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Top story
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Renewed hopes for cruise liner solution
Hopes were high in Liverpool today for a potential upgrade of the city’s Pier Head cruise terminal to become a fully functioning base for cruise liners. Later today the city’s Regeneration Select Committee is set to debate proposals for investment in the creation of a new baggage handling facility and passenger turnaround facilities. The terminal opened in September 2008, but the funding agreements with Government Office for the North West and the Northwest Regional Development Agency and State aid rules meant the facility could not be marketed as a turnaround operation – doing so would have meant having to pay back £20m. In November it emerged that cruise line operator Fred Olsen was preparing to pull out of Liverpool after Thomson Cruise was also alleged to have cut the city out of its plans after a trial run at Langton Dock, a Peel-operated facility with baggage and customs operations. But Liverpool City Council is now in negotiations with Peel Ports regarding operating turnaround facilities at the Pier Head.
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Deals
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In Focus – what now for corporate finance?
In these gloomy times there are plenty of corporate financiers attempting to put a brave face on things. Bank lending may be harder to come by, but advisers are diversifying and channelling their resources into new and lucrative areas. In this week’s In Focus column, Insider editor Michael Taylor observes how “advisory teams have attempted to reorientate their operations towards advising businesses on how to deal with their banks”. To read more about corporate finance’s new direction, visit In Focus online.
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Business
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Women in Business shortlist announced
The shortlisted entrants for the Northwest Women in Business Awards 2009 have been announced. The winners will be announced in January in an event organised by the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum and the Northwest Regional Development Agency. Awards will be given in categories such as Business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Nominees include Victoria Corcoran for her cleaning and petcare ventures, Rent a Bod and The Small Animal Hotel, and Kate Hughes’ Merseyside Property Auctions. 
Art project for Business Hub
A major art competition is being launched for students from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to mark the arrival of the city’s new Business Hub, which will open in the New Year at Hatton Garden, Liverpool. The Hub, a joint venture between LJMU and SOG, is designed to provide business advice, meeting rooms and other office facilities for an annual membership fee.
Ph Creative plans rapid growth
Internet marketing and brand design consultancy Ph Creative is poised to announce new acquisitions in the New Year. The Liverpool-based agency has grown by 400 per cent in 2008 and managing director Bryan Adams predicts a doubling of growth in the first quarter of 2009. The Rodney Street agency opened a Manhattan office in July and is continuing to expand its roster of clients on both sides of the Atlantic. Adams added that “2009 could put us in even better shape despite the downturn”.
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Property
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Kings of the castle
CB Richard Ellis has been appointed to manage the £2.5m refurbishment of 10-18 Castle Street, on behalf of Merseyside Pension Fund. Castle Chambers has more than 15,000 sq ft of accommodation available to let. Tim Garnett, senior surveyor at CBRE, said: “Castle Chambers signifies the beginning of a renaissance on Castle Street, which can now offer large refurbished floor plates previously not available to occupiers.”
Plans in for Wirral hotel
Plans have been submitted for a 60-bedroom Travelodge close to Wirral International Business Park. The site, at one of the 830-acre park’s entrances, has planning permission for offices, but Wirral Council is keen to add to the number of hotel beds on the peninsula as it looks to support commercial development. Over 1,800 jobs from a target of 3,000 have been created at the park so far.
Scrap site gains approval
Les Owens, managing director of Wirral-based construction business Trustland, has gained the backing of the National Federation of Builders (NFB) for his website, builderscrap.com. The site is designed to reduce the amount of waste produced in the construction industry by encouraging the recycling of surplus building materials. The NFB, which represents more than 1,500 businesses across England and Wales, will help promote the site to all its members to encourage sustainability.
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Insider
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