North East fintech firm ION has secured a three-year contract with drug developer Quotient Sciences worth £1.3m.
The company has offices in Gosforth and London and works with mid-market businesses to deploy advanced accounting, billing, and CRM cloud applications.
Now, the business has secured the deal with Quotient Sciences, focused on transforming Quotient’s CRM and financial technology solutions, to create a unified cloud platform to support the company’s growth.
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An investment programme has been launched at a popular Northumberland pub after hospitality group Vaulkhard Leisure took on the lease.
Vaulkhard already owns a raft of pubs and restaurants across the North East, including three Bar Luga venues, Blakes, Bealim House and Castro's, and it last year acquired seven more Newcastle city centre pubs including the Town Wall, the Bridge Tavern, Offshore 44 and the Redhouse.
Now the leisure company has added to its portfolio by taking on the lease of The Diamond in Ponteland after becoming temporary managers of the pub in 2018.
The Diamond has now closed its doors in anticipation of a £350,000 revamp by Vaulkhard and the building owners, Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars, and is set to reopen in March.
North East offshore specialist Tekmar Group has announced a $10m deal for work on a major Middle East project.
The Darlington group – which has five main operating companies in Tekmar Energy, Subsea Innovation, AgileTek Engineering, Ryder Geotechnical and Pipeshield International – has sealed the lucrative contract to provide pipeline support and protection materials for a subsea construction project.
The deal, worth in excess of $10m (£7.2m), comes less than a month after it announced a contract award to supply cable protection systems for the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, being built off the North East coast.
Durham investigation company Exploration and Testing Associates (ETA) is set to create more jobs after a third round of cash from a regional investment fund.
ETA launched a materials testing laboratory in 2020 at its head office in Bowburn, County Durham, on the back of a £1m investment package.
Set up in 2019 by Ken Marsh, the firm works with a growing number of clients around the UK, offering ground investigation, on-site and laboratory materials testing, plus geotechnical and geo-environmental advice and reporting through is offices in Durham, Coventry and Altrincham.
The ETA management team has previously worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to secure two investments from the Growth Capital Fund to help support its growth ambitions.
It has now gone back to NEL for a further £50,000 Growth Capital Fund investment, which will be used to bring in additional equipment and supporting the business’s ongoing recruitment needs.
North East technology firm Vianet has announced a significant deal with global coffee business Lavazza Professional UK for its fast-growing Smart Machines division.
The Stockton firm, which provides monitoring systems to vending machines, pubs and restaurants, said it has been awarded a three-year contract to provide contactless payment, telemetry, and data services across its unattended retail estate.
Vianet said it secured the deal following a rigorous tender process, to provide its services to 3,000 units in Lavazza Professional UK’s managed estate.
It also gives Vianet preferred supplier access to a further 10,000 machines in Lavazza Professional UK’s direct estate providing coffee solutions to vending operators and end-users.
North East adult comic Viz has been bought by a growing publishing group.
The magazine - which at its height was one of the best selling publications in the UK - was founded in Newcastle in 1979 and retains many regional elements in its unique style of humour.
Despite seeing circulation drop from 1.2m in the 1990s to around 50,000, Viz is enjoying increasing success through the growth of its online offering.
Now the publication - along with the Cyclist and Fortrean Times magazines - has been bought by Metropolis Group. It had previous been owned by Broadleaf Group, the holding company of Autovia, Expert Reviews and former publishers Dennis.
Long-established motor dealer Sherwoods Motor Group has made its second acquisition in recent years to continue its expansion.
The Washington firm bought Springfield Motor Group in 2019 and it has now taken over Sunderland’s Town Centre Automobiles in a deal that strengthens its relationship with Citroen and Peugeot owner Stellantis Group.
Town Centre Automobiles was founded in 1977 with the opening of a showroom in Villiers Street, in Sunderland city centre, under the name Town Centre Garage Ltd.
