Business & Technology
TechNExt 2026 lands Sage, Accenture & Leighton backing
JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN
News Editor
Sage, Accenture and Leighton have signed up as headline sponsors of TechNExt 2026, bringing three of the North East’s largest technology employers behind the regional festival.
The five-day event will take place across Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, Durham, North Tyneside and South Tyneside. Organisers are returning for a fourth year with a programme spread across venues throughout the region.
The sponsorship comes as the North East technology sector reports annual turnover of £11.6 billion and supports more than 61,000 jobs. Support from all three companies reflects a shared aim of bringing the region’s technology community together in one place for a week.
Last year’s edition sold out its Main Stage and drew more than 3,000 attendees, according to organisers. Visitors came from across the UK and overseas, and keynote speakers included Cherrypick chief executive and former Monzo chief operating officer Tom Foster-Carter.
Regional focus
TechNExt is being organised by Sunderland Software City, BeaconHouse Events and Dynamo North East. This year’s programme is built around four themed hubs covering data and AI, tech for good, start-ups and creative technology.
The data and AI hub will be based at The Catalyst in Newcastle. Tech for Good will be hosted at The Village in North Tyneside, while the start-up programme will run through Durham University Business School and the creative technology strand will be based at Culture House in Sunderland.
Alongside the hubs, the week will feature six flagship events and more than 20 community-led fringe events. Planned fixtures include a festival launch in Gateshead, an industry dinner, a technology careers fair in Newcastle and a closing party.
The sponsorship is significant given the companies’ large workforces and established regional operations. Their backing also highlights the rising profile of the North East’s technology sector as local institutions and employers work to retain talent and strengthen links between businesses, start-ups and universities.
Jonathan Cowan, EVP HCM and Platform at Sage, said: “TechNExt brings together people, ideas and ambition from across the North-East. It’s a chance to see first-hand how the magic of innovation happens when businesses and the wider tech community come together to solve real-world problems – and I’m proud to see Sage playing a role in supporting that.”
Alec Berry, managing director of Accenture Newcastle, added: “The North East is a really unique part of the UK in that we’re quite small but there’s a lot of exciting things going on here. It’s really important that we all work together and collaborate.”
Steve Morland, chief technology officer at Leighton, said the company’s support reflects its regional roots and the importance it places on skills and networks. “As a North East founded business, it’s in our DNA to support events like TechNExt that bring together and foster the huge talent in our region. It’s a great opportunity to network with peers, to learn, develop and to nurture the ambition of the future workforce.”
The festival’s footprint across several towns and cities reflects an effort to present the North East as a single technology cluster rather than a set of separate local markets. By staging events across the region, organisers aim to draw in employers, investors, founders, students and public sector participants from multiple centres of activity.
That approach mirrors a wider trend in UK regional technology policy, with local networks increasingly framed around collaboration between established companies and newer ventures. In the North East, that has taken on added weight as employers try to build a deeper pipeline of workers in software, digital services, artificial intelligence and related fields.
For TechNExt, support from Sage, Accenture and Leighton provides a strong endorsement ahead of this year’s programme, following the sold-out Main Stage and 3,000-strong turnout at the previous edition. It also signals that some of the region’s biggest employers see value in using a shared platform to bring together the North East technology community for a concentrated week of activity.
Business & Technology
Rosa’s Thai is giving away 4000 free Pad Thais to students
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
Business & Technology
Historic coin company enters administration after 20 years
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
Business & Technology
Warning of new rules for Aldi and Lidl after watchdog review
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that both discounters should be added to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which currently applies to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
This order is designed to prevent large grocery retailers from using land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores, often through restrictive covenants or exclusivity terms.
Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.
“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.
“This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets.
“Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.”
The CMA’s review found that Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI now meet the criteria of ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) due to their store footprint, nationwide presence, procurement model, and the breadth of their grocery range.
Aldi and Lidl were originally excluded from the 2010 order as ‘limited assortment discounters’, offering a smaller selection of products compared to traditional supermarkets.
However, the CMA’s provisional findings indicate that this is no longer the case.
All three now operate large grocery stores, each with more than 1,000 square metres of shop floor space, and offer a full range of products, though with less category choice than some competitors.
They also purchase goods directly from suppliers through integrated wholesaling.
With the UK grocery market estimated to be worth £215 billion, Aldi and Lidl are now ranked among the top five retailers by market share.
The CMA is seeking feedback from stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Aldi and Lidl could join the other supermarket chains later this year.
The CMA is inviting views until 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026, and will issue its final decision in the autumn after reviewing responses.
If the discounters are included under the order, they will be prevented from using land agreements to limit competition from other supermarket chains.
The CMA aims to ensure competition across the grocery sector to give shoppers more choice and competitive pricing by removing obstacles to new store openings.
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