North West business briefs: Rosetta Brands; Growth Platform; Pilkington; Counting King; Maersk; RLWC21
A Garstang-based Amazon e-commerce specialist has opened an Australian office and is expanding into new markets including the US and Singapore after receiving funded business growth support from Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.
Formed at the start of 2010, Rosetta Brands began as specialists in the online sale of fun gifts from the USA to UK consumers Owner Nick Comer, who began the business working from a spare bedroom at home, soon found online sales from Amazon were really taking off, and relocated to offices in Nateby, Garstang to manage his growing business.
During that time Nick developed a strong working partnership with Amazon, and Rosetta Brands became an appointed Amazon vendor. He recognised there was an opportunity due to his position as a vendor to act as ‘gateway’ to other businesses to get their products sold on Amazon. Nick contacted Boost’s business relationship management team in 2017 to seek further advice on his new business venture. He was referred to Boost’s Bespoke Programme and was introduced to Hayley Caine, a sales and marketing strategist. She gave Nick the assurance that his idea was unique and viable. They then set to work to develop a sales strategy and marketing plan.
Nick said: “I look right back to the very first conversation with Hayley when I divulged our initial concept to grow our business as the ‘gateway’ between food and drink brands looking to sell to Amazon, as the real turning point for the business. Hayley gave me the reassurance that the idea was ‘brilliant’ and to ‘go for it’ – I then headed straight down to London to discuss it with my business partner Steve Keable and the team and get started.”
Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub and is led by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership). It is supported by funding from Lancashire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Rosetta Brands’ services includes the optimising of online web pages and product images and content. Participating companies sell their products to Rosetta and are then featured on the Amazon platforms identified by Amazon’s Prime badge with their produce sold and despatched by Amazon, which is key to volume sales. Rosetta Brands manages the wholesale orders, advertising and the relationship with Amazon for their customers. Its turnover has risen from £100,000 to nearly £5m and staffing has more than doubled to 20.
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Janice Mears
A £1m fund is on offer to SMEs after Growth Platform – Liverpool City Region Growth Company – relaunched the New Markets 2 ERDF programme to help firms access high value commercial business advice and support.
Eligible businesses can receive a 35% contribution to the cost of consultancy or agency fees which can include financial advice, HR support, legal advice, export, as well as strategic development including marketing and sales.
Janice Mears, head of business growth at Growth Platform, said: “It is fantastic that we can help more businesses though a new round of New Markets 2 funding. The programme has already been a great success, helping 281 SMEs across the city region grow, with grants totalling over £980,000 towards a total of just under £3m of commercial services procured.
“There really is a plethora of services you can get a grant towards such as HR support, coaching, legal advice as well as costs towards ISO accreditation, to name but a few, so I would encourage any business to contact our commercial brokers and see how they can help.”
Janice added: “Helping businesses to grow and thrive is at the heart of what we do at Growth Platform. SMEs make up a large part of our business community and their growth is essential for the future prosperity of our city region.”
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Glass panels on the Elizabeth Line
Almost four kilometres of glazed platform edge screening has been installed across central London’s new Elizabeth Line stations, keeping passengers safe with the final segment of the landmark rail project now open.
St Helens based glass manufacturer Pilkington UK supplied 5,000 glass panels to Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK, which manufactured and installed floor-to-ceiling platform screen and door systems – creating a transparent safety barrier between the platform edge and the track.
The glazed barriers feature on both the 240-metre-long eastbound and westbound platforms at the Paddington, Bond Street, Woolwich, Canary Wharf, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel stations.
Kristian Chalmers, head of sales at Pilkington UK, said: “We’re proud to be one of the many suppliers from across the UK’s nations and regions that have helped Crossrail to become a reality. Naturally, a project like this commands the specification of high performance materials that can withstand very high traffic while meeting critical safety requirements.
“Knorr-Bremse chose to work with us on the project for the Elizabeth line due to the strength and quality of the Pilkington Pyroclear® product technology, and our ability to meet both a demanding technical brief and a complex programme. The glass is an ideal choice for projects with safety and security standards as high as this. This is reflected by the fact that we now have products listed in the London Underground approved product directory.”
