It’s no accident that Manchester is chock-a-block with beloved local brands. In a city where the civic pride is as loud and pronounced as you’ll find anywhere in Britain, ‘choosing local’ has always been the preferred option for residents.
Local corner shops. Local butchers. Local taxi firms. Manchester is inundated with familiar family firms which have stood the test of time because they understand what the community is all about – and what it needs.
For a model example – see Street Cars.
Anyone who’s ever spent five minutes in Manchester will have likely heard about the city’s leading cab company.
Not only does the firm have a huge presence right across the region, it’s also partnered with Manchester Airport, The Trafford Centre, Manchester United, Manchester City, railway stations, BBC, and a wide range of hospitality venues.
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Street Cars’ taxis are everywhere. 900 vehicles are out on the roads right now.
Originally launched back in 2002, the taxi firm is preparing to celebrate two decades in Manchester next year – a feat that’s all-the-more impressive considering the troublesome past 14 months.
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The pandemic piled intense pressure on homegrown businesses, but Street Cars survived – rapidly adapting their vehicles for COVID safety and becoming an essential service for local key workers when public transport was trimmed.
When Street Cars’ staff weren’t carting doctors and nurses to and from the Manchester Royal Infirmary, they were dropping food and drink parcels to keep frontline staff fuelled up, as well as providing packages for care homes and helping vulnerable people who couldn’t travel to the shops themselves.
The firm even chose to reflect on this challenging period with a published poem – a moving meditation on how Manchester had ground to a halt during lockdown.
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Street Cars has sought to support the city’s bravest people in numerous ways. But the company director believes there’s another reason why the firm has stood the test of time.
“It’s professionalism,” Naveed Arshad explains.
“All our drivers wear shirts and ties. We use clean, new, corporate cars.
“We have shields in our vehicles and they’re sprayed with antibacterial Electroclean (electrostatic sanitisation technology) to ensure people’s safety.
“We care about the customers.”
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The values of the firm have remained intact, but the travel industry itself has changed considerably since that first Street Cars trip nearly twenty years ago. Nowadays, passengers use mobile apps to book trips rather than call HQ – and Street Cars have dedicated time and resources to launching their very own car-booking tech system in order to adapt.
“We’re proud of it – it’s a really good app,” Naveed explains.
“You can pay by card, it provides driver details when you book, it gives you an ETA – all the info you need.”
Simplicity and ease are the two obvious reasons to book Street Cars cabs by mobile app. But perhaps the biggest incentive of all is the fact that customers can save 20% on prices all year round.
A tempting travel bargain now that the world is opening up.
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After a hugely successful two decades on the roads, Manchester’s popular family firm has modernised and mobilised ready for a new era. It could have another twenty years in the tank just yet.
As the narrator so aptly puts in the Street Cars poem: “Our public service never stops.”
Manchester
Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort
Daisy Jackson
Big Licks, the Manchester restaurant that’s found the ‘sweet spot’ between amazing burgers and delicious desserts, is sailing through a huge crowdfunding campaign.
The restaurant, which has an eye-catching location down on Liverpool Road as well as two sites in Scotland, has already raised a whopping £135,000 for its expansion dreams.
It’s now pushing to hit £150,000 so that it can open new restaurants and franchises across the UK.
Big Licks was first launched by two teenagers in 2009 as a takeaway – it’s now gone on to be a rapidly expanding name bringing in £3m in sales and more than 400,000 customers in the last 12 months alone.
On their menu you’ll find incredible smash burgers (with up to four patties in each bun) made with free-range grass-fed beef that they source directly from farm, or buttermilk chicken topped with their signature ranch sauce.
There’s also an impressive menu of house-churned ice cream made with quality local ingredients, and cakes, cheesecakes and brownies all baked in house daily.
All that is alongside fried chicken, loaded fries, and other mouth-watering sides.
Next on the agenda for Big Licks is expansion across the country, offering up the chance to become a shareholder in this bright young business.
They want to use the money raised to prepare the business for franchising, with a target to open 18 restaurants by 2027.
Then any extra money raised will be used to open more company-owned restaurants.
And there are rewards on offer for those who choose to invest in Big Licks.
If you invest £100, you’ll get a Big Licks White Card which gets you 10% off in store, as well as owning a share of the business.
Then the rewards continue with other things like free burgers and shakes all the way to merch and much bigger discounts.
Co-founder Anees Ahmed said: “It is clear that the potential is great.”
He added: “We believe one of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is creating a hangout spot, a vibe. That will always be our aim when you come to Big Licks.”
The businessman then said: “We won’t compromise on quality. We will always keep sourcing within head office. This means we keep producing our own ice cream using locally sourced organic milk and the finest Italian flavours.
“We’ve found that sweet spot. The combination of sweet desserts and smashing burgers that opens up audience’s doors, covering off every craving.
“We want you to be part of the journey and become a shareholder in Big Licks.”
You can find out more about the Big Licks crowdfunder through Crowdcube here.
*Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Manchester
Manchester City reveals details around the first Andy’s Man Club sessions at the Etihad Stadium
Danny Jones
Manchester City have released the first details surrounding their inaugural Andy’s Man Club sessions at the Etihad Campus.
One of the most important charities in the UK when it comes to male mental health and suicide prevention, Andy’s Man Club and even its logo alone have become a recognisable force for good over the past few years, and the significance of bringing it to such a big scale as City cannot be overstated.
The football club first announced the partnership back in February and has already been working closely with the non-profit organisation to promote better wellbeing amongst men, getting first-team stars such as defender John Stones to open up about his own experiences with mental health just last month.
With that in mind, the word is now out that Man City will be providing yet another location for groups to meet and crucially talk through Andy’s Man Club sessions, confirming details around their first meeting from next week onwards.
It's less than two weeks before @andysmanclubuk launches at the Etihad Stadium! 🩵👌
Before we open doors on the 13th May, our fans sat down to share their experiences 💭
Set to kick off in the East Stand of the Etihad Stadium from 7-9pm on Monday, 13 May, Man City will not only help deliver a vital outlet for men in the East Manchester area but become just the latest in a long line of teams to back the regular support group.
Joining over 180 clubs nationwide – including the likes of Altrincham FC, Ashton United and Bolton Wanderers, just to name a few in the Greater Manchester area – Andy’s Mans Club is currently helping well over 4,000 men open up and combat their struggles through peer-to-peer sessions.
Founded by a group of nine blokes from Halifax back in 2016 to create positive change in men’s mental health, Andy’s Man Club now helps gather men aged 18 and over across the country every week throughout the year.
In alignment with other partnered clubs Andy’s Man Clubs across the country, attendees will be asked to arrive from 18:30 (UK) ahead of the 19:00 start time.
We’re excited to be launching an Andy's Man Club at the Etihad Stadium next month 🩵
Ahead of the first session, John Stones sat down to find out what it is all about 🙌
The sessions are free with registration or ID required and, more importantly, there’s no pressure to talk if you don’t want to. The first step is easy: just listen.
Just because it’s being held at City’s ground doesn’t mean you have to be a season ticket holder, have an official Cityzens membership to attend or anything like that, you can simply arrive via the East Stand reception (Door F) and join the session.
Attendees will be greeted on arrival by trained volunteers from Andy’s Man Club who will guide them through the stadium. With the club now on board, group sessions will be running at the same time every week (except bank holiday Mondays) with the first dates scheduled for the following nights this month:
Monday 13 May
Monday 20 May
Monday 3 June
Monday 10 June
Well done to all those involved in bringing Andy’s Man Club to Manchester City and the East Manchester community. We hope the sessions will help those going along as they have done for thousands of others.