LDP Business August 2010

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●Hungry forgrowth:Food&drink focus●Greendream:Ecofirmgetsenergised●Expansiondrive:Suttons’big investment

M O N T H L Y R E G I O N A L B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E

LiverpoolVisionCEO leavesbehindastrong legacy

End of an eraas Gill departsEnd of an eraas Gill departs

LDPBUSINESSw w w . l d p b u s i n e s s . c o . u k

A u g u s t 2 0 1 0w w w . l d p b u s i n e s s . c o . u k

A u g u s t 2 0 1 0

LDPBUSINESS

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GEORGE OSBORNE’S big axe iscurrently casting a shadow overus all.

In his emergency Budget, theChancellor proposed a level ofcuts to the public sector not seenin decades.

The implications for theLiverpool city region are huge.

Over the last 15 years,Merseyside has emerged blinkingfrom a long period of economicdecline.

Thanks to a massive injectionof cash from European Objective1, we have been able to lay thefoundations for a brighter future.

However, the region is stillmuch more dependent on thepublic sector than most otherparts of the UK.

During previous recessions,this has actually been to ouradvantage.

In times when we have seen analarming shrinkage of the privatesector, the large public sectorpresence in the region hasensured employment for many.

Now that has all changed.This time, it is the public sector,

too, that is to bear the brunt – andthat is worrying for the cityregion.

However, there is reason foroptimism.

The investment that has comein over the last decade or so hasgiven Merseyside’s private sectorrenewed confidence.

Commentators likeLiverpool Chamber ofCommerce chief executiveJack Stopforth andleading local economist,Peter Stoney, both believethe private sector is readyand willing to fill the gapsleft by a shrinking publicsector.

Let’s hope they’reright.

A big part of theshake-up could seean end to the

generous grant culture we haveenjoyed during the past few years.

There will still clearly be someelement of business support, butthe pot will almost certainly bemuch smaller in the future.

And the question remainsabout who or what willoversee that process.

The NorthwestDevelopment Agency(NWDA) is doomed and inits place we will see Local

Enterprise Partnerships(LEPs).

Existing agenciesare vying to

reinventthemselves asLEPs. Nodoubt, in

Merseyside, both The MerseyPartnership and Liverpool Visionwould see themselves as the idealcandidates. It is unlikely bothorganisations will survive.

NWDA chief executive StevenBroomhead is no doubt lookingupon the whole process with somedismay.

He has always strongly believedthat decisions about public sectorsupport for major projects shouldbe made at a regional, and not asub-regional, level.

He feels there is a risk thatdecisions become too politicised.

A whole new era beckons – and,with it, a real test for Liverpool.

4NEWSGreen conference returns

9BIG FEATUREA taste of the food and drink sector

16PROFESSIONAL SECTORSBusiness leaders back petition

17BIG INTERVIEWJim Gill, Liverpool Vision

23ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTFocus on Halton

27COMMERCIAL PROPERTYHow retail sector is shaping up

28SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYJMU students racing ahead

30TRANSPORTSuttons invests in tankers

32HOW GREEN IS YOURBUSINESS?Eco boss and the banker

35INTERNATIONAL TRADEDoing business in Asia

36EDUCATIONEdge Hill looks East

38RESTAURANT REVIEWMatou, in Liverpool

39THE LIST

40NETWORKERAlistair Houghton lives the high life

42SOCIAL DIARYCarolyn Hughes out on the town

EDITOR’SLETTER

TONY MCDONOUGH

INSIDE

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LDPBUSINESS

EDITORBill Gleeson0151 472 [email protected]

DEPUTY BUSINESSEDITORTony McDonough0151 330 [email protected]

BUSINESS WRITERSAlistair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

HEAD OF IMAGESBarrie Mills

MARKETINGEXECUTIVECath Reeves0151 285 8428

ADVERTISEMENTDIRECTORDebbie McGraw

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ADVERTISEMENTSALESJulie Cowley0151 472 2311Neil Johnson0151 472 2705

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PUBLISHED BYTrinity Mirror NW2,PO Box 48,Old Hall Street,Liverpool,L69 3EB.

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COPYRIGHTLDP Business is printedmonthly and distributed withthe Liverpool Daily Post. Nopart of this publication may bereproduced without permissionof the publisher.

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NEWS

Voodou founder and MD, Rob Webb

Mark McManus, chairman of the Green Power Forum

From left: Carl Woods, from KHT; PaulRoberts; from Oldham Brothers; and BarryFawcett, from Knowsley Council

Conference on greenenergy comes to cityS

OME of the biggest players inthe UK green energy marketwill come to Liverpool for amajor conference for thesecond year running.

The Green Power Forum (GPF) washeld at the BT Convention Centre lastyear and on October 14 it will return tothe city, this time to take place at theLJMU Art and Design Centre.

The 2010 GPF programme includesspeakers from The BritishElectrotechnical and AlliedManufacturers Association (BEAMA)and is sponsored by GroundworkMerseyside and Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce.

Presentations will be held ongovernment initiatives and funding,training and innovations, heat pumps,solar PV, smart grid and private andpublic sector case studies.

A meet the buyer section will also beheld.

GPF chairman Mark McManus toldLDP Business the conference wouldoffer a comprehensive guide on thebusiness case for going green.

He said: “The Government is settingtough targets to ensure that we reachour target of producing 20% of ourenergy from renewable sources by2010.

“Drilling that down, 12% of heatproduction must come from renewablesources and all new properties must bebuilt to zero carbon standards by 2016.These are extremely ambitious targetswhen you consider that just 1.5% ofenergy is generated by renewablesources today.

“GPF will fully explain thegovernment targets and offer anintroduction to the technologies whichare available to businesses.

“Crucially, the programme willinclude advice on the new financialschemes.”

Voodou trainingcentre to openLIVERPOOL hair salonchain Voodou is justweeks away fromopening its first“superstylistacademy”.

The academy, inStanley Street, in thecity centre, will offertrainees theopportunity to gainNVQ qualifications inboth hairdressing andbarbering at the sametime, rather thanfollowing thetraditional route ofspecialising in justone area. It will openon September 6, andcandidates fromhairdressers andbarbers across thecity are being invitedto apply for places.

Mixing a classroomand salonenvironment, thecentre will offerstudents training withclasses taken bysome of Liverpool’sleading stylists.

Voodou founder andmanaging director

Rob Webb believes thecompany hasidentified a gap in themarket, as mosttraining centres donot offer the skillsrequired for workingas both male andfemale hairdressers.

He said: ”VoodouTraining is aboutproviding the mostrelevant and moderntraining in the city,and ensuringLiverpool’s growingstatus as a leader inthe style stakes.

“Working at Voodouhas always beenabout living, breathingand sleeping training,and this new centre ofexcellence is aboutteaching a morerounded skill-set thatgraduates can takeback to their ownsalons or barbers.

“In addition toclasses from our topstylists, we will alsooffer training from

some of the industry’stop suppliers.”

Knowsley business alert scheme helps firmA KNOWSLEY businessscooped a lucrativecontract thanks to ascheme to alert localfirms to possible work.

Kirkby-based OldhamBrothers secured a dealto handle all therecycling needs ofKnowsley Housing Trustat its Huyton depot.

It was told of the workby a “tender alert sentout by KnowsleyCouncil’s businessliaison and investmentteam”.

The team let localbusinesses know aboutopportunities theymight want to bid, ortender, for.

They can also providegrants, propertysearches and othersupport.

“The tender alertworked out brilliantly forus,” said Paul Roberts,business developmentmanager for OldhamBrothers.

“We wouldn’t haveknown that KHT werelooking for someone, sowe want to say a bigthank you to thebusiness liaison team.

“This contract isreally valuable to us andhas secured severaljobs. Almost everyonewe employ is fromKnowsley.”

5

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For information please contact [email protected]

WE LOOK FORWARDTO SEEING YOU!

6

NEWS

Tailoring the right solutionSmartGarment People findsways to reachaglobal audiencewith pioneering technologyA LIVERPOOL-BASED firmis cutting a swathe throughthe clothing industry byutilising nanotechnology.

Smart Garment People,which is based at LiverpoolScience Park, was foundedin 2006 by Cath Rogan.

The company works withbusinesses that produceprotective and performanceclothing for police, militaryand sportswear markets.This means, for example,biocidal finishes, whichattack and destroy micro-organisms such as thosefound in blood, or heatprotection clothing.

Ms Rogan initially sought

help from Business LinkNorthwest in 2008 forgeneral business supportand advice about funding tocreate a website – which shewas eligible for.

She said: “As a direct re-sult of the website, my bus-iness attracted the attentionof a number of internationalcompanies, including amajor American client.

“The new website hassuccessfully boosted theprofile and credibility of thebusiness and has generatedsome exciting new salesleads.”

With a large part of herbusiness being in export

markets, Business Link puther in touch with UK Tradeand Investment, and helpedher to secure support for avisit to Miami earlier thisyear, to address aninternational conference onsmart fabrics.

The trip resulted in newcontacts, including anapproach from Nasa about aprogramme requiring smartfabrics.

Business Link Northwestadviser Phil Anders alsorecommended that thecompany should apply forthe Northwest RegionalDevelopment Agency’sinnovation vouchers

scheme, which is designedto help business owners,entrepreneurs and socialenterprises purchase aknowledge provider’sexpertise to help enhancetheir business.

He said: “Smart GarmentPeople is a great example ofan innovative and creativecompany with massivepotential, but one that needscareful guidance in order togrow at a manageable rateand not expand too fast forCath to be able to copewith.”■ BUSINESS Link’s servicecan be accessed bytelephone and email from

8am-8pm, Monday to Friday,as well as from 8am-2pm atweekends and BankHolidays.

Businesses can accessface-to-face support from aBusiness Link broker withspecialist industryexpertise.

Call Business Link on0845 00 66 888 or e-mailadvisers [email protected]

Firms can also findinformation atwww.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest from tools tocreate employmentcontracts to guides on sales,marketing and finance.

Cath Rogan, founder of Smart Garment People, with her Business Link Northwest adviser, Phil Anders

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▲

BY PETER ELSON

THE BIG FEATURE▲

Crowds watch local chef Emma Wombwell giving a cookery demonstration at last year’s Wirral Food and Drink Festival

Merseyside menu

Merseyside and Cheshire’s food and drinkindustry plays a massive part in the regional andnational economy, with a host of companies big

andsmall.Howisitcopinginthesetoughtimes?

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THE BIG FEATURE

Tea taster for Typhoo, Peter Megson, at the factory in Moreton, Wirral

WHATEVER the stateof the economy, foodand drink remainsthe stuff of life.

And if they don’tgrow it, ferment it or distil it, thepopulace has to buy it - which isto our ultimate economic benefit.

North West England is not onlythe country’s largest food anddrink producing region, but alsohas the highest concentration ofour food and drinkmanufacturing.

In Merseyside itself, the in-dustry has a £10bn annual turn-over and employs 10,000 people.

Historically, the industry isbased on the confluence at thePort of Liverpool of a hugefarming area for export and theimport of raw foodstuffs.

Such is its continuingimportance to the area that theNorthwest Development Agency(NWDA) and European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF) areinjecting £8m to stimulate anddevelop the top-end, niche foodproducers, to help maintain theirmarket edge (see panel).

Steven Broomhead, NWDAchief executive, said: “The NorthWest is not only the country’slargest food and drink-producingregion, it is also home to the UK’shighest concentration of food anddrink manufacturing businesses.

“This programme will help theregion’s food and drink sector tocontinue to grow and make themost out of high-growth markets.”

David Malpass, NWDAEuropean Programme director,said: “The ERDF funding will helpthe North West food and drinksector to grow, improving theperformance of over 750businesses and creating orsafeguarding nearly a 1,000 jobs.”

The programme will bemanaged by Food Northwest, thequango set up to promote theregion’s profitable and sustain-able food and drink industry, andto improve its competitiveness.

Pat Foreman, Food Northwestchief executive, said: “This ahighly dynamic industry which isreshaping all the time.

“Within this one sector,Merseyside is home to the fullrange of food and drink, fromglobal players to small companiesemploying a handful of people.

“Once you understand itsimportance, you realise why weensure all aspects are maximised.

“We promote and help in anyway we can, in mentoring,training, holding workshops andnetworking seminars.

“Most of our staff have abackground in food and drink,and it’s that connectivity whichwe utilise.”

Merseyside has a highlyimpressive roll-call ofmulti-national corporations, mostof which have bought intonationally-known, locally-basedfood and drink companies.

International giant Pepsico’sUK plant at Skelmersdale is amulti-functional site makingproducts from crisps to snacks tobaked savouries, such as MonsterMunch, Baked Walkers, WalkersCrisps and Snack-a-Jacks brands.

Then there are specialists likeRenshaw Napier, providingalmond paste and other products,Heathcotes Outside, the toprestaurant group which has nowdiversified into catering.

Tangerine Confectioners, whichmakes mallows at Edge Lane,Liverpool; Trigon Foods with its

nut brands like Big D andPlanters; major peanut andsnacks producer Sun Valley, ofBromborough, and Dairy Crest atKirkby, which makes UtterlyButterly and Vitalite.

Urens, at Neston, makes frozenconcentrates and fruit pulps.

Tranfoods of Birkenhead is abig cooked and sliced meatprocessing business forsupermarkets and deli countersand part of Parkam Foods Group.

“We still have old-establishedbrands like Princes Foods, withits global headquarters inLiverpool,” said Ms Foreman.

“It’s been going a long time, isinternationally well-respected andreal pleasure to work with.

“Likewise, United Biscuits’Jacobs plant in Aintree, whichhas had recent investment andsupport from the NWDA.

“UB is striving to do well forthe workforce and has brought inproducts from other countries toadd to established Jacobs lines.”

Vimto Drinks Group, atNewton-le-Willows, is making thesuccessful transition from aregional to national brand.

Cereal Partners UK has a jointventure with Nestlé and GeneralMills to make Cheerios atBromborough: “This is a veryefficient and modern factory,”said Ms Foreman.

“It’s had some NWDA helpmixed with its own investment.

The company has a really goodreputation as an employer, and aworkforce who are very loyal andlike to stay there.

“Manor Bakeries, on Wirral, isvery well respected and I’d say it’sone of our jewels in the crown.

“The biscuit maker Burton’sFoods has shed jobs at Moreton,but is still on site. While there’s apresence, there’s still hope.

“Its history has been chequeredthrough the company trying tobecome more efficient.

“Typhoo Tea does a good job,but needs to expand.”

Typhoo and its associatedbrands (including Harrods Tea),based at Moreton, Wirral, wasbought by Apeejay Surrendra

Group, one of India’s largest teaproducers, in 2005.

“This is a good operation with afantastic product,” said MsForeman, “but, like everyone else,it’s looking to see how to expandso the competition is very tough.”

Tulip International Foods, atBromborough, had a £12m privateinvestment to transform it into a“sausage production facility”which will create 270 new jobs.

Yet, only a year ago, Tulip saidthe Bromborough site did nothave a future, closed it and made303 people redundant.

Before it shut, the factory slicedand packaged cooked meats forMarks & Spencer and the Co-op.

Drinks company Halewood

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

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THE BIG FEATURE

International, confusingly basedat Huyton (not Halewood), hasweathered a tough recession.

Bob Rishworth, HalewoodInternational director, said: “Anybusiness which innovates shouldbe able to grow and develop.

“It won’t be easy as theGovernment needs taxes to pay offdebt and taxes to depress sales tocombat binge drinking.

“We’ve seen over a periodpeople moving from drinking inpubs and now 70% of alcohol isbought through supermarkets, upfrom 53% 10 years ago.

“I’m sceptical supermarkets useit as loss leaders when we see themargins they want us to match.

“The cider factor is performing

very well and Lambrinitechnically falls into that categoryas a pear and apple-based drink.

