Prospect

Target status: ✓

Upload date: 05/02/2019
Last updated on: 06/10/2020

Who are the important people in the company?

• Acorn (Synergie) Uk Limited
Correspondence Address: Somerton House, Hazell Drive, Newport, Wales, NP10 8FY
Governing Law: England & Wales
Legal Form: Limited Company By Shares
Registration Number: 03358220
Nature of Control: Ownership of shares – 75% or more
Ownership of voting rights – 75% or more
Right to appoint and remove directors

• Daniel Augereau
Correspondence address: 11 Avenue Du Colonel Bonnet, Paris, 75016, France, FOREIGN
Date of birth: January 1944
Nationality: French
Country of residence: France
Occupation: Company Director

• DROUET, Yvon
Correspondence address: 11 Avenue Du Colonel Bonnet, Paris, 75016, France, FOREIGN
Date of birth: January 1961
Nationality: French
Country of residence: France
Occupation: Company Director for Financial investments

• SOUTHALL, Matthew John David
Correspondence Address: Somerton House, Hazell Drive, Cleppa Park, Newport Gwent, NP10 8FY
Date of birth: April 1963
Nationality: British
Country of residence: Wales
Occupation: Director/ Recruitment Agent

What is the structure of the company?

The Acorn Group consists of Acorn, Acorn Global Recruitment and Synaco, and they are also part of the international leading recruitment group Synergie. (Immediate parent company)

The ultimate parent company is Synergie Societe Europeenne, a company registered in France.

• Statement of Capital (Share Capital)
Class of Shares: ORDINARY
Currency: GBP
Number Allotted: 950
Aggregate nominal value: 950
Amount paid per share: 1
Amount unpaid per share: 0

• Full Details of Shareholders

Shareholding 1: 950 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this return
Name: Acorn (Synergie) UK Limited

Nature of Control:

The relevant legal entity holds, directly or indirectly, 75% or more of the shares of the company.
The relevant legal entity has the right, directly or indirectly, to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors of the company.
The relevant legal entity holds, directly or indirectly, 75% or more of voting rights in the company.

What is the prospect’s strategy and ambitions?

• Acorn was keen to develop a PR strategy with Effective Communication that was in line with their wider business goals – targeted PR campaign that acknowledges Acorn’s role as one of the most successful businesses in Wales, a leader in the field of recruitment, and a respected training organisation.

• A comprehensive set of KPIs was put in place to measure the success of the ongoing PR campaign – these encompass reach of coverage, the 10 industry sectors Acorn operates in, and the type of coverage that a business of this size and complexity needs to generate.

Objectives:

• Raise the profile of the company among Welsh consumers – both with businesses looking to recruit and those looking for jobs
• Position key Acorn staff as industry leaders, specifically in business, senior recruitment, IT and training
• Launch Acorn’s new Senior Recruitment Division
• Make Acorn synonymous with the success of the digital sector in Wales
• Identify a comprehensive and accessible method of measuring coverage to achieve pre-agreed KPIs

Strategy & Tactics:

• Identify proactive and reactive media opportunities for commentary on a wide range of subjects and use those to push Acorn’s specific agenda
• Establish regular columns for key Acorn staff ensuring that they are perceived as the voice of the recruitment industry in Wales, effectively reinforcing their authority
• Build up interest in the new Senior Appointment Division before the division’s launch
• Liaise with offices UK-wide to identify regional stories and opportunities
• Build Acorn’s IT and digital expertise into as many pieces as possible
• Use dashboards as a tool for ensuring that the coverage is balanced on target

Who are the prospect's customers?

Customers:

• AAK
• Balfour Beatty
• Dr. Oetker
• Crown Commercial Service
• BRANSTON
• KEOLUS AMEY
• Laing O’Rourke
• MULLER
• NP – Nice Pak
• Pall
• Aldi
• Blake Morgan
• Enterprise Ireland
• Harsco
• Lewis Silkin
• Smart Pipe
• South West Water
• TATA
• Tarmac
• AIRBUS
• Capital Law
• DHL

Sectors:

• Accountancy & Finance
• Aerospace & Defence
• Commercial & Office support
• Construction, M & E
• Driving & Logistics
• Industrial & Manufacturing
• IT & Digital
• Legal
• Life Sciences
• Energy
• Rail
• Technical & Engineering
• International
• Executive Search

Customers Examples

• Balfour Beatty
• Crown Commercial Service
• MULLER
• Pall
• Aldi
• Blake Morgan
• DHL

What does the prospect consider important for its customers?

