A UK business procurement specialist has got 2025 off to a flying start with the opening of its first North West office.
Procure Smart has opened a new office in Orega’s Arkwright House at Parsonage Gardens, Manchester.
The move has seen the company create 10 full-time roles, with further jobs expected to be created over the coming months.
Procure Smart 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 of Procure Smart, 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.
“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 opening of Procure Smart’s first North West office follows the launch last month [Dec 2024] 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.
“Traditionally, the process of procuring business energy has advanced slower than other forms of procurement, however Switch Savvi is finally bringing the practice into the 21st century.
“In a similar way to price comparison sites, users can simply input their data into a safe and secure process and receive a comparison in seconds from multiple providers. Because you can already do this in the residential market, you’d imagine the offer already exists. But business energy is more complex, which is why the development of the tool has been so carefully completed and is also why we have pinpointed Manchester as an area for further growth.
“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. It is certainly shaping up to be another exciting year for the business.”