Tameside M60 Invest | Latest News Archive

Over 90 creative sector companies attended an exclusive networking event in London to discover how Manchester has become a hub for creative, new media and digital industries.

Hosted by MIDAS, Manchester's Inward Investment Agency and sponsered by leading property developers, Argent, the 'Make it in Manchester' event took place at Manchester Square in London and showcased the Manchester city region and what it has to offer businesses in the creative sector.

The event also gave London-based businesses the chance to network with some of Manchester's top creative sector companies to find out first-hand about their experiences of working in the city region.

MIDAS has seen a record number of top international digital and new media companies locating to, or reinvesting in the city region over the past two years including Google, Hat Trick North, Cisco, Microsoft and Yahoo! and sees the creative sector as one of the fastest growing sectors in the region.

Colin Siclair, Chief Executive at MIDAS, Manchester's Inward Investment Agency said: "The city region has fast become an innovative creative hub for the global new media and digital industries which is why we were keen to hold an event in London to showcase the exciting opportunities available in Manchester."

Since the beginning of the year, a number of Tameside companies have provided French students from Denton's twin town of Montigny le Bretonneux with valuable work experience as part of the French Student Exchange Programme. Recently, two companies, Brother UK and P-n-P Motion Controls Ltd, kindly provided work experience for French student Hadrien Lausson (pictured top right).

The French Student Exchange Programme provides students with an opportunity to experience work in another country and helps them develop their language skills. In addition, it helps to cultivate friendships and develops cultural links between the two countries.

Tameside M.B.C., in partnership with Ashton 6 th Form College, has recently submitted a bid for funding to allow 10 Tameside students to take up similar work experience placements in France. By providing a French student with a placement, Tameside companies are helping the process of building a network of opportunities for young people, not only in France, but also across the EU.

Formed in June 2000, P-n-P Motion Controls Ltd is a small but very successful company specializing in motion controls. They repair (down to component level), commission, service and test Inverters, DC Drives and Soft Start units. They also have a department which specialises in Industrial PCB Repairs, including Monitors, PLC, UPS and various one off Circuit Boards. Furthermore, they offer training courses on a wide range of applications from basic Drives training through to Application Commissioning Training on fieldbus, Sync-Pos Programming, PID Closed Loop Applications etc which can be at the customer's site or at the P-n-P Workshop Facility.

Recently, P-n-P provided 3 weeks work experience for a French student from Denton's twin town of Montigny le Bretonneux as part of the French Student Exchange Programme. This programme provides students with an opportunity to experience work in another country and helps them develop their language skills. In addition, it helps to cultivate friendships and develops cultural links between the two countries.

On the 11th April 2007, after two years of planning and still £5 within budget the restoration of Victoria Park Bandstand was finally completed. After months of research, a microscopic sample of paint from almost a century ago ensured a perfect match for the newly restored bandstand. TMBC’s Conservation Building Surveyor Peter Stafford lead the project and Dorothea Restorations completed the building work using the original methods of construction and materials (where possible). Elizabeth Read was the Conservation Officer.

Records show that the local authority purchased the grounds to Victoria Park, Denton, in 1886 for the sum of £6750.00. Improvements were made during 1907 – 1913. During this period of improvement the bandstand was erected in the position we find it in today. On the 16th June 2007 to celebrate the re-opening of the

bandstand a family fun day was organised.

Town manager Stuart Mollison said, “Victoria Park Bandstand is a landmark building both in Denton and the Tameside wide scene. It represents part of a strong local heritage and cultural tradition of the area; the building is not only attractive but is a symbol of civic pride in the town. The successful bid to carry out the restoration, especially the re-roofing, means that the Bandstand has been safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”

Funding for this was provided by a series of grants including Tameside’s Preservation of Historic Buildings Fund and The Heritage Lottery Fund. The District Assembly also funded some of the costs.

Ashton’s historic Oddfellows Hall is back in business, restored to its original splendour. Built in 1855 in the grand, neo-classical style of the period, this Grade II listed building stood empty for many years.

Now restored to all its original splendour, the imposing building has risen from its ruins to begin an entirely new life and purpose.

The spacious interior of the structure has been redesigned to meet today’s commercial requirements, providing both retail premises and up-market residential accommodation.

At ground level, an elegant, self-contained retail/commercial unit provides around 80 sq. metres of floor space whilst on the ground and upper floors 16 highly individual town-centre apartments have been created.

The £2.5 million project was financed principally by the Bank of Scotland and supported by both English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, whilst Tameside MBC made available a substantial grant to secure the future of the Hall. The building was acquired by Rockpark (Ashton) Limited and the conversion planned by Philip Millson Architecture (pma). Also involved in the work were Peter Stafford (Building Surveyor), Elizabeth Read (Conservation officer), Helen Charlesworth (Design & Regeneration officer) and Neil Rogers (Head of Strategic Planning) - all from Tameside MBC.

The Hall was officially re-opened on Thursday, 5th April 2007 by Councillor S.R. Oldham, CBE Executive Leader, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

A BRAND new purpose-built business centre has opened in Hyde for new and growing businesses, financed through the European Regional development fund and Tameside Council.

Situated adjacent to Hyde Town Hall the facility comprises of nine offices ranging from 7 to 17 sq metres (96 to 251 sq ft) that are available on easy in and easy out terms for new or fledgling businesses.

The centre offers affordable managed workspace for new start businesses. It gives a unique opportunity for those people wishing to start a business in Tameside to do so within a supported exciting and modern business environment.

The new accommodation, which was opened by Executive Council Leader, Cllr Roy Oldham, on Thursday (May 24) boasts a number of impressive features, designed to provide a high quality environment.

Cllr Oldham said: “The opening of this facility is yet another example of how the council is supporting the local economy ”

Tameside MBC won the Public Sector Team Award at the prestigious 2007 Insider Property Awards in Manchester.

This category was for public sector companies who have facilitated major property projects in the North West over the last 12 months.

