Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Business Link Magazine

Harrogate-based Infinity Blue Group has acquired Rocketfuel Strategies, the Leeds-based retail growth agency. This acquisition brings retail expertise directly into Infinity Blue Group’s offering, to become a global commercial growth partner covering every sales channel: marketplace, ecommerce, social commerce, retail, and content.

Leeds-based digital security specialist, Xentra, which provides cyber security, safeguarding and compliance solutions to SMEs, has secured a £2.7m investment. Xentra currently supports more than 90 customers including Leeds United Football Club, Leeds Bradford Airport, Vista Technology Support, JT Atkinson and education providers such as Shaw Education Trust.

ITI Group has appointed Gail Hunter as chief revenue officer as the systems integrator looks to strengthen its commercial strategy. Hunter will lead the group’s revenue plans across sales and marketing, with a focus on building a more consistent pipeline and supporting sustainable growth. Her remit includes aligning teams, improving processes and using data to help convert commercial goals into measurable results.

West Yorkshire’s visitor economy continued to grow in 2025 with new figures revealing that the region welcomed more than 74 million visitors last year, generating £6.63 billion for the local economy. The latest STEAM monitoring data for the region showed a 5.9% rise in the overall economic impact, fuelled by a 1.5% increase in total visits year-on-year.

International students at the University of Hull are expected to contribute £227m to the local and regional economy during their studies, according to new analysis from the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan International Pathways. The research, carried out by London Economics, assessed the economic impact of international students by parliamentary constituency.

ARMEXIS has received Letters of Intent and pre-orders covering 90 armoured platforms as the Yorkshire defence manufacturer prepares to scale production. The Harrogate-based company recently announced initial orders worth £17.5m for four armoured vehicles bound for Ukraine. The order includes its tracked armoured personnel carrier and infantry fighting vehicle platforms, with first deliveries expected next year.

An advanced aviation fuels refinery is set for the Humber, with ETFuels choosing Associated British Port’s (ABP) Port of Immingham as the location for Project King’s Road. The project represents a significant investment in Greater Lincolnshire and the Humber, creating around 1,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent skilled engineering, operations and manufacturing roles while strengthening Britain’s energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Senior leaders from across the North of England will travel together to India this October for the first time under The Great North banner to strengthen ties on trade, investment, innovation, culture and the visitor economy. The delegation will take place from 12 to 16 October 2026 and bring together civic and business leaders, academics and civic partners from Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the North East, and Cheshire and Warrington.

The go-ahead has been given by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to proceed with a public consultation into reinstating airspace around Doncaster Sheffield Airport in what has been described as a “crucial” step in the process to reopen the airport. The consultation around the Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) will seek the views of residents and stakeholders and be open for comment between Monday 3rd August and Sunday 4th October.

Profit has jumped by £15m at DFS, the Doncaster-headquartered retailer of upholstered furniture, as the firm delivered upgraded expectations despite softening market conditions. According to a trading update for the year ending 28 June 2026 (FY26), full year underlying profit before tax and brand amortisation is expected to be around £45m, within upgraded guidance of £43-50m and up around £15m year on year. This came despite weaker market demand in the second half of the year.