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Top story
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NWDA backs rural development schemes
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has spoken out in support of Defra following suggestions that the government needs to rethink its approach to developing rural economies. The environment, food and rural affairs select committee claimed this week that too many levels of government are slowing progress and called on Defra to clarify issues with a delivery plan. NWDA head of rural affairs David Hunter told Insider the agency is happy with progress: “We have welcomed the opportunity to engage more directly with Defra. It has given us a strong lead on a wide range of issues and we hope that the strong working relationship on, for example, the Rural Development Programme for England, the Sustainable Farming and Food Agenda and the work of the Regional Rural Affairs Forums continues.”
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Deals
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VC fixer joins fund manager
Veteran venture capital fixer Vivienne Upcott-Gill has left the Northwest Regional Development Agency and is working for regional private equity group YFM. The team, led in Manchester by Doug Stellman, manages a number of public-backed venture capital funds as well as VCTs and institutionally backed funds. YFM was taken over in April 2008 by GLE Group, taking the funds under management by the group to more than £330m. David Hall, managing director of YFM, said: “Our investment strategy has been not to take on too much debt. A feature of the smaller private equity investments is that return is driven more from underlying profit growth and building businesses with a competitive advantage in their market sector than through leverage and financial engineering.” 
Management buys Kaupthing arm
Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander, the UK capital markets arm of collapsed Icelandic bank Kaupthing, has been saved in a management buyout, revealing the team's confidence in the underlying business. The renamed Singer Capital Markets, a wholly employee-owned business, will be a full-service independent stockbroking business led by chief executive Tim Cockroft.
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Business
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Cities hopeful on local transport power
Liverpool and Manchester are hopeful that the amendment to the Local Transport Bill, currently in Parliament, will allow them to win more control over their bus networks after transport minister Geoff Hoon agreed to more localised control. The amendment, long championed by Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales in his capacity as chairman of passenger transport executives, means that local bodies rather than a central government quango will be responsible for selecting operators. Operators will work along the lines of Transport for London’s exclusive quality contracts.
Ready for a meal
Aintree-based Mrs Lam’s Delicious Food Company, a Chinese ready meal manufacturer, is reporting growth after launching new style formats and promotional activity at supermarkets Iceland and Asda. The company has trebled business in the past 18 months to its current turnover of £8.5m and has also appointed Greg Sanders as commercial manager. Sanders was previously national account controller with Ellesmere Port-based sandwich supplier Gibson Foods. General manager Richard Jones said: “Our business is experiencing month-on-month sales growth. Our commercial strategy aims to double turnover over the next 18 months.”
Johnson rolls out green clean
Merseyside-based Johnson Cleaners, the UK’s largest retail dry cleaning company, plans to invest up to £6m in transforming up to 150 of its branches into official GreenEarth stores by 2012. The company, which has its headquarters in Prescot, is the UK’s sole licence holder for the US-patented GreenEarth cleaning technology, which uses gentle liquid silicone cleaning solvents derived from naturally occurring sand. This weekend sees the launch of the first ten stores to be entirely refurbished and fronted with official GreenEarth branding, with an initial investment of £400,000.
How green is your product?
From today businesses can assess the carbon footprint of their goods and services thanks to a new standard launched by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and Defra. The standard – called PAS 2050 – is a consistent way of counting the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their lifecycle, from sourcing raw materials, through to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. The Carbon Trust has already piloted the standard with 75 product ranges for companies including The Co-operative Group, PepsiCo and Boots.
E.ON rounds up business troops
Power and gas company E.ON has today launched a campaign to recruit 10,000 Energy Marshals from Britain’s business community in a bid to slash energy bills by £2.5bn. Business leaders are being urged to create the role of Energy Marshal to champion energy efficiency and encourage employees to change their behaviour. In the North West businesses are losing more than £250m a year in wasted energy, emitting more than 2.2 million tonnes of wasted carbon.
Prize for lean manufacturing
The Manufacturing Institute has launched the UK version of the Shingo Prize, awarded to businesses to recognise operational excellence in using lean manufacturing processes. First established in North America, for 20 years the prize has provided an engine of growth for organisations and individuals. TMI expects the prize to have a dramatic impact on national productivity, GVA and business motivation.
Business investment down, says survey
A survey by Siemens Financial Services indicates that the UK economy’s stagnation is seriously hindering businesses’ ability to invest in equipment and technology. Siemens predicts that business investment in the second half of 2008 will be down 2 per cent on 2007, with the North West’s predicted fall of 3.8 per cent being the UK’s biggest. Siemens’ Derek Ryan said: “North West firms are delaying important investment decisions. It’s a classic short-term reaction to very real financial pressure, but one with a detrimental impact on long-term performance.”
Social Entrepreneur Awards launched
Bank of Scotland Corporate has launched its £6m Social Entrepreneur Awards, designed to encourage and nurture the organisations that “put welfare before wealth and reward those that put the greater good ahead of personal profits”. Two awards are on offer. The first comprises up to £5m free of interest and fees for three years, or a one-off cash donation of up to £500,000, the second £1m interest and fee-free for three years or a lump sum of £100,000. Each winner will receive three days mentoring from a leading social entrepreneur.
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Property
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Five alive
Newton-le-Willows developer Langtree will launch phase three of its Wellington Employment Park South scheme in north Liverpool on the back of deals with local companies Signorama and Fashion Finder that take the second phase to 75 per cent full. The third phase, branded as LFIVE, comprises 24,000 sq ft of self-contained industrial space with 3,300 sq ft of offices at first floor level and is due to be completed in December.
Morgan Ashurst completes mosque contract
The Liverpool office of construction company Morgan Ashurst has handed over the keys to the newly refurbished Al-Rahma Mosque at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Mulgrave Street, Toxteth. The Highfield Street-based business has added two storeys and carried out significant refurbishments inside the mosque. The project has also been put forward for a Civic Trust Award, which recognises buildings that make a difference to communities and the built environment.
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