Member Article

Leading security specialist GMS Group builds trusted partnership with storage firm

An innovative security specialist group has joined forces with a trusted storage company to strengthen its offer for keeping client assets safe.

GMS Group has formed a partnership with document storage, scanning and shredding firm CitiStore Ltd to provide an enhanced service for customers at a time when demand for secure facilities is expected to rise.

Based at Aston Fields Industrial Estate, Bromsgrove, with plans to move shortly to the Black Country, GMS Group is home to a family of innovative security specialist companies delivering practical solutions for leading brands.

With GMS receiving more requests from clients to provide facilities to store important documents and other assets, they identified Warwickshire-based CitiStore as being a trusted partner well positioned geographically to be accessible for customers nationwide.

GMS work alongside internationally renowned leading brands to protect their premises, assets and personnel. Customers include Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, CEMEX UK, Kerry Foods, Neovia, AF Blakemore & Son, Triumph Motorcycles, Vax, Lineage, Avison Young and KPMG.

As economists are predicting insolvencies will likely increase this year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, GMS moved to secure the CitiStore relationship to give its consumer and corporate debt recovery business GMS Recovery an enhanced offer for corporate insolvency clients.

GMS Recovery, part of the GMS Group, has been providing consumer and corporate debt recovery services for more than 20 years, working with leading practitioners in the insolvency sector. The CitiStore partnership will give the GMS Recovery team access to facilities for storing documentation and other retrieved assets.

Andy Male, Director of GMS Recovery, explained how the company had been looking for a partner after receiving a growing number of client requests for secure storage, particularly after the introduction of GDPR in 2018 increased the need for enhanced data security protection.

Andy said: “We went in search of a partner who could provide a flexible and agile approach, like our unique culture within our sector, which is driven by putting client needs first. The senior management team at CitiStore have extensive experience so we recognised the opportunity to work together. Being based nearby in the Midlands, they are well-positioned to provide a UK-wide service aligned to our customer portfolio.

“We liked their customer focus, genuine desire to provide a seamless service and their ability to turn things around quickly. Their access to the national logistics network and flexible pricing options will allow our partnership to compete with the big players in this market.

“As CitiStore are working with the legal profession, as well as with clients in accountancy, healthcare, aerospace and insolvency practitioners, their client base matches our recovery division’s desire to diversify into such markets so we believe our partnership can bring mutual benefits by offering clients a seamless service through our storage partner moving forward.”

As well as using CitiStore’s facilities for their own clients, GMS Recovery will work alongside sister company GMS Property, who are experts in vacant property compliance, which can often entail collecting documents for storage. Both GMS companies will be able to carry out inventory work of the items entrusted for clients, deliver assets to CitiStore’s facility and then give customers use of an online portal to gain access when required.

Based in Alcester, Warwickshire, CitiStore has a senior management team with more than 50 years’ combined experience in the document storage, scanning and Shredding industry. Owner Steve Rose, who has worked in the sector for more than 20 years, welcomed the GMS Recovery partnership.

Steve said: “We are looking forward to building on our work with GMS as their values around customer service and security match our own. Both companies will work well together to provide clients with a high-quality service during uncertain economic times.”

Among the first GMS clients to benefit from the partnership was Gloucestershire College, who have used the partnership with CitiStore to securely store documents.

Financial controller James Hoskins said: “Through their partnership with CitiStore, GMS were able to present a competitive secure storage solution to Gloucestershire College, with the added benefit of an online platform so we can request our documents if we need them in the future. We are looking forward to working with the team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Leggett .