Pictured left are Pat Rattigan (centre - Assistant Executive Director of Economy & Environment) and Sue Hobbiss (left - Economic Development Officer) picking up the award at the ceremony at the GMex Centre in Manchester on the evening of the 17th May 2007.

SIR Geoffrey Hurst MBE was Guest of Honour at the official launch of Ask Developments’ St Petersfield scheme in his home town of Ashton-Under-Lyne on 26th April.

He was joined by the Civic Mayor of Tameside, Councillor Margaret Sidebottom and her consort Mr Colin Sidebottom and other dignitaries, as well as around 150 guests.

The scheme, which is being developed by Ask in partnership with Tameside MBC, NorthWest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and English Partnerships, has witnessed a great deal of activity in recent months, with the completion of the first phase and the multi-million pound public realm, including a stunning water feature and sculpture.

Sir Geoff was welcomed back to the town he was born in by Chief Executive of Ask Developments, Ken Knott, who also hails from Tameside. He will be given a guided tour of the £42m development, which includes the restoration of Hugh Mason House, on Henry Square, known to locals as Ashton Swimming Baths.

The first phase of the scheme is already home to Pennine Care NHS Trust Regional Headquarters, who have taken 26,000 sq ft within the 55,000 sq ft building - bringing together key functions such as human resources, finance, estates and risk management departments.

The building, which was designed by Aeadas Architects was purchased by Prestigic Holdings last year for around £9.3m

Work will also be starting soon on the £11m 40,000 sq ft primary care centre for Tameside and Glossop PCT, which will provide a vast range of services including screening, diagnostics such as ECG and ultrasounds as well as district nursing and other services.

Earlier this month, plans were also submitted by developer Ask Life, the residential arm of Ask Developments, for 72 city-style apartments which will form an integral part of the new quarter. Plans for a further 150 apartments in a separate block will be submitted at a later date.

John Hughes, Development Director at Ask Developments said: “We are delighted to welcome Sir Geoff and our distinguished guests to the scheme to highlight the enormous progress that has been made at St Petersfield.

“This is part of the continuing regeneration of Ashton town centre and Tameside, attracting new businesses to the area. St Petersfield has already proved to be a popular choice for occupiers selecting a town centre location ahead of out-of-town business parks and we are confident that it will be a catalyst for further investment.

The St Petersfield development will provide 280,000 sq ft of high quality office space and retail and leisure amenity facilities, totalling 400,000 sq ft and once complete, will have the capacity to sustain almost 2,000 jobs.

The scheme is being delivered through a public/private partnership, with £14.5m of Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), English Partnerships and EDRF money already committed to the 5.2-hectare (13-acre) site.

GREATER Manchester Police Authority (GMPA) has selected AMEC/Stayley Developments’ mixed-use scheme Ashton Moss as preferred location for a new 100,000 sq ft (9,290sq m) department headquarters.

A reserved matters planning application has been submitted for the proposed building, which will house the headquarters of the Crime Operations Department of the GMPA and around 600 staff.

The GMPA's decision to appoint AMEC as preferred bidder is a significant boost to its plans for Ashton Moss and gives a huge seal of approval to AMEC/Stayley’s fervent regeneration efforts.

The GMPA has selected the development over a number of other high profile sites in the north west. Key factors in the decision to locate the Crime Operations Department to Ashton Moss is the site’s close proximity to the motorway network and AMEC’s proven track record in delivering facilities on time and within budget.

The range of amenities already available on site such as the variety of retail, restaurant and leisure facilities, as well as the proposed Village Hotel, also impressed the GMPA.

“The police decision to select Ashton Moss as preferred site is a massive coup for AMEC/Stayley,” said Darran Lawless, director of AMEC Developments.

“The whole team has worked extremely hard to provide the Greater Manchester Police Authority with a specific solution tailored to suit their individual needs.”

Councillor Kieran Quinn, Executive Member for Economic Services, said: “Ashton Moss is proving to be an attractive sub-regional location for investment.

“This significant success provides another piece of the jigsaw at Ashton Moss which is helping to transform Ashton and Tameside into a major sub regional centre in the east of the Greater Manchester City Region.”

LATE last year, MVA Consultancy with Meredith Thomas PR conducted a telephone survey and workshop for property agents and investors.

The survey was commissioned to monitor the progress of the ERDF funded M60 Invest marketing awareness project and to inform future priorities for marketing and for the investment section of the forthcoming new Tameside Economic Development Plan.

Respondents felt that the main benefits for businesses located in Tameside were:

For investment marketing purposes, the respondents felt it was very important/important to associate Tameside with Manchester (87.7% - of which 44.2% felt it was very important and 43.5% important).

Over half of respondents felt that it was very important (57.3%) and an additional 30.4% believed it was important to continue promoting Ashton-under- Lyne as a key retail and investment destination.

With the exception of developing international links (73.4%) and promoting local tourism (66.9%), the majority of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with Tameside’s proposed objectives for attracting investment, talent and visitors to the area.

DURING almost over half a century in business, Plastic Formers Ltd have become renowned as one of the country’s leading suppliers of fabricated, moulded and precision engineered plastic components to a diverse range of industries and business
sectors.

For most of that time they have operated from their premises in Denton, but they have now moved to a purpose-built, specially designed factory and office facility virtually next door to their old factory.

They felt it was important to stay in the Denton area, employing local people and contributing to the development of Denton and the surrounding area.

The new 42, 000 sq ft (3,901 sq m) site, almost adjacent to their old premises, on Crown Point South Industrial Park, off King Street, Denton, includes an all new High Tech factory to cater for their needs now and in the future. The new premises also
include a brand new office suite, the new home of the sales and customer service team.

For years Plastic Formers have been at the forefront of specialist production techniques for plastics and have become synonymous with high quality craftsmanship.

“We had been operating from our old factory for over 30 years and although it has served us well, we needed more space accommodate the work from our existing, new and growing business base. The extra space means that we can really focus on
our in house services, in particular the laser cutting, CNC machining, printing and specialist fabrication services we offer.”

