Salford City Reds rugby league team is set for a move to a new stadium after plans for the development of a new 15,000-seat development near Barton-upon-Irwell, Greater Manchester were approved.

Outline planning permission has been granted for the £26m community sports complex, which will be delivered through a joint venture company formed by Salford City Council (SCC) and developer Peel Holdings.

The 70-acre (28.3-hectare) ’super-site’ will include the new 15,000-seat stadium for Salford City Reds, along with retail use. The venue will also help meet the club’s bid for a Super League licence between 2012-15.

Detailed designs are expected to be submitted at the end of May for the scheme, which is scheduled for completion of December 2011 to ensure the club meets the deadline for Super League licence bids.

The joint venture company will be responsible for managing the stadium, with Salford City Reds given a licence to use it. The Northwest Regional Development Agency would provide grant funding for preparatory work.

SCC is expected to provide a loan to the joint venture company to pay for construction work and new infrastructure, with the amount repaid through the sale of developed land to retail tenants and income from stadium use.

Salford City Reds chief executive officer David Tarry said: “This decision is a major boost not just for the club, but also for the City of Salford and Super League, who are both totally committed to a desire for a strong, competitive franchise in our region.

“This announcement removes any lingering doubts surrounding the project, and confirms that Salford City Reds will be competing in a brand new stadium by the end of next year - a timeframe which will fit in perfectly with our bid for a Super League licence for 2012-2015.”

SCC leader John Merry added: “The partnership approach we’re adopting also means the city will be part-owner of a major sporting and community asset. Sport is a big business these days and making suitable facilities available for a successful club will bring economic benefits to the city.”

Liverpool City Council (LCC) has approved plans for the next phase of the £160m Central Village development, which will transform the area around the city’s Central railway station.

Altrincham-based developer Merepark is behind the proposals, which will see land above the station developed into a new leisure destination after initial planning permission was granted in 2006.

One of the busiest underground railway stations outside London, Liverpool Central will be developed into a retail and leisure hub as part of the plans, including shops, cafés, bars and restaurants above the current concourse.

The 23,000sq ft (2,137sq m) concourse transformation will provide a link to the wider Central Village scheme, comprising two hotels, an apart-hotel, retail and leisure units, a cinema and boardwalk and public realm.

Lewis’, one of Liverpool’s oldest department stores, is also set to close as part of the proposals after plans to transform the Grade II-listed building were approved by the council in October 2008.

The hospitality industry will be gathering on 16th and 17th March to see the best of what new products and services are on the market at the annual Lakes Hospitality Show at the Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Set within the heart of the Hydro Hotel, Bowness, the venue offers a real taste of Lake District Hospitality.

Commenting on this 35th show, Lakes Hospitality Show organiser, Gail Bartolf, says:

“Our tourism industry supports around 36,000 jobs and brings £1.1 billion into the Cumbrian economy every year. And where better to start the season, than by taking part in the March 2010 Show. In the depths of a recession, the 2009 Show saw over a 1000 visitors through its doors over the two days, so with market trends on the up, the 2010 Show figures promise to be even better.”

The Show will be bursting with products from innovative catering equipment, beautiful bed linen and bathrooms - to delicious local meats and cheeses, beers and chutneys. The marquee boasts a rich array of tourist attractions and fabulous catering demonstrations put together by local chefs and Kendal College students. Visit the Llamas from Lakeland Llama Treks / Llama Karma Kafe and hairy tarantulas from Eden Tourism, who share the marquee with top chefs concocting delicious dishes for two lucky visitors to sample ‘a come dine with me’ experience after every cooking demonstration.

The ‘Best of Lakeland Hospitality and Attractions Show’ is free and open to the trade in the hotel – but both the public and trade are invited into the marquee.

Peter Kienast has been appointed as General Manager of The Lowry Hotel.

German-born Peter has an impressive 20 years experience in some of the most exclusive five star hotels across the world.

Overseeing all aspects of the cities luxury hotel, new General Manager Peter Kienast will be responsible for day to day operations and strategic direction of the award winning hotel, River Restaurant and River Bar, The Lowy Spa and its Conferencing and Banqueting product.

Kienast began his illustrious career in the hotel industry at The Grand Kempinski, Dallas, Peter stayed with the Kempinski group for 6 years travelling to Munich, Budapest and Istanbul focusing mainly on Food and Beverage.

His first position in the UK was Food and Beverage Manager at The Langham in London where he stayed for 2 years before offered the position of Food and Beverage Director of the renowned Reid’s Palace Hotel in Maderia where he repositioned the hotel and its restaurants in the luxury market sector. He was quickly appointed Resident Manager of the hotel where he remained until appointed as Executive Assistant of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St Moritz, where he oversaw a major renovation of the hotel and introduced new food and beverage concepts.

