Europe’s leading monitored alarm provider, Verisure, has trebled its first-year hire target, with the recruitment of close to 300 staff at its Centre of Excellence in North Tyneside, with up to 100 new jobs on offer during this year.
The company, which arrived in the region in April 2020, as the country went into pandemic lockdown, with the pledge to create 1,000 jobs over a ten-year period, had anticipated to recruit around 85 people in the first 12 months.
Verisure signed an 11-year lease at the 104,000 sq ft at Quorum Park in North Tyneside, which has been adapted to meet its needs. It initially took 22,000 sq ft and has now expanded into a further 13,000 sq ft to ensure the company offers best-in-class service to its growing portfolio of customers.
The vast majority of the jobs located in the North Tyneside site are in customer service, technical support, field operations, training, IT, telesales, HR and finance.
Verisure, which invested £3 million in its move to the North East, is the current market leader in new sales in the UK monitored alarm market.
The company has strong sales across Europe and Latin America, with more than 3.7 million customers in 16 countries.
To increase further its market position, Verisure has now undertaken a multi-million-pound Sky TV advertising campaign aimed at the UK domestic market, with its offices at Quorum Park, playing a pivotal role with its commitment to customer service excellence.
Kevin Croft, site director at the Centre of Excellence, said:
“It is a remarkable achievement to have trebled our anticipated head count in our first year. I have witnessed our team grow week by week and the fact we have already taken up the option of an additional 13,000 sq ft of space and with staff already in place, is truly inspiring.
“Arriving during the first national lockdown was a challenging undertaking. At every stage we acted with great speed and agility to navigate the ever-changing regulations, whilst hiring and growing at an exceptional rate. Our priority throughout has been the safety of our workforce and is why we have implemented strict health and safety procedures, in line with government guidelines.”
“Before choosing to move to Quorum Park, we undertook deep analysis of more than 15 of the UK’s larger urban areas. North Tyneside stood out for many reasons including the friendliness of the people, the incredible quality of life and the high standard of education.
“The Covid-19 response confirmed beyond doubt that we made the correct decision. 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 and we salute them all.
“Our investment in such an extensive advertisement campaign, is indicative of our long-term commitment to the UK and the North East, in particular, where we will most certainly have 1,000 staff by 2030. Our aim is not just to offer jobs but high quality careers, with all staff having the opportunity to progress to roles such as team leaders, which we are already seeing, and beyond.
“Our managing director, Gabino Sanchez, started as a sales agent over 20 years ago and our chief operating officer, Horacio Perez, began as a technical support agent, both examples that show the potential career opportunities open to new joiners. So, there is no limit to progression for those staff who demonstrate real ambition. We currently have a number of roles that we need to fill and I would encourage anyone looking for an exciting, new challenge, to get in touch with us.”
Gabino Sanchez, said:
“Our sales growth in the UK is very strong and we anticipate this to grow significantly in the coming year as a result of the advertising campaign and our colleagues in North Tyneside will play a highly important role in converting new customers and providing them and all our existing customers with the highest level of service. We came to the North East with the promise of delivering 1,000 jobs and we are well on our way to that. My thanks go to all those who have helped us come to the region, made us feel so welcome and have supported us so enthusiastically throughout the last year. This includes Invest North East, Quorum Park, North Tyneside Council and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.”
North of Tyne Mayor, Jamie Driscoll, said:
“I met Gabino and his senior team back in 2019, when they were still looking around the country to choose the location for Verisure’s UK centre of excellence.
“I think one of the things that marked the North of Tyne out as different was when I asked the directors about their journey with Verisure. They had worked their way up from the shop floor. I asked them how committed they were to staying here. Their number one objective was to recruit a stable team, where people would grow with the company.
“We have a shared belief that prosperity comes from looking after people and developing your workforce. To have grown the way the company has, through the pandemic and lockdowns of the past year, is evidence that planning for the long term brings success. Verisure is not just creating jobs. It is creating careers.”
John Sparkes, head of regeneration and economic development, North Tyneside Council, said:
“Congratulations to Verisure on their amazing growth. This builds on our track record of attracting high-quality employers to the borough and clearly demonstrates that North Tyneside is a great place to do business and is testament to the highly-skilled workforce that Verisure have been able to attract from the local population.”
Verisure UK is currently seeking applicants for a number of different roles across the business and the details can be found at www. https://careers.verisure.co.uk/
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