It's been a tumultuous year for businesses across various sectors for so many reasons.
A pandemic coupled with Brexit uncertainty meant many struggled to make ends meet, with firms put under even more stress than the 2008 financial crisis.
Despite the turmoil, many businesses managed to pivot, survive and even thrive under increasingly difficult circumstances - and put themselves in a good place for 2021.
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Ahead of what is hoped to be a better year for business, we asked leaders from across the North West for their tips on the most exciting firms to watch out for in the coming 12 months.
In no particular order, these were their 21 nominations:
1. Assura – nominated by Damian Waters, CBI North West director
Warrington-based Assura has played an important role in helping 海角视频 health services cope during the Covid-19 pandemic – and will also be heavily involved in supporting vaccine rollouts in 2021.
Assura is the long term property partner to more than 570 primary care buildings across the country, in which more than 500 GP practices operate, serving more than five million patients.
During the pandemic, Assura brought vacant space into use to help with respiratory care, provide testing and further parking to support NHS staff.
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Assura is definitely one to watch in 2021, as it supports frontline primary healthcare providers to evolve their premises to suit changing needs, including vaccine delivery.
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2. A-nd - nominated by Tim Heatley of Capital & Centric
Set up by creative duo Abi Carpe and Dan Gregson, Manchester-based commercial interior design studio A-nd is one to watch in 2021.
Earlier this year they took on the challenge of furnishing a one-bed apartment at Capital & Centric's owner occupier community at Phoenix for just £1,000, to critical acclaim.
Using a mix of new and upcycled pieces they got crafty and thrifty to show how it could be done, even using concrete building blocks to create a striking coffee table.
The project highlights the company’s focus on balancing form, function, quality and sustainability with a fair price.
The team have also just furnished the soon to be released show apartment at Capital & Centric’s Crusader Mill, also in Piccadilly East in Manchester.
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Not one to follow the crowd, A-nd turns to a range of trusted suppliers for furniture that can’t be found on the high street, to ensure unique spaces where personality and purpose are closely attuned.
3. Farm Urban - nominated by Liam Kelly, CEO of Make CIC and chair of the Baltic Triangle
Farm Urban are the exemplar, in the Liverpool City Region, for sustainable approaches to business and urban farming.
They run 'Greens For Good', which supplies low-carbon food to local residents, and recently won innovation funding from Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to scale up.
As pioneers of the green industrial revolution, they are ones to watch in 2021.
4. Astraea Legal - nominated by Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company
Astrea Legal is a boutique law firm with an international practice, specialising in all aspects of regulatory investigations & criminal, civil and commercial litigation, commercial property transactions, family, electoral, motoring law, alcohol and entertainment licencing law.
Founder and director Nama Zarroug, along with director James Roochove, recently represented Huyton born artist John Charles, in a trademark dispute with Hugo Boss over the phrase ‘Be Boss, Be Kind’.
Charles signed off each art session with the phrase ‘Be Boss, Be Kind’ and wanted to trade mark the local phrase with a view to merchandising. The case resulted in an amicable solution, allowing him to continue to use the phrase.
Describing themselves as tenacious lawyers, they aim to achieve the best possible outcome at the lowest possible cost in every case.
5. Curated Makers - nominated by NatWest
Megan Jones is the founder of the Manchester-based Curated Makers which hosts pop-up shops on behalf of small business owners within high-street retailers such as John Lewis, Paperchase and M&S.
Due to lockdown restrictions, Megan brought some business operations online offering virtual shopping experiences, but as retail outlets re-opened, Curated Makers returned to the in-store ‘Made Local Pop-Up’ model that the business was founded on.
Megan is part of the NatWest Accelerator and is a Prince's Trust supported enterprise.
6. AccessPay – nominated by Oliver Tebbutt, corporate finance advisory partner at Deloitte North West
AccessPay is certainly one to watch in the FinTech space for 2021.
The Manchester-headquartered firm has revolutionised the way that businesses connect their back-office finance systems to their banks. After the events of 2020, AccessPay’s payments and cash management automation software is going from strength to strength.
