Blue Arrow
Public | |
Industry | Recruitment |
Founded | 1959 |
Headquarters | Luton, UK |
Key people | Fraser McLeod, Managing Director |
Products | Providing bespoke staffing solutions to clients across the Hospitality, Manufacturing, Public Service, Retail, Support Services and Transport sectors. |
Number of employees | circa 650 |
Parent | Impellam Group plc |
Website | www.bluearrow.co.uk |
Blue Arrow Limited is a United Kingdom based employment and recruitment agency that places individual jobseekers in temporary and/or permanent Catering, Driving Industrial and Office roles across the Hospitality, Manufacturing, Public Service, Retail, Support Services and Transport sectors.
The head office is in Luton, Bedfordshire.
Blue Arrow is now part of the Impellam Group plc, an international staffing business traded on the Alternative Investment Market with operations in the UK, Ireland, Europe, United States, Australia and New Zealand.
History
On 10 November 1959, Blue Arrow (then named 'The Barnet Agency Ltd' and founded by Sheila Birch) was incorporated. On 12 October 1982, the company name was changed to 'Blue Arrow Personnel Services Ltd' and then finally to 'Blue Arrow Ltd' on 28 June 2000.
After the company became listed on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1984, Sheila was no longer on the Board. In June 1987, Blue Arrow was successful in acquiring Manpower Inc., which was then the world's largest temporary employment agency, for the price of $1.3bn.[1]
In 1987, Blue Arrow was at the centre of a financial scandal when employees of National Westminster Bank's investment arm, County NatWest, covered up a failed issue of £873m of new stock (intended to finance the takeover of Manpower Inc.). Blue Arrow itself was cleared of any wrongdoing.[2] In 1989, Tony Berry stood down as CEO.[3]
On 17 April 1996, the Company was acquired by The Corporate Services Group plc and on 7 May 2008, The Corporate Services Group plc merged with Carlisle Group Limited to form one of the UK's largest recruitment groups, Impellam.[4][5]
Trade memberships
- Institute of Hospitality
- Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CiLT)
- Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA)
- Association of Labour Providers (ALP)
- Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)