NW business briefs: Marketing Liverpool; Nanoco Group; LYPH; Vincents Solicitors; Sustainability Yard; Electricity North West
Marketing Liverpool has partnered with listings technology business Data Thistle to showcase a wider variety of events taking place across Liverpool on the VisitLiverpool website.
Data Thistle is a listings technology business that manages the UK’s largest set of live events data. From music and theatre to art, comedy and everything else in between, Data Thistle will help VisitLiverpool.com to be the leading destination to find out what events are taking place across Liverpool City Region. Collecting live events data since 1985 and distributing listings to more than 10 million unique online users every month, Data Thistle has years of experience making sure that events reach audiences across the UK.
By automatically collecting event listings from ticketing providers and box offices, as well as public submissions through the bespoke VisitLiverpool submission form, events listed in the Liverpool area will feature on VisitLiverpool.com, Data Thistle’s own website, and other websites including Enjoy.ly, inyourarea.co.uk and The List. The completely free service allows businesses to not only sell more tickets through VisitLiverpool.com but to also reach larger audiences around the UK.
Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, said: “Integrating with Data Thistle will not only enable us to showcase the wide variety of events that take place across Liverpool City Region, but also provide a more comprehensive experience for visitors to VisitLiverpool.com who are looking to explore our exciting events calendar.”
Before working with Data Thistle there were approximately 200 events listed on the VisitLiverpool website. This has increased to an average of 1,200 events, enabling grassroots and fringe venues to promote their events alongside larger ones, and more broadly reflecting the cultural diversity that the city has to offer. This integration with Data Thistle is the first step in the upcoming development of the VisitLiverpool website which will see further integration with destinations in the Liverpool City Region.
Brendan Miles, director of Data Thistle, said: “We are looking forward to helping VisitLiverpool show off the incredible breadth and depth of the city’s cultural scene.”
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Brian Tenner
Manchester-based Nanoco Group, a developer of materials used in the manufacture of monitors and TV screens, said its upcoming litigation with tech giant Samsung has been put back.
Nanoco is suing Samsung over alleged intellectual property infringements. The case was due to bein in the Eastern District of Texas on September 12.
But Nanoco said in a stock exchange announcement that, as is the usual practice, the court had scheduled a number of trials for the same date given that, historically, the majority of cases settle before trial. The court has now advised that another case that was scheduled to go to trial on September 12, 2022, will now go forward as scheduled. Nanoco understands that the next scheduled date for trials in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, is October 3, 2022. However, no scheduling order or priority of cases has been set as yet for October 3.
Brian Tenner, Nanoco chief executive, said: “This change in court date is one minor downside to the system in Texas that delivers trials and outcomes at a much faster rate than most other jurisdictions in the US.
“We will remain patient. Our team of witnesses and advisers were primed and ready for a trial on 12 September 2022. The same will be equally true on 3 October or any date thereafter that our case is set first in the court schedule.”
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Part of the LYPH range
A Lancaster-based streetwear brand, established in 2016 and turning over £100,000 yearly, is aiming for export growth after securing sales of £55,000 in Europe for its 2023 spring and summer collection. Its founder, Frederick Edmondson, is also finalising additional sales of £120,000 for the rest of 2023.
LYPH (Live Young Play Hard) was founded on the core principle of creating fashion that reduces harm to the ecology and is highly sustainable. It uses what is known as deadstock or vintage trimmings and recycled fabrics to create limited edition pieces of clothing. LYPH also uses recycled fabrics that are GSR (Global Recycled Standard) certified.
Earlier this year, LYPH was shortlisted for a coveted British Fashion Council/ GQ award of £150,000, and it made the top three, beating 3,000 brands to the finals, but was pipped at the post by designer Nicholas Daley. Being a finalist increased LYPH’s brand profile and set the business up for a major sales push, but recent world events dented LYPH’s revenue, and it struggled to raise funds to exhibit at key fashion shows where international buyers place orders.
Frederick said: “Without the help of the Department of International Trade (DIT), I’m not so sure we’d still have a business. The team secured grant funding which meant we could attend the shows and strike essential deals. For apparel brands like ours, we absolutely need to be seen at trade events and networking with major buyers. Due to the pandemic, we had lost a key client called American Rag, but because we were able to meet at the Paris trade show, we got them onboard and secured our biggest order from them to date.
