Westgrove Flying High
We are delighted to announce a new contract award at Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), the first airport in the Westgrove portfolio and the start of a new chapter in the history of the business.
Westgrove were appointed as the Cleaning and PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) provider in April with a start date of 1st June 2018. The contract win is a huge step forward for the company moving not only into a new sector, aviation, but into a new service provision, PRM.
Westgrove Managing Director Claire McKinley Smith said: “We are all really excited with this new contract award and look forward to working with the team at DSA.
“We worked very hard to show the airport that our knowledge and experience in retail, delivered through Synergy by Westgrove, were well suited to the airport environment and that our colleague centric approach would benefit and motivate the whole team.
“We are pleased that this shone through and has resulted in this fantastic contract award.”
The PRM contract signals a new level of experience for the business with specific requirements and targets set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
PRM passengers are made up of many different classifications of disabled passengers with a variety of needs. Their journey and customer experience through the airport is of critical important to DSA. From the moment they arrive to the moment they board the plane, it’s the job of DSA and Westgrove to ensure that this transition is seamless and hassle free.
The CAA require targets to be met by every airport to ensure that the PRM journey is not held up or delayed and passengers are moved through the airport efficiently. It is key for Partners such as Westgrove to provide the right equipment and well-trained and motivated colleagues to be able to deliver this successfully.
With the new contract underway it’s the responsibility of our Operations Director Luanne Hall and her team to make sure that all elements are delivered successfully and the service delivery exceeds expectations.
Luanne said: “We are working hard to support the team as DSA and both our service lines are important – cleaning to make sure that the airport environment is of a high standard 24/7 and the PRM to deliver this vital service to disabled passengers.
“Westgrove are very focused on customer service delivery with all our colleagues being trained as ambassadors for this. The team at DSA will support each other across both service lines to deliver a great customer experience.”
Rob Cooke Operations Director at DSA said: “We are delighted to award the cleaning and PRM contract to The Westgrove Group and look forward to working with them as the airport continues to grow its passenger numbers in 2018 and beyond. We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent level of assistance and all round passenger experience.”
In addition to the in-house experience within the business, Westgrove are also calling on the experience of consultant Andy Wright to provide PRM advice and training for both the team on site and head office colleagues.
Andy, who is the Managing Director of travel company Accessible Travel, is a wheelchair user who has experienced the challenge of travelling with a disability. He combined his travel experience with his personal knowledge of disability and founded a tour operator to provide trustworthy accessible holidays for others with reduced mobility.
Accessible Travel and Leisure has provided holidays for disabled holidaymakers, wheelchair users and less-mobile travellers, and their family and friends, since the 1990s.
The contract award is another significant win for Westgrove and is part of an exciting time for the business. With new shopping centre and mixed-use scheme awards in 2017 and 2018, the airport is a great addition to the portfolio and underlines the importance of Synergy by Westgrove.
