Christopher Place Shopping Centre in the heart of St Albans is taking a new approach to cleaning and security by integrating the services and awarding the total contract to Axis Group.
The new approach aims to simplify the management of the two services, and by working with the right provider, to add a more meaningful layer of support for the key people delivering the important services on site.
In her role as Centre Manager, Catherine Morris is determined to get the best out of her service partners and it was important that her management team and the those working on the front line felt supported. “We had two providers previously,” explains Catherine, “which kept cleaning and security separate. But when both were under-performing, I saw it as an opportunity to see what else was out there and how we could take advantage of having one partner.”
Axis Security and Axis Cleaning and Support Services have been awarded the combined contract to look after the security and cleaning services at the shopping centre which is managed by building consultancy and property management company Workman.
Catherine says Axis already has an established reputation amongst other Workman centre managers: “I was listening to their feedback and included Axis on the invitation to tender. They have demonstrated their professionalism and knowledge from the very beginning, and I’ve been impressed with their attention to detail.
have a small team so the additional support that the security and cleaning staff get from Axis is crucial,” she continues. “Axis take my requests seriously and they take the management of my staff seriously.
Catherine describes the handover process and employee TUPE as very straightforward: “It went so smoothly you wouldn’t know it was happening,” she says. “Axis’ operations teams gave the employees the utmost support during the transfer process. Not only did all the staff receive a pay increase but they are also now benefiting from an attractive package of additional benefits from Axis.”
Jonathan Levine, Axis Group CEO says the Group has extensive experience of delivering combined services to the leisure sector and is ideally placed to support Christopher Place: “Our management and operations teams understand this type of environment and the high standards that need to be delivered to support the centre management team and the important front line staff.
We are delighted to be working with Catherine and Christopher Place, and look forward to delivering a high level of customer service in all areas.”
Axis is supporting the Centre with additional staff to help during busy periods, especially in the lead up to Christmas which brings with it a schedule of events. Going forward, Axis will also be able to provide the employees with additional training when required.
The Centre is an open pedestrian mall offering shops and restaurants to St Albans’ residents and visitors. It operates on a significantly large site spanning 169,000sq foot and the cleaning and security teams are responsible for the entire site including the mall, loading bays, service corridors, lift lobbies, car park, and periphery shops.
