FGH thrives through lockdown after finding new market

FGH Security has thrived through lockdown, registering £11.4m in turnover over the last year and supporting other companies in its industry, after finding a new sector to serve.

The Lancaster-based company's main income had previously been derived from providing security services to venues and events, and it had been contracted to work the Pokémon Go concert, Liverpool FC's Premier League Parade and the Glastonbury Festival before they were all cancelled due to lockdown restrictions. Pubs, for which FGH provides a door service, were also closed.

Facing a loss of 90 per cent of its income, FGH predicted it could survive for five months if extreme measures were taken, including staff pay cuts and selling off its fleet of vehicles.

But after rolling out a new marketing campaign to reach new customers, FGH received an order to assist with security guards at 100 sites of a major supermarket, with work starting the very next day.

The business drafted in extra help and remobilised the workforce. By the next morning, they had covered 90 per cent of the stores already and had a plan to fulfil the rest.

From here, the calls started rolling in and FGH aligned itself with more than 250 leading supermarket stores.The sudden influx of work however presented a problem for FGH, which could not fulfil all of the work by itself, and neither could its existing network of 20 approved companies. 

Putting a call out the other security companies who were also struggling, FGH Security audited and appointed more than 175 audited companies to a new network, 51 of which are currently working directly with the business as delivery partners.

In total in the first 12 weeks of lockdown, the supermarkets serviced by FGH had more than 50 million visitors to them. A year later, 1,500 jobs have been secured.

Peter Harrison, managing director at FGH Security, said: "We are extremely proud of the work we achieved in 2020 and are so pleased that we kept so many people safe around the UK. The FGH team means the absolute world to me, and I am so proud to be where we are today."

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