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Creative symposium comes to Liverpool
A set of leading design agencies have collaborated to launch the inaugural Liverpool Design Symposium, which is set to take place at St George's Hall on 23 October. The event aims to attract creative practitioners and students from across the country and provide insight into the industry. Industry bodies D&AD and DBA are behind the initiative, along with creative agencies Design Initiative and Merseyside ACME and design agencies Uniform, Smiling Wolf and Black & Ginger. Kevin McManus, operations director of Merseyside ACME, said the event "shows how significant the local design sector's profile is becoming nationally". 
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Funding delivers expansion for QTS
Birkenhead-based QTS, a vocational training provider is expanding with backing from Alliance Fund Managers (AFM), through the Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) Small Firms Fund, and support from NatWest Bank. The company, which provides extra curricular training to 14 to 19 year olds, has now opened a second 12,000 sq ft site to allow it to extend its facilities to more youngsters and adults. QTS was set up in 2003 by directors Robert Mains and Mike Hughes and this is the second time AFM has backed the company. It is working with local schools to deliver a pilot scheme for the Foundation Learning Tier, which has been developed to give children the option of staying on at school to study for vocational qualifications.
MBI for Ellesmere Port surfacing company
Knowles Surfacing, an Ellesmere Port company specialising in road surfacing and civil engineering work, has undergone a management buy-in (MBI) for an undisclosed sum in a deal funded by The Royal Bank of Scotland. The MBI of the £4.6m-turnover company has been led by Karl Owen and sees him acquire the shareholding of Mark Knowles, who founded the company 20 years ago. Owen, who plans to grow the business and develop new markets, has over 25 years' experience in the contracting market and was previously managing director of a waste recycling company and owner of a business that specialises in the repair of hydraulic hoses.
Co-op funds Playmates
Widnes-based Playmates is preparing to open its third nursery. The company, which was established 13 years ago, will open its new branch in Frodsham, Cheshire, after securing funding from The Co-operative Bank. The bank's Manchester Corporate Banking Centre provided a £1.6m funding package for Chris Devlin and Gill Dillon. Playmates' two current nurseries employ 27 full-time staff members to take care of 90 children. Once the new location has been refurbished, the company plans to double the amount of childcare places it provides.
Scottish bidder makes move on Cains
Glasgow-based Marketing Management Services International (MMSI), a marketing and business consultancy, is the first named party to have announced a bid for the whole of Cains Beer Company, the Liverpool brewer and pub operator that called in the administrators at the start of August. MMSI, which is working with a group of Scottish investors, bought the award-winning micro-brewery Arran Brewery in June from the same administrators tackling the sale of Cains, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The deadline for bids to PwC ended last week and other interested parties are believed to include brewer Marston's and the former owners of Cains, Ajmail and Sudarghara Dusanj, who still own the brewery freehold and that of nine pubs.
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Profits up but Moneysupermarket.com growth is slowing
As consumers search for cheaper financial options and holidays but steer clear of loans and mortgages, Ewloe-based Moneysupermarket.com has reported higher earnings for the six months to 30 June, but warns growth is likely to slow. The company saw revenues increase 27 per cent to £99.4m, while underlying earnings were up by 14 per cent to £30.1m. Chief executive Simon Nixon said second-half results will be "solid, albeit slower than the first half", but confirmed he still has plans to expand by launching a shopping channel and German website. The group suffered a blow in earlier this month when loan provider First Plus announced it was to withdraw from the secured loans market, potentially wiping £7m off Moneysupermarket.com's full-year revenues.
Light up your life
This October Liverpool's Pool of Light festival will see lighting designers from all over the world flooding into the city. As part of the celebrations, the Professional Lighting Designers Association will be running a conference on 31 October aimed at architects, town centre managers, lighting designers and artists. It will include seminars on new lighting technology and discuss the contribution that architectural feature lighting is making to urban renewal projects. The city's Pool of Light project runs throughout November and involves seven international lighting designers lighting up seven locations, mainly in the Baltic triangle area and at two locations on the Wirral.
New appointment expands Credit Suisse presence
Credit Suisse has appointed Iain MacLaverty as relationship manager for private banking in Merseyside and North Wales. He joins from wealth advisory firm Towry Law where he managed a team of 12 and was responsible for all training and competence. He brings more than thirty years' experience in financial services and professional services, including at Baker Tilly where he was northern regional manager and advised high net worth clients. He will report to Simon Racle, head of the north of England regional private banking business and will be based at Credit Suisse's Manchester office.
