North West business briefs: FW Capital; The Henry Potts; Everton FC; Beesley & Fildes; Essar; Sutcliffe
The Northern economy has been boosted by more than £100m according to figures released for investments made by FW Capital in the financial year ended March 31, 2022.
Loans totalling £35.5m were made directly by FW Capital which attracted co-investment of £69m from the private sector. The investments have helped local businesses across the North to create and safeguard 1677 jobs – a 79% increase from last year’s figures of 935.
This growth has been delivered through the three funds FW Capital has under management. The NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance has funded £88m with a focus on Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, and the Tees Valley. The North East Property Fund has invested £12m and a further £8m was invested through the Tees Valley Catalyst Fund (TVCF), which is managed on behalf of Tees Valley Business, the local growth hub for the Tees Valley and part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. This fund helps businesses bid for new contracts by providing short-term loans.
Gary Guest, North West fund director at FW Capital, said: “The level of employment generated as a result of our investments has been impressive, particularly during this crucial period of recovery. Every business has been touched in some way by the events of the last two years and having access to capital has given many business owners the confidence to grow and seek out new contracts. This has boosted job creation and the local economy with many businesses coming back stronger thanks to this funding.”
One business that has benefited from NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance is Lytham St Anne’s business Airship Interactive which has created 50 jobs after receiving a £450,000 investment. The funding is also supporting Airship Interactive’s significant growth plan which includes securing a second office, alongside investment in research and new service lines.
CEO of Airship Interactive, Joe Harford, said: “The gaming industry has been very strong over the last few years, and we have been able to capitalise on this further demand for our art services and increase our share of the market. Through continued investment we have built a highly skilled team of specialists complemented with the latest technology and equipment and this latest funding will allow us to expand the business even further.”
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Jonney Cox, left, and head chef Rob McDiarmid
A Chester city centre pub which suffered years of troubles is seeing a new lease of life – reborn as ‘The Henry Potts’ following a major investment by the locally-based Pubs Ltd estate.
‘Potts’ aims to become top class city centre local in the former basement home of the once hugely popular Fat Cat in Watergate House, Lower Watergate Street. The Fat Cat closed with the collapse of the parent company in 2013. Since then, there have been several short-lived incarnations, most recently as the Wrexham brewery-owned Big Hand Ale House.
Pubs Ltd is headed by veteran pubs entrepreneur Jerry Brunning, co-founder of the highly successful Brunning & Price chain – who turned an abandoned chandlery on Chester’s neglected canal side into The Old Harkers Arms – ‘Harkers’ – to become a thriving city destination. Potts – the name harks back to the original owner – has opened under the stewardship of experienced publican Jonney Cox, who successfully launched the company’s Hare at Farndon in 2020.
Situated just off the city walls near the racecourse, Jonney believes the new venue will welcome both the local community and visitors alike. He said: “We have an exciting offer with Potts. Everyone loves a village pub, and we see Potts working in the same way – as a top-class local pub in the city while being very welcoming to visitors.”
Watergate House is a Grade II-listed Georgian property built in 1820 for Henry Potts, Clerk of the Peace for Cheshire. The new look refurbishment – including a state-of-art kitchen – retains many original features with intimate alcoves, beams, posts, and original floorboards. Whitewashed walls display period pictures and prints while discreet lighting adds to a warm ambiance.
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Joanne Abraham, Gareth Jacques of Laing O’Rourke, EFC ambassador Ian Snodin
The Learning Foundry has teamed up with construction group Laing O’Rourke to give local people in the Liverpool City Region the opportunity to work on Everton FC’s new 52,888-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
The programme will give people aged 18 and above, living in the Liverpool City Region the chance to begin a career in the construction industry. Apprentices will be supported by The Learning Foundry and Laing O’Rourke to play a key role in the construction of the Toffees’ home which will transform Liverpool’s iconic waterfront and define an era.
The Learning Foundry, partnered by construction training specialists The Skills Centre, is using multiple funding streams to facilitate this one-of-a-
kind programme leading to paid full-time employment with Laing O’Rourke, working on the construction of the new Everton stadium project. To be considered for the apprenticeship, a short pre-employment training course must be completed. The two-week course will be delivered by industry expert tutors, at a specialist training centre close to Bramley-Moore Dock. Participants will get a chance to see what working in construction is like, learn the basic labouring skills and health and safety requirements and gain a free CSCS card, needed to work in the industry.
