BURY'S biggest private employer O2 has completed a £2 million refurbishment as it recruits an additional 200 staff for its busy Dumers Lane call centre.

Once the vacancies are filled, it will bring the workforce up to 1,200 and reinforce the mobile phone company's commitment to the area.

The newly-refurbished centre opened with a party on Friday. Among the guests were O2 UK chief executive Dave McGlade and Bury Mayor, Councillor Barry Briggs. The event was hosted by new general manager of the call centre, Rosemary Du Rose.

O2 has spent more than £2 million creating a new environment for its customer service advisers, installing 1,186 new desks, furnishings and PCs, as well as updating the staff areas and restaurants. Three hundred of 500 new customer adviser positions have already been filled and a central resourcing team has been set up to deal with the recruitment and selection of the people to fill the remaining posts.

The revamp has also created more management jobs. As the call centre is open for extended hours and has many roles, O2 is able to offer greater flexible working options to employees, including shift patterns and part-time positions.

During breaks and after work, staff can relax in one of three separate areas with amenities including pool tables, Internet access, free phones and satellite TV.

Anne Pickering, head of human resources for customer services, said: "The renovation of the call centre has strengthened O2's already strong ties with the Bury community, making it the biggest employer in the area. We are enormously proud of the centre that we have created, which looks set to be a productive and energetic working environment."

l Five years ago, the local authority pulled off a significant coup by attracting the company, then BT Cellnet, to Bury amid stiff competition from other towns.