Two firms which are thriving despite the tough economic climate have invested in expanding their operations.

Award-winning Akbars restaurant chain is investing £1.2 million in opening its tenth venue in Newcastle next month.

Jewellery business Phillip Stoner the Jeweller, headed by a Baildon-based son of founder Jonathan Stoner, is opening a new upmarket store in Manchester.

The new Akbars restaurant will open on January 14. It is located in the new City Quadrant development on St James Boulevard in Newcastle city centre. The 300-seat venue also includes banqueting facilities.

Established in 1995 in Bradford, Akbars has restaurants throughout the North of England and the Midlands, including Leeds, Manchester, York, Sheffield, Middlesbrough and Birmingham.

Akbars received advice from Bradford law firm Gordons. Commercial property solicitor Simon Mydlowski advised Akbars’ managing director Shabir Hussain on the restaurant’s lease and licensing agreements.

Mr Hussain said: “The team at Gordons always provide us with excellent advice and have been instrumental in enabling our ambitious expansion plans.

“The launch of our tenth restaurant in a popular development like City Quadrant is an exciting one and brings us a step closer to achieving our long- term vision of taking our style of food and service across the UK.”

Mr Mydlowski said: “It’s great to see Akbars continue to go from strength-to-strength. Shabir and his team have deservedly earned themselves a reputation for providing high quality cuisine in vibrant venues and this has helped underpin Akbars’ continued growth. We wish them every success with their Newcastle venture.”

Diamond and platinum, specialist Phillip Stoner the Jeweller is launching a new flagship store in Manchester’s luxury shopping quarter at The Avenue in Spinningfields. It will offer new exclusive designs of jewellery.

Managing director Jonathan Stoner now runs four boutique jewellery stores and a jewellery manufacturing workshop. The new contemporary boutique store has been four months in planning, designing and completion, with the company’s interior design team taking inspiration from top jewellers in London’s Bond Street.

Mr Stoner said: “We were approached to open a store on The Avenue as the management company wanted a boutique jeweller which would sit amongst high profile luxury brands such as Mulberry, Armani and Nicky Clarke.

“Our current business is going strong, despite the difficult trading times, and we decided to seize the opportunity to be amongst such prestigious international brands.

“Our company started in Shipley nearly three decades ago and we have successfully expanded into Halifax, The Light in Leeds and then into the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’, the Victoria Quarter in Leeds. Manchester is an exciting, vibrant city and a natural progression for our expansion.”

Mr Stoner took over the business from his father Phillip in 2008 and now runs the company with his wife, Helen.

His brother Chris owns Stoners in Shipley’s Market Square and recently opened a new branch in Harrogate.