“But all other areas areshowing decline over the last 10years. One of the most accurate isto look at Customs’ clearances, asin what has had duty paid on it.

“Overall, alcohol consumptionis generally down.

“Over the last 12 months, ciderwas up 12%, light wine/spiritsdown 4% and beer down 8%.

“People don’t session drink likethey used to due to health andchanging social factors. There’salways a price point at whichpeople will stop buying.”

For Merseyside’s sake, let ushope that point is never reached.

Prince of foods seton Eastern crownLiverpool foodgiant forgesEuropeanallianceLEADING Liverpool food anddrink group Princes has setup its first new EasternEuropean joint-venture withestablished partner ADM.

The announcement comeshot on the heels of Princesestablishing a new Polishoffice to accelerate expansiononto the continent.

Princes Polska, based inWarsaw, will cover sales,marketing and categorymanagement expertise.

This is to strengthenPrinces’ support for retailand wholesale customers incentral and eastern Europe.

This is unusually visibleactivity for Princes, based inRoyal Liver Building, whichis well-known for shunningpublicity, in line with theculture of its owners,Mitsubishi Corporation,which is Japan's largestgeneral trading company.

In 2005, Princes and ADMformed a joint venture for twoUK vegetable and olive oilbottling sites, Edible OilsLimited (EOL).

The Polish joint venturewill follow the same businessmodel as EOL.

The concept is to combinePrinces’ sales and marketingexpertise with ADM’s supplychain strengths.

The two companies alsosigned an agreement toexpand distribution of bottlededible oil in Poland.

Ken Critchley, Princesmanaging director, said:“Part of our forward strategyis to further expand intomainland European markets.

“Poland represents aparticularly strong market forus and we plan furtherexpansion in the country.

“ADM is an establishedpartner bringing significantstrength to our retailproposition and we haveexciting plans with them.”

Brent Fenton, ADM

European Oilseeds managingdirector, said: “With Princes,and experience in brand andcategory management, we areideally positioned tomaximise opportunities inthe Polish market.”

Princes and ADM expecttheir new partnership inPoland to help retailers andwholesalers develop edibleoils and drive volume andvalue in eastern Europe.

It will also create newopportunities for brandedand private label sales.

Princes, which has anannual turnover of more than£1bn, also plans easternEuropean acquisitions andother local partnerships.

The new Princes Polskaoffice will report to PrincesBV, the group’s continentalEuropean headquarters in

Rotterdam, opened in 1989.Princes started in 1880 and itsbrands include Crisp 'n Dry,Mazola cooking oil, Floramargarine, Shippam’sspreads, Jucee squash, OceanSpray and Aqua-Pura.

Rival company John West,of Tithebarn Street,Liverpool, is canned fishbrand leader in the UK,Holland and Ireland.

It has just signed TV chefJames Martin in a six-figuredeal to be brand ambassadorfor the firm's products.

Jeremy Coles, John Westmarketing director, said:“This is to inspire consumersto do more with our cannedfish range, using a chef theyknow to show them how.”

It is part of John West’sbiggest spend on marketing,announced in February.

Princes’ products – set an for Eastern European push

Food and drink gets a financial tonicMERSEYSIDE issharing in an £8mboost to its foodand drinksindustry frompublic funds.

The NorthwestRegionalDevelopmentAgency (NWDA), intandem withprivate sectorpartners and theEuropeanRegionalDevelopment Fund(ERDF), have

approved £4meach to stimulateand develop thehigher-value areasof the food anddrink economy.

The programmewill be run byFood Northwest,the food and drinkorganisation, andit is estimated theproject will createor safeguard 940jobs, create atleast 50businesses, and

provide supportand managementskills to over 3,000businesses.

The programmewill be deliveredthrough four maindivisions. Theseinclude: fundingand specialisttechnical supportto food and drinksmall to medium-sized enterprises(SMEs); supportfor the centralco-ordination of

speciality foodand drink viamarketintelligence andtrade shows’information; healthand safety, foodhygiene, businesscontinuityplanning and legaladvice;organic/ethnicsupport soproducers cantake advantage ofthis high growthsector.

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THE BIG FEATURE

Booming wine firm maturesHalewood International breathes new life intoBritain’s oldestwinemerchants tomeet

WHILE the success of the drinksindustry is clearly a great boost tothe local economy, not everyoneviews it that way.

“We always seem to be underattack from the health lobby, themedical profession or fromgovernment,” said BobRishworth, Chalié Richardschairman and HalewoodInternational director,

Chalié Richards, owned byHalewood International, is basedin Huyton and is the UK’s oldestwine merchants, founded in 1700.

Mr Rishworth moved the firmfrom Horsham, Sussex, about fiveyears ago, when he becamemanaging director.

It was easier to run the firmsharing the parent company’s newback-office technology on thesame site.

Chalié Richards’s portfolioincludes wines from France,

Spain, Portugal, Argentina, SouthAfrica, California, Chile, NewZealand and Australia.

It has been appointed the newdistributor for Sir Cliff Richard’swines, Vida Nova and Onda Nova.

The wine is made at thesinger’s Algarve vineyard and theagreement covers the UK andsome international markets.

Part of Mr Rishworth’s role aschairman is to focus on corporateand industry issues, representingHalewood International Holdingson the boards of the Gin andVodka Association and the Wineand Spirit Trade Association.

Halewood International ownsand manufactures some of theUK’s best-known drink brandsranging from Lamb’s Navy Rum,Red Square Vodka, Reloaded andLambrini. The company makesTsingtao Chinese beer underlicence in the UK.

Its annual turnover is around£250m, employing 400 people atHuyton and 2,000 internationally.

Subsidiary businesses in SouthAfrica and Romania are doingextremely well producing andselling wine locally.

A joint-venture in China with alicensed production company hasalso been a sound investment.

“We’ve got a good, enthusiasticteam, headed by an innovative,dynamic entrepreneur, TonyHalewood, who believes in drivinghard,” said Mr Rishworth.

He has been with Halewood for20 years and came from managingMorrison’s supermarket winedivision to develop accounts insouthern England.

“Chalié Richards is essentiallya sales operation. We produce andship wine products and bottlewine under our own label.”

Following a very good 2008

which saw its volume grow by25%, Chalié Richards had anindifferent year in 2009.

However, its new Crabbiesalcoholic ginger beer took off andshifted a million cases in the firstyear, he said, “which is very goodbusiness.

“But we’re being attacked on allquarters from governmentregulation, the medical professionand social culture.

“Our concern is about howpeople handle drink. There’s nosuch thing as bad drink, only baddrinkers.

“If the objective is to reducealcohol consumption then it’sabout education, not pricing.

“We’ve grown our winebusiness in volume, but marginsare very tight due to the retail andwholesale trade’s nature.

“Any business has to innovateand bring in new products.

“You have to know whatconsumers are looking for anddrinking.

“A few years ago, it wasChardonnay, and now it’s PinotGrigiot – which doesn’t have a lotof varietal character, but is aneasy unchallenging wine.

“We bought Iceberg de-alcoholicwine and felt there was moreopportunity and this proved thecase.

“It’s a proper wine-style drink,appealing, for example, topregnant women, or drivers, whodon’t want to drink cocoa ororange juice.

“Pink, or rosé wine, has nowoutpaced everything, throughimproved vinification.

“It’s a development fromalcopops, which have died a death.

“People will move from sweetspirits to sweet and then dry wine.

“Wine is basically pressing

Bob Rishworth, head of Chalié Richards and Halewood director – seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses of wine

13

THE BIG FEATURE

nicelychanging tastes

fermented grapes and there’s alimit to what you can do.

“However, there’s a whole hostof presentation you can do withpackaging and bottling.

“We made Iceberg look morefresh, less Germanic and fussy.”

One World wines met a need fora generic brand to umbrella sub-brands from many countries.

These include Ocean Point fromAustralia, Orange Street fromSouth Africa and OrchidBoulevard, from California.

“Unlike, say, colas, the marketshare for any one wine brand isnot that significant.

“Rather than spending moneymarketing just Orange Street, wecan spend the same amount tomarket a range of countries.

“This offers retailers’ buyers arange of wines at one price, andrestaurants can use them ashouse wines.”

Food festival quality is recession-beating recipeTHE Wirral Food & DrinkFestival has bloomed asthe alternative to the bigbusiness domination.

It is held at ClaremontFruit and Vegetable Farm,off the M53 at Bebington,on August 29-30.

During its five years ofexistence, visitor numbershave risen from 14,000 to20,000 at the 15-acre site.

Andrew Pimbley, ofClaremont Farm and one ofthe founders, said: “Weknew we were onto

something big from thestart. We’re at the heart ofsupplying to about 30 toprestaurants such as 60Hope Street, Puschka andLondon Carriage Works, inLiverpool.

“We felt more peoplewould enjoy knowing aboutthis food and as there wasnothing like this in Wirral orMerseyside we joinedforces with Anne Benson,who runs Wirral Farmers’Market.”

The festival has an

international food courtwith over 100 individualstalls for productsincluding ostrich, buffalo,cheeses, liqueurs,chutneys and desserts.

“We have chefs on amain demonstration stageand the Dig a Little Deeperstage, with more in-depthshows about butchery,chocolate making andbee-keeping,” he said.

“This year we’ve takenan interactive theme withchefs adopting a schools.

“The Can Cook inflatabledomes will be here offeringwith 10 work-stations for 30-minute cookery sessions.

“It’s important to keepthe farming element toshow food’s origins.

“The big appeal is there’ssomething for everyone.It’s outdoors on a real farmand sourcing local food isvery much in vogue.

“The festival appears tobe recession-proof; evenlast year, producers saidthey had great sales.”

How Big D went back to thefuture for a full nutty effectAintree nut processor not frightened to reinstate goodoldgirl powerCRITICS said it was a tired-out old ideawhich couldn’t be revived.

But when Brian Cardy took a thirdshareholding in Trigon Foods, of Aintree,and became managing director of its Big DNuts brand, he didn’t hesitate to reinstatethe BigDBabe.

“Big D Nuts is really focused on pubtrade which is up for cheeky laddish fun,with a pretty girl pictured on promotioncards.

“The BigDBabe promotion existed in thelate 70s, but by the 1990s it was deemedpolitically incorrect.

“I bought into the company in 2001 andfirst thing I did was put the girl back.

“I knew it would get a lot of attention.People are nostalgic and warmly rememberthese girls.”

In other words, busty girls sell nuts toblokes?

“Well, it re-energised the brand with thebabe and new packaging as a point ofdifference.

“We’re growing the brands throughpubs. It’s an excellent product, and we’renot looking to cheapen it by cost-reduction.This applies to all our products.”

Besides Big D Nuts, the company makesPlanters and Passion Shed brands.

Independent since 1996, Trigon Foodshas an annual turnover of £20m, with 130employees at its Aintree plant.

A heavily seasonal trade, business risesfrom September to December forChristmas, when staff numbers increase to150 employees.

Trigon licenses Planters from Kraft inthe US, and this is more focused as agrocery retail brand.

Passion Shed is Trigon’s premium brandfor delis, hotels and top grocery stores suchas Sainsbury and Waitrose.

Trigon also makes retailers’ own-brandsfor Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose.

“They all have their individual products,which we make bespoke,” said Mr Cardy.

“It’s not simply the same nut packageswith different labels.

“The last 18 months has been a seriouseconomic situation, but luckily we’re in thequality end of the market place.

“We’ve grown our sales base as a qualityproducer, processor and packer of nutproducts.

“Our main concern is the huge increase

in the cost of raw materials due tosterling’s depressed state against thedollar.”

Nuts types are sourced worldwide – US,Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, Vietnam,China, South Africa and Australia.

Fruit is also globally sourced with muchcoming from Chile, but interestingly this ismainly imported through Felixstowe, notLiverpool.

One of Peel Ports’ major grouses is howthe Port of Liverpool loses out toFelixstowe.

“The nut type costs vary hugely, from thecheapest, like peanuts, to the veryexpensive, like macadamia,” said Mr Cardy.

“With Planters, it’s up to us to createproducts and we plan new packaging for alaunch early in 2011.

“We launched Passion Shed two yearsago and it’s growing very slowly.

“We have a lab in Aintree, with threestaff coming up with new mixes like pecanand cashew with balsamic and oregano.

“One of the first hotels to use PassionShed was Malmaison Hotel, in Liverpool.

“I went to see them myself and got thebrand in there.

“This is the kind of personal effort whichis crucial if you’re running a smallercompany and want to make a goodimpression.

“Nothing beats the personal contact tobuild up trust in your brand.

“As a result, the company then put theminto other Malmaisons and its Hotel DuVin brand chain.”

Passion Shed is also being stocked byLondon-based Firmdale Hotels, whoseswanky boutique properties include theSoho Hotel and New York’s Crosby StreetHotel.

Rosie Jones, the new BigDBabe, shows off her brand value

14

THE BIG FEATURE

Vimto – a seriously unstoppable hitNewton-le-Willows soft drinks firmkeen to stay true to its rootswhile takingon theworldHOW much bigger can Vimto get?

For 102 years, it has been a populardrink in its traditional North West home,but now some smart marketing has seen acolossal increase in sales in a sectorseemingly dominated by multi-nationals.

Based at Newton-le-Willows, just offJunction 23 of the M6, Vimto Soft Drinks isa subsidiary of Nichols plc.

The founding family members are stillmajor shareholders, and John Nichols isnon-executive chairman.

The brand, now worth a staggering£49.7m, saw sales grow by 32% in the lastyear, when the overall soft drinks marketonly grew 5%.

It is already huge in Africa, India andthe Middle East, where its sweet, fruityflavour with a distinctive “kick” makes itpopular with Muslims during Ramadan.

Jonathan Bye, Vimto Soft Drinksmanaging director, said: “Our sales grewby 22% the year before and we neverimagined we’d match that figure last year,never mind increase to 32%.”

Apart from his “highly committed” staffof just 40, he also modestly attributes thisrocketing sales rise to Vimto’s newmarketing agency, Driven, of Wilmslow.

“One of the key factors was totallymoving the brand to appeal to teenagers,instead of eight-to-12 year-olds.

“We’ve also built a new creativeadvertising campaign which embraces TV,radio, website and the digital-age medialike Facebook and Spotify.

“I’m a bit of a Luddite, but I understandthe power of this new communication.

“While the drink is famous in the NorthWest, we realised the rest of the countrywas an untapped market.

“People vaguely knew Vimto was ablackcurrant cordial.

“We wanted to get the message across itwasn’t just another Ribena, but also hadblackberries, grapes and a secret mix ofherbs and spices.

“That’s why we created theaward-winning Seriously Mixed-Up Fruitscampaign, built around the set of fruitcharacters and promoted across allmedia.”

The company also produces Sunkistfruit soft drinks under licence from itsCalifornian owner, and Panda, an additive-free drinks range for five-to eight-year-olds.

The manufacture of Vimto ceased at itsold Haydock plant in 2003, and the drink isnow made in three factories around theUK.

“This is a very cost-conscious businesswhere overheads are very tight,” said MrBye.

“We’ve cut back the eight manufacturers

to three, as we must have the lowest costproduction.

“There must be efficiency in volume toget costs down to free money to invest inthe brand to drive growth.”

He was formerly general manager atPatak Indian foods, of Wigan, until its saleto Associated British Foods three years agofor £100m.

“Vimto Soft Drinks and Patak are bothsimilar-sized small brands offering goodquality products which people like as soonas they try them,” he said.

“We’re genuinely in a David and Goliathsituation with the big boys.

“What is a blip on their balance sheet isa massive gain or loss for us.

“That’s why we’re always looking fornew ideas and proposals.

“For example, we realised anything withcherry sells in the South East, so weintroduced Cherry Vimto, which has takenoff since launch in January.

