Happy St Georges Day and welcome to the latest TFI. This week we bring you news of the regions improved economic performance; Investec feature as Business of the Month; Andy Anson is our 'Man of the Week' and Jeremy Meredith reveals all in 'Who Are Yer?' Also, DMIB Chairman Frank McKenna reviews the second Leaders Debate and we have details of two great Downtown events in May. Read on, enjoy, have a great weekend and don't do anything Frank wouldn't do...

The University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, has found that the North West is now the fourth most competitive region in the UK. The findings were part of UWI’s regional benchmarking report.

The UK Competitiveness Index 2010 found that the region has seen the greatest improvement in ranking since 2006 when it was ranked eighth. It now sits behind the South East, London and the East of England in the table. The index is based on a region’s ability to attract and maintain firms with stable or rising market shares.

The report also found that Manchester was ranked as the third most competitive large city.

Is Nick Clegg kissable?

M2, the North West based managed print services provider, has appointed Damien Baker as their new operations director at their Manchester office.

Damien has joined M2 from Lex where his was leading the Integration of the vehicle leasing business following the Lloyds takeover of HBOS in January 2009. His role as operations director at M2 will allow him to operate at a higher level to streamline the company’s management of its parts, logistics, services and IT divisions.

Damien commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a company that has such strong credentials and I am excited to be part of their next stage of growth. While my time with Lloyds gave me valuable experience of working within a large corporate company, I am looking forward to making a real impact at M2 and working with a smaller, more dynamic company that has exciting long-term goals.”

Self-storage provider, The Store Room, has seen a 50 per cent rise in local start-ups using its facilities as office space and workshops in Manchester over the last twelve months.

The Store Room attributes this increase to the wealth of small companies that are springing up across the region, as canny entrepreneurs seize the end of the recession as a business opportunity. By choosing large store rooms instead of a traditional office, start-ups have a flexible space that they can grow as they do, without restrictive rent agreements.

The increase has created a thriving small business community at The Store Room’s Eccles base, where many business owners see their flexible accommodation as a long-term solution.

Carl Horsfield, regional manager at The Store Room, said: “There is a huge amount of entrepreneurial spirit in Manchester, and that’s fantastic news for the regional economy.  The trend we have experienced shows that businesses are thinking creatively, and the success we have seen among our clients makes me very optimistic for the future.”

Manchester-based Clearwater Corporate Finance has delivered a strong increase in M&A transaction figures for its financial year ending 31 March 2010, despite the overall meltdown in M&A activity globally. The firm attributes this to its increased sector focus, investment in cross border capability and its innovative deal origination strategy.

The total value of deals that Clearwater advised on rose by 46 per cent to £436 million in FY2009/10 compared with £299.6 million in FY2008/09. This boosted the firm’s average deal value by 33 per cent to £22.9 million compared with £16.6 million in the previous year. Clearwater originated 68 per cent of the deals it advised on in FY2009/10.

Mike Reeves, partner at Clearwater in Manchester, said: “We have invested heavily in our sector focus and cross border capability. Our proactive approach in sourcing new mandates when others have moved resources away from M&A has paid dividends for us, despite funding being hard to source and valuations at rock bottom.”

Investec is a distinctive specialist bank and asset manager

They provide a diverse range of financial products and services to a niche client base in three principal markets, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia, as well as certain other geographies.

Investec is organised as a network comprising business divisions such as: Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Private Client Activities, Asset Management, Property Activities

Investec’s strategic goals are motivated by the desire to develop an efficient and integrated business on an international scale through the active pursuit of clearly established core competencies in the group’s principal business areas.

Investec Manchester
The Pinnacle
73 King Street
Manchester
M2 4NG

Tel: +44 161 819 7900
Fax: +44 161 819 7901
Web: www.investec.com

Andy Anson went to enormous lengths to ensure he kept his appointment as guest speaker at the CBI dinner held in Manchester this week. He was stranded in Tokyo last Friday after a lobbying trip to the Far East because of the volcanic ash eruption. He managed to get on a flight to New York but was unable to get a connection to the UK, So after a two night stay took a taxi to Philadelphia and flew to Barcelona arriving on Monday morning.
 
He then hired a driver to take him to Paris, then another for the journey to Dieppe. On Tuesday he travelled by ferry to Newhaven, where a car brought him to the CBI dinner.

No it’s not a website in homage of Oasis’ classic, but rather the website of Japanese based interior design firm Wonderwall.

If you visit the site, you will notice, that they have lived up to their name, with a wall of....well ‘Wonder’.

Downtown events manager, Roger Jonas stayed in the four star MacDonald Hotel. Click on the button below to find out what Roger thought of the facilities on offer.

Downtown Manchester, in association with Irwin Mitchell, will be hosting an 'election night' networking evening at the fabulous Living Room. A great opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the city's movers & shakers, and prepare yourself for a night in front of the tele, watching the old swingometer. Labour supporters, Tories, Lib Dems and Raving Loonies all welcome. NO BNP!

Date: Thursday 6th May
Time: 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Venue: The Living Room - Deansgate

The votes will have been counted, the dust settled, and a new administration will be in place. But what will the election result mean to our city? To discuss this and more, we are delighted to be joined by the editor of North West Insider magazine, Michael Taylor, the former political editor of BBC North West and EN columnist Jim Hancock and Rob McLoughlin, the host of Granada's popular political magazine programme 'Party People.'
 
To read more about our panellists please CLICK HERE

Date: Wednesday 12th May
Time: 8.30am - 10.0am
Venue: The Royal Exchange Theatre

Downtown Manchester in Business proudly brings you, our very first Members Reception. Good food, good wine and good company, make this an event you will NOT want to miss!

COST: £25.00 + VAT inc 3 course meal and half a bottle of wine

Date: Tuesday 25th May
Time: 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Venue: The Grill On The Alley

Name: Jeremy Meredith

Company: Innov8 safety solutions

Position: Operations Director

Red or Blue: Red (Liverpool)

Brown or Cameron: Cameron

Favourite Bar/Restaurant: Casa Italia

What’s your Tipple: Guinness

Favourite Band: Willie Russell – Hoovering the Moon.

Top Tune: Highland Cathedral (Pipes and Drums)

Favourite Book: The Kite Runner

Favourite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Who would play you in a film: Anyone who fancies a challenge!!

Favourite TV Programme: Shameless

Most visited website: Recently and sadly Auto trader

Celebrity Crush: Holly Willoughby won’t stop calling, I just ignore her now!

Interesting Fact about you: I once spent 3 months living in a tent in the south of Iraq.