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Petroplus refinery

Tees jobs hit by a double threat

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today as one of the region’s biggest employers announced restructuring plans and oil workers at the Petroplus refinery entered talks with Swiss bosses who previously said they were looking sell or convert the plant for storage. Read

Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown praises region but gives no cash pledge

GORDON Brown has praised the North East as the potential home for tomorrow’s energy sources, but crucially failed to promise extra funds to help pave the way. Read

Group riding oil boom expects turnover to soar

A COMPANY that makes giant hoses for the offshore oil and gas industry expects to see its turnover more than double from £28m to about £60m by 2016 with the help of a booming market and a leaner business model. Read

Petroplus

Oil refinery jobs at risk as global market falls

TEESSIDE was hit with a double whammy of potential job losses today as one of the region’s biggest employers announced restructuring plans and oil workers at the Petroplus refinery entered talks with Swiss bosses. Read

OpSec Security

Security firm sees results slip into the red

ANTI-counterfeiting group OpSec Security has plunged into the red as the effects of the recession begin to bite into its brand protection business. Read

Celebrity chef uses own money to save business

PROFITS at Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants plunged nearly 90% in a “turbulent” year in which the celebrity chef was forced to pump his own money into the business. Read

Young given chance for work

A SMALL, family owned fabrication firm is flying the flag for Teesside apprentices as agencies report a worrying decline in the number of companies taking on trainees. Read

Bank boss defers pay deal

ROYAL Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester’s move to defer part of his £9.6m pay package for an extra two years has been welcomed. Read

Game’s profits tumble

RETAIL group Game has said half-year profits will be as much as 64% lower after figures last year were boosted by blockbuster releases. Read

Another giant step for Able yard

ANOTHER giant of the seas has floated down the Tees to undergo work at Able UK’s Seaton Port. Read

Bank funds backing for firms

SMALL and medium-sized companies in Tees Valley struggling with cash flow are being given access a new £100m fund as part of a UK-wide lending offer by Yorkshire Bank. Read

Brown hailsgreen North

GORDON Brown praised the North-east as the potential home for tomorrow’s energy sources, claiming the region was “showing the world” the way forward on renewable energy. Read

National Express rail

£1.4bn cash crisis after rail franchise hits buffers

BRITAIN faces a transport cash crisis after the £1.4bn East Coast rail franchise collapsed. Read

Scientists at the Sanofi-Aventis

Shake-up at firm puts 170 jobs at risk

ONE of a Northumberland market town's biggest employers has been put up for sale, sparking fears over the future of more than 150 jobs. Read

Northern Rock attractive to potential purchasers

SPECULATION that Northern Rock will prove attractive to potential purchasers has been further fuelled after Tesco became the latest name to be linked with a bid for its “good” assets. Read

Coca-Cola signs up Zytronic

COCA-Cola has signed up Tyneside touchscreen specialist Zytronic to provide the technical know-how for its new generation drinks dispenser. Read

Young entrepreneurs score highly

HUNDREDS of budding entrepreneurs from the North East came together to showcase their achievements in a project to transform classroom ideas into working businesses. Read

Rural estate agents form strategic alliance

ONE of the region's largest residential property agencies, George F White, has forged a strategic alliance with a County Durham business. Read

Experts trade in a world of good ideas

EXECUTIVES and economists from 37 countries are about to arrive in Middlesbrough for an event aiming to help the North East's heavy industries through the recession. Read

M&S sales figures ease pressure

MARKS & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose eased pressure on the high street retailer by announcing a smaller than expected fall in sales. Read