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Top story
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Business backs call for VAT breathing space
Pleas from Shadow Chancellor George Osborne to help small business have been welcomed by business organisations. Phil Orford, chief executive of the Cheshire-based Forum for Private Business, told Insider: “One of our bugbears in the past has been a lack of understanding of small and medium-sized businesses by the two main parties. We welcome any proposals that ease the pressure on small firms during this economic downturn.” Among Osborne’s proposals is a call for a six-month VAT holiday for small businesses, a move Orford said will “give them a breathing space and help keep people in work”. The Federation of Small Businesses’ North West policy manager Paul Henly told Insider: “Great words, now let’s see action. Most vitally, we need to see the sources of finance for small business opened up without ridiculous interest rates.”
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Deals
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Business
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Scientific business expands at The Heath
Swiss precision scientific instrumentation company Metrohm is expanding its service to customers in Scotland and the north of England by opening a new customer demonstration and method development laboratory at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn. UK customers were all previously serviced from the companys headquarters in Buckingham. 
Good neighbours
Health, safety and environment consultancy SHE Group, part of Cheshire-based SOG, has collaborated with two fellow residents of The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn in a rebranding exercise. Design and print consultancy Creative Pulse came up with a new image for the group and website firm Skill Zone translated those ideas into an interactive website.
CFOs gloomy as distress continues
Optimism among UK chief financial officers (CFO) about the financial outlook has deteriorated rapidly, according to the latest Deloitte CFO Survey. Most corporates plan to reduce employee numbers and cut capital expenditure and the proportion of CFOs who say they are likely to reduce dividends has risen sharply in the last six months. Richard Bell, head of transaction services at Deloitte in the north, said: CFOs are preparing for a more prolonged period of distress in credit markets than they had expected earlier, with cost cutting and cash preservation coming to the fore. There is also a growing readiness to contemplate more radical options such as off-shoring and dividend cuts.
Envirowise responds to green business boom
Government-funded environment programme Envirowise has reported a 22 per cent rise in visitors to its website during the period April to September, compared with the same period last year, as business interest in improving green credentials grows. To cope with a growing appetite for green business advice, Envirowise has launched a new, updated website with added features and a new interface.
Two Lanes make government agency boards
Pauleen Lane, the deputy chairman of English Partnerships and an elected member of Trafford council, has this morning been confirmed as a board member of the Tenant Services Authority, which has been set up to give tenants a stronger say in how their homes are managed. The government has also announced the board for the Homes and Communities Agency, which will include former Speke Garston Development Company boss Bob Lane.
Begbies reports 480 per cent rise in critical problems
Begbies Traynor has released its quarterly Red Flag Alert statistics on companies in trouble and its bad news. Over 600 North West businesses face critical problems, up 480 per cent year on year, while nationwide the number of companies with critical issues has doubled in 2008. Executive chairman Ric Traynor said: September was the worst month yet for UK businesses. The effects of recent market volatility, coupled with the second year effects of the credit crunch conditions, have clearly taken their toll. We expect to see an even further increase in critical business problems as distress escalates over the next year.
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Property
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Industrial deal gets out of the Gates
US processing equipment maker CPM Wolverine has taken a 50,000 sq ft unit at Kenmores Chester Gates Industrial Estate at junction 16 of the M56. It will pay £3.75 per sq ft on a 15-year lease. Howard George, senior director of industrial agency at CBRE, joint agent with Legat Owen, said: There are very few lettings of this size on the market. Kenmores desire to increase income by successful asset management has been achieved through the lettings we have secured.
Warrington scheme wins national award
The Gateway, a Warrington development housing voluntary and charitable agencies, has won the national Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Community Benefit Award 2008. The scheme, which houses the Citizens Advice Bureau, Warrington Housing Association and various other community facilities, won the RICS regional heat last year.
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Events
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Dates for your diary this week
The Northwest Tourism Awards will be held at Liverpool’s St George’s Hall this Wednesday evening, a night on which L3 Living Apartments is to hold a private viewing of Liverpool – Creative Capital, featuring paintings and photography by accomplished Liverpool artists, which takes place at the Tower Building on Water Street. And music fans with an interest in trains may want to be at Liverpool’s South Parkway interchange on Thursday afternoon for the launch of a train bearing the name of legendary DJ John Peel.
Regional manufacturing in the global age
As the region’s manufacturers battle with economic uncertainty and rising costs, Insider and manufacturers’ organisation EEF are organising a breakfast summit in Lancashire - home of some of the UK’s biggest manufacturers - to discuss the future of manufacturing. Being held on 23 October at 7.30am, the breakfast event at Stanley House in Mellor will feature an expert panel who will tackle key issues for the region’s manufacturing base: Lee Hopley, head of economic policy at EEF; Andrew Jones, managing director of Klarius; Andrew Brian, managing director of Optare; and Phil Humphreys, director of supply chain strategy for Military Air Solutions at BAE. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. For further information on the event, please contact our events team on 0161 907 9723 or email lucie.knight@newsco.com.
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Contact Us
Insider
8th Floor, Boulton House
17-21 Chorlton Street
Manchester
M1 3HY
Telephone: +44 (0)161 907 9711
Email:
nw@insiderdaily.co.uk
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