The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on the economy – and businesses of all types have felt the strain.
In April 2020 alone, a quarter of UK companies closed and May saw the country enter its worst recession for many years.
Various levels of restrictions, ranging from lockdowns to the tier system, have resulted in businesses struggling to stay afloat.
However, one Manchester-based firm has set a mission to change all that: Areande.
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How Areande is making a difference
Areande helps businesses across Manchester and beyond to claim research and development tax credits.
This incentive – also known as innovation tax relief – was introduced by the government in 2000 to encourage companies to innovate.
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R&D tax credits allow businesses to claim a cash payment or a reduction in their tax bill for a variety of costs spent on innovative projects.
Founded during the pandemic, Areande’s singular goal is to “simplify the claims process and help as many firms as possible”.
As multiple sectors started being squeezed by the pandemic and social distancing measures, Areande was set up to provide innovating businesses with a “vital lifeline”.
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Spending money developing or improving new products, services, or processes qualifies you for tax relief – with many companies eligible for cash payments or tax bill reductions.
You can determine whether you’re eligible for tax relief for your innovation here.
Partnering with Areande
Scott Graham / Unsplash
Areande also runs a partnership programme for individuals and businesses searching for an additional source of income during a financially challenging time.
Areande offers a lucrative referral programme for their partners, allowing companies to make money for sending potential claimants their way.
Explaining the partnership programme, Areande stated: “We use a rigorous approach with a built-in quality assurance system, ensuring we uncover all eligible R&D costs. Our experts do all the hard work; partners need only send clients our way and wait for their reward.
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“As a partner, you’d also have access to a dashboard where you can monitor earnings in real-time and easily export data for reporting. You would also have the pleasure of seeing your clients power their businesses forward, achieving – and even exceeding – their growth plans by claiming Areande. Partnering with Areande could provide many benefits to both you and your clients.”
Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC), also known as above the line R&D tax credit, allows larger companies to reclaim tax for their innovation.
This incentive is worth 11p for every pound spent on qualifying R&D activities.
Areande saves its clients from having to deal with HMRC and pledges support for almost all industries; with members of its team from agriculture, pharmaceutical, medical supplies, research, property, construction, financial and technology backgrounds.
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The company stated: “We use a streamlined and technology-driven process that can take businesses from claim to cheque in a matter of weeks SMEs, whether they are profit or loss-making, can claim up to 33p for each £1 they’ve spent on innovation.
“We have helped thousands of businesses across the country claim back millions from HMRC, with an average claim value of £53,714 for SMEs and £600,977 for large companies. We have a streamlined process; we handle everything so you can focus on innovating.”
With the money received from Areande claims, businesses have managed to increase their incomes, expand their operations and recoup some of their COVID-19 losses.
In the current climate, local businesses need a boost – and Areande is providing exactly that.
You can apply for R&D tax credits online here.To learn more about what Areande are doing to support the local economy, visit their website. You can sign up and see if you’re eligible online.
Business
The plans to build 107 new homes in Manchester city centre – including affordable housing
Daisy Jackson
A new community of homes – including affordable housing – is on the way to Manchester city centre.
Fresh new images have been unveiled of Ferrous, a brand-new 107-home rental scheme that will be built in Piccadilly East later this year.
The new development from Capital&Centric will include 15% affordable housing, as well as a new pocket park.
The new scheme is partly thanks to a £1.6m investment from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which will see a previously underused brownfield site regenerated.
The site near Manchester Piccadilly was previously owned by Transport for Greater Manchester.
Although the planning consent didn’t require an affordable housing, Capital&Centric has committed to delivering around 15% of the new homes as affordable.
Alongside the pocket park, there’ll be a small kiosk designed as a launchpad for an independent food or drink operator.
Piccadilly East was named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s most up-and-coming places to live, thanks to developments like Crusader Mill and Neptune Mill, plus the landmark ‘Jenga’ Leonardo Hotel.
Tom Wilmot, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said: “The GMCA funding is helping unlock new homes on a challenging city centre site while allowing us to deliver affordable homes as part of the scheme.
“We’ve also carved out space for greenery and an independent operator because small pockets of public space make a massive difference. In a post-industrial city you have to go big on planting. Kampus showed that and we want to create a mini version here.”
Construction on Ferrous is expected to start later this year with completion anticipated in 2028.
New state-of-the-art modern wellness and recovery destination opens in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s wellness landscape has just changed… for the better.
Brysk has arrived in our city, unveiling a premium, design led studio dedicated to recovery, performance, and preventative health.
Opening its doors just off St Ann’s Square, offering what it calls a ‘technology-led approach’ to everyday health, Brysk is all about helping people stay ahead of stress, poor sleep, inflammation, skin concerns, and low energy.
Designed as a wellness studio rather than a spa or clinic, Brysk aims to bridge the gap between premium comfort and clinical level care, and is currently the only place in Manchester to provide a full suite of modern recovery and wellness services under one roof – including the city centre’s only hard-shelled hyperbaric oxygen chamber delivering 1.8 ATA sessions.
Whole body and localised cryotherapy treatments are also available, alongside red light therapy and compression therapy.
Manchester was chosen for Brysk’s launch due to the city’s strong wellness and fitness culture.
Tailored for everyday people, not just amateur and elite athletes, Brysk supports busy professionals, parents, and shift workers, as well as those managing menopause symptoms, skin concerns, chronic inflammation, or recovering from injury.
The studio is also set to host a weekly run club, wellness events, and group recovery sessions now that it’s open to the public, while corporate wellness mornings and private group bookings are also available in Thursdays and Saturdays, supported by Proflex Therapy – the studio’s physiotherapy partner.
Brysk is a new modern wellness and recovery destination in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Brysk owners, father and son team Chris and Nathan, say their aiming to become Manchester’s go-to destination for cryotherapy and modern wellness, building a culture where recovery and preventative health are viewed not as a luxury, but as essential to everyday life.
All services on offer are delivered through structured safety-led protocols, backed by sports science and nutrition knowledge.
Single sessions, tailored service packages, and flexible credit-based memberships are all on offer, meaning clients are able to integrate recovery and preventative health into their routines in a way that suits their lifestyle.
The Manc -
25th January 2021 
