TraffordCity Arena will be future home of the Manchester Storm ice hockey team

A new ice rink and concert venue will be built in Trafford. The venue – TraffordCity Arena – will offer ice skating lessons and sessions, as well as hosting concerts, screenings, immersive experiences and ice hockey games with Planet Ice to run the centre.

It will become the future home of the Manchester Storm ice hockey team, which will relocate from their current base at Altrincham Ice Arena. Also included in the plans are family restaurants, bars and ‘VIP areas’.

The ‘state-of-the-art’ rink will to host up to 3,000 people, making it one of Planet Ice’s largest UK venues, and promises to offer a year-round programme of ‘entertainment and community activities’.

It will be built on the former Soccer Dome site in Trafford City, next to The Snow Centre, Trafford Golf Centre, David Lloyd, Fives Soccer, iFLY and The Padel Club.

The rink is not the limit of ambitions for the site, with further development opportunities being considered there. Peel Waters, which is delivering the scheme alongside ICITIES, said it is looking at the possibility of building hotels or more leisure facilities there.

The new venue will join a number of other developments in the area, including the £450m Therme Manchester wellness resort which is currently under construction. Once built, the rink will create more than 50 new jobs in the area.

Construction is expected to start in the spring and take up to 15 months to complete after planning permission was granted.

James Whittaker, managing director at Peel Waters, said: “Securing planning approval for the TraffordCity Ice Arena is fantastic news for the area. This is a significant step in delivering our vision for TraffordCity as a destination that offers something for everyone.

“The new arena will provide world-class ice facilities and enhance our growing portfolio of sport and leisure experiences; attracting new visitors, investment and employment opportunities to the region.”

Nick Payne, director of ICITIES, added: “This approval allows us to move forward with creating a truly unique venue. Our design combines professional ice facilities with flexible spaces for non-ice events, ensuring the arena can serve a wide range of uses and audiences.

“The design includes approximately 20,000 sq. ft of ancillary space for tenants offering complementary food, beverage and leisure facilities.”

Liz Patel, Trafford council’s Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, continued: “Trafford Council is committed to the regeneration of the area and this project will bring a number of important benefits to the borough including the creation of 50 permanent jobs.”

Heath Rhodes, chief operations manager at Planet Ice, said: “As Planet Ice enters its 30th year, we’re delighted to see planning permission granted for this landmark project. Demand for ice facilities in the North West continues to grow, and this arena will help meet that need while delivering first class amenities for visitors. TraffordCity is the perfect location, with excellent transport links and complementary leisure attractions.”

Small business owners struggling with the stress caused by late or unpaid invoices have been offered new support, as fresh guidance is launched to address the mental health impact of cashflow pressure.

Timed to coincide with Time to Talk Day, the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) has published new online guidance designed to help SMEs and freelancers access mental health support while also pointing them towards practical steps to tackle late payment issues.

Late payment is typically framed as a financial problem, but growing evidence suggests it can also take a significant toll on wellbeing. For many business owners, uncertainty over when they will be paid can trigger ongoing anxiety about meeting overheads, paying staff and keeping their business viable.

The new guidance brings together business-focused advice and trusted mental health resources in one place, offering support for owners who may be feeling overwhelmed. It also outlines practical actions SMEs can take when unpaid invoices begin to affect their financial stability and mental health.

The resource has been developed alongside research from Leapers, which examined the link between financial stress and mental health among small business owners and freelancers.

Emma Jones, Small Business Commissioner (pictured), said running a business can be mentally demanding, particularly when payment delays are involved. She said it was vital that freelancers and small business owners know where to turn for support and feel able to ask for help.

“Having founded a small business support platform and network before becoming Small Business Commissioner, I have seen the profound and positive impact when freelancers join a community of like-minded peers,” Jones said. “At the Office of the Small Business Commissioner we are committed to playing our part, with a focus on tackling and challenging late payment, so those going into self-employment can realise the full benefits of working for yourself.”

However, some industry figures have warned that support alone will not solve the underlying problem.

Stephen Carter, Director of Payment Strategy at Ivalua, said the guidance was right to acknowledge the mental health impact of late payment but argued that the government must go further.

“UK SMEs don’t just need mental health support to cope with late payments. They need legislation and enforcement to stop delays in the first place,” he said. “Late payments aren’t an unavoidable fact of life; they are a failure of governance, accountability and outdated payment processes.”

Carter added that delayed payments are often driven by poor internal controls within large organisations, including fragmented procurement and finance systems, manual processes and a lack of visibility over supplier commitments. He warned that the consequences can be severe, with supply chains disrupted and smaller suppliers pushed to the brink.

Research cited by Ivalua suggests more than a third of UK businesses have seen suppliers go out of business due to cost pressures linked to late payment.

Carter urged the government to publish its response to last year’s late payment consultation without further delay, warning that continued inaction risks signalling to larger organisations that poor payment practices will be tolerated, while SMEs are left to absorb the financial and emotional strain.

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They have joined forces to launch a new not-for-profit forum designed to help shape and propel the future of the data centre sector

Leading engineering and manufacturing businesses in the North East have come together to launch a new organisation designed to propel the future of the region’s data centre sector. The North East Data Centre Hub has been founded by a consortium of five businesses, including RED Engineering Design, Cleveland Cable Company, CMP Products, Durata and RWO Associates.

Together, the firms say they share a clear ambition to help shape the sector, by collaborating on the development of a strong local engineering, construction, and digital supply chain.

