AN engineering consultant employing hundreds of North-East workers says it has successfully concluded an offer for all shares of a rival.

Amec, which has its European engineering division headquartered in Darlington, says a deal to buy shares of Foster Wheeler is complete.

Bosses say they are now working on changing its name to Amec Foster Wheeler, with shares under the new name expected to be listed on the London Stock Exchange tomorrow (Friday, November 14).

Earlier this year, Amec revealed it had agreed a £2bn deal to buy US firm Foster Wheeler, which has offices in Middlesbrough and employs more than 13,000 workers in 30 countries, in a bid to win more contracts in oil and gas markets.

Samir Brikho, Amec chief executive, said: “We believe the creation of Amec Foster Wheeler is a compelling proposition for our shareholders, our customers and our employees.”

Amec’s Darlington offices employ more than 400 workers and manage recruitment for the group’s European operations, as well as handling support services, such as the payroll for 8,500 staff.

Workers share offices with teams of engineers and project managers, who are involved in a huge spectrum of operations in sectors such as nuclear, chemical process, renewable energy and power.