The Client:
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:
Ideal Shopping Direct is a rapidly expanding business and runs specific IT projects aligned to its digital development strategy.
The group needed to secure people of the right calibre and skills with the appropriate level of experience and personal attributes that reflected Ideal’s company culture, values and standards.
Crimson were selected by Ideal to manage the recruitment process for a number of permanent and contract positions across a variety of specific IT and e-commerce specialisms.
The Solution:
Having successfully added value to other business areas within Ideal, Chris O’Brien of Crimson was recommended to lead the recruitment process on the basis of his specialist IT knowledge and experience in e-commerce recruitment.
Applying his industry knowledge, personal connections and using Crimson’s extensive databases, he successfully head hunted individuals which were all subsequently appointed by Ideal Shopping Direct.
The Outcome:
Ideal Shopping Direct reported that they were delighted with the service they had received and several group heads are continuing to work with closely with Crimson on a number of recruitment projects.
Crimson is now the preferred supplier for contract placements and also fulfils requirements for permanent positions.
Client Feedback:
John Allen is the Director with overall responsibility for IT across Ideal Shopping Direct. He said: “Operating in a fast-paced digital retail marketplace means that finding quality people with the right experience within tight timescales is crucial. Crimson gave us confidence from the outset that they genuinely understood the nature of our requirements which are very specific to an e-commerce environment.
“Working with an organisation that shares your values as a client is important and we have found working with Crimson a very positive experience and one which, most importantly, delivered the results we needed for our business. We are impressed with the fact that Crimson found us ‘Ideal’ people and I would go so far as to say that some of the individuals they secured were outstanding assets to our business.”
