Entrepreneur makes Sunderland's Evolve Business Centre his new digital company's home

A new digital business aiming to transform the region’s streets with high impact screens is expanding.

This news comes less than six months after the company was formed. Smart Outdoor, which provides digital advertising screens to millions, has moved into Sunderland’s Evolve Business Centre with the hope of three new employees coming on board.

The team will soon be seven-strong, and hopes to go on a period of growth with more advertising sites set to be added to its portfolio.

The company, headed up by Livingston-born Mark Catterall, has many display screens including one on the A19 as well as Whitemare Pool and Newcastle.

It is in the process of agreeing deals that will see new sites appear across the North East and in other ‘underserved’ areas across the UK.

Mark said: “Smart Outdoor is still in its infancy, but already the business is going from strength-to-strength and with some exciting developments in the pipeline, I am certain we’ll see further significant growth in the coming months.

“Taking an office space in Evolve, which is right at the heart of the North East, positions us really well to serve the whole region, and the excellent road, rail and air connections nearby mean we can easily get to where we need to, with ease of access to London and Amsterdam, places that are of particular strategic importance to us.”

Mark, who has worked in the outdoor media industry for 15 years, said he is forecasting good growth, adding to the business’ offer with social media support, which will complement the firm’s ambient media platforms.

He added: “The digital outdoor market has some really big players, and it’s highly competitive, but where we differentiate ourselves is in our ability to focus on places that are currently under-served by outdoor media, but have important audiences that businesses want - and have the marketing budget available - to target.”

With a portfolio of 20 existing sites, Smart Outdoor is already able to offer its clients a number of prominent advertising opportunities across the North East.

However, with further investment in new sites currently in advanced planning stages, Mr Catterall believes the business could be a major disruptor in the outdoor advertising market.

The company has been supported by Sunderland City Council’s business investment team, which assisted Mark with the move to Evolve and will be offering ongoing help as the business grows.

Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council, concluded: “Smart Outdoor is a really impressive business that we are delighted has chosen Sunderland as its base.”