Author: Sam Allcock

Arighi Bianchi, the well-known Macclesfield furniture retailer, has revealed a series of events and special promotions set to take place from September through to October. Among the highlights are new product launches, an autumn sale, and the introduction of a limited-edition, Alps-inspired homeware collection. These activities provide a chance for shoppers to enjoy significant discounts and participate in exclusive events both in-store and online. The store’s Wellbeing Within campaign is currently underway, offering special discounts and expert advice to help customers create a healthier, more harmonious home environment. This initiative promotes the idea that well-designed interiors can support overall well-being,…

Linda Walmsley Interviews AO Founder, John Roberts, as Part of 2024 Business Leaders Series Linda Walmsley, professional interviewer and founder of recruitment firm Walmsley Wilkinson, continues her 2024 series of interviews with business leaders. The latest installment features John Roberts, the entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of AO, the UK’s leading online electrical retailer. Entrepreneurial Beginnings In the interview, John Roberts recounts his journey from a struggling student to founding AO in 2000 after a £1 bet with a friend. The bet led to the transformation of the white goods market, and over two decades later, AO now employs 3,000 people…

Policy@Manchester, the University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit, is set to launch its party conference programme with a focus on education and mental health. The Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Brighton will see Policy@Manchester co-hosting a high-profile debate on how education policy can better support children’s wellbeing and mental health. The debate, titled “Learning to live well: how can education policy support children’s wellbeing and mental health?”, is scheduled to take place on Monday, 16 September, from 11.30am to 12.30pm at the Brighton Harbour Hotel. The discussion promises to draw attention to the growing concern surrounding young people’s mental health,…

Hard Rock Cafe Manchester has been named one of the top three best-performing locations in Europe during the brand’s World Burger Tour, an annual event showcasing limited-time menu items from around the globe. The restaurant’s success has been attributed in part to the popularity of the Pittsburgh US Burger, which has become a firm favourite among local customers. This American-inspired burger, featuring beer cheese sauce, whiskey bacon jam, and even French fries tucked inside, has been the best-seller on the special menu. Manchester’s enthusiasm for burgers is clear, with customers flocking to try the World Burger Tour offerings, a selection…

Every year, around 1.8 million acoustic guitars are sold in the USA, but many of these instruments eventually find themselves unused or discarded. In response to this waste issue, Australian designer Ryan Mischkulnig has developed an innovative solution: a DIY kit that transforms old guitars into functional Bluetooth speakers. Instead of letting these instruments collect dust or, worse, end up in landfill, Mischkulnig’s invention offers a new lease of life for unloved acoustic guitars. His Re-Tuned Bluetooth speaker kit allows users to repurpose their obsolete guitars into vibrant audio devices. To create the speaker, guitar owners simply need to remove…

The newly elected Labour government in the UK has been urged to adopt a different approach to green finance, focusing on public investment in green infrastructure rather than relying on private sector incentives. Dr James Jackson, an academic from the University of Manchester, argues that this shift is crucial for meaningful progress in decarbonisation efforts. In an article for Policy@Manchester, Dr Jackson highlights recent government actions aimed at stimulating private investment, including changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to facilitate onshore wind projects, the establishment of GB Energy with £8.3 billion in capital, and the creation of a £7…

A groundbreaking free-to-play, card-based soccer simulation game, Matchday Champions, has officially launched in early access globally, backed by football legend Lionel Messi’s Play Time fund. The game, developed by Matchday, promises a unique experience for the five billion football fans worldwide. To celebrate the launch, Matchday Champions is hosting a limited-time in-game tournament called the Copa Alexia x Céline. This tournament features Spanish football World Cup champion Alexia Putellas and popular Belgian influencer Celine Dept, both of whom are inviting players to participate in a virtual showdown. Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year,…

Emilia Clarke has been identified as the highest-earning British female action movie star on Instagram, earning up to £26,562 per sponsored post. This revelation comes from new data compiled by KingCasinoBonus, which analysed the marketability of British action stars on the social media platform. The “Game of Thrones” actress, who boasts an impressive 28.3 million followers and a 3.31% engagement rate, has outperformed her peers in the female category. Her earnings are 137% above the average for British action stars, illustrating her strong influence in the realm of social media marketing. In the broader landscape, Tom Holland remains the overall…

Stoke-on-Trent has been named the most affordable city for university students in the UK, with Staffordshire University offering the lowest cost of living nationwide. This is according to new research from the tutoring platform Edumentors, which assessed 80 towns and cities across the UK. The study examined 24 cost-of-living factors, including accommodation, food, transport, and leisure, using data from Numbeo and Student Crowd. Researchers weighted each factor based on its contribution to overall expenses, with housing costs identified as the most significant. Stoke-on-Trent secured the top spot with an overall affordability score of 76.59 out of 100. The city ranked…

London has been revealed as the leading hotspot for nuisance calls in the UK, with the capital’s 020 area code accounting for 20.14% of all reports nationally. This finding comes from an analysis by refurbished tech experts, Back Market, who examined data from 752 area codes across the UK. The data was sourced from who-called.co.uk, a platform where individuals report unsolicited calls. With 3.58 million reports of nuisance calls originating from London, the 020-area code leads the way in unsolicited contact, far outstripping other regions. However, Manchester, with its 0161-area code, is also heavily impacted, coming second with 611,150 reports,…

A new report has revealed that insecure application programming interfaces (APIs) and bot-related cyber attacks are responsible for billions of pounds in losses each year. The findings, published by cybersecurity firm Thales, highlight the growing scale of the threats, which have become more frequent and sophisticated over recent years. The report, based on research conducted by the Marsh McLennan Cyber Risk Intelligence Center, analysed over 161,000 cybersecurity incidents. It found that organisations around the world have faced increasing attacks on their APIs – a technology used to allow different software systems to communicate – as well as a surge in…

The UK’s Employment Minister has vowed to transform the job market to provide life-changing support for the so-called ‘lockdown generation’, a group hit hardest by the pandemic. Alison McGovern, in her first speech since taking office, announced significant reforms to address youth unemployment and the growing number of economically inactive young people. Speaking at the launch of a report by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), McGovern highlighted a troubling rise in youth unemployment and long-term sickness. The number of young people out of work due to illness has surged by 29% since the pandemic, with nearly 900,000 16-24-year-olds neither…