THE bosses of Scottish recruitment specialist Brightwork Group have reason to raise a glass as soaring business from the drinks industry has put it on course for record turnover and profit numbers in its fifth year in business.

The group, based in Glasgow and Edinburgh with offices in Aberdeen, is poised to post upwards of £23 million in sales in the year to December with after-tax profits projected to be more than £700,000.

This compares to 2010’s income of £18.3m and post-tax earnings of £416,000.

It has increased its staffing from 13 in 2006 to 38, with another six likely to be taken on to handle increased volumes from a deal with an online retailer.

Managing director Anthony Knight and chief operating officer Charles Turner created the company in a management buy-out from the multinational Hudson Group.

Mr Knight said: “When we forecast in 2006 that sales would exceed £20m in five years, we thought to ourselves that it was verging on the outlandish. To have exceeded it is remarkable and very satisfying.”

A core market is the drinks industry, which Mr Knight said is doing well on the back of booming whisky sales. Brightwork supplies up to 1500 workers a week to a range of companies.

Mr Knight added: “The temporary employment market has always been more resilient and robust than the permanent, although we expect that to pick up as Scotland continues to buck the UK economic trend.”