Welcome
FOREWORD
By Graeme Anderson , Wear Business editor
Hello and welcome to Issue 6 of Wear Business - the only magazine devoted entirely to connecting the B2B communities of Sunderland and County Durham and highlighting their successes .
As someone born in County Durham and who made his career in Sunderland , I ’ m very aware of the warm and self-effacing nature of the people of the Wear region .
We ’ re quietly proud of our achievements but publicly modest when it comes to talking them up and this natural reticence can sometimes feel like we enjoy talking the place down .
Anyone tempted to do so though is going to find that job increasingly harder because the constant stream of ‘ good news ’ stories passing across Wear Business ’ s desk lately provides overwhelming proof that the region is on the up .
In the space of barely a fortnight , following the announcement of Nissan ’ s £ 1bn investment in the Wear economy and the creation of thousands of new jobs as a result , there was a series of major announcements for Sunderland and County Durham - all of them good .
Just along the road from Nissan at
Washington , the IAMP was being cleared of derelict farm buildings in a major step towards the 150-hectare site fulfilling its vast manufacturing potential .
In Houghton , as well as Tesco announcing the opening of a major new store , Just Eat stunned everyone with news of 1,500 new jobs being created in its new offices at Rainton House .
The new £ 34m Sunderland Eye Hospital was put out to tender . Work began on a £ 26m renovation of Sunderland railway station . Durham announced it was bidding for UK City of Culture . The Lumiere in Durham and return of the Roker Park festival promised huge boosts for the night-time economy . As we went to press , the Sunderland Empire ( our cover story ) was leading the Wear region ’ s other theatres and cinemas in a string of reopenings and new show announcements which would put the business of culture back on Wearside ’ s map .
And hey , that ’ s only the headlines over a couple of weeks ! So many reasons to be cheerful about the region ’ s economic direction at the moment , as you ’ ll discover inside .
Enjoy the read .
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WEAR BUSINESS ISSUE 6 HIGHLIGHTS
14 The Empire strikes back
Cover feature : Theatre director Marie Nixon on the business of culture , the night-time economy and Orville the duck .
22 Support bubble
Business Durham has helped guide businesses through pandemic – and more help is at hand .
18 Nissan comes bearing gifts
A look at the company ’ s commitment to green energy and a long-term future on Wearside .
26 Succession plan
Experienced solicitor takes up lead corporate role with law firm .
29 Showcase North-East
Online event brings hundreds of businesses to the table .
North East Business & Innovation Centre ( BIC ) Wearfield Enterprise Park East Sunderland SR5 2TA Email : info @ wear . business Web : wear . business
Published and distributed by : Resolution Media & Publishing Editor : Graeme Anderson . Executive Editors : Dave Allan and Martin Walker . Designed by : KINSHIP Photography : Graeme Rowatt , Tom Banks , Chris Booth .
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* All rights reserved . Reproduction , in whole or part without written permission , is strictly prohibited . Wear Business accepts adverts and advertorials in good faith and takes no responsibility for errors and / or omissions . We cannot be held responsible for advertisers offering goods or services . All information is correct , to the best of our knowledge , at the time of publishing .
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