DISTRIBUTION company Amaro could create up to 350 jobs in the region.

The expansion plans will provide a jobs boost for Gateshead as Amaro opens its national headquarters there.

To support expansion plans in Yorkshire and the North-West, Amaro is moving to larger premises in Gateshead, giving it a three-fold increase in warehouse space and a five-fold increase in office space.

Managing director Robert Greener said: "This will enable us to provide administration and back-up to all our future operations in other regions, while at the same time creating employment in the North-East."

It is hoped that 35 full-time jobs will be created in Gateshead in administration, account handling, and sales, and that between 100 and 300 full-time positions will be created in the company's direct distribution workforce in the North-East.

Eventually, the company hopes to employ up to 1,000 people in the North-East.

Amaro is one of the UK's largest distributors of brochures, magazines, catalogues, directories, newsletters and samples, serving clients that range from local government to individual retailers.

The company, which was formed in 1997 by Mr Greener in the Blaydon Business Centre, makes one million deliveries a month and has plans to increase that to one million deliveries a week.