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

COUNTY DURHAM DESIGN ENGINEERS who have worked on castles, colleges and luxury London department stores are set to create new jobs after securing a seven-figure investment deal.

Chester-le-Street based mechanical, electrical, and digital engineering design consultancy JH Partners was launched in 2004 to provide low-carbon design solutions to customers in the public

and private sectors. The business works in a range of sectors including residential, education, heritage, industrial, low and net zero carbon, health, commercial, retail and leisure. It has

carried out major projects including mechanical and electrical work for luxury London department store Harrods, work on the £60m engineering hub the Stephenson Building for Newcastle

University, and several framework projects for Sunderland University and Motel One hotel group. Now the business, which had 10 employees in most recent accounts, is set for further growth

and job creation after sealing the seven-figure investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) – NEL Debt Finance Fund. A spokesman for JH Partners said: “Partnering

with NEL has provided JH Partners MEP and Digital Engineering with a strong platform for growth, enabling us to enhance both the scale and quality of our professional design services within

the construction industry. Their support has allowed us to invest in new staff, additional design software whilst giving us a broader view of what can be achieved to help us deliver even

greater value to our clients and helping provide long-term sustainable success.” COUNTY DURHAM TECH FIRM FILTRONIC sealed a new £800,000 contract with its lead defence customer, Leonardo.

The Sedgefield company, which also has a base in Leeds, designs and manufactures products for the aerospace, defence, space and telecoms infrastructure markets. In its latest deal win the

firm will supply high-performance modules for an airborne radar application for Leonardo. The new order, valued at £800,000, expands the critical components it supplies to Leonardo for its

Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system. The firm said it anticipates the order will be fulfilled in the second half of the next financial year and the modules will be

manufactured at its new highly automated microelectronics manufacturing operation at NETPark. A HISTORIC COUNTY DURHAM BREWERY is set for growth after being snapped up by a Hampshire beer

business. Seaham-based Castle Eden Brewery, which marks its 200th anniversary next year, was founded by John Nimmo and originally traded as J Nimmo and Sons, operating an estate of 125 pubs

at one stage. Over the years the business has changed hands several times, with previous owners including Whitbread plc. Its assets were acquired by Cliff Walker and David Travers in 2014.

Now, Castle Eden, which supplies major retailers, bar groups, restaurants and hotels with its range of beers and ales, has been acquired by Powder Monkey, a brewing company named after boys

who loaded gunpowder on warship, which is based at the opposite end of the country but which has connections with the North East. Andy Burdon founded Powder Monkey Group (PMG) brewery in

Gosport, Hampshire in 2019, but he is originally from Durham and has the same surname as Rowland Burdon, who owned the Castle Eden estate where the original brewery premises were leased to

Nimmo. Former England hooker Steve Thompson, a Rugby World Cup hero, is a director at the Gosport business where he is also a brand ambassador. Cliff Walker, joint MD of Castle Eden Brewery,

said: “We are absolutely delighted to join PMG and look forward to the additional exciting opportunities for growth.” A NORTHUMBERLAND BUSINESS is set for growth after forming part of a

seven-figure investment deal. London based Growth Fund 1 announced the completion of its investment into two healthcare consultancies to create The Pharmacist Network Group (TPNG), made up

of North East-based The Pharmacist Network, and Worcestershire based MORPh Clinical Services and MORPh Consultancy Limited. Growth Fund 1, launched by managing partner Toby Dixon,

specialises in investing in businesses that operate within business services sectors and is backed by leading entrepreneurs and supported by a panel of advisory members. The Pharmacist

Network, which has its head office in Ashington, Northumberland, provides on-site and remote general practice pharmacy and pharmacy technician services to GPs as a partner to the NHS. Its

services include supporting prescription-related requests, the provision of GP pharmacy services and assisting with out-of-hours services. Mr Dixon said: “This is an incredibly exciting

investment – an impressive leadership team we are thrilled to back and help build something amazing together. The potential is enormous. We are very keen as a fund manager to deploy into

strong sectors and make more investments in the North." NORTH EAST LUXURY CARE HOME BUSINESS HADRIAN HEALTHCARE is expanding into the North West through the creation of a £15m

development in a historic market town. Based in Gateshead, Hadrian Healthcare has developed a reputation for building and operating homes offering high standards of accommodation and care

for discerning elderly people, with features more akin for five-star hotels. The business, which was founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ian Watson, has been operating for more than

