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Top story
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Redmond calls for united cultural strategy
Professor Phil Redmond has called for Liverpool's leaders to focus on a single strategy to ensure the commercial benefits of its year as Capital of Culture are not lost as the end of 2008 nears. Speaking at the Federation of Small Businesses' (FSB) Culture of Business event, Redmond said the city has entered an age in which it is able to create commerce from culture, but stressed that there needs to be a plan in place to ensure that this is maintained. "We won't really know the full economic impact for the next five years or so, but we have seen throughout 2008 that culture is creating commerce for the city," he said. "The challenge now is to create a legacy that builds on this confidence and allows everyone to work together to create a common vision."
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Deals
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Proventec goes Dutch
Liverpool-based Proventec, a provider of steam cleaning and coating services, has acquired a 60 per cent share in Dutch industrial cleaning company CryoJet Industrial Services. The company said the deal has been entirely paid for from existing cash reserves and by issuing 224,506 shares subject to a two-year lock-in. CryoJet operates solely in the Netherlands, but Proventec chief executive David Chestnutt plans to expand the company into other countries. 
In Focus - sovereign wealth funds
Anyone in the North West deals market - and a few football fans - will have noticed the increasing presence of sovereign wealth funds in the M&A market. In the first of a series of monthly online columns, In Focus, Insider deputy editor Rupert Cornford examines the buying power of petrodollars and the people with money to spend in the regional market. Visit the new section of our website to find out more.
Waste consolidation
The assets and business of Cumbria-based waste collection and recycling company CAW have been acquired by Northampton-based Waste Recycling Group (WRG). CAW was founded by Dave Armer in 1992 and employs 30 people. WRG is part of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, the international construction and services group. The acquisition will build on the presence that WRG already has in Cumbria, which includes collection, recycling, clinical and liquid waste disposal and landfill.
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Business
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NWDA chairman saga - decision to drag on
The government has chosen the chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency but has delayed a decision until all the chairmen of the eight RDAs have been selected. However, the positions for the West Midlands and the South West have only just been readvertised after the original choices were rejected and the application deadline is 10 October, this Friday. The shortlisted candidates left hanging on the decision for the £80,000-a-year part-time role in the North West are: Geoff Muirhead, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group; Robert Hough, deputy chairman of Peel; Felicity Goodey, chairman of Salford Regeneration; and former Royal Bank of Scotland boss John McGuire.
Big ideas at Daresbury
Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus is launching a collaboration with three North West universities to improve knowledge transfer between business and academia. IDEAS at Daresbury, in partnership with the universities of Lancaster, Manchester and Liverpool, will promote and develop detailed understanding of effective knowledge exchange processes between hi-tech small businesses, large corporations and government laboratories. Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, will formally launch the scheme on Thursday.
Get behind the banks, says Lord Jones
The financial services industry deserves more support in the current climate, according to Lord Digby Jones. In his last speech as minister for trade - before the cabinet reshuffle was announced on Friday - Lord Jones told an audience at a CBI conference in Manchester to get behind the banks in order to keep the funds flowing to businesses. "It might feel good to kick them when they're down but your local bank manager has got nothing to do with it. If we carry on this way then the banks will lose confidence, but if we do support them, then businesses will be able to access the working capital they need to sell to Asia, for example." Lord Jones also said the only way for the UK to guard against the increasing threat from China was the development of skills and dissemination of knowledge-based industries.
Retail failures will spike, says Begbies
There will be a spate of retail failures across the country in January as the sector faces one of the bleakest fourth quarters in years, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor. A total of 323 retail businesses are on Begbies' watch list, which it defines as those with a 70 per cent chance or more of failing. "Retailers need to spend the fourth quarter considering their strategic options as there will be casualties early in 2009," said partner Mark Fry. "We envisage that the winners and the losers over this period will be divided by virtue of their diversification and the suitability of their service offering to the current market climate."
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Property
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Architect closes office
Altrincham-based architecture firm Calderpeel has closed its office in Deeside as a result of the property downturn. Managing director Ewen Miller said all existing contracts and projects will be taken over and run by the Altrincham office. Calderpeel took over the Deeside office last year from Blue Green Architects & Engineers.
Three more for King Sturge
As businesses continue to expand and relocate, agency King Sturge has secured a raft of lettings in Warrington, Bury and Heywood. Signature Doors has signed a five-year lease for 10,375 sq ft at Gemini Park in Warrington and OCS Group will lease 22,439 sq ft at Park Seventeen in Bury. Quorum Estates has also secured its first deal at Quest Park in Heywood after Bury-based AAF agreed the purchase of an 8,244 sq ft unit at the industrial and distribution park on Moss Hall Road.
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Events
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Dates for your diary this week
Insider hosts its annual 42 under 42 dinner on Tuesday evening, a celebration of past and present members of our exclusive club for entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, UK Trade & Investment and the University of Liverpool Management School are holding a China Legal Update briefing on Thursday morning to help business keep up with the latest sweeping changes made to China's foreign
investment, employment, tax, intellectual property and environmental
laws. And get those taste buds ready because Thursday evening is Grant Thornton's annual Wine Challenge at the Royal Liver Building and Liverpool Cricket Club is hosting a beer festival this weekend, starting on Thursday evening from 6pm.
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Telephone: +44 (0)161 907 9711
Email:
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