Shopping centre contract

The Mercury is spread over three floors, and includes a Bingo hall, cinema and approximately 45 retail outlets and eateries. 

The contract includes a total of 11 security officers, 12 cleaning staff and three supervisors, with security providing a total of 540 hours per week and cleaning 390 hours to cover the entire estate. All employees were transferred across to Axis employment under TUPE. 

Spencer Hawken, centre manager, The Mercury, says as a progressive, environmentally-conscious and customer-centric shopping centre, it was crucial the company delivering the cleaning and security contract understood that a dynamic, multi-skilled service was essential.

He said: “We recently installed an electric generating floor, the first of its kind globally in a shopping centre, with the aim to power a customer service, such as a mobile phone charging station or as a marketing tool, e.g. creating a lighting schematic designed by a local artist.

“Our launch also contained a charity initiative where we used a stepping machine to generate one million steps over the course of one week. Security officers manned the machine 24/7 and both cleaning and security officers drummed up enthusiasm across the centre,” he explained. 

"For every thousand steps generated, the McDonalds branch at Mercury Shopping Centre donated to First Step, a charity that looks after pre-school children with disabilities. This falls outside what many would consider traditional security and cleaning duties, but it is typical of the sort of service required.”

Axis will be delivering customer service training as part of the contract, which was another key driver in the decision to select Axis.

Spencer added: “Working with Axis over the last couple of months, we have experienced a knowledgeable and friendly management team who understand our requirements without our having to explain details. It sounds like a cliché, but on our first mobilisation meeting it was obvious to us that they knew how to deliver the customer-centric service that we require.”