Staffline swoops for £72m south-west business

Staffline, the Nottingham training and recruitment firm, has bought Gloucestershire-based Passionate About People.

Passionate About People was established in 1998 and comprises two companies: Omega Resource Group Limited, a provider of blue-collar workers to the aerospace, automotive, construction, energy, logistics and manufacturing sectors, and Datum RPO, which provides recruitment process outsourcing solutions.

The deal broadens Staffline’s footprint, in particular in South West England, with branches in Swindon and Gloucester.

In the year ended 30 June 2017, Passionate About People reported revenues of £72m and an operating profit of £2m.

Chris Pullen, chief executive officer of Staffline, said: “Passionate About People is a highly complementary fit to our existing recruitment activities and will broaden our sector coverage, expand our UK footprint and enable us to offer our clients new services through Datum and Omega. The acquisition gives us access to new sectors in aerospace, energy and construction, as well as increasing our market share in manufacturing, whilst further strengthening our market leading position in the automotive and logistics sectors.

“The acquisition supports Staffline Recruitment’s vision to be the trusted market leader, providing a single destination for blue- collar workers and employers to connect across the UK. I look forward to welcoming the Passionate About People team to the Group.”