Warrington’s been in the ascendancy for a few years now, riding high in such indices as the Centre for Cities’ Cities Outlook report, in which it was the North West’s highest-ranked location in 2009 and 2010.
It’s time for some JESSICA rabbit. The European funding stream has been seized on by many as the one bright spark in a catastrophic couple of years for the regeneration world, but the whole shake-out is yet to become apparent.
Is the business park back with a bang? The South Manchester market, widely regarded as the region’s dominant player in this field, has had some notable successes over the last year or so, with the move of PZ Cussons’ headquarters to Manchester Business Park the stand-out deal.
Is this the year that private equity firms will have to invest? By all accounts fund managers are sitting on cash that needs to find a home in 2011 as their backers grow twitchy behind closed doors.
Raising funds against the assets of your company can be a good way to fund growth and new contracts. Cash be drawn down against invoices raised, loans can be secured against industrial plant and machinery, and you can even get money against trademarks and intellectual property.
Communications is one of the fastest growing areas of technology. Mobile phones have merged into computers, and social media has transformed the way people communicate. Internet connections, too, have evolved to the point where everybody expects high-speed broadband, 'or else'.
China’s economic growth, expected to be just short of 10 per cent for the next two years, remains a key focus for UK manufacturers. Goods can be made to high specification, using a low cost base, before being shipped back to Europe to be sold. It’s a pattern we have all become familiar with. But how long will it last?
Where do you like to hold your meetings? Twitter, email, phone? You may even like to sit down in front of people occasionally! The explosion of technology that enables us to communicate means that spending time face to face has become less of a requirement. But sitting down with clients, colleagues and contacts is important to broker quality deals and build relationships.
