eStar Mercedes-Benz is the new sponsors of one of The Manc’s original video series Mancs on Tour.
And we’ve been kitted out with a brand-new ride to celebrate it.
With sustainability being a huge focus for many businesses in Manchester right now, and following the latest Green Summit with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, this city is set to become the first in the country to adopt an accelerated carbon reduction plan – with an ambitious view to becoming carbon neutral by 2038 – and is also aiming to become the first city-region to deliver a carbon neutral transport network.
Just like The Manc Group, eStar Mercedes-Benz is keen to further “bolster the importance of sustainability” in Greater Manchester, which is why we’ve joined forces to spread the word and also raise awareness about the company’s electric vehicle range.
eStar is a Mercedes-Benz Van retailer specialising in electric mobility and operating throughout the North West England and North Wales, with a mission to work in partnership with the retail businesses to provide a consultative approach to ensure sustainable growth for now and for the future.
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The company provides customers with anything from a small panel van, up to large, fully-electric people-carriers and HGVs.
eStar Mercedes-Benz has kitted The Manc out with a new branded fully-electric tourer van / Credit: The Manc Group
eStar says its unique position in the industry enables it to serve both the business and lifestyle community, but its services are not just limited to the supply of vehicles, as it’s also dedicated to keeping people moving and operating 24-hour servicing that’s delivered by highly-skilled Mercedes-Benz Technicians.
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eStar has kitted The Manc out with a fully-electric Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer van to inform and inspire the people of Manchester, raise awareness about the importance of sustainability, and most-importantly, to support emission-free travel for our video series that’s fondly-named ‘Mancs On Tour’.
The Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer is an exceptional vehicle that offers “advanced safety, exceptional driver comfort, and unrivalled aftercare” to give drivers that extra peace of mind, and on top of that, the vehicle also produces zero emissions.
This means the vehicle is exempt from congestion and Clean Air Zone charges.
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eStar Mercedes-Benz is keen to further “bolster the importance of sustainability” in Greater Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Mancs on Tour is one of our newest original video series, which sees our very-own presenter Joe McGrath and videographer Tim Hoyle take to the road to visit all sorts of sights in and around Greater Manchester, with recent adventures having included a trip to the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and most-recently, a Halloween-themed immersive tour around a haunted abandoned mill, and plenty of other exciting adventures in the works.
You can also see the van featured in recent and upcoming episodes of our most-popular video series Takeaway Champions, as well as other videos posted across The Manc’s social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Keep your eyes peeled for more Mancs on Tour content, and of course, be on the look-out for our branded van on the roads around Greater Manchester and beyond.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Business
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Deliveroo is set for a multi-billion dollar buyout from a takeaway rival
Danny Jones
UK takeaway service Deliveroo is set for a massive takeover by a fellow delivery business rival, said to be worth several billion.
The British multinational is known nationwide, occupying one of the biggest market shares alongside competitors Just Eat and Uber Eats, but now the takeaway delivery service is set to be swallowed up by an even bigger brand based in the US.
As reported on Tuesday, 6 May, American delivery firm DoorDash – the biggest of its kind in the States – looks set to complete an estimated £2.9 billion buyout, which will see Deliveroo folded into their growing global portfolio.
This massive deal will see the company’s presence in more than 40 countries further consolidated, already serving somewhere in the region of 50 million customers every month.
US meal delivery firm DoorDash will buy British rival Deliveroo for $3.85 billion. The acquisition will help DoorDash grow its market share in Europe and compete against Just Eat and Uber Eats. Read more: https://t.co/x4dSgRp8Flpic.twitter.com/oeE44CjMYN
According to the likes of Reuters, Bloomberg and BBC, DoorDash is offering 180p per share, which is a 44% increase on Deliveroo’s share price from the point when initial takeover talks were made public in April 2025.
Founded by chief executive Will Shu back in 2013, Deliveroo is now considered one of the big three in the food delivery industry’s UK scene, but is set to get much bigger under the DoorDash umbrella.
As for DoorDash, CEO and co-founder Tony Xu went on to add: “Coming together with teams that have similar visions and values accelerates our work to achieve that mission. Deliveroo is just such a team and one that I have long admired.
“Like DoorDash, Deliveroo is obsessively focused on their customers – consumers, merchants, and riders. They work day in and day out to improve their consumer value proposition, bring new services to local businesses, and offer flexibility and support to riders.”