Member Article

Lancaster firms win growth funding

Three businesses based at Lancaster’s White Cross Business Park have received funding to help their future growth.

The White Cross Business Awards were open to all business tenants on the site. A total of £10,000 in prize money was available, with £5,000 for the best idea capturing the business’ growth and expansion plans.

First prize went to Compact Caddy Ltd. The prize money will be used to put the company’s plans into action, helping Compact Caddy to market its premium quality electric trolleys in the UK.

The company has already launched in Germany and is now targeting Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

White Cross is owned and managed by Lancashire County Developments Limited (LCDL) - Lancashire County Council’s economic development department.

County Councillor Niki Penney, Chair of LCDL, said: “The White Cross awards are part of our Property Management Plus initiative, to give businesses added benefits that will encourage business growth and innovation.

“We’re pleased to see that Compact Caddy has an ambitious plan to reach out to new markets, with the aim of doubling turnover in the next year and increasing its profits. The company uses 12 suppliers who are all based within a 50-mile radius of Lancaster, which bring added benefits to the local area.”

Pablo Engl from Compact Caddy said: “We are really pleased to have been awarded first prize. As a direct result we were able to exhibit at the Golf Europe trade exhibition in Germany a year earlier than planned and now have distributors in Austria, Germany, Holland and Sweden.”

The second prize of £3,000 went to Shadowcat Systems Ltd, which provides bespoke software development, management and integration, and software consultation for developing intricate systems.

The third prize of £2,000 went to Pure Luxuries - an online retailer of leather goods, jewellery, homewares and gifts.

The awards are part of a business support package exclusive to tenants at White Cross Business Park. Other areas include access to finance, business support and advice and the recently launched White Cross web portal to help businesses promote their services and network.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .