North West business briefs: Network Rail; Provenio Litigation; Amici; Boughey Distribution; Hydes
Passengers are being advised to check before they travel from Saturday June 15, while engineers install new netting to Manchester Piccadilly rail station’s iconic glass roof.
Engineers are installing the additional new netting as a safety feature to keep passengers safe for years to come, as longer term plans for the station’s maintenance are considered. The current station netting was installed 25 years ago and is starting to show some signs of wear and tear. The work will continue until October and is being carried out in phases to reduce the impact on passengers.
However, some platforms will be closed and trains will be diverted to alternative platforms.
Engineers will use raised platforms and rope systems to safely access the station roof and install the new netting. Passengers are advised to check before they travel as there may be some disruption.
Kara Wood, acting route strategy director for Network Rail’s North West route, said: “ We are doing this work in phases so we can keep the station open to passengers. While some platforms will be closed as we install new netting, the majority of the station will be unaffected. Passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel.”
Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “Manchester Piccadilly is a major hub on our network and thousands of our customers make journeys that start or end there every single day. While these improvement works are carried out, we would encourage people to allow that little extra bit of time to catch the train as they will need to double check their departure platform, which could be different to the one they are used to.”
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Provenio team
The combined claim value of business litigation cases handled by Liverpool-based Provenio Litigation has hit £1bn in the five years since its formation.
Under the guidance of Mark Goodwin, formerly head of the litigation and regulatory team at DLA Piper’s Liverpool office and part of the UK management team of the litigation and regulatory group for 17 years, Provenio has attracted high value national and international instructions, expanded into new areas of litigation, grown the business through a ground-breaking £50m litigation funding agreement, launched a new insolvency litigation and financing solution – Optimise Limited – and invested in the future of the firm through a graduate solicitor apprenticeship programme.
Mark Goodwin said: “When we launched Provenio, our vision was to create the premier business litigation firm outside London, using a team that all formerly worked together at DLA Piper in Liverpool. The Covid pandemic slowed our initial progress but to attract business litigation instructions with a combined value of £1bn shows how far we have come over the last five years.”
In terms of expansion, Provenio has recognised and rewarded its home-grown talent. Hannah Catterall and Emma Charnock have both been promoted to partners at the firm while Provenio has strengthened its international practice through the appointment of Daniel Jude who was formerly a partner in DLA Piper’s Dubai Litigation and Arbitration Group.
Looking to the future, the firm has launched its graduate solicitor apprenticeship programme, welcoming four trainees to the business over the past two years, supporting the growth of the business and investing in the future through attracting and developing exceptional talent combined with effective training and supervision.
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Amici, South Liverpool’s new Italian restaurant, has opened on Aigburth Road. The venue, which has a capacity of 120, has unveiled its new interior after the owner, James Nolan, invested more than £100,000 into refurbishing the venue with new seating and decor throughout, a full new kitchen along with new kitchen equipment, crockery and cutlery, and a renovated bar area.
James Nolan said: “After weeks of renovations and so much hard work behind the scenes, we’re delighted to unveil our new Italian restaurant, Amici, in the heart of South Liverpool on Aigburth Road. Here we’ve put together a menu that everyone will enjoy, from nibbles and light bites to an excellent lunch offering, to our A La Carte menu which is the showpiece of our restaurant.
“On Sundays, guests can enjoy a classic Sunday roast with all of the trimmings and for those who want to make a night of it on Friday and Saturday evenings, we’ll have acoustic music on from 9pm following our final dinner service where they can stick around to sip drinks in our bar area.”
He added: “Now that our doors are open, we’re very excited to welcome local guests and those a little further afield to Amici.”
After announcing the new restaurant would be opening, Amici said it garnered a lot of support from the local community. It will host a coffee morning for neighbours and anyone in the community who would like to stop by and see the restaurant today (June 11) from 11am-12pm.
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Angela Carus
Cheshire and Staffordshire based storage and distribution company, Boughey Distribution, ha been accepted into the B Corp Community and has formally achieved B Corp Certification.
B Corp’s purpose is to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact, and certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.
The drive to achieve certification for Boughey has been spearheaded by Managing Director, Angela Carus, who joined the company in January 2022. Recognising the powerful impact that the B Corp movement has made on an increasing number of Boughey’s food industry customers, she immediately investigated its purpose and framework, and decided that it should be a key priority for the business.
She said: “The guiding and sound principles of the B Corp movement made perfect sense to me for leading a business in the right way for all our stakeholders including colleagues, customers and our local community, as well as protecting the environment and establishing excellent and transparent governance. Delving into the B Corp philosophy further, we found that it chimed perfectly with our leadership style and values.”
Within Boughey, the B Corp journey has been led by ESG & Quality Manager, Sarah Hall, along with external support and guidance from B Leader, Donna Okell of UK for Good. Angela said: “Both Sarah and Donna have been instrumental in our attainment.”
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Crown Inn, Cheadle
Salford-based brewer and pub retailer, Hydes, has invested almost £2m across the sports pubs in its estate ahead of the upcoming Euros 2024 tournament in Germany, and other sporting events.
The family-owned independent business has refurbished many of the popular sports pubs in its estate with the addition of new bigger screens, sound systems, lighting and comprehensive broadcast packages to ensure sports fans don’t miss a minute of action this summer.
Events taking place throughout the summer include Euro 2024 which kicks off on 14 June until 14 July, Wimbledon fortnight from 1-14 July, the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris running from 26 July to 11 August, the Tour de France starts in Italy on 29 June-21 July, England v West Indies Test series 10-30 July, The Open Golf from Royal Troon 17-21 July and The Paralympic Games, which take place from 28 August to 8 September.
With its brewery in Media City, Hydes was formed in 1863 and supplies beers to wholesalers, pub companies and other brewers throughout the UK and a pub retailing estate of nearly 50 pubs across the North West of England and North Wales. Hydes currently has 33 managed pubs and 12 tenanted pubs regularly showing sports via Sky Sports and TNT Sports across its entire estate.
Managing director of Hydes, Adam Mayers, said: “The summer boasts a packed programme of sporting events with the highlights being the Euros and the Olympics. It’s not just about football and the Euros, there’s a focus on key sporting events and fixtures such as racing, cricket and boxing. Our investment and refurbishment programme in our sports pubs ensures the best possible experience for customers.”
