Tender opportunity: Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral is the oldest surviving gothic church in London and has been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years. We are located in the heart of a flourishing part of central London which attracts huge numbers of visitors to the adjacent Borough Market, the major food destination in the capital, and which also includes the new developments in the London Bridge Quarter (the Shard and News UK buildings) plus the recently redeveloped London Bridge Station.
An important source of income, which supports the cathedral's ministry and outreach work, is the commercial conference and events business looked after by our in-house events team. We host a wide variety of events including fine dining in the Nave, industry awards, large-scale receptions, music and theatrical performances and fashion shows.
Each year, the cathedral attracts in excess of 200,000 tourists each year and we are located in one of the busiest parts of central London with a huge daily footfall of visitors walking past the cathedral along the south bank of the Thames between Tate Modern and Hays Galleria. There is enormous potential for growth in terms of visitor numbers to the cathedral and increased spending on site.
For more information about us visit our website.
The Board of Southwark Cathedral Enterprises is seeking an experienced commercial catering partner who is able to build upon past successes while optimising the future business potential for catering on the cathedral site. The new catering contract will begin on 1 August 2019.
Catering and hospitality provides an essential dimension to cathedral life and is also a critical source of income. We are proud to maintain the traditions of hospitality that have been offered on this site since the founding of the Augustinian Priory on this site in the year 606. It is something that we take very seriously and which reflect our values of inclusivity and welcome to all who enter the cathedral precincts.
In addition to our special events, fine dining and conference catering, we have the Refectory café, a 48-seat restaurant, open to the public, with an additional 40 covers in the Millennium courtyard which offers views out on to the River Thames.
The trading environment for both the Refectory café and the hospitality/conference business has shown significant growth since 2001 when the Millennium Buildings were opened. For the future, the aim is to continue to build upon this success, and take advantage of external opportunities such as the cathedral's location next to Borough Market and the London Bridge Quarter.
To receive further details please contact Matthew Knight, Company Secretary, on 020 7367 63726 or matthew.knight@southwark.anglican.org.
Closing date for tender submissions: 15 June 2018
