Manchester-based IT specialist Circle Recruitment has improved the standard of candidates for Galleria Retail Technology Solutions after tying up a short-term master vendor agreement.

Galleria, a provider of IT systems for retailing, previously worked with a number of preferred suppliers, including Circle, and handled some recruitment in-house. However, it said the quality of resulting candidates was variable and vetting could be improved.

Galleria's chief operations officer Mike Humphreys told Recruiter: "The changeover has gone very well. We are already seeing a better standard of candidate. The online test Circle has introduced for us means we can see quantifiable evidence of the candidates' ability before the first interview stage."

Circle director Dan Fitton added: "We're proud of our relationship with Galleria which has always been excellent. This lets us offer an even higher service level."