Drayton Group eyes up UK and international expansion

Newcastle-based recruitment group, Drayton, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with plans to open new UK offices and has also expanded the team due to increased demand. The firm is also eyeing up expansion in overseas markets.

Drayton was established in 2010 by Rob Seery and Ian Pickett and specialises in bespoke recruitment solutions for industry categories including Food & Drink, Apparel & Footwear, Beauty, Leisure, Homewares and Retail. With a catalogue of well-known brands on their client list, they include amongst others, Amazon, Birds Eye, Helly Hansen, Ginsters, Birkenstock, Greggs, Quorn, and The Lakes Distillery.

Now 10 years on, Drayton has grown consistently, assisted in 2018 by the launch of a subsidiary business, Alexander Steele, based in Edinburgh. The group now employs 20 people and has offices in London, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Their new Manchester office opens in June on Charlotte Street, moments from Piccadilly. By 2025 Drayton aspires to be a 50 person business.

The majority of Drayton’s business has always been in the UK, but now over a third is international. This success will likely lead to future office expansion in North America or Europe.

The original Drayton business delivers Board level appointments. Alexander Steele, led by Managing Director Richard Steele, who is also originally from Newcastle, focuses on junior and middle management recruitment. Combined, the two businesses are able to support all recruitment needs from junior management to main Board, including a burgeoning interim and temp proposition.

Rob Seery, founding partner said: “It’s been a fantastic 10 years and I’m really proud of what the team has achieved. But what is even more special is thinking about what the next 10 years might hold.”

“The key to our growth and success over the last decade has been our deep sector expertise combined with providing outstanding service to our clients. The majority of our own team have worked within our specialist sectors and this ensures we speak the same language and truly understand the needs of our clients.”

“The last 12 months has been challenging for everyone but I’m incredibly proud of how the team responded and we actually exceeded our original budget by some margin. I am very optimistic about the year ahead and we’re seeing significantly increased demand across all of our markets. Our clients have adapted to the unique challenges of the pandemic and continue to understand the value created by securing top industry talent.”

Ian Pickett, founding partner at Drayton Partners added: “The June opening of the Alexander Steele office in Manchester is representative of our ambition for the business. We are also actively exploring other locations, including the Midlands and the South East. Furthermore, we will continue to invest in our international proposition and are confident this will continue to be very fruitful for the Group.”