North West business briefs: Tiger Trailers; AFC Fylde; Piccadilly rail …

Winsford trailer manufacturer, Tiger Trailers, has built eight double deck articulated units for a bakery business which has a Manchester depot.

Fine Lady Bakeries’ new trailers feature a three-quarter-length moving deck rated to ten tonnes, operated by the manufacturer’s proven four-ram hydraulic system, offering enhanced robustness, reliability, and an increased load capacity.

Used for the transport of unbranded bread loaded in bread baskets, the trailers will primarily serve Fine Lady’s two bakery sites in Banbury and Manchester, from where their range of loaves, buns and other products are then transported to the supermarket, wholesaler, and other customers.

Adam Robson, Fine Lady Bakeries’ logistics manager, said: “For the ordering of our new trailer fleet additions, we sought to identify a manufacturer that would be able to deliver on time, in full, and meet our specific operational requirements. It was clear from discussions with Tiger Trailers that they would be able to meet our timescales and custom requirements.”

Thomas Stott, technical sales manager at Tiger Trailers, said: “It’s been a pleasure to welcome Fine Lady Bakeries on board as a new customer. After our visits to their sites, followed by their visit to Tiger to sign off the 3D model that our design and engineering team produced, it’s fantastic to see this established bakery’s new double deck trailers in the flesh on the road.”

Fine Lady Bakeries, part of the Heygate Group, is an established manufacturer of bread products which it supplies to supermarkets, wholesalers, and to the sandwich industry. Originating in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Fine Lady opened a second purpose-built bakery in Manchester in 2010.

Bowker Motor Group has agreed a further two-year corporate partnership extension with AFC Fylde.

The West Stand will now carry Lancashire-based Bowker Motor Group’s name until the end of the 2024/25 season. The Bowker Motor Group Stand is the stadium’s largest seating area and accounts for 2,000 of the stadium’s total 6,000 capacity.

The partnership will see the automotive retailer continue its sponsorship of the West Stand at the club’s Mill Farm Stadium in Wesham. Bowker Motor Group’s automotive franchise portfolio includes BMW, MINI, BMW Motorrad, INEOS Grenadier and Porsche, with centres in Blackburn, Preston, and Osbaldeston.

For Bowker Motor Group, Tom Fox said: “We have a proud and long standing relationship with AFC Fylde. We are especially pleased to formally continue as sponsor of the Bowker Motor Group Stand.”

Craig Dootson, AFC Fylde chief operating officer, said: “Our relationship with Bowker Motor Group is a partnership in every sense of the word. Their support goes way beyond a sponsorship agreement. The Bowker Motor Group Stand has become one of the most recognisable in non-league. It’s great news for us all that they will be with us for another two seasons.”

Assisted travel lounge

Passengers who need help to get on and off trains at Manchester Piccadilly rail station now have a dedicated waiting lounge to make travelling by train a more pleasant experience.

Network Rail has invested £800,000 to create the new Assisted Travel Lounge by connecting a series of disused rooms behind the former passenger assistance waiting area near platform one. The space has been transformed into a quiet and welcoming waiting area for passengers with additional mobility and sensory needs, with a dedicated team on hand to help.

The lounge includes accessible seating with integrated space for wheelchairs, an accredited Changing Places toilet facility, an accessible toilet, a sensory space for people who find stations overwhelming, a staffed welcome desk, facilities for service animals and British Sign Language information screens. The lounge will be open between 7.15am and 9pm from Monday to Saturday. The Changing Places facility is open 24 hours a day on request.

Scott Green, station manager at Piccadilly, said: “It’s great to see the new Assisted Travel Lounge open and we believe it will transform the way passengers access rail travel at Manchester Piccadilly.

“For some, travelling through a busy railway station can be a very daunting experience, so these new state-of-the-art facilities will make a huge difference to them, providing a friendly space for people to wait and get the help they need from a dedicated team. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to provide the best possible service for passengers with additional mobility and sensory needs.”

