Cream Soda Recruitment

What Cream Soda Recruitment does

Cream Soda Recruitment is a privately held, founder-led UK recruitment consultancy established in September 2015 and headquartered in Hale, Cheshire (26 Park Road, WA15 9NN). The firm concentrates exclusively on two vertical sectors: retail — covering fashion, discount, health and beauty, homeware, toys, confectionery, grocery, wholesale, buying, supply chain, design, technology, and e-commerce — and marketing communications, spanning digital, creative, PR, and integrated agencies as well as in-house marketing teams. It operates as a traditional consultancy with no disclosed proprietary technology platform, relying on specialist consultants to source candidates, conduct screenings, and match hires to client roles.

Revenue is generated through three service models that align with standard UK recruitment engagement structures. The Contingency model is a transaction-fee placement service that includes specialist consultant handling and additional screening steps such as psychometric testing. The Retainer model is used for competitive talent markets or specialized skill requirements and functions as a recurring-engagement positioning the client as an employer of choice. The Bespoke model is a custom engagement for non-standard hiring scenarios, including situations where the target candidate is not active in the open market. Pricing is fee-based and not publicly itemized. Customer acquisition is sales-led and relationship-driven, operating primarily through direct employer outreach, personal referrals, and testimonial-driven credibility within the firm's operating region of North West England, with named enterprise and mid-market clients across the UK.

The firm was founded by Jean-Philippe Glaskie and Philip Goldstone. Glaskie is an economics graduate of University College London with a prior career as a City of London currency dealer, later appointed Managing Director of The Dalya Group (a grocery and multiple-retail kidswear supplier) in 2003, and then Managing Director of Peppermint Soda, an integrated marketing communications consultancy that he quadrupled in size over three years following a 2007 management buyout. Goldstone previously founded and operated a clothing and fashion supply business for over 20 years, supplying UK multiples including Next, Arcadia, Lipsy, Debenhams, and Sainsbury's. The business remains bootstrapped with no disclosed external investors or parent entity, and its disclosed client portfolio spans Cotton Traders, Superdrug, Sambro, Milords International, The Original Factory Shop, Dune, Countrywide, Holland and Barrett, American Golf, Hobbycraft, and mid-market firms such as Frock and Frill, ComfyQuilts, Be Jealous, Branded Lab, and VIP Electronic Cigarette.

Name

Cream Soda Recruitment

Legal name

Cream Soda Recruitment

Website

https://creamsodarecruitment.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cream Soda Recruitment is a privately held UK recruitment consultancy founded in 2015, specializing exclusively in retail and marketing communications verticals with three engagement models — Contingency, Retainer, and Bespoke — for enterprise and mid-market UK employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Consumer Services Direct Hire (BPACAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

Keywords

• Retail recruitment services
• Marketing communications hiring
• Contingency recruitment firm
• Retainer search services
• Talent acquisition consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Hale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency Recruitment: Standard contingency-based recruitment where clients pay a fee only upon successful placement of a candidate. Offers competitive fee rates with quality-focused service, handled by specialist consultants with additional screening such as psychometric testing.
2. Retainer Recruitment: Clients engage the firm on a retainer basis, typically used in competitive marketplaces with limited talent pools or specific skill requirements. This positions the client organization as an employer of choice to attract top candidates.
3. Bespoke Recruitment: Custom recruitment solutions designed for clients who require alternative engagement models or where the ideal candidate may not be in the open market. Tailored approach to meet specific hiring needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cream Soda Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy that sources, screens, and places candidates for the retail and marketing communications sectors. It operates three service models — Contingency (fee on successful placement), Retainer (for competitive talent markets), and Bespoke (custom solutions including candidates outside the open market) — covering roles in wholesale, buying, supply chain, design, technology, marketing, e-commerce, and administration.

Product overview

Cream Soda Recruitment is a specialized recruitment agency offering three distinct service models for the retail and marketing communications sectors. The core offerings are Contingency (a competitive fee-based model with specialist consultant support and psychometric testing), Retainer (for competitive markets with limited talent pools), and Bespoke (custom models for unique hiring needs). All services focus on quality candidate-job matching across wholesale, buying, supply chain, design, technology, marketing, e-commerce, and administration roles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contingency Recruitment A contingency-based recruitment service for retail and marketing communications employers, offering competitive fee rates with specialist consultant handling on every role. Includes additional screening processes such as psychometric testing to ensure quality of the candidate pool. Clients pay a fee only upon successful placement.
• Retainer Recruitment A retainer-based recruitment model designed for clients operating in competitive marketplaces with limited talent pools or very specific skill requirements. Positions the client organization as an employer of choice to attract the very best candidates.
• Bespoke Recruitment A customized recruitment model created for clients who feel the contingency or retainer models are not quite right, or who believe the right candidate may not be in the open market. Tailored approach to find candidates that meet specific hiring needs.

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Cream Soda Recruitment