Nick Redford named Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year at national awards #

Nick Redford, Strategy Director, Zest Food Partners, has been named Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northwest at the 2021 Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
 
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards launched in 2012 to celebrate the best of British enterprise, inviting founders from across the UK to apply with their entrepreneurial success stories.
 
In partnership with Starling Bank, this year’s ceremony was held at Grosvenor House in London on 22 November.
 
The judging panel said that Nick was a worthy winner: "Zest Food Partners is a fantastic business. We were completely blown away by this application - amazing stuff! We wish them the best of luck going forward.”
 
Nick Redford comments “After a career on the procurement side it was clear there was a need to create an efficient service that would help ambitious food and drink brands accelerate growth in the foodservice market. It is a complex and highly fragmented channel where huge parts of it are often overlooked. It is also frustratingly undermanned, and Zest gives its clients an instant visibility of the bigger picture and runs complex profiling to ensure the biggest opportunities are explored and secured.
 
The success of Zest has very much been a team effort and although we knew that starting a new business would have its challenges, little did we know that our first and biggest challenge to face would be Covid-19. The foodservice and hospitality industry has had a torrid time, and this has made us more determined to offer support and contribute to rebuilding foodservice.”
 
Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, spoke highly of the entrepreneurial talent coming out of this year’s cohort: “It was fantastic to hear so many inspiring business stories after a difficult few years, and even better to have been able to invite all of our finalists to the in-person ceremony and celebrate together.”
 

Changing lifestyles after COVID-19 present ‘anytime’ opportunities for soft drinks in foodservice #

By Katy Watts, Head of Channel Development (Foodservice & Licensed) at Britvic

As normality returns, traditional meal times are less rigid and the line is blurring between foodservice and food to go once again. It adds up to a thirst-quenching opportunity for soft drink sales.
 
The UK foodservice sector has now completely reopened, but the channel continues to evolve with COVID-19. As the trade enters a ‘new normal’, the differences we’re seeing at Britvic in consumers’ lives and behaviours, present fresh opportunities for foodservice operators and the soft drinks category.
 
The first change is when consumers spend. From Lumina Intelligence’s research, we can see people are making more visits to foodservice outlets outside traditional peak meal times. In particular, they are increasing their afternoon snacking[1], one of the less impacted occasions from the pandemic, resulting in a chance to grow sales with ‘lower-ticket’ promotions.
 
Traditional times of the day for meals out of home were already blurring before COVID-19, but the trend is more obvious now because our working lives have changed. Consumers are looking at all times of day for meal and snack solutions, including a soft drink, which are convenient and meet their needs as and when. And enjoyment still remains the number one reason to choose a soft drink – so great taste from trusted brands is key, from Pepsi MAX and Tango, to Robinsons Ready to Drink and Fruit Shoot, which can all be enjoyed on-the-go.
 
The second change is where consumers spend. As the British public enjoys renewed freedom to get out and about, they ‘eat now,’ wherever hunger strikes. The various foodservice and food to go formats continue to evolve, and in places, cross over. This has been happening for years, of course, but post-COVID many operators are exploring the possibilities with renewed enthusiasm. Among them, Carluccio is trialling different in-store food to go items, Sainsbury’s is looking at eat-in concepts, and Pret a Manger has opened store concessions in Tesco.
 
The IGD talks of the total food to go market seeing a faster than predicted return to growth, with shoppers using different channels and operators to complete missions. Foodservice food to go’s growth is expected to outpace that of retail food to go between now and 2026.
 
Whatever happens next, soft drinks stand to benefit by being versatile, relevant, available all day and suitable across age groups and occasions. Soft drinks are one of the few categories you can enjoy at breakfast, lunch and dinner, when snacking, or whenever you want a refreshing pick me up. And of course, people consume soft drinks on the go and at home, both of which could be picked up at foodservice outlets. 
 
Soft Drinks, Hard Facts
UK outdoor dining reopened in the last week of quarter two, having largely pivoted in the lockdown to deliveries and takeaways. Consumers showed preference to soft drinks during this time, with this drink type increasing share by +2.9ppts overall. This gain versus the previous quarter, confirms the soft drinks category’s resilience, reflected in Britvic’s 2021 Soft Drinks Review. Over this period, breakfast and dinner's share of meal occasions remained steady, up just +0.3% and +0.5%. Dinner gained 6.4% time of day share, while lunch lost -2.3%. The significant gain was in afternoon snacking.
 
April to June saw average out of home foodservice spends decreasing, with smaller, value for money items proving more attractive to cash-careful consumers. This trend fits in with a fifth of consumers saying their financial situation was worse than before the pandemic, rising to 28% of 18-24’s. However, a second fifth felt better off, peaking at 23% of consumers aged 65 and over.
 