The business was founded in 2012 and Anish Kapoor was made CEO in 2015.
The tech entrepreneur and former finance director is well-established, having co-founded Europe’s largest data centre operator TeleCity. With impressive senior management, AccessPay has brought digital innovation to finance teams across the globe including ITV, NSG, Barclays and Mastercard.
7. Wejo - nominated by Victoria Price, partner and EY entrepreneur of the year leader in the North
Cheshire-based Wejo is revolutionising the use of data in the automotive sector. The company was set up in 2014 by Richard Barlow, who was named ‘Disruptor’ at EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year awards 2020, held earlier this month.
Wejo’s technology platform uses data available on driver behaviour, traffic patterns and other trends to benefit auto manufacturers, businesses and the wider public. With 18 million cars on the platform, its data insights can be used by insurance companies, parking app developers, highway agencies, and others.
Richard is an inspiring entrepreneur and was recognised at our awards for having identified a gap in a market and developing technology with real purpose that can add value.
Spurred on by his passion for both technology and cars, Richard recognised the untapped potential of existing automotive data and how leveraging it could help address and solve problems the automotive industry may face in the future.
Wejo is a great example of the entrepreneurial talent we have in the region and the award judges said that with this future centric approach, Wejo has a high scale business model with huge growth potential, so watch this space!
8. 6tine - nominated by The Women's Organisation
Setting up a business as a new parent and then finding yourself in a global pandemic is enough to test any person’s confidence – but Martine Moore’s fledgling business outsourcing company, 6tine, is flying.
Martine, from Leigh, attributes her remarkable progress to a cutting-edge mentoring package, Excelerate Labs, provided by local business support experts The Women’s Organisation.
Joining the business growth programme saw Martine set a course for driving the business forward, starting first with building her own confidence.
Across 2020 Martine has already expanded her team, moved from the business starting home in her spare bedroom in Wigan to impressive city centre offices and is looking to recruit more staff in 2021 having expanded her client base and seen an increase in turnover.
6tine offers a range of outsourced businesses services specialising in identifying opportunities, arranging introductory meetings, websites and branding, sales training, CRM, creating template documents, systemising and strategising to make their clients life easier and their businesses more profitable
9. Layer Landscape Architects - nominated by Steve Griffiths, director at MHBC Cumming
They’re a relatively new and young practice based in Manchester and have grown during this year, employing new people and setting up a new Newcastle studio.
They take a different, more creative approach to landscape architecture which takes inspiration from the narrative of a place.
They visit and study how people use a place to create spaces that encourage interaction, social change and wellbeing.
They really push the idea that everyone should have access to green spaces and that the external of a building is just as important as the building itself – especially important in the post COVID world. The most high profile thing they’ve done is The Field at Hardman Square in Spinningfields, Manchester.
10. Collctiv - nominated by NatWest
Collctiv is a rapid-growth FinTech based in Manchester, founded by Amy Whitell and Pete Casson.
Collctiv exists to simplify the payment journey of consumers who need to buy, book or pay as a group. By enabling merchants to collect payments from groups of customers in a simple, social and viral way, Collctiv helps drive increased revenue and new customers.
Consumers can also collect money directly from their group of friends in the same effortless way using the Collctiv app.
Launching in September 2019, the startup has already received two rounds of investment, processed over £1m in payments, and simplified 10,000 commercial transactions.
With significant organic growth already happening in 38 countries, 2021 will bring wider international growth as well as technological development that will benefit its merchants and consumers by simplifying group payments even further.
11. Mercarto - nominated by Warren Middleton, senior office partner for KPMG
Manchester-based is a marketplace-powered ecommerce platform providing the tools for any budding entrepreneur to create a thriving online store whilst pulling in branded products from their internal marketplace.
Its subsidiary Mercarto Enterprise is currently working with global brands to create bespoke B2B, B2C and C2C marketplaces, the most recent being a sustainable C2C marketplace for one of the world’s largest fast fashion brands.
