We're exploring ways of providing modern, easy-to-access branches for customers and create better working environments for colleagues in 2024 after carrying out a comprehensive office review aimed at delivering better services and more value for money.
We're keen to make it easy for customers to contact Gentoo and meet colleagues in person at the best possible locations and in the most accessible ways, while also listening to colleagues who have expressed a desire for modern, spacious workplaces.
Valuable feedback from both colleagues and customers has been gathered with the aim of understanding what makes for the best experience for all parties, with data gathered on customer footfall, operational costs and office capacity also helping shape the best outcomes.
The anticipated annual savings generated by the proposed decisions would be reinvested in customer services and also help reduce Gentoo’s carbon emissions.
Our current Houghton and Southwick offices will be going on the market for sale in July, along with our grounds maintenance base at Havelock. It is anticipated that any new locations would open at a later date, subject to successful sale of those properties, with further progress updates to follow.
Options being explored include:
- Using currently vacant office space in the Bunnyhill Centre, in Hylton Lane. This would primarily look after those customers who currently use the Southwick office, which will be sold, although customers presently using Southwick could also access other offices should they wish. Customers using Bunnyhill can also access NHS and specific Sunderland City Council services which already operate at the same location. The site also has free parking and good public transport links.
- Moving into a new Houghton base in the town centre, subject to selling the existing Skyline office. Again, this ensures Gentoo and our colleagues remain easily accessible for customers using public transport and offers opportunity for increased footfall.
- A remodelling of our Akeler House and City Hall sites to provide new working locations for staff relocating from other offices where required.
- Exploring opportunities to relocate our Washington office in or adjacent to the Galleries shopping centre to allow easy access for customers.
- The opening of customer hubs at various locations across the city where our Neighbourhood Co-ordinators would be available at designated times, again ensuring they are visible and accessible to customers.
In Washington, we currently operate in Pennine House, which it leases. We are also exploring possible new locations, including in and adjacent to The Galleries. This will ensure Gentoo and colleagues remain easily accessible for customers using public transport and offers opportunity for increased footfall.
Also in Washington, we have signed a new lease for a new operational depot at the Glover Industrial Estate, primarily to support grounds maintenance and also other trade colleagues. With Washington being one of our largest grass-cutting areas, this will benefit both colleagues and customers.
Marc Edwards, Gentoo’s Director of Asset & Sustainability, said: “Some of our current offices are old, expensive to maintain and are not at the right occupancy levels so we have seen this review as an opportunity to improve our services to customers and improve the working environment of colleagues as well as making financial savings that can be reinvested back into the business.
“We’ve consulted extensively with colleagues and customers as their feedback is absolutely key to the success of this. We have held a number of focus groups where we listened to colleagues about what was good around our current offices and what was perhaps not so good. We also spoke to our involved customer groups about what they like currently and what they might wish to see from us to see moving forward in terms of facilities across the city.
“We are committed to the communities we serve, and we will be keeping our existing presence in all of them. We believe what we are planning will deliver a better offer for customers and we will keep our customers updated as plans progress. Having offices in good, accessible locations with good public transport routes and better parking options will help our customers who need to come to see us in person. That’s what they are telling us, and we want to give customers that opportunity.”