The new 15,000 sq ft (1,393 sq m) store has created 52 new jobs for the area and brings the number of Marks & Spencer Outlet stores to 30.

“We are delighted to be opening a new outlet store in Denton,” said Mark Ashman, head of outlet stores at Marks & Spencer. The new store will offer local people an extensive range of M&S products at great prices.”

The new Marks & Spencer Outlet store, which will also feature an espresso bar, offers customers a great range of Marks & Spencer products including womenswear menswear, childrenswear, home, lingerie, footwear and beauty.

THE Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Ruth Kelly MP, recently acknowledged the innovative work going on in Hattersley.

She announced the formation of a new, national housing and regeneration organisation – Communities England – that will combine the functions of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships.

Explaining that the new organisation will be responsible for decent homes, housing growth and urban regeneration, Mrs Kelly, said:

“Communities England will be tasked with embedding new and innovative approaches to regenerating strategic sites. In Hattersley, for example, an integrated approach to estate transformation is delivering decent homes, new private housing, new commercial and community centres and local jobs.

"An integrated approach to housing and regeneration is restoring confidence and creating the basis for long-term sustainability.”

THE development of Droylsden Marina has moved a step closer, following an announcement from Government Office North West.

The Secretary of State has given the go ahead for the compulsory purchase of Droylsden canalside, paving the way for the new marina development.

The £100m mixed-use, waterside development comprising 92 three and four bedroom executive homes, 291 one and two bedroom
apartments and 45,000 sq ft (4,180sq m) of office and retail space, has further commercial opportunities for a hotel, café, children’s
nursery and fitness club.

The Council’s partner developers, the Watkin Jones Group, will now start the first phase of development, which will include infrastructure works, an apartment block fronting the canal, and work on the canal arm and marina basin.

A TRIO of chartered surveyors has launched a new company in Tameside dedicated to helping commercial property developers.

Bill Jennings, Alex Barton and Rob Henderson have created Jennings Barton Henderson – Chartered Surveyors to meet the demands of a growing commercial property sector in the borough.

The new business will complement the trio’s sister company – Jennings Design Associates – Architects.

“This is an exciting time for commercial property in Tameside”, said Alex Barton: “I am passionate to see the growth of the commercial property sector in Tameside continue.

"I believe the arrival of schemes such as Crown Point North, IKEA, Ashton Moss and Urban Splash to the area is merely the start of things to come.”

Jennings Barton Henderson can give advice on buying or selling commercial properties, advice on landlord or tenant on leases – including rent reviews and lease renewals – guidance on business disposal and management of individual buildings or property portfolios.

Said Rob Henderson: “We are delighted with the amount of clients who have come on board. With several thousand feet
of space on our books, together with a large waiting list of potential end users, this truly is the time to capitalise upon the strong economic climate for commercial buildings.”

12 winners from 12 categories stepped forward to receive trophies at the prestigious e-tameside awards ceremony on Saturday 24th February 2007

Selco Trade Centres Ltd, operating as Selco Builders Warehouse, is one of a number of UK merchant brands within the portfolio of the c£1.5bn Irish buildings materials group Grafton PLC.

Based in Kings Norton, Birmingham, Selco currently operates out of 15 branches located across London, the Midlands, Bristol and South Wales. The company has plans to grow to a 30 branch network and to treble turnover to £200m by 2010 via the greenfield development of its unique trade only format, the nature of which positions it between the traditional builder’s merchants, such as Travis Perkins and Jewson, and retail sheds such as B&Q and Wickes. Selco’s modern warehouse developments, which now boast a total covered selling area in excess of 500,00 sqft, offer the RMI focused “white van man”, - attracted by simple pricing, stock depth and width, speed and excellence of service and aggressive special offers - a choice of over 15,000 stocked SKU’s covering their everyday building material needs.

The opening of Selco’s 16th branch in Ashton-under-Lyne represents the further strengthening of Selco’s presence in the Manchester area following the earlier launch of its Baguley branch in August this year. It also represents another significant step in establishing the brand in the North West region as a whole where, with the combined openings of both Ashton and Baguley, the company has created an additional 100 jobs for the local community across a wide spectrum of retail skills and disciplines.

Property developers, agents, local businesses and key decision-makers from across the North West are now being asked to share their views on Tameside’s success as an investment location.

A seminar – Driving Economic Development Forward in Tameside – will be held on Wednesday 29 November at Dukinfield Town Hall which will invite views from the business and property community to help Tameside Council to formulate its future economic development plans and to analyse the results of recent initiatives and their contribution to a greater awareness and understanding of the area in national, regional and local terms in line with the objectives of the Greater Manchester Economic Development Plan.

In tandem, telephone research is being undertaken with over 250 additional contacts and these results, together with seminar feedback, will be analysed and used to shape future economic development plans.

Speakers at the seminar will include representatives of AMEC Developments, Ask Developments, MIDAS and Tameside Council. An audience of over 80 is expected. The research results are anticipated towards the end of the year.

The contract has just been signed for the management of a new incubator facility in Hyde Town Hall. Workspace Centres Ltd will shortly be recruiting new tenants.

The Hyde Town Hall incubator will offer nine managed business units, aimed at office based businesses. The 10 m sq offices, will be fully serviced, and rents will be set to encourage new start and fledging businesses with growth potential. The occupiers will be expected to grow ‘out’ of the units in time, vacating the units for more new businesses.

The conversion of a redundant part of this listed building into a new commercial use, was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and Tameside MBC.

MCR Property Group, formerly known as Classic Homes acquired the 155,000 sq ft (14,415 sq m) Hyde Clarendon Shopping Centre earlier this year.

A commercial improvement scheme (grant) is to be introduced shortly, and will initially be focused on Hyde – this will offer, subject to eligibility, a 50% grant up to a maximum value of £15,000 for a limited number of improvement schemes, targeted at small retailers (employing 1-10 people) in visible Hyde town centre locations.

