How was 2019 for White Magic? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
White Magic had an exciting finish to 2019 making the decision to partner with SYR products out of the UK and launching the range at the ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo in Melbourne.
What will be the immediate focus for White Magic in 2020?
Our immediate focus in 2020 is to re-establish SYR as one of the major janitorial brands available to the cleaning, health, hospitality and industrial markets.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for White Magic looking ahead to 2020?
Our biggest challenge is getting information to the buyers and making sure our distributor partners have the latest information and understand the unique selling features and benefits of the SYR range.
How will White Magic engage the market in 2020?
White Magic is building a strong commercial arm to the business. Adding SYR has given White Magic the opportunity to move further into the BSC, healthcare and hospitality markets.
We are investing in state of the art merchandising techniques to support our distributor showrooms and we will continue to look for eco-friendly solutions.
Are there any international trends you think might make their way to Australia in 2020?
The biggest trend we see internationally is the introduction of sustainable practices which includes the introduction of sustainable product development. SYR is conscious of this and has started introducing recycled plastic products into its offering to aid in this goal to reduce waste. There is also a big push to introduce certification and training standards across the industry to protect its integrity.
What do you expect will be the big trends of 2020?
The market is pushing more towards recyclable product and putting priorities on items such as our degradable and biodegradable compostable bin liners and garbage bags.
We also see ergonomic design in cleaning tools will play a greater role in trying to reduce workplace injuries and diminish the impact that has on staffing issues.
How do you see the cleaning landscape evolving into 2020?
White Magic is all about providing eco-friendly cleaning solutions and we see that the cleaning market is slowly embracing this concept as long as it meets performance requirements and doesn’t add labour cost.
What is one issue you think the industry should urgently address in 2020?
The cleaning industry is still suffering as a result of sham contracting, whereby customers sign up with one company to provide a service and standard only to find the business has been sub-contracted several times and the result is often poor quality and lowered service levels. This also places great pressure on the supply line to offer cheaper solutions of which there is a limit.
Is there one key message you would like to share with the industry?
We have a great and diverse industry and we believe there is opportunity for all of us to share in its wealth. However, that can only happen if we all work to high professional standards both in cleaning services and the cleaning supply channel.
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