NW business briefs: Mélange; Specscart; United Utilities; Plus Dane; Envirovue; Raju; You Platforms
Bury has a new dining offer following the opening of Mélange, an 80-cover restaurant which blends Mediterranean inspiration with subtle British influences.
Inspired by the French word for ‘a varied mixture’, Mélange said its menu captures the essence of the Med’s vibrant cuisine while honouring the comforting traditions of British dining. Guests can savour dishes such as lamb infused with bold spices, warm goat’s cheese salad with red wine-poached pear, and Mediterranean-style seafood risotto.
British favourites are given a unique twist, like buttermilk-soaked fried chicken and Beef Wellington wrapped in Chef’s special pastry. Sharing platters, such as mezze, charcuterie boards, and vibrant dips, will also be available.
The restaurant also brings an element of interaction to the table, with dishes that encourage diners to engage with their food, including the signature tapenade served in a rustic mortar and pestle, with freshly baked bread.
Replacing the well-known Oscar’s restaurant at Red Hall Hotel, Mélange’s interiors are designed to evoke the relaxed sophistication of the Mediterranean coast. Owners Priyanka and Gourav Batra said: “Mélange is about celebrating the warmth of family and friends, the joy of sharing good times, and creating lasting memories.
“It’s where British tradition meets Mediterranean flair, bringing love, life, and laughter to the table. We’ve created a space where every meal feels like a celebration.”
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New Bury store launch
Manchester eyewear company, Specscart, has opened a new concept store in Bury’s Union Street as part of its ambitious growth plans for 2025.
The 3,000 sq ft retail shop threw opens its doors last Saturday (February 8) with a launch event featuring eyewear giveaways, a live DJ and gift vouchers. The premises have undergone a £100,000 transformation over the past six months with designers and architects working on a new shop that they claim is as cool as an Apple store, browsable as a Waterstones and quirky as an independent boutique.
The new store is four times the size of the current Bury store with twice as many eye test rooms. It features a mobile checkout and showcases every single pair of glasses in the 1,000-plus Specscart collection.
Specscart founder and managing director, Sid Sethi, said: “Our new store looks nothing like the clinical, old-fashioned and quasi-medical opticians of yesterday. We want people coming in for a browse, a try on and a chat just like they’d do in Zara, Gym Shark or JD Sports.”
Specscart has three bricks and mortar shops across Greater Manchester and e-commerce monthly sales of £200,000-plus.
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Charging eHGV
United Utilities is introducing four electric heavy goods vehicles which are powered by human waste. It is the only water company in the UK taking part in the £100m + ‘Electric Freightway’ project led by Gridserve and funded as part of the Department for Transport and Innovate UK-backed Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme.
The water company for the North West joins a consortium of 33 companies including Sainsbury’s, Amazon and the Royal Mail taking part in the industry-leading project which aims to lay the foundations for the biggest and most advanced Electric Heavy Goods Vehicle (eHGV) charging networks in the world.
The United Utilities vehicles are based at the company’s Bioresources Centre in Manchester where they are used to transport sewage sludge, a by-product of sewage treatment, from other wastewater treatment facilities across the North West for processing at the Davyhulme site.
They are then charged up at Davyhulme using the renewable electricity which is produced on site from the processed sewage sludge.
Tom Lissett, Bioresources and Green Energy Director at United Utilities, said: “This is a really exciting development and an important step towards our net zero carbon targets. A lot of people don’t realise that at the end of the wastewater treatment process we are left with a sludge which is used to generate renewable energy. We call this ‘black gold’ because of the renewable energy we can release when it is processed.”
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Members of Plus Dane’s Customer Access Panel
Liverpool-based housing association, Plus Dane Housing, is looking for customers interested in joining a dedicated group to help shape its services.
Its Customer Assurance Panel, or CAP, is a group of volunteers that works to make sure the views of customers are reflected in its work and valued at the highest level. The CAP looks at issues to help improve the customer experience. The panel’s work feeds recommendations directly to Plus Dane’s board, so it can make informed decisions based on the needs and priorities of customers.
