North West business briefs: LCRCA; Solomon Commercials; Affordable Property Let; Stanley Square; AO; B2BTradeCard
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said plans to revolutionise its public transport had “taken another huge step forward” as the first of the new publicly-owned hydrogen buses begin to enter service. The buses will run between St Helens and Liverpool city centre on the busy 10A route, jointly operated by Arriva and Stagecoach.
Joining passengers on board one of the new buses in St Helens, the Mayor said the state-of-the-art zero-emission vehicles, which are packed with special features including more space for wheelchair users and prams, audio visual announcements with real-time information, USB phone charging and free Wi-Fi, represent the “gold standard” he wants to see delivered across the transport network.
He said: “Today marks a monumental moment in our region’s history as our new publicly-owned hydrogen buses enter service for the first time. This new fleet is the gold standard of public transport that our residents deserve – and signifies another huge step forward in our journey to revolutionise our region’s bus network.
“Designed in consultation with local people, these are some of the most accessible and sophisticated buses in the country with more space for wheelchairs, audio visual announcements, free phone charging and Wi-Fi. The only emission they produce is clean water vapour, which will be massive in helping our region to hit its target to be net zero by 2040 – at least a decade before national government.
“However, this is just a down payment on my ambitions for our region. Using the powers that devolution has given to us, last week we launched a public consultation to give our residents a say on the future of our buses as we work towards reregulating our network – and I would encourage all our residents to make sure their voice is heard.
“Along with our new publicly-owned £500m battery powered trains, we’re putting the public back into public transport and building a 21st century London-style transport network that’s faster, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable – where no one is left behind.”
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eActros electric truck
Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK has partnered with Lancashire-based Solomon Commercials to launch its first fridge-bodied eActros electric truck.
The truck is based on a 4×2 eActros 300. Fitted with three nickel manganese cobalt battery packs for a total installed capacity of 336kWh, it boasts a range of up to 330km (205 miles). The batteries can be recharged from 20% to 80% in 75 minutes using a 400A 160kW charger.
The eActros is designed from the ground up as an electric truck. Its twin electric motors are located within the rear eAxle. With no need for a prop shaft, chassis space is freed up for the batteries to be set across the vehicle’s full width, which helps create a low centre of gravity that translates into improved driving dynamics.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks head of future sustainability, James Venables, said: “The eActros is a truck for a new era, and by launching this refrigerated demonstrator, we’re showing that it’s ready to work in real-life applications.”
Solomon Commercials managing director, Anthony Clegg, said: “The road to net zero is no longer an optional extra, it’s a certainty, and more and more customers are actively looking to introduce carbon-neutral policies and to minimise the impact of their vehicles on the environment. We’re proud to work with manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, helping customers transition to zero-emissions transport. Adopting these vehicles is certainly picking up pace, particularly with the Government wanting to reach stringent emissions targets and create clean-air cities. Electric vehicles will play an important role in ensuring this is achieved.”
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Paula Jones (Reward) and Robert Harrison
A £50,000 funding deal from Reward Finance Group is providing the catalyst for a Manchester-based property developer to expand into the new build market and stay on track to quadruple revenues in the next two years.
Affordable Property Let (APL), the rental development arm of Middleton building firm Harrison Construction, has used the working capital from Reward to establish a property portfolio that will provide the springboard to move into new-build schemes across Northern England.
Reward, which supplies SMEs with tailored business finance loans and asset-based solutions of between £50,000 and £5m, has provided around £300,000 of funding to APL over a five year period, to help the business finance bridging loans on three house in multiple occupation (HMO) properties. The latest being a £50,000 facility to purchase and complete the major refurbishment of an HMO in Castleton Moor near Rochdale.
APL is now setting its sights on significant growth within the new-build market, with planning approval secured on three luxury homes in Hebden Bridge and a commercial property in Oldham. In anticipation of this, APL has hired three new staff and two apprentices from Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale, with plans to increase the workforce further when the construction begins on the new builds later this year.
