The Chronicle

Food firm in move to the high street

5 things we learned yesterday

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1 A cult food shop in Newcastle is moving out of its city centre market home as it targets expansion both online and on the high street.

Food and drink retailer mmm... glug... has become popular in foodie circles since opening in the Grainger Market in 2008.

The company is now moving to a shop on nearby Grainger Street, allowing it to launch its own range of spices and set up online clickand-collect and mail order services as it begins to target internatio­nal trade. The move will also allow mmm...glug... to control its own opening hours, having become frustrated at the lack of Sunday opening at the Grainger Market. 2 Nissan has unveiled plans country’s electricit­y supply. The to allow motorists to sell scheme could also allow drivers to electricit­y back into the make money by selling their national grid, after striking a electricit­y back to the grid during partnershi­p deal with Northern high tariff periods. The scheme is Powergrid. likely to involve the use of the

The two firms have agreed to Nissan LEAF, which is built in work together on a number of Sunderland and is the best selling projects that will focus on how electric vehicle in the world. electric vehicles, batteries and

3 other technology can be used to A business started by two support the energy network. university friends when

One of the plans involves plugging they were stuck in a Nissan’s electric vehicles into the traffic jam has seen sales and grid at peak times to increase the profits rise by more than 40% to top £12m. Newcastle-based IAM Sold is the largest independen­t residentia­l auctioneer in the UK, and has this year been highlighte­d as one of the fastest growing companies in both the UK and Europe. The company began in 2009 when friends Jamie Cooke and Ben Ridgway were stuck in traffic near the Team Valley and began talking about possible business ideas. Now, along with its parent company, it employs more than 120 people.

Accounts for the firm have shown that its turnover for the year ending October 31, 2016, grew by 40% to £12.8m while operating profit increased 43% to £1.4m. 4 Engineerin­g consultanc­y Patrick Parsons has continued its expansion across the UK with the acquisitio­n of Manchester-based building design company BCM.

The Newcastle company, which has offices in London, Glasgow, Huddersfie­ld, Chester, Birmingham, Guildford, Sydney and Dubai, has bought BCM to expand its presence in the North West and also to strengthen its building services expertise. 5 A Grade II-listed building on Newcastle’s Collingwoo­d Street is to undergo a six-figure refurbishm­ent.

Silverston­e Building Consultanc­y will project-manage the works to No.2 Collingwoo­d Street. The prominent five-storey office building, which overlooks St Nicholas Cathedral, will get a major overhaul in a bid to attract new occupiers.

 ??  ?? Simone Clarkin founder of mmm and glug
Simone Clarkin founder of mmm and glug

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