Drilling down the detail
When outdoor dining reopened in the last week of quarter two, indoor dining remained closed. Hence, delivery and click and collect combined accounted for 44% of foodservice meal occasions. Taking the day as a whole, over half (54%) of foodservice purchases at this time were consumed at home.6 Meanwhile, drinks-only occasions were most likely to happen on foodservice premises, accounting for 13% of purchases6.
 
Of course, eating out increased as outdoor dining re-opened, but home delivery still represented almost three in ten foodservice occasions. QSR and restaurants drove the uplift in dinner occasions, +2.8% and +5.2% respectively.The QSR channel’s share of all occasions also rose from 38.8% to 41.3% during quarter two. This increase aligned with the overall decline in average spend of -6.7%, as consumers sought lower spending occasions.
 
What happens now?
As consumers get out more and our changed working lives blur the traditional times of day for out of home meals, foodservice operators need to offer a range of food and drink that is relevant across all times of day. This includes those for first thing in the morning, snacks in the afternoon and for evening occasions.
 
Some things don’t change. In out of home missions, people still enjoy soft drinks as part of a meal, a snack or a social treat. Brands have a stronghold in the out of home sector, with consumers looking for named colas when eating or drinking out. And meal deals continue to encourage soft drink purchases by giving great value for money, while increasing customer spend. To highlight meal deals’ importance, a look at retail food to go shows soft drinks accounted for 27% of products bought on the last lunch mission in quarter one this year, but 50% in the last meal deal buy.
 
However, our changing working patterns and the pandemic’s impact means consumer habits are now more fluid, with less traditional meal times and spending spread across the week. Assuming this caution continues, lower-spend occasions like afternoon snacking continues to present valuable opportunities for operators to engage consumers with soft drinks for different need states. Snack deals including soft drinks will give operators opportunities to offer bigger ticket propositions, tempting guests with recognised brands which have a strong appeal.
 
Drinks in meal deals are exempt from the volume price promotion restrictions which will apply when the HFSS regulations come into force in October 2022. However, the restrictions do apply to free refills of sugar sweetened drinks in out of home.
 
Learning from the grocers and adopting loyalty schemes and digital promotions will help foodservice operators drive consumer engagement and repeat visits. And increased app usage will drive service improvement and personalisation, with digital loyalty schemes, app-only exclusive offers and digital subscriptions.
 
The six drivers of the soft drinks growth opportunity
At Britvic we have identified six soft drink category growth drivers which can help operators unlock sales. Fitting in with the blurring of the different foodservice channels and times of day, these drivers will result in more consumers buying more soft drinks over the 24-hour day:
 
Choiceful about sugar:  A third of the population are trying to reduce sugar in their diet]. To future proof soft drink sales, foodservice operators need to offer choice and cater to all these different approaches.
 
Benefits for my body: People are seeking added benefits from food and drink, to help them look and feel healthy. Drinks chosen for ‘health’ are growing +1.5% year-on-year, so consumers are already engaged with benefit-led drinks. One in five shoppers have begun taking vitamins since the start of the first lockdown, while 47% have said they intend to eat more healthy foods to support their immune system.
 
Go with my flow: In the foodservice space, consumers are looking for drinks that meet their needs across the day, throughout the year. People drink a combination of hot drinks, tap water, alcohol and soft drinks to meet their needs. If soft drinks can meet more of these requirements, including the cold weather ‘warm me up’ imperative, they can unlock more occasions in the day, and become more relevant in winter months.
 
Elevate my experience:  Our demand for premiumisation is growing. It’s driven by rising incomes and a desire to switch off from daily duties and live life to the full. Operators need to provide guests with tastes for the adult palette that deliver against taste, serve and experience. With 70% of premium soft drink consumers wanting to see more of these options in pubs, bars and restaurants, there is certainly an opportunity for foodservice here, through the use of brands such as J2O or London Essence.
 
Always available with food: Soft drinks continue to be the perfect partners to food, at meal times or with snacks. But with busy lifestyles and food to go on the rise, how we consume food is changing and soft drinks need to adapt. This is where the blurring distinctions between different foodservice channels come in. It adds to the trend of consumers looking for solutions across all times of day that are convenient and meet their needs. Consumers care less than you might expect about what outlet type they are in. They see food to eat in, or to go, and they buy it. And if there are soft drinks to hand, they buy those too.
 
Keep it real:  Finally, consumers increasingly want to live lifestyles that help preserve the planet for future generations and are demanding products to match. Globally, climate change appears to be the number one concern of people, with Kantar reporting 19.6% of respondents cited this in September 2020 – an increase of 0.5% compared to 2019. The second biggest concern was still plastic waste (14.8%). At Britvic, we are working with our channel partners across the sectors to address the challenges of sustainability.
 
