Newcastle company The Handbag Clinic, which restores and re-sells luxury handbags around the world, is set to create new jobs after sealing ‘significant’ investment.
The Handbag Clinic – founded by Charlotte Staerck and her husband Ben – was launched as a spin-off from the leather restoration business Furniture Clinic in 2013, but swiftly became a succesful part of the business thanks to partnerships with the likes of Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Fenwick, as well as franchises overseas.
Now the company, which counts celebrities including Claudia Schiffer, Poppy Delevingne and Frankie Bridge among its customers, has raised investment from the North East Venture Fund (NEVF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia Ventures, and a private investor.
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The firm said the undisclosed funding will allow it to accelerate its growth in the 海角视频 and internationally, creating at least 10 new jobs in 2024. It will also boost its technology, including the addition of AI and microscopic imagery to support its team of authenticators.
North East wealth manager Fairstone has announced the full acquisition of South East business Goodman Chartered Financial Planners.
The firm, based in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, has become part of the Sunderland group after a period of integration as part of Fairstone’s Downstream Buy Out (DBO) programme. The programme is aimed at bringing on board ambitious businesses prior to final acquisition and gives partner firms access to the investment, resources, technology and clients needed to meet growth aspirations.
Goodman has become Fairstone’s tenth office in the South East and brings its total number of office locations to 55, with financial management, private wealth, corporate solutions, mortgage solutions and estate planning divisions. It now collectively oversees £15bn in funds under management.
Goodman director Andy Smith said: “Joining Fairstone was very attractive to us as their commitment to independent financial advice and their passion for a high-quality service delivery very much matched our own.
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“Fairstone encouraged us to manage our clients without any need to change our approach or their investment solutions. This trust has enabled us to build and grow the business. Fairstone’s scale and expertise means we can continue to focus on growth even after acquisition which is an exciting prospect for us.”
A huge industrial scheme next to Amazon’s Darlington fulfilment centre has been acquired in an undisclosed deal.
Greenbox, which specialises in green grade A logistics space in the 海角视频, has acquired the 24-acre development site in Darlington which secured planning permission earlier this year. The project is the second to be snapped up by Greenbox, following on from the platform’s first acquisition, Greenbox Thirsk.
Greenbox – a 海角视频 logistics joint venture between Partners Group and Citivale – has acquired the site from developers Premcor Estates Ltd, which had called the scheme Fabric Darlington through the planning process. In February, Premcor directors Simon Hawkins and Rob Lane told how they expected interest from manufacturers and warehousing businesses for the scheme, after gaining planning consent for three industrial and distribution units, with a combined floor area of 402,000sqft of office and industrial space. All three units are scheduled to be delivered and ready for tenants from the start of 2025.
Part of Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has swooped for the website of a collapsed Sunderland children’s retailer. Designer Childrenswear, founded 30 years ago by husband and wife team Kevin and Brenda Coade, fell into administration and ceased trading with the loss of all jobs last week, despite its position as the 海角视频’s third largest independent retailer of luxury branded children’s clothing.
The Sunderland business had been an early adopter of social media and sold more than 160 brands to over 120 countries worldwide. But changes to its website proved to be its downfall, as joint administrators at FRP Advisory revealed in their report.
A new report by FRP shows that the Designer Childrenswear name and website has been snapped up by two Frasers Group firms, SDI Brands 7 Limited and SDI (Betws-y-coed) Limited. Documents show the two companies – the second of which lists Frasers Group as its parent company on Companies House – paid a combined £100,000 for certain assets of the Sunderland business.
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Hydrogen producer Lhyfe has secured a £24m (€28m) refinancing package it says will support its growth strategy, on the back of moves into the North East and Yorkshire.
The French firm announced the syndicated green bank loan worth €22.2m, and two finance lines worth €5.8m, in a move it said showed the confidence in its strategy. Lhyfe has its sights on becoming one of Europe's leading green hydrogen producers and is looking for industrial customers in the 海角视频 having first set up offices in the North East, and identified potential production sites in the region.
The Euronext Paris-listed company already has a green hydrogen facilities in France, including its latest in the Occitanie region which due to start production next year. And it has five additional plants under construction, mainly in France and Germany.
Having set out ambitious plans for the firm's North East presence a year ago, 海角视频 country manager Colin Brown recently announced the opening of a Sheffield office as well, having identified the city and region as a hot spot for hydrogen research and supply chain work. The firm's strategy is to partner with companies that want to decarbonise their operations through use of hydrogen.