The technology allows clients to introduce third-party vendors to their new ecosystem, and provide a custom internal procurement hub. The founder Sean Brown is a serial entrepreneur who has built and run tech start-ups for the last 10 years.
12. Real Handful – nominated by Richard Jeffery, director of business growth at The Growth Company
At Real Handful, husband and wife team Joe and Carly Taylor are on a mission to create deliciously nutritious snacks for unruly households like theirs in the 海角视频 and beyond, with their award-winning range of natural plant-based ‘Trail mix’.
The snacks are now sold in more than 2,000 海角视频 stores, including the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Waitrose, Ocado and Holland & Barrett.
Having joined the Global Scale-up programme in 2020, the business is now focussed on their US expansion in 2021, working closely with the Growth Company and KPMG to take a proactive approach to international growth.
13. RevGlue – nominated by Damian Mohammed, investment director at GC Angels
RevGlue, a SaaS platform that enables affiliates and online publishers to monetise their websites, blogs, mobile apps and social channels, is poised for major growth in 2021.
Offering those who were made redundant under COVID-19 a genuine opportunity to make a living through social channels and capitalizing on the rise in social media under lockdown,
RevGlue’s unique toolkit enables anyone to become a paid online publisher.
Launched by CEO Adeel Farooq in January 2018, RevGlue is already backed by international investors and working with the 海角视频’s top affiliate networks and social media influencers.
With plans to expand into the USA from early 2021, it is definitely one of the North West’s businesses to watch in 2021.
14. Playdale Playgrounds - nominated by David Wafer, Liverpool chair of the Institute of Directors
Playdale Playgrounds Ltd has designed, manufactured and installed over 23,000 playgrounds in over 50 countries around the world for over 40 years.
It is a family-owned business, dating back to 1735 when the Croasdale family began working in the forestry and allied timber trades. It progressed into the playground industry in 1978, when Playdale Playgrounds Ltd was established.
The company prides itself on providing an experience of high-quality products matched with a high-quality service. Right through the pandemic the Government Cabinet Office have used Playdale as examples of best practice and the GREAT inspiration campaign featured their pivot product PlayClean.
Barry Leahy is CEO of Playdale who are the 海角视频’s leading manufacturer of children’s playground equipment, and has distributers in 50 countries. Playdale have won national Manufacturing and export awards, Barry personally receiving an MBE for services to International Trade on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2017.
15. Rutherford Diagnostics - nominated by Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
I’m looking forward to seeing Rutherford Diagnostics next year and I believe they’ll be hitting the headlines for a long-time to come after making a huge name for themselves this year.
Looking after the health of ourselves and our loved ones in 2021 will be top of the agenda and the cancer care that Rutherford is able to provide really is ground-breaking.
It is of paramount importance moving into the new year that clinically required treatment and especially cancer diagnosis is provided in a timely fashion, and Rutherford Diagnostics will be able to provide just that.
With a strong presence in the Liverpool City Region and the North West, Rutherford’s cancer centres have successfully managed to give their patients the support they needed in 2020 and I’ll be keeping a close eye out on how they take their already exceptional service to the next level in 2021.
16. Abbey Logistics - nominated by NorthEdge
Liverpool-headquartered Abbey Logistics is the 海角视频’s largest bulk food logistics company for liquids and powders.
The business operates in one of 2020’s most relied upon sectors and played an integral role in the 海角视频’s response to lockdown, keeping goods and food moving nationwide while everything else was in standstill.
The business’ response to Covid and putting its staff members first has played dividends to Abbey Logistics’ performance this year. With benefits including bonuses for front line staff in recognition of their work throughout the pandemic, alongside providing care packages for drivers full of nutritious meals while on the road – Abbey Logistics has invested heavily in its people in 2020.
Looking ahead to 2021, the business’ management team has devoted considerable time in further improving its operational effectiveness and continuing to put people and great customer service at the heart of their business, so that it’s well placed to meet the 海角视频’s logistical needs for 2021.
