There seems to be no let-up in the demand for flexible office space, both within the North West’s city centres and in other locations. New operators such as Orega have continued to see the region as a logical place to expand into, while take-up remains good at facilities around the city centre.
In May’s Commercial Property section we’ll be looking to throw some light on the subject of commercial property surveying practices and what they can do for your business. There is a wide range of services available under the roofs of some of the region’s larger agencies and this feature promises to be an indispensable guide to what each of them can offer for their clients and business users.
Turning businesses around has been a key part of shaping recovery in this recession. The use of company voluntary arrangements, where businesses agree to pay creditors a portion of their debts over an agreed period of time, has increased with notable examples including retailer JJB Sports and serviced office operator Your Space. Debt for equity swaps have also enabled creditors to take control of assets with large amounts of debt on the balance sheet and allowed companies to move forward.
Are you up to speed with social media? That’s been one of the hot topics of conversation at business events over the last year or so. In the 2.0 age, just having a good website is no longer enough – you need faster, more flexible ways of communicating with your customers and prospects. More and more, the old divides of the creative agency world no longer apply – the PR and marketing, advertising and online strategies of businesses are intertwined – who can help the short-on-time business through this minefield?
The story of South Asia, which technically includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is dominated by the powerhouse of India, a country so dominant in our lives due to its colonial past.
In benign economic conditions the demand for interim managers is strong, driven by companies that recruit specialists to manage change programmes, supply chain operations or simply put the business in better shape for three to six months. When times are tough, they come in to advise on turnaround and restructuring plans
Businesses have cut staff and people are being asked to do more with less. Costs may have been cut and balance sheets repaired, but what about the human contribution to the bottom line? Increasing the skill levels of those left, and therefore your business, can be a long-term solution. There is the benefit of personal and professional development for people being trained and the obvious productivity gains for the business.
Eight years on from gaining city status and ahead of its next showcase Guild Year of 2012, there are some tough questions for Preston to consider, not least what positives have been levered in by city status.
