LOOKING BACK ON THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025

It’s certainly been a busy but incredible start to 2025 here at SMI. We’ve seen new faces join the team, product innovations, alongside announcing a new acquisition!

The head office team started the year as we always do, with our annual strategy day. It’s a chance for our staff to head off-site, celebrate the past year’s success and look ahead at what’s to come.

Department updates were shared, we introduced new team members into the fold and released our strategic pillars to the wider business so that they can be embedded into everything we do.

SMI’S ROAD TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

During my time as CEO, I’ve seen SMI make significant progress toward our sustainability goals, enhancing how we manage every facet of our environmental impact - from product development and sustainable procurement to delivery, and the impact of our offices.

We all share a collective responsibility to create a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

In the first quarter of the year, our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) department has produced outstanding publications that expand our growing library of resources for both our suppliers and the clients we serve:

• Life below Earth - SMI’s commitment to protecting our ecosystems and educating our suppliers and the clients we serve on how they can reduce their own impacts. A portion of profits from our Everyday Earth products will directly fund marine conservation project, Delta Blue Carbon, Pakistan.
  
  
• Responsible Sustainable Partner Strategy (RSPS) – SMI’s guide to our supply chain partners on what we expect from them, outlined with a six phased road map outlined for our supply chain partners to join us on our sustainability journey. We have invited our suppliers to a webinar on our RSPS at the beginning of Q2, led by our brilliant Head of ESG, Elizabeth Mellor.
  
  
• ESG 2025 Report – The full breakdown of our Environmental, Social and Governance targets and the next steps needed.

The ESG volunteer committee has re-launched, showcasing the dedication of our incredible team and our strong A-Player culture!

SOCIAL CAUSES SUPPORTED:

• Internal clothes swap event – helping to combat fast fashion
• XO Bikes volunteering - supporting ex-offenders
• The SMI bake-off to raise money for Comic Relief
• The LifeHouse breakfast service – aiding the homeless around Portsmouth

AN EXCITING START TO THE YEAR

In February, we announced the acquisition of Contego, a well-established stockist, supplier, and distributor of Workwear & PPE.

This strategic move marks an important milestone in SMI’s growth journey, further reinforcing its market presence and service capabilities.

Contego’s business aligns seamlessly with our existing operations, sharing similar sectors, values, and customer bases and as a fellow family-run company they perfectly complement SMI’s existing offerings.

A NEW ACCREDITATION

I’m proud to share that we’ve climbed from Bronze to Silver for the Supply Chain Sustainability School. This new accreditation highlights our team’s dedication to building a more responsible future and is a credit to SMI’s brilliant ESG department who are continuously pushing and holding SMI to a higher standard

POLICIES AND TRAINING

We are dedicated to empowering our employees through upskilling and education, supporting their individual growth, and ensuring that new policies and procedures are effectively communicated across the business.

TRAINING SHARED:

• Modern Slavery training
• Fire warden training
• Product training: hand protection and gloves

Staying up to standard is always a top priority and we are proud to share that we have passed our ISO Audit with flying colours this March!

STAFF FEEDBACK

Every quarter, we ask the team to complete anonymous feedback surveys so that we can continue to improve, support and develop our staff and look at any highlighted areas of improvement.

PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Our Product Development team continuously listens to customer feedback to ensure that our product offerings meet the high standards we expect.

THE NEW STREETPRO 37” LITTER PICKER

Introducing the new STREETPRO 37” (94cm) litter picker! With a light but strong aluminium body, soft-grip moulded handle for user comfort and responsive over moulded jaw with teeth.

This new litter picker is 12% longer, ideal for taller adults over 6ft tall and for those hard-to-reach areas. It also features an upgraded widened trigger to reduce flex and a metal clasp on the string to ensure that it doesn’t loosen over time.

 

THE AMBERLEY

When it comes to high-performance workwear, the AMBERLEY stands out.

Part of our ROKWEAR® inclusivity range, it was designed with feedback in mind from our customers, meaning that our ladies range provides comfort without compromising on safety and style.

At SMI, we pride ourselves on offering a diverse range of workwear and PPE for women - no matter the sector, we deliver the right product for the task at hand with over 200 products available.

We’ve got some exciting releases in the pipeline for quarter two. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn for new launches!

A LOOK AT OUR MAIN DISPATCH FACILITY

Here at SMI, we pride ourselves on being easy to deal with and that’s why we’re dedicated to streamlining our order and delivery process for our clients.

THE SMI PROMISE:

• 5PM order cut-off for next day delivery
• 2-day dispatch for branded workwear
• 97% stock availability

To ensure this is upheld, we continuously invest in our dispatch facilities, and in the last quarter of 2024, we saw the arrival of a new Mimaki heat-seal printer which has revolutionised our branding capabilities – the printing and curing process is now complete in just under thirty minutes.

Our Kites Croft facility has also seen the exciting introduction of a new conveyor system to increase productivity and support the team when unloading containers.

A special shout-out to our dispatch team for setting a new SMI record, averaging 46 lines picked per hour (per picker) – an impressive achievement and a strong testament to our value of #WeGetStuffDone.

LOOKING AHEAD

It’s certainly been a busy and productive start to the year, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team and the amazing work they put in behind the scenes. Their daily passion, drive, and dedication to SMI are the pillars that keep this company strong.

We’ve got exciting things in the pipeline; new product launches, office updates, external events and a heap of new resources from our ESG department – there’s certainly a lot to look forward to.

Thank you to you all for your continued support – here’s to an even bigger Q2!