In what appears a desperate measure, Peverel is renaming itself FirstPort.
In an announcement today all its property services businesses will be rebranded FirstPort, uniting them together under one brand.
An expensive logo is doubtless underway, and be prepared for a deluge of queasy photographs of elderly residents in a state of rapture and joy.
It is goodbye to OM, Peverel Retirement, Solitaire and, perhaps, Cirrus (In fact, Cirrus, Careline UK and Appello are now to be separate from the property management group).
There will be a lot of misleading blather to pretend that the leaseholders are in some fashion Peverel / FirstPort’s customers: they’re not; Vincent Tchenguiz and the (few other) freeholders are.
Peverel says:
“A great deal of progress has been made in improving our businesses and the services we provide for our customers. We have repositioned the business to focus on our customers and strengthened our trading performance.
“We are a business which is about more than just bricks and mortar; we want to be the people that everyone turns to first to look after their home and community. We need a brand which reflects that to help us grow our business and build a long-term sustainable future.
“Over the coming months, we will bring together all our businesses under one brand, FirstPort. This will support the commitments in our Customer Charter to be easy to deal with, open and transparent.”
Janet Entwistle says: “I am really pleased to be able to announce this rebranding today. Bringing all ten property services brands together as FirstPort is a new chapter for the business.
“By uniting our businesses under one new brand, our customers will find it far easier to deal with us.
“As a result of the hard work and commitment of people at Peverel over the last two years, we are now a very different business which is reflected in our new brand. We are looking after more than just bricks and mortar – we want to be the people everyone turns to first to look after their home and community.”
Peverel’s announcement is here
Perhaps someone on this site could publish the exact quote from Janet Entwistle CEO Peverel Group when she referred to changing the company name was “not an option”.
Can anyone remind me of the Titanic’s ‘FIRST PORT’?
they thought “first Port Of call”
I thought port….nautical………… Arrrr, Pirates 😀
Perhaps the holding music is a shanty or the Captain Pugwash theme?
” Anchors Away” with all your trust fund money.
I dont think that the coffee was decaff….I’ll stop now. Work to do.
Brilliant … setting up the blog sites now:
YouCannotBeCirrus
TheTruthAboutFirstPort
[REDACTED …]
ME ,
Does this website speak for Janet ?
http://www.welcometoknightsquare.co.uk/
This may be the result of a simple “typo” on the Knight Square website?
“Achieving excellence drives everything we do” should read “Avoiding excellence drives everything we do”
The Titanic’s first and last port was Belfast, where it was built.
Is this vessel on course to encounter an iceberg soon? Alas, those who have directed its course so far have made it to the life rafts instead of where some of their “customers” feel they ought to be.
How droll that they jump ship (perhaps with some encouragement) and end up in the Aqua without getting wet. A perfect metaphor. What a crew.
I suspect the leaseholders will pay for any “local” rebranding i.e. signage, manager’s badge, branded fiiles in the office. Better check those invoice files folks.
In the medium term leaseholders will pay for corporate branding via a hike in their management fees.
Different name, same shoddy service and an increase in the costs payable by leaseholders.
Copied from above :
Peverel says:
“A great deal of progress has been made in improving our businesses and the services we provide for our customers. We have repositioned the business to focus on our customers and strengthened our trading performance.
We have seen that PMSL has been exposed for charging more on buildings insurance and Cirrus contract work i.e to extract more money from the leaseholders service charge funds.
To use phrases such as “focus on our customers” and “strengthen our trading performance” sounds like more of the same treatment on leaseholders’ service charge funds.
Ollie,
We as residents have never been treated as customers by Peverel Retirement Division/Ltd.
A customer has choice what the purchase and who they purchase it from?
Any doubts that the change of name to First Port was not rushed or a panic move on behalf of Peverel, is dispelled by the latest issue of Life & Style Magazine. The change of name does not even get a mention.