A group of former regional press journalists who got together to launch a new business website are expanding their operations.

TheBusinessDesk.com, which delivers business news direct to subscribers’ desktops, is launching a new service for the North West following the success of its Yorkshire operation.

The site was launched in Yorkshire last November by former Yorkshire Post business editor David Parkin, pictured left, with the backing of a number of entrepreneurs and Yorkshire Bank.

Since then it has grown to boast more than 150,000 monthly page views, with the audience growing by more than 10pc each month.

The team which will be running the new North West service includes former Manchester Evening News business editor Sheryl Moore, respected Manchester-based business journalist and former Yorkshire Post deputy business editor James Graham, and published business author and journalist Anastasia Weiner. Other high profile North West journalist staff are expected to join in the coming weeks.

It will report on business news for the entire region including Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria.

David, who is the group’s managing editor, said: “We are fully aware of what a thriving commercial region the North West is and felt it was a natural step to launch here after the success of our Yorkshire website.

“There is a huge amount of business done between Yorkshire and the North West and we believe a new service in the region that provides trusted business information in an accessible format quickly, clearly and free will be a valuable tool for professionals who need to be kept up-to-date with what is happening in the region.”