Friday 27 February 2009

Recession, what recession? I'm eating chocolate!

Chocolate eating is on the rise in the current economic slowdown according to Birmingham based confectionery giant Cadbury.

Consumers were tucking into more chocolate at home in the recession.

Chocolate seems to benefits as people stay at home. Chocolate sales are holding up well as people buy multi-packs, stock up the larder, and stay at home.

Cadbury, the world's second-largest confectionery group, behind newly merged global leader Mars-Wrigley, sells chocolate and also chewing gum brands such as Trident, and has seen overall global confectionery growth starting to slow over the last six months.

The Birmingham-based group said its worldwide global chocolate sales were up 6 percent in 2008, with its flagship Dairy Milk brand 11 percent up in the full year after a 9 percent rise in the first-half.

The group had seen a particularly strong second half of 2008 in Britain, helped by the re-launch of its Wispa bar and its new Creme Egg Twisted product.

This helped push the group's British chocolate market share up by 0.5 percentage points to nearly 30 percent, almost back to the level seen before a salmonella-linked product recall in 2006 sent Cadbury's market share down.

This compares with other major players in the market such as the privately owned U.S. group Mars on 25 percent and Swiss-based Nestle on 16 percent.

Thursday 26 February 2009

SUCCESSFUL RECRUITING AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT

Anyone who looks in the back pages of Creative Review, Design Week or The Drum these days can’t miss the fact that there are now a lot of recruitment agencies to choose from, all of which seem to offer similar services in the Midlands and South West.

So which one to choose? How can you be sure they’ll come up with the goods and end up actually saving you money in the long term?

Steve Cooper Recruitment has now been successfully placing top quality people with clients since 2001 and prides itself on providing a personal, friendly service to clients and candidates alike.

We’ve developed long term relationships with clients precisely because we can help them square that tricky circle: finding the best-qualified people for the job, who’ll fit in with the team, and finding them fast.

What we need from you

The majority of clients who come to us need high quality people and they need them now. But matching the right people to the right roles means finding out as much about the job and company as we can.

So to get the best from your consultancy it’s vital to spend time discussing the job skills, person spec and company culture to give a complete picture of what’s required. That way, a good consultant will save you time by not sending inappropriate candidates for interview.

What you need from us

A good recruitment consultant will know the sectors he or she works in well, and appreciate how positions fit within an organisation so that vacancies and candidates can be perfectly matched.

At Steve Cooper Recruitment we understand the needs of the companies and the candidates who work within the advertising, marketing and creative sector. We all have not only in-depth recruitment experience but have also worked extensively in the sector ourselves. We are all fully recruitment-trained and qualified. We conduct face to face interviews with candidates to understand their backgrounds and requirements, and offer to visit clients if necessary to get a full understanding of the company culture, role and person required.

What’s it worth?

What do you get when you pay a recruitment agency? The team at Steve Cooper Recruitment has over 30 years recruitment experience between them, and what goes into placing a candidate is well worth the fee.

The right people at the right time: we are continually interviewing people, so when you call us to say a key member of staff has just handed in their notice or you need a freelancer tomorrow, we are able to respond, instantly if necessary, with a selection of relevant, suitable candidates.

…for the right salary: we can advise what you should be paying to attract the right people for the job.

Advertising that attracts: we’ll advertise the job in accordance with all current discrimination laws and in the right places, in print and online, to attract the largest number of appropriate candidates.

Only the best will do: we’ll reject unsuitable candidates before they even get to you, and e-mail you a short list of only relevant candidates.

Do the homework: We arrange interviews and prepare candidates with as much information about the job and company as possible. Once the interview is over, we’ll get feedback both client and candidate and update both parties.

Signed, sealed, delivered: when the good news comes we will assist with the job offer, resignation stage and start dates. We will also help tackle counter-offers if they arise.

…all for a competitive fee that’s only charged if the placement is successful – what do you have to lose?

Steve Cooper Recruitment works with permanent and freelance vacancies in creative, studio, marketing, account handling, PR and events management in the Midlands and South West. Whether you’re a client or a candidate, visit www.stevecooper-crs.co.uk or call 01527 591277 to find out more.

Wednesday 25 February 2009

SCR Team - Ann Downs

Ann Downs covers Creative jobs and Design Jobs along with Marketing positions across the Midlands.

SCR Team - Carl Whitehouse

Carl Whitehouse covers Creative and Marketing Recruitment in South West & South Coast region of the UK.

SCR Team - Steve Cooper


Steve Cooper covers Creative jobs & Design Jobs in the Midlands.

Creative Recruitment

Welcome to SCR's new Blog!

Steve Cooper Recruitment are specialists in Creative and Marketing recruitment across the Midlands and South West regions of the UK.