Economy Secretary, Ken Skates was in Cleppa Park in Newport to officially open Carpeo Estates Planning, a company working to demystify the wills and funeral planning process for its clients.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Carpeo began operating in Newport in July with the employment of 24 people at its new contact centre.
Three months later, on the day of the official launch, there are now 80 people working at the site in Cleppa Park and the company is on course to meet its target of employing 300 people there by 2022.
The company had been deciding between Teeside and Wales for the location of this project but chose Newport following an offer of Welsh Government support.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:
“I am delighted to be in Newport to officially open Carpeo Estates Planning’s first office in Wales.
“As a dynamic company with ambitious growth plans, Carpeo are a valuable addition to our growing and vibrant customer service sector which now employs in excess of 30,000 people in over 200 centres across Wales.
“As a Government we have worked closely with Carpeo to support their business plans and to provide strong employment and training opportunities . Carpeo’s plan to employ 300 people here in Newport by 2022 will make them a significant local employer and I wish them every success as they work to grow their operations.”
Carpeo Estate Planning’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Minahan said:
“Having sat on the board of the Welsh Contact Centre Forum for the past 15 years, I know that Wales has a range of competitive advantages to offer contact centre businesses. The quality of people available and their experience of working in a regulated services market is a huge pull. On the softer side, the Welsh accent is sympathetic and consoling, particularly important in our market.
“We’re hugely proud to be bringing these well-paid roles and good employment opportunities to Newport.”
For a small monthly fee, members of the new subscription-based Carpeo Estate Planning service have access to affordable wills and funeral planning products. Members can also access a discount portal enabling them to save thousands a year on key household purchases, including at supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.
Innovative software that has been tried and tested is utilised to identify those people for whom these products and services are particularly relevant and a potential market of 3 million people has been identified.