Sanderson, the long-established Bristol-headquartered recruitment group, is to undergo a new expansion phase after completing its fourth acquisition in five years.
The group, founded in 1975 by recruitment entrepreneurs Keith Dawe and Mike Beesley, has taken over Outsource, a Swindon-based specialist in technology and engineering recruitment for the UK defence industry and supply chain and logistics, among others. 
The deal means the combined group will have close to 4,000 workers under management across the UK and more than 500 employees spread across the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore and India.
Sanderson said the acquisition of Outsource, which was founded more than 30 years ago, continued its strategy of looking for opportunities in new sectors and geographies.
It will also significantly expand the group’s portfolio, which already supports recruitment and managed service provider (MSP) & recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) services in a number of sectors including insurance, banking and retail.
Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. 
Outsource has grown rapidly in recent years by specialising in providing skilled IT and technical candidates to the highly regulated markets of finance, engineering, cyber, defence and public sector, and logistics and supply chain.
Known for its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, it has expanded to open offices in the City of London, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle-under-Lyme through a string of acquisitions as well as organic growth. As part of Sanderson, it will now look to expand into Europe and the US.
Five years ago Sanderson acquired Sopra Steria Recruitment, now re-named as Intelligent Resource, followed by a major stake in iKas Global, increasing its international footprint to Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney.
Then in 2021 it took over Surrey-based recruitment agency Highams along with three trading divisions of the Nakama Group in the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. Sanderson also has 10 offices across the UK and Ireland.
Sanderson CEO Jon Ball, pictured, said it was an exciting time for Sanderson. 
“What was very apparent from our first conversations with Outsource was our shared values and cultures,” he added.
“We are incredibly excited about Outsource’s ability to take us into markets that we are not operating in and keen to provide further firepower to Outsource in the markets where we already have synergy.
“With our combined strengths and experiences, we can accelerate our ability to develop offerings and expand our ongoing contribution to our clients in the UK and globally.
“Together, we can help organisations around the world meet their most complex talent challenges.”
Outsource CEO Nick Dettmar, pictured, described the move as marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Outsource. 
“Sanderson is a business we have admired for a long time and joining forces with them will mean we can accelerate our growth plans and significantly expand the range of services we can offer our clients,” he said.
“This new partnership will also provide us with a strong platform to extend our capabilities beyond the UK.
“From our earliest conversations, it was clear that our two organisations complement each other perfectly – not only in our services and expertise but also in our shared values and cultures.
“Together, we are uniquely positioned to deliver innovative solutions to meet the most complex talent challenges, while providing an environment of stability, growth and opportunity for everyone at Outsource.”
Sanderson was for many years one of the UK’s fastest-growing recruitment businesses.
Having spent many years under various names, including Resource Management Group (RSG), in 202 it went back to operating under the Sanderson brand, bringing its recruitment, solutions, projects and executive search functions under one umbrella.
The group also developed a high profile in Bristol from its long-running sponsorship links with Bristol City FC.