“The brand is already worth £2m, whichwill rise to £4m by year-end,” he said.

“None of these things just happen – weput in a lot of effort behind the scenes tomake sure we get it right.

“It’s absolutely crucial to make sure it’scrystal clear to the staff what the companyis trying to achieve.”

His role representing small tomedium-sized businesses (SMEs) on theFood & Drink Federation executivecommittee is, he said, “a fantastic way toprofile Nichols Vimto” to his big rivals.

Part of Vimto Soft Drink’s success is MrBye’s strategy to ensure his staffpersonally meet their retail contacts.

This has gained the confidence of theleading supermarket chains.

“We’ve worked very hard at increasingour distribution through retailers likeTesco, where we were under-trading inproportion to their market size.

“It’s not just about having Vimto in thesupermarkets. It’s got to be everywhere toincrease brand awareness.

“Wherever you go, there will be a softdrinks cabinet – and we’ve managed to getVimto into a lot more of those: Boots,Blockbusters, Sayers, Moto ServiceStations and National Trust shops.”

The Vimto brand is also licensed toother manufacturers for ice lollies andsweets.

Mr Bye says he has increased marketingsupport for Vimto Soft Drinks by 20% asothers have cut back.

“We’ve doubled Sunkist sales over thelast few months after a package redesign,but this is off a very small base,” he said.

“We’re looking at licensing a couple ofother brands to launch into the UK, as thisacts as new growth.”

Vimto chief Jonathan Bye – making inroads in the US and China

Reading the Lancashire tea leaves tells a typical tale of the recessionTHE tea market has“gone through theroof”, says LancashireTea founder and bossPaul Needham, and hisrevived trade has exceed-ed all predictions.

This is all the moregratifying as his firmsurvived near-collapselast November by goinginto administrationafter severe cashflowproblems.

Coming out of

administration lastDecember and nowbacked by developerGreshams, theNewton-le-Willowscompany is in a marketwhere demand is out-stripping supply.

“We’ve now got thefinancial support forexpansion and do nothave a cashflowproblem, which freesfunds for growth,” saidMr Needham, who

employs eight staff.“Prior to our troubleslast year, we sold36,000 boxes of tea amonth. Now it’s 55,000boxes and we expect tosell 105,000 withinabout four weeks.”

Lancashire Teashows how smallbusinesses, seen aspost-recession hopes,can fall foul of bankingdecisions out of theircontrol, which bigger

rivals can survive. “Thetea trade should berecession-proof. Ifpeople don’t go out,they stay in and drinktea,” said Mr Needham.

“People criticisesupermarkets for notbeing supportive, butthey’ve been fantasticand very loyal to us.

“Our existing clientslike Tesco, Morrison’s,Asda and HomeBargains came back. I

didn’t go begging fortheir return.”

Lancashire Teadelivers to a widerange of businesses,and is inevitablycompared to the muchbigger Yorkshire Tea.

The latter, taken overby Betty’s of Harrogate,went from being aregional favourite to an8% UK market share.

Can Lancashire Teafollow such success?Paul Needham

15

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Over 100 Producers and Stalls

Live Chef Demonstrations ~ includingGreat British Menu Finalist Aiden Byrne

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and much, much more…

Bigger than ever

16

PROFESSIONAL SECTORS LEGAL SERVICES

Widespread supportfor city lobby groupProfessional Liverpool receives strongbacking

LIVERPOOL professionals haverallied around the sector’s supportgroup in the city, ProfessionalLiverpool, which is lobbying tohave its funding reinstated.

The group has been told by theNorthwest Development Agencythat it would not receive apreviously-agreed £200,000 grant –which is about 80% of its funding.

Professional Liverpool’s lobby-ing efforts include an online pet-ition, started by chief executiveMark Chadwick – http://pl.epetitions.net – which has quicklygarnered support from across thecity. Philip Rooney, DLA Piper’smanaging partner in Liverpool,said: “It has performed aninvaluable role in raisingawareness of the importance of theprofessional and financial servicessector to the Liverpool city region.

“There is more still to be doneto capitalise on that by attractingnew business to the region.”

Ian Evans, senior partner atWeightmans, said: “We supportthis petition and ask thatProfessional Liverpool be allowedto continue the good work itundertakes on behalf of theprofessional services communityhere in Liverpool.”

Ann Thorne, operations direc-tor at Liverpool JMU’s faculty ofbusiness and law, argues that theorganisation’s influence stretchesoutside the city’s commercial district.

She said: “It has done anexcellent job in supportingLiverpool, for example by creatinghigh-level business opportunitiesand networks and supportinghigher education by enabling us tointeract with the professions.” Philip Rooney, managing partner of DLA’s Liverpool office

Mark Chadwick, chief executive of Professional Liverpool, who has started the petition

LEGALLYSPEAKING

With Donna King,associate inprivate client atHill Dickinson

QI AM verydisappointed thatthe Conservativeshave notimplemented their

pre-election pledge to raisethe inheritance taxallowance to £1m perperson. I have workedextremely hard to buildmy business and mypersonal wealth and I wantto pass it to my childrenrather than to theGovernment. Now that theConservatives have brokentheir pre-election promise,is there anything else I cando to reduce my exposureto inheritance tax?

AYOU are not alonein your frustrationat theConservativesreneging on their

promise. The initial pledgehad the potential to savefamilies more than half amillion pounds each.Instead, theinheritance taxallowance hasbeen frozen at£325,000.

The goodnews is that,with carefulplanning, thereare ways inwhich yourinheritance taxexposure canbe reduced.Firstly, youshould have inplace aprofessionally drafted willto ensure that full use ofany available taxexemptions is made. Youshould also check any lifeassurance policies andpension death benefits thatyou have. If you place thesebenefits in a trust duringyour lifetime, they can beentirely inheritance taxfree on your death.

Aside from thesemeasures, the rulingmaxim is “live rich and diepoor”! To reduce yourinheritance tax exposure,you must reduce yourestate. As your objective isto preserve your wealth foryour family, you shouldstart to give your assets toyour children now(providing you keepenough to live on yourself).

There’s another catch,however. If you die withinseven years of the gifts,they will still counttowards your inheritancetax bill. Luckily, there area number of exceptions tothis seven-year rule. Forexample, everyone has anannual exempt amount of£3,000 and regular gifts outof surplus income can alsobe exempt.

You may be nervousabout making substantialgifts to your children now.Perhaps they’re notmature or settled enough,or you are not fond of theirpartner? You can stillmake gifts now to start theseven-year clock ticking,but retain control bymaking the gift into a trustfund. None of yourchildren need get a pennyuntil you feel they areready for it – a trust canlast up to 125 years!

You say that you havebuilt up abusiness. It ispossible thatyour businessassets will befree frominheritance tax.Subject toconditions,business assetscan attract100% or 50%relief from thetax. On thedownside, thisrelief onlyapplies if you

die while still owning thebusiness assets. As soon asyou sell the assets, the saleproceeds no longer qualifyand will count towards thetax. With careful planning,it is possible to “lock in”the relief using a trust, butthere is a minimum periodof ownership that appliesto a trust, so forwardplanning is crucial.

So, depending on yourcircumstances, there isstill plenty of scope toreduce your exposure tothe tax. You should have athorough assessment ofyour financial affairs withyour advisors now to putyour strategy in place, andkeep it under review toensure the fruits of yourlabour are enjoyed by yourfamily.

‘Therearewaysyour taxexposurecanbereduced’

17

THE BIG INTERVIEW

BY BILL GLEESON

▲ ▲

Three decades of progress

From the Toxteth riots to Liverpool’syear as European Capital of Culture,Jim Gill’s career in regeneration has

not lacked for drama

From the Toxteth riots to Liverpool’syear as European Capital of Culture,Jim Gill’s career in regeneration has

not lacked for drama

18

THE BIG INTERVIEW JIM GILL

servants to put aside their normalpractices and replace them withmore innovative methods.

“They threw the rule bookaway and, as a result, things gotdone quicker. Mercury Court andWavertree Technology Park gotgoing.

“There was a sense ofexcitement working withministers like Heseltine.

“He was an active player,asking people what had beenachieved since the last meeting.

“When you get commitment ofthe nature he put into it, you get asense of ‘can do’.

“But, unless you get thatcommitment, government revertsto type. It becomes rule-bound.

“It’s when you can break therules that you get thingshappening.”

One key initiative at the timewas the creation of theMerseyside DevelopmentCorporation (MDC).

“It was not very democratic, itwas almost imposed on the localauthorities,” said Mr Gill.

“But you can look at the thingsthey did achieve, and while theymight not have had the qualitiesof today, they were desperate daysand getting any kind ofinvestment was an achievement.”

Mr Gill points to the Eldonianvillage as an example of the sortof project that can make a hugedifference to communities.

“They built on something thatwas reasonably strong and triedto extend it to the communityaround it,” he said.

“It’s probably more valuablebecause it came from within thecommunity, rather than beingimposed from outside.”

Indeed, Mr Gill thinks theEldonian village is an example ofhow much of the rest of northLiverpool could have beendeveloped. The fact resourceshaven’t been directed that way, hebelieves, represents a missedopportunity.

“Vauxhall, Kirkdale and muchof north Liverpool doesn't have amajor employment base. If youaddressed that area in the way weaddressed Speke-Garston, youwould have got more value. Itcould have been linked to thecommunity-based schemes in thenorth of Liverpool.

“Things that are embedded inthe community have more chanceof succeeding than things broughtin from outside.

“Most people would say the citycentre has been regeneratedsuccessfully. But what it hasn’tdone is translate physical changeinto local benefits.

“There are people in somecommunities that don't see thebenefit of the changes in the citycentre.”

By way of example, Mr Gillrecalls a visit to a school in Speke.

“A lot of resources had been putinto Speke. We had the EstuaryCommerce Park, the BoulevardIndustrial Park and new schoolbuildings in Speke.

“Everybody was feeling goodabout it, including me.

“We met seven or eight pupilsaged 10 or 11 years – bright kids,longing to talk to us. The school’sspecialism was performing arts,so these kids were very outgoing.

“I was interested to find outwhether the kids thought therewas a better future for them as aresult of all of the changes.

“One girl recognised that thenew school was great and that itwould offer facilities outsideschool hours that the whole

JIM GILL has stepped downas chief executive ofLiverpool Vision, havingcompleted three decadesworking in economic

regeneration in the city.Whether as a director of

English Partnerships or morerecently as chief executive of bothincarnations of Liverpool Vision,Mr Gill has been at the vanguardof the city’s regeneration since1994. Even in his earlier career, hewas closely involved with thecity’s fight back against decline.

Mr Gill took over as chiefexecutive of Liverpool Vision in2001 and remained in the top jobwhen the urban regenerationcompany was merged with twoother economic developmentquangos, Liverpool LandDevelopment Company andbusiness support agency BusinessLiverpool. At Liverpool Vision, hewas responsible for overseeing thecity’s “Big Dig” which includedupgrading and redesigning thecity centre streets and pavements– the construction of LiverpoolOne and the Echo Arena and BTConvention Centre at Kings Dock.Prior to joining Liverpool Vision,Mr Gill was regional director, andthen commercial director, ofEnglish Partnerships from 1994,based at Mercury Court, onTithebarn Street. Prior to that, hespent four years in the privatesector with Amec Developments.

While he saw much progress inthe city in the latter part of hiscareer, things were very differentwhen, as a young economist, hejoined the Department of Trade &Industry (DTI) in 1971. He rose tothe civil service rank of assistantsecretary before moving to Amec.

Mr Gill recalls how thereseemed to be a majorannouncement about factoryclosures and job losses inLiverpool every Friday evening.

As everybody knows, mattersreached a low point with theToxteth riots of 1981. In theaftermath of the riots, a numberof government departments,including the DTI, formedtask-forces under the leadershipof then cabinet minister MichaelHeseltine, to tackle Merseyside’ssocial and economic problems.

“We used to have one man inLiverpool,” Mr Gill said. “Butafter Toxteth, we set up an officein Derby Square. Heseltinewanted to give more focus toregeneration.

“It was a pretty awful time.“The same areas of Liverpool

that were suffering in the 1980sare the same ones that aresuffering today. We have not madesignificant shifts in economicprosperity in those places.

“I remember going into a shopon Church Street in the early1980s, thinking the stock herehasn’t moved for ages.

“Activity in the city centre hasvisibly changed since, but otherparts of the city, which weresuffering most then, are stillsuffering today.

“Confidence is way higher thanit was, but it takes a longer timeto turn around communities thanit does to change the physical lookof the city centre.

“The city went through a long,slow decline in the 20th century,which accelerated in the 1980s andwe’re still recovering from the1980s.

“It felt daunting.”Mr Gill explained that the

task-force allowed the civil

community could use. She wasenthusiastic.

“Her mother was going to do acourse there.

“I asked her about the citycentre.

“She said she never went there‘Because it’s dirty and smelly’.

“She had no perception thatwhat was going on in the citycentre was relevant to her and herfamily.

“It does make you think aboutthe real value of the things we areinvolved in.”

Notwithstanding what is awidely-held scepticism about thebroader benefits of city centreregeneration, Mr Gill believes it

was crucial to the city as a whole:“It’s a feeling.

“I do think that, since the 1980sand even the mid 90s, there’s asense in communities that youcan make a difference byencouraging people to takecontrol of their own lives.

“I get much more of a sense ofreal activity, enthusiasm andoptimism about the future nowthan I ever did in the 1980s.

“The major improvement inkids’ performance at GCSE levelis another reason to be optimisticabout the future. If it means kidsthink there is a point to studying,then that is very different.

“The despondency of the 1980s –

all that is largely gone now. Peopleare more optimistic.

“But we have a big test coming.“It feels a little like the 1980s all

over again. The drasticrestructuring of the public sectorwill pose challenges to that senseof confidence.

“It feels a bit like we areentering into a period when thedaily news will be bad news, notgood, once more.

“And that has the potential tofeed despondency.”

The recession of the past twoyears and the forthcoming publicsector spending cuts, combinedwith the ending of EuropeanUnion funded Objective 1

Jim Gill in St Paul’sSquare, Liverpool


19


economic development supportfor Merseyside, have all cometogether to create a real sense ofhiatus in the city. The outlook forthe next few years contrastssharply with the pace and scale ofdevelopment enjoyed over the pastdecade or longer.

Mr Gill said: “At the back end ofthe 1990s, there was steadyeconomic growth. There were noexternal shocks. That, togetherwith the level of funding availablethrough Europe and theNorthwest Development Agency(NWDA) and local politicalstability allowed Liverpool to takeadvantage and change.

“But that has now run into a

brick wall or fallen off a cliff interms of public resources.

“The good thing is Liverpooldid take advantage. Its politicianshad good sense.”

Mr Gill is, of course, referringto politicians like former citycouncil leaders Mike Storey andWarren Bradley, who came topower in Liverpool in 1998. Healso says that Labour, under theleadership of Frank Prendergast,had become more approachable.

“This sense of working withpeople rather than battlingagainst them is something thathas paid off,” he added.

“Speke-Garston was a jointventure between the city counciland English Partnerships (EP)and it was a Labour council thatdid the deal, led by FrankPrendergast.

“Some lessons were learned. Byjoining with the NWDA and EP,you could secure more resources.

“You risk losing democraticcontrol, but it has worked.

“City councils of whateverpersuasion deserve a lot of creditfor working that way.

“Without the city council, theother agencies couldn’t make thatmuch of a difference.”

Merseyside received twotranches of European Objective 1money during the 1990s. It iswidely thought that the secondprogramme was better managedthan the first.

Mr Gill explains: “Big lessonswere learned from the firsttranche of European money.

