Livingston firm nets £250k Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan to help survive

An international facility management firm has secured a £250,000 Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan from Bank of Scotland to help continue its operations during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The company has seen around 3,500 work orders a month reduce to fewer than 100. Picture: contributed.

Simply Solutions (Europe), which was established nine years ago, provides facility management and workplace maintenance, and trades in 14 European countries. Specialising in the retail and leisure sectors, the company covers a variety of services from managing security systems to reactive helpdesk maintenance.

The firm, which is headquartered in London, runs the operations arm of the business from its site in Livingston and has 30 staff.

However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the company has seen around 3,500 work orders a month reduce to fewer than 100. As of last week, around 85 per cent of its staff have been placed on furlough.

The funding will be used to support cashflow. The company also plans to top up the government’s furlough grant by paying staff the remaining 20 per cent of their wages.

Kerr Wilson, director at Simply Solutions (Europe), said: “Like the majority of businesses, the current conditions caused by Covid-19 have placed a lot of pressure on the company.

“We’re quite traditional in the fact that we believe people should be able to pick up the phone and speak to another person. But with the outbreak, we’ve had to adapt at speed and become much more digitally focused.

“In the current climate, people want to be paid now. Having cash readily available gives us security. With the funding in place from Bank of Scotland, we are able to look to the future optimistically.”

Alasdair Swan, relationship director at Bank of Scotland, said: “We’ve been working with the team at Simply Solutions (Europe) for many years now, so understand when a successful business like them need extra support – especially during the unprecedented times we are currently facing.

“Help is on hand for other firms who are also facing similar financial difficulties and we are working by the side of businesses throughout Scotland.”

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