Gift voucher firm to open international office in Dublin

US company Smartbox, which produces high-end gift vouchers is to establish an international office in Dublin, with the potential to create 70 jobs over the next year-and-a-half.

The move, in which the firm will establish an international strategy, business-to-business, project management, digital supply chain and IT centre of excellence in Dublin was announced by Minister Richard Bruton yesterday.

Smartbox has begun recruiting people for 50 new positions, but the company said there is potential to create a further 20 jobs in the next 18 months. The company employs around 1,000 people worldwide. It produces high-end quality gift boxes, which allow customers to choose between hundreds of experiences including golf weekends, restaurants, spa breaks and hotels.

“A central part of the Government’s plan for jobs and growth is developing and deepening the impact of multinational companies here, and targeting high-growth sectors and companies which have the potential to create large numbers of jobs. Smartbox is one such company operating in one such sector,” Mr Bruton said.

IDA Ireland said the move was welcome news, while the company said that the success of its existing business here — Smartbox has had a European shared services centre in Swords, Co Dublin for the past three years — was a major reason for its expansion.