“The first day I joined EP, in1994, I went to a meeting withPeter Bounds (city council chiefexecutive) and John Flamson(running City Challenge). Therewas a guy from government officetelling us how they were going toimplement the first round ofEuropean money.

“He took us through apresentation. It started withseeking bids to run the wholeprogramme and ended 11 monthslater with a decision.

“He was planning on having asingle competitive bid to managethe whole programme, and out ofthat they would get the rightresult.

“I asked him if he was seriousabout taking 11 months to make adecision. He said ‘Yes’.

“I thought that was completenonsense.

“The lesson from the firstprogramme was that you musthave some focus. You must do thethings that make a difference andyou can't rely on a competitiveprocess to make it happen.

“Let’s focus on an area andmake a difference there, such asSpeke-Garston, Ropewalks.

“It has made a difference there.But why not north Liverpool? Icouldn’t tell you.

“When we moved into the

second programme, JohnFlamson was running it. Herealised how important the citycentre was.

“It was easy to get Europeanmoney for the city centre.European money has made areally big difference and the citycentre has made a big differenceto the city region.

“We have been able to marshalthe funding against a smallnumber of focused big projects.

“Having a plan and visionmakes a big difference.”

Big projects funded by thesecond tranche of Europeanmoney include the Echo Arenaand BT Convention Centre, butthe project that made the biggestsingle contribution to the physicalregeneration of Liverpool citycentre didn’t take a penny ofpublic grant.

Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool Oneshopping development wasidentified by Liverpool Vision asone of the big opportunities forprogress.

“Grosvenor identified Liverpoolas under-retailed, and therefore agood commercial opportunity.”

But Mr Gill insists thatEuropean funding for other citycentre developments encouragedthe Duke of Westminster’scompany to put its own moneyinto the city.

“It was a better plan because ofthose other developments. It was a

better bet for investors. It was amassive expansion in the cityalongside real efforts to revitalisethe commercial district and thewaterfront.

“Grosvenor was the rightchoice because they take a long-term commercial view.

“The fact there was a plan therefor the rest of the city centre wasa big encouragement toGrosvenor.

“Grosvenor stuck with it andmoved at a pace that otherswouldn't have done and, in doingso, suffered increased costs.Others would have pulled out,” hesaid.

Nor was the Duke the onlysource of big institutionalinvestment in the city. Others,such as Standard Life, haveinvested their money in citycentre office developments inrecent years.

Mr Gill says: “Liverpool is backon the map.

“In the 80s, it was the last placepeople wanted to invest.

“The German investment fundthat bought the officedevelopment at Mann Islandbought in at a time when themarket in general was bad andothers wouldn’t have done.

“In the last 10 years, theproperty market got very hot.Money was pouring in. Yields onSt Paul’s Square went down to lowlevels.”

For many years, commercialoffice property development inLiverpool city centre only ever gotoff the ground with the assistanceof government grants, known as“gap funding”.

The subsidy was necessarybecause the value of completedbuildings, even those full withtenants, was less than the cost ofconstructing them.

However, at the height of theproperty boom, when both rentswere rising and yields falling, thepublic money was no longernecessary to make schemesviable.

Examples of developments thatdid not use public sector gapfunding include City Square andSt Paul’s Square.

“Before any grant was drawn,City Square was sold.

“So the developers ended uppaying money to the RDA,” saidMr Gill.

“Each time we were trying tomake a scheme happen, we werepushing up rental values andpushing down yields.”

However, those benignconditions are now a thing of thepast.

“The last scheme was St Paul'sSquare, which attracted a rent of£21.50 per sq ft, but because themarket has gone so cold thoseassumptions have to be changed.

“When yields were in the 5-6%range, you could demonstrate adevelopment was viable.

“But now that the market hasjust crashed, it feels like we areback near the bottom of the hillagain.”

Nevertheless, Mr Gill insiststhat the commercial office marketremains crucial to the futuredevelopment of the city centre.

He cites the example of Legal &General, which, through theEnglish Cities Fund, was one ofthe original investors in St Paul’sSquare.

“In the past, Legal & General’sview was that there was a limit to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

The Arena and Convention Centre complex transformed Liverpool’s waterfront

20


what they would put into the citybecause of their perception of it,but Legal & General now have avery different view aboutLiverpool as an investmentlocation because it’s worked forthem,” Mr Gill said.

Mr Gill says some people haveobserved that he is leaving at theoptimum time – after the goodwork of the last 10 years has cometo fruition, but just before theadverse effects of the spendingcuts set in.

After all, when the bigdecisions are unveiled in theautumn spending round,economic development andbusiness support budgets couldprove to represent an easy target.

And while Brussels has giventhe North West Objective 2 money,it is small change compared to theObjective 1 cash Merseyside usedto receive.

“Jessica (an Objective 2 inner-city regeneration programme)won't make much of a difference.It’s not big money compared tothe past.

“The regional growth fund (aBritish government initiative) is£1bn for the whole UK. It’snowhere near as much as hasbeen available.

“I get the sense it will beavailable for those programmesthat link economic opportunity tocommunities.

“Areas like north Liverpool andthe north shore, enterprise andsmall business development inlocal areas that get local peopleengaged in new business and jobopportunities are the sorts ofprojects that will get support. Thebig projects like the Arena andConvention Centre, museum andcanal won't come through as thesorts of projects that will getsupported.

“Transforming north Liverpoolwill fit very neatly into the fund.”

On the subject of northLiverpool, does Mr Gill reallythink that Peel’s huge LiverpoolWaters and Wirral Waters willever become a reality?

“There is an economic realitythat has got to plug in before youget there.

“John Whitaker will tell you it'sa long-term plan, 30 to 40 years.

“But building skyscrapers ismore difficult than lower-riseunits.

“It will be quite a while beforeanother skyscraper will comealong.

“Peel in China is potentially areally big plus.

“It is not totally pie in the skyto create a relationship withChinese financial institutions tofund developments on thewaterfront and with that comessome occupancy from Chineseorganisations.

“That strategy has some legs.“But building that density

requires the right economicconditions, and we are some wayfrom that at the moment.”

“Future growth has got to comeout of occupier demand.

“What we have been doing in StPaul’s Square was supply led. Itdrew out demand.

“In the city, the level of demandis weak.

“Look at Halliwell’s problems.It comes out of people gettingtheir confidence back.

“There is a huge opportunity inLondon to present ourselves asnot just a low-cost centre, but anefficient business decision.

Rathbones did it. They now have abig back-office function inLiverpool.

“We can demonstrate that back-office labour supply in thefinancial services sector here,labour costs, labour stability –people staying in one job longer –are better here.

“We can secure some of thatinvestment if we can manage tosell Liverpool more efficiently.

“What Expo represents is astatement that says we want tocreate relationships with

economies that are going to growin the future – China, India,Brazil.

“You have to create new sorts ofrelationships at a business levelthat enable people to think of thisplace as a natural choice to thinkof first.”

Mr Gill believes that traditionalmodels of attracting inwardinvestment to a region are lessrelevant these days.

He says that, instead of relyingon UK Trade & Investment andregional development agencies to

filter foreign investors down tocity regions, the city regions nowneed to forge their ownrelationships overseas.

This is exactly what Liverpoolis currently doing at the WorldExpo in Shanghai, “Civicrelationships are as important ascommercial ones,” he says.

“The city has got its confidenceback. It’s selling itself again.”

Another area that it is hopedcould produce strong growth inthe future is the knowledge sector.Mr Gill points to the number of

science and biomedicalinstitutions in the city.

He said: “Universities and thehospital, and the fact that theRoyal funding been confirmed, ishugely important, as is whathappens to higher educationfunding in the next few years. Theuniversities make an enormouscontribution to the city’seconomy.”

On a related theme, Mr Gillforesees both competition andopportunity from Salford’s MediaCity development, which has

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

21


benefited from considerableinvestment in digitalinfrastructure.

He said: “Yes, it is a threat, butit’s also a very big opportunity.

“The ability of smallerbusinesses to show agility isimportant. They have got to relateto Media City.

“Things like facilitatingbusiness to get together to meetrequirements is just as importantas where the decisions are taken.There will be big opportunitiescoming out of the BBC.”

During the past three decades,Mr Gill has seen some greatsuccesses and the odd failure.While the successes include theEcho Arena and Liverpool One,among others, the highest-profilefailure was the cancellation of theFourth Grace.

Mr Gill said: “When you do thesort of development-related job Ihave done at EP and LiverpoolVision, you always get a feeing ofsatisfaction out of seeing changes.

“I went past Lime Street theother night and I thought it

looked fantastic and the taxidriver, unprompted, said howgood it was.

“The waterfront is turning outhow we wanted it – Kings Dock islinked up with the Albert Dockand the rest of the waterfront.

“The new museum and nearbyresidential developments arefantastic. The commercial districtand the public realm around HopeStreet are things I am very proudof.

“The thing I get mostsatisfaction out of is the way the

team at Liverpool Vision hasdelivered.

“We have had a real sense ofpurpose.

“The biggest change has beenthe way the city has worked withother partners.

“Take it from me – I have beenon the inside – it is a millionmiles away from where it was 15years ago.

“Some private developments –Hugh Frost, Steve Parry, PeterHind, Urban Splash, Bruntwood,English Cities Fund, UK Land &

Property, Iliad and Downing –have all taken advantage of publicmoney, but have all done things ofquality that have made a hugecontribution.

“You look at the investmentGeorge Downing has got inLiverpool, in relative terms it is abigger proportion of his assets.The fact he has more investmentin Liverpool is a statement of hisconfidence.

“It came together in a way ithadn't done in Liverpool for avery long time.

“There’s still an awful lot to do,but the city has made a mightybound in 10 or 15 years.”

Eight years ago, it had beenhoped that architect Will Alsop’sCloud building would form thecentrepiece for Liverpool’s year asEuropean Capital of Culture, but,after considerable dispute aboutits content and sharply risingcosts, it never got off the drawingboard.

Mr Gill said: “I just wish peoplewould move on.

“I liked it as a concept, butmine was a very different view toothers.

“It was a pity it collapsed. Itcollapsed because, ultimately, itwasn't a commercial scheme thatcould be delivered.

“I have some regrets about theway it was announced, but it wasthe right one at the time.

“Put nine architects in a room,you get nine different views.”

Another regret was thedecision to close theSpeke-Garston DevelopmentCompany, which was responsiblefor the redevelopment of theformer Liverpool Airport into abusiness park.

“Speke-Garston was a greatmodel, an independent company.

“It had a business plan andcommitted resources.

“It was able to get on and dothings for itself.

“That sort of approach tophysical regeneration is the bestmodel I worked with.

“I don’t know why they closedSpeke-Garston down.”

Throughout his years inregeneration in the city, Mr Gillhas encountered considerablesensitivity towards Liverpool’slegacy of great buildings, whetherthey be the Three Graces at thewaterfront or Victorianwarehouses in the docks. Theheritage lobby has been a veryvocal opponent to some aspects ofdevelopment.

Mr Gill said: “The heritageargument that says don’t doanything new is misplaced.

“We will preserve the docks andcity, but we’ll do it withcommercial developments thatproduce value.

“The docks north of PrincesDock are rotting away, forexample.

“It has to be done, but in a waythat allows people to make use ofit.

“It’s a fundamental truth thatplaces either go back and decay orthey go forward. They don’t standstill.”

Mr Gill believes that the city’simage has improved hugely inrecent years.

While the 1980s represented adeep low, Capital of Culture yearwent a long way to repair theimage.

“In terms of worldwide PR,Capital of Culture was very goodfor the city,” said Mr Gill.

“I remember how good I felt onthe day it was announced.”

Jim Gill in his office overlooking the Pier Head

Former Minister for Merseyside Michael [now Lord] Heseltine,above, kick-started regeneration in Liverpool after the Toxtethriots in 1981; and former city council leader, Cllr Mike Storey,below, who was also instrumental in later projects

22

DESIRABLEDEVELOPMENTSSTUNNINGRIVERSIDESETTING

With a range of brand new high specification office, hybrid and light industrialunits available for sale or lease from 100ft2 to14,000ft2 and an unrivalledlocation at the heart of the Northwest communication network WidnesWaterfront is the right location for your business.

Sited on the Mersey Estuary,a location of outstanding naturalbeauty, within a landscapedbusiness park of the highestenvironmental standards WidnesWaterfront is minutes from theM62 and M56 and within easyreach of Manchester Internationaland Liverpool John Lennon Airports.

For further informationabout commercial propertyat Widnes Waterfrontplease call Diane Robinsonon 0151 906 3791 or [email protected]

www.widneswaterfront.co.ukwww.runcorn-widnes.com

A new environment for business

23

ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT

in association with

WidnesShoppingPark hasbeencompleted–but other schemes in theboroughareon ice

HALTON has two majoropportunities for its long-termeconomic development – one to itswest and one to its east.

But the small borough of 120,000residents is not overly-dependenton the North West economicengines of Liverpool andManchester.

Instead, it is the logistics hub atthe Mersey Multimodal Gateway(3MG) and the scientific campusat Daresbury which are of majorsignificance to Halton’s economy,and perhaps of even moreimportance to its long-termgrowth.

Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus is home tothat often sought-after but lesscommonly found economic goldengoose of “knowledge economyjobs”.

It was one of two sites, alongwith Harwell, Oxfordshire, thatwas identified in 2006 as the focusof government science researchand innovation investment.

Over £50m of investment,through the Northwest Regional

Development Agency and theEuropean Regional DevelopmentFund, brought about two newbuildings next to the DaresburyLaboratory – the DaresburyInnovation Centre, a home totechnology-focused small firms,and the Cockcroft Institute, whichis the National Centre forAccelerator Science.

But it is hoped that even thesemajor investments and theresulting developments will proveto be just the foundation stones ofa much more significant project.

There are huge plans for a jointventure are moving forwardwhich set out plans to create 6,000jobs over the next 20 years.

The plan is to create a companywhich will lead the developmentof 1m sq ft of science andinnovation facilities, buildingsand infrastructure.

Going into a 20-year 50:50partnership will allow the cost ofthe campus development to beshared with a private sectorcompany, while benefiting fromtheir experience and expertise.

The shortlist was narroweddown to three companies – BritishLand, Igloo RegenerationConsortium and Langtree –earlier this year with a decisionexpected imminently.

Prof Colin Whitehouse, deputychief executive of the Science &Technology Facilities Council,said: “We already have a lot to beproud of at Daresbury. We are thehome of the prototype for newparticle accelerators ALICE, thenational centre for acceleratorscience the Cockcroft Institute,and the Daresbury InnovationCentre – which currently housesover 90 technology-focusedorganisations.

“We are also about to start theconstruction of the new 35,000 sqft Vanguard House, a grow-onfacility for the small innovationcompanies based at theInnovation Centre to expand intolarger accommodation, and weare also actively progressingexciting plans to develop twomulti-million pound Science &Technology Gateway Centres

made possible thanks to £65m ofGovernment funding beingear-marked.”

The plans for the campus formpart of a wider frameworkproposal for the creation of atechnology village employing upto 10,000 people which would moreclosely integrate the scientificresearch with the businesscommunity.

In addition to the 1m sq ft ofscience space, the plans would seethe development of 1.1m sq ft ofbusiness space, 350,000 sq ft ofmixed use and 900 residentialunits.

Prof Whitehouse added:“Daresbury has a long heritage ofproviding cutting-edge andinnovative science that is knownthe world over, and thedevelopment of the campus willensure that this proud traditioncontinues for many years to come.

“The investment being made bythe joint venture partners intodeveloping the campus will notonly have a significant andpositive influence on science and

technology in the UK, butimportantly it will demonstratethe impact that investment inscience-related sectors can haveon the local, regional and nationaleconomy.”

At the western edge of Haltonon the Widnes side of the RiverMersey, 3MG is also making ahugely-significant impact on theregional economy.

