Jobs cheer as Arena sets out growth plans

Arena Group, the Wakefield-based copier, printer and electronic document management business, hopes to increase its staff numbers from 130 to 250 by 2015 as it wins new clients.

Adrian Fitzpatrick, the company's managing director, said he believed turnover could rise from 12m to 25m over this period.

He said: "We've grown through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions and now have five offices across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire,'' he said. "The decision to go down the acquisition route was a big one. It allowed us to build the business fairly quickly."

In seven years, the Arena Group bought seven companies – including Sterling Business Systems, based in Thorp Arch, and Sheffield firm WRG.

Arena Group has a number of services that it plans to sell to its existing customers to help them become more efficient.

Mr Fitzpatrick believes Arena's managed print service is an area of significant growth.

"In essence, it's an outsourced service for customers,'' he said. "We take away a big headache and save them money in the process. We've invested heavily in technology and people to do that."