Perhaps one of the fundamental tasks on your To-Do list for the year is to review how you deliver maintenance to your locations. The question whether you are getting the very best service, quality of finish and value will then of course come up. So we look at an option that might provide the best combination of all three for your brand.

It doesn’t take a genius to realise there is a connection between a store being attractive to customers and the revenue the location generates. When your retail premises look clean, inviting and well lit, customers will want to know more about what is inside. This is even more true in today’s ultra-competitive retail market. Customers expect to feel wanted. They want to have a shopping experience that makes them feel good. This is vital when they are looking to spend their money. It means retailers need to go the extra mile and ensure their locations are presented to a high standard. So they have to have a maintenance programme which keeps their premises in excellent order.

So the need to satisfy customers may put maintenance in the driving seat. But this does not mean retail maintenance has an unlimited budget. Maintenance plans have to ensure they deliver the highest standards with high value as well. A bigger bang for each buck, so to speak.

Driving value from maintenance

To achieve this, the trend was to move away from having multiple contractors provide their services to retail locations. Instead, maintenance is consolidated under a single provider delving all services in-house. This can increase value via economies of scale. But the realities of this approach has not always worked out as intended.

A maintenance company might be able to offer all trades in-house, but the quality of work has often varied. And, as the retailer is effectively locked in to a service agreement, they cannot opt out and bring in trades they know provide a better service. The end result is a chain of retail locations which might be maintained to a price, but not necessarily to a standard. Which does not work for your brand or the customer.

Is there another way?

There is however an alternative.  You can still have a maintenance service provider who undertakes the upkeep of your retail locations. Their approach will be to use a combination of their trades and the ones you have previously used and trusted. By taking this route you benefit in three ways, First, you still have the specialist firms who have previously delivered work to an excellent standard. Second, you also get support for any other services you may need, and can ensure the standard of work doesn’t drop. And third, the services are all managed conveniently for you.

This approach has already been adopted to great success by several Store Maintenance clients. We take on the delivery of maintenance of their retail locations, using a combination of our excellent trades with their trusted suppliers. The end result is every location still receives the highest levels of care. And they see more value and the bonus of fully tracked and managed delivery of any works undertaken.

Looking ahead

So, if your To-Do list for 2024 includes improved efficiency, quality and value of the maintenance of your locations, it’s time to contact us to discuss an approach which truly delivers on all three points.