Affordable Property Let owner, Robert Harrison, said: “Having been in the building trade for over 15 years, it’s always been my dream for the business to move into the new-build space. I knew to achieve that aim, we would need to establish a property portfolio and proven track record of purchasing, refurbishing and letting homes to a very high standard. That is why the funding from Reward has been so critical.”
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Sale is set to welcome two new additions to its thriving food scene in Stanley Square. The vendors join as part of the ongoing regeneration of Sale’s town centre, which has already been recognised by the judges of The Sunday Times Best Places To Live 2023.
Familiar faces, Danielle Condron and Lisa Kettle are former owners of The Bridge. The pair are returning to Sale with their latest venture, Canteena Bar and Grill, filling the place of the food hall and forming part of the town centre’s regeneration project from Altered Space.
Canteena Bar and Grill specialises in top quality Irish Dexter and Brazilian steak, while offering a great range of vegetarian and vegan options. The venue will be split into two halves, with the bar serving an extensive drinks menu and light bites, while the restaurant area will serve a wide variety of dishes ranging from carpaccio, all the way to lavish duck curry.
Danielle Condron and Lisa Kettle said: “We love Sale and its community and wanted to make sure everyone can enjoy the incredible food and new cosy, contemporary feel at Canteena. We have worked hard to cover every price range when it comes to the menu. We want Canteena to be Sale’s home away from home when it comes to sharing food and drink with the people closest to you.”
Joining Canteena Bar and Grill as a new tenant is Oyster Catcher, which will be bringing its much-loved brand in Chorlton to the community of Sale. The intimate neighbourhood restaurant is owned by Recep Canliisik and Duncan Ranyard. Duncan Ranyard said: “Our restaurant in Chorlton has proved very popular over the last five years, with lots of guests travelling from Sale and further afield to dine with us. We have loved sharing our offering with the people of Chorlton and when we were asked to become part of the exciting new development in Stanley Square we jumped at the chance.”
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AO team at Dogs4Rescue
A team from Bolton-based online electricals retailer AO has helped animal shelter, Dogs4Rescue, in Irlam, Manchester, as part of the firm’s Make a Difference days, in which they offered their time and some of the company’s appliances.
The 11-strong team took the sanctuary’s new puppies on their first walk since arriving at the rescue centre from Bulgaria just days before. The AO team then spent the rest of their day carrying out various cleaning and gardening jobs in the dogs’ adventure playground.
AO also arranged for a dishwasher, fridge and chest freezer to be donated to the rescue facility’s newly acquired 41-acre site in Accrington, which will eventually home up to 80 dogs.
Dogs4Rescue founder, Emma Billington, said: “We are extremely grateful for the team from AO that came to help us start the big spring clean of the dogs’ adventure playground. They were a hardworking, good-humoured team that were determined to make an impact.
“We also want to say a huge thank you for the appliances that have been very kindly donated for the new site. Being such a small rescue, we can’t afford to buy new appliances, so, when companies like AO reach out with such generosity, it makes all the difference.”
Vicky Monk, group marketing director at AO, said: “We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Dogs4Rescue and help make a positive impact on the lives of these wonderful animals.”
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Chorley-based B2BTradeCard has become a member of The Payments Association to ensure best practice across its own advertising, incentive and loyalty solutions services, as well as to help drive and inform conversations across the payments industry at large.
Founded in the UK in 2008, The Payments Association is the largest community in payments, operating in the UK, EU and Asia, to help almost 300 companies enhance their commercial interests, solve societal problems such as financial exclusion, and evaluate new opportunities for innovation in payments.
Operating as an independent representative for the payments industry and its interests, it drives collaboration within the payments sector, working closely with industry stakeholders such as the Bank of England, the FCA, HM Treasury, the Payment Systems Regulator, Pay.UK, UK Finance and Innovate Finance.
B2BTradeCard CEO, Craig Parsons, said: “Through its comprehensive programme of activities for members and with guidance from an independent advisory board of leading payments CEOs, The Payments Association facilitates the connections that join the industry together and make it stronger.
“Becoming a member of The Payments Association helps assure our customers and referers of our gold standard practices within the payments sector, while also allowing us to play our part in contributing to thinking and innovation across the industry as a whole.”
