Legendary TV presenters Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara and Charlotte Jackson joined commercial property agents at Orbit Developments’ offices in Eccles on Friday 29th September to launch the rebrand of City Approach.

Over 40 of the region’s leading property agents attended an invitation only event to meet the celebrity guests, view the refurbished office space and see the new marketing campaign designed by Richard Barber & Co.

Led by Orbit Developments’ Leasing Director Dean Richards, attendees heard an overview of the positive changes in Orbit’s property portfolio and benefits of choosing Eccles as a business location.

Situated on the M602 on the approach to Manchester city centre, City Approach is in a highly prominent location with almost unequalled transport connectivity to anywhere else in Greater Manchester with Eccles town centre offering train, bus and Metrolink public transport services in addition to easily accessible road links.

Guests were treated to a live Q&A with Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson and Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara. Although he is best known for his live pitch-side punditry of premier league football matches on Sky’s Soccer Saturday, Chris Kamara is also co-presenter and football analyst for Sky Sports Show Goals on Sunday and presenter on ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK and talked about his career development from being enlisted in the Royal Navy, becoming a professional footballer and manager of Bradford City.

Dean Richards, Leasing Director of Orbit commented: “Throughout the rebranding and repositioning project, we have invested a lot of time, money and resources into the buildings at City Approach and really wanted to put the development on the commercial property map.” “Eccles is overlooked as a business destination, yet it has so much to offer companies looking for an easily accessible and great value office base.” Commercial property agents Canning O’Neill are retained on the scheme.

Director James Dickinson commented on the event: “The launch event was a great success, attracting Manchester’s property agents who had never visited the property before.” “Positive feedback was received from all attendees in terms of the both the plans for the 1 and 2 City Approach and the value for money that the office accommodation can offer an occupier.” “City Approach is a very attractive alternative to schemes in Salford Quays or Old Trafford for the more cost-conscious business, whilst simultaneously providing high quality and presentable office space.”

More than 100 high-flyers attended Equilibrium Asset Management’s first ‘Social in the City’ event at the lavish Rosso Restaurant & Bar.

The after-work event offered drinks and canapes, meaningful networking opportunities and the chance to get to know partners of the Chartered wealth management firm.

Prizes were also handed out following a business card raffle. One guest landed a two-night luxury five-star European break, which included flights and accommodation.

Equilibrium owner and founder Colin Lawson also presented a £250 Flannels Voucher, a £250 Harvey Nichols voucher, a £50 Rosso voucher and a bottle of champagne to other lucky winners.

It comes after Cheshire-based Equilibrium, which employs 63 staff and manages over £700 million of assets for over 850 families, recently revealed record breaking results following the fiscal year end in August – with turnover rising to more than £7 million.

Speaking after the event Colin, who was accompanied by Managing Partner Gaynor Rigby and Partner and Head of Client Care Debbie Jukes, described Manchester as a booming city that hosts a growing number of high-net worth individuals.

He said: “Equilibrium is in the midst of enjoying a fantastic year after being crowned as the fifth best small company to work for by The Sunday Times and landing more than £100m of new assets under management for the year.

“With that in mind, we wanted to hold our first Manchester ‘Social in the City’ event and meet new people in a stunning yet relaxing environment.”

He added: “Manchester is well on the way to becoming a truly international city and destination and is an important region to Equilibrium.

“I’d like to thank all those who joined us at the social and will look forward to nurturing some new relationships.”

Equilibrium, which was founded more than 21 years ago and also has a Chester office, was named ‘Best Adviser Firm UK’ at the International Adviser Best Practice Adviser Awards earlier this year.

In September the company launched its new one-stop-shop online finance portal, MyEQ. It allows clients to view their own investment portfolio through the MyEQ app on their laptop, phone, desktop or tablet.

Equilibrium Managing Partner Gaynor Rigby said the multi-functional portal will give users a snapshot into their finances, with the added ability to keep track of investments, see a true picture of their net worth and even calculate property values.

As part of Manchester Airport’s £1bn Transformation Programme (MAN-TP), the drop off location at Terminal Two will be changing from tomorrow (19^th October).

Instead of using the ramp at the front of the building, from 00:01 passengers are being asked to drop off at the ground level in a specially commissioned forecourt.

Works began this summer on the £1bn MAN-TP, which will deliver a world-class customer experience and state of the art facilities at the UK’s third biggest airport.

Through 2019/20, passengers will see major changes to the airport, with Terminal Two growing by 160% and offering the latest technological advances in travel, and a wealth of new retail and food and beverage outlets.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “As we look to transform Manchester Airport through our £1bn development, we have made some changes to the drop off area at Terminal Two.

“From 19^th October we are asking customers to drop off at the ground level, before using lifts to access the departure level. Drop off remains free of charge.

“We want all passengers to have a smooth and stress-free experience, so we will have marshals and traffic signs in place to help passengers find their way. We have also been posting helpful information on social media to pre-warn people.”

For further information on the transformation programme, passengers can log onto a dedicated website where maps of the new location can be found. www.mantp.co.uk

Representatives of businesses and charities across Manchester yesterday attended a Digital Garage training session, hosted by Lloyds Bank, to boost their digital skills and better understand the benefits of being online and what this can bring to their organisation.

