A MAJOR North-East employer has outlined the importance of buying from local suppliers after spending more than £1m revamping its van fleet.

County Durham-based Esh Group, which employs more than 1,000 staff, has used dealers in the region to provide it with ecofriendly vehicles at a cost of £1.4m.

The construction group, which has headquarters in Bowburn, near Durham City, used the regional operations of Arnold Clark, Benfield Motors and North East Truck and Bus to revamp its fleet with 84 new vans, including 35 Ford ECOnetic vehicles.

John Davies, group operations director of the Esh Group, said: “I think it is important for us to use local suppliers. Ninety per cent of our employees are in the North-East as well as our shareholders.

“We commissioned a survey alongside Durham Business School, where they did an in-depth study of the Esh Group. We had a good local multiplier score and were integrating and using local suppliers where we could.”

A multiplier score is used by economists to establish the impact of money spent by firms on the local economy.

Eddie Hawthorne, managing director of Arnold Clark, said: “The team at Esh Group is true to its word; they work hard to spend within the region and support business close to home. This is a significant order for our Newcastle-based operations.”