Visit www.sensationaldrinks.com for advice, recipes and ideas on how to get creative with your soft drinks offering.

Edinburgh Academy Junior School and independents by Sodexo serve up award-winning food #

Edinburgh Academy Junior School and independents by Sodexo, who manage the catering at the school, are celebrating recognition of the ethically and environmentally sourced food it serves its pupils. 

The school has become the only independent school in Scotland to achieve the Silver standard from the Soil Association’s Food for Life Served Here (Scotland) programme. 

The prestigious Silver accreditation recognises the schools continued commitment to making good food the easy choice and championing environmentally sustainable, ethical food options sourced by local suppliers. 

Caron Longden, development lead for Food for Life, praised the school’s ethos around serving high quality food and said: 

 “The relationship built between the headteacher and the caterer are particularly strong, and they work closely together to provide the best experience they can for pupils. 

“Some vegetables are grown on site, all waste is composted, and work has been done to ensure the ingredients used in the service meet good animal welfare standards, including organic milk from a local dairy.” 

Gavin Calder, headteacher at Edinburgh Academy Junior School, added: 

 “In these enlightened times, it is really important that we know the quality and provenance of the food that our children are consuming. 

“It is a testament to the time and efforts of catering manager Shona McGregor-Brown and her amazing team from independents by Sodexo that we are at the vanguard in terms of food quality in Scotland’s schools.”

Shona McGregor, catering manager at Edinburgh Academy Junior School heads a team of eight serving 550 meals a day to pupils from nursery age through to 11-year-olds. Healthy food options are available daily, with a salad bar and fresh vegetables served every meal. There is also a selection of vegetarian meals, including, Quorn meatballs served with fresh tomato and herb sauce and organic pasta.

Edinburgh Academy Junior School has introduced several initiatives, including a small group of pupils acting as a representative ‘voice’ for their peers, discussing likes and dislikes with head chef Karen Purves and Shona. They have also fed back thoughts on menu design.

At least five per cent of the ingredient budget is spent on organic produce, and Sodexo’s purchasing team has built relationships with several Scottish growers, farmers and producers, for example, sourcing dairy products from Graham’s at Broxburn and Red Tractor approved meat from Campbells Prime Meat. 

Amanda Vettese, account manager (Scotland), independents by Sodexo, commented: 

 “The Academy is committed and aligned with Sodexo to ensure we promote an environment where pupils can thrive, and we support this through ensuring that pupils are provided healthy choices in the dining hall. 

“The ambition to reach the Silver level, having already attained Bronze a few years ago, was held up because of the Covid pandemic. Still, the award is a testament to the commitment and dedication of Sodexo and Edinburgh Academy working in partnership.” 

Shona McGregor, catering manager at Edinburgh Academy Junior School, added: 

 “This is a great award to achieve. It takes a lot of hard work to pull together the evidence for the Food for Life assessment. I have worked at the Academy for several years, and I am committed to ensuring every pupil has a positive experience in the dining room and that we provide healthy, fresh and seasonal options to support pupil wellbeing and the environment.” 

CH&CO sets new standard in employee benefits for hospitality workers #

CH&CO has announced enhanced family benefits for every employee across the group.

The new family-friendly procedure offers greater support for employees and their families, over and above the current statutory minimum entitlements from maternity leave and paternity leave to adoption leave, shared parental leave and flexible working.

The move is part of a company-wide people and culture transformation. All policies, procedures and employee benefits across the diverse catering and hospitality business are being reviewed and improved to reflect the value placed on employees, increase the appeal of hospitality careers, and to attract and retain the best people in a highly competitive market.

Under the new family-friendly procedure, employees on maternity and adoption leave will be offered ten weeks full pay, followed by the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) / Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), relevant to local entitlements. This new procedure will give CH&CO employees an increase from the standard rates of average weekly earnings. In addition, employees returning from maternity and adoption leave will receive a bonus equivalent to two weeks full pay after one month.
Also included in the procedure is two weeks paid Paternity leave for fathers and partners - an increase from the standard Statutory Paternity Pay, relevant to local entitlements.

As an inclusive employer, CH&CO is championing the Shared Parental Leave option for fathers and partners to take some or the majority of the first year with a new baby, with payment enhanced to eight weeks full pay followed by Shared Parental Pay.

Charlotte Hutchings, Group People Director, CH&CO, said: “The pandemic and Brexit have exacerbated the people shortage in hospitality, with people leaving the industry and country. We all have a responsibility to make careers in hospitality appealing and supportive and we’ve enhanced our employee benefits proposition to show our teams and future employees how valued they are.