O’Connor Group, which becamepart of Stobart in 2007, has beenbehind the development of thesite, along with Halton BoroughCouncil, NWDA and theEnvironment Agency.

Stobart already handles 1,000lorries and six trains every day inWidnes, utilising its location nearto the M6, M62 and M56motorways, and alongside theWest Coast Main Line.

The first phase of developmentwas successfully completedearlier this year.

That saw Tesco create 750 jobs


Plans in store in HaltonBY ALEX TURNER

Staff celebratethe opening ofMarks &Spencer’s newWidnes store

24

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON

at a 528,000 sq ft chilleddistribution centre, while, acouple of miles down the road, thesupermarket giant also hasplanning permission for a towncentre supermarket on the site ofa closed Comet store.

Back at 3MG, there are plans byStobart to continue developmenton the site, which will house 5,000jobs when it is completed.

However, crossing the RiverMersey by road has becomeincreasingly difficulty withconstant congestion troubles onthe Silver Jubilee Bridge.

Earlier this month, HaltonBorough Council released figureswhich showed the region is leftfooting a £160,000-an-hour billevery time the bridge is

closed.Steve O’Connor,

managing directorof StobartPorts, and the2010 LiverpoolDaily PostBusiness

Person of the Year, is a majorplayer in the region’s logisticssector and a keen advocate of theimportance of the MerseyGateway project.

“Stobart probably crosses thatbridge around 1,500 times a day,”he said.

“Even when we see short-termlane closures when they do someof the repairs, it can be reallydamaging in terms of the NorthWest economy.”

“This figure shows theimportance of this vital rivercrossing in Halton to businessesright across our region.

“The Silver Jubilee Bridge is acritical infrastructure link for theNorth West, but it is out-dated andunder immense pressure on adaily basis.

“We badly need a new crossingand I would urge every businessto write to government and showhow crucial this new bridge is toour region.”

The Silver Jubilee Bridgeopened in 1961 – it was renamedin 1977 – and was originallydesigned to

carry less than 10,000 vehicles aday. but now carries more than80,000 vehicles a day and essentialmaintenance is only possibleduring overnight and off-peakperiods.

Plans for the bridge took 10years to move from the Ministryof Transport agreeing that therewas a need, to five years ofconstruction work beginning in1956.

Similarly, serious discussionsabout a second crossing have beentaking place for a decade and,following a public inquiry latelast year, a decision was hoped forat the start of 2010.

Now the project is one of 69 puton hold by the Department forTransport subject to theGovernment’s ComprehensiveSpending Review, to be announcedon October 20.

Steve Nicholson, MerseyGateway project director, said:“The Government is lookingto alternative fundingsources to helprelieve

the deficit and maintain the levelof investment in infrastructurevital to support economicrecovery.

“Mersey Gateway could leadthe way as it offers exceptionalvalue for money, would bedelivered with over two-thirds ofthe funding provided throughtolling, and can be the catalyst forthousands of new jobs and vitalfuture investment acrossCheshire, Merseyside and theNorth West.”

A 2009 report by consultantsMDS Transmodal for The MerseyPartnership estimated that theMersey Gateway would beresponsible for an additional 4,640jobs, with two out of everyfive jobs in high andmedium-skilledoccupations.

Three identified benefits fromthe Mersey Gateway wereemployment sites being opened upfor development, productivityimprovements throughtime-savings to existingbusinesses, and inward investingcompanies attracted to the Haltonarea.

MDS forecast an increase in thegross value added – a measure ofeconomic output – of £155m a yearif the bridge was built.

The Runcorn and WidnesWeekly News – a sister paper ofthe Liverpool Daily Post –launched a Backthe


Top, the Mersey Multimodal Gateway(3MG) site, in Widnes; centre, the Duke ofYork is shown around the 3MG site;above, a Tesco lorry at 3MG

Cranes in action at the MerseyMultimodal Gateway, in Widnes

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

25


Bridge campaign in response tothe uncertainty caused by theGovernment’s announcement.

Mike Brennan, editor of theRuncorn and Widnes WeeklyNews, said: “Not all aspects of theproposed bridge are popular. Theroute and proposals to inflict tollson traffic are both contentious.

“But what cannot be denied isthe need. Anyone who travelsregularly across the Mersey willtestify to that.

“It is understandable that a newGovernment, especially one

introducing the level of cutbackswe are currently seeing, shouldtake time to assess the situationbefore making a decision.

“And the Mersey Gatewayproject, funded largely privately,surely represents an investmentwhich is likely to provide a richreturn.”

He is convinced of the need forthe second crossing to allowHalton to remain competitive inthe future.

“Our Back the Bridge stancecomes after a lot of carefulthought about the pros and cons

of the proposed MerseyGateway,” he

said.

“The recent decision by theGovernment to shelve the projectuntil autumn brought into sharpfocus the problems of congestionthat already exist on the now-outdated Silver Jubilee Bridge –problems that can only get worse.

“If industry is to thrive, andbring with it prosperity, thenHalton needs to promote itself asan attractive proposition – andthat is going to be increasinglydifficult to do while the boroughis effectively divided.

“Transport is such animportant factor in businessdecisions that attempts to attractinward investment are in dangerof becoming hamstrung.”

One major investment projectthat was started before the

recession was the £25mredevelopment of

the

Windmill Centre into WidnesShopping Park.

The scheme was launched atthe end of 2006 and more than150,000 sq ft of new retail spaceopened in March this year.

Marks & Spencer, River Islandand Next are among the retailerson the site, which has created 650jobs.

Dick Tregea, Halton BoroughCouncil’s strategic director for theenvironment, said: “I have beenhere for a number of years, in allthat time I have been asked whycan’t we have a Marks & Spencerand a Next – and we haveachieved that.

“It’s a demonstration of goodpartnership working. It was allprivate sector investment, butwith a lot of encouragement fromourselves.

“Stadium Developments havedone a fantastic job and I hearnothing but praise for what they

have built, they should bevery proud.”

He is keen that thisdevelopment is not the end of thechanges to the town’s shoppingoffer.

“What we need to do is use thatas a stepping stone for anotherphase of change in the towncentre. There are areas of thetown centre that are lookingtired,” he said.

“It took a number of years forthe Stadium Developmentsscheme to be drawn up andimplemented, and I suspect we arelooking quite far ahead now – butwe think it would furtherconsolidate Widnes’s shoppingoffer.

“That’s why we are looking at afurther phase. We believe there’scapacity.

“But we do recognise that someparts of the town centre do needto be taken forward and we will belooking at that.”

Retailers in the town centre


Top, Daresbury Laboratory; centre, thethen Shadow Work and Pensions SecretaryTheresa May (now Home Secretary) visitsDaresbury; above, Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus

Alice, a particle accelerator at DaresburyScience and Innovation Campus

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Regional congestion blackspotThe Silver Jubilee Bridge – butthe second bridge that couldhave brought relief has nowbeen put on hold

26


were already under pressure, butsince March’s opening they haveseen a noticeable fall-off in trade –one retailer said year-on-yearfigures were down by as much as25% some weeks.

The relocation of Boots toWidnes Shopping Park has left ahole just two doors away fromwhere Woolworths once was onthe main street, while theeconomic slowdown has alsocaused the slow emptying ofstores in the town centre.

For example, the Albert Squareshopping area is seeing anincreasing number of vacantunits. Despite including majorretailers WH Smith and Argos, aswell as Santander, Lloyds TSB andthe post office, seven of the 31stores are currently empty.

It is not just on the north sideof the River Mersey whereretailers are struggling.

A campaign group, Open UpRuncorn (OUR), which began as aFacebook group beforeestablishing a formal structure inMay, has been set up to lobby pol-iticians and civil servants aboutthe need to revitalise the town.

OUR founder Conn O’Dwyersaid: “We are demanding thatHalton Borough Council open upRuncorn by intervening, stoppingthe deterioration of Runcorn oldtown and Halton Lea shoppingcentre, which is proving to bedetrimental on the quality of lifeof the community as a whole.

“We have family housingissues. While flats and apartmentsare being built, they are pricedtoo highly to be affordable for thepeople who used to live in theseareas.

“The town’s regeneration needsa radical intervention requiringsubstantial economiccontribution from both the publicand private sector.

“Experiences of successfulregeneration demonstrated thaturban regeneration is mosteffective when it is delivered inpartnership with those groupsand organisations best placed toinfluence the success of urbanregeneration projects.

“This means that localauthorities deliver urbanregeneration in partnershipswhich can include centralgovernment, constructioncompanies, other private sectororganisations and, perhaps mostimportantly, local communities.”

A planned development byUrban Splash around Runcorn’scanal quarter has beenwithdrawn, and Halton Council isnow looking to see what can bedone alongside the BridgewaterCanal.

At a meeting with Halton MPDerek Twigg and Halton BoroughCouncil leader Rob Polhill, OURcampaigners warned that failureto develop town centre tradewould “rip the heart out ofRuncorn”.

Mr O’Dwyer was critical of thecouncil’s development plans,which he believes favourresidential rather than retailregeneration.

“Such a development schemewould rip the heart out of ourtown centres, kill off the localeconomy and increaseunemployment levels,” he said.

Halton has been badly affectedby the rise in unemployment inthe last two years.

From July, 2008, to its peak inFebruary, 2010, the number ofpeople claiming jobseeker’sallowance (JSA) in the borough

exactly doubled to 4,870 people.During the same period, theaverage for the six authorities inLiverpool city region was 63%.

However, it has easedsignificantly since February withnearly 1,000 fewer JSA claimantslast month.

Despite that, the pictureremains far from clear. In June,DIY giant B&Q announced plansto transfer its distributionoperation to Swindon, meaning itwill no longer use the DHL supplydepot in Preston Brook, Runcorn.The announcement puts 639 jobsat the site at risk, 615 at DHL and24 at logistics group Kuehne andNagel.

Halton Council’s Mr Tregeasaid: “We have had some successstories, such as Tesco at 3MG andWidnes Shopping Park, but wehave had some knock-backs, likeB&Q.

“Unemployment remains toohigh and remains a big priorityfor us.

“We are not resting on ourlaurels. What goes up can comedown.

“We recognise a vulnerability

in the market at the moment.”Halton Council is involved in ajoint venture with developers StModwen, called WidnesRegeneration, which was set up in1999.

The partnership has deliveredfour major developments, with afifth potentially on site by the endof this year.

The completed projects are amixed-use scheme anchored by anAsda supermarket, a retail andleisure development let to JJBSports (now DW Sports), 158houses in Halebank, and thespeculative development of 123,000sq ft of space at Heron BusinessPark.

Built in two phases, the firstphase is fully let and sold, whilethe second phase announced itsfirst wave of tenants in June.

Michelle Taylor, regionaldirector of St Modwen, said: “Weare very pleased considering wehave been in very difficulteconomic times. It has let up very,very well.

“We took the view that, as theproperty market started todecline, we had to make sure it

was competitive, so we areoffering it at lower rents andprices, but that’s life.

“We have always attracted agood level of interest, whichcontinues to be mostly fromcompanies from Halton and StHelens.”

Heron Business Park is nowcomplete, but WidnesRegeneration owns other landwithin the Widnes Waterfronteconomic development zone.

She added: “We will be lookingto come forward with plans formore development, although notimmediately.”

Nearby, a long-planned leisuredevelopment at Venture Fields,known as The Hive, could sooncome to fruition.

“It has been a long timecoming,” said Ms Taylor. “We arequite optimistic about it.

“We have exchanged with threeoccupiers – Reel Cinema, ice rinkoperators Planet Ice andrestaurant Frankie & Benny’s –we are in solicitors with two otheroccupiers, a hotel and a bowlingalley.

“If we get to the end of the legal

process with those two, we hopewe will be on site by the end of theyear, with building to take about ayear.”

The joint venture has reachedits tenth birthday and, althoughthat was originally its expectedlifespan, it will now continue“until the two parties felt it haddone what it could do”.

There are already a number ofsigns that it is meeting its widerambitions.

Ms Taylor said: “Thesatisfaction from thedevelopments is that they havestarted having a transformationaleffect – there’s StadiumDevelopments and WidnesShopping Park, while B&Q took anew warehouse next to VentureFields, and Priority Sitesdeveloped Turnstone BusinessPark next to that. It’s great to seethat happen.”

There are definite signs ofprogress in Halton, although ithasn’t always happened asquickly as hoped.

But, as more than one personremarked, imagine what could beachieved with the second bridge.

Phase 1 of Heron Business Park, developed by Widnes Regeneration


IN ASSOCIATION WITH


27

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

City thrives in tough timesLiverpool’s retail sector remains ‘robust’ despite the recession, says leading agentEVERY month there is a selectionof data put out by British RetailConsortium about what ishappening in the UK retail sector.

It’s a useful snapshot but, asPeter Burke will testify, it is littlemore than that.

Britain’s retail sector can besplit into sub-sectors such as highstreet, indoor shopping centres,out-of town, city, town village and,depending upon which one youfocus, you can get a very differentpicture.

Mr Burke is head of retail atLiverpool-based commercialproperty agency, Mason Owen.

The agency has established areputation across the UK for itsretail property expertise.

Clients down the years haveincluded household names suchas Kwik-Save, Somerfield, MFI,Iceland and bakery chain Greggs.

He has worked in the retailproperty sector for more than 20years as is as well-placed asanyone to assess the currentclimate.

He said: “At the moment, themarket is very polarised.

“If you look at the high street,then certainly over the pastcouple of years rental levels havedropped 25-40%.

“But at least landlords have theflexibility to adapt to the newlevels and they are still managingto attract tenants.

“It is the indoor shopping

centres that have more of aproblem. And what I am talkingabout, in particular, is thesecondary centres in smallertowns or on the edges of cities.

“In the few years before therecession they were changinghands quite frequently and aretherefore often heavilymortgaged.

“This means their bankersoften won’t let them be flexiblewith rental levels in order toattract tenants because it wouldaffect the overall capital value.”

Mr Burke said that, althoughLiverpool had been hit by thedownturn like the rest of thecountry, the city centre hadremained “robust”.

He added: “Around theperiphery, rental levels have fallenbut that is in line with what hashappened nationally.

“Liverpool One has increasedfootfall into the whole of the citycentre. It is now an integral partof the city and it feels like it hasbeen here for years.

“I am very proud that we haveit here. Church Street is alsodoing well and we have seen howsuccessful the Primark store is.

“There has been some churn onChurch Street, but it has all beenpositive.

“Overall, I don’t think rentswill be picking up anytime soon,but I think things have flattenedout.”

Grosvenor’s Liverpool One complex, which Peter Burke says has pushed up footfall for the whole of the city centre

Peter Burke

28

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Students rev up for big raceEngineering schoolmembersdesign their own racing car to takepart inSilverstoneevent

Space race to keep vital satellites working in close celestial harmonyTHE problems of controllingfleets of satellites in spaceare being addressed by Liver-pool computer scientists.

Although individualsatellites have been deployedin space for more than 50years, there are still inherentdesign problems which limittheir size.

Single, large satellites areimpractical and inefficient asthey are heavy and prone tofailure.

To circumvent this problem,

an alternative approach is todeploy several much smallersatellites in formation.

These work together tocarry out data collection andtransmission tasks.

But these satellites cannoteasily be controlled directlyfrom Earth, as they areessentially autonomous.

The problem remains withregard to ensuring that theywill work together, asrequired.

And if a satellite should fail,

there is a further conundrumon how the controllers canrely on the other satellites toself-organise, reform andcompensate for such anunexpected outcome.

Computer scientists at theUniversity of Liverpool aredeveloping newprogramming languages forcontrolling such formation-flying satellites.

The project is being donein collaboration withaerospace engineers at the

University of Southampton.The computer languagebeing developed mixeshigh-level agent decision-making with traditionalcontrol systems currentlyused by aerospaceengineers.

