Paul Cushing, managing director of RPCushing Recruitment, has admitted that he feared for the survival of the company immediately before its acquisition by pfj.

RPCushing, which operates in the market research and analysis sectors, was bought by media recruiter pfj from administrators Vantis in early January. The two companies now share offices in central London.

Speaking exclusively to Recruiter, Cushing said: “There were times when I thought, ‘God, will this brand survive?’ “

Cushing revealed that he had cut the headcount down from 44 to 15 in a bid to “secure the livelihood of a number of individuals” but this had not been enough to prevent the business falling into administration.

Cushing revealed that he had pitched to “three or four” companies with a view to selling before pfj stepped in. “I am going to get great advice from these guys [pfj]. I see this as a meeting of minds,” he said. Opportunities for cross-selling across both companies made the deal particularly attractive, he added.

RPCushing is now cojointly-owned by Cushing, chairman of pfj Paul Farrer and its managing director Chris Chandler. It will retain its own branding.

Farrer told Recruiter: “They [RPCushing] had a core group of really good people. Our vision is to build a network of specialist recruiters within our ‘doughnut’ — the sectors of the industry in which we work.”

Neither Cushing nor Farrer would reveal the financial details behind the deal.