Internet giant Peer 1 creates new headquarters in Southampton (From Daily Echo)

Internet giant Peer 1 creates new headquarters in Southampton

9:48am Wednesday 18th March 2009 in

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MORE than 50 jobs with an average salary of more than £30,000 are to be created in Hampshire by an Internet company.

Canadian web-hosting giant Peer 1 is planning to set up a European headquarters in Southampton, which it plans to grow to employ “several hundred” staff within “a couple of years”.

A Southampton data centre – a base for computers holding Internet information – will also land Peer 1 as a customer, with the £63m turnover firm planning an immediate £500,000 investment in equipment to get up and running.

Peer 1 specialises in providing space on the Internet for companies to host their own web pages. It is already one of the biggest in Canada and has ambitions to take the number one spot in the UK, once its Southampton base has been set up.

Bosses are already recruiting sales people, technical staff and customer service roles.

Managing director Dominic Monkhouse, pictured, who lives in Lymington, said: “We are looking to hire 50 people in the first 12 months, and the plan is for it to be several hundred in a couple of years.

“The vast majority of salaries will be over £30,000. For most people that will be base salary i n c l u d i n g bonus, but sales people could earn considerably more.”

He said traditionally web-hosting companies had been based in and around London but the south coast was now an attractive alternative.

“Southampton is a fabulous place.

The business rationale for being here is compelling.

Southampton offers us a long-term, lower cost, more stable working environment.

“I want to be the number one regional player, and our plan is within five years to be the number one UK content- hosting provider.”

Jimmy Chestnutt, director general of the Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce said: “Peer 1 operates in a very competitive sector and it is encouraging that they have chosen Southampton as the place in which to set up their UK HQ.”