North West business briefs: San Carlo; H&H Group; Kingdom Services Group; OakNorth; John Mason Intl Movers; Elithair; Superdrug

Family-run Italian restaurant group, San Carlo, will unveil its first Christmas window display, “Carnevale Di Natale,” at House of Fraser this weekend, when Manchester will be buzzing with Christmas shoppers.

A festive celebration event will take place at House of Fraser on Saturday, November 16, between 11am and 1pm, as the restaurant serves up surprises for city centre visitors and shoppers.

‘Carnevale Di Natale’ is San Carlo’s bespoke concept, inspired by traditional Italian Christmas festivities.

Drawing from the vibrant colours, joyful music, and rich culinary heritage of Italy, the Carnivale experience aims to immerse guests in authentic Italian traditions.

A live model display will take over the window, while outside the window a San Carlo coffee cart will serve two hours of complementary hot drinks with specially brewed barista coffees made from the finest San Carlo coffee beans.

The first attendees will also receive a £10 gift card to redeem at any San Carlo restaurant, plus 60 golden tickets will be rewarded to passers-by to enjoy a complementary glass of Veuve Clicquot exclusively at Cicchetti, when dining.

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L-R: Anthony Donnelly, Jonathan Nagle, Richard Rankin, Gareth Rylands

In a management buyout, Carlisle-based H&H Group has announced the agreement for the sale of H&H Reeds, its print, signage and digital marketing business, for an undisclosed sum.

Acquired by H&H Group in 2010, H&H Reeds has since grown into one of the largest providers in the North West providing print, graphic design, signage, web design and digital marketing services.

From November 4, 2024, the business transferred to the senior management team, under its new company directors Anthony Donnelly, Gareth Rylands, and Jonathan Nagle. They will lead the Penrith and Carlisle-based print firm, originally founded in 1878 by George Reed, into a new era. 

The decision to transfer ownership to the current management team comes as part of a strategic realignment within H&H Group. Richard Rankin, H&H Group CEO, said: “This decision has been made with the future of H&H Reeds and its exceptional team in mind. The management team at Reeds approached us with a clear vision, and we’re excited to support them as they take the business forward.” 

Jonathan Nagle, taking on the role of Sales & Marketing Director, said: “We have an exceptionally talented and experienced team at Reeds, and we know the business and our market inside out.

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Mike Rogers

Kingdom Services Group, based in Newton-le-Willows, has acquired M C Personnel, from Gillingham, for an undisclosed sum.

Established in 1998, MC Personnel has more than 400 staff which it places into the Industrial, Food, Production, Manufacturing, Hospitality, and Driving sectors throughout Kent, South East London and Essex. The acquired business will be rebranded as Kingdom People to align with the existing brands within the group. 

Mike Rogers, COO of Kingdom People and his senior leadership team will welcome the M C Personnel experienced team, headed by Danielle Cassidy into Kingdom People. Danielle will continue to lead the operation and will join the existing Kingdom People team. 

Mike Rogers said: “The acquisition of MC Personnel is an important step in the growth of Kingdom People as it becomes our sixth branch location and increases our footprint in core and new vertical markets including hospitality/catering and transport.” 

Danielle Cassidy said: “Having successfully led and developed the MC Personnel business, we are now really pleased to be joining Kingdom Group.”

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OakNorth, the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, has provided a £1.47m loan to fund the purchase of a 1,500 sq ft site at Parsonage Way Retail Park in Leigh, Greater Manchester, and in its place, develop a Starbucks drive-thru and two EV charging points.

The project is being led by Dallas Rhodes, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the property industry, across retail, office, and residential. He was advised by Lynsey Roberts, Director at Altruistic Commercial Finance.

Rhodes, director of Fairmilehead, said: “I have had the pleasure of working with OakNorth on some of my previous projects, so knew they were the right banking partner for this.

“This is a project I’m very excited about – the drive-thru market has seen significant growth in recent years, solidifying its position as a vital and thriving segment within the broader retail industry. 

Fraser McPhail, Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, said: “Dallas Rhodes has over three decades of experience in the property industry, so is a pro at identifying high potential sites, and forging the strong relationships needed with retailers to make them a success.”

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DL Blundell and Simon Hood

Huyton business, John Mason International Movers, has been presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise 2024, by Deputy Lieutenant Mark Blundell at the Royal Liver Building.

Operating since 1884, John Mason International has grown from humble beginnings as a family coal delivery business in Merseyside to one of the UK’s leading international moving company.

Executive director, Simon Hood said: “Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise is a testament to the dedication of our entire team, who put customer care at the heart of everything we do.

“This award isn’t just for the company, but for every individual who has helped make John Mason International the trusted name it is today.”

He added: “Our business has thrived for over 140 years by consistently adapting and innovating. We are immensely proud of our Merseyside roots and humbled by the recognition of our commitment to excellence in international trade.”

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The biggest hair transplant clinic in the world, Elithair, has opened a new clinic in Manchester at Cheadle Royal Business Park. The clinic will provide personal hair analyses and hair transplant consultations, alongside aftercare consultations.

While hair transplants will not be conducted at the clinic itself, they do offer alternative hair loss treatments. This includes the PRP treatment, an organic injection-based treatment that uses a client’s blood enriched with nutrients to stimulate new growth while repairing existing damaged hair roots.

Elithair was originally based in Istanbul. Dr Balwi, hair surgeon and founder, said: “We are very pleased to announce the opening of our very own clinic in Manchester. The UK is very important to us as we know that approximately 6.5 million men and eight million women in the UK are currently affected by hair loss.

“The most common cause of hair loss is androgenic alopecia, which affects 85% of men by the age of 50 and 40% of women by the age of 50. The good news is: it can successfully be treated with a hair transplant.

“Our vision for the future is big, we are planning to expand into the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the USA … in other words, we aim to have several locations on every continent.”

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Superdrug opened the doors to a new store last Friday (November 8) in Stockport Retail Park, creating 40 permanent roles in the new 8,200 sq ft retail space.

The store will be the biggest Superdrug store in the area, as the retailer continues expanding its bricks-and-mortar retail footprint, with plans to open 25 new stores in 2024, as it celebrates its 60th year on the British high street..

Shoppers will have the chance to sign up to Superdrug’s Health & Beautycard and VIP Rewards to collect points to redeem on future purchases.

Nigel Duxbury, Property Director at Superdrug, said “We are confident that local customers will love and welcome the new store, as it offers a wide range of popular health and beauty brands, a luxury fragrance counter and a professional Beauty Studio.”

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