Chartwells retains £2 million catering contract with Reading Borough Council

A total of 130 Chartwells' employees will continue to operate in 47 Reading schools, providing 800,000 school meals per year to 11,000 pupils and students under the new contract, which is worth £2 million in annual revenue. Chartwells has provided food services to Reading Borough Council since 2006. During this time they tailored their nutritious, healthy menus to the pupils and students of Reading and have achieved a 20% improvement in uptake of school meals. Chartwells has also initiated training schemes for its employees in schools across Reading. 45 front line team members have completed a level one NVQ in customer service and another 35 will have done so by the end of January 2012. Robin Mills, Chartwells' managing director, said: "Chartwells has worked closely with Reading Borough Council over the past five years, continually improving the standards and offer of school meals to suit the varied needs of today's pupil and student population. We're thrilled to retain this contract and are committed to developing our services, our offer and investing in our people." Colin McIntosh, from Reading Borough Council, added: "This appointment has seen 18 months of hard work in assessing candidates for the contract and Chartwells stood out for their innovative approaches to marketing and consultation along with a quality food offer. We look forward to seeing numbers increasing year on year in the new contract."