An Internet listings company which in two years has grown to 40 staff in Selby has now opened separate offices in York with 13 new employees - and with another 17 to be recruited by the end of this year.

Directors, ex-school pals Angelo Gilmore and Matthew Adamson launched Business Internet Directory opposite Selby Abbey in 2000, with the ultimate intention of featuring two million businesses nationally on their website free of charge.

The website makes its money by levying £49.50 per year for "priority listing" whose bells and whistles include key search words, hyperlinks to web sites, interactive email facility and map links.

So far the Selby operation has yielded 20,000 priority listings, but expansion into York was held up until the two men were able to assess this year's renewal rate, which, they say, was nearly 80 per cent.

Armed with that encouraging result Matthew, a former advertising salesman, and Angelo, a former financial adviser, sought the help of the York Inward Investment Board to find an office large enough to accommodate up to 30 staff.

Now offices on the fifth floor of Ryedale House are gradually filling up.

Future plans include sub-contracting staff to act for larger organisations which can't or won't employ their own sales and marketing teams. Together with another company, Interactive solutions, the new York venture could host Internet domains and design websites.

Matthew, 30, who attended Garforth Comprehensive School with Angelo, 31, said: "We have a database of every business in the UK and ultimately, as technology progresses to ensure the system doesn't slow as we grow, we will list every one of them free of charge by the end of the year. We are contacting everyone to get a private listing. The Utopia will be when every business is on a private listing."

The arrival in York of Business Internet Directory was today welcomed by Graeme Rudd, client services executive at York Inward Investment Board. He said: "This is a young and lively company with directors who have a vision for growth.

"Initially they were looking at Leeds or Doncaster as a potential base, but recognised the many issues which in the end made York their preferred location for their expansion."

Updated: 10:53 Tuesday, October 01, 2002