Agency Central
Agency Central is a UK online directory of 9,000+ recruitment agencies, enabling employers and job seekers to find agencies by industry, role, and location, monetised through paid listings from recruitment agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersWarrington, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Agency Central does
Agency Central is a UK-based online directory that aggregates 9,000+ recruitment agencies and connects them with employers and job seekers searching for hiring support. Founded in 2000 by brothers Kevin and Phil Drinkwater and headquartered in Warrington, the platform operates as a self-serve website where users filter agencies by industry, job role, location, and employment type (permanent, temporary, contract, temp-to-perm). A complementary salary information database by job role and location helps both employers set appropriate pay bands and candidates evaluate career progression, and a CV submission service allows candidates to apply directly to listed agencies.
The underlying technology is a conventional web-based directory with an advanced search and filter engine, a salary data layer, and supporting content assets such as a recruitment news and articles blog. There is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed third-party integrations; the platform's functional value derives from catalogued agency metadata and SEO-driven discoverability rather than algorithmic matching. The business model is advertising: recruitment agencies pay on a quote-based, monthly billing cadence to be listed and uniquely advertised by every job role they recruit for, monetising the 25,000+ employers and 425,000+ candidate visits the site receives per month. The company serves three segments — employers and job seekers as the demand side (free), and recruitment agencies as the paying supply side — and operates exclusively in the UK.
The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-owned, with no external funding rounds disclosed and approximately 15 employees. Cumulatively, Agency Central claims to have supported 1,113,578 employers and 14,542,080 candidates since inception, with 400 employers and 5,000 candidates using the site daily, indicating a stable niche business that has achieved meaningful scale on a lean cost base.
Agency Central firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Agency Central
- Legal name
- Agency Central Ltd
- Website
- https://agencycentral.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Agency Central is a UK online directory of 9,000+ recruitment agencies, enabling employers and job seekers to find agencies by industry, role, and location, monetised through paid listings from recruitment agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Agency Central industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Agency Directory
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA), Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
Keywords
Where Agency Central is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warrington
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Agency Central business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Directory Advertising: Recruitment agencies pay to advertise on Agency Central's directory. The platform uniquely advertises each agency by every job role they recruit for, making agencies discoverable to the 25,000+ employers and 425,000+ candidates visiting monthly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Directory advertising for recruitment agencies |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Agency Central product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Agency Central operates a UK recruitment agency directory that aggregates 9,000+ employment agencies into a single searchable platform. Employers and job seekers use the site to find specialist recruitment agencies by industry, job role, location, and employment type, while recruitment agencies pay to advertise their services on the directory to reach the platform's monthly audience of 25,000+ employers and 425,000+ candidates.
Product overview
Agency Central operates as a single unified product — a UK recruitment agency directory — rather than a modular platform. The core offering is the directory of 9,000+ recruitment agencies with an advanced search and filter system that allows employers to find agencies by industry, job role, location, and employment type. Supporting features include salary information databases, CV submission services, telephone support, and an online contact form. The company also provides a paid advertising service for agencies to list on the directory, and maintains a recruitment news and articles content hub. The directory covers 18 major industry categories including Accounting & Finance, Administration, Call Centre/Customer Service, Catering and Hospitality, Construction, Creative/Design, Driving, Education, Engineering, Food & Drink, Health Care, IT, Industrial, Manufacturing/Production, Media, Retail, Sales, and Social Care.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Recruitment Agency Directory Comprehensive online directory of 9,000+ UK recruitment agencies covering 18+ industry categories, enabling employers and job seekers to find and contact specialist employment agencies by industry, job role, location, and employment type.
- Agency Advertising Services Paid advertising service that allows UK recruitment agencies to list and promote themselves on the directory, with a unique system that advertises each agency against every job role they recruit for, reaching 25,000+ employers and 425,000+ candidates who visit monthly.
Quantifiable outcome
- Helping 1,113,578 employers and 14,542,080 candidates since 2000
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Agency Central
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Agency Central technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Agency Central partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CV-LibraryminorCV-Library is referenced as a partner site where candidates can upload their CV to apply for jobs and let recruiters find them. Agency Central directs candidates to CV-Library for job applications, with over 120,000 live vacancies mentioned.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Agency Central competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Yell: UK business directory with a long operating history. Comparable structurally as a UK directory business monetising business listings and consumer search traffic, though in a different vertical.
- LinkedIn: Professional network with a large jobs marketplace and recruiter tools. Comparable as a destination where candidates search and where recruiters/agencies purchase visibility to source talent.
- ZipRecruiter: Online employment marketplace connecting employers and job seekers across multiple categories. Comparable as a digital recruitment advertising platform competing for employer recruitment marketing budgets.
- Reed: Long-established UK recruitment agency and job board with broad industry coverage. Comparable as a large UK recruitment destination competing for the same candidate and employer attention Agency Central serves.
- Indeed: Global job search engine that aggregates listings from agencies and direct employers. Comparable as a destination for UK candidates searching for jobs and a channel competing for employer/agency recruitment marketing spend.
Direct peers
- CV-Library: UK-focused job board and CV database with 120,000+ live vacancies and a stated partnership with Agency Central. Directly comparable as a UK recruitment advertising platform serving both candidates and employers.
- Totaljobs: Major UK job board advertising vacancies across industries. Comparable as a UK recruitment advertising platform monetising employer demand via listings and competing for candidate traffic.
- Jobsite: UK job board advertising roles across multiple industries. Comparable as a UK-only recruitment advertising destination competing for employer spend and candidate engagement.
Others
- Trustpilot: Consumer review platform operating a directory-like business model around listed businesses. Comparable as a UK-headquartered directory/advertising platform monetising business visibility through structured listings.
Emerging players
- Glassdoor: Jobs and company reviews platform used by candidates to discover employers and roles. Comparable as a UK-accessible candidate destination that competes for attention with recruitment agency directories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Agency Central social profiles
Digital presenceAgency Central financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Agency Central leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Agency Central funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Agency Central M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Agency Central
What does Agency Central do?
Agency Central operates a UK recruitment agency directory that aggregates 9,000+ employment agencies into a single searchable platform. Employers and job seekers use the site to find specialist recruitment agencies by industry, job role, location, and employment type, while recruitment agencies pay to advertise their services on the directory to reach the platform's monthly audience of 25,000+ employers and 425,000+ candidates.
Is Agency Central a public or private company?
Agency Central is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Agency Central founded?
Agency Central was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Agency Central based?
Agency Central is headquartered in Warrington, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Agency Central make money?
One revenue line is on record: directory Advertising.
Who are Agency Central's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Yell, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Reed and Indeed. Direct peers are CV-Library, Totaljobs and Jobsite. Trustpilot is listed as an others. Glassdoor is listed as an emerging player.
Does Agency Central have an API?
No public API is recorded for Agency Central.
What industry is Agency Central in?
Agency Central's product category is Recruitment Agency Directory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAKAG, Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops), with a secondary code of BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.