Daily Post

Chef Signs the Skills Pledge - and Says Training Is the Recipe for Success

RESTAURANT owner Paul Heathcote is urging businesses to show their commitment to staff training by signing the Skills Pledge. Mr Heathcote, whose restaurants include Simply Heathcotes and the popular Olive Press, in Castle Street, has himself joined the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) initiative.

Inside

Discounter's posh push HOME Bargains is expanding into affluent areas, as recession-hit customers across the UK look for lower prices. PAGE 2 Irish energy A COUNTY Clare firm is bringing 10 jobs to its new UK headquarters, in Cheshire.

Beetham's Russian Link Close to Collapse ; Uncertainty As Moscow Court Freezes Assets of Co-Investor in Pounds 1bn Scheme

THE Russian partner of Liverpool skyscraper developer Beetham is on the brink of collapse, putting a question mark over a pounds 1bn landmark scheme in London. Earlier this year, the Daily Post reported that securing backing from the Mirax corporation and receiving planning permission for the development at London's Blackfriars was crucial to Beetham's future amid mounting debts. Billionaire Sergei Polonsky"s Mirax group took a pounds 112m stake in the project, but has now had its assets froz...

Warning On Skills

Construction Downturn Slows

NEW figures suggest that the downturn in the construction sector could be softening. The Office for National Statistics reveals that the total volume of construction output, in the second quarter of 2009, fell by 0.5% to pounds 23.86bn, compared with the first quarter of 2009.

Buoyant Discount Sector Benefits From Downturn ; Now Affluent Shoppers Are Eyeing Bargains

DISCOUNT chain Home Bargains is expanding into more affluent areas, as recession-hit customers across all socio-economic groups search for a bargain. The retailer, owned by Gillmossbased TJ Morris, is growing at 25% a year.

Complete Group to Create 25 New Jobs

CARE specialist, the Complete Group, is creating 25 new jobs with a Merseyside expansion. The Telford-based company provides specialist complex care services to clients with various disabilities, including spinal and head injuries.

On-Demand Solution Means Epos Retailer Is in Demand ; Alex Turner Meets Ian Tomlinson, Managing Director of Knowsley- Based Cybertill

IT SEEMED like a straightforward question to put to the managing director of an electronic point of sale (ePoS) supplier. "Are you an IT business or a retail business?" was followed by a puzzled look and a rare pause in the conversation.

Tool Hire Group's Profits Fall 77% As Construction Slump Hits Trade

THE owner of Cheshire plant hire group A-Plant has seen profits plunge as the construction market remains depressed. Ashtead yesterday said profits for the three months to July 31 stood at pounds 8.2m - down 77% on the same period last year.

Irish Energy Firm Sets Up British Hq in Capenhurst ; Company Aims to Improve Service to Uk

AN IRISH energy firm is to create 10 jobs when it locates its UK headquarters to the Energy Innovation Centre at Capenhurst. FMC-Tech, which is based in Shannon, County Clare, believes its Cheshire base will enable it to better service the UK energy market. The company has developed a management system for medium-voltage overhead electricity networks.

Rugby Club of Liverpool Catches Sponsorship Deal Ahead of Launch

THE first virtual rugby club has announced a sponsorship deal with My Global Rugby ahead of the club's official launch in Liverpool on Friday. The Rugby Club of Liverpool - unaffiliated with a team, or indeed a code - is the brainchild of former St Helens RLFC chief executive and Daily Post sports columnist Sean McGuire.

Alchemy Launches Family Division

WIRRAL-BASED chartered financial planner, Alchemy Advisory Services, has launched a new family office division as part of its plan to grow funds under management to pounds 200m by 2012. Alchemy is one of only a handful of planners specifically aimed at this market in the North-West, and has linked with Edinburghbased Family Business Solutions to develop the offer.

Dsg Helps Plan for the Upturn

THE next Business Owners Club, organised by accountants DSG, will be held at Goodison Park, on Tuesday, September 15. How to take advantage of the upturn is the subject of this latest free quarterly breakfast briefing.

Mcdonald's Is Loving Keeko Kids' Products ; Wirral Firm Goes Mcglobal

A WIRRAL firm which makes children's play areas and colouring products has achieved global supplier status with McDonald's. Heswall-based Keeko Kids has been supplying the UK and Ireland division of the fast food giant for six years, but has now gone global.

Travel Firm Founder Steps Down As Chief Executive

THE founder of a major Chester travel firm is stepping back from the day-to-day running of the business. Drew Foster started ITC 35 years ago, specialising in offering luxury holidays.

Landlords Offer Free Advice to Students

A GROUP representing landlords in Merseyside is offering free advice to students and their families, amid fears of an accommodation scam. Reports in the national media at the weekend claimed bogus landlords were duping students seeking accommodation.

Bank Chairman

YORKSHIRE Bank is appointing a new regional chairman for its Liverpool Financial Solutions Centre. William Hogg, from Chester, will replace Roy Morris, who has held the post since the bank's Liverpool Financial Solutions Centre was established in 2004.

Warning Over Worsening Family Finances

THE financial circumstances of North West households have suffered most from recession - that is the claim in an Institute of Financial Planning poll, as part of Financial Planning Week. It said the region recorded the biggest national six-month drop in household financial circumstances.

Plea for Business to Help Save Lives

LIVERPOOL charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) is appealing to Liverpool firms to help it save lives. Up to 50 young men take their lives on Merseyside each year, and the charity provides support for troubled young men aged between 15- 35.

Funding to Mentor Firms in Crucial Business Skills ; Nwda Offers Three-Year Support Project

REGENERATION body the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) is funding a pounds 5m skills drive for small businesses. The agency's three-year programme will offer leaders and senior managers of small and micro-businesses the chance to access free mentoring to support their efforts to grow their businesses.