Spotless Water has announced a £6.35m in new investment led by YFM Equity Partners to accelerate the number of pure water stations in its network. Spotless water plans to substantially grow the number of pure water stations in its network in the next 12 months, and expand 24/7 access to pure water for the professional cleaning and detailing businesses that rely on it.

Make UK survey finds a quarter of firms are moving activity overseas

Young people in the North West are increasingly turning to AI tools and social media to guide their careers, and in some cases replacing advice traditionally provided by parents and teachers, according to a new report published today by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Leeds-based brand engagement agency XSEM has launched a specialist division dedicated to the pharmaceutical sector, formalising its focus on managing events within highly regulated environments. The new unit is managed by director Caroline Medcalf, who joined the agency in 2024.

Federal, the Manchester-founded café and bar group, is preparing for a significant regional expansion across the UK after securing a £3.5 million investment from Foresight Group. Founded in 2014 by Claudio Ribeiro, the Australian-style café concept currently operates five sites across Manchester and Leeds, employing more than 80 people.

Inditex: Iran-US Conflict Expected to Have Limited Impact; Lefties Offers Significant Growth Potential.

A new 46-suite aparthotel has opened in Micklegate, York, following nearly a year of delays caused by the discovery of Roman and medieval artifacts on the site. The sustainable development, designed by York-based architects brown + company, is operated by SuperCity. The hospitality operator already runs similar properties in London, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, and Edinburgh.

The Data City, the Leeds-based economic intelligence company, is expanding into the US after a year of rapid growth driven by demand for AI-ready economic data. The company, which is replacing traditional industrial classification systems with its ‘Industry Engine’ product, said revenue rose 46 per cent to £1.9m in its latest financial year, while headcount increased from 17 to 31 employees.

Who remembers birthday parties in the Seventies with pass the parcel, sleeping lions, musical chairs and, to send your guests home, a lucky dip as they tumbled out the door? No one? Just me then. Fast forward to Monday morning, and I felt a nostalgic buzz of excitement as I rifled through wooden crates full of nondescript packages in Bradford’s Broadway shopping centre.

The Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has warned that a generation of young people risks being "cut loose from society" without urgent action to address the rising number of youth who are out of work and education. The warning follows the publication of the government-commissioned Milburn Review, Young People and Work: Interim Report.