Job announcements for Feb week 2 ... before the job ads are written

As the year progresses more businesses announce contract wins and expansion plans, creating specific opportunities for job seekers:

Homeware retailer The Range plans to open 16 new stores over the next year creating about 2,000 new jobs. The range currently trades from 61 stores and recorded a turnover of £249m in the year to 30th January 2011, pre tax profits were static at £20m        

Morrisons is aiming to increase its share of the mother and baby products market, after purchasing the leases of 10 former Best Buy stores from Carphone Warehouse. Morrisons said it would invest £15m converting the stores to the Kiddicare.com brand it acquired last year

As part of a five-year growth strategy JLA Ltd has opened a call centre in Calderdale, Yorkshire and is recruiting marketing, sales and engineering staff. Up to 500 jobs will be created. JLA's expansion is supported by private equity investor HG Capital which bought a majority shareholding in March 2010

Bath Tourism Plus has secured additional funding from the Regional Growth Fund and has launched a new destination tourism strategy. It plans to increase the value of tourism in Bath by £25m to £400m over the two years to 2014, creating up to 300 jobs.

Metro Bank - Metro Bank, Britians first new high street bank for more than 100 years, modelled on US bank Commerce, is doubling branch numbers to 20 in 2012 creating 300 jobs.

Barchester Healthcare is building a new 55-bed care home in Five Ash Down, East Sussex, which will create 100 jobs across a wide range of disciplines from nursing to administration. The home is due to open in autumn 2012.       

Better by Miles is opening a £1m electric vehicles factory in Gwynedd, Wales, which will create up to 85 jobs. The factory aims to become the UK's leading supplier of commercial electric vehicles. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2012

BT Group Plc has been appointed as Lancashire County Council's delivery partner to extend superfast broadband to 97% of the county by 2014. The public sector will invest £32m in the roll out of the superfast service, creating 25 new jobs and 20 apprenticeships. BT recorded £20.08bn turnover in 2011.               

Yorkshire Building Society is creating 40 new jobs at Norwich & Peterborough Building Society's base in Peterborough. Yorkshire Building Society merged with Norwich & Peterborough Building Society in 2011. The new customer service roles will include some managerial positions.  

Virtual golf game designer Net60Six, based in Leeds, is expanding after securing £750,000 investment. Net60Six is planning to use the investment to fund a roll-out of its innovative creation across the UK, starting in the North East. The business plans to open an office in Newcastle and it will create eight new jobs in 2012, increasing the number of staff to 11, and will grow to employ 20 people by 2014

New company N+1 Brewin has opened for business in Leeds, Yorkshire, with a team of six advisers. N+1 Brewin was formed following the acquisition of the Brewin Corporate Advisory and Broking division by N+1 and the management team, from Brewin Dolphin Holdings. The advisors will focus on corporate advisory and broking sevices and have invested a total of £5m of capital in the business

Worcester technology company Postcode Anywhere has appointed three new members of staff and further recruitment is planned as part of an ongoing strategic expansion strategy. The company is launching new products and is increasing its market share and revenue

Abintegro
Feb 12