• Leah Blanchard has been appointed branch manager of logistics and professional & executive recruiter Aligra’s new Andover branch.

• Staffing and recruitment company ApTask has launched an Amazon Alexa Skill and Google Assistant Action titled ‘Jobs Near Me’. This app helps candidates optimise their job search using the power of voice by receiving a customised list of opportunities in less than 60 seconds. Currently, the app is available for use only in the US.

• Education recruitment consultancy Clarus Education has launched a new website.

• Leicester-based recruiter Daniel Connor has launched DC Personnel in a joint venture with The Recruit Venture Group.

• Marketing automation platform Force24 has expanded into the Dutch market through a partnership with Netherland-based recruitment software specialist Ruben Lamont, who has launched a new business, Recruiter24.

• Mitchells & Butlers, which operates restaurants, bars and pubs running across 1,784 locations and whose brands include All Bar One, Browns, Harvester, O’Neill’s and Toby Carvery, have launched a new careers site. The site, designed and built by Attrax, features a more streamlined and modern design, a total search function and artificial intelligence to help candidates find the correct roles, aimed at driving engagement and applications.

• Search firm Norman Broadbent has opened an office in Cheshire. The office will provide a local team to serve clients across the North, as well as in Scotland.