This approach gives thesystem more transparent andflexible mechanisms for thesatellites to selectautonomous behaviour andsupporting co-operation.

These languages have a

strong logical andmathematical basis.

They are being developedwithin the University’s flexiblesoftware verificationframework.

This means there ispotential to carry out deepformal analysis of theprogrammed behaviours bythe satellites, in order toensure that the requiredbehaviour which they exhibitis appropriate in alloperational scenarios.

IT WASN’T the winning but thetaking part that mattered at thehome of British F1 for Liverpoolengineering students whodesigned their own racing car.

Liverpool John MooresUniversity Formula StudentRacing Team gained 21st placewith their first Class 1 entry inthe International FormulaStudent 2010 competitioninvolving over 70 teams atSilverstone in July.

Having won the Class 2 designcategories at Silverstone last year,the LJMU Formula StudentRacing Team was ready for aClass 1 entry this year, aftersuccessfully passing theapplication process judged by the

Formula Student SteeringCommittee.

In addition to the productionwork and technical skills, thestudents also develop businessand marketing strategyexperience, particularly throughthe corporate sponsorshipcampaign.

Recent LJMU Corporate Awardwinners, Aintree Racecourse,played its part by allowing theLJMU Formula Student RacingTeam to test the car at the racetrack – once also famous forhosting the British Grand Prix,

This enabled them to get to theright standard to race atSilverstone and enter this 2010Formula Student event.

Jack Clisby, LJMU FormulaStudent Team Manager, said: “Weare proud that all our efforts haveled to this excellent Class 1 resultat Silverstone 2010.

“The LJMU team consists ofmembers from all levels ofengineering students, which hasincreased productivity.

“It also allows even the youngerstudents to be involved in allaspects of the car from building todesign.

“We have also gained some veryimportant experience in buildingcorporate relationships.”

Prof Michael Brown,Vice-Chancellor of LJMU, said:“This is a fabulous result at theirfirst attempt against major

international competition –beating all other regionaluniversity competition.

“Most importantly, it wasimpressive to see the impact ofthis project on the student team –developing engineering andproject management skills in areal situation.”

Prof Ian Jenkinson, LJMUSchool of Engineering,Technology and MaritimeOperations director, said: “I wouldlike to congratulate the team onthis fantastic achievement.

“Many companies have beeninvolved in the sponsorshipstrategy, with new additions in2010 alone being Aintree,SamcoSport and Fuchs.

“Businesses involved in thesponsorship deals bring valuabletechnical assistance andcomponents, but they also gainaccess to future engineersthrough interaction withstudents.”

Formula Student is the biggestand most important of its kind inEurope.

It is run by the Institution ofMechanical Engineers (IMechE),in partnership with various well-known companies in the industry.

The aim is to promote careersand excellence in engineering, bychallenging university students todesign, build, develop, market andcompete as a team with a small,single-seater racing car.

The LJMU Student RacingTeam, at Silverstone

29

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The European helicopter-aeroplane hybrid ERICA vertical take-off concept

ADVERTISEMENT

The virtually newaerospace centre

Full testing of concept prototypeswill be atDaresburyTHE future of the aerospace industrycould be determined by the launch ofa new centre for virtual engineeringin Cheshire.

The University of Liverpool is tolead a new centre for virtualengineering at DaresburyLaboratory, following theconfirmation of a £5.3m investment.

It will be named, unsurprisingly,The Virtual Engineering Centre.

Virtual Engineering (VE) involvesintegrated product and processmodelling and the creation of virtualprototypes.

It will form a critical foundationfor all future business in theaerospace sector and beyond.

Major aerospace companies arecommitted to VE because it providesa cost-effective method of presentingfuture options to the customer andcapturing their requirements.

In spite of this and the associatedVE developments, integrated VEtools and techniques have not beensuccessfully implemented across thewhole development process and

throughout the supply chain. Thispresents a major barrier toorganisations adopting thetechnology.

The Virtual Engineering Centreaims to address this through apublic-private sector partnershipbringing together the University ofLiverpool, the Science andTechnology Facilities Council atDaresbury, the Northwest AerospaceAlliance and its members, andcrucially the prime contractors whosee the development of the Centre ascritical to the survival of the region’saerospace cluster.

The Centre will also exploresolutions to many importantengineering issues like meetingfuture EU requirements to cutairliner fuel consumption by 50%, byexploring improvements toaeroplane design and their engines.

The Virtual Engineering Centrewill act in various principal ways.

It will be a physical virtualengineering centre which willcontain “best practice” facilities that

display integrated, interactivesimulation and modelling softwareacross the full range of virtualcapabilities.

Additionally, it will be a researchpartnership which will add value toexisting research activities withinthe region by providing acommercially relevant focus.

It will act as a knowledgeexchange centre to increaseawareness and give potential usersan opportunity to “try before theybuy”, so that they can become moreconfident of the business advantagesthat can accrue from using VE tools.

Finally, it will be an educationalcentre to help meet the current skillsshortages in VE in the UK.

The Centre is part-funded by theNorthwest European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF),and theNorthwest Regional DevelopmentAgency (NWDA). Project partnersinclude the Science and TechnologyFacilities Council at Daresbury, theNorthwest Aerospace Alliance,Airbus, Morsons and BAE Systems.

To advertise here contact Julie Cowley.Telephone 0151 472 2311 or [email protected] or Neil

Johnson, Telephone 0151 472 2705 oremail [email protected]

30

TRANSPORTSuttons invests £7.2m in tankersLogistics groupcontinueswith ambitious transport fleet expansionprogramme

A bulk tanker owned by Widnes-based logistics firm, Suttons – part of a £7.2m investment

CHESHIRE logistics giant Suttons isinvesting £7.2m in its UK bulk tanker fleet.

The delivery of 85 new tractor units and12 food grade bulk tipping tanks hasstarted over the past few days.

The order includes 33 DAF units tooperate with bulk tipping trailers and 12new Feldbinder tanks.

The other 52 tractors will be Volvos,including 15 lightweight day cab unitsspecified for fuel delivery operations.

Andrew Palmer, group managingdirector of Suttons, said: “This majorinvestment is focused on supporting bothour existing UK customers in the bulkfood, gas, chemical and fuel sectors andequipping us for recently won newbusiness.

“It underlines Suttons’ commitment todeveloping our UK-based activities as anintegral part of our strategic plans todevelop all our logistics activities globally.”

Suttons is based in Widnes and operatesglobally with key business centres inAntwerp, Essen, Houston, Kuantan, LeHavre, New Jersey, Shanghai, Singaporeand Tokyo.

In the last few weeks, the company haswon a three-year contract withinternational construction products groupGrace Construction.

Suttons’ tanker division will distributebulk liquids and store consignmentsthrough its distribution and warehousingdivision.

The firm will provide five contracttankers and flexible support from itsnational fleet network .

In June, Suttons appointed a new groupfinance director.

Ian Atkinson, 47, joined the companyfrom US chemical company SI Group,where he was European finance director,having previously been managing directorfor the UK operation.

Prior to this, Mr Atkinson held seniorfinance roles at Zeneca, Jewson andAppleyard. He is also a member of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants.

Managing director Andrew Palmer saidof his appointment: “Ian is an extremelyexperienced finance director and his skillswill be key to the group as we look tofurther expand. He has over 20 years’experience and is used to working withincompanies with a similar structure.”

Two Liverpool shipping giants come together in new agreementA SUBSIDIARY ofLiverpool’s last family-owned shipping line,Bibby Ship Manage-ment, has beenappointed by fellow citymaritime giant AtlanticContainer Line (ACL) toprovide full service shipmanagement for itscontainer vessel fleet.

The agreement willsee the third-party shipmanagement divisionof Bibby Line Group,

based at Duke Street,Liverpool, supply crewand technicalmanagement supportto ACL’S five containervessels, which aresome of the world’slargest roll-on/roll-offand container ships.

ACL operates weeklyservices betweenLiverpool, Gothenburg,Hamburg and Antwerpand eastern Canadaand the US.

Bibby was awardedthe contract following alengthy tender andaudit process.

Martin Kent, BibbyUK managing director,said: “ACL has a finepedigree and longhistory in Liverpool, sowe are delighted to beselected as its fullservice shipmanagement agency.”

Ian Higby, ACL (UK)managing director,

said: “From an earlystage, we identified anumber of sharedcommitments betweenourselves and BibbyShip Management.

“Both businesseshave strong valuessuch as quality,integrity, safety andservice. No doubt thatthese values will bereflected in ourrelationship goingforward.” Ian Higby, ACL managing director

31

TRANSPORT

Aviation sector soars againAgoodFarnboroughAir Show for Airbus asorders start to flowAIRCRAFT manufacturer Airbushas come away from theFarnborough Air Show with theclear impression that the aviationsector was emerging from theglobal recession.

A year ago, it all looked sodifferent. Airlines were reportingsteep falls in passenger numbersand expansion plans were put onhold across the board.

This was bad news for the likesof Airbus and its US rival Boeing.And what is bad news for Airbusis bad news for Deeside.

Its huge wing-making plantemploys around 7,000 people fromacross Merseyside, Cheshire andNorth Wales.

Many more are employed in thesupply chain across the NorthWest.

However, Farnborough mayprove to have been the turningpoint for the sector.

On the last day of the show,Airbus announced that VirginAmerica planned to buy 40 newAirbus A320 aircraft.

Airbus notched up orders

worth more than $(US)28bn at theshow, even though governmentbudget cuts are keeping thedefence sector in the doldrums.

Orders at the show were welloff the record-breaking $88.7bnworth of deals announced atFarnborough in 2008, but thegathering has already exceededthe slow orders for commercialplanes of around $7bn at the Parisshow last year.

Virgin signed a memorandumof understanding – not yet a firmorder – with Airbus.

The 40 new planes would bedelivered from 2013.

John Leahy, chief operatingofficer, said: “Before theFarnborough Air Show, wealready had 131 orders, and wepredicted by the end of the weekwe’d double that.

“Indeed, the commitmentswhich we have already receivedhere bring our total firm ordersthis year already to over 260aircraft.

“This clearly proves that themarket is back, and that our new

end-of-year target for over 400orders is within reach.”

Airbus chief executive TomEnders said during the show:“There can be no denying thingshave been difficult for thebusiness as a result of thedownturn, but we believe theeconomy is starting to improve.

“There is a new level of interestand we are now getting back towhere we were three years ago.We are now starting to lookforward and we are looking atincreasing our production ratesin November.

“We are starting to see ourcustomers returning, but there isstill a big question mark in termsof finance.”

Airbus signed a deal at theshow with Chilean carrier LANfor 50 planes worth an estimated£3bn.

The deal, the largest singleairline order for Airbus in LatinAmerica, includes 10 A321s andthe aircraft will serve as new andreplacement aircraft for existingand new routes.

An Airbus A380 superjumbo takes to the skies above the Farnborough International Air Show, in Hampshire, last week

John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus

32

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?

Morgan Hope’s John Murray, left, with the RoyalHospital’s Andy Johnson

An artist’s impression of the final phase of St Paul’s Square, in LIverpool city centre’s commercial district – the scheme was built with energy efficiency in mind

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Southport firm lightens city hospital’s energy loadA SOUTHPORT lightingspecialist has been called inby the Royal LiverpoolUniversity Hospital to helpit become more energy-efficient.

Morgan Hope is workingwith the hospital to installthe latest lightingtechnology, which will helpreduce the building’s carbonfootprint and cut lightingenergy costs by up to 90%.

The firm has started the

first phase of work installingalmost 700 bespoke lightsthrough the building.

These use the latestlumen technology and amovement detection system,which switches the lights toa hibernation state when noone is there.

The original lighting inthe building was thetraditional switch startfluorescent lighting, whichcan be hugely inefficient.

Morgan Hope sales directorJohn Murray said:“Traditional switch startfluorescent lighting is whatwe typically find in olderbuildings, but it is verywasteful in terms of energy.

“The existing lights in thehospital use more than 100watts of power per lightfitting. In addition to this,many of the lights are in thecorridors and wards, andhave to be left on 24/7 for

health and safety reasons,increasing the cost oflighting for the building.”

The old lights are beingreplaced with high-frequency T5 lamps, whichare brighter than theexisting lighting and moreeconomical, with each lightfitting only needing 56 wattsof power.

Morgan Hope is alsoinstalling its latestmovement technology.

Sustainability needs a higher priorityRICSsaysmoreeffort is needed tomeet government green targetsTHE Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors (RICS) in theNorth West says the propertyindustry needs to take energyconsumption more seriously.

RICS North West constructionspokesman Steve Gillingham saysthat, while there are some goodexamples in the region ofsustainable building, a lot moreneeds to be done.

Mr Gillingham, himself achartered surveyor, said: “Theway in which we light, heat anduse buildings all contributes tothe amount of energy we consume

and the emissions we produce. Soin order for us to reduce thecurrent energy waste trend, weneed to change the way we useour buildings and improve theirenergy performance.

“Our region does have manyinnovative, sustainable buildings,which set the standard for whatwe should expect to see in thenear future.”

As from October, 2008, allproperties, including homes,commercial and public buildingswhen bought, sold, built or rentedneed an Energy Performance

Certificate (EPC) which rate theirenergy efficiency, giving them arank from A to G, with A beingthe most efficient and G being theleast.

Mr Gillingham added: “For abuilding to achieve a high EPCranking, it needs to be utilisingthe most effective solutions toconserve energy.

“One such solution is acondensing boiler, as they are farmore energy-efficient than themore traditional boilers.

“The energy used to provideheating and hot water in a

building can amount to more than50% of its total energyconsumption and carbon dioxideemissions, so the efficiency of aboiler is imperative.

“The insulation of solid wallsand having double glazing fittedare also highly cost-effectivemethods that will improve abuilding’s energy efficiency, as arephotovoltaics, which arebecoming increasingly popular asthey convert solar radiation intodirect current electricity.

“Eco-friendly air-conditioningsystems are worth investing in,

too, rather than the older modelswhich use more energy and cangive out harmful gasses.”

Liverpool can boast one of thebest examples in recent times of adevelopment that has putsustainability at the top of itsagenda. St Paul’s Square, amixed-use scheme in the heart ofthe city’s central business district,was constructed to be highlyenergy-efficient.■ THE RICS has producedreports and professional guidanceon the value of sustainablemeasures. Log onto www.rics.org

33

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?IN ASSOCIATION WITH

David Hunt – took the opportunity of a Chamber of Commerce breakfast event to take the RBS chief executive to task

Systems that offer up to a 448% return on investmentFROM April this year, theGovernment introduced itsincentive scheme for theinstallation of solar PV andwind turbine projects.

Under the scheme, bothdomestic dwellings andbusinesses are paid forevery kilowatt hour (kwh) ofelectricity they generate,whether they use it or not.

They will also be paid for

any electricity you export tothe grid.

Eco Environmentsestimates that on a typicaldomestic solar PVinstallation, thehouseholder could registeran income/saving ofbetween £800 and £1,300every year. The rate is fixedfor 25 year, is index-linkedand tax-free.

The firm says that for asystem under 4kwp (almostall domestic systems are),the householder will be paid41.3p for every kwhgenerated.

So a 3.22kwp systemgenerating 2,666kwhs ayear, giving an income/saving of £1,309. Over 25years, that equates to a246% return on investment.

A 10kw wind turbineinstallation could yield£8,527 a year, giving areturn on investment over20 years of 448%.

A 10kw turbine isreasonably large and isideal for schools, farms,industrial units and largehouses. Eco says a 6kwturbine will also offergood returns.

A wind turbinecan offer bigsavings

Eco boss grills top bankerMerseyside entrepreneur takesRBSchief executive to taskDAVID HUNT has found dealingwith the banks to be a frustratingexperience over the past year.

