Established recruitment agency Zenith People says it will grow its own team and customer base having secured a £1.3m invoice discounting facility.

The 20-strong Hebburn-based business, which started in 2001, has the backing of Cynergy Business Finance to help it expand on its offer of permanent and temporary roles across most sectors in the UK economy. Founder Angela Anderson said the move would boost cash flow at the firm, which is said to have hundreds of temporary staff on its books which requires capital to maintain wages while collecting customer payments.

Zenith originally specialised in manufacturing and engineering recruitment, placing staff in the region's automotive and food packaging business. The firm is a previous winner of the Services Award at the North East Business Awards and now has its sights on growth in a post-Covid market that features higher salaries and flexible working.

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Angela Anderson, founder and managing director of Zenith People Limited, said: “As an established recruitment agency in the North East, we are quite regularly the go-to consultants for roles across engineering, manufacturing, IT and more, with both businesses and staff using ZPL to fill permanent and temporary roles. As we continue to grow, it is important that we have the cash flow to sustain business practices, and the facility from CBF will ensure that this is the case. The CBF team have been very effective and responsive to what we needed, guaranteeing a quick turnaround, as well as going above and beyond.”

Sarah Harrison, corporate sales manager at Cynergy Business Finance, said: “ZPL is already an established agency making candidates placements across the UK, and the vision Angela and the ZPL team have for their growth and future is incredibly exciting. We are pleased to have been able to offer a flexible ABL facility that will help to boost cash flow and enable ZPL to continue growing and developing.

"We were able to do this with a quick turnaround, taking only three weeks to move from initial enquiries to completion and pay out, ensuring ZPL received the facility as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing the business continue to grow over the coming years and wish Angela and the team the best of luck.”