Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
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Bruntwood launches new FM business
Commercial property specialist Bruntwood, is expanding its service offering with the launch of a new facilities management business, Unify, which will provide fully integrated FM services encompassing cleaning and specialist cleaning, energy, mechanical and electrical repairs and maintenance.
The company has already secured 30 new contracts, and enters its first full financial year with an £8m contract value order book, as it seeks growth among occupiers of commercial office and public-sector buildings, national retailers and the industrial and logistics industries, alongside Bruntwood's 2,600 customers.
Unify aims to leverage its client-side background and understanding of property management to deliver an excellent customer experience.
Employing 350 people, 250 of whom have transferred into Bruntwood from existing FM suppliers, Unify is a Living Wage employer and committed to improving lives for its colleagues and driving a personable service for its customers.
Bruntwood's chief operating officer, Richard Burgess, will assume the role of chief executive of Unify.
Alongside the launch of Unify, Bruntwood has also unveiled a new energy as a managed service and sub-metering offering, Unify Energy, targeting Bruntwood customers and other building landlords and property agents.
It will offer an alternative model to the single meter system typical to multi-tenanted buildings where landlords and agents have to split energy bills with occupiers based on square footage. Instead, Unify Energy, as a fully licensed supplier, can provide metered energy bills directly to each occupier giving customers and landlords a more accurate and compliant managed energy service.
Unify Energy is committed to purchasing fuel from renewable sources and will offer support to customers exploring on-site generation; this stems from Bruntwood's drive to generate 30% of its energy on site by 2030.
Sarah Martin, currently director of utilities at Bruntwood, has been appointed CEO of Unify Energy.
Chris Oglesby, Bruntwood's CEO, says: "We're excited about the potential of Unify to shake-up the provision of FM services right across the UK.
"Organisations of all shapes and sizes expect more from their property than ever before and we know what it takes to deliver not just excellent spaces, but excellent experiences and services within them. So for us, Unify is very much a part of our ongoing evolution as a group.
"We're especially proud of what it represents in that it will provide those working in cleaning services the chance to shape their career at an ethical and responsible business, allowing them to thrive through access to support and development opportunities while earning a fair wage."
Alongside Unify and Unify Energy, Bruntwood has started a third new venture, CubicWorks.
CubicWorks will provide contracting services in fit-out, refurbishment, design and build, and mechanical and engineering services.
The firm has already been appointed by developer Bywater Properties to refurbish its £2m Northstar office scheme in Manchester's Northern Quarter and will also become a supplier to Bruntwood Works and Bruntwood SciTech.
More than 50 employees from Bruntwood's project contracting team have transferred into CubicWorks.
A three-strong team of directors: Shan Khambata, Mark Spavin, and Mark Wright, will lead the new business.
It will adopt a consultative and partnership-led approach to deliver end-to-end project management.
Unify and CubicWorks will both share the same values and purpose of 'Creating Thriving Cities' as the Bruntwood Group.
15th October 2020