Catering for the media

In the competition to attract new investment, Manchester has stolen a march on many cities in the UK and Europe by having a major new media complex in Salford Quays.

The scheme by Peel that has brought in the BBC and ITV is of such a size that it has impacted on the whole UK media industry o the point where a wide range of companies catering for media want to be located in the region. This potential has prompted Canning O’Neill to start a new company focusing on the needs of the media, a sector of the economy that was already thriving in the region with a considerable history, including being the most important newspaper centre in the north of England for many years Mark Canning said: “We have seen a dramatic increase in enquiries from media companies and realised there was the potential for a company focused on the industry. In my view, this is the most important trend I have seen in my 22 years in Manchester.”

Among the initiatives from Canning O’Neill is a website devoted to the media industry This is not something that has come out of the blue, because they already had considerable experience of dealing with media requirements.

“We have been involved in filming, notably at the Soapworks,and are familiar with the needs of media companies,“ said Canning. The creation of a new company at a time of tough economic conditions speaks for a degree of optimism. Another new company is Capital & Centric which brings together two North West developers, Tim Heatley and Adam Higgins. Both have considerable experience, with Heatley having been a director of Modus while Higgins has been with Peel, Ask and Manchester Property Alliance Group.

The company’s strategy is to build a portfolio organically without exposure to excessive debt. Heatley said: “The current market provides an opening for companies run by individuals with extensive experience but without the legacy of servicing debt with their portfolio.”