One of Manchester’s top recruitment agencies has launched a brand new platform that’s set to “revolutionise” the process for the hospitality sector.
Sixty Eight Jobs – which is founded by Abi Dunn and powered by prolific and highly-connected hospitality recruitment agency, Sixty Eight People – will provide a niche jobs board for hourly paid hospitality roles right across Greater Manchester.
Just like Sixty Eight People, this innovative new platform puts “people and their development” at the heart of everything.
Aiming to connect the most exciting hospitality businesses to the brightest stars in the industry, Sixty Eight Jobs is already proudly working with Mission Mars – operators of Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s, Junkyard Golf Club, Blues Kitchen, Ducie Street Warehouse and Freight Island – and given the fact that the hospitality industry has been one of the worst affected amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, will look to help rebuild it in a swift and effective way.
Specifically tailored towards hourly-paid roles within Greater Manchester, Sixty Eight Jobs is a platform built by hospitality recruitment experts to ensure that the look and feel of the site fits the employers and will attract the right candidates, with exclusive content that support both in their recruitment journey.
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Offering a refreshing change from “often outdated corporate, all sector boards” – which are known to provide high volumes of applications, but with low quality – Sixty Eight Jobs looks to counteract this and provide a platform with informal language, fresh imagery and slick mobile-friendly processes.
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How does it work then?
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Well first, all that hopeful candidates will need to do is simply create a ’68 Profile’ on the site, which only takes a couple of minutes, and from here, Sixty Eight Jobs will connect them directly with the best hospitality employers in the city, with everything from work in bars, restaurants, cinemas, hotels or coffee shops, all on offer.
For employers, there’s a range of packages available.
Each package provides employers with the ability to custom design job advertisements and share the link to all platforms, with Sixty Eight Jobs also helping to keep track of all applications by storing CV’s in one handy place.
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The packages include:
STAR – £0/Month, which includes one job post per month which remains live for 28 days.
CLUSTER – A monthly subscription which offers five job posts a month, with each one live for 28 days. (FREE until 1st October, and then £50 per month).
GALAXY – A monthly subscription which offers unlimited posts a month, with each one live for 28 days. (FREE until 1st October, and then £99 per month).
As part of the Sixty Eight Jobs’ “continued crusade to support the industry”, all packages will initially be free, with the STAR package remaining free and the others incurring a small charge after 1st October.
Abi Dunn / Sixty Eight Jobs
“This past year for the hospitality industry has just been absolutely devastating,” said Abi Dunn, Founder of Sixty Eight Jobs.
“And for me to watch it happen but powerless to do anything has been really hard, [so] this is when I decided to put my time to good use and develop a brand new platform that provided a slick and straightforward way to connect exciting businesses with hospitality stars.
“Sixty Eight Jobs isn’t about making money, it’s about creating a platform that helps hospitality businesses recover, helping them secure the right people for the job.
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“This is just phase one of the project,
“I aspire to turn this into an app further down the line, even looking to expand into further cities”.
Sixty Eight People
Sixty Eight Jobs will officially launch to the public on 31st March 2021, and you can find more information ahead of the launch and get started here.
Business
Poundland facing ‘significant store closures’ after being sold for just £1
Danny Jones
Long-standing British bargain brand Poundland could be set to close a number of locations across the UK after being sold for just £1.
The franchise famed for selling things for just a quid has been a mainstay on the high streets for what feels like it’s been around for as long as most of us can remember, but has been struggling to compete in the discount market.
Opened in 1990, Poundland was eventually bought by Polish variety store chain Pepco Group back in 2016, but has now been auctioned off after struggling sales over the past few years.
As per a press release from the company, Pepco decided to sell the business to American investment firm Gordon Brothers for what reports cited as a “nominal fee” – a figure now revealed to be £1.
Credit: The Manc Group
Poundland’s former boss, Barry Williams, left the brand in 2023 but was reinstated in at the start of this year to help the business and the Group’s European counterparts (Pepco and Dealz).
Sharing an official update with The Manc, the returning MD and CEO said, “Poundland is a UK and Ireland retailer of real significance, serving 20 million customers each year with a much-loved brand.
“Although recent trading has been challenging, we have built a turnaround plan with a simplified and more focused Poundland at its heart, as we aim to deliver the amazing value our customers expect.
“In due course, we’ll share more details of the proposed restructuring and turnaround. I’d like to thank Pepco for its stewardship of the business. We welcome Gordon Brothers and look forward to working with them as we implement our turnaround plan.”
As for Gordon Bros themselves, the American group with outposts all over the globe, says it is “delighted” to be providing the bargain brand with “the financing to support the substantial turnaround of this iconic retailer.”
Even with their own hardships, Poundland stores have still been providing a much-needed cut-price place to shop for those looking to save wherever they can amid the cost of living crisis, not to mention taking over previous Wilko stores and helping bail out others in need.
Before Poundland were sold, they also helped prop-up those hit by the Wilkos falling into administration.
According to Retail Gazette, an approximate £80 million cash injection has been pledged to help support their 800 stores and roughly 16,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.
Nevertheless, BBC sources understand that the even with the new backing, the proposed restructuring of the company which will be put before the High Court here in England could still “involve a significant number of store closures.”
Meanwhile, an official statement from Pepco’s Stephan Borchert reads: “The agreed sale of Poundland marks an important milestone in our strategic plan to move away from FMCG and focus predominantly on Pepco, our higher margin clothing and general merchandise business…
“Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. We want to sincerely thank Poundland for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.”
Featured Images — Pepco (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
Business
The Manchester restaurant that serves pizza with scissors is now giving FREE haircuts
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s newest scissor-themed pizzeria will be giving out free haircuts this Father’s Day… genuinely.
We know it sounds a little strange, especially as we unusually described the restaurant as ‘scissor-themed’, but stay with us on this one.
One of Manchester‘s most exciting new openings so far this year, Forbici, has aptly announced that it’ll be treating dads who dine with them to free haircuts on Father’s Day this Sunday.
Forbici – which literally translates to ‘scissors’ in Italian… get it now? – opened its doors in the heart of the city centre last month, and is already making waves in Manchester’s foodie scene thanks to the fact it serves up every pizza with a pair of scissors.
Forbici is giving out free haircuts to dads who dine there on Father’s Day / Credit: The Manc Group
The restaurant specialises in authentic Neapolitan pizza made by master bakers and fermentors, using ingredients straight from Naples, but what makes this place a little different to the norm is that, staying true to tradition, each pizza is served in quarters and snipped with pizza scissors right at the table.
Given that scissors are such an integral part of Forbici, now it provides you with a bit more context as to why its latest Father’s Day collaboration is so clever.
Forbici has teamed up with respected Manchester-based barbershop, Urban Gent, to give any dad who dines in at on Father’s Day the chance to walk away with more than just a full belly, as they’ll also receive a voucher for a free professional haircut.
After enjoying a signature Neapolitan-inspired pizza from Forbici’s curated menu this Sunday, dads will be able to redeem their stylish surprise when settling the bill.
The voucher – covering the cost of a standard ‘haircut’ service – will be valid for a full month between 15 June to 15 July 2025, giving dads plenty of time to book a trim.
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2021 
