North West business briefs: Budweiser; Deichmann; Independent Choices; Lancaster University; Pannone Corporate

Further strike action at Budweiser’s Samlesbury plant in Lancashire has been scheduled after workers turned down the latest pay offer from the company

A total of 275 GMB union members working at the site, near Preston, will down tools for eight days, from the morning of August 22 to the evening of August 29.

In total, 93% of GMB members rejected the latest offer from the brewer. Stephen Boden, GMB organiser, said: “We don’t believe there is any real desire from Budweiser to resolve this dispute. It’s disgraceful that they cancel a meeting the evening before we are due to meet with no real reason.

‘‘Therefore, we will be going ahead with a series of stoppages over eight days, impacting all departments and shifts across the site.”

Further stoppages are scheduled for September, and Mr Boden added: “They continue to ignore workers and put profit before people with this derisory pay offer. Workers are rightly angry. But it’s not too late for management to listen to workers and get back round the table with us to work out a fair deal.”

A spokesperson from Budweiser Brewing Group said: “Budweiser Brewing Group has a positive and long-standing relationship with the GMB, however, despite continued open negotiations, the GMB have confirmed industrial action at our Samlesbury brewery. We remain committed to finding a mutually acceptable outcome and have been making every effort to manage the negotiations in the most productive manner. We have a very dedicated and talented leadership team to support with the production of our much loved beers and do not expect any beer shortages. ”

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Rochdale Riverside Deichmann staff

Shoe retailer Deichmann has opened a new store in the Rochdale Riverside retail site.

Rachel Byrne, centre manager of Rochdale Riverside, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Deichmann to the Rochdale Riverside family of retailers. They complement our current offering, giving shoppers even more choice.

“With back to school just around the corner, the opening of the new store couldn’t come at a better time.”

Cllr John Blundell, cabinet member for economy and communications at Rochdale Borough Council, and board member at Rochdale Development Agency said: “It is a welcome addition to a great range of shops which include New Look, H&M, Next, River Island and Marks & Spencer. The new store has created 11 new jobs which is a really positive investment for the town and the people of Rochdale.”

Deichmann is a family-owned business based in Germany. It first came to the UK in 2001 and now has 123 stores across the country.

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A Greater Manchester-based domestic abuse charity is offering training to businesses across the city region to help them better support employees in the workplace.

Independent Choices is developing a training suite for businesses to help them spot the signs after accessing Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Skills for Growth programme.

Hayley Brewer, manager of Independent Choices GM, heard about the SME Support arm of the Skills for Growth programme in 2021 after COVID-19 led to a surge in calls to the charity’s confidential helpline. Now, Independent Choices GM is developing its own training for businesses across the city region.

Hayley said: “ONS data tells us that for the year ending March 2020, an estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse. We also know that the pandemic has impacted domestic violence. Of course, we want to support and educate as many businesses as possible but we’re really keen to break into the bigger organisations as they have the largest staff base and are, therefore, likely to have more employees in need of support.”

Janine Richardson, programme manager at Skills For Growth – SME Support, which is delivered by GC Business Growth Hub, said: “The work that Independent Choices GM does is hugely important and we know that demand for its services has risen during the pandemic. The support we have offered the business and its staff during this critical period is a great example of how we tailor activity to address a business’ specific needs, building resilience during challenging times.”

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A new programme has been launched to equip SME leaders to protect their businesses against cyber attacks – and avoid the potentially devastating outcomes of a data breach.

Delivered by Lancaster University’s globally-renowned Management School and world class School of Computing and Communications, the Cyber Strategy Programme will enable SMEs to address challenges around digital attacks, including managing threats and risks and developing new ways of working, including boosting leadership capability and capacity and creating solutions through innovation.

Dr Rebecca Robinson, business support and project manager in the School of Computing and Communications, said: “As a leading institution in cyber security, Lancaster University is already nationally and internationally synonymous with research excellence, teaching and engagement as cyber emerges as the next domain in global defence strategies – enabling ongoing prosperity in increasingly uncertain times.”

The programme will be delivered over a five-month period, beginning on November 16. This will include an induction session, a number of practical workshops and masterclasses, a company sprint project and a final action planning session in March. Sessions will be highly interactive, including real life case studies and demonstrations of hacking attacks to build leaders’ knowledge and awareness of the risk environment and potential challenges for businesses.

Delegates will also benefit from discussions with leading cyber and leadership experts, a toolkit of resources they can draw on in the future as their business continues to evolve plus, and perhaps most importantly, peer-to-peer support from other business leaders in the area. Places are fully funded for eligible businesses via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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Tim Hamilton

Manchester-based Pannone Corporate has advised on the cross-border strategic investment in risk-led intelligent security solutions provider, Amberstone Security, based near Cambridge, which services key customers in the retail, warehousing, and logistics sectors.

Pannone acted as legal adviser to Argenbright Group, a provider of human capital services headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through the transaction, the US company will re-establish its UK presence and plans to expand into Europe with Amberstone as its platform company.

The Pannone team was led by Tim Hamilton and included Ashi Amershi, Andy Walsh, Belinda Cheung and Humera Patel.

Tim Hamilton said: “Argenbright has extensive experience and a strong reputation in the international security market, stretching over four decades. This strategic transaction will extend its global reach and capitalise on the rapid growth Amberstone has experienced in a short space of time.

Frank A. Argenbright Jr, executive chairman of Argenbright, said: “We are excited to be back in the security business in the UK and I personally look forward to sharing my experiences of providing legendary service and technology-driven solutions to valued clients with the leadership team to help Amberstone take the business to the next level.”