The new launch means that this already competitive sector has just got even more crowded, as a third daily email news alert (alongside Crains’ and Insider’s) begins beaming out to business inboxes.
It was only back at the tail end of July that David Parkin, the man behind TheBusinessDesk brand, denied that plans were advanced to expand the web-only service out of its Yorkshire home.
However, it appears as though Parkin’s coyness was probably down to the fact that he didn’t want another business website scooping his own on the launch story, as the ‘desk’ officially opened for business yesterday.
Parkin has set up shop in new offices on King Street in Manchester and taken on three established business journalists to help drive the site forward.
They are: former MEN business editor Sheryl Moore, former Yorkshire Post deputy business editor James Graham; and author and journalist Anastasia Weiner.
The team drink to the launch
For the time being Parkin himself has taken the reins of editor, although he expects to relinquish these duties in the very near future.
“The launch of the North West site was accelerated,” he explained, “partly by the success of the Yorkshire site and partly due to the fact that we wanted to establish ourselves here quickly.
“Ideally it would have been great to have an editor in place, but we’re looking to recruit one, alongside a deputy editor and another journalist, quickly. We’re serious about investing and expanding here.”
Parkin seemed unfazed by the competition that already exists in the region, acknowledging that there is “a lot of great media here already” but adding that TheBusinessDesk would be different as “we’re purely online and free - we’re just concentrating our efforts and resources on the one product, which is a strength.”
So far TheBusinessDesk Yorkshire has been well received. It currently has 7,500 registered users and attracts over 14,000 business people a month, all acquired since its launch last November.
Parkin believes that, given the greater concentration of businesses in the North West, the new operation will exceed those audience/subscriber figures in a similar timeframe.
One feature that may help it achieve that is the fact that the site claims to the only player in the market that sends out daily alerts by text as well as email (if requested), with the updates arriving before 9am.
At the moment it’s also the only site that is handing out hundreds of free cups of coffee, from BusinessDesk branded vans, in Manchester city centre every morning (this week only folks!).
It seems like Parkin and co want to satisfy their users' thirsts as well as their hunger for news.
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