GM sells off Ring & Brymer City interest

GARDNER Merchant has confirmed the sale of the City interests of its Ring & Brymer division to events caterer Chester Boyd (Caterer, 28 January, page 8).

Stephen McManus, managing director of Gardner Merchant Leisure, said the fixed City of London contracts of Ring & Brymer "no longer represented a strong strategic business fit for the division". His firm wants to focus on "major events and spectator sports" instead.

Ring & Brymer's City business turns over nearly £2m a year and includes livery halls such as the Plaisterers, Goldsmiths and Brasiers. The sale price was not disclosed.

Tony Barnard, marketing director at Gardner Merchant Leisure, said his firm would still offer corporate dining through its Lawson Beaumont Prestige Catering division, launched in February.

The livery hall catering business of Ring & Brymer had been in decline for the past 10 years, he added. "If you're a resident caterer, there's an overhead cost and you're usually fairly restricted in the style of catering."

Charles Boyd, managing director of Chester Boyd, said: "As we already operate 23 contracts within the City, this acquisition represents a natural expansion of our core business." It takes Chester Boyd's turnover to nearly £9m a year.