The Customer
Ideal Shopping Direct is a leading UK digital retailer, selling products to consumers via its television shopping channels and the internet.
The group operates four television shopping channels selling a range of general merchandise including home and garden products, kitchen and technology goods, health & beauty and craft. Its flagship TV channel is Ideal World (available on Sky, Freeview, Freesat and Virgin) which is supported by three other channels called Create and Craft, The Deal Channel and Ideal Extra. Around 650 permanent staff are employed from the Peterborough Head Office which is home to the Group’s state-of-the-art TV studios. There are also typically several hundred temporary staff working on a contract basis at any one time.
The Brief
Paul Loasby is the Management Information Solutions and Data Warehouse Manager at Ideal Shopping Direct. He needed to recruit a new Management Information Analyst on a permanent basis. Three recruitment agencies were selected to fulfil this requirement but all failed and a project had to be cancelled as a result. The lack of progress inevitably had an impact on the IT team in terms of resources and time and there was disappointment that none of the three agencies had delivered the desired results. Paul decided to start the process again, approaching Crimson with a brief to secure the right individual within a tight timeframe without compromising on quality.
The Solution
Crimson’s Chris O’Brien was chosen to lead the recruitment process. He adopted a hands-on approach staying in constant telephone contact with Ideal Shopping Direct. Using his own industry knowledge and vast network of professional contacts he was able to produce a shortlist of high calibre individuals within just one week.
The Outcome
The position was filled successfully and shortly afterwards Chris was approached to recruit candidates for two temporary and three permanent positions on an exclusive basis. Again, high calibre individuals were secured for all the vacancies. Crimson continues to work closely with departments across the group on temporary and permanent recruitment projects.
“Naturally it was frustrating not being able to find the person we needed first time around but Crimson’s approach was refreshingly different from other agencies and within a week they had transformed the situation. I would not hesitate to recommend Crimson and am delighted to continue to work with the company on other projects.”
Paul Loasby, Management Information Solutions and Data Warehouse Manager