Jobs bonanza at Plusnet as customer base grows

The Sheffield-based firm, which employs just over 700 staff, has 500,000 customers, up from 400,000 in 2010, and the number is growing.

To accommodate the rapid growth, Plusnet is moving its two offices in Sheffield under one roof at The Balance in the city centre. Staff will start moving into the new building from the end of March but chief executive Jamie Ford is already contemplating the next move.

“It might sound strange, but we’ll need to start looking for a second site almost as soon as we move,” he said. “We’ve probably got about 18 months in one building and then we’ll need to expand to a second site to accommodate future growth.”

Plusnet, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this month, has come a long way since its launch as a start-up internet service provider in 1997.

At that time, dial-up internet access was starting to change the way people communicated and Plusnet founders Paul Cusack and Lee Strafford were determined to be part of the revolution.

The company is now part of BT after it was sold in January 2007 for £67m.

Mr Ford, who became chief executive in 2010 after two years at BT, is overseeing the next stage of development.

The company, which has expanded its services to include phone as well as broadband, is currently trialling fibre-optic broadband technology, which is used for both high-speed and multiple internet access in the home.

The latest technology, with speeds of up to 80Mb and 100Mb, follows a successful trial of its 40Mb fibre-optic broadband, which was subsequently brought to market last April.

Mr Ford said: “The need to develop new products to stay ahead of the curve is essential.”

He added: “We also continue to adapt our traditional broadb