What KSB Recruitment Consultants does

KSB Recruitment Consultants Ltd is a UK-based, founder-owned specialist recruitment agency focused exclusively on the hospitality and catering sector, operating nationwide from its headquarters in Solihull, Birmingham. Founded in 1991 by Managing Director Dawn Bannister and led alongside Operations Director Jon Bannister, the firm supplies both temporary and permanent staff to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, healthcare and care-home catering operations, holiday parks, events venues, and military/MOD catering operations, with named enterprise clients including Marriott, Compass Group, Butlin's, Diamond Resorts, Haven, ESS Support Services, and NAAFI.

The company monetizes through two distinct streams: usage-based hourly billing for temporary placements (with all employment costs such as National Insurance, holiday pay, pension, and administration bundled into the rate, and no upfront fees), and transaction-fee billing for permanent placements priced as an industry-standard percentage of placed candidates' annual salary, accompanied by a 90-day replacement guarantee. Its underlying asset is a curated candidate pool of more than 20,000 pre-vetted, DBS-checked professionals processed through a documented 10-step vetting workflow, supported by a self-serve job portal at jobs.ksbrecruitment.co.uk. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability referenced; the competitive moat rests on human domain expertise, regulatory accreditations (REC, GLAA, NHS Frameworks, Crown Commercial Services, Health Trust Europe, Cyber Essentials, ALP, Stronger Together, Armed Forces Covenant Silver), and operational responsiveness (24/7 availability, 1-hour response time commitment).

Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, combining direct employer engagement (particularly for enterprise and mid-market accounts) with an inbound candidate funnel through the website, SEO-optimized category pages, and organic social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook). Distribution is UK-domestic with stated strength across the Midlands, Manchester, London, and the South West. Recent strategic emphasis has been on penetrating regulated verticals — healthcare/NHS catering and public-sector/MOD contracts — via framework approvals, while extending candidate-side services through a Community Hub wellbeing platform and dedicated armed-forces support roles.

Name

KSB Recruitment Consultants

Legal name

KSB Recruitment Consultants Ltd

Website

https://ksbrecruitment.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KSB Recruitment Consultants is a UK founder-owned specialist recruitment agency, founded 1991, supplying temporary and permanent hospitality and catering staff to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, healthcare facilities, holiday parks, events venues, and military catering operations across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality and Catering Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (561320)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitality, Travel & Events Direct Hire (BPACAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

Keywords

• Hospitality recruitment
• Catering staffing
• Temporary staffing
• Permanent placement
• Chef recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing: KSB provides temporary hospitality and catering staff on an hourly rate basis. All employment costs including National Insurance, holiday pay, pension, and administration are included in hourly rates. Payment is for hours worked with no upfront fees.
2. Permanent Recruitment: KSB charges industry-standard percentage fees based on the annual salary of placed candidates. They offer a 90-day full replacement guarantee for permanent placements with sliding scale refunds if candidates leave within specific timeframes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KSB Recruitment Consultants is a UK specialist recruitment agency that sources, vets, and places temporary and permanent staff for the hospitality and catering industry. Core offerings span temporary staffing (hourly-rate cover, emergency and same-day placements, 24/7 availability) and permanent recruitment (percentage-of-salary fees with a 90-day replacement guarantee), supported by specialist verticals including chef, kitchen brigade, event, hospital catering, and hotel management hiring. Service is delivered through a consultative direct-sales model backed by a 20,000+ candidate network and a 10-step vetting process.

