Midcounties Co-op has awarded an initial three-year contract to Arcus Facilities Management to deliver a full range of integrated facilities management (FM) services across all its trading locations and offices.
The deal, which takes in the society’s Co-op Food stores, Your Co-op Travel branches and Your Co-op Childcare nurseries.
The partnership is a first of its kind for Midcounties, which hails it as “a watershed moment” as it starts an FM strategy “that aims to deliver a seamless service, greater value and a best-in-class retail estate”.
Under the deal, Arcus will deliver services including maintenance of refrigeration, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, mechanical & electrical, lighting and building fabric, backed by round-the-clock, 365-day UK-based Helpdesk team and integrated software solutions.
“Everything we do as a society is aimed at providing the best service possible for our colleagues, members and customers in the communities we operate in,“ said Ben Sampson, Midcounties’ head of FM. “With Arcus, we have found a partner that shares those values and can help us deliver an outstanding service through their impressive facilities management pedigree.
“Our strategy is focused on finding efficient and technology-led solutions, and Arcus’ suite of technology and the integrated way their solutions are delivered, alongside their on-site maintenance and strong pedigree in both food and high-street retail, will really support us to deliver against our goals and objectives over the next three years.“
Stephen Saunders, chief operating officer for Arcus FM, said: “We’re thrilled to be given the opportunity to support Midcounties in realising their FM strategy. Their requirements are well aligned with our strengths: we have one of the largest and multi-skilled mobile delivery fleets in the country, enabling us to self-deliver and ensure high first-time-fix rates on what they need.
“We see them as a partner for the long-term, and look forward to not only fully integrating our technology solutions with Midcounties, but innovating further to drive down cost, carbon and energy usage across their estate.”
Main image: Ben Sampson, head of Facilities Management, Midcounties; Kirstie Fox, contracts manager, Midcounties; Nicky Hughes, account manager, Arcus FM; Danny Walker, business unit director, Arcus FM