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Vertu Motors’ new £2 million offices in Gateshead have been opened by Northern Powerhouse minister James Wharton MP.

Vertu House on the Fifth Avenue Business Park, Team Valley, is home to the AM100 dealer group’s central support centre, to be used by 300 staff, all employed in the last four years.

The central support centre includes a contact centre, board and meeting rooms, canteen, electric vehicle charging points and audio visual equipment and an environmentally friendly heating and air conditioning system.

At the opening Wharton said:  "It’s not easy to secure a turnover of over £2 billion a year and to have more than 120 dealerships under your umbrella. It is an incredible achievement, and it is an achievement that is being delivered from here in the North East of England.

“The investments that  Vertu Motors brings, the jobs it creates, this speaks to real people, those peoples’ jobs, those peoples’ livelihoods, those opportunities for people who want to go into the range of opportunities that are afforded by a business such as Vertu Motors.”

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors, said:  “This major investment in the North East underlines the group’s commitment to the region and its positive impact on employment and the economy.

“In November 2006 the business operated from a small office in Newcastle and has grown to become a major success story for the North East, with turnover now exceeding well over £2bn.   We are proud of our heritage.

“We are pleased to be making a positive contribution to the ‘Northern Powerhouse’.”

Picture: James Wharton MP and Robert Forrester, CEO of Vertu Motors