Redeem, the Scottish-based mobile phone recycling company, has announced plans to expand its operations into Hong Kong, and added that it anticipates that the com-pany will almost double its turnover this year.

The Falkirk-headquartered company, which employs 70 workers and also has operations in UK, Ireland, Italy and Turkey, said the new Asian sales and processing centre will open on February 16, and that it will provide entry to a number of core emerging mobile markets including China, India, Africa and South America.

As a result of the expansion, the company said it expects its turnover to grow this year to £9m, compared with £5.6m last time.

Redeem said Hong Kong is a world hub for the re- furbishment and resale of mobile phones, and that it would allow the company to offer improved services and better pricing models to clients around the world.

Under the expansion plan, all mobile phones collected across its bases in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Turkey will be transported to Hong Kong to be processed and sold on to global markets.

The firm also said it is looking at ongoing opportunities within the UK market and has plans for further expansion in Europe and Asia.

It added that the move will also provide Redeem with a "more streamlined and efficient system" to grow its UK and European operations and "position the company firmly at the forefront of mobile phone recycling".

In addition to the processing and sales centre, Redeem also plans to start up mobile collection recovery programmes by targeting mobile network operators, manu- facturers, businesses and consumers in Hong Kong, offering the facility and incentive to recycle mobile phones.

Jamie Rae, the chief executive of Redeem, said: "The opening of operations in Hong Kong is a key move for our long-term growth, with a predicted turnover increase from £5.6m to almost £9m this year.

"We recognise the importance of harnessing the opportunity to sell mobile products in the emerging markets and believe that this gives us the opportunity to do that.

"It will allow us to extend significant benefits to clients, including improved pricing models and greater efficiency for our overall operations."

Redeem said it plans initially to hire eight staff to open operations in Hong Kong, but that this could rise to 40 as the business grows.

The company, which started out recycling inkjet devices and mobiles in a potato barn in 1999, works with the Scottish Prison Ser-vice to offer work to former convicts, hence its name - Redeem.

Click here to comment on this story...