In 2002, Peter took up his first General Manager position at the Grand Hotel Park, Gstaad he repositioned the hotel in the Swiss market and during his tenure they were awarded best hotel in Switzerland on the Conde Nast Gold list. After the hotel was sold Peter moved to Portugal to manage the Le Meridien Hotel Dona Filipa & San Lorenzo Golf Course ranked as number 9 in Europe.

In 2006 Peter was appointed as General Manager of the luxurious and innovative Schloss Elmau in Germany, Peter was appointed pre – opening and lead the development and strategy of the hotel from planning and interior design to marketing strategy, whilst at the hotel it was gained numerous awards and accolades including the Best Resort Hotel in Germany and winner of the best Spa in Europe.

On his appointment at The Lowry Hotel Peter comments:

“I am delighted to join both the Rocco Forte Collection and The Lowry Hotel, we have a brilliant team of colleagues working at the hotel and I am really excited about helping them to develop. As a team we will continue to bring guests the high level of service and attention to detail that makes The Lowry Hotel the North West’s leading hotel destination.”

This weeks guest editor is Martin Davis, Director at Christie + Co, the specialist property agent and advisor

Cautious optimism seems to be the underlying feeling, which has spread across the UK’s hospitality sector since the turn of the year. The momentum we experienced in the run up to the end of 2009 with increased viewings, would-be buyers and deals, has continued over the last two months, whilst a number of stories in this weeks’ my-hospitality highlight further reasons for feeling optimistic about business prospects for 2010.

Firstly, the latest results from Santander Corporate Banking Business Confidence Index, which are published in full in this week’s edition, show that confidence amongst hospitality operators also remains relatively high, with the majority confident in their prospects for the first half of the year.

The latest trading updates from some of the major restaurant chains suggest that the appetite of consumers for eating out still remains healthy. The news last week that national operator, The Restaurant Group, the owners of the Garfunkels and Frankie & Benny chains, had reported a marginal rise in pre-tax profits, also proves that although conditions remain challenging, operators who have invested in service standards and their offer, are continue to be rewarded with robust trading performances.

The ability to adapt to changing consumer trends, combined with flexibility on operational issues, will prove crucial factors in the success of the majority of restaurant operators over the next 12 months. The Good Food Guide’s search for its Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2010, which was launched this week, will highlight a number of independent operators who will show these, and a number of other qualities, which have enabled them to stay ahead of competitors during the toughest of trading periods.
Finally, it is pleasing to read that the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre has secured two new conferences that could boost the town’s economy by more than £10m over the next six years. Southport has been the subject of significant inward investment over the last decade making it a quality resort destination that is really worth visiting and it is great to see that even in these turbulent times this is paying dividends for those in the hospitality industry. With a Casino planned to open towards the end of this year, surely Southport will continue to go from strength to strength by attracting even more visitors, which in turn has to be very good news for the Southport hospitality sector.

Leading economists are supporting the Design Council’s call for businesses to use design to transform how they do business and compete as Britain’s industries battle to recover from the effects of the recession.

Robin Bew, Chief Economist for the Economist Intelligence Unit said “Not only has the UK recession been deep, but the recovery is likely to be slow and difficult for many businesses. New strategies will be needed to cope, and design thinking is one important technique that firms need to consider when planning for the future.”

Vicky Pryce, Joint Head of the Government Economic Service joined the call for businesses to put design at the boardroom table: “UK industry needs to innovate to compete in current global markets. That means it’s more important than ever that we help businesses use design to positively impact growth.”

Economist Conferences and the Design Council have jointly launched a major business summit to demonstrate how big businesses can put design at the heart of their post-recession strategy.

The Redesigning Business Summit is bringing together 250 senior business leaders with some of the most influential thinkers in innovative new business models and design-led innovation.

Speakers at the Redesigning Business Summit included Will Hutton, Executive Vice-Chair of the Work Foundation; Martin Temple CBE; Chairman of the Engineering Employers Federation; John Mangelaars, European Vice-president of Microsoft, Fernando Beccalli-Falco, President and CEO of GE International; Richard Gillies, Director of Plan A, Marks and Spencer; Joe Ferry, Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic Airways; Craig Sams, Founder and President, Green & Black’s, and Paul Bennett, Chief Creative Officer, IDEO.

The collaboration – a first for the two organisations - marks a major new drive to get businesses to consider design in a bid to accelerate the economic recovery.

David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council said: “Now is the time for businesses to seize the opportunity to make a place for design at the boardroom table. New thinking is what’s needed, and this Summit will make a real difference in helping businesses to look at design afresh as a key business tool.”

Food manufacturers are not taking the catering sector seriously enough when it comes to developing products for them and should start viewing it as a place to launch new ranges and build brands, not as simply a bolt on to retail sales.

That’s the view of foodservice analyst and Horizons managing director Peter Backman, who believes food producers are ignoring the £10.3bn foodservice market to focus mainly on the retail sector.

“FMCG manufacturers often view foodservice as a poor relation to retail sales, merely repackaging their products into larger pack sizes. But the foodservice sector is growing at a faster rate than food retail as people eat more and more of their meals out of the home – and we will continue to see further growth over the next decade,” he said.

