In brief: Support for women in business; Taxi event & more

GREATER Manchester Business Growth Hub has secured a further £90,000 from the Government’s Equalities Office (GEO) to help female entrepreneurs in Cheshire and Greater Manchester boost their digital skills.

Building on the success of the Phase one ‘Eveolution’ project, which saw more than 300 female-led businesses benefit from support, Phase two will see Business Growth Hub partner with Cheshire and Greater Manchester Combined Authority to deliver the programme.

The second phase will support an additional 500 entrepreneurs and businesses through a range of free workshops, masterclasses, one-to-one support and e-learning. The project will run from autumn 2015 to March 2016.
 
Cllr Sue Derbyshire, leader of Stockport Council said: “Giving female entrepreneurs the opportunity to access practical and inspiring support as they seek to grow is important.

“This programme shows new and established companies how the superfast broadband being rolled out across Greater Manchester and Cheshire can help them can boost their competitiveness. Supporting businesses is important to Stockport Council and it is for this reason I’m pleased we are acting as lead authority on this programme, helping ensure this work continues.”

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TAXI taxi drivers are being encouraged to attend an event next week aimed at helping them to enhance the experience of visitors to the city.

The Manchester Taxi Aid Roadshow will take place at Manchester Central on Monday August 10 with drivers invited to pop in at any time between 10am and 2pm to meet with hotels, venues, bars and attractions from across the city region.

Free parking, refreshments and NHS health check are being offered and there will be useful talks from representatives from Marketing Manchester, Manchester Central, Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester.

Manchester Taxi Aid is a charity that was set up in 2012 to promote a healthy lifestyle for drivers and their families.

Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at Marketing Manchester said: “Taxi drivers are often the first people to welcome visitors when they arrive in Manchester and that being such, the drivers have an incredibly important role to play in terms of providing information, ideas and recommendations.

“One of the key aims of this event is to connect drivers with local businesses that serve the visitor economy so that together we’re providing the best possible welcome; however, the event is also an excellent way for drivers to help support a charity which directly supports the taxi driving community so we hope as many as possible will pop in for a chat on the day.”

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RRG, the car dealership group,  has been awarded the highest score in Peugeot’s Mystery Shop awards for aftersales both in person and over the phone in the Dealer League Tables .

The award went to Toni Baillie, Service Adviser at RRG Peugeot Bury, for his dedication to customer service in the aftersales department, after getting an overall score of 93.8% for aftersales telephone services and 94.4% for UTC (up to the counter services) in Q2 this year.

Arran Bangham, RRG joint managing director, said: “As the north’s largest car dealership group we are committed to first class customer service and we’re thrilled our team in Bury has come top of the leader board for Aftersales services out of all the car dealerships in the region.”

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BROADCASTER Steph McGovern will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Wigan Business Expo15 on October 9.

Steph, who is watched by millions of UK viewers on BBC breakfast television, has reported on business and finance from around the world over the past 10 years.

The Wigan Business Expo is one of the largest business expos in the North West and last year attracted 1,500 people.

Cllr David Molyneux, Wigan Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “For many, Steph she is the face of the business news in the UK and will no doubt provide a fascinating insight into the world of business.

“If you run a business in Wigan or further afield I would urge you to get in touch and make sure you are present on the day. I am sure you will find it a positive experience for your business.”