National recruiter Stafforce Recruitment is building on its presence in Suffolk with the launch of an Ipswich central branch. The branch, on Orwell Place, was officially opened by Councillor Glen Chisholm, mayor of Ipswich, on Friday.

The new office extends Stafforce Recruitment’s existing Suffolk operation at Stowmarket, based on the site of the Britain’s largest sushi producer, ichiban UK.

The company has supplied workers to ichiban for around two years and has decided, as the economy picks up, that the time is right to extend its services to other companies across the region.

Cathy Tidman, business manager at Ipswich, said she was delighted that the official opening had now taken place and was looking forward to developing close links with Suffolk’s business community.

As well as providing extra support for the ichiban UK contract, the new branch will provide commercial and industrial staffing services to SME and volume businesses across the East Anglia region.

Ms Tidman said: “It is really exciting to see the branch officially up and running. Ipswich, Suffolk and the wider East Anglia region have a vibrant business community and we are looking forward to being part of that. We have already met with several excellent companies in the area so are hitting the ground running with the launch.

“The Ipswich branch will help support our on-site operation at ichiban UK but will also work with other companies to place high calibre, trained and reliable candidates, as well as helping local people benefit from the best employment opportunities we can offer.”

Undertaking the official ribbon cutting duties, Mayor Glen Chisholm welcomed Stafforce Recruitment to Ipswich.

He said: “It is always great to see investment coming into Ipswich so I am particularly delighted to have been asked to do the honours today.

“As well as creating jobs itself, Stafforce Recruitment’s role is to find jobs for local people so the company will make a positive contribution to the local economy.

“With that in mind, it gives me great pleasure to cut the ribbon and declare Stafforce Recruitment’s Ipswich branch officially open.”

Andy Wilkinson, managing director of ichiban UK, said the new branch would be a valuable addition to the region’s business community.

He said: “Stafforce Recruitment initially demonstrated its commitment to ichiban by putting an office on-site. This will now be extended with the new branch which not only helps us attract staff from further afield, it also means other businesses in the area will benefit from Stafforce’s professional approach to finding the right people.”

Headquartered in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Stafforce Recruitment has a total of 17 branches and 24 onsite operations across the UK.

The new office will be situated at Unit 1, The Old Unicorn, 2 Orwell Place, Ipswich.

Stafforce is headquartered in Reginald Arthur House, Percy Street, Rotherham, Stafforce Recruitment now has 28 branches and onsite operations stretching from Fraserburgh in Northern Scotland to Chichester on the south coast, including two in London.