The M60 Invest project arranged a preview of the new Ikea store as part of a tour of Ashton Town Centre for retail and leisure property agents, which took place on Tuesday 17th. The tour also took in the leisure part of Ashton Moss, St Petersfield, the Arcades and Ladysmith shopping centres and the Market Hall.

Getting straight to the point was the order of the evening, when a number of Tameside business got together for a unique networking event.

More than 40 Tameside businesses, from a variety of sectors, met at Curzon Ashton FC, for the evening, which was organised by the e-tameside business team.

To break the ice, a ‘speed dating’ session was organised where each business had one minute to tell the other who they were and what they did. E-tameside business team advisor Roy Haslam, used an old police whistle to indicate when time was up and everyone moved round to ‘chat up’ another local business. Then it was a free for all, with people seeking out those businesses they particularly wanted to speak with again.

Rajeev Arora from Davora who make ethnic minority greetings cards said: "How successful can an evening be? I've managed to raise the awareness of my product and even walked away with an order!"

Colin Foster of Universal Solutions 4 Business (IT training) said: “It's been a brilliant networking event because these are real businesses looking for real contacts. I've got phone calls to make to follow up enquiries."

E-tameside business team advisor Jane Michael said; “I’m very pleased with the turn out and the enthusiasm of everyone taking part. This is the first such event and we are planning another one for December”. To take part in the next evening, businesses need to be registered members of Tameside Business, the council’s online directory.

On July 12th ONE Manchester was selected as one of ten finalists in the Digital Challenge. The MDDA submitted the Digital Challenge bid for the Manchester city-region. Led by Manchester City Council and Tameside MBC and supported by dozens of partners from across the public, private and voluntary sectors the bid aims to develop Manchester as the UK’s leading digital city-region by winning up to £7m from the Government’s Digital Challenge.

Digital Challenge is an opportunity to secure new resources to support digital development across the city and develop more innovative ways to use these technologies to regenerate the city and tackle the digital divide.

MDDA coordinated the bid on behalf of The Manchester Partnership and the Tameside Strategic Partnership with support from Salford City Council.

Over the next six months we will be working on a Business Plan for the national challenge which will need to be submitted by December 2006 with the national winner announced in January 2007.

News on the Bury Street Site Appeal

The Council has won the appeal for the Bury Street site in Mossley. The case went to appeal by written representations following the Councils refusal for change of use from commercial to residential in January 2006. The EDU contributed to the written representation made by planning. This is the first appeal on the grounds of E3 policy that the Council has fought so it is great news that we have won. The main reasons sited by the inspector for dismissing this appeal are as follows:

Other planning cases that the council have won recently are on the grounds of design of the Aldi store on a site opposite New Charter and the demolition of a large bungalow on Stalybridge Road for redevelopment to flats this was won on various grounds.

NWF Group plc (“NWF”), the diversified sales and distribution group, announces that its Garden Centre division has acquired the share capital of Arthur A Gent & Sons Ltd (“Gent”), a garden centre company located in Ashton under Lyne, near Manchester. The consideration amounts to £903,000, which includes £664,000 in respect of cash balances retained within the company, and is being financed by NWF’s existing bank facilities.

Gent’s activities were originally situated near Ashton under Lyne. However, due to the construction of the M60 motorway, the business was relocated in 2002 to a new seven-acre site in Ashton with the benefit of planning permission for a new garden centre, held on a 50-year lease. Following the acquisition, NWF will develop the new garden centre, which it is anticipated will take up to six months, and once completed it will comprise 30,000 square foot of heated retail space with ample car parking.

Graham Scott, Chief Executive of NWF, commented: “Ashton presents us with a very exciting opportunity. By acquiring this excellent site within a rapidly developing retail area, we have the chance to develop an entirely new and comprehensive garden centre facility in close proximity to Ashton and the wider Manchester area.”

“We are delighted to be expanding the Garden Centre division of the Group in the North West furthering our current growth strategy. We look forward to opening the new centre towards the end of our financial year.”

Taken from the NFW website. For more information, please contact Sue Hobbiss on 0161 342 2865 or email sue.hobbiss@tameside.gov.uk

More on NWF Group: CHESHIRE-based NWF Group, which operates garden centres and distributes food, fuel and animal feeds, announced a leap in annual profits and plans to create 350 jobs in the north west.

The company is spending £16m on warehouses at its hub in Wardle, Nantwich, which will generate 250 posts by the end of next year.
It is also developing a garden centre in Tameside, which will create 100 jobs.

Chief executive Graham Scott gave details of the double employment boost as he unveiled a 33 per cent rise in profits from £4.5m to £6m for the year to May 31, ahead of market expectations.

Turnover at the AIM-listed business increased 24 per cent, from £236m to £293m.

The final dividend is 13.4p, making a total of 18p for the year, a rise of 7.8 per cent. Shares in NWF ticked up 2.5p, or 0.28 per cent, to 885p after the update.

The fuels division accounts for the biggest proportion of group sales and posted a 22 per cent rise from £145.5m to £178.2m last year. NWF supplies petrol and diesel to garages, and oil for central heating in rural homes and businesses.
Sales in its business supplying feeds for dairy cows rose 35 per cent, from £53.1m to £72m, following a period of strong organic growth and the acquisition of Winsford-based Nutrition Express.

The group operates warehouses from where food is distributed to supermarkets, and here turnover rose from £22m to £27.2m.

NWF has five garden centres, which saw combined sales of £16m and turned losses of £300,000 into profits of £300,000.

Written by Kevin Feddy for the MEN. For more information, please contact Sue Hobbiss on 0161 342 2865 or email sue.hobbiss@tameside.gov.uk

New figures from the DTI today [WEDS] show the value of North West firms who have enjoyed support from the manufacturing advisory service over the past year has been boosted by more than £14m.

MAS gives businesses independent straightforward practical advice from manufacturing experts who themselves have years of hands on experience. The service is subsidised, and for smaller firms much of the help is free. Companies who have used MAS have found it increases the value of their business through a combination of increased turnover and reduced costs. The value of the firms who have used MAS North West has gone up by £14.4m.

