JUST EAT, the leading online takeaway service, is expanding its technology development with the opening of a new specialist hub in Bristol. The office will initially staff 10-15 employees, with a view to expand to up to 30 employees by the end of 2015.
The new office, which will initially be based at Bristol’s Engine Shed, will work closely with JUST EAT’s existing technology team based in London. Both teams will continue to be focused on innovation aimed at improving the service JUST EAT offers its millions of customers and more than 36,000 takeaway partners’ restaurants worldwide.
Sitting at the heart of a cluster of highly respected universities, the new Bristol office provides JUST EAT with access to the South West’s dynamic technology talent pool. With plans to establish a graduate recruitment scheme, and provide greater flexibility to other staff such as those with young families, Bristol was the ideal location for JUST EAT’s expansion.
The move by JUST EAT further consolidates the Bristol and Bath region’s reputation as a leading hub for technological innovation. It follows a series of recent announcements by global tech players with plans to invest in setting up operations in Bristol.
Invest Bristol & Bath (IBB), the inward investment agency which attracts companies into the region, has been working closely with JUST EAT on its decision to set up a key base in Bristol, highlighting the region’s strengths as a major tech centre and its offering in terms of quality of life.
Speaking about the opening of the new Bristol office, JUST EAT’s Group Chief Technology Officer Carlos Morgado (@theMorgado) 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.”
Graham Corfield (@Corfers), UK Managing Director of JUST EAT, 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.”
Prof Joe McGeehan, Chair of Invest Bristol & Bath and special advisor to Toshiba, said: “This is fantastic news for Bristol & Bath and we are thrilled to welcome yet another major tech player to the region.
“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.”