From humble beginnings to a national service provider – a brief history of Andron
Discover our journey from a two-person carpet cleaning business to the three-generational, family-owned soft service provider we have today.
Andron delivers commercial cleaning and support services to nearly 1000 sites for clients all around the UK. And it all began in our hometown of Aberdeen when our entrepreneurial founders, father and son duo Ron Stewart Snr and Ron Stewart Jnr, spotted an opportunity to do things differently.
The beginnings
Ron and Ron founded Andron in 1980 after both being made redundant within weeks of one another. Ron Snr was 41 years old and driven to build a family entrepreneurship. After a period of consultations in the family home, Ron and Ron conceived a vision of combining their skills and vision under the umbrella of their common goal—a family-run company.
Shortly after, a local ad for a carpet cleaning machine and a booming oil and gas industry in Aberdeen uncovered an underserved and emerging market: office commercial office cleaning.
Always innovating, our founders chose our unique name to secure a prime spot in the “A” list in the Yellow Pages phone book. Combining their shared name, Ron and Ron became Andron.
Building a trusted reputation for reliability and quality
In the 80s, the cleaning industry was plagued by poor standards, short-termism, and undercutting. And as there was no minimum wage, cleaning companies often cut wages to win contracts—something our founders always refused to do.
“For us, this was never an option. It was all about looking after our staff, building transparent relationships with clients and going above and beyond what was expected,” said Ron Jnr. “And by always overdelivering on promises, going the extra mile—often at our own expense—and providing our services with a personal touch, we earned a trusted reputation for quality and reliability pretty quickly.”
This ethos – still a driving force in Andron today – soon led to major local contracts with NorCo (the Northern Cooperative Society), Clydesdale Bank and the Bon Accord retail centre.
Expanding nationally
In 1992, when the developer of Aberdeen’s Bon Accord Centre built The Paisley Centre, Andron’s solid reputation meant we took on the cleaning contract – despite having no presence in Glasgow.
At this point, our co-founders would drive from Aberdeen to Glasgow and back on the same day, multiple times a week, to visit the site and our customers. Hotels were out of their budget, but they were determined to maintain that reputation for quality.
Ron and Ron quickly came to recognise the enormous commercial opportunity large shopping malls represented as highly visible, high-footfall premises. Before long, they had won contracts with Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow and Waverley Market in Edinburgh. From there, they moved to England via Birchwood Shopping Centre in Warrington and Lewisham Shopping Centre in London.
“We got really good at one thing i.e., cleaning shopping centres, and then moved into new markets – always applying our learnings and maintaining our core commitments from the start,” said Ron Jnr.
Prioritising people and family values
Family values and a focus on people have been hallmarks of Andron since day one, epitomised by Ron Snr, who knew the name of every cleaner on Andron’s payroll, even as staff numbers grew into the hundreds. The outpouring of affection from employees and clients alike when Ron Snr died in 2022 reflected that personal touch.
“Without the family values I don’t think the company would be where it is now, it’s a great asset to have – they are all about trust, respect and treating people fairly,” said Ron Jnr. “Another big part of our success has been getting the right people in at the right time and passing down that personal touch and values through the management.”
“We instil a sense of ownership and give them autonomy not only in terms of decision making, but to embrace, promote and integrate our family values into our operations.”
These family values are still alive and well to this very day and have been crucial in building Andron’s culture and long-standing relationships with clients – some for over 30 years and counting.
Remaining family-owned and managed
Andron is still family-owned and managed today, with three generations of the Stewart family now part of our story.
We are one of the few national cleaning providers that remain privately owned. And we believe that we differentiate ourselves through our entirely organic growth, success, and reputation, with no mergers and acquisitions since inception. Despite recent difficult economic times, we have continued growing our business considerably year on year while retaining the family ethos and values throughout.
Click here to read our leadership announcement, where Cheryl Stewart, daughter of Andron’s co-founder, Ron Stewart, has recently been appointed Chief Executive.
Andron's expansion through the years
1992: Andron expands to Glasgow with The Paisley Centre cleaning contract.
1997: Andron opens its Cumbernauld office to service the central belt. Andron’s security division is born after multiple requests from customers.
1998: Andron wins the cleaning contract for Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow.
2000: Andron’s expansion continues after winning the cleaning contract for Waverley Market, Edinburgh.
2001: Andron opens its Warrington office to service the North West of England.
2002: Andron moves into London with Lewisham Shopping Centre cleaning contract.
2006: Andron opens up its office in London as cleaning contract wins increase.
2008: Andron moves into the manufacturing industry after winning a cleaning and support services contract with a global industry leader.
2015: Andron’s biggest commercial cleaning contract win at the time comes with 178 of JLL’s UK-based sites.
2018: Andron significantly expands its London footprint with a 90-site portfolio from JLL.
2022: Andron wins its biggest contract to date with The Crown Estate.