• Why Initial
  • Who is Initial
    • History, Values and Culture
    • Our Approach
  • Global Yet Local
  • Building Trust
  • Environment and Society
  • Leadership and Innovation
  • International Account Management Service

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History, Values and Culture

Initial began trading in 1903 when an American, Mr. A.P. Bigelow, started a towel rental service for London businesses. Each customer had their initials embroidered on their towels – and so the Initial Towel Supply Company was born. In time the business grew and expanded into many other countries. Acquired by the Rentokil group in 1996, it was renamed Rentokil Initial. Rentokil added international know-how and business acumen to the group’s operations, and today the two businesses still trade separately under the Rentokil and Initial brand names.

Culture and Values

Initial’s lean central management devolves operational responsibility to the local level. We invest in recruitment, training and technology. Empowering employees through development programmes improves customer service. All employees follow our Code of Ethics and we also follow Employment Good Practice guidelines.

This means:

• Putting customers first.
• Doing least possible harm to the environment in our operations.
• Being fair and open in all dealings with staff and customers.