North West Business Briefs
Merseyside-based bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing said it will repay all furlough payments claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
After a highly successful year, the bathroom specialists will return the money granted to them earlier this year, to support the Government and its efforts in aiding the country’s recovery. The retailer hasn’t received any other form of relief or support from the Government during the past year.
Back in March the company had no choice but to furlough staff to allow a safe and socially distanced working environment within its Formby headquarters.
Chairman of Victorian Plumbing, Mark Radcliffe, said: “We have just completed a very successful year and now that we have more of an understanding of the impact of COVID, we felt it right to review the support we received in the early part of the year, and we have made the decision to repay this in full. We hope this sets an example for other businesses that have been lucky enough to continue trading during the pandemic.”
The bathroom retailer follows in the footsteps of Aldi, Tesco and IKEA who have also made pledges to repay the Government aid given to them during the pandemic.
Mark added: “During the pandemic, we unfortunately had to furlough a number of our staff, purely based on the fact we could not house them safely within our office space at the time. This wasn’t a decision we wanted to make, but the health of our employees has remained at the forefront over this last year.
“Once the Government published the Covid-safe guidelines, we invested heavily in creating space to be able to bring people back to work with all social distancing guidelines followed.”
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Mark Heppell
The corporate team at JMW Solicitors has advised Life IT on becoming an employee owned business – one of several Employee Ownership Trusts handled by the firm in recent months.
Established in January 2000, Life IT is a £4m turnover business based in Wilmslow, Cheshire. It provides managed IT services, support and consultancy.
Founded by managing director, Jill Sherratt, shares have been transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust, with the current management team continuing to lead the business.
Jill said: “We have an extremely hard-working, committed team at Life IT and it’s fantastic to be able to give our people a share in the business’s future success. 2020 is our 20th year in business and it felt like the right time to transform the ownership structure of the company.”
Mark Heppell, Partner at JMW Solicitors, said: “We’re very pleased to have been able to advise Jill and the Life IT management team with their growth strategy over a number years through to them exiting and becoming employee-owned.”
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Léann Hearne
A Knowsley-based housing association has this year created another 18 positions in its workforce for young people, becoming one of the largest apprenticeship providers in the borough.
Livv Housing Group, based in Prescot, has now helped around 150 young people secure roles over the past eight years.
In the unprecedented year of 2020, Livv was inundated with applications for the apprenticeships spanning a range of areas including marketing, facilities management, finance, joinery, plumbing, homes sales and business intelligence.
Ring-fenced for 16- to 24-year-olds living in Knowsley, those securing the 17 apprenticeship positions include school leavers, college graduates and university alumni.
Léann Hearne, chief executive of Livv Housing Group, said: “We are committed to investing in the borough’s young people and recognise the importance of providing apprenticeships in the area. With this year’s pandemic, we were even more conscious of the need to offer support.”
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Janice Mears
Growth Platform has unveiled its new Business Resilience Programme which aims to kick-start the Liverpool City Region’s economic recovery.
It is calling on leaders of ambitious, entrepreneurial SMEs to sign up for the free programme which will be delivered by accounting and business advisory firm, BDO.
The programme, which will run from December 2020 until May 2021, aims to give 130 regional SME leaders the opportunity to rethink their strategy and vision to come back stronger from the current economic challenges, to build resilience in their business, and to identify future growth opportunities.
The programme is open to businesses that meet the following criteria: Be part of an SME business based in the Liverpool City Region; member of their SME business’s senior management team; employ between 10-250 employees; turnover £1m-£30m per annum; have the availability to dedicate time to completing a short workshop session; have an aspiration to grow in the coming years.
Janice Mears, head of Business Growth, Growth Platform, said: “Current market conditions mean that there is a lot of pressure on SME leaders to make important decisions quickly. Unsurprisingly this can lead to decision fatigue and individuals losing sight of what is really important to their business and employees in an uncertain business climate. This new programme is designed to simplify the choices SME leaders have to make, while helping them focus on the things that will achieve lasting resilience and sustainable growth.”
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Out-of-home digital advertising specialist Lucid Outdoor has unveiled its newest giant LED screen within the heart of Stockport’s £1bn redevelopment.
Lucid’s hi-resolution screens are unique to the region for their full-motion capabilities, meaning that both video and animated content can be displayed, and feature self-brightening technology to counteract increasing sunlight.
The new large format HD display hangs permanently at the entrance to Merseyway shopping centre as part of Stockport Council’s ambitious regeneration plan. Measuring 6mx3m, its addition is part of an initiative to promote and animate Stockport town centre and increase dwell time in its public areas.
The screen operates from 6am to midnight each day, allowing advertisers to pitch brand messages, flash sales and adaptive offers to the town centre’s high volume of visitors.
Lucid Outdoor managing director, Mike Cleary, said: “The addition of the full motion screens in Stockport town centre is a significant development in Stockport Council’s plans. We have pulled out all the stops to get Merseyway up and running pre-Christmas, and have been delighted to deliver another exciting digital platform in the area.”
