The Enderby based high street retailer Next has sold Ventura, its call centre business, to outsourcing specialist Capita for a reported £65 million.
Ventura employs 8,000 people at sites in Leeds, Cardiff, South Yorkshire, Cardiff and Milton Keynes providing call centre operations for a range of high profile customers – including British Gas and Sky.
According to the Leicester Mercury, Next are said to be continuing to use the services of Ventura currently provided to the firm.
Next Directory’s customer services, which are provided through call centres in Enderby, are not affected by the sale.
In the year to January 31 Ventura reported a turnover of £156 million with an operating profit of £8 million
Next is reported as saying it would use the majority or all of money from the sale to buy back and cancel its own shares – a move expected to be welcomed by investors because it helps to increase the value of the shares.