North West business briefs: Cheers Global; UrbanChain; Uinsure; Institute of Directors; Joseph Holt; LYVA Labs

Cheshire drinks exporter, Cheers Global, has signed an export agreement giving it worldwide exclusivity on the representation of GinTing brands, GinTing and RmTing. 

Kris Hindley, founder of Stratford-on-Avon-based GinTing said: “This is a hugely exciting chapter in the GinTing story. Cheers Global has seen the international potential of our incredible products, and we are keen to see how far we can take our export journey.”

The journey started in 2015 when Kris and Louise were holidaying in Cornwall, enjoying a gin and tonic. The idea came to them to create their range of fruit-infused spirits. Three years later, GinTing officially launched, offering a selection of premium spirits bursting with bold, natural fruit flavours free from added sugars. 

Their signature products are GinTing Passionfruit, Mango & Elderflower, and RumTing Pineapple, Mango & Guava. Both are available through major online retailers such as Amazon and Master of Malt and can also be found in popular bars and restaurants like JD Wetherspoons.

Cheers Global will export the full range, including 70cl bottles and 250ml RTD cans. 

Craig Johnstone, founder and Managing Director of Cheers Global, said: “We’re thrilled to represent such a dynamic brand. GinTing’s rising popularity and unique flavour profiles bring something fresh, fun, and vibrant to the market – qualities that will resonate globally.”

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Dr Somayeh Taheri

A groundbreaking initiative designed to lift vulnerable households out of fuel poverty has added Manchester-based UrbanChain to its project team. 

SHIELD (Smart Heat and Intelligent Energy in Low-income Districts) is a £5.4m funded scheme focused on reducing the energy bills and emissions for people living in Essex. The project is funded through the Strategic Innovation Fund, an Ofgem programme managed in partnership with Innovate UK, and led by UK Power Networks. UrbanChain will be delivering the energy supply and peer-to-peer trading work package.

Founder CEO of UrbanChain, Somayeh Taheri, said: “Our founding mission was to alleviate fuel poverty and fix a broken inefficient energy market model and our social responsibility values haven’t wavered.”

She added: “For SHIELD to develop its route to market, business model and customer proposition in more detail, it needs to interact and operate between consumers, prosumers and generators. UrbanChain will help SHIELD design this.

“As the leading UK peer-to-peer (P2P) energy exchange, UrbanChain have extensive experience delivering similar projects in other areas across the UK and we are looking forward to delivering on this in Essex, alongside the rest of the SHIELD project team.”

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Global womenswear and lifestyle brand, 4th & Reckless, has secured END Clothing as a premium stockist, launched yesterday (September 25) in its Milan, Glasgow, and Newcastle stores.

Founded in Manchester in 2016 by CEO Pawan Khosla, 4th & Reckless has quickly built a cult following, known for its sell-out collections. Collaborations with top influencers including Elsa Hosk, Loz Vasallo, Mimi AR Georgina Lennon and Luana Barron have further accelerated the brand’s international growth and success.

Most recently, 4th & Reckless made waves in the fashion industry with its debut catwalk show at London Fashion Week on September 12, drawing more than 300 attendees, including celebrities, influencers, media, and industry insiders.

The new END retail spaces will showcase select styles from the ‘Fourth Country Club’ collection, designed for the autumn/winter athleisure season.

Pawan Khosla said: “This partnership with END marks a significant moment in our premium journey. Alongside our LFW catwalk show, this launch reflects our growth and dedication to timeless, considered fashion and we’re excited to see the response.”

4th & Reckless is set to further expand its retail portfolio, with new partnerships to be announced later this year, while plans for continued international growth are already under way. It aims to extend the 4th & Reckless x END store presence to Manchester and London by the end of the year.

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Lauren Bagley

Manchester-based insurtech, Uinsure, continues its significant growth by welcoming 60 new team members after securing several major partnership deals.

