GSH taking over the High Street

GSH Group plc has recently secured a multi-million pound deal to provide facilities management services across Thomas Cook Group plc's entire UK retail portfolio.

GSH will deliver maintenance and associated services at Thomas Cook's 810 retail outlets, which are visited by thousands of customers looking to book their holidays each year.

Thomas Cook's strategic decision to appoint GSH reflects its desire to consolidate a wide range of FM services into a single, centrally managed national contract, thus allowing it to focus solely on core business activities without the burden of having to manage multiple service providers.

GSH established a strong relationship with MyTravel plc, delivering FM services at over 300 retail outlets for a number of years prior to MyTravel's merger with Thomas Cook AG. The successful implementation of bespoke solutions, which generated significant cost savings for MyTravel, made GSH the ideal FM provider to maintain the newly established company's national retail portfolio.

Stephen Colclough, Head of Property Services at Thomas Cook, said: "Keeping our retail portfolio running is absolutely fundamental to our business. Appointing a reputable FM provider with a bundled service approach and a proven track record in managing widespread branch networks is a fantastic move for us as it will enable us to focus solely on core business and serving our customers."

Colin Tennent, GSH Chief Executive, said: "We understand that the nature of the retail industry is fast-paced and that success is dependent upon the smooth running of building portfolios. At GSH we have experience of working with an extensive retail client base, and the necessary expertise to ensure that our clients' businesses operate with minimum disruption to their activities. We are well-suited to serve Thomas Cook Group plc's needs and look forward to enhancing our relationship with them."