Wilson Vale lands Scania Truck deal

Wilson Vale, the Staffordshire contract caterer set up in late 2001 by two former Avenance directors, has scooped two new contracts that bring its total tally of clients to 14.

The most recent contract to be taken on by the Burton upon Trent firm was won from the directors' former company, Avenance. Worth £100,000 in annual turnover, it involves feeding up to 90 trainees a day at the Scania Truck training centre in Loughborough, Leicestershire.

This follows a contract turning over £350,000 a year to cater at Mirror Group Newspapers' print works in Watford, Hertfordshire, which was won from Sodexho.

Fourteen Wilson Vale staff are providing breakfasts, lunches and evening meals to 800 staff across all shifts. The contract caterer claims that its policy of offering freshly prepared dishes on a regular basis rather than meals cooked long before they are served has prompted more workers to eat in the restaurant. Both deals are one-year rolling contracts.

Other major wins this year have included a £600,000 contract - Wilson Vale's biggest to date - to cater at Lexmark International's inkjet cartridge manufacturing plant in Fife, which was also won from Avenance. It also took on the £350,000 contract to cater for lubricating oil company Lubrizol at sites in Bromborough, Merseyside, and Hazelwood, Derbyshire

Wilson Vale was established by husband and wife team Carolyne Vale and Andrew Wilson to focus on the business and industry and independent schools sectors.

Vale was managing director at Avenance for the Midlands, the West and Wales, while Wilson was group sales and marketing director.