• To identify the right people who will really thrive in their customers’ business.
• To manage all activity in-house, responding flexibly and positively to any changing demands.

Who are the prospect's staff?

The average number of persons employed by the group, including directors, during 2018 amounted to 205. (2017:190) (given the high number of their branches locations, it is possible that they have also temps)

2018
Staff costs – £ 7,803,142
Wages and salaries – £ 6,995,754
Defined contribution scheme – £ 107,162
Social security costs – £ 700,226

• All Acorn’s eligible agency workers are included in a bespoke benefits scheme exclusively designed for Acorn.

• The scheme consists of Personal Accident Insurance cover of up to £20,000 — for work-related accidents/injuries *(subject to a qualifying period). the cost of the above benefits scheme is £2.50 per week for the duration of any temporary assignments undertaken with Acorn.

Company culture:

Video 1

Indeed
https://www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Acorn-Recruitment-Ltd/reviews

Overall Rating: 3.2/5 (135 reviews)

Analytical Rating:
• Work-Life Balance: 3.3/5
• Pay & Benefits: 3.1/5
• Job Security & Advancement: 2.6/5
• Management: 3/5
• Culture: 3/5

Employee Reviews

Enforcement Officer (Former Employee) – Cardiff – 19 July 2020 (3/5)
“It was a job that i needed to provide for my family
Graet place to work sometimes the skill you are training to do you get taking off that and on to something else which is really stressfull but when you have a family you have got to provide”

Forklift Driver (Former Employee) – South West – 12 July 2020
“Poor Communication
I had applied for a job with this agency and heard nothing. I saw the job was still advertised after 2 weeks so followed up only to get a short sharper reply that they had plenty of people on their books. Ok fair enough. A month later same job still being advertised so I asked what was happening as I was a perfect fit for the job and lived a mile away. No response. Last time I looked the job was still on therbooks.”

Pros

  • Get some good positions

Cons

  • Communication very poor

Order Picker (Former Employee) – Bolton, Greater Manchester – 9 April 2020
“Pay
Still waiting to be paid forva week off I had sent emails, texts and phone call to rep no response then just been laid off due to shortage of work god knows if Ill get paid what Im owed”

What are the prospect’s unique selling points (USPs)?

• They offer a recruitment service that understands the employer’s and his company’s daily pressures, and identifies the people who will thrive within the business.
• 98% of our clients say we understand the industries they work in.
• Acorn employs expert consultants within specialist industries
• 5th Largest recruiter in Europe
• 15th largest global recruiter
• 665 branches worldwide
• 100,000 international clients

What are the prospect’s business activities and potentials?

The principal activity of the company according to their Annual Report of 2018, was that of a recruitment agency encompassing the supply of temporary labour.

Annual Report File

Locations

• Head Office
Somerton House,
Hazell Drive,
Newport
NP10 8FY

UK Branches:

1. Baglan
2. Barnstaple
3. Blackwood
4. Bournemouth
5. Bridgewater
6. Bristol
7. Caerphilly
8. Cardiff
9. Chippenham
10. Crewe
11. Exeter
12. Flint
13. Gloucester
14. Maesglas (Rail)
15. Manchester
16. Newport
17. Newport Abbot
18. Plymouth
19. Portsmouth
20. Preston
21. Swansea
22. Tiverton
23. Troro
24. Wavin on-site
25. Weston-super-Mare
26. Widnes
27. Wrexham
28. Yeovil

• Acorn, which operates from nearly 40 branches across the UK, has acquired Entire Recruitment and will take over all its assets, including three branches in Sydney, Brisbane and Rock Hampton, the agency’s team of over 20 staff and all of their current contracts.
• The acquisition has been made through Acorn’s subsidiary recruitment business in Australia, Synaco.

Published Articles and Awards

Who are the prospect’s competitors?

Competitors List (alphabetical order)

Criterion: Industry subcategory, Company Size and Product