A national employment agency is targeting York to open up a new branch - and the city's Inward Investment Board is standing by to help.

York and Harrogate are on an expansion "hitlist" drawn up by Select Appointments which sees the two conurbations as big gaps in its national portfolio of 14 franchised UK offices plus 42 company-owned bases.

Any new franchise agency here is likely to be manned by four or five people and, if successful, ultimately grow to a staff of 17.

The inclusion of York on a list of possible venues comes after detailed research into the city and the discovery of growing need for more staff as call centres like CPP - Card Protection Plan - in Holgate Road expand along with new edge-of-city retail centres.

Tony Mundella, the Select Appointments' franchising manager has called for help from York's Inward Investment Board to help to market the city to a potential franchisee.

He also wants York IIP to help him find new premises and to assist with networking to ensure the new agency gets a good start.

He said: "We are really very serious about a presence in the city. We even found one potential franchisee but sadly he pulled out for financial reasons. Now we are looking for another but they will have to be the right person - someone brilliant at sales and marketing, a good business manager and an excellent communicator.

"It would be useful if the York authorities could organise a presentation for the potential investor."

Paul Murphy, chief executive of York IIB, said: "That is precisely what we are here for. We shall contact Mr Mundella to discuss a way through.

"I am delighted that national companies like Select Appointments now regard their lack of presence in York as a gap in their strategic growth."

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