So, when the founder ofMerseyside-based EcoEnvironments got the chance toquestion the chief executive ofRoyal Bank of Scotland, he didn’tpull his punches.

Mr Hunt’s Bootle firm installsrenewable energy systems – likesolar panels and wind turbines –in homes and businesses acrossthe north of England.

Green issues and the creation ofa low-carbon economy have beenhigh on the political agenda forsome time and the company hasbenefited from that.

It had a big boost earlier thisyear when the long-awaitedsystem of feed-in tariffs came intoforce.

This means anyone with a solarPV or wind turbine system canclaim money annually back fromthe government and sell excesspower to the National Grid.

This has led to an upsurge inbusiness for Eco Environments.

However, it costs the firm asignificant amount of money tobuy the kit in the first place,which is why it has soughtassistance from banks.

But it seems some of the bignames have not yet caught on tothe idea of a green economy.

Mr Hunt said: “We have been toa few of the banks over the pastyear. We went to the Co-opbecause we know they sellthemselves as an ethical bank.

“However, they were not willingto help us. It was the same storywith RBS. We have now finallymanaged to get a facility fromHSBC.”

At a recent Liverpool Chamberof Commerce breakfast event, theguest speaker was RBS chiefexecutive, Stephen Hester.

Mr Hester invited questions atthe end, and Mr Hunt was quickto take him to task over what heperceives to be a lack ofenthusiasm by the banks for firmsin the green economy.

“Working capital is importantto us because what we do isexpensive,” added Mr Hunt.

“Now the feed-in tariffs havebeen introduced, we think thingswill become easier – hopefullynow they will become a real focalpoint for the green economy.”

Eco Environments currently

employs 12 people and it has justopened another office in Cumbria.

This year, Mr Hunt saysturnover could reach £1.5m.

“At the moment, most of ourcustomers are from the domesticside of the market,” he said.

“However, we are now startingto see some commercial projectscome out of mothballs as the

economy improves. Projects withcompanies normally take a bitlonger to come through.

“Funding has to be approved bydirectors.

“But private householdersusually have the money there andthen to give us the go-ahead.”

He said that, at the moment,90% of the projects are for solar

panels rather than wind turbines.In a direct comparison, windturbines are better than solarpanels, but Mr Hunt says that, inan urban environment, solar isthe better choice.

“A turbine in the middle of afield is fine, but in urban areasthey are affected by a lot ofturbulence and there are also

planning issues. At the moment,90% of our installations are forsolar panels but enquiries aresplit 50:50 between the two.”

Mr Hunt hopes the Governmentwill come through with its idea tocreate a “green bank”.

“We would like to see thathappen, but we have seen littledetail so far,” he said.

34

35

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Asian strategy ‘imperative’Businessminister encourages region’s firms to seize opportunities in theEast

SMEs must ‘up their game’ when it comes to currency managementCURRENCY fluctuations are“threatening the ability” ofSMEs to trade overseas,according to a new study.

Cheshire-based businesssupport group, the Forum ofPrivate Business, and foreignexchange trading platformSmart FX surveyed SMEsabout the problems theyfaced working in internationalmarkets.

The last 12 months hasseen volatility between thepound and key globalcurrencies, with movementsof 15% and greater since lastsummer.

In August, 2009, it was$1.70 but fell to $1.43 in June– before then gaining 10 centswithin a month.

Against the euro, its

improvement began muchearlier, strengthening from1.07 euros last October toreach a 19-month high inJune, above 1.23 euros.

The yen fell from 162.7 yenin August, 2009, to below 130yen in May, with it staying justabove that level.

Phil Orford, chief executiveof the Forum of PrivateBusiness, believes that firmsneed to look at this aspect oftheir business in greaterdetail in order to tradesuccessfully overseas.

He said: “The importance ofglobal trade to the NorthWest’s small firms is clear. Weare in a new economic erawhere small businesses haveto work even smarter in orderto gain a competitive

advantage. It is important thatsmaller importers andexporters up their game whenit comes to managing theirfinances, including the area offoreign currency riskmanagement.

“Proper financial planningis essential to create the cashflow certainty and clarity thatsmall businesses crave,particularly when trading onthe international stage.”

The study found thatcurrency fluctuations haveadversely affected theprofitability of 44% of SMEsacross the UK – against 26%that believe they havebenefited – while more thanone-third of businessesbelieve that uncertainty in theforeign exchange market is

hampering their ability to planfor the future.

Stewart Blake, chiefexecutive of Smart FX groupGlobal Reach Partners, said:“Business owners are busypeople, but with almost halfof UK small firms tradingoverseas being affectednegatively by currencyfluctuations, the need forforeign exchange riskmanagement to becomecentral to everyday riskmanagement has never beengreater.”

“With international currencytrading conditions remainingincredibly volatile, managingcurrency risks effectively canhave a considerable impacton profitability.

“It’s therefore worrying to

see that this has not yetbecome a standard part ofthe strategic riskmanagement process formany companies.”

Phil Orford

A GREATER focus is to be put on theopportunities within the major Asianeconomies by the Government to helpto stimulate British trade overseas.

At a UK Trade & Investment(UKTI) event, the Business andEnterprise Minister Mark Prisk toldfirms from across the region that theGovernment planned to “turn the UKmore towards these key Asianeconomies”.

He said: “Economic power andopportunity is shifting in the world tothe emerging powers of India, Chinaand other parts of Asia, and toincreasingly significant economiessuch as Indonesia. It is estimatedthat, by 2050, emerging economieswill be up to 50% larger than those ofthe current G7, including the UnitedKingdom.

“The UK’s past prosperity does notguarantee a prosperous future. Thisnew government has an opportunityto refocus our trade and ourdiplomatic efforts to turn the UKmore towards these key Asianeconomies.”

He was speaking to 200 firms fromacross the region at a “DoingBusiness in Asia” event whereexperts, including BritishAmbassadors and HighCommissioners, discussedopportunities in their markets.

The seminar was attended by UKexperts from the markets covered bythe Asia Task Force, which includeChina, India, Malaysia, Vietnam,Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines,Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, SouthKorea and Japan. They gave advice tocompanies and offered help to getthem access to these markets.

Clive Drinkwater, UKTI NorthWest’s international trade director,said: “The nineteenth century wasarguably Britain’s century, thetwentieth century America’s, but youwill find few people who woulddisagree that the twenty-first centurywill be Asia’s.

“Asia accounts for 60% of worldpopulation – India and China aloneaccount for 40% – and Asia accounts

for 35% of world GDP, but accountsfor more than 50% of its growth.

“Firms need to look at how they’regoing to position themselves inrelation to this huge and growingmarket. It will be imperative to havea proper Asia strategy.

“Asia is the part of the world whereI cut my teeth in a business sense,and I lived and worked there for adecade. It was exciting and rewardingand I constantly look forward togoing back. If you get involved inbusiness in Asia, I know you’ll feelthe same way.” Mark Prisk speaking to North West exporters The Singapore skyline

UKTI’s Clive Drinkwaterwith Mark Prisk

36

EDUCATION

Edge Hill turning to the EastChina’s higher education sector and rapidly expanding economyoffer untold opportunities

EDGE Hill University islooking East for futuregrowth – but also, inthese straitened times,to enhance the life

opportunities of its students.The Ormskirk-based university

has cultivated links with morethan 10 peers in China aimed atestablishing reciprocal tradingand training opportunities for itsbusiness management andteaching students, as well asacademics.

The latest contact Edge Hill isdeveloping followed a June visitby Liverpool Chinese BusinessAssociation to the city of Linyi.

The university’s Alan Seatwowas part of the delegation, anddiscussed the possibility ofstudent exchanges with LinyiNormal University.

Edge Hill pro vice-chancellorDr David Law said: “It’s a bit earlyto talk about proposals with

Linyi, but we will be carrying onand developing our conversation.

“We want to be multi-faceted inthe way we conduct ourrelationships with our Chinesepartners, but with Linyi the linkwith education is going to beimportant because they grew outof being an education provider.

“They are still very strong inteacher education, and that is thehistoric strength of Edge Hill – weare still the major provider ofprofessional developmentprogrammes for schools inEngland.”

Edge Hill only entered theChinese market two years ago – incomparison, the University ofLiverpool established a jointventure campus near Shanghai in2006 with Xi’an Jiaotong, one ofChina’s top 10 universities – butDr Law is confident Edge Hill canlearn from the experiences oforganisations like Liverpool to

develop lasting and valuable linksin the years to come.

“There are universities withmuch more long-standing linksand we’re trying to learn thelessons from experienceelsewhere to make some veryrapid interventions into Chineselinks.”

He believes the way forward isthrough mutual benefit to EdgeHill and its students, and itsChinese partners: “There alwaysneeds to be mutual benefit.

“There needs to be reciprocity,so we want to give opportunitiesfor Chinese academics to comeand work with our academics, wewant to give our students achance to go to China to learnsome Chinese.

“We offer degree programmesin Chinese and business andEnglish, and still have a fewplaces for those programmes.”

Dr Law admitted that student

mobility in both directions iscurrently only in double figures,but he is confident it will growvery quickly: “One of the reasonsit will grow is because of thecomparison between the Chineseeconomy and the British economy.

“We’re struggling to get out ofrecession while the Chineseeconomy is really booming. Itsgrowth rates are close to doublefigures, so there’s enormousopportunity in China, and youngpeople from Liverpool and theNorth West really need torecognise that.

“For example, we know that atthe moment it is difficult forgraduates to get jobs.

“One of the things our Chineselinks give us is the opportunityfor people to go and work forseveral months in China straightafter graduation to teach English,for example. And in that way theycan enhance their own CVs and

skills and return with betterprospects for employment.”

Dr Law added: “Edge Hill has areally good employment rate forits graduates. About 96% getemployment or further trainingwithin the first six months ofgraduation, which is very high.

“But even Edge Hill is going tofind it more difficult for studentsto get jobs, so if we’re offering theopportunity to go abroad to get ajob for a while, then that is a bigplus for our students.

“That is an example, I think, ofmutual benefit.

“It is our job to educatestudents and help them find jobs,but it’s not just about education,it’s also about their life chances,and we are enhancing their lifechances by helping them, withour Chinese partners, to get jobs.

“Of course, it helps our Chinesepartners because they are gettingpeople trained as teachers who

Edge Hill University ProVice-Chancellor Dr David Law

37

EDUCATION

for ‘win-win’ partnershipsforOrmskirk’s university, pro vice-chancellor DrDavid Lawexplains toNeil Hodgsoncan go and teach English, andthat’s good for China.

“So we’re always looking forwin-win partnerships.”

Dr Law also stressed that thedrive to add value for studentscan sometimes override thebusiness argument.

“Obviously, there’s a financialdimension to this. None of whatwe do can be done as a charity, itall has to cover its costs and wehope to make a good return.

“But I really want to stress thatour reasons for engaging withChina and, indeed, othercountries – we have a bigprogramme in the US – is all theseexternal links are making theuniversity stronger, making it auniversity that does lookoutwards, making it a universitywhere our students see theopportunities that the world cangive them, not just Liverpool andWest Lancs, but the world beyond

Europe. So the financial driver isnot the most important driver.”

And Dr Law revealed that,given the chance, students aremore than eager to expand theirhorizons.

“Sometimes we hear about thepopulation in this part of theworld being too focused inwards.

“I have been at Edge Hill nowfor a couple of years, and I havebeen really impressed by thewillingness of people to lookoutwards.

“This year we have 25 studentsover the summer going to variousdestinations in China to learnsome Chinese and to do somelanguage teaching and thesestudents are really committed.

“There was no problem at all inrecruiting students. They’rehelping to meet their own costsand are paying their own airfares, so they are prepared toinvest in getting some new

experiences. It’s our job to makesure those experiences are of avery high quality.”

The university’s business andmanagement courses are likely tobe the most popular with Chinesepartners, but Dr Law says otherareas offer just as much potential.

“The MBA programme isalways going to be important, butin addition to that I would saymore focused programmes aregoing to be of interest.

“We have, for example, aMasters programme ininternational higher education.We’re the only university in thecountry that studies internationalhigher education for a Master’sdegree and that is going tointerest Chinese universities.”

He also believes IT and how theWest addresses issues of internetsecurity will be pertinent.

“Another interestingprogramme we have agreed is

teaching Chinese as a foreignlanguage.

“We’re working with one of theuniversities in South China whoare doing a Masters course wherethey recruit internationallypeople who want to teach Chineseas a foreign language.

“We hear a lot about Englishbeing the global language, and ofcourse it is, but there are an awfullot of people who speak Chineseand it will be very helpful forpeople who are engaged in a glob-al business to have some understand-ing of China and some understand-ing of the Chinese language.

“So this university is going topartner with us so their studentswill come to England and teachChinese to our students and toschool students in Lancashire.”

Dr Law said he sees asignificant strengthening of linkswith Chinese partners over thenext decade: “I think China will

be the most important countrythat we partner with. China hashad a one child policy and therewill be a small number of studentsleaving China.

“At the moment across theworld there’s about 3m peoplewho study for degrees outsidetheir own country. Of those,there’s something like 600,000Chinese studying outside thePeople’s Republic for a degree inanother country. The UK maybehas one tenth of those 600,000.

“I suspect the number ofChinese studying outside theirown country will go down a bit,but it will still be very large andbecause we’re developing goodbilateral links with Chineseuniversities I think we will find atEdge Hill our numbers willcontinue to go up, even though thetotal market might go down. SoChina is a key country for ourinternationalisation strategy.”

Alan Seatwo, centre, with fellow Liverpool Chinese Business Association delegates andLinyi Normal University staff, including Prof Zhaoming Liu, second from right

38

MatouMersey Ferry TerminalPier HeadTel: (0151) 236 2928www.matou.co.ukCost: £17.90

THE NETWORKER

BUSINESSLUNCH

DETAILS

Andy Teage

Pan-Asian restaurant Matou, at the Pier Head, in Liverpool

Alistair HoughtondineswithANDYTEAGE, planningdirectorwithBDP, in Liverpool

THERE can’t bemanyrestaurants inthe UK – theworld, even –with a locationas beautiful asnew pan-Asianeaterie Matou.

It sits on the top floor of thenew Mersey ferries terminal atthe Pier Head, in a prime positionto attract trade not just fromtourists but also from the nearbycommercial district.

The terminal building hasreceived mixed reviews – to put itpolitely – with many feeling itsangular modern style jars withthe Three Graces it sits next to.

But, of course, you can’t see thebuilding when you’re sittinginside it – detractors shouldperhaps imitate author Guy deMaupassant, who regularly atelunch at the Eiffel Towerrestaurant just so he could avoidseeing the tower whose profile hedetested.

But what you can see fromMatou is a magnificent view ofthe Mersey, through angled floor-to-ceiling windows that leave youfeeling as though you are soaringabove the water, all set to swoopon Birkenhead opposite.

I shared that view with AndyTeage, planning director atarchitecture and urban planningspecialist BDP and head of thepractice’s Liverpool office.

BDP built its reputation onarchitecture, but the enthusiasticTeage is not an architect.

Instead, he is a planning andregeneration specialist, focusingon creating masterplans totransform and revitalise townsand cities.

He leads BDP’s town planningteam across the north, as well asbeing head of its Liverpool studio.

BDP was behind themasterplan for Grosvenor’s £1bnLiverpool One development – aplan that was nominated for lastyear’s Stirling Prize.

Earlier this year, BDP movedfrom the Ropewalks to One ParkWest in Liverpool One. Andyenjoys working within a schemethat BDP played a key role indesigning.

“It’s amazing to see theactivity,” he said. “It’s activitythat goes on beyond nine to five.

“We can see people enjoying thepublic space, using the park,taking part in events or eating inthe restaurants on the terrace.

