New World Trading Co makes UK top 10 of best firms to work for
THE company behind Smugglers Cove in the Albert Dock and Liverpool One’s Club House has been named as one of the top companies in the UK to work for.
The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies 2017, ranked New World Trading Company the 10th best organisation in its annual list after polling employees on their level of happiness and job satisfaction.
The Knutsford-based company, an offshoot of Living Ventures, operates 15 pubs across the UK under five brands – the Botanist, the Oast House, Smugglers Cove, the Trading House and the Club House.
It was acquired by the private equity firm Graphite Capital for £50m last year and will employ 1,200 people by the end of this one.
According to the findings, the current 887 employees say the training, in which more than £1,000 per head was invested last year, is of great personal benefit to them. They also feel there are plenty of opportunities for them to learn and grow.
Staff development initiatives include “Tribes” which brings together employees from every site into one of six teams, with the aim to develop their communication skills and team spirit.
Tribes compete for holidays abroad and days off in national bi-monthly and weekly local contests. Tribe members can also gain points for achievements from completing development programmes to gaining high scores on mystery dining visits, fundraising for charity and random acts of kindness.
NWTC says: “The revolutionary scheme has already received high praise across the industry and is a contributing factor for the high positioning in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies’ award.”
Chris Hill, chief executive of NWTC, said the top 10 ranking was down to strong leadership across the business and an “innovative and fun” development programme for every member of staff.
“I am extremely proud of how much NWTC has grown over the last 12 months, not just with the increased number of sites but also from an operations perspective. We still pride ourselves on having talented management but also that each employee knows they are a crucial part of the company’s success.
“Good people are the success of a business.”