20 years, currently has Manor House homes in Leeds, Skipton, Gosforth and Gateshead, and previously developed homes, including its Manor House property in Harrogate, have been sold to new

owners in record-breaking deals. In July 2019 Mr Watson set a new benchmark in care home deals when five homes across County Durham and Yorkshire were sold for more than £100m to a fund

managed by insurance giant Aviva. Now the company has announced the acquisition of a new site in Penrith, which is poised to provide a base for a new luxury Manor House development, set

within stunning landscaped gardens. Mr Watson said: “This is our second significant investment, after having recently secured another great site in the Northumberland Market Town of Hexham,

and both of these developments will provide a combined total in excess of 160 new jobs within the area.” NORTH EAST BIOTECH FIRM MAGNITUDE BIOSCIENCES has secured £700,000 funding through a

number of investors and grant money. The Durham University spin-out which specialises in in vivo drug discovery - within living organisms - has raised the funds for development of its

high-throughput screening (HTS) platform which is being used to find treatments for age-related conditions and other diseases. Investment was led by Maven and its managed regional funds

including NPIF II - Maven Equity Finance, which is managed by Maven as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II; the Finance Durham Fund, set up by Durham County Council and

overseen by Business Durham, and support from existing investor Northstar Ventures. The investment was also matched with grant funding from Innovate UK through the Investor Partnerships:

Digital Technologies North East programme. Magnitude plans to develop its WormGazer technology using the investment and says it will now create a number of highly skilled jobs in robotics,

software engineering, and biological sciences at its NETPark, County Durham base. The technology uses integrated robotics, machine learning and liquid culture systems to make a platform that

is capable of screen thousands of compounds per week. It uses advanced machine-learning technology to analyse data which pharmaceutical, nutrition and health supplement companies can use to

identify compounds that can help healthier aging. RADIATION DETECTION COMPANY KROMEK has secured two orders - from Europe and the US - worth about $900,000 (£660,000). The County

Durham-based maker of detector hardware and software for the civil nuclear, defence and government sectors will provide its D3 series of detectors for immediate delivery. In an update to

shareholders on the London Stock Exchange, Kromek said the European customer is involved in building civilian science and technology partnerships to counter chemical, biological,

radiological and nuclear security risks and driving non-proliferation efforts. Meanwhile the US customer is described as a leading supplier of integrated products working in the defence and

security sector. Kromek said both customers will use its D3 series of detectors to build their capabilities in radiation levels detection and for data collection, processing and transmission

to help decision making and rapid responses to national safety and security threats. Arnab Basu, chief executive officer of Kromek, said: "We are pleased to announce the receipt of

these new orders that underscore our continued commitment to providing advanced detection solutions for emergency response services. Our proprietary technology is instrumental in mitigating

radiological and nuclear threats through rapid, reliable detection and real-time data transmission capabilities. "In an environment marked by ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, demand

for our solutions continues to grow, highlighting Kromek's vital role in supporting global safety and security efforts. These orders reflect the increasing trust in our innovative

technologies and further solidify Kromek's position as a leading provider in the critical security market." NORTH EAST TRANSPORT GROUP ARRIVA has secured a £12.7m contract in

Croatia which it says will add hundreds of thousands of kilometres to its operations in the country. The Sunderland-based company – one of the North East’s largest businesses – has won a new

seven-year public service contract in Lika-Senj county, a central area of the country where it has operated for more than 40 years. The new contract and network upgrade will add around

600,000 kilometres each year to Arriva’s operations in the area, delivered by a fleet of 21 buses and 32 drivers, including 10 new employees. Arriva’s share of the total €27.5m (£23m)

contract is valued at around €15.2m (£12.78m) over the seven years.