Business

Manchester Airport boss steps down amid another week of travel chaos

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 5th April 2022

The managing director of Manchester Airport has stepped down from her role after weeks of chaos at the travel hub.

Karen Smart has worked for the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) for eight years but took on the MD position at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Two years after being appointed in the senior role, she is now stepping down.

Passengers travelling through Manchester Airport in recent weeks have been facing long delays and chaotic scenes caused by severe staff shortages.

Karen Smart has stepped down as Manchester Airports Group’s managing director. Credit: MAG

Footage in recent days has shown trays piled up in security and queues snaking all the way out of the doors.

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Karen will now be leaving her position to return to the south of England and ‘pursue fresh career opportunities’, with an interim MD being appointed.

Councillor Pat Karney said: “I have never met Karen so it’s not personal when I say I hope this leads to a reset of Management and Approach at Manchester Airport.”

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Manchester Airport. Credit: MAG

Ian Costigan will take on the role, tackling the programmes of recruitment ahead of the busy summer season.

Ian has been with MAG since 2013 and will now work closely with Ken O’Toole, deputy CEO.

MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: “Over the last two years, Karen has guided Manchester Airport through the most challenging period of its 84-year history, having made a major contribution to MAG throughout her time with the business.

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“I am sorry to lose Karen after her years of valuable service, but also understand her desire to return to the South for family reasons and indeed to explore new career opportunities. 

“While there are sure to be further challenges ahead, I am confident we will soon start to see the benefits of the recovery plans Karen has helped put in place and look forward to working with Ian and his leadership team to drive them forward.”

Featured image: MAG

Business

IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site

Emily Sergeant 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.”

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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.

Featured Image – Jon Super (via IKEA)

Business

Guide Dogs desperately needs people in Greater Manchester to ‘foster’ its dogs while they’re in training

Emily Sergeant 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.

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Fancy it then? You can find out more information about the role of a Fosterer and find out if you’re suitable on the Guide Dogs website here.

Featured Image – Guide Dogs

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