FACILITIES MANAGEMENT - ALEXANDRA
BE FASHIONABLE, BE SAFE
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
Alexandra was established in 1854 as a drapers shop in
Whiteladies Road, Bristol, and was named after Princess
Alexandra of Denmark, the future wife of King Edward VII.
Initially selling the fabric needed to make uniforms for
the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs) who nursed injured
soldiers, Alexandra has played a vital role in the emergence of
women in the workforce since World War 1.
After the war, demand for workwear continued to grow;
particularly the requirements for increasing ranges of
professional nursing roles. As well as meeting this demand,
Alexandra went on to develop fit-for-purpose protective
workwear, for both men and women, in industries such as
munitions, agriculture, engineering, catering, business, and
leisure services.
Alexandra’s workwear range dates back to the 1940s and
1950s with a strong heritage in the Health industry. The
ability to supply a multitude of industries including Facilities
Management has led to Alexandra becoming the largest single
provider of workwear, corporate uniforms and nursing wear in
the UK.
With the establishment of manufacturing and distribution
facilities in Bristol, Scotland and other countries worldwide,
Alexandra has become a primary catalogue workwear
solutions provider.
40
HSE INTERNATIONAL
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
In the Facilities Management sector, products can vary from
fashion led Hospitality to traditional and functional workwear
such as coveralls, trousers and polo shirts.
At Alexandra, a great deal of importance is placed on
balancing both aesthetic and functionality across their entire
catalogue range. Alexandra’s latest focus has been to split
Facilities Management sector requirements into three key
areas; Catering, Cleaning and Security. Alexandra has focused
the development of their 2018 catalogue range to offer a full
complement of uniforms for all conceivable job roles within
these areas.
The one item which appears across all sectors within the
Facilities Management industry is the polo shirt. A polo shirt
can add smartness yet ease of movement to a security officer,
or a cooling and comfortable cover-up for a catering manager.
Alexandra offers over 6 different styles of polo shirt and
t-shirt; from the classic polo/cotton blend short sleeve (NM231,
available in 24 colours), to modern moisture wicking polyester
fabric that combines the latest cooling technology and core
styling (NU570).