17. Sedulo - nominated by Frank McKenna, CEO of Downtown in Business
Founded in Manchester in 2009, Sedulo has gone from strength to strength.
Expanding its services beyond accountancy, to include tax planning, corporate finance, wealth management, funding solutions, and more, they’ve also now established themselves in Leeds, London, and Liverpool.
Driven by Paul Cheetham-Karcz, the company ensures its expanding team are well-looked after and trained throughout their careers, being approved as a Platinum ACCA Employer last year.
Harnessing technology and with dynamic growth plans these are a business to watch.
18. BUSBY - nominated by Daniel Hughes, MD of ThisGeneration
The Liverpool-based founders of global sports safety app BUSBY are expecting a big 2021 as their revolutionary technology is snapped up by people and businesses all over the world.
Launched in 2019, the free to download app, is helping people with active lifestyles stay safe with a response mechanism that alerts emergency contacts if they’re involved in an accident. This year, BUSBY partnered with the global e-scooter brand firm and is in talks with a number of delivery companies about supporting their employees.
The app was developed in Liverpool after co-founder, Barry Green, was involved in a cycling accident near Liverpool Airport. At this point, Barry and his friend James Duffy and Kirk Ryan focussed their efforts on the developments of the safety software.
The app alerts friends and family members if an incident is detected as well as more advanced features for medical or technical support. The Liverpool lads are now developing another app ‘RoadRadar’ which is for vehicle drivers and systems.
19. The Insights People – nominated by Richard Jeffery, Director of Business Growth at The Growth Company:
Since launching in 2017 and reaching the semi-finals of Venturefest’s Innovation Showcase Competition the same year, market intelligence business The Insights People has gone from strength to strength.
With ongoing support from GC Business Growth Hub, the company has been on an incredible journey of growth and international expansion.
Its market intelligence is used by companies from Amazon to Warner Bros. And despite COVID, The Insights People has more than doubled its staff in the last eight months, bringing the team up to more than 40.
It’s done all this while remaining rooted in Greater Manchester, establishing a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Manchester Metropolitan University, for example, to find innovative ways in which artificial intelligence could be used in the market research products it develops.
20. Lamèsè - nominated by the Women's Organisation
Born in Russia, raised in Ghana and Liverpool, Elsie Hayford has experienced the best and worst of health systems.
Whilst completing law studies at the University of Liverpool, she developed a passion for global health which eventually led her to obtain a Master of Laws in Global Health Law from Georgetown University, Washington DC.
Having initially started consultancy work some time ago, Elsie formed Lamèsè, translating to 'good health' in Ghanaian language Ewe, in 2019 with help from The Women’s Organisation through the Enterprise Hub business start up programme.
Elsie is the sole director of Lamèsè Ltd in the 海角视频 and has a subsidiary company set up in Ghana where she works with three other partners. In Ghana, their current work focuses on improving maternal healthcare with the goal of reducing deaths due to medical and systemic errors.
Elsie’s position as a global health lawyer and consultant became even more valuable this year with the Covid-19 outbreak. Her business secured a contract with US global health organisation Vital Strategies to provide support as part of a Global Covid legal response team - leading the work on legal protections for healthcare workers and the legal infrastructure required for emergency healthcare delivery globally, involving advising ministry of health lawyers and writing guidelines for national policy makers.
21. Sutcliffe - nominated by Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
Post-Covid, the construction sector will be heavily relied upon to get the economy back on track and civil and structural engineers Sutcliffe will be playing a huge role in that.
2021 will see a larger focus placed on healthcare and with a number of projects on-going in the city including the iconic Liverpool Women’s Hospital, Sean and the team will be leading the way in ensuring that Liverpool can help the region flourish.
You’ll struggle to find a more knowledgeable team than Sutcliffe’s and the sky really is the limit for them, and after celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, I can’t wait to see what the next five years hold for the company as we continue to work closely alongside them as one of our valued members.