Background
Fred Perry is one of Britain's best-known fashion brands, recognised globally for its sporting heritage, enduring design and distinctive Laurel Wreath logo. With headquarters in London and a network of international retail stores, showrooms and offices, the business operates across Europe, North America and Asia and holds high standards across every part of its estate.
To support its continued growth and evolving property portfolio, Fred Perry appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities Manager to lead workplace and facilities operations across its Head Office, London showrooms and wider property estate.
The Challenge
Fred Perry needed an experienced Facilities Manager who could combine strategic oversight with hands-on operational delivery across a mixed portfolio of corporate and retail environments. Reporting directly to the Finance Director, the successful candidate would be responsible for keeping the organisation's workplaces safe, efficient and fully compliant while supporting future business growth and property projects.
The role encompassed responsibility for:
- Managing facilities operations across Head Office and London showrooms.
- Delivering office relocation and workplace improvement projects.
- Managing planned and reactive building maintenance.
- Procuring and managing facilities service contracts.
- Negotiating supplier agreements and driving value for money.
- Managing Health & Safety and statutory compliance.
- Overseeing energy procurement and sustainability initiatives.
- Budget management and cost control.
- Managing building management systems and workplace infrastructure.
- Supporting the wider international property portfolio.
Fred Perry wanted someone who could balance technical expertise with commercial awareness while building strong relationships across the business.
A reporting line into the Finance Director tells you something about how a role will be judged. Beyond keeping the buildings running, the Facilities Manager would be expected to justify spend, negotiate hard with suppliers and present property decisions in commercial terms. Candidates who are strong operators but uncomfortable with budgets and contracts tend to struggle in that structure, so commercial fluency had to be assessed as seriously as technical knowledge.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with Fred Perry's leadership team to develop a detailed understanding of the organisation's operational requirements, workplace culture and long-term property strategy. Using our specialist facilities management network and executive search methodology, we identified candidates with experience across premium retail, corporate headquarters and multi-site property portfolios.
The search focused on professionals who demonstrated:
- Extensive facilities management experience.
- Strong Health & Safety expertise, supported by IOSH or NEBOSH qualifications.
- Experience delivering office relocations and workplace projects.
- Commercial contract negotiation and supplier management skills.
- Budget management and cost optimisation expertise.
- Strong technical knowledge of building services and energy management.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
Candidates with international property management experience and exposure to European or North American operations were considered particularly valuable, given the global nature of the organisation.
The Outcome
Following a comprehensive executive search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Facilities Manager who brought a strong combination of technical expertise, commercial awareness and project management capability. The successful candidate quickly took responsibility for Fred Perry's workplace operations, delivering early improvements across facilities management, supplier performance and operational efficiency.
Key strengths included:
- Extensive corporate and retail facilities management experience.
- Proven Health & Safety leadership.
- Successful delivery of workplace relocation and refurbishment projects.
- Strong contract negotiation and supplier management capability.
- Technical expertise across building services and workplace infrastructure.
- A collaborative leadership style with excellent stakeholder management skills.
The appointment has delivered clear benefits to Fred Perry:
- Reliable operations. Efficient management of facilities services across Head Office and showroom locations, with consistent standards of workplace performance.
- Health & Safety leadership. Robust management of statutory compliance, workplace safety and operational risk across all facilities.
- Project delivery. Office relocation and workplace improvement projects coordinated with minimal disruption to business operations.
- Commercial value. Improved supplier management, contract performance and cost control, without compromising premium workplace standards.
- A better workplace experience. Closer collaboration across departments and proactive management of workplace services, contributing to a more efficient and productive working environment.
Why This Placement Worked
The appointment strengthened Fred Perry's facilities function, providing experienced leadership across workplace operations, compliance and property management in a single role. Premium retail brands, corporate headquarters and international property portfolios each place different demands on a facilities lead; where one person covers all three, brand standards and operational discipline have to be given equal weight in the search, and that is what this assignment did.
If you are recruiting a Facilities Manager for a mixed corporate and retail estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you shape the brief and find the person who fits it. Get in touch with our team.