“We also secured meetings with tier one buyers from major stores, including 10 Corso Como in Italy and Los Angeles outlets H-Lorenzo and Please Do Not Enter, and secured sales from them. They’ve been our target for a long time, and these new partnerships will open up new markets in Europe, the EMEA, and America.”
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Fahrat Unnisa
Vincents Solicitors lawyer, Fahrat Unnisa, has received her Children Law Accreditation from the Law Society. The accreditation is the UK’s highest quality standard for lawyers working with children and is only awarded to those with significant experience in care proceedings, following a rigorous evaluation process.
Fahrat will now be able to represent children directly in legal proceedings, working alongside their court-appointed guardian to ensure their voices are heard.
Having worked in family law and care matters for more than 23 years, Fahrat is extremely familiar with the issues arising from the removal of children from their parents. She said: “Working in child care law you are always looking out for the children’s best interests and demanding the very best from the adults in their life, be that their families or the authorities.
“Being Children Law accredited I will now be able to play that role even more effectively as the child’s direct legal representative advocating on their behalf, working alongside their Cafcass Guardian, social workers, foster parents and birth family to agree a care plan that ensures the best outcome for their future.”
Val Shaw, head of Vincents’ child care department and who has been accredited for 26 years, said: “Securing Children Law Panel accreditation is, rightly, an extremely tough process. Fahrat is an exemplary practitioner and has decades of experience in this field, and her achievement is very well deserved. With two fully accredited specialists now available, we have the capacity to double our Children Law work and help support many more young people across the county.”
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Nigel Eastham
A property developer is on a mission to use technology to make the industry more sustainable. Entrepreneur Nigel Eastham has launched Sustainability Yard to reduce the amount of building materials going to landfill.
The free app allows users to buy, sell or give away spare building materials and is already attracting significant interest from across the industry. In the past month alone user numbers have increased by 1,500 to 6,500 and the company is on track to hit 10,000 by the end of the year.
The 33-year-old, from Chorley, came up with the idea after realising how many tonnes of building materials from his own property developments were being sent to landfill. He said: “I have two young children and it just didn’t sit right with me. The more I thought about it the more I started to think that the big boys in the industry must be throwing away a lot more than I was. That’s when I came up with the idea for Sustainability Yard. What I’m trying to do is create a national platform that promotes sustainability and the circular economy of building materials through our marketplace app.”
Eastham has invested a ‘significant sum’ in making the technology as user friendly as possible. He said: “If a user is wanting to list some building materials for sale or for free, they can do that in less than 60 seconds. If a user sees something that they would like, then they can open up a private, instant chat with the seller and arrange a time to collect.
“Sustainability Yard is already being used by every demographic involved in the construction industry. We have Tier 1 and 2 contractors, national house builders, housing associations, local tradesmen and DIY enthusiasts using the platform.”
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Electricity North West, the Stockport-based electricity network operator, is staging its annual regional workshops in Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester this September where it will be sharing details of its investment in the region and discussing how it and its partners are supporting customers in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
The free workshops will also give attendees the opportunity to hear key insights gathered from the region over the past two years and learn about some key strategic projects the operator is carrying out within the community. The network operator will also explore the learnings and improvements made following Storm Arwen and the plans and preparations in place for future extreme weather.
Discussions will also include how the operator can best facilitate the move to net zero through the connection of low carbon technologies in homes and businesses. Guest speakers will also join the events to give their perspective on regional priorities and the support they provide to customers.
Helen Norris, Electricity North West’s stakeholder engagement and responsibility manager said: “These events are a great opportunity for us to engage with local stakeholders and groups representing the local community on the issues that matter most to them, and the views and feedback shared in these sessions really do help inform our future plans and investments.”
The Cumbria workshop will take place from 10am-1pm on Friday, September 16, at North Lakes Hotel & Spa in Penrith. The Manchester workshop will take place from 1pm-4pm on Monday, September 19, at Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce on Deansgate in the city centre. And the Lancashire workshop will take place from 1pm-4pm on Tuesday, September 13, at The Exchange in Preston.
