So many things have changed in the 10 years since ACS Recruitment was founded. Much more has changed in the 12 months since the management buyout of the company by Hellie and Chris Wright in January 2020. But what has never shifted is the focus of the team on working with clients to meet their evolving needs.
ACS Recruitment combines years of experience within a team that has a vast knowledge of the market with a genuine desire to place talented people in the right jobs within the commercial, industrial and logistics sectors. Offices in Northampton and Kettering have been further strengthened by operations in Peterborough and Milton Keynes, as well as a number of on-site recruitment partnerships with national retailers.
Last year, a long-standing partnership with URBN in Rushden saw expansion into Peterborough when the American retailer, which incorporates URBN Outfitters, Anthropology and Free People, moved into its purpose-built distribution centre in the city. The existing relationship provided an ideal opportunity for ACS Recruitment to begin to build a presence in a completely new marketplace.
Chris Wright said:
“It’s been a fantastic 10 years and we want to use the momentum we’ve built up over those years to push on from here. Our success has come from the fact that we are creative in the way we do business and in the way we engage with our workforce, our candidates and clients to find innovative solutions to whatever challenges they face.
“Our vision is simple – we aim to challenge and transform the recruitment industry. It’s not about making the most out of our clients and candidates, its about offering a truly exceptional service in our partnerships, something that we feel has formed an essential part of our growth during these 10 years.
“When we think back to the first peak period, in late 2011, when we supplied 150 staff, to last year’s peak time when it topped 1,500, it’s clear how far we have come. Alongside that, we have taken on clients that include everything from small local companies to the likes of Samsung, Dachser and John Lewis, and developed on-site recruitment partnerships with firms including Dr Martens, URBN and Paperchase.”
ACS Recruitment provides permanent, part-time and temporary solutions for the industrial, commercial, engineering, technology and catering sectors. Each solution is bespoke and tailored to the client’s needs, regardless of the type of work or volume of staff required, and the team is always ready to adapt to a change in requirements.
Chris explained:
“The logistics sector is a key part of our client base and one that has faced its own challenges over the past year, with e-commerce flourishing as people were forced to shop online, and many of our clients seeing order volumes and, therefore, an additional staffing need similar to that usually only associated with Christmas and Black Friday trading.
“The experience and knowledge we have built up over the years, and the fantastic team we have put together, means that we can respond well to any circumstances and make sure our clients get the service they need.”
Remaining active and responsive over the past year has also brought a clearer understanding of how working practices have changed, probably for the long term, the opportunities that will bring. Short term, permanent recruitment may have plummeted and temporary vacancies suffered from a period of uncertainty, but on the whole employers have found new ways of coping.
“Recruitment has changed dramatically because employers have adapted to the idea of people working from home,” said Chris. “Obviously, there are jobs that can’t be done at home, but where it is possible, it’s been shown to be workable and effective, and it opens up many opportunities in the recruitment sector.
“For instance, you have the whole of the UK market at your disposal. It doesn’t matter where someone is based if they are going to be working from home, so relocation may not be necessary, and so that widens the field of candidates. Similarly, from our point of view as an agency, we can increase our scope. We already work with candidates as far afield as Rochdale and Dartford and there’s no reason why we can’t build on that. We can communicate and operate just as well from a distance, and the idea of growing in that way is very exciting prospect.
“As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, and a year as sole owners in what has been the toughest year our generation has witnessed, we can see that we not only came through it but grew and flourished in that time.”
To find out more about ACS Recruitment, call 01604 704058 or visit www.acsrecruitment.co.uk
