Securitas has announced Marks and Spencer as the winners of its 2014 ‘Good Customer’ award.
Part of the company’s annual Community Awards event, the award, in association with IFSECGlobal.com, is designed to reward those customers who have contributed greatly to an improvement in the standards and perception of the security industry as a whole.
The judges, who included, Aaron Grant, Head of Security at Aviva UK, who presented the award, looked at finalists’ procurement strategies, how they work with their security suppliers and how quality of security provision has improved as a result.
Marks and Spencer were judged to have done the most to improve the procurement and effective development of its security services.
Securitas Country President Brian Riis Nielsen said: “It’s very clear Marks and Spencer understand the importance of security to their business. They understand that, without the significant investment of time, expertise and money in their security provision, the business would be at considerable risk.”
Clint Reid, Head of Corporate Security at Marks and Spencer, who received the award, said: “It really is an honour to win and reinforces our long-standing partnership with Securitas, which is built on a strong foundation of trust.
“We work with Securitas to ensure our training package and development programme pushes the boundaries of delivery. We have worked together to realign its structure to the needs of the customer and to add substantial value to our loss prevention/corporate security delivery.
I’m proud to say we have, in Securitas, a security partner who understands not only what our customers want, but who is also able to collaborate on projects and ways of working which deliver significant benefits to M&S.”
Brian added: “Marks and Spencer’s security strap line is “Protecting our People, Property, Profit and Brand” and, without doubt, they are committed to delivering security excellence. I’m pleased to say that, in partnership with Securitas, they have undertaken an exciting journey on the way to delivering a revolutionary and industry-leading approach to a total security solution.”
The awards, which took place at Tortworth Court Hotel in Gloucestershire, were enjoyed by an invited audience, which included finalists in six categories, together with their guests, who heard about amazing acts of innovation, bravery and community initiatives.
