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Northumbria graduate business turns up the heat

Things are hotting up for Northumbria graduate start-up Summer Takeover who is on track to turnover £1.3m following the launch of two new companies and an office expansion.

Things are hotting up for Northumbria graduate start-up Summer Takeover which is on track to turnover £1.3m following the launch of two new companies and an office expansion.

Northumbria graduates Harley Gibb, Warren Pearson and Ben Trattles launched their business, Summer Takeover in 2013 when they were still students. Ben chose to complete an Enterprise Placement with Student and Graduate Enterprise, Northumbria’s free start-up support service, as part of his Business with Marketing degree.

Summer Takeover already has the accolade of being the University’s most successful Enterprise Placement to date, turning over £100K during Ben’s Enterprise Placement year. The business has gone from strength to strength following a successful office expansion. The business now employs 8 full time members of staff, 20 in-resort reps and also boasts a team of over 200 student sales affiliates.

As well as steadily growing Summer Takeover over the last couple of years, Ben, Harley and Warren have launched two further businesses; Unchartered Croatia and Tidal Zante. The group has plans to further expand including the recruitment of more staff, placement and internship opportunities that will hopefully see their turnover double in 2018!

The group’s Managing Director, Ben Trattles, said:

“Summer Takeover, Uncharted Croatia and Tidal Zante wouldn’t be in the position we are now without Student and Graduate Enterprise’s continued support and mentorship. Having access to professionals in legal and finance has particularly helped us navigate through difficult situations successfully and focus our undivided attention on the growth of the companies”.

If you are a current student or recent graduate (within the last 5 years) and have a business idea or an existing business, you are eligible for free start-up support via Northumbria University’s Student and Graduate Enterprise service. Email nu.enterprise@northumbria.ac.uk or visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/sgenterprise for more information.

For more information on the group’s businesses, please visit:


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