“We want to be one of best companies to work for and to attract and retain talented individuals. We also want our people to know that we genuinely care about them. That’s why we’re putting our money where our mouth is through our people and culture transformation and in particular, the range of benefits we offer that supports and encourages a good work-life balance. It’s important that our benefits reflect our diverse and inclusive culture, and this can be seen in the new family-friendly procedure that exceeds the expected statutory offer to support all our people whatever their family circumstances and needs may be.”

CH&CO has announced enhanced family benefits for every employee across the group.

The new family-friendly procedure offers greater support for employees and their families, over and above the current statutory minimum entitlements from maternity leave and paternity leave to adoption leave, shared parental leave and flexible working.

The move is part of a company-wide people and culture transformation. All policies, procedures and employee benefits across the diverse catering and hospitality business are being reviewed and improved to reflect the value placed on employees, increase the appeal of hospitality careers, and to attract and retain the best people in a highly competitive market.

Under the new family-friendly procedure, employees on maternity and adoption leave will be offered ten weeks full pay, followed by the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) / Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), relevant to local entitlements. This new procedure will give CH&CO employees an increase from the standard rates of average weekly earnings. In addition, employees returning from maternity and adoption leave will receive a bonus equivalent to two weeks full pay after one month.
Also included in the procedure is two weeks paid Paternity leave for fathers and partners - an increase from the standard Statutory Paternity Pay, relevant to local entitlements.

As an inclusive employer, CH&CO is championing the Shared Parental Leave option for fathers and partners to take some or the majority of the first year with a new baby, with payment enhanced to eight weeks full pay followed by Shared Parental Pay.

Charlotte Hutchings, Group People Director, CH&CO, said: “The pandemic and Brexit have exacerbated the people shortage in hospitality, with people leaving the industry and country. We all have a responsibility to make careers in hospitality appealing and supportive and we’ve enhanced our employee benefits proposition to show our teams and future employees how valued they are.

“We want to be one of best companies to work for and to attract and retain talented individuals. We also want our people to know that we genuinely care about them. That’s why we’re putting our money where our mouth is through our people and culture transformation and in particular, the range of benefits we offer that supports and encourages a good work-life balance. It’s important that our benefits reflect our diverse and inclusive culture, and this can be seen in the new family-friendly procedure that exceeds the expected statutory offer to support all our people whatever their family circumstances and needs may be.”

Please give to The Springboard Charity this Christmas and help to nurture and welcome a young unemployed person into our hospitality family! #

We hope this Christmas, you would be willing to make a donation to Springboard to help us futureproof the talent pipeline. Something as small as donating the cost of a drink or as grand and festively fabulous as organising a Christmas fundraising event for us at your company will help.
 
Our industry, the economy and thousands of young, unemployed people up and down the country are relying on your generous spirit! 
 
A donation of £200 will fund a two-week work placement for an individual and give them the experience and confidence required to secure a job in the future.
 
A gesture of £5 can mean an unemployed person can travel to a training session or work placement.
 
And a generous contribution of £1,500 could put somebody through a Springboard training programme and change their life for the better!
 
https://springboard.uk.net/donate/
 
This year, Springboard set ourselves a goal to get 10,000 young and unemployed people into work by the end of 2022 and are delighted to be over a quarter of the way there already, with 2,524 young and unemployed individuals into employment in hospitality, leisure and tourism. With your help, we will reach our goal.
 
Be a part of Springboard to 2022 and help young, unemployed people to overcome barriers, learn employability techniques and gain industry skills, which lead to fulfilling, lifelong careers in the industry.
 
If you would also be willing to give a little of your time throughout the year, sharing your skills, experience, stories and love for hospitality with our trainees, you would be a perfect Springboard Ambassador. We always welcome new ambassadors from the industry, whether you’re new to it or have been working in hospitality for 50 years. You can become a mentor, support jobseekers with interview practice and advice sessions, talk at events to inspire young minds or share the story of your own career journey.
 
Register your interest and find out more, here: https://springboard.uk.net/support-us/ambassadors/
 
Christmas shopping online? One other way that you can support us (without even spending a penny!) is to simply select The Springboard Charity us as your chosen charity whilst doing your online Christmas Shopping on Amazon.

Visit https://smile.amazon.co.uk, sign in and select The Springboard Charity as your default charity. 0.5% of your eligible purchases will be donated to us at no additional cost to you.
 
We truly appreciate your support now and throughout the year. Thank you for your donations, helping us to futureproofing the talent pipeline for hospitality. You’re on our nice list!
 

