OCS, a global facilities management company, is moving its headquarters from Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich to support its growth plans

A major employer will be moving its UK and Ireland headquarters as part of expansion plans.

OCS, a global facilities management company, has announced it is moving its headquarters from Vicon House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich to support its growth plans following two major acquisitions as well as new contract wins.

All 200 current staff in the Bury office will be supported in the move, though it will retain a presence in the town, and the company says the transition will enable growth plans which include taking on another 700 staff over the next five years.

Daniel Dickson, chief executive of the £1.7 billion turnover UK and Ireland arm of the global operation, said: “We made the decision to move to Ipswich as it will allow us to recruit from a larger talent pool, and it will make our apprenticeship schemes more accessible to people in the area.

“We are also focused on supporting early career pathways and are looking to attract college leavers and graduates into starting their journey in facilities management.

The company says the move will also benefit businesses in the Ipswich area that require facilities management services.

It will also be looking to support the community through regional investment and volunteering work.

There will be no redundancies due to the move.

As part of its five-year plan to double in size, OCS says it will look to employ up to 700 people from the Ipswich area and will be increasing the number of places on its apprenticeship scheme nationwide.

The company employs 50,000 in the UK & Ireland, and 120,000 people globally.

It has nine core offices in the UK and Ireland as well as additional regional offices within customer sites.

Mr Dickson added: “We could accommodate around 200 people at the Bury office whereas the increased space in the new Suffolk headquarters will provide desks for around 300 of our colleagues.

“This means roles will be available in HR, finance, and procurement as we continue to grow.”

The new Ipswich headquarters will be renamed New Century House, an acknowledgement of the first name of the company established by the founder of OCS, Frederick Goodliffe, 124 years ago.

It will open on April 8, while the company will still retain a small presence in Bury, the majority of staff will move to the new building from the start of April.

OCS says to minimise impact on its current employees working from Bury St Edmunds, it has offered financial support and revised working arrangements.