Author: Lucy Wood

Welcome to the January issue of your Westgrove Colleague Newsletter.

We know this continues to be an unsettling time for many with some of our Colleagues being furloughed once again, but we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all our Colleagues for your continued hard work and commitment throughout this pandemic. We are extremely proud of you all, especially the ways in which you are supporting each other.

Please remember that our team of Business Managers are here if you need to talk. You can also access free, confidential advice and support through our partnership with retailTRUST.

Please continue to follow the Government guidelines and any supplied by Westgrove. We all have a duty of care to ourselves and others too.

Please take care of yourselves and your families and remember we are here to support you.

Westgrove in the community

The lockdown lap

We’re joining Alex Staniforth, our Brand Ambassador to help stay focused during Lockdown 3. The #LockdownLap is a virtual team challenge that you can run, walk or cycle and help the team collectively travel over 11,000 miles around the ENTIRE UK mainland coastline by the 1st March. There’s also a chance to win weekly prizes too!

Find out more and join the team by clicking HERE.

Helping the fight against dementia

During December, our teams came together to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Thank you so much to everyone who wore their festive jumpers, I hope you agree it made for some festive fun and all for a great cause.

Here’s just some of our Colleagues looking festive…

Struggling in lockdown?

retailTRUST offers a wide range of free and confidential wellbeing support including helpful advice, financial assistance, face-to-face and telephone counselling, non-repayable grants, career development, and legal guidance. Click here to find out more.

Fast growing Facilities Management company, The Westgrove Group, has secured a 5-year partnership with Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and highlights its move into the TFM market place.

The contract, valued over £10M, will see the company delivering cleaning, security, concierge and hard services such as reactive and planned maintenance. The award follows a competitive tender process which involved a number of market leading facilities management companies.

Claire Mckinley-Smith, Managing Director at The Westgrove Group says “We are delighted to start a proactive partnership with the team at Touchwood. As well as welcoming over 50 new colleagues into our business, we are looking forward to working with a dynamic management team on site who share our core values. We pride ourselves on the quality of our customer service, the flexibility we can provide and the introduction of new services and technologies.”

The exciting partnership, brings together Westgrove and Touchwood Shopping Centre which is owned by Lendlease Retail LP and managed by property management group Workman. Located in Solihull’s attractive metropolitan borough, Touchwood Shopping Centre opened in 2001 and combines a stylish retail offering with civic gardens providing green space for the community to enjoy.

General Manager, Tony Elvin, says, “Our new partnership with The Westgrove Group is exciting. Throughout the pandemic we have been focusing on ensuring Touchwood is a safe retail and leisure environment, prioritising the health and wellbeing of our guests, retailers and staff.  We are delighted to be working now with Westgrove and together whilst maintaining that critical safe environment aim to drive our guest service, community interaction and team engagement to even greater heights.”

Westgrove provide security, cleaning, maintenance and customer service to shopping centres and mixed-use destinations, corporate offices, business parks and airports throughout the UK.  Following a successful 22-year history, the company has expanded in 2020 to add hard services to enhance its well-established award-winning soft services provision. 

The Westgrove Group has also recently secured contracts with Morgan Quarter in Cardiff and Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Bristol. The company, based in Warrington, was founded by Group Chairmen Simon Whittle and Steve Fives.

Fast growing facilities management company, The Westgrove Group, is pushing to make its business virtually chemical free by the end of 2021.

Westgrove has already rolled out the use of the Lotus Pro to over 20 of its sites in the UK with impressive financial and environmental benefits.

The company, based in Warrington, is seeing outstanding results across its portfolio from the environmentally friendly ‘Lotus Pro’ cleaning system which coverts normal tap water into a highly effective cleaner and sanitiser for up to 24 hours.

The system, which uses a standard water and power supply, injects an electrical charge into tap water. As a result, the water becomes a very efficient cleaning agent whilst also killing 99.99% of viruses and bacteria. 

In a case study conducted at its Haymarket Shopping Centre in Leicester, the site saw an 80% cost saving on cleaning products, a reduction in PPE requirements and the removal of any associated risks to colleagues by using chemicals. The centre reduced their plastic waste due to a lack of chemical bottles and containers on site and as a result helped them gain their third consecutive RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Gold Award.   

