Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) has made no secret of its ambition in 2020.
In July, the Group announced plans to double headcount with the creation of 300 new jobs amidst a global pandemic and recession.
As soon as this news hit headlines around the UK, GAS then revealed its stunning new headquarters building at Seaham’s Spectrum Business Park, which is now nearing completion.
This was supplemented with the acquisition of a second floor at its current Spectrum 6 building, taking total North East capacity to 1,200.
With plans to reach 600 staff in 2021, the Group has made sure that the change will be exciting and comfortable for colleagues around the UK.
Victoria Walton, Head of Resource and Talent at GAS, has emphasised the opportunity on offer with the UK’s fastest-growing cost reduction specialist.
She said: “We are not interested in simply creating jobs. We want to create careers that people cherish and in which they invest their long-term future.
“We are coupling a state-of-the-art office with market-leading staff benefits, rewards and recognition packages, as well as our commission schemes, which are also market leading.
“If you work in sales, we are creating a career and a package that surpasses everything that has gone before.
“GAS has already recruited 70 new colleagues since 1st September, with 26 joining at the start of November.”
The best facility in the North East
The Group has meticulously designed a unique offering across its two County Durham buildings which focuses on wellbeing and maximising the value colleagues get from their work life.
This has been reflected in colleague satisfaction as GAS was independently named the joint second best company in the whole country for work life balance by company review website Glassdoor. The Group has received an influx of recent reviews on both Glassdoor and Trustpilot, elevating its scores to 4.9 and 4.8 out of five respectively. This is a major achievement, positioning GAS above household brand names in the UK.
With a combination of offices, education, leisure, dining, social and wellbeing facilities, The Great Annual Savings Campus will offer professionals the best experience possible.
a unique offering across its two County Durham buildings which focuses on wellbeing and maximising the value colleagues get from their work life.
The Hub will be an entry-point for newer colleagues, who will receive dedicated, intensive coaching in their various specialisms.
Judith Bennison, Group HR Director, said: “We are so excited about what The Hub will produce for successful candidates, our business and also for the local area.
“At a time when the only news you hear is doom and gloom with redundancies and business closures, we are creating hundreds of exciting new jobs all over the country.
“The new apprenticeship scheme in partnership with East Durham College will provide a great opportunity for people who want a guaranteed job at the end of the apprenticeship. No other UK company is offering this.
“The Hub has been designed to give hope to those wanting a change in career. With high-quality educational support, an official apprenticeship qualification and an attractive long-term career lying in wait, being part of the Performance and Development Hub at GAS is something to get excited about, especially with our ambitious expansion plans.
“From the business’ point of view, this will give us home grown talent to feed our sales teams in Sea View HQ and facilitate our growth plans.”
Much has already been released on the new building. The fit-out of the existing Spectrum 7 building will finish in December, completing its transformation into Sea View HQ.
The building was named by GAS colleagues after initial suggestions from across the Group and voting rounds through the senior leadership team and the Group’s 20 longest-servers.
Craig Shields, Head of Operations, has been one of the leaders on the transformative project.
He said: “Whilst our building is situated in the North East, it comes with some incredible benefits for our staff across the country. It is something everyone at GAS is excited about.
“The new GAS+Fit gymnasium and wellbeing team will include digital consultancy and access for field staff. The GASTRO catering facility will come with additional benefits for use across national food outlets and the move into the building will coincide with the launch of a new and improved rewards strategy, which will encompass the whole of the country and be truly market leading.
“Additionally, our new facilities will allow GAS to have more of an impact on the local community, economically and socially.”
The facilities upgrade will begin a new phase of growth for the Group. It will be GAS’ third building move in eight years and will confirm its transformation from high-performing SME to large UK employer and an influential voice in the business community.
The Group has also embarked on a brand growth journey in 2020, involving high-profile sponsorships of sports clubs such as Sunderland AFC, a major increase in media coverage and a forthcoming marketing campaign to fill the new vacancies.