Warrington Miles Above Manchester?

Warrington is becoming an economic star in the Northwest. The recent Cities Outlook report shows private sector employment growth as leading in the region, strong business start-up activities and a good recovery in average earnings after a drop in 2012 (top in the Northwest). In the whole of the UK, Warrington comes in 5^th for qualification levels and 9^th for employment in the survey.

This is a great performance overall and when put together with reasonable house prices and good local facilities this makes Warrington a good place to work and live. So what is driving this prosperity, which puts Warrington as one of the strongest performing areas in the country? Is it location, location, location?

Warrington ‘New Town’ benefits from the road network and airport access. The planned port development ‘Atlantic Gateway’ and all that comes with it promises to bring in around 250,000 jobs by 2030. The Omega development of over 200 Hectares, straddling the M62 has finally started to take off. The future looks good for Warrington. Business. Jobs. Money. With prosperity also comes challenges, where will people live and how will they get to work? Keep watching regional house prices, congestion and the cost of fuel. It all has to stack up to keep the show on the road.

Lawrence Bellamy is a Professor at the Warrington School of Management, University of Chester

HS2, Am I bovvered?

Aside from the obvious ‘it’s going to go through my back yard!’ then it really depends. Is Manchester to London in 1 hour and 8 minutes important to you? The first phase will progress to the West Midlands, Lichfield, Birmingham way. The second phase will progress north-eastwards, towards Leeds and north- westwards towards Manchester and Liverpool, in a giant wobbly ‘Y’ shape connecting the country. Long term maybe even Edinburgh and Glasgow could benefit.

It’s still a long time away, with phase two completion not scheduled until 2032. Assuming of course it’s on time. Remember too that it’s at least 4 governments away and Swampy (remember him, apparently he now lives in Wales) and his Eco-Warrior friends are yet to get physically involved.

The expenditure on the project will be staggering. It will benefit the economy, providing jobs on the project and for all players in the supply chain (let’s hope that we keep it to UK plc). It will also bring future business opportunities.

Northern Councils are generally in favour. Southern constituencies much less so, saying that it will cost each local authority involved around £51m. This is a painful hit for taxpayers. And how much will a ticket cost?

Lawrence Bellamy is a Professor at the Warrington School of Management, University of Chester

Do you know your onions?

As consumers, carrying out our weekly shop, we tend to know what we like and like what we know. Usually we stick to a similar basket of products week to week, with a little seasonality thrown in. Supermarkets, which spend enormous amounts watching our shopping habits know this and use it to make money out of us. So how can we turn the tables and save some cash?

If we take fruit and veg as an example then the price of this varies (usually by a few percent per month) depending on a range of factors. Recently Apple prices (on the open market) have been up due to poor weather conditions in some growing areas. At the same time bananas prices have been down due to bumper crops in certain areas of the world. Whilst meat prices have generally been rising, lamb has been representing better value, with a good season following two poor ones in New Zealand (though remember you are also paying for the transport!).

So we need to keep an eye on the price per kilogram on the supermarket shelf and pick the produce which represents the best offer. This may mean breaking our own shopping habits to save a few pounds per week. But your Mum always knew that anyway.

Lawrence Bellamy is a Professor at the Warrington School of Management, University of Chester

(Main sources –Mintec commodity reports, February 2013)

Warrington School of Management

Welcome to the Warrington School of Management

Our portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes has a strong international focus and is constantly being updated to offer students the best possible learning experience, shaped by the latest professional and research-based knowledge available.

We run a wide range of activities to support businesses in the North West region and have excellent links with industry and professional bodies. We also offer customised management development programmes to all.

Warrington School of Management also has a solid portfolio of Research and Knowledge Transfer Projects with a range of organisations. These projects are intended to give mutual benefits for students and the region’s business community by providing access to the University’s resources, knowledge and expertise. The majority of the School’s research is applied in a practical context and it is committed to constructing and improving sustainable relationships with external organisations and businesses. 

Whatever your study, training or research requirements may be, we look forward to welcoming you to Warrington School of Management.

This blog will feature articles from Professors, Senior Lecturers and members of the Business Faculty associated with the Warrington School of Management.

How to Contact
Address: 
Warrington School of Management
University of Chester
Crab Lane, Fearnhead
Warrington WA2 0DB
Telephone: 01925 534 352
Website: http://www.chester.ac.uk/warrington-school-of-management
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