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They're a nightmare for the small businesses, having to have a LGBT policy etc is rather ridiculous. Lost my first tender because I didn't have a specific health and safety officer when I legally didn't even need a health and safety policy. Usually the price does have the heaviest rating though.Proper tenders are not just awarded on price.There are a number of factors to winning a proper tender price only makes up some of that.
They're a nightmare for the small businesses, having to have a LGBT policy etc is rather ridiculous. Lost my first tender because I didn't have a specific health and safety officer when I legally didn't even need a health and safety policy. Usually the price does have the heaviest rating though.
A few years ago over here before the recession hit, the big nationals had absolutely zero interest in retail work, they were too busy going after the big industrial contracts. Then when things went belly up they start creeping into the shoppings centres and high streets. I accumulated a lot of work in shopping centres over those years and still have a lot of shops but the nationals are trying to swallow them up alright. It's hard to compete against them on times as they have the man power and contacts but their overheads are high and I can usually get them on price if haven't already got the contract for the whole chain.Retail window cleaning is totally different.Most of the high street is now cleaned by national companies it's built around cheap prices and high volume.
Shops are struggling to stay open there not fussed by how clean the windows are.
I still clean quite a few shops. Bulk them together and you earn good money but it's very hard to get a run of them.
A few years ago over here before the recession hit, the big nationals had absolutely zero interest in retail work, they were too busy going after the big industrial contracts. Then when things went belly up they start creeping into the shoppings centres and high streets. I accumulated a lot of work in shopping centres over those years and still have a lot of shops but the nationals are trying to swallow them up alright. It's hard to compete against them on times as they have the man power and contacts but their overheads are high and I can usually get them on price if haven't already got the contract for the whole chain.
I find over here that the big UK brands seem to like one cleaner, one bill type thing whereas the Irish companies seem to go with a local cleaner as they are more reliable. Alot of the big branded stores will get a national cleaner in to do all of the shops in the province or country, them shops will literally get a lick most of the time and from what I can gather the people in those shops hardly even see the guys. I've actually got a lot of work back because of this exact thing. The prices for retail work in UK are dreadful though, couldn't believe some of the prices when talking to guys over there. So when big UK brand comes over, they get a bit of a shock when prices come in. Cost of living is higher over here so it's all relative I tell them, sometimes it works... sometimes not but when guys put in those low ball prices it kills it for the rest of us as these stores think it's the norm.
I cleaned the Arcadia group (Topshop, Wallis etc) for years in a shopping centre over here before they finally pulled out months back, I was sub contracting for Grosvenor getting a sh*t price. So I asked the area manager to give my a breakdown of what Grosvenor were charging them... I couldn't believe it. We were charging 60 a week for the stores, they were charging 200. The girls cleaning the floors were on 9.50 an hour and Grosvenor were charging 40 quid!!! I said to her, have you guys not actually looked at this properly!? I put in my own quote for the windows which was half the price of theirs, got a phone call in an hour to say they accepted it. Crazy stuff
I sub for Grosvenor for Debenhams and CCS for H & M's, subbed for several companies in the past but only the 2 now & have zero interest in working with anymore. Grovesnor are cheap skates but CCS pay me well shockingly enough, christ only knows what they are charging H & M themselves. I think for some stores it's a comfort thing about having a big firm take care of a certain aspect of business for them. I have alway said the bigger the brand, the worse the are to work for, bigger overheads looking for cheap jobs and so demanding. Much better off working for independent stores with lesser overheads that are on the ground and can see and understand the work that needs to be done & the cost involved.I see your in Dublin.It's similar here national window cleaning companies have killed it.
The only thing is here they very rarely go back from being with a national to using a small local firm.Most are is contract and should they change it normally goes to another national.
I clean the Arcadia group stuff here Top shop,Dorothy perkins,miss selfridge etc but it's not for Grosvenor.
I agree with D Perkins, the commercial stuff is a cut throat business, prices are agreed and set by faceless back office managers etc.Good commercial work is the high street windows which you can walk in to a shop, speak direct to the owner and get a fair price for a good service.