Berry Recruitment
Berry Recruitment Group is a privately-held UK multi-brand recruitment company operating nearly 40 branches across England and Wales, placing temporary and permanent workers across seven sectors via Berry Recruitment, Wild Recruitment, Wild Berry Associates, First Recruitment Services, and the BuzzHire on-demand staffing platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSaint Albans, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Berry Recruitment does
Berry Recruitment Group (BRG) is a privately-held UK multi-brand recruitment company founded in 2009 by Tony Berry, former head of Blue Arrow and Manpower. Headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire, BRG operates nearly 40 branch locations across England and Wales through four core brands: Berry Recruitment (national multi-sector), Wild Recruitment (South England specialist), Wild Berry Associates (London specialist), and First Recruitment Services (Sussex/South East, acquired June 2022). The group places temporary and permanent workers across seven specialist sectors — office & professional, industrial & warehouse, driving, construction, catering & hospitality, engineering & technical, and rail — with named enterprise customers including EMCOR UK (facilities management) and NHS / Crown Commercial Service framework clients.
BRG's technology layer centres on BuzzHire, an on-demand staffing platform acquired in 2021 with £3m of prior investment, and the Berry Recruitment app underpinning the Professional Services division (rebranded from Internal Recruitment Division in February 2025 after £4m of app investment). BuzzHire uses an intelligent algorithm — built and refined over two years by CTO Jon Butler — to match candidates against role criteria, delivering pre-screened talent in as little as 30 minutes with a 90% last-minute shift-fulfilment rate across 18,000+ active workers and 100,000+ registered BuzzWorkers. Supporting the technology stack is the Hybrid Onsite Resource Centre (HORC) hub model, Berry Training Services (CITB CSCS and British Safety Council accreditations), and a network of dedicated account managers across each branch.
Revenue is generated principally through transactional placement fees on temporary and permanent staffing across sectors, supplemented by one-time permanent placement fees, training services revenue, and BuzzHire per-booking fees. Disclosed FY2021 revenue was £68.8m with EBITDA of £2.27m (up 49% YoY); post-FRS-acquisition pro-forma run-rate is approximately £75m+. Ownership remains with the Berry family — Chris Chown (son-in-law) as Managing Director, Spencer Berry as Business Development Director — with Ian Langley (chairman of Airswift Holdings) as Deputy Chairman.
Berry Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berry Recruitment
- Legal name
- Berry Recruitment Group Limited
- Website
- https://berryrecruitmentgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Berry Recruitment Group is a privately-held UK multi-brand recruitment company operating nearly 40 branches across England and Wales, placing temporary and permanent workers across seven sectors via Berry Recruitment, Wild Recruitment, Wild Berry Associates, First Recruitment Services, and the BuzzHire on-demand staffing platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berry Recruitment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Supply Chain, Logistics & Procurement (Technical/Operations) Staffing (BPACADAO), Recruiting & Talent Acquisition Training (EDABAIAA), Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)
Keywords
Where Berry Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Albans
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices20 records
Markets served
Berry Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Temporary/Contract Staffing Placements: BRG places temporary and permanent workers across multiple sectors (office & professional, driving, industrial, construction, catering, technical, rail). The company earns placement fees from employers for supplying workers, which is the core revenue stream across all four brands.
- Permanent Placement Fees: The group recruits for permanent roles in addition to temporary positions, earning one-time placement fees upon successful permanent hires.
- Training Services Revenue: Berry Training Services generates revenue through accredited training programmes including CITB CSCS courses and British Safety Council qualifications targeted at construction sector candidates and clients.
- BuzzHire Platform Services: The BuzzHire app provides on-demand staffing with transparent upfront pricing and optional credit accounts, generating revenue through per-booking fees with no minimum requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard agency placement rates for temporary and permanent roles across sectors including driving, industrial, commercial, and catering. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Berry Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Berry Recruitment Group is a UK multi-brand recruitment group that places temporary and permanent workers across seven specialist sectors (office & professional, industrial & warehouse, driving, construction, catering & hospitality, engineering & technical, and rail) via a network of nearly 40 branches and the BuzzHire on-demand staffing app. The group operates four trading brands (Berry Recruitment, Wild Recruitment, Wild Berry Associates, First Recruitment Services), supplies the NHS and public sector through CCS framework agreements, and delivers accredited training through Berry Training Services.
