Sir Michael Bibby, chief executive of Liverpool-based Bibby Group, is to acquire more businesses and assets and grow his business organically. “There are good deals around and if companies have the cash then it’s a good time to gear up and acquire. I think we are seeing an exciting new realism in the marketplace.” He was speaking in Manchester this week at an event hosted by accountants BDO, called ‘Transitions – Insights into the Post Recession Landscape’. Michael Taylor has more from the event on his In Focus blog.

Businesses in the North are more worried about cuts to public sector spending than the rest of the UK, according to a survey of more than 300 entrepreneurs carried out by accountancy firm RSM Tenon. Across the regions, 17 per cent of business owners questioned in the North and Yorkshire felt cuts to the public sector was the biggest threat to their business, topped only by Scotland at 19 per cent. Just 7 per cent in the South and 10 per cent in the Midlands thought it was their biggest concern.

The pre-owned goods chain Cash Generator has appointed Stuart Owens as director of digital marketing. He joins the Bolton-based company with 15 years' internet-marketing experience, and was commercial director at Freglecom, an IT firm in Lancashire, as well as chief executive at KSD.Net, an internet solutions business, where he oversaw the sale of the company to the Fraser Eagle Group in 2001. Owens will report to managing director Julian Urry, and will be responsible for the company’s online offering.

Brothers Mark and Simon Ledwick have expanded their network of Subway franchises in the North West with a shop in Cumbria. The store at Ullswater Road Garage in Penrith is the brother’s 12th North-West franchise and their sixth in Cumbria. The Ledwicks employ more than 100 people, including nine at the Penrith shop. NatWest Business & Commercial bank in Preston provided funding for the development through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

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