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The Raft will share in a new business win worth £1m a year after successfully pitching to work with the Graham & Brown wallpaper brand.

The Wilmslow marketing agency will work alongside Rapport Creative, Chester, on promotional work for the Superfresco EASY wallpaper account.

The partner agencies have been working on a number of joint projects over the past 12 months, and won the new business following a four-way competitive pitch. They will develop a fully integrated campaign to raise awareness of Superfresco EASY.

The national campaign will include TV, Press, outdoor and online advertising, door drop, digital marketing and website development. It will launch in September and further reinforce the company’s position as the market leader in decorative wall solutions for homes.

Phil Howells, creative director at The Raft, said: “Graham & Brown is a company we’ve always wanted to work with.

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The soft drinks firm behind Vimto hailed the success of a marketing push that brought in nearly one million new consumers to the fruit drink.

Nichols, based in Newton-le-Willows, said its “seriously mixed up fruit” campaign helped it grow revenues from Vimto by 28 per cent in the UK, with strong growth outside its traditional northern heartland, and 33 per cent overseas to £12m in 2009.

It saw sales in the Middle East increase by 40 per cent while it also launched Vimto in South Africa. Nichols invested around £600,000 to promote the Vimto brand in less well-developed countries last year and plans to spend at least the same amount in 2010.

The £5m Vimto relaunch last June saw the brand claim market share against rivals a year after celebrating its centenary. The firm, which also makes Panda and Sunkist drinks, said Vimto’s performance far outstripped a wider soft drinks market, which grew by two per cent.

Pre-tax profits for last year were up 22 per cent to £12.2m in 2009 and overall revenues 29 per cent higher at £72.4m.

Chairman John Nichols said the group had put in an “exceptional performance”. He said: “Not

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In a Budget that promised to support investment in growth and jobs, it is the north west’s emerging high-tech, digital and advanced manufacturing businesses that appear to be the main beneficiaries.

Support from the new UK Finance for Growth funding package targeted at plugging the funding gap for fast-growth SMEs plus the University Enterprise Capital Fund which aims to capitalise on the world leading research of our universities should go some way towards easing crucial access to finance.

Existing tax incentives supporting innovative businesses, such as the R&D tax credit and proposals for a new lower tax rate ‘patent box’ have been retained plus there is good news for our flourishing video gaming industry with the announcement of a new games tax relief subject to EU State Aid approval.

However, it is disappointing that the finer detail surrounding these potentially attractive new tax reliefs has yet to be fleshed out in any meaningful detail.

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A German company has set up a UK base in Cheshire under a scheme offering overseas firms free desk space for a year in a drive to attract investment and jobs to the north west.

P3ec is a consultancy and engineering business which has established a presence at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, Warrington.

It is a subsidiary of a business spun out of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology in 1996.

The Hello North West scheme enables foreign companies to test out ideas before committing to a major investment in the region.

It was set up by regional bodies and local authorities in partnership with serviced office providers.

A Bury solicitor has won a £6.5m settlement for a 20-year-old woman who was left severely disabled after being shaken as a baby, which is thought may be a record.

Neil Sugarman, managing partner at GLP Solicitors Bury, won the compensation for the adoptive parents of the victim, whom they have cared for since she was removed from the care of her natural mother, who attacked her.

The victim suffered catastrophic injuries when she was shaken, and will be unable to work for the rest of her life, relying on full-time care.

Mr Sugarman said: “This couple adopted the child when she was very young. The adopted father was taken seriously ill with advanced lung cancer last September. He was absolutely desperate to know the outcome of the case and only survived for two weeks after the hearing.”

The victim, who lives in the south east, suffered brain damage, partial blindness, limited mobility and challenging behaviour, including self -harming.

The £6.5m award included £257,000 compensation for the injuries and £4m for continued care.

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Bug-busting technology firm Byotrol’s chief executive David McRobbie is to relinquish the role to take over the running of the Manchester company’s US operations.

He will be succeeded in the hotseat by Dr Gary Millar, 48, who joins next Thursday. Dr Millar began his career with ICI and in 2008 founded a management consultancy advising small and medium-sized firms.

Byotrol chairman Ralph Kugler said: “Gary has had an outstanding career, and combines strong senior management achievement with experience of the life sciences sector. Gary has led both small and large businesses, and has an impressive track record of delivering results.”

He added: “Success in the UK is a key part of our strategy, and the board is clear that this can only be achieved with experienced senior leadership. Mr Mc

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