Aramark, a global leader in food and facilities, already has a strong foodservice presence in business, healthcare, manufacturing and defence sectors across the UK while Jamie Oliver’s restaurants are well-known and popular with the dining public on the high street. Together, the two will be hoping to introduce more social dining experiences to client sites as well as developing exclusive concepts for Aramark clients.
At the core of the partnership will be a drive to focus on innovative culinary developments, staff training and client wellbeing and productivity through nutrition and food.
According to Julian Edwards FCSI, chair of FCSI UK & Ireland, the deal has real potential. “After reading the brochure about the thinking behind the partnership, it was clear that the approach is based on making a work environment the best it can be to attract and retain talent, mostly based on the ambience and the food and drink experience. Presenting this to potential clients in any type of work place would be a winner,” he says.
Innovative culinary experiences
“We are passionate about the health and well-being of those we serve every day so it was a natural fit for us to partner with Jamie Oliver. Together, we have an opportunity to create innovative culinary experiences that will revolutionise productivity and health in workplaces throughout Northern Europe,” said Frank Gleeson, president of Aramark in Northern Europe. “We serve hundreds of thousands of people in workplaces, schools and colleges every day, so we have a fantastic opportunity of working together where we can set the agenda for health and nutrition and have a real and lasting impact on people’s lives.”
Jon Knight, CEO of Jamie Oliver Restaurant group said the partnership would allow the company to expand its presence geographically in Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom and Ireland where it already operates. “Aramark’s mission of enriching and nourishing lives resonated with us, reflecting our own values. We have seen how that mission is given life throughout the company every day and in particular how Aramark extends this beyond providing a consistently high quality food offering but in introducing wellbeing programmes in client sites,” he said. “We look forward to working with Aramark and exploring opportunities to establish fully branded retail restaurants in multi-tenanted office and retail environments managed by Aramark.”
Edwards says this is a partnership that could work well. “Both brands have international interests and therefore both could support the other in terms of growth,” he says. “Jamie has experienced a lot in education catering, which Aramark are involved with, and this could be utilised widely, including taking a more healthy offer to the university sector. The move into cost sector catering, where clients predominantly pay the rates and building running costs, is a far more stable business platform with less risk.”
Tina Nielsen
Photo: Frank Gleeson and Jamie Oliver
