Freshfield lands three-year business growth hub contract

Lancashire-based marketing firm Freshfield has won the three-year marketing services contract for Boost Business Lancashire, the county’s £7.8m business growth hub.

Freshfield landed the project after a national tender process and has devised a full-service marketing communications programme incorporating branding, website, digital marketing, events, social media and media relations.

Boost Business Lancashire, led by Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), provides tailored business support in areas such as leadership, mentoring, innovation, and access to finance.

Earlier this year, Boost secured £7.8m of funding to continue supporting the county’s growth-hungry businesses until 2018. Freshfield was also responsible for marketing communications in stage one of the Boost programme, which provided growth advice and support to over 2,800 Lancashire businesses between 2013 and 2015.

Simon Turner, managing director of Freshfield, said: “The growth hub has done a superb job in helping thousands of businesses with their growth plans, and we’re proud to have played our part in this major initiative to grow the county’s economy.

“We’re thrilled to have retained the contract against some national competition. We’re well placed to deliver an ambitious phase two, attracting more businesses to Boost and helping them achieve tangible growth.”

Boost helped to create around 1,200 jobs and new economic activity valued in excess of £50m during its first stage.

Freshfield and Boost won three major industry awards for their success in the first phase of the programme, taking the silver award in the Public Sector Campaign, Integrated Campaign and Business and Corporate Campaign categories at the 2014 CIPR Pride Awards.

This latest phase of the service, which runs until 2018 aims to support a further 3,360 businesses in the county, creating 2,000 jobs and helping to establish 200 new businesses.