Tech group shuts Preston ‘Northern Tech Hub’

 Technology group ClearCourse has closed its Preston operation less than three years after it announced the creation of a ‘Northern Tech Hub’ in the city.

The group, which provides software services and an embedded payments platform, moved into Evolution House, the distinctive ‘Google-style’ office in Fulwood, following its acquisition of e-commerce business EKM.

In May 2022 it revealed that the office, which represented a £3.5m investment when EKM opened it in 2017, would become the base for around 150 workers.

It brought together three of its brands under one roof in Fulwood and unveiled plans to invest more than £1m in hiring new talent, learning and development. It also announced it planned to upskill existing staff at the tech hub.

John Antunes, ClearCourse’s group managing director at the time, told Lancashire Business View: “This is a big opportunity for us. We are also actively recruiting.”

He added: “One of the major plusses of creating the tech hub is cross-pollination. It gives us a huge opportunity working better together.”

It is understood that no jobs were lost as a direct result of the Preston office closure and that a number of staff have been redeployed. However, it is also believed restructuring across the business has led to some roles in the group being made redundant.

ClearCourse, which has its headquarters in the City of London, is making no comment on the Preston office closure or the number of job losses. The group still has an operation in Manchester.

Private Equity backed ClearCourse was created in 2018 and embarked on a growth strategy centred on buying tech businesses. That buy-to-build strategy has shown no signs of slowing and over time it has acquired more than 40 companies.

The group consists of companies servicing the payments, membership, business services, events and leisure and retail and hospitality sectors.

It acquired EKM, which began life in founder Antony Chesworth’s bedroom in 2002, for an undisclosed sum in October 2021. The business created by the Lancashire entrepreneur fitted the ClearCourse strategy.

EKM had grown to be a leading provider of e-commerce and online retail software, powering more than £350m of transactions annually for its customer base of SMEs.

Evolution House is now on the market to rent. Described as ‘the coolest office in the UK’ it was custom-built for EKM.

The landmark building offers 21,200 sq ft of premium office space. When it was opened its attractions included a raft of state-of-the-art office technology, an expansive kitchen, rest-and-relaxation area, training and presentation auditorium - and a slide reaching three stories.

There were also plans for a gym and a fully-equipped auditorium to be used for training seminars and available for local businesses to hire.