Business in Brief: New PR agency appointed by Meadowhall; Major Harrogate developments go under spotlight; and more

Shopping centre Meadowhall has appointed The Lucre Group as its new UK PR and content agency.

Having recently completed a £100m transformation and with planning approved for a £300m leisure hall, adding a further 300,000 sq ft of leisure space and creating 1,550 new jobs, Meadowhall has hired The Lucre Group to help it build on its ambitious plans.

The six-figure account win follows a five way competitive pitch and the stepping down of previous agency MK Public Relations after a successful 10-year partnership.

Meadowhall will join The Lucre Group’s list of Yorkshire clients including Jet2.com, Shulmans and Superbreak.

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Representatives of four major business and housing developments in the Harrogate district will present their cases at a Chamber meeting this month.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has organised the meeting in advance of any of the sites being included in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, or being awarded planning permission.

Proposed business development Flaxby Green Park will be under discussion along with residential developments at Flaxby Park, Maltkiln Village in Cattal, and Hammerton.

Representatives of Gent Visick, Wildblood Macdonald, Caddick Group and CEG will present their respective proposals before taking questions from the floor.

Brian Dunsby, who has co-ordinated the meeting for Harrogate Chamber, said: “This will be the first time that all four developers have been in the same room to present their proposals and answer questions from the audience.

“The aim is to inform the local business community of significant plans for more accessible premises for growing businesses and for more affordable housing for their employees on the east side of Harrogate.”

The meeting takes place on Monday, June 11 and will be open to any businesses in the Harrogate district interested in hearing more about the plans.

Chamber chief executive Sandra Doherty added: “The need for more housing in the Harrogate district is unquestionable – but the scale, location and type of housing are still very much up for debate.

“Affordable housing would make a significant difference to many local businesses who struggle to attract quality applicants for lower-paid roles. We also need to create more business accommodation, not just for our local firms to grow into but also to attract investment from larger national and international brands.”

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Language services provider thebigword is working with the Department for International Trade to help expand its presence in New England.

The business has won a place on the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC), which buys services for more than 500 public sector organisations.

The British Consul General in Boston, Harriet Cross, visited thebigword’s head office in Leeds to offer support to the company’s expansion plans.

Cross was accompanied by Kirsten Chambers-Taylor, consul and head of trade and investment at the British Consulate.

They have pledged to make new introductions to business and government contacts across New England and in Washington DC.

thebigword set up a New York office in 2007 after winning contracts with US multinationals GE and IBM.

It has recruited in San Francisco to support its long-standing relationship with a Silicon Valley technology giant and in Washington DC to manage the expansion of its fast-growing defence and international security business. The company also has a team in Florida.

Earlier this year, thebigword opened an office in Boston to serve the MHEC consortium.

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