Support services company MITIE reports it has become the exclusive retail guarding supplier to Marks & Spencer’s wholly owned mainland UK stores.
The contract, which began in April, follows the company’s interim contract managing retail security activity at some M&S stores. The new contract sees MITIE annually managing more than 750,000 hours of manned security. The contractor reports that its security officers will support Marks & Spencer’s store management teams in maintaining a safe, secure environment for customers and staff and will also support stores with loss prevention activities. As part of the contract, all personnel will receive ongoing retail training from the MITIE Case security faculty.
What they say
Clint Reid, Head of Profit Protection at Marks & Spencer, said: “We have been impressed with the way that MITIE mobilised the interim contract and in the way that they have supported us over the past six months. We are looking forward to building on our strong relationship.” And Jeff Flanagan, Managing Director, MITIE’s Security division, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as the exclusive store security provider to Marks & Spencer. We recognise that maintaining a safe, secure environment in stores is critical and we look forward to working with their teams and ensuring that we can support them in maintaining a positive retail environment.”
About MITIE Group PLC
MITIE has a share ownership ethos ‘Management Incentive Through Investment Equity’ (MITIE) . MITIE Security is the division within MITIE that specialises in providing contract guarding, remote monitoring, key holding, patrol and alarm response services, electronic security and gallery attendants across the UK. Following the recent acquisition of Initial Security Limited (Initial Security UK), the UK manned guarding business of Rentokil Initial plc, MITIE Security became the second largest manned guarding business in the UK employing over 9,000 officers. Initial Security UK adds significantly to MITIE’s existing security business with 6,000 staff in 18 branches across the UK, providing services to a range of government, commercial, industrial and retail clients on over 2,000 sites. MITIE CASE is a training academy that provides a range of learning opportunities for MITIE staff, security sector companies (and non-industry concerns) and clients. MITIE CASE also provides professional security consultancy, investigation and due diligence training courses.
The John David Group plc, the UK retailers behind the JD Sports chain, has signed a new agreement with guarding provider SectorGuard plc. SectorGuard plc, through its Retail Security Tagging division (Asset Protection) reports tht it has enjoyed a good working relationship with JD Sports for more than four years, through the supply of everything from tags and pins to systems at the entrances of the stores and by maintaining the equipment through regular service visits to the 400 store estate. JD Sports have asked the Waltham Cross-based security firm to provide the service and maintenance in over 200 stores for CCTV and alarm systems. The firm will also be supplying all new and refurbished stores with new CCTV and alarm products. The retailer have asked SectorGuard to provide security staff services for seven of their London stores, thereby enabling them to rationalise the services of three suppliers into one.
