COLLINS Seafoods, based in Newton Aycliffe, is a great example of a successful, expanding business which has boosted the local economy by taking on staff from the area.

The frozen seafood business, which sells 10,000 tonnes of frozen fish a year from its base on Heighington Lane Business Park, doubled the size of its headquarters to more than 10,000sq.ft this year to accommodate more staff and a new sales team.

The company – with 17 workers in the North-East and 11 in its Leeds depot – supplies fish and chip shops across the North of England and wholesalers throughout the UK and Ireland with a variety of fish, from Canadian dogfish to Icelandic cod.

Richard Collins, the founder and managing director, was once a professional jockey and started the business as a oneman operation in 1980. It expanded at a rapid pace, and the employment of local people has been a factor in its success.

Operations director Claire Carter says: “We see the benefit to our business by employing local people. Our customers love to hear a local voice and we benefit from our delivery drivers knowing the area really well.

“We have a wealth of talented people in the North- East. Working with them puts something back into the local community.”

The company delivers fish across the UK every day, using coldstores in Grimsby and Newton Aycliffe. The Aycliffe headquarters looks after sales and works closely with its Leeds warehouse to keep deliveries moving.

Mr Collins says their success derives from a commitment to freezing the fish at sea, which aims to provide fish as fresh as the moment it left the sea.

“The benefits of frozenat- sea is that it brings consistency in quality and price,” he says.

Mr Collins believes the system is paying rich dividends, customers increasing their demand for the company’s products, putting it in a strong position. “There is a good future for fish and chips because it is a traditional dish everyone likes. You’ll always find someone, even in new gastro pubs, who wants it.”