In its first four years, MAS North West has handled 14,719 enquiries, made 2,507 advisory visits, and helped the region’s firms with 1,037 in-depth projects.

Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions, said MAS had shown it could help manufacturers respond to the challenges of competition, raw materials costs and rising energy prices.

She said: “3.5m people work in manufacturing and they contribute more than £150 billion a year to our GDP.“We do all we can to encourage and support high value manufacturing. One way we can do this is by maintaining a stable and growing economy, with low inflation. But we also need to provide help and advice tailored to individual firms, and this is where MAS fits in.

“The latest results show that progress has been sustained in the fourth year of a very successful programme.

As the Chancellor recognised in his 2006 budget speech, there is no doubt that MAS has a continuous role to play in the future.” ..he 2005-6 figure takes the value-added total for the four years since MAS began to £224m, according to figures in the latest MAS annual report. The budget for the service has been £41m for that period, showing a good return on the money put in. Almost 15,000 firms have had detailed diagnostic advice, and 4,700 in depth improvement projects have been delivered to firms.

One North West firm, Money Controls, was able to coin in on a global market which is expected to generate £1.5 million worth of sales for the business next year, thanks to help from MAS North West. The manufacturing business, which designs and produces coin, bill and cashless systems in Oldham for the likes of casinos, amusement arcades, and car parks, sought help from MAS to develop an intelligent new coin sorter called a hopper, to replace its existing model which was losing market share.

Designs and prototypes for the hopper already existed, but it hadn’t gone into production because the manufacturing cost was too high. MAS was able to show how to make the design more cost effective without losing any of its quality, reliability or customer appeal.

For further information and photographs on Money Controls or the MAS annual report please contact your local MAS: Janet Kilpatrick MAS North West 0161 487 3830

BOSSES of Hyde-based Christy, which makes towels for the Wimbledon tennis championships, have sold the business to an Indian textiles group for around £15m.

It is the second time in six years that ownership of Christy has changed hands. It was the subject of a management buyout from Courtaulds in June 2000.

Christy chiefs have sold an 85 per cent stake to Welspun but will retain a 15 per cent holding and will continue to run it. In a statement, Christy said all 464 employees would transfer with their same terms and conditions.

Rajesh Mandawewala, the chief executive of Welspun's textile division, will become Christy's chairman.

Joel Rosenblatt, Christy's managing director, said the deal represented an `enormous opportunity'. "We believe it is in the long-term interests of the business," he insisted. "It will give Christy the greatest scope for future development, with access to Welspun's research and development capabilities and international presence "Welspun sees Christy as a strong business with opportunity for development and investment."

Founded in the mid-1800s, Christy has supplied towels to Wimbledon for more than 35 years. It sells towels to a range of retailers in the UK and overseas, and operates more than 100 concessions. In addition to towels, the company produces robes, bedlinen and accessories.

A team at the Manchester office of investment bank Altium advised Christy on the Welspun deal.

The IKEA jobsfair (11-17 June) was attended by more than 6500 jobseekers. The next assessment stage is currently underway and IKEA expect to employ 500+ people at the new store, due to open on 19th October 2006. The pre-employment training courses, focusing on 4 of the priority neighbourhoods and people with a disability or learning difficulty, are proving very successful in moving people through the recruitment process with around 70% success rate so far.

IKEA have rented town centre premises for their administrative base and are continuing to use Oxford Park Community Sports Centre as their assessment venue.

Senior politicians from Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority have welcomed today’s announcement by the government that the Metrolink expansion will go ahead and revealed further details about the plans.

The decision by the Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander, to grant conditional approval for the scheme means the process of selecting contractors can now get underway.

The funding released by the government today will go towards Phase 3a of the expansion which will take Metrolink to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden in Tameside and Chorlton in South Manchester. Up to 30 new trams will be introduced to the network bringing the total number operating on the system to nearly 70.

A bid for the additional funding required to extend Metrolink into Oldham and Rochdale town centres, as well as to Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury and Manchester Airport (Phase 3b), will be submitted to the government’s Transport Innovation Fund next year as part of plans to significantly improve public transport across Greater Manchester. A successful bid will allow both phases to be delivered simultaneously.

Councillor Roger Jones, the Chair of the Authority, said: “This is fantastic news for Greater Manchester and I’d like to thank everyone who has given their support to the ‘Get Our Metrolink Back On Track’ initiative over the past two years.

“Metrolink has been massively popular since it began operating in 1992 and nearly 20 million journeys are made by passengers using the service every year. We must now forge ahead to secure the rest of Phase 3 and I am confident we will get further funding next year from the government’s Transport Innovation Fund.”

Councillor Andrew Fender, the Manchester spokesperson for the Authority, said: “Metrolink has already given Manchester a huge social and economic boost and the expansion of the network will play a vital role in the continued regeneration of the region.”

Councillor Jeremy Sutcliffe, the Oldham spokesperson for the Authority, said: “This announcement will lead to major economic improvements across the borough. We remain committed to extending Metrolink into Oldham town centre and I’m pleased that the bid to the Transport Innovation Fund next year will include this as a priority.”

Councillor Allen Brett, Vice Chair and Rochdale spokesperson for the Authority, said: “The Metrolink expansion will make it much easier to get to Oldham and Manchester and for people from outside the borough to reach Rochdale. ...

I’m sure it will lead to regeneration across the borough and bring a particular boost to the Kingsway Business Park. I look forward to seeing Metrolink come to Rochdale town centre.”

Councillor Alan Whitehead, the Tameside spokesperson for the Authority, added: “It’s important we make a start on all three lines and the government’s decision to release this funding is just the start of major improvements to public transport in Tameside over the next ten years. I’m sure Metrolink trams will soon become a familiar sight in Ashton-under-Lyne as well as elsewhere in Tameside.”

The decision to grant conditional approval for the Phase 3a expansion means work on the three new lines could start in just two years’ time as long as the cost remains within the budget set by the Department for Transport.

