Birmingham-based recruitment firm Thorn Baker has notched up a record turnover for 2007/08, breaking through the £20 million barrier for the first time in the company’s history with turnover rising above £23 million.

The company, which specialises in the recruitment of temporary construction, industrial and commercial staff as well as people to permanent positions and has nine offices across the country, is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Paul Jackman, a director of Thorn Baker, said: “Our work in the construction sector is the main reason for the increase in sales which have risen from £14 million in 2006/7 to £17 million in 2007/8 and this figure is likely to rise to £20 million for the current year.

“The volume of temporary workers that we supply has risen on average from 1,100 a week in 2006/07 to 1,300 a week in 2007/08. The amount of permanent placements filled is also up by 30 per cent.”

Growth has also come from the opening of new offices, including one in Bristol and another in Sheffield, as well as the addition of an industrial arm at the firm’s Leeds office. More offices are planned in the near future as part of Thorn Baker’s longer term strategy to become a nationwide supplier of temporary workers.

The opening of a London office is imminent with premises already secured. The aim is to source new business mainly from inside the M25 area with the focus being on working with the premium main contractors. This could mean supplying labour to work on construction projects linked to the Olympics. There are also plans to open a new office in Newcastle next year and one in Scotland in 2010.

“As directors and senior managers we are ambitious,” said Mr Jackman. “Our expansion means that we can offer great opportunities to our staff in terms of promotions and greater responsibility and genuine career growth. We are not demand driven, but to succeed we have to arrive in a new location and be able to offer a better service than our competitors.”

However, Thorn Baker cautions that there are external factors that are going to have an impact on the future of the business, such as the effects of the credit crunch and the housing slowdown.

It says there may be a shift to clients taking on more temporary workers at the expense of permanent or vice-versa, but it is yet to see evidence of this on a day to day basis.

“We concentrate on being the best in the fields in which we operate,” said Mr Jackman.  “Our strength is the variety of around 800 quality clients who use our services year after year, whilst many others use our services on an ad-hoc basis. This is an exciting time for Thorn Baker and we look forward to what the future will bring.”