On completion of the course, participants will be assessed, and the successful individuals will be employed by Laing O’Rourke as full time apprentices and join the new Everton stadium project team to work alongside some of the most experienced tradespeople and technicians in the industry. The Learning Foundry will provide access to wider training and employment opportunities for anyone who is unsuccessful and offer application, CV and interview support.
Joanne Abraham, managing director of The Learning Foundry, said: “This project will not only make a big difference to the regeneration of Liverpool’s historic waterfront, but also make a positive impact for local people to access training, apprenticeships and careers that will impact for generations to come.”
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Liverpool-based Beesley & Fildes has invested £3m in expanding and upgrading its facilities to meet growing demand for building products across its 11 North West branches in Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester and online.
The family-owned independent builders’ merchant has ploughed £1m into its timber milling facility and invested a further £2m in the development of a new distribution centre, both located in Widnes. The 4.2 acre distribution centre will enable the firm to purchase more stock to meet demand, including civils and drainage products.
The site also houses new machinery designed to fulfil orders faster and more efficiently. An automated bagging machine for products such as stone and sand has the capacity to serve all 11 branches. A batching plant has also been installed allowing concrete products such as fencing posts to be manufactured on site.
The timber mill, acquired by Beesley & Fildes in 2004, produces skirting, architraves, flooring, planed timber, door casings and certified fire door casing kits, and also fulfils bespoke orders. The investment in this facility has introduced new equipment, which is significantly increasing throughput.
James Beelsey, commercial director, said: “This investment programme ensures we can quickly and effectively respond to growing customer demand and positions our business for future growth. Our new distribution centre, combined with advanced machinery and automated technology, significantly increases capacity, broadens our in-house processing capabilities, and provides a fast and reliable supply chain for our customers.”
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Essar graduates
Essar, which owns the Stanlow oil refinery near Ellesmere Port, is looking for engineering, technology and finance graduates who want to play their part in leading the energy transition, and is seeking eight exceptional individuals to take part in its three-year graduate development programme.
Successful applicants will transfer between teams every 12 months to develop a breadth of skills and areas of expertise. The scheme has been launched to ensure the company continues to have the skills and talents needed as it works towards its ambition of being the UK’s first low carbon refinery and to play a leading role in the North West’s transition to become a low carbon economy.
A report from the Institution of Engineering and Technology last year found there was a shortage of around 173,000 workers in the STEM sectors and Essar said it wants to play its parts in ensuring the UK has the skills it needs to perform today and transform for tomorrow. Located close to the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, Essar’s Ellesmere Port site puts it in a prime location for graduates from universities across the North West, although the scheme is open to recent graduates from across the country.
Deepak Maheshwari, CEO of Essar Oil UK, said: “We’re proud to be able to offer this development opportunity to ambitious graduates taking the first steps in their careers. We’re investing to lead the energy transition and the programme offers the chance to learn from the our experienced and expert teams.”
The deadline for application to the scheme closes on July 31, 2022. Those interested can apply by searching ‘Essar UK graduate scheme’.
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Sutcliffe team: Martin Pocock, Sean Keyes, Jacqui Johnson, Ian Robinson, William Baldwin, Anoop Jayakkar
Liverpool-based civil and structural engineering firm Sutcliffe has announced record figures for its last financial year, with the company reporting a £5.2m turnover across all four offices of Liverpool, Manchester, Wrexham and London.
The eight per cent improvement represents another 12 months of continuous growth for the firm that celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2021. Pre-tax profits also improved by eight per cent in the financial year to September, in which staffing surpassed the 50-mark for the first time following a 12% increase in headcount
Having completed more than 32,000 jobs since 1985, Sutcliffe also boasts a range of new high profile project wins throughout the past 12 months, with these projects representing in excess of £500m-worth of construction work in the North of England.
These projects include work on 155 new homes in Wigan for Torus Developments and 177 new homes in Salford for Salford Council with Seddon Group, the appointment on the RISE and Yorkshire Housing framework and projects on the new Mossley Hill mental health hospital in Liverpool and the new Stepping Hill general hospital in Manchester.
Sean Keyes, managing director, Sutcliffe, said: “Our company’s success has been down to our staff members’ hard work and dedication, with over 90% of our team staying office based throughout the pandemic and working around the clock to produce the best results for our clients.”
