Providing catering and hospitality services for the university’s 13,000 students, the contract spans nine outlets including restaurants, cafés, vending and all soft services at a 32-bed hotel, and will also se CH&Co refurbish its Newton Café to “bring it up to the high standards of the new facilities.”
Sticking to its ethos of healthy and sustainable eating, the caterer “stood out for its tailored offer that aligns with the university’s social impact initiatives and reflects its objective to engage with students and enhance their overall university experience.”
As such, menus aim to encourage healthy and sustainable choices and on-trend food concepts; while a newly established sustainability plan will reduce single-use plastics; maximize recycling opportunities and responsible sourcing that supports local suppliers and producers.
Charles Willoughby, CH&Co business development director, said: “We’re very excited to be working with the University of Northampton. The new partnership strengthens our position in the higher education market, and we certainly mean business.
“The university is a dynamic, inclusive and forward-thinking establishment that really resonates with our own culture. Quite rightly, we’ve created a bespoke catering and hospitality offer that reflects its innovative vision and sustainability focus, and will enhance the students’s university experiences.
University project director, Robert Griggs, added: “The CH&Co team understands the vision and plans, and its strong retail experience will be very helpful in ensuring that our model works, and that our students receive a positive and thoughtful experience at every catering and hospitality touchpoint.
“The partnership so far has been very positive. The team have integrated seamlessly and the TUPE process is excellent.
“The incumbent staff have received training, even before the contract began, and everyone has access to CH&Co’s great learning and development programmes to progress their careers.
“We look forward to working in close partnership with CH&Co in making our catering and hospitality services very successful.”