Recruitment firm marks decade of growth

A North East recruitment firm is celebrating a decade of success with ambitious plans to expand its reach across northern England and Scotland.

Adkins & Cheurfi, which specialises in hospitality, legal and commercial recruitment, was founded in 2016 by industry experts Dean Adkins and Melika Cheurfi.

Since launching, the company has grown to a team of 11 and established a client base spanning the North of England and Scotland.

Dean and Melika are now looking to build on that success by strengthening the firm’s position in the legal and commercial recruitment markets, while expanding its presence in the North West, Yorkshire and Scotland.

Melika said: “It’s amazing to look back over the last ten years and reflect on how much the company has grown.

“What started out as just Dean and I working out of a tiny, two-person office is now a team of 11 working with clients across England and Scotland to help them attract and secure the best talent in what are typically highly competitive markets.

“Initially, our focus was solely on hospitality, but as the team has grown and we’ve brought in additional expertise, we’ve gone on to establish ourselves in the legal and commercial sectors too, which has really opened up doors for the business.

“Looking ahead, the aim is to continue building our presence in those new markets while also increasing our footprint in the North West, Yorkshire and Scotland where we’ve made great progress recently. 

“It’s a really exciting time for the business.”

The business has been based at the North East BIC in Sunderland since its inception, initially operating from a small office within the centre's incubator space.

Continued growth has seen Adkins & Cheurfi relocate to larger premises five times over the past decade, allowing it to accommodate its expanding workforce.

Dean says the flexibility offered by the BIC has played an important role in supporting the firm’s development, enabling it to increase its office space in line with demand while maintaining a sustainable approach to growth.

He added: “The BIC has been fantastic to us ever since we set up the business. 

“Whenever we’ve needed to grow and bring in more staff, we have been able to almost immediately move into a larger space without the upheaval of everything that comes with moving premises.

“We have also been fortunate to tap into numerous support programmes and government grants to help with everything from building our website to implementing new systems and processes. 

“It has been a fantastic home for the business and we can’t thank the BIC team enough for all of their support over the years.”

Doreen Howard, centre manager at the BIC, added: “It is fantastic to see Adkins & Cheurfi continue to go from strength to strength, ten years since arriving at the BIC.

“The company has helped thousands of people secure employment over the past decade and with ambitious plans to increase its geographic reach and expand into new markets, I look forward to seeing how the company continues to grow throughout the next decade.”

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