Kieran Fisher

Following the success of the Warrior range of high protein bars and flapjacks in ASDA stores, the retailer is adding three Warrior CRUNCH flavours to its ‘Food to Go’ section. Warrior is currently stocked in more than 500 ASDA stores nationwide and its parent company, Trafford Park-based KBF Enterprises, is on track to become a £36m business by the end of the year.

This new listing, which will be available in select ASDA stores across the UK, will include Warrior CRUNCH flavours Banoffee Pie, Peanut Butter Cup and White Chocolate Mocha and will cater to the increasing demand for nutritious, convenient snacking options for health-conscious customers on the go.

The Warrior brand has celebrated exponential growth over the past 12 months. On track to sell more than 30 million bars by the end of 2023, a Warrior protein bar is predicted to be sold every second.

Kieran Fisher, founder of KBF Enterprises and Warrior, said: “We‘re incredibly proud of the growth of the Warrior range within one of Europe’s most dynamic retailers. The pace of innovation is truly exciting, and combined with the incredible connection the Warrior brand has with consumers, we can’t wait to see what the future brings.”

Warrior was created to improve the athletic performance and mental focus of those who consume them. The aim is to help those from all walks of life with any challenge they may have.

Marc Goldberg

Cheadle-based specialist lender Together will be reducing interest rates on the majority of its fixed rate products.

It said there will be a 10bps decrease to the two-year fixed rate range across first and second charge mortgages, as well as first and second charge consumer buy-to-let (CBTL) loans. For five year fixed rates, there will be a 40bps decrease in first charge and CBTL first charge loans, and a 25bps decrease for second charge and CBTL second charge loans. Additionally, for unregulated buy-to-let loans, there will be a 20bps decrease to both two and five year fixed rate products.

Together has also announced that, despite current economic issues, it will not be raising rates on any of its bridging products.

Marc Goldberg, CEO sales and distribution at Together, said: “Together remains committed to achieving the best outcomes for all our customers, and we are pleased to be able to reduce rates on the majority of our fixed products. Of particular importance is the decision to keep our rates on bridging finance the same. We are keen to support our customers and partners in any way we can, and by choosing to absorb costs like this we hope it shows that commitment; helping them achieve their outcomes.

“We all face uncertain times, with the economy in constant flux, and so to be able to reduce our rates on many products is a huge positive. These changes demonstrate our dedication to remaining a leading specialist lender in the market.”

(Subject to licensor approval)

Bury-based toys business Sambro International, has reimagined packaging for one of its best-selling lines, in a move which will help save 12.8 tonnes of plastic a year.

As part of its ESG commitments, which has already seen the firm reduce its scope one and two carbon footprint by 10% since its baseline year, Sambro has undertaken an audit of the packaging used across its range of toys, identifying ways in which it can make sustainable improvements. This has seen the launch of a new look fully recyclable packaging format that will replace its ‘egg-shaped’ plastic packaging, which has been used across a variety of Sambro products for more than three years.

This includes Sambro’s best-selling Create Your Own Character line which has been developed in collaboration with long standing license partner, Hasbro, as part of its Peppa Pig franchise of products. The Peppa Pig Create Your Own Character range comprises four collectable characters, including Peppa Pig, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Packs include fabric outer body, stuffing and instructions on how to create your own Peppa plush.

Working in partnership, Sambro’s design, product and ESG teams developed updated packaging for the range, to reduce plastic waste and add an extra play element, increasing retailer and consumer appeal. The end result is a new paper-based packaging design inspired by milk cartons, which is fully recyclable and includes the bag that holds the stuffing for the toy. The updated packaging will be launched to UK and EMEA retailers from January 2024.

Lisa Longley, Sambro’s ethical and sustainability manager, said: “Sambro is committed to working with its licensors such as Hasbro to develop more sustainable packaging solutions. As part of our wider ESG commitments, we have a road map which addresses how we can better use 100% recycled and recyclable materials in our packaging.”