Editor's Comment

28-October-2009 | By DeeDee Doke

News of Adecco’s intent to acquire the MPS Group - parent of recruiters Badenoch & Clark, Judd Farris and Modis - was surely the Swiss company’s coup de grâce after securing the purchase of Spring. What a stable Adecco will boast in the UK alone! Predictions of some time ago that the market would see consolidation are coming true, and on a rather grand scale.

The headlines of an impending merger are like the engagement party, the exciting bit. Then the hard bit starts - in this case, bringing together lots of diverse players with individual personalities to work together in at least a vaguely similar way.

It’s tough enough to be on the inside with these major deals, and Peter Searle, who has been tapped to lead Adecco in the UK & Ireland, will have his capable hands full.

However, questions are also surfacing in the in-house recruitment portion of the community about how all of this will play out. What impact could such consolidations have on fees? Will monopolies become the order of the day? How creative can agencies be as individual entities, and still play on the big teams? It is understood that Randstad is still wrestling with this last question, via its ex-Vedior acquisition(s).

Adecco’s progress will be observed carefully.

DeeDee Doke
Editor