“Many restaurant and pub menus now feature specific brand names on their menus, while other restaurant products have successfully transferred to the retail market, where they usually command premium prices.”

Product launch

Speaking to FMCG investors at the Consumer Analyst Group Europe conference in London yesterday, Backman said restaurants, hotels and pubs would be a good place to launch products.

“Manufacturers can test the market, gauge customer response and, with the help of restaurant operators, build successful brands. It’s also far cheaper to build a brand through the catering sector than it is through the retail trade,” he said.

Organic meat producer Laverstoke Park is one example of a successful brand being built in the restaurant sector before going into retail. The farm’s buffalo mozzarella was used by many chefs, including L’Anima’s Francesco Mazzei before being launched in Waitrose last year.

The flavour enhancer Verjuice, until now only used by chefs, has also become available to home cooks in the UK after launching online.

Horizons’ QuickBite survey of 1,000 consumers in December last year valued the sales through the catering sector at £36.6bn. It found that price is becoming less of an influencing factor on eating out and that consumers are becoming less pessimistic about how often they thought they would eat out in the future. Seventy-three per cent of respondents said they would eat out the same amount as in 2009, while 5 per cent said they planned to eat out more often in 2010 than they had in 2009.

The names of the six restaurant managers who have made it through to the final of the UK Restaurant Manager of the Year 2010 awards have been revealed.

The finalists in the competition, organised by front-of-house service training body The Academy of Food & Wine are:

Mark Bevan, restaurant manager, Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire
Michele Caggianese, restaurant manager, Galvin at Windows, Hilton on Park Lane, London
David Hennigan, general manager, The Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouth
Peter McAlister, brasserie manager, Malmaison Belfast
Paul Shanahan, restaurant manager, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton
Sean Simpson, restaurant manager, Holiday Inn Glasgow
The six finalists will compete for the top prize at the Roof Gardens, Kensington, London, on 17 May 2010.

In advance of the final each competitor will prepare a written business plan for a new restaurant launch. At the final they will be grilled on their written submissions by the panel of expert judges, who will be looking for evidence of their knowledge and understanding of the business as well as their business acumen.

The finalists will also complete practical tasks testing their wine knowledge and general front-of-house skills.

The name of the 2010 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year will be announced at a gala dinner to be held at the Roof Gardens the same evening.

The winner will receive a study-tour week in New York, staying at Manhattan boutique hotel, The MAve, to complete a stage at one of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group properties. The winners’ restaurant will also receive a complimentary 12-month subscription to the OpenTable reservation system.

The runner-up will win a week at the summer business school of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, courtesy of the Savoy Educational Trust.

Last year’s Restaurant Manager of the Year was Peter Avis, restaurant manager at London’s Babylon restaurant at the Roof Gardens, part of the Virgin Exclusive Collection.

Variety Club are proud to bestow the highest Accolade the Silver Heart Award to Joe Longthorne on Friday 19th March at the Hilton Hotel Blackpool for his outstanding contribution to the world of Entertainment and his charitable work.

The response to this prestigious Silver Heart Award Dinner has been Overwhelming and this promises to be a night to remember for all Joe Longthorne fans.

Joe Longthorne will be performing on the night with his Orchestra and many of his celebrity friends from the world of Show business and sport will be in the audience to see Joe receive his Silver Heart.

A very limited number of VIP tickets are available, although all tickets will include a sumptuous three course Dinner

The event will commence at 7.00 p.m. and finish at approximately 12.00 midnight

For further information on this prestigious event and sponsorship opportunities.

Please contact Lyn Staunton or Judi Davies at the Variety Club office.

Telephone: 0161 236 0500

Email: varietyclubnw@btconnect.com

Jamie Stevens has returned to Manchester, where he started his career, having been appointed General Manager of Abode Manchester.

Jamie, who joined ABode hotels in 2007 as a graduate trainee was quickly appointed Group Operations Support Manager where he was responsible for enforcing the brand standard across the group and played an instrumental role setting up of all IT systems, revenue capture and staff development.

Having matured to become an effective team leader with a sensible business acumen and strong instinctive judgement, Jamie was promoted to General Manager of ABode Glasgow in 2008, where he made significant changes within the hotel which has resulted in great success.

Jamie’s hard work, dedication and inspirational leadership resulted in the hotel being awarded ‘Glasgow Hotel of the Year’, ‘Small City Hotel of the Year’ as well as ‘Restaurant of the Year for Scotland 2009’ by Catering in Scotland.

In 2009 Jamie became one of 30 winners of the prestigious Acorn Awards, which celebrates hospitality’s high achievers under the age of 30. Over the past two decades the Acorns have identified and recognized the potential excellence of such culinary super talents as two Michelin-starred Michael Caines, Marco Pierre White, Gary Rhodes and Marcus Wareing amongst others. Jamie was one of only two in Scotland to receive this prestigious award.