Signature Case Study

Wightman & Parrish and Signature Senior Lifestyle Case Study

“Wightman & Parrish deliver the supplies to where they're needed… They're actually helping us improve the level of care because our staff aren't being pulled away from looking after residents in order to unload deliveries."

In the care sector, every detail matters when it comes to maintaining exceptional standards for residents. Our partnership with Signature Senior Lifestyle demonstrates how the right supplier relationship can enhance care delivery by ensuring teams can focus entirely on what matters most: their residents.

About Signature Senior Lifestyle Care

Signature Senior Lifestyle operates ten award-winning luxury care homes across London and the Home Counties, and provides residential, nursing, dementia and respite care services.

Each Signature home offers more than just care, however; with luxurious surroundings, exceptional dining experiences and premium nutrition, Signature delivers a personalised service that has earned them industry recognition. They are regularly featured in Knight Frank’s Luxury Care Home Guide, and they have been listed in the top 20 UK care homes by carehome.co.uk for the past five years. With three further sites due to open in 2026, Signature’s success is set to continue.

As a leading residential care provider in the south of the UK, Signature's commitment extends beyond comfort and care to encompass comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. These values guide them to operate responsibly, sustainably, and transparently, ensuring their impact benefits residents, communities, and the planet.

The background

Our partnership with Signature is now in its second year, but the relationship predates its current iteration, as we worked with Signature's Procurement Director Chris Dean when he was in a previous role at a different care organisation.

When that organisation was sold, the supplier arrangements changed, but when Signature later opened their procurement process to tender, our proposition stood out from the competition. A significant point of difference was that we had our own delivery fleet and drivers, and so could provide a hands-on supply and delivery service.

The challenge: When logistics impact care

The primary challenge Signature was facing with their existing suppliers centred around inefficient delivery practices.

Suppliers of hygiene products would use standard courier services, which resulted in pallets of supplies being left at care homes with no hands-on support to help with unpacking and distributing products to the correct locations.

This approach created significant problems for care teams, who found themselves having to abandon their primary responsibilities – caring for residents – to deal with deliveries. Staff members were regularly pulled away from resident care to unpack supplies, move items to appropriate storage locations, and ensure products weren't left exposed to the elements.

For an organisation committed to maintaining the highest standards of care, this disruption to daily operations was unacceptable. Signature needed a supplier partner who understood that in care homes, residents’ needs must always come first.

The solution: A 'white glove service’ that prioritises care

We addressed these challenges through our 'white glove' delivery service, made possible by our dedicated delivery fleet. This approach goes far beyond simply dropping off products: it ensures supplies reach exactly where they're needed at each site.

Chris Dean explains the transformative impact of this approach: "As you can imagine, when we receive a delivery from a company like Wightman & Parrish, it could be one or two pallets, and they could be stacked quite high. So if the pallet just gets left outside, it will be up to the care team to unpack and put away all the products. But Wightman & Parrish deliver the supplies to where they're needed – it might be the kitchen, the housekeeping cupboards, or the laundry. They're actually helping us improve the level of care because our staff aren't being pulled away from looking after residents in order to unload deliveries."

Comprehensive account management

The success of the partnership isn’t just down to logistics, however. Account Manager Simon Ayres visits each of Signature's homes every three to four months, conducting detailed surveys to ensure products are meeting the specific needs of each location. This regular touchpoint allows for continual optimisation and ensures any issues can be quickly resolved.

Strategic supplier relationships

As a partner of Procter & Gamble (P&G), we offer additional value through our expert in-house engineering team. When P&G equipment requires repair or maintenance, Signature can contact us directly rather than waiting for manufacturer support, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.

Responsive customer service

Our customer service team provides swift resolutions for any delivery issues or missing items. Their extensive product knowledge and customer-focused approach ensure problems are solved quickly and effectively, maintaining smooth operations across all Signature locations.

What Signature Senior Lifestyle says…

"The Wightman & Parrish 'white glove' delivery style – where the goods are delivered to the point of storage and not left outside on a pallet – enables our teams to concentrate on giving excellent care to our residents rather than having to stop doing so and get items in out of the rain. This is so important in care as the resident must always come first!"

– Chris Dean, Procurement Director, Signature Senior Lifestyle

Why this partnership works

Several key factors contribute to the success of this collaboration:

Service excellence: Our hands-on delivery service sets us apart from traditional suppliers, directly addressing the operational challenges that care homes face with suppliers who use standard courier services
Proactive account management: Regular site visits ensure the partnership continues to evolve and improve, with issues identified and resolved before they impact operations
Effective communication: From account management to customer service, we have clear, responsive communication channels that keep operations running smoothly
Shared values: Both organisations demonstrate strong commitments to ESG principles. “It was important to Signature that Wightman & Parrish cared about their environmental impact,” explains Chris. “Their B Corp status and EcoVadis Gold certification proved that their values align perfectly with ours.”

This partnership demonstrates how the right supplier relationship can improve care by removing operational challenges and allowing care teams to focus solely on their primary mission: providing exceptional care to residents.

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