Frasers Group & SmartRecruiters Partnership Slashes Retail Hiring to 10-Day Window

LONDON, April 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartRecruiters, an all-in-one hiring platform, has helped redefine recruitment in its partnership with Frasers Group, a leading British conglomerate of some of the world's most iconic sporting, luxury, and retail brands. The partnership has marked a significant milestone in revolutionising talent acquisition and management.

Frasers Group partnered with SmartRecruiters in 2021 to help facilitate its targeted recruitment drive and efficiently manage the volume of candidates. The speed to market, match scores, and communication tools of the SmartRecruiters Applicant Tracking System (ATS) create a positive candidate experience, enhancing engagement and keeping the best candidates active in the process.

In 2022, approximately 22,000 store-based sales advisors, including 10,000 seasonal hires during Christmas, were recruited through a streamlined ten-day process utilising automation tools built into the system to expedite the recruitment cycle, from shortlist, interview and through to offer within a ten-day window. Prior to the partnership, Frasers Group was achieving at best a recruitment cycle more than double this figure, circa 23 days.

"At Frasers Group, we're not just building a business; we're building careers and stability with a forward-thinking perspective. Our challenge is to reshape the perception of retail as a viable long-term career option, especially in the face of industry-wide workforce migrations accelerated by challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic," says Adam Reynolds, Head of Talent at Frasers Group.

He also added that, "The pace at which we move is mission critical. Our ability to reach the market swiftly is a key factor in our success. SmartRecruiters not only met our need for speed but also provided a user-friendly experience for our 4,500 colleagues using the system across 20 countries, addressing language and workflow complexities seamlessly." 

Key highlights of the successful partnership between Frasers Group and SmartRecruiters include:

• Quality of Hire: With SmartRecruiters' hiring match score and quick shortlisting tools, Frasers Group achieved its most important metric—ensuring the highest quality of hires.
• Rapid Hiring: In the first year of the partnership (2021), Frasers Group hired 14,000 people with a time-to-hire of 23 days. In the second year (2022), the number of hires increased to 25,000, with a remarkable time-to-hire of 13 days.
• Agility and Urgency: SmartRecruiters' ATS platform ensures swift engagement with potential employees through rapid communication tools, candidate management, and CRM system.
• Automation and Efficiency: Frasers Group utilised automation within the SmartRecruiters system to create a ten-day hiring process, particularly crucial during peak periods like the Christmas season.
• Third-party problem solving: Facing challenges that the system couldn't address off the shelf, SmartRecruiters supported Frasers Group to find bespoke solutions, including third-party tools for data validation and right-to-work checks.
• Internal Talent Mobility: Recognising the significance of internal talent mobility, Frasers Group utilises the ATS platform to provide employees with visibility of career growth opportunities within the company.

"At SmartRecruiters, we're dedicated to providing solutions that empower organisations to build exceptional teams efficiently. Our partnership with Frasers Group reflects our shared commitment to transforming talent acquisition processes in the rapidly evolving retail landscape. We recognise that one of the major challenges recruiters face is the heightened demand during seasonal peaks. However, our tailored solution is designed to address the unique challenges that arise during these peak periods, allowing recruiters to seamlessly scale up hiring whenever necessary," says Rachel Phipps, VP of Customer Success at SmartRecruiters.

"Looking ahead, we remain committed to continuously evolving and growing our suite of tools for customers like Frasers Group. We are confident that these technologies will enhance the human impact in recruitment with AI used as a complement rather than a replacement for human involvement.", she added.

About Frasers Group

Frasers Group started as a small store in Maidenhead in 1982 and from there, grew to become a global powerhouse. As the business evolved, 2019 saw the rebrand of Sports Direct International to Frasers Group plc; a reflection of the Groups growth and change in market identity.

Led by Chief Executive Michael Murray, the business is set on a formidable upwards trajectory as it continues to expand with its pioneering approach to retail. Frasers Group provides consumers with access to the world's best Sports, Premium and Luxury brands with a vision to build the planet's most admired and compelling brand ecosystem.

As a leader in the industry, Frasers Group is committed to rethinking retail by driving digital innovation and providing unique store experiences to its consumers globally.

About SmartRecruiters 

SmartRecruiters enables Hiring Without Boundaries™ by freeing talent acquisition teams from legacy applicant tracking software. SmartRecruiters' next-generation platform serves as the hiring operating system for 4,000 customers like Bosch, LinkedIn, Skechers, and Visa. Companies with business-critical hiring needs turn to SmartRecruiters for the best functionality, world-class support, and a robust ecosystem of third-party applications and service providers. 

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