Sutcliffe wins £20m contract at Mercury
Sutcliffe has gained a five-year catering contract with a turnover of more than ú20m from Mercury Communications. It covers 20 locations in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sutcliffe previously operated at two of the sites, the rest being run by Compass, Aramark, in-house caterers and in one instance a local catering firm.
Compass and Aramark both put in tenders for the contract, which will operate on a fixed-price basis with performance targets attached. According to Sutcliffe, the deal it has struck will slice ú2m from Mercury's annual catering bill at a time when the beleaguered telecommunications firm is having to cut its overheads.
Sutcliffe is using the Mercury deal to introduce a new concept, previously piloted at its British Airways contract at Heathrow Airport. Chef's Theatre, as the concept will be known, will feature a chef cooking dishes in a large pan in front of diners.
Lynette Eaborn, Sutcliffe's group marketing manager, said the company had won the contract because of its concepts as much as on price. She said members of Mercury's catering committee had been impressed by theatrical presentations of food on a visit to the USA.
As well as Chef's Theatre, Sutcliffe will offer brands from its Choices range, launched in May. Depending on the size of site, diners will be able to choose sandwiches at the Hampers counter, pasta and pizza at Zefferelli's, and jacket potatoes at Jackets…No Ties.
