Henry and Hannah Sunley have taken ownership of Total Clean Warrington, a well established professional and commercial cleaning firm, after receiving a six figure investment from NPIF II – FW Capital Debt Finance, managed by FW Capital as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).
Total Clean Warrington was established in 2013 and is part of a national franchise. The business provides commercial cleaning for all types of premises, from general office cleaning through to schools, medical and NHS practice cleaning, car showrooms, retail, haulage and hospitality. Total Clean Warrington also offers window cleaning, washroom cleaning, one off and deep cleans, and end of tenancy cleaning across the area.
The acquisition marks a complete change of career for Henry Sunley, who spent 25 years at Thomas Cook before becoming Managing Director at Travel Republic and Netflights.
Since taking over, Henry and Hannah have focused on modernising how the business runs day to day. The client audit process, previously done on paper, is now fully digital, and the relief cleaning team, who used to log their hours and mileage by hand, now record everything digitally too, cutting down on admin and improving accuracy across the board.
The pair have also strengthened the management structure, adding an extra member to the team so that management can spend more time out on site with customers, alongside a new cleaning operative role focused on making sure standards are consistently met, and exceeded wherever possible.
The couple have also introduced reusable bottles across the business in place of single use plastic, with a target of saving around 10,000 plastic bottles a year, and rolled out Total Defence, an EN1276 certified virucidal cleaning system available to medical and NHS practice clients.
Henry Sunley, Director and Owner at Total Clean Warrington, said: “After years in the travel industry I was looking for the right opportunity to move into business ownership. Total Clean Warrington was the perfect fit, a well established business with a strong customer base we could build on. We’re currently focused on stabilising and strengthening what’s already here before we look at growth, but we’ve already made real changes, digitalising processes that used to be entirely paper based, and introducing more sustainable products like reusable bottles and our Total Defence system for higher risk sites.”
Hannah Sunley, Director at Total Clean Warrington, said: “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all our customers and the Total Clean team. It’s great to get feedback from customers that we can then put into practice, it’s really rewarding, I’ve learned a lot along the way, and I’m looking forward to growing the business.”
Henry Sunley added: “The funding from FW Capital was instrumental in completing the acquisition on time. Both Andrew Baxter and Carol Bolland have been incredibly supportive throughout, guiding us through the process and offering far more than just the financial backing we needed.”
Andrew Baxter, Investment Executive at FW Capital added: “This is Henry and Hannah’s first acquisition and it’s fantastic to help them make the move into business ownership. Henry was a senior figure in the travel industry and brings extensive business acumen to his new role at Total Clean Warrington. The NPIF II funding has made this possible by providing the right financial backing that has helped Henry and Hannah to achieve their ambition of running their own business and make a positive contribution to the North West economy.”
Sue Barnard, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank: “The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is helping ambitious business owners across the North secure the finance they need to take the next step. The funding has supported Henry and Hannah in their move into business ownership, giving them the backing to build on Total Clean Warrington’s strong foundations while creating new opportunities for growth in the North West.”
The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.
The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.
