News and Updates

Arco has been confirmed as a finalist in the Commercial Development of the Year category of the prestigious Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2021, with this year's awards ceremony taking place at the Emerald Suite at Headingley Stadium on 17 November 2021.

Over the past 18 months, Arco has completed two major developments in Hull. Investing £30 million in its National Distribution Centre (NDC) extension and £16 million in a new office.

With longstanding ties to Hull since the opening of Arco's first shop in Queen Street in 1893, the family business has relocated back to Hull's Fruit Market area. The new office brings together colleagues from three separate locations across the city to provide a single point of collaboration from where the business can best serve its customers.

Arco's new Blackfriargate home has space for 600 colleagues and is the largest new-build office development for a single user in the Hull area since the late 1960s. Key features include bright open-plan office space with zones for collaborative working, meeting rooms and training suites equipped with state-of-the-art conference technology. The new site is easily accessible on foot from the city centre and via public transport links, with 56 secure cycle spaces. Accessibility played an important role in the building's design, with level access to the main entrance, lifts to all floors and an open plan interior for accessible mobility.

Sustainability was at the forefront of Arco's requirements while designing the new building. The development transformed previously disused land, allowing Arco colleagues to remain close to Hull's centre and able to access all the facilities it has to offer. All construction materials, fixtures, fittings, paint and furniture used are free from toxins, invisible pollutants and harmful chemicals or fibre. All materials were also sustainably and locally sourced, wherever possible. The development has been awarded a 'very good' BREEAM rating for its environmental impact. Arco also uses renewable sources for its power and high-efficiency heating and lighting equipment to significantly reduce the development's carbon footprint. Its completion marks a major milestone in Hull's rejuvenation.

Arco also recently completed an extension development to its NDC, known as NDC2. This extension trebled Arco's storage capacity, providing an additional area of 20,500 square metres and an internal clear height of 19 metres. The NDC2 also features one of the flattest warehouse floors in Europe. To support Arco's sustainability vision, it's lit by natural daylight with daylight harvesting LED lights, activating only when needed.

Arco's NDC2 became operational in February 2020. The increased storage and distribution capacity enabled Arco to respond rapidly to the unprecedented demand for PPE with the business supporting the NHS, frontline responders and critical industries. The demand for quality-assured and ethically-sourced PPE was so strong that Arco achieved its eight-year NDC2 growth roadmap within five months after launch. Arco's logistics team became a 24/7 operation distributing 300 pallets and 8,000 parcels across the UK every day.

David Evison, Managing Director at Arco, said:

"It is a real privilege to have been announced as a finalist for these prestigious awards.

"We have invested £46m in our new collaborative workspace in Blackfriargate and on futureproofing our commitment to customers through the extension of our National Distribution Centre.

"These investments play an important role in the way we support our customers and have been developed with sustainability at the forefront of their design.

"As well as providing a timely boost for the region's economy and offering employment and training opportunities, these investments enable us to continue fulfilling our core purpose: to keep people safe at work."

Dressed in tuxedo and bowtie, Steve Dawson from Arco Professional Safety Services was pictured climbing a ladder below one of the pods on the Lastminute.com London Eye on Tuesday morning, ahead of the film premiere of Britain's most famous secret agent at the Royal Albert Hall.

As experts in safety and working at height, Arco Professional Safety Services provides consultancy, training, services and equipment to manage the most complex and high-risk, high-hazard scenarios, making the team perfectly placed to undertake this stunt at one of London's most recognisable and iconic landmarks.

Steve Dawson, working at height training manager at Arco Professional Safety Services, said:

"It's been a real privilege for Arco, as the UK's leading safety company, to partner with the team at the London Eye to deliver this exciting event, safely."

"Working at height is what we are trained to do and to demonstrate our skill and expertise, working with the lastminute.com London Eye, is testament to the trust that the organisers have put in us."

Arco, the UK's leading safety company, opens its doors to new apprentices as four Ron Dearing UTC students join the team.

With longstanding ties to Hull since its first shop opened on Queen Street in 1893, the new recruits further demonstrate Arco's commitment to the city and its significant investment plan to support the growth of its business, including expanding its digital capabilities.

The four apprentices will be working in a range of roles in Digital; Chloe Marshall will be working in the Project Management Office (PMO), Ben Maycock and Kai Ingram will be taking on engineering roles and James Swinbourne will be joining Arco's cybersecurity team.

All four recruits have been selected from Arco's community partner Ron Dearing UTC, a technical college situated in the heart of Hull. The college works in partnership with the University of Hull and the region's leading employers to 'do education differently' to ensure that every student fulfils their academic, social and creative potential, including those disaffected with traditional education.

Specialising in "STEAM": Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths, the school's mission is to help local young people build lucrative careers in the engineering, digital and creative sectors, contributing to the Humber region's economic development.

