Arizona company brings 170 jobs to Belfast

By Bob Huggins

A Texas based software company is to create 170 new jobs in Belfast.

Bazaarvoice has chosen Northern Ireland as its location for a new European base.

The company is making a multimillion pound investment in a new office in Belfast and will be

recruiting the new staff over the next three years.

Announcing the investment, Alastair Hamilton, Invest Northern Ireland CEO said:

“Bazaarvoice works with major high-street brands and retailers to provide them with

precious insights on consumer purchasing habits through collecting and analysing

consumer-generated content (CGC), like ratings and reviews.

“The new office will house 168 software engineering, sales and customer service staff

to help service and grow the company’s UK and European business. Once fully

operational this will generate nearly £5.5m annually, in salaries, into the NI Economy.”

Bazaarvoice services over 5,000 customer websites across the UK, Europe and the US,

including household names like Argos, Debenhams, ghd, and Philips".

IN DEMAND

On busy shopping days, like Black Friday, its network is

one of the most highly-trafficked in the world.

“The majority of the roles will be technical: software engineering, support and quality

assurance; plus some sales roles,” continued Alastair. “As well as offering good

salaries for experienced staff, the company is also setting up an Assured Skills

training programme funded by the Department for the Economy that will help

unemployed and under-employed non-IT graduates enter the ICT workforce.

“We fought off stiff competition to secure this project for Northern Ireland. Not only is

this great for our ICT sector but will provide excellent employment opportunities for

unemployed, graduates and experienced staff.”

The company has been offered £1.3 million of government support towards the new jobs and

skills development.

Gary Allison, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Bazaarvoice, said: “I am very

excited to be announcing our investment in Northern Ireland. This new office will

enable us to expand the delivery of cutting edge software development, provide cost

effective “follow-the- sun” support to our US and EMEA customers and to drive

customer growth in the UK and Europe.

“Our software ensures customer reviews and visual content are valid before they are

shared on a retailer’s website, as well as providing valuable information to the retailer

on consumer behaviour. We might not be visible to the consumer but we are central to

the retail experience, helping brands and retailers use consumer views to build

engagement and trust.

“Northern Ireland was able to offer high quality technical staff with relevant industry

skills, as well as a stable ICT sector, to support our growth plans".