The 13.7 mile (22 km) extension to Rochdale train station will replace the existing railway line which links Manchester with Rochdale via Oldham; the 4 mile (6.4 km) extension to Droylsden will serve New East Manchester, the City of Manchester Stadium and the Velodrome; and the 1.8 mile (2.9 km) extension to Chorlton will replace a section of disused railway line between Trafford Bar and St Werburgh’s Road.

Proposals for Greater Manchester’s bid for funding from the Transport Innovation Fund are currently being developed and further details about them will be released later this year.

Greater Manchester has already been awarded an initial grant of £1.25 million from the fund to investigate new ways of improving public transport and tackling congestion, which would include the Phase 3b plans.

The Transport Innovation Fund bid will be submitted to the government in July 2007 and a decision is expected to be announced in December 2007.

For more information, please contact David Harris or Becky Marr on 0161-242 6245, or by email at communications@gmpte.gov.uk

400 parking spaces will be available for passengers at six Metrolink stops on the Oldham & Rochdale line. 120 spaces will be provided at Hollinwood, 15 at Freehold, 50 at Oldham Mumps, 160 at Derker, 40 at Shaw & Crompton and 15 at Milnrow.

September 2006 Companies invited to submit ‘expressions of interest’ in constructing the new Metrolink lines

July 2007 Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for Phase 3b of the Metrolink expansion

December 2007 TIF bid announcement made by DfT Successful bidder appointed to carry out Metrolink expansion

New age discrimination laws will come into force in October, leaving many working practices past their sell-by date.

Firms will no longer be able to advertise for "young", "dynamic" or even "mature" candidates for fear of falling foul of the regulations.

Employers will also have to watch the language in the workplace - no referring to old-timers - as well as keeping a check on how they award pensions and perks. Also, they will no longer be able to force workers to retire at 65.

"I don't think the magnitude of the change will be understood for a good few months or years," says Michael Farrier of employment lawyers Boyes Turner.

With such a seismic shift on the horizon, a big question mark is hanging over UK companies and how ready they are for the change?

Some companies are not burying their heads in the sand, and courses, events and seminars on how to deal with ageism are becoming big business.

Boyes Turner, along with recruitment specialists FSS and Crone Corkill, has been providing a number of away-days for firms hoping to bone up on the changes.

At a mock tribunal in London's financial district, human resources personnel and other workers get to witness an ageism claim alongside other discrimination allegations.

During a break in the "case", the visitors discuss what the changes could mean for their working practices.

"Even just calling someone oldie in a birthday card could be enough to bring a claim," says one.

Another observer has been on a round of seminars and discussions, and explains she's been briefed not just to concentrate on older workers.

"At a recent course one speaker warned that the changing demographics in society mean more young people could take action - they're seen as the 'Me Me Me Generation' and so just want to grab what they can," she says.

Even though this type of event is seen as helpful in getting staff ready for the new laws, employment experts believe employers could be in for a shock.

They point to research carried out before the last big legal changes in the workplace - sex and race discrimination laws which came in to force in the mid-1970s.

Before those rules were brought in, most firms believed they would make little difference - but many high-profile and high-stakes cases have since been brought before tribunals.

One study by legal firm Simons & Simons showed 93% of companies believe that new regulations will have little effect, even though age is consistently shown to be a factor in company employment decisions.

Another survey by Legal Week Benchmarker, carried out in July last year, found that 75% of corporate lawyers questioned had not reviewed their firm's employment policy.

"There's increasing awareness of ageism as a bad thing, the laws put a stake in the ground and say its as bad as racism or sexism," Sam Mercer, director of the Employers' Forum on Age (EFA) says.

A number of employers have been contacting the EFA about the changes - raising "about six issues a day", Ms Mercer says.

Among the most common concerns raised is compliance, or how companies can stick to the rules.

"Big or small, companies still need to decide age and recruitment policies, graduate training schemes and policies on long-term benefits," Ms Mercer says.

But policies and practices aren't the only issues that need checking, says Paul Marsh head of HR and recruitment at FSS and Crone Corkill.

"We need to break down prejudices and change mindsets, as age to a lot of people would not feel as taboo as sexism or racism," he says

As a result, companies will have to look at the culture of their workplace - for example in the IT world staffing tends to be more youth oriented.

Firms will have to check whether their adverts and policies are promoting inherent age discrimination and ways to rebalance the situation so they are not at odds with the law.

But Mr Marsh does not believe the new laws will trigger an upsurge in age-positive employment.

"Companies still need to take the best person for the job," he explains. "But we would actively try to widen the pool of recruits.

"It could be, say, how you attract over 50s - for example, where you advertise. If your ads are web-based that lessens the pool as younger people are more likely to use them," he adds.

Some commentators predict the changes could in fact lead to fewer people working past the age of 65 as firms enforce a "blanket ban" on older workers to prevent claims in the future.

Anecdotal evidence from Age Concern suggests that companies are currently clearing out older workers as a pre-emptive measure to avoid such cases

After October, workers will be able to work past the age of 65 if granted leave to do so by their employer. Should they be refused then it must be for "objectively justified" reasons.

"There's a lot of uncertainty about the changes - usually it's black and white - for example when sexual orientation came in you could understand precisely what was expected," says Mr Farrier.

"Each case will be treated on its merits, if a worker is kept on at 65 then that requires you to have valid evidence for why that didn't go on at 68 and what's changed."

Looking ahead the experts believe there will be more cases claiming age discrimination, but it will take the first awards against companies to give any guidance as to how the changes will take effect.

The experience of companies in the US may give some hints as to how the future will develop as anti-ageism legislation has been in force there since 1967.

Between 1992 and 2002 17,000 age-related discrimination cases were launched and 10,000 of those were successful in getting compensation.

However, most cases were on a class-action basis and dealt with redundancies and job cuts.

Closer to home, the Republic of Ireland brought in the new legislation two years ago and by July last year ageism accounted for 19% of discrimination cases

So even while no-one is sure exactly how the changes will manifest themselves, it seems certain that the effects will start to be seen pretty quickly and companies would be well advised to prepare themselves as soon as possible.

