ROSS'S Pickles has secured £250,000 in funding to help it expand overseas.

The company, based in Newburn, Newcastle, wants to tap into lucrative markets overseas.

It also plans to use the investment from Evolve Finance, a division of NEL Fund Managers Ltd, to target the food service sector for the first time.

Ross's expects the two developments to help increase its £4.5m turnover by at least 50 per cent and create jobs.

Managing director Chris Pennison said: "The company has reinvented itself and enjoyed huge success over the past few years, developing and extending exciting product ranges, which have helped us to grow our market share and to secure our position as one of the biggest independent pickle manufacturer in the UK. This investment will help us push forward to the next level - we're already predicting turnover of £6.8m this year, and, now that we have the funding capacity to target the right markets and customers in the most appropriate ways, we believe that there is much more to come.

"Having investment capital available within the region was a real advantage for us, and is something of which the growing business community in the North-East needs to make maximum use."