Watch: Insider's Business Briefing - 29th July
In today's business briefing, Simon and Robyn discuss a snack maker returning to profits, the best restaurants across the UK and investment in Lancashire.
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00:00A snack maker's back in profit, the top restaurants in the UK and a first from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
00:09That's what's coming up and more in today's Daily Business Briefing.
00:19Hello, I'm Simon Keegan. And I'm Robin Hewson.
00:22So Robin, we've got a lot of exciting news today, but what have you picked out first of all?
00:27So I want to start with a story from the East Midlands today about snack maker Whitwhiff that has returned to profit.
00:33So Whitwhiff is headquartered in Northamptonshire and they specialise in healthy snacks and fruits.
00:39So you might not know about them too much, sort of seeds, nuts.
00:42Yeah, I don't really eat that much in the way of seeds, to be honest with you, as you can probably tell.
00:47So their profits have risen and their turnover has gone up to 140 million.
00:53And they credit some of that growth to consumer trends with everyone wanting to eat healthy and healthy snacking and baking.
01:00And they've also got new contracts with Holland and Barrett and had a product relaunch.
01:05And all of that has helped them to grow their profit.
01:09Fantastic. Well, talking of seeds and seed investment, see what I did there?
01:14We've got a first for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund too.
01:18It's completed its first investment in Lancashire.
01:22It's a company called Little Firs Wood Finishing Products, and they make wood dyes and stuff like that.
01:28It's all natural, all locally sourced ingredients, all of that good stuff, handmade, all that kind of thing.
01:35And they've received £75,000 from MPIF too, which is coming from GC Business Finance and River Capital.
01:45And they say what they're going to do with that is expand the team.
01:48They're planning to take on three new people in the next year.
01:52So that's great. We'll be keeping an eye on them.
01:54Yeah. And another foodie story from me today is about the Good Foods Awards that are back for this year.
02:01So Yorkshire came out on top this year. I thought it might.
02:05Always does. With Horsforth in Leeds having this restaurant called Bavette, which only opened in February 2024.
02:13But it's already won over all the locals and the critics, and it's gone on to be crowned the best new local restaurant in the UK.
02:21So that's really exciting. And in the northwest, there was Cheebus in Levenshulme, which is one to add on to your list to try.
02:29What do they do? What kind of food is that?
02:31Like Italian pizzas and things like that. And they were picked as the best in the northwest.
02:36Some others that got a shout out was Higher Ground in Manchester, as well as Belzen in Liverpool and Covino in Chester.
02:42So lots of exciting restaurants to try.
02:45Very nice. Well, as you know, we're working on the September issue of Insider at the moment.
02:49And something I'm working on is a special look at Bernstein's Manchester, Sir Howard Bernstein's legacy.
02:57Obviously, the way that he helped transform Manchester from the 90s to now.
03:04I mean, places like Ancoats, you know, East Manchester, New Islington, absolutely unrecognizable for what they were.
03:14So we're looking back at this kind of placemaking which he started.
03:17But also, I think his legacy went a lot beyond Manchester because really he was one of the original architects of the combined authority model.
03:28You know, the devolution. We probably wouldn't have devolution the way it is if it wasn't for the way that he kind of was able to convince Westminster that he and people like Sir Richard Lees were a safe pair of hands, if you like.
03:43So I'm really looking forward to working on that.
03:45We've also got most exciting workspaces, which you've been, workplaces, keep saying workspaces, workplaces, isn't it?
03:52So tell us a bit about that.
03:53Yeah. So we had a judging session and we've picked out our top five, which will be revealed in the magazine soon.
03:59And the full list will also be going online.
04:01But they're the offices across the region that have had the biggest impact on recruitment, retention, general employee well-being, things like that.
04:12And also just look incredible. I mean, some of them, they are amazing.
04:16I'm looking forward to seeing those. So that will be online as well as the magazine.
04:19Yes, with videos and things like that online to have a look at.
04:22That's lovely. So we've also got in the issue the Global Growth 100.
04:26So this is the obviously the fastest growing exporters in the region, which is a really good opportunity to mention the International Trade Awards as well.
04:35You've got until the end of August to enter that.
04:38The International Trade Awards, it's been going for some time now.
04:41And it's not just about the global exporters, you know, the big global giants.
04:46It's also about emerging exporters.
04:48It's about people getting into new markets.
04:51We've got things like the Impact Award for people who are doing things in a planet friendly way.
04:56And we're also recognizing the Export Leaders of the Year.
05:00So this is for individuals rather than companies.
05:04So if you are an exporter, you need to get in touch with that.
05:07You've got until the end of August, but get your application in sooner.
05:11And then we will have a fantastic event towards the end of the year that we bring all of these fantastic companies together.
05:19Yeah, looking forward to that.
05:20That'll be a good one.
05:21So I think that's all we've got time for.
05:23So thanks for joining us and we'll see you tomorrow.