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Page 24 September 2025 AD SALES 01204 478812 BUSINESS TO ADVERTISE CALL 01204 478812 £ FAST-GROWING luxury cruise retailer Panache Cruises is set for further suc- cess after securing a business loan from Rosebud, part of Lancashire County Council’s Business Growth Service. This latest loan marks the con- tinuation of a successful partner- ship between Rosebud and the Chorley based business, which has had two previous rounds of investment from the lender, with total funding support standing at £755,000 since 2021. This additional Rosebud funding will drive significant expansion in Panache Cruises’ Chorley operation. The company is extending its premises at the Strawberry Fields Digital Hub to create more office space, a dedicated marketing creative area and a state-of-the- art TV studio to enhance customer engagement through high-qual- ity content. Currently employing 58 people in the UK and 10 in its US office in Orlando, the company is set to recruit between 10 to 20 new employees at its Lancashire base over the next year, boosting oppor- tunities for local talent in sales, marketing, customer service, finance and product development. Panache Cruises will also increase investment in apprentice- ships, with plans to onboard four to six apprentices in partnership with local educational institutions including Runshaw College, Bolton School and Westholme School. James Cole, Panache’s founder and chief executive, said: “Rosebud has been an integral part of our growth story since we launched. This new funding will enable us to take further strides towards our ambition of becoming the world’s biggest seller of luxury cruises.” Panache was founded in 2020 by luxury cruise expert James. Built on the ethos that ‘nothing is too much trouble,’ Panache Cruises delivers unique luxury cruise booking experiences tailored to meet customer preferences. It launched its new brand, Panache Expeditions, in May, catering to customers seeking extraordinary adventures to remote destinations, including Alaska, Antarctica, the Arctic and the Galapagos Islands. The business was also recently awarded The Sunday Times Best Places to Work and Top 100 Pri- vately Owned Businesses. SMALL business leaders are urging government action following the latest increase inunemployment. Official labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), have shown the unemploy- ment rate rising to 4.7 per cent. On top of that the num- ber of people on payroll has dropped and wage growth has slowed. Policy chair of the Feder- ation of Small Businesses (FSB), Tina McKenzie, said the figures were “disturbing”. She went on: “They add to a weight of evidence that if you make it more expensive and riskier to give someone a job, the result will be fewer jobs. More people are already being locked out of opportuni- ties, the benefits bill will rise even further, and the growth and prosperity we so desper- ately need will become more out of reach. “Ramping up job taxes, pushing through 28 new bits of employment legisla- tion, and then on top of that mooting a hike in employer pension costs, is not a rec- ipe for job-creation and eco- nomic growth. “Innovative, ambitious and compassionate small employ- ers, who want to grow and create good opportunities for people, are absolutely up against it, with sky-high costs of doing business and a stagnant economy. Min- isters should start basing policy-making on real- world evidence. New FSB research has found that twice as many small businesses reduced staff in the second quarter of 2025 (20 per cent) than increased their employee numbers (nine per cent), with similar num- bers predicted for the next three months (19 per cent and eight per cent respectively). Tina McKenzie added: “For the first time in the 15-year history of FSB’s quarterly Small Business Index, more small businesses expect to shrink or close over the next 12 months than the number which expect to expand. “That’s more than alarm- ing for the economy and the communities up and down the UK in which these hard-work- ing businesses operate. “Small businesses currently provide more than half of all private sector employment Jobs plunge sends alarm bells ringing Action at last on late payments THE government has unveiled its Small Business Plan to sup- port small and medium sized firms(SMEs)acrossthecountry. Itsmeasuresincludetackling the scourge of late payments with what it describes as “the most significant legislative reforms in25years”. Late payments are costing the UK economy £11billion a year and lead to the shut- ting down of 38 businesses every day. The new laws are set to give stronger powers to the Small Business Commissioner to empower them to wield fines, worth potentially millions of pounds, against the biggest firms who persistently choose to pay their suppliers late. The commissioner will be givenpowers to carry out spot checks and enforce a 30-day invoice verification period to speed up resolutions to disputes. The upcoming legislation will also introduce maximum payment terms of 60 days, reducing to 45 days, giving firms certainty they’ll be paid on time. Audit committees, under the proposals, will also be legally required to scrutinise payment practices at board level, placing greater pressure on large firms to show they’re treating small suppliers fairly backed by mandatory inter- est charges for those who pay late. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “From builders and electricians to freelance designers and manufactur- ers - too many hardworking people are being forced to spend precious hours chasing payments instead of doing what they do best – growing their businesses. “It’s unfair, it’s exhausting, and it’s holding Britain back. So, our message is clear: it’s time to pay up. “Through our Small Business Plan, we’re not only tackling the scourge of late payments once and for all, but we’re giving small busi- ness owners the backing and stability they need for their business to thrive, driving growth across the country through our Plan for Change.” As part of the plan, the government is also tackling anothermajorbarrierforsmall businesses – access to finance. It is launching a new £4bn wave of financial support aimedat boostinggrowthand supporting more small busi- nesses to start up and grow. This includes a £1bn boost for new businesses, with 69,000 Start-Up Loans and mentoring support to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and small busi- ness owners. Accelerating SME growth by just one percentage point per year, could deliver £320bn to theUK economy by 2030. – more than 16 million jobs, in every part of the country. Jeopardising that is not in the interests of workers, job-seek- ers or the economy. “There is some very clear writing on the wall. The gov- ernment must, collectively, take its head out of the sand and read it. “That includes improv- ing the worst aspects of the planned employment leg- islation, supporting small employers to make rises in statutory sick pay affordable, and creating the conditions in which it’s attractive for tal- ented, aspirational people to start their own business.” Cruise firm on course for more growth Expansion plan: Panache Cruises’ Chorley headquarters