Lawyers on the ball
The Football Association has appointed North West law firm Mace & Jones to act as its external adviser on employment law until 31 May 2010. It will also advise on employment matters relating to Wembley Stadium, the National Football Centre, and the World Cup 2018 bid. Martin Edwards, head of employment law and human resources at Mace & Jones, said: "We are excited by the prospect of acting for one of the most high-profile and significant employers in the country."
If at first you don't succeed
The North West's small business owners wait an average of four months after a business fails before they get started with their next venture. In a survey by Barclays Local Business, 90 per cent of bosses said they would be keen to start another company if their current enterprise went under. Paul Titterton, regional director for Barclays Local Business, said: "As the credit crunch begins to bite, there's a risk that some entrepreneurs will find their livelihood under threat. However, it's heartening to know that their desire to bounce back from failure is so strong." The survey also found that 83 per cent felt business failure was a positive experience, leaving you better equipped for running your next venture.
North tops energy efficiency research
Northern businesses have the most responsible and realistic attitude to energy efficiency in the UK, according to research by energy consultancy EnergyTEAM. In a study of businesses across the country, it was revealed that 72 per cent of businesses in the north have an energy management policy in place. They are also more likely to be realistic about making a profit from investment in energy-saving measures. Only a third would expect a return in one year, compared with almost half of businesses in the Midlands and the south. The study also found that 97 per cent of northern businesses had heard of the Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment.
James Fisher sees 16 per cent profit rise
James Fisher and Sons, the Barrow-based provider of marine services, has said it is well placed to deliver further growth and value to its shareholders after the company reported a 16 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to £11m for the six months to 30 June. Submarine rescue contracts from Singapore and Korea boosted profits of its defence division by 72 per cent to £2.9m, although a disappointing performance from its marine oil division saw its profits tumble 34 per cent to £2.7m. But chairman Tim Harris said problems in marine oil in the first half were operational and not commercial and are not expected to have a lasting effect.
New contract for Neteller
Isle of Man-based Neteller and TransSend Payment Services have signed a contract agreeing to provide two new MasterCard products to Neteller's e-wallet customers. These include a virtual card with a single-use 16-digit number, which is generated randomly and is valid for one transaction only. The other card is a physical card for e-wallet users, which will allow them to access their funds in shops or at cash machines. The Virtual Card will be part of the Neteller Desktop, which will enable users to view the balance on their e-wallet account without the need to visit the company's main site.
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Southport lettings agency sold to Countrywide
Southport-based lettings agency Specialist Lettings Management (SLM) has been acquired by Countrywide Residential Lettings (CRL), a subsidiary of estate agency and property services business Countrywide, for an undisclosed sum. SLM has nine UK branches, including offices in Bolton and Blackpool, and operates two regional leasehold block management centres covering Merseyside and Yorkshire. Managing director Roger Henshaw will continue to manage the company's 50 staff. He said: "CRL's expertise and comprehensive range of lettings services will complement our plans to grow the business and help even more tenants, landlords and leaseholders."
A-Plant invests in new sites
The Manchester office of Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has undertaken a number of transactions on behalf of Warrington-based A-Plant as part of the company's strategy for expansion of its operations to meet customer demand. A flurry of deals includes leasing 6,000 sq ft at Egremont in Cumbria, a pre-let of 10,000 sq ft in Leyland, Preston and the acquisition of 30,000 sq ft at Sharston, Manchester. Elsewhere in the country LSH has acquired further premises for A-Plant in Hull, Coventry, Southampton and Oxford.
Crofton Hall Estate up for sale
Cumbria County Council is selling off its 140-acre Crofton Hall Estate, near Thursby, at a public auction in October. The 13th-century estate will be divided into six lots, including the three-bedroomed Crofton Hall Farmhouse, the 14-acre Crofton Lake and a 23-acre plot of agricultural land. Gary Strong, the council's cabinet member responsible for property, said the council is "keen to see the site suitably developed to realise its full potential" and added that it is looking to achieve "the best possible return on the sale to invest directly into frontline services that matter to the people of Cumbria".
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