Product overview
Berry Recruitment Group operates as a multi-brand recruitment platform with four core brands: Berry Recruitment (national full-service), Wild Recruitment (South England specialist), Wild Berry Associates (London specialist), and First Recruitment Services (Sussex/South East specialist). The group's flagship technology product is BuzzHire, an on-demand staffing platform that delivers pre-screened talent in 30 minutes using intelligent matching algorithms paired with human consultant review. Supporting services include Berry Training Services (CSCS and health & safety training) and the Professional Services Division (high-volume public/private sector recruitment). The group also operates a Hybrid Onsite Resource Centre (HORC) hub model for large-scale workforce requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BuzzHire: On-demand recruitment platform that delivers pre-screened talent in as little as 30 minutes. An instant, all-in-one solution for flexible staffing. Features include intelligent algorithm matching, 18,000+ active workers, and real-time ETA updates.
Products and services
- Berry Recruitment (Brand) National full-service recruitment brand placing temporary and permanent workers across seven sectors throughout the UK. Targets employers in office, technical, rail, construction, driving, industrial, and hospitality sectors.
- Wild Recruitment (Brand) South of England recruitment brand specialising in Office & Professional, Sales & Customer Service, Engineering & Technical, Industrial & Catering and Driving sectors. Founded in 2001 and now a wholly-owned subsidiary of BRG.
- Wild Berry Associates (Brand) London-based recruitment brand operating from Tottenham Court Road, specialising in Office & Professional and Sales & Customer Service sectors. Positions BRG as one of London's leading recruitment experts.
- First Recruitment Services (Brand) Independent employment agency providing office and warehouse staff throughout Sussex, Surrey, Kent & London. Acquired by BRG in June 2022 and now operates from three Sussex locations.
- BuzzHire On-Demand Staffing Platform On-demand recruitment platform that delivers pre-screened talent in as little as 30 minutes via an intelligent algorithm that scans registered workers by experience, location and performance rating. Features transparent up-front pricing, real-time ETA updates, no minimum booking requirements, and 18,000+ active workers. Used by employers for on-demand shift filling and by workers to select shifts.
- Hybrid Onsite Resource Centre (HORC) Hub-based recruitment service model where recruiters are based in nearby community hubs rather than embedded within client premises, enabling support for clients requiring regular large numbers of workers while maintaining dedicated account managers.
- Berry Training Services Accredited training division offering CITB Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) courses and British Safety Council qualifications for construction sector candidates and clients. Enables BRG to supply fully qualified construction staff.
- Professional Services Division Volume recruitment division for public and private sector clients covering Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Recruits high-volume staff for customer service, data entry, help desk, secure data processing and general administration roles, supported by a £4m-invested app technology platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Recruitment from request to confirmed booking in as little as 30 minutes via BuzzHire platform
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Berry Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Berry Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Berry Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- EMCOR UKcoreBerry Recruitment King's Lynn partnered with facilities management organisation EMCOR UK to supply workers across East Anglia. The partnership creates attractive employment opportunities in sectors including sugar and water industries, in locations such as Bury St Edmunds, Newark, and Cantley. Jobs include production operatives, industrial cleaners, cleaning supervisors, scaffolders, welders, forklift drivers and other roles. Lauren Kirby secured the partnership for the agency.
- BuzzHire (Acquisition)coreBRG acquired BuzzHire, an on-demand staffing app that matches open shifts with available workers. The award-winning tech start-up was backed by Ian Langley, chairman of STEM staffing giant Airswift Global and deputy chairman of BRG. BuzzHire had £3m investment since inception, 100,000 registered workers, 5,000 clients, and 90% last-minute shift fulfilment rate. Now part of BRG's four-brand portfolio with Graeme Lewis as Managing Director.
- Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and NHS Procurement in PartnershipcoreBerry Recruitment and Wild Recruitment were named as suppliers on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and NHS Procurement in Partnership's Non Clinical Temporary and Fixed Term Staff framework. Berry Recruitment is a supplier for Administration and Secretarial (Lot 1), IT (Lot 3), and Ancillary staff (Lot 6). Wild Recruitment is a supplier for Lot 1 and Lot 6. This framework is particularly used by the NHS but is also open to other public sector organisations and central government departments.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Berry Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hays plc: FTSE-listed international recruiter with significant UK presence across professional, IT, construction and industrial sectors. Comparable on sector overlap and on operating a permanent + temp mix, though significantly larger and publicly traded.
- ManpowerGroup (UK): Global staffing major with UK operations in temp, perm and RPO across office, industrial, driving and professional sectors. Tony Berry headed Manpower before founding BRG; directly comparable on service mix though at far larger scale.
- PageGroup: FTSE-listed recruiter operating Michael Page and Page Personnel brands across UK and globally. Direct competitor for office/professional and sales/marketing/CS direct hire roles, which BRG serves via Wild Berry Associates and Berry Recruitment.
- Robert Half (UK): Specialist staffing firm focused on finance, accounting, technology and office support in the UK. Comparable to BRG's office & professional and professional services divisions on specialist permanent and contract placement.
- Capita plc: UK-listed outsourcing and staffing services group with significant public-sector framework exposure including NHS. Comparable to BRG on the CCS/NHS framework supplier proposition and on volume admin/professional recruitment, though services a wider outsourcing portfolio.
- Adecco (UK): Global staffing leader with established UK branch network covering office, industrial, driving and professional sectors. Comparable to BRG on full-service generalist positioning and on public-sector framework participation.
Direct peers
- Blue Arrow: UK multi-sector staffing firm where founder Tony Berry was previously Chairman. Highly comparable to BRG on segment mix (driving, industrial, office, hospitality, public sector) and on UK high-street branch model; Tony Berry's industry pedigree ties the two firms directly.
- Reed Specialist Recruitment: UK's largest privately-held recruitment agency operating multi-sector temp and perm placement. Directly comparable to BRG on sector breadth (office, industrial, driving, construction, professional) and private, family-controlled ownership structure.
Others
- Airswift Holdings: Global STEM/workforce staffing firm whose chairman Ian Langley is BRG's Deputy Chairman. Comparable to BRG's technical/aerospace/defence engineering division (Wild Recruitment) and to BRG's acquisition approach via Bu zzHire.
Emerging players
- Indeed UK: Global digital job board and recruitment platform. Not a direct staffing competitor but a structural threat to traditional agencies; comparison is relevant to understand the digital-disintermediation risk to BRG's branch-led model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Berry Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceBerry Recruitment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Berry Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berry Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Berry Recruitment subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Berry Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berry Recruitment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berry Recruitment
What does Berry Recruitment do?
Berry Recruitment Group is a UK multi-brand recruitment group that places temporary and permanent workers across seven specialist sectors (office & professional, industrial & warehouse, driving, construction, catering & hospitality, engineering & technical, and rail) via a network of nearly 40 branches and the BuzzHire on-demand staffing app. The group operates four trading brands (Berry Recruitment, Wild Recruitment, Wild Berry Associates, First Recruitment Services), supplies the NHS and public sector through CCS framework agreements, and delivers accredited training through Berry Training Services.
Is Berry Recruitment a public or private company?
Berry Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Berry Recruitment founded?
Berry Recruitment was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Berry Recruitment based?
Berry Recruitment is headquartered in Saint Albans, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Berry Recruitment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Temporary/Contract Staffing Placements are the primary driver. The others are permanent Placement Fees, training Services Revenue and buzzHire Platform Services.
Who are Berry Recruitment's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hays plc, ManpowerGroup (UK), PageGroup, Robert Half (UK), Capita plc and Adecco (UK). Direct peers are Blue Arrow and Reed Specialist Recruitment. Airswift Holdings is listed as an others. Indeed UK is listed as an emerging player.
Does Berry Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berry Recruitment.
What industry is Berry Recruitment in?
Berry Recruitment's product category is Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAD, Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPACADAO, Supply Chain, Logistics & Procurement (Technical/Operations) Staffing. Its NAICS code is 56131 and its SIC code is 7361.