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Argos – an evolving relationship
The challenge
Our relationship with Argos, formerly part of Home Retail Group, dates back over 10 years.
Initially a traditional manned guarding contract, following several years of great partnership, VSG (a Mitie company) were approached about outsourcing the in-house Security Solutions Team and locating them at one central location.
Solution
We were able to transfer the in-house team and base them at our Northampton HQ. This provided Argos with a single centre of contact for any security issue – initially, the Security Solutions Helpdesk provided the following functions:
- Incident response during trading hours
- Escalation management to board level
- Store liaison and support
- Helpdesk function for Security Systems issues.
Over time, the the contract has evolved with new services added and cost efficiencies realised. In 2015, our contract was extended to provide a holistic security solution for the Argos estate. This includes:
- Specialised retail, distribution and corporate guarding
- Ad Hoc Guarding
- Remote monitoring for all locations
- Security systems installation, design and install for the entire estate
- Store Closures services
- Key holding, emergency response and mobile patrols
- Vacant property inspections
Outcome
Our initial solution provided the following benefits:
- Reduced management time
- 24/7/365 helpdesk function with support from our ARC out of hours
- 33% saving compared to the legacy solution
- Process efficiency – e.g. direct deployment and tracking of engineers
- Increased KPI performance
During the contract, through embracing technology such as video analytics, ANPR and remote access solutions, we have able to reduce the guarding resource and cost by 40%.
More information
- In 2012, we embarked on a synergies project to radically transform the way that security services operated cross the Argos depot network. We considered new ways to reduce risk and cost whilst enhancing security provision.
- Following the merger with Sainsbury’s (also a major VSG client), we have been able to create even more opportunities to support the wider business.
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