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BAROMETER UP
comes as it has been announced that the EZ has now reached the half-way mark in creating the 5,000 jobs laid out in early proposals.
▲ The Garden Village, originally launched as a side project by trained horticulturist Caroline Donelan, has achieved £1m in annual sales. The business, which produces storage for wheelie bins, has now moved into a new home in Altham where its team of 10 can manufacture upwards of 20 units per day.
▲ Blackburn-based Praetura Asset Finance is on track for its third consecutive record year as it increased the number of SMEs it is providing funding to by more than a third in 2023. This resulted in PAF recording a 26 per cent rise in total capital provided, in the year of its tenth anniversary.
▲ Panache Cruises has reached the £20m turnover milestone for 2023, more than doubling last year’s revenues of £8.2m. The rapid growth of the company, launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, saw it named the fastest growing company in the north by the Fast Growth 50 Index. To facilitate future growth, Panache has invested £1m in upgrading its global headquarters at Strawberry Fields in Chorley. Meanwhile, company founder James Cole has been honoured for his contributions to the cruise industry with The Peter Grant Award at the industry’s Wave Awards.
▲ The Mediasite, which offers its cloud services to host the music, jingles, software and websites for radio stations around the world, has moved into its new home at the Strawberry Fields Digital Hub in Chorley. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP cut the ribbon.
Improvement Funding has been awarded by the Department for Education. Areas covered include sustainability, digital and agriculture.
▲ Euxton-based fulfilmentcrowd despatched 201,529 deliveries on behalf of more than 200 clients across the Black Friday retail sales period. Orders were up 39 per cent on last year, despite this year’s Black Friday website traffic falling by 12 per cent across the sector.
▲ Planning permission has been granted for APTUS, an 800,000 sq ft strategic employment site in Preston, which could lead to the creation of 1,500 new jobs. The site, close to J31A of the M6 and Preston City Centre, will be developed by HBD and Barnfield Group. It will feature 12 industrial and logistics units ranging from 25,0000 to 500,000 sq ft.
▲ Skelmersdale-based kitchens and bathrooms retailer Victorian Plumbing has recorded a six per cent increase in revenues and a 29 per cent increase in pre-tax profits. For the year ended 30 September 2023 turnover was £285.1m, up from £269.4m the year before. Gross profit was £134.6m, up from £121.0m. Adjusted profit tax rose to £20.3m, a 29 per cent increase over £15.7m the year prior.
▲ Plans to transform Blackburn’s Grade II- listed St John’s church - which was damaged by fire in 2019 - into an innovation hub have been granted approval. The scheme forms a cornerstone of the £250m Blackburn Town Centre Masterplan and will feature 9,000 sq ft of office space over four floors.
▲ The Lancashire Colleges Group has received £4.5m of government funding to help deliver the skills most in demand by employers across the county. The Local Skills
▲ A joint programme between Marketing Lancashire and VisitBlackpool, supported by the county’s 15 councils, has been granted Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status by VisitEngland. LVEPs work in collaboration with the public and private sector to help shape and deliver marketing strategy and activities. They receive access to resources and guidance from VisitEngland on product distribution, business support and the opportunity to bid for funding and marketing.
▲ Further expansion to Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, one of the most successful in the UK, is expected to go ahead after the council recommended it for approval. The news
▲ Chorley-based multi-disciplinary engineering firm Taziker has appointed Neil Harrison as CEO and Jason Worrall as group managing director. The announcement follows a recent investment round led by the company’s original founders, Tom Taziker, Nigel Taziker and Graham Moor, who now own a majority stake in the business and have rejoined the board of directors. The investment round was supported by new capital from Freshstream, and resulted in a considerable strengthening of the company’s balance sheet, which is now free from debt.
▲ A £7.5m renovation project which will convert Blackpool’s historic Stanley Buildings into a business growth hub has been granted planning approval. Vacant and derelict upper floor space will be converted into 44 modern offices and meeting facilities. while parts of the ground floor will be altered to create an extensive co-working space featuring flexible hot desk and meeting spaces.
▲ A 64-acre golf course in Goosnargh which has remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic is to be transformed into a holiday retreat after plans were approved by Preston City Council. The £7m redevelopment will see the build of 130 upmarket lodges, 26 tourer/ caravan pitches and 14 office pods, together with a range of leisure facilities for guests.
▲ Evolve Document Solutions has followed several years of growth with the purchase of a new unit at South Rings Business Park in Bamber Bridge. The six-figure investment sees the company take on additional premises adjacent to its current head office, increasing its commercial space to over 3,000 sq ft.
▲ A 53,000 sq ft development which will house “pay and play” games and activities at Ribby Hall Village’s 100-acre site has been approved by Fylde Council. The new building will replace an existing structure on the site. The three
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