As we head into 2026, CEO Cheryl Stewart reflects on the year behind us and what’s ahead for Andron.
2025 was another successful year for Andron. What were some of your personal highlights?
Despite it being a difficult year with the loss of my dad and our co-founder Ron Stewart in August, 2025 was another successful year for Andron. We celebrated 45 years in business – a huge milestone when you think about what my dad and grandad built from that single carpet cleaning machine.
We grew by 20% through new partnerships, which is huge, but what really tells you everything is our 99% customer retention rate – that shows the relationships our teams are nurturing while we’re expanding. Getting that balance right is always a challenge for any growing business.
We promoted several colleagues across our management teams this year and awarded 10 long service awards to our head office team, including two people who’ve been with us for 20 years. That loyalty and stability in our leadership team is something our clients really value – they know who they’re dealing with, trust those relationships, and benefit from all that retained knowledge.
The recognition we’ve received has been great too. We won 17 awards, many with our clients, including a PFM award with Silverburn and 15 Green Apple awards for sustainability projects. We achieved Disability Confident Leader status and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award, which reflects our commitment to being an inclusive employer.
On the social side, we donated over £70,000 to local charities – our biggest contribution yet at 2.9% of profits. Our teams also spent a significant amount of time volunteering in our communities, much of it alongside clients. We’ve also got 91% of our contracts now paying the Real Living Wage, which we’re really proud of.
Finally, completing our net zero strategy transition plan for 2045 with Planet Mark was important. Our clients are serious about their sustainability commitments, and we need to support them in meeting those goals.
Where is Andron focusing its continued growth in 2026?
We’re really focused on two areas: large offices in central London and large manufacturing contracts across the UK. These are complex environments where clients need a service partner that genuinely understands their operations and can deliver on their promises. We work with landlords, managing agents and end customers across these sectors, and we know what each needs from their soft FM contracts.
A big part of our growth also comes from supporting our existing clients as their portfolios expand. When clients take on new sites or buildings, we’re already working with them to extend our services. That’s the benefit of those long-term relationships – they trust us to deliver consistently wherever they need us.
What are the biggest challenges clients are facing heading into 2026?
Cost is front of mind for everyone, but it’s not just about cutting costs – it’s about evidencing value for money. Clients need to show that every pound spent is delivering results.
There’s also a growing expectation around data and evidence of service. Clients want to understand what’s happening in their buildings, why certain decisions are being made, and what impact those decisions are having. They need partners who can provide that visibility.
Beyond cost and data, there’s the question of priorities. What are clients actually trying to achieve? Is it sustainability? Employee experience? Operational efficiency? Usually it’s all of these things, and our job is to help them achieve those goals.
How is Andron helping clients tackle these challenges?
We start with what some of our customers call “fantastic fundamentals.” The basics done brilliantly, consistently, every single day. We’re always working to get our service to a place where clients don’t have to worry about it, so they can get on with their day. Then the conversation shifts to what’s next – what else can we add, what value can we bring, what innovation can we introduce.
We use technology to work smarter. In offices, occupancy sensors tell us which areas are actually being used. Day cleaning is also important – our teams work the same hours as building occupants, so clients can see the work being done and our cleaners feel part of the team rather than invisible. In manufacturing, we work with clients on their production schedules so we’re supporting operations. Either way, we’re cleaning when we should be, not just because it’s written on a schedule.
Cobotics helps us do this efficiently. The robots handle routine floor cleaning, which frees up our cleaners for the detailed work – the periodic tasks, touchpoints, the high-traffic areas, the things that matter to people using the space.
We also focus on delivering the evidence clients need. We can show exactly what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and what impact it’s having. That’s how we deliver and prove value for money.
The key is also flexibility and getting the right model for the right money. We adapt alongside our clients – their portfolios change, their priorities shift, and we evolve with them without waiting for contracts to come up for renewal.
What makes Andron’s approach different?
Being family-owned makes a real difference. Our name’s on the door, so everything we do reflects on us personally. We make decisions fast because we’re not waiting on approvals from a global head office. We’ve got a flat structure – our senior team stays close to the frontline, which means we can respond when things need to change.
Clients know we’re in it for the long term. The people they’re dealing with will still be here in five, ten, fifteen years – that continuity matters. They can speak directly to owners and directors when they need to. That stability and responsiveness is especially important in an industry where so many medium-sized family and privately owned businesses have been bought out by large PLCs in recent years.
We’re an alternative to those large global providers. We can operate nationally and handle complex, multi-site operations, but we haven’t lost that personal touch and focus on our people that our clients value. Clients are never just another contract for us.
Our managers are incredibly responsive. We hear this a lot through our Clientshare Pulse feedback – clients consistently mention how fast they get answers when they need something. When there’s an issue, we deal with it. That sounds obvious, but it’s often where providers fall short.
Partnership is genuinely at the heart of how we work. Our clients really value this approach – they understand that getting the best results means working together, being open about what’s working and what isn’t, and adapting as needs change. We want to understand what they’re trying to get out of their contract and share what we’ve learned from 45 years in this business. Sometimes that means pushing back if we think something won’t work. Good partnerships can handle those honest conversations.
We also recognise that one size doesn’t fit all. We take time to understand each client’s specific needs and build something bespoke around them, rather than forcing them into a standard model. That’s what clients value – a partner who understands their operations and delivers what they actually need.
Finally, we share our success with clients. When we find ways to innovate or improve efficiency, those benefits flow through to them. That’s what makes partnerships last decades, not just years.