Two Ways to Do RPO: SSP and World Duty Free
Not every recruitment challenge looks the same, and not every RPO partnership should either. These two ResourceBank partnerships show what that looks like as opposite ends of the spectrum: one built for speed, one built to last.
SSP: Mobilising Fast When The Need Is Urgent
SSP UK & Ireland operates more than 30 food and beverage brands, including M&S Simple Food, Starbucks and Burger King, across roughly 200 locations in airports, train stations and motorway service areas.
The Challenge
In early 2022, as travel restrictions lifted, SSP faced a rapid, large-scale hiring need. Live vacancies stood at around 400 and climbing, expected to peak at 700-800, with 2000-3000 hires needed in time for Easter. SSP’s in-house team had approval to grow, but finding experienced talent acquisition specialists in that market was its own challenge. They needed an outsourced recruitment partner who could move immediately.
The Approach
ResourceBank mobilised in under four weeks and was fully operational by the first week of March, less than three months ahead of SSP’s busiest trading period. The approach was built for speed and scale rather than new technology. ResourceBank set up live recruitment trackers so SSP could see hiring activity in real time, and combined multi-channel advertising (including Facebook, social media and Indeed) with smart reporting across SSP’s multiple stakeholders, keeping a high-volume, multi-site campaign visible and manageable from day one.
World Duty Free: A Partnership Built To Last
World Duty Free is a very different story, not because the hiring challenge was smaller, but because the relationship has had nineteen years to grow.
The Challenge
ResourceBank was first appointed by World Duty Free in 2007, initially for a single recruitment project. The ongoing challenge since has been different in kind to SSP’s: not one surge to meet, but sustained, high-quality hiring across every part of the business, retail, logistics and head office, as the relationship grew.
The Approach
A recruitment partnership now almost two decades in, expanded from one project into a full talent acquisition function covering every skill area across the UK.
“Appointing ResourceBank in 2007 was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We have every confidence in the team, and they have played a massive role in our successful growth” – Geoff Hall, Former HR Director UK & Northern Europe, World Duty Free.
Two models, two outcomes: lessons from this RPO case study
SSP needed speed: a partner who could stand up a large-scale hiring operation in under a month and deliver through a short, intense peak. World Duty Free needed scale: a partner who could grow alongside the business for nearly two decades.
Both are RPO. Neither is the “default” version. The right question isn’t which model is best, it’s which one matches what your business needs right now.
Facing a hiring challenge that needs to move fast, or looking for an outsourced recruitment partner for the long term?