A further benefit has been helping the centre to be Covid safe by killing viruses on all surfaces. By carrying out before and after ‘touchpoint tests’ has made it possible to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Lotus Pro. 

Steve Allen, Westgrove’s Site Manager at Haymarket Shopping Centre says, “The Lotus Pro has been a massive success for our cleaning operation, but undoubtedly, the most dramatic advance for us has been the chance to conduct swab testing and actually being able to see the results of our cleaning and to be able to show the team that their work is producing tangible results”

Westgrove use the swab tests to evidence levels of sanitisation and found low levels, proving the use of the Lotus Pro as an intrinsic part to all its centres cleaning operations.  ATP Swab Testing is used to measure levels of Adenosine Triphosphate, an organic compound found in all forms of life. At Haymarket results are between 5 and 11 which is classed as ultra-clean to very clean and is recommended for all touchpoints.

Claire Mckinley-Smith, Managing Director, said, “It has been vital in the era of Covid-19 to be able to demonstrate and evidence our cleaning and sanitisation routines, and to have reassurance that we are doing all that we possibly can to maintain a safe environment for our teams and for the customers”.

The Westgrove Group, which recently celebrated its 22^nd anniversary, was founded by Group Chairmen Simon Whittle and Steve Fives. Based in Warrington, Cheshire, Westgrove employs over 1000 colleagues and specialises in providing security, cleaning, customer services and maintenance services in high footfall destinations such as shopping centres and mixed-use destinations, corporate offices, business parks and airports throughout the UK.

Dear Colleague,

Hello and welcome to your November Colleague Newsletter. In this edition you’ll find out who the latest Reward and Recognition award winners are, information on the extended furlough scheme, new dates for Access HR appointments and a chance to have your say on the charity initiative we will support as a business throughout December.

Reward & Recognition – Winners Announced!

Each quarter we recognise the teams and individual colleagues who go above and beyond in their role in the Westgrove Reward and Recognition Awards. We want to say THANK YOU to everyone for their hard work and commitment and well done to all the nominees for Quarter 3.

During Quarter 3, there was a lot to contend with including coming out of national lockdown and the re-opening of centres which saw colleagues stepping up and displaying professionalism and compassion. It was humbling to read the stories behind each nomination and to realise the work that goes in behind the scenes to keep our centres operating on a daily basis.

It is with pleasure that we announce our Quarter 3 R&R winners, you can see the full list of winners by clicking HERE.

Well done to all our winners and everyone who was nominated for an award this quarter, it was so difficult to pick the winners out of all the outstanding nominations – you are all amazing!

Extended Furlough Scheme

As you will be aware, England is currently in Lockdown to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in communities across the country. Please continue to follow the Government guidelines and any further guidance supplied by Westgrove. We all have a duty of care to ourselves and others too.

Some colleagues will have been impacted by the furlough scheme which has now been extended and will cover 80% of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 a month. If you are placed on to furlough you will receive 80% of your normal pay for November when you are paid by Westgrove in December.

Any questions, please ask your Business Manager or email the HR team, hr@westgrove.co.uk.

We are here to support you.

Have your say! Vote for our Christmas Charity

During December we will be supporting a charity as voted by Westgrove Colleagues.

Please vote for the charity you would like the Westgrove community to support during December 2020. Voting closes at 5pm on Wednesday 18th November.

Westgrove Colleagues can vote using the link in their email.

Details of the winning charity and information on how you and your team can get involved during December will be issued in due course.

Access HR – Book your appointment now

The next available dates and times for an Access HR session are:

• Wednesday 25th November, 10 – 11am
• Thursday 26th November, 2 – 3pm

Please email hr@westgrove.co.uk with your preferred date and time and confirmation that you are able to use Zoom or if you require an alternative arrangement. HR will confirm your appointment by email.

Our people are what make us special.  From saving lives and preventing crime to helping people in need and much more.  Our Reward and Recognition scheme is our way of saying thank you to our Colleagues for the amazing work that they do each and every day, often going above and beyond in their role.

During Quarter 3, there has been a lot to contend with including coming out of national lockdown and re-opening centres which has seen Colleagues stepping up and displaying professionalism and compassion.

Well done to all our winners and everyone who has been nominated for an award this quarter – you are all amazing!

