Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA has announced that ASOS is to invest £14million in a new Tech Hub in Belfast and create 184 new jobs over the next 3 years.
Welcoming ASOS to Northern Ireland, Gordon Lyons said: “Today’s announcement by ASOS is a clear vote of confidence for Northern Ireland and our strong appeal as an investment location. Its new Belfast Tech Hub and the creation of over 180 jobs represents a major investment in Northern Ireland by the company. In return, our talent base will provide it with the high quality engineering resources it needs to deliver its international growth plans.
“Once in place, the new jobs will contribute almost £6.5million in additional annual salaries. Of the new roles, 130 will participate in my Department’s pre-employment Assured Skills training programme which will offer the company a pipeline of skilled graduates over the next three years.”
Speaking about the company’s decision to invest in Northern Ireland, Nick Beighton, CEO, ASOS said: “As a rapidly growing business at the forefront of online retailing, we’re continually investing in our technology capabilities. Our new hub will provide us with cutting-edge tech expertise to support future growth. Belfast has a wealth of tech talent and we’re excited to be establishing a permanent base in such a vibrant city.”
The new Belfast hub will be operational in early 2022, with 52 dedicated roles in the first year, growing to 184 by 2024, with recruitment already underway. Recruiting across a range of levels and job functions including engineering and data science, the creation of the new hub in Belfast is part of the wider strategic plans for ASOS’ tech team, which will enable the team to support the continued growth and expansion of ASOS.
Cliff Cohen, CTO ASOS, said: “ASOS is a fast-growing business and constantly looking to innovate through our technology. As we continue to scale our investment in technology, we are looking to hire talent across engineering roles into our new tech hub, and help foster talent in Northern Ireland by supporting its growing reputation as a centre for tech excellence.”
To help secure this project, Invest Northern Ireland has been working with ASOS since 2017, showcasing all that Northern Ireland has to offer. The agency has offered almost £1.2million of support towards the new software engineering roles and The Department for the Economy is funding pre-employment Assured Skills Academy training of almost £1million over three years.
Kevin Holland, Invest NI’s CEO said: “I’m delighted to welcome ASOS to Northern Ireland. Securing this project is yet another tremendous endorsement of our compelling value proposition which includes our highly educated population, underpinned by some of the best educational facilities in the UK. The new roles will offer a range of opportunities for Software Engineers and analysts, development opportunities for those in the early stages of their tech careers and will provide exciting pathways for people to join Northern Ireland’s digital workforce. We very much look forward to supporting ASOS to grow in Northern Ireland.”
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