Product overview

KSB Recruitment Consultants operates as a specialist hospitality and catering recruitment agency offering a portfolio of staffing solutions. The core offering consists of temporary staffing services and permanent recruitment services, supported by specialized hiring support for chefs, kitchen brigade, event staff, hospital catering staff, and hotel management. Additional supporting services include a candidate care program, community hub for wellbeing support, a 10-step commitment process for vetting, and armed forces support services. The company serves clients across the UK with over 35 years of industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temporary Staffing Services Provides temporary staffing solutions for hospitality and catering businesses across the UK with rapid response, including same-day placements and 24/7 availability. Hourly rates include all employment costs (National Insurance, holiday pay, pension, administration) with no upfront fees.
• Permanent Recruitment Services Full-service permanent hiring process including sourcing, screening, interviewing, and placement of hospitality and catering professionals. Charged at industry-standard percentage of annual salary with a 90-day full replacement guarantee and sliding scale refunds.
• Chef Recruitment Specialized recruitment for chefs across roles including Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Partie, Commis Chef and Relief Chef, for hospitality and catering employers in the UK.
• Kitchen Brigade Staffing Complete kitchen team staffing solutions providing full brigade placements for hospitality establishments, covering all kitchen roles as a coordinated team.
• Event Staff Recruitment Staffing solutions for events including corporate conferences, weddings, festivals, and private celebrations, providing flexible team sizes for one-off and seasonal events.
• Hospital Catering Staff Recruitment Specialized recruitment for healthcare sector catering staff including hospital chefs and catering assistants, with DBS-checked candidates eligible for NHS and healthcare frameworks.
• Hotel Management Staff Recruitment Recruitment services for hotel management positions including General Managers, Hotel Managers, and Food & Beverage Managers.
• Armed Forces Support Services Specialized recruitment support for veterans, reservists, and military families, delivered under the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Employer Recognition Scheme with dedicated Armed Forces Champion and Liaison Officer roles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-hour maximum response time between initial contact and candidate sourcing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC)coreOthersREC Corporate Members - KSB holds corporate membership with the professional body for the UK recruitment industry. This ensures compliant, fair, and transparent recruitment practices aligned with REC best practice standards. Members receive ongoing training, industry knowledge updates, and operate under recognized ethical standards.
• Association of Labour Providers (ALP)coreOthersALP membership supports KSB's commitment to ethical and responsible labour supply chains. ALP is a trade body focusing on compliance, fairness, and worker welfare in UK labour provision. Membership provides accountability through independent oversight.
• Cyber Essentials CertificationcoreOthersCyber Essentials certification is a UK government-backed cybersecurity standard. KSB has achieved this certification ensuring robust security controls to reduce risk of cyber attacks and data breaches, with secure handling of personal and sensitive information.
• Greater Birmingham Chambers of CommerceregionalOthersChamber of Commerce membership provides KSB with access to a connected business network, local and national market insight, and professional credibility. Signals stability, reliability, and commitment to high business standards.
• Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA)coreOthersGLAA is a UK government regulator and licensing authority overseeing labour supply in regulated sectors. KSB holds GLAA licensing ensuring lawful, ethical recruitment and employment practices with protection against labour abuse and exploitation.
• Stronger TogethercoreOthersStronger Together is an initiative tackling modern slavery and promoting ethical labour practices. KSB's commitment ensures ethical and transparent recruitment and supply chains with fair and respectful treatment of all workers.
• Crown Commercial Services (CCS)coreOthersKSB is an approved supplier to Crown Commercial Services, independently audited for government and industry compliance and ethics. This enables KSB to provide trusted services to public sector and government organizations.
• Health Trust Europe (HTE)coreOthersKSB is an approved supplier to Health Trust Europe, independently audited for NHS and healthcare compliance. This framework approval allows KSB to supply staff to healthcare organizations meeting strict compliance standards.
• Armed Forces CovenantregionalOthersKSB has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, a promise to ensure fair treatment of service personnel, veterans, and their families. KSB holds Silver Employer Recognition Scheme award and has dedicated Armed Forces Champion and Liaison Officer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Adecco UK: Global staffing leader operating across the UK with significant hospitality and catering staffing capability — competes with KSB on enterprise hospitality accounts while serving many other sectors.
• Sodexo UK: Global contract catering and facilities services provider that both employs and sources hospitality/catering staff in-house — competes with KSB by capturing catering staffing demand within its own contract base.
• Reed Specialist Recruitment: UK-wide recruitment group with a dedicated hospitality and catering desk — a broad incumbent that competes for hospitality placements while operating across many other verticals.
• Blue Arrow: Large UK generalist staffing and recruitment provider with a dedicated hospitality and catering vertical — a broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise hospitality staffing contracts as KSB.
• Hays UK: Global recruitment firm with UK hospitality, facilities management, and catering capabilities — competes for enterprise hospitality contracts and overlaps with KSB's contract catering segment.

Direct peers

• Coyle Personnel: London-based hospitality, catering, and event staffing agency providing temporary and permanent staffing across the UK — directly comparable specialist competitor to KSB for chef and front-of-house placements.
• Caterer.com: Leading UK hospitality and catering job board and recruitment platform, serving the same candidate and employer audience as KSB, including chef, hotel, and restaurant roles.
• Lyon Baker: UK hospitality and catering recruitment specialist focused on chef, management, and front-of-house placements — overlapping directly with KSB's core hospitality placement services.
• Berkeley Scott: UK specialist recruitment agency focused on hospitality, catering, and facilities management staffing across both temporary and permanent placements — directly competing with KSB for the same hospitality client base.
• The One Group: UK-based recruitment specialist covering hospitality, catering, commercial, and technical sectors — directly overlapping with KSB's hospitality-focused services on temporary and permanent mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KSBRECRUITMENT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ksb-recruitment-consultants-ltd/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/ksbrecruitmentconsultants/?hl=en

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KSB Recruitment Consultants