The winners are:

Site Manager of the Quarter

Richard Pope for showing an exceptional level of leadership and stepping up at a critical time (lockdown and re-opening).  Richard has shown exemplary attention to detail and is a valued member of the Centre Management Team at Riverside Shopping Centre.  

Team of the Quarter

High Chelmer Cleaning and Security.  The team recently played a huge part in the clean-up operation of the biggest downpour the city has seen.  The team’s quick thinking and fast actions ensured the safety of shoppers and the centre remained open throughout.

Cornbow Cleaning & Security.  The team have stepped up throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and remained professional even when faced with challenging circumstances.  The team have remained positive despite having to deal with difficult situations and continued to work as a team.  

Telford Cleaning Team. The team have worked tirelessly to ensure the cleanliness of Telford Centre despite being short staffed.  The team have ensured contractual hours have been covered and that standards remain high.

Birchwood Park Security Team.  This team have ensured the safety of the whole site throughout difficult circumstances, keeping occupiers and buildings safe and monitoring all movements on site.  The team always pull together during times of need and provide excellent customer service to the client, occupiers and the on-site teams. 

Colleague of the Quarter

Samantha Newton, The Core.  Sam is a valued member of the team, stepping in to assist with additional duties to ensure the smooth running of the centre.  She has remained positive, ensuring standards remain high and is a great support to her colleagues and to the centre manager. 

Michael Palmer, Bramley Shopping Centre. Mick is a dedicated Security Guard and although he had an extremely touch year, he has shown dedication to his role and the same enthusiasm he always has. 

Clare Danks, Head Office, for being a great support over the lockdown period to her sites.  Clare adapted to the new ways of working and supported her sites giving them sound advice and support when it mattered. 

Mohammed Osman, Queens Square.  Mo is a valued member of the Queens Square team.  He is always helpful and remains professional.  He has been described as a real gentleman with excellent customer service skills. 

Newcomer of the Quarter

Tony Warburton, Runcorn – a great asset to the team with excellent customer service skills.  Tony is professional, friendly and has great observational skills. 

Sering Sallah, Market Place Bolton – Outstanding customer service, greeting customers and making them feel at ease during the re-opening on the centre after lockdown.  Sal has adapted easily to the new ways of working.   

Angela Hudson, Templars Square – Angela has shown fantastic customer service skills and represents Westgrove in a positive light.

Covid Spirit Award

Security Team, Quedam – The team have been complimented by tenants including Primark for the way their queues have been managed when the centre re-opened. 

Steve Travis and the Security Team, Arcades – From implementing new safety precautions and managing rosters to meet both work and family needs, it has been a difficult few month for the Arcades team, but they have pulled together and navigated the ‘new normal’ in order to get their job done. 

CSR of the Quarter

Wayne Morgan, Cleaning Operative, Quedam – For implementing new waste procedures and creating real cost savings for the centre and helping greatly towards its sustainability.

Outstanding Acts

July

• Gloucester Quays, Security Team, Gloucester Quays

August

• AnnMarie Croft, Housekeeper, QVC Knowsley
• Jaspreet Singh, Security Officer, Queens Square Shopping Centre
• Sharon Griffin, Housekeeper, Telford Centre
• Michael Rodford, Cleaning Operative, Quedam Shopping Centre

September

• Syed Shah, Security Officer, Queens Square
• Yvonne Howell, Housekeeping Team leader, Telford Centre
• Damon Kosmalski Pearson & Tanya Tate, Dual Service Supervisor and Customer Support Officer, Riverside
• Martin Wain, Majid Khan & Paul Greenslade, Customer Service Supervisor and Officers, Templars Square Shopping Centre
• Marc Hunt, Rebecca Waldron & Renay Snelson, Security, Guest Service & Ambassador, Runcorn Shopping City
• Eduart Cota, Abu Hanif, Derek Spencer, Security Officer, Royal Priors

Service Excellence

July

• Vitor Azevedo, Cleaning Supervisor, Tata Technologies
• Dave Phillips, Denise Phillips, Debra Taylor, Nizam Patel, Gill Davidson, Security & Cleaners, Market Place, Bolton
• Whole Team, Castle Quay
• Amarjit Bhullar, Security Officer, Queens Square Shopping Centre
• George Moriata, Cleaner, Lion Yard
• Barry Burnham, Customer Service Supervisor, Templars Square