With a shared goal to secure a strong pipeline of talent in the city, Arco has been supporting Ron Dearing UTC with apprenticeships, participating in recruitment and careers events and contributing in leading roles on the school's board and business-led working groups.

Each apprentice will receive guidance from an Arco business mentor as well as first-hand support from former Ron Dearing students who are already working in the business. This support structure will provide a strong foundation as the apprentices complete Arco's two-year 'Future Experts' programme. The programme, first launched in 2016, has now taken on nearly 40 apprentices to develop the next generation of talent.

Neil Cavill, Head of Business Improvement at Arco, and Governor at Ron Dearing, said:

"We are delighted that Chloe, Ben, Kai and James have joined us and chosen Arco to start their careers. It's clear that the skills and experience that they have gained at Ron Dearing will stand them is good stead as they begin working life with us. We are looking forward to seeing them grow and develop over the coming years."

Arco, the UK's leading safety company announces that it has donated over £72,000 of PPE supplies to Leonard Cheshire, the UK's leading pan disability charity. Leonard Cheshire employs 4,500 front line staff to support over 3,000 people with disabilities to live as independently as they can. Their work includes operating 120 residential care homes across the UK, which house around 2,700 residents. Arco's donation will help continue to protect the care home residents and frontline staff.

At the start of the pandemic, Leonard Cheshire launched an emergency appeal for support to protect its staff and residents from Coronavirus. In May 2020, Arco was proud to donate £4,000 worth of stock including 150 boxes of face masks and 700 visors.

With government restrictions now lifted and care home visitors able to see their loved ones in person, having access to PPE and sanitation equipment continues to be crucial. In order for its staff to continue providing the best care and support, they need access to PPE. Arco recognised this need and is delighted to have been able to make a significant donation, including hand sanitiser, P3 masks, disinfectant wipes and disposable gloves. The stock will be distributed nationally by Leonard Cheshire to its care homes and community carers where it's needed most to ensure they can continue their vital work.

Andy Owen, Head of Sector - Healthcare, Arco said:

"We're delighted to be able to give a second donation to Leonard Cheshire. For many in care homes, residents rely on care staff for all their personal care and maintaining good hygiene remains a challenge. The safe operation of Leonard Cheshire's care homes is crucial at this time and having the correct PPE will enable staff and care residents to remain protected."

David Evison, Managing Director, Arco said:

"Arco's purpose is to keep people safe at work and PPE plays such a critical role in doing this. Whilst the supply of PPE is much more readily available than during the peak of the pandemic, we hope through our donation that all colleagues and residents at Leonard Cheshire continue to be protected and kept safe. The care sector has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and we're grateful for the opportunity to support Leonard Cheshire in the life changing work it does."

Hugh Fenn, Managing Director of Community Services at Leonard Cheshire said:

"This is a significant donation and we are immensely grateful for Arco's generosity in donating PPE supplies to keep people safe. Whilst restrictions have now been lifted, we continue to do everything in our power to protect the vulnerable people in our care, as well as those who look after them. Our sincerest thanks to Arco and their product experts involved in making this happen."

Hull-based safety expert Arco has renewed its long-standing commitment to Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) with £75,000 worth of support pledged over the next three years. The new agreement will raise Arco's total contribution to £300,000 since its partnership with the charity began nearly a decade ago. The pledge not only includes the financial contribution but, Arco has also supported the design and provision of specialist clothing which will help YAA provide its lifesaving emergency service to five million people across Yorkshire.

YAA needs to raise £12,000 every day to help save lives and keep families together longer. Its air ambulance flights, capable of transforming a 20-mile journey into ten minutes, ensuring those who need assistance in the UK's largest county get the help they need as rapidly as possible. As an independent charity, YAA is reliant on the generosity of its donators to maintain and provide its vital service. Through its principal partnership with Arco, the charity will receive £20,000 a year donation, as well as £5,000 of clothing and products taking the total contribution over the length of the new three-year partnership to £75,000.

The YAA team often works in extreme conditions and needs to rely on their uniforms and equipment to protect them. As experts in safety, Arco's product credit will help YAA with essential supplies and specialist clothing for staff and volunteers, while the annual £20,000 donation will help keep its aircraft maintained and facilitate its lifesaving work.

David Evison, Managing Director of Arco, says:

"Yorkshire Air Ambulance places the wellbeing and safety of people at the forefront of everything it does to save human life across the county and the surrounding area. As a business with its roots in Yorkshire and a dedication to safety, we are extremely proud to support a mission so closely aligned to our own; keeping communities and people safer."

Katie Collinson, Corporate & Partnerships Manager of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, says:

"We have been overwhelmed by Arco's generosity since 2012 and we're extremely grateful for the continued support. Like many charities and businesses across the UK, Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions have affected our ability to hold fundraising events, resulting in a significant fundraising deficit. However, with support from organisations like Arco, we can continue our vital work."