A local flooring company has been named as one of the 50 fastest growing companies in the North East of England.
Connection Retail has made it into the prestigious list compiled by law farm Ward Hadaway.
It reflects the Shildon-based company’s three years of profitable growth and in particular its success over the last 12 months.
Connection Retail only opened its first physical store in February 2017, after starting life as an online business, but since then it has added a further ten stores.
Five of its Flooring Superstores have opened in 2018 alone – in Newport, Swindon, Edinburgh, Keighley and York.
The Flooring Superstore brand has also been added to its Direct Wood Flooring stores in Thurrock, Bracknell, Coventry, Birtley and Havant.
The stores, which also feature the Grass Direct brands, are supported by eight regional warehouse hubs.
Dan Foskett, Connection Retail Managing Director, said: “We are proud and delighted to have been named as one of the top 50 fastest growing companies in the North-East.
“For a business which started trading purely online in 2012 it is a major achievement and one which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our staff and customers.
“Building our physical store presence has been a key part of our growth strategy but having come from an e-commerce background, we have been able to maintain online pricing in our stores, which sets us apart from our competitors.
“We are planning to open further stores over the next 12 months as part of our aim of becoming a leading player in the UK retail flooring industry.”
The Ward Hadaway North East Fastest 50 has been published every year since 1998 and is compiled and organised by law firm Ward Hadaway, which has offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.
Martin Hulls, Managing Partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “Congratulations to Connection Retail and every company in the Ward Hadaway North East Fastest 50 for 2018 for their fantastic achievement in making this year’s list in our 30th anniversary year.
“The Fastest 50 shows what terrific companies we have in the region and underlines what a great place the North East is to do business.”