Job announcements for April week 2

Pret A Manger (Europe) Ltd
Pret A Manager is opening 24 more UK shops and 20 overseas, in 2012. The expansion will create 550 UK jobs and follows a 15% increase in sales to 377.3m in 2011. 2011 profits increased 14% to 52.4m. The company also plans to expand its apprenticeship scheme for the homeless.

Bentley Motors Ltd
Bentley Motors has secured an additional 3m of funding from the government Regional Growth Fund. The investment is expected to create 500 new jobs and secure 200 existing posts in Crewe. A new engine research and development project will be launched to help Bentley expand in overseas markets. 2010: turnover 590.9m; 3,364 employees.

BARBURRITO
Mexican food company Barburrito is expanding its restaurant chain across the UK, creating 250 jobs. The company has secured a 3.25m equity investment from the Business Growth Fund to support the expansion. It currently operates six sites in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds employing more than 100 people. Turnover is approximately 4m.

Capita Group
Retailer Debenhams is to outsource its customer contact centre in Taunton, Somerset, to Capita in Leeds in the summer of 2012. The centre employs 230 in customer support, management and operations and these job roles will be transferred across to Capita.

Caremark Limited
Caremark has introduced new services to care for children and adults with learning difficulties. It is creating 100 new care and support worker jobs as a result of the expansion.

Capita Group
Business outsourcing company Capita is creating 100 new jobs as part of its growth strategy in Southampton, where it holds a 290m contract with the local council. It is recruiting 50 managers and service staff for a new contact centre and 50 further jobs could follow. Capita increased revenues by 7% to 2.93bn in 2011.

Codemasters Software
Game developer Codemasters is to hire 75 new staff members at its Birmingham studio and 25 at its Warwickshire studio. The company expects to see further growth.

Barrhead Travel
Barrhead Travel saw a 20% increase in turnover to £27.5 million in the 3 months to March 2012. The company projects a turnover of £155 million for 2012, up 23% on 2011. The new division focussed on providing tailor-made holidays to exotic destinations.

Midas Underwriting
Midas Underwriting is creating 40 jobs at its base in Northern Ireland, over a two-year period. The company is investing £1.5m in its expansion, part-funded by Invest Northern Ireland. It is diversifying into new business areas and is starting to offer policies to brokers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Barker Ross
Recruitment firm Barker Ross aims to increase turnover from 22m to 58m over three years, opening five branches by the end of 2012, creating 40 jobs. Year to June 2010: turnover 18m; 60 employees.

Creditfix
Insolvency firm Creditfix is recruiting more staff for its Carlisle centre following a substantial increase in sales. Since Jan 2012 headcount has increased to 30 and 20 more jobs are expected. Creditfix also has centres in Glasgow and West Yorkshire, with a UK workforce of 100.

Ostc (Wales) Ltd
Derivatives trading company OSTC Wales is to create 18 new jobs in Swansea with the help of a Welsh Government Economic Growth Fund. The company is creating a stand alone team of 12 graduate traders and a back office team of six specialist network engineers and programmers. It will employ a total of 74 staff.

Simmons & Simmons LLP
Simmons & Simmons is to open an office in Bristol in Autumn 2012. The office will have 15 lawyers and additional support staff, and initially handle projects, real estate and disputes work.



Abintegro
April 12