Uinsure’s technology, which offers partners and their customers access to a panel of the UK’s top insurers through a simplified and multi-award winning journey, proved to be a key differentiator in competitive tender processes.

The company has invested heavily in its digital-first service that allows home and landlord insurance to be embedded by its partners so they can offer personalised cover to their customers as soon as arranging it becomes a need.

Lauren Bagley, Uinsure’s chief distribution officer, said: “To win these prestigious partnership accounts, particularly in a highly competitive environment, is a tremendous endorsement of the strength of our proposition. The fact some of the UK’s leading banks, building societies and financial intermediaries have chosen Uinsure demonstrates how highly the industry values the technology and customer experience we’ve developed. 

“An expanded scale will only help in securing more competitive premiums for all our partners’ customers, which is another thing we’re working relentlessly on.”

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Clockwise Manchester

The Institute of Directors has launched a new business hub for its members in Greater Manchester. 

The hub is at Clockwise Manchester at Linley House in the city centre.  Built in 1963 Linley House, a former electrical station, has been renovated to create high quality, flexible workspace only a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations.

IoD Manchester chair, Debbie Black, said: “The hub is a fantastic addition to our membership offer. It provides drop-in co-working space in an excellent, central location where members can work, hold meetings and get a bite to eat in the onsite café, Two Hands. In 2025 we will be using the hub to hold monthly in person events to support our members and the wider SME market.”

She added: “A common theme when speaking to members is a desire to share or benefit from business information, knowledge and experience. We have that in our membership in abundance and the hub will help us capitalise on this.”

Debbie leads a six-strong branch committee and is keen to add to the Manchester team. “I’m very keen that our committee is representative of our membership and its diversity. If you are interested in joining the Manchester committee – contact me via LinkedIn.”

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Family-owned Manchester brewer, Joseph Holt, has launched its first range of clothing which champions its 175-year heritage. 

It says the casual range – which includes t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies – is proving a big hit, ot least since many of the items display Holt’s ‘Unmistakably Northern` slogan.

The clothing range also includes   t-shirts emblazoned with designs of historic beer mats as well as polo shirts celebrating the brewery`s 175th landmark anniversary. 

Paul Longmire, marketing manager at Joseph Holt, said that launching the clothing line tapped into the sense of regional pride many Northerners feel about their identity, culture, humour, and traditions. The range is made from Gildan cotton and blends.

He added: “This is the first time the brewery has launched a clothing line and we’re delighted that it’s proving to be such a great success. Joseph Holt ales are one of the great Northern brands. Our customers are fantastically loyal and love the heritage associated with the brewery.”

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Tectores team, LYVA Labs’ CEO and investment team

LYVA Labs has completed a £50,000 investment into Tectores, a Wirral-based healthcare company.

Tectores’ patented anti-friction technology, PelliTec, is currently available in a pad worn inside footwear to prevent blisters. The pad has been shown to reduce the recurrence of foot ulcers in people with diabetes and could help prevent lower limb amputations for thousands of patients each year.

LYVA Labs is Liverpool City region’s unique innovation investment company, established with £10.5m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The blister prevention pad is already on the market and LYVA Labs’ investment in Tectores will enable the company to extend its patent portfolio, complete the development of an insole to reduce callus formation using the same anti-friction technology, and source more funding to partner with the NHS to undertake a large patient trial in diabetic footcare. The investment also supports Tectores to appoint John Grumitt – an expert advisor to innovative health and care businesses, and investors – to its board.

Akshay Bhatnagar, Head of Investment at LYVA Labs, said: “There are more than five million people with diabetes in the UK who could benefit from using products which include PelliTec technology.”

The company launched PelliTec in 2019 after Peter Broxton, now co-director, joined the company. He said: “With growing success in the sports market, we would love to see our products used by people with diabetes, where the benefits could be life-changing and long term. Funding from LYVA Labs allows us time to generate further evidence that can prove the benefits to people with diabetes and support our products to market sooner.”