Access Hospitality supporting the hospitality industry and FareShare charity with 2021 digital advent calendar #

Access Hospitality launches its Twelve Days of Christmas Advent to spread Christmas cheer to customers, hospitality staff and FareShare

Access Hospitality, a division of the Access Group, is launching its ‘12 Days of Christmas Hospitality’ digital advent calendar to support the industry and give a number of prizes purchased from Access Hospitality’s customers.  
 
Entry is free apart from 10th December when a special prize worth £1000 will be available for one lucky winner - entrants just for that day will be asked to make a minimum donation of £2 to reflect the prize value, with all contributions going to food charity FareShare. Access Hospitality will match the donations received and hopes to match the success of its 2020 campaign when £54,000 was raised for FareShare. 
 
Henry Seddon, managing director of Access Hospitality explained “While we’re all hoping that Christmas and New Year this season will see some return to normal levels of trading, one thing we know for sure is that the people who contribute to the delivery of a great hospitality experience – front or back of house, in head offices, suppliers and other support services – will be working round the clock to overcome staff shortages, supply chain disruption and customer apprehension. We want to say thank you by providing some festive cheer and giving everybody the chance to win some wonderful prizes that Access Hospitality has drawn, and purchased, from its wonderful customers. 
 
“We also recognise that there are many people struggling to put food on their table so want to unite in supporting FareShare which works to tackle food poverty and reduce food waste in the UK.” 
 
The Access Hospitality digital advent calendar* launches on 1st December with everyone in the sector able to enter as many days of the free daily draws as they choose with the calendar available online at access-group.adventcalendaronline.com  

For further information please contact Access Hospitality hospitality@theaccessgroup.com. 
 

Top food and drink brands confirmed for HRC #

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC), which takes place on 21-23 March 2022 at ExCeL London, has confirmed a number of exciting food and drink suppliers for the show’s foodservice section.   

The foodservice section gives hoteliers, restaurateurs, bars, catering companies and more the chance to taste and discover innovative new food and drink products in addition to hearing about the latest launches from big name brands.   

Among the recently confirmed food and drink suppliers are global soft drinks brand Britvic, London-based vegan soft serve ice cream company DÁPPA and Cakesmiths, a wholesaler stocking the UK’s independent coffee shops with traybakes, traycakes, loafcakes, sticky buns, pastel de nata and more.   

HRC will also be welcoming on-trade wine importer and distributor Crown Cellars, showcasing a variety of quality wines to suit all hospitality business types, with local wine specialists on hand and offering additional services such as wine list creation, wine tastings and formal WSET training.  

In 2022, for the first time, HRC will be joining forces with The Pub Show, IFE, International Food & Drink Event, London Produce Show and IFE Manufacturing, creating the UK’s largest gathering of food, drink and hospitality professionals. Keep up with the latest show news at hrc.co.uk.

CEDA honours FEA’s Keith Warren #

Foodservice Equipment Association’s chief executive receives Legacy Honour

CEDA has awarded a Legacy Honour to FEA’s chief executive, Keith Warren.  The award recognises the legacy that Warren has created in his 20 years with FEA (formerly CESA). 

Former CEDA chair Jack Sharkey precented the Honour, saying, “Keith has led FEA to many great achievements and through many challenging times, with drive and commitment.  He’s worked to promote the industry, driving the sector forward and ensuring that its voice is heard in the right corridors.” 

Warren was totally taken by surprise with the honour.  ““Thank you all, I wasn’t expecting that!” he said.  “I have to thank a fantastic secretariat team that we rely on as trade association directors.  Jocelyn, who’s our membership and events manager; Adam, who’s our marketing manager, and Sarah-Jane, who underpins it all with administration. It is genuinely a team effort and I would like that to be recognised tonight.”

He added, “I’d also like to thank every FEA chair I’ve had the privilege of serving under and to thank all those FEA members who, over the years, have contributed their time voluntarily to the work that we do.”

Several other FEA members received Legacy Honours at the awards dinner, which took place on November 24 during the CEDA conference at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.  They included Steve Coates of Advance Group; Bob Clifford of Marren; Mechline’s Peter Galliford; FEM co-founders Harry Hogan and Jim Doherty; and Williams’ sales and marketing director Malcolm Harling. 

CEDA’s Legacy Honours are awarded to ‘outstanding individuals who have played a role in creating a tangible legacy that has made a considerable positive difference, enriched lives, served with dedication, passion and commitment and have cast an indelible history within the UK catering equipment sector.’

The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry, representing nearly 200 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes.  For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk 

Sodexo UK & Ireland launches Accelerator innovation lab with new partner L Marks #

Sodexo, a leading food and facilities management services provider, has partnered with innovation specialist L Marks to launch its innovation lab in the UK and Ireland.

Sodexo’s Accelerator innovation programme has already launched in China, Brazil, India, France and Sweden, and from January 2022 will focus on the UK and Ireland market. 

