North West business briefs: Finders Keepers; CKR Utilities; Electricity North West; Aqua Pura; University of Salford
In a groundbreaking event for Manchester’s bar scene, Salmon Guru Madrid, ranked 16th in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Bars, is set to take over Finders Keepers in Ancoats on Sunday, August 25.
This Manchester-first collaboration celebrates Finders Keepers’ first birthday and its vision to bring world-class cocktails and an authentic taste of Madrid to New Islington Marina.
Salmon Guru’s General Manager, Mel Da Conceição, and a senior bartender will be behind the bar at Finders Keepers, offering a rare chance to experience the craft and creativity of some of the best bartenders in the world. Founded in 2017 by renowned bartender Diego Cabrera, Salmon Guru quickly gained global recognition, culminating in being named the 16th Best Bar in the World in 2023.
The World’s 50 Best Bars list is the pinnacle of industry accolades, setting global trends and celebrating excellence in mixology. Only six bars from the UK are featured in the list, with five located in London and one in Edinburgh. This takeover is a first for Manchester and aims to position the city as a world class destination for innovative cocktails and creative drinks.
The residency is Salmon Guru’s first outside London, and the brand has chosen Finders Keepers for the takeover due to their shared commitment to redefining the cocktail scene and pushing boundaries while offering exceptional hospitality and a vibrant social atmosphere.
Liam Manton and Amy Harrison, the founders of Finders Keepers, said: “We created Finders Keepers to bring world class drinks to Ancoats, and being able to welcome Salmon Guru into our bar is the ultimate realisation of our goal.”
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Darren Wheatcroft, Hannah Pearson, Craig Broadhurst
A rapidly-expanding North West utilities contractor has selected Vanaways as its vehicle provider for its ongoing growth journey.
CKR Utilities, which is based in Heywood, has acquired seven Iveco Daily MWB vans, having previously hired all of its 52 fleet vehicles. As the company continues to grow – turnover is up to £8m in 2024 from £5m last year – CKR is now looking to expand its offering, starting with a traffic management division.
Fleet manager, Darren Wheatcroft, said: “Like any business we are susceptible to a fluctuating workload, so we need to be careful that we don’t buy more vehicles than we need. However it’s become clear that there are major advantages to buying vehicles both in terms of availability and long term cost, so it makes sense logistically and financially.”
CKR was started by director Craig Broadhurst in 2009, as a two-man team working on a private leakage contract. Since then the business has grown to a team of 96 staff working across multiple contracts in the North West.
Hannah Pearson, Vanaways’ regional business development manager for the North and the Midlands, said: “Like any growing trades business, Craig, Darren and the team at CKR rely heavily on their vehicles so it’s a pleasure to be here for them on the company’s growth journey.”
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A project which is upgrading a large section of Lancaster’s power network has progressed to the final stage. Engineers from Stockport-based Electricity North West have started work laying ducts for approximately 450m of new underground electricity cables in the city centre.
The work, part of a wider project which has already seen 2km of new cables installed, will see the power network operator invest close to £750,000. Once complete, the upgraded cables will benefit thousands of customers in the city centre and surrounding areas.
Chris Goode, who is overseeing the work in Lancaster for Electricity North West, said: “As a business, we’ve carried out a huge amount of work in Lancaster and I’m pleased to say we’re at the final stages of this project.
“Each day, the reliance on electricity is growing and that’s why it’s important we have a power network which can meet the growing demand so customers can continue to adopt low carbon technologies like electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels.
“We’ve already communicated with businesses in the area and throughout the project, we’ll provide regular updates to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.”
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Cumbrian natural mineral water brand, Aqua Pura, has confirmed a deal with Un-Limited Motorsport to become a partner for the rest of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
The sponsorship allows for the Aqua Pura logo to feature on BTCC driver Daryl Deleo’s helmet and on the Cupra Leon car’s rear and front bumpers and on the wing mirrors. Daryl will be racing the Cupra Leon at North Yorkshire, Scotland, Donnington, Silverston and Kent to crowds of around 300,000 people.
The BTCC is the third most watched racing event globally, televised in 55 countries with an average of four billion viewers. Plus, it’s the first motorsport series in the world to be streamed live on TikTok globally this year.
Chris Trickett, commercial manager, at Un-Limited Motorsport said: “We’re extremely excited to partner with Aqua Pura and will be helping to educate race fans about the links between water, hydration, wellbeing, water safety, efficiency, and sport throughout this season.”
Aqua Pura marketing manager, Terri Cooper, said: “Of course we got into gear to agree to this sponsorship deal. The brand awareness opportunities and the ability to interact with race goers on our sustainability and hydration messaging are very clear and we’re thrilled to be on board.”
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Dr Silvia Tedesco
A grant in excess of £59,000 has been awarded to the University of Salford’s Dr Silvia Tedesco, by the Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet), to conduct research aimed at decarbonising the paper industry.
Silvia, who is an Associate Professor for Sustainability within Salford Business School’s Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI), has received the funding to determine opportunities for converting paper sludge into biogas through biological degradation. This in turn has the potential to provide low carbon heat and electricity, while by-products could be recycled into green building materials.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, natural gas made up 33% of total energy production last year and, while demand is slowing, it remains a major contributor to the UK’s primary energy consumption.
The paper and pulp industry has been identified as energy intensive by the Government. As one of the key national sectors that is heavily reliant on burning natural gas, the Government set out a strategy and 2050 action plan to drive the sector’s decarbonisation for a greener future, as direct fuel use continues to be dominated by the fossil fuel industry.
Dr Tedesco said: “At the Centre we are dedicated to promoting sustainable business practices that prioritise environmental responsibility and long term societal wellbeing, and we’re confident this research will play an instrumental role to decarbonise an incredibly energy intensive sector.”
