Tag Archives: Covid recovery

Commercial Property, News, North of England

North west business park welcomes flurry of new businesses

The North West’s largest out-of-town business destination, Birchwood Park, has welcomed five new small businesses to the park, taking up six small suite office spaces between them.

This latest wave of new lettings comes following an uplift in enquiries from small and medium sized enterprises looking for ready-to-let space at Birchwood Park.

As well as the positive business outlook on bouncing back post-pandemic, another driving factor in the taking-up of small suite spaces is the Park’s flexible leasing offer. Small suites at Birchwood Park are given the freedom to move quickly to suit the business, as they are not immediately tied in with a long lease.

Birchwood Park’s all-inclusive suites offers businesses a range of small office spaces for up to 20 people. The quick and easy leasing process, as well as the ability to upgrade office spaces, allows organisations to either expand or scale down in line with business requirements and is a key factor within the small suites model.  Having the flex to move around particularly before agreements have expired, gives Birchwood Park’s small suite occupiers continuity and ease to grow their business.

The latest small businesses set to join Birchwood Park over the coming weeks span a variety of sectors; they include medical communications company Simplifying Science®, school software provider October Resolutions, trade union Prospect, leading health and safety practice PM Connections and recruitment provider LivRecruit.

One of the new occupiers, Simplifying Science®, works with international pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations to translate complex medical and scientific documents into every-day language.

The company believes the excellent transport links to Manchester, Liverpool and the rest of the North West will put the business within reach of a larger geographic population, giving access to a wide range of customers and possibilities for new recruits.

New occupier October Resolutions is a developer of timetabling software for schools, both in the UK and in 90 countries around the world. It has chosen to move to Birchwood Park for its various amenities, such as the on-site cafés, restaurants and gym, as well as the green open-spaces surrounding the park grounds.

Linda Welsby, Leasing Manager at Birchwood Park who specialising in small suites lettings, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome a batch of new smaller businesses to Birchwood Park. It’s clear that North West businesses are looking forward with positivity, given the influx of enquiries we’ve experienced on the Park, but that flexibility is key when it comes to matching the office space requirements of these businesses.

“At Birchwood Park, we offer exactly that; flexible contracts and office spaces perfect for small businesses looking to grow, as well as take advantage of the various on-site services and events available exclusively to employees as perks of the park.

“We hope by joining us, businesses can take full advantage of Birchwood Park’s location – right in the heart of the North-West and perfect for accessing local talent pools in Manchester and Liverpool”.

Birchwood Park’s on-site amenities have certainly been proven to be a pull-factor for many outside businesses seeking occupancy at the Park. These include the green open spaces, numerous cafés and restaurants, as well as the Park’s gym, Alive & Well being made available to occupiers for a discounted rate. Additionally, the unique wellbeing event and amenities offer provide a bank of ready-made wellbeing services for occupiers to take advantage of upon immediately joining Birchwood Park.

Speaking on behalf of Simplifying Science®, Director Chris Birchall added: “We’re thrilled to be relocating our office to Birchwood Park. We understand that the park cares very much about promoting employee wellness and workplace wellbeing, as do we.” Company Founder, Danielle Birchall, remarked “That is one of the reasons why we moved to Birchwood Park, as our staff will be able to take full advantage of the great facilities available here, such as the EngineRooms and the on-site nursery”.

Chris Johnson, Director at October Resolutions, also commented on the move: “The location was a driving factor in our move to Birchwood Park. Situated right in the heart of the North West, the Park will open up recruitment opportunities by giving us access to talent pools across the region.

“As well as the location – our staff look forward to taking full advantage of the green, open spaces and excellent facilities available at the Park. Given that we do a lot of posting this time of the year, having a mail-room on-site is ideal for us”.

To find out about the diverse range of office spaces available at Birchwood Park, please head to https://www.birchwoodpark.co.uk/space-to-let/ or call the team on 01925 851536.

Charity & CSR, Food & Drink, News

Spreadable cheese brand contributed £7.8 million to good causes in 2021

Profits from The Kavli Group, which includes Primula Cheese and Castle MacLellan in the UK, enabled Kavli Trust to donate £7.8 million to good causes in 2021.

Kavli Trust is the sole owner of The Kavli Group, which employs 840 people in four countries has contributed a total of £62.7 million to good causes around the world since 2012.

In recent years, Kavli Trust has focused on projects and low-threshold measures strengthening child and adolescent mental health and climate and environmental solutions. Most funds are allocated to good causes in the four countries where The Kavli Group operates: the UK, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Here in the UK recent beneficiaries include St Oswald’s Hospice, staff were presented with a cheque for £30,000 by the cheese brand to fund a range of accessible play equipment for its Children and Young Adults Service. As well as the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) which received a vital £26,000 investment to help with their focus to offer 24/7 critical care support in the region.

Commenting on last year’s contribution Inger Elise Iversen, General Manager at Kavli Trust said: “At the Kavli Trust, sharing is at the heart of everything we do. That is why we donate all of our profits to good causes. We are delighted to have allocated £7.8 million to projects within humanitarian work, research and culture last year and hope to beat this figure in 2022.

“We will continue to invest in strengthening child and adolescent mental health for years to come at the Kavli Trust. It is more important than ever to contribute to all children and young people experiencing well-being, security and belonging.

“We also choose to support several projects promoting climate and environmental solutions. As part of the food business, we have a responsibility and a potential to contribute to good solutions within responsible consumption and production of food. The fight against food waste is therefore another main focus.”

Kavli Trust will continue to allocate all profits from The Kavli Group to good causes.

For more information on the Kavli Trust, visit https://kavlifondet.no/en/

News

Black Sheep Brewery pours support into grassroots sport to aid growth following the first lockdown

Yorkshire’s own Black Sheep Brewery has announced partnerships with two local Rugby Union clubs – Huddersfield RUFC and Otley RUFC, as part of the brewery’s commitment to supporting grassroots sport.

Black Sheep has committed to supporting local communities and various sports clubs in the region as they continue to recover from the effects of last year’s lockdown.

Black Sheep beer is already pouring at the bars of both clubs, meaning local rugby fans will be able to attend the games and get their hands on a pint of Yorkshire ale, whilst supporting grassroots sport. As well as Black Sheep beer pouring in the clubhouses, the partnership is marked by branded post-protectors at each club’s homeground.

These partnerships are the latest additions to Black Sheep’s numerous collaborations with local sports clubs; earlier this year Black Sheep Brewery also begun a partnership with newly-promoted League Two side Harrogate Town AFC, which saw the brewery develop a limited-edition beer with the club.

Jonny Kirkham, Head of Sales and Marketing at Black Sheep Brewery, commented: “We’re excited to announce yet another partnership with our local sports teams, Otley and Huddersfield.

“Huddersfield RUFC and Otley RUFC are two iconic local rugby union teams with a celebrated history, and we are delighted to hear that fans are already enjoying pints of real Yorkshire ale at the grounds.

“In the wake of the COVID pandemic and the effects of the first lockdown, the growth of grassroots sport was haltered in our area. That is why Black Sheep is staunchly committed to supporting them through these challenging times – by partnering with local teams to grow and develop sports in the region.”