Leading supplier of gift vouchers and rewards to establish an International Strategy, B2B, Project Management, Digital, Supply Chain and IT Centre of Excellence and expand its Financial Shared Services Centre in DublinDublin, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, today (23rd May 2012) announced that Smartbox, one of Europe’s leading players in the production of gift vouchers and rewards, is to establish an International Strategy, B2B, Project Management, Digital, Supply Chain and IT Centre of Excellence and expand its Financial Shared Services Centre in Dublin. The company is already transferring its data centre to Ireland and has started recruiting for 50 new jobs with the potential to create a further 20 new jobs over the next 18 months. The investment is encouraged by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
Smartbox currently employs close to 1000 people worldwide and offers high quality gift boxes containing a directory of amenities and a voucher enabling the customer to choose between hundreds of selected experiences. Each gift box typically offers between forty and two thousand options depending on activity choice or theme e.g. 100 hotels in a region, 1000 spa retreats, 50 golf weekends, 200 culinary delights etc. The jobs to be created are in the areas of IT infrastructure, software development, supply chain management, digital, B2B, project management and financial management operations. The establishment of this international centre will result in particular in the Irish operation taking full responsibility for the development of new Smartbox technology platforms to be used for global expansion. This expansion is part of the company’s global strategy to target international markets, to grow online and complements their existing European focus and operations.
Making the announcement, Minister Bruton said:
“A central part of the Government’s plan for jobs and growth is developing and deepening the impact of multinational companies here, and targeting high-growth sectors and companies which have the potential to create large numbers of jobs. Smartbox is one such company operating in one such sector, and today’s announcement that this young company is expanding its operations here and substantially increasing its employment is great news and further evidence of what is possible in a stable Irish economy. By implementing the Government’s plan for jobs and growth, I am convinced that we will see a continued flow of investment and jobs from multinational companies in the coming months”.
Commenting on the announcement Erwan Corre, COO of Smartbox said, ‘Smartbox first opened an Irish operation when it established its European Shared Services Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin in 2009. This operation has been highly successful and as a result of this, Ireland will now play a major role in our plans to maintain industry leadership and expand geographically to build a dominant global presence. I would like to thank the Irish Government and IDA Ireland for their continued support and look forward to further building on the success of Smartbox operations in Ireland.’
Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland said, ‘The decision by Smartbox to expand its Irish operations to become the hub for international operations is very welcome news. The company is the global leader and the inventor of the experience gift box concept. The expansion of the Smartbox mandate in Ireland positions the Irish operation as a strategic partner with the parent company, enabling it to grow and expand the business to new markets and customers around the world’.
‘The increase in the Smartbox mandate here displays the company’s confidence in Ireland as a location for its international operations. Ireland provides Smartbox, and companies of its calibre, with a highly-skilled English language and multi-lingual workforce, operational flexibility, a stable business environment and among all a strong IT infrastructure. I look forward to witnessing the continued growth of Smartbox in Ireland and offer the ongoing support of IDA Ireland,’ Mr. O’Leary concluded.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Smartbox
Erwan Corre, COO : erwan.corre@smartbox.com
Emmanuelle Grellier, Head of Smartbox Ireland Development Project : emmanuelle.grellier@smartbox.com, Tel : +353 (8) 72 05 39 30
IDA Ireland
Antoinette Tyrrell, Press Officer, Tel: +353 (0) 1 603 4256, Mob: +353 (0) 87 757 2053
DJEI
Conor Quinn, Special Advisor to Minister Bruton, Mob: +353 (0) 87 374 3783