£5m Newcastle furniture store to create 20 local jobs upon completion

North East independent furniture retailer Barker and Stonehouse has been given the green light to build a new store in Gateshead at the Metrocentre Retail Park.

The new store will double the size of its existing Gateshead base with nearly 50,000 sq ft of retail space across three floors and will also create 20 new jobs.

Managing director James Barker said: “We always want to provide something different for our customers, an approach which has proved successful over our 75-year history.Not only with a diverse product range but also by ensuring our stores far surpass the design expectations of any out-of-town retail outlet.

“This new location is ideal. It’s at the heart of an already bustling retail community and we’re excited to grow our offer here.

“Our roots are very much in the North East, with my grandfather having started the business in 1946 in Stockton on Tees. It’s great to be strengthening our presence by further investing in the region.”

This latest investment comes after a further £1m investment in new technologies earlier this year, that will “improve interactive customer experiences” both in-store and online.

In addition, visitors will also be able to eat at a mezzanine-level bistro run by North East chef Daryl Chadwick. The Mediterranean menus will offer a range of options for breakfast and lunch.

As the first UK furniture retailer of scale to achieve Carbon Neutral Plus status earlier this year, the company’s new Gateshead store will utilise energy-saving lighting, a solar panelled roof, and thermal insulation.

The store will also be built using more timber frames as opposed to steel which is both environmentally friendly and energy saving. The site will also include electric vehicle charging points.

James added: “We have twice as many stores as we did ten years ago but still use the same amount of power. This is the direct result of our carbon-reducing initiatives. To become the company that we would like to become, there is still a distance to go, but we are making good and consistent progress.”

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