Vertu Motors chief executive Robert Forrester did not leave Reg Vardy by choice. When Pendragon bought the company in 2006, he and several colleagues started again. Twenty years later, Vertu is a national group still run from Gateshead.

The company grew by buying dealerships, but its workshops keep customers coming back after a sale. Our lead follows the people who built that business and the managers now deciding which sites and carmakers to back.

The North East was the UK’s joint-fastest-growing region in 2024, though performance split sharply between the North East mayoral area and Tees Valley. The practical test for the new £25.9m Business North East framework is whether firms can find the right support through a regional hub and seven councils.

Elsewhere, Sage chief executive Steve Hare questions Britain’s focus on data centres, our new guide compares investment funds available to North East companies and Newcastle University has launched a devolution institute with Andy Haldane as its first fellow. OneClickComply and Dragonfly have each secured £1m, OpenWorks is expanding in the US and Newcastle Airport wins coveted national award.

Before he built Vertu Motors, Robert Forrester planned an academic career researching Swedish migration. His Oxford tutor told him he was “much too competitive to be an academic”.

Vertu Motors is now a national dealership group. Car sales bring customers in, but its workshops help keep them coming back. Servicing, repairs and parts produced 46 per cent of gross profit in the year to February 2026.

Forrester remains chief executive, while new managing directors Leon Caruso and Anthony Masterson now oversee the dealerships. They will help decide which sites and carmakers to back as the business adapts to a changing market.

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The North East was the UK's joint-fastest-growing region according to the latest ONS figures, yet it still had the country's lowest GDP per head. The 1.6 per cent growth rate conceals a sharp split. The North East mayoral area grew by 2.0 per cent, while Tees Valley grew by just 0.3 per cent and its GDP per head fell by 1.2 per cent.

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Sage chief executive Steve Hare has questioned whether Britain needs data centres across the country, arguing that the stronger opportunity lies in applying artificial intelligence through products and services.

His argument puts the North East's AI Growth Zone in context. Infrastructure may provide computing capacity, but the longer-term value depends on companies turning the technology into tools, intellectual property and productivity gains. Sage is already taking that application-led route across finance, payroll, human resources and operations.

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North East companies can draw on early-stage equity, growth investment or repayable loans, but those routes differ in size, geography and the businesses they support. After last week's chart preview, the full guide now compares the main options by finance type, investment size and where each fund operates.

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Newcastle University has launched an Institute of Devolution and appointed British Chambers of Commerce president Andy Haldane as its first professorial fellow. The institute will research how devolved powers affect growth and public services. Haldane has argued that regional leaders still lack control over some of the decisions needed to deliver their plans, including parts of the skills system.

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OneClickComply raises £1m to expand Sunderland cyber compliance business
The £1m round from three regional funds will support product development and the expansion of sales and customer service, with four jobs planned. Read more

Northumberland aerogel maker Dragonfly Advanced Materials secures £1m to scale production
The Newcastle University spinout is commissioning a Northumberland manufacturing facility after securing £500,000 from Northstar Ventures and a £500,000 Innovate UK grant. Read more

Northumberland defence technology company OpenWorks expands into US
OpenWorks Engineering has opened a regional headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia and plans to begin production at a Detroit manufacturing facility before the end of 2026, while Prudhoe remains its global headquarters and main engineering base. Read more

Newcastle airport wins Airport of the Year
Newcastle International Airport has been named Airport of the Year at the Aviation Industry Awards UK. The airport says record airline investment in 2025/26 brought 22 new routes. It has also invested almost £60m in facilities over the past couple of years. Read more

Turner Prize offers Middlesbrough a chance to reshape its image
Tees Business argues that the Turner Prize exhibition gives Middlesbrough an opportunity to challenge recent negative national coverage of the town. While serious problems remain, the event is bringing journalists and visitors to Middlesbrough and exposing them to a broader picture of its cultural life and regeneration ambitions. Read more

Until next week,

Stephen