De Vere Group Plc have exchanged contracts with AMEC developments and Stayley developments to build a Village Hotel & Leisure Club at the Ashton Moss Leisure Park. The announcement demonstrates a significant boost to the growth of Ashton Moss and continues De Vere's ambitious expansion plans for the Village brand.

The proposals will transform the 3.5 acre site into a 122 bed hotel with high quality conference and banqueting facilities, pub, café, restaurant plus a state of the art leisure club. Village Ashton is expected to create up to 225 employment opportunities in the area, contributing to the local economy and providing excellent facilities to both on-site workers and the surrounding area.

Ashton Moss occupies a prominent position fronting the M60 Manchester orbital motorway at junction 23 and the A635 dual carriageway, which provides direct access between Central Manchester and Ashton-Under-Lyne. Richard Kiersey, Property Director for De Vere says:

"The Ashton Moss proposal signals another great opportunity for the Village brand. We are excited to be working with AMEC and we look forward to being part of the Ashton Moss development"

"We are delighted to welcome the Village hotel and Leisure club to Ashton Moss" says Darran Lawless of AMEC developments "Having De Vere onsite represents a prestigious addition to the development. De Vere embodies what we are aiming to achieve at Ashton Moss, providing high quality accommodation, business and leisure facilities for the surrounding area and local residents".

IKEA have been overwhelmed by the enormous response that it has had to its recruitment drive for over 500 new jobs at the new IKEA store in
Ashton-under-lyne.

"We supplied over 10,000 application forms to the local job centres and they are now asking for more, its amazing." says Project Manager HR Linda Johnson; " We have already received back over 2,000 applications and the standard of those who have applied is very high".

We are working with closely with Tameside Employment Partnership to ensure that as many vacancies as possible are filled by applicants from the local community.

Positions available include sales jobs, skilled chefs, administrators, designers, carpenters and customer service co-workers.

We are looking to recruit people from all walks of life in order to build a truly diverse work force. Since the store is open seven days a week, a variety of part- time, as well as full-time shift patterns are available, including evening and weekend work.

IKEA are running a job fair open to everyone at Oxford Park Community Sports Centre from 12th - 17th June. All those who have applied already will be invited to attend.

It may have been a sad day yesterday, as the Economic Development Unit waved goodbye to one of its Resource Procurement Officers but, before his departure, Justin Bentham triumphed in securing a magnificent £50,000 for the renovation of the Denton bandstand.

As Justin moves on to new challenges in Salford, his legacy of secured funding ensures that he will not be quickly forgotten.

Denton Town Centre Manager Stuart Mollison is now taking over the management of this particular project, with a launch for the newly renovated bandstand chalked for later this year – featuring, of course, a full brass band.

For more information on the bandstand and the plans surrounding it, please contact Stuart Mollison on 0161 342 2704.

The former Civic Mayor of Tameside, Cllr J E A Lane, hosted a visit to the Mayor’s parlour for Office Depot International staff based on Ashton Moss.

The visit followed a Mayoral tour of Office Depot’s state of the art facility on Ashton Moss in January and was designed to welcome employees to Ashton-under-Lyne Town Centre.

Prior to the reception in the Parlour, the group tasted the delights of Ashton’s Continental Market, held on March 24th - on a tour hosted by Ashton’s Town Centre Marketing Manager, Peter Hawley, Head of Markets Ian Kelly and Alan Hartwell, Continental Market Organiser.

All agreed that Ashton Market was well worth a return visit whether to the Continental, Farmers’ or daily markets.

LEGI is a joint initiative between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, HM Treasury and the Department for Trade and Industry. The initiative has already provided £126million to ten bidders covering 15 local authority areas to support locally-developed strategies to boost local economic activity.

Launching the second round in April, ODPM Neighbourhood Renewal Minister, Phil Woolas said:

"The best proposals in LEGI’s first round showed a genuinely deep understanding of local issues and demonstrated the role of strong local partnerships in delivering change. …”

“If we are to compete effectively in the global economy we have to develop a "can do" attitude in every section of the community - including women, young people and ethnic minorities. LEGI can be a vital element in achieving this, and I encourage all local authorities who are thinking of bidding to learn from successful bids and consider how best they can use LEGI funding to encourage enterprise in some of their most disadvantaged areas.”

§ an increase in business start-ups by helping to increase the entrepreneurial activity among the local population;
§ support the growth and reduce the failure of locally owned existing businesses and
§ create jobs for local residents by attracting appropriate inward investors.

The involvement of local business in developing a strategy for LEGI is seen to be a key success factor in the successful Round One bids. Though Round 2 will be even more competitive than Round 1, where only one North West bid from St Helen’s achieved final approval, Tameside are keen to proceed.

A workshop was held for local businesses in June to get ideas and support for the next bid. Extracts from the successful bids included the following:

§ Croydon: three Enterprise and Opportunity Centres offering a focal point for entrepreneurship and enterprise in key target areas. Facilities will include business advice services, workshop/meeting rooms, incubation space and training rooms.
§ St Helens: Streetwalkers - a team of advisers will be out on the streets offering low level advice and guidance to small businesses on working effectively with official bodies (eg councils, police, etc.) and helping them to deal with bureaucracy.
§ Bradford: Festival of Enterprise in Bradford - part of a broader programme of developing an enterprise culture in the area, bringing together enterprise events into a high profile festival.
§ South Tyneside: In partnership with Durham Business School, the Business Growth Programme for small and medium businesses will equip owner-managers with the necessary skills, tools and knowledge to determine appropriate growth and change strategies.
§ Hastings: Community banking - a one stop shop, providing access to affordable loans particularly for sole traders and micro-entrepreneurs. Also Film and Digital Media Powerhouse - providing support and access to resources to create a dynamic digital media sector.
§ Coalfields (Bolsover, Mansfield and Ashfield): A Virtual Enterprise Academy will bring the educational and business sectors closer together to encourage enterprise in schools eg by providing courses and information for young people on setting up a business. Outreach business advisors will provide grassroots advice to existing and prospective new businesses within the deprived areas.

