The largest supermarket bank in the UK is to create 1,000 new jobs in Tyneside – thanks to a little help from Tyne and Wear Development Company.
Tesco Bank has announced it will open a state-of-the-art contact centre at Quorum Business Park in North Tyneside as part of a major investment in its general insurances division which will be based there.
The announcement is a boost for the area’s vibrant contact centre industry and a major success for the regional investment team that worked with Tesco Bank and its advisors for several months to attract the jobs to Tyneside.
The investment team was made up of Tyne and Wear Development Company, North Tyneside Council and One North East, which also supported the project with a £2million Grant for Business Investment (GBI). This will be used to cover significant fit out costs to create a world-class headquarters equipped with modern telephony and ICT equipment.
Paul Buie, manager of Tyne and Wear Development Company, welcomed the news saying: “Tesco Bank is emerging as a major player in the financial market and we’re delighted that it will create 1,000 new jobs on Tyneside. It’s fantastic news for the area and a great endorsement that we’ve been able to attract such a major investment here.”
The agency helped to set the ball rolling on the project, putting together a package of support that included information outlining the region’s strengths, demographic and workforce information. It also provided advice on property opportunities and funding available in the area.
Paul added: “It was a real team effort from partners across the region. We worked closely with One North East, North Tyneside Council and Quorum Business Park for many months to sell Tyne and Wear and make a strong case for the investment to be made here.
“Tyne and Wear has one of the strongest clusters of contact centres anywhere in the world. Tesco Bank is an excellent addition to an important sector and is a real vote of confidence in the region’s workforce.”
Recruitment for the first 500 positions will begin soon with the centre expected to open early in 2010.
North Tyneside Council will work to establish and co-ordinate a public sector ‘response group’ specifically for Tesco. It will work with One North East, JobCentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council and Business Link to provide a single point of contact for recruitment and training tailored to meet the specific requirements of Tesco Bank.
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Linda Arkley said: “I am delighted that the strong partnership working in this region has once again helped us to secure high calibre investors, such as Tesco Bank. As a council our role has involved supporting Tyne and Wear Development Company and working with One North East and Quorum Business Park to secure an attractive locational offer and support package that ensured we could bring these 1,000 jobs to the
region.
“This support will continue going forward as we help to embed the company in the borough and support its recruitment and training plans to ensure it has a successful future in North Tyneside.”
Quorum Development Partners development director Fergus Trim said: “When we re-launched Quorum earlier this year on the back of the new £180m phase of development, a major focus was targeting major PLCs from outside the region.
“Newcastle and Quorum have so much to offer these companies and I’m delighted that Tesco Bank is hopefully the first of many to look to invest in and bring new jobs to the North-East.”