Energy advice company recruits as customers try to cut overheads

The company, which advises businesses on energy purchasing, management and efficiency, said it was gaining between 25 and 40 new clients per month with growth particularly strong in the manufacturing and retail sectors.

Managing director Gareth Henderson said: “We are expecting turnover to rise by around 60 per cent this year and are planning significant investment in the business as we continue to expand,”

Orchard Energy, which has offices in Brighouse and Bradford, recently opened new offices in Cardiff and Bristol and has plans to establish another regional base in Cambridge. The firm also has offices in Glasgow and Newcastle.

Mr Henderson said recruitment was underway to expand the telesales team at head office in Brighouse and increase the number of energy advisers in the field.

He added: “One of the challenges during a period of rapid expansion is to ensure customer service levels don’t suffer which is why we have created additional client facing roles,

“We are also aware that one of the reasons our business is growing so quickly is because the economic climate has led to greater demand for our services from businesses that are eager to reduce their overheads and manage risk. The expansion of our head office telemarketing team will allow us to respond to this demand.”

The company saw turnover rise to £1.8m in the year ending September 2010, up 58 per cent on the previous year. It recruited 17 new staff.