Businesses who would like to support the bid in any way should contact Lisa Hoyland Business Initiatives Manager at Tameside MBC on 0161 342 3544 email: lisa.hoyland@tameside.gov.uk

Tameside schools recently took part in a competition organised by Young Enterprise.

“It is noticeable that there has been an increasing emphasis on Enterprise in Education, and there are a number of schemes and initiatives taking place, including through the Tameside Education Business Partnership. Our research for the Round 1 LEGI bid, undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Enterprise, survey of a sample of businesses indicated that a significant percentage were keen to get involved in working with young people to develop their entrepreneurial skills.”

“Some businesses, however, have indicated that they find it difficult to find a single point of contact to express their interest and are confused by the range of initiatives available. We aim to address this in our developing Enterprise Strategy and if we were successful in gaining additional funding from LEGI, or other sources to improve this working with the education sector and our partners in Manchester Enterprises.” Said Lisa Hoyland, Business Initiatives Manager.

Former Civic Mayor, Cllr J E A Lane and party visited successful local company Tibard Ltd in April this year before handing over her chain of office to new Mayor, Cllr Sean-Parker Perry.

Tibard are manufacturers and suppliers of workwear that can be found in some of the most dynamic workplaces, from kitchens to factories, offices to hotels, construction sites to car showrooms.

Tibard's business also includes garment rental and a laundry service. Tibard provides weekly laundry services nationally on rental items. The whole system is controlled by sophisticated procedures at Tibard House. Tibard exports to a number of countries including Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean islands.

Tibard has gained British Standards and ISO accreditation and continues to produce very high quality garments for industry. The two core areas are hotel and catering. Tibard is renowned in the market place for it’s' consistently high quality of both products and services. Many well known brands regard Tibard as a reliable supplier.

Several years ago John Shonfeld, Managing Director, saw great opportunities for exporting not only garments, but also fabrics. Tibard now has dealers in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Malta, Barbados and Germany and agents that virtually span the globe.

Despite growing pressure to re-rationalise manufacturing off-shore, Tibard Workwear Limited decided to keep manufacturing in the UK:

“British manufactured goods gives us more control over the supply chain. That means we can guarantee supply to our customers and maintain better quality control. We plan to continue to do so for the foreseeable future”. (Said Commercial Director Rick Shonfeld - source: Tibard website).

Managing Director, John Shonfeld is the Tameside Executive Chair of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Tameside Strategic Partnership, Tameside Economic and Learning Partnership and on the advisory panel of the Dukinfield District Assembly, and to add to his responsibilities has been appointed president of the Textile Services Association. John took on his new appointment at a meeting in London in April.

Cllr Kieran Quinn said “we need more local business leaders like John, who put such a lot back into the community, which in turn ensures a thriving local economy, capable of supporting successful local enterprises.”

Each year, the Civic Mayor manages to visit as many local firms as possible to demonstrate the importance of these and similar employers to the local economy, and enable the companies to find out in one visit, the range of support they may receive via the Council.

The Mayoral party usually consists of between 5 to 8 people including the current Mayor and Mayoress.

If you are interested in a visit please contact John Lowden, Economic Development Unit, 0161 342 2795 or email: john.lowden@tameside.gov.uk and see http://www.tameside.gov.uk/business/mayorvisit.htm)

"The attraction to sites in Merseyside and north of Manchester came from developers looking at other areas away from the more expensive prime sites such as Warrington and Trafford Park, demonstrating that the market is more price sensitive. Occupiers are also realising this and prepared to consider other locations, such as Merseyside or north Manchester to keep costs down."

The east side of Manchester has really been opened up by the M60 and potentially there will be more development opportunities in the east as the west and south of Manchester become built out. According to Mr Middleton: "The east certainly offers good value for money with typical rents around 25p to 50p lower then the west. For example, a 20,000 sq ft unit with 10 per cent office content would be around £5.50 per sq ft at Trafford Park but would be nearer £5.00 to £5.25 on the east side.

"The recent, and highly visible 250,000 sq ft letting to Office World in Tameside has been the most significant deal of late in this sector of the M60. It freed up 150,000 sq ft at the company's previous location at Oldham Broadway, which will soon be on the market.

"Demand remains high from local distribution companies but there is a shortage of freehold properties and the appetite remains strong for these."
The scarcity of available development land was demonstrated by the recent case of the Walls site in Hyde. The eight-acre site with 40,000 sq ft of accommodation went to best bids and was put under offer to a London investor. It is likely to be speculatively developed.

According to Pexton: "Land values are rising but it is almost at two distinct rates - larger sites for larger sheds offer economies of scale in build cost and developer can afford to pay more for the site.”

Extracted from www.logisticsmanager.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Hoyland on 0161 342 3544

For the first quarter of 2006 (1/1//06 to 31/3/06), TMBC (economic development unit) recorded 98 property related enquiries.

During this quarter there have been 5 inward investment successes creating approximately 115 new jobs for Tameside and 7 local investment successes, safeguarding approximately 34 jobs for the local workforce. This represents approximate investment totalling £766,000.

Over the last 8 years TMBC has recorded 157 inward investments creating 5,694 new jobs & 372 local business relocations safeguarding 7,188 jobs.

For further information, please contact Sue Hobbiss on 0161 342 2865 or Martin Wain on 0161 342 2058.

TAMESIDE businessman, John Shonfeld, has been appointed president of the Textile Services Association.

John, who owns and manages Dukinfield based workwear and laundry company, Tibard Ltd, took on his new appointment at a meeting in London at which the guest speaker was Rt Hon Michael Howard.

John said: “I am delighted to be president of the TSA, which is the trade organisation for the laundry, cleaning and textile rental industry.”

“I have been involved in the laundry business for many years and am looking forward to meeting people and attending events on behalf of the organisation over the next 12 months.”