August

• Damon Kosmalski Pearson & Karl Hobbs Dual Service Supervisor and Cleaner, Riverside
• Jaspreet Singh, Security Officer Queens Square

September

• Joanne O’Neill, Business Manager, Westgrove HQ
• Paul Clarke/Ian Plumbley, Security Supervisor/Security Officer, Birchwood Park
• Daniel Jackson   Guest Service Ambassador – Security Officer, The Galleries Shopping Centre
• Shannon Blount / Steven Buckle Cleaning Operative, Gloucester Quays
• Asif Nazir, Assistant DSM, Lion Yard
• Security Team, Stamford Quarter
• Jon Walton & Shaun Buckley, Security Officers, Telford Centre
• Sandra Perry, Customer Service Officer, Templars Square

Please remember to nominate your colleagues through our Reward and Recognition programme. You can find out more and nominate here.

This week we are delighted to welcome new colleagues to our business – security, cleaning, concierge and maintenance teams join Westgrove from Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and Morgan Quarter in Cardiff in what can only be described as unprecedented times!

We’ve learnt a lot since the first lockdown in April with one of our key learnings being how to mobilise and welcome new colleagues across the UK into the business remotely. It is important to us to make all colleagues feel valued and to share our sense of community even without being able to see them face to face.

We needed to adjust our ways of working but as a dynamic and flexible business we have found different ways of communicating with our colleagues and Partners throughout the UK including regular emails and video calling so we’re as face to face as we can be right now.

The Westgrove Group can’t wait to be able to welcome all our new colleagues in person but until then we will continue with our new ways of communicating and adapt to whatever is thrown our way!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new colleagues from Cardiff and Solihull and assure them we are here for them every step of the way during their career with Westgrove.

Pictured – Welcome Pack and cakes for our colleagues

This year World Mental Health Day is on Saturday 10^th October and the theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is “Mental Health for All”.  We are proud to continue promoting health and well-being to all our Westgrove colleagues across the UK.  This World Mental Health Day, we’re joining retailTRUST to be there for the one in four adults in the UK who will experience a mental health problem at some point in the lifetime. 

To support this campaign, retailTRUST are hosting a free 3-day virtual event with a mission to provide support for every individual whenever they need it.  The event will equip you with the skills to manage your emotional, physical, vocational and financial wellbeing. 

Over the three days, industry leaders and experts will provide you with the tools you need to lead our industry, your team and yourselves in these unprecedented times.

The agenda is as follows:

Monday 19^th October – Leading the industry

The industry’s big thinkers give their views on the great challenges that face retail, those leading it, and those forging their careers in it. We explore the great debate around people in retail and their ongoing importance to the future of the sector.

Tuesday 20^th October – Leading your team

Looking into the trends shaping the way your customers and colleagues view the world, we’ll help you understand the post-COVID views of your most important stakeholders and the tools needed to engage them successfully.

Wednesday 21^st October – leading yourself

You can access an exclusive morning of workshops to give you the tools to manage your health, happiness and performance as a new professional era dawns upon us.

You can sign up to the free 3-day event HERE.

We will be there #forthefour in four colleagues who will experience a setback or life event. 

Westgrove take mental health and awareness seriously   

As a business we offer mental health awareness training to all and also specialist training to Managers as well as offering free counselling through our Partnership with retailTRUST and Brand Ambassador Alex Staniforth. 

retailTRUST’s Free Well-being Assessment

retailTRUST have put together a short wellbeing assessment which will provide a personalised well-being rating based on your responses and will help identifying the support available to you. 

You can take the short survey HERE.

Hello, and welcome to the September Issue of the Westgrove Colleague Newsletter.

Revo Ace Awards – WINNERS!

We are delighted to announce that Westgrove scooped the prestigious ‘Top Soft Services Provider UK’ accolade in this year’s Revo ACE Awards which is an amazing achievement!

Revo ACE awards recognise the best in class, rewarding the people and places offering the very best experiences in the retail sector. The Top Soft Service Provider UK award recognises that our centres had the highest scoring averages across all the categories for customer service and facility standards.

