AIM-listed headhunter Imprint Search and Selection, fresh from its purchase of financial recruitment company ECHM, is in talks to make a further acquisition.

Imprint chief executive Brian Hamill told Recruiter he was currently “looking at two or three businesses which are well-run companies with a strong brand and market position”.

As the bulk of Imprint’s business lies in permanent recruitment, the next acquisition would be a company that had up to 1,000 financial services contractors, he added. This move was to keep in line with client demand, said Hamill.

Imprint currently has three main brands: WoodHamill for top-level search assignments with salaries over £120,000; Imprint for mid-level roles with salaries between £70,000 and £120,000; and ECHM, which places finance professionals in the £25,000 to £70,000 bracket.

There are already 170 recruitment consultants working for the firm, but Hamill is aiming to take this number up to 310 by the end of the year through an acquisition and “an aggressive hiring plan”.

Imprint has made no secret of its ambitious expansion plans but Hamill is known for being extremely selective about which companies he considers buying.

When he started on the acquisition trail, his advisory firm Ernst & Young looked at 760 companies, yet Hamill decided to shortlist just four. “There are not that many acquisition targets worth looking at,” he said.