North East deals of the week: key contracts, acquisitions and investments

The Handbag Clinic launched at luxury London department store Selfridges as part of its move to encourage sustainable fashion.

Designer handbag restoration and resale company The Handbag Clinic has opened in the upmarket Mayfair store as part of The Stock Market at the Corner Shop, a month-long event where customers can uncover the value of what they already own, exchange items for credit and restore or upcycle clothing and accessories.

The firm – which counts celebrity clients including Claudia Schiffer, Poppy Delevingne, Storm Keating, Heidi Range and Frankie Bridge among its clients – will be offering its services in which customers can repair or restore their handbags, shoes or leather accessories, buy a preowned handbag from its in-store collection or trade in a handbag for Selfridges credit following an on the spot valuation.

The Handbag Clinic’s CEO and co-founder, Charlotte Staerck, said she is proud that The Handbag Clinic has been making progressive strides towards a more collaborative and sustainable industry.

Recent collaborations include Fenwick, which houses in-store concessions for The Handbag Clinic in its Newcastle, York and Colchester department stores, as well as luxury vintage marketplace, Open For Vintage which partnered with The Handbag Clinic as its official repair and restoration service. Its range of care Kits are also stocked in Harrods.

Ms Staerck, said: “For a North East business which began with just two artisans 10 years ago, our partnership with Selfridges marks an exciting milestone for our growth journey. As gatekeepers of the sustainable luxury market, we are delighted to strengthen our community of circular clients through our partnership with Selfridges, who share our vision of preserving the past whilst mindfully reinventing the future. We’re proud to help contribute towards Selfridges’ target of 45% of transactions coming from circular products and services by 2030.”

Gateshead real ale brewer The Great North Eastern Brewing Company is set for growth on the back of a £100,000 investment.

The Dunston business was launched in 2015 to brew and sell real ale by the cask or keg to pubs, clubs and hotels in the North East and further afield. The company also sells direct to customers through its brewery shop in Dunston and through its website.

Now the company has sealed a six-figure deal from the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF), the latest in a series of investments from the organisation to help it expand. The business is led by Paul Minnikin, a sole director and 100% shareholder who employs a team of seven who deliver over 6,000 litres of ale a week to over 400 customers – a far cry from when the business launched thanks to a start up loan delivered by Doug Heseltine, an investment manager at BEF.

The Great North Eastern Brewing Company is now set for growth in the volume supply market thanks to the £100,000 investment, allowing it to create new jobs and expand sales to hospitality businesses based in Edinburgh, York, and the Lake District. It has also recently added a high street pub chain to the list of firms it supplies, and it will also now offer canning, kegging, and bottling services to other local breweries.

Mr Minnikin, said: “I have dealt with Doug Heseltine for seven years now and would like to say that this business would not be at the stage it is without his help and the help of BEF hopefully the business will continue to grow so credit is due to you.”

Northumberland engineering company Osbit has launched a Netherlands base to boost its offering to Dutch customers.

The offshore wind technology developer, based in Riding Mill, has already expanded operations elsewhere around the globe following its acquisition by Yorkshire-based Venterra Group in 2021, a move which has seen its workforce increase significantly.

The company opened a US entity, Osbit Inc in Rhode Island and Delaware, last December amid moves to tap into the country’s burgeoning offshore wind sector, adding to its Port of Blyth and Riding Mill locations and tenancy at OrbisEnergy in Lowestoft. Now the company has launched Netherlands business entity and office, Osbit B.V, which is now operational from its base in Rotterdam.

Osbit joint managing director Robbie Blakeman said: “The Netherlands has always been a key market for us, and we’ve been developing exciting new technology for our customers in this region for many years. As a business, we are thrilled to be taking this next step to meet the growing needs of vessel and equipment operators in both the Netherlands, and wider European region.”

Tyneside battery innovator Turntide Technologies is toasting a significant step towards the creation of a battery hub to power zero-emission trains through a link-up with Hitachi Rail.

The Team Valley based business – created through the $100m merger of BorgWarner Gateshead, Sunderland’s Hyperdrive Innovation and Northumberland company Avid Technology – has been named as the preferred supplier for the design and supply of traction battery systems for Hitachi’s intercity battery train trial.

The partnership between the two companies is working towards a UK trial to demonstrate how its battery technology can simultaneously reduce emissions and fuel costs, with the pioneering tech on the cusp of making the UK a global leader in intercity battery train technology.

It could also lead to a more lucrative deal, for mass production of battery management systems for Hitachi in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, ultimately triggering the creation of highly skilled jobs at Turntide’s design and production facilities at its Gateshead, Sunderland and Cramlington sites.

Mark Cox, general manager of Turntide’s transport business unit, said: “Recognition for the development of this battery system speaks to the level of collaboration and expertise the Turntide team brings to complex electrification projects. We possess the advanced skills necessary to assist clients such as Hitachi Rail in overcoming the technical challenges associated with electrifying passenger rail cars and decreasing carbon emissions in the railway sector.”

Online fashion disrupter Hirestreet has announced one of its biggest deals to date – a link-up with online giant Asos.

Based in Newcastle city centre, Hirestreet was launched in 2018 by award-winning entrepreneur Isabella West who wanted to create a sustainable response to fast and throwaway fashion. Hirestreet allows customers to rent outfits for holidays and special occasions, rather than buy clothes they may only wear a few times before throwing them away.

Ms West started the business by renting a handful of her own dresses, but the Haylofts-based company now rents out thousands of outfits on a weekly basis, while also teaming up with major retailers through its white label platform Zoa Rental, including the likes of M&S, French Connection, River Island, Oasis, Nobody’s Child, Lipsy and Decathlon.

Now Asos, the online fashion giant for 20-somethings, has launched its first ever rental edit in partnership with Hirestreet. Available from today, the collection includes over 180 styles focused on women’s occasionwear dressing.

PD Ports has invested £8.6m on two new electric cranes to serve is Tees Dock facility, in a move the operator says it is part of its sustainability agenda.

The Liebherr cranes, which stand at 83m tall with the boom fully raised, have improved the dock’s handling capacities from 100 to 140 tonnes. The operator says the electric-hydraulic powered systems are more environmentally friendly for loading and discharging bulk commodities at what is one of the deepest general purpose cargo quays in the UK.

It is the latest in a series of investments made into Teesport, following the launch of the £12m Teesport Bulks Terminal in 2020. Earlier this year the port’s first fully electric vehicle was introduced as part of an effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2027.

Frans Calje, CEO at PD Ports, said the investment was another significant step forward as the port operator aims for carbon neutrality. He said: “I am delighted to see the new cranes in operation at Tees Dock. As a business, we are committed to driving positive change and building a more sustainable future; this investment signifies that whilst also ensuring we can uphold the highest operating standards.

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