AN ENERGY and utilities consultancy has set out plans to create 120 jobs over the next nine months after moving into the former home of failed North East call centre empire Garlands.

Utilitywise, which helps businesses manage their electricity, gas and water costs and usage, has moved its 190-strong workforce from Jarrow into the five-storey, 40,400 sq ft Long Row building at Market Dock, South Shields.

The move follows a period of rapid growth at the firm, which started life five and a half years ago as a small family-owned outfit with a handful of staff under its original name, Commercial Utility Brokers.

The company’s workforce has grown more than tenfold over the last three years and the firm is now on track to continue its expansion on the back of strong demand from businesses keen to fight back against soaring energy costs.

Operations director William Mclellan said the company is looking to add around 120 members of staff to its team by autumn, with a steady stream of monthly appointments likely to start once the dust settles on the firm’s move in the coming weeks.

Marketing manager Tony Hitchens added that the group’s outlook remains extremely bright given the ongoing need for businesses to keep costs down and minimise their carbon footprint.

“We’ve seen high demand across the board from large multinationals to small businesses with one member of staff,” he said.