The first NFT-focussed integrated agency has officially launched in Manchester.
Anna and Alex Moss, directors and co-founders of digital marketing agency FireCask, have joined forces with two co-founders in the crypto space – Alexander Golombeck and Sheraz Ashiq – to unveil NFTU: A company specialising in collaboration, production, marketing and tools within the NFT (non-fungible tokens) industry.
The self-professed goal of the company is to build a bridge between the digital and traditional word of arts through accessibility, education, trust and creativity, and ‘help facilitate NFT adoption to the masses’.
NFTU has already secured a number of high-profile clients – including an NFT artist who will be handling the world’s first ‘utility token’ drop.
NFTU also has also recruited several big names to its Board of Directors, including music producer Eddie Kramer (who’s worked with Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Bad Company and The Beatles) and media creative Tim Searle (2DTV, Baby Cow Animation with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal, Tiger Aspect Productions, Beano Studios, CBBC, Aardman Animations).
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The NFTU board also stars Nunan and Cartwright – a three generational family of independent artists – and Selena Støback, a Social Impact Director with a wealth of experience supporting civil society, NGOs and NFPs.
Also on the company board is Adam Malach – Head of Cyber Security Advisory at The Post Office and a results-driven professional experienced in InfoSec assurance, vulnerability management, operations, incident response, network security and compliance.
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Co-Founder & CMO Anna Moss said: “This is such a new and exciting industry to be a part of and I am looking forward to working with new and established artists to help them reach new audiences.
“I love the idea of working with traditional artists and helping guide them through the world of NFTs as well as working with those who are already established.”
Fellow Co-Founder Alex Moss added: “The NFT space is an interesting and crazy place to be. Navigating the ecosystem and discovering the curations you need is becoming increasingly more complex in a metaverse that is already complicated to begin with.
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“NFTU is going to help true creatives produce and collaborate on NFTs that will stand the test of time. We’re already excited about some of the collaborations we have in production at the moment and can’t wait for them to drop.”
Fellow Co-Founder Alexander Golombeck said: “NFTs merge trust and creativity in a seamless way; and have the opportunity to make the concept of ownership more transparent and equitable.
“At NFTU we aim to bring together ideas from all over the world – to produce and market NFTs that create and hold both financial and cultural value.”
Business
IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
Guide Dogs desperately needs people in Greater Manchester to ‘foster’ its dogs while they’re in training
Emily Sergeant
Guide Dogs desperately needs Greater Manchester residents to take on the volunteering role of Fosterers.
The charity – which has been providing mobility support, and raising awareness of and campaigning for the blind and partially sighted since 1934 – relies on the help of its network of its more than 14,000 volunteers across the UK to help it make a difference and improve the lives of those with visual impairments.
And Fosterers are a vital part of the journey for the hundreds of dogs trained each year.
As a Training Dog Fosterer, you’ll be giving a dog in training a loving home whilst they embark on their journey to become a guide dog.
You’ll get to see the progress your furry companion is making in their training and be a vital part of their journey, all without the commitment of looking after a dog full time.
Guide Dogs North West – which is based at the state-of-the-art training school in Atherton – has taken to social media this week to issue a desperate plea for new Fosterers to join its volunteer network in our region, and is calling on dog lovers who can commit to the important role to get in touch.
“Calling dog lovers around Atherton,” the post on Instagram reads.
“We desperately need volunteer Fosterers to look after our trainee guide dogs during the evenings and weekends. We take care of the training and costs, such as food and vet bills, and you take care of the play time and cuddles.”
One of the most crucial parts of the Fosterer role is being able to drop the dog off between 8-9am and pick them up between 5-6pm at a Guide Dogs site or a site near a trainers’ home each weekday – which means you will likely need to live nearby to the Atherton training centre or be fully-committed to travelling.
Guide Dogs desperately needs people in Greater Manchester to ‘foster’ its dogs while they’re in training / Credit: Guide Dogs
What will you get in return? Well, volunteering is a two-way street, so in return for your time, you’ll get a dedicated volunteer manager / key contact who will help you settle in and support you during your time with the charity.
And of course, you’ll get lots of cuddles from the new four-legged friend you’ve welcomed into your home.
This could be a chance to play your part in changing lives.
The Manc -
6th May 2021 
