Professional services recruitment firm Sellick Partnership has revealed its ambitious acquisition strategy following another record year.
The Manchester headquartered business said it continued to grow organically but was now in an “excellent position” to buy a like-minded business in the south west.
The plans were revealed as Sellick reported growth in revenue and profits.
Turnover for the year rose 13 per cent to almost £53.5m with a profit before tax increase of almost 50 per cent to £2.3m.
Sellick, which also has offices in Derby, Leeds, Liverpool, Stoke and Newcastle, said the growth was largely down to a massive 30 per cent increase in permanent revenue, rising to almost £3m for the first time in the company’s history.
Mike Hoyle, Sellick Partnership finance director, said that the success “was a result of the continued hard work and perseverance of recruitment teams across the business.”
He said: “We have ambitious plans for growth over the coming years, and our financial results from 2019 are a great first step to achieving these.
“Over the course of 2020 we hope to grow organically on a similar trajectory while also adding a new acquisition to our current offering.”
The news comes a year after Samsic – one of Europe’s largest business service providers – took a majority stake in the business.
It is hoped that the new acquisition will springboard the recruitment firm’s growth and complement their current offering, whilst strengthening their geographical footprint across the UK.
Jo Sellick, founder and MD at Sellick Partnership, said: “We are currently working with our new friends at Samsic to find a business that aligns with our values and is open to investment.
“We are very open at this point, but we hope to invest in a business with two to four offices, 25-50 employees with a turnover of approximately £10m-£20m.
“We are in an excellent position in that the funding is in place and we are ready to go.
“We are actively looking but urge any interested parties to get in touch with me directly for a chat.”
An exact location has not yet been agreed, but they are looking for a business with multiple locations across the South and South West of England.
It is hoped that a deal could be in place as early as summer 2020.
The business is also open to sectors, Jo explains: “We work across professional services, so we want to invest in a business that sits alongside our current specialist sectors.
“We have had discussions around IT, technology and executive search and ideally we would like a firm that has a strong contract/interim reputation.”
Last year Sellick announced plans to double revenue in the next five years organically grow headcount by a further 15 people in the next 12 months, with the opportunity for new office openings in the near future.
Jo added: “We are very flexible with how our growth looks at present. We want to grow, but we want to do it in a way that allows us to invest in people and offer new opportunities to our existing staff too.
“We have a wealth of opportunities on offer, and really are open to discussing anything that will help us achieve our ambitious plans for growth.
“We are very excited for Sellick Partnership’s next chapter and would like to invite anyone looking for a successful and exciting career in recruitment to get in touch.”
