Hospitality recruitment firm secures investment for expansion

Manchester-based hospitality recruitment firm Hesketh James has secured a £90,000 investment to fund expansion plans.

Hesketh James was founded earlier this year by senior partners Toby Holt and Amanda Hesketh who have over 30 years’ experience working within the hospitality and recruitment sectors.

The firm delivers both permanent and temporary roles as well as offering a consultancy service, working as a partner for companies who require HR and recruitment training and delivery support.

The funding was provided by Business Finance Solutions (BFS), the finance arm of The Growth Company and lending partner of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

BFS jointly manages the £10m NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund with MSIF which provides loans between £25k and £100k to SMEs across the North West.

The £40,000 funding from Start Up Loans and £50,000 investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund will now be used to create seven jobs and to invest in improved IT and marketing.

This will enable Hesketh James to expand and develop its services, both in the North West and across the UK, including a recently launched accountancy and finance recruitment practice.

With a full-time team of five already in place, the business is working with a growing number of clients including Luxury Family Hotels, Fiveways Hospitality and Manchester Central.

Holt said: “The hospitality industry demands the very highest levels of customer care and this funding from BFS means that we can bring our expertise and experience in this rapidly growing sector to develop and deliver the next generation of managers, leaders and candidates at all levels.”

Andy Nichols at BFS, said: “Amanda and Toby have created a business that brings together their unique insight into the hospitality sector in the North West, an industry that is thriving across the region.

“They needed a finance partner that would help them to grow in response to market demand and we were able to do just that with funding from both the Start Up Loans programme and the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund  that will equip them to continue to expand, both here in the North West and across the UK.”