The North East has been positioned as one of Europe’s largest data‑centre and AI infrastructure hubs, driven by Government policy, energy availability, and major investment, giving the North East Data Centre Hub the chance to shape local conversation and ramp up growth. A data centre is being built at Cambois, near Blyth, and another planned on Teesside.

The consortium aims to unlock the region’s full potential as a leading data centre destination. To mark its launch, the consortium will host the North East Data Centre Hub’s first networking event, which is already fully booked, on February 25 at Liberty House in Newcastle city centre.

Speaking about the North East Data Hub and its first event, John McGee, group CEO at Durata said: “The hub provides an excellent opportunity for professionals in the sector – from developers and operators through to consultants and suppliers – to collaborate, share innovation and exchange best practice. By strengthening local connections, we can amplify the North East’s contribution to the wider UK and global data centre market.

“We are delighted with the companies spearheading this initiative. Each brings extensive global experience in delivering critical infrastructure projects, and by working together – and joining forces with other local businesses – we can build a strong, resilient regional supply chain that supports long‑term growth, investment, and skills development in the North East.

“With registration already reaching full capacity for our first event, it’s clear there is strong appetite for a hub of this nature. Many delegates will be attending with a shared goal, and this is just the beginning. We have an exciting programme of events planned over the next 12 months, with much more to come from the North East Data Centre Hub.”

The North East Data Centre Hub is open to organisations across the data centre ecosystem, with plans for a programme of bi-monthly events hosted across the region, featuring speakers with the opportunity for discussion and continued networking.

Fractal Analytics on Friday said it has raised Rs 1,249 crore from anchor investors ahead of its proposed initial public offering (IPO), after allotting 1,38,69,499 equity shares to 52 anchor investors at the upper end of the price band of Rs 900 per share.

The IPO will open for public subscription on Monday, February 9, and close on Wednesday, February 11. The price band has been fixed at Rs 857 to Rs 900 per equity share of face value Rs 1 each, with a minimum bid lot of 16 equity shares.

Out of the total anchor allocation, 52,77,680 equity shares (38.05%) were allotted to 11 domestic mutual funds through a total of 22 schemes, indicating strong participation from domestic institutions.

The anchor book witnessed demand from several leading mutual funds including SBI Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund, UTI Mutual Fund, Trust Mutual Fund, Bandhan Mutual Fund, Invesco Mutual Fund, Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund, and Sundaram Mutual Fund, among others.

Insurance companies that participated in the anchor round included Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), HDFC Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, and Edelweiss Life Insurance.

The issue also drew strong interest from global investors, including marquee long-only and institutional names such as Morgan Stanley Investment Funds and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, along with Ashoka WhiteOak Emerging Markets Funds, Jupiter Global Fund, Societe Generale – ODI, Flumen Investment Trust, Optimix Wholesale Global Emerging Markets Share Trust, Neo Prime Fund, and Neo Secondaries Fund, among others.
Fractal Analytics describes itself as India’s first pure-play artificial intelligence company and a global provider of AI-powered analytics and decision science solutions to Fortune 500 companies, enabling enterprises to unlock business value through advanced data science, artificial intelligence and deep domain expertise.The IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 1,023 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) aggregating up to Rs 1,810 crore. The OFS is being undertaken by existing shareholders including Quinag Bidco Ltd, TPG Fett Holdings Pte., Satya Kumari Remala, Rao Venkateswara Remala, and GLM Family Trust. The issue also includes an employee reservation portion of up to Rs 600 million.

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Morgan Stanley India Company, Axis Capital, and Goldman Sachs (India) Securities are the book running lead managers to the offer.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced enforcement actions against stocks it suspects are involved in “pump-and-dump” or “ramp-and-dump” schemes tied to foreign-based companies, including entities with operations in China. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the agency is intensifying its crackdown on these manipulative practices to protect U.S. investors.

In September 2025, the SEC announced the formation of a Cross-Border Task Force within its Division of Enforcement to investigate potential violations of U.S. securities laws by foreign-based companies, including market manipulation. Atkins said the agency began investigating one such case as recently as last week.

Atkins said the SEC has seen a rise in so-called “ramping-and-dumping” schemes, in which prices are artificially inflated before insiders sell their shares at elevated levels. These manipulative practices can leave retail investors with significant losses.

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“Especially it’s some East Asia, China-related, companies where they’re small, kind of penny stocks on Nasdaq,” said Atkins Friday on “Mornings with Maria.”  

Atkins pointed to a recent investigation involving a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, where trading was halted after the firm failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for a sudden spike in its stock price.

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He said the company informed regulators that it had no material news or information that would explain the unusual rise in its stock price.

“So we halted that. New York Stock Exchange is investigating it. So hopefully, you know, we’ll get to the bottom of that,” he added. 

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The SEC’s Cross-Border Task Force announced it would focus on “investigating potential U.S. federal securities law violations related to foreign-based companies,” including market manipulation schemes like pump-and-dump and ramp-and-dump. It also will scrutinize gatekeepers such as auditors and underwriters that assist these companies in accessing U.S. capital markets.

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“We welcome companies from around the world seeking access to the U.S. capital markets,” said Atkins during the task force announcement. 

“But we will not tolerate bad actors – whether companies, intermediaries, gatekeepers or exploitative traders – that attempt to use international borders to frustrate and avoid U.S. investor protections,” he continued. 

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