Birkenhead firm’s 500 new call centre jobs plan

Jul 1 2011 By Liam Murphy

A SUCCESSFUL call centre company is set to create up to 500 new jobs in Wirral.

The Birkenhead-based Contact Company employs around 450 staff, and now plans an 18-month "phased expansion" bringing its workforce up to almost 1,000.

CEO Asif Hamid said the company which he and MD Juliet Rhodes set up just five years ago is in negotiations for new contracts which will see the company need to expand rapidly.

Today, Friday, the minister of state for work and pensions, Chris Grayling, is due to open the company’s new offices in Birkenhead.

Mr Grayling said: "It’s great to come to Wirral and celebrate a local business success story.

"We want to see our entrepreneurs succeed in business, and in doing so create opportunities for jobs in areas that badly need them.

"I am looking forward to marking The Contact Company’s success with them."

The minister previously served as shadow minister for Merseyside, and is also kept informed of the borough’s issues and successes by his Parliamentary Private Secretary and Wirral West MP Esther McVey.

The Contact Company, in Birkenhead, also recently announced it will work with Superdrug on its new loyalty card, launched last month.

Chief executive Mr Hamid said: "Five years ago, we started with around 15 staff and here we are having recently purchased the Queensgate building in Birkenhead and still winning new contracts, and future growth planned over the next 12 to 18 months. We have worked hard and have a fantastic team."

Wirral Council leader, Cllr Steve Foulkes said: "The announcement of 500 new jobs in Birkenhead is very welcome news at a time when many people are facing the very real prospect of life without work. I am proud that Wirral Council has been able to assist Asif and his team since their inception in 2006, and I congratulate them on their success in these difficult economic conditions.

"The Contact Company prides itself on investing in its people, and I am pleased that through this expansion so many more people will get the chance to work for this thriving Wirral business."