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Posted:06-February-2023

Major award for £4 million cleaning company launched from a couple's conservatory

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A cleaning company launched from a couple’s conservatory 30 years ago has won its current boss a major industry award.

CJ Micallef, the daughter of the founders of ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Manchester, has won a Great British Franchisee Award – one of the highest honour in the franchising world.

ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Manchester has grown to employ more than 300 staff with a turnover of more than £3 million, and CJ expects to hit £4 million soon.

When her parents bought the franchise to provide cleaning services in the city centre and South areas of Manchester in 1992, it took a year to make a profit.

It went on to become the top ServiceMaster franchise four times in a single year, and the Steinmans won the HSBC-backed Franchisee Of The Year Award from the Daily Express in 1999.

They took the bold step of expanding their territory during the recession of 2008 and were rewarded with a loyalty that has seen many of their cleaners remain with them for more than 10 years.

“As a sector with a high staff turnover rate, achieving such feats of employee dedication within the cleaning industry is exceptional,“ says CJ.

“We deliver cleaning services to more than 200 customers on 265 sites a day – and that will rise to 664 sites from this year, following our success in winning a contract from another large housing association.

“We were hit hard by the pandemic. Almost 60% of our client base suspended operations overnight and many of those clients didn’t reinstate cleaning services until June, which meant we lost more than three months’ revenue.

“The short-term impact of Covid was further compounded by the loss of more than 10 contracts totalling half a million.

“Operating under uncertain and fluctuating circumstances, we rose to the challenge. All of our Head Office staff returned from furlough and we restructured our team at director level.

“To accommodate our growth, three full-time mobile cleaners provide vital cover for our growing customer base and we now have a fleet of 17 vehicles.”

CJ, who joined the company after working for McDonald’s, Sainsbury's and Starbucks, says her parents started the business after spotting a gap in the market.

“Cleaning was classed as a commodity, had little personalisation and value set upon it, and cleaning staff were viewed as invisible, as opposed to an individual with a purpose.

“Therefore, my parents decided to create a niche in the market centred around quality cleaning services rather than price.

“We’re now a business that other ServiceMaster franchisees turn to for support, advice, problem-solving and knowledge.”

Interested and want to know more about ServiceMaster Clean?

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