We also had three short listed centres in their own categories – St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool, Community Centre, Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton, Regional Centre and Handforth Dean Retail Park, Retail Place with St Johns and Market Place going on to win their categories. Well done to them!

It has been a tough few month for all our centres and colleagues which makes this award a real boost and shows that our commitment to service excellence gives real results.

Last chance for R&R submissions – 30^th Sept

We have already received lots of nominations for the Quarter 3 Reward & Recognition Awards with many colleagues going the extra mile in this challenging times.  There will be lots more worthy entries out there so make sure you enter your team or a colleague before 30th September.

Entries can be submitted online on Our Colleagues Reward & Recognition page.

Access HR – Now Available to Book!

Following the success of the first ‘Access HR’ sessions, we are excited to announce further dates for all Westgrove colleagues to book an online appointment. 

The sessions are an opportunity for colleagues to book in a date and time to have a private one-to-one with a member of the HR Team through video conferencing to discuss any non-urgent queries.

The dates to book your personal HR session are below. If you would like to book a time please contact hr@westgrove.co.uk and include the following;

• Chosen date and preferred time
• Confirmation that you are able to use Zoom or if you require an alternative arrangement

A member of the HR team will contact you directly with the exact time of your session, joining instructions and any other information. On the day of your session you will receive an email from HR providing you with a Zoom link.

Sessions are approximately 10 minutes long and the team will endeavour to answer all of your questions. Should this not be possible, and we need to investigate your question in more detail, then a further session will be arranged.

Please see below a list of the dates and times available for October.

• Thursday 1st October @ 12noon – 2pm
• Tuesday 27^th October @ 8am – 10am
• Wednesday 28^th October @ 4pm – 6pm

Our Volunteering Policy

Westgrove is committed to making a meaningful contribution to the communities where we work and live.  Volunteering allows you to connect with your community and make a real difference.  It can benefit you as much as it can benefit your chosen cause.  If you want to volunteer for a cause close to your heart, then check out the Westgrove Volunteering Policy for more information. 

Westgrove have committed to 5 colleagues taking 3 paid volunteer days each annually.  These days will be paid and will not affect your allowance of holiday.

For further information please refer to our Volunteering Policy, HERE.

eLearning – Don’t forget your essential courses!

Please can all colleagues ensure they have completed the latest eLearning courses on the following subjects:

• Coronavirus Awareness
• Cross Contamination Control
• Conflict Resolution

eLearning can be accessed via the Our Colleagues page on the website.   

There are also further resources available via the Retail Trust website including how to deal with difficult customers and managing anxiety.  Both of these short user-friendly courses will give you some really good guidance.

Retail Trust & Suicide Awareness

September hosts World Suicide Awareness Day. In the UK in 2018 someone took their own life every 81 minutes. retailTRUST have put together resource to help people recognise when a friend, family member or colleague is suffering from mental ill health. Anyone can make a difference to someone else’s life.  Click here to access the resources.

retailTRUST is our free and confidential well-being support portal which is always on hand to support all Westgrove Colleagues.  You can use the online portal to create your personal toolkit, or call or email the retailTRUST team for further advice and support.  retailTRUST is available 24/7. 

• retailTRUST are there to support you throughout your life:
• You can access emotional support if you are experiencing difficulties
• Increase your awareness about a range of health and well-being issues
• Progress your career through tools and training
• Develop key life skills
• And apply for financial help during times of need

Click here to find out how retailTRUST can support you.

We are delighted to announce that Westgrove scooped the prestigious ‘Top Soft Services Provider UK’ accolade in this year’s Revo ACE Awards which is an amazing achievement!

Revo ACE awards recognise the best in class, rewarding the people and places offering the very best experiences in the retail sector. The Top Soft Service Provider UK award recognises that our centres had the highest scoring averages across all the categories for customer service and facility standards. 

We also had three short listed centres in their own categories –

·        Community Centre: St Johns Shopping Centre, Liverpool

·        Regional Centre: Market Place Shopping Centre, Bolton

·        Retail Place: Handforth Dean Retail Park

with St Johns and Market Place going on to win their categories. Well done to them!

It has been a tough few month for all our centres and colleagues which makes this award a real boost and shows that our commitment to service excellence gives real results.