Chartwells wins major £60m education contract
Chartwells, the education arm of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has chalked up a £60m contract at Brunel University London.
The brand described the deal as one of the biggest single site foodservice contract to come to the higher education market in recent years.
It swotted up on the seven-year deal as part of a competitive tender process. In a further commitment, Chartwells is investing £2m over the life of the contract that will transform the student experience, including the creation of a central student hub and cinema zone.
Chartwells will run all the foodservice operations on the campus including; restaurants, cafes, Students' Union, hospitality and conferencing, as well as working with various brand partners.
In total, it will run 16 outlets which will provide food and drink for the 14,000 students and staff who work, study and live at the site. A 150-strong Chartwells team will oversee operations from May 2017 onwards.
Recognising the university's heritage, named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Chartwells will introduce a series of bespoke brands such as BRU (coffee offer) and 1966 (the year the University was founded).
John Carlin, managing director, higher education & further education, Chartwells said: "Winning the biggest single site foodservices contract our sector has seen in years is a fantastic achievement for us and one that reflects our innovative approach and commitment to exceeding the expectations of our clients. Brunel University London has a wonderful history which we wanted to pay tribute to, so we have come up with a number of ideas to bring it alive through our foodservice offer.
"We are looking forward to working with the University on a shared ambition to transform the campus and create something really special."
Ali Milani, president of the Union of Brunel Students commented: "I am incredibly excited about the opportunities that Chartwells can provide to our students on campus. The variety and value of food offers is an integral part of student life and their experience. We look forward to working in close partnership with Chartwells and Brunel University London to provide the very best service to our members."
Tracy Strachan, director of commercial services at Brunel University London added: "We appointed Chartwells as they demonstrated outstanding creativity and innovation and the understanding of the partnership in their offer, as well as an understanding of our student population and campus. We believe that having an excellent and varied food offer is essential to ensuring we are delivering a great campus experience and will complement our ambitious development plans for the University and its community."
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