Staffline Regulatory News (STAF)

STAFFLINE GROUP PLC

("Staffline" or "the Group")

Acquisition of Oak Recruitment

Staffline, the Staffing and Employability organisation, today announces the acquisition of Oak Recruitment, the recruitment firm based in the Republic of Ireland that specialises in industrial recruitment on a temporary and contract basis.

Established in 2006 and now with premises in Cork, Dublin and Limerick, Oak Recruitment has been supplying staff to the industrial supply chain for 11 years and brings with it specialist recruiters with in-depth knowledge and experience, and shares Staffline's dedication to work closely with its clients to listen to what they need and deliver on it.

The acquisition supports Staffline Ireland's aim to build and develop the most reliable and integrated workforce across the island. With a number of large blue-chip clients, Oak Recruitment will help further extend the Staffline network across Ireland.

Shane Hanrahan, the current MD and owner of Oak Recruitment, will remain with Staffline after completion of the acquisition. He will be responsible for the delivery of the existing Staffline business in the Republic as well as integrating Oak into Staffline. The Staffline businesses include Diamond Recruitment and PeoplePlus NI and are led by Ireland's Group MD, Tina McKenzie.

The acquisition is expected to be earnings neutral in the current year and earnings enhancing thereafter and is being funded out of Staffline's existing bank facilities.

Andy Hogarth, Chief Executive of Staffline, commented:

"We are thrilled to announce this strategic acquisition in Ireland, following on from the acquisition of Diamond Recruitment in Northern Ireland announced in 2015. As well as bringing an extensive network of connections and resources, Shane Hanrahan, the owner of Oak Recruitment heading our business in the Republic, will further enhance our position as a leading creator of jobs and new ideas in the recruitment and employment sectors in Ireland."

www.buchanan.uk.com

About Staffline

Staffline is a leading outsourcing organisation providing services, mainly in the UK, to both Government and commercial customers. The Staffing division supplies up to 51,000 workers per day to more than 1,500 clients. Using the skills we have developed and learned within Staffing we have developed a second division, PeoplePlus, and have become a leading provider to both Central and Local Government, offering a wide range of services to help and support in the Employability (Welfare to Work), Communities and Skills arenas.

Staffing Services

Specialising in providing complete labour solutions in agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, e-retail, driving and the logistics sectors, the recruitment business operates from over 350 locations in the UK, Eire and Poland.

The Staffing brands include:

· Staffline OnSite, based on clients' premises and providing both blue and white collar, out-sourced, temporary workforces

· Select Appointments, a high street branch-based operation providing white collar office staff, operated entirely on a franchised basis by independent business owners

· Staffline Express, a high street branch based operation

· Driving Plus, providing HGV drivers to the driving industry

· Staffline Agriculture, providing workers to the UK farming and horticulture sectors

PeoplePlus (previously Employability)

Trading under the PeoplePlus brand, Government contracts include:

· Work Programme, prime contractor in nine regions and sub-contractor in three regions in England

· Steps to Success, prime contractor in Northern Ireland

· Youth Guarantee (MyGo Centre), supporting youth employment in the Ipswich area

· Building Employment through Education, working in Schools in Northern Ireland

Training services:

· Skillspoint, a procurement consultancy specialising in helping employers benefit from government-funded, work-based training

· Prime contractor to the Skills Funding Agency delivering Apprenticeships and Classroom Based Learning across the UK.

Community services:

· Ministry of Justice, Transforming Rehabilitation in Warwickshire and West Mercia, helping to transform rehabilitation and probation services

· OLASS, delivery of training to prisoners in nine prisons in the East of England

· Independent Living Services, supporting 3,000 disabled people lead independent lives

· Visitor Centers for the Northern Ireland Prison Service

· Careers Hubs in Stoke and Staffordshire