A Manchester-based independent digital agency has launched its own pre-built online store aimed at sports and fashion brands.
Banks Ecom is the brainchild of Banks Digital – which is based in co-working space WeWork Dalton Place in Manchester city centre – and is built on the agency’s years of experience providing one-of-a-kind digital retail solutions for companies and brands such adidas, The Couture Club, and Rangers FC.
Banks has packed its online store with best-in-class features which are normally out of reach of smaller companies.
The initiative was born out of the desire to help small retailers survive the pandemic.
But to be viable, the platform had to be affordable, powerful and deployable within a few days, which are all prerequisites the company is proud to have met.
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A public demo is now available to access via the Banks Ecom website here.
Banks Ecom
The concept of Banks Digital was first created by identical twin brothers, Alex and Paul Banks, when they were just 15 years old after quickly discovering a passion for creating websites and designing various types of marketing material.
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After graduating in May 2012, the brothers founded Banks Digital with no investment.
To this day, the company is still running as an independent digital agency and has flourished through working with global sports giants and many local clients across diverse business sectors over the past nine years.
Speaking on the launch of Banks Ecom, Paul Banks – Director at Banks Digital – said: “We’ve packed our online store with the kinds of features you could only afford with budgets of £15,000 and we’re selling it at a fraction of that cost.
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“What we’ve built over nine months is something that can be adapted to suit the needs of any sports and fashion brand and launched within only 5 days.”
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You can find more information via the Banks Ecom website here.
Make sure to follow Banks Digital for all the latest updates on the new online store and more via Instagram, and LinkedIn too.
Business
Manchester Airport releases statement after customer data stolen in ‘targeted’ cyber security attack
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has released a formal statement after data was stolen from 8.7 million customers in a ‘targeted’ cyber security attack yesterday.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – which operates Manchester Airport, Stansted, and East Midlands Airport – said the cyber security incident happened at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday 27 August), and that the data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.
The data that was stolen related to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport WiFi sign-ups, MAG stated.
It was initially confirmed that the system the hackers accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details, however, and that all other regular airport operations and customer parking continued uninterrupted.
Manchester Airport has now released a formal statement to reassure customers that they are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’.
The statement reads: “Manchester Airport Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party.
“A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities, and at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”
MAG insisted that the incident had not resulted in any ‘operational disruption’, adding: “Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.
“Neither MAG nor the system accessed hold customers’ bank or payment details. The data that has been accessed includes customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.
“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused.”
Featured Image – MAG
Business
Workers at major Manchester city centre hotel to strike this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Workers at one of the most prominent hotels in Manchester city centre are set to strike this bank holiday weekend.
Workers at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its bar venue The Refuge, who are members of the union Unite, will take 24 hours of strike action on Saturday (29 August) in what is said to be a ‘long-running dispute’ over union busting.
The strike day chosen by the workers is the second day of this year’s Manchester Village Pride, and is historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer.
This is because Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the Pride Parade route, and for several years has been a very popular location for people attending the festival, and even runs a number of Pride events itself.
Unite says that for months now, workers at the Kimpton Clocktower – which is owned by InterContinental Hotels Group UK (IHG) – have been asking for formal union recognition to improve conditions after raising several issues with management, but IHG UK has refused this and instead ‘targeted’ the union for its actions.
Workers at a major Manchester city centre hotel are set to strike this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Rebecca Hope Photography (Supplied)
Previous strikes have already taken place this summer, apparently causing ‘financial hits’ to the business in the process – with the bar being forced to close early at several events as there were not enough staff to cover them.
“A strike on Kimpton’s most profitable day is entirely of its own making,” commented Unite regional officer, Alison Treacher. “Throughout this dispute, Kimpton Clocktower management have treated its loyal workforce with contempt and our members have shown they will not stand for it.
“There is still time to avoid this highly disruptive strike action, but that relies on IHG changing tack by listening to its members and giving them the union recognition they have long been calling for.”
This dispute is said to be the first ever hospitality strike in the North West.
Unite is currently running a petition demanding that IHG UK stop targeting union activists, recognise the Kimpton workers rights to have their grievance heard collectively, and support their union recognition campaign.
Emily Sergeant -
8th December 2020 