To launch Accelerator in the UK and Ireland, Sodexo has partnered with L Marks - an innovation specialist with experience of running over 70 programmes with some of the world's leading companies. 

L Marks will work with Sodexo to identify four areas to focus and attract start-ups and scale-ups who provide innovative new solutions. They will then be approached and given the opportunity to pitch to work with Sodexo and help the company develop its offer to meet the future of work needs its clients expect. 

Through collaboration with start-ups, the programme will drive innovations in technology that improve the workplace experience, aligning with Sodexo’s vast portfolio of expertise on workspace and work-life services, Vital Spaces. 

In January 2022, L Marks will kick-start its scouting campaign to identify early and growth stage companies operating in the food service and facilities management space.  Once identified, L Marks will offer them a unique opportunity to take their innovative ideas to the next level through Sodexo’s Accelerator platform. 

Through the Accelerator programme the selected start-ups and scale-ups will be given the chance to work with Sodexo’s experts over a ten-week period to fine tune their solutions in a live customer environment. 

Julie Ennis, CEO Corporate Services, Sodexo UK & Ireland said: 

“It is critical that Sodexo is agile and provides clients with forward-thinking solutions, powered by the latest technology. We have a fantastic track record of partnering with small and medium enterprises to achieve that aim. 

“At Sodexo, we believe deeply in doing good business in a good way. That’s why we leverage our expertise to not only optimise the efficiency of our clients’ businesses, but to have a powerful, positive impact on the communities we serve.” 

Daniel Saunders, CEO L Marks said: 

“Sodexo has decades of industry knowledge and a global client footprint. L Marks is delighted to work alongside Sodexo to create and launch their first UK & Ireland Accelerator. 

“As businesses safely reopen their workplaces following the past 18 months, Sodexo Accelerator will enable them to embrace entrepreneurial ideas and creative talent to create a step change in the industry and drive business forward.”

Brewed to perfection – CH&CO names its top Barista #

CH&CO has crowned Julia Mello its Barista of the Year 2021.

The talented Head Barista who works at University College London, showcased her first-class technical skills, knowledge and creativity at the final of the CH&CO Barista of the Year, standing out from tough competition to claim the title.

The CH&CO Barista of the Year competition celebrates coffee and the skilled Baristas across the diverse catering and hospitality business. It also gives teams the opportunity to develop their craft, share ideas and learnings, and continue to experiment and push boundaries.

In front of expert judges, the eight finalists competed in two challenges – Blind Brewing and Latte Art Battle.

For the Blind Brewing the finalists were presented with four different mystery coffees to inspect before selecting their preferred bean and creating their own recipes, which were then brewed on their chosen device and presented to the judges to analyse for aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body and balance, and presentation.

The Latte Art Battle saw the finalists go head-to-head to recreate latte art dictated by the roll of the dice. In this exhilarating round, the judges were looking for the most accurate design, best definition in colours and visual milk quality.

The panel of expert judges included the 2018 World Barista Champion Agnieszka Rojewska, Ashley Dawes from Union Hand Roasted, Dan Harvey from La Marzocco and Ivan Fumigalli from The Roasting Party.

The runners up were Charlie Needler, Barista working at Yorkshire Building Society and Dorija Glasovac, Head Barista at Overends Kitchen at the Airfield Estate, Dublin.
Allister Richards, COO, CH&CO, said:

“It was an absolute joy to bring the Barista of the Year 2021 to its exciting finale in person, after the virtual preliminary rounds. The eight finalists were amazing and brought the art of coffee to life. The epitome of professionalism and creativity, each and every one of them showed composure, talent and compassion as they supported each other, engaged with the judges and spectators and generally wowed us all. The standard was incredibly high and it was a close call, so huge congratulations must go to Julia, our worthy winner.

“Julia will now tour the country, visiting our regional coffee partners throughout the UK and Ireland and inspiring her barista colleagues across the business as we continue to develop our teams and grow our coffee specialism and offer for clients and customers to enjoy.”

Délifrance research reveals how food operators must adapt to improve services for consumers with food allergies #

Leading bakery solution, Délifrance, today released its latest insight report aimed at helping food operators navigate the challenges of allergen legislation. More than 2 million UK consumers have a diagnosed food allergy and, according to experts, the UK is experiencing a 'second wave' of allergic disease. To learn more about food hypersensitive (FHS) consumers and how food operators are adapting to their needs and new legislation, Délifrance commissioned a UK-wide survey – speaking to consumers who either have a food allergy, or have a child with one.

