Unite Students Partners With Perkbox to Launch New Perks and Benefits for Employees to Enjoy

LONDON, January 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Unite Students, the UK's leading provider of student accommodation, has partnered with Perkbox (http://www.perkbox.co.uk), a leading employee perks and benefits scheme, to launch an exciting new voluntary benefits programme for its 1237 staff.

As part of its continuing commitment to enhance their employee benefits package and reinforce the company as a great place in which to work, Unite Students employees will now have access to over a hundred practical and recreational perks - from free spa days, to discounted gym memberships, cinema tickets, groceries and travel. New perks and benefits will also be added to the platform regularly. All employees will be able to simply redeem these via their own dedicated account using Perkbox's online platform and smartphone app.

The benefits available to employees at Unite Students include up to 6% off at supermarkets including Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, money off in 50 high street stores and 20,000 shops nationwide, money off in pubs, bars and coffee shops, as well as heavily discounted theatre tickets and attraction day passes. They will also get corporate rates in top gym chains, half price MOTs, money off Apple products and other tech, and a free month's travel in London on an Oyster Card amongst thousands of other benefits.

Ruth George, HR Director, Unite Students, commented: "It's a really exciting time to work at Unite Students. We are a recognised employer of choice and have just been given living wage accreditation. In addition we wanted our voluntary benefits package to reflect the buzz that was happening across the business. We're rejuvenating our benefits offering to ensure that our hardworking employees feel appreciated, motivated and happy.  

"We recently conducted an internal poll to assess the most popular perks that Perkbox had on offer and we found that everyone had very different views about what the best deals were. That is why Perkbox works so well for our diverse workforce; there is something for everyone." 

About Unite Students  

Unite Students is the UK's leading manager and developer of student accommodation. Unite provides a home for over 46,000 students in 138 purpose built properties across 28 of the UK's strongest university towns and cities.  The Group works in partnership with more than 60 higher education institutions as well as letting rooms directly to students.

Our culturally-diverse customers are at the heart of Unite's business and we aim to provide a home for students which supports their academic and personal success. Unite's properties provide students with high quality, well-located, safe accommodation that is close to university campuses, transport and local amenities. The rent includes a study bedroom, all bills, insurance, 24-hour security, fortnightly kitchen cleans and high speed Wi-Fi throughout our properties.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, The Unite Group plc is a FTSE250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange, employing over 1,250 people. We are pursuing a sustainable growth strategy designed to make the most of the resilient nature of the student accommodation sector. Our aim is to maintain the strongest brand in the sector and operate the highest quality portfolio through consistent investment in and improvement to the operating platform, highly selective development activity, asset management initiatives and portfolio recycling.

In addition to Unite's wholly owned properties, we are also invested in and operate a small number of specialist funds and joint ventures with institutional investment partners, the largest of which is the £2 billion Unite UK Student Accommodation Fund (USAF).

The Group's charitable trust, the Unite Foundation, provides free student accommodation and a generous annual scholarship to around 125 young people in the UK who aspire to a degree but face the most challenging circumstances.

For more information you can visit Unite's corporate website http://www.unite-group.co.uk the student site http://www.unite-students.com or the Unite Foundation site http://www.unitefoundation.co.uk.

ABOUT PERKBOX 

Perkbox is an online platform for startups and SMEs, which gives employers and employees a range of great perks - from discounted gym memberships and 2-for-1 meals to exclusive deals on tech brands and savings on childcare.

Perkbox is the sister company of Huddlebuy Ltd (http://www.huddlebuy.co.uk ), the UK's largest benefits provider for startups and small businesses. The Huddlebuy service helps businesses grow by offering handpicked business deals from trusted brands with offers covering financial, marketing, business, technology and telecoms, education and e-learning products, alongside personal and recreational perks.

Perkbox was set up after Huddlebuy's business customers expressed an interest in passing on these business and personal perks onto their employees. Perkbox is therefore the definitive and dedicated employee benefits service for all businesses big and small.

As well as easy online redemption of perks on desktop and via smartphone app, Perkbox members also receive a seasonal surprise 'Perkbox' box stuffed with treats and free goodies delivered straight to offices.

Perkbox was set up with the belief that the best companies to work for look after their teams. The most successful businesses are comprised of people who are engaged, satisfied and loyal. Providing perks helps build stronger teams and incentivises workers to aspire to greatness.

Until recently, only large corporations could afford to pay for employee perks. Perkbox's easy and wholly customised offering allows SMEs to reward and incentivise their growing team with perks that help build a happy work culture with an investment in line with their budgets.

Perkbox is a new platform created by Huddlebuy, a parent venture that helps small businesses grow by offering handpicked business deals across financial, marketing, business, technology, telecoms, education and e-learning products.

For more information on pricing and packages available, contact: perks@huddlebuy.co.uk, tel: +44(0)20-8396-6812

For press enquiries, contact: Andrea San Pedro, PR Director, e: andrea@perkbox,co.uk, t: +44(0)7970-468982