Member Article

GAS’s Bradley Groves on ‘playing a part in the economic renaissance of County Durham’

After three years of measured growth, The Great Annual Savings Group is embarking on a major expansion programme which will include a significant increase in its employee numbers and a move to its new Headquarters at the Spectrum Business Park in Seaham, County Durham.

Bradley Groves, Great Annual Savings Group Chief Executive and Chairman said: “The move to Spectrum is the latest step in the evolution of our company and we are now in a great position to create jobs and grow the business exponentially.”

The move was facilitated with support from Business Durham, which has helped local firms generate £55m of investment and create more than 1,000 jobs in the space of one year.

The organisation helped six companies open a base in the County in the year to March 31, 2015 – a move which brought £15m of inward investment to the area and created 719 jobs. In addition, it oversaw nine reinvestments from foreign-owned companies in the county, generating a further £40m of investment and 332 jobs. All this was hot on the heels of major wins for County Durham including Hitachi Europe, Compound Photonics and Bristol Laboratories.

The activity has continued into this financial year, with GAS the latest company to relocate to Spectrum. The company has taken the whole of the ground floor of Spectrum 6, meaning the building is now fully occupied.

Simon Goon, Managing Director of Business Durham, said: “We’re delighted to see The Great Annual Savings Group based at Spectrum. We’ve worked closely with Spectrum to create a new sense of purpose and it’s great to see it on the up. County Durham is a fantastic place for the company to grow and thrive and we’re looking forward to supporting it with its recruitment and training needs over the next few months.

“In the last 12-18 months several companies have invested in County Durham, creating jobs and generating millions of pounds of wealth for the region. We are very proud to be giving local firms the support they need to oil the wheels of the local economy.”

The Great Annual Savings Group decided to move to Spectrum after outgrowing its premises on the Tedco Business Park in South Shields. Launched in 2012, the company works with businesses across many sectors to reduce their variable costs and save money in a range of areas including energy procurement, energy and water cost management, fire safety, telecoms and insurance.

Mr Groves said: “The support we’ve received from Business Durham has been invaluable and it’s fantastic to be playing a part in the economic renaissance of County Durham.”

The company joins several well-known organisations at Spectrum, including Business and Enterprise Group, Durham County Council, East Durham Business Service, County Durham Housing Group and Andrew James Ltd. The business park is home to 20 companies that employ more than 750 staff.