Findings revealed that three quarters of consumers with food allergies enjoy bread, 74% indulge in sweet treats like brownies or cakes, and 70% eat pastries like croissants and pain au chocolate. Another 66% like savoury treats such as cheese twists. Despite this, many don’t feel their needs are being met by food operators, and more than half (52%) won’t buy anything or will go elsewhere if they can’t find the bakery product they want.

The top five places where FHS consumers buy baked goods are supermarkets, bakeries, coffee shops and cafes, and restaurants. Délifrance gathered consumer insight on FHS consumer experiences buying products at each of these, in addition to independent retailers, pubs, bars and hotels.

The findings highlight key areas for each of these outlets to address. Not simply to reassure and better serve this fast-growing group of consumers, but also to comply with new legislation introduced by Natasha’s Law. These are outlined in the report, along with insight and advice on adapting these areas from Délifrance and report partners, Food Allergy Aware.

Stéphanie Brillouet, marketing director at Délifrance, said: “It’s clear these consumers love their baked goods, representing a big opportunity for food operators. They just need to be reassured that their products are produced and kept separate from those containing allergens. Unsurprisingly, they don’t want to compromise on taste and choice either.

At Délifrance, we’ve been eliminating or reducing allergens across our range for years. We’re also continually developing delicious new baked products that meet the needs of different diets – whether they’re allergen-free, vegan or organic. It’s a huge job, but we believe essential to keep the growing numbers of FHS consumers safe and happy.

We realise this represents a big challenge for some food operators, but we’re convinced that it’s good business as well as being vital for public health and wellbeing. We’ve shared some of our processes and approaches in the report, in the hope that they’ll inspire food operators to adapt, giving them the chance to attract rather than alienate what can often be a highly loyal group of consumers.”

Jacqui McPeake, consultant for Food Allergy Aware says, “There’s a huge community of people with allergies on social media – on Instagram, Twitter etc – and they all talk to each other. If an FHS consumer trusts a food operator and enjoys the food, they'll become a regular customer, tell their friends and share their experiences on social media using hashtags like #allergyapplause.   

It’s worth remembering that FHS consumers are vocal on social media if they have a bad experience too. And with allergies on the rise, this could affect businesses negatively in the long-run.”
 
To learn more about FHS consumers, key areas food operators should be addressing, and how best to adapt these to meet market needs, download the Delifrance report Prove It: Adapting bakery to meet the needs of food hypersensitive consumers here.

Full year results announcement for the year ended 30 September 2021 #

Compass Group UK&I have announced their results for the year ended 30 September 2021 and the headline summary is below:-

Focused on growth following a year of strong recovery

Performance summary
*  Underlying revenue recovered to 88% of 2019 revenue by Q4. FY underlying revenue 77% of 2019
*  Underlying margin improved to 5.8% in Q4. FY underlying margin of 4.5%
*  Strong FY operating cash flow of £1 billion whilst maintaining gross capex at 3.6% of underlying revenue. Reduced leverage ratio to 1.6x
*  Reinstating the dividend with a payout policy of c.50% of underlying earnings

Operational highlights
*  Healthcare & Senior Living and Defence, Offshore & Remote sectors performed well above pre-pandemic volumes, with strong recovery in Education and Sports & Leisure by Q4
*  Record new business wins of £2.1 billion, with around half from first time outsourcing and client retention of 95.4%
*  Announced a global commitment to deliver net zero by 2050, including validated Science Based Targets to 2030

Strategy
Focused on growth:

*  Significant structural opportunities, especially in first time outsourcing
*  Enabled by our strategic priorities: evolution of our operating model, innovation and digital, investing in capex and M&A and sustainability commitments

Outlook
*  FY22 organic revenue growth expected to be 20%-25%
*  FY22 underlying operating margin anticipated to be over 6%, with an exit rate of c.7%
*  Progress expected to be weighted towards the second half of the year due to mobilisation costs and inflationary pressures during H1

Statutory results
*  Statutory revenue decreased by 10.2% due to the pandemic’s continuing impact on our operations
*  Statutory operating profit increased by 85.4% to £545 million reflecting actions taken to control the controllable, including resizing the cost base and improved cost control

Dominic Blakemore, Group Chief Executive, said:

“Our strong financial recovery in 2021, including record new business wins and client retention, is a credit to our teams’ exceptional resilience, dedication and expertise in extraordinary circumstances.  We are pleased to be reinstating the dividend reflecting our strong cash flow and increasing confidence in the Group’s performance.

Looking ahead we are now focused on growth, driven by encouraging market trends and our ability to provide more bespoke, digital and sustainable solutions that meet the evolving needs of clients in a post-pandemic world. The tailwinds from first time outsourcing continue and, combined with our differentiated operating model and investment opportunities, we are in a strong position for growth.

