North West business briefs: Reckless; ACC Liverpool Group; DWF; Wirral Met College; University of Salford; Land Studios
Chester-based eCommerce marketing agency, Reckless, has expanded into Liverpool’s Avenue HQ on Mann Island to accelerate its ambitious growth plans.
The agency has taken up co-working space after welcoming four new team members including Sarah Trowler-Wren as client account and project manager, Nicole Milligan as senior digital account manager, Engjell Pireva as software developer and Leanne Bates as marketing manager.
Founded in 2007, Reckless’s client base includes property developer Castle Green Homes, independent craft beer brewery Polly’s Brew Co and global toy retailer Keycraft.
Managing director, Mike Griffiths, said: “Choosing Liverpool was a no-brainer because there’s so much potential, talent and innovation here. Avenue HQ is a brilliant location right on the waterfront, and we can’t wait to build new partnerships across Liverpool’s creative and digital scene. Plus, I studied at Liverpool John Moores University in 2007 so coming back means the world to me.”
Reckless now employs a team of more than 30, specialising in digital marketing, bespoke websites and software development for B2B and B2C eCommerce brands. Founder, Callum Reckless said: “Reckless is home to an incredibly talented team who are the reason we’ve been able to scale over the years.
“We can’t wait to see what Liverpool brings and this is just the start, we have some very exciting plans in the pipeline to push on our offering and the support we can offer to our clients.”
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ACC Liverpool event campus
The ACC Liverpool Group has achieved carbon neutral status.
The organisation, operator of the M&S Bank Arena, Exhibition Centre Liverpool and convention centre, undertook a number of measures as part of its commitment towards sustainability in the events sector. It signed the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge and set its own goal of net zero by 2030, in line with owners Liverpool City Council.
The company is now carbon neutral, achieving its milestone in time for Global Goals Week – an annual week of action, awareness and accountability for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It has been working with sustainability organisation, Carbon Neutral Britain, to measure its total organisational emissions and put a carbon reduction plan in place, offsetting its carbon footprint with credible, high quality projects.
Eddie dos Santos, director of operations and venue management at The ACC Liverpool Group, said: “It’s incredibly important that everyone works together to minimise the environmental impact of events and supports each other to do as much as we can. It has been a huge team effort across the organisation and with the support of the city to develop and implement many measures in our drive towards sustainability.”
The group is currently replacing hot water boilers in the arena and convention centre with air sourced heat pumps after Liverpool City Council received £1.4m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix Finance, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The organisation – which recently installed LED lights across the campus – aims to maintain zero to landfill status, support the development of super low carbon events and reduce single-use plastics.
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Tesco
Manchester-based law firm, DWF, a global provider of integrated legal and business services, has been appointed by Tesco to its legal panel for property and property-related services in England and Wales.
DWF will provide advice on the general asset management of Tesco’s property portfolio of more than 3,000 stores, leasing arrangements where Tesco is landlord, store lease renewals, and alongside Tesco’s other panel members, on store acquisitions, store disposals and property related litigation matters.
The contract with the FTSE 100 retailer, already a client of the group’s insurance services division, took effect on September 1, and will be for an initial period of one year, with the possibility of a further one year extension. The work will be led for DWF by real estate partner, Damian Fleming.
Damian said: “Tesco is a familiar presence in towns and cities across the UK and as the country’s largest grocery retailer its physical stores are a key pillar of critical infrastructure.
“We are proud to have been selected to support them in managing this substantial portfolio and look forward to working closely with their team.”
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Chef Sheridan and students
Chef Andrew Sheridan, who heads up the kitchen at renowned Merseyside restaurants ‘8’ and ‘OXA’ and has appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu, has partnered with Wirral Met College to share his knowledge with students through a series of workshops and cooking demonstrations.
The partnership forms part of the college’s commitment to providing its students with access to industry-leading professionals. Through these engaging sessions, students will have the opportunity to learn from a master chef, gaining insights into the world of fine dining cuisine and the demands of working in a top-tier restaurant.
In addition to the workshops and demonstrations, Chef Sheridan is also planning on a holding a one-off takeover of the college’s onsite restaurant, ‘Met on the Square,’ for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. This special event promises to be an unforgettable culinary journey, allowing guests to sample the exceptional creations of Chef Sheridan in a real world fine dining setting.
Wirral Met’s curriculum lead in hospitality and culinary arts, James Gibbs, said: “This partnership reaffirms our commitment to providing our students with the best opportunities for learning and growth in the field of hospitality and culinary arts. We believe that working closely with a renowned chef of Chef Sheridan’s calibre will inspire our students and empower them to reach new heights in their culinary careers.”
Chef Sheridan said: “I am honoured to partner with Wirral Met College and contribute to the development of the next generation of culinary talent. In sharing my passion for fine dining and culinary arts with the students I want to encourage them to never settle, push boundaries and aim high.”
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Ozgun Ceren Avincsal
Ozgun Ceren Avincsal has embarked on an ambitious journey to reshape the landscape of biotech consultancy while pursuing her MSc in Biotechnology at the University of Salford.
Through her company, Healium Health Limited, she has set out to simplify the process for those keen on establishing clinics or laboratories and ensuring their smooth accreditation. With Launch@ Salford, this mission is steadily becoming a reality.
Launch, Salford Business School’s purpose-built incubation space, is designed to support Salford students and graduates through the start-up phase of their business journeys. It provides the physical space for budding entrepreneurs to share ideas with like minded people, organise meetings, and seek crucial support from industry experts.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the critical significance of biotechnology became even more apparent. Recognising this pivotal moment, Ozgun strategically diversified Healium Health’s supply chain for lab consumables, establishing a connection between Turkey and the UK. This move not only ensured the delivery of high quality products but also emphasised cost effectiveness and affordability for consumers.
In recognition of her forward thinking and innovative contributions to the biotech sector, Ozgun was honoured with the prestigious Santander UK Universities award, underscoring her dedication and the promise of Healium Health. She said: “Our collaboration with Launch@ Salford has been pivotal for Healium Health’s progression. Their consistent support, paired with their insightful business mentoring, has magnified our potential. Their skill in connecting us with the right resources has been invaluable to our journey.”
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From left: Val Gateley, Simon Richards
Land Studio, a landscape architecture and engineering design studio creating nature-based solutions, has expanded and launched a new Ecology division.
It is headed up by director of ecology, Val Gateley, who has more than 16 years of experience as an ecologist, including specialist knowledge in habitat survey and assessment. The new service will offer clients a range of ecological services including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments in support of their projects.
Land Studio was established in Chester in 2016 and is based in The Old Rectory on St Mary’s Hill in the city. The company works on projects across the UK and its clients include The National Trust. Last year, it became the first nature-led landscape architecture practice of its size in the UK to have its own in-house civil engineering and sustainable drainage design division.
Managing director, Simon Richards, said: “As a studio that champions a nature led design approach through our expertise in landscape architecture, sustainable drainage design and Building with Nature, ecology is a fundamental part of our approach and a key service that we have been keen to integrate. We look at all our projects from a holistic perspective that considers both the built and natural environments in equal measure, so we’re excited to expand into providing ecology design.”
Val Gateley said: “It’s great to join the Land Studio team and to be part of a forward thinking business bringing landscape architecture, engineering and ecology all together in one practice. I’m passionate about biodiversity enhancement and working closely together as an in-house team on the design of projects from the initial stages makes absolute sense.”
