Welcome to the latest issue of the Downtown Bulletin. We have all the regular features from DWF LLP, Moore & Smalley and Lancashire Business View. Our Business of the Month is city centre hotel, the Holiday Inn and there is plenty more to digest in this month’s newsletter including the latest on the next steps following a highly successful inaugural Lancashire Business Week…Please read on and enjoy!

The voice of the Lancashire business community was heard during a week long series of events for the inaugural Lancashire Business Week. Frank McKenna discusses the issues that emerged during the week…

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Eight hundred new jobs will be created when the massive new John Lewis department store opens in Preston. The news came as design plans for the store were revealed. The anchor store for the £700 million Tithebarn project has been described as a ‘would be landmark’ at four-storeys with a huge glass front. The Preston store will be larger than the retailer’s Trafford Centre store. Work is expected to begin on site in 2010 with a two-year building programme and further 12 months fitting out the store. The shoppers of Preston will have to wait until 2013 to take advantage of the new store.

Check out the new bar that has opened at Fives – ‘Vintage’. Above the now well established Cocktail Factory, Vintage is a welcome addition to the Preston bar and restaurant scene, and with its luxurious fittings and superior service, is definitely one of the places in Preston to see, and to be seen!

Campaigning for construction firms to get a piece of the £700m action as part of the rebirth of Preston city centre is top of the agenda for a leading business group. Downtown Preston in Business has made it a priority to secure procurement agreements for builders across Lancashire to work on the Tithebarn regeneration scheme. Chairman Frank McKenna is seeking talks with Preston Council and the Preston Tithebarn Partnership, made up of developers Grosvenor and Lend Lease, in the coming weeks.

He said: "We are not asking for any favours because we appreciate that some of the work will be undertaken by international and national construction firms, but there are a lot of excellent firms on our doorstep which we could be using for other parts."

A DPIB, Moore & Smalley and NWDA survey shows that Lancashire has to prepare young people with more skills or face economic meltdown. The study of 500 businesses throughout the county has shown that firms fear young people are not well enough equipped for the jobs.

Drawn up by Preston-based accountants Moore and Smalley with business group Downtown Preston in Business (DPIB), the research also shows every business is concerned about the 'credit crunch' and they all say they are being strangled by red tape.

Business leaders aimed their criticism at education – with 90% saying they felt schools, colleges and universities were not equipping young people for the world of work.

Half of companies have experienced recruitment problems. A quarter of those surveyed said they were "fairly confident" that Preston's £700m Tithebarn regeneration would go ahead.

The county's construction industry is also experiencing reductions in sales and predicting this will increase. The survey also showed that businesses were happy with Lancashire's easy access and rated it a good place to do business with a loyal workforce.

DPIB chairman Frank McKenna said businesses now needed to work with schools, colleges and universities to ensure the skills were in place to fill the jobs created by projects like the Tithebarn regeneration of Preston city centre.

He said: "If the Lancashire job market is going to grow, these results suggest we are going to have a problem filling it and the responsibility for solving that lies with all of us. If we do not do that, then we will simply see people brought in from outside the area and that does nothing to benefit us.

"The other important point is that when we have recruited people we have to retain them which is a major problem, particularly for smaller businesses. We have to ensure that there are enough opportunities here for these skilled, motivated people to fulfil their ambitions."

Moore and Smalley managing partner David Ingram said the survey highlighted Lancashire as a good place to do business.

The businessman behind a pioneering homeless project has been named as Lancashire's premier entrepreneur. Former Preston North End chief executive Steve Jackson, who is leading social enterprise project Recycling Lives in Preston, picked up the top Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at the Lancashire Business Oscars, organised by business group Downtown Preston in Business (DPIB).

Mr Jackson said that he felt the arrival of DPIB to Preston had given its professional businesses the opportunity to create a "driving force" behind the city. He said: "Being an entrepreneur is being able to gather like-minded people to gather together to give them a drive to create opportunities for success.

"A lot of times in Preston we feel that opportunity has not presented itself well enough, but now we can see that changing."

He said the Recycling Lives idea had "taken off" and he hoped that the first site on Kent Street, Deepdale, would be opened by the end of the year as planned.

Six hundred new jobs have been created so far by the first phase of a £100m aerospace park – and there are more to come. BAE Systems has confirmed it has already taken on workers to fill two massive new office blocks which are being built on its site in Samlesbury, near Preston.

It is expected that work on the next phase of the development will start in January next year if it secures planning permission to build a factory the size of seven football pitches for machining parts for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. That will then be followed by an assembly facility for the F-35 programme on the site, which is expected to create even more jobs.

Holiday Inn Preston, is this edition's business of the month, a modern and stylish hotel in the City Centre, providing a great place to stay for business and for leisure.

CLICK HERE for more.

This month leading Preston law firm DWF LLP focuses on employment laws relating to paternity leave. CLICK HERE to read more.

Moore & Smalley’s Partner and head of financial planning Graham Gordon, looks at the issues that face businesses and their owners at every stage of their life-cycle – from start-up to exit.

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Leading Lancashire business publication, Lancashire Business View, has appointed a new editor to drive its business forward. CLICK HERE for further details.

Over 300 people attended the various activities hosted by DPIB during Lancashire Business Week earlier this summer. CLICK HERE to view the galleries from each event.

The next DPIB property forum, supported by the Northwest Development Agency, DWF LLP, Moore & Smalley and UCLan, will take place on Thursday 29th July, at the Holiday Inn. Government Minister James Purnell will address an invitation only audience at this lunch time event.

This is not ordinary networking, this is Downtown Networking. You are invited to join us for a sumptuous 3 course meal at Preston’s very own Chop House. Dine in style, network in style, do business in style.

Tuesday 23rd September.
@ 6.30pm
Cost: just £25 + VAT (Includes a half bottle of wine)

To reserve your place CLICK HERE

The second annual ‘Six in the City’ awards gala dinner will be held on the evening of Thursday 23rd October at Preston North End. Details of all the awards will be unveiled in a special DPIB bulletin next week.

Improve your business by joining our business. For more information about joining the business club with ATTITUDE CLICK HERE.