“It’s an environment wherepeople want to be.”

We decided we would eat fromMatou’s lunch menu, which offerstwo courses and a drink for £8.95.

While we waited, Andy told memore about BDP, a firm thatoperates internationally but

has its roots firmly in the North.It grew out of the architecturepractice founded by Prestonarchitect Professor Sir GeorgeGrenfell Baines – known as GG –in 1937.

BDP has had an office inLiverpool for 10 years and hasworked on many projects inMerseyside and Cheshire in thattime, including work for ChesterRenaissance and on the WidnesWaterfront project.

BDP, which also designedLiverpool’s pavilion at theShanghai Expo, last year held anexhibition at the Milk & Sugargallery, in the Ropewalks, tocelebrate its work on LiverpoolOne.

“Our urbanism team is a fusionof talents,” he said. “It’s abouturban planning, andunderstanding how towns andcities work, and looking at theinteraction of people with spacesand places.

“We create strategic spatialmasterplans whether for a city, fora town, for an urban district oreven a housing estate.

“That creates a framework forchange that clients, or localauthorities, can direct investmentinto.

“Liverpool One is a greatexample of that. We did themasterplan for that, and thatenabled Grosvenor to deliver thescheme on the ground.”

Teage and his team wereunderstandably proud of theLiverpool One masterplan’sStirling Prize nomination.

It was the only time amasterplan had made theshortlist for the prize, the mostprestigious honour in worldarchitecture.

Soon it was time to tuck intoour starters. My crispyspring rolls came witha sweet chilli saucethat was very tasty,though hotterthan I expected.

Andy’schargrilled lambkebabs came witha separate dippingbowl of sataysauce, which hesaid was zingywithout the excesssweetness thatsometimesafflictssuch

sauces. Plates cleared, we dis-cussed BDP’s masterplanningwork. It has been working withLiverpool Vision on a masterplanfor the International Gateway insouth Liverpool.

The practice has, says Teage,been trying to answer thequestion: “What is it that in thisarea is needed to create asustainable future over the next15/25 years?”

Among BDP’s other projects isa masterplan for Chester citycentre and a vision for the futureof the Woodside area ofBirkenhead.

Farther afield, Andy alsohopes the urbanism team

will expand itsinternational work and winmore business in Chinaand the Middle East.

Andy, who hails fromnorth Norfolk, fed his

passion for urban planningby studying geography at

Royal Holloway, University ofLondon.

“What really enthused mewas when I did my

dissertation on thegrowth of the

colonial city,”he said. “Ifocused onBridgetownin Barbados,reallyunderstandinghow this city

grew from a small fishing port toa hugely successful city. I lovedlooking at how places grow andevolve.”

Andy took a masters degree atthe University of Liverpool and“fell in love with the city”. Nexthe worked as a planner at SeftonCouncil before he joined BDP’sManchester office in 2002.

In 2004, he worked on BDP’splans to regenerate Hoylake andWest Kirby for the 2006 Open.

Andy moved to the Liverpooloffice five years ago and becamehead of the Liverpool studio lastyear when Terry Davenport, theman behind the Liverpool Oneproject, became northern head ofBDP’s retail arm.

Today he lives in Crosby withhis wife, Zoe, and their childrenElliott, four, and Isaac, aged 18months. He plays football inFormby most Saturdays, andenjoys going to restaurants –though this was his first time atMatou.

It may not be his last, judgingby his enthusiasm for his maincourse, stir-fried rib-eye steak inblack bean sauce. Andy wasparticularly pleased with hissauce, which he said was subtlyflavoured and not too dominatedby soy – a perfect partner for thebeef.

My crispy chicken in lightbatter in sweet and sour saucealso hit the spot. The sweet andsour sauce was sticky and brightred, in the best traditions of thesauce. But while so many similarattempts are far too gloopy, this

was a tasty and fruity effort thatmade for a fine lunch.

They were, we concluded,perfectly-sized portions for lunch,leaving us full but not stuffed. Sowe chose not to have a dessert –although we could have opted forthe “£10.95 for three courses” offer– and wandered outside.

As we left, we checked out theroof terrace on the Three Gracesside of the building.

The grey skies had put us offsitting outside, but in sunnyweather this would be amagnificent place to sit and drinkin both the views and a selectionfrom Matou’s drinks menu.

Government spending cuts willtake their toll on infrastructureprojects, but Andy is confident inthe prospects both for BDP andfor his adopted home.

“We are creating the conditionsfor investment,” he said.

“The basis for our strategy hereis that Liverpool as a region iscreating the conditions for thenext wave of investment andgrowth.”

39

THE NETWORKER

THEBUSINESSLISTTHURSDAY, AUGUST 26/ BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT CAN COOK STUDIOS

A practical demonstration of the idea that you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs

John Haynes

Thursday, July 29Knowsley Women in Business isholding a workshop onmanaging stress. Guest speakerDenise Chilton, of Barceidillo, willbe asking the question “are youstressed or just busy?” andproviding tips to combat stress.It is at Lime Bar and Grill, KingsBusiness Park, from 6pm-8pm.

It costs £15+VAT for membersand £20+VAT for non-members.To book, visit http://tinyurl.com/stress2907

Wednesday, August 4Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce and Liverpool Charityand Voluntary Services is hostinga networking event forfundraisers and marketers atcharitable organisations as wellas businesses wanting to workwith charities. There will bepresentations from Carol Clare, ofCash for Kids, and Ben O'Brien,from Kenyon Fraser. The freeevent is at Radio City Tower from5.30pm-7.30pm. To book, visithttp://tinyurl.com/charity0408

Thursday, August 5Sefton Chamber is holding itsmonthly networking event at ThePark Hotel, Netherton, from12pm-2pm. For details, call01704 531710.

Tuesday, August 17A business breakfast is beingheld at Inglewood Manor,Ellesmere Port, from 7.30am.After breakfast, there is a shortpresentation from a membercompany on the topic ofbusiness growth, followed bystructured networking.

It is being hosted by WestCheshire and North WalesChamber and costs £10+VAT formembers and £15+VAT fornon-members. To book, call01244 669988.

Tuesday, August 17Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce’s August platformlunch will see presentations fromJohn Haynes, LiverpoolCoaching Academy, BTG Tax

and Heatons Stationery. It is atNovotel Liverpool, HanoverStreet, from 12.15pm-2.30pmand costs £25 for members and

£30 for non-members. To book,visit http://tinyurl.com/platform1708

Wed, September 8Safely dealing with the nuclearlegacy is the subject of aCheshire, Warrington & WirralConstruction Best Practiceevent. John Vieth, the supplychain relationship manager at

Magnox, will share details ofprojects under way and futureMagnox plans.

It is free to ConstructingExcellence Members and £10for others. It is at LymmServices, Poplar 2000, WA130SP. For more information,e-mail Jan Daniel [email protected].

THOSE people whothink they can standthe heat are beinginvited to get into thekitchen at the latestBusiness AfterHours networkingevent.

Liverpool Chamberof Commerce isholding the event atSpeke-based cookeryschool, Can CookStudios.

The evening offood-based networking

gets under way at5.30pm and will finishat 7.30pm.

Can Cook Studiosfounder RobbieDavison will give a tourof the facility beforeeveryone moves into

the demonstrationarea. Then people willteam up and go to thecooking stations,where the cooking willcommence.

Can Cook Studios isat The Matchworks

complex, in Speke. Thesession costs £10 forLiverpool Chamber ofCommerce membersand £15 fornon-members.

To book, visittinyurl.com/cancook

Inglewood Manor

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ALISTAIRHOUGHTON

THE NETWORKER

. . . in which Posh Spice and a gaggle ofcelebrities try to save manufacturingthrough the power of Champagne

LAST month, mycolleague Neilreported fromChina, with tales ofwonder and intriguefrom a distant land.This month, I returnwith dispatchesfrom a place still

more bizarre, alien, and foreign.I refer, of course, to west London.For last month I was, for the first

and probably only time in my life,invited to an event by the editor ofVogue.

The style bible had teamed up withRange Rover for a party to celebratethe 40th anniversary of the luxury 4x4brand. The glitzy bash also served asthe launch party for the new babyRange Rover – a vehicle which, as allyou loyal LDP Business readers willknow, is being built at Halewood.

So parent company Jaguar LandRover invited LDP Business toLondon, to join the celebrations in thegrounds of Kensington Palace.

And there was quite a guest list. Wehad Prince and Princess Michael ofKent; fellow Royal and equestrian starZara Phillips; explorer Sir RanulphFiennes; survival expert Ray Mears;TV presenter Gabby Logan; Blurbassist turned cheesemaker AlexJames; and Dragon’s Den dragonJames Caan.

It felt as though I was ticking offpages in a celebrity I-Spy book. AndI’m sure Big Chief I-Spy would havebeen proud of my top spot – a man insomewhat vivid yellow-green trousers,who turned out to be Hot Chip headhoncho Alexis Taylor.

It all led me to wonder whetherthere is such a thing as a “celebrity

wrangler”, charged with making suretheir flashbulb-blasted charges stayon-brand.

I found myself scanning the crowd,wondering whether one of the over-dressed women was discreetlybrandishing an electric cattle produnder the paparazzi radar, warningcelebs against inappropriate mingling.

“Oi! Mears!” I pictured hershouting. “No photo with those Voguejournos – wrong demographic!”

ALL night, the Champagneflowed freely into theflutes. No sooner had aglass touched my lips thana waiter appeared from the

crowd, insisting it be filled tobrimming once again.

I was tempted to ask for a pint ofbitter. But I dismissed the thought, notonly fearing the ripples of horror thatwould have surged through the crowdat the request, but also concerned thata flunky would probably have beensent to the nearest brewery to get meone.

There were, of course, canapés. Myfavourite was the mini shepherds’ piesin mini copper pans – no paper platesfor these stars.

Then came rumours that VictoriaBeckham had arrived. At first, Icouldn’t see her. But then I started tosee the pops of flashbulbs directed at apoint in the crowd just in front of meand to the left. I could just spot a flashof tattooed neck before it disappearedagain as Land Rover’s Phil Pophambegan speaking.

He unveiled the new vehicle, theEvoque, and the car emerged from acrate amid a cloud of dry ice.

And the reason for Beckham’sattendance became clear whenPopham named her as Range Rover’snew “creative design executive”. Shesaid a few words before the speechesended and the photographersdescended, leaving Beckham posingfuriously with the Evoque in a flurryof flashbulbs.

I put on my best sweet smile, turnedto my Range Rover minder and askedif Mrs Beckham might grant me aninterview. In retrospect, I might havehad more success had I asked for afree gold-plated car.

Once the official launch was over,more Range Rover minions – and,perhaps, celebrity wranglers – scuttledaround the Evoque, ensuring as manyfamous faces as possible were picturedwith the vehicle.

I had to slip off to the nearby mediatruck to file my story on the launch,and – of course – to phone newsdesk tonamedrop. Soon I returned to theterrace where, though the celebs hadvanished, the Champagne was verymuch still flowing.

But then I was tipped off aboutanother, yet more exclusive, party stillto come. There was, I discovered, apost-party party at trendy venueChinawhite – a celebrity hangout that,I have since discovered, calls itself“London’s most prolific luxurynightclub”.

I was slipped an invitation in theform of a business card and, afterbeing dropped off at our hotel by oneof the party shuttlebuses, I walkedthrough an empty London night to asmall road off Oxford Street where adiscreet door marked the portal toparty central.

I skipped past the queue, was brieflyappraised by a doorman who didn’tseem to want to let the likes of me in,and then, to his clear and pleasingreluctance, was allowed in.

It was, it turned out, much like aswanky basement club in Liverpool,except – and I’m just guessing here –much more expensive.

And, so, after a quick tour of theclub to see if I could tick off any morepages in my celebrity I-Spy, I headedout into Fitzrovia.

As I wandered to my hotel, Ipondered the purpose of the night’sfestivities.

JLR has always disliked having itsvehicles seen as “Chelsea tractors”, soholding a celeb-studded event in westLondon may seem odd.

But, in fact, those stars – and Voguereaders – are the kind of people thatRange Rover want to buy the Evoque.And the more people that buy theEvoque, the better for Halewood, andthe better for Merseyside.

Who’d have thought it – swankyLondon networking with PoshSpice could save jobs. Pass thebubbly . . .

Yes, she really is that small . . . this picture of Victoria Beckham, withthe Range Rover Evoque, was printed around the world

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42

CAROLYNHUGHES

SOCIAL DIARY THE NETWORKER

Melissa Bush, Jo Mills and Jenny Stewart, at the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce160th anniversary celebrations

Conor O’Donovan, of A2Z Rooms; and Victoria Brown, of HighPerformance Consultancy, at the GUSTO chairman’s dinner

Chamber of Commerce chief executive JackStopforth makes a presentation to outgoing ChairEd Oliver, at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory

Caroline Swales wins the Chamber of Commerce’sLongest Standing Member award, presented byoutgoing Chair Ed Oliver

Debbie McGovern and Lisa Cutler, of LiverpoolDental Spa, relax at one of the practice’sChampagne Thursdays

Marius McGovern and Katherine Atkinson, of LiverpoolDental Spa, at a Champagne Thursday

Conor O’Donovan, of A2Z Rooms, with VictoriaBrown, of High Performance Consultancy, andDowntown Liverpool chairman Frank McKenna,at the GUSTO dinner

Stuart McBride, of Impact Security Solutions; andAdrian Kermode, of Porsche Chester, at theGUSTO dinner

Catherine Price, Nic Smith and Elizabeth Nelson atthe Dental Spa’s recent Champagne Thursday

STANLEY Park’sbeautifully restored IslaGladstone Conservatoryprovided an elegantvenue for the Chamber’s160th Anniversarycelebration, with 180guests enjoying Pimmsand a birthday barbecue,creating the perfectsummer event.

Jack Stopforth,Chamber Chief Executive,opened the celebrations,giving a rallying call tobusiness stating that theLiverpool businesscommunity now neededto rise to the challenge offilling the gap left by thepublic sector.■ THE stylish, newly-opened Liverpool Dental

Spa, in Brunswick Street,winners of the BestDental Team in the UK atthe prestigious NationalDentistry Awards, havehosted a series ofChampagne Thursdays,where their clinicalconsultations are free ifyou are consideringdental implants, smilemakeovers or adultorthodontics.■ STYLISH docksiderestaurant and barGUSTO hosted the latestDLIB Chairman’s Dinnerlast week. New andexisting DLIB membersenjoyed the private diningarea at GUSTO whilesampling the deliciousmenu.

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Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) Launch

Liverpool Business School (LBS) is proud to announce the launch of the first home DBAprogramme in September 2010. The DBA programme is designed to validate thecompetence in professional practice of people working in business and managementrelated areas at the highest academic level.

Master in Business Administration (MBA) Executive Leadership

LBS isworking in partnershipwith the CharteredManagement Institute (CMI) for its (MBA)in Executive Leadership. This prestigious programmewill give you the power to transformyourself and your workplace and the knowledge and skills to lead change.

LBS also offers a wide range of other professional and postgraduatepart time programmes in:

■ Accounting and Financial Management■ Corporate Governance■ Human Resource Management■ Information and Library Management■ Marketing

for those whomean business

For further details please contact the BLW AdmissionsTeam ontel: 0151 231 3999 or email: [email protected]

quoting reference LXM38

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RelationshipsThe insight to careIn today’s property market, we know the value of personal attention.At King Sturge, we place huge importance on the ties we build with ourclients, suppliers, community and the environment.

We provide commercial and residential agency, valuation services andconsultancy to clients in Merseyside Cheshire & North Wales.

We’re more than just a great company to work for, but also to work with.

To get a greater insight call 0151 236 7336or visit 42 Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 7LA

www.kingsturge.com

Documents

LDP Business August 2010