Laseraid, the UK’s first ‘one stop shop’ for supplying the growing market in aesthetic laser provision, has made a six-figure investment in a new base in the region to strengthen its services and support to customers across the north. The expansion is already creating new jobs here.
Located in Thorpe Park, Leeds, the new 1,350sq ft premises will be home to Laseraid’s growing technical service and education team in the north, led by experienced service engineer Alan Salter. It features a full workshop for maintenance and repairs of Laseraid’s complete portfolio of medical devices from all of the leading suppliers of the latest cutting-edge technology for the aesthetic industry.
The Leeds facility also includes a dedicated training facility and a showroom to support the growth of Laseraid’s customer base across the north, and ensure Laseraid continues to support its customers with up-to-date device training and education.
Commercial director of Laseraid Jamel Hussain comments: “Following the launch of our business in the UK last summer, we have seen phenomenal growth with demand for our subscription service, in particular, surpassing forecasts. As we had expected, there was huge pent-up demand from new and expanding clinic owners for an affordable, fixed cost subscription model which would give them access to reliable laser equipment while also providing professional training and the support of a national network of service engineers. We now have customers in all corners of the UK and need to ensure that we are able to provide outstanding service nationwide.
“Growth in the aesthetic sector in the north of England and Scotland is significant and forecast to continue, and with new clinics opening all the time, we’re seeing increasing numbers of enquiries where it would be easier and more convenient for them to visit a showroom or training facility in Leeds rather than travelling down to our headquarters in north London. We believe that our new Yorkshire base will be a huge bonus for customers in the north, with our skilled team in Leeds now able to support them with training workshops, experience days and demonstrations, similar to those we host at our facilities in the south. The popularity of our open days, held for the first time in Leeds last month, demonstrate the value of our new northern base.”
The new northern base complements the company’s head office in north London which has recently expanded due to growing demand with the engineering workshop doubling in size to accommodate the increasing number of devices Laseraid is refurbishing, repairing and delivering to customers. The southern training facility has also grown by 50% with the addition of a dedicated training room enabling Laseraid to run more workshops and train multiple therapists at once across over its diverse portfolio of 14 models of laser devices from 10 different manufacturers, making it the largest and most comprehensive aesthetic training facility in the UK.
In recent years, the use of lasers by clinics, doctors and dermatology specialists has boomed as technology has become available to assist with a wide range of treatments including laser hair removal, tattoo removal, skin rejuvenation, fat freezing, body contouring and facial treatments. Laseraid UK supports the buyers and users of this growing technology on an all-inclusive subscription model where users can package the rental of the machine, servicing costs, training and marketing into one fixed monthly payment.
The business gives current and aspiring aesthetic clinic owners cost-effective and reliable access to market leading laser devices including Alma Soprano, Candela Gentlemax and Cynosure Elite, plus training and support services, building on Laseraid’s continued success in Australia.
Amidst increasingly bleak predictions for the UK economy, the number of businesses in Yorkshire and Humberside experiencing insolvency-related activity is once again on the rise.
Research from insolvency and restructuring trade body R3, which is based on an analysis of data provided by CreditSafe, shows that insolvency-related activities in the region are increasing again after a drop in April. This type of activity, which includes liquidator and administrator appointments and creditors’ meetings, affected 601 businesses in Yorkshire and Humberside in March, falling to 238 in April (down 60%) and rising to 244 in May (up 6%). Overall, the region has seen a 63% increase in insolvency related activities since the start of the year.
Looking across the rest of the UK, only three regions saw a higher overall increase in insolvency-related activity than Yorkshire and the Humber between January and May. The West Midlands experienced the highest overall increase with a 87% uplift, followed by the East Midlands (up 76%), and Northern Ireland with a 67% rise. Only the South East saw an overall decrease in insolvency-related activity (down 3%) so far this year.
R3’s analysis of the CreditSafe data also showed a steady increase in the late payment of invoices, one of the key indicators of business distress.
In April just over 51,100 companies in Yorkshire and Humberside owed money having been unable to meet their payments on time which rose by 315 companies to 51,423 in May. Last month, the region’s firms had a total of almost 765,000 invoices on their books that had gone past their payment deadline without being settled (up by 12,135 from April), with an average invoice value of around £10,500.
Eleanor Temple, chair of R3 in Yorkshire and a barrister at Kings Chambers in Leeds, comments: “With the news that, in April, the economy contracted for the second month in a row, the first time this has happened since Covid struck, it’s no surprise that businesses in Yorkshire and across the UK are struggling in the face of record-breaking fuel and energy costs.
“Pressure is being felt across all sectors with services, manufacturing and production all shrinking in April. As we see prices rising at their fastest rate for 40 years and inflation forecast to reach more than 10% by the end of the year, both households and businesses are being impacted and the threat of recession appears to be looming ever closer.
“For any businesses that are experiencing insolvency-related issues, it is vital that they seek qualified help as soon as possible – insolvency practitioners have a wide range of tools at their disposal that can help companies get back on track.”
