Sales companies Lites Group and NK Communications are planning to create 55 jobs on the back of a deal with electricity and gas supplier Energia.

Lites Group plans to hire 30 sales people in the southeast while NK will take on 25 people around the country.

The new staff will work on the companies' sales campaigns for Energia, which is bidding to lure householders away from rivals such as Electric Ireland and Airtricity.

Lites Group managing director Aidan O’Brien said the sales campaign with Energia was attracting a lot of interest.

NK Communications managing director Noel King said the company was excited about taking on a significant number of new recruits.