An award-winning, family-run, domestic cleaning company in Stafford is celebrating 20 years of service to its loyal customer base.

Merry Maids of Stafford, which is a franchise of one the world’s leading and largest domestic cleaning companies, Merry Maids, was launched in 1996 by Barbara and Ian Roberts, who were later joined by their daughter Helen, who now manages operations for the business.

In April 2015, the business moved to new premises in Aquarius Business Centre on Peel Terrace after outgrowing its former office in Stafford Town Centre. Over its 20 year history, the company has cleaned more than 54,000 homes and in 2015, increased its turnover by 6% on the previous year.

Barbara Roberts, director of Merry Maids of Stafford said: “We’re really proud to have been in business for 20 years and our longevity demonstrates the quality of our service and the loyalty of our customer base, we still clean for several customers who began using our services in 1996. Our team is highly skilled and is the key to our success and we look forward to another 20 years serving the people of Stafford.”

Catriona Berry, brand operations manager for Merry Maids added: “It’s fantastic that Barbara and her team have reached this milestone and it is evidence that a local business offering a local service can succeed. Barbara, Ian and Helen are committed to developing the Merry Maids brand and are a real credit to the wider franchise network.”

Merry Maids is a franchise of ServiceMaster Ltd, which has been operating in the UK for over 55 years. Merry Maids of Stafford employs 19 local staff, serves over 180 regular customers across Stafford and Staffordshire and recently collected the ServiceMaster Award of Excellence for its performance in 2014. The business was also shortlisted for the national 2012 British Franchise Association HSBC Franchisee of the Year Award.