The facilities management contractor The Westgrove Group is aiming to more than double its turnover to £40m by the end of 2021. The company offers security, cleaning and customer service. It says it’s looking to increase its market share in shopping centres and move into new sectors. The firm expects turnover to top £25m in the current financial year, an increase of 30pc from the previous year.
Based in Warrington, the company – which reaches its 20th anniversary later this year – employs over 1,000 people in over 50 shopping centres across the UK working with landlords and managing agents including CBRE and Savills UK. The company was recently appointed as the soft services Partner for The Lexicon redevelopment project in Bracknell. The scheme, a redevelopment of Bracknell town centre, is managed by Cushman and Wakefield.
Starting initially in cleaning in 1998, Westgrove moved into security in 2008 and now operates a ‘dual service’ model of cleaning and security on the majority of its sites. It’s a member of the ACS Pacesetters grouping of SIA-approved guarding contractors.
Managing Director Claire McKinley Smith, pictured, said: “Offering a dual service approach has been significant in terms of growing our business and enabling us to develop a consistent culture. Most sites we work with require both security and cleaning so it makes sense to use one provider – or Partner as we prefer to refer to ourselves. There is one point of contact and the teams have exposure to the same colleague benefits such as training and development, reward and recognition, and service excellence initiatives. We believe this has been pivotal to our success over recent years and we have certainly seen a preference from our partners to work this way.”
The company launched its service provision, Synergy by Westgrove, in 2016 focusing on added value, strategic contract management and innovation. Contract wins include The Galleries Shopping Centre in Bristol and St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool with Munroe K Asset Management Ltd (MKAML) plus Media City in Salford Quays and Doncaster and Sheffield Airport with Peel Land and Property. That latter contract sees Westgrove moving into aviation, a first for the firm. The contract includes the provision of cleaning and PRM (Persons with Reduce Mobility) services.
Westgrove Group Joint Chairman Steve Fives said: “We have worked incredibly hard over the past 20 years and have seen the business grow from a team of six to over 1,000 colleagues today across the UK. We never want to stand still and the move into aviation and PRM demonstrates our progressive approach. We are always striving to improve the business and grow through innovation and quality of service.
“Remaining independent has been a massive strength. It gives a much greater personal feel to our business and we can offer a level of flexibility and transparency without compromising on service.”
