Work is set to start on the new headquarters for Europe’s biggest online bingo operator in Sunderland following the appointment of a contractor.

The £6m contract to build tombola’s offices, which have been designed by Ryder Architecture, has been secured by Wearside’s Brims Construction. The impressive office project, approved earlier this year, will be erecred next to tombola’s current headquarters, the Rose Line Building at Wylam Wharf, with work expected to start around January next year.

He said: “We are delighted to award Brims the construction contract for our new HQ in Sunderland. It was a tough tender process but Brims had in the edge in areas that really mattered to us.”

Richard Wood, director of Brims added: “Projects of this type don’t come along very often. It’s more than just a normal office, it has a unique design and the proposed finishes are extremely high both inside and out.

“It’s great to see tombola investing in such a high-quality development in Sunderland and we can’t wait to get things under way for them.”

The new 25,000 sq ft building has been developed to create a riverside campus feel that will incorporate both old and new buildings as well as a landscaped area.

The main entrance to the new offices will be off Low Street and the development will include improvements to the river frontage, including a ramped connection to Riverside Walk.

Open plan offices will be based on the first and second floors and an eye-catching three-storey high atrium will provide natural light throughout the glazed building.

The ground floor will include a reception area, cafe and a gym for employees with bleacher style stairs leading to the open plan upper floors.

Throughout the tender process tombola was keen to ensure the modern new building would complement existing buildings on the quayside area to provide a link to the city’s proud shipbuilding heritage

The company’s current head office is a former bonded warehouse dating from the late 1700s and is one of only two warehouses surviving in the area.

Founded in 2000, tombola.co.uk is the largest bingo site in the UK, with more players than any other company. The company is also the leading online bingo company in Spain and Italy with offices in Milan, Madrid and Gibraltar.