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The Cleaning Dream, “Companion”, № 26, July 2008

The potential of Ukrainian cleaning market increases its capacity in 10-20 times.

The cleanliness and well-grooming of premises in public places is an important part, which causes the increasing of customers and potential tenants, in the office-centers it’s a necessary condition of successful and effective business development. After appearing of foreign developers’ estate at Ukrainian market, the demand on commercial premises is formed, the native players started adopting the foreign methods of managing the objects, including the outsourcing of services concerned with cleaning.

The Perspectives of Growth

For today the Ukrainian market of cleaning services is at the stage of formation. According to the specialists’ information, the services of professional cleaning companies become more and more actual and profitable for lend-lord and for the leaseholders of commercial premises. Even in Kiev the companies serve only 15-20% of the whole commercial estate.

According to the estimations of Marina Radevich, the manager of service department of Mir Chistoty, the volume of cleaning market is $10-20 millions. But depending on the volume of existing trade, hospital and office premises the potential of Ukrainian market is 10 times bigger and is about $200 millions. That’s why it’s expected, that the next few years the volume of the market will double annually.

The truth of this optimistic forecast proves Igor Gogosha, the director of Cleaning-Pro:

—Even though the Ukrainian customers slowly move to the western standards of cleanliness, the percentage of foreign and native clients is now 50:50.

Except for the Ukrainian corporative customers, the other reserve for this market development is private persons, the part of which increases up to 10% annually.

“The increasing of the demand for cleaning service says about the growing of the trust to cleaning companies (people let cleaners into their houses with more pleasure), the revaluation of the service quality has place – we do the orders for cleaning houses, where the servant already are, more often.

The Players Have to Become Bigger

Right now there’re professional cleaning companies in Ukraine, which may be divided in two groups. These are big organizations (more than 100 people of staff), which had already placed their niche and which are able to satisfy the demands of big customers. However they can be counted on fingers.

The leaders are Air Clean, GRIFFIN Group, Shaden Group, Mir Chistoty, Cleaning Pro, Actual Service, Den, Donbas Cleaning Company, Evrocity, Clean-Star, Clean-Tech, Master Clean, Chistyj Svet and some others.

The main amount of cleaning companies are the small enterprises (10-15 people of staff), which specialize at the cleaning of apartments and small offices. However, as the practice shows, in two-three years these players will be replaced by the new ones.

“Each year the dozens of small cleaning companies appear at the cleaning market. They appear unnoticeably and disappear in the same way. Their part on the market is no more than 10%”, Igor Gogosha comments the situation with one-day enterprises.

The appearance of a big amount of small companies in 2002-2006 was explained by low cost of entering the market – about $20-30 thousands and by high profitability – more than 30%. That’s why the investments were compensated already in two years. However, this year we’ll not see so many one-day enterprises. As the general manager of Shaden Group Denis Kish says, it’s caused by the competition, which is based not on the damping, but on the quality of services, effectiveness of management and qualification of staff. That’s why the threshold of entering the business is growing annually and is $100 thousands right now.

Competition

Marina Radevich, the manager of service department for VIP-clients of Mir Chistoty:

—At the present moment we have such a situation at the cleaning market that it’s not a competence which is increasing – it’s quantity race. Because of the prospects of market there’re lots of businessmen, which don’t do the services of high quality. That’s why the big companies lose a trust of the potential clients. After choosing the work with a contractor and getting a negative experience, the customers go back to the employing of their own cleaners. If you speak about the competition between the companies of equal prospects, it’s necessary to notice, that there’s a damping of prices for cleaning service. It can be often seen during the tenders. After getting the order by means of maximum reducing of price, the company starts looking for economy while performing the order. Often as a result of this economy the customer gets an uneducated staff, unprofessional detergents (professional solvents are more expensive than domestic chemicals) and at least the low level of service.

Problems

Denis Kish, the general manager of cleaning company Shaden Group:

—In my opinion, the most actual problem of the majority of native cleaning and service companies is staff. The profession of cleaner is unpopular, that’s why it’s necessary to build the relationships inside the company the way the employees have a wish to work, to bring their friends here and talk about their job without embarrassment. The training-center and quality department, created in our company, promote to make it real.

The inconveniences (mostly to the cleaning business) are also made by small companies, which take orders without the necessary experience, skills, equipment and tools. They either don’t fulfill the order of damage the property of customer. Afterwards it’s really difficult to make the customers change their minds that the service may be done on another level, more qualitative.

And the fight for the order is done generally on the price plane.

The Prospects

Igor Gogosha, manager of Cleaning Pro:

—The cleaning business in Ukraine is now going from the stage of formation to the stage of development. It’s so, because of the good rate of construction and infrastructure developments. The Ukrainian customers leave the Soviet Union standards of cleaning and ask professionals. They don’t need to think about chemicals and employing of cleaners. In my opinion, the cleaning market will become more dynamical because of the preparation to Euro-2012. The trade, hotel and restaurants spheres will double in the biggest cities. This is the chance for all service spheres to begin their development. For example, right now the construction of new entertaining centers and trade complexes began. We are preparing the documentation for tenders for cleaning such places.

In this connection we plan to double our turnover the next year.

The tendency of franchise programs development has place in the West Europe. The cleaning enterprises in Ukraine prefer to stay independent in their activity. But the customer wants to have the service of the brand company, which may guarantee professionalism, responsibility and reassurance of property risks. The new enterprises orient on the prospective commercial sector, which has small turnover and can’t develop their business independently.

The alternative in such cases is buying of franchise. The brand company will support it with advertising company in the regions, provide with uniform, lend the expensive equipment and help with all documents necessary for business activity, teach the staff and management, and also will help with searching of clients.

Sources: “Companion”

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