New IT jobs to be created as Waterstons moves to Aykley Heads

Business and IT consultancy Waterstons is moving to Northumbria House at Aykley Heads in Durham.

Waterstons’ switch from its current base at Belmont Business Park has been sparked by growth of nearly 30% last year to turnover of £9.4m, and this year the group expects to see growth of around 20%.

The company, which also has offices in London and Glasgow, employs 133 staff and expects to hire another 30 people over the next year.

Susan Bell, chief executive officer, says the firm is also looking to expand overseas, possibly in the Asia Pacific region, and is aiming to see its turnover top £11m.

Mrs Bell said: “We are very proud to maintain our head office in Durham. We are enjoying excellent growth, with aspirations to grow further in the North East fuelled by our long term relationships and partnerships with clients and prospects in the region.

“The new office will provide much needed additional capacity and enable us to work more effectively together. The vision for Aykley Heads as a high-growth business district for professional services is extremely attractive and we are thrilled to be relocating at the start of the redevelopment of the area.”

The company was established nearly 24 years ago, delivers services to a large number of clients ranging from manufacturing and education to the food and drink industry.

It expects to move to Aykley Heads this autumn following an office refurbishment, partnering with GT3 Architects and Identity Consult to create a modern office space.

The firm joins successful names such as Atom bank at Aykley Heads, which is also home to the office space and small business incubator Salvus House, managed by Business Durham, the economic development organisation for County Durham, on behalf of Durham County Council.

Durham County Council leader Simon Henig said: “We are delighted to welcome Waterstons to Northumbria House and particularly pleased to have a business and IT consultancy as the first of, what we anticipate, will be many new companies locating at Aykley Heads.

“This is the start of a very exciting moment in the county’s history which I believe represents a step change for our economy and that of the wider region.”

Coun Henig welcomed Waterstons to Aykley Heads at a business breakfast where he outlined plans for the council’s HQ to be demolished and replaced with a hi-tech business park.

North East LEP chair, Atom’s chief innovation officer Ed Twiddy and Jane Robinson, Durham University’s chief operating officer, praised the plans at the event.