Probrand wins grant for office facelift as new staff signed up

Birmingham-based reseller ups its headcount by 40 per cent as it invests £320,000 in an office refit to accommodate growth

VAR Probrand is upping its headcount and investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in an office revamp after recent growth in the business saw it outgrow its premises.

The Brummie reseller is pumping £320,000 – £100,000 which is funded by a government regeneration grant – into doing up its offices which are based in the Jewellery Quarter area of the city.

The firm claims the move will create a wave of new jobs – initially adding 10 staff to its 66-strong team – with an eye to signing up more in the future. The revamped facility will be able to house up to 59 more staff, which will help accommodate the growth of sister companies: services firm Icomm and enterprise application provider Mercato.

Some £100,000 of the upgrade investment came from the European Regional Development Fund Land and Property Programme which is designed to drive business innovation and develop vacant, derelict or underused properties in the Digbeth and Jewellery Quarter areas of Birmingham.

Peter Robbins, Probrand's managing director, said the move to redo the office comes on the back of a recent business growth spurt.

"Probrand has outgrown its existing space and requires sales and account managers, Icomm needs space to continue two-year growth of 40 per cent and we are ramping up our software implementation team," he said.

"We are now well positioned for our next stage of growth and this grant sends a clear message that the government is committed to supporting the knowledge-based economy on national and regional levels."

Probrand is the first tech firm in the city to be awarded the regeneration grant, which comes from a £4m government-funded pot, and Kate Canty, chairperson of the Birmingham Employment and Skills Board, said it was a landmark.

She said: "We need to harness the existing growth base of technology leaders such as Probrand to drive sustained job creation well into the future. It is good news to see these latest developments support that objective."