Wear Business Wear Business Issue 1 | Page 11

News BUSINESS BRIEFS RECRUITER OPENS SEAHAM OFFICE SSK Recruitment is a global recruiter with offices in the Netherlands and Iraq which has recently opened an office in Seaham. Speaking about the new office move, SSK Recruitment’s managing director, Adam Smith said: “Seaham, is my hometown, so it makes me immensely proud that we can continue to grow SSK here. “We are perfectly situated just off the A19 at Byron House so it has excellent links to all the major routes, making life a lot easier for client visits and travelling.” Distillery set to ‘transform’ city centre I everyone know where our new home will t may be buried deep underground be. but a new £1m project to install “Prince Bishops approached us earlier Durham’s first distillery is set to in the year as there were severe delays out transform the city centre. of our hands with the riverside location Work has already started on Durham we’d hoped to relocate to. Since signing Distillery’s new headquarters in the Prince the lease there has been a lot of work with Bishops Shopping Centre of the city after the company signed a ten-year lease for the our architects and designers to create something really special for Durham, and former Royal Bank of Scotland branch. the fit out is well underway. Covering several floors of the 5,000 sqm “The new setting not only benefits from site, the distillery, which is due to open a central location with passing traffic to in summer 2020, will see the production and from the cathedral, it’s larger and of the North-East’s first whisky, on top of Durham Distillery’s existing gin and vodka means we can be really imaginative when it comes to things like products. “We are actively visitor experience and The development encouraging local and scope for expansion and relocation from regional enterprises to join in the future. We’re their original base in us at Prince Bishops which bringing a completely Langley Park, Durham, is a great opportunity new offering to the retail will include a working for jobs and the future scene at Prince Bishops.” distillery for the three prosperity of the city Richard Toynbee, drinks, tours and centre.” centre manager at Prince tastings areas, a shop, Bishops Shopping Centre, added: “Durham function spaces for parties, meetings and Distillery will be a very welcome addition team building days and once complete will to the Prince Bishops line-up. create jobs with roles including a distillery “It is vitally important to the city centre manager and distiller. The new project that businesses offer our customers a replaces the original plans to move to the really good experience and together we Riverwalk development in Durham city show commitment to retail and leisure centre. investment for the future. For the fourth Christmas running, the “We are actively encouraging local and distillery set up a pop-up shop in Prince regional enterprises to join us at Prince Bishops and a Crowdfunding campaign Bishops which is a great opportunity for has been launched which offers people jobs and the future prosperity of the city the chance to be a part of whisky history centre.” while helping to fund the new distillery. Durham Distillery, which has recently Cases and casks of Durham Whisky can been rebranded as Durham Distillers, was be purchased which will be ready to drink the first emerging business to be invested three years and one day after entering in from the Finance Durham Fund, production. receiving a £250,000 investment to assist Owner Jon Chadwick, who founded its relocation and production of Durham Durham Distillery five years ago, said: Whisky. “We are really excited to make this big announcement and see signs up letting STUDENT GROWTH PLANNED Stephen Willis, chief financial planning officer of Durham University, says expansion plans could see thousands of new students living in the city in future years. Proposals in the draft County Durham Plan aim to manage student growth outlined in Durham University’s strategic plan until 2027. Over the period, the student population is expected to increase to 21,500 as the institution moves forward with plans for new facilities and student accommodation. PATI CAKE LAUNCH After weeks of extensive renovations costing around £20,000, Pati Cake Patisserie has opened in the former premises of The Fire Place Shop on Tunstall Road in Sunderland. It’s the brainchild of husband and wife team Patrycja and Ariel Niesporek who have expanded their Pati Cake Bakery to open the patisserie, which is named after Patrycja’s nickname. The couple, who are originally from Poland, say they are hoping to bring something different to the area, which as well as cakes, cookies, cheesecakes and scones offers coffees, sandwiches and home-made pizza slices. ALL GROWTH AT GK A family-run fabrications firm is aiming for 50 per cent growth after upgrading its factory space and winning several international contracts. Sunderland-based GK Fabrications, a provider of structural and architectural metal and steel services, has swapped its 2,800 sq ft former base for a 10,500 sq ft manufacturing space at Pallion Industrial Estate. The move aims to see the business more than double its current capability, provide new services to clients and grow its workforce. wear.business – the voice of business for the Wear region | 11