‘Business’ Archives
MediaCity owner aims to take over iconic Pinewood studios
Peel Holdings, owner of MediaCityUK in Salford, has put in a takeover bid of £87.8 million for Pinewood Shepperton studios, home to the Harry Potter and James Bond film franchises. The company, run by Bury-born billionaire investor John Whittaker, recently sold the Trafford Centre to Capital Shopping Centres for £1.6 billion. It is [...]
Rocky road ahead for Manchester’s economy, warns Commission
Manchester has good news on the horizon with the creation of the Airport's enterprise zone and yesterday's announcement on the freezing of interest rates, but one of the city's economic thinktanks is warning of rocky times ahead for the city this year. The Commission for the New Economy said in its April Manchester Monitor that, after a [...]
7,000 jobs to be created as Airport City development is approved
Manchester Airport is set to develop and open its new Airport City next year after being selected as an enterprise zone by the government. The masterplan for the site was approved by Manchester City Council executive committee members yesterday and is expected to regenerate large parts of the Wythenshaw area. Manchester Airports Group [...]
Figures bring hope for export-fuelled growth for the north west
The north west's exports are on the increase, fuelling hopes for an export-led recovery as figures show that in the last year - from 2009 to 2010 - exports rose by 6 per cent to a record level just short of £25 billion. During this period, exports to all four of the high-growth "BRIC" markets grew significantly. Exports increased by [...]
Public sector driving Manchester property market forward, says survey
An extensive survey of Manchester’s property market says that several significant new public sector schemes on the horizon could help kickstart the city’s recovery from recession. The Manchester Crane Survey, the 12th to be produced by Drivers Jonas Deloitte, highlights the important role the public sector plays as it continues to be a [...]
Piccolino posts losses but is confident for the future
The Manchester-based owner of restaurant chains, Restaurant Bar & Grill and Piccolino, has said it is confident of the brands’ trading potential despite posting widened pre-tax losses of £1.8m. In its results for the year to 31 December 2010, the Individual Restaurant Company, which made a pre-tax loss of £872,000 last year, also [...]
Profits, sales and dividends up for Manchester’s Co-operative Group
Profits for Manchester-based Co-operative Group rose by nearly 50 per cent and sales by nearly 10 per cent in 2010. The group reported profits of £545.7m, compared with £367.9m in 2009, while group sales rose by almost 10% to £13.7bn. However, the company warned of challenging times ahead for this year. The group also said it was [...]
Easy Jet announces new Manchester routes
Low-cost airline easyJet has announced plans to open new routes from Manchester Airport and add a sixth plane to its fleet already based at the airport. The new flights will start later in the year and will go to Berlin, Belfast and Madrid. From October, easyJet will fly to Schoenefeld Airport in Berlin five times a week, while also [...]
Wythenshawe home to growing molecular diagnostic industry
A sector of the biotechnology industry believed to be worth around £8 billion has been growing in Manchester. The city is now home to a number of companies that specialise in a combination of diagnostics with genetic analysis, known as molecular diagnostics. Advances in the biotech industry have been enabled by the Human Genome Project, [...]
Valuation – “It’s all in your head”
Entrepreneurs and growing businesses looking to protect their valuable intellectual property rights are the target for an advisory and networking event taking place in Manchester on 7 April. The "Valuation. It’s All in Your Head" event will offer advice for entrepreneurs on critical issues related to intellectual property and explain why IP [...]