A European company has added 100 staff at its Tyneside base, putting it well on track to creating 1,000 North East jobs within a decade of setting up in the region.
Alarm company Verisure expanded with the opening of a Centre of Excellence at the Quorum business park in North Tyneside in April 2020, just as the country went into the first national lockdown.
It had planned to recruit 85 people in its first year, but added a further 100 staff in the last six months, taking its employee numbers to more than 400 in customer service, technical support, field operations, training, IT, telesales, HR and finance.
Read more: Find more business news here
Verisure, which has announced that salaries for all employees are increasing by up to 20%, is also actively recruiting and expects to hire at least 100 to 150 people in the next 12 months.
The company, which signed an 11-year lease at the 104,000 sq ft building at Quorum, invested over £3m in the move and is the current market leader in new sales in the UK domestic alarm market. The company has strong sales across Europe and Latin America, with more than four million customers in 16 countries.
Kevin Croft, site director, said: “We continue to move with great momentum, as we grow the Centre of Excellence in line with the exceptional levels of sales we are generating across the UK.
“We are way ahead of expectations in terms of headcount and we are delighted with the people that we have brought on board. A main consideration in choosing to locate to the North East was the availability of a quality workforce and we have not been disappointed.
“In line with our growth plans, we fully expect to substantially exceed the 1,000 head count milestone we planned within 10 years from our move to the North East and we need to ensure that those joining us are of the highest calibre, while retaining the staff that we have.
“To attract and retain the very best people, the management team has reviewed our pay structure and we are very pleased to confirm that salaries have been increased by up to 20%, from 1st October.
“This is a significant increase and when one considers there are also great opportunities for promotion and advancement within the business, we are sending a clear signal that the Centre of Excellence is a world class location to build a long-term career with great rewards.
“Indeed, with the research we undertook before moving to the region and now with the rise in salaries we have just implemented, we are confident the full package we have available is amongst the very best, if not the best, within the contact centre sector in the North East, especially when one considers that we offer benefits that include private healthcare, increasing annual leave entitlement and enhanced maternity and paternity schemes.”
Verisure initially took 22,000 sqft of office space at Quorum Park, followed by further 13,000 sqft last May.
Mr Croft, added: “The Covid-19 response confirmed beyond doubt that we made the correct decision to locate to the North East.
“Our workforce is predominately made up of people from the region and the resilience and grit they have shown to adapt to the ever-changing working landscape, whilst providing the highest quality of service to our customers, has been truly inspiring.”
Read More Related Articles People on the Move: Top North East appointments of the week Read More Related Articles Energy consultancy Tritility to create 100 new jobs following South Tyneside expansion