North West business briefs: The Manchester College; Leep Utilities; Barings Law; Lowry Bridge; R3; Co-op

The Manchester College has completed a large solar panel installation after appointing Ash Integrated Services to deliver the 395kW system, which included 875 panels covering 1,750 sq m, at its Openshaw Campus in its drive to become carbon neutral.

It is estimated that the college will have paid for the install in three years thanks to the significantly reduced energy bills. Ash, which has previously installed car charging points at the Openshaw Campus, won a competitive tender for the solar panel scheme.

Antony Grace, co-founder and director at Ash Integrated Services, said: “Not all projects can take place outside of term time. Combining a live environment with exam season meant that while health and safety was still the number one priority, a key focus had to be on minimising disruption and noise. It was a logistical challenge on a large scale solar panel install, but we worked closely with the facilities team at Openshaw to achieve this.

“Flexibility was crucial – some days we would arrive on site not knowing where we would be allowed to work. Our team of eight would also start work at 5am and at weekends to carry out noisy activity while students and staff were not on location.”

In addition to installing the solar panels, Ash installed cabling from the roof down to the plant room, as well as from the main switchboard. This involved large cables being run through multi-use rooms with activity scheduled around availability of each room.

Rachel Curry, principal at The Manchester College, said: “The works at our Openshaw Campus are just one of the steps we’re taking to reduce not only our overall carbon footprint and our dependency on fossil fuels, but the cost of energy, too.”

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To support its ongoing growth and recruitment drive for engineers in both water and electricity sectors, Salford-based Leep Utilities has just doubled its vehicle fleet.

An owner and operator of last-mile utility networks across the UK, Leep has boosted its team’s headcount by 12 in the past quarter alone, and by 47 during the past financial year. It’s also recently reported its most successful trading year since its inception six years ago.

The acquisition of these new vans will enable its skilled team of water and electricity engineers to service and monitor even more networks on construction sites and commercial and housing developments nationwide. Leep Utilities has a workforce of more than 120, made up of engineers and support staff working across multiple functions. To accommodate its growing headcount, the company recently moved into new larger office premises in Salford. It also has a southern base in Reading, Berkshire.

Louise Manfredi, CEO of Leep Utilities, said: “Not only are we doubling our fleet of vehicles with these new additions, but we’re also marking yet another huge milestone for the company and our future strategic direction. We can’t wait for our water and electricity engineers to take them on the road, to service our growing number of customers.

“There’s been a significant step change in our scale, operations and performance in recent years, which has led to our ongoing recruitment drive and investment in these new vehicles. We’re growing at a substantial rate and these new vans will further support our capabilities and customer services to accelerate it further.”

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Craig Cooper

Manchester law firm, Barings Law, will be part-funding the upcoming Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) of three of its legal staff.

Barings, which has more than 100 staff at its city centre office, is committed to nurturing talent and investing in what it calls the next generation of lawyers. The SQE is a new assessment that all prospective solicitors in England and Wales have had to take since September 2021, and is a two-part examination which tests candidates’ legal knowledge and practical skills.

The examination is set to phase out the traditional route to qualification, which involves completing the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and then undertaking a training contract. The firm, which has a strong track record of developing its trainee solicitors into outstanding lawyers, has recognised the importance of the SQE as the new benchmark for entry into the legal profession and said it is committed to ensuring its staff receive the best possible training and support.

Ahmad Ismaiel, one of the paralegals chosen for the funding initiative, said: “I am extremely grateful to Barings Law for supporting me in this way. The SQE is a challenging course, and having the firm’s financial support means that I can focus on my studies and give it my best shot.”

Managing director, Craig Cooper, said: “As a firm, we have always believed in investing in our employees and providing them with the best possible training. We are confident that our trainees will excel in the exams and become excellent solicitors. Barings Law’s investment in the SQE examinations is a testament to the firm’s commitment to the legal profession and its employees. We want to ensure that we continue to attract and retain the best legal talent in the industry.”

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The iconic Lowry Bridge at Salford Quays is to be refurbished to take it through the next quarter century. Also known as the Salford Quays Millennium bridge, the £6m architect-designed structure which runs between the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal was installed in 2000 and has only had minor, routine maintenance work since.

Cllr Mike McCusker, lead member for planning, transport and sustainable development, said: “Routine inspection work has shown that the bridge needs work to extend its lifespan and prevent more costly work in the future. National road and bridge guidelines say paintwork should be renewed every 20 years to protect the structure so the Lowry Bridge is due its facelift.

“It’s also an opportunity to repair lighting and the deck surface which is now rather worn after 23 years of heavy foot traffic. The bridge will remain fully open on match days and during major events but at other times we may need to narrow the footpath slightly during the day to keep the bridge safely in use.”

Cllr Jack Youd, lead member for finance, said: “The contract is also a great opportunity to get social value for Salford from our spend – something the council is strongly committed to. The contractors will employ local people, use local suppliers, many of which are small businesses and will donate materials and time to local community improvement projects, worth around £2,400.”

The bridge, which can raise or lower 18 metres (59 feet) in under three minutes to allow large ships to pass beneath, will not be raised during the refurbishment which is expected to last four months.

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Fran Henshaw

North West firms had more than half a million overdue invoices on their books last month, new research from insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 has revealed.

R3’s figures, which are based on data provided by Creditsafe, show that the region’s businesses had 552,870 overdue invoices in April. The figures show that the number of outstanding invoices has remained relatively steady in each of the first three months of the year and was now around 33% lower than the peak of 830,465 in October.

The research also shows that 54,053 North West firms were themselves behind with their bills – 0.5% lower than the previous month and 11% down on October when the number peaked at 60,540.

Fran Henshaw, North West chair of R3 and also head of corporate recovery and insolvency at Beever and Struthers, says: “Times are still tough for North West businesses as they battle rising costs and cautious consumers.

“Both of these will have an effect on their cashflow levels and their ability to pay invoices on time. However late payment can have a knock-on effect along the supply chain, and can be a sign of financial distress. Creditors are increasingly taking a tough stance with late payers and being more pro-active in pursuing unpaid debts.”

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Manchester-based Co-op’s partnership with Just Eat is set to deliver increased online availability in communities as it reaches almost 1,000 stores by the end of this month, the convenience retailer has confirmed.

The convenience retailer is raising the total number of stores on the platform to almost 1,000 following a successful trial with Just Eat, with the move forming part of Co-op’s ambitions to ‘bag’ around one-third (30%) of the UK online quick convenience market, delivering from store to door in minutes. Co-op also estimates that more than 80% of the UK population will have access to Co-op groceries online by the end of this year, through its own online shop and with partners.

Last year, Co-op saw its online revenues grow by 24%, with the convenience retailer using the strategic advantage of its stores located in the heart of communities to grow its online offer. Orders are picked fresh in store and delivered quickly, conveniently and locally.

Over the past six months, the convenience retailer has also expanded its use of autonomous grocery deliveries, with self-driving robots now a familiar sight in the areas of Bedford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Leeds and, most recently, Greater Manchester where robots rolled-out in March this hear through Co-op’s partnership with Starship Technologies.

Chris Conway, eCommerce director, Co-op, said: “Co-op is combining its physical and digital routes to market stores to further expand and grow its online reach. With our stores located in the heart of local communities, closer to where our members and customers live and work – we continually look to create increased flexible options online.”