Fast-growing online takeaway food business Just Eat is to open a specialist technology centre in Bristol – the latest tech firm to be attracted by the city’s reputation for innovation.
The centre will initially be based at the Engine Shed innovation hub at Temple Meads station. It will work closely with Just Eat’s existing technology team in London to improve the service the firm offers its millions of customers and more than 36,000 takeaway partners’ restaurants worldwide.
The centre will employ 10-15 people when it opens with a view to expand to up to 30 by the end of next year.
The move further consolidates Bristol’s reputation as a leading hub for technological innovation and follows a series of recent announcements by global tech players to invest in the city.
Two weeks ago Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei announced it is to open a research and development base in Bristol, initially recruiting 30 high-calibre employees, and in May Somo, the world’s largest independent mobile solutions company chose Bristol to set up a specialist engineering centre,
Inward investment agency Invest Bristol & Bath (IBB) has been working closely with Just Eat ahead of it setting up its Bristol base by highlighting the city’s strengths as a major tech centre and its offering in terms of quality of life.
Just Eat plans to set up a graduate recruitment scheme to tap into the city’s academic strength.
The firm’s group chief technology officer Carlos Morgado said: “Over the past 12 months Just Eat’s technology team has been working hard to deliver everything from new mobile apps to new electronic point of sale technology for our restaurant partners.
“The pool of excellent engineering talent in Bristol, Bath and the South West provides us with an ideal base to build on this success and drive the next wave of invention and innovation for our customers around the world.”
Just Eat UK managing director Graham Corfield added: “We’re committed to constant innovation and improvement to grow the number of customers and orders for our restaurant partners. The Just Eat technical team is brimming with ideas to support restaurants’ growth and success while also ensuring customers love their takeaway experience. I’m excited that our new Bristol office will play a key role in making this happen while attracting the best tech talent on offer.”
Invest Bristol & Bath chair Prof Joe McGeehan, who is also a special advisor to Toshiba, said: “The news is further recognition of the fact that Bristol and Bath’s tech cluster is a vibrant and dynamic hub of innovation which competes on an international level and continues to attract high-profile enterprises to the region.
“The Bristol and Bath region is well-known for being home to an exceptionally rich pool of talent and offers an excellent quality of life. The Sunday Times recently recognised Bristol as the best city to live in in Britain. There exists a growing appetite among companies to set up in locations outside London where they can avoid the high costs of the capital but still attract and retain the right staff, and Bristol and Bath offers all this and more.”
Just Eat was launched in 2001 in Denmark and now operates in 13 countries around the globe including Brazil, Canada, India, Ireland and the UK. Last year it processed more than 40m orders, generating nearly £700m in total transaction value for the restaurant industry.
The UK operation, which started in 2006, is its largest, contributing nearly 70% of last year’s group revenues of £96.8m.
Pictured: The Just Eat executive team
