As we know this northern county is well known for its musicians, football teams and the renowned River Mersey, but its main economy is in fact Banking, Finance and Insurance. Liverpool is one of the few cities in the world where cruise liners can berth in the city centre, hence tourism is also a major factor in the economy.
Most Liverpudlians or locally known as “scousers” still call Tom Morris’s shops "Home and Bargain", now renamed Home Bargains. Tom Morris opened his first Home and Bargain store in Old Swan in 1976, offering household goods at rock bottom prices.
The late, great Sir Ken Dodd was one of its first regular customers. Today parent company TJ Morris has more than 500 stores and more than 22,000 staff - the publicity-shy Tom and his family are worth billions, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
Gary Fredson, founder and CEO of the ESE Group has had many dark moments especially when he lost everything and was living on pot noodles, losng his property, car repossessed and even borrowing money from his dad to buy his daughter a birthday present. “It is at these times that you find out who your real friends are. You discover who are your fair-weather friends. It is also easy to be negative and blame everybody and everything else for your situation. It is hard to look in the mirror daily, accept responsibility and do something about it”. Gary made the decision that he was going to change his mindset and set regular goals and be positive.This positive change in attitude, turned his life around, improving his wellbeing and helped him to build a multi-million pound business that is going from strength to strength.
Gary’s passion for renewable energy is infectious and his vision is inspiring.