A CONVENIENCE store company has secured a deal to fly fresh flowers to the North-East.

Mills Group has signed a £200,000 deal with Dutch company Kurt Schrama to bring bouquets into some of their 24 North-East stores, including Darlington, Stockton and Newcastle.

Orders for flowers will be e-mailed from Mills' head office in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside and packed fresh at Schrama's factory in Aalsmeer, Holland, the same day.

They will then be transported to a distribution centre in Leeds before arriving in stores within 48 hours of the original order.

Nigel Mills, Group Managing Director, said: "We were very impressed with Kurt Schrama's 48-hour turn-round of our orders, which means our customers receive some of the freshest flowers from Europe."

UK sales executive for Kurt Schrama Nigel Brundrett said: "I am delighted to have secured this deal with the Mills group because it is a very forward thinking company, which has embraced new technology for the benefit of its customers.