The free workshop hosted in collaboration with Google, covered sessions on how to optimise a website so it is accessible from any mobile device along with guidance on using Google My Business, which helps businesses improve visibility in search engine results.

The workshop also gave attendees the opportunity to network with representatives from similar organisations as well as specialists from Google and Lloyds Bank.

The event was held at Lloyds Bank’s Manchester business hub, which forms part of its new flagship store on Market Street. The branch was designed specifically to meet the needs of the local Manchester community, bringing together a number of new services to create a very different high street banking experience.

Daryl Moore, who attended the workshop, is an Enterprise Business Coach for People Plus – an employment support and training company that supports start-up businesses in the Northwest.

Daryl said: “The information I learnt at the workshop today will help the businesses I support a great deal and the new business space at the branch will be a fantastic facility for our start-ups in the region.”

Jo Harris, Managing Director, Business Banking, Lloyds Bank, said: “We are passionate about helping businesses and charities to benefit from increased digital skills. A digital presence might seem something only large firms need to worry about but, if done properly, it can help to transform an organisation. 

“It’s great to be able to support Manchester-based organisations as they develop their business skills and the event brought a real buzz to our new business hub. We’re looking forward to seeing those skills in action and using our Manchester flagship branch as a resource for businesses in the community.”

Nick Williams, Lloyds Banking Group’s Ambassador for the North said: “Our latest Business Digital Index report has shown that around 33% of small organisations in the North West lack basic digital skills. Better websites and an engaging social media presence can unlock so many benefits. For charities, that can include increasing the number of supporters or donors, and businesses can grow their sales and target new markets. I’m delighted that, through our collaboration with Google, we can support organisations across Manchester to become more digitally capable and to recognise the benefits of being online.”

The corporate finance team at MHA Moore and Smalley has advised on the sale of a global sealants and adhesives manufacturer to a leading private equity firm.

Hylomar – a world leader in the manufacture of adhesives and sealants for the automotive market – has been acquired by PHD Equity Partners for an undisclosed sum.

The company, which employs 28 staff at its factory in Wigan, supplies products to many of the major car manufacturers as well as aerospace and industrial clients. Hylomar exports to over 60 countries and has subsidiaries in the US and Germany. Around 70% of its products go to export markets.

Stephen Gregson, corporate finance director at Preston-based MHA Moore and Smalley, led the team that advised the shareholders of Hylomar on the sale to PHD Equity Partners. Rob Dobson of the corporate team at Preston-based Napthens solicitors provided legal advice to the sellers.

PHD Equity Partners will support the management team as it pursues plans to expand the business in both new and existing markets. The acquisition follows the untimely death last year of one of the major shareholders, Howard Ball, and will allow the retirement of the two remaining shareholders, Mr Ball’s wife Patricia and the chairman, Peter Rowley.

Stephen Gregson said: “Having been able to introduce Hylomar to PHD Equity Partners, it is incredibly pleasing to see this deal through to completion. Hylomar is a profitable business with a strong management team who can now look forward to the next stage of growth with the financial backing and expertise of the team at PHD Equity Partners.”

Established in the 1950s, Hylomar was part of the US industrial group MacDermid Inc until 2001 when it was acquired by Peter Rowley, who introduced Mr and Mrs Ball to help him operate the business.

Hylomar is now renowned globally in the automotive market as a leader in its field in terms of its technical ability and the quality of its adhesive and sealant compounds.

Manchester City Council is looking for a partner to invest in and manage the much-loved Orangery, helping to open the space for public events for the first time in six years.

In discussion with the Friends of Heaton Hall group and Historic England, amongst others, it has been agreed that it is now an appropriate time to seek a partner to work with the Council and Friends’ group and start bringing the Hall more actively back into life.

Following the huge successes of opening the Hall for Heritage Open Days and theatrical productions, the Orangery and Smithy Lodge represent the next stage of the property’s refurbishment.

The Council is looking for a partner operator to invest in fitting out and operating the Orangery as an event, wedding venue and conferencing facility, working alongside the Council and Friends to allow more public access to some of the main rooms at the magnificent home.

Despite having closed as a venue in 2011, The Orangery has remained a much sought-after venue throughout the refurbishment of Heaton Hall, with high demand from wedding planners in particular hoping to use the spectacular property for their big day.

The repair works across Heaton Hall are well underway with significant funding from Historic England.

Visitors to the park will see that the windows to the Orangery have been renewed, the flat roof is being replaced, and the flaking paintwork to the walls has been carefully removed following analysis of the various paint layers by nationally leading paint conservators.

Over the coming weeks the damaged render to the north facade, and to the two loggias to the south side, is being repaired by building restoration specialists, in materials mixed to match the composition of the original.

Once those works are completed the rendered walls will be repainted to complement the restored stonework elsewhere on the building.

A formal tender process for a partner to take on The Orangery will begin in spring 2018.

Details of the current opportunity can be found on the websitewww.manchester.gov.uk/heatonhallorangery