2021 was a landmark year for Arrow, marking our 45th year as a company.

It’s certainly been a momentous journey, spanning more than four decades, and including more than four generations of family leadership. From our initial inception in 1976 as a small supplier of vending ingredients, we’ve grown to become one of the UK’s largest independent cleaning and janitorial suppliers – supplying more than 6,000 product lines to over 3,000 customers nationwide.

In 1976, janitorial products were only a small subset of Arrow. However, as we grew it became clear that this was where the real opportunity lay, and our range rapidly expanded to include catering disposables, washroom consumable, PPE and cleaning products. By 1980 we had introduced our own brand of cleaning chemicals, and over the following years we only developed this own-brand range still further.

Formally becoming 'Andarta' in 2007 - and further developed in 2019 with the introduction of our unique 'WorkSmarter®' concept - today our Andarta range includes three sub-brands and over 2,000 cleaning and hygiene products. From our SimplySmart essentials range, SuperSmart 'Eliminator' range and our SynergySmart washroom systems, each sub-brand has its own unique story, and remains synonymous with Arrow for thousands of users every day.

By 2009 we'd outgrown our original premises in Longden, and by the end of the year we'd moved to our current, custom-built office and warehousing site just two miles down the road – where our head office remains there to this day.

While we'd always known that Arrow did things differently, it wasn’t until 2015 that the Arrow Way - our unique 'Advise, Supply, Support' proposition - was formally articulated. Analysis of 'our' methodology allowed us to provide a detailed outline of just what it was that made Arrow unique - and the ‘Arrow Way’ remains fundamental to who we are and how we operate, every day.

The launch of our dedicated Innovation Programme in 2016 only highlighted how much value the Arrow Way could add for our clients. Contacted by ABM Facilities Management to see if we had a solution to their persistent leak problem, we took their query one step further, launching a dedicated product development project to solve this problem. Named our 'Innovation Programme', it marked a significant step forward for Arrow - establishing our position as a leading innovator in the market.

One innovation followed the other, and subsequent Innovation Programmes resulted in the development of several exciting new products, including our RiserShineTM escalator cleaner, Grab'n'Clean centrefeed roll dispenser and Andarta Niche Brush. Today, these products form a core part of Arrow's identity and continue to transform cleaning practice for clients throughout the industry.

Yet what really defines the Arrow Way is our commitment to our customers. Our 'Advise, Supply, Support' methodology means we work with our customers at every point in their journey, providing unparalleled levels of support from product sourcing to delivery and onwards. The impact of this approach on our level of customer service was formally recognised with the award of our Investors in Customers Gold accreditation in 2018. Widely recognised as the benchmark for customer service standards, this prestigious award is held by just 25% companies in the UK - evidencing our commitment to providing the highest level of service to each and every customer.

2016 also saw Arrow receive their first ISO:9001 accreditation. This was closely followed by the receipt of our ISO:14001 and ISO:45001 accreditations - standards we have proudly maintained to this day.

As a family company, we have been able to uphold our aspirations as few other organisations can, and one thing that has consistently marked us out our has been our commitment to our staff. Guided by our values of Respect, Recognition, Excellence, Honesty, Improvement and Efficiency, we make sure that every member of our staff feelelcomed, supported and trusted in everything they do. The award of our Investors in People Gold accreditation in late 2019 only emphasised how much our staff value this approach.

Fast forward to 2021, and our 45th year began on a high with the award of our EcoVadis Silver accreditation - recognising our continued focus on improving our environmental performance. Sustainability is now the driving force behind a radical number of industry changes, and our commitment to tacking key environmental issues couldn’t be stronger. From implementing our own onsite recycling facilities, introducing electric vehicles to achieving zero emissions to air at all our distribution centers, we're proud to know that with every change we make we're reducing our environmental impact still further.

Today, Arrow continue to thrive, and as our 45th year comes to a close, we’d like to take the opportunity to say a heartfelt “thank-you” to everyone who has supported us in our journey so far. We couldn’t have got to where we are without you, and we couldn’t appreciate you more.

We'll see you in 2022!