Members of CAP are required to attend a minimum of four virtual meetings a year. No previous experience is necessary, as training and support will be available, and reasonable out of pocket expenses will be covered.
Plus Dane customers interested in finding out can more visit the ‘your voice’ section of the Plus Dane website at www.plusdane.co.uk, or contact Irene Crone on 07929 208 270/ irene.crone@plusdane.co.uk. The closing date to apply is February 28 and can be done via the Plus Dane website.
Alison Horner, Director of Governance at Plus Dane, said: “Making sure our customer voice is heard is something that is incredibly important to us at Plus Dane, and we are looking for people who can help us to shape services, challenge us and tell us what we can do better.”
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Alex Trenbath, left, and Daniel Redfern, of Envirovue
Waste management company, Envirovue, has been appointed by one of the UK’s largest water utility companies, Southern Water, to support the waterway management across more than 400 sites.
This latest win for the Rawtenstall-based waste specialist will see its team work with Southern Water, which is responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment for more than 4.7 million wastewater customers. The partnership will see the specialists support the effective management of waste streams across more than 365 waste water treatment works and 89 water treatment sites.
Envirovue was selected as part of the £550m framework due to its expertise in managing hazardous and specialist waste streams, in-house innovative technology and sustainability-first approach. Southern Water’s Head of Contractor Service Delivery, Mike Chapman, said: “This strategic framework agreement will play a vital role in supporting our business and operational demands and achieve enhanced resilience throughout the next Asset Management Period (AMP8).”
Envirovue works across multiple sectors implementing sustainable waste management practices, helping businesses achieve 100% waste management carbon neutrality.
Dan Redfern, Director at Envirovue, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Southern Water to drive cost-effective, sustainable waste practices across the region. Our team has worked extensively for two years to secure this contract and we’re delighted to be the supplier of choice.”
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Zee Ahmed
Manchester-made Raju Sauces has achieved a listing with Ocado.com, which it celebrated with an event at the NatWest Accelerator in Manchester’s Spinningfields, attended by Raju founder, Zee Ahmed, and food industry experts.
Highlighting the company’s diverse menu of sauces, Zee Ahmed, said: “Raju is more than just a brand, it’s a catalyst for change.
“Whilst food and culture have always been intrinsically linked, our thinking around cultural perceptions and misconceptions, especially related to ethnicity and authenticity, have not always moved with the times. This panel was a platform for such debate and we want to thank all our panellists and guests.”
The partnership with Ocado.com, the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, marks a major milestone for the company, which was founded just a year ago and already has a loyal fan base.
Meri La Bella, oils, vinegars and sauces buying manager at Ocado Retail, said: “We’re delighted to be the first major supermarket to stock Raju Sauces and are really excited to be introducing Raju’s range of flavours.”
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Dan Murray
You Platforms, a performance agency with its own media platform, has launched two regional brands to sit alongside the successful Leeds-List.com, an established Northern agency and media brand with more than 500,000 monthly visitors, 139,000 newsletter subscribers and 183,000 social followers.
Alongside hospitality, they cover everything from retail and leisure to property and education. The new sites, which include an expansion into the wider region through Yorkshire-List.com and a move across the Pennines with Manchester-List.com, will build on their existing portfolio and create new commercial opportunities.
Founder and CEO, Dan Murray, said: “Most media platforms rely on banner adverts to drive revenue, but we’ve taken a different approach. By prioritising the user experience and focusing on data, we’re able to use audience insight, sector expertise and local knowledge to help our clients reach their goals.”
This disruptive approach has helped them to land a raft of high profile clients, including LNER, first direct bank, Sky and MODA. They act as a digital agency for customers, becoming an extension of their marketing team to turn insight into ROI.
Dan added: “Over the last 12 months, our customers have told us repeatedly that they can’t get the same service or insight in the other regions they operate in. We took their feedback to heart, and chose to expand our Yorkshire presence, while developing a new brand in Manchester, where many of our customers operate.”
