Member Article

Specialist snow clearance company receives boost

The first company in the UK to specialise in winter gritting and snow clearance has secured a £700,000 investment from Barclays Corporate.

The company is based in Uxbridge, with offices across the UK, and will use the funding to buy 30 new vehicles as part of its expansion.

GRITIT’s Managing Director, Alastair Kight said: “Every year the UK faces tough challenges when dealing with unpredictable winter weather, and by understanding the issues our clients face, we have introduced innovative solutions that help organisations and government departments take the necessary action required to keep their properties operational, safe and accessible, and at the same time avoiding overspend and the negative impact weather conditions can have on other essential services.”

“Mr Kight continued: “To be the first company in our sector to be recognised in the prestigious Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 is an incredible achievement.

“This reinforces our belief in business in the UK, and supports our plans for the future growth of the company.

“We have committed to investing over £4m and will look to create in excess of 265 new jobs in the UK and Northern Ireland in the next few years.

“We could not do this without the continued backing of Barclays and as a small but rapidly growing business we have really benefitted from their support over the last few years”

GRITIT was established in 2004 and has 300 operators in the field, ready to respond to snowy weather conditions across thousands of hospitals, universities and major corporates.

Jonathan Cooley Relationship Director at Barclays Corporate in Basingstoke said: “GRITIT is a great example of an innovative British business which has prospered during the economic downturn.

“The company has enjoyed tremendous success over a relatively short period of time and secured jobs at a challenging time for the economy.”

Matt Benham, financial director of GRITIT praised Barclays for their support, particularly at a time when access to funding is difficult for small businesses

He added: “Barclays have been fantastic in ensuring the correct support and financial facilities are available to enable continued investment into the UK and aid the growth strategy of the business.

“In Northern Ireland, where we have just launched, we are investing over £1m and looking to create more than 80 new employment opportunities in the next few years. We could not do this without the continued support of Barclays.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .