Appointments

Sadie Jallow, Penny Robson and Jane Wilson are the latest recruits at the new Makro Drive depot in the city centre.

The Hazel Court site is one of the first of its kind in the UK. Designed to make the lives of York’s restaurateurs, publicans, and hoteliers easier, Makro Drive allows businesses to order the wholesaler’s products by phone, email or fax and then collect from the depot rather than travelling to the Leeds store. Sadie McClaren, who lives in Selby, and Jane Wilson, of Woodthorpe, will both be Makro Drive York’s customer consultants. Both will develop new and existing partnerships with businesses in the area.

Penny Robson, from Bishopthorpe, joins as the Makro Drive York customer co-ordinator, bringing to her new role her experience from the hospitality industry.

She was involved in the running of several pubs in the area. She will deliver support to customers ordering and collecting their orders from the James Street site. All will report to John Walker, the lead store manager.

Expert who’s down on the farm

Savills, the international property adviser with offices in York, Harrogate and Leeds, has appointed Andrew Wraith as head of agribusiness across its UK operation.

Andrew, already a director within the Savills rural team, hails from East Yorkshire and has worked for Savills since 2006.

He specialises in the restructuring and management of farming and related businesses. He also manages the Savills buying group – a wholesale purchasing team – and is adviser to many crop and livestock producers.

Andrew retains an involvement with his own farming business in East Yorkshire and is also a director of the Green Pea Company, a grower co-operative supplying vining peas to Birdseye.

An old-style triumph

HANDELSBANKEN is looking to recruit two new people – an extra corporate banker and private banker – over the next year, having just completed a successful 12 months of operating in York. It will bring its staff number to six.

The Swedish bank, based at York Business Park, Nether Poppleton, claims to have seen “exceptional demand” for its traditional approach to providing banking services.

Ranked top in the 2010 EPSI national opinion poll for customer satisfaction for a second year running, the bank opened an extra 21 branches in the UK last year and has just announced further new branches are to open in Wetherby and Beverley.

David Brady, York’s branch manager, attributes the success to the bank’s local approach.

With credit decisions made locally, and no call centres, customers are able to deal directly with the team in York and receive a rapid response.

The bank has lent more than £20 million in its first year in York to a range of businesses and provided mortgage finance for personal customers.

Mr Brady said: “I have been delighted with our first 12 months in York. With strong demand for our old-fashioned approach to banking, I am looking to recruit to ensure our excellent customer service continues.”