In the short term, we expect FY22 organic revenue growth to be 20%-25%. Full year underlying margin is anticipated to be over 6%. With ongoing mobilisation costs and inflationary pressure, further improvement will be weighted towards the second half of the year as we return to underlying margin of around 7% by year end. 

As we emerge from the pandemic, our strategic focus is on sustained growth for the future, to enhance our competitive advantages and further strengthen our position as an industry leader in food services. We are increasingly excited about the significant structural growth opportunities globally, leading to the potential for revenue and profit growth above historical rates, returning margin to pre-pandemic levels, and rewarding shareholders with further returns.”

jellybean Makes it a Triple with B2B Marketing Award #

Integrated specialist food and drink agency jellybean has followed up its October double awards success by adding a third gong for the same Sarson’s campaign. This time around it was a much sought-after and hard-won Silver, awarded by B2B Marketing at its prestigious, annual awards night.
 
The accolade was given in the category of Best SME Targeted Campaign, for Sarson’s’ ‘Proud to Serve Fish & Chip Shops of Great Britain’ – a fully integrated campaign supporting fish and chip shops through the worst of the pandemic. The agency had already landed the Best B2B Campaign Award and the Freedom Award for Agency Collaboration during October’s Alliance of Independent Agencies Wing Awards. This latest win is, says MD Susan Bolam, the culmination of a great team effort, a great brand and of course a great campaign, and is the icing on the cake following last month’s double celebration.
 
“This was a campaign that really caught people’s imaginations. It targeted the UK’s 10,000 chippies, offering unprecedented brand support through the pandemic. We are so proud to have brought home yet another accolade for this game-changing, integrated campaign, especially when it faced such stiff competition with 1,000 entries into the awards, many from big brands and agencies. The B2B Awards are recognised as the Oscars of the B2B world and as such we are delighted that it would seem good things really do come in threes.” 
 
To find out more about jellybean’s award-winning campaign click here: https://lnkd.in/dPmG4i5q

How can tech help alleviate the impact of staff shortages? #

The cracks caused by staff shortages are really beginning to show according to new consumer and hospitality staff research carried out by KAM for pointOne that revealed customer experience, particularly in QSR, is being damaged by the current crisis.
 
Feedback from 500 QSR customers and 100 frontline staff, found that nearly 2-in-3 customers had worryingly noticed venues they have visited being short-staffed over the last 3 months and 1-in-5 said they’d waited longer to be seated and served than normal.
 
Arena readers can download the full whitepaper for free at www.kam-media.co.uk/resources
 
The research found that staff too are beginning to feel the strain, with 59% of team members admitting that customer experience is suffering in their venue due to lack of staff. The research suggests that the knock-on effect of shortages is also leading to an overload of work on existing staff and subsequent stress and dissatisfaction, with an alarming 64% of those interviewed saying that working in hospitality is less enjoyable now than it was pre-pandemic.

Given current staff shortages, tight budgets and supply chain issues, the pressure is really on for operators to ensure that their staff have the time and space in which to ‘look after’ the fundamental customer demands and consistently deliver the experience their customers expect. Staff obviously only have a finite amount of time so it’s critical they are focused on the areas which will deliver the greatest return. Quality and relevant training, great leadership, and company culture as well as emerging technology are all critical enablers here.
 
Far from feeling threatened by technology, 64% of hospitality staff said that their venues embracing time-saving technologies would improve their job satisfaction. 94% of them are confident that technology can help them do their job. Staff recognise that technology, everything from detailed digital menus to time-saving self-serve kiosk ordering, can help free up their time to focus on delivering the highly sought-after soft skills of customer service and interaction.
 
Those customers surveyed agreed with staff that technology could help speed up service, make it easier/faster to pay, make the venue safer with clear communication of allergens on digital menus and make it easier to order.

In fact, one of the biggest consumer trends to have been fast-tracked by the recent COVID-19 pandemic is the proliferation and acceptance of the digitalisation of order and pay across the hospitality industry. 68% of customer say they’d welcome digital menus and 66% welcome the ability to order and pay via a screen or on their smart phone. 
 
Technology should benefit everyone. It should give customers the autonomy to browse menus and product ingredients, order and pay in a way that is convenient to them and use intelligent data and CRM applications to bond the relationship between customer and brand. But it should also empower staff to interact freely and knowledgeably with customers giving them the time and confidence to build that required human connection, as well as help relieve the increased stress that the pandemic and staff shortages has put on them. Organizations should strive toward adopting a hybrid model where automation and staff work hand-in-hand, and each play to their relative strengths to support customers.
 
The independent research commissioned by pointOne has been published in a white paper, People + Tech: A New Era of Customer Experience, available for Arena readers to download for free at www.kam-media.co.uk/resources