Switching service opens North West base with recruitment drive

Craig Shields

A UK business procurement specialist has opened its first North West office, creating 10 jobs with more expected to follow.

Procure Smart has moved into Orega’s Arkwright House at Parsonage Gardens in Manchester.

It has also welcomed a team of remote and hybrid business development professionals this week who will work between its North East headquarters and their own regions around the UK.

Craig Shields, Managing Director, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled with the operation we have been building in Manchester, which is now live for 2025.

“Business performance last year provided us with the confidence to begin a growth journey. We know the North East market inside out, but we also have strong B2B partners in the North West, which provided us with the intelligence needed to plan the expansion into Manchester.”

He added: “We already have a portfolio of customers in the region, which can provide a robust base from which to grow that division. We expect that this can then provide a template for more offices and further growth around the country.

“I’m fully confident both areas will become rapid success stories for us and I look forward to utilising new talent pools around the country to grow them.

“The city region has a vibrant tech scene, a rich talent pool of skilled workers and access to graduates from several world class universities, all of which we see as being of huge advantage to the business as we continue growing and look to the future.”

The opening of its first North West office follows the launch last month of the company’s flagship Switch Savvi digital solution.

Providing ‘quotes in seconds’, the online platform was devised to make procuring utilities more transparent and help businesses streamline and improve the procurement process.

Last year, Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

commissioned research to understand more about businesses’ experiences of the energy sector.

The ‘non-domestic 2023 research report’ found that 58% of firms were concerned about rising energy prices, with the most common concerns including billing and meters, and feeling they had been charged incorrectly or had received unexpected or hidden charges, and it was these findings which inspired the launch of Switch Savvi.

Craig added: “Switch Savvi was a labour of love for the best part of 18 months, so we are thrilled that the platform is now live and being utilised by businesses across the UK.

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