A Cheshire developer of lightweight and low-emission carbon composite materials has secured a research and development grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. Carbon Ceramics, based in Frodsham, has been awarded £80,000 through the Grant for Research and Development scheme to help it progress its materials technology. The company was established last year by Julio Faria, one of the co-founders of Ellesmere Port-based Surface Tranforms.

Wigan retailer JJB Sports reported a pre-tax loss of £68.6m for the 12 months to 31 January, down from a loss of £170.2m a year earlier. New chairman John Clare admitted that the business “suffered considerably” during the period and said it will take time to encourage customers back into its stores and rebuild its credibility. Annual revenues fell 22.6 per cent to £361.1m, but trading has improved in 16 weeks to 23 May, up 7.5 per cent year-on-year.

The joint administrators of Liverpool-headquartered department store owner Vergo Retail have confirmed that talks are still ongoing to sell all or part of the business, despite implementing closing down sales at the company’s 19 remaining stores. Sarah Bell and Steven Muncaster, partners at insolvency specialist MCR, said “a number of different parties” were interested, but a discount sale was needed to fund the company in the short-term. The administrators also confirmed that Lewis’s, Liverpool’s oldest department store, will close its doors for the final time on Saturday with the loss of 65 jobs.

Manchester’s inward investment agency MIDAS has released its figures for the 2009-10 period. As expected, the agency has reported a record number of new jobs created (3,609) with a further 1,350 jobs safeguarded. The total number of successful projects reported was 94, up from 83. The largest gains were made with overseas investors - foreign direct investment jobs created in the past year totaled 3,655, spread over 56 projects - an increase from the 30 projects in 2008-9.

Scapa Group, the Manchester supplier of technical adhesive tapes, has cut pre-tax losses by 44 per cent for the year to 31 March following a major restructuring programme that should deliver annual cost savings of more than £11m. The company reported a loss before tax of £5.2m, down from £9.3m a year earlier. Revenues increased 1.5 per cent to £176.7m, largely due to a £12.3m currency gain. During the year Scapa closed its automotive facility in France and announced the closure of its silicon-based coating factory in the US state of New Jersey.

Individual Restaurant Company (IRC), which owns the Piccolino and Bar & Grill brands, has issued a cautious trading statement for the year to date. The business announced that trading patterns have shown some “encouraging signs” and that earnings to the end of April should be in line with last year. It added that the increased trading had occurred across all 33 of its outlets, not just in the South East where growth had been a constant since the turn of the year. However, the business warned that the World Cup could have an adverse effect on trading.

Preston law firm Harrison Drury has changed its operating structure to a limited company and appointed Rob Salter, the former managing partner of Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants, as finance director. Wigan solicitor Stephensons has also joined the QualitySolicitors network and rebranded its town centre office as QualitySolicitors Stephensons. The move is ahead of a series of reforms set to hit law firms next year, dubbed the Tesco Law, which will allow big brand names, such as banks and supermarkets, to provide legal services.

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Contractor Galliford Try has followed up the winning of a £16.5m contract to deliver the Orford Park project for Warrington council with a £4.7m contract to build a new mosque, community centre and two residential units in Ashton-under-Lyne, for Markazi Jamia Mosque. Work on site will start in June and will be completed by summer 2011. Chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: "This reflects the strength of our market position as one of the region's leading building contractors."

Paul Andrews, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing, has requested a meeting with housing minister Grant Shapps to seek assurances about the Collyhurst Private Finance Initiative project. The council had secured £252m of private finance initiative credits from the previous government. The scheme is aimed at increasing the population of the Collyhurst area through the development of new homes and refurbished council houses.

St Modwen is bringing to market a 14-acre development site to market close to Eccles town centre. The move follows the regeneration specialist’s purchase and lease back of the 36-acre Akcros Chemicals site in May 2007, a deal that included provision for Akcros to reorganise its operations to unlock the site, at the rear of its plot overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal. Akcros will remain in situ with no changes to the level of services Akcros Chemicals offers from its UK base.