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From left: Gwydron Siswick, James Van Beusekom, Susannah Downs
An R&D tax specialist with offices at Media City, Salford, has expanded to Scotland and strengthened its team with three new hires as it experiences significant growth.
Counting King has supported more than 150 businesses with R&D tax claims over the past year and is looking to reach even more businesses with innovation funding support and advice by establishing a permanent presence in Scotland. The team has grown rapidly to 15 people over the past year and there are plans to recruit for an additional four roles in the next few months.
It supports organisations to access grants, tax relief incentives and investment to help scale and grow innovative companies in the UK that are looking to disrupt their industry with commercially successful technology products or services. Counting King already works with businesses across a range of sectors, including brewing, oil, gas, software development, engineering, construction and manufacturing.
Leading the new team in Scotland is director James van Beusekom, who has more than 25 years of experience in the banking and the financial services industry and has previously worked with GE Capital, RBS Group and Bibby. Gwydron Siswick has been appointed as a business funding consultant with a wealth of financial knowledge and previous experience in the sign, graphics and construction sectors.
Susannah Downs also joins Counting King from international consulting firm Leyton. Prior to this, she worked in the world of sports media with Sky Business and the Scottish on-trade industry, specialising in the brewing sector and working with Innis & Gunn.
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The container at the Pier Head
Global integrated logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk has marked its second year supporting Pride in Liverpool as a Festival Supporter, by making the city the first public stop on its 2022 Pride Month rainbow container roadshow.
The 3.7 tonne container, which is one of several painted in the colour of the Pride flag, has been touring the world since 2020 as a symbol of equality, inclusion and diversity and to raise awareness of issues faced by the LGBT+ community.
The rainbow container was welcomed by local Maersk staff, representatives from LCR Pride Foundation, Liverpool City Council and members of the public at the Liverpool’s Pier Head earlier this week. The container is now continuing its tour across various locations in the UK.
Gary Jeffreys, Maersk UKI managing director, said: “Maersk’s rainbow containers serve as a symbol of equality, inclusion and diversity – boldly sharing with the world our stand on creating a culture where all employees, partners, and customers feel welcome and can be themselves without judgement. From their creation in 2020 to now, we hope these containers somewhere along their journey around the world have been a reminder to people that they are never alone and are accepted regardless of their race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.”
Andi Herring, CEO and co-founder of LCR Pride Foundation, said: “Making sure the message of Pride is heard all year round and across the Liverpool City Region and beyond is enshrined in our founding mission. As a global company visibly supporting its LGBT+ staff and communities, Maersk’s values have synergy with our aim as an organisation and we’re thrilled to have them on board for this year’s Pride in Liverpool.”
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The Rugby League World Cup, outside Old Trafford which will host the men’s and women’s finals (Credit: SWPix)
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has announced that Vodafone will be its official technology partner.
The tournament, which was postponed due to the pandemic, is set to take place in England from October 15, to November 19, and will be the first time the RLWC encompasses the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions within a singular event, across 61 games and 21 venues. The competiton will climax in finals games at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.
Jon Dutton, chief executive, RLWC2021, said: “We are pleased to welcome Vodafone Business on board as our official technology partner as we look to create innovative and exciting ways for fans to engage with the sport of rugby league. With tickets selling fast and excitement building, the countdown is on for our tournament to make a real impact across local communities in this country and we are delighted to have the support of Vodafone to help us deliver the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup in history.”
Nick Gliddon, director, Vodafone Business UK, said “Our new partnership with the Rugby League World Cup is hugely exciting, and an important part of our ongoing support for sport in the UK. The Rugby League World Cup is a champion for diversity and inclusion, and we share those values and beliefs at Vodafone – we’re here to help bring to life the ‘Power of Together’ with this brilliant new partnership.”
This new partnership with the RLWC2021 further expands Vodafone’s commitment to support sport in the UK, post pandemic. The partnership builds on Vodafone’s new multi-year partnership with Wimbledon and the AELTC as official connectivity partner, its role as lead partner for the British and Irish Lions 2021 Tour of South Africa, lead partner of Wasps Rugby and Netball, and Rugby Union Player Associations the Rugby Players Association (RPA), Rugby Players Scotland (RPS) and The Wales Rugby Players Association (WRPA).
