Just Eat announces 1,500 new jobs in North East

Just Eat will create more than 1,500 customer service jobs in north-eastern England in the next 12 months.

The jobs will be based at a new facility in Sunderland as part of a £100m investment in the region by the firm over the next five years.

Currently, the takeaway food firm has more than 2,000 UK-based employees.

New employees will begin working from home and the firm will offer employees the option to work from the office in the coming months.

Just Eat said it had already hired 300 staff in Sunderland and noted that customer satisfaction had gone up as a result.

Previously, the firm had outsourced the majority of its customer service roles to Bulgaria and the Philippines.

Its UK managing director, Andrew Kenny, said the move was about positioning the firm for future growth. "The [takeaway] industry has changed a lot over the past 18 months," he told the BBC's Today programme.

"New trends have emerged such as significant growth over breakfast and lunch. We're very confident that many of the behaviours that kicked off during Covid will sustain themselves."

The delivery platform has more than 58,000 restaurant partners across the UK.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "We're thrilled to have supported Just Eat to make its move to Sunderland, joining a dynamic business community and creating jobs and opportunities for people across the city."

"We're immensely proud of our skilled people and look forward to seeing how they drive the onward success of the Just Eat business," he added.

The office, in Houghton le Spring, was previously occupied by Npower and will provide a gym, lounge and catering area across its 20,000 sq-m space.

Just Eat was founded by a group of five Danish entrepreneurs in 2000 and launched a year later.

Last year, online food ordering company Takeaway.com won a battle for the UK-listed Just Eat with a £5.9bn all-share offer.

It made Just Eat Takeaway.com one of the world's largest meal delivery companies.

Earlier this month, the company reported that sales rose 52% in the first half of 2021, reflecting a robust growth in orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

In June, consumer organisation Which? researched the price of ordering meals for between two to four people from five restaurants and cafes.

On average, Which? found that ordering through Just Eat was 7% more expensive than ordering directly from the restaurant.