BOSSES of discount retailer Poundstretcher have been to Huddersfield for talks on how to recruit hundreds of staff in the area.
Poundstretcher are moving their UK headquarters and distribution centre from Cross Green, Leeds, to a 380,000 sq ft complex at the former Holliday Dyes and Chemicals plant at Leeds Road.
The headquarters will open in June and the distribution centre in January 2005.
Poundstretcher's parent company Brown and Jackson negotiated the £20m move with Landmark Development Projects, the company turning the sprawling chemical plant site into 30-acre Trident Business Park.
Recruitment staff Ann Christmas and Tericia Ellis-Jones from Poundstretcher were at the McAlpine Stadium yesterday to meet the Workforce Now Partnership, who will help Poundstretcher recruit new staff in Huddersfield.
The Workforce Partnership is a collaboration of Business Link, Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce, Calderdale and Kirklees Career Service, Jobcentre Plus, Huddersfield University, Huddersfield Technical College, the Learning and Skills Council and Kirklees Council's economic development services.
Mrs Christmas, human resources officer for Poundstretcher distribution, said: "The idea is that we want everyone to move with us from Leeds.
"However, there will be a number of people that won't want to come, so I forsee we will be recruiting.
"We are meeting people in the area who will assist us in finding the right people for the jobs, finding training facilities at places like colleges and deciding what areas we are going to pull people from. It is a really exciting opportunity."
Gill Kellett, field account manager for Calderdale and Kirklees Jobcentre Plus, added: "This is an excellent opportunity for local employment agencies to show that we can work together to provide local companies with all their recruitment and training needs."
Peter Thompson, economic development manager at Kirklees Council, said the local authority were also keen to support Poundstretcher.
He said: "The council helped them in the early stages by giving planning permission.
"It is the biggest single inward industrial investment in the town for the last 20 years. It is a major investment in town which we are very pleased to have and we will do everything we can to help them and maximise the benefits to the area."
