Acorn acquires Concept Staffing

Acorn, the UK recruitment and training company, today announces the acquisition of Concept Staffing Ltd, the recruitment company in the South West of England.

Concept Staffing was launched in 1988 by its founder and Managing Director Maria Smith and is a specialist in permanent, temporary and volume contract recruitment and payroll services.

The acquisition gives the Acorn Group 16 new locations across the South West of England and increases its client base by a further 700 clients and an additional annual turnover of more than 16.5 million.

Concept Staffing provides a comprehensive package of recruitment services that extend across the UK. Concept with its Head Office in Barnstaple has branches in Bideford, Barnstaple, Bodmin, Bridgwater, Chippenham, Crediton, Exeter, Newton Abbott, Okehampton, Plymouth, Taunton, Tiverton, Torquay, Truro, Wootton Bassett and Yeovil.

The acquisition puts Acorn well on course towards achieving its strategy of 100m turnover by 2009. In 2006 Acorn reported income of 41.5m, and is now set to achieve circa 90m already for 2008.

It follows the acquisition earlier in the year of Advance Personnel Ltd, one of the largest employers of European Union labour in the UK. Based in Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, and with an office in Gdansk, Poland, Advance Personnel reported revenues of more than 18m in the last financial year.

The acquisition of Concept will see the Acorn Groupís direct workforce increase to circa 280. With its head Office in Newport, South Wales, Acorn is the UK partner of Synergie of France, the worldís 18th largest recruitment company, with more than 500 branches across Europe and North America and an annual turnover of more than Ä1.2 billion.

The combined Acorn Group will see it deliver some 5,500 temps to more than 1,200 different clients each week, as well as delivering training to more than 3,000 learners and placing some 1,500 permanent placements each year through its 36 branches and locations, details of which can be found on Acornís website www.acornpeople.com.

Daniel Augereau, President of Synergie, said Synergie was committed to developing its business in the UK through Acorn.

ìThrough Acorn our UK presence has developed tremendously over the last two years; and where we see an attractive opportunity for the acquisition of a first-class business such as Concept Staffing, we will act decisively,î he said.

ìIt is an excellent addition to our UK presence, and follows the very successful integration of Advance Personnel earlier in the year.î

Matt Southall, founder and Managing Director of Acorn, said, ìConcept Staffing is another superb fit for the Acorn Group; particularly its geographic coverage and domination of the region in which it operates.

ìIt has been our strategy to develop our UK presence through a progressive, region-by-region approach, and Conceptís unique position in a neighbouring region to where we already operate was therefore hugely significant.

ìThere are many parallels between the Acorn and Concept brands; our history, our leading regional positions and our close working relationships with a significant number of major employers. We are looking forward to developing the partnership over the coming months and years.î

Maria Smith, Managing Director of Concept Staffing, added, ìBecoming part of the Acorn Group and Synergie helps provide us with an increase in resource to allow us to grow the business significantly in the years ahead.

ìThis is undoubtedly a terrific opportunity for everyone involved with Concept; our staff, our candidates and our clients.

ìThe South West remains a very economically active region of the UK and offers many more opportunities for the enlarged group to extend its branch network and make further inroads into the permanent and temporary employment market.î

Ends

Caption (left to right): Matt Southall, MD of Acorn, Maria Smith, MD of Concept Staffing, and Daniel Augereau, President of Synergie