WELCOME
Three of this week's stories depend on central government. The Ministry of Defence has not named a preferred bidder for Lockheed Martin's proposed £85m satellite factory in County Durham.
The Department for Business and Trade estimates the UK-India trade agreement could add £70m a year to the North East economy in the long run, and North East mayor Kim McGuinness is in India this week with a delegation of nearly 200 people. The Chancellor delivers the Autumn Budget on 28 October.
The rest is largely the region's own doing. Greggs, this week's lead, reached 2,773 shops through its own choices, from the 1994 Bakers Oven purchase to the 2013 shift to food on the go. Tioxide says output at its Greatham plant is ahead of plan, Durham University and Microsoft have launched an AI skills centre and Newcastle has risen to 10th of 26 UK cities in Oxford Economics' index.
THE LEAD
How Greggs took over Britain
Greggs took over Britain in three moves. In 1994 it bought Bakers Oven, which brought 424 shops and effectively doubled its estate. In 2013, when a review found that around three-quarters of visits were already for food on the go, it turned itself from a traditional bakery into a food-on-the-go business. Like-for-like sales, which had been falling, were growing again within a year.
The third move is still under way, and it goes back to John Gregg's delivery van in the mining villages north of Newcastle. His son Ian's first rule of retailing was: "You must be where your customers are."
More than half of Greggs' new shops now open away from the high street, on petrol forecourts and in supermarkets, hospitals and university campuses.
Greggs has 2,773 shops and sees room for at least 3,500. Its approach is much the same as when John Gregg drove into Seaton Burn, sounded his horn and waited for customers to come out of the terraces.
THE NUMBER
0.12 per cent
The long-run gain to the North East economy from the UK-India trade agreement, as a share of its size. The Department for Business and Trade puts it at £70m a year. That is slightly above the North West (0.10 per cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber (0.11 per cent), because the region has large motor vehicle and machinery industries. The region sold about £100m of goods to India in 2025.
CHART OF THE WEEK
Newcastle moved up to 10th of the 26 UK cities in Oxford Economics' 2026 Global Cities Index, even as it fell eight places globally to 150th out of 1,000. The chart shows why the picture is mixed. Newcastle scores above the UK city average for quality of life and environment, and below it for economics and human capital.
Its rise at home reflects bigger falls elsewhere. Leicester and Southampton dropped below it, and 23 of the 25 UK cities outside London fell in the global rankings. Middlesbrough, the region's other ranked city, is 285th and last of the UK 26.
EXPLAINER
Two mayors, one region
The North East has two mayoral authorities, and both are in the North East. In our latest explainer, we set out who covers which councils, how the region came to be split in two, what the mayors control and what they don't, and why the North East authority now receives government money that Tees Valley does not.
It is part of a series of short Review North explainers: the region's economy in maps, charts and plain English, in two or three minutes.
THE WEEK
What the UK-India trade agreement could mean for the North East
Kim McGuinness is in India this week with a delegation of nearly 200 people from across northern England, three months after the UK-India trade agreement took effect. The Department for Business and Trade estimates the agreement could make the North East economy £70m a year bigger in the long run, driven by car and machinery makers. The test for the mission is whether it can widen that base beyond car and machinery makers.
Durham University and Microsoft launch AI Skills Centre of Excellence
Students, graduates and staff will be the first users of Durham University and Microsoft’s new AI skills centre. It will support job-market preparation and the use of AI in teaching, research and professional services before later phases extend workshops and training to businesses, public-sector agencies and community partners across the region.
Lockheed Martin's £85m County Durham satellite factory awaits Skynet decision
County Durham's proposed £85m satellite factory is waiting on a national defence procurement. Lockheed Martin and Airbus are competing to build Britain's next military communications satellites. A Lockheed win would bring assembly and testing to NETPark; Airbus argues that keeping the contract would better protect Britain's existing sovereign capability, while Lockheed says its plant would create a UK-based capability for domestic use and export. The Ministry of Defence will name a preferred bidder by mid-November.
Tioxide targets 308 staff in 2027 as Greatham titanium dioxide plant ramps up
Tioxide Materials says output at its Greatham titanium dioxide plant is ahead of where it wanted to be, after production restarted on 18 August. The company expects its workforce to reach 267 in the coming weeks and is targeting 308 in 2027, with the plant's second line due to restart in early 2027. Venator, the previous owner, entered administration in October 2025.
IN THE CALENDAR
Friday 23 October. Kromek holds its annual general meeting at NETPark in Sedgefield. Jane Pearce joins the board as a non-executive director at the close of the meeting and becomes chair of the Audit Committee, as Chris Wilkes retires. Notice of AGM
Tuesday 27 October. The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority's Cabinet is due to decide whether to approve a regional apprenticeship service brokerage offer, intended to help more young people take up apprenticeships. Forward plan
Wednesday 28 October. Chancellor John Healey delivers the Autumn Budget. The regional question is how far it moves fiscal devolution to the mayors. Chancellor's letter
MORE FROM REVIEW NORTH
Gateshead-based Aspire expands into North West with fourth acquisition
Aspire Technology Solutions has bought Warrington-based Sentis Managed Solutions, adding more than 80 customers and a base in North West England. Read more
FROM AROUND THE NORTH EAST
Rula readies plots for Teeslink logistics park
Place North East reports that enabling works are complete at the 54-acre Teeslink site in Stockton, where planning consent covers 775,000 sq ft of industrial space. The £3m infrastructure phase is intended to unlock the plots for occupiers. The scheme has potential to support up to 1,000 jobs, with occupation available from the third quarter of 2027. Read more
Opencast builds £91.7m backlog after difficult year
Newcastle technology consultancy Opencast increased turnover from £46.5m to more than £50m in 2025, while its pre-tax loss narrowed from £6.7m to £4.2m. Slow public-sector procurement and delayed contract starts weighed on the year, but July 2026 was its strongest month yet. It now expects full-year revenue to exceed £70m. Read more
Until next week,
Stephen
