Tropical plants business to gear up for growth in workplace environments market

16 Mar 2007

Rentokil Tropical Plants, the world’s largest provider of plants, replica foliage and flowers for commercial environments, today announces a new global brand name, Ambius, and a development programme for the business.

By the end of 2007, Ambius, which grew revenues by 4.1% to £106.6m in 2006, will have a single global brand, greater market profile and additional revenue streams through the expansion of its product range. The new brand will be officially launched on 19 March. The UK will be the first market to experience the brand, followed by launches in 15 other countries across four continents.

The new brand name will better reflect the company’s extended service portfolio which will build on the company’s 21 years’ experience of designing, installing and servicing interior plants.

The expanded product portfolio, to become available in all markets, will include the provision of ambient scenting, corporate artwork and other products that improve workplace environments and employee well being. For instance, in the UK, the brand will shortly launch a range of ‘acoustic artwork’ which not only enhances office environments visually, but also dampens background noise in open plan offices, together enhancing the workplace for employees.

The launch of the Ambius brand name is part of a programme to focus brands within the Rentokil Initial organisation on their core strengths. Today, the Rentokil brand is focused on pest control, Initial is focused on cleaning and facilities, and City Link is focused on parcel delivery.

Doug Flynn, Chief Executive Officer, Rentokil Initial, comments: “This new initiative will deliver a powerful and consistent brand presence, and introduce a wider range of services to maximise its potential. In particular, Ambius will target those large scale international organisations which operate across borders. This is a market leading business and today’s announcement is another example of our company investing for growth.”

Jeff Mariola, Managing Director, Ambius, said: “As the market leader, Rentokil remains a strong brand for pest control but its association was not right for the expert design and servicing of plants and other products which have proven benefits in enhancing workplaces.

“Fuelled by growing demand and interest in products that create harmonious environments, we will begin offering these additional services to our 80,000+ customer base.

“A new global brand identity, that reflects our wider portfolio and accommodates future growth, will help us to build on our market leading position in the USA to create an equally strong company in Europe.”

As part of the brand and product enhancements, Ambius will launch the division’s first global website (www.ambius.com), which will provide tailored country sites in local languages under the umbrella of a global landing page. The brand will also be directly communicated to customer audiences through the company’s participation in key events such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.