awards last night at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

The annual awards ceremony reflects independent legal directory Chambers and Partners’ extensive research undertaken to provide a definitive guide to the premier sets in the country, as well as a set’s pre-eminence in key practice areas and notable achievements in the past 12 months.

Nigel Poole QC, Head of Chambers, collecting the award said: “Kings Chambers is truly honoured to have won this award given that some of the best sets in the country were also nominated.

“Winning the Regional Chambers of the Year award recognises our position as an integral part of the highly skilled and accessible service that the regional Bar offers its service users. Kings Chambers is proud to be a regional chambers and so we especially prize this award.

“The award is just recognition for our hard-working clerks and staff as well as the very talented and dedicated civil practitioners who make Kings Chambers the success that it is.”

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