The UK-wide account, which runs for an initial period of three years, covers waste services, planned and reactive mechanical & engineering and fabric maintenance for ScS’ head office in Sunderland as well as its nine warehouses and 100 retail outlets across the UK from Plymouth to Aberdeen.

Engineers will self-deliver maintenance for gas fired combined heat and power (CHP), electrical and air conditioning systems, as well as providing gas appliance certification.

The new partnership will initiate a major replacement programme for the CHP and air conditioning units in ScS’ stores.

Andrew Rawdon, TFM & Technical, sector director at Interserve, said that the account win builds on the group’s strong footprint in the sector:

He said: “Interserve delivers facilities services to 5,000 supermarkets and stores in the UK and Ireland every day, and we’re delighted to be adding ScS to the leading brands that we support.

“Our expert knowledge of the sector, coupled with our strong engineering heritage and nationwide reach means we are well placed to deliver a reliable and customer-focused service across ScS’ UK-wide estate.”

Malcolm Stalker, estates manager at ScS, said that Interserve’s approach reflected and recognised its own long-term goals and challenges: “Retail is a rapidly evolving sector and it’s vital that our partners can adapt their approach to meet our needs and those of our customers. Interserve impressed us with its ability to tailor its service to our business, scheduling works around seasonal trends.

“Having a level of cost certainty for our estate is important to our long-term financial modelling and growth plans. With this new partnership, we are now in a position to roll out a clear and forward-thinking asset management plan for our sites.”